Any Resemblance??

Ok, so I have a million tasks to do, but I had to take a blog break and record this.

I was just putting A. to bed, reading stories like usual. Tonight she chose to read some Sesame Street book where they basically do an entire show in one book. It is really one of my least favorites - it gets pretty wordy... Anyway, when it was time to play "Journey to Ernie", A. began to go through and point to each animal in turn and say, "Tiger Ernie, Turtle Ernie, etc." but when she go to the Water Buffalo (or Yak, or something), she very matter of factly stated, "Mama Ernie..." WHAT???? Do I really look like that Water Buffalo?!

I'm still chuckling... but really, she said it like it was fact, not even a hesitation like she just didn't know what it really was... those silly kids.

Running Away With My Thoughts!

Ok, so does anyone know if it is possible to switch the order of entries on your blog? I know it probably is, but I haven't figured it out yet...among other things. Anyway, I started an entry about Halloween, but didn't get all the pictures put on until after I had published the pumpkin patch one, and moving, which have now been up for a few days. I go to try and finally publish Halloween, and it appears before the other two and I don't know how to fix it, and most people will miss it now. So anyway, any helpful hints on this would be great, but for those of you that have been asking, scroll down a few posts to see the kids in their Halloween costumes.

Also, the above was probably one of my favorite moments that day! Can you say Casa Bonita?!

Family Fun

A few weeks ago, we decided to take a trip to the pumpkin patch for family night. It was a first for all of us I believe, and we had a GREAT time! We went to this perfect little farm, with a BIG red barn where they served delicious ice cream and apple cider donuts.


First we went on the hayride to "the patch" though, (which A. especially enjoyed) and selected two very cute kid sized pumpkins...maybe even considered gourds...

....but anyway, they were all the kids could hold by themselves and thus they were "perfect"!

The weather was perfectly crisp, the view was beautiful, and the company unbeatable. I was reminded once more why I love the Fall. We will definitely be back and have most likely started a tradition!

We're Moving, AGAIN!

Yes, that's right, we are moving the beginning of December. I swore last year that I would never move at Christmas time again, and yet here we are! We surprised even ourselves a couple of weeks ago when we decided to buy another home! We haven't even been here a year, and find ourselves making the jump again, I don't know what got into us. Well...that's not true, I do know,... it's called 1000 more square feet! It is actually another town home, but much bigger, nicer, and we will finally have a GARAGE!!!! (I don't know if I'm more excited or Ryan, but both of us for the same reason-finally a place to put all his tools!) Although I detest moving, I am actually hopeful that this time will be better than the last, considering I don't have a newborn, we aren't having to sell this house at the same time, and partly because I still have a couple of boxes all ready to go still from the last time! ( I did get most everything unpacked, but I never did get everything hung on the walls...now I don't feel so bad!)

Halloween Happenings

We spent Halloween at my parents house this year and also got to enjoy the festivities with my sister and her kids. I didn't dress up this year, (since Ryan wasn't with us, I didn't feel the need to go with a big theme), but the kids looked great and had a great time.

First my little sister Katie threw a Halloween party for the kids and then we went "Trunk or Treating". It was a lot of fun and I decided at least while the kids are little, it is the way to go for me...a small scale, manageable experience for all.

And while I am talking about the Halloween party Katie threw, I wanted to make a note so I always remember what a great aunt Katie is. She is always willing to do anything for her nieces and nephews and she DOES! (Well, unless they need her to kill a bug:) But really, she is always playing with and planning things for them to do and she loves to babysit them and just be with them. We are all really lucky to have her and want her to know that we love her.

Anyway, here are the kids in all their glory!

Grant and Aubrye

Well, a month and a half later I am finally posting a brief recap of Grant's wedding! It was a great day and we all had a lot of fun. Both the reception in CA and in UT turned out beautiful. I did the flowers for the UT reception and was happy with how they all came together, but disappointed that I didn't think to get more shots of them (or anything else that night), except for the cake topper shown above. As is also evident from the shots above, the Bride and Groom were both radiant and our little Jake was quite a charmer as well. Alli looked so cute in her "princess dress" and would have loved to have worn it for a week straight! She is such a girly girl, I love it! She and her little cousins all matched and all looked adorable! Anyway, the fact that she was wearing a nice dress didn't seem to hinder her exuberance for playing in all things water though. We had to watch her closely at both the luncheon and reception to keep her from going swimming fully clad! (It was pretty hot though, I admit!) Anyway, as I do have to make this brief, I will share just one more highlight. And THAT was watching the kids all dance out on the dance floor. My nephew Derrick was especially fun to watch as he displayed his many break dancing moves. He was then reported to have told his other Grandma not in attendance, (and pretty matter of factly I might add), "I was the life of the party!" And then, even though there was not a dance or dance floor at the second reception, he still "got down" out on the lawn to just the "mood music" that was playing. It was so cute! We hope that Grant and Aubrye enjoyed their day as much as we did and we are so excited to have Aubrye in the family! We can't wait to get to know her better and are so happy for them! Congrats once again you guys! We love you!

Super Star Mom

Or anything but. Today was one of those days I just should have stayed in bed, not that everything has gone wrong, but just ONE TERRIFYINGLY AWFUL thing. Chalk one MORE up for me on the "not so super mom" tally. Alli fell out of the shopping cart today, and yes, she is fine, but she sure doesn't look like it. I am refusing to take pictures because I don't constantly want to be reminded in the future. But I am recording it, just as my mom did for me when I fell out myself when I was a baby. (I broke my collar bone, so I guess I shouldn't be complaining.)

I was walking into Kmart from the parking lot and was just about to remind Alli to sit down (as she was standing up in the back side of the cart) and we hit a lip where the asphalt meets the cement. The next thing I know I am watching her FLIP in slow motion over the edge and land on her face...THEN she flipped again! I was SURE she had broken her neck and I was actually witnessing her death. I was terrified! She of course started crying and actually got up, as she was holding her mouth that was filling with blood. Well, I was relieved that she wasn't paralyzed, but now quite certain that she had knocked every one of her teeth out. It didn't take long to determine that her teeth were still in place and that the source of the blood was just a gash in the underside of the upper lip, but at this point the gigantic bruise on her forehead emerged and her eye started to swell. I of course checked her eyes for sign of a concussion, but all seemed well. I comforted her and she calmed a little while a few nice onlookers came to help. One nice mom told me her daughter did this just last week and was fine, but it didn't seem to help much at the moment.

I called the doctor for instructions and several minutes later, with a box of Backyardigans Band-Aids and a cow stuffed animal in hand, we are home. I know everything will be fine now, but I can't help but think how much more of this I can handle. I guess I have always know that things just happen when you raise kids, but maybe I was hoping that somehow all of mine would grow up unscathed? Fat chance. So far Alli has severely burned her hand once, and pretty badly another time. I have gotten locked out of the car with her still inside, ultimately necessitating the breaking of a window to get her out. And now this, not to mention the many less memorable bumps and bruises along the way. And she is only 2 1/2!

I just really don't do well with these "I can't believe this is happening" moments. I do really watch my children pretty well, or so I thought, but I guess I really WOULD have to be Supermom to save them from ever getting hurt.

So.Darn.Cute.

These make me happy. Maybe I have just been jealous of Alli's PURE JOY over the rain, each and every time it happens, or it could be the fact that they are So. Darn. Cute. But my heart is all aflutter over the thought of JOY-ning Alli in PURE fun playing in the rain together. Ooooohhhh.....problem....It also makes me happy to make my husband happy, and nothing makes him happy like keeping money in the bank! What to do, what to do....

If any of you are thinking, "I know exactly what to do!", then you might be interested to know I found these on Target.com and they have probably at least 30 different designs! Maybe they will make you happy as well!

Lazy Days of Summer????

Yes, Yes, I know.....no one needs to say anything. My summer days have been anything but lazy, whose ever are? But obviously when it comes to my blogging, the term couldn't be any more fitting. I do hope to be a little more on top of it the coming months though, as I also hope to have a little more structure return to the household.

That being said, we returned a week ago from a great family vacation for my brother's wedding and just had their last reception last night. I feel like I have been doing wedding stuff all month, but it all turned out great. We are excited to have Aubrye in the family. Congrats you guys, we love you! I will post a summer and wedding picture recap shortly, but also really quickly want to give a shout out and congratulate Toby and Jeanne on the birth of their little girl yesterday! I am so glad she came early!! We love you too!

Yet ANOTHER month in Review!

Well, somehow another month has flown by and I never even finished reviewing the last! I wish I could say that I didn't even have one spare second to sit and blog with all the craziness in my life, but the truth is that I did. Upon further investigation though you would find that although I did eventually encounter moments of personal time this month, I most often found myself filling those moments just trying to recover from the rest of my life.

Last summer, after what I felt was a particularly unproductive summer (particularly in the "memories" dept.), I made a commitment to myself that this year would be different. I'm not pregnant, I don't have a newborn, and I really don't have any good excuses. Each day I see my children grow and change. It is so exciting to see all the new things they learn, but I am also reminded how quickly the time goes and that I should enjoy it while I can. I don't want to look back and realize that I missed it because I let "life" get in the way. With that being said, I wanted to make more memories for myself and my family a priority this summer, and I have happily been able to do so.


SO, although I also want to have a gourmet meal on the table every night for dinner, and I would like a clean house daily, today is not that day or that night. But what I do have is a happy family and many smiles to share and remember. My hope is that I will EVENTUALLY be able to have my house clean as well though!


In Review, we were able to spend time with my family as we attended my Uncle Richard's wedding, we played in the rain, played at the pool, played with more cousins as we saw more of Ryan's family, celebrated Father's Day with a camping trip and a new pontoon boat, and went fishing a few more times as well! Alli absolutely loves her pink "polefish" and even caught a little Bluegill! And at this time of year, I am reminded how especially grateful I am to live here in this great, beautiful, and free land that affords us so many opportunities. We are truly blessed and happy.

Month in Review, Installment I

Well, as promised, I am finally here to post a recap of our most recent happenings.

We jump started the month with our first "family of four" vacation with a trip to California to visit the family. We hadn't been back in over a year and we were chompin' at the bit to go. As luck would have it, we had just obtained our minivan, so we were able to make the trip with much more room and comfort. So, in a mostly picture review,

WE

Celebrated 3, make that 4 birthdays!

After much trial, much error, and even more laughter, we enjoyed THIS Birthday Cake.

(I am well aware of the remarkable resemblance to the cake that the 3 fairies made for Princess Aurora in Sleeping Beauty:)

As we were just finishing opening presents on R.'s Dad's Birthday, we received the call that our newest niece had made her grand entrance into the world just in time to share the day with her Grandpa!

WE

Had a healthy dose of fun!

Fishing

Golfing, Shopping,

Hiking

Relaxing

and

Staying Up Too Late!

We also had the opportunity to celebrate Mother's Day with R.'s Mom this year. My sister-in-law and I thought it would be fun to throw a Tea Party for all the girls, (her daughters, her Mom, my daughter, and my Mother-in-law). We made invitations to invite our Moms' and the little girls painted frames to give to their Grandmas' with a picture commemorating the event. We all wore dress ups, and the little girls especially enjoyed the "chit-chat" as we practiced our most proper manners, using phrases like "My dear, would you be so kind as to..." and the like. It was really fun and I was reminded that I should do things like this more often. So to finish our California recap, here are some final pics of our

Mother's Day Tea

And as it seems to have taken me much longer than I though it would to cover this portion, I have to go, but I will be posting a second installment soon!

My Husband

Yes, it has been over a month since my last post! I am well aware and here to finally remedy the situation! I will post shortly in as condensed a version as possible as to our going ons here in the Crawford home this past month, but first, I wanted to directly address my sweet, wonderful, adoring husband with this one.

On May 13th, it was R.'s birthday. On May 14th, it was mine. Yes, I am less than 24 hours younger than my husband. When I think about this seemingly insignificant piece of trivia, I also always think of the early days of our courtship and the fact that I probably asked him TEN times when his birthday was (as we were just becoming friends) before I remembered, even though every time he told me he also added, "It is the day before yours, don't you remember that?" And then, I always think of how he used to tell me that we were just so madly in love in heaven, I couldn't wait any longer to get down here too once he left. Who's to say he's wrong?!

I am constantly amazed by him, in so many different ways, and have many moments where I find myself amazed at my own good fortune, not only that he loves me, but that he loves me like he does. When we were dating, one of my favorite songs was, I Can Love You Like That (the country version preferred). It was actually one of my favorites way before we were dating, possibly because I was 18 and hopelessly romantic, (as all 18 yearolds are), or it may have had something to do with the line in the song referring to "how you felt when Romeo kissed Juliet". Lets just say that my girlfriends and I had something for Mr. Leonardo DiCaprio.... whatever the case, when I started dating Ryan, I really thought I had stumbled upon Prince Charming. Charming may even be an understatement. He was confident, witty, handsome, sweet, sensitive, smart, and even had a Heritage Gold meal card! (I think that was the name, whatever it was, he had scholarships and was living the high life, and if I was special enough, I could join him!) (wink:)

Speaking of winks, he was really good at that too. The winks may not come as often these days, but when they do, they still make me feel all funny inside. He has always had the perfect embrace, held my hand in the just the right way, at the right times, and continues to be there when I need it most. These days, R. not longer has to worry about impressing me, as he has other bigger issues on his plate, like bringing home the bacon and providing for our future. Luckily though, he still finds time to "shoot me a memo" every now and then and remind me of why I married him, like the pearl earrings he gave me for Mother's Day this year. Even with all his responsibilities in life (which only seem to increase as the years go by), he still amazes me by his ability to come home and roll around on the floor with our kids and act like it is the best time he has had in years. He is an amazing father and I honestly don't think I could ask for more.

Although I may have once jokingly told him that I wanted "to be loved like that", he has somehow managed to be step up to the plate. I love him, and in honor of his 27th birthday, here are 27 things about him.

1. He can fix anything, and does fix everything!
2. He "gets" things, like APR and the economy.
3. He is witty.
4. He is intelligent.
5. He is ambitious.
6. He can sing.
7. He loves to fish.
8. He loves to sit and think, (perhaps that is why he loves to fish...)
9. He is an incredible teacher, i.e. teaching me to golf!
10. He is patient, especially with his children.
11. He has quiet strength and capacity.
12. He likes Salt and Vinegar potato chips.
13. He loves his family, his brothers and sisters are his best friends.
14. He thinks if I would let him go on Survivor, he could win, and I really think he could.
15. He is a San Francisco Giants fan.
16. He is missing 1/2 of his pinkie finger, thus teaching Alli to say "I love you" in sign language incorrectly, (she only uses her thumb and pointer finger).
17. He once wrote me from his mission sitting from a spot in Northern Spain and said it was one of the most beautiful places he had ever seen. He said we would sit there together one day, and I believe him.
18. He loves his Mom, He loves his Dad.
19. He likes all of his socks to look the same so that he doesn't have to worry about matching up pairs, thus
20. He is always thinking of how to make things more efficient.
21. He likes to golf, and says he likes to golf with me, and even though he is much better, I think he really means it.
22. He has probably a hundred different great business ideas that could make millions, but the thing is, that at least half of them probably could!
23. When he starts reading a book, it is hard for him to get anything else done until he has finished it-thus it is good he is usually too busy to sit and start many new books.
24. His children adore him.
25. He is an eagle scout.
26. He shares all his toys with me.
27. I LOVE HIM!

Fun In The Sun

Spring is here, AGAIN, and hopefully it will stick around for a while this time!

We were very pleasantly surprised last month when spring seemed to arrive right on schedule, a welcome respite from our winter duldroms. That joy and sunshine were short lived however, and the cold and spring fever once more enveloped us. We even received several more inches of snow! I was absolutely thrilled then, when we found out the warm weather was going to return this week and gladly made plans to head to the park with a friend and her kids. We met at a park I had never been to before, but quickly decided it was one of my new favorites and will be returning frequently. The kids had a great time playing and we had a great time chatting, so great that we forgot all about the time and ended up staying for near 3 hours! Here are some pics of the fun!

So proud of herself for her short climb, she said "I did it!" over and over!

The kids were more interested in the rocks than the tulips.

We finished the day off splashing in the rain puddle, collected in the fountain, that will hopefully be filled on purpose soon!

Just To Name a Few

Well, it is definitely time for a new post and I actually do have something to share as luck would have it! We have reached several milestones in our home this past week, all of which reminding me of the many blessings I have in my life.


First of all, our little guy has started crawling, sitting up on his own, and then pulling himself up on furniture! We are now officially at the "stand in the crib and cry" stage. Luckily he doesn't have his teeth yet, so the crib is still unscathed. They just grow up too darn fast! It seems I may not have much say over it though. I am so grateful for beautiful, happy, and healthy children. Especially after the last few weeks of sickness at our house.

That brings me to my second milestone, Jake had his first ear infection, and in fact it was the very first ear infection I have had to deal with as a mom period! Alli has never had one, or at least that I was aware of. The poor guy hates talking medicine (or letting me put ANYTHING in his mouth for that matter) and so it has been a challenge. But I think we are on the mend.

In other news, we are now a minivan family!! I wasn't expecting it quite this soon, but I am actually way more excited about it than I ever thought I would be. It is a '06 Dodge Grand Caravan. It needs a little body work, as we got it from a salvage auction, but as anyone who knows us knows, we like them that way. Hopefully we will have it looking good as new in a few weeks, but plan on taking it on a trip to California first anyway. I am looking forward to the extra room for the drive.



And last but not least, I have finally mastered a skill a I have been trying to acquire for some time now! I made my first successful lasagna last night!!! It was glorious, it looked and tasted every bit as good as any I have ever eaten! A far cry from my past dried out, but soggy, slices of tastelessness. It is amazing what the right recipe, and VERY specific step by step instructions will do for you. It comes from "The New Best Recipe" Cookbook, by Cooks Illustrated. Because it is from America's Test Kitchens, it has about three pages describing in detail how to get the perfect lasagna, and exactly what not to do as well. I really love this cookbook, but just as everything is really good, it can also take a really long time to make anything because every instruction is very specific. Anyway, if anyone is looking for help in kitchen, I highly recommend this cookbook! Sometimes I read it just for leisure!

Well, that about does it for today!

It's Potty Time!

I'm in love! Well, if you could really be in love with a potty, this is just about as close as you come. I just had to share what I consider to be a great find. The time has finally arrived for our family to prepare for potty training. Although I haven't made the big push, and don't intend to force it until she is ready, I thought it was time for Al to get acquainted with "the big girl world". I was really hesitant to buy a potty. I really hate the way they look, the thought of cleaning them, and the space they take up in the bathroom. I was hoping to get away with just an attached seat on the real thing, but as Alli seems to be terrified of it as of yet, I broke down. Luckily though, I stumbled upon this! It not only looks much better than the typical potty, it also functions as a stool and bathtub side bench, sturdy up to 300 lbs! My favorite feature so far though is the side storage bins, perfect for wipes, diapers, or whatever, and it even has a built in holder for toilet paper! I am thrilled with my new purchase and just wanted to share!

Funny Girl

Here is Alli playing around. Everyone says she is a mini Ryan, what do you think?!

Daddy's Candy

So I was putting Jacob to bed last night when in barges my little girl. I quickly tried to give her the "shhhhh" signal, but she didn't seem to care, and blurted out, "Daddy's candy!" as she held out a bag of sunflower seeds to me. I had to smile, even though of course, Jacob's eyes popped right open. As I stared at her, I thought for a brief moment she was eating something, but thought for sure not the seeds. Then without hesitation she reached in and grabbed several seeds and shoved them in her mouth, like this was a common practice, and stood there chomping and cracking away. No doubt she learned this from her dad, only the next thing I knew, she swallowed them all whole! I quickly decided that she isn't quite ready for "Daddy's candy" and had to take them away until she can learn to spit out the shells. I was actually shocked that she even liked the taste and didn't spit them out right away, but I guess her looks aren't the only thing she takes after her Dad in!

Mineral Makeup

So, it is time to clean out my makeup bag! It is actually time for a "makeup makeover"-I really need to get new everything! Now, I am not a huge makeup girl, I like it to look "naturally beautiful" and I need to be able to do it fast or it just isn't worth my time. (Also, I don't like stuff that irritates my skin, but most people feel that way.)

Now, since I seem to have the opportunity to start from scratch here, I thought I would evaluate the market and see if there is a better option for my lifestyle and skin than I currently have. I haven't looked a ton, but I was wondering if anyone knew anything about the Mineral Makeup buzz...? From what I have read, it seems like it might be more my thing, especially with the whole foundation thing being replaced with one easy powder. Anyway, I am just looking for opinions, so if you have any on the subject, please send them my way!

Success!

Well, after a few weeks of "almost", our little guy has finally made it up on his hands and knees! It is so much fun to see him hit each new milestone, but I must admit that I am not ready for him to start crawling just yet!

The Innocence of a Child

I have had a slew of thoughts and feelings that I wanted to record lately, so this may seem a bit scattered, but here is an attempt to record them all the same.

Yesterday, as luck would have it, I had an experience that caused me to reflect on these and new thoughts as well. My daughter has recently entered into the "imitate everything you do" stage in life. It has actually been pretty exciting for us as parents to see her pick up on so many new things every day, but the more it seems to happen, the more aware I become of the example I am setting. Am I truly who I want to be? Am I teaching her the proper things to love and value? I know this is just the beginning of a great journey on this road... I hope that I can get my map leading us both where we want to be in the end. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a mom and to be given stewardship over such precious gifts as these beautiful children.

With that being said, my daughter had been cooking up a storm of blocks all day. She of course kept offering us taste tests, but she kept them stewing in her little red pot all afternoon. It was about 6:00 when I had finished baking our meal for the evening. I turned off the oven and began to prepare to set the table, when she toddles over with pot in hand, and opened the oven! She was just about to stick her pot of blocks inside when I quickly caught her from doing so. I was shocked! She had never even come close to being interested in the oven in the past. As I grabbed her arm and firmly told her that this she wasn't allowed to use the real oven yet, she looked at me with the saddest eyes, as if to say, "what did I do?" It broke my heart! I quickly told her that the oven was hot and dangerous and that she was just to little to use it yet, but that of course, did little to avail her tears.

As my husband and I consoled her, I realized that she was incapable of knowing that the oven was hot, or even what that would mean (even though she has burned herself a few times already on other things!). She was completely innocent. I was immediately grateful for her sweet spirit, but I also thought of how I protected her from injury only because I had been right there. What if I had not? My thoughts then fell to the Lord and how He must often see his children walking into danger and want so badly to grab us and hold us back, but he must let us make our own choices. It is probably also true that often we are not so innocent in our decisions to walk into danger.

Coming full circle here, I have had experiences these past few months that have caused me to reflect on my choices, what they are, the impact they have on others, and what I want to do with them. The week before Thanksgiving some friends of ours were in a horrific car accident. Both the husband and the wife were critically injured, the husband wasn't expected to make it through the night. The couple was young. It was a difficult thing to accept for me, I had just spoken with them a few hours prior at church. The biggest thing that hit me however, was that these people were so good, kind, and "with it". He was our Elders Quorum President and there couldn't have been anyone better for the job. I immediately thought of the song lyric "Only the good die young,..." Luckily, I am glad to report that miracles took place, and they are both returning to normal life just a short time later, even though our friend should by all accounts, have been a vegetable. The experience quickly called me to think however, about the shortness of this life, and if I am prepared to cross to the other side. I hope and pray that I will be given sufficient time to perfect my oh so imperfect self, as I feel it will take years, but if my time is tomorrow, what decisions did I make today that will help me be better prepared for tomorrow? What decisions did I make today that will influence my children and my husband for good? What example was I for my daughter to imitate, and did I spare my Heavenly Father the heartbreak I experienced with the oven incident, by choosing the right and safe road over the danger, even though it may look like fun?

I hope to improve daily, with hopefully yet one more day still to come.

Who Knew?

Blogging...Humm....I never really thought I would be doing this, but it seems I have caught the bug. As I have never been very good at keeping in touch with people as I ought to, or at keeping a journal as of late, I have decided that this might be my best attempt at both.

Although I was introduced to the blogging world a few weeks ago, I must admit, I have had my hesitations about this. However, after getting a feel for the whole idea, I think it might actually be a good fit for me and my family. (I have briefly attempted other personal websites/photosites in the past without much success with the idea.)

So, here I go!