Leo and Lulu Krim, ages 2 and 6, were stabbed to death in their New York City home in October. Their nanny is charged.

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Parents of children stabbed to death in October start arts and science fund

Couple use cross-country road trip with surviving daughter to grieve, seek inspiration, they say

A New York grand jury indicted former nanny on first- and second-degree murder charges

New York CNN  — 

Every parent’s worst nightmare became reality for a New York City couple when their 6-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son were stabbed to death, allegedly at the hands of their nanny.

Two months after that October tragedy, Marina and Kevin Krim have embarked on a cross-country trip, adding a literal dimension to their road to recovery by sharing images and insights gleaned from their journey on Facebook.

With the new year, the couple and their 4-year-old daughter, Nessie, set out from Los Angeles “hopeful that 2013 will be a year of healing, growth and peace.”

“She saves us every day,” Kevin Krim wrote on Facebook, referring to his surviving daughter.

The pair have created the Lulu & Leo Fund in their slain children’s names to carry on their “love of arts and sciences education.”

It’s not clear how much money the couple has raised, but its purpose is to support “art and science education for young children in schools, museums, and other community institutions,” according to a statement.

As the couple head east aboard a recreational vehicle, the Krims said they hope “to experience some inspiring moments that will help us with our healing and rebuilding when we get back to NYC.”

Included in that post was a “gorgeous sunset at the beach that Lulu and Leo painted for us.” They said they also drew comfort from inspirational images as they reached Sante Fe, New Mexico, on Saturday.

A mother’s greatest fear

“We strolled through a few art galleries today and found some pieces at the Canyon Road Contemporary Art Gallery that we are sure Lulu and Leo would have loved,” the couple wrote.

In November, a New York grand jury indicted Yoselyn Ortega on first- and second-degree murder charges in the deaths of Lucia and Leo Krim.

Their mother returned home to her Upper West Side apartment, police said, and found her children in the bathroom. She also saw the nanny stab herself with a kitchen knife, authorities said.

Ortega is currently being held at the Elmhurst Hospital Prison Ward, according to the New York City Department of Correction.

Since their children’s death, the couple have sought to use art from their trip in the healing process, posting the images online.

“We created the Lulu & Leo Fund to help more children benefit from these education experiences in art and science,” the couple say in the fund’s mission statement, describing how much Lulu cherished her “beloved ‘Art Afternoons’ class at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.”

The page has since accumulated more than 14,000 “likes” on Facebook.

Before the deaths, Marina Krim maintained a blog called “Life with the Little Krim Kids,” offering her view of family life, which had included Ortega.