The Crandalls

Final day of housewife training: cooking and a field trip!

2012-01-12T19:57:00.003-06:00

Although we have lots of chores to do tomorrow to prepare for this weekend, I'm declaring today the final day of our housewife training because I won't have time to take pics tomorrow. :) Also, I didn't take any pics today of our typical cleaning routine (vacuuming, picking up toys and organizing dress up clothes) but here are a few shots of the girls cooking and going on a "field trip" with me.

First chore for Ella - helping mommy make cinnamon streusel muffins for breakfast.

Eden had a rough night of coughing so she slept pretty late this morning. I must admit that it was kind of nice to only instruct one!

A little after 11am we left Baby David at home with daddy and headed out to Sienna Salon & Spa where my favorite wax lady in all of the world (Patricia Gebing) showed my girls the importance of eyebrow maintenance! :) Although not a typical house chore, it is important to look good for our man!! On that note, if you're ever looking for an awesome massage, facial or waxing....Patricia is the woman to go to! PROMISE!

When we got home Eden helped me make a Pinterest recipe for soft pretzel bites for Auntie Ashley. I'd post a picture of the final product but they in no way turned out like the picture on Pinterest. Sigh....

It's been a challenging, but extremely productive week of housewife training with the girls. I appreciate ALL of the positive feedback and words of encouragement because it wasn't easy. I made the decision to turn off the TV (in the daytime), turn on worship music and let the girls help me with any chore that needed to be done. I started to get discouraged because we had a few tantrums and meltdowns along the way, but my Aunt Elizabeth made a comment last night that really made me feel good about not giving up. She said that most women don't take the time to teach their kids how to cook and clean because it's a whole lot easier to just let them watch TV while you do it. SOOOOO true!!! However, my girls have asked me every single night what chores they would GET to do the next morning so I know I made the right decision. It won't be long before we have fights over who HAS to do the chores! :)

day three of housewife training: cooking, laundry, vacuuming and toilet paper duty!

2012-01-11T20:34:00.008-06:00

It was a busy day at the Crandall house. We started the day by making daddy some chocolate chip waffles - yum!

My girls are ALL about the "pouring" steps in a recipe. It's where we have to practice taking turns the most :)

I was a little nervous that Eden's turn fell during the milk pouring step, but she did it without spilling!

Once breakfast was all cleaned up we moved on to our dinner prep work. One thing I am super passionate about is teaching my kids (the girls and David....once he is old enough) the importance of caring for others when life seems a bit challenging and they need support from friends and family. My gift of support always comes through food! When a friend has a baby or is recovering from an illness or surgery, I like to bring over a meal or two. Tonight we volunteered to take dinner over to my grandparent's house since my Memaw recently had a stroke and is still taking it easy. I decided on crockpot BBQ chicken sandwiches, baked potatoes and fruit salad.

The girls are getting the BBQ sauce ready for the crockpot

Say cheese!

One last stir before we poured it over the chicken

All done! Now on to the next chore....

LAUNDRY!!! Please do not judge me. I know this looks like a ridiculously huge pile of dirty clothes, but to be real honest, it's only one of the three piles that need to be addressed!

No laundry shoot in this house so the best part of doing laundry is tossing it down the stairs :)

Now on to vacuuming! My mother-in-law and my mom have both blessed us with vacuum cleaners over the years so both girls got to vacuum at the same time. They actually like to vacuum (like their momma!) so this was more of a "fun" chore than it was a learning experience.

Even daddy took a turn at training today! He showed Ella how to hold the cord so that she wouldn't roll over it every single time.

And the final chore of the day....and the most important....STOCKING TOILET PAPER IN ALL OF THE BATHROOMS! :)

Took a little help from Pinterest and made my Memaw a healthy snack! "You are the apple of my eye," "We go bananas for you" and "You are pearfect!" :) She loved them!

day two of housewife training: Unloading/loading the dishwasher and feeding brother

2012-01-10T23:43:00.005-06:00

We hit the ground running today! Ella was at preschool all day so it was just me and good old Eden - but she didn't miss a beat!

First chore = unloading the silverware from the dishwasher

The day she's been waiting for....PERMISSION TO PLAY IN THE SOAPY DISH WATER!

She loved every minute of it!

The foot stools that David bought them for their bathroom have come in very handy!

After about 20 minutes of scrubbing the same bowl, she finally loaded it into the dishwasher :)

Putting a box top into our special ziplock bag. We've been clipping them for months now. I probably only have 30 or 40, but my wax lady's son collects them for school so I thought we might be able to help!

Love this picture :) Final chore of the day was helping me feed David.

Yep - not a day goes by that poor David doesn't have to play dress up with the girls :)

Silly kiddos....

day one of housewife training: scrubbing bathrooms

2012-01-09T19:37:00.004-06:00

That's right folks! This week I am teaching my 3 and 4 year old what it means (and takes!) to be a good housewife! Day one of training was how to scrub the bathroom.....in our bathing suits of course! It may have taken us two and a half hours to scrub two bathrooms upstairs, but we survived and they did GREAT!

First we started on the blinds, and I must say, they did a fantastic job! :)

Next we moved to the huge tub in my bathroom.

Eden thought she was such a big girl :)

They then scrubbed the shower while I scrubbed the toilet.

They cleaned the outside of the shower door for like 20 minutes. Now Baby David can stand up and try to eat it any time he wants! (He tries to eat everything.....)

We then moved to their bathroom.

They each scrubbed their own sink....

....and then they worked on their tub while I scrubbed the toilet.

ALL DONE!!!! Their reward = play time on the top bunk! :)

Let's try this again...apparently I can't successfully complete 2 simple steps!

2011-11-18T08:46:00.004-06:00

When you're ready to make your family holiday card you should check out Tiny Prints. They've got a lot of original holiday card designs that you're sure to love! I'm leaning heavily towards a tri-folded card like the International Color card. Isn't it super cute??

So get to shopping and make sure to HAVE FUN while making your Christmas card!!! I can't wait to see which design you pick!!!

Calling all Christmas card lovers!!

2011-11-17T22:01:00.003-06:00

It's that time of year again and I AM SO EXCITED!!!! My family comes to town next week for the Thanksgiving holiday, my hubby is taking the WHOLE week off, my new camera lens came in and I have three photo sessions booked this weekend so I will get to do what I love....capture "love" on camera and bless families with timeless memories! In my spare time (haha!) I will also be making our 2011 family Christmas card and Tiny Prints has some beautiful and spunky designs to choose from. Here are some of my favs:

Love it!

If you like their designs and like free stuff, check out their website because they have a pretty awesome giveaway going on right now. If you blog about their company and products, they will give you 50 free holiday cards of your choice! Just blog (aka "brag" - which is not hard to do because their product designs speak for themselves!) and fill out this form. When you get your free cards, mail me one! :)

Let the holiday season begin!!!!!

David saying Dada for the first time!

2011-11-07T19:15:00.000-06:00

The moment we've all been waiting for...David speaks! ;)

Fall Photoshoot

2011-11-02T16:56:00.006-05:00

I LOVE this time of year!!! I love the leaves changing colors (not so much in Dallas, but in other parts of the country!), I love wearing long sleeved shirts and light jackets, I love opening the windows and hearing the wind blowing outside....but most of all, I love my family and the Fall season just makes spending time with them feel so good!!!

I had high hopes for today's photo shoot because there was one particular shot that I really wanted to get with all three kids but....it took me so long to get everybody ready and fed that it was David's nap time by the time we got to our destination so he passed out after about ten minutes. However, we came away with some pretty great pictures if I do say so myself! Enjoy and Happy Fall everyone!!!!

Sisters!

My Ella

My Eden

I don't like this picture....she looks WAY too old!!!!

Someone honked their car horn and it scared Eden so she grabbed hold of Ella. I couldn't resist snapping the shot so I could capture the scared look on her face. Kind of mean....but so sweet that she trusted Ella to protect her!

And then Ella started tickling her...of course :)

Little girl feet! I wanted to get a shot of all three feet, but David was asleep by this time.

Eden has awesome hair....I'm jealous!

And then Eden got sleepy...

Pretty baby girl!

Eden looks miserable in this shot, but I like that all three are in it

David Allen playing in the leaves

Once again.....HAPPY FALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Halloween!!!

2011-10-31T23:53:00.004-05:00

Two little princesses and one super cute Woody! This is the only picture of the three of them all looking at the camera. The girls just wanted to get the trick-or-treating started! (Guess who put on her own lipstick????)

Auntie Ashley and her little man! She came over on Sunday to get help making her vest for her work costume, so we tried her hat on David and that is why we decided last minute to dress him the same. The hat is just way too cute on him!!!

Sleepy boy

Precious!

Love this one!

And this one!

But most of all, this one! :)

G.I. Joe (daddy) and Woody

Ashley and I ran to Party City yesterday and came home with David's costume. Not sure if he loved it but he sure did look cute! Check out those muscles! :)

And then there's me.....no costume other than a witch hat that I found in the garage. I was way too busy getting everyone else ready, but the girls had a great Halloween and that is all that matters! Hope yours was great too!

8 months old!!

2011-10-24T22:11:00.013-05:00

Hello eight months!!! Little man is growing like a weed and I love it! Well, I don't love that I am watching my baby boy turn into a toddler, but I definitely love watching his personality develop each and every day. He is awesome.....just awesome! He loves his sisters, loves his jumperoo and recently he has found his vocal chords so he loves to squeal at the top of his lungs! :)

Watch out world....here I come!

He can now sit up really good on his own and I just love sitting him in the middle of the living room floor with the girls and his toys. His face lights up and I can just tell that he thinks he is such a big boy!

Eden still adores him and cannot stand to give him space. It's pretty cute.

He listens to her every word. I can't wait to see how their relationship will grow over the years. I can totally see them being best friends when they are adults. I actually pray that they have a close relationship because I don't know what I'd do without my sister.

We've had to bust out the pack-n-play and use it as an actual play pen. Another "first" for this month is crawling!!! I've never seen a baby army crawl as fast as David can! Just put a wire or cord of any kind in front of him and off he goes! He is obsessed with our laptop cords. Tonight David (daddy) and I had to spank Baby David's hand several times but he just kept crawling back. We'll keep trying....

And here is his famous "Grinch" smile! Not sure where he learned it, but it is the funniest thing ever! He crinkles up his little button nose, tilts his head up to the sky and just smiles away! I love it!

This is his sleepy look. You don't have to guess when he is tired. He'll let you know as soon as he's ready to be put to bed....which is great because all you have to do is lay him down and he either talks himself to sleep or sucks his thumb until he falls asleep. It makes bedtime super easy!

Here's the first Grinch smile that I caught on camera. I think his super expressive eyebrows make the smile! He can make an upside down "V" with them!

Here he is about ten minutes later showing Auntie Ashley his new smile. We were all laughing really hard!

I took him outside today and snapped a few pictures of him on the front porch. Couldn't resist making a little black and white photo line of my boy and his pumpkins.

And now he's had enough.

This is Auntie Ashley's favorite pose these days. He just kind of props himself up on one leg and plays with his toys.....or my bathrobe. :)

Up on all fours.....

.....and away he goes!!! There's no turning back now!!!!

David's 7 Month Old Photo Shoot

2011-09-11T19:20:00.002-05:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

Cute little man

2011-09-04T00:01:00.002-05:00

5 months old!!!

2011-08-14T21:42:00.021-05:00

My sweet little man is now 6 months old, but here are some of my favorite shots (and milestones) from when he was 5 months old. He currently weighs 19 pounds!

David's monthly picture with MoMo

I didn't even try to get a picture of him with his hand out of his mouth b/c this picture truly represents him at 5 months old....TEETHING AND CHEWING/DROOLING ON HIS HANDS!!!!

But he also smiles ALL of the time and I adore that about him!!!

Footprint at 5 months old

And now for a short intermission so that I can brag on my two beautiful daughters! This is Ella (4 years old) on her "special day" with mommy and daddy. We took her to Purple Glaze in Dallas where she painted a ceramic castle and then we stopped at the Mustangs in Las Colinas and got out to play.

And here is Eden (almost 3 years old) on her special day. She got to go to IHOP for breakfast and then we took her to get her fingers and toes painted at the nail salon!

Now back to Baby D :)

I found him asleep on his play mat one afternoon and it just melted my heart

This is his "I'm working on a little treat for you" face

But I don't mind changing his dirty diapers since his smile is PRICELESS!!!!

Mommy having some fun with her little man while the girls nap

Love it

Angel baby

I LOVE when he "talks" to me

I COULD JUST EAT THOSE CHEEKS UP!!!

Getting sleepy

He looks WAY too old in this picture!!! STOP GROWING!!!!!

He definitely has my eyes because they almost close when he smiles a certain way :)

First time in the jumperoo.....not so sure about it.....

Oh look.....something else to chew on!

Ah, so that's how this thing works!!

His first tooth arrived on Wednesday, July 20th. It was the bottom left tooth.

The second one (bottom right) is not too far behind.

Sucking on a frozen chew toy for the first time

Hi mom!

Hey Toby...come play with me!

I'm gonna roll over.....

....this isn't as easy as it looks......

....but I did it!!!! He rolled over from his belly to his back on June 28th and then 7 days later, on July 5th, he rolled over from his back to his belly. Now he is rolling EVERYWHERE!!!

I bought him this new toy on July 23rd. He spends A LOT of time in it since he can't sit up by himself quite yet. In fact, he usually rocks himself to sleep if I don't notice that he is getting sleepy in it. Super cute.

Hanging out on the floor before church in a cute outfit from Auntie Ashley.

Eden and David

I love my feet....

....I love my hands....

....I love them both! :)

Second tooth (bottom right) came in on Sunday, July 24th.

Trying REALLY hard to crawl

so exhausting

so maybe I'll crawl next month!!!! Stay tuned!!! :)

First swimming lesson!

2011-07-08T23:55:00.006-05:00

I haven't put Baby David in the water yet because every time we go swimming it is way too hot and sunny for his precious skin. However, tonight we went out to eat with Jennifer and Lucas and then headed back to their house for an evening swim....the perfect time to introduce him to the water!

Cutie patootie

I have a picture of Ella and David like this so I wanted to get one of Baby David and David too. I think it is sweet.

I think he might tan like his momma! NOT AT ALL! :)

Daddy getting ready to bring him in

Although the timing of the sun was perfect, this is his "It's 7 o'clock and I want my bedtime bottle and crib" look.

Daddy put him under the water and he was not pleased. Check out those lips!!!

Um....one of my favs! We so rarely see such a mad face on him that it was actually kind of cute to see! Although, I did hate to see him so upset.

"Stop it daddy!"

First time under the water....while mommy has a small heart attack on the deck.

Trying to catch his breath

Love it :)

Just chillin'

A few more 4 month old pictures....

2011-07-08T23:34:00.004-05:00

I found a few more 4 month old pictures of David that I wanted to post because looking back at our blog is how I remember dates and times of things for the kid's baby books. :) Granted, I haven't started working on them yet.....but when I do this blog will be very helpful!

Sweet Alyssa and Ella playing "dolls."

Eden trying to kiss Baby Damon. She thinks any child that is smaller than her is "her baby." It was actually quite cute to watch! I'm pretty sure he hated it though.... :)

Baby David resting with Auntie Ashley after she had her wisdom teeth taken out.

Bath time!!!

Sweet angel

Resting on Grandma Hall

Daddy must have said something funny :)

Scroll back to the entry with Ella's baby picture b/c this one of David looks JUST like her to me!

Eden making him laugh

Talking to dad about his day at work

Ah teething......he is following in Ella's footsteps. Ella started drooling and chewing on things at 4 months but we never saw a tooth until 6 months. I bet he will be the same way. This was his first time in the high chair. :)

Baby David is in the high chair for the first time enjoying dinner with the family!

Going for a walk with the girls and Grandma Hall

And yes, WE HAVE A THUMB SUCKER! I must admit that I was a bit nervous about it at first because I've heard that it is harder to break a kid of their thumb as opposed to a pacifier, but I also must admit that it is the sweetest thing I've ever seen!!!

4 months old!!!

2011-07-02T00:08:00.002-05:00

I am well aware that every mom thinks she has the cutest baby in the world....but seriously ya'll....Baby David really is THE CUTEST (and sweatiest!!!!) BABY IN THE WORLD!!!! Not only is he cute, but he is awesome!!! He rarely cries, he smiles ALL of the time and although it drives his daddy nuts, he's a straight up momma's boy. :) In the past week he started rolling over from his belly to his back and I can't even believe that he is old enough to do that yet! I've tried to soak up every second of these precious first few months, but deep down I get so sad when I think about how fast he is growing up. I don't know why it surprises me because I felt the same way with the girls, but he and I just have this special bond that I will cherish forever!!! OK, enough sappy talk, here are some pics from the past month:

Cat nap on Grandma Hall

Hangin' with Papaw Hall

When he smiles, his whole entire face lights up....I LOVE IT!!! When I take him with me to run errands, he smiles and flirts with anybody that will give him the time of day. I'm pretty sure that ALL of the grandma's who live in the HEB area have met him because they stop me in the grocery store or Target to tell me how cute he is....and then they proceed to tell me how cute THEIR grandkids are! :)

Getting tickles from sissy

Ella cannot stand it when she hears me taking pics of Baby David. She HAS to be in them which cracks me up since it's usually like pulling teeth to get her to cooperate in a picture.

I love this one!

Clearly he was tired of her kissing him :)

Sweetness

Not sure what made him laugh so hard in this one but it makes me smile

Angel of mine

Seriously, he is ALWAYS smiling which makes taking his picture really fun and easy!

This is his "I'm really excited" face when I put him on his belly for "tummy time"

Yummy drool :)

Cutie patootie!!!

Look at those puppy eyes and droopy cheeks!!!

AH!!! HE IS JUST THE CUTEST THING EVER!!!! Right???

I just can't believe that he will be 5 months in just a few days. Right now I know that he weighs 18 lbs. 3 oz. because I had to take him to the doctor yesterday. He is all congested but still as happy as can be! I haven't seen any actual teeth yet but they are most certainly on their way! He has been drooling for weeks and chews on ANYTHING you put in his hands. In fact, I bought him some teething biscuits today so we'll see how he likes them. I'm also going to start him on baby food this weekend....I think. I hate that stage so I might hold out a few more weeks. :) Hope you enjoyed the pics! Will post his 5 month old pics soon!

Happy 4th of July weekend!!!

3 months old!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-05-09T19:29:00.007-05:00

My little man is 12 weeks old today and I am SOOOOOO in love with him!!! His smile, his smell (most of the time!!) and the way he prefers me over anyone else makes my heart melt!!! Seriously, he knows when I leave the room! It is unbelievable!

This was his first night in his crib. The girls moved to the nursery around 8 weeks old but I didn't move David until week 11 and that is only because daddy insisted. :) He did great. We bought one of the Angel Care (SIDS) monitors and that helped me relax a lot! He sleeps around 4 to 6 hours before he gets hungry again so if I could just get him to eat around midnight, I might get a good night's sleep. Sadly, he usually eats around 9 or 10pm so that means we've had a standing date around 3am. :) We'll get there! Since I am no longer working outside of the home it's not a big deal.

Just chillin' on the boppy lounger waiting for daddy to get home from work.

Sweetness

Concentrating hard :)

More sweetness. Eden just adores him. She wants to be around him and touch him ALL DAY LONG!!! I truly thought I would have some jealousy issues with her but she has been so great with him.

It's weird to think Eden was my baby not too long ago and now she looks so big to me!

Ella and brother

I couldn't resist grabbing the camera because these sweatpants looked SO dang cute on him!!! Plus, this was the first time for him to wear a 6 month old shirt....and it fit perfectly! Shocker! I assume he is somewhere around 15 pounds now becase he was in the high 14's at 2 months.

Guess who is a thumb sucker???? Yep, I keep trying to push him towards the pacifier because it will be easier to break him of, but he likes to spit it out once I walk away and suck on his hand until he finds his thumb. I must admit, it's kind of cute. :)

Where is it??? Where is it???

Found it!

Last week we went to Nash Farms to celebrate Ella's 4th birthday (will post pics of that later) so we decided to get a picture of David on his first tractor!

Talking to daddy after he changed his diaper. Clean diapers always make him so happy!

Nap time

Cuddle time with Grandma Hall

He's a big fan :)

Mother's Day picture with daddy :) Check out his new flip flops!!! LOVE THEM!

We spent Mother's Day afternoon at Auntie Ashley's pool. Here is Baby D in his first swim suit!

Cutie Pie!

Mommy and David. It was too cold for him to get in the pool so he napped with me in the shade.:)

Trying to take some Mother's Day pictures in the house...but it was a little too dark......

.....so then we moved outside and it was a little too windy! :) Oh well. It was a great day that I will cherish always!!!! Happy Mother's Day to all the ladies out there!!!

11 week old pics

2011-05-02T09:30:00.007-05:00

Although this is one of the sweetest "first smile" pics in all of the world, you're probably wondering why we dressed Baby David in pink. WE DIDN'T! This is Ella!!! Doesn't Baby D look JUST like her????

His face is a little bit rounder than hers was, but some of the pictures I take of him just make me smile because they bring back sweet memories of Ella when she was his age.

He still sleeps on his back half of the time and his tummy the other half. It's works out great for me because we've been instructed to do a lot of tummy time in order to "shape" his skull properly so I just use his nap times as "exercise time." :)

He doesn't love the bumbo seat just yet, but it is another good method of strengthening his neck muscles so I try to get him to sit in it every now and again.

One of my very favorite times of the day.....when daddy walks in the door after being at work all day! The kids go bonkers! It is just precious.

Telling daddy about his day - he has REALLY started to "coo" a lot.

He loves to be swaddled tightly but he is the strongest baby we've ever had because he can work his way out in seconds!!! It is unreal!!!

Happy baby

This is his "coo-smile." When he really gets goin' it is awesome! David got him to laugh for the first time this weekend and I got a little bit of it on video so I will try to post that later. IT IS SO SWEET!

Scrunched up little man :)

Baby D and Ella

His face looks more and more mature as the days go by. Make it stop!!! :)

"Flirt" smile :)

I love how his chubby little cheeks sag

Have a great week! I'll post pictures of him next week to celebrate his 3 month mark!!!

Family/Baby David Maternity Pics

2011-04-26T23:42:00.007-05:00

Just a few of my favs!

Easter 2011

2011-04-26T23:31:00.005-05:00

Still can't believe that we have three children....until we try to get them all to smile at once!!!

Daddy and David

David in his Easter sweater vest!!! Thank you Nana!

Mommy and David

He didn't like the sun in his face :)

Mommy and babies

The girls hunting eggs at Grandma and Papaw's house

The Easter Bunny came to our house!!

I couldn't resist

2011-04-26T12:03:00.001-05:00

The girls "working out" with me today. Love it.

Week 8, 9 and 10 Pics

2011-04-21T11:29:00.006-05:00

I'm a bit behind on my weekly postings.....but I have three kids. Give me a break! :)

He weighed in at 14 lbs and 4 oz at his 8 week old check up! And he was 23 inches long! BIG BOY!!

I love this picture. Both Davids look precious! I was getting ready for church and found them like this when I got out of the shower.

Then they moved to this position. Poor little man has acid reflux so it hurts him to lay flat on his back after he eats. He seemed to like this position!

Here he is in his 2 month old onesie. As you can see, he has learned to smile! This is not his best one, but they are all SO SWEET!!!! We all talk "baby talk" these days because his smile will warm your heart!!! LOVE IT!!!

Here is his more serious "leave me alone" look.

I LOVE THE LIGHT IN THESE PICTURES! I grabbed the camera one morning (even though we were late for a doctor's appointment) and the setting on the camera was just perfect with the sun that was coming in through the window. It makes my heart happy to think this is what Big David looked like as a baby. I just think it is awesome when a baby looks identical to a parent....kind of wish one of my babies would look like ME, but that's OK. :)

He's getting too big, too fast. Makes me tear up a bit.

Waiting for the rest of us to get ready for church.

"It's getting late guys......"

Sunday afternoon nap on the couch. LOVE THOSE!!!

Oh my, do I even need to say it???? HE IS SO PRECIOUS!!!

I'm his favorite :)

Although, he was quite fond of Nana when she came to visit this month! They were sleeping buddies!!! MOMMY GOT TO SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT! Thank you Nana!

Lovely Ladies

2011-04-19T09:34:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since I posted pics of the girls so I dedicate this post to them!! They have done AMAZING with Baby D...and I do mean amazing. I truly thought we would encounter jealousy issues with Eden but she has totally stepped into her "momma" role and it is just precious!!! We have our moments, but for the most part, both of them are doing great given the new addition to our family.

Kyla and her girls came for a visit earlier this month and Ella LOVED getting to play with Ava! By the way Kyla, THANK YOU AGAIN for watching the girls while I took David to the doctor!! HUGE HELP!!!!

Don't judge me, but I finally took the girls to the dentist for the first time. Here they are playing with the toys in the waiting room before all the drama.....

Ella was a bit hesitant at first but she ended up letting Dr. Studer look in her mouth! I couldn't believe it. NO CAVITIES! Yippee!!!

Feeling "Mr. Thirsty" for the first time :)

Not loving Mr. Thirsty.......

Feeling the water on her teeth for the first time.

The girls being goofy in the patient chair before everything started. Eden thought she wanted to go first....and then she freaked out!!! Needless to say she did not let them look in her mouth. We shall try again next time...

Pretty dresses that Nana brought them last week. Baby D had a doctor's appointment last week and they wanted to wear their dirty princess dresses but I bargained with these. They were a tad bit over-dressed for the appointment but at least they were clean! :)

Baby Sneezes are the best!!!

2011-04-18T11:03:00.002-05:00

Baby D was being super sweet this morning and was just "talking" away so I grabbed the Flip camera and decided to record him so that me and the girls could send daddy a cute video. Well, 2 seconds after I hit record he sneezed and it made the girls laugh so hard! I think we've watched this video 15 times already! They keep saying, "Again!! Again!!"

Hopefully it will make you smile on this beautiful Monday morning!!!

7 week old pics

2011-03-31T20:24:00.008-05:00

Little man is now seven weeks old and a whopping 13 pounds! I took him to the doctor yesterday because he's been having some weird stomach issues, but we're hopeful that he'll start feeling better really soon. His pediatrician thinks that he has a stomach hernia (like father, like son!) so I'm taking him in for a sonogram in the next day or so to see what we need to do next. She also wants me to switch him from Nutramigen to Neocate formula to see if that will decrease the amount of diarrhea diapers he has on a daily basis. If it doesn't then she wants to do an Upper GI to make sure his digestive system is developing properly. Poor thing has had a rough time with his belly, but he is still an amazing baby and I love him so much!!!! Please pray for him to completely heal soon!

My three little angels

Sleepy Boy

I like to call this his "How you doin'?" look

Trying to stay awake while I talk to him :)

New outfit....but I had just changed his diaper so it's not snapped or buttoned. It looked super cute on him when it is on right!

LOVE HIS KISSABLE ROUND CHEEKS!

6 week old pics

2011-03-23T17:51:00.003-05:00

Another week has flown by. Sweet boy still had some projectile vomit issues this week so I started him on some acid reflux medicine. Hopefully he will start keeping down all of his feedings soon!!!

Just like Eden, he looks so good in navy blue.

This picture cracks me up. It looks like he is thinking about something important. And check out that round belly and thighs!!! He is getting super bubbly and cute!

Two seconds later he is falling alseep again! :)

I sat him on the couch next to Big D the other night and the window was open so he just sat there and stared for like 30 minutes. So cute!

5 week old pics

2011-03-19T21:23:00.008-05:00

I'm a few days late posting David's 5 week old pictures but things have been a bit crazy around here. Big D was in Austin last weekend for South By Southwest so Baby D decided it would be a good time to start throwing up after every feeding! I ended up in the ER with him on Saturday so that they could give him some fluids and make sure he wasn't dehydrated, so after some blood work and anti-nausea medicine, they sent us home. David got home from his trip on Sunday and that's when Ella started throwing up. I got SUPER nervous that we were dealing with the stomach flu but she only threw up a couple of times that night and then she was fine.....praise the Lord! However, over the next few days we all got head colds which meant lots of coughing and sneezing. :( We're still dealing with that mess, but I THINK we are on the downhill side of it all so I'm hopeful that this coming week will be much easier. To wrap up the week, I took Big D to the hospital on Thursday for a scheduled hernia repair surgery. He did great and is now at home recovering. All of that occurred in just one short week so you should now understand why I haven't had time to post! :) However, here are some pics I took to remember week #5.

Baby D in his Month One onesie. At the ER he weighed in at 11 lbs. 5 oz!!

Baby D and MoMo

This is his favorite seat in our house. In fact, he sleeps in his bouncy seat almost every single night.

one month old footprint

Grandma Hall and Baby D.

"Talking" to Grandma Hall

He wore himself out talking :)

I definitely want to take this opportunity to say a huge THANK YOU to my mother-in-law. It's never been easy for me to accept the fact that my mom lives over a thousand miles away in Indiana, but if there was one person I would want by my side on a daily basis who wasn't my mom.....it would be Linda. She CONSTANTLY takes care of me and my kiddos. She watches them when I have doctor's appointments, cleans my house while I am gone so that I can rest when I get home, cooks us dinner, picks them up for random outings so that I can have some peace and quiet for a few hours, lets them spend the night so that they can have a change in scenery and even demands that I take a nap instead of using my alone time to clean or do laundry! Now THAT is a treat!!!! I truly appreciate ALL you do for me Linda. You are a wonderful mother-in-law and grandma and I THANK YOU!!!!

Precious little man

His sweet little cheeks have filled out so much and I love them!!! :)

One month old pics

2011-03-09T21:53:00.007-06:00

Little man is now a month old. CRAZY!!!! He pretty much eats, sleeps and poops. In fact, the eating every two hours routine is killing me so today I bought some rice cereal and put some in his bottle. I'm sure he is way too young to start that, but I need sleep!!!!

My babies

Deep in thought :)

Dream smile....love it!

Big yawn

These are the LONG legs that kicked my ribs ALL of the time!!!

Yes, I am a terrible mother. When I am starving and can't wait to eat my lunch, I prop his bottle up with a blanket so that he can feed himself while I eat.

Sweet Clara feeding him dinner! She is ready for a baby of her own!

Auntie Ashley is VERY helpful. She comes over and visits us a lot and always jumps right in to help me out with the kiddos.

And now for some of my very favorite pictures of David resting his hand on his Auntie's arm...............

SO SWEET!

I just love it!

Mommy's Little Man

Love you Auntie Ashley!!!! Can't wait to spend the weekend with you!

My Little Princess

2011-03-08T20:22:00.004-06:00

Is there anything sweeter than watching your husband love on your daughter??? I really don't think so. I look forward to the day when David will truly bond with Baby David, but right now it is just super cool to see him encourage, love and teach our girls what it means to be loved by their father.

This past Sunday, he took Ella to the "Daddy and Daughter Princess Ball" at church and she LOVED it!!! It seriously makes me want to cry when I think about how big she looks in these pictures!

Sweet Angel

One of my favs...a must save for her wedding day!

Tear

David took Ella on a shopping date to buy a tiara and some new rings. He is an awesome dad.

Putting on her new ring

Love it

Love it even more

I tried to curl her hair but it will not hold curl!!! So we went with the "Nicole Kidman" look from the Grammys. She looked gorgeous! :)

They got to sit in a carriage at the ball and have their picture taken. I can't imagine how excited Ella was!

Week 3 pics

2011-03-02T21:53:00.003-06:00

Three weeks have come and gone. Sigh. I hate how fast time goes once the baby is born. Pregnancy time is unbelievably slow yet once they are born, you blink and weeks have passed. I try so hard to take in and cherish every moment but it seriously makes me want to cry when I think about the fact that he'll never be this small again and I might miss something if I don't pay attention to him every second of every day. And yes, my hormones are still leveling out! :)

Week 3 updates: Last week I thought David was getting thrush in his mouth so I took him in to see his pediatrician and he weighed in at 9 lbs. 3 oz. I weighed him again today and he now weighs 9 lbs. 13 oz. I don't think he'll have a problem growing big and strong!!! His head is surprisingly strong so when he is awake (which is not often) and he's laying on your lap, he'll hold his head up and just stare into your eyes. It's awesome! I can't tell if he is a back or stomach sleeper because he does fine either way. The girls were both stomach sleepers only, but I'm still trying to figure him out. His hair still has a hint of red in it but his eye lashes and eyebrows are still super light and almost non-existent. His face is getting rounder and rounder which makes his cheeks SUPER kissable!!!

Mommy giving David a bath in the kitchen sink.

Fuzzy hair after his bath

Getting a massage with baby lotion....oh the life!

Wide awake now! (See what I mean about the kissable cheeks!!)

Not happy about the cold air on his wet body

Mommy trying to calm him down

Sweet angel

Not so sweet angel...just kidding!

Gotta love Eden's fake smile. She asked if she could hold him so I said yes thinking she would be bored of him in like 2 minutes, but she actually sat on the couch with him for like 30 minutes. I was shocked.

This smile was a real one. I just happened to snap the picture as she was talking to him in her baby voice. Super cute!

Ashley and I love this picture because she is looking at him and he is looking at her. Precious!

That's it for this week!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!!!

2011-02-28T11:59:00.002-06:00

Today is my sweetheart's birthday!

I wish I could take credit for the amazing chocolate mousse cake that we had over the weekend to celebrate David's birthday.....but......let's be honest, I bought it at Central Market and I have no regrets! :)

I'd call having a son in your arms for your birthday a WONDERFUL gift! Not to mention a son who looks JUST like you!

Ella and I had a "mommy and me" date last week at the mall and she picked out several new shirts and sunglasses for David from American Eagle.

For his big gift, I was trying to decide between a surround sound system or a Color Nook. I chose the surround sound system since I don't know anything about the Color Nook and decided he could research and buy that on his own time.....but, as it turns out, I don't know anything about surround sound systems either!!! I'll be taking the one I bought back later today because I bought one that doesn't work with our TV. Go figure!!! The good news is that we went to Barnes and Noble yesterday and he purchased the Color Nook so I think he is a happy camper!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY LOVE!!!!

Week 2 Pics

2011-02-23T21:26:00.002-06:00

Obviously time is not on my side for blogging but I am trying really hard to take tons of pictures for you all! Below are some of my favs from this past week.

I love this picture because he actually looks like a little man!
I'm sure this smile is related to gas, but this picture still makes my heart melt.

And this picture makes me laugh because I don't think I will ever forget hearing Ella say, "Here brother, put your bracelet on." (It's a pink hair scrunchy that she thought he needed to wear so that he had a bracelet like her and Eden. So cute.)

Love of my life

Sweet Ella and her brother

Thank you for the awesome floor mat Kyla and Laurie!! Ella is already teaching him how to play on it. :)

My three little angels. Thank you Lord for healthy, happy babies!!!

ONE WEEK OLD CHECK-UP

2011-02-20T17:16:00.002-06:00

David is doing great - the pediatrician would like to see him eating more often, but other than that, he is back up to 8 lbs, 5 oz which is only 4 oz away from his birth weight so that is good! Before I know it he will be a year old and eating us out of house and home!

One Week Old

2011-02-16T21:58:00.002-06:00

I can't believe that my sweet little boy is one week old today. He really is an amazing baby. He sleeps ALL of the time and eats like Ella did.....whenever you wake him up and make him mad! I couldn't have asked for a better baby...although David is praying that it stays this way as Eden's colic didn't kick in until she was one month old. Fingers crossed that we will not have to deal with that again!

I love this picture because Edward's face explains it all! CHAOS!

Granddad meeting David for the first time (David's middle name of "Allen" comes from my dad)

Granddad and Eden checking out her baby brother

David sunbathing

Sweet love of mine

I REALLY hope that this facial expression is not an indication that he will have Eden's scowl! :) Check out that eyebrow lift!

ALWAYS sleeping...but I'm not complaining.

One of my mom's favorite pictures of him. He's awake and looks so precious!

Valentine's Day picture of the three of us

Happy (late) Valentine's Day

2011-02-16T14:04:00.002-06:00

Thank you Aunt Mellissa for the cute outfits and Valentine's Day goodies! (He peed all over this outfit RIGHT before we took the picture but I decided to take the picture anyways so you could see how cute he looked!)

Even with everything else going on around here, daddy surprised his girls with goodies and dresses too! He is an awesome dad!

We took pictures and sent them to daddy at work

SUCH a booger! It took forever to get her to smile...this is the best shot we could get before threatening to spank her! :)

We say it all of the time, but she really is JUST like her Auntie Ashley! She has a mind of her own and you are not going to convince her otherwise! Love you Auntie Ashley!!!

David bought little man a couple of cute onesies for Valentine'e Day :)

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day! It was definitely one I will never forget!

This is what happened when I left Eden alone with David for 5 minutes

2011-02-15T22:19:00.002-06:00

I had to help Ella with something so I left David in his bouncy seat on the floor in the living room. When I returned 5 minutes later, Eden had put his new stuffed elephant and pacifier ON TOP of his head! She is such a mommy to him. I love it!

First Mohawk

2011-02-15T22:17:00.002-06:00

My mom gave David a sponge bath yesterday and I couldn't help but laugh at the hawk he was sporting once his hair was dry. Too cute! Daddy will have hair product in his hair before we know it!

The long awaited pictures of Prince David's arrival

2011-02-15T17:21:00.008-06:00

My apologies for the delay in posting the birth pictures of our precious David, but my recovery has been a bit more challenging than that of the girls so life has been busy the past week. However, please allow me to now introduce you to our firstborn son!!!

David Allen Crandall
Born at 4:28pm on Wednesday, February 9, 2011
8 lbs, 9 oz
21 1/2 inches long and ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!!!

4:10pm - time to start pushing!!!

4:28pm - David is born!

Mommy meeting David for the first time

BIG BOY!!!

Daddy's hand on his son's back - one of my favorite pics from the day

First kiss from daddy...LOVE IT!!!

Proud daddy or a daddy still in shock that he actually got his boy??? :)

First picture of the three of us

The girls meeting their little brother. EDEN ADORES HIM!

Nana holding David for the first time

Memaw and Papaw holding David for the first time

Grandpa holding David for the first time

Auntie Ashley holding David for the first time

Grandma holding David for the first time

THANK YOU DR. ROST!!!!

Um, can you say perfect????

His hair is lighter than Ella's was, but he has A LOT of her characteristics....including the fact that he looks JUST like his daddy!

Mommy, Daddy and David

Sleeping Beauty before the prince arrives

2011-02-09T14:36:00.001-06:00

Kaylane is sleeping right now. Doc gave her something to make things feel a bit better (she had a headache a little while ago).

Prior to sleep, he said she was at a 6 and that Baby David's head had moved down. He expects to be able to deliver once she wakes up.

EXCITED!!! So ready for my son to make his appearance!!!

Calm before the...birth

2011-02-09T12:33:00.000-06:00

Everything is calm right now. Progressing along well. The epidural is preventing pain from the contractions (though the actual epidural was the worst experience ever for Kaylane).

Now we just wait. :)

Delivery update

2011-02-09T11:07:00.001-06:00

We're sitting in the delivery room and the ground is covered in snow outside. We truly left for the hospital on a dark and stormy night.

Kaylane just got her epidural and her water was broken at 10:45am. Now we're just waiting. The epidural has worked well though since she only mildly is aware of what are strong contractions.

That's all for now.

PS - For those wanting to know, she is dilated to a 4.

35 weeks preggo

2011-01-08T22:06:00.002-06:00

Let the countdown begin......and not a moment too soon! I'm huge, cranky and severely uncomfortable so I am definitely ready to meet this little guy!!! My due date is Valentine's Day but my doctor will induce me on the 9th if he hasn't come on his own by then. Although I don't love the idea of induction, I really am SO over this pregnancy so I don't foresee me passing on the option. So long as he comes out healthy, I will be happy!!

I haven't been very good about documenting this pregnancy with photos but I asked David to snap a few shots of me today to mark my 35 week mark.

Happy Halloween!!!!

2010-11-01T22:30:00.003-05:00

I had NO idea putting make-up and princess gowns on them would make them look SOOO old!!!

Mommy's little lady

Close up of her blue eye shadow and pink lips :)

Mommy's other little lady, although, she's not so little anymore!

They weren't too into this picture, but I wanted at least one picture of them standing together.

5 and 6 month pregnant pictures

2010-10-28T20:48:00.002-05:00

Oh how one month can make a difference! Actually, I really feel like THIS week has been my week to pop!

5 months pregnant

6 months pregnant

Only a few months to go!!!!!!!!

Ah.....my sweet eden

2010-10-20T21:55:00.004-05:00

I hate to admit it but my sweet little Eden is about as clumsy as they come. I've always known that she would be our first trip to the ER for a broken arm or leg. Well, she didn't break any bones, but the nanny called me at work around 3pm today and all I heard was, "She's OK, but....."

Apparently after they woke up from their nap they were dancing and graceful Eden fell and busted her head against the wall.

Luckily the nanny had already cleaned up her face and bloody clothes before I got home because my heart was already racing from hearing her cry in the background on the phone. WORST FEELING EVER AS A PARENT!!!

At the recommendation of our pediatrician, we took her to the ER to get it checked out. Luckily, since the cut was linear and not jagged, they only had to use butterfly bandages and glue instead of real stitches.

She did great!

Watching TV in the hospital bed while daddy relaxed and the numbing medicine kicked in.

All cleaned up and eating a treat!

She'll probably have a little black eye tomorrow but other than that and a potential scar, she will be fine.

Happy 2nd birthday to eden!

2010-10-10T15:01:00.009-05:00

Hard to believe that my baby turned 2 last week but as much as I've tried to keep her little.....she keeps growing and growing!!

Height: 37 inches tall (one inch taller than Ella was at her 2 year old check up!)
Weight: 36 lbs

Precious "It's My Birthday" outfit from Nana. Thank you Nana!!

Of course Ella wanted to wear a tutu too, so we dressed her up for dinner.

We enjoyed a lovely hibachi dinner with grandma, Auntie Ashley, Timmy and Uncle Chris

Ah....teriyaki rice in the shape of a heart with the number 2 on top....is there anything better????

Is it sad that Ella can use chop sticks better than me?

Next came the fried ice cream and weird birthday hat provided by the restaurant. Eden was not a huge fan.

She put it on just long enough to blow out the candle, but daddy ate the fried ice cream so that we could head home for our own dessert.

I feel like a bad mother for not planning a huge birthday party, but we were out of town last weekend (on her actual birthday) and well, it just didn't happen. Therefore, I bought some Tinkerbell decorations and made a cake. :)

There's a reason why David always makes the cakes....

I LOVE her new cheesy smile!

Blowing out the candle

Again with the cheesy smile...

Eating some cake

Not sure what Ella is doing but my guess is that she is adding to the mess on the table by cutting her cake up into tiny pieces

On to present time....thank you for the books and shoes Auntie Ashley!!

Of course Ella couldn't stand NOT helping

Thank you Aunt Mellissa for the cute outfit!!

Sweetness

Before I know it...she will be three!!!!

new york baby!

2010-09-24T10:29:00.004-05:00

Last week David and I traveled to New York so that I could attend a work conference and we decided to stay a few extra days to celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary!!! David took over 1,500 pictures of people, food and places, but below are a few of my favs that we took of each other. :)

What a cool way to capture what I looked like 5 months pregnant, huh?? You have to look hard, but behind my crazy wind-blown hair you can see the Statue of Liberty!

I SOOOO hope that our son looks like his daddy! He is just super handsome and I love that he chose me!!!

I can't remember what this fountain is called, but we took a bike tour around Central Park and this was one of our stops.

I wasn't sure how this picture would turn out because I asked the one non-English speaking person in the park to take it, but it might be one of my favorites! Way to go non-English speaking girl!!!

Ah - even after 5 years, one house, 2 (1/2) kids, 2 dogs, 2 jobs and a lot of challenges......I still think we make a pretty dang cute couple! :)

Here's to 5 more WONDERFUL years of marriage! I love you babe!!

We're still in shock....

2010-09-03T22:08:00.002-05:00

Earlier this morning we heard those three precious words we've been praying for...."IT'S A BOY!" David and I could not be more thrilled and excited about adding A SON to our family!

Proud Daddy

Proud Mommy

I am WELL aware that these are not the "manliest" onesies in the world, but come on!!!!! What little man wouldn't look adorable in them??? My mom and I found them at a cute little boutique in Indiana like a year ago and I bought thinking one day we would be able to use them. I'm pretty sure David hates them, but I might be able to sneak them on in the first few weeks. :)

Now these were not bought a year ago....but rather ten minutes ago! I just couldn't help myself.

Same for these. :)

Anyway, as you can see, I cannot wait to meet him and introduce you to him!

THINK BOY!!!!

2010-08-09T12:02:00.006-05:00

As many of you already know, David and I are expecting our third baby on Valentine's Day and we could NOT be more thrilled!!! This sonogram is way old, but for those of you who need a good smile......

I'm just under 4 months along so we do not know the sex yet, but prayers for a boy would be GREATLY appreciated!!!

Preview of the most beautiful children in the world

2010-07-31T21:58:00.002-05:00

We had some Crandall family pics taken today. Here is a preview of some of my favs as I'm sure I won't ever get around to mailing any out. :)

Miss Ella Rae Crandall - 3 years old

Miss Eden Kate Crandall - 2 months away from being 2 years old....hence the refusal to smile!!!!!

Mommy and Daddy - no need to mention our ages :)

Vacation Days 2 and 3

2010-07-28T23:11:00.004-05:00

Vacation day #2 was fairly uneventful for the girls but FANTASTIC for me! I left the house around 10am, ran some errands, met a friend for lunch and then ran some more errands before returning home to clean the house and pick my mom up from the airport. It was pretty late when we got home and got the girls in bed but below is a picture of the most delicious tomatoes I've ever tasted in my life!!! They don't look pretty but they taste AMAZING!! My mom flew them in from Indiana. THANKS DAD!!

Vacation Day #3 (today) was spent swimming and eating with Kyla, her girls and Laurie. It was a great day!

Eating lunch

Eden found a recorder

Kyla encouraging the hideous noise!!

Ella and Ava creating letters to mail

Laurie taught the girls how to make marshmallow men and Ella thought it was hilarious

Ella's little guy

Ella having a blast in the pool

Ella did great with her swimming techniques today. She kept jumping off of the second step and going under water. Super cute!

Ava and Ella

Laurie was a trooper with the girls. They kept making her holds hands and jump into the pool.....which she did because she is a great JoJo!

Although there was a huge pool to play in, the girls still spent a lot of time in the fountain of all places!!!

My favorite picture of the day. Ava and Ella were EXHAUSTED by the time dinner rolled around. Check out the look on Ella's face.

We had a wonderful time! THANK YOU KYLA!!!!

Vacation - Day #1

2010-07-26T20:58:00.004-05:00

While Eden took her morning nap Ella and I made cookies for daddy.

When Eden got up we headed to Chuck-E-Cheeses!!!

Eden taking a ride with some rat thing. :)

Ella learning how to drive.

Ah, Ella's best friend.....BARNEY!!!!

We invited grandma to join us so Ella took full advantage of having a playmate!!

Home sweet home. :)

vacation!!!!!!

2010-07-25T21:29:00.003-05:00

I just turned on my Outlook out of office message because for the next 7 days I AM ON VACATION!!!! I intend to spend the next 168 hours spending time with the 3 most important reasons I work....

Eden Kate - my beautiful 21 month old that is growing like a weed and makes me laugh on a daily basis....

Ella Rae - my 3 year old that acts like a 22 year old and is the best big sister a girl could ask for....and last but certainly not least, David - my hot husband who treats me like a queen and would sacrifice anything for me!!

My goal is take pictures on a daily basis and post about the adventures of our week since I haven't posted in months and might actually have time this week to play catch up.

These particular pictures were taken today at Auntie Ashley's pool. We had a blast!!!

Here's to wishing for a relaxing week of NO WORK!!!!! :)

Friday Night

2010-05-21T21:34:00.003-05:00

Jennifer invited me and the girls over for a swim night and although Ella was hesitant of the water at first, she had a blast with Jennifer once Eden and I got out.

I grabbed my camera and took several shots of Eden because her eyes just lit up once the sun started to set. I know I am biased, but she has the most gorgeous blue eyes.

She was talking to the dogs in this picture :)

Playing peek-a-boo with the dogs

Pretty baby

Pretty baby turning into a big girl :(

happy mother's day to all!

2010-05-09T22:06:00.003-05:00

Daddy helping the girls with my gifts

The bag was bigger than Eden :)

Ella wanted to pose with my gifts....she was confused as her birthday party was yesterday!

Mommy and her gorgeous girls

Mommy and Eden

The Crandall Fam

We were blessed to have my mom in town for Mother's Day!

My mom bought the girls these cute "I Love Mommy" shirts. Love it!

Ella is 3!!!!

2010-05-06T09:20:00.006-05:00

Nanny Ashley just sent me this picture of Ella. She made her pink chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. THANK YOU NANNY ASHLEY!

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY MY LOVE!!!

2 Years Old

1 Year Old

Seriously, it feels like this picture was taken a year ago....at most! The past three years have been unbelievably amazing and I look forward to many more years to come! I love you Ella!

Does this video make any of my family members extremely happy?

2010-05-04T22:38:00.003-05:00

Me and Memaw are discussing a Meat Pie recipe in the beginning but towards the middle of the video we realize that David is recording Papaw singing to Eden. SO SWEET!!!

Daddy's WEEKEND

2010-04-25T22:21:00.005-05:00

My sweet friend (Jennifer) snagged me away for a WONDERFUL girl's weekend for my birthday....so naturally David got to spend the weekend with his two favorite little ladies. He took them in the backyard for a little photo shoot and I just had to share some of my favorites!

Is it just me or she is looking WAY too old these days!!

Pretty eyes....that she uses to get away with murder around our house!!!

I love this picture

And this one. Even though it came out blurry.

Say cheese

Um....SOMEONE PLEASE GIVE ME A HAIR CUT!!!

Look at all of my teeth!

My baby is 18 months old

2010-04-17T07:35:00.002-05:00

Eden turned 18 months old on April 2nd but mommy forgot all about her 18 month old check up (oops) so we had to re-schedule for yesterday. She did great - even with the two shots she received.

I'm not sure I ever posted her 15 month old stats so I'll start there:

Weight: 29 lbs. 3 oz. (97%)
Height: 34 inches tall (97%)
Head: 47.5 (75-90%)

Her 18 month old stats:

Weight: 31 lbs. 8 oz. (97%)
Height: 35 inches tall (97%)
Head: 48 (75-90%)

I just cannot believe how old she is looking (and acting!) these days. Just to give you a reference, when Ella was 18 months old I had a 1 month old as well! Apparently I am behind...

Giving Pooh a kiss. She's not usually so attached to him but for some odd reason she would NOT let go of him until we got back home. I think it was because Ella was at home with the nanny. Eden did not like that she wasn't there.

Say cheese!

It's been a GREAT week!

2010-04-15T22:33:00.005-05:00

Thanks to all of my family and friends for making my 28th birthday UNFORGETTABLE!!

I came home from work to a decorated front porch and kitchen (thanks Linda!!), then we went out to dinner and then we came home to eat some YUMMY rice krispy treats "cake" (thanks again Linda!) accompanied by some cookies and ice cream (thanks Jennifer!!) I loved every single minute of it!

The Sunday before my birthday we all got up and got dressed for church....or so I thought! David surprised me and took me, the girls and Auntie Ashley to Bread Winners for brunch and then we stopped by the Farmers Market in Downtown Dallas which I LOVE!!!!

Mommy, Ella and Auntie Ashley

Mommy and Ella

We bought some carrots, pears, corn on the cob, green beans, pineapple and cantaloupe. YUMMMY!!!

If you've never bought FRESH fruit or veggies, I highly recommend it!

The next day while David prepared our dinner on the grill, I hooked the girls up with a little Doritos tea party. It was a hit! Ella got to use my very special New England tea set and she was in heaven!

Eden could have cared less about the "very special tea set" because she had Doritos. :)

It was a mess, but they had a blast.

Sweet, cheesy baby!

Again, thanks to all for my birthday wishes, cards, phone/Facebook messages and presents! I LOVE YOU!

we love our aunt chelsea!!!

2010-04-09T08:00:00.004-05:00

There's simply nothing better than opening up mail that is NOT bills!!! I came home from work a couple of weeks ago to a package from my friend Chelsea. Inside were two ADORABLE dresses for the girls! I quickly changed them and took them outside in the backyard to get some pictures because the sun was setting and it was such a beautiful day. They still don't love the camera in their faces but below are a few good shots.

Sisters

I love this one. The girls love to hold hands so I try to get as many pictures as possible of this period in time because I'm sure the day is coming where this will not be the case.

She actually smiled when I asked her to!!! IMPROVEMENT!

Sweet Ella

I love how the sun is hitting her in this shot.

This face means she is up to something.....or using the bathroom. :)

Sweet Eden

Playing with the grass

Same shot as above but just in color.

THANK YOU CHELSEA!!! You are loved from afar!!!

HAPPY EASTER!!!

2010-04-04T23:20:00.005-05:00

They are getting WAY too big for me to carry them at the same time. Sad day!!!

HAPPY EASTER FROM THE CRANDALLS!!!

Ella hugging Eden even though it looks like she is strangling her

Me and Ella

Daddy and Ella (she's learning how to smile)

Daddy and Eden

Daddy and his girls

Eden trying to grab mommy's necklace

Ella LOVED her egg hunt at memaw's because she was the only person hunting!

Sisters :)

Memaw and Me

The Easter Bunny made a pit stop at our house!

Hope you all had a lovely day!

Eden's first pig tails

2010-03-13T21:52:00.002-06:00

My baby is definitely growing up way TOO fast!!

I love how she thinks she can read.

First trip to the library

2010-03-06T15:56:00.004-06:00

Now that we're all healthy again we are able to leave the house on the weekends. :) Today we ventured to the Euless Public Library for the very first time! Fun was had by all. :)

David walking in with the girls and their book bags (aka....mommies old purses!)

I think Eden liked the fish more than she liked the books. :)

Although, she looked SO big picking out books and "reading" them!!!

Ella was in heaven!

I believe she is telling David how to read in this picture.

I love this picture of David reading to Eden. He is an AWESOME dad!

This picture was taken right before Eden grabbed Ella's book and Ella starting screaming "NO EDIE!!!!" uncontrollably. That was fun.

Learning how to put their books away when they're done reading them.

Daddy's 35th!

2010-03-06T15:51:00.002-06:00

Last Sunday was David's 35th birthday and although I failed to get a picture of him with his ladies, I did get several of the girls in their new dresses. SUPER CUTE!!

Ella being shy

It's VERY difficult to get a good picture of both girls smiling but I tried the best I could!!

The shoes are about two sizes too big for Eden but she wore them ALL day long.

Trip to the park

2010-03-06T15:43:00.004-06:00

Last Saturday we FINALLY had a sunny day so we took a trip to the park. It was super windy but we had a great time with the girls.

Eden wasn't in the mood for a photo shoot.

Sweet Ella

SHE ACTUALLY SMILED!!!

TWICE!

Eden loves to give hugs right now. Last night she went around the room hugging me, David, Jennifer and Lucas....over and over again! It was so cute.

She was happy once I pulled out the PB&J sandwiches and BBQ chips. :) Momma's girl all the way!!!

This post is for Auntie Ashley and Timmy :)

2010-02-28T17:20:00.000-06:00

And anyone else who would like to know what I'm cooking for dinner this week! :)

Last week I made a meal plan for the week and it made my life SO much easier! Therefore, I am doing it again this week!

Monday
Roast
Carrots
Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Green Beans
Fresh Pineapple

Tuesday
Shepherd's Pie
Garlic Bread
Sugared Peaches

Wednesday
BBQ Chicken
Baked Potatoes (with cheese, sour cream and bacon bits)
Sauteed Cabbage
Strawberries and Bananas

Thursday
Garlic Roasted Chicken
Broccoli
Rice a Roni
Pears

Friday
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Jasmine Rice
Fruit Salad

Alternate Meal Ideas
Broccoli and Cheese or Chicken Noodle Soup with Late July Crackers
Grilled Chicken with Garlic Roasted Potatoes

Late Valentine's Day Post

2010-02-21T23:05:00.004-06:00

It may be late....but at least I'm posting!

Island before

Island after

I had fun preparing and decorating everything. Even Auntie Ashley got spent the night so that she could open her Valentine's Day treats with the girls!

Aunt Mellissa made the girls the most adorable outfits and bows! Thanks Aunt Mellissa!!!

Cutie Pie

An attempt to get one good picture of me and the girls....it didn't work so well.

Update on Eden

2010-01-31T23:08:00.002-06:00

Thank you to all those who have been praying for Eden. She is finally asleep in her crib....NOT in my arms! I took her to Ella's follow-up appointment on Friday and had the doctor check her since she was snotty and cranky. The doctor confirmed that she was getting RSV and that I should give her the breathing treatments once she started wheezing. So, we went home and went about our day. On Saturday we stayed in all day and she acted REALLY cranky and clingy so I knew it was going to be a long night. I told David to go out and I would stay with the girls since Eden goes to bed at 7pm and Ella not too long after that. Well, he left and I kid you not....Eden SCREAMED in her crib from 7 until 10:05pm. I kept thinking she would pass out from crying so hard but when I couldn't take it anymore I went in to get her and the poor little thing could barely see me through her swollen red eyes. I felt awful!!! Long story short, she had a terrible night. I called the doctor this morning and she said that Eden is too small to just call in a prescription without checking her first so we took her to Acute Kids Urgent Care (LOVE THEM!!!) and had her checked. I figured she had double ear infections because she had started pulling at her ears while crying today but I had no idea that her right ear drum had busted! No wonder the poor thing has been screaming for 2 days. I feel like a terrible mommy.

She's been medicated and will hopefully sleep through the night. Your continued prayers are greatly appreciated.

Quick Update on Ella

2010-01-25T19:29:00.002-06:00

Well, we got to the pediatrician's office around 3:45 for our 4pm appointment and walked into a room FULL of waiting patients. Seriously, counting us, there were 12 people sitting on the floor and all of the seats were taken! (I will never do that alone again.)

We were the last ones to see the doc and as soon as she heard Ella wheezing she swabbed her nose to test for RSV. Sure enough, it was positive. They gave her a breathing treatment in the office and sent us home with an antibiotic and a steriod. We're to give her breathing treatments every six hours and come back at the end of the week. (By the way, we left the office around 5:45!!! Eden was going bonkers!)

Please pray for us as RSV is highly contagious and if Eden gets it again, the risk of her having adult asthma doubles. That scares me.

Real Haircut #2

2010-01-09T22:40:00.008-06:00

After months of mommy trying to trim Eden's ever-growing hair...it was time to visit Lynn.

Pre-haircut

Post-haircut (Lynn round brushed it and she looked so grown up!!!)

Precious baby

I wouldn't expect it any other way......

2009-12-11T14:42:00.002-06:00

Ella was SO excited to meet and sit on Santa's lap and Eden acted like she was being tortured! :)

Merry (early) Christmas!

a halloween miracle!!!

2009-11-02T22:37:00.002-06:00

Eden decided to start walking on Friday!

Halloween Part 3

2009-11-02T20:45:00.002-06:00

Mrs. Takala getting ready for the trick-or-treaters! We held a "Frontyard Festival" at our house this year and had nachos for the adults and candy for the kiddos. It was great!

David, Lucas (looking scary with his knife!) and TJ (the neighbor) carving pumpkins.

Eden went to bed at 7pm but the music woke her up so she came outside and enjoyed some nachos :)

Jennifer, Lucas, Ella, me, Eden and Aunt Ashley

Halloween Part 2

2009-11-02T20:36:00.003-06:00

Kyla was in town and we only got to see Ava and Micah for like an hour....but that was long enough for Eden to fall IN LOVE with Micah!!

Seriously, it was hard to keep her at a safe distance! Guess she needs a baby sister or brother.....(somewhere David is cringing right now.)

Ella loved her too!

We miss you Kyla and are SO glad that we got to see you!!!

Halloween 2009

2009-11-02T20:29:00.005-06:00

Eden is NOT happy to be out of bed :)

David left our frontyard festival and took Ella trick-or-treating around our neighborhood. So cute.

Ava and Ella

A ghost buster, a giraffe, a doctor and Nemo!

Memaw and Eden (so sweet!!!)

My little Nemo

lazy Sunday afternoon

2009-10-25T22:34:00.003-05:00

The girls wanted to be outside yesterday so I asked Ella if she wanted to push Eden in her swing. Eden liked it so much that getting her OUT of the swing was a nightmare! I should have recorded that scene......

And yes, the safety latch is only half way on because it wouldn't fit around her precious little body and I couldn't figure out how to make it bigger! :)

The little gym

2009-10-25T21:56:00.002-05:00

A friend of ours (Trace) turned 3 over the weekend and his birthday party was held at The Little Gym. The girls LOVED it!!!!

Ella's first attempt at the balance beam

This moment in time was actually pretty dang funny. The Little Gym instructor put a fun song on the radio and had everyone run around acting like animals...until the break in the song when you're supposed to lie on the floor and be as still as possible. Ella wanted NOTHING to do with it! She stood there (alone) for what seemed like hours!

Just chillin'

If you've been to The Little Gym before then you're familiar with the huge inflatable runway. I have no idea what the real name of it is, but I do know that Eden wouldn't stop screaming and throwing a fit until I let her get on it with all of the other big kids. I took her down it once thinking that would suffice.....yeah right!! I had to keep going back and forth until they took the thing down!

Getting ready to head home....

....and out!

As you can see, they had a blast! It was a really fun way to spend time with the girls on a Saturday afternoon. Thanks to Suzanne and Larry for inviting us!

Ella

2009-10-19T11:59:00.004-05:00

I don't know what I want to eat for lunch.....so instead I shall spend my time posting a few pictures of my beautiful 2 year old that David took yesterday afternoon. :)

Doesn't she look so old in this picture??? Tear.

Just found these video clips and thought I'd share

2009-10-08T09:39:00.002-05:00

David and I decided to take the girls to the Grapevine Mills Mall a few Saturdays ago so that we could all get out of the house. They ate LOTS of cookies.....as you can see from Ella's face.....and shared a stroller. :) No need for a double stroller in our family!

Not even five minutes later I found both of them passed out. So sweet.

Eden's Birthday Pics

2009-10-04T22:07:00.003-05:00

Why are people singing and staring at me???

What is this???

Not really loving the idea of daddy helping her

Then she got the hang of it

Mommy and Daddy with the birthday girl!!!

Precious love

The Crandall Family

We never got a chance to dedicate Ella when she was an infant so decided to dedicate her this morning with the other newborns. We learned a valuable lesson.......DEDICATE YOUR CHILDREN BEFORE THEY ARE OLD ENOUGH TO WIGGLE AND FUSS THE ENTIRE TIME!!! Thank you to Jason and Laura Burnett for dedicating Clara twice so that we wouldn't be the only family on stage in the 10:45 service. :)

Jason, Laura and Baby Clara

After church we put Eden's new walker together and let her go to town on the sidewalk. SHE LOVES IT! Thank you Jennifer and Lucas!!!

Happy birthday eden!!!!!

2009-10-02T23:34:00.003-05:00

It's official....I am now a mother of a one year old and a two year old.

And I Love it. :)

Mommy and the birthday girl!

I took Eden to the pediatrician this morning for her 12 month old check up and she is absolutely perfect!!! Both of her ears have completely healed and there were no signs of a lingering yeast infection! YIPPEE!!!! Hopefully we will stay healthy for at least a week or two before battling the next illness....... :)

Weight: 27 lbs. 7 oz.
Height: 33 inches
Head Circumference: 47 cm

I'll admit that there are days when I feel like the world has won and I have nothing left to give. But it is on those days that God reminds me that HE is sovereign and HE has already given me the desires of my heart....a loving and supportive husband and two beautiful daughters! I will forever praise Him for that!

11 months old

2009-09-15T22:11:00.002-05:00

In just a couple of weeks my baby girl will be a year old. Is that even possible? I almost started crying earlier tonight as I was staring at her. She is perfect and I am so thankful for her!!