Prayers for Christine - Day 13

(From Mindy) Day 13...specific request from Christine...that her body will stop retaining so much fluid...her weight can fluctuate up to 10 pounds in a day...Psalm 34:4 says...'I sought the LORD, and He answered me; He delivers me from all my fears'...we continue to faithfully believe He will provide answers...in his time.Another reason Christine has to get well - her friends need her to be crazy.
(Yes, Tara will kill me.)

Ready for Ballet

Kailey starts her first ballet class tomorrow with her buddy, Eva. She pretty much thinks her previous life only led up to this point and time. This whole thing is really fun for me because I have such special memories of my ballet classes, especially my beautiful and wonderful teacher, Miss Angela. I LOVED her. Today the kids and I had a super fun outing getting her "dress code" ballet outfit, Panera for lunch, and finding a new Austin frozen yogurt place called Froyoyo. We had a great time just being out together. We haven't done enough of that since we moved. Here are a few shots of Kailey practicing her ballet moves, "just like Aunt Caitlin."

Prayers for Christine - Day 12

(From Mindy) Day 12...continue to bless her, Lord, with a renewed spirit and the knowledge that You are overseeing and guiding this journey...continuing to be blessed by the prayers of so many.This is one precious mommy who loves her boys!

Prayers for Christine - Day 11

(From Mindy) Prayers for Christine - Day 11...praising God that the doctors plan to reduce the TPN, IV nutrition, by half today, and begin to add food slowly. We know and believe that God's hand is on this and continue to ask Him for healing. Christine has begun to retain fluids and that is part of this decision, so we also ask God to help her body rid itself of these extra fluids so that there will be no longterm kidney or cardiac issues. She is still experiencing occasional vomiting but not continuously...just when she intakes food...so we also ask God to continue to calm the storm in her tummy so that there will be no vomiting. Borrowed from Scotty Smith, an evangelist from Tennessee, "Jesus, help us to trust and rest more in Your grasp of us than in our grasp of You." Be blessed...Once again, this mommy has to get home. There are just boy things to do.

Prayers for Christine - Day 10

(From Mindy) Prayers for Christine - Day 10...thankful for a new medicine that seems to be helping a little. Continuing to pray for renewed strength so that she can get back home...so thankful for all who are praying for Christine.One of the reasons his mommy has to get out of that hospital...it's almost t-ball season and Jack is just so cute with his curls hanging out from under his hat!

Prayers for Christine - Day 9

(From Mindy) Day 9...today's prayer is for Jack Franklin and Samuel Ray...two little boys who miss their mommy so much...both born too early but have grown into incredible boys, with an early understanding of faith...named for their grandfathers, Christine fought so hard to carry them...and I truly believe they were God's special rewards to Matt and Christine for faith that does not falter..."Sons are a heritage from the Lord...like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth...blessed are you whose quiver is full of them." Psalm 127...Christine wants to be home with them and they want and need her there...so Lord, please hear my prayer today,as I know you always do. There's nothing sweeter than listening to them pray each night for their mommy...thank You, Father, for letting them know how much You love them...and hear their prayers...

Jack and Sam in the plaid shirts. These boys are very precious to my heart and love their mommy so much!

Prayers for Christine - Day 8

(From Mindy) Prayers for Christine Day 8...comfort her today...3 months ago today, she lost her daddy...such a daddy's girl...and missing him..."I will not leave you fatherless...I will come to you." John 14:18....what a precious promise from God...Christine's fun family including her amazing dad who went to be the Lord 3 months ago.

Prayers for Christine - Day 7

(From Mindy) Prayers for Christine - Day 7...little did we know , Lord,that when I came to work at FWC, that the student body president, who remembered Christine daily in the opening prayer at chapel,would someday be my son-in-law. Thanking you today for a marriage that is built on You, Lord...that even when it gets almost unbearable to watch someone ...suffer, Matt never falters in his love, devotion, commitment...working hard every day, taking their boys up every night so they can have family time, and always, always striving to do Your will...what a blessing they are to each other...and what a beautiful example they are of what it truly means to love someone...thank you for guiding them on this rocky path and filling them with faith and strength...and for letting me be a part of this amazing couple's life...

Kailey's Favorite Thing

The incredibly well cared-for doll known as, "Baby."

Kailey with her current most beloved of babies, her cousin, Karsen.

Anyone who knows Kailey well, knows that she LOVES babies. This is not an "Oh, babies are cute." This is, "Mommy, I just saw a baby, now my day can be complete." She points every, single baby she sees out and says that she loves it, especially if it's a girl. While at the hospital the other day to see new baby Liza, Kailey professed her love for five babies and proceeded to talk about Liza non-stop for hours. Every night she puts her baby doll in a nightgown, feeds it, puts it to bed, tucks it in, gives it a bear, turns on it's mobile...an entire bedtime routine. In the morning she then dresses the baby and gets it ready for the day. Without fail, this happens every day, and she's only three! Talk about a good babysitter someday!

So, you can only imagine with what joy and excitement she has been announcing to the world (including perfect strangers) that she is getting a new baby at her house! This time not a pretend one, but a real, live baby to cuddle and love. That's right, Baby Critz #4 is due to make his or her appearance around September 1st! We are blessed, grateful and so appreciative of all those who have been praying for us during the ride we've had this fall. God is good all the time, and those moments when His goodness carries us through the rough places fill us with a deeper appreciation for these times when His goodness overflows into abundant blessings we wholeheartedly desire! So we celebrate with Kailey as she receives the "yes" answer to her many, many prayers. And John V is relieved because he feels a little closer to the "lots of kids" he keeps insisting we need around here. Apparently four is more like "lots" than three. :)
Thanks for being the kinds of friends we know will share our joy! Love to you all!

Prayers for Christine - Day 6

(From Mindy) Day 6...Father, remind her every minute of every day that You are already there..."The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you, He will never leave you or forsake you. Do not be afraid...do not be discouraged." Deut. 31:8. And thank you for our sweet time together yesterday...even in her rough time...she reached out and comforted her mama.Christine's precious Jack (on the left) who is waiting for his mommy to come home.

Prayers for Christine - Day 5

(From Mindy) Day 5...the sunshine is so beautiful today...Lord, please let these rays of sunshine pour through her window and into her heart...and bless her with Your love...

I've decided to pull a bit at your heartstrings and help you to hold this family even closer to your hearts by posting some pics with these posts. I know it helps me to know who I am praying for. As you see Matt, Christine, Jack and Sam, may these pictures come to mind throughout the day and provide visual prayer reminders!

Gingerbread Houses

I know this will come as a shock to everyone, but I am in the blogging mood this week. So, I will just start throwing some things in here that I've missed over the last months. This one seemed like an easy place to start. Our holidays were a new experience for us this year. It was our first time to experience them staying with our families. I have to say that while I am missing them tremendously, it is immensely fun to go and stay at our parents' and let the kids spend that kind of quality time with them and our siblings. We loved it. One of the fun things we did while "home for the holidays" was to go to the Gaylord with Brittany and her crew, my mom, and my sisters. Great fun to have everything handed to us and to walk out while someone else cleaned up the mess! :) The kids had a great time and were very serious about their house. We did have to feel a bit of pity for the poor boys next to us who left with a stunning gingerbread house after their mom kept telling them "not to touch that" while she ended up doing quite a bit of the work. A bit sad. All in all, another fun memory made with our Scroggins crew!

30 Days of Prayer for Christine

Dear Friends,

Some of you know my good friend who has struggled with her health for many years. Christine's five-year-old son, Jack, is John V's best bud, and she also has a two-year-old son, Sam. Pretty sure her husband, Matt, achieved saint status at some point, and Christine's continued faith blows me away. Christine has spent many weeks in the hospital struggling with a condition that is confusing, frustrating, life-altering, painful, and unbelievably complicated. I will be posting prayer updates from her mom, Mindy. Her current hospital stay has been... going on since before Christmas. Please join their family in prayer for 30 days for Christine! Below are the first days of prayer requests from Mindy.

Christine remains at Kindred Hospital while they try to find some relief for her. I am writing this because from time to time, I feel compelled to try to explain her illness. Christine has a congenital duct problem with her liver and pancreas, and her gallbladder, before it was removed. This was discovered by a world renowned surgeon a couple of years ago. Her body also over produces bile, especially when she is dehydrated. She is always welcoming new ideas but she is also ALWAYS trying new things. This is a very lonely illness...as most longterm illnesses are. When she has a flareup, there's really nothing to do but ride it out. Many, many doctors have been consulted and many continue to study her chart on s regular basis. This has been going on for years, some of it from birth. Some things complicated it in the past, but the underlying problem remains.

I have prayed about this post and feel the Lord has led me to share these things. I pray that no reader will be offended but will instead have a new understanding to the answer we so often give to the never ending question of what is WRONG with her. My answer to that is that only God knows and He will heal her in His time. Imagine having a stomach bug for 30 days, continuously vomiting and exhausted, both physically and emotionally. Or, not being able to tuck your children in for over a month. Or not getting to hang out with friends...or go to church...or lunch with friends. And when you are home, you can't function like you want to.

Well, because you love her and seek God's answer for her, will you join me in 30 days of prayer for my child? I am weary of having to answer my grandson who misses his pappy so much if mommy is going to heaven too. I WANT my daughter to get to be a mom...to live out the dream she has always had of being a wife and mother...and precious servant of God. I want for HER to be able to make Jack and Sams lunches...don't get me wrong...me and giggi will do it whenever we need to...but she loves to do that. She is blessed with an angel of a husband and in a world where people toss marriage aside for much less than this..Matt honors his commitment to Christine and loves her in the sweetest way.

She doesn't have a computer at this hospital because there's no wifi, however we will make sure she knows you are praying for her. She was so blessed yesterday by a huge sign from the kids and staff at YCW.

Her daddy's favorite verse and a prayer he prayed for so often for her was...

'but those who wait on the Lord will have their strength renewed, they will soar like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.'. Isaiah 40:31

I know that God will answer in His time...and if He's not ready, then the comfort your prayers will give her will be immeasureable. And we will continue to wait for His answer.

My grief over losing the love of my life is overwhelming...maybe I am being selfish to ask God for a miracle...but I want my Christine to be able to experience life in a better way...I know she is an inspiration to so many when they hear her story. Her faith is unshakeable...her strength is amazing...she is a blessing...

I know there is so much going on in this world, and many need our prayers, but will you please invite your family and friends to join me in a season of prayer for Christine...

Be blessed...

Day 1...Lord, please hear our prayers for Christine...You are good, all the time...my trust is in You. Thank you for blessing us with prayer warriors all over the country...

Day 2...praying that the Healer of all things will fill Christines heart with a renewed strength today as she is blessed by all these prayers. From a mama who has prayed for my children even before I knew they were coming, thank you for joining me on this journey...

Day 3...as her body fights, thanking you for her faith,which never waivers...wanting more, but waiting for Your answer...always.

Day 4....up at 3:30 am is kind of normal right now, but gives me sweet, quiet reflection time with the Lord. Praying today for Christine's tummy in particular...mechanically unable to process food...she might eat it at 9 am...and 12 hours later...comes up in the same form...she may be a candidate for a gastric pacemake...r in the future...gets the tummy working much like the cardiac pacemaker helps the heart...but for now, asking God to calm the storm in her tummy so that she can stop vomiting....and maybe sip some liquids...and thanking God for each of you who are praying for her, as well as Matt, Jack,and Sam...be blessed...

Indigestion - Are the antacids helping or hurting?

A chiropractor friend of mine just posted this article. I have wanted to share something like this, especially with some of my pregnant friends, for quite a while. This gives some food for thought for all of us before popping Tums or other antacids for indigestion problems. With anything like that always remember, you're just piling medication on top of symptoms. Don't we want to address what's really going on in our bodies so we can fix it?

http://www.drcindyblog.com/

Should You Feel the Burn?

Written by Dr. Cindy

Ever eaten something and worried before you ate it or complained after you ate it that you had “heartburn”? Wished you didn’t have so much acid in your stomach causing so much discomfort? Did you know that 90% of people who experience heartburn and think they need an antacid to calm down all the acid upsetting their stomach actually don’t have enough acid in their stomach? Yes, most of the time that problem of “too much acid” is in reality a problem of not enough acid. And, taking an antacid will in reality, usually, make the problem much worse.

See, the stomach is perfectly designed. When you eat, there is supposed to be enough acid produced in the stomach to start digestion. Enough acid causes the stomach to close off, keep the food down and start digesting it. It should only allow it to move downward, not up. If there isn’t enough acid in the stomach, it may not close tightly and keep food in nor start digesting it. Then, the food may sit and rot or it may allow the food and little bit of acid that is there to move back up and burn (causing that “heartburn”/”indigestion” complaint).

Why not take an antacid and alleviate the burning? Antacids do take away the acidic environment and the burn. But, the problem is that they make the problem worse, while taking away the symptoms. You think you are doing great because you feel good, all the while your health is deteriorating. In many instances, this is the beginning of major digestive disorders, not to mention the start of the development of major health problems. It is like turning off the smoke alarm and not putting out the fire.

It is worth noting that when acid stopping prescription medications (like Nexium and Prilosec and Prevacid) first hit the market, they were only to be taken for six weeks at the most. They were mainly used for reflux and ulcers. Now, not only are they used for many different digestive problems, but most are available over the counter and used for months and years.

Vitamins and minerals require an acid environment in order to be absorbed. Therefore, when antacids are used, not only is food left to sit and rot but key nutrients are not absorbed. Yes, the Tums commercial promoting all the Calcium benefits lied! Sorry. Over time, these medications will not only leave you malnourished (you can’t absorb the good from food) and toxic (food that sits around rots). Also, because the stomach acid helps to kill off bad things that shouldn’t be left in our bodies, when you neutralize this you leave the body susceptible to things like parasites. Eventually, these medications and poor digestion can lead to breakdown of the digestive system too.

Special consideration to this issue should be taken if pregnant and/or breastfeeding. Indigestion/heartburn is a very common complaint in pregnant moms. And, the problems mentioned above with antacids are of a much greater concern when two (mom and baby) are involved. The minerals/vitamins that are being absorbed from food that mom eats need to be properly digested and absorbed because not only is the mom’s body in need of these, but these are helping to form and grow baby. Baby is in dire need of all of these! Also, research has shown that antacid use in pregnant moms increases the baby’s chances of developing asthma. Remember to check the ingredients of what you are taking too, many of these meds contain aluminum, sugar, artificial flavors and colors.

What then is a better solution for heartburn and/or digestive problems? Start with a probiotic. You will be amazed at how beneficial putting good bacteria into your digestive system can be. Also, consider taking a digestive enzyme- like Zypan- or using apple cider vinegar. Do not drink with meals, liquid will dilute the acid that is in your stomach, and remember you want that acid there to be strong for good digestion. Take time to enjoy your meals, fast paced, stressful lifestyles decrease digestive ability and make the heartburn issue much worse. Take time to chew your food well, this will start the digestive process off well. One of the best programs to heal this problem, especially if you have taken antacids for some time, is a purification program. Detox programs turn your eating habits around help to heal your body.

Miss Kailey

There are simply no words for Miss Kailey. Maybe that's why I haven't done very well updating on her! ;) She is completely precious, full of joy, only slightly interrupted by moments of meltdown. When those moments occur, however, they are over quickly and followed up with the most sincere, penitent little apologies. She loves her family, even the bubbas who sometimes seem to make it their business to do a tiny bit of sister tormenting. She is crazy about her grandmothers and the sure fire way to light up her life is to inform her that she is going to get to be with her cousin, Kyndall. The world kind of revolves around Kyndall right now which may be making their separation the most difficult part of our upcoming move. She loves to dress up like a princess, play hide and seek, color, bake, and play with her baby dolls. She's not into sweets but loves bread and cheese. She can eat two and three avocados at a time which is crazy to me. Her brother's opinion of her means everything and her smile could light up the room whenever he says she's beautiful or praises something she has done. She wants to do anything, be with anyone, go anywhere that he thinks is cool. This is most evident in the fact that John's best bud, "Mickey" Jack is very important to her. She is constantly asking for his attention, I think partially as one more way to be important to her Bubba by being important to his friends! So precious, and so sweet to see her beloved "Mickey" Jack include her. Her bedtime prayers are precious, nothing but "thank you's," "Tant oo, Dod, for Mommy, Daddy, Yeyi, Bubba..." I can hardly wait until I finish praying to hear her. She is sensitive and people being "mad at her" are something she just can't stand. Of course, that can mean they looked at her with a serious expression on their faces. So, a few words to sum up Kailey: sunshine, joy, precious, and PINK!

Some of the most recent Kailey moments:

We were at John's T-ball game when it started to rain. As she realized she was getting wet, she said, "Oh NO! I'm getting wet! I need a pink 'brella!" Me: "Um, we don't have a pink umbrella but we can find one that's another color." Kailey (in distress): "No, I NEED a PINK 'brella!" Since Marmee overheard this plea, a few days later Kailey had a pink 'brella and it is currently her most prized possession. Her proudest moment is when she works up the courage to "share my 'brella wis Yeyi (Levi)."

Each morning when Kailey gets ready and we do her hair, I ask her if she wants a ponytail or a bow. Most of the time the conversation ends with Kailey saying no and then, "Does Kyndall have a bow?" Me: "Yes, Kyndall probably has a bow." Kailey: "Umm, then maybe I want one."

Kailey saw a book on her bed one morning that she had read the night before when I was gone for the evening. "Daddy wead me this book." (Hugs book to her chest.) "Daddy yuvs me."

I think this one was Mommy's birthday cake.

I cannot express how much I love this girl!

Again, no words! Just mommy's little cuteness!

Suckers at the softball game with buddy, Jake. They are just a few days apart in age and so cute together!

She wasn't sure what to think about that bird on her head but Bubba did it so she did too!

Pretty princess!

K loves her buddy, Cason!

Mommy's girl!

The three cookies on the top were portioned out, rolled, and covered in cinnamon/sugar completely by Kailey. I couldn't get over that she even sized them just right!

We potty trained several weeks ago and it has been fabulous having just one in diapers! She's proud of her pretty panties!

God is Faithful

Some of you are already aware of this, but to fill the rest of you in...a slightly altered version of my e-mail. Blessed be the Name of the Lord! While I started to keep this news to myself, I felt burdened to share the mercy and grace of God as He pours out His peace that passes all understanding. Much love to those of you pouring out prayers on our behalf.

While others were going about their morning routine on Friday morning, we had an eventful morning. While we had not told anyone (including our kids), I have known I was pregnant for the last few weeks. That morning, however, I lost our little one. We had just been dealing with all the overwhelming emotion of preparing for a new one in addition to our move and now all of that adjustment has changed to the grief of realizing that will not happen right now. Physically I am fine and it has been a huge blessing to have my sweet midwife a phone call or text away. We are sad but amazingly peaceful. I can only be overwhelmed as my three beautiful children wake up in the morning, not with grief, but with gratitude. I have been given so much more than I could ever ask for. It's as if my eyes are even more open to the blessings surrounding me. If the Lord needs my little heavenly army of now four angel babies for His purposes, who am I to question that? God is good, not when I get what I want, but every day of His perfect Existence. The verses He gave me were these - Psa. 84:10-12. I truly have an overwhelming sense right now of the beauty and precious value of life and walking it with my Lord. Whatever that looks like, that is all I want.

I look forward with even more excitement than before to snuggling Brittany's baby Karsen in the upcoming weeks. What a perfect healing balm she will be!

Please do keep in mind that our kids do not know about this. We feel that would be unnecessary pain for them at this point. When they are a little older we will be sure to tell them of all the works God has done in our family, including the ones that are a bit harder to understand.

'Tis So Sweet

I feel that there is so much going on in my life right now. So much whirling and swirling in my mind, heart, and spirit. Much of this has to do with our upcoming move. As the weeks fly by I am mere weeks from an adventure unlike anything I have experienced before. I mean, the only time I can think of that I might possibly have gone a month without seeing my parents and family was the fall after I graduated from high school, and I think I saw them once or twice those two months I lived away. Come to think of it, that was probably also the only time since pre-adolescence that I went a month without seeing John's parents! : ) Anyway, with all the changes in store, waiting for our house to sell, preparing ourselves, our children, and our belongings for change, and the many other constant life events, it is a constant choice to trust. As I was singing Levi to sleep for his nap this afternoon, this song popped into my head. Every, single word exactly expressed my feelings and I sat there rocking him singing it over and over until the peace of the reminder washed over my spirit. 'Tis indeed sweet to trust in such a faithful Friend!

’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
And to take Him at His Word;
Just to rest upon His promise,
And to know, “Thus says the Lord!”

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!
How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
O for grace to trust Him more!

I’m so glad I learned to trust Thee,
Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend;
And I know that Thou art with me,
Wilt be with me to the end.

John V

So, it's about time for me to update everyone on my kids. I'll start with John V and work my way down to that third child that no one knows anything about. Yes, he does exist and is quite a little character. Anyway, I could probably write for days about John V and how hilarious he is right now. Is it just me or do kids get better every year? Just when I think they are the cutest, funniest things, they get cuter and funnier! It is glorious to begin seeing the fruit of the prayers, blood, sweat, and tears that have gone into the last five years. John loves to please and to make choices that will make him a wise son. He adores the "big guys" with Dad being about ten notches above any superhero on the coolness scale. John V also can't wait for the small group "guys" to come over so he can "show Kyle and Freeby how cool this is." Then there will also be the random, "Does Uncle Jordan or Cameron or Christopher do this? Do they like this?" With every passing year I become more deeply grateful for the enormous amount of godly men in his life.

John is 5 and keeps asking when he will be 6. Slow down there, big guy! He loves doing his school every day. He thinks not doing school on the weekend because Mom needs a day or two off is fairly ridiculous. I mean, come on! We went to New Mexico for a few days and he made me pack all the school books. Maybe that's why we had to pay the heavy suitcase fee! He still loves gymnastics, became a great swimmer this summer, and is into playing any sport. We decided to squeeze in a season of T-Ball this fall before we move so that family could come and support him in his first baseball endeavor and also so he could be on a team with his best bud, Jack. His first game was rained out last weekend but he took it like a man. He is very ready for this Saturday's game. John V is a fantastic older brother and growing in patience by leaps and bounds. He will sometimes solve problems between Kailey and Levi without me ever needing to get involved! He does an excellent job with his chores of bed making, table setting, picking up, running the dustbuster, and helping with lunch. We are on a schedule that he adores. He loves to check the back of the pantry door and see "what it's time to do." Boy, that kids loves a clock. Here are just a few of the prime examples of John lately. I've posted these as Facebook statuses so bear with me if you've already seen them. We love our John V!

John (with admiration in his voice while watching me chop onions for dinner): "Mommy, you do that just like Rachael Ray!" (Yes, I'll take that ego boost. Thank you very much.) He is always my encourager.

At the first T-Ball practice John V was in a group with three boys, a coach, and another dad who were all total strangers along with Big John. When two of the boys starting picking on the other extremely shy boy, John V puts both hands out and says, "Guys, guys, leave him alone. He's just shy!" After that the shy boy was much more comfortable and the other two kids said, "Oh really?" and dropped it. John V already shows signs of being very perceptive of other people and their needs.

John V has a few minutes in his schedule each day where he can play Wii, which is a favorite activity. Over the past week I've noticed him opting out of that choice several times. I was curious about this new development today and asked him if he didn't enjoy playing Wii anymore. His response? "Mom, I just kind of feel like I'm 19 and need to work or something instead of playing games all day." Umm, okay. I wasn't aware that 30 minutes was all day and I can definitely tack on some more chores if he just desperately needs them.

Tonight at dinner I was feeding Kailey some bites of food. Me: "Kailey, open your mouth." John V: "Open. Like open the door. Or open your eyes to a world of 3D fun with the viewmaster and Discovery Channel!" Me (falling out of my chair laughing): "What?!" Apparently his animal binoculars say that!

At lunch the other day I was having a bit of a rough morning and again John V picked up on it without my saying a word. On the way downstairs after finishing school he said, "Mom, I'm going to help you with lunch. When people work too hard, it wears them out." Bless the child!

Kindergarten!

This was our first week of kindergarten at the Critz house. It was a fantastic week. We started a new family schedule that has worked absolutely beautifully for all of us. John V has eaten up watching the clock and remembering what it was time to do next. No TV or movies unless we're in the car which made some Saturday morning cartoons this morning a fun and special treat! The kids are doing a great job learning their assigned chores. John V's favorite job is being my dinner helper and Kailey's is making her bed. Kailey and John V are both doing a great job with their school work. Kailey is working on her alphabet sounds and getting those "teen" numbers unmixed. She also enjoys coloring and art projects. John V loves math, especially estimating numbers. He's also doing a great job with his handwriting and reading. Today we had "Show & Tell Saturday" where instead of doing school work, we showed Dad everything we had worked on this week. We quoted our Bible verses, talked about how we had showed attentiveness (our character quality for the week), and showed Dad our book work. John V was very disappointed to learn that we don't do school on the weekends. He finally grudgingly agreed to wait until Monday so we could "play with Dad" while he was home from work. : ) It is a privilege and honor to see and participate in his hunger for learning. One of my favorite parts of our day right now is at breakfast when Daddy reads us our Proverb for the day and John V listens for verses that talk about being wise or foolish. He hits his right hand on the table if he hears about a wise man and his left for a foolish man. He listens so intently and talks often lately about his wise choices to please God. We point out the verses to him about a wise son making his father and mother glad and tell him how great our joy is in seeing his choices to please his heavenly Father. These are truly precious days and I am tucking each one away in my heart's box of memories. God has been so good to me!

Thank You for This Man

Yes, I know...where did I come from? Hi, I'm Courtney. I used to write blogs. Anyway, I've been feeling the need to document all that is going on in our lives right now. Kind of an Israelite type tribute, an altar of sorts to remind our children and children's children of the power and might of our God. He is at work every day showing Himself to us. What more could we possibly need?

Today is my eighth anniversary. As I look back, watch my wedding video with my three children, and hug the man I still get excited about seeing every day, my heart is full of gratitude. So I'm going to write out the prayer that has been in my heart today so that someday when I or my children need to see it, it will be there. I pray that He will somehow use it to encourage you as well.

Lord, there are no words to thank you for this man you have given me. This man who started out as a sweet boy I knew. The cute friend of my brother's and brother of my friend's. The one who melted my heart when he played the guitar and sang at recitals, when he helped his mom put in her earrings, and even when he swung a baseball bat. The one who turned into my best buddy, calling me to ask "homework questions" from our homeschool classes, teaching together, playing Nertz for hours, going to movies with our crew of friends, and then graduating together. The one I then began to realize was not satisfactory as a friend but was someone I could really and truly love. That right under my nose was the guy I had been looking for.

Thank you for this man who saw the best in me. Who saw past the immature moments of a seventeen year old girl just beginning to figure out a romantic relationship for the first time. This man who went to work and began as a teenager to build a foundation for supporting his family. Who had goals and dreams that were bigger than himself and his enjoyment. A man who was seeking God's heart and growing into a responsible, godly, patient, humble model of manhood. The man who married his first girlfriend and gave me his entire heart, every single piece. Who by marrying me then gave me another incredible family to love...and that could be another entire letter of thanks.

Thank you for this man who helped me pray, seeking God and struggling for answers when the children we waited for did not come easily and quickly. The one who held me when we helplessly sent three children to live with Jesus and with each one we grew, not receiving answers to our questions, but receiving a far better gift...we were beginning to truly know God in the depth of our beings. To desperately need Him like we needed air and food. The man who then held my hand (and had the stuffing squeezed out of his hand) as I birthed three incredible, beautiful children. Each a miracle, each with a story of God's faithfulness, His promises kept, His strength given. Incredible moments as he actually helped to deliver two of our children and was the first one to hold them as they entered the world.

Thank you for this man who excels at being a father just as he does everything else in his life. Who makes his children feel special and loved. Who gives them boundaries and direction, loving discipline and, most importantly, an example worth emulating. A man who works hard at his job, not doing eye service, but doing the best he can even when no one is watching. A man who works to live and does not live to work. A man who uses the money God gives him to care for others and does not spend his time and energy serving his things or his money.

Could there be enough words to say thank you for a man like this all wrapped up into one husband? No, so I do my best to show my gratitude through my actions, through my heart attitudes. And as I prepare this year on my anniversary for the big test of "leaving and cleaving" that will come with our move away from family, I walk forward in confidence in this man's leadership and in what God will bring. I made a vow on our wedding day that wherever he went I would go. Now I am finally living that out eight years later. And the only one I have more confidence in than my husband is You, Lord, the heavenly Father who goes before us, beside us, and behind us. Thank You, thank You, thank You for this man.