A Few More

Cameron enjoying a shoulder ride from Daddy. Brian is hopping Cameron will grow up to be about that tall.

Cameron was mesmerized by the possum that came and visited our courtyard the other day

I just really love this one

This is what his hair looked like after a sweaty nap while he was sick last weekend

Hurray For Pictures!

Just some fun photos from the past month

crazy curls at bath time

I don't know if this blanket is big enough to keep me away from the grass

I REALLY don't like grass at all

Well, maybe if there is a soccer ball I will sit in it.

This is what happens when Mommy lets Daddy get me dressed

New Computer

If you haven't noticed, I have updated a lot of the posts with pictures. We got a new computer to replace our VERY old one and I am in love with how fast it is & how I can upload my photos finally. Cameron like that I can update the photos too. He couldn't stop smiling at all the pictures of him earlier when the screensaver was up. Every time I went to leave the room he would protest; it made me laugh. Brian is looking forward to the week being over. He has had a long hard week and going in tomorrow (Friday) will all be overtime, he still has to work at least 7 hours. I appreciate all the hard work he does for our family. He goes to work, a job he is not to fond of, and works hard so that we want for nothing. Do I have a great guy or what?!?

President Hinckley's Funeral Services

SALT LAKE CITY 28 January 2008 Funeral services for President Gordon B. Hinckley, leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who died Sunday evening, will be held this Saturday, February 2, in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City.
The proceedings will be broadcast via satellite in 69 languages to over 6,000 Church buildings globally. Brigham Young University’s BYU Television will also broadcast the funeral internationally.
Those who attend the funeral services at the Conference Center will need to be in their seats no later than 10:30 a.m. for an 11:00 a.m. start. Seating will be restricted to the 21,000 capacity of the Conference Center. Overflow seating with large screen viewing of proceedings will be offered in the adjacent Tabernacle, Assembly Hall and Conference Center Theater.
Between the funeral and graveside services, a program profiling the life and ministry of President Hinckley titled In His Own Words will also be televised.
President Hinckley was the 15th president in the 177-year history of the Church and had served as its president since March 12 1995.
There will be a public viewing Thursday and Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. in the Conference Center, 60 W. North Temple, Salt Lake City.
President Hinckley, who led The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through twelve years of global expansion, died at the age of 97. The Church president passed away at his apartment in downtown Salt Lake City at 7:00 p.m. Sunday night from causes incident to age. Members of his family were at his bedside.
Expressions of sympathy can be emailed to condolences@ldschurch.org or mailed to Church headquarters at 47 East South Temple St., Salt Lake City, UT 84150.
President Hinckley’s family members have suggested that in lieu of flowers those who wish to send a memorial gift could donate to the Church’s Perpetual Education, Humanitarian or Missionary funds, or the Gordon B. Hinckley Chair of British Studies at the University of Utah.

Praise to the Man

I just found out about the passing of our dear prophet Gordon B. Hinckley. He passed away tonight around 7 pm in his home surounded by family. http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/

I just want to take a moment to bare testimony of him as a Prophet of the Lord. President HInckley has done so much for my testimony of so many things. His teachings have helped me be a better person & have been the answers to many of my prayers. I know that He was called of God. I know that He spoke the Lord's words and told of the Lord's will for us. I am so grateful to Him and what he has done for our church. When President Hinckley spoke you could feel the love that He had for you, even though you were hundreds or thousands of miles away, & you could feel the love that the Lord has for you. I will miss President Hinckley tremendously. I am sure that his wife is glad to be with him again & that He is glad to at last be back with her & I am also sure that the Heavens were filled with people ready to thank him for the part he played in their salvation. I also know that whoever shall be called to be the next Prophet of the church will all be called of God and will also speak the will of the Lord for his children on earth. I am grateful for the organization of the church and the knowledge that all that is done is done through the power of the Lord. I know the Lord has power to and does still reveal His words to us. He does this because he loves us and will not leave us to be led astray by the teachings of men and of the world. President Hinckley I love you and will miss you dearly.

Gardening

So, I know this is the third post of the day, but I am making up for not posting in a few days. I have discovered that I like gardening. It is so relaxing and cathartic at the same time. We went to Home Depot yesterday and got some essentials for taking care of our well landscaped yard (The First owner of the home was a landscaper by profession). I got out and was pruning roses and weeding and the like and I was surprised at how pleasant it was. I guess it is nice to see the difference it makes in how beautiful a plant looks by what you do to help it out. You take away all of the dead and dieing to allow the new growth to flourish. I guess it is a good metaphor for life. We will see if I like planting new things as much as pruning and keeping up what is already there. Brian and I are planning to grow a vegetable garden this spring.

Fever

Cameron, my usually ravenous little boy had not been eating much Thursday and Friday, except for nursing. I was slighty worried, but not much as I figured it was just a continuation of his picky eater phase he went through a few weeks ago. Well, Friday night he went to bed after the party and woke up an hour later wit a temp of 101.2 F, then I was worried. We alternated tylenol & motrin and it basically just kept the temp from getting higher but his temp stayed in the 100's until his first nap the next day. After he woke up from his nap it was as if he hadn't been sick at all, except for the lack of appetite for solid foods. So, we ran some errands and had a good day then come evening Cameron started getting warm again. He took a nap and woke up feeling normal again so we got dressed & went to a Quinceneira (sorry if it is spelled wrong). It was the worst Quince I have ever been to. The Presentation (usually just a dance with the Men of her family and her escorts) took over two hours of dances and present opening and more dances and a video presentation, and, and, and... We ended up leaving before we even got to do any dancing, which was the whole reason we went (We didn't know the girl, but had been invited by Nelson & Susannah since Nelson was a Padrino). Cameron had fallen asleep, despite his usual alertness whenever people are around & despite the loud music and stomping and by the time we got home his temp was up to 101.5 F. I know we probably shouldn't have gone, but Brian & I haven't been dancing in a long time. Anyway, lesson learned. After two very long nights of a feverish Cameron, I stayed home with him from church today. Cameron's fever has hovered just above or just below 100 and he has been basically attached to mama since Friday evening. Hopefully, his fever will go away and everyone can get some sleep tonight.

Surprise!

Brian threw me a surprise party on Friday night; it was a lot of fun. We had plans to go to a Brasilian restaurant ( Emporio Brasilian Cafe - very good) with Susannah & Nelson & come back and play games. Well we went out and traffic was terrible & Brian was a little more bothered by it than usual, I figured it was because we were meeting Nelson at the restaurant and he didn't want him waiting there for a long time. The other slightly weird thing was that when we left home Brian realized he had left his cell at home & was so worried about it that we almost turned around to go get. If Brian had turned around it would have been a huge tip off because usually Brian is glad to not have his phone with him. Anyway, we had a good dinner & when we got home I walked in the door and saw a diaper bag that wasn't mine and then out jumped everyone. We apparently were there about 45 minutes late and everyone had been waiting around, but oh well. I had lots of fun & blew out all 23 candles on my better than almost anything cake (the censored name) with one big puff. People started leaving around 30-45 minutes later because of children's bed-times. Brian's best friend, Jared, and his wife, Caitlin (pronounced cot-lin), helped Brian pull the whole thing off and they stayed for a while afterward & got caught up in a conversation with my in-laws. It was a really great night & I have a really great husband.

LOOOOOONNNNNNGGGGG Day

Today was such a long long Day! Cameron and I left the house at noon & I wasn't back until nearly nine & Brian and Cameron weren't back until nearly ten. Cameron made the long day worth by being so smily and happy to see me. He even gave me Cameron kisses (open mouth, stick tongue out and lean forward) and loves (read- head butt). I love how even at the end of a long, hard, exhausting day Cameron's smile can make everything better. Kids are great!

22 + 1

Today was my 23rd Birthday, Yay! I called my Mom this morning to wish her a Happy Birthday too; it is usually a race between the two of us to see who will call the other first. Cameron gave me the gift of being especially happy, cuddly & giggly, along with being even cuter than usual (really quite hard to do seeing how cute he is already) and I would say he gift was pretty hard to top. Brian did well though. He came home early and made me a dinner of fettuccine alfredo with grilled chicken & we had cranberry juice (my favorite). He let take a nice LONG shower while he took care of Cameron & we topped off the evening with some ice cream & the movie "The Game Plan" (good movie incase you are wondering). My Dad sent me a bouquet of astromeria - the same flowers Brian brought to me after Cameron was born. I received many birthday wishes through out the day & all in all had a great birthday. Hooray for being born!

On Sunday, we invited Mom, Dad, and Amy over for dinner. We enjoyed their company and the lasagna that went along with it. Cameron has finally decided to stop screaming in fright every time that he sees Grandpa. He must have decided that maybe the old guy isn't so bad after all, and yes Dad I said old. Anyways, we invited them out to join us as we dedicated our home. We were glad that they were able to join us and share in the Spirit that we felt as we did so. We are glad that we dedicatd our home because we've already been able to tell the difference. Life goes on, as another Monday rolls around and we return to the busy hustle and bustle of work and so forth. Cameron is quite the handful as he crawls and cruises all over the place. I'm glad that Sophia is able to stay home with him each day and take such great care of him. Tomorrow is Sophia's birthday and we are excited to celebrate her turning a quarter of a century minus two, although Sophia prefers to say 22 + 1 (I guess it doesn't sound as old). Oof, if I have broken ribs later in the week, you'll know it's from her pointy elbows as I write this. Not really, but I better be careful, so I don't get into trouble and sign off.

Brian

The temple

The Houston Temple

Brian, Cameron & I headed up to the temple today. It was such an amazing trip. I am so grateful to a loving Heavenly Father who has given us a place to go and commune with Him and learn of His will for us. I went through my first full session since having Cameron and it was so nice to feel the Spirit. Brian and I both left feeling spiritually rejuvinated & have decided that we really need to make it to the Temple more often (it is only 35-40 minutes away). We went with prayers in our hearts and we both left with the answers we needed. We had a truly blessed day.

We Have a Park & other discoveries

So, we went to a Neighborhood Property Owners meeting and discovered that we have a community park and pool, Yay! I also discovered, much to my relief, that Cameron's refusal to go to sleep and nap last week were short lived. He went back to his normal lay down and nurse quietly and contentedly to sleep habits. He spent last week doing everything imaginable to stay awake even when he was exhausted. He would crawl all over me while try to nurse at the same time and would usually end up either sprawled across me and finally nursing to sleep or with me picking him up after 30-45 minutes of struggling with him to get him to sleep and dancing with him while humming "If You Could Hie to Kolob" (the only song that worked) until he fell asleep. Anyway, as you can tell I am very happy that Cameron is back to his old self.

Drooly McGooly & Meeting the Neighbors

That is a nickname we gave Cameron the first time he started teething & he sure is earning the re-use of it. He perpetually has a spit goatee and most of the time it is hanging past his chin. I really wish our computer wasn't being so old and stubbord so I could upload a photo, but alas, that is not the case. We had a crazy day at church & I felt like I didn't get much from it because I was so busy with calling stuff and Cameron. I vented a little and then had aproductive conversation with Brian & came up with some ideas for me to suggest at my next Presidency meeting that will hopefully help everyone enjoy their Sabbath a bit more. I love Brian he helps me focus and get things done. We spent the rest of our Sabbath making cookies and delivering them to our new neighbors & getting to know them a little.

Hungry, Hungry Cameron

Tonight we went out on a date & Cameron came along. We went to Applebee's and I am pretty sure that Cameron ate as much as I did while we were there. Cameron spent the rest of the day being a picky eater and only eating half or less of what we gave him, but he really seemed to like the mashed potatoes and broccoli as well as the cheese from inside the mozzarella stick the chicken inside the chicken strips, the done parts of my steak & basically anything he could get into his mouth. Brian & I both ended up bringing half of our meals home, but I am pretty sure that if we kept giving him food, he would have kept eating. Now, I don't know if this was because Applebee's make better food then I do or if it was because he hadn't hardly eaten all day, but it was kind of funny how ravenous he all of a sudden became.

People Person

I hosted this week's Relief Society Presidency meeting today. The other three sisters came with their children & it was so fun to watch Cameron. He LOVES people, especially kids. There was one point where he was sitting in the middle of the livingroom with the other kids running around him in circles and he was just smiling big as day, clapping & laughing. It was so cute I had a hard time paying attention. Toward the end of the meeting he was getting tired and hungry and frustrated that everyone was playing with his toys except him, but for the first hour and a half he was in heaven with all of the chaos.

A much appreciated break

Tonight I found out at 7:05 that we had enrichment at 7. Now, you would think that being the RS Sectretary that I would have known that but, I guess my mind has just been on other things lately. My wonderful husband offered to watch Cameron while I went and enjoyed myself. It was so nice to get a break and be able to talk to other adults (females even). I got to talk to some people I don't know as well and get to know them better. We had a recipe swap and enjoyed lot of good food. I got to go paruse a bookstore, my favorite kind of store to paruse, afterward with Susannah & we had a really good chat. I think it is funny that I became friends with Susannah, because she is the only red head in the ward. That is funny because since high school all of my closest friendships that have developed have been with red heads & I always had a red headed roommate until I married Brian. I guess there is just something about red heads. On another note, Cameron stood by himself unsupported 4 times today. They weren't for hugely long periods of time or anything, but still, it was exciting none the less. We also received a package my Brother & Sister-in-law, Dax & Kim, that had some really fun toys that Cameron loves. They sent some cars and a bus, which was perfect. Cameron's new found love of all things that move has been wonderfully perpetuated & he really loves the gift.

Dishwasher Dilema

So, when we moved into our new we were very excited about our snazzy new dishwasher. We loaded it up and when we went to start it noticed that the keys locked button was flashing red. We pulled out the owners manual and did what it said to do and nothing worked. I called the next day to see what I could do, they had me do all sorts of things and when they didn't work announced that they would have to schedule soemone to come and look at it & that the earliest appointment was Jan. 7. Well when they didn't show up today I called to find out why. The person never scheduled the appointment and now I have to wait an entire 8 days before the next appointment. Needless to say, I am frustrated. It is not even the having to hand wash the dishes that bothers me, I just can't stand it when people don't do their job right at my expense.

Ladies Man

We had a really good first week of the year. We have done a lot of unpacking which means boxes are starting to disappear, much to my delight & Cameron's dismay. We had Susannah & Rebekah come and visit us Thursday & they came back with Nelson today. It has been so nice to get to know them better. We have finally found another couple where we get along with eachother (Brian & Nelson click and Susanah & I do, plus we can all talk to eachother too) & not just I like the wife or Brian like the husband. We have slowly been finding couples inthe ward to befriend & we are glad that Susanah & Nelson are one of them. Cameron also likes having Rebekah come over he enjoys having another small person around, even if she does push him away whenever he gets too close (the only girl that has ever done that to him, the older girls just can't resist his big brown eyes and long curly lashes) . Cameron is quite the flirt he spent a large pasrt of sacrament meeting smiling & making eyes at the 3 girls behind us. Cameron also took a book break at the library the other day to flirt with the young librarian who was putting away books. He is such a cutie now, I am afraid that I am going to have to lock him up until his mission to keep the girls away. Cameron gets more and more vocal everyday. He has started babbling "Mamamamama" which makes me happy. For about a month, all I ever heard was "Dadadadadada". The good thing was whenever I wanted Brian to change a diaper Cameron always agreed with me.

Crane's 2007 - The Reader's Digest Version

We had quite the year; for those of you that we didn't get much chance to talk to, here are the highlights of our year.
January- Sophia turned 22 (her favorite number), Brian started his killer semester of 21.5 credits (it was his best semester grade wise in College by-the-way), Cameron- was still cozy inside mommy practicing his soccer skills by bruising mommy's ribs
February- We celebrated our first Valentines day married by taking a baby-moon trip to Bear Lake, Cameron was getting cramped and ready to get out and explore his world. Sophia's Aunt Maureen threw her a baby shower at the begining of the month for family & her friend Becca threw her one at the end of the month for friends
March- Brian & Sophia became first time parents March 2nd (Cameron was due the 17th), 8:44 am after Sophia labored 8.5 hours and pushed for 1 hour . We really enjoyed the experience of having an unmedicated, home, husband coached water birth. The experience was one of bonding, love, joy & hardwork. Cameron was born at 7 lbs. 2 oz & 20.5 inches. He didn't stay that way long at his 2 week appointment he had already gained 2 pounds and 1.5 inches. He was a Mama's Boy from day one. Sophia missed the opportunity to speak at her niece's (Bailey) baptism on the 3rd.
April- Brian's Grandpa Trimble passed away on Cameron's 1 month after fighting an infection for awhile. He was buried the Saturday before Easter and the services were full of hope and happiness, as well as mourning for his passing. Brian ended the month on a happy note and graduated from BYU with a Bachelor in Science degree in Excersize Science on April 25 & 26. We packed the next day & left the 30th. Cameron was blessed the 20th we were blessed to have a lot of family be able to come to it. Cameron was 2 oz shy of 13 lbs at his 6 week check up, we couldn't button the top button or the wrists of his 2-3 mon blessing suit. Cameron's cousin Adria was born Aril 27, 8 weeks exactly after he was.
May- We moved to Texas (stayed with Brian's parent's 'til we found a place) & Celebrated our 1 year anniversary 2 days later. Sophia celebrated her very first Mother's Day. Cameron weighed over 16 lbs by the time we had a doctor for him 3 weeks after we arrived.
June- Brian turned a quarter of a century (25 for those who don't want to figure it out) & celebrated his first Father's Day. Cameron became ticklish and started laughing. Cameron's cousin Brad was born on the 11th (I think).
July- Sophia had a galbladder attack that landed her in the ER on the 4th of July. It was not the first one she has ever had, luckily it was the last she will ever have.
August- We moved into our new apartment. Sophia had her galbladder removed 3 days later. She & Cameron flew to Illinois one week later where she was the Matron of Honor at her best friend's (Bobbi) wedding. She stayed with the Pitman's and enjoyed her week long visit. Tiffany Clarke took amazing almost 6 month photos of Cameron. Cameron broke 20 lbs. & could sit without help.We finally found out that Cameron's crazy bad reflux was actually GER and Cameron started taking medicine and was happier than he had been in a long time.
September- Cameron was introduced to solids. He was trilled as he had been trying to grab our plates for the past 2 months and cried whenever we ate. Cameron out grew his infant car seat and graduated to a convertible car seat.
October- We took a trip to Utah for a Bookwise Convention. Cameron met Sophia's Mom for the first time. We got to visit a lot of family and friends. Cameron started crawling on Halloween. Our apartment got major water damage and we discovered there had been previous damage ( there was mold and mildew). While we weren't happy about it did explain Cameron's terrible allergies & congestion.
November- Sophia got started the training and went to a seminar in Dallas to teach the Bradley Method of natural husband-coached childbirth. We were back in Dallas the next week for Thanksgiving at Shawnie & Kyle's. Cameron enjoyed playing with his cousins
December- Brian got accepted to his #1 choice TWU for there PHD in Physical therapy program. We bought a house and moved in the Saturday before Christmas (I don't reccomend moving right before Christmas by-the-way). We spent Cameron's first Christmas in our new house in the morning and at Brian's parents the rest of the day. Cameron liked his new toy cars the best. We spent New Years with Brian's Dad watching movies at our house. Cameron's cousin Erica was born on the 27th.

I hope that this next year will be as happy, but hopefully not quite as eventful, we need a break.

Happy New Year!

Well, I figured it would be inappropriate for this, the first blog, of the year not to wish you (whomever actually reads this) a Happy New Year. We celebrated, in the tradition of Brian's family, by watching movies and eating snacks. Brian's Dad joined us (we didn't want him to spend it alone, since Mom & Amy are up in Dallas helping Shawnie with the new baby) and we had a lot of fun. We decided we would wave our no TV 'til 2 rule for Cameron for the night, but he is so used to not be allowed he didn't do more than glance at the screen a few times before he fell asleep halfway through the first movie. We watched Neverwas -interesting & well done, but kind of serious/thematic, & Christmas with the Kranks was watched next to lighten the mood.
I discovered that Cameron is cutting 4 teeth ( 2 on top, 2 on bottom) to add to the 4 he already has.One of the top teeth and one of the bottom teeth had already started through the gums, the other two teeth are still working on it. This discovery explains a lot about the last few weeks and Cameron's extreme moodiness. We made a lot of progress with unpacking today & Brian worked on getting the house baby safe. I am looking forward to soon not spending my whole day saying "No Cameron, you can't eat that" or "No Cameron, don't put your finger in there" or "No Cameron, don't play with that box" ; instead it will only be a quarter of the day.
We hope everyone had a great 2007 and that your 2008 will be even better!