Summertime!

These are some of farmer Bryans cucumbers! He is proud of them.



The tomatoes are turning pink and the variety of peppers are growing too!





The girls and I are spending most days at the pool enjoying the sun and the friends we have made there.



I will say my tan is impressive , considering it's not even July yet!!



I think I can put a picture of that on here too...................... Yep there it is!

The girls got contacts last week and are doing great with them!

They also got their booster shots for school.....they weren't as excited about that! LOL

I had to get a tetnus shot yesterday, that made the girls happy!

That is about all the news from the Crowder house so far this summer!

The Differences!

One question I am asked time and time again is about the differences of the girls. I can understand that when one who doesn't know them very well looks at them they appear to be pretty much the same, so that is the question I receive. So, lets see................
appearance wise there are a few things; Lyndsay has a fuller face, Lauryn has layered hair, Lauryn is slightly taller at this moment(that could change very quickly), Lauryn is missing her canine tooth on the right side(except in this photo it's Lyndsay missing that tooth!). Now as for differences in their personalities there are so many...........Lyndsay is a clown, Lauryn is a lady, Lyndsay is known to wear the ugliest shoes ever, Lauryn always dresses nicely and matches, Lauryn is more cautious, Lyndsay likes Dr. Pepper, Lauryn likes Cherry Coke, this list could on forever............basically you see they are just like any other siblings, they just happen to share a birthday and look just alike! There are also many things that they are alike in..........they are both beautiful, smart, funny, compassionate,polite,and loved by me!

Busy as a Bee!!

So this week has been busy.......Monday the girls went to the eye doctor and got contacts! That was exciting! Today they had their checkups and received three shots......ouch. They were not real happy about this. It was fun to see how much they weighed and how tall they are.......FYI,they are NOT taller than me YET! We have made some crafts this week , visited the library and went to the pool a few times also. Next week is VBS, which the girls are very excited about! I love summer, but fear it will be over before it starts..........remember when you were little and a week seemed like it took a year to pass, now a month goes by without us even realizing.
Farmer Bryans crops are producing nicely..........if you need cucumbers or tomatoes just let me know...LOL I think we are going to be eating them for every meal by next week.

Time of my life!

Mrs. Lowder and Lyndsay (above)
Mrs. Leslie and Lauryn (below)

Yesterday was the final day of elementary school for the Crowder household. This was exciting, fun and sad all rolled up into one. I am such a proud mom to say that the girls have been on the honor roll every quarter they have been in school. Hope they keep up the good work! This past year we were so lucky to be blessed with such wonderful teachers!
At the conclusion of the ceremony they played the song "Time of Your Life" and I think it was more for the parents than the students, because the whole time I was thinking this really has been the time of my life with my girls. There will be many more years with them, but so many changes happen from that first day of kindergarten until that last day of fifth grade. They learn so many things and socially grow so quickly. I will admit I shed a tear or two as I watched them finish that last day of elementary education. I can't imagine the emotions I will have the day they graduate high school, or the day one of them gets married..........I can't even think about those things.

Great Grandma Hazel is Great!

In thinking about my girls getting so big I must give credit where credit is due. My Grandma Hazel had a lot of influence on my children. She is such an amazing women that I am very grateful helped me with child care when my girls were younger. The girls were around 4 or 5 when she first started watching them for me , oh the things they did together! She would take them to the beauty shop with her and the manicurist would paint their tiny little nails.......when I would come home they would say "Look mommy we had manicutest day!" She taught them how to crack an egg, how to play hide the thimble and to count money. We moved to Arkansas when the girls finished kindergarten and I know how hard that was for her. As much as I needed Grandma Hazel to care for my kids, she enjoyed it and loved them with everything she had. Sixteen months later we moved back and she once again got to keep my girls a few hours a week, and once again they learned so much from her. When I think back of them growing up it is never without seeing Grandma Hazel there teaching,loving and caring for them. Grandma Hazel was very supportive when we moved to North Carolina a few years ago and still is, even though I know deep down it broke her heart to see Lyndsay and Lauryn move that far from her. I owe so much to her and will always know that my girls are who they are because of her. Thanks Grandma Hazel ! We all love you!

Farmer Bryan

This is the first time in many years that we have planted things, having rented for the last several years while moving so much. With buying our house came painting, landscaping and of course planting many things! Farmer Bryan is extremely proud of his tomato plants!! The funny thing about them is that I don't eat ripe tomatoes, but will eat fried green ones! I think our neighbors will be getting lots of red tomatoes in a few weeks. Our cucumber plant has also taken off like wild fire!! I hope everyone likes cucumbers too.......as for the pepper plants we will have to wait just a little longer, but I am seeing several buds, so I think we will have those as well.

Moving On Up!

My daughters are graduating from elementary school in a few days and I'm sad in some ways and happy in others. It was not that long that we were sitting in that pew at preschool watching them walk down the aisle in their blue caps and gowns. I feel like yesterday Bryan and I were taking them to kindergarten in Springfield,MO that first day and Bryan cried and had to stay home a few hours. In first grade they had to get on a bus and go to Girls Inc. all by themselves after school in Fort Smith,Arkansas and I was so worried. We moved them again in second grade, back to Missouri. Then half way through third grade we came to North Carolina, and through all of this they have both always remained honor roll students and adapted very well. The next thing we know they will be graduating from high school and heading off to college.
I am so very proud of my girls, and want them to know how much I love them both!
Congratulations Lyndsay and Lauryn!!

The final countdown!

Only 8 more days of school!! Yipppeeeee!! Take note.......I'm excited about the kids being out of school; no more getting up early, no homework, we can all stay up later...........BUT, in a few more weeks I will be singing the blues and wishing they were back in school so I can have a day by myself! Funny how that works isn't it?

The pool opened this weekend which only makes this last week and a half of school that much more difficult........we'd much rather be swimming!

So the countdown begins..........8 more days of school, 8 more days of elementary school, 8 more days until the girls are officially middle schoolers, 8 more days .......well ,you get the point.