Happy Birthday to two wonderful people—my Aunt Linda and one of my oldest friends Nick Brown. And Congratulations to Amy Sekelsky and Mike Schommer on their wedding today!
Linda: I hope you have a wonderful birthday! You are such an amazing part of our family. You are always opening your heart and extending your generosity to all of us, and we all really appreciate everything that you do for us. You truly have positively impacted our lives in so many ways, and we will be forever grateful. We love you so much and wish you the best birthday ever!
Nick: Happy birthday buddy! I can’t believe we are already 27 years old! It seems like just yesterday that we were avoiding making eye contact in elementary school for fear of having to say “hello” to one another. You will always be one of my best friends! Happy birthday!
Amy and Mike: Congratulations you two! And best wishes for a happy and wonderful marriage! You two are perfect for each other. Paul and I are so blessed to be able to share this happy day with you guys!
Friday, September 4, 2009
Monday, August 31, 2009
Happy Birthday Ryan!
Happy Birthday to my wonderful brother Ryan! He is the big 2-4 today--almost a quarter of a century old!
Ryan, you deserve the best birthday ever! You are such an incredible person--kind, considerate, honest, thoughtful, respectful, funny, and I seriously could go on forever! You are such a great uncle to my three boys, and they love you very much. They are lucky to have such a wonderful role model in their life. You have always been a friend to me--not just a little brother. You have been there for me through thick and thin and I will never forget that. And of course, you are Paul's best friend. He values your friendship so much, and I don't know what he would do without you!
You have put up with a lot from me over the years--I wasn't always the easiest sister to put up with. But you have always shown patience and understanding, and you have taught me a lot about how to treat people. You are truly a stand-up guy. And I am so proud of you! I love you very much and hope you have a terrific day!
Ryan, you deserve the best birthday ever! You are such an incredible person--kind, considerate, honest, thoughtful, respectful, funny, and I seriously could go on forever! You are such a great uncle to my three boys, and they love you very much. They are lucky to have such a wonderful role model in their life. You have always been a friend to me--not just a little brother. You have been there for me through thick and thin and I will never forget that. And of course, you are Paul's best friend. He values your friendship so much, and I don't know what he would do without you!
You have put up with a lot from me over the years--I wasn't always the easiest sister to put up with. But you have always shown patience and understanding, and you have taught me a lot about how to treat people. You are truly a stand-up guy. And I am so proud of you! I love you very much and hope you have a terrific day!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
What am I going to write about?
My three little boys and I woke up this morning, excited that it was the twins 18 month day marker. The day was going smoothly as I was getting us all ready for the twins check up and for Kevin to go hang out with Jackie at the ranch. We were playing in the twins’ room and I was sitting there thinking: “What am I going to blog about?” I didn’t really know because I had just blogged on Saturday, but don’t fret, seconds later, the answer to my blogging dilemma became clear.
As we were playing, Kevin asked me to go and set up his Ninja Turtle toys for him. Since they were all playing so well, I just got up and went into Kevin’s room to get him his toys. Seconds after doing so, in came cute little Kevin, out of breath and beaming with pride. “Well, mom,” he said, “we don’t have to worry about my brothers.”
“Why not Kevin?” I replied, unalarmed.
“Because I locked them in their room,” he said ever so happily, “they can’t get out.”
Panic coarsed through my body. Fighting the urge just to curl up in a ball and have a true freak out, I ran out of Kevin’s room and tried turning the door knob to the twins’ room. They were on the other side of the door, pounding away, laughing….. I didn’t know what to do. There was a small hole in the knob, so I frantically searched for a bobby pin. Since that was unsuccessful, I grabbed a paper clip and began working at picking the lock. I was trying to call Paul in search of guidance, but his phone kept cutting in and out of service. I called Linda and she immediately headed over to give me a hand. Ideas kept coming and going: take the door off the hinges—nope, hinges are on the inside; break the window—nope, the glass could shatter on one of the twins; break down the door—nope, what if it fell on one of the twins. I had no idea and I was FREAKING out. During this whole time, Thomas kept slipping little books under the door to me. And every now and then, I would see their chubby little fingers come through and wiggle around.
I finally managed to get Paul on the phone and he told me to get a screwdriver and remove the door knob. I did just that, and Wah-lah, I was able to unlock the door! I grabbed the twins and hugged them and they wiggled and squirmed to break my hold. They were probably thinking, “what is the big deal, we were just playing around in here.”
Now, it was time to discuss the incident with Kevin. He didn’t understand why it was such a big deal to me and why it upset me so much. I decided the only way to make him understand was to make him relate to what happened. So I took his little Ninja Turtles and locked them up in safe that I have. I told him to get them out and he freaked out, crying and trying his best to get to his little friends. This seemed to work really well—I think it clicked in that brain of his what the big deal was.
As we were playing, Kevin asked me to go and set up his Ninja Turtle toys for him. Since they were all playing so well, I just got up and went into Kevin’s room to get him his toys. Seconds after doing so, in came cute little Kevin, out of breath and beaming with pride. “Well, mom,” he said, “we don’t have to worry about my brothers.”
“Why not Kevin?” I replied, unalarmed.
“Because I locked them in their room,” he said ever so happily, “they can’t get out.”
Panic coarsed through my body. Fighting the urge just to curl up in a ball and have a true freak out, I ran out of Kevin’s room and tried turning the door knob to the twins’ room. They were on the other side of the door, pounding away, laughing….. I didn’t know what to do. There was a small hole in the knob, so I frantically searched for a bobby pin. Since that was unsuccessful, I grabbed a paper clip and began working at picking the lock. I was trying to call Paul in search of guidance, but his phone kept cutting in and out of service. I called Linda and she immediately headed over to give me a hand. Ideas kept coming and going: take the door off the hinges—nope, hinges are on the inside; break the window—nope, the glass could shatter on one of the twins; break down the door—nope, what if it fell on one of the twins. I had no idea and I was FREAKING out. During this whole time, Thomas kept slipping little books under the door to me. And every now and then, I would see their chubby little fingers come through and wiggle around.
I finally managed to get Paul on the phone and he told me to get a screwdriver and remove the door knob. I did just that, and Wah-lah, I was able to unlock the door! I grabbed the twins and hugged them and they wiggled and squirmed to break my hold. They were probably thinking, “what is the big deal, we were just playing around in here.”
Now, it was time to discuss the incident with Kevin. He didn’t understand why it was such a big deal to me and why it upset me so much. I decided the only way to make him understand was to make him relate to what happened. So I took his little Ninja Turtles and locked them up in safe that I have. I told him to get them out and he freaked out, crying and trying his best to get to his little friends. This seemed to work really well—I think it clicked in that brain of his what the big deal was.
She's not talking about me, is she?On another note, today was a monumental moment in the twins’ life. They got their FIRST haircut! They look so much older, especially Lucas.
Lucas: Before
Thomas: Before
Lucas: After
Thomas: After 
Lucas: After Again
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Celebrations and Test Results
Well, this week I started my round of testing. I had injections of thyrogen on Monday and Tuesday, took a small dosage of radioactive iodine on Wednesday, and then on Friday, I got my full body scan—which results came back good. I am still waiting on test results back from some blood work, but at this point, we are very optimistic.
On a much happier note, our camping trip this weekend was a BLAST! Everything was perfect. We went up to Eleven Mile to the perfect spot—we were about 50 yards off the lake in a completely private area. It was quiet and the kids could run all over the area without a care in the world. We started celebrating my mom’s 50th birthday around 1pm or so. We set up camp and then we ate delicious Fajitas prepared by my amazing in-laws. Some of Dave and Marianne’s friends joined us—Mike and Brenda—and they had brought their boat along with them. Kevin, of course, just had to have a go on the lake. Kevin, Dave, Mike, and Brenda, headed to the lake to go out on the water. Kevin boarded the boat and fell off before they even got the boat moving. He just flipped right on over. He was fine; Dave was still in the water when he fell. It scared Kevin pretty good and has made a great tale for him to tell everyone about.
The twins loved running around freely. And it was especially cute when the 3 kiddos tried playing football with Paul, Travis and Ryan. We wore the kids out and they did actually go to sleep pretty easily—can’t say the same for sleeping through the night though, Thomas and Lucas took turns waking up each hour. Once the kids went to bed, we continued the celebration…and had lots of fun and laughs. It was perfect: good food and great company.
The next morning, the kids all went fishing. Kevin got to go out on the boat again (this time he made it safely to the shore and back). And Marianne, Traci, Brandi, and Ryan took the twins fishing on the side of the lake with their little kid Spongebob fishing poles. They actually sat there for 30 minutes, going through the motions like they were true fishermen. Thomas was even doing the reeling in of the line all by himself. Even though no fish were caught, everyone had a wonderful time attempting to catch something. It was really funny later too when Mike and Brenda took Brandi, Traci, and Kevin out on the boat again. We got going really fast and Kevin was yelling: “This is AWESOME” and “Rock and Roll.” He is such a ball of laughs!
Later on, after the camping was over, we took the kids over to Linda’s to celebrate Grandma Dorothy’s 80th birthday. It was tons of fun as well. Jami and Noah had bought some water balloons to keep Kevin entertained. A big water balloon fight broke out and all of us ended up a bit more wet than we had intended. And Kevin had a ball soaking Jami not just with the balloons, but with the hose as well. Grandma was in good spirit and seemed like she was turning 60 rather than the big 8-0. We are so blessed that she is doing so well!
Also, Kevin had his first sleepover this week. He got to stay the night at Isaac’s house. Isaac calls him “Cockeye” so that made everybody laugh. And let’s just say sleep was out of the question for those two little buddies!
Traci and her mom
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On the boat with Traci and Kevin
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Kevin, Travis, and Brittani--chillin'
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Traci and her 3 kids
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Just call me "Miner Kevin"
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Jami, Keith, Linda, Noah, and Ryan
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Traci and Thomas
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Mema, Paul, and Lucas
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Aunt Brittani and Lucas
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The Krupp Fam
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Uncle Ryan and the three Krupp boys
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The birthday girl and Ryan
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Brandi and Lucas--Pro fisherman in the making
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Hey Papa, let's go fishing--and I'll try not to fall out of the boat this time!
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Mema and Papa
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Thomas loves football!
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Where should we go Dad?
Jami, Noah, and Kevin--water balloon fight!
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Papa and Grandma
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Great Grandma, opening her present from Kevin. Which was hand picked by himself--a Spiderman puzzle.
On a much happier note, our camping trip this weekend was a BLAST! Everything was perfect. We went up to Eleven Mile to the perfect spot—we were about 50 yards off the lake in a completely private area. It was quiet and the kids could run all over the area without a care in the world. We started celebrating my mom’s 50th birthday around 1pm or so. We set up camp and then we ate delicious Fajitas prepared by my amazing in-laws. Some of Dave and Marianne’s friends joined us—Mike and Brenda—and they had brought their boat along with them. Kevin, of course, just had to have a go on the lake. Kevin, Dave, Mike, and Brenda, headed to the lake to go out on the water. Kevin boarded the boat and fell off before they even got the boat moving. He just flipped right on over. He was fine; Dave was still in the water when he fell. It scared Kevin pretty good and has made a great tale for him to tell everyone about.
The twins loved running around freely. And it was especially cute when the 3 kiddos tried playing football with Paul, Travis and Ryan. We wore the kids out and they did actually go to sleep pretty easily—can’t say the same for sleeping through the night though, Thomas and Lucas took turns waking up each hour. Once the kids went to bed, we continued the celebration…and had lots of fun and laughs. It was perfect: good food and great company.
The next morning, the kids all went fishing. Kevin got to go out on the boat again (this time he made it safely to the shore and back). And Marianne, Traci, Brandi, and Ryan took the twins fishing on the side of the lake with their little kid Spongebob fishing poles. They actually sat there for 30 minutes, going through the motions like they were true fishermen. Thomas was even doing the reeling in of the line all by himself. Even though no fish were caught, everyone had a wonderful time attempting to catch something. It was really funny later too when Mike and Brenda took Brandi, Traci, and Kevin out on the boat again. We got going really fast and Kevin was yelling: “This is AWESOME” and “Rock and Roll.” He is such a ball of laughs!
Later on, after the camping was over, we took the kids over to Linda’s to celebrate Grandma Dorothy’s 80th birthday. It was tons of fun as well. Jami and Noah had bought some water balloons to keep Kevin entertained. A big water balloon fight broke out and all of us ended up a bit more wet than we had intended. And Kevin had a ball soaking Jami not just with the balloons, but with the hose as well. Grandma was in good spirit and seemed like she was turning 60 rather than the big 8-0. We are so blessed that she is doing so well!
Also, Kevin had his first sleepover this week. He got to stay the night at Isaac’s house. Isaac calls him “Cockeye” so that made everybody laugh. And let’s just say sleep was out of the question for those two little buddies!
Traci and her mom.JPG)
On the boat with Traci and Kevin.JPG)
Kevin, Travis, and Brittani--chillin'.JPG)
Traci and her 3 kids.JPG)
Just call me "Miner Kevin".JPG)
Jami, Keith, Linda, Noah, and Ryan.JPG)
Traci and Thomas.JPG)
Mema, Paul, and Lucas.JPG)
Aunt Brittani and Lucas
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The Krupp Fam.JPG)
Uncle Ryan and the three Krupp boys.JPG)
The birthday girl and Ryan.JPG)
Brandi and Lucas--Pro fisherman in the making .JPG)
Hey Papa, let's go fishing--and I'll try not to fall out of the boat this time! .JPG)
Mema and Papa.JPG)
Thomas loves football!.JPG)
Where should we go Dad? 
Jami, Noah, and Kevin--water balloon fight!
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Papa and Grandma.JPG)
Great Grandma, opening her present from Kevin. Which was hand picked by himself--a Spiderman puzzle.Saturday, August 15, 2009
Happy 50th Birthday Mom!
Happy 50th Birthday to the most amazing woman in the world! My mom turned the glorious 50 today! Even though, since she has been 45 years old, she has been rounding up and saying she’s 50 anyway—so the transition shouldn’t be any problem. My mom hasn’t had the easiest life, but she has gracefully overcome every obstacle that God has put before her. She continues to love with her whole heart and give until there is nothing left. She has sacrificed everything for her children and those that she loves. She is the type of person who makes certain that everyone else’s needs are met before meeting her own. She is the type of person, mother, and friend that I hope to someday be.
Mom, I love you so much. I cannot thank you enough for everything you have done and continue to do for me and my family. You are amazing! I know I wouldn’t be where I am today without you cheering me on and supporting me throughout my life. Thank you for your strength and determination to ensure that I aspire to become all that I can be. Happy Birthday!
Mom, I love you so much. I cannot thank you enough for everything you have done and continue to do for me and my family. You are amazing! I know I wouldn’t be where I am today without you cheering me on and supporting me throughout my life. Thank you for your strength and determination to ensure that I aspire to become all that I can be. Happy Birthday!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Fun in the Sun
As usual, we have been busy! This past week consisted of picnics, a visit with Kelly Bullard, boating, play dates, and Touch-A-Truck. The picnic that we went to was at a friend of the Krupp’s. It was outside and a lot of fun. There was ATV’s, music, basketball, and FOOD! The kiddos just love the outdoors.
We went to the Bullard’s house to see Kelly who was home for the weekend to see her family and little niece McKenzie. It was so good to see her—and Kevin always loves to see Rowdy. He even makes us pretend that he is Rowdy and that I am Kelly. It’s pretty entertaining…especially when we play fetch.
On Sunday, Paul and I went boating with Jessica, Amy Sekelsky, Mike Schommer, and Phil Wolf on Mike and Amy’s boat. It was a TON of fun. We went tubing, which left Paul extremely sore the next day. I wasn’t too sore, but since I am retarded and didn’t wear any sunscreen, I was super sunburned. I still have awesome raccoon eyes.
On Monday, Cortney, her aunt Sandra, Clarissa, and McKenzie all came over to the house to play with the boys. Clarissa is great with Kevin and the two of them had a blast. They ran around all over the backyard. Little Lucas wanted to keep up and play with them, but eventually joined Thomas who pretty much just dug holes and went down the slide. Little McKenzie swung in the swing the whole time. She was so happy because it gave her a perfect view of all of the other kids. She watches them so intently!
Finally, today the boys and I went to an event that Woodland Park has called “Touch-A-Truck.” They have a bunch of different trucks—fire truck, police vehicles, school buses, dump trucks, tractors, street sweepers, and other enormous trucks—and the kids get to climb in them, mess with the buttons, honk the horn, etc. Kevin LOVED it. He was in and out of every vehicle. Thomas enjoyed it a lot too. He played in quite a few trucks as well. Lucas, on the other hand, was a little too timid to go into any of the trucks. He was perfectly happy touching the outside of the vehicles.
We have a lot of fun ahead that we are looking forward to: tomorrow we are going to see my grandparents who have been in Michigan the past month, Saturday is my mom’s 50th birthday which we are going camping for, and Sunday is my grandma’s 80th birthday. Fun, fun, fun!
We went to the Bullard’s house to see Kelly who was home for the weekend to see her family and little niece McKenzie. It was so good to see her—and Kevin always loves to see Rowdy. He even makes us pretend that he is Rowdy and that I am Kelly. It’s pretty entertaining…especially when we play fetch.
On Sunday, Paul and I went boating with Jessica, Amy Sekelsky, Mike Schommer, and Phil Wolf on Mike and Amy’s boat. It was a TON of fun. We went tubing, which left Paul extremely sore the next day. I wasn’t too sore, but since I am retarded and didn’t wear any sunscreen, I was super sunburned. I still have awesome raccoon eyes.
On Monday, Cortney, her aunt Sandra, Clarissa, and McKenzie all came over to the house to play with the boys. Clarissa is great with Kevin and the two of them had a blast. They ran around all over the backyard. Little Lucas wanted to keep up and play with them, but eventually joined Thomas who pretty much just dug holes and went down the slide. Little McKenzie swung in the swing the whole time. She was so happy because it gave her a perfect view of all of the other kids. She watches them so intently!
Finally, today the boys and I went to an event that Woodland Park has called “Touch-A-Truck.” They have a bunch of different trucks—fire truck, police vehicles, school buses, dump trucks, tractors, street sweepers, and other enormous trucks—and the kids get to climb in them, mess with the buttons, honk the horn, etc. Kevin LOVED it. He was in and out of every vehicle. Thomas enjoyed it a lot too. He played in quite a few trucks as well. Lucas, on the other hand, was a little too timid to go into any of the trucks. He was perfectly happy touching the outside of the vehicles.
We have a lot of fun ahead that we are looking forward to: tomorrow we are going to see my grandparents who have been in Michigan the past month, Saturday is my mom’s 50th birthday which we are going camping for, and Sunday is my grandma’s 80th birthday. Fun, fun, fun!
Papa Krupp, Jessica, and the three boys 
The Whole Krupp Family
Bathing Beauty Jessica
Paul on the tube
Thomas and Kenzie
Kevin and Clarissa
Kenz & Cort
Giddy-Up Lucas!
Group pic at Touch-A-Truck
Truck Driver Thomas and ride along buddy Kevin
Lucas, this is fun enough for me!
Fireman Kev!Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Visit from a Good Friend, Phases, and Marriage
One of my dearest friends--Jessica (Mallik) Friesma--came to visit us on Monday. Even though it was brief, it is always so wonderful to see her. Jessica and I have been friends for…wow…14 years! We have obviously gone our separate ways since our inseparable days of high school, and it just amazes me how each time we see one another, we are able to pick up right where we left off. I guess that is just the meaning of a true friendship.
The kids are all doing well. Kevin is going through a “pirate” phase—he IS Pirate Kevin. He has been wearing his batman cape with his pirate gear for a good couple of days now. And the twins are still loving Spongebob. They now have some Spongebob clothing, which they squeal with excitement and pride when they put it on. The funniest part is that they don't even actually like the show!
Paul and I celebrated our 4th Anniversary on August 3. How exciting! And I must say, the time has flown. But I am more happy with and in love with that man than ever! Paul is such a wonderful man, husband, and father. I think I am the luckiest woman in the entire world!
The kids are all doing well. Kevin is going through a “pirate” phase—he IS Pirate Kevin. He has been wearing his batman cape with his pirate gear for a good couple of days now. And the twins are still loving Spongebob. They now have some Spongebob clothing, which they squeal with excitement and pride when they put it on. The funniest part is that they don't even actually like the show!
Paul and I celebrated our 4th Anniversary on August 3. How exciting! And I must say, the time has flown. But I am more happy with and in love with that man than ever! Paul is such a wonderful man, husband, and father. I think I am the luckiest woman in the entire world!
Look at our AWESOME Spongebob shirts!
Pirate Batman (AKA Kevin)
Pirate Batman and Pirate Robin
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