Merry Christmas!

  As this year comes to a close we are so grateful for all of the many blessings that have occurred this year. We have all had lots of fun things happen and this year we have decided to give you a glimpse of the year for each member of our family.

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Brian-  This has been a super exciting year for Brian. After 3 years of hard work, Brian graduated with his DPT-Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Texas Women’s University (TWU) in May. He quickly passed his licencing exam & started work right away. Brian started work in June for Concentra. He really enjoys his job, though he wishes there was less paperwork.
  One week later he helped Sophia bring his third child, Gideon Eduardo, into the world by catching him & cutting the cord. Brian loves all of his children so much, and he really enjoys playing with all of them. It has been fun for him to be able to interact with Cameron & Lilliana in more engaging ways as they have grown.
  Brian also loves his calling. He has been working with the Young Men in our ward through the Scouting program since we moved into the ward in August of 2007. He really loves the Young Men

  

Sophia-  Has been keeping very busy being a Mommy. The highlight of her year was bringing Gideon Eduardo Crane, her third child, into the world. This was her third successful home birth and she feels so blessed to have had Brian with her as her champion in it. Gideon has been a true blessing with his smiling face.

  She has since been busy trying to figure out the balancing act of being a Mommy to three little ones. She keeps busy with playgroups & going to the park. She has also been hosting an art day with a neighborhood home-school group. This has been really fun for her. She has been able to find a fun way to incorporate her love of art with her love of teaching children. She also has a pre-school co-op that she & Cameron participate in. 

    

Cameron- This year Cameron turned four. He started Primary as a Sunbeam & really loves it. He has given two talks and led the Article of Faith in Primary opening exercises. Cameron really likes his friends from Sunbeams & was sad when almost half of the Sunbeams moved out over the Summer.
  Cameron has been making more friends through the pre-school co-op & home-school group we attend. He does pre-school with some friends from church & our home-school/art group with friends from the neighborhood. Cameron really loves art, especially collage & sculpting with clay.
  Cameron has always loved books & this year he excitedly started reading them on his own. His new skill has been put to good use as he reads to his brother & sister. Also, when he wakes up before everyone else, rather than waking people up, he usually pulls out some books- his mother and father greatly appreciate his consideration.  
  Cameron also loved all the time that he has been able to spend with cousins this year. He loved spending a whole week with all of his Crane cousins this Summer during our Crane Family Reunion. He also really enjoyed seeing all but three of his Crane cousins at Thanksgiving and just wishes that he could have seen cousins from both sides this year.
  We asked what his favorite part of this year, Cameron said getting a baby brother. Cameron REALLY loves Gideon. He loves being a good helper & making Gideon laugh.

Lilliana-  Our little monkey turned two this year. Lately, Lilliana’s motto has been “monkey see, monkey do.” It has been so fun watching Lilliana’s personality emerge as her language skills have exploded this year. Some of my favorite quotes of the year are: “I not princess; I monkey!”; similarly after I called her gorgeous, “I not go-juss; I monkey!” Lilliana is definitely the feisty one in the family. She loves singing & dancing. She can often be found walking around la, la, la-ing her own little ditty. Lilliana has also followed in the footsteps of her Mother & Vovó, she loves shoes. Sophia’s high-heels are often strewn about the house because Lilliana has pulled them out to try on.
  Speaking of trying things on, Lilliana loves playing dress-up; Her favorite thing to dress-up as is Super “Groger” (Lilliana’s way of saying Grover). Having a new baby brother has added a new sense of Mommy-ness to Lilliana. Lilliana, loves being a mommy to her plethora of baby dolls & stuffed animals. She can regularly be found making massive piles of blankets so that all of her babies can sleep close to each other.
  Lilliana is a very considerate little girl & loves her friends and family very much. Her prayers are often the longest of any of the rest of her family because she has to pray for all of her friends & family by name, multiple times per prayer. She really loves nursery & all of her friends in it.

    

Gideon-  Our newest edition is one happy baby. From the day that he was born he has had a smile on his face. His bright countenance has made the transition to three so much easier. He is dearly loved by his family.
  We had a scare early on with the doctors thinking that he had a heart problem, but thankfully (I am sure in large part to all the prayers imparted in his behalf by our friends & family), it was nothing serious. He has a stenosis of the veins that go to his skin in his arms and legs (I forget the whole medical term) making them appear purple if he is cold or if there is pressure applied to the joints. We were told that he would mostly grow out of it & that it is not serious. He will also likely end up with asthma if current signs mean anything, but asthma we have dealt with with. So, all things considering he is great.
  My chubby little guy is a light weight. At only 18.5 lbs at 5 months, he is the smallest thus far of all of my babies. He is currently sitting up for 30-60 seconds, depending on how quickly he is distracted. He has also started rolling around & scooting himself backwards. It will only be a short while before he is crawling around and getting into everything.

    

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  We have been truly blessed this year by the love and support of all of our friends and family. From meals & babysitting to prayers & well wishes, we have really appreciated & been touched by the outpouring of love. We have also been blessed by a kind and loving Heavenly Father and His Son, who, when we thought we couldn’t make it, was always there for us. We have felt our Savior’s love for us time and again.
  We pray that you too have felt His love. And, as we take the time to celebrate His birth this Christmas season, that we might all take the time express our love and gratitude to Him, who gave us the greatest gift all all- His life.

May His light & love be with you now & always,

Brian, Sophia, Cameron, Lilliana & Gideon Crane

Cameron's First Talk

   I cannot believe that my little boy is big enough to be giving talks in Primary. But sure enough, the day came & he did so well.

His topic was on "How I can know the scriptures are true." We spoke to him about it and He dictated the talk. He spoke about some of his favorite scripture stories: Nephi building a boat; Helaman & the stripling warriors; Samuel the Lamanite preaching on the wall; Captain Moroni; Shadrach, Meshach & Abed-nego in the fiery furnace. He followed by talking about how good he feels when he hears the scriptures read to him & how that feeling is the Spirit. He concluded with telling the Primary that when you read & pray about the scriptures the Spirit will tell you that they are true. 

   Let me tell you, Cameron loves the scriptures. He will not let us forget or skip the scriptures before we go to bed. He loves to pretend that he is his favorite scripture heroes & even gets his imaginary friends (Abbot the Rabbit, Clat & Nat) in on the fun. It touches my heart to hear him enthusiastically tell you about his favorite stories & what he learns from them. I feel privileged when I hear him speak of Christ and His love for us. Cameron is such a blessing to have in my life. I am constantly amazed by the power of the large spirit in his little body. 

   I was so proud of him today giving his first talk. I couldn't ask for a cuter Sunbeam to have in my life right now. Congratulations Cameron, your first talk and you are already a better pro then Mommy.