Answers are Hard to hear when they come with a diagnoses like this....

The past couple of months our oldest daughter has struggled with stomach issues. We have had several tests run, that lead to just more and more tests. But never getting any solid answers and just frustration. This past week while I was at work.  I got a call saying they wanted to admit her (6 hours away) into Sandfords Children's Hospitol to do further testing, much more invasive kinds of test to accually go in and see what is going on. I needed to have her there by midnight in order to get the tests scheduled and going for the next couple of days. So, I dropped everything and Amanda and I headed down the road. Thankfully, this lead us to a great Dr,  a specialist that was a Pediatric Gastroenteroligist.

She had an MRI the very next day and then the following day an endoscope and colonoscopy. Talk about being a trooper. She was so strong and positive through all these tests! I am so proud of her!

Through these tests the diagnosis is Crohn's Disease.  This was something we had talked to previous doctors about so we were a little familiar with it. Something we had hoped would not be the case. Answers are good, but they are very hard to hear when you are dealing with the life change for your sweet daughter!! My heart at this moment just heard the word and not all the facts. This all takes time to soak in.  Being strong for my daughter became most important, but inside I was falling apart and felt alone in a foreign land!!

What is Crohn's Disease?
Crohn's disease is an inflammation of the intestines (bowel).  It can affect the part of the small intestine, the colon, or like my daughter it is also found in her esophogus.  Crohn's causes swelling, redess, and even sores (ulcers) in the intestines. The ulcers can make a hole in the wall of the intestine, which can cause life threatening infection and bleeding. Both the swelling and scar tissue from the sores can block the passage of food. This is why she lost 10 lbs in 2 months.

How does this occur?
The cause is unknown. It is believed to the an autoimmune problem. This means that the body's defenses against infection are attacking your own tissue, but this has not been proven.

So how will they treat her?
Well for now she is on a powerful steroid, and a couple other meds to help calm things down and get her pain free. For long term though she will be put on a medicine for the Crohn's and from my understanding, help control it or heal some of the ulcerations. Medical science has no cure. But i know God is more powerful!!!  I will be making alot of adjustments to her diet. So much has to do with what you eat that can cause a "flare up".  I have so much to learn and this is just the beginning!

My heart?
Well my heart breaks for my daughter. She has been so healthy her whole entire life. Only on antibiotics maybe 2 or 3 times in her life. She is only 15. I wish she did not have to deal with this, but we will do all we can to educate ourselves and get the very best for her!! I have alot of emotions and one recently was asking God WHY!!   But, here we are. We learn, we adjust things, educated our selves, get in contact with others who have this disease. Always going to be learning what works or doesn't work for her. She will have a normal life, can have children, and I pray for her to go into remission once day soon!!  I love her more than life!!

As Amanda said "We came and We Conquered"

Preschool Graduation

I can not express enough how amazing the past 2 years have been for our little Gracie. We were so blessed with such a fantastic teacher who instilled such a passion for reading into her. Grace is reading, writing on her own, and doing such amazing things. Her teacher has been a huge blessing and we are forever grateful for her. A teacher influences a child's attitude for learning and I am thrilled that Grace absolutly loves school, and loves her teacher and I know the feeling is mutual! Today was hard to say goodbye for both of them!! brought tears to my eyes. If we could have her teach her forever we would!! But now next year On to Kindergarten, and this mommy is not ready for that! 

 We are so proud of you Gracie!! Such a sweet, smart, loving little girl you are!!

Thank you for a Great 2 years Mrs Crim!!

Back to Blogging

Blogging was always one of my all time favorite things to do. It has been a long little "LUL" I admit in my little blogging world this past year. But I think I am ready to start writing again. Thank you all for checking in with me now and then and seeing how we are doing. It means alot to hear from you and know you are out there!

So much going on in our house right now just with the kids schedules. Track Season for Amanda just ended, Softball begins. Gracie just had her last day of Preschool and now will be moving into Kindergarten next year. Bailey just finishing up his finals of his Junior year. Can't believe he will be a Senior next year. It seems that this year is a really emotional year for me. Alot of big jumps coming up next fall with my kids. Makes me wonder where the time has gone. Some times I feel guilty too. Like have I don't enough, been enough, feeling like I wish I could go back and make more time for some of the things I feel I should have made more time for. Time just seems to go so fast. We all get so engulfed into our busy schedules, maybe even overwhelmed sometimes. Boy we need to learn to slow down and smell the roses in life. If I look around me, I have so much to be so Thankful for !

Summer begins today, although the weather here still gives us more cold. Maybe just maybe I can dedicate more time to some of the little things I love...

Tina Lynn 

Easter

 A Few pictures of my sweet daughters at Easter. We spent it with some of my family at my Aunts house. Grace was excited the Easter bunny came even though we were out of town!! :-)

 I love my kids so much, So proud of them all...they make my heart melt!! Bay was off with friends and I couldn't get a pic of that boy..seems rare that i can get all three to sit still for one moment to take a picture.

I hope you all had a Blessed Easter!

God Bless

Happy Family Day "Gotcha Day"

I can't believe how fast time goes.  Today, 5 years ago, we picked up our sweet little 8 month old daughter and we became a family of 5!! I think back to that day. How little she was, so fragile and precious, so tiny, and a little scared of all her new surroundings, sounds, and people all around her. It felt like such a long wait to hold her in my arms. But when I finally did our bond was just the same as if she grew right inside of my own flesh! She bonded to me immediately. God prepared her heart just as I asked him to do. She is so precious and it still amazes me how God orchestrated it all. She is ours, and we hers..Her forever family!!

I plan on adding more to this post later tonight or in the morning....stay posted...for more!!
I had to get it on as April 16th though...lol

First Prom

 My sons first Prom!! Boy times have sure changed since I was younger!! Now it is a huge deal to go to Prom with a big group and seems to be a must do to have a limo too.. I love to see these kids having so much fun, an oh boy do they drop the $$ on this one night of fun! But still great memories of the good old high school years are all worth it!

His best buddies!! can't wait to see where these 3 go in life as they grow up!!

I am so proud of my Son and what a great young man that he has become. He is so kind and thoughtful of others and has such great qualities about him that I love so much! Even though he is 6 foot tall, he is still my biggest hugger of all. Always has a hug for his mom!! I love that! 

Luv you Bay!

Trusting God can transform your life...

I love when I come across a great read and I have to share it. This is always a great reminder to us all. It is easy to start living life and doing it all ourselves..I need to practice leaning on God more! 

How Trusting God Can Transform Your Life

by Joyce Meyer

For a long time, there was so much turmoil in my life. It really saddens me to think about all the years I wasted living this way. I was a Christian and went to church, but I spent a lot of time being upset about things I couldn’t do anything about, experienced feelings of guilt and condemnation much of the time, had no peace and just didn’t enjoy life.
Thankfully, I’ve had a radical transformation. I’ve developed the habit of trusting God, and now life is really worth living.

What It Means to Trust God

Trusting God is simply believing that He loves you, He’s good, He has the power to help you, He wants to help you, and He will help you. Christians are called believers, but many times, we are more like unbelieving believers. We trust our friends, the bank, the stock market or the government more than we trust God and His Word.
In John 15:5, Jesus says that apart from Him, we can do nothing. We need to lean on Him for help with everything in our lives. Sadly, a lot of people go to church, hear what they should do and then go home and try to do it on their own. They usually end up desperately telling God how hard they’re trying to do what they need to do, and they’re leaving Him out!
God wants us to put Him first in our lives. He wants us to put our confidence and trust in Him, all the time, in everything.

Learning to Trust God, Not Myself

I used to have a habit of trusting myself. I formed this habit through years of trusting people, getting hurt and finding out I couldn’t trust them. This caused me to believe, If you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself. If you don’t ask anybody for anything or open your heart to them, they can’t hurt you. But this mindset just kept me from trusting God. It was a bad habit I had to break.
Proverbs 3:5,6 says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths (NKJV). When you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, the Spirit of God comes to live inside you. This is one of the greatest blessings of salvation: You don’t have to go through someone else to get to God. He dwells in your heart and you can learn to hear His voice.
The best way to hear from God and know how He wants you to live is to know what the Bible, His Word, says. God’s Word gives us wisdom. And as we study the Bible, our mind is renewed (see Romans 12:2), so we no longer just think the way the world thinks – we can think the way God thinks!

The Good Habit That Really Makes the Difference

We have to habitually study the Word to really have confidence in God and know we can hear Him. The Bible is food for our spirit. As we spend time reading and meditating on Scripture, we develop a strong spirit. Then we can hear God speaking to our heart – where He dwells in us – and make decisions based upon what He’s leading us to do, not just what we may think, feel or want.
When you go beyond what you want, what you think and what you feel and do what the Word and the Spirit of God tell you to do, you are able to develop good habits and break bad ones. You come to a place where the blessings of God – His righteousness, peace and joy – overflow in your life.
Life is simple and peaceful when we come to God like little children and say, “God, I don’t want to live on my own. I want to trust You. When I don’t know what to do, I’ll trust You. When I don’t understand why, I’ll trust You. I’ll do my part with Your help, and when I’m done, I’ll trust You to do the rest.”

---

Time with My Gramps

It's always so great to spend time with my grandparents. My grandpa has struggled with Emphysema for years, but last summer also got hit with west Nile virus. This took him down and he almost lost his life. In fact many many months we thought he was not going to make it. This was in August of last summer. But here he is still fighting strong and still the will to live is stronger than the virus or emphysema in his body.  I treasure each visit, each conversation, and every hug with him as if it could be the last one. I just love to hear his stories about life, and every single time we always hear one that we have never heard before!! He is a fighter and a hard worker. Still is a contractor who builds homes and sells them. He has one he is working on now. I think his work gives him purpose too. Yes he works and he is 94 years of age. Pretty amazing right? I know I have written about him before, but it had been a while since I have had an update!! 

Always tell your loved ones how you feel, listen to their stories about life...Grandparents especially have so much life experience and we can learn a lot from them. So take time always..just take time..

Bay's Ski Trip!!

For the second year in a row Bailey has had the opportunity to go on a fun ski trip with his buddy and his family . This year His buddy's dad took them all on a total boys trip!! This year was Steamboat Springs Colorado!! He has become a very good snow boarder. This year bought himself a go pro and has a ton of fun making fun video's of his jumps. As a mom makes me a bit nervous when i see that he was going 46mph down the hill!! ugg..But I am so thankful for this family that always includes him in the fun !! Love my son and the great little man he becoming. Time goes fast and I am realizing that he only has another year at home before he graduates from High school. God time goes too fast!! 

His view from the condo! Breath taking!!

And here is the whole crew!!

Valentines Day !

Sorry a little late!! I forgot I took this picture and forgot to post it on Valentines day . Life gets busy ! SO any how..I hope you all had a great v-day!! Gracie thought she would dress up for it!!

Daughter Brag- First Formal Dance

I have to say that doing my daughters make up and fixing her hair about choked me up many times as she was going to her first formal dance. Just happens to be she is dating a boy that lives in my home town (yes long distant relationship).  She was attending a dance that I also went to when I was exactly her age!  The two of them looked great together and had a fun time!! Here are some fun pics we were able to snap quickly before the two of them headed out. And yes I was up pacing until midnight until he brought her home :-) What else is a mom suppose to do!!

When no one is there, HE IS !!

Something I never really talk about is back in 2006 when I was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor.  I had treatment for it that was to kill the tumor and keep it from growing. It was a success.  The location of it was too risky to have open brain surgery.  Since then, I have to get the occasional MRI check up on it. This time it has been 3 years since I have had one. Tomorrow I will go in and see how everything looks. No matter how much time passes by, I still get scared, nervous, and very emotional when i go in.   This time is also different because it will be the first time I will be going in by myself and all alone. I guess I have to remember that although I would love to have a friend by my side, God will show up even when a friend won't!!

 If you are reading this and believe in prayers, I do ask that you keep me in yours.  I pray all looks great and that this tumor would shrink.

4 things husbands don't tell their wives

Article courtesy  http://davewillis.org/ 

 In case you haven’t discovered it yet, when God designed men and women, he made us different.
I’m going to give you ladies a rare peak into the mind of a dude. Granted, we’re all different, and I’m not trying to make broad generalizations that all men and all women fall into specific little categories, but as I’ve talked with men from all over the world, I’ve discovered that these principles seem to consistently hold true.
If you’re a woman reading this, understanding these insights will give you a deeper understanding for your husband and your marriage. If you’re a man reading this, be aware of these potential weak spots in your communication and strive to share these and all issues openly and honestly with your wife.

Photo courtesy of ShutterStock.com.
These are four messages many men struggle to clearly communicate to their wives:
1. We’re afraid to tell you when we’re afraid.
Many of us were raised that any form of fear for a man was a sign of weakness. Rambo never got scared. Dirty Harry never got scared. We’re not supposed to get scared. Of course, those are fictional characters and real men face real emotions (including fear), but we’re usually very bad at communicating it because one of our greatest fears is that you would see us as weak. 
2. We often feel like we don’t measure up.
Most of us are grew up with dreams of growing up to be an astronaut or professional athlete, but most of those dreams didn’t materialize. I struggle just to make the roster of our church’s softball team! Many of us are carrying around wounds of deep-seeded failure from our past and our present and we don’t know how to communicate about them so we try to hide them instead. These insecurities can often drive us to overcompensate by throwing ourselves into our careers to find achievement and “success.”
3. We think about sex even more than you think we do.
Many of the times our minds are wandering and we seem distant, we’re thinking about sex. We wish we could free up that mental energy for more productive things, because we could probably cure cancer with the amount of mental energy that our sex drive consumes. We tend to value the sexual aspect of our relationship so much that for right or wrong, we’ll often measure the overall health of our marriage on the frequency of what’s happening in the bedroom.
4. You’re our best friend.
You probably have a bunch of girlfriends that you confide in, but even though we’ve got “buddies” to share our hobbies and sports conversations, it’s rare that we have a true friend who really knows our hearts. We lean on you more than you realize for companionship and true friendship.

A Fathers Words to His Daughter...

I read this on the huffingtonpost.com web site, and really feel it was a great read and had to share this story.

Dear Little One,
As I write this, I'm sitting in the makeup aisle of our local Target store. A friend recently texted me from a different makeup aisle and told me it felt like one of the most oppressive places in the world. I wanted to find out what he meant. And now that I'm sitting here, I'm beginning to agree with him. Words have power, and the words on display in this aisle have a deep power. Words and phrases like:
Affordably gorgeous,
Infallible,
Flawless finish,
Brilliant strength,
Liquid power,
Go nude,
Age-defying,
Instant age rewind,
Choose your dream,
Nearly naked, and
Natural beauty.
When you have a daughter, you start to realize she's just as strong as everyone else in the house -- a force to be reckoned with, a soul on fire with the same life and gifts and passions as any man. But sitting in this store aisle, you also begin to realize most people won't see her that way. They'll see her as a pretty face and a body to enjoy. And they'll tell her she has to look a certain way to have any worth or influence.

But words do have power and maybe, just maybe, the words of a father can begin to compete with the words of the world. Maybe a father's words can deliver his daughter through this gauntlet of institutionalized shame and into a deep, unshakeable sense of her own worthiness and beauty.
A father's words aren't different words, but they are words with a radically different meaning:
Brilliant strength. May your strength be not in your fingernails but in your heart. May you discern in your center who you are, and then may you fearfully but tenaciously live it out in the world.
Choose your dream. But not from a department store shelf. Find the still-quiet place within you. A real dream has been planted there. Discover what you want to do in the world. And when you have chosen, may you faithfully pursue it, with integrity and with hope.
Naked. The world wants you to take your clothes off. Please keep them on. But take your gloves off. Pull no punches. Say what is in your heart. Be vulnerable. Embrace risk. Love a world that barely knows what it means to love itself. Do so nakedly. Openly. With abandon.
Infallible. May you be constantly, infallibly aware that infallibility doesn't exist. It's an illusion created by people interested in your wallet. If you choose to seek perfection, may it be in an infallible grace -- for yourself, and for everyone around you.
Age-defying. Your skin will wrinkle and your youth will fade, but your soul is ageless. It will always know how to play and how to enjoy and how to revel in this one-chance life. May you always defiantly resist the aging of your spirit.
Flawless finish. Your finish has nothing to do with how your face looks today and everything to do with how your life looks on your last day. May your years be a preparation for that day. May you be aged by grace, may you grow in wisdom and may your love become big enough to embrace all people. May your flawless finish be a peaceful embrace of the end and the unknown that follows, and may it thus be a gift to everyone who cherishes you.
Little One, you love everything pink and frilly and I will surely understand if someday makeup is important to you. But I pray three words will remain more important to you -- the last three words you say every night, when I ask the question: "Where are you the most beautiful?" Three words so bright no concealer can cover them.
Where are you the most beautiful?
On the inside.
From my heart to yours,
Daddy

Bragging on my Son

So proud of my son. He has really become a great snow boarder this year. His favorite things to do in the winter. He put this video together and I really happen to think it is pretty darn cool !!

Feeling helpless....

I know we all hate it when our kids are not well. Its a terrible feeling. Seems even worse when you go to the Dr and still leave with no real answers except well try this, or try that, or here are some drugs to try. This past week I have had it with going to Dr visits. My oldest Amanda struggling with migraine headaches for a while now and after MRI coming back clear, blood work clear and Imatrex not working for her. I went to see another Dr.  After the visit we left with 2 new prescriptions. Perscriptions that were not even explained to me, and I was not even told what the Dr was wanting to put her on.  One of the perscriptions the pharmacy would not release because they felt they needed more of a reason from the Dr to even give it to us and the other drug she prescribed  had 2 pages of warnings on it that he told us to be sure to read on.  Needless to say we are opting out of giving her this medication that seems to have way too many warnings and side affects listed with it. This could affect her long term and I don't want that. So with that we are back to square one in trying to find her answers for her headaches. We are leaning to try Chiropractic care and see if that may help.

Then my little Gracie is struggling with Hives. We are not sure what brings them on, but this morning she woke with them all over and really bad. Never seen such a thing. So into the Dr again for her. To leave being told to not use just benedryl but to use Zyrtec too. Both over the counter.  So now we are home and they are still not better. I ache for her and I feel helpless when I can not just make both kids better. Is it just me, or are there others out there that feel like we have to do our own digging to find answers for medical things. Weather searching google, or webmd.com , seems parents more and more have to self diagnose. I guess that is why they call this "Practicing medicine" , because they are really practicing!!!  

 Never seen hives so severe before!! Breaks my heart an I just pray these meds will help by morning!

So if you are reading this tonight and believe in the power of prayer I am asking that you please keep them both in your prayers! Right now this mama is about worn out with worry!!

Our Favorite book

what are some of your favorite bed time stories??

Fancy Hair n Big Sisters

 Gracie is so lucky to have a big sister that gets fancy with her hair!! She is always having fun with and looks up to her big sister so much!!

 She had to go change quick into a new outfit...lol

Find Love, Peace, Joy you are longing for..

Find the Love, Peace and Joy You're Longing For

by Joyce Meyer

I want to ask you a question: Do you love yourself?
Take a minute to think about it. It’s an important question because your answer will determine how much love you are able to give to others. You see, if you don’t love yourself in a healthy, balanced way, then you won’t be able to spread the love of God to those around you because you can’t give away something you don’t have to begin with.
Now, I’m not talking about a selfish, self-centered kind of love for yourself that is arrogant and puffed up. That is not what I’m saying. There is a balanced way to develop a godly appreciation for who you are and the abilities God has given you.
I talk about this a lot because I think one of the biggest problems we have today is how we feel about ourselves. It seems many people have a broken record playing in their head that keeps repeating, “What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with me?”
One reason for this is we compare ourselves to other people and wonder why we can’t look or act like they do. Or we believe that God is mad at us for some reason…and then fall into the trap of thinking we need to try harder to measure up.

Don’t Be Misled

The devil wants us to feel bad about ourselves. He tries to mess with our thinking so we are always wondering why something is wrong with us. And many times we make the mistake of getting mad at ourselves because of it.
But God’s Word says that those who are in Christ have been made righteous. Second Corinthians 5:21 (AMP) says, “For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become…the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness].”
I like the Amplified version of this verse because it helps us understand the meaning of righteousness. As the verse says, it means that in Christ, we are as we ought to be. God created us. He approves and accepts us by His love and goodness.

Get Completely in God’s Will

As soon as you accept Christ, His love is poured into your heart.  In fact, He loved you before you ever accepted Him as your Savior.
I really want you to get this because the fact that God loves you is one of the most important truths you need to know. Loving God and then yourself in a healthy, balanced way is the first step toward fulfilling your destiny and becoming a vessel of God’s love so you can spread His love to others. It’s also the key to having everything Jesus died for you to have, like His righteousness, peace and joy.
I love what Romans 14:17 (AMP) says, “[After all] the kingdom of God is not a matter of [getting the] food and drink [one likes], but instead it is righteousness (that state which makes a person acceptable to God) and [heart] peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
That verse says the kingdom of God is not food or drink. I like to say that God is not about stuff. And He wants to give us something much more important—righteousness, peace and joy.

Are You Living in God’s Kingdom?

How much joy do you have? It’s pretty much impossible to have joy if you don’t know God loves you as you are and have peace with yourself. If you lack joy, maybe it’s because of the way you see yourself. Do you enjoy spending time with yourself? Some people get overly involved in activities because they can’t stand to be alone. And some folks are angry with themselves, so they avoid their own presence.
A good place to start growing in the area of balanced, godly self-love that includes a healthy attitude about yourself is by meditating on Ephesians 1:4-5 (NLT): “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.”
Remember that God loves you unconditionally. He created your temperament, your talents, and all your other traits. But we all have specific areas we can grow in and things to work on. That’s okay. The Holy Spirit is willing and able to help you grow in areas of weakness. Like I often say, “I may not be where I want to be, but thank God I’m not where I used to be!”
Wherever you are in your relationship with God, know that He has singled you out and chosen you to be His child. He is pleased with how He made you and His love surrounds you. You are the apple of His eye.

Life is always unfolding..

The process of life is ever unfolding, guiding you, pushing you, preparing you for the next part of the process.  Difficult challenges, bad days, upset feelings, moments of confusion are part of life's process. Perhaps these things are there to keep us alert, to make us stronger, or to test our resolve to keep moving forward. 

Happy New Year!!

 I love this jar idea and think I'd love to try it for 2014.  Time goes by so fast, life is precious and to put memories or quotes, or things that stand out to you in this jar...I think would be so neat to read at the end of next year.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

 We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! (sorry this comes a little late).  

what little girls wish daddy's knew..

I came across this on my face book page and I just had to share it with you! I think all dads need to read this!! When you think of how your relationship was growing up with your father, it really makes sense now to me after reading this why I feel a certain way about things!!

I’m spending the morning waiting for my car in the repair shop. Four men in flannel (I missed the flannel memo) and I sit around smelling tires and inhaling exhaust fumes while an enchanting little girl fairy is in constant motion around her daddy. She climbs on him, giggles, turns around, and then she’s back to twirling on the tile.
She’s bouncing and spinning around in her pink frilly skirt. Her black cable knit tights are sagging around her tiny knees, and her puffy coat makes her arms stand out further than is natural. To top off the ensemble is a shiny crystal tiara. It’s been tacked down to her head with what appears to be about 60 haphazard bobby pins.
She’s probably four years old. So little, so vulnerable. She doesn’t seem concerned about it as she sings about teapots and ladybugs in her black Mary Janes. I feel myself tear up as I watch her. I tear up as I watch him watch her. She could not possibly know at four what impact this man, his character, or his words will have on her for years to come. And, maybe he doesn’t know either.
So, to all the daddies with little girls who aren’t old enough yet to ask for what they need from you, here is what we wish you knew:
1. How you love me is how I will love myself.
2. Ask how I am feeling and listen to my answer, I need to know you value me before I can understand my true value.
3. I learn how I should be treated by how you treat my mom, rather you are married to her or not.
4. If you are angry with me, I feel it even if I don’t understand it, so talk to me.
5. Every time you show grace to me or someone else, I learn to trust God a little more
6. I need to experience your nurturing physical strength, so I learn to trust the physicality of men.
7. Please don’t talk about sex like a teenage boy, or I think it’s something dirty.
8. When your tone is gentle, I understand what you are saying much better.
9. How you talk about female bodies when you’re ‘just joking’ is what I believe about my own.
10. How you handle my heart, is how I will allow it to be handled by others.
11. If you encourage me to find what brings joy, I will always seek it.
12. If you teach me what safe feels like when I’m with you, I will know better how to guard myself from men who are not.
13. Teach me a love of art, science, and nature, and I will learn that intellect matters more than dress size.
14. Let me say exactly what I want even if it’s wrong or silly, because I need to know having a strong voice is acceptable to you.
15. When I get older, if you seem afraid of my changing body, I will believe something is wrong with it.
16. If you understand contentment for yourself, so will I.
17. When I ask you to let go, please remain available, I will always come back and need you if you do.
18. If you demonstrate tenderness, I learn to embrace my own vulnerability rather than fear it.
19. When you let me help fix the car and paint the house, I will believe I can do anything a boy can do.
20. When you protect my femininity, I learn everything about me is worthy of protecting.
21. How you treat our dog when you think I’m not watching tells me more about you than does just about anything else.
22. Don’t let money be everything, or I learn not to respect it or you.
23. Hug, hold, and kiss me in all the ways a daddy does that are right and good and pure. I need it so much to understand healthy touch.
24. Please don’t lie, because I believe what you say.
25. Don’t avoid hard conversations, because it makes me believe I’m not worth fighting for.
It’s pretty simple, really. Little girls just love their daddies. They each think their daddy hung the moon. Once in a while when you look at your little gal twirling in her frilly skirt, remember she’ll be grown one day. What do you want her to know about men, life, herself, love? What you do and say now matters for a lifetime. Daddies, never underestimate the impact of your words or deeds on your daughters, no matter their age.

"A Hallelujah Christmas" by Cloverton

I really love this version of this song and wanted to share it with you all that share in reading my blog!! Hope you have a great Day!!

Happy Birthday Gramps

Happy 91st birthday Gramps!! ( i posted this yesterday, but somehow it went on one of my other blogs)

You are the strongest man I know. Not long ago we thought we were losing you, but you fought through it and today you are strong and feeling good ("could always be better" as you say). But today, you are a walking miracle really and I am so proud of you!! Witty, strong, and you speak your mind that is for sure :-) I love you Gramps!!