Sunglasses!

Julia has been wearing sunglasses around the house lately. And since I wear mine in the car she wants to wear hers too! One day as we were about to leave she screams out, "Mom, I forgot my sunglasses, you have to go get them, don't leave!"  So I ran back in the house to get them. I didn't get the picture of her in the car with them on but these are her lovely sunglasses.

 Julia had a pair of sunglasses that are a little small on her so we tried them on Christian one day. He looks pretty styling just chilling eating his bottle!



One Cool Dude!









Fun With Daddy!



The kids adore their Daddy! Layne can always get a laugh out of each of the kids and always is chasing, tickling, singing or just being goofy with them! Its fun to see how Julia and Christian interact with Layne. Since Layne is gone most of the day working they love to hear and see him when he comes in the door. Julia usually runs out to greet dad with a big HI and a hug. As soon as Christian hears Layne he is looking around for him. Christian always has a big smile for daddy too. Layne is a great DAD!

Big SMILES!

My 2 boys!

Christian playing with daddy! He has a huge smile on his face!

A view from above!



I'm Scared!!

We have a problem and the culprit is...............

The big SCARY ceiling fan!



Every night for the past week and a half Julia won't go to bed without saying, screaming, or crying that she is scared of the ceiling fan. Mind you she plays in there most of the day and isn't bothered by it. She will even ask if she can sleep in our bed for awhile and then we remind her we have a fan in our room too??!! Then she asks if we can sleep with her for awhile. Its been very frustrating to say the least. And the crying and whining goes on for an hour or two. We have a night light in her room and in the bathroom. We leave the hall light on and then our room is close with a light on as well?! So we have asked her why she doesn't like the fan...she replies, "its going to come down and get me." (I think one light she woke up screaming and she said she had a bad dream about the fan getting her.) So we told her that it has strong nails in it that hold it to the ceiling and that its stuck! Made up a rhyme she can say to it....Nah Nah Nah Nah Noo, You're stuck like glue! NOTHING HAS WORKED! Layne has even gone as far as putting Buzz and Woody up on the fan to "protect" her....that didnt' even work. So the other day I pulled out a strand of Christmas tree lights to string up on her bed and it worked for one night, since the lights burnt out, but the other day she told me while in my room, lying on her back, looking at the fan..." I like fans."  I thought oh maybe she is over her phobia? The last 2 nights haven't been to bad and she even woke up this morning and said, "The fan didn't get me."  I told her she was right and that the fan wasn't going to ever get her. We will see how it goes the rest of the week....I HOPE she gets over this soon....at the end of the day we just want your kids to go to bed quietly and calmly so we can keep ourselves sane by having an hour or two to ourselves before we go to bed. FINGERS CROSSED!!

Buzz and Woody to the Rescue

A happy camper for the night

I don't know how she can be scared with all the
light coming off her bed!



Welcome to Jimmerica!

“Teach me how to Jimmer” ... “Jimmer Time!” ...

“You Got Jimmered”

It was an exciting year to watch the BYU Cougars Basketball team! And mostly because of Jimmer Fredette......A season high score of 52 points, he averages 28 points per game. He's got a killer cross-over and can certainly shoot from anywhere on the floor. He has been nominated for Player of the Year and has gotten the Cougars to the Sweet 16, the first time since 1981. (Unfortunately, they lost in overtime to Florida) He is impressive and everyone thinks so!

Buying a ticket to the Cougars is like seeing your favorite rock band for the 20th time. It’s not if he will be good tonight, but how good? Which of his greatest hits is on the set list? The drive past three defenders? A floating runner? A running floater? A fade-away made possible by his bulldozing shoulders?

“That’s a special talent,” says New Mexico coach Steve Alford, who was once quite a college scorer himself, “when no matter how strong, athletic, big, small [a defender] you throw at him, he still has that unique ability to create space.”

The most notable of that space involves backing up. Fredette’s trademark is a casual jump shot from distant areas usually reserved for low-ticking shot clocks. A new observer might wonder why BYU’s opponents use a half-court press. Because if you don’t meet the team’s star at half court, he considers himself open and you risk being “Jimmered,” which means being embarrassed by someone who by first impression looks destined for a UPS job.


He’s the guy who’d have to beat you 10 times in a row one-on-one before you believed it, the guy who plays with such casualness you wonder if he knows they’re keeping score. His legs and wrists are so strong that when he notices a defender glance to the side looking for a screen, Fredette has already released his shot by the time the guy looks back. His bottom half is sometimes not even facing the basket when he leaves the ground.       Matt James

BYU and the rest of the nation have Jimmer-Mania!!

"I’m telling you a dangerous team in BYU. Why? Jimmer Fredette. Remember the name, Jimmer Fredette. Jimmer Fredette. The guy can flat-out score. Call Donovan up — 37 on the Gators. Fourty-nine against Arizona. If he’s stroking it, and they get to the free-throw line, and it’s a close game, they’re the best free throw shooting team in America."       — Dick Vitale, ESPN

 “Jimmer Fredette is a very special player. He is special in his demeanor on the floor and is special in his skill on the floor so it’s not surprising that BYU has been so successful during his tenure here."                                                 — Jim Les, Bradley

“Consider this your last and final warning, America. If you don't go out of your way to check out what the Cougars and Fredette do on a nightly basis -- their crazy, uptempo, let's-chuck-from-anywhere, oh-my-goodness-what-a-shot approach to every single game they play -- you're missing out on the most entertaining show college hoops has to offer. Call your cable provider, find a shady Internet site, find highlights on an obscure satellite TV channel, do whatever. Fredette's final college season ends in four months. You won't want to miss out.                                 — Eamonn Brennan, ESPN.com

Rarely does anything live up to the hype, but BYU's Jimmer Fredette did just that. Dropped over 40 points in front of plenty of NBA scouts. He didn't get his average of 27, no, he dropped 47 on San Diego state. He did it by any means necessary, including ankle breakers and "oh no he didn't" shots. He went from electric scorer to full on phenom. You know you've arrived when your name has been made into a verb. Jimmer Jimmered the snot out of these guys.   — Jim Rome, ESPN Radio ”

Jimmer's killer cross-over



No, no, no, HE'S not getting Killed
HE'S GETTING MAD!



Everyone getting time with Jimmer!

What a great year! Thank you Cougars and

Thank you JIMMER!!

Weekly Dinners

About a month ago I had my sisters come over and we decided to make dinner. A nice sit down meal that we all could enjoy. Now it has turned into a weekly thing, usually on Wednesday's or Thursday's depending on what our schedules are like. Its just the sisters and the kids and if the husbands show up then they get to eat to of course but we usually can't have the kids wait that long to eat.

We also want to try and accomplish something new at the weekly meals. We all try and contribute something. This week my sister is teaching me her homemade roll recipe and we are trying out a crock pot turkey breast. Hopefully the turkey will turn out like the recipe says it will.....I looked online and everybody gave it 4-5 stars.....so more on how it turns out later!

I have been using my crock pot a lot lately and want to be able to make things that people will enjoy. I have been learning to cook things that I don't normally cook either, like pot roast, pork roast and whole fryers with skin and bones.....its all new to me!

Its been fun to have everyone get together and eat! I hope we can continue to do this each week and learn a few new things along the way! I'm sure it will all be trial and error but I hope to have fun in the process!

Starting the process...I'm asking a lot of questions

Showing me how to kneed the dough...a stool helps!

Making the perfect rolls

Fresh out of the oven! Yummy!

We made 2 batches because we thought the first batch had
to much flour so we experimented and made some
cinnamon rolls...they turned out great!

The crock pot turkey! I'm not a huge turkey fan but
this was delicious. I will make it again for sure!

Everyone enjoying the great weekly meal!

♣ St. Patrick's Day Facts ♣

♣ St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17 every year to commemorate the death of St. Patrick, the apostle of Ireland.


♣ On St. Patrick's Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink and feast on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.


♣ What is known of St. Patrick comes from a book he wrote late in life. He says he was a missionary who converted thousands of Irish men and women to Christianity. Other stories have been built up around St. Patrick, such as he drove all the snakes out of Ireland.


♣ It is also said St. Patrick used a shamrock to symbolize the Holy Trinity, so now the three-leafed clover is symbolic of the holiday.


♣ So why the color green? Actually, the color associated with St. Patrick was blue; he even has his own color, "St. Patrick Blue." But the color green is associated with Ireland with its nickname "The Emerald Isle" and so St. Patrick came to be known with green as well.


♣ Did you wear green today? The association of wearing green on St. Patrick's Day comes from Irish men and women wearing a shamrock to honor St. Patrick's Day, and that has grown into wearing green clothing. The saying goes if you don't wear green you'll be pinched!


♣ Did you know the first St. Patrick's Day parade didn't take place in Ireland, but in New York City? In 1762 Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through the city to celebrate their heritage.


♣ The association of St. Patrick's Day and leprechaun's is purely an American creation. Belief in leprechauns probably stems from Celtic belief in fairies, tiny men and women who could use their magical powers to serve good or evil. But a 1959 Disney movie Darby O'Gill & the Little People introduced the leprechaun we are so familiar with who protects their pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

♣ Celebrate St. Patrick's Day safely with friends and family by wearing green and enjoying the day!

♣♣ HAPPY ST. PATTY'S DAY ♣♣

(Source: History.com)

The Scoop on St. Patrick

Was St. Patrick Irish?

According to History.com, St. Patrick was actually born in Britain. At the age of 16, he was captured by Irish raiders and transported across the sea to Ireland. After spending six years in captivity, Patrick escaped, traveled back to Britain, and trained to become a priest. Once his training was complete, he returned to Ireland "to minister to Christians already living in Ireland and to begin to convert the Irish."


Did St. Patrick rid Ireland of snakes?
Sorry, but no. It is true that there are no snakes in Ireland these days, but there never were any. National Geographic explains that because Ireland is surrounded by chilly waters, there is no way snakes could migrate there in the first place. National Geographic speculates that the snakes could be symbolic of the "pagan ways" that St. Patrick drove out of Ireland.


Did Patrick use clovers while preaching?
Legend says that he did. Catholic.org writes that Patrick used a three-leafed shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to the locals. However, other sites call this story just a myth. And, by the way, a bit of trivia regarding four leaf clovers. They are indeed rare, but they aren't exactly one in a million. It is estimated that there is one four leaf clover for every 10,000 three-leaf ones.

Patrick's lasting legacy
According to author Thomas Cahill, Patrick may have been the first person in recorded history to speak out against slavery. In an interview with American Catholic, Cahill remarks: "The papacy did not condemn slavery as immoral until the end of the 19th century, but here is Patrick in the fifth century seeing it for what it is. I think that shows enormous insight and courage and a tremendous 'fellow feeling'—the ability to suffer with other people, and to understand what other people's suffering is like."


by Mike Krumboltz


.

Jane and Christian

My niece, Jane, who is one year older than Christian just loves him to death!! She is just fascinated by everything about him. She loves to peek under the car seat blanket and make sure he is ok. She loves to get into the diaper bag and pull out all the baby supplies and hand them to me or put them on Christian. While changing his clothes or diaper she comes right up to you wanting to watch and help as much as she can. And even though she isn't even in the room she can sense what is going on and is right there by your side.

When Christian is eating or just chilling out on the floor she loves to come sit by you. She loves to put all the burp rags on top of him like blankets. She is always patting his stomach or touching his head. She also is so willing to help pat his back while you are burping him.

Jane wants to be right up in your lap with you. It can be kinda tricky to hold both of them but its so darn cute! To say the least I think Jane loves her new little cousin. They will probably be best friends growing up....that is if they get along with each other :)

Christian looks like he is thinking....."Heaven Help Me!"

Caleb = Calvin!

This little nephew of mine is the most adorable little boy next to my own son! I told my sister the other day he is so "Calvin" (from Calvin and Hobbes comics)! I think he looks like him and even though he is not quite 6 years old, like Calvin is, he does act alot like him. This is my dedication to you Caleb, the cutest nephew on the block!!

You can usually find Caleb in some interesting predicament, such as the cartoon above. Caleb is very creative. He doesn't get into trouble very often but we do find him in some sticky situations. We usually all have a great laugh!

Caleb is one funny kid. Loves to sit and just talk your ear off. Those are my favorite moments when he comes right up to you and will just talk and talk and talk. He says some pretty funny stuff. He can also pull some down right crazy faces. He has one he usually does when he is upset or doesn't want to do something you ask. We call it the stink face. Like Caleb, Calvin is famous for his many faces! I can see Caleb in all of them!!

The "Stink Face"

Another one of my favorite things about Caleb is that he is such a 'lovie, dovie' little boy. Always wants to give you hugs or sit by you watching TV.  He can be a sensitive little boy as well. He always wants you to kiss his ow-ies. He is pretty darn polite too, and is usually the first to say his "please" and "thank-you's".

♥♥Thanks Caleb for being one of my favorite people ♥♥

A Fun Weekend!

We all had a great weekend! Saturday Grandma and Grandpa Cromwell came down to visit us and then came to Christian's blessing on Sunday! It was so great to see both of you! We always have such a great time when we are together, especially Julia!

We met at the bowling alley and bowled a round. The weekend before Julia had gone bowling and had beaten everybody, so in the car on the way over she told us that she was going to beat everyone, but not if daddy had something to say about it. Well, it ended up that me and Phil (Grandpa) tied :)

After bowling we had surprises waiting in the car for us! Julia got a new bathing suit so she could go swimming at gma and gpa's hotel. Layne had a box of cookies, Christian got some much needed diapers and I got a beautiful boquet of flowers! Thank you, thank you!

After a yummy lunch at Zuppa's Grandma and Grandpa took Julia back to their hotel for a couple of hours while Layne and I went home to relax a bit. We set off to the hotel and Julia had already been swimming for an hour and then we joined her! To say the least she was water logged and didn't want to get out after a whole other hour swimming with us.

Julia and her BRIGHT green ball

Grandma talking to Julia

Daddy getting a strike!

Nice form Grandpa!

The form paid off because that was a strike!

Suppose to be a 'funny face' picture?

Having a great time!

It was a wonderful day! We were all so tired out we went to bed as soon as we got home. I have never seen Julia go to sleep that fast. I think she fell asleep before she hit her pillow. I love days like that, so much fun it just wears us all out and that makes for a good nights sleep. Thanks again Grandpa and Grandma Cromwell for a wonderful weekend!