At 8 months, Micah is in love with…
- his daddy’s laugh
- playing peek-a-boo
- being tickled and kissed all over
- my iPhone
- our dog, Heidi (still)
- other babies and little kids
- saltine crackers
- my earrings, jewelry, sunglasses, etc.
- really, anything fun or interesting looking.
He is such a happy boy!

Micah is crawling… everywhere.
He is a little mover and I can’t take my eyes off him for long.

I am pretty proud of this picture.
It’s hard to get him to sit still for long, let alone smile for me!
This squinty nose grin is one of my favorites. :)

There he goes… trying to pull himself up on the chair!
Like I said… can’t. take. my. eyes. off. him.

He is learning so much lately.
I can see it in his eyes when I sing the “ABC’s…” or tell him a story.
He wants to understand.
He’s also learning how to play with his toys, instead of just chewing on them. :)

Micah has no fear.
It’s a very scary thing to know that he is capable of getting himself into trouble, but has no understanding of danger.
I am saying, “No, no” a LOT these days.
He’s already shaken open a bottle of teething tablets, stuffed lint in his mouth and tried to climb out of his high chair.
And they say this is only the beginning.

Micah has four teeth (working on two more at the moment!)
light brown hair that is coming in all over
and hazel eyes that are settling in on a green/brown color

This face just melts my heart.
He is an absolute blessing to our lives!
I could not have asked God to give us a more precious baby boy.

Happy 8 months Micah Jordan!

Last weekend, I spent some time with a group of our girls from church for a “Girls Night Out.” We played games, ate pasta, had a fashion show and talked about modesty. And of course the inevitable dance party broke out before we curled up with popcorn and soda to watch Princess Diaries. I brought Micah along too (he was the only boy allowed!) so we didn’t spend the night, but we stayed pretty late and met them back up there around 10am in the morning for a time of worship.

If it sounds like fun, you’d be right, it was.

But what I cherished most of all was getting the opportunity to spend face to face time with these girls. They had questions, they had hurts and some of them had a seriously flawed view on what it meant to be beautiful. And modesty, no matter how “dated” the word may appear, is such a needed character trait that I thought I would address it here on the blog as well.

Modesty is dying in our culture. And I’m not just talking about a dress code. You can be wearing a burqa and still be immodest. Modesty, in it’s very definition, means humble. Unassuming. Unpretentious. Quiet about our own achievements and abilities.

In a lot of ways, completely opposite of our culture.

We are being influenced and consumed every day by social media, magazines, photographs, tv, music, you name it… that tell us that success is beauty, that money is beauty, that fame is beauty. And the temptation is there to become envious of those who have nicer homes, or nicer hair, or nicer clothes. Before we know it – we are caring too much about what everyone else thinks of us and not caring about thinking of everyone else.

It’s not like we have to go too far looking for these things. Thanks to social media, it’s flaunted in our faces. One of the biggest trends out there is to take “selfies” or simply, a picture of yourself. I cringe just thinking about it. Because for decades teenagers have struggled with self-esteem and identity issues, this isn’t new. But now we have measurements to help boost our ego or dig in the knife deeper, depending on how many people decide to “like” our photo. The whole concept behind a “selfie” is selfish. We are degrading ourselves. We are worth so much more to Christ. (Let me also clarify that I do believe there is a difference in taking a selfie for selfish reasons and taking one to truly document a moment. But a lot of times it’s hard to differentiate between the two, so I tend to avoid them altogether).

You see, immodesty is all about how much you are revealing. Whether in your clothing or in your tweets, photos and conversation. And if we don’t have a filter in our lives, we are going to adapt to the culture around us.

My filter is my husband.

Whenever I get dressed to go somewhere, I ask Josh if what I’m wearing is okay. Sometimes he says, “You look too good in that!” which is code for “You need to go change.” There have been several times where I’ve thought I looked “supa-cute” in an outfit, and he felt uncomfortable with me wearing it. So I changed. I care more about being modest, especially in his eyes, than I do about being trendy or fashionable.

I also run things by him before sharing on social media. I show him photos before posting, read him tweets before I send them out and even blog posts sometimes, if I know it may be a touchy subject.

This is how I’ve handled my very real, very tempting, issue with modesty.

I want every girl and guy to feel beautiful. I want them to feel loved. But, immodesty robs us of that. Immodesty is always asking for more.

This is such a heavy burden on my heart. I believe it accounts for so much of the heartache teenagers and young adults face today. Spending the weekend with these girls reminded me of this prevalent issue.

And to all my 18+ women out there, who think this issue may not apply to us, remember you are an example. They are watching. Show them what a godly woman of character looks like.

I’ll leave you with this quote I saw pop up on my Twitter feed the same day I started writing this post, no coincidence I’m sure.

“A gentle spirit, modest character and loving personality gives a radiance to the face that no makeup could ever replicate.” – Ashlee Chu

Amen.

I think I need to just go ahead and drop the dream of ever becoming some super-amazing, consistent blogger. It’s just not me. And if in 8 years of blogging I haven’t found a way to master it, it’s not going to ever be me. But really. I don’t see how you daily bloggers, or even 3 times a week bloggers, do it?! Is someone cleaning your house for you? Watching the kids? Cooking dinner? Feel free to share your secrets, because I haven’t figured it out yet.

What I can tell you, is that I am learning more about what it means to let go.

I’m letting go… of feeling like I need to be great at everything.
I’m letting go… of feeling like I need to respond to everyone.
I’m letting go… of feeling the need to know what is going on in everyone’s lives.
I’m letting go… of anything that distracts me from the best things in my life.

Jesus. My husband. My son.

I’ve had to make a few sacrifices recently. Dropping some things that I thought were great, realizing they were only good things distracting me from the best things.

Most of these are personal decisions, like how much time I spend online (and on my iPhone, which I excuse as not actually being “online” but it totally is) and being intentional about being more of a listener to my husband, eye contact and all.

But spiritually-speaking, I have been asking God to show me what He desires for me to be passionate about. Because, let’s be honest… passion is not a value I am lacking. Being passionate about the things that He is passionate about? Well, that’s a different story.

This world sure does “fire me up” (to use my husband’s terminology), but I need to be careful that in my anger towards this world and all the evil in it – I do not become distracted in sharing the greatest news of all. The victory HAS been won! We will not suffer for too much longer.

I want need to focus my attention on things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and excellent (phil 4:8) because God knows that my mind can dwell on the lies, dishonorable, wrong, immoral and evil.

And while the fight against evil is a good cause – the victory over it has already been won in Jesus Christ! And it’s a good cause, not worth compromising for the best message of all – Jesus saves.

Life just got a whole lot busier!
Hence, the reason this post is a day late for the first time
(and I am guessing not the last!)

Micah has mastered sitting up.
I have no worries that I can leave him alone in his crib, in a chair, on the floor
and just about anywhere
and he will be completely fine sitting up for long periods of time.

But of course, he doesn’t stay still for long.

Micah is also a master roller.
That is currently his method of choice for finding his way around the house
and off the bed
and under the couch.

Did I mention life just got a whole lot busier?!

Our dog, Heidi, is still the most entertaining person in the house for him.
He just can’t get enough of her.
(Mommy and daddy try not to take it personally :) )

I’m starting to see his temperament come out a little bit.
He is a very curious little thing
He’s more interested in people, than objects
He knows what he wants
He loves to talk — loudly
And he loves to laugh (and make us laugh!)
Basically, he is a lot like his parents.

Other highlights this month:
- He responds to his name
- He got his first two bottom teeth
- He is finally enjoying solid foods (sweet potatoes and peaches are his favs)
- He sleeps 10-12 hours at night
- He holds out his arms for us
- He is getting into the crawling position
- He says “dada” a lot, but we’re still not sure if he knows what he’s saying
(ok, Josh is sure – but I’m not convinced! ;) )

One thing I am convinced of though? This month is my new favorite! :)

]]> http://cassidyrobinson.com/2013/04/05/month-seven/feed/ 6 http://cassidyrobinson.com/2013/04/03/throwing-down-my-stone/ http://cassidyrobinson.com/2013/04/03/throwing-down-my-stone/#comments Wed, 03 Apr 2013 22:15:16 +0000 Cassidy Robinson http://cassidyrobinson.com/?p=6509 Last week I took a sabbatical from blogging. Mostly unintentionally. My husband spent the week on mission in Costa Rica and I cherished some quality time with friends and family. When I made the occasional dips online to check social media, I just felt my heart becoming more and more distant from it. It was a much needed break.

But I won’t lie, one of the main reasons I decided to disconnect from this blog was because I was afraid of what I might say.

Early in the week, during one of my “check-ins” on Facebook, I noticed a string of friends posting a picture with a red equal sign. It didn’t take long for me to catch what was going on, and I immediately went into defense mode. How could that person be supportive of gay marriage? The Bible is clear this is unnatural and sinful. (In case you missed it, read here)

Not surprisingly, many of my non-Christian friends were standing strong in their support. What actually surprised me, was how many Christians were supportive or silent on the matter at all. Where was the accountability? The truth? I hear Christians stand loud and proud in the fight against sex-trafficking, almost daily, but when it comes to standing against a sexually perverted lifestyle – silence.

Why? Fear. We are crippled with fear of offending someone who may disagree with us.

Well let me tell you what I’m afraid of… I’m afraid our culture is going to become numb to the gospel of Jesus Christ. His love, forgiveness and sacrifice for our sins.

Now is it my job to take a tally of a person’s sins? No way. But friends, the gospel of Jesus cannot be preached if we are unaware of our need for a Savior!

The Gospel Coalition put it perfectly, “You do not love your neighbor by encouraging them to engage in actions that invoke God’s wrath (Psalm 5:4-5; Romans 1:18). As Christians we may be required to tolerate ungodly behavior, but the moment we begin to endorse the same then we too have become suppressers of the truth. You cannot love your neighbor and want to see them excluded from the kingdom of Christ.”

When Jesus was confronted by the Pharisees regarding the woman caught in adultery, he asked for the person who had not sinned to cast the first stone. Everyone walked away. They all recognized their sin. Even the woman caught in adultery knew she was about to get what she deserved. But even though Jesus could have condemned her right there – he didn’t. Instead he called her to “go and sin no more.”

The gospel has always been centered around our need for Jesus. We can’t lose sight of that. And we can’t lose sight of preaching that.

And at the end of the day, I care more about what a person believes about Jesus than whether they support gay marriage or not.

A couple years ago, I met one of the sweetest and most encouraging girls I have ever had the privilege of meeting online. She sent me this message via Facebook and the relationship has continued ever since.

This message touched my heart.

Because God knows there are days when I wonder why I bother putting up videos on Youtube (especially when I am desperately in need of good lighting and a good video camera).

But whenever I doubt, I think back to Miranda and Maddie and how they were encouraged in their time of need through my poor-quality, home videos. They were led to worship.

And thanks to prayer and our great God, little Maddie is in remission now from her cancer!!!

So when a couple weeks ago Miranda texted me a list of songs she wanted me to cover, I jumped at the chance! Her list was more like “Best of Kari Jobe” requests, but that’s perfectly fine with me! She’s one of my favorites as well. :)

When I saw this song listed, I knew it would be perfect for this week.

The week before we celebrate the most pivotal and life-changing event in the lives of believers everywhere… Easter.

What a sacrifice that saved my life, yes the blood it is my victory. 

Download my acoustic cover of “O the Blood” here. 

I don’t know if it’s allergies or a cold or what, but I have the ENT (eyes, nose and throat) junk. Watery eyes, stuffy nose and sore throat. Hoping this goes away soon.

After taking a one-hour turned four-hour nap (whoops!), I woke up in a hurry FIRST to check on my baby (who was peacefully still sleeping as well, whew!) and second, to get dinner ready. I had planned on making my Wednesday ritual – Crockpot Potato Soup and was really looking forward to it. But since I overslept, I threw everything in a pot on the stove and tried boiling it for an hour.

30 minutes later I smell something burning.
Let’s just say… that didn’t work.
Thankfully I had leftovers in the fridge to warm up.

Only problem was I had already taken the cream cheese I was planning to use for the soup out of the package, placed it in a bowl and softened it in the microwave. So I quickly googled cream cheese desserts to find a solution. No way was I going to let it go to waste! (And ok, maybe I was craving a cream cheese filled dessert, just a little bit)

I found this one.  And thankfully, I had all the ingredients!

Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

You will need: 13 x 9 cake pan

For the filling:

Two 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened (light or regular)
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg

For the cake:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream (light or regular)

For the streusel topping:

¼ cup sugar
¼ cup flour
3 tablespoons butter, chilled and cubed

For the glaze:

¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
1 ½ teaspoons milk

Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease/flour or spray a 9 x 13 cake pan. Set aside.

Make the filling:  In a small bowl use an electric mixer to mix together the cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla on medium-low speed until creamy.  Set aside for the filling.  

Make the cake batter:  In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt until well combined. Set aside.

In a large bowl use an electric mixer to cream together the butter and sugar on medium-low speed. Add eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla extract. Slowly pour in the flour mixture alternating with the sour cream until it is all combined.

Spread half of the batter into the prepared cake pan with a spatula.  Spread the cream cheese filling evenly on top. Top with remaining cake batter and smooth with a spatula.  Using a butter knife, gently swirl in the batter. (The batter will be a little stiff, this is normal. Dollop the batter on top of the cream cheese layer and lightly spread together with spatula)

Make the topping:  Add the sugar, flour and chilled butter in a small bowl.  Stir using a fork or pastry blender until the mixture is crumbly.  Sprinkle the streusel on top of cake batter.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until slightly golden on the top. Cool for 5 minutes.

To make the glaze:  In a small bowl, combine confectioners’ sugar and milk until creamy.  Drizzle over cake.

And there you have it!

A yummy cream cheese coffee cake.

This would go great with a bowl of fruit in the morning or a warm cup of coffee in the evening. Or in my case, with a bottle of water and some Emergen-C. :)

Hope you enjoy, friends!

It is no secret that I am in love with journals. In fact, my husband knows that when we go to Barnes and Noble he is going to need an extra dose of patience by the time we make it around to the journal section (and trust me, we always do). The journal pictured above is one that I have had since I was a freshman in college. In fact, Josh may have bought it for me on one of our “first dates.” I can’t remember. (Of course, because I didn’t write it down.)

About eight years ago, I started blogging. (That’s longer than the iPhone has existed, to put it in perspective.) And my journal life took on a new face.

It’s amazing how much technology has changed in that time span and how many new social platforms have been introduced since then. The statistics say that adults spend an average of 8 hours online every day (the average is 10 hours for teenagers) That’s more time than most of us spend sleeping! It’s ridiculous and realistic all at the same time.

I have talked before on here about wanting to give up social media. I’ve weighed the pros and cons and believe that there is more good that can be done in using it than harm. Especially with the right approach and outlook.

But even if I did give up social media, or if one day Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc. all died a slow death (Myspace, anyone?), there is one space online I feel confident would remain.

This blog.

This has been the one constant in my on and off again, online relationship. The one place I can look back at my archives and not just find photos, videos or comments… but words. My words, thoughts, emotions. I can read them and re-read them and remember the moment like it was yesterday. I spent time last night reading and laughing out loud at some of the stuff I had written in 2007 when I lived in Jacksonville, FL. And some of my own words ministered to me again – and were exactly what I needed to hear. Like this one. And this one.

And if those words were only meant for my encouragement, then that alone would be enough to keep me blogging.

But the biggest blessing of all has come from the comments, emails and messages I have received because someone read my blog and found encouragement, comfort and best of all – Jesus. Like the one I received last week from someone asking how they could know they had eternal life. THAT is what it’s all about!!

I want to encourage you, if you’ve been teetering on whether to begin a blog or not… take the plunge and do it! Whatever stage of life you’re in – single, married, children, grandchildren. There is value in what you have to say. There is value, because your life is valuable.

And maybe your issue is finding the time. Well, I offer this challenge to you – sacrifice an hour of reading about other people’s lives on Facebook and write about your own! It’s not only healthy for your mind to write, but it’s also a great way to focus on what God is doing in your life and how He is working around you. There are so many things we can easily miss if we aren’t looking for them. And so many things we can easily forget if we don’t write them down.

Scripture says in Deuteronomy 6:9, to talk about God’s word wherever we are – at home, on the road, when we are going to bed and getting up. And to write it all over our walls and doorposts. I’m going to take a 2013 liberty here and throw in the word “computer” there as well. If God meant for us to be that aware of His word in our lives, I believe that our online life is definitely not an exception.

And I happen to believe that if Jesus’ disciples were living today, they would blog. I mean, how else would they share all the miraculous things that took place while they were with Jesus, with the rest of the world?

Have I convinced you yet? ;)

If you are interested in beginning a blog, I recommend signing up for a free one on either WordPress or Blogger. (There are others, these are just the two I have the most familiarity with.) And leave me a comment letting me know if you do, because I would love to follow along on the journey God has you on!

***Also, today I am sharing an old post on my friend Amber’s blog for her “His Voice” series. Just another great benefit of blogging is the built-in community that exists. I have been blessed to find other like-minded women who are passionate about Jesus and sharing His word on their blogs. Make sure to stop by her space and say hello!

I got to soak up some time with my two favorite boys this weekend!

Friday night we tried out a new Mediterranean place downtown.
It was Josh and I’s “date night.”
Except it ended up being us trying to keep Micah occupied the entire dinner, while we made uncomfortable glances at each other whenever he would let out a nice, loud shrill!
We probably won’t be attempting that again any time soon. Ha.
But the food was A+ (seriously, one of the best Greek places we’ve been to!)

Saturday morning we enjoyed the beautiful weather and had a picnic at the park.
It was so relaxing.
I just love being together as a family of three.
We don’t have to be doing anything.
Just sitting there together outside on a blanket,
with no distractions,
eating our sandwiches,
was the best part of that day for me. :)

Today, we’re back to our routine.
We are currently battling teething at the moment.
His first little bottom tooth poked through this weekend (yay!!) and I think the other one is on the horizon.
He has cried some tears of pain today. Poor boy.
Teething tablets and lots of snuggles are the cure.
(I’m gonna go ahead and get back to that!)

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

The past 6 months have been a blur, but I think I am finally emerging from the haze a little bit.

I finally have somewhat of a predictable schedule with Micah.

He goes to sleep around the same time every night and wakes up around the same time every morning, like clockwork. Every now and then I may get a wake up call around 1am. But most of the time, he’ll fall right back to sleep by the time I get up to check on him.

And our days are becoming more fluid.
I can anticipate naps. When he’s ready to eat baby food. When he needs to nurse.
And for me personally,
I go to the gym twice a week.
Have a weekly bible study with other moms.
I’m teaching guitar lessons.

And hold your breath friends….
I just started a cleaning schedule.

A routine. We have a routine.
And it only took me half a year to get here!

And I say all that, not to boast or give the allusion that I have it all together. Because the truth is I still feel like a child myself, learning right along with Micah.
Sometimes I look at him and just say, “Thanks buddy, for making me a mommy.” And in my heart I whisper to God, “Please help me know how to do this.“

And in so many ways, He has.
And I finally feel like I am finding perspective on this whole mothering blessing.

If there is anything that I can see clearly now looking back on these past 6 months, it’s that everything comes with time.
Don’t rush.
Enjoy the moment.
Embrace every new milestone.
But don’t be surprised if you’re actually sad when it comes.

“They grow so quickly,”
was the number one thing we heard when Micah was born.
And now it’s the number one thing I find myself saying to most new mothers.
Because it’s true.