The Waterpark

We spent a family day at the waterpark! Brad and I both played with the kids in the pool and raced them down the slides so not many pictures were taken. But plenty of fun memories were made! The boys had fun racing down the slides to try and make a splash so big that they could get the lifeguard wet. Luke was loving the water this time. He was willing to jump in and float on his back. 

Frozen Yogurt

Both Tenley and Ryder went to a friends house today which left a very quiet and relaxing atmosphere here at home. Luke played quietly with Kade while I played the piano, we had a nice lunch together, we finally made it to the library to pick up some books (Kade is going to read The Diary of Anne Frank) and then we met up with Brad for some frozen yogurt. It was nice quality time with Kade. I really do love it when we’re all together, but it was also really refreshing to have a day like today.

Big Slides

The kids and I had planned to go to the library this morning. They had some books in mind that they wanted to get and since our afternoon was busy with other activities, we were up early and got to the library right when we thought it was going to open. And then we learned that it doesn’t up until the afternoon now due to the virus. My poor kids were pretty sad but they quickly suggested we go the park instead. We did and they laughed and played the whole time.

I feel bad for how much disappointment my kids have had to deal with this year but at the same time I’m so inspired by their ability to remain optimistic despite disappointment and challenges. 

3 years

Today marks three years that Brad has been working here at his office. That almost feels like a lifetime ago.  A lot has changed since then and we’re definitely glad we made the  choice to come here.

The kids and I met Brad at his office today to bring the staff lunch to celebrate. It was fun and yummy!

We also had homemade popcorn tonight. Not really as a way to celebrate,  but just because it’s delicious.

Mini Golf, Family Mottos

For Kade’s night tonight he wanted to go mini golfing. Even though it was 90 degrees outside we decided to go after dinner. The course was mainly in the shade so the heat wasn’t actually that bad. The kids loved playing and Luke knew just what to do with his little plastic golf club. He felt like one of the big kids with his own bal and club. It was really fun to watch him!

I actually played really well for the first half of the course with a score of 27. I was in the lead! And then somehow I lost it and Brad won with Kade in second and me in third. 

On the way out I saw they had a great quote on their wall that said “The happiest people don’t have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything.” It was so well said! Brad and I had just been talking about this type of mantra over the weekend. Sometimes we dream too big and our dreams are a bit too far fetched. I was trying to tell Brad that we should just appreciate what we do have and what we can do to which he said, “Yes we just need to learn to appreciate the sucky things in life.” I didn’t like the way he said that at all! But in his mind it makes complete sense the way he said it. It reminds me of the other motto he gave us. When we were first married (and sometimes still to this day) I had a real problem with caring way too much about what other people thought of me. I’m a people pleaser and I don’t like to disappoint people. So he said, “Tiff, just say to yourself ‘Everyone else can piss off.’” Lol. Not the best language but Brad likes to be blunt. I told him tonight that someday he’s going to have these mottos printed in his cabin and his grandkids are going to laugh at their grumpy old grandpa. Haha. 

We talked to the kids about our amazing and classy family mottos tonight (I’m definitely being sarcastic here). They laughed but I hope they do understand that it’s important to not let other people’s opinion of you keep you from doing what you know is right. It’s all between you and God. AND life isn’t about having the most money or the nicest things. You can’t take any of that with you. Life is about truly appreciating what you have been given and using that in the best way you can. I heard someone say the other day to turn your expectations into appreciation. Just love what you have! ❤️

The Weekend

I feel like the weekend ended all too soon. We had a really good few days together exploring, playing, and having little adventures. 

We wanted to take Keena to play in the river tonight but the first beach we went to was closed due to Covid, the second beach had a lot of mud, but the third beach worked out. It was pretty hot tonight but Keena sure loved swimming in the river!

Saturday Morning Bike Rides

We all slept in longer than normal which was golf given out late night last night. After yummy crepes for breakfast and watching my beautiful niece be baptized via zoom, we headed out for a bike ride. It feels like it’s been a long time since we last went for a ride. It was so good to get out and enjoy all the beauty that Great Falls has to offer. 

Seeley Lake and Morrell Falls

My friend had told me about a fun hike by Seeley Lake so we decided to take the kids up there today to hike and spend some time at the lake. We left later than we had planned and the hike was longer than we expected so we didn’t spend as much time at the lake. But the hike was beautiful! It was a bit long for Ryder, but he really enjoyed seeing the waterfall and playing in the river. When we arrived at the falls we were the only ones there. It was nice to enjoy the place on our own. We got to Seeley Lake around 5 but the kids all got in and loved playing in the water. We found a local pizza restaurant for dinner and then made it home after nine. It was a fun filled adventurous day!

Bath Colors

Luke loved taking a bath in the morning especially with bath colors. He likes to get his hands messy and watch them dissolve. It’s a good thing I limit him to just two bath colors a day or he could run us out of money with those things!

The weather cooled off a little bit today. It was cloudy, breezy, and ended up raining a lot this afternoon. We enjoyed the nicer temperatures on our walk. 

Better Days

I always say that good days follow the not so good days and today was much better than yesterday. The kids seemed to fight less and we were all much happier.

It was 96 degrees today! It doesn’t often get that hot here. But we still took the dog for a walk and played outside when it cooled off this evening. We used more vegetables from our garden for our dinner tonight. It’s been fun to have a garden this year!

Life

Life as a stay at home mom with four kids is filled with chaos. I’m trying to embrace that chaos and love it. Im trying to remember the countless times I’ve heard people say that I’ll miss these days. What if life happened opposite for us where we’d have a life of peaceful and quiet retirement first and then have screaming kids take over our home later in life. I wonder if it worked that way, would we tell our retired self to soak up the days of peace and quiet because you’ll miss them when the loud kids take over and interrupt that all? Something I’d think about more if my head wasn’t still spinning from all the screaming and fighting of today. 

Poppyseed Muffins

Over the weekend Lesa had made some poppyseed muffins that my kids all loved! So today I picked up some poppyseed muffin mix with lemon glaze for dinner. I gave Tenley the box and had her follow the directions on her own to make them. Ryder did help her mix a few times and I noticed that she almost added an extra egg, but other than that she did it all on her own! I was impressed and they were delicious!

We watched Free Solo tonight which is about a rock climber who climbs El Capitan in Yosemite with no ropes. It’s pretty crazy! But I love watching people work hard at something and reach their goals! I hope I can inspire my kids to work hard to reach their wildest dreams.

New Memories

We made some really great memories this weekend with our family. It was so much fun. This whole Summer has been filled with fun new adventures as we’ve tried to make the best out of this virus situation. Things are shutting down again and I just learned tonight that Ryder’s baseball games are cancelled for the rest of the season. It makes me so sad to hear that but I’m glad they were able to play for a few weeks at least.