Dinner Dates with Kade

 We had a busy day today getting projects done and watching sports. Ryder and Luke helped Brad winterize the boat. I’m so sad boating season is over. It wasn’t long enough! Then we went to clean the office and then headed to Tenley’s school to watch her play volleyball. It was so much fun to see her play! She had a blast and they swept the other team! 

After her game she stayed at the school to watch the other teams play and Brad and I dropped Ryder and Luke off at their friends house and then met Kade at a restaurant for dinner because he had just finished soccer practice. It was rare to have a date out with Kade and it was really nice to have time with him like that!

The Johnsons

 My friend Jenn that I’ve know since elementary school and her amazing six children stopped by to spend the night tonight. It was so good to see her and meet her kids. I love her kids! They are adorable. Ryder and Luke had so much fun playing with Adelaide and Isaiah. It was a fun night catching up!

Pictures from Stake Camp

 One of the leaders from camp sent a picture to Brad and it made me so happy to see Tenley playing volleyball! She’s so cute! I wish I could have seen a picture of Kade as well but I at least know that Tenley is doing well.

Ryder and Luke had a busy day today! They played at their friend’s house on the slip n slide for three hours this morning, then came home and played with another friend for another three hours, then had a soccer game tonight! They faced a really good team but they played hard and Ryder was still able to make a goal and Luke had a few really awesome defensive plays where he blocked the ball. The two of them played well together passing the ball back forth. We were proud of them!

Helpful Friends

 Brad and I had a temple date planned tonight but Ryder also had a football game and Kade had soccer practice so I was having a hard time figuring out how to make everything work! Luckily a friend of mine has a son on Ryder’s team and she was willing to take Ryder to the game and bring him home. I was so thankful!

Brad and I had a great time at the temple. It was such a beautiful night!

Co op Friends

 Today was our last day of co op for this school year. It’s crazy how fast this year went by. We’ve had so much fun with our friends and have loved this year. I had the best team teachers in Physics and I will miss them! 

After classes we had a huge pizza party and glow in the dark dance party to celebrate. The original plan was to play at the park but it rained and snowed this morning so we went with plan B and had a blast! 

We’re all so grateful for this amazing group of people we get to be with. We can’t wait for next year!

Social Time

 We were back at co op today after a week off for Spring Break. The kids were so excited to be back with friends! Luke also got to bring something for show and tell for his class. He chose one of his kiwi co projects. His classmates thought it was awesome. And then after co op Luke and Ryder got to go to Otto’s house to hang out all afternoon which they always love. It was such a good day!

Golden Eggs

 We had our Easter party at co op today and the kids got to do an Easter egg hunt. I was happy the weather cooperated and we had a perfect sunny spring day for this! Ryder ended up finding a golden egg with $10 in it! He was excited about that! 

Elder Petty

 We got a surprise visit from Elder Petty today. He was in Great Falls for a zone conference and he took the time to stop by and say hi. It was so good to see him and catch up! We miss him!

Luke and Otto

We were excited to meet friends on the ski hill again. I followed Luke and Otto around all afternoon. They sped down the runs, jumped back onto the lift together, and then did it all again. They had fun finding tree runs and jumps. They probably didn’t even need me following them around all day but it was entertaining for me!

Tenley was with Ava doing the same green runs as us so we saw them several times. But Brad and the two oldest were on the other side of the mountain the whole time. They also had a great time! It was a sunny, warm ski day and we all had a blast!

Crosstown Basketball

 I was so happy it was Friday today! I love Friday. We all seemed to go in different directions tonight though which I didn’t totally love but it was all good things! Kade headed out for a church campout. He said he was excited but I think he’s crazy to camp in the snow in negative temperatures! They did build a tent with a heater, but still! I hope he stays warm and enjoys the night!

Ryder went to his friend’s birthday party at the pizza buffet and arcade and then back to his friend’s house for a movie. He had so much fun fun!

Brad, Tenley, Luke, and I headed to the highschool to watch the crosstown basketball game. Our team played great and won the game! 

People

 Today was a very long and busy day but it was filled with some of my most favorite people which made it a pretty wonderful day. Tenley’s volleyball team had a game bright and early this morning. They won again and are still undefeated! It was fun to cheer her and her team on. 

I came home to get ready real quick and headed to the church to set up for the funeral for Maryellen and then stayed after the funeral to serve the luncheon to her family. Maryellen passed away last week. She was Tenley’s art teacher and one of the sweetest older women from our ward. She would sit with my kids for me when Brad was a Bishop and I was the ward organist. It was so nice of her! We will miss her! It was a beautiful funeral service and I was happy to be able to serve the family with some of my closest friends.

Tonight I went to a Galentine’s party that my friend put together. There was a lot of yummy food and we all exchanged our favorite gifts with each other. It was a lot of fun to have a night with friends! 

New Games

 A sweet friend of mine gave me a new game for my birthday. I tried it out with Ryder and Luke today and we had fun with it! It was manly just a really good excuse for me to sit down with my kids and play. I really need to do it more often! They’re so much fun to be with.

Ski Day with Family and Friends

 Showdown had a deal for homeschoolers at the ski hill today so a lot of our friends were up skiing today. It was fun to hang out with them and help them learn how to ski. Tenley’s friend Ava was there skiing for her first time ever and she made so much progress that she came on a few blue runs with us! She was amazing. The snow still isn’t great. We tried to avoid all the rocks that we could but it was inevitable at times. We still had such a fun time as a family and with our friends!

Christmas Eve Dinner with the Elders

 Christmas time with young kids in the house is the best! Ryder and Luke were so excited for today. We did a lot of baking today and a lot of wrapping. The kids also delivered a lot of gifts to our neighbors. We got to have our missionaries over for dinner tonight. They are the best and may very well be our favorites! We had a delicious dinner and then played a fun game of Settlers of Catan. 

The kids opened their pjs and we had a sweet little devotional and the kids went to bed so willingly because they’re so excited for tomorrow!

Kade’s 4.0

 Kade’s last day of school before Christmas break was today! He came home to tell me he has a 4.0! He’s worked hard to get his grades up and I was so happy for him. He also said he doesn’t have any homework over the Christmas break which is another huge bonus! We’re excited to be able to spend so much time with him.

We had President Giles and President Campbell and their wives over for dinner tonight. We had fun spending time with them. With so many people at the house, Ryder got creative with the seating arrangements by stacking enough pillows on a chair that he could reach his plate at the bar! 

We played card games after dinner and Luke was happy to be the winner! Luckily President Campbell was nice enough to let him win!

Service, Choir Concerts, and Christmas Parties

 This morning the kids and I minus Kade met up with our friends at the Salvation Army to help organize gifts for families in need. They had a lot of donations! I think Luke was more interested in the toys than helping but he was still very helpful! 

Tenley and I spent most of the rest of the day getting presents ready. I think things will calm down after this week but it’s definitely a little crazy right now.

Kade had his holiday choir concert tonight. It was a nice program and Kade is so handsome! I went alone because Brad had church meetings and Tenley, Ryder, and Luke were at a Christmas party. 

Field Trips

 We took a little road trip to Craig today to hang out with friends at the corn maze. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the drive was stunning! We saw so many fall colors. The corn maze was awesome. The kids got lost for a little bit. There were a lot of other games to play as well. Luke beat a huge group of kids in Gaga ball. We had such a fun field trip!