Easter Egg Hunt Idaho Style

We opted out of the school and cities Easter Egg Hunt this year and did our own. It's always nice when you have acres and acres of property. So Jacob went out and hid them behind the dirt piles.Then the kids went looking.
The kids were so excited. They looked along the piles, the trucks and equipment.
They looked in the open fields.
Some were easy....
And some were a little more hidden.
But after an hour of looking for their own 30 or so eggs...(I forgot to count the eggs that were color coded for each kid so they got the same amount and same yummy goods)
Jacob had to go through and help them find them all, sort of.

Afternoon and Evening Celebrations

McKay spent her birthday at school. I know, I'm a mean mom but with as many sick days as she had, and it being ISAT time, she had to go. After school she came home and opened her presents. Any guesses on the big one?
McKay took up playing the violin over 3 years ago. Since then she has grown and needed a full size violin. I love her passion to play and hope she continues. This year they bumped her up to the eighth grade orchestra and she is now a first chair violin.
She is surely a loved girl!
McKay is not a fan of cakes or cookies. This year she just asked for sherbet ice cream. I did brownies solely for the purpose of the candles.

We finished the night off with Ticket to Ride (one of her favorites) and TV. I told her that she could stay up as late as she wanted. It's now 1 am and she is slowly winding down. Here's to sleeping in in the morning.

12 Years Today....Happy Birthday McKay!

12 Years ago, McKay made me a mother, a rather young mother. Married at 18, pregnant at 19, and a mother just before I turned 20. Who ever would have guessed? She was sent to me with a reason and purpose.
I've always said this little girl is my angel. She saved me. In my rather sidewards ways, just holding her and realizing that this perfect baby was sent from my Heavenly Father made me realize how much I wanted the gospel back in my life. I wanted her to be mine forever and not just in this lifetime.
I'm so grateful that she is my daughter. You always want your kids to be better than what you are / were and I know for McKay that the sky is the limit!

Happy Birthday Sweetheart.
Love you.
P.S. Can you believe that in another 12 years, this could be a possibility?

Soap Wars & Weighing Pennies

It was "Science Fair Project" time again last week. The kids had fun doing their projects and finding their conclusions.
Kirsten decided to do "Soap Wars." Which soap lasted the longest in the showers. We tested this by her washing her hands for five minutes and then I washed my hands for five minutes with nine different soaps. My hands smelled nauseating afterward. My conclusion was Ivory was the worst smelling of them all. Kirsten didn't place in the 60 entries of 3rd graders but I'm proud with the work that she did.
This was Cruz's first entry. He decided to see what his weight equaled in pennies. It turned out to be $73.50. He placed first in his Kindergarten level.

Anticipated, Completed, Now What?

When Jacob talked about starting school, in August of 2008, it seemed like him graduating was so far away. He was correct in saying "Three years is going to come and go whether I keep working for myself or whether I go back and get a degree." I'm so glad he chose to get a degree with the way the economy has turned out.April 9th was the big day. We went to Commencement and then watched him walk in his Convocation. He graduated with Magna Cum Laude Honors. (Top 5 percent in his graduating class.)
This is the first graduating class in Electrical Engineering from BYU-Idaho.

Now a family event always calls for a family party! We love it when family comes and visits.
Grandma Kerksiek, Maddy, and Hannah came up for the weekend, along with....

My sister and her family.
And of course, it's never complete without a whole group family picture!

Upcoming countdowns (#1)

Who thought this day would ever come? I can't believe it has been almost 3 years since he started. Jacob is graduating! I know it's a shocker but I'm proud of what he has done and what he has shown the kids. It's never too late to take control and accomplish your goals. So the countdown: one week and Jacob will be down with school. One week until graduation. One more week of projects and labs and not getting home before midnight. One more week and hopefully I can have a life with my husband again. I'm looking forward to what the future brings.

Graduation is Saturday, April 9 @ 8:30 a.m. for all those who can come. Everyone is welcome.