The Krause Bears: Crazy Busy!!

Talk about a crazy, busy, fun, joyful and exhausting weekend!!

John and I looked at the calendar Friday wondering if it was possible to do any more this weekend than we had scheduled. Saturday morning started off early with John's men's group - an event he has enjoyed for many years and gives him time to be with other men and talk about living lives as honest Christian men.

He got home barely in time to race Michael down to basket ball practice at the school. Season is starting soon and Michael is beyond excited. Last season he did so well - as his coach put it "he's a scrappy player" who can just get in there. Nothing glamorous, but down and dirty hard work and persistence. Well, both coaches have talked to John indicating they would like to have Michael on their teams and his potential. Michael so needed that boost to his confidence - and he has brought it up half a dozen times this weekend. Each time his eyes sparkle brighter and brighter.

While Michael and John were out, I was prepping the house for weekend activities and guests. This can be frustrating as I swear I have little tornados that follow behind me and mess up the room I just cleaned. Bless John for bringing me a Starbucks! (Kids call it "Mama's happy juice") Schedule was in my favor fortunately as I was able to slip in some baking that needed to be done for the weekend - and just did double batches.

No sooner was Michael home from basket ball that John raced Jack out for a birthday party clear on the south side of town. Jack's girlfriend Elizabeth was turning 6. The party was princess theme - as evident from the invitations in the shape of pink crowns. Jack is so devoted to Elizabeth that he even said he would wear pink if that made her happy. He was the only boy at the party - but that didn't seem to bother him at all. He and Elizabeth are very fond of each other and Jack was thrilled to help her open her presents. He recounted the joy she had with each present that she opened. Now the night before I thought we were buying out K-Mart, but he said it was just right. He even got her a "birthday girl" crown with complimenting earrings, which he said she wore proudly! He had a great time and was bummed to leave. John took the opportunity of being on that side of town to get a little work done on the car as he could hear some funny noises.

By the time he got home, folks were pulling up for the Down Syndrome play group we hosted at our house. We had wiped down the play set for kids to play outside, but the kids entertained themselves with all the toys in the tub in the family room. The kids ranged from Peter at 18 months up to Kara at 9 yrs old. Now, Kara developed quite a crush on our handsome son Michael and followed him everywhere. She was not deterred by his less than gracious responses at time - and they enjoyed basketball in our drive way. For us moms plus John it was a great opportunity to get to know each other better, talk about so much - food allergies, doctors, schools, milestones and ultimately how blessed we are with our children.

Some of the mom's during the playgroup:

Jack making new friends with Kara

Peter chilling with a book during the play group

A little reprieve for a few hours, and then John and I had a date at an Advent party. Our friends the Wilmes' throw a great party! Yummy food, lots of talking and for me a tour of their beautiful new home.... it is so big! I didn't get to chat with everyone I had hoped to talk to - but enjoyed the food, company and a nice glass of wine. Peter came to the party with us and he had a great time making friends with the adults - and a little concerning was that he went after the men with bear bottles..... hmmm, not sure what to make of that!! We didn't get home till very late and literally fell into bed. Alexandra and Michael had stayed up late watching a movie - so to my advantage I had Michael give me a back rub as I fell asleep. I have now dubbed him "wonder thumbs" because it was hands down the best back massage ever!!

The life of the party!!

This morning Alexandra and Michael served at the 9am Mass. The three little boys were FULL of energy. Oh bless the people around us. And we were blessed, they were all gracious folks who had nothing but wonderful compliments on the boys. Of course they are so darn cute, it helps when the are moving around like mexican jumping beans. (Side note - remember those mexican jumping beans you could pick up next to cash registers in the 80's? - anyone know how those work? call me dork but I thought they were really cool).

We got a break from cooking lunch which was a much needed break. We had the Colorado Springs Down Syndrome Association Christmas Party. It was hosted at a local hotel and it was so nice to just sit. As John pointed out it is interesting to see families with kids in all age ranges - Peter being amongst the youngest there. All the kids were amazingly well behaved, and enjoyed seeing Santa come visit.

We came home and honestly I sank in front of the Broncos game as I fed Peter. John pulled out the ladder and continued to add and switch out lights in the tree in the front yard. Around 6pm our "Why Catholic" group came over - sans Thad and Mindy whom we hope will feel better soon! It was a great way to end up the crazy busy weekend! We reflected on the Advent readings and talked about things to work on as we continue to prepare ourselves.

Now, I am feeling worn out all over and hope to sneak into bed early. The kids are bathed, Michael is already asleep and John and I are both desperately looking forward to our comfy bed!!

We hope you too had a blessed weekend!! Here's to a deep breath before next weekend when we pick up all over again.