Happy Memorial Day

Isn't this picture priceless??!! It totally captures the essence of that first taste of watermelon of the season. We celebrated Memorial Day today with some BBQ at Lolly and Poppy's house. (Poor Derek was working and couldn't come. Darn oil field!) We enjoyed a nice, impromptu, relaxing evening.

I think it is safe to say that watermelon is a hit with the little ones.

Of course watching Poppy cut the watermelon was

just as good as eating it for Collin.

Precious time with Lolly and Poppy

Today Poppy took the kids through the "jungle" around his house

while they looked for the "sneaky snakes." That silly Poppy.
Here is Fischer rocking Brantlee's Dora sunglasses and bracelet!

Chilling by the kiddie pool while the little ones "swam"
I had to include this pic because guess who took it?? That's right, Mr. Collin.

He's getting pretty good at this!

Who needs a swimsuit?!

Really not wanting to do this, but giving me a fake smile anyway ;)

After church this morning and not in a picture taking mood.

This is how a typical day ends at the Crager home:
a 3-way wrestling match!!

We wish everyone a safe and fun Memorial Day!

Virus: Part II

This time it struck Collin. He appears to have the exact thing Brantlee had a couple weeks ago, high fevers and a tummy ache. But I figured he would’ve already had it by now. Collin’s symptoms started late Monday, and so far he has been a pretty good patient and has been in good spirits. He’ll say, “It’s okay Mama. I just feel a little bit bad.” Or, “My tummy feels sad.” Better yet, he'll say "Uh-oh, my fever's going up again." And sure enough I'll ckeck him, and he'll be burning up! It’s so hard to see your child sick :( Plus, he will have to miss his VERY FIRST tee-ball practice this afternoon! Bummer!!

Also, since school has been out, Brantlee has started back the trend of waking up at the crack of dawn, literally. This morning she woke up at 4:30. No, that wasn’t a typo. Of course, her leg was stuck in the crib rail, and I would’ve certainly raised heck about that myself, but still. She used to sleep until 7:30 or 7:45, unassisted and in her bed. Now, not nearly that late. ( I am convinced she wakes up so she can catch the earliest episode of Mickey Mouse Club House, which she calls “Mic Mouse.” )

Middle of the night dashes for Motrin + Break of dawn wake up calls = One groggy mama

I didn’t intend for this to be a whiney post, and I really don’t mean to complain. Brantlee has overall been a very good sleeper in my book. And if the truth be known, I really feel like it is time to transition her to a “big girl” bed. Sigh. Change is hard. And scary. I can just envision Miss Priss in the bathroom unrolling an entire roll of toilet paper at 3 a.m. –HA!

Here are some pictures from this past week. We are on the countdown for the beach. We leave one week from Sunday!! YAY! I cannot wait to get some sandcastle and pool pictures. These below will have to do for now.

Real men ride pink four-wheelers

And take naps in toy boxes- haha

Armed and dangerous

Feeding her baby

Before church this past Sunday

Check out that attitude!

Brandy tagged these photos on FB. Thanks!

Enjoying the park!

Collin at Karsen's 3rd birthday party

Being Crafty

The very title of this post makes me chuckle a little, because I am anything but crafty. I dream to be crafty and creative and artsy, but I am just not. I keep hoping just a little trace of my mom's craftiness will start surfacing soon. (Seriously, the woman can make anything.)Regardless, we have been experimenting with some art projects a little this past week.

What would life be like without a little finger paint every now and then?! We bought some yesterday, and naturally, it was an instant hit with the kiddos. This stuff washes easily out of clothes and wipes right off of tables, so no worries.

Collin was more into the painting than Brantlee. Let's just say she was a little more unpredictable than Collin. (The recommended age on the box said "3 and up" for a reason.)

This is Collin's spaceship. Can't you tell?? I certainly can!

Yes, Kyle is going to kill me for posting this,

but it is totally worth it!
Nice fire-breathing dragon, Babe!

Play Doh! Now this is more Ms. Brantlee's style. Here she is giving me her best "cheese" face.

Next on the craft agenda was my attempt at making hair bows. I think they turned out okay for my first go at it. Not that Brantlee appreciated my efforts. She despises bows and always has.

Brace yourself for this next craft......

Yikes!! Isn't it creepy??!! We made this thing out of "Bendaroos" that they advertise on TV. You can make practically anything if you follow the instructions. Collin has been fascinated by it. Brantlee likes to smash everything into a ball. (We also made a giraffe, but the poor thing is MIA right now.)

Not along the lines of crafts, but I think it is worth mentioning that we officially have a Shirley Temple in the family. For the past several weeks, Brantlee's hair has been growing like crazy! I honestly try to keep it combed and fixed, but by the end of the day it usually looks something like this...

Clearly, this baby needed a new technique. I have the flattest hair ever, so I was clueless on how to manage it. So...... we have been using a tiny bit of mouse and a wide-toothed comb to achieve this look....

Check out those curls!! I don't know how long they will last, but we are enjoying them for now.

Have a great weekend :)

Let Summer Begin!

Yay for summer break! It's official- this school year is over!! August will come soon enough, and I can't wait to enjoy these next few months.

This past week has been a little bit hard for Brantlee. Monday we decided to take Brantlee to a doctor to have an infected finger checked. When we got to the family clinic, she was running a fever of 103!! The dr felt like the fever was from the staph infection in her finger. Yikes! The next day she saw her pediatrician, who did not think the fever was from the infection but felt it was from a virus. What a coincidence??

Regardless, poor Brantlee ran a high fever until Thursday night along with a really sore finger. We have no idea why her finger is infected, and it is still not completely healed. She is still on antibiotics, but she does feel lots better. Since her fever was gone, and she was acting like her old self, we decided to take our chances and continue our weekend plans that we had made with our friends the Burchfields. We all participated in Gulfport's Pursuit of Fun Run, because all participants got free admission into the waterpark! We spent the night in Gulfport Friday night. The men ran the 5K, and Amy, Addison and I ran the 1-mile. Anything for free admission right??

Collin and Brantlee got a little antsy waiting for Daddy to get back from the run. And I just couldn't get many good pictures.

We only had time for some breakfast on the go. These babies were good sports tho :)
Kyle did so great!! One of his best times yet!

Then we got to really have some fun. Collin and Brantlee LOVED the water, the slides, and the wave pool. I can't wait for the beach!

Shortly after these pictures were taken, a major thunderstorm cleared out the park. We made a mad dash for our vehicle, changed the kids clothes in the car, and headed home. These babies were asleep before we hit the interstate, and they slept the whole way home. Fun times!! It was certainly a nice start to summer.

Mother's Day Weekend

I hope everyone had a great weekend, especially my friends who experienced their very first Mother's Day. Motherhood just completely changes the perspective. I think you just feel everything more deeply than before children.

Thursday morning I was running around (and running late) trying get out the door for work. I opened the car door and found a very sweet note from Kyle telling me we were staying overnight somewhere Friday night, but he wouldn't tell me where. It totally made my day! Then, in true Courtney fashion, I spilled coffee all over the note on the way to school. It's okay though. It dried, is still legible and is stored in a drawer as a keepsake. We ended up going to the Coast with Joel and Amanda for the night. These sneaky and quite thoughtful guys arranged this outing without us knowing. We both greatly appreciated our night out! Great Mother's Day gift! (Plus I just ordered a jogging stroller as my gift. I promise I wouldn't have if I had known about the trip, but Kyle did know about it.)

Sunday evening we cooked dinner at our house for our moms. Casey, Derek, and Fischer came too. We gave these hard-working mothers gift certificates to a full-service salon in Laurel and some B&BW lotion. These two women deserve far more than this though. They do so, so much to help us with our children, and anything else for that matter. Their help does NOT go unappreciated or taken for granted!

Along with sweet cards, this precious gift below also made me tear up. My mom had all three grandkids make their handprints and framed them with this sweet message for Casey and me. I just had to share the poem.

"Sometimes you get discouraged, because I am so small.

And always leave my fingerprints on furniture and walls,

But everyday I'm growing, And I'll be grown one day

And all these tiny handprints will simply fade away.

So here's a final handprint, so you can recall

Exactly how my fingers looked when I was very small"

Thank you so much MOM!!

I love being a mommy for so many reasons. Collin and Brantlee, you are my heart! And you have changed the way I see the world and how deeply I feel things. Being your mommy is the best thing I have ever experienced. Here are some things that I love about you, even though some of these things make me a little sad:

I love that you are quickly growing into a handsome little boy that will finally pose for a picture.

I love that I find you talking to your toys and using your imagination.

I love that it's the little things in life that fascinate you the most.
I love that you insist on shades for every occasion, even cartoon watching.

I love that sometimes you like to just "be"

I love that sometimes (many times) you feel the need to pout!

I love that you are one giggly little girl! It's so easy to make you smile :)

I love that you will still eat green beans, even though you have pretty much rejected all other foods with any nutritional value.

Have a great week everyone!!