Storm Watch '09

One of the things Matt and I miss most about SoCal was the panic caused by a good winter rain; news flashes by concerned anchormen and women, breaking to on-the-street reporters interviewing people, asking their subjects when they "knew" they would need their umbrellas...

here, there's actual weather patterns. Funky, nonsensical weather patterns. But no Storm Watches.
After that amazingly mild winter, spring comes in like a lion...2+ feet down here in Castle Rock, complete with school and work cancellations. Gorgeous views, fantastic to snuggle before the fireplace and watch the madness unfold, if you were lucky enough to get the groceries beforehand. And we were.

Ty, knee-high in frozen precipitation, standing in our newly-cleared Zeke path. Watching that poor pooch navigate his way through chest-high snow just to do his business, pathetic. But we laughed anyway.

A not-so-funny shot as he ascends the stairs...

Happy Trails...

Whether you prefer the old cowboy version or Van Halen's brilliant re-working, the Crawfords invite you to share along in wishing our nephew, Collin, the best of all things as he heads off to Mexico on his two-year LDS mission. Aunt Linda has fond memories of playing limbo with 3-year-old Collin as she wore a cowboy hat and a ballet tutu, David Lee Roth "Bum-ba-dee-duh"-ing from Grandma K's speakers back in the day...and here he is, at 19, with his amazing family before taking checking into the MTC. Sniff...
The Kulwicki crew, via the Prusse and Crawford genes:
Back row, L to R: Mike Prusse, Matt Crawford, Eve Crawford, Linda Crawford, Camille Prusse, Collin Prusse. Front row, L to R: Ty Crawford, Grace Crawford, Shane Crawford, Colette Prusse, Grandma K, Diane Prusse. Last time we can take such a picture for at least the next two years. Which is a good thing.

Had to sneak in a pic of the smooth criminal...

Easter Morn

Of all of the Bunny's gifts, none was more thought-provoking than the edible Easter grass imported from Germany...if you can't read that label, one of the selling points is that it's "Grass-tastic!" Sure, and why not?
The Bunny isn't all about wanton consumption of crap; he's heavy into literacy, at least where the Crawford kids are concerned. Much joy will abound as we repeatedly hear Ty read this tome aloud. The best part: it quotes dialogue directly from the movie. No, really, I've been heavily reassured that this IS the best part.

The bunny's effort at wish fulfillment for Eve: a Pretty Princess Tea Party cookbook. Not that she asked for the book, per se; I believe her heartfelt request was for a mother that created these kinds of delicacies on a daily basis. Or who cooked in any kind of a meaningful way at all. The book provides a way, in theory.

Not as gross as it seems: just Shane, working the bubblegum eggs. Hard to believe that they weren't constructed of the world's finest bubble-blowing ingredients. Shane also scored Star Wars readers...Shane's nothing but impressive with the academics!

The first of many headless and tail-less chocolate bunny corpses that have begun to litter our property. Gracie also scored "Bear Gets Sick" for the library, and "Thumbelina" on DVD...which will join the other siblings' additions to the collection: "Bedtime Stories", "Bolt", and "High School Musical 3".

Would you let this troop into your place of worship? My sister and brother-in-law's ward had no qualms...bravery! Or low standards?

Our brave nephew Collin is entering the MTC this very week in prep to work the souls of the residents of the Mexico Puebla mission. We wish him all the luck in the world, and know that although his parents and sisters will have a complete breakdown, this is the best thing in the world for him and for those folks down there waiting for him. We're proud as second-degree relatives can be!

Easter Prep 101

We feel that it's important to keep the kids loaded up on as much sugar as humanly possible. Obviously, you make dozens of sugar cookies, cover them in icing, marshmallows, coconut and sprinkles mere hours before Peter Cottontail makes his appearance and brings another 10+ pounds of choclate and gelatin-based garbage into your home. Obviously.
Metabolize that!

Looking more guilty than satisfied.

Egg-dying is more time-consuming and patience-trying than the boys have the temperament for. Caught them in the act anyway.

Evie, on the other hand, could do this all day. It's just her misfortune that her mother can't hard-boil an egg correctly.

The skill! The technique! The inevitable breakage...

Too prissy. to get those fingers all stained. She opted to look cute instead.

Hunting Season

Easter Eve. Perfect conditions for an egg hunt: tight quarters, no age divisions, tornado-grade winds. As a parent, you feel good about sending your little ones out into a free-for-all with what seems like hundred of other unsupervised kids, wood chips flying into their eyes...
At least Gracie had a good time throwing her tantrum. And, hey, we can have another hunt tomorrow...

A bit cold, damp and dreary this Easter...but bunnies are not known to care much for weather reports, and tend to hide Easter eggs on the deck and lawn regardless of precipitation. The crew is all decked out in protective gear to claim their bounty...

The second and last egg Gracie procured on her own before the rain forced her inside. Her inner diva is becoming more and more pronounced.

Intrepid Evie, rescuing an egg from its perch underneath a dripping patio table...

The boys. Egged-up, wet, and ready to rock.

Later that evening, in the dry warmth of Aunt Diane's basement, yet another hunt, cousins only. It just never gets old, does it?

Random Mayhem, which largely centers around Gracie

While I truly enjoy order in both life and art, some things defy natural and tidy grouping. A alarmingly high percentage of Crawford family life falls into this category. In an effort to faithfully present our reality, consider the following:
Ty's command that all must limbo underneath him. And Eve's actual attempt to do so.

Gracie's continual donning of princess and princess-related apparel. Neither illogical nor unexpected. Which in itself is illogical and unexpected.

Shirt as headgear. And a baby jaguar. Common enough of a sight in households throughout America, daily.

A silent, slumbering four-year-old. Anomaly on any country you care to name.

Glitter Mary-Jane-wearing free-form dance...

Eve, back-toting her brothers.

We're Goin' to the Zoo; How About You?

Spring Break '09 found the crew in all the old familiar places: Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Chuck E. Cheese, the Castle Rock rec center leisure pool, Arapahoe Basin for skiing, and a long-awaited daytime visit to Denver's Zoo. Here, the Crawfords have either knocked off or scared away many other young zoo patrons in pursuit of climbing the famed hippo statue. Take no prisoners!
I'm at a loss for words. Eve's, um...fill in your own blank here.

Our visit coincided with the last "nice" (read: sunny but blustery) day of that particular week; coats were not optional, and Gracie was the recipient of the over-priced Zoo wagon rental ride.

Shaney, about to take a header into the bear den. I'm just kidding. He didn't. But you thought he did. It seems in character.

Eve and Shane and an elephant. The stuff dreams are made of.

An anonymous sleeping bear. We spent 20 minutes outside of this habitat. A whole 20 minutes. And this is what the bear did. For 20 minutes. While we watched.

Snow, a.k.a. particles of water vapor which when frozen in the upper air fall to the earth as soft, white, crystalline flakes

While I'd be insincere in declaring that we haven't throughly loved our Colorado "California winter" this season, the lack of snow has taken some of the romance out of the experience...because Mother Nature has a sense of humor, she waited until Spring Break to unleash a SERIOUS blizzard, which evaporated a mere two days later. In the interim, off to the Back 40 the Crawfords go!
Pre-excursion...only took 20 minutes to locate all the gloves, snow boots and hats pictured here: buried at the very bottom of the "ski" pile they were, unused all season.

The snow creature...of whose destruction we have particularly gruesome and disturbing video. For your sake, I opt not to show it here. But if it surfaces on Nightline in a documentary about children and violence, don't say I didn't warn ya.