Some Adorable Pictures

These photos were taken by a student of mine last August. We were unable to upload the pictures from the CD on our home computer (it's just a temperamental old computer) but now that I have internet access on my laptop, we can post these pictures!

ELENA

EVA

CHRISTOPHER

Guess How Many Shirts . . .

Here is a picture I took of Eva a few months ago when stripes were her favorite choice of apparel. Can you guess how many shirts she's wearing? If you guessed 5, you're right! She still loves to dress up, though she's more into wearing tights and shirts these days (no pants or skirts, thank you very much. Just a shirt and some tights).

Here's a little update on us for 2010. I started the year off with an academic bang. In one week, I got three articles accepted for publication. This was a huge personal accomplishment for me. During that same week I accepted an invitation to speak at BYU's Women's Conference. Now that the "high" of that week has passed, and that I discovered I'm scheduled to speak to an audience of 1800 women in the Wilkinson Center Ballroom, I'm not exactly sure why I considered it an honor :) All jokes aside, I'm really scared out of my mind!

Chris has had an equally busy and exciting beginning of 2010. He is preparing for two upcoming roles (Marcello and the Count). He has also been working like mad to make Utah Lyric Opera Society shine. Their gala last fall was superb, this week's "Night on Broadway" performance should be a hit (Saturday, March 13th, 7:30 p.m. at the Covey Center in Provo), and one of the 3 Irish Tenors (as seen on PBS) is scheduled to come to Provo for the fall concert. The first ULOS full-length opera production will be Puccini's La Boheme next February. We've been trying to take turns sharing the full-time responsibilities of raising children and working. Some days work better than others.

Elena has had an awful round of colds during 2010. She recently recovered from a frightening bout of pneumonia, only to develop a terrible sinus infection a week after she returned to school. This week she was happy to resume piano practice, attend dance lessons, and enjoy two birthday parties for her friends. She continues to be an exceptional student (she has received a 100% on EVERY spelling test this year!). She is also an avid reader (anything about fairies, or Junie B. Jones). After I read "The Goose Girl," she listened to it on CD. Now we're reading the sequel , "Enna Burning," together. Of course she still loves Disney Channel, Webkinz, and sending people emails from her very own email account.

Eva also had pneumonia, but we recognized it more quickly, and she responded well to medicine. Even though Eva was sick, she continued to resemble the Energizer bunny. I don't know where she stores all of that energy in her little 28 lb. body! We decided to enroll her in a neighborhood preschool 3 afternoons a week to harness her intensity more effectively. It's working. Chris especially loves a peaceful hour or two when Elena's at school, Eva's at school, and Christopher is napping. We all love how much happier Eva is playing with friends and learning new things at school.

No pneumonia for Christopher, but he's had his share of earaches, a yucky cold, and some coughs. No school for Christopher either--unless you count the school of hard knocks Eva enrolls him in regularly. His 24-pound body will soon outgrow hers, and she will be surprised to learn that he can dish what he takes. I suppose natural consequences are a good learning tool . . . Christopher is now 16 months old. Last month he finally decided that walking on his feet was better than walking on his knees. I love watching him toddle around. He is also starting to say a few words: mama (much to Chris's chagrin, this also means dada), chee (for cheese), ju (for juice), lena (for Elena), nana (for banana), and gog (for dog or hot dog depending on how hungry he is).

Halloween Pics

Queen Elena

Wicked Eva

What a pair!

Happy Halloween!

Max William

Christopher now has a fellow male Kramer cousin (granddaughters: 9, grandsons: 2). On Wednesday, Emily gave birth to a beautiful healthy baby boy: Max William Chambers. He weighed in at 7 lbs. 8 oz., and was 20 inches long. Both mother and baby are well.

Since she thoughtfully posted a few pictures of Christopher after he was born, I thought I'd do the same for her. Here are two adorable close-ups my mom and dad took at the hospital (I have bronchitis, so I can't meet him yet---AAAAAAAAAARGGHHHH!)

Christopher's Favorite Things

Christopher is now 9 months old. Here are some of his favorite things:

Reading with daddy.

Playing with dolls.

Mowing the lawn

Being adorable.

Demonstrating his army crawl.

Hike to Stewart Falls

Erin, Christopher, and Chris at the base of Stewart Falls.


Chris, Christopher, Erin, and Geoffrey on the trail.

One of the first views of the falls from the trail.

Stewart Falls

My department offers the opportunity for faculty members to bring colleagues from other institutions to BYU to collaborate on research projects. This week I finally took advantage of the opportunity and brought another young professor to BYU. Aside from brainstorming and doing some initial data analyses, we took some time off to enjoy a hike in Provo Canyon to Stewart Falls. Chris and I originally thought it would be a perfect family hike, but my sister Eleanor convinced me that Elena and Eva might not do so well given some of our time constraints. Emily graciously offered to watch the two girls so we could still go. Since Christopher is still really stranger anxious, we brought him along in a hiking back pack.

The weather was fantastic--sunny and clear, but still cool enough for a hike. I had forgotten how enjoyable the hike is, how beautiful the view is, and how refreshing the mist from the falls is when you hike down to the base. After the hike we had to gert back to work, but not before we enjoyed a little Cafe Rio lunch.

Dance Recital

Preparing to pray with the other dancers before the show.

The flower barrette we made for the recital.

A congratulatory kiss from Mommy after the show.

A congratulatory kiss from Daddy after the show.

Eva, Christopher, and Elena

Elena loves to dance. Even when she was only 3 years old she loved to try new dance moves. Remember her salsa dance?! This past year she thoroughly enjoyed taking a creative dance class at BYU. The big dance showcase was Saturday May 16th. Elena's class performed a dance called "April Showers Bring Dancing Flowers." To accessorize her costume, Elena asked me to help her make a little flower barrette. We chose a coral color flower we already had in our craft drawer, and added a little yellow center because yellow is Elena's f avorite color. Grandma and Grandpa Kramer, and Grandma and Grandpa Holmes came to watch. Elena danced beautifully. We were so proud!