Memorial Day Fun

Our Memorial Day had a very wet start. As soon as the rain ended, Curtis and I went outside with the kids to burn off some of the extra energy. At first, Elizabeth was ridding her bike, and Micah was playing with his ball. Then, they found the puddles.

And through it all, Benjamin slept!

The Bonds of Siblings

The bonds of siblings must be very strong. My kids seem to have this sixth sense. When one of them is awake, at least one of the other kids wakes up too. If I'm lucky, it's just two up at the same time.

Their other new trick is waking up before 6 am! Not cool kids! Yesterday morning, Benjamin woke up to eat, Micah was awake talking in his crib and in wanders Elizabeth. Curtis just looked at me and said, "Your babies are all broken!" Thank goodness for Grandma who let us sleep in after we got everyone back to sleep.

Over all, it's been really sweet to see relationship form between the kids. They are so sweet together, and I so look forward to watching them all grow up together! I think that once they figure it out, the three of them could be big trouble for Mommy and Daddy!

Saying of the Day

This morning, very early, all five of us were in Mommy and Daddy's bed. Elizabeth had been holding Benjamin when Curtis got out of bed. I picked up Benjamin and put him on the changing table where he could be safe for the "love" of his brother.

Curtis turned around, and in mild panic asked, "Where's Benjamin?!?" Last he had seen, Elizabeth was holding him, and suddenly she wasn't.

Think that will be the last time Curtis or I ask that question? :-)

My three kids

The first picture I've been able to get of all three kids in the same place, at the same time.

Family Pictures

The kids came up to see Benjamin last night. Micah was less than impressed. Elizabeth, on the other hand, was very impressed. She wanted to hold him, rock him, and read to him. We unwrapped his so that she could look at him. At one point, when Benjamin had his thumb curled up, she asked, "Does he not have thumbs?" So sweet!

We have been blessed with lots of visitors! My parents and Shannon are in town, and we've had several of our friends from church up to meet Benjamin. I will try to get some of those pictures up soon! We are looking forward to when Benjamin will be able to meet the rest of his family.

The sweetest face

A few pics

Curtis and I forgot all the "stuff" to get pictures from the camera to the computer. But, we know that everyone in anxiously awaiting the first few shots of Benjamin. So we improvised, and used our cell phone to take a few pics. Hopefully tomorrow we will have more/better pics up.

Party of FIVE

"Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children of one's youth.
Blessed is the man
who fills his quiver with them!"
Psalm 125:4-5

Knowing that we are truly blessed, we joyfully
announce the birth of our son,

Benjamin David

Born on May 18th
Weighing 8 lb. 14 oz.
and measuring 20 1/2 in.

Please join us as we celebrate the addition of another child to our quiver.

Ballet Recital

Elizabeth's ballet recital was earlier this month. She was very excited, until about five minutes before show time. Her entire class was sitting in the hallway, and she came running into where Curtis and I were sitting, exclaiming, "I just can't do this Mommy!" "What can't you do?" I asked her. "Dane! I just can't dance!" So dramatic! I reminder her that we would go to Chuck E Chesses' if she danced, and that was enough motivation. Well, at least enough motivation to get her started.

The entire class (Elizabeth is on the far right hand side)
Sucking on her finger was what she did for about 90% of the recital.
She finally started dancing at the very end, when they did their circle. It's always been her favorite part of the dance, and she loves doing it at top speed! After the circle, she did actually dance a little, and was rewarded with a trip to Chuck E Cheeses!

Elizabeth-isms

"Were you and Aggie just four minutes ago?" What she said to Curtis while she was "watching" A&M graduations on PBS, rather than Dragon Tales (which had been preempted).

"Don't put things in your deep, dark cave." Here response to us when we told her not to put her doll in her tooshy.

"From my mouth." Her answer when asked where the gum that was stuck to her church dress AND panties, had come from.

"I know Mommy, that why we leave our gum in our mouth." What she said when I was about to reprimanded her for having her gum out of her mouth.

"Happy birthday, to Mommy. I love you. I will never forget you. And don't throw things at your brother." What my birthday card apparently said.

So many words!

Elizabeth just came into my room, asking my help. Since I am such a wonderful mother, I asked her what she needed help with. Here is her response.

"I need help with my building blocks. I thought I could do it, but I can't. So maybe, you can come help me. I'm in my room. My blocks are in my closet. I can't open some of them, and I just need a little bit of help. I'm trying to make a tower with my building blocks, but just can't and need some help, is that okay? Is it okay that I'm out of my room?"

So many words! Why couldn't she simply tell me that she needed help with her blocks?

I actually know the answer to this question. It's because she's my daughter!

Elizabeth has taken to starting conversations with complete strangers, mostly strangers from Wal Mart. Thankfully, she seems to be a good judge of character, and has only had conversations with people who dub her cute.

If you're ever bored, or in need of a little conversation, just give Elizabeth a call!

Surprise!

My birthday is May 15th. I've been a little bummed about it since I will be huge pregnant, or I'll have just had a baby. Either way, not my idea of a fun birthday.

Apparently, my whining made an impact on my good friends, Kyle and Lindsay, and my sweet hubby. Kyle and Lindsay started planning a surprise party for my in March! They got Curtis in on the whole thing too. Never before has Curtis been able to pull off a surprise. Usually, I end up guessing what's going on.

But not this time!

Curtis told me that we were going on one final date before Benjamin was born. I marked the calendar, and was told that he would take care of the details. So, last Friday night, the babysitter shows up, and Curtis and I leave. I originally thought we were going to see Fiddler on the Roof, but had figured out I was wrong, after being told that I could wear shorts if I wanted. I clarified to Curtis that I did not want to bowl or ice skate!

We got to On the Border for dinner. We walk in, and the hostess smiles, and points to a table. "What? There's a wait!" I kept trying to tell Curtis. We walk over to a table where everyone has menus over their faces. The menus are pulled down and I see all my favorite people yelling, "SURPRISE!" I was so confused! Lindsay then yelled, "Happy birthday!" It all sunk in, and I was really surprised!

Here I am trying to wrap my mind around everything, obviously very excited. At the table were the Findley, Sherry, the Arnold, the Brunones and the Newcomers.

Now to the fun part of the evening. We all enjoyed a yummy dinner. Suddenly, I hear a loud noise, and quickly realize that someone has told the waitress that it was my birthday. She comes over, and has me stand up. She then points to my dear friend (ha!) Michael, and says that he has told her that it is my birthday, and that I'm game for total embarrassment. How bad could it be? Plus, there was a brownie waiting for me if I preformed.

Here I am, the birthday bird! I had to flap my "wings" while the wait staff sang. Keep thinking about the brownie..... It was truly embarrassing, but all rather funny. Did I mention there was a brownie, with ice cream?!?!

Check out Michael's face!

After dinner, several of us went to the Newcomers for cheesecake! Lindsay not only made a yummy brownie cheese cake, but black berry tarts. Yum!!!

I had a wonderful time! I was totally surprised! Thanks to Kyle, Lindsay and Curtis for all their hard work. Thanks also to everyone who kept the big secret!

Fly Boy

My sister-in-law, Terra, gave Micah this adorable flight suit. Considering Micah's Grand-Daddy used to fly, it seems even more appropriate! Possible career move? Who knows! Oh, and Will, we thought of you too!!

In the car

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Happy Birthday Uncle Matt

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Always a Joy

Yesterday was the funeral service for Knox. The service, as well as the days leading up to the service were very emotional days for our entire church family. And I can only imagine what Jon and Rachel and their family must have been going through. Several moments touched me, beyond what I was expecting.

Thursday, we were to the funeral home for the visitation. When Curtis and I went in to see Jon and Rachel, I honestly couldn't believe that they were still standing. The strength that they showed was so incredible! Rachel was holding Knox's doggie. That broke my heart.

There was a picture collage with many pictures of Knox and his family. I found myself smiling, thinking about all the sweet moments that Knox had brought to my life. Then I saw a picture of him at his first birthday. It brought tears to my eyes to think that his first birthday would be the only birthday he would celebrate. At the top of the collage were the words, "Always a Joy."

The service on Friday was so touching, yet incredibly worshipful. We sang the song "What 'ere My God Ordains is Right". What a testimony of faith! There were scripture readings, always pointing us to Christ, and his unending love for us. Then, the most touching part of the service, when Jon spoke in memory of Knox. At that moment, Jon was an amazing testimony to God's love, sovereignty, and goodness. We were amazed to see God work through Jon, in such an hour of grief, to be able to stand as a witness to all that God has done.

The service was worshipful. I left in tears, but resting in the comfort of my Savior, and of His promises to me and my children.

Continue to lift the Andersons up in prayer. It was encouraging to see the strength that they have, and the hope that they have in Christ.

Isaiah 43:1-5

"Friendship" Bread

Anyone ever heard of Amish Friendship bread? Here's the scoop, in a nutshell. One of your friends gives you a bag of starter (which is a secret combination of yeast, flour, sugar and milk that only the Amish know). You nurture the starter till Day 10. On Day 10, you make four more bags of starter, from the original bag, and two loafs of very tasty bread. You then begin the process again... nurture the starter for 10 days, make bread and more starter. For the mathematicians out there, each starter bag makes four more starter bags and two loafs of bread. Figure out how much bread you could have! The possibilities are endless.

The reason it's called Friendship bread is that you are supposed to give some of your starter away, thus sharing in the fun. My best friend, Christi, gave me my bag of starter. Thankfully, she gave it to me on Day 9, so all I had to do was make the bread, and the four new bags of starter. But now, one Day 3 of the new cycle, as I look at the bags of yeasty mess that I have to deal with every day, I'm not so sure about the whole friendship part of the process.

You have to deal with these bags, every day. Then, on day 10, you have to make bread. Oh, and because of the yeast, you can't use metal bowls or spoons. For me, that means no mixer! Gee thanks! Amish Friendship Bread = more work! And did I mention that this bread is so good, you could eat it all day, every day, gaining 10 lbs in a week?

In all actuality, it's worth it! The bread is sooooo yummy! And you can make it different ways, with nuts, raisins or even chocolate. The work isn't all that bad, because if it was, I so wouldn't be messing with it at this point in my life. Plus, every time I mush my starter bag, I get to think of my sweet friend Christi!

Anyone want some starter?

God is good...

... even when we don't understand.

"He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms;he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span,enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? Who has measured the Spirit of the LORD, or what man shows him his counsel? Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?" Isaiah 40:11-14

Last night, Knox passed away.

It all seems so far beyond my understanding. I know that God is good. I know that all things will work together for the good of those who love Him. And I know that God cares for His own more than anything. Yet, I don't know how all this aligns in the death of Knox.

But, God's plans are higher than any of my plans. As I was reading Isaiah, seeking comfort, I was reminded how awesome our God is. Even when situations don't make sense, I know that he is good.

Please continue to keep the Anderson family in your prayers. As a parent, I cant' even begin to imagine the sorrow that they are filled with. But I do know the hope that they are filled with. And even through this time, I see them clinging to that Hope.

"The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous
and his ears toward their cry.
The face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit."

Psalm 34: 15-18

How Great Thou Art

We sang this song this morning at church. Here are all the lyrics, if you're interested. But, here's the chorus.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

This song is one of my personal favorites. It's been sung on many different occasions in my life.

The first occasion that comes to my mind is our wedding day. To help us focus our attention on the reason we were all there, Curtis and I had "How Great Thou Art" sung corporately. The song beautifully depicts how thankful we were to God for bringing us together, in his great goodness.

After that, it was sung at Curtis' mom's funeral. What a true statement on how she felt about her savior! The song now had bitter sweet memories for me. The final verse was especially poignant.

When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"

During the service when Elizabeth was baptized, we sang this song. As I held my first child, I was in awe of how great God is, and how great his love for me is.

And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

Today in church we sang this song. Today's service was bitter sweet. We were joined together as a family, worshipping our Savior. But at the same time, we were together as a family struggling with everything that has happened to a very dear family in our church body.

I realized that it is not until I look at the greatness of God, that I can find total and complete comfort in Him. So much of what has happened seems so unimaginable, and so out of control. But God is great! And even when we don't understand, and even when it's hard to find the joy, we can cling to the promise that God is great. He has done great things, and he will continue to do great things in the lives of those who love him.

Please continue to pray for the Andersons. Tomorrow there will be more tests run, to try to give a more accurate prognosis for Knox. In all this, we know that God is great. And we know that everything will work for our good and His glory!

Visiting Knox

This past Wednesday, Curtis and I had the opportunity to go see the Jon, Rachel and Knox in Temple. We drove up with one of our Elders, Norval.

Since Knox and Micah can strongly resemble each other at times, we were frequently asked if we were prepared to see Knox. We answered yes, but in my head, I knew that they was no way I could be ready.

But God was very gracious, and we had a very sweet visit with our friends and with Knox. Every time I looked at Rachel, my heart broke once again. I am so thankful that she is able to trust in God, the only source of true comfort. It was such a blessing to see her hold and bathe Knox. It was also such a blessing to be able to love on Knox, to kiss on him, and to just talk to him. What a strong faith these parents have! What a testimony they are being to those around them, even when it's us who should be ministering to them.

Through all of this, God has been teaching me many things. Every night I sing the song "God is so Good" to Micah. I have been reminded that God is good, at all times and in everything. Nothing that has happened to the Andersons and nothing that will happen is our of His control or will.

I am also very aware of my own selfishness. I keep trying to find things that I can do to "help" the Andersons. In reality, I can do nothing than continually pray for them. But, being the selfish person I am, I try to find way to help and fix the situation. How silly am I? The Creator of the universe and of Knox only asks that we pray and minister to our brother and sister as we can.

What has truly touched me the most has been the out pouring of love. While we were at the hospital, a doctor came in, simply to pray over Knox. He had heard about the Andersons through his wife's home school group, and felt lead to come see Knox. The nurse brought in a message from a pastor in Houston, who just wanted to let the Andersons know that he and his church were praying. Never before have I seen a more true example of the covenantal church, world wide. Our church aches with Jon and Rachel. Knox is part of our covenant family, and we all love him dearly.

Please keep praying for Knox, as well as his family. Keep checking our church web site for updates. Thank you for your prayers!

Knox Updates

Updates on Knox's condition can be found on our church's web site. We believe that prayer is a powerful thing. Please continue to pray for the Anderson family, and especially for the recovery of Knox.

Update on Knox

Here's part of the e-mail sent to our church family.

During the night Sunday or very early Monday morning, Knox’s pupils became unresponsive and uneven when stimulated by light. The doctors are reducing the amount of anti-seizure medicine in order to better assess Knox’s situation.

Today, please pray specifically for the following:

*his pupils would be both equal and responsive to light stimuli
*there would be no more seizures
*the EEG done today was not flat-line but showed minimal brain activity. The doctor is pessimistic. They will continue reducing the anti-seizure medicine and will do other EEGs

Please keep praying.

"Pray without ceasing"

I Thessalonians 5:17 Please join us in prayer for Knox Anderson. He was revived after being found unresponsive in a bath tub of water last Friday night. Currently, he is at the Scott and White Hospital in Temple, with his parents. His condition is serious. Knox is about 18 months, just older than Micah.

Specific Prayer Requests
* That Knox's lungs would be healed. They sustained a lot of damage, but are looking better. Praise!!!
* Knox's eyes are responding when exposed to light. HUGE praise!!! Pray that he would continue to become more responsive. The next step is for him to begin to feel pain, so even though that's odd, pray that he would feel pain.
*Pray for his parents, Jon and Rachel. I can't even begin to imagine what they are going through right now. Pray that God would put a hedge of peace and comfort around them.
* Pray for Knox's four older siblings. They are here in College Station, while their parents are in Temple. Pray for calm, comfort, and peace.
*Jon has asked that we pray that God would be merciful to Knox, whether that be to bring him to a full recovery, or to take him home. Even though that is probably the hardest prayer I have ever prayed, please join me in praying for God's mercy to Knox, in whatever way His will would allow.

Jon is the associate pastor at our church. The Andersons have become dear friends to us over the past 18 months they have been here. Please lift up this family in prayer.

"The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
Thos who know your name will trust in you,
for you, Lord, have never forsaken thos who see you."
Psalm 9:9-10

Easter Pictures (the good ones)

Since my kids had the most adorable Easter outfits, I decided it was only appropriate to take them to get their pictures taken at Sears. Here are the results!

Blooper Easter Pictures

Here are the pictures that we DIDN"T buy.

Tubes Update

Just to let everyone know, Micah is doing great! Everything went very smoothly this morning, and we are so thankful!! That's the short version.

Here's the long version.

Curtis and I went to bed at about 11 last night. Elizabeth woke up at about 1:30 with a very wet bed. It took Curtis almost 30 minutes to get her calm enough to go back to sleep. At 2:45, I was woken up by a very weird noise from the back yard, followed by all the electricity going out. I wake up Curtis, and sure enough (from what we can tell in the middle of the night) the electricity is out in the entire neighborhood. And of course there is no one you can get a hold of at 3am. We decide to set the alarm on the cell phone, and go back to sleep. Or at least that's what we tried to do. Curtis sleeps with a CPAP (which runs off electricity) that prevents him from snoring. I've gotten very used to have a husband who doesn't snore, and it took me awhile to readjust to the snoring situation. The phone alarm goes off at 4:45. The electricity is back on, so Curtis and I begin to get ready for the morning.

We wake the kids up at 5:45, leave the house at 6:00, take Elizabeth to our pastor's house, and are at the hospital at 6:30. We get checked in, Micah got the check out from the nurse, the anaesthesiologist, and then we wait. We wait till about 7:45, and the doctor comes in, assures us everything will be fine, and that they will take him back soon. At this point, Micah is exhausted. He falls asleep, and finally, at about 8:25 they come back to get him. Thankfully, he stayed asleep, making the leaving Mommy and Daddy situation very smooth.

Ten minutes later, the doctor comes in to tell us that everything is good, and that they will be bringing Micah back in shortly. Sure enough, not even 10 minutes later, they bring Micah back. He looks at me, and bursts into tears. I snuggle him, get him something to drink and he calms down. Then, he figures out that he has an oxygen monitor on his finger, and that just ticks him off. He screamed and cried, and wiggled just enough that the monitor comes loose, and he flat lined (on the monitor at least). This happens one other time, and the nurse came in, said he was obviously breathing, and took the monitor off. One of the nurses from the OR comes in to check on Micah. She tells us that they have nicknamed Micah "Wild Child." Apparently, waking up from his anaesthesia, he was quite unhappy, and made sure everyone around knew it. He even has some nice scratches to show from his little fit.

Besides being very tired, everyone is doing great. We are ALL going to go take a nap now! Thank you for your thoughts and prayers!

Say a little prayer

Micah will be getting tubes in his ears tomorrow morning. As you think of him tonight and tomorrow, please pray that everything would go as routinely as we are expecting. Also pray for
Curtis and I. Even though we know this is very minor and routine, it's still a little scary.

Thanks in advance!

How to eat spaghetti like a Krajca Kid

A few nights ago, we had spaghetti for dinner. It's a family favorite, mostly for the taste, but also for the fun that is involved. So, in case you were wondering, here's how the Krajca Kids eat spaghetti.

Elizabeth is mastering the spaghetti twirl. Really, much harder than it looks.Once your spaghetti is twirled to perfection, you must carefully put it in your mouth. Elizabeth chooses to watch her spaghetti as much as possible. You can't tell by the picture, but just before the bite goes into her mouth, she's cross eyed. Quite a sight!

Micah is much more laid back in his approach. Just shove as much in your mouth as you can, don't worry about the mess.....

...and savor the delicious taste of victory!

Our New Niece!

Curtis' brother, Chris and his wife Terra welcomed our new niece, Charleigh Caye to the world last Friday. She weighed in at 8lbs and 15 ozs and 21 inches. And, as you can see, she is just about as adorable as they come!

We will get to meet Charleigh in just under two weeks, when we head to Wichita Falls. So don't worry, we will have more pictures then! :-)

Congratulations, Chris, Terra and big brother Justin!

Bluebonnets

Thanks to Kyle and Lindsay for coming and helping us! Kyle took about half (if not more) of these pictures. Thanks guys!!