Brad’s Projects

 It’s sad to have Kade and Tenley gone on freedom Fridays. Friday doesn’t feel so free anymore. We went for a walk this morning and the boys rode their bikes. When we got home Brad got to work on his projects. He changed the thermostat in the boat and it seems to be working better than it was before! Yay. I’m hoping we can take it out at least one more time this year. The he finished putting up the new Govee lights. He had to get creative with getting the lights up on the highest point of the roof. He decided to put a ladder on top of the shed. I did not like this idea at all. I left to pick Tenley up from volleyball and got a call from Ryder on Brad’s phone. He sounded frantic and then hung up. As I was calling him back I thought something must have happened to Brad and I was freaking out. But no, this was Brad’s idea of a funny prank. He just wanted to scare me. It was not funny. But I am definitely grateful that he’s ok and the project is now done! It looks great!

Ryder was a huge help to Brad with the projects and Luke worked on his own space project inside. 

Tenley’s Help

 It turned so cold again. We woke up to frost in the house and snow on the distant mountains. And more wind… I think I hate being cold. But we are lucky to have a warm house and warm clothes. 

The boys got to run some errands with me this morning. We took Ryder to the orthodontist and then we went to get the car tires rotated. We made it home before Tenley had even woken up! I’m always amazed by how long she can sleep. She was so helpful with the boys when she was awake though. She helped Ryder with his math and piano while I helped Luke. And she was so patient. I was so thankful for her help. 

Luke had a football game tonight in the frigid weather. I’m seriously wondering if spring sports are worth participating in here in Montana! But he played his heart out and had fun!

Gifts from My Boys

 Ryder and Luke had activity days tonight. This is the one year they get to do it together because Ryder will be in young men’s next year. They love going and they have some great leaders! Tonight they painted flower pots for me for Mother’s Day and even planted flowers in them! I love my gift and the thought they both put into it!

Over the Door Basketball Hoops

 Kade played basketball with the boys on their little hoop in their room before they went to bed. Luke tries to get him to do that every night and his face lights up whenever he can talk him into it. He’s lucky to have such nice big brothers!

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.

Snow

 Just when it seems like the weather can’t get more strange, it does. After the sunny, 60 degree, and ridiculously windy day yesterday, we woke up to snow on the ground this morning! The boys were excited for it and they hurried through school so they could play in it.

The Pinewood Derby

 Ryder and Luke raced their cars in the pinewood derby tonight. Brad helped them finish the cars a few days ago and he even got to come and watch them race a few times before heading to his stake meetings. The boys did well but didn’t place in the top 3. They still had fun though. Luke got awarded ‘most creative car’ and Ryder was awarded ‘most sizzling car.’ 

Rollerblade Bros

 Luke is still obsessed with rollerblading. Ryder still want to as well though, so they made a plan today. They each get a rollerblade and they roll around the house like you would on a scooter. Haha. In fact Ryder went into the garage and had a rollerblade on one foot and a scooter on the other. It was hilarious! But I’m glad the found a way to roll around still because we actually got a lot of snow today and the temperatures dropped to below freezing. Winter may actually be here now! 

Tenley and her team played in the semi finals game tonight and they won! They’ll play in the championship game tomorrow night! I’m so excited to watches! Brad surprised Tenley and I and showed up to watch her game! He was able to leave work early. It was so nice of him to make it over to watch.

Pinewood Derby Cars

 Ryder and Luke got to make pinewood derby cars at their activity tonight. Luke is so excited for his first pinewood derby! He asked his leader to make it into the shape of an arrow. It looks pretty cool! I can’t wait to see how fast it goes. Ryder made a bacon car. It looks awesome too!

3D Printed Snowball Makers

 I think Ryder and Luke could play in the snow all day every day. They have so much out there. They also printed some snowball makers on the 3D printer. It’s made it fun for them! 

George and Judy made the long drive from Boise to our house today! George has a dental appointment with Brad tomorrow morning. It will be fun to have company for a few days.

My Little Elves

 It’s stake conference weekend and although that used to just mean a few more church meetings, now it means a whole weekend event with Brad in the stake presidency. I was trying to prepare food for the dinner for the traveling church leadership and get myself ready to go, but all my little boys wanted to do was finish decorating for Christmas. I helped with things they really couldn’t do by themselves, but for the most part they did it all themselves! It looks great! And I love all their help!

Brad and I were gone most of the afternoon and evening. It was a great leadership session and Brad did a great job at the adult session. It was so uplifting! He shared a good analogy about hanging Christmas lights and the importance of anchors. He shared a story about his mom yelling at them to “Go do the lights!” As we drove away from the church that night, parked right in front of us was a car with the license plate “whtevr” which is a phrase Brad’s mom often used when she was sick of getting teased. It’s a phrase we all often quote using her voice to say it the way she did. Seeing that almost felt like her getting in the last word with Brad. It was a sweet, tender, and also funny moment that made me laugh, smile, and almost cry. 

Now with the session he was in charge of now behind us it was a lot more fun to come home, watch the BYU football game with the kids, and relax!

Snowflakes

 It has been surprising that we haven’t had any snow yet this season but that changed today. The boys were so excited to see big snowflakes falling this morning. It didn’t stick to the ground but it snowed for almost an hour! Luke can’t wait to play in the snow.

Kids’ Sports

 We’re back to our fun routine and back to the boys’ busy sports schedules. Brad went to Ryder’s basketball game with Tenley, I took Luke to his basketball game, and Kade took himself to his indoor soccer game. I wish I could have watched all my boys play tonight! Kade had a great game. His first game on the new turf was shaky but he’s getting used to it now. His team of mainly high schoolers beat the team of mainly adults. Ryder and Luke both played hard defense and did their best. Ryder’s team won by a lot and Luke’s team lost in a hard fight. Luke walked away with a giant basketball painted sugar cookies so he was happy!

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.

Ninja Class

 Ryder and Luke are back to their ninja class after a break for summer. It was nice to have a break but they loved being back at the gym learning new moves and having fun with friends.

Tenley had a volleyball game tonight and the team won in 3 sets! She played so well. She roofed a hit, had 5 aces in a row, and had her regular good hits and sets. It’s fun to watch her!

Care Free Boys

 We’ve all been enjoying the last few days of summer. No one wants it to end. And Ryder and Luke are the best at living it up, laughing and enjoying life!

Big Brother Kade

 Tenley and I had hair appointments today and other errands to run so while we were gone Kade decided to be the best big brother ever. He took Ryder and Luke with him to the driving range to hit a bucket of balls. They even tried out their best Happy Gilmore swings. Then he took them out for ice cream. The boys had a blast. Kade even came home and played video games with them. I’m glad they can all have so much fun together!

Sprinklers

 It was so hot again today! We all wish we could have been at the lake. Instead the boys put the sprinkler under the tramp after piano lessons and cooled off that way. The rest of us just stayed inside! Although it cooled off enough tonight to go out for a walk.

Kade had his last day of work today. Soccer is going to start getting busy for him!

The boys had popsicles outside as well. Honestly, they have such a fun life! I’m grateful to still be enjoying summer!

Picnics in the Shade

 It was a scorcher today at over 90 degrees! I kind of miss the cooler weather but I’m definitely not ready for winter yet! The boys played outside for a bit before they got too hot and then had snacks in the shade. They live a pretty sweet life! Tenley had even made Ryder a Frappuccino!

Puddles

 Kade had soccer practice and work this morning and Tenley had volleyball camp so Ryder, Luke and I rode bikes to the park to play. When we got to the park, thought, it was covered in deep puddles of water. I figured they’d want to head straight back home but instead they played an epic game of ‘floor is lava’. I loved seeing them make the best of the situation and have fun anyway!