24/7 Man

Here's your brother with a new smile and now officially 24 years old.


Seven major things happening in his life now:
1. Will graduate from UVU on May 1st w/Bachelor's degree.
2. Engaged to be married June 26th.
3. Hired officially as 4th grade teacher @Saratoga Springs Elem.
4. Looking for a new home.
5. Staying up too late.
6. Got car repaired this week costing $700+
7. Still loses things & needs a wife.

1st, 2nd vs. 3rd & more

This was originally an email sent to me long ago that I have modified to suit me.

Maternity Clothes
1st pregnancy – You begin wearing as soon as you find out you are pregnant.
2nd pregnancy – You try to hold off wearing for as long as possible.
3rd pregnancy or more – Your maternity clothes are your regular clothes.

What to Expect when You’re Expecting Book
1st – You read it and are current with which month you are in.
2nd – You read it here & there, especially when you have a question.
3rd or more – Do I even still own that book?

Binki’s – when dropped on the ground
1st – wrap it up and will not use it again until boiled and disinfected at home
2nd – rinse it off with juice or water and stick it back in
3rd or more – wipe off the dirt or big chunks and stick it back in

Diapers
1st – always the right size or larger and change them like clockwork
2nd – usually the right size but changed a little less often
3rd or more – a 3 year old still fit into a size 3 right? & only change when full

Clothes
1st – boys wear blue & girls wear pink
2nd – boys wear blue, green, or purple & girls wear pink, yellow, green, purple, etc.
3rd or more – boys can wear pink!

Beds, dressers, car seat, etc.
1st – All set up months in advance
2nd – mostly set up by time go to the hospital
3rd or more – have to find the car seat to bring baby home from the hospital & share the rest with older siblings




What is this? Think about Halloween day - fun huh? We are still disagreeing about a name.

Baseball in a Big Way

Aaron sent these photos to Dad. Excitement got the best of me, I had to post them with Aaron's comments.

"Brayle had her first game of the season. Her team is really good. I was impressed. Brayle had two hits and was hit by a pitch for her third time. She did really good at fielding. It's hard to show a girl how to field and bat, because girls work differently than boys. She's picking it up really well. I'm also learning patience on teaching her, so that's good.

We have five games in four days between the two kids. It makes for a busy week but lots of fun. We will keep you up on the games."

Of course, the kids have natural abilities that are shining through, handed down from their dad. It won't take the coaches & audience long to choose them as a favorite. The whole town will be talking about the Crosman wonders by July 4th.

It's About Grandma Genevieve Schmidt

“Tax Day” has come & gone. Have you filed yours yet? It's also Grandma Schmidt’s birthday this week.

These two eventful days were one & the same for 92 years. It’s hard to believe she’s been gone for five. Although she got on my nerves many a time, (as I probably do to my sons-in-law), she was an amazing person. Here are the things I see you have inherited from her.

Allan: Gets right to the job until it’s done & her terrible cough.
Jenn: Not afraid to share the gospel & meet people.
Mauri: Hard working and totally dependable.
Alicia: Drill sergeant
Breann: Clean machine
Jory: School teacher
If you disagree, then tell us what great qualities you think you've developed.

Easter ... a little bit late

I had a great time at the Easter Hunt with Brayle and Hunter over Conference weekend! Mon really wanted me to post some pics (especially this embarrassing one where I look like a rabbit.)

I also thought that everyone would appreciate this one with Jory, Sarah, and Aaron. Of course, we all have our baskets. I'm not sure why - we didn't hunt for anything. That was Hunter and Brayle's job!

Here's Jed. I got him this rocket for Christmas. It only took us this long to get it completed. This picture is just before the first flight.

We also did a little clay pigeon shooting. I was 1 for 6. Not so great. My skills are rusty for sure.

Another Gray Hair - My Superpower

Another Gray Hair, my newspaper column that is published every other week.

I don’t know what it is, but when I first became a Mom I also gained a super power. Not quite in the Superman or Hulk way, something a little more subtle. I gained a greater sense of hearing. I know it may sound a little corny and Marvel comic like, but think of it more in the sense of someone that lost another sense and one became heightened.
I can hear my boys in the night time, whenever they roll over, cough, thud against the wall, whatever. It often wakes me up. However, I can’t hear someone honk coming down the street. We lived in Othello for about a year and a half before I realized that the train tracks are even still in use. I just saw the condition of them and never heard trains so I thought they were abandoned. I can’t hear them at night either, even though they are only three or four blocks from my home. My husband laughed at me when I told him with amazement that they are still in use. He knew all the time.
I can hear doors open and little ones escaping. I can tell which door has been used for escape to a friends to play without Mom’s permission. I have even installed a lock on our screen down - up high, so Noah, the best Houdini of them all couldn’t run away to the neighbor’s. He learned to take a stool from the kitchen, hauling it up the step, into the kitchen, across the entry and to the front door. He would climb up on it, stand on top, right near the stairs, and unlock the “tricky Mom installed child escaping deterrent.”
Usually I would hear the movement of the stool and catch him in the act - but not always. Luckily he has grown out of that phase and is very good about asking to play with neighbor friends now.
When my boys are away from me at church or other meetings where there is child care, I can stand outside the door of the room and hear if my child is the one crying. They all have a distinct cry, at least to my ears. If someone is bring them to me I can hear them coming in the hall before they ever make it to the room I am in.
I can hear them from the other room, or even other side of the house being little boys and their rowdiness. Someone was visiting me and we were in the living room while my boys were playing fairly well together in the family room. I could hear that the play was getting a little rough. My friend was able to see freely into the other room from where she was sitting.
“Noah, get off Kade,” I called out to them. My friend was amazed that I could tell not only what was going on but who was doing what to who. Luckily I can do that, but I can wait until they learn how to really attack each other through wrestling, football or other contact sports.
I can also hear when things have become to quiet. It usually means that by boys are working well together - at something they shouldn’t be doing. That is the time that I truly listen… and then run and find them.

We also have a section where we ask 4 high school kids each week what they wish their superpower was. I just wanted to expound on that. What is your superpower?

Utah, Brayle & Daggett County

Brayle, in a black dress, is on the left of the 2 boys in this photo.


Brayle performed in a wonderful school program about Utah. It told about the many types of people that helped make it the great state it is today. Fourth graders sang, danced and recited many interesting things about our state. Wearing a long black velvet dress, Brayle portrayed some of the people that came from Europe to live here.

Utah history is taught in school all year with each student required to choose a county to study, make a diorama about and report on. Daggett was her choice, with Aaron helping build a large stone mountain as the centerpiece. It was fun for Breann & me to see the cute fourth graders of Willow Elementary, the variety of artwork and enjoy the excellent program. Great Job Brayle! You're Terrific.