New Books

While Tenley and I were in our girl trip last month we picked up a new book that my sister in law had recommended to us called, “The Book With No Pictures.” The kids love it! Especially Ryder. He wants to read it every night now. Tenley even has it memorized since we’ve read it so many times. It’s a fun one!

Christmas Time

It’s so much fun to have our Christmas decorations up and Christmas music on. I’m loving it! Ryder taught us a lesson today about the birth of Jesus. It was a short and sweet lesson. I asked him if he wanted to share his testimony at the end and he asked what a testimony is. I told him to just share what he believes. He said that He believes in Jesus and that he believes his family lives him. It was sweet.

Brad and I had to be at church this morning, him to conduct and me to play the organ. It was just a zoom meeting though so our kids had to stay home. Kade did a great job taking care of the crew at home. 

A Fireplace

We had a really slow paced day today which was nice in some ways. We wanted to take the kids bowling tonight, but when we called they didn’t have any open lanes until 9pm. Ryder was so bummed. So we tried to make up for it with ice cream sundaes and The Madalorian. I think it worked. We turned the fireplace on while we watched the show and it was so cozy.

Christmas Lights

Brad has pretty much finished putting up our Christmas lights and he brought in our trees so we could start decorating them as well. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas over here! The ids and I are loving it! I love this time of year!

Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving today even though it was just our little family. We were able to video chat with Grandmas and Grandpas and even some cousins so that definitely made it better! The food was all so delicious. I haven’t been so full in such a long time. The kids seemed to have a good day here as well. They helped Brad with more Christmas lights and it’s coming together nicely! And they were big helpers with dinner as well. Tenley peeled and mashed the potatoes (her favorite dish), Ryder helped roll the crescent rolls (his favorite dish) and Kade was Brads big helper with the turkey and the homemade ice cream. I love our little family and I’m so grateful we were able to be together.

Afternoon Dates

Today started out as a huge bummer. We had planned to meet up with Brad’s Dad at his sister Lesa’s house in Idaho Falls for the Thanksgiving weekend, but we learned this morning that two of Lesa’s kids tested positive for COVID so we had to cancel. We will have our own little quiet Thanksgiving here at home again this year. 

We are doing our best to make the most of it! The three oldest kids were able to go to a free gym time this afternoon so after we dropped them off, Brad, Luke and I went out to lunch at my favorite bistro. It was delicious.

We cut up fruit for fruit cocktail tonight and I think the kids have finally come around to the fact that we’re staying home. I hope tomorrow goes well!

Gratitude

Last Friday the Prophet shared a wonderful message about the power and gift of gratitude. For an entire week he invited us to thank our Heavenly Father in our Prayers. He also encouraged us to turn our social media feeds into a gratitude journal. It’s been really fun to do that and to see so many others doing the same thing. It’s incredible to realize all that we really do have to be grateful for. I’ve been keeping this blog as my own little personal gratitude journal for over eight years now and I’m sure I’ve found hundreds of different things in my life to be grateful for even during hard times. President Nelson’s message was so powerful and so positive. It has made my whole week. I am so grateful for gratitude.

Ryder’s Giggles

Ryder chose Home Alone for his movie tonight. He giggled like crazy! He loves that show so much. And I love his giggles so much. Cuddling with my family and laughing is the best medicine for these trying times.

The Child

The kids fought more than usual today and it was tough. I’m not sure exactly why. Maybe they need more sleep, or maybe they need something to keep them busy. We tried playing monopoly but that did not help. Brad finally got them outside and took them for a walk. Thank heavens the weather was nice enough. That definitely helped more. But all hard times considered I’m still grateful for my cute kids. 

We ended the night on a good note, watching Mandalorian. That put us all in a good mood.

Hunting

Brad and Kade went hunting today with a friend. They didn’t find any deer, but they enjoyed the scenery and a lot of other wildlife. They had fun and may go again someday. 

The rest of us enjoyed the day as well. Tenley and Ryder played a lot of LEGOs. We also went to the jump place. The kids love it there. They had some new obstacles set up and Tenley was determined to finish the ninja course. It was hard and she was red in the face from trying, but she made progress and I loved seeing her fighting spirit. Ryder also made progress and climbed all the way to the top of the rock climbing wall. He was scared at first but loved the thrill of falling from that height.

Sunshine

The sun was shining so brightly today so even with the chilly wind we tried to go for a walk. It was pretty cold! I still had a hard time getting Ryder inside and off of his bike though. He could ride no matter what the weather!

Marshmallow Guns

All the kids have their own marshmallow guns now and since I replenished their mini marshmallow stash, they were going crazy with their marshmallow fights today. One fight broke out right after dinner! It was fun to see them all laugh and have fun together. I tried to stay out of it but they still got me!

Thanksgiving Parties

We hosted a little homeschool Thanksgiving party today after the Boys group. It was fun to have friends over and play games and make fun crafts and treats. It was a nice enough day for the kids to play outside as well. 

Boys group was also nice. Kade wanted to make marshmallow guns with his friends. They had fun designing them, painting them, and testing them out. It’s a good group of boys and they had a lot of fun. Tenley, Ry, and Luke got to make one as well.

Improvement

I was tempted to skip school today and take the kids swimming, but then I thought that it probably wouldn’t be a good ide to run away from the necessary thing that we hate. So I tried to start it off differently. We all did a 20 minute workout together, then I had the kids do affirmations and meditations along with prayer, reading, and journaling. Thanks  to the book The Miracle Morning this has become my morning routine and I thought the kids might benefit from it. They definitely seemed to think it was awkward, but I’m glad they tried. Even Luke laid still while we mediatated. And he loves joining in on exercise. I also decided not to try and multi-task while the kids do school. I have to be 100% present with them. And really if you think about it, multi-tasking is the antithesis of being present. I really need to try and stop that habit and desire to get multiple things done at once. And honestly, today went a lot better. Teaching Ryder to read is still a difficult and slow process but it is teaching me patience like nothing else could I’m sure. 

The kids got extra time at the gymnastics place today because it was closed last week AND it was nice enough weather to walk the dog. All the activity helped as well. Now we just need to be consistent about these changes and improvements!

My Kids

Today was tough. I’m not even sure what through us so far off our game. We fought, we got frustrated, and we didn’t even finish school. I may switch things up tomorrow because what good is learning to read if we can’t first love more? 

My kids are the most forgiving little people I know. They love without judgment and are huge examples to me. I’m so grateful for them.

At-Home Church

We’re back to at-home church again for a time. The Covid cases are rising so our Stake President decided it was best to cancel for the rest of the month at least. Brad still had a baby blessing to attend and with our Bishop out of town with his daughter having surgery in Seattle, he and the other counselor are doing tithing settlement. But we still had nice meeting as a family. Kade taught a great lesson about being grateful and recognizing our blessings.

The kids are back in a Lego phase again. Even Luke is getting interested in them! At least it keeps them all busy.

New Hobbies

On Wednesday when Tenley and Ryder were at school I told Kade he needed to find a hobby to keep him busy. He decided to find a video that would teach him how to draw a Lamborghini. He did a great drawing and has continued to draw new things every day. He’s been hanging up his art drawings in his room and he’s getting pretty good!

Birthday Parties

Kade got to have a little afternoon out with his friends for one of his friend’s birthdays this afternoon. They went out for ice cream and Kade had a great time with them. He also had another basketball game tonight. Brad went to watch him play this time. It’s sad not to be able to go! But at least he gets to play.

Time with my Kids

I’ve been making an effort to create a memory with my kids each day. It might sound odd to have to make an effort for that like I would make an effort to do chores, but if I don’t, it gets pushed aside. And that time with them is what I find I’m the most grateful for at the end of the day. This morning I played music while we had breakfast and one of Ryder’s favorite songs came on (“Clouds”) so I stopped unloading the dishwasher to dance with him. Luke was jealous though so I r had to play an Olaf song next for him and dance. He’s a silly boy.

Then this afternoon after finishing up so chores, I went down to play with the kids. Ryder was a little sad because he felt left out by Kade and Tenley who were playing Legos so I asked him what he wanted to do with me. He said he just wanted to watch a show with me. So we did. 

It was a simple, yet memorable day.

15 Years

15 years ago Brad and I were married. 15 years seems like such a long time, but to me it has gone by so quickly! We’ve had a lot of great times and I look forward to many more in the future. 

Brad had a work meeting during lunch and Tenley and Ryder were at school so I took Kade and Luke out to a yummy Brazilian restaurant to celebrate with me! Then Brad made it home for dinner, with flowers, and we enjoyed yummy meal with our kids. Kade even made us a chocolate shake for dessert. 

I’m so grateful for our marriage, our children, the little family we’ve created, and our lives in this home. Life is wonderful.

The Family History App

The sister missionaries came over to our house today to share the family history app with us and specifically the compare-a-face game. They kids had a lot of fun trying it out. It was cute to see who they look like. Ryder was upset he was compared to a golf though. Lol. We had a fun visit with the missionaries!

Basketball

Kade had his first basketball game of the season tonight! It’s so nice to see him playing. Only one parent is allowed to be there and they only allow one game to be played at a time which meant they got to play full court. It was fun to watch! Kade is on a great team and he’s enjoying the season.

Safe Flights

We enjoyed the morning in St. George at a cute little breakfast and brunch restaurant and then headed to the airport. Out flight happened to be with Lesa and Elly to Denver and our seats were right next to each other! It was a pretty amazing coincidence. Tenley and Elly sat with each other. They were so cute together. They played with stuffed animals, colored, read books and sang. We also enjoyed a three hour layover with them. We found a quiet spot in the airport to hang out and then we had dinner together. The time went by so quickly with them and before we knew it it was time to board our flight. 

I had prepared to have to stay the night in Denver because there is a crazy blizzard happening in Great Falls right now, but luckily the flight wasn’t canceled. It was bumpy with no visibility but we made it home safely! It was so nice to hug my boys again!  On the airplane Tenley was missing her cousins and crying, but ever since we’ve been back with her brothers she has been so happy! It’s good to be home and I’m so grateful for the wonderful memories we made!