The Krebs Family Blog

We're still alive. Yes the Krebs Family is alive and well. We took a bit of a hiatus from the blog - er - well I did.The last year and a half was a little challenging for us in our faith and trying to figure out just exactly what God had in store for us. But the dust has settled and it appears that through all the confusion and upheaval He had a plan in place for us all along which has landed us in Quaker Valley in a new house, new neighborhood, new schools and a new church. Well that's about it for now. I used the old notification list for sending this out. If you want to be removed from this list...or you don't even remember who the Krebs Family are...just let me know and we'll remove you.

I can't believe we have not updated our blog for 4 months.  We had a busy winter and we are very happy to see spring.  I put together some pictures so you can see what we have been doing and how much the children have grown.  However, Anji is growing very slowly. We've been to the doctor a few times and have had some tests run on her. The doctor doesn't seem to be too worried and assures us she'll catch up.. 

So here is Anji on her horse she calls "Chocolate" - named after a pony she rode last year at the Hartwood Acres harvest festival.  I found this on Craig's list and she loves it. It whinnies, neighs, clip-clops and loves to have its hair brushed.


Here's Carol (still an older picture - she has since lost a few teeth - see next photo). I wish I had a picture of me when I was this age. I wore my hair like this all the time.


Here's Carol and Jhon-Fredy for Pajama Day at school.  All the kids got to wear their PJs to school and they were served hot chocolate for snack. They thought is was so cool to wear their PJs in school.

This week is the week. Anji has been walking around singing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus and saying "HO! HO! HO! MERRY CHRISTMAS!" so we are definitely getting into the spirit of it all.

The kids seem to understand it more this year. Last year I think they were just overwhelmed. We really are trying to keep them grounded and focused on Jesus rather than the "getting, getting, getting" of presents.

One thing Donna and I have noticed is the amount of 'stuff' that the kids get during their school Holiday celebrations is unreal. The candy and food alone are insane. I understand wanting to celebrate and have fun but bubble gum for a 3 year old?!! And we're talking bags and bags of candy for Carol and Jhon-Fredy.

One thing we started last year (and are carrying it over to this year) is getting only 3 gifts a piece for each child. The thought behind that is that the 3 Wise men brought 3 gifts for Jesus). Seems to work pretty well with them appreciating the gifts that they receive (although the Grandparents - on both sides - tend to derail the effort!).

That brings us to this year's Christmas video. First off, Jhon-Fredy and Carol were WELL aware they were being taped and you'll see what I mean. Also...we are already rethinking the "put-the-Christmas-tree-up-and-get-the-Christmas-card-photo-all-in-one-day" approach for next year. It was a VERY long day with numerous meltdowns and "attitude adjustments". The biggest culprit? Anji.

In the last post we put the school pictures up and it is beyond me how they got Anji to sit so still for that picture. She was not going to have any of it the day we tried to do this. We were pretty lucky to get ONE picture that we would be able to use for the card.

One other side note - Carol HAS lost her right front tooth. However Papi was able to do a little Photoshop trickery and make it look like she hadn't. You should have seen her face when I showed it to her. She just couldn't wrap her head around it.


Well, please everyone, have a very Merry Christmas. We will be celebrating the birth of our Savior and thanking Him for the blessings He gives us everyday through our children.

Scott

Well we hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We had a nice quiet dinner over at Donna's parent's house and the kids discovered that they liked a lot more of the Thanksgiving Day 'spread' than they did last year. Particularly of note was Carol's fondness of Pumpkin Pie and Jhon-Fredy discovering cranberry sauce and gravy on his mashed potatoes. Last year they wouldn't even touch that stuff. Oh and Anji...well she really didn't spend too much time at the table to even find out whether she liked the food or not.

Then over the weekend both Donna and I got pretty sick. It's ok when one of you is sick but when you're both sick...tag teaming is really tough...Anywhoo we made it through and we all seem to be back in good health going into these next few weeks before Christmas.

An Anji update...her new catch phrase is "I'M BUSY!" (taken from Donna when Anji calls her and she replies "I'm busy!..I'll be right there!")...Anyhow this morning Donna and I heard Anji get up and go downstairs (5:45a.m.!).We waited a second then called out "ANJI?! WHATTER YOU DOING?"...silence then "IIIIII'MMMMM BUUUUSY!"...Donna went downstairs to find her sitting at the kitchen table all by herself just chatting.

Lastly we wanted to share the kids school pictures. They got them earlier this week and Carol asked that I post them on here. So here they are. Have a great weekend.

Scott

Carol


Jhon-Fredy


Anji

So when we upgraded the blog Donna and I said we were gonna try to keep it updated as best as we can...so check it out we are posting 2 entries in one months time!

The last week or so we've been dealing with some issues with Anji. Lemme explain. Two Fridays ago as Donna was picking her up at school, Anji's teacher mentioned that she would like to speak to Donna and I, that night, on the phone. Now we knew that Anji was having little trouble listening and following directions, but when a teacher invites you to a conference call on a FRIDAY night...it can't be good.

Up until 'the call' Donna and I were frantic. We wondered if the teacher would say that Anji just wasn't ready or that something was really wrong with her, etc. The worrying never stops.

So we finally get the kids into bed and give the teacher a call. Apparently she was concerned that Anji had some developmental issues. What? What does that mean? That she thought she may be a little behind in her behavior, social, etc. facets of her schoolwork. She suggested that we get her tested.

Of course Donna was on this like white on rice and had an appointment for testing the following Friday. BUT that didn't mean we couldn't worry a bit until then right? We most certainly did. We knew going into this that there could possibly be some prenatal issues with any children we adopted and this was the first thing we could think of. That before Anji was born something might have happened to cause issues with her development. We were told at many points along the way that this most certainly could be a reality no matter which children God had in store for us. Making matters worse is the fact that we don't have a lot of information about that time in any of our children's live's so we can only piece things together from what we do know.

Anyway, test day comes and Anji walks in...sits down at the table and proceeds to blow all the tests out of the water with NO troubles at all. The person administering the test said that she conveyed a "bring it on" attitude. So much for all the worrying we did that week. She passed with flying colors. There were some concerns about regression but since Anji never had much 'babying' when she was young, we were told that this was just her way of making up for lost time.

She truly is a blessing and continues to give us a run for our money each and every day...but OY! she is a challenge...

Carol and Jhon-Fredy also present their own unique challenges. This past weekend I needed to go to the store and get some new jogging pants and Donna and I had decided it'd be good to get Carol and Jhon-Fredy out for a while so I took them with me. Here's a little sampling of the conversation we had in the changing room while I was trying stuff on.

Carol:  Dad...why are you buying pajamas?
Me: They're not pajamas...they are for the gym.
Carol: Well they LOOK like pajamas...
Me: Hmm yeah I suppose but they aren't
Carol: I think they look funny...those pajamas
Me: They aren't pajamas.
Carol: Well I think they're pajamas
JF: What pajamas?
Me: Carol...WHY would I wear pajamas to the gym?
Carol: I don't know...
Me: Well there you go.
JF: Where are we going?
Me: Nowhere I was just trying to make a point with Carol.
JF: What point?
Carol: About Dad's pajamas
JF: What pajamas?

You get the picture...and this goes on and on and on...they are a trip...and I gotta hand it to Donna who deals with this stuff the most on a daily basis.

Well lastly, we only have one picture for you this time around. I've been working out with my trainer Rob Boyce (http://www.teamachievefitness.com) for almost a year now. (Best trainer you could EVER have, by the way, you really should check out his website - he's gonna start doing online training). Anyway, Rob is a Mixed Martial Arts cage fighter and has gotten me involved a bit. I've gotten into grappling with him a bit and learning to box as well. I've even gone so far as to hang up a punching bag in the garage to practice and of course Jhon-Fredy is in his glory - and we're hoping it'll be a good outlet for his aggressions. The other day I went out and bought him some boxing gloves (or as he calls them 'glubs'). Well here's a picture of JF sporting his new 'glubs' and his stance as he's waiting to show the bag what for. 

Alrighty, we've upgraded our blog - pretty slick huh? Check out the new features on the right.

Well it's been a busy fall so far. All three of the children are in school. Anji goes to preschool 3 times a week. Jhon-Fredy is in all day kindergarten and Carol is now in 1st grade.. All are doing well and seem to enjoy it...Anji especially likes to 'dress for success' and can't wait to show her teacher her dress when she walks in.She comes home singing songs and with armloads of of 'work' that she colored, painted or drew that day. Telling us all the stories about her day.

We were a little worried about Jhon-Fredy when he first started. Mostly for the fact that it was going to be a big adjustment moving from home structure to going to school all day...every day...5 days a week. But he didn't skip a beat. He does well in the classroom and has even gotten student of the day once.

Carol...well Carol is very determined. She is an insatiable reader. For 'fun' she likes to sit and do worksheets/workbooks...go figure. But I can't tell you how amazingly fast she picks stuff up.

All this keeps Donna pretty busy and on the run during the days. We thought that when Anji started school Donna would have a chance to get some errands done while Anji was at school...but it just seems that every week something comes up and that time gets filled with something else. But I know I'm preaching to the choir.

For the most part tho things have been pretty uneventful - I just can't believe its November now. The time just flies. We did take the kids to the doctor's last weekend for their flu shots. Pretty funny story there. Carol and Anji...well let's just say they really weren't looking forward to going. While Jhon-Fredy was walking around like Mr. Tough Guy saying "it won't hurt". Anji screamed the whole way there while Carol just whimpered in her car seat. When got there we walked in and when it came to our turn Anji went first. Even though we were in Greenfield I'm pretty sure they heard her all the way downtown when she screamed. Carol actually did really well. Didn't cry or whine. But Jhon-Fredy was hilarious. He came into the room and started talking out loud - playcalling the whole situation (he does that when he gets nervous)..."Ok there's the nurse...there's Papi...I'm just gonna get up on Papi's lap now..." then when he looked over at the tray where the syringe was he said "Oooh...this isn't going to be good..." but when I tried to hold him he said "I don't need to be held!" stuck out his arm and got his shot. No problem. On the way home Anji said "The doctor gave me a mean shot!".

As I write this the kids are right outside the window raking the leaves. Last night was Halloween and they had a blast. Anji kept running up to people's houses singing happy birthday and blowing out their candles/jack-o-lanterns then clapping and saying "Yay!". Here's pics of them from last night:


  

Also, Anji has really gotten into singing. She now does this thing where it's 'Showtime' and she starts to yell "I NEED A MICROPHONE! I NEED A MICROPHONE!". Then, whoever is available (or even if your not) has to go up to her room with her and we all sit on Anji's bed while Anji gets on Carol's bed (a.k.a. The stage) and sings to you. Here's a bootleg clip at one of her concerts - enjoy:

I am not sure where to begin. It was an amazing 3 months and I am still trying to recover from it all.

Summer started with our trip to Kennywood Park on Memorial Day. I am not sure the kids had any idea what to expect and they really were overwhelmed by it all. We decided to start off in kiddyland but had to walk through all the big rides to get there. I saw the big merry-go-round and thought that would be a great first ride. So we got in line and Jhon-Fredy and Anji ran to get on a horse that would go up and down and I turned around and saw Carol looking a bit scared. She didn't want a horse that went up and down and climbed up a stationary one and was holding on for dear life. Here are some pictures of "the first ride".

We headed to kiddyland and after a ride or two they all couldn't wait to get on the next one. They had so much fun. Scott was determined to get them on a big ride, so we decided on the log jammer but didn't tell/show them the large hill that they would come down. I got Anji an ice cream while they rode the ride and she ate the whole thing!

It was a great day for us and we decided to make that our Memorial Day event every year.

Next we had Carol and Anji's birthday party at our house. Carol turned 7 and Anji turned 3. They wanted a Dora cake since we call Carol Dora and Anji Boots. It was a beautiful beginning of June day and the kids had a blast.

A week later on June 15th we boarded a plane and headed to Savannah to visit Grandpa and Grandma Krebs and Aunt Mary. They rented a beach house on Tybee Island and we spent a wonderful week together. The children LOVED the ocean and Anji would yell at the waves and shake her finger when they knocked her down. I don't think I ever sat down because they didn't want to get out of the water. They also enjoyed walking up 175 steps to the top of the lighthouse. Well Anji made it the first two flights and I carried her the rest of the way up and back down.

10 days after we got home, we packed up the car and headed east to Ocean City New Jersey. There we met up with my sister and husband and 2 kids. They have a beach house and our kids got to spend some time with their cousins. We had fun at the beach, riding bikes, walking the boardwalk and just running around the house. Here is a picture of Anji on the back of Scott's bike and Carol and her cousin Mark. They got along great.

So now it was the 2nd week of July and we finally were able to spend some time playing at home. They loved playing in the back yard and of course going to the swimming pool. They had their first watermelon and they all loved it.

On July 26th, we celebrated our one year of being a family. We decided to spend the day together and see the sites of downtown Pittsburgh. We started off at PPG Place that had the water coming out of the sidewalk. They laughed so hard and couldn't believe we let them run through it with their clothes on. Little did they know I brought a change of clothes for them. Then we headed up the incline to the top of Mt. Washington which overlooks all of downtown. I don't think we could wipe the smiles off their faces as we went up the mountain. After that we went to a place called Station Square. They had a huge fountain that had "dancing water" to music. They all love to dance. We then ate outside at Joe's Crab Shack and then headed home to treat them to ice cream. It was a very memorable day and a great family day.

Our next Big event was Grandpa's and Grandma's 50th Wedding Anniversary party in August here in Pittsburgh. It started off on a Friday night with a wonderful dinner and a chance to see family we have not seen in a while. We had family from Georgia, Florida, Virginia, California, New York and Pennsylvania. On Saturday we had a big picnic at Keystone State Park. I wish we could do this every year. It was so much fun.

So then I had about 10 days to get them ready for school. Carol is now in 1st grade, Jhon-Fredy is in all day Kindergarten and Anji goes to preschool on M-W-F mornings. They all are doing very well and I have the only 3 year old who has a melt down when she has to LEAVE preschool. Here is a picture of Carol and Jhon-Fredy on their first black and gold day!

I think I covered most of the summer. I have now saved the best for last. Here is a video of our summer starting with Jhon-Fredy's birthday in April. Enjoy and sorry it took so long to update everyone.

Hi everybody,
It has been 10 months since we met our children. Scott put together these before and after pictures. I can't believe how much they have changed in less than a year. Take a look and see what you think.

Anji Paola Krebs

Jhon-Fredy Krebs

Carol Dayana Krebs

We have been doing great. I had my first Mother's Day and although the weather was not so great, I had three bright and happy children who gave me lots of hugs and kisses that brightened my day. We also had our first birthday party for Jhon-Fredy who turned 5 in April. He had a hockey theme party and this is a picture of his present from Scott. He would sleep in it if we let him. He is so excited and calls himself Jhon-Fredy Fleury. Fleury is the goalie for Pittsburgh. LET'S GO PENS!!!

We are looking forward to the summer and meeting and visiting more family. Our first trip will be in June to Savannah to see Grandma and Grandpa Krebs and Aunt Mary. Then off to Ocean City New Jersey to see Aunt Natalie, Uncle Alan, Mark and Anthony. Then in August Scott's parents are having a 50th wedding anniversary party here in Pittsburgh.

They also want to swim, learn to ice skate and go to Kennywood our local amusement park. I have a feeling I will be very busy.

Thank you all for your continued support. I couldn't do this without you all.

Donna

*** DISCLAIMER ***
Since we haven't updated this thing since Christmas this may be a long entry. We're sorry for the delays but...oh forget it. Just read and catch up. There's a video somewhere in here too so there IS a payoff.

The last few weeks we have been reflecting on the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Knowing of the new beginning that He gave us through His death and rising makes this first Easter together as a family that much more incredible! So with this joy in our hearts we say hello to you with this first entry in three months...please tell me where does the time go????

PAPI NOT NICE!
That's Anji's new catch-phrase...anytime Papi lays down the law she pulls Donna aside and tells her that Papi isn't nice. The other day we went to get the kids 6 month checkup and when the doctor was looking Anji over she asked how Anji's verbal skills were coming along...was she stringing sentences together? Yeah sure:

• PAPI NOT NICE!
• NO, PAPI, NO!
• PAPI STAY HERE! (said after leading me to the furthest ends of the house from where she was getting into trouble)
• PAPI I WANT MAMI!
• NKAIROT ANFEK ANDK EITHA...PAPI! (with her finger pointed in my face)

So needless to say Anji has become quite vocal (er...mostly towards Papi) but she is looking healthier than ever and really is a blessing to us...she is so independent. We are continually amazed at the things she does and understands. We can be downstairs and she'll tell us she needs a new diaper on. So we tell her to go get one. She'll bound upstairs...you can hear her running down the hall to her room...open her dresser drawer...only to come back downstairs with a new diaper AND lay down on the floor so you can change her.

As cute as that may be - bedtime continues to be a challenge with her. I gotta say that we really can't complain too much. All three of our children are really pretty good about sticking to the routine. However, with daylight savings time having just happened - Anji is quite confused as to why she needs to go to bed when it's still light out. Much to Carol's (her roommate) consternation. I think I mentioned in the last entry (way back in December) that Anji had figured out how to break free from the bonds of her crib...so all our lives changed at that very moment. Now she has a 'big girl bed' and has a tough time understanding the concept of STAYING IN IT. We are definitely getting our exercise running up and down the steps going to check on her every 10 minutes.

7-7:15 pm - it begins
Anji IN her PJs and IN her own bed. The door closes for the first time. Donna and I head downstairs and wait. Much vocalization follows about needing more milk or wanting Mami, etc.

7:30pm - Check-in #1
Usually ends up with picking Anji up out of Carol's bed and placing her back into her own. As you leave the room Anji tends to try to give you false hope by saying "shhhh" with her finger over her mouth...I fall for it everytime "Wow I think she's got it..."...

7:45pm - Check-in #2
No PJs...only a diaper...and yes the rumor is true - we DO use duct tape to try and keep her from taking that off as well...

8:00pm - Check-in #3
You're getting the picture

8:15-8:30pm - Check-in #4
Carol usually tends to have had enough and pulls the covers over her head with Anji climbing on top of her begging her to play some more...and by this time Anji has had on about 2 different outfits

8:45pm - Check-in #5
You open the door really quietly...from the darkness you hear "HI PAPI!"

9pm - Check-in #6
All's quiet...sometimes a stir then out...but on the average...she's done...

When Mami and Papi go to bed - last Check-in
We re-dress Anji in her PJs and cover her up. Man is she cute...when she's sleeping

So now onto Jhon-Fredy
'The boy' has been good. He is growing in leaps and bounds. He has become somewhat of a little tank - by putting on 5.5 lbs. He is quite solid. He enjoys:

• Sports
• School
• Playing with his cars
• Playing (er...hunting) his stuff animals
• Irritating the crap out of his older sister

The other afternoon, Donna caught a little March Madness. Her and Jhon-Fredy were watching Pitt (GO PANTHERS!) take on ORU in the first round. Of course Jhon-Fredy had tons of questions:

JF: Can you fight in Basketball?
Mami: No buddy, you can't.
*Pause*

JF: Why?
Mami: Because it's not part of the game. It's against the rules.
JF: Ohhh.
*Pause*

JF: You can fight in Hockey?
Mami: Yeah, bud. Fighting is allowed in hockey.
*Pause*

JF: Why?
Mami: Because it's sorta part of the game. It's against the rules but you can do it.
JF: Ohhh.
*Pause*

JF:: Mami...I like Hockey.

The kids on the whole have a way of making you keep your life in perspective. They'll say or do things that really make you realize why you were put here on earth. Since the beginning of this whole adventure Donna and I have been convinced that we were brought together to provide a home for these three children. That God blessed us with all that we have so that we can share that life with Carol, Anji and Jhon-Fredy. However, Jhon-Fredy has acquired the knack of cutting to the chase and putting his perspective on my life pretty quickly. The other day, as I was walking out he door to go to work. I yelled out "GOOD-BYE!"...and Jhon-Fredy yelled back "HEY PAPI!...GO TO WORK TODAY!...MAKE SOME MONEY!...SO YOU CAN BUY US FOOD!"...thanks kid...moving on to Carol...

Simply put...Carol is amazing. It's truly hard to believe that a child could experience all that she has experienced in the last few years and still continue to shine the way she does. I think I'd have to say that she is one of the strongest people I've ever met. Stories keep coming out about her life in Colombia, her birth mom and her foster home situation. The incredible part is she talks like it's just part of life. That every 5 year old has to take care of her little brother or sister, cuz Lord knows who else will?

Donna and I have tried to allow her to be a kid. It's tough sometime tho, because she is so mature most of the time and you come to depend on it. At one point Carol had been mentioning how Papi works a lot and how she'd like to spend some time together, just her and I. So one Saturday we decided to spend the day together. I had a few errands to run but for the most part she wanted to go to lunch and then take a walk (her choices). So we went to get the oil and filter changed on the car before heading to lunch. We had to wait a bit so we had a seat in the waiting room. Couple of minutes later I look over and Carol is reading the newspaper. Totally holding it up like all the other people sitting there and flipping the pages. I laughed so hard.

Finally, over the last few months Jhon-Fredy and Carol have been involved in a street hockey league at the YMCA. They took to the game pretty quickly. They really enjoy running around. Carol gravitated more towards playing offense and Jhon-Fredy leaned towards goalie. I think he likes wearing the pads and the mask. It's also safer with him in goal...for the other kids. When he's out on the court he tends to play 'the goon' taking out both the opposing players AND his own teammates.

Well, God bless all of 'yinz'...Happy Easter!
Scott, Donna, Carol, Jhon-Fredy and Anji