Writers Block

I'm experiences writers block tonight--which is very inconvenient since I am working on a large project for class! Anyway, the Krupp family is all doing well. Paul gets to go hunting with his Dad this weekend which he is very excited about, and while he is on his outing, I am taking the boys to Denver to visit the Leclercq's and attend the circus!

The boys are as busy as ever--and keeping Paul and I on our toes at all times. They are struggling to obtain their independence...which can be very exciting and very frustrating (like when Thomas took off his yucky diaper today to try to wipe himself). Lucas is going through a phase where he doesn't want anyone to hold his hand--he's old enough to lead himself I guess. And Kevin is just as talkative, intuitive, and imaginative as ever. Fun! Fun! Fun!

McKenzie and Cortney came to visit us on Monday. She's growing so much! She even got her first tooth and has started saying "Dada" and "Mama." Here are some cute pics from her little visit:

Thomas pushing Kenzie around on the Lion King car.

Lucas and Kenzie. He was the only one that was super excited, and determined, to take a good picture.

Kenzie, Lucas, and Thomas

The 3 Krupp boys and little Kenzie

Kenzie, Kevin, and Lucas

Gotta Love My Silly Family

Oh what a silly aunt Kevin has! Brittani, being the sweetheart that she is, bought Kevin a brand new Spiderman outfit—of course, she bought size 8! Kevin is in size 4! Despite its large size, Kevin absolutely loves it and even wore it as pajamas the night she brought it over. He also begged me to let him wear it the next day to the zoo. Brittani is bound to get it right someday…before Kevin was born, she bought him an outfit that was “Premie” size—she was unaware that babies came in different sizes I guess…well, she’s been on the way too small and too big end of the spectrums so I am sure her next try will be perfect!

Lucas is on a new kick—he has discovered the art of lining up his toys and organizing them. We spend hours, each day that I am home with them, setting up stuffed animals on the couch in lines. Then he will mess them up (if Thomas hasn’t beat him to it) and have us start all over!

And Thomas, he makes me laugh more and more each day. I just want to know what goes on his that little head of his. We will all be playing, and all of a sudden, he will get up and sprint around the kitchen table 5 or 6 times. Then he will sit back down. It is like he cannot sit still for longer than 10 seconds—but then where he really confuses me, is that he will sit in the same place for an hour trying to line up cars on his train track or trying to fasten the buckles on his high chair. I guess it depends on what mood he is in!

Anyway, the boys are doing great. They are growing and thriving. Their little personalities get move developed and established on a daily basis. They are the best little kids in the whole entire world!

Kevin, in his oversized Spiderman Outfit

Lucas, in front of his lovely line of friends

Thomas, looking innocent right before making a mess of Lucas' hard work

Look at all their friends!

Daddy and his three compadres

Happy Birthday Kevin!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Kevin!

Well, it’s here! Kevin is finally 4 years old! I cannot believe that my little baby is growing so fast. It is amazing how fast the time has gone. We had a wonderful party for Kevin on Sunday afternoon—lots of people, cake, and games. We had the party at Dave and Marianne Krupp’s, who graciously opened their home for the occasion. Many of his little friends came from his day care which was a lot of fun for Kevin. He got tons of presents—so many that I think we may need a bigger house to store them in. The kids were all really cute playing the different games. They played musical chairs, pin the treasure chest on the “x”, had a piñata, and had a ring toss.

Happy Birthday to my wonderful, smart, handsome, funny, creative, imaginative, loving, sweet, little boy! I love you with every bit of my heart. You have brought so much joy to my life. You are such a blessing, and you light up the lives of everyone around you. Each day with you brings more happiness and excitement than I could have ever imagined. I love you sweetheart!

And here are some pics from all of the wonderful celebration:

The kids standing in line for the ring toss

The jumping tent


Little Isaac


The Pirate Birthday Boy!

Opening presents (with the help of his little twin bros)

Thomas loves cup cakes!

As does Lucas!

Musical Chairs!

Kevin: Playing Pin the chest on the "X"

Present Time!

Kevin whacking that Pinata!

Little Thomas, taking his turn at the pinata!

Kevin and his friend Kurtis

More presents!

Cortney and baby Kenzie

Great Aunt Linda playing with Lucas, Isaac, and Lily

Lucas and Lily

Little Brody

Keep the gifts coming!

Don't forget about us!

My Growing Boys

Things around the Krupp house are as much fun as usual. The kids are getting so big! The twins are no longer babies but are full-fledged toddlers. They are really starting to expand their vocabulary. And they understand almost everything that is said to them. Kevin, of course, is just as smart and funny as usual. He is almost 4 years old—hard to believe that this time next year, my little baby will be in kindergarten! He is getting really excited for his birthday party, which is this upcoming weekend.

Thomas is ornery as ever. He has this devious little giggle that automatically lets me know that he is up to no good. When I catch him doing wrong, he grins from ear to ear, melting my heart and making punishing him that much harder. He spends a lot of time in time-out, and it is really funny because a lot of the time, Lucas joins him…not because I sent him to time-out too, but I think because he feels bad for his twin.

Lucas is getting big. He is already about 1 ½ inches taller than Thomas. With his fancy new haircut, he looks like he closer to 2 years old, rather than 18 months. He is still more timid and shy than his brothers, but everyday he comes out of his shell more and more. He is such a sweetheart and has a very loving demeanor about him.

Kevin keeps me on my toes…nothing new. He has been watching a tv show called “Sid the Science Kid.” He absolutely loves the show, which is okay with me because it is quite educational. The other day, he asked me what it is called when ice melts. I answered, “Melting.” I thought it was the obvious answer. However, he looked at me in a very matter-of-fact fashion, rolled his little eyes, and said, “No mom. It is called reversible change.” He also got disgusted with my intelligence the other day when he asked me what these marks were called on his potty chart. Again, thinking I had the right answer, I said, “Kevin, those marks are smiley faces and x’s.” Not what he was looking for because with the same tone he replied, “No you silly mom, it’s called DATA.” He also informed me that his tongue was comprised of 16 different muscles. I find myself struggling to keep up with him…wish me luck!

1 Wedding, 2 Birthdays!

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!

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!

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.

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

Thomas: After again

Lucas: After Again