McKenna loves her Uncle Eric & Gabby!
Austin loved his new pillow & blanket from Grandpa Kevin!
McKenna wasn't too sure about the hat she got though. It's cute but a bit big!
It looked cute on Brian though!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Crowley Clan Christmas
After some well deserved naps, Christmas afternoon/evening was spent with the Crowley Clan. It was a very nice relaxing day with yummy food and fun conversations, as usual!
Great Grandma & McKenna
McKenna loves her Uncle Eric & Gabby!
Austin loved his new pillow & blanket from Grandpa Kevin!
McKenna wasn't too sure about the hat she got though. It's cute but a bit big!
It looked cute on Brian though!
McKenna loves her Uncle Eric & Gabby!
Austin loved his new pillow & blanket from Grandpa Kevin!
McKenna wasn't too sure about the hat she got though. It's cute but a bit big!
It looked cute on Brian though!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
A Plethora of Pinatas Presents!
Despite all the events we go to and all the people to see at Christmas, Brian and I made a pact to have Christmas morning at our house as long as we can. I'm sure there will be years in the future that we will travel to see family, but for right now, that's the pact! I loved seeing Austin's face light up at the sight of all his gifts right after he got up! And that was worth having crazy schedules with Christmases with other people on other days!
Just like last year, Grandma joined us for Christmas morning. Austin fully understood opening presents this year and unlike last year, he didn't get as burned out! Which is good...cuz we had LOTS of presents. A plethora of presents, if you will! You would think this was the stash at the Duggar's house! Actually Brian & I did very well sticking to a preset dollar amount for the kids. There were lots of toys that we (and by we, I mean ME!) had a hard time not buying. But once you add in a grandma's load of presents, you get a plethora!
My lens wasn't wide enough to do the pile justice!
Grandma & McKenna, sporting her Baby's First Christmas stocking cap. It was a bit snug but still cute!
Austin's favorite stocking stuffer. Santa seemed to have raided the left over birthday favors!
Austin's favoritest toy from Grandma - A Toy Story backpack with wheels. He refuses to wear it as a backpack, but ADORES pulling it around everywhere. He joyfully packs it full of toys and blankets whenever he knows we are going somewhere, whether or not he needs to!
We bought McKenna her first Angel music box. My parents had the tradition of buying me one every year. I think each one plays a different song. I considered passing mine on to McKenna, but I want those! So instead I'm continuing along the tradition.
Daddy displaying a frame from Grandma. It only took me three months, but I finally printed out a picture for him to put in it and take to work!
Austin's favorite toy from us was his Handy Manny Tool Box. It plays music and the tools dance. He is still obsessed with it!
I always have to have a pic of someone with something on their head. It is a Crowley Christmas tradition!
McKenna was a little worn out by the end of the extravaganza.
Just like last year, Grandma joined us for Christmas morning. Austin fully understood opening presents this year and unlike last year, he didn't get as burned out! Which is good...cuz we had LOTS of presents. A plethora of presents, if you will! You would think this was the stash at the Duggar's house! Actually Brian & I did very well sticking to a preset dollar amount for the kids. There were lots of toys that we (and by we, I mean ME!) had a hard time not buying. But once you add in a grandma's load of presents, you get a plethora!
Grandma & McKenna, sporting her Baby's First Christmas stocking cap. It was a bit snug but still cute!
Austin's favorite stocking stuffer. Santa seemed to have raided the left over birthday favors!
Austin's favoritest toy from Grandma - A Toy Story backpack with wheels. He refuses to wear it as a backpack, but ADORES pulling it around everywhere. He joyfully packs it full of toys and blankets whenever he knows we are going somewhere, whether or not he needs to!
We bought McKenna her first Angel music box. My parents had the tradition of buying me one every year. I think each one plays a different song. I considered passing mine on to McKenna, but I want those! So instead I'm continuing along the tradition.
Daddy displaying a frame from Grandma. It only took me three months, but I finally printed out a picture for him to put in it and take to work!
Austin's favorite toy from us was his Handy Manny Tool Box. It plays music and the tools dance. He is still obsessed with it!
I always have to have a pic of someone with something on their head. It is a Crowley Christmas tradition!
McKenna was a little worn out by the end of the extravaganza.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Monday, February 28, 2011
Merry Christmas Eve!
Christmas Eve was a little different for us this year. We went to Christmas Eve service, as usual, to worship with our church family. Brian led worship and did an amazing job. Such a great service. We took some family pics there. I already posted these pictures on Christmas, but I love them so much, I can't help but post them again!
And a new one of Grandma & the kids
And I have to show off McKenna's dress once more. When I found out I was having a girl, I instantly had visions of all the Christmas and Easter dresses I would get to buy! I don't know why those are so important to me. Maybe because growing up a bit of a tomboy, those were the main times I remember dressing up and not hating it!
For the first in my life we missed Christmas Eve with my mom's family. It was so weird to miss! But it was out in Corona and by the time we got out of church and out there, it would have been almost over and waaay past our kids' bedtimes. So we had to make the hard decision to make a cut this year. That left us trying to figure out what our new Christmas Eve might look like! We opted for homemade lasagna, thanks to Grandma, and sandwiches & dip from Giuliano's for our fancy dinner! We watched Veggie Tales' story about Saint Nick, let the kids open one gift each, finished setting up the plethora of presents for the morning and then hit the hay early. It was a really low-key evening but was nice! Different, but nice!
All set up! We, along with Grandma, may have gone overboard, just a bit!
And a new one of Grandma & the kids
And I have to show off McKenna's dress once more. When I found out I was having a girl, I instantly had visions of all the Christmas and Easter dresses I would get to buy! I don't know why those are so important to me. Maybe because growing up a bit of a tomboy, those were the main times I remember dressing up and not hating it!
For the first in my life we missed Christmas Eve with my mom's family. It was so weird to miss! But it was out in Corona and by the time we got out of church and out there, it would have been almost over and waaay past our kids' bedtimes. So we had to make the hard decision to make a cut this year. That left us trying to figure out what our new Christmas Eve might look like! We opted for homemade lasagna, thanks to Grandma, and sandwiches & dip from Giuliano's for our fancy dinner! We watched Veggie Tales' story about Saint Nick, let the kids open one gift each, finished setting up the plethora of presents for the morning and then hit the hay early. It was a really low-key evening but was nice! Different, but nice!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
11 Months
I can't believe in a mere 28 days I'll have a 1 year old! If you love me at all, you'll pray those 28 days go slowly! Not only am I not ready for my baby to grow up, I have a ton to do for a birthday party, so I'll need every moment!
You'll notice this month's Winnie the Pooh pic looks a little different - ie Dad's arms in the pic! She has developed a very serious Giant Winnie the Pooh phobia since last month! She started shaking and freaking out as soon as we got him out. Of course, being the sensitive momma that I am, I still took her pic. But I only took one, so this is all you get! It wasn't going to get any better than this anyway!
This was her reaction when we tried to get another picture
New this month...
Not too much has changed in her mobility - still cruising around and doing some practice walking with her pushcar. But she has definitely gotten faster and more stable. I doubt she'll be walking by her birthday, but we'll see. She can stand solo for a few seconds but it's not a very steady stand. Maybe more of a controlled slow sit down.
My children discovered they can play when they are supposed to be sleeping. While unfortunate for their sleep habits, it is hilarious to watch/listen to on the monitor! Austin stands on the edge of his bed and McKenna gets as far up on her bumper as she can and peeks over the side of the crib. Then Austin pushes her in the face until she falls down laughing hysterically. Even after bonking into the slats of the crib, she still bounces right back up, begging for more. Austin will lay down and she'll egg him back on by laughing at him. Gotta love sleep deprived craziness! The funniest side effect from mall of this fun...she literally laughs so hard it makes her poop her pants! Without fail, I've had to change a dirty diaper to get the fun to stop! Can't tell you how fun it is to see your children enjoying each other!
Now that she can pull up on anything, McKenna is getting a little clingy. I guess she figured that if she pulls up on me I have to pick her up! It really is hard to say no to that sweet little face, but it's also really hard to do dishes one handed! I don't get nearly as much done during the day, but it is worth picking her up every time! She gives great hugs when I do!
She started giving kisses on request. About 1/2 the time she gives a cute, little pucker and the other 1/2 you get a bit of a slobbery mess.
She also gives what I like to call "head kisses" for a lack of a better name. While holding her, if you lean your head in towards hers, she will gently lean her head towards yours and rest it on your forehead. I know, a little hard to describe. I'll have to get it on video. Just imagine a very sweet and gentle head bonk. I'm not sure when she picked it up. I think she's been doing it for several months, but I forget to put it on here. It is one of my most favorite things though! I love it!
Wow, am I a bad judge of my children's teething process! I could have sworn they were almost through at the last update! Her top right finally popped through a few days ago and her top left is still looming. I don't think her next bottom ones are anywhere close, but what do I know?
She learned a new sound. Pppphhhh! Kinda like what an elephant makes mixed with spitting at you. She thinks it's hilarious!
For that matter, she is becoming more and more like her brother and her dad. Everything is funny! I'm surrounded by a bunch of goofballs! Unfortunately, just like her brother, she also thinks being told no is funny, so she laughs at me and goes right back to whatever she was doing! I'm going to have to work on my stern voice more, I guess.
Following that theme - she learned a new word "No-No". I think. It's not horribly clear, but I'm fairly sure she is saying it. She at least makes the "N" sound a bunch after being told no for something. With my sweet non-verbal kiddos, I'll take any word I can get, though! So in total, she has Momma, Dada, Bye-Bye, No-No, and she might have added "Choo-Choo" while at Disneyland today, but we'll have to see how that pans out.
She's also started doing this funny "Ho-Ho" type breathing thing when she's excited or being silly. It almost sounds like she's doing lamaze breathing techniques!
She suddenly loves books! I wasn't really reading to her much because she wasn't very interested in sitting and listening, only in grabbing and chewing! Just in the last week or so she suddenly wants to look at the pictures and turn the pages. She has her favorites and will pull out all the books from the box until she finds just the right one. She really likes to look at books with Austin, but he is not as willing to share!
We're making progress on food, now that she can feed herself somewhat. She really likes cheese, deli turkey, berries & ritz crackers. Her face LIGHTS UP at the sight of a ritz cracker! A girl after my own heart, right there!
McKenna has really discovered buttons this month. On the computer (thank you, genius, who made them bright red!), the answering machine (not sure how she understands "press delete again to delete all messages", but she gladly follows the instructions!), and all the good ones on their toys (that mommy tries valiantly to encourage over the previous selections).
A new favorite game is Bouncy Bouncy Bouncy Woah! She loves to bounce & dance on the bed and that has turned into throwing herself backwards at the end of it. Only on the bed of course! Austin likes to help by pushing her over on the "Woah" which she loves as long as he doesn't do it too hard.
My favorite part of the month has been her reaction to my singing! Austin would just laugh and laugh at this age, when I'd sing to him, which made me feel oh-so-good about my singing skills. But McKenna seems to love to hear me sing! She smiles big and wide anytime I start and will cooperate with just about any task as long as I'm singing. It keeps her on the changing table, will get a few bites of food in her mouth and lets me wash her face & hands after eating. I think her favorite song is "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy". I'm not sure if that's cuz I sing it so well, or because I dance around like a silly person while singing it. Either way, I aim to please and I'll do just about anything that gets me that smile!
You'll notice this month's Winnie the Pooh pic looks a little different - ie Dad's arms in the pic! She has developed a very serious Giant Winnie the Pooh phobia since last month! She started shaking and freaking out as soon as we got him out. Of course, being the sensitive momma that I am, I still took her pic. But I only took one, so this is all you get! It wasn't going to get any better than this anyway!
This was her reaction when we tried to get another picture
New this month...
Not too much has changed in her mobility - still cruising around and doing some practice walking with her pushcar. But she has definitely gotten faster and more stable. I doubt she'll be walking by her birthday, but we'll see. She can stand solo for a few seconds but it's not a very steady stand. Maybe more of a controlled slow sit down.
My children discovered they can play when they are supposed to be sleeping. While unfortunate for their sleep habits, it is hilarious to watch/listen to on the monitor! Austin stands on the edge of his bed and McKenna gets as far up on her bumper as she can and peeks over the side of the crib. Then Austin pushes her in the face until she falls down laughing hysterically. Even after bonking into the slats of the crib, she still bounces right back up, begging for more. Austin will lay down and she'll egg him back on by laughing at him. Gotta love sleep deprived craziness! The funniest side effect from mall of this fun...she literally laughs so hard it makes her poop her pants! Without fail, I've had to change a dirty diaper to get the fun to stop! Can't tell you how fun it is to see your children enjoying each other!
Now that she can pull up on anything, McKenna is getting a little clingy. I guess she figured that if she pulls up on me I have to pick her up! It really is hard to say no to that sweet little face, but it's also really hard to do dishes one handed! I don't get nearly as much done during the day, but it is worth picking her up every time! She gives great hugs when I do!
She started giving kisses on request. About 1/2 the time she gives a cute, little pucker and the other 1/2 you get a bit of a slobbery mess.
She also gives what I like to call "head kisses" for a lack of a better name. While holding her, if you lean your head in towards hers, she will gently lean her head towards yours and rest it on your forehead. I know, a little hard to describe. I'll have to get it on video. Just imagine a very sweet and gentle head bonk. I'm not sure when she picked it up. I think she's been doing it for several months, but I forget to put it on here. It is one of my most favorite things though! I love it!
Wow, am I a bad judge of my children's teething process! I could have sworn they were almost through at the last update! Her top right finally popped through a few days ago and her top left is still looming. I don't think her next bottom ones are anywhere close, but what do I know?
She learned a new sound. Pppphhhh! Kinda like what an elephant makes mixed with spitting at you. She thinks it's hilarious!
For that matter, she is becoming more and more like her brother and her dad. Everything is funny! I'm surrounded by a bunch of goofballs! Unfortunately, just like her brother, she also thinks being told no is funny, so she laughs at me and goes right back to whatever she was doing! I'm going to have to work on my stern voice more, I guess.
Following that theme - she learned a new word "No-No". I think. It's not horribly clear, but I'm fairly sure she is saying it. She at least makes the "N" sound a bunch after being told no for something. With my sweet non-verbal kiddos, I'll take any word I can get, though! So in total, she has Momma, Dada, Bye-Bye, No-No, and she might have added "Choo-Choo" while at Disneyland today, but we'll have to see how that pans out.
She's also started doing this funny "Ho-Ho" type breathing thing when she's excited or being silly. It almost sounds like she's doing lamaze breathing techniques!
She suddenly loves books! I wasn't really reading to her much because she wasn't very interested in sitting and listening, only in grabbing and chewing! Just in the last week or so she suddenly wants to look at the pictures and turn the pages. She has her favorites and will pull out all the books from the box until she finds just the right one. She really likes to look at books with Austin, but he is not as willing to share!
We're making progress on food, now that she can feed herself somewhat. She really likes cheese, deli turkey, berries & ritz crackers. Her face LIGHTS UP at the sight of a ritz cracker! A girl after my own heart, right there!
McKenna has really discovered buttons this month. On the computer (thank you, genius, who made them bright red!), the answering machine (not sure how she understands "press delete again to delete all messages", but she gladly follows the instructions!), and all the good ones on their toys (that mommy tries valiantly to encourage over the previous selections).
A new favorite game is Bouncy Bouncy Bouncy Woah! She loves to bounce & dance on the bed and that has turned into throwing herself backwards at the end of it. Only on the bed of course! Austin likes to help by pushing her over on the "Woah" which she loves as long as he doesn't do it too hard.
My favorite part of the month has been her reaction to my singing! Austin would just laugh and laugh at this age, when I'd sing to him, which made me feel oh-so-good about my singing skills. But McKenna seems to love to hear me sing! She smiles big and wide anytime I start and will cooperate with just about any task as long as I'm singing. It keeps her on the changing table, will get a few bites of food in her mouth and lets me wash her face & hands after eating. I think her favorite song is "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy". I'm not sure if that's cuz I sing it so well, or because I dance around like a silly person while singing it. Either way, I aim to please and I'll do just about anything that gets me that smile!
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