Team Crandall

Gabe is gunning for a spot on the 2022 US Ski Team

2010-02-23T19:37:00.004-05:00

Not bad for a four year old!

July 4th

2009-07-05T13:15:00.002-05:00

We went to the Macy's NYC Fireworks, which are advertised as the largest in the country. Since they moved the fireworks to the Hudson River this year, we took the train to Hoboken and watched them from there. Asiya was uninterested. Gabe liked them but was more excited when we were buzzed a few times by an NYPD helicopter. On the train ride home Asiya got her second wind and was waving and blowing kisses to people on the train!

Curls Crandall

2009-06-27T22:22:00.000-05:00

Asiya's curly hair is now in full effect. Don't let the innocent look fool you, however. This girl can hold her own!

Gabe graduated preschool!

2009-06-27T22:14:00.000-05:00

Gabe had the best year in preschool. He has made great progress in his letters, and now knows them all, can spell and write his name and read some basic words. Nicole and Nicky, his teachers, are passionate about their kids, and really adore Gabe. Week after week, Gabe would come home with some random piece of knowledge about pyramids, Alaska, knights, etc.

Gabe frequently brought home a prize (toy) for being a great listener. He seems to listen so well at school that he has no more capability to do so when he gets home.... hmmm.

Gabe battles an invisible monster in the backyard

2009-06-03T19:55:00.000-05:00

Asiya turned one!

2009-04-25T16:19:00.004-05:00

We had great weather for Asiya's birthday party. Asiya was a bit overwhelmed with all the attention, but enjoyed herself, especially the cake! Pete fired up the new BBQ and made some tasty kabobs. Gabe thought it might be fun to run through the backyard with his eyes closed, and unfortunately discovered what bloody noses are like in the process. All in all, it was a lot of fun.

Asiya's addiction

2009-03-19T21:26:00.006-05:00

Asiya is addicted to her pacifiers. She only like the blue ones, and they have to be available at all times. When Asiya goes to bed or down for a nap, her crib has to be pre-loaded. By that I mean that she has to have one pacifier in her mouth, and one in each hand. Anything less will cause Asiya to cry and not sleep easily!

Spring is here!

2009-03-18T17:52:00.002-05:00

Are we Communicating?

2009-02-26T10:08:00.005-05:00

Gabe was playing with Natascha's phone, pushing lots of buttons. Natascha asked him what he was doing, he said "Nothing. Someone is texting me."

Asiya just this week also started putting the phone to her ear, and "talking". She gets bored though, and starts trying to eat the phone.

I figure they will have their own devices by age 8.

Brothers & Sisters

2009-02-21T14:57:00.000-05:00

Asiya finds her voice

2009-01-22T18:16:00.001-05:00

Asiya started crawling this week, throwing us for a loop. Suddenly we realized how unprepared we were for her new mobility. Gone are the days of planting Asiya in a spot with a toy and getting a solid 5 minute breather. This girl can move! Asiya is also (vocally) making it clear to us what she doesn't appreciate. Chief complaints: taking something from her that she found interesting, and wiping her face when it is covered with food, drool, etc. Asiya does more than complain though - when I come in the room her eyes light up and she says "DA DA DA!"

Giant plans

2009-01-19T23:06:00.000-05:00

Gabe has decided his career/life goals. We ask him sometimes what he wants to be when he grow up, trying to get a sense of what he is thinking. Gabe now says that when he grows up he wants to be an “all aboard”, also known as a train conductor. Just when we start to imagine him working on a train, he said that when he gets even bigger he wants to be a policeman, and when he gets really big he wants to be a giant. I guess I had better start saving up for giant schooling. Is that a four year program?

Christmas 2008

2008-12-27T21:48:00.002-05:00

The Crandalls decided to all get together for Christmas this year. Mary Ann's absence was felt strongly, but we knew this is what she would have wanted. Josh & Mindy hosted in State College, and did a great job with the food and activities. Gabe had a lot of fun snow tubing at Tussey Mountain. Gabe wanted to go on run after run until he literally fell asleep in his snow tube as it was flying down the mountain.

Indecision ‘08

2008-11-13T18:05:00.000-05:00

For a variety of reasons I was unhappy with my Presidential choices this year. After a lot of thought and consideration I realized that I was permanently undecided. I wasn’t sure what to do, and then came upon a great idea. I decided to let Gabe vote for me! Gabe was already aware of the election. One evening after watching the news Gabe said, “Joe the Plumber has a runny diaper”.

The night before the election I made sure Gabe was aware of his choices. When I told he had to choose between Obama and McCain, he renamed them ‘November’ and ‘Mechanic’. The night we voted Gabe was in the booth with me, and I asked who he wanted to vote for. “Mechanic!” So we voted for “Mechanic”. When we got home and started watching the early returns I told him Obama was winning, and I reminded him that he voted for “Mechanic”. He said “No, I voted for Obama”. I guess he saw the way it was headed…..

Haloween 2008

2008-10-31T23:06:00.000-05:00

Gabe was Pablo from Backyardigans, his favorite show and the only one he watches. Gabe went to about 10 homes for candy and got bored. He had more fun giving out candy to the other kids. Asiya just soaked it all in.

Too cute for words

2008-10-26T08:25:00.000-05:00

Pete turned 40!

2008-10-09T22:55:00.001-05:00

We had a great night out. Dinner was at Tao, which was awesome. They really knew how to do it up! I don't feel 40, but I guess I don;t really feel 18 either.

Gabe turned 3!

2008-10-03T08:36:00.002-05:00

Gabe had a great birthday at the New Jersey Children's Museum. Fourteen of his friends helped him celebrate, and a lot of fun was had by all. The theme was fire trucks, and Gabe loved wearing his fire hat!

Our little cutie

2008-07-06T10:49:00.001-05:00

Hiatus

2008-07-06T10:37:00.003-05:00

The last few months have been some of the hardest of my life. Mary Ann Crandall, my mom, died on February 23, 2008. She is missed tremendously.

Mary Ann dearly wanted to see her newest grandchild enter this world. Asiya MaryAnn Crandall was born on April 16, 2008. She is a healthy baby and a true joy to our lives.

Halloween 2007

2007-11-01T20:16:00.000-05:00

Gabe was into Halloween this year, unlike last year when he was pretty much oblivious. We talked all week how he was going to be a Monkey for Halloween, and he was excited to don his costume for the daycare festivities. When it came time to trick or treat, Gabe had more fun bouncing down the street than getting candy. Later he had fun giving other kids candy at our house..... until a kid with a scary mask scared the bejesus out of him! Gabe recovered in short order.

Latest Gabe funnies

2007-10-18T16:01:00.000-05:00

Gabe has favorite songs now, and not surprisingly his musical tastes favor Alternative Rock. He likes Beck, The Killers, Morrissey, etc. His favorite song right now is All These Things That I've Done by The Killers. Gabe calls it the "I like Soda" song. We don't let Gabe drink soda, but he asks for it often. This Killers song has the following refrain: "I got soul, but I'm not a soldier" and repeats it about 10 times. I LIKE SODA!

Gabe has also decided that he can drive the car. Hey, he has been watching us drive him around for 2 years now and Gabe thinks he has it down. When we unbuckle his carseat now Gabe springs into the front seat and plops himself down to drive. He turns the steering wheel, flicks switches and tries to shift. He has 14 more years to practice...

Gabe turned Two!

2007-09-17T21:31:00.000-05:00

Gabe had a great birthday party! We had 8 of his friends over, including his best friends from daycare. All the kids had a lot of fun. Gabe was so pumped up on sugar, excitement, and presents that he did not nap at all. Finally at 9pm, Pete was exhausted, but Gabe was still bouncing off the walls, so Pete put Gabe in his crib. As soon as Gabe went horizontal his eyes rolled back into his head and he was asleep. Whew!

Jo Jo, Janik, Michael, and Gabe

Gabe and Janik

Gabe, Janik, and Anna

Summer 2007

2007-09-05T21:18:00.000-05:00

We had a great summer! We spent a week with the extended Crandall clan up in the White Mountains of New Hampshire in a rented house on a lake. Gabe had a lot of fun with his cousins, in the water, and boating around the lake. We all went to the Land of Make Believe, a great amusement park for little kids.

Gabe also had some local beach days. The most recent time we went he started calling out for "More sand, more water!" before we had even parked the car. Of course, playing in back yard in the water can be plenty fun when it's hot too!

At the tail end of the summer we took Gabe to the Land of Make Believe, another little kid's amusement park, and with the added benefit of a water park. Gabe could not get enough of the water. We took him on one water slide that was over his age level but by far his favorite. Each time he came sliding out of the enclosed water slide he would be faced a different direction, sometimes face down. As soon as Natascha would get him standing up and out of the water he would yell "Again! Again!". We did this about 15 times. There were other children years older who were much more timid...

The world according to Gabe

2007-08-06T09:00:00.000-05:00

Here are some recent Gabe highlights:

Gabe is very conscious of the summer heat. He says "AC on" within minutes of waking up or entering our warm house or car. I am thrilled... Natascha not so much.

Gabe is suddenly into stuffed animals. He mostly ignored them for the first 22 months of his life, with the exception of his Elmo, which has more to do with his Elmo obsession than being a stuffed animal. Recently, however, Gabe has started to like to go down for a nap or bed with his stuffed animals all lined up next to him going to "bed" as well.

Gabe went wild the other day when they did a "18" segment on Sesame street. Each episode includes a special video highlight of a number, and 18 struck a note with Gabe. He runs around the house screaming "18" with glee, watching the kids dance and play and make 18's on the TV. Gabe will ask to see it over and over. "More 18!".