Ryder's Giggle, Family Time

When Ryder finds something really hilarious, his giggle is the cutest thing ever! I don't hear it all the time, but when we get him giggling it's hard for him to stop. I finally got his giggle recorded and I loved playing it over and over again. He's so funny!

After I got back from mutual tonight, we had some fun family time. Scriptures, popcorn, and a show about the wildlife in Alaska. The kids stayed up later than they should have, but it was worth it!

Shows

For some reason the kids' favorite thing to do right before bed is watch a show together. With how busy life is it doesn't happen as often as they would like, but we let them watch some cartoons tonight with us. It was cute to see them all cuddle up with Brad to watch the road runner cartoons. Brad and I fell asleep, but the kids were entertained!

Basketball, Ryder's Lessons

Tonight was Kade's last basketball game. The season went by so fast. The game was really fun because one of the Dad's of the boys is a basketball coach at the high school and he brought a lot of the girls and boys high school basketball team with him. They were all so loud and supportive of our team. It really boosted the boys spirits! And it was cute to watch them all give high-fives to the kids at the end of the game.

After the game Ryder gave us a great family night lesson on the sabbath day. He was so excited for 'his night'. He loves participating in family night and leading the lesson. It's so cute to see such a little boy teaching a lesson and bearing his testimony in the most simplest of ways! I sure love that boy!

Good morning! Mondays aren't their favorites...

Naps with Ryder

Ryder has been a bit sleep deprived the past few days and it really started to show at church today. After we got home and had lunch he and I laid down on my bed and took a nap together. It was so relaxing and much better than working on all my other tasks. I'll get those done eventually!

Modern Technology

Due to bad weather and bad roads we were not able to make it down to Utah this weekend for my Grandma's funeral. I was really sad not to be there with my family during this time and to be able to celebrate my Grandma's life with them all. But, luckily, the funeral home did record the service and broadcast it online so I was able to watch the whole funeral service. Modern Technology is pretty amazing and I'm so grateful for it.

Tonight Brad had to go into work to pull a tooth for a patient. We all decided to join him which ended up being good as he needed an assistant for a bit. Hopefully I get better at being an assistant sometime! It isn't easy. At least the kids were good. The office toys kept them pretty entertained.

Exploring

This morning Brad didn't have to go to his meeting until 10 so we went to the resort restaurant for breakfast together. The conference was providing lunch and dinner for our whole family so we only had a few hours to kill before meeting up with Brad again. So instead of swimming we explored the resort. We found the cutest little kids corner and the kids and I had fun playing games, reading, and building legos there. Lunch was delicious and then we hit the pool again!

I think my kids are the happiest when they are in a pool. They all loved it. Ryder loved to jump in the water (without floaties or anything!),swim over to the ladder (with my help), and then do it all over again. He's a fearless little guy! He also loved to play catch back and forth with the beach ball.

Tenley loved diving for treasures. She found boppy pins, glow sticks, and toy coins. Kind of crazy!

Kade loved the slide! He was so happy once Brad could join us in the pool because Brad would take him down the slide and hang out in the outside pool with him. Ryder was not the biggest fan of the outdoor pool because of how cold the air was so we stayed inside most of the time.

We had such a fun getaway as a family. It's so nice to get out of the house because then I don't have any "to-do" list distractions on my mind. My focus could be more on my kids. And I loved every second of it.

Fairmont Hot Springs

We picked the kids up a little bit early from school today and headed to Fairmont Hot Springs for a few nights. Brad has some continuing educations courses to take and the kids and I plan on swimming  a lot! I love CE courses, especially when it mean we're able to join Brad on a little getaway!
We went straight to the pool after dropping our bags off at the room and it was a blast! The pool is huge and the outdoor pool is a lot of fun. It's freezing cold to get out there, but once you're in the water and surrounded by all the steam, it's fun and magical. Brad convinced Kade and Tenley to jump out, roll in the snow, and then jump back in. While they were doing it, Ryder just followed along and did the same thing! It was pretty funny that he was brave enough and willing to do the same thing. Kade and Tenley better always make good choices, because Ryder might just blindly follow them!

Tenley and Ryder

Oh Tenley and Ryder can either be fighting like cats and dogs or they can be getting along together like the best of friends. Tonight, luckily, they were getting along like best friends. They were running around the house with their balloons and Ryder's giggle was the best. I tried to capture it on video because it was so cute and it made me so happy!

Balloons, The Library

Ryder and I finally made it to the grocery store today and the store just happens to be right by the balloon store. I had meant to get him balloons for his birthday, but forgot and so he asks for them every time we pass the balloon store. Today I finally took him in so he could pick some out for himself, Kade, and Tenley. He's been pretty happy playing with the balloons ever since!

After we picked up the kids from school, Kade begged me to take him to the library. We haven't been to the library here yet which sounds crazy, but we haven't. Kade really wanted to get the Harry Potter books and luckily they had them there. He's pretty excited!

President's Day, Family

Today was a day full of mixed emotions. I learned this morning that my Grandma passed away. Last night when we were video chatting with my parents they told me that she had fallen and broken her arm over the weekend so she was in the hospital. They had some good stories to share about how funny she was on the pain medication. It was a light-hearted conversation, but obviously my Grandma's health has been declining ever since my Grandpa passed away last fall. It was her time. She is in a happier place free from her pain. But the absence of loved ones physically here on Earth is never easy for me.
Then this afternoon I got the news that my niece had her baby today! He is the first great-grandchild for the Hobsons. He's a cutie and baby and mom are happy and healthy.

I was so happy that my kids had the day off from school today. We just stayed home, but Ryder especially loved having his buddies home with him to play with. And they all made the day so much happier. I love my kids.

The kids noticed this note from Brad. I'm not very good at keeping plants alive and watered...

Reading time in Kade's bed! We made it like a tent since he's on the bottom bunk. It was cozy.

Selfies with Ryder are the best.

Tenley wrote down what she wanted to say for her lesson tonight. She's so sweet!

Our dear mother, Shirley Woodruff, age 87, passed away Monday, February 19, 2018. She went peacefully in her sleep at the hospital following a bad fall in her assisted-living apartment on the previous Friday. Shirley was born on August 9, 1930, in Salt Lake City. She was the third child of J. Alvin Butler and Edna Standing Butler. After graduating from South High School and attending the University of Utah for a few years, she headed to Southern California for a new adventure. There, she met Rex Marvin Woodruff. They were married on June 5, 1953, in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. They soon moved back to Utah and raised seven children. Shirley loved being a mother to a big family. She was an accomplished seamstress. She sewed three wedding dresses, countless dresses, and many quilts and baby blankets. She loved to sing. She was in many choirs including the Oratorio Society of Utah. She loved being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was so proud of her ancestors and her Pioneer Heritage. She was a member of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers. She spent many hours doing genealogy and compiling her family histories and stories into several books. She served in many callings in the Church. After her kids were grown, she was thrilled to serve (with her husband) full-time missions in California, Palmyra, New York, and Toronto. That was followed by years of Church missionary service on Temple Square.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother, Kenneth Butler, and dear husband, Rex, who died last September. She is survived by her sister June VanCott and her seven children, Mark (Jo), Lon (Liliana), Brent (Rebecca), Duane (Angela), Cheryl (Philip Clark), Janette (Scott Peterson), and Richard (Alicia). She is also survived by 29 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren. We would like to thank the staff at Legacy House for all the care and attention they gave Shirley, especially in the past few months since Rex died.

Ward Conference

Even though we got 5 plus inches of snow during the night we still had church this morning. I'm learning that Montana's are tough! So hopefully in a few years, driving on unplowed roads in below zero degree weather with crazy snow drifts everywhere at 7 am won't be so scary to me! Montana will make me tough! Luckily we all made it to church safely and had a great Ward Conference. I love our Stake leaders and I really appreciated having some one-on-one time with them.
And it was so nice to finally have Brad and the kids with me at church today! They've been staying home the last few weeks because someone has been sick, and I've really missed them! The kids were happy to be back at church as well.

I can't wait to add another boy to this group of cuties!

Snow Shovelers

Another crazy winter storm is headed our way. Brad and Kade shoveled the snow this morning and will probably be about one or two more times today. Our snow piles in our yard are getting huge! Beside the crazy driving conditions, we are loving our beautiful winter wonderland here. I did appreciate my beautiful Valentines flowers in the house, that cheered up the gloom a bit and brought some brightness to the day!
This afternoon Brad took Kade to a high school basketball game so I got to hang out with just Tenley and Ryder. Tenley really wanted to play school with Ryder, so I tried to help her make a calendar and a few other things that she does every day at school.We had fun!

Lunch Dates

I love having Brad home on Fridays. I got to go get my hair done this morning after I dropped Kade and Tenley off at school and when I got home, Brad and Ryder had exercised together and showered. Ryder looked so cute with his hair done and dressed by his daddy. And he showed me how to do push ups! I was impressed with his form!

I then convinced Brad to go out for a little lunch date with me. It was fun to be out with just him and one child. So much more relaxing :) And the food was delicious. Ryder refused to take a picture though...He must be getting sick of all the pictures I take too! 

We ended the night watching the Olympics with the kids running around and playing together. I love that they are best friends.

Kade's Basketball Games

Kade had a game tonight and he is improving so much each time he plays! It's so fun to see him progress. He made two baskets tonight! And I still have yet to get it on video... Hopefully next time!

We hadn't see Brad all day until we met up with him at the game. Ryder was so excited to see him and sat and cuddled on his lap for almost half the game. It was adorable.

Valentine's Day

I love Valentine's day and doing a few extra things for those people that I love. The kids had a great time at school today handing out their valentine cards and getting a lot in return. They each had a little party in their classes as well. Kade got to wear pajamas to school for his party!

I had made a fancy, yummy dinner for everyone, but tonight didn't go as planned. Kade has scouts and Brad got home really late from work. Right when he got home, I had to leave to go to mutual. So Tenley, Ryder, and I enjoyed dinner together, and Kade and Brad enjoyed dinner together. We were all able to have dessert together when I got home, though, so at least the day ended well!

Play Time

Ryder has begged me the past few days to play with him more. He loves to be downstairs and play in the toy room so we've been doing that a lot. He's a cute kid and I've loved the extra time we've had together lately.

Family

For family night tonight it was my turn to teach. I taught the kids about family and how family is what matters most and that we need to always show love for each other. At the end, as I was about to pour my heart out to my sweet kids to tell them how much I love them, Kade said, "Oh no, hear come the tears!" It was so funny, we all just started laughing. That little guy knows me all too well...

Snow Day

School wasn't technically closed today, even though we had 7 inches of new snow in our driveway, but we decided ourselves to let the kids stay home from school. Kade needed another day of resting and just sending Tenley away for the day felt wrong! So we slept in, ate a warm breakfast, and shoveled a ton of snow!

Brad said he was feeling good enough to shovel all by himself, but when 30 minutes went by and I looked out to see how much snow there actually was, I decided to go help him. It was thick, heavy snow! We didn't have any piles on our grass before and they are huge now! 

Tenley and Ryder played out in the snow for a bit and Brad braved the roads to run a few errands. It's pretty slick! But we braved it again tonight for some Cafe Rio. Cafe Rio is worth a scary drive on the road! haha.

We watched some of the Olympics tonight. I LOVE the Olympics

! I'm always so inspired.

Cuddles

Another sick day for Kade today. Poor guy. But Ryder loves having a friend home with him. Most of the day he'll sit right next to him on the couch. He'll occasionally get up and run around to find me, but then he'll head right back to the couch to be with Kade.
Brad toughed it out at work today. He had planned to take Kade to the big High School basketball rival game, and Kade didn't want to miss it. So he got all showered and ready and went to the game with Brad. They had a lot of fun together. And luckily they made it home safe in the blizzard. The snow is beautiful but there sure is a lot falling!

A Few Healthy Kids

Kade was too sick for school and Brad was too sick for work today. Brad got ready and went to work, but his staff saw how awful he looked and sent him home. He came back and slept the rest of the morning. He seems to be feeling a little better tonight, though so I think it was really good for him to take the day off.
I always worry when Kade gets sick because of his asthma, but luckily no asthma attacks as of yet. He just needs rest right now as well.
Luckily Tenley and Ryder seem to be over it so they were my big helpers today. Ryder loves to help me cook. It was fun to have some helpers!

Relief

I woke up feeling a little better today. At least functional and the weight on my chest is gone and the soreness in my throat isn't quite as bad. Yay! But Brad woke up with a sore throat and feeling achy and Kade went to bed with a cough. Ugh. This sickness is no joke! It is running through our whole family and it is awful. I hate seeing Brad miserable especially because he can't just lay on the couch all day like I can. Unless he's being dragged to the hospital, he'll be at work tomorrow doing his best to tough it out. I hope it doesn't last long for him. And I really hope Kade doesn't get bronchitis. But whatever will be, will be. And we'll get through it.

On a positive note Ryder and Tenley are doing well. They are happy and active just like their cute normal selves. When Tenley got home from school she took Ryder out in the backyard to play in the snow. She is sweet to him and they had fun together.

Thoughtful Neighbors

We woke up to a lot of snow on the ground this morning. Brad thought ahead and woke up early enough to shovel the driveway so I wouldn't have to worry about it today. But, the snow just kept on coming all day long! I texted Brad and told him that I would pray for a snow-shoveling fairy to come and shovel our walks since my sickness has been just as bad if not worse than yesterday.
I took myself in to the walk-in clinic and the Dr. told me I have Bronchitis or Strep, but didn't test for Strep and just gave me an anti-biotic that she said would fix both. I was just happy to hear it isn't pneumonia. I feel like I have 10 pounds weighing down on my chest and it hurts so bad to cough, but she says I need to keep coughing. Hopefully the medicine takes affect quickly.
When Brad got home from work he asked who had shoveled our driveway. I hadn't noticed anyone come by at all, but apparently a wonderful snow-shoveling fairy came by after all! I am so so grateful for our kind neighbor who decided to do that for us for no reason. Such a tender mercy that I needed today. I hate feeling unable to accomplish simple tasks, like shoveling the snow, and leaving them for Brad to have to do after a long day at work. But luckily someone else helped me out today. I'm so grateful.

The Superbowl

Day 3 of being sick and it has been the worst day yet. I'm pretty sure I have strep throat. I've never had it before and it is pretty miserable. I missed church but am grateful for amazing counselors who so willingly take care of everything for me. I spent all day in bed or on the couch downstairs and Brad picked up all my slack. He's so amazing and I'm extremely grateful for him.
We were supposed to go to a friends house tonight to watch the superbowl, but we obviously had to cancel. The kids were sad but they ended up having a lot of fun together.