Christmas Memories

Graysen got a spring horse for Christmas. Giddy up, Cowboy!

Malyana & Graysen opening presents.

Christmas Memories

Santa came, Santa came!!

My handsome hubby!

Christmas Memories

Howdy Cowboy

A gift from her brother, just what she wanted.

Christmas Memories

Our new kitty, his name is Dusty.

Christmas with the Krites family.

Christmas Memories

Where theres a will theres a way.

Way cool!

rub a dub

The other night I started the bath water for the kids and while I went to get the towels, Graysen decided not to wait for me.

House Update

Yesterday we received a phone call from our realtor. She told us that the house on Fairview (our first choice was no longer available) So that helped answer that question.

This morning Scotts dad came down and went the house on Pruden with us to give it a once over. He confirmed what we were already thinking on the amount of work that the house would need and then some. Fortunately the work it needs nothing major. The house itself is pretty sound. We really appreciate that he came down to help us with the decision.

I called our realtor to make a counter offer. So the ball is in the sellers court. This offer is the highest we will go because we just dont think the house is worth any more. If she does not accept it then we are done. We will either continue to look or stay put. I have faith that God will lead us in the right direction and I pray that we will listen.

I have a house headache

OK... so here is the story on the house hunting. We currently have a counter offer from a house that is located off of 25A. It has a Sidney address but is still very close to Piqua. It was not our first choice but as I wrote before we were outbided on our first choice. However this house make a nice second choice.

Well, Scott has been trying to get some more details on our financing. The last we heard a few weeks ago was that our mortgage guy could get us a price that we could afford, but we never received a good faith estimate and he could not give us the exact interest rate on the loan. But anyway, our mortgage guy told us to go ahead and get with a realtor and find a house that we like. So that is what we did. Now that we have an offer in on a house and have received a counter offer, we were feeling that we really needed to know the details of the loan. So Scott called our mortgage guy again.

I should tell you now, that we have had a little bit of trouble with financing because we cannot use the money that my mom gives us as income, without putting her name on the deed and we did not want to do that. So even though we have more money we can only go off of what Scott and I make. This makes our debt to income ratio very high. So many places have wanted to give us higher interest rates, which Scott and I have refused to accept.

So our mortgage guy had come up with this income verification loan which was supposed to help us out because we could use our bank accounts to verify our income instead of our pay stubs. So you can imagine our reaction when the mortgage guy called us back finally and told us that the interest rate was going to be 10%. We told him that we would not do it. Well, he thought he could find us something better, so he went back to work. He called us back the next day with a loan for 6.5% interest, much better.

So after all of this I call our realtor to discuss a counter offer on this house off of 25A. We discuss the circumstances a little and then she says, "well, I have another monkey wrench to throw into the mix, I receuved a phone call from the realtor from the first house (our first choice) and the contract has fallen through." (Are you kidding me...........???)

So now we have a very hard decision to make. Do we counter the offer we have now or reject and try again for the first house? The first house has a better location, more land and more outbuildings, but the house is smaller and needs alot more work. The second house is further from our jobs and school but the land has some rolling hills on it and really only needs some cosmetic work. My mom prefers the first house and Scott is leaning towards the second house. I am torn and dont know what to do. As far as payment they will probably work out about the same.

Now do you see why I have a house headache. So for now, I am praying that God will make it apparent which house we should bid on and I pray that we all agree that it is the correct choice. If either house works out, I am never moving again, this is just too much!!

House hunting update

Just wanted to give an update on the house hunting. We were outbid on the house that we really wanted. We were really bummed but there must be a reason it wasn't meant to be ours. So today we are going to look at three more houses. One is in Sidney and the others are in Piqua. We really like living in Piqua so we would like to stay here, but Malayna goes to school in Sidney so it would be ok to live there as well. Scotts job and our church is in Piqua so it is very important to us that we at least stay close to Piqua. If we cannot find something that meets our needs then we will continue to stay where we are until I graduate.

Christmas Fun at the Krites House

These top three pictures are pictures that we took trying to get a good picture for our Christmas card this year. We took about 20 pictures and these three are our favorites. Graysen wasn't exactly easy to work with. He had his own idea of how the picture should be. We had many a laugh. We decided to use the picture in the middle.
This is a picture of Graysen helping Grandma Sue to make pumpkin rolls for her Christmas party at work. He did a good job with the mixer.

We all had the flu this last week. Graysen and I had it on Wednesday. Graysen did have the flu shot this year, so he ended up not getting it has bad as the rest of us. Malayna woke up Saturday morning with a fever and still has one this morning. She had to miss school today. I called the Doctor to bring her in and the nurse suggested we wait one more day to see if she gets better. Scott was sick all day Sunday. Hopefully this case of the yuckies will be the only one we experience this year. Hopefully you and your families will miss out on it all together.

swearing

I was reading the readers digest at work and found a question and answer column that I really liked. It is called ASK LASKAS, perhaps you've read it. There was one specific question that caught my eye.

Q: "My husband swears in front of our boys. I don't think this sets a good example, but he says they'll hear it on the playground anyhow. Any strategies for getting him to stop?" Prudish Mom

A: "Dear Prudie, Your husband needs a timeout. Sit him down and explain: Yes, your boys will hear profanity, sexual language and violent threats on the playground. That's why parents must set standards, so kids will grow up to be good citizens rather than bathroom-humor barbarians. Set the rule for all of them: no cursing. Tell them you are doing it for the future of the civilized world!"

Scott and I decided a long time ago that we are not going to use foul language in our home. We also do not allow our kids to watch movies or shows that have foul language or sexual connotations. However on occasion we have gotten disagreements from others on our decision. We have heard things like "well you can't shelter them forever they are going to hear those things anyway." This is true, but as a parent we do need to set the standard. When Malayna comes home and says she heard something at school or anywhere else, we try to explain to her that, using those kind of words is not the way we talk in our family or in our home. We have not been perfect with this, but we have tried very hard. I doubt that it will keep our children from ever saying any bad words, but we have at least taught them that it is not the right thing to do.

Our pastor has also done a few sermons on this subject. I like the Bible verse he uses. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.Ephesians 4:29

Happy Holidays!!

Here are the kids helping us decorate the Christmas Tree.

Update:

Scott has been very busy at work with his new position. He is now a supervisor but I cannot remember his exact title. He seems to like it, but it does keep him going.

I have just finished another quarter of nursing school. I am now more then half way through the nursing program. I will be graduating this time next year.

Malayna is really enjoying kindergarten. She has make may friends. She is already learning how to read. It is amazing how quickly they can learn new things.

Graysen is getting so big, as you can see from the picture. The time goes by so quickly. He is talking quite a bit. He also loves to play with balls and cars.

We have also just put a bid in on a house. There is a good chance that we will not get it because there are also several other bids. But Scott and I would really like to get the house, so we have been praying alot for it. The house is a fixer upper, but it is located 2 miles outside of town and is on 4.8 acres. We should know something today. If you happen to be reading this today, please say a prayer for us.

I am on break from school until Jan. so I will try to post more entries and pictures. Check back for them. God Bless you all!

"Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words." - St. Francis of Assisi

We had the mime team from Mount Vernon Nazarene college this past Sunday. I have seen them a number of times and each time I am completely touched by their message. The quote above is is the inspiration for their messages.

I pray each morning that I am able to do just that. Preach the Gospel at all time and when necessary use words. I am afraid at times my character flaws do not portray it, but I keep on trying.

Where's Mom???

Our home is seldom very clean
The meals are not as good
And we don't take a bath
As often as we should

The hamper is overflowing
The ironing is seldom done
And the socks that were neatly in the drawer
Are practically down to none

She was a model Mother
The house was shiny and bright
She was so even tempered
And a perfect "guiding light"

But all that now is changed
Dust neath the bed does pool
Where is that wonderful Mother?
Why mother now goes to school

She has no time for cleaning
We kids must do our best
We're having eggs for dinner
Cause Mom's having a test

She got a terrible longing
A nurse she wanted to be
So she nagged our Dad for tuition
And the poor guy had to agree

So every night she packs her books
And walks out the door
We would like to try to stop her
But we're sticking to the floor

We take our vitamins and drink our juice
It would be terribly cruel
If we caught a cold and fever
Mother couldn't go to school

So if you're in the hospital
And on your back do lie
If you happen to see a student nurse
Tell Mom we all said "hi"

Author: unkown

Family Pics

Here are some family pics of the Krites side. My Aunt Pat took these pictures for us. She did a really great job as you can see. She also came from North Carolina for 3 weeks to help us out with the kids since I just started back to school. She was such a blessing to us!

Scott is getting ready to start a new job as work. I have been focusing on school. (Pulmonary and Cardiac this quarter) Malayna really is enjoying school, she has made alot of new friends and enjoys learning new things. Graysen has been so cute lately. It has been trying to do everything he sees others doing. He is such a little man.

Hope all is well with all of you out there. God Bless you!!!!

Lets Go Fly a Kite

Tonight felt like fall. It was overcast a little windy and in the high 60s. I loved it! Fall is my most favorite season. For many reasons, but mostly I think because it reminds me of my dad. So it was nice to spend the night with my mom and my brother and our kids

Before Jarod and the girls got here, we decided to try out the old kite. We had a little trouble keeping the kite up in the air, but we got it up a few times. The little boy across the street had his kite up the entire time, so I cant even blame it on the wind. Oh well. We had fun anyway!

Once Jarod and the girls got here we started a bon fire in the backyard. We got to site around it and roast marshmellows for about 20 minutes before the clouds opened up. We did not get too wet and we got through most of the bag of marshmellows. It was short, but fun. And there is always tomorrow night. Hopefully it does not rain.

Tomorrow we are going to the Piqua Heritage Festival. Usually it is so miserably hot on Labor Day weekend that we cannot enjoy ourselves there. We are hoping for a few dry hours. The festival is really neat. They have a primitive camp site, great food, craft booths, petting zoo, pony rides and some reinactments. Piqua is a Native American Historical area. It is really neat to experience some of its heritage. The festival is at Johnson Farm. General Johnson worked with the Native Americans and the government he also was one of the founding members of the canal. If your interested check out this website http://www.piquaoh.org/ If you go to the farm you can tour the house, go through a museum and even take a ride on a horse pulled canal boat.

I hope this fall like weather will stick around a while, but knowing Ohio weather next week will probably be back up in the 90s. I plan on enjoying it while it lasts. I just wish we would have planned a camping trip. I always have these crazy ideas about moving away somewhere far, like Australia, out West or the East Coast. But Ohio in the fall is the best, it is one of things that keeps me put.

Ring Ring goes the school bell

Today is Malaynas first day of school. The last couple of days have been a little rough. When something is bothering Layna she tends to act out instead of telling us what is bothering her. So after some fits she finally told me that she didn't want to go to school and she did not want to make new friends. She said she likes her old friends. So we talked about it and she was feeling better about going to Kindergarten. This morning she got up and got ready without any problems. She acted very excited but I could tell she was also a little nervous.

Originally the bus was going to pick Malayna up in front of our house at 7:54 AM. Which was really great. Then yesterday we got a phone call that the time was changed to 7:05 Am. That meant Malayna would have to get up almost an hour earlier and be on the bus for an hour and a half. So we decided to take her to a stop they arranged for in town. She got on the bus at about 8:15 AM.

When she got on the bus she was able to sit next to a little girl that is in her class and right across from her friend Katie (who is pictured with her above) and another little girl she knows from our church. I think knowing that she was with other girls she knows helped her and me. She didn't seem so little and alone, with her friends on the bus with her.

I have heard of moms crying alot when there kids go off to kindergarten for the first time. But I think I kept it together pretty well. There were a couple of times that I started to tear up, but then I was able to control myself. I just tried not to think of her as a baby too much and how fast she has grown.

When I picked her up from school. She told me that she liked school and she had fun. There are 14 kids in her class. There are 9 boys and 5 girls. It seems that girls at Christian Acadamy are a commodity as most classes have a similar boy/girl ratio. I guess that will give her good odds for the school dances when she is old enough. Also, Christian Acadamy is a k-12 school so there is a good chance that she will graduate high school with the some of the same kids that she starts with.

Her teacher is Mrs. Ford. She has been teaching school for more then 30 years. She is a very loving, nurturing and gentle women. She spends time each morning praying for every child in her class. When I asked Malayna what she thought of Mrs. Ford, she said very matter of factly, "She's good!"

We took Malayna to AppleBees for luch to celebrate her first day of Kindergarten. I am happy that she enjoyed her day and... she asked if she could go back tomorrow.

Wait a minute...rewind!

March 4, 2001. Malayna Sue Krites was born into this world.

Yes, it is true, she will be starting kindergarten in 6 days. I have to say that approaching this moment is bittersweet. Sweet because I will finally get a little break and bitter because she is five years old and she is starting kindergarten. Where has time gone? Sometimes I am afraid to close my eyes because when I open them again a lifetime will have gone by.




To describe Layna I would say she is a very eclectic little girl. She knows what she likes and what she wants. She has a very strong will and her own sense of style. She wants to give her family and friends everything she has, she has such a giving heart. She is what some call a "girlie" girl and she has no apologies for it. She can be tough and she can be tender.Layna is also very creative. She loves to do crafts, paint, color, cut, paste and build. She is truly special and anyone can tell that she has what it takes to do something great in this world.

Malyana will be attending Christian Acadamy. When I was a little girl I went to both private and public schools. As an adult looking back I can see that I received a far better education from private schools. But the decision to send her to Christian Acadamy is even more than that. She will be receiving an education based on Gods principles and foundations. She will have teachers who will pray for her and with her. She will learn biblical values and how to be a strong girl in Christ. She will learn to solve problems Gods way and love others the way God loves.

Please pray for Layna as she starts a new chapter in her life.

Girls Rock!

Layna & Aunt Jenny
















Layna & Mommy



Layna & Holly, Lexie & Abby

Prayer Request Update

This is an update for a prayer request that Scott posted on our website.

Scotts cousin Carrie's baby passed away this morning around 12:04 am. Please keep Carrie, her husband Randy and the rest of their family in your prayers as they are grieving the loss of their baby. Kennedy Grace Fisher was only a few months old and had to fight very hard for those few months. She now rests peacefully in our Heavenly Fathers hands.

My Old Friend

This song by Tim Mcgraw reminded me of friends that I just don't get to see or talk to very often and especially my friend Robert, who I will see again someday. So this is to all My Old Friends.

My old friend, I recall The times we had hanging on my wall I wouldn't trade them for gold Cause they laugh and they cry me Somehow sanctify me Their woven in the stories I have told And tell again My old friend, I apologize For the years that have passed Since the last time you and I Dusted off those memories But the running and the races The people and the places There's always somewhere else I had to beTime gets slim, my old friend Don't know why, don't know why Don't know why, don't know why My old friend, this song's for you Cause a few a few simple verses Was the least that I could do To tell the world that you were here Cause the love and the laughter Will live long after All of the sadness and the tears We'll meet again, my old friend Goodbye, goodbye Goodbye, goodbye My old friend, my old friend Goodbye, goodbye

Misc. Summer Time Pictures

Going To The Chapel

Just as we returned from Arizona my mom and my brother and his family were getting ready to go on a vacation to Gatlinburg TN. At the last minute my brother decided that he was going to marry the mother of his two children, who he has been with for the last 10 years. So between getting ready for Vacation Bible Adventure at church and visiting with my best friend Jenny from highschool (who was visiting from Colorado) Malayna, Jenny and I made a trip to TN. My Uncle Ray also went with us. In fact he was nice enough to drive us there and back.

The wedding was very pretty. Mandy looked very pretty and Jarod, very handsome. Of course Lexie and Abby were very cute. The only thing missing was my dad and I think at some point he was on all of our hearts. At least he was there in thought.

I am very proud of them for taking this step in their lives. Marriage is in Gods plan and it is meant to be the one of the most fulfilling relationships of our lives. God Bless Jarod & Mandy and their family. May they grow closer to You as they live their lives.

Arizona

I have not done a very good job of keeping my blog updated. So here are some things we have been up to this summer. I was hoping we might have a liesurely summer, but it has been as busy as ever.

Our first big adventure was a trip to Arizona. We went out on an airplane. It was of course the first time the kids have been on an airplane. They did pretty good. The ride out was a little rough until Graysen went to sleep, but after that it went ideally.

The reason for our trip was that my best friend of about 23 years graduated from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine & Health Sciences. Dr. Jaime Ewald NMD is pictured below with her finance, Matt Brown. They will be getting married Oct. 14 of this year. She is such a busy girl. It was so wonderful to be able to be with her during such a special time. She has worked very hard and now she has accomplished her goal. I know she will be an excellent Doctor and healer.


The trip was fairly short (4 days) but fun. We had alot of family time. We drove around the
cities south of Phoenix. Went swimming alot and some other fun things too. We even saw a lizard crossing the road. How fun is that?

Schools out for Summer

You may have noticed that I have refrained from writing much about school this quarter.

Well, it was pretty grusome, but it was doable. Having a good teacher and supportive classmates helped make it obtainable. I managed to pass the class with an 85%. In Sinclair nursing world I needed an 86% for a B. But C = Continue!

I worked very hard this quarter. Harder then any before. But I have to say that I would not have been able to get through it without strength from God and the love and support of my family and friends. I know I say that alot but it is the truth.

Yesterday was bitter sweet though because while I was able to move on, some of my friends were not. I pray they will not let this defeat them and quit. We all had to give up so much and put so much on hold this quarter, to have to face doing it again must be very difficult. But if nursing is what they are meant to do, I know they will ultimately be successful.

Praise God for His plan for all of us! Thank you, Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the love, support and prayers!

It is not over yet, but I now feel like I can really do this.

Sunny California

A couple of weeks ago I went out to California for a friends wedding. My friend Beth went with me.
We flew into San francisco and spent half a day there. We saw The Golden Gate Bridge, Alkatrez, Fishermans Warf and rode a cable car through the city.




From there we drove about 4 hours South to a town called Cayucus. In alot of places there were only a mile or two between the ocean and the mountians. It very well could have been a glimse of what paradise might look like.
I got to see my best friend Jenny the next day and tried to help a little with decorating for her sisters wedding.
Beth and I hung out at the beach a little and did some other sight seeing. I think the thing we said the most was "This is so beutiful". We saw Herst Castle (Interesting story if you havent heard about it you should look it up). We saw hundereds of Elephant Seals. They were really cute but smelled really bad. We also got facials. How fun!! In between all this I of course tried to get as much studying done as possible because I had to come home to a test.
I really enjoyed spending time with Beth and being able to see Jenny, Jamie and their mom Susie. I hope to go back to the area some day with my family and reccomend to anyone. Jamie did a great job picking the perfect place for her wedding.