Leikis Family

Summer 2010 Pics

2010-07-14T15:42:00.001-07:00

Summer 2010

2010-07-14T15:17:00.000-07:00

It's been an unpredictable summer for us this year. Kurt just needs a few more classes to graduate with his Bachelor's degree. The plan was for him to take Math 1050 this summer, so that he could get into the classes he needs for graduation this fall. That didn't work out due to some silly rules in the Math department and a really really hard Math Placement Exam. Last May I let him quit Scytek so he could stay home and watch the kids. It didn't make sense for him to work, just to put the kids through daycare. The plan was for him to quit come fall anyway. Of course, this placed hardship on the family for the rest of the school year, because I was the only one working. Fortunately, after he decided he wasn't taking summer classes, this year. Scytek offered him his old job back, part-time again, and we can now work towards getting back on track.

So, instead of having him home to watch the kids this summer, I had to start hunting for a babysitter. It didn't make much sense financially to put them back in daycare, because there would be no point in Kurt working. Unfortunately the first 2 people I asked to do it, fell through at last minute. The night before Kurt went back to work, I asked my neighbor and primary teaching partner if she'd watch the kids. She graciously said YES, and refused to let me pay her. What a blessing sent from above! When I said "unpredictable", this is what I meant. I'm the type of person that likes to know well in advance who's watching my kids, how we're going to get by, etc. Having things change so quickly threw me off course a bit.

Now we're just a month away from school starting again. Taya will be in 3rd grade already, and Triston will be in 1st grade. Since I'll still be working full-time, and Kurt will be going to school and working part-time, the kids will go to after school club each day until we are done. I've been waiting a long time for us to NOT have to pay for daycare, and the time is approaching quickly.

We have been blessed immensely over the years and I am grateful for everyone's help getting us through school. I'm going to try and keep up with my blog, since it's a great way to record our family history.

Dinosaur Park

2009-05-11T10:39:00.000-07:00

We spent the afternoon at Dinosaur Park on Mother's Day. What a great adventure for us. We went with my sister Marilyse, her husband Ben and their 5 year old Sam. It was a lot of fun!

2009-05-11T10:07:00.001-07:00

2009-02-04T22:04:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, Nana & Papa bought Triston a package of Triops to grow. Here are some pictures of ours so far, and some information below on what they are. The kids are totally fascinated with these little creatures.

The tadpole shrimp (scientific name = Triops longicaudatus, which are in the order Notostraca in the class Branchiopoda) inhabits freshwater, ephemeral ponds ranging from 50ºN latitude in western North America through Central America and into South America. In the U.S., Triops are found in desert habitats (see Figure 1). They live in small pools that accumulate after flash floods in the summer. Since these pools are rather short-lived, the Triops consequently have short lifespans, completing their life cycles in a mere 20-40 days!

Populations of Triops comprise males and hermaphrodites, with wide variation in the numbers of both sexual types. Most populations have many more hermaphrodites than males, and in some ponds, no males are found at all. The hermaphrodites can fertilize their own eggs (called "selfing"), or can mate with a male. The fertilized eggs are called "cysts" or "resting eggs," and can be dried for several years to decades before being hatching when rehydrated. In this cyst form, Triops can withstand extremes of heat and cold. (This is why they can be sold in plastic bags in novelty stores!) The eggs are carried by the hermaphrodites in small "brood pouches" located on two of their swimming appendages (about half-way down the length of the body, on the left and right sides). The eggs are either white or pinkish in color, and are carried in these pouches for between 12 and 24 hours before being laid in the ponds. (Note: some of the Triops actually cement their eggs on various structures (e.g., twigs, grass, etc.) in their ponds. If you drape something like a plastic or fiberglass mesh (like a small bit of a window screen) over the side of those small plastic containers that are included with kit, you might get the hermaphrodites to lay their eggs on the screen!)

Triops

2009-02-04T22:03:00.001-08:00

Here comes Santa Claus

2008-12-17T19:07:00.001-08:00

Picnic in December - Mack Park

2008-12-07T13:18:00.001-08:00

Grandma Lind's House November 2008

2008-12-07T13:09:00.001-08:00

Update

2008-12-06T22:21:00.001-08:00

Hello all. It's been a while since I've updated our blog. Nothing has changed much since I last wrote. Life is very routine for us. Monday-Friday, get up, drop off the kids at daycare, go to work, pick up the kids, eat dinner, read scriptures and go to bed. On the weekends we relax with no routines. I am usually cleaning and doing laundry on most weekends since I'm not able to do it much during the week.

Kurt is really busy with school so we don't see him much. He spends most evenings up at the Studio working on his projects. Fortunately he only has about a year and a half left. This summer he'll be doing his internship. We aren't sure where yet. He'll start applying in a month or two. Hopefully he'll find a place that will want him to come back after he graduates. He's an excellent designer and a great student. We love him and miss him a lot when he's up at school. I imagine he'll be pretty busy as an interior designer as well once he gets into his career, so we're getting used to that idea now.

That's all for now folks!

Triston learns to ride a bike!

2008-07-07T19:12:00.001-07:00

Yellowstone National Park

2008-07-03T17:23:00.001-07:00

Wild Rose Ranch

2008-06-28T09:45:00.001-07:00

Camping

2008-06-28T08:36:00.000-07:00

This last week we took a much needed vacation. We went to Jared's Wild Rose Ranch in Island Park, Idaho. http://www.wildroseranch.com/. We left on Wednesday 6/18 and returned on Wednesday 6/25. The trip up was a very long one. It is only a 4 hour drive, but it took us about 7 hours to get there with the major layover in Idaho Falls at the Sportsmans Warehouse, lunch and stops for gasoline. But eventually we made it up there, set up camp and pretty much went to bed.

The rest of the week was a series of unsuccessfull fishing trips, playing at the tiny "beach" if you can even call it that, and sitting around camp. Finally on Tuesday morning Russell caught a Rainbow Trout over 4 pounds. That definately got Dad excited again and they headed back out that afternoon. They came back with 3 more fish ranging from 1 pound to 3 pounds, with Mom's being the biggest out of those 3.

For the kids, it was tough trying to keep them entertained and out of trouble. They took a couple of boat rides, played down in the water at the shore, and rode their Scooters around camp. I think the most exciting and fun day was on Monday when we went up to Yellowstone.

Our trip to Yellowstone was an all-day event. We saw Old Faithful, the Grand Prismatic Springs and had Dinner up at Mammoth Falls Hot Springs that evening. It was fascinating to see all of the gorgeous geysers, hot springs, bison, elk, and more. We returned back to camp after 10 pm that night.

The trip home was another long one. We left at 12:30 and arrived home around 6:00. I spent the last 3 days putting everything away and doing laundry. Thank goodness I am finally done and back to a normal life.

It's amazing how much you miss the comforts of you own home when you are away. We are all happy to be home.

Cannonball!

2008-06-12T19:22:00.001-07:00

The Pool is Open!

2008-05-25T16:04:00.001-07:00

My Little Superhero

2008-05-25T15:59:00.001-07:00

Scholarship

2008-05-25T15:01:00.000-07:00

Great news! Kurt received a Scholarship to cover his Junior year tuition & fees. Kurt's professor had mentioned that he would be receiving it before school ended a month ago. He told him he had submitted it to the Dean's office and we would be hearing something soon. After checking the mailbox every day for 3 weeks, we started to get discouraged and thought maybe it didn't get approved. But as your can see, it did get approved. We found out Friday May 23rd.

It's called the Seely-Hinkcley Scholarship, in honor of John H Seely and Robert H. Hinckley. The primary aim of this award is to provide scholarship support for students of superior attainment who might otherwise be unable or delayed in the education process. It has been a major struggle financially, mentally, physically and emotionally the last couple of years just trying to get Kurt through school. We really need Kurts full-time income to pay the bills, but on the other hand, he really needs that time to spend working on his projects, instead of pulling all-nighters to get his work done. Ever since he's started school he's only be able to work part-time, which isn't enough. This scholarship is a blessing to us. It will allow Kurt to quit Scytek (if he chooses) and we can use some of our financial aid to make ends meet. With Taya being in school full-time next year, it will really help cut daycare costs as well. I am hoping for a great year next year. Wish us luck!

Kurt was accepted!

2008-04-26T10:03:00.001-07:00

This may be old news to some and new news to others, but Kurt got accepted into the Studio emphasis in the Interior Design program at Utah State University about 2 weeks ago. It was definately a stressful time for all of us. Kurt pulled 4 all nighters in a row up at the Sophmore Studio trying to get all of his work in on time. The decision was supposed to be made the following friday, but there were errors on how they graded the work, so everyone had to resubmit. The next friday Kurt got an email accepting him into the program. Yay!!!

The next 2 years are definately going to be tough, but it will be worth it in the long run. The Interior Design program is one of the most demanding programs up at USU. Kurt will be spending most of the next 2 years up at the Studio working. Hopefully we can figure out a way for him to quit his job at Scytek so he can have more time to get his projects done, without staying up all night to do it!

Triston's 4th Birthday

2008-04-26T10:00:00.001-07:00

This is the cake I made for Triston's Birthday.

This is what happens when Triston gets the Frosting Spoon

2008-04-26T09:59:00.001-07:00

Silly Cousins 4/6/08

2008-04-26T09:58:00.001-07:00

Best Buddies

2008-04-26T09:52:00.000-07:00

The Things Kids Say....

2008-03-27T11:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we were dropping off some lunch for Daddy up at the Interior Design Studio. When we were getting in the car to leave, I told Triston to make sure he pulled the door tight (I was already in the car). So, he pulled it nice and tight and I said "Wow, what a man!". About 20 seconds letter, Taya opens her door, slams it shut and yells "What a woman!". I thought that was SO cute I would have to share it.

All is well with our family. This is the big deciding week for our future. Kurt is applying for the Interior Design program up at Utah State University. All of his required projects are due on Monday March 31st, so things are a little stressful around here. I am confident that he'll get into the program, it's just a matter of getting everything in on time. He is already very good at what he does and the professors seem to think so as well. Wish us luck!

Sunday Feb 17th

2008-02-17T17:30:00.001-08:00

2008-02-16T10:23:00.000-08:00

On February 13th, Taya was asked to invite 2 special friends to her school. She picked her Mommy (me), and her aunt Beckie. We got to spend an hour in her kindergarten class doing a variety of Valentines activities. First we wrote a letter telling Taya how much we love her and how special she is. Afterwards, the class sang some songs about the Presidents of the Unites States, and some Valentines songs. After the songs, Taya decorated a paper grocery bag to be used by Lee's Marketplace customers the next morning, on Valentines day. Hers was so cute! Later we had refreshments and we got our pictures taken with OUR special friend Taya. It was a fun day!

Special Friends Day 2/13

2008-02-16T10:22:00.001-08:00

Sledding 1-30-08

2008-01-30T18:55:00.003-08:00

Little Ones

2008-01-30T18:55:00.001-08:00

Other Pics

2008-01-30T18:54:00.001-08:00

Special Events

2008-01-30T18:48:00.001-08:00

Recent Pics

2008-01-30T18:46:00.001-08:00

Loose Tooth December 1, 2007

2008-01-28T19:37:00.000-08:00

Taya lost her first tooth! What a fun experience. It happened on a Saturday morning. Taya kept talking about her loose tooth. I offered to help her pull it out, but she quickly declined. Being the great dad Kurt is, he jumped right in. Taya and Kurt have a special connection so she was willing to hear him out with his ideas on getting her tooth out. He told her we'd get a glass of warm salt water to rinse her mouth out with. He then told her that all she had to do was twist it a little. We allowed her to do the twisting herself. Within about 2 minutes, the tooth was OUT!

Triston's Look-alike Meter

2008-01-28T19:06:00.001-08:00

Taya's Look-alike Meter

2008-01-28T18:43:00.001-08:00