The Youngest of the Kratt's

Wisconsin Winter

2012-01-19T13:24:00.005-06:00

We visited Derrick's parents in Wisconsin again this past Christmas. We had a wonderful time and it was definitely hard to get back into our regular routine when we got home. Joan and Ken thoroughly entertained us this year like always. Here are some pictures of the kiddos sledding and snowmobile time.

Ciara's 1st Haircut

2011-12-15T13:02:00.000-06:00

Ciara just got her first haircut last night. It was much needed along with William's haircut. William has spent the last few months constantly sweeping his hair out of his eyes with his hand and telling us he doesn't need a haircut. Ciara's hair was so long in the front that it kept getting stuck in her nose secretions. Pretty gross stuff, huh. I know. It's fun being a mom. Here are before and after shots.

2011-11-06T13:37:00.000-06:00

I have decided to start a new challenge today. I've been following this site DoNotDepart.com and they have lots of resources to provide assistance in your Walk with the Lord. Starting today, they have a new challenge to memorize Romans 8. I have only tried memorizing one part of the Bible before (1 Corinthians 13) and I would like to try more and hopefully have it stick in my mind for life versus just a few months. The pace seems good for my schedule and I can't wait to see how the journey goes. Join me!

William's 3rd Birthday

2011-10-18T09:50:00.003-05:00

William turned 3 on October 12 and we celebrated his birthday with family on Saturday, October 15. We sang happy birthday to him on his actual birthday and he didn't like it one bit. He yelled at us to stop and ran away. I thought he would get over it but before people came over for his party he told me he didn't want anyone to sing to him because it scares him. It just seems weird to have a party without the song though so being the evil mom I am we gave it one more try with the birthday cupcakes. He burst into tears as everyone began to sing happy birthday and dad had to hold him until the song was over. He managed to get himself back together in time to blow out the candles. I'm hoping this hasn't scarred him for life! Note to self - listen to your children!

William received 2 gifts of $20 each in cards. Isaac tried to convince William to share one of the $20 with him. I think William would have agreed considering he doesn't understand what money is yet. Too bad for Isaac that we overheard his plan and put an end to it.

Cub Scout Popcorn

2011-09-22T10:10:00.003-05:00

Isaac just started cub scouts and their big fundraiser for popcorn has begun. I've attached the flyer here so if its something you are interested in feel free to hit us up. Let us know as we have most of the items in stock already and there is no waiting... Hey you can't go wrong with popcorn right!!!!

Popcorn Flyer

The Gift of Grace

2011-09-12T15:33:00.003-05:00

It's amazing what you can learn from your children. Isaac has been learning about grace in Sunday school the past few weeks. One Sunday he told us that grace is what we get from God but we can also get it from others. He gave an example of grace he had received from dad when he got to go on a bike ride with him even though he hadn't been very nice and had made some bad choices. He said that he didn't deserve to go on the bike ride but dad took him anyway and that was grace. He explained that God has enough grace for everyone. There have been other times throughout the week when Isaac will point out times when he sees grace happening and he has prayed for grace during the dinner prayer and thanked God for grace. Then I read this blog (http://modsquadblog.com/2011/09/overflowing-grace/) that was all about grace. One part really stood out, a hymn:

Grace, grace, God's grace. Grace that will pardon and cleanse within.
Grace, grace, God's grace. Grace that is greater than all our sin.

I am positive God is trying to tell me something.
I must need a reminder that God's grace is enough and that I should offer grace to others.
Thanks for the lesson Isaac.

Laundry Baskets

2011-08-24T14:54:00.003-05:00

Kids just seem to love laundry baskets. Ciara likes to "help" me do laundry by grabbing clothes out of the basket and throwing them in different places around the living room. William and Isaac like to make forts with them. I can remember a picture my mom took of me as a child sitting in a laundry basket with a bunch of other stuff shoved in there and I had sunglasses on. Don't know what that was all about. Anyway, the other day I got out the laundry baskets and this big tub that we store stuffed animals in and the kiddos decided to sit in them, fill them up with stuff, pull each other around in them, and ask me to pull them around at warp speed. I took a few pictures of them actually sitting still in the baskets. I need to get these out more often!

Wearing Mom's Shoes

2011-08-22T14:00:00.003-05:00

Ciara is fascinated with shoes. She spends all day going around picking up all the shoes she can find and trying to smash them on her feet. She can't actually get them on by herself yet but she won't give up. She also likes to carry shoes around as if they are toys. It makes it difficult for the boys to find shoes when it is time to go somewhere. Lately, she likes trying on my shoes. Here are pics of her trying to walk in them.

When I tell Ciara to smile for the picture she always sticks her face towards the camera and does this silly little smile.

Now she found her own shoes to put on.

Isaac's 1st Day of 1st Grade

2011-08-17T10:27:00.003-05:00

Today is Isaac's 1st day of 1st grade. I didn't cry this year. Surprised myself. I miss him already though. The other kiddos don't know quite what to play with because Isaac isn't here to lead the activities. I just hope he really enjoys this school year!

The whole family walked Isaac to the bus stop this morning. We are trying to make this a family tradition.

Getting Caught Up

2011-07-26T10:10:00.008-05:00

The month of July is flying by. We have just 3 weeks until school starts and I still have so many things on my summer to do list. I decided to compile a few pictures from each of our important July events and post them together. Here they are.

Ciara thinks she is in charge of filling up the pool. She actually does a really great job!

Swimming in our pool has become almost a daily activity with the heat we are having.

We celebrated both Ciara and Lucy's Birthdays this month. Lucy turned 2 and Ciara turned 1!

William enjoyed helping Ciara eat her pink icing!

Isaac has lost a total of 6 teeth in the past year or so. He lost 3 of them just recently all on the top. I just love when he smiles because he looks adorable! This picture doesn't do him justice.

Vegetables

2011-07-01T10:24:00.003-05:00

I am so glad we decided to plant vegetables this year. Actually, I decided to do it last year but couldn't muster up the energy until this year. We are now reaping the rewards of our work. We have green beans (not quite ready to pick), carrots (not ready at all), lettuce (already picked some and had for dinner Wednesday night), and zucchini (picked this morning by Isaac and William and hope to have for dinner tonight). I love being able to go in the backyard and get food for free. I love how excited the boys get when picking the vegetables. They may not eat them but they are starting to understand that vegetables don't just appear in the grocery store. They can see where they come from and the whole process. It's so cool!!!

My Picture Taker

2011-06-22T14:23:00.005-05:00

William loves using the camera to take pictures of anything and everything. He likes being in front of and behind the camera. He helps me to remember to capture our fun moments around the house. Here are a few pictures of the kids that I couldn't help but share.

One of Ciara's favorite pastimes - crawling up the stairs and looking back to see if someone is coming to get her. Then she giggles!

Isaac is usually the first to the stairs to rescue Ciara. He is such a wonderful big brother to her!

Look at that cheesy grin!

Ciara and Lucy wearing almost matching outfits.

All 5 Kiddos

2011-06-18T16:00:00.004-05:00

The other day Isaac managed to get himself and the other 4 kids [this includes William and Ciara, and Jayden and Lucy (the 2 kiddos I watch for other families)] up on this bench seat we have by our front window. He then shouted at me to take a picture so this is what I got.

It can get pretty busy around here sometimes!

Pictures of My Sweet Ciara

2011-06-14T09:49:00.003-05:00

Ciara is learning to walk. She loves to stand but her favorite mode of transportation is still crawling. Fine by me! I want her to stay my baby for a while longer!

She loves to have her picture taken and gets right up in the camera. Look at her beautiful little face! What a cutie!

Marathon Blog

2011-06-06T08:27:00.002-05:00

I started a new blog to talk about the marathon and some of the training progress.

Kratt Adventures

Runners Blog 1

2011-06-04T05:22:00.002-05:00

So we are into week 2 of our training program. I will try to upload our program when I get a chance. Last week was our first week of adding a saturday to our program for long runs but it had to be modified because of VB nationals as I was out of town.

This is the first week of an actual additional day. We are scheduled for 8 miles and this will be the longest I have run so far. The longest I have done has been a 10k which is about 6.2 miles.

The trail at legacy has been quite eventful. One morning along our run we saw 4 rabbits, a turkey, a skunk, a deer. We see quite a bit of animals on the trail as it goes in and out of the woods.

Well I hope to start a small journal as weeks go on either on this blog or possibly create a new one. Wish me luck.

My Wonderful Husband

2011-05-31T09:33:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow, June 1, is Derrick's birthday. He has been out of town for the past few days and we have missed him like crazy! He went to Texas for Volleyball Nationals and is headed back to us this evening.

I just want to say how much I need Derrick in my life. He makes each day happier and easier for me and our three children. I can't imagine doing the single parent thing long term. I was reading about single parenting on another blog the other day and they were mentioning how 2 parent homes have the ability to tag team. When one parent gets worn out and is no longer their usual patient and loving self (haha) the other parent can step in and take over. They give each other mini-breaks to lighten the load. This doesn't happen when you are single parenting. You are always on, always in charge, always responsible. Even when you go to sleep at night. I have so much respect for single parents. I don't know how you do it. I think you are incredible. My version of a superhero!

Thank goodness Derrick is coming back to us because I certainly need a partner to do life with and I can't imagine doing life with anyone else. I love you Derrick! Happy Birthday one day early!

Random Pictures

2011-05-20T10:39:00.002-05:00

We borrowed our friend's truck a few weekends ago so that we could go pick up dirt for a raised vegetable garden. Isaac and William loved shoveling the dirt into buckets so that Derrick could carry the dirt to the backyard. They didn't even realize how much work they were doing!

One of the things my kids love to do is pull each other around in these toy bins that we usually store balls and stuffed animals in. Isaac is usually the one pulling and in this case Ciara is loving the ride.

Isaac has been looking forward to Take Your Child to Work Day for a very long time. He finally got to go with Derrick this year now that he is 6. It was so cute watching him get ready for his day at work and I just had to take a picture of my two men.

Addition to our Preschool

2011-05-19T15:12:00.003-05:00

Many of you know that I watch a little girl named Lucy in my home. This past Monday I started watching another little one named Jaydon. He is 15 months old and so far things are going really well. He fits right in with our group (William - 31 months, Lucy - 22 months, Jaydon - 15 months, and Ciara - 10 months + Isaac before and after school). He is only coming part time (Monday and Wednesday) through the summer and then he will have a different schedule in the Fall. We played in the back yard a little this week (on the non-rainy days). Here are a couple pictures that I took while Ciara was napping.

Letter W

2011-05-05T10:51:00.003-05:00

I have started focusing on a letter of the week with Lucy and William. Last week we started with W and we did a W coloring page along with a W craft. Both kids love coloring, gluing, painting, and basically doing anything crafty that I can allow with my obsessive tendencies to need things clean and organized. I've tried letting them cut but it has been too frustrating for both of them so far. We made a W watermelon - I got this idea from http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/letter-of-the-week/uppercase. Love this site and many others that have great ideas about integrating a letter of the week naturally into your child's play. Here are pictures of Lucy and William with their finished watermelons.

Easter Fun

2011-05-03T09:49:00.005-05:00

I have been taking so many pictures lately that I want to blog about and I just realized I left out all our Easter pics. Here are some of the fun experiences we had during Easter.

Isaac and William were making this sweet treat that represent Jesus in the tomb. We just finished reading the Easter Story and I think Isaac is understanding more what Easter is all about which is such a good feeling.

William is opening up Easter eggs while Ciara watches.

Ciara got her 1st baby doll for Easter. She likes to squeeze it and bite it so far.

Isaac got a jump rope as one of his presents from the Easter Bunny.

Isaac is looking for eggs in the backyard with all his cousins.

Here is part of the group of cousins eating Easter lunch together. Look at big brother Dominic helping his sister Izabelle with her drink. What a sweetie!

Cute Kiddo Pics

2011-04-29T15:11:00.002-05:00

Just came across these cute pics and thought I would share them!

Gardening Progress

2011-04-28T09:34:00.004-05:00

This past weekend we got outside to work on planting some flowers. Isaac was a huge help and was very excited to dig in the dirt. He actually did most of the planting and I just indicated which plants I wanted planted in various areas around the house. We still haven't planted impatiens in the back yet. I am hoping to get to them this weekend. We also haven't planted any of the vegetables but we did get our raised planter beds set up and we are going to pick up dirt this weekend to fill them up. I can't believe how expensive dirt can be. Here are a few pictures showing the progress we have made so far.

Isaac planting our petunias in our deck box.

Getting ready to plant dianthus in the front and side of the house.

Digging in the mulch.

Our clematis was planted last spring and it is doing really well climbing the trellis. Can't wait for them to bloom!

Derrick is leveling out the ground under one double set of raised planters. We have another one identical sitting next to this one. I can't wait to have fresh veggies out of our own garden. We love to grill out vegetables and this will be a huge budget saver.

Lock-In at Church

2011-04-27T15:44:00.002-05:00

Isaac went to his first lock-in at Church on Friday, April 15. I wasn't sure if he would make it to the sleeping part or if he would opt to come home with me. I'm happy to report that he did it! He made it through the whole night. He woke up about 5 in the morning and his group leader consoled him back to sleep, so I'm very grateful Scott was there for him. One of the activities that night was temporary tattooing and here is a picture of what he got done.

Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-16T14:16:00.004-05:00

I took Isaac, William, and Ciara to an Easter Egg Hunt at Derrick's work. William is still trying to understand why he is supposed to pick plastic eggs up off the floor and put them in a basket. Isaac just wanted to collect as many as possible because he knows the reward inside. He even wanted to collect eggs for Ciara during her age group hunt but I was the "mean mommy" and told him we didn't need any more candy.

They had the balloon artist make them swords with holsters.
They couldn't wait to get home and battle!

Let the Planting Begin

2011-04-12T20:21:00.007-05:00

The past couple of weeks we have been learning all about Spring. Some of our activities have included reading books about Spring, planting flowers in our pots that we painted, planting tomato plants, singing songs about Spring, and working on a preschool pack all about gardening (we got some of our printables from the following location - http://homeschoolcreations.com/gardenpreschoolpack.html). Lucy and William loved playing with the dirt and watering their plants. I can see that I won't have to worry about the plants getting too dry! Here are some pictures from our 2 week study.

Concentrating!

Ciara loves to be a part of everything Lucy and William are doing!

Play Time!

Preparing for Our Family Garden

2011-03-31T14:55:00.008-05:00

I have decided to plant flowers again this year and hopefully some vegetables. I had this plan last year also but I was very pregnant at the time with Ciara and couldn't bend over at all by the time I got around to planting. My mom was my savior last year. She came over and took me plant shopping and suggested some easier maintenance plants and she also spent the day planting what we purchased. She got Isaac involved in the planting and he still talks about how much fun he had. We didn't get around to veggies last year but I would really love to make it happen this year. We love grilling out vegetables and it would be so much more affordable to grow them ourselves! Here are my plans for our garden. I am putting it out there so I will be held accountable and increase my chances of following through.

Last year we did flowers in the mulch right up against the house and I plan on doing the same thing this year. My mom suggested Impatiens because they live through almost anything and that's what I want again this year. Isaac and William love watering the flowers and sometimes they get a little carried away so these flowers will be for them.

My mom bought me this trellis last year and we planted 2 perennials here and I am hoping they come back and work their way back up like vines.

The family who lived here before us planted perennials here and they are already starting to come up again this year. Also, they planted Lilies that will pop up later in the year. Less work for me - yeah!

My plan is to clean out the garage this weekend so that I can get to my planting supplies including some planter boxes I have for the front porch.

The planter boxes will go here and will include flowers that I haven't yet decided on. Any suggestions?

I have been checking out some other blogs about gardening with your little ones and I found this site that has so many great ideas and has put together a preschool pack (http://homeschoolcreations.com/gardenpreschoolpack.html). Starting next week we are going to be doing many of the activities out of the pack along with some ideas I had. William is holding 2 of our projects. Lucy (age 1), William (age 2), and Isaac (age 6) are going to plant tomato plants and they are going to paint some butterfly pots and plant grass seed for our own version of a Chia pet. I can't wait. My plan for the vegetables hasn't quite come together yet. I am waiting to make sure we don't have any more expected freezing temperatures coming up. I would like to do a couple of raised plant beds and plant zucchini, squash, and green beans. I don't want to go overboard the first year. I'll post pictures to show you how we are coming along next week. Wish us luck!

9 Debts Paid Off!!!

2011-03-22T14:07:00.002-05:00

We have 9 debts paid off so far!!!! We'll be down to the Car, School Loans and one card after the end of April.

Its been tough to get on top of it, but it is such a relief to have some of that weight lifted off.

Its Official !!!!!

2011-02-23T08:05:00.008-06:00

Well, I am officially signed up for the marathon in Chicago in October.

As my brother said.... Game Time!!!!!

Search Results ( 1 to 2 of 2

Reg ID

First Name

Last Name

Gender

Age

City

State

Citz

39526309

Derrick

Kratt

Blue Springs

USA

39528933

Logan

Kratt

Lees Summit

USA

Chicago Marathon

2011-01-20T12:41:00.004-06:00

Chicago Marathon is set for Oct. 9th 11'

Registration starts Feb 1st.

Chicago here we come!!!! Let the pain begin, bring it on.

Christmas Family Pics

2011-01-09T17:44:00.004-06:00

It was good to see everyone over the holidays. First time we had everyone together since our wedding date I believe. Even Brent made it in.

Gingerbread Houses

2010-12-20T10:38:00.004-06:00

We spent last Friday night making Gingerbread Houses over at Brandee and Logan's house. We had such a wonderful time and are so thankful that Brandee, Logan, and Family have moved close to us. Here is the process and the final products.

December -- Get Fit

2010-12-01T11:36:00.003-06:00

So December is my official kick-off to getting fit and trim. I have buddied up with Logan and trying to make it to the gym in the mornings prior to work. We are mostly doing cardio and then lifting. We are going to try out the racquetball courts as they become available.

My employer is doing a weight loss challenge this year. I'm the team captain for it and I had to organize a minimim of 10 team members. Basically what it is, the Cabinet (executives,ceo, etc.) have a team that is the benchmark. It is a year challenge. The top team to beat the cabinet, each member wins a paid family trip to disney or something like that. The next top 30 teams win an extra week vacation.

Its based on percentage loss, not total pounds. Within our team we are also doing a challenge, that for that month the top percentage loser, gets a half day off. I could only pull that off for the members within my immediate team though. Mostly for extra motivation.

My goal is to drop 27 pounds by October 11' while getting trim and fit.... :)

So now that I've announced it here, I'm held accountable right... Well i'm going to try to track my progress as I go as well.

Thanksgiving .... A success

2010-11-30T08:40:00.002-06:00

Mom and Dad came down over thanksgiving. It was a nice get together.

Isaac new favorite game is domino's. We can't get him away from it now. He loves it.

We made it out to the events center and did some ice skating.

Put up lights outside for the first time. It doesn't look half bad either.

Our Financial Journey

2010-11-16T08:56:00.002-06:00

Well, we have decided to acknowledge that we want to make a change. And realized that we can't continue down the path that we are on.... We have decided to 'live like no one else, so later we can live like no one else."

We are taking on snowballs, and snow flakes, and putting avalanches to our plan.

We have become Gazelle like, and focused intensity....

What is it you may ask??? Well, we have prayed about it and know this is what we want to do. We are taking on Dave Ramsey's Plan. We are tackling his 7 baby step plan to financial freedom.

We have cut up our credit cards. Setup a plan, and are tackling it.

Step 1 is done.

Step 2 is in progress , and will be for a while.

I've gone around the house and listed anything we can sell up in the classifieds.

1 Debt is gone, and 2 more should be gone next month.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T09:23:00.005-05:00

Pumpkin Patch Pics

Pumpkin Carving

Halloween with Cousins

Marathon, who's with me???

2010-09-23T18:31:00.003-05:00

I chatted with Logan the other day and although it was mostly in casual conversation, I'm pretty serious about committing to this.

Although the longest I've run is a 10k, I want to say I've run a marathon in my life, and its a good goal for me to work towards. I haven't decided which one, there is a marathon in Chicago in October '11 that Logan mentioned. There is also one in kc I believe or one near Kenosha, Taylor mentioned.

Who's up for it? Sign on the dotted line....

Knee Surgery 9/23

2010-09-23T18:22:00.003-05:00

They made the cuts and did not do any ACL work, so that is good. To be honest, I don't know all the details of what they did do, as I was out of it. My understanding was just cleaning up the tears on the meniscus.

My knee is pretty swollen right now and still quite numb, as they did a block just in case they did acl work, so i could probably cut it off and wouldn't even know its there. I arrived at 8a, and was home by 1:15p

Follow up appointment is Oct. 8th. Hopefully i'm off the crutches soon, and can start some light activities soon.

Isaac's 1st Soccer Game

2010-09-01T15:53:00.002-05:00

Isaac recently started soccer and I have to say we are enjoying this much more than T-Ball. Instead of hearing parents yell at kids to get out of the dirt, I hear parents cheering on their children as they run up and down the field on the sidelines.

William always wants us to take pictures of him.
Here he is getting kind of hot watching the game.

William and Ciara

2010-09-01T15:46:00.002-05:00

Here are some new pictures of William and Ciara hanging out at home.

What happened to all of Ciara's hair! I guess she's going bald.'

William is singing the alphabet and Ciara looks like she is singing along.

Isaac's 1st Day of Kindergarten

2010-08-18T14:22:00.005-05:00

Isaac had his 1st day of kindergarten today. He got to ride the bus to school and we went with him to his stop to take pictures and then drove up to school to take more pictures.

Here are a few of them.

Isaac ready for school at home.

Isaac waiting at the bus stop.

Isaac getting on the bus.

Isaac getting off the bus at school.

Isaac next to his classroom door.

Ciara's 1st Stroller Ride

2010-07-20T08:03:00.004-05:00

On Saturday night we went for our 1st walk as a family of 5. As you can see from the pictures, Ciara had her own stroller pushed by Derrick and Isaac pulled William in the bike trailer attached to his bike. I didn't have to do anything. I could get use to this!

Hospital Pics

2010-07-15T21:26:00.006-05:00

Here is the hospital's program that took pictures... Click through the photos on the bottom to see different selections.

Meet the Baby (click link)

Here's your Visitor Password: 69531303248636

You might also be asked to enter the first four letters of Mom's last name.

Isaac and William sitting by Ciara

2010-07-15T07:37:00.002-05:00

Boys come and visit

2010-07-15T07:21:00.004-05:00

The boys got to come and visit their new sister last night. I think William is a little nervous but Isaac seems eager to new addition.

Ciara Rosemary

2010-07-14T12:26:00.005-05:00

New baby Girl in the family. Ciara Rosemary was born 11a on 7/14 at 7 lbs 7 oz.
Amy started having contractions around 4a and a few hours later, out she comes... Mom and Ciara are recovering well.

T-Ball is complete

2010-07-08T17:27:00.001-05:00

T-Ball has come to an end, we had our end of the season party at DQ. It had its ups and downs but hopefully isaac learned a little bit.

I know rainbows are cool... but cmon....

2010-07-08T17:24:00.003-05:00

See more funny videos and TBT Videos at Today's Big Thing.

Outdoor Fun

2010-04-12T15:06:00.003-05:00

My boys sure love to go outside. Isaac would stay outside all day if I let him. He loves climbing the tree in our front yard. William says he wants to go outside the minute he wakes up in the morning. It's one of the words we can clearly understand him saying because he says it so often!

Pictures of the boys

2010-04-02T15:47:00.002-05:00

We got pictures of the boys finally. Man how they have grown so fast.

T-Ball Meeting

2010-03-29T10:36:00.003-05:00

Ok, we had our first t-ball meeting today at our house. We had 10 families over at the house and at least it wasn't a disaster. We tried to keep it moving and we got accomplished what we needed to at least. I need to make sure i have the practices planned out pretty well because I know they are going to lose focus. Hope it goes well.

I only had to tell Isaac to stop wrestling with one of the boys only a couple times... hehe

T-Ball Endeavor

2010-03-23T11:42:00.002-05:00

Ok, I was asked to coach t-ball this summer. With an already crazy schedule, I've been told this is like herding sheep. Hopefully I can find enough things to keep them entertained and they still get something out of it... :)

Basement Progress

2010-03-03T08:37:00.004-06:00

So this has been my latest project on the house. As you can see I've made some decent progress. We have just got insulation done and will soon be starting drywall. We designed for a cabinet/sink area along with a circle table. A corner area to hold all of the book/games, a media room section, along with a hobby room and bathroom.

I'm excited to move forward with it and start enjoying it down there.

Volleyball in Phoenix

2010-02-25T05:21:00.001-06:00

So, I'm headed with my men's team to the 2010 USA Volleyball Adult Championships this June in Phoenix, Arizona. Is anybody out there part of a business or know of a business that would be interested in sponsoring us to help cover some of the costs? Ideas?

William's 1st Black Eye

2010-02-13T20:09:00.003-06:00

On Monday of this last week, Isaac's head met up with William's eye and caused a real shiner! The pictures don't do it justice. It has almost completely healed by this point, just a little yellow under his eye. I'm sure this is just the first of many!

Isaac - Turns 5

2010-02-07T06:29:00.002-06:00

Isaac turned 5!!!! Wow, he is growing so fast. His birthday spanned over the wisconsin trip, we also had the pleasure of having logan visit, so Isaac got to see Uncle Logan on his birthday. These are a few of the pics during the parties.

Christmas Pics Finally

2010-02-07T06:24:00.004-06:00

So things have been pretty hectic and crazy around here We finally got around to hooking the camera up to the computer. We've endured a move, a christmas, a birthday since our last post. I'll start with the christmas album here.

Moving Weekend

2009-12-15T06:41:00.002-06:00

Well, moving day is upon us, and behind us. We got all the stuff out of the old place and into the new. I'm glad the move is complete. Now onto all the unpacking and honeydo lists.

I got the shower handle leak fixed. I also got the 1/2 bath on the lower level fixed as well. I ended up having to replace the whole faucet/handles. I also was able to get to the tub caulking, and got it all replaced. The only thing we have left to do that was found on the inspection side to address, is a flashing re-caulk on the roof and weather stripping on the back door.

We got all the dining room furniture installed and we love it. The office is setup as well. Internet and phone are up and running. Our cell phones work ok on the second floor but not very well on the main floor. If you want to call us on the home line its 816.229.4599.

We gave up cable... but we get all the local channels on the major networks so its for the best. :)

I think I'll work on organizing the garage today, and getting my bikes, other things hung on the wall.

Thanksgiving Feast

2009-12-02T07:33:00.002-06:00

We got back from thanksgiving break with the Brewers and the Parents. A good time was had by all. Isaac had a great time playing so much with Brooke, and Will had a great time following bella around and trying to play with her. It was good to see family and get together. Good food as always as everyone did a great job with the meal....

Curious George

2009-11-12T13:47:00.002-06:00

Isaac and I went to the Sprint Center last week and saw Curious George Live. Other than the fact we got a little lost on the way to the Sprint Center and spent extra time looking for our car after the show, we had a wonderful time! Here are some pics from our mother - son date!

Halloween Adventures

2009-11-03T09:32:00.004-06:00

We have had so much going on lately I am just now getting caught up on posting all of the Halloween activities. Isaac and I baked cookies and Isaac iced them. We all went to Derrick's work Halloween party last week. Finally, we finished our halloween festivities at a Halloween party at my friend Gina's and then trick-or-treating with my sister's family Halloween night around our neighborhood. We had so much fun!!!

Isaac rolling out the dough.

Isaac icing the cookies in his underwear!

William is in to climbing up chairs so he can find things to eat or drink on tables. This is at Derrick's work party.

Derrick and Isaac were standing in line at a balloon artist. Isaac had her make him some wings. A couple days later William bit into the balloon wings and when they popped he proceeded to cry!

Derrick and Isaac went on a haunted bus outside of Derrick's work.

Here are all the kids at my friend Gina's party. As you can see, 4 of the 5 children were dressed as Tigger. Isaac is the original in his Venom (black Spiderman) costume.

Joshua dressed as a spider.

Kamryn dressed as a hot dog. My mom made this costume for her.

Izabelle dressed as a purple dragon.

Will's Bday Party

2009-10-20T05:31:00.004-05:00

We got to have the actual celebration this past weekend with some friends and family. As you can see, he enjoyed his cake a second time quite nicely...

A good time was had by all, as he received a few car toys, and lots of good books. It was nice to have everyone over to celebrate. Amy also cooked some snacks for everyone to enjoy and we had cake and ice cream as usual.

William on his Birthday

2009-10-20T05:24:00.004-05:00

Turning one is such a special occasion, why not celebrate it multiple times.... :) William turned one on Oct. 12th and we gave him his own little special cake. As you saw earlier he also got to open his ride on toy. Here is a few pics of the day.

Pumpkin Farm

2009-10-19T04:58:00.003-05:00

My parents came down for the weekend from Wisconsin, as they try to make all the grandkids 1st Birthdays. Isaac is always excited to see them, and William definitely opened up more to them. It is always a good time and glad they could make it.

We got to visit a pumpkin farm. Faulkner's Pumpkin Patch I believe was the name. Isaac got to ride a mechanical bull. A hayride, a corn maze, big wheel track, duck races, milk a cow. It was pretty neat. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Weekend Trip to St. Louis

2009-10-13T08:59:00.004-05:00

A couple weekends ago we went to St. Louis for Derrick's volleyball tournament. Derrick came home with an injury and I was exhausted by the end of the trip but we did have a fabulous time!

Isaac and William posing by the fountain outside of Pujols 5 restaurant.

Isaac was very curious about making wishes and he decided to throw one penny in for himself and one for William so that he could make 2 wishes.

We also visited Turtle Park in St. Louis and Isaac loved climbing on everything!

I have such cute boys in my family!

We finished our time in St. Louis by going to the Magic House. This is a children's museum with all kinds of fun activities for the whole family. I highly recommend visiting the Magic House! This picture shows Isaac sliding down the slide in the Curious George room.

Here is construction worker Isaac.

Here is William enjoying one of his favorite things - steering wheels. He was supposed to be determining his reaction time when the light turned red but he couldn't quite reach the brake.

William's Birthday Part 1

2009-10-09T09:57:00.003-05:00

I am probably going to have a lot of posts about William's birthday (he is turning 1) but here is the first. William received a little push buggy for his birthday from us (Derrick, Amy, and Isaac). We gave it to him early (October 2) because I wanted to be able to take him for walks in it before the weather got too bad. Thank goodness we did because it looks like it might snow this weekend and they are calling for highs in the 40's.

He loves his new "car" and would probably sit in it all day if I let him. He seems to have a thing for steering wheels.

Lunch with Mom at Crown Center

2009-10-07T08:42:00.005-05:00

The boys and I recently went with my mom to Crown Center for a quilt show and lunch at Fritz's (a little train brings you your lunch from above). We had a wonderful time and the boys definitely enjoy spending days with Grandma! It also helps me to have another adult to talk to during the day.

Isaac - Without His Training Wheels

2009-09-30T05:20:00.007-05:00

So we decided to see where Isaac is at on his bike without his training wheels. We tell him, "Once you learn how to ride without training wheels, we can go look for a new bike" Well, I guess that is motivation enough to show up mommy and daddy. Check the video out.....

Bike Video...

Another Exciting Trip to Wisconsin

2009-09-24T09:52:00.006-05:00

We decided to go up to Wisconsin again last weekend for the community garage sale and Dam Days that they have in Spring Valley this time of year. They had all kinds of activities going on around town for all different ages and it was homecoming weekend so we went to the high school football game (Spring Valley Won!!!). We also participated in the walk/run/ride for the bike raffle (cousin Jake won a bike!), youth olympics, 10K run (Derrick and his 2 sisters, Shannon and Taylor, did awesome!), fire truck ride, train ride, bicycle race (Isaac took 2nd place in his age group), and the Folliez (community talent show that Brooke, Isaac, Jake, and Samantha participated in). We had a jam packed weekend but enjoyed every minute of it! There's nothing like visiting family!

Cup stacking at the youth olympics.

Long jump at the youth olympics.

40 yard dash at the youth olympics.

The preschool boys ceremony.

The 4th and 5th grade ceremony.

Isaac in the bike race.

Isaac, Jake, Samantha, and Taylor dancing in the Folliez.

Growing Boy

2009-09-10T10:03:00.004-05:00

My little William will be turning 1 next month and it's so hard to see him growing up. I want him to be my baby forever!!! When he climbed into the baby swing the other day (we brought it back up from the basement for the little girl I am watching part-time) I was really able to see how much he has changed. He looked so funny in there because his long body just doesn't fit right anymore. He looked huge but still completely adorable! As much as I look forward to each stage it's harder for me to part with the baby stuff. William could be my last little one (you just never know) and I just love having a baby around!

My big boy Isaac has really been into playing with playdough lately. The other day we ran out and bought this new set that makes ice cream treats that he had seen on a tv commercial. Here are some of the wonderful creations he made.

Branson Vacation

2009-08-26T12:24:00.004-05:00

Last weekend we drove down to Branson, MO and packed quite a few things into 3 days. We had a kids water park in our hotel so we spent time there. We went to Silver Dollar City and rode many rides. We also rode go carts and played arcade games a couple of times during the weekend. We had so much fun but Derrick and I have decided that it would be best to wait until Isaac and William get a little older to do the amusement park again because William couldn't really participate at all and Isaac would get disappointed when he was too short for a ride.

Obstacle Courses

2009-08-24T13:45:00.002-05:00

Ever since we got back from our family vacation to Wisconsin/Minnesota with the Kratt side of the family, Isaac has been creating obstacle courses in the back yard that Derrick, Isaac, and I have to complete (he watched the big kids create obstacle courses on vacation and wanted to try it himself). They are so fun and hillarious because they are created by a 4 year old. Yesterday we would run from the fence and go through the course (including sliding down a very small slide) and at the end Isaac decided we would run back to the fence and find a hole and put our finger in it. Once we did this the course was over. We laughed so hard because it just seemed funny to be looking for a hole in the fence and putting our fingers in them. I wonder what our fun looked like from the outside if you didn't know what we were doing!

Say Cheese!

2009-08-18T18:08:00.004-05:00

Almost everytime I point the camera at William he makes the same face.
We definitely need to work on his smile!

KC Zoo

2009-08-14T13:45:00.004-05:00

About a week ago I took the boys to the zoo. Normally I'm not brave about venturing out on field trips to the zoo without Derrick around but they were having a cheap day at the zoo and I couldn't pass up the opportunity. This was William's first trip to the zoo and he followed in his older brother's footsteps by sleeping a good portion of the time. I wonder how much kids can even see of the animals from the stroller viewpoint. Anyway, the excursion went really well and here are some pictures of my hot and sweaty boys to prove it.

New Baby!

2009-08-12T10:55:00.002-05:00

Starting next Tuesday I will officially begin "working" again. I am going to start watching a baby girl named Lucy who is just a little over a month old. I met her for the first time last night and she is so precious. I have high hopes for myself and my two little guys that everything will go well and I will have enough energy for everyone.

Wisconsin/Minnesota Summer Vacation

2009-08-04T14:41:00.006-05:00

We were fortunate to be able to spend 3 weeks with family this summer. Here are a few (maybe many would be a better word choice) pictures showing our adventures.

William Reading the Newspaper

2009-07-31T15:25:00.002-05:00

This is William's idea of enjoying the paper!

Toilet Paper

2009-06-29T16:59:00.003-05:00

The other day Isaac yells downstairs to me that the bathroom he is in has run out of toilet paper and he wants me to get him some more. I am in the middle of feeding William so I tell Isaac to go into our bathroom and get the toilet paper in there. Later I ask him if everything was okay and he says he took care of it. A couple days later I am using Isaac's bathroom (which I rarely go in there because well it's a little boy's bathroom) and I go to grab some toilet paper and this is what I find.

I start laughing so hard because I am realizing that we keep our extra paper towel rolls in the bathroom linen closet with the extra toilet paper rolls and I'm guessing this is the first roll he came to. I then call him up to the bathroom and ask him if anything looks strange in the bathroom and he finally starts laughing with me when he realizes (with a little explanation from me) that he has indeed wiped himself with a huge paper towel.

I don't think my life would be filled with this much laughter if I didn't have my boys!

Isaac is Definitely Smarter Than Me!

2009-06-26T08:43:00.004-05:00

The other night at dinner Isaac had finished all his food but was still hungry. I told him to go play and give his food some time to move to his tummy. I explained that food didn't instantly go down to our tummy and make us full and we talked about the path that food takes to get there. He came back with, "it's already in my tummy because I have a short neck." I couldn't think of anything to say through the laughter. I just love how his brain works!

A New View of the World

2009-06-16T08:52:00.003-05:00

William is not only crawling all over the place and getting into everything, but he is also pulling up on everything and tipping over from time to time. If I fell down as many times as William does in one day I would stop moving all together.

Check out my Mischievous smile!

Swimming Pools

2009-06-16T08:38:00.002-05:00

We decided to get the backyard swimming pools out the other day for the first time this summer. We have a tiny pool that I bought when Isaac was little and a bigger pool that we bought last summer. Both boys started out in the tiny pool because I didn't have it in me to blow up both pools and all the accessory pieces. The bigger pool got blown up by daddy later with his air gun thingy. Anyway, the little pool was a bad idea because William could lean over the side and pull grass for eating. That was too much work for me. The bigger pool worked wonderfully with just a little water. Isaac liked running back and forth between both pools. I just love summer time and how much entertainment you can get out of water play in the yard.

William on the move.

2009-06-12T15:21:00.002-05:00

William is officially on the go now... He is no longer immobile. Leave it to another wisconsin trip to kick off another event in the boys life. Isaac had similar things happen with him.

Volleyball Nationals

2009-06-12T15:09:00.005-05:00

So another reason we took a trip up to Wisconsin was the Adult Volleyball National tournament was in Minneapolis. We put a team together from the local kansas city area and decided to enter. It was a blast and we didn't do too bad for not playing together throughout the year. Our team name is Short Bus, and we have jerseys with a picture of a bus on it kinda sideways on its wheels. Our team phrase in the huddle is.... "Wheels on the bus" -- "Beep Beep!!"

Ahh, grown man at a good ol fashioned sport.

Wisconsin Trip

2009-06-12T14:53:00.010-05:00

I know its a few weeks late but we took a trip up to Wisconsin the end of may. Here a few highlights from the trip. All the trips pics can be seen on our picasa page.

Stewart telling Gpa, "I think land is over there"

Isaac posing at the park....

Isaac was attached to the new trampoline. Brooke and him were glued to the tramp

GMA on the mower and the trails. Gpa and I put the trailer together.

William at the Kratt Memorial Day get-together. Isaac played in his first softball game there as well. With a real bat even.

Vacation!

2009-05-21T13:10:00.003-05:00

I just want to say how excited we are to be going on vacation tomorrow! We are heading up to Wisconsin to see Derrick's family for a little over a week. I always look forward to our vacation time but it seems even more so now that I am a stay-at-home mom. I noticed this morning how impatient I am getting with the boys. Whenever I sit down on the floor to play with William and Isaac they both want to sit in my lap. I told them today that I needed some space to myself and they would have to sit some where else for a little while. I didn't say it that nicely though.

Also, William has his bottom two teeth (came in around 5 months) and now at 7 months he is getting one in on the top. The two bottom teeth seemed to cause him some pain and sleepless nights but I wouldn't have even known about the top one if I hadn't seen it coming in. I hope all the rest of his teeth go this smoothly!

New Tricks

2009-04-28T12:25:00.003-05:00

William is now 6 months old and he is very playful! He loves laying himself back so that someone will tickle his neck. I caught him doing this in his Bumbo chair the other day and Isaac and I decided to take pictures of him being so silly.

Easter Festivities

2009-04-13T21:28:00.004-05:00

We celebrated Easter with family both Saturday and Sunday. My brother Kevin and his wife Elizabeth had a big hunt and lunch at their house Saturday. We also had Derrick's sister Shannon and niece Brooke visiting for the weekend. We had such a wonderful time and we hate when these special times come to an end.

Nichole is taking pictures of me taking pictures of her.

Emily and Elise and their grandpa hunting for eggs.

William is doing what he does best - chewing on a new toy!

Izabelle and Josh are digging into the Easter treats.

Isaac coloring Easter eggs.

Brooke is busy decorating our deck with sidewalk chalk.

Twins

2009-04-13T21:17:00.005-05:00

Everyone tells me when they see Isaac and William that they look so much alike. I just don't see it but I couldn't resist the urge to buy them identical outfits.

Next to eating, you can't beat this!

2009-03-25T15:46:00.004-05:00

One of William's favorite things to do - suck on his foot. Wow, what flexibility!

Isaac at Gymnastics

2009-03-20T15:37:00.002-05:00

Isaac has joined gymnastics and appears to have a good time. He goes for an hour every monday. Check him out

Video 1

Video 2

Video 3

New Floor

2009-03-10T09:04:00.003-05:00

Derrick spent most of this past weekend installing new laminate flooring in our living room/dining area. The boys and I tried our best to stay out of the way. Occasionally Isaac "helped" daddy with his work. Here are some pictures showing the progress that was made.
Isn't it beautiful?

Derrick ripped all the carpet out and vacuumed.

Derrick got a little sweaty in the process. I think his legs are a little sore too!

The red stuff on the floor is a moisture barrier and cushioning.

Here's D hammering the floor into place.

Here is what it looks like now, except we have a lot more toys covering up the carpet. I knew it wouldn't stay organized for long. Derrick still has more flooring to install near the kitchen and the finishing touches around the outer edge of the floor, but it is sooooo much better than the gross stained carpet we had before. Thanks D!

Student Teaching

2009-03-10T08:39:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that I am officially finished with student teaching. I turned in my time card yesterday. Yeah!!! I still need to work on my portfolio which is the part that gets me certified to teach in the state of Missouri, but I don't have any more classes to take. This has been such a long journey. I have to say that I'm feeling pretty good right now. It feels good to have accomplished something that seemed so out of reach at one time. I don't have my diploma yet, but I can see it in my not so distant future.

William Rollover Video

2009-03-03T22:38:00.001-06:00

This is william back in January - of him rolling over... video

2009-03-03T18:46:00.003-06:00

I absolutely love taking pictures of Isaac and William together. Everyone keeps telling me how much they look alike but I guess I am just too close to them to see it.

Make Me Laugh

2009-03-03T18:39:00.002-06:00

William does so many things that make me laugh! One such thing is his fascination with his hands and sometimes he accidentally puts his hands together and then he can't figure out a way to get them apart. It's as if they are glued.

2009-03-03T18:31:00.002-06:00

My 3 boys at the park!
We had a decent evening (weather wise) in January and we took advantage of it.

Student Teaching

2009-02-16T15:04:00.002-06:00

I have 3 weeks left of student teaching! I can't believe I am almost through with school. I will really miss the kindergartners and 1st graders I have been with for the past two semesters, but I will be glad to be getting my degree.

Isaac's Swim Party

2009-01-27T19:24:00.003-06:00

We finally celebrated Isaac's 4th birthday with friends and family this past weekend. We had his party at Legacy Park Community Center at the indoor pool. He had so much fun and didn't want to leave at the end of his party. Brother William fell asleep at one point despite all the noise!

Cousins Nicholas and Maddy eating cupcakes

Aunt Beth, Kamryn, and William enjoying the treats

Isaac ended up with chocolate icing all over his mouth and face

Isaac opening his presents with a chocolate face

Pool Time!

Work Promotion

2009-01-17T04:58:00.002-06:00

So I was offered Team Lead at my company and I decided to jump on the opportunity. Its uncharted waters for me but having 11 direct reports now will be a change for sure.

I am excited for the change and I think it will big step for my career as this could open up some new doors for me down the road. I know it will be a lot more work for sure, but I hope to balance the two and not get too stressed out.

2 Weeks in....

2009-01-17T04:53:00.002-06:00

Amy is 2 weeks into student teaching now. She found out she may get to cut off a week in march as she may get to log her time differently so that could be a little extra bonus.

Gma is watching Will now during the work week. We seemed to have gotten a routine down and Will has become accustomed to gma being there. We keep a log of the days activities to see how the day went. We sure appreciate her being able to watch him while amy finishes school.

Maybe 6-7 weeks until diploma for Amy... Woot Woot!!!!