One Month Already?!

How is it possible that this little guy is one month old today? I know, I'm sounding like one of those sappy parents but this month really did fly by!

Future Partners in Crime

For months our nephew Dallas had heard that Dustin and Karissa were having a baby and he'd be here soon. If it felt like an eternity to us I can only imagine how hard of a concept that was to grasp for a three year old. But Dallas is very smart and somehow he accepted it.

Everett & Dallas

What Cliche?

Deep down inside, only once confessed and that was to my husband, I had this great fear that I would not love being a mom. I had wanted this so badly but now that it was so close I was unsure that maybe I overplayed how wonderful motherhood would be and overestimated how much love I could give. Maybe the mother's love thing was a cliche and I wouldn't bond with my baby when he was born. Not to mention, postpartum depression was a real thing and maybe a baby would push me off the edge. The closer my due date got the more uncertain and terrified I became. All I knew is that I did not feel this amazing connection with the baby growing inside of me and I did not enjoy being pregnant. I loved him sure but I also loved mint chocolate chip ice cream and beautiful Fall days. I was looking forward to him arriving but I also looked forward to holidays and weekends. I probably wasn't capable of this whole mother thing but now it was too late. There was no going back.

Baby Bump Photo Shoot

 We had been wanting to take some maternity pictures before the baby arrived. Little did we know we took them just in time as baby arrived the following day. :)  Dustin took these shots in our back yard, he is so very talented. They turned out great!

The First Few Weeks

The first few weeks of Everett's life have been tiring, emotional and beautiful. We are so in love with him and being parents with a newborn has been so much better than we thought it would be. Dustin loves being a dad, I love being a mom and we love each other more than ever. It's a different feeling going from being a couple to being a family but it's wonderful. I wouldn't trade this for anything in the world.

 

Baby Man

"Hey Baby Man." That is how Dustin greets his son when he arrives home from work. Everett is certainly not yet a man and not quite yet a little man but he is his daddy's baby man.

Everett & Great Grandpa Kramer

One of the things that was very important to Dustin was that his Grandpa Kramer be able to meet Everett. It just so happened that Everett arrived four days after his Great Grandpa did. The timing was perfect and we were so glad that Grandpa Kramer was able to be here.

Everett Allen's Birth Story

We had three weeks to go and yet we were anxiously hoping and praying that Baby Kramer would decide to arrive earlier. We were so ready to meet him, the joys of pregnancy had long since passed and we were ready to hold our baby in our arms. He must have heard us. :)

Fish Lips & Sugar

Welcome to my blog where I only ever post, if I post at all, about my baby! :-P One day I will post about other things but for now the baby has taken over. Actually he probably will for the rest of our lives! Despite the one subject blogging I know I will enjoy looking back at these posts.

We had our second ultrasound and were able to see our beautiful baby boy again. We were hoping we would be able to get a 3D ultrasound but unfortunately they aren't able to do those in the local office.  We found out that the placenta moved which was the point of having another ultrasound and what we were praying for. He was still just as active as ever and like before the ultrasound tech had a difficult time getting the pictures she needed but we were able to see much more of his face this time! His little lips look crazy in these pictures, he must have been moving them. :) I can't wait to see what he looks like, I can't really picture what a Dustin/Karissa baby looks like and am a little weirded out to see the blend. Hopefully he's a cute mix, haha!



No lips

Entering the Final Stretch - Hello Third Tri!

Elephants are pregnant for 22 months! That sure puts things in perspective!

In just eleven weeks, maybe sooner, maybe later, we will be meeting our baby. It's hard to believe we are through the second trimester and officially in the third. Though this pregnancy is dragging in many more ways than it is flying by. I'm ready to meet him, I'm ready to start our new life, I'm ready to have our family together and on a vain note, I'm ready to have my body back. :) But there are still quite a few more things that need to be put into place and more importantly, as my nephew now says, the baby is still cooking. As eager as I am, I want him to stay right where he is until he is "all done".

The Icing on the Cake

My niece Jaliyah loves icing and thanks to her grandfather she was able to sneak lots of it from her dad's birthday cake.

Going for the icing...

Lucketts & Jeetin'

A few weekends ago Dustin and I each spent two days doing separate activities. We usually do everything together and so it was a little bittersweet but it's good for us I know!

Dustin and a group of guys went jeetin', which is basically jeeping but my nephew's version of the word makes it sound cooler. They went to Rausch Creek which consists of mud holes, trails, rocks and mountains. They camped out, some of them had their first MRE's (prepackaged army food which stands for meals ready to eat), and they had a blast taking their jeeps through all kinds of mud holes and over large rocks. Definitely a fun guy's weekend away but this girl is hoping to go along next time. :)

Mom's Surprise Birthday Party - Part 2

Click here to read Part One

We took a ton of family pictures especially of Malachi, Courtney, Jaelynn & Jaliyah. Check out the family photo album. :)

Mom and her kids

Mom's Surprise Birthday Party - Part 1

For the first time in the history of my mom being, well my mom, my family was able to surprise her. She almost always picks up on surprises and has an idea when something is going on. But this year we were able to pull off a surprise birthday party for her. The plan was they would be in town to drop my brothers off at a church event but I called and asked my mom if she could please stop by and see the baby's room as I was really anxious for her to see it. They would stop by and then we would go out for dinner. But the reality was she was coming over for a birthday celebration. The best surprise of all though was that my brother, Malachi and his family would be there. They were moving out of state and it would be the last time for quite awhile that we would all be together.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Life has been hectic lately and now that summer has arrived it is really starting to pick up speed. We've been busy getting things ready for the baby. Our latest accomplishments in that area being creating a baby registry, sorting through a billion 15 or so boxes of baby clothes from my sister-in-law, which are finally put away! You honestly could not walk in his room, evidence listed below. Dustin also refinished a cedar chest that will be used as the baby's toy box. The room is almost complete and this kid seriously has the coolest room in the house. He's so spoiled already!

Taken on my phone so poor picture quality

Passing the Torch

My blog, in a way, has become a place to record the things we are dealing with, at least on the surface. There is a depth to starting a family that no one really tells you about. There are many fears, uncertainties and things to figure out, so many that quite honestly I am not sure I could publicly share, but the biggest thing is realizing that we are not just starting a family but God is entrusting us with souls. The responsibility of this weighs on my heart heavily and has caused me to reevaluate what I believe and how much I believe it. I know that if my faith is not firmly established I cannot expect my child to carry on the torch of his Apostolic heritage and form his own personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Or if he does, the torch won't be passed on from his parents. That is a sobering thought.

Dustin and I are Christians but we consider ourselves Apostolic. What we believe is based on the Apostle's doctrine which was preached, taught, experienced and lived by the apostles as read in the book of Acts. We both grew up in homes where our parent's instilled this in us; we attended many Sunday school classes, church services, youth rallies and events that confirmed these teachings. But most importantly our faith is backed up by our own personal experiences. I will never forget the morning I received the gift of the Holy Ghost. As a nine year old I remember calling on the name of Jesus and becoming so lost in His presence that I forgot where I was and was focused only on worshipping Him. I remember realizing later that service had ended and I was the only one left with the exception of my parents and Sunday school teacher who were right there praying with me. And I remember being baptized in the precious name of Jesus and feeling so good. I remember thinking with my childlike mind, that if I felt this good I wonder how really bad people felt! You cannot replace or excuse those moments where God steps in such an awesome way, where you realize you are saved by His grace. It amazes me that even though I was a child who many would overlook, God saw me as His child and filled me with His spirit and cleansed me from my sins. He saw something in me and I don't want to let Him down.

It is so important to me that the torch which carries the Apostolic flame, sent down from heaven on the day of Pentecost years ago, continues, especially through my children. This flame is based on the revelation of knowing who Jesus is. That "the Lord our God is one" (Duet. 6:4), that "He is Lord and besides Him these is no saviour" (Isaiah 43:11), and that His name is Jesus. It is based upon the plan of salvation that Peter had the opportunity to share in Acts 2:38, to "repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." And it is based on separation from this world, in our speech, our attitude, our dress/appearance "because it is written, be ye holy for I am holy." (I Peter 1:16). These are Biblical doctrines meant to be believed, clung to, lived by and passed on. These are Biblical doctrines that have been revealed to me, I have experienced and have saved and kept me. It is my constant prayer and my greatest desire that by the grace of God, these truths will be passed on to my children. And I know He will help me, for "this promise is unto you (me), your (my) children and to all that are afar off" (Acts 2:39).


"But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."
II Timothy 3:14-15  (NKJV)


Pictures courtesy of Google Images

Throw Back Thursday

A friend of ours, who was the Sunday School Director when we were younger, gave us these old pictures. They were taken during a Mother's Day presentation at our church years ago. I love these old pictures from when we were little. I wouldn't trade "growing up in church" for anything in this world. These old pictures bring back great memories of discovering secret places in the church building, sitting on the front pew with friends and worshipping, competitions for learning Bible verses and so much more. The best part of it, though I am only now starting to appreciate it as I get older, is the sense of love and family. Many of the people who still attend our church watched us grow up, I firmly believe that it was also their support, wisdom and prayers that helped guide us. They have invested in us through their teaching, prayers and fasting. I am excited about being able to create the same memories for our children and thankful that they will have the same support and love that Dustin and I felt growing up and still feel now. 

Baby #1

Our first little "baby" and our practice child. She has no idea what's coming.

Getting Ready for Baby

The room theme was finalized, the paint colors were selected and the chair rail was purchased all on the day we discovered our baby is a boy. And our little boy is destined to have a beautiful room thanks to his hardworking daddy.

A Lesson From a Tree

This tree is a beautiful tree that is blooming in our front yard. This tree is also the very thing that set a recent morning into a tailspin. Here's the story.

We're having a baby...

Boy!!!

Our little man!

Introducing Pippa

You may remember my mentioning Pippa here. Pippa is our cat; Dustin and I picked her out as a kitten after he lovingly gave in to my pleas and gifted her to me for our three year anniversary. She is our first baby and since it has been a year, I can safely say our first successful attempt at pet ownership. In the past we've had many, many fish which have all died and a kitten named Sailor who lived with us for two weeks before we decided we just weren't ready to handle a pet. He didn't die, he ended up with my Uncle and is very happy there.

Pippa's first day home

Pink or Blue?

April 18th (just 6 days away!!) is our scheduled ultrasound. We cannot wait to see our baby again, to make sure he/she is healthy and to find out if we are having a boy or girl! For months now I have been collecting baby ideas on secret Pinterest boards, I can't wait to see a few of them come to life. Pinning nursery ideas, cute girly things and cool boy things causes me to be on the fence on whether I want a boy or girl. Dustin is set on having a little boy which would be fine by me, they have so many cute boy things out now. Here are just a few baby things, photos are from Pinterest, that have caught my eye.

The Unwanted Visitor

A sound came from our attic attracting our attention. It was as if someone had climbed into the house and was doing their best to saw through our ceiling. Even our cat watched the ceiling warily, her tail flicking back and forth as her eyes narrowed with each sound. "Some thing is up there," Dustin said, "Probably a squirrel." We didn't do much right away, I guess we were hoping the squirrel would leave on his own accord. But after many nights of being woken by his activity and beating on walls hoping to scare him off we knew we had to do something. Dustin called various pest control companies, the only one who called him back came out to give us a free estimate. He informed us that we needed to scale down our neighborhood's squirrel population. For $350 he would place two traps outside of our house and catch as many as they could. They would then relocate them and once they felt they had our squirrel they would, for an additional $700, patch the holes the little rascal had discovered. We were hesitant and unsure, I mean, would catching all the squirrels really help especially when we just wanted to get rid of one? And by the way, how would they know they caught our squirrel? After speaking with different people we know, we borrowed a squirrel trap from a friend of ours. After placing in a rice cake with peanut butter, Dustin set the trap.

Easter 2013

Happy Easter! Though belated Easter is one holiday worth celebrating daily. I am so thankful for the sacrifice God made when He gave himself to die on the cross for our sins. I am in awe of the grace and love of a God so holy and righteous, He would die for the sins of the undeserving. The perfect sacrifice which gives us the chance to have eternal life with Him one day and the opportunity to commune with Him daily now. The sacrifice of His death and the victory of His resurrection are so worth rejoicing over!

The other thing I'm thankful for? Family. This Easter, following our morning church service, we spent Easter at Dustin's parent's house. It was a great time with family and we were able to get quite a few pictures. Dustin's Grandpa has been in town for a few weeks and it was nice to spend the Easter holiday with him.

The family

Bump!

I'm positive that my baby bump grew over night. It seemed like one moment I was wondering when it would show up and then the next moment I was waking up to an official baby bump. I'm so loving it. :)

17 weeks

Pippa's Tiff

A few weeks ago Dustin decided to surprise me with flowers. Apparently though, Pippa the cat felt slighted and decided to act out because we can home to this.

Our Story

Ages 7 & 8 - May 1997

Who would have thought that two crazy, mischievous seven year old kids would actually get married? Dustin and I grew up together, attending the same church, belonging to the same homeschool co-op's and our families were good friends. Due to this we ended up spending a lot of time together, were great friends and it didn't take too long before we were majorly crushing on one another. He remembers me as a little girl with curly hair wearing flowery dresses and I remember him as a little rascal who liked to tease. Everyone knew we liked each other, though the fact that we often chased each other around probably gave it away. He gave me a ring he bought on a field trip to confirm his affection and I gave him one I won at an arcade. I listed his name on every game of MASH (if you grew up in the '90s you know that meant you were serious) and he teased me endlessly. It was "true love" from the beginning.

A Letter to my Grandpa Lou

Dear Grandpa Lou,

It's hard to believe that you are really gone. I was so sure I would get a chance to see you again, you

seemed to be doing well and we all thought you would soon be home. But the morning after March 15, 2013 I received a call from mom saying you were gone. I was blindsided and shocked, instantly full of regret and sadness but at the same time I had a sense of peace. Such an interesting combination of emotions and yet I felt them all, I remember sobbing on the phone as the news slowly sunk in. Death is so final for those here on earth, we're left with only our memories.

Hello 2nd Tri, Goodbye 1st Tri!

I find this picture, courtesy of Pinterest, hilarious because it pretty much sums up my first trimester. Dustin has been all gung-go while I've been, well, all gung-heave. But anyway, by the time this post publishes I will be 14 weeks meaning I am officially in the second trimester according to all the doctors, pregnancy books and websites. I have heard everything from 12 weeks to 13 weeks, 3 days to 14 weeks. I'd say I'm official. As you've probably figured out my first trimester has consisted of morning sickness. My ideal evening the past few weeks has been spent lying on the couch on my left side (it helps with the nausea) and not moving. At all. There have been quite a few things that I did not know happened when you are pregnant. Simply put, your body just gets plain weird. But despite all of the morning sickness (which I am still dealing with, ugh!), fatigue and quite frankly, moodiness there have been a lot of highlights.

The Big Trip - Part Two

Click here to read Part One

St. John's, Antigua

The Big Trip - Part One

Adventure of the Seas

When Dustin and I got married we decided that before we started a family there were a few things we wanted to do. We knew having kids would require sacrifices and the way we wanted to raise our kids would change a lot. If there was ever an okay time to be selfish as a couple now was the time. There were the usual things like enjoy being married, establish ourselves and do what we wanted to do. There were also two big things, buy a house and go on a big trip. We gave ourselves five years to accomplish this. And so the last four years have been spent enjoying being married and seeing small dreams that married couples have somewhat come true (some dreams you have to tweak a little). A year ago we were blessed to be able to buy a house with room to grow in and this year we decided to go on our "big trip". Originally the plan was to visit Europe in the Summer but baby fever has a way of changing things (I would just like to state for the record that both parties were extremely struck down by this) and so a year ahead of schedule we booked a Caribbean cruise for February. 

"Here, check this out"

I had suspected that I might pregnant. Well, actually the correct statement would be I was really hoping I was pregnant. It was that hope and the feeling of “I just can’t wait anymore” that caused me to drive during crazy, snowy weather to get a pregnancy test. It was a Wednesday and the day after Christmas; I had sternly told myself that I was waiting to test until the weekend but I’ve never been very good at listening to myself. And as soon as my clock changed to 12:00 PM and my lunch hour had arrived I dashed out my car for a trip to CVS.

Here We Go!

I know this is not related but every post needs a picture.

It’s the umpteenth time I have started a blog. I’m not even joking. There have been blogs for devotions, musings and just plain venting. There have been blogs for family, church and friends. Each one has been created, designed and slowly published posts appeared only for each one to be deleted in a fit of discouragement. But this time I think I hope it will be different. This time a blog is being created not for silly or vain reasons but it has been created for my family; my husband, our baby and any other members that become a part of our little unit. It’s a place to record memories, a place to journal the little things I don’t want us to forget and a place to plan our future dreams and goals. I am so excited to begin this blog, to create this scrapbook for our life as a family!