Horse Camp for Tate and Sadie

For a couple days, for a few hours, in our first week of summer,

Tate and Sadie went to horse camp.

They learned how to care for the horses, how to clean up around horses,

and some basic horse riding skills.

I wasn't able to be there to take pictures of them actually riding horses.

But, I did get some photos of them leading the horses and cleaning up after horses.

The clean-up may be my favorite part of the horse camp.

I love watching my kids clean up!

It feels like a rare thing.

Here's Lindy blog post when she took the same horse camp.

2015 Spring Soccer

This Spring we had 3 soccer players and a coach.

Kyle

Kyle has been playing soccer almost every year since he was about 4.

That makes 7+ years.

Kyle has played on a competitive team for the last couple of years.

We've also decided as a family not to play Sunday games.

It's hard as a parent trying to decide

how much to put into your children doing extracurricular activities-

cost, time, travel, how it effects the rest of the family, etc.

We've been happy to support Kyle with his soccer,

while trying to achieve some good balance as well.

Which can be a challenge,

since coaches takes it all so seriously, even for kids.

For now Kyle has decided to take a break from soccer.

He wants to play other sports next year as he starts middle school.

Tate

Sadie being a goalie

Coach Chris

Chris was the head coach to Tate's team.

They were a bunch of boys just learning to play the game,

and were loosing games more than winning.

Chris turned them into a team, they learned to play the game,

and came out winning.

I was so proud of Chris and his coaching skills!

He also helped Sadie's team too.

Mother to 5 children and a pet rat

I am not a pet person.

This is hereditary,

from my mom and my sisters.

I've done the pet gold fish thing.

Dead fish a few days later,

are always a little unsettling to me.

We had a pet frog once.

A stow-away in Tate's socks,

from a camping trip one summer.

It was left outside in our backyard.

I did have to buy it crickets.

Also a little unsettling to me.

My son Tate over the past

couple of years has been

BEGGING,

BEGGING,

for a pet rat.

He did his library book research,

he studied youtube videos on how to care for them,

and was always begging to visit the pet store.

Finally,

this Christmas all of his dreams came true.

He got his very own pet rat.

How's it going you ask?

Great, actually.

Really great.

I never touch it, feed it, or clean it.

The kids are all entertained.

Rats have a bad reputation.

But, actually out of all the

little furry rodents for pets.

Rats are one of the best.

They clean themselves.

They don't bite.

They are friendly and smart.

They nap most of the time.

They only live for a couple of years.

I would actually recommend it.

October Happenings

The month started when we moved on Oct. 3rd.

We lived in that home for 8 years.

Tate was just a baby, when we moved in,

and then we had Sadie and Brandon in the home.

It was right next to the elementary school, which we loved.

We made so many memories, and

even though it was exciting to move,

it was hard to leave a home that meant a lot to us.

The home sold.

Tate turned 9,

2 days after we moved in.

He requested a red velvet cake,

which Costco nicely provided for us.

All what Tate wanted for his b-day was a pet rat.

YIKES. . . a rat for our new house!

Hmmm. . .

Since he didn't get a rat for his b-day,

now he's begging Santa.

Hmmmmm. . . .

 I celebrated my 39th b-day. Still under 40!

Chris surprised me by having me close my eyes,

as he walked me around the house, then outside to open my eyes to our new home,

as he yelled, "Surprise".

This will be my b-day present every year for the rest of my life.

I'll take it!

Lindy and I went to a yw's mother/daughter witch's hobble.

It was a very fun and a clever yw activity.

I'm cackling in the picture, can you tell?

Fall is not complete without some Satuday Soccer Games.

This fall Kyle and Sadie played.

We carved pumpkins.

But, not on Kyle's b-day.

He specifically requested that we NOT carve pumpkins

on his b-day like we ALWAYS do he said.

Lindy's

 Brandon's

 Chris's

Sadie's

 Mine

 Kyle's

Kyle takes his carving very seriously.

You can see he's fast at work here.

A couple day's later we celebrated Kyle's 11 b-day!

A simple letter "K" cake.

Kyle asked for a pogo stick,

more origami paper, an origami book,

a Legend of Zelda video game.

I also gave him an alarm clock.

Then we did Halloween.

Lindy was a super girl.

Supergirl one night and

Flash for another night.

Kyle was the invisible man.

(His church suit is making a great

halloween costume for him year after year.)

Tate wanted to be a millionaire.

Hmmm. . . .Tate's ideas always have me wondering about him.

(Again, these church suits are being well used.)

Sadie wanted to be a pioneer.

I think she was inspired by Chris and I going on trek this past summer.

Sadie asked Chris to put some dirt on her face.

She must  know what it was like to be a real pioneer.

Brandon was Superman for our ward's trunk or treat

just like his last year's costume.

But after some more thinking,

and a kind suggestion from me he decided to

be the pirate "Captain Jones" for Halloween night.

He's combined Capt. Jack Sparrow,

and Indiana Jones into Capt' Jones.

And that was our October.

Now, we're knee-deep in snow and having an arctic freeze here in ID,

and Yikes. . . Christmas is about 5 weeks away.

Are you ready?