Who are the Cramer's

 

Hello! I, Misty, am the mom of the Cramer Crew. We are a fun, noisy, informal, athletic, imperfect, crazy, Jesus loving family. My husband, Todd, and I have been married for close to 35 years and we are very blessed to have five incredible sons. I can't say there is anything in my life that brings me more joy and happiness than being a wife and mom. I know; sometimes ladies think that sounds old fashioned, but I absolutely love being a wife and mom. It rocks! I feel that God gave Todd and I five baby boys for many specific reasons, the main one being that He thought we were the ones suited the best for raising them into Godly young men (sounds crazy to me, but who am I to argue with God!). I take that seriously, and I take it as a great honor and privilege that He would choose us to care for five of His children. We were very young parents, and I can't say we had any great parental wisdom. But I guess that makes it all the more intriguing to me that He chose US to be the earthly parents of five of His most precious gifts. Wow! Talk about humbling. With those five gifts now grown men, I sit in awe and wonder that He used us in that process, and feel blessed and thankful as I continue to watch them as they move out of our home, into college, jobs, and some already into their own marriages, and having their own children. If you're a parent, you know what I'm talking about. It's crazy, isn't it? To think that He chose ME! He chose YOU!

With five sons, our life has been anything but calm. Our house has been loud. The living room floor has seen more wrestling matches than it has seen naps .We've gone through more gallons of milk than I care to count. I've hidden in the bathroom for moments of sanity, which usually resulted in my being found more quickly than I had wished (frequently by Todd with a baby in his arm and another around his ankle). We've had many more reptiles as pets rather than cute little kittens (including an iguana who experienced a second life after we defrosted him, but that's another story).

We have even named a few of our years of parenting as "the crazy years". Okay, who are we kidding. Most of our parenting years fit into that category, but specifically it was when our children were 15, 10, five, two, and one year old, and continued for at least five years years. At that point, the older boys were getting involved in high school and middle school sports, while the other boys were still in diapers. We frequently reminisce about the years where our oldest son was playing college basketball. On a Saturday morning, we would get in the car and drive to our local school where the middle boys would play CYBA (the community basketball games for children), and the youngest would be trying to wiggle out of our laps and onto the gym floor. After watching them play their games, we would load them into an old blue 12 passenger van, pick up a few grandparents along the way, and head out on a three hour drive across the state to watch big brother play his game. Late Saturday night, we would load back into the van, and head home exhausted, but thankful for a great family day and the opportunity to watch them play something they loved. The stories of running into icy roads on the way home, a son barfing on the gym floor, another barfing on a McDonald's floor, children sleeping in the bleachers, all bring laughter now, but I have to say at the time, there were some stressful moments. I can't say Todd and I have been perfect parent's, or that our life has always been smooth sailing, but I can say we were showed much grace by our perfect heavenly Father. So in the midst of our struggles, frustrations, fatigue, and failures, He continued to guide us, fill in the gaps for us, and I wouldn't trade a day of it. It's been a blast! And although the parenting changes with the age of the kids, it still is the best thing ever to be their mom. I just love it!

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I know life is busy and I count it as a privilege that you are stopping by this website today and getting to know our family a bit. As you start reading my blogs, I'm sure you will read stories of those "crazy years", and hopefully get to feeling like you are getting to know our family. I know your family has "crazy years" too; please don't tell me I'm alone in this! We can exchange stories! Anyway, the adventures have been and continue to be many. And I praise God every day for the gift of being a wife to Todd and a mom to Stephen, Taylor, Zachary, Harrison, and Micah.

One more thing...I couldn't have a website without dedicating some space to their passions. Basketball. Hip hop music. Online devotions. Health and fitness. Podcasts with topics that will inspire and challenge you. I think by exploring their websites, listening to their podcasts, or watching their videos, you will find some valuable insights. And I'm not just saying that cuz I'm their mom, however, I guess I am a bit biased. What mom isn't, right? I hope you enjoy getting to know them as you check out the information and websites they have provided.

MEET THE BOYS