Thanksgiving 2013

Thanksgiving was so relaxing this year! Josh and Julie went to see her family in Houston. Alan had to work so Erica went to see her family as well. So it was just the Crouse crew that headed over to my parents house. Along with Mawmaw and pawpaw, we all had a peaceful day.

We started off the day at our house with chocolate chip pancakes and the Macy's parade! We got to my parents a little after lunch and I helped cook while the girls quietly played, Easton took a great nap, and Jaime watched football with my dad. No one was rushed and everyone was able to lay around and be lazy if they wanted!

We ate dinner around 5 and it was delicious. We all sat at the dining room table which the girls loved, since they usually sit at the kid table! It was a fabulous day!

Conversation with a 2 1/2 year old

Daddy: "Brooklyn, we're writing our letters to Santa. What would you like this year?"

Brooklyn: "Nuffin."

Daddy: "You don't want anything? Would you like some new toys?"

Brooklyn: "No, I have two (obviously more) toys."

Daddy: "Would you like a new kitty?"

Brooklyn: "No, I have this kitty."

Daddy: "Is there anything you want at all?"

Brooklyn: "No, nuffin."

Hehe, whether she intends it or not; I sure love the fact that this girl is so content with what she already has!

10 week sonogram

Today was our next sonogram with Dr. Harris. I've been feeling pretty rough still so it was a struggle to even leave the house but this was one appointment I wasn't going to miss. I was so relieved to see that little teddy bear on the screen. He/she had a very active heartbeat and was wiggling its little arms and legs all around! I'm at the 10 week mark so I'm praying that I'll start to perk up soon.

Thanksgiving Post

At school today, Madz celebrated Thanksgiving with a feast and other fun activities! They ate cheese, crackers, grapes, turkey, etc. And also made cute crafts. She had a blast!

 

Strep

My big girl has her first case of strep throat. Thank you, Kindergarten germs! Sunday morning she woke up with a high fever and headache. It would get as high as 103 and she felt terrible but showed no other signs. Of course, the fever prevented her from going to school and I managed an appointment with Dr. Smith Monday afternoon. By looking at her throat, he couldn't determine she actually had strep but she tested positive for it when they did a swab. Looks like we caught it pretty early! She got some antibiotics and we've been treating her fever and aches. She's missed 3 days of school but we are all crossing our fingers that she can go back tomorrow. She really misses it!

Decorating

Yes, I put my tree up before Thanksgiving.....don't judge me! :) Christmas decorations are so much fun they deserve to be admired for as long as possible! We are almost done here at the Crouse House. 

Minus a:

-Few touches to the tree and new bow topper!

-This years Hallmark ornament!

-New stocking for Easton!

-And newly lit reindeer for outside plus the house lights that Jaime needs to put up!

Otherwise, we are basically done! Once these few things on the list are fully complete, I plan on enjoying every single moment of all the decorating efforts!

It IS the most wonderful time of the year!

Ladies Night: Christmas in November

I SO enjoyed my first ever ladies night at Central! Jaime was able to stay home with the kids while I went out and enjoyed myself. I had been asked to be a guest at my good friend, Shanna's table. She did a great job decorating her center piece....it was so cute, and had decorated ornaments with our names on it so we knew where to sit! All tables were decorated differently and I loved the Christmas atmosphere!

We started off the night by eating a nice dinner. Then we saw a demonstration on how to decorate your tables at home for the holidays. We also heard a lovely lady speak on how to make Christmas more about Christ. It was wonderful! We finished off the night with door prizes and mingling! When I got home, the kids were in bed, dishes done and laundry folded. What a fabulous night!

Well Check

Easton had his 15 month well check today with Dr. Smith. Our big guy checked out great and after 3 boosters and 1 flu shot, we walked out in relatively good spirits. I was even able to get Brooklyn her flu mist and set Maddie's appointment up for next week!

Here are a few fun facts about our growing boy:

-80th percentile for weight and 95th percentile for height. You wear 18 month-24 month clothing and I can already tell that you're built like your daddy! 

-you say a few words but pale in comparison to where your sisters were at this point. You can clearly say: mama, daddy, nana. You also say: puppa(puppy), baba(baby), S means yes, and dis means this. You say ma when you want a drink or something to eat. You can sign more.

-you're a great sleeper; usually going to bed about 6:30 and waking up around 7. You also take two naps during the day.

-you're also a good eater. The only thing you've turned away was Chef Boyardee's beefaronni. Otherwise, you eat pretty much anything!

-we enjoy watching you play with the girls. You try to tackle Brooklyn and then roll around on the floor. If you are upset, you'll run to Maddie and hug on her. It's cute!

-you can follow basic commands: "give this to daddy", "go get your toothbrush", "lets go to your chair", etc...

-you are still such a lover and will cuddle with both mommy and daddy. Cartoons are starting to catch your attention. Your favorites are The Lorax and Toy Story.

-love playing with cars and balls

We are enjoying watching you grow into a little boy, Easton! I can already see ways in which you are totally different from the girls and its fun to experience something new!

Freeze

It was COLD this morning! Made me so grateful for working heat in my house AND my car, as we got out to take sister to school. Also thankful for new blue coats to keep us cozy. We have much!

15 months

15 months ago, today, this sweet boy came into our lives! Our family has been thrilled with the addition of a little "blue" and we are so grateful for our Easton!

Jumpin' Jacks

On Saturday, the kids and I headed to a birthday party for one of our friends. Their little girl was turning 3 and had her party at Jumpin' Jacks. I had never been but it was a really neat experience and Maddie has already requested her party to be there too. 

AND, as a side note.....who in their right mind would pay over $500 to secure the mega party package they offer?! Seriously....that's ridiculous! In looking at what they offered, I decided we will probably do the smaller package for Maddie in March, but even THAT is pushing it. Holy cow, people!

Ok, back to reality now: :)

The party was a lot of fun but wore this mama out!! I'm not firing on all cylinders these days and I was man-ing it alone since Jaime was coaching a tourney. Thank goodness for afternoon naps!

Mesh Wreath

I've been wanting to learn how to make these mesh wreaths for quite a while. Luckily, I have an aunt and cousins who do a great job and were kind enough to show me! This is my first attempt and I think I did an OK job! My hope is to get good enough that maybe I can try and sale them!

Kindergarten Picture

Maddie's school pictures finally came in and I was pleased at what I saw! They turned out really great and she looked beautiful as ever!

An Announcement

A few weeks ago, I suspected I was probably pregnant but with Jaime in the hospital; I was just a little busy! When he got home, I finally got around to testing and it confirmed what I pretty much already knew! We were thrilled, but cautious, since my risk of miscarrying seems to be pretty high. I waited a few days before I called my doctor and kept things mostly to ourselves. I knew that I could get in for an early viability sono at about 6 1/2 weeks, so we set that up and continued to wait. In the meantime, I've been super nauseated and grateful, because that's usually a good sign! Today, at 6 weeks and 6 days, we went to our appt and saw a fabulous heartbeat! The baby measured exactly 6 weeks and 6 days! We were so happy! Looks like this little one will be set to make his or her appearance sometime in June and we can't wait! Thank you Lord for such a special gift!

Trick or Treat, 2013

Last night was Halloween and we had a fun time taking the kids out for candy! They girls were dressed as ballerinas and Easton as a scarecrow. Precious! Aunt Mel came over and dressed up too. Of course the girls LOVED seeing that! After eating pizza and taking some pictures, we headed out around the local neighborhoods. The girls knew just what to do. Easton, clearly can't talk well, but he knew to stick his bucket out and they would plop something in it for him! He was the cutest thing ever! We were out for about 2 hours and boy was I tired when we were done but I love fun memories with my kids!