Fall 2010

This is like soooo over due. I was looking at my blog and realized that I have been a slackin.

Kierstin our oldest graduated from high school and is now in Provo. She spend the summer with her cousin, Jessica, in Oregon and while there applied for a nanny job in Provo for a BYU professor. She got the job and is now enjoying tending three little boys, 2, 5, and 7. She is having a great time, loves the family and is doing a great job. Her cousin Jessica also is in Utah and they are spending a lot of time shopping, going to young adult activities, and she is also creating her graphics for her etsy shop. You can go check it out at: http://www.leeshaygrapics.etsy.com/

Tanner is attending Initial Point and is a senior. He is taking what he says is a really fun class Myths and Legends for Language Arts. He worked for the Christiansens in our ward doing some farm work, and loved it, he was disappointed on the mornings when he didn't get a call to go out and work.

Mckenzie started High School and is taking some really fun classes, she is a hard worker and trys to study hard. She is really enjoying seminary and likes her pottery class. She continues to strive to do her best. She loves football and yesterday, because the grass was like 12 feet high, dad did not see her beloved football in the grass until it was too late. And he was going to put the new sprinkler on the dry spots of grass until he ran that over too. We did walk around the yard to check for items that were of importance, but I guess we overlooked a couple.

Hannah is in 5th grade and is also a busy little bee keeping up with her school work. She has enjoyed the summer and playing with her brothers and sisters, especially with the dogs and new kittens.

Jacob is in 2nd grade and is really enjoying his class and teacher. He brought home Harry Potter, the third book and started reading it in his spare time. I think some of the words might be a little over his head, but none the less he loves it and I encourage it.

Tanner and Jacob are taking piano lessons from our dear friend who has an awesome treat bucket they revel in each week. They are learning a lot and Jacob like to plunk out tunes that he has heard. He also with my help learned the play the star wars theme, now he is practicing some primary songs.

Jerott is still working at the Tax commission and recently took on a part time job at Fed Ex. So we don't see much of him during the week:( But he has weekends off so that is good. He enjoys his primary class 11 year olds and loves the kids he teaches.

I am cleaning homes now about three days a week and cleans 8-15 houses. They are already for the most part clean, just have to do what they call a refresh of each home once a month until it sells. I am also selling all my scrapbook, fabric and misc. crafts to try to make a little extra. I have decided I have enough stuff I could open a store, but my dear friend in Boise is going to let me have a sale at her home next Saturday. I am an Activity Day leader for the 10-11 year old girls, it's been a lot of fun, just love those girls.

Well, that is it for now... I will be writing next month about our 5th annual Adult Halloween Party:) Barbie and Ken theme.

The holidays are upon us. Halloween was a fun holiday, we have had an adult party for the past four years and have had a great time. This year was dress up as a famous couple, so Jerott and I went as Gomez and Morticia Addams, there were some awesome costumes. The kids went trick or treating at Jerott's brother's neighborhood and got way too much candy. But it is all gone now and I am happy.

Kids are doing well in school and are all healthy at this point.

I love it when kids say things that make me smile, for instance; Jacob and I were talking about the scriptures and he says "Maybe I will be in the next Book of Mormon". He knows his name is in the first one and I guess he figures that earns him rank in the sequel, who knows maybe he will be a great leader someday.

We took some family pictures at Katherine Albertsons Park, this had been a tradition since 99', but we have slacked since we moved out to Kuna. In the past we had tried to get them done a little sooner that Nov, but at least the Fall colors were still around due to the Indian Summer we have had.

We finally finished our boardwalks and most of the rock area, we need to get more river rock, but it's just getting to cold to harvest them.


The project begins

finished boardwalk.

My brother, Gary, building our window well.

School is in Session!

Well, what a crazy summer is was at the Rudds. Each one of my kids got sick, similar symptoms to the swine flu, we took a couple to the dr. and the flu test was negative. They each got sick for a month and a couple of them even longer and they didn't have it at the same time either. So from the end of May to the middle of Aug I had children sick. But other than that we managed to go to Tri-Cities and visit family, attend our family reunion in Utah, my niece's wedding, and go to Lagoon (thanks to Jerott's boss, he bought the kids tickets). Now school is in session and they are all finally adjusting.
Kierstin is a senior and has a pretty easy load, she gets a free hour every other day. She is keeping busy with her graphic design talents. She has created screen savers for Kuna High School computers, created the cover for the year book, and is busy taking a independent Graphic Design class during school.

Tanner is doing home school this year, he has named his classes, for instance math is: arthimancy, scripture study is: Defence Against the Dark Arts, Geology: Ancients runes and other exotic locations. We are both learning and hopefully will grow from this experience.

Mckenzie has left the charter school and headed to the Middle School for 8th grade in preparation for High School next year. She is enjoying her teachers, she has a couple of really fun teachers that make her smile, she is quite shy.

Hannah is enjoying 4th grade and she really likes her teacher. She continues to excel in school and is learning a lot. She is making new friends and has a little more homework than last year.

Jacob is finally adjusted to 1st grade. He came home the first day and said it was the worst day of his life (so dramatic). "It was way too long, like 100 hours" was his comment. He had been in tears the first couple of weeks, we talked to him about it and this week he is doing great. He is participating, playing with friends, and not tearing up. He told me that whenever he would think about me he would start to cry, then he would tell himself that he could do it, he could do it. Talk about ripping at my heartstrings. We talked about praying and asking Heavenly Father to comfort him when he felt like crying.
Well, Jerott's busy time is over, the summer is when he gets to go to court and it gets quite busy. He is still mission leader for the ward. He is also building me a trellis, it is an oriental style, I am so excited to see it finished. Pictures later.
I started art classes yesterday and had so much fun. Madison was my first student, she is 10 and is doing really great. I composed a piano piece this summer and recorded it to share. I have lyrics,but not finished writing them. The name is "Give Me Wings"
It's a little choppy, but after recording three times, I said that's it, that will have to do.
I love keeping in touch with all my friends on FB, it's so awesome to see where, how, what old friends are up to these days.

We love camping

Hannah




Just loved this picture



Running barefoot in the sand, nice thick thorn.

Mckenzie

Yes, he is really that hot....

Ella, Queen of rock mountain

Row row row your boat

Climbing the steep hills, rock hounds...

Jacob

Ok, Thursday, Momorial Weekend, I downloaded a camping list from the internet and then set out to gather up all of our things. I was going to be prepared. Of course a few things had to be washed, and finding everything wasn't too hard, since we had kept all the camping stuff in the garage in one corner. So all was going well, Kierstin vacuuming out the Yukon, and the little kids helping also with their sister. We were packed and ready to head to the hills.

I have since decided that a one-night camping trip is just not worth the trouble taking a full day just to get ready for it. Needless to say, we had a fabulous trip, some of our best memories are just hanging out in the big out doors.

One of our best memories of camping was right next to a lake, I was pregnant with Jacob, who is now six, I remember this well, because....there was no latrine, outhouse, nothing, pure roughing it. The kids soon found the inlet was loaded with frogs, big frogs, and they began their frog races. They wanted to take those frogs home......they didn't!

Ok back to the present. We had outhouses this time and running water. We were fairly close to the river and this was our first trip with our inherited canoe. Soon the kids were off, Kierstin, taking them on a rock hound adventure and it turned out to be quite a crystal mine up on them there hills. After seeing the loot the kids brought back, Jerott and I thought we might enjoy a little rock hounding ourselves. So off we went and we found more than a few little crystals, there was a tiny tiny scorpion, a strange looking spider, and the bull snake with her eggs.

Well, back to the lake we set out to go fishing, but the wind, the wind was blowing a lot. I told Jerott I would hold her steady right out in the middle and he could just fish away. Ha, within a few minutes we were nearing the shore and he would have to help me row back out again. Great work out though. So that is our camping adventure in a nutshell.

Oh ya, the best part was..... I didn't have to pack any of the kid's bags, basically told the two little ones what they needed and that was it. I was stoked, this is definitely a great age for camping with kids.

Summer time

beforeafter

This was a practice she doesn't graduate until 2010

A page from "The Memory Shirt" illustration I did.

Well, summer is here and we are already having a great time. Kids are going to the library once a week for the summer book reading program. I am giving Jacob and Hannah piano lessons, Jacob has just decided to to teach himself, he just turned to the next page of the book and started playing the songs. Hannah has read 5 chapter books in two weeks and is starting another, good job Hannah. Mckenzie has spent her summer sickly. Last Wednesday she got a fever and started throwing up. So she missed field day at her school and was sick Thursday and missed her field trip. So Friday fever was gone, but had a little cough, so she went to the last day of school. Then her cough got worse over the weekend and then on Monday welts started showing up on her torso and then radiated all over her body. Gave her benadryl and they went down. Then yesterday, they came back, she is going to the doctor today and of course her welts are gone, but she has that persistent cough. Tanner has bee having fun playing his wii, and really wants a summer job. With the market like it is, it's hard for a teenager to find a job. Kierstin just makes up her own job. She is in summer school, by choice, she is trying to graduate early, not sure if that will happen, she is not able to take the other class because it is during trek. Anyway back to making up jobs, she caught two mice the other day in her bunny shed. She put them in cages and one had babies, she then said she was going to sell the babies for snake food.
Jerott has lost 25 lbs and looks great, proud of him.... I have lost 10, but the rest is just going to have to be toned up I guess. I do feel better, more energy when I lay off the sugar and white flour stuff. I finished the illustrations for the children's book I am doing and that was a big relief. Now it's projects, projects, projects. It think I will go dig up some more dirt, it's a great stomach toning exercise, and I really enjoy doing it. We got more free wood to do a second boardwalk.

Getting healthy

Ok, I am not one who has ever taken a diet seriously until now. For the past 2 years I have been putting on some extra stuffing around the middle, and in the past couple months I have really been having a little wee bit trouble getting into my jeans. So I decided that I needed to change my eating habits and I am now on day 4 of the new healthy me. I have been actually having a lot of fun and enjoying the challenge it provides me. Being self disciplined has helped me in more ways than one and I am grateful, that I am finally learning this value.
I am cutting back on the sugar for the kids slowly, and they whine and say this doesn't have enough sugar and I say, you just have to get use to it, our family is going healthy.

Kierstin & Tanner haven't eaten dinner for two days now, the younger three I can still tell them, well then no dessert. I am not going to be a fanatic about no sugar, but we have gotten into this cycle where that's about all they eat.

Jerott is on Medifast, a lot of his family have lost a lot of weight and are now maintaining it and staying healthy.

My kids don't need to loose weight and I am hoping that as we eat healthier, they may actually gain a little.

Life is Good

Ok, so Jerott & I are entering a whole new stage of our lives, Kierstin graduates next year and my baby goes to school all day long. As I was reading a friends blog, I was reflecting on those days gone by: babies, diapers, and little ones messes. It seemed everything at their eye level had to be below them on the floor, there were the spills, crying, throwing themselves to the floor, and yes even an running out onto the front lawn stark naked. Wow, how those days have flown by so fast. I miss those days sometimes, my kids loved me, they gave me hugs and kisses, they would listen to me and believed me when I told them something. Don't get me wrong, I love being a mom, but it's a lot more emotional draining raising teenagers. The physical drain was hard, but now it's amazing how independent they want to be.
We have been doing a lot of reflecting, I like to reflect, and realized we need to be kinder in the way we speak, look, and listen with our kids. We are not super mean people, but the wear and tear of everday life takes a tole on your emotions and soon you don't sound too happy or nice, especially to the ones you love.
Another area we have been working on is finances, it is awesome. I grew up in a home where everything was handed to me on a silver platter. I realized that growing up and I tried super hard not to be one of those stuck up rich girls. Well, none the less it didn't help me have self control when it came to money. I have been practicing not spending money on things that I don't need. I was in the store the other day and I had the cat food in the cart, cream rinse, and bananas. I saw the Easter clearance isle, so I went to browse and found 5 little stuffed animals with a package of jellybeans. Only .75 cents each. So I gathered them up and stuck them in my cart and off I went to retrieve another needed item. I got that feeling you get when you know you really don't need something and you try and justify it. So I started to pray and asked if I should get them. I heard in my mind "you should go put them back". So as I strolled back to the shelf, many thoughts flooded my head this time favorable ones like "Those stuffed animals, wrappers, and candy will just end up all over the house." And then one golden one "It would mean more to your kids to have you sit next to them and read a story or play a game with them." This may be a trivial thing $3.50 really isn't much, but it was one of those little choices that will bring about a greater change.
Just felt like sharing........