The Crane Family

Things We've Learned So Far About Jackson.....

He.......

Loves to sleep with his arms next to his head :)

The whole "swaddle thing is not for him!"

Every time we roll him up like a burrito- he is sure to get his arms out. I guess that's evidence for the scraping down low in my belly- throughout the pregnancy!

He also has.....

A Very Wise, Little Soul :)

With a touch of Drama that comes with it!

He's such a great sleeper during the day.....

During the night he loves to be up and play!!

He grunts, snorts, and makes lots of funny little noises!

He sleeps with his tongue out-

And has all kinds of cute little smiles to go with it!

He loves to hear Daddy's voice.

And, is sure to crank his head anytime someone comes in the room!
He has a double calic-- just like Zack!

It's looking like he is a definite cross between Zack and Josh.

Blue eyes, blond hair like Josh,

Zack's nose, lips and chin.
He will sleep all day if he is held......

We Just can't get enough of Him.....and His yummy smell!

He loves to hang with the rest of the kids..... and still has them lining up (fighting) to hold him every second! He gets so excited, and kicks etc- when they are around.

But, if it's time to eat, he wants to be off by himself- with both arms wrapped around him (none of this....one arm doing something else!) Funny- being the youngest of 5! He might have to change a bit!

And.... He's already

ONE MONTH OLD!!!

My friend Staci Langford offered to take some pictures of him/us-- and I was more than delighted!!! She is amazing! Below are all the pictures she took. She does it all manually. I love the expressions she was able to get-- hopefully I can learn from her one of these days!!

I am so THANKFUL for these 5 Kids!!! They make life So Much Fun!!

Although we have spent hours and hours

around the house watching him grow.....

We've also managed to go on with life!

As the summer came to an end, we ventured out and did a few things!

Here we are helping for Colorado Cares day. The kids were excited to wear the official Yellow Mormon "Helping Hands" shirts, and had a great time cleaning up our city!
They also were able to "Chillax a bit!" Here they are reading our first official

"Blog Book!" We were so excited when it came in the mail. I have to admit.... as I read through it, I was so thankful I had put the time into blogging. Even though I wasn't the best at times- and totally missed a lot of stuff. It has paid off! It has given me a whole new motivation to keep on going...Now, there is actually a purpose in posting! It's so awesome to have the journal and pictures from the past few years.

Josh even sat down to play an electronic device! I had to snap a shot. He is the biggest "anti video game" boy I have ever met (Thankfully!)

SO....It was nice to see him sit down after working all day! He has had some lawn mowing, full yard (weeding, pruning, handyman etc.) jobs this summer- and has been working hard. He's loved earning some money, and especially loved learning new skills.

The best part of the end of the summer was having

FAMILY COME!!

We were so thankful to have Cheri, Brynne and Caitlin come! It was so awesome to see Caitlin only one week after she got home from her mission in Brazil! She is so amazing- and it was so awesome to hang out and hear all about her mission!!

While we were sitting around shootin' the breeze, the girls were coming up with something magical down stairs!

Here they are.... Maddie, Allie, and Brynne- living it up!!

You've got the look Girls!



One Week Later......

It was time for the Boys annual Backpacking trip! This year we decided to do it in conjunction with Braces Weekend. So, the Young's and the Doxey's came out. We did braces, and the next morning Rob, Mark and all the boys headed off to the Uintah's for an adventure in the Mountains!
We don't have all the pictures yet.... and can hardly wait to see the ones Rob took, but here are a few pictures of Mark and Josh's little escapade up to the Summit!
They overlooked 17 lakes from up top, simply gorgeous! Josh even found wild flowers- and they took a picture just for me!

So.....While the boys were away.... the girls decided

LET'S PLAY!!!

We were sitting around a few hours after they left- just Chewin' the Fat.... When we decided to do something a little Crazy!! I guess we got a little wild hair!

So...... Within an hour, we loaded up the tent, and all the camping gear.....

and jumped in the Car!

Took some potty stops along the way.... bush wacking style (It only took us 30 mintues for everyone to feel comfortable to let loose!!) The best part is that we were 5 minutes out of town- nice! :)

AND.... ended up in the Badlands.... none other than the

Black Hills of SOUTH DAKOTA!!

We were thinking we were pretty cool to be so adventurous!

Amazingly, it is only 4 1/2 hours from our house. We really do live in the middle of the country!

We arrived around 8pm, and went to find a campsite, and then saw some really appealing little cabins at the camp ground. We quickly snatched one up, and got settled in for the night!

All of us WILD girls (and Jackson- the man of the group) in the cabin!!

Every one was so great with Jackson! He definitely felt the LOVE! They even tolerated him grunting and eating throughout the night!

After we loaded up all of our stuff, we headed out to see the sights!

Our first stop was...

CRAZY HORSE!!

Quite an amazing story- and really cool to see. ( I forgot to get a picture, so I grabbed one off the internet.) It's not done yet- and it still has a long way to go, but eventually it will be really cool.

After that- we headed towards,

MOUNT RUSHMORE!!

We have seen picture after picture, and it's in every American slideshow we've every seen throughout our lives. But.... it was AMAZING to see it up close and be there in person.

It was actually quite Majestic! As we got closer, we saw so much more detail than I ever knew existed.
Like Roosevelt's glasses

Washington's Lapels

And even the detail on Lincoln's beard.

We also noticed..... Jefferson had quite a large shnoz! :)

We had a great time hiking the loop- and got up as close as we could to the Faces.

After we watched the movie, walked through the museums, and learned all the ins and outs of Mount Rushmore (for a few hours) it was time to go home. So we decided to grab some lunch in the Buffalo Cafe. Buffalo chili, Chicken sandwiches, and rubbery pizza - Nothing but the best! Mmmm Mmmm :) At least we had a great view!



We took a few last shots around the park, and got back in the car....

And headed back home! Never a dull moment!! As much as we were loving the "Girl Trip" talking it up, and eating the whole way home. Ellie and Allie started feeling a bit ill. Although we were on pins and needles waiting for them to explode,

They never actually threw up!

And actually, within a few minutes they were just dandy.... and ready to eat more!

Those funny girls!

BACK TO SCHOOL!

We all got home from our trips, and just like that it was time to go back to school! They started yesterday (22.) Where did the summer go? It always goes so fast. I miss my kids so much already!!

JOSH-- Here is Josh- a Sophomore believe it or not!

On his way out the door headed for Fossil Ridge High School!!

And Maddie in 8th grade now, was waiting for her friend to come by- so they could both walk together! She loves Kinard Middle school, and can hardly wait to see some of her friends.

Zack and Allie were ready before everyone! They woke us all up, and got us all going. They were so anxious to wear some new clothes, and meet all their friends! Zack loved picking out his duds. He was so excited he found an orange shirt AND orange shoes to match!

It's hard to believe how fast time is going Zack is already in 5th grade and Allie in 2nd!!! Wow- they are getting so old!

Before we know it.... they will be off to college!! :(

I need that reminder- so we can

let all the riff raff go,

and enjoy Every Day Together!!!