The Kraus House

2012-02-09T18:55:00.002-07:00

Danika today let me know that I am the best mom she has ever had. That's a pretty good thing to me, although she followed it up with I was also the weirdest mom she's ever had as well.

I am OK with her thinking I am weird. I really am a little bit, but then who isn't.

I am OVERJOYED that she thinks I am the best mom ever. To me it means that even through the time outs, the yelling, the saying no and all the rest of the stuff I do as her mom, she still thinks I am pretty great.

Danika is definitely the best little girl I have ever had. Oh yeah, and the weirdest too!

2012-02-09T12:05:00.002-07:00

I am not sure what it is about Dora that is so addictive to kids. Dawson barely talks to David and I, but Dora comes on and he sings along, answers the questions and dances to the music.

Here is a picture of him ACTUALLY sitting still, glued to the TV.

2012-02-08T09:46:00.003-07:00

This is a picture Danika did at preschool using shaving cream paints. It was done a few weeks ago, but somehow it got lost when it was time to bring it home and she just got it back.

I even bought shaving cream and food colouring to make a new one with her but didn't get the chance. We still might though, I think it would be fun.

2012-02-06T16:33:00.002-07:00

Yesterday was a rough one. We ran errands in the morning and Dawson fell asleep in the car for about 20 minutes between stops which then leads to the 'No Nap' afternoon. Danika was also a little off so we tried to get her to have quiet time, that lasted about 10 minutes.

David came up with a plan, at the time I even thought it was brilliant. Let's drive to Banff, have dinner and then come home. It seemed like a no brainer as both my children love to sleep in the car. We both figured that we would get an hour of peace on the way there, walk around a bit, have dinner and then drive home around bedtime and have most of that drive in peace as well.

Plan failed. Dawson fell asleep about when I expected on the way there, but Danika talked the ENTIRE trip. We spent a bit of time in Banff, had dinner and then headed home around. Danika fell asleep then, about 20 minutes into the drive. Dawson on the other hand squawked and cried alternately for the majority of the drive. I think he finally fell asleep when we were turning onto Highway 22.

The saving grace to all of this is that at least once we got home and got the kids in bed, they pretty much slept better last night than normal. When Dawson woke up he managed to settle himself and Danika only woke up to go to the bathroom and when right back to bed. I actually had to wake her up to get ready for preschool.

All in all, it was still a great day spent with family.

2012-01-28T16:34:00.001-07:00

Most people are always amazed at what comes out of the mouths of babes so here are a few choice moments from Danika over the past couple of days.

Last night, when David got home from work, he asked Danika for a big cuddle. She told him she could only have a small cuddle as she had things to do. When asked what things she had to do, she responded things to keep this house clean like mommy does.

This morning as David was making us crepes for breakfast, Danika noticed him scooping the batter from the bowl into the pan and exclaimed... I didn't know that crepes were made from crepe juice!

Later on this morning, David had to 'run' out to the bank. Danika asked him where he was going, so he said exactly that, 'I am running out to the bank.'. Danika told him he should drive to the bank instead of run as it would be faster for him.

I love that she is using logic to reason and figure things out on her own. It adds humour to my day, every day.

2012-01-26T14:18:00.002-07:00

Danika officially started ballet lessons last night. Here is a picture of her all dressed up in her tutu before headed out to her class.

2012-01-25T13:32:00.001-07:00

Danika's painting from preschool this morning. She said it was the sky.

She also made a paper snowflake with some help from Miss Kathy. We taped it to the window with the other ones we made.

2012-01-24T14:54:00.001-07:00

So yesterday at preschool, Danika made a snowflake picture out of marshmellows. Before we even got to the car, Dawson ripped the picture in two. We decided to make a new one when we got home.

The original damaged picture.

The new one we made at home.

2012-01-18T17:25:00.003-07:00

Today was a stay at home and do nothing day. Danika had a fever and cough so no school for her today. We spent the afternoon doing crafts and when Dawson woke up from his nap, he joined us colouring.

2012-01-18T11:42:00.002-07:00

Snowman family that Danika made at Preschool on Monday.

In order from left to right... Daddy, Cadet, Danika, Dawson and Mommy.

Missing Christmas Crafts

2012-01-18T11:02:00.006-07:00

Here are the Christmas crafts Danika made at Preschool. I forgot to take pictures and put them up earlier.

The stocking they made.

Christmas card she made for us.

Inside of the Christmas card.

This is a candle that was wrapped up as a present for us.

2012-01-12T12:24:00.002-07:00

Time outs around here are starting to get more frequent the closer Danika gets to being 4. She is testing boundaries, talking back and trying to exercise her right to make decisions.

She is pretty good about sitting on the stairs for her full 3 minutes, no toys, usually not too much crying but occasionally a little bit of talking. Overall, I think they are serving their purpose.

The hard part is now Dawson has decided that when Danika is on a timeout, he should sit beside her on the stairs. Sometimes he even does her bidding like getting her toys or her sippy cup. It is pretty cute, but how to explain to him that this is a punishment, not play time is alluding me.

2012-01-11T19:25:00.002-07:00

One of David's co-workers also teaches dance at a place called Dynamic Dance and told us about a pre-ballet class for Danika.

David took Danika tonight for a test run of the class and she had so much fun. David said she picked right up on the instruction and had no trouble following along and making friends with the other girls in the class.

Danika was so thrilled when she got home. The smile on her face said it all, she was beaming. Decision is made and we will be registering her for ballet.

2012-01-10T17:38:00.002-07:00

So this week was the 'back to normal' week. Music classes started back, Danika returned to preschool and now the schedule can be once again implemented.

Not a lot else has really been going on, taking it easy around the house while still trying to get organized before this next baby gets here. Not always an easy task with lack of sleep plaguing me which leads to little or no motivation.

Hard to imagine but we are getting ready to register Danika in Kindergarten next Monday for a September start. After a long discussion, David and I have decided to go forward with French Immersion.

Hopefully I will have some pictures to upload in the next couple of days. Again, I will try for daily updates but again, life sometimes gets ahead of me so we'll see what we can do.

Kraus Christmas #2

2012-01-03T17:46:00.008-07:00

We spent Christmas with David's brother and his family on December 28th. The kids had a great time, as did we.

Their second Christmas tree hanging from the chandelier.

Rob and the girls looking for guitar music on the IPad.

My niece Nicole.

Allison and Nicole shutting Dawson in a box. We should have just gotten him boxes for Christmas.

Danika and Dawson playing with the step on floor piano.

Rob and Danika having a Christmas jam session.

Glass Christmas

2012-01-03T08:44:00.008-07:00

Christmas Day we spend with my parents and family. We open gifts with the kids, spend a relaxing afternoon and then have a wonderful turkey dinner.

James in his Santa outfit. He was more interested in playing with the musical dolls than opening gifts.

Kyle helping James open a gift.

Danika and Norah waiting patiently on the couch for more presents to open.

Not sure what kind of face Dawson is making here.

Dawson and James having a moment playing.

My dad opening his cutting board. Now that he is into cooking there is a whole new world of gifting opportunities.

Christmas Morning

2012-01-02T18:04:00.006-07:00

Santa was here Christmas morning and the kids were very excited.

Danika finding her guitar from Santa.

Dawson and Danika playing with the writing tablet from Santa.

Danika sitting playing her guitar.

Opening presents begins.

Kraus Christmas #1

2012-01-02T15:39:00.006-07:00

December 24 of every year we spend with David's Dad and Step-mom. We have dinner of schnitzel and then open presents.

Tata doing a puzzle with Danika.

Lida looking through a book with Danika.

Danika opening her first present.

Dawson opening his first present.

Danika and Dawson all ready for bed in their new Christmas PJ's.

Glass Open House

2012-01-02T15:24:00.006-07:00

Every year my parents have an open house around Christmas (Dec 23 this year) and have a bunch of us over for food, drink and merriment.
My mom and dad always get small gifts for all the kids which they get to open and play with at the party.

The kids as the presents are being handed out.

Some of the aftermath of present opening.

Dawson digging around in the gift bags.

Mike's pimpin' hat on Dawson.

Welcome 2012

2012-01-01T21:29:00.002-07:00

Happy New Year to everyone!

Again, the beginning of a new year is the beginning of my attempt to blog everyday. Last year I kept up for the first half of the year and then things started to take a downslide.

My commitment this year is to again attempt to blog daily, but also to document more events and milestones. This is going to be another important year for us. We have a new baby on the way, Danika will be starting school in the fall, hopefully we will be getting a minivan and even looking into getting a new house.

Here is to a great new beginning, a great new year and friends and family to share it with along the way!

2011-12-18T15:16:00.004-07:00

We also had a gift exchange for the kids at the party.

Dawson loving his present without even opening it.

A bunch of the kids gathered around the tree.

Danika and Dawson finishing opening their presents.

Danika and Dawson playing with their gifts.

2011-12-18T14:35:00.007-07:00

Yesterday we got together with friends for a kids Christmas party. We took the kids tobogganing.

Erin and Cole.

Courtney and Cole.

Dave with Danika, Norah and Dawson.

Christine.

Christine with Dawson.

Norah.

2011-12-16T18:05:00.002-07:00

Danika's preschool had a Christmas concert for the parents today. It was a lot of fun watching the kids perform.

A group shot of the class at the beginning of the performance.

Danika waiting to start singing.

Getting ready to play the bells.

Enjoying the snacks afterwards with Dawson.

2011-12-15T21:58:00.000-07:00

Christmas wreath painting using Danika's hands.

2011-12-13T15:59:00.002-07:00

Last night, David and Danika decorated our Christmas tree after we put Dawson to bed.

Taking a hot chocolate break.

Danika hanging some ornaments.

Danika putting the star on the tree, with a little help from Daddy.

2011-12-07T13:47:00.000-07:00

Christmas painting ala Danika from preschool.

Heritage Park - Once Upon a Christmas

2011-11-29T08:33:00.003-07:00

On Sunday we and a bunch of our friends and some family all took in the Once Upon a Christmas at Heritage Park, in the freak windstorm no less. We did make the best of it and still had a good time with the kids.

Danika and Norah sitting in the school house for 'Choir Practice'.

Dawson and I at 'Choir Practice'. Courtney is there too helping out Hudson behind us.

Danika and Maddie on the seesaw.

Norah enjoying her candy cane.

Dawson and James hanging out in the strollers.

David wearing the present Danika picked for him at the 'Kids Only Store'. Reindeer antler headband that lights up.

2011-11-29T08:30:00.002-07:00

Danika's preschool artwork from last week.

Purple spotted Stegosaurus.

Cheerio covered dinosaur. Sorry, not sure on the name of this one.

2011-11-14T19:18:00.000-07:00

Macaroni and toothpick dinosaur created by Danika at preschool.

2011-11-13T19:10:00.003-07:00

OK, a little late with the Halloween costume pictures, but better late than never.

Danika my little mermaid.

Dawson the big teddy bear.

2011-10-30T19:55:00.003-06:00

Danika and David carving out her Jack-O-Lantern for Halloween.

Helping cut off the top.

Looking inside to see all the goopy pumpkin guts.

Helping scoop out the pumpkin with her hands.

Cutting out the nose.

Cutting out one of the eyes.

The finished product. She wanted a sad pumpkin.

First Ultrasound - Baby #3

2011-10-27T09:56:00.002-06:00

Here is the first picture of our newest addition, Krauslet the Third.

Ultrasound was yesterday afternoon and confirmed that I am 13 weeks pregnant. Everything looked good and it was great to see the baby. Danika and Dawson were with us at the appointment. Danika loved seeing a picture of her future sibling and had lots of questions. Dawson just sat in the stroller eating goldfish.

Dawson's 18 Month Checkup

2011-10-26T12:43:00.001-06:00

Dawson had his 18 month check up today and no surprise, he is a big boy.

Just over 97 percentile with his height - 35 inches.
Just under 97 percentile with his weight - 30 pounds.

Doctor confirms what we already knew, he is a tank, big boned, tall and solid. No other health concerns. Just a happy, healthy big boy!

2011-10-21T12:46:00.001-06:00

Latest preschool artwork by Danika.

Place mat.

Halloween stencil painting.

Halloween mask.

Jack O Lantern.

2011-10-20T11:25:00.002-06:00

OK... Here's the scoop. My blogging has been a little lacking lately for a few reasons. The biggest of which is that I am expecting again and so far this pregnancy has been less than stellar. My due date right now is May 3, 2012, but we go for our first ultrasound next week so I'll have a better idea.

I'll try to post more often and keep everyone updated of the newest addition to our family.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-10-10T20:40:00.003-06:00

Tonight we went to my parents house and enjoyed dinner with them, my brother, sister-in-law and their kids.

It was a fun time, the kids played really hard but had so much fun.

At dinner, we went around the table to say what we were thankful for. Danika mentioned she was thankful for her turkey picture she did at school that she gave to her Dad. Norah mentioned she was thankful for Barbies and friends.

Great dinner, great times. Another year to be thankful for and a great family to share it with.

2011-10-05T22:17:00.002-06:00

This is picture of Danika's first art project from preschool.

Turkey's made with her hand print.

2011-10-01T23:25:00.003-06:00

First of the month pictures.

Danika saying 'Cheese'.

Dawson saying 'Cheese', although it sounds more like 'EEEEEEEEE'.

2011-09-29T21:33:00.002-06:00

So Danika is definitely Daddy's Little Girl. She has Dave totally wrapped around her finger.

Lately she has been a little more difficult to put to bed. She keeps worrying that she is going to have bad dreams. Today I told her that she had three nights in a row without any bad dreams so I was sure they were all gone. She agreed with me so I took her upstairs, we did the night time routine and then left her in bed.

Everything seemed fine for about five minutes. She started crying so I went up to see her and all she could get out between sobs was 'I miss my Daddy!'. Upstairs David came. She then cried a little and asked David to lay down and sleep with her, which he immediately did.

It was very cute, but I reminded him that she has him under her control. All he had to say was wait until Dawson is older. He's right, my little man has been under his spell!

2011-09-27T17:54:00.002-06:00

So I have been a bit remiss in posts lately. Largely due to the fact that I and the children caught the plague. We are on the mend, but boredom has gotten the best of Danika. She pulled out these 'Star' glasses that she had won at Calaway Park and decided that she and Dawson were now 'ROCK STARS'.

2011-09-19T12:32:00.001-06:00

Danika started pre-school today! She is still in the Southland Leisure Centre program but moved up from Sunshine Garden to Toybox.

She goes Monday, Wednesday and Friday now, for 2.5 hours each day.

She had a lot of fun today, met some new friends and was so proud that she got stickers at the end of class.

2011-09-18T19:41:00.001-06:00

Today we were out and about and decided to stop into Petland, just to look around.

Danika ended up with a fish, a betta. She named the fish Silana and of course had to get a Dora Mermaid accessory for the bowl.

2011-09-14T19:11:00.001-06:00

Danika's imagination was running wild tonight. Dave and her were playing catch with a beach ball when Danika decided that he was a monster and she was a princess.

It was OK for her to play with this monster as he was a nice monster. She then decided to build a cave tunnel from the monsters cave to her castle so that the monster could love with her.

I find it very interesting the games and stories she comes up with and how she includes everyone around.

2011-09-12T22:19:00.002-06:00

Today was Dawson's very first music class at Mount Royal. We have the same teacher, Miss Patti that Danika has had since she started 2 years ago.

I have decided that there is definitely NO volume control with Dawson. The two settings he has is Loud and Louder. He really vocalized his enjoyment of the class with alot of laughing and squealing.

The other issue is the child will NOT sit still. Tying to get him to sit through the book Brown Bear was torture for me.

All in all, we did enjoy the class and am looking forward to watching him thrive and grow as the weeks pass.

2011-09-11T21:57:00.003-06:00

Today we went to Heritage Park with my brother Kyle, my sister-in-law Christine, Norah, James and my parents.

Danika and Norah had a great time exploring the houses. Grandpa took them on the horse drawn carriage and we all took a train ride.

We brought a lunch and found a perfect spot with picnic tables that had enough space for the kids to run around.

All in all it was a great day, a long day, but a great one!

Cutest Kid/Pet Contest

2011-09-10T21:24:00.004-06:00

So I decided to enter a picture of Dawson into a Cutest Kid Contest that will give us $1000 towards his RESP.

Here is the website that you can go vote http://chamberlaingroup.ca/cutest-kids-pets-contest-2011/vote

You can vote once a dayuntil September 30th and here is the picture I entered.

I decided to only enter Dawson, although I think Danika is just as cute, but then mine and David's votes would be split as well as our friends. I am hoping this will give me a better chance at winning!

2011-09-08T21:53:00.001-06:00

Tonight we had my whole family over for dinner for my parents anniversary, a little late as their anniversary was on August 21st.

We had a great evening, the kids played, the adults got to visit and over all just a fantastic evening!

2011-09-07T21:10:00.001-06:00

Both Danika and Dawson really enjoy music and dancing. Usually they fight over who gets to hold my hands to dance around the living room.

Today they found a compromise. They hold one another's hand and spin around until they fall.

Upside, I no longer have to have impromptu dance parties. Downside, I am waiting for someone to get hurt.

2011-09-05T19:58:00.002-06:00

Today, David had to switch vehicles with me so he decided to clean and vacuum my truck as well. He took Danika outside with him.

When I went out to see how things were going, Danika explained to me that the truck was now her house. She had a sleeping area in the back, a play area in the middle and a changing area in the front (because the mirror is there).

David had left the radio on for her so she was having a great time, playing house and singing and dancing to the music. So glad she had fun while David cleaned!

2011-09-04T21:40:00.001-06:00

Today we went to visit Dedecek and Babi before they leave for Czech Republic for 3 months.

Babi collects bells and Danika was really intrigued by the sounds that they all make. There was one that Babi clipped onto her dress and when she danced around, it would peal.

Danika danced out into the kitchen and we had an impromptu dance recital with Danika and Dawson the dancers. It was wonderful.

2011-09-03T21:51:00.003-06:00

Today we went as a family to the zoo and met up with some good friends, the Mak family.

Danika and Olivia trying to stand still to catch butterflies.

Danika, Carter and Olivia climbing the rocks by the tiger enclosure.

Carter, Olivia and Dawson running around in the field after lunch.

Dawson and Carter trying to pull the wagon with Danika and Olivia inside.

Danika, Olivia and Carter running down the hill.

2011-09-01T21:14:00.002-06:00

Danika being her cute little self. I kept trying to get a good 'cheese' face picture but she'd stop before the camera took the picture.

Dawson does not sit still so trying to get a picture was a little challenging. This is him after he threw himself backwards in the plush chair. He was totally giggling!

2011-08-28T22:04:00.002-06:00

Tonight we went to by best friend Kathryn's house to have a BBQ with her, her boyfriend and her children (Amy, Ethan, Jacob and Samantha).

Danika and Samantha are like two peas in a pod and played together pretty much the entire time.

Amy is going to be my new best friend because she is so good with both Danika and Dawson and loves my dog Cadet I am surely going to be abusing her to babysit!

Ethan and Jacob played with both Danika and Dawson and just had alot of fun!

I love those kids like they were my own and we had a fantastic time!

2011-08-27T21:38:00.002-06:00

This afternoon, Daddy was in charge of parenting as I went out to a baby shower for my girlfriend Pam.

Dave had the kids outside in the backyard with the sprinkler going and the pool filled. He even put on his swimsuit and joined them.

When I got home, Danika told me she missed me very much, but that she and Daddy had a great day.

Teddy Bear Picnic

2011-08-26T22:42:00.002-06:00

David took the day off work today and we took the kids to Calaway Park for their Teddy Bear Picnic. They had some guests of Honour which made me super excited.... CARE BEARS! Funshine Bear, Share Bear, Bedtime Bear and Cheer Bear were on hand for the kids.

As you can see from the picture below, I was much happier to be with the Care Bears than Danika was.

Dawson had no issues with them. Here he is crawling up to Funshine Bear.

On our way out, Danika waved goodbye and blew kisses to Bedtime Bear.

2011-08-25T21:26:00.002-06:00

Tonight we took in our community BBQ. It was essentially a fundraiser for the 'To be Built' Community Centre.

For us it as a walk out as a family and cheap food. To feed all of us it was only $9. Danika was more excited about the bouncy castle that was there than anything else including eating so Dawson ate her hot dog as well.

The weather was beautiful, the walk great and who can say no to a BBQ!

2011-08-23T14:48:00.002-06:00

We took in Heritage Park today with Grammy, Grandpa, Christine, Norah and James.

Christine and the girls in the sod house.

James trying to crawl up his stoller.

Dawson sitting in a desk in the schoolhouse.

Danika and Norah writing on the slates in the schoolhouse.

Norah and Danika on the boat swing.

Norah, Christine and Danika doing silly faces outside the icecream parlour.

Grandpa and the girls sitting outside enjoying their ice cream.

2011-08-22T21:17:00.001-06:00

Today we spent the afternoon with my good friend Lisa and her children Cole, Cade and Ceili.

Danika and the boys had a lot of fun playing in the basement and then upstairs jumping on the beds. The three of them are little peas in a pod when they are together.

Dawson and Ceili got to know one another. Ceili was adorable, giving Dawson High 5's.

We had a wonderful time, it was nice to catch up and have the kids play.

2011-08-20T21:52:00.003-06:00

Danika is on a kick right now that she loves David more than me. She is always telling me that she loves me, but that she loves Daddy better.

I asked her today why she loves Daddy more than Mommy and she explained because he is the 'Best Boy Ever'. I then asked why he was the best boy ever and she said simply 'Because I love him'.

She is right though, David is the best boy ever!

2011-08-18T20:51:00.002-06:00

Today was zoo day again. I love having season's passes so that we can go as we please. Everytime we go it's different, we see different exhibits, we go with different friends but we always have a good time.

Today we were joined by Fiona, Paige and Charlotte. Danika and Paige were super excited to go on the Carousel and Dawson joined them. They fed the ducks and had ice cream.

A great day was had by all!

2011-08-17T21:58:00.003-06:00

We had a visit from Dave's dad and stepmom tonight. Danika was super excited and ran to the door to give them hugs.

It is so sweet to watch her play with them and include them in her imaginative games. Tonight she was pretending that she had a boat and we all were riding in it. She would then stop and escort us off the boat at our appointed stops.

She also got a chance to show off her little garden and was trying her best to say all the vegetables in Czech. It was really cute.

2011-08-16T21:53:00.001-06:00

Danika has never really expressed an interest in nail polish until today. I have always had my toes painted, and today she asked to have purple toes just like me.

We had some girly time this afternoon while Dawson napped and Danika received her first pedicure.

Here is the finished product.

2011-08-15T21:39:00.000-06:00

We had a couple of good thunderstorms run through here today. The one this evening included some hail.

Danika was a little scared of the hail. It was pretty loud as it was coming down hard. We tried to explain to her that hail was like snow and ice, just frozen water. Dave actually went outside and grabbed a handful for her to see and touch.

Once she took a hold of a piece and saw that it was melting into water, she wanted it to hail more outside. Fear was all gone!

2011-08-14T21:59:00.002-06:00

I believe that Danika has a little bit of luck attached to her.

A couple of weeks ago we entered a contest at Boston Pizza to guess how many jelly beans were in the jar. Danika first wanted to guess 9, but I told her there was definitely more than 9 so she then said 900.

About a week ago, I got a call saying that she won. Best of all, she wasn't just close, she was dead on. Exactly 900 jelly beans in the jar.

Along with getting to take of the candy home, she also won a free kids meal. Now what to do with 900 jelly beans?

2011-08-13T22:42:00.002-06:00

Took the kids to the Glenmore Spray Park today and met up with Nancy & Nate and Christine, Norah & James.

The kids had alot of fun running in the water and playing at the park. I got a good workout chasing Dawson around as he seemed to be drawn to the big kids park.

We played for a bit, had a picnic lunch and then played some more. The weather was great and it seemed to wear both kids out.

2011-08-11T19:16:00.002-06:00

Today we were graced with the presence of my nephew James. Christine and Norah had an appointment so we were lucky enough to have James at our place.

James and Dawson having a meeting of the minds at the ottoman.

Dawson, Danika and James on the floor after we sang 'If Your Happy and You Know It'.

Grammy came over for a little bit to have lunch with us and ended up with the three grandkids on her knee for a story.

After their appoinment, Norah and Christine joined us for lunch as well. Here are Norah and Danika playing in the playroom. I could not get Norah to look at me for a picture though.

2011-08-10T12:11:00.003-06:00

Danika insists that our house is HERS. I asked her today if it could be mine too and she informed me that no, it was only hers.

I asked if I lived here and she said yes, I live here, she lives here, Dawson lives here and Cadet lives here. No mention of Dave. I then asked her if Daddy lives here with us. She told me no, Daddy doesn't live here, he lives at work.

Now, Dave does work longer hours than just a straight 8 hour day, but I wouldn't necessarily consider him to 'live' at work. I guess through the eyes of a 3 year old he does though.

2011-08-08T14:57:00.003-06:00

Today was haircut day.

Danika is always OK with getting her bangs cut, she understands that they need to be short so that she can see. When it comes to the rest of her hair, she sometimes gets a little sad about it. You see, she wants to have long hair like Rapunzel in Tangled. Today, the hair dresser explained to her that if she gets it trimmed, it will help her hair grow faster.

Dawson was great for the first 90% of the haircut and then started squirming for the last 10%. He was enthralled with looking at himself in the mirror. We just trimmed it up around the ears and the back. Kept most of the length so that he still has his curls.

2011-08-07T22:03:00.003-06:00

When naptime and bedtime come for Dawson, I usually ask Danika to say Night Night to Dawson so that he gets that it's time for him to go to sleep. Lately though it has not been good enough for the little man.

He goes right up to her and sticks his face in for a kiss and then hugs her before heading to the stairs for bed. His face lights up like a Christmas tree whenever she gives him his Night Night hug and kiss.

It is so nice to see how much he adores his big sis, and also to see how much she loves him!

Hudson's Birthday Party

2011-08-06T15:11:00.002-06:00

Today we went to Hudson's 2nd Birthday Party! It was a beach party and the kids had so much fun. Thanks Courtney and Jay for including us.

Dawson trying to feed Nate a chip.

Lunch time with the kids.

Courtney with the adorable birthday boy Hudson.

Birthday boy blowing out his candle.

2011-08-04T21:24:00.002-06:00

Tonight after dinner, we took the kids over to the field across the street to run off some steam and our neighbour Jen was out with her kids Ava and Owen.

Danika is totally enthralled with these kids. Ava is 6 and Owen is 4 but Danika keeps up with them and tries to do everything they do. Tonight, Ava had caught a dragonfly in her net and put it in a jar with some grass and flowers (she did let it go before the end of the evening). Danika thought it was great and proceeded to try and catch any kind of bug in the net.

We had a great time visiting with Jen, the kids ran around and our wore themselves out.

2011-08-03T21:57:00.004-06:00

Today we went to Calaway Park with Titi (Christine), Norah, James, Carol (Chris' sister), Cameron and Logan. We had a blast.

Norah and Danika in the planes.

Norah and Danika on the roller coaster.

Christine being driven around by Norah and Danika on the Baja Buggies.

James and Dawson watching the Baja Buggies.

Norah, Danika and Dawson enjoying the clown.

Dawson and James relaxing in the strollers.

2011-08-02T17:15:00.001-06:00

Danika and Dawson both love the magnetic letters and Word Whammer I have on the fridge.

Today, Danika was taking all the letters off and putting them into her riding car, with Dawson's help. Then she was taking the letters out of the car and putting them on the floor. Dawson didn't think that was a good idea, so he was following her around and picking up the letters and putting them back in the car.

Good to know that maybe they will clean up each other's messes as they get older! One can only hope!

2011-08-01T22:39:00.002-06:00

First of the month pictures.

Danika is getting more and more imaginative every day. I love listening to her made up songs and her stories.

My little man Dawson is not so little any more. His personality comes shining through more an more.

My family. It is wonderful to see the kids eyes light up every time David walks through the door after work. He's a great Dad!

2011-07-31T20:44:00.002-06:00

Another great afternoon at the 'beach' for us. We had a pool party in the backyard to enjoy this amazing weather.

2011-07-29T21:59:00.002-06:00

Today was the day of the lost sippy cup. Danika had a bright orange cup filled with milk of course that for life of me I could not find.

I searched cupboards, drawers, closets. I dumped out toys and looked under and in furniture and could not find it.

When I asked Danika where she left it, all I got for a response was it was somewhere that Dawson couldn't get it.

I was out this evening so when David brought the kids home from his parents house, he went through the same process of elimination to try and find the cup. He asked Danika yet again where she left it and what she was doing when she had it.

Finally, he went outside to get something out of the truck and he happened to look up at her window. Lo and behold, there was the sippy cup sitting in her window. She had put it on her window sill when she was up in room.

2011-07-28T21:52:00.002-06:00

I have a bunch of Gymboree activity cards that I got at Costco when Danika was first born. There are 26 of them, one for every letter of the alphabet and the one for 'T' is Train.

Danika decided that the writing on the back was the instructions on how to set up a Train Set. We don't actually have a train set so she decided that all of Dawson's cars were part of her train (good thing Dawson was napping). She then told me we needed tracks. I told her she would have to pretend there are tracks as we don't have any.

A couple of minutes later, I look over to her and she has set up all the activity cards end to end on the lino and lined the cars on top. She told me that this was her train tracks.

I am always amazed with Danika's imagination. Everyday she comes up with something new.

Happy Birthday Christine

2011-07-27T21:48:00.002-06:00

Today we went for dinner at my parents house for Christine's birthday. As always, the kids were super excited to be at Grammy and Grandpa's and a chance to play with their cousins.

Danika was super excited that is was Titi's birthday but refused to call her with me as she had to wait for the party to wish Christine a Happy Birthday.

We spent the morning baking special cupcakes for Christine and they turned out really well. Thanks Chris for being our guinea pig on scratch cupcakes!

2011-07-25T21:49:00.003-06:00

So not sure if I mentioned or not but David got a tablet a couple of months ago. The bad part of the whole thing is I am now completely addicted to Angry Birds.

The good part is there are loads of applications for kids! David has downloaded a few already and Danika has a great time playing them. She has master the touch screen and even knows how to get around in the games without help.

She really enjoys Connect the Dots and says every number, every time and then is really excited when the picture appears.

2011-07-24T22:28:00.001-06:00

Tonight after dinner we decided to take advantage of the beautiful evening and go across the street to the gigantic field and let the kids run around with the soccer ball.

Danika is quite good at dribbling the ball already. I was actually amazed at how much control she had. I definitely think soccer will be on the agenda for her next spring.

Dawson just enjoyed running around, chasing Danika and falling on his bum.

At the end of our time outside, Danika, Dawson and David all rolled down the small hill. It was an awesome evening and some great family time.

2011-07-23T22:54:00.002-06:00

Today we drove up to Edmonton and back. Yes all in one day :)

We were up there for Pat's birthday party. Pat being Christine's (my sis-in-law) mom. They rented a picnic area at a park and it was a great time. The kids all had fun running around in the fields, playing games and going to the park.

Both the drive there and the drive back were pretty uneventful. Dawson slept pretty much the entire time both ways, Danika had a little nap on the way there and then slept from Red Deer home on the way back.

Now the kids are in bed, and we shall soon follow.

2011-07-22T19:46:00.001-06:00

Today was a pretty gray and rainy day. Danika`s new favourite thing to do with me is bake so we made Banana Bread!

Danika asking me to wipe her hands as she had some batter on her fingers.

Helping me mix up the batter.

Adding in the eggs. As she likes to tell me, she can do it herself as she is a big girl.

2011-07-21T22:40:00.002-06:00

I realized a little while ago that we have no recent bath picture of the kids. The reason being is that usually either David or myself is actually in the bath with them. Tonight we bathed just them in the smaller tub and got some great shots.

2011-07-20T22:27:00.002-06:00

The kids were great for my parents. They both slept the night!!!!!

When I went to pick them up, they barely realized I was there and just continued to play.

I am so thankful to my mom and dad for babysitting them and having them for a test run sleepover. I am also thankful that Danika and Dawson had a great time and were well behaved.

I can't wait to do it again!

2011-07-19T21:43:00.002-06:00

So tonight my children are sleeping over at Grammy and Grandpa's house. We are having a test run as I would like David to take me away somewhere for our anniversary in November.

I was mostly concerned about Dawson as he really hasn't slept away from home and he has never slept away from either David or I.

I checked in with my mom and both children were sound asleep. Hooray for sleeping over at Grammy ad Grandpa's!!!!!

David and I went out for a movie night and now I am hoping no middle of the night phone calls so that I can actually get a full nights sleep.

2011-07-18T22:45:00.001-06:00

It was a very hot day today. Attempted to take the kids to the park before lunch and because there was no breeze at all, we only lasted 25 minutes.

The heat seems to be affecting Danika in that she is a little more short tempered (or that could just be genetic from me). Dawson on the other hand seems to be sleeping a little more than normal.

Although I am happy that it is sunny and not raining, it is just a little too hot for my taste.

2011-07-16T21:35:00.001-06:00

We had a couple of busy days in a row so today we decided to stay home. An impromptu Pool Party was in order!

Dawson playing around in the pool. He loved it so much, it was hard for me to get him out for his nap.

Danika playing in the pool.

Dawson found his own little seat in the sandbox.

Danika concentrating on getting her bucket full of sand.

2011-07-15T22:23:00.002-06:00

We decided to take the kids to Stampede today. It was really hot but we had a lot of fun.

I was quite surprized at how little sleep Dawson got in the stroller but managed to stay reasonably human. Danika on the other hand crashed hard. She didn't even wake up when Dawson was trying to chew on her knee.

Danika really enjoyed all the rides and the horses. She wasn't too interested in anything else. Dawson just wanted to get out and run.

A great day spent as a family. Can't wait for next year!

2011-07-14T22:50:00.002-06:00

So I have found out that my son loves carnival rides.

We were at Heritage Park today with friends and when I was on the WhipIt, he was squealing and reaching out for me. A similar thing happened when I was on the Caterpillar.

I decided that because he is technically tall enough, I would take him on the Caterpillar with me. He squealed and clapped and thoroughly enjoyed himself.

2011-07-12T21:41:00.000-06:00

So we all know that I am not very crafty.... my idea of a craft for Danika is to give her a piece of construction paper and a bunch of crayons and stickers. The funny thing is she thinks this is the best idea ever.

She's really into the foam stickers and we just got some new ones... flowers. She made a 'craft' today and when David got home promptly gave it to him. It is now adorning the fridge :)

Marcus' Birthday

2011-07-10T20:24:00.002-06:00

Today we went out to Chestemere to celebrate Marcus' first birthday!

The birthday boy with his cake.

Danika with her best friend Cassie sitting waiting for their cake.

My friend Sam with Marcus opening presents in the backyard.

The kids blowing and chasing bubbles in the backyard.

2011-07-08T22:32:00.001-06:00

The cutest thing I have have seen between Danika and Dawson is when Danika is watching TV, sitting on the floor and Dawson will walk up to her and sit on her lap.

Danika just wraps her arms around him, to give him a hug. Usually they both end up laying on the floor giggling and laughing.

It is a joy for me to see how much love they have for one another. I just hope it continues.

2011-07-07T23:33:00.002-06:00

Well, last night Dawson received his first noticeable injury. He chipped his tooth by smacking his face on the side of the bathtub.

Today we took him to the dentist, just to make sure everything was OK and that there were no loose teeth or other damage that we didn't notice. He was a superstar. Didn't cry or fuss and actually sat still for the time the dentist needed to take a look in his mouth.

He now has a little character with his chipped front tooth.

2011-07-04T22:16:00.001-06:00

Dawson is quite the Momma's Boy. He needs to see me, touch me, be around me pretty much constantly when he is awake. Also, if I am around, he usually wants nothing to do with Dave.

Tonight was different for some reason. When Dave walked in the door from work, Dawson actually pushed me aside and started saying 'Daaadee, Daaadee' and walked up to him for a hug.

It was a really sweet moment, one that Dave has been waiting for.

2011-07-03T23:06:00.002-06:00

Usually Danika goes to sleep as soon as the bedtime routine is over. Potty, brush teeth, story, song, cuddles and then out.

Tonight was a little different. As soon as I came downstairs, all I could hear through the monitor was her singing. She was singing her own rendition of 'Three Little Monkeys'. All I could hear was 'Three Little Carebears jumping on the bed.....'.

All I can say is... I was SOOOOOOO proud!

2011-07-02T19:10:00.001-06:00

Bath night was pretty amusing tonight. Dawson was trying to drink the bath water so Dave splashed him a little bit in the face, which then made Dawson laugh. The more splashing, the more laughing.

Then Danika was helping rinse her hair of shampoo and after she was done she kept asking if she was 'stylish'. No idea where she got that from.

Again, just another day with new things, a little bit of laughter and a lot of love.

Happy Canada Day!

2011-07-01T20:22:00.004-06:00

Happy Canada Day to everyone!

Our tradition for a few years now has been to spend the day at Prince's Island with my brother, sis-in-law and other assorted friends. We had a great time as always.

Dawson taking in the sights while eating his lunch.

Cole, Danika and Quentin checking out the river.

James on the move.

Danika and Norah running circles around Dawson.

Danika, Norah and Peyton playing 'Ring Around the Rosy'.

My brother Kyle and James.

Dawson crashed out hard after I walked him around the park.

Kyle spinning Danika and Norah to the music.

We finished the day off at a BBQ at friends of ours Carley and Cy. What a great day!

2011-06-28T22:58:00.002-06:00

David and I had decided at Christmas that our presents to one another would be bikes. We finally got them late last week!

Tonight after dinner, we decided to test them out with the kids in the Chariot and took a quick ride over to Sobey's.

Danika had been in one last year and loved it. Dawson on the other hand did not enjoy his helmet and wasn't too keen on the Chariot either.

It is true you never forget how to ride a bike. You just forget how much your butt hurts!

2011-06-27T22:19:00.001-06:00

There was a lot of love going on at our house this evening. All we could hear from Danika was that she was getting 'The Best Baby Hugs I've Ever Had' from Dawson.

2011-06-26T22:29:00.002-06:00

Well... my blogging seems to be getting a little off track. As the first half of the year is coming to a close this coming week, I just want to reevaluate what my purpose was in this blog.

Initially my goal was to blog everyday with stories or pictures about the children and the events in our lives. I know that goal has not been met, but I am pretty proud of myself regardless. I have managed to write down a lot that has happened day to day in the life of the Kraus House.

I am going to continue to try and keep up with my posts, still striving for daily, but life does interfere and so far it's been a big improvement over past years.

Hoping you are all enjoying the silly things that happen, the pictures of milestones and events and just following the kids as they grow.