Hudson at Home

It was a joy to bring Hudson home to meet his family.  The kids showed him his room and all his toys.  He is 3 days old in these pictures.

 Four days old.

 St. Nicholas night, what a great present!

Christmas Concerts and Cookies

Eva was excited to sing Christmas Bells and Away in a Manger at church with all her church friends.

 Luke at the First Grade concert singing, Sing Noel, I Saw Three Ships, and Jingle Bells.

 Eva and Luke make Christmas cookies at my work every year so here they are excited as usual.

 Eva singing at University Lake School, Little Jack Frost, Love in Any Language, Peace Like a River, and I Saw Three Ships.  I cried during the dress rehearsal because it was so sweet.  It was fun to see her so proud.

Three to Infinity

Hudson James Behrens Krause

Born November 29, 2012

7 pounds 13 ounces

20.5 inches long

For the past nine months I have been worried about being able to love three kids at one time. I love quality time with each of my children. I love carrying them and looking into their eyes. I love doing whatever they want whenever they want. One day I was asking Luke about how I was going to love one more child. He simply said that I would "love three to infinity." Luke was the one who loved me to infinity and then I loved him back to infinity. This goes back to when he was little and he wanted to express his love and he would say "Mommy, I love you 20... which then become 100, 1000, 20,000, etc..... then a google... and eventually "I love you infinity".  Luke was never worried. Now I see what he means. I love having one more to love. Love multiplies.

We really loved the name Hudson as a strong name with a long history. The first recording of Hudson as a surname was in 1466. Hudson Taylor was a protestant missionary to China that founded one of the largest mission agencies in the world. He was known for his service and sacrifice.  Henry Hudson was the first European to discover the Hudson River and Hudson Bay in his search for the North West Passage.  We love that the name reflects exploration and bravery. The reference to water makes the name enduring, steady, and constant. These are characteristics of his father that I hope Hudson will inherit. Dave picked James as a complimentary middle name. I also wanted to include Behrens which is my grandfather's last name. He had three girls so after he passes his name will not go on. I wanted to keep the name alive one more generation. I am also thankful to my grandfather for helping support the education of his great grandkids. Love you always Grandy.

The proud daddy

Thanks to all our visitors that made Krause three as exciting as Krause one.  (Gretchen and Michelle came in and out before I could get their photo.)  Here is my sister... 

Jackie and Dave

Dave and Mike

Beth, Boden, and Bennett

Joy

Leslie and Marlaina

Ready to go home and start our new life. 

 

This is Dave..... a long time ago I heard some advice on how a couple could decide when was the right time to have children.  The answer is when you have "more than enough love" between the two of you.  This is something that I reflected on as we made a decision to have a third.  I know it takes a lot of love to raise kids.  And some days the tank can be empty.  But, I had confidence that God would give Alyssa and I more than enough love and it would overflow onto our children.  When I first saw Hudson I knew we made the right choice.  He is a miracle.  He is a gift from God.  He is handsome and strong.  I enjoy holding him, singing funny songs to him, and calming him when he cries.  As he opens his eyes more each day I feel like I am getting to know him.... and I can't wait to know him more and more. 

 

Halloween Weekend

The kids, Luke, Grace, Eva, and Lily later joined by Reina and Ryan went to 27 houses and ran the entire way.  The kids loved trick or treating so much this year. 

One of Luke's friends hosted the entire first grade class for a Halloween party.  Here they are posing for a picture before the hike.

For the fall birthdays in my family we went for the hike with the cousins.  The kids sprinted ahead and tried to scare us by jumping out of the bushes.

 

Eva got her own girl cake this year.  She has always liked this Dora cake when she would see it in the store.

Sorry this one is a little off center, but here are Bennett, Andrew, and Boden with their Angry Birds cake and the rest of the cousins.

Now, on to a shower for Dave's sister Jackie.  Here she is holding Drew, the newest addition to the Krause side.

 

 Jackie and Riley completed a relay to test their physical readiness to have a baby, a drinking test, and a intellectual quiz to see who was the more prepared parent.  Jackie won 2/3.

 

Sunday hike with the kids