Family Birthday Dinners

Brad's birthday is coming up in a few days so we had a special dinner for him tonight with the Simmons. Heidi was really sweet and decorated the table with some fun pictures of Brad from their childhood. It was a fun evening.

Movies

We went to the last movie of the winter series for kids and it was Kung Fu Panda 3 today! The kids were excited. It was a really cute movie. We had a lot of fun going to the movies almost every Saturday these past few months. But luckily the weather is warming up now so we'll be able to do more things outside.

Family Adventures

I love adventures and toting three kids around with me all the times can turn any ordinary day into an adventure.

After Kade finished school today we all drove up to Moscow for Brad to get some tax documents and then we decided to try out the restaurant Jimmy Johns. It was really yummy! And they had fun inspiring quotes all around the restaurant which I loved.

After that we drove to a lake to check out a camping spot that Brad might take his boy scouts to sometime. It was cold and rainy and the lake was mostly ice but the kids loved throwing rocks and trying to get the rocks to go through the ice.

It was a fun adventurous day!

They've become really good at long car rides!

Ryder thought it was hilarious to be the one feeding me for a change. He was even prompting me to say 'Ahh'. He's such a happy, funny, boy!

Kids

I'm so blessed to be a stay at home mom. Every afternoon after Ryder wakes up from his nap we all have fun playing together. It's one of the best parts of the day. It was rainy today so we had more tea parties and did puzzles. Kade is getting really good at doing them all by himself! 

Kade really made me laugh the other day. I was giving him a pep talk about how he can do anything and how nothing is impossible. He quickly looked at me and said, "Counting to infinity is impossible!"

He got me there! Sometimes I can't believe how smart and quick witted he is. I love being surrounded my cute kids all day every day.

Kade reading books to us before bed is the best!

Tea Parties

Tenley set up a tea party for the boys and I today. At first she didn't want Ryder to join because she knew he'd just mess it all up, but then she decided to be nice and allow him to play. He did end up messing it all up, of course, but Tenley had a good attitude about it. Ryder is at a busy stage in life and he's teaching us all a lot of patience!

Kade's Decorating Skills

Kade loves to add some of his art to his wall. He's picky about it though and he has to really love it for it to end up on the wall. I love the things he's chosen to put up. He's a creative boy!

Cafe Rio

We had a long drive home today but we were able to stop half way for lunch in Missoula at Cafe Rio! I was so excited to see they had that restaurant there. It's one of my favorites and it's growing on the kids as well.

Cousin Time

Cousin time is the best. There really is nothing that makes my kids happier than being with cousins. It's been fun to see them all bond this weekend. I love seeing them have so much fun and be so happy. It's always hard to leave but we sure look forward to the next get together!

Marco Rubio spoke in Idaho Falls tonight so we adults decided to go hear his speech. It was a fun experience.

Baptism

Today we were able to see my eight year old niece Libbi get baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She seemed so excited and happy for her big day and she looked beautiful! 

The woman who spoke about baptism talked about how we can remember the promises we make to our Heavenly Father at baptism by thinking about the story of Goldilocks and the The Three bears. We promise to "bear" the name of Christ, "bear" testimony of our Savior and Heavenly Father, and to "bear" one another's burdens. I thought that was a great and simple way to explain the promises we make to the young children choosing to get baptized today. 

I'm so grateful for my membership in the church and the wonderful memories I have from my baptism day. The gospel has done nothing but bless my life. I loved seeing my sweet niece take that same step toward eternal happiness.

Road Trips

I've always loved long road trips. I love seeing new places and having new adventures. Since we've had kids road trips haven't been quite as relaxing and enjoyable as they once were but I still enjoy them. Today we drove 10 hours to be in Idaho Falls for a niece's baptism tomorrow. The kids are so excited to be here! And so am I. 

The kids all traveled well! Tenley was sweet to share the iPad with Ryder so he could watch some videos with her. She was actually really helpful with Ryder. He loves her so much and loves playing with her. It was fun watching them bond today. Tenley was sitting next to him while she was eating crackers and she'd share one with him and then eat one herself. Whenever he'd whine she'd find him a new toy. And they were both giggling a lot! And Kade was perfect like always! I'm so grateful for my kids and all the beautiful scenery we saw today!

Muscles

This kids ate all their broccoli tonight! And they were so excited about it because they knew it would help them get stronger. They both had me feel their muscles after dinner so I could see how much stronger they were! Such cuties.

Their faces are so serious!

Creativity

I love it when Kade and Tenley get lost in the games they play together. I often find some part of the house arranged in a different way for one of their games. It makes me smile.

Story Time

Kade has been reading a lot lately so he can earn a ticket to Silverwood theme park. Today after Ryder's nap he wanted to sit in the rocking chair and read to all of us. We loved it! He's such a great reader.

Elder Hobson

Our nephew, Joey, is serving a mission for the church in Portugal right now. I love reading his letters every week. He always adds some good spiritual insight that he has gained through his studies at the end and it's always uplifting to me. I'm grateful for him and for all the missionaries serving around the world.

Service

Tenley loves to bake as I think I've mentioned before, so today we baked cookies. Tenley wanted to take them to someone and she chose the Gibbs family. Their daughter has babysat the kids before and Brother Gibbs is always so nice and friendly to them. The kids were really happy afterward and loved being able to serve someone!

Low-key Days

We hung out at home all day today and it was nice and relaxing. Played more games, jumped on the tramp, went for a walk to the park, and grilled for dinner. I loved it!

Skiing

We took the kids skiing today! Initially just Brad and Kade we're going to go but Tenley was begging to learn how to ski as well so we decided to all go! And I'm glad we did. Kade and Tenley had a few hours of a ski lesson and Ryder and I watched them while Brad was able to ski around the hills. The kids did a great job, never complained, and loved it! They were sad when we had to leave. I loved watching their progress and am so proud of them. Plus it was such a beautiful day and it was nice to be in the mountains.