Dale

Our quick, less than 24 hour trip ended way too soon this afternoon. Even after the 7 hour drive home, we’ve all concluded that it was definitely worth it!

Dale’s ‘farewell’ talk was so well written and presented. I’ve known Dale for almost 15 years now and we were able to live so close to him for 5 of those years. It was pretty neat to see him all grown up into such a mature and handsome young man. I’m so excited to hear all about this next adventure in his life.

It was also so nice to see family this weekend, a lot of whom we haven’t seen since last year! Luke was our entertainment because he was such a busy boy! But everyone loved to play with him.

Lewiston

We drove out to Lewiston today to hear Dale speak in church tomorrow before he leaves on a mission to St. George, UT! It was a long but beautiful drive filled with a ton of memories. The kids have been running around with cousins ever since we arrived, driving the golf cart, playing guitars, and riding scooters on their ramp. They never ever ever want to leave!

Books and Movies

Brad and George went fishing today and Kade and Tenley went to school so it was a quiet house here. Ryder begged and begged Judy to play cars with him which she did. And then he asked her to read book after book after book, which she also did. It was cute and he was happy to get so much attention!

When the older kids got home we all watched Aladdin with Judy because she had never seen the old one or the new one before! It’s such a good movie.

And I watched the new Book of Mormon video that was just produced by the church. It is amazing!!! I can not wait to see more.

Fishing was fun for the boys! It was a cold day so we had soup for dinner and then ended the day with some fun football games!

Keena

Keena turned one today! We spoiled him with extra yummy food and new toys. He was pretty happy today and we had a hard time putting him in his kennel because he didn’t want to put his toys down. We all, especially my little boys and Brad, love Keena and are grateful to have him. It was a tough year with him because puppies are ridiculously hyper and February was a frozen wasteland so we all got sick of being inside, but we’re hoping it gets better from here on out.

Grandpa Hobson

Today is my father in laws birthday and he arrived just in time for us to feed him a birthday dinner! Brad has a fishing trip planned for the two of them for Friday so we’re lucky enough to get to spend his birthday with him as well. My niece who is serving her mission in Ecuador was also able to video chat with him today for his special day. It was super cool! Even Luke was excited to see Haley!

We had a yummy salmon dinner and his favorite lemon meringue pie for dessert. He’s been on the phone most of the night with family and friends. He sure is loved!

Ryder

All this one on one time that I’ve been getting with Ryder has been so much fun. I love getting to know how his mind works a little bit better. He is smart, he is strong, he is funny, he is caring, and he is opinionated haha. Tuesday’s are his favorites because he has gymnastics and okay time with friends!

Grandma Sycamore Bread

I found Kade’s most favorite bread at the store today. It’s the bread he loves at Grandma Woodruff’s house that they must have just started selling here in Montana! I was excited and he was grateful.

My kind must have been other places today because I totally forgot about the kids having piano lessons! Luckily Kade remembered and we weren’t too late. When we arrived we learned the our teacher’s dog had just passed this morning. She had her for a long time and Koby was the sweetest thing! She always put up with Luke ‘petting’ her. We felt so sad for her.

On a lighter note while we Ryder and I were searching for toys he found a cassette tape and wondered what on earth it was! Haha. He may never need to know...

Mickey Mouse Pancakes

Brad and Kade left early this morning to go golfing. The rest of us slept in and had Mickey Mouse pancakes for breakfast. The kids even decorated them with chocolate chips. Then we danced for exercise and played legos. It was a great morning!

Later we all went to the river again. Beside the wind, it was a beautiful day!

Throwing Rocks

Brad actually had to go in to work this morning so Ryder helped me do some cleaning. He is an awesome helper! And when Brad did get home we had time to play at the river with Keena for a bit before picking the kids up from school. Luke loved throwing rocks and was wanting to get in the water and play around with Keena. He is a brave soul!

For dessert I was going to make the kids cookies, but the begged for a skookie instead-one of my favorite desserts! It turned out perfectly and we all it ate so quickly that we had to eat another one. Haha. They really are my weakness...

Evening Walks

The weather was perfect today! Sunny and low 70s. After dinner we had to go for a walk to enjoy it. We ended up at a park with a play area that was the perfect size for Luke. He loved the swings and climbing up the stairs to go down the slide. He pitched a huge fit when we left. We need to go to the park more!

Thoughtful Kids

When I picked up Kade from school he was holding my most favorite treat ever; chocolate covered strawberries! Someone brought them to his class for a birthday treat and instead of eating them himself, he saved them for me! What a sweet boy!

Dental Advisors

Ryder's life kept me busy today. He had gymnastics and then a play date with his BFF Shelton. It was weird not to be around him so much!

Tonight I was able to join Brad for his monthly dental meeting. A pretty awesome and famous dental advisors came and spoke to the group. Brad listens to all of his podcasts and was excited to meet him. We learned a lot about how to take better care of our financial situation. It was a good night!

Big Brother Kade

Ever since Tenley and Ryder have moved downstairs Ryder requests that Kade read them a book and that Kade be the one to tuck him in. He loves Kade a lot. I always wanted a big protective brother when I was young. My 3 littlest kids got pretty lucky with their big brother Kade.

Weekends

It’s been nice to be home for the weekend so much lately. Kade had a birthday party to go to and  Brad and I got more projects done around the house while Tenley and Ryder played together. We moved them downstairs with Kade. They don’t have bunk beds now so they made forts under their beds. They play together so well when it’s just the two of them.

Brad and I went on a little date tonight and Kade watched the kids for us. They had fun and even little Luke was a good boy.

Luke is Mr. Curious lately. He is in to EVERYTHING! If I say no and take something away from him he doesn’t care too much. He just moves in to something else. He’s such a sweetheart when he’s not teething! A few days ago he played with the kids most of the morning and then came and laid his head on my lap so I put him down for a nap and he fell asleep without a fuss! It was so sweet. After a few weeks of teething, this sweet version of Luke is much appreciated!

Brad's Popcorn

I was craving some family time tonight so we turned on America's Got Talent and Brad made us popcorn. It was the perfect night.

Kade's Name Tag

I got to meet the kids’ teachers tonight and hear about the great year ahead for them. I love our school and their teachers. I’m so excited for them!

Kade loves his Dad so much that he just has to add his middle name to his name tag!

Co-op Preschool

Ryder had a little preschool group this morning. He learned about bears and had fun with his friends. Luke and I enjoyed the time running errands.

It was pretty hot and windy all day but it cooled off this evening and the wind stopped so we went for a walk. It was gorgeous!

Ninja Class

I put Ryder in a Ninja gymnastics class and his first day was today. He loved it! He was really good at all the things that the teacher asked him to do. The highlight was getting to run up the warped wall. I can’t wait to watch ninja warrior with him again now. I’m so glad I was able to get him involved in something!

Family Hikes

Monday holidays are amazing! Knowing that there is no where to be early Monday morning makes Sunday evenings that much more enjoyable. 

We took the kids on a three mile hike today in the Highwoods. We haven’t been in this area before and it was really beautiful. The kids did great on the hike, were supportive and patient with each other and didn’t complain! It was pretty amazing.

Sundaes on Sunday

For dessert tonight we had ice cream sundaes to celebrate the fact that we don’t have anywhere to be tomorrow! And until I wrote this post I didn’t realize what a fun and delicious tradition it would be to have sundaes every Sunday night! We may have just started a new trend...