The Christmas Spirit

The Christmas Spirit

This is a link to a video put out by our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I hope this Christmas fills each of your hearts with joy and hope. All my love... A

Family Photos

We took our family photos a couple of weeks ago. Here are some of our shots. If you'd like to see all of them go to www.stacytait.com and the password is jkrause

I do plan to make prints to send out to family and friends. Let me know if you'd like to be on the list.

Tiny toes

Family Photos

Love those baby lips

Sweet baby boy

Ethan movie

Uncle Joe pieced together some video footage we had of Ethan. I think it turned out great! Here's the link to view it. It takes a while to load, so be patient. It will work: )

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2223687/Ethan%20Krause%20copy.mov

2 Weeks

Grayson had his two week doctor visit on Wednesday. He is growing so quickly. He is now closing in on 20 " long and weighed in at 7 lbs, 10 oz. The doctor said he looks great and we have started our tummy time regimen. Luckily, he seems to not mind so far. Ethan used to scream through his tummy time and I hated it as much as he did. Here are a few photos of Grayson. We took family pics yesterday and I hope to have them in time to send out a Christmas card. They will definitely get posted here if that doesn't happen.

Our little reindeer.

Just hanging out.

Ethan finally sat next to Grayson for a photo.

First bath at home. I think he liked it.

Close up!

Happy Thanksgiving

This year we certainly have a lot to be thankful for. Having a child just a week ago brings all our blessings into perspective. It has been a very eventful year with some really high highs and some really low lows. We miss Nana terribly, but know she is looking down on us and I have a feeling she'll be Grayson's guardian angel. Grayson is such a good boy! Ethan is going to be a wonderful big brother. Each day he expresses more and more interest in Grayson. This morning, Grayson and I were upstairs snuggling in bed when Jared went to get Ethan up. I could hear his sweet little voice, "Where's the baby?" Jared finally had to bring him upstairs to ensure him that the baby had not left without saying goodbye. I also catch him softly touching the baby and saying things like, "Baby's hands." or "Baby's ears." So cute!
Above all else, I am grateful for my testimony of Jesus Christ and for my family--both the family I born to and the one Jared and I are creating. I love my boys! We are so blessed to have a home, two working cars, two good jobs, the opportunity to live in America and all the freedoms that comes with, and to be loved and have love for so many friends and family members.
I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! I am going to try and remember my blessings more throughout the coming year. I challenge y'all to do the same.

Grayson Thomas--November 18, 2009

Well, not to be outdone by his older brother, Grayson also arrived 19 days earlier than his due date. Here's the story. At 2 AM on Wednesday morning, I started contractions. After waiting awhile to make sure they were the real deal, I woke Jared up. While waiting for his lovely mom, Sabra, to come across town so not to abandon our sleeping child, we got ready to go (showers, loading the car, etc). As soon as Sabra arrived, we called my parents to let them know we were headed to the hospital and got on the road. We arrived at the hospital at 4:15 and went to Triage. My contractions were killing me and they could not have moved fast enough. While taking my medical history, the nurse said "Those seem intense, let's get you examined and we'll ask these questions as we go." So, I was finally assessed and admitted at 4:50 AM. I was dilated to a 6. Within ten minutes that increased to an 8 and we were whisked upstairs to the delivery room. When I arrived there, I was checked again and as closing in on the magic number of 10! It was then that I sadly realized that I would not be getting an epidural. : ( The doctor arrived just in time to start pushing and after 2 contractions and 15 minutes, Grayson was born at 5:31 AM on November 18, 2009.
I had heard labor goes more quickly after you've had one baby, but I had no idea it would take 3 and 1/2 hours! Grayson is awesome and we are happy to be home today. He is eating well and loves being Ethan's little brother. Here are a few photos. More will come.

Last belly shot at 37 weeks!

Grayson Thomas Krause 7 lbs, 3 oz 19 1/4 inches long

Snug as a bug in a rug

Poll for our blog readers

Should be spell the baby's name Greyson or Grayson? Let us know what you think.

Halloween 2009

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Happy Birthday, Ethan

Happy Birthday to my handsome, little man! He will always be my baby, but he really isn't one anymore. Over the last year he has learned to run, jump, somersault, eat with his spoon and fork, talk up a storm, and many more things. He always brings a smile to our faces and to a lot of other faces we know. Some of his favorite people (he knows their names, even) are Mommy, Daddy, Papa, MaMa, Phoebe-dog, Bobby, Caden, Mimi, and Wo Wo. He loves aunts and uncles and his cousins, Kalia, Nate Nate, and Lyla. Ethan is going to make a great big brother. Jared and I aren't sure what we would do if he weren't a part of our family. He surely makes it special. Happy Birthday, Ethan!

Turning 2

Ethan's birthday is on a Thursday this year. Due to scheduling, my family was able to come today and we had a small thing for Ethan's birthday. We are having a small thing with the Dawson's on his actual birthday (since that's a work day for me). And then we're having a small thing with the Krause's on Saturday (Halloween). So, essentially, we will be celebrating Ethan's birthday for an entire week.

Today, my dad helped Jared install a fan in the boy's room. It required electrical work, so we are happy he was able to come and help. Mom helped me run some errands and do some chores in anticipation of Grayson's arrival. Needless to say things got crossed off the list, but I am exhausted! Here are some photos from today.

Ethan blew out his candle this year!

Riding his new bike that Jared and I got for him. He is so cute!

Ethan and Lyla playing with Ethan's new train set. He absolutely loves it!

Lyla got hold of a train! Ethan was happy to share.

A close up of the cake I made for today. I was proud of how it turned out.

Name that Baby

After many months of agonizing vetoes and lists, Jared and I have decided on a final name for our son. Drum Roll................................. Grayson Thomas Krause

Grayson was inspired by my sweet Nana who passed away last month. Her name was Grace.
Thomas is my dad and my brother's middle name, plus there's a pretty cool train that Ethan likes named Thomas: )

We are excited about Grayson's arrival and hope that he is healthy and happy when he gets here.

Baking, Crafting, Potty Training Hanging Out, and a Birthday Party

Making cupcakes for a Young Women Church activity. Ethan helped me by putting all the liners in the muffin tins, mixing the cake mix, licking the beaters, and he even stole some batter from one of the cupcakes. After they were cooked, I gave him the one he desecrated, but he only took two bites and was finished.

We went to Rachel's Birthday Party. I LOVE her!

Attempting to potty-train. Really we introduced him to the concept. He loved sitting on his potty, but didn't quite get why he was sitting there. See the confused look below.

Close up of some "scary" cupcakes. As Ethan calls them "cake-cakes."

Decorating Halloween cupcakes on October 2. Jared loves Halloween and cupcakes. He is awesome.

Just taking some pics. I love this kid!

Ella came to hang out with us one morning while her mommy went to the doctor. We played and had a snack.

A Christmas wreath I made for Jeni Z. (formerly B.) Jeni was one of my roomies freshman year. This was part of my craft challenge. I am currently working on my mom's project and then will have two left (Brooke and Myndie).

30 Weeks

I am now less than 10 weeks away from my due date (December 7) and we are getting closer to a name. For fear that someone will change my mind, I am keeping it a secret just a little bit longer. We are still working on the middle name anyway so the big reveal will come when we've settled on that. I saw my doctor this week and all is looking great. I feel pretty good except I am extremely tired, which comes with the territory. My doctor mentioned that since Ethan came so early (nearly 3 weeks), she wouldn't be surprised if this little guy came early too. I would love to avoid being 10 months pregnant, but don't want to get my hopes up either. We'll just have to wait and see. One thing about babies is they come when they're ready and not necessarily when mom is. Here's a pic of me at 30 weeks. I definitely have started running into people with this thing! Don't stop short in front of me or you'll be bumped a few feet: )

Nana

My sweet Nana, Grace Elizabeth Andreu Pomar, passed away on Sunday, September 20, 2009. She was an inspiration to all who met her and I loved her dearly. My mom gave her eulogy on Thursday, September 24, 2009. I've included it here for those of you who are interested. Mom did a great job of delivering Nana's story to those that loved her.

Grace Elizabeth Andreu Pomar, born December 23rd, 1921. Almost a Christmas baby, she would, for the rest of her life, be a gift to all who had the good fortune to meet her.

Mom was born in Mayport, FL to David and Mary Andreu, the fifth of six children. She is the last of those six to leave this world. She grew up as what is referred to as “dirt poor”, living in a small wooden home that lacked plumbing, in Mayport. I don’t know a lot about my grandparents because they were both deceased by the time I came along, but I do know that my grandfather died when Mom was six years old and my grandmother never remarried. All the Andreu kids really had was each other and they were a very close family. She was the only one of her siblings that graduated from high school and that was through her own sheer determination to do so. She rode the bus every day from Mayport to Jacksonville Beach and graduated from Fletcher High School, an institution that still stands.

Mom’s oldest sibling, Mary, had married and moved to St. Augustine while Mom was in high school. Mom was visiting Mary when she met our dad. The apartment belonged to his Aunt Tena and he had come to visit her when fate stepped in his path and he met his true love. There is no reason to doubt that mom’s beauty overwhelmed him, in today’s vernacular she would be considered a “hottie”. But I’m sure her sweet spirit, wit, and generosity toward others set the hook. Our parents’ marriage was storybook. Sure, they were human and had the same trials others had, but they loved each other and were united body and soul.

With Dad’s support, it was Mom who was responsible for the foundation we were raised on. She emulated our Lord in that she taught by example and with patience. She never preached or pressured. Her ability to love unconditionally and completely allowed us to grow up in an environment where mistakes were forgiven and differences of opinion were tolerated. She always loved us “no matter what”. But…that doesn’t mean she wasn’t a strict disciplinarian. Small and mighty she never hesitated to put it on one of the boys if they needed it, even if they were twice her size. Teresa and I were a little smarter than the boys and learned early how to avoid spankings, but Mom had a more painful tactic to for us. She would ignore us. That hurt us worse than anything she could have done physically. We have had quite a few laughs over the past few weeks as we gathered each day to help Mom in her journey home and re-lived some of our childhood experiences.

As we talked together and the grandkids and friends came by to visit her in her last days, I asked some of them if there was one thing they would want people to know about her, what it would be. I got quite a variety of answers, things such as “tell them she could touch her toes, even when she was in her eighties”, “she once asked me to take her to confession, when I asked what she could possibly have to confess, she told me in her sweet southern voice, I get angry sometimes”, “she was a teacher of family traditions, like making fudge, nut cookies, macaroni and cheese, and beef stew” “she taught us so many things, how to respect each other, how to take turns, how to think critically, perseverance, even though we thought we were just playing cards”. “She wasn’t just all hugs and precious puppy laughs and peanut butter cookies, this was a woman of substance and steadfast, devout faith; a woman who had been a force to be reckoned with for most of her life. She had a lot of jobs in her life as a wife, mother of six and Chief Operating Officer for her household. But as a grandmother, she was the best there ever was; there simply wasn’t one sweeter.” When my folks celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1990, we asked people to share their thoughts on my folks with us. One of Mom’s oldest and dearest friends wrote “What can one say about Gracie? Only that she was one of the most beautiful girls who ever graced the halls of Fletcher High School. Like the princess in a fairy tale, she was as good as she was beautiful so no one could be jealous of her.” No truer words have been written about Mom and she remained as Helen Cooper Floyd described her until the day she left this world.


People often speak of their destiny in life or their purpose for having been sent to this earth. I believe that Mom’s purpose was predestined from the beginning even if her parents didn’t know it. They named her Grace… the meaning of that word in the dictionary is: charm…pleasing…praises…a virtue coming from God…an act or instance of kindness or courtesy…a charming or attractive trait or characteristic…a pleasing appearance or effect…ease of bearing…a short prayer at a meal asking for blessing or giving thanks. In the baby name books, Grace means good will and her middle name, Elizabeth, means God’s promise. Mom spent her entire life spreading good will and sharing God’s promise with those she met and she has influenced more lives from the corner of 60 Osceola St. than those who may be more connected to society or in the workplace. In addition to her own children, she helped shape the lives of many of you in this church today as she took you in to her home and cared for you while your parents worked or your mom just needed some time. “Mama Grace” was how she was known by many of you and she loved each of you. Our house was always filled with the laughter of children and as our grandchildren accompanied us to her house last week, that laughter rang out again and I know she was familiar with it and pleased by it.

I would like to thank June, Stacey, and Nancy for all they did for Mom. You increased the quality of her life and helped us keep her safe. Your tender care of her will always be remembered. Miss Ann and Miss Dee thank you for your friendship and your daily visits to her. She loved each of you dearly.

A chapter in all of our lives closes today as we pay our final respect to the wonderful woman that was our mother, grandmother, great grandmother, aunt, and friend. The Lord puts few people on this earth as special as her. I challenge each of you to continue her legacy by holding your family close, putting them first, and by just being a little more gentle with each other every day.

Thank you all for coming today. After the services at gravesite, we will be going home to 60 Osceola St. We invite all of you to join us on the corner that Grace loved.

Prayer

You know, I have always struggled with truly making prayers personal. I can recite a mean Our Father, but when it comes to sincere communication I sometimes struggle. We have already started teaching Ethan to pray. We thought it would be a good idea and started when he was around 18 months and entering nursery at church. He would get to pray there as well and even have lessons on Jesus Christ and learn some songs. One night, about a month ago, I announced it was time for prayer and he cried! I'm pretty sure it is because he knows this is the last thing we do before he has to go to bed. Jared said something along the lines of, "Why are we doing this? Does he really know what we're doing?" I told him maybe not, but we were going to do it anyway. That I wanted Ethan to learn to pray in a way I have yet to master.
Well, for the last week when we announce there will be a prayer, Ethan becomes very reverent, folds his arms and closes his eyes. He is even saying "Amen." Last night, he got down on his knees with me. I swear, I felt so happy and proud of him. I also felt inspired to really do something about my own prayers in a way I haven't before. It's never too late or too early to learn to pray.

Some pics to catch up

24 Weeks and Growing!
Ethan at the beach!

Hanging out with the Dawson's.

Sarah's surprise baby shower.

My delicious birthday cake. Homemade with love by my mother-in-law.

Golden Birthday

So, I turn 29 today. It's not official until 7:45 PM, so I've still got a few hours of being 28. I remember thinking this would feel so old, but I was wrong. My 20's have been a mixed bag and it will be exciting to turn 30 next year and enter a new phase of my life. I've learned a lot in the last nine years, mostly about myself. I'm stronger than I ever thought I could be and I am happier now than I've ever been before. That is one thing I hope keeps getting better. That each year, no matter how tough it is, that I feel happier than I did the year before. Seems like if that's the case, I will be doing something right.
These are exciting years because I have become a mommy and Jared and I will be expanding our family. Not sure how many yet, so I'll just say as many as we're "supposed" to have. I figure we'll know when we are done. In honor of today, I've compiled a list of 29 life lessons that I've learned and some I'm still working on.

1. Laugh often
2. Don't be afraid to laugh at yourself
3. Worrying too much about what other people think is not worth it
4. Take time to enjoy the simple things (like right now, little no name is kicking away and I love that feeling)
5. Eat good food
6. If the dishes are in the sink for more than a day, you are not a bad person
7. Coloring is therapeutic
8. Service is about a mutual relationship with someone and not to show someone that you have a talent they don't
9. Saying your prayers and reading scriptures really do impact your life for the better
10. Not all advice, even if well-intentioned, is good advice
11. Taking time to sit with someone and just sit is something we should all do more of
12. At least one day a week, get rid of distractions (give it a try, you'll see what I mean)
13. My cell phone is for my convenience and not for the convenience of others
14. Getting more junk mail than bills is a good thing
15. Always explore your talents, new and old
16. Just Dance!
17. Reading good books stimulates the mind and the soul
18. You won't always know the right thing to say
19. A hug goes a very long way
20. Voicing your opinion is not always appropriate
21. Having children is one of the best things ever
22. Having children is one of the hardest things ever
23. You can tell a lot about someone by how they treat the waiter on a date
24. You will make mistakes and some will really hurt other people
25. You can overcome trials and be better for it
26. Having a family like mine is a rare, unique gift
27. Always associate with good people
28. Always tell the people that you love that you love them
29. Know that you will never know everything, but you can do what you can with what you got

Crafty!

Well, this month I got my craft on! I made a baby blanket for Lauren and Mickey's baby Brooke to use at her baptism and I made curtains for my kitchen. Thought I'd share my finished product because I still can't believe I was creative enough to actually make these things. : ) Those of you who signed up for a craft from me (Jeni and Brooke), expect something of this caliber. Two more spots on the craft sign-up (you will get it within a year, I promise). First two to post a comment, get something: )

Just a plain, double crochet. I've got start somewhere. Maybe one day I'll actually be able to follow a pattern.BC--Before Curtains.Aunt Teresa came and helped with the curtains. Could not have done it without her! Thank you, Aunt Teresa.Me working the sewing machine.

After shot.

Close up.

We're having a boy!

Jared and I had the ultrasound yesterday and we're having a boy! I was a little torn because having had a boy, it would be fun to have a girl; however, I know that Ethan will love having a little brother. I was so happy that I cried. It was amazing how much more I could see in the ultrasound this time around. Maybe that's from experience or maybe technology is better just two years later. It was an awesome day! Now all we need is a name. I am totally open to suggestions. Here are some photos from the ultrasound. The top one is his little foot and the bottom is his profile.

4th of July Fun

Uncle Kevin and Nathan
Uncle Kevin, Ethan, and Nathan.

He really wants to hold one that is on fire!

Daddy and Ethan

Nathan and Ethan in the pool!