Aquamarine

I was going to let McKay do this right before my brother's wedding.....but last minute thinking I opted against it. So today we spent a mindless 4 1/2 hours (each kid) of bleaching and coloring. Also, since Betsy is here my kids fit right in.
My only problem is fixing their hair before school starts.
I will worry about that in a couple months.

IS IT REALLY HALF OVER?

Seeing how today is the longest day of the year what does tha mean?

- Is summer half over?

- Is this the pinnacle of the season I enjoy most?

- Does that mean that starting tomorow I will have to work less?

For me personally Summer Solstice is a tragic day. You see I thoroughly enjoy the days getting longer and longer and it is just a let down to now that they are now getting shorter. If I could only live in Alaska in June, Argentina in December and have Hawaiian Climate Year round ... I would be the most happy and productive fool on earth!

KERKSIEK FAMILY REUNION

If anyone needs more details email me.

OUR KITTEN WARS

This is in honor of Karl's kitten war that Jake spent many of clicks on. Remember a couple weeks ago when Jack had her babies? Okay, it's been a month but time flies. They are growing up and getting more playful every day. I've always said I won't have more than 4 cats (outside of course) at my house but how do you choose two to get rid of?
This is Cruz's kitten "MAX". He's a toe licker. Cruz loves to treat him like a baby.I often wonder if this kitten will make it to a cat for as much as Cruz "loves" it.Addy is McKay's. I'm digging the blue blue eyes.Kirsten named hers Hannah. She looks a lot like the mom, Jack.I think this one is my favorite. He would technical be Katanya's. Right now, Katanya can't hold the cats because of a bully streak. She's been watching too many baseball games the past weeks and loves to throw things. We still need to name this one.

A PLACE WHERE NOBODY KNOWS....

....IT'S NAME.

(It's picture blog time, Jake really hates when I post too many pictures. So for those of you who do, feel free to skip through.)

My dad has been visiting this past week and a half. We've had fun and done a lot of things...... but he has always wanted to go to one place. I can't say where it is, for fear that we would reap havic afterwards. But it is somewhere that .....

...the skies are blue and beautiful. Somewhere where the landscape is filled with old memories. A place that I never thought I would see a double decker outhouse at the end of a hotel. I stopped and tried to get a "children's" picture by the wagon wheel but no body wanted to be next to each other or smile so it was a short try. We all know that when kids don't want to smile it only frustrates the parent instead. There was plenty of railroads.........and older engines. The refurnished engine was not running the day we were up. Cruz had been looking forward to it. But we did stand out on the train boardwalk, and TRIED to get a picture. No body wanted to cooperate again so........ we took one of Grandpa instead. It's a rare time when Grandpa really smiles for a picutre. He must of been really happy.Jake took the camera for awhile and went to get some more landscape shots. He is a just a LITTLE more talented and knows how to take a good picture. Especially in the next one.This is one of my favorites. Reminded me of a postcard. Then on we went again....In a small neighboring town, Jake found a grain bin house. He has been wanting to build one of these for a couple years now. Not like the one in the picture, one that is bigger and wider and has a lot more windows on it. Then he came along into this grain bin house. He just had to knock and go look around. Turns out the husband was the builder of these things. He has fallen in love with the idea again. For him this was his highlight. Back on the the old city....There was a lot of old mining equipment too....You could pan for gold if you wanted. We didn't. We were hungry by that time and wanted lunch. So we found a small cafe and ate. On the way home McKay did a classic "tourist" thing. Any guesses? (Hopefully you can open it up and make it big.)

ANOTHER YEAR HAS GONE BY

Happy Birthday Katanya!!!!

My baby is two. I'm afraid she'll always be my baby.

As I was looking at pictures I had taken the last couple days,

I noticed that her eyes always show her personality.....and how she always has a lot of mischief looks.... ....and a lot of "puppy dog" faces....

....but she really enjoys playing with her brother and sisters.

We love her and we are glad she is a part of our family! Happy Birthday!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

TO THE MAN I WOULD CLIMB TO THE TOP OF ANY MOUNTAIN WITH.

(I want to do this hike again, it's been 7 years. Betsy??? Anyone?)

TO THE DAD THAT SPOILS MY CHILDREN AND COMES AND VISITS ME. (really spoils)
TO THE FATHER(IN-LAW) THAT READ TO MY KIDS AND RAISED A GREAT SON.

(He also gave Jacob wonderful advice while he spent three months in Escalante with us. Those were the days.)

I'M SUCH A CLUTZ....

Not less than 2 days after Sam's incident, did I begin to feel left out. On Wednesday our shipment of ornamental shrubs and flowering trees came so we started our frivolous planting once again. I guess this is where I declare a blonde moment. I went to cut a piece of twine with some shears and somehow ended up stabbing my lip with the point. I can't begin to explain how I did it. It just doesn't make sense. It was rather deep but a very small incision. When I smiled it showed just how deep I stabbed. I couldn't believe it. So I thought about it and here are my mad nursing skills....

• Clean out wound with water.
• Pour hydrogen peroxide on several times to get the germs out.
• Dry and use super glue to hold shut.

So far it has worked great. I guess we will see in a week how it turns out. I look at it as saving $200 in the ER room.

P.S. I am really going to invest in Dermabond.

1ST CASUALTY OF SUMMER

Sam came to help out for the summer and suffered head laceration by bunk bed. For as many head cuts as we have around our house I think I should buy my own supply of DermaBond.