Zip Lining

Last week was girls camp and Scott and I had the chance to go zip lining with a group of girls for their High Adventure Activity. The original activity was white water rafting, but we had a handful of girls that didn't want to go, so we took them zip lining instead. It was so much fun. 

Neither of us had gone zip lining before and it was really fun to experience it together for the first time. Our guides were awesome and the tour was a blast. The hardest part is definitely stepping off the platform! After every initial step, I screamed and screamed. Scott was as brave as they come and it didn't phase him a bit. 

We can't wait to go again!

Metal Mouth

 Tayden joined the brace face club this morning. He couldn't have been happier and though his teeth are a little tender, he looks cute as can be. 

Turneys

 The Turneys had a couple of free hours while they were in Idaho last week. They decided to spend it with us in Ashton and we could not have been happier. We love these forever friends!

Back row: Beckett, Tayden, Stacey, Scott, Adam Turney, Melissa Turney, Hannah Turney, Paige Turney

Front row: Jonathan Turney, Sam Turney, Kyle

Stay the Longest Challenge

Tayden and his friends decided to do a "stay the longest" challenge. Basically, they drew out rectangles on a friends grass and challenged each other to who could stay in their rectangle the longest. They had an awning for shade and I took them to the Speedi-Mart down the road for treats. Shopping with these boys for snacks was hilarious and just so darn cute. They are a great group of boys!

 

T-Ball

 Since purchasing our property in Ashton, we have steered clear from summer sports as much as possible. However, Kyle begged to play to t-ball and I couldn't say no. Its a can live with it, can't live without it situation. 

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.