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!