Happy 5th Birthday Kaden!

Kaden turned 5 on June 13th.  Thanks to the amazing Aunt Heidi he was able to pick out whatever he wanted for breakfast, and lunch - I had to go to school.  We went tubing on the Comal River where it ended up raining and being freezing cold, but it was still fun.  I like helping my boys try new adventures.  We had a fun birthday dinner with Uncle Robbie & Aunt April up in Austin too.

5 Things I love about Kaden

1- Kaden is wild and crazy but still has a shy side to him.

2- Kaden is sensitive to other people's feelings and wants to please.  I tell him all the time that he is my special helper.

3- Kaden is a great friend to all.  If Kade Man feels safe then he can become friends with anyone.  He is always quick to say please and thank you too.

4- Kaden is very methodical.  Kaden loves having order and things in their right places.  He is definitely my kid!

5- He is snuggly.  Kaden loves snuggling up and being close.

Summer preview

Sometimes you just need your family!

After a fun filled weekend at Grandma's, we got home to Grandpa coming for a visit.  My Dad came to help me watch the boys for a week.  I think his timing being here was perfect, he helped me watch all my health videos for my May-mester class and I think it is safe to say he got more out of it than me.  It was nice having someone to talk to and bounce ideas off of for my class and to help me figure out my new classes.  My Dad is a very smart man, I might not always understand the way he teaches, but he is definitely someone fun to have around.  The boys enjoyed spending time with Grandpa and kept calling him Grandpa JD (my Dad's dad who recently passed away) at times.

My Dad left for the weekend and Aunt Heidi came to town.  She spent so much time setting up Camp Aunt Heidi.  She planned all sorts of fun ideas for the boys, and my brother's kids as well.  You can read the play by play over on her blog here.  She already talked to the boys about what they are going to do next year.  They tell me they are flying on an airplane!  The saddest part for me was when she left and Kaden woke up the next morning asking where Aunt Heidi was.  Thanks Heidi for all you did for the boys, you are truly super woman! 

Aunt Heidi left and Aunt Heather flew into town.  She is here helping until the end of the month.  So far they have made cookies, rode bikes, and relaxed.  The boys have asked to do just that.  She has some fun plans brewing too.  Thanks to Aunt Heather's new ipad when I am gone to school way too late I am able to facetime with the boys.  Thank you Steve Jobs!

I am swamped with school deadlines during the week but have managed to play most weekends so far.  Sitting for 8-10 hours a day in a gray room with no windows and a fifteen minute break makes for some very long days.  I am so grateful for my family stepping in and making it possible for me to continue my schooling.  School is definitely a challenge and I could probably stand to put more time and effort into my studies, but it is the summer and I'm realizing it's ok to settle for As and Bs.

Lest you think the other aunts and uncle are left out, we have had trips or face-timed with them at least weekly.  Like I said, sometimes you just need family!  Looking back I don't know what I was thinking when I signed up for as many hours as I did, but I will make it through and be that much closer to graduating.

Here are pictures I had taken for Mother's Day.  

 This one shows the boys personalities.  Hyrum attempting to keep a straight face and not be embarrassed by his little brothers.  Kaden laughing at something he did or said.  Quinten waiting for the perfect opportunity to bolt.

 Kaden

 Hyrum

 Quinten & I.  TinTin took a nap on the way to pictures, so he was not wanting his picture taken very much or wanted to cling to me and not leave my side.

 We tried for a piling up picture, at first we didn't think it was going too well, then this picture was captured.  I love it!

 Me and my team of crazies.  Without these boys, life would be boring.

we are alive!

I guess it is time to update the old blog again now that school is out!  This semester sure has been a crazy busy one.  I have survived 3 kids with a week of pink eye at the same time, one tonsillectomy, 3 different bouts of the same child with ear infections, numerous colds and runny noses, 2 boys with croup, losing my own voice two separate times, last week was my Grandpa JD's funeral in Oregon, 2 confirmed cases of pneumonia and one asthma attack at my house and yet I have had friends step up again and help me with my boys & food when I couldn't take any more time off and I'm exhausted. Through this all, I managed to work hard and get straight As while taking 16 hours of school.   We managed to squeeze in some fun trips as well.

I am at my mom's house for Memorial Day weekend and she has been asking me what I have learned this semester.  The thing that sticks out to me the most is not that the academics, but the fact that I was able to keep my head above water and succeed.  I know that I could not have done what I did without the help of my Father in Heaven.  I am grateful for the lessons I have learned that I can stand on my own 2 feet.

I am thankful for all the help I can get because I am cramming in 15 hours during this first term of summer school.  6 weeks of craziness, but if this semester goes like the rest, the time will be over before I know it.  We have all sorts of fun trips planned for June and August so watch for us possibly driving to a town near you.

Hyrum is wrapping up 3rd grade and if you ask him about school will tell you that he has mastered the multiplication standard and passed the STARR test.  He is ready for summer vacation because he doesn't think it is fair that his little brothers are finished with school 3 weeks before him.  Hyrum has also enjoyed the benefits of being older and starting to work.  In the last week he has worked many hot hours in the San Antonio sun mowing laws.  He had 3 jobs in a week and another this weekend at Grandma's house.  He has a goal to save up to buy a segway.  He is also still talking about joining the Army when he grows up and starting to wonder what he has to do to get into West Point.

Kaden finished up preschool with his wonderful teachers Mrs. Pena and Mrs Crystal.  He learned so much during this last year and I pray that he is ready for kindergarten in the fall.  He does not turn 5 until mid June so he will be one of the youngest in his class.  He and Hyrum were lucky enough to draw slots in the lottery for the charter school near our house for next year.  I trust that things will work out for them both as things are falling into place.

Quinten still my crazy free loving child.  He is witty and can always make you smile.  He too finished up the school year with amazing teachers.  He loves Mrs. Cindy and Mrs. Maltos.  He tested 2 years above his age in many things.  He is still attached to Snowey Bear and drags him around with him any time he is allowed.  TinTin also LOVES gum.  If you want him to talk, talk to him about gum, but be warned once you get him started talking about it, you will never hear the end of it.

And now what my family has been waiting for, pictures

 Kaden giving my SpiderMan kisses through the gates at school.

 TinTin being his usual fearless self.

 Hyrum getting his first segway lesson from our friends.

 Kaden enjoying the roller coasters at Circus Circus during our trip to Vegas for Spring Break.  When you ask him what his favorite thing about his Mom it is that I take him to roller coasters.  When we go on special dates he asks for us to be able to ride more.

Quinten wants to fall asleep holding my hand.  If I can get him to lay still he will grab y hand and quickly pass out for the night.

 Our adventure to Vegas.

Hyrum wants a surf board for Christmas.  

 My hard working 9 year old!

 We went to the beach Saturday night and Quinten slept in the van the entire time because we wiped him out walking at NASA earlier in the day.  He was awake for the fairy boat ride that night though and was cute when after riding across he asked when we were going to get on our "cruise ship" and ride back.

Waiting for the waves to come in.  This picture makes them look teeny tiny, but for Galveston they were actually on yellow flag for the evening because of wave height.  I love love love what water does for Hyrum.  It calms him like nothing else can.

Family Portrait

For Kaden & Quinten's school I have to do hours of service time with them. There are story books that come home that we read then we do an assignment about it. For this one, we read a book about Clifford's family then Kaden had to draw a picture of his family.

I find it interesting that this is how he draws his family and the parts of our bodies that he chooses to accentuate.  I also think he wanted to make sure Quinten knows he is the baby of the family and so he drew him "teeny-tiny because he will always be a baby."  This is important to Kaden because as he notices Quinten wearing clothes that he (Kaden) used to wear that he worries Quinten will soon pass him up.

2013 Foam Run

Saturday was a fun day.  I was kid free and had a blast in the Foam Run with my friends.

I hurt my right knee a few weeks ago doing something stupid so it had been sore and bruised up but this was something I was not gong to miss!  I to run almost the entire first mile until it was sending tingles down my leg so I walked between obstacles but I finished.  It wasn't timed but was fun. There as more mud than I expected and we got super dirty, but that added to the fun of it.

Pre-Race

Post Race Jumping

The bubbles that were blowing off the starting line were awesome.  Almost as fun as the race.  None of us had a waterproof camera so we are waiting on the professional pictures still.

Post Race

Then the day wasn't over because the car overheated on the way home and we got towed home.  It was a fun, exhausting day. I don't know why I never signed up for these things before!

New Year's Fun

Back to New Years to recap the fun there.  Once again friends from all over Texas got together and we rented a house up in Boerne & had a lot of fun. There was a pool and hot tub that we un-winterized and swam for hours after we did a Polar Bear Plunge....I wasn't going to do because I had just gotten over being sick but was talked into it.  We played on the Riverwalk, people went shooting and ate Rudy's.  Another great weekend with people who are outgoing and fun.

Kidfree Weekends don't have to suck

So what do you do when you are single and kid free every other weekend? You go on fun outings with friends!  In March we all got together from all over Texas and met up in Austin to hike Hamilton Pool, paintball, then go out to dinner.  It was a blast.  The girls wore old wedding dresses or bridesmaid dresses and the guys wore old suits.  The pictures are totally in random order but I am glad for this group of people who love fun adventures like I do.We even made out own Harlem Shake video.  Random but fun.