MawMaw and PawPaw's Pool and Maddie's Park

Monday evening we made our first trip to the Edinburgh Pool for the summer. We learned of this last summer and took advantage of it several times, but this was the first Monday night we were free to go so far this summer. Jeff's parents live in Edinburgh, and on Monday evenings, the public pool is open from 5-8 p.m. for FREE! It becomes a great evening for us because we usually get to give the girls baths and get a special treat at MawMaw and PawPaw's house afterwards. Sometimes it includes an overnight for the girls with Jeff's parents as well, so it gives us a little break, too. We love the Edinburgh pool because it is great for toddlers. Believe it or not, it's also not very crowded on the free nights either. Elaina calls it "MawMaw and PawPaws Pool". We were able to enjoy the evening with friends, too, so that made it extra fun. Elaina got to spend some time with her friend, Brookie.

Today, we went to Zionsville and visited with my best friend from Franklin College, Amanda (Withem) Callen. Amanda and Brad's daughter, Madison, is 15 months old. Another friend from school joined us with her daughter as well, so we all had a great time. Jen's daughter, Hayley, is 18 months old. Elaina called the park that we went to, "Maddie's Park." Needless to say, the park didn't last all morning, and those girls were hungry and tired! It was nice to see them again. Elaina had not been to Maddie's house in almost a year, but when I told her this morning that we were going to Amanda and Maddie's house, she said, "That dog scares me. She needs to put that dog outside!" I couldn't believe that she remembered! Then, when we were driving down the street that the Callen's house is on, Elaina spotted it right away and said, "I find it! Maddie's house! There it is! I find it!" I looked in the rearview mirror, and sure enough, she was pointing to the right house. She amazes me!

In an earlier post, I mentioned that I would post a picture of the board that we finally got finished for the girls' room. So, here it is. Thanks, Jim, for routing the board for us! The board reads, "Sister will you . . . make believe, play dress-up, let me be the princess . . . always be my friend?" I pray that the girls will form a friendship together that they will carry with them throughout their lives.

Happy Anniversary!

Today, Jeff and I celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary. We had a wonderful day. We spent the morning at church, the girls took naps, and then we took them down to Jeff's parents to spend the rest of the night. We went to dinner and are staying in tonight to watch a movie. We are going to enjoy a quiet evening at home and be couch potatoes! Since it is our sixth anniversary, I thought I would share six things that I love the most about Jeff.

6. He loves to shop with me. Jeff actually enjoys going to the mall and shopping with me for clothes and whatever else. Our friend makes fun of us when she finds out we have errands to run in Greenwood. She knows that we'll be there all day - even if we just have a couple of things to do on our list.

5. He is a great teacher. Jeff is a wonderful teacher. That is one of the things that made me fall in love with him from the beginning. Not only is he a wonderful teacher to his public school students, he is a wonderful teacher to the kids at church. Whether he's teaching academics, Biblical truths, or how to play basketball, he always does an awesome job. He is very caring, and the kids love him becasue he doesn't mind being a complete DORK to get the kids to laugh and enjoy learning. It always makes me feel so proud when people stop me and tell me how much their kids love having him as a teacher or loved something that he shared with them at church or in coaching or helping out with a sport.

4. Jeff works really hard. At times, I know it must be a huge load to carry to make sure that he provides for his family. He works hard and prayerfully makes wise decisions so that our family can have our needs met and even some of our wants as well. He strongly believes the Biblical importance of me being a stay at home mommy and wife.

3. He cherishes his girls. Jeff is a wonderful father to his two "little angels." He desires to spend every minute possible together as a family. He tells our girls often that he loves them knowing how important it is that they hear this. He encourages them and prays for them and with them. He teaches them Bible lessons and tells them how important it is to have Jesus in their hearts.

2. I know he loves me. Jeff not only tells me but shows me that he loves me every day. He sets a wonderful example for our girls on how a husband should love their wife, according as to how Christ loves the Church. He supports and encourages me. He teases me when I need to lighten up and comforts me when I'm worried or sad. He does so many things to show me that he loves me. Even when we do disagree (and face it, it happens), he always lets me know that he loves me and treasures our marriage.

1. He loves God. Jeff's faith is very strong, and holds me together when mine is so very weak. He understands the importance of a relationship with Jesus Christ, and he strives to always seek His guidance in every decision that he makes as a husband and a father.

Happy Anniversary, Jeff! I am honored and priviledged that you chose me to love forever.

Sandbox, Mommy's Time Off, and Special Time with Daddy

We have had such a wonderful weekend! On Friday we spent the morning in the sandbox that Jeff made for the girls underneath their slide. He got it all fixed up for them at the end of last summer. Elaina loves it! She has a great time playing with her toys in the sandbox. Emily has a fun time too, but she really doesn't like the taste of the sand. YUCK!! Elaina likes to make us "cakes." She also doesn't call it sand; instead, she calls it "dirt."

The weather has been beautiful! We had a great day Friday. We painted the girls' room this winter, but Jeff waited to paint the windows, so he worked on those Friday. He also worked on painting some wooden boards for some decor for the girls' room too. My best friend, Jill, hosted an Uppercase Living Party last November. It is a company that produces expressions to put on your walls, boards or practically anything. We chose to put our expressions on boards so that if we ever move, we can take them with us. I'll have to post a picture of the board for the girls' room when we have it all finished. Elaina loves to help her Daddy with his different projects. Emily is still a bit too little to help, but next summer she'll be out there with him for sure. He'll have two big helpers next summer!

I had a wonderful and much needed girl "retreat" with my close friends Jill, Shawna and Jennifer. We had this "retreat" marked on our calendars since last fall. We were all looking so forward to it, and it was a great time! Our husbands were all supportive of our time away and took great care of the kids while we were gone. We had a full 24 hours without any responsibilities. We went out to dinner at Longhorn's Friday night and then went back to Shawna's and watched Fool's Gold. We spent the night at Shawna's and then got up this morning and were laying out at her pool by 10:00 a.m. and stayed there until around 3:30 p.m. We talked and floated on rafts without having to worry about anything else like being splashed, kids needing to potty or little toddlers trying to jump into the pool because they think they can do it all by themselves. Of course, I am fried! It was a very much appreciated break from reality, but it was so nice to get home to a family who lets you know how much they love you and miss you when you're gone. Elaina held my hand for a long time and told me stories of what she, Daddy and Emmy did while Mommy was gone. Emily was very excited to see me, too. Jeff and the girls had their own little cookout Friday night and then today they went on a bike ride and went to a playground to play. I am so thankful for Jeff. He is a great Daddy and wonderful husband. He sure does take extra special care of his girls.

The McCrary Family's New Blog!

We have officially entered the world of blogging! I (Stephanie) love checking out my friends' blogs, so with the extra little push from my dear friend Jessalyn, I decided to start one for our family. Blogs have served as a great way for me to keep up-to-date with all of the events that are happening in my friends' lives. I love getting to hear what's going on, and I especially love getting to see pictures of their beautiful children. With having so much family and many friends that live far away, I thought this would be a great way for you all to hear what's going on with us. Also, I think it will be a great way to keep written memories for the girls to have in years to come. But for now it's late, and I'm going to bed. It may take me a few days to get this going, so be patient. I'm new at this. Jeff has no idea that I have done this . . . he's going to think I'm nuts when tell him here in a minute! How am I going to find time to keep up with this? I have no idea! We'll see how it goes!