The First Day of School

We did it! We got through the first full day of school! It was hard for me but every one else seemed to do fine. Ryder acted normal, Tenley was excited to read some of Kade's books and play with some of his toys, and Kade had a lot of fun at school and said that it didn't even feel like he was gone that long! I'm so glad that he loves it! 

Ryder did not want to take a picture!

Summer Vacation

I asked Kade what he wanted to do today for his last day of summer vacation and after I had listed off several ideas, he asked if he could just watch t.v.! It made me laugh but I let him anyway. And then I made him hang out outside with me and we drew pictures with chalk. I loved his picture! Later, he had friends come over for a play date! I think he loved his day. 

Tonight we got to go meet his teacher and see his new classroom. He was really excited afterward and can't wait for tomorrow! He wrote me the sweetest note today while I made him lunch telling me that he'll miss me while he's at school. I'm going to miss him sooo much!

Family Beach Days

Today was the hottest day of the week and the last Monday before Kade starts school so we decided to go to the beach together. We found an empty one and had it all to ourselves for a few hours. We were so far from town that we didn't have cell service and it was sooo quiet. It's been a while since we had family time like that and it was really nice! 

Another family did show up after a while with two adventurous boys that caught a lot of craw dads and even a big toad! Kade and Tenley loved checking out the things they caught. We had such a great time today.

Summer Nights

The weather was perfect tonight and we really enjoyed playing in the Simmons yard after dinner. We are definitely trying to soak up these last few days of Kade's summer break.

I'm just not the biggest fan of change. And I'm really not looking forward to Kade being gone at school all day. We've been having such a great summer and I love having Kade around. He has been a huge help! But he is really excited to start school. I hope it doesn't take us too long to get used this new routine.

Even though I'm trying to hold onto summer I'm realizing that new seasons in weather and in life can be good. They each bring new challenges and new blessings. So I'll be doing my best to enjoy this next season in our lives.

Sleepovers

Brad was gone on a scout camp out last night so the kids and I were able to have a sleepover together. We cuddled on my bed and watched The Good Dinosaur (which made me cry!), had ice cream and then read books. I loved waking up to see my cute little kids in my room with me. They are my little buddies!

Playtime

The kids and I got to play a lot together today. Kade and I played cars in the morning. He had it all set up for us and he was showing me all the vehicles he had parked at his house. A motor home for camping, a truck, a 4-wheeler, a snowmobile, and a motorcycle. He must like big toys!

We went and played at the park today as well. Ryder followed the big kids around and went down the slides by himself. He's so brave! He's also a little sweetheart. He loves to help clean up and unload the dishwasher. I really love my kids!

Bubbles

We are enjoying this last week of Summer and are trying to keep it low key. We didn't do much today but the kids did take a long bubble bath! They had so much fun playing in the bubbles! And then discovered that turning on the jets in the bathtub makes it way more bubbly!

And then we blew bubbles in the yard later in the day :)

Simple Entertainment

We replaced the tires on our suburban a few days ago and they found something wrong with the front CV boot so I had to take it to the shop today. They needed to work on it for a few hours so the kids and I walked over to a nearby grocery store to kill some time. It was actually really nice to have a low key grocery store trip. Normally I'm rushing through the store to get everything we need before Ryder can't handle being strapped into the cart any longer. But today, I just let Ryder walk around with us. Kade really liked reading all the greeting cards. And Tenley loved seeing the stuffed animals. Luckily we never got bored!

Later this afternoon we headed out in the heat so Kade could get some more practice on his bike. He's still doing a great job!

Scout Night

On Tuesday night Brad gets home from work, has 10 to 15 minutes to eat dinner, and then he's out the door again to go to scouts. It's a pretty hectic and busy night, but after he leaves and dinner is cleaned up and Ryder is in bed, Kade and Tenley and I are able to enjoy some time together. It's really nice and I enjoy it a lot! But we'd always prefer to have Brad with us!

Days at Home

We drove home from Boise last night and it was nice to sleep in our beds! Plus the drive seemed to go by faster since Ryder slept half the time. 

The weather was cool enough for a bike ride today and Brad decided that we ought to take Kade's training wheels off. He took right off and looked like a natural! I was really impressed and proud of him! And he loved it!

Tenley finally earned her 100 stickers today so she planned a little date for us tonight. We went bowling and picked up yummy pizza from a new pizza place. It was sooo much fun. I love bowling! And I love watching Ryder trying to be like the big kids. He was so happy and excited.

Kade's Birthday

We had a lot of fun celebrating Kade's birthday today! I can't believe my little boy turned 7! He isn't really a little boy anymore :(. But I love the person he is and is becoming! He is very obedient, smart, creative, and friendly. He is the perfect oldest child because I know he'll be a great example to his younger siblings.

This morning we made him his favorite breakfast of cinnamon roll pancakes with eggs and bacon. Several of his cousins were there to sing Happy Birthday to him as well. Then we went to watch our nephew Joey speak in church about his mission. He did a great job and it was really neat to hear his report. Then all the family went to Bryan and Amy's house to have dinner together and birthday cake for Kade. And we got to sing to him again! He felt pretty special! We all love him so much!

Cousins

We had a really fun day with cousins! A yummy breakfast buffet in the morning and a fun reception at night. We were missing 5 cousins but it was still pretty awesome to see them all together! Kade, Tenley, and Ryder are lucky to have such awesome cousins!

Extended Family Time

We traveled to Boise today to be here for a nieces wedding reception tomorrow and a nephews mission homecoming talk on Sunday. But today we were able to have some fun playtime with the Murdocks. We met them at the old Idaho State Penitentiary to take a tour. It was really neat to read the history and some of the personal stories of the people that were there. 

Then the cousins got together at Grandma Judy's for a fun pizza party while we adults went to the Temple and out to dinner at a yummy Thai restaurant. It was a really fun date. And it was fun to come back to Judy's house and see all the kids having so much fun together. It really is so nice to live close enough to family to be able to have the weekends we've had with them these past few weeks. I know if we were still in Indiana it wouldn't have been possible, so I feel pretty lucky!