Family Time

 It was such a great General Conference Saturday! The weather was beautiful, I made pumpkin pancakes this morning that turned out pretty good, the talks were great, and BYU football won! 

Luke brought up his bean bag so he could enjoy conference more comfortably. It was pretty nice. He also wore an old hand me down BYU jersey from my brothers to support the cougars! Brad finished putting up his new Govee garage lights tonight. He engineered a lot of parts on the 3D printer to make it work. I don’t know how he does what he does but he does an amazing job. 

I just loved the simple family time we had together today. I love having everyone together. I just love being with my family.

Soccer and Football

 The state cup for Kade’s soccer team is this weekend. He had two games today. His team fought hard but they lost both games. They play again tomorrow but Kade will miss the game because he’ll be at church.

Luke’s football team had a little tournament on the high school turf football field. Luke thought it was pretty sweet! His team also lost but team sports are great and I’m glad my kids have been able to participate, challenge themselves, be a good player, and make friends.

Kade also got to go paint-balling tonight for a friend’s birthday party. He drove himself there and home. It’s so weird to have such an independent child!!

A Day with No Plans

 We didn’t have any sporting events, church things, or kid activities on the calendar today so we enjoyed sleeping in! I can’t tell you how much I love the springtime and waking up hearing the birds chirping outside. When I got out of bed Luke was awake watching the birds in our front yard. He said he saw a bird catch a worm! I think he loves the springtime too.

We got chores done and then we went for a bike ride. It feels like it’s been a long time since we’ve done that. Ryder was so excited about going on a bike ride that he even did some of Tenley’s chores for her to help her get done faster. 

Kade grilled us some chicken for dinner tonight. He is really good at it! And Tenley is currently making popcorn so they can eat it while they stay up late and watch a movie with Brad and me. It may be not be summer yet but it definitely feels like it is.

Hunting Drives

 Brad and Kade went to check out some hunting property to prepare for hunting season today. Brad had a nice patient who is willing to share his land. They saw some huge bucks and Kade is excited to hunt!

The rest of us got cleaning and errands done. And then Kade and Tenley got to hang out with friends tonight. We’re trying not to be sad about the fact that they keep leaving us! 

Picnic Dinners

 Today was chore day and we also got to plant some fresh flowers. The kids were really helpful with planting though so it made it a lot of fun. It’s nice to have flowers! I should have taken an after picture! Haha

Brad and I got to go on a date tonight. Although for some reason every weekend when he’s driving my car needs to be filled up. So he filled up my car with gas and took it to the car wash. So sweet! Then we ordered our favorite salads and had a picnic dinner by the river. I love simple nights like that.

Recitals and Basketball Games

The kids had their piano recital this morning and Tenley also played the flute and played in a quartet as well. They all did such a great job! Ryder was nervous but you couldn’t tell. Tenley played the theme from Home Alone and right before she went to play Brad told her it was his favorite Christmas song. As she was playing she looked up at him and then started crying! She still got through her songs but it was sweet.

Brad and Kade had to leave the recital early to get Kade to his tournament basketball game. We got to see the last half of the game. The boys played so hard and it was a really close game. But they ended up losing. It was a tough loss but I’m so proud of the boys for the progress they’ve made!

Kade, The Gates of the Mountain

Kade got home this morning! It’s so good to have him back!! We were all so excited. We let him choose what to do today and he chose to go boating! We were happy to go again. It was a busy Saturday but after leaving the dock you couldn’t tell too much. They had so much fun tubing, wakeboarding and skiing. Tenley and Ry got up on the skiis again and stayed up for a long time! They’re such fast learners! We went all the way down to the gates of the mountain and it was beautiful. 

Cleaning Day

I may be crazy but I really love cleaning day. It feels so good to work hard and then enjoy our clean house. I did most of the house cleaning today because Tenley, Ryder and Luke were weeding the garden and Kade was helping Brad replace the steering cable in the boat. It was a big project but they got it done! And Brad and I still had time for a date tonight!

Saturday

Brad, Kade, and Tenley left really early this morning to head to Billings for Kade’s soccer games. The little boys and I stayed home because of the long drive and the early morning. I was sad not to be there for Kade’s games though! They enjoyed sunny weather and Kade’s team played well and won both games!

Ryder had a friend over this morning and then the boys and I went to Target and watched a movie together this afternoon. We played catch together in the backyard as well. Ryder has been good about making sure he practices catching every day.

Bon Fires

The kids had a fun Saturday morning. Tenley got to go to a volleyball camp and Kade got to go burn some wood with friends. What more could a teenage boy want? 

Brad and I got to go see Beauty and the Beast at the high school tonight. One of the seniors that goes to our church played the part of the beast. He has such an amazing voice! It was such a great production.

Double Dates

We had a productive morning cleaning the house. The little boys dragged the bean bag up to their room so they could read books together and it was pretty precious to catch them doing that. Brad and I were able to go out on a double date with friends tonight and it was really nice! We had good conversation and enjoyed our time out!

Saturday

Kade was able to sleep in this morning and he took full advantage! We didn’t see him until 10! Brad came for a walk with me this morning which was really nice and I’m glad we got out before the wind really picked up. I haven’t been missing these crazy strong winds that we normally get each fall, but here they are! We cleaned out our garden in the wind storm which was quite an adventure. And the little boys did some cleaning inside.

In the afternoon we took the kids to the church to play basketball again. We had fun and there was less fighting this time! 

Then we watched a lot of fun football games tonight and the World Series. Saturdays are the best.

Kade’s Soccer Games

Kade had two great soccer games in Helena today. His team won both and no one from the other team even shot on Kade when he was at the goal. Since his position was so boring the coach let him play forward for a little bit and Kade scored a goal! It was pretty exciting! 

I actually had to miss the games because we had a big Super Saturday activity for Relief Society. I had a lot of fun with the women in our ward but I was definitely missing the family! 

Luckily we all got to be together for dinner. We had oven fired pizza and chocolate fondue for dessert. The fondue was leftover from the activity and the kids loved it!

Kade

These past few days have been tough for Kade. His asthma got really bad and he had soccer games this morning so he was trying his hardest to rest and get it all under control. When I woke him up this morning he was still feeling awful but he decided to go to his games in Helena anyway with Brad and Tenley. He even played! He wasn’t at his best but he tried hard. Luckily he seemed to get better throughout the day. He’s a fighter! His team won one game and lost the other.

The little boys and I enjoyed the nice weather at home with a walk to the park. And I got to go to my friend’s baby shower this morning which was really nice! 

Spring

It was a beautiful day with no wind! Keena and I went for a walk, Kade and Brad went golfing with friends, and Tenley and the boys spent a lot of time on the trampoline. We definitely enjoyed it! The kids also helped me decorate the house for Easter. It’s looking like spring here!

Fuller House

We got a lot of chores done today. Brad cleaned out the whole garage and it looks amazing. Brad and I also got to go out on a date tonight. The kids practically kicked us out of the house. They were pretty excited to have a pizza party and play the Wii together all night.

After the little boys went to bed the big kids stayed up with Brad and I. Kade and Brad are watching a show together while Tenley and I watch Fuller house. It’s fun to have some girl time!

Chili Cook Off and Trunk or Treat

We got Saturday chores done this morning! It’s been over a month since we’ve done that. It’s so nice to get all the cleaning done together. And it was nice to have a slow Saturday morning followed by a productive Saturday mid-morning and a fun Saturday afternoon and evening!

Tenley had a game at 3. She played hard and she had a great basket that was nothing but net!

Then we headed downtown for our cities trick or treat. The kids looked so great in their costumes. Kade was Batman, Tenley was an artist, Ryder was hulk and Luke was Superman. Ryder let Brad paint his face green but quickly regretted it. He was so happy to take a bath at the end of the night to take it off. Luckily it came off well! 

After trick or treating downtown we went to our ward’s chili cook off. I brought a chili and won 3rd place! It was fun to have the ward together. It feels like it’s been a while.

Then we had the trunk or treat combined with the other ward. The kids were all so cute. It was a fun church activity.

Ryder went home with Shelton to hang out with him and Hunter, Kade had a big party at his friend Matthew’s house, and Tenley had a friend over to watch a movie with. It was weird to be so split up but the kids had a blast! They’re all growing up too quickly.