Incline

 We’ve been lucky enough to get some exercise equipment for free lately and all we have to do is give honest reviews on several websites. One of our newest machines is a treadmill is an incline up to 40%! We finally got it put together today and the incline is pretty amazing! I’m sure this will help me prepare well for my next hike wherever that may be! The kids were excited to try it out and Luke wanted to see how fast he could run up the big incline! He’s crazy. I did not let him test that out.

This big heavy machines makes me so grateful for a strong husband and son. Brad and Kade were able to get it down stairs with just the two of them! I couldn’t get the bottom belt to move at all on my own. I was ready to call some movers to help us. But luckily my strong boys could do it!

Murph Challenge

 Kade and Tenley got to do a short version of the Murph challenge at CrossFit today but it definitely wasn’t easier! Those kids worked hard today!!! When I got there at the end I ran a few of Tenley’s last laps with her to help motivate her a bit. It was over 80 degrees today when they were running outside! But they all finished which was awesome to see! It always feels good to work hard!

Warmth and Sunshine

 It was over sixty degrees today and it felt so amazing! At Kade's crossfit gym they opened up the garage door to let the fresh air in so I watched the last ten minutes of class soaking up the sunshine outside. It was the best! I do miss skiing, but I love the warmth from the sunshine. 

I baked my loaf of sourdough today and it turned out so well! I need to keep practicing. It's a fun skill to have.

Dive Rolls

My kids always love their parkour class on Monday nights. I do too because I get to sit and chat with my friends. It’s a win win! Today I got to see Tenley do a dive roll off the tallest tower. She is one brave girl!Kade has been doing them for a while. And Ryder landed two front flips! They’re always so happy when they make progress.

First Day of Homeschool

We made it through our first day of homeschooling for the new year! It was rough and I can already sense that some of the curriculum won’t be working for us long term, but for the most part everyone was happy and we got some things done! I think we may survive.

Their Kiwi Co boxes showed up today which they loved and are excited about so that helped.

Luke had his ninja class tonight and learned how to do a hand stand! It’s hard to tell in the picture but his head is off the carpet. He’s a strong little man!

Open Gym

The boys got to have free play at their ninja gym for 2 hours today. They haven’t ever played all together there and Kade was sweet enough to hang out with them most of the time. I’m glad they got out of the house and ran out their energy! Luke was so tired he fell asleep on the couch after dinner.

Christmas Presents

We’ve been enjoying our new Christmas presents! I got to run on the beach in Hawaii this morning thanks to my new treadmill. Kade used it as well. And Ryder and Luke spent all day building legos. I’m really loving this relaxing week with everyone home!

Bike Rides, The Garden, Bon Fires

We had a nice free Saturday at home today! Brad made us sourdough waffles and we ventured out for a bike rode this morning. It was beautiful and Ryder rode the whole nine miles with us!

Brad finished planting the garden today! The kids were helpful and we’re excited to eat the delicious fruits and vegetables.

Kade got invited to head over to his friends house tonight for a huge bon fire. He had a blast!

Running

With the nice weather and the help of a friend who is a physical therapist I’ve been getting back into running! I used to run frequently before we moved to Montana and then my knees started hurting. I’ve been working hard to strengthen my legs and get back into running and it’s been a lot of fun! I really enjoy it especially when the weather is warm ish and not windy. Keena loves running too and so does Luke when he tags along in the stroller.

Kade stayed home from school today because he wasn’t feeling well so Luke wasn’t with me when I picked Ryder and Tenley up from school. He was at the door as a welcoming committee right when we got home though. It was adorable!

Snow Hiking

The kids all slept in well today and the Murdocks made delicious burritos for breakfast. Lesa, Hailey and I went for a walk in the snow. It is so beautiful! I really love this winter wonderland here. It is amazing. The kids had a contest to see who could stand out in the snow in bare feet the longest. Kade and Tenley were the last two standing. We ended up calling them in after five minutes because I was worried about their feet! Tenley was in the zone. I don’t know how she does that!

Brad and I made brick oven pizza for dinner. It took a while but everyone seemed to love having their own little pizza. It’s been a good day!

Gymnastics

Luke had his first gymnastics class today, or ninja class as he likes to call it. He actually did really well listening to this instructor and following along. And he’s a strong little boy!

Visitors

We got a quick visit from Dan this weekend. He had a dental emergency and hopefully Brad was able to fix him up well! The kids were able to sit with him at church which was nice because both Brad and I needed to be on the stand. Luke even fell asleep in Dan’s arms! We all took him back to the airport tonight. It was a quick visit but we enjoyed it.

I bought a pull up bar a few weeks ago hoping that someday soon I can do a pull up. It may be a while but I’m trying! The kids are excited about trying it as well and getting stronger!

Muscles

We discovered the other day that Ryder has built some pretty big arm muscles. It must be from his ninja class. I’m super impressed by his strength! He even opened a new pickle jar for me tonight. He may be tiny, but there is no doubt that he is strong!

Luke is a talkative and hyper little man but he is really good at showing love. He’s always there to give a hug anytime someone is leaving or coming home. We all love the attention from our sweet Luke.

Dancing

I let Ryder choose our exercise this morning and he wanted to dance! I love dancing with my kids. We found some fun Zumba videos online and we definitely got our hearts rate up! Ryder doesn’t really follow the dancers, but I’m so impressed by his moves! He could be a great break dancer. It was a fun way to start the morning.

Ninja Class

Kade has really enjoyed his ninja class. He was so excited to go back today and he’s been keeping up on his daily exercises to stay in shape. It’s nice to see him active in sports again. I got to see him jump off of the warped wall tonight. He wanted to jump off the highest part but his coach wasn’t ready to have him do that yet. Maybe next time!

Ryder used to be one of our pickiest eaters but this year he has been a lot better about trying everything. He was really proud of the dinner he ate tonight so he asked me to take a picture 😊

Storms

I made some mini chocolate muffins with dinner tonight which reminded Kade about his favorite pumpkin chocolate chip muffins that he likes to have for breakfast. He decided he really wanted to have them for breakfast tomorrow so I helped him find the recipe and he made them tonight. He did it all by himself and I was impressed!

While Kade was baking a storm rolled in. I love summer rain storms. Tenley, Ryder and Luke were having fun dancing in the wind and rain. Luke got a little nervous when the big lightning strikes and thunder got real close though so we watched most of it from inside. 

Kade also started a ninja class today. He loved it so much! He said he hadsnt sweat that much in a long time! They climbed up a lot of walls and did a lot of jumping!

Brazilian Food

 Since the kids were busy with tennis every morning all week, we finally made it to the track today to run a mile. Kade and Tenley both improved! And Ryder ran his little heart out but only finished three laps. Which is still amazing! I think I should make his goals a half mile. At one point I saw him fall and stay laying down for a while but after a few seconds he got back up and started running again. I love seeing my kids try hard! It made me so happy. Luke sat in the stroller most of the time but he wanted to get out at the end and he ended up running a whole lap by himself! He was smiling and giggling the whole way. 

When we started running, Kade had an asthma attack so we rushed home to get his medicine. That was the first time I’ve seen it induced from exercise. I know his allergies are bad right now so it may have been  bad combination of things. I hate seeing my kids struggle in that sort of way. Luckily he seemed to recover fully after an hour.

Kade got to go to a birthday party all night long so Brad ended up taking the rest of us out to eat at a new Brazilian restaurant in town. It was so delicious! It may be my new favorite type of food. I’m glad we got a new yummy restaurant.

Disney Sing-a-Long

Day 32

I woke up later than normal today so when I made my way downstairs to exercise the kids were already awake. Tenley and Ryder really wanted to do a Sean T workout with me so we did! Ryder rocked it! I was super impressed. We all had a lot of fun.

Kade and Tenley had to turn their homework packets in today so they had a lot of catching up to do. Tenley spent all morning on my bed finishing up her math pages. Luke was really sweet and sat by her for a while just to hang out with her. He has his sweetheart moments!

Brad was out and about most of the day doing work on his office but we did watch the Disney Sing-a-long show tonight as a family. It was so adorable! Ryder helped me make cookies before the show so we could have a fun dessert. It was a good night.