Our Special Christmas Gift

Yes, I'm still alive, and we're home after a fantastic trip to Disney World with my whole family. Mountains of pictures will be forthcoming. I think I finally bit off more than I could chew in November because I had some extra nap times for Mom I hadn't planned into the schedule! Blogging had to be left behind. If you haven't seen our Christmas card yet (a few didn't make the mail before we left for Florida), the Critz family received an early Christmas gift! Sorry to anyone who found out from someone else before I could tell you. I was trying to surprise with the cards!

A special gift nine months in the making,
A tiny little one God's creating.
In July of next year our gift will arrive,
Making us a family of five!

Kailey's One Year Pictures

Kristin just put Kailey's one year pictures up on her site. You can go to http://www.kristinmorales.com/index2.php, click on client and type in Critz as the password. Just don't look at the ones of me! Yikes! I love having pictures done of my kids but should really stay out of them. : ) Anyway, there are several that capture Kailey's personality so well! Kristin does it again!

Who Says Laundry Isn't Fun?

Kailey's Pink Party

Making Kailey's cupcakes. All the "Little People" helped us. : )

Showing Bimi her birthday present

Reading her baby a book

Talking to Memaw Cox

Happy about finally getting to eat cake like everyone else

Yum! She didn't get any on her pretty dress!

Sharing the rest with Mom

LJ driving his friends around in his golf cart.

The party crew - minus a few who had left. Such fun! Many kudos to the guys who were willing to wear pink for the party (and to the wives who dressed them). True men.

Happy Birthday, Princess!

I completely missed blogging on Kailey's birthday. It has been a busy week full of fun things. Being the classy girl that she is, Kailey went shopping in Dallas on Tuesday night (her actual birthday) after having a wonderful pink party on Saturday! Thank you so much to those who called, e-mailed, and/or attended her party! She has such special people to love her. I pray that she already knows how richly blessed she is.

I will post more pictures but thought I would share my birthday letter for Kailey on her first birthday.

My Precious Sunshine,

This year has flown. I can vividly relive each detail of this day last year and have trouble believing that there could possibly have been 365 days between then and now. Yet it is also difficult to comprehend how you could have spread so much joy in a mere 12 months. There is no way to describe the blessing of you. You are everything precious, beautiful, joyful, and wonderful. You are already my little companion - sharing with me in girl things, mommy things, sweet things, and pretty things. You are a buddy to your brother - playing ball and tagging along right behind him. You are a princess to your daddy - grabbing his heart and holding it in that tiny grasp.

You have done everything early, seeming to run to meet milestones that I would have been willing to postpone. You seem to already have a desire to remind me that you are not a baby but a growing girl who needs responsibilities. : ) You want to help, snuggle, comfort, love, and cheer everyone you meet. I am in constant amazement at God's ability to use your sweet presence in a shopping mall, a grocery store, or a restaurant to put a smile on someone's face and cause them to open up and share with us. I pray to constantly be ready to walk through the doors God uses you to open and to reach out to others. I know you will always be challenging me to do better simply by being yourself.

Less than two years ago, your daddy and I were crying out to God for you, knowing that there was something missing from our family. That something was you! When we asked God what He wanted us to do, He told us to stand firm and see Him deliver us from the long and difficult road we had been on. God gave us a story in the Bible of Him fighting for His people as they praised Him. At the end of the story they ended up with so many riches when their enemies were defeated, that it took them three days to carry it away! We felt that was our promise from Him, treasure beyond our expectations. You have been beyond what we could have dreamed. Because of that we decided to name you, "Kailey" which means "crown." Our treasure given in God's victory over our struggles! He is so good!

My precious Kailey Abigail, there is not a day that I take you for granted, not a night that I put you to bed without pouring out a heart of gratitude to God for giving you to me. In no way could I ever deserve to be your mother and have the joy of spending these precious years with you, but I can never thank God enough for His graciousness in allowing me that priceless privilege.

Oh, how I love you. But always remember, He loves you unfathomably more. He will be your everything if you will only let Him. How I pray for you to walk with Him each hour of every day for the rest of your life. There is no real living outside of Him. No real joy unless He is at the center of it. If I could only ask one thing for you, baby girl, it would be to know His love and to return it with everything you have. If you do that, everything else will fall into place.

Happy Birthday, my love. May there be many more full of the love, family and friendship that this one has been. You are a blessed baby girl.

Mommy

Walky Talky Dolly

I think I completely failed to mention that Kailey started walking a month ago. : ) Nice, Mom. She is everywhere now and refuses to crawl anymore. This is the goal she worked so hard to achieve and she will not do anything but walk, even if there is a faster option available. Here she is with her "pup pup." She gets so excited she can hardly stand it whenever Noel is around. Noel is getting a lot of good playtime these days with my kids outside constantly. Kailey also recently started making some animal noises which crack us up. She likes to moo and neigh and mooing requires her to throw her head up in the air kind of like a coyote howling. It's pretty funny. She is also completely obsessed with babies, whether real or dolls. She hugs them and makes all the little cooing noises that a mommy makes. Precious. My mom calls her a walky, talky dolly. That pretty much sums it up!

No Fear Party

I'm going to put a disclaimer on this before I even start. I usually don't discuss this with other people because I don't want them to feel that I am trying to tell them how to do or not do this. I'm not! It's the furthest thing from my mind. I just want to share how excited I am about what God prompted us to do this year! This is between us and Him and has absolutely NO bearings on my love and respect for how you choose to do things in your family (which, by the way, is how I feel about anything you and I do differently). There are choices you make in your families that constantly challenge me to rethink my decisions and ask God if He is wanting something else from us. Okay, now I feel better, and I love each of you!

Can I just tell you how much fun we had Wednesday?!!! In the past I have completely dreaded this time of year. I personally dislike everything about Halloween. The fear, greediness, and darkness that drive the holiday for most people disturb me. I dislike going to the grocery store and having to steer my small children around blood, skeletons, and life size grim reapers. I dislike that kids will gripe about people not giving out the right candy or enough of it when their bags are full of enough sugar to make you sick looking at it. I cannot find a way to align this with my beliefs of what I should teach my family. Witches and demons and evil are real, not playthings. They are part of the Enemy's army and we are on the other side. I am teaching them that God is love and casts out fear. So why toy with it or celebrate it?

In the past we have avoided the holiday. We do something else and treat that day like any other. We go to dinner or hang out with family. As it approached this year, I found myself desiring more. I felt prompted to do more than just find a safe or fun alternative when I could redeem this for God's glory. So, I did something that I often forget to do, but, whenever I remember, I am blown away by His willingness to answer in even the smallest of issues. I asked for creativity. I am not by nature the most creative person around. The great thing about this lack on my part is that whenever I experience a burst of it, I know it's God and not me. Anyway, as I prayed, the ideas just started coming. I talked to John and we decided that we really wanted to focus on the opportunity to interact with our neighbors. I mean, how often do all of your neighbors show up at your front door?

So, we scheduled our first ever Critz family "No Fear Party." All during the day, LJ and I talked about God's power and how He is bigger, stronger, and more powerful than anything or anyone else so we have nothing to fear. We listened to praise songs like "God is Big" and made a poster that listed things that are big but still smaller than God. We also wrote down things we don't have to fear like fire, thunder, and bad guys. I wrote it exactly like he said it and he was very proud of his decorating skills. Then, while he was watching a movie about God helping us not to fear, I made some snacks that reminded us of Bible stories where God was powerful. You can see those in the pictures below. LJ and Kailey dressed up like animals on Noah's Ark and made an ark out of sofa pillows. Daddy ended up playing with the praise band for Fallfest so we stayed home to pass out candy and showed him all of our "No Fear" goodies when he got home. A few family members stopped by to eat dinner with us and see our little projects. When the kids started arriving, we passed out candy, met neighbors, and that night we prayed that each child and family who had come to our door would experience God's power in their lives, dissolving all their fears. Several weeks ago LJ and I chose some pumpkins and wrote verses about God's love and power over fear on them to put on our porch. One cute little boy that came to the door asked me what my pumpkins meant. I told him what they meant and he ran back to his mom yelling, "Mom, they're Christians in that house!" Now I just pray to daily live in a way as I come and go among my neighbors that backs up that title that includes my Lord's precious name!

All in all we considered our day a massive success and all glory goes to God for His creativity! He is so faithful to hear my cries as a mom even on seemingly insignificant things like this holiday. LJ has continued to talk about God's power and not being afraid since then. After all this, I am definitely asking Him for some Thanksgiving ideas! : )

The dinosaur watching a Hermie video about not being afraid

Some of our snacks: David's staff and stones (pretzels and raisins), Animals in the ark (animal crackers), Daniel's lion (a lion craft), and one not pictured was Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace (sour patch kids in red jello). You can also see our poster in the back.

Even Goldie helped us out and played the part of the big fish. The little green guy is, of course, Jonah

The dinosaur and the duck in the ark

The dinosaur hugging the duck. The ark must have been a happy place. : )

Critz Kids on the Go

Shutting Down for the Night

I am up late. . . again, and this is what's going through my mind as I shut down tonight.

1. My sweet husband is in the garage painting dining room furniture. I need to do something really nice for him.

2. I can't remember the rest of the song, "Summer Days" from Grease so one line is running over and over in my head.

3. If Kailey wakes up every two hours again tonight with her teeth hurting, I am REALLY going to wish I had gone to bed sooner.

4. I'm making progress on my Christmas shopping!

5. I don't understand how the floor can be so dirty when I just vacuumed. And how Kailey can find the tiniest thing on the floor and eat it. She must have been a Hoover in a previous life.

6. What are we having for dinner this week?

7. I am in the planning process for so many parties and showers that I'm very afraid I'm going to let something fall through the cracks somewhere! Or I'm going to send an e-mail to the wrong group of hostesses talking about someone's shower they don't even know!

8. I need to get my windows cleaned.

9. It's almost November!

10. Goodnight!

Piano & Parenting

I have had one piano student for about a year and a half now. Recently her cousin also started taking and it was one of those moments where you realize that you've been missing something. I've paid so much attention each week to where we are in my student's progress that I failed to fully realize how far we had come! When my new student started and I taught them back to back, I saw how much my original one had learned in our 18 months together. I am so excited for her! Her family recently bought a piano and now she is practicing more and beginning to sight read beautifully. It is such a delight to be a part of anyone's learning process! I'll have to keep on my toes to stay ahead of these two girls! They are smart cookies and so much fun!

As I thought about this little revelation, I wondered how often I do this in my parenting. I stay so focused on where we need to be and what behaviors, attitudes, etc. still need work that I miss the extreme progress we are making. I can easily become discouraged and frustrated when I should be rejoicing that day by day God is giving us the grace to overcome our sinful natures. And believe me, overcoming mine as just as much a part of this parenting process as overcoming Little John's or Kailey's! So, I am determined to spend less time hoping we get to Destination Well-Behaved Child, and more time celebrating the victories! I'm sure glad my Heavenly Father doesn't wait for me to get it down before he rejoices in me!

Safe Among Us

I recently read a quote on another blog's comments that has stuck with me and been running through my mind frequently. It was a saying talking about gossip that said, "Let the absent one be safe among you." Doesn't that put a completely different spin on a conversation about someone who is not present? It makes you want to protect, defend, and ally yourself with the one who needs you. The absent one. The one not there to hear the tacky, ignorant, or judgmental thing being said. It makes gossip seem so cowardly, like hitting someone whose back is turned or who is unable to defend himself. It's a great sentence to keep in the back of your mind during conversations.

Growing up I had a best friend (who is still a best friend today). We spent many, many hours together, traveled together, roomed together, went to sleepovers together, and the majority of our time spent together was during our teenage years when tongues usually seem to be their loosest and cattiest. However, I have never, not once, heard this friend say something ugly about another person. If she ever says anything that might be even perceived as negative, it is prefaced and followed by something positive or an explanation for the person's behavior. I have been challenged year after year by this sweet friend and her loyalty. She is trustworthy and kind and if someone tried to convince me that they had heard her speak wrongly of me, I would laugh. I know she's not even capable of doing that. Well, I guess capable, but chooses not to. She has allowed her conscience in this area to become so sharp, that God can prompt her of the tiniest variance from her high standard of speaking of others in their absence. Because of this, I find myself always wanting to speak as highly of her as possible. I want other people to think of her as the most amazing woman and friend. It's astounding the effect that your loyalty can have on the people to whom you are a faithful friend. So, to my Rebekah, if you read this, I love you dearly. Thank you for modeling a strength that few women are ever able to achieve - some tongue control. I pray for that same ability to protect the absent with my words, and at the same time that I pray, I know that God will not do it for me. It is my choice. A choice to choose my words carefully and use only those which will bring honor and love. And then my prayer turns to a cry for forgiveness for all the times I fail and the desire to start again tomorrow.

May the absent be safe among us!

I've Created A Monster (I Think I Like It)

Well, I think I started the madness when John's cousin sent one of these out and I just had to try it. The first video is the one that started it all when I sent it out to Shelly, Ches and Julia. I laugh thinking about it. I'll just be driving down the road and start laughing thinking about Shelma's cartwheel at the end. The second video is the one of my family that even Kailey thinks is hilarious! If you want your own crazy video, go to www.jibjab.com.

A Reason to Smile

This picture makes me laugh for two reasons. One, it proves that no matter what you buy for your kids to play with, they will pull out the plastic forks and simply use their imaginations. Second, LJ has recently started picking his pajamas. For instance, this morning he was modeling a lovely combination of transportation pants and a lizard T-shirt. He says they match. I don't think he quite understands the concept of matching. He is also wanting a lot of say in what he wears. I figured that was normal, but lately he's carried it a little too far and is now telling me how to dress Kailey. He wants her to wear "the big, pink bow" with everything.

Yesterday he told me that "the guys" (no idea who that is) wouldn't play soccer with him so God did. He asked if I wanted to take a picture of him playing soccer with God. I told him I sure did but my camera can't quite capture something as special as that! Sweet boy.

State Fair

We went to the State Fair last Friday. I had never been so I figured it was a Texas experience we should try at least once. It was crazy. First of all, we got there on Friday afternoon only to discover that it was "High School Day" according to the large banners everywhere. It was packed. We parked across the street because all the lots were full and as we started to unload we realized that LJ had no shoes. Yep. I won't even go there. After wondering where the nearest Wal-Mart was and considering going home, we decided to buck up and go for it. Of course, we had the little stroller and not the wagon we had considered bringing for both of them. So, one rode and we carried the other pretty much the whole time we were there. I have to say that I wonder if that wasn't for our protection because it kept LJ right with us at all times and it could have been very difficult to keep up with him otherwise. I would not have wanted to let him walk. After that crazy start, we went in and got a free ticket for LJ, thanks to the nice lady at the counter, and a few people handed us unused food coupons on their way out. Feeling a little better now. Once we got going, we had a lot of fun just hanging out with our little fam. The kids enjoyed it and we did too. Here are the highlights:

I think LJ and Kailey's favorite thing was the car show. They both wanted to "drive" every car. LJ got in each one and put his sunglasses in the cup holder.

They have a serious collection of animals in their petting zoo. I've never seen camels, giraffes, zebras, and water buffaloes in one before!

Family picture at the children's barnyard. You have to love LJ's enthusiasm for having his picture made.

By far the best thing was the kids' farm where they do little farm chores and get "paid" at the end.

Pulling his produce and Kailey in the tractor

Daddy had to work to get everyone looking through the holes at the same time!

LJ takes after his mommy and daddy and wanted to ride every big, fast ride at the midway. This is Daddy and LJ coming down the big slide.

Riding the bubble ride "all by himself"

"I'm Gonna Need My Glasses"

Yesterday morning over flaxseed waffles and a discussion about his and Daddy's collection of tiny Nintendo DS games, LJ informed me that he was going to need his glasses to see the little words. He went and found his sunglasses and put them up on his head. I guess it helped. Hmm, I wonder if maybe he's heard his grandparents say that phrase before?

Right now I have to go get him because I hear "I Shot the Sheriff" coming from his room. Apparently he has gotten the radio going on his CD player. What a boy! : )

I Like It Friday

It's been a while since I've blogged on Friday but since I know you haven't been able to find anything new and helpful in the meantime, here is this week's thing that I like:

www.cooks.com

I do a lot of cooking and hostessing and I can quickly jump to this site and look up what I need, whether it's a recipe with acorn squash, a fruit dip, or a new dessert recipe. So far, everything I've tried has worked out well!

Missing Someone Tonight

For some reason a little someone that I always miss has been often on my heart these past few weeks. Maybe it's because his third birthday is quickly approaching and I saw it on my calendar, maybe it's because there have been such drastic changes in my little guy over the past months and I know we would also be seeing those changes in him, maybe it's because I love his little sister so much and watching her love her older cousin always leaves me with a tiny ache in my heart. Whatever the reason, my Benjamin-sized ache has been just a little sharper lately. But tonight I was looking at my blog and all of the sudden those three pictures Brittany took at the park just hit me a little differently. There are those two, precious, girl cousins, but John is alone sitting in the tree. And nights like tonight the ache is a little sharper. Because I love Benjamin, because I love his mommy and daddy so, very much and know that their ache makes mine seem non-existent. And I cry out to God as Healer and Comforter just as we have so often over the past three years. And I ask Him to continue to minister His peace because in some ways it is still needed every bit as much today as it was in the beginning. Lord, pour out what only You can give to my brother and sister, to my niece, and praise You that my nephew is where Your glory and Presence surrounds him at all times! And once again I am reminded of how these separations cause us to give up our earthly citizenship and start moving in, one heart piece at a time, to our heavenly home. Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Little Ears are Listening

The other night I was reading to Kailey before bed. LJ came in and wanted to read with us. He picked up her little, pink Bible and asked me to read from that. I think he was a little enthralled that something so tiny could be the same thing as Daddy's big Bible. He was moving around, making noise, avoiding Kailey's kicks with all three of us crammed in the rocking chair, and I wasn't sure he was hearing a thing I was saying. But, in my mommy way, I was talking about the Bible being God's Word and how He talks to us through it and He also talks to us in our hearts. I ended with something (I'm sure very profound and deep) about listening for God and then read him the story of Baby Jesus from Luke. I hadn't thought much more about it until the next day when LJ was helping me with a project. We have a lot of fun, alternative things we are doing right now to help him focus on God's power over fear and evil to balance out the constant reminders this month of what we can fear in this world. He is very sensitive to "the scary guys" everywhere we go the past few weeks and so our theme for the month is "No Fear!" Anyway, we were working on one of those projects and I mentioned something about Bible verses and started to walk down the stairs. He picked up the piece of paper I had been looking at while talking about the verses and held it to his chest. Then he said, "My heart!" I said, "What?" He said, "My heart, God talks to me in my heart. And to Mommy, and Daddy, and Kailey." As he, in his tiny way, tried to repeat back to me what I had said the night before I was overcome with the seriousness of my job as a mom. Every moment can be redeemed for our Father's glory. Little hearts and spirits are ready and we only have so much time during these formative years when they are so open to God's voice. Before His whispers start to be drowned out by the world and what it expects of and for them. I am so glad to know that I do not have to do this alone and that the Holy Spirit is already beginning His work in them, prompting them, putting "eternity in their hearts" so that they can begin crying out for God before they even have the words to do it! They are listening; are we talking?

Pictures from Aunt B

My sweet sister-in-law took these beautiful pictures at the park a few weeks ago. She and my photographer are about the only people who can get great shots of Little John when he's still enough to not be a blur!

My handsome, tree-climbing boy

Don't you love these sweet, little cousins! They're already best friends just like their mommies!

Fall is Here!

Contrary to what our weather seems to think, fall has arrived. At my house that means pulling out the dark blue linens, leaf dishes, and caramel scented candles! I am particularly enjoying revving up for the holidays this year because the last two have been so full of other, more pressing things. Two years ago we were moving and last year we were on the countdown to Kailey's arrival. So, this is the first fall in this house where I have been free to do all the little things I want to do and I am taking full advantage of that. We've already had two nights of soup suppers and I keep dreaming of pumpkin bread whether it's cool or not. Hooray for the holidays!

The morning that I first started pulling out the fall decorations, LJ was very excited and decided to have his toast in the dining room on the newly set table.