The Last 10 Days

The last 10 days have felt like a whirlwind! Here's a breakdown of how it's been going down at Krause Haus!

Monday night we had the Cottle's over for our weekly family night. These guys are basically family and we are so excited for Baby Dexter to arrive in October. The Cottles taught our kids about music (how to conduct hymns, reading music, etc) and made Funfetti waffles that we topped with ice cream. It was so fun and delicious despite the fact that our A/C conked out earlier in the afternoon and it was scorching in our house. We love you Brad and Rae Rae!

So the A/C was really broken and we ended up becoming refugees at my in-law's house for six days! It took our landlord six days to get a new A/C. Have I mentioned how happy I am to be moving? One day I dropped by to pick up some things and it was 94 degrees in the house!  While we were at the original Krause Haus, we were able to see about half a dozen butterflies emerge from their cocoons. Here we are releasing a Monarch and an Eastern Swallowtail with Grandma. It was pretty amazing to watch.

Grandma also had some super fun things for us to play with. The boys saw our time there as an adventure and all I could think about was all the work I wasn't getting done. In the end it all worked out and I'm so happy we got such concentrated time with Norb and Sabra. We will miss seeing them so often when we move. The boys thoroughly enjoyed playing with Lincoln Logs and learned how to play Go Fish and Checkers.

We were able to get together with one of our favorite families last week as well. We had dinner and dessert and fun times at the Pennell's home. The Pennell's are one of the things we will miss most about Orlando. We love Max, Jake, Chad and Sara!

Saturday we moved back into our home and Sunday we woke up to Father's Day! I was a little under prepared because of the crazy week we had, but I had bought gifts early so it was fine I suppose. We also were able to bless baby Weston at the Church on Father's Day. 

The baby blessing was pretty standard, but Jared was also inspired to include that Weston would be a peacemaker in our home. It was kind of hilarious that when he said that Weston let out a little wail. Jared also felt inspired to say that Weston would be an influence for good with his friends and family. We are so happy to have Weston in our family. Every time I look at him I think about how much Jared loves me!

We have loved having the Cooper's in Florida and are going to barricade them in their home so that they don't move to Idaho in the fall! Cindy is a great friend to me and Justin will always be one of Jared's best friends. Baby Cora is going to marry Weston so that's awesome too.

After church (and saying our goodbyes to our friends in Conway Ward), we headed to my sister's for Father's Day lunch! We got a photo of most of the children. Hopefully we can get all nine of them soon. I love my husband, dad, and brother-in-law. They are all terrific fathers and we are so blessed to have them in our family.  I even got to snuggle my daddy on the couch. I think that was one of the day's highlights for me. Never too old to snuggle your daddy.

Weston has started smiling and it is so fun. We all take turns trying to get one out of him. At his two month check up last week he weighed 14 lbs 8 oz and is 23 1/8 inches long! Growing like a weed!

Finally, today we closed on our new home! I almost can't believe it. I'm so proud of Jared for making this happen for our family. I'm so thankful for Will helping us with the home buying process. 

Our beautiful home with OUR car in the driveway! Can't wait to move in this weekend!

Pure Joy

Sometimes the stars align and you get to experience pure joy. You get to keep a smile on your face for nearly 48 hours. You get to feel your heart grow 10 sizes. You get to remember where you came from and the people who have helped get you there. You get to be with people that you sincerely hope are your neighbors in heaven. I had this opportunity over the weekend at Showtime's 30th Anniversary Reunion and Production.

I've blogged before about my "dancer's heart" and this past weekend I got to share my heart on stage once again. I'm not going to lie, it was a little terrifying at first. I just had a baby and my balance has yet to recalibrate and my body has yet to shrink down to my preferred size and I'm feeling old with all my gray hair. However, being with some of my favorite people and hearing the music and moving my body (admittedly a little less gracefully than in my youth) was pure joy!

A huge thank you to Miss Pam and Mr. Matt for organizing this event and helping me prove to my littles that their mom can move. My oldest, Ethan, congratulated me after I finished dancing on the stage. He said, "You did great Mom. You got up on that chair and everything!"

Happy Anniversary Miss Pam! I love you!

Packing and Fun?

So I'm spending most of my time packing or thinking about packing. My kids are not impressed. I try to do some fun things with them, but mostly they are on their own until we get unpacked at the new house. Jared tells me I'm not their cruise director, but if I don't plan some things I'll have anarchy on my hands.

We've been to St. Augustine, went swimming with friends, ran errands, played at the park and went for a bike ride. And, we've been doing a summer chart that encourages the older boys to read, write, exercise, and help out around the house every day. 

Swimming with friends!

And, we're packing! While I pack the kids have been pretty creative. Below they built a train out of pillows and chairs. They even used blankets to make them into sleeping cars. I love these cuties.

Summer is here!

I have been anticipating summer for many weeks! I am so happy that it is here. Summer means no more school. Summer means I get to be with my babies every day. Summer means I don't have to get out of bed and rush in the mornings. Summer means lazy days. Summer means we're moving to our new house! This is going to be an exciting summer.

Ethan had a great year in Mrs. Rivera's first grade class. She really is an awesome teacher. We will miss her a lot! Note: As I type this on the first day of no school, Ethan is doing school work that he brought home. It's a pre-2nd grade math readiness packet. This kid is my mini-me. I thought playing school in the summer was so fun when I was growing up. I'm sure I drove my siblings just as crazy.

Summer also means that Jared has completed his seminary assignment for the year. He probably would have stayed on, but since we're moving they will have to find another teacher. I think he is sadder about this than he thought he'd be. He really grew to love the kids in his class and to love the intense study of the scriptures he needed to do in order to be prepared to teach the class every morning at 5:45 AM. I loved hearing the stories of the kids in his class and about what they were learning. A common question for me to ask each night was, "What's your lesson on tomorrow?" I loved that Jared would then share with me what he was studying and preparing. I gained a lot from this experience as well. One of my favorite experiences Jared had this year was when two of the girls in his class asked him to give them a blessing prior to their taking the SAT exam. Neither has a priesthood holder in her home and Jared was honored to be trusted with such a special experience. Despite the early mornings, Jared and I will miss being part of the seminary program. 

On the last day of seminary, the kids gave Jared a certificate of appreciation "For being the best seminary teacher EVER" They also made him cookies. How sweet are they?!