Holidays with Family

I’m so grateful Halloween was on a Saturday this year and that the weather cooperated so we could be here in Utah with family. It’s been so fun and so nice to see my kids playing with cousins and to be with my parents and little brothers. I wish we could have seen my sister and her family as well, but hopefully next time.

The day started out with a delicious waffle breakfast. Then later in the afternoon we explored the gully by my parents house.

For dinner we had yummy soup in bread bowls for dinner tonight and then we took all the kids out trick or treating. There were actually plenty of homes in the neighborhood allowing trick or treats and the kids got a ton of candy. Ryder’s favorite prize actually ended up being okay dough!

Cousins

Jason and his family came over today and the kids had a blast playing hide n seek and other fun things together. Ryder has a pretty active imagination and Yesul loves joining in with him on whatever mew idea he has. At one point they turned the stairs into a slide and Ryder could get down in less than two seconds! 

Road Trips

We made it down to Utah safely tonight. Road tripping in the new car was very nice and I felt so grateful the whole way here. The kids were all excited for the trip and Ryder especially couldn’t hold in his excitement! Lol. He was very happy and giddy the whole ride and I don’t think he’s even fallen asleep yet and it’s past 11! Hopefully they all get plenty of rest tonight.

Halloween Parties

After the kids’ Christian homeschool today, we got together with our homeschool friends for a Halloween party! We had treats, games, and crafts. The kids had fun dressing up and being with friends. It was a long day for Luke who missed his nap but the kids thought it was worth it. Ryder is such a socia boy. He lives for these kind of things!

Choo Choo Trains

Luke loves his cars and trains and takes them everywhere he goes in his little monkey backpack. It was nice to see him playing with toys at the orthodontist office instead of begging to get on my phone. Progress! We also tried on some costumes tonight and the kids all look so cute! 

Snow Forts

Today was a good day with my kids. We got started with school on time and when we finished they headed upstairs to play Monopoly together. The game lasted five hours (with an hour break while Kade and Tenley were at piano lessons) and they had so much fun. Then right after the game, which Kade was ecstatic to win, Tenley and Ryder headed out to play in the snow. They made a cool fort out of the huge pile of snow from shoveling. I love to see their creativity.

Luke in Boots

We got to have church at home today which was nice. We also played Monopoly twice and Brad won both times. The poor kids want to beat him so badly.

We discovered that Luke fits into the cowboy boots that are hand me downs from the Simmons and he loves them. We recently watch Shrek and Luke loves Puss in boots so now we call him Luke in boots. He never wants to take them off and he even wanted them on over his pajamas today lol. It’s adorable!

Monopoly

We woke up to over a foot of snow this morning! It was beautiful. I had a gun safety training class that started at 9 and thankfully Brad got up and shoveled the driveway for me. I was also grateful for our wonderful car that does so well in the snow. 

While I was away Brad took the kids to the church to play basketball (Kade has been begging for weeks!) And then after lunch he played monopoly with the kids. They all had a blast together today. 

Voting

Brad and I turned in our ballots today. The election has been crazy this year. Definitely the craziest one that I can remember. We’re grateful for our opportunity to vote for the leaders in our country and I hope that no matter what happens we can all move forward and get a long with each other somehow. I’ve always seen politicians fight and battle each other over issues but now to see friends and family do that with each other on social media or in person is sad. Yes, we should stand up for our beliefs but the most important thing to always remember is that we’re all brothers and sisters and that God loves each one of us. That should mean more. We all need more love. 

After we dropped off our ballots we took the kids to the library. They actually had a few toys out that Ryder and Luke enjoyed playing with. The library was extra quiet today. 

Brad and I went out to dinner tonight and then went and bought the game Monopoly. Haha. The kids can’t wait to play!

Game Free Kids

Brad and I have been concerned about iPad games for our children for a while now. I always try and limit it, but when you see your two year old pitch a huge fit after you take the iPad away you know there’s a problem. I’ve been researching it more and reading about the consequences of game addiction and it is concerning. I shared a video with my kids this morning of a family of three boys who did a 30 day detox from screens. They decided to do so after their young son took an actual bite out of his iPad when he was so angry that he had lost a game in Angry Birds. Instead of playing on screens, they played board games. And their lives all changed for the better. After the video I asked for their thoughts and Ryder was the first one to say that he thought we should be done with games. I asked them if they’d be willing to do a detox from screens for 30 days and they said yes. I’m excited to see how this next month goes. I know I’ll be spending more time playing board games with my kids and giving up some of my “me” time, but really I would give up anything to help my kids be more successful and happy in life. 

After lunch Kade taught us all a science lesson and showed us how to make an explosion with baking soda and vinegar in a sealed ziploc bag. It was a fun afternoon.

Wednesday

Wednesday is always a nice little break in our week from doing school at home. Tenley and Ryder love their group at the Christian school and Kade and I and Luke have fun together even though Kade does get bored at times. Today we got to bring lunch into Brad’s office and eat with him which was nice. I also made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies with Kade, his favorites, and he practiced his piano recital songs for me. I hope to try and have more time like this with each of my kids.

Piggy Back Rides

For the longest time it has been Ryder’s request to get a piggy back ride to bed and now Luke likes it as well. Ryder’s getting pretty big though so it might not last too much longer. Tonight Ryder wanted a piggy back ride and to take funny face selfies. Then as I put him to bed he said, “You’re probably the best Mom ever!” What a sweetheart! I sure love my little man and all my cute kids.

Shopping with Kade

The snow was beautiful this morning. Tenley and Ryder spent all afternoon playing in the snow again. They’re really sad that it may melt soon. It makes me laugh that they love it so much, but at the same time I’m so glad that they do because we live in Montana after all.

Kade and got to do some shopping together this afternoon. He has grown out of his church clothes and his ski clothes. I can’t believe how big he is getting! We had fun shopping together.

At Church-Church

We actually got to go to church today for the first time  in seven months. It was at 9 am and the snow storm from last night made for a sketchy drive to church, but we made it happen! Brad was there early getting everything set up and our youth were rockstars ushering us all in safely. It was nice to be back in the building and sing and worship with others. The kids even enjoyed being there. For now we get to go back once a month.

We mostly relaxed the rest of the day although the kids did play out in the snow a lot. Ryder and Tenley love it the most and it’s hard to get them inside. I don’t know how they handle the 22 degree temperatures but they love it!

Snow!

We woke up to a blanket of snow this morning! So much that I thought we might need to shovel the driveway, but luckily it just stuck to the grass. My kids were so excited to see snow! They love playing in it and are already looking forward to ski season. Tenley and Ryder played in the snow right after breakfast and again right after lunch. I’m glad they enjoy it. It was too cold for the rest of us!

When Brad and I went on a date tonight Kade started a mew tradition with the kids to have a bunch of snack and treats downstairs after dinner while they watched a movie. He’s making it fun at least!

Football

Kade’s last football game of the season was tonight. It was supposed to be tomorrow morning but the weather is taking a turn tonight and we will likely wake up to snow in the morning so the coaches decided to have the game tonight instead. I’m glad they did. We enjoyed watching him and he even caught a long pass. He had a great team and a really nice coach and they got to play the whole season! Yay!