Category Archives: Kid Stuff

August 13, 2010 · 8:25 am

My Mini Me.

She was so excited when her Far-Far (Kris’ dad) gave her this bathrobe.  And, for those wondering, Far Far is Norwegian for “father’s father.”  My kids pronounce it Fa-Fa.  It works for us. 

She was excited, because she had a robe to put on after she showers just like me.  And, she wants me to wrap her hair in a towel.  Just like I do. 

She’ll put on her Converse sneakers and then ask me to wear mine. 

She will play with my jewelry and ask, “Mom, can I have these when I am bigger?” 

She wants to grow out her bangs and part her hair just like mine.

She loves my things.  She loves it when we are alike. 

She watches me, and she wants to be like me.  Of course, she is still very much one unique Anna Takle.

I want her to see fully who I am.  Flaws and all.  I want her to see that when I struggle with insecurity, I find my security in Christ.  I want her to see that when I mess up big and small, I pray to a God of mercy who is quick to forgive.  I want her to see that when I begin to worry, I stand on what God has already promised me in His word.  I want her to see that when I am in need, I call on friends who love Christ as much as I do. 

Chances are…

If she watches me build my life on these things, then she will do just the same. 

So, it’s good for me to ask myself:   What is she seeing when she watches me?

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August 6, 2010 · 5:00 am

Conversations with Anna.

Let’s keep the next few Fridays a little light-hearted, shall we?  We shall, we shall.  With a Friday title such as “Conversations with Anna”, I don’t think we have a choice really.  I journaled many conversations and situations with the one and only Anna Takle while on my blogging hiatus.  I just hated for it not to be penned permanently.

We’ll call this conversation “Conversation Obama.”  Why do I feel like I’ve lost readers already?

Anyhoo.

We fly a lot. I am married to a pilot, after all.  I’ve pretty much mastered the art of occupying my children while in flight with books, games, activities and such.  Well, mastered up until Anna breaks out into…being Anna. 

Scene:  John Henry is drawing a picture of a man.

John Henry:  “It’s a president.  I’ll give you a hint.  He’s on the quarter.”

Anna:  “George Washington!”

John Henry:  “Yes!”

Anna:  “Wait.  But, George Washington has fluffy hair.  This man does not have fluffy hair.”

***INSERT MOM TRYING TO CAPITALIZE ON AN EDUCATIONAL MOMENT***

Me:  “Okay kids, who is on the penny?”

Anna:  “Obama!!!”

Yes, we still have a little way to go on learning our country’s presidents.  But, she did know that Lincoln was our sixteenth president.  And, well, that is something. 

Hail to the Chief.

And, Happy Birthday to my momma.  She’s never been a president.  But she loves me and keeps ALL of my youngins.  So, she wins.

Love you @bcgoss.

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August 3, 2010 · 5:00 am

A Life of Worship

The storm knocked out our cable and wireless for a wonderful couple of hours.  I placed the iPod on the docking station, held baby boy, and listened to the big kids sing along to worship song after worship song.  I looked up and saw John Henry raising his hands and closing his eyes. 

“Mom, I’m worshipping God right now, since I wasn’t at church Sunday,” he told me.

“You can worship God any time you want,” I assured him.

And, we did just that.  Tears flooded my eyes as I worshipped the Creator with my children.  Then, we talked about worship. 

“What is worship, Anna?”

“It’s something we send to God,” she answered.

Something we send to Him.  It’s not something we just do on Sunday.  It’s a life lived.  A life lived that brings glory to Him.  A life that honors Him.

A life that gives.

That blesses.

That seeks His Kingdom first.

That chases after God.

Everybody worships something.  But, we were made to worship Him.

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you.  Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable.  This is truly the way to worship him.  Romans 12:1

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June 8, 2010 · 6:00 am

Raising Lion Chasers.

My dad is preaching a series this month on becoming a lion chaser.  He’s using Mark Batterson’s “In the Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day” as a foundation for this series.  Well, that and the bible, of course.  Dad and I have talked a lot about this series.  Mostly, what it means to be a lion chaser.  As a mother of three, yes THREE, children, I am thinking constantly of how to raise my own lion chasers.  Because, our greatest regrets in life will be the lions we did not chase.

Can I just pause right now and insert how much I LOVE being a mother right now?  Today.  In this world.  In this culture.  In this chaos.  In this uncertainty.  In these times labeled as scary.  Uncertain.  With echoes of “this world is going to hell in a handbasket.”  Because, I know that it’s in these times that God does His thing.  HIS thing.  He always prevails.  It IS His world, by the way.   And, I’m so pumped to be raising my children in a time where seeing the glory of God is just inevitable. 

Okay.  Close insert.

Back to chasing lions and kicking, well, kicking tail.

See this awesome kid?

He is my very cautious seven-year old.  He looks before he leaps.  He analyzes his moves long before he makes them.  So, I found it very uncanny that he would be the first kid out of six to leap off of a 25 foot drop into what’s called the “Blue Hole” on a recent vacation to Bahamas.  That right in the middle of our many talks about being a lion chaser, my very reserved son became a fearless….warrior.

So, now?  I’ll tell him the story of Benaiah. 

And, I’ll remind of him of this obscure story for the remainder of his days as long as he lives down the hall from me.  Because, I know…..

I just know. 

God has called him to be a lion chaser.  To conquer his fears.  To conquer the chaos.  And to make known once again that we do not live in uncertain times.  We live in certain times. 

Paid for over two-thousand years ago.

Benaiah chased a lion down into a pit. Then, despite the snow and slippery ground, he caught the lion and killed it. II Samuel 23:20

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May 6, 2010 · 6:00 am

Who Am I?

My dad is in town visiting this week.  And really, his timing was certainly ordained by God.  For real.    Anyhoo, we were sitting outside on my patio a couple of nights ago watching my two oldest play, while dad held Jett.  (A job he didn’t mind being tasked with at all.)  John Henry and Anna began to sing, “I Am A Friend of God.” 

They sang these lyrics:

Who am I that you are mindful of me
That you hear me, when I call
Is it true that you are thinking of me
How you love me, it’s amazing

I turned to my father, and I said, “Isn’t it truly amazing that He really is mindful of us?  Isn’t that the most beautiful scripture?”

That the Creator of the universe thinks about me. 

He thinks about you.

How can we not fall in love with Him even more every time the sun rises?

 3 When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—
the moon and the stars you set in place—
4 what are mere mortals that you should think about them,
human beings that you should care for them?
5 Yet you made them only a little lower than God
and crowned them with glory and honor.  Psalm 8:3-5

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April 26, 2010 · 6:00 am

The Secret of Her Success.

My young athlete scored 8 of her team’s 11 goals at Saturday’s soccer game.  She told her Nan,

“I just turned on my speed and asked God to help me.  But, don’t tell the green team.”

When I later asked Anna if she prayed to ask God to help her, she responded, “No, I didn’t pray, I just asked Him.” 

This is where her knowledge of God becomes relational.  Where talking to Him becomes second nature.  And, that makes a momma’s heart happy.

Except for when she shouted, “We win!  They lose!” 

Today’s Parenting Lesson:  Humility.

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April 16, 2010 · 9:55 am

She Marches To the Beat of A Different Drummer.

See?

Anna had her Spring Music Program last night.  I requested she pose for a picture or two.  And, this is what she gave me.

I don’t know.  We don’t even ask any more. 

I caught a little video clip of her singing.  Pretty certain she knew she was being videoed. 

Annnnd, peace out.

Have a great weekend.

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April 15, 2010 · 7:14 am

Little Splinters Hurt.

Anna loves to climb our wooden fence.  Unfortunately, splinters are likely when she grabs the fence with her small, tender hands.  She knows this.  But sometimes, the reward outweighs the risk, so she climbs away.  When she came inside from our backyard yesterday with tears streaming down her face, I knew.  She climbed the fence.  And, she had the splinters in her hand to prove it.

“Get them out, Mom!” she wailed.  “They hurt so badly!”

Isn’t it funny how something so tiny can cause so much pain and discomfort?  We want it out right then, don’t we?  We are always quick to respond to our physical well-being. 

Yet, when something seemingly small and painful enters our spirit, we don’t always work to get it out right away.  We think we can continue to function and pretend it’s not there.  It might be jealousy.  Discontentment.  Bitterness.  Pride. 

Our Words.

Our Thoughts.

To name a few.

But these seemingly small things can cause great damage to our spirits.  They can even cause damage to those around us.  The Song of Solomon tells us that it’s “the little foxes that spoil the vine.”  So, why do we think we can compartmentalize those little things and shove them in a drawer as though they will not affect us?

We really can’t.  Because, those splinters will show themselves whether we want them to or not. 

Instead, we have to get out the tweezers and prod it, poke it, and pull at it until it’s no longer infecting us.  We have to get it out. 

It might hurt a little when we pull the splinter out.  But, oh the relief once we do. 

I tend to ask God, “What in me is not of You?”  Then?  God and I deal with it.  Together. 

Annnndddd, we do this often.  Just the same, I know I haven’t relieved Anna Takle of her last splinter.  And, when she runs to me crying, “Get it out,” I will.  Then, I will hold her and let her rest in my arms.  Don’t you think our heavenly Father does the same?

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April 12, 2010 · 6:00 am

What’s Going On?

Thank you, Marvin Gaye.  I’m sure you’ve all been wondering the same, no?  Well, I’ve been a bit busy.  Well, not necessarily busy in the days leading up to childbirth.  However, it was becoming increasingly difficult to reach the keyboard due to the protrusion known as my then very pregnant belly.  Then, on March 22nd, this guy entered the world.

That’s Jett Kristian Takle, weighing in at 8lbs. 15oz and measuring 20 inches long.  Such a lightweight. 

John Henry and Anna were very excited to meet the little guy.  But, Kris and I quickly realized that we did not prepare them for things like, well, breastfeeding. 

John Henry:  “So, you just put food on there, and he licks it off?”

Anna:  “Can try some of your milk?”

Loverly. 

Now that we are past the 21 questions of “he came out HOW” and “what’s wrong with his belly button,” we are adjusting nicely.  Big sister, especially, loves to help with EVERYTHING.

And, both love to hold him.

We’re pretty sure Jett loves them, too.

We are blessed.  Sleep-deprived, but blessed.

It’s good to be writing again.  I’ve missed y’all.

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February 26, 2010 · 6:00 am

These Are Things Money Can’t Buy.

If you’re tired of reading about how sweet my seven year old is, feel free to click the “x” in the top right-hand corner.  But, I just had to record this day with him.

I was completely exhausted yesterday due to one little Jett Takle preparing for the 2028 Winter Olympics inside my belly the night before.  But, I wasn’t going to dare miss out on watching John Henry receive his Servant Leadership Award yesterday afternoon at school.

When I told him he was going to be receiving this award, he responded, “Wow!  That’s the award for putting others first!” 

By the way, Anna’s expression in the background of the pic just makes me laugh.  Sweet Anna Takle, you would definitely get the award for “Most Artistic in Fashion” or “Most Social” or “Most Likely To Make Her Mother Laugh.” 

Proud, but still so stinkin’ tired when we got home, John Henry gave me a letter. 

Dear Mom I hope you are ok.  You are the best mom ever.  I can not beleve your my mom.  I am going to let you chose what you want to eat if we go out to a restront.  If Dad is flying I will pertect (protect) you.  I am glad you are my mom.  You chose the right man.  You chose Chris.  From John Henry

*Disclaimer:  He is referring to Kris….not some other Chris.  Thought I should clarify before this blog lost its family rating.

What is in a seven year old to acknowledge that I chose Kris?  To say, “You chose the right man?” 

At the beginning of the school year, John Henry needed some answers about why he has two dads.  I explained the best I could so he would understand.  In the back of my mind, I’ve always wondered if he would one day struggle with the fact that he has two dads and his siblings have one. 

But, in letters like this, I see a young man who is thankful that Kris is in his life.  I see two dads who love him so sweetly.  And, I see a Heavenly Father who has never let him down.

And, that is redemption.

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