2. December 2010 by Kelly.

Many ideas grow better when transplanted into another mind than in the one where they sprung up.
Oliver Wendell Holmes When my sons were born, my wife and I had no idea that they would be born with Down syndrome; 13 years later we also discovered that they also have Autism Spectrum Disorder, talk about your catch 22. For the first 9 years of my sons’ life, I searched for the elusive answer as to why I had been given such a gift (that being my sons’). The question I asked everyday was, ‘what is it you want me to do?’ Which of course led to my next question, ‘are you listening to me?’ 

One day I asked these out loud and someone that was listening answered, ‘your questions are being answered over and over, every time you ask; pay attention and you will see the answers that you seek.’ So I wrote a book, in a way it was self therapy, I said what I needed to say on paper, got it off my chest and out of my head for all the world to see. As I was writing my book it became obvious to me that I was not the only one asking the same questions I was; the answer I found was that there are thousands of parents, family members and care givers looking for ways to improve the lives of the developmentally disabled. In the

 Sure most kids that are born with a developmental disability are rarely institutionalized anymore, medical care is better leading to longer life spans, Special Olympics has gone global and my sons have attended public schools with their neighborhood friends for the last ten years and all this is good, but it isn’t good enough. My children require constant supervision for their safety; what happens when they are finished with high school? Secondary education at this point is not a realistic option nor is early retirement for my wife and I; so what next? There are programs that can be modeled that offer services such as job training, day programs, work assistance and the like, but these models have taken years and years of trial and error and millions of dollars to fund and most of them would be nonexistent in short order if their funding suddenly stopped. 

So . . . what next? What is it that really needs to be done? Warren Buffet is an investment visionary; Bill Gates started Microsoft and now he and his wife help people living in third world countries live better; Oprah Winfrey is the most influential woman in the world and is known as the greatest black philanthropist in American history; J. K. Rowling created Harry Potter and is described as “rags to riches” and I could go on and on. So what do I do; I was born the son of middle class hard working parents in rural Wyoming (like there is any other way to describe Wyoming) and I am a high school graduate, I have a loving wife and twin boys and my wife and I work hard to make ends meet, but the ends meet and our sons depend on us and always will; so my idea in my book is still growing, be it slowly and so I ask, ‘what ideas do you have that seem to be only the IDEA stage?’ Or maybe you have an idea that has become reality; how did you do it? What did you use as inspiration when you had your biggest doubts and what advice would you give people like me to persist? 

Momentum; I love that word, for in it holds the key to getting things done . . .   Frances Willard
The world is wide, and I will not waste my life in friction when it could be turned into momentum.

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30. November 2010 by Kelly.

The most rewarding things you do in life are often the ones that look like they cannot be done. -

The Blind Dog Wins – Chapter 12 The Trials and Triumphs of Down Syndrome © 

Ever had one them days where you didn’t feel like doing anything, seeing anyone; all you wanted was to be left alone . . . but for what? So you can worry about unimportant stuff, make yourself sick over things that don’t matter. Feel sorry for yourself and see if anyone joins you . . . put off today what can wait yet another day and put enough of those days together and you’ll have a life time of ‘what if’s’ and ‘what could have been’. 

In addition to our sons and their disabilities, we also have a dog that was born without eyes, her name is Kookie (pronounced ‘cookie’) we adopted from a local rescue and our other dog is Peanut Butter, adopted from the same rescue. Kookie is an amazing addition to our family and our lives; she knows her way around our home and back yard and can sense each of us as clearly as we ‘see’ each other and yet her senses are far keener than our sight. And no matter how many times she hits her head, she persists in her relentless pursuit of Life and bringing joy to all she encounters.  

Standing about 1 foot tall and weighing 10 or so pounds doesn’t slow her down and she is a true ‘ankle biter’ and loves to chase the boys up the stairs all the while nipping at their ankles. During the heavy snow months it is fascinating to watch her bound through the snow in the back yard; she exemplifies the meaning of ‘no fear’. She is our truest and most faithful friend; loving us not for what she ‘see’s in us’ but for what she knows and trusts in us. 

If she can sense this much ‘good’ in me then why would I ever question it myself and if she can approach each and everyday of her life without eyes; why should I waste even one day in worry, fear, regret or remorse in the thought that I’m having ‘one of them days’.  

On a side note, a friend told me of a story reported on CBS Sunday Morning, check it out at www.wheresmolly.netThanks for reading and for your comments.

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22. November 2010 by Kelly.

This week in the

Freedom, those that have served our country and those that serve her still; God, for everything; my wife for saying ‘I do’ and meaning it; for my sons, my everyday inspiration; my dogs, for loving me. For my health and my doctors for helping me keep it; for my employer and the checks he provides me; for those that read this, hopefully you benefit from it in some way; and for everything I have in life and for all that I will ever achieve, for if not for all the above, my life would be unfulfilled.

Seems quite simple doesn’t it, my life and the things I am thankful for; how about you?

One of my doctors is my dentist and I am thankful that she helps me retain my smile; and to pay it forward, I share my life with you in hopes that you too will smile. The older I become, for which I am also thankful; the more I like to give than to receive; how about you?

A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.
Jackie Robinson 

My sons have presented me with life’s greatest gift in that their lives have impacted me so much, that I would be a fool not to share it with you. 

Simple yet, how many times during the day do we forget that what we are doing is impacting others, whether or not we admit it, recognize it or not. And this too impacts how we deal with others and how they deal with us, which leads us in either a vicious circle or a life well lived. The choice is simple, the act takes effort. 

We trust in those that care for and teach our children when we send them to school, this is true of all parents; however parents of children with special needs also trust in those that care for our children with their safety; just the other day, Hunter decided to take a trip to the swing set on the school grounds without permission or knowledge of his care taker. Thankfully he was located within minutes as the entire school was alerted of his absence and when his mother arrived at school to retrieve him, she asked that the ‘campus police officer’ reprimand Hunter for his ‘poor choice’ for his safety, to which the officer replied as he looked at Hunter (Hunter having tears in his eyes) ‘oh no, I cant scold him, look . . .’ but after careful consideration and with a stern face the officer knelt down and looked Hunter in his teary eyes and said ‘what you did was unsafe and it scared everyone, please don’t do that again, ok’. . . . . Impact . . . 

Happy Thanks Giving

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16. November 2010 by Kelly.

To make a difference in the lives of my sons, my family’s life, and families in similar situations and for those that find their lives being marginalized because they have a developmental disability. 

Those who cannot tell what they desire or expect, still sigh and struggle with indefinite thoughts and vast wishes.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Imagine for just a few moments that you are unable to speak or communicate your dreams and desires nor your thoughts and feelings; this is the life my sons live every day. 

Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Those currently on the ‘wait list’ for services in the state of

I believe there are good if not great organizations through out this world that have tremendous talent working or volunteering for them right now, but they need help financially to continue to grow and touch more lives and I believe that I can support this financial need, in writing; that’s why I wrote my book. 

But I cannot do this by myself, I need and want your help; if you’ve read my book, please tell others about it or if you haven’t, would you please consider it? Please tell your friends about me and my ‘mission’ tell them of this blog or my website or ask them to become fans of Kyle and Hunter on Facebook.  

I value your time and your friendship, thanks for reading. 

You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

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8. November 2010 by Kelly.

I was asked to submit a 500 word or less story to a Down Syndrome publication; thought I would also share it here: 

Kyle and Hunter Krei are twins; born in 1995 both with Down syndrome and both have Autism Spectrum Disorder; only children to Kelly & Michele. Life as we know it changed the day our sons were born; beyond our grief and confusion, these two little boys quickly grabbed our hearts and have grown to show us that we should live everyday with purpose and passion.

We have been blessed that our sons have been accepted in the neighborhood and community and that they have attended public schools and are now sophomores in high school. Along the way, they have learned from therapists, teachers, fellow students, family and friends; but we have learned far more from them than they will ever learn from us. 

Our biggest inspiration in life comes from them in that they never complain, about anything, and that they love us unconditionally. Of the many lessons we have learned, none is more important than patience; without it our lives would be consumed with chaos, but within the lesson we have learned more about ourselves and how we can give more so that others can live better.  

Being our only children, my wife and I approach each day with this sense of purpose; that we build a better life for not only our sons, but the developmentally disabled community; that inevitably one day when we are no longer on this earth together, that they continue to thrive and are not subject to living less of a life than they do while we are here. Our passion and commitment go beyond advocating, we truly feel honored that we serve as diplomats for a community of people and families that live most of there lives being marginalized. 

Kyle and Hunter served as the inspiration for their father’s book The Trials and Triumphs of Down Syndrome ©; the book tells the story of the lives of the Krei family from birth to the age of 14 and how their birth affected the marriage, relationship and lives of Kelly & Michele and plants an idea of how they can impact the lives of the developmentally disabled with the proceeds of book sales. It may seem a rather odd idea, but Kelly believes that funds of unimaginable amounts can be raised by sharing what we have learned. In a day and time when so much is made of those who have so much and make so little of themselves; Kyle and Hunter serve as inspiration with their infectious love and zest for life.

Thanks for reading . . . 

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4. November 2010 by Kelly.

When we were first married, my wife and I really had no idea how good we had it before we had our sons, or maybe, just maybe we had no idea we would have it so good with Kyle & Hunter.

It seems that our biggest joys come from the simplest of things; last night for example, I stopped at the grocery to pick up a few things and I noticed that Toy Story 3 was for sale, so as a treat for my sons, I purchased one.

Upon arriving home I summoned both boys to the kitchen to give them their new movie, they were thrilled beyond words, Kyle was ‘wooo hooing’ and Hunter was at his ‘Chewbacca’ finest and all was right with our world. Later at dinner, Hunter made it known that he wanted his own copy of the movie as his brother was hogging the remote control.

You see, our boys may have more than one disability, but operating anything with a remote control is well within their abilities. They find a particular scene in every one of their favorite movies and watch that scene over and over and over again. Some movies we have 4 and 5 copies of, because they will watch the same movie on every TV in the house at the same time and every once in awhile, they cue up the same movie on different TV’s at the same time so they can watch them in stereo. It’s times like these that I am most grateful that I am witness to ‘times like these’.

I went to the store after dinner and purchased another copy of Toy Story 3, so that my sons could each have their own; Hunter was speechless, which is my sense of humor showing, Hunter is non-verbal; but Hunter was beaming with the kind of joy that brought tears to my eyes and a lump to my throat and warmth to my heart. All this from a movie, who would have ever thought life could ever get any better than this.

When I was a young man, I wanted to be a writer but had no idea ‘why’ or ‘what’ to write about. Now I find myself with a life time of material in the lessons that I learn from my sons; hopefully I have enough ‘time’ to write all about it.

 How are you spending your time?

Thanks for spending time with me!

My blog isn’t fancy like most, no pictures or fancy grahics, but if you would like to ’see’ us, you are invited and welcome to become a ‘fan’ of Kyle and Hunter. Please visit www.kreilife.com and click on the fan page button. Be Well and Be Blessed.

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2. November 2010 by Kelly.

Four years ago today, I had quit my job, used up all the savings my wife and I worked so hard at saving because I was mad and I was sick and tired and I was sick and tired of being mad.

 I quit my job because it was either that or get fired for ‘placing a higher priority on my family’ than I was on my J(ust) O(ver) B(roke) and I quit because I was mad that my employer had the balls to tell me that ‘the company’ came first and my wife and sons came after that; so I quit and went in search of a new start and in less than time that it will take to write this, all the money in our savings account was gone; gone paying bills and buying groceries, just gone; and its funny what a person will do when they have one foot on the edge and the other foot over it, I stepped and the next step appeared . . .

My beautiful wife had enough, she told me I better get to work and get things ‘figured out’ because I was about to lose everything . . . everything that mattered most, my wife, my children, the roof over my head . . . everything. Adding to my thoughts at the time was a conversation I had with a gentleman named ‘Bill’ William Bailey; I had won the opportunity to a 20 minute phone conversation with Mr. Bailey, the first 5  of which he told me to tell him what I wanted ‘more in life than I currently had’, then after telling him my story for the next 5 minutes he proceeded to spend the next 10 minutes explaining that based on what I had just told him, that if I didn’t make a drastic change and make it immediately, I was on a direct path to living in a cardboard box and holding a sign stating ‘Down on my luck, any help will do’.

Being just short of homeless and placing my fate in the hands of prayer, I went to my insurance agents office and asked one simple question, would he ‘teach me to sell insurance?’ I had spent my entire adult working life, selling auto parts and though I didn’t really sell anything more than ’service’ and my ‘reputation’, I knew nothing else; so insurance was truly a new start, and being broke was motivation. One more thing to add motivation, my new employer had just opened his agency and did not have any budget for ‘employees’, therefore from day one (after I had paid for and earned my license) I would be paid strictly on commission based on closed sales or policies “sold”.

Four short years ago; I was broke, and so you get the what I’m saying, broke is different than ‘being poor’; broke is ‘running out of money before you run out of bills’, poor is not having any money to accumulate ‘bills’. I’m not sure which is worse, however I do know now that I never want to be faced with either EVER again. So I started over and four short years later, I’m paying my bills, I still have my loving wife, my children and a roof over my head; I’ve sold nearly 1 million dollars in premium of insurance, home and auto insurance specifically; and ‘no’, I am not making nearly the money I was when I quit my job 4 years ago, but everyday when I leave my office for the day to go pick up my sons from school or tend to any ‘family’ matter, I do so knowing that ‘the results I produce are directly reflected in the amount of my commission check’, and this is okay with me.

Four years ago seems so distant, yet the scar remains to remind me of my lesson learned; in my mid 40’s I started over in a profession I knew nothing about and with a young man half my age. I have gained that which I was given when I needed it most; trust, confidence and Respect and I am forever grateful. You can start over right from where you are, you need only take one step.

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25. October 2010 by Kelly.

Kyle & Hunter over the past several years have become more interested in 2 holidays, they are Halloween and Christmas; probably more because of the decoration that happens than anything else.

Due to the fact that Hunter is basically non-verbal or unintelligible, it is the greatest treat to hear him say “crick or tree” with the worlds biggest smile on his face. I have also grown to love hearing him say “Nee” to me in the morning, this is how he says ‘good morning’.

My biggest sacrifice as a parent of children with special needs is that I will never have the opportunity to have a conversation with my sons. How was your day son? What is your favorite thing about life, or high school, or ANYTHING? What would you like for dinner? Did you sleep well? Tell me about your dreams, or tell me about your class mates and your teachers, or just tell me anything; I will wait my entire life just to hear you talk.

During a recent conversation with my wife, she had told me of a coworker of hers that is also a pastor; and her coworkers father is a pastor as well and that the two of them pray that our sons will speak.

I am over whelmed that someone would pray for such a blessing and that they pray it for my sons. These are the things in life that make living special and were it not for Kyle & Hunter I would not be witness; so I give thanks for all my blessings and to my creator I give all my praise.

Kyle and Hunter have a fan page on Facebook and welcome you to become a fan and watch them grow up.

Happy Halloween, be safe, be well, be happy and be Blessed.

Thank you for reading and remember, everything matters, everyday.

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11. October 2010 by Kelly.

Being told our children had been born with Down syndrome (DS) was traumatic to say the least; now we have come to understand that our sons may also have Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or some variation thereof.

Unlike when our sons were born, we do not question why this happened; only how can we help our sons have the best possible life. To understand DS plus ASD is like trying to understand why oil and water do not mix, the trick is understanding how the two change the dynamic or the perceived characteristic of the major player, in our case Down syndrome.

People with DS are loving and social; people with ASD are loving and not social; DS tends to mean that learning, speech and receptive skills come at a slower pace; ASD further reduces the same. At this point in time, there is neither a cause nor cure for either and I’m of the belief that there need never be a cure for DS; I am still wrestling with ASD, but if I had the option of removing one, I’d pick ASD.

In researching ASD via the internet, I discovered one common factor; there is a lot of information that is geared towards single mothers and there is an equal amount of information that tells parents what to ‘look for’ but very little that tells us or offers us any idea of how to adapt, love each other and teach our children in spite of the difficulties we face. Imagine you are in a card game in which all the players speak different languages, there is no interpreter and if you quit everybody loses. Wouldn’t it be great if we all just stayed in the game and everybody won?

Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much. – Helen Keller

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7. October 2010 by Kelly.

Yesterday at the high school that Kyle and Hunter attend there was a scheduled practice / drill for a school lock down. As part of the drill the alarm sounds to alert students and staff of the lock down, but it is made known that the alarm is a drill or practice only. Kyle and Hunter however do not understand, all they hear is the alarm and they immediately go into ’shut down’ mode by putting their hands over their ears, they retreat to a restroom and sit on the floor. Their teachers  and para professionals attempt to calm them and request that they follow instructions and move to a safe area; but the boys are in fear and only want the alarm to stop so they can focus on what is happening and then process what is being asked of them.

 After the drill, the boys teachers call us to explain what has happened and ask our opinion on how to prepare the boys for future exercises and talk through scenarios in the event that one day the drill is not practice, but reality. Sad that we find ourselves preparing for the worst things that can happen, but as a society, this is reality.

School resumes, the boys finish their day and come home happy and as usual, do not mention or appear to have had anything but a ‘great day’ at school. Shortly after arriving at home, one of their para pros rings the door bell; Miss ‘P’ as she is known by the boys, has stopped by to check on Kyle & Hunter to make sure they are “OK” and she has brought each an ice cream treat, to let them know she cares and is concerned that they want to return to school the next day without fear. The boys are thrilled to see her and with the ice cream and as our luck has it, our sons love school and look forward to it everyday, probably in large part to those that they get to spend their days with, like Miss ‘P’.

We notice these ‘acts of kindness’ and we stand in awe each and every-time we are witness to the kindness of another towards our sons; yesterday, it was Miss ‘P’, thank you and bless you.

You too can make a difference in someone’s day even if you think nobody notices.

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