I was cleaning up the kitchen after dinner. I still had my camera out from taking pictures of the snow in the afternoon. I heard a knock on the kitchen window and this is what I saw:
Steve was so proud of his little snowman. You can see on the right that he even has his arm around him…aahh, so sweet. He was a cute little snowman.
All that was left the next morning was a white blob on the ground below the window. It was fun while it lasted!
This was the scene in our backyard a few days ago. Literally hundreds of robins were hanging out in our trees, I assume making their way north. Spring is just around the corner.
Or is it spring? The scene below is what we had just a few days later on 2-23-10. This is a very rare occurrence in south-central Texas!
The robins had left and we ended up with several inches on the ground. It won’t last long as the temperature was 50+ degrees the next day. We enjoyed the snow while it lasted.
Kylie is an energetic and aggressive basketball player. It was great fun to watch her play.
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She was often the one bringing the ball up the court and starting the plays. We are thankful that she enjoys being active in sports, playing both basketball and soccer.
We wish we lived a little closer so that we could take in more of her games. Kylie, we wish you the best of luck for the rest of your games!
Our annual “Girls Weekend” was hosted by Melissa again this year in Houston the last weekend in January. We had a special time of fellowship and sharing together. I cherish these times together as we never know what changes each year might bring. The scrapblog below highlights our weekend.
Just wanted to wish my husband a Happy Valentine’s Day and let him know that after more than 36 years of marriage you are still My Valentine. I Love you…
Happy Valentines Day to the five sweetest grandkids in the world. With Love, Papa and Nanie
Austin is one of the managers for the seventh grade basketball team at his school. This team is undefeated so far this season. Steve and I went to watch a game recently and were thoroughly impressed with the talent of the team and with their manager, Austin. The following photos kind of tell the story:
When you’re bored you can mess with your phone and chat with the other manager……
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Or dribble and spin the basketball…..
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We really had a wonderful evening at the Christian Faculty Network Banquet on January 29th. With more than 70 in attendance we enjoyed a good meal and the inspirational talk by our friend and colleague, Dave South, also known as the “Voice of the Aggies”. He entertained us with stories and challenged us to live out our faith in our workplace at Texas A&M University.
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Dave is a humble man of God who desires to serve the Lord in every aspect of his life. Thanks Dave for your words of wisdom.
Here’s wishing you a especially great birthday! These days the kids birthdays seem to take center stage, but we want you to know that your Dad and I are thinking special thoughts of you today. It was fun that you were able to visit your birthplace this past summer and you then realized how remote the healthcare situation was in that area of Colorado. You were lucky you weren’t born in a mountain canyon in a snowstorm! As is my habit lately the following are some things we find special about you:
We love you and are eternally thankful for God gifting us with you.
Steve built a squirrel feeder and put it up before Christmas. He had brought ears of field corn home from his brother’s farm in Kansas. 
Our son-in-law, David Hollon, has taken up hunting lately. He has always enjoyed shooting, but has had the opportunity to hunt on a friend’s deer lease. He shot a deer in December and recently went bowhunting and the following photos show the successful result.
Looking forward to seeing some mounted deer heads in your living room soon Melissa!
We had three weddings last Saturday, but only could make it to one. We enjoyed the wedding in Waco of the youngest daughter of long-time friends, Glenn and Lou Miller. We have been friends since graduate school in New Mexico, more than 30 years.
This is a photo of Korrey and her dad. I tried my best to get a photo of Glenn and Lou together, but they were so busy hosting and visiting that I was unsuccessful. May God bless the marriage of Korrey and her new husband, Taylar.
We have our eye on #5. He’s our grandson, Ty Hodge, who is playing Upward basketball for the first time. He plays on the Cobras, co-coached by his dad, and is on a 1st and 2nd grade team. This past Saturday was his first game and he was excited that his team won and that he scored several points.
Ty is a very good player and we love his intensity. We look forward to watching his games throughout this season.
This December 31st was not only famous for it’s blue moon, but was also Steve’s birthday. Steve has a New Year’s Eve birthday and as he always notes “there is always a party somewhere” on his birthday. This year we took a little overnight trip to one of our favorite Texas cities, San Antonio. We were treated to a beautiful 76 degree day on his birthday. The Taylor’s joined us for the trip and we enjoyed the Riverwalk, a movie, Papacitos Mexican food, and fabulous fireworks to ring in the New Year.
We pray that 2010 begins as well as 2009 ended. Hope you had a wonderful birthday honey. I love you!
Steve thought that this was the year to introduce the grandkids to his “spud gun”. This was a gift from one of his brothers years ago. Steve has found through trial and error that limes seem to work better than potatoes. First you put the lime in the barrel and make sure it fits tightly.
Then add five seconds worth of cheap hairspray (propellant)……
….twist the sparker and watch it fly! The limes went several hundred feet, both up and out. Everybody got in the action.
Cover your ears because it is a bit noisy. The kids loved trying to find and retrieve the limes. This was a novelty for everyone to enjoy…..possibly another new tradition for the Christmas holiday, although someone mentioned that they might be illegal in Texas?
We had the privilege, along with my sister, of hosting my mother for most of the month of December. We had a good time reminiscing about my dad, my grandmother and my growing up days. Mom is experiencing some memory problems, but still really enjoys being with her family. Below, Mom at eighteen and eighty-one.
We were able to do a little shopping, attend church every week and the Christmas concert, and also looked into moving Mom down to Texas from Iowa in 2010. We also hosted my brother Scott and his wife Jan for about ten days over Christmas.
My brother Scott and his wife Jan in photo above and me, my Mom, Scott and Jan in various photo combinations below.
Mom and my sister Kay below.
It can be a difficult thing to grow old and my brother, sister and I count it a blessing to partner together to hopefully make my mother’s journey a little easier. We love you Mom!
Christmas came early to the Crouse house this year as we celebrated with family the weekend before Christmas. This year was special because we were able the share the season with my mother, brother and my sister-in-law as well. Following are some photo highlights.
We not only enjoyed exchanging gifts, but continued our tradition of beginning the day by reading the Christmas story from the Bible. We have three grandchildren now that can take their turn reading. One new tradition was the girls and kids wearing coordinating pajamas for the day. This is a tradition worth repeating…so comfortable!
We are so thankful for the blessing of family and for a wonderful Christmas together.
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