CLN

My Grandma passed away last Saturday, rather suddenly. She had been getting older and dealing with all that comes with age, but there was no reason to suspect her time was near. I sadly wasn't able to go to the funeral, being only 2 weeks from my due date. I wish I could be with those that knew her best; to hear the stories and hold them close to my heart. But I'm not and that's ok--I have plenty of wonderful memories of my own.
It's kind of an odd thing, to be in mourning for someone you know you will see again. She was a dear lady--a strong Christian woman with an incredible relationship with the Lord. While those of us that are left miss her dearly, its incredible to think about her life in Heaven. I can't even imagine the crowds of people that were waiting to welcome her home, not to mention the utter joy she felt at being in the presence of God. I imagine she had a HUGE crown waiting for her at the pearly gates as she was a woman that truly understood the concept of storing up treasures in Heaven. At her funeral the pastor said something along the lines of "I would hate to get to Heaven and face Corky without having preached the Gospel message at her funeral." To which the only thing it say is AMEN! Grandma was unashamed of the gift God had given her and shared it with those Jesus brought into her life. (Lord give me the strength to do the same!)
Perhaps the most incredible part of this entire experience has been the overwhelming display of how faithful God is to his children. Over and over this past week I have had to marvel at God's perfect plan. Simple things like Grandma getting to see her younger brother the week before she passed--they were very close and while I'm sure she would have liked to see her other brother as well, it was a special blessing that Uncle Len was there. Simple things like my mother being there when Grandma passed away--she had gone just for a visit and ended up being there to usher her into the arms of Jesus. Otherwise there would have been no family there. Simple things like my sister and baby Patrick coming for the funeral and then to Idaho for a week--we didn't think there was any chance for them to make it to Idaho this year and now I get to look forward to meeting my nephew! Now we're placing the birth of baby girl in God's hands too--if she comes a week early, then her aunt will get to meet her before she leaves.
Thank you Jesus for the life of CLN. She was a huge influence in my life and her death will not change that. I rejoice that I will see her again, even though I miss her now. What an incredible, beautiful problem to have...

The Krohmer House for Battered Birds

This is a cat. A very naughty cat. We call him Maybe.

Maybe is the reason we are now in caring for a mourning dove named Bird-izzle.

Not cool, cat. Not cool.

In an attempt to take care of his pathetic humans who don't know how to hunt, Maybe caught a bird and brought it to us...while it was still alive. And we weren't home. He then proceeded to chase Bird-izzle all around our kitchen and dining room, leaving a trail of feathers. A trail that we followed several hours later when we returned home. It led to a very scared Bird-izzle, trapped between the fridge and the wall, with a very proud Maybe cat standing guard. (It was his very first bird, you see.) Needless to say, we were not very proud...especially since this is southern Idaho, where mourning doves are abundant and there aren't any prolific bird rescue stations that I know of. So we were stuck with a damaged bird that appeared to have the possibility of recovering; a fact that I, in my currently overly-nurturing state, couldn't ignore.

What did we do? We rescued that poor, pathetic bird, named him Bird-izzle and have been housing him in our cat carrier (ironic, isn't it?) in the garage. And due to the fact that he isn't leafy and green, he seems to be improving! He has been freed from the carrier to walk around, which he seems to enjoy, but has not yet attempted to fly. But soon Bird-izzle will show an ability to behave like a normal bird, we shall return him to his native habit, and I can stop feeling like an idiot every time I stick my head into the garage and mutter some statement about a "bird-izzle." sigh. What a beautiful problem to have.

Perhaps next time I will tell you about this creature:

Our Mo cat...who seems to think she IS a bird.

Addendum: In the 12 hours since this post was written, Birdizzle took a turn for the worse and is now lying feet up.... I'm sorry little birdie. I really did try. Please don't think this reflects at all on my ability to parent. We'll assume baby girl will be fine since she isn't made of leaves OR feathers....

Hilarious

My students have started catching on that I'm pregnant; mainly because they've heard me talking to other teachers, not because I'm showing yet. The other day one of my first graders asked me at the start of class if I was having a baby. Needless to say, the conversation that followed was hilarious!

Student: Mrs. K, are you having a baby?
Me: Yes, I am.
S: Who's the father?
M: (Slightly shocked) My Husband!!!
S: What's his name?
M: Mr. Krohmer
Other Student: I know him; he's in the navy!

I got them settled down and ready for the day's activity when I overheard "She doesn't look pregnant. She's still skinny!"

Bless their hearts! Now that's something I will hold onto during the days I don't feel so "Skinny."

Oh the joys...

The other night I was sitting on the couch when I heard the sound that makes my heart jump: the I've-got-a-present-for-you meow. Yes ladies and gentlemen, our sweet little girl cat has turned into a fierce huntress. Being the weird cat she is, though, she doesn't hunt birds or mice. Oh no. She hunts worms. Fearsome prey, no? So far she has brought us 5 worms--three she left outside and two she brought inside.

In my current pregnant state, I have not been dealing well with the sight of wriggling worms and their guts strewn all over my carpet. Usually I don't have a problem with worms. I've never been afraid or grossed out by them. But right now, for the next few months and well...forever, I sure do wish I could convince her to leave the little things outside!

The State of Things

I haven't updated the blog in a long.....LONG......time. A lot of very wonderful stuff has happened to us since the last time I wrote: We bought a house, Kurt got a raise, my bro-in-law came home from Afghanistan, my sister got pregnant, Kurt's bro got engaged. Lots of wonderful, wonderful things! But there in lies the problem.

Kurt and I have been trying to have a baby since September. Not a long time in the grand scheme of things, but I was starting to feel discouraged. Especially since it felt like in every blog and Facebook page I read someone was announcing they were pregnant. And I desperately wanted to be able to announce that too, that I just stopped writing altogether. But no longer....

I am thrilled beyond belief to announce that our very own little bundle of joy will be joining us in October! Wahoo! We're 13 weeks along and I feel great! Aside from some back pain and one day of naseua, its been a smooth ride. I am so incredibly excited to be starting this new adventure. God has blessed us abundantly this year and I'm so thankful!

9/11

I had a crazy revelation today. As I was walking into my class of 5th graders, someone mentioned that it was 9/11. Several of the kids were confused about why 9/11 was important. I was SHOCKED!! And then I realized that these kids were 4 years old when it happened. CRAZY!! Even high school seniors were only 10 and probably don't really understand it all. It is very strange that I have experienced something that is just 'history'' to someone else. But I do remember it, and now I guess I've seen how important it is to pass what I remember on; to show them why 9/11 IS important and why they should remember, too.

Introducing...Mo!

I am very slow with this post, but I figure she's so cute she deserves to be introduced to our loyal fan base anyway. (All one of you.) End of June we adopted a little sister for Maybe. Her name is Mo (because of an orange "Mo-hawk" on the top of her head) and she's wonderful! Maybe now has a friend to keep him company and she has certainly entertained us all summer. So without further ado, I give you Mo!

Our two kitties--one big and one little!

Wierdest nap position ever!

This would be Mo on top of the blanket snuggling with Maybe under the blanket!