Happy Birthday Olivia!

Nine years ago today the youngest Crawford, Olivia Jane, was born into our family.

She came three weeks early on a night that was so busy she was born in the triage room at the hospital.

 She was a mere 5 pounds 13 ounces but was full of life!

One month old Olivia. Still so tiny!

A few months later she is getting the classic "Koski Cheeks" 

Eating all that rice cereal helped!

Our brown eyed girl getting her first hair cut at about 1 and 1/2 years old!

Good morning 9 year-old birthday girl!

The one thing she didn't get for Christmas that she really wanted, an American Girl Doll that looks like her. Olivia named her Zoe and took her everywhere today. 

She even counted her freckles and she has 45. I counted Olivia's and she has 50. 

Pretty good match I'd say!!

A great Crawford tradition, breakfast in bed for the birthday girl!

French toast, complete with peanut butter AND syrup! 

Don't knock it till you try it!

Yummers!

After playing all morning with her cousins and her friend Olivia, her uncle Bill jumped in the freezing cold pool (55 degrees) and Olivia and others soon followed.

You can tell it's a wee bit cold!

After she warmed up we headed out with Chloe and cousins, Karianne and Kjerstin to see "Marley and Me" and cried our eyes out 

(we can't help it, we are dog lovers)

and then met more cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents at Joe's Real BBQ for a super yummy dinner!

The big kid cousin table, Alex, Steven and Karianne

Olivia got her usual meal, mac and cheese and orange cream soda in a bottle.

She got a big piece of lemon cake because it was her birthday and the whole restaurant sang her happy birthday (half of them were related to her!) She is currently finishing off her big day with a dip in grandma and grandpa's hot tub! 

What a great day and what an amazing person that Olivia is!

She is LOVED!!!

Christmas Memories

One of the best part of Christmas is going to see the kids perform in plays and concerts. This year we had three fun events. Olivia and all the third graders put on a musical rendition of 

"T'was the Night Before Christmas." 

Olivia talked for weeks about the program and the songs and was very much looking forward to her time in the spotlight!

She even got to sing a solo! 

She did a great job!!!

They all wore their jammies and some wore hats and they all sang about Christmas and Santa Claus and everything.

 No political correctness here folks :)

Love that musical little elf!

Here she is with her buddies, Eden and Katie after the show

Chloe plays the VIOLIN and had an orchestra concert.

She has only been playing since September and is doing great!!

These pictures are terrible (she is the blurry one to the left) but it sounded fantastic!

I had a hard time catching her looking forward and I had to try and take pictures through the crowd. I was too much of a space cadet to remember to take pictures after!

Rustin had a band concert where he played the trumpet and the french horn (for the first time in a concert) It was so fun to see him try something new! Way to go Rustin!

He did great and I didn't even get any photos of the concert (I was about a mile away from him)

In this picture he is wearing a giant Santa hat that is supposed to go on the back of a chair! What a goofball!

Christmas Photo Shoot

After 4 years of procrastinating we finally got our pictures taken! 

Here they are...

By far my favorite shot of the whole day!

(Remember you can click on any picture to blow it up and get a better look)

I think my weeks of looking for the perfect brown and cream sweaters totally paid off! 

I'm laughing pretty hard in this picture because Scott was asking Russ and I to think of the worst thing we've ever done together that the kids don't know about!

This one was very hard to take and we were practically slipping off the rock the whole time. Too bad we look like a giant octopus with all those legs!

Rustin Clark- 13 years old

Tess Lorraine- 15 years old

Olivia Jane- 9 years old (in 10 days)

Chloe Jean- 11 years old

How did I get so lucky to have such darling kids?

I love how carefree and happy  they all look in this one!

GIRLS ONLY!! 

Chloe, Olivia, Sarah and Tess

Rustin William and Rustin Clark

Anyone who is looking for a photographer to take family pictures should call our friend Scott Gastony! He is a professional photographer and you can tell because he made a potentially nightmarish event (I dread getting family pictures taken, can you tell?) into a fun family memory! He was so funny and good with the kids that we got some amazing smiles. He also chose this perfect arizona location for the pictures and I love the way they turned out!!! 

Thanks a million Scott!

Sweet Sixteen

Sixteen years ago today I married my college sweetheart! Although his big anniversary plans for us (massages, dinner at Fogo E Brasa, and a night at the Buttes Marriot) got put on hold because he has been throwing up and sleeping all day, I still love him- more than ever. You really realize how much you care about someone when you see them so down and out. I wish I could help him feel better but all I could do was rub his aching back! 

It was time for the doctor to call in sick and get some TLC! 

I love you honey and I'm glad your my husband, 

now and always!

Happy Birthday Tess!

Tess is 15!!!!

Life is good when your child is old enough, talented enough and willing to make her own birthday cake! Here is how Tess made hers.

Step 1: Find a design you want to make on your cake. 

Print it up or get a copy of it to use.

Step 2: Lay picture on slightly damp table (helps things not to slip) and cover with clear plastic wrap.

Step 3: Trace outline in black frosting (squeezing from baggie)

Step 4: Fill in all the rest of your colors with colored frosting in baggies.

Step 5: Cross your arms, lift plastic off the table and carefully lay on the center of your frosted cake.

Step 6: Press and smooth frosting from plastic wrap onto cake. Leave plastic on and place cake in freezer for ten minutes.

Step 7: Remove from freezer and carefully peel back plastic to reveal amazing design!

Tess did this completely on her own while I was at choir practice! 

She chose a super hard design and it turned out GRRRREAT! 

(her high school mascot is a tiger in case you are wondering)

One talented 15 year old!

Time to make a wish! 

She needed a little help from her friend, 

Kira, to get the last few candles out!

Tess didn't know we'd invited three of her best friends, Hailey, Kira, and McKaylee and her Aunt Liza, Uncle Bill, and Grandparents to her b-day dinner!

She was surprised to see them walk in the door.

It wouldn't be a real party without Kira doing something CRAZY!

She is licking up the balsalmic vinegar off the plate. YUM!!!!!

Kira and McKaylee rocking out

The end to a perfect day, playing rock band with her uncle Bill, her friends and family!

We are so lucky to have Tess in our family! She was an amazingly beautiful baby and has always been so bright and intelligent and wonderful! I don't know what we did to get so lucky but I'm sure glad she's ours!

RUSTIN The EAGLE SCOUT

On October 23, 2008 Rustin passed his Eagle Board of Review!

He was pretty nervous because he knew it was a big deal and that he was pretty young for getting his eagle scout award (13) but he did great. Each scout has to bring two "board members" to help out. Rustin chose my parents and it was nice to have them there. The man who was in charge of Rustin's interview was very nice and super impressed with Rustin and the way he conducted himself in the interview. He told us a story about John McCain and how much he respects men who've earned their Eagle.

 It was a great night!!!!

 We will have a court of honor for him in January. 

More updates then!

Santa-mania!

Ho Ho...HELP! 

We are overflowing with Santas!

Every year my mother-in-law, Jan, sends me Santas to add to the collection she started for me in 1992. She sends at least 2 or 3 a year and this year it was more like 8 or 9! 

I just counted all that I could find and I have over 56! I have only been married 16 years and I have NEVER bought one for myself!!! Chloe got one for me last year, my mom gave me one my grandpa made as a young man (far left of the windowsill) and the rest are from Jan!

If you did the math like I just did then you will know that I have an average of 3.5 Santas for every year I've been married. What an awesome mother-in-law I have!!

It has been so fun every year to see what new kinds she has for us. I have ones made of every material you can think of, wood, glass, paper mache, fabric, a hammer, clay, porcelain, even a gourd! 

I have some that nest inside each other, some that sing, some that dance, lots that play music, hold our stockings...

 and one that is life size!

I have so many now that I have to get creative as to where to put them!

These are guarding our big screen TV 

and there are some in Rustin's room on his dresser.

We love our Santa tradition and we love JAN!

Thanks a million and keep 'em coming (we'll make room)!!