Fun with water in the bitter cold

A video inspired (ok, we pretty much copied them) by my sister-in-law and brother in Utah.  This is how we entertain ourselves in Wisconsin when we have school canceled because of the cold.

Two little funnies.

I just had to jot down a couple funny moments this week.

Church was cancelled due to snow a week ago.  We took this time to finally watch "The Nativity," a full-length movie of the birth of Jesus.  Some parts of the movie were rough--a lot of violence and cruelty from King Herod.  This was hard for the kids to take.  During one peaceful scene, the three wise men were traveling on their camels and having a conversation with each other.  Abby said to the family, "I don't like this movie."  (pause, pause)  Then one Wise Man said to another, "Neither do I."  The timing was perfect, the laughter was plentiful.

Tonight we had the elders and sister missionaries over for dinner.  We were eating a nice meal of ham, mashed potatoes, salad, and fruit.  During a quiet moment Charlotte politely said, “More apple pie!”  We all busted up laughing.  Abby never knew she could even say “apple pie.”  I soon figured out the apple pie was the mashed potatoes.  She is a big fan of those things.

Merry Christmas to the Crawford kids!

A little Christmas surprise to my nieces and nephew who were determined to give Charlotte a nick name. (Hey, it's a lot easier to say than "Charlotte.")

We love you crazy people!!

Charlotte sings a little birthday tune!

Fall 2013

Fall could quite possibly win as the best season.

We went apple picking this year...

Our ash tree.  I think we photograph it every year because it is just so stunning.

It feels like it is lighting up our room.  The view out the window:

Two binkies or bust!

Welcome back to the blog. Thanks for visiting. :)

Defeated

Sometimes writing helps release our emotions and ease our pains.  It is true of things serious and of things trivial.  This is the latter.

Defeated

The creature of flight that I despise:

Red eyed, erratic, fruit flies.

I whisk you from my face each day

Kitchen, bath, rooms away.

You travel in on banana bunches,

Pears and apples and things for lunches.

If that was all I could eliminate

And find myself a peaceful state.

But such a joy, such a pleasure

Is truly an unreachable treasure.

For you mix and mingle, meet and mate

In my presence, which I don’t appreciate.

Your eggs hide well and larvae grow

In cool dark places—Google knows.

While they mature my loathing does too.

I craft some traps of old and new.

Bananas in a jar, there’s hope,

Or cider vinegar and drops of soap.

Either way, either one

You will die, I will have won.

The problem now is not with you.

You’re down the drain.  Dead.  Phew!

It’s all your kids and babies and grands:

8 days from egg to “Quite a man!”

I’ve won the battle with you I see,

But I’ve lost to your posterity.

Birdie

Charlotte's new favorite pastime is watching the birdies outside.  

Here she is saying and signing (her version of the sign) "birdie."  I'm not sure what's cuter, the birdie chatter or the popeye laugh at the end!

You tell me!