The Mercado Family



Thursday, September 20, 2018

The Storm

We are fully enveloped in the storm! It's no different from any other family with kids this age, really. It just takes getting used to and very good coordination! My friend posted this on facebook the other day:

I do not have ducks.
I do not have a row.
I have only squirrels, and they're at a rave.

She has 9 kids. One is married and one is on a mission, but still...

I feel like mine are a bunch of squirrels at a rave too, which is why I need to figure out some ducks and put them in rows. I do that by contacting everyone I can think of, going where I am going at the same time, so we can figure out a carpool.

Cub scouts this year is not the same night as the youth activities because we combine our scouts with the other ward and we are doing it on their ward's night at the church. Last week I created a carpool for scouts and a car pool for the youth activities. I have to drive Victoria to the church each Wednesday directly from dance because of the timing of her dance class, so I definitely wanted a car pool coming home on Wednesdays and round trip on Tuesdays for scouts. Also, I finally got a car pool going on for cheer.  Most people who aren't members of the LDS church around here do not know the value of car pools. They don't really need them if they only have 1 or 2 kids, but one of the friends I car pool with to cheer is loving it and now wants to do one from Miller Elementary when the weather gets bad.

Besides scouts being on a different night as youth night, Austin and Erik are participating in soccer this year that is more involved than in year's past. They both have practice at different places at the same time on Thursdays and different games in different locations and times on Saturdays. It's fun watching them grow in their soccer skills, or rather, learn, some quality soccer skills. I always loved the program, DACA, they participated in before, but it was just on Saturdays and they didn't learn much besides chase the ball around. It was super fun and a great price, but I realized that they didn't know how to play the actual game, which is what they're learning now. Austin's on a more advanced team since he's with boys his age, but he pretty much gets yelled at the whole time he plays. The coach isn't mean, just a coach trying to teach him and to get him to hear him while running around on the field. Luckily, it doesn't phase Austin one bit. It's like water to a duck's back, just rolls on off.

Add in cheer 4 nights a week, 3 piano lessons, plus 3 other runs to the dance studio, and zero hour orchestra for both the girls (which Jason drives to) and I feel like I am in the car all the time! Today is one of the first days in three weeks that I am actually sitting, not in the car, for more than 20 minutes (besides church, of course).

Welcome to fall, everyone!

Here's one of Erik's practices. 


Since is at the same time as Austin's, I haven't had a chance to get pictures of Austin yet. Game pics will come soon as well!


This is Karissa's cheer camp with the high school girls. 

She's on the left in the straddle stunt.
Cheering at the first high school game with the high school cheerleaders.

Sometimes it's hard to see her little face over the fence, but she has a great cheerleader smile!


Thursday, September 13, 2018

The Calm Before the Storm

The couple weeks leading up to the school year weren't actually calm, but they were a lot less hectic than things are now! (At least now my kids are extremely busy and we're not around each other enough for all the bickering that was occurring at the end of the summer...)

Here are the highlights in pictures.

Austin finally won the roller skating race for his age group at the roller rink!

We love the free passes we get for the Skatin Station!

Erik's finally getting the hang of it!

Victoria went to an authentic British tea party.

We went bowling .

Reading with Grandma on a cloudy day.

Victoria had a surgery to expose the final molars she has coming in so we can finish up her orthodontic work.

Baking with Grandma. 

Menchies!!

Music in the Park.

Dancing to the music at the park (ho-down!)

Splash pad

Playground with a friend.

Canoeing 

Playing at the lake.

Chilling

More chilling 

I was asked to be a crazy  WWE wrestler mom at the Stake picnic.  Austin was a wrestler,  but I realized we never got a still photo of him, just a video. (The video is below. Austin and I are toward the end of the 8 min video, in case you're wondering...)

Victoria was the mime at the event with a friend.  No one was supposed to know who she was,  but everyone did!

Karissa and Abby were cheerleaders at the event,  fitting...

First day of school.

Matching shirts!!

Different schools... East 

Discovery