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!

The Drive to Missoula

 It was Kade’s last day of seminary for the school year today. He had a friend who has a tradition of biking to seminary and school on the last day so Kade and several other friends joined him. I think he had a lot of fun. And I think he’s excited to have a few months of sleeping longer!

It was such a beautiful day so the boys and I had school on the patio. It is heaven and I’m so grateful for the nice patio!

We were supposed to leave as a whole family for the weekend to Missoula with Brad for his dental conference but Kade has so many tests and projects for school that he just couldn’t miss. Brad and I decided to get away together and leave the kids at home. The kids are excited for a party but I will miss them!!! 

The drive to Missoula was gorgeous with everything getting so green. We also drove through a crazy rain and lightning storm. It was neat to see over the mountains. It is beautiful here!

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!

Parent Night

 I got to walk Kade’s schedule at the high school and meet all of his teachers tonight. He decided to come with me to get some extra credit in some of his classes. It was fun to meet his teacher! He has some great ones this year. I can see why he’s loving high school so much.

First Days

 Kade went back to school today. He didn’t have to be there until 11:30 so Luke had the best time hanging out with him this morning. Tenley and Ryder were gone at Starbase for the day so Luke was happy that someone was home to hang out with! Kade’s day went well and Tenley and Ryder had a great time at Starbase with their friends!

Last Day of School!

 It was the last day of school for the kids today! We are all so happy about it. It was a great year. Kade thrived in High school and ended the year with a 4.0! He actually maintained a 4.0 all year. He was studying hard for his math final last night and this morning and he aced it. I’m so proud of him.

I loved having Tenley, Ryder and Luke home for school. We got into a good groove and they all progressed well. I’ve actually been so impressed with how much Tenley progressed on the piano. She prints of fun songs she wants to learn to add to what her teacher is already giving her. She spends a lot of time on the piano. 

And the little boys got so good at doing their lessons independently. They’re smart and willing to work hard to get their work done so they can spend the rest of the day playing hard. 

Tenley and I went to get our nails done today. She convinced me to do a bright color which I’m not super loving but hopefully I’ll get used to it. 

We took the kids out for ice cream tonight to celebrate their hard work, Kade’s perfect grades, and an end to a great school year!

Morning Skies

 Kade had his first day of early morning seminary this morning! It was so early that we were watching the sunrise. But it was beautiful. And he has a great and amazing seminary teacher so he really enjoyed it. 

I didn’t get to see Kade until 5 pm tonight. After school he went to his first game. It was fun to watch him play keeper. He did well and had a lot of fun. 

Starbase

 Kade’s first day of high school went great! He found all of his classes well and he enjoyed seeing all of his friends. He went straight from school to soccer practice so I didn’t even get to see him until 4:45 tonight. But luckily he had a phone that I could text him on to see how he was doing. I can’t believe how grown up he is! 

Tenley and Ryder also left the house today. They are doing the Starbase program with the military base at the airport for the next few days with other homeschoolers. They loved it. They got to choose their own call signs. Tenley is Setter and Ryder is Alpha. They’re excited to go back again tomorrow!

Luke was my cute little buddy today. It’s been a while since it was just the two of us. We ran errands, watched Bluey, and he even came to hang out with me while I got a pedicure with a friend! He’s the best buddy. He gave himself his own call sign so I need to call him Trooper now.

The Night Before School

 Kade is heading back to school tomorrow and starting his freshman year of high school! He is excited and ready! Tenley and Ryder also have a Starbase program they get to go to tomorrow. So it will just be Luke and I at home! It will be a weird day tomorrow. 

We had a nice night together tonight. Brad gave us all a blessing for the beginning of the school year. I feel hopeful and excited now. It should be a great year!

The Last Day of School!

Tenley and Ryder are now officially on summer break! I’m so happy to have all of my kids home for the summer. While they were at school this morning Luke and I made a quick trip to Helena. I needed to make a return and I wanted to see the temple again. I can’t get enough of it! It’s so beautiful even in the rain.

It rained all day today which wasn’t fun but we made the best of it with popcorn and a movie. I love being with my kids!

Kade and Brad are still not having any luck with fishing. It’s cold and rainy there too. But they have had fun playing card games and Kade got to eat his first homemade scone tonight! Maybe he can learn to make them for us!

Spring Break

The kids have a little mini spring break from school these next few days so it was so nice to have a day off with them. We met some friends at the children’s museum and enjoyed it!

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Light Saber Battles

When I went to get Ryder and Luke for dinner I found the two of them in the middle of a light saber battle in Kade’s room with the lights off. These boys are so funny!

This week Tenley and Ryder get to be apart of the play, King Arthur, at school. They’re excited about it and I can’t wait to see them perform on Saturday! It’s been busy for them and the next few days they’ll have yo stay at school a few hours late so hopefully they enjoy it!

The Reflections Contest

I got to help judge the reflections contest today at the kids’ elementary school. It was so fun to see all the amazing and creative projects from the kids! They are amazing and inspiring!

Student of the Month

Kade was awarded Student of the Month at school today! He got a free t-shirt and was recognized at the school assembly. He’s such a great kid! I’m proud of his hard work and his desire to be good. He’s pretty good at accomplishing that!

And then he came home and joined the other sick kids on the couch. Tenley is a little better but Kade, Ryder and Brad are pretty sick. Hopefully Luke and I can stay healthy!

String Ensemble

Kade did a great job on his violin tonight in his school’s Christmas concert. It was fun to enjoy some festive music!

The STAR Award

Last week was the end of the quarter for Tenley and Ryder so they both got some awards! I’m so proud of them for being such great kids and trying so hard. Tenley got a really special award today called the STAR award. One person in each class is chosen to receive this award. She definitely deserved it! She also found out today that she gets to be on the leadership team! She was very excited.

Ice Cream

Today was the last day of school for the week! We went out for ice cream to celebrate. I’m looking forward to a long weekend with the kids!

Mr. Faulk

Tenley has the best teacher this year. Mr. Faulk is quickly becoming my favorite teacher of all time and it's only been a week! We used to aske the kids during dinner what they learned at school and they usually don't have much to say which can be disappointing. But this year right when I pick Tenley up from school, she talks and talks and talks about the new history story she learned. Today she told me all about Marco Polo. I love the excitement she has for history and I love hearing all that she has learned. She is going to have a great year!

The First Day of School

I actually don’t know how grateful I am for the first day of school either, but all the kids had a good day so I’m grateful for that! And Luke and I stayed busy enough so the day went by quickly and we didn’t miss the other kids too much. Kade really seemed to enjoy middle school and was happy to see his friends. Tenley and Ryder both love their teachers and had fun seeing friends again. And Luke played with a lot of legos all day. He’s such a cute little man and I’m glad he’s still my little buddy!

The Last Day of Summer

I actually don’t know how grateful I am for the last day of summer. I love the summer time and I love having my kids home. Sending them back to school tomorrow will be hard for me. But we made the best of today.

They all came with me to Luke’s ninja class and then I picked them up McDonalds for lunch. This afternoon Tenley and Ryder got to go meet their teachers and see their classroom. They have a new playground at school so they’re pretty excited for tomorrow!

Brad gave them all a father’s blessing and I prayed hard for my sweet kids. I hope they all have a really great year at school!