Monday, May 11, 2009
Saturday, May 9, 2009
I wonder....
is she left-handed?
is she the silly one in the family?
is her hair fine and smooth?
does her eyes sparkle when she laughs?
is her giggle loud?
if her favorite color is pink?
does she have a sweet tooth?
does she love to look at the moon?
does she miss her?
does she think about her?
what she wonders about.
Today an Asian woman has captivated my thoughts. A woman I have not met but would give anything for a brief encounter with this side of Heaven. Does her heart ache when she thinks about her sacrifice? Or has the culture dulled her pain because it's become the norm. Has she ever tried to find out about her?
Tatumn has grown so much this past year. She has become an independent little sassy lady. She loves to be silly and dance around. Her giggle is truly infectious. There is a sparkle in her little almond eyes that I am almost sure she had to get from her birth mother. She loves to look at the moon and will ask if that is the same moon in China. Maybe that special woman looks at the same moon. I hope she does.
Today is Birth Mother Day. Not something that Hallmark is capitalizing on but a special day for us. I may not ever be able to thank her personally but my heart overflows in gratitude because of her. Because of her, I get to be Tatumn's mommy. In her words "My very best girl."
is she the silly one in the family?
is her hair fine and smooth?
does her eyes sparkle when she laughs?
is her giggle loud?
if her favorite color is pink?
does she have a sweet tooth?
does she love to look at the moon?
does she miss her?
does she think about her?
what she wonders about.
Today an Asian woman has captivated my thoughts. A woman I have not met but would give anything for a brief encounter with this side of Heaven. Does her heart ache when she thinks about her sacrifice? Or has the culture dulled her pain because it's become the norm. Has she ever tried to find out about her?
Tatumn has grown so much this past year. She has become an independent little sassy lady. She loves to be silly and dance around. Her giggle is truly infectious. There is a sparkle in her little almond eyes that I am almost sure she had to get from her birth mother. She loves to look at the moon and will ask if that is the same moon in China. Maybe that special woman looks at the same moon. I hope she does.
Today is Birth Mother Day. Not something that Hallmark is capitalizing on but a special day for us. I may not ever be able to thank her personally but my heart overflows in gratitude because of her. Because of her, I get to be Tatumn's mommy. In her words "My very best girl."
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
How you know that your son is turning into a teenager.....
It could be the attitude change.
But it wasn't today.
It could be that he has outgrown all of his clothes.
Again, not the clue I got.
The voice changing/cracking.
Nope.
Did I mention the attitude?
Nada. He was actually very sweet today.
It was the quick scene that could have passed by without notice. But I did notice. I am very thankful that the Lord allowed me this quick glimpse. It made the horrible mood change from yesterday almost bearable. Although there are still pieces of my heart laid about my house that need picking up.
The scene played out like this...
We were making a quick trip to Hy-Vee for something to grill for dinner. The weather here has been totally spring-like. Glory. We were driving down the road and up in the distance there were three girls walking along the side of the road. I could tell they were middle-school age. From the back they looked like normal girls. Not a hoochie in the bunch.
Here is the deal, I only saw them from the back.
However, Tanner craned his neck as far as he could when we drove by to get a look at their faces. When he turned back around I could tell that he wasn't interested in any one of them.
I just took the sight in. I didn't make a comment at all. A little part of me had to let go at that moment. Let him be a teenager. I knew I needed to offer a little more grace for the attitude. Have I mentioned lately how horrible it can get?
As we left Hy-Vee ,though, he did jump on the quarter-for-a-ride-horse and rode like a cowboy....without his sister. All by himself. Oh, the sight makes me laugh out loud. He is truly stuck between little boy and wanna-be teenager.
May God find favor with my desire to keep putting one foot in front of the other......and not turning around and running the other way.
*Congrats Adrienne. E-mail me when you get a moment! I can't wait to hear about this precious little girl! crawfordhouse6@aol.com
But it wasn't today.
It could be that he has outgrown all of his clothes.
Again, not the clue I got.
The voice changing/cracking.
Nope.
Did I mention the attitude?
Nada. He was actually very sweet today.
It was the quick scene that could have passed by without notice. But I did notice. I am very thankful that the Lord allowed me this quick glimpse. It made the horrible mood change from yesterday almost bearable. Although there are still pieces of my heart laid about my house that need picking up.
The scene played out like this...
We were making a quick trip to Hy-Vee for something to grill for dinner. The weather here has been totally spring-like. Glory. We were driving down the road and up in the distance there were three girls walking along the side of the road. I could tell they were middle-school age. From the back they looked like normal girls. Not a hoochie in the bunch.
Here is the deal, I only saw them from the back.
However, Tanner craned his neck as far as he could when we drove by to get a look at their faces. When he turned back around I could tell that he wasn't interested in any one of them.
I just took the sight in. I didn't make a comment at all. A little part of me had to let go at that moment. Let him be a teenager. I knew I needed to offer a little more grace for the attitude. Have I mentioned lately how horrible it can get?
As we left Hy-Vee ,though, he did jump on the quarter-for-a-ride-horse and rode like a cowboy....without his sister. All by himself. Oh, the sight makes me laugh out loud. He is truly stuck between little boy and wanna-be teenager.
May God find favor with my desire to keep putting one foot in front of the other......and not turning around and running the other way.
*Congrats Adrienne. E-mail me when you get a moment! I can't wait to hear about this precious little girl! crawfordhouse6@aol.com
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
I know, I know...... Hold your appluase until after the post
I'm back.
Did you miss me? If not would you please act like you did; you know to save my feelings from being hurt on my first day back.
My 40 plus day sabbatical was for a fast that I felt like God put on my heart.
To focus on Him.
And you know what I found out?
This computer thing takes up a lot of personal time in my day. From checking e-mail, catching with my "friends" via blogs, I can literally waste half my day.
That left me a lot of time to focus on Him.
It was good.
Really good.
Just a few things to catch you up on....
*Teenage boys are TOUGH to parent. You can't let your guard done EVER.
*Toddler girls gets sassy.
*Third born boys are the sweetest.
*If you are the only Caucasian in a nail salon, a complete stranger will think your daughter belongs to the nail tech.
*16th anniversary gifts are a delight!
*My wedding finger is sporting some serious bling!
*My kitchen is a brighter shade of yellow.
*Beth Moore's Esther study has blessed my heart. Every day.
*My computer is on the fritz....again.
*My sister still has not planned her wedding.
*Though she wants to get married in JUNE.
*Summer is coming..... although we still need our heater on!
*If I really had a choice I would drink coffee with cream over green tea.
* My new favorite store is Sephora.
I will catch you on in more detail later.
Did you miss me? If not would you please act like you did; you know to save my feelings from being hurt on my first day back.
My 40 plus day sabbatical was for a fast that I felt like God put on my heart.
To focus on Him.
And you know what I found out?
This computer thing takes up a lot of personal time in my day. From checking e-mail, catching with my "friends" via blogs, I can literally waste half my day.
That left me a lot of time to focus on Him.
It was good.
Really good.
Just a few things to catch you up on....
*Teenage boys are TOUGH to parent. You can't let your guard done EVER.
*Toddler girls gets sassy.
*Third born boys are the sweetest.
*If you are the only Caucasian in a nail salon, a complete stranger will think your daughter belongs to the nail tech.
*16th anniversary gifts are a delight!
*My wedding finger is sporting some serious bling!
*My kitchen is a brighter shade of yellow.
*Beth Moore's Esther study has blessed my heart. Every day.
*My computer is on the fritz....again.
*My sister still has not planned her wedding.
*Though she wants to get married in JUNE.
*Summer is coming..... although we still need our heater on!
*If I really had a choice I would drink coffee with cream over green tea.
* My new favorite store is Sephora.
I will catch you on in more detail later.
Monday, February 23, 2009
We are all good.....
thanks for checking.
I know it's been a looooong time since I posted.
You know I have found out that life sometimes goes by in fast forward.
We've had one of those times. Again.
Everyone is doing good here at Crawford Casa.
Praise the Lord.
The firstborn is doing good. The middle one is ...I have a funny story on him. Later. The little man is good, as always. And the princess is the princess. A twirling delight!
We celebrated Valentines Day with a Fondue Dinner. Get it Fond of You. We had a blast! The big boys still love it and I asked when they had girlfriends if they would bring their girlfriends here for Valentines Day. And they said "yes". I then pulled out a contract, pricked their fingers for a tiny bit of blood, and they signed a covenant! Quick and Painless.
On Saturday, we hosted a dinner party here for my Bible Study girls. I love these girls with my whole heart and I am so thankful for their willingness to serve the body with their gifts and talents. Our Wednesday morning Bible Study is not your average meet-in-the-living room-kind-of- group. We have a worship team, lights and video, and a support team. So, on Saturday we invited the girls and their husbands to come and break bread with us. We had such a good time!
I have had such a full schedule lately that it has been hard to juggle. I am trying to discern if I am doing a lot of little things okay or if I am doing a couple good things for God. Trying to discern if what I feel at night is typical mommy guilt or is the enemy trying to manipulate my thoughts. More often than not, I have a running dialogue with the Lord that asks Him to reveal to me His truth but also in forgiveness for being afraid to walk by faith. There is a heaviness there that I cannot shake. An anticipation that is palpable. A burden heavy. A joy immeasurable. A nagging guilt. Humbled by His invitation.
A Belief that grows daily through all of this.
and
I know it's been a looooong time since I posted.
You know I have found out that life sometimes goes by in fast forward.
We've had one of those times. Again.
Everyone is doing good here at Crawford Casa.
Praise the Lord.
The firstborn is doing good. The middle one is ...I have a funny story on him. Later. The little man is good, as always. And the princess is the princess. A twirling delight!
We celebrated Valentines Day with a Fondue Dinner. Get it Fond of You. We had a blast! The big boys still love it and I asked when they had girlfriends if they would bring their girlfriends here for Valentines Day. And they said "yes". I then pulled out a contract, pricked their fingers for a tiny bit of blood, and they signed a covenant! Quick and Painless.
On Saturday, we hosted a dinner party here for my Bible Study girls. I love these girls with my whole heart and I am so thankful for their willingness to serve the body with their gifts and talents. Our Wednesday morning Bible Study is not your average meet-in-the-living room-kind-of- group. We have a worship team, lights and video, and a support team. So, on Saturday we invited the girls and their husbands to come and break bread with us. We had such a good time!
I have had such a full schedule lately that it has been hard to juggle. I am trying to discern if I am doing a lot of little things okay or if I am doing a couple good things for God. Trying to discern if what I feel at night is typical mommy guilt or is the enemy trying to manipulate my thoughts. More often than not, I have a running dialogue with the Lord that asks Him to reveal to me His truth but also in forgiveness for being afraid to walk by faith. There is a heaviness there that I cannot shake. An anticipation that is palpable. A burden heavy. A joy immeasurable. A nagging guilt. Humbled by His invitation.
A Belief that grows daily through all of this.
and
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