If you don't believe...you don't receive!

A few days ago I took Livi to see Santa. I wasn't sure where she was on the "belief" scale and quite honestly I think this is the last year. She has had a few kids in her class tell her that Santa isn't real (muzzle your kids people!) and she has had some pretty interesting questions about the logistics of present delivering and how that all works...many of the questions I was not able to answer and simply gave the "Santa is magic" speech. The bottom line is this...I am not ready for the year when no one believes! I am so sad that this could be the end. We have so many awesome memories of "Santa".

Every year we get more and more elaborate with our Christmas morning reindeer "ritual". The first couple of years it was a few pieces of straw on the deck and a note from Santa, then we went to straw throughout the entire first floor. Then Aaron decided that the reindeers would want to check on the girls while they were sleeping and the straw suddenly was throughout the entire house leading to each of their bedrooms. Now, we all know how quickly the house gets destroyed when kids are opening presents...the last thing you want to do is also clean up straw which inevitably clogs the vacuum. The straw became old news so Aaron decided that the reindeers needed to have some bowel problems on the deck. And so yes, Aaron gathered dog excrement and placed it in strategic piles leaving a note apologizing for the mess to the girls. (trust me, the girls were not the ones to clean it up!)...he even gave an explanation for the accident as the reindeers having too much fudge in Idaho. :) I am not sure what this year will bring...actually I am a little frightened!

We have had so much fun with the magic of Christmas that it will break my heart to have that chapter of our lives complete. We continue to tell the girls "If you don't believe...you don't receive!" This seems to be working so far. I look at these pics of my screaming baby and now, a blink of an eye later, my 8 year old climbing on Santa's lap shyly telling him she wants a Barbie. Where does the time go?

Happy 11th Birthday Jordan!

Today is Jordan's 11th birthday! I can't believe that she is growing up so fast. I remember like it was yesterday, the day (early morning) that she came into this world. She flew into this world with barely a push and has been an energetic little girl ever since...so full of life! Jordan does everything well. She excels in sports, gets good grades, has a ton of friends and has a wonderful personality. She has a laugh that is contagious and a presence that will light up a room. Her volleyball coaches this past season said that Jordan is the life of the team. When she isn't there you can really feel it. They often remarked that they loved when she was on the bench because she would keep them entertained. When she was on the court she would smile throughout the whole game.

Jordan is my buddy. I often say that she keeps me on my toes. She knows where I am supposed to be, what I am supposed to be doing, where my keys are, where my purse is, etc. She loves to be with me! It doesn't matter if I am going to the grocery store or raking leaves she wants to be right along side of me. Hopefully this will last for for a few more years! I often joke that she breastfed WAY too long because she is attached to me like no other.

And so Happy Birthday to my sweet Jordan Yvonne...you are a blessing and a huge joy in my life. I love you so much and love being your Mom. XOXXO

PS Just to document some favorites of yours on your 11th birthday:

Favorite Color: Green! Everything GREEN!

Favorite Number: 5, of course

Favorite Bible Verse: Romans 8:31...you love this and want it painted in your room!

Favorite Food: Chicken Enchiladas

Best Friends: Sarah, Tori, Bug, Lexie, and Kylie

Favorite Collection: Anything with a "J" on it or a soccer ball.

LOVE YOU "J".....

Happy Birthday Aaron!

38 years ago today a baby boy was born to Bob and Carol Crowell. They described him looking like a "plucked chicken"....how sweet! From what I have been told he was always a great kid and exceled at whatever he put his mind to. He was sensitive but strong, gentle yet tough. His big claim to fame as a toddler was that he broke a Tonka Truck that was supposed to be indestructible. He also broke a kitchen table, light fixtures and put many holes in walls...most of which were due to his love of tae kwon do. His rough exterior was matched by his gentle heart. As a small child he was deeply affectionate and was able to penetrate the heart of his tough grandpa who learned affection from his grandson. There are a thousand amazing stories about this great person that I am lucky enough to call my husband. And so in celebration of his birthday I have compiled a top 10 list of why I love Aaron:

1. His family ALWAYS comes first: When it comes to our family we all know that we are #1 and that he would do anything for us. He would move heaven and earth for us and give up anything for our protection and happiness.

2. He is FUNNY: He makes me laugh every single day whether it is a sarcastic text or quick comeback he cracks me up.

3. Kids LOVE him: Aaron is like a magnet for children. It doesn't matter where we go by the end of the outing he has several children hanging on him begging him to play some more. We volunteer at a Women's Shelter and the little boys light up when they see him walk through the door. Most of these children do not have a father in their lives and Aaron, if even for a short time, fills that void for them.

4. OLD people love him: Even old people love him! His grandma is in a nursing home and there is a woman that sits next to his grandma. This woman never speaks and looks like she is sleeping most of the time. A few months ago when we were all visiting, this woman looked at Aaron and loudly asked him to give her a kiss. We all cracked up but Aaron with his sweet dispostion, leaned over and kissed this woman who was puckered up (he went for the forehead! :)

5. He is a man of GOD: Aaron is a perfect example of a Christian Man. He is constantly searching for truth and looking for ways to deepen his faith. He often meets at the crack of dawn on Saturday mornings for a bible study and surrounds himself with wonderful mentors as well as mentees. He has shown me what it means to be a Christian and I am forever grateful for his inspiration.

6. He lives with 5 WOMEN and he doesn't even complain: He is the perfect "girl dad". He has taught them to be tough and strong but always treats them like ladies. He takes them on dates, does book studies, checks their homework, reads to them at night, gets his toenails painted, hair "fixed", coaches their teams and even buys "feminine products". At times the drama gets claustrophobic but he is always there with only a few eye rolls.

7. He is a HARD WORKER: Aaron started a business when I was pregnant with the twins. Not an ideal time but he was determined to make it work. The business has had its share of ups and downs but he has always persevered and provided a wonderful life for his family. I can not even count the nights where he has worked through the night to get a proposal done or catch up during a busy time. He is a determined, ethical, hard working man and I am so proud of everything he has accomplished.

8. He is a great DANCER: We have so much fun everytime we go out. Whether it is a family wedding reception or out with friends you can always count on Aaron to steal the show. With his infamous splits and silly moves he is the life of the party.

9. He is a great HUSBAND: I know that he loves me every single day, deserved or not. He knows how to treat a woman and how to be a selfless mate. My favorite part of the day is when we climb into bed and get into our "spooning" position. We always joke that we fit together perfectly. This is probably why we have a hard time sleeping when we are apart. Now if we could only do something about the snoring it would truly be perfect! :)

10. I love Aaron because he is now 38 and we are the same AGE: He loves to tease about how much younger he is than me (even thogh we were born the same year!) but from October to February we are the SAME age. I love these few months! :)

And so HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my amazing husband. You are so many things to so many people and I am so thankful that God chose ME to be your wife and for YOU to be the father of my children. You are my greatest GIFT! I LOVE YOU!

PS. GO TIGERS!! Hopefully tonight will not be a repeat of your 21st birthday and the "5th down" game. :)

Olivia + Dancing + A Dumbbell = Another ER visit!

Yes, she has done it again. Two Sundays ago Olivia, Jordan and some friends were playing in the basement having a good ol' time. We were getting ready to have some people over so I was busily preparing upstairs when I heard a cry from Olivia. This usually isn't too alarming for parents since kids cry but Olivia does not cry. Ever! I wasn't able to clearly determine what exactly happened due to the differences in the eyewitness accounts. Actually I am still not clear as to what happened. All I know is that a dumbbell fell on her big toe and the nail was immediately blue. As the evening went on she was in more and more pain even after ice, ibuprofen, tylenol and elevating her foot. At 8:30pm I decided it was time to head to the ER. I was praying that our visit was better than the last one and that the doctor had some sort of decent bedside manner. In the triage area the nurse was great with Olivia and had her cracking up. So far so good. We went into a room rather quickly and the doctor told her she had to clean up her toe so she could get a good look. I saw an instrument on the bed that I knew was not for "cleaning" so I knew that a sneak attack was coming! She took the instrument and burned a hole through her nail! Blood was shooting out of her nail...all over the bed and all over the doctor! It looked like a geyser! It was incredible! Olivia was freaking out since she did not know that the intention was to let the blood out to relieve the pressure. After it stopped she felt immediately better. The doctor thought her toe was also broken and was surprised when the x-rays were negative. And so after a 3 hour visit and several episodes of Zack and Cody we were on our way home. I am hoping that October is a better month for Miss Liv. I also wish these things would have happened earlier in the year so we could have met our deductible a little sooner! :) I am again very thankful that we didn't name her Grace...we were sooooo close!

PS A huge shout out to Grammy and Papa for meeting me at the hospital to assist with Miss Liv. I wasn't sure how she would react so I called them for some backup! They had just arrived home after driving 12 hours and were already in bed but thankfully came up anyway. I know that Papa has some issues with blood so I was happy when he didn't faint! Love you guys!

Stitches for Liv...surprising huh?

We headed to my Dad's farm on Saturday of Labor Day weekend. The girls all brought friends and we planned an overnight camping trip complete with tents, swimming suits, s'more ingredients and blow up mattresses. We decided to go to Johnson Shut-Ins for the day which is a beautiful state park about a mile from the farm. It has beautiful rocks that are basically a natural waterslide. The day was going well until Olivia in all her grace had a run-in with a pointy rock!

The girls all hanging out at Johnson Shut-Ins. It was so beautiful so relaxing! The calm before the storm...

The day was going well with Daddy assisting Liv down the many rock slides. After this she started to get confident and asked Aaron to follow behind her. And that is when she stumbled and her knee went into a pointy rock which split her knee wide open. She was a little upset and was softly crying until Aaron yelled to me "We need to hurry, I think she needs stitches!" Well, panic set in and she was quite hysterical! Papa was quick on his feet and tore his shirt to make a bandage . The most endearing part of the day was when Olivia, through her many tears, said "Papa if that was your favorite shirt, I am sorry!"

Here we are at the Arcadia Hospital...Olivia even brought her Barbies to pass the time. :)

Here is the wound which wasn't very long but very deep!

This is Olivia at the hospital. She was cracking everybody up with her vibrant personality. Everyone kept commenting on how adorable she was. She was a little on edge and flinched at every sound with the anticipation of what was going to happen. She asked a lot of questions to the nurses who were very patient and kind. The doctor on the other hand was anything but patient and kind...ugh!!

My heart was breaking when I saw the fear in her eyes and the sheer panic when the doctor walked in. The doctor, a crabby woman, informed me that her ER was full and that they needed to get this done quickly. She approached her with NO bedside manner and basically just had us all (4 strong women!) hold her down. We were not prepared for her strength and the amount of adrenaline that was probably pouring through her veins because we had a very hard time holding her down. At one point she even kicked the doctor in the chest which added to the doctor's impatience! Olivia, who is the toughest kid I know, was traumatized by this event. And so after a week of stitches they were ready to come out. Instead of subjecting her to another round in a doctor's office, Mommy did the honors and took as much time as she needed (which was ALOT!). You were a trooper Livi Lou!XOXXO

Back to School!

Summer 09' is officially over and it is time to head back to school. Our family has a tradition of taking pics on the first day of school. I have told them that this tradition goes for college too and to not be surprised when they hear the knock on the dorm door! Here are a few pics from the first day (a few weeks ago!).

We love to humiliate our kids so here is a pic that Mr. Ensrude orchestrated (the one in the back). He thought it would be a good idea to get all of the middle school teachers together with the girls...I thought they might kill me after this!

The famous "standing on the porch" pose...classic!

Rachel looking excited to start 7th grade...not really!

Madison holding up 7 fingers for 7th grade...I made her do that!

Jordan on her first day of 5th grade.

Olivia starting 2nd grade. Look at her sisters in the background...I am sure they were praying that the photo shoot would be over soon!

Olivia and Dad. Olivia has the same teacher as last year, Mrs. Watkins who moved up to 2nd grade. Olivia thinks that Mrs. Watkins just liked her so much that she decided she would miss her too much if she wasn't her teacher. :)

Jordan and Mrs. Koenig. I knew that "J" was growing up when she cringed when we walked into her room. Now I am down to one child that isn't embarrassed by us!

Rachel and Mr. Brewster. He was Madison's homeroom teacher last year so he is looking forward to comparing the girls. He is hoping that Rachel doesn't talk as much as Madison who had her desk moved next to his due to her incessant talking. He said that if Rachel does talk alot that he will put a permanent nameplate the says "Crowell Family" on the desk.

Madison and Mrs "B". She is known as the tough one so we are hoping that she teaches Madison some organization and time management. Good luck!

And so off they went. I can honestly say that I missed them when they were gone. We had such a great summer and had so much fun. We made a ton of memories and shared many new experiences together that the house was awfully quiet when they were gone. I am sure I will get used to it though! :)

Summer 09' Finale at the Beach!

I am just catching up with the blog from the last few weeks. My computer had a virus and was out of commission for awhile...so here is how we ended our summer. We went to Gulf Shores the week before school with Grammy, Papa, David, Erin, Jack, Ryan and Rachel and Madi's friend Bri. Michael and Jessica weren't with us this year since they went with Jessica's family. (We now get them every other year...huge bummer! But next year we get them and the new baby! Posting to follow on the new Baby Killion due to arrive this winter!) This week is the best week of the year. Our biggest decision is whether or not to go to the beach or the pool first during the day. Real tough! We enjoy hanging out at the pool, chilling at the beach, reading, napping, snacking, laughing and just being together.

Here are a few of my favorite pics of the trip. This is always my favorite photo shoot of the year.

Olivia loves playing with Dad at the pool which includes many cheerleading poses as well as being tossed repeatedly in the air...the higher the better!

Days at the beach are exhausting! Daddy getting a workout!

Jack striking a pose "boy style"

How cute is he?

Jumping to Uncle Aaron Jack has NO fear!

Jack and Uncle Aaron having a moment :)

Livi Lou

Jordan Madi Rachel "J" and Dad

These are my favorite pics of the newly expanded Killion Family with the addition of Baby Ryan. We were so happy that he could join us at the beach. He is precious!

"The Boys minus Michael"...next year he will be with us.

Jordan took some pics of Aaron and I...she was quite the director!

Grammy and Papa

And so we got home Saturday evening and started school on Tuesday. What a great end to our AMAZING summer! Summer of 09' will go down as my favorite summer to date. :)