Colts birthday and back to school!

Well—Colt turned 9 and we headed back to school! That’s the short version of the week. 

But I can probably do a little better than that. 

Colts birthday was a little lame but we went camping and he got his kayak then so when it came to his actual birthday I only had a couple small gifts  —the rubix  cubes were a hit though! And I did get a cute pic of the birthday boy and his sister before church-it’s the first time she’s ever wore something I bought to church. I loved this little dress and jacket annnnd we missed our window, it’s the only time she’ll wear, it was too hard to get on!

I hope he had a good day!

He opted for Apple pie instead of birthday cake. 

This girl might have a place to sit if he brother would get out of her swing. 



I’ve got some pretty good helpers with her though. 

And poor Colt ever year it’s happy birthday then back to school! Monday we did the “sneak a peek” stuff and Tuesday was the real deal. 4 boys in 4 different schools!  (That all end at the same time-it’s a little tricky.) 

But here they are: 

Tanner was pretty nervous that first morning but he did his best to fake me a smile…then he kinda crumbled. Poor kid! We know he didn’t get his emotions from his dad! 

Seth-a-roo 

Who has been overly tired ALL SUMMER was sleeping in (thank heaven and boy do I love afternoon pre-school! Since he doesn’t nap anyway it at least gives me’n Addi a shot) 

And for how much this kid loves Rubble and yellow I have first day of school pics in both Chase (blue) and Marshall (red) he did try on Rubble too though.,,and probably 3 other shirts. Good heavens. At least I made him just put them back in the drawer I do enough laundry!!

He LOVES school though. 

Tuesday night we played a little softball with the Page’s and the Pettits, it was pretty fun, it might have to be our new back to school tradition! 

Oh and the boys discovered sycamore balls. (those brought back a few memories) 

Wednesday-boom-we’re already into football which was a total disaster with too tired Tanner-yikes-

There’s a whole story there but I’m too tired tonight, maybe I’ll add it in later. 

The elementary teachers occasionally send pic 😊 but I also got the email below from the middle school. 

I thought that was so nice of his teacher to send. 

I mean I could use a little more of that golden behavior at home but I’ll take an email like this!! 

A lot of our friends are doing home school but we haven’t wanted to…at ALL! Isaac and I chatted and came to the conclusion neither one of us really wanted to pray about it. I said “oh good we’re on the same page.” To which he replied “yeah, but the wrong page” 

Oh 

Yeah

Well

So we have been trying to be opened minded about it (because really-with where our world is headed at some point it could become what we need to/choose to/want to do) anyway but that little email along with Sis Porter’s Conf talk about light, salt, and leavening that kinda jumped out at me when she said “you can be as salt in your family, at school, and in your community.” 

So we feel good about things for now 

Phew 😮‍💨

I still have so many pics but at this point they are all from today. Yikes. Sethy and I took Addi to the park because I needed to distract him from wanting to go to school. And then Isaac student told him there was a mechanical bull to ride at school. I thought he was going to kill  himself…instead we took the kids over to do it after school. Ha

We’ll see if I can get a video put together-maybe on our way to Nauvoo. 

Elder Soares is coming for Stake Conf! Pretty cool huh?!!!  I think living in the Nauvoo Stake is pretty cool! Isaac took the youth over tonight…then we’ll go right back tomorrow. 

But he was gone so flag football on my own with all five kids-and after Tanners meltdown Wednesday I was a little nervous but we survived it! 

Colt got stuck with the older kids and hated it. Tanner…he’s a mix of pretty darn athletic and way timid and I can’t figure out why? 

He didn’t even remember diving after the guy-He didn’t get the flags but he just has good instincts! 

And tonight’s circus…he was pretty excited to try on Addi’s coat—and my note from TanTan

Hopefully I add and edit but for now it’s tired and I’m done. 

Add on:
Ok I should’ve spent time typing up Wednesday’s disaster but what I learned and more impressive what my kids learned -and taught me- 

About Heavenly Father being aware of us and helping us (Colt) and repenting and trying again to be better (Tanner) 

But instead I made the video of then riding the bull. 

https://youtu.be/KTZYuZrEjBg

And now I should go read sister craven’s talk about what matters most 😬

The last week of summer

I can’t remember Saturday

Sunday here we are on a little walk like a normal little family…

With a horse! 

We have a very similar picture from 3 years ago with goats. 

At least we keep things interesting—and it was beautiful weather for a walk! 

Addi has found her fingers! Obviously I never feed her-look at those cheeks. 



Rocky is the fix it pup in paw patrol so Seth was pumped to find a Rocky hat upstairs with the costumes then wear it helping dad work on the skid steer! 

And I can’t remember what they were all in on…but look at the grins-it must be something good. 

Sethy was super pumped I found these old cowboy boots of Cannons. 

They lasted about 1 day before the sole fell off. Bummer. I guess they weren’t made to be stored for 8 years. 

Tuesday after we fed the missionaries we took off in the motorhome (living Isaac’s dream)

We just went out to Hurdland, it was a hundred times better than that Nauvoo trip, and we were back and cleaned up by 11 so I really have nothing to complain about!! 

Isaac made it happen for a little early birthday camping trip for Colt. He wanted a kayak like Tanners for his birthday so we made that happen and Isaac took  us on this fun little overnighter so he could test it out. 

Happy early Birthday Colt!!!

Here’s a dumb thing though -Tanners birthday the only color out of stock was orange. This time Colts birthday the only color out of stock was green. So I bought orange, Sorry guys! I tried for favorite colors-both times. 

But the kids had a blast 

Fishing

Night games (I think it was just “tag”) 

A very weak fire but s’mores AND microwave popcorn-yum-

And there’s a fun little park there.

Sister and I on one side of the teeter-totter, Seth on the other! 

Thursday we went to the School of Business picnic—and these boys were pretty happy to try out the Kadens’s rope swing. 

Colts pretty good at climbing up the rope. Above top right was Isaacs attempt. I just like all the boys watching. 


And today we did nothing. 

We’ll I guess that’s a lie-I went to a baby shower and the boys went raccoon hunting. 

Bout it. 

Two different times this week Isaac made comments that…I don’t know…maybe eluded to the fact he doesn’t love me telling stories about him. 

Hmmm

While that’s fair—I’m thinking oh crud…surely he knows this is waaaaayyyy cheaper than therapy! 

Ha

Anyway

We’ll see, maybe I need to tone it down…

AND this week I ended up reading an old blog post from 2016 and I thought Holy Cow-Maybe I write too much. We don’t need to remember EVERY detail! So we’ll see. I didn’t  have much this week anyway…

Saturday Colt Cannon and Isaac helped Cannon’s new vice principal move in. The rest of us put ourselves in charge of drinks and stopped some Gatorade by. 

Sunday Sister wore the fluffy dress Sister Cannon gave her again-she got all kinds of compliments and I got a picture. Win win. 

Tuesday I went ministering (to Sister Cannons daughter and granddaughter-it was her birthday) She (daughter) was telling us about Roxy (granddaughter) inadvertently wearing a different dress every Sunday when she was little I thought -yeah pretty much- 

Cannon does a little “walking school” with Addi, it’s pretty cute. 

I don’t want to jinx us but I don’t think we’ve got anyone dumped off the horse this week. 👍🏻 I think the round pen was a good move. 

I’ve got my YouTube cowboy and my swimsuit cowboy. I don’t know what we’ll call Cann but he really is a great helper for his dad, 

We had friends out to zip line. 

We met the Tilton’s at the aquatic center-then church friends came too. 
Nothing too exciting, but we stay busy! 

Today we made a temple trip! It was so nice to NOT have to make an appointment and just get there when we got there-no stress- and it was great to be in the temple! I felt like this was a “new” one for the boys at the family living center-but we made a rope too! 

Last week I had what the boys remembered from Addi's blessing this week I’ve got what they wrote in a Book of Mormon for the missionaries. I text them back and said “Actually I might need to keep this one.” 

Colts is bottom left Tan’s bottom right I couldn’t get Colt’s name in on the collage. And I figured I might as well put mine and Isaacs on too. 

Speaking of the Book of Mormon we’re just about to finish it again as a family (we will tomorrow) now we (the boys and I) are just trying to decide how we’re going celebrate such an accomplishment 😉 time will tell!! 

It’s Friday again already! I feel like this one snuck up on us extra fast! 

Saturday was projects I can’t explain AND Grama and Grampa got here with the rest of our brothers! 

Then Sunday was Adalyn’s special day!! 

Grama made her dress! The lace was from her wedding dress and the blessing dress that she made me (I technically didn’t  wear it I wore the one Aunt Afton crocheted instead but whatever  it was still the blessing dress my mom had made me) this one was heirloom in that regard but custom made for Addi! (And a hot July & humid blessing day)  holy cow it was hot and muggy and trying to curl my hair was a waste of time but oh well…oh and we switched back and forth on her bow until I decided I just liked the lace one better. 





It was different than anything I’d ever seen-circle of 2! (Compared to Cannons blessing when all of Isaac’s brothers were there and his dad was still alive and both my brothers) but it was still really sweet! I had the boys write down what they remembered from her blessing. Here’s what we remembered: 

I literally (I think it is so funny when Seth says that)  but I literally just dug that notebook out of the diaper bag right now as I’m blogging, I guess I should probably put it in my journal or something!

On Monday Grama, Addi and I headed to Columbia for my root canal! Yikes! My dentist says his Philosophy is that an endodontist is more trained and has better equipment so he just refers everybody down to Columbia to the specialist and doesn’t do root canals at all. So the specialist ended up being a member of the church I can’t remember how it came up that I found that out oh maybe that I’d been to Utah and he was originally from Idaho from a town where I have a friend from or something like that. Anyway-nice guy but I pity anyone who has to sit in his dental chair!!! Holy cow! I’ve had a lot of shots in my mouth over the years —tons of them but several dentists and never had it hurt that bad!!!! He was awful! He’s saying “little pressure” and the freaking tears are just rolling out of my eyes. 

But other than that- (it’s Friday that was Monday and my mouth is still sore at the injection site. I guess I should quit complaining at least I had anesthetic) so other than that the root canal went fine we came home I had a nap grandma made dinner -it was great. 

And that morning while we were gone grampa and dad started on a project in the barn —they put some kind of electrical panel in. I don’t know but I know in the end it made it so Isaac can plug in his motorhome and run his welder and I think that made him pretty happy. 

Tuesday Grama and I tried and tried to get a picture of Addi in that blessing dress that shows how cute she really is…we got a few good ones…(the first one I posted of her today)? and one to put up on the wall so-good enough! 

Grama coached Tan up on cleaning the bathroom! 👍🏻

Some good Grama and Grampa time! We are so thankful they made the trek! 





And 9 early birthday spank’ns! 

They took off Thursday morning. 

Yesterday we had the Pettit's out… 

And I thought Saige broke her leg. Luckily that was not the case-just sore but holy cow that was quite a scare! And today our Tilton buddies came by for a quick visit! It is SO GOOD to have them back-in a town where so many of our friends just move move move away-the Tilton’s came back!!!! We are pretty happy about that! 

After the kids dumped off the horse scare Isaac purchased some panels and built a round pen today. 



Other shenanigans…



And tonight we lit the burn pile. 

We’re not in Utah! 

As far as I know next week should be uneventful 

Ha

Don’t count on it 😉