The Cribbies

so in-kwed-ible

2011-12-30T07:00:00.001-06:00

Welcome Home, Troops

2011-12-29T07:00:00.003-06:00

Every day soldiers pass through DFW Airport on their way home from their service in Iraq and Afghanistan. One flight of returning soldiers lands at DFW every day and the warm welcome provided by volunteer greeters begins the troops’ visit on a high note. We wanted to be a part of one of those welcome home parties. So we went. And it was AWESOME!!!

Getting dressed in our red, white and blue. I promise Ruby's body is burried under the stuffed animals and she is wear red, white and blue.

At the airport.

Getting all set and waiting for the troops.

We had to wait a while so we took lots of pictures and played alot of I-SPY.

I don't typically put my girls in big bows, but I was getting tired of telling people she was a girl so the bow made an appearance. Man, when you dress a girl in anything but pink or purple, everyone think she's a boy.

***Rant is over***

The gathering crowd.

The door where the 240 soldiers will come through.

The families get the closest spots.

The vets line up next.

Here they come!!!

Everybody cheers and yells welcome home, thank you and Merry Christmas.

Zoey got 8 high fives! She was THRILLED!!!

What an amazing and touching experience!

Zoey's 5th Birthday Party...Minnie Mouse

2011-12-27T07:00:00.010-06:00

For Zoey's 5th birthday party she chose a Minnie Mouse theme. Being new to Pinterest, I jumped on the occasion to research a bunch of fun make-it-myself projects. Zoey loved all the pink. She also loved being surrounded by all her little friends.

The cupcakes! The Minnie Mouse ears!

The Pinata! The Oreo Pops!

My seester, Erika, modeling the ears!

The Birthday Girl!

Grammy & Ruby made a new friend...sweet Caleb.

Getting ready to eat.

Cupcake time.

How many scientists does it take to hang a pinata?

The whole fam!

Happy Birthday, Zoey!!!

*****I can't believe you'll be 5 tomorrow*****

Michael Boo-buh-way or Michael Blue-blay???

2011-12-26T07:00:00.001-06:00

YOU DECIDE!!!

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T19:54:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas! We hope you are having a wonderful time celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ!

Here's how we have been celebrating...

Santa came through our neighborhood riding on a fire truck and passed out candy canes. So cool!

We watched the Steelers game on Christmas eve and they WON!!!

We joined my parents for the Christmas Eve service at DBC.

Our little model, Zoey Michele.

It's too loud, Gram.

Maggie's, first Christmas Eve!!!

PS...on this night, one year ago, Dave was hanging out in the back of the sanctuary with Ruby during the xmas eve service when he met a dad hanging out with his little girl, Maggie. Dave tossed out the name to me on the way home and we both fell in love with it. Little did we know that about 6 weeks later, we would have a little girl and name her Maggie. :)

The stockings and the tree are ready for Christmas morning!

Christmas morning starts with waking up dad, a Christmas cartoon and reading the Christmas story all snuggled in bed.

After we opened our stockings, we had a fun and sugar-y breakfast. Yummy! The girls were thrilled with their magnifying glasses. They were "invesdidating."

Zoey has been asking for a dollhouse for months. Today her wish finally came true. The funny part was that she never saw the big present under the tree until we pointed it out to her.

Sharing nicely...for the moment. :)

Ruby opens her box of princesses.

Maggie opens her very first Christmas present.

The big girls help little sister with her gift.

Our three sweetest gifts...EVER!!!

Merry Christmas from the Cribbs Family!!!

Jofus, Baby Jesus, Mary and the Angel That Spins

2011-12-19T21:53:00.000-06:00

Cooking with Maggie Faye

2011-12-07T07:00:00.000-06:00

With two older sisters, I'm not surprised this little girl has a lot to say when she gets a chance to say it.

Here's Maggie's audition tape for her cooking show on the Food Network. :)

three girls = lots of giggles

2011-12-06T07:00:00.001-06:00

I know I've been posting a lot of video clips lately, but now that I discovered how much easier it is to post using YouTube, it's changed my life. What a time saver! Hope you enjoy this one as much as I do.

R-U-B-Y

2011-12-05T07:00:00.000-06:00

Dave's new toy

2011-12-04T07:00:00.001-06:00

Dave got a very cool birthday gift from his brother...a remote control helicopter. The girls weren't so sure if they liked it or if they were scared of it but it didn't take them long to realize that they loved it, too.

The take off.

And the crash landing. Yes, it hit me.

And the landing. Look how proud Zoey is. Love the hand on hip and Ruby's encouraging, "Wow!"

head, shoulders, knees and toes

2011-12-03T07:00:00.000-06:00

Let's Whisper

2011-12-02T07:00:00.001-06:00

Things I love about this clip:

#1 Ruby's attempt to whisper

#2 Zoey's veil...made from one of her tutus

After Halloween costume sale!

2011-12-01T07:00:00.005-06:00

A little late in posting but I couldn't resist sharing this picture.

We are AWANA Cubbies!

2011-11-30T07:00:00.002-06:00

thankful for Thanksgiving break

2011-11-29T07:00:00.002-06:00

Dave has been super busy with robotics this semester. That and starting a new teaching job at a new school has taken alot of his time. Needless to say, we've really missed him lately. Thanksgiving break was just what we needed to reconnect as a family.

We started the break with a trip to the zoo. It's a small, local zoo. It was our first time to go and we had a blast. We actually got to feed a giraffe which was easliy the coolest thing I've done in a long time. It's about a mile to walk through the entire zoo and there were only about 10 other families that we saw. When we left the zoo there was a park across the parking lot where we had lunch and played. All in all...a fabulous day. Be sure to check out Ruby's zoo-appropriate outfit.

Thanksgiving morning we went to the Turkey Trot. It's been a tradition in my family since 1999 and Dave and my bro-in-law joined the tradition when they joined the family. It was chilly but so much fun.

Maggie's first Turkey Trot!

Hi, Dave! Go Steelers!!! Hey, Eddo!

And we're off! There were so many people, it took us 30+ minutes to cross the starting line.

Zoey got a little bored with the fast pace. Poor thing. It was too crowded to see anything at first.

Between my sister and myself we have 5 kiddos. We're quite a site rolling 5-wide down the streets of Dallas. Thanks, Mom, for pushing a stroller.

Post race pics...the whole fam!

The Wiese Family...Josh, Erika, Leo(3yrs) & Etta(10 1/2 mos)

Mom & Dad...aka Grammy & Papa

Congrats to my dad for running the 8 mile race!

My sweetie on her first Thanksgiving.

Post race hydration is very important.

My family...Zoey(almost 5), Ruby(2 1/2), Maggie(10mos)

Conked out on the way home.

Post race tradition...group picture with our new race shirts.

Dave and his mini-me.

Another Cribbs family tradition...new matching jammies for Thanksgiving night.

Maggers is very excited about all the traditions she's learned about today.

Theology from a 2 1/2 year old

2011-11-28T10:12:00.002-06:00

Here's the transcript...just in case you have a tough time figuring out what she's saying.

Ruby: "Um, hello? This the cross."

Me: "Who you calling?"

Ruby: "Jesus."

Me: "What are you gonna tell him?"

Ruby: "I'm sorry about the cross."

Me: "Why are you sorry?"

Ruby: "Because I'm so sorry...I'm sorry to Jesus."

Me: "You're going to tell Jesus you're sorry? How come?"

Ruby: "Because I'm not pleasing to the Lord. That's why I say sorry to Jesus."

Me: "I think that's a great idea, Ruby."

Ruby: "I'm gonna make a fruit cup."

Me: "A fruit cup?" That's a good idea, too."

Ruby: "Hello, Jesus. I'm so sorry about...I'm not pleasing to the Lord and I not feel good. Bye bye but I'm sorry about the cross that you died on. That's sin. Bye bye.

"A dweem is a wish your heart aches when you're fast asweep."

2011-11-05T07:00:00.002-05:00

a BIG day for Maggie

2011-11-04T07:27:00.005-05:00

At Maggie's 9 month check-up, our doctor mentioned that she, although very healthy, was "borderline delayed." Man, was that difficult to hear. And, of course, I worried...and compared...and worried some more. Our doctor was a little concerned that she wasn't crawling, waving, going from laying to sitting or saying 'mama'. He did mention that because of Maggie's two older, very loving and sometimes overly attentive sisters, Maggie might not be motivated to do things like crawling because she is always being held and toys are simply brought to her. So, we implemented "GIVE MAGGIE SOME SPACE" guidelines and in just days she has mastered 3 new skills. Maybe 4. I can't tell if she's really waving. :) The day after her appointment, she began going from sitting to laying to sitting again. Cool! Then a couple of days ago, just 15 days after turning 9 months, Maggie officially crawled. Now it's just a couple of knee movements at a time. But it still counts. Her other big accomplishment is eating puffs. Up until this point she has only had baby food. All the recommendations state that bite size pieces of food shouldn't be given until baby can crawl with their tummies off the ground. Well, she's crawling so she's trying puffs. And as you can see, she loves them.

That's my girl!

Smoochies & Peek-a-boo

2011-11-03T07:00:00.003-05:00

I really wish Zoey and Ruby liked their baby sister more. They just don't seem to like spending time with her. :)

Wake up, Sleepyhead

2011-11-01T23:50:00.002-05:00

There is absolutely no denying that Maggie is our child. She loves her sleep just like her mom and dad.

Fall Festival & Trick-or-Treating

2011-10-31T23:59:00.001-05:00

The Saturday before Halloween, my mom and I took the girls to our church's fall festival. Unfortunately Dave had a robotics competition so he missed out on all the fun we had. Bummer! But, even though we missed Dave terribly, we did manage to have a great day!!!

There was a petting zoo...

...balloon animals, face painting and bright sunshine.

There was also pop corn, bounce houses and lots of games.

How cute are they waiting their turn for a game???

Jessie and Cinderella.

There was a little tractor-pulled train that they loved.

Maggie loved it, too!

Ruby turned out to be a master golfer. I'm so proud.

Thank you, Grammy, for coming with us!

I love my sweeties!

Out of energy.

Way too much energy!

Now, onto Halloween!

Getting ready to hit the neighborhood for a little trick-or-treating with Mary & Cinderella...

...and Army man, Dave...

...and cute baby, Maggie.

Here's what Ruby had to say about the whole going door to door and begging for candy. She's wise beyond her years.

Now it's time to pass out some candy...

...and eat some candy!

Happy Halloween from the Cribbs Family!

lil' bruiser

2011-10-24T08:00:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago the girls were playing outside with Dave and while they were climbing on the trailer in our garage, Ruby slipped and bonked her cheek. Poor baby. She's very adventurous and tries so hard to keep up with Zoey. Usually she does a really good job but sometimes she just can't. This was one of those times. I hate that she got hurt but I LOVED cuddling with her for an hour while we kept a cold pack on her face. It was pretty puffy for the first couple of hours but the swelling went down after a bit and the bruising set in after a couple of days. She's a tough cookie. I love my lil' bruiser.

saturday...the day it happened

Here is a video of Zoey comforting her little sister.

saturday afternoon

tuesday

sunday

She recovered very quickly and no longer has any bruising. Thanks for asking about her and for caring about our sweet Ruby-Dooby.

Pumpkin Patch Fun

2011-10-22T21:54:00.001-05:00

My mom, sister and I took all the kiddos...Zoey (almost 5), Leo (3), Ruby (2 1/2), Etta (9mos), & Maggie (9mos)...to the pumpkin patch yesterday. We had so much fun even though it was 80 degrees. Nothing like dripping with sweat to get you ready for Halloween. Here are some pics from our adventure. We got some great pics, went on a hayride, and jumped in the bounce houses. Enjoy!

Happy Halloween!!!

Welcome home, daddy!

2011-10-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

This is what happens to Dave when he gets home. As you can see, he clearly hates it. :)

Prepare yourself for some preciousness...

2011-10-12T22:59:00.000-05:00

What's in your mailbox today?

2011-10-07T14:17:00.000-05:00

Because whatever it is, it's not as cool as what Zoey and Ruby got in the mail today.

Princess #1

How appropriate is her shirt? "I didn't ask to be a princess but if the crown fits..."

Princess #2

"Thank you Aunty Lisa! We wuv you Aunty Weesa!"

My little Cubbies

2011-10-07T07:00:00.001-05:00

Zoey started going to AWANA last year. It's a program that they have at our church that stands for Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed" as taken from 2 Timothy 2:15. She is in her second year of Cubbies and she LOVES it. She goes each week, plays games, sings songs, hears Bible stories, says the pledge of allegiance, and during the week we work on her lesson and memorize a Bible verse. This week's verse was a bit longer than usual so we came up with a sing-song way to say it WITH hand motions. My favorite part are the jazz hands.

Here is what she is saying:

Give thanks to the Lord...who made the great lights...sun...moon and stars...

Psalm 136: 3, 7-9

Little did I know that Ruby was paying close attention and learning the verses, too. Here is her version.

What do I have to show for my day?

2011-10-06T21:51:00.000-05:00

I prevented a break down of gargantuan proportions. When you're 4 1/2 it's pretty difficult to get your baby doll to stay in your dress so you can pretend to be Mary, mother of Jesus. I worked my magic and all was well. The house might still be a mess, the dishes are not done, and I have five projects that are half done but my Zoey is a proud Mary. Now, that's a great day. And by the way...Ruby is Joseph.

Happy 40th, Dave!!!

2011-10-04T23:00:00.002-05:00

My sweet hubby turned 40 today. Let the fun begin. It started a few weeks ago with some planning and picture taking...you'll see what I mean at the end of this post. And the day before Zoey and I began one of the most important projects...THE CUPCAKES!!!

We mixed everything together and I gave her a bowl of batter and a tray for mini cupcakes and let her make 12 of her own. She exceeded my expectations and was very meticulous and a bit of a perfectionist. Go, ZO!

Ready for the oven!

We dropped Maggie off with my folks and then went to Dave's school to surprise him at work. It worked perfectly. We made it to his office while he was in chapel. We were able to decorate and get things set up before he chapel was over. He was soooo surprised! Here is Zoey pinning on his "I'm 40" flashing button.

Zoey and Ruby had so much fun keeping the secret from Dad. I was so proud of them for not spilling the beans.

They each made a card for Dad.

I found a cute web site for making your own t-shirts. It was so easy and so cute.

Ruby's classic silly face.

One happy daddy!

Hanging out at dad's school, showing off their cute shirts.

The backs.

The girls.

Lunch at dad's office.

The cupcakes. Here are the recipes for the cake and the icing.

They were a hit!

For his gift, we gave Dave some pictures to decorate his office.

And this is what I've been working on for a while.

Hope you had a wonderful birthday, Dave. We love you so much!!!

PS-this is the smart board in Dave's classroom. It was so much fun to play with. :)

8 months old

2011-09-17T15:19:00.000-05:00

My teeny, tiny Maggie. At 15lbs, 9.6oz (15%), she is the smallest of our sweethearts. She is a pro at sitting. She loves rice cereal, oatmeal, carrots, squash and sweet potatoes. She is a cuddle-bug and she thinks her two big sisters are AWESOME! She just started saying da-da-da-da and she scrunches up her nose when she smiles really big. Her eyes are still blue, blue, blue and she is the most ticklish baby I've ever met. I can't stop kissing her and my heart melts every time she smiles at me. We love you, Maggers!

shaving cream + food coloring + paint brushes = LOTS OF FUN!!!

2011-08-26T11:21:00.000-05:00

what we do on our days off

2011-07-30T08:00:00.001-05:00

We have a little tummy time...

(Maggie is 6 months old in this pic.)

...play a little dress up...

(Ruby is dressed up like a dragon.)

...watch a little tv...

(With a back pack and glasses, of course.)

...and do a little running and jumping.

Days off are loads of family fun!

babysitter responsibilities

2011-07-28T08:00:00.002-05:00

We have had the BEST babysitters this summer. Miss Emily and Miss Blair were our sitters for the first half of the summer and Miss Blair and Miss Peyton...who are sisters...are our sitters for the second half.

Here are some of their daily responsibilities.

hair braiding

rain protecting

(Maggs doesn't have a rain jacket, yet.)

kite flying

more kite flying

potty taking

smile and cuddle giving

Thank you Miss Blair and Miss Peyton for caring for our family!!!

shake your piggies

2011-07-26T08:00:00.002-05:00

Boo Betty Fum

2011-07-24T08:00:00.001-05:00

Also know as the Blueberry Farm. It's right around the corner from kamp and Dave and I love to take Zoey and Ruby for breakfast. They have the BEST pancakes! Check out their web site and go for a visit if you're ever in the neighborhood.

sung as a bug

2011-07-22T08:00:00.002-05:00

No matter how many times I pull her lovie off of her face, Maggie puts it right back on. She LOVES to cuddle. Maggers takes her afternoon nap in the bathroom while Zo and Rubes "rest" in their bunk beds. Poor third baby... :)

Fourth of July Festivities

2011-07-20T16:19:00.000-05:00

The 4th of July at K7 is absolutely fantastic. And it's especially fun now that Zoey and Ruby can enjoy dressing up, being in the parade and seeing the fireworks.

Our day began with a visit to the office while all the office girls prepared for the parade. Ruby, Zoey and Maggie pose for a picture with their babysitters Miss Blair and Miss Emily.

Decorations for the Office Girl float in the parade.

Zoey proudly displaying the Cribbs girls' star.

She looked so cute in both pics, I couldn't decide which one to use. When in doubt...post both.

Candace is my fabulous Head Office Girl. She was a little concerned about the balloons carrying her away.

Maggie truly enjoyed her first 4th. Her lovely headband was a gift from one of my Office Girls. Thanks, Christie!

Miss Blair and Maggie are getting ready for the parade.

The Cribbs Family of five ready for the parade.

Ruby had the camera during the parade and captured the entire thing from her point of view. Many of the pics were super creative and cool. I had to include this self portrait.

After the parade was our K7 Leadership Reunion. Here is Ms Kelli (prego with baby #1) getting a little baby practice with Maggie.

After dinner we headed down to the lake for another try at the pie irons. De-lish!

Ruby's pie was too hot so she's waiting for it to cool.

Isaac was helping her blow on it to cool it off.

Zoey and Mylee were showing off their pom-poms.

Silly girls.

Before we went to see the fireworks, there was a watermelon party in the street.

Watermelon and DANCE PARTY! Ruby's getting jiggy with it.

Maggie cuddled with Miss Blair during the fireworks show.

Zoey thought the camera flash was too bright.

Ruby loved the show! "Ooooooo!"

We had a fabulous day. Happy Birthday, America, from the Cribbs Family!

"I'm so busy, mama."

2011-07-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

sweet moment

2011-07-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

It's so strange to me to have a blue-eyed child. Zoey and Ruby looked so much like me from day one and now I have this beautiful baby with light skin and BLUE eyes. It is fun for Dave, however, to finally have a child who looks like him. They are two peas in a pod.

Dave and his girls

2011-07-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

Ruby (2), Maggie (5mo), & Zoey (almost 4 1/2)

First Time in the Pool

2011-07-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

"She's just laughing like a nut!"

2011-07-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

My big sister is so stinking funny!

Family Date Night

2011-07-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

We're off to Dos Rios for the first family date night of the summer!

We were celebrating Zoey's "half" birthday! My baby is 4 1/2!!!

Family Pie Night

2011-07-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

Dave brought our pie irons to kamp this summer. We invited some our of best kamp friends to the lake to enjoy some hot-out-of-the-fire cherry and apple pies. We had a blast and they were soooo delicious.

snuggle time in bed

2011-07-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

When you share a room with your two older sisters and you like to get up at 5am and chat for a bit before falling asleep again, you get to come into bed with mom and dad.

I'm 4, I'm 2, popsicles are cool but not freezing. Good info!

2011-07-05T08:00:00.001-05:00

5 months old...already???

2011-07-03T14:06:00.000-05:00

Due to the lack of internet this summer, I'm a little behind on my updates. Maggie turned 5 months old on June 17th. We weighed her on our bathroom scale and she was about 12lbs. I snapped this shot and was impressed with both her blue eyes and flexibility.

well hello, blue eyes

2011-06-01T08:00:00.002-05:00

I love my family!

2011-05-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

melon baller

2011-05-27T08:00:00.002-05:00

sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters

2011-05-25T08:00:00.001-05:00

"big funder"

2011-05-23T08:00:00.003-05:00

Sleeping Beauty

2011-05-21T22:16:00.000-05:00

Maggie was 4 months old on May 17th.

weight: 12lbs, 9.6oz (28%)

height: 24 1/2in (52%)

My little, petite princess.

Easter Candy Trade-In

2011-04-28T08:31:00.003-05:00

We have way too much Easter candy in our house! So, we made a deal with our kids. They could either keep all their candy and eat it until it was gone or they could eat it for three days and then trade it in for...NEW SCOOTERS!!! Guess which one they chose?

Maggie's 3-month photo shoot

2011-04-27T08:00:00.001-05:00

Here are some of my faves from our mini photo shoot from April 17th.

Happy 3-months old, Maggie Faye!

who's who?

2011-04-25T14:08:00.000-05:00

Below are twelve pictures...four each of Zoey, Ruby and Maggie at 3-months old. Can you figure out who is who? The answers are posted in the comments. Good luck!

10.

11.

12.

out for a walk

2011-04-01T23:16:00.000-05:00

a conversation with zoey

2011-03-31T23:49:00.000-05:00

All three girls and I were in the car going to pick up Dave at work...

Me: "Hey, Zoey, can you peek into Maggie's carseat and see what she's doing?"

Zo: "She's chillin'...like a villain."

Me: *smile* "Could you cover her little feet with that pink blanket?"

Zo: "I already did, mom. I thought her feet might be cold."

She is such a good big sister!

water table fun

2011-03-28T22:21:00.000-05:00

"I love chicken fries!"

2011-03-27T14:56:00.002-05:00

A reading by Zoey Michele of Moo, Baa, La la la by Sandra Boynton.

The last line of this book is..."It's quiet now. What do you say?" Zoey's answer to that question lately is, "I love chicken fries." I have no idea where she got that. She's never had a chicken fry. I'm not even sure I know what they are. Regardless, I love how she "reads" to her little sister.

Look who's 2!!!

2011-03-24T22:50:00.001-05:00

Little Miss Ruby Ellen turned 2 on March 21st. The day started off with this conversation.

me: "Good morning, Ruby. Today is your birthday! You're 2!"

ruby: "Nooooo." *smiling*

me: "Yes, it's true! You're 2 years old."

ruby: "Nooooooooo." *still smiling*

It took me a bit to convince her she was no longer 1 but I think she has fully embraced being 2. Ruby has become our little entertainer. She loves to make people laugh and she's really good at it, too. Her facial expressions are hilarious and the more positive feedback she receives, the sillier she gets. Also, in the past few weeks she has started talking so much more which has given her more opportunities to make us smile. Ruby is also a very sweet little girl and she's very observant. After her party was over, Zoey was a little upset and started to cry. Without being asked, Ruby went into the bathroom and brought Zoey a tissue. She walked right up to her big sister and dabbed at her tears. It's so much fun to see how different our girls are and I find so much joy in seeing them play together and love on each other.

height: 34 1/4 in (63%) weight: 27 lbs (56%)

Zoey at 2 years old

our bookends

2011-03-23T07:00:00.001-05:00

two months old

2011-03-17T15:12:00.017-05:00

How can my baby already be two months old? Our little Maggie Faye is growing and changing every day. Her personality is starting to show more and more. She seems to be pretty laid back and easy going. She likes to watch her big sisters play and she loves to be held and cuddled. She's not very chatty, yet, but she has started smiling at her toys. :)

Here are her stats:

height: 22 3/4 in (60%)

weight: 11 lbs (50%)

My sweet little Maggie Faye

Yep, her eyes are still blue.

Starting to fade...love those little fists.

And...we're done with the photo shoot.

Zoey at 2 months old

Ruby at 2 months old

One Month Old

2011-02-17T21:19:00.000-06:00

Life With Maggie

2011-02-07T14:44:00.000-06:00

Our little Maggie-Moo is three weeks old today and we couldn't be more in love with this little girl. She has fit in with our family perfectly and I really, truly can't remember what life was like without her. Here are some pictures of her first three weeks.

ps-she has her two week check-up tomorrow...it was cancelled twice because of the ice/snow storms...I can't wait to see how much weight she's gained

getting ready to come home from the hospital

all strapped in and ready to go home

our little pink ball of love

back in the hospital to be treated for jaundice

our sun-bathing beauty

so tiny

discharged from the hospital and ready to go home

...for the second time

sponge bath's are awesome!

clean and sparkly

snug as a bug

just chillin'

loved by Ruby

"Sisters, Sisters, there were never such devoted sisters."

loved by Zoey

sleeping beauty

watching her first Super Bowl and so sad the Steelers lost

The Story of Miss Maggie Faye

2011-01-18T11:42:00.000-06:00

Where to begin? I woke up on Sunday morning at 4:45 to some lovely contractions. I started timing them and they went from 8 minutes apart to 3-4 minutes apart. So, I did what any normal woman in labor would do...I started cleaning the bathroom. At some point, I woke up Dave and we started getting our bags together. Now, you should know that both of my previous labors began with a clear cut sign...my water broke. When that happens you know without a shadow of a doubt that you need to get to the hospital. Well, timing contractions is no fun at all and it's stressful. When do we call the hospital? When do we have my parents come over to stay with the girls? When do we pull Heather, our midwife, out of church? We looked online and saw that the contractions should be pretty intense and about 5 minutes apart for a good hour before heading to the hospital. I was still able to talk through mine and they seemed to be getting less intense and further apart. False labor? I guess so.

We missed church, I napped and we laid low for the rest of the day. I had several more contractions throughout the course of the day but nothing worth timing. Oh, well. No baby today.

I went to bed that night around 11pm and realized an hour later when Dave came to bed that I hadn't fallen asleep, yet, and I had been having contractions for the past hour. I decided to get out of bed, walk around and see if we needed to start timing them. It quickly became clear that this set of contractions was very different from earlier in the day. They were very intense and getting closer and closer together. We called my parents at 12:30am on Monday (1/17/11) morning and they grabbed their bags and headed for our house. Dave and I packed up...no cleaning bathrooms this time...and loaded our bags in the car. My parent's arrived a little after 1am and Dave and I left our house for the hospital at 2am. By this point I had been officially in labor for 3 hours and my contractions were consistently 4 minutes apart.

We arrived at the hospital at 2:35am and got admitted right away...it could have been the fact that I was hunched over the nurses' check-in counter moaning loudly that allowed us to get a room so quickly. :) After my first "check" at 2:45am, I was dilated to 6cm. Because of my history of quick deliveries, they called Heather right away. Unfortunately I was confined to my bed until they could get an IV started...bummer...and after blowing out 2 veins they finally got it started in the crook of my arm which meant I had to keep my arm straight the entire time. By this point Heather had arrived and when she "checked" me at 4am I was dilated to 9cm and not physically able to get out of bed. This is where it gets a bit fuzzy. Our baby girl was born at 4:21am so in the 21 minutes from when Heather declared me a 9, I progressed to 10cm and pushed her out. Dave said it was only about 5 pushes and less than 10 minutes. Whew! Praise the Lord for another natural delivery.

Maggie Faye Cribbs was born at 4:21am on Monday, January 17th, 2011

9lbs, 1oz; 20 3/4" long

A little about her name...Maggie is a name we both liked and it fit my crazy criteria of two syllables ending in the "e" sound...it had to sound good with Zoey and Ruby. :) Faye is Dave's mom's name who passed away in 1998 before I had even met Dave. We wanted to honor her and Dave's dad.

Our first day with our little Maggie has been wonderful. She is a great nurser and pooper! Here are some pictures from Maggie's birth day. Zoey(4yrs) and Ruby(22mos) loved meeting their new sister. And as Zoey said to me on the phone after we told her about her new sister, "A sister? Awwww, I really wanted a boy but I'm so excited about a sister. It's ok, mom."

Pink or Blue???

2011-01-03T14:41:00.000-06:00

As I was packing a few things for my hospital bag I couldn't help but share two of the outfits I'll be taking. As you know, Dave and I have chosen not to find out the gender of each of our babies. We really enjoy the anticipation and excitement of waiting to find out if it's a boy or girl until the actual birth. I know a lot of people think it's so strange and there's no way they could do it because it would stress them out to not be able to plan. But, for me, it's actually the opposite. Not knowing the gender has helped me...the ultimate planner/worrier/stresser-outer...to relax and just wait for the surprise at the end. We made some really wise baby-gear choices with the first pregnancy which has allowed us to reuse almost everything. This past weekend Dave got the box of newborn baby clothes, bibs, blankets, and burp cloths down from the attic. I loaded the drawers and now we're set for the first few weeks. I love that we still have one more special surprise to look forward to when our baby arrives. Just for the record, I am convinced that this one is going to be a boy. And for those of you keeping score, I also thought Zoey and Ruby were going to be boys. :)

Happy 4th Birthday, Zoey Michele!!!

2010-12-28T09:11:00.000-06:00

2 days old

One Year Old

Two Years Old

Three Years Old

Four Years Old

Where has the time gone?

Happy Birthday to the sweetest 4 year old!
We love you, Zoey!!!

Merry Christmas Eve

2010-12-24T23:50:00.000-06:00

Love...

...and smooches from Zoey & Ruby!

Merry Christmas Eve!

Moments With Ruby

2010-12-07T08:00:00.001-06:00

Ruby LOVES to brush her teeth. But what she loves more than actually brushing them is spitting in the sink.

Interview with Ruby about Daddy mowing the lawn.

When we decorated our Christmas tree we made some hot chocolate. Ruby LOVED it but I loved how she said it.

Zoey's "flag" Party

2010-12-06T15:38:00.000-06:00

We celebrated Zoey's 4th birthday a little early this year to avoid the cold weather, the holidays and the arrival of baby Cribby. We asked her what kind of party she would like to have and she decided that she wanted a "Flag" party. We had a great time planning her patriotic party. Here are some pics from the party and a cute video of her ~~singing~~ screaming 'Happy Birthday' to herself.

November 13, 2010

Zoey (almost 4), Ruby (19 1/2mos), baby Cribby (29 1/2wks)

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T21:58:00.000-05:00

What's up with Zoey's expression?
*Sigh* I have no idea. *Giggle*

"Out"

2010-09-30T08:00:00.006-05:00

I LOVE how Ruby says "out." I'm not sure why she does the lip quiver, but I think it's hilarious!

What'er we gonna do 'bout it?

2010-09-28T14:20:00.001-05:00

Happy 18-months, Ruby Ellen

2010-09-21T08:00:00.001-05:00

Cookie Time

2010-09-20T13:08:00.002-05:00

our Ruby-Dooby-Pastutie (nickname given by Zoey)

2010-07-28T12:57:00.000-05:00

It's Zipline Time!

2010-07-28T11:25:00.001-05:00

together as a family

2010-06-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

slip-and-slide

2010-06-24T08:00:00.002-05:00

The Many Faces of Ruby Ellen

2010-06-23T08:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-22T11:18:00.000-05:00

Spring has Sprung

2010-05-08T10:55:00.001-05:00

roadtrip to Branson for Leadership Weekend for kamp

playing with the water table...even though it was a bit chilly

planting seeds for our garden at kamp

jumping on our "new" trampoline

new = our neighbor was practically giving it

away so we snagged it

watching dad mow the yard...they follow him from window to window

bike rides

bluebonnets

...happy birthday, dear ruby...

2010-03-21T23:34:00.002-05:00

twins? NO. sisters? YES!!!

2010-03-18T09:18:00.002-05:00

March 17th, 2002

2010-03-17T07:00:00.001-05:00

Dave proposed eight years ago today on a rooftop in Gaeta, Italy. We went to Italy to visit Dave's brother and sister-in-law over Spring Break and little did I know (I only hoped) that I would come home engaged to the most wonderful man in the world. Here are a couple of pics that I scanned from our trip.

This is a recreation. The official proposal was in the evening and I was wearing a t-shirt and pajama pants. Oh, so romantic! Dave's brother was stationed at the Naval bas in Gaeta and the apartment that they rented allowed them access to this rooftop patio that overlooked the Mediterranean Sea.

Nice view, huh?

Rebekah & Don on one of our many outings as we explored Italy.

A scenic view from the highest point on Capri...Mount Solaro. We rode chair lifts through the clouds. Needless to say, it was amazing.

A beautiful shot of Gaeta. This was a trip we will never forget.

Ciao!

bragging about my zoey michele

2010-03-13T09:11:00.002-06:00

My sweet Zoey Michele is 3 years old and such a little lady. She amazes me everyday with her sweet heart. Not only is she gorgeous, she is incredibly smart, too. She can count to 20 and has almost mastered counting to 30. She can also count to 10 in Spanish...thank you Miss Katie! She recognizes all her letters and can spell her first and last name. She has memorized 5 Bible verses and LOVES her Sunday School teachers. She loves to watch Veggie Tales, Sesame Street and the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse but loves to be outside even more. When we go for walks she likes to ride her big girl bike with training wheels or push her babies in their stroller. She makes friends with everyone she sees and wants to know everyone's name. She definitely challenges me with her three-year-old moments, but she blesses me more times than I can count. She is funny with a desire to entertain and she is tender and wants to make sure everyone is doing alright. She is a peacemaker and cares for her sister with a tenderness I could have never anticipated. She loves to teach and finds great joy in seeing Ruby master a skill. She has a great imagination, too...just ask her imaginary friend, Norga. :) I could go on and on about how amazing this kiddo is. I can't believe I'm her mom and I have the privilege of hanging with her everyday. Thank you, Lord, for the best job in the world. I love you, Zoey Michele!

bragging about my Ruby Ellen

2010-02-21T15:00:00.005-06:00

Little Miss Ruby is 11 months old and I truly cannot believe that she will be one year old in a month. She is such a sweetie and always has a smile on her face. Here are some of the things Ruby has accomplished in her first 11 months in our family.

Ruby can clap & wave. She can sign eat/hungry, more and all done. She can "say" mamamama, dadadada, papapapa. She can cruise, climb on the couch with the help of the pillow, push her cart, dance, play peek-a-boo, and nod. She raises her arms in the air when you ask her, "How big is Ruby?" and she loves to play peek-a-boo. She is very good at mimicking sounds. Some of her favorites are clicking her tongue and making smoochie noises. She is so sweet and loves to be cuddled, tickled and bathed. She squeals with excitement when she sees Zoey and she loves to climb on her daddy. She is a great eater...some of her favorites are peas, yogurt, banana, oatmeal and cheese. She is also a great sleeper...she takes two, 1 1/2 - 2 hour naps each day and sleeps about 11 1/2 - 12 hours at night. I love the stage she is in but I also look forward to the new things she continues to learn everyday. I love you, Ruby Ellen!

9 inches and counting

2010-02-11T14:48:00.008-06:00

Surprise snow day with Daddy!!!

Let's make a snowman!

Ruby wanted to be outside, but she enjoyed watching through the glass.

"Zoey, don't leave me."

"Don't you turn your back on me, missy."

"I can't believe she left."

The finished product. Nan, the snowman.

A snow day from Ruby's perspective.

"Now, I'm a ballerina."

2010-02-07T14:34:00.013-06:00

We signed Zoey up for her first ballet class. Each Saturday for 4 weeks, we took Zoey to a nearby rec center and for 30 minutes, she got to dance around in her leotard, tights, tutu and ballet slippers with several other little girls. She absolutely adored her class. She wasn't really interested in becoming friends with the other girls, which surprised me a little, but she was absolutely in love with her teacher, Miss Rachel.

The first week, Zoey seemed to enjoy class and she watched everybody very intently but she didn't really participate. She kind of floated around and stood around but she didn't allow herself to have fun and get down with her bad self. The second week, she had a fever and we had to skip class. Thankfully she doesn't know her days of the week well enough to know that she missed out on a Saturday. :) But, by the third and fourth classes, she had transformed into a precious little ballerina. Well, I take that back. I would tell her periodically during the week, "You are such a beautiful ballerina." And she would always reply, "Not, yet." I guess she thought she wasn't officially a dancer until Miss Rachel had taught her everything she needed to know.

So, here are some clips from her classes.

Here she is stretching. Favorite part?...how she looks back at me to see if I'm watching and how stinkin' flexible she is

More stretching. Favorite part?...her beautiful hair pulled back in a ponytail and her little panties poking out

This is part of a little dance routine Miss Rachel taught the girls. Favorite part?...the hug, of course, and it just seems like she is truly having a blast!

They are supposed to pretend to be mermaids jumping over a "poisonous fish". Favorite part?...not quite jumping over the fish, but definitely avoiding it.

Second try. Favorite part?...how she runs to Miss Rachel but realizes there's someone already on her lap so she finds a spot at the end and lets out a squeal!

Time for some work at the bar. Favorite part?...the whole thing :)

Doing her ballerina walk just like Miss Rachel. Favorite part?...Her cute ballerina arms and never taking her eyes off Miss Rachel.

This is some sort of ballet hop. Favorite part?...how quickly she makes her way to the other side and waits patiently for the other dancers to join her.

Even though Zoey was so quiet during class, Miss Rachel made a huge impact on her. During the week, Zoey would say so many things that Miss Rachel had taught the girls. She would show Dave and me the moves she learned and sing the little songs she remembered. She is a little sponge. This was such a great reminder for us that Zoey is constantly learning and retaining information, both good and bad. Many of the parents signed up their girls for another 4 weeks of ballet, but I think we'll try something else next time. Maybe soccer!