Tea Time with the big girls

Madline took this picture!

I was really looking forward to taking the girls to a tea room near us--The Avalon Tearoom in White Bear, MN.  I've been there a lot and really like it and the lady who owns it. 

January is kind of a hard month for me for a couple reasons:  Winter gets long, spring seems far away, days are short, fun family Christmas time is past, and one more reason. 

On January 17th, 2009 we would've celebrated the birth of our baby that we lost at 17 weeks.  Some how going to the tea room with my girls has been a rememberance of our precious little unborn baby.  I plan to continue this tradition for years to come.  Our child would have been 2 years old this month...so hard to believe this. 

However, Abigail would never have been born.  So we are thankful for her life and that is why she came to be named Abigail Hope...."a father's joy" and then hope after what we'd lost.  Praise the Lord for blessing us so much.

Scrapbooking Night!!

So I was soooo excited to go scrapbooking with some friends and have girl time this last Friday night.  I was all organized and had all my stuff ready to go.  Elliana and Madeline really enjoy "scrapbooking" as well and probably get to do more than I do!!  So I had some extra supplies for them that they could do while I was gone and gave them a couple pictures too.

I left and arrived to find that no one else was there :-(  I was disappointed of course...oh to have girl time with NO KIDS was right there!!!  No other options seemed to be doable so I came home.  I was determined to still scrapbook and nothing else that I could have done would do.  So Lynn still made it work for me in our dining room while the girls continued to scrapbook themselves.  I ended up getting my Christmas album caught up and Abigail's baby book--pictures and writing as well.  Plus I could hang out with Lynn too.  So it was fun anyways :-)

Swapping Cousins!!!

Shawna (my sister) and I try to take each others kids for one day each month.  So we each have a whole day to do WHATEVER with no kids!!!  This has been such a blessing for both of us and of course the cousins LOVE to be together.  This time Abigail could finally walk and so she and Julia had a lot of fun together.  They were all so good that I really think that I had a much more relaxing day than Shawna did!!!



Sesame Street Live!

We were given free tickets to go!  It was a really

nice show and the girls liked it.  I wasn't going to bring Abigail but I'm glad I did!!!  She sat so well and was thoroughly engaged the whole time.  The toys I brough never came out!  It sure brought back memories too, even though there are new characters.  Fun family night for only a $5 parking ticket downtown at the Target Center!!

Spunkie (Abigail Hope)!!!

Abigail Hope ~~ 18 months old ~~  Picture day at JCPenneys!

Madeline's BMs...

One week ago today Madeline spent the whole afternoon and evening in much pain...abdominal pain.  It got so severe that she could not stay still and was squirmy and crying out in pain.  When she went potty she would walk hunched over in pain.  The last few weeks have not been completely normal as we look back on them.  However, there were days we thought she was just fine.  Our family has been sick so much this month that it's hard to know what is connected to sickness and what is not!!

So last Sunday evening at 6:30 pm Lynn and I we advised by an on call doctor to bring her to the ER.  I was actually sick so Lynn brought Madeline in.  I packed her bags with the serious thought in mind that she may be admitted into the hospital. 

Madeline had lots of tests...xrays of her abdomin (plugged up intestines?), ultrasound (apendicitis or other), urine test (which after an hour of trying they had to hold her down and insert a catheder), and blood tests (three tries and finally wrapping her up like a burrito with one arm out worked). 

NOTHING resulted from all of this.  This was good to hear on the one hand but then...what was going on?????  Throughout the evening in the hospital she got better and was fine to come home...at 1:30 am.  She slept fine

So the last week has been back and forth...she is her normal self and then, "my tummy hurts."  We know it really does too, even though Madeline is dramatic and not always very tough :-)

If you want to know more read on....Lynn and I spend probably hours talking about Madeline's BMs...crazy.  The things you do and talk about for your children.  We went to see our regular Dr.  Poor Madeline was not excited about this.  He brought up constipation once again and gave us things for her not to eat and to make sure and eat.  Also, it may still be salmonella (we are waiting for test results) or some other big words.

We gave her some Shaklee Herb-Lax (which really does work and its safe) for a day and since then there had been a big turn around!!!!!  Lynn and I believe this is what it was...constipation.

Oh my.....I guess I am thankful it wasn't anything serious, although it sure was scary.  Madeline is so precious and I'd rather be sick than her.  It is so good to see her recovering and I think actually better now.

We just pray that the Lord will give us wisdom to be parents in this and other situations.  Praise the Lord for seeing us through this month of sickness.

Inside fun

I always wonder after the summer and our wonderful fall passes what we will do inside for so many months.  Well we've had fun and here are some of the things we do!

Elliana and Madeline are in AWANA Cubbies at our church where the focus is to learn Bible verses.  We made a necklace of the shortened version of the verse, "Jesus Loves Me" written on pink and red hearts.  Of course Abigail wanted to be included as well and chewed on it and the mostacelli noodles that were on there after the picture.  Madeline was not excited about taking a picture either.

Another favorite thing to do inside is to pack all the bags and get loaded up on all the strollers and whatever else they can find and pretend to go to camp.  We go to family camp every summer and they relive it all year round!!  This buggy is packed over capacity I think.  I'm surprised it hasn't officially broken yet.

Mom, do you recognize this doll?  This is my doll I got when I was about 12 years old.  I took it out a while ago and the girls take care of her, Miranda, as if she is still my doll.  They are very careful with her (other thank the fact that she is completely missing her left ear).  They often stroll her around and have me hold her and tuck her into my bed where I find her later.  Here Madeline sat her in the kitchen with me when I was making lunch and gave her a baby toy to play with..."Abigail won't mind," she said.

Another favorite thing to do inside is play with playdough.  They got about 20 different colors and thoroughly enjoy it.  Today they put what they made in my oven to "cook."

Abigail like to stack the containers and does quite well at that.  She will also sneak some of her sisters tools when they are not looking or climb on the table.

 The days we were snowed in with over a foot of snow outside, Lynn got the girls hooked on playing matching games.  Since Christmas we have quite a selection to choose from!  They are getting quite good and will find any of Daddy's spare moments to ask him to play.



Elliana holding "Baby Bear's" first outfit.  Madeline carried it around for several days at first!



No more sickness PLEASE!

Wow...so our family got sick right after New Year's for a week.  Only a few sniffles and coughs are left.  What a long week.  Oh my...I guess we aren't sick very much but this year we've gotten everything now.  It sure was miserable but we sure are thankful for our health even more now!! 

Abigail has been so fun to watch lately.  She has learned to walk!!  We've been cheering her on for some time.  She was the bright spot during our week of sickness.  She learned to walk that week.  I love to watch their first steps and figure out how to balance.  I love to watch her.  She seems to feel like the world has opened up to her a bit more.  So more often now I hear "oh, no...Abigail is coming!!!" from Elliana and Madeline.  She likes to be doing what they are doing most of the time.  I have to balance play time with her and a little time to themselves.  Here she is playing dress up.

We had to move our trip to my Mom and Dad's back a week because of how sick we were.  I didn't think we could fit it in but Mom and Dad were flexible and it worked out great.  They are going to take a month and a half to get away and go to Arizona from February to the middle of March.  So we wanted to see them again.  My Dad is coaching 3rd grade boy's bball in Stratford.  The last time he coached was 9 years ago when he coached my brother, Matt's, team.  It was about time he did again.  So of course "bball practice" naturally came up during our stay several times!!  Dad gets right at their level and they love it and take it seriously.  Dad says Abigail can join practice not that she can walk :-)

The girls love love love to make something in the kitchen with my mom when we are there.  Many times it has been apple pies.  This time it was making zucchini bread for a tea party that morning.  It was very good too!  It does my heart so much good and I store tons of smiles and memories when I see them all together.  They think the world of all their grandparents.

It's a girl.....!

Lynn took the day off work and his dad came over to watch Elliana, Madeline, and Abigail.  So we headed off to have "Baby Bear"'s ultrasound.  SHE is 20 weeks old.  The technician waited until almost the end to tell us.  We are very excited :-)  We stopped and picked her up her first outfit.  We brought it home and showed it to the girls to tell them.  Elliana is a slight bit disappointed not understanding why her prayers for a boy weren't answered :-)  We told her God knows best!  Lynn says he wants to use the money saved up for boy clothes to get a big screen TV.....Well here are a few pictures we received today!!

Christmastime

Christmas with our family

Christmas was so special and fun this year.  Baby Jesus found His way into our conversations, crafts, lincoln log buildings, dollies, bathtub playtime, and probably something else I don't remember at the moment.  We opened gifts and celebrated three times...our family of 5, the Kramer's, and the Wolters'.  So lots of pictures to share.

Abigail and cousin Julia (12 days older)

It's tradition!  Watching "It's a Wonderful Life" on Christmas Eve.  I didn't fall asleep this time either!!

My Mom with Elliana and Madeline.  She made these beautiful fleece coats with headband and scarf!

We'll never see this combo again....scarf, headband, and gloves with lawn chair :-)

Andrea brought all the stuff for making gingerbreadmen.  We all made one.  Some of them reflected what toppings we liked to eat--not necessarily what made it LOOK like a gingerbreadman!!

Cousin Katie and Kasey with some Christmas cheer

Decorating cupcakes Heidi brought

Robert and Kasey gave the girls new PJs

Wolters family photo!

I love to tell Abigail "you are the best baby in the whole wide world."  She joins me with the motions too.  She is so precious.