A Plethora of Dancing!!

Timothy was so cute "reading" the other night! He was just jabbering away. He does actually use real words, but when we tell him to "read" this is the result...too cute! And I just love how sweet Em is with him.


The following videos of the kids dancing are so absolutely hilarious! I know there are a lot of videos, but I promise they are so worth it! Below the videos is another post from today with Belly Shots! Happy Weekend to everyone!!

This Little Girl is Growing!

Well, I am currently a couple days shy of beginning Week 21 with this sweet baby girl and feel great...FINALLY!:) I haven't had any migraines in 2 weeks and my sinuses are clear. Hooray! I started to feel her move about 2 weeks ago but the movement was so slight. Now I am feeling her bump around lots more, but they are so gentle...for now:) I am enjoying having more energy and feeling more like myself. I have been meaning to get some belly shots up and just haven't taken the time to do it. I have had some requests...ahem Rachael:)...so here you go!

Timothy and Emily are doing great. Both of them are in such a fun stage! I am sure everyone says this about their kids, but I am amazed at how much they love each other. When TK had his 18 month shots this week, Emily was almost in tears and sometimes he actually wants only her to comfort him. I pray that they will always love each other like that. I think that is one of the best things about multiple children...knowing that they have each other! I can't wait to see how their little sister fits into the groove of things. We are blessed and I am constantly reminded of that!!


Our little worker "Handy Timothy"...on a side note, he plays with this more than Emily, even though she BEGGED for it for Christmas. Go figure:)

The look on his face cracks me up...I wish I knew what he was thinking!

Sweet Emily...with a BABY DOLL...she does like some girly things!!

Here I am in all my belly glory! Baby Girl #2 at almost 21 weeks! (Please forgive the no make-up look...I am not as tired as I look:)

Funny Emily!

Emily says things daily that make me and Derek look at each other and roll our eyes and laugh. She is the only four year old that I personally know that uses words like "realistically" and "actually" and "perseverance" and my personal favorite of the day "indeed."

This morning as she was climbing up in the chair at the counter I asked her if she was trying to get her baby doll. She responded, "Indeed I am." I glanced at her half expecting that she was trying to amuse me. Nope, she had already retrieved her baby and was onto something else. She didn't expect me to think it was funny. She was just conversing as normal. Have I mentioned that she CRACKS me up!?! Indeed, she does!!:)

Thrilled to Announce...

that we are expecting our second BABY GIRL!!!! We had our ultrasound yesterday and everything looked perfect. Derek and I cannot fully express our gratitude for our healthy baby girl! It was so wonderful to see her heart beating strong and to see all of her little parts. We even got to see her sucking her thumb (pic below). That never happened with Timothy or Emily and we loved seeing that sweet little hand!

Emily was absolutely beside herself with excitement. Timothy just points to my belly button when we ask him where the baby is. We are so excited to see what our family will be like once we welcome this little girl! Timothy gets to be a protector of 2 sisters and Emily gets to be a big sister to a little brother and sister. I am just so thankful!

I am feeling much better than I was a couple of weeks ago...definitely more like myself. The baby is growing a lot (which means I am too:) and finally felt the baby move this past Sat. It was the typical first fluttery feelings but I loved feeling her move.

Some cute pics are below. Forgive the lack of quality of the ultrasound pics. They are pictures of pictures. Thank you for your prayers for our baby and our family!

Baby Girl's Profile

Emily tackling her brother...he LOVED it!

Emily loves to draw these days and this is a picture she drew of me (with my glasses on:) She is so sweet. I love the look on her face...so proud!

Derek and Timothy watching some VeggieTales together while I finished cooking dinner.

Emily and TK were watching the same Veggie Tales with one another. I think it is so cute how they love being under fuzzy blankets. My mom got each of them a new fuzzy blanket for Valentine's Day and they loved them! I got one too:)

Dancing and Escaping!

We have gotten some great video lately and this is a sampling. New post below as well, with pics:)

Just a Little of What We've Been Up To!

I am so excited to finally be able to access some of our pictures that I had to get some on the blog tonight. I have so much to catch up on! There are Christmas pics, Em's bday, my bday, baby updates, Timothy's crazy dancing skills yet to be noted, Timothy's crazy crib escape antics also yet to be noted, and on and on. I really have to get our blog up to date with our current lives!

For now, the update will have to suffice with these cute photos of my babies. More to come...:):)

One of our MANY dance parties over the last couple of months...the kids are hilarious!

TK during a dance party...I think he fell while dancing with the broom:)

My son has THE best laugh ever! He is such a funny little guy...I love this face!

All of Emily's buddies at her birthday party with a great friend of ours, Brian, a local firefighter. Emily chose a fireman birthday party for her 4th birthday and it was so much fun. Brian was very gracious to come and talk to the kids in uniform. Emily has a slight, ahem, crush on "Mr. Brian" since the party.

After a fun family dinner one night at Mellow Mushroom, we had a major treat after...ice cream dipped in chocolate. Timothy got to eat some of his sister's and oh my was he loving it! I LOVE this picture. Em is such a wonderful big sister...most of the time;)

My Poor Abandoned Blog!

If anyone is actually still reading this thing, my most sincere apologies! The last couple of weeks have been a bit crazy and that lead to a delay of posting about Christmas, Em's birthday, Timothy's new craziness, and Baby #3 happenings. But today as I tried to do a little catch-up, I realized that I am not able to post pics on the blog right now...a little hang-up with our computer. Hopefully, we will get it resolved soon and I can post Christmas pics and Emily's birthday pics. Until then, you will have to trust that we are alive and well! Check back and hopefully I'll have pics up soon!!

If you care to check these out, Sean (D's bro) took some great Christmas pics while we were there. We actually didn't take many pictures. Sean was great at getting lots of pics so you can check these out. If you want to see them, you will have to copy the link and paste it in your address bar to get to the link. It does work that way...just tried it:) It's an extra step, but worth it b/c they are super cute!

http://picasaweb.google.com/seankramer79/Christmas2009?authkey=Gv1sRgCL3Zp9nj56G1eg#

http://picasaweb.google.com/seankramer79/Christmas200920?authkey=Gv1sRgCM-n_9bi04H0Tw#

http://picasaweb.google.com/seankramer79/Christmas2009DROID?authkey=Gv1sRgCPryj-aeu82e8gE#

Lots to Post...This Will Have to Suffice!

We have so much to post about, but Derek was able to upload this from his mobile tonight and I just had to share it. If you know Timothy, you know this has became nothing out of the ordinary for us!:) I love all of our responses as he is in action. Funny stuff!

Baby #3 is Looking Pretty Cute!

I have no pics to share just yet, but did want to update about our appt. on Mon. We got to see the most precious images of the baby!! Derek and I could not get over how adorable the pictures are. I know that sounds ridiculous because, let's be honest, who really knows what they are looking at in most early ultrasound pics. But, we can really see so much in the pics. It's little arm buds and belly and head are really cute! We also got to see the heart beating which was amazing!! It's heart rate was 176 bpm, completely normal for 9 weeks. It is so hard to believe that so many things are developed already. Even though this is our third little miracle, I can't get over every time how huge and awesome our God is!! The way He intricately and perfectly created us is something I will never cease to be overwhelmed by!!

Everything looked great and we are on target for a July 17th due date. I am feeling nauseous most days still and food usually looks so gross to me which makes things tons worse when I don't eat. I am craving salt like crazy and I still can't believe it, but the sight and smell of peanut butter is beyond revolting to me right now. If you know me at all, you know I usually LOVE PB! It actually makes me queasy to put that in writing.:) Making the kids lunches has been super fun..hehe!! Overall, I really can't complain. I am healthy and thankful!

Please continue to keep us in your prayers! We will try to get some pics up soon! The pic below is a baby at 9 weeks in utero...isn't is absolutely unbelieveable...probably about the size of a grape!!

Looking Back...

This was Emily Paige in the hospital...just a couple of days old. We had no idea how she would bless our lives! She is such a sweet little pumpkin...we love her so much and she will always be our first baby! I still can't believe she will be 4 in January!

Sweet little Timothy Michael! He was a mere couple hours old here and now he is tackling his sister! At 15 months, he is the strongest child I have ever been around! He gives the sweetest kisses and has the best laugh. We have loved how he has changed our family!!

I had to include this picture because his skinny little 5 lb. body just cracks me up!

A little over a year ago, we were unsure about what life would look like with 2 children. I look at this picture and just had no idea at the time how much our love for one another would grow over the next year. There have been challenges as we've grown, but the blessing in return is so worth it! God continues to change me and Derek through our children and our marriage has been strengthened. I feel like we are constantly undergoing a refining process and I love seeing how the Lord constantly molds us into what He desires!

Emily and Timothy were not planned, by our timeline. We trusted that God would provide and He faithfully has. I can remember a time when I was unsure if I would ever have children and now I stand amazed at the legacy of what our family is. God is merciful and blesses us in spite of us! Over the next year, we will be going through some more refining as we prepare our hearts and our home for Baby Kramer #3!!!

To say that we are thankful for this miracle just doesn't seem to be enough! But we are! We know that we are blessed and hope that we live and walk in the truth of that daily! Emily is of course thrilled at this news and well, Timothy, as you can imagine, has not a clue! Please pray with us for the health of this little one! He/She is about 8 weeks along and will get their first picture taken this coming Mon. Dec. 7. We will keep you posted! Thanks for loving us and walking this journey with us!!

Halloween 2009

This past weekend was FILLED with activity!! Which explains why we have so many pictures to share. Believe it or not, this slideshow is the result of narrowing it down! Haha!!

Halloween was really fun this year since another year has passed and our children are growing up. Emily really got into it this year making sure that she corrected anyone who would dare assume that she was "Supergirl." She was quick to inform that she was indeed "Superman!!" Timothy was a Fireman and so cute. He actually left his hat on almost the whole time. We did the annual trip to the Pumpkin Patch with friends and the Chilli Cookout that follows in the evening. I think we all decided that we need to keep Halloween and the Gentry Farm/Chilli Cookout day separate in the future:) It was a little crazy...especially with almost 20 children participating!!! Wow! The annual pic of the kiddos on the couch sure has grown. What can I say we are being fruitful and multiplying:)

There are some pics included of me and Derek at our Community Group's Party. We had a murder mystery party and it was such a blast!! Derek and I dressed up as Mr. Miyagi and Daniel-san...Karate Kid for those of you that aren't familiar!:) It was so much fun!

All in all, a busy busy weekend filled with absolutely fantastic memories!! Enjoy the slideshow...ALL of it...hahahaha!!!

Amazing Weekend with Amazing Friends!!

About a month ago, we celebrated Randi Lea's 30th Birthday and had so much fun!!! We spent the weekend in Chattanooga all together with just the girls! We stayed up too late, laughed til our sides ached, made mutiple coffee stops, sipped "fine" wine, acted goofy, enjoyed breakfast together, ate fun dinners out together, had deep uninterrupted conversations, did I mention laughed like crazy?, and most of all celebrated the sweet life and friendship that we have in Randi Lea!! She is one of the most precious women of God that I have ever had the honor of being close to! My very favorite part of the weekend was when we pampered her unexpectedly and spent time telling her how much she means to each one of us! If you don't have a "Randi Lea" in your life...go find one! I am so blessed by these friendships and cherish them deeply! I love you girls! I wish we could do this every year (maybe we should;)!

Happy 30th year Randi Lea!!!! We love you so much!!

Dinner in Chattanooga (Nicole, Kim, Randi Lea, Liz, Jenay, Me)

Lovin' on sweet Nicole!

Dinner on Sat. night (Me, Jenay, Randi Lea, Liz, Mandi, Nicole, Kim)...it was so much fun!

Randi Lea during her "pampering"...that pie was so goooood!!!

Fun Pics Around the House!

My babies!...my sweet babies.! They are growing up so fast. Here are a few pics from around the house. I have more to post on some fun weekend trips that Derek and I have had...unfortunately not as a couple. But great times nonetheless. Hope you enjoy these and thanks for sticking with us, even though it takes a little more effort to get to us now!:)


This is how we found little man one night when we went into to "tuck him in." What a joke that is! He even moves around like crazy in his bed. I love that he is using his bumper as a pillow...and yes the bumper was tied to the crib. I just love how totally chill he is in this picture...so funny!

I am posting this because I loved his little outfit! Unfortunately for him, I am posting a pic of him pooping, as noted by the look on his face. I guess it's good the blog is private now so he can't be blackmailed some day..haha!

I made Derek take this picture because I have so few with me and the kids. Not that this is a good one, but at least it is evidence of my existence! I LOVE Em's sweet smile in this picture...she isn't doing that weird "say cheese" thing. She is my cutie pie! Oh and yes, I did chop off my hair!

In Emily's words, "yoot Mommy, he's yovin on me!" Translated "Look Mommy, he's lovin on me!" Sweet little things! I love watching their relationship grow and develop! I love my brothers very much and seeing their relationship reminds me of how thankful I was for my sweet and very protective brothers growing up! I pray that they will always be each others biggest fans and encouragers! I also hope TK gets massively HUGE so that he can beat up..ahem...I mean talk to any boy that comes within 5 feet of her!:)

The Time Has Come...

I love my blog and I love going to others' blogs (chances are if you are reading then I frequent yours:). But, I have to admit that as much as I LOVE our blog and the way it connects us to family and friends, something in the back of my mind has always felt a bit strange about all that I put out there for anyone to read. I tried adding the FEEDJIT thing with the hopes that seeing where people were coming to our site from would make me feel better, but it didn't. It actually freaked me out a bit when I realized that people were coming from places where I KNOW that I don't know a soul. I also realized that it wasn't that accurate b/c it always lists us as coming from a different state than TN??? I keep thinking that if I can very innocently check out tons of people's families and pics of their kids, then who could be lurking around (not innocently) checking out mine??!!!

After some things that happened today, I felt in the pit of my stomach that we needed to go private on our blog. I figure that anyone we know who wants to read about what is going on with us and see pics will still get to visit our blog and I can feel a bit more safe about what I am putting out into the big online world. I realize it might be a bit of an inconvenience at first to do this, but hopefully it won't be that big of a deal. I am not even sure what to do go private b/c I wanted to let everyone know who visits before you tried to get on our site and it was asking for a password. If we know you, we will be HAPPY to give access to the site, even if we haven't talked to you in a really long time!;)

I will probably wait until after the weekend to go private and then by Sun. night, you will need a password or something. I am also shutting down my Facebook too. I know I could just limit my info. on FB that I share, but I still feel weird that anyone can read my conversations with other people. I will just have to go back to regular 'ole email, telephone, and the US Postal Service as way of communication:) I will miss checking in on friends that I haven't seen for a long time and the ease of communicating via FB, but I know this is a good decision for me.

And for the record, nothing crazy happened...no weirdo showed up at our door or contacted us or anything like that. No need to bother asking what lead me to do this...you would just get a really long-drawn-out-overly-detailed-Karen-Kramer-Story...and believe me it isn't worth your time:):)

Much love to everyone! I'll be looking forward to continuing to share all that God is doing in our lives and the many ways that He is changing us and blessing us...just a bit more discreetly!

The Power of Advertising!!!

Those of you that know Emily at all are familiar with her love for all things that are boyish...cars, tools, future aspirations of being a builder or a fireman, or wearing her pink Converse with super girly dresses! We can safely establish her love for her Handy Manny Tools. She puts them to bed every night. She has a very particular order that she puts them in and then covers them up. This happens Every. Single. Night!!! She doesn't watch Handy Manny that frequently, but loves it when she does. Recently her new wish has been for the big Handy Manny Repair Shop that is advertised on Disney...I HATE commercials! I usually try to bypass the commercials by turning the TV off right ofter a show or turning it on just before Imagination Movers is coming on (her very favorite still)! Emily has asked us for this repair shop thing at least once a day for the past 2 weeks. She wants to look at it every time we go to the store. She talks constantly about all the things she could build with it. She is obsessed! And this is from a kid that hardly ever asks for any specific type of toy. I can recall only a couple of times when she got upset at the store if she couldn't have something. Derek and I have to remind her DAILY that it can go on her Christmas list but that doesn't mean she will really get it. Okay so this is the funny part! I wish I had it on video, especially b/c of her cute voice...

Me (in the next room changing TK's nasty diaper): "Em, you can turn the TV on..Movers should be on now."
Emily: "I turned it on Mommy...it's a commercial."
Me: "okay buddy, you can leave it on until Movers comes on."
PAUSE...
Emily (as if trying to convince me): "Mommy, I just saw the Handy Manny Repair Shop commercial (pronounced: 'tuh-mercial') and they said that it was good for celebrating children's accomplishments (pronounced: 'uhtompwishments')!!!"

Well then...I guess that means we have to buy it!

what a stinker!!

Burning Calories at the Kramers!

A very normal activity in our house is dancing...imagine that! Emily loves this CD that she got from Vada's bday party! Please ignore the "country" voice in the background...who is that?;)


SO...this is for Benji! We like to "get low" on occasion and it is always with the thought of Benji in our minds:) Again, please ignore how ridiculous I sound in the background!

This is a bit longer, but so funny! I can't believe how strong this kid is! The funniest part to me is that Emily could totally care less about what is going on and really just wants to watch Imagination Movers. I love her response when Derek asks what she thinks about Timothy being so strong! At least I know where all of TK's calories are going!

Away From the Blog....and Connecting with Life!

I am so thankful that we have our blog...(what did people do 20 years ago?:) I love that it allows our family far away a chance to see frequent pics of our kiddos and that we can share what is going on in our lives. But, I have to say that my little hiatus from the blogging world has been quite refreshing!

I found that my time blogging (and other computer time-consumers) was taking time that I could use to do other things. I wasn't feeling refreshed after my time online...instead I felt quite tired! I decided to stay off of the computer more and it was a great decision for me. It was amazing how much more time I spent connecting with Derek and my children. I regularly began cleaning my house and taking care of other responsibilities in my home. I sat quietly and read and studied. I prayed. I spent time with friends. I wrote notes to people. I showered (yes...hate to admit that I would stay online sometimes and miss my chance to shower in the morning...nice!). Basically, I lived my real life, which is fulfilling and wonderful. And I realized that I can get the same amount of things done online in a very short amount of time if I focus and set a limit for myself...it has been so refreshing to make the choice to get off of the computer and do something else that brings me life! So, I apologize for the lack of pics recently, but it was good for my soul!

I promised an update of Timothy's birthday and it seems a little silly now because it was a few weeks ago. It was a beautiful day with tons of our friends and family. We loved every second of it! I can't believe my baby is one! The party was a sun theme because we think his personality is like the sun...he has a very "bright" personality...cheesey I know! I made his cake and we grilled burgers and hot dogs. We borrowed a fun water slide from a friend and had some other pools for the kids to play in, although it ended up being quite cool. Before TK dove into his first cake, we did a Korean ceremony celebrating him turning one. It was very different from Emily's, as we actually traveled to VA to celebrate her "Dohl." But, Timothy's Korean Great-Grandmother sent him a beautiful, traditional outfit to wear called a Hanbok (Dohlbok actually for the first birthday) and we did a traditional ceremony that Derek explains in a video that I posted previously (it's below). He also received such fun and generous gifts that we had to open later because the bday boy was pooped. He was in bed by 8! All in all, it was such a fun party! I just can't believe it is all over!

We are doing well here! Derek is working hard and I am still so thankful to be at home with Timothy and Emily! I am trying to stick with 3 days of dedicated learning time with Emily that lasts no more than an hour each time. She really loves the one-on-one time and amazes me with how much she knows. She is really getting into trying to "read" and is doing well with 3 letter words. I try not to make the time too heavy though because I don't want her to get overwhelmed or frustrated with the process...she is only 3.5. I have to keep that in mind! We talk about so much all day long. Most of all, Derek and I have been so amazed and encouraged by her conversations about God! She wants to know so much about God, asking questions, wanting to pray, connecting biblical truths to daily situations...it has blown our minds watching her grow in this way! We are so grateful for the pull that we already see in her heart, spirit, and mind taking place!

Timothy is a crazy man! And by far the most loveable little critter ever! He hugs constantly and wants to give kisses to everyone. He has the best laugh and smile! He is truly a joy to our family! He can also be quite the stinker, especially at mealtimes. I have felt myself frequently desiring to be anywhere but in my kitchen during mealtime prep....a nutso time of day!!! At his last visit, he was 21 lbs. 10oz. and was almost 30 inches long. He had a huge growth spurt over the last couple of months, but still has very little hair. What has come in looks like it will be curly...that should be interesting!:) And, as usual, the same report with TK is that his strength is ridiculous and just makes us laugh. His newest 2 feats were that he climbed onto a bar at the playgound and flung his legs over the lower bar and hung there for a few seconds. A friend was with me that witnessed this and both of our mouths just dropped open. Then last week, he began pushing Emily in a little play stroller, on the carpet, until he runs into something and can go no further! Derek got that on video and I will have to post it later...hilarious! Overall, the kid is healthy and doing great!

As a family, we are taking some really healthy steps to connect deeply with each other on a daily basis and to love each other well! Through a myriad of things, Derek and I have been pursuing the Lord and each other and we are seeing the fruit of it all. Life still gets tough and our kids still disobey:), but we are living well through it and staying focused and connected through it all. I am grateful for a husband that loves the Lord more than anything else and that leads his family well. I feel cherished and that is priceless!

And here is a link to Derek's web album that I accidentally uploaded a bunch of recent pics to (instead of mine that is linked to this blog). I think there are 4 or 5 new albums!...I got a little behind!:) http://picasaweb.google.com/derekkramer

Happy Sunday to you all!

together with the girls (and Caleb) during the Baker's short visit!

Benji and Rebekah enjoying their new Snuggie!

Our Community Group at our first meeting for the new year...it was a fun night catching up and we are so looking forward to all this year holds!

This is how we found Em after CG. After the sitter left, she hung downstairs for a bit and then went up on her own. When we went into her room, this is what we found...she cracks us up!

Nicole and sweet little Annelise.

Emily and Caleb were kicking the soccer ball around and they needed their full gear!

Em was very proud of her picture that she drew of Batman (she is very into superheroes these days and we aren't sure why).

She wanted to lay on the couch and got so excited when Gizmo climbed on the couch with her. It is so sweet how she and Timothy love Gizmo and Bear. We are starting to see the first signs of them getting older and pics like this will be really precious to us one day!

Caleb and Emily having tea together at the "tea shop." Caleb was a gentleman and even "paid" for Emily's tea!:)

I could seriously kiss his face about a thousand times a day!

This was a really sweet moment because he was so tired and he was snuggling on me, but it made me laugh when I saw the pic b/c I had just finished weaning him a few days before. He looks like he's confused or desperate...poor baby!

Emily climbing on the Henderson's playset under the watchful eye of Mr. Austin...she is such a daredevil!

Link to TK's Bday Party!

I know, I know! I said I was going to comment more on little man's big day and I will. We have definitely got to explain what was going on in some of the pics and video...right Kevin:)?! For now though, I had to share some great pics that we did not get of the day, but a sweet friend did...thank you Priscilla!!! If you clink on this link, you can get to them.

http://picasaweb.google.com/DashOFlash/Timothy#