The Kraker House

Happy Halloween

2011-10-25T08:15:00.000-07:00

You'll have to excuse my lack of pictures for this post. Our camera has taken up the good habit of draining the battery, so often the batteries in my camera are dead when I go to take a picture. Thus, no pictures of the actual trick or treating.

Every year our friends, the Dykstras, put on an awesome Halloween party for the kids. We go on a hayride to a neat little nook on their property and have some munchies. This year we had a pinata and even a corn maze (even though it was sorgum). Fun was had by all. Can't wait until next year!

2 month well child visit

2011-09-23T08:01:00.000-07:00

Today we had Blair's 2 month well child visit and the first dreaded shots. I'm happy to report that all is still well with our little peanut, and a little peanut she is. She weighed a whopping 10lbs 6oz! When I saw the weight for the first time I had to ask the nurse to try again! That only put Blair in the 25th percentile for her weight. Rogue had always been around the 75th percentile and for some reason I had just assumed Blair would be the same. Blair was 22.75 inches and that put her in the 50-75th percentile so that wasn't a shock to her mama. She handled the shots alright and of course Rogue and I felt terrible for her. Rogue says she doesn't want any shots from the doctor.

Michigan's Adventure

2011-09-11T08:08:00.000-07:00

Gentex has their annual Summer Picnic for their employees every year at Michigan's Adventure. We brought the girls thinking that she would have a riot. I however, was very skeptical. Bryan insisted that she could have a good time. I will gladly admit that I was very wrong. This girl LOVED the rides. She would say that they tickled her tummy. There wasn't a ride in that park that she was allowed to go on that she didn't ride.

Kraker Farm

2011-09-06T11:28:00.000-07:00

I am happy to introduce to you the first members of the Kraker Family Farm. In one day we purchased two Holland Lop bunnies and six Isa Brown Laying Chicks.

The black bunnies name is Jessica Rabbit (Jess for short) and the brown bunnies name is Bunny Holly (Holly for short).

The chicks I (Bryan) named are Booker T Washington and Peepy Le Pugh. Katy named the remaining four chicks after the golden girls: Blanche, Dorthy, Sophia, and Rose.

This is the beautiful house I built for my peeps. It is where they will lay the eggs we harvest.

Project 2011

2011-09-06T11:07:00.000-07:00

It is a project that has been a long time coming. Since we built our house back in 2005/2006, we have wanted to put on a deck. The problem is that there were always other projects that were more important, like putting in a lawn and pouring a cement approach.

Finally, this year was the year for the deck. We took our tax return money and bought us some deck materials. We decided to go with composite so we never have to power spray or stain. Maintenance is not our strong suit so the less of it we have to do, the better off we are.

Todd Wabeke and I worked on it during the week

after we got out of work so it took a couple of weeks to get it completed. My Dad helped lay the decking one saturday and my borother Andrew stopped by a night or two to help out as well.

Thanks to everyone for the help. The deck looks great and we love spending time on it.

God Bless Blair

2011-08-22T12:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had Blair baptized. I was a little nervous on how things would go. Not only that Blair wouldn't scream through the whole thing but that Rogue would cooperate as well. I'm happy to report that Blair was baptized without a hitch. Blair has been such a blessing to us all.

The first 3 weeks

2011-08-15T06:51:00.000-07:00

I honestly can't believe Blair has been with us for just over 3 weeks now. She fits so perfectly with our family that it feels she has been with us forever. Blair is an amazing baby so far. She sleeps the day away and most of the night. The only issue at night is her eating. This girl likes to eat! She wakes every 2 hours (almost on the dot) for feedings. Since she (for the most part) goes right back down after a feeding its not so bad to be awake so often. I try to get naps in when I can but Rogue doesn't always nap anymore, so it makes it a bit difficult. You can definately tell that she is not a first born. Bryan and I haven't taken near the amount of pictures we did of Rogue. Poor Blair. We also don't hold her like we did Rogue but that could be because she is very content to be in her swing.

Rogue has done very well with adjusting to not being the only child. She doesn't pay Blair much attention but likes to know where she is at all times. Rogue is also a bit protective of her. When people hold Blair, Rogue usually asks repeatedly to hold her. Its pretty cute. Rogue has been such a good big sister.

Blair's Hospital Stay

2011-08-11T03:17:00.000-07:00

Who's Who?

2011-07-23T07:09:00.000-07:00

Can you guess which pictures are Rogue and which are Blair? Leave your answers in the comment section, and I will provide answers later on.

Baby Blair Arrives

2011-07-22T06:30:00.000-07:00

Blair Delaney Kraker was born this morning (7/22/11) at 7:53am. She weighs 8lbs 1oz, and I think she looks exactly like Rogue. We are very happy parents and there will be more pictures coming to the blog soon.

It's that time again!

2011-06-28T07:57:00.000-07:00

I'll give you some clues to help you with your guess. Rogue was 11 days late weighing in at 8lbs 5oz and 20 1/2 inches long. My due date is July 29th and the doctor will not let me go late with this baby. So if I don't go into labor on my own the latest I could have this one would be July 29 via c-section (I can't be induced because of my previous history). Have fun guessing!

Holland Splash Pad

2011-06-26T14:31:00.000-07:00

Hot days call for cool fun.

We decided to pack up and hit the Splash pad Downtown Holland. Rogue had some fun and then we picked up some Pepperoni Pin Wheels from the New Holland Brewey and hit up the park on 16th street and had supper.

It was a family Sunday Funday!

Hungry Horse

2011-06-22T07:49:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we hauled out our little scamper for our first camping trip of the year. We went to one of our favorite spots, Hungry Horse Campground. Wednesday setting up was a little wet but the rain stopped as we started setting up and stayed away the rest of the weekend. We went with a rather large group this time and had a blast. Bryan was gone on his annual motorcycle trip so Rogue and I were on our own. I can say I don't need to do that again 34 weeks pregnant. Thankfully I had help from the others we were camping with. There were a few shower incidents since there were only curtains. However, we survived. We spent the days laying in the sun, swimming in the pool and eating yummy food. Our caravan to the pool got lots of looks. Especially Teresa with her double stroller, a few pool toys, and a baby in the Bjorn.

She's 2 1/2

2011-06-10T06:18:00.000-07:00

Usually I don't think much about 1/2 birthdays but today I am. Maybe its because we are getting closer to adding another little girl to the family, or its our dogs 9th birthday, or maybe because Bryan and I will celebrate 6 years of marriage tomorrow. Time flies.

The Belly

2011-05-25T12:58:00.000-07:00

So as I have mentioned things are a little different with baby number 2 than they were with Rogue. For example, belly shots. While I'm not a huge fan of sharing in the bigness I still took them with Rogue. Today is the first time I took a belly shot with #2. Rogue has lovingly nicknamed the belly Jumbo. Nope, not kidding. She has referred to my largeness as Jumbo more then once. I have no idea where she came up with the nickname, but from her I feel its rather cute. Don't think that anyone else can refer to the belly as Jumbo. Not even Bryan.

Today was another doctors appointment. Nothing really new to report. Baby's heartbeat was 140 and I measured right were I should.

Tulip Time

2011-05-14T07:55:00.000-07:00

Its that time of year again! We only made it downtown Holland once to watch Aunt Lisa dance but Rogue loved it! I was a little surprised that she loved her costume and even insisted on leaving her hat on. Although she doesn't like getting her picture taken I think we got a couple cute shots by the tulips. Rogue even got to dutch dance with Aunt Lisa for a few seconds.

Dandelion Festival 2011

2011-05-06T14:40:00.000-07:00

We can't go a year without attending the ever popular Dandelion Festival of Borculo. This year Rogue was old enough to enjoy some of the games. Dad put Rogue in the big kids blow up bouncy playland first because he didn't know there was a pre-school section. Opps!!

Once we got Rogue to the pre-school area, she played in the bouncy land (with kids more her size) and played some games.

Then we watched the parade and followed the morning up with free hotdogs for lunch. What fun!!

27 weeks

2011-04-28T05:51:00.000-07:00

So here I am 27 weeks into pregnancy number two and I haven't given any updates. I told myself I was going to document this pregnancy just like Rogue's even though it was my second. I have been pretty good on paper but the blog however, has suffered.

Yesterday was the dreaded glucose test. I was hoping since my pregnancies have been so different that I would pass with flying colors. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Again, I failed and will have to do the three hour test soon. Everything else checked out fine, baby's heartbeat was 137, measuring a week big. I go back again for another check up in four weeks and then begin going every two weeks. I honestly can't believe I'm to this point already. I guess this means I should get going on the nursery!!

Sleeping in a Box

2011-04-10T16:47:00.000-07:00

I guess if you don't have shades on the windows in your room and you're trying to take a nap in the afternoon, the only logical answer is to find the nearest box and fall asleep with your head in it.

Come on Mom, get me some shades on my windows.

Wood Stacking Helper

2011-04-10T16:43:00.000-07:00

Rogue loves to help me stack wood in the garage. She helps carry wood off the pile onto the wagon and then we bring it up to the house where she helps me stack it on the rack in the garage.

Rogue's Big Girl Bed

2011-04-10T16:41:00.000-07:00

Rouge also has a big girl bed now. Wow!!

Rogue is Growing Up

2011-04-10T14:15:00.000-07:00

We have been trying to break her of her pipe habbit, but things seem to have only gotten worse. Here dependancy on the pipe has doubled. I don't think there is any hope; she is like a baby version of Charlie Sheen.

We have been trying some new grown up hair styles that will work with her curls. We call this one "block head".

And this one is refered to as the spike. We were going for the Wayne Static look but ended up with kind of a teletubby look.

We started potty training and she has actually been successful a few times. Good Job Rogue!!!

And other times we have not been so successful. Way to take it seriously Rogue.

We even purchased a larger pair of boots for her growing feet. Looking Good!

It's a Girl!!!

2011-04-10T13:35:00.000-07:00

On March 15, 2011 we found out that we are having another girl. Our new baby checked out with a clean bill of health and didn't want to sit still for the ultra sound tech. We are excited to welcome our new daughter and Rogues new sister to the family. Her due date is July 29, 2011 and because Katy had a C-section last time, the doctor will not let her go past that date. Now that you all know the sex, you probably can't wait for the name. I will spare you the wait and let you know that it is going to be Rambo Sylvester Kraker. Hope you like it. Ha.

2 Year Well Child

2011-01-11T12:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Rogue's 2 year well child visit. All went well, we did discover she had an ear infection that we knew nothing about. She got only one vaccine this time, thankfully. The worst part of the visit for her was trying to get her weight. Now that she's not a baby (tear) she can stand on a big scale. Didn't work. She would not stand or sit. So she got to go on the baby scale. Her stats: weight is 28lbs 4oz in the 50-75th percentile, Height 36inches in the 95th percentile! I think she may be taller than me when shes 5!!

She's 2!

2010-12-10T10:13:00.000-08:00

Oh Rogue. Today you turn two years old. I honestly don't know how to feel. I feel sad that your no longer a baby and happy that we have made it together this far with so much farther to go. You are constantly talking even though we can't understand everything that's said. You absolutely love fish. We just got back from a week in Florida and I think you could have fished with your dad all day. Which is really saying something because you are not a patient child. You also love pretty much any animal. You always try to play with Boone, which he doesn't often appreciate. Lately you have had more opinions about what affects you, like going to bed and the clothes you wear. Overall I have to say you are a pretty easy going child. We love you with all our hearts baby girl! Happy Birthday!!

Catch up

2010-12-09T05:21:00.000-08:00

I have some serious catching up to do, I know. This is just a little of what we've been up to. In October we went to Post Family Farm with my mom and sister in law and Rain and River. It was freezing that morning so we fed the goats for a little while and had our cider and donuts and booked out of there. Those donuts are just amazing.

We also made our annual trip to Cranes Orchard. We walked through the orchard a little bit and of course and dinner there. As you see in the picture Rogue is eating her apple with a knife stuck in it. Not the safest I know but we were trying to keep her happy so we could eat our dinner in peace. That girl has no sit in her.

And finally we have Halloween. I have to say it was a lot of fun this year. Rogue really got into it. Every year we go to my brother and sister in law's house in Borculo to hit up a few houses in the subdivision where they live. She would walk right up to the door and say Trick or Treat all on her own. She did however have a habit of giving her candy and not receiving it. Cute!

Birthday Buck

2010-10-23T06:17:00.000-07:00

October 21, 2010. Chad turns 29 and gives me a present.

We met in the bank parking lot at 5:30pm. I gave Chad an ear piece for his phone as a birthday present (really more of a present for me and dad), and then we had the normal discussion of who is going to sit where. We decided a flip was in order. No one had a coin on them so we flipped the doberman keychain I had on my car keys. Head up, I go to the top stand (hotspot); head down, I go to the lower stand. The head was down so I went out to the lower stand.

About an hour went by and 4 deer came in from the south. Two button bucks came in right under my stand and the two doe that were with them were a little more reluctant to come in. They stood about 70 yards out watching with their noses in the air. After about 10 minutes of me being in statue mode hoping these deer didn't bust me, they turned around and walked off.

No more than 10 minutes later, I heard a bunch of commotion across the creek. It looked like a buck was chasing some doe around (I assume the same doe I had seen earlier). I heard them crash across the river and seen the buck start heading up toward Chad. The entire time Chad and I were in communication on our nextels. Chad told me the deer was coming back down toward me and sure enough, there it was coming straight at me from the north.

It got to the same spot I shot my turkey this fall (25 yards) and I shot. It arched its back up and just kept walking. It came into another opening at 25 yards and I managed to shoot it again. After finding the deer 50 yards from my stand, we noticed one shot was double lung and the other was a gut shot. I'm not sure which was the first and which was the second, but it doesn't matter to me. I got my first 8 point deer!!

I Love Fall Hunting

2010-10-17T07:12:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, October 12, I went out deer hunting at the bank, and in no more than a half hour of sitting in the lower treestand, I found myself surrounded by turkies. The biggest one of the group presented itself at 25 yards and I decided to take the shot. It's not what I hoping for, but it's meat on the table. I only seen two deer later that night. One was a button buck and the other was a fawn.

Thursday, October 14, I was heading out with all intentions of sitting in the lower stand at the bank. On the way out there, I heard a bunch of noise coming from the "hotspot" stand. Thinking it was deer, I went to investigate. It turned out that it was just a bunch of squirrels, but since I was already over there I figured I would sit there for the night.

At about 7:30pm, when it was getting dark and I had pretty much given up hope of seeing anything, this 3pt half rack came walking in on the hill behind me chasing some doe's around. I quick changed my pin to 30 yards, and just before he walked in to the woods behind me, he gave me a perfect 30 yard shot, and even though it was hard to see through my peep site with the diminishing light, I managed to get a double lung shot in.

Chad came to help track him,and we found a good blood trail. About 150 yards later, there he was. It was an exciting night!

Bow Hunting Seasons Here!!

2010-10-10T16:57:00.000-07:00

It has been a pretty good start to the 2010 bow hunting season, kinda. What I mean by kinda is that there have already been two deer that were never found. I shot a doe behind my house in early doe season and had a great blood trail until it got to the cornfield. And my brother and I both shot one opening morning at the bank. I shot a doe (from the hotspot) and he shot a spike (in the lower stand). Chad's shot was pretty decent and we had a good blood trail for a while and my shot was one that I should have not taken. That is all the detail I will give you on that.

On October 2, Saturday night, Chad shot this 3 point and it didn't go more than 60 yards. He was sitting in the hotspot at the bank.

The very next morning, Sunday October 3, I sat in the same stand and shot this doe. The doe came in from the north with 3 other deer (2 fawns and another doe) and walked right under my treestand. Once they were to the south of me about 20 yards, I made some noise to get her to turn broadside and give me a shot (so I didn't make the same mistake I did on opening day). She turned just enough and I put it right behind her shoulder.

If two deer from the same stand in consecutive days isn't enough, my dad's friend from work sat in the hotspot on Monday night, October 4, and shot an eight point. I guess you know why it's called the hotspot.
(Bob's on the left and Chad's on the right)

She's sneaky

2010-08-10T07:21:00.000-07:00

Rogue can open doors now...

Sorry about the poor picutre quality. Darn sun.

Bow Fishing

2010-07-16T14:18:00.000-07:00

Sunday afternoon, July 11 us four guys decided it was a nice enough day to go see if we could shoot some carp with our bows. We headed out to our usual lake (Allegan Damn Lake).

The water was a little choppier and a lot dirtier than we would have liked, but we managed to get eight carp in the bucket. My dad took the trophy for biggest fish. I would have to say this is the biggest fish I have seen shot with a bow yet.

All in all, it was a nice day and we all had a good time. What better way to spend a Sunday afternoon?

18 month Well Child Visit

2010-07-16T07:58:00.000-07:00

This past Monday we headed out to Rogue's 18 month, really 19th month, well child exam. I'm happy to report that all is well and Rogue is growing like a weed. Some how we missed some routine blood work that was supposed to be done at 15 months so we had to head to the lab for a quick blood draw. Except is wasn't so quick. Every time they sent us to a different room to wait Rogue decided to scream louder. And louder. Thankfully there was a very kind woman waiting with us and she said "she remembers those days". The blood draw itself really wasn't that bad for her and she was very intrigued by the pretty band aid they gave her.

Rogue was wearing a dress that day since she had to have a vaccine and I thought it would be easier than shorts. When Bryan came home Rogue and I were playing outside, and Rogue decided to pull up her dress and show her father the band aid and say ouch repeatedly. I guess kids don't forget so easily!

Her stats:

weight was 27lbs 5oz in the 75th - 90th%

height was 33.75 inches in the 90th%

Critter Barn

2010-07-11T14:58:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful Saturday on the 4th of July weekend and we were looking for something fun for Rogue to do, so we decided on going to the Critter Barn. We could hardly keep up with Rogue as she ran through the barn looking at all of the animals. I would say her favorites were the chickens and the room full of cats.

We got to watch a goat get milked, feed the chickens from a bucket of corn, and watch a herd of sheep run right past us as they went out to the pasture.

Handicap Hildee

2010-07-11T14:45:00.001-07:00

Thats right, Hildee is hurt again. This time the neighbor dog was not involved. No dogs were involved at all.

Rogue and I decided we were going to go for a nice quad ride down the road. Well, Hildee also wanted to come along, but there is no room for her on the quad so like any normal dog she ran along side of us. Unfortunetly, the trip was a little to harsh for Hildee's fragile old body. We got to the end of our road on the corner of Adams and 72nd and Hildee called it quits. She walked down into the ditch and laid down. Luckily, it was about time for Katy to be getting home from work so I called her and told her she needs to pick up Hildee because she would not fit on the quad and she was not going to move on her own.

Once we got her back home in the Jeep, Katy examined hildee and found that all four of her pads were worn completely off. Ouch!! I guess I worked her too hard. Anyway, for the next two days hildee would not leave the bed or couch. We catered to her every need. You can see in the picture we wheeled her out in the wagon to go to the bathroom and we brought food and water to her on a regular basis.

You gotta take care of your dog. Especially, if their injury is your fault.

Third Annual Shadow Hawk Cruise

2010-07-11T14:26:00.000-07:00

The Shadow Hawks took flight for the third year in a row (left Thursday night June 24). This time with more people than ever. With 12 riders we doubled the amount of people that attended the first year. All of the original six (Chris Malda, Marty Hulst, Terry Prins, Beaver, Kurt Kuyser, and Me) were present. And Larry Stob who joined us on the second year was there. The rookies were Vern Dryer, Jack, John Buursma, Rick Van Bragt, and Mark Reitsma. This year we headed up to the Macinaw Bridge. We made a quick stop in St. Ignace because their annual car show was going on.

The ride went very smooth thanks to Marty's fine navagation Skills. He had the entire trip plotted out on his GPS unit. But even with everything planned perfectly you can't avoid the occassional rear ending. The only two bikes that were not Honda's got into an accident. Beavers Kawasaki smashed into the back of Buursma's Yamaha. Now thats Karma considering the name of the group was derived from the original six memebers Honda bikes (Shadows and Night Hawks). We all learned a valuable lesson. Give Beaver plenty of riding space.

Backyard Buck

2010-07-11T14:18:00.000-07:00

Lately, I have been seeing a few different small bucks and several doe in the feild to the south of my house. I wanted to try and get some pictures of them on the trail cam so I could see how often they are around and at what time of the day they are out and about. I hung the camera in the feild and I got 364 pictures of the trees moving. I moved it to a different location in the feild and had little luck. I had two pictures of doe in one week. Finally, I decided to move it in my woods a little further and to my surprise, this is the beauty I captured. I hope this one sticks around until October. It still has a couple of good months of antler growth to go yet.

Bay City Walleye

2010-06-16T16:20:00.000-07:00

It's official, the Bay City walleye trip has become a family tradition. We hit up Bay City last year during the first week of June and had such a good time we decided to do it again this year. This trip was destine to become a tradition since we almost limited out on walleye every day last year. The fishing wasn't quite as good this year, but the weather made up for it. The first day was a little rough but the second two days were absolutely gorgeous.

Mom replaced Chads postion on the boat this year because Chad was on bed rest with his third child. It took her a little bit to get the hang of operating the out-riggers, but after a little practice she was a pro. We ended up going home with burnt skin and 18 walleye. For someone whose not used to having any luck with walleye fishing, I would say this was a pretty successful trip. I can't wait to do it again next year.

Summer is here!

2010-06-13T18:21:00.000-07:00

The weekend before Memorial day the Kraker family, the Koeman family, and Grandpa and Grandma Koeman decided to get a head start on a summer full of camping. We went to Hungry Horse Campground in Dorr (a whopping 15 minute drive from our house!). We pulled our little Skamper in on Friday in the midst of a lovely thunderstorm. Of course, as soon as we were all set up the rain stopped and the skies cleared. Thankfully. We had a riot of course, ate way too many smores (o.k. maybe I did but one is never enough), and had lots of fun. The pools were just opened that Saturday that we were there but were a little too cold to enter. We are attempting the ol' Hungry Horse again this coming weekend with more of our extended family and hope to go for a nice dip in the pools. They also have a 12 inch deep wading pool for the kiddos that I'm pumped about!

I just had to throw this picture in of Rogue and our cat Boone. I always thought Boone wouldn't take well to children but he has surprised us all. Rogue is absolutely in love with kitties right now. If I didn't know any better I would run to the nearset farm and pick up a kitten for her, but for now, or more like the next 10 years or so Boone will just have to do.

He mows, she rides

2010-05-03T13:29:00.000-07:00

Rogue's Animal Sounds

2010-04-23T17:19:00.000-07:00

Here is a video clip of Rogues latest learnings. You may have to turn the sound up because it is tough to hear. She will do a cow, a dog, and a rooster. Grandma Koeman taught her the cow, the dog was taught to her by Hildee and the rooster was compliments of Fisher Price.

Spring Turkey

2010-04-23T15:14:00.000-07:00

I needed a good excuse to use my new bow and I couldn't wait for deer hunting season so I decided I would try turkey hunting with it this year. I went out Tuesday (4/20) and Wednsday (4/21) with out seeing or hearing a single bird, and then Thursday (4/22) right after work I got my chance. A perfect 20 yard shot. I landed this tom with a 10" beard. Needless to say, "I love my new bow".

Afternoon Snack

2010-04-19T10:15:00.001-07:00

As you can tell we do not have child safety locks on our cupboard doors and apparently we weren't watching Rogue. We're terrible parents I know.

Destination Destin

2010-04-11T18:15:00.000-07:00

Rogue playing on the golf cart

Playing in the fort that Bryan built on a rainy day

Back in March we took a family trip to Destin Florida. When I say we I mean the WHOLE Kraker family. There was sixteen of us total. The youngest turning 4 weeks old while we were there. The weather could have been a bit warmer but the sun shined all but one day we were there so we got a little beach time in. I have to say Destin probably has one of the nicest beaches I have ever been too. The sand was white and soft and there were little "tide pools" along the length of the beach that was perfect for the kids to play in. We didn't do too many exciting things while we were there but it was nice to have a relaxing time with family. I have to say I was a bit worried about the trip down since we were driving through the night. We packed some dvd's and borrowed a friends portable dvd player in hopes that it would entertain Rogue while she was awake. Without the dvd player I think we would have had a rough ride, but thankfully Rogue likes to watch movies so it kept her entertained. I will admit that I had Elmo songs in my head all week. Such is the life

of a mother right?

Mother Sucker

2010-04-04T15:47:00.001-07:00

April 1st is the opening day of sucker spearing and this year was a rare opportunity. By rare opportunity, I mean opening day landed on a Thursday and Chad and I both had off from work the next day for Good Friday so we didn't have to worry about staying out too late. Also, the river was low and clear because there hadn't been any snow melt or rain recently, and the final plus was that the temprature was a beautiful 70 degrees. How could you ask for a better situation? Usually, April 1st is poor weather and everyone has to be at work the next day so you don't want to stay out too late. Not to mention, the sucker aren't up stream far enough yet. That wasn't the case this year. The sucker were up in the masses. We probably speared nearly 60 fish that night and we were only out there for one and a half hours.

Just when everything seemed to be going perfect, my brother took a spear to the head. Yeah, thats right, I said a spear to the head. You might be thinking I can understand a spear to the foot, but how did he get a spear to the head? Well, his buddy went to sling a fish off his spear and when the fish flew off the spear the momentum carried the spear right into my brothers left eye brow. Needless to say our excellent spearing adventure was cut short because we had to bring my brother to the hospital where he recieved 5 stitches.

Ah memories, they are priceless!!

15 month Well Child visit

2010-03-29T10:04:00.000-07:00

Today Rogue and I made a trip to the doctor for her 15 month well child visit. All was well except for a cold that she has been fighting almost all winter. Here are here stats from this morning;

weight 24lbs 10oz just under the 75th percentile

height 31 and 3/4 inches just above the 75th percentile

I am very happy to annouce too that Rogue is finally sleeping through the night. I think its the nice weather we are having. She absolutely LOVES being outside. Rogue will throw quite the fit when its time to come in.

A Serious Case of Bedhead

2010-03-22T07:16:00.001-07:00

We just returned from a wonderful trip to Florida yesterday. It was a 16+ hour drive so Rogue didn't sleep the greatest. She slept for a straight 13 1/2 hours when we put her to bed last night, I guess she needed to catch up on some sleep!

First 5k

2010-03-10T05:29:00.000-08:00

Last Spring some friends and I started the c25k program. When a friend sent an email out asking if I wanted to try this of course I hesitated. I had tried running on my own and just ended up frustrated because I could only run a very short distance. But I thought I should give the program a try since it starts with short runs and works you up to running 3 miles. Over the next few weeks I was running more than I had ran ever in my life. It was such a sense of accomplishment. I honestly cannot say enough about c25k. Never would I have been able to run 3 miles without it. And Beth I want to thank you for sending that email.

With that being said, I ran my very first 5k this past Saturday! Thankfully the weather was amazing for a run. I have to say I was a little nervous to be participating. I had no idea what to expect. When I started out I instantly knew it wasn't going to be an easy run. For one the first mile was down hill. Me being the person I am kept thinking about the last mile and how it was going to be completely up hill and two the whole run never felt good. I had to constantly struggle with myself to not walk. Which I did not do, thankfully. Although I did have to stop at an intersection because the wonderful police officer that was there to stop traffic chose to not stop traffic. Yep, I was pretty pleased about that. Coming up to the last hill I seriously that I might die. Hills and I don't get along very well. But knowing that I was almost done got me through. Since the run was such a struggle for me I thought my time would be terrible. I had timed some of my 3 mile runs and had never come in before 37 minutes. So when I rounded the corner and crossed that finish line at 33 minutes and 45 seconds I was elated! No wonder the run was so hard for me, I was going much faster than my normal pace. Overall it was a great experience and I will continue to do more 5k's throughout the summer.

Please excuse my face in the pictures. I was going to bring my camera for before pictures but my husband had the camera with him that morning. Thank you to my mother in law for taking these pictures and coming to cheer me on!

2010 Hunting Expo

2010-03-07T15:34:00.000-08:00

The 2010 Hunting Expo was in Grand Rapids on January 24 and we thought it was a good excuse to get out of the house and check it out. Chad, Amber, Elijah, and Elizabeth came along and Rogue got a chance to see some pretty neat wildlife mounts. We even got to see a live deer. I think Chad and I had more fun than the others, but ladies didn't complain and the kids behaved well.

2010 Motorcycle Show

2010-03-07T15:19:00.001-08:00

Saturday, February 27. The Shadow Hawks got together to do some dreaming in Grand Rapids. The annual motorcycle show was in town and we wanted to go drool over some of the areas finest looking bikes. The show was pretty weak this year but Marty, Terry, Beaver, Kuyser, and I still managed to have a pretty good time. And, even walked away with some fine hardcore biker apparel, a helmet and some leather vests.

Mom 2 Mom Sale

2010-02-26T06:34:00.000-08:00

Third Thursday Ministry of Vriesland Reformed Church is hosting a Mom 2 Mom Sale March 27, 2010. Third Thursday is a gathering for mothers of young children. Net proceeds from this sale will benefit the Third Thursday Ministry.

What: Third Thursday Mom 2 Mom Sale
When: Saturday March 27, 2010 from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Where: Vriesland Reformed Church Activity Building, 6839 Byron Road, Zeeland Mi 49464
Cost: $1.00 admission (which will be donated to Bethany Christian Services), tables rent for $15.00 and large items $1.00 a piece.

If you are interested in renting a table or would like more information regarding this sale please contact Amy, Beth, Gayle, Katy, Krista or Nicole by emailing thirdthursdaysvrc@hotmail.com or call Katy at 616-218-1154.

More Bucks!! (Late Post)

2010-02-13T11:13:00.000-08:00

This is a late post on Bow Hunting season, but I didn't want to rob these two successful hunts of making a post on the Kraker House Blog. That would be criminal. My brother, Chad, shot this nice six point in the Upper Macatawa Trails area just west of Vriesland. It was actually an earlier morning kill that he made just before he had to go in for work. Nice work on this one Chad!

My dad took his second buck of the year from, you guessed it, the lucky bank tree stand. I was actually about 80 yards away hunting in another tree stand when he shot this nice 5 pointer. I never even seen the buck come in. I heard the shot and then the sounds of a successful shot shortly afterwards. The deer ran about 60 yards and it was over. Nice shooting dad!

Baking with Mom

2010-02-08T07:42:00.000-08:00

Winter is starting to drag at the Kraker house!

Snowmobiling Baby

2010-02-04T15:17:00.000-08:00

Rogue had her first snowmobile ride this winter with grandpa Kraker. She really didn't seem to think it was that much fun, but on the other hand she didn't seem to hate it either. Just like many of her "firsts" she didn't show much expression at all. Maybe she will like it more next year.

Rogue also went down hill sledding for the first time this year. Unlike snowmobiling, she openly shared her feelings on this activitly. Lets just say she didn't care for it much. It probably didn't help that the hill consisted of fresh powder and when we went down it all blew up in her face. I'm guessing that didn't feel very nice.

All in all, I can say she is not a very big fan of snow yet. We will have to see what next year brings.

Christmas Past

2010-01-21T08:53:00.001-08:00

Here it is middle of January and I haven't blogged about Christmas 2009. Our Christmas parties were a bit spread out this year starting the week before Christmas and ending in the beginning of January. Rogue did very well at all the parties considering some of them went way past bedtime. She constantly took ornaments off the tree so the top half of our Christmas tree was decorated and the bottom half not so much. Hopefully next year she pays less attention to the tree and we take a few more pictures.

Her Party

2009-12-23T17:15:00.001-08:00

December 11 we celebrated Rogue's one year of life with friends and family. We had the party at my parents house in the basement so there were no Christmas decorations. Since her birthday is so close to Christmas I want to make a habit of not making her birthday too christmasy. Her party went off without a hitch. You never know with a crowd of 30 or so people and almost half of them being under 3. Fortunately Rogue was healthy and took a good nap that day. She was still going strong when we left around 9:00p.m. Needless to say she crashed on the way home. Thank you to all that came to celebrate Rogue's birthday. I can't believe that her birthday has come and gone already. Seems like just yesterday she was a tiny little eight pounder!

12 Month Well Child visit

2009-12-15T05:33:00.000-08:00

Rogue had her 12 months well child doctors visit yesterday. All went well. There was a small concern when Dr. Lund looked at her right eye. Of course Rogue wouldn't hold still for the doctor to get a good look but it seems she has "something" Dr. Lund thinks a pediatric opthamologist should look at since they have better equipment. Dr. Lund thought it was probably just an enlarged blood vessel but better safe than sorry. So we are waiting to hear when the appointment for that is.

Her Stats:

weighed in at 22lbs in the 50th percentile
Measured 30 inches in the 75th percentile

I haven't downloaded any of her birthday party pictures yet but go HERE and you can get a preview of her 12 month pictures.

She's 1!

2009-12-10T06:29:00.001-08:00

Today my dear child you turn one year old. I just can't believe it. This time last year we were still calling people from the hospital to tell them of your arrival. The past year has gone so fast. You have brought so much joy to our lives.

Here are a few of the things you have accomplished in the last year:

Smiling at 5 weeks

Rolling at 8 weeks

Sitting up at 5 months

Crawling at 6 months

Walking at 9 months

In the past month your vocabulary has exploded. You often say dada when you dad calls us from work, when you drop your sippy cup from the highchair and we say "uh-oh" you repeat the "oh", and most recently you say "hot" except it comes out HAAAAA, with quite the exaggerated face.

We keep telling you to stop growing up. The last few months have been so much fun with you. Here's to another year kid. I'm sure it will be even better than your first!!

First Pony Tail

2009-11-06T15:25:00.000-08:00

Post Family Farm and Happy Halloween!

2009-11-02T07:26:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday me, Rogue, my mom, Teresa, Rain and River headed to Post Family Farm. The sun wasn't shining but it was raining! Amazing I know. Seems this fall is a wet one! We feed goats, ate the best doughnuts ever, and took a ride to the pumpkin patch. Rogue had a blast and absolutely loved all the animals.

Saturday night we headed over to my brother Joe's house since he lives in a subdivision. We got to see a lot of cute kids in their costumes and we even walked to a few houses ourselves to trick or treat for Rogue's first time. Thankfully it didn't rain but it was definately windy.

I heart Fall

2009-10-29T07:59:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we headed out to the Dykstra farm for some good fall fun. It was a perfect day to see all of the kids in their costumes. Rogue's costume hadn't come in yet but we were able to borrow one from her cousin Jordyn, so no spoilers here. I thought she made an adorable little ladybug.

Of course we had to head to Crane's orchard on a nice fall day as well. It was a bit chilly but we got to walk through the orchard and taste some yummy apples while we waited to eat. Rogue got to pick out her first pumpkin just down the road too. I just love fall and all the fun it brings. I don't think there is another season like it.

Two More Down

2009-10-17T06:37:00.000-07:00

It has proven to be a successful start to the season. My dad took this nice seven point buck from the lucky, bank tree stand on Monday night October 5. It was about a 30 yard shot (to the power lines). If you take a close look at the picture, you will notice the shot was a little further back than preferred. Dad was hoping for a double lung shot and ended up with a beauty of a gut shot. Chad and Dad tracked blood for a little over a hundred yards before the trail disappeared and the sun went down. Needless to say the night ended in disappointment. The next morning I got a call from my dad saying he found the deer, ah relief. It was a couple hundred yards from the tree stand and reeked of gut shot. It was no treat dragging this monster up to the van, but the head mount will look nice on my wall.

I went quad riding in Manistee with some Friends on Saturday October 10. On the way up, I couldn’t help but think what a beautiful morning it was for hunting, and I could only imagine what I might be missing in the woods. We had a good time riding the trails, but I made sure the next morning that I was in that same lucky tree stand that has proven to be very productive. Around 9:00am this spike came walking in from behind me and presented an irresistible shot at 15 yards. I took the opportunity and put one right through the vitals. It only had 4” spikes, but it was a surprisingly large bodied deer. Good Times!

Early Kill

2009-10-07T20:35:00.000-07:00

I decided to try out the early doe season this year and I found success.

It was Thursday night, September 17 the first day of the early season for doe. I decided to sit in my lucky treestand at the bank with my bow. At 7:20pm I decided it was too warm and I most likely wouldn't see anything. I was about to leave my stand when this doe came trotting in. It gave me a perfect broadside shot at 20 yards, and I took advantage of the opportunity. It was a good double lung shot and she went down about 50 yards from where I shot her. I guess you can call that a good start to the season.

Catching up again

2009-10-07T17:45:00.001-07:00

I've been meaning to blog about a few things including Allegan County Fair and Pumpkinfest but just haven't had the motivation until now. In early September we went as a family to Allegan County Fair. Man, is that fair big! I can't remember ever going there before and there was lots to see. Rogue loves animals, she constantly bugs Hildee and Boone, so it was no surprise she took a liking to the pigs. One pig was very friendly and she got to touch is nose a bit. She would just laugh and laugh. It was really cute. The nice thing about Allegan was that they had wash stations after almost every barn so we could wash up after petting all the animals.

This past Thursday while Bryan was at school I met up with my family for a little while and had some dinner then met up with the Van Bragt's and even ran into the Dykstra's. We made a feeble attempt at getting pictures of all three of them but as you can see Leah is missing and Rogue was getting a tad frustrated by all the long grass. Thankfully the rain held off just long enough for us on Saturday to head out and watch the parade. I was very impressed at how long the parade was. Rogue even got her first "parade candy", smarties, she wasn't too impressed.

I just thought I would include this picture of Rogue. The other day Bryan had to do some work on the glider since it had gotten a severe squeak and about drove us nuts when we rocked Rogue. Now that Rogue and Bryan fixed it its like brand new!

9 month Well Child

2009-10-05T12:54:00.000-07:00

Today was Rogue's 9 month visit even though she's pushing 10 months. Everything checked out perfectly and she is growing right on track. Here are her stats:

Height - 28 3/4inches 75th percentile
Weight - 19lbs 11oz 52nd percentile

Way to grow Rogue!

Total Slacker

2009-09-15T12:29:00.000-07:00

I seriously can't believe that it has been over a month since I lasted posted! The remainder of our summer has flown by. I'll just do a quick update of what the Kraker House has been up to. Nothing really, yet we seem to be so busy. Get togethers one weekend, camping the next. You all know how summer goes.

One big change our family has gone through is Bryan being on first shift. Its so weird to say that we have a semi normal schedule. Gentex is working some mad overtime so Bryan has to work most weekends which totally blows but we are very thankful that he has the job that he does. I do have to say its weird having a husband on first shift. He had been on second shift for 2 1/2 years so in the evenings I could do whatever I wanted to. Now thats completely different, not that I'm complaining.

Rogue isn't up to much lately either. She is seriously days away from walking. She will take a step here and there and then decide its a little to scary to walk and she will plop her buns down and start to crawl.

These pictures are from last weekend when we camped with the whole Kraker family. Our computer monitor died over the weekend so the pictures are courtesy of Andrew and Grandma Kraker.

Dads have it so rough don't they?

yep, I'm the mom that didn't even put a swimming diaper on her kid let a alone a swim suit.

A morning with Kenley

2009-08-13T16:38:00.000-07:00

This morning we had the pleasure of having my cousins baby, who is exactly a week older than Rogue, come over to play. The girls had fun playing together before their nap and yes they napped at the same time! Talk about luck. After the naps we went for a little bike ride, thankfully I did not have to pull both those chunks! Bryan was saying that he could actually feel a little pull behind his bike. It was fun Miss Kenley, come over again soon!!

Just a few

2009-08-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would share a few of Rogue's 6 month pictures. Uncle Andrew did a great job as usual.

Conestoga Campground

2009-07-13T12:08:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was our first official camping experience as a family of three. I have to say I was a little nervous about this. Rogue had been doing really well the last week or so sleeping through the night, but a few nights before we were to go camping she started getting up in the middle of the night. I hoped that she would wear herself out while camping and sleep through the night. Not the case the first night but the rest of the weekend she did really good and slept through. She even slept through the storm we got early Saturday morning! I will say that all children did amazing. We have a few more camping trips to do this summer and I can't wait!

Here is our campsite. Looks kind of messy from a busy day.

Jordyn "helping" Rogue with a toy

Playing peek-a-boo

First horse back ride

Needs a little comforting from dad

Playing on the playground

Go and check out Rogue's 6 month photo preview at Marc Photography. They are adorable!!!

Considering Seperate Beds

2009-07-08T19:22:00.000-07:00

I go to get ready for bed and this is what I see. I have been dealing with this for the past 4 years. I prefer a bed nicely made, I fold back the covers and get in. Then in the morning I fold back the covers and get out. Bryan on the other hand prefers absolutely no tucking but rather twisting of the covers. What you didn't see in these pictures is me trying to un-tangle a pillow from the sheet. This is for sure my biggest annoyance about being married. I can handle anything else but don't mess with my bed!

Laundry Day

2009-07-07T07:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was kind enough to help out dad with the lawn, but I didn’t want my mom to think that I was favoring dad so I decided that today I would help out mamma by doing the laundry. She deserves to be helped just as much as dad, even though, she doesn’t work near as hard as dad does. Just kidding mom, I know that I can be a handful, especially, while I’m teething.

I love you mamma,
From baby Rogue

Mower Baby

2009-07-06T07:07:00.000-07:00

I can tell my dad is a hard working man and is always busy selflessly helping the good of our community. So this afternoon I took it upon myself to mow the lawn for him. It proved to be more of a challenge then I expected since I am only a pint sized baby. I had a hard time reaching the steering wheel, and I won’t even mention what I had to do in order to reach the foot controls. I hope my daddy really appreciates me helping him out because this was not an easy feat.

I love you daddy,
From baby Rogue.

Meet Skamper

2009-07-04T12:58:00.000-07:00

This is our newest purchase off of craigslist. Isn't she cute? I know she's a little tiny but shes a big upgrade from a tent. Plus she sets up in about half the time which is a huge bonus. Some of my best memories growing up was when we were camping. I can't wait to give that to Rogue as well. Our first camping trip will be next weekend so hopefully everyone behaves!

6 Month Well Child

2009-06-29T10:34:00.001-07:00

Today Rogue and I ventured out to her 6 month well child visit. Everything went extremely well. The doctor was very impressed when I told her that Rogue is crawling. Too bad mama isn't as impressed as the doc. Rogue has also taken to pulling her self up here and there. She doesn't do it often, but often enough. Here are her stats from this morning:

Weight: 17lbs 5oz, 50-75 percentile

Length: 27.25in, 75-90 percentile

Head circumference: 16.73in, just short of the 50th percentile.

The Zoo and a day at the beach

2009-06-22T17:14:00.000-07:00

A couple of Thursdays ago my mom, sister in law Teresa and neice Rain all headed out for Rogue's first trip to John Ball Zoo. The weather was a bit iffy with the threat of rain but we all stayed dry. True to my style I only took a couple of pictures but Rogue did get her first picture at the statue.

My mother in law is camping at Ottawa Beach this week so on my day off last week we thought we would head out since it was so nice. We didn't make it to the lake since the water was a chilly 54 degrees that day. We didn't get rained on but there sure was a fair amount of "snow". The poplar trees are letting go of all of their seeds and there were little drifts everywhere. Made eating a bit difficult.

New Wheels part 2

2009-06-08T09:56:00.001-07:00

I came home from the mall on Sunday to Bryan pushing Rogue around in her new buggy. I was informed that she only fell out once and didn't cry. Since the installation of the seat belt she has stayed in thankfully.

Quite possibly the cutest baby ever

2009-06-02T03:55:00.001-07:00

O.k. maybe I'm a little biased.

Crib mate

2009-05-17T12:05:00.000-07:00

Lately we have been finding Boone in the crib with Rogue when she wakes up from a nap. I never thought I would have this problem. Since we put the crib up when I was still pregnant he had never had any interest in it. Then one day about a week ago I go into the nursery to get Rogue and theres Boone hanging out in the corner of her crib. He has done it a couple times since then. Bryan was quick enough to snag a couple of pictures. I hear horror stories of cats suffocating babies. I don't think Boone would ever do this but we won't take the chance. I guess we will have to learn to keep the nursery door closed!

Better late than never

2009-05-17T11:27:00.000-07:00

I told myself I was going to post more than 3 times in May. Considering that this is my second post and May is almost done I don't think it will happen. Whenever I'm on the computer Facebook always seems like a better option.

Rogue and I made it to Tulip Time twice this year! Tuesday we went downtown with my mom to watch Lisa dutch dance. Wednesday we headed out with the Krakers to watch the parade. It was the perfect day for a parade. I haven't been to a Tulip Time parade since I was in 7th grade band. My band teacher told me not to play and to pretend like I was playing. Don't feel bad for me, my BFF was told the same thing and we laugh about to this day. Like always I didn't take many pictures. We did get Rogue's pictures taken by Tulips but I forgot my camera that day so they are on my mom's camera.

Did anyone else want to take one of these home because I sure did.

Dandelion Festival

2009-05-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

Saturday Rogue enjoyed her first Dandelion Festival. It has been a few years since I have gone and I believe Bryan's first time. The parade was fun, I haven't seen a parade in a long time. Next year will be even more fun when Rogue can enjoy all the things they have to offer to young kids. I'll admit that I get a little nervous doing new things with a little one. You never know how its going to go and I don't want to be the parent with a screaming kid. Rogue did really good! She didn't make a peep even when the sirens on the fire truck went past. She did however crash as soon as we had her back in the car. The next test will be Tulip Time.

Starting young

2009-04-30T17:46:00.001-07:00

Our future Diet Coke drinker. Robin, is Diet better for her than regular Coke?

4 month well child

2009-04-27T11:26:00.000-07:00

Rogue had her 4 month check up this morning. I was excited to see how this girl was growing. She weighed in at 15lbs 10oz, 75th percentile which is where she has been since birth. Her head measured 40cm which is just under the 50th percentile which is where she has been since birth as well. As for her height, she was 26 inches today which is in the 90th percentile! At her 2 month check up she was in the 75th percentile so she jumped up just a bit. I guess Bryan might get his volleyball player after all!

Sleeps like a baby

2009-04-20T12:44:00.000-07:00

Nope, she doesn't sleep through the night yet but she takes really good naps during the day. I don't know if you can see it or not but she is sleeping in a big puddle of her drool. Silly kid.

The Look

2009-04-02T06:19:00.000-07:00

About 2 weeks ago we had Rogue's 3 month pictures taken by Marc Photography. They turned out great even though we didn't get a good smile out of her. In a lot of her pictures she pulls the same face. For some reason getting Rogue's picture taken is quite stressful for me. She actually didn't do to bad other than the spit up on her Easter dress. Thank goodness for a good photographer and editing!

Bearing a slight resemblence

2009-03-16T08:13:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of Bryan and Rogue at 3 months. For those of you who couldn't figure out who she looked like this might clear things up. When we were at Bryan's parents house we went through his baby book and also his sister Tammy's. There were so many pictures of them both that Rogue looked so much like.

Sunday Afternoon

2009-03-08T17:48:00.001-07:00

2009-03-03T16:19:00.000-08:00

Who loves the Target dollar bin? Rogue loves the Target dollar bin!

Hanging

2009-02-20T08:15:00.000-08:00

Just hanging out waiting for Spring!

Big Baby Bed

2009-02-16T13:58:00.000-08:00

Since Rogue is rapidly growing and starting to move a little we have decided its time to start introducing her crib. She sleeps in a crib when my mom has her and does just fine so I thought this would be no problem. Today was the first time I put her down in it and she only lasted about 10 minutes. I went in and got her and rocked her back to sleepyness and started over. That time it lasted maybe a half hour so started over with the rocking again until she was almost asleep. Now its been anothetr 20 minutes so we will see how this goes. Rogue won't be sleeping in her crib in the evenings yet. As much as I want her out of our room (I can't believe I'm saying that) until she drops her 4a.m. feeding she will be in her bassinet. Or until she out grows it which won't be long from now.

We also had her 8 week well child visit which went well. She weighed in at 12lbs 5oz and was 23 inches. Both in the 75th percentile. I don't remember her head measurements but she was almost in the 50th percentile. Rogue also got four vaccines today, 3 pokes, and 1 oral. I will say that she handled them quite well. She cried for a minute but as soon as I loaded her up in the car seat and started walking she was sound asleep.

8 weeks

2009-02-10T06:56:00.000-08:00

Baby bump you are 8 weeks old! I cannot believe how much you have changed in such a short period of time. You have come into our lives and changed them so completely. Everyone always told us how our lives would change once you entered the world, never would I have imagined it changing it the way it did. Everyday I relive the moment I had you. I remember it so clearly. It was the most amazing experience. It seems that you are getting less and less fussy lately. I don't know if its just you growing up a bit or its just me and dad knowing what you want when you cry. You smile and coo so much now and I can't wait to hear your first laugh. Your dad and I constantly say how cute you are and how advanced you are for your age. I never thought we would be "those parents" but we totally are and I wouldn't change it for anything.

Cozy

2009-01-21T10:01:00.000-08:00

We have been dealing with some serious fussiness over at the Kraker house in the evenings for the past two weeks or so. Whatever you did for Rogue didn't help. So while I was shopping at Target I picked up THIS book to see if it could give me any pointers since I was completely clueless on how to calm my baby. The book has actually helped me out a lot. It talks about how to re-create the womb to get the baby to feel more at home. We don't have to do all the steps to get her to quiet down but she sure loves to be swaddled when she gets really upset. This is her taking a snooze after we walked around the couch for a few minutes.

Room with a view

2009-01-16T10:51:00.001-08:00

This is what Bryan and I have been waking up to each morning this week. Sometimes we even get some deer passing through. I'm really ready for some warm weather and a color other than white, but it sure is beautiful in the winter (sometimes).

Baptized

2009-01-15T06:56:00.000-08:00

Sunday was Rogue's baptism with her two cousins, Emma and Kenley. It was a very special day for us. Thankfully all the girls behaved. About 2 seconds after Bryan and I sat down Rogue decided to have a little "blow out". I'm just glad she didn't do it while the pastor was holding her! Sorry I don't have better pictures but no one has sent them to me, we got these pictures of the girls afterwards.

cuteness

2009-01-07T07:50:00.000-08:00

Thanks Aunt Amber for the cute onesie, now I don't have to explain when my daughter is wearing camo.

Wrapping

2009-01-06T07:25:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I picked up this little number from Emily over at the Sling Shack. It really helped yesterday afternoon when I needed to get things done and also when she was fussy late last night. I just have to get used to being a little bit wider. I think I bumped her head on a couple of things...oops! We also had Rogue's 4 week appointment yesterday and I'm happy to report that she is growing like a weed! She weighed 9lbs 12oz and her length was 21 1/4 inches, both in the 75th percentile. Also you can check out Rogue and Jace's newborn pics over at Marc Photography I love how they turned out!

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T16:50:00.000-08:00

Rogue's first visit with Santa Claus aka Grandpa Koeman. Grandpa has been gone trucking since Rogue was born and then with the weather he hasn't been able to see her until today. That's one cute Christmas present if you ask me!

Camo

2008-12-18T07:49:00.000-08:00

Not just camo, but matching camo.

Home Sweet Home

2008-12-16T10:37:00.000-08:00

It seems like a lot has happend since we posted last, sorry!! Its amazing how busy a little one can keep you.
We got home Saturday and have been loving it! I don't get a whole lot of sleep at night but I guess thats to be expected. However, I did get two 4 hour stretches last night and woke up feeling like a new person.
Rogue is doing very good. She is a little jaundice so we have been going in to the hospital for blood draws every day to make sure her bilirubin level is decreasing, which it has each time but it goes down just by a little. She handles the pokes in her heel much better than mom and dad do!

The Hospital Stay

2008-12-12T10:35:00.000-08:00

Here is a slide show of Rogue's Hospital stay.

Bath Time

2008-12-11T08:47:00.000-08:00

Here is a video of Rogue's first bath. I think she handled it pretty well. I am just hoping that she will behave this well for us when we are trying to bath her. We are planning on being here at the hospital until Saturday so anybody is welcomed to come visit. It gets kind of boring here but there are benefits to it. For example, I don't have to change any diapers and Katy is being weighted on hand and foot.

More Pics

2008-12-10T08:07:00.001-08:00

For more pics visit my facebook photo album.