Love Languages Lived Out

Okay. . . Part II. Why is is that things look so much cooler when written in roman numerals instead of normal, boring numbers? It's true. Anyway, continuing my thoughts from yesterday, here are some examples of people in my life who live out all of the five love languages. They might not consider these their primary ones but they certainly express love well in these areas!

• Words of Affirmation - My dad has always done this for me by telling me every day that he loved me, praising me, telling me he's glad I'm his girl, writing me letters that express his love for me, etc. I have been incredibly blessed to always have this kind of love expressed to me by the man in my life (and now my husband does a fantastic job of it too).
• Physical Touch - When my sister, Carissa, was a baby she would cry in the carseat (this was when we lived at the ranch and had to drive at least 30 minutes anywhere we went). The thing that would always calm her down was if we held her hand. I would start out in the front seat twisted around with my arm falling asleep and end up just moving to the back so it was a little easier! It was precious. Now Little John loves to cuddle with his aunt! My mother-in-law is also this way, always rubbing people's shoulders, hugging all of us, and showering her grandbabies with kisses and snuggles.
  
• Quality Time - My sister, Caitlin, does this so well. She is about to be 13 and at an age when most girls are thinking mostly of themselves, but she is always thinking of others. She is ready at any moment to completely drop what she is doing and spend time with me, my children, or anyone that she loves. She never thinks she has spent too much time with her family and always has more to give. When she is with you she is also very focused and pays attention and remembers details of what you are doing or thinking about.
  
• Gifts - My sister-in-law, Brittany, has this one nailed down. She pays close attention to what people like or need and can always find the perfect gift. This does not necessarily require a gift-giving occasion but can be just because "it looked like you." This also translates into thoughtful things like taking really good pictures of my kids and giving me copies or spotting something that I was looking for while she was out. Definitely the person you want to draw your name in a gift exchange!
• Acts of Service - This one is my mom. Growing up I don't think I ever fully appreciated the extent of this, but now that I am a mom I realize how MUCH she did without acting like it was anything out of the ordinary. Now I think about all those hours I sat on the dryer in the laundry room and talked to her while she ironed, and I realize that she was ironing all those hours! Even though I wouldn't consider this one of my primary love languages, it is something that I appreciate with all of my heart and it does make me feel very loved. The fact that she has driven to my house to help me clean up my carpet when Little John threw up all over the place is only one example of the things she is always willing to do! Moms are amazing!!! John's dad is also this way and is constantly giving his time and hard work to do things for others - even people he doesn't really know!

Yes, I know I didn't use my husband as an example on these. I honestly have a hard time putting him anywhere because he constantly shows me love in every one of these five areas. Unbelievable, I know. His primary love language is acts of service and he is completely happy if I cook him dinner or bring him a glass of water. This mostly expresses itself in the way he is always ready to use his many skills to bless others. I don't know how many friends and family members he has helped to fix their computers, set up their sound systems, or move into their house. And he is always doing something around here that needs to be done. The other day he was randomly over at our neighbor's house carrying something upstairs!

Looking at this list I realize what a blessing families are and how God uses them to show us love in all of these areas. Maybe as we grow we are supposed to be able to express His love in every area! The differences we all have make our lives together so interesting!

Love Languages

In our class on Sunday mornings for the last few weeks, Chris and Stacie Hatchett have been teaching on marriage. They've done a great job! They spent one Sunday on the five love languages from the book by Gary Chapman. John and I read this book together before we got married and it has been very helpful to us in our relationship. It was interesting talking about it again because we both felt we had changed a little in our strongest ones. We had a great talk about what makes us that way and how we feel about the ways we express love to each other. I know that this is also important with our kids and our conversation made me think - I would love to know my friends better and how they like to give and receive love. What is it that makes you feel loved and how do you tend to express it?

If you're not familiar with the love languages, they are:

• Words of Affirmation - Hearing those three little words and have loving things said or written to you, compliments, praise
  

• Physical Touch - Snuggling, sitting close, holding hands, being near those you love

• Quality Time - Focused time and attention, doing things together
  

• Gifts - Thoughtful gifts that show the person knows you and was thinking of you
  

• Acts of Service - Doing something where you don't have to do it, taking care of jobs, housework, chores, kids, whatever is on your plate

Apparently most people have one or two that are the strongest but usually appreciate any of them. I must be needy or something because I want them all! : ) If I stop and think about the ones I really can't do without, though, it would probably be words of affirmation and quality time with physical touch right up there. I've always been a note writer and wanted to say things to people I loved. I'm not afraid of being mushy. It has also taken maturing to teach me that someone can love me without wanting to spend a lot of focused time with me. I used to think that if we were friends, we would be together all the time. I also struggle with wanting all of John's attention. Even an evening doing two different things is hard for me even though he is usually great at paying attention to me when he's around. I'm also a MAJOR snuggle person and only keep that at bay because of the risk of embarrassment to myself or others. I'm sure John feels like he married a puppy dog sometimes because I kind of sound like I'm describing our labrador - she wants to be cuddled and petted, and she wants you to talk to her and play with her all the time! Maybe tomorrow I'll blog about the people I know who show these five languages the best because I know people who do all of these really well!

Meanwhile, while you are breathlessly anticipating my next blog, what is your love language?

Mommy's Day Off!

Today Kailey and I went shopping in Dallas, just the girls, with Marmee, Caitlin, Brittany and Kyndall. My sweet sister who had schoolwork to do at home was nice enough to watch Little John until Big John got off work. It was so much fun to have a day to look and try on and have so much fun with the girls! We found dresses for the girls to wear to my brother's wedding in April that were originally $225 and had been marked down to $50! They only had three sizes and two of them were what we needed for the girls. I think we were meant to have those, don't you?! I think sometimes I forget when I haven't done something like this in a long time how nice it is to relax and have a big break. Thank you, Carissa and John, for giving me a special day with just Kailey to take care of!

Goliath

Little John loves the story of David and Goliath. We have a great picture book that with some voices and sound effects added throughout makes an exciting bedtime story that is one of his favorites. Once he made the connection that Goliath was a giant, everything huge became "Goliath" said in a big, deep voice. This might be anything from a large animal to a large bubble.

One day we were shopping at Nordstrom's when he came running to my sisters and said that he had seen "Goliath" (again in a big, scary voice). Upon investigating we found "Goliath" to be a very tall man working one of the counters in the men's department. He had no idea that he was making the Bible come alive for a toddler that day. Oh, the way their little minds work! It's amazing to me how they can learn vague and abstract concepts and make connections all on their own! It is one more reminder to me of how it is never too early to begin making those little brain connections to God, His love, and the ways He works in our lives!

"That's Amazing!"

Little John has been making me laugh so hard lately with his newest phrases. Whenever I tell him something new or he sees something he likes he says, "That's amazing!" It is hysterical. Today he was telling me the colors of some things he was holding and when I told him that one of them was gold he said, "Gold. That's amazing!"

His other phrase is, "What am I doing?!" Whenever he gets frustrated or can't figure something out, he looks at me and says in a very irritated voice, "What am I doing?!" I certainly feel like that sometimes! I'm not sure I know what I'm doing about half the time. : )

This morning we were lying in bed when the kids first woke up and Little John was trying to get me and laughing. Kailey started laughing at him and it was so much fun seeing them enjoying each other. They have so much to look forward to being friends with each other! I love all these precious little moments with my babies.

"The" Small Group

We have been meeting with our small group for a while now but just recently began meeting on a weekly basis. We have loved looking forward each week to this time with these wonderful couples, growing and sharing together. We eat, study, play, talk, and have a great time. I thank God for the wonderful people He has put in our lives to challenge us to grow in our walk with Him. And hey, anyone who can understand the connection between Darth Vader and Judas Iscariot is great to have in your discussion group!

Our group is studying the Book of Acts. We are praying for God's perspective on church (including our small group) as He intended it to be.

Ryan and John hanging out

Scout provided us with some priceless entertainment by chewing on Dwight's knee! I'll have my camera ready next week, Scout. You almost had that crawl down!

A fun bunch of girls! I love my sweet friends!

Kyndall decided to hang out under Kyle's chair

Old Friends

We hung out with some old friends tonight and had a blast! It's amazing how a few years can bring about so many changes. The last few years have brought this group of friends 5 babies! Here are some pictures of our little ones hanging out together. It is fun to watch your kids with your friends' and siblings' kids!

I love this picture of Kailey and cousin Kyndall!
Kailey and Jude (aww!)All three munchkins
John & Julian watching some Hermie

Rough & Tumble

Well, I have officially blogged every day for a week now! We'll see how long I can keep it up! Here are my boys having some jumping, piles-of-pillows, flying-in-the-air fun!

Star Time

John and I have decided to return to Star Time, our church's family worship, as praise leaders. We are excited about being involved with children's ministry again after a short break. We made a commitment when we first got married to really look for ministry opportunities where we could serve together and the Lord has been faithful to provide those over and over again. We love this because our kids will also be there with us and my sisters will be helping which will be lots of fun! We helped with Star Time when it first began but this will be a much different thing because we are now on a weekly format meeting before our church's new instrumental service on Saturday nights. The reason I am posting about all of this is because I would love to have your prayers for us that this would be a very special time for families to come together and worship and that the Lord would direct us in each song choice or other decision so that this would be pleasing to Him. We feel very strongly about the importance of families having the opportunity to worship the Lord together and are so grateful for our church meeting this need. I would say that you should be sure to bring your kids and come but the very thought of any of you being there makes me incredibly nervous. Maybe you should stay home and pray. : ) Just kidding! We'd love to see you there!

Vitamin C & Echinacea

I absolute love vitamin C and the herb echinacea, especially during the winter sick season. I have those two things in a gummy vitamin form that I give to John whenever he seems like he might come down with something. I've worked very hard to help build up his immune system where he can fight sickness on his own, and this is that little added boost when something is attacking that really helps. He might have a runny nose and after a day or two of that it is totally gone without moving to his ears or chest. I also use it combined with garlic when coming down with any kind of infection and can easily fight things off without a trip to the doctor or an antibiotic. Love the stuff! If you've never tried it, I highly recommend giving it a whirl.

Wii

For those of you who have not yet been introduced to the Nintendo Wii, it is the best thing to hit the gaming world in a long time. You hold the controller and move around with it. It is fun and hilarious to watch! Little John absolutely loves it. He gets very into it and is actually quite good. He loves playing the different sports games with his daddy. He has tried to teach Kailey and his cousin, Kyndall, how to play as well. Too cute. I wish I had pictures of that but couldn't get to my camera in time. If you ever get an opportunity to play one, give it a try, even if you don't like playing other video games. Tara was quite the tennis pro at small group last week and it's the only time besides in my dreams that I have or ever will beat my husband at bowling. I know I've already posted Nemo pictures but here is John with Nemo and his Wii controller.

Doll Baby

Today's post is simple. I feel like most of my pictures are of John since he is usually the one doing more interesting things so it's time for some Kailey pictures. Who could possibly not fall in love with THIS?!!!

Rodeo

Last night we went to the rodeo with my aunt and uncle. We had a great time and Little John was very excited about seeing the horses and cows! John and I grew up going almost every year so this was something we had looked forward to sharing with our kids. Some of John's favorite parts were riding the tractors at the exhibit hall, slapping hands with everyone during the grand entry, and getting cotton candy. I was EXTREMELY disappointed to learn that they no longer make those tiny sugar donuts. That was one reason I went to the rodeo. Funnel cakes are NOT the same thing. Anyway, John had a blast watching the rodeo and the rest of us had the majority of our fun just watching him see it all for the first time. Oh, and since you can't see Kailey's outfit very well in the picture, it has fringe on the jeans, horses on the sweater, and pink cowgirl boots on the shirt and says, "These boots were made for walking." SO cute.

I messed with my coloring options on my computer for these. Any votes on the coloring you like the best?

Boxing

John is big into boxing right now. Daddy got out his boxing gloves and they have provided lots of entertainment for the last week. It's been good to watch John learn to enjoy this pastime within the boundaries we gave him. The rules are that he can only punch someone wearing gloves and can only punch the gloves, not anywhere else on the body. It's rewarding to see that he is old enough to have privileges that come with responsibility and rules. His favorite part is falling down after the first or second punch and having us count to ten while he decides whether to get up or stay down and "lose" that round. This has provided great counting practice. He's a pretty cute little boxer, I think!

Finding Nemo

I have decided to blog every day. No, you do not have to take the time to read all of them, but this is my way of journaling for my family, so that's my goal. Then I can print these off, keep them in books for my kids, and they will know what I was thinking and doing as I raised them. Plus, I love to write and it gives me daily contact with the outside world. This will not be the place to find theological arguments or anything mind-blowing but simply what is going on in my world. I usually save the other thoughts for grown up discussions with my husband when he gets home from work. : )

Today Little John decided that he loved his stuffed Nemo that my family brought from their last trip to Disney World. He has started doing a lot of pretending over the last few months which I think is adorable. So today he has been carrying Nemo around and asking him if he wants to sit down or go downstairs or play a game. He even agreed to pose with him for a picture, which is pretty amazing for my anti-picture son. These stages of make believe and little stuffed friends are fun to watch!

Siblings

We love having two kids! Our children are slowly getting used to the idea of each other. Kailey is interested in anything that John does or says and is completely calm even when he gets rowdy and loud. John has become more and more interested in Kailey as she becomes more interactive. Every night when John goes to bed we ask him how much he loves us or we love him and he says, "SO much!" with his arms wide. Then we smother him in hugs and kisses. He goes through our little list that he loves Mommy, Daddy, Jesus and now Kailey. The other night while Kailey was being held over him to "give him kisses" she chose that precise moment to spit up (just a little) right in his face! We immediately started wiping him off while laughing and he got perfectly still and didn't move or make a sound. He stared at her until we moved her away and then still not moving an inch said really quietly, "Daddy take Kailey?" He didn't move until Daddy picked Kailey up and completely removed her from the bed! It was hilarious! Apparently he is terrified of spit up.

A few minutes ago he took a little green bag and informed me he was leaving for work. Maybe I should go see where he is. . .

Baking with My Boy

We've been doing quite a bit of cooking around our house. John loves to help, especially by breaking the eggs and stirring. He's a pretty cute little helper, don't you agree? Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins definitely taste better when he's had his hands in the baking process.

Christmas Pictures

Even though I've already posted my New Year's thoughts, I thought I would go back and share a few of my favorite Christmas pictures. Little John was a blast this Christmas as he began to understand more of what was going on. He is still telling me who gave him each of his Christmas gifts and it is important to him. So precious.
He loved spending so much time with our families. I love this picture of my grandparents with their three great-grandbabies! And of course my favorite early Christmas presents were my sweetheart's first smiles. You don't get better than these two bundles of fun (and a hunky husband to boot)!

2007

The years are absolutely flying by. Sometimes I really can't believe that we are already closer to 2010 than 2000! Obviously I've been thinking back over the last year. There have been many sweet milestones. My precious son turned two and is now more of a boy than a baby. I love him more every day! I turned 26, John turned 27 and we celebrated our 5th anniversary. New Year's Eve marked our 9 year anniversary of being together. That seems so long! I was 17 and although I knew I wanted to marry him I certainly had no idea where we would be 9 years later. My nephew and niece were born this year and that's a whole new kind of love I've been able to experience seeing our siblings with their children. I love those two kids and will continue to miss my other nephew until we are all reunited in Heaven! My grandfather went to be with Jesus and I sure missed him through the holidays! I spent a precious few days with one of my best friends after 5 years apart and realized that a close friendship based on Christ is always there and some people are just "kindred spirits" for life. After struggling through the would-be birth day of our miscarried child we conceived again, went through the entire pregnancy and had Kailey this year! It's funny that this time last year I had no idea she would be born and she's already here. It just goes to show that you never know what the Lord has in store. There are new friendships, deepened ones, and some friends that I'm rarely able to see anymore. All in all, a beautiful year. The Lord has become even more real in my life than ever before and I rely on Him daily to carry me through this journey of being a wife and mother. This year I think He has meant the most to me as Patient Father, Healer, Giver of Life, Renewer of Strength, Friend, and Source of Wisdom. I pray that your lives are full of daily relationship with Him. Thank you, Lord for all of the rich blessings in our lives!

I know that 2007 will hold wonderful and unexpected things. A few I am already anticipating are my brother's wedding in April to our new sister, Carli and some changes in our church life as our leadership follows God to a new place. I pray for the grace and strength to handle each challenge, the love and patience to try to model Christ in my relationships with others, and the faith and peace to live each day fully expecting God to show up in the smallest and biggest ways. Open our eyes, Lord. We want to see and follow You this year!

Thoughts on Christmas

Well, the Critz household is ready for Christmas! This is the first year that Little John has really had some comprehension of what is going on and he has added so much to the joy of the season with his excitement. We decorated our house, made Christmas tree rice krispy treats, drove to Dallas to look at Christmas lights, watched Christmas shows, went to a birthday party for Jesus, picked out presents for people we love, and we're just getting started! He has absolutely no idea that he is "supposed" to ask for things for Christmas so he is just enjoying the whole thing. I'm hoping that the seeds are also being sown for him to begin understanding the true miracle behind this celebration. I have thought a lot this December about baby Jesus. Having a newborn in our house makes it extra special as I snuggle with her, smell her little baby smell, and think about the Son of God actually becoming a tiny infant. What did Mary understand about her baby? I just had a natural childbirth and I would NOT have wanted to do that in a stable after a long road trip! I think we've heard it so many times that we become numb. That scared girl endured so much physically and emotionally and then He arrived and I'm sure she had the thought that all of us have that it was all worth it. Worth every minute of discomfort for just a few precious moments with that child. I know this sounds too simple but I keep finding myself telling Jesus this year, "I'm just so glad You came." So glad I can talk to the Almighty God through Jesus, so glad I can tell my babies this story day after day until they also choose eternal life through Him, just so glad He came. Merry Christmas to each of you as you enjoy all the blessings that come from our loving Father!