Critchbabies

Happy Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T15:53:00.000-04:00

Boo! Since we had our ward Trunk-or-Treat on Friday, I already have Halloween pictures to share with you all. This year my kids were pretty easy when it came to costumes. Carl wanted the same one as last year, Chloe didn't want any help, and Connor picked out something from the dress-up box, so that left me to spend all my time on Cadie - who wanted to be a kitty (she picked this out all by herself and would not accept any other suggestions).

Carl was a spooky spider.

Chloe wanted to be "The Fabric Fairy." Funny enough, the fabric to make that dress came from thefabricfairy.com.

Connor was a ninja.

And here is our Kitty...

complete with a tail and her favorite boots.

And here are some pics from the trunk-or-treat...

Hope everyone has a fun and safe halloween!

Princess Cadie

2011-09-15T14:00:00.000-04:00

Today was Cadie's first dance class and I loved it so much that I'm blogging about it on all my blogs. Okay, I only have one other blog, but I know I could brag about Cadie more if I had to.

The first thing they did was dress up like princess fairies. Cadie could not believe her luck. At last, she could be on the other side of the big window. And it was even so much better than Chloe's classes.

For the first little while she kept running up to look at the people watching her.

Then she checked out the balance beam.

Her teacher helped her the first time she walked on it.

Then checking to see if I was still watching.

Ballet games.

Lots of mirror time.

She even stood on her head and looked at herself in the mirror.

Checked out the barre.

And at the end she said "I go my dance again, mom."

Here she is two hours later fast asleep with both stick ponies.

And while I was sneaking into bedrooms with the camera, I checked on my angel boy too.

Boogie Boarding

2011-08-02T08:27:00.000-04:00

Last Friday morning we headed out early to the beach. This might be our last beach trip this summer since school starts in just eight days. Good thing I got LOTS of pictures. It was so hard to narrow down which ones could go on the blog. Here goes:

spaghetti face

2011-07-26T15:08:00.000-04:00

Camping 2011

2011-07-21T21:12:00.001-04:00

Two years ago we tried camping as a family, and it was soooo much fun that we decided to try again this year. The car ride started out happy enough.

Unfortunately, as soon as we had camp set up, thunder could be heard, and the park closed the water area. You can see we are all ready in our suits, waiting to hear that we are allowed in the springs. There were lots of little grumpies, even though Grandpa cooked a delicious dinner.

This is Carl's favorite picture of Cadie. Look how her tongue reaches for the corn!

This is our favorite picture of Connor.

As soon as the adults sat down to eat it started to pour. While we tried to eat under umbrellas, the kids wandered around in their towels.

After dinner, I sat under the protection of a tent flap and photographed the kids some more.

Everyone posed with the umbrella at least once...

And last of all, my favorite thing that night...

Monster Feet!

I wish I had a video of Cadie and Chloe stomping around crying "monster feeeeeet!" But you'll just have to imagine it.

By the way, the next day was sunny and hot and we spent every minute in the water, so no pictures!

Doggie first-aid

2011-07-05T18:57:00.001-04:00

I know I already blogged today. And since I'm averaging about once a month here, this is really strange. But I caught Cadie doing the cutest thing today so I had to take pictures. And now I have to show them to someone.

Yes, while I was making dinner Cadie found a small first-aid kit. Then she crawled into the dog kennel with Indy and proceeded to take good care of him.

Poor thing. He actually looks like he needs to be fixed up.

Happy Independence Day!

2011-07-05T10:41:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we had to find things to do to occupy the kids so they wouldn't want to burn up all of the fireworks before dark. Carl had the idea to take them fishing. This is the same park that we took Bekah's family to, so they might remember it. I took a lot of pictures, so get ready... first I took some from the bridge:

Then I noticed that little Carl was catching something...

Uh oh...

A baby turtle!

But he was a snapper, so dad had to very carefully unhook him.

(he was only caught on the shell)

Then it was Connor's turn to catch something.

And throw it back in.

(watch for the splash)

Little Carl pretty much fishes on his own now.

(something I can't do)

Cadie had one temper tantrum after she got told no for something.

Then Chloe played with another fish.

And Cadie got over her tantrum so she could take the dog on a walk.

(hey, the rules say that dogs must be on a leash, but they don't say who must be holding the leash)

(or that anyone should be holding the leash at all... oops)

Then Chloe put on the hat and modeled a bit...

Happy 4th!

Dress up

2011-06-30T09:07:00.000-04:00

Last Friday Chloe had a friend over and all the kids decided to dress up and dance. It was so cute. I must admit that my favorite one to photograph was Cadie.

The kids today.

2011-06-07T11:39:00.001-04:00

Connor

2011-06-04T17:17:00.000-04:00

Super-Cadie

2011-06-01T13:54:00.000-04:00

Here's Cadie playing in what our kids have named "the dirt pit." I love watching my kids play when they don't know that I'm there.

Of course when I opened the window to take pictures, she noticed me.

And then she ran over to the window.

And tried to climb in.

This must be why yesterday when I brushed Cadie's hair a bucketful of sand landed on my bathroom floor.

Chloe's second dance recital

2011-05-28T22:04:00.001-04:00

Chloe had her second dance recital tonight. The video turned out awful, but the pictures turned out cute and scary. Will pictures of my little girl in make-up always be scary to me?

This is in the bathroom getting ready. She has the hair I always dreamed of.

Ready to go. Her costume was for a classy little tap number. I loved it.

One last check in the mirror.

Another photo opportunity for mom.

Backstage with the girls.

This was at the end when all the dancers came onstage together.

Happy night.

Cadie is now 2!

2011-05-28T21:48:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was Cadie's birthday, and I took pictures all day long.

She started the day off with her first haircut (while still in her jammie shirt, even)...

This is the before picture.

And this is the after picture. You can see that I didn't cut it too short. I basically just trimmed an inch off the ends so it wouldn't be so crazy.

This is at her party. Doesn't the haircut look cute now after a bath and some mousse?

She couldn't believe we put a flaming cupcake right in front of her.

Then she had no problem blowing the candles out...

Or taking care of the cupcake.

Connor gave her some sassy little sunglasses.

You can see she likes the opening part.

And finally, Chloe decided to decorate their room just for Cadie.

Not the frolicking bash that Chloe got a few weeks ago, but Cadie loved it just the same.

Cadie has a new hairdresser.

2011-04-04T18:18:00.000-04:00

A few minutes ago I heard Cadie fussing in my bathroom. I rushed in there, afraid that she had dumped out a bottle of shampoo or something worse... but Chloe was just getting done fixing Cadie's hair! Aren't those little pigtails cute?

Come sit by us!

2011-03-26T10:05:00.000-04:00

Just in case you were wondering what it would be like to sit with us in church on Sunday, Connor grabbed dad's iPhone recently and started snapping pictures before we knew what he was doing.

Too bad there were no pictures of daddy.

Solar Cooking 101

2011-03-22T11:59:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I baked some muffins using my solar oven and Carl decided that he wanted to make his own solar cooker. I helped him do some online research on different types, and then he sacrificed his cardboard house to make it. I wish I had taken pictures of the construction cause that was pretty cool. When Chloe came home from school she helped too. By the time we were all done there wasn't enough direct sun to cook anything (but Carl tried to boil water anyway).

too bright!

Today Carl got it out at 8:30 am and had some nicely done hot dogs for himself and Cadie by lunchtime. :)

max temp - 205 degrees

In case you're wondering, we got the plans here: http://sunnycooker.webs.com/

(this is a 1st grader version of the Suntastic Panel Cooker)

funny thing Carl said

2011-02-20T20:06:00.000-05:00

(looking at the pile of clean clothes in my laundry room today)

"Wow, if I climb that I will be able to touch the ceiling!"

NOT REALLY.

funny thing Connor said

2011-02-20T20:00:00.000-05:00

Connor - "Look mom, I took off my shirt."

Mom - "What a good boy! Now you won't get spaghetti sauce on it."

Connor - "Yeah, AND I can look at my tattoos."

Stormy seas.

2011-02-09T22:52:00.001-05:00

Today we had a rough day at the beach. Everyone had been anticipating this trip all week but I don't think things went like anyone had hoped.

The moms (Itsy and Caroline) really wanted to get some cute pictures of the girls' new tutus. But the girls did NOT want to even put them on.

The kids were expecting to go swimming, but the moms said don't get your clothes wet.

The kids went in the water anyway, and then got grounded to the dry sand (yes, that's how mean we were).

Temper tantrums ensued.

Some got over it and had fun anyway.

Some did not.

Maybe next time will be better.

Christmastime at the Zoo

2010-12-08T11:08:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning when I went to wake little Carl up for school he said, "Mom, I just want to stay home and spend time with you." Never mind that I had been gone for four days, it was so sweet that I couldn't say no. So I told him to go back to sleep and I went back to bed too.

Later when we were all having a nice lazy morning together, we decided to go the zoo and see which animals came out in the cold. It turns out that a lot of them do. A lot more than in 100+ degree August, anyway. Here are some pictures of the fun:

All morning the kids had chocolate pop tarts on their faces because that's the ideal morning snack, and I kept forgetting to wash it off. :)

Recent activities

2010-11-10T20:45:00.002-05:00

Our lives have been nonstop busy lately. We hardly remember what a relaxed weekend is anymore.

The kids are all doing well and our tiling project is getting closer to being done! Our great room and kitchen are complete minus touch up paint and baseboards! Here are just a few pictures -

Carl's first little league home run!

2010-09-25T10:10:00.001-04:00

Carl's first little league hit!

2010-09-25T10:09:00.001-04:00

The kids discover a new kind of fun...

2010-09-11T08:19:00.002-04:00

jumping on the hotel beds!

No more time to write. Gotta get down to the pool!!!

Last minute mini-vacation

2010-09-10T22:31:00.003-04:00

Today is Carl's birthday! Happy b-day sweetie! Tonight we are in a hotel room with all four kids who are luckily sound asleep right now. Why? Well, we were offered the chance to visit Disney world for free tomorrow, and one idea snowballed into another until we decided to pick the kids up from the school bus stop and escape town!
That didn't exactly work, but we did get away in time to drive to Kissimmee for dinner. I searched for a Cici's pizza nearby (cause that's our family's theme restaurant) and luckily there was one right next to the hotel. We couldn't believe our eyes when we pulled up. Hello world's coolest Cici's pizza!

Then we got the best table in the house - right under the waterfall.

Cadie ate the toppings off 4 pieces.

Connor enjoyed a brownie with extra Parmesan cheese on top.

And Chloe and Carl hit the arcade.

And then we checked into the Clarion Hotel Maingate just a few steps away. I have to put in a word here about how super super nice everybody is here. We got a steal of a price using priceline and I was hoping we could just sneak our 4 kids into the double room without anyone noticing. But when I asked for a crib for cadie the girl started upgrading us to a deluxe king so we would have a fridge for the "babies milk". I was a bit worried because that room only has one bed, and when I tried to say no, just keep us in the room with 2 beds she asked me how many kids we had. I couldn't lie, so I just told her, and she put us in this awesome room with 2 double AND a bunk bed! Plus the fridge and micro. All for no extra charge. If we ever do this again, I might just skip priceline and book here to begin with.

So here's the pics. The kids are in heaven.

We can't wait until tomorrow. The kids have no idea where we're going. Plus they've never been to Disney before anyway so it's gonna be soooo much fun.

Check back on the blog soon. We'll try to send in pictures often.

P.S. Thank you Uncle Aaron!!!

Chloe has other dancing skills too...

2010-08-25T08:35:00.001-04:00

Okay, so I didn't post this before because I was embarrassed by my messy house. But she is just so cute. And I can now honestly say that since the kids have started school I have cleaned my house. :)

This is Chloe robot dancing, which she learned from watching the LXD on hulu.

If you haven't seen it yet, you should. We are hooked. (Robot Lovestory and Elliott's Shoes are our favorite episodes that we watch again and again)

Ballet afternoon

2010-08-18T20:40:00.001-04:00

Chloe's ballet classes start up again tomorrow, and she's lucky that I got her new leotard finished just in time. I'm going to blog about it over on my sewing blog soon, but these are so cute Carl wants them here too so he can look at them at work. Why he doesn't read my sewing blog at work is a mystery to me :).

Anyway, Chloe decided to put on her new leotard this afternoon and brush up on her skills. She then convinced Carl to be her partner. I overheard her trying to convince him to go put on his church clothes (including shoes), but that was just too much. She had to settle for what he was already wearing, plus socks.

Connor tried to get in on the dancing too, but he kept knocking people over so I had to get him to help me in the kitchen instead.

Lobster Night

2010-08-02T08:56:00.001-04:00

Last week my mighty hunter husband brought home dinner. It was lobster, yum. Lucky for him, he got to go on a quick trip to the keys to get it. He didn't send me any picture of the beautiful views down there (bummer), but he did send me these:

Then he grilled them up for us. I wasn't going to take pictures of the kids eating,

But then Cadie was just too funny. I had been trying to feed her pieces of lobster off my plate, but she kept throwing them on the ground and reaching for the last lobster tail on the serving plate in front of her. After it had cooled off, we finally just let her have it so she would stop screaming. She was in lobster heaven.

Sunday Morning Video

2010-06-28T21:25:00.001-04:00

The other Sunday morning, I was getting my YW lesson (about member missionary work) ready, and Chloe became really interested in the props that I was preparing. This is what resulted:

I love Connor's reaction, how he just sits there and fidgets, and then starts looking at the camera. Kind of like Jim.

Butterfly garden

2010-06-17T10:28:00.001-04:00

Gogglehead

2010-06-15T10:59:00.002-04:00

Buckethead

2010-06-15T10:47:00.001-04:00

Yes, we're at the zoo again today.

News Flash

2010-06-10T17:46:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I got an iPhone and I'm loving it. Today I figured out how to send pictures from my phone directly to the blog. Hence the following pictures with no explanation except the title. Now you will be able to look on this blog and see our funny things right after they happen. Assuming, of course, that I take a picture and send it.

Cadie gets to know a turtle.

2010-06-10T17:42:00.001-04:00

Tired baby.

2010-06-10T17:40:00.001-04:00

Carl looks dead, but he's really swimming.

2010-06-10T17:38:00.000-04:00

Chloe and connor

2010-06-10T17:33:00.000-04:00

Chloe's first dance recital

2010-06-08T10:04:00.000-04:00

I know it took me a while to get this uploaded and posted, but it's just sooo cute. Chloe is the second from the right. I love how she watches the other girls and then she does everything with even more gusto.

Here's some more from that day:

I can't believe I put makeup on my little girl.

Chloe's biggest (or littlest) fan.

Daddy - Cadie nap

2010-05-15T16:28:00.001-04:00

Today we held a yard sale. It was a circus. Of course my husband had scout stuff to do that I didn't know about but I should have expected because why not? So I was trying to run a yard sale with four kids running around and the temperature steadily rising and the shade steadily disappearing. At 1:00 Carl called to say he was on his way home and I told him to pick up the sign on his way. We were tired, hungry, and sunburned and just wanted to go in to the A/C.

But... one thing kept me smiling the whole time. Connor did NOT like the fact that I was selling a bunch of old boy clothes that no longer fit him. He kept sneaking them under his shirt, running into the house, and then coming out wearing something that "still fit." The funny thing is that several times he came out crying because he got stuck in whatever it was that he was trying to put on. I wish I had taken pictures of that.

What I do have pictures of is the way that Carl babysat Cadie while I made lunch. After a few minutes of quiet I came in the family room to see this:

Nice. I wish taking care of the baby was that easy for me.

Chloe is 5!!!

2010-05-09T23:19:00.001-04:00

This is Chloe on her last night of being 4:

And this is her as a 5 year old:

For some reason, she just seems so much older to me. Every time I look at her and listen to her talk, I can't believe I have such a grown up little girl! She has so much to say, was I listening before?

Anyway, here are some more pics from us getting ice cream on Saturday:

Uh-oh Cadie...

2010-05-09T23:06:00.000-04:00

Last month when we were visiting Aunt Itsy and her family, Cadie tried to get in the dirt pile while Uncle Danny was sweeping. Instead of telling her no, he started saying uh-oh Cadie, uh-oh. I laughed and said, does that work better than 'no'? But actually, it did work. So now whenever she starts getting into something, we tell her uh-oh Cadie, uh-oh. Of course, she just thinks it's funny, but at least she pauses for a few seconds to laugh at us. That's when we run to get her out of the dishwasher, off my sewing table, or away from the garbage.

This is when she pulled the tablecloth off the table and broke a bowl. She was kind of worried about it, until I told her uh-oh Cadie, uh-oh! Then she smiled. I love that little smile.

The washing machine is the new TV

2010-04-01T18:41:00.000-04:00

Cadie doesn't really watch TV yet anyway, but the first time we started this washer with clothes in it, all 4 of my kids sat there and watched it for the entire 75 minute cycle! It's been a couple weeks, and they still like to sit in there and watch it every once in a while.

Afternoon at the zoo.

2010-03-23T18:40:00.000-04:00

Sorry about all that snow up there in Utah and Idaho. Wish we could help...

(love that curly headed kid in the middle. wish he was mine too.)

Smarty Pants

2010-03-22T12:01:00.000-04:00

Little Carl got an award in school today. It was the ABC Award for excellence in:

A - Academics
B - Behavior

C - Citizenship.

I was so proud I cried.

Cadie Montana

2010-02-28T11:00:00.000-05:00

Carl's First T-Ball Game

2010-02-28T10:56:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was Carl's first T-ball game. It was freezing cold, but we had a great time.

At bat.

Running to first.

Running home.

Wishing she could bat.

Ready to catch.

Big fan.

Running home again.

Happy Birthday Connor

2010-02-28T10:40:00.002-05:00

Connor is 3!!! He had a great birthday party at Grandma's house, and then another one at home on his actual birthday (where he wanted cupcakes).

Valentine's Dance 2010

2010-02-28T10:30:00.000-05:00

We were lucky to have a child at Palm Bay Christian Preschool again this year so we could attend the Valentine's Dance. This year Grandma came too!

Winter day at the beach

2010-02-10T22:09:00.002-05:00

I have been promising the kids a trip to the beach for a while now. Today we finally went. The weather was clear and crisp and perfect. Too cold to swim, but still perfect.

I can't believe Cadie liked it so much. The sand didn't bother her at all. In fact, I'm pretty sure she ate some.

Happy February, everyone!

Cadie and Connor

2010-01-12T16:58:00.000-05:00

These two have become such pals lately. They have more 'alone' time now that Carl and Chloe are going to school again.

Here is Connor trying his train engineer hat on Cadie - his idea.

And here he is reading to his little sister.

Christmas at Our House

2010-01-03T13:32:00.003-05:00

Everybody who's reading this probably already knows what a crazy and great time we had with our Gruel cousins this Christmas. So with no more introduction here are the Christmas morning pictures...

First we opened stockings:

Cadie slept through that part:

Then we ate breakfast.

My knockoff of mom's swedish bread braid:

Sausages:

And Bekah's caramel apples (we had to cover all the food groups):

This was something about Elliott, I never understood exactly what:

Chloe was helping too much, as usual:

Then presents (we tried to prevent a free-for-all, but I think it was inevitable):

I was over in the corner of the room and didn't get to see the Gruels open very much, but it sounded like fun over there. Special thanks to Hy and Brie for all the super cool stuff you made for us!

Dream Life

2009-12-07T13:47:00.001-05:00

Before you look at the pictures of what our life is really like, we want you to see these beautiful pictures that only a professional photographer could take (many, many, many thanks to Kim in Tallahassee -- http://www.kimbephotography.com/). I swear, I am jealous of the woman in these pictures. She must have a perfect life.

Real Life

2009-12-07T13:20:00.000-05:00

Today we took Chloe to preschool, took a cranky Connor and sleepy Cadie to the doctor, went to publix, tried to give Cadie amoxicillin, and then went back to the pre-school for Chloe. Carl documented it all with my camera that he found in the car...

Top Ten Reasons You Shouldn't Plan a Weekly Menu

2009-11-27T16:26:00.005-05:00

(I stole this from cozi.com. Number 3 is definitely me.)

When it comes to planning a weekly menu, there are plenty of sites that tell you all the reasons you should plan ahead. Let's look at the top ten reasons you shouldn't:

10. You’re a non-conformist by nature, and since meal plans are popular, you refuse to give in.

9. You like to spend your free time staring blankly at the pantry trying to come up with dinner ideas. It’s like a hobby.

8. You prefer the “seek and you shall find” method of meal planning. You stock the shelves and the fridge, and your family is required to seek-and-find their meals there.

7. You like to test your cooking skills by looking through the cabinets at 5:15 in the afternoon and creating a gourmet meal out of the random ingredients you find.

6. Your family enjoys having the same seven dinners every week, so there’s no need for a menu plan.

5. You’re a free spirit and refuse to be bogged down with “organization” of any kind.

4. You want to be able to blame an empty refrigerator and pantry when you tell your extended family they can’t drop by at dinnertime.

3. The grocery store is your “happy place” and you like making extra trips to pick up last-minute ingredients.

2. You want to do your part to boost the economy by spending lots of money at the grocery store, even if the food goes bad before you use it.

1. You like to use the excuse “We don’t have anything to eat” as a reason to go out to dinner.

Happy Birthday Carl!!!

2009-11-21T14:43:00.002-05:00

The three Carls (Grandpa, Dad, and Little) went fishing today for little Carl's birthday. He caught his first redfish, all by himself.

What my Chloe is doing right now...

2009-11-07T08:53:00.002-05:00

I am so lucky!

Petting Farm 2009

2009-11-03T11:17:00.001-05:00

We had an awesome day at the Petting Farm yesterday. Here's some highlights.

"Tell me again, why do I have to hold this chicken?"

"Mommy! The goat is eating my hair!!!"

Fruits of our labors

2009-10-30T09:40:00.000-04:00

Here's Carl's pumpkin that he carved last night. He really makes it look easy even though I know it's not. And just to show that I haven't been totally lazy either - the last few uneaten jars of pears and beans - guess I need to get canning again!

I forgot to blog about Cadie's birthday...again

2009-10-29T21:41:00.003-04:00

I know it makes no sense, but the months are flying by faster with this child than with any of the others. I can hardly believe how much she's grown already.

So here are pictures of Cadie (and her big sister) just two days after her 5 month birthday. You can see how much she loves Chloe. She really loves her big brothers too.

Two princesses.

We love Uncle Steve!

2009-10-27T22:51:00.000-04:00

Hard labor

2009-10-17T17:15:00.002-04:00

Hey everybody... tell Jay Jr. to look at this! Maybe now he won't think my husband is so mean. He's making his own 5 year old son mow the lawn now. Does this mean you'll come visit us again Jay?

p.s. It's cold today! Can't you see that sweatshirt little Carl is wearing? We're so excited it got down to 72!

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-12T22:26:00.001-04:00

Tonight we went on our yearly trip to a pumpkin patch. The kids loved it, as usual. Connor was the funnest. Little Carl has been telling him about it for months now, getting him really excited. The thing is, he was calling it the "punchin patch," asking nearly every day if we were going yet. We kept trying to get him to say "pumpkin patch," but he wouldn't change. So on the ride home, he said " Mommy! They had pumpkins at the punchin patch!"

I know this is a lot of pictures. I just like them. I can't believe how grown up the kids are looking.

Cadie's first food - sweet potatoes

2009-10-12T22:07:00.000-04:00

She didn't really like it. She was actually getting pretty annoyed at me.

Busy little hands

2009-09-21T15:50:00.001-04:00

Today we found this great recipe for home made playdough. It had kool-aid in it, and it didn't take cream of tartar, which I don't have much of anyway.I love to see my kids' creative side.

Speaking of the creative side, I've been slowly working on a new blog... I'm calling it my sewing diary. Check it out if you want... carolinafair.blogspot.com.

p.s. Here's the recipe...

Kool-Aid Play Dough (By the way, this smells wonderful!)
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup salt
2 packages unsweetened Kool-Aid
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups boiling water

Mix dry ingredients. Add oil and water. Wearing gloves, knead for 10 minutes. Store in zip lock bag in refrigerator.

Look who came to visit!

2009-08-15T16:13:00.000-04:00

This morning as the kids were eating lunch, I heard a scratching sound at the back door. I looked to see who it was and saw this huge soft shell turtle trying to get in! This kind bites (Carl says), so we all just got to look for a minute (but not touch). Then Carl and the kids drove to a nearby canal to let him go. You can see some scratches on his shell from crawling under our fence. Poor thing.

What Chloe Loves

2009-08-09T22:07:00.005-04:00

Chloe starts preschool tomorrow. Her teacher asked us to send in a picture of her plus 6 pictures of things she loves. We had fun taking pictures tonight of 'what Chloe loves.' These ideas are all hers (but they are not all her ideas - she could have gone on all night...). Sorry, some of the pics are blurry.

Have Pickup, will play in the mud

2009-07-29T21:49:00.002-04:00

Happy 2-month birthday Cadie!

2009-07-27T10:44:00.001-04:00

This one is my favorite. She finally smiled when she saw daddy!

Shorts

2009-07-23T12:40:00.004-04:00

So I found this really cute material at joannes for only 50 cents a yard and I bought all they had left (1.5 yards). Don't you love the kids' shorts? Carl got a little cranky during the photo shoot. Now I should probably make some for Cadie :).

BTW, the pattern came from youcanmakethis.com (knit ruffle pants---shorter and without the ruffle, of course!).

Cadie is One Month Old!

2009-06-27T16:17:00.004-04:00

Love those blue eyes. I weighed her this morning on my bathroom scale and she was 10.4 lbs! I think she's trying to keep up with her cousin Claire since their due dates were only 1 day apart. Happy Birthday Cadie!!!

Day at the pool

2009-06-27T16:04:00.004-04:00

This was a week ago, but we had so much fun that I still wanted to put the pictures up. Little Cadie slept through the whole thing!

Mowing the lawn.

2009-06-27T15:56:00.002-04:00

I love this!

Cadie is two weeks old!

2009-06-10T17:25:00.003-04:00

Elaina's first pizza!

2009-06-10T10:30:00.008-04:00

Everyone who knows us knows that our favorite family outing is Cici's pizza. We got hooked on it while Carl and Chloe were under 4 and the whole family would eat for $10. Now it costs twice that much, but it is still less (and way better) than kids meals at BK! So when Aunt Itsy and little Laney were visiting us last week we had to make a trip to Cici's and the pet store next door. This was Cadie's first trip to Cici's (not including 11 days earlier when she was still inside mommy...) and Laney's first time to eat pizza crust.

This is how much Cadie enjoyed it.

Laney couldn't believe something could taste so good.

Connor tried to give Laney her first taste of brownie, but Aunt Itsy moved her away from him after that.

After Cici's we went to the pet store where they were letting kids pet a 150lb snake!

More Pictures of Cadie

2009-06-02T09:35:00.004-04:00

Here are a couple more pictures of Cadie.

Fire Station

2009-05-29T10:08:00.004-04:00

These are from a couple weeks ago, but I am looking at them now, so here goes. The kids had such a blast. Their favorite parts were spraying the water hose and walking through the truck.

Cadie Emma Critchfield is Here!!!

2009-05-28T19:37:00.002-04:00

Here are just a few of the pictures! Sorry we haven't been able to call everyone yet. Things have been a little crazy. We look forward to talking to you soon.

Stats -

Born May 27, 2009

7 pounds 7 ounces

19 inches long (Carl disputes the Nurses' ability to measure)

Love you!

Chloe's Easter Dress

2009-04-23T08:55:00.003-04:00

Carl jumped in the picture just as I took this. Chloe was so annoyed! It was funny. Thanks Aunt Kat for the beautiful dress!

Carl has a fun day at school

2009-03-28T08:38:00.004-04:00

Yesterday little Carl's preschool had their "trikeathon" to benefit St. Judes research hospital. He had a blast going around on the track and didn't want to stop when they limited him to 20 laps. There was also a real race car there that he got to sit in.

Kids

2009-03-28T08:33:00.003-04:00

Fishing

2009-03-28T08:15:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday Connor!

2009-02-19T08:07:00.005-05:00

Connor's birthday was a few days ago. This was the party that was for both him and Uncle Justin at Grandma and Grandpa Critchfield's. Next year it will be for baby Alana too!

Happy Valentine's Day from Chloe!

2009-02-14T15:02:00.000-05:00

Valentine's Dance

2009-02-12T15:19:00.009-05:00

Today Carl, Chloe, and Connor all went to their first dance - a Valentine's dance at Carl's pre-school. They all had a blast. Carl and Chloe danced the morning away (it was only 11:00 am) and Connor fully enjoyed the cookie table.

Chloe dancing.

Carl dancing.

Chloe with the girls.

Carl and Chloe doing the limbo.

Cookies!!!

Cousinhood of the Travelling Pants

2009-01-26T16:59:00.001-05:00

These used to be Abby's, by the way.

Smoking in the car

2009-01-26T16:36:00.006-05:00

Today while driving home from Walmart, Little Carl and I had a conversation about how dangerous it is to smoke in the car. It turns out he was much more informed on the matter than I was. This is how it went:

LC: Mom, it’s really not safe to smoke in the car.

Me: Yes, you know the inside of the car gets all smoky and that smoke is bad for all the other people that breathe it too… (here I was about to explain something called lung cancer)

LC: And if the hot part touches the inside of the car it will start the car on fire.

Me: Yes.

LC: And then all the people in the car will burn and die.

Me: Yeah.

LC: And then the car will blow up.

Me: Wow.

So if you know anyone who might be tempted to smoke in the car, please pass along this important information.

Chloe and Madison

2009-01-26T16:30:00.003-05:00

Thanks again Steve and Lori!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-20T20:47:00.001-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Chloe and her Cousins

2008-11-02T08:53:00.007-05:00

Chloe and Elaina chillin and watching some TV.

Can you see the resemblance?

Scotty's not sure about this cousin.

Stop bothering me and let me sleep!

Lots of love.

Chloe and I just got back from a fun week at Itsy and Danny's house. Chloe had a great time taking care of all the babies.

Petting Farm

2008-10-27T16:53:00.004-04:00

I only had my phone camera, but they still turned out okay. Carl and Chloe had so much fun!!! Poor Connor was sick and had to stay home with daddy.

Connie

2008-10-23T10:59:00.002-04:00

I guess I should give Connor a haircut. He put this headband on just now... probably to keep his hair out of the way. :)

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-19T10:55:00.004-04:00

This is a family tradition that we have actually stuck with since Carl was one!

Last year Jay Jr. was with us. It was a stormy windy night and it was already dark before Carl got home from work and we could go. I can't remember the date, but we knew it was our last chance to visit a pumpkin patch before halloween. Because of the weather and the time (past 8 o'clock), all of the places that we drove to nearby were closed. We were about to give up and sadly go home when I remembered a pumpkin patch at a church way up in Indiatlantic - 30 minutes away and across the street from the beach. We drove up there and low and behold!... they were open! The wind was blowing so hard off the beach the kids could barely stand up! We miss you Jay!

This year wasn't quite so dramatic. We only had to drive 5 minutes to get to this place that we noticed on the way to Little Carl's soccer fields. The people were super nice and they had a great selection of orange, white, smooth, and bumpy pumkins. They also had some really cool looking gourds.

Sewing again

2008-10-09T10:53:00.004-04:00

I haven't sat down at my sewing machine in about 5 years, but all of a sudden I'm sewing again. I found this adoreable pattern and have already made Chloe 2 pairs of pants. Aren't they cute? She got mashed potatoes all over the other pair last night before I could take a picture. Those are plain hot pink.

BTW... I got the pattern at youcanmakethis.com... it's my new addiction. I even gave them a spot on my blog (look to the left).

Chloe and her Frog

2008-10-09T10:46:00.004-04:00

Chloe loves to catch frogs. The past two mornings she has been up waiting for me (all dressed) when I have come home from my walk at 7 a.m. She knows that she has the best chance of catching one early in the morning. She also knows that the front yard is her best bet because they have all grown wise to coming in our back yard.

Kennedy Space Center

2008-10-09T10:31:00.004-04:00

Every year the Kennedy Space Center gives Brevard County residents a day to come for free. Thank you KSC!!! Here are some pics from the fun day we had.

Inside an actual space capsule that went up atop of a rocket.

Chloe the astronaut.

This is Connor underneath the shuttle.

The kids all had to touch the orange fuel tank.

Saturday's Soccer Game

2008-09-22T09:50:00.008-04:00

The game started out well.

First Water Break.

Still happy.

Now would rather sit and chat with coach Justin than play.

Running off the field to sit on the bench some more.

Then he got back on to make his first goal ever.

Chloe wants to play.

Getting encouragement from dad.

Taking a personal time out.

Con baby.

Soccer practice

2008-09-04T22:35:00.004-04:00

Little Carl started soccer! He's so cute out there, and it's a real comedy watching five 4-year olds try to play soccer. There is only one girl on the team and she won't go anywhere near the boys. It's silly because she is the only one who knows how to play. Too bad Chloe is too young to be on a team. She copies whatever they are doing from the sidelines. Connor is the water boy. (he got all wet in a huge puddle --pond-- left over from Fay).

Safety first

2008-09-04T22:22:00.002-04:00

I just think this was funny. On the day we were going to go camping near the Ichetuckney River, my VT came over and loaned me 3 kids life jackets so I wouldn't have to buy any. The kids got so excited and put them on right then. They refused to take them off - even for lunch! I wish I could have taken pictures when we went rafting and tubing. It was a blast but everything got wet and my camera would have been ruined.

LC catches Chloe in the act!

2008-07-22T10:12:00.004-04:00

LC is back making movies now with his digital camera. He caught Chloe putting on make-up while I was on the phone!

Fun with the Gruels

2008-07-21T15:35:00.003-04:00

Connor and I visited Bekah and her family last week. Here are some highlights: