your mom goes to college!

Along with the almost constant prodding of my mother, this fine woman helped me accomplish my goal of attaining a bachelor's degree in just nine short years!!!

This sign always makes me think of playing basketball with a ball that looks like planet earth. Imagine me taking it hard to the rack for a two handed jam. Whoops, Derek Flake, was that your finger I just heard snap off between the ball and the rim as I posterized you!!! WHAT!!!
Jensen got very emotional about graduation...

Cecil and the fam. (Mom and Dad Kramer this is Cecil O. Samuelson, the President of BYU) You can't see it here but Cecil has his hand on my back and Heather put her and on top of his for what Heather said must have been 5 seconds before she realized what was going on. Everybody got more than they bargained for.

Dad had these kids eating outta the plam of his hand....at least until we tried to put them into their grad get-ups

Tradition Spirit Honor Paul Gabrielsen Austin Kramer
(this should be next years football slogan)
Am I really that freakishly tall? Note to self: next time, custom order low profile graduation cap!

Hi MOM

Hey kid... get outta the flowers!!!!!!!!!!

You can't tell in this picture, but I am totally housing my pants underneath

This picture pretty much sums up the day of convocation. All of us were tired and weary from work, driving, walking, pictures, and all of the hoop jumping. We were all just looking forward to achieving our goal...being done, or in Luke's case redeeming that ice cream voucher! Jence protested the day's events with a consciousness strike.

Don't get between this kid and his ampa (Luke speak for grandpa). BFFs

TOO CLOSE !!! At this point dad had had it with all the paparazzi. Physical retaliation ensued.


All were happy when it was finally over. Also, a little hungry.

Some more than others.

Life Sciences Convocation
I could hear tons of people including professors and administrators on the stand making a fuss about how cute Lukie was. I was a proud papa for a lot of reasons! Mom Flake made the gowns and bought the caps for the boys, they were the talk of the graduation.

the calling of the name

For some strange reason, this is one of the funniest things I have ever seen (as is evident in the video). This actually happened last time we were coming back from Utah after General Conference. We were bored and had this kids CD. I guess little kids like techno too, because it was on there, and Luke loved it. At one point in the video, I have my hand on my face in order to physically pry my eyes open. The tears from laughing made it impossible for me to see. I almost pulled over because I was laughing so hard I could not see anything. Even watching the video now still makes me laugh till I cry. Enjoy!

just havin' fun

A big Austin, and an up-side-down little Austin

This is why we don't let Luke do his own hair

He looks like the guy from Twilight with this hair

video on the top: So most people know I've been training for my first half marathon (my "thon" as I like to call it). Anyway, what most people DON'T know is that Luke has been training with me!

video on the bottom: Luke really loves Jensen. He loves to wrestle him, play with him and most of all make him smile or laugh. He is so good at it too and SO cute because it's so genuine. I wish I could catch the cutest stuff he does to make Jensen laugh, but since that seems impossible to get, this will have to do.

Sunny Weather

I really like this picture of mom. It was such a warm, sunny day - and spring break! Who wouldn't be happy?

Another Friday at dad's office for $1 lunch. This time, mom, Dillon and Cassidy came! It was really fun and so nice outside that we ate our there. Luke enjoyed the ice cream at the end! Dillon and Cass were so nice to watch the kids for us that night while Austin and I went on a date. Such good siblings.

Whenever Cassidy and Jensen are in the same room she has to be holding him! What a good aunt. She always says, "I can't help myself - he is just SO CUTE! I just can't help myself!" They're pretty cute together too!

The goodbye hug when she wouldn't see Jensen again for a couple of hours!

Now Dillon is "Mr. Cool." Nice diamonds on the side of them glasses, Dilly.

Luke's new favorite thing is helping to wash the dishes - mostly because he gets to play in the bubbles in the meantime. He is always saying "more bubbles, mom." but not that clearly of course.

Jensen has recently been able to steady himself sitting up in the bath. Now these two have SO much fun in there! Neither of them ever want to get out. Luke's favorite part about the bath lately is that he gets to use his water gun in there. Yesterday he learned that he's NOT allowed to shoot his brother. This picture was just before he learned that...Jensen was so unexpecting...

Luke tried to claim ignorance...

Look at those chubby arms! I will really miss the fat rolls all over his body when he starts crawling in a couple of months and totally loses it all.

Luke always has a good time at dad's office when we visit him. He loves to look out the window at the passersby. I think he's really heckling them.

Now that Jensen is a little older and less fragile, Luke thinks that he can really wrestle with him. Jensen usually doesn't mind it either (though this clip is not one of those times) and laughs and really enjoy it....too much of their dad in them...I don't think Luke got his love of doing dishes from his dad...

This N That

What a sad little boy, his kite crashed.

Jensen and his shades...Mr. Cool

Last summer, Bethany bought these kites for 50 cents, on Friday we flew them at a park. It was AWESOME! The weather and wind were perfect. We didn't even have to run with them or anything, REALLY fun! Thanks Bethany!

Such a pretty park. Jensen wasn't much into the day, but Luke had a lot of fun.

It was kind of cold and windy, hence Austin's sweatshirt around Luke and his leather jacket on Jensen.

This is the first in a series of pictures we took of Jensen, all of them are just as cute but just in case people are sick of cute pictures of Jensen, we only put up this one. If you want more (Ash) just let me know.

The boys and I decided to started a new tradition where we go visit dad at his office on Fridays when they serve lunch for $1. This was actually our first Friday and Derek happened to be there too. It was really fun! Dad took a bite right before the picture.

Jensen has been sitting up by himself for a couple of weeks now. He still hasn't rolled over yet.

Austin is convinced that Luke is going to be offered a contract by the NHL by the time that he's 18. I guess we can start him in hockey next year, in Iowa. Austin has already looked into it. He's for real.

Austin is "ready to go pro" too.

"Flakeshonor"

We met Ashley's friend today. We REALLY like him - mostly I think because he laughed at our jokes. We let him read Justin's "Flake Family Dictionary" and he still seemed to like Ashley so I guess he doesn't scare easily. We showed him how to use the term "Flakeshonor." I wouldn't be surprised it he starts using it in his every day vocabulary. (P.S. My hair is finally back to its natural color!! It was some SERIOUS work though!)

Ashley and Ben didn't know Austin was behind them on the couch. He's pretty easy to miss.

(Just for the record, Luke's not picking his nose.) I remember pretty clearly how Ben told us that he thought Jensen and Luke were so much cuter than Grace.

I think Ben adopted Ashley's favorite for his own favorite

Who wouldn't when he's got a mugg like this?

I'm pretty sure they're so happy because of the delicious dessert we made: homemade blueberry ice cream and fresh-out-of-the-oven apple crisp (made by Austin - so good!)

Jensen pretends to be clueless to the fact that he is Ashley's favorite.

Pojos Mojo

We went to Pojos family fun yesterday with Joel and Melanie's (my oldest brother and his wife) family. It was really fun. Luke rode on all of the types of rides you pass walking into WalMart, the ones that your kid begs to go on but you rarely let them. Yeah, those were definitely his favorites - his little dreams were fulfilled. Joel's boys were more interested in any game that would get them "100 tickets" which they eventually cashed in for junkie prizes - which they loved! Pretty fun time.

Austin couldn't wait for his favorite ride...bumper cars!

Jensen was like, "What is going on? This place has so many lights and toys...it is AWESOME!!!!"

This circus-desert donkey was a little confusing to me, I'm sure it had some issue with multiple personalities.

Pretty sure Preston beat Joel at air hockey each time they played. I told Joel he should play Austin, but I think he was too intimidated by Austin's skills.

As the famous Kramer says, "Giddy up!"

What is not pictured here are the three little kids on the outside of the bumper car gate, crying that they're too little to go on the cars.

This was Joel and Austin's favorite ride. They would get going really fast and ram into one of Joel's little boys, shooting them across the track - bullies!

This is how we made it up to those three little kids that were crying because the didn't get to go on the bumper cars.

The other day, Luke had completely destroyed the house with his toys everywhere. I told him if he cleaned up all the toys, I would give him a cookie. Twenty minutes later he walked into the kitchen, sighed and said "all done." He had cleaned up every toy and put it in the right box and everything. He had even put away some shoes that were out. The only thing that he wasn't quite sure where they went were Jensen's toys, so Luke just put all of them op top of Jensen while he was asleep in the swing!

I don't think Luke had this much fun in the exersaucer when it was his only toy.