Our Own Little House Elf

This is Bret's attempt at prolonging the life of winter PJ's...

Or as Abby rightly said, "He looks like a house elf from Harry Potter...somebody give him a sock!"

Either way he should have no problem fitting in with the indigenent people of the mountains of Virginia!

My Baby Turned One!

I can't believe it's been a year. My sweet baby Gavin turned one today. (I'm going to do my remembering post in a few days when I have a little more time)

Amazingly he did eventually grasp the concept of opening the presents, once he got tired of the bows that is. With a ball popper from Grandma and Grandpa Crane and sippy cups from Bret and I, we thought it was an exciting birthday...

until Uncle Mike and Eden showed up and brought the good stuff.

Yep, a bag of rocks! Mike and Brooke have seen him in action and know right where these end up.

Gavin got a Panda Bear for his birthday cake.

Gavin didn't know quite what to do with himself at first. He kept reaching out to grab the cake but would pull his hand back when he touched the sticking frosting. After about 3 minutes of this he decided it was alright to dig in. And dig in he did. We've never had a child enjoy their birthday cake as much as Gavin did. We all got some good laughs in.

He was loving it so much he even tried to eat the crumbs on the table!

Fistfuls of cake + chocolate frosting=pure delight!

The aftermath.

Bret and Em Plus 8!

I'm ready to start my own reality TV show! For the last four days Bret and I have been watching 4 of our friends children, making a total of eight kids in our home...1 twelve year old, 1 nine year old, 2 seven year olds, 1 six year old, 1 four year old, 1 two year old and and 1 one year old! It has been great and we've had a lot of fun. Hey, we even made it to Stake Conference this morning, showered and hair done, early enough to get seats in the chapel, leaving our home spotless for a scheduled showing, and making it through that two hour meeting. (all except for Gavin that is.) These are great kids and we've loved having them with us.

(McKenna looks a sad because she had dropped Clark, our crab, from upstairs with him landing on a hard service. His shell is a little broken up front and there was some kind of fluid coming out of his big claw. After a little while I did see him moving around in his cage, so hopefully he'll be OK.)

Ultimate Road Trip

So this morning I looked at the Atlas.

Don't ask me why.

I would have been better off not knowing.

Between now and August we will be driving an estimated 6004 miles. Yep, that's right. Six thousand miles! Including 17 states:

• Texas
• Arkansas
• Tennessee
• Kentucky
• New Mexico
• Colorado
• Utah
• Nevada
• California
• Wyoming
• Nebraska
• Iowa
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Ohio
• Pennsylvania
• Virginia

Here's a small piece of consolation...the kids will not be included in 1210 miles of that when Bret and I drive his car to Virginia from Texas. They only have to endure 4800 miles of fun family road trips this summer. Piece of cake! :)

Mothers Who Know Do Less

I really needed this focus in my life right now. And I'm not saying I was all that great at it, but I definitely needed it. Here are some of my thoughts:

I found myself thinking a lot about the "more's" in this paragraph. More eating together, more working together, more reading, more talking, laughing and singing together. I have a major weakness of saying, "Just a minute" or "let me finish this first" when the kids come asking for time. I don't like it, but I find that I have a tendency to do it all the time. So I really tried to say, "OK" or "Yes I can" right then and leave the dishes, project, computer, laundry or whatever else had been taking up my time; trying to keep the perspective of spending time on those things that bear good fruit eternally. I'll be honest, it started out hard. I would have to literally force myself away from things and then guilt would set in because how hard it was for me. But I found that it got easier. And many times I would be able to do or see something with and for them before they even had to ask. I liked that.

I love the sentence, "Mothers who know are willing to live on less and consume less of the world's goods in order to spend more time with their children-" That has been a major lesson Bret and I have learned over these last few months. We can be so happy as we spend so little. And I'm glad I realized, saw, and experienced that now. I'll need to carry this with me as we embark on four years of graduate school.

I also thought a lot about a recent statement by Julie Beck. She referred to the hours of 3-7 when kids get home from school as "swing shift" and this is what she said, "Be at the top of your game on swing shift. People are hungry, people are teachable. You feed them; that's when you serve them the most. Plan for swing shift, and then work the rest of your day around that."

I love this quote. I am guilty of trying to be so productive during the school hours that by the time kids get home I'm exhausted. It shouldn't be like that. I love how she says to be at the top of your game. These are are hours in my day when I need to be the best mother I can possibly be. I found that as I had this on my mind all day, then a natural result of just being aware of it made me more at the top of my game during swing shift. So for me a major lesson learned was to do less during the day so I can do more at swing shift.

INTRODUCING...

Cohen Michael Crane

Mike and Brooke had their sweet little baby boy today. He was born at 9:11 a.m., weighed 6 pounds 14 ounces and is 19 inches long. He has the most adorable red hair ever! We went to meet him this afternoon when the girls got out of school so the kids could all meet their new cousin. He is so sweet and precious, we couldn't get enough of him. I was amazed with how awake and calm he was. We're so happy for this cute little family. This baby is one lucky baby to come to such a great family who is going to love and teach him so well.

The proud new parents

Brooke was one happy Momma

Mike and mini-me

Our kids loved seeing and holding a tiny brand new little baby. It was almost exactly a year ago that we were at this very hospital when Gavin was born. When the kids came to see him though Zachary and McKenna were both sick and were unable to hold him, and then they never came back to see him at the hospital. I have to admit that I was caught off guard a little bit by the baby hunger that set in as I held that precious baby. Is that ever going to go away even when we get to the point that we feel like our family is complete? For now I'll just have to fill it with little Cohen.

Crane Culture Day

We had the best Crane Culture Day this month that extended into Family Home Evening last night. I have to admit that one thing I love about Crane Culture Day is that Bret takes complete ownership of this tradition. So Saturday Bret and the kids made birdhouses and painted them. Then yesterday the kids each had to research a bird that can be found in Texas and report on it for Family Home Evening. It was wonderful and the kids loved finding out interesting facts about their birds. Bret then taught from the scriptures how all things testify there is a God. We read in Genesis about the creation of the world and on the fifth day God created all the many variety of animals that beautify our world. Afterword we went out and hung our birdhouses. I loved it. I loved the hands on aspect of it as they built their own and then researched the bird of their choice.

Bret built a frame around which the kids glued popsicle sticks.

Zachary did his report on the Cardinal. Facts he loved about this bird:

• they do not loose their feathers in the winter
• the male is bright red and the female is reddish brown (this is because the boys want to be cute for the girls)
• in the summer mornings the Cardinal is the first bird that sings

Abby's bird of choice was the Mourning Dove

• the most frequently hunted species in North America
• fly very fast
• can be found anywhere except the deep woods
• Soft drawn out calls sound like laments

McKenna researched the Black-chinned Hummingbird

• no brilliant colors on its throat except a thin strip of iridescent purple bordering the black chin, only visible when light hits it just right
• males show off by diving 66-100 feet in the air
• hover around flowers and wings beat so fast that they make a humming sound
• hummingbirds are the only bird that can fly frontward, backward and sideways.

  

Fasting For Grandpa

About a month and a half ago my Dad was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer. While that in itself is not good news the positive is that they caught it early and doctors were confident that the treatment would be successful. So today was surgery day. Today I felt the distance of living in Texas. I wanted to be there with my Mom and sisters. I wanted to be there to give my dad a hug before he went into surgery. And be there when he came out of recovery. Today I felt the distance and my heart longed to be closer.

I am grateful for the power of prayer. I am grateful for the strength that comes by faith exercised through prayer coupled with fasting. I am grateful that my girls first experience with personal fasting was in behalf of someone so dear, loved and special to them. It made it more meaningful. It made it more personal. It made it more real.

Last night around the dinner table Bret and I explained to the kids that today would be the day that their Grandpa had surgery to take out the cancer. We told them we were fasting and praying hard for him today. The girls immediately said that they wanted to fast for him to. Zachary then joined in and said, "I want to fast forward tomorrow too." When we explained to him what that would mean for him...not eating breakfast when he woke up in the morning he then said, "Never mind, I think I don't want to fast forward after all." Abby and McKenna however had a strong desire to fast for the first time in their lives. We told them what it would mean (not eating until lunch) and they were undeterred.

So this morning they woke up, got dressed and started packing their lunches. (Normally breakfast is the first thing to happen in our home.) They did this without even pausing, without even complaining, without even wishing for breakfast. When they came home from school they said it was hard but were grateful they did it.

Their fasting in faith and prayers were heard and answered. The surgery was successful. The doctor was hopeful the cancer had not spread to the lymph nodes but will not know for sure until the biopsy comes back. He'll be in the hospital for 2 to 4 days and then home recovering for several weeks.

Dad, I know you wont be reading this anytime soon, but know how much we all love you, how grateful we are for your influence, example and presence in our lives. I'm grateful for your example of faithful service. I'm grateful for the lessons and principles that have been taught and that continue to be taught. I'm grateful that not only do you love my Mom, but you love her more when you love the Lord first.

We love you!

Campfire, Easter Egg Hunt, and Gunny Sack Races

Monday night we went to Erwin Park with Grandma and Grandpa Crane, Mike, Brooke and Eden for a nice campfire, tinfoil dinners and smores. We even extended the Easter celebrations and had the Easter Egg Hunt here as well as some gunny sack races with the gunny sacks that the Easter Bunny left in their baskets. (Thanks Alisha!) It was the perfect evening!

The kids loved exploring in the woods near by and really had fun on this big branch swing.

McKenna and Grandma played soccer.

There was no shortage of rocks, stick and dirt clumps for Gavin to find and eat.

Zachary found the Golden Egg!

Even Eden got in to the Easter Egg Hunt! But once she found two she was content just to walk around and shake them to hear the noise of the candy.

And then it was time for the Bunny Hop Race! Zachary, Abby, McKenna and Grandpa were in the first heat.

Just look at these mad hops! McKenna really knew how to go the distance and Abby came in a close second.


I love Abby's facial expression in this one. Tongue out, total concentration.

Gavin just loved watching all the action. (It distracted him from finding those sticks and rocks.)

And then it was time for Bret, Mike and Grandma to have at it.


No surprise that it ended with both of them on the ground.