I couldn't help myself...

When you have a baby girl that's as cute as ours, there are so many good pictures that you just can't decide which ones to put up. So, you can scroll as fast as you like, but you're going to see a lot of a cute baby!



We blessed Eliza when she was 6 days old! Pretty sure she slept through the whole blessing and all of sacrament meeting.



She was blessed in the same dress that my six sisters and I were blessed in. Pretty cool! Thanks to my mom for saving it and letting us use it! Even though she did accidentally burn a hole in it the day of the blessing! I don't think anybody noticed though with this doll baby wearing it.


My parents came to town for Eliza's birth and then my brother and his family came from Kansas for the blessing. While they were all here, we made some serious caramel apples - Jensen's face is the result of stomach pains after eating too much candy and caramel! He was only comforted by grandpa.

My parents tried to kill two "kids" with one stone by swinging over to Kansas while they were visiting us. It worked out pretty well actually. They took our boys on their road trip so Austin could study for his tests and I could get some rest. The boys had so much fun! We're so glad they got some alone time with their grandparents too. Among some of the fun things they did, one of them was going to a pumpkin patch!

I can't believe this pumpkin patch was free! I need to move to Kansas. 5 cousins having fun: Jude, Eden, Miles, Luke, Jensen

Another stop on their road trip to Kansas was Liberty Jail. My parents did an excellent job of explaining Liberty Jail to Luke because he always talks about it and in great detail. It really made an impression on him.

Proud grandparents of grandchild #18!

Mom came bearing gifts for the kids. She bought the boys these matching PJs, which they insisted on wearing every night. Whenever Jensen has his on he is often seen in this pose along with him making a great sound effect of webs shooting out of his hands.

Austin and his 3 kids! I can't believe we have 3 kids!

Austin's mom bought Jensen a great gift for his birthday - a battery for this 4-wheeler! It's just been sitting dead in our yard until she bought one for it. We are so grateful. Now Luke and Jensen have one and they spend hours in the backyard chasing each other around, having races, ramming each other, etc. It's so fun to watch, they have a blast!

Doesn't she look like she's about to say something profound?

If this picture doesn't make you baby hungry then you must be made out of rubber.

Thanks for nothing, dad and Justin. Learn how to smile.

Baby beauty queen.

I told you I couldn't help myself - she's just too cute.

Luke and Jensen LOVE their baby sister. They always beg to hold her and then they fight over whose turn it is to kiss her. I hope they are always this sweet to her.

Austin is wrapped around this little girl's finger and she is barely 10 days old. Daddy's "little princess."

Can you blame him though?

My mom did everything from waking up with the boys, making them pancakes every morning (she was too good to them), doing the laundry, sweeping the floors, picking up the house, taking care of me and Eliza, making the food, taking out the trash - there was no end to her energy and work. She even finished some sewing projects here and taught Austin how to sew!

ELIZA

The pre-game warmups

Eliza Kramer +30 seconds

Guess what her favorite conveniece store is.

To be honest the boys were equally interested in Eliza as well as looking out the 6th story window of the hospital room.

I thought this was going to be a bubble bath!!!!!

Best dad ever. Austin is always able to settle Eliza down . She loves to be held, especially by this guy.

Dad's little girl

Luke is a great big brother and looks out for his baby sister.

It was a big surprise to us how into the baby Jensen was. The day we got home, Jensen wanted to hold the baby ALL of the time, he didn't want to share her with Luke or Heather or Grandma or anyone. Whenever he leaves the room and comes back in he says "Where's my Bebe?!!"

Peek-a-Boo

Eliza with her bodyguard: Grandpa (that guy means buniness)Flake.

Mom is excited about this baby, and this baby is excited about her grandma!

We are so grateful to mom and dad flake for coming to take care of us while we had this new little one.

The New Kramer Family

Pumpkin Patch

Iowa has some awesome pumpkin patches! When I was a kid in West Virginia, we always went to the pumpkin patch, every year - it is a highlight of my childhood. I think the same will be said of my boys when they're older. It's just too fun!

We're getting excited for Halloween around here! For our Family Home Evening activity last night, we made Halloween frames, compliments of DMU from last year! Austin "helped" Jensen with his. Jensen was pleased with the outcome.

Luke was pretty proud of his too. He did it all by himself.

Luke started taking a preschool cooking class for kids - Kinderchefs. He LOVES it! I casually mentioned in a family email that I wish I had the skill or modivation to make Luke an apron. My mom decided that Luke had to have one and then she went above and beyond and got him a chef's hat too! Of course she got one for Jensen too! So thoughtful! Jensen didn't take his off for hours after it came in the mail.


This pumpkin patch has an old "Herbie car." Our kids love it!

Long slide + huge hill= tons of fun! Luke went down by himself a bunch of times. Jensen wasn't quite convinced that it was safe, probably next year he'll go for it.

This place seriously had everything, Jensen sat in for the driver of the kiddy train.

Corn pool anyone? Austin wanted to stay here all day, he was so relaxed in it. There were slides that went right into the corn pool. The boys went down them fowards, backwards, face first, etc. It was a lot of fun! Time flew here and before we knew it we were almost out of time to pick a pumpkin!

Austin trying to "round up" the straw steers with his rope. It took him about 10 minutes to finally get the rope around a non-moving steer. I can't imagine how hard the real deal is.
Luke pretended to be rodeo riding this straw steer.

You don't want this thing taking a nip at your finger tip. Austin was tempting it pretty badly. I was fairly certain we were going to leave the petting zoo in a rush to get Austin and his fingers to the hospital. Close call.

Luke is in some serious need of a bike and some practice time. We have some little trikes at home that are way too small for him. It makes Austin so mad to see Luke moving forward on one of these with his legs, rather than pedaling the bike. Either way, these tractors made for a great time!

Despite my best efforts to shame him, guilt trip him, bribe him, do whatever I can to make him cut his hair - Austin won't and is growing his mop on top out. His hair is naturally curly and he has chosen this time in all of his whole life, to see how curly and fro-y it can get. Sometimes he'll be laying on my lap and his massive amount of fro will get in my mouth! Now, to make me even more mad, he has started growing some facial hair too. Woof! I don't want Eliza's birth pictures to have a guy like this in them! What can I do?

I don't know where he gets it, but Luke's new favorite item of clothing are tank tops! Pretty strange. Someone gave us one once and he LOVED it! Then I saw one at WalMart for $1 and thought it would make a good football practice shirt, but he wears it as a regular shirt all the time. I guess he doesn't know the stereotype that goes along with tank tops.

These boys are getting so big, especially Luke, he is such a good little helper. Sometimes I have to ask him to stop cleaning up Jensen's messes so Jensen can learn to clean up his own. You couldn't ask for a better older brother/oldest child than Luke - he's a good boy. He and Jensen play for hours and hours, best friends. You know it's time to have another kid when they are completely entertaining themselves for that long. It's time for another challenge, baby #3 here we come.

Just like any member of a Flake family, this kid LOVES his chocolate!

A long time ago, I think it was for Luke's 2nd birthday, so two years ago, Austin's Grandma bought Luke a subscription to "Wild Animal Baby" magazine. It has been one of the BEST presents ever! Luke loves getting something in the mail. Then we read it, do the activities, over and over and over again until the next one comes the next month. They keep well too because they have a harder cover and pages, meant for kids to play with and read over and over. We have all our old ones and read them over and over again. Now that Luke is getting a little older, he gets the magazine "My Big Backyard" which is the one for toddlers. This one has stories geared more towards toddlers with long attention spans and has activities like using scissors and stuff that he can do. I haven't checked with Austin's grandma, but I'm pretty sure she's supplying this one too because it keeps coming. Anyway, thanks Great-Grandma Williamson, these little magazines provide hours of entertainment each week and teach the kids about different animals - they love them!

Eliza Kramer due October 17th!! My mom gets here on the 16th so I hope I don't go early! I need her help - thanks for coming mom!