Blessed

That is exactly what the Crosby family is. Blessed. In this year, we have seen positive changes in our lives. More are coming our way...

Last Sunday, our stake presidency announced to the Springfield wards the addition of a new ward, and we are within its boundaries! We are really excited for this change! The Church is growing! We loved 5th Ward, but now we are starting fresh in our new ward, Nixa Ward. There will be several members from our old ward with us, and it will be fun getting to know the new ones as well.

Yesterday, Chris had an interview with a company called HealthMEDX. He will use his degree with the position he applied for (Training Specialist.) He rocked the phone interview last Friday, because they called him back maybe a few hours later for a second interview (which was yesterday.) He must have really rocked that one, because they called him half an hour later for a third interview on Friday and e-mailed him some forms to fill out. We hope that this job works out for him. He would be so much happier there than where he works now.

On Friday, I am going to call the elementary school to set up an appointment for Micah's Kindergarten screening. I'm not sure what the screening entails, but Micah is looking forward to starting school. He seems ready to me. He knows his alphabet. Today, I tried to teach him simple math using blocks and the magnet numbers on our door; he did pretty well. He knows his numbers. He can spell his name with upper and lower-case letters. He knows how to cut with scissors. And he needs to find some friends. He and Paige get along well enough; they can play together. But, he needs a boy to play with often. He used to play with a boy I babysat for awhile, Enzo, but now they only see each other every couple of months. So, it would be great for him to find some new friends.

Joey and Tashio are the family's cat-dogs. They are cats, but they act somewhat like dogs. They are needy for attention. They will come to us when we call their names. Tashio will eat almost any people food we leave out. (I caught him licking tomatoes a few days ago.) It's pretty funny.

Tashio loves to sit on Chris' lap when he relaxes on the couch after work. It's their daily thing.

Tashio trying to find some fresh water. I guess his bowl isn't good enough.

Joey is one of the most beautiful and friendly cats a person can meet.

In this picture, you can see his awesome tiger stripes.

About a week ago, I fed the kids ravioli. Paige took it to the extreme and decided to smear the sauce ALL over her face (and a little in her hair.) I couldn't resist getting a picture of it. She is too cute!

 Until next time... This is Jenn saying, "Good night."

I feel stronger.

For the last several weeks, I have been working out using the P90X program during the week and a group strength weight training class on Saturdays. Chris says I've become buff. I do feel stronger, in the best shape of my life, but I know I could be even better. I tried to do a pull-up last week, and I could barely do it. That's one goal I've set for myself: to do a set of pull-ups. A set includes at least 10 pull-ups. It would be amazing to achieve that goal. I haven't been able to do a pull-up since maybe elementary school.

Chris continues to lose weight. He has lost 53 pounds so far! Not only has his body be changing, but his attitude about exercise has changed also. It's been a really positive experience for the whole family. Everyone is benefiting. We are planning on signing Micah up for a running class. This class will help him train to run a mile, which we will be doing June 4th, the Cox Medical Mile. Micah will get his own t-shirt and runner's bib. He is super excited!

She can't fit in the tub anymore!

Devon was amazing at the doctor's office today! We waited an unusually long time to see the doctor, and she was easy to please with a book, playing pat-a-cake, or snacks. She had two shots and not one cry, not even a whimper! The physician's assistant, Christi, was very impressed.

Devon Stats
Length: 29 in.
Weight: almost 19 lbs.

I remember when she was so tiny, giving her baths in a pink foot tub (see the above picture) or dressing her in infant clothes I thought would take her forever to grow out of. Now, she has pretty much caught up developmentally with an average one-year-old. I'll always enjoy my earliest memories of my youngest child. Even while Devon was in the NICU, I have fond memories. I enjoyed reading to her, feeding her, changing her diaper, and just looking at her. She amazed me. She still amazes me now, seeing how far she has come, and yet she still has a long way to go.

I love being a mother. Although there are difficult moments with my children, I am grateful for the opportunity to nurture and love them more than I do myself. Not only are they learning many things from me, I am learning many things from them. And those difficult moments...that's exactly what they are, small moments. Those times aren't nearly as many as the joyful times I've had raising 3 beautiful children.

Pictures of The Kiddos

We took some cute pictures of the kids for your viewing pleasure.

Paige

Devon

Micah

Chris and I have decided to start a garden this year. We are going to grow tomatoes, cucumbers, jalapenos, and cilantro. It will kind of be our salsa garden. Chris will be planting grass seed soon, and we are also planning on planting flowers in the front yard under Micah's window. This is exciting stuff for us. It's one way we are making our house OURS and making our home our home.

One Year Ago...

My water broke, and I told Chris that we needed to go to the hospital. Our normal lives were put on hold. After the arrival of our beautiful daughter, Devon, our lives became better.

The past year has really flown by. Devon went from being a preemie to the active girl she is now. Crawling everywhere, standing up on her feet to explore, making tons of noises with a mouth filled with 7 teeth. Her brother and sister love her and help me take care of her.

Devon is turning one-year-old this Friday. We will take pictures and post them so that you can see how she has grown.

A Day of Accomplishment

The weather was extremely cold. The wind was harsh. Nevertheless, Chris and I rocked the Viking 5K today! We both finished well, achieving our goals for the day. Chris finished his run in 43 min. and 50 sec. He was hoping to finish it in 45 minutes, so he did great! He has worked really, really hard to get where he is now. He started the process to become healthier when his lifestyle was almost completely sedentary. Presently, he works out 6 days a week and has lost 43 lbs! I am so proud of him!

My goal was to complete the race without walking. I wanted to run the whole thing, and I did! After Chris and I finished the race, I felt on top of the world. I had so much fun doing it, too! My run time was about 29 min. and 40 sec. I was really surprised; I think I underestimated myself. I wasn't sure if running would be something I could do well. So, imagine my surprise when I found out from a good friend, Bill, who attended the award ceremony (and who also ran with us) that I won first place in my division! He and his family came over to my in-laws' house (where our family was having breakfast) to give me my medal. I thought that was pretty darn cool. Chris told me how proud he was of me.

Below is a picture of our running crew (from left to right): Paul (a good friend and Chris' running mentor), Bill, Chris, me (Jenn), Steven (my brother-in-law), and Katie (one of Chris' co-workers).

Chris follows a blog called Ben Does Life, written by a guy who's lost at least 120 pounds himself.  Ben likes to point in his pictures, so Chris thought he would do the same thing.

 You might be able to see Bill, Steven, and myself in this picture.

Chris and Paul are in this one. Paul is in the bright orange shirt, and Chris is on his left.

Steven and I running the last leg of the race. What a feeling!

After coming home from the celebration at my in-laws', I played with the kids, got laundry done, cooked a good dinner, and hung out with Chris after putting the kids to bed. Then, we decided to treat ourselves to some chocolate chip cookies. Yum! It really was a treat, because we rarely make or have sweets like that anymore, not even for our children. It was an amazing day.

We're running a race!

This Saturday, Chris and I will be running a 5K! Neither one of us have ever done this before. It is nerve-wracking and exciting. Chris has been training for this since the beginning of the year. I haven't had any official training, but last week, I ran 2 miles, so I'm hoping that I can go a little farther. I have been working out 5-6 days a week since Chris started the Couch to 5K program, so I won't be going into this cold either. Still, I will be definitely testing myself. I haven't run distances like this since college.

I am excited to be participating with my husband. He has worked really hard for this. I want to do what I can to support him. And, it should be amazing fun! Wish us luck!