Making Our Way Back...

Well, I can't think of a clever way to bring this blog back to life so this will have to suffice. Our last post was Easter of last year and the above photo is from Easter of this year...lots of changes here at the Kramers! Can't wait to share ALL that has happened in the last year...more to come...finally!:)

Easter 2012

Hard to believe that just 6 short years ago we only had one baby on Easter morning.  Now here we are, with all 4 of our munchkins on Easter.  And even harder to believe that next year we will have another sweet little girl added to this picture.  God is good!  His ways truly are best!

Derek was so great to get these pics before we headed off to church.  I will cherish them always!

Speaking of church, we had an amazing time of worshipping our Risen Lord on Easter Sunday at Fellowship!  It was NOT your traditional Easter service and I know people's hearts were moved.  I so pray that someone was there that recognized their need for the Lord!!  I can't even describe the morning.  It was just incredible...the personal stories that were shared, whether by song, dance, words...all just simply awesome, all amazing testimonies of how faithful God is and how He is the only One that can save!!!

Here are our little stinkers before the shoes got kicked off and the true Kramer redneck-ness came through!

 

Guess What We Found Out?!?!

We found out what these two sassy, energetic, adventurous, dramatic, creative, comical and super yummy sweet little girls have in common with Kramer Baby #5....

you guessed it!  We are having a GIRL!!!!!  We are expecting another sweet little girl that might be a little bashful, as she kept hiding her tiny face on the ultrasound with her hands.  Although, I can't complain because she let us see a few precious yawns and her chubby cheeks!

She looks healthy thus far and would appreciate your prayers for her growth and development.  I am currently about 20 1/2 weeks and she weighs about 12-13 ounces.  Due date still looks to be early August, but pretty sure she will debut when she is good and ready:)

Again thanks for the prayers.  We are thrilled to meet this little blessing!  She will be here before we know it!

Joy and Stress and Moments in Between...Why We Say YES!

For months I have tried to decide how I will ever catch up all of the "importants" and "memorables" of our family.  I mean really, I have neglected posts about birthdays, holidays, homecomings, missing (first) teeth, first haircuts, special dates with our children, milestones in development, and on and on and on...the list is exhausting.  I finally decided that there is just no way I will ever document all of those things individually.  The problem with that???  One day I want to print this blog out for our children!  It drives me crazy knowing big chunks of time are missing!  Sigh...

As I was thinking about how to update our blog tonight, I kept thinking back to a conversation I had with Derek last night...totally unrelated to our blog...yes my mind is crazy like that.   We were talking about how much we love our children and how we sometimes look at them in awe that they are ours.  We also talked about how life can be stressful with children, especially multiple children, and how many people in society view children as a burden, not a joy...even to the point of illustrating them as a burden in birth control commercials.  I will be the first to admit, being a parent is the hardest thing I have ever done!  It is also the most amazing and selfless thing God has allowed me to experience and struggle through.  It truly is a JOY to be able to hug and kiss and teach and console and correct and care for my children every single day.  And some days I get it really right and most days I am on my face begging the Lord and my children for forgiveness and grace!

The point is that in our every day life, our children are a gift.  Incredible gifts that root out the selfishness in my heart and remind me just how much I need God's grace daily.  So why would we be open to what God might call us to regarding our family?  For sure, some would call us nutso to commit to an orphan when our youngest child was 4 months old and then add to our family again not even a year after our newly adopted son has been home!  SURPRISE if you didn't already know that Kramer Baby #5 is due August 4, 2012!!!  ( I just teared up writing that...such a sap:)  I then began looking through our family photos and realized how I was smiling and audibly laughing at pictures of our kids.  The memories of just the past few months racing through my mind, making me chuckle and reminisce.  I thought "This is it!  This is why we are okay with the stress and 'work'...they truly bring us so much joy!"  And these pictures are just a very small sample of the "memorables" and "importants" over the past months. 

Officially, I am okay with these sweet pictures "catching me up" so that I can get back to all of the current goings on in our home and life!  And if by some chance our children actually have a hard copy of this in their hands (because Mommy really followed through and printed this thing off), please know that each and every special day and event are etched in my mind even if this blog doesn't have a photo and story to document it!  I love each of you so incredibly much!

This is why our children are never a burden...

Giggles galore...

LOTS of love...

Deep contemplation...

Silly faces and first trips to Mimi's...

Missing each other when separation comes...

Enjoying being reunited...

Family photos that turn out like this...

And the reality that life usually looks like this...

The sweetest baby feet, even at their dirtiest...

Time with cousins...

And beating up our cousins...

Sweet moments of connection...

Holding hands even when no one told us to...

Relishing precious moments...

Trying new things with an adventurous uncle...

Anticipating the joy of a Mommy's YES to do the unthinkable!...

LOVING every minute of a Mommy's YES to do the unthinkable...

And quite literally soaking in that YES with shear joy!...

First times sleeping together...

Enjoying the gift of another family's generosity... 

Experiencing God's greatest gift of adoption right in their own home...

 Having loads of fun on Christmas Eve even when Mommy needed reminders from Daddy to enjoy the moment and the mess...

 Daddy enjoying the moments regardless of the mess because he is awesome...

 So many hands in so many places...

 Funny little faces...

 Sweet truths instilled in young hearts...

 A 6th birthday that brings so much fun...

 Mismatched outfits and still so cute...

 Snuggles with Daddy...

And sister too...

 The realization that trust is growing...

Walking through it all with the anchor of our family.

Lots of reasons to say yes to whatever God asks of us.  Thankful that I have all of these moments to cherish and document.  Thankful for the smile that was upon my face as I remembered each of these moments...stress and all!