End of Year

We made it! We made it to the end of the school year and best news, we got to stay in school!! We started with masks and social distancing protocals, but with the pandemic dwindling away, we finished school fresh faced and rubbing shoulders with friends. It was a miracle! All the kids had a great year and grew by miles. 

Tayden finished his last year of elementary. Its been really hard for me to swallow. I love our elementary and I am nervous to send him to middle school, but he is ready. He did great this year and his teachers really helped his succeed and stay on top of his work. He was part of hope squad and stayed very busy socially. He loved this year. These pictures of his end of year/elementary program speak volumes. 

Beckett is on to fifth grade. He had an awesome fourth grade teacher and excelled in his schooling. He was testing for GATE (Gifted and Talented Education), but we won't know if he made it until his ISAT tests are back. He does really well in math and started to enjoy reading this year as well. He has a great group of friends and is looking forward to next year. 

Cache loved second grade. He did amazing. Cache has always been a strong reader and scored in the 85% on all his state testing. He is one smart cookie. As smart as he is, he struggles with raising his hand and staying still. No surprise there. He worked really hard to control his outbursts and stay put this year. He did better, but I'm sure he'll still need to work on it next year and honestly, the years to come. The kid is busy. He made some new friends this year and can't wait to play with them this summer. 

Kyle made it through kindergarten! Of all my kids, he is most resistant to learning. That has been the biggest challenge of the school year. He has no desire to put in the work at home. He just wants to play all day everyday. We found he is reward motivated, so we started a star chart to pick a new toy and that worked well. He isn't reading as well as I would like at this point in his education, but he is moving right along and for that I am proud. I was able to go on his field trip and it was very clear he loves school for the social aspect. 

I love these boys and am so proud to call them mine. School and grades are important in this house, but even more so is to be a good person and be kind to those around you. We talk a lot about making good choices and helping fellow students. They can be hard and definitely defiant at times, but over all they are growing into fine young men. They have bright futures ahead of them. But in the mean time, we are going to enjoy every ounce of summer fun!! 

Memorial Day 2021

 We had a great Memorial Day weekend. We spend the long holiday in Ashton with Dave and Cheryl, the Snarrs and some of the Snarrs extended family. Ashton is just about our favorite place on earth, so it would take a lot to ruin it. Not even the day of sickness that Tayden, Kyle and I experienced ruined it.

Tayden was sleeping in the tent with his buddy Austin. He came into the trailer about 11:45 panicked, saying he had thrown up. I thought it was a fluke and that he probably ate something that didn't agree with him. I got him situated and headed back to bed. About 4 hours later, Kyle threw up. At that point I knew it wasn't a fluke since my stomach was starting to hurt as well. Luckily, we didn't deal with any additional vomit, but the boys and I were out the rest of the day. It made for a pretty boring day watching movies and laying in bed. I tried to come out and socialize, at a distance, as much as possible, but we were feeling pretty crummy. After a goodnight sleep, we woke up feeling refreshed and like new. 

While we were sick, Scott and his parents took charge of the other boys fun. Dave gifted the boys a boat for the property and this weekend we took it out for its maiden voyage. Beckett and Brody got to go fishing with Grandpa first and came back with lots of smiles and stories about the fish they caught. Tayden was immediately jealous and couldn't wait to get out there himself. Gratefully, he felt well enough to go that evening with Cache and they had luck too. 

The rest of the weekend was spent on the lake and reservoir fishing. My boys sure have found a new passion. I love watching the fish go from lake to plate and all under the ownership of the boys. Their techniques need some fine tuning, but I couldn't be prouder. 

Sunday morning, we had a lesson on flag etiquette and then a church lesson. As we gathered around and taught our children, my heart swelled with gratitude. Its in those small moments that I feel like we are doing something right. 

It was a great kick off to our camping season. We are looking forward to many more weekends spent at Snackards and enjoying the great outdoors.  

7 on 7

The big boys had a great 7on7 season. They grew a lot and both played fabulously. Unfortunately, the end of season tournament didn’t go as planned and both teams got eliminated before the final round. However, both boys were proud of how the played and got multiple touch downs and numerous blocks. Now, we enjoy a break until tackle starts in August. 

Rigby Strong

 Last week, Rigby Middle School, our neighbors to the North, endured a school shooting. Our boys wanted to show them extra support during this rough time. The sixth graders wore "Rigby Strong" headbands and gave all the Rigby boys a pack of extra gum that said, "Thinking of you extra". Both teams walked out to the field before the game and offered sympathy and support. They played for more. Football is community. 

Lake to lunch

We spent our first night of the season in Ashton last week. Even though it was cold, it didn’t stop the boys from having fun. Their favorite adventure was fishing. My favorite adventure was watching them get the fish from the lake to the lunch table. 

Tayden and Brody both caught a fish. Beckett didn’t pack his pole, so he was pretty bummed he didn’t get to fish. But, he was an excellent fish gutter and filleter. Then they all seasoned and wrapped the fish and cooked it over the fire. It was pretty tasty and I was so proud and impressed with those boys. 

This picture is perhaps my favorite story of all. Beckett really wanted to use Tayden’s pole, but Tayden said no. Beckett was pretty hurt and upset and Tayden genuinely felt bad. He apologized to Beckett and Beckett reluctantly accepted. I told them to hug it out, as always, but Beckett wasn’t feeling it. This is how their hug looked. They both came up with smiles on their faces. 

This is about as far as Tayden got gutting the fish before his little brother took over. 

I love that our boys have the opportunity to live this life style. They love it. It suites them. And I love watching them learn and grow. I’m so excited for the upcoming camping season and the adventures to come! 

Stitches

Beckett has been begging for a machete. For months. Finally, we gave in. Well, the other day his friend really wanted to see it. Against Becketts better judgement, he got it out to show him. As he was putting in back into the sheath, he missed and sliced his finger open. It ended up being deep and big and needing stitches. 

Although he was terrified to get stitches, he did great. He cut a blood vessel and it would not stop bleeding, so the procedure ended up being long and painful. Luckily for Dr. Dan, our cousins husband, Beckett felt comfortable and at ease. It also helped that little Kyle made sure Beckett had Monkey before he left. In fact, Kyle was the star of the evening. He ran to get Becketts shoes and socks and sat next to Beckett with his arm around him. The minute we left, he knelt down and prayed for his big brother. Its moments like those I feel like we're doing something right as parents. 

90 minutes and 7 stitches later, Beckett has a new rule with his machete; no more machete. 

Mane Cut

Tayden finally cut his wild mane. And boy does he look handsome!