Kurns Family

Yard Update

2011-05-16T09:24:00.001-07:00

We hve been working hard on the yard again. (There are other things we have been doing, which I hope to get on the blog a little later) I thought that I would share what it looks like right now. There is still more work to be done, but this is a huge part of what we were doing this year! First picture is of the sod before it became our beautiful yard...

A Little Outdoor Fun

2011-05-01T14:35:00.000-07:00

I took extra pictures, not just the work, while we were outside (Check out previous post). Here are a few of them....

Emma after a hard day's work.

Emma likes her breaktime!
Emma again...

I wanted to play with the Black and White feature on my camera...I caught Rachel in a bit of a pout.

Nate's great style for outside work (it has been a rainy week...lots of mud and dirt in the yard)

Our Backyard

2011-05-01T14:24:00.000-07:00

We have been working on our backyard for the last couple of weekends. The goal is to have it in by the end of May. I figured I better show what has been going on, because I don't think that anyone would believe it if they didn't see it....

Here is a before picture...one looking at the house.

Here is another before picture, this time looking away from the house.

Again, a before looking away from the house.

Emma decided that she needed to supervise the cleaning of equipment.

"How big is my head?" ~Emma

Rachel and Sarah took on the wheelbarrows.

Lisa helping dig out the ditch for the automatic watering system.

Nathan helping Grandpa dig out the ditch.

Scot and my dad (also known as Grandpa Stark or Jamie) working on the ditch digging maching together.

Easter

2011-05-01T14:19:00.000-07:00

I will admit, I am playing a little bit of catch up. It has been a busy couple of weeks. First was Nate's birthday and then a couple of days later....EASTER! We had a quiet holiday, and were able to visit with Grandpa and Grandma Stark. It was a wonderful holiday. I tried to get pictures of gathering eggs...the kids were just too fast. They got dressed up and we tried to get a good picture, this was the best that I had. I need to get editing software where I can take the best of a bunch of pictures and get one good picture.

Nate's Birthday

2011-05-01T14:17:00.001-07:00

Nate's birthday was April 22 and he turned 8. A big deal in our house!!! It means that he gets to be baptized (Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend) and start Cub Scouts! He is beyond thrilled about both. I wish I had some pictures, but for some reason, the ones that I took did not turn out at all...

Growing Up

2011-04-18T13:10:00.000-07:00

Things are busy...what else is new? I decided to take a minute and share a few things that have been happening. First of all, Jessica decided to go from little girl to young lady in a matter of hours. A good friend of mine cuts hair and she came over and helped Jessica cut her hair (we donated 13 inches to Locks of Love!). A total of about 14-15 inches came off of her head. She looks like a completly different girl. She also got her ears peirced that same week. Why do they have to grow up?

Another thing that shows how much my children are growing up. We recently bought 3 new beds for the little girls in the house. Emma moved up from a crib to a twin bed. Sarah moved up from a toddler bed to a twin bed. Rachel needed a new bed and we thought that it would be good if they could match. Here is a picture of one of the beds...all three are the same, including the comforters. One last note: I am wondering if I am a bad mom...I let my two girls get on the counter so they could help me make cookies one evening. Is that bad of me? They had so much fun.

Socks!!!

2011-03-07T11:11:00.000-08:00

How many feet do we have in the Kurns' household? Not this many!The story behind the many socks that are here: I have a pile of socks that were unmatched in the laundry. This is the result of me not keeping up. I despise laundry, it is the one chore that I really dislike. It is made worse by socks, I really do not like matching socks. This particular chore took me three hours. I think this should become a chore for the kids.

Happenings

2011-03-07T11:04:00.000-08:00

Things have been CRAZY! We have been dealing with sick kids, sick Scot, deaths of friends, busy with school and activities, and a list of other things that have been going on. I realized that I hadn't posted in a while, so I thought that I would try....

In January we celebrated Sarah's birthday. She is now 4 and very excited about the fact that next year she will be able to be old enough for school. What happened to all of my little kids? Due to the fact that we have been dealing with so much sickness, Sarah's birthday was very low key, I couldn't even get to the store to buy a cake or cake mix, so we tried one from scratch. I think I will keep doing that, it was good!

February was Valentine's day. That didn't mean a whole lot in our house because Scot had shingles and we couldn't do much. But that was okay, we enjoyed being at home!

Other then that, not a whole lot going on. We just keep plugging away at life!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-09T20:57:00.000-08:00

I decided that I ought to share a little bit about Christmas. We had great plans to go to my sister's house a few hours away and spend a long weekend with them. We thought it would be great fun to have 9 children to wake up Christmas morning and find 2 Wii's under the tree and they would be in matching pajamas. About one week before Christmas, one of my children came down stairs after bedtime stating that their stomach hurt and they thought they were going to throw up. Sure enough, they spent the night sick and that started the family out. All but two of us got the virus, and it was only one of us at a time. It meant that we did not go to my sisters (I was not driving in a car with a sick child, if given the choice, and I did not want to share this particular virus). We spent Christmas quietly as a family, and honestly we seemed to get the meaning of Christmas a lot more this year. This picture is of all of the kids in their pajamas that Aunt Jenny made, and thankfully decided to send to us at the last minute (because we were throwing up:)

Wow - what have we been doing?

2011-01-01T20:41:00.000-08:00

I refuse to make excuses for not keeping up with this. I really do have a couple of good reasons, one being I felt that I was exposing our family a little too much - but I have had requests to start posting again, so here we go...a new year's resoulution to try to keep up a little bit better with this. I also have been busy!!! I am a full time college student (so is my husband) with 6 children and I teach piano and a small children's choir at the performing arts studio where my children take dance and drama lessons. Is this not busy enough for anybody?!? So, to start with I will post one picture that I do want to share. This last September was Oktoberfest in our little town and the girls and I got to sing and dance. So we donned our drindls and had a great time, German style...

Funny Story

2009-10-23T16:44:00.000-07:00

I am so sorry that I am sadly out of date on my blog. In my defense, my life is on the extremely busy side and finding time to even sit for a second, let alone blog, is a very rare treat in my house. I promise to work a little harder. In the meantime, I have a story to share:

Today my eight year old daughter looks up from looking at the "Children's Songbook" (for those who don't know, this is a songbook that our church puts out for the kids), and she says "Mom, I have never heard this song before." I asked her which song was that. She said, "The I Want to be Violent song" I look up at her in surprise. "The what song?" I ask. "I Want to be Violent" Lisa tells me. I ask her calmly to bring me the book and show me - what are we teaching our kids in Primary? She points out the words and I realize that it is "I Want to be Valiant" Big sigh of relief on my side of things, then I tell her the real word and what it means, which of course the complete opposite of what she was saying.

These are the things that keep me from going completely crazy in this life that I lead.

Temple Trip

2009-09-11T09:27:00.001-07:00

Last Thursday we went to the temple with the youth and primary. It was a nice visit to walk around the temple grounds and get to talk with the kids about the temple and some of the things that go on there. I took a few photos of the kids...I love pictures with all of them...and there is one with me and all of my kids with me. I am so happy that I am a mom of my wonderful six kids.

Emma Trapped!

2009-09-11T09:24:00.000-07:00

Now that Emma not only crawls but walks and climbs, she finds herself in interesting places throughout the entire house. Here is an example of just two of the places that we have found her.

Rafting Cont.

2009-09-11T09:20:00.000-07:00

To continue...the next day we got up and headed to the river for a day full of rafting. We rafted ALL day. I got extremly burnt, but loved every minute of it. Here is a picture of them getting the boats ready...do they look a little confused?
Here is a picture of the entire rafting crew...we had a large group, but we had a great time splashing and dumping each other in the river along with going down the rapids and trying to fall in...which Scot actually did!

Update

2009-09-05T19:28:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, it has been a little while. Things were going smoothly, not much to speak of, and then we got busy and when I was finally going to have time to blog...we get hit with pink eye. BAD!!! Everyone has had it at least once (oh, I guess not Nathan and Emma) and many of us have had it multiple times. I have spent the last two weeks scrubbing the house down and disinfecting every surface within my reach. Hopefully it is gone now so I can take a minute to catch up.

At the beginning of the month, we had a ward luau with roasted pigs and dancing and everything. It was a great evening with a whole lot of fun involved. I even got to learn a dance, so there is a picture of me...which you will not see very often!Then one week later Scot and I got the opportunity to go on the youth ward conference, which involved rafting. (Yes, just Scot and I...the kids got a chance to stay with Grandpa) On the way there, we stopped at Multnomah Falls. It had been a while since I had been there and I really enjoyed the sights. There was one sight I think that I could have skipped...some guy brought this bear head dressed up and sat it next to me while I was enjoying the falls...what is with this?

After we got to the camp site, we set up and went swimming. This was where we got to go swimming...

It was so pretty. There will be more pictures next post to continue the rafting trip....

What is with our stairs?

2009-08-02T18:48:00.000-07:00

We have lived in our house for over two years now and have never had a big accident with the stairs until Nathan about 6 weeks ago. Now we have had our second accident. Sarah decided to do the exact same thing that her brother did. This time we were able to avoid the ER and buttlerfly bandage it together, thank goodness! She won't let me touch it, in fact if I ask to look at it she shakes her finger at me and says "Don't touch my owee!"

It has been DANG Hot!!!

2009-08-02T18:38:00.000-07:00

This last week has brought some of the hottest weather that Portland/Salem has ever seen. Our own thermometer read 110 at one time. I don't like the hot weather and neither do the kids, except...it means that they get to do this:
All of the kids really enjoy the pool that we have. They have all become fish and it is hard to get them to come out of the water, including Emma.

Soccer and the Lost Art of Sportsmanship

2009-07-27T10:48:00.000-07:00

This last weekend was the Waterfront Tournament in Salem. Jessica's team, the Emeralds, took 2nd. They played hard in HOT weather and did very well. We were saddened though, and even a little outraged, when one of the other teams showed some very poor judgement when it came to sportsmanship. They mocked another team because they come from a town that has a significant amount of another ethnicity. They made fun of our girls because we lost to them by one point over all, even though we actually tied the game that we played against them. The thing that frustrates me the most is that it wasn't just the kids on the team, but the parents and the coaches that were doing this as well. What has happened in the world that it is okay to make fun of a team because the majority of the team is not of the same race? I wasn't raised that way, and you can be sure that my own children will not see it that way either. Sorry about being slightly negative, I just needed to vent a little.

The Lazy Days of Summer

2009-07-23T14:25:00.001-07:00

I really have no good excuse for what I have been doing and why I have not kept up. I passed all of my classes and am on break until Aug 1. I even passed math, so NO MORE COLLEGE MATH!!! We had a great 4th of July that was celebrated with a breakfast at the church, a parade downtown, and fireworks at night. All were with friends from our ward. It was great. Then Grandpa and Grandma Kurns came to play...or at least help redo the front porch and add a shed to the backyard. It was so nice to have them here. We were planning a trip for Aug, but because of Scot's schooling, it looks like is will be a Thanksgiving trip instead. I have been babysitting and getting ready for preschool in the fall and the kids have been playing and playing some more. Jessica is getting ready for a soccer tournament for this weekend in Salem. Here is a little of our summer in snapshots...

It really is the lazy days of summer at our house:

If you notice there is a kitten sleeping besides Rachel. That would be Emmett, one of the new additions to our family. Bella is our other one, she is frequently found under the couch, hiding from the very loving arms of the under 12 set in our family.

So what has been happening? A whole lot of playing which causes things like this:
note: these legs actually look a lot better then they were. She has spent most of the summer with some sort of scrape somewhere.

Emma crawls around alot now. She is even trying to walk some. Because of her crawling, Daddy uses this to keep her in one place:

We did get an exciting trip to the emergency room with Nathan. This is what happens when you go running up the stairs and trip. The chin meeting the hardwood stairs of our house: Not good.

Am I crazy, or what?

2009-06-24T16:14:00.000-07:00

So today I think I finally passed the final threshold to crazy. I had, along with my own six, an additional eight children at my house. But, so that you know, it was fine. They played outside, we walked to the school to have lunch, they played outside some more, watched 101 Dalmations, played outside some more, and just generally had a good time. It has been a summer for having other kids around, and it is great, I haven't heard "I'm bored" or "There is nothing to do!" at all so far. It is true what they say, after so many kids, a few extras don't make a difference.

An explosion in fruit flies

2009-06-22T13:36:00.000-07:00

Recent conversation with husband:

husband: where did all of these fruit flies come from?

me: I don't know, maybe it is just the season for them?

husband: huh? Well, hopefully they will disappear, or maybe we need to find a way to get rid of them. Do you think they are just hanging around the fruit bowl? (note:fruit bowl has been empty for a week now)

me: maybe.

Now:

I am cleaning in the kitchen when I smell something sweet but very stinky. I look around and what do I find in the cookie jar? The source of our recent fruit fly population explosion, two bananas that should have been in the fruit bowl (and since I haven't had a chance to buy bananas in over two weeks, well I will just leave that to your imagination). They were black and squishy and stinky! So bad, that they went strait to the garbage and no picture to share. This is what happens when children climb on the counters. Just for your future reference....

Dance

2009-06-16T21:32:00.000-07:00

This post should catch me up...this last weekend Lisa danced in a producation of The Wizard of Oz. She was a beautiful little yellow chick and did wonderful. Her teacher shared with me that she has talent and is proud of her. So are we...when you watch the video, Lisa is the one in the middle.

House Guest

2009-06-16T21:30:00.000-07:00

We have a house guest for the summer. In the small pink ball you can see Mario, the hamster. He is staying with us for the summer because he is a classroom pet and needed a temporary home. The kids are enjoying him. Emma thinks that he is her own personal fuzzy toy and trys to grab him constantly. We are glad that he is staying with us and know that this will be enjoyed by everyone.

Lisa's Baptism

2009-06-16T21:24:00.000-07:00

Lisa Nicole Kurns was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on June 6, 2009 in Woodburn, OR. It was a beautiful baptism that had her mom crying. Especially when she was joined by her siblings and cousins (adopted and biological) to sing a baptism song. It was a wonderful spiritual time, and I hope that she knows how proud we are of her.

Laundry!!!

2009-06-16T12:52:00.000-07:00

A few years back, or maybe I should say about 4 kids back, I went to an enrichment meeting where we played a getting to know you game. One of the questions was what was the one chore you don't like doing? I remember laughing when quite a few people said laundry. I mean, come on, doing laundry in my house was a once a week thing and was only about 5 -6 loads, including sheets and towels. This was easy, I mean it was an excuse for me to sit for a few minutes and catch up on my Oprah. I should have listened to the older and wiser women in my ward at the time...now laundry is the most dreaded chore in my house. I am lucky to do 5-6 loads in a couple of days...a week: at least 10, usually more. This picture is just an example of how much laundry can be created by our family of eight in only 3 days. This does NOT include sheets and a few other things that had to be done later. What happened to my simple life?!?!?

The End of May

2009-06-16T12:42:00.000-07:00

So after our wonderful weekend in Springfield, OR we came home to have more fun. The last part of May brought on, Emma getting her first two teeth, Emma crawling, a little paintballing for Dad while the rest of us played around the campfire (Emma slept), and just other random things. The one picture of Rachel holding Emma is an example of what Emma seems to think of all that we do, she had been eating my to do list! So lots of fun in our family.

Emma sleeping on a chair by the campfire!

Lisa roasting marshmallows by the campfire.

Jessica reading by the campfire (what can I say, she is my daughter)

Emma eating Mom's to do list, Now what am I supposed to do?!?
Emma finding herself behind a chair because she can now crawl!

Memorial Weekend

2009-06-16T10:48:00.000-07:00

On the Thurs. before Memorial Day was the kids concert, then on Fri. we left for Springfield, OR for a weekend of soccer. We swam, we watched soccer, we played, we watched more soccer, we got sun burnt, watched Jessica's team take 1st (more soccer), and just had a great time. We were all very tired by the end, but a great weekend overal.

Catching up

2009-06-15T14:18:00.000-07:00

Wow, I am behind. In my defense we have been busy doing so many fun things at the end of the school year that I just got behind. So now I am going to catch up, it might take a couple of days, though...

When last I left you, we were just about to head to the spring music program that happens in the kids school in the last month of school. It was great fun and the three did great. Lisa got to do a dance during her time, and Jessica was one of two singing leaders during her time. It was great to see them perform. Next year we add band!

Update

2009-06-07T20:12:00.000-07:00

Here is a little of what is going on. I thought I would share some of our musical genius. There will be more coming, I PROMISE!

Laughter

2009-05-14T09:11:00.001-07:00

My children are obsessed with videos right now - the ones that I film on my little camera. So when Emma started laughing at Jessica rolling a Lego car across the kitchen floor, I had to get the camera out. You can hear Sarah laugh, because she thought that it was so funny that Emma was laughing. (BTW you can also hear the Spice Girls in the background - I was showing Jessica a little bit of the music that her dad and I listened to when we were dating...oh the memories.)

And the end of the birthdays..Rachel is 4!

2009-05-11T21:11:00.000-07:00

So now we are at the end of the birthdays that come in a group...Rachel's! Because of everyone else's birthday, it has been quite the wind up to her birthday. For the last 7 days all that I have heard is "Is it my birthday, today?" The smile on her face this morning when she realized it was actually the day was just priceless. The only one problem for the day...she has laryngitis. This poor girl cannot talk right now and believe it or not she was supposed to have a speech evaluation today. I guess she found a way out of it.

Rachel is a sweet girl who can be very mischievous. Her smile is contagious (and toothless thanks to knocking one out a while back). She has beautiful red curls and her freckles are starting to come in on her nose. She loves baby dolls and ballet and everything girl. Everyone loves to have her around and we will keep her. So to Rachel...HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Grandparents

2009-05-05T10:36:00.000-07:00

Because of birthdays and such, we have had a great time visiting with my Dad (Grandpa) and Carla (Grandma) quite a bit in the last little while. I love how my kids have just latched onto the both of them. They will talk about how Grandpa and Grandma are comeing for hours before they show up, and after they leave, it takes days before they quit asking if they are coming back. We love them visiting and love to go visit them.

Lisa is 8!!!

2009-05-03T20:27:00.000-07:00

This is a big birthday for our family. Lisa turned 8 today! This means that she will be getting baptized on June 6 of this year at 10am. Everyone is so excited for her, and most of all she is very excited. Lisa is a special kid. She loves everything girl, from the fingernail polish to Hannah Montana. She is an excellent dancer (there is a picture of her on her dance studio's main web page, http://www.aaperformingartsco.com/index.html ). She loves to read, and reads well above her grade level. I am told by her teacher that she is also a big help in the classroom with other students who need help. I am proud of Lisa and hope that today is a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Nathan is 6!!!

2009-04-21T21:22:00.000-07:00

So Nathan kicks off what we like to call birthday season. His birthday (which he shares with his Great Grandma Corson) is tomorrow, but I had to put something in before I got a little too busy again (especially tomorow, when I won't be sitting at all). Nathan's birthday always brings out the sentimental part in me because his birth was so emotional. I will always remember the doctor looking up as she is helping him come into the world and say "He has a cleft lip." My world turned upside down at that moment and it has never been the same since. I wouldn't change a thing about it, it was exactly what I needed and I love having my little boy in my life...he is the only one of six kids. So to Nathan...HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

The last few weeks...

2009-04-21T20:55:00.000-07:00

I know it has been a while and my only excuse is that life has been busy. Scot and I are both in school, I am working on starting a preschool, babysitting, teaching piano, running children around to various activities, and these are just the beginning of a very busy time for me. I wouldn't change a thing about it...in the last few weeks we had general conference. This is always a favorite time for me because I get to hear the general authorities speak (we are having Elder Russel M. Nelson this Sunday for stake conference...yay!). We are working with the kids to sit and listen also, not an easy task. For family home evening the Monday before we put together packets for everyone that they used for conference. It worked out okay, even Sarah enjoyed it

April also brought on the first of the soccer season. In the past, this was only a Jessica type activity, but Nathan has joined the club and having a blast with it. These are from the first games of the season. Can you find Jessica?

Easter was the nest weekend...we colored eggs and then the next day the Easter bunny hid them. Emma thought the eggs were to suck on, and got a blue mouth in the process.

Here is the kids in all of their Easter finery...thank you to Grandpa and Grandma Kurns (and Grandma Corson) who sent outfits for all.

Here are a few other pictures that I thought I would share..Emma in the laundry basket (I do love to multitask), Sarah in Emma's bed (they love each other so much), and Rachel and Sarah eating the Easter M&Ms (stealing Mom's favorite candy). This is just a normal time in our crazy family life.

A time of new things...

2009-03-26T12:53:00.000-07:00

So there have been a few new things going on in the Kurns' family. It has been a week of change. First of all, Emma is getting bigger and that means lots of firsts...first bed (not a bassinet), first high chair, and the first time she gets to sit in a toy that requires some sitting up. She is also turning over, eating solids, and trying to sleep longer in the night.Also, we now have a new car...although my nickname for it is "The Bus". It is a 15 passenger van, that even if we have the entire family in it, we can still sit an additional 7. The kids love the fact that they do not have to squish in together to fit.

Now that we are well...

2009-03-13T19:55:00.000-07:00

We seem to finally be over everything. Yay us! Emma finished us off with an ear infection...and I seem to have a cyst in my jaw that needs to looked at (it is really swollen), but really that is nothing compared to what we have been dealing with.

Things have been busy. Scot started school March 1 at the same school that I go to. It will be hard for a while, but worth it.

Emma started solid foods today...she seemed to not mind it at all.

We have had a couple of sunny days, I tried to send the kids out to play, they have been asking. The two oldest girls spent the time reading....what have I done to my children? They have developed my reading habits!

One other story, we were putting Sarah down for a nap and I asked if I could go down for a nap too. She said "No, it is my night night" So I sked if Daddy could take a nap with her..."No, it is MY night night." She is a funny child, she loves her naptime...in fact she will throw a temper tantrum if we do not put her down for a nap on time.

Black Sheep of the Family

2009-03-07T21:31:00.000-08:00

I always knew that Nathan didn't think like normal children, and on Friday at school he decided to show his teacher. They were putting together sheep with marshmallows (they have been working on "Mary had a Little Lamb") and Nathan had finished glueing on his marshmallows. He drawed a face on the lamb and then used the marker to start coloring the marshmallows. Mrs. Ross was going to stop him, but decided that it was okay, as long as he didn't eat them. He decided to make the black sheep. I guess when they learned the nursery rhyme of "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep" he took it to heart. That is all right, I raised little black lambs when I was a teenager, and I prefer them myself.

Nathan

2009-02-24T09:17:00.000-08:00

We are still sick...but in between dealing with everything it was time for Nathan's checkup at OHSU. It went well, but made me realize a couple of things that I want to share. First of all, when Nathan was a baby, OHSU was the greatest place for him. His cleft team made all of the difference in the world for a young mother who had no clue how to take care of a special needs child. The reason that I see this, there were a lot of babies there yesterday and when the moms were talking it took me back to those days, 5 years ago, and how I felt at that time. Second thing that I learned, Nathan is now to the point that he is outgrowing the cleft team. He doesn't need to go back for another year (we were going every 6 months) and some of the specialists even said, only if there were problems. He still has a couple of surgeries to go in the future and lots of dental work, but the immediate needs have been met. Congrats to Nathan for hitting this milestone (he is glad too, all he could say, is "Why are we here and can we go home?")

Just to share

2009-02-16T21:05:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of how Sarah has been dealing with everyone being sick...

What a time...

2009-02-16T20:47:00.000-08:00

Sorry things have been a little slow. We have fought sickness after sickness. We are still fighting. I look forward to being done with this part of winter. Things have been busy, Valentine's was fun for the kids...candy from the class parties is always a big hit, for them, not for me. Unfortunetly Valentines for me was not so fun because I was going through the headaches the kids had a couple of weeks ago. I started school - math (not a favorite, but I am doing all right) and childhood development. I love learning about anything that has do do with children and learning, so I am excited about that one. Things are busy with the kids...here is a video about Emma, she love to "talk".

Sick!!!

2009-02-03T20:48:00.000-08:00

So there are not much in the way of pictures for the last little while. Why, you might ask...the answer to that is that our family has been spending the last few weeks sick. First we started with a stomach bug that created a fight for the bathroom (note: one bathroom is NOT enough for a family of 8). The next thing to hit the family was a cold, nothing fancy, just a simple cold. Then this last weekend...Sarah started it with a fever and a headache (at least that we think is a headache because she kept holding her head and saying "OW"). She was given a blessing Saturday night and by Monday she was great...now Jessica has the fever and headache, Nathan has a fever and a stomache ache, and Rachel was starting on the fever as she went to bed. The strange thing about them all? It is strep throat! No sore throats involved. To go with the whole mess...Emma is running a fever and I suspect she has an ear infection. We are not getting sleep in our house right now...someday I am sure I will get to sleep through the night once again.

Sarah is 2!

2009-01-24T18:24:00.000-08:00

It was Sarah's 2nd birthday last week. It was a small thing, due to the fact that our family has been sick....very sick. But here is a small video about Sarah, who thinks that she is 3, not 2.

I Passed!!!

2009-01-13T21:25:00.000-08:00

I am so excited, I passed my Science final - all while hoping that I wasn't going to throw up in the middle of it due to the fact that I had some sort of stomach bug. This means that I am on a school break for about three weeks and that is a good thing so that I can get some things done like: clean up the house and get the family over the stomach bug that decided to go from me to the rest of the family. Other things that are going on, Sarah finally went to nursery and will be celebrating her 2nd birthday later this week, Rachel is now in Sunbeams and loving it, and Lisa moved up to senior primary and reminding us that this is the year that she gets to be baptized. The family is growing up...

Merry Christmas

2008-12-30T15:15:00.000-08:00

So Christmas has come and gone. It was a nice holiday...we spent Christmas Eve decorating our yearly gingerbread house, watching the new family movie we get every year, and then went to a friend's house and enjoyed the evening with friends. In the morning we opened gifts, talked to family on the phone, saw my dad and stepmom, and then spent the evening with the Widings. In all, it was a great holiday that was simple and focased on the meaning of the holiday instead of on gifts. Hope it was a great holiday for everyone and hope it is a great new year!

SNOW!!!

2008-12-19T08:39:00.000-08:00

So I was beating myself up for missing pictures of the snow, but I got another chance! It snowed overnight and it is so beautiful. The kids are out of school, so now we start Christmas break, some of the kids are disappointed that they missed their school parties today but are looking forward to playing in the snow later...it is supposed to stick around for a couple of days and even dump 4-6 inches tomorrow...but this is Oregon so we aren't holding our breath.

Yes, it is Christmas...

2008-12-17T21:17:00.000-08:00

It has been a busy season, baking, putting together Christmas gifts, watching Christmas movies (my favorites are The Santa Clause Series and White Christmas - it just isn't Christmas without them.), and I am trying to finish up some classes for this term. If it wasn't busy enough, it has been snowing and the kids have been out of school. Can you believe I haven't gotten any snow pictures? What has been wrong with me?!? So a week or so ago we attended Kris Krindle Mart in our own little hometown of Mt. Angel...it was great with old fashioned German traditions very much a part of it...there was even a town crier. There was also music on the streets, which Sarah enjoyed dancing to.The kids got to enjoy Kris Kringle, or Santa Claus to those who are not German. He arrived in Mt. Angel in the fire engine, just not enough snow for the reindeer, or maybe they are just resting up for the big day. The kids enjoyed talking to him, okay the four oldest enjoyed talking to him..the other two are not so interested yet.

That night Lisa got to dance in a ballet recital. She was a candy cane and was very cute...I think her favorite part is putting on the makeup.

The last activity that happened was the kids music program at school. It was great to see them all up there.

A side note: this is Emma, who has grown to be 11lbs 7oz. She fits right in with these stuffed animals, doesn't she? Just a little doll!

And Finally....September

2008-12-08T20:51:00.000-08:00

So to update anyone who isn't sure what I am doing...I missed a whole lot of posts between March and October so I am going back and reviewing what happened in those months. I am now to to the final month of my review...September. Although, I will probably add a little bit that happened in October, due to the fact that we blessed the baby and I realized that I still haven't added that event into our blog....

September was busy. It started with school starting...Nathan started kindergarten, so I now have three in school. The next event was Oktoberfest...this is a big event in Mount Angel. Contrary to popular belief, it is not all about the drinking and there is plenty for all family members to do. Our family's personal favorite...the Chicken Dance! We enjoyed the event with our friends the Widings and the Mercados...
The last event of the month, but probably the most exciting, was the birth of Emma Brianne Kurns. She came a month early to her parent's surprise and was tiny at only 5lbs 10oz...but she was healthy and the doctors were impressed by how well she thrived, even with being early. She is adored by her siblings and a welcome addition to the family.

Cont. into August

2008-12-08T20:33:00.000-08:00

Not much happened in the month of August. It was a month for getting ready for school, soccer, ballet, and a new baby to come. Here are a few picture of Sarah and what she liked to do for the month of August...

July Part 2

2008-12-03T14:04:00.000-08:00

So the last part of July we got to spend with some friends, the Widings. We went with them to Animal Safari. It was a lot of fun. Lisa and Jayden had a run in with some bees, but no one had lasting effects. The animals were amazing to see, and I think they were all of our favorites. After the tour, we went to the hotel and played in the water. It was great fun, and we always love hanging out with friends.

What? I Have a Large Family?!? Part 2

2008-11-25T14:53:00.001-08:00

I have to add another story. These just keep coming, and I find them funny...others might not, but for those who have gotten these reactions, you know how comical that they can be, and how if you don't laugh at things like this, you just might cry some days.

The cable guy came over this last week. He comes into the house and looks at the kids (note: only the four youngest were home, the other two were at school). He smiles at me, and trying to be friendly, says, "oh you run a daycare." I smile at him and say as nicely as I can without being sarcastic, "No, actually these are all mine." He looks at me and says, "You have four kids?!?" I smile back and say, "No, I have six." During the whole time he was here, he kept making comments about how he couldn't believe it, and wow that must be alot of work. He was nice about the whole thing, but it was a huge surprise to him that someone would have six kids.

My Birthday...and other things.

2008-11-25T14:37:00.000-08:00

So November 21 was my 32nd birthday. I got the best birthday present ever...my baby grinned at me!

Scot watched the kids while I got to go on a girl's night out...haven't done that in who knows how long. I went to dinner with a group of girls, got sung too (which meant my face was bright red), and went to see TWILIGHT!!! It wasn't too bad. I enjoyed myself. If you want to find out more, check out my friend Dana's blog. We then spent the weekend with people sick...

Other things that have been happening, Rachel did a head dive into a driveway and created herself a third eye...who else but Rachel?

Sarah spends alot of her time mad at something, isn't being almost two years old just the toughest thing around?

Rachel also likes to entertain us by saying she is going to "do ballet". She has pajamas with a ballerina on them, and just had to add the tutu to go with, isn't she beautiful? By the way, I find it ironic that my most accident prone child wants to do something that requires grace.

July Part 1

2008-11-17T21:43:00.001-08:00

So I am dividing July into two parts...it was a busy month. The first part included the 4th of July. Scot worked during the day, so the kids and I went to the church for the breakfast and flag raising. It was nice, and it makes you thankful for being in this country and having the freedom that we do. That afternoon, some friends of ours, the Christiansons, came and had barbacue with us and just enjoyed the company. Here is a picture of the kids enjoying some neighborhood fireworks.

Afterwards we went to the high school to enjoy the big fireworks Mt. Angel style with our friends, the Widings. For a small town, they put on a pretty good show...They also have a parade in the mornings, which we are going to next year (as long as we are in town).

Happy Birthday, Jessica!

2008-11-13T20:15:00.000-08:00

It is Jessica's 10th birthday!!! I was thinking, while I was up feeding Emma at 3:00am, about Jessica's birth - that just happened to be at 3:00am ten years ago - and how happy I am to have her here. She is the firstborn, so the one that made me a mom in the first place. I appreciate all that she does for me now, she is a huge help with alot of things! I love watching her play soccer, she works so hard on what she does. She is a smart kid that is doing great in school. There is just so much to be proud of her. I love her so very much, Happy Birthday Jess!!!

And a quick side note...poor Jessica gets to spend her birthday sick. We still do not know what is wrong, she has a fever and a terrible headache, but hopefully she will feel better soon.

Missing June Picture

2008-11-04T18:25:00.000-08:00

I forgot some June happenings...I could not believe it when I found this picture. Lisa had her ballet recital...although it was more of a play that she got to do a dance in. It was called "The Lady Pirates of Captain Bree" and Lisa was part of the waves. I thought she was so cute. The interesting thing that happened is that before the Sunday performance, Scot got called out to work. I ended up taking all five kids (pregnant-remember) backstage to help Lisa get ready. All the cast was looking at me strange, but they behaved better then most of the kids that were there...

What? I Have a Large Family?!?

2008-11-04T18:20:00.000-08:00

So today at the doctor's office I had the funniest thing happen, at least it was funny to me. I took Emma to the doctor today, she has been breathing funny and I wanted to make sure if she was taking after Nathan, or what was happening. (She is fine by the way, and weighed in at 8 lbs 7 oz!) As the nurse takes us back, she looks at me and asks "Are these all yours?" Now the funny thing about that comment is that I only had the youngest three with me. My answer to her question was "Why yes they are. And if you can believe it, this is only half of my kids." The look on her face was priceless. What can I say, I guess even three kids are alot now days...

Halloween

2008-11-03T09:06:00.000-08:00

I thought that I would share a little bit about our Halloween. Now it is a given that this is probably one of my least favorite holidays. I like the decorations, I love the season, but can NOT stand the candy. It took us a good couple of days to get back into our routine and not have everyone grumpy and picking at each other (more then normal). I do think that my kids turned our pretty cute...Grandma Kris helped them get their costumes ready when she was here for Emma. We first spent the afternoon at Daddy's work, trick or treating and showing off our costumes. That night we went to the church for a bonfire, hot apple cider, and some trunk or treating. It was a good evening all around, even if it is not my favorite.

PS My costume was my normal clothes and a crown on my head...I was queen of the house, not much of a change I know, but I got to wear a crown!!!

A day in the life...

2008-10-28T20:37:00.000-07:00

I am constantly told that people can not believe how I do everything. I thought that I would share a day in the life of our family so you could see just what it is that I do in a day (this is yesterday):

6:30a - Time to wake up, Scot gets in shower and I spend a few minutes for morning prayers and reflection time.

7:00a - Scot gets kids up and I fix breakfast.

7:15a - We sign homework, kids ready for school, I get in the shower.

7:30a - Jessica and Lisa are off to school

7:45a - Scot gets off to work, I work on picking up the house

8:15a - Bath for Emma and then bottle

8:45a -Breakfast for me, Emma goes down for a nap

9:00a - Clean up living room and kitchen

9:30a - Go upstairs and find that Nathan, Rachel, and Sarah have used scissors to cut up multiple things, including Nathan's hair. - Clean upstairs

10:15a - Work on Nathan's homework - Rachel and Sarah get a hold of the markers and write all over themselves - clean girl's up, change laundry - work on my homework

11:00a - Bottle for Emma

11:15a - Find missing homework of Lisa's - get is ready to take to school, shoes on Sarah

11:30a - Walk Nathan to school, drop off Lisa's homework, check in with the secretary to let her know about the box tops (I am the school's box top coordinator)

11:45a - Fix lunch for Rachel and Sarah

12:00p - Scot home for lunch, change laundry, put Emma down for nap

12:30p - Sarah down for nap (can I go to?) Lunch for me

1:00p - Rachel goes down for nap, clean kitchen, work on dinner, fold laundry

2:00p - Fix snack for kids, Emma gets bottle

2:25p - Walk to school to pick up kids

2:35p - Kids work on homework, I check email and work on reading homework for myself

3:00p - Work more on dinner, send kids outside to play

4:00p - Put Emma down for nap - is it my turn yet?!?

5:00p - Start baths - kids are a mess from outside

5:45p - Dinnertime, bottle for Emma

6:15p - Continue baths, clean kitchen

7:30p - Scriptures, prayers and bed for kids

8:00p - Get Emma ready for bed - myself too

8:30p - Bottle for Emma, read scriptures, prayers, and reading

9:00p - Enjoy Jon and Kate plus eight for a half an hour

9:30p - Time for bed, boy am I tired...I will be getting up again in a few hours for a feeding.

Break Time

2008-10-28T20:25:00.000-07:00

Thought that I would take a break from the past few months and show you what is happening now. Halloween is only a little ways off, and my children are addicted to Charlie Brown. I do not mind them watching this, but even I have a limit on how many times I can watch one movie in one week!

We spent the weekend just catching up on things. We got to attend Jessica's soccer game as a family, they won their game - but it was close. Jessica got to go see High School Musical 3 - Lisa really wants to go, hopefully she and I will get a chance a little later on. Sunday, we got to go visit my dad and Carla for the evening. It was a great visit, and their house is really coming along (my dad is remodeling a house right now). Yesterday was just busy, and this morning I took Nathan to the doctors because he started to cough and I could tell that his asthma was giving him some problems. It turns out that he has pneumonia, but he still wanted to go to school...so he went.

We took advantage of the great weather and took some pictures outside. Here is a great one of all of my children.

And then came June...

2008-10-24T21:03:00.000-07:00

So June brought the end of school and sunny weather. The girls came home with great report cards! I pulled off a 4.0, doing 10 credits. The family worked on setting up the pool as the weather turned warm.Father's day was restful, for Scot and the kids...
The end of the month was slightly stressful with Nathan having surgery. He had an additional palate repair that has helped him out quite a bit with his speech. Dale and Gail came from Montana to help out, and we really appreciated the help.
The first picture is before, waiting for the nurse to take him back to surgery. The second picture is after, hanging out in the room. Nathan kept asking when we could go home. He did really well and hardly needed any pain medication.

The wonderful month of May

2008-10-24T20:17:00.000-07:00

So on we go to the month of May. We celebrated two birthdays...Lisa turned 7, and is now counting down the days to the next birthday when she will be able to be baptized.

Rachel turned three...and got to share her birthday with Mother's Day. We spent the afternoon with my dad and Carla, and really enjoyed the time. - Do you love Rachel's hair?The girls had their music program at the end of the month. They did wonderful, and we get to look forward to three kids this school year!

This next picture warms my heart. Jessica is really good with the younger kids...she will make a great babysitter someday.

Last part of the month, we went to a soccer tournament for Jessica. Her team placed 3rd. It was great, due to the fact that their team played teams that were a year older then them.

April Happenings

2008-10-24T10:26:00.000-07:00

So I thought that I would go back through the last six months and update everyone about the happenings in the life of the Kurns Family...So here it goes for April. In the beginning of the month, Jessica got the oppurtunity to participate in a dance team. They performed for the half time show at one of Kennedy High School basketball games. She did great, just shaking her stuff out in front of a crowd (All couple hundred of the town).

The next thing that happened was Nathan's 5th birthday. It was just a pleasent afternoon spent with friends and family. The most important thing to Nathan is that he is five, he can go to kindergarten now! (He kept asking when he got to go, he was 5 now...we kept telling him he had to wait until the fall)

Last, but not least, is Easter. I think the most fun about Easter this year was coloring easter eggs - it is a really good thing that boiled eggs are a favorite snack of ours, there were quite a few when we got done with them!

Oh my goodness...where in the world did we go?

2008-10-21T19:24:00.000-07:00

I know it has been a while, so let me explain...just after my last post I got very sick, with morning sickness. Yes, I was pregnant. After I finally felt well enough to sit up...and not busy with school (I made honor roll again, with a 4.0!) my son broke my computer...well it was an accident and partly my own fault. So, until I got a new computer, I was stuck. I started school again in August - a new school this time, completely online - and once I got my student loans, I purchased a new computer. YEAH!!! It arrived at my house in the middle of September, and then...baby decided to come four weeks early. On Sept. 24, 2008 - Emma Brianne Kurns was born into our crazy family.

Now I am planning to keep this a little more up to date...but PLEASE do not hold me to it.

What a crazy life

2008-03-04T20:31:00.000-08:00

I was looking around and was really surprised to see that it had been a while since my last post. Things got a little crazy, I have been doing school work (I am taking 10 credits this term), all of the kids and Scot and I got some weird cold that lasted us a while, I am helping out at the school planning a Family Fun Night, I started a dance class that I am really enjoying, and the weather turned nice for a little while and awakened the sleeping monster that is excited to do yard work. I am beginning to wonder when I sleep...most of the time I am dreaming about any one of the things that I listed above. If that isn't enough, I am waiting to find out when Nathan's surgery is going to be (we are hoping for June - and I am NOT excited about this prospect), and I am also waiting for results on some tests for Sarah because she is too small for her age (16lbs 4oz at 13 months - I am not really worried, she is just tiny). Life is not really going to be easing up in the near future, it looks like this next term (starts in April) I will be doing 13 credits, I have lots of meetings to get Nathan ready for the change to Kindergarten (moving him from Early Intervention to Special Ed.), Jessica starts soccer again, and there is also something going on that I will eventually post about later on.

Testing something new

2008-01-25T10:27:00.000-08:00

I am just testing something to see if I can figure out how to make this work right. This is an evening in the house of the Kurns. The little one who stole the show is Sarah. By the way, I am sorry there is no sound, I just figured out how to turn the sound on my camera...

The end of the rainbow

2008-01-18T11:27:00.000-08:00

I knew that we reallyt loved the town that we moved to. To us it is really "golden" and "lucky". Did you know that someone out there must think so too? Look at what ended right here in our little town of Mt. Angel, OR. This happened on a really stormy day about a week ago. In Vancouver, WA, they were not so lucky...that was the day they had a tornado blow through town...

Sarah's Birthday!

2008-01-17T13:22:00.000-08:00

It's official, my baby is one years old...it has been a busy year, with moving and trips to Montana, I can't believe a whole year has passed. She is still very tiny, fits in 6 month clothes still, but walking around and loves to show everyone that Sarah is "so big". (Of course, Daddy calls the raising of the hands a touchdown but she likes both) Anyways, a big Happy Birthday to my little one year old!

Christmas and All that Jazz

2007-12-30T21:22:00.001-08:00

Things have been hopping around our house. Between ballet dancing, strep throat, ear infection, Christmas, and pulling raisins out of noses, I don't think there has been much time for anything extra. So a little more detail: Lisa had a ballet show in the middle of December, she was cute as can be and will do it again next term, along with her mother. Here is a picture of her in her costume: She was an ornament dancing around a Christmas tree (her teacher).

So then we started in with strep throat. Jessica had it and then two weeks later, on Christmas eve, Lisa got it. We should have figured something was going on with Nathan when he started in with the crying, he ended up with not only strep throat the day after Christmas, but also with a burst ear drum. We have been told that this should be okay, but he will have a hearing test in a couple of weeks from now. Then this last Friday, Jessica tested positive for strep throat again. On top of this, we have been dealing with pink eye. So, here is the best picture I could get on Christmas eve with the kids:

The last part of our story happened tonight. I got to do something that no parent ever really wants to be able to do. I picked my child's nose with a pair of tweezers. Rachel (are we really surprised at that one?) decided to see what it was like to put a raisin up her nose. She started screaming because it hurt, so Daddy pinned her down, Jessica held the flashlight and Mommy picked her nose. It was far enough up there that I wondered if we were going to the ER, thank goodness we got it out. So that is a quick snapshot into our lives...aren't you wishing it was you?

Teaching your children

2007-11-29T12:12:00.000-08:00

I just thought that I would share a story that happened today. Rachel has been a little upset with life, so I was playing with her today. I asked her if she was my Rachel, she told me no. So I asked about Daddy, the answer was no, so I went down the line. I asked about all of the grandparents, brother, sisters, uncles, aunts, and even friends. She said no to all of them, she was not their Rachel. So then I asked her if she was Heavenly Father's Rachel. She smiled at me and said yes. They really do learn early on that they are a child of god, don't they?

Our trip to Montana

2007-11-29T12:01:00.000-08:00

So we went to Montana, where there was lots of snow for the children to enjoy. Thanksgiving was wonderful, spent with family from Scot's side. In all, it was a nice break even if we were there for a sad reason. Here are some pictures of what the kids got to enjoy.

<-----Here is Jessica ready to throw snow at anyone she can.

Lisa trying to run away from Jessica.----->

Nathan and Rachel: Nathan asked where our snow was when we got home from Montana.

Birthdays

2007-11-21T04:37:00.000-08:00

Today is my birthday. I wasn't really going to put anything in, but I thought that I would share that this birthday is going to be slightly different then most of my birthdays...because we are traveling to Lewistown, MT for Grandpa Corson's funeral (yes we are traveling on my birthday). But that isn't the fun thing for me...the fun thing is: there is snow here!!! The last time I remember seeing snow on my birthday I was either nine or ten years old. We just don't see much of the white stuff in the Portland area. My kids are in heaven and (except for the fact that we are traveling in this) I think it is pretty cool too. When I can get a couple of pictures, I will share them with everyone.

Grandpa Corson

2007-11-21T04:30:00.000-08:00

Due to his fight with cancer, Grandpa Corson passed away this last Sunday morning. This is Scot's grandpa on his mother's side. Since we have been married almost ten years, he has been my grandpa too. He always had a grin and was always wanted to help you out. He loved fishing and Nathan can't wait till this summer to use his fishing pole that Great-Grandpa gave him. He will be missed by all, but remember that this isn't really good-bye, just a see you later. We love you Grandpa!

I can see!!!

2007-11-16T19:15:00.000-08:00

Guess who needed glasses? Yes, that's Jessica! I hoped that our children would be able to avoid the need for glasses, but when you have two parents, four grandparents, and an uncle who have glasses...well DNA is against you. She loves her new glasses, they are "Hannah Montana" glasses and look great on her. Maybe now she will be able to see...

Jessica' Birthday

2007-11-13T12:02:00.001-08:00

Today is Jessica's 9th birthday!!! It is during these times that I think back to when my first born came into the world and I realize that the stubborn attitude and reluctance to deal with the world should have been a warning to me what she would be like as she got older. She also is very smart and helpful and I appreciate all that she does for our family. I love you so very much, Jessica, Happy Birthday!!!

Fall

2007-11-06T10:20:00.001-08:00

Did you know that my favorite season is fall? (It has nothing to do with my birthday being in the fall.) I love the colors, the food, curling up in blankets with my kids and reading books. We also love to play in the leaves!!!

This is Rachel outside with the wagon.

Starting out

2007-11-05T18:40:00.000-08:00

I keep getting told that our family needs to start a blog. I am not much of a follower, so I have resisted for as long as I possibly could. (I also resisted the whole Harry Potter mania for a very long time, and now I am one of the biggest fans) How in the world was I going to find the time to do this? I have school, the kids, Parent's Club, church, and whatever else comes along my way...but I have been told I need to share, so here we are. Let's see what I actually make of all this blog kind of stuff.