Our simple girl

From Santa, Esther received this really cute Little People's Noah's Ark set with Noah and his wife and some animals, as well as her Grandma and Grandpa giving her additional sets of animals...needless to say, she has quite a few. She loves it, but of all the adorable lions and zebras and giraffes and peacocks and camels and so on and so on...guess what?? Esther plays with the plain old feed boxes. We will put the ark on the floor and she will dump out the whole ark looking for them. It almost to the point I want to hide them so she is forced to play with the animals..but she is SO dang happy just playing with those orange and blue boxes.....she's a simple girl. ~ Kin

update

Progress

Just wanted to share with y'all how our addition is coming along. Some of our roof is torn off..makes it a bit colder in the house, but no biggie. They got the patio poured and all the framing up (I don't have pics of that, but I will post as soon as I do). It's starting to feel like a room...wooohoo!! Can't wait. ~ Kin

It was a B-E-A-utiful day

Well, it's over and I couldn't be more bummed....I wanted it to last forever. Esther's first Christmas was wonderful. Waking up and opening presents with her cousins...she loved it. We also made a gingerbread house, played on the swings, watched Matilda do magic tricks, put together Legos with Colt, looked for seaglass on the beach and ATE and ATE and ATE. (I'm afraid to even THINK about getting on a scale.) It was SO SO SO much fun. And for the icing on the cake...Esther crawled for the first time!!! And now being back home she has become SO much better at it. The animals are in TROUBLE!

Here's a video of Esther first crawling. Just click on the play button and you can witness the excitement for yourself. I will continue to update y'all as she gets better and better. ~ Kindra

The Word was God...the Word became human and lived among us.

This is going to be my last post before Christmas since we won't be home this year. Saturday, Steve, Esther and I are heading up to Morro Bay to spend Christmas with my brother, my sister-n-love, my niece and my nephew. We will all be together to celebrate Christ's birth for the first time in 7 years. I couldn't be more excited. Esther's first Christmas spent with her cousins!!!
But I wanted to share something. I know this time of year we all get SO caught up in shopping and baking and parties and wrapping gifts (I just did it today!!!) that I know sometimes we forget the main reason we celebrate this beautiful holiday....the birth of Jesus. So I just wanted to share an excerpt from this amazing book called Cosmic Christmas written by Max Lucado, from how he imagined that night. It's written from the view of Gabriel, one the angels present at the birth of Jesus. It touches my heart and soul every year and maybe it will do the same for you.
" So this is He. Immanel. So this is God's gift. A Savior. He shall save His people from their sins. "Worthy is the Lamb," I whispered, as I knelt before my God. My heart was full. I turned to Mary as she cradled her child and I spoke. It didn't matter that she couldn't hear me. The stars could. All of nature could. And most of all, my King could.
"So you know who you hold, Mary? You secure the Author of grace. He who is ageless is now moments old. He who is limitless is now suckling your milk. He who strides upon the stars, now has legs too weak to walk; the hands which held the oceans are now an infant's fist. To Him who has never asked a question, you will teach the name of the wind. The Source of language will learn words from you. He who has never stumbled, you will carry. He who has never hungered, you will feed. The King of creation is in your arms."
God became man so He could give Himself up as a sacrifice for us. What an amazing gift of love. May you feel my Savior's presence and love this Christmas. We love you all. Merry Christmas. ~ Kin

The Mission Inn

Last Thursday, our next "Christmas stop" was going to the Mission Inn's Festival of Lights (if you haven't gone..you GOTTA GO!!). I think it's the 5th year in a row we have gone. Steve did miss going last year because he was away in Mississippi, but this year things are back on. I love it there. With all the lights and music and yummy smells from vendors and the ice skating. It's just magical and it feels like Christmas. We walked around the hotel and Esther enjoyed the animated elves, angels and carolers and the hustle and bustle of people walking about. We then ate at Bella Trattoria, an outside italian bistro right at the hotel., wonderful food and GREAT service. One of these years, I wanna stay there during Christmas time. I know it's crazy pricey but a girl can dream can't she?? ~ Kin

Esther was happy to meet St. Nick, or was she??

One of the other things I did was take Esther to meet Santa. She was in good spirits and looked like it was going to be a wonderful time but after almost an hour of waiting, she was pretty much over it. It wasn't that she was afraid of him (and for the record, the best looking Santa EVER), but she was just ready for her nap. So it didn't turn out like mom wanted, but does it ever??? ~ Kin

Benedict Castle

Well this being Esther's first Christmas and all, we have been trying to do a lot of fun "christmasy" things. Our first Christmas outing was to Benedict Castle in Riverside. It was our first time there and it was SPECTACULAR!! It is currently home to Teen Challenge, a facility that helps teens and adults with addiction problems. Every year they decorate it and open it up to the public the Sunday after Thanksgiving. They give tours, have caroling and serve amazingly tasty cookies and hot chocolate. Esther even met a bear she liked. ~ Kin

From bird to puppy dog

His Calling and just followin'

As some of you may know, I have taken on the position of Coordinator of the MOPS (Mother's of Preschoolers) group at my church. I feel SO blessed to have this opportunity and I am SO thrilled and excited. But with all that excitement comes a bit of fear. I JUST joined this group in January and I don't know NEAR enough about things as everyone else on the team does and on top of that, I am a new mommy. Who am I to dictate what should be done or shouldn't be done? I have only been a "mother of a preschooler" for 7 1/2 months!!! But that's when I fall back on what I know as a daughter of Christ. He has definately CALLED me to this position and I desire to serve Him. So that is all I need to know. Period. I love what Corrie ten Boom (a Dutch Christian Holocaust survivor who helped many Jews escape the Nazis in World War II) wrote, " God said it, I believe it, that settles it. " No if, ands or buts.

I mean if we really think about it, who are we to do anything for God? We are just people; people who screw up time and time again, people who are not perfect and will never be for that matter. So that's when we rely on Him and trust that He will provide us with the strength we need. But hey, if you are thinking about the Crandell family....pray for us. This is a new journey and anything new can be stressful. And I know it's a BIG change for Steve (and remember, he HATES change), but he has been amazing. When I am on the phone or computer for longer than one should be or running around like a mad woman, he understands. I couldn't ask for a more supportive hushand. But I don't want to forget to put God and my family first. So please pray that I would keep things those 2 things a main priority. ~ Kin

Peas...me no likey

The Perfect Day

So I have been meaning to post pictures from our trip to Dland and I FINALLY got them downloaded onto our computer. We had a WONDERFUL time. Colt and Matilda had SO much fun..it was so fun watching them enjoy their Disneyland experience for the first time. They never got tired and Esther never got fussy. All the kids LOVED It's a Small World..it was all decorated for Christmas and GORGEOUS!! Also it was wonderful, my whole family being together...it doesn't happen very often AND spending the whole day together....SUCH A BLESSING!!! To quote my mom.."it was the perfect day." ~ Kin

So Grateful

So I am sitting here alone (well not really...Esther is playing on the floor near my feet..but I mean alone because Steve isn't here) and being Thanksgiving and all, I was thinking of ALL the things I have been blessed with. The first thing that popped into my head was that I am thankful that my husband, even though he was called into work today, is here in the states and not deployed overseas like SO many husbands, wives, moms and dads. I started to feel a bit sorry for myself because "I" wanted my hubbie HERE..with me..but then like it always happens, God hit me over the head and reminded me of how blessed I am for Steve to be here safe and sound. So thank you, who serve our country and aren't with your families this Thanksgiving...we haven't forgotten..we are still praying and thinking of you.
And next blessings I have in my life almost weren't! They are 2 of the biggest gifts anyone could ever receive....the first, my mom being here with us. It wasn't that long ago that she was battling the biggest fight of her life. And it got scary..and as much as I trusted in the Lord, still I was afraid. Afraid for my dad..to lose his wife of 35 + years, scared for my grandma who relies SO much on my mom everyday and afraid for me, to lose my biggest fan and to have her never share in my dream of raising my own children someday. But she is here!!! And I will never, ever, ever forgot the wonderful gift of life that God gave my mom. And to top it off, He gives Steve and I a beautiful, perfect baby girl. After years and years of trying and praying...He blesses us beyond our wildest dreams. There are many more blessings I have received, but with those 3 things: my mom. my daughter and my husband being home...this Thanksgiving, I am SO grateful. "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good: His love endures forever." ~ Psalm 118:1 ~ Kin

Another blessing

Well my brother and his family are down visiting (we haven't seen them in 4 months so I am pretty excited) and we are all planning on going to Disneyland on Tuesday. Since it is Matilda (my niece who will be 7) and Colt's (my nephew was is turning 5 on Sat) first time to Dland, my mom and dad were treating everyone. Steve and I wanted to tag along, since it is so fun seeing Dland through the eyes of children especially their first time, but we were gonna pay for ourselves. As most of you know, Dland had turned into the most EXPENSIVE place on earth and of course my parents were a little overwhelmed on the cost. Last weekend, after calculating the price for a family of 6 on the phone with my mom, Steve called (he was down at the base for his monthly weekend duty) and said that there was a guy he worked with who also worked maintenence at Dland and he had offered to get anyone he worked with at March in for free. So he is able to get 3 of us in for free and the rest of the tickets at 35% off!!!! Isn't that awesome???? What an incredible blessing!! So needless to say we are all SO excited..especially my parents. So to celebrate Colt's bday, we are headed down to Disneyland. I will post pictures after the trip. ~ Kin

Dogs are like teenagers

As most of you know, our dogs are really well behaved. When Steve and I take the dogs out especially when traveling, we always get the comments about how well trained they are and how they "listen". With that said...the other day I was leaving to have breakfast with some girlfriends and Steve was in the bathroom. I said goodbye to him and I was on my way. I hadn't even gone a mile from the house when the phone rang...it was Steve. He told me that when he got out of the bathroom he came into the living room and guess who is laying on the couch (like she does it ALL THE TIME) our 75 pound dog, Isabel!!! She heard him and looked up at him like OPPS!! She must have thought we both left and now was her time for free reign of the couch. Now she KNOWS she isn't allowed on the couch, actually neither dog is allowed on any furniture in the house. She must have been waiting for us to leave so she could just hop right up there. She reminded me so much of what we all did as teenagers...as soon as our parents leave the house, we rule. But next time Isabel..make sure mom and dad have REALLY LEFT!!! ~ Kin

Halloween and an old "new" toy

Well today, being Halloween and all, Steve, Esther and I went to our church's Harvest Carnival. It was a fun time...spending time with some friends and showing off our " cute little leopard". She wasn't in the most festive mood, so we didn't stay long, but we had to share how adorable she looked. But I have to admit, she did perk up after seeing her Pastor Don ...she ADORES him!

Esther also got a new toy (well for her anyway) this past weekend. Since she is over spending time in her swing, we thought a walker might be nice. My mom found one at a garage sale....and boy, does Esther LOVE it. Now I can keep an eye on her when I am in the kitchen cooking or doing dishes. She doesn't know how to walk forward in it yet, but has got the walking backwards part DOWN pat! ~ Kin

God is good

OK, so this past weekend was free dump day for all Yucaipa residents and since we tore the sunroom on the back of our house down, we had A LOT to dump. Steve made 3 trips on Saturday (thanks to our wonderful neighbor John who lent us his truck) and on the last trip (he was taking some railroad ties as well) they told him that railroad ties had to be dumped out in Fontana because of the chemicals in the ties that would get into the dirt (I know I know, sounds weird, since they were already rotted anyway). So anyway Steve was bummed but waited until today to get the load dumped. When he got to the dump site in Fontana, they charged him 40 bucks because of it being a load that required "special handling" ...bummer! Anyway, we also had a lot of aluminum to drop off (most of the sunroom is made out of aluminum and glass) so he took that to a recycling place in Beaumont...hoping to maybe make a few bucks. He came back with a $150 check!!!!! They gave him that much!! What a blessing!! He was SO stoked when he called me on his way home. And to get back to what I mentioned before...we are adding onto our house!! We are adding a family room, a patio and opening up our kitchen. I am SO excited, but a bit anxious at the same time. I will keep you all updated. Here are some before and after pics courtesy of Steve and his hard working friend Shawn. ~Kin

New to this thing called BLOG

Well this is my first attempt at "blogging". I used to think that people who blogged were weird and too caught up in the modern age. But with Esther growing SO fast and getting bigger everyday...I wanted to have a way to document her life and also let those of you who don't live nearby share in our life. So here it goes......
~ Kin