Autumn Snow Storms

Yesterday morning I woke up to snow covered roof tops, as if someone had taken a white paint brush and elegantly painted strokes of white on the edges of each. The grass and trees still remained green and I felt a little sad that we seem to have skipped Autumn.

The children woke up excited to see that fluffy white stuff floating around outside. "Is it Christmas?!" Camilla asked.  At the grocery store that day I picked up a bunch of sunflowers for my table, a tin of hot chocolate, and some mini marshmallows. The kettle has been taken out of the cupboard and found a permanent home on my counter for the season.

Today our home was chilly when we woke up. I caved and turned on our furnace. Joseph immediately discovered the vent under the kitchen sink and giggled as it blew his hair around and warmed his cheeks. I pulled out my Autumn decorations, lit a pumpkin spice candle and glued some sunflowers onto our wreath at the front door. Our home felt warm and cozy, just the way I like it. One thing this cold weather has done is remind me how close we are to the end of the year. I can't believe how fast time flies lately! The children are all growing so fast I can hardly take it.

Camilla has officially begun Kindergarten. She is mastering her math skills, writing letters and numbers, and constantly asking questions. I love how curious she is about the world around her. Our readers should be in by weeks end and I can't wait to continue teaching her to read and write. She continues to be a huge help around the house tidying things without being asked and unloading the dishwasher when she feels up to it. Last night we were fighting to get Joseph up to bed and Camilla cheerfully said, "Joe, Wanna play follow the leader? March, march, march...." and up they marched all the way to his room so Daddy could tuck him in. I love her creativity, patience, and gentle heart. Some of the things she comes up with to help the boys along astound me!

Hyrum is continuing to love and enjoy each new day. He talks a mile a minute and even I have a hard time understanding him sometimes! He is a helpful big brother and loves playing with his siblings. He still has a hard time with "Sp" "Sk" "St" and most other sounds like that. Yesterday he was super excited to help make "Wice kswippies squares". His other huge accomplishment is peeing standing up. He just decided that's what he was going to do one day and has proudly stuck with it ever since. Last night he cracked me up when he picked up his toy guitar, stood on the bottom step and sang a song about a lost slipper. "I lost my slipper...." while strumming his guitar. I wish I had recorded it, because it still makes me smile. He is still my tender guy and loves snuggles and hugs. He melts my heart each night as he delicately kisses sleeping Joseph on the forehead before hopping into bed.

Joseph is full of spunk and energy! The child locks have returned to the bathroom doors to prevent excess flushing and my cupboards often stay locked now. When the house is quiet you can pretty much guarantee he is up to no good, or has climbed somewhere he's not supposed to be. His talking has really picked up and he is starting to express himself more with words instead of tantrums and frustration. The other day he was sitting at the table and held up his cup and said, "Mo pees Mom". His "thanks" is still a tongue roll, so it's pretty funny when he says "thanks Mom" because it's "(tongue roll) mom". His favorite words are "Yeah" and "Hi". When you ask him a question now he will respond with a sweet little "yeah" or an excited "yeah!!". Whenever we go out anywhere he makes sure to say a whispery voiced, "Hiiiii" when we pass people. I also here a lot of "Hap Mom" when he needs help. If it's really urgent (like when he's stuck somewhere high that he's not supposed to be) he will yell "HAPPP! HAAAAAP!" We also taught him to say "I love you". It used to be "I.....MOM!" and now it's "I....Wa....DAD!" It's pretty cute. He is still our class clown and loves to make everyone laugh. He will either sing "Dooo DOOO!" and turn his head side to side or pretend fall and say a silly, "Owwwww". He makes me smile every day!

The baby continues to grow and it's movements are a lot easier to feel now. I am about 25 weeks and getting more and more excited to meet this little one. I love putting comfy sweaters over my baby bump each day to keep us warm. I have finished about half of my Christmas shopping and plan to have everything done by November for sure! I have spent many an evening crocheting little projects and I love sitting still on the couch while baby turns and kicks inside of me. I feel that this baby is such a great blessing for our family and I can't wait to meet him or her in December!