Family Picture Day

Our friends invited us to take family pictures with them today. It is going to be the only sunny day for a few weeks. If we would take a few pictures of them they would make us dinner, buy us ice cream, and take a few pictures of us. We figured that was a pretty good deal.

I like pictures of kids crying. It gives a more accurate depiction of family picture time.

Cody is a good brother. He always takes care of Kylee.

Not only do we look really good in these pictures but dinner and ice cream was amazing as well. We need to make more friends like these.

Friday is Garbage Day!

Garbage Day is a big event around here. Cody and Kylee are standing on a stool with their noses pressed against our bedroom window at 7:30 in the morning waiting for the garbage truck to drive down our street.

It's too dark to tell but I was trying to show you that Kylee is standing on her tippy toes on the stool just to be able to look at the truck coming down the street.

The garbage men here are so nice. They always wave at the kids when they are at the window. It amazes me that they even notice them, let alone wave.

Computer Parts for Steve

Last night Steve opened a shipment of computer parts and started putting them together. I'm glad the camera worked this time. He's so excited to build his own computer!

Cute Despite the Runny Nose

Cody took this picture of Kylee before church a few weeks ago.

Kylee loves to dress up already. Anytime she finds glasses she loves to wear them while she plays. Too bad her little nose was running like crazy.

So I wiped her nose and then took another picture. And this is what I got!

And this is me testing out the camera after pushing buttons and pounding the camera to see if I could get it to work. Nope!

A Spooky Family Home Evening (and I don't mean the cookies)

Last Monday night we decorated ghost and cat cookies for Family Home Evening. Cody and I made the sugar cookies earlier that day and he was SO excited to frost them that he could hardly wait. I guess we never really make sugar cookies...we like the kind with chocolate chips and no decorating needed for instant consumption. As soon as Steve got home and dinner was over we got to work.

Cody wanted red frosting. Steve wanted chocolate. So we had reddish chocolate frosting to compromise. Gross! I wanted plain white frosting (you know, the real color of ghosts!) but I guess that would have been too normal.

Kylee really liked eating the cookies. She was really good at it too.

I told Cody he couldn't lick the knife so that we could keep using it to spread cookies. So for the picture he decided to pose like he was licking it. "Mom, I'm just pretending to lick it."

I kind of like my sugar cookies plain sometimes. But, when the frosting is reddish brown I ALWAYS like my cookies without frosting. Yum!

And then here is the sad moment when the camera went crazy. Now, here's the SpOokY part. Sometimes it will take normal pictures and sometimes the pictures turn out like this. Last night the camera was working again. But then this morning it was doing this weird red fuzz thing again. BUT, the camera still does movies no problem. SPooKy? I think so. And you know what? Now that I think of it. That weird frosting is about the same color as these wacky pictures. The only conclusion is that we have been cursed by the weird frosting.

Should've stuck with white. Should've stuck with white.

R.I.P.

Our camera died today! All I can get are red and white fuzzy pictures! How crummy is that? I guess I'll have to start sketching our memories and then sending them out on weekly mailers until we can save up some money to buy a new camera. So, be checking your mailboxes for the next update. :)

Zoo Boo

Today we went to Zoo Boo (the Halloween festivities at the Zoo) with our friend's the Westover's and had a lot of fun despite the cold, wet weather! The kids wore their costumes, got lots of candy and treats, and watched some scuba divers carve a pumpkin with the fish.

Here is Cody the Turtle and Kylee the Ladybug all bundled in a million layers of clothing and ready for some fun! Cody's shell was on the outside of his coats. The warm clothing always seems to ruin the effect of costumes doesn't it?

After you go through the main entrance you come to the steepest escalator ever! As I have said before: the hills are crazy here! So you either have to take this escalator or an elevator to get from the main entrance to the actual zoo.

While we waited for our friends we rode the escalator because Kylee didn't want to get off.

Inside the Aquarium there is an open tank where you can pet the Sting Rays. Steve and Cody and Kylee were hanging around the tank waiting for a Sting Ray to get close enough so they could touch it. Sometimes they are on top of the water and sometimes they are down in the water and you have to reach down to touch them. Finally, a Sting Ray was swimming at the bottom of the tank right past Cody. Without thinking he quickly reached down into the water to try to touch it and got all 3 of his warm clothing layers soaked up to his elbow. It was pretty funny.

A First For the Whole Cramer Clan

My sister and brother-in-law found out yesterday that they are having a baby boy! Can you imagine the excitement at our house? This is our first cousin/first nephew ever! I get to be an aunt!

P.S. Any ideas for baby boy gifts? I'd love to hear about them! I want to do this aunt thing right :)

She is Definitely Ours Because...

...she likes oatmeal chocolate chip cookies as much as the rest of us!

Video: Cody's 1st Primary Talk

Cody was asked to give a talk about "The Family: A Proclamation to the World teaches the Importance of Marriage" for Primary this week.

Here's Part 1.

Then Ellie came to the door. After Cody talked to her for a minute we finished the talk.

Here is Part 2.

I'll let you know how it goes today. I bribed him with brownies!

Cody can't get enough of these now...

So we have watched our other Monster Mash video a million times already. Cody can’t get enough. So we made another and this one is way better…enjoy!

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/AcBb0LnoEroQ3eQ3

5 Years Down & an Eternity to Apologize

I am so sorry, Steve, but I have to post these pictures!

Last night we ate chicken, broccoli, and mashed potatoes. Towards the end of the meal (for some unknown reason) Steve started rolling his potatoes into balls. Then he started offering them to anyone who wanted one. I gracefully declined. The kids, who were having the best day of their lives, were gobbling them. Cody was eating his broccoli just so he could have another one!

This is just one of the many bazillion, kajillion reasons why I like you, Steve!

Happy Anniversary!

We Like to Monster Mash

Check us out! Click here

The Layered Look

The other night Cody got another one of his crazy ideas. He went upstairs to put on his pajamas and came down with 3 layers on top and 3 layers on bottom. He told me he did it to bug me, which it didn't. He took off all the layers before falling asleep anyway because he got too hot.

Buttoning up the top button on his polo shirts he does just to bug me too. And that one actually DOES bug me. :)

Zoo Time with Steve

Steve took a few hours off during a super busy week of getting ready for midterms and went to the zoo with us!

They have these little bike things for kids to ride. You swivel the handlebars from side to side to make yourself go! Why don't they sell these in stores? They were cool!

And a polar bear was playing in the water when we were in the tunnel. It was so fun to watch him because he was so playful. He would climb up on the rocks and dive backwards into the water and play with toys too.

Free Day at Phipps

Lucky for us Pittsburgh has free days once a year for a whole bunch of their attractions. So me, the kids, and my friend Liz and her kids decided to check out Phipps Conservatory. It's this awesome green house palace with botanical gardens and glass sculptures that I have been wanting to check out but haven't felt rich enough. We drive past it all the time because it is right across from Steve's campus and on the way to church.

Tif, Kylee, and Cody in front of Phipps. Isn't this a gorgeous building?

I have been so good lately at remembering my camera when I go places, except for this time. Luckily Liz came through. She took a picture of anything we asked her to. Cody asked her to take his picture in front of his favorite flower.

Cody and his friend Sarah loved the butterflies. You follow the path through these beautiful gardens in this wing of the building and the butterflies are everywhere. They fly right by you and the kids thought it was so fun! Cody was seriously squealing because he was so excited for this part.

Tif, Kylee, Cody, Sarah, Liz, and Abby in front of a glass sculpture. Our poor husbands are always busy and couldn't be there, but they can get in for free with their student I.D. so they'll get their chance.

Outside there is a children's discovery area where the kids can water the plants...

...and water

and water! They didn't want to leave!

The next few pictures are of some of the cool glass sculptures we saw. It's a beautiful place. You should come check it out sometime! :)

Making Conversation

Kylee is talking so well. More and more words everyday. It is especially fun when I hear Cody and Kylee talking with each other (nicely, of course). If Kylee is upset he can talk to her and she calms down. And he talks to her like she is a real person too (not baby talk) which makes it even more cute.

Sometimes Cody tries to translate for me. Kylee will jabber some nonsense and Cody will say, "Kylee says she wants me to have a treat."

The other day I was in the car with the kids. Kylee usually gets restless and talking to her about what is out the window usually helps keep her occupied. Cody said, "look, Kylee! There's a dog. And there's a school. Are you going to go to school?" Kylee said, "huh-uh" (meaning "no"). And then Cody, sounding concerned said, "you have to, Kylee. When you are five you have to."

Kylee usually says some form of "no" when you ask her a question, even when you know the answer is yes. And she says it sweetly like she is saying please or something. Other times when she answers no it sounds like a question. I think that happens because when we are trying to find out what she wants we are asking "Do you want a drink? Yes? No?" and so she uses the same tones with us.

Another time the kids and I were eating lunch and I left the room for a minute. While I was gone Kylee was yacking away. When I came back Cody said, "Kylee was telling me a story, but I didn't understand what it was."

P.S. Kylee finally started saying Cody's name ("Dody"). She has been able to name all of our little friends for quite a while, but wouldn't ever say Cody's name. The closest we ever got before was brother ("Bubba"). Yahoo!

Cody's Lego Identity Crisis

Cody and Steve LOVE playing with Lego's. We started out with the ones that Steve's mom saved from his childhood. Cody loved playing with them so much that we have been adding to the collection ever since. We have all these cool Lego guys now and Cody has one particular Lego guy that is always "Cody" as well as one that is Steve and his Uncle Bob. With all of their cool accessories it is hard to choose, but can you guess which one is Cody?

Is it the cool surfer dude with shaggy hair, sunglasses, a surf board, and sharks? Maybe a pirate complete with scruffy beard, hat, and a wooden leg? Or could it be Robin Hood? Nope!

Maybe a soldier with a uniform, flag, and musket? Wrong again.

Or is Cody more of the working class type? Janitor Joe with a beanie hat? A Police Officer with helmet and a visor that can slide up and down? A garbage man and his hand dolly that can take on any load of garbage you can bring on? It's gotta be the pilot, right? Sorry. Keep trying.

One of the members of the U.S. Coast Guard? What a crew! They've got life vests, scuba gear, and tools. It's not any of these cool guys.

How about the fire fighting crew or the Mars astronaut guy? Pretty cool, right? Cody wasn't taken by ANY of these guys either.

HERE'S CODY!

If you guessed he was the one-armed, lonely soul with the plain, worn face, no accessories, and a five-year-old-Steve paint job then you guessed RIGHT! Congratulations!

No matter how many Lego guys come along, Cody's heart will beat for no one else.

Which Lego guy has stolen your heart?

When it's rainy...

After having so much fun outside yesterday the kids were a little crazy with the rainy weather! You can tell they are desperate for something to do!

Thursdays without Daddy

It was a beautiful day with NO rain! So we walked to the park with our friends and played hard. We had to get out a lot of energy that has been bottled up from a whole week of cold and rainy days. Then we went back to our house and ate dinner with our usual Thursday group: Lindsey and baby Darcy, Liz, Sarah, baby Abby, and us. All of our husbands are gone late on Thursdays so we get together and eat dinner to make the day not so long and lonely. Here is a picture of Cody and Sarah at the park before dinner.

Cody is such a good boy. He is always looking out for his friends and making sure they are having fun. A few weeks ago we were at a BBQ and Cody was playing with a whole bunch of kids, Sarah being one of them. Steve came over to check on Cody and after a minute Cody said, "Dad, Sarah's sad. I need to go make her feel better." And then Steve watched him run over to Sarah (who was off by herself crying) and bring her back to the group.