Weekend Fun

The past few weekends have been super busy and packed with so many fun activities.  It feels like we are getting a running start  to jump right into summer and I couldn't be happier about it. 

Friday afternoon Tim and Luke packed up and headed up Hobble Creek Canyon to Fathers and Sons with our ward.  From the moment Luke heard the activity announced, he has been counting down the days and asking when it would finally be time for "the boys" to go camping.  When they left he had a big smile on his face and when they got home, the smile was even bigger.  Luke had so many stories to tell about their big adventure and it was fantastic to hear about all of the fun they had.

Campfires and marshmallows are the best part of any camping trip.

Having his best buddy Drake there made the trip even more fun.

There was plenty of silliness before bed.

This may have been about the only time Luke slept all night.  He and Tim said it was super cold, and they were camped near a light and a generator so they didn't get much sleep.  They came home super tired, but even running on fumes, they still had the best time together. 

Saturday morning Tim and Luke got up early to clean up camp and met me and Ruby so we could go to Luke's first baseball game.  He had been scheduled to play the week before, but the games got rained out so this was their very first.  I think this may end up being a favorite sport for Luke - he's a great hustler out in the field and of course, his favorite position is "batting".  In this league everyone hits and they go through the full roster each inning.  The kids advance one base per hit until the last batter for the inning and then they all run the bases to home.  On Luke's very first at bat of his baseball career, he was the last batter so after hitting the ball, the base coaches kept sending him and he was able to run all the way home.  On the last stretch from third to home, he was just so happy and kept yelling "I got a home run on my very first try".   Everyone got a kick out of his enthusiasm and I loved seeing his absolute joy at being able to be a part of the game. 

 

 

Second baseman just like Grandpa Broadbent

She is definitely Luke's biggest fan!

After the baseball game, everyone changed and got packed up so that we could head to Lagoon.  The weather was perfect and the kids were super excited to be back to go on their favorite rides.   

Lagoon was super busy with music and dance competitions and several school trips.  After waiting in very long lines for rides, the kids and I decided to head over to Pioneer Village where we ended up spending several hours exploring all of the old buildings and exhibits.  I knew the kids loved the jail, and the museum with the old wagons, but this time they wanted to see every building and shop and had so many questions about every last detail of pioneer life.  I think their favorites were the old church, and City Hall.  It was fun to see them so fascinated by the history.  

 

Tim spent some time at Lagoon on the rides with us so that Luke could go on some bigger kid rides.  Then he was able to spend time with his dad and Brycen.

Mother's Day 2018

When I was a little girl I loved to play house and my babies were my very favorite toys.  For as long as I can remember I wanted to be a mom - and then I grew up and got older, and my life didn't work out the way I planned, and I wondered if being a mom was something I would ever get to experience.  Along the way I was blessed to be able to love and mother so many kids and and I absolutely love my titles of "favorite aunt", "stepmom", "teacher", etc.  These relationships filled my "mama cup" and helped me learn to love unconditionally.  When I finally got the chance to have my own kids- I think the wait made me more grateful and certainly much more aware of what an amazing miracle it is to have these two little loves.  I love that there is a day to celebrate such a special relationship and really, Mother's Day with little kids is just pure joy!  Luke and Ruby were so excited for the chance to celebrate together and they made me feel so special and loved for days leading up to the holiday.  This has by far been my favorite Mother's Day with these two.

On the Friday before Mother's Day, Luke's Kindergarten Class hosted "Mom and Muffins" and invited us in to celebrate.  When we arrived, we found some books and a place to get comfortable, then had a chance to read stories together while everyone snacked.  Luke was concerned about me because the muffins weren't gluten free - he even went to ask the teacher if they had anything different for me.  Once I assured him that I was fine and not really hungry, he settled down to eat and listen to me read.  Luke really is such a thoughtful boy and it was so fun to spend the time together.  After reading, the class sang "A You're Adorable" to us and the cuteness was too much.  Luke does everything with enthusiasm and having him sing to me with so much excitement nearly made my mama heart burst.  When they finished Luke had a flower and art project for me and even walked most of the way home with me before racing off with his friends.  It was all pretty fantastic. 

Mother's Day morning started with early church and the kids singing in sacrament meeting - is there anything better than watching your kids sing while they wave wildly to make sure you can see them!  When we came home, they told me to rest while they worked with Tim to make sure I had an amazing brunch of German pancakes, strawberries and cream, and bacon - delicious.  The kids and Tim had made me cards and picked out the sweetest gifts.  There were a few minor meltdowns, but mostly I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and just enjoying my family.  

It may have required about 100 shots to get one that I liked, but I really wanted a visual reminder of what a fantastic day we all had together.  Man these kids have my entire heart!

We spent the evening in Santaquin celebrating.  Somehow I failed to take any pictures with my mom that day, but I love this one from a few days later at Ruby's graduation.  My mom is the best example to me of unconditional love and support.  She always "showed up" for us kids, and she continues to do so for her grandkids.  We are so lucky to have her so close by to be a part of our lives.  

Spring Soccer & Swimming 2018

Springtime has been busy with soccer and swimming, its been a great way to keep the kids involved and having fun.   The only downside was that Spring soccer this year lived up to springtime in Utah and was cold!  None of the games were rained out, but we had bad weather for most of the matches,the kids had to wear coats and gloves for a lot of the games.   Luke and Ruby's teams are one level apart so they played at the same field.  A few times they had overlapping games so Tim and I took turns rotating between fields.  It was cute because when they played at the same time, the kids usually ended up saying the missed one of us, or each other.

This was Ruby's first time to officially play soccer and she mostly loved it.  You could definitely tell that she was younger than and hadn't played before like so many of the other kids.  It took her several games to really get into it and she never did play as aggressively as I would have expected.  She wasn't aggressive in going after the ball, but it was so funny to watch her interact with the other kids.  She was not happy about everyone being to close into her space and I caught her throwing a few elbows.  She wants to play again next season and I am excited to see how she progresses in the sport.

Luke was on a new soccer team this year but discovered that several of his buddies were also on the team so it was instant fun.  Over the season Luke scored several goals and got a little more aggressive when in the pack.  Even though they do not keep score at this age, he knows how many goals were scored by each team at any given point in the game.  Without realizing that it might make others feel bad, he would often run down the field pointing out how many more goals they had than the other team.  After a few chats, I think he understood it was better just to keep score in his head.  Luke's skills really improved, and he seemed to have fun at every game so to me, it was a successful season.

Man I love these two little buddies.

At the end of last summer, Luke started to say that he didn't want to wear his water wings to swim so we knew it was time to start swim lessons and get he and Ruby safe in the water.  We decided to wait until spring so that they would have plenty of time to practice in the water this summer.  We signed them up through Provo City and have been happy with their setup of private lessons with just the two of them with an instructor.  They are such water babies and immediately loved having a weekly date with the pool.  I have been amazed at how much they have already learned - both think they are ready for complete free swimming.   It's great because neither seems to be at all nervous in the water - even when the teacher pushes them under to go dive for rings.  They have just finished their second session and are moving on to their third and are really improving with each class.  Hopefully by the time summer fully arrives, we will be able to go to the pool without floaties. 

Taking advantage of the climbing wall at the rec center after their lessons.