Birthday Celebrations

The Crews crew gathered on Friday night to celebrate Uncle's, CC's and Mimi's birthdays. With the high count of Crews' these days, it's nice to be able to combine birthday celebrations! We were so glad to see Cierra and to have her with us. The girls just love when Cierra comes to town....evidence below.

Samantha is getting big and loves to jump on the girls' trampoline. Here she is showing off :)

Sisters

CC to the rescue

Saturday morning 8:48am....phone rings to the sound bit of 3 little ones telling me to pick up the phone (CC, it's me Gabriela and me, Maya, and me, Isabela...pick up the phone). They recorded this voice bit a few months back.

CC: What's up? (thinking it's Ashley)
Gabriela: Um, CC, this is Gabriela
CC: Oh, hi Gabriela. What are you doing calling me so early?
Gabriela: Well, CC, Mommy is sleeping and she doesn't want to get up, but we're all up and we're STARVING! Can you please bring us some donuts?
CC: {I'm laughing hysterically because you should have heard her saying STARRRRRVVVVIING!} Sure, I can. Do you want the "usual"? (which, by the way, includes 1 dozen donut holes, one chocolate covered sprinkled glaze and one strawberry covered sprinkled glaze along with chocolate milk)
Gabriela: No, you can just bring us 4 glaze donuts. That's all.
CC: Just the plain glaze?
Gabriela: Yep, just the plain ones. Mama says the other ones are too expensive
CC: Ok, I'll get the plain glaze ones.
Gabriela: Ok, CC...but CC, you need to hurry. We really are starving!

After a 20 minute wait at Shipleys, CC was able to rescue the day and bring substance to the 3 beauties.

As it turned out, the girls all woke up very early this morning, went in to wake up Mommy, Mommy said it was way too early and to go figure out something until she got up.....apparently Gabriela did just that!

Lots of fun....

Never too big to play in the crib....never too old to have fun with all the baby toys....never enough fun at CC's house.

What happens at CC's house....stays at CC's house (unless, of course, she documents with pictures and posts on her blog!)

One year ago today....

Every now and then, I like to look back at my posts from the same date from the previous year. I just did and WOW! ....I can't get over how much the kiddos have grown! Enjoy the walk down memory lane.

1st Outing of 2008

I arrived at the Salazar home this morning to find 2 smiling, energetic faces waiting for me at the front door. Their cute little faces plastered to the glass with shouts of CC! CC! brought immediate joy to my heart. Maya & Isabela were more than ready to head out for our 2nd adventure in painting their own pottery. I hardly had a chance to even say hi to Ash, before they were pushing me out the door. We headed out to pick up Gabriela from her other grandparents' house, as she spent the night with them last night. We pull up to the drive and there she is - waiting at the front door, all cute and ready to go.

Of course, we had to review the "painting" rules...and surprisingly, they remembered. Don't touch anything. Point to what you need and CC will give it to you. Only paint on your piece of pottery. Do not paint on anyone else's piece or anyone else, for that matter. Do not paint on your clothes, hands, feet, face, shoes, etc....you do have to be specific, because if you're not, and they paint their leg, they'll just say - but CC, you didn't say we couldn't paint on our leg. Therefore, we basically recite every body part and that way we're covered :)

Gabriela chose to paint the letter "G" to hang on her wall, as well as a small heart for Valentine's Day. Maya followed suit with the letter "M", well actually it's a "W" but we just flipped it over and I doubt that anyone else will notice. She also painted a heart. Isabela did not follow the crowd and repeated stood her ground on the fact that she was going to paint another fishie. She painted a fish the last time, and she wanted another one to add to her collection.

Gabriela is quite good with her choice of colors - everything matching, working well together ~ even added in her own polka dots without any assistance. Isabela is very serious when she paints. She is so concentrated and doesn't make a sound. I believe she must have put at least 10 coats of paint on that tiny little fish, but hey ~ that's art! Now, Maya....I believe she was done after about 4 minutes of painting...and that's while she's been looking around at anything and everything else. So, I helped her finish her artwork up.

We pile into the van, only to be asked, so CC ~ where are we going for lunch? Granted it was lunch time, but I honestly wasn't planning on taking them out. However, those 3 cute little faces and sweet little voices begged me to take them to Jason's Deli. Gabriela told me that it wouldn't cost much, because they would all share the big fruit plate and who know, CC, that's good for us. Oh ok....man! When did she get so smart? For those of you who are familiar with Jason's Deli, one of the best things about it, is the free soft serve icecream....and yes, of course, we did partake in it.

While we were eating, Gabriela hugged my neck and said, "CC, do you know how much I love you?" I said, "I bet not as much as I love you!" "Oh, CC, I love you more more more more more" "I love you more more more more, Gabriela" Then Gabriela said, "CC, I love you so much I can't even find the words." And with that, my heart was full.

What better way to spend a Saturday!

Christmas Celebrations with the Crews clan....

We celebrated Christmas 3 times this year! Other than when I was traveling with the African Children's Choir (1995), this is only the 2nd time, we haven't all been able to be together on Christmas Day. We've been fortunate to have gone on for this long with being able to do that.

I've combined all the pictures from the 3 gatherings and put them on Picasa. Here is a link to the slideshow ~ enjoy!

View Album

Get your own

Good bye 2007....Hello 2008

It's been another wonderful year ~ being able to spend more time with all the little ones in my life...those close to home (Gabriela, Isabela, Maya & Samantha) and those we wish lived closer (Cierra & Bobby). We had 3 different Christmas celebrations this year ~ a first for the Crews clan ~ so I need to download all the pics and organize to add to the blog. (pics to be posted later)

I remain so thankful that I have been blessed with wonderful siblings, who allow me to share sweet time with their little ones and build deeper, love-filled relationships with each one of them. It has been a true joy to be a part of their every-day lives again this year, and I look forward to many more stories, moments, pictures, videos, laughter, besos and hugs in the new year to come. To Cierra, Bobby, Gabriela, Isabela, Maya & Samantha...I love each and every one of you, just for you who are. Thank you for loving me and Uncle. We love you soooooo much!

Happy New Year everybody! Don't forget to check back often...as I'm sure 2008 will bring many more postings to the blog :)

5 years old and already a cookie critic

A conversation with Isabela

Silly Maya and her cookies

Merry Christmas from Maya!

Merry Christmas from Isabela!

Merry Christmas from Gabriela!

This weekend with the girls....

3 girls and a pizza place....the girls love to watch the guys at Double Dave's throw the pizza.

Enjoying candy canes picked from our tree

Silly girls "working-in" all the stuffed animals in our nursery (not sure if you can see it or not...but all the girls are in the PJ's, red rain boots, wind breakers and un-brushed hair! Gotta love it :)


Merry Christmas from Uncle, CC, Gabriela, Isabela & Maya!

Isabela, Gabriela & Maya with Uncle

Maya, Gabriela & Isabela with CC

We all made our own Christmas cookies....according to Gabriela, they were the best cookies she's ever had! Yummy!

A must....after all the cookies!

Look, CC ~ all clean!

Yet another weekend filled with lifelong memories. CC loves you soooo much!

In case you ever wondered.....

if we really had a bragging spot in our house or not.......

I'm tired....

I'm back from watching the girls this weekend and boy am I tired. We had plenty of fun and I took lots of pictures....but....I am too tired to blog the stories or post the pics. So, I will have to do that tomorrow.



It's now time to enjoy a few hours of resting in my comfy bed with my hubby and pup, watching all the hours of TV I have recorded on my DVR, before starting another busy week at work.

Hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving weekend....my days off from work seemed to have flown by WAY too quickly.

Weekend with the girls

I'm just about ready to walk out the door to go over to the girls' house for the rest of the weekend. Ash & Ed are off to a wedding out of town, so CC & Uncle are watching them this weekend. We already have an agenda planned (thanks to Uncle & Gabriela) that includes: Christmas crafts, Christmas cookies, a Gingerbread House, movies and lots of laughter. It's going to be an inside day, as I have no desire to take 3 little ones out in the freezing rain today, much to their dismay!

Check back in a day or so to see pics and read the stories of what I'm sure is to be another memorable time.

By the way, I'm totally exhausted from all the Thanksgiving festivities, Christmas decorating and shopping yesterday.....my mom told me ~ ahhhhh....well, get used to it! I guess this weekend will prove just that.

Love to you all!

Gymnastic shots.....

Here are a few shots that I took of the girls last week ~ hanging out after their gymnastics' class.

Highlights of the Target disaster

A few weekends ago, while watching the girls, we treked out to Target. Needless to say, it was NOT an enjoyable experience (most of them are). In lieu of the long-drawn out re-inactment of the evening, I just thought I'd share some highlights....

1. Mistake # 1....allowing the girls to convince me to use the "fun" kid cart....you know the one I'm talking about....the one that looks like a car (or some other addition). Now, some of you might think ~ well, what's so wrong with that? Three kids....two seats....do the math!

2. Mistake # 2....actually believing the girls could rotate the seats nicely and not cause a fuss.

3. "Oh, look at that....3 little girls...how cute" Yeah! Real cute....NOT right now, they're not. You obviously haven't seen me giving the stern looks and repeatedly saying "no", "stop", "sit down", "be quiet", "hold it", "one more time", "Gabriela", "Isabela", "Maya", "we're out of here"......

4. Gabriela throwing a temper tantrum because I didn't let her take everything out of the cart and place it on the checkout belt.

5. All girls buckled up in the carseats and the van running but not moving. 1....2....3....4....5....6....7....8.....9.....10. Breathe, CC...breathe.

6. "Girls - I want you to sit still, do not move, do not make a sound...not one peep.....all the way home. Otherwise you will go straight to bed. Not one word. Sit there and be thinking about how you acted in Target.

7. Ahhhh....silence IS golden! I'm actually in shock that they are so quiet....they are still with me, right?! Check.....

8. Three girls file out of the car and sit on the couch. Isabela, then Gabriela, then Maya.

Conversation on the couch:

CC: Now, girls ~ What were you thinking about in the car? What do you want to say to CC?
~ silence ~ then I see a little hand raised.

CC: Yes, Isabela (I'm trying very hard not to laugh) What were you thinking about on the way home?

Isabela: "Well, CC, I was thinking.....I was thinking that I better be thinking of something!"

~ go ahead and laugh...that's what I did. I couldn't help it! It was just so darn cute.

CC: "Ok, Isabela, but what were you thinking about?"
Isabela: "Me no listen"
Gabriela chimes in: " That's right girls. We did NOT listen to CC. We were not acting right in Target and we know that we are supposed to listen to CC. CC likes to take us with her but if we keep acting like that, she will just stop. Isn't that right, CC?"
CC: "yes, that's right"
Isabela raises her hand again and once called upon says: "Me love you whole bunches, CC"
ooooohhhh man......
CC: "I love you too, Isabela"

After 3 apologies, 3 hugs and 3 I love yous.....all was right with the world again.

Now, I only share this story b/c I love those 3 little ones. Most times, I share all the good/positive stories, and for the most part they are. However, in all fairness to my sister, she of all people would love you to know that her 3 little angels are not perfect....and as much as we love them, they are challenging at times. While I am not a mother (yet!), I've had the privilege of being a big part of Gabriela, Isabela & Maya's lives. They have been my surrogate kiddos and have taught me so much about love , patience, and forgiveness. I am blessed to have such sweet and unconditional love from three beauties....and I sure do treasure the hugs, besos and "I love you's".