Colorado Crockers

I am not a fan of socks. I wear flip flops in the summer and slip on's durring the winter. I own socks but rarely feel the need to wear them. Matt steals my socks. He is an avid sock wearer, which I believe many men are, and he looses/ destroys his own so he steals mine. I have taken to buying pretty socks just so they will stay in my drawer. He is never desperate enough to reach for the pink argyle. My children don't wear socks which isn't all together shocking considering the battle over undies. But now it is winter. To earn my ever fleeting "Mother of the Year Award" I feel the need to make my children wear appropriate foot attire when it is under 30 degrees and that means socks. Eliana always whines "but I can't FIND any". I thought she was being dramatic. I went into the sock drawer, which is FILLED with socks. Single socks. Baby socks. I sat for a good 20 minutes and sorted the socks. I found several pair of matching socks...in sizes t...

Ok , so it isn't a very original topic for a blog post, but it seemed appropriate for today. Today I am thankful for: - My country. America, with all its screwed- uped - ness is still the best place in the world I could hope to live and raise children. And though I try not to make it a habit to quote Oprah, the fact my girls were born here already makes them some of the luckiest women on the face of the planet. I don't have to worry about my home being bombed, weather or not my girls will ever learn to read or be allowed at school, and weather or not they will be able to follow there dreams to become whatever God created them to be. -My state. Both of living and of mind. Colorado is beautiful, lots of opportunities to appreciate the beauty God created for no other reason than He is a God who loves beautiful things. My state of mind is content, my needs are met as are so many of the desires of my heart. -My family. The in-laws, those under my roof, my sisters, nieces , neph...

Some time the land scape of my brain is baren as a sand dune. I couldn't come up with an idea to blog about to save my life, some days it seems like a struggle to just come up with a conversation topic. I can always write about my life, my kids and what my day looked like, but that is very surface, and rarely captures my heart. I came accross this list and was inspired. I stoll it from another blog, don't give me credit, but I thought it might help some of you other blogging friends. Maybe I am the only one so sleep diprived that I need help, but if not, here is a little inspiration. 1. What was the funniest/nastiest/most memorable prank you ever pulled on someone? 2. Describe your first date/first kiss. Hmm.. did you see stars or you just felt gross? 3. What is scariest experience you had? 4. What kind of games did you play as a kid? 5. What do you miss most about your childhood? 6. What kind of child where you? Shy? A bully? Popular? Loner? Stubborn? … 7. Do you have any phob...

My dad posted this video a while back and it has stuck with me. Warning, she drops the "f" bomb. But it is still worth watching. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6wJl37N9C0 Pretty. Even Eliana is already obsessed with the idea of 'pretty'. Princesses are pretty. Dress make you pretty. Make-up is pretty. Bows in your hair, lace on your socks, ruffles on your clothing...pretty. I consider myself happily average when it comes to looks. Happily now, but I remember obsessing when I was younger. Boys didn't help, making comments about my flat chest and long skinny legs. I have always felt to skinny, to tall, I talk too much, have too many opinions, I'm too loud and clumsy. I don't have a dainty or graceful bone in my body. I am not sure when it all changed, not my appearances and everything else but my reaction to it. My body is not nearly as good as it used to be. But I am OK with what it is now. The scars show my history and the body I have is the one that bro...

Us Crocker's know how to party. Well, as long as the party includes insane amounts of children, obscene amounts of candy and copious amounts of cake. This weekend, we rocked it. Here is the proof.

In 5 seconds: -Annabelle can flip over and escape a diaper change, naked hiney flashing as she crawls down the hallway, stopping only to pee on the floor and giggle. - A one year old can fill your cup of coffee with what ever was left on your breakfast plate. Eggshells can really ruin a cup of joe . - A 2 year old can completely forget what she was supposed to be doing and get side tracked by just about anything. In five minutes : - A baby can completely empty a cabinet of Tupperware - I can take a full shower including washing my hair and shaving my legs - My girls can go from best friends to mortal enemies -I can start a load of laundry, brush my teeth, put on my make up and find one shoe In five hours: - I can get all 3 girls down at the same time for a nap - I will have made 2 meals and at least one snack for 5 people - A five year old can pretend to be a princess, a vet, a mommy and a monster - A clean house can look like a tornado hit In five days - I will make a least one tri...

One year ago today I met Annabelle for the first time. Tiny, loud, and very much adored. She is becoming such a little person. Gone are the days where she is a paper weight, smoshed in a blanket, staying in one place, demanding constant minding. Now, one the move with a sense of humor to accompany her sense of adventure, she is becoming more and more herself. She hates to be excluded from any fun or food, dances to music both audible and in her mind. A tiny peanut of a person, I am loving watching her grow. Happy birthday baby!

Crepes make me happy. Crepes filled with chocolate or lemon curd and strawberries or marscopone and cherries make me really happy. Alas, those are hard to pass off, in good conscience , as a nutritious meal for 3 small children. At our house Matt is in charge of the dishes. I hate dishes. I love cooking. This, and the picky appetites of the other female members of the household, leaves me with a real problem when Matt is out of town. I must come up with a meal that uses as few dishes as possible and that the girls will still eat. I could serve the munchkins pb and j every night of the week with nary a complaint from them, but when it comes to meals I prefer a little variety , and by that I don't mean the occasional hot dog. And we are back to why crepes make me happy. With 2 dishes, a skillet and bowl, I can make a meal the appeals to the masses (if you consider the 4 of us a "mass") and is quick to clean up. A bonus is that I clean out the fridge from left overs to...

Eliana was born and my life hasn't been the same since. It has been nosier , more exhausting, more fulfilling , less restful and so much fuller. I am so proud of our little girl. She is starting to learn to read, she is kind and loving and the best big sister. She takes care of those littler than she is, is learning to love Jesus, has lots of friends and is such a sweet child. I am blessed to call her mine. Eliana today, all dressed up in her new cowgirl outfit.

My friend Jen just posted a blog post about " time - out's " that got Matt and I talking. Jen is a great mama who loves her girls a ton and I am so happy they have a system that works for there family. That got me thinking about what works in our family. Our discipline strategy is different for every kid and every age. With Eliana we have some expectations. She is big enough to use words to let us know what is wrong and mature enough to have some self control. She is not, however, quite old enough to always stay on task without help, not melt down when she is really hungry or tired, and she is still learning what "truth" is. I don't believe in disciplining children for things that they are still learning. For instance, if I ask Elie to do something and she blows me off, she gets in trouble for not obeying. But if I ask her to do something and she only gets it half done before getting side tracked, I will help her by reminding her to stay on task or setti...

I use his mug for morning coffee I have to make my own coffee and it just isn't as good I sleep on his side of the bed I use his pillow We eat fast food more I cook less I get more done I have to do the dishes and take out the trash I get less sleep I don't eat as well I miss him The girls miss him The dogs miss him