Wesley turns 10

The night before Wesley turned 10, I went downstairs to his bedroom to tell him goodnight and explain to him just how much I love him…. but seriously. Seriously! All I thought about as I hugged and kissed him goodnight was just how much he STUNK! He was definitely turning ten and disgusting. Hahaha. We laughed about it together and that was that. The next morning, I didn’t have a choice, he was TEN—two whole hands! Kind of bummed me out. Ten is a little closer to becoming a teenager than I’m ready for. Are you ever ready though? Some days, I wish I could walk into my bedroom in my apartment in Iowa and see a small infant still taking a nap on my bed. A new Mom. The days when everything was easier and a little less demanding. I spent every second focused on HIM. Now I am going crazy trying to get everywhere and do everything. Isn’t it crazy that giving birth to this amazing boy, not only made me a Mother, but MY parents grandparents?! Now I have 5 children and my parents, well…. I lost count how many grandkids they have. Hahaha!

Wesley, Thank you for being my pal. Thank you for being so fast to forgive and so quick to say I’m sorry. You are the best kid a Mom and Dad could ask for. I hope your birthday was perfect and that you enjoyed turning 10. We had a great year with you and can’t wait to see what the next one has in store for you. Probably lots of lizard hunts and begging for pet iguanas and/or trips to Mexico.

The most amazing thing about you is….. YOUR HEART! I love you.

We had celebrated your birthday with cake, ice-cream, and presents. I’m so glad you were born on April Fool’s Day because it gives us all a chance to mess with ya!

Grandma HowDeeDoo got you a box full of the most hysterical items. The funny thing is that after this was all said and done, you put them all to use and really did enjoy them. From a mouse trap, panty hose, fake eyelashes, soap, toilet paper, Pink hat and mittens, hard crusty marshmallows, cupcake liners, to a remote control. You name it, it probably was in there. He also got $ and a gift card to Walmart! That gift was very entertaining for all.

Grandpa and Grandma Fishy helped put money towards Wesley’s bow that he got for Christmas, but they tricked him with a wrapped box containing 2 giant rocks. It was a great April Fools joke.

Grandpa and Grandma gave Wesley some paper plates to make targets for his airsoft gun. Although it was an April Fool’s joke (because they got him a nice target stand and targets) Wesley actually really enjoyed making his own targets out of the plates!!!

Wesley was trying to trap a frog and Grandpa and Grandma Bowman’s house, but instead he caught a raccoon. So Dad decided to surprise him for his birthday by having it tanned. Wesley is crazy about fruit! Instead of a birthday cake, he wanted a birthday fruit pizza! Well, it was delicious! I love his healthy choices.

The weather wasn’t the greatest for Wesley’s friend party! We all ended up inside our living room. All bazillion of his friends. Anyways, it was extremely loud, but absolute blast as well! While the kids were at school, Isaiah and I sewed up some bean bags! We had a been bag tournament, cake, ice cream, presents, etc.. The boys had a blast… especially when the weather cleared up towards the end and they were all able to go play out back and get some much needed air.

Wesley even got a chocolate cake! Good times.

Wesley All-star basketball.

These boys had a rough season. They are all working at learning the basics, while most other teams they played against had been playing with one another in numerous tournaments. The boys learned what it meant to compete, how to really guard their man, and how to run plays. Wesley really learned a lot and kept a great attitude the entire season. We are really proud of him and excited to watch him continue to improve. He truly loves basketball!

I watched most of the games from the hallways, while trying to entertain these two goobers. I believe that it is extremely important to chase the kids around, even when I sometimes I feel I’d rather sit in the bleachers and anxiously cheer on Wesley. I try to remember to keep a positive prospective because I’m certain that one day, I will wish I would have done less whining and more fully embraced these moments of my children being so naughty young. lol.

Great Grandpa’s Bday.

Turning 92 never looked so fun!!! Seriously this man is amazing! He is still in his wood shop making stools, stick horses, cars, etc… He still drives. He still cracks the best jokes. He loves our family with all of his heart. He has the best hugs and looks the cutest in suspenders. He is always donating to charities and giving unto others. My kids have enough notepads and stickers from his mailbox than we ever know what to do with. Happy birthday Grandpa! We ♡ you so very much!!!!

Grandpa Fishy’s bday.

We had a great time celebrating Grandpa’s birthday this year! My Dad has been and will always be one of my bestest friends ever. He has always been a good listener and has a heart of gold. He truly is the greatest. His heart is made of Gold. He is an organizer, like me. He enjoys his grandkids and loves them very much. Just a few days ago, he watched our two youngest boys for 5 hours for me, while I went and got a pedicure with my sister (which was awesome by the way) and while I did my grocery shopping. I truly know that he loves me and would do absolutely anything for me. He has a love for Stephen that will definitely last into the eternities. I am so glad that our son was able to get his name from such a special man in our lives. I am grateful for the sincerity of his words, his efforts to be a part of my life, and the many sacrifices that he has made for ME his entire life. I have a special bond with him that nobody and nothing could break. I love you Dad, ohhhh so very much, Happy Birthday ♡

Grandparents day program.

Emma had a program that was teaching the parents and grandparents about the 7 habits of the leader in me program that the school was implementing to help the kids to acquire important skills. Emma got selected to write a speech and speak about Habit 5 — Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood. She did an excellent job. Grandma took both the kids to the book fair and then ate lunch with them in the cafeteria for Grandparents day! Emma was excited to adopt her best friend Nyah for the day!

Horse rides and antler adventures.

On our beautiful three hour horse ride one afternoon, Aaron found an elk drop and I found a nice deer antler. Even Josh was super jealous of my find, lol. Aaron and I decided to go back and find the matching antlers! So the next day we rode in on horses and hiked around for about another 3 hours. Guess what? I found the match to my other antler. It is an awesome set and I all the hiking paid off! It was absolutely beautiful! I could have stayed out there forever ♡

The kids sure have a blast playing at Grandpa and Grandma Bowman’s house. They are spoiled rotten having horses to ride, lizards to catch, lawn mower rides, pond swims, fishing, etc…

All smiles, that’s for sure.

Boise- Josh goes to state!

We loaded up on a Friday morning and took off to State Basketball to cheer for our favorite #3- Josh! We were able to watch all of his games and enjoy some fun stops with the kids!!!

We always have to make time to stop at Cabelas! The kids love seeing the animals.

The kids LOVED eating at Applebees. They got to play video games while waiting for food and the manager brought out free dessert! They were excited because Mom and Dad were on a special eating plan that didn’t allow to share any of it with them. So they got two plates all to themselves! 

One of the kids’ favorite things about traveling is staying in hotels. They LOVE to swim and to play in the hotel room. It’s always fun to see them enjoy some time away together.

I was so proud of Aaron and I. We took our workouts with us to the hotel and exercised late every night that we were there. It wasn’t easy, but it was definitely worth it!

Getting this kid to sleep in a hotel room is a nightmare! He likes his crib and his own space. So I had to take a picture of him sleeping soundly because it was such a blessing.

Probably our favorite place that we visited during this trip was the Boise Aquarium. They had so many hands on activities that the we were able to participate in! We were able to feed fish, pet the large iguana, feed stingrays, touch sea anemones, and hold/feed some beautiful little birds!!

We didn’t want to pay the price for photo booth, so the kids got creative and had me take their photos with my phone while they sat in the photo booth!!! We were excited that cousin Olivia was able to enjoy the aquarium with us!

Josh is so fun to watch play basketball! We had such a blast watching and cheering for him to take 1st in state. The team played awesome and ended up taking second place. I think that is a HUGE accomplishment and we were very proud of him! We are sad that this was his last season and that Josh was the last of Aaron’s siblings still young enough to play high school sports. We love you Josh! You have some serious talent and my kids hope to have your basketball skills and grow up to be as amazing as you are!