Another Snow Day....

So we have another snow day today, but these videos are actually from yesterday. We just couldn't get them to load.

SNOW DAY!!!!

Well so far it is a snow day, but with the way it is still coming down, and with the forecast, it may turn into plural snow days! We spent the morning playing building a snowman, throwing snow balls, and sledding down the great hill in our neighborhood. The snow is fluffy and dry, not wet like it usually is here, and we have all had a blast.


Check out Josh's sick sense of humor...what can I say, he's a middle schooler!
This adorable photo is from the girls' school's Christmas singalong. We had Kaia's hair cut again this week into a little better shape, now that it has grown out a bit, so their haircuts are similar.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

No, it hasn't snowed here, but the lights are up and the tree trimmed. It is a joy to watch the girls enthusiasm for Christmas this year. They remember every detail from last year, and they jumped up and down as we took each decoration out of its box. Their joy is contagious!

It all began with our family trip to cut down the Christmas tree. As you may remember from last year, and from Halloween this year, that Jaelyn is deathly afraid of Santa. The whole trip there she kept repeating "I don't want to see Santa." to which we kept answering "You don't have to talk to Santa, just wave and keep walking." When we got there she immediately spotted Santa, so kept within a 20+ ft. radius of him. Kaia ran right up to talk with him, along with Josh, so I got my camera out. I called Kellen over for photos, and Josh scooped Jaelyn up and told her he would hold on to her. Surprisingly she let him stand right next to Santa, and she even "pet" his costume when Josh told her to. She would not speak to him though, but for the next couple of days, all she would say to anyone she met was "I so brave. I not scared of Santa!" That's a huge improvement for her.

As you can see, we were a bit tuckered out by the time we were all through, so getting a halfway decent photo of the whole family around the tree was a challenge. Tomorrow is December 1, which means "No-shave November" is over for Kellen. Yep, he and some of his buddies took on the challenge for the month. I think he's anxious to get rid of it too.

What we're thankful for....

Each family members reply at dinner to what they're thankful for this year, which is one of our holiday traditions:
Kaia - "Spraying my brothers with water"
Josh - "Being able to spend time with my family and this wonderful Thanksgiving dinner"
Mike - "My family and all the blessings I have"
Kellen - "God and the 2nd Amendment"
Jaelyn - "My dogs, Romeo and Caesar"
Toni - "The many freedoms I have in the US"

May you and your family have as many things to be thankful for as our family does, and remember, you can show your gratitude more than once a year.

Advent Conspiracy....

Our pastor shared this at church this morning.....something for you to think about as we move into the holiday rush this week. I know I will be.

4 year olds and video games....

Here's what four year olds say when they're playing video games with their teenage brother:
Kaia: Don't kill me, I'm your sister.
Jaelyn: Okay, let's get Kellen!

Now that's teamwork (and don't worry, it's only SuperSmash Bros)!

Happy World Diabetes Day???

I'm sure most of you do not know this, but today is World Diabetes Day. The best way I know how to deal with this disease on a daily basis is in keeping a good attitude and having a sense of humor, so I thought I would bring attention to diabetes today with this humorous clip. To those of you who do not understand the humor behind it, that means you or a close loved one does not have to live with it, so be thankful...

Trunk or Treat...

The kids went trunk or treating for Halloween at our church, which means they walk around the parking lot visiting different car trunks decorated in a variety of themes. Some people were actually quite creative. Despite not typically liking people in costumes, the girls did fairly well this year. That is, until Jaelyn spotted someone handing out candy, dressed as her most dreaded person in costume, SANTA CLAUS! She absolutely lost it at that point, and almost couldn't go on. I think her love of chocolate was the only thing that got her to persevere:)

There was also a professional photographer there snapping free photos, and I thought it turned out cute. Josh the hippy and his love kittens! Kaia's new haircut didn't turn out so bad...

Not Again!

Some of you may remember a few months back when Kaia gave herself a trim. Well I'm afraid she has outdone herself this time! Mike and I were attending small group this evening, and when we left at 7:00, the girls were under Kellen's watchful eye (hmmm...) and near bedtime. When we got home at 8:45 and went in to kiss the girls (who were to be sleeping), I heard Mike exclaim "what happened to your hair?" which is when Kaia burst into tears. The long story short is that Jaelyn smuggled kiddie scissors into their room at some point in the evening, and after nightime prayers, Kaia snuck into the closet and cut away. I've seen kids cut their bangs before, or a chunk of hair like Kaia did previously, but this has to be the first time I have seen a kid REALLY cut their hair. I mean all of it! Between tears Kaia revealed that she wanted her hair to be like Jaelyn's, but after having her look in the mirror, she said she wants her hair long again.

Needless to say, Mike will be taking Kaia to get her hair straightened up tommorrow. That poor hairdresser has his/her job cut out (& I think we do too)!
Before:

After:

Left Overs:

Fall Festivities....

Here are various photos from many activities this October:
Grandma & Papa Visit & playing Wii...


Mom's birthday...

Josh's football (he's in the red socks)....

Kellen's cross country and homecoming dance....

and finally, my students had to sell a specific amount of magazines to cause me to dress like a cheerleader one day. Guess what? They went over and beyond their goal, so here was their reward....

Palin Rap...

So this was too funny to pass up....(pause the Maybe Later video below if you need to)

Dad, You're Two 4's...

That's right, Mike hit the big 4-4 yesterday. Kaia was impressed that he was two 4's and she was one 4! Of course, that was after asking him if he was now 16! That made his day:)


Today Josh, Kaia, Jaelyn and I took advantage of no rain and ventured off to the pumpkin patch. While there we went through the corn maze, took a hay ride, and picked out some pumpkins. The girls actually managed to find their way out in a reasonable time, without prompting by me. A good time was had by all.

Notice Anything Different???

Before:

After:

Maybe Later...

Are you putting your God-given gifts and talents to good use? Our assistant pastor showed this clip at church a couple weeks ago, and it's hysterical, but in a sad way, true. Just think what this world could accomplish if we all did what we are called to do. Watch it NOW, not later....

Back to school, Birthdays, and More...

This is always the most difficult time of year at the Crebbin household. Seems like we go from zero to sixty in no time flat. Complete flexibility to rigid schedule; if it's not on the calendar, it doesn't exist. Here's a rundown of the last three weeks:

The end of August brought volleyball for Toni, cross country for Kellen, and football for Josh. Squeeze Kellen's 17th birthday in there somewhere too! Of course, in most ways it's easier to plan a teenagers party than a 4 year olds. No themes to choose, no goodie bags to stuff, etc. The key is to just make sure you have lots of food around. Kellen actually had some buddies over for cake and then they all headed to the driveins. We are so fortunate to have some of the only driveins left in the state, Blue Fox Drive-in. It is quite the hopping place in the summer.

School started the day after Labor Day. I am still in shock realizing that Kellen is a senior. I couldn't resist taking a picture on his first day of his senior year. Everyone's school year is off to a good start. This is the first year where I am strictly teaching 6th grade all day long, and I am enjoying it. Mike is teaching full time math, which is a bit less hectic than setting up and breaking down labs all day for different sciences. Josh is a bmoc, at least that's what boys think when they are in eighth grade:) The girls were happy to get back into school and see all their friends.

Joshua's birthday took place the second week of school, and he celebrated with friends at our house today. I'm not sure which gift he enjoyed getting more, a cell phone, or a ticket from one of his friends to tomorrow's Seahawk game. He has become quite the football fan these days.

There's a funny story behind the cake. When Kellen was in 5th, 6th, and 7th grades, each year he won the school wide spelling bee and went on to the regional competition. We figured he was a shoe-in for his 8th grade year being all the experience he had behind him. Well the rule for the spelling bee is that you cannot correct a letter once you say it out loud, which is tough. At the school wide spelling bee that year, Kellen's first word was fourteen. So he quickly says "f-o-w," shakes his head, then turns around and sits down. Poor kid, he knew it as soon as he said it, but couldn't stop himself quickly enough. He was the first student out of the entire bee! Was a bit humbling for him, but now he can laugh about it. Josh got a kick out of his cake this year:)

Faces of Chaoyang

Here's the video we made to share at Church tomorrow of our trip to Chaoyang. It's set to the song "Give Me Your Eyes" by Brandon Heath. Hope you enjoy it. Oh yeah, make sure you scroll down to "Camping in Chelan" and click the speaker icon in the slide show to turn off the conflicting music. You definitely want to hear the words to Brandon's song, as they are very powerful.

Winding Down...

Our summer is winding down and about ready to come to a full hault. We have been blessed to have a jam packed summer with family and friends. I hate to admit it, but I'm sort of looking forward to getting back into a routine.

Last week Josh was at camp, but the rest of us headed down to Sun River, Oregon where we met up with Mike's family. We had a good time hanging out, swimming, and mountain biking. The mountain bike trip was quite the adventure, as the trails weren't marked well, so we ended up taking the "experienced" trail to our destination. It was actually a lot of fun, but I'm not sure Tonyia and I qualified as experienced mountain bikers! Mike gets a special award for sticking it out...he was pulling both girls in a trailer, and despite the trail being too small and rocky for it, and having to get off and push some, he triumphed. On the return trip we found the "family friendly" trail we had meant to be on, and as you can see in the picture, the girls fell sound asleep (by the way, it's hard to take a picture while you're riding a bike). The funny thing is, Kaia woke up when Mike was flying down one of the paved trails in town, and she began screaming bloody murder!

Finally, crib photos!

We finally received photos of the kiddos in the cribs that were purchased. Ummm, so where are the sheets we gave them??? I can understand not putting the beautiful quilts on right now, since it is so hot, but the sheet situation must be lost in translation. Also, notice the new buzz cuts. Chen-Chen looks so cute, but who would know that Jing, on top, is a sweet little girl:) Once again, thanks to all of you who sponsored the much needed cribs.