Dallas, Austin, and a Photo Shoot

we have family in dallas and austin...6 hours away, but better than nothing! we took a quick trip to see my tio, tia, and primos who i haven't seen in over 10 years. then headed over to austin to see jeff's oldest sis and her fam bam.

in dallas we spent most of the time in downtown where my cousin, andres and his new wifey, live. it was a dream...eating from food trucks, going to trendy parks, eating churros with cajeta (mexican thick caramel type thingy), and ate at the best pizza place ever in the chic bishop's district where my cousin, joshua and his new wife, live. my dad's sister, tia chela, hasn't aged in 10 years and when i heard my tio eddie's classic voice, it was like i was 12 years old all over again. 

introducing my new girl cousins who joined our family this past year...

angelee...

and yesi...

i quickly fell in love with these beautiful girls, as did my kids.

thank you family for an amazing time, can't wait to go again.

on to austin...

the wrights are some of the best people in this world. seriously. we are so so so happy that they live in texas. no one treats my kids with the love and care that my sweet nephew, kaleb, treats them.  again, we hung out, went to the movies (which jeff and i NEVER do), and ate at amazing places (arguably the best burger place i've ever been to). i wish i could go up once a month to get the treatment i get there...candy on our pillows and home cooked meals. spoiled.

tio rhino is the biggest BYU fan, and i remember him wearing this wig on game days. so of course we had to get out kids in it too...

don't mind the big pregnant woman stuffing her face in the back...

logan was 11 when i met him. today is his birthday and he is now 16. SIXTEEN? what the what. these teens are so good looking.

who doesn't love tia kelli?

hope you guys stay in austin for at least 3 years. please, please, please.

yesterday sofia wanted to do a photo shoot. weird, huh? but she was so funny, and posed, and looked so old to me that i just had to post them. we by no means, have a nice camera, so i'm sorry for the poor quality shots. but her smile is priceless.

ok, first off, she only wears dresses right now. and when she finds my fedora, there's no taking it away from her. also, she's only 2, even though here she looks 5. she is so so tall.

love this girl. most days. she is so quirky and i feel like i turn around and she's 5 inches taller. i love how tall she is. at this rate, she'll reach my height by 1st grade.

Yep, We Live in Lubbock, TX

i was one month away of living in utah for 11 years.  11! we made the jump to texas for jeffrey to further his education at texas tech. so many changes are happening and i'm a little overwhelmed. lubbock is definitely very different from what i'm used to. san diego and provo. where everyone is outside year round. just in case you don't know where lubbock is:

my in-laws flew to provo, helped us pack up (wow), THEN they drove the uhaul all the way to lubbock so that jeff could be in the car with me and the kids (Wow, capital W). i still can't believe their amazing willingness to do such a selfless act. when we dropped them off at the airport, these were mama crane's words, "thanks sooo much for letting us come to lubbock! we loved it." like it was some kind of vacation or something! all they did was work work work! Thank you best in-laws i've ever had.

anyway. here's my list.

LOVE it:

• everything is sooo close! two targets within 5 miles of my house. 
• costco opening next month
• grid (streets set up very much like provo)
• texas tech university is beautiful- supposedly college football is amazing here and the town turns in to red raider lunatics...i'm excited for this
• our humble home- so fun painting and decorating!
• market street - a grocery store that is bit expensive, but think of sprouts, trader joes type. they walk you to your car and put your groceries in your trunk! love that when i have two kids to strap in carseats.
• family relatively close! we are going to dallas to see my dad's sister and my cousins who i haven't seen in 15 years next week. then visiting jeff's sis in austin!

This is going to be HARD to get used to:

• i can't go on walks with the stroller! sidewalks don't curb down and not every street has a sidewalk! this is bad bc i go on lots of walks with this kids...
• brown, brown, brown. never knew there were so many shades of brown.
• our humble home (humble is another word for "it's old and charming and there are so many things for poor jeff to do")
• i don't have my mom group- this has been the hardest for me. i loved my "mom group" in provo. my age, girls nights, kids my kids ages, did everything with them.
• ash, ceecee, and zoe. my kid's fan club. my sunday dinner family guests. my free babysitters. i'm DYING without these girls.
• No one is outside. ever. do i even have neighbors?? so weird coming from provo where everyone is outside, on walks, running, biking, at parks (even during 100 degree summer and 10 degree winters).

pictures of our before and after house to come...

Lucas J

this boy is growing faster than a weed. seriously. can you believe he just turned one? what?? wasn't i just recovering from delivery? oh, yeah, i feel like i'm still recovering...yet i'm 6 months pregnant with another. sigh.

here's the update on my favorite son. best son, hands down.

weight: 21 lbs (30%) he's so skinny! like father like son
length: 31.5 in (90%) he's so tall! like father like son

someone once called him Taco Jeff because he is a small, mexican version of jeff. maybe that's why i love his face so much. maybe that's why i'm so obsessed with him. maybe that's why i can't get enough of him.

when his hair is wet, jeff likes to play with it...

tia ceecee calls this face the "asian hippo." i hope that doesn't offend anyone. he has buck teeth like a hippo.

my kids are total carnivores. sofia would eat 10 sausages if i let her. he loves bacon. it's kind of gross. they get that from jeff.

we picked our cherry tree this week, so i had to include some cute pics of sofia. she just looks so big and grown up...she's only two. two. can you believe that?

my favorite boys. ever.

grandma rachel bought lucas this wagon for his first birthday. the cadillac of wagons. equipped with an umbrella, 6 cup holders, cooler, and it turns in to a bench seat. a-m-a-z-i-n-g. jeff and i want an adult size one. and for someone to pull us around in it. p.s. they aren't making weird faces, they are eating grapes. fitting, right?

they are obsessed with the wagon. we use us twice daily.

sofia ate her first cupcake at 1. so we did the same for lucas. ps. this is NOT a shirt, it's a big bib...

lucas j,
your father always calls you "lucas j jefferson j." you are walking like crazy. you have a very high, kind of girly, squeal when you cry. you're really tough considering you have to defend yourself daily from your big sis. you still want mom to hold you all the time (which is not fun with my 6 month belly). we call you "pigeon" because you walk from person to person with your mouth open during dinner time, and will eat anything we put in your mouth (but not when you're in your high chair). you kick both of your feet, frantically, when you're excited (we compare it to a puppy wagging it's tail). you smile at everyone. you are the biggest cuddle bug ever. and not just with me or dad, with anyone who will carry you. we love how you bob your head any time you hear music, and how you applaud whenever there is applause on tv. i can't tell you how much i love you. you have made my life so wonderful this past year. i'm so obsessed with your face. sorry i kiss you so much. i really can't help it. love you every time your heart beats. happy birthday (last week).

mom and dad.

Sisters Forever

last month i got to go to san diego (kid free) and it was the first time us 4 hermanas we together, in one state. i love my sisters so much, each one for different reasons.

ceecee. just got home from her mission. just moved in with me and jeff for a few weeks till she gets on her feet. we've missed her so much, but we're so grateful for her example of serving a full-time mission for our church. she has changed so much and my kids are LOVING living with her. i am so glad you're my sister.

candice. today's your 30th birthday. i can't believe it. i still remember playing cars and barbies with you. walking home with you when you were a big 6th grader. fighting over the remote (and hiding it) with you in high school. you are such a natural mom. so beautiful because there's not a bad bone in your body. i'm so glad you're my sister.

melody. the oldest. and wisest? not only are you the best party planner i know, and the BEST restaurant picker on the planet, but you also know how to make people feel special. you've always played the role of big sister to us, making sure to protect us all. I'm so glad you're my sister.

ariel. honorary sister. we've always counted you as our sister since the day you moved in with us. we fight with you just as much :). you spoil me. you spoil my kids and i wish you lived next door because i know you'd wash my dishes daily and make me (and sofia) as many scarves as we wanted. I'm so glad you're my sister.

April 2013

boring title, i know. but, deal with it. this is what happened in the month of april...

1. general conference
traci, chad, and the stephenson crew came out to visit one last time before we move. sofia is always stoked when they come because she prances around like she has 4 older sisters. they really take care of her and treat her like a princess. it's hard when they leave, because i don't treat her like a princess. jeff and i love it when they come because they spoil us to death with gifts  and eating out (i gain an average of 4 pounds every time they've come).

lots of outside time at the park...

so sad that we won't have these general conference experiences with them anymore.

2. lucas is growing like a weed

lucas does this all day long, which really hurts our backs...

he is so tall! and skinny! wonder where he gets that? hmmm...

3. BYU graduation!

we are super proud of jeff for graduating with his master's degree from BYU. go babe!! he worked so hard and i can't be happier for him. although he's not finished with his education, we are a step closer to his career.

we were able to celebrate with his parents (grandpa crane and grandma crane), and also a few others that we rarely get to see (uncle joe, aunt janet, and grandma ruth)

i can't explain the love sofia has for her grandpas. i'm so jealous. i know that she is dave's favorite mexican granddaughter. hands down,

we love when the parentals visit. i think the grandkids love it even more.

this might have been the last BYU graduation for the crane family. ashley is the youngest and also graduated this spring (with her bachelors). go tia ash!

after dave and pauline left, some of my family members came in to town. sadly i didn't get ONE picture with tia Mary, aya, and alec. i will be searching their iphones to see if they got any!!