Between the Hustle & Bustle

Our lives have been crazy busy lately, but we have still managed to get some fun things in!  Josh and I attended the first annual Black & Blue Ball at Prairie Meadows on February 7th.  This was such a fun event to get all dressed up for!  It was like going to prom all over again.  I bought a fancy dress, got my nails done, and fixed my hair all fancy too!  And I do have to say that I had the most handsome date there. ;)

 

 

I also squeezed in a fun night with the ladies.  We ate at Bonefish Grill and went of a little country dancing after...

 

 

It was also my first year to attend the Annual Altoona Chamber dinner.  I was so glad I was able to attend to get to know more folks in the community.  And I had a little fun with my coworkers too!

 

 

 

On the move again!

These past couple of months have been beyond busy for us.  The good new is that we SOLD OUR HOUSE!  What an exciting time!  Josh and I can finally start looking toward the dream of country living.  I cannot wait until we get out there.

With that being said, as long as we are together we always have home. This could not have been more true for our family of 4 the past couple of months.  We not only moved once, but twice.  So to say the kids were a little confused is an understatement.  We are finally settled into a 3 bedroom townhome in Altoona (right across the street from a pirate playground, score!).  And now that the weather has started cooperating we have been spending the majority of our free time outside at the playground.

I will say that we have had some days where Bo wants to go back to "the old house".  It breaks my heart.  We had so many great memories in our first home with so many milestones, but we have to look at the end result and the kids are going to love it out there!! 

Love my little family. 

 

 

Crum Christmas 2014

Christmas day we celebrate Christmas with my mom's side of the family and this year we down to Indianola to my aunt and uncle's house.  Good day filled with food, family, fun, and cocktails!

Christmas 2014

Christmas this year was BY FAR the best so we've ever had.  Bo was so excited to see what Santa had brought and Vallery loves Minnie so it was fun to see her reaction to her presents. 

Once again, my family made the trip up to our place to spend Christmas Eve and morning as a family.  Christmas Eve we started a new tradition of making prime rib.  It was a first time for everyone, but I think Josh and I knocked it out of the park!  We ate prime rib, cheesy hash brown potatoes, sautéed brussel sprouts, and green beans.  YUM!!

Christmas is still my favorite time of year, but even more so now that we have Bo and Vallery to share it with.  Seeing Christmas through a child's eyes really reminds everyone of what Christmas is all about. 

Bo and Vallery's obsession curing Christmas (and currently) is Ninja Turtles and Minnie Mouse.  So, to say the least, Christmas morning our house looked like it threw up Ninja Turtle and Minnie Mouse.  It was so special to have everyone there. 

And little did we know it, but it would be last Christmas at that home.  It was definitely a bittersweet feeling, but we have many blessings to be thankful for. 

Holiday Happenings

Since I am so far behind on blogging I thought I would throw all of December's happenings into one. Starting with our trip to see Jolly Holiday Lights.  The company I work for sponsors it and so generously gives out tickets every year.  We have made this one of family traditions and the kids love it because they get to come up to the front seat to look at all the light displays.

 

This year was so fun going to pick out our Christmas tree, because Bo was old enough to know what we were actually doing and he was able to help pick it out.  Vallery was excited to just get out and run around. 

 

 

This was Josh's first year at Christmas for the Detective Bureau.  I was excited to meet new people and faces to names I had been hearing about the past 10 months.  I already knew a few people from the infamous SWAT parties, so I was excited to catch up with those folks!  They also had an Ugly Christmas Sweater theme, which made it pretty humorous.  I think my favorite was our friends Aaron and Amy Entrekin, they went as Catherine and Eddy.  And they fit the part quite well. :)

 

 

 

 

Last, but not least is our annual trip to see Santa at Bass Pro.  Bo has never had a problem with Santa, and gives his typical 'stone cold' face.  We knew going into it that Vallery would have a struggle and were anxious to see her reaction.  Needless to say, it was one for the books!

 

 

Merry Christmas Ya Filthy Animal!

 

 







Thanksgiving 2014

Thanksgiving?  Yes, that's right.  I am that far behind on blogging.  SO...it may be short and sweet, but damn it I am going to do it. 

We went down to Villisca this year and my mom hosted Thanksgiving for the Crum side of the family.  I went down on Wednesday night to help my mom start cooking bright and early.  The food was obviously delicious.  We had turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, yams, sweet potato casserole, corn, gravy, banana pudding and pumpkin pie. 

The next day was the Iowa/Nebraska football.  A much anticipated game in my household with Josh being a Husker fan and myself being a Hawkeye fan.  We also had the pleasure of having Avery Wolfe and our nephew, Owen, over for the morning.  The kids had a blast!  They played and played and played.  We eventually took a trip up to the local pharmacy where the kids each got to pick out 1 toy.  We enjoyed having all the kids over, brings so much life to a home.  Even though poor Bo was the only one wearing Husker gear, he must've been the smart one because they came out on top!

Side note:  Vallery could not love her Uncle Nick more.  It may have taken over a year for her to come around, but Uncle Nick is now her favorite.  Too cute.

 

 

The following day we invited Owen, Syd, and Justin over to see the horses.  This is always a highlight of B & V's, so we were glad Owen to make it.  Nick also had some puppies for the kids to play with.