Archive | kruger RSS feed for this section

fudge bars. (23)

7 Apr

We used to have them all of the time as kids–a treat on the weekends or in the summertime or after dinner on occasion. I rarely crave ice cream (unless it’s Captain Sundae :), but tonight after getting home from our last birthing class, I sat down to blog and suddenly wanted a fudge bar. I don’t think I’ve had one in years. They might sound good when I pass them in the frozen food aisles at the grocery store, but I never buy them.

Enter Jason. He had just gotten cozy in the living room when I mentioned this random craving (Note: I’ve had very few cravings during pregnancy…citrus fruit, milk and cereal are my top three offenders). Rewind to a few days ago when J shared that he kind of felt like he’d missed out on the chance to get in the car at midnight and run to the store to appease a craving of mine over the past 9ish months. When your wife craves staples like milk, cereal and citrus fruit, there aren’t too many nights where grocery delivery by way of loving husband is wholly necessary at an ungodly hour.

Tonight, though, it’s Jason-the-wonder-husband/dad to the rescue. I didn’t vocalize my craving for any other reason than just to say that fudge bars sounded good, but J was up and at ‘em with record speed. Before I knew it, he was in the car and on the way to the store–and I’m feeling pretty spoiled right about now.

In the midst of this post, my phone buzzed with a text from super-husband letting me know that photos of three fudge bar options were waiting in my inbox. Sure enough, store brand, Fudgsicle and Skinny Cow fudge bars were looking back at me when I opened my email. And then J called to make sure to get the right ones. This is one of those moments where I just want to pin him with a “best husband of the year” award. I mean really, fudge bars at my beck and call at 10:30pm, directly following an evening in birthing class supporting me and learning how to best facilitate the healthiest, smoothest birth possible for our little babe? Maybe he could be the April cover guy for New Dad Magazine or something. If it existed, I’d nominate him.

So Kruger and I are just hanging out here, spending time with the blog and awaiting the deliciousness of a hand-delivered fudge bar to round out the night. We’re looking forward to “dad” getting home, as we often do, and I’m melting a little myself over the service coming my almost 37 weeks pregnant way.

feeling quite loved,

mm

noises. (25)

5 Apr

We are a noisy family…and we’re about to get noisier. I’m realizing this with company over tonight as we enjoy a rousing board game, pie and coffee at the dining room table. Kruger is under the table gnawing on a rubber bone that makes an incessant squeaking sound–lovely. It really adds something to the ambiance of the evening. Honest.

Dinner guests and game nights aside, the noises begin in this household the moment the alarm goes off in the morning. I’ve made a personal commitment not to embarrass anyone too drastically here on the blog, so I won’t go into detail about the kinds of noises that start bright and early, but trust me. They exist. And really, they just keep coming all day long. Barking, coughing, snoring, whimpering, burping, etc. You get the idea. I’m imagining this space with the additional crying and cooing and gurgling that’s coming our way, and as crazy as it may sound (no pun, really), I think that an even more well-rounded cacophony will make this place feel just that much more like home.

A house devoid of noise, for me, would mean a house devoid of my favorite boys–J and the pup. And whether this little one is a girl or boy, the new noises on the horizon will represent my new favorite addition to our growing family. I love that this is a space where everyone feels comfortable enough to “make some noise,” so-to-speak. I’d miss the veritable symphony otherwise.

Tonight, here’s to noise. And more of it. And to great company, and great games and great dinner and pie. Every bit of all of it makes me happy. Life is beautiful, isn’t it?

gurgle, crinkle, swoosh, (and maybe a poof! for good measure:),

mm

four-legged feature. (50)

11 Mar

Hi. This is Kruger. I’m blogging for my mom tonight. She’s kind of tired and looks like she’s had a long day–plus, I decided it was time that I get to put my two cents in about this whole baby thing. I’m not much of a writer, but I’ve been taking notes. And since mom has decided to be on her computer every night around this time, I think I understand a little more about what this “blogging” ordeal is supposed to look like.

First, a little bit about me. Most days, I wake mom and dad up; they don’t seem to understand how important it is to eat and pee early in the morning (although mom’s been getting better at this throughout the night). I guess you could say I’m the go-getter in this house. Once everyone is up, we do things like brush our teeth and get dressed for work, and I follow mom and dad around for a while. When they leave, the house is quiet. I check on things, watch out the window and mostly, I take naps. It’s a rough life.

When mom and dad get home in the evening, I’m really ready for some good conversation. Sometimes we play with toys or take a walk in the neighborhood. Then, I always eat dinner at 6pm. If I don’t, I get kind of irritable. Punctuality is important, I say. For the rest of the night (at least lately), mom and dad do things to make big changes around the house. Now they keep me out of certain rooms and are always telling me I can’t lay on the plush new carpet. I hate that. What am I chopped liver? Wait. Did someone say “liver?” Yum.

Anyway, the other thing we always do now is talk about this “baby.” I’m not totally sure what all of that means, but I do know that mom’s always saying stuff like, “Kruger, where’s the baby?” and “Are you going to have a little brother or a little sister?” I’m confused about why this matters to me. Apparently there’s something in mom’s tummy (she sure is looking funny these days), but all I know is that I can’t play with said baby or sniff it or run around and have it chase me. I’m hoping this will change. I do think something’s about to happen, because mom is different, and dad seems different, too. I don’t know if I like it, but I’ll weigh in on that later.

So, yeah. I’m the dog of the house, and I used to be pretty convinced that my role was clear to everyone. Now, I’m not so sure. I still have my bed upstairs, and my other bed downstairs, and I still get treats for good behavior and for coming inside when they call me. (With the weather getting nice, though, it’s a tough choice.) I like my family (mostly when they’re scratching my ears or letting me lounge on the couch), but I think I deserve a vacation from all of this baby talk. I dunno. Something tells me it’s here to stay.

It’s time for me to bug the happy couple about going outside again. Don’t they know it’s 10pm?!

on the fence about change,

kruger (for mm)

installation day. (64)

25 Feb

It’s here! It’s finally here! I have been growing increasingly impatient these past few weeks as we ordered and then waited for the nursery carpet to arrive. We could have ordered it sooner, but we took our time painting the room to make sure we were thorough, and we knew we couldn’t have the carpet show up any sooner than when the last coat of trim paint had dried. Then, of course, there was scheduling the installation and such, and so we shuffled baby things around from room to room for a bit as house guests came and went, and as the crib arrived, etc.

This morning, Kruger inspected the room one last time as Jason cleaned up straggling paint supplies, and then I gave the hardwood floors one last good vacuum.

good work, kruger.

Before 8 am, the nursery looked like this…

nursery floor, pre-carpet

By 8:30am, after a lot of pounding and banging from upstairs, it was looking a bit more like this…

And now? It looks like this!…

Kruger could hardly stand all of the excitement and was wholeheartedly determined to check things out after the installers left. I thought it best to let him sniff around for a minute. His vote? Tails’s up!

kruger checks out the new carpet. just once. :)

As for me, it was love at first “squish!”

ahhhh...

My toes are pleased, and I’m certain that baby’s will be, too. It’s sooooo soft and lovely.

don't they LOOK happy?!

The new carpet is light and fresh and just the right color, and I’m oh-so-delighted to have it in. Now we can put the crib and bookshelf together and start putting baby things where they’ll go. Next up? A crib mattress, bedding (in progress) and the dresser/changing table (still hunting for something that’s juuuuuust right!)

watching it all come together. hurray!

mm

baby’s best friend. (67)

22 Feb

Since we transitioned our bedroom into the nursery, Kruger (our two year old black lab) has been a little inside out. He made the move with us across the hall, consequently losing his space in the nook, his favorite window, and all rights to the baby’s room on the whole. At first it was because we were painting, but now it’s because baby is coming and I can’t stand the idea of dog hair in the new carpet, the crib, or anywhere else the little one is going to rest his or her sweet head.

This has been torturous for the clingy pup, who likes to follow my belly around everywhere (and especially into the closet and forbidden nursery). When the door opens, it’s obvious that he’s already calculated his next move as he darts past to sniff out the latest baby toy or shower gift. This morning was no exception.

Admittedly, sometimes I cave. He’s too cute, and fairly hard to resist. He made his way into my closet and cozied up on the floor under my hanging clothes. He was, as usual, inconveniently underfoot; I eventually shooed him out and finished getting ready sans my four-legged friend.

As I was leaving the house a bit later, I poked my head into our room to say goodbye to the little (ok, big) guy, but he wasn’t curled up in the usual spot on his bed. I assumed Kruger had followed Jason downstairs and was on the couch or elsewhere roaming around. But as I went to leave and called him one more time, I didn’t hear the familiar jingle of his collar anywhere in the house. He almost always follows me to the door, and something just didn’t sync up. I went on a little Kruger hunt here and there, and wound up upstairs again–no dog in sight. None, that is, until I opened up the nursery door. There, in the middle of the room, Kruger was all sprawled out and looking up at me as if to say, “What’s up, mom? And why’d you close me in here?”

I had to laugh. But more than that, I’m so thankful I had the little inkling to check on him. Sneaky as he is, I didn’t realize he’d cozied up again in the nursery, and I would have left him there all day with every baby thing and the leftover paint supplies to boot.

Kruger made his way downstairs and wagged me off to work as is routine. And I drove away thinking about how short-lived my ban on dogs in the nursery will probably last. I’d imagine just about until a 3am feeding, when the pup curls up on the floor at my side as I nurse and rock the baby back to sleep.

Our fine furry friend might be sneaky, but he’s as sweet as can be, too. He and the babe will be fast friends, I’m sure, and keeping them apart just won’t work. Kruger has become part of the furniture around here, it’s safe to say. Very few Kehrers in this household can go without a dose of him for too long and, well…apples don’t fall very far from trees :)

grateful for our trusty–albeit tricky, canine companion.

mm

sleepy in the sunshine.

trusty companion. (85)

4 Feb

It’s been a long few days around here, but after Wednesday’s events, Jason’s being sick until this morning and my getting sick last night, one thing is certain–Kruger is a trusty and concerned companion for the journey. Even as I write this, he is at my feet by the couch and waiting for me to head to bed in a short bit. Normally, he puts himself to bed between 9 and 10pm each night; he gives us one last look and then heads upstairs to call it a day. But when we’re sick? Wandering around the house with a glazed over look and napping more than usual? Kruger checks in every so often to make sure everything’s kosher. I’m convinced he’s even less needy when we’re under the weather.

What is it about a dog’s uncanny sense that something is out of sorts, I wonder? I’m convinced that Kruger has known for a long time that “mom’s pregnant,” with his ever increasing attentiveness to me and his determination to follow me wherever I go. He models our behavior and mood, glancing over with a gloomy look on his face as if to say, “I hope this passes soon, Mom. This makes me uneasy. Are you ok?”

Some people are dog people, others prefer cats, and some, absolutely no animal at all. I know I gripe sometimes about our frequent need for a vacuum around here, or the fact that Kruger just tracked snow all over a clean kitchen floor, but really…the upkeep factor seems a small price to pay for a dog who certainly “has our backs,” so-to-speak.

Tomorrow, when I’m feeling better (I hope) and things are bit more back to normal around here, I can guarantee that Kruger will be back to his usual self as well. His tail will come wagging on my side of the bed in the morning, the familiar thump-thump-thump waking me from a comfortable sleep or saving me from getting up too late. He’ll string us along as can be expected, come running when he hears the sound of the ice maker and look longingly at the back door when he’d like to play in the snow. I love the “little” guy (who happens to turn two on Monday:).

We’re looking forward to introducing him to the baby in a few more months, and we know that he’ll be just as trusty a companion then as he’s ever been.

kruger with jason. floor time!

telling kruger he's going to be a big brother :)

at the tulip time parade, one month after we brought him home. love.

the fam at dogarama in downtown zeeland this past august. makes me smile!

definitely a dog person,

mm

merry christmas. love, the kehrers.

25 Dec

2010 marks the first year that we stayed home for Christmas in its entirety. We’ve both been away for two Christmases before, but there were thousands of miles between us and our families then, and being just on the other side of the lake and still not “home for the holidays” feels very different. Still, in our own way, we’ve celebrated Christmas together in our little house this year. We’ve pondered what next year will be like, and how very different the holidays will feel with a little one in our midst. We’ve been grateful, reflective, restful. We’ve missed people we love, and loved people we miss, and we’ll probably always look back on this particular holiday as “the one that felt quiet and calm.” (In moments, I think we’d agree it feels almost too calm, but we’re certain that a baby will change all of that :)

And a baby did. 2,010 years ago. It feels good to celebrate Christ with intention, no matter how the schedule looks, what we’re having for dinner, or who we’re having it with. And it feels personal to be here in this house on our last quiet Christmas as “just us.” As much as I have longed for the busyness of family and food and presents in the silent spaces of the day, I’m also grateful for rest and good food and the company of my husband as we soak in what the upcoming year will bring.

Tonight, we wish you all of the most delightful parts of Christmas–along with the peace that comes in embracing Christ and His presence in our lives at this time of year. We pray that you have had your fill–of food, of gifts and gift-giving, and most significantly, of a sense of place and belonging in and amongst the bustle of the holidays.

From our home to yours this evening…

oh, Christmas tree!

oh, Christmas tree :)

i love the house at Christmastime!

nativity. the very best part.

stockings! (and one for baby k, just for kicks:)

joy!

wintry dining room table.

thanks to the timer...family photo!

baby k at christmas. 22 weeks!

kruger, caught in the act. merry christmas, fella.

grace and peace, always.

mm, jmk, baby k and kruger :)

home in a little blue house.

30 Nov

Whenever we travel home to Chicago, I’m always grateful for time with family and the chance to catch up on the weeks or months that have taken place in between our last visit and the one we’re sharing over the latest holiday. I’m also always grateful to come home, and to settle back into life in our little house in this little town.

I like it here, and I like the world we’ve created around us.

I think I used to be somehow afraid to make my own life, hours away from family and where we grew up–and close, only to things that are new to our lives since becoming adults and coming into our own selves. There are pieces of family and home that were once hard to say goodbye to, even if we knew we’d revisit them and go back to where all of the memories from childhood had their day. Nowadays, the people are still hard to say goodbye to when we go. But the places (and sometimes the spaces) grow less and less difficult to leave. When we come home, I’ve missed our bed, the toilet that runs through the night, our bookshelves brimming with titles, and the quirkiness of an 80 year old house. I like watching Kruger run around comfortably because he knows each room and corner and smell. I like it when we’re all tucked in and curled up for the night where we belong.

It feels like there’s been a lot of heartache at home (amongst family) as of late–job loss and illness, strained relationships, economic hardship, life slipping away. My inclination as a person is to want to fix it all and to make everything as good as new. If I could, I’d carry a magic wand around with me and wave off difficult circumstances. I’d pray away all of the complications and worries that have piled up around people we love. Going home makes all of these challenges very fresh again, and coming home from them, I’m left feeling as if wounds have been opened up anew in my heart. It’s been hard to learn that I can’t make everything right, and that no matter how hard I may be inclined to try, it’s not always my job.

Coming home after a holiday weekend suddenly makes the new life we’ve created very tangible to me again. It outlines and highlights the things I’m responsible for, the items I’m called to make a priority, the role I’ve been given to play. And even as I struggle to leave other things simply to prayer and compassion and love, I recognize that I have primary responsibilities as a wife and a mother where they didn’t once use to be. I’m thankful for this. I’m grateful for a few things that I know have to be a priority before the rest. It isn’t that I want to put anything aside, or that I love anyone less than I’ve ever loved them before, but there’s freedom in being able to define what has to come first.

It’s amazing how God is already using this little baby (who I now feel and SEE kicking and moving in my belly on a daily basis!), to teach me things about family and priorities and home. When I carry the burden and weight of too many other things, I’m now responsible for what toll it might take on my body, and consequently, what toll that might take on our unborn child. More than that, I’m also responsible for what toll it might take on our marriage. Priorities. Clarity. Definition.

I have been so blessed with family, for many years, from many angles. But now there’s one family that comes absolutely first, without exception. And it lives in my house. Our house. In a little town where we’ve created and are busy creating home. My heart will always stretch across the big lake on over to the other side, but it has to be here first. I would expect to be called to nothing less. So this, tonight, is me handing everything else over to God again and asking Him to take the heartache and burden and pain and to carry it. I just can’t do it on my own, and it’s harrowing to try. This is me setting down my worry in the best way I know how, and putting it to bed with the day. It will be there tomorrow, I know, but maybe it will be there in a little bit lighter form. Meanwhile, I have baby to nourish and a husband to care for and a family to nurture. There is life in this place. May it grow, and grow, and grow.

for the joy of the Lord,

mm

work hard, play hard, rest well.

29 Aug

It’s Sunday night, at the end of a lovely, stretched out weekend, and I am missing the outlet that this blog has become. Hello again.

The dog is stretched out on the floor in lazy, inspiring fashion. His posture says to me, “Live it up. Play hard, then rest with everything you’ve got. Live all that you can live out of the day, and fall into bed, content at the end of it.” Doesn’t seem too intangible after the past few…

At the end of my work week, Thursday afternoon and evening were spent meeting our friends’ sweet new babe, then catching up with a girlfriend over coffee. Friday was lazy–one of those days I felt guilty about at first, but was grateful for by its end. Yesterday filled up with Summer staples: the farmer’s market in the morning (tomatoes, cucumbers, butterball potatoes, fiery peaches, ciabatta rolls and my favorite fall blossoms by-the-plenty to brighten up each room of the house), lunch with family (visiting from Chicago), an afternoon trip to Frederick Meijer Gardens for more Chihuly and the Grand Valley Dahlia show (amazing!), appetizers for dinner at New Holland Brewery, ice cream at Captain Sundae and the tail end of the sunset at our favorite beach, topped off with a movie before bed. Today…awesome worship at church, lunch at home, a Sunday afternoon nap, dinner and reading at the beach, sunset and a walk with the dog when we returned. It made a world of difference to have the house picked up by Saturday morning, the yard all mowed and edged before lunchtime (Thank You, Jason!). And on this side of things, I feel rested and ready to approach another week. We worked hard, then we played hard, and we rested well.

I just don’t think there’s enough time in this life to waste opportunities to celebrate it with the people, places and things that we love. Amazingly, for all the additional time I’m allowing myself to just be, I’m also feeling more accomplished in the everyday things. It’s possible to clean in spurts, do laundry one load at a time, grocery shop in under an hour and grow evermore responsible with what we have and have been given, all the while better enjoying the life that’s in front of us. There’s more time to pray, more hours at home, more days with family and friends, more availability for others. And it feels so good.

Balance. Hard work. Enthusiastic play. Good rest.

As I look at the week ahead, I trust that it will be filled with good things. Unexpected blessings, healthy exchanges, new adventures. And it may contain curve balls I can’t predict, hard conversations or days that exhaust…but even those will be opportunities for growth, grace, love and celebration. This week, I’m going to choose simplicity. No frills. Even-keeled edges. I’m going to remove myself from spaces that aren’t life-giving, find outlets for creativity and energy and worship in the in between spaces. I’m going to work hard, in order to play hard and rest well. Join me, won’t you?

Here’s to the days ahead!

mm

tomatoes. and other things.

17 Jul

I had great intentions of blogging about any number of items today, but as I sit down to my computer tonight, I’m just too tired. I feel like there’s good reason though, so instead of foregoing a post altogether, I thought I’d share some photos from a day’s work. We were very busy in the yard today moving these:

now i can pretend we live in ireland, or england, or somewhere where we'd have dreamy rock piles and walls and such

from a large pile on our driveway that was remnant from our re-grading project earlier this summer. Remnant makes this pile sound small. There was not, however, anything small about it. We are very happy to have disbursed it throughout the yard, side yard, garden and landscaped spaces around the house.

Today was also busy because we transplanted these:

from seeds grown in the kitchen to five, full-blown tomato plants. delightful.

and these:

more seeds, turned into five, aromatic basil plants, plus peppers and garlic chives

and finished making this:

raised bed garden, with rocks to prevent runoff into the now-compost, someday-more garden, area.

This feels amazing, because to me, there is absolutely no better addition to the backyard than homegrown veggies and herbs–and because we built the raised bed garden a few weeks ago and it’s been sitting lonely in the yard until today. This photo shows the project mostly-done, but is not the finished product (which now includes chicken wire and will soon include pretty blossoms to brighten up the outside corners and keep pesky rodents/bugs/etc. away).

I asked Kruger what he thought about all of the activity, and this is what he had to say:

kruger with his favorite wheelbarrow and gardening tools

Not much, actually. But he did try to eat my tomatoes and basil before I got them into the ground. Such is life when you own a rambunctious black lab, I suppose.

Oh, there was also a lot of weeding today. In spaces like this one:

the corner of our patio, + hammocks

and many others here and there. I wore a swimsuit top and shorts thinking I’d get some color while weeding and make the most of the time outdoors, but I didn’t exactly calculate the angle my back would be to the sun in the heat of the afternoon. Not only did I plant tomatoes today, but I think tomorrow, one half of me will look like a tomato, too. Still, a small price to pay for so much productivity outside, and I’ll be glad for the color in a few days when it tones down.

My goodness, I LOVE Summer! I hope this weekend has been as Summer-y for you thus far as it has for me!

And now, an early bedtime for this tired girl, my green-ish thumb, and my slightly-too-sunny skin.

Sleep tight!

mm

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 297 other followers