Naps at the Park

 It was a long, hot day today but we were together as a family without any distractions and it was perfect. We left home at 6:30 to get to Helena for Kade’s soccer game. It was nice to have one game early enough to beat the heat. His second game was at 5pm and it was much hotter! But the kids all survived and played hard.

In between games we did some shopping at Costco, took the kids to eat at pizza ranch, and then found a beautiful park with huge trees for shade and took a nap on our picnic blankets. Well, Brad and I did at least and Kade and Tenley rested as well. But the little boys stayed busy on the playground and climbing trees. It was the best afternoon. I love laying on a blanket at the park under big shady trees. It was so relaxing and Brad and I needed it. 

I’m not sure when life will feel more settled with all the changes we’ve experienced, but until then I’m going to keep the faith and lose the fear. 

Flowers

 We finally planted some flowers today! Tenley helped me pick them out and Ryder and Luke helped us plant them. The boys loved helping. They look so pretty. 

We’ve got a heat wave this weekend. It was hot today and for a minute I was wishing we were on the lake but it was good to get some work done.

I took the kids to clean Brad’s office this evening and then out for an ice cream cone afterwards. Luke scarfed his down and was the first one done. Normally at the kitchen table he’s the last one done with dinner. I guess when he’s eating sugar it’s a different story.

Tonight we were learning about the law of consecration and I asked each one of the kids what they learned. Kade said, “It’s like communism, but God style.” It made me laugh. Apparently he’s learning about communism in his history class and he saw some similarities. lol.

Sunny Hot Days

 It felt like summer today. It was sunny and the temperature reached the high 80s. Ryder and Luke played in the sprinklers and ate popsicles. 

Luke has been begging for a suit to match the rest of the boys in the house. I found him one and he tried it on for me today. Tenley had him put some aviator sunglasses on to complete his outfit. He looked like a boss! It was funny.

Luke’s Laugh

 It was another long day for Brad. Work and then back to the church for youth night and appointments. It’s almost like he has two jobs. But we should have him all to ourselves tomorrow night which will be great. 

Luke is feeling much better today. He’s pretty loopy though and he has the funniest laugh right now. He definitely hams it up to get us to laugh though. I love that even when he isn’t feeling his best, he’s still trying to make other people happy.

Four Great Kids

 Today was crazy for Brad. Being a Bishop and a member of the stake presidency at the same time is proving to test our limits. Not to mention owning his own practice. 

This morning one of his secretaries gave him her notice today. She’s going through a divorce and needs a job with more hours so she can make more money. She’s a great employee and it will be sad to lose her! Then he had a long appointment that kept him through lunch. Then right after work he headed to the airport to welcome home an Elder from our ward. Then he headed to the church to do stake temple recommend interviews and have a quick stake presidency meeting. His day makes me exhausted! 

Beside Luke not feeling well our day was pretty normal. Although it is weird not to have Brad home with us on Tuesday night. We made the best of it by popping popcorn and watching a fun movie together. I’m lucky to have these four great kids to keep me company while Brad is often gone!

Boating

 We took our new boat out for the first time today. It wasn’t too busy at the lake and the weather was nice but the water was definitely too cold for me! All of the kids were brave and jumped in. Kade and Tenley even skied. It was so nice to be in the lake again. We’ve missed it.

A Day with No Plans

 We didn’t have any sporting events, church things, or kid activities on the calendar today so we enjoyed sleeping in! I can’t tell you how much I love the springtime and waking up hearing the birds chirping outside. When I got out of bed Luke was awake watching the birds in our front yard. He said he saw a bird catch a worm! I think he loves the springtime too.

We got chores done and then we went for a bike ride. It feels like it’s been a long time since we’ve done that. Ryder was so excited about going on a bike ride that he even did some of Tenley’s chores for her to help her get done faster. 

Kade grilled us some chicken for dinner tonight. He is really good at it! And Tenley is currently making popcorn so they can eat it while they stay up late and watch a movie with Brad and me. It may be not be summer yet but it definitely feels like it is.

The Temple

 Earlier this week Kade asked if we could go to the temple this weekend. How could I say no to that?! So I made an appointment for Kade and Tenley tonight and we headed down to Helena after Kade got home from school. We picked up a pizza from Costco and Ryder and Luke and I had a picnic at the park across the street from the temple while Brad, Kade, and Tenley served in the Temple. It was a beautiful, sunny evening. The drive to Helena and back from Helena was so gorgeous! Everything is so green right now. I should have taken more pictures!

Countdowns

 As happy as my boys look in this picture, they’re even happier to know that there are only 12 days left of school! Everyone is counting down to summer and days on the lake and days at the pool. They did hurry and get school done this morning though so they could go play with their friends. Motivation always helps!

Care Free Boys

 Ryder and Luke are such fun and care free boys. I love how happy they are every day and how much fun they have together. It helps me let the small stresses go. They just run around the house giggling and creating new toys on the 3D printer. They’ve also been loving the nice weather and they’ve been spending so much time on the trampoline. I’m so grateful for them!

Flowers

A sweet friend of mine sent me flowers today. When she had young children her husband served as Bishop and then as Stake President so she knows how I’m feeling. Brad thankfully isn’t the stake president but a counselor in the stake presidency still feels like a heavy calling and I’m still trying to understand what this means for our life. This change is hard for me. But things always seem to work out.

New Callings

 Brad was sustained and set apart as the first counselor in our new stake presidency today. I’m honestly not sure what my feelings are at this point. I feel sad that he won’t be our Bishop anymore as much as I never thought I’d say that. Our family has been SO blessed these last four years as he has served as the Bishop. It is sad to see that time in our lives come to an end. And I have no idea what this new adventure will be like. But I’m grateful for our Savior, I’m grateful for Brad’s strength and his testimony. And I’m grateful for our church leaders who do their best to help others come to Jesus. 

After stake conference ended we were walking back to the high council room for Brad to be set apart and a lady from our ward said to Brad, “See you in 9 years!” Ryder heard that and started crying more than I’ve ever seen him cry. We finally realized that with all this change Ryder thought that Brad was actually leaving us for 9 years. I hadn’t had a chance to explain this new calling to him and I’m still not sure he understands what it means but he at least now understands that Brad will still be living with us and he doesn’t have to leave us.

We were emotionally exhausted after the meetings today and we came home and crashed. I’m grateful our home is such a refuge for us. It’s my happy place and I needed that today. And I needed Lynda Morin’s cookies which she of course stopped by with. She is just one of the sweetest people ever. 

Family Boat Cleaning

 I really shouldn’t have titled this ‘family’ boat cleaning. It was more ‘everyone but mom’ cleaning the boat today. But I did take a picture of them scrubbing and inspected their hard work! They did a great job and it’s looking as good as new. Ryder said it will be worth it when we’re on the lake enjoying their effort. They’re such great kids!

Brad and I had meetings all night for Stake Conference so the kids got to have a party at home. Kade picked them up pizza and they watched a movie at home. It is so nice that Kade can drive!!

A Clean House and Piano Recitals

 Sports has kept us so busy lately that our regular weekend cleaning hasn’t really been happening. So, today we deep cleaned and the house feels amazing! The boys were so good and helpful. They washed their sheets AND put them back on their bed! They also threw things away that they no longer need. Their room looks so much better. Tenley was also very helpful with house cleaning and boat cleaning. Brad is getting the boat summarized and we’re all looking forward to a day on the lake.

Tonight the kids had their end of  the year piano recital. They got to play movie themes. Luke played Jaws, Ryder played Star Wars and Jurassic Park, Tenley played We Are the Champions on the piano and a song from Aladdin and The Pink Panther on the flute. And Kade played Maple Leaf Rag. They all played well and we enjoyed all the music. 

Luke

 Luke turned 7 today! He is so excited to be getting older and bigger. I made crepes for him this morning because it’s his favorite breakfast, then we went to the indoor pool to swim for a few hours. It’s a good thing it was an indoor pool! It was so rainy and windy this morning. Luke also requested peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, Chili’s for dinner, and a molten lava cake for his birthday cake. He opened his presents and loved them and got to talk to his grandparents. He also got a few joke books and a riddle book. He loves to tell Dad jokes and he loves to figure out riddles. It was a great birthday! 

My favorite thing about my seven year old Luke is his sense of humor. He loves to make people laugh. He takes it too far sometimes but he’s learning what is appropriate and what isn’t. I also love how happy he is all the time. Unless he’s hurt or not getting his way he doesn’t let much bring him down. He’s a happy, smart  kid and we love him!

Kade’s Spring Choir Concert

 We got to go to Kade’s spring choir concert tonight. All the choirs sang Disney songs and dressed up in Disney costumes. It was a lot of fun! Kade’s choir sang songs from Newsies so he dressed up like a Newsie boy. He looked so handsome and he sang so well. It was a really good concert.

We also had our last day of co op today. It’s been a good year! The kids loved it and made such good friends.