Lunch Dates

We had a busy, fun today. We met Kade for lunch again at school because Tenley loves seeing him there. After we left his school we met up with Brad, Kent, Heidi, Emmett, Dale and George and Judy to have lunch with them! Kade was able to have a play date after school with a friend and then we went to Heidi's for dinner with the family.

Cleaning Day, More Visitors!

Wednesday is normally the day I clean the house while Ryder and Tenley watch The Lion King, which is currently Ryder's favorite movie. But today as I started to clean they kept themselves busy with other things instead of begging for a movie, which made me happy. Tenley made cards for everyone in the family. She spent a lot of time coloring, cutting out, and taping things. It was cute. And Ryder just wanted to play in his bed! It made me laugh. He wanted some baby dolls and his blocks and he was content just hanging out in there for about 45 minutes! I got a lot done.

Brad's Dad and Judy are in town to get their teeth cleaned. They're staying over at the Simmons so we went over for dessert tonight. The kids were so excited to head over in their pajamas and stay up late on a school night. Heidi made some yummy cookies and Ryder chased Judy around and played with his favorite person ever, Dale. Family time is great.

Star of the Week

Since Kade is the star of the week, we decided to go have lunch with him at school today. He was so happy to have us there with him! And Tenley and Ryder loved feeling like big kids in a school lunch room. It was a lot of fun.
His teacher had me send in some photos of Kade growing up and write a little biography about him. It was fun to remember all the great things about Kade! He's one amazing boy. He's so kind and always wants to do what is right. Pleasing his Dad makes him happier than anything. I love having him in our family!
Here is his biography:

Kade Bradley Hobson was born August 21, 2009 in Lewiston Idaho.

When Kade was a year old he and his parents moved to Indianapolis, IN for his dad’s schooling. Kade loved living there. He loved the zoo, the Children’s Museum, and the orchard where he could pick a lot of raspberries which are his favorite fruit.

Kade has always loved to read. When he was 2 his favorite book was And to Think That I saw it on Mulberry Street by Dr. Seuss. His parents would read it to him almost every night. He eventually had the words memorized and would “read” the book by himself.

Kade loves being a big brother to his 5 year old sister and 2 year old brother. He enjoys playing with them and is always helpful.

He was excited to move back to Lewiston, ID and be closer to his grandparents and cousins. He loves playing sports, especially soccer and baseball. He loves playing with friends, riding bikes with his family, and swimming.

Tenley's Lessons

It was Tenley's night tonight and when I asked her what she wanted her lesson to be about, she said the Holy Ghost. She did such a great job! In the past she's been timid about what to say and would rely on me to tell her, but tonight she did most of her lesson on her own! She taught us that the Holy Ghost can help us and guide us. It was so simple and so sweet. She also bore her own little testimony at the end all by herself! I was so proud of her! She's such a good girl.

Matching Ties

One of Brad's gifts for his birthday was matching ties for him and his boys. They all wore them today and they looked so handsome! Tenley wore a pretty blue dress and matched them almost perfectly! Ryder has never worn a tie before so it took some getting used to for him. He kept wanting to rip it off, but eventually he decided to just wear it.
For the first time ever Ryder didn't cry when we dropped him off at nursery! I was so happy. And later today the nursery leader told me how good he was and that he's the only child that will help clean up! That was good to hear.

Soccer Season, Brad

I missed Kade's first soccer game of the season last week, so I was happy to be at his game today even in the wind and the rain. He did a great job and played his heart out! I love seeing him trying really hard to do his best.

I was able to go to the General Women's meeting tonight and I really enjoyed it. I had a lot of epiphanies of ways to improve myself. It was really good and I'm grateful that Brad was OK with me leaving again! It seems like I've been doing that too much lately.

On a side note, Brad is an amazing dad! I was gone for an hour and a half tonight and he focused all his attention on the kids during that time. He played the Wii with them and then took them all on a bike ride to the park. I drove home and saw them all biking up the hill. It made me so happy! I know he would have preferred to be watching all the sweet basketball games going on right now, but he recorded them to watch later and played with the kids instead. He's the best.

Mack

Kade gets to be Star of the Week this next week at school and he is so excited! He's been waiting to be Star of the week since school started! He got to bring home a little stuffed tiger name Mack that is their school mascot. He's supposed to take Mack everywhere with him this weekend and then write a story about what they did.
Mack got to come out with us on our family date, but Kade left him in the car while we ate dinner. He's all cuddled up in bed with Kade now. :)

Sunshine

We spent a lot of time outside today because it was so sunny and warm! I even wore sandals. I'm so happy it's Spring!

Visitors

This morning I took Tenley to register for Kindergarten! I can't believe how big she is getting. She is so excited to start school and I'm so excited for her. Although, I will miss her so much. She's so fun to have at home. Ryder and I love having her around.

After registering we met the Simmons and Murdocks at the church to play basketball and dodge ball. My niece Haley also practiced her song/dance routine for a Distinguished Young Women competition coming up. Tenley loved watching and even start copying her moves after a while. It was adorable! And Ryder had so much fun with Dale. He loves him so much and it's not hard to see why. Dale takes time to play with him and it's so sweet to watch. 

Later Haley, Lesa, Heidi and I got pedicures and then saw the new Beauty and the Beast movie. It was so good! 

It's been nice to have visitors in town to break up our routine a bit!

McDonald's

Brad and I aren't the biggest fans of the food at McDonald's but I do love the play place! When it's a cold or rainy day, it's a great place to take the kids to run around. Since the Murdocks are in town we decided to go to McDonald's for lunch. The kids had a blast! Ryder sat with Dale and then followed him around the rest of the time. He loves him. Dale is so nice to play with him so much!

Cousins

The Murdocks arrived today to spend a few days here and we're so excited! Kade especially is looking forward to skipping a few days of school and playing non-stop with cousins! We had a pizza party and family night tonight all together. Kade taught us a great lesson on baptism which we all enjoyed. He is excited to turn 8 this year so he can be baptized.

This morning while we waited for our family to arrive, Tenley, Ryder and I went to craft group and the grocery store. Ryder and I also spent a lot of time on puzzles together today. He is a smart boy! I really enjoyed spending time with my kids today. I missed them while I was away!

Girls Trip

I had a few friends invite me to go to Seattle with them over the weekend and I had so much fun. I was feeling a little nervous about leaving my kids but they had such a great time with Brad and I really needed a little getaway. I've let life get stressful these past few months so it was nice to allow myself to forget all about it and put everything back in perspective. This trip helped remind me that life does not need to be stressful and we can be happy no matter what! My friend shared this quote that I really love. I actually have it on a plaque in my house thanks to my mother-in-law. It says:

"In all of living, have much fun and laughter.

Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured."

-Gordon B. Hinckley