It's a Night Game

We came home from swimming lessons and dinner to play one game of baseball on the front driveway. Looks like we need to install lighting and bleachers!


Daddy stands at the bottom of the driveway which places him in the right position to pitch to her. I actually like our slanted driveway and yard for this and it is great for driving matchbox cars!

Lexi is in her stance... and the ball is right there. Um, eye on the ball little girl! Funny part is that this is one of the only times she missed! She is better at sports then her mommy! Okay, she is prettier, smarter, funnier, better at sports. If this girl can cook then some boy is going to have the best catch in the world when she grows up. I meant that! I am not biased in any sort of motherly way!

Nicolas hits an inside-the-park homerun! Okay, not sure about that since we are playing on a driveway but he hit the ball. Look out tee ball world here he comes! First game is this Saturday!

Time to Wake Up Somerset!

Sadly my kids were already awake and half dressed but I am guessing there might have been a few neighbors still sleeping when the city came to start jackhammering the street on our corner. Shawn was home due our continueing car trouble. How does a car run one minute, not run the next... then wait two hours and it will run again? Well, getting fixed now and also looking at ... gulp... mini vans for future purchase.


Anyway, the kids and daddy ventured out in the misting air to watch the workers around the corner.

Here they are breaking up the road in front of our neighbors houses. One less bump in the road!

Fun for a Cause

As most know there were a lot of sad hearts recently as our earthly world lost a young soul, Macie Crowe. As her family and friends mourn; her family also struggles with financial issues due to the loss. Many friends from school and elsewhere decided to put on a wonderful fundraiser at the YMCA for the family. It was a way to bring a community together and raise money for a wonderful family. The kids enjoyed the free play time in the gymnastics room, bounce houses and games in the gym and Nicolas' first shot at the BIG rock wall.



Here is his second attempt. He got about 1/2 way up. His hands started to hurt so he came down. He is looking forward to trying again!

Lexi and Daddy watch Nicolas and encourage him to keep trying.

Lexi loved, loved the bounce house slide! Sorry, bad photo. Didn't bring our SLR to this and the lighting vs the big yellow slide wasn't a winning combination.

Nicolas smiles after his first attempt on the rock wall. He didn't give up. After a rest he wanted to try again.


If you are interested in helping this family please feel free to send donations to contact the First Mid-Illinois Bank and Trust at 618-288-5500 or 2930 N. Center St., Maryville, IL 62062. Ask for the "Crow Family Memorial Fund."

Showering Mary with Love!

Today was Mary and Aaron's wedding shower. Lexi was so excited go to. She was so good! She loves all this girly wedding stuff.

A Lexi-ism!

After lunch we went and got cupcakes for everyone. Lexi had to potty later and I waited with her. She saw the extra cupcakes and said "Mommy, my other cupcake was just a snack."

We were in the car driving home talking about the shower and Lexi sweetly pointed out that
"Wedding showers are only for girl-women and not for boy-women!"
Shew, glad we got that cleared up.



Mary poses with the little flowergirl-to-be.

Lexi and I pose after. My sweet little girl!

Okay, maybe a future as a photographer. She grabbed my camera and took a pretty darn good shot of her Meemaw.

Nicolas Kicks It!!!

Our Saturday started once again with an early 8:30 AM soccer game. After a later night at Sunset last night I worried about the energy level of our little player. But not sure why as today was the best game he has ever played! Okay, I know I am his mom but I promise it was! He came out of his shell. He was the player that he can show during practice but not during the game. He finally got over his shyness and took it to game!



Look at him take on the entire team! This is by far my favorite shot this year!

Click on this to see some fun action shots! We didn't win but they had fun! This year we are playing kids 1-2 years older. Watch out next season when we are used to playing kids a year older and they put us with our own age group! We will rock! (smile)

The last few weeks members of our team have become quite distracted with the opportunity to play ponies or dolls with Lexi on her big blanket. Well, this week we tried to hide her behind the parents so the kids stayed focus. That worked good for the team... but not so good for Lexi as she missed her playmates. This treat seemed to help at the end of the hour long game though!

Friday Afternoon Fun!

Well spring has arrived and so has yardsale season!

Went to play at our neighbor and friends, Erica's house (aka home of Ryan and Julia). After running around outside and avoiding the wasps (what the heck is up with that right now... they are bad everywhere). We all decided to pile into our car and go for a ride through Timberwolf subdivision for their neighborhood sale. The kids got lunch to go... wow, corndogs sure come in handy in the car.

I have to say the kids were superb for being in the car for probably 90 minutes or so. This was much more painless then a 2 hour drive on vacation! I think they had fun... although not as much as if we had let them out to shop. Maybe next time kids!

Let's Go Blues!

Well, today started as a normal Sunday... NOT! Went to bed early last night since it was a busy day with soccer, birthday party, etc. (those photos coming later) Only to have one of the oddest nights happen.

12:30 AM - Lexi has a nightmare and needed mommy's soothing

2:30 AM - the suctioned shelves on the wall of the shower decided to ... unsuck! Topple, Bam, Boom and Crash!

4:30 AM - Lexi gets up and turns on her CD player in her room. Yep! Never did that before.

5:30 AM - Nicolas gets up... no worries was sent back to bed.

7:05 AM - first child is up for the day.

Well, after church and our usual brunch with the grandparents we headed home with two kids were about to get crabby... thus naps came soon. When they got up we decided to take them shopping for Nicolas' Tee Ball equipment. (see story below on that long shopping list) As we were there in a debate of what bat, glove and helmet to get we got a call from our friends Andrea & Brett. They were at the hockey game. Apparently, we have a neighbor who must work there and got 16 tickets to a box. They got them very last minute and would want 4 of them for our family? Yep! Mad rush to make tee ball decisions and out the door we went.

We got there a little late but the kids didn't care. They got ushered up to the top level luxury box with Lexi singing "This is wonderful" or "This is exciting" or "this is amazing" the entire way up the elevator! She was swept away. She ran right to that window and gazed down. Of course 30 minutes later she came to me and wanted to know if it was over yet (hee, hee). Nicolas on the other hand found his seat and watched that ENTIRE game.

Here is the best photo I could get of Lexi. She moves too fast for Shawn's Blackberry phone camera. Dang it. I didn't want to haul in my SLR. Why oh why do I keep procrastinating on buying a purse size camera??? Yet another opportunity missed because I just haven't ordered it yet!!!

Thank you Brett, Andrea, DeeDee and Louie for a great hockey memory!

Batter Up!

First! Happy Birthday Uncle Timmie! I am so sorry we missed your birthday dinner. I know it wasn't formal... but we would have liked to be there to toast you. Alas this was Nicolas' first EVER T-Ball practice. This is bigger then... well, I guess they always say "bigger then baseball" but in this case that is exactly what it was. Baseball for our little guy. By far something he has been wanting to do for his entire preschool life. "When do I get to play baseball, Mommy?"


Well, here we go! Baseball for the tiny sect. He didn't mind the drop in temp or the tight fit of his glove. He did seem a bit timid on the ball. Even Mark Little who was helping the little guys in Nicolas' group hit off the T told Nicolas he knew he had a harder swing in him. He saw Nicolas bat at Riverbend Bounce for his birthday and knew he was holding back. At least the games aren't at 6:30 on a night after school gets out and Grandma Birdie takes him to the park to play all afternoon! He was beat! But still he hit good.

And as I had guessed, Daddy Shawn is taking him shopping for a new bigger glove, a T that breaks away like these and a metal bat. (smile... that's his proud pappa) Guess I know what we'll be doing after soccer on Saturday morning!

Oh... and then Daddy told him that they would practice whenever Nicolas wanted.
Nicolas: Okay! Can we practice on a real field?
Daddy: We can find a field not being used.
Nicolas: Maybe we can practice sometime when the Cardinals aren't using their field.
Mommy (laughing hard): Nicolas, I don't think we can practice at the stadium.
This was very confusing to him! Hmmm... can someone make some calls?

Signs of Summer!

Summer is coming... trust me... I know every time I look in the mirror and picture myself in a swimsuit in just 6 weeks! Augh! Chicken and salad tonight for me! Sorry... I digress!

Lexi graduated to Pike swimming lessons at the Y and Nicolas was back in his group. I am so amazed by how far he has come. He went from more floaties then the store sold in August to swimming on his own and no more fear! I wish I had half of his physical talent... maybe I wouldn't have to worry about that swimsuit season... um... there I go again. Sorry!


Lexi started her Pike class. It didn't start well. Lexi adapts well as long as she knows what is going on and has prepared. She gave the paci up with no problems because she mentally prepared for it. She potty trained herself when she decided she was ready! This girl is a planner! Wonder where she gets that from????

She knew I wasn't going to be in the water anymore but I didn't warn her there would be no floaties. Honestly, that freaked me out too. I mean a little three year old hanging on the side waiting patiently for her turn to swim... with no floatie! I was NOT taking my eyes off her. Rightfully so, she was scared too. After she had a private discussion with the director at the side of the pool she told him sweetly how scared she was. He got her a floatie and she was fine.

Yep, she was happy and ready to go...until I took this photo. Yep, I ruined it in the name of photography! I left the area and went back into the small, tiny hard to see waiting area and she freaked again. She was fine if I would stay in the main swimming room but they don't allow that. Augh! This is a topic that apparently aggravates a lot of the parents of the younger ones. The director paid for that rule! He had to take off his shirt and dive in the pool and swim with her. I admit it was so kind that I have already added him to my Christmas list (smile). Eventually she did take off her floatie and joined her class when it came time to jump in the pool to the instructors arms. But um... I had to stand at the doorway for that to happen. We'll ease into it. Next week I guess I better make sure I pee before she goes as I foresee me standing at the doorway for a full 50 minutes!

"Next week I won't cry, mommy." Was the promise she gave me in the changing room. I hold out hope... but also am ready to help her be strong if she does.

Here is my little five year old swimming boy! No tears here! And no floatie either! Sunset here we come!

Happy Easter!

Nicolas of course got up earlier then almost the entire house. Excited! Thankfully Daddy set his alarm extra early and got outside first.

So as Nicolas waited up in my bed eagerly for his tired sister to wake up, I came down to get some stuff done in the kitchen. I heard voices ... little ones upstairs. Then two little scampering feet came down to the landing on the stairs and the window shade opened. The next thing I heard was excitement from a 3 year old and 5 year old say "there's one, look over there" "A red one" "A blue one". And then the most adorable squeal of a voice came from that 5 year old as he said.....


"Mommy, there really IS an Easter Bunny!"

First things first. Mommy and Daddy give the two little ones their baskets of goodies from us. Nicolas got the Bakugon's that he was wanting so badly every since he saw his friend Roland playing with them. Not sure exactly what they are but they are shaped like a ball...you roll them or something and they pop open into little creatures. Oh well... boys! Oh, and equal squeals of delight could be heard the next shower he took as the two matchbox cars in his basket turn colors when wet.

Lexi, still holding her caterpillar from the night before, got the last of the Tinkerbell Fairies she needed (yep needed). Irridessa! And who could resist a egg pack filled with tiny ponies?

Nicolas finds the blue egg he spotted from the window.

Run, Little Lexi, run! You know your brother is fast! I was impressed. She got almost as many eggs as he did.

Now we are into Easter fun!

Okay, I am really good at buying Easter decorating supplies but... not so good at doing it each year. So this year I had six packs to choose from in my Easter stuff. Nicolas did it two years ago, I believe, after his little one year old sister went to bed. Last year I think it went to the way side. Wasn't it an early Easter last year? Snow and all? Lexi's birthday March 1st seems to do me in on the Easter celebrating. This year I didn't have that excuse. So out came the tablecloth, paint shirts and eggs. Daddy made 14 to color.... I think the kids would have liked a few more. Um... maybe if I hadn't colored some too but, hey, Mommy likes fun!


We are ready to go!

Nicolas poses with his first colored egg. What an artist!

Lexi gets another color and goes to town on egg number 2. She was fast!

Here she is rolling the color onto the egg. I liked this stuff. I think the eggs looked really cool after. Although for some reason after putting them in the fridge they got sticky again. The paint was washable and didn't even stain the fingers, though. So that was extra wonderful since Lexi did decide to make her left hand look like an Easter Egg for fun too. Hence why the only thing that girl wears when coming near paint is a big shirt!

Nicolas shows his dunking power is as good with fragile eggs as it is with a basketball.

Here they are! We are ready to start our Easter Sunday now after baths and books and a good night sleep! Sleep for the kids that is as the rest of the house has to stay up and get baskets ready, stuff plastic eggs for you-know-who to hide and get the rest of the food ready for tomorrow. Funny how that works.

Easter with Grandpa and Mae Mae

Easter got an early start. Doesn't it always when you have three sets of wonderful grandparents and you don't want to short change any of them on time with the grandkids... plus, wow, trying to run to three houses and eat all that ham in one day is a bit overwhelming!

So, Saturday we went to Grandpa and MaeMae's for brunch. Of course the most challenging part was keeping all of them out the beloved basement where the toys are when we got there so that we could eat first!


Here are our three little ones posing for pictures!
Kai (3 1/2), Lexi (3) and Nicolas (5)
Baby Edie was not quite ready to stand for a photo yet at only 9 weeks old.

Nicolas and Lexi pose with the adorable stuffed animals. I must admit... I feel like we have way too many stuffed animals but the ones they got the three this year were worth the squeeze into the crowded beds. Lexi, of course, now has to sleep on the floor as her caterpillar fills what little spot there was left for her! But isn't it worth it with that soft pink and green fur? (hee, hee)

My sweeties!

Nicolas pauses a moment in his egg hunt. Amazing how tall the Easter bunny was! He could get really high up there even on top of the curtains!

Plenty of eggs for everyone to find. Notice Nicolas and Lexi even had to use an overflow bucket as the little ones I brought them couldn't contain all the loot!

Lexi was thrilled with all her coins and jelly beans! The prepackaged snacks were a hit along with the goldfish crackers. Um... did the grandparents forget that mommy and daddy like to raid the baskets for chocolate?

Edie watches the action with Mae Mae. Pretty in Pink, isn't she?