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!

Sports in Bozeman

 Somehow the stars aligned and Kade, Tenley, and Ryder all had sports in Bozeman. Kade and Tenley rode the bus with their teams and Brad, Ryder, Luke and I traveled down in Brad’s truck. 

It was an early morning and trying to get to everyone’s game was a trick! I was able to watch Tenley play volleyball while Brad watched Ryder play soccer and then Brad was able to go to Kade’s soccer game while I got to go watch Ryder’s second soccer game. I thought it was going to be a cold and rainy day but it ended up being a beautiful fall day. Tenley’s team beat both the A team and B team! Ryder’s team and Kade’s team played hard but they both lost. We’ve determined that Great Falls does not have a good program for soccer for a lot of different reasons. It’s sad! But Ryder and Kade said they both still had a lot of fun with their friends.

The Night Before School

 Tenley and I went to the high school again today to take care of a few things. We also found her locker and walked her schedule one more time. I think she’s ready to go! 

I ran all the kids around tonight, Tenley to volleyball practice, Ryder to soccer practice. Kade was gone at soccer practice and then to a movie with friends. Brad has meetings at the church. But finally just before 10 we were all together enjoying homemade popcorn and a show before sending the kids to bed for the first day of school tomorrow! I hope they have a great day!

Rustler Round Up

 Kade and Tenley’s high school had an open house

night tonight. I got to walk Tenley’s schedule with her which was fun. I think she’s going to have a great year! They both will. They both got to stand up and represent their sports teams as well, Kade with soccer and Tenley with volleyball. I’m glad they get to be together going to seminary, school, sports, and then finally back home again.

Birthday Weekends

 We got to spoil Kade a little bit more for his birthday today. I made him his favorite home cooked meal and dessert. We had chicken cord on bleu, air fried potatoes, caesar salad, and fresh rolls for dinner and snickerdoodle cookies for dessert. We love our Kade!

The talks in sacrament meeting were so good today. They were focused on charity, meekness, and selflessness which are perfect things for me to think about as we head into another year of homeschooling with Ryder and Luke. It’s time to dedicate most of my time to them and they’re definitely worth it. I’ll be missing Kade and Tenley like crazy but I’m excited for them as well. Brad gave each of us a blessing tonight for the school year and we all appreciated it. I hope it’s a great week!

Kade’s 17th Birthday

 Kade turned 17 years old today! It’s crazy how much he looks like a man and how mature he is. But I’m so grateful for the person he is becoming. Brad was talking to his friend whose daughter was recently on a date with Kade and she came home and told her parents what a gentleman he was to her and how he would open doors for her. I was so happy to hear that! He has a good heart. We’re so grateful for him.

He started his day off with soccer practice and then I made him sourdough waffles for breakfast. Brad is usually the one that makes the waffles and I overlooked some important directions and ended up adding 3 cups of sugar when it should have been 3 tablespoons! Yikes. The waffles were way too sweet. But we did enjoy the sugary treat!

Then all the boys loaded up to go boating. Tenley and I had to stay back because she has volleyball practice that afternoon. When they got on the lake something went very wrong with the boat. It was smoking and taking on water. They got off the lake immediately and had to come home. It was sad. But Brad is a Mr. Fix-It so I’m sure he’ll figure out the problem and get it working soon.

The rest of the day went a lot better than the first half. We took him out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse and Brad let him order a 28 oz porterhouse t-bone. It was huge but he enjoyed it and ate the whole thing! We opened presents and watched a movie when we got home. We had homemade waffle bowls with cold stone ice cream for dessert. Yum!

Clair de lune

 Kade has been learning one of my favorite piano songs, “Clair de lune.” I love hearing him practice it every day. It’s so beautiful and he’s getting so good at it!

Brad and I got to go to the temple tonight which was such a good experience. And the kids had a party together which they loved!

Stake Camp

 Kade and Tenley both left for stake camp today. I took Kade up a few hours early because he’s a youth leader, or a part of the ‘hype squad,’ and he needed to be there early to prepare for all the campers. He’ll be great at hyping people up! They both seemed really excited for the week! It’s going to be hot and there isn’t a lot of shade where they’ll be, but there is a river close by so that should be refreshing. Kade fit all of hi gear in or on top of his overnight backpack. It was really heavy! I will miss my big kids a lot! They don’t even have their phones with them and I think that will be harder on me than it will be for them. I love being able to check in on them all the time.

Ryder, Luke and I had fun tonight. Luke broke his cleats at his soccer game last night so we went to the store and bought him some new cleats. When we got home the boys set up the soccer net and practiced. Brad had interviews and meeting tonight so the boys and I watched a movie.

Baccalaureate, Elder Petty

 We had to say goodbye to Elder Petty for the third time. Luke gave him the biggest bear hug. He’s definitely one of our most favorite missionaries and we will miss him! He’s headed to his last transfer area. While we were talking with Elder Petty and Elder Taff, Kade came home from tracting with Elder Braby and Elder Trottier. He looked like a missionary sitting with Elder Petty and Elder Taff! 😆 The elders had some great mission advice for Kade which I really appreciated.

Kade said he had a great time tracting. They knocked on 20 doors but only five people answered. They let Kade knock on a door and when they answered he said, “Hi, we’re missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, would you like to hear a message about Jesus?” The lady was nice but did say no. It sounded like he did such a great job! I’m glad he got to have that expression.

Tonight Kade sang with his choir at Baccalaureate which is a traditional non denominational church service for the seniors before the actual graduation ceremony. The school has asked several different religions in the city to host before, but this year they asked our church to host it. Our Bishop spoke and the youth we know shared scriptures. Kade’s choir sang an arrangement of Homeward Bound by Mack Wilburn with the orchestra accompanying them. It was amazing!! It really was so uplifting and all those who participated did such an amazing job. I’m glad we were able to be there.

Pops Concert

 Tonight was the high school choir pops concert. This is my favorite concert of the year. It’s so fun and upbeat! Kade did a great job and even handled the dance moves he had to do very well! It feels like I see a different side of him up there on stage! He’s just such a cute kid and I need to stop thinking about how quickly he has grown up and how soon he’ll be leaving the house. I’m not ready for that at all. He lettered in choir this year and will be apart of the top choir next year. He loves it!

Sports

 Our last weekend of driving to two different cities for sports went well again thankfully. The boys all headed to Polson with a couple of Kade’s friends. They had to leave at 6 am but they enjoyed a beautiful drive and a beautiful venue near Flathead Lake. Kade had exciting games. The first game was very competitive. It was 2-2 and Kade was in goal and the other team shot on him with 5 seconds left but he saved it! The second game was not as competitive at all so the coach had Kade play in the field and he scored a goal! He’s number 3 in the picture below. They won that game 8-2.

Tenley and I headed to Billings for the Big Sky Volleyfest. She didn’t have to be there until 1 so we got to sleep a little longer than the boys! Her team was placed in a higher division and although they competed hard the didn’t win any sets. It was sad. But the girls still had smiles on their faces and enjoyed their time playing together. They’ve made such good friendships and it’s been so much fun to see! 

The team plays again tomorrow but Tenley and I headed home for church. It was a really late drive and we didn’t make it home until 12:30. But luckily we made it home safe and sound! 

My Dad, Yard Work, Kade’s Dates

It was my Dad’s birthday today and his last day of work! Luckily my brother lives near and was able to celebrate his retirement and birthday with him! I’m so excited for him to enjoy this next fun phase of life. He worked so hard for so many years. He’s the best Dad and he deserves this!

 It was a beautiful day today so we were able to get a lot of yard work done. I cleaned out the garden beds and the kids and Brad dig holes for the sprinklers. It was hard work but it felt good to get it all accomplished! Brad planted seed in the dirt surrounding our new patio so hopefully soon we’ll start seeing grass grow there. 

Kade went on a fun date with friends tonight. They picked crazy ingredients out at the grocery store and then went to a friends house to make dinner with it. Then they played a lot of games. He has such fun friends.

Kade’s Thoughtfulness

 Kade has been getting through the pain as good as can be expected. The other night when I woke him up at 2 am to have him take some ibuprofen he asked how I was doing! He feels bad that I’m getting up every three hours to help him. I thought that was sweet of him to even ask. He’s such a thoughtful kid. I hope his recovery continues to go well!

Moral Support

 It was Kade’s turn to get his wisdom teeth out today. Poor thing! He wasn’t near as entertaining as Tenley was under anesthesia. He was really loopy and very quiet. He rested a lot and after the boys finished math I let them watch movies with Kade. Sometimes we all need a movie day! And I know when I’m on the couch feeling miserable it’s helpful to have someone else there with me. Hopefully the moral support helped Kade. I can tell he’s hurting but he’s doing his best to get through it.

Volleyball in Great Falls

 Tenley had her volleyball games in town today at the high school. It was so nice not to have to wake up super early and I loved being able to come home in between her games. They played well and got third place in the gold bracket again. Brad, Ryder, and Luke were able to be there for a lot of her games as well which made it more fun for both Tenley and I.

Tenley and Ryder were apart of a scholarship recital tonight. Tenley played her flute and Ryder played the piano. They both graduated, Ryder from level one Suzuki in the piano and Tenley from level 2 Suzuki on the flute. They work hard and I love seeing them share their gifts. All of the kids the participated did such a great job!

Kade made it home last night! I think I sleep better when I know all of my kids are home sleeping under our roof. I only get such comfort for a few more years. But I need to stop thinking about that! 

Kade enjoyed his trip! And I’m so happy he’s home!!

Non-windy Days

It was so nice to enjoy without crazy strong winds today! The wind has gotten old! But today was sunny and calm and beautiful. Ryder and Luke were either in the front yard playing basketball or in the backyard jumping on the trampoline. They never get bored when the weather is this nice and I love it. 

Tenley got to go to the temple with the ward today. It was a late night for her but she had a great time.

We haven’t heard a lot from Kade but I think he’s still enjoying his trip in Utah. We’re anxious to have him back!