Out of the mouths of babes...

at 03/14/10 9:28PM
Just when you think your kids don't really pay attention to real life....think again.

A conversation with my almost 4 year old daughter last night: We were discussing traffic lights.

Me: So what do we do at a red light?

Emma: Stop!

Me: And what do we do when the light turns green?

Emma: Go!

Pause...

Emma: And when the light turns orange, we go faster!


Oookay. Guess I better watch my driving!!

---------
In other news, I am reminded every day of how blessed I am. Today, one way I was reminded of it was to hear my husband and my eldest daughter singing hymns together across the kitchen island while they made cookies. The simple moments in life are the sweetest.

Emma has also started asking the meaning of words she doesn't understand. At lunch today, she asked "What does 'shallow' mean?" And while baking cookies with her Daddy, she asked "What does 'magnify' mean?" This stage of learning is so fascinating and so awesome to realize how great a responsibility being a parent is! So many things in life I just take for granted because I'm an adult and I already KNOW things. It's amazing to watch the mind of a child grow. Truly amazing in every aspect. God is good.

On Thursday, the grass cutters uncovered a nest of baby rabbits, so keeping an eye on these little bunnies has been the latest great occupation. The mother is coming back at night to feed them and they are staying active and healthy looking. I was able to get this picture the first day we found them because they were mostly uncovered all day. That night we left some grass and clovers by the side of the nest and the mother covered all the babies up. It's been very fun having these little tenants in our back yard, though!!

  • schmidtkins
    sweet post
    by schmidtkins at 03/14/10 9:48PM
  • sallyanne
    Ohhh. This is so sweet!! I love bunnies and I love that picture!
    And, the orange comment made me laugh out loud!!
    by sallyanne at 03/14/10 10:13PM
  • dawnmk23
    How cute! My kid's would go crazy to see this!
    by dawnmk23 at 03/14/10 10:23PM
  • marmee
    I love you all so very much. :)
    by marmee at 03/15/10 8:29AM
  • arual
    Adorable! Watch out---it only takes two rabbits to make millions more! =)
    by arual at 03/15/10 9:57AM
  • mayflower
    How cute!! My sisters and I used to raise baby rabbits. Were you visiting when we had some?

    That's hilarious about the traffic lights!
    by mayflower at 03/15/10 7:46PM
  • mr_and_mrs_berry
    :) Be careful around those little eyes, ears, and mouths! I love the bunnies too :)
    by mr_and_mrs_berry at 03/15/10 8:50PM
  • twiggy
    how funny!
    by twiggy at 03/16/10 5:09PM
  • spike427
    this post was full of happy and smiles!
    by spike427 at 03/17/10 9:28PM
  • towelhead
    I sure did get a smile out of this post. (:
    by towelhead at 03/18/10 11:20PM
  • granny
    I'm so glad you are recording these sweet moments, and hopefully not only on Pleo. What an absolute treat in finding the rabbit nest. I always wondered how rabbits managed in the wild.
    by granny at 03/19/10 1:33AM
  • seashelll
    cute picture
    by seashelll at 03/20/10 4:41PM

Overdue...

at 03/01/10 1:12PM
An update, that is.

We're all doing well here. I'm enjoying so much being a stay-at-home Mom. There's just so much joy..my cup truly overflows. God has blessed me greatly.

Yesterday on the way to assemble with our brethren, Emma was in the backseat "on the phone" as she usually is when we're riding in the car. This time, however, the Person on the other "line" was supposedly Jesus, as I heard her say "Oh, I'm doing good, Jesus!" Oh the sweet innocence of children!

Today at lunch, we listened to some music while we ate. Emma sat poised over her plate, seemingly stalling with her food. I asked her why she wasn't eating and she replied, "The music goes off when I eat!" I realized (and tried not to laugh!) that she was referring to eating her potato chips...they crunched so loudly when she chewed them that she couldn't hear the music! LOL So we discussed the fact that if she ate her sandwich (which was soft) she could still hear the music even while she was chewing.

Emma is learning how to do jigsaw puzzles, which is a new joy for her! She did the same 25 piece puzzle 3 times in a row this morning. She's growing up so fast! I can't believe she's going to be 4 this month. Where has the time gone?!

Haley continues to keep us laughing as well. At dinner with the family the other night, her uncle Alex told her that his roommate, Chris, said to tell her hello. In between bites of pizza, she paused and very matter-of-factly replied, "That's interesting."

I'm thinking, "You just turned 2?!" lol

Matthew is 3 months already and is so much fun. He laughs every once in a while now, and is always full of smiles and happy faces. He's sleeping all night like a champ now too, so that's provided a little more sleep for Mommy!

That's about it for now I guess. Oh, in other news.....PSSSTTT....my DH turns 32 on Wednesday!!! I love him.

Maybe I'll post some kids pictures soon; I know I'm a little behind on that!

Y'all have a great day!!

Crystal
  • marmee
    I love the "that's interesting" comment. Thanks for raising grandbabies for me. :) Love you.
    by marmee at 03/01/10 1:55PM
  • azuresky42
    how cute!
    by azuresky42 at 03/01/10 2:48PM
  • preciousgoldring
    Wow, the time does fly! It seems that not that long ago you weren't even married. :o) And now you have 3 beautiful children!
    by preciousgoldring at 03/01/10 7:17PM
  • mr_and_mrs_berry
    Such beautiful happy stories and word pictures :) I am really looking forward to meeting Alex!
    by mr_and_mrs_berry at 03/02/10 1:19PM
  • catwoman
    i hope you have nother soon
    by catwoman at 03/10/10 5:57PM
  • heatheronthehill
    the jigsaw puzzle in the picture is a Melissa and Doug floor puzzle. We have three of them that i have picked up at garage sales - they are all about 2 ft. x 3 ft. and have about 25 pieces or so. Jack LOVES puzzles too, so this big one is really exciting for him! Melissa and Doug stuff tends to be pretty expensive, but I saw one of these puzzles at Ross yesterday for $7. You might be able to find them at similar places that carry M&D products like T.J. Maxx or Marshalls.
    by heatheronthehill at 03/13/10 9:57AM

Matthew - 2 Months!

at 01/22/10 11:28AM
2 months old already...unbelievable.

  • mrs_worm
    he's so cute!
    by mrs_worm at 01/22/10 11:45AM
  • stambering
    He's so fat!!! And cute, fat equals cute at that age.:)
    by stambering at 01/22/10 12:01PM
  • mother_hen
    Yep, hard to believe 2 months! And still has dark hair!
    by mother_hen at 01/22/10 12:18PM
  • marmee
    ohhh ... my baby boy grandson! Marmee loves you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For all the rest of you to know, this photo is now my laptop wallpaper! Who'd a thought it?? :)
    by marmee at 01/22/10 1:17PM
  • ladyinwaiting
    yay!
    by ladyinwaiting at 01/22/10 6:22PM
  • laurar209
    Ditto. What an adorable little chunky boy!
    by laurar209 at 01/22/10 8:09PM
  • mr_and_mrs_berry
    He looks like he needs bubbles blown on his tummy! What a sweetie!
    by mr_and_mrs_berry at 01/22/10 8:51PM
  • sallyanne
    Absolutely adorable!!! That is so funny!
    by sallyanne at 01/23/10 12:52AM
  • spike427
    that is a well-fed, well-loved little guy!!
    by spike427 at 01/24/10 4:31PM
  • mayflower
    I bet the girls are good at "helping" with him! And really, I'm sure they do actually help a good bit of the time. I was changing my little sister's diapers when I was 4 or 5.
    by mayflower at 01/25/10 11:14PM
  • haleybelle
    He is so handsome! :)
    by haleybelle at 01/27/10 12:24PM
  • schmidtkins
    beautiful baby boy!
    by schmidtkins at 01/28/10 10:12PM
  • laughing_eyes
    So sweet! Beautiful!
    by laughing_eyes at 01/30/10 10:19PM
  • libster
    So adorable! I like his expression as well!
    by libster at 02/14/10 10:54PM

So Blessed

at 01/09/10 4:30PM
Life is such a blessing. I loved having one baby, loved having 2 little ones, and now I am loving having three! The Lord has blessed us so much!

Here are some recent pictures of our treasures:


Sister buddies: (And NO, Haley is not making a Texas Longhorns sign. lol)



Matthew at 6 weeks showing us his "Happy Face!"



All Three Together:



In other news, today I made my FIRST grocery shopping trip with all three -- by myself. All I can say is: Thank goodness for slings!!! With one in the seat of the cart, one hanging on to the end or walking and one in the sling, it was doable. And not half bad. Actually enjoyable. :-) I admit I was a little nervous about how it was going to go. There is just so much more to pay attention to when going places and getting all three in and out of carseats. Sometimes I wonder why mothers can't grow another set of arms for this period of raising young children close together!
  • laurar209
    I cannot believe how chunky Matthew is getting!
    by laurar209 at 01/09/10 4:46PM
  • mr_and_mrs_berry
    I saw a dad and two the other day doing what I used to have mine do through the parking lot - the rule was hold onto the shoppping cart side as mom pushed. Parking lots were what always scared me. I love the photos - Matthew looks a bit like your dad (but a bit fatter!).
    by mr_and_mrs_berry at 01/09/10 6:37PM
  • marmee
    Oh, I miss these little ones! Marmee has empty arms. :( Love you all so much! Proud of you, my supermom daughter! :)
    by marmee at 01/09/10 6:55PM
  • stambering
    Oh beautiful children! When are you coming to see us? You've conquered the grocery trip...now for the road trip.:)
    by stambering at 01/09/10 8:28PM
  • sharon
    I was so scared on my first grocery trip with 3. I've already figured out how I'll do it with 4. The oldest will probably be pushing a cart soon. ;)
    by sharon at 01/09/10 9:30PM
  • sallyanne
    Your babies are beautiful!!!

    I remember those days so fondly. I once had a woman come up to me (when I had Jonathan walking beside the cart at 3.5, Hannah riding at 2 and Sarah in a back carrier -- 6 months or so)...I have watched you in here and I just want you to know that it is obvious that you love your children and are a wonderful mother to them (and some other sweet things, but it's been 14.5 years!)...I still remember that day, remember that comment, and remember how it warmed my heart.

    When you go shopping with your babies you are shining your light....I had never thought of it that way, but that day showed me that someone is always watching.
    by sallyanne at 01/09/10 10:24PM
  • nillabarr
    That is how we shop! Glad it went well! I am just loving my kiddos at the ages they are in! They are so diverse in age and development & such a fun combo! God is indeed GOOD!!
    by nillabarr at 01/10/10 9:55PM
  • azuresky42
    slings are amazing! I couldn' t leave home without my peanut shell when tristan was just born. what kind of sling do you have?
    by azuresky42 at 01/10/10 10:54PM
  • onelittlecandle
    Aww, I love the pictures and your attitude!
    by onelittlecandle at 01/11/10 10:55AM
  • spike427
    so precious!
    by spike427 at 01/11/10 11:01AM
  • stylinmama
    Such sweet faces! You have encouraged me being able to shop with three. As it is, I go grocery shopping when Caleb is in kindergarten and it's so much easier now that Anna can sit in the shopping cart by herself. I plan on using my sling A LOT with this third baby. I agree with you, thank goodness for them!! :)
    by stylinmama at 01/11/10 11:08AM
  • cmvermont
    LOL matthew looks like a garza!!!!

    obviously because he is a garza, but i meant more so than your girls :P
    by cmvermont at 01/11/10 9:12PM
  • marmee
    ^^maybe because we only know garza girls until now^^ but have you noticed how much like Blanca, our little Haley Jane looks?
    by marmee at 01/12/10 11:22AM
  • seashelll
    Congrats on shopping with three children!
    by seashelll at 01/16/10 5:32PM

Happy 2010!

at 01/01/10 4:11PM
I can already tell I'm going to have huge issues typing out 2010. I have to stop to think about it, and even look at the keyboard for crying out loud!

Oh dear.

We had a nice New Years' Eve, complete with a Matthew Caleb who didn't want to be sleeping at Midnight. Our neighbors blew off firecrakcers in the street and woke Emma up -- poor thing came out of her room just shaking she was so scared! Sam and I shared a sparkling grape juice toast at the stroke of midnight - give or take a few seconds. :-)

How is your New Years?

Make 2010 a year worth living.
  • sallyanne
    Wonderful. Have a blessed 2010.
    by sallyanne at 01/01/10 4:40PM
  • preciousgoldring
    I love your picture!
    by preciousgoldring at 01/01/10 7:12PM
  • marmee
    I love you. Your family is one of my most special blessings. :)
    by marmee at 01/01/10 9:22PM
  • schmidtkins
    happy 2010.
    by schmidtkins at 01/01/10 10:27PM
  • seashelll
    Happy new year! My family had a fairly quiet New Years Day. We were going to have a family over, but it didn't work out. We still had pumpkin pie and watched a movie together.
    by seashelll at 01/02/10 12:35PM