The Big Mak Family

Ranch Red Potatoes

2012-01-25T09:09:00.006-07:00

The picture doesn't do them much justice, mostly because they really aren't that beautiful. With these potatoes it's all about the flavor and the crock pot low and slow!

Mike gave me this for Christmas...

I'm a HUGE crock pot fan anyways, but this book is amazing! Probably one of the best gifts because I like it, USE it, and everyone is eating dinner more regularly so it's a win, win, win.

This is the recipe for "Ranch Potatoes" from page 55

2 lb small red potatoes, quartered

1/4 C. butter

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tsp. paprika

1 env. ranch dip mix

1 8-oz pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 C. milk

Potatoes and water in slow-cooker. Slice butter, sprinkle butter, salt, pepper, and paprika over potatoes.Cook on high 2-3 hours or low 5-6 hours. Mix together ranch dip mix, cream cheese, and milk until smooth. Pour over potatoes during last hour of cooking time.

After making this twice, I knew I needed to share it! I'm generous with the paprika and the longer these potatoes cook the better it seems. 3 hours high, then add the ranch mixture and let it go for another hour on high and then you can switch it to low and serve it whenever after that. They are the best "make ahead" potatoes so you can have that done and focus on everything else with the meal. Oh, and they make great leftovers for lunch the next day!

Try it, enjoy, and BUY this book! It's available at http://deseretbook.com/Slow-Cooker-Cookbook-Debbie-G-Harman/i/5051416, but you can find it at Deseret Book and other stores. I think Costco might have even had it here in Utah.

Sisterly Love

2012-01-25T08:58:00.002-07:00

The fun these two have together makes me wish I had a sister. Having girls makes me realize how the bonds of sisterhood really work. They fight over things, they play, they scream, and then they're best friends again all in the space of about 5 minutes and that is repeated frequently throughout the day.

The latest fun thing they've come up with is to dig through my closet for the crazy heels and parade around up and down the hallway like it's a runway showing off their shoes and cute clothes. They picked out their own heels and they patch their little outfits perfectly! The necklaces were added, "because I want to."

That's Brooke's new answer to everything, "because I want to." We're not sure where she's getting that from. After answering the, "Why?" question a million times in a row, I'll give up and respond with, "because I said so." Never, "because I want to," though.

Make Over

2012-01-25T08:51:00.003-07:00

It's still a work in progress, but here's a glimpse of the make over that our master bedroom is getting. Eryn LOVES to paint and to help. Mike just paints behind her and lets her feel accomplished. Isn't he just the best Dad?

Feeding Ian

2012-01-25T08:38:00.004-07:00

Since he's growing so fast, it was recently time to start the rice cereal and the dreaded "solid food" experience of sitting in the high chair and using a spoon. The adventure goes as follows...

"So... What are we doing?"

"You want to feed me what?"

"I hate it!!!!!!!"

"How did you find me hiding under my sister's bed?"

The last picture was from a different day, but I couldn't resist putting them all together. He literally rolled himself under Eryn's bed and was stuck there. Needless to say that Ian is an adventure everyday and that little boys are so different than their female counterparts. The girls never went under a bed to hide from me!

Christmas Revisited

2012-01-13T10:59:00.002-07:00

This is us at Mike's company's Christmas party. No Santa this year, but it was still fun. I was wearing ridiculously tall heels in order to be even remotely close to his height. Since there are not many pictures of just the two of us, I figured it was worth posting.

He-Man

2012-01-07T11:30:00.003-07:00

Thanks to Netflix my girls have been enjoying watching old episodes of He-Man. We watched the movie that introduced She-Ra awhile ago and saw "Masters of the Universe" (the movie with "real people") and it seems they can't get enough.

Eryn said that she saw, "Skeletor on the mountains!" I told her that if he was here, He-Man would save us. She gave me that blank stare and said, "But you said that they weren't real..."

Watch the Birdie

2012-01-07T11:27:00.002-07:00

While out and about I've been seeing a lot of very large birds these days. Often in pairs pretty close to each other. I'm convinced that they are preparing to nest soon. I used to be so good at identify the bird games with my Dad, but I'm struggling these days. (Bird watching is much more difficult while driving! Still don't know how Dad used to do it without driving into a ditch!)

2011 switch to 2012

2012-01-01T21:25:00.002-07:00

Christmas and all the craziness of the holidays and numerous family gatherings and events have all blurred together and will probably be blogged about in retrospect at a later time. For now, just a quick blurb on what happened in 2011 and what I'm looking forward to in 2012.

2011 brought our little family...

a promotion

2 weddings to photograph

a mini van

a preschooler

a potty training nightmare (still in the middle of that)

a baby boy!

Hopes for 2012...

Vegas with my best friend for my birthday- fingers crossed!

2+ weddings to photograph

pay increase (Who doesn't want that, right?)

Visit with MY family

NO More potty training for awhile

running/jogging/walking quickly again when it warms up

2011-12-04T09:59:00.003-07:00

Our Christmas decorating is a lot more exciting with 2 kids grabbing at the tree and wanting to "help" rearrange ornaments all the time. It's so entertaining to watch them debate over where certain ornaments should go and how often each goes and moves some without the other one's permission only to result in the other moving something else. With the lights on at night the tree doesn't look nearly so sparse.

Little battles all of the time over the beloved pink bulbs. (Thank you after Christmas sale to get indestructible ornaments for $1 for a pack of 8 of them!)

Ian's first ornament that my brother Sam picked out with my Mom when he was home this last Summer.

Because I love them there are a number of bird ornaments on our tree. Especially Cardinals because those bright red birds are a constant reminder to me of growing up in Michigan where they are everywhere and stand out so beautifully in the snow or against the green trees.

Cooking Frenzie

2011-12-04T09:46:00.005-07:00

The more time we spend in the kitchen together cooking as Mom and Daughters the more their play is centered around cooking and working together. I'm going to go ahead and give myself a HUGE pat on the back for our time spent together being productive, educational, and meaningful.

As I prepare dinner, they prepare food at their "Restaurant" either for Ian or for Eryn's dog. Eryn takes the order, tells Brooke, she cooks it and Eryn helps put it on the plates or in a bowl, then Eryn delivers it to the table and yells back to Brooke if they like it or not.

The whole process is repeated several times and looks a little like this.

The "cooking" that they do together.

Delivering the food.

Today Ian was taking a nap, so they cooked for Eryn's dog Slush. He really liked it!

Homemade Corn Chips

2011-12-04T09:28:00.002-07:00

Since chips and I aren't friends, I figured I'd try making my own so that I can continue to enjoy burning myself with my Mother-In-Law's very zippy salsa. (I complained last year that it was too bland. This year she made what I call "Revenge Salsa" that is so spicy I can't stop eating it for fear the heat catches up to me when I'm done!) That may sound like I'm picking on her, but I seriously LOVE this crazy hot batch!

Anyhow, onto homemade corn chips...

I bought the smallest pack of corn tortillas to try it out.

Cut them up into 1/4 and toss them around on a baking sheet. (Definitely use one with edges, so they don't fall off when you toss them around a little.)

Oven 350 and cook them for about 10 minutes.

From that point poke at them with something and watch them really close until they get crunchy or as done as you want them to be (It took mine about 15 minutes). They burn easy and taste super gross when they do. (Yes, lesson learned by experience.)

In the end I had these!

I only made a few at a time because not a ton fit in the pan, but I think they turned out rather well. They are baked, so no gross oils and extra fat and I only very lightly salted them. By having fewer chips I think it helped me to limit how much I was eating too.

Overall, it worked out really well and I'd recommend it to anyone!

Christmas Decor

2011-12-02T10:26:00.003-07:00

Thanks to an idea inspired fuel of a website called http://pinterest.com/ I have been making more things lately and have been more adventurous in trying projects and new things.

This was an idea for a wreath that I saw on that site.

This is what I made.

(You can't see it very well because the light was so bright outside, but it is a little distressed and the frame does have some detail. I did neglect to take the hanger into account when making it, so it hangs a little crooked. That gives it "personality" right?)

Ian sitting in the Bumbo Chair! He also likes to lay under the tree as part of the decorations. I just couldn't post something without a picture of one of the kids!

Sleeping Habits

2011-12-01T22:55:00.004-07:00

Ian is finally growing up a little and sleeping more at night and for a longer amount of time. I do put him on his back and tuck him into the blankets every time, but I don't always find him that way when I go to check on him.

Sometimes he likes to remove his pants to be more comfortable.

He's rolled over on his tummy and hiding under the blankets.

Mike went in to check on him once and pulled back the mound of blankets and couldn't find him! Ian had traveled around and snuggled up in the front corner (next to the cow) and when Mike looked into the bed he over looked that corner completely!

Finding Ian in his crib is like trying to find the camouflaged animal in its habitat at the zoo. It's always entertaining and he's usually in there!

Dentist

2011-11-23T10:15:00.002-07:00

Another successful trip to the Dentist for the girls! NO cavities, less screaming, and lots of excitement over getting "surprises" like a toothbrush from them seemed to make the trip really worth it.

Boise

2011-11-08T12:51:00.007-07:00

We went up to visit some of our friends in Boise, Idaho a couple of weeks ago. With Halloween and everything I managed to skip blogging about it, but now I'm back to documenting our trip!

The pictures are out of order and I just don't have the patience to fix it today. Sorry.

The stadium where the Boise State Broncos play. Their quarterback Kellen Moore is a Heisman candidate hopeful this year! (Oh and I LOVE the couple in blue with their bright orange Mustang in the picture!)

Valerie holding Ian at Shoshone Falls just outside of Twin Falls, ID.

The State Capitol in Boise.

"The Smurf Turf" a quick view of the only blue grass in college football.

Our family at Shoshone Falls.

The Twin Falls Temple.

The kids had the best time playing with their friends!

I wish I knew what he said to her to get THIS reaction.

We had fun on our fast trip to Idaho. Taking the Maddux's family pictures was the main reason for going officially, but I think it was more so Eryn could go new places. For weeks she was talking about going to Boise and she was excited everywhere we went realizing that it was somewhere new.

Every road trip teaches us something new. This time I learned that no matter how many fruit snacks a kid eats, they are still always going to want chicken nuggets when they see a Wendy's. Also, no matter how many time you say, "Boy-say uh uh" (with a bad french accent) it's ALWAYS funny!

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T12:38:00.005-06:00

Although Halloween is officially only one day a year, it seems to have been longer this year with parties starting on Friday and going until as late as Tuesday for the school. It doesn't seem to bother the kids at all. They play dress up everyday! I took a few quick pictures the other day and here are the best of the very few I took.

Brooke as the Bee with attitude and Eryn in character as Rapunzel from Tangled with that dreamy excited to see the world far off gaze and stance.

Ian was a football. He was NOT happy to be outside. It was obvious that he prefers to be hidden under blankets and eating in the comfort of his own home.

Happy Halloween everyone and good luck with the Halloween Hangover post sugar highs tomorrow!

Todd and Erin

2011-10-25T10:17:00.005-06:00

This past weekend we were able to go to Todd and Erin's wedding. Mike used to work with Todd when he first started at Property Solutions. They go to lunch here and there and became good friends pretty fast. Todd is a little crazy and a whole lot of fun to be around, so when he met Erin it was instant love! She's the exact same and they are a great couple. Our Eryn really likes Erin and they had lots of fun together this summer for a random picnic and a swim party.

Could you ask for a prettier day to be married?

The Happy Couple

Mike posing for me.

My turn to pose! It's like, "Hi, my name is Val and I'd like to sell you some Real Estate."

Their wedding was the start of our busy weekend and there will be more pictures and post to come this week! (I can't believe I posted an entire post and there are ZERO pictures of the kids!)

Called Out

2011-10-04T08:40:00.003-06:00

(Even though this happened the other day I haven't had time to share it until now.)

The conversation between Eryn and I goes as follows...

Eryn: How long does the dryer take to dry clothes?

Me: It depends. Why?

Eryn: You said Eryn's nightgown was in the dryer 3 days ago. Is it dry YET?

Yes, I managed to wash some laundry and leave it for dead in the dryer and she called me out on it. I LOVE that little girl!

Making Stuff

2011-09-29T10:14:00.002-06:00

Even though I made these things a little while ago, I never had the time to blog about it and figured that it was worth bragging about anyhow. Since I've been struggling to get anything done these days, I needed that moment to encouragement in seeing something that I, in fact, accomplished.

Little T-shirts for Ian. Super easy appliques that I made with some fabric, iron on adhesive, and a little creativity.

Strawberry Nutella Mini Muffins. I can't take full credit for coming up with these, because I saw them on Studio 5. I made them and posted this picture on the Facebook page and was mentioned on the show in a transition to their cooking segment along with a comment on how they love to hear from viewers! (It only took the host 2 tries to get my last name right.)

Family Pictures

2011-09-27T13:19:00.003-06:00

So, this is what we're going with this year for our family photo for Christmas cards! Ha ha. Just kidding!

Seriously though, this is our "Mummy Family" that Brooke and I made out of mason jars, some cheap white fabric, a couple of glue on eyes from the dollar store, and a little bit of ribbon. She helped a lot and even decided what eyes went on who. (Yes, some of them are not the same size.) I LOVE that she made Eryn look totally crazy! It really was a nice insight into what she thinks of her sister.

I put the orange ribbon on the "Mommy Mummy" and then Brooke wanted hers to look like mommy. Then when I went to make a ribbon for "Eryn" Brooke demanded that I make it pink and BIGGER because Eryn really likes pink.

Ian's Blessing Day

2011-09-26T01:38:00.009-06:00

Although Mike threatened to change his name for his blessing to Jimmer, Ian Maximus remained his name and will be forever! Ian was blessed on Sunday the 25th by his father Michael. Along with his Grandpa McCorristin and all of the Uncles on that side of the family who include- Sam, Jeremy, Ryan, Chance and Jeremy McKay. Through in Bishop Johnson, Andy Skelton and Ryan Murphy and that completes the bunch.

Even though it wasn't very cold he drug around this white blanket that my Grandma (mother's mother) had made. Each of the kids had it with them on their blessing day.

We had our family lunch at a park and Josh took over pushing everyone on the swings! The girls had him sweating as they screamed and begged him to push each of them higher and higher. It was so adorable. At the same time, it really reminded me how much I miss Andrew (on his mission still) because he would have been right over there pushing them too.

This is probably my favorite picture of the day. Ian just has the cutest almost embarrassed looking smile because Grandma is kissing him!

It was really nice to have everyone there at church with us. Our family now fills up 3 of the big benches at church and it will only keep growing at more grandchildren join the family.

Having so many friends and Mike's family so close by has been nice, but I still miss my own parents and brothers! Yes, brothers plural. I even miss John. Ha ha. We realized that "Ian" is Gaelic for "John" awhile ago. No, Ian is not named after my brother, but I thought that was kind of a funny coincidence.

Val's Mental Health

2011-09-19T08:39:00.002-06:00

So, since I've been going slightly crazy with being the mother of 3 now and everything that entails, I've been trying to maintain my mental health.

That's lead to an addiction to http://pinterest.com/ It's a site that you can browse through a bunch of pictures with ideas for things and all sorts of different types of things and collect what interests you. It's like cutting out the pages of magazines for things you want when you were a little kid. Kind of fun and full of great inspirations and ideas for projects that I will start and never finish. Ha ha! Seriously though, it's more fun than I thought it would be and I am really enjoying wasting a little time letting my mind wander over the possibility of one day having some of the neat things I've come across.

On another mental health note... I'm getting ready to dig into Fall picture taking with includes lots of family pictures! Friends and friends of friends it's time to call me up, text me, e-mail me, Facebook me, etc. so that we can get together! I NEED the distraction and the time behind the camera for my own sanity. You can just benefit from my creative need. : )

1st Day of School

2011-09-08T09:46:00.006-06:00

One of my favorite commercials ever was one back in the 90s for Staples or Office Depot (I can't remember which). It played the Christmas song that says, "It's the most wonderful time of the year." While these 2 kids are walking in the store with their heads down while their Dad is happily throwing school supplies in the cart and dancing around them.

Well, I've been happily throwing supplies and clothes in carts lately and now that most wonderful time of the year is finally here! Eryn had her first day of school yesterday!!!!!!!!!!

The night before school started we picked out what clothes she was going to wear and how she wanted to do her hair and then went over to the school. I knew she wouldn't work with me to take a few cute pictures with all of the distractions of everyone else, so we went alone and got a couple great ones! She's finally starting to turn into a ham. (Honestly, I couldn't be happier!)

She was up early and ready to go far too early. We spent hours locked in the epic questioning battle of, "Can we go now?" I was excited she was finally THAT excited to go to school, but just the tiniest bit annoyed too. We finally went and she was super excited to realized that a girl from church she all ready knows was in her class.

Eryn was so focused on holding onto the rope to stand in line and go in that she wouldn't even hardly look at me. It made me that much more glad we had taken the time to take a few pictures the night before. She walked in like a trooper and was sporting the biggest fake smile I've ever seen. I knew she was excited, but a little terrified at the same time.

Once I left her and went back to the van, Brooke was screaming like crazy. "Where's Eryn? No with Daddy. No with Mommy. No with Brooke. Erynnnnnnnn..." She was super confused that we'd basically abandoned Eryn and were now driving away without her. I really didn't see that reaction coming from her and was totally shocked. It was good to see that even though those two fight most of the time that Brooke really does love her big sister. (Even if she calls her "Air-e" and not Eryn.)

When it was time to pick her up they brought the class out and she ran right to me and gave me a BIG hug! When asked that infamous question, "How was school today?" She answered with, "All the other kid were sad or naughty, but NOT Eryn!" Then she told me about singing the ABC's, playing dress up, and having lunchtime with the other kids.

Ian's Picture Nightmare

2011-09-02T17:13:00.007-06:00

Like every other guy in the world, Ian is NOT a fan of having his picture taken and seems to either sleep, scream, or beg for a pacifier every time he sees the camera. (Oh and yes Grandma McCorristin, we have lost the pacifier and if you took it...)

Ian does lots of sleeping like most babies.

He can communicate with animals. For some strange reason instead of making cute baby noises he sounds more like a monkey or a squeaky little puppy.

My favorite actual posed newborn picture of him. There really were many in the few times we tried that worked. (This was probably more frustrating to me than most Moms as I was the photographer and the Mom and doubly irked that he couldn't cooperate not matter what I tried!)

He has this adorable little pirate shirt on and wouldn't put his arms down so you could see it and couldn't live without the pacifier stuck in his mouth. Ugh.

He's adorable and I'm really looking forward to life with him in our family. Ian brings a whole different everything with him than his sisters. I just need to learn to not expect everything (or anything sometimes) to go as planned.

On a totally different note, Eryn is starting school next week!!!!!!!!!!

Obviously Related

2011-08-25T07:57:00.002-06:00

As every parent does I started comparing pictures of the little ones from when they were born and remembering each entering the world and how different everything was.

Our babies look very much alike right from the start. Their personalities totally different, but wow they sure are obviously related!

Eryn

Brooke

Ian

It's not just the same outfit with that amazing hat that makes them look the same! I swear they all have the exact same nose (and thank goodness it's not mine!).

Even though I didn't post a set by step of every moment through the surgery and all of the fun in the hospital I had with giving birth to Ian, I'll let you know that it was an interesting experience. I wasn't nearly as crazy from the medications and much calmer in general with things this 3rd time around. My doctor and Ian's pediatricians were all very helpful and understanding through everything. The whole event seemed to go pretty smoothly and recovery started quickly, but will take a lot longer this time. I'm bruised up, swollen, and super sore. Worth it? Of course.

Ian Maximus

2011-08-22T07:48:00.008-06:00

Ian Maximus McCorristin. Born 08-17-2011.

Valerie and her son.

Aunt Sarah came to visit

Proud papa!

Grandpa McCorristin

Grandma McCorristin

Whole family together

Cousin Curtis came for the cookies...and to see Ian

Brooke not sure of him

Eryn loves her little brother

Ready to go home!

Ian had to stay an extra day to make sure he started eating more. He was a little tongue-tied so the doctor clipped it which has helped him eat a lot more. We are home now and resting. Thanks to all who visited, called, and thought of us. It has been really exciting to welcome Ian into the family.

Almost There

2011-08-12T12:07:00.003-06:00

After excruciating back pain and a couple rounds of either food poisoning or a random flu bug that's been going around I am pleased to say that I'M ALMOST THERE! A few more days and our little boy will be joining our family.

I know that giving birth is just the beginning to a whole different set of challenges, aches, pains, and sleepless nights, but seriously... I've done it before and having the baby in your arms makes all of that extra stuff tolerable. While you're pregnant and miserable you just have to keep praying that it will be over soon.

My appreciation goes out to all of those who have helped me out in so many ways so far and to those who will be there to help over the next couple of weeks. As much as I want to claim I can do everything on my own, I can't. I can only try and then turn to those around me for the extra push in the right direction or whatever else it is that I need.

2011-08-09T22:40:00.002-06:00

This is a funny video of Brooke getting stuck in the hamper. It's amazing how fast everything is alright when she realizes the camera is on her. So cute!

Summer Party

2011-08-02T09:07:00.007-06:00

Mike's work had a big summer party with a BBQ, water slides, a petting zoo trip, and a theater for just us to watch the last Harry Potter movie. It was great to be able to take the kids with us to a movie and (even though they jabbered a lot and had to go potty 4 times) we were able to be together as a family all day.

Eryn's favorite of the day was the water slides.

Brooke was ok with wearing a swimsuit, but would not have anything to do with the slides or getting wet.

Brooke LOVED the animals at the farm petting zoo.

Obviously MY daughter. She walks right over to the big cow statue and says, "Pretty cow!" and pets it. She was super excited to go outside and see the real ones.

The girls were able to ride the ponies!

We tried to help Brooke because she's so small.

But, the kid took to it and didn't want any help. Natural cowgirl!

I think she was even shouting at the pony to go faster.

My favorite of the trip to the farm. Ahhhhhh, so cute!

I'm so glad that Mike is able to work for a company that hosts fun family events like this! We all needed a day together and each of us had something special to enjoy throughout the day.

Random Eryn

2011-07-22T09:22:00.003-06:00

For those you who aren't facebook users, you've been missing a good hand full of random Eryn quotes lately. She is the queen of the unexpected and a bright and shinning example of how kids really have a mind of their own and only they know how it all fits together with the rest of the world.

- Mike was watching Independence Day with the girls the other day and when there was the destruction scenes with the ring of fire surrounding the White House Eryn says, "Look! Fire for cooking hot dogs!"

- She went on a Daddy Daughter Date with Mike to see the new Transformers movie. While watching the movie, Mike asked her, "Do you like the movie?" Her response..."I LOVE unicorns!"

- While working on the computer the other day I was bombarded with an interesting conversation that went like this...

Brooke: Mommy, I PINK!
Me: Errrrrrrrryn!
Brooke: So pretty! (As she dances around the room.)

Eryn: It wipes off with a wipe, and soap, and water, maybe a bath.

Eryn had colored her with a pink highlighter.

- She was pretending to sell ice cream to Mike and this is how it went...

Round 1:

Eryn: What can I get for you? You want two scoops?

Mike: Sure, I'll have one scoop vanilla and one scoop chocolate.

Eryn: Ok. But you have to give the vanilla to mommy.

Round 2:

Eryn: What can I get for you?

Mike: I'll have one scoop Rocky Road and one scoop Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.

Eryn: (While looking up in deep thought) Uh, are those ice creams?

Round 3:

Eryn: What can I get for you?

Mike: I'll have one scoop Neapolitan and one scoop Chocolate.

Eryn: (Thinking about Neapolitan) Uh, we are all out of that flavor.

Life with Eryn is never dull. She has too much energy, too much excitement, and too much love for everything around her. As challenging as she is, I wouldn't trade her or change her. I love her just the way she is. Random and out there while full of life and interest in everything.

Life and Death

2011-07-18T09:31:00.003-06:00

As the time grows closer to my due date I'm drawn deeper and deeper into thoughts about life and death. The miracle of life is a beautiful thing. Having a baby is truly a blessed event. Living life everyday is a challenge and has to be in order to earn our way back to Heaven. Death, though bitter sweet, is a part of the process. Knowing that there is more to our souls than just this frail existence helps me to know that there is comfort even for those we have to say farewell to for awhile.

Yesterday in Sunday school we were discussing the Atonement and the Resurrection of Christ. I couldn't help but think (and even mention in class a few times) how difficult it would have been to be a disciple of Christ at the time he was crucified and see His body die and then how unbelievable it would have been to see Him alive again only a few days later. He told them it would happen, but since it had never happened before would I have believed it really was Him immediately? Having been taught to recognize Him my whole life and that He does, in fact, live still I'm certain that I would believe it now if He were to appear.

Instantly knowing, trusting, and having the faith to believe in the larger plans of our Heavenly Father is a true gift from Him. I pray that we all have the faith to fall at His feet or onto our knees and use the power and strength inside us that He has given us to keep going through our lives. We are not alone, ever.

Baby Shower Saturday

2011-07-13T08:47:00.002-06:00

I am having a Baby Shower on Saturday at my church building from 2-4. I did register at Target for some bedding and have acquired a bunch of clothes from a couple of friends. I mostly need bedding and toys or books that are more boy related. (Eryn's all ready worried that her brother is going to try to play with her Princess stuff.)

It should be a nice afternoon get together, so come and check it out! : )

What Could Make My Day?

2011-07-12T14:05:00.002-06:00

What could make anyone more happy than to hear, "Mommy the ants are tickling me!"? Seriously, we were in the living room. Yep. I know that I've been a little lax on running to sweep the floor, mopping, and vacuuming (since our vacuum now hates us again), but still... I didn't think we were to the point to an invasion!

Eryn, Brooke, and I managed to kill around 40 or so ants. Then we had fun cleaning up the floor, emptying the vacuum, and after a nice little talk about why there are bugs in the house hopefully the problem will be on it's way out. I'm also going to have to buy a spray to spray around the floor boards and in the basement to help prevent any others from coming in.

4th of July Holiday

2011-07-06T09:55:00.026-06:00

Prepare now for lots of pictures from our 4th of July celebration! We went to a parade, fireworks, and the zoo the next day all in Idaho Falls, ID. Mike grew up there and he LOVES the fireworks display they put on each year. If you've never been to a mind blowing crazy amount of explosion fireworks show before, you're missing out! This show is a huge deal and draws people from all over in record numbers each year to a relatively small town. As crazy and stressful as big crowds are it sure makes for great memories and time spent together with our little family.

The Parade

Brooke in her sun glasses.

Eryn was so excited for candy at the parade! Every time that they would throw it at her she'd run out and grab exactly 1 piece and run back to her spot with us.

Mike got a cheer from the IF Chuckers (minor league baseball team) with his hat!

Beautiful cars have to be MY favorite part of the parade.

Brooke really liked the horses. Who wouldn't when they're painted all patriotic like that?

Eryn was wheelin' and dealin' for the sucker she really wanted.

Here's the baseball team.

Mike's brother Sam and his family went up to celebrate too!

Brooke just wanted to watch the parade and not take a picture.

Other people have no problem striking poses.

Benefit of going somewhere with people you know- a picture with the whole family! (Wow, am I really THAT short?)

The Fireworks

No pictures of the actual fireworks. Sorry! I wanted to fully enjoy them and not worry about my camera and settings and all of that.

Across the Snake River is where they light the fireworks from. We managed to sit so close and catch the wind just right that pieces of debris fell on us from time to time. Eryn was not happy with that and Brooke struggled with the noise. Eventually they were ok though and enjoyed the fireworks.

Brooke and Shaylie dancing.

The glow necklaces and bracelets were a fun extra. Eryn liked it and Brooke could care less. Those two are so different sometimes that it's funny to me that they are sisters.

The Zoo

Brooke didn't last long in the stroller.

Brooke and her cousin Shaylie (6 days older than her) have their own little conversations and Brooke gets so excited to see her and spend time with her. They had a lot of fun together at the zoo looking at the animals.

These cute little guys attracted a lot of attention.

Eryn found a stage and proceeded to preform for everyone. To her credit, whatever it was she was singing was plenty loud so we could all hear it. I couldn't help but laugh when Mike pointed out the "Animal Encounters" sign behind them. Yeah, it seemed fitting.

Josh was a lot of help chasing down kids this weekend and his help oddly made me miss Andrew (Mike's brother who is on an LDS church mission) even more.

The goat thought that Brooke had food.

My favorite was when Eryn said, "Look Mom, I can brush the goat's hair and he doesn't even freak out!"

The Dads watching their kids from the safety of the other side of the fence. Ha ha. Honestly, Mike was about to die from allergies just being near those goats. The sun glasses hide the fact that both of them had super red and itchy eyes. Fun facts that Moms remember and the kids never need to know.

Eryn LOVED this water fountain. She even asked if we could have one at our house.

Intimidated?

I have a strange strong love of birds I blame my Dad for. This trip around I really seemed interested in cranes and water fowl.

This Roseate Spoonbill laid an egg! I was so excited because I've never seen them with an egg before.

This monkey went crazy for one of the keepers who was talking with us. He jumped all over the place and even leaned up against the glass like he was going to get his back scratched. It was super funny and the girls just loved it!

Idaho Falls

Once upon a time Mike's Mom used to drive past this house and tell the kids that it was the ugliest house. I couldn't see anything wrong with it. Ha ha. Apparently, it used to be green and Judy HATES anything that is green. Amazing how a little paint might change her mind about it now.

I can hardly stand how happy she is when having Wendy's chicken nuggets. The screaming, tantrums, and general annoying behavior stops just long enough to acquire chicken nuggets and consume them.

Mike showing the girls the Snake River and the water falls that give Idaho Falls is name. Brooke kept pointing and saying, "Water!"

The LDS Temple in Idaho Falls. Every time we go up there we threaten to take some nice pictures of the temple. This year the ground were all tore up. They seem to be renovating the entire landscape of the temple grounds.

It was Brooke's nap time.

Before a nap though, it was time to go chase some ducks and geese by the river!

The girls didn't last long in the car once we started out journey home.

Mike and I were tired to, so we decided to let Slush drive.

It was a long couple of days with lots going on, but it was worth it. The girls had a lot of fun and Mike was able to see his beloved fireworks! That trip might not happen again for a couple of years, so I'm glad we did it.

Oh and for those of you who are just waiting for me to cave in and claim that I "like the van" this trip was a step in your direction. I'm not claiming I like it just yet, but it was really nice to just throw in a big cooler and a bunch of bags without even thinking about how to arrange it to make it fit. We could have taken so much more and still had plenty of room.

Date is Set

2011-06-28T11:34:00.004-06:00

Yesterday I had my doctor's visit and officially scheduled the birth of our son! August 17th, 2011 will be Ian's birthday! (Unless something really crazy happens.)

That is a Wednesday. Most likely come home on Saturday. Trying to get the little details ironed out early is a fun task. I know that Mike will be able to help me a bunch when I come home and take time off of work then. While I'm in the hospital we're going to need some babysitters for a couple of days so that Mike can really help the most with being home the entire day once we're all home and together.

Pretty much leaving that Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday open for anyone who wants to (or can) help watch the girls for most of the day. If you're interested in helping feel free to send me an e-mail, call, or leave a comment.

It takes a village to raise a child and this child needs her village to help her in August!

Miss Brooke is 2

2011-06-24T09:37:00.003-06:00

Brooke celebrated her 2nd Birthday and is now fully ready to terrorize the world just like her sister! The "terrible 2's" thing is totally true. The attitude, the whining, and the tantrums are all kicking up to a very un-Brooke level these days. Even at her worst, she's still easier to deal with than other kids. Fingers crossed she gets through this quickly!

She fell in love with the little baby doll stroller that we gave her. Most of the evening was spent pushing her dolls around in the house going for walks. I have no worries that she will make a great big sister!

Our Family

2011-06-20T10:54:00.001-06:00

In Primary Eryn learned about how she's part of a family that can be together forever. As part of that they made little pictures of their families. She even included her "brother to be" Ian. This almost made Mommy cry.

Professional Party Goers

2011-06-20T10:01:00.007-06:00

It seems lately that we are professional party goers. After a bunch of friends and family's birthday parties for all of their kids turning 1 I'm almost convinced that everyone I know had a baby last year. Ha ha! Here are a few of the pictures from our busy month of birthday parties.

My friend Marie's little boy.

Our friends Bobbie and Ryan's twins.

The girls had fun in the power wheels Jeep.

Our nephew Sawyer.

Brooke made Mike push her on the swings for most of the party.

Our niece Emma.

The cake Aunt Chelsie made. The little cow on the top won me over even though it was not edible!

We also made a trip up to Brigham City to visit our niece Shaylie for the day after her birthday to have some cupcakes and dinner with their family. No pictures there though. Hmmm. How'd that happen?

With Brooke's birthday fast approaching I'm wondering if I'm almost worn out on cake. Especially if on top of the birthday parties you throw in the 3 wedding receptions we've been too. Ok, one of them didn't even have cake, but still... It's been a LOT of cake.

Swimming?

2011-06-20T09:50:00.004-06:00

Since I'm pretty anti-swimming we sport the awesome kiddie pool in the backyard and that's about it. Mike's ambitious and takes the kids to a real pool and actually has the swimming experience. We set up the pool for the first time last week and had some interesting results.

Eryn loved it.

Brooke hated it.

The entire time Brooke pointed at it and screamed, "Me no like it!" Then, I had to hold her because she didn't want to go in the house, but still wanted to be with her sister. Eryn had fun playing in the water and Brooke and I sat in a lawn chair and soaked up the sun.

Guess What!

2011-06-08T21:17:00.009-06:00

Soon Eryn's going to have to put down the Game Boy and hang up the princess dresses because (drum roll please)...

Eryn's going to preschool in the fall!

We had the privilege of opening out first "to the parents of..." mail from the school district tonight and she's in!

Honestly, best news that we could have received. One major prayer answered. Check.

So Tired

2011-06-07T19:40:00.003-06:00

Ever go to a restaurant and it takes forever to be seated? Then it takes forever to get drinks, order, and for them to bring you food? Brooke seems to feel that the wait at the McCorristin Diner is far too long.

Either that or she was just so pooped from a busy day that dinner was not number one on her "to do" list.

Fast Run Down

2011-06-03T22:54:00.007-06:00

Eryn had to have some blood work done and was a brave little girl. She did it for a sticker, sucker, ring, and the promise of chicken nuggets.

When we took of the bandage she saw the blood on it right away and noticed that it made a perfect heart shape. She's convinced that she's a princess now because she bleeds hearts.

I went to take my friend's bridal pictures the other day and the girls helped me get ready. They both had fun knocking on the door and looking for Rapunzel who they were certain was locked in the tower.

Although they are both sisters, they couldn't be more different at times. Eryn's all about being a princess, but has a soft spot for digging in the dirt in the back yard. While Brooke likes playing in the laundry baskets and eating pretend food. They sure are hours of endless entertainment (and work) for us!

Dentist Visit

2011-05-17T19:15:00.002-06:00

We ventured out into the world of dentistry today and gained knowledge and understanding that has made us wise beyond our years...

Translation- I took the kids to the dentist and found out they'll both probably need braces at some point.

There was good news though. Brooke's snotty nose and fever is not from allergies, but from the 4 molars that she's cutting right now. Also, even though we struggle at tooth brushing and flossing is a joke, both girls had no cavities!

Bridal Couple Tomorrow

2011-05-13T11:21:00.002-06:00

I'm so excited to be taking pictures for a couple getting married in 2 weeks! Tomorrow I will take their "bridal" pictures. Most of their wedding day is going to go by really fast and this is a chance to get some nice pictures ahead of time and not worry about time so much.

I've been doing recon, planning, and generally going crazy with anxiety over getting the ball rolling and jumping into wedding season for the first time this year! This will be the first couple and bride that I have photographed that I am not (or won't be after the wedding) related to. Seriously, stressing like I do over everything, but in the end I'm sure it will be great!

Camera Work

2011-05-09T10:19:00.009-06:00

Since I'm taking bridal pictures for a couple this week, I've been having lots of fun playing with camera settings, lighting, and trying to get everything worked out in my head so that I'm totally ready. Yeah, it sounds all well and good, but I can only think about pictures and everything I look at is totally different. The girls have been helping me a little in my venture, but they are only little kids.

Brooke tried to help, but gave a cute face before I got the setting just right. (Oh and this is the new color that a lot of our living room is becoming. Mike's in the middle of his paint projects and has been working really hard in what little day light hours he has after the kids are in bed so he can work in peace.)

Brooke found a wedding party to follow around and it was almost impossible for me to keep her away from them. The entire time she's screaming, "Prippy!" Her version of pretty. It was cute, but really distracting to the adorable little flower girls.

How do you get Eryn to pose? Ignore her. I was busy taking pictures in higher sunlight and trying to get lighting figured out (since I have a wedding at almost noon) and she just couldn't stay out of the pictures!

Brooke noticed quickly that Mommy was looking closely at the flowers and had to see what all the interest was about. She even dug one up and we had to replant it and have a talk about how you don't pick flowers, unless they're yellow and in the middle of the yard.

Again, ignore Eryn and she comes running. She did help me a little with how much aperture to set the camera to in order to really blast out the background. So, she did help, but I was trying to take a picture of the flowers that she is now standing in front of.

All in all we've had fun so far and I still have a few more days to strain my brain and get ready for a big test! Ha ha. It's kind of like a mid-term since I have the actual wedding later and bridals and a wedding with a friend in a couple of weeks. Needless to say, I'm busy, my brain is fried, and I couldn't be happier!

Easter Bunnies

2011-04-25T17:30:00.002-06:00

No big surprise that candy filled eggs was a big hit! Ha ha. Brooke LOVES chocolate and Eryn really LOVES jelly beans so between the two they destroyed a lot of candy in a hurray. The Easter Bunny even brought little puppies for the girls that had tiny bunny ears like the ones that they have. Wow, he's a smart bunny! Ha ha.

I'm glad that the Easter candy is going away for another year. I honestly don't think that I could handle eating any more Robin's Eggs! Sooooooo good and so bad for you at the same time!

As always remember the real reason for the celebration of Easter and our Savior's love for each of us and His wonderful sacrifice that makes it possible for us to be forgiven for our sins.

Illusion

2011-04-21T09:07:00.002-06:00

When I look out into my driveway now I see this...

Then, I shake my head and the illusion fades into reality and with my eyes I really see this...

As I affectionately refer to mini vans as, "the sweat pants of the auto industry" I now wear sweat pants. They get the job done and meet your needs, but they're far from sexy. Some people really like sweat pants and some people prefer little black dresses. I may look like the sweat pants type, but on the inside I'm a little RED dress type!

Once upon a time I wore a marching band uniform that was similar to the Star Trek the Next Generation uniforms and played the part of a marching band member. Now, I will wear the sweat pants and play the part of devoted mommy. While they are similar, I can honestly admit that I'm far better at playing the part of Mom than the drums!

Even though the drums left my life a long time ago, the lessons that I learned and the fun that I had will always be remembered. When I can let go of the mini van and drive a sports car I will still be a Mom and just enjoy the memories that I made and the fun that I had wearing my sweat pants just as I do the time in the marching band uniform.

Pregnancy Ticker

2011-04-08T13:37:00.003-06:00

For all of those of you who might still be questioning the reality of me being pregnant and having a boy the official pregnancy ticker is up! Since Ian will be a c-section I set the ticker to count down to the hopeful surgery date and not officially how pregnant I am. As frustrating as this might be, subtract a week and you're right on. I just like the idea of counting down to not being pregnant more because it's more realistic for me. Plus, what pregnant gal wouldn't want to think that she's that much closer to the end?

Eryn's Birthday

2011-04-07T12:11:00.004-06:00

It's official. She's now 14. Oh wait, she turned 4, but the attitude and the ego definitely screams (and you know she screams) teenager!

Like any little Princess she was excited for dress up clothes and a Barbie. Getting another movie just put her over the top! She even modeled the new dress that she picked out almost willingly for me to take her pictures.

Pregnant!!!!!!!!

2011-04-01T07:20:00.002-06:00

It's officially out there today. I'm pregnant. We're having a boy. He'll be here mid-August. Anyhow, that is all. Have a great April Fool's Day everyone and try NOT to cause too much trouble!

Potter Puppet Pals

2011-03-28T11:17:00.001-06:00

It's random, but our family really gets a kick out of this! The best is listening to the girls try to play the parts in it. Brooke likes being "Ron, Ron, Ron Weasly!" If you're not a Harry Potter fan... What rock have you been living under?

Snow?

2011-03-25T12:33:00.003-06:00

It seriously snowed today! Ahhhhhhhhh, it's MARCH and I don't live in Michigan anymore! Why is it snowing? Curses.

Anyhow, to combat the throw back to winter I made banana bread to warm the house and make it smell wonderful inside (since we're now stuck indoors yet again...).

March Madness!!!!!!!

2011-03-14T10:18:00.004-06:00

There are few times a year that I get really into things and totally crazy about sports. March Madness is probably my favorite time of the year! College basketball on everyday and endless talk about players and teams with the analysts all guessing and comparing, but really it's any one's game just makes everyday so exciting.

Obviously, BYU landing a 3rd seed in the South East bracket is big and we're all cheering for BYU and Jimmer to go crazy and pull out some amazing shots! After growing up in Big Ten country I was excited to see that they had 7 teams make it to the tournament (even if one of them was that evil red team that shall not be named).

Fingers crossed for the brackets to be exciting this year!

Fat Tuesday

2011-03-08T12:38:00.002-07:00

This holiday is traditionally celebrated a paczki (pronounced Punch-Key) with the world's most calorie laden doughnuts in the world (made the BEST in Michigan). I really didn't plan on celebrating Fat Tuesday, but ended up doing just that almost by accident.

Eryn was going to die so we had to go to a gas station for her to go to the bathroom. We went in, took care of the potty run, and while walking out I set Brooke down so she could walk and hold my hand. I looked up and Eryn was standing there with a glazed doughnut with about 3 HUGE bites out of it and the biggest smile I think I've ever seen.

"I guess we're going to buy that." Slipped out of my frustrated clinched teeth while my eyes were rolling as I fought the smile and the urge to laugh out load. Brooke got one too.

As I am above gas station doughnuts, we went down the road to Krispy Kreme for me to use my "free doughnut" coupon and I enjoyed a raspberry filled glazed. It was no paczki, but it was pretty good.

For the Grandmas

2011-03-01T16:02:00.003-07:00

I couldn't put up a picture of Brooke for the new Photo of the Month without putting up a picture of Eryn. Here they both are in color even (since Grandma M. goes crazy with pictures that don't have color... ha ha ha!) Eryn refused to take off her "Princess Belle Dress" so we had to work around it. Brook lives in tutus now and I couldn't find a flower to match it to save my life. Yes, I like them better in black and white, but color shows off those adorable clue eyes so much better.

Getting Better

2011-03-01T10:37:00.002-07:00

Brooke finished her antibiotic and is officially better. Eryn has shown dramatic improvement in walking beside me at the store without being in the cart (of course massive bribing is involved, but that's ok.). I'm absorbed in creative thinking and planning right now for up coming photo shoots with my new camera. Mike's working hard as always and riding high on Cloud 9 as BYU's men's basketball team is ranked #3 in both the AP and Coaches polls.

Over all, we're getting better. Life's a journey and sometimes it's a long road with rest stops few and far between. Holding out when you think you're bladder will explode for just another 10 miles is torture. So is waiting for the answers to prayers and the blessings that you keep wishing will come your way.

To all of my friends and family who are struggling at this time with the many different challenges that we all are facing know that; rest stops might be farther down the road than expected, but there might be a gas station in the middle of no where that will meet your needs. Sometimes answers to your prayers aren't what we expect, but they are just what we need.

Obviously Sick

2011-02-16T15:43:00.003-07:00

I knew that the girls haven't been feeling very well lately. Brooke went to the doctor the other day and has a double ear infection. Eryn's been complaining about a sick tummy and just hasn't been herself either.

Today while I was upstairs working on a few things I heard that deafening quiet that every mother fears and found this...

Glad For...

2011-02-07T16:54:00.002-07:00

Today I can't help but be glad for so many of the wonderful blessings in my life.

Mike gave Eryn juice and turned the tv on for her so that I could sleep in just a little bit longer today.

Eryn actually didn't get into anything and just watched tv and drank her juice.

Brooke slept in or just played in her bed quietly until she smelled horrible and Mommy had to kick into action.

PJ Day! Sometimes it's just nice to lounge around in stretchy pants and not really care what you look like while cleaning the house up a little.

I'm also glad that while I can hear the wind whipping around outside I can't feel the bitter cold while nestled under a blanket and snuggled on my couch with my little girls.

Thank you Disney XD channel for the Phineas and Ferb marathon that has kept everyone around here occupied today.

The Fun We Have

2011-01-27T12:31:00.004-07:00

The other day Brooke was being so very quite and as every parents knows... quite equal trouble! Brooke broke the mold, because she was just sitting in her room reading books to her toys and laughing.

We have been playing with lots of My Little Ponies and having lots of tea parties lately too. Mommy has so much to relearn about being a little girl sometimes that it's almost overwhelming.

They might fight over nearly everything, but in the end the love each other.

Mike's Desk

2011-01-27T12:24:00.002-07:00

They had a desk decorating contest at Mike's work and since we didn't set up the Christmas village because we were worried that the girls might break it, he took that to work and used it. He WON!

We're sure that he won because his village included a city center, neighborhood, and a mountain area with the Abominable Snowman.

Christmas?

2011-01-27T12:10:00.005-07:00

Yes, I know that it's almost the end of January and Christmas posts should have been long gone, but hey... I like to procrastinate, so here's some more Christmas!

We had Eryn leave her Slushie under the tree and Santa used his special magic...

She asked randomly later if we could make him dirty again and we had a talk about how you can't take back Santa's magic.

I drew the brown reindeer with the red nose at the bottom. Eryn drew all of the others.

Princess stuff dominated this year which was no surprise.

The girls opening their ponies from Grandma and Grandpa Crawford! They sure love opening stuff and it was great to talk about my parents who live so far away on Christmas morning.

Brooke needed help opening things.

After tons of presents it's best to have a cold drink and give a corny smile.

Happy Anniversary

2011-01-16T09:07:00.002-07:00

Although my parents were married in the middle of a snow storm with something like 15 people in attendance (including the minister and organist) and there are NO pictures of the event their anniversary is one to celebrate.

Later they were sealed together for all eternity in the Washington DC Temple. I guess that they have 2 anniversaries that they get to celebrate together. January 15th and then again on August 31st.

Congrats on making it 35 years together with an eternity to look forward too!

All Looked After

2011-01-13T11:30:00.002-07:00

The birds flock to my parents' backyard and I'm almost certain make sure that while migrating they make sure to tell their friends to check out their house. My parents enjoy sitting at the kitchen table together and watching the various birds come and go around their windows and the feeders that hang under the awnings.

Playing "identify the bird" was always fun with my Dad. He not only knows what almost every bird looks like, but what they sound like too. If he didn't know, he'd pull out his handy book, Guide to the Birds of North America (or something like that) and look it up.

In the Bible there are scriptures that say something about how "no sparrow shall fall to the Earth unnoticed" by our Heavenly Father. In a way, that has always reminded me of my parents' love for feeding the birds. It is the idea that my parents know the birds. Just like our Father in Heaven knows us individually, my parents recognize their little birds and care for them because they bring joy to their lives each time they fly in for a visit.

Resilience

2011-01-12T12:02:00.005-07:00

The orange day lilies grow all around my parents' house and before that, they grew around my grandmother's house, and before that around her parents' house. Perhaps someday they'll grow around my house. (I might have to move to a more humid climate to make it work though!)

While cutting the grass these lilies are often mowed over. A few here and there fall nearly every time I or my brothers would mow. We always felt bad about mowing them over, but they always grew back. The lilies are a shining example of the resilience that my parents have. It came from their parents and their parents before them, just like the flowers. Hopefully one day I will be proud of my ability to bounce back from adversity and show that, "the flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all." (Yes, I quoted Mulan. Thank you Disney for yet again coming to my rescue!)

More Than You Think

2011-01-11T10:45:00.005-07:00

I don't know how I ended up with the amazing old picture of my Dad, but it not only shows off his great sense of style with that wonderful shirt and the fluffy perm, but like so many things, it also leads to a story.

Although, I'm sure my parents can correct me on my details this picture was taken out of sheer disbelief! My Dad went into the ice cream store to get "2 small cones" and this is what he came out with! Proof that you used to get a lot more for your money and that even though you might not think that you're going to get much sometimes you can be pleasantly surprised.

So many times in our lives we think that we might not have a lot to offer and still hope to get big returns. Even though it might not seem like a ton of money, time, talent, or whatever else you are putting into life you would be really surprised what others might be getting back from what you are putting in.

2 Fish

2011-01-10T12:27:00.004-07:00

Like many people do my parents have pets. Dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, and even a few fish have been family members over the years. The fish that grace their small tank are the pets that best mimic my parents.

My Mom "rescues" a couple of feeder goldfish every now and then and they become pets. Having 2 fish in the little tank keeps them the happiest. They have a friend and someone to pick on when they get bored, but there is room for them to be by themselves if they need to be. The fish fight over food, but are graciously over fed by my mother who can't stand to see anyone go hungry. Not even a gold fish, so they really have a rough life. Swimming back and forth these little fish don't have a complicated life, but they are happy together.

My parents spend as much time together as possible swimming back and forth in their little house and don't have an over complicated life. They don't have to have a huge tank or even the whole ocean, they are just happy to be together everyday.

My Parents

2011-01-08T23:03:00.001-07:00

1 week from today my parents will be celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary. To celebrate each day for the next week I am going to put up a new post for them! My intentions are to make them smile, laugh, and maybe even cry. Honestly, they deserve a BIG celebration and a party, but we're all too far away for an event, so embarrassing them with gushy blogs will have to do this year.

Flamingos

2011-01-05T14:19:00.002-07:00

For Christmas the girls got a set of 4 bird hand puppets. They included a peacock, a pelican, a bald eagle, and a flamingo. Eryn and I have been playing with them and having talks about what they eat and where they live.

Naturally, she likes the flamingo the best because it's pink. Today while we were playing with the birds Eryn says, "Where do the flamingos get their shrimps? At the lobster place (Red Lobster)? That's too expensive. It's not for kids."

My Neice Emma

2011-01-03T11:47:00.003-07:00

I now have 2 nieces named Emma and this one is my brother John and his wife Marie's little girl. My parents were able to send me a picture of her. She's pretty cute, but she looks like her Daddy... Ha ha! Good luck with tea parties John they are soooooooo much fun!

Christmas Party

2010-12-29T12:40:00.003-07:00

Mike's work had a fancy Christmas party this year that was adults only and "formal." It was wonderful to leave the kids with a baby sitter and go to a catered event and get to know some people a little more while enjoying time with each other. We told Santa what we wanted for Christmas, but he said that we've been too naughty for a million dollars and a 1964 Corvette.

Christmas Part 1

2010-12-22T12:12:00.003-07:00

We had our annual family Christmas Dinner and gift exchange at Mike's parents' house the other day and the girls are now totally in love with their new presents. I can hardly keep Brooke off of her little car and Princess Eryn has been quite the demanding little diva. They're both so happy and have stopped pestering me about Santa coming and what day Christmas is now. If only the joy of 1 or 2 presents could last forever... Sigh. I'm soaking it in and LOVING the fact that they're both so happy and content right now.

If only we didn't have to watch Rudolph everyday!!!!!! I'm so sick of that little red-nosed misfit that I could scream.

Let It SNOW

2010-12-22T12:02:00.004-07:00

We were blessed with about 20 inches over the last 24 hours yesterday, so I bundled up the girls and we went outside so that Mommy could play in the snow!

Doesn't she look just a little too happy?

Brooke couldn't move in the snow. She all ready has to suffer with short little legs, but to be in snow that deep was torture.

After clearing her off a place to walk around a little she was much happier.

Eryn made a snowball and set it down and it disappeared into the huge pile of fluffy snow on the porch.

It was too warm to play outside for very long. (Strange, huh? When does that happen?) It's difficult to play in the snow when it's 40 degrees and it's melting quickly and then before you know it you're soaking wet from the snow and sweaty from being super bundled up for the cold that just isn't there.

7 Years

2010-12-20T14:21:00.003-07:00

It's hard to believe that it's been 7 years all ready, but it has! 7 years ago today Michael and I were married and seal to be together for time and all eternity in the Detroit Temple.

Since taking on the new titles of husband and wife we've expanded to father and mother. Time goes so quickly, yet at the same time so slowly. It seems like we've been together forever all ready, but it's only just the beginning still.

As I see the struggles of so many of my friends in the romance department, I am only more grateful each day that I have Mike in my life. He is my balance in everything. He calms down my hot temper, soothes my frustrations, and still manages to tell me that everything is going to be all right even though I might think that the sky has fallen.

Christmas Spirit Has Landed

2010-12-15T10:14:00.004-07:00

Last night's addition of snow to the mix has sure helped me to be in a Christmas frenzy! The last couple of days I've been making candies and finding places for all of the bulbs that we can't hang on the tree this year. (Thank you Eryn... Grrrr....)

I made Carmel! They are AMAZING and took forever!!!!! Totally worth it though to hear how good they were from the few people I could share them with.

Toffee! Crunchy Carmel-ish bottom, dark chocolate, and toasted almonds made this a treat so good that I had to defend from Mike to give to someone very special!

The quick kitchen make-over included lots of bulbs in the containers that grace the cupboards all ready. Eryn really likes it and we're pretty sure that Daddy hasn't noticed yet!

Brooke calls these "balls" which is no surprise, but putting them in a Ball brand glass jar totally made me chuckle.

Award Winning Dessert

2010-12-15T10:08:00.003-07:00

I have award winning chili, but now I can add award winning dessert to my list of accomplishments! These are cheesecake bites topped with a strawberry and drizzled with dark chocolate. I need to work on my drizzling skills though because they look like strawberries with bad hair styles to me.

At our church Christmas party we had a dessert contest. I won the "tutti-fruity" away since I was the only one who use a fruit. That and the judges said that mine won the "best presentation" award in their books too!

Amazing what you can do with a quick google search for desserts to make with cream cheese. Brooke loves graham crackers, so we had those on hand and frozen strawberries were super cheap at Thanksgiving so I grabbed a bag. The dark chocolate chips were for another treat to come, but I thought it needed just a little something more. I guess that I was right!

Beauty Shots

2010-12-15T09:30:00.002-07:00

Eryn was pretending to take pictures with a toy the other day, so I gave in and played with her. We dressed up Brooke and took a few pictures of her and then Eryn wanted a turn to have her picture taken. There is hope that at one point she'll LIKE having her picture taken and actually look happy in more than 2 pictures at a time!

Playing

2010-12-15T09:13:00.004-07:00

What parent wouldn't be just a little terrified to look up a solid flight of 14 stairs to see this?

Eryn was pushing Brooke around in the old laundry basket that their stuffed animals usually go in and was claiming that it was a car and the were going to the doctor's office.

Brooke obviously enjoyed it!

So cute, but so evil...

As the latter was proven when she painted her own fingernails later than day!

Gingerbread House

2010-12-15T08:56:00.003-07:00

Back in July my Mom sent us a gingerbread house kit. When I was a kid Christmas in July was a BIG event. We would go to Frankenmuth to look at the HUGE Christmas store and I would even hang up lights in my bedroom. Now, it's a difficult tradition to keep being so far from the amazing store and my Mom who really inspired the Christmas spirit all year round.

For a family night we decided to work together on the gingerbread house. THIS is what we ended up with!

Eager girls ready to pounce on the project.

Brooke ate a ton of candy! Including whole gum balls.

No shocker to anyone that a BYU logo made it to the roof.

We did end up putting a star like blob in that big empty space on the front of the house. I just have no pictures of it because it really didn't turn out the way we wanted it to look.

Oh look, the Utah Jazz logo in their new colors! Brooke's little hand is on the right side still in the Skittles bowl. She LOVES Skittles almost as much as my brother Sam does.

What's this?

Sparty!!!!!!! When does an MSU logo end up on a Utah Family's Gingerbread House? When the Mommy happens to really like Michigan State! :)

Putting on the final touches.

Merry Christmas from the Utah Jazz, Brigham Young University, Michigan State University, and the McCorristin Family!

Decorating this little house was pretty fun and tested Mike's artistic ability to include all of the logos. He suggested Sparty and I wasn't sure that he could do it. Yet again, he has proved me wrong and pulled off an amazing Sparty in icing!

Thanksgiving

2010-12-15T08:42:00.004-07:00

We celebrated Thanksgiving with Mike's brother Sam and their parents in northern Utah this year. The event went as planned and everyone seemed pretty excited to be there. Over all a successful event with lots of screaming girls and dress up!

James played video games.

Grandma supervised in the kitchen.

I let the potatoes boil over while just taking a picture... Oops!

Eryn and Allie did lots of Princess dress up and ran around singing Disney songs.

The cheese balls and crackers were a big hit!

The Turkey

The Epic Battle of the stuffing ragged on again this year! Grandma makes what's in the bird. Those of us who didn't grow up on it prefer the box.

Brooke was excited to play with the table settings and pretend to eat!

Although Thanksgiving isn't my favorite holiday in the world (no cake) it was a pretty good one this year. Thanks to Chelsie for hosting and the whole family for a pleasant event!

Movie Review

2010-12-03T14:59:00.002-07:00

I haven't done a movie review in awhile, so I figured I'd just give a few quick blurbs about a couple we've seen recently.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

Done well, but I'm going crazy waiting for the rest of the movie! Ha ha. The "nude" scene was a joke. I've seen commercials on regular tv stations that are spicier than that part in the movie. It was great to leave the girls and enjoy a movie at the theater for the first time in a long time!

Robin Hood (with Russel Crowe)

Although the reviews on this weren't that great we enjoyed it. I like the fact that it wasn't the typical Robin Hood movie and that the acting was really amazing. Still not so proud to say that I'm related to the evil King John, but you know... There's a few bad apples in every family tree. Ha ha! I still fought the idea that Maximus was playing Robin Hood. Ridley Scott can't make a movie that will ever top Gladiator in my mind.

Santa Claus is coming to town...

2010-11-29T11:13:00.004-07:00

While out and about on this long holiday weekend we saw the big man himself! Brooke isn't such a fan of babysitters and we were pretty sure she'd scream and freak out, but she did OK and even attempted to talk to Santa. Eryn was excited to go and tell Santa that she wants a Princess Microphone. (Thankfully the ONLY thing that she's really looking forward to for Christmas is pretty inexpensive! That's probably never going to happen again!)

Surprise...

2010-11-28T18:44:00.004-07:00

The vacuum cleaner died! Surprise, guess what we ended up buying on Black Friday? A new vacuum. Wow, such fun and what an amazing Christmas present... Sigh. I hate carpet.

Super short post today, but I'm so tired and just haven't been feeling like myself lately. The furnace coming on and drying out my nose and making my skin itch and super dried out is just making me miserable. Cranky? Yes, I know.

The best news this weekend though was that we lost Brooke's little blanket at Wal-Mart and after loading up all of our purchases in the car and nearly crying we went back into the store only to hear the speaker announcing, "Would the owner of a pink and yellow blanket please return to the fitting room." Never thought we'd see it again.

Carpet Cleaning

2010-11-23T16:40:00.003-07:00

You know you've seen those unbelievable ads with the piles of dirt and debris for the vacuums to clean up and you just laugh because no one lets their house get THAT dirty. I always thought that they were ridiculous until today.

Thanks to the girls I gave our vacuum a serious test drive. The potted palm tree like plant in our bedroom was turned over and the girls had taken little hand fulls of soil and located them very neatly all over the room!

I was going to take a picture, but I was so mad that I didn't!!!!!!! Just imagine little mounds of dirt all over and how happy that moment made me. Sigh. Our vacuum did suck it up, but I'm sure that it just ground in a good portion of it into the carpet forever.

Rivalry Week Is Here!

2010-11-22T10:46:00.004-07:00

Chuck Norris does not usually root for any team, but when he does...sorry Utes!

Thanksgiving Time

2010-11-21T22:01:00.004-07:00

Thanksgiving time has never been my favorite time of the year. It means that college football is almost over, turkey is coming to the table for dinner, and that Christmas is right around the corner and I'm no where near ready for it!!!!!!!

Although I dislike the lovely fat bird and have never really enjoyed the big traditional feast that goes along with celebrating the Pilgrims, I really do look forward to Thanksgiving. I like hearing what people are thankful for. Our lives are truly blessed in so many different ways and hearing (or reading) about the things that we are given by our Lord and Savior help me to know that prayers are answered and serves a a good reminder that everyday we have something to be thankful for.

John Adams

2010-11-19T10:25:00.003-07:00

This is the Gilbert Stuart portrait thought to have been painted in Philadelphia in 1798 and is considered to be the finest portraits of him.

This semester for my history class instead of doing a typical research paper, we were asked to do a book report on a historical book from the time period of the beginning of our country to 1877. Although I love "The Killer Angles" an have read it several times, I opted for a book that I haven't read before in hopes to expand my historical knowledge. It worked!

Before reading this I knew that John Adams was the second President of the United States and not much more. Now, I know much more about him and his life. I am pleased to say that although he was not the most favored man of his time, he truly walked among giants of men. Not only did he walk with them, but he was able to help them to be better and set a shinning example for future generations. His love of his wife and his family were strong even though his work was demanding and often took him away from them for months or years at a time. John Adams was and is in my mind the unsung hero of the founding fathers. Thanks to David McCullough, my history teacher, and my Father-In-Law I know have much more respect for him and his great work towards making our country what is it today.

No More Piano

2010-11-15T13:27:00.004-07:00

Elvis has left the building!

Mike officially bid farewell to playing the piano for the Primary at church after a little more than 3 years. He is now the 1st counselor in the Elder Quorum Presidency. The kids made him a bunch of cards and this poster to let him know how much he meant to them and to thank him.

Major Award!

2010-11-15T13:24:00.003-07:00

I WON this major award from Mike's work a little while ago. They had a chili cook off contest and of the about dozen different entries, I won! I can now officially claim that I have, "Award Winning Chili!"

Voting Day

2010-11-05T11:57:00.002-06:00

When Mike and I went to vote we went together and that meant having to take the girls. The line wasn't as long as I had feared and it moved along pretty well. Standing in one place and waiting is difficult enough for most adults, but for Eryn and Brooke it was total torture!

Brooke would run away and be with Eryn and then scream and come back for us to hold her. Then, squirm to get down and start the routine all over. That really wasn't too hard to handle.

Eryn thought it was fun to run as far as she could and then come back. She did manage to draw a ton of attention to herself and make a bunch of people laugh when she asked, "Is this the gift shop?" When she realized that she got a laugh kept asking things like, "Can we go to the gift shop?" and "Where's the gift shop?"

It was funny and totally random like Eryn. Perhaps a good indicator that we go to a lot of national parks, museums, and other places like that where gift shops can be found. It might be time to go on a mini vacation to a place with a gift shop!

Halloween Fun

2010-10-27T10:32:00.003-06:00

This year is the year of the marathon Halloween. We're talking celebrations, parties, candy, and costumes all week long! The girls are loving it.

Eryn complained that I put my make up in the wrong spots. What can I say? I had to do something to hide those wicked dark circles under my eyes!

The fact that their costumes coordinate is adorable, but was never my intention. Eryn acquired this little dress up mermaid costume and giving her the opportunity to wear it in public was like saying that she had permission to be a princess! I found Brooke's little pirate costume at Costco and fell in love with it! It's a little big, but nothing that a couple of safety pins can't fix.

Halloween and dressing up has always been a favorite time of the year for me. When we were younger it was trying to find costumes that were big enough to go over your coat so that people could see them or ones that we could create out of random stuff that Dad had accumulated in the basement.

My favorite Halloween memory will always be the year that we went trick-or-treating by Grandma Crawford's house. All 3 of us kids would go to the door, give the usual saying, get candy, and say thank you. Then, Sam who was probably 3 would say, "My name is Sam. S-A-M." The reactions were amazing! "Oh what an adorable little boy. Here have some more candy!" Little stinker probably got 3 times the candy that John or I did that year. Brilliant? Oh yes. Are we all jealous that we didn't think up something like that when we were kids? Yep.

Army Woes

2010-10-26T11:17:00.005-06:00

My fun loving crazy little brother Sam is not quite himself lately. He's safe and physically fully in tact, but mentally he's struggling. No not PTSD, yet... It's looking like about 3+ years of memory loss and a few tramatic experiences to start that all off. He passed out on base in Iraq apparently either during or just after a lot of physical activity. While blacked out he was being loaded into a make shift ambulence (which was a van) and he thought he was being kidnapped! Hallucination? Maybe, or sheer terror from a kid who suddenly thought he was 17 again! Either way, he was so scared and probably thinking he was going a little crazy to boot. I can only imagine the pure horror that might have been going through his mind at that time...

We're still waiting on details and the waiting part has to be the worst. This limbo state of not knowing exatly what is going on, but that there is a problem is the most painstaking and dreadful experience. He should be medivaced to a safer place soon, but we've heard no word of the transfer yet. I'm desperately trying to stay informed with my parents and Sam's buddies who I have managed to get in touch with via FaceBook. (Where I was able to get a few details from a friend who helped pick him up from the ground and load him into the van.)

Before, I thought that fb was a glorious waste of time. Now, I'm starting to see that there is a massive ammount of value in communications with people that you hardly know. They know your family and love them so much. There are people out there who are able to tell us how much they love us and their prayers are united in pleading with the Lord for Sam at this time. Friends from long ago and new friends all tied together to share their love and thoughts is a very powerful thing to wittness. It is a beautiful thing that brings tears to my eyes to see how much my little brother is loved by all who know him.

(Spell check on here isn't working so please forgive my horrid spelling!)

Halloween Craft

2010-10-20T11:48:00.004-06:00

Inspired by our scout activity of painting the very small pumpkins the other day, I decided to take a stab at it with my girls! This is what happened...

Eryn played with pipe cleaners that we made into spiders.

Getting the little pumpkins away from Brooke proved challenging. She kept screaming, "Baaaallll!" and throwing them. Curse them for being the same size and color as her favorite basketball.

The pumpkins went from this...

to this!

The white ones are Mommy and Daddy Ghosts and the black ones are Spider Girls. Brooke is the cute smiling one in the front and Eryn is the one with the little beady eyes and fangs! Although this seems fitting from time to time, it was her choice to pick the eyes and paint the mouth. I guess that she sees her evil side as much as I do!

This entire project would have taken normal people about 20 min or so including drying time from the spray paint. For US though... about an hour! Ha ha. It was a lot of fun and I only managed to burn myself once on the hot glue gun this time!

Flushing

2010-10-11T08:52:00.002-06:00

While wasting time on the computer I heard the toilet flush. Eryn has been struggling with the idea of flushing it lately, so I was glad to hear the toilet flushed. Then, I heard it again. Ok, maybe that was a fluke. 3rd flush and I went to see what was going on.

Brooke was standing there flushing the toilet and laughing! She even took the time to pull some of the paper off of the roll and put it into the toilet. It was still connected to the roll though, so as the toilet flushed it pulled the paper with it. I'm pretty sure that Mike did the same thing as a kid! I have a feeling that potty training will be even more exciting the second time around.

Kitchen Helpers

2010-10-09T21:56:00.004-06:00

One of the things that I never really thought that I would like was cooking, but there are days when I can honestly say that I not only like it, but I LOVE it! Sometimes it's fun to go and throw open Old Mother Hubbard's cupboards and find random things in there to throw together into a meal. Other days... not so much. Ha ha!

One of the things that remains constant in our kitchen is the fact that I'm NEVER alone in there anymore! I always have little helpers who aren't so much help. Who needs fancy stacker toys when you have bowls in 5 different sizes? Eryn has fun telling me which one is the biggest and the smallest and comparing them and lining them up in order, stacking them, and even turning them over and making drums out of them. Brooke follows her lead and enjoys ever second of it!

This horrible face is what you get out of Brooke when you say, "smile cute!" Yet another shining example of the fact that you can't force kids to smile and look pretty. It sure makes me laugh and smile though!

Where is the Time Going?

2010-10-06T12:35:00.002-06:00

So, the end of this week is my big mid-term exam for my history class! Needless to say, I've been busy studying and equally busy avoiding studying. Ha ha! Being engrossed into John Adams by David McCullough and starting my volunteer hours for my social work class are keeping me busy there just never seems to be enough time to get everything done.

Don't get me wrong, I'm NOT complaining about being busy! I'm just glad to see the days fly past. The girls have their little Halloween costumes all set and Eryn is constantly trying to talk me into letting her be about 15 other things for Halloween too. It's great to see how excited she is getting for dressing up and showing Brooke how to smile cute for candy.

Eryn loves the scary creepy Halloween decorations and to watch scary movies like Pirates of the Caribbean (the "scary skulleton movie" as she calls it.), but she likes to be scared and enjoy the holiday within a very close proximity of Mom or Dad. She's so brave and curious sometimes that it boggles my mind.

Brooke on the other hand screams and cries at the sight of anything that even make a scream or moves in the Halloween isle. She's my little girl. I HATE haunted houses and things that jump out at me. The candy seems to outweigh the creepiness of Halloween for me at least.

Today they had a flu shot clinic at Mike's work and I am miserable! I felt totally fine and then about 20 min after my shot was super tired and hardly able to focus on anything. Thankfully, I had made it home before that feeling really hit! He's of course totally fine and will never get sick this year anyhow. The shot didn't even hurt. I guess that they are cutting the needles with lasers now so they are very small and it really was painless. I had to ask if I had been given the shot or not.

Enough rambling for now...

Drum Roll Please...

2010-09-26T23:36:00.004-06:00

Chelsie took a few family pictures for us this weekend. I had all ready picked out places and we had a very short window before the girls were done. The official family picture will stay hidden until Christmas cards!!!!!!!! I couldn't resist putting up a few though.

I photo shopped together this picture to get one with both of the girls looking towards the camera!

Over all we were doing pretty well with picture taking. Eryn was even smiling and being pretty good. Then, while we were trying to go to our second location Brooke fell on the ground while trying to step up a curb and the tears were Oscar worthy! Needless to say, we didn't get as many pictures as I wanted, but all you really need is 1 for the Christmas card, right?

Practice Run

2010-09-25T19:04:00.005-06:00

I have often heard it said that, "You shouldn't run with scissors!" Yet, I find myself with the urge to do it over and over. The same is true for family pictures. I have the urge to have them taken over and over and they always stress me out. This time around, I am taking a few precautions to help avoid the frustrations and meltdowns. The girls aren't going to be in them! Ha ha, just kidding!

1.) PRACTICE- The girls and I have been practicing in the mirror and with the camera to attempt to get a few good pictures that will look great on the wall. They have proved to me that for about 1 minute they can stand near each other and even be touching without crying or screaming.

2.) POSING- I'm not a poser, but kids need practice with how to behave around cameras. This however can lead to some very diva like results... She came up with this one on her own.

3.) LAUGHING- I always get all stressed out when it comes to my pictures being taken. I think that this is mostly because I'm certain that the person behind the camera and my vision of the end result are never the same. (Yes, I over think the picture too much when I'm the model!) Eryn helped me to see that even being funny and weird can have beautiful results!

Family Pictures Coming!

2010-09-24T12:41:00.002-06:00

A quick reminder on what our family pictures look like last year...

This year Eryn is excited to take pictures! She's been picking out her clothes and even got a necklace to wear. Plus, she saw a little girl beauty pageant commercial and started posing randomly like they did. It was so funny (yet it made me cringe at the same time)! I only hope that it goes smoothly and that we are able to get a few really good ones.

Enjoy suffering in suspense for awhile longer... Muhahahahaha... : )

Random Eryn Quote of the Day

2010-09-20T13:13:00.004-06:00

"Mom, is Harry Potter a Book of Mormon story?"

"No, it's pretend. The Book of Mormon is a real story."

"Not it's not! (Hands me the first book) See, it's a real story!!!!!!!!!"

Yet another fun thing to work on tyring to distinguish that just because you see something doesn't make it real. With Halloween fast approaching we've had many discussions about what's pretend and what's real. A mother's work is never done!

Dude, Where's Your Posts?

2010-09-02T10:07:00.006-06:00

I know that some of you might be asking that very question, well perhaps in a more eloquent manner, but basically the same idea. I've been busy living life making it hard to sit in my computer chair and enjoy surfing the world wide web.

Mike started his new job and really likes it! He's able to spend less time at work and while he's there he's able to be much more relaxed. Overall, he seems really pleased with his choice to leave Enterprise and for his new company's choice to pick him!

Eryn's into throwing massive tantrums, thinks she can run away in the store (which leads to having to ride in the big part of the cart), and just generally thinking that the world revolves around her and only her. I was certain that I had a few more years before she was a teenager. Such is life, right?

Brooke is in the middle of cutting 4 big teeth and fighting allergies. She's basically miserable, but still as loving and sweet as always. In the middle of Eryn's huge fit at the grocery store the other day Brooke knew that I was getting angry and she leaned over and put her little head on my arm and patted me with her hand. It was like she was saying, "Mom, it's ok." Add that tender moment to my frustrations and it was a very close call for tears in the isles of Wal-Mart. Thankfully, I was able to hold back and focus on saving money instead!

I have discovered using coupons recently. We signed up for a local paper and had our first delivery last Sunday. The savings alone on my first run with the coupons paid for the subscription to the paper for the whole month. I was able to get 6 cans of vegetables for FREEEEEEEEE! They were 3 for $1 at Maceys on sale and I had 2 coupons for buy 3 save a $1. The perfect storm was brewing for me to really get excited about saving money and the glimmer of hope that things will continue to work out for the better was enhanced to a flame.

Random word choices? My mind has started working again! I also was able to start back to college this last week! I'm very close to officially finishing my General Education Associates Degree (minus the stinking health class that I was unable to get into for the 6th time of trying!). I have a social work class and a history class both at Utah Valley University (the former UVSC). I am really excited to be back in the classroom and to expand my knowledge and open up to who I really am as a person. I'm such a nerd, I really LOVE going to school!

College football season officially opens today and with BYU claiming their Independence from the oppressive Mountain West, Utah on the cusp of their Big 12 join next year, and the sheer energy and excitement that's so thick you can cut it with a knife around here it's shaping up to be an interesting year! Not to even mention all of the movement in the Big 10 and Big 12 everywhere else.

With ALL of that in mind, I apologize to my blog stalking parents and grandparents in advance this season. College, college football, children, and taking pictures are going to keep me very busy and I will probably tend to neglect my blogging duties from time to time. Know that we're ok and just working like crazy to enjoy everything as it's thrown our way.