Kramer Family 101- The Dad

Look how much they look alike! Camping summer 2011.

He is such an awesome daddy! Late summer 2011.

Finn adores his Daddy and as you can see, always has!

Matthew in Holland. Love his eyes :-)

Matthew in The Middle East

Next, we are going to learn a little about the dad of this family :-). Matthew was the first & only child born to his parents in Gresham, Oregon. His mom said she got it right the first time, so why mess with perfection? Matthew grew up in a calm household (only child!), having the opportunity to enjoy all sorts of neat experiences. He started snow skiing when he was three years old & still enjoys the sport immensely. Raised in the Seventh Day Adventist Church, he attended Big Lake Youth Camp during the summer & was active in his Sabbath School programs. Matthew has been a lifelong vegetarian & is one of the healthiest individuals I know. He attended Portland Adventist Elementary & then moved onto Portland Adventist Academy (Mara attends the same elementary school!). After high school, he scored near perfect on his SAT. He attended one year at Walla Walla University and partial years at Portland State University & Mount Hood Community College, eventually earning enough credits for a general bachelor's degree but since he wasn't sure what he was wanting to do & then I entered his life & marriage & babies took over, he settled for a job as a diesel mechanic at Wholesale Truck Parts in Portland. I grew up working for my family's diesel truck salvage so I can tell you without being biased, that Matthew was (and still is) a very talented, capable mechanic. Besides rebuilding engines day in and day out, he started doing some side jobs, hauling all his heavy tools to the Troutdale truck stop & related areas to make repairs on semi trucks. He didn't care for working on the engine while they were in the truck but still did an excellent job. Being a mechanic for a living wasn't in his heart (besides the fact, that he was barely able to make enough to support the family) and going to nursing school was a desire he had for several years. It wasn't until we discovered that our son was on the way that we began praying a lot about a door opening for him to enter a nursing program. He applied to Walla Walla University Portland campus in March of 2010, scoring an almost unheard of perfect score on his entrance exam (so they told us)! Because we didn't know if he would be accepted into this highly competitive bachelor's program, he had to take some refresher courses at Mount Hood Community College just in case. He took those during the evenings & continued working during the day. It was a rather intense time as my pregnancy with Finn wasn't an easy one for me. In late May, he received the call that we had been praying for! He was going to be quitting his job in four weeks to begin a highly intense "summer start" nursing program. And intense it was! Finn was born halfway through & although he was able to be there for the birth, he was working on homework until my contractions became unbearable! We brought Finn home & he hit the books while I took on the responsibility of all three kids so he could keep up with the program. That was a very hard time for me and at some point, I may share my experiences and of how the Lord sustained me. Fast forward to 2012, Matthew has continued to make Dean's Roll every quarter & is set to graduate this June with his bachelors in nursing. When he isn't isn't school, studying or working on assignments, he is a devoted father to our children & I couldn't have asked for a better one! He doesn't play video games or watch T.V and that to me makes him worth a million :-). He still enjoys skiing when he gets the chance & loves to work on his cars. He also spends two days a week working for his dad's natural mattress shop making deliveries in between working on homework.Last June & July he was blessed with a long trip to the Middle East & although I was insanely jealous, he did bring me back some nice things :-). Our marriage isn't without its bumpy areas but I can honestly say that I have never regretted "hooking up" with him! I love you, Honey :-)

Kramer 101- The Mom

Mommy LOVES celebrating her babies!

Day Camping at Oxbow (and my hair has no grey so I don't know what's up with this pic!).

Finn, 3 weeks old with his parents.

Celebrating Gracen's 3rd birthday in Sabbath School

Mommy with the kids Spring 2011 in our yard

Looking like some sort of bird of prey

It seems appropriate to start the Kramer Family Blog out with a brief bio of each family member. Since I am the one writing this blog, I will take the liberty of going first :-). Born in Saint Helens Oregon, I was the fourth & last kid born to my folks. I have three siblings, Jim, Tom & Alice. People say Tom & I look a lot alike. That must be a good thing, because he is one nice looking dude :-). Most of my school years were spent at home being schooled by my mother. Busy, talkative & full of imagination would be a good way to describe me during those years. Some people might add in mischievous & slightly annoying but I will leave that part out :-). My family moved to Vernonia when I was 11 years old. Those were some of the best years of my childhood. Growing up I had horses, chickens, pheasants, dogs & cats. For a few years I participated in 4-H & was a very self-motivated young lady, bringing home champion trophies several years in a row (don't know what happened!). Although I was home schooled, I participated in cross country & track with the Vernonia high school & won several state titles as well as being awarded several full ride scholarships to state universities, which to many people's horror, I turned down. Graduating from home in 2000, I set out to see the world (well not exactly but it sounds so much cooler to say that)! 2001-2002 found me attending a Christian college in Boise, Idaho where I scored a 4.00 GPA while working at a care home for the elderly. Coming home from Boise, I moved out into a dumpy shack in the heart of Vernonia & went thought my share of trials & tribulations. In early 2003, I moved into a much nicer place & continued to work for my family's truck salvage. Matthew & I started dating & things moved rather quickly from there on out! Fast forward to 2012, Matthew & I are married & have three beautiful young children. We are a vegetarian family, who love the Lord & are looking forward to His soon return. My days are spent caring for the children, although somewhere inside of me, I do have other interests & hobbies :-). History, ships, WWII aircraft, backpacking, natural medicine, yoga & vegan cooking are some of my many interests. Some people probably call me a hippie behind my back but no harm done, I am NOT a hippie! Chemical-free, organic & natural are several phrases used regularly in my home but I can assure you that I don't sport dreads, crazy clothes or have a "natural" smell if you know what I mean. The body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit, and although I don't do a perfect job, keeping it healthy so I can further God's work is my goal. Spring of 2011, I started a small business selling soap nuts. If you haven't tried soap nuts, you are missing out on something special! I will be blogging about them at some point. I am not a natural born business women so things have been slow but I sincerely appreciate those who have supported Happy Suds:-). I also do Quick Books for two small businesses on the side. The revenue earned goes directly into supporting the family & I am proud to contribute. These days, I am a lot different than I was 8 or nine years ago. Although I still have a great sense of humor, I am more steady, gentle & at times stubborn than in the past. Relationships are very important to me. Not where I want to be, but praise be to God, I am  not where I was!

A Blog For The Kramer Family!

A lot of thoughts go through my head on any given day, in fact my mind is rarely not spinning & whirling. Starting a blog for the purpose of being able to write some of my thoughts down has been an idea for several months, now. Today seemed like a perfect day to give it a try. This blog is intended to keep family & friends updated on the happenings of my growing family & also is for me to express my ideas, opinions & share information. Feedback & comments are welcome as long as they are respectful to my family & myself. I hope to add lots of cool pictures as I get this blog program figured out. Please check back often, I will make it worth your time! Blessings from the Kramer Family