Resurrection Sunday 2012

2011 Reflections and Prayers for 2012

As the year of 2011 comes to an end, many people stop and take some time for deep reflection.  Some ponder the life events that occurred over the past 12 months, and try to find meaning or purpose in all of it.  Others move past the past and look on ahead to the future; making resolutions and plans for a prosperous and successful new year.  Then, there are those who do a little bit of both, reflect on the past 12 months while also planning for the next 12 months to come.  

When I reflect on the past 12 months so many thoughts come to mind, first being of my sweet Eleanor who was born on February 28^th in the safety and comfort of our home.  Her birthday is special in two very important ways:

• 1)      The Lord blessed us with a new daughter, Eleanor Michelle!  I experience two very painful miscarriages (for a total of 5 miscarriages) prior to becoming pregnant with her and I had prayed fervently that the Lord would bless my womb again – and He did!

• 2)      I experienced the wonderful blessing of a homebirth.  It is by far my most cherished accomplishment.  Having Eleanor at home permanently removed all fear of natural childbirth that had been plaguing me since I had my first child 5 years ago.  The Lord proved Himself merciful and gracious in that He gave me the strength and confidence to trust in His handy work in creating and designing my body to not only endure the pain of labor and childbirth but to fully enjoy and  revel in the miracle of life in the most precious way possible.  He secured for me a special bond with my sweet Eleanor that only furthers my deep appreciation for the miraculous life of all of my children. He used that one single experience to breed a confidence and passion for life, truth, and wellness that no one can steal from me!

Honesty is the next thing that comes to mind when I think about the past 12 months.  Sometime in the middle of the year I shared some of the struggles that my sweet Sofia had been having, and to my surprise I received an abundance of encouragement and love that far surpassed my expectations.  I also learned that I was not alone, and that other Christian families had struggled with the same thing, or were currently struggling.  The Lord brought people into my life that He used to help us help Sofia.  Over the past few months there have been great changes and all glory goes to the Lord!  Modifying her diet, incorporating a few new vitamins and supplements, not to mention all the time we spent praying for wisdom, has born more fruit than we ever imagined it would.  We got our daughter back!  She hasn’t had a meltdown in a couple of months and has just continued to blossom under the close and watchful care of parents who would go to the ends of the earth for her.

I’ve found that in the course of the past 12 months I’ve grown closer to my husband, and even more reliant on him.  I’ve learned some hard lessons on friendship and where my loyalty is to ultimately lie.  I’ve learned that relationships change, some for the better, and some for the worse and that is ok – life goes on.  I’ve learned that no matter what happens, I can depend on my husband for the loving compassion and encouragement that cannot be rendered from any other person.  Whether I have one friend, five friends, one hundred friends, or no friends; my heart is cherished by no one more than my husband.

Oh my darling children – the Lord has used the last year to renew my love for my children.  They are the Lord’s little gifts of joy all wrapped up in tender sweetness.  I have the great honor and pleasure of loving such precious daughters.  Sofia, Charlotte and Eleanor are my true delights; packages of loveliness.  I love being the mother of three little girls; each one with their unique personalities adds something distinctly different to our family.  I pray that the Lord gives me grace and wisdom when instructing them in the ways of the Lord, and discipling them for the work of biblical womanhood.  I have watched Sofia and Charlotte blossom into such tenderhearted little girls.  The Lord is showing Himself Sovereign in their lives as we witness Him cultivating their hearts for His use.  They love to learn about the Lord and each day the Lord blesses us when they share their hearts with us.  What an amazing honor to know that, at this moment we have our daughters’ hearts.  May we never take the awesome responsibility of shepherding their hearts for the glory of the Lord for granted.  We take the duty of guarding their hearts and minds so seriously for fear the Lord would smite us should we cause them to stumble.  They are so precious to us, how much more precious are they to Him, the One who made them?

Biblical womanhood and the journey of being the keeper of my home has been a quest from the moment I married my husband.  I’ve learned that when you are the mother of three little ones, the best place to spend the majority of my time is right at home with them.  There truly is no other place I’d rather be anyways.  My ministry is to my husband and children, and if I find myself being busy elsewhere, then I’ve effectively neglected my post, and things begin to fall apart.  My heart and affections need to be “plugged in” at home, throughout the course of my day and even throughout the night.  The Proverbs 31 woman never let her lamp burn out, and thus is the life of a mother with little ones – especially an exclusively breastfed little one.  

Helping and encouraging my husband is so important for the vitality of our marriage and family.  When scoffers try and attack his character or the genuineness of his personality then of course I am right there to defend him and to pray fervently against the attacks of the enemy.  I love my husband dearly, and am so very thankful the Lord allows me each day to be his helpmeet. 

Within this past year I have finished my Bachelor’s degree, which I had feared would never happen.  There were times that I simply wanted to give up, but I had much to prove to myself and to those who have labeled me a quitter all my life.  I remember as a teenager someone saying that I would never amount to anything; that I would always be a “screw-up”.  I am thankful that the Lord chose to show Himself merciful in my life because I would otherwise be something to be pitied.  All of my accomplishments are His, for I can do nothing good apart from Christ.  I’m thankful that He has given me a tenacity and a fierce desire for Truth, because if you saw the me that was before Christ, it sure was a pathetic sight to behold.  To God be the Glory!

The Lord showed my husband favor shortly after Eleanor was born and provided a wonderful job as a QA Manager/Analyst/Program Designer/IT Support/whatever the boss needs done!  He works for a Medical Software Development company and has learned more about the medical industry than he knew before.  He has earned a raise and is due for another review in a few months with another raise in store.  He enjoys his work, and one of the perks is that he can work from home if he has to; and has on several occasions worked late into the night or over the weekends.  He is currently creating custom graphics of the different parts of the eye (another hat he wears at work), and has enjoyed learning about that as well.  There are several people he works with who are of the same convictions as we are on mainstream medicine and health nutrition - including the owner, and this has given us great encouragement in the face of some who do not have the same convictions.  I've had the pleasure of watching my husband grow in a company that has given him job security and a place to hone his skills.  God is Good!

Not only do I have a crochet/sewing cottage business, I have recently became an Independent Distributor for Young Living Therapeutic Essential Oils.  I'm excited about this new business venture and joining Mrs. Stacy McDonald and many others in teaching others about the importance of health and wellness and how true Therapeutic essential oils can play a vital role in achieving optimum health.  I created my own website Southern Scentsabilities and am behind excited to share everything I've learned and am continuing to learn about caring for your families health through  the use of essential oils! 

 As this year comes to a close, and we all embark on the uncharted journey of a new year, I pray that the Lord would continue to remove those things from my heart and my life that seek to draw my affections away from Him and my family.  I pray that He would continue to guide me and teach me His ways.  I pray that He would strengthen my love and devotion for my husband and children, and cause me to find even more joy in being the keeper of my home.  I pray that as I continue to share my life through Serving God and Family that it would always point people to Christ.  I am who I am because the Lord has been merciful to me, and I pray that even when I write things that are controversial or against mainstream philosophies that I will remain consistent in a Biblical worldview, never faltering for fear of scrutiny or hateful criticism. 

I pray also that each one of my readers has a wonderful and blessed New Year, and that you will continue to seek the Lord in all things.  Love your husbands and children, and most of all, love the Lord with all of your heart! Soli Deo Gloria!

Serving God and My Family,

Crystal <><

I'm Still Here

         I know many of my readers have been wondering where I’ve been and what I’ve been up to in recent months.  I have been quite busy; or busy at least by my standards.  So, in an effort to catch everyone up I thought it was time to get a “real” blog post written.  

        Life is definitely fuller since Eleanor graced us with her sweet presence.  I forgot how delightful having a new baby in the house makes life.  Don’t get me wrong, that delightfulness is not without its attached friend “sleep deprivation”, but it is totally worth it.  I have to say, Eleanor is the perfect little 5 month old baby.  Her first word was “Momma” and she is on the move and nearly crawling!  It is funny to admit that in the first few weeks of her arrival I felt like I was a brand new mother all over again; panicking at the silliest things.  My sweet midwife has been so sweet to take ALL of my frantic phone calls, even ones crying, and reassuring me of my full capability through Christ to mother my new little baby.  It is quite the revelation to be reminded over and over again just how vulnerable I am to trying to measure up to other mother’s standards of “mothering”.  I think every mother falls prey to this at some point, and it is just sad that we feel the need to measure ourselves by anything other than Jesus Christ.  I often find myself romancing over how other mothers have these lovely schedules filled with visits from friends, play dates, visits to the park, etc., and what that would be like in my world.  Then I am reminded that that simply would not be as lovely in my world because I actually don’t like all of that.  I enjoy being “at home” with my babies and husband (when’s he off work).  The running around that other families do on a daily basis, or even semi-weekly basis would bring such chaos and dysfunction to my world and family, and in my humble opinion defeats the calling to be “keepers at home”.  I prefer the solace and predictability of being at home and it is our sanctuary.  

        At the beginning of this month I had the honor of opening my home up to a dear friend and 5 of her 6 children.  It was true fellowship and it was much needed.  This was the first time meeting my friend in the flesh and it was such a blessing.  I made a big supper, and some yummy gluten free brownies, and then had the pleasure of preparing a big wholesome breakfast for everyone before they got back on the road.  This is the type of fellowship that Malachi and I crave with like-minded families.  The Lord worked it all out, as He always does, by convicting us of the way we eat.  My friend and her family eat pretty much the same way we do, except I don’t grind my own grains.  It was so nice to know that I was providing this family with a good meal that wouldn’t cause any stress or worry about inconveniencing us with specialty foods or allergy considerations; it was all planned out in advance by the Lord!  I am now preparing to open our home once again to a woman that I dearly love and I’m so excited to have her and her new husband in our home for two nights.  She taught me how to crochet and is bringing me some goodies to help me with sewing!  

        I am very thankful that the Lord has provided a bigger home for us, even if it is an apartment.  We literally just move up the sidewalk from our other apartment which made the move the easiest we’ve made yet!  I still do not have our home completely the way I want it, but that is ok, I’m in no rush.  We’ve enjoyed utilizing the extra space by making the third bedroom a play/homeschool room, and we’re getting Sofia and Charlotte a queen size bed for their room.  After my friend and her children departed, both girls decided they wanted to sleep on the queen size air mattress we had set up for our guests.  I think it is super sweet that the girls would prefer to sleep in the same bed; it is just the cutest thing to walk in before I go to bed to check on them and they are sleeping so sweetly next to each other.  They really are the best of friends, and that is the way it is supposed to be.

        As you may have noticed in the past week or so, I’ve been crocheting a lot!  I’ve listed several new items to my Etsy Shop online and praying the Lord will provide some extra income through it.  This would greatly help with my desire to can and preserve foods as I have to buy my fresh produce because we do not have the room to grow our own garden.  I’ve made Lemon-Honey Jelly, Pomegranate Jelly and Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam and have enjoyed it so very much.  Today the girls helped me make the Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam.  It was so much fun having them in the kitchen with me today teaching them something of true benefit for the future.  Malachi and I have a vision of being self-sustaining some day and learning the basic art of canning and preserving our foods is an honorable work that will greatly benefit our family.  I’m even thinking about starting an Etsy Shop to sell some of the jams and jellies I make; but that is still a mere “thought”.  

        Yesterday I worked all day (9 hours) on making the cutest rag quilt for Eleanor.  It really was a labor of love.  There were moments where I didn’t think I’d ever get it done.  Slowly but surely I finished it and it turned out so stinking cute!  I’m thinking about making more and selling them, BUT I won’t try and make it all in one day anymore.  I’d love to just buy fabric and get lots of squares cut out and ready for sewing instead of trying to cut them out as I make a quilt.  It is still all just in the “thinking” process as to whether I will sell them or not.  I am going to make one for Sofia and Charlotte, and then after that I will revisit the idea of selling them.  I’ve thought about how I could make them and keep the cost down, but with the amount of time it took for me to make one, I’d have to greatly factor that in as well because “time is money” as well.  So many things to think about, but how fun it is to have ideas!

Front of Quilt

Back of Quilt

I made a little pocket on one of the squares

         I will be completely done with my Bachelor’s degree in December!  I cannot believe I am nearing the finish line.  I can definitely say getting my degree, even though I did it solely online, has been hard work, often times stressful.  No accomplishment will ever top my homebirth will Eleanor, but getting this degree sure has been an accomplishment.  While I don’t have any grandeur ideas that having it will bring more respect or fame to my life, but it sure will be something I can look at and say “I did it!”  I did it without abandoning my family.  I did it without compromising my beliefs.  I did it and still maintained my intellectual and religious integrity.  And I only did it by the grace of God and the support and encouragement from my husband!  I will have a Bachelor’s in Social Science with a Concentration in Education, but don’t let that last part confuse you; I can promise my philosophy on education was only strengthened by learning about how our public school system was constructed and how it is maintained.  I am even more convinced that homeschooling is the only option for Christians.

         I am having some medical issues; the same ones I was having back in May.  I will be seeing a specialist soon and we’re praying that the problem is nothing serious.  Please keep me in prayer that the doctors will know how to get things under control, and that Malachi won’t need to miss any work.  In May he missed an entire week of work, and we really don’t want this to happen again.  

        I will end my post here, and I am grateful for all my readers who have remained faithful in prayer for me and my family! 

Serving God and Family,

Crystal <>< (SAHM)

Happy 3rd Birthday to my Sweet Charlotte Michelle

Charlotte Michelle

This child came into the world a heart condition that could have taken her life, but the Lord blessed her with wonderful pediatric cardiologists and other specialists who have done everything in their power to keep her heart well.  Her first year of life was very rough with fears of Cystic Fibrosis, other auto-immune disorders, nursing every 45 minutes to 2 hours until she was a year old, sleeping for only about 2 hours at a time, and blood curdling cries and screams for hours at a time.  Even today she is still a very tiny little lady, weighing in at 26 pounds, but it as healthy has a child can be!  She has been through a lot in her short little life, but oh what a joy and a blessing she is to our family.

I love this child!

Serving God and My Family,
Crystal <>< (SAHM)

Eleanor Michelle (4 1/2 Months Old)

Eleanor - "God is my light"

Our First Sunday Back to Church

Sewell Family Newsletter 2010 (Picture to come soon!)

Sewell Family Newsletter 2010

            We are so blessed to announce that the Lord has shown favor on us once more, and I am now in the second trimester!  This is our eighth pregnancy, and we couldn’t be more thrilled and humbled by yet another opportunity to care for and raise another arrow (Psalm 127:3-5) for the glory of the Lord.  As of today I can feel the baby moving as he or she is a very active little one.  The baby’s heart rate is a healthy 150bpm, and by all accounts everything is going well with this pregnancy.  

            We have changed hospitals and providers in an effort to help me have the natural birth I have always wanted.  I am really happy with the midwife that I have been seeing.  We recently learned that our medical insurance will cover 80% of a homebirth.  This came as great news for us because we have been hoping for a homebirth for a long time.  We are scheduling a meeting with the homebirth midwife soon, and if the ultrasound at 20 weeks goes well, then we are hoping to switch over and prepare ourselves for a homebirth!  Either way, I will not see an OBGYN unless complications arise, which as of now none are foreseen.  I have only gained 3 pounds so far, and that could be from the change in diet we made shortly before Malachi was laid off back in March.  We are now eating only organic or all natural foods, and we have cut back dramatically on the meat that we eat.  We are only consuming grass-fed beef, and we’re all taking an organic multivitamin and Vitamin D3 supplement to boost our immune systems.  

            Sofia is now 4 years old and Charlotte is 2 years old.  Time seems to be passing us by at lightning speed.  They are the best of friends, and yet at times the worst of enemies.  We are diligent to praise them for godly character and discipline for disobedience.  We have family worship every night, which includes singing some old hymns, scripture reading, and prayers.  Obviously because Sofia is older, she grasps the concepts we are teaching them and can articulate very well her understanding of what she has learned.  Homeschool is going well.  The past few weeks we’ve been taking a break in the midst of my fatigue, but training is 24/7, 365 days a year (Deut. 11:19).  We are so blessed that the Lord convicted us early on in our marriage before having children that homeschooling is the only option for our family in the midst of the secular humanism being taught in public schools.  We earnestly pray each day that the Lord would guide us through His word on instilling a Biblical worldview into our children.  We want our children to not only know what they believe, but why they believe and be fully equipped to defend their faith when the day comes that it is challenged (1 Peter 3:15).  Jesus tells us in Luke 6:40 that “A pupil is not above his teacher, but everyone, after being fully trained will be like his teacher”; this is paramount to the decision of us homeschooling our children.  

            The holidays are quickly approaching, even if the weather gives no indication of it.  Malachi is now working at Best Buy again, and just recently was promoted to doing “in-home” services.  This means that he is yet again driving the Geek Squad car.  As we all know, the world of retail gets extremely busy during the holidays, and we are not sure that Malachi will be permitted to travel for Thanksgiving. The plan as of now is that we will be staying at home for Thanksgiving, and I will be making a small supper for us all.  The day after Thanksgiving, known as “Black Friday” starts the retail madness.  December will mark the beginning of my third trimester and that means travel is even more out of the question.  

            In regards to the month of December, we know that it means many will begin to decorate and prepare for Christmas, however, our family will not.  Since Malachi and I were married we have been seeking to honor the Lord with everything we do, even the traditions we incorporate into our family.  When we first were married the one thing that we did not do during Christmas was set up a “Christmas Tree”.  For me personally, the Christmas tree had always been a symbol of where Santa Clause left gifts, and once becoming a Christian in 2004, this just struck me as something that didn’t fit into what Christmas was about.  Over the years, since having children, we began to feel the pressure to incorporate the Christmas tree into our tradition for our children’s sake.  We have heard various arguments for why Santa Clause is harmless, and how we are depriving our children of a tradition that is fun for them.  Because Malachi and I evaluate everything in light of scripture, the past year or so, we have begun to, once again reevaluate why we do what we do.  Christmas is one of the holidays that we not only investigated its origins, but went to God’s word to find out if it is consistent with all of the other things we are teaching our children.  After much prayer and searching God’s word, we have come to the conclusion that Christmas is not a holiday that we want to incorporate into our family’s traditions.  We realize this may come as a shock and many will be a bit bewildered at how a Christian family could possibly throw out “Christmas”.  Let me explain.

            First, December 25^th, before it was deemed “Christmas” was celebrated as the pagan holiday Saturnalia.  When Constantine arrived on the scene and started the Roman Catholic Church, in an effort to rid the pagan origins and some of the less than desirable celebrations of the holiday he claimed the day as a Christian holiday called “Christ Mass”, which is now known as Christmas.  While his efforts, to some may seem honorable, it began a tradition that we don’t see recorded in scripture, nor do we see the early Church celebrating.  I think many know that Christ was not born in December, and that three wise men did not visit Christ upon His birth.  

            Second, as time went on, different traditions of the pagan holiday were just transformed into something more appealing and acceptable to the Roman Catholic Church.  The Christmas tree is one of those things, as is caroling, and the giving of gifts.  All of these things were created in an effort to cover up the pagan celebrations that took place on December 25^th.  

            Third, later on the story of what we know as “Santa Clause” began as a legend of St. Nicolas, who in reality, we feel would be appalled at how he is being portrayed today.  The modern day Santa is an invention of the Coca Cola Company in an effort to boost sales of their product.  The image of an obese old man, who has been given attributes similar to that of the Lord, who sneaks into the houses of families across the world, flying through the air being pulled by flying reindeer, is what most children identify Christmas with, not Jesus Christ.  So it appears that we have come full circle.  December 25^th began as a pagan holiday, “Christianized” by Constantine, and is now pagan once again.  This should not surprise anyone.  The Bible never calls us to “Christianize” paganism in order to make it fit into our lives.  

            We are called to be a people set apart for the Lord (Romans 1:1 and John 17:14-19) and to be a “peculiar people” (Deut. 14:2) that do not conform to the world (Romans 12:2).  Malachi and I take the Word of the Lord very seriously, and that is why all that we believe, all that we do, and the traditions we incorporate into our family need to be based on scripture alone (Sola Scriptura) when they deal with religious themes.  We don’t want to perpetuate a tradition without being able to point our children to scripture as a defense for why we do what we do. So this year, and for the years to come, we have chosen to not incorporate Christmas into our family’s traditions.  We won’t be giving or receiving any gifts, and we won’t be decorating our home.  December 25^th will be a day like all other days, and we will use it, like all other days for the glory of the Lord.  We don’t need to set aside special days in order to give honor to the Lord, and we understand that this issue falls in the category of Christian liberty.  So, what we are NOT saying is that we feel those who incorporate Christmas as a way to celebrate the birth of Christ are sinning.  What we are saying is that for our family, and what our end goal is for our family, Christmas is not consistent with what we see in scripture as a means to achieve that goal (Romans 14).  The only celebrations or times of remembrances that we found in scripture that we are commanded to observe are the Lord’s Supper (See the Gospels) and believer’s baptism (Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38-39, and Acts 19:4).  

             We respectfully ask that no one send any Christmas gifts, and please do not be offended by the lack of gifts received from us.  We are using this time to reflect on the Lord and His word and what He is doing in our family.  This will be a time of sober reflection and evaluation of our lives and how to honor the Lord alone.  We are open to questions and welcome respectful conversation about our decision, with the understanding that we are appealing to scripture alone (Sola Scriptura) for our decision and not emotion or tradition.  We also encourage researching the origins of “Christmas” and not just take our word for it.  The internet is full of information and there are several articles written by theologians about this particular subject.  We are a Reformed Protestant family, and Christmas is traditionally a Roman Catholic holiday; which is just another reason we are choosing to abstain from celebrating it.  These are our personal convictions, and we understand that they may seem odd; however, we have a desire to do everything for the glory of the Lord, and never do anything that would bring shame to His name.

            We pray that whether or not you choose to celebrate Christmas that you will use each day to seek the Lord and His will according to scripture.  We are so excited about all the things the Lord has done in our lives and all that He continues to do.  We are honored that He would give us the children He has, and we pray that we will honor Him by bringing them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord.  Soli Deo Gloria! – ‘Glory to God alone’

By His Grace,

The Sewell Family <><

P.S. Miss Jasmine Baucham, in my humble opinion, has articulated the Christmas thing better than I can, so I am including the link to the Newsletter she contributed to through Voddie Baucham Ministries: http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs026/1102459509708/archive/1102807115791.html

Charlotte's 2nd Birthday!

My Sweet Charlotte's 2nd birthday was yesterday!  My mother, baby sister and nephew were able to visit and celebrate Charlotte's birthday with us.  I served Chicken Salad and Vegetable Macaroni Salad from Whole Foods and then Charlotte's birthday cake (also from Whole Foods). 

We enjoyed the day watching the girls play with their nephew.  Charlotte was exhausted from all of the excitement and went down for a nap shortly after we had cake. 

We are so very blessed to have little Charlotte in our lives.  Her second birthday marked the one year anniversary of being taken off of her heart medication!  Charlotte has had no SVT episodes and we praise the Lord for it!

Serving God and My Family,
Crystal <>< (SAHM)

Mother’s Day 2010

Me, the girls, my mom and my grandmother

Mother’s Day is one day set apart to show our appreciation for mother’s; young and old, brand new and seasoned veterans, those who have held their children and those who have lost their children. It is a day when some moms receive breakfast in bed, hand crafted cards from their wee ones, or get extra hugs and kisses (my personal favorite). No matter how it is celebrated, mom is the one being honored.

My mom, Sofia, Me and Charlotte

This day never really had any particular significance to me personally until we lost our first child the week before Mother’s Day in 2005. It was a very sad time, and I was unsure of whether or not I could be a recipient of the Mother’s Day celebration. I remember coming home from the emergency D&C lying on our couch (futon); my mom stayed with me while Malachi went to pick up my prescriptions, and I opened a card from a dear friend; it was a Mother’s Day card. My mother, wishing me no more emotional pain, quickly took the card out of my hand and shoved it under the couch. I didn’t actually read the card for a few weeks, and once I did it encouraged me greatly that I was a mom even though I was had a miscarriage. I am thankful that my sweet friend sent me that card; it was the very first Mother’s Day card I ever received and I still have it to this day!

My Mother’s Day this year is not without its share of sadness, but is also not without much hope! I still long to have more children, Lord willing, of course. I look at my two sweetie pie daughters, and I am content even still.

These past few days have been busy ones, and trying ones. Sofia fell ill a couple days ago, and since we are without insurance at the moment I panicked just a little. In the end she was fine and there was no need for a visit to the doctor’s office.

We made plans to travel a couple hours away to my grandmother’s house on the Gulf Coast in Mississippi for Mother’s Day. My mother, aunt and cousin were going to be there, so it was to be a great day; however things began to get soured because last night both girls had low grade fevers. After talking to my mom about it, she said to check them in the morning and make a decision then. This morning they still had low grade fevers, but were romping around playing and seemed to feel well, so we decided to get dressed and hit the road.

We piled all the stuff in the car, including our sweetie pies, and thought we were headed out of town…uh uh. When Malachi started the van the speedometer dial did a 360 and got stuck! We were unable to tell how fast we were going. All the mechanic shops were closed, and thus we turned around and headed home. I called my grandmother and mom, nearly in tears, but was reassure that it would be ok; to just enjoy the day regardless of our circumstance.

This is the part where I get to brag on my husband :)

Malachi and I

I love this man so very much!

Malachi quickly got online and googled our dilemma. He soon found someone who had a similar problem and shared how they fixed it. He walked out to the van and viola! It worked! When he told me that it worked, I quickly leapt to my feet and hugged him and started crying because I was so happy and relieved!

My sweet Sofia

We made it to my grandmother’s house and had a wonderful time. God is so good y’all! Even if we had been unable to go to the coast today, God is still good. He has given me a loving and godly husband and I am honored to be his wife. He has blessed me with 7 children and doubly blessed me by allowing me cuddle with two of them in this life. I am truly blessed regardless of our circumstances.

Charlotte loved this rose

My Mom with Charlotte

My Mom with Sofia

I pray that you all enjoyed your Mother’s Day! Now let’s look forward to honoring the men on Father’s Day!

Serving God and My Family,

Crystal <>< (SAHM)