Pumpkin Carvin

Here are the pumpkins for Halloween 2010. Katie chose Jake from Adventure Time and Zach of course wanted Yoshi. Jeff did his best carving yet this year. :) Mom cooked the pumpkin seeds and helped with cleaning out the pumpkins. The kids pulled the seeds out and helped get them ready for the oven. The house smells fantastic and the gang is excited about tomorrow's trick or treating. We will be with our buddies The Frehauf's and the Phifer's....

Our Fall Season is on!

So we start our day with Zach on one field and Katie on the other field. Both soccer games at 9:30. So I take the camera and follow Zach while Jeff watches Katie on field 5a. As you can see, Zach and his two wing men- Noah and Morgan...carefully discuss their approach to taking on the Green Dragons. For some reason this morning, I like taking pics of Zach just sitting or standing still. What you don't see is Zach and his teammates driving the ball over and over again and feeling pretty good about themselves. They have the height advantage and they have Noah.

Here is the part of the game where the guys try a football hold stance on the soccer kids. This  defense technique works. They were shouting, "EAGLE Spread!" at the poor Green Dragons....the other team could never get a ball pass these three wise guys....

Meanwhile on Field 5A......

Katie plays goalie for awhile and then gets a turn at being half back. She enjoys turning the ball around over and over. Off she goes! Super fast Kate!

That is Zach taking on the Pie Lady's son...Jack. Jack plowed over Zach many times today. Jack was mad at his mom for making pies and not being there...and I think it was the soccer game that tired Zach out or maybe it was all the smack talking he was doing prior to getting mowed over. Could be anything....Otto is in the back as running back. He is the biggest kid out there and the first to pick up Zach over and over. Otto is cool.

So there you have it. Kim's take on the sports of the day. All three teams won that day so that makes it fun. No meltdowns to report or crying. Just a good day overall and everyone slept in on Sunday which means we did not go to church....booo! But Kim was able to download these photos. God wanted it that way. :)

Roller Coaster!!!!

Happy Birthday ZACH!

Zman turns the big 5 today. Although he could of sworn he already turned 5 on June 5th when he had his Monkey Joe birthday party. Then again yesterday, Nurkiewicz's got together and celebrated yet again on the 4th. The decorations have been up for several weeks around town. Flags and banners. He was pretty sure that everyone was gearing up for his big day. And I let him think that...just like we did when Bill was little and people did that around Flag Day as well. Then fireworks last night was super cool from our vantage point on top of the sledding hill. We could see Carmel, Broadripple, Lions Park, Cicero, and downtown. Zach announced to everyone that this was the best day of his life and fireworks are awesome. Happy Birthday Zach! You are the best son a mom could have.....

- written by Kim

I did not get any photos.....but I did get lots of fun.

The Bill and Judy gang stayed true to their word and visted us Nurkiewicz's for a third straight February in a row. All though this year, they got a little more than what they bargained for. NO...not more Phil Collins crooning over some awesome speakers...we are talking the dreaded SNOW> something us Holmans were taught by our old man to avoid when taking a trip to Ohio or back to Indiana. You don't travel in the winter time. Period. But my brother and his faithful family defied that law and came out for some fun and frolic. Highlights include:

• The Wii was turned on immediately upon arrival which drew the four kids to the basement. However, despite Bill's interpretation,  I was happy to see some dress ups and some movement of all the kitchen toys around the basement. I did not mind a bit pushing them back to the walls.
• Oobatz  serves some awesome 22 ounce beers. Pizza was taken home for a snack for the next day which proved to be a good move by Judy.
• Annie was the movie the kids watched as they munched on popcorn. Clean up for the popcorn was provided by our ever loyal Megan the dog.
• Sledding hill was a fun time for all. Jeff's sore head from the night before felt good in the cool air. The snow was packed down which made all the kids shoot down like a bullet. Bil tumbled over Zach but that was to be expected. Zach did not trust Bill for the rest of the day it seemed. I was ready to go down the hill several more times had I not assisted in putting a hole in the cool tube Bill and Judy brought with them. Noodles and Company was a fun time. Everyone ate well it seemed. Zach shared his shrimp and pesto with Maddy.
• All the kids made a ladybug craft thanks to Aunt Jude. Valentines were made by the girls as well.
• Little more DS and Wii time before Bounce U at 5. Jeff napped.
• Bounce U was a great time to see the tired kids find their 2nd wind and jump on all things bouncy. Zach had 45 minutes into it before he was escorted out by Mom and Dad to find a Immediate Care usually open on Sundays. Little concerned he could not put weight on his foot after just experiencing one of our friends little girl who broke her ankle. She was on it for 4 days before they realized she fractured it. Aired on the safe side but are you surprised by that? Roll your eyes gently on this paragraph.
• Noble Romans is one of the last great Indiana walk down memory lane. You eat those sticks and it takes you back to the movies of Abbott and Costello. Kids liked the wings.
• Watched Olympics with Bill and laughed at the shooting and skiing event. Nice.
• Saw a huge cloud of snow coming our way and watched the weather with the gang as the next day's forecast came on. Watched the Olympics too. Still drank the wine even though I should of had more beer. That is on my list for next Feb. along with REG Pepsi. Sorry Jude.
• Bill took in my trash can in for me as he loaded the car in the falling snow. I felt bad because I had to "work" or go work out which hopefully did not push them out too soon. Then came home to watch on the news that parts of the interstate was closed and many wrecks. Lots of prayer....happy to get the email they made it home in 9 hours! Yeah! Better you guys than us! :):):)

Great time. Lots of gut laughs. Zach was in the zone in the car ride to Bounce U and it was fun for me to look in my rearview mirror and see all those heads in my car.

Thank you guys over and over for trekking it out here. Judy had homework and that was up against them as well. You guys really made our month here. Hope the Oops wine softened the ride home.

See you Spring Break!
Knock Knock...who's there?....Yoshi...Yoshi who?...Yoshi on Mario Kart Weeeeeeeeeee......

Kim and the gang

2 Boys 2 yrs apart

They may be different in age and muscial ability but one thing is in common....these cousins love physical humor on America's Funniest Videos. I am a little late in posting shots from the visits over the Holidays. I will try to plug a couple up here when I am not at Marsh or chasing down people for Girl Scout Cookies at the moment.

Go Colts Go!

Katie turns 8!

Party at Bounce U was a fun time for all! Katie had all the girls almost from her class and a few buds from other classes making the total at 15 kids coming to bounce on a January day. Cousin Sam and Brother Zach was in attendence and even Aunt Jen made it down a slide or two. Lots of webkinz and cute craft stuff was showered on our Kate. She and her buddie Chris made it up the Spider Slide 7 times.

So much fun in fact we plan to do it again when the Bill and Judy gang come out for Valentines Day with the free passes we got for the treat bag mix up.

You can see more stuff on facebook .

What I am Thankful For....by Katie Nurkiewicz

I am Thankful For My Family....
Nation, Megan my dog,
Using my pencil,
Riding my bike,
Katelyn my Friend,
I Love my Family,
Eating rice,
Water Park,
Ice Cream yummmmmmmmmm,
Cool grass in my backyard,
Zoo trips with my mom and my little brother.

Astro Boy Zach

Here is my son Zach. He intentionally swirled his hair to give himself an Astro Boy look. "Take a picture mom!". So I obliged. Ran downstairs to get the camera and take this guy's funny photo while he is still in my fan club. His sense of humor is as wonderful as his sense of the world. All bright. I love this age. All the cuteness...the chubby cheeks still intact. The hugs and kisses a daily routine. When asked what he was thankful for this year, Zach said "I love yous".  So this year, that is what I am thankful for too. I love yous from my little man, Zachary. ASTRO BOY....

btw, he does not want to see the movie in the theater for it looks "way too scary".

Turkey Run Revisted

Hey! We have lived in Indiana for 7 yrs now and we FINALLY made it to Turkey Run this Sunday. The kids loved the 1.7 mile hike with the ladders and caverns. The bridge was fun for Zach and we could not keep Katie off the rocks and the creek beds. Just an amazing fun time for us here. The most important part of the trip was we all did great and the lunch I packed was delicious. I think that helped the gang...or at least I would like to that credit if I may. Gymnastics money is well spent as Zach climbed stuff his fear of heights would typically keep him down on the ground and Katie scrambled the rocks like her old man. Too funny!

Zach's First Day of School

Here is Zach working on his first project at school today. Nice how he holds the pencil, eh? We are still working on that but he did great checking himself in today. He was actually smiling when he walked into the building today. Iron Man backpack, lunchbox and undies gave him that extra confidence to seize the day. Hopefully the teachers will feel the same!

Katie's 1st Day of School 2nd Grade

Here is my grown up Katie at the bus stop on August 17th. Her first day as a 2nd grader. All is well so far. She loves her teacher!!!!

Summer is Officially Over

Our last trip this summer was to the Art Museum where Zach and Katie ran around the and discovered the LOVE and numbers statues. This was a fun day and the best part of it was the art museum here is still free...

Free....as Katie got on the bus this morning at our usual stop, we ushered in a new school year of 2nd grade. Our teacher is Mrs. Dettemer and we are excited about this school year. Fun times and lots of hugs are promised in this classroom and that is exactly what Katie is needing after two years of very tough teachers. The added bonus was finding out her best bud, Katelyn now rides the bus since the bus routes have all been changed. Things are looking good for Katie.

Zach starts Gymnastics PreK tomorrow and then his PreK program on September 9th. He is looking forward to going back to school and hates to see Katie go on the bus in the morning. And it is just day 1!

Soccer Season is ON!
Zach's practices are on Tuesday evenings and Katie has practice on Thursdays. Jeff has graciously stepped in as Asst Coach for Katie's team. Zach will be my guy as we watch him run around with the five other boys that play on his U5 team. (That's kids under 5.) His league has 14 teams and we will play them all. Our first 4 games will be next weekend and the fall will get into full swing. Look for more postings on how the teams are doing.

The Cousins Unite

My fav pose of the gang. Akron Zoo was a fun time. Stay tuned for my pictures posted to shutterfly.

I Want to Live at Kings Island.

After getting our passes here in Indiana, the Nurkiewicz's headed southeast to a land down under they call, "Kings Island". Met up with Mo, Maddy, Bill and Judy and started off at the Haunted Castle in the Nick side of the park. Then it was off to the Fairly Odd Coaster and the Helicopters you have to wait in line for 30 minutes so you can view the land for 5. The Giggle Coaster was the fun ride for the group and I watched with glee as the other adults rode the coasters and I hung out with a crowd that I could truly related to....Mo, Zach and Katie. We had a blast with the bumper cars and back to the giggle coaster. We ended the day with cotton candy and a giant fried elephant ear for Mad. The country show we took in at the former German place was foot stomping and the pizza we ate there was colon stomping. As we left the park, Zach asked if we could move there and live a life in the park. Little does he know we already do.

Zach Plays Soccer

Zach's Little Kicker Lessons

Here is Mr. Zach playing soccer at the fields this summer. He is looking forward to a full fall season with his sister starting late August. Some highlights include making his coach laugh at his antics and trying to kick the ball in past the goal. Friends Gracie, Molly and Harrison like to keep up with him and drive the ball past Coach Andy. Lots of fun this summer on Monday mornings...

Happy 4th to Zach and America!

Another Rainy Indiana 4th of July at the Nurks...

Sideways pic of Zach blowing out his candles. He had a custom Vanila and M&M cake for his birthday from Maggie Moos. Very yummy!!!

Katie all ready for the fireworks at 4 pm. She has her glow necklace on and her loot she won from the carnival around the corner. For the remainder of the day we stayed in the patio due to the monsoon rain. Had a great time and even had my annual 4th of July Corona with Mr. Nurk as he cooked up some awesome steaks for us.

Happy 4th!

peace

Summer Fun

My two Knuckleheads

Swimming in the Emerald Green Water

Here is the gang snorkling off the side of the rental boat. Notice Dad is standing. :)

I am finally getting a chance to sit down and summerize our Summer thus far. June has been a giant ball of blurry fun. We have kept the good times rolling here . The proof are the two kids on Destin beach showing off some of the gymnastics lessons we have put them through. I was pretty proud at how well these two guys got along with each other this trip. Zach has been a little more expressive and Katie shows her kind soul off by giving in to some of the craziness of a preschooler world.

Destin News

It just occured to us we have 5 more days of vacation and then it is back to Indiana. Today we played it cool and hung out at the pool. Then Kate and I ran over to the outlet mall and purchased some fun things for us to wear this summer. Monday we rented a boat outside of Panama City. Yes...you read that right. We rented a small Boston Whaler and cruised around the bay area. We went snorkling with the kids on a place called Shell Island and watched our kids frolick in the green emerald water. Zach loved floating around and Katie was finding all kinds of treasures ranging from sand dollars to hermit crabs of various shell forms. We made it an all day cruise...a little burnt but as Katie procliamed- probably the funnest thing we did this week.

But this is still the middle of the trip....

Lots of fishing, boating and shopping in store for us in the next few days. We are having a blast down here and are so proud of our kids as they make friends with the kids at the pool and giggle at bedtime as they share a bedroom. Pictures will be posted later as I am using Jeff's work laptop on location. :)

Katie Drives the Ball

This picture says it all. Check out the expressions on the opposing team. Worried, concerned, trying their best to get the ball. Not Katie. She smiles the whole time she steals the ball away from you and takes it to the goal or passes it to an open teammate. It has been fun to watch her play this spring. We have two more games this coming weekend. A morning game on Sat and a 2:15 game on Sunday. Should be interesting to see how we wrap things up. Just wanted to post this new shot from our new camera two weekends ago.