Well, I only have a quick minute, but I wanted to post about the wonderful birthday celebration I had last weekend. My sweet husband was able to coordinate a weekend full of surprises for me. I started off Saturday being taken to a surprise pedicure - which was wonderful! Then, Josh really outdid himself by putting together surprise birthday dinner for me at one of my favorite places - La Hacienda Ranch - with so many of my favorite people. I truly was surprised and had no idea!
I thought we were just going to dinner - but as I walked to the back of the restaurant, there was a big table full of our friends! Yay! And of course, at the end of dinner, nearly all of the waiters surrounded our table, made me stand up and sang a birthday song to me! It was terrific!
We headed to one of our favorite clubs - Glass Cactus - after dinner where more friends were able to join us. This crazy 80's band was playing some classic tunes from our childhood. And before we had to head home for the evening, Misty even got Josh to dance with me!
And as if that was not enough, on Sunday, my best friend Natalie came over with her daughter, Taylor (Ethan's age) and watched Ethan and Emily, so Josh and I could go play in a co-ed volleyball tournament. The weather was a bit chilly and crazy windy, but it was great to have my feet in the sand with my favorite partner! I was rusty, but it felt great to get to play again.
I was so grateful for all of the effort Josh put into make the weekend so special. It truly was a great time!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Deep Thoughts by Ethan Crouch
Ok, so I am exhausted, but I have got to get this posted.
A few weeks ago, we had a storm roll through town while Ethan was at school. Apparently, he and his fellow classmates (all around 4 yrs old) were watching the storm out the window and as it cleared, a discussion about God began. Not sure which kid started it, but essentially, the kids were all discussing amongst themselves how God is in the clouds. At this point, Ethan breaks into a Sunday school lesson and instructs all of his friends that God is not only in the clouds, but he is also in our hearts.
By this time, a rainbow has developed on the horizon.
As they all admire it, Ethan asks his teacher, "Ms. Rolanda, didn't God make us all different like the colors of the rainbow?"
"Yes, Ethan, he sure did." replies Ms. Rolanda.
To which Ethan replies, "Hallelujah!"
LOL - I am not making this up!
And here is another one that cracked Josh and I up.
Ethan is not a fan of Chuck E Cheese - he loves to go there and play games, but when the mouse comes out, he must remain a good 30 feet from him at all times. So far this year, all of Ethan's classmates have had their birthday parties at CEC. And at some point during the celebration, the mouse always comes out to sing and dance (BTW - he always enters and exits via the men's bathroom...a fact that does not escape our child). Ethan will sing and dance and clap along with Chuck E, but only at a safe distance.
So we are sitting at the dinner table last evening and Ethan says, " You know at Chuck E Cheese, that mouse that comes out of the bathroom?"
"Yes", I say.
Ethan continues," The next time I am there, I am going to give that mouse a great big hug."
"Seriously?", I say, a bit shocked.
Then Ethan cocks his head, looks straight at me and says, "Searsly, momma, I am going to hug that mouse."
Josh and I just started laughing because he was so serious about it.
His little mind is just going all the time and coming up with new things.
Tonight, when he prayed, he thanked God for "ever world" which I am pretty sure meant either everything or everyone in the whole world. He also thanked Him for fire alarms and whistles this evening. Fire alarms are a repeat prayer. One night, he thanked God for each of our fire alarms individually. "Dear God, thank you for the fire alarm in the living room and the one in my room and, um, the fire alarm in sissy's room..." Not kidding! He has a bit of an obsession with fire alarms.
He also ends his prayer the same way every night - "In we name our pray - Amen". It is too cute to correct him, plus, I am sure God knows what he means.
A few weeks ago, we had a storm roll through town while Ethan was at school. Apparently, he and his fellow classmates (all around 4 yrs old) were watching the storm out the window and as it cleared, a discussion about God began. Not sure which kid started it, but essentially, the kids were all discussing amongst themselves how God is in the clouds. At this point, Ethan breaks into a Sunday school lesson and instructs all of his friends that God is not only in the clouds, but he is also in our hearts.
By this time, a rainbow has developed on the horizon.
As they all admire it, Ethan asks his teacher, "Ms. Rolanda, didn't God make us all different like the colors of the rainbow?"
"Yes, Ethan, he sure did." replies Ms. Rolanda.
To which Ethan replies, "Hallelujah!"
LOL - I am not making this up!
And here is another one that cracked Josh and I up.
Ethan is not a fan of Chuck E Cheese - he loves to go there and play games, but when the mouse comes out, he must remain a good 30 feet from him at all times. So far this year, all of Ethan's classmates have had their birthday parties at CEC. And at some point during the celebration, the mouse always comes out to sing and dance (BTW - he always enters and exits via the men's bathroom...a fact that does not escape our child). Ethan will sing and dance and clap along with Chuck E, but only at a safe distance.
So we are sitting at the dinner table last evening and Ethan says, " You know at Chuck E Cheese, that mouse that comes out of the bathroom?"
"Yes", I say.
Ethan continues," The next time I am there, I am going to give that mouse a great big hug."
"Seriously?", I say, a bit shocked.
Then Ethan cocks his head, looks straight at me and says, "Searsly, momma, I am going to hug that mouse."
Josh and I just started laughing because he was so serious about it.
His little mind is just going all the time and coming up with new things.
Tonight, when he prayed, he thanked God for "ever world" which I am pretty sure meant either everything or everyone in the whole world. He also thanked Him for fire alarms and whistles this evening. Fire alarms are a repeat prayer. One night, he thanked God for each of our fire alarms individually. "Dear God, thank you for the fire alarm in the living room and the one in my room and, um, the fire alarm in sissy's room..." Not kidding! He has a bit of an obsession with fire alarms.
He also ends his prayer the same way every night - "In we name our pray - Amen". It is too cute to correct him, plus, I am sure God knows what he means.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Chuck E Cheese - February 2010
Ethan earned seven stars (for good behavior and using his manners) and chose a trip to Chuck E Cheese for his prize. He had the best time!
Dallas Snow Day February 2010
No, we didn't take a trip to Colorado. That really is our backyard! On February 11th, it snowed 10in Dallas, the most ever in history. It was beautiful and alot of fun, but also made us glad we did not live in the north! A little snow goes LONG way.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Another Milestone for Emily
It is amazing with an infant how everyday seems like a new milestone. Our sweet Emily has officially out grown her baby bath tub. We have been using the baby tub in the kitchen sink since she was first born. Lately, she is just too long and wiggly. She kicks and splashes water everywhere!
So tonight, she graduated up to the garden tub in mommy and daddy's bathroom. She sat in the inflatable duck that Ethan used when he was her size. Ethan was a little bit concerned about sissy using "his" bathtub. Of course, he is such a good big brother that he was sharing his toys with her in no time. She can't quite sit in the tub yet, but she loved kicking and splashing!
So tonight, she graduated up to the garden tub in mommy and daddy's bathroom. She sat in the inflatable duck that Ethan used when he was her size. Ethan was a little bit concerned about sissy using "his" bathtub. Of course, he is such a good big brother that he was sharing his toys with her in no time. She can't quite sit in the tub yet, but she loved kicking and splashing!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Tummy Time
Our sweet Emily is growing up. This weekend, for the first time, she rolled herself from her back all the way to her tummy. She generally hates to be put on her tummy, but somehow, when she rolled herself that way it wasn't so bad.
PLAYSET
So after several weekends of freezing cold temperatures, it finally warmed up enough this weekend to allow us to finish building the wooden playset Ethan got for Christmas from Grandma and Grandpa. When they were here Christmas weekend, Russ and Josh worked in the freezing garage (only slightly warmer than the snowy backyard) to do all the pre-building - which really helped get us started. Finally, today, after church, Uncle Kelly stopped by to help Josh put up the final A-frame that holds the swings. When Ethan got up from his nap, it was all done and he was thrilled! It fits perfectly in the backyard without taking up too much room. It is awesome and worth every penny and every minute it took to build. Let the playdates begin!
Christmas 2009
So did I mention that we got stranded in Hunstville on Christmas Eve? There was a snow storm, literally, in Dallas - which is totally unheard of. It shut down DFW for hours and caused tremendous delays. Our flight out of Huntsville was cancelled, so we drove down to Bham to try to catch a flight from there. It was set to leave at 5pm and let's just say, it didn't take off until 3am! So we drove back up to Hsv, slept for four hours and jumped on a flight from HSV to DFW at 6am on Christmas Day! We were very grateful for several friends in Birmingham who offered to let us crash their Christmas Eve and Christmas Day if necessary - specifally, Ellen and Trammel. If the flights out of Bham had not been so much worse than the ones out of HSV, we would have been taken them up on their offers.
We are also so grateful to Russ and Deb for helping Santa get the house ready for Christmas Day. From groceries to present wrapping, they got it all done, so once we made it home, we didn't have anything to worry about - which was a present in itself. Needless to say, Ethan was no worse for wear once he saw what all Santa had delivered! As he opened the first box, in an excited voice he stated, "I think its something....". Believe it or not, a huge trash truck was probably his favorite toy, at least for the first few hours!
And thanks to Grandma and Grandpa, Daddy and I were able to get a much needed shower and a nap before Christmas dinner. And what kind of holiday would it be if my father-in-law didn't complete at least one home improvement project - thanks for the caulking Russ! Miss Emily held up like a champ and was just happy to be there!
Even though we literally looked rode hard and put up wet, we had to make a trip down to Mimi and PawPaw's to celebrate the holiday with them too. Suprisingly, through itall, none of us got sick too sick, but, Daddy does have a lingering cough that he can't get cleared up.
We would like to put our families on notice though...we will not be traveling on Christmas anymore. We are placing an official travel embargo on the Crouch family for the month of December. After our adventures the last two holidays, we feel like we owe it to ourselves and our children to stick close to home. But we would love to have visitors, so anyone that would like to travel to our place is welcome!
And thanks to Grandma and Grandpa, Daddy and I were able to get a much needed shower and a nap before Christmas dinner. And what kind of holiday would it be if my father-in-law didn't complete at least one home improvement project - thanks for the caulking Russ! Miss Emily held up like a champ and was just happy to be there!
Even though we literally looked rode hard and put up wet, we had to make a trip down to Mimi and PawPaw's to celebrate the holiday with them too. Suprisingly, through itall, none of us got sick too sick, but, Daddy does have a lingering cough that he can't get cleared up.
We would like to put our families on notice though...we will not be traveling on Christmas anymore. We are placing an official travel embargo on the Crouch family for the month of December. After our adventures the last two holidays, we feel like we owe it to ourselves and our children to stick close to home. But we would love to have visitors, so anyone that would like to travel to our place is welcome!
Monday, January 11, 2010
4 month check up and cereal
Emily went for her four month check up on January 6th. She weighed in at 16lbs and 25.5 inches long. Basically in the 97% - just like her brother was, except her head is a bit smaller. She was very pleasant and happy the whole time. Dr. Beth checked her breathing since she still has a pretty good snore on her, but all was well. We are going to keep an eye on it as time goes by.
The big surprise was that she had a bit of an ear infection in her left ear. Nothing major and no symptoms, but a little infection just the same. Not sure where it came from or how long it had been developing. May have just been a nice coincidence that it came on right when we had a dr visit. She took her two shots very, very well. She did not even cry after the first one, but the second one sent her over the edge for a bit. Needless to say, she was asleep before we even left the office. She is headed back in another 10 days for a follow up for the infection - we are on antibiotics right now. Then we go back on my birthday for her 6 mos.
We are officially allowed to start feeding her cereal, so we began that yesterday. So far, so good. She gets most of it down without too much trouble. She really loves being in her highchair at the dining room table! It is a real treat having the whole family together. It is late and has been a long day, but I will be posting pictures and a video from our first feeding in the next day or so.
The big surprise was that she had a bit of an ear infection in her left ear. Nothing major and no symptoms, but a little infection just the same. Not sure where it came from or how long it had been developing. May have just been a nice coincidence that it came on right when we had a dr visit. She took her two shots very, very well. She did not even cry after the first one, but the second one sent her over the edge for a bit. Needless to say, she was asleep before we even left the office. She is headed back in another 10 days for a follow up for the infection - we are on antibiotics right now. Then we go back on my birthday for her 6 mos.
We are officially allowed to start feeding her cereal, so we began that yesterday. So far, so good. She gets most of it down without too much trouble. She really loves being in her highchair at the dining room table! It is a real treat having the whole family together. It is late and has been a long day, but I will be posting pictures and a video from our first feeding in the next day or so.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Welcome 2010!
So my new year’s resolution, 10 minutes for myself everyday in 2010 AND update our blog at least once a week. So here goes...
The first day of this decade was uneventful for the Crouch's. We took our time getting up and going this morning. Took a trip to Academy to buy some shoes for Josh. Ate at BWW - yum! Then it was nap time. Josh and I hoped to get some work done on Ethan's playset, but Emily would not cooperate. I was "forced" to rock her to sleep while watching tv.
We did manage to get the exersaucer built for Sissy - she loves it. Four months and she is already standing up in it. We also packed up our Christmas tree without breaking any ornaments which is no small feat when you have a "helpful" 3 year old. It is amazing how much more room we have now! Hopefully tomorrow we can pack up the remaining decorations and get the house straightened out. We would like to face the New Year with a little bit of order around here.
We are pretty sure that Emily is teething already. She chews on anything that comes near her mouth and she is a drool machine. It does not seem to be bothering her too much though. So far, she is an extremely laid back baby. We are so thankful for that. And Ethan just loves her. It is so sweet to see the way he interacts with her and the way she responds to him.
Ethan is going through a rough patch of whiny-ness and dependency. We have had alot going on with the baby and changing schools, so it is not too surprising. We have probably spoiled him too much in this past year and we are having to reap it a bit now. He responds well to structure and positive reinforcement, so we are kicking off the New Year with some new rules and prizes for good behavior. I am sure he will be doing great in no time.
Happy New Year!
The first day of this decade was uneventful for the Crouch's. We took our time getting up and going this morning. Took a trip to Academy to buy some shoes for Josh. Ate at BWW - yum! Then it was nap time. Josh and I hoped to get some work done on Ethan's playset, but Emily would not cooperate. I was "forced" to rock her to sleep while watching tv.
We did manage to get the exersaucer built for Sissy - she loves it. Four months and she is already standing up in it. We also packed up our Christmas tree without breaking any ornaments which is no small feat when you have a "helpful" 3 year old. It is amazing how much more room we have now! Hopefully tomorrow we can pack up the remaining decorations and get the house straightened out. We would like to face the New Year with a little bit of order around here.
We are pretty sure that Emily is teething already. She chews on anything that comes near her mouth and she is a drool machine. It does not seem to be bothering her too much though. So far, she is an extremely laid back baby. We are so thankful for that. And Ethan just loves her. It is so sweet to see the way he interacts with her and the way she responds to him.
Ethan is going through a rough patch of whiny-ness and dependency. We have had alot going on with the baby and changing schools, so it is not too surprising. We have probably spoiled him too much in this past year and we are having to reap it a bit now. He responds well to structure and positive reinforcement, so we are kicking off the New Year with some new rules and prizes for good behavior. I am sure he will be doing great in no time.
Happy New Year!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Great Trip to Huntsville
Well, life has gotten very fast all of the sudden. I am sitting here at 11:30pm finally finding a minute to update our blog. Over labor day, we spent four days in Huntsville visiting friends and family. We took a great trip to a farm near my sister's house where the kids got to hunt for eggs from free range chickens, gobble with 40lb turkeys, feed ducks and geese, and enjoy some lovely horses. The kids all had a really great time and I got some great pictures. 
During the whole trip, Ethan and Hannah Kathryn (my niece who turns 2 this month) had such a a great time with each other. As you can see from the picture.
I also got to see my dear friend Amy Schmitz, who had her first child on the Friday we were home. It was so great to be able to see her on such a special occasion. In addition to that, Ethan had a wonderful play date with Foster, my friend Tabitha and Michael's son who will be 2 in November. He is so adorable - as you can see!! Our family friend, Kay Scott, also planned a wonderful game night for the Saturday we were home. It was so fun to see some friends we had not seen in awhile and have a few laughs. I love board games!!
As great as the trip was, unfortunately, Ethan caught a little bug that he passed on to me when we got home which made a for a rough week. Luckily, I can always count on Josh to take charge when I am sick. And luckily Josh didn't get sick. He took great care of all of us and we made it through to the weekend!!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Not much to report today. Ethan paid us a visit in the middle of the night, so I spent some hours on the floor again. Right now, Ethan is watching me update his blog. This is a picture I just took today. He has become such a HAM anytime the camera comes out. He has also taken to spontaneously singing - usually at the dinner time or in the car. It is a different song each time. Sometimes Josh and I just look at each other and laugh because we can't believe how many different tunes he knows. Tonight, it was 'Eenie, Menie, Minie, Moe".
He is very excited about the ride he will be taking on the airplane soon. He has been talking about it all day. He tried to convince his father to take him to the airport "right over there, daddy" on our way to church this morning.
I will be going in to work late tomorrow so I can take another trip to the post office....still trying to find our week old mail and get our lock fixed. This time, Ethan will be at daycare!
Josh had a friend, whose name is Flaco (like a flock of sheep with an O on the end), stay with us this weekend. He was in town for a volleyball tournament. We did the usual fajitas last night and then Josh made french toast this morning. Ethan absolutely loved Flaco. He climbed on him, hugged him and followed him everywhere. I think he was just excited to have someone else in the house besides Josh and I.
Well, time for bath and bed time!
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Ethan: 1 Mommy; 0
So today, for the first time, I experienced a full toddler melt down in public. It was at the post office. It is a long story for why we were there. Basically, out here in residential neighborhoods, you don't have mailboxes on your house. You have a big metal box with little boxes for each house on your street. Well, this week, our lock broke. B-R-O-K-E
You can imagine the joy that is trying to get it fixed. I was at the post office to pick up the weeks worth of mail held hostage by our broken lock. All was going fine until the man decided he actually needed to talk to me. Ethan did not want to relinquish my attention. I asked Ethan to stand next to me and gave him my phone to play with. That was not sufficient.
Next thing I know, the phone is thrown on the floor. Next to it is my son kicking and screaming. Though I don't turn around, I know that EVERYONE in the post office is looking at me. I pick him up. He continues screaming....this time "D-A-D-D-Y!!!!!!!!!!!!"
This whole time, I am still trying to explain my situation to the man who can not find my mail anywhere in the entire office. As I am holding my screaming two year old, he is asking me for a phone number. Basically begging me to leave and promising to call with follow up about the status of our mail. (by the way, he never called.)
So I snatch Ethan up and head out. I did not make eye contact with one person as I was leaving the post office. I put him in his car seat and buckled him in. I realized at that moment that I am really mad at him. I have been frustrated and irritated by my son's stubbornness and independence many times, but this time, I was mad. I could hear all the parenting books I have read screaming in my ears...."You can not be mad at him - he is just 2! Have a constructive conversation with him. Don't tell him he is bad" I struggled hard to find the right words to explain to him why I was so "disappointed with his behavior", but on the inside, I was just pissed off!
As I got into the driver's seat, I told him he was not allowed to talk to me the entire ride home. Two or not, he understood and he did not make a peep.
I had big plans for today, but the whole incident just threw me off. As I was driving, I couldn't decide what thing to do next. We ended up at home, had lunch, took a nap. I was exhausted!
I realize looking back on it, as a parent, you just can't win in that situation. When your kid is screaming, if you discipline them, you are too strict.....if you give in to keep them from crying, you are spoiling them. You just have to do the best you can and pray that it works.
You can imagine the joy that is trying to get it fixed. I was at the post office to pick up the weeks worth of mail held hostage by our broken lock. All was going fine until the man decided he actually needed to talk to me. Ethan did not want to relinquish my attention. I asked Ethan to stand next to me and gave him my phone to play with. That was not sufficient.
Next thing I know, the phone is thrown on the floor. Next to it is my son kicking and screaming. Though I don't turn around, I know that EVERYONE in the post office is looking at me. I pick him up. He continues screaming....this time "D-A-D-D-Y!!!!!!!!!!!!"
This whole time, I am still trying to explain my situation to the man who can not find my mail anywhere in the entire office. As I am holding my screaming two year old, he is asking me for a phone number. Basically begging me to leave and promising to call with follow up about the status of our mail. (by the way, he never called.)
So I snatch Ethan up and head out. I did not make eye contact with one person as I was leaving the post office. I put him in his car seat and buckled him in. I realized at that moment that I am really mad at him. I have been frustrated and irritated by my son's stubbornness and independence many times, but this time, I was mad. I could hear all the parenting books I have read screaming in my ears...."You can not be mad at him - he is just 2! Have a constructive conversation with him. Don't tell him he is bad" I struggled hard to find the right words to explain to him why I was so "disappointed with his behavior", but on the inside, I was just pissed off!
As I got into the driver's seat, I told him he was not allowed to talk to me the entire ride home. Two or not, he understood and he did not make a peep.
I had big plans for today, but the whole incident just threw me off. As I was driving, I couldn't decide what thing to do next. We ended up at home, had lunch, took a nap. I was exhausted!
I realize looking back on it, as a parent, you just can't win in that situation. When your kid is screaming, if you discipline them, you are too strict.....if you give in to keep them from crying, you are spoiling them. You just have to do the best you can and pray that it works.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Adventures of the Toddler Bed!
So about a week ago, Ethan (who turned 2 in May) decided one night, it was just time to climb out of his crib. Apparently two years and two months is the longest he could stand being "trapped" in there.
It was a very interesting event. The middle of the night...I here a frightened cry, but it is not coming from the baby monitor. It is coming from our door way. I JUMP out of bed - literally. I am half away when I exit our door and find our toddler coming towards me, from our stairwell, crying. I have no idea what is going on at this point. Basically, I wake the next morning with him in the bed next to me. I immediately realize, things are about to change.
Obviously, we had to transition him to the big boy bed. We made it a big event. Really talked it up. Went to the store and let him specifcally pick out new sheets, blanket, etc. He went with Thomas the Train. We came home and he "helped" us make his new bed. We made the bed with the fixings. He was very excited. He went to sleep through his normal bath time, story time routine. But apparently, 2am was the magic number. For the next three nights, he would wake up at 2am, open his door, come to our room, open our door and call for us. At this point, I had the monitor way up, so I met him at the door, took him back to his room and put him back to sleep.
"Don't leave, mommy!" Those are the magic words.
I slept on the floor next to his new bed for three nights!
Two nights ago, he got up at 11:30pm. Josh took him this time. Josh only stayed in there an hour or so, then snuck out and he was good the rest of the night.
Then, last night, EUREKIA! We went a whole night in our big boy bed.
As I type, I can hear him snooring throught he monitor. Let's all cross our fingers that the trend continues.
Momma needs her sleep!!
It was a very interesting event. The middle of the night...I here a frightened cry, but it is not coming from the baby monitor. It is coming from our door way. I JUMP out of bed - literally. I am half away when I exit our door and find our toddler coming towards me, from our stairwell, crying. I have no idea what is going on at this point. Basically, I wake the next morning with him in the bed next to me. I immediately realize, things are about to change.
Obviously, we had to transition him to the big boy bed. We made it a big event. Really talked it up. Went to the store and let him specifcally pick out new sheets, blanket, etc. He went with Thomas the Train. We came home and he "helped" us make his new bed. We made the bed with the fixings. He was very excited. He went to sleep through his normal bath time, story time routine. But apparently, 2am was the magic number. For the next three nights, he would wake up at 2am, open his door, come to our room, open our door and call for us. At this point, I had the monitor way up, so I met him at the door, took him back to his room and put him back to sleep.
"Don't leave, mommy!" Those are the magic words.
I slept on the floor next to his new bed for three nights!
Two nights ago, he got up at 11:30pm. Josh took him this time. Josh only stayed in there an hour or so, then snuck out and he was good the rest of the night.
Then, last night, EUREKIA! We went a whole night in our big boy bed.
As I type, I can hear him snooring throught he monitor. Let's all cross our fingers that the trend continues.
Momma needs her sleep!!
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