4 Years

Four years ago today, we started the day early. We had spent the previous day finishing up packing and loading all our belongings into PODS to be transported across Kansas and stored in Colorado. We got up early on Thursday, June 30, did a final vacuum of the house, and left our home in Gardner, Kansas for the last time.

We spent the day driving across Kansas (an exciting trip, in case you have never done it!) and preparing ourselves for a new start. We were so grateful to Jack's mom for flying out to help drive and entertain the girls during the trip. We arrived at Jack's parents house on the evening of June 30, 2005. Jack had to be in the office for his first day of work at ICat in Boulder the next day.

We have had many experiences since leaving Kansas. Sometimes it seems like we've been here forever, other times it seems like yesterday that we left our friends, home and activities there to 'come home' to Colorado.

When we first came to Colorado, we lived with Jack's parents for about 6 months. This was the time when we were house hunting and building our home here in Dacono. It was a great opportunity for the children to develop relationships with family that they hadn't seen much of!

In December of 2005, we moved into our home in Dacono. We had no neighbors at that time. We were actually the first house to have occupants on our street!



We got the pleasure of doing the landscaping on our back yard. This was a family affair, with Jack's dad doing a lot of work for us. We also had a fun 4th of July barbecue that year where we exchanged some manual labor for lunch!



We experienced the blizzard of 2006. There was so much snow, and we were snowed in for a long time! We're just glad we didn't lose power for too long. It did make us seriously consider getting a generator...


We were so excited to have a new child come to our family, especially after 10 weeks of bed rest before he arrived!

Joseph John Crews was born on May 21, 2007. He was born at 36 1/2 weeks, and we felt so blessed that he was healthy.





This home has been the site of exciting happenings like losing teeth, birthday parties and four Christmases.

We have also had two years of Rebecca going to school at Quest Academy, our neighborhood school.


We have enjoyed being able to spend time with family now that we are close enough to visit regularly.



Even though our lives are different from how they were while we lived in Kansas, there have been many fun and exciting things we have been a part of since we moved back to Colorado.

Sweetgrass Day

Saturday was a celebration marking 4 years since the first home was completed in our neighborhood. I think it was a great success. Our family had a great time at all the festivities.

First, we got up early so we could take a hot air balloon ride. You know, the kind where the hot air balloon is tethered down, so it can only go up about 20 feet. We were the second family in line, so we didn't have to wait long to be able to take our ride. And it's a good thing, too, because the wind picked up pretty quickly, and not many people were able to ride. Jack and Miriam went up first. Miriam sat on the floor of the basket and looked out the foot step hole. Then Rebecca and I went. We actually had to stay in the balloon for several minutes until the wind calmed down enough for us to get out. Joseph stayed with the Delaneys while we went because he was scared by the noise of the balloon when we were in line, so we knew he would not be happy in the basket!

After the balloon rides, there was a pancake breakfast at the park. The food was good and the kids had fun playing after breakfast. Then we took a break and went to a Primary activity at the church. After that, we came home and went right over to the games and activities going on at the park. There was face painting, which the kids went right to. Even Joseph climbed up in a chair to get his face painted. I feel bad for the poor boy who painted his face. It was his first time painting anyone's face, and he got a squirmy 2-year-old!

Sparky the fire dog came out to visit with the kids and talk about fire safety. It is a remote control fire truck with a dog in it that the controller talks for. It is a great way to interact with the kids in a fun way. The kids were dancing around with the dog, too!

There was also a table where the kids could paint. I know this was a big hit with my kids. Miriam even painted a rock, but we discouraged that...

There were also other games for the kids to play and earn tickets to be entered in a drawing for a prize. Here is a funny game-- they had a stuffed mosquito they would drop down the pipe and you were supposed to try to swat it with your hand. It was actually pretty difficult to do! Rebecca did finally hit it, though!

There were also booths for different companies in the area and some craft booths. After the fair, there was a Mexican lunch served. All in all it was a great day and lots of fun!

Working from Home

Jack has been able to work from home for a little over two years now. It has been a blessing to us to have him home and with us so much. I know this won't last forever, so I am trying to be grateful for all the little advantages having him work from home brings. So here are the top 10 advantages to having Dad work from home.

10. We save on gas money since Jack isn't driving in to work every day.
9. We only need one vehicle, so when our car broke down, we didn't need to replace it.
8. I am able to go to the park or take the girls on a bike ride while Joseph is sleeping.
7. I can put a movie on for the girls and go to a doctor's appointment during nap time.
6. Jack is able to take breaks during the day and go to Parent-Teacher Conferences or school performances.
5. I can leave something cooking in the oven or on the stove when I get kids from school.
4. We eat lunch together every day.
3. Jack can listen to the kids' tell about their activities as soon as they get home.
2. We are able to visit about what's going on without even making a phone call.
1. Hugs and kisses throughout the day!

Even though Jack working at home makes the neighbors question whether he still lives here, we enjoy the benefits of having him work from home!

More of David & Monica

David and Monica came over for dinner last Thursday. It was nice to be able to visit with them one-on-one. Big family gatherings make it difficult to really talk, since the guests of honor are trying to give attention to everyone. I made sure to get a picture of David, Monica and Hunter together, since at the family picnic I didn't get a picture of them together.

Monica and I took the kids to play at the park for a while, and Jack and David talked about computer stuff. (I never know much more than that!)

A Wonderful Father

Jack is a wonderful father to our three children. Here is a tribute to him in pictures. I picked older pictures since I don't often get them out for other posts.
Jack is great about helping care for the children when they are sick. (That is Miriam with some crazy hair.)

Jack is a good sport. Notice the nice green skirt he let the girls put over his legs.

Jack takes care of our home. Here we had experimented with colors in our bathroom. A little too bright, I think!

Jack spends time with the kids doing things they enjoy. Here he is helping Rebecca with cupcakes.

Jack helps with trimming hair and other such fun tasks. He actually does pretty good!

Jack nearly always drives on our outings. After my struggles to stay awake across Wyoming, I appreciate that even more!

Jack has a strong testimony of the gospel and uses his Priesthood righteously to bless our family.

Here Jack is caring for our little Rebecca when she was sick with a fever.

Jack has been there and supported me through three pregnancies and deliveries, including one bout of bedrest and two C-Sections.

Jack takes care of all the "Some Assembly Required" projects.

What a great dad!

Flag Day Parade

I know Flag Day was on the 14th, but at church this morning there was an activity to celebrate Flag Day. They had a flag raising ceremony by the Boy Scouts, lunch and a presentation about the flag. But what the girls were excited about was having a parade through the church parking lot with their bikes decorated for Flag Day. All week they discussed how they were going to decorate their bikes. Mostly they did the decorating themselves, with just a few snags with balloons. Did you know they don't stay up in the air when you just blow them up (no helium)? And they tend to pop when they hit the garage floor. But besides that, things went well. Lots of fun.

Pouty Lip

Joseph has developed a talent for pouting. Whenever he is told no, has something taken away, or in any way feels wronged, his lower lip comes out and the pout starts. Admittedly, we have encouraged this because when he does it, he is so cute! It is hard to stop from laughing. Sometimes we even ask him if his pouty lip is going to come out.

I must say, he comes by this honestly. When Rebecca was born, she had a pouty lip, too. One of the first things done to brand-new babies is a nice heel prick to get a blood sample. Well, poor little Rebecca didn't like that too much so she pulled out her pouty lip. All the nurses thought she was so cute!

Sometimes life is rough and we all need some way to express it, right?

Big Sister

Rebecca is a great big sister. She is one of those children who is like a little mother. I appreciate her help and patience with her siblings. Here are a few examples of what a great big sister she is.

• Rebecca will frequently read stories to Miriam and Joseph. She is such a good little reader and loves to share her talent with them. The other day Rebecca even picked out books for Joseph at the library.
• Sunday night Rebecca brought Joseph upstairs and got his pajamas on him without being asked to. She just wanted to do it.
• Rebecca has also put Joseph to bed a few times!
• Today Rebecca and Miriam got out our Piano Wizard (a keyboard that hooks to the computer to help you learn how to play) and Rebecca was helping Miriam by being so patient and encouraging. "Great job, Miriam! I know next time you will get 90%!" I think she is more patient than I am at times!

I am so grateful for Rebecca, for her help and willingness to love and help her brother and sister. What a sweet girl!

When Will Uncle David be Here?

About a week and a half ago, Jack's mom called to let us know Jack's brother David and his family would be coming out from Chicago to visit. We would be doing a family picnic Monday, June 15th. The girls were very excited to see Uncle David, Aunt Monica and Hunter. They would ask me every day how long it would be until the picnic. The day finally arrived, and we all had a nice time visiting with the family.

For the kids, probably the most fun of the evening was breaking out the 8-pack of bubbles (although that might have been rivaled with playing in the old washing machine box). Most of the pictures I got were of the bubble adventures. David and Monica weren't sure if Hunter had ever seen bubbles before. He sure got a kick out of them. He was a ball of energy trying to get those bubbles.

I tried to get a picture of Joseph and Hunter together, and this was the closest I got. What can you expect with two 2-year-olds? Oh, and Hunter is just 2 1/2 months older than Joseph.

Joseph definitely has seen bubbles before. He likes to be able to blow the bubbles himself. He convinced Aunt Julie to hold the bottle of bubbles for him while he dipped the wand and blew bubbles. She had lots of patience... Joseph would bring the wand all the way to his lips, blow bubbles, lick his lips, dip the wand in the bottle and repeat about 100 times. After a while he had bubbles all down his chin and would blow bubbles from his mouth when he breathed, no wand required.

Since we only see David and Monica about once a year, there were family pictures to take. The main goal was to recreate this photo from June of 2007, when the three boys were just born.

Here is the most successful of the pictures taken. Those 2-year-olds are sure squirmy, and the kids are all two years bigger, so fitting in that chair wasn't easy!

Breakfast for...

Lunch? Dinner?

Tonight as I was putting dinner on the table, I realized that for breakfast we had frozen waffles, for lunch we had leftover french toast, and for dinner we were having pancakes. What variety! Now, I do occasionally serve breakfast foods for dinner. They are generally quick and easy, and the kids will eat them well. While Jack is out of town, I don't stress too much about what I make to eat. I let the kids pick most days. I just figure that it isn't worth the stress to cook a meal with hungry, cranky kids, then feed them and listen to them complain about the meal, and then have to clean up a big mess. Why bother? I don't even get to eat it hot, so no one will enjoy it! So this week the kids picked spaghetti, french toast, and pancakes, and one day I made baked potatoes. Now I know there are five days in a week, but the other meal must not have been too memorable.

Jack just got home, so I will be back to cooking real meals that adults enjoy. But in case you ever stop by for dinner when Jack is gone, you might want to call ahead or you will probably be eating breakfast for dinner!

Go Home, Violet!

A month or so ago, Jack, Miriam and I were eating lunch. Out of the blue, Miriam said to us,"If we had a dog, we wouldn't have to sweep the floor after lunch." I told her that I didn't mind sweeping the floor, because if we had a dog there would be other messes we would have to clean up. And so ensued a conversation about getting a pet. Next Miriam suggested a cat. I don't remember our argument against the cat, but she told us cats were okay because Katelyn has a cat. So Jack told her there were lots of birds that flew into our yard and landed on the fence. They could be her pet. She could even name them. Miriam told him that wouldn't work because the birds fly away. Well, what about the bunny? We have a bunny that hops through our yard, and seems to like living under our bush. No, Miriam informed us, that bunny lives in Katelyn's drain in her front yard. It is Katelyn's bunny. Katelyn named it Violet. Well, we finally convinced her that a pet rock would be great. She could pick out a rock and paint it after rest time. She forgot about it by the time rest time was over, so we are still a petless family.

Unfortunately, Violet doesn't understand what it means to belong to someone. She has been spotted many times in our front and back yards. She is an innocent-looking bunny, though, so I am sure she is not meaning to trespass. Maybe she just doesn't understand the purpose of the fence is to keep her out.

When we got home from our vacation, we noticed that we had a visitor in our garden. This visitor (whom I'm sure was Violet) dug a nice little cave in the side of our cucumber mound. Luckily Violet didn't do any damage to the cucumber plant. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the pumpkin plant. Do you notice the nice big pumpkin plant leaves that have come up? No? Well, Violet did. And she must have thought they were quite tasty. She didn't leave anything except the stems of the poor plants!

Now, I don't believe in going to extreme measures to keep animals out of the garden. We did displace them not too long ago from a nice field that was their home. Now it is a nice neighborhood! However, we have to draw the line somewhere! Jack suggested buying a BB gun to protect the garden. I laughed at his joke. (Even if he didn't realize it was a joke, I did!) We are planning on looking around the fence to see where the rocks are low enough to allow a bunny to squeeze in. And we discussed setting up some surveillance cameras... Maybe Violet can be reasoned with. Does she know there are some nice rose bushes in her own yard? Roses are an edible plant, you know...

Nature and Science Museum

Today was a free day at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. I love free days. Well, let me clarify. I love getting into the museum or zoo for free. I don't love all the crowds that come along with the free days. So I tried to get there right as the museum opened (we got there at 9:10-- not too bad!) and leave after a sack lunch. I figure the kids are worn out by then anyway. This morning Rebecca asked if we could stay until 5:00 tonight. She was the one most ready to go when we left at 12:30! Getting eaten by a dinosaur is always a good way to start the day!

Rebecca really wanted to go to the Mars exhibit and play in the dirt and water. The girls both really liked it, but Joseph wanted nothing to do with putting his hands in the mud.

Rebecca and Miriam wanted to take a picture by the gold. I think that is the biggest piece of gold they will ever be close to!

They had fun making music.

We went to the Discovery Center. Rebecca wanted to play the games.

Joseph liked playing with the brains. It took me a minute to figure out what was in front of him in this picture. It is a model of a human brain. He spent most of his time at the magnets.

Miriam liked the animals with the interchangeable body parts.

Rebecca also wanted to visit the mummies. She studied about Ancient Egypt in school last year.

Miriam requested a visit to the dinosaurs. Joseph ended up really liking them, too. There is one really long dinosaur spanning nearly the whole room. He kept looking up at it and pointing.

Finally, we visited the Native American Exhibit. Here the girls are next to the totem poles. Miriam asked me if this was the Tiki area (like the Tiki room at Disneyland). Several times she mentioned that these were Tiki things.

There is a model of a Native American Hogan in the museum. The kids liked playing in it. Joseph would go up to this poor tea kettle and put his mouth up to the spout. Then he would walk away smacking his lips. Mmmm. I hope there weren't too many other kids doing the same thing...

All in all, a fun day! The kids all fell asleep on the way home, so it must have been a success!