Fam Faves Day 5 - Crosland Family Rock

For Christmas, everyone in the Crosland Family chooses their favorite song for a CD

that Carly makes.

It has ended up being our most played cd throughout the year!

1. Mercy River - Reason for the World

2. Jeff: Martina McBride - I'm Gonna Love You Through It

3. Bonnie: Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel - For Good

4. Ben: Eli Young Band - Dust

5. Carrie: Florida Georgia Line - Dirt

6. Cody: Tegan and Sara - Everything is Awesome

7. Macey and Mackayla: Carly Rae Jepson - Call Me Maybe

8. Amy: Kristin Chenoweth & Idina Menzel - Defying Gravity

9. Luke: The Highwaymen-Live Forever

10. Blake: Mouse in my Toolbox

11. Callie: Idina Menzel - Let It Go

12. Logan: Israel Kamakawiwo'ole - Somewhere Over the Rainbow

13. Tyler: Jake Owen - Anywhere with You

14. Carly: One Republic - Love Runs Out

15. Lucy: Taylor Swift - Shake It Off

16. Clara: Elizabeth Mitchell - Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

17. Kevin: Florida George Line - Cruise

18. Jessi: MKTO - Classic

19. Stefan: The Script - Hall of Fame

Stefan and Jessi always turn out to be our favorite songs, so maybe you guys should just always send us your playlists :)

Ben chose "Dust" and I chose "Dirt." Classy huh ;)

We also chose a "Family Song" that we actually just mean for our little family but some way or another it ended up being the entire family song :) - sorry everyone, hopefully no one hates that song!

I really like the message of the song I chose even though it's not one of those I would play over and over and over.  I think for some reason I stopped listening to that kind of music once I had kids, (not that it's terrible) but I still like it!

Fam Faves Day 4 - Wet Brush

Macey has gotten infinitely better in the last year about me doing her hair, but for a while there I thought we would eternally fight about brushing hair.

I don't have a sensitive head so that probably doesn't help her.

I had heard about this amazing brush from maskcara

but thought I was happy with our current brush.

Then I tried it out at my sister in law's house

and knew I had to have one.

Really, it's an essential hair brush.

Fam Faves Day 3 - Eating Places

This day is for Sweet Mackayla

who has been asking for a while if we're going anywhere for dinner

and I just recently put together that her Love of going to eat at "eating places" is

Restaurants.

Which for our family is awesome because, well, we go out occasionally.

That's what makes her questions so cute.

Technically that makes us NOT an authority on restaurants in the area, but since we only go with highly recommended restaurants from others...maybe this is a pretty good list after all.

In general, I'd rather try something unique over a chain restaurant, but that's just me,

going out is always nice...no cooking or cleaning!

Stack's - Mission Viejo (close to us, rated #1 restaurant in the area by TripAdvisor, take it for what it's worth, kinda like a Denny's but better! We sat on the small sunny porch on a perfect day.)

Rider's Club Cafe - San Clemente (mom and pop, Best Burgers EVER - fresh, EVERYTHING homemade even the pickles.)

South of Nick's - San Clemente (classy, delicious, and with it being Mexican food it's always a winner) I also hear Nick's is good - it's American:)

BJ's Restaurant - Newport Beach, Rancho Santa Margarita, Laguna Beach (Great pizza! and if you go you have to get a pizookie (...so I hear:))

El Maguey's - San Juan Capistrano (I've never been, but Ben loves it and they go there all the time for work meetings.)

California Pizza Kitchen - it's a chain, but it is a good one.

 Cheesecake Factory, Cinnamon Productions, Jalapenos, El Adobe, Sarducci's, Diho Siam

This isn't a complete list of everywhere we've gone, but almost;)

The kids would say McDonald's but I just can't do it anymore. Only on long drives when their tricky invention of nasty playlands lure us there!

Fam Faves Day 2 - Lego Control

This post is inspired by one of Cody's favorite things:

LEGOS!!

And, they are so fun for him...and even the girls

but they have SWARMED and taken over our LIVES!

Enter this contraption:

There are even pockets for favorite pieces, instruction booklets, or "guys" or "weapons."

This is a small contained amount of legos for picture purposes only-not reality. Which is way, way more chaotic.

But when they're done playing all the chaos can quickly be cinched up with the drawstring and hung in a dark corner. 

This was sewn by my incredibly talented aunt. I'm sure she would make more:)!!

Fam Faves Day 1 - Salsummus

This month, at least part of it, we're doing family favorites. Last year I did some of my favorite things, but I thought I would involve everyone this year.

Our first post is a contribution from Ben, the inventor of one of our favorite snacks.

Salsa + Hummus = salsummus

I just made that word up, in case you didn't know :p

But it has to be SPECIFICALLY

Jack's Salsa and Sabra Hummus

otherwise you won't appreciate what we're talking about.

 + 

  It's particularly in good in a classy straw bowl

with your favorite tortilla chips.
We always find them at Costco:)...the ingredients...not the bowl, but now you want a bowl, don't you.

Enjoy!

Some Downtime August Favorites

Every once in a while a little down time is necessary.

Mackayla has a random fever probably from a small cold.

It's nice to just relax.

There won't be many more days that we can.

I am ready for school to start And I am NOT ready.

I have snapped a ton of random pictures of things I like this month. Seriously, random, and kind of fun.

This is the CUTEST wedding invitation I have ever seen.

On the back is the story of how they met.

If I married Ben again now ;) I would do this.

I love our story!

This is at a park we love to go to...

"There are two lasting bequests we can give our children: one is roots, the other is wings."

  Love this board:

 This car sticker says "Yes I can drive a stick." with a little broom in the middle. hehe

 Simple matter of fact, cute children's book.

I want to write our version for our kids.

 This looks cute. I am obsessed with children's books.

 Cody loves chess. This is a Book of Mormon chess set. I love the scripture they include with it in Alma

"And thus it came to pass that by this strategem we did take possession...without the shedding of blood."

Clever:)

I saw this game at the BYU Bookstore.  I'm not sure if it's fun or not, but

Mormon culture is so strange and endearing, it's kind of an innocent way to poke fun at it.

I had a good conversation with a friend who is not mormon today. Until she had become friends with mormons she said she had always thought of them as something of a cult because they kind of group together and are so different in general, not drinking, etc. Now she says she sees it as more that we have built a strong and safe community and become good friends within it.

I always find it fascinating to hear what other people think about it and it's at least made me more aware to reach out to others outside of my comfort zone.

 This is part of my favorite lunch lately:

A toasted english muffin with hummus, fresh tomatoes and sometimes olives on top.

After every vacation I get the post vacation depression that always comes with reality.

In reality there is not always a willing free babysitting grandma who will watch your kids at a moment's notice. The kids really all do have to come to the doctor and the grocery store. There are not always fun things to do and see every single day. K actually there are in California. But doing them every day is unrealistic to a stable life that teaches children to actually work.  Laundry and dirty bathrooms are always looming, as well as bills and dishes.

There's always that little adjustment period where reality and vacation meet and you're all worn out from over partying:) We're lucky to be able to see our families.

Three Little Favorites

Mackayla

What is your favorite color? orange

Favorite food? Corn dog and hot dog

Least favorite food? chicken

Favorite toy? Monkey (no idea what this even is), and a whale

Favorite movie? Dora

Favorite song? Shake your booty

Favorite animal? puppy

Favorite thing to do? Play in the boxes outside and inside

What are you scared of? Monsters

Mackayla - Day Two

What is your favorite color? green

Favorite food? Hot chocolate and toast

Least favorite food? Chicken

Favorite toy? monkey

Favorite movie? Dora Explorer

Favorite song? Giggo

Favorite animal? Deers

Favorite thing to do? Playing with toys, choo choo train

What are you scared of? Dinosaurs

Favorite person? Grandma

A "list" of hers

Mackayla is subtle. People don't know how sharp she is unless they make a point to notice her.

The kids have told her she is shy but I tell her that some kids know how to talk to others and some kids get to learn but she'll be just fine.

Everyday the cross guards at Cody's school wait to hear her cheerful "HI!!!" as we pass by. And she usually updates them on whether or not she has on shoes.

Because she is such a chill child you would never guess that she can chatter NONSTOP in the car. Half the time she says the cutest funniest things but I can't remember them because as I'm trying to stash them in my brain she's yelling, "OK mom?! Ok mom?! Mom!" nonstop.

She loves to interrupt the other two kids when they're excitedly telling me something.

Once she has my attention she'll repeat exactly what they said.

One of her Favorite things to do is draw.

Intricate little pictures that she explains to herself as she draws them.

If Ben isn't home she almost always asks where he is and then says, "Is he at work?" or "Is he at scouts?"

She decided to change right before Cody's baseball game.

Then at the game I realized she was flashing the whole world with her bare bum sticking out of her skirt.

She had taken off her underwear and didn't replace it:)

Luckily I had extra.

 Macey

Favorite color? Pink

Favorite food? Blueberries

Least favorite food? Types of chicken

Favorite toy? My pink dolphin with a heart on it

Favorite movie? My little pony

Favorite song? Shakeable you (from ballet class)

Favorite animal? Cat

Favorite thing to do? Snuggle with mom. Watching tv.

What are you scared of? Dragons. [But really?] Lord Garmedon? (I'm going to add: Flushing the Toilet!)

She puts so much detail and effort into every single paper she does in preschool. 

 One day we were discussing "hobbies."

If you ask me right now, I am going to require my kids to have at least one extra curricular activity to do when they're junior high/high school age. One music and one sport, depending on the dynamics of the kids and how things pan out. I don't know, I'm not there yet.

I asked Macey what she wanted to do for her hobby when she grew up.

She said "school," in this voice that sounded like it would be the coolest thing on the planet if I would let her. So ironically cute. 

Tonight she told me she had decided the earth was a boy. There is a song that talks about the earth, it's a primary children's song but I can't pinpoint it right now, and it says "she" for the earth.

But, she reasoned, the earth is made in boy colors, so it must be a boy.

This girl really wants to be understood. 

She goes to great great lengths to explain things and make sure she's understood.

Cody

Favorite color? Green, blue and black

Favorite food? Cooked tortillas with jelly and peanut butter

Least favorite food? Rice

Favorite toy? All of them

Favorite movie? Imaginext

Favorite song? Radioactive by Pentatonix and Lindsey stirling

Favorite animal? Alligator

Favorite things to do? play legos, chess, Sudoku, baseball, handball

What are you scared of? being lost.

We have hundreds of these drawings.

We always let the kids brings stuff to draw with at church and Cody fills papers with guys, beasts, volcanoes, tornadoes, sharks, you name it.

This is a school project for mother's day. First he used pencil, then crayon, then watercolor. I love it!

Cody's school talks to them about eating healthy.

They must be pretty convincing because one day I put a cookie in Cody's school lunch and he didn't eat it because it's not healthy (that's a big deal for my little food inhaler.)

The kids were discussing Cookie Monster and Mackayla said "I love cookie monster"

to which Cody answered

"Oh, he is so not healthy."