The Croslands Are Crazy

The Only Good Thing That i Have Ever Done.

2012-02-08T20:28:00.000-05:00

XOXOtiff

January Newsletter

2012-01-21T16:40:00.002-05:00

35.

2012-01-13T19:59:00.000-05:00

i turned 35 last week. It wasn't as painful as i thought it would be. It does feel monumental. Like time to cut the crap. A friend gave me a card on my birthday. At the bottom she wrote-" Zep. 3:17". It didn't ring a bell really. When we got home and unpacked from our roadtrip i got out my trusty study Bible and looked it up...

For the LORD yur God has arrived to live among you. He is a mighty savior. He will rejoice over you with great gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will exult over you by singing a happy song.

Zephaniah 3:17

WooHOO!!! (THANK YOU, Jude!) She had no knowledge of what i've been going through...and i just thought this is so like my God- the way He works, the way He speaks through people to me. This is my verse for the year. i will roll it around and meditate on it and gain deeper understanding from it.

i can't put words to all that is growing in me now but these two words have sprung up for my 35th year... LOVE SIMPLE.

i am cleaning out. Letting go. Giving things away right and left- and already i feel lighter...

everything the eight of us have will fit in the back of a truck. WEEeee!

As some of you know- Matt's Mom has been fighting cancer. She is really sick. She told us she wants everyone to pray that her doctors can find a drug that will slow down the progression of her cancer as there doesn't seem to be any cure at this point. Will you pray for her? - and Matt's Dad too, who is working hard taking such good care of her.

i have almost given up on blogging as you have seen- but i do update our Facebook page almost daily. Check it out.

So there it is~ the year of letting go, LOVE SIMPLE, givin' it all away, and Zephaniah 3:17...

XOTiff

Find Us On Facebook!

2011-12-22T01:56:00.000-05:00

Hello Friends! In an effort to streamline my life i have decided to try something different... The Croslands are now on Facebook! So many people have told me that they find it difficult to check in on blogs regularly but almost everybody checks facebook right?? i hope this is an easier way to stay connected and more interactive~ which is what i LOVE!

We are notoriously hard to keep up with...and putting together a whole blog post has become almost too much right now. But i'm pretty sure i can handle a 2 sentence update or picture upload every day or so... just click the like button on our new Facebook page to get more regular family and ministry updates. i'm SUPER excited and i hope some of you shy little beans will pop over too!

Come visit: The Croslands In PNG

LOVE, Tiff

Go Read This Now

2011-12-14T22:14:00.000-05:00

[my friend Judi with baby Miani, Evie with her buddy Clive, and our tiny tree :) ]

If you haven't been inspired yet this Christmas, you must go read Ann Voskamp's post on Christmas giving ! Go check it out and tell me what you think...
XOtiffany

{P.S. you may have heard by now of the 7.1 magnitude earthquake we had yesterday...we lost a few dishes but we are fine. it was a big one.}

December Newsletter

2011-12-06T16:29:00.001-05:00

no news is good news…

2011-12-04T17:01:00.001-05:00

Sorry, we haven’t posted anything in a while. It has been very crazy around our house, packing up, flying back, and then unpacking.

Our new house was finished when we got back, that was quite a relief. I will share some pictures of it later. For now these pictures are of the bilas, or decorations, the workmen put on our house to celebrate our return.

We appreciate all of your prayers during this time.

A Train Ride

2011-11-21T19:06:00.000-05:00

We finally got to go on a train ride! We rode up the mountain into the Australian rainforest on this historic train. We heard all about how the tracks were carved out by hand and what life was like working on the railroad. We always have to hold our breath through all the tunnels. We rode all the way up to a town on top of the mountain and had a yummy lunch and did some window shopping. We came down the mountain on the skyrail! It was a blast!! I'll post pics of the skyrail next time...

xotiff

Anxiety Vs. Contentment Part 1

2011-11-18T05:08:00.001-05:00

Here is my confession...

i am anxious about returning to PNG with a newborn.

For all of the reasons you could imagine...malaria (#1), the distance from good medical care (what if he gets sick??), lack of social outlets, lonliness (can i handle it?), everything i was dealing with before plus the new baby and the issues that come with bringing him into a third world sistuation (i won't make a list).

So, i picked up the book Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow from the "one of these days..." pile beside my bed. i've been meaning to read it for years. It's a humdinger.

She says our anxiety can be traced back to lack of contentment. Hmmm...i didn't really get it at first but upon further introspection it's true.

Do i really believe "God...is the blessed controller of all things, the king over all kings and the master of all masters." (1 Tim.6:15), and that "i am strong for all things in the One who constantly infuses strength in me." (Phil.4:13)?

Psalm 16:5 says "Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure."

Who's in control here?

You are God.

Is He trustworthy?

Um, yes. Forgive me Father.

Elisabeth Elliot says:

"I know of no greater simplifier for all of life. Whatever happens is assigned. Does the intellect balk at that? Can we say that there are things that happen to us that do not belong to our lovingly assigned "portion" ("this belongs to it, that does not")? Are some things, then, out of the control of the Almighty? Every assignment is measured and controlled for my eternal good. As I accept the given portion other options are cancelled. Decisions become much easier, directions clearer, and hence my heart becomes inexpressibly quieter. A quiet heart is content with what God gives."

That is what i crave. A quiet heart.

So, from the book, here is a prescription for contentment:

*Never allow yourself to complain about anything- not even the weather.

*Never picture yourself in any other circumstances or someplace else. (ouch.)

*Never compare your lot with another's.

*Never allow yourself to wish this or that had been otherwise.

*Never dwell on tomorrow- remember that tomorrow is God's not ours.

This is my goal:

"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strenghth." (Phillipians 4:11-13)

I am becoming an expert in contentment, and the queen of the quiet hearts.

Anybody out there with me??

XOXO tiffany

[i have more to say on contentment...someday soon...]

Ever Have Days Like This??

2011-11-10T21:01:00.000-05:00

There is a post growing in me about anxiety and contentment. Hopefully soon i will have the time to get started on that...but until then enjoy this golden oldie:

this sums up anxiety pretty well, non?

<3 t

5ive Weeks

2011-11-09T06:11:00.000-05:00

Miani is already catching up with his 2 1/2 year old sister! She only outweighs him by 10 lbs. now...

Get a load of these cheeks. Perfect for kisses! xxx

He is such a roly poly. Look at those arms! EEEeeee! He's so sweet and pudgey my mouth waters...is that normal?

XO tiff

The 4 year old fish

2011-11-05T23:42:00.000-04:00

      It should probably not be very surprising to me that kids have things they are naturally good at. It’s just the way God has made us. We all have different giftings.
     A couple of years ago when Isaac, who had just turned 4, declared that he was going to ride his bike (never rode on 2 wheels before). Tiff said, “ok, I will come out and help you once I get the baby to sleep.” She put the baby down and went outside, figuring she would be running beside a bike for the next hour. but, when she got out there she found Isaac riding laps around the apartment building.
     Since we have been at Tree Tops, Isaac and Matthew have become quite good swimmers. This was not too much of a surprise. They were on the verge of swimming on their own when we left PNG since they both only had one arm floater that worked.
     The real shock was, 4 year old, Silas. He has always used a life jacket when swimming. One day Mae decided to take it off of him just to see what he could do and this is what happened:

Silas swims across the pool

Sorry, for the beginning, he jumped in before I was ready. But, as you can see he swam across the pool. I was shocked the first time I saw him do it. Like Isaac, he just took right off.
So, a couple of days later Tiffany and I were talking to the older ones about learning to dive and Silas said, “You just do it like this” and he dove in. He can dive better than any of the rest of them. it is crazy. Here is another video.

Silas diving

No, telling what Evie and Miani are going to do but we will keep you posted.

matt

Get in my belly!!!!

2011-11-03T02:56:00.001-04:00

{3 1/2 weeks old}

It’s bad when your cheeks hang lower than your chin, but it happens. I mean after all, when all you do is eat, sleep, and poop you are bound to get bigger. Don’t get me wrong I LOVE fat babies. There is noting better than a big fatty. I weighed him this morning and he tipped the scale at 6.2 kg or 13 lb 10.5 oz. He is busting out of his 3 month sized clothes. Carrying him around is like toting a sack of mud. He already weighs more than half of what Evie (our 2 1/2 year old) does.

We are all doing well. I had a root canal and crown done this week. It was not a lot of fun but I guess it is better than the alternative.

We have gotten Miani’s passport back and sent it off to the PNG embassy in Brisbane to get his visa. I have heard that they have not been processing them very fast right now so we might be pushing it close on time since we have already bought our return plane tickets. If he keeps getting bigger at this rate they might make us buy him a seat for himself.

the other thing that I just thought of is that I probably ought to tell you how to pronounce his name. I think phonetically it would be something like this: Mee-aah-nee

matt

Oh Yes, He Did.

2011-10-31T20:30:00.000-04:00

It's the PNG national crest. It's not quite healed up yet, still red and a little scabby. Do you have any tatoos?? What do they mean to you??

Proud Big Brothers

2011-10-28T03:43:00.001-04:00

{Miani Zion 20 days old}

It's hard to believe our boy is 3 weeks old already. He's growing fast as you can see. We're still waiting to see if he keeps his blue eyes. All of the other children are brown-eyed like their daddy... it's a long shot with Matt's mom being the only blue eyed girl in the whole family but my side is green eyed so we're hoping for some recessive mojo...

With just a few weeks left in Australia we are tying up loose ends and waiting on paperwork for Miani. We have his birth certificate and passport etc. now we are waiting on his PNG visa...

hurry up and wait...hurry up and wait....

XO Big Love XO

Mama + Miani Z. = L.O.V.E.

2011-10-23T03:19:00.000-04:00

{16 days old}

i thought i'd take advantage of this free, fast internet we have here in Cairns while i can...so i'm posting tons of baby pics! what could be better? XOXO

All Is Calm, All Is Bright

2011-10-20T21:24:00.000-04:00

Isn't he lovely?

Made from love...

xo~ t

Where have you been?

2011-10-16T20:02:00.001-04:00

The other day while we were walking through Sydney I was thinking about how small our world has become. I thought about how many of the worlds largest cities I had been to (only 6). This made me curious about how many you all have been to.

So, I want to play a little game with you. Below you will find a list of the 100 largest cities by population according to 2008 figures. I want you to go through the list and count how many you have been to. I know this gets kinda funny so here are the rules. You have to have put your feet on the ground off of the Airports property. Transferring planes in an airport does not count. Once you have your number you can fill out the survey to the right and or post on this blog. I would love to hear about some whirl wind trips and some exotic cities you have been to. Also if you have a big number I would love to see your list. I am guessing some one that has been to Asia is going to hold the record here since there are so many Asian cities on the list. have fun!

matt

1. Tokyo, Japan - 32,450,000
2. Seóul, South Korea - 20,550,000
3. Mexico City, Mexico - 20,450,000
4. New York City, USA - 19,750,000
5. Mumbai, India - 19,200,000
6. Jakarta, Indonesia - 18,900,000
7. Sáo Paulo, Brazil - 18,850,000
8. Delhi, India - 18,680,000
9. Õsaka/Kobe, Japan - 17,350,000
10. Shanghai, China - 16,650,000

11. Manila, Philippines - 16,300,000
12. Los Angeles, USA - 15,250,000
13. Calcutta, India - 15,100,000
14. Moscow, Russian Fed. - 15,000,000
15. Cairo, Egypt - 14,450,000
16. Lagos, Nigeria - 13,488,000
17. Buenos Aires, Argentina - 13,170,000
18. London, United Kingdom - 12,875,000
19. Beijing, China - 12,500,000
20. Karachi, Pakistan - 11,800,000

21. Dhaka, Bangladesh - 10,979,000
22. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 10,556,000
23. Tianjin, China - 10,239,000
24. Paris, France - 9,638,000
25. Istanbul, Turkey - 9,413,000
26. Lima, Peru - 7,443,000
27. Tehrãn, Iran - 7,380,000
28. Bangkok, Thailand - 7,221,000
29. Chicago, USA - 6,945,000
30. Bogotá, Colombia - 6,834,000

31. Hyderabad, India - 6,833,000
32. Chennai, India - 6,639,000
33. Essen, Germany - 6,559,000
34. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - 6,424,519
35. Hangzhou, China - 6,389,000
36. Hong Kong, China - 6,097,000
37. Lahore, Pakistan - 6,030,000
38. Shenyang, China - 5,681,000
39. Changchun, China - 5,566,000
40. Bangalore, India - 5,544,000

41. Harbin, China - 5,475,000
42. Chengdu, China - 5,293,000
43. Santiago, Chile - 5,261,000
44. Guangzhou, China - 5,162,000
45. St. Petersburg, Russian Fed. - 5,132,000
46. Kinshasa, DRC - 5,068,000
47. Baghdãd, Iraq - 4,796,000
48. Jinan, China - 4,789,000
49. Houston, USA - 4,750,000
50. Toronto, Canada - 4,657,000
51. Yangon, Myanmar (Burma) - 4,458,000
52. Alger, Algeria - 4,447,000
53. Philadelphia, USA - 4,398,000
54. Qingdao, China - 4,376,000
55. Milano, Italy - 4,251,000
56. Pusan, South Korea - 4,239,000
57. Belo Horizonte, Brazil - 4,160,000
58. Almadabad, India - 4,154,000
59. Madrid, Spain - 4,072,000
60. San Francisco, USA - 4,051,000

61. Alexandria, Egypt - 3,995,000
62. Washington DC, USA - 3,927,000
63. Wuhan, China - 3,918,000
64. Dallas, USA - 3,912,000
65. Guadalajara, Mexico - 3,908,000
66. Chongging, China - 3,896,000
67. Medellin, Colombia - 3,831,000
68. Detroit, USA - 3,785,000
69. Handan, China - 3,763,000
70. Frankfurt, Germany - 3,700,000

71. Porto Alegre, Brazil - 3,699,000
72. Hanoi, Vietnam - 3,678,000
73. Sydney, Australia - 3,665,000
74. Santo Domingo, Dom. Rep. - 3,601,000
75. Singapore, Singapore - 3,587,000
76. Casablanca, Morocco - 3,535,000
77. Katowice, Poland - 3,488,000
78. Pune, India - 3,485,000
79. Bangdung, Indonesia - 3,420,000
80. Monterrey, Mexico - 3,416,000

81. Montréal, Canada - 3,401,000
82. Nagoya, Japan - 3,377,000
83. Nanjing, China - 3,375,000
84. Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire - 3,359,000
85. Xi'an, China - 3,352,000
86. Berlin, Germany - 3,337,000
87. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - 3,328,000
88. Recife, Brazil - 3,307,000
89. Dusseldorf, Germany - 3,251,000
90. Ankara, Turkey - 3,190,000

91. Melbourne, Australia - 3,188,000
92. Salvador, Brazil - 3,180,000
93. Dalian, China - 3,153,000
94. Caracas, Venezuela - 3,153,000
95. Adis Abeba, Ethiopia - 3,112,000
96. Athina, Greece - 3,103,000
97. Cape Town, South Africa - 3,092,000
98. Koln, Germany - 3.067,000
99. Maputo, Mozambique - 3,017,000
100. Napoli, Italy - 3,012,000

Our October Kids newsletter

2011-10-14T17:43:00.001-04:00

We try to put out a newsletter every month or two. Every other one is a kids newsletter written by my daughter (with a little help from dad when needed). if you would like to recieve it via email you can send us a private message with your email address and I will add you to our mailing list.

blessings,
matt

Daddy

2011-10-13T19:10:00.000-04:00

Brothers

2011-10-09T03:33:00.000-04:00

Mae & Evangeline Meet Miani

2011-10-07T05:29:00.001-04:00

We are SO in love.

It Finally Happened

2011-10-05T18:55:00.000-04:00

(taking a break from labor to have a spot of tea)

The baby is here. It is a boy. 9lb 9oz., 21.25 inches. He arrived at 6:48pm October 5, 2011. His name is Miani Zion Crosland. As you may remember Miani is the name of my best friend in PNG (see this post: I want my EMTV!!!). It is kind of a big thing in PNG to give the baby the name of someone close to you (mostly family members or friends).

( moments of after birth)

Both mom and baby are doing well. The baby’s head is very bruised but he’s ok. As you might imagine with a baby this size, he is a hungry boy. He has been eating like a champ since he came out.

(weighing in)

More to come later.

matt

GET OUT OF HERE!!!!

2011-10-03T23:48:00.001-04:00

Ok, so that’s not really how it happened, but it could have. We went to the hospital this morning for our scheduled induction. We are pressed for time because of all the things we have to get done after the baby comes (birth certificate, passport, etc.) so we scheduled the induction.

We got there about 6:50am and they put us right into our room. We sat around for a while, filled out the meal plan for the next day or so, they brought some breakfast and we watched Myth Busters.

Then the doctor came in and said that the hospital had been very busy the night before and all the birthing rooms were full. He said we could wait until around lunch and he would do the induction then or we could come back in the morning. We opted for the morning since a lunch induction would probably mean a birth that went well into the night. When I say we I mean Tiffany with my support. I don’t have to do any of the hard work.

So with that they gave her a day leave from the hospital. Tiff’s dad came back and picked us up and here we sit, at home again, waiting. Come on baby.

matt

It’s a girl (or so you say)

2011-09-26T06:55:00.002-04:00

      Ok, I guess you have settled it. Girl won! Now we just need to come up with a girl name. We won’t even worry about a boy one.
    Since you were all so helpful with determining the sex we have another task for you.We want to know how big the baby is going to be. We want you to vote again.
     But first let me give you a little information to help with the decision. Here are the weights of the rest of our children:   7lb 10oz, 9lb 5oz, 8lb 15oz, 8lb 13oz, 8lb 8oz. I am also giving you a picture of the belly at 39 weeks (below). Tiffany is due in 3 days. Ok, that’s it, cast your vote on the right.

matt