Prayer

As we were kneeling down for prayer tonight as a family, I heard a camera shutter go off as soon as Caden was about to begin. Anger flushed my cheeks as I whipped my head up to see which child had been playing with their device instead of folding their arms. When I found out it had been Randy?! Oh, no.he.didn't. I'm ashamed to say that I was pretty darn upset at him for setting a bad example before the prayer. And then I saw what he wanted to capture. 

A moment. One to be proud of and cherish forever.  My anger has been put to bed, along with the children. I wish I could change my quick-to-anger nature. I guess that is why I teach my kids to pray. I'm a good person to teach about repentance!

Love Me Some Laces

I love the simple moments that I get to witness when I take time to just rest, sometimes. This morning it was Brennon concentrating so hard to tie his shoes. 

I was getting lunches ready, backpacks filled, and shepherding kids to brush teeth and get ready, when I happened to look down and see him. When concentrating, I love that Brennon sucks in his cheeks and makes fish lips. I love that he is all gangly arms and legs. 

See the lace that he has already tied? I was surprised to find that it stayed tied the rest of his time at home. I was certain it wouldn't last more than three minutes. Should I ask for repentance for thinking so little of his tying skills?!

This was one of those small moments that made me grateful that I get to watch them learn and grow. Innocence is bliss to live in and magical to witness. 

Coolest Chorister

Because of General Conference next weekend and then Primary Program practices in the Chapel two weeks after that, they sang to Tyson today.  I wish I could have gotten a better picture of him, but I didn't want to interrupt primary and draw more attention to us.  So, this one will have to do.  I truly believe that Primary Chorister is one of the hardest Sunday callings, yet our new chorister does it with ease.  She makes the kids want to bring visitors (she hands out the cutest hello- gifts and gives them all hugs with their song) and makes the kids super excited for their birthday song.  These props are used to dress them up for their special time.  Look at my boy all decked out!!

So, without further ado, I give you the new-and-much-improved Primary Birthday Boy, Tyson!

Keilie's Party...Finally

 Keilie had her birthday party today.  From the picture above, how do you think she liked it?!

 We had it at the same location as Shelby's.  The reason?  Keilie wanted to conquer the bungee jump- something only the birthday child gets to do!

 And conquer it, she did!!

 She conquered it to become the cutest "Superwoman" and flew through the air with grace.  And just a bit of squealing.

 "Happy Birthday, to you! Happy Birthday, to you!  Happy Birthday, dear Keilie!!  Happy Birthday, to YOU!"

 Love this cutie!!

 This girl makes every gift opened The Best Gift Ever!

 This one was from our family.

 Would you say she was surprised?!  Why, YES, yes she was!

 I guess she meant it when she said she wanted Rollerblades all of those 100 times.  Score one for the asked-for gift!

 I wanted to make the gift bags more than just treats and nick-nacks, so I filled them with all the things a little girl would like: Nail Polish, Emory Board, Loofah, Body Wash (the good scent kind), Lotion, Chapstick, and Gum.

 It was fun hearing their little-girl voices, excited about their different colors and scents.

 It had been quiet as they were eating their cheesecake (Keilie doesn't do cake) but once they got to talking, it was quite fun to hear their excitement bounce off of these acoustic walls.  The walls that were too loud for Shelby's maniac birthday party, just 8 months ago.

 Eight 12-year old girls can make the most beautiful noise.

Today was SO MUCH FUN.  Not only for Keilie, but for everyone that was able to attend.

So, even though this party is one month late:

HAPPY 12th BIRTHDAY, KEILIE!!!

Infinite Value

Our family store is still going strong. My kids have lulls once in a while, but all-in-all they love to earn their tickets. So much so, that Caden found himself with 106 this Monday. I went to Walmart and FILLED the store to overflowing with snacks, nick-nack, and little trinkets that I thought they might like. It was like Ariel's treasure trove at the Dirks' house, I tell you. Caden was left with 106 tickets after. He said he wasn't interested in spending that many tickets on nothing. I needed to up my game plan. This shouldn't surprise me. This is a boy with over $1,500 in his bank account because he saves every cent he earns.

Yesterday, on the way home from school, Caden asked if we could go to the Mormon bookstore to get him a new Holy Bible, his baptism-day scriptures have pages that were falling out and that just does not work for the boy that craves perfection. He gave me all of the money in his wallet and promised that he would do extra chores and give up all of his tickets for the nicest set. His yearning was so sincere, that I had no desire to even contemplate walking out with the bare-minimum set. He was all excitement for his new scriptures on the way home from the bookstore. 

"I'm glad that I didn't buy all snacks with my tickets. I got something of infinite worth, instead."

I had made a list of a few chores I needed done (you know the ones that you procrastinate, although you are home all day, with no kids or excuses) and threw them all out after hearing him say this, all the while watching him caress and cherish his new purchase. 

He is so much more valiant than I could ever imagine a teenage boy being. He teaches me so much. With this recent cancer find, his plans of going on a mission at 18 are gone. We are hopeful for a call at 19, now. Even so, this boy is a missionary NOW. 

Proof

3:48PM- "Hello, this is the Kennewick Scout Office, letting you know that we received the Eagle credentials for Caden Dirks. You may pick them up at any time. Congratulations!"

3:49PM- We are in the car, on our way. 

4:07PM-

4:27- Caden came home for a photo shoot of his very own. He took this with his own cell phone. 

With this setup and execution, I now have proof that he is my son. For, surely someone that loves a good picture as much as I, must be my flesh and blood!

Eagle Court of Honor will be October 17th at 4:00PM. Message me if you would like an invitation.

Some additional pictures I was able to take on September 27th

 

 

Proof

Tyson really is our angel child, or so he'd like us to believe. 

Astonish

One of my favorite movies right now is 'Far From the Madding Crowd.'  One of my favorite parts is when she takes over the farm that she has been detailed in her uncle's will.  She stands in front of all of her new employees, telling them that she understand that they are used to a Master, yet...

"It is my intention to astonish you all."

As Keilie stood to give her talk in Sacrament meeting yesterday, it became beautifully, wonderfully clear that she intended to astonish us all.

Last week, Brother Hammond called Keilie, asking her to speak.  You could see her anxieties and excitement as soon as she walked downstairs to tell us.  Jokingly she said that she had told him no, until he told her it only had to be about 2-5 minutes.  It was a believable enough joke, that I was horrified for a minute that she would actually tell him no.  That should have been my first hint at how her talk would go.  I think she found pride at being able to scare me with her whit.

Her topic was assigned as Family, which I thought was a perfect topic for her first talk in Sacrament meeting, just 29 days after her 12th birthday.  She sat down and wrote this...

My name is Keilie Dirks.  Our family moved to Richland in November 2012.  My dad works for New World Systems selling software to cops.  No, this does not mean that he doesn’t get tickets if he speeds. My mom works at home.  She is my favorite person in the whole world.  She is the glue that holds us all together.  I love her so much.  Who knows what she does all day, without any kids to take care of.  Caden is my oldest brother.  He finally started school this week at Delta High.  I come next. I turned twelve less than a month ago and already love Young Women’s.  I was lucky to be able to get a head’s start by going to girls’ camp this year. Shelby is my only sister.  She turned eight this year and was baptized in January. Brennon will be eight next year.  Or will he?  His birthday is February 29th, so he will technically be 2.  He likes to joke that he is 1 and three quarters, right now. Tyson comes as the baby of our family.  He turns 6 in 23 days, and has been counting down since 60.  He is your typical family baby: Fun, Spoiled, and Loved by all. Our family has lived many places. My mom and dad grew up in Utah, Caden was born in Houston, Texas, where my parents moved right after they got married.  My dad’s last class in college brought them back to Utah, where I was born.  My dad’s career in sales took us to Casper, Wyoming where Shelby, Brennon, and Tyson were born, which is where I remember most of my childhood, so far. I love my family!  In the Strength of Youth pamphlet it says: “Being part of a family is a great blessing.  Your family can provide you with companionship and happiness.”  I know this to be true.  Last year, on November 30, our family got to go to Disney World through Make A Wish.  We got to stay at Give Kids the World: A village built just for Wish kids and their families.  The first night we got there, I had the BEST pot roast I have ever eaten.  During the week, we got to celebrate Christmas, Halloween, Easter and have free ice cream anytime we wanted- even for Breakfast.  My favorite was playing a live game of Candy Land.  Throughout the week we spent every single minute together.  After a year of being separated, it was SO MUCH FUN to do so much together.  As a family, we go on many trips together.  Spending time together is VERY important.  We have been on many road trips as a family.  We’ve been to Mall of America is Minnesota, Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, Lake Havasu in Arizona, Bryce Canyon National Forrest in Utah, and most recently to many different spots in Oregon and Washington.  It’s not all about the big trips, though.  I love stuff we talk about while eating dinner.  I love our games of kickball, duck-duck-goose, heads-up seven-up, Pass the Pigs, Uno, and Go Fish.  The Strength of Youth pamphlet also says: Participate in wholesome family activities and traditions.  God desires that all of his children come into the world as part of an eternal family with a mother and father who love and care for each other and for their children. I know that families can be together forever. I know that I have been blessed with an eternal family. I know the church is true, and I love my family.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

My heart was pounding as the Bishop stood up to announce the proceedings of the meeting.  I hoped that she remembered all of our suggestions (don't speed read, don't talk in monotone, look up often, don't just read the paper, etc).  As she began, I was immediately impressed by her commanding presence.  She stood tall, she talked confidently into the microphone, and she began speaking in her sweet, young woman's voice.  The room quieted quickly.  As each sentence was spoken, my heart swelled even more.  She was amazing.  Her jokes were received with laughter.  You could feel the surprise in the crowd- she was one of the better youth speakers we've had in a while, and it is not said because she is mine.  She didn't look or seem nervous at all...and she just turned 12!  She was talking to a HUGE crowd in the words that she put to paper herself!  She was a rockstar.


She astonished us all.

Lost and Found

I have been organizing/purging my home from sun-up to sun-down since Caden finally started school.  It has felt so nice to get things cleared out while the kids are gone.  Most people might start accumulating a bunch of stuff to fill the void that is ever-present, but I just want things clean.  And when you find lost treasures- like the picture above- it feels even more rewarding to put things in a proper home (which is not a random box labeled: Christmas books, 6 boxes of candy canes, 7-year old girl winter clothes).

When in the protective paper case, all you could see was the cute little boy, in the blue and black stripes, on the front row.  Look at that little Brennon.  When I pulled it out, I was reminded that this was the year that Brennon and Shelby went to preschool together- the year that Brennon beat out some of the 4-year olds because of his brains (Go, Brennon!).  The cute little girl with the  colorful leggings and ruffle socks on the front row is my cute little Shelby.  How fun to have them in the same class!!

I am even more motivated to get things cleaned and organized now.  I did a good job labeling all of our boxes when we moved- as evidence by my semi-thorough description of the labeled box mentioned above- if it means finding more treasures like this one.  It's been almost three years since we moved here, it looks like we will be staying for a long time, so why not start going through the boxes that were not needed at the time of move-in?!  Maybe, just maybe, I will get up the nerve to throw away the boxes of college books that Randy has saved...and never opened since moving from Houston, Texas THIRTEEN YEARS AGO!!!  Sorry, sore subject from the purger of the family.

Brennon's Prayer

I couldn't help myself, I just had to post this picture of Brennon, again. Look at those rolls!!

Brennon has been our best prayer giver for many months now. In fact, I think he has everyone beat by a mile when it comes to sincere, well thought out prayers. His prayer tonight was especially adorable. Randy and I collaborated together to remember as many phrases as we could. We may not have them in order, but they are words that Brennon spoke to his Heavenly Father tonight. 

"Dear Heavenly Father, we thank thee for our day. We thank thee that we finally get to go to bed (it was 7:31PM). We thank thee for school. We thank thee that we get to learn. We thank thee for the earth. We thank thee for Jesus. We thank thee for God. We thank thee that we have food. We thank thee that we get to eat food. We thank thee for our beds. We thank thee for our blankets. Please bless that no one will have bad handwriting. Please bless that no one will get z's, only a's. Please bless that we will all have courage and be kind. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen."

I love him. 

Double

The beauty!! I can see what's cooking. Oh, windows, how I love thee. No coils?! How sublime. I am in love. 

Not only did our oven give out (we're still quite giddy that it did) but it gave out at the perfect time. I walked in to Home Depot and saw this gem on clearance. I paid for it and walked out a happy woman. It's missing a knob, but they are ordering it and will get it to me as soon as it arrives. Bonus. So my clearance oven is not really clearance, after all!

And let me just say...hauling that beast into the house was hard, but worth every sweat gland exertion. I clapped, jumped, and burst into song. For real. It was as if I joined the heavenly throng, welcoming in my new toy. It was a glorious occasion, my friends. Almost as glorious as the Shephard's Pie we made, first thing. Marred only by the kids' sighs of defeat at having to eat it. 

Sleep

I have been busy with the kids gone, I promise.  So busy that yesterday I asked Randy to go to bed at 9:00PM.  I think my mind shut off the second my head hit the pillow.  That never happens.

I have had a hard time with sleep for a long time, now.  Randy leaves for his overnight trips and it takes me hours upon hours of cleaning to exhaust myself to fall asleep.  I always wake up the next morning, with not enough rest, feeling like I want to crawl back in bed as soon as I get out.

Then, Randy isn't gone over night and I still get no sleep.  That man snores.  A lot.  And when he is snoring, there is no 'asking him nicely to roll over.' It's either putting my cold feet on his bare back, kicking him out with all the force of a horizontal squat (believe me, I have had visions of doing this many, many times) or leaving to sleep on the couch that I purchased for looks, not comfort.  Which is what happens most nights he is home.  Our marriage is sublime, yet I sleep on the couch more than in our bed.  Hmmm...

So, when Randy said he'd take over the morning routine (Caden to seminary by 6:45, Keilie to bus stop by 7:00, littlies to bus stop by 8:00, after making their lunches and getting them ready) I was surprised to wake up, finally, at 10:30AM.  You read that right- 9:00PM-10:30AM.  I'm the luckiest girl in the world.  And guess what?!  I'm not tired at 1:00PM today.  Surprise, surprise!!  I have my kitchen deep cleaned with a load of laundry in the washer and a load to be folded.  It's amazing what a little sleep can do to your outlook on life.

So, I either get a new couch (purchased for comfort not looks) or a new husband.  That's a toughy.  I'm totally kidding.  Sort of.

First Days?!

 

September 1, 2015 was supposed to be his first day- hence the upside-down sign.

TODAY...

 Today is the day!!

 I can't believe I have a child in HIGH SCHOOL!!!

 I'm gonna miss him, but he's going to do great things.

He said, "Watch, this will be just like my first day of Middle School at CY-  Lockdown all day!"  Man, he's had some interesting first days of school!!!  Or not-first days of school, in this case.

High School, WOW!

I didn't cry until here...