Vincent's FIVE

Vincent turned five on the last day in January.  Here's one of my favorite pictures of him when he was tiny.  He has always been so alert.  He's only three weeks old here and was all dressed up for Torrie's wedding.

Just look at him today!  He's gotten so big and enjoys every moment to the fullest.  He is easily excited and has a great imagination. (That's cake in his teeth.  Don't worry!)

I took Vincent and Abby to Barnes and Noble this morning for their little free treat with the birthday club there.  Vincent asked me if the workers make the treats after the store is closed or when they make them.  I had him ask the lady who works there and she just told him that they make them there everyday. 

Abby chose a sugar cookie.  The lady next to us thought she was adorable, especially when she got a napkin and started cleaning up her crumbs on the ground.

I took Vincent and Abby to Sonic for lunch because of Sonic's awesome kid birthday program.  The kids get a free kid meal and I just got a few little things for my lunch and it was so cheap!  Sonic even emails a half birthday coupon for a half priced kid meal.  I'll take Elizabeth and Olivia after Elizabeth's birthday for their goodies.  

PS.  If you like to sign up for birthday coupons, don't forget Toys R Us (free card, call, and $3), Red Robin, Famous Dave's, and I've heard that Texas Roadhouse does something too.  

Abby had a nap after lunch . We are just doing one big family party this year for our three kids, so I thought it'd be fun to invite a few friends over just to play. They each even brought Vincent a present.  Vincent is a great present opener and shows so much emotion and excitement.  I'm going to have to video the next time he opens something, but you must promise to turn down your volume on the video. =)

I made the dinner Vincent requested tonight.  I made it just a few weeks ago and he said then that he wanted it on his birthday.  It's General Tso's Chicken and it's delicious!  We had it with rice and broccoli.  Vincent calls it spicy chicken.

After dinner Andy took Elizabeth to Jujitsu and the other three kids had baths.

Then we read some stories while we waited for Grandma Shirley and Grandpa George to come over.

Grandma Shirley with Vincent and his new dinosaur transformers.  Man, you really should have seen his reaction to opening this on video.  He squealed and exclaimed and to say he loved them may be an understatement.  Then Olivia wanted a picture that was just right and made him wait to open them even longer.  (Thanks, Olivia, it's nice to have you on my side.)

 After Andy and Elizabeth got back, Vincent opened his present from us.  It's a Cars track.  He liked that too.

 Our girls are just about as excited as Vincent to open gifts.

 Olivia helping Vincent with his new track.  The cars push the barrels down the track and then they crash at the bottom.  I see hours of entertainment.

Tomorrow Vincent is going to be so busy playing.  I love this time of year.  I'll be baking in the morning, having Vincent's pictures taken in the afternoon, and grocery shopping in the evening.  Full, fun day (always!)

Reminising

Today I completed my goal for January of scanning my last scrapbook I made with pictures taken before our digital camera, thus making all good pictures accessible to me. This album was when Elizabeth was between one and two years old.

To start out, look how skinny and young we were!  This was a trip to Las Vegas in 2004. 

My parents moved to Walla Walla that year, so some time was spent packing boxes and playing (probably while our laundry was washed at their house).  My dad was playing with Elizabeth in the box.

 Out at a cousin's wedding reception.  Can you believe that little girl is nearly TEN?

 A picture of me with my hair straightened, which rarely happens, I like this one a lot and hadn't looked at it for years!

 And finally a picture that made my heart swell up.  Elizabeth sucking her thumb, holding her favorite blankie, in clothes that Abby wears right NOW, and on Grandpa Gordon's lap.  He was always so, so kind to our children.

Andy and I used to always play Scrabble with Grandma Zora when we visited and Grandpa would play with Elizabeth (and later Olivia--and then we had too many kids to visit so often...)

Looking at old pictures reminds me that I NEVER EVER regret taking a picture.  I often regret NOT taking one though.  I'm so very glad for pictures and the memories and emotions they bring back.

PS.  There are plenty of other pictures in the album of our younger siblings, pregnant sister in laws, naked Elizabeth, and more that I refrained from posting, so if you are in those categories, you are welcome.

Abby's Two

Abby turned two years old on Friday, January 25th.  I had her pictures taken that morning at JcPenney Portrait Studio.  Check them out here and note that she is a really hard kid to take a smiling, cute picture of and then rejoice with me that we had several good ones to pick from. We went in with her outfit all picked out and on and then the photographer asked if we wanted some in her coat that my mother in law Shirley made for Elizabeth.  Super cute with the white background.

We went to lunch at McDonald's with Grandma Shirley and Abby opened up her first birthday present.  She ate her entire Happy Meal (and so did Vincent) while I thoroughly enjoyed my Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad. 

We went to the library and Abby colored and told more people, "I am Twwwo."  I'll have to get a video because she says it so cute.  Elizabeth has been teaching her to say it for weeks!

Our dinner was Hawaiian Haystacks because Abby LOVES rice!  Actually she loves pretty much every food we give her.  She usually has seconds and sometimes even has thirds.  The only thing she doesn't like much of is bread, but she gobbled up my French bread this week, so maybe even that is fazing out. 

Abby opened up her present from us (that she picked out a few weeks ago when she came to the store with me).  I figure she couldn't ask for what she wanted from Santa at Christmas, so I might as well let her pick her birthday present.  At least I knew she'd like it!  She looked pretty happy and surprised, so I think she had forgotten about it. 

 She's been a mini mommy ever since! Olivia has been training her to take great care of her baby.

We played games Friday night with our buddy Nathan and coaxed coerced him into agreeing to watch our kids Saturday afternoon so we could go to the Temple for the month of January.  Andy and I ended up doing Initiatories which we haven't done since we went ourselves.  It was great (and fast too!)  Then Andy and I went to Home Depot and picked up some supplies for a few projects and then relieved Nathan on kid duty.  He really just hung out with them and made sure everyone stayed inside, let Abby sleep, and ate their lunch that Elizabeth made them (ramen).  He told us that he DID check on Abby every 15 minutes, sneaking into her room where she was sleeping to make sure she was still breathing.  That's WAY more than I do.  I shut the door and don't open it again until she's awake three hours later.  I had to smile at that.  Nathan will be a great dad someday and is practically our kid's uncle.
We went to Red Robin for our birthday dinner Saturday night.  Each of our kids picked a different meal.
Elizabeth chose a cheeseburger and fruit punch with fries.

Olivia picked a pepperoni pizza with apples and lemonade.

 Vincent really liked his chicken fingers, mandarin oranges, and root beer.  They were the "Best dinner EVER!" (note: He proclaims that at every meal very energetically.  I love it!)

 Abby's macaroni and cheese, fries, and sprite were finger-licking good!

All four kids ate every last bit of their meals.  Andy had the ribs and chicken fingers with fries and I had the chicken tortilla soup with a light raspberry lemonade (or three...)  Delicious!
The servers came and sang to Abby for her birthday.  She looks pretty excited to see this delicious treat.  She had just finished her macaroni and cheese and her face was dirty when they came over.  Oh well.  Real life.

Don't worry, she shared with all of her siblings and it was soon gone.  She ate the cherry on top though.

We went to my brother's house for his son's fourth birthday party.  His mom made a cool pirate cake (and it's even egg, nut, milk free and delicious!)

What a great weekend.
PS.  I even ran a tiny bit and walked quickly for more than a mile.  I think I may do a fun run 5K in April.  Who wants to join me?

PPS.  Look for more birthday pictures in the next few weeks.  We have Vincent's January 31st and then Elizabeth's February 6th.  We're doing a triple birthday party next week and a few friend get togethers too.  We love this time of year (even more when it's over!)
The picture Olivia took on my old camera was cuter than the ones I took.  I keep forgetting to download two cameras worth of pictures before blogging.  Adorable!

Candid Camera

If you aren't already giggling at this first picture, you've never made Abby unhappy.

 Olivia was playing with our original digital camera (the one we bought the end of 2004) and took a bunch of pictures so these first ones are from her.
Vincent and Abby on Monday.  Vincent was still all dressed up from Grandpa's funeral.

 This girl is so much fun.  She wore that hot pink necklace all day long.  It kept her busy during the talks at the funeral too (that's not what she wore though).

 Photo from Tuesday of Abby wanting Olivia to give her the camera.  She's so pitiful looking.

 Olivia must have handed the camera off to Elizabeth for this picture.  She makes me laugh.

 Another sad picture of Abby... =(

 Elizabeth used some of Olivia's makeup Wednesday night while I finished a project.  (The more they use, the faster it's gone, right?)

 Olivia's makeup.  They are only allowed to use it at home.

 My project for Wednesday?  Rearranging Vincent's room.  Soon we'll get a bunkbed for he and Abby to share and I wanted the window to not be blocked (yes, I do know that curtain is ugly--it's on the list of things to fix.)  Vincent's bed was in the other corner where the green chair is and our big armoire was in the corner where his dresser is now.

 The blue totes hold clothes for Vincent to grow into and Halloween decorations.  They are more sturdy than they look.  He's still sharing the room with my computer too.

 I moved this armiore over behind the door after unloading it. It was full of the food storage boxes (like the ones on the left of it.)  Now it has all of the boxes of boy clothes and I'll be able to use the closet rod inside for Abby's dresses when she moves in there in another few months.  On top of the armoire are more decorations.  The food storage on the side is what wouldn't fit under Vincent's bed.

 Elizabeth says she's like "Lady Gaga the Second".  Yikes.  Then she clarified that she wouldn't go out in public like this.  I was relieved.

 See all the food storage boxes?  They are all under Olivia's bed too.  They make me happy.

 Can you guess that Wednesday is our typical spaghetti dinner night?  These two played on Vincent's bed while I vacuumed more.  Yea for happy kids!

Vincent was so tired after going to preschool, playing with Rory again, and playing with his sisters.  His Woody helps him sleep better and he always makes sure they are both covered by the blanket.

I was feeling really good on Sunday when I fit into this dress.  It's been a very long time since I could wear it.  I like having new/old clothes again.

There was freezing rain around here last night, so we'll see if they delay or cancel school.  There's nothing on my schedule and I wanted to keep it that way....maybe...

Grandma's Stories #1

This morning I visited my Grandma Zora (she's recovering well from her fractured vertebraes and moving around nicely with her walker).  She watched Abby get out a little book to read and then put it away and told me a bit about how her mother raised her on praise.  Her mother was a widow and had to work in downtown Salt Lake City while my Grandma grew up.  Grandma said when they needed something at the store, they'd (she and her siblings) walk the mile to their mother's work when she was done and they'd go to the dime store sometimes.  There was a big candy counter that made my Grandma's mouth water.  She always wanted to buy some jelly beans to eat, but knew her mother was on a tight budget, so she tried her best to refrain from asking for candy.  After they passed the candy, her mother told her, "Zora, what a good girl" to resist the candy.  She said that always made her feel so good.
She also said that when they brought home good marks on their report cards, her mother would tell her that their father would be so proud of them.
Grandma told me that her mother had rules, "Oh, so many rules."  One rule was that if they were walking on the sidewalk, they must never walk five abreast.  Mother-Karl-Zora-Mildred-Berniece would take up too much room.
They had a rule to always keep up with their mother in the store and "no dawdling".
Another rule was that when they went into a store, they had to notice which door they went in and if they got lost, they were to go straight to that door and wait for their mother to collect them.  I suppose if they followed the first rule they wouldn't need that one, but kids need to know what the expectations are.
I love spending time with my Grandma.  I'm so glad she's feeling well enough to enjoy visiting again.
The photos for the Pasco Stake Nativity that we went to in December had a surprise for me when they posted the photos.  Grandpa Gordon and Grandma Zora went!    Sweet.

To be continued...

Gordon Young Crowther

Grandpa wrote his own obituary and my aunts filled in the dates and places. I added some pictures in for fun.

Gordon Young Crowther died January 15, 2013 at the age of 87.
He was born January 21, 1925, at Perry, Box Elder County, UT, the son of Joseph and Myrle Young Crowther.

His early education was in Carbon County, UT. He graduated from Bear River High School in 1943.

As an 18-year-old, Gordon served in the U.S. Army from June 1943 until March 1946. He received basic training at Camp Callan, CA, and further training at Fort Bliss, TX, and Camp Breckenridge, KY. As a Jeep driver with the 75th Infantry Division, "K" Company, he served in France and Belgium, on his way to The Ardennes, a forested area of Germany where the Battle of the Bulge was fought. Many of his comrades were killed or wounded in that battle. Throughout his life, Gordon maintained a great appreciation for his citizenship in the United States of America, and for those who gave their lives to preserve our liberty.

 Soon after the end of World War II, Gordon enrolled at Utah State Agricultural College. After a year, he served as a missionary in the Western States Mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In 1953, he married Zora Nash in the Salt Lake Temple.

They lived at Ucon, ID, where he operated a dairy and raised crops. In 1958, they moved to Washington where they farmed in Block 18, near Mesa.

Throughout his life, Gordon served in many church callings. After retirement, Gordon and Zora served as missionaries in San Jose, CA. Later they served in the temple at Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Gordon lived a life of integrity. His greatest joys were his family and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The picture above was taken with most of my cousins.  There were still a few yet to come at that point.
The picture below was taken today.  All of the cousins except for three were able to attend the funeral.  One is on a mission, another is working in Ghana, and the third just moved to Florida for her husband's medical internship.  What a posterity!

Remember we just got together on the 1st of January for our annual party, but Grandma couldn't come to that one, so we have a family picture with Grandpa.
My cousin's husband and my brother Jeff did the military honors at the cemetery and presented Grandma with the flag.

The service was very nice and everyone was involved.  My dad, his two brothers, and his baby sister spoke, grandchildren and great-grandchildren sang a song, and my other aunt and her husband played a piano-organ duet.  Grandpa would have hated all the attention because he was so humble and never seeking attention, but it was nice to hear stories about him and be inspired to be a better person.
After the nice dinner the ward provided, we gathered with just my parents and siblings for a picture.  My sister's son Jacob and Abby sat on my parent's laps before everyone got to the picture.  It takes awhile to round up so many people!

 Here is everyone, except Janessa's husband Jes and older son Jackson who stayed in Colorado (and Jeff's son Ben.)

It had been a long time since all six of us kids were together at the same time.  We are often together, but always seem to be missing one or two.

Families are forever.