Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Why I go to Church....




Why do I go to church?! Getting up at 5:30-6:00 am on a Sunday morning to wrestle with kids and nappies while negotiating outfits with a 4-year-old, cleaning up spilled milk/cereal at breakfast, calming tantrums, preventing Picasso paintings on walls, throwing a roast together, maybe having 20 minutes tops to myself to get ready, recovering last-minute blow-outs, chasing down a 2-year-old to battle buckling him into the car all to arrive at church at 9:30 am is no Sunday picnic to be sure!
In fact, after hardly hearing an entire message of those speaking because I’m constantly quietly policing and entertaining my children for an hour, and then working with primary children for 2 additional hours brings me home physically shattered. And I do it every week--some Sundays solita {by myself--because Corey has early meetings or is visiting congregation members after church}.
 Am I crazy?! What’s the point?

I believe we {mankind} are spirits visiting earth and heaven is our real home. This journey of life is hard. It often feels unfair and we all are in need of a spiritual recharge. The minute I walk through the church doors I feel peace and true happiness. The music the children sing always lifts my soul. Every now and again a primary child will say something so profound, my spirit is instantly recharged--compensating for anything the world could try to do to motivate or make me happy. I make mistakes. I need change. I believe in change. Taking the sacrament and recommitting myself to change through my Saviour infinitely compensates for any picnic, day at the beach, time at a theme park, or evening at a ball game. How? Because it is in those sweet moments at church I feel my spirit reconnect with my Heavenly Home to fill my empty, temporal, and hopeless heart with strength, faith, and joy.  The challenge in getting to church is forgotten.  My focus about life is made clear.  I find purpose.  I certainly need church every week. 
 That is why I go.

I’ve been invited to speak in Sacrament Meeting {church service} this coming Sunday. I’m no qualified person for the job--just an imperfect mom in the congregation trying to make sense of life through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So, if you’re around I invite you to come hear lay members of the congregation {myself included} along with unpaid clergy share truths from their hearts at the 
Ipswich Chapel {10 am, 42 Sidegate Lane West IPSWICH, IP4 3DB}. 

Friday, April 19, 2013

Hello Friend.


There are so many things I love about this photo {taken nearly two summers ago--never mind how many pictures I've taken and am longing to post}: First and foremost--the girls simultaneously chatting away to each other about their own nothingness, windows wide-open, summer breeze sweeping fresh air through the house via unrestrained back door and front window cracked open, bluest of skies reflected in the windows, and ultimately and most importantly just how lucky we are to have the loveliest of neighbors. We just love them. Hello Spring. Hello warmer weather. Hello color. Hello laughter in the garden. Hello friend.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Spring Tease


Spring please linger longer! We're aching to play!


 White and yellow peek through the ground----"first flowers....


"...then friends."

Monday, March 4, 2013

2 for the show, 3 to get ready...


...because 4 months is almost here! Need to capture these little details before they're gone!



A friend from Ipswich Orchestral Society made this darling pink cardi which happened to perfectly compliment Maggie's blanket the day I took pictures. I love these knitted cardigans lovingly made and given to little ones here.


Yes. Little Miss M loves her fists these days.


She is all smiles and full of lovely chub--this cherub.


Monday, February 18, 2013

Blessing

I love baby blessings. I love being together as a family.

From Post Cards 2012
We blessed Maggie on a gorgeous sunny day in Liberty, UT along with her cousin Weston. Cameron and Sarah's ward graciously let us bless both our babies on the same Sunday while a missionary spoke before her departure, and another missionary spoke upon his return! It was a full house to say the least. In a beautiful way.  The meeting was powerful in the messages given and the Spirit felt. I love missionaries and their testimony. I love baby blessings and the immediate feeling of peace, love, wholeness--the Spirit. Reverence.

From Post Cards 2012
Superstars Cameron and Sarah hosted a lunch for both families! I love catching up with everyone over lovely food.

From Post Cards 2012

It is a beautiful and reverent sight to see worthy priesthood holders encircle a baby and bestow a blessing upon her. The priesthood is a power given by God to worthy men to give blessings in the name of Christ to us here on earth. I have such reverence for Corey who holds this priesthood and blesses our babies with the most tender of blessings.


{From Post Cards 2012
Both Cameron and Corey gave sweet blessings. I am thankful each is recorded in Heaven for mothers who intend to write down every precious word; yet, have to referee their other little ones. Hopefully I can write down those words when all the kids are asleep, and I don't fall asleep the minute the house is quiet.

From Post Cards 2012

There is nothing more pure.

From Post Cards 2012
Sweet blessings. Corey and I always seem to bless our little ones in the winter. So new. Clean. Fresh. Symbolic.
"It was just snow.....soft and white.....fallen last night." 

From Post Cards 2012
As sisters, it's been fun to watch Weston and Maggie share milestones. Thank you Sarah {and Mom whose birthday happened to be the same Sunday} for sharing this blessed milestone.  

From Post Cards 2012

Maggie looked so sweet in the dress both Elsie and I wore. You melt our hearts, beautiful Maggie.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Home for Christmas 2012


From Post Cards 2012
We were set and ready to fly.  We LOVED connecting in Boston. No drama this time..... 

From Post Cards 2012
Except I thought I'd left our camera on the shuttle bus. Here we could have had 30 min. to our leisure--imagine that! Corey is my hero. After several internal airport phone calls and actually hopping on the shuttle to go back to Terminal 4 Parking, he found our camera. We were all cued up for the flight. Maggie was a superstar and Elsie, a fabulous attendant.

From Post Cards 2012
Corey is also a hero for entertaining Spencer for the journey home. I really felt for Corey when I learned he'd exhausted all the resources {snacks, candy, and games} in Spencer's backpack the first hour.  We walked the aisles several times and jumped up and down in the back of the plane--because that's what you do with energetic 1-3 year-olds.

From Post Cards 2012
After 24 hours we made it.
From Post Cards 2012
It's good to be home (never-mind Spence chewing his blanket, Maggie--wide-eyed for the night, and Elsie's pink cheeks from a fever--that's just what happens when you travel. :)
From Post Cards 2012
Papa and Mimi's.
From Post Cards 2012
Oh, happiest Christmas.
From Post Cards 2012
Pictures never capture the grandeur and beauty of the mountains. They always humble me. They always inspire me--winter and summer.


From Post Cards 2012
We kicked off the festiveness with our annual DeYoung Smorgasbord Dinner.

From Post Cards 2012
We draw sides, drinks, and main...even table decorating. Cameron's original flare was completely awesome--especially his centerpiece! :) Sarah's sweet potato casserole was to die for--literally. It must have loads of goodness in it to make it so lush.


From Post Cards 2012
Dad got creative and Mom's parmesan-artichoke {the latter vegetable seems to be a DeYoung favorite} dip had me munching all the way up until the main course! Corey's drink was a love.

From Post Cards 2012
From Post Cards 2012
Kyle prepared an awesome Boba drink. He learned how to make it in his mission. It's like a strawberry shake with huge tapioca-like balls at the bottom. His ordering the special straws provided the perfect pelting game for the boys after dinner. 

This year we started a cereal gift exchange--which I'm pretty sure we'll be repeating next year! For the love of cereal.
From Post Cards 2012

Christmas Eve has always been magical and it started with Opa's Opus.

From Post Cards 2012
All the family members pull out their instruments and Opa directs us in some Christmas tunes. (Please forgive the poor photo editing/merging of this photo--I wanted to show the ensemble in grandpa's cozy basement). It was so lovely to join them after not being there for the Opus in a few years. Faith was the best stand I've had! She made sure I didn't miss a note. ;)

Every year family members provide a program of Christmas songs, poems, and dance. Of course Santa visits and we all huddle around him in front of the piano with our individual families. It's the picture.

From Post Cards 2012
From Post Cards 2012
From Post Cards 2012
From Post Cards 2012
From Post Cards 2012

I HAD to document these homemade lovelies. The De Young family name says Dutch all over it, and Mike and Susan complimented genes with these stroops from scratch!! Divine is an understatement. How I crave these--even as I type!

Well, we slept on that cinnamon goodness {along with LuAnn's lovely annual Christmas Eve dinner} and woke up to a magical morning.

From Post Cards 2012

The aqua doodles (seriously perfect for trips--you only need water to fill the pens) and cars were a hit.

From Post Cards 2012
Of course Maggie loved her rattle {Elsie may have been more excited about her gift}. The beauty of this Christmas was chatting with the entire family. Thank you dearest Google+ 

From Post Cards 2012
Our missionaries never looked or sounded better. 
From Post Cards 2012
Yep, that pretty much tops it all off. Then again, we needed a bit more Christmas-Evening-magic with family. 

From Post Cards 2012
From Post Cards 2012

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Happy Christmas!!

 

Wishing each of you the happiest of Christmases!


Lots of love, the Crowells