Crutchfield Family

Grandma for Thanksgiving

2012-01-01T19:04:00.001-08:00

We never do anything fun when my mom comes. I guess we are always just happy hanging around enjoying each others company, but this time I was determined to take her somewhere. We live in such an awesome place with so many things close by and she needed to see some of it so we took her to Stinson Beach and Muir Woods and of course the beautiful Muir Beach lookout point. It was super fun. We always like an excuse to head to the coast! It was supposed to be 70 and sunny and ended up more like 55 and cloudy so not ideal weather for the beach, but we still had a great time.

Here is Lane throwing a perfect spiral with the football. I swear this kid is awesome. Seriously he can throw a football better than Jude. Maybe every 5 year old can do that, I don't know, but we think he's amazing.

with Grandma at the Muir Beach lookout. So pretty!

Muir Woods and the giant redwoods

inside a tree

Grandma was here for Ivy's birthday, too. She has been asking for an itouch for a year now. so we finally caved. She wrote out a contract before her birthday saying that IF she were to get an itouch for her birthday that she promises to clean her room every time she is asked and that if she doesn't clean her room her parents can take away her itouch for as long as her parents decide to do so. Then she signed the bottom (on the line that had her name printed under it). She was so happy when she opened it, she started crying and kept saying, " thank you so much. thank you so much!" through her tears. It was really sweet.

Halloween

2011-12-07T21:11:00.001-08:00

I know I'm a little behind, but I had to put some Halloween pics up. Lane wanted to be the red power ranger and ever since we started looking at costumes (many weeks before Halloween) Scarlett said she wanted to be a "hot pink power ranger". I showed her all of these cute princess costumes-Belle, Cinderella, you name it--and her response was always a very strong "No! Hot pink power ranger". She is so funny! Well anyway I couldn't find a pink power ranger her size but instead found this cute hot pink super girl. It took some time for her to warm up to the idea, but finally she was sold. Then she started saying, "Lane, blue super girl?" I guess she just wanted to be the girl version of whatever Lane was going to be. So cute. I love that she idolizes Lane.

Ivy and Lane had a Halloween parade at 8:00 sharp but we managed to get Scarlett mostly outfitted in her hot pink super girl for the occasion.

Ivy's costume was so cute this year--Taylor Swift. She played the part quite well, I thought. Too bad she couldn't carry around her piano because she can play a few Taylor Swift songs (and sing right along perfectly). So cute.

Trick or Treating was fun, too!

Marathon

2011-12-05T20:52:00.000-08:00

Yay Jude! He ran the CIM this weekend in Sacramento. He was so dedicated to his training over the past couple of months and then hurt his knee three weeks ago. He was devastated! All that hard work! He didn't think he was going to be able to run it, but after a cortisone shot, getting his IT band stretched out, and resting for a week, he decided to go for it. He did awesome and was on pace to run it under 4 hours until mile 18 when his knee gave out. He pushed through the pain and finished strong at about 4:40. We are so proud of him! Good job Jude!

Deckers in CA

2011-12-04T21:27:00.000-08:00

Jack

We took the kids to the Exploratorium in San Francisco. Such a cool building. We had a blast.

The sand was a favorite. We could have stayed right there all day, I think.

The drums were Lane's favorite

Eeeewww!

Bubbles

Trolley ride

It was Edie's birthday while they were here, so Al and I took Ivy and Edie out to lunch. First we blindfolded Edie and took her to the salon to get feathers in her hair. Then we blindfolded her again and took her to Icing on the Cupcake and then the last stop was the Cheescake factory and a little bit of shopping at the mall--every 9 year old's dream. They had so much fun. Cute cousins!

They bought BFF owl necklaces. So cute!

When we got home Jude and Jonny had decorated the house with balloons and streamers and surprised Edie when she walked in the door.

I wish they could have stayed longer!

Bishop's Pumpkin Farm

2011-12-04T21:10:00.001-08:00

Kindergarten field trip to Bishop's.

Lane and his 2 buddies: Will and Zachary.

Scarlett had a wonderful time

Daddy Daughter Backpacking Trip

2011-10-07T22:05:00.001-07:00

the

Jude has been waiting so many years to go backpacking. He decided that Ivy is finally old enough to go, so he planned an overnight trip with just he and Ivy. He researched it all out and invited a few guys in the ward with daughters about Ivy's age. Only two were man enough! They ended up having to change their plans at the last minute because it snowed in the Sierra's on Thursday and so they went up near Oroville somewhere. I guess it was awesome. They had so much fun! Ivy loves to camp and was a good sport the whole time. She came home so excited to tell us all about everything they saw and did. They can't wait to go again. Lane was sad and cried about it for 3 days or so when he heard he couldn't go, so Jude is planning to take him somewhere, too, but it might have to wait until next year. What an awesome dad! Way to go, Jude! Even Scarlett was jealous. She kept saying that she wanted to go camping, too. I love it! I am so happy that Jude finally has someone to share his love of camping and backpacking with (and that the trips don't have to always include me.)

Tough Mudder!

2011-09-17T22:13:00.003-07:00

Go Jude! You are one tough mudder!

the guys
Jeff, Tom, Maria, Steve's uncle, Steve's brother, Steve, Jude and Rob

Ward Campout at Rucker Lake

2011-09-17T22:13:00.001-07:00

The Church owns a campground at Rucker Lake so the ward goes up every year. It is such a beautiful spot! We had a great time and the kids were absolutely in heaven.

A rare smile from Scarlett. Well, sort of a smile.

Jude and Lane Canoeing

Ivy and Mackensie became buddies

We camped next to Spencer and Marianne, Amber and Randy, Kim and Jon, and Colleen and her 3 girls. We stayed up super late talking and having a fabulous time. It was a blast! I loved getting to know everybody better.

Ivy and her friends spent a lot of time out canoeing on the lake. She loved being able to just go off and hang out with her friends without me or Jude right there next to her. She couldn't have been happier that weekend. She even somehow talked us into letting her stay an extra night with the Onstines, which totally stressed Jude and me out. Neither of us could sleep that night worrying, but she was fine and had the best time ever!

Some of the boys dared each other to swim across the lake. So Jude, Spencer and Brandon (and I can't remember who else) swam all the way across to the other side to the rope swing and then back. It was cute. Jude is not really a swimmer, so I know it wasn't easy for him, but he did it! That was his Tough Mudder workout for the weekend, I guess. Such a fun weekend! Can't wait until next year.

Lost Tooth/Boating with the Baddleys

2011-09-08T21:08:00.001-07:00

It was a little bit premature....but Lane lost his first tooth! He was wrestling with his friend Jack at a soccer party. All of the sudden he came walking over crying and dripping blood with his tooth in his hand. After he calmed down, he was really proud. He said, "mom, that totally didn't even hurt." He's so funny.

We have been chosen! We got to go wake boarding with the Baddleys a couple weeks ago. It was super fun. We love them. I only got a few shots so here they are...

it was so fun watching Steve do all of his tricks.

First Day of School

2011-08-17T19:28:00.000-07:00

Yep. It's that time again. I can't believe it.

Lane was so excited. Kindergarten! Wow. Ivy on the other hand has been dreading this day ever since June 3rd. At least she was able to pull off a darling smile for the camera. She'll be fine....

Poor Lane was trying so hard to keep his eyes open and smile.

So cute!

Scarlett's Birthday

2011-08-17T19:27:00.000-07:00

I can't believe she's 2! Scarlett is so funny! I couldn't get her to smile for anything. Every picture is the same. We didn't do anything exciting--we just had a couple of friends over for cake that night. The kids were really excited about the blueberries and blackberries growing in the backyard so they picked some and put them on Scarlett's strawberry cake. It was cute. They had fun.

The sprinklers come on in the golf course around 8:00 so we threw the kids over the fence and let them run around for a while. They loved it! Party!!

Santa Cruz

2011-08-17T19:26:00.001-07:00

We love the beach! Scarlett has the best faces...

The kids loved the boardwalk!

Ivy brought her long board thinking there was going to be a boardwalk for skateboarding. Well, the boardwalk in Santa Cruz = amusement park... not sidewalk by the sand. We spent the last morning long boarding anyway on the regular old sidewalk. I wish we had our camera because it was so dang cute! Ivy and Jude cruising down the street and through sidewalks of the closed amusement park. Jude had Scarlett riding with him (standing on the board in front of him) which was the cutest thing ever. It was a good trip.

Ivy's Dance Recital

2011-07-17T21:37:00.000-07:00

Such a beautiful ballerina! This was a crazy day. We had 2 separate recitals to go to- one jazz and one ballet--and then we had to drive straight to Utah for a wedding the next day. Somehow we didn't get a picture of Ivy in her jazz costume. I'm mot sure how that happened...

She did such a good job! She lights up on stage with the biggest smile--so cute! Her jazz number was to the glee version of Jump! and she was a nymph in Sleeping Beauty for her ballet piece. The dance company did a good job with the recital--we were impressed. And Ivy was awesome!

Six Flags

2011-07-17T21:19:00.000-07:00

We haven't done anything like this for a really long time. Ivy turned into a little dare-devil all of the sudden--she wanted to go on some big rides. It was fun to see them having a blast. Scarlett was into it, too.

weee!

Our latest dream

2011-03-13T18:54:00.000-07:00

This is a lot we are looking at. We can't afford to build a house on it, but someday we might be able to. It's amazing! I go every day and walk around and dream.

incredible views

It's at the end of a court

Daddy Daughter Dance and Braces!!

2011-03-09T13:14:00.000-08:00

They had a Daddy Daughter dance at Ivy's school. What a cute idea! They had so much fun and Ivy felt so special and pretty. Too bad we couldn't get her to open her eyes. Here are the pictures we took at home. I will try to scan the photo they got from the dance.

So, also...Ivy got braces!! She turned into a teenager overnight. Braces are great at this age because they think it's cool; it makes them feel old. She suddenly spends a lot more time looking at herself in the mirror. So cute! I can't believe how good her teeth look, too. I was skeptical, but, wow! There has been so much improvement in just a couple months--no more snaggle. She is so cute--honestly, the sweetest kid on the earth.

Lane is 5!!!

2011-03-06T21:37:00.000-08:00

Lane wanted a How to Train Your Dragon birthday party so we made viking hat cupcakes to take to pre-school. He was so excited that he got to go to school on his birthday. When Jude got home from work we went to The Spaghetti Factory for dinner (Lane's favorite spaghetti with meatballs) and then to Chuck E Cheese to play games for an hour and then came home and had cupcakes. What a birthday!

On Saturday we had a party at the house with Lane's friends from preschool, t-ball, and church. I made a dragon cake. What??? It's so unlike me...so crafty. To my untrained eye the cake and the cupcakes were pretty awesome and Lane loved all of it which is really what I care about. Cheers!

Jack, Lane, Gabriella, Sterling, Joshy
Braden, Chase, Eli, Ivy, and Clark

I promised detailed pictures for auntie Megan...

They made shields and then we played a game where they had to block the ping pong balls we threw at them. That doesn't sound very good, but trust me, they loved it!

Lane is such an awesome kid. He was so happy at his party. He was either hugging someone or had his arm around a friend or two. I just love him! He is such a good kid and so much fun to be around. He is such a boy--he loves wrestling and playing rough, swords and dragons, super heroes, sports, tackling and shooting dad, all of that stuff--but he's a lover too. He is so sweet--hugging me all day long and trying to take care of Scarlett. He has a special voice (really high and sweet) that he uses only when talking to Scarlett. He told me the other day his favorite part of the whole day is saying goodnight to Scarlett because she gives him a hug and a kiss. How did I get such amazing kids?

My birthday

2011-03-06T21:06:00.001-08:00

So I forgot to blog this....For my birthday this year Jude got me a day at the spa. It was so nice and super thoughtful. He wanted to make sure to send me to a really nice place and so he asked our resident spa expert, Maria, and she totally hooked us up. She researched it and found a really nice spa in Napa. So on Saturday morning Maria came and picked me up and drove me to Napa for our spa day. It was so much fun! Just the drive alone was awesome. It was so beautiful and relaxing and so fun to sit and chat with Maria all day. We stopped in Sonoma to eat before our massage appointment. Such a cool place! I loved it! We had brunch at a cute little cafe right in the heart of Sonoma. We sat outside under the trellis and ate our avocado pepper jack omelets. The spa was really nice and we had a fab time. Thanks Jude and Maria!!!

Driving to Napa

Cafe in Sonoma

Dinner at Cheesecake with the ladies

Chiapelli in CA

2011-02-18T16:31:00.000-08:00

Carrie came out to visit for her birthday. She had never been to California before, so it was so much fun to show it off to her. Jude had Friday off and so I was able to take her on a little road trip to San Francisco and then up the coast a little to Muir Woods and Stinson Beach. She loved everything so much that it made for a really fun trip for me, too. She was so happy to see and do just about anything--just to get out of icy PA weather was a treat, I guess. It was so good to see her and we had such a great time!

We drove to Sausalito and took the ferry across the bay to the city.
The ferry went right past Alcatraz

We ate lunch somewhere around Pier 10ish overlooking the water. It was the most beautiful sunny perfect day.
We took the trolley from Ghirardelli Square to china town. It was so much fun going up and down the steep streets of San Francisco on the trolley. We both decided we need new sunglasses after seeing all these pictures.

We found this awesome little alley of restaurants somewhere close to Union Square. It was so cute--a lucky find--for sure a highlight of the day! It was all these little restaurants with seating in the alley under umbrellas with outdoor heaters. Little authentic Italian and French kitchens all connected but with their own individual store fronts and their own outdoor seating. It was seriously so cute. I loved it. We went with Italian and our waiter was straight from the boot. He was awesome--helped us figure out the ferry back to Sausalito and told us how to hail a cab back to the port.

Crazy eyes on the ferry. This was the best I could do.

Our hotel in Sausalito
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View of the Golden Gate Bridge outside our hotel room

Schmancy breakfast on the veranda at the hotel

Our view while we ate
The Ferrari club

Driving up Hwy 1 to Stinson Beach

Stinson Beach

It ended up being 75 degrees and sunny so we dug through Carrie's suitcase and laid out on the beach in tank tops and leggings. We were schmegly but it was awesome! 75 degrees in February!!

Muir Beach lookout-so beautiful!

On the way back to Rocklin we drove through wine country so Carrie could see the vineyards and stopped at this winery.

Carrie soaking up some CA sunshine in the backyard before going back to freezing PA. She seriously lucked out with the weather. It hasn't been that warm since she left.

Christmas, Trip to Yucca, and Grandma Loudon

2011-01-16T16:23:00.001-08:00

Best day of their little lives. It was great.

Trying on her new clothes

The next morning we drove to Yucca Valley for Jude's grandmother's funeral. It was sad, but also really good for Jude to see a lot of people that he hadn't seen for a long time. For some reason we didn't take many pictures while we were there, but we did get one of a sweet rainbow on our drive home.

Here are some pictures courtesy of Megan...thanks auntie Megat!

Jude and Megan with cousins Brooklyn and Katie

Jude's cousin Tanner and his girls- Katie and Madison

Aunt Kelly and her fiance

Madison and Ryan
Becky with Katie

On our way home, we stopped in Fresno to see my grandma Loudon who is in a rest home there. So sad. She kept asking aunt Robin "who are they?" over and over. But worse was when she would ask her, "can you take me home?" It broke my heart. It was really hard to see her like that. Even though she didn't recognize me I was really glad we got a chance to see her. My poor poor grandma.

Sledding on Christmas Eve

2011-01-16T15:48:00.000-08:00

Another great thing about living here--we have awesome winter weather in the 50s and 60s, but we can drive 45 minutes and find snow for sledding. We want to do this every year on Christmas Eve. So fun

Christmas Tree at Apple Hill

2011-01-16T14:53:00.000-08:00

One of our favorite new traditions that we started in Pennsylvania was going and cutting down our own Christmas tree. I was so happy when I found out we could do that here in California. So after the primary Christmas party we followed the Baddley's to Apple Hill. I think it's on the way to South Lake Tahoe (??) It's beautiful up there! We spent the day riding horses, going on a train ride with Santa, having lunch, and picking out the perfect Christmas tree.

Here we are in front of our pretty tree--it was a perfect fit for our living room.

Jude didn't get to saw it down himself, this guy did it. Not as cool as PA, but whatev

Beautiful scenery

The kids with Santa at the church. We couldn't believe Scarlett was okay with this.

Lane is awesome

Thanksgiving, Ivy's Birthday and Baptism

2011-01-16T14:16:00.000-08:00

Everybody came to our place for Thanksgiving this year. It was great! Uncle Marc got sick and didn't make it, but everyone else was here--even my dad. Ivy turned 8 on Saturday and was baptized that day so it was a good way to get everyone to California to see our new place.

In the backyard with Grandma

Surrounding uncle Bryan

The baptism was great. Edie gave a talk on baptism that was unbelievable. She is so sweet and such a natural in front of people-she got up there and owned it. My super talented Ivy played the piano and sang "When I am Baptized". She did it perfectly, of course. It was so cute. She is amazing! My mom was suddenly super sick with food poisoning or something right before and couldn't come (we were all very sad about that) so Al had to read her talk on the Holy Ghost, but she did a good job. All the kids were super naughty and loud and there weren't enough adults to balance out the crazy, but other than that it was great! Ivy said it was perfect, and that's all that matters. It was good.

Halloween and Bishops Pumpkin Farm

2011-01-11T20:12:00.000-08:00

Cleopatra

Ivy looked so cute for her class party

Going to pick us some pumpkins

Riding Horses at Bishops

Three little pigs show

First Days of School

2010-09-26T21:26:00.000-07:00

So here we are in California! We LOVE it. Ivy started school on August 17th which made for a very short summer for her. It has been very exciting and new. Everything is so different. Her new school is really nice and really different from Erdenheim. It is rated 10 out of 10 on greatschools.net so we're hoping that even with the budget crises she will still be getting a top notch education. So far so good. Some of Ivy's favorite things about her new school are: It is an outdoor campus so she gets to walk outside to go to lunch or the library or to gym, each class has a garden, the bathroom stalls close and lock, the building isn't 100 years old, they have a beautiful view of the valley from their playground. She misses a lot of things about her old school, and really misses her friends, but she's getting used to it.

The view of the valley from the playground

Lane started pre-school on September 14th. His teacher is a woman in our ward who does a small (but very hard to get into) pre-school out of her home. We were on a waiting list and at the last minute she had a spot open up. She is really sweet and Lane absolutely loves it! He still wakes up in the morning and says something like, "today is my 4th day of pre-school", or "in 2 more days it is going to be my 5th day of pre-school". He's so funny.

He was really excited about his new backpack because it can hold a skateboard and insisted on having his skateboard strapped on for his first day of school. So cute! (He's getting a lot of practice on the skateboard with our concrete backyard and our big house with wood floors and no furniture!)

Three weeks in Utah and Scarlett's 1st Birthday

2010-09-19T19:58:00.000-07:00

So Jude had to start work on the 8th, but our perfect house that we found as a last minute miracle wasn't ready until the 27th. So Jude flew from Boston to California and the kids and I went to Utah. Jude was able to come out for the first weekend and hang out for a couple days. The kids played so well at Al's, it was great. Lane and Andy became best buds--they were so cute together. Even after 3 whole weeks they didn't want to leave.

Lane was awesome on the plane (for the first 5 hours anyway). He was totally independent over there on his very own row. Love Southwest for that. Hate the layovers.

Logan canyon

Boating

While we were there, Scarlett turned one! She also started walking everywhere. Poor Jude was working in California and missed it. Sad. I really wanted to be in our new house for her birthday, but it just didn't happen.

Cute little piggies!

I can't say I was disappointed when she wanted nothing to do with the cake.

I know what you're thinking...does the child have any other clothes? She is wearing this shirt in every post since May. What can I say? I've got better things to worry about I guess. But isn't she cute!

Boston and Cape Cod Vacation

2010-07-08T14:08:00.000-07:00

Wow. What a couple of days. We packed up the truck (pure torture...seriously) and the next morning piled in the car and headed for Boston. ABF is going to take a week to get our stuff to California so we planned a little trip. We have been so excited for this--a real family vacation.

Things didn't quite go as planned, they never do. We were supposed to leave the house at 7 or 8 in the morning, but by the time we ran Jude's 5 errands and got something to eat we didn't pull out until 11. Then we hit horrible traffic and just getting out of Philly took us 1 1/2 hours. Long story short, what should have been a 5 hour drive turned into 9.

We pulled up to the W Hotel in downtown Boston with our Pathfinder packed to the ceiling with all the things that we would need for our 3 days in Boston, 3 days in Cape Cod and 3 weeks in Utah (me and the kids) and everything Jude needs to start working in Cali. Not to mention all the random crap that we forgot to put in the moving truck, but couldn't live without. We had laundry baskets with beach stuff and food for our trip to The Cape. We had a whole laundry basket of just food--granola bars, cereal, canned vegetables and Crackers for Scarlett. So we pull up to the W behind a Mercedes and a BMW and as they open the doors for us stuff starts spilling out of the car onto the busy street. Water bottles, books, fishy crackers...I don't know what. Then Jude got out and opened up the back and unloaded the two laundry baskets full of random crap so the bellman could get to our 5 (or was it six?) suitcases. It was pretty sweet. No it wasn't. Humiliating, really.

So happy to be out of the car and in our fancy hotel.

We had a pretty good time despite the broken shoes, puking, and lots of complaining. We saw the sites from a duck tour and the kids got to drive the boat. We rode the swan boats at the Public Garden and walked through the Boston Common. We ate at the famous Union Oyster House, watched a freak show or two at Quincy Market, got lost a few times, and had a gay old time.

cute Swan Boats in the Public Garden
A freak, not a statue--(not to be judgmental or anything. I'm sure she's a very nice person)

After Boston we drove to Cape Cod. We splurged, big time, and got this fabulous beach house in Chatham. We booked it a week before and so got a really great deal. This place was unbelievable!! We had the whole beach to ourselves. We could watch the kids play from the kitchen window. It was a dream, really. We were there over the 4th of July and got to watch the fireworks from our porch overlooking the ocean. The Chiapelli's came up and hung out for 2 of the days. We have some excellent pictures of the 4 of us watching fireworks. Good times.

4th of July fireworks
Looking good everybody!-especially me

Truro Lighthouse

This is as far as I got...couldn't do it. Too scary.

These kind of stairs are what my nightmares are made of--seriously.
Ivy made it to the top

Beach in Truro--my poor squinty children

The dunes in truro-there are much higher ones on the national seashore, but we didn't get any pics if them

I think this is Scarlett's first time swimming and she did it in Cape Cod. What a privileged little darling!

Saying Goodbye to Pennsylvania

2010-06-27T15:37:00.000-07:00

The time has finally come... we are out of here! There are a lot of things we are going to miss. We absolutely love our neighborhood--so much character and charm. There is nothing like it anywhere we've been, definitely not in California. I went on a walk and took some pictures of a few of the unique homes in our neighborhood. I really wanted to get some better ones, but time dissappeared as it always does when you are moving.

Ivy's friend, Lindsay's house

This house around the corner from ours (our friends the Leitzel's) is one of the oldest in the area, built in the 1700s. George Washington actually stayed here.

Not very pretty, but so Philly--the twin.

Ivy is really going to miss it here. She came home from the last day of school on Friday so sad and crying because it was the last time she was going to see some of her friends. She spent one whole day outside picking leaves from each of the trees and plants in our yard and sketching the house in her art notebook. She is so sentimental and sweet. Goodbye house!

We had a little going away party for her that cheered her up.

Raya, Lindsay, Alexa, Ivy, Julia

RayRay

Just had to throw that one in there

Jen took us to the 4th Street Deli for one last night on the town with the Calls and Andelins. It's so hard to capture true Philly in a photo, but here's the best I've got from that night.

Totally blurry picture and Jeanie would probably hate it, but this is so Philly

A 4th street Reuben!We went out one last time with the Chiapelli's, too. I think the restaurant was called Park. We're going to miss these guys...a lot.

Goodbye Philly!!

The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

2010-06-14T10:43:00.001-07:00

There are so many things that I have wanted to do while being here on the East Coast. One of them is to take the kids to New York and see the Statue of Liberty. Jude's sister, Megan, came for one last visit and since Scarlett was sick, the two of them took Ivy and Lane.

Auntie Megan

We are so excited to get on with our lives and move back West closer to family, but there are a lot of things that I'm really going to miss about being here. We live so close to so many cool things and I regret not doing more while we were here in Pennsylvania. Out of our 2 years here, I spent most of it either very sickly pregnant or with a very miserable little baby (and we all know how well I cope with those 2 things). Now that life is becoming more manageable, we're leaving. Hopefully we'll be able to get in a couple more fun things before we leave.

The Poconos--Lake Wynonah

2010-06-14T09:10:00.001-07:00

We took a little weekend trip to the Poconos with some of our friends. The kids had a blast! They swam and fished and canoed and jet skied and played played played. I was so happy that they had such a good time.

Going to the Poconos!!! WOO yeah.

Give me top model...
Jen and Penny
Ivy

Jet skiing--Clarkie, Lane, and Jude

The aftermath

My favorite quote of the trip by Clark "Well, I'd like to do some of these things with my own kids, but since they won't I guess I'll do it with yours."

Fishing buddies-Lane and Clark

Ivy was not afraid to get down and dirty with fishing. She was baiting her own hooks and everything. She absolutely loved it.

Audrey, Ivy and Jaycie

Lane's version of roasting marshmallows--Remind you of anyone else???

Ivy's Dance Recital

2010-06-06T13:31:00.000-07:00

This was so much fun! Ivy is a talented little dancer and loves being on stage. She was smiling from ear to ear the whole time--not an ounce of shyness up there. I couldn't believe it. When she was done she had a great time watching the older girls perform. I really think this is something Ivy will be great at and what an opportunity for her to open up and express herself and get over her bashfulness. I can't wait to see what she can do a couple of years from now. I'm a little bit jealous...I always wanted to take dance. Oh well, live out your dreams through your children. Good enough.

We weren't sure how Lane or Scarlett would do, but they were both totally enthralled. Scarlett was singing and bouncing along and Lane totally enjoyed himself. He said, "Mom, you know I don't like pretty girls," but somehow he was okay with it.

Memorial Day Parade

2010-06-06T13:29:00.000-07:00

It's this kind of thing that we are really going to miss about Pennsylvania. Every year for Memorial Day there is a parade that goes right through Wyndmoor on the street behind ours. Everyone in the neighborhood (and from all over springfield township) comes to watch. There is such a sense of community and tradition here. Very cool.

First Steps

2010-05-26T10:06:00.000-07:00

My earliest walker! Scarlett just turned 10 months the other day and is already taking some steps. She loves to stand up all by herself and try to walk and then she falls forward and laughs and laughs. So cute!

The Stand Alone Pose

On her way down

T-Ball

2010-05-03T16:46:00.000-07:00

Finally Lane is old enough to play some sports. I don't know where he gets it, but the kid is seriously a sports fanatic. It has been so much fun watching him play. He gets so excited. Every morning he wakes up and the first thing he talks about is how many days until his next t-ball game. I also signed him up for a sports class at the YMCA before I knew that he'd be able to do t-ball. That has been really fun, too.

Every time he got the ball he would get so excited--huge smile jumping up and down--he'd almost forget to throw it to 1st. So cute.

Rocklin, CA

2010-04-24T14:06:00.000-07:00

So, our Vacaville dream has died. On to plan B... Jude is buying into a practice as a partner in Rocklin, CA. Rocklin is really nice--much nicer in and of itself than Vacaville, but not surrounded by the cool stuff that Vacaville is. We won't be as close to San Fran or the beach or Napa or all of the orchards and Lake Berryessa (very very sad for me), but we'll be much closer to Tahoe (Jude's happy), and that other stuff really isn't that much farther (45minutes to an hour). Rocklin has great schools, is super family friendly with parks everywhere and everyone is LDS. The practice is right in the heart of Rocklin in the same parking lot as the church. The office is surrounded by protected wetlands that Jude will be able to see while he works. Rocklin is rolling hills everywhere full of nice neighborhoods with great views just minutes from the practice. How nice for Jude to be able to only drive 5 minutes to work everyday. Here is Dr. Jude himself...

The office needs a little updating as you can see, but what a life Jude will have working in such a chill environment. It's so perfect for him. Yay for Jude.

Not a bad view

The doc's office

Sweet 30 year old pictures

Dr. Jude spent a week working in the office while Dr. Peterson was out recovering from surgery. It was great to hear what a mellow environment it was. Such a change from where he is now! Nothing is signed, but I think they have worked out the big details so lets hope it all works out.

Scarlett

2010-04-24T13:22:00.001-07:00

It has been forever and the little darling is growing up! So, I thought I'd post a few snapshots. It's so hard to do her justice with a photo--she is much cuter in person--but here are a couple that I thought look like her. There was not a lot of planning that went into these and there is bound to be some sweet stuff in the background.

Scarlett is suddenly little miss personality. She dances (mostly with her head back and forth) and plays peek-a-boo (also a whip of the head). She screeches and spits and makes faces and cracks us up. She is everywhere the last couple of weeks...crawling so fast and standing and walking along furniture. And apparently she is a red head?? People always ask me where she got her red hair. Really?? My little Scarlett with scarlet hair. I did not plan that.

At Dr. Peterson's in Rocklin, CA--our new home (we think)

Pictures of Scarlett

2009-12-22T16:28:00.000-08:00

Lisa took some pictures of Scarlett modeling the hats and flowers she made to sell at a Christmas Boutique. Here are a few of them.

Snow Storm

2009-12-20T16:14:00.001-08:00

We had a record snowfall here Saturday and Sunday. The kids went sledding in the front yard along with some of our neighbors. Jude even got out his snowboard and took them down the hill. They had a blast! Ivy even started crying saying that she doesn't want to move to California if it doesn't snow there. Sorry sister- there's always Tahoe for the weekend.

Ivy, Brandon, and Lane

Jude and Lane Getting ready to snowboard

Jude and Ivy snowboarding

Ivy and Macy

Poor Lane couldn't see a thing all day

The missionaries came to help shovel on Sunday morning because they know Jude hurt his back. Even with their help, it still took all morning to clear the driveway.

This was fun and all for a day, but I still can't wait to live in California where if we want snow we drive an hour or two and then leave it on the mountain.

Pictures at Stotesbury

2009-11-12T14:55:00.000-08:00

The Crutchfields Survive the Swine Flu!

2009-11-02T15:08:00.000-08:00

Yes it's true...we had it. The doctor called with the results on Friday--H1N1 positive. It was pretty scary, I'm not going to lie, especially when Scarlett got it--it's always scary when little babies get sick. We had some pretty high fevers and a lot of coughing, but it was just the flu. And probably not as bad as the puking flu. So there you go. We survived it and so can you!

Blessing Scarlett

2009-09-27T17:28:00.001-07:00

Jude's Aunt Linda and Uncle Jim--visiting from Arizona

It was so nice to have some family here for Scarlett's blessing. We just love these guys and are so happy that they came and were able to share this day with us.

Ivy's First Day of School

2009-09-21T09:05:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Ivy is in first grade already! I must be old. It has been so nice to have her home for the summer, so I'm sad to have her gone all day again. She is such a big help with Scarlett and she is so creative and fun that she can even keep Lane entertained. We miss her.

All ready for First Grade

I had to put a couple pictures of Ivy's school. We're used to it now, but what a place to start kindergarten! It is huge and overwhelming. It looks more like a castle than an elementary school to me. But that's Philly style, I guess.

More Pics of Scarlett

2009-08-08T08:02:00.001-07:00

Check out this sneak peek of Scarlett's big photo shoot on our photographer's blog. The link is to the right of this post.

She Has Arrived!

2009-07-27T14:50:00.000-07:00

Scarlett Emma was born on July 21st. She was 7 lbs 9 oz and 21 inches long. Here are a couple of photos. I'll do more later when I'm feeling better.

Lane saying "She's just so cuuute!"

Ivy's First Piano Recital- June 19th

2009-07-05T07:13:00.001-07:00

Ivy started taking piano in January or February from our across the street neighbor, Lisa. She loves it! Lisa says that she is extremely musically talented. Not just piano, but vocally, too. She says that she has picked it up faster than any of her other students. She will ask Ivy to sing the melody of the song and when she does she is exactly on pitch.

She did so well at her recital! She played wonderfully and didn't mess up once. She played Ode to Joy by Beethoven. In her book she learned it with half notes (very slowly) on one hand. At home she would practice it at normal speed and figured out how to play it with her other hand, too. So for the recital she played it with both hands together. She also played a duet with Lisa which was also perfect. You're amazing, Ivy!

In action

Duet with Lisa

They each got a gold medal with a grand piano on it. This was the best part of the whole night for Ivy.

Ivy was so happy and so pleased with herself. When we got home she wore her medal all night and all the next day and she kept saying, "I'm just so proud of myself." It was great.

Surprise Baby Shower

2009-07-05T06:43:00.000-07:00

Carrie knew that I wouldn't have it unless I didn't know about it. It was actually really nice. It was more like a little dinner party with a couple of close friends than a shower, which was perfect. Honestly, I hate baby showers. I'm just going to say it. What is wrong with me? All the cutesy little whatevers and dumb games and all of that. And, there is nothing worse than hearing people's horror birth stories. The whole thing is just not for me. But this was perfect. So, thanks Carrie. I got some of the nicest gifts, too. Almost every single person gave me something handmade. I seriously couldn't believe it. It was so nice! So cute. Thanks guys!

Allison Taylor (holding Carrie's Devin) Carrie Chiapelli, me, Jen Andelin, Crystal Wilde, Natalie Hamilton (8 months pregnant) Prairie Daugherty, Lisa Marshall, Mindy Johnston

Field Trip to Morris Arboretum-May

2009-07-05T05:44:00.001-07:00

I got to go with Ivy and her Kindergarten class to the Morris Arboretum. The kids each have a "buddy" from 2nd grade that they are assigned to. We rode the bus with Molly, Ivy's buddy. The Arboretum was beautiful and we learned so much about plants and trees!

On the bus with Molly

Father and Son Camp Out

2009-05-17T16:08:00.000-07:00

The turquoise rental all packed and ready for camping

Jude and Lane went on their first Father/Son camp out on Friday night. I would have never thought that Lane could go at 3, but I loved the idea. Lane was so excited. We packed up his Batman backpack with pajamas and water and his bear and extra socks and underwear and clothes for tomorrow. He was carrying it around all excited.

It was really weird having them both gone all night. I kept wondering how things were going--I couldn't help but worry a little. It was so quiet with just me and Ivy in the house. We had the missionaries over with one of our neighbors so we couldn't do much with our girls night, but we had a really good talk and just spent time together. It was really nice to have some time with just me and Ivy. Life gets crazy and we needed that.

I finally got a hold of Jude the next day on their way home, and I asked if they had fun. Jude said, "Uh..it depends what you call fun. I mean, yeah, Lane had a great time." He said that there wasn't much for the little boys to do so they just tackled each other and it was hard to have to watch him every second. I'm sure it was a lot of work for Jude, but what a great memory. It didn't help that Jude didn't think to bring a pillow for his whiplashed neck or a change of clothes or anything to sleep on. He came home pretty sore and tired, but he said it was worth it.

Lane and Shane

Lane doing what he does best

Cousins

2009-05-16T06:41:00.000-07:00

Andy and Lane

Edie and Ivy

Jack and Ivy

My sister, Alyson and her family came 2 days after Bryan left. We love having company. We went to the Please Touch Museum and to the New Jersey shore. We took them to Germantown and ate dinner and let the kids play at the castle park. We saw Historic Philadelphia--Liberty Bell and all of that and to Jim's Steaks. We've been dying to go there because it is supposed to be the best place in Philadelphia to get a Philly Cheesesteak. It's even in the book, 1000 Places to See Before You Die, so we had to go before we move. But every time we go the line is out the door and around the corner and the people in it have been waiting over an hour. We went for lunch at 11:30 on a Tuesday and we hardly had to wait at all. It was great. I liked it much better than Geno's or Pat's which are also famous. Jonny got his cheesesteak true Philly style with wiz (cheese wiz. discusting, right?). It was actually really good.

Carriage ride
Jonny (sporting his NY aviators) Andy, Lane, Edie, Jack, and Al

Andy and Lane (with tough guy pose)

Outside Liberty Bell
(more sweet posing- isn't he cool???)

On Saturday we got a babysitter and the four of us went to New York City. We decided to pay the money and do a city bus tour. It was totally worth it. We didn't have a lot of time and I can't walk around all day so it was the perfect solution. We saw the whole city. You can get off whenever and wherever you want and a bus comes every 10 minutes to pick you up. It was perfect. We got off and went to the top of the Empire State Building, and did some back room purse shopping on Canal Street. We all got sweet aviators and some stuff for the kids.

Time Square

Al and Jonny on the bus

Empire State Building

Jude and me sporting our new matching aviators. cute

We had reservations at Beco which is in the Theater District. I think they called that part of the street Restaurant Row? It was a really cute part of the city. We saw Billy Elliot at the Imperial Theater. It is the #2 ranked show (after Wicked, of course, which we've already seen) and was nominated for 15 awards or something-- including best musical. How could we go wrong, right? It was good, don't get me wrong, parts of it were absolutely amazing, but there was so much bad language. Little kids saying the F word all the time and stuff like that which was not cool. There was even some boy on boy kissing-- a bit disturbing. We read the reviews for content and they said there was some language, but that the show was appropriate for a 9 year old. Well anyway I don't think I would recommend it, but I'm still glad we went. The dancing was amazing. It made me want to get Ivy into a ballet class.

Waiting for our table at Beco before the show

At Billy Elliot
Matching specs again and one very large arm

Me and Al after the show

The show got over and we rushed out of there to get on the subway back to the ferry. We got there at 11:37 and the ferry had just left at 11:30. The next ferry wasn't until 12:30. It sucked!! That put us home at 2:30. Our poor babysitter! Prairie you are a saint!

Staten Island Ferry

Uncle Bryan Comes to Philly

2009-05-03T16:23:00.001-07:00

Despite the car wreck we were still able to do a few things while my brother, Bryan, was here. We saw Liberty Bell again and this time we did a carriage ride through Historic Downtown Philadelphia and Society Hill. I don't think it was Bryan's first choice, but I just can't walk around a lot right now with 30 extra lbs attached to my butt. (Yes, 30 extra pounds--sick, I know.) Our tour guide was pretty lame, I have to admit. He had the worst grammar and we couldn't understand most of what he said, but it was worth it for me to not have to haul my largeness through town.

We went to Valley Forge for the first time. It was beautiful! We're starting to remember why we loved it here--before winter set in, that is. We spent what little time we had in the Welcome Center before they closed and then we did a CD car tour of the park.

Deer everywhere throughout the park

We also went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It was great. We left Lane with a friend and took Ivy. She loved it! She has good taste, too. Her favorite paintings were by Van Gogh, Cezanne, and Degas.

Here we are on the Rocky steps outside the museum

Jude giving Rocky the old 1 - 2

Jude and Bryan also went to New York for the day. All they had was a camera phone. They rode bikes through Central Park, saw the world trade center, Rockafeller Center, and I'm sure a bunch of other stuff.

Jude in front of St. Jude

Bryan on the Staten Island Ferry

Hospitalized Again?

2009-05-01T17:55:00.000-07:00

Jude got in a car wreck on Thursday. I know what you're thinking...but it actually wasn't his fault. He was on his way to work when the person in front of him stopped quickly to let another car turn. Jude stopped in time, but the person behind him slammed right into him and propelled him into the car in front of him. Jude got whiplash pretty bad, but he's okay. The Jetta is totaled. Some pretty bad luck for poor Jude the last couple of weeks. It was just 4 weeks ago that he was at the hospital for the appendix. Our friend (and hometeacher), Clark, suggested that Jude just stay home for a while. (He's the one who came and mowed the lawn for us and brought us dinner after the appendectomy). What's next, Jude? Swine flu? While waiting for the x-rays we were stressing about injuries that could affect his insurability as a dentist and all sorts of nightmares. Luckily he's going to be just fine--sore and desperately trying to get a massage out of me--but fine.

Appendicitis

2009-03-29T17:53:00.000-07:00

Pre-op Jude. Sweet camera phone quality pic.

Poor Jude!! He came home from work on Wednesday feeling sick. Thursday morning I talked him into going to the doctor. The doc told him-- it sounds like your appendix, go to the hospital. He said, "Can I meet with the tax guy first?" So, he did that and then drove himself to the emergency room. But, not before packing a bag with his computer, the whole first season of 24, the ipod, earphones, a big fat book, and probably some other stuff. No toothbrush or change of clothes, but plenty to do! They admitted him and hooked him up to an IV and took his appendix out Friday morning. He was so funny because every time I talked to him he acted like he was having a fine time. He didn't want me to come to the hospital or do anything. He was just hanging out. Sad that this is the only way Jude gets a break! It was like a vacation for him. Just Jude and his electronics--no kids, no doing dishes--he was loving it. Until he woke up post-op on Friday, of course. It's no vacation anymore, but he is doing much better. Still walking around hunched over and very slowly. Poor, poor Jude!!

It's a Girl!!

2009-03-20T10:54:00.000-07:00

Well, what more can I say? July twenty something we'll be having another little girl. Ivy is very excited. It was such a disappointment to her when Lane was not a girl. (She went storming out of the ultrasound yelling, "But, I wanted a GIRL baby!") Now it's Lane's turn to be upset. He still thinks he can make it into a boy baby. I'm so happy that Ivy will have a sister. I can't imagine life without my sister, Al--who would I talk to about everything? I hope that Ivy and this baby can have a close relationship even though they will be 6 years apart. Lane's enough of a boy to hopefully balance out all of the girl attitude and sass that is going to be flowing through our house. It's already at dangerously high levels. Wow.

I wanted to put an ultrasound picture, but the only ones she gave me were creepy. I got a picture of one open eyeball and a shot of her yawning straight on. It would have maybe been cute if it were a profile, but straight on just looks...well, creepy. I'm sure she's very cute in person, though. You'll just have to wait for the real thing.

I took a picture of me pregnant. Since I am never doing this again I thought I should at least have one picture of it. I took it myself with the camera propped up on the couch and set the timer. And then it fell off onto the wood floor and broke. Totally not worth the one awful picture of me posing like a dork. I was too embarrassed to actually post it because it's too dorky. I just hope we get our camera back for the baby's birth.

This is the Place!

2009-03-19T11:52:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a trip to California and we have found it! The place of our dreams. Seriously, we are so excited. We found this town that is so close to so many cool things. We drove about an hour to the coast and saw this...

About twenty minutes away is this beautiful lake...

The drive was gorgeous. You go up through a canyon with a little creek where you can fish and camp and then it opens up to the lake. We drove through towns that seemed to be all orchards and farms. We were told that in the summer time you can get wheelbarrows full of fruit and veggies for super cheap and a lot of them are organic.

These pictures are through the windsheild so they are not very good, but you get the idea.

About 3 or 4 hours away is Yosemite which is amazing and beautiful. San Francisco, one of the coolest cities I've ever been to, is a short drive. Snowboarding at Tahoe is about a 1 1/2 hour drive. This place has it all!! We met some people at church that told us it is basically spring from February through June and you can go to the beach or go skiing- take your pick. Or you can just hang out at home and enjoy 70 degree weather! Seriously, what could be better than this??

The town itself is perfect, too. It is small enough that there is zero traffic and you can get anywhere you need to go in 10-15 minutes max. Jude hopes to have his office close enough to ride his bike to work. But, you still have a Target, Costco, Nugget health food store (very important), Rubios, Jamba Juice and some of the best little taco shops here and there with authentic, we have missed it so much since San Diego, Mexican food. There is a cute little downtown with restaurants and parks and a town square. It's not much, but it's cute enough. Every Friday night in the summer they have a free outdoor concert in the park downtown.

One of the best things is that there are beautiful rolling hills that are preserved which you can have in your backyard. Here are a couple of pictures of backyard views from some houses a realtor showed me.

We are so excited!

Lane is 3!!!

2009-03-09T06:42:00.001-07:00

For Lane's birthday we let Ivy ditch school and went to the Please Touch Museum of Philadelphia. Jude even ditched work and came with us! It is by far one of the best children's museums we have ever been to. It was so much fun!

Lane's favorite-picking up balls with the tractor

Ivy and Taylor at the new music exhibit

Alice in Wonderland exhibit.

Fat face setting in already

The museum is in one of the coolest old buildings in Philly. It was built in 1876 as the first philadelphia museum of art. At one time it held the world fair.

Opening presents

Lane wanted to go to Chuck E Cheeses for his family birthday party. I'm pretty sure Jude had just as much fun as the kids. Video games and pizza...there is nothing better than that! It was great fun, it really was.

After a fun filled day of Chuck E Cheeses and childrens museum it was still time for cake. Lane was hamming it up. I love that face!

We did a playgroup birthday party on Wednesday morning with "the guys" as they call themselves.

Here are a couple of the guys:

Shane

Jackson

Renaissance figurines and a tough face to match

The best present of all-candy! Look at that face. He is so excited about a bag of Sixlets.

Ice Storm

2009-03-08T18:44:00.001-07:00

I wish I could get better pictures of this because it is really cool. We get these storms and everything gets covered with a layer of ice. It is very beautiful. Not good to drive in, but really pretty.

Carrie's 80s Birthday Party

2009-03-08T18:09:00.000-07:00

We are dorks and we know it. What is it about us and costume parties? It was Carrie's 30th and she wanted 80s. Of course we were all about it. It was a great time.

This is one thing my hair is good for-the 80s.

The birthday girl, Carrie, and Joel

Mindy, Carrie and Rachel

The girls
Crystal, Prairie, Jen, Rachel, Beth, Mindy, Carrie and Marci

The boys
Larry, Troy, Joel, Danny, Clark, Cory, and Jude

We split into girls and boys and each made an 80s music video. The boys did Body Fusion--like the SNL skit-- and Lane did some low intensity push-ups and sit-ups for them. The girls did material girl. I'm not posting the videos because it's too embarrassing, but they were pretty RAD.

The New Do

2009-01-17T17:55:00.000-08:00

We've finally done it! Lane is a new man. I've been wanting to get rid of the shaggy hair for a long time, and now that it's gone I kind of miss his long locks. He looks so cute, though, like this.

Christmas Card Pictures

2008-12-28T15:41:00.000-08:00

We went to a park by our house to try and get a Christmas card picture. Unfortunately it got dark too fast, but we still got a couple of good ones.

Christmas at Grandma's house-- December 13th

2008-12-27T08:41:00.000-08:00

We went to Utah for a week at the beginning of December. We dropped off the kids for a couple days and went to California to check out areas to possibly move to when we are done with the residency. Then we came back to Utah and celebrated Christmas at my mom's with all of my family.

The Deckers

Edie and Ivy

Lane and Andy

Ivy and Grandma Great

Marc and Bryan

Wrestling with Uncle Bryan

Ivy even got to see Kelsi. BFFs

Christmas tree

2008-12-27T07:58:00.000-08:00

This year we went to a Christmas tree farm and chopped down our own Christmas tree. It was so much fun! They pick you up in a horse drawn sleigh (a trailer, really) and take you out into the field where the trees are 6-12 feet tall. They tell you about the different types of trees you can choose from and give you a saw. Then you go and find yourself the perfect tree. Jude sawed us down a cute little blue spruce. They give you hot chocolate and hot apple cider. What a great tradition! I hope that wherever we live we can continue this one forever. We loved it!

Ivy's Birthday on Thanksgiving

2008-12-26T16:29:00.000-08:00

Ivy's party with her friends

Thanksgiving dinner at the Marshall's (our neighbors across the street)

Our First Snow!

2008-12-26T16:22:00.000-08:00

Pretty exciting, I guess. It didn't stay around for long, but it was fun while it lasted.

Halloween

2008-12-26T15:42:00.001-08:00

Carving pumpkins

Our ward Halloween party

Ivy's party at school

Ivy and Julia

Halloween party at the Crutchfields

The costume contest winner--Cory aka Nacho Libre

Yes, you are looking at 4 men in spandex

The Figure Skaters-disturbing, really

Fall in Philly

2008-12-26T15:35:00.001-08:00

Fall is so beautiful here! The leaves on the trees are amazing. I is hard to get a photo that really shows how great it looks, but here are a couple of tries.

Grandma comes to Philly

2008-12-26T12:05:00.000-08:00

In October my mom came out to see us. It was so fun to show her our new place and some of the things that we have enjoyed here. We took her apple picking at Highland Orchards and to Amish Country. We picked a lot of apples this time and made apple butter from my great-grandmother's recipe. My mom loved Amish Country. We stopped by a road-side stand and bought sticky buns and relish from the Amish girl who I met on our last trip at the pretzel shop.

Apple Picking

2008-12-26T11:33:00.000-08:00

We went apple picking at Strawberry Acres Farm at the end of September. They pick you up in a sawed off school bus and take you out into the orchard where you can pick apples. The trees are pruned so that even the kids can reach. At this time of year, we had a choice between Cortland or Red Delicious apples (cortland were the best). It was beautiful country and we had a great time tasting and picking.

Palmyra, New York

2008-11-19T15:52:00.000-08:00

We went to Palmyra, NY for the Hill Cumorah Pageant. The Pageant was good, but what we really loved was all of the church history sites. We got to go to the printing press where copies of the Book of Mormon were printed. We toured the John Whitmer Farm and saw the building where Joseph Smith translated portions of the Book of Mormon. We visited the sacred grove which was beautiful and amazing despite the pouring rain. From there we toured a replica of the house where Joseph lived when he was 14 and saw the Palmyra temple through the trees. It was very cool to be in this wonderful historical and spiritual place. We had a great trip.

The Smith house

On of the very small rooms

The Peter Whitmer Farmhouse

This picture is blurry, but this is the room and desk where they believe Joseph translated some of the Book of Mormon

The Kitchen

You can see the Palmyra temple from the sacred grove

The Sacred Grove

Gettysburg

2008-11-19T15:46:00.000-08:00

We took a trip to Gettysburg with the Rollins family- Nicole, Ben, Luke and Caleb. It was a beautiful place with monuments and statues from the war everywhere. It was really neat to be in a place where so much happened that changed the course of history.

New Jersey Shore

2008-11-12T12:06:00.000-08:00

No more year round Florida beaches. We didn't make it to the shore until September, but it was PERFECT. The beaches are free after Labor Day and the weather couldn't have been better. We went to a Spring Lake, NJ which is the cutest little town. We hung out all afternoon at the beach and then went to main street and found a pizza shop and ate dinner. Then we walked down a block and got ice cream and ate it in the town center on a bench under the clock tower. It was the perfect day.

Amish Country with the Pryors

2008-11-12T11:59:00.000-08:00

We went to Lancaster County--Amish Country. We all crammed in an Amish buggy and rode around some of the local farms. We did a house tour where where we learned a lot about the Amish way of life, and then we went and had pretzels and homemade lemonade. The girls that worked at the pretzel shop were really cute and friendly and we sat and chatted with them and asked them questions. Fascinating.

Downtown and Historic Philadelphia

2008-11-12T11:55:00.000-08:00

Independence Hall. Here the Declaration of Independence was signed and the U.S. Constitution was drafted.

Outside Independence hall.

The Liberty Bell.

Ivy bought postcards and sent them from the first post office in the U.S.

I guess this place is famous for Philly Cheese Steaks so we had to check it out. Lane looks like he's had a few too many.

We took a break from history and walked up the street to a playground.

4th of July

2008-11-12T11:35:00.001-08:00

The parade

Waiting for the train

The Baughs and the Crowthers came to Philly for the 4th of July. We took the train downtown to see the parade and fireworks. It was not the perfect day--we missed our train into the city and had to wait at the train station for 30 or 40 minutes for the next one, they closed the Liberty Bell 2 people in front of us after we had already been waiting for 30 minutes, we wanted to see the Rocky statue at the art museum where they were setting off and fireworks and so trudged up in the pouring rain and it was roped off for the concert. Because of the rain the fireworks were delayed--they finally started just as we were about to hop onto the train back home. So...like I said, not the perfect day, but we still had fun.

Living in Philly

2008-11-12T11:32:00.000-08:00

We've seen and done some fun things since we got here in June. Here are some of them, probably not in order.

Moving On

2008-11-12T11:24:00.000-08:00

There's nothing special about our new place, but we love living here. We seriously lucked out finding this place. Philadelphia has some pretty iffy areas (especially close to where Jude works) and so we feel so blessed to have found this place close enough to the city that Jude has a resonable commute, but far enough away to feel safe and love it. Where we live is beautiful! Everyday I am impressed and amazed at the beauty around me. Our drive to the airport, church, even the grocery store is gorgeous! We really love this place.

Leaving Florida

2008-11-12T11:19:00.000-08:00

We spent five years of our lives in this house making it into the perfect little first home. We love this house! We went through a lot with this house and in this house. Ivy grew up here, Lane was born here, Jude finished Dental School here. We have so many great memories of this place and it was very sad to leave it behind--this house and everything and everyone that it represents.

The Crutchfield Family

2008-05-02T16:02:00.000-07:00