FUN Weekend!

Memorial Weekend 09' is complete and the Crowell household is still recovering. We are a tired bunch after our crazy busy weekend. We started the weekend with an impromptu dinner with our friends Phil and Heather Reichert. They are our 'go to' couple when we have a free evening or if we want to go on vacation. We plan an outing with them once a month but every once in a while can sneak in another. This is what happened Friday. Within an hour of deciding to go we were headed to Tony's..our favorite dinner spot. We always have a blast and can literally talk about ANYTHING...and we certainly do. And after a rousing game of "name that 80's song on Sirius radio" on the way home we called it a night. Saturday we had a BBQ at our house and enjoyed the company of some of our favorite people. We enjoyed a delicious meal, great conversation, dancing on the deck, and even a movie outside on a big ol' screen...someone gave Aaron the new Star Trek movie that is in theatres right now. Shhhh...don't tell. And although there were no "trekies" at the party, they enjoyed it none the less. Sunday we headed to the Malterer's and had a big ol' BBQ with our new Messiah family. All of the girls had at least one classmate there, so everyone had a blast. We have thoroughly enjoyed our first year at Messiah and have been amazed at how friendly and welcoming everyone has been. We can't wait for many more years in this wonderful community. After that we headed to the Reichert's house for swimming and more food. We always have a blast at their house and have a hard time leaving. Most of the time Aaron and Phil are snuggled on the couch sleeping as well as Jordan and Olivia. :) We finished the evening off with delicious homemade ice cream. Yum! Olivia caught some zzz's with Goliath. On Monday we headed to the Loop with the Martins and had lunch at Blueberry Hill. The girls always enjoy looking in the shops...hopefully we will not get hooked on piercings and tattoos though. :) And what holiday weekend would be complete without shopping? We finished off the weekend with a trip to the Galleria...swimsuit shopping and Cheesecake Factory...probably not a good combination. :) And so tonight (Tuesday) by 7:30 pm every Crowell was snoozing on the couch after a yummy pasta dinner. Some of us took just a nap while others (the twins) were in bed for the night! Summer is right around the corner...2 more days of school. Yippee!

Ryan Update

Well, Baby Ryan is amazing everyone with his progress. He is tolerating all the poking and prodding like a champ. We are even getting glimpses of some attitude peeking through. :) But the most amazing and exciting news of all is that yesterday he had a poopy diaper! The nurses were ecstatic especially since this wasn't to be expected for some time. The bowel is getting absorbed very fast and he might have surgery over the weekend or early next week if everything continues to stay on pace. He is doing remarkably well and is such a cute baby!

My last post I mentioned that Ryan had David's nose and Jack's mouth. Well, I thought about that and realized that I didn't give any credit to Erin...my adorable sister-in-law. So let me rephrase....Ryan has the Mattingly mouth (not sure if Erin has it.. but definitely her dad and brother).

While I am on the subject I just wanted to brag on my sister-in-law a bit...she is a fantastic mother and my nephews are the luckiest boys around(not to mention my brother)! She has been such a trooper during this pregnancy and fiercely protected and loved this precious baby. She has been such an inspiration to everyone in our family and has handled this challenge with such dignity and grace. My heart skips a beat when I think of the moment when Ryan is placed in her arms for the first time. It won't be long!

PS I took these pictures yesterday...he doesn't even flinch now. He is getting used to Aunt Jenn's camera...:)

PSS Another update: Ryan has now had the respirator removed as of tonight and is doing fantastic. He now gets to suck on a pacifier that every once in a while gets dipped in sugar water! Yum! This boy is making progress faster than I can update. Keep it up Baby Ryan!

Ryan Mattingly Killion

On May 14, 2009 our family welcomed with love Ryan Mattingly Killion into this world. At 11:10pm he let out a cry that was music to everyone's ears...since he was 5 weeks early we didn't know what to expect. We immediately began analyzing our little miracle and quickly determined that he had David's nose and Jack's mouth, beautiful dark hair and the biggest hands I have ever seen on a baby (possibly my gigantic hands?). He was absolutely precious!

We knew that his birth would be quite a roller coaster since at his 20 week ultrasound it was discovered that he had gastroschisis. This is a condition where the intestines form on the outside of his body. We knew that he would need to quickly head to surgery after delivery which is exactly what happened. At around 12:30am he was brought to surgery where they attempted to place the intestines back in his body. It was determined that there was too much on the outside so they are slowly going to insert them back inside over the next few weeks.

We are all so incredibly blessed that Ryan has tolerated everything so well. He is a fiesty little guy that will be wrestling with his big brother Jack in no time. Lucky for him, he has wonderful parents that adore him... not to mention grandparents, aunts and uncles, and 7 cousins that can't wait to get their hands on him. I do believe though that as his Godmother I should be pretty close to the top of that list. :) We LOVE you Ryan and pray for a speedy recovery. We will be counting the days until you can come home. We are so thankful that our tight circle just got a little bigger with the addition of YOU! :) Love, Aunt Jenn XOXXO

Happy 14th Anniversary to my Amazing Husband!!

On April 29th 1995 I married the most amazing person that I know. I truly had no idea what was in store for me and quite frankly walked down that aisle with blind faith. I could never have envisioned this life that we have created. A marriage that is so deeply rooted in love, respect and commitment...four incredible daughters that complete our lives...a crazy, lively, passionate home that is full of laughter and joy...and even the best dog in the world. If God ever touched my life it was when He lead me to YOU! Our true friendship turned into a beautiful romance that is still getting stronger every day.

Before you, I thought I knew what I needed in my life.

Before you, I thought I knew what it felt like to be loved.

Before you, I thought I knew what happiness was.

I didn't. I now know that love is a complete miracle, something that you can't create but something you must simply accept. I am so blessed to have found my miracle.

Thank you for cherishing me above anything else, for loving me when I don't deserve it and for making me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. Thank you for being my partner that I can wake up with every morning, the one who gets my jokes and shares my laughter and the one who consoles me when I am sad. Thank you for always taking care of us and being an incredible father to our daughters. You quite possibly are the perfect husband...:)

I am so blessed that God chose ME to share this life with YOU. I can't imagine what the next 14 years have in store for us but all that matters is that you are by my side. Thank you for always being my True Companion! I love you so much! JC

Jordan's 1st Cruise

Last week Jordan went on a cruise with Grammy and Papa to Mexico. She had an amazing time and the pictures definitely prove it. :) Some of the highlights of her trip were swimming and playing with dolphins, getting her hair braided in Cozumel, meeting friends, going down the huge slide that was on the boat (many times!), the towel creations that she found in her room every night, the kid's hot tub, karoake on stage with her new friends and of course the delicious food!

There were 200 kids between the ages of 9 and 11 on the boat! How crazy is that? Well Jordan was in heaven since she is an "on the go" kid. She never stops! So thanks to Grammy and Papa for making such an incredible memory in Jordan's life. I am sure she will never forget it. I wish all kids could have grandparents like you guys. My girls are sooooo LUCKY!

This was the longest I have ever been away from her so we were all so happy when she returned safe and sound. Especially Olivia who asked a thousand times if Jordan was on the Titanic. She was a nervous wreck! We missed you "J"!

Easter.09

Well, another holiday complete. Time to pick up all of the candy wrappers, new clothes tags and that dumb grass from all the baskets. Easter 09' is history. Did anything change in your heart this year? Or did you attend church for the first time since Christmas? Or not at all? Did the death and resurrection of Jesus even enter your thoughts yesterday? For many people it is a day to spend with family, Easter egg hunts, and delicious brunch...all wonderful things but temporary. How did you celebrate the most significant event in the history of the world? The sermon at church yesterday was one that I wish everyone could hear. It came from John 20:1-18. We didn't just rehash the same old story of the death, crucifixion and resurrection but made it relevant to our lives. Here is the basic message....keep in mind I am not a preacher :) Basically you can't talk about Easter without discussing death and disappointment. Mary Magdalene was deeply upset and disappointed at the death of her beloved friend. Her hope was in an earthly Jesus. When she went to the tomb and was found weeping, Jesus appeared to her and said "Whom are you seeking? and Why are you weeping?" He was basically telling her that her hope was placed in the wrong thing. Many times our hopes are put in the wrong things...careers, money, marriages, financial stability, friends, family, material things, even church. These things WILL disappoint us at some point. The road of life is riddled with disappointments until the resurrection is firmly rooted in our hearts. This is the only hope that is NEVER lost. The analogy at the end was instead of Jesus asking Mary Magdalene "Why are you weeping, Whom are you seeking?" ...he is asking YOU that! He is saying "I just died for you and then conquered death, why are YOU disappointed in your life?" Do not cling to the things of this Earth...they WILL disappoint you! Is the resurrection a STORY or a REALITY in your life that you put your ultimate hope in? And if you don't have that hope right now, open your heart, turn to Him, and ask Him...he will NOT disappoint you!!! And so that concludes Jenn's first sermon...:) Hope you enjoyed it! The girls and I are gearing up for a fun week...spring break! I can't wait to sleep in and not rush in the morning. Yippee! Jordan left for a cruise yesterday with Grammy and Papa and won't be back until Saturday. It is a very weird feeling to have her gone. I have been constantly looking for her. My brain thinks in terms of 4...not 3! The song that is playing now summarizes the message I was trying to convey....this song says it much better! Here are the lyrics: Artist: Tenth Avenue North Song: By Your Side Why are you striving these days Why are you trying to earn grace Why are you crying Let me lift up your face Just don't turn away Why are you looking for love Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough To where will you go child Tell me where will you run To where will you run And I'll be by your side Wherever you fall In the dead of night Whenever you call And please don't fight These hands that are holding you My hands are holding you Look at these hands and my side They swallowed the grave on that night When I drank the world's sin So I could carry you in And give you life I want to give you life Cause I, I love you I want you to know That I, I love you I'll never let you go

Livi's impressive first game!

Ok, Aaron and I have been preparing for Livi's soccer season and to be honest when we discuss it we are usually laughing at the mere thought of it. Livi is not very coordinated and falls rather frequently with no apparent obstacles in the way. So just imagining other players and a soccer ball and field conditions that aren't exactly stellar we knew that we were in for a treat. The morning started pretty rough with us picking her up from a friend's house after a sleepover and battling with her over her soccer socks. Socks and Olivia do not get along and after several failed attempts at finding the right placement of the toe stitching she stated she didn't even want to play soccer. Well, that didn't sit well with her father and an argument erupted. Luckily Aaron went into QT to get her a Gatorade and Momma made the peace negotiations. By the time Aaron came out of the store she was smiling and apologized for being crabby (one of my finer parenting moments!)

And so the game began and we held our breaths. She ran out on that field like she knew what she was doing. She even arranged the defense in the proper triangle position and showed people where to go. Aaron and I were cracking up at her leadership. She even threw the ball in a couple of times and threw it FAR! I didn't even know she knew how to do that. The best moment of the game came when her line of players came off to rest. Livi grabbed her Gatorade bottle, unscrewed the top and was just getting ready to take a drink when her coach said "Olivia, do need a break or do you want to go back in?" She put that bottle down and said "I'm going back in!" And so she ran back on that field huffing and puffing! We were so proud of her fight!

She only fell once which was a miracle in itself. She fell for no apparent reason but only one time. This might be a record! I am not sure whose child that was on the field that day but we will keep her. Liv, we want to publicly apologize for assuming that your soccer skills were not up to par. You have obviously been watching your older sister Jordan at her games. And all this time we thought you only paid attention to the nachos...shame on us! :)