A Great Deal

I like to pass on a good deal. Check out Carseat Canopy Enter the promo code "Christmas" and get fifty bucks off! Yup you heard me, that's 5 ---- 0 as in 50.  I don't know how long this deal is going to last, so get a move on it. Happy Shopping!

Happy Birthday Seth

It wasn't planned!!! I repeat, it wasn't planned! 

On Sunday there is a rule at the Crowther home. Want to come to dinner? Just call up and tell the cook ahead of time. Gage and Missy did just that. Missy went one step further. She baked Seth a Brown's cake.

Then she called him up and told him to get over to my house and have a piece.

Yesterday was Seth's birthday. Happy Birthday Sethy Boy!

Kelson has been sitting on Seth's gift for months. Eons of time, according to Goose. He couldn't wait. Nope not one more day. The anticipation was killing him. So upon seeing the cake, out came the box.

Gavin and Caroline called us just as Goose was about to give Seth the hand-off.  So we faced timed. Gage showed off the cake and held the phone on Seth while the unveiling took place.

It was pretty exciting, And I'm going to apologize here to all the other Crowther birds for not making Goose wait.

Seth was pretty happy to have a gift to open though on the real day. And Goose was chompin at the bit. Seth took his time unwrapping the excitement.

Seth is a die hard "Browns" fan. We all are. And now he has a signed helmet to prove it. He was so surprised.

He couldn't wait to try it on. Oh it's not to wear. It's signed by ....Oh I forget his name! That tells you what a sports fan I am doesn't it. Ok, I'll find out and report back. It's early. I'm tired.

It was pretty exciting though and Seth loved his gift. Way to go Goose. You outdid yourelf!

He loved his cake too! Thanks Missy!

Well you can't have a birthday cake without candles, so we stuck 3 matches in the cake, lit them on fire and sang Happy Birthday. It all felt like a birthday party. But it wasn't the real party. We will celebrate again with the whole crew. I still have my gift to give to Seth.

Happy Birthday Seth. I hope you had a great day because you are a great kid! I know you're well older than the normal kid range standards, but no matter how old you are, you will always be a kid to me! And you're the best kid a mom could ask for, I'm so thankful you're mine.

You were the first Crowther boy bird to land in the nest. I have always known why God sent you first in a herd of boys. You are a great example to your brothers and you have always had an extra sense of wisdom about you. You make a good brother to look up too.

I appreciate so many things about you. Your way of being invites people in. It intreats easily and kindess is unfolded there. Your the kind of individual where trust is always present, a trait not found in everyone. Your strong and sturdy like an Oak. Not only on the outside but on the inside as well. Your the kind of guy, everyone can count on. You in short represent all of the qualities I hope to see in all my sons. Everything about you is solid and true. And that's why your first in the line up. So others can see what a great man looks like and follow.

I love you! Dad too! Thanks for being one easy kid to raise and for being a great example and just a down right great person.  Thanks too for always being such a help to me, both physically and mentally as well. Happy Birthday bud! Love you!!!

You know your wife's a photographer when ....

She'd rather hold her bulky camera, than hold hands with you.

On a romantic date, you’ll watch the sun go down and think “Wow this is gorgeous” and she’ll go “mirror lock, plant a tripod, stop down to f/8 at 1/125.”

If you’re taking a walk outside and you come across some “interesting light” she will make you sit/stand/pose in public so that she can take a photo.

You’ll never get to enjoy freshly cooked meals because she'll spend 15 minutes taking photos, 20 variations of the same dish with her iPhone.

She gets angry every time your friends come up to her and say “I am interested in photography, can you recommend a good camera for me?  Nothing professional I just want to take pretty pictures.”

When you think she's giving you her undivided attention, she's really wondering how she can fix you with a little Clone Tool and Patch Tool.

She drops $1,000+ on new glass rather than just buying stuff like a new pair of pants or a new pair shoes, stuff normal women spend money on.

You can’t take a photo with her without her taking at least five more.

If you ask her if you look fat she'll say, "Don't worry, I can photoshop you later."

You feel like maybe the only real relationship she's in is with her computer.

She won’t return your calls or text messages, because she's too busy posting pictures on her photography blog.

Everything is watermarked.

She always want to color correct you!

She hates rainbows, especially ones spinning in a circle.

For a date she likes trespassing into old abandoned buildings filled with health hazards.

She always want to show you a new photo she took, but she doesn't really care if you like it or not.

Bright, sunny days make her sad, but cloudy, overcast days are apparently great!

She wants you to take her to places that have “culture” as well a high chance of getting mugged.

Your birthday present will be a portrait that she's taken of you.

You can’t go anywhere new without her stopping to take a photo of everything and anything.

She will always bug you to be a test subject.

Nothing can ever be naturally pretty, everything must be fixed in Photoshop.

Always bringing her camera along means, bringing 50lbs of equipment, plus you have to pack her purse.

If you break any of her things on accident, it costs you thousands of dollars.

You can’t get her a birthday/Christmas present without spending a small fortune because anything having to do with photography costs an arm and a leg.

She's become a natural hoarder, collecting and keeping piles of old newspapers, packaging, magazines, and other things that “inspire” her.

She has hard drives of photos, but rarely prints an image.

She is secretly judging your creativity.

If you’re ever in 'auto' mode with your own camera, she laughs and makes fun of you.


And last but not least . . . 

The only thing she deems orgasmic is finding great light!

In honor of the man I love!

Thanks for putting up with me dear!!!

Click!

Kidisms

A few weeks ago on Facebook Kaedell started giving us some daily clever conversational excerpts from her kids. We have a private group on Facebook called "Fam Damily."  It's a place where anyone in our family can post something and only our family can see it. It's awesome. 

Since Kaedell started posting these little pieces of wisdom from her kids, I've given them names. I like to call them my "Grandkidisms" and now I look forward to them everyday and so does everyone else. 

Send all Grandkidisms to Grandma ASAP! I'm going to make a book of them!

Yesterday we got a Corbinism!

Kyle: (Tucking Corbin into bed) "Goodnight Corbin. I love you. Thanks for being such a great kid."

Corbin: "You too dad!"

Kyle: "I'm not a kid."

Corbin: "You're Heavenly Father's kid!"

Some pieces of wisdom just don't come to us in a manner that is any finer than that.

To quote Kaedell, "How our children continually remind us of things that are most important!"

Thank you Corbin for reminding me who I am today! Love YOUR WISDOM! Love YOU ---little boy!

Another Happy Anniversary

There's one thing I love about Missy! She always asks me to take her pictures. It doesn't matter how slow I am at getting them to her. She is always so complementary. I love how she makes me feel about my work. 

(The Gangsta Look)

The other day I came home from a photo shoot and everything that could go wrong did go wrong. My sixteen hundred dollar lens malfunctioned during one of my group shots, leaving me with only one good image out of ten, which by the way couldn't be used because one of the individuals in the photo had their eyes closed. I didn't even have another image I could trade eyes with. Urrrrgh!

That day as I hunted for good light, posing the group in different places, I wasn't able to find good light anywhere. I tried several different places but every shot I tried something just wasn't right. Maybe it was just the fact that the family I was working for was important to me and I wanted to do my very best work, which by the way is never good enough for me. My best just never feels like enough, I always want to be better. Good thing my price reflects my attitude about my work. People are walking away with pictures for next to nothing. I don't care. I want to be good, really, really good.

There is one motivation I have in this life. It is to be a GREAT photographer, not just an average run of the mill picture taker! And my age worries me. My eyes are getting bad and all of it takes a toll on the inside of me. I'm a perfectionist and I rip myself down when I don't feel I've measured up. That's pretty much all the time.

(Crazy Kids)

That day I was having such a hard time I finally just put all those images away and decided to work on someone else's photos. I decided to have a look at Gage and Missy's images. I hadn't pulled them off my camera yet so I stopped and loaded them onto my computer.

As soon as I started going through Gage and Missy's pictures I immediately felt better. Looking through the images got me to laughing and brought me back to what I love about having a camera in my hand.

Life is amazing. It's funny the ideas we get in our head that weigh us down and hinder the great within. I'm sure if I had a professional look at my images here they would find ways for me to improve and maybe wouldn't classify these images as exceptionally great, but I think their pretty good and the great that lies in these photos probably isn't so much about my work as it is about my love.

(Pucker Up)

When I look at these pictures memories come leaping to the page. It was a fun night. We had fun! It was spontaneous. Some of the pictures just unfolded all on their own. They weren't planned. That is always the very best when looking through a lens. That single click striking second when you catch a spontaneous moment, framing it forever.

(Beautiful Family)

That night Baylee was having nothing to do with the camera. She was determined not to let me catch her smile. Suddenly a thought came to me. I HAVE raised 8 kids ya know! I do have some parental strategic tactics tucked away, tactics that have worked over the years. I decided to ignore my granddaughter. I'm telling you, it was difficult. I started talking to Gage and Missy and arranging them just so. Baylee was off doing her own thing. Suddenly she realized no one was paying any attention to her. When I saw that this was bothering her I accentuated my attention even more on Gage and Missy. One hundred percent of my focus was now on the couple before me. Soon Gage and Missy caught on too. I snapped one picture and told them to smile and move.

The above picture was an awesome candid moment. Suddenly Baylee stopped bouncing and running. Quietly she walked over put her arms around Gage's leg and looked right at me with a somberness that almost pushed me over. Her face was making a bold announcement, and there was no way I could miss the meaning in such a look. It was as if she were saying, "Hey this is my family. You're not leaving me out of this shot." When the moment grabbed hold of me my finger was ready, "Click" Awe, one second in time, framed forever.

I think it's the cutest picture. And I think by the rules of photography it's pretty good. The image is sharp. The lighting is good. The composition is good. It has a little artistic flare. I love the rich creamy tones in their skin. You can thank my Nikon for that. I didn't have to edit this picture much. Took me all of two seconds. It came out of my camera good. Most important it had the one element every good photograph has ---emotion. I love it. It's the whole reason I keep doing this. It was a great shot for me. It's a framer.

I had what I consider to be one bad day with my camera. I have to remember I have lots of good days with my camera. Such is life! By the way, I finished the pictures I thought were so terrible. The family liked them. They even paid me after I said over and over again, no charge. Maybe I'm too hard on myself.

Gage and Missy just celebrated an anniversary. Happy Anniversary you two!!! I'm so glad these kids are 'MY' kids! I appreciate them in my life. I appreciate their link in my eternal circle of love, the strength that single link creates in my family. I can't keep track of the time they've been together. I think this is either their third or fourth year. I can barely keep track of my own anniversary and how many years I've been married, forget keeping track of my kids. I also want to thank them for asking me to take their pictures. Today it was their images that reminded me it's OK to have a bad day with my camera once in a while because most of the time my days with my camera in hand are good, good and hopefully getting better!

Happy Anniversary kids. I love you!

"My November Guest" by Robert Frost

My Sorrow, when she's here with me,

     Thinks these dark days of autumn rain

Are beautiful as days can be;

She loves the bare, the withered tree;

She walked the sodden pasture lane.

Her pleasure will not let me stay.

She talks and I am fain to list:

She's glad the birds are gone away,

She's glad her simple worsted gray

Is silver now with clinging mist.

The desolate, deserted trees,

The faded earth, the heavy sky,

The beauties she so truly sees,

She thinks I have no eye for these,

And vexes me for reason why.

Not yesterday I learned to know 

The love of bare November days

Before the coming of the snow,

But it were vain to tell her so,

And they are better for her praise.

Robert Frost


(In honor of Corbin, my son who passed away 27 years ago today.)

One Post For Today

On the day I finished cleaning out my mother's home, after handing the key over to my niece (who by the way, I'm so happy is there.) I walked home slower than I've ever walked home before. Ya, I cried all the way. I love my home. I love that old red brick structure. It's small and it's 120 years old, but it's a mansion to me.

I love my mother. I miss her. I love her home, my home. I love the meaning that surrounds every brick and blade of grass. I love it as much as I love my mother. My home and my mother are 'One' in the same. The old place is surrounded with epiphanies of my life. I will miss going there everyday. I will miss it as much as I miss my mother. Today I feel like writing 'One' different kind of post.

Walking home that day, my mind was pouring over my thoughts that were leaking out of my heart.  How they found their way to my head I'll never know. I was thinking about that day, the day I cleaned out my mother's home. I was thinking aobut that 'One' single day all the way home. A day in my life when everything about my life changed. As I got closer to the corner where I live I noticed the sun. It was setting.  It was so beautiful, the light was pouring through the trees. My mother was in that light. I could feel her love in the last fleeting rays brilliantly sifting through every tiny branch. Each shining ray pushed it's way through the tangled maze, through my tangled thoughts and into my soul, my sad sorrowing soul. I felt autumn and my mother's last bit of warmth trying to hold on in the frigid November air. For a minute it lifted me to where she surly is.

I was lucky enough to have my camera in my pocket. I took it to my mom's house everyday after she died. I pulled it out of my pocket and took 'One' picture that inspired me just before I walked up my driveway. In the last few seconds, I caught the sun coming through the trees just before it set. The picture will forever remind me of that 'One day', 'One' moment, in my life when everything changed.

Today, my thoughts run everywhere.

Chinese numerology and Feng Shui has something to say about today. So do I. 2011 is the year of the "One's". This year we are going to experience four unusual dates. 1/1/11, 1/11/11, 11/11/11, and that's not all; Take the last two digits of the year you were born and the age you will be this year and the result will add up to 111 for everyONE.

It is also said this year is the year of MONEY. Which is very interesting to me. We'll see about that. There's only a month and a half left to strike it rich! I'm a little skeptical, a down right non believer. Also October this year had five Sundays, five Monday's and five Saturdays. This happens only once every 823 years. Gee I missed it. October went by in a blur. I spent it sitting on my mother's porch, crying.

Those who are totally obsessed with the year of the "One's" and are having babies this month are even scheduling C-sections for today. Some doctor in British Columbia reported that today he'll deliver 50 babies alone. I guess people even planned the birth of their children around today! And that's not all, people who are getting hitched are racing to tie the knot on this the day of the 'One's'. Goose, you missed out! It's ok, I'm quite happy you're still at home mooching off your parents, a single unwed poor college boy. Personally I think you should shoot for taking a wife somewhere around 11/11 3011 .....hahahahaha. Ok, so I'm joking.

It seems everyone wants to capitalize on the day of the 'One's'. It's true even I have something up my sleeve. Today  is Fun Faye Friday. I think it's symbolic. After all, today is 'My' day! And it fell on the day of the 'One's'. Therefore, on the 11th hour, at the 11th minute, during the 11th second, I'm having my own personal party. I'm the only 'One' coming. Everyone else is busy. And I'm going to do something with great meaning. I'm going to choose 'ONE' goal that I intend to never to break. I have it all picked out. Something personal, something I can do for the rest of my life to look back on this 'One' single day when I became 'One' with 'One' idea, in 'One' moment in time. That little single digit is symbolic to me. It's kind of spiritual to me. Today I'm combining the spiritual with the fun. I'm going to take 'One' moment in time to improve 'One' thing about myself ...forever.

I just want to say, life is spiritual! It is! Don't bother arguing with me. AnyONE who misses that is missing the 'One' single most important aspect to life.

Probably about right now, you're all thinking I'm 'One' nut case. Hahahaha I am!

I have learned something in life. My mother taught it to me. You have to capitalize on the little things that bring a simple kind of joy to this life, this very wonderful life! My mother did that so well. She didn't have a lot of money. She didn't have a lot of nice things. She really enjoyed the little small insignificant simple things in her life, the 'One's' that had no monetary value. What a great example.

For now though I think about her everyday. I think about life and death. I think about how my life is half over, maybe even more. My thoughts draw me up to that which is important. What am I making of my life? What can I take with me.  So many people get caught up in that which is of no importance. I don't want to be 'One' of them.

So today in honor of the number 'One', those single digits that represent the first or everything, I want to celebrate their meaning. It's going to be a Fun Faye Friday! When Deserey played basketball her number was 11. She fell off a roof and that ended her basketball career. So funny I remembered that today! Your number 'One' Des. So are all my other kids! Well it's almost 11 o'clock. And today I'm going to ride my bike 11 miles at 11 'clock! I can't sit here 'One' more minute. I'm capitalizing on this magical day of the 'Ones'!

BTW, I'm scheduling this to post 11/11/11 at 11:11 am  hahahahha I love it! Love this 'ONE' day!

'One' last thing. Have a great day today. On this 'ONE' day ...get out and live! Make 'One' good memory.

And ---Don't forget ---Be Happy!

EveryONE!

A New Little Bird Has Flown Into the Nest!

There's a new little bird in the nest. 

He flew in just a month ago.

He's sweet as can be!

Adorable right down to the bone.

And I'm so excited to be a grandma all over again!

I now have eight grandchildren!

8 little Grandcrow's running around this nest.

Say hello to 

"Caleb Glade"

I can't remember how long he was or how much he weighed??? Seven, something...

It doesn't matter because his weight is in my heart and that's unmeasurable!

And the only length I care about is that he is going to be part of my life for eternity!

I could not do with one day less!

Eden and Corbin are so excited to have a new baby brother!

I'm just excited I get to hold another baby and I get to sleep through the night!

Caleb is going to be well loved!

We already fight over who gets to hold him first. 

It is said that "A baby will make 

love stronger,

days shorter, 

nights longer,

a bank balance smaller,

home happier,

clothes dirty,

the past forgotten,

And the future worth living for."

Kaedell came over and we had the funnest photo shoot ever. I can't wait to see all the images she captured. I hope she'll add them here. Tonight I have been working on pictures all night. I get so aggravated and upset at my work.  I'm never as good as I want to be. I did however find the above image and in my eyes, it's a keeper.

There is something wonderful about a baby. Something unexplainable! Perhaps just the fact that babies in and of themselves are a sheer miracle when you think about it. From start to finish the entire process boggles the mind. When you are young, you can't imagine your life with children. When you are old, you can't imagine your life without them! I am old and I feel just like Winnie the Pooh when he said, "If you live to be a hundred, I want to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you." He was talking to his best friend Piglet. I am talking to my children and to their children, etc. etc. etc.!

When I look at the above picture I think about the day I held Kaedell next to me. What a sweet and sacred time in my life. Now she holds little Caleb and suddenly life just got even sweeter, sweeter than I ever thought it could be.  Life is an amazing journey. And I have God to thank! I have to tell you it's true, when I kiss this baby I feel the taste of Heaven.

Welcome to the Crow's nest little Caleb Glade! You're beautiful! WE LOVE YOU! Always and Forever little boy!

Happy Birthday Alikans

Someone had a birthday!

Some cute little someone!

<3 <3 <3 Someone I love <3 <3 <3

I was over to Emilyn's when Spencer pulled up his birthday tribute on Em's iPad. Ali was there and she got to listen to Spencer read his very own tribute. When he finished reading his post, Ali looked at me and said, "Grandma, when are you going to write to me?" Something in the sound of her voice told me she really liked the letter part of the post where I spoke directly to Spencer. Maybe it made it more personal. What ever that reason, today I'm going to answer that question of hers.

In fact, I'm answering that question right now! "When am I going to write to you Miss Alikans?"

T O D A Y! Today is YOUR DAY Sprout! Right this very minute! Emilyn, go get your daughter and help her read this please!

Dear Alison, (I love your name!)

Nanners LOVES YOU!!! You already know that though, don't you? I'm telling you again anyway! I love you little girl!!! Did you know you're a prize! Yup! You are better than all the prizes you could ever win in a cracker jack box! You are better than any prize you could win anywhere! Even if I won the million dollar lottery, you are better than that prize! You, little girl, are the prize of all prizes! And I love you more than words could ever tell!

Look how cute you are in these pictures! Nana had so much fun taking you out for your birthday! Our trip to Rainbow Gardens was awesome! Do you remember the big giant potato chips? I do, because you shared them with me and I love potato chilps almost as much as I love you! (That's a lot!!!) I had so much fun on our birthday date! And I had so much fun taking your picture. I think your idea to sit in every chair was very clever. Look how cute they turned out!

That is one thing I love about you Ali girl, I love your smile! Your smile is a link to your bubbly personality. You are such a happy little girl. And that happiness is always bubbling and spilling out all over the place. It's always present in your smile! You have the prettiest smile ever. Did you know you are a good example to grandma. Every time I'm around you, you teach me how important it is to be happy! That's a very hard thing for some adults. You are a good example to grown ups every where!

There's something else I love about you. Do you know what that is? The other day you came over to my house and you and Anna were playing outside. The next thing I knew, you were playing with a new friend. You met Kyler and you made friends with him and I didn't even have to introduce you. Do you know how many kids come to grandma's house and have not had the courage to go over and meet Kyler. Not you! You are MISS FRIENDLY! You are outgoing, and friendly to everyone. You went outside and made a friend and Kyler thought you were awesome! Now he asks me when you are coming again! Wow, you are a good example! I like how kind you are to everyone around you! That is an admirable trait.

Now . . .let me see, what else do I love about you, besides E V E R Y T H I N G?

I love how strong willed you are. You are determined, and you have a strong mind. You know what's right and wrong and you always make such good decisions. Even when it's hard to make good choices, you still make them. You can do hard things. That's amazing. I love that about you! I also like how you know what you like. You know how to make up your mind. I love how you know yourself, who you are and what kind of person you want to be. You are not wishy washy!  You have a strong character! You're going to make a good leader Ali! Your friendly and outgoing and you are a natural born leader. You are going to have a good influence on everyone around you! I know that the kids you play with admire you and they want to be around you. You make people feel better about themselves and you make people want to be better. Wow, that's an awesome trait you have!

There's another quality I love about you Ali! You are thoughtful and considerate of other people's feelings. You are unselfish. I think that's why everyone loves to be with you. I remember last year at my Grandkiddie Christmas party. Somehow grandma messed up and got one more toy that was for a boy instead of a girl. Do you remember this? I can't remember who got the gift for the boy, but I remember tears (I think it was Eden) and grandma was beside herself with how to fix the awful mess! That is when you stepped up and I still remember exactly what you said,  You looked at me and then you spoke, "It's ok," you said, "I'll have it!" Oh my goodness! You took and traded your gift that was for a girl and you took the toy that was for a boy! Grandma nearly fell off her chair! Do you know what a big thing that was? Wow, you saved the day, you saved grandma's party! I will never forget that!

Well, that's not the first time I've seen you do that, and I know it's not the last time I'll see you do that. You are a very kind and generous little girl Alison. I love you for that! Well I could go on and on all day about you. Your fun, your energetic, your smart, your beautiful, you are important, and you, little lady, are my best friend! We are best friends forever, huh?

Thanks for being WONDERFUL! I'm so glad you are MY granddaughter! I am proud of you Ali! Every where I go I tell people all about YOU! You are very special to me! You are very special to everyone in our family. All your crazy aunts and uncles. Everyone LOVES YOU! And, I feel so lucky that I get to be YOUR GRANDMA! I'm the luckiest grandma ever! We are going to have a lot of fun ---YOU and ME! I hope you had an awesome birthday, since you are such an AWESOME KID!

OK SPROUT! I LOVE ---LOVE ---LOVE-A YOU! Your my Ali Cat! Grizzly Bear HUGS (Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr) and Butterfly kisses!

I love you! Grandpa loves you too!

Nana :)
PS. thanks for giving me the whip cream and cherry off your cake!