Firefighters

Idaho is on fire right now and we seem to be in the middle of it. It's no fun waking up to a forecast of smoke for the day. And it's so sad to hear stories of people's homes being burned to the ground and firefighters losing their lives trying to put out the fires. The air quality is extremely unhealthy and has kept us inside a lot. It's been hard on Kade as well and he's had a lot of asthma attacks recently. It's frustrating in a lot of ways but it's so amazing to see people come together to help everyone out. Firefighters from Alaska and New Zealand are even helping out. I'm so grateful for all the firefighters and their hard work to put these fires out!

Spokane

We went up to Spokane today with the Simmons to have fun at Jump Time, eat lunch at Red Robin, and watch Dale race his motorcycle in the Supercross. Kent's brother Craig and his wife and 3 boys live in Spokane so we met up with them as well. It was a super fun day and Kade kept referring to is as his 2nd birthday party. We walked around the cute park downtown as well. We need to go back soon to get some shopping done!

Birthday Boy

Kade turned 6 today! He was so excited to be growing up and had a lot of fun doing whatever he wanted all day! He wanted cinnamon pancakes for breakfast, McDonalds for dinner, and playtime with cousins at aunt Heidi's house. He's pretty easy to please! He loved building his new Legos with Dale and Emmett. He had a great day!

I can't believe how fast these 6 years have gone by. I'm so grateful for Kade. He is such a good boy and always tries to be a good example for tokes around him. Even me! He wants to be obedient and always tries to choose the right. He is so smart and is reading like a champ! He has an amazing memory and is so excited to start Kindergarten in a few weeks. We love our Kader Tator so much!

Library

We got to check out the new Lewiston library today. It's awesome! We're excited to spend a lot of time there.

My Big Boy Swimmer

Kade's swimming lessons ended today. He had a fun time and is a lot more confident in the water! I'm proud of his hard work!

Cousins, The Aquatic Center

We've had so much fun at the Aquatic Center this Summer with Heidi and Emmett. It's been a great thing to do during the long afternoons while Brad is working. I'm so sad Summer time is coming to an end!

Tenley's Pictures

I love looking through my phone pictures and seeing Tenley's photos. She loves to takes pictures especially of herself. Her other favorite subject is Ryder. I was surprised to see she caught a picture of me taking a nap on the couch! She is a sneaky girl!

Hard Work

We went to Donnelly for the weekend to help Brad's Dad work on his cabin. It was fun to see the kids join in on the work although they did get tired of it after a while. I love the mountains and it was so nice to have a little getaway with family in the mountains!

Summer

This is what our days have mainly consisted of this Summer and we've loved it!

Swim Lessons

Kade started swim lessons yesterday and today at my friends pool he asked if could jump off the diving board without a life jacket. I was really hesitant to let him, but decided that if he wanted to try it I should let him. He did a great job and wasn't scared at all! He kept doing it and swimming to the edge, and then swimming all the way to the other end of the pool! I was so proud of him!

Sunday

We've been trying harder to incorporate better Sabbath day activities at our home for our children and they've been liking them. They get to watch scripture movies and, most recently, write in their journals. Normally they'll just draw pictures of the fun things they did the past week. They love it and so do I!

Kade

Tonight Brad had planned a fun boys night for Kade and himself to go to the demolition derby while Tenley, Ryder, and I planned to stay home and watch the new Cinderlla movie. They've both been looking forward to it! The boys were able to watch a few of the events, but before too long Kade told Brad he wasn't feeling well and that he wanted to come. He could tell he had an asthma attack coming. Sure enough on their 20 minute drive home his attack progressed rapidly and he could hardly breathe. Tenley and I met them at the garage with his medicine and once we got him inside and finished his treatment he was doing a lot better. I hate to see him suffer like that. While he was lying on his bed in between treatments, I laid my head on his chest to listen to his breathing and to just hug him. While I was doing that he put his arms around my head and said, "Mom, how was Cinderella?" I couldn't believe that with all he was going through at that moment that he was thinking of me. He is such a sweet, sweet boy and I'm so grateful to have him and his wonderful example of love and kindness in our home. I'm also grateful that we've been able to get his attacks under control quickly. Medicine and prayer work miracles.

Parties at the Park

A local orthodonist in town threw a fun patient appreciation party at the park tonight. We had a yummy dinner, played on a lot of different bounce houses, and watched Big Hero 6 at the park. The kids loved staying up late and we all had such a great time!

Art Supplies

The kids and I went to the store to pick up school supplies for Kade today and we got some fun things for Tenley and I to use when we do preschool together. They've been enjoying using their new things and have been spending a lot of time at the table being creative!

6 Month Olds

Ryder is 6 months old now! He is the biggest piece of heaven that I've ever been able to hold in my arms. He is such a happy, friendly baby. He gives smiles to everyone and doesn't get upset when people other than mom and dad hold him. He loves to giggle, roll over, and try new food. He'll put anything in front of him in his mouth. We all love him so much and shower him with hugs and kisses everyday! We feel so blessed and lucky to have him as part of our family!

Binkies

Ryder hasn't always taken a binky. I was ready to give up trying, but these last few weeks he has been a little more grumpy than usual and so I tried again and he's been taking it! The binky really helps soothe him and he cuddles with us all a lot more easily now. We love our nightly cuddles with Ryder and we especially love when he'll fall asleep with us. He's a sweetheart!