birthday wishes

Happy Birthday to my dad! We celebrated BIG with lots of chaos. First up was mexican food at an actual restaurant with all of our kids in tow. After only 2 spilt drinks, a basket of chips on the floor, good conversation, minimal whining and running around we gave the place a break and took the party to my house.

We let the kids run around in the rain until the lightning became too threatening. That meant ALL the children were left to run around INSIDE the remainder of the evening. We opted for a candle-less yogurt pie instead of cake for the sugar-less birthday boy (and yes, I know even that has sugar in it - but it's a lesser of two evils kind of thing). A melodic birthday song took place and chaos continued.

For his birthday present, we gave him the gift of appreciating silence.

happy father's day

Happy Father's Day! I asked my kids to come up with some things they love about their dad and this is what they came up with:

Taylor: Dad is fun, smart, hard-working. I really liked the time I got to go camping with you and the boy scouts in Bulldog Canyon.

Paige: Daddy is strong, smart, fun, silly and wonderful! My best memory is when we went bowling with Daddy at his work. (We met him at a casino in the city where he was working.)

Gabriel: I love it when he sings to me. I love it when Daddy takes me places with him - especially the store, where I get a cookie. [okay, he didn't say that exactly, but I know that's what he's thinking]

Thanks for being a wonderful Daddy to our children.
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A big shout out goes to my dad on this special day. When I was really little, I used to like to help Dad out in the yard. Sometimes, when I'm on a walk and I see those same flowers or plants, I remember those times, out in the yard, asking if I could work with my shirt off, too. :) Hope you're having a great time on vacation!

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I so appreciate the influence of fathers. Todd's dad, Craig, passed away shortly after we had celebrated our 1st anniversary. I didn't get to know him well, but I know how much Todd looks up to him. I see the example he was as a father through my dear hubby. Todd recalls his dad often coming home from work and seeking out each of his children to greet them and ask them about their day. He always felt loved by his dad.

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I can't leave out Todd's step-father, Don. I get to claim seniority as far as marrying into the family goes, but to our children, he is Grandpa, and they love him. During our Sunday dinners he always has a grandchild hanging on his arm or eating off his plate, and he's okay with that. As a jack of all trades, he's always willing to help any one of us on a project - no matter how long it takes to complete.

future pilot

I have no doubt that in one capacity or another, one day Taylor will be a pilot. He loves to learn about airplanes, the evolution of flight, and the few times he's gone up with his grandpa he has loved it.

His 5th grade class went on a field trip this week to the flight center. Every since the announcement of this field trip, Taylor has been full of excitement. When they asked for chaperones, Taylor knew he wanted to invite the expert to go along with him - his Grandpa Crosby.

They both had a great time. Grandpa got a kick out of seeing some of the kids struggle with keeping the horizon level in the simulators and then Taylor waiting until the instructor was out of sight to do the barrel rolls and attempt a landing on a dirt road. (Taylor says he would have made the landing just fine, but they ran out of time.)

Thanks Dad, for rearranging your schedule to hang with Taylor, ride the school bus, and eat a sack lunch. What a great memory for him!