Elliott's Favorite thing...

The BUMBO

Oh the joy

Of having a new video game system in the house. The boys sold the x box and purchased a Wii. We have had a lot of fun as a family with this little thing.

So, for those of you who are not familiar with "creating a profile" on the Wii, I am about to explain it. With it goes a little something Owen told me. (Yes, hold your breath). So, when you create a profile, you create your character you want to be. You can really make this character look like the real you. There are many shapes, and colors of eyes and mouths, shapes of heads, beards, mustaches, shapes of heads, hair styles, glasses, wrinkles...you get the idea. I was creating my character, with comments from the peanut gallery, and Owen said "ugh, mom...you need to make yourself fatter cuz you are kinda fatter". Nuff said.

I am no longer uploading videos onto my blog. I really like my other video program over Windows Movie Maker. However, this site does not like the file types it produces. Anyway, from now on, there will be a link that you will click onto to view any videos. There is also going to be a link on the right hand side of all of the other videos in my collection. Some folders require a password. Sorry, you can't get into those. Those are secret...not "bad" secret. ~wink~
You will be asked to download an "add on" or something like that to view the site. It is totally safe to do so. You only have to do this one time.

Here is a video of the coming of the Wii...

He's a clown....that Charlie Brown.

Aaron and I realized that Elliott looks like Charlie Brown.

So, this momma loves to go to soccer games. However, this momma doesn't like gymnasium sports. It isn't because I don't want to see my little basketball players, I just hate being in a gym...the echoing, the buzzers, the yelling. Don't like it. Not at all. Well, I decided to be a good mom and "suck it up" and go to my kiddos basketball game. I really enjoyed it...I still didn't like the echoing, the buzzers, or the yelling but I had fun watching the boys and making a video of the game. For some reason, the quality was screwed up in the transfer, but you get the idea.

Feeling sad....

I finished yet another memorial video today. I did a video for this family about 2 years ago and they came back for another one. When doing videos, I have to make sure I set enough undivided time aside to complete them. Memorial services come upon us quickly and for special things like this, I have to have everything lined up to complete the project.

As I got all of the necessary information from her family, I was also informed that this person was a 30 year old woman and she had 2 children. I knew from that point on, it would affect me differently than my other video tributes. Usually, when I do a video tribute, they have been of an older person. I guess I wasn't expecting a young woman. As I scanned each image, I felt like I knew her a little better. She had a beautiful, radiant smile. From the images, I can tell that family was very important to her and her children were her life.

I went to bed feeling very empty inside. I had such a hard time falling asleep. I kept thinking that this could totally happen to anybody...even me. I kept thinking of her children, praying for each one of them every time I woke up during the night(my night was restless).

Her parents came to pick up the copies of the video tonight. It was awkward at first. What do you say to someone who has lost their beloved daughter? Nothing can make anything better for them...no words, no video, nothing. They absolutly Loved the video.

Mom just held my hand the entire time I met with them. I tried to gently pull away, and she pulled back. I finally just let her hold my hand the remainder of the time. I am sure it was comforting to her.

I learned something tonight. I want to hold my children a little tighter. I want to make mends where I need to. I want to live everyday like there is no tomorrow because we aren't sure what tomorrow is going to hold.

feeling a tad better...

Lil' Elliott is feeling a tad better today. He is sleeping more than 1 hour at a time...which is good. I do not have to suction his nose out with the "from the devil" nasal bulb thing. He sees that thing and shakes his little head back and forth to avoid the suctioning. I hate doing it, but it needs to be done. He has been a little clingy today, but I have just accepted that I am not going to get anything done but care for a sick kid. I have an over abundance of laundry, the floors need vacuumed and my studio has been the catch all for most everything else..and thank goodness for crock pot cooking! I know some of you keep checking back for an update on Elliott, so I thought I would post a shorty before I went to bed.

The Culprit...

We went to the doctor and Elliott had a breathing treatment. After the breathing treatment, the doctor tested his oxygen level and it had actually dropped. If you saw my previous post, you would know that Elliott has had a terrible cold. Anyway, the doctor opened up the door and told the receptionist to call a squad to transport him to Children's Hospital. Ok...mom freaking out at this point. He didn't seem like he was in distress, he was actually smiling a bit.
The Squad came and little Elliott smiled at the friendly EMT's. We went to Children's and 6 hours later we found out he has RSV. You can read about it here.
So, they said that he is at a borderline age to keep him or he can go home. With RSV, there is not much they can do. He cannot be treated with antibiotics for RSV is a Virus. They didn't seem to be too worried and sent us home with directions on what to look out for.
He is home with us. Our house smells like Eucalyptus because we are burning OLBAS oil on the stove. This stuff has pretty much become a staple for the cure all in our house.

I'm Sick

A 102 fever produces this... On Three...Awwww. One, Two, Three.......AWWWWWW. Sick kids make mommy's feel so bad. This guy is just pitiful. He tries to give me smiles, but just cant finish them off. Right now, he is watching the boys play "Maps" by the Yeah Yeah Yeah's on Rockband. He had a bit of Tylenol. He seems content for the moment. I think he enjoys Owen singing...he is sure jamming boy! I thought I would post a video of the boys playing and Elliott trying to sing. Oh, the boys are home due to REALLY cold temperatures.

oh no.

My camera broke today. sniffle sniffle. My beloved camera is usually connected to my hand for most of the day. I now have a free hand that I don't know what to do with. Maybe I will clean. Maybe I will take up painting. Maybe, just maybe...I will do my hair for once in a very long time.

Seriously, I was shooting today and all of the sudden "ERR" came up on my
D70. Yikes. Anything that says "ERR" cannot be good. I went on several sites to troubleshoot the problem. Their solutions were pretty simple and I had high hopes...but no luck. Fortunately, I found a guy in Clintonville who repairs cameras. What a nice guy. Unfortunately, he is not able to look at my camera until next week.
Here is my theory of what happened today. Currently, I am testing out my friend Patrick's D200. I have been contemplating purchasing this type of camera for a while. Maybe Mr. D70 was a bit jealous that I have been using Mr.D200 and Mr. D70 felt a little threatened? I just think this is a way that Mr. D70 is trying to get a little attention. I mean come on...I have NEVER had a problem (in 4 years) with this camera UNTIL I started trying out another camera. Hmmm. sounds a little fishy to me.

Anyway, I feel lost without it. I don't think it is serious, but serious enough to shovel out about 200 bucks for the repair. For me not to have a camera in the house is like a candle without a flame, a kid without his toy, a blizzard without the snow, a cake without the frosting, or perhaps cable without the Fox Soccer Channel...

Ok, I will stop. I think I need to go and take a Tylenol.

Whassa happenin?

So we are having bitter cold temperatures and a bit of snow here in OhIo. I actually love the snow, but not so much when I have to transport the boys to and from school everyday. Fortunately, Aaron took them this morning. Around 10:30, I started to wonder if I should pick the kids up early from school. I really couldn't stop thinking about having them home safe with me. I ended up picking them up 1 1/2 hours early. I went with my gut feeling on this. I am not too concerned that they missed library.
Other news in our house...Andrew bought an MP3 player with his money from the Great Grandparents. He has quite the variety of music on it. We loaded some R.E.M., Johnny Cash, Supertones, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Christmas songs (my boys love Christmas songs all year long), and some Michael Jackson. Andrew's friend Evan got him hooked on MJ. Andrew really wanted to load some of his songs onto his MP3 player so he called Evans mom and asked her to borrow the cd. It was really cute.

I still have MJ on a cassette tape. Don't laugh, most of my music collection is still on Cassette. When people come over, I know they laugh because among our many receivers and such...lies a double cassette player. We got rid of the 8 track player just a couple of months ago. That darn thing just wouldn't work anymore....I am not sure why ;).
Andrew really hurt my feelings tonight. We were on our way out to Bible study and I told the boys like 8 times to get their coats on. After the 8th time, I said "Guys, sometimes mommy feels like she is talking to a wall...why don't you obey and PUT YOUR COATS ON?" Andrew then replied in a small voice "maybe cause you're not the queen anymore". Ouch. I think that was the first time one of my kids actually got to my heart and at that moment, I had a little lump in my throat. Just so you know, Aaron did take care of the situation and all is good now. I still have the queen status. .
Elliott is in a Excersaucer now. He lasts about 5 minutes and then is D.O.N.E..

I wait for the day when he gives me a laugh. He loves looking at himself in the mirror (just like his dad) hehe. Here is a sweet picture of him googling over his good looks.

Owen. Let's talk Owen. He is a funny guy and I love to hear his laugh. He sometimes laughs at the most inappropriate times. Today, milk came out of Andrew's nose and he started cracking up. In the meantime, Andrew was almost choking. Even when we asked him to stop laughing, he kept laughing. (It was funny I have to admit). The laughing did not make the situation any better though. Did I ever mention that Owen is going to be a great lawyer someday? He is always questioning and challenging us with what we say. I know this is all part of his development, but it really does get on my nerves.
As for me, I am considering doing Weight Watchers to get this baby fat off my bootay. I am having a difficult time with getting to the gym with the baby. In the evenings, I feel so tired to go and work out. I tried a class last week, but my core (torso, abdomen) is still too weak to handle the exercises. I tried really hard but found myself straining my back to make it work. This last c-section really kicked it out of me and has taken a bit longer for me to heal then the last one.

Lastly, I love my husband more than ever.

It's official...

I am in love with him.

What am I going to do?

So, my sister in law sent this to me today and I am thinking...what am I going to do? I am an avid thrifter and really never purchase anything new for the kids. I am a little Leary on toys and such due to the lead concern...but CLOTHES??
Here is what was sent to me. The original email contained a specific (private) Local owned business and it's information on open houses and how you need to go there and buy before the law takes effect. At first, I thought it was a cheesy way to get business, then I did a little research. I excluded all of that "come to the store" stuff and am including the pulp of the orange. Please correct me if this is wrong.

There is a VERY important law that will be in effect beginning February 10, 2009 which will affect all of us that frequently purchase affordable children's items through CHILDREN'S RESALE shops, Goodwill stores, Kidney Foundation donations, Thrift Stores, yard sales, church sales, Craigslist postings, and even Ebay and other Internet sales.

The CPSIA law, written and passed in August of 2008, will make it illegal to sell ANY item for children aged 12 and under that has not been third party tested specifically for lead. This poorly written law is RETROACTIVE, which means that beginning February 10, 2009 it will be illegal to sell anything for children (clothing, shoes, toys, baby items, accessories) unless it has been approved through the third party testing, which from what I understand, the equipment for such testing runs upwards of $40,000.


It also affects all of you creative moms that have turned your handi-craft into a business by making bows, designing clothing, painting furniture, hand crafting toys and bibs.... none of these things can lawfully go to market without first absorbing the extreme expense of lead testing. You are free to sell these items if you have them tested -- but EACH item needs to be tested by a government approved third party which (from estimates I have read) runs between $100 and $450 PER ITEM).


How does this affect you?

1) It will be illegal for Goodwill, Thrift Stores, Consignment Stores, Re-Sale Stores, yard sales, church sales, Craigslist, Ebay, internet sales and more to sell anything for children that hasn't been tested.

2) You will no longer have venues to buy inexpensive items for your children.

3) You will no longer have avenues of selling your own items for others to buy.

In an already struggling economy, an entire sector of small businesses will be out of business; an entire part of our economy will no longer exist; it will be illegal for you to do anything but put your kids items in a landfill. So much for saving the environment.

What can you do?

It is imperative that we act now. Business owners from around the country are working diligently to get this law re-written. Congress convened on Tuesday and is setting their agenda in the next few days. This law needs to be re-written before it takes effect on February 10, 2009.

Please inform yourself about this law. Please contact your local congressmen/women and urge them to educate themselves about this law and to re-write the law. I have provided several resources at the bottom of this email. It is important to let them know the unintentional consequences of this law and how it will affect you and your communities. Congress will need to act within the next two weeks in order to modify this law before it takes effect February 10.

With this legislation, you will never be able to find prices for children's clothing, shoes and accessories this low ever again. Even with all of my reductions, I still have $20,000 in store inventory (which is roughly $120,000 or more in priced merchandise that you will soon be paying at the large businesses and companies that will not be affected by this.) In addition to that, these large stores and businesses that I sell resale merchandise for will NO LONGER have to reduce or lower their clothing costs much at all, because THE GOVERNMENT WILL HAVE ELIMINATED AN ENTIRE MARKET (sector of businesses) so they have no one to compete with any longer. This is drastic for our already struggling economy.

Because of this looming legislation, I have been forced to be put on a buying freeze. I CAN NO LONGER ACCEPT clothing drops or purchase clothing from any of you until we hear the outcome of the legislation or if there have been amendments that will protect my company.

In addition, the author of this bill, Mark Pryor a democratic senator from Arkansas and the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Consumer Affairs, has been contacted and evidently was "unaware" of the interpretation of this law in regards to being retroactive. I have also included his contact information below. Please let him know of your concern.

The LA Times recently had an article regarding this new law: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-thrift2-2009jan02,0,2083247.story

Here is another video news story that sums it up:

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=4226712&cl=11425842&src=news

Thank you for taking time to read this and to educate yourselves. It is imperative we act immediately, and I encourage you to not only email but also call your local congressmen due to the urgency and nature of this law. To learn more about this law, just enter "CPSIA" in your faovrite search engine.

PLEASE FORWARD THIS MESSAGE TO ANY FRIEND OR RELATIVE THAT COULD BE AFFECTED BY THE LOOMING LEGISLATION, and I hope to see you ALL on Friday for the last opportunity to purchase luxury and name brand clothing items at incredible prices.

Important Resources:

1) Mark Pryor, author of the CPSIA bill, Democratic Senator and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Consumer Affairs: 202-224-2353

2) http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/mcapdir.html or https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml to find your Representative. (If you need to locate your full zip, follow this link: http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp

3) http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm to find your Senator

4) To contact the CPSC directly, contact Julie Vallese business phone: 301-504-7908 fax: 301-504-0339

5) To learn more about the Regulatory Flexibility Act visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulatory_Flexibility_Act

3 1/2 months...

I can't believe it has been 3 1/2 months since Elliott joined the family. As I loaded pictures onto my digital photo frame last night, I went past the folders of him in the hospital with his breathing tube and iv's. I thought to myself "maybe I should load onto the frame". Honestly, it really wasn't a time that I like to go back to. In the hospital, I didn't even feel like taking pictuers. Then...I thought seriously for a moment and loaded them on....
As I loaded them onto my frame, I was reminded that God is Good and that he brought us (and Elliott) through that really difficult time in our lives. The kids experienced us praying for him, they prayed for him. As I looked at the pictures again, I was again reminded that we are not overlooked by the big guy.

Back to reality.

Back to Reality
By Judy Crawford


The kids go back to school tomorrow,
My husband goes back to work.
I'll catch up on all the laundry,
and clean spaces where tiny creatures lurk.

It's been a fun vacation,
but I am ready for it to end.
It has been quite the whirlwind here
with me and the Crawford men.

BUT....
Before all of the work begins,
I am going to sit and think.
I am going to do absolutly NOTHING
But will end up....

cleaning the bathroom sinks.

my boys...

Andrew wasn't here today or I would have snapped a shot with him too. I told Aaron that we need to be more intentional about taking pictures of me and the boys so when they get older and can't remember anything, they'll at least know that they had a mom. :)

News Flash!

Columbus, OH- Judy Crawford decided to try some new diapers on her 3 month old baby boy. What she got was something she wasn't expecting. The diapers actually made her 3 month old sleep 10 straight hours through the night! "I know diapers contain so many crazy chemicals and such, but I didn't expect the chemicals to cause a full nights sleep" said Mrs. Crawford. "My other boys only used Luvs and they were not sleeping through the night until we switched to the Target brand. I thought I would switch a bit earlier with this one...and look what we got!".

Crawford Christmas.

So, we had to postpone the Extended Crawford Christmas last week due to the flu bug going around. We decided to celebrate today. We played "decorate your dad as a Christmas Tree". As you can see from the photo, the dads were thrilled. All in all, it was kind of fulfilling (to some point) to make them look like dorks. It was fun for the kids and they enjoyed it. I am just glad I wasn't the one that was being decorated. I am a pretty fun and easy going person...but don't decorate me as a tree...just let me take the pictures.





Aunt Judy brought out the chocolate fountain and it was a big hit. A messy hit, but a big hit. A big Sorry to Jen for the mess, what was I thinking?? Our nephew Conner was especially excited about it and kept asking when I was going to bring it out. cute.
Conner and the fountain...


Ethan and Andrew enjoying the fountain treats...

The boys got a sled and the couples exchanged amongst themselves. We will have fun going to Max and Erma's and having a dessert night at home thanks to Kim and Eric and their kids.
My Niece Kayla is such a sweet and thoughtful young lady. She is 11 (I think) and she made stationary for her Aunts. The note cards are really cute.

I wasn't sure how I was going to feel going to a family Christmas and being "on" with everything that happened this week. Honestly, I was dreading at the thought of putting on a smiling face. I made it though it and I didn't have to pretend I was happy. It was helpful just to hang out, watch football and be in the company of others. I guess it helps to be around people right now and I know I am going to have to push myself to do so.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year
From Judy and her Guys!

Her love lives on...

We went to the memorial service for my sister. It was so reflective of who she was. My brother Darryl snapped this image of the balloon launch. I love it. I thought about taking a snap shot of it, but forgot my phone in the funeral home. I am glad someone got a shot.

My big sis...

Many of you have been following my blog for sometime and know that my older sister was diagnosed with Lung cancer about 4 months ago. This morning, she lost her battle. We are very sad. Her service is on Tuesday in her hometown of Monroe Michigan. She will be greatly missed.
As I tried to sort out my feelings today, I had bouts of anger, frustration, sadness, helplessness, and one itty bitty joyful moment. Wait, did I just write JOYFUL? How can someone who lost a loved one feel a tinge of Joy? Before you place the judgment...let me explain.
I had some errands to run today. I had to pick up the large portrait of my sister and the memorial cards at the photo lab. On the way out, I sat in my car...praying and asking God to give me peace about the situation. I then put out there "Hey God, if you are into giving signs...please give me a sign that Lolly (my sis) is dancing with my mom in Heaven".
Well...
Within 5 minutes, I pulled into a Starbucks to grab me a coffee. As I entered the shop, I listened to what was playing. It was the Sarah McLaughlin song "Angel". For most people, this song does not have a special meaning. For our family...it does, a very big meaning. It is the song that was played at my mothers funeral. Every time we hear the song, we think of her home going to Heaven. We usually cannot get through the song on any given day. So, I am standing in Starbucks crying tears of shock and tears of Joy. A coincidence you may say...I believe it was a confirmation. Not because I tried to make it into something and read into the situation....But because I felt God's love and Peace with me at that very moment...right in Starbucks. God met me there in a very special way.


Things about my sister I will not forget...
*when I was little, she would always give me pieces of her jewelry. I think I have about 50 pieces in a box that I have collected over the years. They have never left the box.
*Her kind heart and compassionate spirit. Always willing to give.
*The love that she passed onto each of her children and her husband.
*The way she would call me "Hun"
*She never complained about anything. She always had a thankful heart.
*I was always introduced to her friends as being "my baby sis". I seriously do not think she ever referred to me as "Judy". Cute.
*and the list goes on....

This picture actually cracks me up a little. I never brought it out until now. We were at the beach together and she said "lets play Photographer Judy". This was about 12 years ago. So I snapped a bunch of mockery pictures making fun of cheesy photographers and their poses She then snapped some pretty good ones of me too. It was totally her idea to do this pose. I remember her laughing really hard after this picture was taken and squeezing her legs together so she wouldn't pee her pants. I actually love the picture now just because of the story behind it.


Well, am heading off to bed. I had some sorting out my thoughts to do before I hit the sack. Please lift our family up in prayer this week. It is going to be a difficult one. You can view her online obituary and leave a thought for the family here.