She Turned Me Into A Newt!

Well, if you did happen to be turned into a newt this would be the place you'd want to live (at least, until you got better). We are following the lead of our friends and calling this place the "Newt Pond" because it's chock full of 'em this time of year. Specifically we're talking about the rough-skinned newt characterized by bumpy skin and an orange belly. Another characteristic of the skin is the high level of tetrodotoxin. So it's okay to touch (we hope), just don't eat (unless you're a garter snake). They are mostly terrestrial but they head back to the water for the spring mating season. And like we say in the northwest, "If the pond is a rocking, it's time for some newting." (Okay, I've never actually heard anyone say that and I'm not even sure that "newting" is a real verb but you get the idea.) Our tally this day, with the aid of our fearless newt hunting friends, was 17 newtish amphibians, 0 witches, and only one fearless newt hunter "accidentally" falling in. Easy as falling off a log, indeed.

Pedal Pushers

After months of Fred Flintstonesque bike riding, the boys have been working hard to master the pedals. If you thought their car driving was crazy, just wait until they zip past you on their new Thomas the Tank Engine bike. At least they steer pretty well... ...sometimes.

Life Guard on Duty

Haven't you always wanted your own piece of paradise? The woods surrounding all kinds of water features, little frogs, big koi - this place is a little boys' dream come true......
until that little boy (namely Cole) slips into a surprisingly deep (4 ft) pond. We three moms, talking just a little ways off, heard "Cole fell in! Cole fell in!" and before I could even get my arthritic knees + baby in arms off the blanket we were sitting on, our hero mom (Jessica - who lives here) was all the way in the water, fishing the poor boy out. I got there just before she grabbed him - in time to see his terrified little face poking out of the water. Thanks, Jess!!! Did I mention her twin girls turn ONE next week? (Plus she has a two yr old boy - I guess she's used to operating at top speeds.)
While 70° is a real nice day, it's hardly swimming temps, and I guess only Cole and his life guard know just how invigorating a quick dip can be (even Jess was up to her shoulders, as you can see.)

And all the way home, Cole just kept saying, "but, Mom, it was really scary...I was really scared..." So much emotion, such limited vocabulary to describe it. I know how you feel, buddy. You did great!!! (And you look great in Brynie's diapers!)

Now, for those swimming lessons....

Babe Magnet

Maybe it's lacking in the leg room department... ...but as long as the girls don't care, you shouldn't either.

Our Sweet New Ride

It's official: the Crunchers are going green. Check out our new all-electric Hummer H2 SUV. This is the toy I dreamed of having when I was a child. The closest I got was the Autopia at Disneyland and that was mostly just disappointing. And to think, we found it on the cheap during a spontaneous visit to a yard sale. After fixing a minor steering issue, we're cruising the neighborhood and even off-roading around the yard. With a top speed of about 5 mph, you'll have to walk fast to keep up. Just don't get in the way because we're not so good at swerving or slamming on the brakes... Watch out!!

Dozer Day

On the way to Dozer Day the boys model their new booster seats. Bryn demonstrates her talent of chewing on anything she can get her hands on.
The boys tire of waiting in line and start picking up rocks.
At last we load into a dump truck for a ride through the quarry.
I need some big cement pipes for the boys to play in.
Heeeeere's Cole!
Wait, a sandbox? Couldn't we have just stayed home and avoided the crowds?
Oh yeah, we don't have dump truck rides or bulldozers to play on at home.
Ride the wave!
More pipes and tubes to navigate. 
Here's the solution to childhood obesity: hamster wheels.
How do you know when it's time to go home?  Usually, it's pretty obvious.

Yoga Baby

Okay, everyone join in. Start off easy with bent knees in the "upside down turtle" position. Apparently some people call that the "happy baby" position, but Bryn is happy in any position. Now straighten that right leg and hold. Finally, twist across with the left leg. I think this position is called "twisting turtle monkey". There, now don't you feel better?

Dad vs Power Tool

Since we try to keep things family friendly here at Crumb Crunchers, and gruesome image free, let me just show you this glove....
which gave of itself to protect this bone. (Note the undefined area around the tip of the smaller index finger, which Evan referred to as "hamburger." I never have cared for hamburger, and this didn't help.)
So the padding around the bone didn't fare so well in the fight with the router. In fact, the router didn't have a scratch, so I'd say Router - 1, Dad - 0. (No rematches, please.) Happy boys when the train table is done - 2.
Oh, what a dad won't give to make the best train table in the world for his boys!

Labors and Fruits

The Crunchers finally got their act together and got their seeds planted. We did the math on our water bill/expenses involved with our garden last year, and I'm pretty sure we could have saved money by just buying produce at Costco. So why do it? Because I LOVE IT! Also, our Stake Pres. challenged everyone to do a garden of SOME kind this year AS A FAMILY. I love it when they give a challenge you're already doing!! I mean, call me unmotivated, but I was just grateful there was at least one thing mentioned during Stake Conference yesterday that I could just sit back and say, "okay - we are so righteous!" And you know why he made the challenge, right? Give the video games a rest, put the cell phones down, help prevent carpel texting tunnel in teens, and teach kids what "fruits of your labors" refers to. Of course, it's always good to learn a few skills that might save your life, someday.


So here's a Cruncher tutorial on gardening:
1. Choose seeds
2. Label cups full of dirt, with drain whole in the bottom. (I like to say "dirt" because it enrages fussy pants horticulturists, who call it "soil." I did, after all, work in the business my entire employed life.)
3. Add seeds. (Hopefully not a whole pack of carrots between two cups. I also can't wait to see the new garden that will be sprouting under our deck, soon, in the lawn.)
4. Pour dirt on top, and pat down lightly. (TIP: Costco grape containers make great greenhouses.)
5. Check with supervisor to make sure everything was done properly. She approved.

No Accounting for Taste

I don't remember what we were eating and I guess it doesn't really matter. Grant wasn't thrilled with it but he found a novel way to eat it. I suppose it's less offensive (but also less effective) than holding his nose. Note in this next picture that he's stirring his chocolate milk to wash it all down with. Now there's a strategy I can identify with.

Roto-Ruster

It's springtime in the northwest and that means time for gardening. Last week I tried to wheel our rototiller out of the shed. It was in neutral but the wheels wouldn't budge. I started the engine and tried to put it in gear but the gear shifter wouldn't budge either. Finally, I dragged it into the garage and took it apart. I knew it was a bad sign when, as soon as I broke the seal on the gear box, reddish brown water dribbled out onto the floor. It's not quite as bad as it looks. After I started wiping the rusty residue away from the various gears I found that most of them were in good shape. The sliding gear that actually transfers power was the worst. I scraped and filed and sanded and chiseled at it until the outer gear would slide freely. Then I cleaned out the old grease and packed all of the gears back in with new grease. It was then that I wished that I had been a little more methodical about organizing the various nuts, bolts and pieces when I was disassembling it. In spite of it all, I got it back together without serious mishap and, more importantly, without any leftover mystery parts. And amazingly enough, it actually works! I got the garden tilled and we'll be planting in no time. Anybody want some zucchini?

Mmmm, Gruel...

Baby's first bite. And the verdict is...
...about the same as the boys' first time. Hmmm, we still see those faces some days at mealtime.

Crabby Days are Here Again!

Last weekend we traveled up to my sister's home. All three of my sisters, five nieces and my mom were in town doing the Twilight vampire tour. We arrived, regrettably (not), too late to make it out to Forks with them, but we did make it down to the water to look for crabs. All of the crabs we saw were small, especially these hermit crabs. The boys seemed to enjoy the hunt, even though crabs really weren't hard to find. Naturally, we posed for the obligatory group shot.