Being Prepared....

We are finally prepared....or at least the kids are.Jacob and I decided to be prepared financially and get the kids snow gear so they could play out in the snow this year without freezing after 10 minutes. I think I could count the number of times they played outside last year on two hands, maybe even one.
Cruz and Katanya decided to play kittens. We are now down to eight on that count. The last couple of weeks haven't been car friendly to them.
Cruz was actually the first one in. I would have to say that his gear is one my favorites.
I found Katanya next on the stairs laying down saying she was ready.
McKay and Kirsten made it the longest. Their goal is to build a big fort. This will be a couple days in the making.
The kids each picked their outfits and actually coordinated them pretty well.
The main important thing was that they came in warm and dry. Just like they went out. Mission accomplished.
Grandma and Grandpa Smith this year sent up money for their snow boots for Christmas. So even though they won't be wrapped and under the tree, they will get plenty of use out of them since the snow is still coming down.

Sunshine to snowflakes

Last week, Jacob and I were flown down to Austin and spent four GREAT days in Austin. Jacob had an interview with National Instruments. We loved the trip....especially the sunshine. This was our first real trip without any of our kids.
This weekend, it all came down. Snow that is. There is still more to come.....along with some very cold temperatures in a couple days. Doesn't Austin look better and better?

Paprika.....

The new color is in.It's the color of my couch.
And now my count is up to 16.

BOO!

Now that you are scared out of your wits that I'm actually blogging........ Here is our first "nice" Halloween.
This year it was 44 degrees and it wasn't raining/snowing/or windy. It's the best weathered Halloween we have had in the 7 years we have lived here.
We took them trick or treating and made it to 19 houses in an hour and forty five minutes. That's what you get when you live out in the country.

Happy Birthday dear Cruz.....

That is what Jacob sung as we sang to Axel on his birthday on the 23rd. He requested cupcakes instead of a cake.
We have definitely enjoyed having Axel around as he goes to school at BYU-Idaho. The kids are always asking when Axel is coming back. In fact he has a "assigned" chair for dinner time and even a night that he is assigned for prayers. (As each of the kids have their own day.) It's nice having someone appreciate your cooking.

P.S. Jake gets his name confused all the time. I think the latest that he called Axel was "babe".

Cruz turned "6"

Cruz turned 6 on September 10th.He counted down for months for this day to come.
He got several good presents. DS Games, Money, and Legos.
Legos was a hit with all of the kids.
He requested Split Pea Soup and Chocolate Cake!

It makes it all worth it....

I'm always running behind. I've got lots of pictures and lots of posts but by the end of the day my brain is done thinking. I took this morning off to help my kids and to catch up on a couple things. Only to my surprise there was a bomb threat in McKay's Middle School and now I'm waiting helplessly on more news. They are in lock down and she probably has her phone in her locker because she isn't responding to my text. The District Text stated all students were safe. I'm hoping it's nothing more than some sick person's joke. I've never thought of my kids being in an area where this would go on but I should know better. It could happen anywhere.

So on this Friday, I'm leaving a little note I opened to a couple minutes ago when I opened Kirsten's computer. And I'm hoping good news will come quickly.

By Kirsten:

MY MOM AND DAD ARE THE BEST

My mom dad is the best because he is super nice. My dad builds me Lego buildings. My mom is fun because she lets me play. They are awesome because they bake us dinner. They are fun, nice, responsible, awesome, and last but not least they care.

Kirsten's Baptism

Our busy weekend continued with driving back from Utah right after court on Friday to beat family up here. Kirsten was baptized and confirmed by her dad on Saturday. She has waited a long time for this day.
She picked out the dress with Grandma Smith earlier in the year and all of last week we searched everywhere so she could have white heels that she wanted.
It was a very special day. Kirsten was worried that her hair wouldn't go all the way under so before she was baptized, I pulled it into a ponytail.
She had a lot of family there to support her. Hannah, Maddy, Axel, Aaron Schellenberg and his family, Adam Hayes and his family, Lindsey and her children, her primary teachers, a couple friends from church, and all of my family were there.
Since it's a very rare occasion that my family is "together" we snapped a few family pictures. It's impossible to get everyone looking and everyone visible so we'll have to do with the latter.

a mouth full

We had a very busy weekend. We headed down to Utah Thursday to go to the final court proceedings Friday morning. McKay is now....McKay Addyson Anne Sturgeon Kerksiek. Jacob adopted her and she chose to add two extra names in there,Addyson and Kerksiek. Although, nothing has really changed, she's always been one of us no matter what her name was.

P.S. Can you imagine signing mortgage documents after she is married and she keeps all her names.....

Labor Day

When Betsy was here, Jacob would have the kids work before they could play with the four wheelers.

Now, his latest "steal" has been these scooters.

A friend was throwing them away because they were broken and Jacob asked if he could have them.

After a can of carburetor cleaner, and pumping up the tires, these toys were ready to go.

If only we had these toys around a couple weeks ago.

Back 2 School

I wasn't ready for them to go back, but it had to happen. School started Monday the 30th, for us. It was a cold and rainy day. It just confirmed my fears that once school starts, winter is around the corner.McKay is in 7th grade which means the start of middle school. It made me feel a little bit older.

Kirsten is in 3rd and gets to be the big sister in elementary.

Cruz started Kindergarten. He had waited so long for this. The main important thing was they came home with the smiles they left with.

Kirsten's Number 8

(I'm behind on blogging but I've got to move on. I'll have to come back to the Kerksiek fun and vacation later)

Happy Birthday to Kirsten! (8 on August 20th)
Kirsten had a great birthday and I think she got everything she wanted....plus a little more.
And she had her favorite Texas Chocolate Sheet cake! Kirsten gets baptized this coming Saturday, September 4th, at 10 a.m. We would love all that can make it to come.
Now with all the kids in bed, backpacks packed, clothes laid out, it's off to school in the morning....

Y is for Youth

Wednesday night plans were hiking the Y.

We made it to the top....with all the children.
McKay was inseparable from Aspen anytime they were together.
Jacob took the middle two on an adventure on the white-wash.
Cruz made it to the top and realized how high up he was. He is terrified of heights. Even being on my shoulders is too much for him. So he sat down and waited "patiently" by me until it was time to hike back before it got too dark.

Everyone made it down too.

Pictures are courtesy of Betsy as she is an awesome photographer!

Blogging Vacation

Time to get back to real life.
We spent a week in Utah.
Then a week with Betsy and her family at our house.
And now a week is left before school starts.
I hope it's a LONG week.
So here is a recap of the past two weeks.

We went down to Utah for a week of Kerksiek fun. We left late on the 10th and on Wednesday morning (11th) we started off the first day going boating with McKay's grandparents. It was a first for all of my kids except McKay. It was a little windy and the water was a little choppy but it was loads of fun! I am 0-1 with the sunglasses. You would think that going to the beach so many times would have taught me something.

Bump, Set, Spike

These are my "volleyball boyfriends," some of them, at least that is what Jacob calls them.Volleyball has always been a passion of mine. This past Saturday, Adam, John and I entered a 3 on 3 co-ed tournament in Rexburg with the proceeds going towards Rett Syndrome.
In the tournament play, we went undefeated. It was fun and I'd do it all again even though it took everything I had....and then some.....and I paid for it even more on Sunday.
So as I sit here and endure the pain, I think of what the reward was.
Entry fee: $15 a person
First place in our division: $100 gift certificate to EACH of us for Nike shoes.

Getting Back To Being That Guy You Met All Those Years Ago

Dear Amy,

Thanks for taking off for the day to play in a tournament in Rexburg. So while you are enjoying yourself you have given me and the kids the perfect little window to finish our little surprise. Hopefully you did not look at the bank records too closely this week and it is still a surprise.

In the past year I have pretty much neglected you. I did not plan anything for you for Christmas. You were probably not too surprised when I forgot to get you a birthday present. I continued the trend when I skimped out for Mother's Day as well. In fact in general I know that I am not a very good gift giver. Yet somehow you looked past all of that provided me with a wonderful birthday this year.

I know that you have wanted a piano for a long time. I know that you really enjoy playing and that at times you are somewhat frustrated plunking away at our little electric keyboard. So just to come clean, on Tuesday when you thought I was at work, I had really gone to Utah to pick up an old piano that I had bought at an auction. I know, I buy lots of junk, but that's me. I spent the week tearing it apart and refurbishing it. I am surprised that I didn't get caught. It is not the greatest but all the same I hope that you enjoy it for the years to come. I love you.

Love,

Jacob

Continuation of the vision

We finally got around to putting the other two lockers in and rearranging the bedrooms.
Lesson learned: Don't be too stubborn and move it by yourself. Your back will be in pain for at least a week.
Although, they do look pretty good and the kids love them!

Open to suggestions

This is my kitchen.
I'm looking for a new color. I'm tired of orange.
It needs to match the light blue in the living room. It doesn't have to match the green chairs at the bar necessary because I can replace them from IKEA somewhat cheaply.

Any suggestions, ideas or anything?