Conrad Turned 14

Three weeks into quarantine and Conrad had his 14th birthday.  He was somewhat bummed because he had planned on going to the warehouse hot-tubbing and watching a movie with his friends.
Instead, he just got us.  But, we made the most of it, and I love having all of us together, so it was good with me.
:)

We went to the hot tub in the afternoon, played in the batting cage, and watched the new Onward movie, which hit Disney Plus that day.  All in all, it was a great day.  He also got out of chores, and Bo smoked a delicious brisket. He wanted smoked ribs, but we smoked that since we aren't going to the store right now.  It was delicious.  He also requested potato salad to go with it.

Bo also took Conrad and Jackson fishing for his birthday the next week. 

Here are some highlights from the day!

At 14 Conrad loves;

Baseball and looking at stats
Fishing
Hunting
motorbiking
snowmobiling
RZR riding
Freddie Freeman from the Braves

We love that:

He's our peacemaker
He's helpful
He likes to cook, especially treats
He's respectful
He loves making people laugh
He is learning the piano

Conrad, you are such a great older brother to all these brothers of yours!  I love it when you and Hailey spend time together.  We love spending time with you too.  Thank you for always helping when we need it and seeing times where you can help when we don't even ask.  You are a great kid and a great example to the kids.  Other than getting the little boys to call me old. ;)  We love you and are so blessed to have you in our family.

Caleb Turned 7!

While we were in Boise for All-State, Caleb had his birthday.  We haven't done an away from home birthday for a really long time.  It was fun!  Caleb chose to eat at Pizza Pie Cafe, and after All-State, he got to open his presents.

The kids were able to visit Great Grandma Helen, who was 11 days from turning 103.  It was a special visit, and they really enjoyed all the stories she told them.

Caleb, you are such a perfect final addition to our family!  We love your patient, kind, loving personality.  We also love that you get along with everyone in the family and keep our home neat.  Even at age 7, I still think you have all of your siblings wrapped around your finger.  We loved celebrating with you and can't wait to see what this year brings!  Happy Birthday, Buddy!  We love you.

At 7 Caleb loves:

Walks while catching Wiffle balls hit by Conrad or Dad
Baseball
Riding his bike
Spending time with our family
His new water bottle
Fishing
Camping
Pretty much anything outside
He can't wait until he's old enough to hunt and get to go with the boys.  

Idaho All-State Chior

Back at the beginning of the school year, when Hailey told me she wanted to try out for All-State, I hadn't ever heard of it.  I found out it's like going to state for a choir.  They basically have twenty-five kids from Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass groups and form a choir.  To try out, they sing from a required song and scale to their choir teachers.  The teachers record it and send it to the judges.  Then they pick.

I figured that since she's a freshman, it would be hard to make it, but I thought it would be great practice to try out.  Well, she made it and looked forward to it for months!  It was in Nampa at NNU.  She was in heaven as she sang all day and got to listen to others perform.  She really loved it!

It sounded terrific, and hopefully, I'll get a recording to post.

Here are some highlights.

Snowmobiling

We've gone snowmobiling a couple of times this winter.  The first time we went was up at Mesa Falls.  Hailey didn't make it, but everyone else did.  It was a perfect day.  The weather was great, and the kids LOVED it.  Conrad and Jack had fun learning how to drive too.

We also went out to Kelly's, had a fire, and went sledding.  It was all fun and games until Hailey got about 15 feet of air and crashed!  She laid on the ground for about 20 minutes, and we pulled her back in a sled.  Hays was on crutches for about two weeks until we found out she had a torn MCL.  She is now in a brace and physical therapy until April.  

This is a colossal sledding hill the kids went on.

Hailey made this rose in the snow.  

He's an Eagle Scout

Conrad has worked really hard and fast to get this award.  Right after he got into young men's, we heard that the Scouting Program was going to be dropped because the Church was going to implement a new program.  That meant he had less than two years to finish.

Bo has been Scoutmaster and planned to get anyone done in the time that they wanted to.  They were able to get quite a few done.  They held their Court of Honor last week, and seven of the boys combined theirs.  It was enjoyable and cool to see all those boys get their awards.  They all worked really hard.

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Conrad's Eagle project was to finish painting an exhibit for the East Idaho Aquarium.  Here are some Pics.

Way to go, Conrad!  Your hard work and dedication paid off!