The Crim Family

Zoo trip

2010-04-18T19:19:00.001-07:00

We spent Saturday at the zoo and had a blast. The kids are at the right age to really get excited about the animals. They were so excited about the giraffes and zebras, but Sawyer was most excited about the train ride. We are now officially members so we will be back soon I'm sure.

Thanksgiving in the Country

2009-11-30T19:51:00.000-08:00

We just got back from a blessed trip to Virginia for Thanksgiving. Sammy's extended family all lives up there in these gorgeous rolling hills and clear crisp nights. We had a great time down on the farm, driving up the 'holler and seeing turkeys, cows, and of course horses. Sid got her first look at a 6 point buck, of course it was dead in the back of the truck but still counts right? Here are a couple of pics from the trip. Hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving.

Fun at the Fair

2009-10-15T11:34:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, we joined with the rest of Lee county and went out to the annual fair. I love the fair; the greasy food, the greasy people running the rides, just a good ole' time. Sidney loved riding the ponies (of course) and the carousel. Sawyer rode one of the rides and started crying in the middle of it, nothing like a screaming baby to liven up the fun! Midway through the night, the rain came pouring down which gave us an excuse to sit under the food tent and eat a funnel cake and some chili nachoes, yum!

Fall brings Changes...

2009-10-04T09:45:00.001-07:00

So, my brother has been getting onto me for not posting in a while. Since the last month we have been packing, moving, unpacking, and getting settled in our temporary home, Grandma's, while we wait for our new house to be finished in November. The kids love it here, they spend most of their time out in the backyard or playing on the carport on their bikes. Plus, they have non-stop access to their Grandparents, which they love.

We also celebrated Sawyer's 2nd birthday here! We had a 'Cars' party and the kids all brought fun riding toys to play on. Only a couple of accidents, so not too bad for a party. Sawyer didn't know what to do with the candle on his cake, he thought if he just stared at it, it would just blow out.

Enjoy the pictures!

Spatula Fighting

2009-08-09T19:19:00.000-07:00

My kids have resorted to fighting with spatulas or whatever else they can find out of the kitchen utensil drawer. They are always up to something....

Unexpected Kindness

2009-08-07T18:32:00.000-07:00

Tonight we were blessed by the kindness of a stranger. Sawyer and I wandered into Old Navy on this tax-free weekend, it was crowded to say the least. He was on the move and found the big bouncy ball dispenser. He started looking it over and lifting up the lid to see if any would magically fall out. Well, his curiousity attracted some teenagers and we were laughing about it when one of the boys stuck in a quarter and let Sawyer turn the handle until one of the balls fell out. It was such a small thing but to Sawyer it meant the world. I was really touched at the thoughtfulness of this sweet kid and just wanted to share it with you guys. So, thanks out there to all of you that perform random acts of kindness, they really do make a difference.

Early 30th Birthday Trip

2009-07-26T19:46:00.000-07:00

My Mom and Jess in the Rocky Mountains

My Brothers crossing the Closed Area, such rebels!

Here we are buying cheesy touristy stuff

My 30th Birthday is fast approaching and I am trying to celebrate it as many times as I can so that it will take my mind off the fact that I will no longer be in my 20's. So, this past weekend I jetted off to Colorado to visit my brother and sister-in-law with no kids. Thanks to my wonderful husband who kept the children while I was gone, love ya honey! We had the best time together and had a fun trip up to the Rocky Mountains. (Thanks Ben and Jess for everything!)

Happy 4th!

2009-07-05T19:29:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a blessed and fun Fourth of July! We celebrated with our fun Aunt Jackie who was in town for the weekend. Sawyer was not a fan of the fireworks and spent most of the evening watching the festivities from the floorboard of the car. Oh well, maybe next year!

The kids have been enjoying their outdoor oasis on these hot summer days, only it is not so much fun when you are getting hit by your brother.

I thought that I would include some pictures of the our new house currently in the works. Sammy and I are so excited about it and love watching it change almost daily. Sidney already is excited about her new room and her new window. Sawyer enjoys playing in the sand and gravel. They always need a bath after we visit the house site. Just pray that our current house sells soon to the right buyer! We are believing God completely on this one.

Gone for too long...

2009-06-09T12:16:00.000-07:00

It has been way too long since I've updated the blog, since Sid has given up on her naps I have had less free time during the day and the blog has suffered. Here are some recent pics of the kids and our trip to the beach last month. The kids both loved everything about the beach except for the ocean. More pictures to come soon I promise...

Rain Lessons

2009-05-06T19:52:00.000-07:00

My daughter never ceases…you can fill in the blank here with a number of options. She never ceases to talk, play, create, astonish me, or inspire me. Today there was a rumble of thunder across the sky so we decided to go out and watch the storm come in. She sat in my lap for a moment or two and then just got down and walked into the rain, arms wide open, soaking it all up. She came back with this huge smile on her face. For the next ten minutes or so she kept going back and forth from the dry porch into the pouring down rain and thunder. She wanted me to join her, and my grown-up self didn’t want to get wet. It might be cold I thought or it might lead to another mess to clean up. Too many reasonable thoughts as to why I couldn’t get up out of my chair and into the rain. Finally under heavy persuasion I relented and stuck my leg out in the rain. When we got back into the house, she was wet and sure enough there was a mess to clean up, but in the end it was worth it. It was worth the mess and the wet and everything else to watch my daughter experience the thrill of life. It reminded me of how the Lord calls us to get out in the rain sometimes because it is in these places where life truly happens.

Easter egghunting fun

2009-04-13T19:28:00.000-07:00

The kids really enjoyed the Easter activities this year. They took part in four different egg hunts and had a great time at all of them. They especially liked the colored chicks and ducks at our friends Annabelle's and Riley's hunt. We hope that you all enjoyed the Easter season and found a way to celebrate the true life that Christ gave us through His resurrection.

Day out with Thomas the Tank Engine

2009-03-29T18:58:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we braved the impending weather and headed to Calera for a Day out with Thomas. The Lord was so gracious, the skies turned blue right before we got on the train and we had the best time! The kids both wore themselves out and were in bed that night before 7:30!

Just a Swingin'

2009-03-07T18:42:00.000-08:00

Thanks to such beautiful weather we've been spending a lot of time in the back yard. Here are some pic's featuring the kid's favorite outdoor activity, swinging. Believe me, the swing is hot property at our house.

Wacky Weather

2009-03-04T18:15:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we experienced some wacky weather patterns here in Auburn. On Saturday we had a tornado come within a mile of our house, a little scary to say the least. After the storms we loaded up the family to see the damage, here are some pics from the trip.

Then on Sunday we received about 3-4 in of snow. The kids had fun watching it come down. They also enjoyed getting all ready to go outside and then after about 2 minutes outside, they were ready to come back inside again. It was truly beautiful, especially because it is such a rare event here in southern Alabama. So, who knows what is next? But I'm bracing for an earthquake just in case...

Happy Birthday Sidney!

2009-02-09T19:25:00.000-08:00

Saturday we celebrated Sidney's 3rd Birthday horsey style! We were blessed with an absolutely gorgeous day and spent most of it outside playing with friends. Sid got her first real bike and in turn her first bike wreck. It was such a surreal moment watching her take off on that thing, I almost cried. Then we headed over to the equestrian meet for Sidney to ride a real horse, which she loved of course. On Sunday we made a major step forward and said good-bye to her beloved pacifiers, they were sent to Tennessee with Gabi so there was no turning back. I have to say I am so proud of her, she is doing great and is such a big girl. We can't believe that our little girl is getting so big, she is such a blessing in our lives and we thank God for her everyday.

The Wonder of God

2009-02-04T19:21:00.000-08:00

Life has been fairly routine for us here recently. The winter has brought some colds and ear infections (#6 for Sawyer) but overall we have enjoyed some peaceful days in the house building obstacle courses, finger painting, watching 'Cars' like at least once a day, and laughing a lot.

The cold weather has made me contemplative and recently I've been thinking about the absolute wonder of God. I am in constant wonder of the way He shows up in our lives. I have heard too many stories to know that it isn't just in our lives either, He is constantly at work in all of us, and around each of us. There are so many little things that fit together just right, like the right song on the radio at just the right moment, or running into a friend when you needed to see them most, or finding Scripture that speaks right to the core. God is amazing and to think that He has orchestrated so much together for us to experience these little moments is just awe-inspiring. I pray that as we seek Him more that we would see Him more in each of our lives.

Sawyer's First Hair-Cut

2009-01-12T19:17:00.000-08:00

Before the Hair-Cut

After the Hair-Cut (and eating a tasty snack)

Today I finally took the scissors to Sawyer's man-bangs. I distracted him with cookies and he did great. I can't believe how fast that he is growing up, he is such the little man these days.

I couldn't post without including a picture of Sid. This is her and her horse/best-friend 'Pinkie Pie.' 'Pinkie Pie' goes with us everywhere and is one of the family.

Goodbye 2008, Hello 2009

2009-01-09T18:46:00.000-08:00

We spent a great Christmas morning at my family's home in Nashville, TN. Sidney was so excited about opening her presents, especially her BIG old horsey from Santa. Sawyer just liked ripping the paper, such a boy!

Our second Christmas back in Auburn with Sammy's family, more presents!

This is Sawyer chilling out with his new tractor.

We tried taking the kids bowling. It lasted about 5 frames and then they were ready to go, but it was fun while it lasted. No professional bowlers in the Crim family it doesn't look like, oh well. Thanks to everyone who made 2008 such a great year, we are looking forward to seeing what is ahead in 2009.

De-CRIM-ber

2008-12-18T13:37:00.000-08:00

It has been a busy December for the Crim household. We are enjoying the hustle and bustle that the season brings as well as trying to remain focused on the humble and beautiful gift of our Lord Jesus' birth. In addition to Christmas, we also celebrated my Mother's graduation, yea Mom, with a 4.0 GPA from MTSU. She has won the prize of highest GPA in our family for sure. Here are some pictures from the month.

Animal Train

2008-11-13T13:43:00.000-08:00

Sid is known for her love of animals, I think that we must have about 40 of them scattered about the house. Yesterday she took her animals on a train ride (our couch cushions) and made sure they got their snack as well (pretzels for all!) She is so creative and thoughtful in her imagination, Her days always hold adventure.

What Happens When a 1-Year Old Gets Sugar...

2008-10-30T12:58:00.000-07:00

Sawyer got into his sister's coke-coke (Sprite) and this happened (sorry it is so dark)...I can't wait to see what happens after all the Halloween candy.

Believing God

2008-10-25T19:44:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I just have to give God some glory tonight because He is good. He is good all the time but today was fun because I'm in the middle of a Beth Moore bible study called 'Believing God' and through the study I have been trying to turn over my money worries to Him and believe Him for His provision. So, when I walk into Old Navy today I get one of their give-a-way coupons and it was for...$50 dollars! I was so excited, so Sawyer and I had a little shopping spree today and we got some cute deals and at the end of the day I ended up with a bag full of clothes for nothing. Thank you God and Old Navy! Hope that you are each blessed today with a little touch of God, Believe Him because He does great things in our lives everyday.

A Perfect Fall Day

2008-10-18T19:02:00.001-07:00

Today couldn't have been sweeter for Sidney and Sawyer. We went to the AU Equestrian meet this morning and Sid got to ride a full size horse which she was a natural at of course. There were horses all over the place, at one point we were like surrounded on all sides, my little girl's dream. Then we were off to the pumpkin patch to pick out that perfect one. The kids had fun picking through the pumpkins, petting the farm animals, and of course riding the 'Thomas' train (Mommy had fun on that one too although it was a little jiggly).

Home and Healthy

2008-10-16T13:45:00.000-07:00

After a week long trip to Nashville and some tummy trouble, the Crim family is home again and all healthy, praise God! It is amazing how good it feels to be back to 'normal' and into our routines again. Last night we spent some time just playing outside in the front yard and enjoying this beautiful fall weather. We are trying to take time to soak up all that the kids are doing now, they are both just growing up so fast! Here's to more fall days in the sunshine!

Happy Birthday to My Two Favorite Boys

2008-09-26T21:04:00.001-07:00

(Sorry for the double slideshow, I can't figure out why there are two of them , Help!)

This week we celebrated Sawyer's 1st Birthday and Sammy's 30th. This is truly a blessed season of our lives. I love all that Sawyer is doing now...exploring everything, walking around all wobbly, cackling loudly at all my silly faces, waving bye-bye, uttering his first semblance of words, getting into mischief, and loving on his family. And, I just plain love my husband. I am so thankful to God for the blessing of both my kids and my Sammy. Thank all of you for the birthday gifts, wishes, and prayers. We had a great time celebrating with you all!

I Love Food...

2008-09-17T20:06:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has met Sawyer knows that he loves some food. He has now transitioned from baby food to anything that he can pick up and put in his mouth, his latest love is lasagna. Some of his other favorites include toilet paper (seriously he will take like a whole bite out of it), puzzle pieces, Memory cards, books, crayons, stickers, and animal crackers.

Here is a picture of Sawyer from the Fall Festival. The kids had fun in all the craziness and Sid came home with a plastic whistle that makes beautiful music, whenever she plays it all the dogs in the neighborhood start howling. But, she loves it and that is all that matters, right. Now where are those earplugs...

Oh to be a Kid again...

2008-09-15T12:02:00.000-07:00

One of the best things about being a Mom is being able to watch your kids experience life to its fullest. They aren't worried about what they look like or how messy they might get, they just live for the moment. Today in the middle of the rain, Sidney, Sawyer and I decided to play outside and get a little wet. We had the best time just soaking up life along with a little water.

Sawyer is Walking, sort of...

2008-09-04T13:47:00.001-07:00

Here is some video of Sawyer and his walking skills. He hasn't quite mastered the elegance or grace of walking, but he has the basic steps down, well sort of.

War Eagle!

2008-08-30T19:44:00.001-07:00

War Eagle to all our Auburn Tigers out there!

I Like Big Butts and I Cannot Lie...

2008-08-30T19:38:00.001-07:00

It is official, my son has a big booty. Today we graduated into size 5 diapers and they are huge. Considering Sawyer isn't even 1 yet we are in for trouble, he may outgrow diapers before he is 2 and be the first toddler to wear Depends. Gotta love those thighs!

Rainy Days

2008-08-25T18:54:00.001-07:00

With all this rain that we have been having, the kids and I have been spending a lot of time indoors. This makes for some creative playtime. Here are some pictures of our indoor fun. I'm thankful for the rain but I'm going a bit stir-crazy as well, bring on the sunshine! This one is of Sawyer munching on his favorite snack, crayons. Love the waxy goodness.

Here is Sid washing her hair with hand soap, her hair still smells like vanilla.

Sawyer playing with Sidney's doll, shhh... don't tell Daddy.

This is Sid's favorite new thing to do, hide under her covers. She loves to play in her hidden undercover world and wait for Mommy to come find her.

Fire!

2008-08-20T19:40:00.001-07:00

Tonight was one of the funniest and most embarrasing moments of my life. While our church was holding an important meeting I was out in the lobby with Sid, she had gotten upset in the toddler room so I was trying to entertain her. Well, turns out she was the one who did the entertaining...while I was reading up on announcements at the information desk, I turn around and notice that the fire alarm had been pulled by none other than my daughter. While my mind was racing as to what to do next the alarms started sounding and the lights flashed all through the building while a woman's voice was saying 'Please proceed out of the building' Needless to say the next few moments were chaos, babies screaming in the nursery, people leaving the meeting, you can imagine. And all the while my sweet, innocent child is in my arms not aware that she was the one who started all of this. As we were leaving the church, the fire department was arriving. At least the kids got a chance to see a real life fire engine. I can't stop laughing about it all. I think we are in for a lot with this girl. I can't wait to see what adventures she will bring to our lives.

Potty Time

2008-08-13T19:01:00.000-07:00

I will spare you any pictures with this post but I wanted to report that Sidney received 8 potty stickers today! We are so excited about her progress. She is working toward the goal of 20 stickers when she will get a toy horse that she fell in love with at Target, yes, I am bribing my child but it works. Here's to all you Mom's and Dad's out there who have gone through potty trainng and seen the other side. These are dirty days but I'm hoping that they will lead to some more clean ones ahead.

New Bed!

2008-08-10T18:08:00.000-07:00

I don't know which is sweeter, the moment my kids wake up in the morning or the moment that they go to sleep at night. Sidney's goodnights got sweeter for her this weekend as she transitioned into her first big bed. She loves it! We found this cute headboard at a garage sale and painted it pink and put her name on it then she found these horse decals that she has put all around her room. We are waiting on her horse sheets to arrive in the mail, she wants to check for them like 10 times a day.

In Sawyer news, he is cutting like 3 teeth right now plus has a cold so he is just a mess. He is so close to walking, everytime he stands up I'm just waiting for him to take a step.

A long vacation...

2008-08-06T13:16:00.000-07:00

My Grandma with her two great-granddaughters, Sidney and Addie.

My Dad and I got to see Sheryl Crow and James Blount in concert in Nashville, a real treat!

Sammy and I at the Grand Canyon

The fountains at the Bellagio in Vegas, so fun!

The Grand Canyon in all its beauty

We are back in town after being gone for two weeks at my parent's house. We joined our family in celebrating my Grandma's 100th birthday, it isn't officially until October but we are celebrating early. Sidney got to meet her cousin, Addie, who is from Colorado and they enjoyed playing and fighting together as 2-year olds do. Then we left the kids with my parents and Sammy and I skirted away to Vegas. We had a great time, lost some money, saw some shows, did some shopping, and mostly just enjoyed being on our schedule. While we were there we took a day trip to the Grand Canyon and fell in love with it, breathtaking to say the least. What an incredible creator that we have! I've posted a couple of pictures from our journey. Thanks to my parents who made it possible!

I Love...

2008-07-18T18:34:00.000-07:00

Sidney loves to love things. The other day in the car she looked at me and said 'I Love People'. The past few days she has proclaimed her love to horses, books, hippos, ice cream, Sawyer, Mommy, Daddy, and Jesus. The only thing she has come across that she doesn't like is turkeys, we saw a picture of one in a book and she said, 'I don't like turkeys.' I must admit, they are a little funny looking. Here are some pictures of Sid and Sawyer doing things that they love...

Sidney loves to paint, notice that she is getting just as much on her as on the paper.

As you might know from looking at him, Sawyer loves to eat. My little boy weighs in at a whopping 24 lbs, 12 oz at 10 months. Whew, I'm afraid of the amount he is going to put away when he gets all his teeth in.

Letters and Numbers

2008-07-13T19:28:00.000-07:00

So, we are practicing our letters and numbers with Sidney a lot now and teaching her how to spell her name. She can identify all of the alphabet and count to 10 but she adds her own Sidney style. Her favorite letter is 'A' and so everything that we spell starts with an 'A', don't tell her but so does 'Sidney'. As for her numbers, for some reason she doesn't like '7'. She skips it everytime, 1,2,3,4,5,6,8,9,10. Sammy's softball number is '7' but she insists that it is an 8. Hilarious!

A busy week...

2008-07-11T19:26:00.001-07:00

We've had a busy past week with Sidney's Aunt Jac-Jac in town. Lots of family time and fun.

Firework watching at Auburn's annual show. The fireworks were gorgeous especially the pastel ones at the end. There was also plenty of natural fireworks as well as a summer storm brought lightening and thunder along with the show. Thanks to the Galimore's for this choo-choo fun. We had a great time at the birthday party!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

2008-07-03T12:34:00.000-07:00

There is no better place to be on a summer's evening then at the ballpark. The smells, the dirt, and the sweet voice of Sidney yelling for her Daddy.

Sidney and her Grandma having fun watching the ballgame.

Our future ballplayer with his Daddy.

Playground fun, yee-haw!

Weekend Fun

2008-06-29T18:37:00.000-07:00

These are some pictures of Sid pushing her horse in the swing and cooking us up some letters, some of her favorite activities recently. I love watching her imagination at work. She always has the most interesting things to do and keeps us all on our toes.

Transitions

2008-06-26T19:35:00.000-07:00

It has been a hard parenting week for us here at the Crim household. We are having to actually be parents and make some hard transitions. For Sidney, she has had to give up her paci ( I know, I am THAT parent whose 2 year old still has one). It has been her longtime confidant and friend so it has been rough at times for her to release it to her special box every morning, she gives it this long look and then looks at me. You can see the inner struggle going on in her head, but after some consideration she usually gives it up and then cries, 'My paci' in this sad voice. But I am so proud of her for letting it go. Then tonight we are starting Sawyer on the 'crying it out' method of sleeping in the crib. He is 9 months old and has probably slept through the night in his crib once, I know again I am THAT parent. But it is time for him and me to get a full night's sleep, although I'm guessing that it won't be tonight.

Through all of this it is amazing what the Lord has revealed to me. So many times we hear that the Lord puts us through change and challenges to help us, to grow us into the person that He has created us to be, but when you actually act it out for your children it makes it so real. Yes, change is hard, yes there will be tears, but there is such reward on the other side. And though I am hating forcing these changes on my kids I know that they are necessary steps in their growth as children just as when we face challenges in our own lives the Lord hates it when we cry and are in pain, but often it is these times in our lives that grow us into the people that He has created us to be. And in it all, the bad stuff, the good stuff He is here with us holding onto us and loving us, just as we love our children through change.

A Walk on the Wild Side

2008-06-22T19:45:00.000-07:00

Well we've added a new vehicle to our entourage, a sleek silver Suzuki motorcycle. We are excited to feel the wind in our hair and feel young and reckless if only for a little while before coming back to the kids and the minivan lifestyle. Now we only have to learn how to ride the thing...so watch out for us on the road.

It's Summertime

2008-06-21T14:53:00.000-07:00

It is definitely summertime here, it is HOT! Sid and Sawyer have found the best way to beat the heat this year, popsicles! Yum! The best are these miniture ones, the perfect size for little hands. They are messy though, so if you see my kids around this summer they will probably have blue, red, or green tongues from these tasty treats. Hope you find a way to stay cool!

Our Trip to Washington

2008-06-16T12:09:00.000-07:00

The kids and I set off on an adventure to Washington to see my brother and his wife. The kids had their first big airplane ride which went better than expected. Except for the challenge of changing diapers in an airplane bathroom, the flight went off without a hitch thanks to my Mother's help and Strawberry Shortcake DVDs. Washington was gorgeous to say the least, our house was right on the coastline and we saw a whale, sea lions, and bald eagles from our back porch, incredible! It was great to spend time with my brother and sister-in-law and the good-byes were hard on the heart. Hope you enjoy the pictures, my brother is a photographer and took some really great ones of the kids.

On the Move

2008-06-01T19:14:00.000-07:00

Sawyer is officially on the move now. This past weeked he put those big thighs to work for him and has begun crawling. Although his favorite thing to do is try and pull up on things (he loves either his Mom or Dad) and try to walk. It is way too early for this in my mind and I'm beginning to think that I'm in for trouble with this one...

Cooking with Sid

2008-05-27T19:01:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend. We enjoyed spending some time at home, doing a little shopping, and eating some ribs off the grill. Today we spent some time at the gym, at the pool, and in the kitchen. I thought that it would be fun to make real chocolate chip cookies with Sidney, you know the kind that don't come in a 12-pack which is what my family is used to. I actually have flour in my pantry right now which is a shock for those who know how much I am not the cook. But, we had a great time and Sidney loved to help stir and lick the bowl. Don't we all :)

7 Years!

2008-05-22T12:23:00.000-07:00

On Monday, we celebrated our 7th anniversary. We took the kids out to Kiesel Park and showed them where Mommy and Daddy got married. I was a bit sentimental, it has been a great 7 years. Sid didn't care so much, she just wanted to see the goldfish in the pond.

Pony Rides!

2008-05-22T12:02:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday Sidney had her very first pony ride. It was such a blessing because right now she is loving some horses. The morning began when I found $5 in my pocket leftover from last summer, magic money. Then we went out to find some treasures and came upon the pony rides which were exactly $5 dollars. As you can tell from the pictures, she was in heaven. It was a moment that the Lord had designed for Sidney and it blessed my heart to get to watch it.