Otto and Co op

 Oh how my kids love co op day! It’s the one day where they’ll jump out of their bed to hurry and get ready after I wake them up. I think it’s manly Otto that they love and not so much co op, but maybe I'm wrong.

Ryder and Tenley learned how to make soap today which is apparently a pretty intense and dangerous process. They had to gear up for it and luckily no one was burned. 

The rest of the day was a crazy whirlwind of appointments, games, and practices. It’s hard to keep it all straight but life is good!

Think Celestial!

 Life has been a whirlwind this week. My head and heart are heavy. Life is challenging and yet when all is said and done, I know it’s worth it. We can get through it all. Luke and Ryder still giggle and laugh and play like all is well in the world and I love them for their innocence. We will keep on living and loving and doing our best to bring happiness into the world and love those who are hurting and try to keep an eternal perspective or as President Nelson would say; “Think Celestial!” I’m lucky I have some great people in my life to get through it all with!

Soccer and BYU Football

 It was a beautiful, sunny and hot Saturday! We got to watch Kade play soccer and he had amazing saves! It was an exciting game. They lost 1-2 but they played hard and it’s always exciting to see them score a goal. Kade is getting better and better as a goalkeeper. He’s quicker at knowing how to respond in different situations. I’m so impressed by him!

The rest of the kids were busy with friends today. Luke went bowling for a birthday party, Ryder was at his friend Otto’s house, and Tenley had a party day with her volleyball teammates. The went to the college volleyball game and then hung out at the coaches house for dinner. 

We were all together to watch the BYU football game though which was extra fun because they won! 

Life and Family

 My emotions have been all over the place these last few days. Our neighbor died and he was so young and his girlfriend of 10 years is mourning. I spoke with her yesterday and it was heartbreaking to hear about it. I wish I knew how I could help. All I could do was be there for her. Hopefully we can help her more soon.

And then we had friends welcome their son home from his two year mission yesterday. It was such a happy moment. I love seeing the mom give that first hug to her son after two long years. It was such a happy moment!

Life is full of highs and lows, good times and really awful times. Right now I’m feeling so grateful for the good time we’re experiencing in life. Our kids are amazing and are at such fun ages. Even our teenagers still love us and want to hang out with us. Brad and I feel very lucky to have them. I guess it was good for me to step back after these two experiences and feel gratitude for life. Life is a beautiful thing.

Tenley and I spent the day in Bozeman today. Her JV team had a game and then we stayed to watch the Varsity girls play. Then we went out for lunch and stopped for desert at the best ice cream shop ever, Sweet Peaks! It was a beautiful, sunny fall day. The drive was beautiful as well. We saw a lot of colorful trees! 

Dirt

 I’m so grateful that our house is so close to the dirt tracks for the boys to ride their bikes on. They showed me where they like to ride today and the jump they like to do. It’s a little boys wonderland!

Ryder was the first one awake this morning and he got most of his schoolwork done while the house was still quiet. He loved it and worked so much better this way. It was nice to have a good one on one school lesson with him.

Scrapes and Bruises

 It was over 80 degrees today! I’m so happy that we’ve been having such nice weather this far into September! I hope it lasts at least another month. Ryder and Luke went out to ride bikes this evening again in the dirt with friends. Luke came home pretty scraped up on his elbows because he had two pretty big wipeouts on a big jump he’s been trying. But he was still smiling! I love that he’s trying hard things and smiling through the pain.

Soccer

 Kade had a great soccer game today far away in Billings. His team tied and he had a lot of great saves! He was happy with his effort which is great. I’m grateful for th parents at the game who keep us updated on the score and who even sent a photo today!

Safe Travels

 We made the long drive home this morning and luckily made it in time to pick up Keena from the kennel. He was happy to come home and even seemed happy to see Ozzy. The drive went better today than it did on Friday. It’s just long! But it was worth it! I got more pictures from the weekend from Brad’s sisters!

80th Birthday Parties

 We had a great day celebrating George with the whole Hobson family! We started the day doing sealings together in the Boise Temple. We got the big sealing room all to ourselves which was special. It’s such a beautiful temple!

The kids went to TopGolf after that and had fun with cousins. We all met at Jared and Angie’s house after that to have a catered Pad Thai lunch. We played a Kahoot game that Brad and Tenley had put together. There were 30 questions about Dad with multiple choice answers that everyone answered on their phone to see who knew George the best. Travis won the game. Then Lesa had put together a fun activity. She had asked different people to recreate a different picture of George throughout the years. It was such a fun and creative way to remember his years of life. Brad looked so much like him! And Luke re created one of his baby photos and pulled it off so well! It was hilarious.

We enjoyed the beautiful yard for the next few hours playing games and talking. Jared and Angie now live in the house Brad grew up in so it brought back so many memories that we’ve made in that beautiful yard and at that beautiful house. 

We had an ice cream social that evening where many friends and extended relatives stopped by to wish George a happy birthday. I think George, Brad and all of his siblings enjoyed catching up with everyone. 

It was a long and wonderful day. It was definitely worth all the hours in the car to be there to celebrate 80 years of a good life!

Grandpa Hobson

 We traveled to Boise today to celebrate George’s 80th birthday! The whole Hobson family will be together for the weekend to celebrate him. We took him out for a burger tonight and then hung out on their beautiful patio enjoying the gorgeous weather and sunset while he taught Luke how airplanes fly.

Parent Night

 I got to walk Kade’s schedule at the high school and meet all of his teachers tonight. He decided to come with me to get some extra credit in some of his classes. It was fun to meet his teacher! He has some great ones this year. I can see why he’s loving high school so much.

Playing ‘til Dark

 This evening Ryder and Luke headed out to ride their bikes just before dinner and found some friends from church on the dirt track. They were having so much fun hanging out with them and riding the jumps that they didn’t come back home for an hour and a half. I loved seeing them come in sweaty and tired. They had such a fun time with their friends. 

Beautiful Sunsets

 Tenley had a volleyball game in the small town of Belt tonight. It’s about a 40 minute drive from town. While we were driving there we hit an awful rain storm. I hydroplaned a few times and then I went much slower after that. Luckily we made it there safely! And we enjoyed clear skies and a beautiful sunset on the way home. The sunset really was incredible. 

The girls did their best but Belt is known for their good sports teams. We lost in three sets but played all five for extra practice which is always a good thing.

Tenley’s Jokes

 Brad was so far away from us today. He was closer to Canada than he was to us! Tenley actually spoke in church today and made a funny joke about him not even showing up to church for her. She delivered it well. It was funny!

My kids made a sweet card for a friend I went to visit in the hospital this afternoon. Well Tenley made it and everyone else signed it. She didn’t have time to color it but I thought it looked great!

Last Boat Trip of the Season

Tenley had a volleyball game this morning. She’s a great leader on her team and she’s having fun with her friends!

When we got back we loaded up our boat to take it for the last time this season. I will miss it! We ended on a nearly perfect day. Warm sunshine, no wind, and we nearly had the lake to ourselves! The kids skied and tubed and played in the water. I love the lake and I love our family time on the boat. I’m already looking forward to next year!