Heart Lake

 Kade had asked Brad to go backpacking and what I thought was going to be a father son trip turned into a family trip! It took a lot of preparation but we left this afternoon when Brad got home from work and drove to the trailhead. We hiked 5 miles in with an elevation gain of 1200 feet! It was tough! Luke had a hard time but no one gave up and once we reached the best campground in the middle of the heart of the lake we all knew it was worth it. It is gorgeous! We took our pack off, explored, set up camp, fished, and then had dinner. We weren’t able to have fish for dinner tonight though. After dinner we had s’mores and took baths in the lake. Then a storm came in right when it got dark. It was pretty perfect timing! We played some card games in the tent and now we’re going to try and get some sleep!

Dirt Trails

 Luke rode his bike during our whole walk tonight! He even rode some of the dirt trails with Ryder. He was so happy to see his own progress! He’s doing great.

Kade and Tenley had their church activity at the swim park today. They had so much fun. The rest of packed up our backpacks for our little backpacking trip that we’re leaving on tomorrow! It’s going to be a crazy, fun adventure!

All-Day Volleyball

 Tenley had a volleyball tournament with her high school Bulldogs team. They ended up being at the gym from 9 am to 5 pm! It was a long day but they made it to the championship game in the tournament! Unfortunately they lost but they really did play so well. It’s such a great group of girls and parents and I love it. But it was a pretty exhausting day! 

Tenley and I got home, made dinner, and then took Ryder and Luke to their soccer games. Luke scored a goal! And luckily my sweet friend got it on video! Ryder played such great defense tonight! He’s fun to watch!

Brad was at stake meetings all night and Kade met up with friends at the fair. 

A Full Table

 I was so happy to make dinner for everyone tonight and set the table for all six of us! It was a nice Sunday with the whole family together back to our normal nightly tradition of Kade’s shakes for desserts and watching The Chosen. It was the best!

Being All Together

 Kade and Tenley made it home today!! I’m so happy to have them back. But I’m also really happy that they had such a good time at FSY. They definitely loved it and want to do it again next year. They both said they want to be FSY counselors as well when they’re old enough. 

We had a fun night together tonight. We ordered take out and watched the new How To Train Your Dragon movie. It was really good! And it was so nice to be all together again.

Ryder and Luke

 We are definitely all missing Kade and Tenley but it has been good for us to have this time with Ryder and Luke. Ryder is such a big helper when he’s relied on as the oldest kid. I’ve appreciated him so much. 

We had a long day planned today and the boys were awesome! We left the house at 7am to get to the Helena Temple for a morning session while we towed the boat because we planned to meet some of Brad’s staff members at the lake after the temple. The boys hung out in the waiting room at the church across the street while Brad and I were in the temple and they were still happy when we were done. We made a quick stop at Costco to pick up supplies for boating and dinner and then headed to the lake! Jayden, Brad’s assistant, came with her husband Tylor and her daughter Ramsey. Brad’s hygienist Linsey also came with her little baby Rhyett. Luke loved having Ryhett with us! And Ryder had a lot of fun with Ramsey. They are just a grade apart. The two of them rode on the tube for over 50% of the time we were on the lake until they were thrown off! 

Kade and Tenley both checked in late tonight and had great days again! We get to see them tomorrow and we can’t wait!

Ice Cream After Lunch

 Kade and Tenley both had amazing days today. It was the talent show, testimony meeting day. Kade’s text to sum up his day was one sentence; “Today was Celestial.” I’m waiting on more details right now. But I can’t tell you how much I love FSY and the testimony builder it is for the youth!

The boys and enjoyed ice cream cones after lunch because we needed a pick me up. I can’t believe how much they Miss Kade and Tenley! But that also makes me happy.

Ryder had a game tonight. He always impresses me! He played really well!

A Small World

 Kade and Tenley have met some great people at FSY this week. We learned that Kade’s counselor is from Boise and was in Brad’s brother Jared’s ward so that was a fun connection! And then the regional seminary coordinator spoke and Brad had just met with him for his new calling so he made some connections with our kids. The kids still seem to be doing great! It’s quiet here at home but we are enjoying the cooler weather and our nightly walks.

10:30 PM

 It’s been a weird day with Kade and Tenley gone. I miss them! I tried real hard to leave them alone all day and not bother them with messages but at 10:30 tonight I finally checked in because I knew they’d be headed to bed. I loved hearing about their days and seeing some pictures. I’m so grateful they’ve been having so much fun. 

We got chores done at home and then Luke had a soccer game tonight! Brad was at meetings and luckily nothing chaotic happened today like it had the past two Tuesdays!

FSY

 I drove Kade and Tenley and some other kids from our ward down to Bozeman for FSY this week. It’s Tenley’s first year going so it will be strange having two kids gone this week. They’ve both been looking forward to it though. 

Kade had a friend to room with, but after he backed out he wasn’t able to find another roommate so he was randomly placed with someone. It turns out it’s the same guy he was randomly placed with his first year. So strange how that worked out! I guess he isn’t a very talkative guy so Kade was a little disappointed, but he’s found some good friends  in his company to hang out with.

Tenley was also assigned a random roommate. She’s from Ennis and she is really sweet. She’s also homeschool and uses the same curriculum so they have a lot in common. Tenley was excited about that! She sent me a long text tonight updating me on her day and it was happy and positive. I’m glad it’s been going well for her.

Kade and Tenley are amazing. I just love them so much and I’m missing them for sure! But I’m glad they get to have this good experience!

The Lake

 Even though we normally dislike going to the lake on a Saturday because of how busy it gets, we really didn’t want the weekend to pass without boating so we made an exception. I’m so glad we did! We had a really fun day wakeboarding, knee boarding, and tubing. All three boys had turns driving the boat and Kade and Tenley tried to see who could push who into the water first. Kade won. But Tenley tried hard! She is a tough girl! 

Kade and Tenley both leave for FSY next week and I’m already missing them. I’m such a silly mom. I love having them home but I am so excited for them to experience FSY. It will be amazing for them I’m sure!

The Temple

 It was a perfect sunny and hot day for the boat, but the kids had a youth temple trip with the ward that they didn’t want to miss so we stayed home from the lake. They had a great time at the temple so I’m glad we stayed. We got a lot of chores done as well; weeding, cleaning, fix it projects for Brad. And then Brad and I went on a date tonight to see “Fiddler on the Roof.” The talent in our little city was impressive! It was a fun night.