Long Time...A Good Reason

I am sorry that is has been awhile and I know you all want to see how much the boys have grown.  We have had craziness in our lives lately.....all good though.  1st of all very exciting Kai is almost potty trained.  He is doing really well and we are excited and even better our daycare is so happy.  The boys are doing great.....they seem to play and want to be together more.  There a some pictures of them in bed or watching movies together.  Kai is always helping Kade get undressed or getting his coat off.  Always concerned if he is crying.  So fun to watch them interact.  The other crazy good news is we have bought a new house and sold our house.  We are waiting for all the loans to go through, but it looks promising.  Now we get to move in the middle of winter.  What fun!  So, I will be trying to pack as much as I can while I am not working or when kids are in daycare.  We are so happy.  We will be getting a much bigger house then what we have now....which is a huge blessing since we are on top of each other.  Well, that is about I got. 

When I uploaded the pictures I noticed the color of the bath water and that is tub color tablets.....so don't be grossed out and Kade is blowing bubbles in the pictures.

 Please check out more pictures of the kids: 

http://picasaweb.google.com/ekuempel/Bath2009?authkey=YDy6-rv7JGQ#

Good God Underwear

So, this title had to have gotten your interest :)  Yep I think I have posted a similar situation, but I think all parents will understand this.  We are really trying to get Kai potty trained, but man he is so stubborn (and no! I have no clue who he gets this from).  We have had good days and really bad days, but we are sticking to this.  I was out today getting groceries and I got Kai some new underwear.  And this isn't just any underwear it has all of his favorite characters on them.  He is so excited he is carrying all the pairs around the house.  He is putting them in his favorite dump truck and wheeling them around.  It is way too funny.  Oh and he has been wearing some as hats (I have posted a picture of this).  Man, he loves them so much he doesn't want to wear them.  He is still wearing the good ol thomas the train underwear.  

Kai and Kade are playing so good together.  They are partners in crime, but they are so fun to watch.  Sometimes they love each other and sometimes they want to kill each other, but it is so fun to sit back and watch them.  There are a couple of pictures of Kai and Kade kissing and hugging and then Kades favorite is bouncing on Kai.  What a kill.  Ok I met my quota on posts for the weekend.  Enjoy the pictures of the boys and we will talk to you soon :)  EK

check out more photos of the boys  http://picasaweb.google.com/ekuempel/KaiUnderwear2008#

Quiet House

Today is Saturday around 2:30.  All my boys are asleep and my dear dog Koda is also zonked out. Last night we had PK's Christmas party for his work.  It was so great to hang out with his coworkers and their spouses or significant others.  We had dinner and then to a local club for comedy night.  What a lot of fun.  My mom was kind of enough to take both kids and our dog.  When we got home it was so odd not to have anyone there.  Now....I am enjoying the quiet of the house.  I am getting into a better habit of cooking better and also cooking on Saturday or Sunday for the full week of dinners or leftover lunches.  This is to help save money and to eat better.  You never know my next project might be a cookbook...don't hold your breath....and where am I going to find the time?

Well, I hear my little on stirring, so I need to move people around so the other 2 can keep sleeping. Much love and you will hear from me I hope soon :)  EK  

Thank Goodness!

Thank Goodness we made it through the holidays.  It is so nice to have them here, but very nice when they are done and life can get back on track.  We have all kinds of crazy weather, but that is what you get for living in Iowa.  I hope everyone made it through the New Year without any problems.  Nothing exciting really going on here.  Andrea and Bryce made it for New Years.  We were so excited to see them and actually meet Bryce again.  It has been awhile since we have seen them.  We loved to see the interaction between all the boys.  And it was touch and go there awhile....Kai didn't really like Wrigley (Andrea's boxer), but in the end there were many licks to be had :)

Massage business has been very busy and PK is getting back into the swing of things since he took some time off through the holidays.  The boys started back in their normal daycare and we are so very to have Deb back.  But she deserved and needed a long vacation.  I hope everyone is well and I will keep you posted when I can.  Much love! EK

Here are some pictures of all the boys.  The one picture of Kai and his wireless laptop.  We will be learning a lot soon :)  For more pictures go to:

http://picasaweb.google.com/ekuempel/NewYearsEve2008#

Kai turns 3

Well, it has been a crazy Christmas week and my baby turned 3.  Where does the time go?  We spent Christmas eve with my mom and the kids had a blast.  They got this huge pop up tent fire truck/school bus and rocking chairs.  Still sad that Andrea and her family couldn't make it, but we hope to see them soon.  We made it to my sister and brother in laws for Christmas day and got to see PK's parents and our nieces.  So nice of them to open their house up to us.  We really had a great time.  We were suppose to head back to Dubuque Friday evening and got about 30 miles out and had to turn around because the fog was so bad.  Kade isn't much of a car rider, so very stressful for PK to drive in the fog and then I was stressed trying to keep the little guy quiet while PK could concentrate on the road.  We made it back home and then home bound due to the weather until yesterday.  That was a big day for us.  Kai turned 3.  We went to chuck e cheese for the 1st time and we all had a blast and will do it again real soon.  All I can say is Thank God that Hy-Vee makes small cakes.  I love them :)  Well, I hope everyone had a great Christmas and we will all be getting ready for New Years.

Much love....Paul, Erica, Kai, Kade and Koda Kuempel :)

Check out more pics:

http://picasaweb.google.com/ekuempel/Kais3rdBday2008#

Christmas Eve...Safe Travel

I hope this 1st of 2 or more posts finds everyone well.  We have finished our 1st Christmas gathering.  1st of all very sad.  My sister Andrea and her family couldn't make it due to weather and a bad roads.  I am very sad about this, but very thankful they stayed home and safe.  That is all that matters.  PK and I had to work this morning, but not long and then we made it to my Dad's house for gifts and great food.  It was so nice to be able to hang out with him.  Now...around 5 we will be heading over to my mom's house to hang out.  The weather will depend on if we will be able to head out of town to the other gatherings.  If you do head out please travel safe and don't take unnecessary chances.  Not worth it.

Here are some pics of the kids oh and PK painted most of our bedroom.  The green is what we are painting it.

Merry Christmas from the Kuempel Family in CF :)

check out more photos at: 

http://picasaweb.google.com/ekuempel/GrandpaXmasEve2008#

Iowa Winter Weather

Ok...not sure why we live in Iowa.  You are going to see this post a lot from me.  I guess I never really minded the snow, cold and even the ice.  But, now with 2 little ones and coats and car seats and ice...so on and so on.  We had our 1st bad winter storm this week.  I had a really busy day and the boys were in daycare, so everyone was safe, but I always worry when we are on the roads with them.  Crazy people out there.  Well, I am done working for the week and we are suppose to get another storm coming through tomorrow.  I will be dropping the boys off to Grandma's house in the morning to make cookies and I am going to finish up the rest of my Christmas shopping.  Then I am hopeful that we will make it home in time to snuggle in for the day.  

We are excited we will be meeting up with friends from out of town this weekend.  We hope to spend some time catching up about life and kids.  Oh another great thing...I finally got our Christmas cards, to I get them out as soon as possible.  Of course here are some pictures of the boys.

Much love! EK....stay safe on the roads.