The Crazy Crawford Clan

Only Chloe

2009-11-05T13:59:00.002-06:00

...would come to me, place my finger on her nose, and say, "Mom, get it out!"

I'll spare you the details but after several attempts I was unsuccessful at getting the purple object out of her nose. When Rick got home, he put on his running spotlight, got the tweezers, and went into doctor mode.

Voila! A purple sparkle jewel thing.

Big Weekend

2009-11-05T12:47:00.003-06:00

October 23-26, 2009---This was a big weekend for two reasons. The first being that Mimi was coming to visit. After arriving Friday afternoon/evening we had a quick but delicious dinner Trace Grill and then came back home for a little relaxation and socializing. I say "little" because everyone had to wake before the crack of dawn to make our trek to Oxford for an early game. We left our house at 5:30 am in order to get to the Grove in time to unload our van, get a bite to eat, and make it to the Walk Through.

Everyone was excited for the big game against the Arkansas Razorbacks, Houston's Nutt former employer of ten years. We knew the U Piggies wouldn't stand a chance against our Rebels and in honor of this event, a few of the foods at our tent included:

BBQ pork butt

ribs

and football shaped brownies

along with a smorgasbord of other tasty treats like sausage biscuits, sausage stars, sausage balls, muffins, various dips, chips, crackers, and sweets.

And, of course, Brady brought a worm bucket.

Our table centerpieces were chosen to honor our defensive line, also known as the "Landsharks":

As usual, the kids enjoyed being in the Grove.

Chloe brought a baby and had Mrs. Heather read her stories.

Anna Catherine and Mimi worked on hidden picture books.

AC had a new friend to play with.

There was a great turn out for the tailgate and the game.

Jackson enjoyed the game for the first 8 minutes. Then he asked if it was almost over. How that boy can not like football is beyond me! He lasted until half-time and Mimi took him to the Union. He had a backpack full of dinos and animals that he played with while she watched the game in the Union lounge.

Meanwhile, we enjoyed one of the best football games I've seen in a long time!! Our offense was amazing. Jevan had a career high throwing game, not to mention the fact that he ran in a touchdown on a trick play. He was 22 of 33 with two interceptions. Dexter was on FIRE!!! He set career highs in rushing and receiving.

The Rebels won, for the second year in a rown, beating the Razorbacks 30-17.

What a beautiful sight! Brady showing his Rebel Pride during "From Dixie With Love".

Afterwards we went to the Union steps to watch Molly cheer and who did we run into???

COL. REB!!!

Then it was back to the tent to spend the rest of the afternoon relishing in our win.

The girls love to shell and eat peanuts.

One of the college students at the next tent spotted Jackson ...

...and came over to make him a proposition.

She asked him to take an acorn from the ground, sneak over to the guy in the black chair, and drop it in his beer without getting caught. Well, he did it and thought it was the funniest thing ever. The other college students were quite amused in the prank as well. Then the girl got him to do it again. Jackson opted to do it on his own three more times. Luckily, the guy and his friends were good sports about it. They decided to get Jackson back. One guy kept an eye on Jackson as he attempted to pull the prank off for the 6th time. As he got closer to their tent, the guy nodded to his friend who turned and roared at Jackson.

He must have jumped three feet in the air!

We had enjoyed a spectacular day in the Grove and it was time to make the drive south to Madison. The kids were exhausted and slept the entire way home so they were full of energy just as the adults were ready to crash.

We spent a lazy morning around the house Sunday morning and then Rick, Mimi, Anna Catherine, and Jackson went to the movies to see "Where the Wild Things Are". They said it was fantastic and the kids behaved well in the theater. We continued our lazy evening with dinner and an early bedtime for the kids which allowed the adults to watch the movie "Mr. Brooks" which was hard to follow and had a horrible ending. On Monday we were forced to go back to our typical school routine but Rick was able to take the day off and spend it shopping with his mom before she had to leave. Her visits always seem to fly by but she will come back after Christmas. I am hoping we can go to the Jim Henson exhibit at the Mississippi Museum of Art. And if we want to have a "Muppets" themed visit, we can drive over to Leland, MS to the birthplace of Kermit the Frog.

UAB game

2009-11-04T09:57:00.001-06:00

October 17, 2009---We left my dad's house, dropped Jackson off at my mom's house (because he's not a big fan of football games), and drove to Oxford for the second of three straight weekends of home football games. After an embarrassing loss to Alabama, there wasn't much hype for our homecoming game against the University of Alabama at Birmingham...aka UAB. The Grove was emptier than I can ever remember it being in recent years. Our tailgate crew attendance was down by more than 60%. We did have a few tried-and-true members of the Dixie Clique who ventured out to support our Rebels on a cool and damp fall afternoon/evening.

Chloe couldn't get enough honey bbq twist fritos:

Uncle Brady explaining football to Chloe:

As cold as it was, Molly had plenty of spirit during her cheer performance:

The band spelling out "Ole Miss" during the pre-game show:

The team running out of the tunnel and rubbing Chucky's head on their way to the field:

Being as it was the Homecoming game, our half-time entertainment consisted of the homecoming court and the band. I do not have pictures of all homecoming court members and escorts but two of Houston Nutt's daughters were on it. This year's queen is Hart Wardlaw and her escort, ASB President Artair Rogers:

I called time-temp plus to find out the temperature during the 3rd quarter...it was 37 degrees. To say we were cold is an understatement. We had coats, hats, scarves, gloves, blankets, and hand warmers. It wasn't the coldest game I've ever attended but it was very chilly. There was a small crowd at Vaught-Hemingway and it continually got smaller and smaller throughout the night. Of course, we never leave until the very end...because Anna Catherine insists we stay.

I'm not sure if the girls were cheering or just trying to get

their blood flowing by dancing to get warm.

We won 48-13. I can't remember anything eventful about the game.

I'll blame it on near hypothermia--hahaha.

A Visit with Granddaddy

2009-11-04T07:56:00.002-06:00

October 17, 2009---This was our first trip to my daddy's new house. We were all excited to get to see him and his new home place. We've seen the property before when it was just a pasture for his horses and mules and a place to have trail rides. He has done a lot of work on it and it looks beautiful. I wish I had taken more pictures because my words will not do it justice. Much of the kudzu and overgrowth has been cleared away. He has two large flower beds on either side of the entry of his driveway. He has another flower bed at the bottom of the steps to his front porch. The front porch is filled with various potted plants and several hanging baskets of ferns. Daddy has plenty more renovation plans in his head but is waiting until warmer weather to execute them.

Daddy had decorated the entry to his driveway with scarecrows, hay bales,leaves, sunflowers, pumpkins, orange twinkle light, and a light up Mickey Mouse jack-o-lantern. It was all so cute and festive and the kids just loved it! We drove to his house Friday night so the kids could see the decorations all aglow, spent the night at a local hotel, and then returned Saturday morning to have our visit before heading out to the Ole Miss football game. It was very cold, damp, muddy, and windy and the kids were not cooperative when it came time to take pictures.

We all talked about this and that and everything else and all too soon, it was time to go. I don't get to see my dad as often as I should so I try to make the most out of every visit.

Bama Weekend

2009-11-03T22:26:00.003-06:00

WARNING: THIS IS A VERY LONG POST WITH LOTS OF PICTURES (45 of the 129 taken). THIS IS OUR ANNUAL "COLLEGE REUNION" WEEKEND AND IT'S HARD TO WEED OUT PICTURES OF PEOPLE YOU SEE VERY RARELY.

October 9-11, 2009---Each year our many of our college friends attend one Ole Miss football game. It is always a weekend filled with love, laughter, too much food and drinks, old stories, and the makings of new ones. The Alabama weekend was chosen for this year's events.

On Friday night we all met at Tequila's, a Mexican restaurant in Oxford, for dinner. The food is fabulous and it is very kid friendly, which is a must for our group.

Then we all went to the Bergeron's house to allow the kids to play until they

passed out and the adults to socialize until said passing out occurred.

Saturday morning Molly's cheer group performed on the steps of the Union.
Of course she was fabulous!

Then it was on to the tailgate where we had to make adjustments to our normal set up due to the hype of the game and the weather. Here's a little background to explain: We hire a guy to set up, take down, and store our two 10' x 20' tents, five 6 ft. tables, and twenty chairs. It's just easier than some of the guys to get there to set it up. According to the "rules" no one can set up in the Grove until 6 pm on Friday evening. Our guy does a fabulous job of setting us up in the exact spot we asked for each week. Well, our guy arrived at 4 pm on Friday and the Grove was PACKED. The closest he could get us was 12 tents to the east of where we normally set up. This didn't surprise me because the Bama RVs started rolling into town on Tuesday. This was a big game and the crowd was proof that everyone expected an exciting day. Thanks to the fact that it had rained for almost two weeks straight before the game, the Grove was one gigantic mud pit. We put down six tarps and three square bales of hay to deter some of the mud from getting on our shoes or the kids. It wasn't 100% successful but it did help tremendously. It was a muddy, cold, wet, and just generally yucky day but we didn't care. This is something we look forward to every year.

The big match-up

delicious chocolate chip cookie cake

our chairs

our stickers

Even though we don't see each other as often as we would like, the kids act as though they are together every weekend. Everyone is well-behaved and gets along wonderfully!

Ladderball was a popular game with the kids (and some adults).

The kids loved climbing the tree.

Chloe loved eating Mrs. Heather's cupcakes!

Molly was cold and made a fashion statement in Whit's sweatshirt. So Cute!!!

Chloe can't get enough kisses from Aunt Julie!

Anna Catherine loves hanging out with the adults just as much as playing with kids her age.

After the game many of us went back to the Bergeron's house for pizza and more NCAA football on TV. I gave the camera a break but did snap a picture of the girls building pyramids.

Several of us were able to meet for brunch on Sunday at Proud Larry's before going our separate ways. Whether we are many or few, we always have fun and pick up right where we last left off.

These weekends come and go way too fast. I really wish we didn't have to wait a year to see each other but that's what happens when you grow up and life takes over.

***I did not post pictures from the actual football game because Chloe and I stayed in the Grove with several of the other moms and children who did not have tickets. (Ole Miss sold out of tickets this year so our friends were forced to either purchase them from a scalper or not enter the stadium.) We lost...22-3 and was told that it wasn't pretty. I hate Saban. That's all I have to say about the game. ***

Rick's Birthday

2009-11-03T11:56:00.001-06:00

October 2, 20009---The kids were super excited to have a "party" for Rick's birthday!

They picked out his gifts---Anna Catherine chose for her dad a fishing pole, fishing net, lures, running shoes, and a new book, "Off the Beaten Path". Jackson wanted him to have fancy clothes but we told dad he could pick those out himself.

Chloe wanted to give the "Danger Mouse" dvd as her gift so we cheated and checked it out from the library. I think Rick will understand that there was no reason to purchase it.

Rick chose to eat at Nagoya for his birthday dinner. It's always a family favorite.

The kids enjoy the chef's show and the food is always delicious!!

Jackson always eats his salad with chopsticks. He's pretty good at it too.

Chloe even gave the chopsticks a try...but she tried them with her soup.

Not a good combination.

Afterwards, we enjoyed ice cream cake at home.

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY AMAZINGLY WONDERFUL HUSBAND!

Bus Rider

2009-09-22T14:35:00.001-05:00

Before school started, Anna Catherine asked to ride the school bus. We debated for several weeks and decided to compromise with her. Rick will still take her to school in the mornings (1--the bus runs at 6:28 am and we sometimes aren't fully awake and 2---that is their special daddy/daughter time). I was having to wake up Jackson and Chloe from their naps to pick up Anna Catherine. This made them grumpy which made me grumpy and "when Mama's not happy nobody's happy". So, she now rides the bus home in the afternoons. She LOVES it!! She already knows a few people on the bus. This is just another way for her to feel more independent. Ace is just growing up way too fast!!!

Meat

2009-09-22T14:00:00.003-05:00

Rick and I have hoped for this day to come for a long time...Jackson ate MEAT!!!! Well, a different meat but this is a huge step for him. Let me give you a little back story to explain....

Jackson is such a picky eater and has been since he was born. He doesn't eat any vegetables, except iceberg lettuce with lots of ranch dressing on it. He eats maybe one banana every 4-6 weeks and that is his only fruit. He started eating bacon last September and that is the only meat he has ever eaten. At one time he ate a lot of peanut butter but completely cut that out a few months ago. We were afraid he was going to have some sort of nutritional deficiency. His new food for the past few months is grilled cheese. You have to understand that he doesn't eat sandwiches so eating this was a big step as well. Let me assure you that he takes a multivitamin daily. Poor fella needs all the supplements he can get.

Jackson's approved food list includes certain breakfast cereals, bacon, pop tarts, maple and brown sugar instant oatmeal, pancakes, cinnamon rolls, grilled cheese sandwiches, cheese quesadillas, tortilla chips with rotel dip, cheese pizza, spaghetti, lasagna, macaroni and cheese, peanut butter granola bars, certain cereal bars, and most sweets (brownies, ice cream, cookies, candy bars, etc.). Yes, this is a long list of items (which is wonderful) but even with foods he likes he is extremely picky about the look of the food. He turned down a grilled cheese one day because the cheese was oozing out the side of the bread. He once refused to eat a grilled cheese because there was a WRINKLE in the bread. He doesn't eat the crust of his pizza or the crust of his grilled cheese sandwiches. He picks the meat out of his spaghetti and lasagna. He's so weird--LOL!!

Yesterday I asked him what he wanted for lunch and he said he wanted chicken nuggets. I had little confidence that he would eat them but we pulled into Wendy's anyway and ordered him a four-pack of nuggets. Can you believe that he ate ALL of them?!?!?! I don't know what made him suddenly decide to ask for them but I am so proud of him. I wish I had taken pictures of this milestone. Hopefully this is just the beginning of the end of Jackson's picky eating. Let's keep our fingers crossed!!!!

Southeastern Louisiana Game

2009-09-22T13:00:00.002-05:00

September 19, 2009---The Rebels home opener against Southeastern Louisiana University was fabulous!!!!! Yes, we were ranked #5 in the NATION and they aren't a very good team. Nevermind those details, we were just excited that we were finally able to spend a day in the Grove (even as muddy as it was). Anna Catherine, Chloe, Rick, and I went to the game while Jackson spent the day with Grandmother. The mud actually turned out to be a good thing because it acted as a "babysitter" for Chloe. She didn't want her feet to get dirty so she stayed on the tarp under the tent.

We took the girls to the Circle to watch the drumline perform in front of the Lyceum.

Afterwards I went back to the tailgate because my foot was hurting (I had broken my pinky toe the day before by tripping and kicking a wooden rocker). Rick took the girls to the Walk Of Champions to watch the "Walk Through". I do not have any pictures from that but hope to get some at future games.

Doesn't the new turf look fabulous!!!

Chloe slept during the first quarter.

Anna Catherine cheering on her Rebels!

Brady and Anna Catherine

Brady and Chloe

We love our Rebs!

Keeping Chloe occupied with the Ole Miss rubiks cube

The final score on the jumbotron (with Coach Nutt shaking hands)...Ole Miss 52 SELA 6

Hotty Toddy!!!!!!!!!

Community Helper Day

2009-09-21T21:59:00.002-05:00

September 18, 2009---Jackson's class had to dress up like a community helper. Jackson doesn't have any dress up costumes so we were at a loss for options. Just as luck would have it, Anna Catherine came home from school on Wednesday with a fireman's hat (a fire truck/firemen came to school for a tour and gave out hats), and the same day a friend offered to loan us her son's fireman jacket. VOILA....Jackson the Fireman

Jackson Zoo

2009-09-21T11:08:00.004-05:00

September 7, 2009----Originally we had planned to spend Labor Day around the house just being lazy. However, we suddenly remembered that we have a year-long family pass to the Jackson Zoo and decided to take advantage of it. Yes, we had forgotten about the pass but are so glad we remembered. The kids and I had been in April for AC's class field trip but this was Rick's first visit. The Jackson Zoo is a small zoo that is working hard to update its exhibits. I don't have many pictures because I forgot to recharge my battery.

Chloe had a hard time sharing her icee!

The girls in one of the bubbles

Jackson liked watching the river otters

And of course we couldn't leave without a ride on the carousel

Jackson was too tired to even sit up for the ride

We had fun and that's all that matters!

We hope to go back when the weather is a little more fall-like.

Easely Amused

2009-09-21T09:58:00.000-05:00

September 5, 2009---Anna Catherine's goal for the summer was to read at least one book a day (on ability level). If she did, she received a sticker on her "goal chart". Once the chart was filled she was rewarded with the day out of her choice. She opted for Easely Amused which is an art studio offering step-by-step art lessons to both adults and children. I pulled up their website http://www.easelyamused.com/ and let her choose the class she wanted..."Rudolph"

Waiting patiently for instructions

Working oh so carefully to do what Mrs. Bridgette says...

Anna Catherine proudly showing off her masterpiece!

Anna Catherine absolutely LOVED her morning spent at Easely Amused. She has asked to go back and create more beautiful works of art. She is currently working hard to fill her behavior chart with stickers in order to earn another Saturday morning at Easely Amused.

Easely Amused offers adult classes on Tuesday and Thursday nights and all ages classes on Saturday mornings. They currently have a studio in Ridgeland and another in Flowood but are opening branches in Hattiesburg and Tupelo soon. They offer a large variety of classes. Below are some pictures taken of paintings done in previous classes.

I can definitely see a much needed girls night out happening at Easely Amused!! Go to their website, http://www.easelyamused.com/ , to see pictures taken during previous classes. It looks like sooooo much fun!!!

The Mosaic Shop

2009-09-21T07:17:00.003-05:00

August 29, 2009---Anna Catherine was invited to her best friend's birthday party at The Mosaic Shop. They both really like to do crafts and had attended a birthday party here in May. This is becoming a favorite place for these two girls.

They worked really hard on their jewelry boxes.

The Mosaic Shop is open five days a week to anyone who wants try their hand at the art of mosaic tiles. They offer many wooden cutouts and terra cota planters to work with or you can bring in your own pieces.

If you don't have time to finish the project, you are allowed to leave it and come back and finish another day. There are two walls filled of partially completed artwork.

There are beautiful pieces hanging around the shop on display and some that are for sale. Here are a few of my favorites...

Student of the Week

2009-09-18T10:17:00.000-05:00

August 31-September 9, 2009---Anna Catherine was "Student of the Week" for her class. Her week was actually a week and a half because of the Labor Day holiday. She made an "All About Me" poster which she had to present and speak about to her classmates.

All students had to bring a baby picture to school and they were placed on a bulletin board. The students then had to try to match the student with their picture. Here is AC standing next to the picture she submitted (the color photo---Ole Miss dress with Col. Reb and pom poms).

Rick had lunch with her on Thursday (no pictures) and Chloe and I visited her class on Friday. I read two of Anna Catherine's favorite books to her class, "Baby Honu's Incredible Journey" and "Dinosaurs Wear Underpants" (Thanks Aunt Pauline for that book! It is a favorite of all three children!). Then we had lunch with her. Well, Chloe ate and I just sat.

A perk of being "Student of the Week" is that the class turtle, Molly, gets to spend the week with you. The student has to write a paragraph about the things Molly did while at their house. Here are a few pictures of AC and Molly...

riding in the van

painting at Easely Amused

listening to dad read Junie B. Jones books

listening to dad read Captain Underpants books

GO JAGS!!!

2009-09-17T17:16:00.001-05:00

August 28, 2009---In case you were unaware, the Madison Central High School football team is ranked #1 in the state of Mississippi and #14 in the Nation!!! Yes, the Jaguars are just that good!! We moved here near the end of the season last year and never went to any of the games. We've heard stories of how much fun they are so we decided to go to the home opener this year against Memphis-Melrose.

People tailgate for the MC games just like college games...tents, tables, table cloths, flower arrangements, and a smorgasbord of tasty treats. We tailgated with the MAE PTO (I am a board member). I have no pictures from the tailgate because we were constantly
rounding up Chloe. She had too much free space to roam!

There are over 1,500 students at Madison Central High School (grades 10-12) alone and I think all of them and their parents were there. The same goes for the students from the 9th grade school, the two middle schools, and the four elementary schools. Also include in the crowd the players, band members, cheerleaders, dance team, and athletic staff's immediate and extended families and half the community and you might be close in knowing the number of people inside the stadium. Many, many people weren't able to get seats. Luckily, we found seats at the far end of the field but probably not so lucky for the people around us.

Chloe ran off so many times at the tailgate that she was forced to wear her monkey at the game.

The Jaguars just blew Melrose away. It's easy to see why they are ranked so high. Anna Catherine loved it and was happy to see that one of her classmates was sitting on the row behind us.

As usual, Jackson couldn't have cared less about the game and fell asleep on my leg during the first quarter.

Chloe got mad because we wouldn't let her climb and bother the people around us.

Since AC likes to watch the band and dancers perform we decided to leave immediately after the half-time show.

Madison Central won 43-28. Way to go, Jags!

Jackson's Dancing

2009-09-17T16:10:00.004-05:00

August 22, 2009---To say that Jackson had a good time at Carmen and Jereme's wedding reception would be an understatement! He danced and he danced and he danced. At one point the dace floor perimeter was filled with people watching him dance. It was so cute and too funny all at the same time. The best description I can think of would be that he was trying to imitate the memorable Seinfeld episode when Elaine is dancing at the office party. I really wish I had it on video. Here are a few shots taken during his performance.

Wedding Weekend--The Reception

2009-09-17T16:05:00.000-05:00

August 22, 2009---Carmen and Jereme's wedding reception was held at the Bayou DeSiard Country Club which is an absolutely gorgeous venue both inside and out. I wish I had photographs to post. So, once again, you'll just have to take my word for it. Everything was fabulous! There was more food than you could imagine.... prime rib, crawfish pasta, fried catfish fillets, various fruits and veggies, and so much more that I can't remember. There were seven tables of delicious food that were continually being refilled by the waitstaff. There's no way for me to do the cakes justice in my description. The wedding cake was a white five-tiered square cake with a scroll print on the odd numbered layers and topped with beautiful white and purple flowers (I don't know the types of flowers but they matched the wedding bouquets). The groom's cake was a three-tiered square chocolate cake with chocolate icing and the top layer had the LSU "eye of the tiger" in purple, gold, and white. It was very cool! Anna Catherine was amazed by the open bar. She felt so grown up when she was allowed to walk to the bar alone and order a diet coke without paying for it. I told her not to worry about it because Uncle Doug was paying for everyone's food and drinks that night!

The one thing I can prove through photos is what a stunning bride Carmen was!

Just look at the expressions on their faces during their first dance...

Aren't they such a cute couple!

Carmen and Doug during the father/daughter dance

I don't think there was a minute that the dance floor

wasn't packed with people shakin' their groove thing!

You'd of thought Don and Kathy were still in high school!

Chloe was VERY jealous that PaPa Gator was dancing with

someone other than her...even if it was the bride!

Then Chloe decided to join the bridal party

I even got to dance with Rick for one song

Jackson just loved to dance, even if he wasn't on the dance floor

One of the rare moments that Chloe wasn't on the dance floor

Anna Catherine couldn't leave without having her picture taken with Carmen

***Like I said before, I have 180 pictures from that weekend so please don't feel bad if your picture didn't make it into the blog. I tried to make sure there were at least one or two pictures of everyone somewhere in the wedding weekend posts.***

Wedding Weekend---At the Church

2009-09-16T12:16:00.003-05:00

August 22, 2009--- It's Carmen and Jereme's wedding day

a couple of pictures of the bride getting ready

the program

the beautifully decorated church

And the many Crawfords waiting to see the ceremony...

Rick entertaining Jackson and several others

by reading "Captain Underpants" until ceremony time

Jackson explaining dinosaurs to Uncle Cliff

Cliff, Amanda, and Chloe

Kathy, Memaw, and Don

PaPa Gator and Jackson

Heather, Andre, and Jack

Dickie, Toni, Emma, and Adam

Lady and PaPa Gator

Anna Catherine, and Emma

It was an elegant, beautiful, romantic ceremony. I didn't take any pictures during the ceremony so you'll have to take my word for it. Sherri did a fabulous job with the decorations. Everything was just stunning, especially the bride! We were so happy to be able to witness the joining of these two remarkable people!

Wedding Weekend---A Walk in the Park

2009-09-16T10:59:00.009-05:00

August 22, 2009---Saturday morning of the wedding weekend we wanted the kids to get out and burn up some energy. The hotel was next to Restoration Park which at one time was a strip mine but has now been transformed naturally into a wetlands area. Andre, Jack, PaPa Gator, Rick, our three kids, and I decided to walk the trails around the park before lunch.

It was beautiful with numerous trails, wetland areas, animals, and wooded areas. The kids were on the lookout for alligators.

We were in Louisiana in August so it was extremely hot and muggy. Our walk lasted just over an hour and we were ready to get some lunch and have the kids nap before the wedding. While the little ones were resting, Andre, Cliff, Amanda, Rick, and I played Monopoly Deal. We just LOVE that game. Then it was time to get ready for the wedding...

Wedding Weekend---Friday

2009-09-02T16:33:00.002-05:00

August 21, 2009---It is a rare occasion that the entire Crawford family can get together. There are attempts at Thanksgiving and Christmas but there is always someone absent due to other family obligations. This is understandable. You can't be in all places at once. But, we can always seem to get the group together for a wedding and this was Carmen and Jereme's wedding weekend.

First we picked up Rick's brother Cliff and his girlfriend Amanda at the Jackson airport. It was noon-ish so we decided to have sushi/hibachi for lunch and went to Ichiban. The kids love it and so do the adults. It's one restaurant we can all agree on. Jackson loves eating his salad with chop sticks and all the kids are entertained watching the chefs. They also gave the kids balloon swords to play with.

Then we all piled back in the van and drove to Monroe, LA to meet up with the rest of the family. It was an easy trip...I-20 all the way and just under a two hour drive. We said hello to the family members already at the hotel and decided to relax in the room for a few hours.

An interesting way to watch Spongebob Squarepants:

We didn't attend the rehearsal but I was able to get this picture from Paige. Do Carmen and Jereme look excited are what!?!

All of the family and wedding party attended the rehearsal dinner. I

The venue was decorated beautifully and the food was delicious. The toasts brought a tear to my eye and proved just how much love and support Carmen and Jereme have from their family and friends.

Carmen and Jereme are just the cutest couple and so happy and in love!

Jack and Jackson had fun playing with dinosaurs and animals. Who needs this wedding stuff when you have toys?!?

Uncle Cliff helped entertain the kids.

And Rick thinks they look nothing alike!

Presly, Wes, Briley, and Cullen:

Adam and Dickie:

PaPa Don and Cullen:

Chloe and her baby:

PaPa Gator getting a kiss from Chloe's baby:

I'm afraid to know what PaPa Gator is saying to Stan--hahaha.

Anna Catherine loves her Aunt Sherri!

Some of the men in the Crawford family:

Sherri and Doug's beautiful family (Stan, Paige, Carmen, Jereme, Sherri, and Doug)

This is just the start of a fabulous weekend. Note that I have 180 pictures from the weekend. It's hard to narrow down which ones are being posted on the blog! Please bear with me.

Meeting Jackson's teachers

2009-09-02T16:01:00.004-05:00

August 21, 2009---This morning Jackson met his new teachers for his K4 preschool class this year.

I think he is really going to like his class. His lead teacher was a high school advanced science teacher for many years who decided to teach little ones a few years ago. The classroom has a jungle animal theme and they will be doing a dinosaur unit. The curriculum consists of Bible verses, devotions, science experiments, cooking, math, reading, and letters of the alphabet. The teachers are very organized and structured and they expect the students to be responsible and disciplined. He will be attending classes Monday-Friday, 8:45 a.m. until 11:45 a.m. I hope he has a fabulous year because this just all sounds so exciting!!!

Bodock Festival 2009

2009-08-31T20:50:00.005-05:00

August 14, 2009---Rick ran in the Bodock Twilight 5K at the Pontotoc Bodock Festival. We arrived early enough to browse many of the vendor tents and get dinner at Red Rooster before the run started. The Bergerons drove over from Oxford to watch Daddy Rick strut his stuff. Grandmother, AJ, Emily, and Kye met us for dinner. Jackson had no interest in watching the race so I swapped AJ for him. AvaJo was eager to see her Uncle Rick anyway. She had called him twice earlier in the day just to talk.

We watched the beginning of the race just outside of Red Rooster but walked down to the courthouse to wait for the runners to return. AJ picked her spot and watched the runners come in.

There were 348 participants but only 333 finished the race. It is a tough race...heat, steep hills, and starts at 8:00 pm. The last mile of the race is all uphill. Every year there are several people who finish the race and immediately get sick. Rick (in the grey shirt) finished in 27 minutes 10 seconds. It wasn't his best time but it wasn't his worst either. He didn't really train for it either. Next year he'll have a better finish time.

By the end of race Molly was getting tired and a little fussy...

...but so were many others. I just don't have pictures of them. So, we had to say goodbye to the Bergerons for the evening.

We met up with Grandmother, Jackson, Aunt Sherry, Madison, Russell, Trey, Sheryl, Jonah, James, Hannah, a guy friend of Hannah's on the court square where a majority of Pontotoc County had come to watch a bad Elvis impersonator.

There had to have been a couple hundred people on the square...both young and old and everything in between...all waiting for the street dance to begin. A few people even rushed the stage in the hopes of touching the fake Elvis's hand or scarf. It was quite funny.

Even though we were only in Pontotoc for a few hours, it was good to see family and friends we haven't seen in a while, some since we moved 10 months ago. I must admit that I almost teared up a time or two. I miss the quaintness of Pontotoc, our church, and the Wellness Center too. For a town that I vowed to never like, I sure do miss it!!

Monsters of the Deep

2009-08-31T19:51:00.002-05:00

August 12, 2009---For an end of the summer treat, Jackson, Chloe, and I went to the Monsters of the Deep exhibit at the Science Museum in Jackson.

The exhibit had re-creations of both current and prehistoric aquatic animals. And of course Jackson new the proper names of all of them. This was right up his alley!!

The kids enjoyed playing in "The Bone Yard" which had floor puzzles of prehistoric fossils.

Jackson was really good at matching the skull to the correct animal:

They also took advantage of the playroom:

Jackson and Chloe always enjoy seeing the permanent exhibit of native Mississippi animals (alligators, fish, turtles, etc.) but I didn't take pictures this time. The Natural Science Museum will be a place that we visit often. I wonder if they have a family pass?!?

First Day of 1st Grade

2009-08-12T08:53:00.004-05:00

August 12, 2009---Today was Anna Catherine's first day of first grade. She says she wasn't ready to go back to school but she woke up on her own and was quite chipper at 5:50 am. Let's see how long that lasts--hahaha! Since she was up so early we actually had time to paint her toenails before school, her choice of color and style of course.

She was prepared---new backpack, new lunchbox, and new outfit. All of which she picked out. We arrived in time to take a few pictures before the halls were too crazy:

with her teacher, Mrs. Kling:

Two of her friends/classmates from kindergarten are in her room this year so I think seeing familiar faces this morning helped keep her emotions in check. Here's hoping for a wonderful first day in the first grade!

Balloon Animals

2009-08-12T08:39:00.004-05:00

August 11, 2009---We did something tonight that we rarely do...go out to dinner on a weeknight. It was a busy day and we had "Meet the Teacher" night at Anna Catherine's school. I am the Yearbook Design Co-Chair for the PTO this year so I was at the school for two and a half hours between meeting AC's teacher and working the yearbook sales table. There was no time to cook so we decided to go to Beef O'Brady's for dinner. Beef O'Brady's is a family-friendly sports bar. Many of the booths have a private television in which you choose the channel you want. There are also numerous TVs around the restaurant and a big screen on one wall. There is also a small video game area. It happened to be kid's night and they had entertainment for the kids...balloon animals.

Anna Catherine wanted a blue mokey (climbing a tree):

Jackson wanted a brown bear (fishing with a red fish at end of pole):

Chloe opted for a ladybug:

The food was delicious and the kids were entertained....MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!

Surgery Update #2

2009-08-11T13:03:00.000-05:00

August 8, 2009---After one week of healing you can already see that her boo-boo has faded so much and there are some spots that are flesh colored. She is healing so quickly.

And the no-no's are completely gone. She mastered doing things with them on that she never should have been able to do and she could take them off somehow, no matter how tight we made them. So, now she knows that if she touched her boo-boo we will put them back on. She hasn't touched it since.

Surgery Update #1

2009-08-11T12:35:00.001-05:00

August 1, 2009---You can already see it fading one day after her surgery.

We've also made a compromise with the no-no's. She can take the left one off to eat and then she had to put them back on. She seems to be content with them.

Once Upon A Mattress...

2009-08-11T12:24:00.001-05:00

July 31, 2009---When we left Little Rock we took a different route home. We found that it takes almost the same amount of time to get home with we went through Ruston rather than Memphis. We liked this because we really wanted to see Rick's Memaw and other north Louisiana relatives. As luck would have it, Kathy (Rick's aunt) was going to be in town visiting Memaw and Emma (Rick's cousin) was in a play at the community theater that night. We arrived in town just in time ti have dinner with Memaw and Kathy before going over to the Dixie Center for the Arts to see "Once Upon a Mattress".

"Once Upon A Mattress" is a Broadway musical comedy adaptation of the fairy tale "The Princess and the Pea". It was very funny and the kids really enjoyed it. Emma portrayed Priscilla, the Queen's Lady #2. She was in many scenes in which she sang, danced, and had speaking parts. If I'm not mistaken, this was her fourth play to participate in with the Ruston Community Theater. Emma is a very talented young lady. It's hard to believe she will be entering high school this year!

Toni (Emma's mom) had saved us the entire second row. The Crawford family was ready to cheer Emma on!! She is wearing a burgundy dress in some pictures and a burnt orange in others.

with Memaw and Kathy:

The play wasn't over until 10:30 pm and we were too tired to drive home so we got a hotel room for the night and drove home the next morning. It was a quick visit but we will get to see them soon for Carmen's wedding!

***Note: Pictures from the scenes of the play were provided by Emma's mom, Toni***

Chloe's Latest Surgery

2009-08-11T09:53:00.002-05:00

July 31, 2009---Chloe needed another pulse laser treatment so the whole family piled in the van and we drove to Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock for Chloe's 5th hemangioma surgery. This was a very quick treatment so we were able to bring Anna Catherine and Jackson with us. We left our house at 4:30 am so the kids had not had breakfast. Chloe was not allowed to eat or drink milk after midnight but she could have apple juice until 9:00 am. It would have been cruel to get drive-thru breakfast for the older kids. Once we arrived and Chloe was called to pre-op, Rick took the older kids to the cafe while I stayed with Chloe.

Rick and the kids entertained themselves with straws (pictures taken by Rick's phone):

Chloe rarely goes anywhere without her Binky:

She really didn't like the polyester/fleece type scrubs she had to wear but who could blame her? It's 100 degrees and the middle of summer!

She did not like the pulse monitor on her toe:

She did like having full control of the television remote control/speaker:

The nurses gave her lots of stickers for being so cooperative:

Chloe was still a little monkey climbing on her hospital bed:

I told her they would bring her "goofy juice" (a sedative) so she stood at the door with her sippy cup. She was so thirsty! It had been three hours since she had had something to drink.

After the surgery she was very upset. She did not like wearing her no-no's (arm braces to keep her from bending and touching the hemangioma site).

The area has to look worse before it can get better. The entire area turns black from the laser but will fade to purple, then red, then pink, and finally flesh tone. We hope this will be her last pulse laser treatment. She has a follow-up appointment April 5th to see how well she has healed and if further treatment is needed.

Girls' Weekend 2009

2009-08-11T09:25:00.001-05:00

July 23-26, 2009---I miss my friends so much. It's hard living in a new city where I only know a handful of people and close ties have yet to be formed. There's something special about having friends---that bond with people who share your same interests, are there anytime you need them, and love you unconditionally. That's why this weekend was so special for me. I was able to spend it with four of the most important women in my life. Time away from the husbands, kids, significant others, jobs, and our daily lives. Just us girls...

Thursday night the adventure began...Girls' Weekend 2009 in New Orleans. Now, this was not a touristy trip. This was a few days to spend time with my dear friends--Katy, Andrea, Julie, and Carrie. I didn't care where we went or what we did as long as we did it together.

Andrea drove to Carrie's house where they hopped in the minivan and drove to Oxford to pick up Julie. Then they headed further south on I-55 and picked me up around 11:00 pm. We chatted, vented, and laughed until we cried on the drive down to New Orleans. We arrived at Katy's house around 2:00 am and stayed up until 4:00 am talking, laughing, laughing so hard we were crying (this happened time and time again throughout the weekend).

Friday morning we were up and out the door before noon. I would think this is quite an accomplishment for five women. We went downtown for lunch and shopping. We popped in for a quick visit with Ashley at her floral shop--NOLA FLORA on the way. She does amazing arrangements and her shop also carries beautiful art work, gifts, jewelry, and so much more. We continued downtown and were greeted by the Mardi Gras Trees as we drove down St. Charles Avenue. Beads are thrown during the parades and become tangled in the branches. It is something you'll only see in NOLA.

After what was supposed to be a quick lunch at the Market Cafe but took almost two hours, we wandered off to do some shopping at the French Market. There are so many vendors with interesting wares. It was hot and crowded but well worth the sweatiness. It was hard but I didn't spend a dime. Some of the girl's bought some great artwork though.

I thought about buying one of the alligator heads for Jackson--REAL alligator heads. They had sizes from babies to what I might consider a small/medium size gator.

We liked this piece but not it's price tag. We thought it would be rather easy to make if you had access to tin.

It was a hot and muggy day in New Orleans (imagine that!--hahaha) and we were more than happy to pop into Margaritaville for an afternoon cocktail.

Back in River Ridge we went shopping at a cute little shoe place that had a fabulous selection of summer dresses and Volatile shoes. Have I told you how much I love Volatiles??? I have horrible foot pain due to my plantar fasciitis and these shoes ROCK!!! I would have a hundred pair if I could. They are amazing!!!! I just bought two new pair a few days before the trip. Check them out at http://www.volatileusa.com/

Jeff wanted us to meet his fiance so we met up with them (and Jeff's friend Keith) at a local pub called "The Mill" Friday night. We had fun to say the least. It's always an interesting time when we get together with Jeff.

Jeff and Jennie joined us for a midnight breakfast at Dot's Diner. The food was rather tasty, or at least my pancakes and diet coke hit the spot! Once again there was lots of chatting, stories, and laughter. You know, I really don't care where we go as long as we're together. I love these people as if they are my family!

Riley had spent the night with a friend Friday night and attended cheer camp at Rummel High Schol on Saturday morning. We were super excited to get the chance to watch Riley's performance that afternoon. She chanted, cheered, danced, stunted, and tumbled. She is a very talented young lady!

After her performance we dropped Riley off at her grandparents' house for the night. We went shopping at a two-story Target (interesting) and a fabulous shop in Kenner that looked appeared to be a country/western store but had the cutest things hidden away in the back corner---gorgeous jewelry, Volatile shoes, cute dresses, and fabulous home decor. They also offered free draft beer, pina coladas, and margaritas along with a variety of finger foods. We were in heaven!! I did purchase a fleur-de-lis piece for my mantle and a picture frame. There was such cute stuff in this store. We all decided that the word "cute" was definitely overused this weekend while shopping. What can I say? New Orleans has a lot of good shopping opportunities! I will definitely be visiting this store again!!

That night we went out for a casual dinner and drinks and then went back to Katy's to lounge by pool. Although no one actually got in the pool, we had a blast sitting on the patio laughing, talking, and catching up. These ladies are my very dear friends and words can't describe how much love and admiration I have for them. They are my GIRLS and nothing can ever change that!!

Sunday morning we rolled out of bed, packed up the van, and headed north on I-55. It was sad saying goodbye to Katy, Riley, and their house. Their house sold and they moved to Baton Rouge the following Friday. Oh, we'll still see them just as often, hopefully more often. They'll be up for a football game or two and we would like to go down to LSU to watch a college gymnastics meet. Rick also has family in Baton Rouge so I'm thinking will be visiting the area more since it is only a 2-3 hour drive now.

We all still chat through facebook, e-mail, and the occasional phone call. We'll see each other in the Grove, at birthday parties, and playdates. I LOVE MY GIRLS and am so looking forward to "Girls' Weekend 2010" in Sandestin!!! Get ready girls!!!!!

***Note: Some pictures were supplied by Carrie and Julie***

Anna Catherine's new glasses

2009-08-11T00:59:00.000-05:00

July 21, 2009---The kids' had their yearly eye exam and it was found that AC is farsighted and has astigmatism. She only has to wear her glasses when she is focusing (books, schoolwork, computer, television, art work, etc.), essentially all the time except when she is playing outside. She likes them and doesn't make a big deal about wearing them. Isn't she adorable?!?!? And she looks even more like her daddy with them on...like that's possible!

with her bff, Marie:

Chloe's First Concert

2009-08-11T00:50:00.000-05:00

July 17, 2009---We took Chloe to see one of favorite bands, Better Than Ezra, who were playing at Snowden Grove Park in Southaven. (The older two were at grandmother's house.) We arrived in Southaven a little early so we could get Chloe an outfit before the show. It was outdoors and I know how mosquitoes are attracted to her. She needed something to cover her legs. Note that she picked out the entire outfit including the shoes on her on! She also had to put on make-up on the way to the restaurant. She loves to primp. Boy, are we going to be in trouble in ten years!!

We had dinner with Brady and Heather before walking over to the amphitheater. The food was okay but just getting to see them and talk to them was the main thing. I miss my friends so much.

We met up with Andrea and several of her friends at the amphitheater. There was one summer that Andrea and I became BTE junkies and traveled anywhere they were playing within a three hour radius. Good times, good times!!

Heather brought bubbles to entertain Chloe during the opening bands:

Chloe dancing with Heather:

And now for the band we drove almost 3 hours to see...BETTER THAN EZRA!!!!

I have been a groupie for 15 years, since the first time I saw them---4th of July weekend 1994 in a whole in the wall bar in Slidell, Louisiana. I fell in love with this band immediately...their sound, their style, Kevin's voice, Kevin's curly, floppy hair, Kevin's personality, the way Kevin dances, just Kevin in general...AAHHHHH!!!

They played several songs off their new album, Paper Empire, which Rick bought me an autographed copy for my birthday this year (he is the greatest husband!!). They also played many of the old favorites...King of New Orleans, Good, Extra Ordinary, Porcelain, Misunderstood, and the list goes on and on and on (can you tell this is my favorite band???).

Rick likes their music but he only goes to the live shows because he knows how much I love them. Chloe really enjoyed herself too. She danced and clapped and was very happy throughout the night.

When the show was over, Chloe looked at me and said, "Him dances silly." She liked watching Kevin too :)

The band was greeting fans after the show but the line was too long for us to wait around (I would have waited--Rick wouldn't. But I can't blame him. It had been a loooooong day. We were all tired. Chloe fell asleep before we got off Church Road. She had a fantastic time but was completely exhausted!

I see more concerts in her future...

A Day with the Jordans

2009-08-11T00:21:00.000-05:00

July 8, 2009---The kids and I took a road trip to Memphis to spend the day with our friends, the Jordans. We met up with them at the Children's Museum so the little ones could expend some energy. They played hard for three hours.

AC working the hot air balloon:

fishing in the Mississippi River model (Jackson's favorite activity there):

building with V in the construction area:

Mommy Jordan reading a book to GL and C.

Anna Catherine and Jackson shopping in the Kroger model:

Afterwards we went to Baskin Robbins for an afternoon treat before our three hour drive home.

Doesn't it look like C and AC are on a date? So cute!!!

Even prehistoric beasts like chocolate ice cream (notice Jackson's animals on the table):

It was a fun day. I wish we didn't live so far so we could do this more often!

Fourth of July Weekend

2009-08-11T00:11:00.000-05:00

July 3-6, 2009--- Friday morning we had a treat at the Crawford house---Rick took the day off work. This doesn't happen very often and we were excited to have some extra time with him. Mimi was coming in town that morning and he wanted to go with us to pick her up at the airport. We woke up bright and early so we could get haircuts before picking up Mimi. Anna Catherine opted for a new "do" because she wants her bangs to grow out. She got a short, choppy cut that she says makes her look like a "movie star".

Chloe mad because we wouldn't let her play on the luggage conveyor belt:

Chloe enjoyed riding on Mimi's suitcase:

Everyone was famished so we took Mimi to one of our favorite restaurants on the reservoir called Cock of the Walk. I'll blog about it another time. For now, I'll just say that the food is wonderful and the kids enjoy feeding the ducks our leftovers.

Afterwards, Rick, Mimi, AC, and Jackson went to the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson to see the "Raoul Dufy: A Celebration of Beauty" exhibit and "Eudora Welty in New York" photographs. Sorry but I do not have any pictures from their outing. We spent the evening hanging out at home because we had a busy 4th of July planned.

Saturday morning we all piled in the car and drove south to spend the holiday with Aunt Kathy, Uncle Don, Heather, Andre, Jack, and Wes in Zachary (hate we missed Presly, Briley, and Cullen). The kids had their movies while the adults listened to a hilarious book on CD (I wish I could remember the name of it. I'll post about it when I get the title and author).

The family was waiting on us with tons of hugs and kisses when we arrived in Tiger Country. We ate a delicious lunch that Uncle Don had grilled, chatted for a few minutes, and then it was time to relax at the pool.

Andre trying to convince/conceive Jack into swimming.

Rick tossing AC in the air. He had to do this to each child multiple times during the three hours spent in the pool. His arms were very sore afterwards.

Chloe LOVED the diving board.

It was so nice to visit with some of our Louisiana family. I know Mimi enjoyed getting to see them as well. It was a quick visit but we get to see them in a few weeks at Carmen's wedding (YEA!).

We decided to take the opportunity Sunday afternoon to catch a movie at the local theater. Mimi took Anna Catherine to see "Bolt" the last time she visited and they wanted to see "UP" during this business. Jackson had been asking to see "Ice Age 3-D: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" so he and I took this theater opportunity to see it. This was his first theater experience and I was insure of how he would handle being in a dark room unable to talk, play, or walk around. We stocked up on popcorn, m-n-m's and diet coke at the concession stand. They had booster seats for the little ones which was handy. He wore his 3-D glasses the entire time and was well-behaved.

As you can see from the photos, he absolutely loved it!! (NOTE: These were taken while the credits were rolling and most people had left the theater.) We didn't leave from our seats until the credits were over, the lights were on, and the cleaning crew were prepping for the next showing. We plan to go back to see "Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs" and "Where the Wild Things Are".

That night the neighborhood kids had leftover fireworks and we were invited to play with sparklers, snap-n-pops, and bottle rockets. Our kids have always been afraid of fireworks and loud noises in general so we were unsure of what their participation level would be. Jackson and Chloe were excited but Anna Catherine wasn't as eager. Jackson actually held a sparkler! This is a big thing for him. Chloe has no fears so she was happy to get her hands on anything available. Anna Catherine opted to stay in the house with Mimi for most of the festivities. She did come as far as the front walk and watch for a short time but then went right back inside.

All good things must come to an end. Mimi went home Monday afternoon and we can't wait for her to come for another visit.

Frogs and Tadpoles

2009-06-27T11:28:00.008-05:00

Back in March when we found this fella next to our koi pond, we thought it was kind of cool that we had a frog.

Then, he started to "ribbit' at night.

It's not really a "ribbit" sound but believe me, he loves to make his sound.

By the end of April/first of May we began hearing another frog. Oh great, he has a friend!!

And they like to have croaking contests every night.

Well, apparently while we were on vacation at the end of May the frogs decided to throw a house party and their guests have decided to take up permanent residence. Since returning home from our trip we can now hear several different distinct frog sounds and think there are 4-6 adult frogs based on all the different locations we can hear them simultaneously. They put on a concert every night from 9 pm until 4 am.!!

And to top it all off, they have decided to mate and our koi pond is filled with zillions of tadpoles. SERIOUSLY!!!

Rick scooped out many of them and tossed them into the yard last week, hoping they would die in the 1oo+ degree heat. He also thought it would be a good idea to put some of the tadpoles in a bowl for Jackson to keep as pets!

Then Rick found this old fish bowl and decided to give them a bigger home.

What are we going to do with these things?

Carrie--your kids like frogs. Do you want them?

We can keep you in a constant supply of tadpoles!!

I am so scared that Chloe is going to get to the fish bowl and do who knows what with them!?!

We shall see...

Chloe's So Funny (1)

2009-06-26T21:54:00.004-05:00

My mom was in town for two days this week. One day she had on an Ole Miss shirt. Without being prompted, Chloe looked at her and said with excitement, "Grandmother--Hotty Toddy! Let's Party!" Chloe cracks me up!!!

Heatwave Triathlon 2009

2009-06-26T21:48:00.001-05:00

June 6, 2009---Rick competed in the Heatwave Triathlon held in Ridgeland, MS. This was his first race of the year. We were excited that PaPa Gator was able to be in town for the event. It was a quick trip for him--arrived on Thursday and left Saturday at lunch---but any time we are able to spend with family is very special!!

Just before the starting horn blew (Rick is out there somewhere):

The first heat is swimming in the background(Rick is in this group---it looks like a wave) and the second heat is standing in the foreground waiting for their start:

Coming out of his 1/2 mile swim in the Ross Barnett Reservoir with a time of 16 minutes 51 seconds:

Waving to all of his adoring fans:

Headed out for his 24 1/2 mile bike ride along the Natchez Trace Parkway:

His bike time was 1 hour 20 minutes:

He somehow still had plenty of energy for his run (and AC is waiting on her Hi-5):

killing time while Dad is on his 10K run along the Multi-Use Trail through Ridgeland:

finishing his run in 57 minutes 34 seconds:

We are so very proud of Rick and his racing accomplishments! Go Daddy Go!!!

Boomerang Express

2009-06-26T20:27:00.000-05:00

June 1-5, 2009---Our church held VBS and the theme this year was "Boomerang Express...It all comes back to Jesus!" Throughout the week the kids were taught the story of Peter. I was an assistant teacher in one of the kindergarten classes and Anna Catherine was in my class. It was a busy week and I think the children had a good time.

at Worship Rally:

art work:

learning the motions in music:

Jackson at snack:

learning about Aid Sudan:

Jackson slept through the VBS program:

Family Vacation Part 4--More Waterparks and Dells Tour

2009-06-26T13:03:00.017-05:00

May 22-31, 2009---We spent Thursday (05/28) and Friday (05/29) at a few of the other waterparks at the resort.

Cubby's Corner--children's area and a pool with a ropes course and basketball goals:

The infinity pool and kid's area:

The Lost World--outdoor waterpark featuring a lazy river, two pools, four big water slides, and a kiddie area w/splash bucket:

The New Frontier---very small outdoor waterpark with a kiddie area, pool, and two big water slides:

The Wild Water Dome---an indoor glass dome which allows for a possible 365 days of sunbathing; a large wave pool, one kiddie area, and one water slide:

Rick and Chloe coming off the waterslide:

We checked out of the resort on Saturday (05/30) and went into the town of Wisconsin Dells to walk around the shops, have lunch, and take a boat tour of the Upper Dells.

We chose to take the Upper Dells boat tour which took us on a two hour tour along the Wisconsin River. The kids loved sitting on the top level of the boat. We learned much of the history of the area and saw such "scenic wonders" as Blackbeard's Head, Sunset Cliff, Chimney Rock, Witches Gulch, and Stand Rock, along with many more.

Chloe snoozing on the river:

Jackson walking through "Witches Gulch":

Rick's "Survivorman" picture:

This photograph put Wisconsin Dells on the map. It was taken in 1886 and was the first action photograph taken that was clear and not blurry. It took place at "Stand Rock".

This is "Stand Rock". People are not allowed to go to the top. However, there are two German Shepherds that are trained to jump from one rock to the other. If you look closely you can see one of the dogs jumping from the rock on the right onto the rock on the left.

We opted to sit on the bottom level of the boat for the ride back to the dock. It was too wet and windy on the top deck.

We left Wisconsin, stopping in St. Louis for sleep, toured the remainder of the zoo on Sunday morning, and arrived home at 9:30 pm. Vacation was fun but we were so happy to be home!

Family Vacation 2009 Part 3---Kalahari

2009-06-26T12:26:00.003-05:00

May 22-31, 2009---It was quite cool and dreary on Wednesday (05/21). We decided to go to Kalahari, the largest indoor waterpark in the Wisconsin. http://www.kalahariresorts.com/wi/ It was really nice. We somehow found something to do for 7 hours!! There were four separate children's areas, a lazy river, eight big water slides, surfing/body surfing, and a pool area with a ropes course and basketball. Sorry of the quality of some pictures. They were taken with a disposable water camera.

Anna Catherine and Jackson went down this slide by themselves at least a dozen times!

Rick body surfing:

Jackson floating in the wave pool:

in the raft before going down the slide:

Chloe exhausted herself on the little slides:

Afterwards, we stopped at the candy shop in the lobby of the resort and treated ourselves to some delicious chocolates.

Family Vacation 2009 Part 2--Waterparks, Arcade, and Playland

2009-06-26T11:25:00.003-05:00

May 22-31, 2009---The resort we stayed at, The Wilderness Territory, is fantastic for families. We can walk indoors to four indoor waterparks, four outdoor water parks, two putt putt courses, two arcades, a four-story 30,000 square foot playland, shops, etc all within the resort. None of the waterparks are large but it is nice to have variety and have them spread out over the campus (cuts down on the long lines). We were a little tired from the day before, so we got up slowly on Sunday (05/24), got some breakfast, went to the grocery store, had lunch and took a nap. After the nap, we tried two of the four indoor water parks on the campus.

We tried Klondike Kavern first--lazy river, kiddie area w/splash bucket, three big waterslides, hot tub, and two indoor/outdoor pools with basketball goals:

The second indoor water park we tried was Wild Wild West---kiddie area w/splash bucket, indoor/outdoor hot tub, and three big water slides.

The parks stay open until 10 pm, but we quit at 7:30 pm so we could come back, shower and eat dinner. The kids went to bed without any objections!

On Monday (05/25) we took a break from the waterparks and opted to do some of the other activities at the resort. First, we had a "15 minute" timeshare discussion with Wyndham. That lasted from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm with a 1 1/2 hour break in between. But, we did get $50 of arcade tokens for the hassle. The kids cashed the game room tokens in at a game room that was about the size of a Chuck E. Cheese place. It was pretty cool, but they are a little too young for most of it. In the end, we played games until the $50 ran out, which actually took about two hours. The kids had enough tickets to cash in and get candy, prizes and other "valuable" trinkets.

We also did the 3D, black light, Putt Putt game that is played around an aquarium area. The Putt Putt was challenging because all the obstacles were glowing and floating in space. The hole appeared to glow and move as you moved. It was a very unique Putt Putt game.

After all that, we came back and napped. After naps and dinner, We explored the Timberland Playland. We were there for two hours and it was AWESOME. Think of a four story circular maze that combines a McDonalds play gym with a ball pit and American Gladiators For Kids on steroids. The maze was circular and you went up rope ladders, slides, climbing walls, etc. on the sides to get between floors. Some of the corridors had barriers you had to climb between/over/under. On each floor, there were pneumatic guns that you loaded with foam balls. The balls were able to be shot from floor to floor and you had a three story war with everyone else. There were guns, sling shots and other devices to use as weapons. Those players on the ground floor had other devices that could launch 30 balls in all directions to all floors. There were other devices that would vacuum the balls off the ground and send them to various floors. It was amazing. There were as many parents as kids playing. We will definitely be going back. The pneumatic guns would fire the balls at a pretty quick pace, but they didn't hurt when they hit you. You could also hide behind walls and columns to avoid direct hits. There was also a toddler area for the wee ones. Two hours went by pretty quickly. We came back to the play area three or four times over the week.

Family Vacation 2009 Part 1---St. Louis

2009-06-23T07:22:00.002-05:00

May 22-31, 2009---***Disclaimer: I took 710 photographs while on vacation and edited those down to 453. You will be subjected to only a "few" of them.***

We Crawfords love our yearly vacations and try to choose new and interesting places to go each year. After seeing "The Waterpark Capital of the World" mentioned on several Travel Channel shows we decided that this would be our choice for 2009. You may be asking yourself "Where is this place they have chosen"? WISCONSIN DELLS, WISCONSIN!!! I'm sure you thought it would be somewhere warm and sunny. We enjoy going to waterparks and wanted to see what was so special about The Dells. Rather than driving the 14-hour trip in one day, we opted to split it up and spend the night in St. Louis. We've heard St. Louis is a fun kid-friendly city.

On Friday (05/22) we loaded up the van and left our house bright and early so that we would be passing through Sikeston, MO around lunch time. I have always wanted to eat at Lambert's Restaurant. The original is located in Sikeston and we had to pass through there to get to Saint Louis.

We had to wait in line to get in but apparently there is a line any time you go...and the food is well worth the wait. The kids were really excited every time the roll guy came around our section. Jackson even caught a roll! Unfortunately, I do not have a picture of the rolls flying. The interior is decorated with many antiques. One interesting group of items were the old license plates on the back wall. Some were turned to spell the words "HOT ROLLS":

We pulled into St. Louis at 3:30 pm and immediately went to the Arch. According to their website the tour takes approximately one hour and they were open until 5:30 pm. Plenty of time, right? WRONG!!! Just outside the parking garage was a ticket window. When we told the man we wanted to purchase tickets he told us there were no more tours available for the day. BUMMER!! How in the world could they not be allowing anyone else up for the day??? So, we decided to go to the museum under the Arch. We had to walk through a beautiful tree-filled park to get to the Arch---very peaceful and serene along the banks of the Mississippi River. As we got closer to the entry door we began to understand the reason for no more ticket sales that day. We had to stand in line to go through security (same as airport security--checking purses/bags, baskets & conveyor belts for items in your pockets, walking through metal detectors, etc.). Then we walked down a ramp that led to the "Grand Central Station" of the Arch. This main corridor held the two entrances to go up into the arch, the restrooms, the main ticket office, a gift shop, general store, two movie theaters (movies about the history of the Arch), museum, and information desk. There were hundreds of people everywhere. We opted for the museum which was very interesting and bought tickets in advance to go to the top of the Arch for the next day. Afterwards, we went to a hotel, ordered pizza, and rested for the big plans we had made for Saturday.

Saturday morning we got up early, as always. and went to the St. Louis Zoo at 8:30 am. The St. Louis zoo is a great zoo. The coolest was the Peguin and Puffin exhibit. There was nothing between you and the animals. Once I thought a penguin was going to peck Chloe's head. We were splashed by water when they jumped from the rocks into the water. The hippos were fun too. I've posted a few other picks of our favorite animals.

Don't you just LOVE his expression! I wonder what he was thinking?!?

We spent five hours at the zoo on Saturday. Many people would think that five hours is plenty of time to walk around a zoo...well, not the St. Louis Zoo. We saw about half of the zoo during that time. The zoo is free, except some of the special things. We did all the specials on Saturday (Carousel, Children's Zoo, Train, 3D Dinosaur interactive movie). We stopped in St. Louis on our drive home and spent Sunday (05/31) touring the remaning sections of the zoo. We loved it!!

Waiting for Jackson's favorite part to start---the 3-D Dinosaur Adventure movie. He cried at the end...not because he was scared but because 1) the movie was over and 2) there was a picture of a diplodocus on the movie poster but there wasn't one in the movie. Only Jackson would pay attention that that sort of detail!!

We had to leave the zoo at 1:30 to get to the Arch by 3:00. It was only a 10-15 minute van ride but we had to allow time to park in the paring garage, walk to the Arch, and stand in the enormous line for security. Then we stood in line for an hour to get in an elevator to go to the top. There are eight elevators at both the norht and south entrances to the Arch. Each elevator is a tiny egg shaped compartment which holds five people (imagine the egg form "Mork & Mindy"--seriously!). We were cramped in ours and we had three small children. We saw five guys in their late teens/early twenties get out of one. It was like a clown car. Anyway, all eight elevators leave at the same time--every 10 minutes. I would never have imagined that so many people would go to the top of the arch every day. Most of the tours for Saturday were sold out too. Crazy!!

As you saw in the above picture, Jackson was not a big fan of the trip to the top. He started telling us on Friday that he was not going to the top, again in the security line on Saturday, and all the way to the top. Our egg was quite claustrophobic and he was in tears the entire way to the top. I tried to breathe slowly and reaaure him, all while I am trying my best not to have a panic attack myself. Once we made the four-minute ride to the top (630 feet), we exited the elevator and climbed several stairs to get to the viewing windows. The top was also very claustrophobic. So many people crammed into such a tiny space. Even though 80 people arrived every ten minutes, you were allowed to stay at the top for as long as you wanted. We were shoulder to shoulder with people, I was extremely nauseated, and Jackson was still in full panic mode so we stayed for only a few minutes.

The Arch is an amazing engineering feat. It is the same width across as it is tall. You can feel it sway at the top on windy days, or so the guide said. You could see the Cardinals' stadium from the top as well as much of the St. Louis skyline. We were told that you can see for 50 miles on a clear day. The Mississippi River was flooding, so that was amazing to see from the top.

We left the Arch around 4:30 pm and headed north. We stopped at a Dairy Queen for dinner somewhere in the middle of BFE Illinois to celebrate my 35th birthday. It was the only exit for almost 70 miles with food and our only options were Dairy Queen or McDonald's. I didn't care where we ate dinner as long as we were together. I love my family!! We made it into the Dells at 12:30 pm, exhausted, and in much need of sleep.

Nicole's Visit and Baseball

2009-05-21T11:20:00.000-05:00

May 14-16, 2009---We were excited when Nicole called to ask if she and her boyfriend, Ben, could stay with us for the weekend. Their high school baseball team was competing in the championships that were being played in Jackson. Of course we said YES and prepared for their coming.

It was so good to see Nicole. I haven't seen her in two months!! I miss her so much. She is growing up way to fast (as I have blogged about many, many times). This was our first time meeting Ben even though they have dated for 1.5-2 years. And yes, we did live near her for over a year of this time period and she still never brought him over for me to approve!! But, that's another story...

She and Ben arrived on Thursday with just enough time to drop off their bags before heading to the Mississippi Braves stadium for game one of the high school class 3A baseball championships. The winner is the team who wins 2 out of 3 games in the series. I had Pokeno that night and Rick stayed home with the kids. Nicole texted me with updates and South lost 10-4.

We had a lazy Friday at the house. Rick had work, Anna Catherine had school, and the kids and I hung out with our guests (plus one--one of Ben's friends also spent the night on Thursday). While Chloe was napping the teens took Jackson to the neighborhood pool. They seemed to have had fun. Then it was time for AC to be picked up from school and the teens met up with some of their friends who were also in town for the game. Friday night we grilled and just lounged around. It was nice.

On Saturday, Anna Catherine, Jackson, and I went to the second game in the championship series. We sat with Nicole, Ben, and 30 other SPH students. The students got into the game, beating our rhythms using drums and tapping sticks on the seat backs while they chanted. They had about 6-8 different chants...very impressive!! It was quite entertaining. Wish I had a video :(

Unfortunately, the Cougars just couldn't keep up with the Bobcats and lost 11-1. Granted, Sumrall scored all of their runs in just two innings, South was not able to compete with the champs, Sumrall High School Bobcats, who ended the season 36-0.

South team members receiving individual runners-up medals:

South receiving the 2nd place trophy:

It was quite an accomplishment to get to the final game in the class 3A series and we are proud of the South Pontotoc Cougars!!!

Swim Lessons

2009-05-21T09:37:00.001-05:00

Anna Catherine and Jackson took swim lessons from Maley Swim School the first two weeks of May. We wanted the kids to have some lessons before we go on vacation. Not that I expect them to be advanced swimmers in two weeks but I do want them to be comfortable in the water and to be able to get to the side if there were some sort of accident. In hindsight, I wish I had enrolled them for the weekly spring session. I know that many people who give lessons have to wait until summer because they use their own outdoor pools. But, if you think about it, why wait until summer to give swimming lessons? What good does it do to give lessons during the swim season? That would be like sports teams not having practice until the season has already started. How can the person improve their skills if there is no practice during the off-season? Ideally, I think children should learn to swim during the fall/winter so they are ready to swim in the summer. Enough of my ramble...

Jackson is afraid of water...at times. He screams bloody murder when you get his head wet in the bath tub. He also loves to play in the rain and will stand under the downspout for long periods of time. This makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever!!! How can you hate water one minute and love it the next?!? Only Jackson could be capable of this. We enrolled him in the beginner class. He was freaked out and held onto Miss Jessica for the first week. He was terribly afraid to put his face in the water and he would barely kick his legs. Eventually, the teachers would let go of him and let him sink to the bottom of the pool. They would swoop him back up to the surface and let him regain his composure. Poor fella. He was the worst student in his class. I am hoping he will get more comfortable in the water this summer. We have a pool in our subdivision that we plan to use a few times a week.

Even though Anna Catherine has taken private lessons in previous years and absolutely LOVES the water, we enrolled her in the same beginner's class with Jackson to refresh her memory. By the end of the two weeks she was able to swim the width of the pool without taking a breath and she swam the length of the pool while only needing to take a few breaths. She was also able to roll from her stomach to her back while swimming. Not to brag, but she was the BEST in the class. The other mothers said the same thing.

Anna Catherine is eager to learn the different strokes and would like to be on a competitive swim team. We will enroll her in the next level for the fall session. We will also be enrolling Jackson and Chloe for the fall session. Jackson will remain in the beginner class and Chloe will be in the waterbabies class.

From cast to brace

2009-05-21T08:26:00.002-05:00

I am several weeks late posting this update on AC's arm. Sorry! Things have been hectic (as usual). On May 4 the doctor removed the waterproof cast. We were excited because swim lessons started that day and we have vacation coming at the end of the month.

Her arm was a little discolored and had some bruising and blisters.

We were surprised when the doctor came in and told us Anna Catherine would have to wear this brace for a month.

It will take her arm another month to completely heal. He had never mentioned this while discussing his plan of action for her arm. If he had, I would have insisted on keeping the waterproof cast on until we return from vacation. The brace can not get wet. Luckily it is removable so she takes it off when washing her hands, before bath time, and when we go swimming. The doctor said to be careful not to bang it, slip at the pool, limit athletic activities, etc. WHY!?! WHY didn't he leave the waterproof cast on her arm? He knew about the swim lessons and our vacation. It would have been so much easier to have kept the waterproof cast. I am so afraid she is going to hit her arm on the side of a waterslide/waterpark ride, slip at the pool, fall while running/playing, etc. It would have eased my mind to have kept the waterproof cast on for another month. It was hard and indestructible and made me feel safe. Oh well, there's nothing I can do now except hope and pray that she does not have an accident and re-injure herself.

Nicole's Prom

2009-05-19T07:49:00.003-05:00

Nicole's prom was in mid-April but I am just now posting some casual pictures from it. The professional ones have not come in yet. Prom was held in the Johnson Commons Ballroom on the Ole Miss campus. She said it was a lot of fun. Isn't my baby beautiful?!? She is just growing up way too fast!!! She should still be a little girl, but she'll be 17 on her birthday. Where does the time go???

with her boyfriend Ben:

She has the most beautiful eyes!!!

Hungry Squirrel

2009-05-03T17:25:00.004-05:00

We put a simple wooden bird feeder in our back yard. We thought it had been hung so that the birds could easily eat without the squirrels getting their food or scaring them away. Well, we don't know how many times the squirrels have attempted to get to said feeder but today one of them was successful. Rick watched as he climbed onto the grill and then jumped onto the top of the bird feeder.

He would then lean over the side scooping food out of the feeder. He also tossed food down to the ground where four more squirrels sat waiting for the seeds:

Then it would hang there and eat before curling up for another helping. Can you imagine the abs on this squirrel? He did crunches for a good five minutes while we watched him eat. I can't imagine having that kind of core strength.

Fondue Anyone?

2009-05-03T17:06:00.004-05:00

Rick and I registered for a fondue set when we got married. We had eaten at The Melting Pot and loved it, so we thought, 'We can do that at home'. We've only used it twice in the almost eight years that we've been married. It is a fun concept but it's just not as easy to do it at home with one little pot. Well, Rick decided he wanted to use it this weekend and of course I did not object when we opted to have chocolate fondue for dessert!!! We gave the kids the option of marshmallows, strawberries, and graham crackers as dippers.

AC liked crushing her graham crackers and rolling her chocolate covered marshmallow in the crumbs---I guess you could call it a form of s'mores...

Chloe couldn't decide if she wanted to use her fondue fork or her hands:

Either way, she was covered in chocolate by the end of the night:

Jackson tried two chocolate covered marshmallows before he declared that he would prefer a plain marshmallow. How could you NOT want chocolate?!?!?! We loves both marshmallows and chocolate. I guess the combination wasn't appealing to him.

I believe the fondue set will get much more use now that the kids are aware that it exists!

Kindergarten Field Day

2009-05-01T10:00:00.005-05:00

April 30, 2009---The American Lung Association sponsored field day at MAE. There were eight games during the field day activities---egg on a spoon race, dizzy bat race, bean bag toss, sack race, hula hoop race, animal sprint relay race, and sea animal riding relay race. Each of the eight kindergarten classes split into two teams and competed against the other classes.

AC and her peeps:

I worked the sea animal race. It was an easy game---There were two pool noodles, one with a dolphin puppet head and the other with a sea horse puppet head. Each team member had to put the noodle between their legs and ride it to the end of the course, around a cone, and back to their class where they handed off the animal to the next person in line. It was an easy game to monitor and still watch Chloe. Due to me working the race, I do not have pictures from the other events.

At the end of field day, the eight kindergarten classes competed in a "tug-of-war tournament". There were brackets and each class was eliminated after one loss. AC did not participate because of her arm. Her class lost in the first round.

Afterwards, I checked AC out of school and the girls enjoyed lunch at Chick-fil-a before picking up Jackson at preschool. It was a good day :)

Zoo Field Trip

2009-05-01T08:16:00.007-05:00

April 25, 2009---The MAE kindergarten classes enjoyed a field trip today to the Jackson Zoo. The babies and I went along as chaperones. We had 12 parents from AC's class there so each had their own child plus one more. I had my three plus Anna Catherine's best friend, Marie. It was nice to only have to be responsible for a few children because the zoo was extremely crowded that day. Apparently Rankin County kindergarten classes and West Lauderdale kindergarten classes had the same plan, thus there were several hundred kids running wild. I felt sorry for the "regular folks" who just decided to take advantage of the nice weather and visit the zoo that morning!

This was our first visit to the Jackson Zoo. It's okay, but I'm used to the Memphis Zoo. I know that the Memphis Zoo has come a long way since I was a kid. All of their new and updated exhibits are magnificent and I really enjoy going there when we're in the Memphis area. I would have to say that the Jackson Zoo is still at the level the Memphis Zoo was about 25-30 years ago. I would say that 40% of the zoos cages/animal areas were empty. But the kids didn't care! They were just excited to see the animals. I am only posting a few animal pictures...

The Zoo has been boasting about "Penguin Plunge", their new penguin exhibit. We paid an additional $2 per person to see them. This is what we saw...

that's all there was---COMPLETE RIP-OFF!!!!! There were five penguins in a tank that was the size of the built-ins in my den. This thing was tiny and smelled horribly. The children weren't impressed at all. And of course, the only way to get out of the exhibit was to go through the new Penguin Gift Shop. We didn't purchase anything, even though Jackson saw several things he just had to have!

The girls enjoyed walking Chloe around on her monkey leash. This was the first time we've ever used a leash with any of our children (although we should have!). Chloe loves to run away from us and there was no way I was going to let her get away from me at the zoo! Oddly enough, she really likes it. She even wears it around the house.

We stopped to "rest" in one of the play areas:

Chloe liked the "crock-a-gator" (as she calls them):

The BFFs enjoyed picking and eating honeysuckle, which was abundant throughout the zoo:

We were allowed just under two hours to tour the zoo and then we joined the rest of her class for a picnic lunch in the park across from the zoo entrance. All of the kids were worn out. They ate as if they hadn't eaten in days (in their defense, it was almost an hour and a half past their normal lunch time). I checked AC out and took my kids for a ride on the train that has a short route through the park. We then hiked a good half mile to the van, loaded up, and headed home. Chloe and Jackson were asleep before we got back on the interstate. Once we got home, the little kids continued their naps while Anna Catherine and I hunkered down on the couch and watched the movie "Annie".

Even though the Jackson Zoo is not very impressive I bought a year-long family pass. Why you might ask? Because a family pass was cheaper than us paying for two visits and you know that we will be going back several times. Also, having a zoo membership allows you free or discounted rates to over 150 zoos in North America that take part in the Zoo and Aquarium Reciprocal program---which includes the Memphis Zoo, the St. Louis Zoo (which we are going to in three weeks), the Henry Vilas Zoo (in Madison, Wisconsin--which we are also going to in three weeks), and many others that we can easily make day trips to in the South. I am thinking we will definitely get our money's worth from this pass!

Poor Chloe

2009-04-24T11:22:00.009-05:00

Poor Chloe! She went outside to play Wednesday and came in with so many mosquito bites. She says she itches and hurts. I even caught her using a washcloth to rub/scratch them this morning. Anna Catherine has allergic reactions to mosquito bites so I keep mosquito wipes to put on the kids before they go outside. I haven't used them yet this year but I will definitely start now. Chloe seems to be allergic to as well.

There are several bites on her neck under her hair that I couldn't get a picture of them. I am giving her benadryl and put Cortisone-10 on the bites. Cortisone-10 is a roll-on anti-itch liquid. Has anyone ever used this medicine? This is my first time to try it but I thought the roll-on would be easier to use than a cream or lotion.

And to top it off, Chloe was running last night and fell on the sidewalk. Both of her little knees are all scraped up. She already has too many scars from all of her boo-boos.

Poor Chloe! She has such sensitive skin...just like her mama.

Cast #3

2009-04-22T08:48:00.004-05:00

April 17, 2009---Anna Catherine had a great check-up at the ortho today. Her arm is healing nicely so they removed the blue above-the-elbow cast. Anna Catherine said it tickled. When they removed her cast, her arm was a yellow-green hue and smelled terrible. We eagerly washed her arm with soap and water but it still had an odor. She said her arm was itchy and I meant to put lotion on it before Dr. Robbins but cast#3 on but I forgot. Hope the itching isn't too bad :)

It was replaced with a below-the-elbow waterproof cast. Dr. Robbins needed an extra set of hands and AC was happy to help.

This time AC opted for a glow-in-the-dark cast. It appears to be a yellowy white but glows a green color in the dark. Did I mention the cast is waterproof too?!?!?! She can take showers on her own and not worry about it. So awesome!!!!!!

After her doctor's appointment we drove to Pontotoc so the kids could stay at Grandmother's house while Rick and I had a kid-free weekend with friends in Oxford. The kids went to a cousin's birthday party on Saturday and AC was able to have this cast signed by family members.

Hopefully she'll only have to wear this one for two weeks.

Good Night Chloe

2009-04-13T11:02:00.005-05:00

These pictures are the way Chloe's room looks when she goes to bed:

This is what happens when she's not sleepy and takes out revenge for putting her behind the gate. Seriously, one night's wrath:

Easter 2009

2009-04-13T10:55:00.000-05:00

April 12, 2009---Easter morning in the Crawford house started out very quiet. The kids were still exhausted from the crawfish boil and had decided to sleep in. Time didn't allow for snoozing so Rick and I woke them up (that always puts them in a terrible mood) so they could see their baskets, hunt eggs, eat breakfast, and get ready for church. We had to start moving quickly!!

AC was thrilled with her Operation SpongeBob game, several headbands, erasers, a monkey journal, and a chocolate bunny.

Jackson was almost in tears because he was so happy with his bounty of goodies from the Easter Bunny---a new BBC movie "Walking With Prehistoric Beasts", three new dino/prehistoric animals (wooly mammoth, andrewsarchus, and smilodon), several jungle animals, and a chocolate bunny.

Chloe's basket had a chocolate bunny, the Elefun game, and a purse filled with pretend make-up and nail polish, sunglasses, a cell phone, etc.

Hunting for eggs that the Easter Bunny hid in the house:

Remembering that the eggs she had found yesterday had candy in them, Chloe started opening eggs and got into the chocolate early. Luckily she hadn't gotten dressed yet!:

all dressed up for church:

Jackson couldn't have his picture taken or go to church without his new andrewsarchus (prehistoric animal in his hand):

not sure why they decided to tilt their heads:

After church we had a lazy Sunday---lunch, naps, played the new games, watched the new movie, and dinner....such a nice day....

Crawfish Boil

2009-04-13T10:43:00.000-05:00

April 11, 2009---Rick had been in the moods for mudbugs earlier this week. Being a Louisiana boy, I know he misses the scrumptious Cajun cooking he was so used to growing up. To try to ease his cravings (and give me a night off in the kitchen) we went to a local restaurant on Thursday night for crawfish, shrimp, potatoes, and corn. It was divine!!! Their po-boy's looked fantastic too, so...guess where we'll be going the next time Mama boycotts the kitchen!! We had only been home less than an hour when we received a call inviting us to a neighbor's crawfish boil on Saturday. Are you kidding me?!?! A chance to have crawfish twice in three days!! You can imagine we jumped at the offer!!

Craig, a long-time friend and now neighbor, had been given 150 pounds of crawfish---you read that correctly---150 pounds. Five couples and their children met at the Tanner's home for a down-home crawfish boil---crawfish, onions, garlic, mushrooms, sausage, potatoes, and corn. There was also fried catfish and fries for any non-mudbug fans. I made Julie's yummy chocolate cake/heath bar/chocolate syrup/cool whip dessert. There was not a bite left! There were five couples plus their children in attendance. As you can imagine, there was a lot left over. Rick thinks he peeled 50 pounds himself. We brought home a 9x13 deep aluminum pan filled with tail meat. I can't wait to make some crawfish spaghetti or crawfish monica or gumbo or bisque...oooohhhh the possibilites are endless!!

My girls were the only girl's there for quite a while but there was an abundance of boys! We didn't allow Jackson to take any of his dinosaurs (a rare occurrence) in hopes that he would play with the other kids rather than sitting alone have dinosaur wars. He is such a loner and we want him to be more social. We were amazed that he jumped right in with the other kids and had a blast! He played with the live crawfish, played on the swing set/play fort, and played baseball. We were pleased that he was doing "boy stuff".

We had an awesome time and can't wait for our next get together with the Farmers, Tanners, Williamses, and Dons!!!

CrestKids Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-13T08:57:00.000-05:00

April 11, 2009---We attended our church's Easter egg hunt Saturday morning. The kids were super excited. The dad's took all of the eggs and hid them while the mom's stayed in the activities center with the eager hunters watching "Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie".

AC trying her best not to smile:

Upon being given instructions, the kids ran to their designated hunting ground based on their ages (0-2 years, 3 years-kindergarten, and 1st-5th grade). Rick was waiting outside so I took Chloe to him. I took AC and Jackson to their area but by the time we got to their area, there were literally two eggs left. They each got one egg. With their heads hung low, we walked over to Chloe's area and there were many, many eggs left to be found. The babies had lost interest in hunting. Anna Catherine and Jackson were allowed to take any of the remaining eggs. They were thrilled to have another chance at finding eggs and Chloe wasn't giving up until every egg had been found!

Afterwards, we went back to the activities center and enjoyed ice cream sundaes and the remainder of the VeggieTales movie. We emptied the candy from all of our eggs and put the empty eggs one of three buckets at the front of the room. Well, Chloe had caught on to the whole "there's candy in the eggs" concept and couldn't understand why no one had claimed this big bucket of eggs. She thought she had hit the motherload!!

The kids convinced us to let them play on the playground for a while but them we had to go home to eat lunch and take naps before going to a neighbor's crawfish boil...

arm update

2009-04-13T08:45:00.004-05:00

April 10, 2009---Anna Catherine had a follow-up appointment with her ortho doctor today and she got a good report. The bones had not shifted (YAY!!!...no rebreaking of the bones was necessary) and the hot pink cast was removed. I took one last picture of it because her friends at school had signed it.

The hot pink cast was replaced with a blue fiberglass cast that she must wear for one week. On Friday we will go back for another check-up and hopefully get a below the elbow water-proof cast.

AC's Class Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-12T23:40:00.002-05:00

April 9, 2009--- All kindergarten classes at MAE had an Easter egg hunt and play day at a local park. Each class had a section of the park roped off for their picnic and egg hunt. Chloe and I arrived just before the buses were pulled in (Anna Catherine was excited about the bus since the only time she gets to ride one is for a field trip). She and her BFF Marie found us immediately and they took Chloe to play on the playground. The kids enjoyed the egg hunt, picnic, and playtime. ***Jackson missed out on the fun because he was at preschool.***

"Hey y'all...watch this!"

2009-04-12T23:14:00.001-05:00

---the famous last words of a redneck---and so our story begins---

April 5, 2009---We picked up the kids from grandmother's house Sunday afternoon. Anna Catherine was eager to show us how she could climb to the top of the swing set, hold onto the top bar with her hands, pull her feet up to the bar, and flip off landing on her feet. She did this twice for us but had apparently been doing all afternoon. As we were packing up the van she asked to do it one more time. I should have said "NO"!!!!!! But, I said okay and turned to put more things into the van. Immediately I heard shrieking screams and AC was holding her arm. We knew she was hurt but couldn't tell if it was broken, sprained, bruised internally, etc. Rather than going to a doctor there we decided to get on the road and make a decision once we were home. Grandmother made an ice pack for the ride home. It was still swollen and hurting when we got home. I asked if she wanted to go to the hospital but she was tired and just wanted to go to sleep. I gave her motrin and iced it again before going to bed. We went to the doctor Monday morning and the x-ray showed that she had broken her wrist--a clean break all the way across. We were referred to a pediatric orthopedic specialist that afternoon. The bones in her wrist had shifted so Dr. Robbins had to push them back into place to set her arm. Can you say PAINFUL?!?! He put a temporary cast on that allowed for swelling. AC had a rainbow of colors to choose from and she opted for hot pink. She will have three casts over the next several weeks.

Walking With Dinosaurs: The Arena Spectactular

2009-04-12T22:45:00.001-05:00

April 3, 2009--- Anyone who knows Jackson knows that he LOVES dinosaurs...is OBSESSED with dinosaurs...is ADDICTED to dinosaurs!!! He can tell you most dinos Latin names, the period of time in which they lived, the type of dinosaur they were, what they ate, what they did, etc. I have often told people that Jackson probably has 200 dinosaurs. Well, I actually counted them today and he has 141 figurines. So, my number is off by a little. If I include his dinosaur bedding, books, movies, tent, backpack, puzzles, wall hangings, stuffed animals, multiple clothing items, and crocs the number quickly jumps to around 185. With that in mind, my quote isn't that far off after all. Poor fella thinks dinosaurs are as real as a dog, horse, elephant, etc. He wants a baby diplodocus for a pet! Anna Catherine has been nice enough to keep the secret that dinosaurs are actually dead. I don't know how he would take that revelation!!

Santa brought Jackson the "Walking With Dinosaurs" movie. It was created by the BBC (makers of the Blue Planet and Planet Earth documentaries--also favorites of Jackson). The movie is made to look like a National Geographic video. It is amazing how life-like they appear. The BBC has a similar television show that Jackson watches daily on the Discovery Kids channel called "Prehistoric Planet" (narrated by Ben Stiller and Christian Slater!). Both the movie and the television show are big hits in our house!! Jackson watches the movie almost every day as well. Knowing this, Papa Gator sent us an e-mail when he heard that the BBC was taking a dinosaur live show on the road to several countries including the US and one of their stops was Birmingham, AL. Of course I had to check it out and wouldn't you know, our schedule was free the day of the show! It was meant to be!!

I booked us tickets and had to work hard to keep the secret from Jackson there was two weeks between the day I bought the tickets and the show. We had to keep it quiet otherwise every five minutes he would have asked, "Can we go now? Is it time to see the dinosaurs? I want to go now!" all while whining and crying. So, we waited until the morning of the show to tell him we were going to a surprise later that day. He cried for over an hour because he wanted to go to the surprise and he didn't want to be late for the surprise...can you see why I didn't want to tell him in advance? We picked up Anna Catherine from school around 12:30 pm and started the four hour drive to Birmingham. That is when we told him about the dinosaurs. Believe me, he was excited!!! He watched his "Walking With Dinosaurs" movie on the way, giving us a play-by-play the whole time. We were able to get to Birmingham early enough to have dinner with our friend, Ryan. It always nice to see Ryan. Then it was off to the the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex.

Our seats were pretty good---balcony, front row, center. The telephone operator told me that there was a bar and the kids would be able to stand with the safety of the bar and see the show without blocking the view of others. What she didn't tell me was that the bar was only two feet tall!!! Jackson stood up and it came to his waist!! Chloe continually tried to lean over or crawl over the bar. I was a nervous wreck!!! Once the show started the kids were mesmerized!! Chloe was so into it that she sat in Rick's lap with her mouth open, drooling all over his arm. The narrator would describe a dinosaur and Jackson could name it before the narrator could say it. Jackson again provided play-by-play during the show. Chloe clapped her hands and said "bye-bye dinosaur" as they exited the stage. The show was broken into segments that detailed different prehistoric time periods. Some of the dinosaurs interacted/fought with one another. It was an amazing show!

You can see information for the show at their website http://www.dinosaurlive.com/ To see video, go to "Watch Footage" and you have nine videos to choose from. The best clips of the show is the one with the eggs on it. The others are good too and show promos and/or how they made the dinosaurs.

waiting for the show to start:

the stage:

allosaurus:

trees and grasses around stage:

stegasaurus:

apatosaurus:

Jackson cried the entire time during the 20 minute intermission. He was so sad that the dinosaurs had gone away. Everyone around us felt so sorry for him. (This happened again at the end of the show.) He just missed the dinosaurs so much!

ornithochirus:

utahraptors:

flora around the stage:

toroceratops:

ankylosaurus:

T-Rex:

Waterfall outside the arena:

Of course Jackson was upset when we left the show but he got another surprise...we were driving to grandmother's house!! We drove straight to Pontotoc to drop the kids off for two days so Rick and I could attend a friend's wedding in Memphis. This made him happy and he watched his dino movie on the drive to grandmother's....and he asked to go back to see the dinosaurs again.

And at times...

2009-04-02T13:55:00.001-05:00

Chloe can be the sweetest, most adorable little girl ever!!!