Christmas in July...I Mean, August

What is it about time and how quickly it fleets from us? Our traditional “Christmas in July” was postponed one month later, to August. It’s a “good thing” that we set the “rules” and calendar for this mock holiday and don’t have pressure from stores, church, gift exchanges, holiday parties, and other outside commitments!

Today, the kids woke to Christmas music filling the air, our small tree up, and the smell of peppermint cocoa. You should have seen their mile-wide smiles. Merry Christmas! We began our day with a small devotional over breakfast of Christmas tree Belgium waffles then pulled names for our gift exchange.
After praising Him at church, with a name in one hand and $1.08 clung in the other, we each walked the isles of the local dollar store in search for the “perfect” gift for our loved one. It’s quite comical the things we can come find at that store. Upon arriving home, we had individual wrapping parties then proudly placed the gifts under the tree for the evening’s gift exchange.
(This silly eye glass/straw gift was to Jon from Baylee) (Baylee loves Root beer so I found Root beer Popsicle treats for her gift.) (Jon actually found a "keeper" for my gift. He gave me a poem on prayer!) (Nathan and Owen picked each others names! Nathan gave Owen a pirate set which he was ecstatic about and Owen gave Nathan a foam hammer.)
We took advantage of the hot outdoor temperatures and decided that it would be a great family fun adventure if we headed to Mesquite Groves pool in Chandler where high dives, twisty slides, a lazy river, water vortex, competitive lanes, an in-water play yard, and much more awaited us. I had looked forward to finding an excuse to explore this new pool.

Later, we had a traditional Christmas dinner, baked sugar cookies and decorated them, dipped strawberries, sang Christmas carols, watched Elf, and exchanged our gifts.

Fun times were throughout the day and night. We look forward to four months passing from now when we’ll be bundled up in much cooler temperatures, celebrating our Savior’s birth, once again.

Cooking Up a Great School Year!

We’re just days away from a new school year starting so as tradition has it, we put together Baylee’s annual “Summer Just Because” party. On the guest list were girls from her class that Baylee either knows or wants to get to know better (Hannah, we missed you).

Baylee loves to cook so we figured a cooking party would be the perfect way to cook off a great school year for 2009-2010!

As the girls entered our restaurant, on the white board, I spelled out Mrs. Yeargain’s name, their “soon to be” teacher. Then the five gals collaborated, coming up with an acrostic on what kind of teacher/class/school year they will have.The chefs cooked up a yummy meal. They began with (non-alcoholic) Strawberry Daiquiris, then homemade salsa was next to follow that they named Senoritas Salsa. They jarred it and creatively put a label on it with the plans to give it to Mrs. Yeargain on the first day of school with a bag of chips.
Each girl chopped, sliced, stirred, and sautéed their little hands off to make tostadas and its yummy toppings. They had a blast making faces on the tostada shells, an edible canvas you might say. Then to top off the meal, they each made homemade ice cream and put them in their concoction of yummy edible cinnamon sugar dessert bowls. Ole!
(Chef "Salty" Savannah)
(Chef "Adorable" Abby)
(Chef "Baking" Baylee)
(Chef "Marinade" Maddie)
(Chef "Sauté" Sabrina)

Our three hours went fast but we were able to take a dip in the pool as well, splashing and laughing a whole lot.

Man alive do I enjoy listening to Baylee playing with her friends with glee shining through their excited voices of the school year to come. Entering 3rd grade and a brand new class doesn’t seem like such a mountain to climb anymore for Baylee, now that she has four other girls…I mean FRIENDS to do it with.

Cheers!!!! Here’s to a great school year!

Prayer for Another School Year

Where did the summer go? It seems like yesterday when the new school year was upon us with Baylee entering second grade and Nathan in kindergarten yet now, another year has gone by and both kids are moving into new classrooms, new grade levels, with new teachers.

As always, the first Friday before school starts, Jon and I open our home to friends, teachers, and strangers that all love the Lord and value the power of prayer and who are dedicated to starting the school year, covering the campus, faculty, volunteers, curriculum, and kids in prayer. I wouldn’t want to start it any other way!

This year, God brought so many new people to our group; around thirty including four teachers… it was touching! I am humbled with how many believers send their kids to Edu Prize. I am richly blessed to have a home that can host such a vital evening and a husband that has shares the same passion as I do.

Here’s to a great 2009-2010 school year! May all of us continue to pray daily for our children and the school year, as if we were gathered together in our family room.

“Lord, I thank you for the men and women who dedicate their lives to educating children. I ask you to bless them with strength, joy, great health, clarity of thinking, and strong ethics. I pray they are fruitful in every way. Please give them wisdom, patience, love, insight, endurance, joy, support, and creativity. I pray your supernatural love for each student can pour out through each teacher, allowing every child’s heart and life to count in the eyes of all the teachers, volunteers, peers, and facility.

Please sharpen the minds of our students, making them eager to learn more and give you the glory in their success. Build godly character in them. Please draw our children to You. Let them see their need of You and surrender their precious lives to You. Help them let go of what others think and to love the unlovely and be a friend to many. Help our children to obey You even when it's hard.

Thank You in advance for the work you're going to do in our teachers and students' lives this year, Lord. I pray all of these things in the strong and mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen!"

“The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right and his ears are open to their prayers.” 1 Peter 3:12

(Thank you to the Keller family for watching our kiddos so it could be an "adult only", peaceful night. They had a super time!)

Closing Ceremonies at Camp Richiak

Our week had to be cut short due to other circumstances, but we were elated to have three days of Camp Richiak! Today we met twice, once in the morning where we painted frames for our camp photo then the Richardson’s returned in the evening as well for our closing ceremonies. We had to show off to the two dads what we had been up to all week, teaching them the handshake, oath, and our favorite camp songs. Then it was dinner time with Walking Tacos on the menu! Afterwards we swam, made S’mores, then went on a memorable hunt locally. Jon took the amateur cousins on the golf course once it hit dark, (as many of us adults know, snipe are nocturnal). With a flashlight in hand, the “call” Jon taught the kids and a brown bag…they were off to catch that fast critter. Even our neighbors joined us as we tiptoed through the open area keeping an eye out for a beady eyed hairy tiny beast. Score! We actually caught one but somehow that hasty thing made a hole in the bag and sped off before we made it home to show him off to the eagerly curious kids. Ugh! Maybe next year we can outsmart that thing!
Although Cousin Camp has come to a close, we plan to reunite in October for a family campout then begin making plans for Camp Richiak 2010!

We're Still at It, Camp Richiak Day Two

It wasn’t hard to get the kids out of bed today. They knew what was ahead of them, Camp Richiak day two! To launch off the day’s activities, after our camp song and secret handshake, Dylan inspired us to write an oath. We listed things each thought was important and began the writing process setting it aside after awhile for us to ponder overnight and complete tomorrow.

We made rockets and set them off today with Alka Seltzer, made plates as a ‘forever memory’, went on a scavenger hunt, and let’s not forget making our ice cream in individual baggies which everyone gave as a BIG thumbs up!

During lunch today we had some thought provoking questions to get to know one another. We asked:
- What are your three best qualities (honest, loving, etc.)?
-If you were in a movie, what kind would it be and who would you want to be acting with you?
-What do you want to be when you grow up (job)?

The favorite songs of the day we sang were; Bananas, Toot-e-tah, and Boom Chica Boom.

Tomorrow we have planned another grand slam! I can’t wait!

Camp Richiak, Day One

Let the festivities begin! Oh how excited we all were for this day to finally get here!

Our opening ceremonies included each child’s initiation into our elite group, creating then learning the Cousin Camp secret handshake then singing our Camp Song created by one of our very own family members, Jon! We mean business!

With our own hands and hearts, each camp participant worked together to make our camp flag to hang each day outside. Laura and I loved seeing the cousins all plan and conquer their work of art using paint, gems, hot glue, feathers, and glitter. It turned out sweet.

Moving right along, we laughed our heads off with the next item of business, “Laughing Hands!” Since not all would want to do it, we took volunteers on who was willing to get messy and silly (all of Laura’s kids and none of mine…go figure ☺). Then, we assigned a person to either be the ‘face’ or ‘hands’ of the act. Pretty much what happed was, the ‘hand’ acted for the ‘face’ with the pulling of a card then following the task. For example, one card pulled was brushing teeth. As you can imagine, the laughs didn’t end as the ‘hands’ (who couldn’t see at all) spread the toothpaste onto a brush then brushed the teeth of the ‘face’ person’s teeth, without getting up from behind their back (thus not being able to see at all!)
(Here's Blake being a good sport with sister Carlie being his hands! She's shaving his face with whipped cream!)

(Dylan's letting me brush his teeth even!)

(Kaydon's loving joining in on the "manly" act!)

(And Carlie...Baylee's her hands as she 'dolls her up' with lipstick. Check out the before and after photos!)

We also sang silly camp songs, danced the Cha-cha slide, Macarana, and YMCA. We made personal pizzas for lunch, Oobleck, and set off Mentos and soda!

The kids were not ready for our day to end together at Camp Richiak. The good news is this… we all get to do this again tomorrow!

Camp Richiak 2009

Inspired by our beloved friend April who has done this for years, my cousin Laura and I were finally able to kick off our first-ever “Cousin Camp,” otherwise known as Camp Richiak. This year it was just our two Arizona families but hopefully with much excitement, we can talk our other cousins from California into joining us for 2010.

Our name is Camp Richiak because we took our two last names and combined them… Richardson (Rich) and Kempiak (iak). We laugh at how interesting and what a mouth full it could be if we do indeed add the Clement and Flanagan side of the family! (Richiakmentagan maybe) ☺

Let me explain our idea! Each day this week we are having a day ‘camp’ with “just us cousins.” In attendance will be Dylan, Carlie, Baylee, Blake, Nathan, Kaydon, and Owen. We’ve planned activities that we’ll all participate in with the best part of the whole thing…being together. The icing on the cake, we even have an original logo (I made last year when we thought we’d get this thing off and rollin’ but weren’t able to) that we've placed on tshirts and other important documents.

Stay tuned at what the week has for Camp Richiak and the directors, Laura and Kymberly! We can’t wait!

More 4th of July Fun

Hiking and discovering some Hopi petroglyphs, cooking brats on the hibachi, and watching a spectacular show of fireworks in the sky above the Lyman Lake was precisely what we did with the rest of our holiday today! What a delightful time we had!

The End to a Chapter That Was Well Enjoyed!

Saying goodbye is always a hard thing to do, so the last day of school is filled with mixed emotions for our whole family. The night before begins with us handwriting thank you notes to the teachers, spilling our hearts of gratitude out to each one, then usually ends with many many many tears to the end of the chapter. Once the kids settled down and finally drifted off to Dreamland as we like to call it, Jon and I did our “norm” by decorating the windows of our family van. This year we went colorful! So here is to a great school year…we will forever be grateful for the teachers God placed in our lives, the friends/classmates, the kids’ safety, and for the learning that took place. Although sad, I am overjoyed to have the kids home with me for 6 whole weeks! It’s gonna fly by!

Here's a glimpse of the last day/first day...boy have they changed! (last day, above...first day, below)

(last day, above...first day, below)

And with their wonderful teachers!

(last day, above...first day, below)
(This picture tears me up everytime I see it. Oh the tears that flowed from Baylee, Mrs. Runyon, and I. On of our prayers is that Nathan will be with Kelly for the next two years!)

(last day, above...first day, below)
(first day...Mrs. Runyon with baby in tote!)

And Friends...
(last day, above...first day, below)

(Nathan and Chloe)