Christmas Day 2014

Christmas morning finally arrived. The plan was to open gifts at home as a family and then head over to Dustin’s parent’s house. Since Everett and Reid are too little to know what day it is the day started like any other. For Christmas we had bought our drum loving little boy a drum set and we were pretty excited to give it to him. We decided the best route was to preassemble it and sit it under the tree for him to see. When it was time I sat in the Living Room with the camera and Dustin let him loose. Unfortunately he didn’t understand and ran into the bathroom instead of the tree but once he understood he raced for the drums and began to play them immediately.

Christmas Eve 2014

Christmas Eve was spent at my parent’s house with my family which meant all four of my brothers, my sister, parents and my brother’s fiancée. It was relaxing, except for trying to keep Everett out of the dog’s food bowl, and simple which pretty much meant it was perfect.

Christmas Pictures 2014

Last Christmas my sister-in-law threw out the idea of having pictures of the grandkids done as a Christmas gift for Dustin’s parents. Because it turned out to be such a great gift that we all enjoyed this Christmas it was a unanimous decision to do it again.

Like that last year we turned our house into a very make shift photo studio and Dustin took the pictures. And this year we included the grandparents. Unlike last year we had added an additional kid, Reid, to the mix and because of his age, Everett had no desire to sit still. Dustin and I tried to get a few shots of the boys before everyone arrived and managed to get a few.

Insta Post: Catching Up

Before I get to ahead of myself I decided I better post this draft I've been sitting on. The pictures are "old" but I want to blog them because I am so afraid I will lose the pictures I post and some of them are worth keeping.

The best part of the day is starting my mornings with two little cuties named Everett and Reid. Plus a cup of coffee. Every morning I am reminded that I am blessed to have the privilege to stay home with my boys.

Highlight Reel: Enjoying

Our household lately has also been home to a cold that has passed itself around for the past few weeks. We’ve all gotten it at least once, some of us more than that. So in between blowing our own noses and trying to recover we’ve been caring for miserable and sick babies. This has meant staying in more often than normal and a lot less sleep at night. Despite this there have still been enjoyable moments and so this post is all about slowing down and enjoying those moments.

Enjoying: Watching my three guys together.

Snow & Santa

There are two things one looks forward to when December arrives. Snow and Santa.

Undeck the Halls

We were going to have a new family tradition, one that I remembered my own family had when I was growing up. After Thanksgiving the Fall decorations were taken down, put away and all of the Christmas decorations were pulled from their year long storage and Christmas slowly made it’s way through the house. Christmas music played in the background, cookies made together that day were served along with hot apple cider and the whole family gathered around the Christmas tree hanging ornaments from the years past. It was one of my favorite moments of the Christmas season and I so wanted to recreate that for my own little family.

Thanksgiving 2014

Thanksgiving. A day set aside to stop and reflect on our blessings, to express our thankfulness and show appreciation to our Creator for all our many blessings.

Highlight Reel: The Brown Chair

There is a brown bean bag chair in our home that has become very popular. It, discovered on a clearance shelf at Target following Christmas last year, found it’s way in to Everett’s bedroom. I’m not sure how they all get here but it has been a home for Everett’s steadily growing stuffed animal collection. In a small burst of inspiration, the stuffed animals most of which Everett is scared of anyway, were moved to his rocking chair. Everett, upon discovering this brown thing was actually not a scary stuffed animal holder, but in fact a kid size chair just for him, fell in love with it. And after his baby brother was briefly seated next to him, decided sharing is fun. Now the brown chair is often his seat of choice when he is watching shows, having a snack or his juice. And sometimes when he is in a generous mood, he reaches for his baby brother with an “uh, uh” which is code for “I want Reid to sit with me.” This goes fairly well but having a wiggle worm for a big brother makes parents nervous and Reid is normally transported to safety shortly thereafter. It’s cute while it lasts…

Highlight Reel: Back to Routine

With the exception of Harpers Ferry the past week or so things have finally slowed down and we are able to get back into routine. It is so nice knowing that this time we can stay in routine for longer than a week. The upcoming holidays actually seem stress free compared to how our life has been which just goes to show you that it’s been crazy.

With that being said crazy has a new meaning. Our boys are still keeping us on our toes. As Reid gets older we are trying to encourage their relationship and allow them to “play” together. I know it’ll progress on it’s own but since Everett is still a baby himself I really want him to feel included in the attention Reid needs from me. So when Reid wants to be held or needs tummy time I try to do things Everett can enjoy with him. Maybe that seems crazy but I think it’s helping as Everett’s response to his brother seems to get better. This activity mat is a huge help. Everett can play on one side and Reid on the other.

Insta Post: Blog on the Go

It’s been pretty obvious that I haven’t been the best at updating this blog but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been taking pictures. Instagram has become my blog on the go, a quick and easy way to share pictures of the boys and update family and friends. But I do want our blog to be the place where our memories are stored so from time to time I’ll do an “Insta post” of my favorite Instagram shots. Here are a few of my recent favorites.

Dustin went on a second work trip to Utah. Originally scheduled for twelve days we were very excited when they finished sooner then they had planned and he was able to come home two days early! Though this trip was a little easier than the last one it still was hard being away from each other. This picture was taken the night Dustin came home. Though our intent was to get a cute, loving picture of the four of us this one best represents our family life right now. This is our reality! Despite the chaos the boys and I are very excited to have our husband and dad back again. As it stands now he’ll be home for two or three months before he has to leave again.

Harpers Ferry

When Dustin came back from Utah he was able to take off a few days so that we could be together as a family. The first few days were laid back and relaxed but we knew that one of his days off we wanted to do something fun. The day before he was to go back to work was a beautiful day, weather wise, so we packed up the kids and headed to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.

Seeing Family

One of the things that has kept us busy the past two months has been spending time with family. First up was when two of my brothers and my sister stayed with us for five days while my parents were on vacation. It was a little wild with three teenagers in the house plus two babies but it was a lot of fun spending time with them. Everett loved having them here, especially his Uncle Marcus who he is a big fan of! Reid enjoyed all the time he was held. :)

Fun in the Fall

Fall is a favorite time of the year and there are always quite a few festivities around the area. One of the favorite things our family likes to do is to carve pumpkins. We loaded up the boys and headed over to a local farm market to pick out our pumpkins. We chose four, all various sizes, to represent each family member. A fellow pumpkin picker graciously took our picture. Everett is not too into strangers, which is a good thing, but because of this he looks miserable in this picture. He did seem to have fun though I think he was also unsure of what we were doing.

A Family Update

Updating this blog has proven to be more challenging than I thought it would be so I am behind on updates. Again. But hey, at least I am trying right?
 
Life with these two is proving to be fun, eventful and at times chaotic. We have, for the most part, adjusted and are taking each day as it comes. It’s funny how one moment you are stressing out about finding a new routine and the next moment you realize some how you created one. Thankfully we had a routine pretty much established with Everett and it was a matter of throwing Reid in and rearranging a little. This I think is what has helped us a lot, it has especially helped me while Dustin is away on work trips.

Highlight Reel: Missing Dustin

In the beginning of July Dustin started his new job as an IT specialist. One of the requirements of this new job was from time to time traveling to various locations to set up wireless networks. His first trip was this month and for twelve days he was in Tracy, California for work. To say we really missed him is the understatement of the year right after “looks like you’ve got your hands full.” Thankfully there is a wonderful little invention called Facetime so we were able to see each other along with calling and texting when the opportunities arose. There is a three hour time difference so we had to figure out the best times to Facetime with Everett, it often worked best in the morning and this worked great. Poor Everett really missed his daddy but seeing and talking to him helped a lot. He would light up when he saw him and try to touch him by touching the screen.

A Brother Photo Shoot

When Reid was born we knew we wanted to do newborn pictures like we did for Everett. I also wanted to incorporate the big brother in some of the shots as well. Our photo shoot ended up being shot unintentionally in two parts. Dustin took the first few pictures of Reid but Reid wasn’t very interested so we didn’t get very many. Due to Dustin’s work schedule he wasn’t able to take any at another time so I attempted them myself. Dustin has the talent in the family for sure so mine did not turn out as well but at least we have some. Hopefully we’ll have better luck with Reid's three month pictures!

Our little Reid is a wide eyed little boy. Right now, at two weeks old, his eyes are still a dark blue and his hair is a darker blonde. When he is awake he is very awake and alert, even at so young he is often looking around and taking things in. The best he can anyway!

Family of Four

As you can imagine the Kramer household has been a little busy lately as we welcomed the fourth member of our family two weeks ago today. We've been adjusting to the newness of it all and getting to know Reid and his personality. Despite the chaos it's time to jump back in the blogger saddle again before time slips away from me and I lose sight of my goal!

The day we came home from the hospital was interesting. Everett was still very unhappy with us when we picked him up and there were tears from both of us as we headed home. Tears on his part because he did not want to be with those who "betrayed" him and on my part because I felt my baby would no longer love me. Once we arrived home though we were able to have a moment and after much snuggling, playing and showing him attention he slowly was our happy little boy again. Not that he wasn't happy at Mimi & Papa's house. He very much enjoyed his time with them and we are grateful that he was shown the love and attention we couldn't give him at the time, especially when his little world was turned upside down and he needed it.

Reid Harrison's Birth Story

Our little Reid Man is finally here! He arrived on Tuesday, August 26th at 5:58 PM weighing 7 lbs 9.4 oz and measuring 20.5 inches long.

Safari Celebration: Everett's 1st Birthday Party

Heads up, there a ton of pictures in this post. You have been warned.

The day of Everett's first birthday party finally arrived when we were able to celebrate this little man's big day!

Highlight Reel: Oh August

I was pretty convinced when I wrote my last post that we were only a couple weeks away from welcoming Reid into our family. And yet we are nearing the end of August and Reid seems to have very little desire to arrive. I guess he is pretty comfortable in his little cocoon! Technically I still have a week left until my due date but I was sure he would come early. My intuition was wrong apparently! We had a false alarm a week ago; despite the fact I was contracting four minutes apart for seven hours they were not causing labor to progress and so we were sent home from the hospital. Turns out I was slightly dehydrated and the contractions were Braxton Hicks. Since then the contractions have come and gone and we don't seem any closer to Mr. Reid letting us know he is ready to arrive. I was measuring three weeks behind and was sent for an ultrasound to make sure everything was okay and it is. Reid is measuring at 6 1/2 - 7 lbs according to the ultrasound and is right on track.

Everett's 1st Birthday Letter

Dear Everett,

It's so hard to believe that one year ago today your dad and I had just welcomed you into the world and were enjoying each and every moment with you.With your first breath you took our breaths away and changed our lives forever. I'll never, ever forget the moment when my water broke while standing in line at Hershey's Chocolate World and racing to the hospital. I'll always remember hearing your dad say as it came closer and closer to the time where you were finally going to come that the sun was coming up. And the moment your little body was laid on me and I saw you for the very first time will forever stand out as one of the greatest moments of my life.

Baby Bump Photo Shoot Two

When we were expecting Everett one of the things we wanted to do was to take some baby bump shots. Well, you can't do them for one child and not the other so we had to do some with Reid too. The thing about taking pictures with an eleven month old is that they always turn out much cuter in your head than in reality. But in our defense we did have a few things working against us. One, we were losing the great lighting quickly as the sun was going down. Two, we hadn't had dinner yet and Everett was hungry and tired. The third was Dustin was taking the pictures so getting any family shots was pretty much impossible. 

Highlight Reel: Ready for Reid

To say we've been busy around here is an understatement. Maybe it's nesting mode though most likely my personality, but we've kicked it into high gear to get those last few things done before Reid arrives. This has included the huge project of cleaning our downstairs and setting up the spare bedroom. And folks, the impossible was made possible and it is finished!

Highlight Reel

My original intent was to have two to three posts a week with one of the posts being a Highlight Reel post posted on Fridays. Somehow this got out of whack and I've been posting at least once with it normally being a Highlight Reel post posted whenever. I'm not sure how this happened but I'm rolling with it. So it's out with the routine and I'll post when I can. I'm not giving up on this blog because I enjoy it and already love looking back but I am no longer stressing about having a routine or system for it. I figure as long as there are new posts being added it's fulfilling it's purpose. If you've been following my blog that's whats up and how it's going down. So basically a whole lot of gravity defying going on around here. Or something like that. Anywho, moving on...

Reid's Room

Just like Everett's room Dustin and I knew that this next baby would have a room that he/she could grow in to. When we found out our second child was a boy we threw a couple ideas around as decor ideas. We considered a fishing theme room, a Route 66 room and eventually decided on a nautical themed room. Since it was a similar idea to Everett's room, an airplane room, we chose to take a different approach. We decided to keep it simple, clean and modern. This was also a benefit since Reid's room is a lot smaller than Everett's and there wasn't as much space to work with.

Highlight Reel: An Eventful Week

This past Sunday at our church we had children evangelists, Tim & Yvonne Rimmer also known as God's Handiwork, with us. They had a colorful set, puppets and skits and did a great job ministering to the children. It was Everett's first children's service and his first time seeing puppets.

Everett's Room

In all the excitement of preparing Reid's room I realized that I never followed up this post about decorating Everett's room. Since his room will evolve and change as he grows I decided I better post the pictures now while it's still his baby room.
 
Being as he was the first we went all out on his room. I love his room mostly because it's a mixture of new and old things as well as sentimental and just for him items.We had decided on a vintage airplane theme for him. Dustin put up chair rail and then painted the bottom half with green stripes with a lighter green on top. We used navy blue and red as the accent colors and went with darker wood furniture. We knew we wanted the theme of his room to last for awhile, at least until he was old enough to decide what he wanted for himself.

Highlight Reel: Families Share

My posts have been a little delayed. This is due to the fact that my husband has needed the computer for the past week and we've been sick. It started with little man Everett. We thought it had to do with his teething. He recently had cut two teeth in addition to his front bottom two teeth and he was, and still is, working on his top three teeth. This makes a total of seven teeth and he's been feeling it. Turns out though that the poor little guy caught a summer cold going around. I'm sure all those teeth working their way through at the same time hasn't been helping. He is now on the mend but since he loves his mom so much he decided to share his cold with her who in turn has passed it on to her husband. Families share right? Ha! Anyway, we've been wading our way through cough medicine, cough drops, Kleenex and trying to get as much rest as we can. Hopefully we're almost through this!

Father's Day 2014

Father's Day.  A day all about those special men in our lives. I realize more and more how fortunate Dustin and I are to have men in our lives who truly love and care for us. It's not always the case but for us it is and for that we are very thankful.

Highlight Reel: Life Updates

After a busy few days last week this week we were able to slow down a little and catch up. Which meant laundry and cleaning for me, work and studying for Dustin and baby milestone reaching for Everett.

Here are some of the highlights.

Highlight Reel: Hello June

Somehow May has quickly slipped away and June has arrived. Can it really by summer? It doesn't seem that long ago that everyone was miserably attempting to get through a seemingly never-ending winter. Yet summer has arrived and all the craziness that comes with it. It works for me though, this is the second summer that I am anxious to get through. For obvious reasons of course. :)

This highlight reel post is a little late. The last week in May was full of fun times as family friends on Dustin's side were in town. They hail from North Carolina and usually visit every year and stay for a week. They arrived on Memorial Day Weekend and we had a blast with them. I didn't take any pictures but I did steal borrow some Instagram shots from friends. Thanks guys!

The Greatest Show on Earth!

Last weekend we were able to take Everett to his very first circus. We went with Dustin's family and it was so much fun with all the kids. Dustin and I have always enjoyed the circus and go every year but it was more fun with Everett though slightly more chaotic. Ahem.

First up was seeing the animals before the show. It was included in our ticket and it was pretty neat seeing them up close. Who knew elephants could be so entertaining? We also saw the lions, tigers, goats and other animals who weren't as entertaining but hey, it was still cool. At least we thought so, Everett wasn't that into it. The sun was in his eyes and the breeze was in his face, both of which he is not a fan of. Hence the grumpy look.

Highlight Reel: Papa the Great

A highlight around here has been that Papa the Great has been in town visiting for the last few weeks. We have enjoyed being able to spend more time with him and are thankful that he has been able to travel so much and see us. Every moment we have and memory we create is precious. But even though we'd like him to live here, unfortunately he doesn't and he had to head back home. So on his last night we spent a quiet and relaxing evening at my in-laws just being together.

Opa! Going to the Greek Fest

Every year we go to the annual Greek Fest which is basically a local Greek church who makes and sells Greek food. The food is amazing! We always get a gyro and loukoumades which are heaven in a container. I also was able to purchase chocolate covered strawberries this year. They make some of the best I've ever had and they sell out very quickly so I was very excited that there were some left. 

Our Dream Kitchen - Phase II

The home we chose to live in was a foreclosed home that was flipped. Because of this we reaped the benefits of an updated kitchen and bathrooms, new carpet and work done in the basement. This worked for us in a major way since we wanted a home that was not only one we could grow and raise a family in but was also move-in ready. We wanted to be able to make the changes we wanted to. When this house came on the market we jumped on it and put in an offer only four days or so after it was listed. We were blessed to be able to get it.

There were two things that we knew we wanted to do when we first moved in. One was to put in central air as there was only an attic fan for cooling. The other was to open up the kitchen which was currently closed off from the living room and dining room. Since the former owner, the one who flipped the house, bought the counter tops and cabinets from a kitchen outlet and we had moved in during the winter we decided to do the kitchen first.

Kitchen Before

Mother's Day 2014

This is a lengthy post but it's about Mother's Day. And Mother's Day is all about honoring the woman who loves you, stood behind you and supported you. This may be the woman who gave birth to you, the woman who raised you or a woman who has influenced you in a big way. It's different for everyone.

I think everyone should be able to say this about their mother but I feel I have the best one. The older I get and the more I experience in life the more I realize how wonderful she truly is. I have watched my mom stand behind my dad through many moves and traveling which meant she was sometimes a single mom. She has always had his back and supported him through all of it though I know that at times it was probably difficult. Despite how she felt she did what she had to do to follow him through these life changes. She has raised and is still raising her six children with love and grace and a whole lot of prayer. She has listened to our problems and fears with an open heart and always seems to know when to speak and say what we need to hear and when to step back and let us learn for ourselves. Now that I am older I realize that at times this a struggle for her but it has never stopped her from doing it. She has modeled faithfulness in her walk with God through her prayer life, devotional times with us and her church attendance. My mom is amazing, she is one of the strongest women that I know. I have seen her expereience and go through so much yet her faith in God has never faltered, her support for her husband has not wavered and her love for her children, despite how we can be sometimes, has never ever ceased. I am extremely thankful for this woman, not just because she has been a wonderful mother but because she has also been one of my best and closest friends. They are some big shoes to fill but I can only hope and strive to be the type of woman she is.

Highlight Reel: Family Time

This past week has been pretty crazy and I actually haven't taken any pictures. So my highlight reel this week is just a few pictures of Everett and his extended family. Last weekend we celebrated my brother Malachi's birthday at my parents' house.

Highlight Reel: Seeing Reid

The major highlight of this week was seeing little man 2 again. At our last ultrasound the doctor was unable to see Reid's spine very clearly and wanted to make sure everything was okay. He had no hidden concerns, he just wanted to confirm after a better look. This time my mom and sister came with me since Dustin had to work. My sister was so excited and had been counting down the days even more so than I had been. We waited for over an hour and poor Everett was bored out of his mind. I was so glad my mom was there, she is obviously great with Everett and she is great at keeping me calm when I start stressing. Of course having six kids sort of teaches you to go with the flow, a lesson I am still learning but will hopefully figure out real soon.

A Lazy Saturday Adventure

Sometimes when the weather is nice, the day ahead is empty of plans and you want somewhere to go, you go for a drive. Which is exactly what we did this past Saturday.

The age old question. East or West?

Highlight Reel: Busy Bodies

We've been busy around here as usual but the busiest one in the family is this boy. I take back everything I said about his learning to move making our life easier. Now that he is mobile, even if it is from a help of his walker, he is into everything. If he can reach it, he will claim it. He is very curious and has to check everything out.
 

Everett's 1st Egg Hunt

He had his basket (a cute $1 find at Target) and his sunglasses. Everett was all ready for his very first egg hunt, a day much anticipated by his parents. It would be so fun for Everett to sit among the hidden eggs. He might even find some on his own! We arrived at our church for the annual egg hunt excited and anxious for the fun to begin.

Easter Sunday 2014

The Easter holiday is a holiday that most people look forward. There is the excitement of the first holiday of spring after a long winter. The excitement of all the holiday festivities; the Easter bunny, egg hunts and Easter baskets. Most families purchase new outfits, attend church services and are sure to get many family photos. Our family isn't any different but despite all of the excitement I don't want our family to lose the sight of why there is excitement in the first place.

I am thankful for the real meaning, that yes Easter is a celebration, but it is a celebration of my Savior conquering death, hell and the grave. Jesus Christ died on the cross for all man's sins, the weight that was upon Him overwhelms me. My own sins often overwhelm me but Jesus took all of mankind's sins. He is not a man who died a heroic death but a Savior and my God who won the war against sin and death. He died but was not defeated. Because of this I can approach His throne, because of this my sins can be forgiven, because of this I have the opportunity to spend eternity with Him and because of this I can enjoy being in His presence now. I am so thankful for a Savior, a Savior who is not dead but has risen!

Highlight Reel: Baby's Name & Everett Milestones

I wanted to capture a few more Everett milestones before I forgot them so this post is a little Everett overload. But he is not the only one to talk about especially since little man 2 now has a name! Since we were thinking this baby was a girl we hadn't considered many boy names. We headed back to the drawing board and have decided on Harrison Reid. Though I am a huge advocate for waiting to share names, it is nice to be able to call him by his name. With Everett I was always afraid Dustin and I were going to slip up though we never did. This time we can just say Harrison.

And speaking of Harrison, I am now 21 weeks pregnant with him and his kicks are getting stronger. He isn't super active or predictable yet but he likes reminding me that he's there. There is something about feeling the baby's kicks that can really ramp up your excitement for their arrival. It's hard to believe that we are going to have two babies in this house. I think it's starting to really set in for both Dustin and I and we are really starting to get excited. With Harrison being our second we have a better idea of what to expect. Knowing and experiencing what it is like to meet your baby for the first time and fall in love with him makes this pregnancy even more exciting.

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Blowing raspberries and the slobbery aftermath.

Slowing Down the Blur

One thing that I have frequently heard, especially from mothers of children close in age, is that their child's childhood passed in a blur. Especially the beginning years when lack of sleep causes you to focus on just getting through the day. This upset me. Babies are only babies for so long and being told I wouldn't remember much of my baby's babyhood was disappointing. Who wants to forget those moments? Certainly not me! I wanted and needed to remember each moment I possibly could. Since it didn't sound very possible I was encouraged and determined to begin this blog.

Attempt #1 - A basic shot.

Life is Rough

when your mom makes you try crawling.

Everett's First Park Day

A gorgeous day requires an outing to the park. It's a must. This was also Everett's very first trip to the park and we were excited to see what he thought. On the top of our park to-do list was trying out the swings.

Highlight Reel: Introduction

Sometimes my life is a little on the boring side. The daily routine of life doesn't always lend to the most exciting stories unless you are interested in what food my baby ate, how many times I had to pick up my house, etc. etc. and most aren't. But there is always something each day worth recording. Enter the Highlight Reel posts. Each day I want to record those special moments and log them to memory, the Highlight Reel posts will help me do that. Here are a few highlights from this past week.

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A bottle malfunction. Not necessarily a highlight but too cute not to share. I'm not sure how this happens but it does. I gave him a quick bottle while I got ready for church and came back to this. The bottle empty and half of it on his face and the surrounding blanket area. Silly boy!