Merry Christmas 2011

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE KRAUSE FAMILY!

2011 has brought our family many changes.  In some aspects it was a more difficult year for us, but in the end we needed the growth those challenges provided.  Life is pretty sweet around here.  There is always a cute boy making a funny comment and brightening our lives.  With Christmas upon us, we reflect upon what that means.  Our family is grateful to our Heavenly Father for sending his Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth.  We truly rejoice in this... "Joy to the World."  We hope that the Christmas spirit is upon each of you at this "most wonderful time of the year."

Love, Jared, Andrea, Ethan, Grayson, and Landon

I love to see the temple

To make this post easier to understand, a brief lesson on Mormon temples is required.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints builds temples to perform sacred ordinances for ourselves and our ancestors.  There is a temple right here in Orlando.  Jared and I were married there and it is a beautiful place.  For more information:  http://mormon.org/family-history/  or http://lds.org/church/temples?lang=eng

Orlando Temple

Yesterday I had the opportunity to do some temple work for my sweet Nana, Grace Pomar.  I loved this woman so much.  I feel very fortunate to have known her for 29 years of my life.  She was beautiful inside and out and I miss her everyday.  She was the kind of woman that people would meet and walk away truly loving her.  Nana inspires me to be a better mom, a better wife, and a better woman.  I love how she used to tuck her chin into her neck when he laughed and the silly poems she taught us about lizards and doodle-bugs.  I love her fudge and that she once sent a batch all the way to Utah for me to enjoy when I was a freshman at BYU.  I recently found a letter she wrote to me that highlighted the events of her week.  I cherish it. 
When I went to the temple yesterday to do her work, I was surprised to find a youth group from St. Augustine was there and would be helping me out.  Kind of an amazing coincidence considering I had no idea they would be there and it really could have been one of hundreds of youth groups there that day.  I felt the Holy Spirit so strong and really felt she was there smiling down on me.  I felt connected to her in a way that I haven't in a long time.  It was truly palpable.  One of the best experiences, other than receiving my own ordinances and marrying Jared, that I've had in the temple.

Tough Couple of Weeks

The last two weeks were so rough.  Two weeks ago, I stayed home from church with Landon and Grayson because they both seemed a little under the weather.  The next morning, I woke up feeling like I'd been hit by a truck.  Jared even stayed home from work because I was so sick.  He did end up with it, but only a mild version that did not keep him down for four days like me.  I haven't been this sick in a long time and I was quite the baby about it all. 
Once I was finally feeling better, it was time to take Ethan in for his little surgical procedure.  The official name is a "meatotomy," which to be honest grosses me out.  He didn't seem to mind leaving the house before the sun was up with just Mom and Dad.  However, once he figured out it wasn't for fun, he quickly expressed his dislike.  He did really well, but was super grumpy before going in.  I felt pretty at peace about everything, but was nervous about him coming off anesthesia.  I had reason to be nervous.  He basically turned into a crazy person.  He was screaming and thrashing his body around.  He wasn't too bad at the hospital, but by the time I got him home he had seriously LOST it.  I felt so helpless.  It is the worst feeling to have as a parent.  He kept begging me to make his penis feel better and there was nothing I could do.  About an hour of crazy Ethan and I thought I wasn't going to make it.  So glad my mom was here to help out.  He finally settled down and was doing pretty good until he had to go potty for the first time.  He screamed and shouted and there was even an "Ay yi yi!"  After that he refused to go to the bathroom.  I had to put him in a warm bath because he'd only gone twice in 24 hours.  On Friday (two days after surgery), he finally realized it no longer hurt and we've been okay since then.  Poor little man!  (Pun intended.) 
The good news is his bladder and urinary tract can now operate normally.  The bad news is I fear he is traumatized for reals.

The Goose is Getting Fat!

Christmas is coming! Here are some photos of our first Christmas in our new place. Love that we got to do outdoor decorations this year. Jared was so excited!  Oh, and the boys are excited too.

Santa Hat Chair Covers.  My mother-in-law bought these for us girls one Christmas.  I LOVE them!  Need two more now that we have a bigger table, though.

Our Italian Nativity set.  It's really from Italy.  Thanks to my dear friend Erica Gifford coordinating it's purchase as a wedding gift to Jared and me.  It is still my favorite wedding gift.

Grayson was fascinated.  He still is and it will be a challenge keeping ornaments on this tree.

Ethan was so helpful over the past couple of days.  Christmas morning is going to be soooooooo fun.

Our stockings.  Ethan's, Jared's and mine were made by my college roomie, Nicole.  I requested the pattern and with the help of my Aunt Teresa, we did Grayson's and Landon's.  They are so cute hanging all together.

Full shot of our tree.

Outside lights! Thanks to Norb and Sabra, Jared got the front lawn he's been dreaming of.  (The reindeer blink and I couldn't get them all three at the same time.)

Our "Elf on the Shelf".  Ethan is not convinced that he is real.  He said today that he thinks he is pretend. 

These boys were worn out after all their work.

Knowledge

Ethan: My favorite word is Knowledge.
Jared: Knowledge?  How do you know that word?
Ethan: It's knowledge.  Knowledge is Spanish.

Just Thinking about my Brother

I have had my brother, Tony, on my mind so much lately.  I just love this guy!  I hardly get to see him since we don't live in the same town and when I do visit, he is always working.  He is one of the hardest working people I know.  But, he wouldn't be a Hesson if he wasn't.  Tony is celebrating his "Golden Birthday" on November 27, which may be why he is on my mind so much this week.  Tony is a great brother and person.  I think most of the time he doesn't even realize how awesome he is.  In celebration of his 27 years, here are a few photos and 27 things I love about Tony.

1. His smile, the real one that lights up his eyes.

2. His cupcakes, seriously this boy can bake.

3. His sense of humor, though most of the time he and Stacey are razzing me, he is so funny.

4.  His work ethic.  I love how Tony can put his all into everything he does.

5. His persistence.  I know life hasn't always been easy for him and he has persevered through some tough stuff.

6.  That he always finds the best ways to scare me with that forsaken clown.

7. Memories of our sleepovers in the living room and at Nana's house as kids.  He is the best back scratcher, y'all.

8.  His love for the Wu-Tang Clan.  I don't get it, but love that he does.

9. Memories of the 8 months or so that Tony lived with us.  He took such great care of me while I was a crazy pregnant lady.

9.  That he is always surprising me.  Be it with the aforementioned clown, or a kind deed, or a prank that makes me cry (also I was crazy and pregnant at the time).

10.  His love for his family.  Not many brothers are cool enough to tell their sisters I love you in front of all their friends in high school.

11.  Memories of going to soccer games his senior year.  That was a tough year for me, and those games and his company really helped me get through that year. 

12.  That he is so adventurous.  He spent a month in Borneo and got corn rows in Venezuela.  Need I say more?

13.  That he is nostalgic.  We love our Gummi Bears DVD.  By the way, I hear Thundercats are making a comeback.

14. Memories of you tagging along to high school basketball games and patiently waiting while I cheered and Stacey kept stats.  Those were really awesome times for me.

15. How great he is with my kids.  He is definitely the fun uncle.

16. Your splish-splash.  You know what I'm talking about.

17.  That crazy curly hair of yours. You've got style, dude.

18.  That you have a pair of Reeboks in every color.  I wish I were as fashionable as you.

19. Your hugs.  I love those.

20. Your talent for film.  Would love to see you put yourself out there more on that one.

21.  That you are so patient.  Especially with my boys.  They love when you let them do manly things with you, like move sprinklers and plant bushes.

22. You are a great soccer player, bro.

23. That you love Arrested Development as much as me.  "Hey, Brother."

24.  That you are willing to cook me dinner even after you've been cooking all day at work and it's late.  (Most of these times occurred when I was a crazy pregnant lady.)

25. How much you love your family.

26. That you have successfully put up with two sisters, who often forget that they're not your mom.  We just love you.

And, for 27. A wish that you will find someone who thinks you're even more amazing than I do.  I love you, brother. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!

  

Grayson is 2 To-day!

Grayson is 2 today.  It is so hard for me to believe that he is 2 years old.  Grayson brings so much joy to our family.  He is full of energy and loves to snuggle.  Grayson struggles to communicate, but we all understand his sweet smile and must admit that when he says, "Eh?" over and over again it is pretty cute.  Grayson loves to eat popcorn, wave at the garbage men, ride his bike, drink chocolate milk, make mischief, and help Mommy with chores.  He has such a sweet spirit about him and truly is a joy.  Happy Birthday to our sweet Grayson.

Grayson at about 2 months.  Definitely smoochable!

Grayson at 5 months.  Love those cheks and chunky thighs.

First trip to the beach at 9 months.  I think he likes it.

Christmas 2010.  Grayson is one here and already starting to look like a big boy.

I'm 2 and I'm awesome.  Happy Birthday, Grayson.

Blessings

All month I have been trying to be more mindful of the blessings in my life.  I truly have more blessings than I can count.  That said, I can't seem to stop thinking about the things I don't have and want.  Mostly I want to be debt free and be in a position to stay home full time with my boys.  We are working towards those things, but it takes a lot longer to diminish debt than it does to accrue it.  School loans are a beast! 
In the end, we truly have so much to be grateful for and I think the rest will fall into place as we continue to do the very best we can.

Ethan's Birthday Party

My wonderful brother-in-law, Joe, made a sweet video documenting Ethan's 4th Birthday Party.  This is so awesome.  Wanted to share.
http://joesvideos.tumblr.com/
The password is youtubestinks

Laundry

Okay, so I know this post is about to make me seem even cooler than I already seem.  Read on if you think you can handle it.  This is my king-sized bed after the laundry was folded today.  I swear this stuff has begun to breed.  I did about 5 loads today.  That is a lot for me.  I try to do 2 loads a day to keep on top of stuff.  With the messiest about to be 2 year old and a 9 month old that has serious, stinky reflux, we change clothes a lot throughout the day.  I joked with Jared that I should list laundry as my hobby because I spend so much of my time doing it.  I don't even know if this picture does it justice.  It is seriously, a lot of laundry.  On top of clothing, sheets, towels, etc, I also cloth diaper so I do diaper laundry each week as well.  Needless to say, I am definitely going to start listing laundry as my hobby. 
I am not really complaining.  A friend of mine once said that she enjoys laundry because she knows she won't be folding itty-bitty clothes forever.  Basically, the less laundry I have, the bigger my children will be.  Thinking of it that way makes me stop and appreciate what this mountain really means.  My children are still sweet babies that brighten my life each day.  I will cherish each sock I successfully match and roll.  I will linger as I fold tiny shorts.  And, I will not cringe when I empty that stinky diaper pail.  Maybe having laundry as a hobby isn't so terrible after all.

Landon is 9 months old

Landon is 9 months old today!  I really can hardly believe it.  He used to be so small and now he is so big.  He weighed in at 21 lbs 9 oz at his doctor's visit and is about 39 inches long.  He is a big, happy boy.  His personality has really started to come out and he is so happy.  He smiles all the time and he laughs and makes the silliest faces.  Here he is after his bath yesterday.  Below he is about 1 day old, snuggling with Jared.  Landon is about ready to crawl full time now.  He can feed himself some soft foods and loves oatmeal.  He can get from laying down to sitting position and really likes going after his big brother's toys.  So hard to believe he is 9 months old!

Happy Birthday Ethan!

Ethan is 4 years old today!  I really cannot believe that he is 4.  We love Ethan so much and are so happy he is in our family.  He is a great big brother and does a great job of looking out for Grayson and Landon.  In parking lots, Mommy always has her hands full and Ethan is quick to hold Grayson's hand and make sure he is safe.  Ethan loves to make Landon laugh and he's really good at it too.  He plays games with him, like Peek-A-Boo, and can really get Landon going.  Ethan has learned so much in the last year.  He knows all his letters, he can cut in a straighter line than Mommy, he can ride his bike (with training wheels), he can make his own bed, and he can pick out and put on his own clothes.  Mommy and Daddy are so proud of him and know that he will do great things in his life.  He is so sweet and helpful.  He is also obsessed with the color green, Thomas the Train, How to Train your Dragon, and using his scissors and gluestick.

Ethan at 3 weeks old, wearing the pumpkin hat he got at the hospital and snuggling his duckie.  He still sleeps with Duckie who is not as bright and yellow as he once was.

Ethan at 6 months!  We love this photo of him.

Ethan at one year.  Love that boy.

Ethan at 2 years old.  Serious, model face.

Ethan at 3 years old.  Growing so big.

Ethan at 4 years old.  He likes to remind me that one day he'll be big and tall like his Daddy. He may have to settle for being big and tall like Uncle Tony.  Doctor says he will probably only be 5'7".  Happy Birthday Ethan!

Grayson the Mischevious

Whenever Mommy is busy, Grayson finds a way to be as mischevious as possible.  Here he is drilling the kitchen table.  And below you'll find him where I found him yesterday while cooking dinner: sitting in our bathroom sink with the lights off.  He brough Ethan's pillow and duckie, Landon's stolen paci, dental floss, and other bathroom items with him.  He is already giving me such a run for my money. 

Last week

We had many opportunities to be together as a family last week. Here are the photos to prove it.

We were challenged to go to the temple by our local leaders.  We couldn't find a way to make it work unless we took the boys with us.  It turned out to be really nice as we walked around the grounds as a family.  Grayson refused to get in this photo, but Jared is looking good, y'all! 

Grayson kept yelling, "Bubbles!" at the fountains.  It was a beautiful morning at the temple.  Jared and I couldn't help but reflect on our wedding day since we were married in the Orlando Temple.  It was a perfect day in our opinion and we are happy to report that we love each other even more than we did that day.  As we walked up to the temple, we told Ethan we were married here and he replied, "I want to get married here too!"  He is so cute. 

Yearly trek to the Pumpkin Patch.  Here is Landon in his costume.  He is just as cute a pumpkin as his brothers were.

My sweet baby boy. Love him!

All the boys were really excited about this photo op on the old-timey truck.

Something that will make you smile

Ethan comes running from the other side of the house and says, "Mom, I'm so excited!" I say, "Yeah, why are you so excited?" Without missing a beat he says, "Because today was a good day for me. And, I love good days!"

Bath time just got a whole lot easier and exciting.  Rub a dub dub, three men in a tub!

Pizza night!  Ethan helped out and did a great job.  Look at that pie.  Don't judge my pan.  Somehow Drew Hesson's daughter does not have a pizza pan.  It's a travesty I tell you!

My heart melts... (Musings from an adoring mom)

Ethan has this smile that just makes my heart melt.  He is awesome.  Today I was so proud of him as he participated in the special Primary Presentation the children do each year at our church. He sang the songs and had a little line to say.  They don't let you video it, which is too bad because all of the children were so wonderful.  I even teared up watching my little man.  He will be four in less than two weeks and I can hardly believe it.  He is so sweet and brings our family so much joy.  Ethan is always looking out for his younger brothers and is so helpful. 

This morning we participated in our traditional Sunday morning snuggle.  It is seriously the highlight of my week.  Ethan and Grayson pile into our bed and we just talk and laugh and, of course, snuggle!  I hope they don't outgrow it for a long time.

Grayson also has a smile that makes my heart melt.  His smile usually means he is up to something.  He is also awesome and a fabulous member of our family.  Today, Grayson got to see his Papa (my dad), with whom he has a special bond.  Grayson has a limited vocabulary, but Papa is one of the words he knows.  When my parents walked in Grayson shouted Papa and ran into his arms.  He stayed by his side all day.  Tonight he was walking around in just his diaper because I just love to see his little body move.  He is our snuggle bug and is so sweet. 

Landon has a smile that makes my heart melt too!  His even comes with a huge dimple in his left cheek.  I love when his paci is in his mouth and he begins to smile, but doesn't want to lose the paci.  It's just so cute.  Landon loves to laugh.  He especially loves to laugh at the sillyness of his brothers.  Landon's smile will be changing soon because one tooth has arrived and another is not far behind it.  I think it will be awesome when Landon joins us for our weekly snuggle experience, but I don't want to rush it too much. 

I just love my kids.  I'm a pretty lucky lady.

Martha Stewart Rocks!

Seriously, if you are looking to add some fun to your Halloween, you must check out www.marthastewart.com  That woman is amazing (or her staff is or both)!  Here is what we did for our weekly family night.  We made bats and ghosts and hung them throughout the house.

Rainy Days

So, apparently we are in the middle of a tropical disturbance. It has been raining pretty much non-stop for about two days now. Jared is seriously having anxiety about this shady tree (it both provides shade and is looking a little less than sturdy) right over the boys' bedrooms. A huge limb fell off tonight and landed with a thud, sending his anxiety through the roof. Other than fearing for our lives from the tree that the landlord should have taken care of months ago, we are enjoying our inside time. Here are the photos to prove it.

Watching a movie in our homemade tent. 

The boys wanted to snuggle on the couch.  Grayson is particularly excited.

Close up of Landon in the tent.  This boy is always smiling.  We love him.

Landon is now 8 months old!  He is about ready to crawl, but is happy just to roll to his destination these days.  He also cut one of his bottom teeth and it is pretty cute.  Here he is enjoying some Puffs.  One is stuck to his cheek and it made me think of the Dr. Seuss book "The Sneeches." 

Great way to start the day

I usually get up before everyone else.  It's the only way I can get a shower and have some peaceful moments before the craziness sets in.  This morning, the alarm went off, but the volume was down.  So, I overslept.  Ethan and Grayson came barging in around 6:45 AM and seeing me in bed still Ethan says, "Good morning.  I'm gonna snuggle with BOTH of you!"  Man, I love that kid.

Just some fun

We've been settling in for a month now and I think we're done. Now, I fill my days with running errands, cooking, cleaning, laundry, dishes, keeping the boys in line, and occassionally I sit down for a minute. Here are some photos from this week.

Grayson is really excited to ride a bike like his brother.  He had a blast!

We bought Ethan a bike when he turned two (Grayson is actually using it in the pic above) and we lived in a condo and he just never learned to ride it.  Now that we're in a house with a driveway, I have no excuses.  Lessons have begun and I hope I can figure out how to teach him.  If anyone has tips, I'll take them.

Riding dad like a horse.  Everyone has severe bedhead in this picture.

Watching the boys ride their bikes.  Always in a pleasant mood, this one.  We love him.

This boy is becoming a messy eater!  Those are puffs stuck to his shirt.  Carrots are all over his face, arms, and tray. They were on the wall, my arms, and the dining room table.  When he takes a bite, he likes to fake sneeze and it sends food everywhere!