Catching up from behind....

I haven't been the best at blogging.  I've been so busy.... but you should read the amazing blogs  I wrote in my head.  Anyway,  we have been very busy, but I think that is the new normal.

We have cows.  Yep, more than one.  We have some friends and family that will be partaking of one cow and we will enjoy the 2nd.  Corrine named them "Grass-guzzler" and "lawn mower".  Im not sure which is which. I usually just refer to them as "the cows".  Im partial to the red one.

Hayden, Sariah, and Corrine had belt testing for Tae Kwon Do a week ago(was it only a week ago?)  Anyway, Hayden passed with flying colors to get his YELLOW belt.  He could not be happier.

Sariah struggled, but stuck to it and finally passed to get her Junior Brown. It takes a lot of concentration to become a Junior Brown.

Corrine did amazing (as always) and got her Junior Red.  Corrine can almost taste the black belt now.

One of my favorite things at belt testing is watching the kids do their sparring. I do not like fighting at home... but fighting at tae kwon do is rather entertaining. 

Good job with your tae kwon do!  Keep working hard kids. 

One of the most coveted things at our house is the Sunday comics. People fight for the paper.We don't actually read much of the rest of the newspaper. Life on Sunday morning is all bout the comics. Its a race to see who gets to them first. Last Sunday morning, I found the kids doing this. Awwh, the comics bring us all together. 

Sunday is a day of rest. Corrine LOVES to hold a sleeping Kate. 

 I have been spending a lot of time deciding what to do for school next year. Usually, its a pretty easy decision.  This year it was very difficult and stressful. I finally decided to pull the kids out of K12 which we have been doing for 6 years now. I will be homeschooling them all on my own. Once I finally decided, I have felt great about the decision. I started ordering books and we have been working on organizing our school/office room. Our school year will be heavy with reading. The kids could not be more excited.  I'll admit, I am excited as well. Here is our book shelf all loaded up and ready to go!

 For family home evening last night, we took everyone for a bike ride! We are bad parents. This was the first time Sariah had really gone on a "long" bike ride. We have had a couple of really bad summers and haven't done a lot of bike riding. She did a pretty good job.... after she figured out how to use the brakes. 

Corrine loves to ride her bike. She is an old pro. 

 This was the first time Kate has gone for a ride in her carriage. 

 Since its been a few years since we have used the carriage, and since Jakob inherited Keiths old bike, Jakob got the privilege of pulling the kids around. He did a great job. Hayden LOVED it.  Kate did ok until she saw me and then started to cry. She was happy at first, but I think she was happier to get back home. 

What else?  Corrine and Sariah have finished their school testing and summer vacation has officially begun! Jakob has a couple of finals left to take and then he is done. He has a goal to finish this week so he is done before his birthday. Good job kids! While Jakob was taking some finals in Provo yesterday, I took the other kids for a walk to find Bridal Veil Falls. I remember there being more falls.  I remember them being cooler. I was very disappointed yesterday. The kids had fun getting out and going for a walk and it was very pretty outside. I need to take them for more walks and do fun things this summer.

Maybe I'll pull out the baby back pack and we can go for hikes. If you have any suggestions, or want to join us on our activities, let me know! Im all for outside free to low cost activities that can be done with people ranging from 10 months old to just about 15 years old.