Swimming

It was really hot today and it finally felt like summer! After running several errands this morning, the kids and I headed to the pool after lunch. It was so busy at first but with an hour or so it calmed down a lot. We enjoyed swimming and soaking up the sun! And Luke got brave and went down the slide!

Girls Camp, Beautiful Sunsets

Tenley got back from girls camp today. It’s so good to have her back! She talked non stop for a half an hour telling me all the fun things that happened at camp. They played games, hiked to the Lewis and Clark caverns, panned for gold, and went to a water park. She had so much fun! I’m so glad she got to go. And I’m so grateful for the leaders that made it so much fun!

She fell asleep early on the couch. She is so exhausted!

My People

Brad and Kade headed off to boys camp today. I feel empty with out three of my favorite people! But Ryder, Luke and I had a lot of fun today! They played in the sprinklers and then we had pizza and watched a movie. 

Brad got to visit girls camp tonight and see Tenley. He sent me the most beautiful picture of the two of them. I miss them! But he said Tenley’s having a great time which is so good to hear.

Pictures of Tenley

My friend sent me a picture of Tenley at girls camp today and it was so good to see her smile! It sounds like she is having a lot of fun.

The little boys played in the sprinklers today which is their favorite thing to do when it’s hot. And then they both had soccer games tonight! They faced some good teams so Ryder only had three goals and Luke only had one. They both played really hard and enjoyed it!

The Clifton’s Farm

I don’t know how I don’t have any pictures to share today! We had a fun day with friends in the morning at the Clifton’s house. The kids love seeing the animals there. They trapped a raccoon and played with some chickens. 

Then Kade and Ryder rode bikes to a friends house for a bit and I dropped Tenley off for girls camp! I hope she has so much fun! We miss her!

Kade got to hang out with a friend tonight and have a bonfire. He had so much fun. I’m so grateful for the good friends that the kids have!

Ward Conference

We had ward conference at church today so I my kids and I were able to hear Brad speak. I love listening to his talks. He puts so much thought and time into his talks. Two of his employees even came to watch him which was so nice of them to be so supportive. My favorite thing he said; “In order to know the answer to the question, ‘What would Jesus do?’ We have to learn and know what Jesus did.” It’s caused me to think a lot!

We had some guests over for dinner tonight. Tenley was really helpful in getting it all set up. And we have strawberries in our garden!

Timp Half Marathon

Jenn, Ashley, Abby and I ran a half marathon this morning! We got a few hours of sleep and then drove to the race to get on the shuttle so we could get driven up to the starting line. It was beautiful at the top of American Fork canyon! Ashley is speedy so she took off, but the rest of us stayed together and enjoyed more catching up on the run. It wasn’t easy, but we finished! It felt so good. I can’t believe we did that on three hours of sleep.

After cleaning up we went out for breakfast and then had to say goodbye. I really enjoyed this time with everyone and I’m so glad we made it happen!

I got to go out for dinner with my parents tonight. It was nice to do that without the kids distractions. They helped me out a lot this weekend and I appreciated it so much.

When I landed in Great Falls tonight Brad had brought the whole family and even the dog to welcome me home. It was so good to see them all again! 

High School Friends

I got to meet up with a lot of my high school friends today! It’s been 20 years since most of us have seen eachother which is crazy! But it was just like old times. We had lunch at a park, did some shopping, went out to dinner, and stayed up late talking about memories and learning about what life is like now for everyone. It was so much fun and I’m glad I was able to be here for this.

Airplanes

I don’t often fly on an airplane to Salt Lake but I did today and it was so nice! I can’t believe how quick it was. And the new SLC airport is pretty nice. It’s good to see my parents and tomorrow I’ll get to see some old high school friends. It’s our 20 year class reunion this year! I can’t believe it’s been that long.

I missed out on two soccer games tonight though. Ryder score seven goals! He’s a machine. And Kade and Tenley had a great game as well.

Kade also finished his Josh Huestis basketball camp. He missed having a friend in the camp but he still enjoyed it for the most part.

Siblings

Sometimes life isn’t so happy when I have to see my kids go through challenges. Even the small challenges they face turn me into a mama bear. But then we all get home together and the challenges don’t seem so bad anymore because we’re home. And there’s peace at home. And we all love eachother here even though other people outside of our home may think we’re strange or weird. And that’s ok. We’ve got eachother’s backs and the kids always have eachother to be a friend with. 

Luke’s Soccer Skills

It’s all about Luke this week! Lol. He had a game tonight and he scored two goals! It seems he finally figured out how to play this game. He was so fun to watch and I think he smiled the entire time!

Reading Lessons

Luke finished his reading lessons today! 100 lessons and he is such a quick learner. I was so impressed with him and I love hearing him read!

Helena Temple Dedication, Fathers

Today was such an amazing day! The Helena temple was dedicated by Elder Stevenson. Brad and I were able to attend the morning session in the temple. Right as we walked in the temple we were able to shake Elder Stevenson’s hand. He and his wife are so kind. The service was beautiful! I was able to take a handkerchief that my grandma Feveryear had given me when I was young to use for the Hallelujah shout. I was so grateful that I held onto it! I sat next to a reporter from the church news who asked to interview Brad and i when the dedication was over. We needed to get home to the kids to take them to the afternoon session but I’m so glad we had a minute to reflect on the things we heard and the things we felt with the reporter. Here is what he wrote:

“I just felt an incredible amount of peace and joy, and I’m looking forward to bringing my children here and being together as a family,” said Tiffany Hobson of Rivers Edge Ward in the Great Falls Montana Stake.

Added her husband, Brad Hobson, as his voice cracked with emotion: “I felt love from God. I felt gratitude. And I felt like He cares about the Saints here in this region.”

Luckily we did make it home in time for Brad to take the kids to the afternoon session at our church building. They said they enjoyed it.

We spent the rest of the day spoiling Brad as much as we could and calling my Dad and Brad’s Dad. I love the amazing fathers in my life!

Family Walks

It has not been warming up here and I’m trying not to be sad about it. I probably would have preferred being on the river or at the pool today, but since the temperatures were so cool we ended up on a family walk. We still enjoyed it! Tenley pushed both boys up a hill in the stroller. She is one tough girl 

Golfing

Kade and Ryder finished golf camp today! Originally I had just signed Ryder up to golf but Kade really wanted to as well so luckily I was able to get them both in! And because the other golf courses in town were booked they got to have their lessons at the fancy country club which they loved and the instructors were amazing. They were there for four hours today playing in a tournament and enjoying the country club food for lunch. They came straight home and begged Brad to take them out golfing so they went out tonight! I’m glad they loved it and have something fun to do with Brad.

Luke’s First Soccer Game

Luke finally had his first soccer game tonight! He’s been looking forward to this! He was really happy that his team color wasn’t pink or purple. 😆 He and Ryder actually have the same color! His shorts are way too big for him but he looked pretty adorable and we loved cheering him on! Kade and Tenley also had a game tonight and they enjoyed it!

Silly Luke

We’ve been hanging out at the mall while the kids are at golf camp this week. Luke loves the play place a lot. Tenley took a lot of pictures of him today! Luke is a funny boy and I love it when he’s in a good mood. He’s so lighthearted and silly. I got home from taking Tenley to her church activity tonight and found him and Ryder in the backyard filling up water balloons. And Luke was in his underwear… He makes me laugh!

Golf Camp, Who’s Line?

Kade and Ryder have been going to golf camp together this week and are loving it! The instructors are great and the golf course is beautiful.

A few months ago Brad introduced Kade and Tenley to the show Whose Line Is It Anyway. They love it. And then we found out that some of them travel to do the show and it was coming to Great Falls. Brad surprised them with tickets and we went tonight. It was funny!

Rockin’ Out

It feels like the kids and I live in the car right now. If we didn’t count sleeping we may be in the car more than we’re at home! But we made the best of it today as we rocked out to some awesome classic rock music. Ryder was playing the air drums and Luke, Kade, and Tenley the air guitar. It was pretty fun!

Stake Conference

Stake Conference was wonderful today!  And it was so much fun to have family in town. We actually ended up having Elder Hathaway and his whole family over for lunch afterwards and the Stake President and his wife. It’s also Drew’s birthday tomorrow so we were able to sing to him and have cake and ice cream with everyone. It was a busy day but so much fun. Our house feels so empty now with everyone gone.

Cousins

We’ve enjoyed having cousins here today! Kade had another game in Helena. Chad, Brad, Max and JT went down to cheer him on. The team won so they get to play in the Championship game tomorrow! 

The girls had fun at home painting their nails, coloring, and playing games. 

We went to the adult session of Stake Conference with Chad and Lesa tonight. We also got to see Drew and Haley there! Small world, Haley’s father in law was our visiting general authority so they came to town as well. The session was so great! 

Helena

Kade had the first game of his soccer tournament tonight in Helena. The Murdocks were headed to our house and they met us in Helena for the game.  They ended up in a tie 1-1. It was a beautiful night and we all enjoyed being outside and watching the team win!