Fire!

On Friday night, it was so cold that we made a fire, toasted marshmellows and watched the snow! That's right, SNOW!
Elizabeth blowing out her marshmellow, which was on fire.
The five of us through the smoke.
Elizabeth and I toasting a marshmellow. Notice the big snow flakes!
Momma and Benjamin.
Megan, Elizabeth, Shannon and Micah
The son-in-laws (Curtis and Matt)

Megan and Benjamin in the snow.
Elizabeth and Micah and the dogs.
Grand-Daddy getting the fire really hot for marshmellows.
Matt and Megan with Benjamin.
Me and Benjamin

Thanksgiving Day

Benjamin's first Thanksgiving. "I'm a little turkey" bib.
Sisters!
a picture for Christi :-)
waiting patiently
Micah, enjoying the yummy mealBenjamin's happy, full face.
Grand-Daddy using his "Daddy Magic" to get Elizabeth asleep after our busy day.

Matching Jammies

Ren Fest

Yesterday we got a day off! The Findleys had a great hook up from someone Michael works with, and we got free tickets to the Renaissance Festival. A big thank you to the Ackermans who watched our kids all day long! There aren't many people who would spend all day with the Krajca kids, and live to tell, so thank you! Here's Curtis and I at one of the many pretty gardens. We spend most of the day just walking around, taking in the sights, and of course eating! Eating was actually the first thing we did. Who knew Christi could rip into a turkey leg like no one else?!?
The four of us at another garden. We saw a family trying to take a picture with three small kids. Curtis and I just smiled at each other, thankful that it wasn't us this time!!
The boys with the dead pirate. Right as Christi snapped the picture, the pirate looked at Curtis and started talking. Freaked me out! Curtis said that he wasn't too worried about it, since the pirate had a girl voice.
Bad girls.
We had a really fun, and relaxing day. It was so nice to have a little break from the children we love so much and get to spend some time with great friends.

Mommy's sweet boy

Friday Night Lights

Friday evening of our reunion weekend found us at the Big Football Game. I capitalized everything, because I think that's really the name of it. At breakfast, we heard people near our table talking about "The Big Game" and when we ran into someone we used to know, they asked us if we were going to "The Big Game." So Friday evening, we spent the evening in true Texas style, at a highschool football game. "The Big Game" was between two rival schools, one of which was the higschool Curtis went too. Micah and Uncle Chris, watching the teams warm up. Uncle Chris was very helpful, holding extra kids for most of the game!
Benjamin was not that thrilled with the noise level in the stadium. For the whole pre game and first quarter, he cried every time something good happened, mostly because of the loud whistling. By the second quarter, he was good to go. Elizabeth was very excited to get to see where Daddy played football.
But she was even more excited about the popcorn!
Memaw and Papaw, lending another lap.
Our nephew, Justin, is in the band. Not only is he in the band, but he just recently earned first chair for tuba, in the district! Way to go Justin! We are so proud of you. Half time was lots of fun. Rider, THE team started out half time. Their "theme" for this game was, "So easy a caveman could do it" (referring to beating the rival highschool). The picture above is of the entire band acting like a bunch of cavemen! Hilarious!

To end our perfect Texas evening, our team won!

visiting

Last Friday while we were in Wichita Falls for the reunion, we made the little trip to Altus, Oklahoma to see my grandparents. We hadn't been to their house since Elizabeth was about nine months old!
Not only were there family pictures in all the same places, and the same couch, and the same carpet, but my grandparents did the same thing they always do when family comes into town... cook! My Grandma kept saying how it was just a little meal, and she felt bad that it wasn't anything special. Huh?! We had a roast, homemade mashed potatoes, carrots, green beans, deviled eggs, jello with oranges, homemade gravy, and my favorite, orange drink.
The kids played out in the back, just like I used too. They swang on the swing on the back porch, watching the air planes, just like I used to.
Even though I had a lot of fun in Wichita Falls, seeing family and friends and going to the reunion, I have to say that this was my favorite part of our trip. What a blessing it was to see two people who love each other, and love family that much!
The Great-Grandparents with their Great-Grandchildren. Making new memories on the back porch swing.

YIKES!

Look what Elizabeth and Micah found in Elizabeth's room today. I still have goose bumps. Curtis says it was a non poisonous wolf spider. I say it's a "nasty get it away from me, really really big spider".

church

I know you are all dying to see pictures from our weekend in Wichita Falls, and I hope to get some up soon. But lest you get too upset, there are no pictures of Curtis and I at the formal part of the reunion. I know! I'm a failure at picture taking! But someone else did take our picture, so maybe you'll see that.... someday!

Anyway, while we were in Wichita Falls, Curtis and I decided to attend our former church, Faith. Curtis grew up going to FBC (Faith Baptist Church) and it's were we met. Even though my family was reformed, there were no reformed works there at the time, but we loved the pastor at FBC, and became members. Curtis and I were married in that church (despite the yucky carpet) and we had Curtis' mom's funeral in that church. Lots of memories.

So, Sunday dawned and we made our way to FBC. The leadership there had under gone several changes, which is why when Curtis and I lived in Wichita Falls, we went to another church. We were greatly aware that God was growing our faith as a couple to become more reformed, and it seemed that FBC was becoming less reformed (though as a church they never claimed to be reformed in the first place). So Sunday morning, we drop our kids of in the nursery, and make our way into the worship service. We ran into a few old friends, but were expecting to see most of our friends after church when we could appropriately show our children off.

The order of worship was very different than I remembered and greatly different from our current church, WPC. Curtis and I found ourselves looking at each other, both knowing that we were missing our church. It was so strange, because FBC had been our church. But it clearly wasn't any more.

One of the strangest parts of the day was at the end, when we were supposed to be showing our kids off. Church ended at 12:05 (ish) and everyone was cleared out of the building by 12:25. Even the pastor!! At our church, people stay there forever to fellowship.

Here are a few other things that I missed about our church.

• The fellowship of like minded believers.
• Seeing Curtis help during the worship service.
• Our familiar nursery workers.
• The confession of sin.
• Prayer. Now, don't get me wrong, we did pray at FBC, but not nearly as much as at WPC. As a result, I didn't feel led to the throne of God.
• Weekly communion.
• Offering as part of worship. At FBC we did it at the end, and everyone seemed to be chatting through the whole thing.
• The Doxology.
• The preaching of the word from men I love, trust and respect.
• Friends who are like family.
• Singing of hymns, or other spiritually deep songs.
• A choir who leads worship, rather than preforms.

So, all this to say that it was good to be with family, worshiping at FBC. But I am so thankful for where the church God has placed us in now!

Six month check up

Our little baby Benjamin is almost six months old! Half way to one year old. Time to start planning the party. :-) Just kidding.

We took Benjamin to the doctor yesterday, and he weighed in at 15 lbs 14 ozs, which is exactly one pound more than last time. That puts him in the 50th percentile for weight. He measured 27 in. putting him in the 85th percentile for length. And his big old head is in the 95th percentile.

We are thankful for how God is growing Benjamin into such a healthy boy! We pray that as he grows, his love and knowledge of God would grow even more!

And keep checking his blog for other info on the whole head thing. I'm using his blog as a kind of journal of our journey so that we can go back and see the mighty hand of God, as He works in the life of our son and in our lives.

Happy birthday Shannon!

Today is my sister's birthday! Shannon and I are only 18 months apart. Growing up, we were very different children, and for those of you who know both of us now, you can attest to the fact that we are now two very different women. But, I have never had such a dear and close friend as my sister!

Being a military family, we moved more often then most. My parents always told us that we always had a built in friend in our sisters. Little did I know then how this would hold true as an adult too! Shannon has been there to support and encourage me through all the adventures that life has held for me. When something good happens, she is one of the first people I call, and when I need love and support, she is right there for me.

Shannon, I love you very much! I am thankful that you are my sister, but even more so because you are my best friend! Happy birthday!

Shannon and I last Christmas. See a family resemblance?

And we shall call him Grace

Not even six months!

Our little guys isn't even six months yet, and look what he's up to! Busy boy!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

cute kids

McD's

On our way home from Curtis' reunion this past weekend, we drove past a Mc Donald's. Suddenly we hear very frantic cries from Micah. "Ren rie! Ren rie!" He was very upset, and pointing out his window. I look at the window, hoping to figure out what has this sweet little guy so upset. I see the Mc Donald's and it dawns on me that he's saying "french fry"!

Maybe we eat too much Mc Donald's.

prayer for Benjamin

We are asking prayers for baby Benjamin again. Poor little guy just likes to keep us on our toes. :-)

Yesterday, we went to the doctor for an infection in his toe. While we were there, I asked the doctor (who wasn't our main pediatrician) about her opinion of Benjamin's head. We've been monitoring it for a few weeks now. Rather than being round, his head is very long. The doctor we saw expressed concern (as had two other pediatricians) and had us referred to a pediatric neuro surgeon. Here's what we know.

• The concern of the doctor's is that Benjamin has craniosyntosis. This is when the head fuses together too quickly causing problems with his rapidly growing brain.
• We are waiting through the referral process right now, and are hoping to have an appointment with a neuro surgeon in Temple as soon as we can.
• If the neurologist does agree that Benjamin has craniosyntosis, then only option we will have is surgery.

Here's what we are asking prayer for.

• Peace for Curtis and I. All we can do is wait, and we are trying our best to wait in His peace and for His will.
• If it's God's will, we would like for Benjamin to not have this problem, or for it to be healed before surgery.

Thank you to those of you who have already surrounded us with love, and prayers. Keep them coming! I'll post more updates as we have them, probably on Benjamin's blog.

Elizabeth and Benjamin

Sometimes in the evening, at bed time, Elizabeth like Benjamin to join her for her night time routine. Tonight, they were both enjoying looking at the butterflies over her bed.
No long after the first picture was taken, Elizabeth kissed Benjamin and fell asleep. :-) See, they have sweet moments!

Cheese!

A dress for Mommy

This weekend Curtis and I will be making our way back to his hometown for his 10 year highschool reunion. We are very much looking forward to spending time with family and friends, as well as having some fun! Friday night we will have highschool football (where we will get to see our nephew in the band!) and tailgating. Saturday is a family picnic for the reunion and in the evening the formal part of the reunion and dinner and dancing.

Thanks to a surprise package from my mom, I now have some cute new pants and shirts to wear. But I wasn't sure what I should wear for Saturday evening's festivities. This past weekend, I began going through my closet. I found an old bridesmaid's dress (thanks Kristy Bell!) that fit, and looked good. Too formal, I decided. I had my bridesmaid's dress from Megan's wedding, but again too formal (and too big). I found a little black dress that fit. But I think my legs must have gotten longer, since it was a tad bit to short. And by a tad bit, I mean there is no way that I would wear it out of the house! So, I had my friend Rachel A. on stand by, ready to take in or cut either of the bridesmaid dresses.

Next step, I called my wonderful sister, Shannon and she is mailing me two dresses that might work. But just in case they didn't fit, I began to shop for something reunion appropriate. At Target, I found several outfits that were inexpensive, looked good on the hanger, and would fit. One such dress was a brown dress with cream spots. I put it one in the dressing room, looked in the mirror, and exclaimed, "I look like a giraffe!" Micah proceeds to point at me and say, " 'Raffe, 'raffe, 'raffe!" Elizabeth tells me, "Mommy, you could wear that to the fall festival, and be like me!" She also told me, "You could live at the zoo!" At that point, I knew this dress was a dud.

But have no fear, I found an outfit that will work and my super sister has mailed me two dresses. Stay posted for pictures from our weekend!

FYI

Our cell phone is dead. I'm taking it in to the phone doctor tomorrow, but until then, feel free to call us at home!

Flashback

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Ashlee and I were talking last night about how big Micah and Gracie Mae are getting, and how fast it seems to be happening. Before bed, I found myself looking at some pictures from this time last year, and I came across this video from this time last year. My how much a year can change things!

Lazy or Smart?

Note how Curtis is pushing Micah. Lazy, or smart? You be the judge!

Parenting

I got this via e-mail from my lovely sister-in-law, thought it was hilarious, and had to share.

It's not just a matter of reading books and decorating the nursery. Here are 12 simple tests for expectant parents to take to prepare themselves for the real-life experience of being a mother or father.

1. Women: To prepare for maternity, put on a dressing gown and stick a pillowcase filled with beans down the front. Leave it there for 9 months. After 9 months, take out 10% of the beans.
Men: To prepare for paternity, go to the local drug store, tip the contents of your wallet on the counter, and tell the pharmacist to help himself. Then go to the supermarket. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office. Go home. Pick up the paper. Read it for the last time. (I think Curtis laughed a little too hard at the first part of this... the one about only removing 10% of the beans.)

2. Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who are already parents and berate them about their methods of discipline, lack of patience, appallingly low tolerance levels, and how they have allowed their children to run wild. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's sleeping habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior. Enjoy it -- it'll be the last time in your life that you will have all the answers.

3. To discover how the nights will feel, walk around the living room from 5 pm to 10 pm carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious noise) playing loudly. At 10 pm, put the bag down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1 am. Put the alarm on for 3 am. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2 am and make a drink. Go to bed at 2:45 am. Get up again at 3 am when the alarm goes off. Sing songs in the dark until 4 am. Put the alarm on for 5 am. Get up. Make breakfast. Keep this up for 5 years. (Sad, but often true.)

4. Can you stand the mess children make? To find out, first smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer. Stick your fingers in the flower beds, then rub them on the clean walls. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?

5. Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems: first buy an octopus and a bag made out of loose mesh. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out. Time allowed for this: all morning. (This one was my favorite! That's exactly what dressing skinny little Benjamin is like!)

6. Take an egg carton, using a pair of scissors and a pot of paint, turn it into an alligator. Now take the tube from a roll of toilet paper. Using only Scotch tape and a piece of foil, turn it into an attractive Christmas candle. Last, take a milk carton, a ping pong ball, and an empty packet of Cocoa Pops and make an exact replica of the Eiffel Tower. Congratulations! You have just qualified for a place on the play group committee.

7. Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there. Get a dime. Stick it in the cd player. Take a family-size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seats. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car. There. Perfect. (Yay for Mommy mini vans!)

8. Get ready to go out. Wait outside the bathroom for half an hour. Go out the front door. Come in again. Go out. Come back in. Go out again. Walk down the front path. Walk back up it. Walk down it again. Walk very slowly down the road for 5 minutes. Stop to inspect minutely every piece of used chewing gum, dirty tissue, and dead insect along the way. Retrace your steps. Scream that you've had as much as you can stand until the neighbors come out and stare at you. Give up and go back into the house. You are now just about ready to try taking a small child for a walk. (And that my friends, is why our wagon has a belt. They can't go anywhere!)

9. Always repeat everything you say at least five times. (And ask yourself why a lot. And speak so that you can't be understood, and when someone doesn't understand you, throw your self on the floor and scream until the person figures out what you want.)

10. Go to your local supermarket. Take with you the nearest thing you can find to a preschool child -- a fully-grown goat is excellent. If you intend to have more than one child, take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goats eat or destroy. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

11. Hollow out a melon. Make a small hole in the side. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone. Tip the rest into your lap, making sure a lot of it falls on the floor. You are now ready to feed a 12-month-old baby. For younger babies, imagine the melon constantly tumbling backwards or attempting nose-dives off of every surface imagineable...like my 9-month-old!

12. Learn the names of every character from Thomas the Train, Dora the Explorer, the Wiggles, and any other popular kids' show...even if your child doesn't watch it. (Other children do, so even if your child doesn't know what Power Rangers are, he/she will want to be one and will know all the specs.)