Sidewalk Chalk

We were busy packing up for our trip to Utah today but when the kids finished their jobs they entertained themselves with sidewalk chalk! It was cute to see their drawings. And Ryder was loving it too!

Bowling

We had another fun vacation day today! We all went to Zumba in the morning and there were a lot of kids running around but it was still a good workout. Then after lunch we went bowling with some friends which the kids loved! It's going to be a good Summer.

Ryder likes Tenley's shades!

Summer Vacation!

Summer vacation has begun and I'm so excited! We've got a lot of simple, fun plans and goals so I hope it's a worthwhile summer and we don't waste this fun time we have together.

It started out really well! They made their beds and did their dishes throughout the day. We went and played at the park all morning and Kade and I practiced baseball. Brad told me to use tennis balls instead to help Kade gain more confidence and that helped a lot! He hit the balls really far and I think he was impressed! 

Sunday Best

Tenley has been loving getting ready for church now that she has so many dress options. She really enjoys looking her best for Church. I think she felt super pretty today because liked walking around with Kade and pretending they were going on a date together. She even picked out a bow tie for him to wear. It was cute and I was glad Kade was willing to wear it!

The Theater

I love live theater. Growing up it played a significant role in my life. My parents met at a theater. My dad ran the lights and my mom was an usher. My dad continues to do lights for different productions every now and then because he loves it. We'd often go to musicals at a community college when I was young and I loved it! I was even able to be in one in 5th grade at that college with my sister and my cousin (due to my connections, not my talent😉) and I had a blast! 

Luckily Brad enjoys musicals as well and today we were able to take our kids to see a local production of Mary Poppins. They loved it! It was longer than I thought it would be but they all did really well. Even Ryder (who we probably should have left with a babysitter) was really good. I didn't have to leave the theater once with him. And we really enjoyed the show! The acting and the singing was great! We're excited to see more shows there in the future!

Kindergarten Graduation

Kade's last day of kindergarten was today! They had a cute little graduation for him today and a fun assembly that we got to attend. After that they had a fun little party in their classroom that Tenley, Ryder, and I crashed. He's had such great classmates and an amazing teacher. He's progressed a lot and I'm really proud of him for all that he's learned mentally and socially. Kade is a pretty great kid and we feel very lucky to be his parents!

War, Play Food

Kade had field day today at school. He loved it! They had a lot of water games and Kade got to play on a slip n slide for the first time! He had a lot to tell me today when I picked him up from school! I'm glad he had such a fun time.

Tenley was pretty sad she missed out on such a fun day so we tried to do our own little fun things together. We played a lot of games and her new favorite one is the card game 'war'. She's pretty good at it!

Kade had another baseball game and he's doing well! I just love watching baseball and I especially love watching Kade play baseball! I'm so glad he loves playing it.

During dinner tonight Ryder learned how to put olives on his fingers! He thought it was so funny! And he also loved being pushed around in a box today by his siblings. Our kids are the best.

Summer Rain

It has been super hot this week! I'm not really ready for the heat of the summer but I might not have a choice. Luckily this afternoon we got a crazy rain storm that cooled things off a bit. The cooler weather got us outside even though it was raining. It felt so good! We were sad that Kade's baseball game was cancelled because of the storm but we really enjoyed playing in the rain.

Cuddles after getting wet.

Goofballs

Brad has a great sense of humor and he loves to tease and I think he passed that trait on to Ryder. Ryder loves to make us laugh anyway he can. Today he found a popcorn bucket in our storage room, put it on his head, and scooted around with it. We were all cracking up. He ran into a few walls but that didn't phase him much. He'd peek his head out a few times to laugh with us and then he'd put it back on a cruise around again. He keeps us laughing!

Shopping Trips

Heidi and I were able to go on a shopping trip up to Spokane for the day and we got to have a yummy lunch at Panera Bread. It was delicious! And shopping was a lot of fun. Our husbands are the best for letting us do that and helping out with the kids. I loved having a girls day out!

Good Quotes

I love inspirational quotes and this one I read earlier this week has really got me thinking about my priorities.

It's really helped me take a step back and think about what I love and what I'm allowing to be my focus or priority every day. I know what I want it to be. I want it to be my kids and my family. And if it ever isn't I hope I'm able to make some adjustments!

My kids are so important to me and I'm realizing how vital my role as a mother to them is for their well being and success in the future. I hope I can continue to improve!

(We missed Ryder in these pictures! He was already in bed.)

Simple Days

We stuck around home most of the day due to Kade's asthma but it was actually nice to have a relaxing day with no schedule and no where to be. Summer will be great for that reason! We played the Wii and lots of games. Ryder was very intrigued with Kade's nebulizer. He liked to stare right into Kade's eyes while he was doing it. And Kade read us books before bed. It was a simple, good day.

Little Girls

Tenley is so cute with her love of stuffed animals, baby dolls, and the color pink. She's quick to make us cozy with a blanket and a stuffed animal whenever we're chilling on the couch and she loves to make play food for us as well. It's pretty adorable and I'm grateful to have a sweet, caring, little girl in the middle of my busy boys. I definitely needed her help today too. Kade's having another asthma attack (I hate asthma so much!) and so Tenley helped take care of Kade and helped me make dinner. Hopefully Kade can get a lot of rest these next few days so he can be all better for his last week of Kindergarten!

Ryder

Ryder is a busy boy and super needy at times but he was in a really happy, easy-going mood today. He still made a ton of messes but his cute smiles and giggles made up for it all. After his afternoon nap he played on the floor with me and would take breaks from his destroying to cuddle with a pillow and sometimes even me! Then later when we went to play catch in the backyard he entertained himself with the mud. It was cute and funny until I had to clean him up. But he really is a sweet and charming little boy!

And Tenley lost another tooth! She pulled this one out by herself and was so proud! She couldn't stop smiling even when I was trying to take a picture of her new missing tooth.

Parks, Baseball

One of the great things about Lewiston is all the great parks to play at. Tenley, Ryder and I met some friends at a park this morning that we hadn't been to in a while. We even got the chance to feed some geese!

Tonight we got to see Kade play in his first baseball game of the season. He missed a few because we were out of town. He did a great job and we loved watching him!

I think Ryder was having fun... 😂