Trips with Brad

Brad and I had fun today. We ate breakfast poolside and laid out there for several hours. It was so nice. It was windy which made the heat more bearable. It was so relaxing and probably my favorite part of the trip. 

We got some pictures of cool cars for Kade. We even saw a several million dollar Bugatti chained off at the entrance of the hotel. It just looked like a cool car to me but Kade was drooling over the picture we sent. It’s been fun to be able to text our kids while we’ve been gone. They’re adorable. Tenley had a great volleyball game. She said her team won all four sets and she had the winning serve in one of the games. Then they all went mini golfing and Ryder got a hole in one! They’ve been having a blast.

We caught a ventriloquist show tonight and then spent over an hour watching the Bellagio fountain show. I think that’s Brad’s favorite part. 

Baseball Games

I made it to Kade’s baseball game tonight! We all did and we enjoyed the nice weather and being able to cheer him on. The other three littles were either watching him play or playing in the dirt or playing on the playground.

Earlier today Tenley and I went to get haircuts together. She loved hanging out at the salon with me. It was fun girl time. 

Outside Playtime

The weather was wonderful today so we played outside a lot. The kids had fun with their neighbor friend outside and then after dinner I joined them in the backyard to play soccer and volleyball while Brad and Kade were at a church activity. It was a lot of fun! 

Library Trips, Baseball

We made our monthly trip to the library today and the kids got some new books. They enjoy that. Ryder was excited to pick out some new Elephant and Piggie books. He love them so much and I love hearing him read. He’s pretty good with voices.

Tenley had a volleyball game tonight and Kade had his first baseball game! Brad went to Kade’s game with Luke and Ryder and I were at Tenley’s game. Kade got some nice and sunny spring weather for his first game of the season. It was a beautiful day.

Decisions

We toured another private school this morning and I ran into a staff member from the kids school from last year. She gave me her email address and I called her later to talk with her about the schools we’re trying to decide between. She was so helpful! It was so nice to hear her advice. And I think we finally made a decision to send them to school they all seem to love the most. I’m so excited for them and I’m really excited to be done thinking about all of this!

While Tenley and I were at her volleyball practice I caught Kade playing soccer with Ryder in the backyard. It was adorable!

Festival

Kade and Tenley had their piano festival today. They were the first ones to play in their group and they both did so well. I was so proud of them. The judge was very kind and helpful. We will have to wait a few weeks to learn their score.

We picked them up cold stone for a special treat for all their hard work tonight. 

Haircuts

Brad gave all the boys haircuts today and they look so handsome. Well I actually kind of miss Ryder’s longer hair but Luke looks so much bigger with short hair. They are all such cute boys!

We had a field trip at the waste water treatment plant which was honestly kind of disgusting but the kids said they had fun and we definitely gained an appreciation for such a dirty job. While we were walking around outside though Luke fell and now has a big bruise to go along with his fresh new haircut.

Music

It was nice to have my kids to myself today. For exercise time we turned some loud music on and set a timer to see if we could clean up the house in less than thirty minutes. We totally rocked it. At least the kids did. I can get carried away when I start cleaning. The kids had their bowling class this afternoon and Ryder got a strike! They still love their bowling class.

The kids gave me a music concert tonight. They trying to practice a lot because festival is on Saturday! They’re doing a great job. I love hearing them play and sing.

Spring Weather

It snowed a few days ago and it’s going to snow again tomorrow but today was sunny and over sixty and we did our best to enjoy it. We played at the park with friends after picking up Tenley and Ryder from their homeschool group and then we played outside again after dinner. We love this weather and I’m not particularly excited for more snow!

Family Time in the Backyard

The three oldest kids had their day at the private school today. The school is near Brad’s office so he dropped them off on his way to work which was convenient. They had to wake up really early which wasn’t too fun for them but they survived. It was a long day for me. By 11:30 it felt like the longest day to me! I missed them and all the action I’m used to going on around me. Luke and I kept busy with errands and he seemed fine and happy which was good. 

When we finally picked them up they were so happy and had such a great day! They really liked it there. I wish that made the decision easier but there is still much to consider. 

Tenley and Ryder had gymnastics right after school (they were exhausted!) and Kade had baseball practice right after dinner. But when we were finally all home together we found ourselves playing sports in the backyard. Ryder and I played catch, Tenley, Brad and Kade played volleyball, and Luke rotated between us all. It was cold but the sunshine helped! Brad set up the ladder to help Tenley with serving. She’s improving!

Kiwi Co

I finally bought my kids a project box from Kiwi Co. Tenley got an art kit and Kade and Ryder got a science kit. They all spent the afternoon building their kits. Ryder needed some help but the other kids did it all on their own. It was so much fun!

Well Behaved Kids

It’s my month to play the organ and Brad now sits up on the stand so having four young children makes Sundays like this a bit tricky. But our kids make it easy because all in all they are pretty amazing and well behaved. A sweet older lady has been coming to sit with us though which makes it so much easier. Luke especially liked her and it helps so much. I’m so grateful for kind people who see a need and quickly help. We are grateful for her!

Also, it is snowing here today. Montana weather is so crazy.

Shorts Weather

It was over sixty degrees today and the sun was shining bright. It was a beautiful day! The kids were all excited to wear shorts. Tenley had a volleyball game this morning and played well. Her team lost the first two games but on the last one they finally took the lead while Tenley was serving and ended up winning that game! 

The rest of the afternoon the kids played outside with our neighbors. They had so much fun. I love shorts weather.

Sunshine

It warmed up a bit today and the sun came out! We went for a walk/bike ride around the neighborhood to enjoy the beautiful day. We also toured a private school in town and I’m still not so sure what to do about schooling for the fall. Having them gone all day does not make me happy. The school did say they could come in next week for a discovery day and sit in with the classes to see how they like it. They may do that to test things out. I still feel so confused about everything. We will see what happens. Hopefully soon we feel more confident about a direction.

Homemade Pizza

Brad had another meeting tonight. He’s been really busy this week! The kids and I made the best of it by making homemade pizza and watching a movie. Tenley and Luke were both big helpers with making the pizzas. It was yummy and fun!

Breakfast

After we dropped Tenley and Ryder off at school I decided to take Kade and Luke out for breakfast. We don’t have many more of these mornings with just the three of us so I wanted to do something out of the ordinary. The breakfast plates were huge! Even Kade couldn’t finish his which was surprising. But we enjoyed our time out together. 

Fun Nights with My Kids

We had another good and organized day of homeschooling! My kids are pretty fun to hang out with. Brad had a dental meeting tonight so the kids and I had a little party. Tenley made brownies and we watched Frozen 2. Then we all read books together in Luke’s bed. Seriously, my kids are pretty fun to hang out with. 😊

Routine

I always enjoy getting back to a routine. I seriously love being out of one as well, but it is nice to be back to school. We’ve changed things up a little bit and we had our scripture/inspiration time while we had breakfast. I even made Tenley wake up early so we could all eat at the same time. We talked about our fears and the tools we can use to crush them. It was interesting to hear them talk about what scares/worries them. But I love love love giving them pep talks to help them overcome their fears and insecurities. I hope these morning talks help them in their lives.

After breakfast we all went straight downstairs to practice Cosmic Kids yoga. After yoga Kade and Tenley got ready while Ryder and I did his school together. Then we had a science lesson all together and then I had the rest of the time to just focus on Kade and Tenley and their math and English. It worked out so well. I hope we can make this more of a habit. 

Time

We all went to Tenley’s volleyball game this morning and had fun cheering her on! She’s still enjoying it! In fact this afternoon she and Ryder came with me to the church I could practice the organ and then practice volleyball with them. Tenley’s overhand serves are getting good! And I was impressed with how well Ryder could bump it. It was fun to have some time with them!

Brad and I got to go on a date tonight and it was really nice to have some time with him as well. It’s been a good weekend!

Field Trip

We all got to go on a field trip today to a funeral home. The kids weren’t so sure about it at first, but they ended up really enjoying the tour. It was a beautiful building built in 1931. I loved the architecture and cool design of the whole place. It was also really interesting and the owners were so kind! We really enjoyed learning something new!

Counting by 5’s

We did a little bit of school this morning which felt nice because it had been a while! So much so that little Ryder struggled remembering how to count to 100 by 5s. We worked on it a lot but he was struggling. We working on it more tonight at dinner and told him that if he could count to 100 by 5s all by himself that he could have a chocolate shake. It took him several tries and his poor little brain hurt, I could tell! But he didn’t give up and he finally did it!

Yesul and Yena

I’ve always loved my nieces but having this one on one time with them has really deepened that love. They are the sweetest, cutest girls and I am really missing having them around! It was such a fun few days! The kids were definitely tired today and we had a few meltdowns but we still had some good moments. We went to Giant Springs State Park then on to the trampoline park and then to a park after lunch before taking them to the airport. Luke fell asleep on the way home from the airport and the second he woke up he was crying for Yena. I’m so glad they came! We made some fun memories!