I'm fickle. I was able to redesign my old blog and so I moved all my entries from this one back to the old one so they could be together. So if you're hoping from an update from this blog it won't be happening. It is here to collect dust. So catch up with The Young Crew back on our original blog theyoungcrew.blogspot.com

6 Months Already?!

Oh my, I just love this baby!!!! I can NOT believe Devyn is six months old already! She is still as sweet as ever, loves to smile and be snuggled. She has not decided to roll over yet and is pretty much content to kick and grab at toys from her back. She is sprouting two new teeth right now and has barely made a bit of fuss about it even though she is stuffy and uncomfortable. She has got to be one of the most laid-back kids I have ever met!

BREAKING NEWS!!!!

I am a bad blogger!!! Haha, I had you tricked into thinking you were going to find out something you didn't already know, right?! I know, I know excuses are lame. But I have been doing a Project 365 on facebook (which is taking a picture and telling about it every singe day of the year). So I really am documenting my family every single day...just not on here. Which the whole point of the bliggity-blog thing for me is to preserve moments for the Crew, so I'm not beating myself up too bad about my absence. I also have gone back to school and have been busy with homework, research, essays, discussion forums, journaling, and lots and lots of crunching of equations. So, I promise little neglected blog, I haven't forgotten your purpose. I'm just utilizing other mediums!

This post made me so happy today! It is from the blog of my best friend growing up, Tina. My childhood was unimaginably special because of that girl. And just for the record, childhood drama aside, I would be her twin any day!

5 Months

Here is Devyn's happy, bright face at her five month mark. You just can't help but want to kiss those cheeks!

Merry Christmas 2010!

Okay, I know this is so lame, but better than the alternative of nothing. I made myself PROMISE (to myself) that I will do a real Christmas card next year with a family picture, updates, stamp, envelope, the whole bit. But for now, this is as good as it gets! ;)

One of the biggest changes for the Young Crew this year was our move to Oregon. On January 1st we will have been here a whole year! We can hardly believe how fast the time has flown! While each of us has missed Georgia very much, we have loved living near my family and getting to soak in Oregon's beauty between trips to the Oregon Coast, Crater Lake and also doing day hikes to waterfalls with the kids. Oregon, despite it's sogginess in the winter, truly is one of the most beautiful places in America and we look forward to exploring more in the coming year.

The other big change this year or rather addition I should say, was the birth of our sweet daughter Devyn on July 26th. We struck parenting gold on this one because she is just the sweetest baby you could ever meet! She truly is a little ray of sunshine and I am soaking up every minute I can get with her. I cherish those bright, happy eyes, her spit bubbles and coos, sweet baby smells and yes, even her special talent that has earned her the nickname Barferella...hey I'll take as much spit-up as she can dish out as long as I get a little girl as sweet as she is!

Lauryn, who turned two this summer, has the ability to wrap pretty much anyone around her finger. I'll call her a piece-of-work and my mom will smile and say "She is magnificent!!" Lulu, as we often call her, truly is a force of nature and I just love that kid! She is very much into her baby doll, keeping up with her sisters, and shooting off orders one minute and batting her eyelashes the next. Her vocabulary has taken off by leaps and bounds lately and she has also hit a growth spurt and is shooting up and getting taller and leaner. I realize more and more every day that she is more little girl than baby now and while that makes me a wee bit sad, I am excited to see her grow. With Lauryn at the helm of her ship of life, I know there are some great adventures ahead for that saucy Little Miss!

Brynna, who is now five, started Kindergarten this year and is loving every bit of it! It's been fun seeing my little Brynnie getting out there in the world and take it all in! As always, Brynna still loves monkeys, a good knock-knock joke, accessorizing, using her imagination, playing with her friends and has decided that she would like to be an artist when she grows up. She is always drawing pictures for me and writing me love notes. I just love that kid and her dreamy blue eyes and fun laugh! It's also been fun as Brynna has started to learn to read to see her confidence grow. She is in the highest level reading group in her grade and it seems she has caught the 'book bug' that the rest of us share! I just love how reading has opened my girls’ world right up; it truly makes a momma proud!

It's wild to think that Maryn is now seven years old and in the 2nd Grade! It's not always easy being the oldest kid and the biggest sister, but she has such an amazing heart and tries her best to take it all in stride. I told Maryn one day she should get a special blue ribbon or something for being the oldest kid and walking along beside me as I learn how to be a parent at each new phase we go through together. I just love that girl and am so thankful for her generous spirit. Speaking of blue ribbons, Maryn took 1st Place in her age group at the County Fair this year for an ink and watercolor piece she did. We were so proud of her! Maryn is also doing very well and excelling in school. My buttons about burst at Parent/Teacher Conferences when her teacher was telling me how awesome she is! Maryn has decided she would like to be an author/illustrator when she grows up. Needless to say, coming from two parents who love writing, this makes us really smile! Her teachers all say that her writing has excellent "voice". She wrote a short story that her teacher read to the class that had all the kids laughing in all the right places, they loved it! Maryn still loves horses, playing with friends, reading and using that terrific imagination of hers in her spare time!

Sarah has kept busy this year adjusting to life in a new place and as a mom to four, beautiful girls. It is amazing how much laundry one family can create! I have love, love, loved being able to spend this year home with my children though. After being a workin' momma the previous year I don't take for granted that I get to be there to eat breakfast with the kids, do their hair, drive them to school... little things you can easily take for granted. So I am so thankful I can share those simple moments with my Little Women. As crazy as motherhood can be with four kids, I can honestly say I wouldn't trade it for the world!

Justin, in characteristic style, has been a very busy boy this year. Three weeks after moving to Oregon he started working for Brooke Communications, which is the company that owns the five local radio stations. He is their Web Editor and manages all things web for all five stations. Also if you know Justin, you know something sports related is not too far off. He co-hosts 'The BP&J Show', a sports talk radio show, with his pal and co-worker Brian. It's fun listening to him on the radio and thinking "Hey, that's my husband!" He also had the opportunity to cover Football this past season for the station, which was a lot of work but something he wanted to do after covering Basketball for so many years. Since the Oregon Ducks did so dang well this year, Justin is flying to Glendale, AZ in January to cover the National Championship game, which needless to say he is very excited about!

So there is the Young Crew in a nutshell. We are so excited as Christmas approaches to celebrate the life and birth of our Savior. I find myself so thankful, as I reflect on my life, for all the rich blessings I enjoy because of one tiny baby born in a stable so many years ago. I am so thankful for every good thing, including amazing family and friends like you! I hope that this Christmas Season finds all of you feeling equally blessed and wish you all a very Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Much Love,
Sarah, Justin, Maryn, Brynna, Lauryn, and Devyn Young

Ahhh, Memories!

All I have to say, is I love modern technology! (Unless I am working on a Word document and the blasted thing refuses to do what I want. Then I want to throw technology out the window. But anyways, as usual, I digress...) This week has been full of blasts from the past. Earlier in the week, Justin and I stayed up and found all of our favorite old songs and didn't even have to dig up old, scritchy-scratched c.d.'s. Thank you i-tunes. Then tonight a friend of mine dug up a pile from her old stash of tapes and listed them on Facebook which got a conversation going with our other friends about all our old favorites. So I looked up old videos on YouTube and laughed my butt off! (I wish literally, it could use some whittling!) Seriously though, way too much fun! It's crazy all the memories that come right back! I went from ABBA's 'Dancing Queen'-in' around my kitchen remembering a certain EFY Talent Show Performance to my moody Freshman year with Candlebox's 'Far Behind' to my nerdy and whole-hearted 11-year-old lovefest with Bryan Adams 'Everything I Do I Do It For You'. Totally awesome 'possum! It's got this girl in a skippity-in-my -steppity kind of mood! I know, I'm a total dork. But I am so at peace with that! ;)

Seriously...

I need to get my hands on some good rainboots. I just came home from running errands and my pants are soaking, sopping wet half way up my calves. Ugh. Welcome to Oregon winters folks!

Libby Boom

I just bought this book for Maryn for Christmas and I am certifiably in love with it! I love everything about it! The verse, the awesome illustrations, even the texture of the cover and the attention to detail. I thought to myself, "Man, if I ever had my own book, this is the 'feel' I would want it to have! On top of that I've decided I love the author just as much as the book. She loved writing and wanted to be an author, so she started her own publishing company and did just that! Lovin' the gumption on that girl!

Airhead

It's official, I'm a total airhead. Last night I braved the cold, wet weather to get out to the grocery store to get some ingredients at about 9:30 at night. Our Christmas Party at church this year is a Polar Express theme and I signed up to bring a breakfast casserole and fruit since they are serving breakfast for dinner. First thing this morning when I woke up I browned my sausage, whisked my eggs, grated my cheese, got everything ready to go for tonight. Resisted eating all the cut fruit I had bought to go with it. Put it in the fridge to mingle before baking it tonight before the party. I was ready, I was set. Bathed the girls, picked out Christmasy outfits to wear. I had a couple hours before I had to bake the breakfast casserole and went over to my folks to hang out since my brother Jesse and his sweet wife, Michele, is in town. I sat down to feed Devyn and asked my mom if she had made her breakfast casserole for the party yet. To which she replied "It's not tonight, it's on the 11th, Sarah."....quick math in my head...today is the 4th. I AM SUCH AN AIRHEAD!!! So it is 8:45 at night and I am not sure if these things can over-mingle, soooo looks like I'll be having a sausagey, cheesy late night snack and as much fruit as my belly can hold! Seriously, am I an airhead or what?!

Letter Words

This morning Brynna went into the bathroom and yelled "Maryn! Why does it smell like a big fart in here?!" I don't necessarily think fart is a bad word, but it's not the nicest, so I have asked the girls not to use it. So after I heard her yelling at Maryn I gave her back a disapproving "Brynna, don't use rude words!" Then Brynna, who is learning how to spell and sound out words, hollered back down the hall "Oh sorry Mom, I used the F-word! I just have a hard time remembering not to use the F-word all the time! Because, the F-word is not a nice word, so I shouldn't use it!" She continued on about F-word this and F-word that...I sat there chuckling to myself hoping that a conversation about her problems with remembering not to say the F-word came up at school!

Better Late Than Never!

So I'm a few days late getting this up, but here is my big 4-month-old girl Miss Devyn Ryan! I took her to the doctor on Monday and she is 13 lbs. and 24 inches of pure sweetness! I just love this nugget!

One-on-One

Mom, get back over here and play with me!

This morning after Devy, Lu and I walked the big girls to the bus stop we went for a walk, came home started a fire and warmed our toes and cheeks and read Berenstain Bear books together. Then Devy went down for a nap and Lauryn and I played dollhouse, which she's never done without her big sisters around telling her to buzz off or stop touching things. It's funny to see her one-on-one when there is no one egging her on. She's probably developed her lovable yet beastly personality out of sheer survival! She loves to boss us all around, shoot off orders, give you gorilla eyes and then smile and say "I HAPPY!" I guess you have to be a strong-willed girl when you are trying to keep up with and not get trampled by two older sisters! It's been cute watching her though. That little nugget just makes my heart all squeezy with love. She especially had fun driving the babies around in the minivan and when Polly Pocket rang the doorbell and asked what was for breakfast. I just love that kid.

So Nice!

Raindrops on windows and whiskers on kittens... Okay, so my favorite things list may not exactly match Maria's from 'The Sound of Music', but I have had some simple favorites this weekend!

Last night the kids and I had an impromptu slumber party at my parent's house. Justin was calling a football game and I knew he would be out super, super late. So my Dad took me, my mom, my brother, Matt, and my Little Women all out for pizza. We went back to my folks' house afterwards and watched a movie with the kids. It was around bedtime and the kids were getting sleepy, but we decided why should I go home to an empty house?! So we threw some t-shirts on the kids and put them in the guest bedroom while my mom and I watched HGTV 'House Hunters International' for about three hours! It was divine! You're probably thinking what's the big deal? When we moved into our place in May though, I decided not to get the cable hooked up. Which means NO TV! Justin and I will watch episodes of shows on hulu and stuff, but there is no mindless vegging out in front of a TV around here. So it was kind of nice to be lazy and just watch TV all night.

This morning when we got up my Mom made blueberry pancakes. Which made me happy because A.) I never met anything blueberry I didn't like and B.) Being a mom is a lot of dang work. It was nice to wake up and just be able to sit up at the table and talk to my mom while she made breakfast, rather than me being the one to wrangle everything. It was just very nice.

Justin has been working a lot this Football season, six days a week most weeks and long days. Which means that I fly solo with the kids quite a bit. Time to myself is kind of unheard of and most days the sheer noise and energy of our house leaves me pretty pooped. Justin had today off from covering games though. So after breakfast the kids and I came home, I showered and then left Justin with all the girls so I could go offer service by cleaning the church building. After that I did something I can never do when I have my crew with me...I went into Real Deals, which is a home decor store, with my Mom. I browsed as long as I wanted, I didn't have to say "Look with your eyes, not your hands." a bazillion times. I didn't have to worry about the fact that I was surrounded by a million little breakables. I was only in charge of ME and it was just so NICE!

Then we hooked back up with my Dad and brother and went out to Mexican for lunch. I didn't have to wipe up spills or remind bottoms to stay in their seats or say "Close your mouth while you're chewing!" After that I went to the grocery store by myself. Which may not seem exciting, but if you've done it with four squirrelly kids, you would not question the value of a solo expedition to the grocery store! It's all about the little things folks!
On the way home it was cold and wet and dreary. Bah! Then I remembered Justin had given me a Dutch Bros. coupon for a free drink that was bouncing around in my purse. I hadn't used it because I always have the kids with me and I knew I couldn't just get something for me without a verbal assault of "What are you getting for me?!!" So I took advantage of my aloneness and ordered a Pumpkin Pie Steamer! Mmmmmm! For those of you who don't drink coffee like me, the Steamer is the way to go! It's just warmed milk with any flavoring you like and they are delicious! So that made me very happy and like a good Mommy I even shared some sips with the kids when I got home.

Then I snuggled Devy in front of the fireplace and dozed off a bit. I told Justin that today was EXACTLY what I've been needing. A little 'me' time, to be unproductive and just take a breather. I could totally make this an every Saturday tradition! ;)

Who?!

I decided it was time to revive our kitchen dance party/jam sessions that we used to have in Georgia. So I put on a little Elvis and started shaking my hips (which completely embarrassed Brynna...yes it's official, I'm the old, embarrassing Mom!). The girls loved it though and started getting their groove on just like old times! Even Brynna loosened up and let me swing her around the kitchen. It did a Momma's heart good! Then Maryn asked who it was singing. I said "Elvis silly!" She turned around and stared at me and said "Who?!"...how can my child not know who Elvis is? Shouldn't that be one of those knowledges that you're just born with?

Lost In Two-Year-Old Translation

I just pulled five loaves of Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread out of the oven and it smells divine! That cozy smell of cinnamon, nutmeg, chocolate and pumpkin! Oh baby! Lauryn was my sidekick while I was making the batter. I was opening the can of pumpkin and she said "What dat, Momma?" and I told her "It's pumpkin, honey." She looked at me and then at the can incredulously and sternly told me "Dat NOT punkin, Mommy!!" It was like she was saying "Look, I know I'm two, but I'm no moron! I know what a pumpkin looks like and that ain't it!"

Then she disappeared for a few minutes. When she came back to check on me she said "What doing Momma?" I said "Baking" as I started to mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. She huffed at me again and said "Dat NOT bacon, Moooomm!! Dat soup!" I could see where she would think this orange, runny stuff was clearly not bacon. It looked just like the bean and bacon soup we had just eaten for lunch! Funny girl, she must think her Momma is totally off her rocker!

Counting Down Christmas

I know it may seem premature, but I am getting giddy-excited for Christmas this year! Today the weather is cold, rainy and dreary and I just wish I could cozy up next to a lit up Christmas tree with a mug of hot chocolate and my favorite red blanket. To see the bright reds, greens and golds as the world fades into muted brown and grays. To see where Elvis, our elf, will be hiding each day. To see the kids excitement as they count down the days. To smell yummy things baking and watch 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' and the old cartoon 'Grinch Who Stole Christmas' that my brothers and I use to watch over and over as kids. My brother Matt broke into spontaneous singing of "You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch..." today and I loved it! I swear we had every line of that movie memorized as kids! To do fun traditions and make memories. To feel that special Spirit that accompanies the Christmas season. I know, I know, patience my pet, it's not even Thanksgiving yet! But I just can't wait! I've been told I have to wait until after Thanksgiving to put the tree up, but I may be working on that after the last bite of pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving Day!

Train of Thought

I've decided after doubting it for awhile that I'm still in here, I'm still me. I am still a person outside of the roles I play. I'd lost touch with that girl. Like an old friendship that faded but neither party was exactly sure why. I was reading over some of my old blog archives tonight and came across this...

That was just over a year ago. I was begging and pleading for change and boy have I had a whole lotta that in the past year. I've moved across the country, uprooted my life, quit my job, became pregnant for the last time, had a beautiful baby, tried to learn and grow and stretch with the demands of being a mother to four, beautiful daughters. I've fretted and wondered what my future holds after dealing with life plans that were being altered yet again. I've dealt with reoccurring disappointment and let downs from people that I never felt I deserved it from. And despite all this change, the redeeming change I begged for and thought was the magical answer to everything, I realized that my old life just packed itself in the moving boxes and came with me.

I found myself looking in the mirror a few months back. My saggy, post-baby body a perfect reflection of my spirits and outlooks on my future, outside of the bright and beautiful faces of my children. My eyes lifted from taking in the effects of gravity at work and I stepped closer to the mirror and looked right, straight into my eyes and asked "Hello? Is anybody in there?" It was a weird feeling. Like knocking on the door of that old friend's house and shuffling away in disappointment when nobody came to the door.

Time is a funny thing. It passes. People, places, things, they all change. Unless we are in alignment with ourselves though, the venue of our lives won't make a bit of difference. Something happened in the past week that hasn't happened in years...maybe possibly ever? I decided that I wasn't going to keep waiting for life to make sense to me. I wasn't going to keep waiting for other people to make me a priority. I realized I have to do those things for myself. I have to put myself on the map of my own life.

When I turned 30 back in August, it wasn't nearly as traumatic for me as some people make it out to be. Married at 18, working to put a husband through school and then starting a family at 23. My entire 20's had been about somebody else. I was a wife and a mother, both noble and worthy things, but nothing was about me. I lost myself in my roles, trying so hard to do and be enough for everyone I loved. So I decided rather than dread, I would embrace my 30's with open arms. Like my mom said "Your 30's are great because your body is still young, but you're not as dumb as you are in your 20's!" Have I mentioned I love my mom? I do. But I quickly found that even in my first few months of my new, recommitted 30's I quickly lost track of myself yet again. I wrote in my journal one night that I felt like I was on a speeding train. Scenery was passing outside the windows of the passenger car in a blur and I was unable to even take it in. Unable to find the beauty in the unfamiliar. I was headed on a track to an unknown destination, out of my control and I was merely a voiceless passenger.

I always have thought of myself as spunky. Which secretly I liked, because who likes a pleasey-pleaser all the time? Only those who use them. After some reflection though I realized that the pattern of my life revealed to me that I was just a pleaser with a spunky facade. Ouch. That one hurt. My gerbil wheel, my let downs, my unfulfilled dreams...were just as much my fault as anyone else’s. I facilitated them by not putting myself on the map of my own life. I didn't just allow myself to be put on the back burner, I put myself there.

But for some reason a few days ago I had this epiphany that no one else in life is going to make me a priority if I don't make myself a priority. I refuse to allow myself to be that voiceless passenger. I refuse to not be able to enjoy the beautiful things that await me out of the windows of life because I am so scared and so uncertain of where it is taking me. I refuse to sit in that passenger car and wring my hands uselessly. Dang it, I'm up front, engineer cap on and I am driving the train of my own life! Since making this decision, I have felt the distance between me and my true self melt away. As I have started to plan and act upon my own personal goals I have felt my burdens lift and my outlook brighten. The obstacles I face in my life haven’t changed, but I have and in doing so it has made all the difference. My new view is not just out the side windows taking in the views of life happening around me. But also of the open track, stretching out in front of me, taking me to the destination of my choosing.

3 Months!

I am such a bad blogger these days that the only pictures I seem to get up are the ones of Devyn growing each month! There could be worse things you have to look at though than Dev's edible adorability! So just deal with it! ;)3 Months

Good Morning!

Yesterday morning I had a quiet moment chilling in my bed with Lauryn and Devyn before the older girls woke up. Lauryn and Devyn are pretty close to the same age difference as Maryn and Brynna. I was having flashbacks of when my Peanut, Maryn, was still a little Peanut and my Baby Bootles, Brynna, was still, well...a baby! It's wild to think how fast time has passed. I sat there looking at my two, little ones and realized they too would be long-legged, little ladies before I knew it. So I'm really trying to appreciate and enjoy these little moments. They go so fast. Lauryn, as always has been a crack up to me. She is funny without even trying! It used to be if you asked her what her name was she would say "Yuyu!" (Lulu). But now it is an insistent "Yauyn Youn!" (Lauryn Young). She can be very literal. If you ask her if she's a Silly Goose she'll growl "I notta goose Moooommm! I Yauyn Youn!" So I was kind of surprised in the video she actually played along and was mellow about it!

Lauryn is a force of nature! She loves keeping up pace with her two older sisters and is highly insulted if she gets left out of something. Her current loves are first and foremost simultaneously sucking her thumb and picking her nose. It's her go-to!

Lu modeling her favorite pasttime!

She also loves Devyn and will gently lay beside her and snuggle her. But I think she has subconsciously realized all this baby business has helped her to know that despite her independence, she still needs her Momma. She used to rarely slow down long enough for snuggles from me, but lately has been wanting extra doses. Which is just fine with me! She gives fabulous hugs!

Love this!

Devyn is just such a lover babe. She has this Ocean Wonders Aquarium in her crib that she loves. I will turn it on and her little face will light up and she'll grin and grin! Last night I laid her down, turned it on and went to wash my face. When I came back it had shut off, but she was still laying there in the dark, wide awake and smiling to herself. I told Justin that we hit the baby jackpot. She is just such a content, little gentle soul. I seriously love her so much.

I hope that as these two grow they'll always stay close, be buddies and remember that sisters are forever!

Tongues! Blah!

I love Devyn's face in this picture! She's like "I can tell you're getting ready to lose it, don't forget I'm right next to you before you start flailing!"

All my Little Women