It's a. . .

Rabbit!!  Ha! Ha!  You thought I was going to tell you the sex of the baby, but that's not for another couple of days.  So here's our rabbit story.  After we cut the tree down Josh was clearing brush from the yard and found that a rabbit had birthed her babies in the middle of our yard, where she thought it was wooded b/c of all the tree branches and limbs that were down.  We've been watching them closely, checking on them frequently through the day, and showing them to all our house guests that we've had lately.Two of the five rabbits sleeping.  Their eyes have just opened, and the first day that they had opened, two of them when running when we pulled back the brush to check on them.  One ran through the fence, into the woods next door.  I thought he was gone, but the next day all five were back.
A close up of one of them.
This is what they looked like when Josh found them, he and Garrett thought they were mice b/c they were so brand new and their features weren't really clear.

I'm loving all the nature around me now that I live in the country.  I was really freaked out this time last year, I really felt out of my element.  The longer I live here, the more I like the quiet solitude of life, out of the towns, cities, and suburbs that I grew up in.  I love to watch the birds, rabbits, butterflys, squirrels, toads and whatever else comes our way.  I'm not a fan of the snake that decided to say hello the other day when we were checking on the rabbits.  It was only a gardener snake, but he can stay in the woods from now on.

A week or so ago we had lots of fun watching one of the trees in our backyard get cut down.  My reasons for wanting it cut down were, first of all, that it was weeping on one side and was dying.  And secondly, I wanted more sun in the back yard!  Most people think I'm nuts, but we have three BIG trees left that still give us plenty of shade.
Here's what the tree looked like before anything was cut out.  The swing was relocated to another tree in the yard.
Josh took the older two up on the "cherry picker" before the fun began.
Two men worked for 4 hours "topping out" the tree.
Almost done the topping out process. 
Of course we had tons of mess to clean up. Olivia and Garrett helped as much as they could!  It was a lot of hard work, but I'm so happy with the result!  The video of the tree falling is the next post down!

Tree falling

Here's the result of all the hard work! I don't know if the video captures the excitement of the moment, but it was really COOL!

The Foruth of July - Take 1

Daddy and Esther waiting for the Parade to start.
The kids didn't just get a TON of candy at the parade, they also got to watch horses do their "business" along the route.  One of them was so kind as to leave some right in front of our seats.  At one point we told Garrett to run out into the street to get some candy that didn't quite make it to him, and on his way back he was coughing and gagging, saying, "That poop stinks, we gotta go home soon, PHEW!"  He had us rollin'!
Another lovely shot of the three kids, NOT looking at the camera and with eyes closed!  The day I get a great shot, will be the day pigs fly!
Mommy and Olivia waiting for the fireworks to start.  I love this picture of her, because she's NOT posing and looks so beautiful (if I may brag!!).
Garrett and Daddy waiting on the fireworks (seems like we did a lot of waiting, hu?).  But seriously, the kids did GREAT.  If I had the day to do over again, I would do it exactly the same, with no exceptions or changes.

We had a great holiday yesterday, starting with a parade in a neighboring town and ending with a fireworks show in Holland on Lake Macatawa.  Hope you enjoy the pictures from the day!  Keep scrolling to the next post for more pictures.

The Fourth of July - Take 2

Olivia and Garrett starting up one of the inflatable games before the fireworks.  This one had two huge slides on it! 
More sugar please!  This photo was taken at around 9:30pm as we waited for the sun to set so that the show could begin.  They did fine with the food - til it was gone - than it was pretty tough keeping them occupied and out of the way of thousands of people sitting around us.  Overall they did REALLY well at being up until almost midnight.
Esther saying "CHEESE" for the camera - she never looks at the camera - so this is a great shot!
Olivia framing her face with a glow stick (thanks Miss Deb for buying them for us!).  Notice the sky in the background, and the sun still not set all the way.  I think this was taken after 10!
Garrett with his favorite trustee, Mr. Gary.  Gary is so great with Garrett, putting up with all the questions and interruptions while he's trying to work.  Thanks for loving our kids Mr Gary and Miss Deb!

Olivia Riding her bike

Just wanted to update on Olivia's progress with riding the bike. She's a pro now and can even start herself. She's just a bit taller than Garrett, so she's got the advantage with the start. This same night we went down to the church to let them ride around the parking lot on their bikes and Olivia bit it hard! She still had on her bathing suit, so she got a really nice strawberry on her butt cheek and upper leg. Luckily, we were able to get her back on the bike the next day.
On another note about Olivia, she self-corrected the other day and it was AWESOME! We rode the bikes to the park behind our house on Friday and when we arrived there were three other girls playing and they asked Olivia to play. Garrett wasn't too interested in playing at that time, but a few minutes later he was headed to the picnic tables where they were. At first, all the girls were saying, "NO boys allowed!" Garrett kept his distance, just watching for a couple of minutes. He moved a little bit closer and Olivia turned to one of the older girls and said, "He can sit by me, can't he? He's just my brother, he won't bother us." I was so proud of her. All the tough lessons are not in vain!! Thank you Jesus!

Girls will be girls. . .unfortunatly

  Don't you wish they were always this sweet and innocent?  I know that Olivia isn't perfect.  I know that she's not ALWAYS nice to her friends, I've heard her be bossy and controlling.  I know that she has her favorite friends and who she'll choose to play with when a group of them are together.  I also know that she's been on the other side of it.  Being left out, when she REALLY wanted to be included.  Having to sacrifice what she wants for a friend, who may not have even asked or cared about her.  Having to learn the hard way, that other people have favorite friends too, and sometimes, she's not it.   I've been thinking about how hard it is to raise girls for the past two days.  We had a couple of events this past week that reminded me that girls are caddy and mean to each other, even at the young age of four, five, seven, ten.  Not just when you hit Jr. high and high school.

  When Olivia was left out this week and I was there to observe it, I have to be honest, I had to choke back my tears.  Not only does it crush your heart and spirit that your child is being treated unfairly, but for women I think it brings up so many reminders of their childhood. Luckily, Olivia didn't get it.  I was able to redirect her without her realizing that the girls were lying to her to keep her away and save her the heartache of finally getting the courage to go over only to be shoved out of the "circle" or ran away from.

  God has given me great teachable moments in these times we've had lately, but to be honest, I wish there were easier ways to learn, unconditional love, unconditional forgiveness and a taste of her own medicine.  These tough times for Olivia will come in handy when she's mistreating someone, and can be reminded about how she felt the day she was left out.  And I pray that if I'm diligent in reminding her about how she felt, that she will eventually self correct.  So that when she's 12 and has the urge to make a club on the playground with her friends, she'll be the one in the group that suggests that anyone who wants to be in the club can be.

garrett & the 2 wheeler

here is garrett riding his 2 wheeler. he is just getting too big and he is really good at this. olivia can ride a little but not this good. anyway, enjoy!!!!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Josh is now officially into his 30th year, meaning, he turned 29 today! Talking about the 30th year sounds so much more serious doesn't it? The kids were great, saying "Happy Birthday Dad!" every time he was around. We got him a bike a couple of weeks ago as an anniversary, fathers day, birthday gift, so there were no presents for him tonight after dinner. The kids were a little concerned and asked where his presents were. I'm sure they only cared because they wanted to "help" him open them up! Happy Birthday babe, I love you! Daddy after dinner with the brood - Garrett will have to be standing next year after we add the last one to the bunch! Esther isn't really using an obscene gesture, that's how she points and thinks!
YUMMY CAKE!
DITTO! You'll notice we don't have a picture of Olivia eating cake. That's because she ate it in record time, seriously, like 1 minute!

16 weeks

Here's the belly shot at 16 weeks. I was waiting to post anything until after this last visit because of when I lost the last pregnancy. Today the baby sounded great, 150 bpm. Everything seems to be fine and we've got our ultrasound scheduled for July 17th, when we'll find out the sex. Happy blogging!

Happy 50th Dad

It wasn't that long ago that this picture was taken on the fourth of July 1980. That's me in the picture, 15 months old, with my dad at the young age of 23. Dad shared with me the other day how turning 50 has really made him reflective. He expressed that even though he is 50, he's still the same "kid" he was when he was ten, he's still the youngest of his siblings, and to be 50 and have 4 1/2 grandchildren is pretty good. He didn't seem depressed like some men tend to get, I got the feeling that my dad is one of the most content men on earth. He is truly happy just being with his family, watching and observing, and always learning. We threw around the idea in January about having a big party for him, but he told us not too, so we didn't. The truth is all he wants is for all of us to be together, just sitting, talking, drinking coffee, playing cards, watching Survivor, telling love stories by the fire, and playing with the grand kids on the beach. I'm sorry we couldn't be there, I wish I was - so from Michigan, Happy Birthday Dad, I love you!
This picture is missing our precious little Avery, well, she was in Ange's belly, so technically, we were all there! This was the Shore 2006 - what a great family - I love and miss everyone.

My mom was. . .

I surrender! I give up, well, I gave in! I will openly admit, for all of blog land to see, that my mom was. . .RIGHT! I know, I know, this is a toughy! Come on, lets be honest. How many of us EVER want to admit that our mom is right about something. I have a tendency to disagree with my mom, just for the sake of arguing with her. This admission isn't that big in the context of a life changing decision, just one that I've been fighting for, oh, six years. Anyone that knows my mom, knows that she is a bargain shopper. She was once seriously addicted to Goodwill, where many of our wedding decorations and her Christmas ornaments came from. She has limited her time there in the last couple of years. She is the one who taught me to go straight to the back of a store to the clearance racks first. I can remember going to Sams Club with her as a kid and heading to the back corner of the store first thing to find the reduced items. She no longer shops at Sams Club, but always calls me with a "great deal" at the store, ANY store! One of her all time best finds was Aldi Stores. You all know and love them too right? Well, I'd been in them many times while visiting NJ, and was not all that impressed with the selection (it's not a one-stop-shop), and the cleanliness of the store. So, no matter where I've lived, I have never once stepped foot in an Aldi store. Not only for the reasons stated above, but mostly because my mom kept telling me I should shop there, and to spite her, I wouldn't. This has not deterred her from calling me with deals at Aldi, and now I am grateful. We have been pricing pools for the last couple of weeks, trying to decide if we are going to buy a bigger pool that Josh and I can swim with the kids in, or go for the typical pool, that's great for the kids, but not so great for mom and dad. Mom called me the other day and said that Aldi had a really great pool on sale for 20 dollars and I should check it out. "OK mom, thanks for thinking about us." Well, this week has been hot and beautiful, just right for a pool. So, today after VBS I drove to Jenison, and stepped foot in the Aldi there. I was impressed from the time I walked in. "Clean, check!" "Good selection, check!" "Pools for 20, no 18.99!, check!!!!" I was really happy with the size and especially the price of the pool. Most other pools that size run for 29.99-39.99, depending on where you look. So, mom, you were right. I might even start shopping at Aldi!
Garrett and Esther enjoying their new pool.
A good view of the pool and of Garrett chillin' on the side.
Olivia posing again, are you surprised? She's not wet in this shot, but swam for 2 hours before this! I know you like Esthers wedgie!
Josh getting a shot of me this way, "Hey Jess. . ." and I, like and idiot, look over! But I'm not ashamed to put those pictures on the blog, unlike some people I know!
Josh hiding from the camera, look familiar?? This time Olivia was trying to help get the shot, and Garrett took the picture. I'm happy to report that no one got hurt in the scuffle. (The camera was given to us from our pastor and his wife who got a new one recently, thanks David and Becky!)

Power in the Back!

Garrett hooked himself into the booster seat the other night and was saying, "Power in the Back!" It was hilarious! If you can zoom in on his face in this picture you'd see the snarled look of meanness on his face. Also take notice of the slippers he has on, one is spider - man, the other, pooh. . .this super hero's got a strange get-up! Garrett, saving the world one "back" at a time!
On a sadder note, this is the last photo that was taken by our camera. I was trying to get a picture of Josh, and Garrett was trying to help by fighting with him so he couldn't get his hand up in front of the camera. In the chaos Garrett hit the camera with his hand and broke the lens, and as you can see, really hurt his hand. And look how good Josh is at comforting his son, holding him in front of his face while he's crying and smiling so I can't get a good shot! Josh tried to fix it, but ended up breaking it some more. So, now I am camera less once again! Hopefully we can replace it inexpensively, and soon!!!

Memorial Day Weekend - Take One

At Josh's family gatherings there is always an annual wiffle ball game, normally played by the adults and teens. It's always a lot of fun. It's amazing what 5 years and 9 kids will do to your wiffle ball game! Garrett's swinging away on a pitch from Uncle Rex. He did really well at hitting the ball, I think we've got a baseball player!
Gracie and Olivia share a cute moment while sharing a base during the game. It's so great how distance and time don't faze kids! They just pick up where they left off.
Sophie and Esther spinning together.
Garrett cheesin' with the twins. Gracie is on the left and Maggie is on the right.

Please continue to the next post down for more fun pictures from our weekend! I love spending time with family, it doesn't matter to me which side of the family it is - it's always good to be with people who love you, hug you and keep you laughing (even if it's at yourself)!!!! Blessing and love from the Crisp family.

Memorial Day Weekend - Take Two

Uncle Eric reads to the older kids before bed time on Sunday night - he was reading "Oh say can you say" by Dr. Seuss, that explains the funny expression on his face. From left to right Micah, Elijah, Uncle Eric, Garrett, and Olivia.
Nana kept Isaiah and Esther occupied during reading time.
Nana bought little sleeping bags at Big Lots this week and we all thought it would be fun to let the kids have a real sleep-over. Of course we started bedtime early because we knew we'd have to separate them to get them to sleep. It didn't take long for Garrett to start boppin' people on the head with pillows, for Micah to start talking loudly, and for Elijah and Olivia to tattle on all of it! They sure look cute all lined up don't they?
Another line up that's been talked about since Christmas. The last good picture we have of all the kids together was last Easter. This one turned out pretty good - it's REALLY hard to get them all to look at the camera, not move, and for the boys, not touch certain parts of their bodies!
Esther and Isaiah were ready for a ride. Isaiah sat in that seat for at lease 30 minutes, buckled! Esther decided it looked like fun and jumped on, he was more than happy to have a riding companion.

Just for fun

I'm getting tired of Esther's hair. I still can't believe that my kids don't have any hair! For a couple of days Esther's hair did it's own pigtail thing, with one piece sticking up. It dawned on me that maybe I could get her hair in pigtails. First I tried with just one a little off set on her head, it looked cute, but than I tried the two of them, and I thought it looked really cute. She didn't mess with them for a while. It wasn't til I tightened them that she pulled one out. At least I know it's an option.

Garrett is trying out the go-tee look with chocolate pudding. I don't know if the picture captures the look - but it really looked like a go-tee in person.

It really hasn't been as warm that last couple of days, but b/c we started playing in water a couple of days ago they want to everyday. The last couple of times they've been shivering so much, but they don't care! They were having fun showing off their muscles while they dried off in the sun.

Pool fun and Esther pains

The sandbox top has become our "swimming pool" for the time being, until we can get a real one. It's just right for Esther!
The kids drying off in the sun.
Olivia being "little mommy" to Esther. She really is a big help.
Esther crying at me b/c I wouldn't pick her up - this is what she look like most of the time when we are stuck in the house all day.
Two seconds after the previous picture was taken I took this one - doesn't look as unhappy does she? It's amazing how they turn that on and off!