Letter

I think it started with a country song that, of course, I don't know the name of. And I've gotten several of these letters from friends, and seen them on blogs. Letters to your younger self. I've seen letters to self at ages 15, 17, 18 and 20. And rather than clean my house, or do laundry, I'm writing 18 year old self a letter.

Dear Kierstyn,

Right now, you are 18. Though it's only been 10 years, I've learned a lot, and thought I'd share a few things with you now, to give you a heads up.

In 10 years you will be married to Curtis. Yeah, Curtis from youth group. Curtis who is at A&M, but still likes to come home every weekend. Curtis who hasn't said 20 words since you met. This summer, God will do amazing things in you both. You will grow in ways you hadn't imagined. Don't analyze it, just be thankful.

In the next few months to a year, we will do things that will seems really hard. Starting college, working 25 hours a week, picking a roommate (which, by the way, you do a great job at!), having a long distance relationship. And though all these things will seem really hard, and it feels like a lot, know that God is just growing you and preparing you for much more trying times. Embrace the bad times, lean on your family, trust in God, and you will continue to grow and learn more.

Marriage will happen earlier than you might be expecting it. And marriage will be a lot harder than you expect. But every effort, tear, and prayer that you put into your marriage will pay off. Work hard at your marriage, even when times are easy!

Enjoy those easy times, the times when it's just you and your husband. The times when you just have one child. Though the times when you have more children will be wonderful, it's not as easy. You lose a lot of your freedom, but find more of yourself than you've every imagine possible.

You may not think it now, but you're skinny. Oh, so skinny!!! Rather than stressing about your weight or how you look, work on building healthy habits that will reward you when you're way too tired and stressed to think about being healthy. Know that no matter how you look, the people who really love you will always love you.

Get to know your mother-in-law better. Remember that she does love you, she does care for you and your husband, and even though her ways of showing you love might not be "normal" and you might find them a little pushy, cherish the time you have with her. Don't be so critical of her.

Go with your gut on your major. It works out well!

Quit complaining about being in Texas. You're going to be here for awhile. May as well be positive!

The friends you have now are great, but they aren't going to be your best friends. Soon, you will begin to be blessed by people who will stay your friends forever. And then hold on, because God still has more amazing friends to bless you with.

It's going to be a busy ten years! But it's an amazing ten years!

Kierstyn

It started with a headache and ended with....

... a horse pill!!

I woke up yesterday with a killer headache. At about 3:30, when I was heading home from tutoring, I determined that I had strep. For the third time in three months!!!

I went into the doctor today, and he prescribed my antibiotics. He warned me that since this was the third time in three months, that he was going to give me a high dose of a strong antibiotic and that I would be on it for two weeks.

So I got my medicine, opened it up, and had to figure out how I, with my swollen tonsils, was going to swallow this pill. Somehow, it all worked out, and I now just have to wait to feel better.

Faces I LOVE!!

The best intentions....

I was determined to have Elizabeth right thank-you notes this year! I bought the cards, taught her how to make a "k", and we started. Apparently, writing for a 4 year old can be pretty exhausting. And those of you who have taught a 4 year old to write know how exhausting it is for the teacher! So we got two done. That's it.

So as tacky, and not proper as this is, here's Elizabeth's thank you notes from Christmas.

Since writing these, she has also learned how to write, "I love you" which is really sweet! She's doing a great job in this area, and I am so proud of her!

My life with my boys

I am completely fascinated by my children. Never before have I been so mesmerized by three people. Every day, I learn something new about each of them, they make me laugh, they make me crazy, and each day is different from the day before.

Elizabeth and I am so ridiculously similar. She cracks me up, and I offend find myself thinking, "Is this the kind of kid I was?" "Did I talk this much?" "How many more questions could she possibly ask?!?" But being Elizabeth's mother has been somewhat predictable. I'm a girl, she's a girl, we're very similar, I already see us struggling with the some of the same sins (pride, vanity, unguarded mouth... just to name a few!). So even though I'm fascinated with her, I'm not quite as surprised by her.

But mothering the boys.... that's been an adventure like no other! I look at them, watch what they're doing and think, "I have no idea what is happening!" or "Why in the world would they think to do that??" or "Do they really think that's a good idea?!"

For example: A few days ago, we were working to get out to door to go to Young Mom's Bible Study. I rounded up Benjamin and Elizabeth, and they were both getting buckled up. I turn to get Micah in the van, and see that he is standing in the doorway of the van, with a HUGE stick, trying to poke Elizabeth. What in the world made him think that was a good idea?

And can any of you other moms of boys tell me what's up with boys and their... umm.... trying to keep this family friendly... "Boy parts"? In a perfect world, my sons would run around naked, playing with their boys parts. I think that's why potty training went fairly easily with Micah. He was so intrigued by his parts, that he thought going potty was super cool! And already my boys have had peeing contests. In the bath tub!!! So gross.

Wicker. What's the point when you have boys?? I have a wicker chest that we used for keeping blankets in. It's located right by the couch, so that I can easily pull out a blanket while watching a movie. The boys think that it's leverage to climb onto the back of the couch. Or perhaps it's just something to jump off of. Either way, the wicker chest is just about toast. Benjamin out the final nail in the chest's coffin when he fell through the top and got stuck. Nice! To boys, wicker = kindling.

When I had Elizabeth, I assumed that I would have all girls. I came from a family of all girls, Curtis came from a family of all boy, so when we had a girl first it seemed logical that all our children would be girls. But I'm so very thankful that God has chosen Curtis and I to parent boys! I don't know what's going on half the time, but it sure is exciting!

Door pictures

I took the 2007 picture when Curtis was home because of ice. We were planning on taking a trip to the mall to get rid of some of the cabin fever we were all feeling. As Curtis cleaned off the van, Elizabeth (2 1/2) and Micah (10 months) stood and watched him. It was so sweet! This is the first picture in my 2007 album, and I loved it so much, I have done it ever year since.

By the way, it can be quite a challenge to get the picture developed as is. The photo place usually tries to lighten it. Here's the trick. Go to Wal Mart one-hour photo studio. They aren't overachievers there!

In 2008's picture, Benjamin is wearing his helmet, with no pants. Micah is only wearing a diaper, and I'm not 100% sure Elizabeth's clothes match, and don't get me started on her hair. For me, it was the perfect picture to show where we were in life! Helmet, no clothes, crazy hair and all!!

2007

2008

And this year, 2009:

Clock Watching, Pretty Cow and a Pray Off

Elizabeth isn't a nap taker. But there are days when it is clear to us that she needs a nap. Today was such a day! After a fun lunch at McD's with the Arnolds, we came home to get kids in bed for naps. Elizabeth fussed, she cried, she fought. Curtis told her she had to stay in bed till 4:00. We realized we hadn't heard much from Elizabeth, and when I went in to check on her, this is what I found. `````````````````````````````````````
On our way home from lunch today, we saw some cows. Elizabeth asked Benjamin what the cow says, then she quickly began to moo. Micah told her, "You're a girl! Boy cows go moo!!!" He was pretty adamant, and getting quite worked up. Trying to distracted him, I asked him what the boy cow said. "Moo" he responded. When I asked him what the girl cow did, he said, "Stand there and look pretty."


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I have a new friend in Wichita. She's a young mom like me, who goes to my parents church. We have children the same ages (almost to the month!), have both had one big baby, and have both had one son with medical problems. My new friend cracks me up!! I knew she would crack me up when she called me, while I was at my parents house, to tell me that our children could never marry. My first thought was, "Boy do the Krajcas know how to make a first impression!" I asked why and she said that she couldn't stomach having a Loose/Krajca wedding. So true! So very, very true!

I was telling my friends Ashlee and Christi about my new friend, and how it wold be nice to have a friend in Wichita if God granted my parents' desire for us to move there. Ashlee quickly declared that she was praying a very different prayer for us! Christi said she was too, and we would just have to wait and see who was the more righteous, based on who got their prayers answered. They then decided that we should call it a Prayer Off! So, watch out mom and dad! You're in the middle of a Prayer Off!

New bags!!

For Christmas, Curtis got me a new wallet. So did my Mom. The wallet that Curtis got me was great, it just didn't clasp well. And when you have my three, you need a wallet that will stay shut! So I "exchanged" the wallet for a bag! I had seen these bags on another blog, and thought they were super cute (and super cheap! The bag was cheaper than the wallet!), but had decided against getting one right now since I had just gotten new purses/bags. But who can pass up such cuteness?? Another part of my Christmas present from Curtis was a new travel mug. So, I was able to get both at the same place!! Look how cute! I am now dying to go somewhere so that I can load up my super cute bag with all my Mommy supplies and fill my mug with my life saving coffee (hey, you don't get to be this perky without it!).

My grandma got Elizabeth a kit to make her own bag. So yesterday, while the boys were sleeping, we put it all together.

And didn't she do a lovely job with the glitter?? She did such a good job that I had to bust out more glitter to use, since she used all the glitter from the kit on ONE FLOWER! That's my girl!

Watch out world (or at least College Station) here come two hot chicks with their cool new bags!

Things I would NEVER, EVER do.

Surf with a killer whale.I hate whales. They totally creep me out. The thought of going whale watching, scares the poo-poo out of me. And the people who not only go whale watching, but then reach over the side of the boat to TOUCH a whale... CRAZY!! Totally freaks me out! Seriously, just thinking about it has given me goose bumps.

I blame this ridiculous whale fear on two things. 1) Jonah. 2) Pinocchio. And I'm not the only crazy one! My sister, Shannon, feels the same way, but more intensely. If you wanted to kill Shannon on the spot, take her to Sea World to visit Shamu. I really think she would drop dead and the Samu Show.

All that to say that the above picture gives me the big time creeps. That man is nothing but crazy!!! And to think he did it deliberately. Out of his mind! You couldn't pay me enough money to get in the water anywhere near a whale. And that's not just any whale, it's a killer whale. The kind that eats things... like people! Crazy!

The twilight zone

After we get home from Young Mom's Bible Study, it's always a rush to get lunch on the table and get the boys down for naps before we reach melt down. Today, it didn't happen for Benjamin. He was one big melted down mess! Elizabeth and Micah were strangely not. They were being nice to each other, eating a good lunch, cooperating.... very strange! What is this, the twilight zone? I got Benjamin down for his nap. When I went to find Micah, I found that he and Elizabeth were playing nicely together in the play room. I told Micah it was nap time, and he came, but was very unhappy, and kept asking for Elizabeth to put him down. Elizabeth came in, saying, "It's okay buddy, sister's here." Not normal behavior for these two! And sure enough, she loved on him, talked to him sweetly, and left when he fell asleep. Very sweet! But very strange!

Elizabeth was super tired this evening. Her tiredness manifests itself in two forms: whinny and wild. As I was trying to fix dinner, she was bouncing off the walls making her brothers wild. I looked at her and said, "Elizabeth, you are so wild! You need to go to your room and come out when you are normal!" And then I had to laugh, because we all know who she takes after. Hello pot, have you met kettle?

Just minutes later, she was making a ridiculous amount of noise. I turned and just looked at her. She told me, "I'm being noisy so that you can hear me." That made me laugh!!

Dinner Debacle

The plan was fairly simple. It originated with the thought that since the kids had all taken great naps (the "perk" to being up at 5am) that we should seize the opportunity to eat out. My first thought was that we could go to Roadhouse and use one of our Christmas gift cards. I also thought I heard a margarita calling me. I called, and kids eat free on Mondays.

So I go to this website, and start finding tons of great restaurants where kids eat free on Tuesday night. We decided on Fazoli's, since it's not a place we go to often, and you can't go wrong with spaghetti! We get there, decided what we want, I start ordering, only to find out that they no longer have the cheap kids meals. We leave.

Next, we try Fuddrucker's. Same result.

I call my Mom and she suggests Jason's Deli. She called, while I ran into Fuddrucker's, and surprise, surprise, they no longer do cheap kids meals either. Notice a trend?

Pizza Hut! They no longer have a buffet.

Double Dave's! No special discount, just the regular two-for-Tuesday.

Golden Coral. Benjamin and Micah would be free, but we would have to pay $4 for Elizabeth and $10 for Curtis and I, not including $1.89 drinks!!!

My plans for a fun, cheap dinner out are rapidly falling apart. The kids are also falling apart since they are super hungry.

Finally, we settle on Chick-Fil-A. We had wanted somewhere a little more out of our ordinary, but we also just needed to eat!

It turned out to be a very fun evening! With the purchase of a combo meal, we got a free 4 piece nugget kid's meal. Our grand total came out to $15!! And we got to play! And we ran into friends!

As we started getting the kids ready to leave, they went into a "we want dessert!" plea. Our friends told us that we could take their unopened toy, and trade it in for icecream cones. Perfect!!

We got our fun, cheap, family dinner out, for only $15.

Including drinks and dessert!

Sleepless

Ever feel that as a parent you just go from one problem to another? That's kinda where Curtis and I are with our children and sleep.

During the fall, the problem was that they were waking up through the night, coming in, wanting to sleep with us, not going back to their beds, crying because someone (sibling or me) was in "their spot by Daddy". Over the Christmas break, that wasn't a problem at all! All three kids shared a room most nights, and Micah and Elizabeth even shared a bed! No problems!

We came home, and had a couple really great nights. Curtis and I were thrilled! But now we've traded that sleeping problem for another sleeping problem. All three of our children have become quite the early birds, waking up around 5-5:30 for the past several mornings.

Here's our plan of attack. We're going to try to maintain as normal of a routine as possible, doing the same things, and going to bed (8:00) at the same time. Depending on the day, I might put Benjamin down earlier. We are going to get a clock for Elizabeth's room, and a CD player for the boys' room. Elizabeth won't be able to get out of bed till her clock says 6:30. If Micah wakes up too early, we'll start a CD and tell him he has to stay in bed till the music is over.

Benjamin is the wild card in all this. If he wakes up, he will wake up Micah and no amount of reasoning with him will help. I'm hoping that once we get Micah sleeping normally, Benjamin will follow suit, which is what seems to be happening with the bad sleeping problems.

Anyone out there have any advice? Should we keep the same routine, or put the kids in bed earlier? Should there be negative consequences for getting up too early? Any thoughts on what in the world could be causing all this? Any and all advice welcome!

Mommy Monday

... you cut your finger and have to chose between a Dora band-aid of a Spiderman band-aid.
... you're getting a status update from your hubby, who sweetly let you sleep in a little, and one of the first thing you ask is, "Did you make coffee?"
... you find yourself saying, "Don't spit on your brother! Spit on the wall instead."

Looks like I might be a Mommy!

New Year's Resolution

This year, I made one New Year's Resolution for our entire family. And though between the five of us, we have just one measly little resolution, this is going to be a challenge!

Our New Year's Resolution is to survive outside of survival mode.

Those of you who have had a baby, or other major life changing experiences, know what survival mode is. Here's what it looks like in the Krajca house. Daddy comes home from work, and mommy and the 3 amigos are still in our jammies. Laundry still needs to be done, the kitchen isn't clean, dinner is a distant thought, but we're all alive.

Survival mode is how we've been living life since Micah was born (March 2006). We went into survival mode for obvious reasons.... we had to survive! I was recovering from a rough c-section, Elizabeth was 21 months old, and Micah had colic.

I was just starting to come out of survival mode when WHAMO I found out I was pregnant with Benjamin. I was pregnant and exclusively breastfeeding a huge baby who wasn't sleeping through the night. I pretty much stayed in survival mode through my pregnancy with Benjamin, which worked out well since I ended up recovering from another c-section with an almost 3 year old and a 14 month old.

And of course, we all know what a walk in the park Benjamin's first year was! HA!!!

So this fall, Curtis and I started coming out of the survival mode haze, realizing that we and our children had some nasty little habits (eating in front of the TV, sleeping in mommy and daddy's bed, lack of routine, lack of structure....). And 2009 is going to be our year of putting the craziness of the past two and a half years behind us, and moving on to be a God glorifying, loving, caring, organized family!

Benjamin's new obsession

His "babies" and their "bibers" (diapers) are Benjamin's newest obsession.

This is how it usually starts. All the "babies" with their diapers on.Then the diapers quickly come off.

Apparently he didn't want any pictures at the moment. He pointed at the camera and said, "NO!"

As soon as the diaper comes off, Benjamin quickly exclaims, "Oh, NO!! Biber!!!" And mommy has to put the diaper back on.

On to the next victim, I mean....baby!

All freshly diapered, for the moment.

Dear Children,

Dear Children of Mine,

I love you all so very much! In fact, I love you some much that I wanted to inform you all of a few things that you do that make me absolutely crazy.

Elizabeth, when Mommy gives you a meal, please eat it! Don't complain, don't fuss, don't ask for something else, just eat. And if you chose not to eat, that's fine. But please don't harass me every second between meals with questions about food. That makes Mommy crazy!

Micah, you have an adorable smile! However, when you do something that you know is wrong, don't smile. We both know you've done something bad, and smiling isn't going to get you out of it. That makes Mommy crazy!

Benjamin, I love how you are learning new things every day. But it would be so nice if you could just learn good things form here on out. No more picking up and repeating the bad things that your siblings so. That makes Mommy crazy!

Even though you make me crazy, I love you all!

Mommy

A fancy ballerina, a police officer and a cowboy have tea

This evening, Elizabeth threw a lovely tea party for us. She made (with the help of me and Micah) M&M cookies and strawberry tea. One of the requirements for entrance into the party was being dressed up.

The Cowboy

The Police Officer (nice muscles!)



Very properly, pouring the tea

Christmas verse

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Elizabeth and Micah memorized a Bible verse for Christmas. I attempted to get a video of them reciting their verse, and it didn't go very well. :-) The more times we tried, the more theatrical Elizabeth got. It was funny! So, if you have the time, watch this funny video.

Recognize this face?

I hear all the time how much Elizabeth and I look a like. Almost every time we are in Oklahoma City, my Grandma tells Elizabeth, "I've seen your face before!" So this time, while we were home for Christmas, I pulled out an old album that had pictures of me when I was about Elizabeth age. Here are some pictures of little Kierstyn. Each picture of me is followed by a picture of Elizabeth, making almost the same face!

(the infamous Johnston frog face. My Dad and Papa do it too!)

(the fake, open mouth smile, while looking somewhere totally unrelated to the photographer, smile)

Home from church

Since Benjamin is taking quite awhile to get over his bout with pneumonia, and Micah still has green stuff coming out of his ear, Curtis and I decided that I should stay home with the boy. We figured we want them to stay on the road to recovery, rather than get whatever bug is going around the church. You know how those bugs go! Being good Christians, we feel the need to share what we have with others... even germies!

So I'm home. The boys are (for the first time) quietly watching a movie and eating some lunch. Considering the fact that they kept each other up till after 9pm last night, and woke each other up at 6 am, I think it will be an early nap day.

I've learned a few things today.
1) Getting one child and one adult ready for church and out the door on time is waaaay easier than getting three children and two adults out the door.
2) Keeping track of two kiddos is easier than keeping track of and entertaining three kiddos.
3) Remove one child from the mix, and there's a lot less fighting.
4) I really miss my church family!
5) I really miss working with my family!
6) Life with two kiddos is easier, but much more boring than life with three kiddos.

The last day of '08

The last day of '08 was quite a day for the Krajca family. Our plans were for my Mom and I to some shopping, meet up with my Dad, Curtis and the kids for lunch, naps, packing, sparklers, movie watching and junk food.... greet ways to ring in a new year!

I was at Kohl's, hitting some after Christmas sales with my Mom. We were having a great time! I got a phone call from the ENT. Both boys had ear infections, and I was trying to make an appointment to bring them in once we got home (Micah's ear had been bleeding, Benjamin's ears had been gooey for almost 2 weeks). I had just gotten things squared away when I got a call from Curtis' dad. He was on his way to the hospital with a possible heart attack.

After lunch, and with the encouragement of my parents, Curtis headed to Wichita Falls to be with his dad. At this point, we didn't know much except for the fact that something wasn't right with his heart. To say that we were worried and scared is an understatement! Having already dealt with the loss of Curtis' mom, this all felt very familiar and scary. We were very thankful that the kids and I were at my parents.

I started packing, and making plans to go to Wichita Falls for as long as needed. In preparation to be gone from home longer than we planned, I called the ENT again to see if he would just go ahead and give both boys antibiotics. He said no, and that given their conditions, he would try to have them seen fairly quickly. Now remember, this is New Year's Eve! Thankfully, my Mom was able to find a clinic that she knew was good. She and I loaded the boys up, and headed to the acute care clinic.

Turns out that Micah did indeed have an ear infection (no joke!), and his asthma was giving him fits. Benjamin had a double ear infection, and his breathing wasn't great. His oxygen levels were also low. We were sent to x-ray, which confirmed that Benjamin has pneumonia. Thankfully, we caught it, and he's just on antibiotics and breathing treatments. If we had waited to get home, the pneumonia would have been bad enough to land him in the hospital.

After all that, we headed back to my parent's for dinner and breathing treatments, after which we made a very expensive trip to the pharmacy.

At this point, we knew that Curtis' dad was stable, and not at risk for a heart attack. The problem was that the top half of his heart was beating way too fast, putting him at risk for a stroke. But the doctors were able to stabilize him, and the problem can be taken care of with one little pill. We were so thankful!

Our New Year's Eve wasn't at all what we expected!! But just like the rest of 2008, we were surrounded by the love and support of so many friends and family! How blessed we are.

And as a little update: Curtis' dad went home yesterday, after just over 24 hours in the hospital. Curtis and I met up in OKC, and switched cars with my mom and headed home. Micah is doing great! Benjamin is doing okay. It's taking a little bit longer than "normal" for him to get back to his normal self. We are still doing breathing treatments every 4-6 hours, which is making his very hyper! But he is doing better, and that's what matters!

KC

Poor KC. We used to take her picture, let her sleep on the bed, we even threw her a birthday party once.

Those days are long gone!

Then add to that, the fact that shortly before we left for Christmas break, we found out that all the asthma and allergy problems that Micah has been having are all because of KC. He's not allergic to anything else. Just the dog.

Since we knew it wouldn't be wise for us to have Micah trapped in the car with the KC, we had a friend from church come to check on her. We got a kennel, a nice warm blanket, and told her that she was now an outside dog. Our hope was that since we wouldn't be home, she would make the transition to an outside dog fairly smoothly.

She showed us!

The day after Christmas, we get a call from our friend watching KC. KC had broken the fence, dug out, and was gone. We called all the right people, checked with neighbors, had our friend check the area. No KC.

Yesterday, we explained what had happened to the kids. They were upset, but seemed okay.

Late last night, once we had gotten home, I checked the answering machine. Someone had found KC, and called the vet (which we had also done, leaving our cell number) to get our info. The nice lady said that she would keep KC until we could come get her. This was about a day after KC ran off. The next message, which was about four days after that, we had a call from the animal shelter saying they had KC. We're not sure it the people who originally found KC called them, or if KC got away from them too. Regardless, we were happy and very surprised!! I had talked to the animal shelter, twice (one of the times was after they had her!) and they said they didn't have her.

This morning, we headed out to the animal shelter to pick up poor KC. The kids were so happy! Curtis went in, and came out about 10 minutes later saying that we had to pay $62.50 for impoundment and "boarding". I was not happy! With Micah's allergies, I was thinking that maybe this would be a good time to just get rid of the dog. Now we have her back AND we have to pay to get her!! I told Curtis to decide what he wanted to do. He went back in, and came out with KC. He talked them down $15 (which was the "boarding" cost) since there was some mix up when we called. So just under $50, and we got out dog back. I told Curtis that he was spending his Christmas money! :-)

KC is currently at the doggie spa (aka, Pet's Mart) getting cleaned up. I'm glad that she's safe, and that I won't be hearing, "Mommy, when are we getting another dog?"