Let It Snow!

Heather's boys were at our house when it began to snow! We watched from inside for a while, then when the ground was blanketed the boys went out to play. They had a great time in the snow, the first snow they have ever seen in College Station and the first snow that Ty and Nathan have ever seen. We wanted to capture the moment....it may be another 20 years before we see this much snow again!

Boys Just Wanna Have Fun

It was a beautiful December day and just right for exploring and playing outside. Ty and Nathan spent a few hours at our house and as you can see from the photos, they went non-stop from one activity to another. Steve and I enjoyed our day with them, hopefully as much as they enjoyed themselves. We hope Christmas week is just as nice so the kids can play outside with their gifts!

Happy Birthday Heather!

It was below zero when we headed for the hospital in Waterloo, Iowa those many years ago for the birth of our first daughter. Heather, we are so blessed by God to have you as our daughter. You have taken your failures and trials and by God's grace, turned them into triumphs. You have matured into a godly wife and mother and your joyful spirit is a testimony to your abiding faith. Today we wish you a very happy birthday with love.

Traditional Thanksgiving

We had a great time on Thanksgiving. My sister's family joined the Crouse clan for turkey and all the usual side dishes. The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent playing various games, while the kids played outdoors. I am truly thankful for each member of my family!

Austin's 12th Birthday

On December 2, 2008 Austin turned 12 years old. Watch out Heather and Kevin, he's nearly a teenager! We celebrated as a family the weekend before his birthday with bowling, dining out, cake, ice cream and gifts. The next weekend he had several friends over to eat pizza, have a campfire with smores, play Wii games, watch a movie and spend the night. Needless to say, Austin had a great birthday week. Stay sweet Austin, we're not ready for an unpredictable teen!

The Newest Crouse

We are so excited to announce the birth of our new niece, Kaitlyn Michele Crouse. She was born on November 7th. Congrats to Bart and Michele, brother Kurt, sisters Kayla and Kara.

Great Strides

On a cold and windy November 15th, Steve, Austin and I set out to run/walk in the Great Strides 5K. This is an event, sponsored by the "Breathe Hope" organization at Texas A&M, to raise funds for a cure for cystic fibrosis. Austin wasn't quite up to walking the full distance and we found out later that he was running a temperature - 103 when we got home! Even with the illness, we enjoyed the experience, met some new people, drank Starbucks and ate breakfast burritos. Next year we plan to run or walk the whole distance and get sponsors for fundraising. Please pray for a cure for cystic fibrosis.

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. My prayer time this week is centered on thanksgiving to God....I am abundantly blessed.

San Antonio Family Getaway

In late October, the whole Crouse clan headed for San Antonio for a "Crouse Family Getaway". We rented a large house and stayed from Friday evening to Sunday. We enjoyed playing games, eating a huge pan of brownies, watching football and kids running wild. On Saturday we all went to Seaworld and were treated to a beautiful day, about 75 degrees and sunshine. We loved the shows, feeding the dolphins and Seaworld has quite a few great rides. On Sunday we gathered outdoors near the home we were renting and took our traditional family photos for 2008. All in all we agreed the weekend was fantastic!

One Tough Kid

Many of you pray for Austin and I wanted you to know that his cystic fibrosis is stable right now. That is a real praise the Lord! He had a chest port for intravenous medications put in last December and has only been hospitalized once since. He is on a 14 day on/14 day off schedule for IV antibiotics and is receiving intravenous immunoglobulin infusions once a month. These treatments seem to be keeping him stable. His daily routine is daunting, but with his parent's encouragement he endures with little complaint. God has given him a great spirit of acceptance and hope. Thanks for your prayers....and keep them coming.

Ty's Excellent Fishing Adventure

We had Ty spend the night with Nanie and Papa and the highlight was taking him fishing at the church pond. He was a natural at casting and caught 12 fish, naming nearly every one. He chose to name them after people in his family. There were a couple of "baby fish" he named Nathan. He was a little leary of handling the worms, so this time we baited the hook for him...but challenged him to do it next time.

Fall Sports

I'm a little bummed out today after the elections....but God is sovereign so I will just continue to pray for his protection on our nation!

Steve and I thoroughly enjoy following our grandkids playing sports this fall. Austin loves playing flag football and Ty, Kylie and Andrew are all playing soccer. We did go to Austin once to see Kylie and Andrew play and have made it to nearly all Austin and Ty's games here in College Station. It is great to see the grandkids choosing to be so active...an encouragement to their exercise physiologist grandfather!

Gig'em Aggies!

There's nothing like game day in Aggieland. Kyle Field is consistantly voted one of the top five college football venues in the nation, one reason why Steve and I enjoy Aggie football. The win-loss record certainly is not why we go! We have had season tickets for nearly 15 years. Gameday favorites include TAMU Corps march-in, national anthem with a military fighter jet flyover, followed by "Texas, Our Texas", singing of "Spirit of Aggieland, and finally the team arrives and we all sway to the Aggie War Hymn. Halftime features the "nationally famous Texas Aggie Band", an all corps, military style band. There are too many Aggie traditions to mention here, but be sure that on Aggie game days Steve and I are part of the 12th Man, always pulling for TAMU.

Fishing

Late in August Mark and Shauna had a wedding in Dallas so Kylie and Andrew stayed with Nanie and Papa for a long weekend. Andrew and Kylie were able to enjoy the Aggie Fan Zone before the A&M football game. Kylie attended her first Aggie football game and loved every minute of the experience. After living in Austin all her life she is a big Longhorn fan, but decided that Texas A&M was a pretty great university as well.

We also took Andrew and Kylie fishing at the church pond. Kylie's first cast netted her a good size catfish. After that it was a steady stream of sunfish and bluegills for Andrew and Kylie. They thought fishing was "awesome"!

Iowa Visit

August found Steve and I following our Colorado vacation with a trip to Iowa to see family.....my mother, brother and family and Steve's mother, brothers and families. While there we celebrated Donna Crouses' 80th birthday with a dinner at "The Radish" in Grimes. We all enjoyed the meal and especially the birthday cake. I enjoyed staying with my mom for a couple of days at her new retirement apartment, visiting her homestead farm and the cemetary where my Dad and many other relatives are buried. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit!

Colorado Adventures

In late July, Steve and I spent two weeks in Summit County Colorado. Two couples joined us the first week and we had a blast! This year we went white water rafting on the Arkansas River, hiked, biked on the more than 50 miles of bike trails in the county, and fished. Steve caught 2 gorgeous (and delicious) rainbow trout at a lake near Vail. This is the second year that we have stayed in Frisco and we enjoy the central location for all the activities. We are already planning to return next summer.

The Big Apple

The Crouses, Alexanders and Hollons (adults only trip) spent July 2-6 in New York City! We all missed Kevin and Heather, but hope they can join us on the next big family trip...hopefully Disneyworld in 2010! Here's what else was on the itinerary:

• Enjoyed a Broadway musical, In The Heights, 2008 Tony award winner for best musical
• Took a bike tour of Central Park
• Enjoyed several great NYC restaurants
• Shopped on 5th Avenue
• Watched the Macy's fireworks from the 35th floor of a skyscraper right on the water
• Went to a Yankees game at the historic Yankee Stadium in the Bronx
• Took in NYC at night from "Top of the Rock" --top of Rockefeller Center
• and much more.........

Please take a look at the short NYC slideshow below the posts. Click on "scrapblog" at the lower right hand corner to view larger.

Kylie's New Birth

On Sunday, July 20th, Kylie followed the Lord in believer's baptism. She had asked Jesus into her heart a few months ago and had shared her decision with all of us at that time. Shauna and Mark attended a class with Kylie that explained baptism. When she clearly understood, she asked to be baptized at the next available date. Steve, Austin and I were excited to share this special moment in her life. Her Aunt Julie, Uncle Judd, cousin Ellie as well as her parents and brother Andrew also witnessed her baptism. What a blessing to see your grandchildren follow Jesus!

Missing Abby

At the ripe old age of nearly 15, our faithful and beloved family dog, Abby, had to be put down due to kidney failure. Abby was born on October 25, 1993 and we got her shortly after Christmas that same year. She was a great dog and really good with the kids and grandkids. Steve and I still find ourselves looking for her around the house. Abby will be always remembered with love by our family.

Catching Up

I feel the need to play a little catch up with this blog. We had so many fun memories from this summer that I would love to share. I'll start in June with a visit from Kylie and Andrew for a few days. The cousins adore each other and enjoy spending time together. In June we went to "The Bounce" as well as the splash pad at Tanglewood Park among other activites.

My First Blog....

You might be wondering just why a 50-something grandmother might want to start a blog. I am wondering that myself! I just wanted a chance to share our lives with both my immediate family and our extended family and friends. This will also provide a journal of sorts to save for the years to come. If you ever wondered what the Crouse family has been doing or what important events have taken place, just save the blog web address as a favorite then check us out as often as you like. I plan to post important events and photos. Don't be shy...be sure and leave a comment if you like. Until next time....my love to all of you.