For Lori!

Congratulations on getting ready to become the mother of a little boy! I thought my friends and I could post some “good stuff” here for you to be better prepared!

1. Never underestimate the power of rocks, sticks, dirt, and mulch to entertain a boy for hours.
2. Invest in massive amounts of Oxi-Clean. It is hard to keep white socks.
3. Prepare to be peed on all the time and often. At first, the Pamper Swaddlers are the what you need (baby boys pee all out of most diapers but they seem to work the best—cinch um on), but after that the Parent’s Choice Diapers (the yellow packs) are great at Wal-Mart.
4. Know that despite all you misgivings about exposing them to toys guns….they will make them if you don’t have one around. James Dobson said it and I didn’t believe it at first.
5. One of the best toys for many boys is a puppy.
6. If you don’t want a puppy, a dump truck, sandbox/shovels, some water, or something he can drive will entertain him outdoors for an entire day. Our Powerwheels Jeep is truly one of our best investments.
7. Boys love to run: from you, with you, racing you, being chased, chasing others, around the house, wherever they go…that is just what the testosterone coursing through their veins makes them do.
8. Something great about boys: You really only need a couple shoes-some brown church shoes, tennis shoes, and some crocs.
9. Boys can destroy almost anything.
10. The best sippy cups are Playtex ones. Don’t waste your money on anything else. They lasts and are truly spill proof.
11. You will never get over the first time that little guy looks at you and in some strange way of his own says, "Mommy, you look BOOtiful in that yellya shirt."
12. It is perfectly normal that every time you change his diaper he wants to grab that little wienie...or whatever you call it. Jeb called his a wenis so we went with that!
13. Boys are nothing but FUN, are very funny, and are quite simple little creatures! They are less drama but quite messy. Save up all your energy, get some caffeine and you'll be ready!

Easter 09/Spring Break goings on...

Easter FUN!


Easter has traditionally been one of my favorite holidays for a few reasons:

1. It is what makes our faith a relationship and not a religion!
2. It is less stressful and less materialistic.
3. It is in SPRING! A hopeful season of the year!

Spring Break—we cleaned up around here, mulched, pressure washed, planted 3 hydrangeas, and 4 camelias around back! OOOOO I hope they live! We spent most of our week, however, in Atlanta.

Caleb is at the age where a change in schedule is a train wreck so he had a meltdown in the nursery (since we served he had no morning nap) and so then we were 45 mins late to Easter dinner since he HAD TO snooze a bit.

We had a good time at Jonas’s aunt Myrtie’s house. Jeb got to play on Bob’s newly restored International Harvester and got to ride his 4 W.



We had Easter with my family at our home. It was a fun event to host since everything was so green outdoors and we could hunt eggs around the place. We had some visitors here that were not family so that was a treat. Alana and Bradley got my prize eggs and they were thrilled with their treats. Jeanie made 2 cute bunny cakes and Uncle Dave and Uncle Randy were, well, look at the pictures. No alcohol was served at this event, just for the record because I am sure when you saw that picture you wondered it.

Firsts and Lasts for our family...

Firsts and Lasts for our family—

I was teary eyed when Caleb took his last bottle (see pic). He has grown up so fast. He seems much more of a baby then Jeb was at his age. He likes sippies and goes down easily so the transition is not that rough.

Caleb wants to now hold his bananas like big bro and eat them. I am so glad that messes don’t scare me.

Caleb enjoyed his first peep at the Atlanta Zoo. I love Peeps so this needed to be documented.

Easter, Caleb enjoyed his first crème marshmallow egg….I love candy…so again…this needed documentation.

This Easter was actually NOT freezing cold so the boys could wear some cute togs. Too bad all 8 outfits that I liked for Caleb swallowed him WHOLE. So we went with something old, oh well, he could have worn a burlap sack and looked cute in my opinion. I will do an Easter post next!

Cay rode the Patty for the first time. Jeb did some solo riding down to the creek, which was fun and tense too ( I am always tense with the horses out...I don't know if I will ever loosen up around such monstrous animals).

I am glad that the semester is winding down and am dealing with all the USUAL students that realize the last week of the semester that they just might fail. Where have they been? Why do they think that I am going to give them "extra credit" when they have not done JACK all semester, have turned in work late, have not participated in discussions, failed quizzes, and did not generally give a flip about class? They are out of their mind??? I think more high school teachers (if you are one listen up) need to let kids reap some consequences of their choices. I know why they don't though, PARENTS, ....so if you are a parent you need to let your children reap some consequences of their choices--BACK OFF and let them fail! Believe it or not, it may be the best thing you ever did for them. Well, that is my rant today...I go through this every semester and it just gets so old.

Caleb's Puppy Party--1st Bday

We had so much fun celebrating Caleb's day with our family and a couple friends.

Caleb stomped for the folks that were left at the end of the party, which was a hoot...he looks like he's clogging. It is one of his "tricks"--he can do a good "snotty nose" snort, dance, the Indian of course, he hammers everything (must be in the Crooks genes),yell- "out doggy," say scat cat (where does he get these things? hee hee), he smiles and waves at most strangers and says "hey", he has almost mastered telling his brother to STOP with his hand out! He can also hit--a newer trick he is perfecting.

The boys enjoyed my homemade dog house, the kids fetched socks and looks for bones around the house (edible ones).




The cake was cute and delicious!


It was an honor to celebrate such a joyful part of my life.

All before 9am...

Many days I think about this, but today I had to blog it so that I could remember these days in my life...

6:30--J's alarm goes off and we are "up"...
7:00--Caleb is up but in the crib while I get "ready"--sweats, of course, no hair brushed, no make up and certainly no shoes...
by 7:10 I am snuggling with Jeb and he is ready to get to the playroom...
Breakfast for three made and cleaned up...start supper ...
drinking coffee,
cleaning doors that don't look so white anymore, wiping down trim in a few spots...on my way to clean 3 carpet spots that have red mud all over them...
changing a poopy--looking at the sparkling clean windows that I cleaned last week--EVERY downstairs window was cleaned with a razorblade and newspaper--it is a glorious day to look at!
wash hands

kill fly
clean bathroom
wash hands
drinking coffee
change another poopy--guess he wasn't done--
wash hands
back to finish making supper that I started at 7:45
get that done and in the fridge,
dance to "She's Country" with Jeb and Caleb,
brush my teeth in the kitchen sink
brush their teeth and change their clothes AGAIN for Jeb...the two of them dirty at least 3 changes a day...
drinking COLD coffee

adopt one of Jeb's dogs--Pongo--who will spend the rest of today wherever I am at ...
wipe down the counter tops, and table...start full dishwasher after getting Caleb out of it for the 10th time today...
wash hands again....they just ache somedays ...
clean out leftovers in the fridge--which causes me to remember to go let the dogs out--feed the dogs all the junk that's no good in there..
fold a load of clean laundry that I started at 9pm last night...fight Caleb to not go up the stairs, tear into the brooms or get in the dryer...
blog from 9:01-9:05
Now I must go and wipe Jeb...he's pooped now....
This truly is a typical day ..all at 9:05.
It is not glorious
Okay, back at 9:12...had to go re-clean the bathroom b/c Jeb peed everywhere but in the toilet..
while doing that Caleb knocked over a plant and proceeded to track the soil all over the kitchen so some light sweeping was in order...
Now, I must go and tend to them b/c I know they are making MORE messes as we speak...
And to think that today is a GOOD day because I slept LATE!

Great photo ops from FL and Random other thoughts including on smelling...

Some great pics of Caleb enjoying the stuffed animals of FL!



I put a pic of Bailey and Sarah on here lounging around. Bailey is so kind to allow Sarah to rest on her warm, chubby, fluffy, soft back every day. What a glorious friendship.




I have included a pic of what ALWAYS happens when all six (or really any number of them) of the ALL-BOY cousins get together at Nana's house. As soon as Jonas enters the room they pretty much maul him to get the wrestlin' started. Then, the pillow cushions come off the couch and all kind of craziness and injuries begin. They have a ton of fun but someone always gets hurt and multiple kids usually end up in tears...but the fun is worth it I suppose because they all keep doing it?



My aunt Myra has a chinchilla named Chili Willi and the boys love to feed it yogurt covered raisins! Jeb overdosed Chili when I had my back turned...I do hope he is okay.




Something I have been thinking about lately...I am TOTALLY a smell person. It is strange, though, that being a smell person, bad smells don't bother me that much (I am a Vet's kid, live on a farm, and am a mother after all), but smells just bring back a lot of memories and emotions for me. Now, don't get me wrong, I can't stand it when people douse themselves with perfume/cologne or with all the lotions and sprays at Bath and Body--it repulses me. I just remember smells?? Very odd. Just this week I remember pulling some turkey bacon out of the microwave and it made me think about all the times I spent the night at my Papa and Granny's. They always had Special K cereal, coffee and yes, BACON! Maybe that is why I love the stuff so much...I Love BACON!
Other smells that make me think:
Old Spice DO--I missed that smell so much when Jonas was deployed when I got back with him every few months I think I could have eaten an arm or something--ha!
Pink Baby Lotion--oh my sweet sweet angel babies after their bath and while I put them down to sleep...that scent can't be beat...
DIRT--I love digging in my flowers and have enjoyed doing that here lately. It really relaxes me to smell mulch and dirt.
Gasoline/Diesel--weird, but I like it?? Reminds me of when my sister and I used to pump Diesel into our 1978 Mercedez Benz! Oh the good ole days--
Clean, Downy-smelling sheets--I love my bed, but when the sheets are fresh--ooohhh weeee I can't wait to get in there!
Classrooms at the University Center have this hospital like-cleanliness odor--odd, but I will never forget that smell--maybe it was b/c I was pregnant when I took classes there and they say that your sense of smell is much stronger then?
Mothballs--now this is a not so good memory--When I would spend the night at my Mamanette's house she loved to have mothballs in every closet/attic...I don't know if I was having asthma attacks due to the mothballs or due to the old stuff in the closets,but I never want to smell that odor again.
Lumber--I love the smell of 2 * 4's! I loved when our house was going up!
The woods--there is nothing like getting up in the mountains and smelling the dampness of the river, and the odor of the mountain laurels--which reminds me of another reason the mountains are better than the beach--the ocean STINKS! The smell of rotten eggs and sand in every crevice are enough to send me packin' home.
More to come I am sure of it.

Water fun...

While we were in FL the weather was nice enough for some water fun. Caleb had to taste it, fall in it, run through it, roll in it and it was fun to watch. There were also all these crazy jungle gyms, tree ropes courses, and swinging suspension bridges up in the air at all these parks--it made for one tired, happy little boy (and his father). Jeb also enjoys the rain we've had recently...see the muddy, puddle jumping cowboy. My kids enjoy water anywhere, any how, any way.

We got new goats! Hopefully, these are much healthier...pictures of the new girls coming soon!