Kruser Snake-Eyes Chicken Noodle Soup

Believe it or not, that is Krue's name at preschool according to his teacher, Mrs. Bell.

I ran into Mrs. Bell at Walmart and said to her, "Krue tells me that you call him 'Kruser Snake-eyes' ". She said, "Oh no no, Krue tells US that we should call him 'Kruser Snake-eyes' . In fact, he has the entire class trying to think of creative nick-names for themselves because Krue has one."

Well, I guess "Kruser Snake-eyes" wasn't a long enough name because recently Krue has lengthened his name to "Kruser Snake-eyes Chicken Noodle Soup". Oh the things he comes up with!

While I am on the subject of Krue...

We are so proud of him because he got out of his bed and came downstairs for THE FIRST TIME EVER after his nap ... ALL BY HIMSELF! Yes, this sounds like a very basic thing, but it is a big deal to us. We have been telling Krue since he was 2 1/2 that whenever he wakes up he can come downstairs and find us. He has never done this. We have always had to go up and get him, and we never knew when he woke up so we would always have to check on him.

Yeah Krue!! Making mom and dad's job a little easier one step at a time :)

"Barbie-fied"

Well, I did something fun for myself. I got extensions! Erin (my brother-in-law, Nick's, girlfriend... who happens to be Erin Marie, just like me!) put them in for me. I spent 4 hours at Todd Shalley's Salon in Bluffton while Erin expertly put them in. My mom watched the boys, I got starbucks and then went to the salon for my new look. It was great!

I had several people ask me to post a picture of my hair on the blog, so here it is:

I love my new extensions! Erin did a fabulous job. I call it my "Barbie Hair"... thus the name of this blog entry. It is a TON of hair to work with! It took several days and consults with Erin, my sisters and aunts to figure out exactly how to work with it. I think I have finally settled on a style. It will be so much fun to have over the holidays. Here are some before and after shots:

GO HOOSIERS! PEE-U PURDUE!

It was a beautiful day for a football game. And what a game it was!

On Saturday, Lee and I ventured down to our old stomping grounds in Bloomington to see the IU/PU football game. It was a sweet day of victory for the Hoosiers!

We were asked to go to the game by our good friends, Neal and Melanie Blythe. They have season tickets and haven't missed a home game yet ~ die hard fans, indeed! We loaded up the suburban, picked up Neal and Mel, and also picked up Lee's brother, Nick, and his girlfriend, Erin. We had a fun trip down to the game.

I can't believe how many people were tailgating before the game. It must have broken a record of some sort. It was unbelievable! We had a great time tailgating and were accompanied by Melanie's family ~ also die hard IU fans!

Tailgating before the game... Neal, Melanie, Lee, Me, Nick, Erin

The weather was great ~ Blue skies and 60 degrees

Mel and I sporting our team colors.

"The Rock" ~ Neal felt quite at home in the stadium.

Mel enjoying the game.

It got colder during the second half, so we all bundled up.

Hoosier fans rushing the field after the game. Melanie's dad is in there somewhere :)

Lee's step-sister, Sara, was kind enough to let us stay at here apartment that night. She went out with us to help celebrate. We had a great time!

My parents watched the boys while we were gone. They are so nice like that! My dad is a big Purdue fan and he taught Krue and Kiefer how to say, "Go Boilers!" I couldn't believe that he had brainwashed them during the time we were gone :) Have no fear, I had them saying "Pee-U Purdue" before we left their house on Sunday.

Go IU!

Same but Different

It still amazes me that my boys are so different! Don't get me wrong, they have their similarities... love to socialize, love music & singing, mechanically inclined - engineers, love sports and activity, like their sleep, love to cuddle & give kisses and hugs, love to look at books, love each other very much! However, I had to take a minute to jot down their differences. These things crack me up:

Krue - Slow & Picky Eater - Grazer
Kiefer - Eats fast, shovels in food, can't get enough Ex: Yesterday he ate an entire apple... core, stem, seeds and all! If that doesn't describe his personality, I don't know what will.

Krue - Will be quiet if needed, laid back
Kiefer - Has only one volume - LOUD! Ex: You should see the looks I get at the grocery store. Kiefer is so loud and doesn't even know it. He always has been since he was in the NICU. The nurses told me he was the noisiest baby they had ever taken care of.

Krue - Studies everything first before attempting to use them - Cautiously Active
Kiefer - Not afraid to try anything, jumps right in, always busy

Krue - Does everything with Finesse and Strategy
Kiefer - Charges/Muscles his way through everything

Krue - Has a soft, gentle touch
Kiefer - Bangs, stomps, throws everything

Krue - Wakes up happy and smiling
Kiefer - Takes awhile to wake up, can be grumpy

Krue - No Temper, "Pleaser", Easy to Discipline
Kiefer - Gets angry easily, Throws temper tantrums

Krue - Likes to watch T.V. sitting down, relaxing
Kiefer - Likes to watch T.V. on the move

Krue - Goes with the flow
Kiefer - Has opinions about everything, likes to have his way

I love my boys and their differences. I think they compliment each other well. They sure keep everyday fun and exciting for Lee and I!

Sisters, Sisters ~ There Were Never Such Devoted Sisters...

Oh, I just love these girls! My sisters invited me down to their apartment for a girls day of fun with them. That is exactly what it was ~ FUN! We first hung out at their apartment and talked while we got ready to go out. We drove to the mall and did some shopping (always a fun thing to do). Next, we went to dinner at a nice restaurant on Broadripple (can't remember the name of it, but it was great!) At the end of the evening we drove back to their apartment, got into our pajamas, poured ourselves a glass of wine, and watched home videos. It was wonderful!

This morning we got up and Ali fixed us all a yummy and HUGE breakfast. The entire trip was so wonderful and relaxing.

I am so lucky to have my sisters. Thanks girls!

P.S. We love you, too, Adam.

Krue's New Hobbie

In preparation for wakeboarding next summer :) Lee bought Krue a skateboard. Krue tried it out for the first time last week and fell in love. He is really good at it too! Very impressive for a 3 year old I must say. (Have you ever tried to skateboard? It is trickier than it looks!)

Putting on all of the safety gear... no injuries, please, for Mommy's sake!

Such good balance all the way down the driveway.

Krue can even go over the bump by himself!

Going back up the driveway ~ "Kiefer Style"

Krue's latest craze is skateboarding. He thinks he's pretty hot stuff with his new Vans skateboarding shoes ~ Geesh. Aunt Ali got him this really cute skateboarding bag - not big enough to put his skateboard in, but Krue sticks his Vans in it and carries them around. Thanks Ali!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

For Halloween this year Krue dressed up as a "Dragon Knight" (I would say "Slayer" but Knight sounds more noble... and besides, his brother was the dragon!) and Kiefer dressed up as a "Dragon". They had so much fun this year! All of the grandparents came over for the big event. We had dinner and then handed out candy for about 45 minutes. The boys had a blast seeing all of the kids come to the door, and Krue and Kiefer would say "trick or treat" before the kids even had a chance :) The Blythes came over to trick or treat at our house and then we joined them trick or treating around the neighborhood. Lauren and Krue led the way the entire time... they were on a mission to hit every house! They wanted to go up and ring the doorbell at each house "by themselves". Kiefer just loved the fact that everyone was walking with him and that he got to suck on a sucker the entire time. He had a smile on his face all evening.

Such a Smiley Dragon!

Too many pictures for Krue :)

A group shot of Krue, Kiefer, Lauren (Snow White) and Graham (A Cute & Cuddly Chicken)

I love this picture of our Noble Knight and his Snow White

I even wore a special hat for the occasion

Krue and Lauren running from house to house

So much fun trick or treating!

Bradley Instructor "In Training"

For the past four days I have been in Chicago training to be Bradley Instructor for Natural Childbirth. Lee and I took this childbirth course while I was pregnant with Krue and LOVED IT! We felt so prepared, excited, and confident to have our baby when we were finished. I wanted to share this experience with other people!

It is not easy to become a Bradley instructor. I had to go to this training in Chicago for 4 days (8:30am - 10:30pm everyday!)... I still have to read 4 books and write outlines and summaries... observe classes... teach two 12 week sessions as an affiliated teacher... and then take a big test. Whew! I should have all of my paperwork and observations done by January and then start as an affiliate teacher in February. I will teach out of Lee's office one night a week... which will be very convenient.

I love the group of girls I trained with. We really got to know each other over the four days and have so much in common. The lady in the middle is Marjorie Hathaway... she is a legend in the childbirth field and we were fortunate enough to be trained by her. She and her husband are AMAZING people.

I am looking forward to this next phase of my life... and am SO excited to educate pregnant couples about this topic!!!! I feel this is my true calling.

Sidenote: We all aren't looking the best in this picture. It was taken on the last day and we were all mentally fried and ready to go home :)

Habanera Halloween Party

Last night Lee and I attended a Halloween party for a fun community club we are in ~ Habanera. We were actually on the planning committee for this party... so we were very involved.

"A Pair of Blue Jeans"

Yes, that is what Lee and I went to the party dressed up as. It was a hit!

We tied for 2nd and 3rd place with our friends Erik and Tamera Weber. They had awesome pirate costumes.

I made tombstones to help decorate the party. I made one for every person who was on our party planning committee (20 in all). Each tombstone had a cute epitaph on it... courtesy of my mom. (I sent her everyone's information via email at about 8:00 am one day, and she sent back the epitaphs within the next 2 hours! How amazing is that? This lady is talented!) I cut out, spray painted, and wrote out all of the tombstones. They turned out cute. Here are some examples:

There once was a woman, Deb Rollins, She was given to trippin' and fallin', From the top of the hill, She fell down, willy-'nil, So she met her end, poor Deb Rollins!

Cosmetologist, "in the know", Now she has a heavenly glow! Deb Littlejohn R.I.P.

Here lies, resting,Golfer Keith Turner, Hit his final, Texas worm-burner!

The hand of fate, Met Margaret Keech, All that was heard, Was one loud screech!

~Chuck Schmidt~ Once worked with cars, Now he is gazing, At the stars.

Bill Heimach, Master of the Sale, This is the End, Of his Long Tale!

As always, we had such a fun time at this Habanera Party! Can't wait until the Formal Christmas Party (The Blythes will be there, too. Yeah!)

Love Boat

Today was a special day! My brother, Adam, proposed to his girlfriend of two years, Natalia. It was so sweet how it happened...

Natalia is from Indonesia. Her parents are in the states visiting for three weeks. They wanted to see my parent's new lake cottage, so Adam arranged to have lunch at a nice restaurant on the lake and to then go see the lake cottage. My entire immediate family came for the lunch... mom, dad, Mamaw,Lee, Krue, Kiefer, me, Ali, Amy and Christopher, Adam, Natalia, and Natalia's parents. After we ate we loaded up on our pontoon and headed over to the cottage. Half-way there my dad had Lee stop the boat and had everyone listen to what he had to say. He said some really nice things about Natalia, and how we all think of her as a part of our family. He and mom then gave a gift to her... a beautiful "journey" necklace. (It is an Indonesian custom and courtesy for the parents of the man to give a gift to their future daughter-in-law.) Next, Adam said some very special words about Natalia (and made everyone cry). He then got down on his knee and asked her to marry him! It was so sweet and sincere. The ring is gorgeous! We all gave hugs and welcomed her to the family. How fun to have been a part of this wonderful event!

Congratulations, Adam and Natalia!

We now have two weddings to look forward to... Amy and Christopher's and Adam and Natalia's!