Thanksgiving 2014

The youngest: Nolan (2) Luella (3) and NonaJane (2)

We took the Acadia on it's first big trip just 2 short days after purchasing it! We headed out on Monday evening towards Wisconsin, but decided to make a two day trip out of it and stopped in Iowa at a hotel. The kids had a blast swimming in the pool, we all enjoyed a good nights sleep and a pretty darn good complimentary breakfast.  We were able to make it to Mark and Katie's by 1:30 on Tuesday!  It was definitely a calmer Thanksgiving this year with no babies in the house. In fact, there weren't even any diapers in the house! All grandkids are potty trained, eating real food, and sleeping in big kid beds.  But no worries, baby Matthew will change that up for next Thanksgiving.

Clearly having a stressful day… not

Katie, as usual, cooked a delicious spread every day.  We had the classic Thanksgiving Feast on Wednesday, and enjoyed the leftovers on Thursday.  I think my favorite this year was actually the Turkey! It was super good!  We watched our usual "Christmas Vacation" and also managed to see "Home Alone" as well as "Elf". Jack refused to watch "Home Alone" because he doesn't like the part where the burglars go thru a string of injuries. Particularly the part where he steps on the nail.  I'll chalk it up to him having a tender heart.  But am thinking he went a little far with that one.  Anyways, as I'm sure you can tell, it was a very stressful few days :) There was a nice amount of alcohol, games, and laughter. (I can still only imagine the stress though of being a host to 8 adults and 8 kids for 3-4 days!) We continue to be so thankful to Mark and Katie for hosting Thanksgiving each year. I believe this was the 5th year?? All I know is that the entire Crabb family looks forward to Thanksgiving each year… in all honesty it just might be my favorite holiday.  What is better than the entire clan coming together, the simplicity of food, relaxation, and time together?
 

Family movie night. Nolan and NonaJane on the floor. Then from left to right is Adam, Me, Jack, Julie, Luella, Katie, Hudson, Mema, Henry, Ethan, Michael, and Everett

Things weren't always as calm in the "kid zone"

The miniatures table

Mark carving the turkey

Wisconsin had some beautiful snow fall while we were there, and the kids played outdoors twice a day.    I was excited that Jack and NonaJane got some time in the snow, seeing as we haven't had any yet back in Kansas.

Everett even got an honest to goodness STRIKE!

On Wednesday when Katie was in the midst of major cooking, we cleared the house out by taking half the household to see a movie, and the other half went bowling. We were part of the bowling crew. My parents and Everett chose to come with us, which I was pretty excited about. I haven't had much opportunity to have time with Everett, and he was excellent company!
We made the journey home on Friday, and it was pretty darn smooth sailing for a 9 1/2 hour trip! Would you believe that NonaJane wore big girl undies the whole car trip there, all week, and the whole trip home without a single incident.  I think she has got the real hang of it :)

snacking… always snacking… and drinking

Now if we could get her to stop playing with the straw and lid until her water spills all over her and she rides home in a soaking wet car seat...

Our Jack Jack

 A few weeks ago I was having a pretty upsetting/stressful day at work.  Then when I went to pick NonaJane up from the sitter.  I was told (and shown) how she had bitten the other little girl (sorry to throw you under the bus NJ, just telling the day how it was). Apparently Nona had become irate when the other little girl turned the TV off (as she had been told to do). But NonaJane doesn't always like to follow the rules, and her poor little explosion of frustration could only be managed by a flesh clinching bite. (At least I assume this must have been how she felt).  SO by the time I picked Jack up from school… I was feeling a little down.  We jumped in the car, and I unzipped his backpack to find this note
         "Jack is such a joy to have at Sonshine. He is a great friend to others" with a big smiley face adorning the note.

Translation "Baby Matthew, your family loves you"

This little note was a bright shining star on a day that had otherwise gone to hell in a hand-basket.  Jack has always had a way of doing that. He brightens the room, and you can always count on his tender heart and big brain to cheer you up anytime of the day.  I swear he tells me at least 10 times a day how much he loves me.  Lately he always follows it with "but I Love Jesus MORE".  Not sure if he was taught this at Sunday school, or at pre-school… but he now feels it necessary to clarify his level of love for me.  I smile and tell him "of course" but the terrible side of me is a tad bit jealous of Jesus :)  I hear Jack telling NonaJane daily that he loves her too. He hugs on her and includes her in his play. He tells me how excited he is for baby Matthew to be born (which he so cleverly spells as Mathu… can't really argue that now can you?)  Now don't get me wrong, Jack will occasionally hit NonaJane, he jumps on the couch, and attempts to sneak candy canes off the tree… but really, that's about the extent of it.  He has even jumped on board the parenting train and tried to help Adam and I out with rationalizing with Nona "Nona, you chose to ride in the cart with me, you have to sit down" or "Nona, you can't have your dessert because you didn't eat your oranges." It surprises me that he sticks his neck out there to reason with NonaJane, because it usually results in a rather large back lash from his sister "JACKKKKKK!!! I don't sit, EVER!" or "JACKKKKK NO!!!!!"  but he stays calm and will attempt to reason from a different angle "but if you don't sit you could fall," or "I didn't get my dessert either because I don't like oranges".

After Thanksgiving, Jack was very eager to write his Christmas list.  By eager, I should probably say he was having a mild anxiety attack.  He was panicked that he would change his mind, ask for something that he wouldn't really like, or that Santa would not put him on the nice list (which was simply crazy talk).   I think we had to have at least 3 heart to hearts that all would work out, that Santa would surely have him on the nice list, and that he had plenty of time to write and make changes to his Christmas list.  Well this zealous 5 year old little boy jumped on the computer, went to Toys R Us, and started internet shopping.  When he found a picture of a toy he liked, he would copy down the name of it onto his Christmas List.  In a word for word EXACT manner. Such as "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Movie Basic Action Figure Donatello".  Lord Help Santa Clause to bring him the exact item he asked for- because we all know he won't forget (and of course there are a million different teenage mutant ninja turtle action figures.) I asked Jack to confirm with me which picture was the one he wanted, he explained to me with all his wisdom that I really didn't need to worry about it. He would show me which one it is when Santa brings it for him!
 Jack's Hallmark pictures that he took in the Spring have also started popping up on the Hallmark website. Which has been really fun and exciting! Now I have to periodically check into the Hallmark website, because they don't notify you or anything.  Hopefully I haven't missed any!

Did I forget to mention...

Did I forget to mention we are having a BOY??  I think I did.  Minor detail.  We found out almost two weeks ago!  The discovery that our little baby is a BOY, was very exciting.  Yet, at the same time there was a small part of us that was a bit sad about knowing Nona will be the only little girl.  It was a feeling that is hard to explain. We were excited about a boy, but something about knowing Nona's little clothes won't be worn again, or that Nona won't have a little sister to grow up with, it just seemed very final.
  Adam seemed to be in shock for at least the first 24 hours before he settled into the idea that baby #3 is a boy.  He expressed it like this:
"Jack is my little buddy. He and I are going to do everything together.  I tell him all the time that he is my favorite little guy.  Now we will have to learn how to share that with another little boy." Adam just wasn't sure about how baby #3 might change his relationship with Jack.
Jack on the other hand… was nothing but ecstatic.  He told us "this is the BEST day of my life! I can't believe we are getting a BOY! Just what I wanted!"  Jack doesn't seem to have any reservations about sharing his life with another little guy.
NonaJane ran around the rooms saying "baby boy, baby boy, baby boy" so at least she knows what to expect.  However, pretty sure the whole thing is still abstract and weird to her.
I, on the other hand, was overwhelmed.  I was overwhelmed that the dream I had before I was even pregnant was coming true!  (A literal dream. The kind you have when you are asleep. Not just a hoping kind of dream). I had dreamt of our family of 5. There were three children, and the third little boy was already here.  So ever since I found out I was pregnant, I have thought and hoped that it would be as it was in my dream.  The best part??? The little guy already had his NAME in my dream as well (so I hope you are reading this Michael T Crabb and Mark Tyler Crabb)  …

Matthew T Schwatken

I figured I had better go ahead and share, as Jack and Nona are already calling him baby Matt.  Often times using his full name Matthew T.    The T (and his initials MT)  are in tribute to my brothers.  I loved growing up as baby #3, and I loved my big brothers.  So for me, this name is absolutely perfect.  To the MT's in my life,

Love you Michael and Mark.  

life just keeps on changing

One of the lovely meals I have made :).. yes I AM bragging. I can do that
It is MY blog after all!

Life has been changing around here again.  I guess that is to be expected… seems like things are always changing.  But the biggest change for us is that Adam is now working on a first shift job.  Meaning he works 7:00am to 3:00 pm instead of 2:00pm to 11:00pm like he has for the past 4 years.  Knowing this change was coming is what motivated me to jump on the "learn how to cook so you can be a good wife and mother" bandwagon.  Now we have family dinners at night! Like the kind where you sit around the dinner table and eat food together!  But it isn't as picture perfect as the movies (yet…) because we have to beg and bribe and yell at our children to get them to eat.  BUT… they ARE eating which in itself is a GIANT step forward.  I am a bit annoyed by how long it takes me to make dinner, and clean it up, only to have two mildly ungrateful children balk at it.  But, these are the sacrifices we make. Right???

NonaJane decided she would dress as a worker bee
for the day… ALL day

So Adam being home at night has its definite advantages. For example, when NonaJane gets out of bed for the 10th time-- I'm not alone.  When the kids fight about getting into the tub, and then complain about getting out of the tub (I mean really?? Why do I have to convince you to get IN AND convince you to get OUT??)  but the point is.. I'm NOT ALONE!  I so appreciate his presence at night.  However, after the children go to bed, Adam keeps sitting in my spot on the couch. Not cool.  I sit there, and I watch whatever I want on the TV.  So obviously there are some glitches and compromising that must take place.  But I'm sure we will work it out.
The early mornings aren't too bad at all either!! At least not for me.  I'm not the one who has to get up at 5:30  in the morning to go to work.  You would have to ask him how he feels about that one :)
So what other changes are occurring around here?? Well, our beautiful property is full of gorgeous colors and leaves.  The massive number of spiders seem to be dwindling (thank the lord) and Jack seems to be growing up overnight.  Would you believe he was picking dried worms up off the driveway? He also stomped on a grasshopper that NonaJane and I were trying to have a conversation with (No, I did not condone this. I was quite shocked and taken back by the unexpected squashing of our little friend. But I was equally amazed that my little boy who has never been much for the rough and dirty activities is finally starting to!)  Jack has also been hungry lately.  If you know him… this is a BIG change.  My little man has never been one for eating. It was more like punishment. But lately he has been asking for second servings!  He has also been eating dinner with us, and eating what WE eat! Even things like carrots, tomatoes, peppers, etc.!! Seriously!!

I found Willie the wildcat on our couch one morning… he had ripped
a hole in the screen and jumped thru the window!  Mischievous...

An update on NonaJane… well… NonaJane scares me a little.  She is bossier than ever, and sweeter than ever at the same time.  Kind of like a light switch, or one of those sweet and sour candies from the commercials.  For example, she may go ape crazy on you if you try to help her onto the potty.. but three minutes later she may be hugging on you and telling you how much she loves you.  She has developed her language to a point that we are now getting whole conversations, and she is using the potty like a champ.  By far the easiest potty training experience!  She stayed the night with her cousins at Mema and Papa's house this past weekend.  Mom reports that Nona would start singing "Twinkle twinkle" and if her cousin Luella tried to join in Nona would yell at her "You NO sing!"  So… obviously not the   most caring or generous of children.  Let's just all hope that she doesn't grow up to be a big meany. Okay? At least her adorable little face is deceiving enough.  We get comments all the time about what a "cute and sweet little girl" she is.  I smile and giggle on the inside.
As far as me. Well, I feel like I'm swelling like a blimp. I'm 22 weeks along and feel like 40.  But who's complaining (besides me obviously)?
I'm off to make some dinner now...

finally settling in

view of some fall color from our front porch

Our pond filled up!

We think the trees along the drive are going to turn red!

Nona and Luella at the pumpkin patch

It was a good day yesterday.  Maybe the first day since our move that I felt reassured that it was right.  It just felt like everything was finally coming together, or at least I was finally seeing thru the stress and chaos and recognizing all the good that were happening.
Moving was more stressful than I expected it to be. Not just the packing, cleaning, sorting, hauling, and unpacking.  That was really the easy part.  It was the adjusting.  The waking up in a new home.  Not knowing how many steps in the dark it took to get to the bathroom. The fumbling around in my daughter's room to find the light switch when she cried out for me at night.  The unfamiliar sounds, smells, and feel of a new home.  Not having a flow in the kitchen, a routine, or any sense or normalcy.  I wasn't expecting it to be so difficult. Perhaps I dreamed we would move in and I would immediately feel comfortable and cozy. But I didn't.  Nothing felt quite right.  The furniture seemed out of place, I couldn't find the perfect spot for all my things… and 8 gallons of paint alone was not enough to solve my discomfort. Even 1200 square feet of new carpet could not give me back my old home, my old sense of comfort and normalcy.  I missed my routines. Life seemed easier before the move.

That is Willie the wildcat peeking in on me thru
thru the sky-light in the bathroom.  Sneaky
little thing.

But while I was busy complaining about the work inside the home,  how giant spiders were taking over my world, and how nothing ever felt right…. good things were actually happening.

Since moving here Jack has started attending Sonshine pre-school in town.  He complains that he doesn't learn about space,  gravity, or all the novel ideas that he thought school would bring. He was disappointed that we sharpened all those pencils, placed them neatly in his pencil pouch, readied him for handwriting and math problems...and he never gets to use them.. but really he loves it.  They do creative arts and crafts everyday, they go on field trips, and he has new friends.  Apparently he has so many new friends that they bicker over who will get to sit by him. Luckily Jack hasn't really noticed this, but the other parents have started to comment toAdam and I about how much their kiddos talk about Jack.  He was even invited on his first 'date' by a sweetheart in his class (rumor has it she calls Jack her boyfriend :))

Jack exploring our backyard

Thru these friendships, I have made friendships.  These Moms are absolutely amazing.  Yesterday while Adam and I were at work, a fellow pre-school Mom volunteered to take Nona along with her as she chaperoned the  field trip to the fire station.  Then another Mom invited Jack to their house after school for a playdate.  Apparently on this play date my son (JACK) ate a dinner of sloppy joe's carrots and green beans.  They informed me that he ate great, and they had no idea he was a picky eater.  As I stood in shock, utter disbelief, Jack danced around me and talked in manic speed about his awesome day.  How he got to spray the fire hose at the fire station, how he ate green beans and carrots, and sang new songs at bible school.
While Jack is off having a blast at preschool, NonaJane has been spending her time at the new babysitter's house. Adam's co-workers wife, Meagan, has started babysitting for us during the week.  NonaJane loves her house so much that she rarely wants to leave to come home with me. She plays so hard with their daughter, Bella, that Nona normally falls asleep before we even make it out of town.  Nona gets excited and asks to go to Bella's house, and nothing makes my heart feel better then knowing that my kids are happy and excited about their new routines. Meagan has been so generous in sharing her home, and her time with my kids. She has been unbelievably flexible and laid back. So much so that I still can't get her to tell me how much she wants to be paid.  So I pay her on my own accord (which we all know can be dangerous with what a tightwad I am). So I pay her, and pray that she is not secretly hating me!

The leaves beginning to fall, and our pond full off in the distance (thanks to all those heavy rains!)

But as the night was coming to a close yesterday, I looked at my phone and saw a text inviting us for dinner and a movie Friday night at Meagan and Bella's house.  It all just hit me at once. I may no longer have neighbors that live next door. I may not be able to walk 20 feet to borrow an egg.  But, we are building a network of amazing friends in our new town.  New friends who are not only willing, but who volunteer to spend time with our kids, who invite us over, and who want to know us.  I'm thankful for this move. I'm thankful for our beautiful home and property, even if it did take me WAY out of my comfort zone.

NonaJane wearing my old shirt!

Nona, the potty, and a lesson on Garlic

Found this on the driveway (and i swear I had nothing to do with it). Just Jack being amazing...

Awkward 'selfie' of my new haircut and 18 week belly

What's new… I'm sitting here 18 weeks pregnant and not feeling much better than I did at 14 weeks.  It still feels like I am walking around with extra weight on my shoulders.  Or maybe like I'm walking thru sand.  Just a feeling of fog and fatigue that won't stinking go away!!



But enough about me.  What else has been happening around here???

Well NonaJane woke up like this at Grandma's house, and it started my day out with the most sincere belly laugh that I genuinely felt better for at least the next 48 hours.

images to prove that I'm not the only lazy one :)

but I do reinforce eating popcorn on the couch while watching "The Biggest Loser" on TV

Then NonaJane decided that she would like to now poop in the potty, and has done so with no thanks to me for the past week.  She simply informs me that she would like to go poop in the potty.  I labor myself with removing her clothing and assisting her up onto the potty. Then she takes it from there.  I'm hoping that she will take this 'self-driven' approach to peeing in the potty too. She already does quite often, but I'm just waiting for her to wake up one day and inform me that she does not want to wear her diaper anymore.  You may be laughing at me, but actually that's pretty much how Jack did it. And the way my laziness is going, that's probably how it will happen!  A stress free approach (and yes, I do realize how absolutely lucky and blessed I will be if both of my children potty train themselves in this manner).  I think the problem is that BOTH my children are very smart and have quite a bit of control over matters like this.  My point being, when  I ask them to NOT pee in their underwear, it is not really that motivating.  But when they tell ME that they would like to use the potty… well what do you know they CAN do it!!  I swear I fought with Jack for 3 months to get him to use the potty. Then, one day he woke up looked at me and said "I feel like a Big Boy now" and NEVER had another accident.  Seriously.  I was so over-the-moon excited about his 'light-switch' flip in abilities that I didn't really let it sink in until later that my child had totally just RULED that situation.  My power was futile :)

My kids reassuring me that another sibling is going to be GOOD :)

I didn't take any pictures of the food… 

so instead I filled in with pictures of my kids :)

THEN… (because I'm pregnant and I do weird things when I'm pregnant) I got this random urge to learn how to cook.  I, who have shown little to NO interest in cooking, have challenged myself to preparing at LEAST one new meal per week. (Like something REAL, with a recipe and all that jazz).  I started out with a shepherd's pie.  It called for 3 cloves of garlic to be boiled with the potatoes.  I purchased 3 BULBS of garlic under the impression that a BULB was a CLOVE.  Thankfully, I called my friend to ask her if I was supposed to peal the thing before I boiled it. Her angelic cooking skills saved me as she clearly informed me over the phone that YES I need to peel the bulb AND the individual cloves from inside.  She saved my potatoes from a likely death by garlic poisoning.  Anyhoo, the meal turned out great!  My second meal was a chicken penne pasta.  It was loaded with fresh spinach, some kind of cheese called neufchâtel (what the heck is the difference between that and cream cheese???)  and basil.  Things I have never used before when cooking.  Would you believe that the meal was AMAZING??? The 4 of us sat down, and my children (as in JACK AND NONA) ate their whole plate!! With spinach and tomatoes and all! I sat there in disbelief, like surely these are not my children.  My Jack, who doesn't like anything, is eating spinach? The high that I received that night, feeling like a successful mother who actually FED her kids a decent meal… well it was enough motivation to keep this cooking thing going.  In fact, right now I just finished some garlic rice (since I have enough garlic in the house to last awhile now…) and baked chicken is finishing in the oven :)  Perhaps I may turn out to be a better wife and mom than I thought!

The Notorious Jack Wilder is turning 5!

The Jack Man

 I should probably be napping.  The kids are both conked out in their beds, Adam is passed out on the couch with football on the TV… and I'm too busy paying bills and panicking about all our recent expenses to just relax!  Don't you hate when you pile a bunch of unnecessary expenses into one month? For us it has been 3 months of house renovations, leading into a rather large and over-the-top birthday party for our favorite little man (and the Big man in the house too).  So now we move into recovery mode (also known around here as "quit buying crap"! )

Some Adults enjoying a game of horseshoes (and some beer)

Anyhoo… the birthday party was pretty fantastic.  We had a nearly 90% turn out from our original invite list. Which I think is pretty impressive.  The bad news?  I'm really not that great at hosting. In fact, I rarely host anything at all.  All week leading up to the party I was stressing more and more realizing that nearly 60 people were coming to my house- and I wasn't sure I could pull it off.  We were working until the last minute finishing the party barn (we literally took it from a dusty old shed to a finished off space in the last week before the party).  I was working on the menu, shopping for the food, and racking my brain on how a person who does NOT cook was going to provide edible food for 60 people.  Thank GOODNESS other people in my family were willing to sacrifice their time to come and help me!   The morning of the party I was in tears over the stove as I was burning a quesadilla and my kids were dumping bowls of cheerios on the floor.  At that point I was convinced the entire day was going to be a disaster.  But my Mom, Dad and in-laws came to the rescue. Pealing the squashed play-doh off the counters and floor (that Jack and Nona had decided they should play with while I was frantically wrapping little smokies in crescent rolls to make their favorite pigs in a blanket).  I had a list of "To-Do's" a mile long, and felt like there was no good place to start.  But sure enough, step by step (and with a whole lot of help from others) the decorations got put out, the food all got made, the piñata was hung, the bounce house was erected, and the party begun.  Ready or not.

Relaxing and enjoying the party barn

 Turns out, we had absolutely PERFECT weather.  A cool 70 degree day, sunny, with a calming breeze.  The bounce house was a HUGE hit as it was occupied non-stop for the entire 24 hours that we had it out. (In fact, Adam, Jack, his cousins, and good friends the Corley's even SLEPT in the bounce house. Mainly because they were too lazy to put up their tents, and the bounce house was basically a giant tent. So what the heck?)  When the kids woke up in the morning, they just kept bouncing. NonaJane would only get out of the bounce house long enough to tattle that somebody made her mad. Then she would retort "I go Jump" and off she would go.  We even ended up renting a porta-potty for the event.  And honestly, it was the nicest porta-potty I've ever seen.  Super clean, even came supplied with hand sanitizer :)  I think the majority of the party goers didn't mind using it at all (I even chose to use it rather than hiking inside).  We figured with that many people, and being on a septic system that we had better be safe than sorry.  Plus,  we all know that I am pretty fanatical (paranoid, obsessive, particular, and annoying) about my carpet. It is brand new, and I don't let people where shoes in my house. So who would be monitoring all the people coming in and out to use the pot?? Too much stress for my little heart to handle.  But honestly, I think we will rent the porta-potty again anytime we have a large gathering, it was handy!

Gift time! So many kids you can't even find Jack in this picture :) If I was smarter I would do one of those cool arrows to point at his head for you. But I don't know how to do that. He is on Grandma's lap, just above Nona's head :)

Beginning to gather as we start the camp fire for S'mores

Of course there were a few who just couldn't part with the bounce house for long enough :)

Jack and Adam seemed to be on cloud 9 all day and night.  They loved the big turn out, they loved the excitement and mess.  Jack had been suffering from an asthma attack on Friday, and I was pretty nervous as to whether he would be able to handle the day- but come party time you wouldn't have known that the kid couldn't breathe.  My friends reported they noticed him occasionally laying down in the bounce house while the madness jumped and bounced around him. But by-golly he didn't miss a minute of it.  He received a table full of presents- definitely more presents than he has ever seen. (we generally don't do a lot of gifts. In fact, we didn't even buy him an actual present. I mean, we DID rent him a bounce house AND a porta-potty!)  Jack opened each gift with genuine excitement, and has been dying to play with them ever since.  After the presents we shuffled the kids right over to the piñata that Jack had so sweetly requested.  A cowboy boot stuffed with noise makers and bags of pretzels. I thought for sure the kids were going to be disappointed when bushels of candy didn't fall out- but not a single kid looked phased.  They grabbed their pretzels and commenced their annoying noise making immediately.

Getting ready for the night-Henry, Ethan, Jack, and Adam's empty spot

Madison, Emma, Dakota and Christian on the other side (8 in total, sleeping in a bounce house of dreams)

By the end of the night, there was not a single morsel of cake left (between the two that I made!)  the food was well picked over, and 5 gallons of lemonade had been consumed. I went to bed feeling strangely drunk, and decided it must have been the extreme fatigue and a release of stress. The party did in fact happen, and it seemed like everyone there did in fact have a fantastic time.  Adam is already talking about the "next time" and all I can think is… you're crazy!

The morning after… a bunch of hungover kiddos :)

I think Nona and I felt the same way...

Let's cure their exhaustion with some sugary donuts. 

7 happy kiddos, and one still in bed (how did Molly sleep thru all this?)