6 MORE WEEKS OF WINTER!!!!

Happy Ground Hogs day to everyone!!!!

I am sure a lot of you didn't enjoy what the ground hog predicted, but at our house there were many cheers!!!!  Sledding is something we really enjoy doing, but the guys only have gotten out twice this whole winter...

so bring on some more snow!!!!

We will miss the Green Bay Packers!!!!

I was able to find some tickets to the Playoff Game so Chad (Jeff's brother), Jeff and I went.

We made the most of it, even though it was a pretty quite game.  Before the game, they took a 360 degree photo of everyone there...I will try to link the web address here.

http://www.gigapixelfancam.com/fancams/football/packers/20120115/

We were on the opposite corner of the Packer's tunnel, 18th row.  If you follow the end zone that has "Green Bay" on it, follow the white corner up on the "G" side...see if you can find us.  (hint:  camo and only faces)

Here is our silly guy...on a field trip that I was able to chaperon.  We went to 1000 Island Nature Center.  It was cold that day, but were still able to go explore outside a little and check everything out inside.  Pretty sure the talking parrot was a favorite.  If you haven't been there,

it sure is a fun place for the kids.

If you haven't figured this one out by reading it, here is the scoop.  Jayden was awarded at their monthly assembly at school for being a positive student.  Crazy thing, the neighbor boy Beck was awarded on the same day!!!  Great job Guys!!!!  So this is to a new experience at our house...let these keep rolling it.  We sure are proud how great Jayden is doing in school and the boy that he is turning into.  YEAH!!!!!

Bringing back the 80's!!!!  At school a week or so ago, the kids got to dress in any era that they wanted.  So we tried to do something with the stuff we had...our best try at being a 80's rock star!!!!  If you look closely, you will notice the Mohawk tips are blue!!!!

Hope you enjoyed your visit...until next time!!!!

A New Year!!!!

Well, welcome back to the "Kraus House"!!!!

We are well off to a good start of the new year.  With the new year brings all kinds of new adventures which our family loves.  Do you ever look back at your childhood and wonder "Am I going to do this or that with my kids someday?"  I often think about all the fun things we did growing up and I can remember all the simply things; playing board games, crafts, watching movies, sledding, going on a bike ride, going for a picnic, fishing...ect.  Now I look at what we have been able to do for our son Jayden...amazing.  We feel very blessed to be able to go and do the things we have done with him already and continue to do.  So where am I going with this you may be wondering...well, with a New Year can bring new opportunities so I hope that we can share all those fun adventures and memorable things with all of you.  Hope you enjoy!!!!

Here is one of our fun adventures that we were able to start the year off with.  We were gifted tickets to the Packers vs. Lions game on New Years Day.  As you may notice, we were able to sit indoors which was great for Jayden...yes, he got to go to his first game.  We had a lot of fun.  Our favorite seats though are definitely outside, even if it is freezing...guess that is why they call it the "frozen tundra".

Chad (Jeff's Brother) would not partake in the photos, but here he is posing in the background without even knowing.  :)  Of course, we all were digging how comfortable the seats were and the warmth.

Guess when you say "CHEESE" for the camera, it makes you have to giggle since there was a little "CHEESE" on someones head.

Crazy as it may seem, my Uncle Ronnie was there too (along with others we knew too, but didn't see).  His seat was actually only a section away from us.  Jayden was pretty excited to share this fun day with him too.

Hope all of everyone had a great time ringing in the New Year where ever you may be.  We hope that we can share in a new adventure with those that can... you'll have to watch for upcoming postings.

Until next time...

Happy Holidays!!!

Happy Holidays from our house to yours!!!!

The holiday season has been quite busy for us and lets say not the luckiest so far.  We are hoping our luck changes so we can enjoy the next few weeks.  I really don't have a lot to share for pictures, but I will try to share a video of Jayden's Christmas Concert at school.  Hope you enjoy!!!!

So those are all the songs they sang, hope you have enjoyed the christmas concert.

We hope everyone enjoys the holidays and there will be more to come.

Here is the proud Grandparents enjoying a little cookie and milk snack after the concert.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!

GIVING THANKS...

It is that time of year where the hustle and bustle of the holidays begins.  With that, it seems we forget to think about what the meaning is behind the holidays.  In our house, we are every day reminded of all the things we need to be "thankful" for.  We have been blessed with good health, stable jobs (and school), wonderful family and friends.  Hope your home has been blessed too with good fortune too.

 Here is the reveal...Cobra Ninga!!!  The official Halloween Costume of 2011.  Guess you can guess why he liked the costume so much...to try to scare me again.

The fam...notice the sword had to be out for this one.

The reward...too much candy!!!  You could say it was a sucess this year.  We had a lot of fun.  Tried out a new neighborhood.  It was funny, when Jayden would go up to the houses he wouldn't say trick-or-treat...he would just stand there is silence (since that is what a snake does).  When they would say "what do you say?", he would whip out his sword from the shealth and they would either laugh or where quite surprised!!!  What a goofy kid!!!

I took an afternoon to visit my cousin Natalie and her four kiddos.  Yes one is missing here, I was holding her.  This is her three oldest, such a fun time.  (Gretta 4, Silas 2(almost), Sammy 3).

Here is Leila.  What a precious little girl with lots of wave to her hair.  Looks like she'll have good company growning up.

This picture can go down in the Kraus history books...the snow was the highlight for a few days.  I have never seen a kid roll around and play is the snow as much as he did with only a little on the ground.

To wrap up this edition of the "Kraus House"...

My cousin Dan was diagnosed with a brain tumor about a week ago.  The doctors here felt it was best to go to a specialist in Madison since there was not a lot that they could do here in the Valley.  Today (Thursday 11-17), he is traveling to Madison to find out what the next road will be.  Please keep Dan and his family in your prayers.

Lord, please be with Dan and his family as he going through an adventure that no one wants to endure.  May he keep you close during this time.  Please give him the strength and courage to fight through this and his family the faith, support and love to be there by his side.  Amen.

A Snizz is on the loose!!!!

Happy October!!!!

We have had a busy month so far and there a only a few days left.  Thought I would get the posted before the month beat me.

As in our yearly tradition, we planted another pumpkin patch at my Uncle Ronnie's farm.  We had a great year for them.  We totalled over 30 regular pumpkins and a whole lot of little gourd pumpkins that Jayden donated to his kindergarten class.

So you are probably wondering what a "SNIZZ" is???  In our house, that is a snake.  It was my weekend to work and what do I come home to???  Yes, a snake in the house...not just one, but 4.  They are one of the things that I am afraid of and I was not happy to have them living in the same house as me.

Jeff and Jayden had lots of fun watching them and when they were tame enough, they took them out of the cage and held them.  And then it was my happy day...RELEASE DAY!!!!

We enjoyed the many leaves in the yard also...

On the same weekend as the snizz hunt, the boys enjoyed a little fall harvest fun...a corn maze.  They spent over 2 hours not only finding their way through the maze, but also finding all the hidden numbers it it all the way to "19".  Great Job buddy, he found all 19.

Jayden and myself always have our annual pumpkin carving with my sister Nicole and my cousins Stacey, her daughter Autum and Laura.  This year Jayden did the cleaning out of the pumpkin, the design and the carving all himself...it was so much fun.  We even let Uncle Mike join us since he never carved a pumpkin before.

If you are wondering which one was Jayden's, it is the second one from the left.

Hope everyone is having a great fall, we sure are.  I will have another post soon so we can show off Jayden's halloween costume.  Until next time...

Heather

Welcome!!!

Welcome to the first blog that I have ever done...

Life has been busy with the start of new beginning especially for Jayden.  Jayden started kindergarten and loves it.  The first day he was able to be the door holder and that made him ever so excited.  We watch the neighbor Beck (Jayden's buddy) every morning before school so they are pretty busy playing in the morning.  The neighbor girls, Maggie and Nora, walk the kids to school in the morning when I can't and usually the boys ask "Can't the girls take us today?" when I get to take them.

 Excited for his first day..."can we go now" was all he kept saying.

The neighbor girls and Jayden... Maggie (6th grade), Jayden (K) and Nora (4th grade).

Buddies...Jayden and Beck

Sitting at his table on the first day of school.

This past month was lots of fun for the guys (Jeff and Jayden) on their daddy weekend.  Jeff took Jayden to Quarry Quest and as always enjoyed every minutes of it.

Wishing he could drive this one!!!

Watch out...Jayden is driving.  He sure loves this.

Good thing there is no water hooked up, otherwise you'd be wet!!!  Maybe we will have a fireman someday...who knows.

Well, until next time.  I'm sure we will be having some pumpkins and who knows what for Halloween.

Heather