Finally - Birthday #12

 (Not hard to tell which type of boots are a favorite among the locals)

 As per "America's Funniest Home Videos," we played the "eat a cookie off your face" game.

 (the traditional candy bar game. I'm thinking that when we first played this when I was growing up...candy bars didn't cost .89 each)

We've been celebrating Addysen's 12th birthday for a week. It started last Friday when she had some friends over. We opted for last Friday because Greg was off work. The plan was that he would be here to help with things. And he was...for the first hour or so. Then he left to play basketball. Good thing we planned it so that he could be here to help.
Good thing we didn't need any help.
Oh...and since Addysen's friends inundated her with all things Justin Bieber...I think it was a fun evening.

Today school was canceled in honor of Addysen's birthday.
Ok, so not really. But, school was canceled. And, lucky for us, our district canceled at 9:30 last night -- so we knew we were going to get to sleep in. I turned Addysen's alarm clock off with a note that said, "Happy Birthday - -No School -- Go Back To Sleep." She didn't wake up till 7:04 -- the exact time she was born 12 years ago today. Must be some kind of karma.
Or Not.
Either way -- she got to sleep in on her birthday. That is one of the only things I always wish for on MY birthday.

Tonight will be low-key..very low-key. We are taking the kids over their cousins because Addysen and I are heading to the Columbus temple at 4:30am tomorrow morning so that Addysen can participate in her first youth temple trip. It should be a great experience for her...and me...and Grandpa Kerr...even if it does start in what I would normally consider the middle of the night.

Happy Birthday Addysen. You are truly amazing and we are so blessed to have you as our daughter. What a wonderful example you are to each of us. We love you!

Showin' a little love

 Cupcakes from G & G Kerr

(We'll give them both credit...but we have our suspicions as to which grandparent probably made and frosted the cupcakes..and they were yummy!)

(Not shown...the pillow cases, treats and stuffed animals from G&G Purcell. Tracking them down would have required too much effort on my part...energy that was lacking at the time I decided to finally catch up the blog.)

 Flowers from Greg and Cannon

 

Our traditional Valentine's Day treasure hunt ended up with Pillow Pets as the final 'treasure.' The kids thought it was funny that Cambrie's pillow pet -- which was a Christmas gift from Uncle Spencer -- thrilled her every bit as much on Valentine's Day as it did on Christmas Day -- even though she'd slept with it in her room the night before.

What can I say? There is a fine line between efficient...and cheap.

A Webelos Scout

Cannon finally has some new scout leaders (his awesome scout leader moved last summer and things haven't been the same since!). We've been working really hard to get going so that he could earn some awards at the Blue and Gold Banquet. He earned his Webelos Award, Citizenship, Fitness, Communicator, Naturalist, & Scholar Award...and of course, I am now the proud bearer of the Mother's pin. Without going into details...let's just say that I DID earn this pin. Enough said.

Toofless

 

This picture actually totally grosses me out. This tooth is literally just hanging there. But, Brynnley refuses to pull it until she sees her cousin, Maddux (which will thankfully be tonight) because her Grandpa suggested that she take a picture with Maddux because they were each misses the opposite front tooth.

After tonight...the infamous picture...Brynnley will be missing her two front teeth.

Daddy Daughter Dance

A few weeks ago, Greg and Ted took the girls to the Daddy Daughter Dance that Strongsville holds every year. Ted and Brooklyn have gone for a couple of years now and this year they invited Greg and the girls to come along. Greg worked all week -- and all day Saturday, so he was more than a little worn out BEFORE the dance started...but somehow, he managed to find a second wind. I think it must have had something to do with the excitement of the girls.

Because Greg was at work, Ted took the girls to dinner at Applebees by himself. They followed up the evening with a stop at a local ice cream shop. Addysen and Brynnley couldn't stop talking about how much fun they had and how, "next year, I am taking my shoes off as soon as we get to the dance."

Brynnley & Greg even had their picture in the local newspaper...not quite the celebrity pages...but to hear Brynnley talk about it, it was about the next best thing. In her words, "I'm going to save that picture for the rest of my life!"

Thanks to Brooklyn and Ted for the invite. Kenzie is already counting down the days until she is old enough to attend.

Welcome

Vivian Desiree Purcell

February 20, 2011

8 lbs, 21"

Proud Parents: Lincoln & Emily

Super Happy Sister: Lexi

Sister Still Adjusting to the Idea: Delilah

Never Say Never

Thanks to their FUNCLE Spencer, Addysen and her cousin Brooklyn received movie tickets to the premier of the Justin Bieber movie "Never Say Never," as a Christmas present. They have been counting down the days, literally, and because they weren't allowed to go by themselves, I got to tag along Wednesday night.

We took our lanyards, our glow sticks, our 3-D glasses, our matching t-shirts (ok -- the girls were in matching t-shirts, thanks to Brooklyn's dad...although, I did wonder, "where was mine?" Kidding, of course.)...and we headed out to dinner before the BIG SHOW.) Oh, and yes, we did join a theater full of screaming, glow-stick waiving, JB-chanting girls and their moms and grandmothers...and one dad.

 In the car on the way there, the conversation went something like this:
Brooklyn: "Addysen, there is a new kid in my class who doesn't speak any English."
Addysen: "Oh yeah?"
Brooklyn: "Yeah, so I taught him how to say Justin Bieber."
Addysen: "That's good!"
Brooklyn: "Yeah - he told me he likes the Beatles but I told him he can't like the Beatles unless he likes Justin Bieber."
Me: "Sounds like you can communicate pretty well with a kid who can't speak English. When did you learn to speak Spanish so well?"

The show was pretty interesting and I realized I have not truly appreciated the power of social media. I also realized that there is marketing genius behind the idea of making a 3-D movie out of pop stars life...giving theater's full of fans all over the country an up close and personal experience -- as close as they will ever get to the real thing. At times, it was like we were at a concert..and I am quite sure that JB was referring to me, and only me, as his BABY. Oh yes, there was ONE LESS LONELY GIRL in the audience that night. For sure.

In the car on the way home:

Brooklyn: "We had to write story problems and this is what I wrote:

If Justin Bieber makes $100,000 at each concert and he does 8 concerts in the month of February, how much money does he make in the month of February?

AND

If Justin Bieber has $800,000 and he pays $170,000 for a haircut, how much money does he have left?


I asked her, "what did your teacher think of your story problems?"

She said, "She wrote, "WOW" on my paper."

That pretty much sums it all up. In the eyes of a third-grader...and the eyes of a fifth-grader...the night was WOW.

Testimony

 I hope my family won't mind my sharing...but this was a round of emails that we shared today. I feel truly blessed to have been given such wonderful parents and siblings. Our blessings are always cause for reflection. (And at the time of this writing..I am a bit annoyed with a few member of my immediate household...so posting this is helping me to bite my tongue!)


Subject: Re: Motorcycle Accident

Date: Saturday, February 5, 2011, 8:47 AM

Motorcycle Accident
Today I went to Mesquite to ride bikes with Rachel's family.  We had a lot of fun.  There were 4 other guys that weren't part of our group there from Rexburg.  We were with them for a few minutes and then we went to a different part to ride.  When it was dark we came back to where the trucks were parked and the police were there.  Come to find out that one of them was killed on his bike.  He wrecked somehow and broke his neck and it killed him.  Wow.  Crazy.  It happened at 4:30, we left the area around 3:30.  Very sad!
It just goes to show that we never know how long we have.  I want to let you all know that I love you very much.  I wish/hope that we can spend more time together.  It is so limited and life can be absolutely crazy.  I am very thankful for my testimony and the knowledge of the Atonement.

Love,
Josh
______________________________

That is heartbreaking. I am so sorry. 

I concur with Josh -- we are truly blessed. What a wonderful family we have...and what an amazing gift ...the Atonement and the blessings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and eternal families.

Love you all so much.

Be safe and be happy.

Love,

Tacie______________________________________
   Man, that sucks.  But you are right, it just goes to show how fragile mortality really is.  For example, just last week I responded to a call where a 50 y/o man was trimming some trees in his back yard and fell off his ladder and died. Something so innocent and mundane (something we've all probably done before) yet for whatever reason, this time he was called back home by Heavenly Father. Unfortunately I see this kind of thing a lot and as a result, I am always reminded that "the hour cometh which no man knoweth."
As of late I have felt extremely homesick for you guys (I think this is the longest we have gone without visiting Las Vegas) and wish we could just drop everything and drive up. However, in spite of the fact that it is not in the cards right now, it is always comforting to know that we have been sealed for time and all eternity.
if we will but be faithful to the commandments and the covenants we have made.  I add my testimony to yours, Josh, and tell you all I love you very much and not only know our Savior lives but am forever grateful for his atoning sacrifice. I know he loves us no matter what and wants more than anything for each of to return to live with him again. I love and miss you all!

Word to our motha-

Lincoln

PS- "If you stay ready, and aint never got to get ready." 

     -Some dude I arrested a few weeks ago. Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
_______________________________
 What a scary and sad thing! I too am thankful for my knowledge of the Atonement and the plan of salvation.

I love you all and wish we all lived right in the same neighborhood!

--
Season Giles
Graphic Design
801.850.8879
_________________________________
Oh my goodness, I am bawling my eyes out now!  First reading Josh's sad experience and then the sweet posts from each of you.  For some reason this thought has been on my mind a lot lately: (perhaps because there have seemed to be an extra lot of deaths of people I know in the past couple months)  "When is it going to be my turn to lose someone close to me?  When is one of these deaths going to personally effect me?"  I spoke on the phone yesterday to my mother and we had a wonderful chat.  But about an hour later I thought, "What if that is the last time I get to speak with my mother?" and again the tears flowed.  I am just getting way too morbid and I need to knock it off right now!
   But you are each right...Thank Goodness we have the Atonement and Thank
Goodness we know about the Plan of Salvation!  We are so blessed to have the knowledge and understanding that we do, so that when these most difficult departures occur, we will be able to stand strong and get through them.  And you are also right that it means we have to live every day the very best that we can, say the kind and loving things we need to say each day, never let a day go by without telling your immediate families that you love them, and all the others every chance you get.  So each of you know this:  I LOVE YOU EACH SO VERY MUCH!  I am so grateful that you are each trying hard to live the Gospel and do the right things.  I am so very thankful that you are good parents and you are teaching your children correct principles, both by word and by example.  I am extremely blessed to have a husband and sons and sons-in-law who honor their priesthood, and to have daughters and daughters-in-law who are nurturing their sweet children and living up to their covenants.  As Mother pointed out yesterday in our phone conversation, "Kris, you really are blessed to have such a lovely family.  Your children are living the Gospel, they are good citizens, and they are raising valiant children.  What a wonderful blessing that is!"  I couldn't agree more!
   Thank you, Josh, for spawning this outpouring of love.  Maybe there will be a lot more tough times ahead, but we will all pull together and uplift one another and we will all make it back home as one eternal family.  I want you to know that I have a strong testimony of the gospel, I am grateful for the wonderful life I have, and I love you all so very much!  Now go out and have a terrific day!  Oodles and oodles of hugs and kisses, Mom xoxoxoxoxoxox

A different birthday celebration

This year, I spent my birthday in Vegas - -celebrating with my parents, siblings and nieces and nephews. It just so happened that Greg and I were scheduled to be in Vegas for a seminar on Saturday -- and given the flight situation -- it made sense to stick around on Sunday which was my actual birthday. Not a normal birthday weekend for me...but so much fun! (Three cakes/treats in three days - -a little too much fun!)

We jammed a lot into a quick trip -- the temple, birthday shopping with my mom, golfing for the boys, a birthday dinner and games with the fam (I got spanked in Just Dance by my nieces and nephews and my dad...I need to practice my skills!)

We were in class all day Saturday -- from about 8am till 7pm....highly beneficial and lots to learn. It was so worth the trip out and we are so grateful to Greg's parents for taking such great care of our kids while we were gone. We could never have done it without them. Leaving is always hard...but knowing they are being well taken care of makes it easier.

To top it all off, we returned home Monday -- after only a short delay -- to find a cleaned up a house -- laundry folded -- Welcome Home & Happy Birthday signs - another birthday dinner complete with homemade bread and cupcakes -- and smiling, happy children!

I truly felt loved. Thanks for all the expressions of kindness and birthday wishes sent my way! (The 12 am text from my bro in CA wishing me a "Happy Birthday Young Gangsta!' and about 50+ birthday messages on FB before I had even gotten my not-so-young self out of bed!)
One year older and wiser too...I certainly know how to count my many blessings! 
(Including the fact that we made it back before the winter storm hit. The kids have been out of school for the past two days.)

By special request

Cannon: "Mom, do you still blog?"
Me: "Yes."

Cannon: "Well, will you put a picture of my police lego village on your blog?"