Year One

And what a great year it has been! 2 moves, a few thousand miles, and oh so many memories and adventures! I'm so grateful to be married to Abby! She's fun, positive, faithful, hopeful, and so happy. Abby, I love you more today than ever before. (yes, i'm okay with a little blogarific pda.)

Thank you for another wonderful year. There aren't words enough to tell you how much I love you, so I'll
keep it to these three: I love your-awesomely-great-more-fun-than-you-can-imagine-what-could-possibly-be-more-betterer-than-this-self. (it's a real word. trust me I know english and read real good.

PS. Check out these anniversary cookies!

Blast From the Past

One of my favorite movies, really, but this isn't about that movie.  Last year, May 8 to be exact, we went to Abby's graduation.  I was thinking about her graduation today.  That brought to mind that I had never done the post I was going to do then.  It is about the speaker at Abby's graduation.  Since most of you couldn't be there, and I think Matt and Asher missed quite a bit of it, here goes.  The speaker was "Seth Goldman is President and TeaEO of Honest Tea, the company he co-founded in 1998 with Professor Barry Nalebuff of the Yale School of Management. "   Here are my notes for the 7 points he made:
1.  For those who say it cannot be done, don't get in the way of those doing it.


2.  Knowledge is the process of piling up facts.  Wisdom lies in their simplification.  Break things down into small pieces.


3.  Sometimes a bridge is not the best way to cross a river.  If we build a bridge, there will be a road, etc.  (I think the point here was preserving our ecology.)  Abby?, David?


4.  If we don't change the direction we are headed, we will arrive where we are going.  (That goes both ways, doesn't it?  i.e. if we change the direction we were headed, we won't get where we wanted to go?)


5.  Don't dry your hands with a paper towel.  It will save paper.  


6.  Tell your parents you love them.


7.  Be the tea.  Get plenty of sunshine.  Stay away from chemicals.  Don't panic if you end up in hot water, it brings out your real flavor.  Don't be afraid to seek out the places where there are no bridges.


other notes:  The bad news is, there is no key to the universe.  The good news is, there never was.  regarding his product, honest tea, coka cola master(In 2008 The Coca-Cola Company purchased a minority interest in Honest Tea, fueling further growth as Honest becomes the first organic and Fair Trade brand to move into the world's largest beverage distribution system. )  I wrote down WONK?  Tea Gardens Tea leaves are never rinsed.  Matt, Crystal, do you remember the context of any of that?  


Some other speakers at American University that year:  The Honorable Janet Napolitano, who got an honorary degree from the College of Arts and Sciences;   The Honorable Donna E. Shalala, also received an honorary degree, School of Public Affairs, and a couple of other people I am not familiar with.  Congratulations, Abby.  It was a fun day.  Really pretty little university.  It was a nice, warm day, unlike the days here in Eastern Idaho.


Getting new ward boundaries Sunday.  Will keep all informed.  We may not be in the 2nd ward anymore.  A couple of really, really awful murders here in the last week.  One in IF, one here.  babies involved.  


Grandpa is doing well.  Would love to hear from any of you.  Abby is on her way to S. California, as I type.


Have a great weekend.  I hope there is sunshine wherever you are.


xoxo mom


fyi, the photo at the top is one abby took.  it is on the Kogod blog site.  Denise "took over for Abby this summer".  Great photo, Abby


here's the link    http://kogodinmombasa.blogspot.com/2009_06_01_archive.html

Grace's Big Day

Grace was baptized this last weekend. It was a fabulous day. Grace was so excited and we are so proud of her for making this decision. Grace has such a sweet, pure spirit and she is such a good example to her brother and sisters. Lots of friends and family were able to attend the baptism and Grace felt very special. Grandma and Grandpa came, so did Aunt Dana and Uncle Jason and the COUSINS!! The kids had such a great time together, they played hard all weekend and were so sad when the Delgadillos had to go home. We are so grateful to everyone who made the long trip up to be here for Grace and everyone who participated in the baptism. It was a perfect weekend, we are very blessed. It was a perfect Mother's Day present, that and getting to be with my mom on Mother's Day, which hasn't happened in a long time. Elliot decided to write about the baptism for his small moment homework this week. I think he summed it up fairly well.




Such a sweet boy :)

Grace with mom and dad before the baptism.

Grace with Dad and Bishop Finn

Everyone :)

We trapped the kids in the little breezeway and let them go wild!

Happy girl :)

(grandma Croshaw made her beautiful dress)

For a recap of the rest of the weekend you can see my sister's post here.

Happy Birthday Leslie!

Happy Birthday Les.  We hope you have a great day.  We will put in a few photos to take everyone down memory lane.  We are all waiting for you to get your own blog.  Maybe as soon as Lola is born?  We love you.  Some of these are repeats from years past, but that's why I love them. Everyone else, feel free to add a photo if you have some good ones.  You know how Leslie loves to have her photo taken.

xoxoxoxo mom

Four Years And Counting

I still can't believe it's been four years ago as of yesterday that Crystal and I got married. There still are no regrets. Crystal has become so much more to me than I would have thought four years ago. The last four years have been a roller-coaster for us and yet our family is still together and it seems like we are finally working our way out of all the turmoil that we've had.

I'm learning to appreciate so many things about Crystal. She is a wonderful cook as many of you know. Often times my coworkers are jealous of my lunch which consists of leftovers from the previous night. She is also extremely thoughtful about giving people gifts. She has shown to me that she is a very kind and good mother.

She is also a gifted photographer as these pictures of Valerie and Asher show.

She is very forgiving despite the many times I have successfully put both of my feet in my mouth. Also, she is definitely a very patient person and as a testament to that she has had to put up with me for the last four years;-)

I'd say the best quality about her is that she has given me the greatest gift of all. She is willing to extend the gift of love to me. She has done this despite all of the extremely hard times we've faced over the last four years. I only hope that in the coming years I will be able to repay her for what she has given me. Happy Anniversary Crystal! Thank you for all of the joy you brought into my life four years ago. I hope we will have many good years ahead of us.

Happy Birthday Dana Kay!

I am at the office right now and don't have access to my family photos. So, I am asking that this be a family effort. If you have any photos of Dana, would you add them to this. We love you so much, Dana, and hope next year will be even more wonderful than the last, although with Ila Jo's arrival this year it will be hard to match. I remember the nurse bringing me this adorable baby with a curl all the way from your forehead to the back of your head. When I had you at church one time a friend asked, "How do the Croshaws have such beautiful babies?" That is true. You have added a wonderful dimension to our family and we all love you. Abby told me that for some reason she always remembers your birthday--better than anyone else's. I told her maybe it is because she has been here for every one of them. Have a happy day, and we will see you at the baptism. xoxoxo Mom

p.s. i obviously found some photos. picassa is amazing.

The Expanding Posterity

Another of the treasured posterity is now official.  Ila Jo Delgadillo was blessed today in Boise.  Just as Dana did a great job with the gestation and delivery, and is doing a great job with the mothering, Jason did a great job with today's ordinance, and will continue to do a great job with the fathering.

First introduction to earth life

The Proud Parents

The Happy Family

A funny story about the event:  During the blessing today, I looked down at Ila Jo, and her eyes were open, looking up at everyone, and not a peep from her accept a little coo.  I couldn't help but remember and contrast, as those of you who were there will recall in horror, a similar event just eight years ago, where poor Daddy Ray did all he could to maintain his cool and his voice above the resounding screams coming from Baby Grace.  

Here she is afterward, not screaming, but still not sure she's happy about it all.

Anyway, after today's blessing, I found that I wasn't the only one reminded of Grace's rage, as Jason reminisced of how her binky had fallen to the floor and I attempted pacifying her with my thumb.  Of course, it didn't work.  Just a little history there.  As to the future, we're all looking forward to next week's pivotal event in the life of Grace Rebecca VanderLouw, now in full control and well prepared for baptism.  Life is good. 

I'm including this photo of these two little girls just because they're so darned cute!