Cousin Time

 My kids, especially Ryder and Luke, have been having so much fun with their cousins! The weather was beautiful today so they got a lot of time playing outside. We went to a park and then rode the go cart around the neighborhood. The kids also spent a lot of time on the trampoline and were out there until 9 pm! I love to hear their giggles together!

Luke rocked the monkey bars at the park for his first time ever. Yena helped me make muffins and Yejin helped Tenley make muffins. They were both delicious. We’ve been making fun memories.

April Fools Day

 April Fools Day with Brad is never boring. My nieces got to experience his tricks today as well. They found their shoes in the lamp and my kids had lemon water and garlic powder on their toothbrushes. Luke was mad every time he got tricked and said he hates April Fools day! 

We had a fun day swimming with cousins and then going to a friend’s farm to see their new baby calf and baby chicks. The kids loved it!

When Brad got home from work and after we had dinner he wasn’t finished with his tricks…he gave Kade a piece of cake with a clue to begin a scavenger hunt. The kids love scavenger hunts because it usually leads to a surprise trip, but they also knew it was April Fools day and that it probably wouldn’t end well. There was a moment of fooling but eventually they did learn that we are going on a cruise next month! They are so excited! 

Easter Sunday

 It was the perfect Easter Sunday! I have loved making this holiday more special this year. We had a really wonderful church service. A lot of musical numbers and scriptures about the Savior’s life. It was amazing. I loved it. 

Then we got to come home and be with family all day! The kids had an Easter egg hunt, they worked on a puzzle with Grandma, we watched March Madness basketball, enjoyed Brad’s delicious brisket for dinner and vanilla ice cream for dessert, and got to sing to my mom for her birthday that is coming up on Friday. It was perfect.

Family

 My parents, brother and his family all came into town today! We’ve been looking forward to this for a while now. It will be a fun week with them. I don’t get to see them very often so we’re excited to spend a lot of time together. 

Egg Hunts

 We had an Easter party after co op today so the kids got to have a little egg hunt! Luke loved it. He really loves co op. We’ve all made such good friends! 

House Cleaners

 The kids and I are pretty tired of cleaning this week, but I am loving having such a clean house. I did call in reinforcements today though and for the first time ever in my life I paid for a house cleaner. It was nice, but I think I may prefer doing it myself! I don't know what is wrong with me! We needed it this week though, so I am so grateful. The kids were pretty grateful as well!

Tenley taught Luke how to play "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" on the piano today. It was so adorable. He's really excited to start taking lessons. I'm just not sure when I'm ready for him to start!

Visits

 Kade and Tenley both had their last basketball games of this Spring season tonight. Tenley made three baskets!! I was so proud of her. She made so much progress this month. Kade played great as well! 

The little boys had fun making a volcano and Kade had fun doing some art. It’s fun watching them work on projects! 

Even though my kids are amazing my favorite part of the day was visiting with a friend. Her mom is bedridden and only has a few days left to live. She and her sisters have been taking care of her as she slowly passes on to the next life. It has been so hard for her and for her whole family. Patti and I were out doing other visits and we decided to go back and check in on Stephanie. It was a good visit mainly because Patti is so good at bringing happiness everywhere she goes. She brought light into their home, made them laugh, and dissipated a challenging situation. It was amazing. I was lucky to be there. They’re an amazing family and we’re hoping these next few days go as well for them as they possibly can. Life is fragile. Even when you’re old and it’s time to go, it's not easy. It really made me appreciate life so much more. Again. Like so many other situations in my life have. I guess I need the reminder often.

Spring Cleaning

 We are spring cleaning the house this week! I love a clean and organized home and it really needs it right now. We started with the kitchen today and Kade and Tenley were extremely helpful! I can’t believe how much food we had in our cupboards and fridge that needed to be tossed. It looks so much better! Ryder and Luke were extremely helpful in keeping us all smiling! Haha. They’re such funny boys.

Flute Fesitval

 It's been a busy week of music! Tenley had her flute festival this morning. She is progressing well and she did such a great job today! She was proud of herself for getting through it all without crying. She is hard on herself and super competitive so festivals always add some pressure when she is being judged, but she took all the constructive criticism with a smile today!

And tonight Tenley had her first big babysitting job. She had three kids for 5 hours and one of the kids is just one year old! He was a handful for her but she did eventually get him to sleep and she enjoyed babysitting!

March Madness

 All of our kids filled out a bracket for the NCAA tournament and they’ve really been getting into it now! Luke is surprisingly into it the most. He chose the Florida Gators as the champion mainly because he loves alligators. He was excited to watch the game but was nervous the whole time since the gators were down most of the game. When they finally tied the game with just a few seconds left Luke was jumping up and down like crazy! And then just like that the other team scored and time ran out and the gators lost. Poor little Luke was crushed! He cried! Oh it kind of made me laugh. We couldn’t even console him with the news that Yale had won which was an upset he had chosen. He must have a competitive spirit…

Kade played in a scholarship recital tonight and played beautifully! We took the kids out for a blizzard afterward. They are the best kids!!

Co-op Day

 My kids always look forward to co-op each week. They love the chance to see their friends and not have to do schoolwork with me haha. We’ve been lucky to be able to join such a great co-op!

In science we learned how blood travels through the body with a game. The kids seemed to enjoy it and hopefully they learned a little bit at the same time!

Superior Ratings

 The sun was hiding today and it was definitely chillier. A winter storm is coming! The boys still had time to enjoy jumping on the trampoline for one more day. 

I felt like a chauffeur toting Kade and Tenley around today. Tenley had basketball practice and then went to a friend’s house. Kade had soccer practice and then church activities tonight. We also had piano this morning and all three kids got superior ratings at their piano festival! Ryder even got a perfect score! He was so excited because he’s gotten three superior ratings in a row so he gets a trophy with his name on it now! After piano he told me he doesn’t care if he gets superior ever again because he just wanted a trophy. And then Kade and Tenley told him that if he gets three superiors again he gets another trophy. He quickly changed his mind and said he’ll keep trying to get superior!

Exciting Basketball Games

 Kade and Tenley both had basketball games tonight against Foothills. Tenley’s team won by several points and Kade’s game was a lot closer but they still won! It was exciting. Tenley had fun cheering for Kade with all the other sisters there watching there brothers. This short season of theirs is almost over but it’s been so much fun!

Ring Pops

 Luke has been begging for ring pops for weeks. I honestly should have held out until his birthday in May, but his sweet little puppy dog eyes finally won me over. He had the biggest smile on with his ring pop! He loved his ninja class again today. He said he's learning how to do a back flip which is crazy! He so quick and fast and has no fear. He'll make a good little ninja.

Right after their class Kade had soccer practice and since it was one of the most beautiful days of the year we hung out there at the park. It was gorgeous!!! Perfect temperature, no wind, no mosquitos. We don't get many days like that here in Montana. We soaked it all in!

Warm Sunshine

 The warm weather has felt so nice! After church I spent an hour outside soaking up the sunshine while the kids played on the tramp. It was amazing. I’m in denial of another cold storm coming this weekend.

Tenley shared her musical talents again today. She accompanied the young women on the piano as they sand the youth theme ‘Disciple of Christ’. She didn’t seem nervous at all. I was so impressed by how well she did. 

We had another little party for Brad since the kids didn’t come out to dinner with us last night. We had a yummy dinner and dessert, a walk around the neighborhood, and of course watched the NCAA basketball selection. We’re excited for March Madness! It was a pretty perfect day.