Wrestling!!

For Christmas, Santa signed Colt up for a wrestling camp that was to start the first week of January. Colt has been wanting to do an activity and this was a good chance to try something new.  He went to practice twice a week and then at the end of the month there was a casual tournament.

Colt really enjoyed wrestling and he was great at it too.  He was super aggressive and never seemed to get tired.  At the culminating tournament, he man-handled all his opponents and went from one match to the next for a solid 30 minutes without ever taking or asking for a break.  We were so impressed!

During the practices, the coaches taught the little wrestlers three basic moves.  Colt mastered these pretty quickly and used them to advantage.

Whenever Colt had to fight from the bottom, he was able to sit up strong and break free, but he didn't break contact for long.  He usually didn't even stand all the way up before he was charging back into the other guy for a take down.

Going for the pin!

The Bridger Valley Bruins

Colt and his trophy

Memoir of the Madsen Family Mom: January

January 1
Sissy stopped wearing underwear today.  She refused with such determination I can only assume its her New Years Resolution.  Saves on laundry.

January 6
Last night Tag was sleeping in Brandan's and my bed, more accurately, Tag's bed which he generously shares with us.  Sometime in the early morning hours, sweet little Tagalong fell out of bed.  After calming him down (by tucking him back into the blankets and giving him sole use of my pillow), I laid there for a while wondering what kind of parent lets their baby fall out of large log bed. A tiny little 11 month old baby.  In fact, 11 months to the day.  Then it struck me.  Eleven months old and this is the first time he has fallen out of bed?  That counts for something.  I fell back to sleep with a clear conscience.

January 7
My kids have no problem believing in Santa Clause or the Tooth Fairy, but when I, the mother who gave them life. swear on my own head that I did not put cheese in their burrito, throw away anything, or eat their M&Ms, I'm suddenly as trustworthy as a politician.

January 10
Sibling survival is a compromise, a give and take.  Sometimes it is done so well, it can bring tears to a parent's eyes.  Like today, when we walked into church and Sport fell apart because he realized he forgot to put on a tie and Colt only hesitated for a split second before pulling off his own tie and handing it over to his brother.
Other times it can make you laugh.  Like the day I called Sport and Sis to the table and Sis immediately announced "We're not hungry."  To which Sport replied, "Yes, we are!".  Sis looked at Sport with some surprise, studied him for minute and then slowly began to nod her head. Without looking away she said, "Yes, we're hungry."  Then she turned to me and confidently said "We're hungry."

January 12
I have always suspected my kids gulp their food without properly chewing.  Cleaning up their puke after a bout of the stomach flu provides clear proof.

January 14
I have discovered the secret to getting my kids to drink more water!  All it takes is asking them to hand the water bottle over to their thirsty sibling after they're done with it.  Suddenly they are so parched, it becomes an absolute necessity they finish the bottle off themselves.

January 15
At meal times Tag communicates his satiation by throwing unwanted food on the ground.  I think I might be more inclined to leave a few bites myself if I had the option of tossing spaghetti at the wall. Think of the calories saved!

January 18
Everyone would find it much easier to meet their New Years Resolution to eat healthier if they took Sport's advice: eat what you want and feel better about yourself by renaming your favorite foods. He has renamed the following: donuts are bagels, pudding he calls yogurt, soda is known as juice, and cupcakes are muffins.  Problem solved.

January 21
Today I had all the kids with me on an intense shopping trip to Walmart, like two-cart serious.  They were "helping" me unload the carts onto the belt and things were getting a little chaotic.  I was purchasing about 12 skeins of embroidery floss and so instead of tossing them on the belt to get lost amidst the food, I handed them directly to the cashier with the following comment, "Sorry. I have a whole bunch of little annoying things".  Sport misunderstood me.  He looked up, offended, and replied, "I am not annoying."  If the shoe fits...

January 30
Three kids sick with strep throat.  I've dealt so many drugs this week, you would think I would drive a nicer car.

Moving...finally!!

Dan and Jill came over at the end of December to help us move and celebrate the New Year.  As is sometimes the case, things didn't go as expected.  The house was barely liveable, everything was everywhere and Ryan Partridge and his family lived with us for the first few days after we moved in while he tried to finish the work he was supposed to have done days, weeks and months earlier.  It was a little miserable, but the Claysons were good sports and we enjoyed it despite.  

On the last night in the old house, the boys got to sleep how ever and where ever they wanted.  We didn't really expect Dash to choose the top shelf of the closet.

Sis and Kamber snuggling at the new house.

Dan and Jill helping put on cabinet doors on New Years Eve.

Even though it was a dusty mess, the kids headed to the basement to watch Netflix projected on the wall.

Christmas 2015

Christmas this year was absolutely nuts.  We went to Idaho before Christmas in order to be there for the Ball family baby blessing and also so that we could spend the week between Christmas and New Year's finishing the house and then moving in.  Brandan drove back and forth from Idaho to Mountain View meeting contractors and finishing projects in several snow storms and wind storms and you name it. By the time we pulled into the new house on Christmas Eve in time to meet the counter top contractor we were all beat.

Tag took a nap in on a patch of carpet in the new house and Sis crashed (literally) in the back seat of the van while the rest of us played in the snow.

While some of us dug tunnels in the snow bank that is suppose to be our driveway, Sport used the snow to climb over the barb wire fence and make a visit to the cows.

Tunnels! We thought this was a crazy amount of snow.  Poor naive shmucks.  Over the next month this snow bank will double in size and not come close to melting until mid-March. 

Traditional Christmas Eve candlelight pizza.

The stockings were hung...

Dash took the camera and snapped a picture of Brand and I on Christmas Eve.  This is pretty much exactly how we felt.

Christmas morning!

Oh the joy!

Santa came through!

Toothbrush and new undies in Sissy's stocking.

Tag found a treat in his stocking.

Boise State football helmet hats.

A Christmas disaster!

Sport asked Santa for a Spiderman suit that shot real webs so he could swing from place to place.  Hmm.  Santa came close.  He got a Spiderman glove that shot pink silly string.  Everywhere.  Including the ceiling of the house we were trying to clean out so we could move.  Way to go , Santa.

December 2015

Sis and Sport found a rare bottle of nail polish.  Sis is giving Sport a pedicure.

I hope she doesn't charge much.

Tag telling the Christmas story with the nativity set.

His favorite are the stable animals.

Tag likes to visit Sport and Sis during bath time and beg to be allowed to join them.

When asking politely doesn't work, Tag starts tossing clothes into the bath.

It works.  Its easier to just put him in the tub than ring out several baskets of wet laundry.

Christmas Concerts 2015

Colt and Dash performed in their Christmas concerts early in December.

Colt's teachers have repeatedly told us that he and one other little guy in his class are the only kids that can sit by a hard to handle classmate.  Colt and Corbin get placed by her in every situation because they are so easy going and willing to take some of her guff.  Colt is sitting by the poor little gal in this picture and she is instructing him how to hold his hands.

Here she is at it again, telling Colt how to do the actions to the song.  And see how he smiles through it all? Love my little peacemaker!

After the program.

Colt's theme this year was The Grinch.  Here he is standing by the Whoville props.

Sport posed with the Grinch after the program.

Dash's concert theme this year was Rockin Around the Christmas tree, 50s fashion.  He is the one in the blue plaid shirt.

Reading his line.

Dash and some buddies after the program.

Rockin by the Jukebox

Dash and Isac Lindford

Dash and Brockton Walker

Turkey Trot 2015

In November, Dash ran in a one mile race with all the 3rd grade students.

The weather was ridiculously windy and cold that day.  I helped direct runners during the race so I got to see Dash come by about half way through the run.  But then I had to stand there during the 4th and 5th grade races before I got to hear the results.  And I really didn't know what to expect.  When he ran by me, Dash was in a front pack of about four or five other kids.

When I finally heard,, the news was good.  Dash won in an extremely close race with all his best buddies.  He brought home a frozen turkey as his prize.  For record keeping purposes, they boys pictured above are, from left to right and 6th place to 1st:
Rhett Anderson, Casey Walker, Nate Flint, Nash Picolla, Brockton Walker and Dasher!