Happy Halloween

We had a pretty good Halloween! The big kids got their costumes on first thing in the morning and wore them all day at school. Hyrum and Joe made a great duo as Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Joe wasn't a fan of the hair dye, so it didn't get quite as orange as it could have been, but it was still awesome! Camilla went as a minion this year and looked so great!

They came home from school loaded up on sugar already. Knowing that they would be eating a lot of junk I tried to compensate by serving veggies, hummus and crackers for dinner. They loaded up on the healthy stuff before we went out trick or treating. Daddy helped me get the little guys ready to go and then we did a mini photo shoot of all of their costumes. 

We froze our butts off walking around town for a little bit. Finley got a freezie at some point and it got punctured by something in his bag and ended up leaking all over his candy. There was a nice trail of syrup wherever he went. Luckily a kind lady offered him an extra bag and saved us enduring a meltdown. We finished off the evening going around the acreages in our neighborhood and the kids got a huge haul. They didn't have many kids out here this year so they got bags of chips, pop, ziplocs full of candy and other fun things. The best part was that we could stay in the warm van while they went to the door! 

When we got home, we sorted candy (and ate a ton of course), and then brushed teeth and tucked into bed! Happy Halloween!

Naptime

Gosh, can this boy be any cuter?!

Candle Light

In the dark of Winter, we cling to the light. 

The big kids caught the last rays of the day as they did chores.

We all gather at days end around a candle to read scriptures before bed.

Pumpkin Carving

Tonight we did our annual pumpkin carve! Unfortunately, Daddy had to be in Calgary for work, and he was so missed! As soon as the kids got home from school they went outside to play for a bit in the fresh snow while I got dinner ready.

These boys are so great! I love it when they actually get along...

I had picked up a big pumpkin at the beginning of the month and then had some kids who were excited to carve the tiny pumpkins we grew all on their own!

I was grateful that Grampa came over to help with the carving part because stretching myself between six kids when sharp knives are involved is not an easy task.

Oliver told Grampa exactly how he wanted the mouth, nose, and eyes and together they created a cute little pumpkin.

Camilla and Hyrum were able to do their own this year and they did awesome!

Joe and Fin wanted their pumpkin to have glasses. I fear that my carving skills are quite terrible in comparison with everyone else. Ha!

The Stannix pumpkins of 2019!

Date Night

Tonight Mr. Stannix and I escaped for a date! Downton Abbey finally made it to our small town theater and we were excited to finally see it. Anticipating the theater being quite busy for a new show, Mr. Stannix made sure to pick up tickets in the afternoon. As we were leaving, he peeked at the tickets and realized that the girl had given him the wrong show time. On our way to dinner, we swung by the theater to exchange our tickets for the late showing. We enjoyed a delicious dinner at Grillers. We ate slow and talked about life and the kids and future goals.

After dinner we made our way to the theater, a little bit early because it was opening night and we wanted popcorn and snacks. When we showed up there was no one else around. We got our popcorn, waited in the lobby for a bit while the staff cleaned up from the early showing, and then made our way into the theater. Mr. Stannix strategically seated us near the back behind two seats that had an "out of order" sign on them. He knew that if we sat there, we wouldn't have anyone directly in front of us and would have a better view. We waited for more people to show up, but when the lights went out we were still the only two in the entire theater! Mr. Stannix loves the theater and is always extra early to avoid lines and get a good seat. I leaned over to Mr. Stannix at the end of the movie and said, "It's a good thing we sat here so that nobody would sit in front of us!" We had a good laugh. Perks of small town life I guess!

Weekly Rhythm

I have been pondering a lot lately about our home and have had a huge desire to write out a more concrete weekly rhythm. I feel as though I am treading water most days, trying to keep on top of the house work while still finding time to intentionally mother and play with the children. I know that if I instill something a little more concrete, yet flexible, that our home life will run smoother and I will be able to accomplish more as we look forward to the next task of the day. I am still not sure what that looks like for our family, but I love the idea of the Waldorf rhythms and would love to explore it more.

In a sense our home already follows a bit of a rhythm with our morning routine, chore lists, baking, and clean up. In the late afternoon I always seem to find myself in the kitchen finally cleaning up the dishes from the day and putting together an after school snack for the kiddos. This afternoon I tried making pumpkin donuts covered in cinnamon and sugar. They were a huge hit!

 By the time the sun dips down we are finishing up dinner and getting ready to gather the family for our bedtime routine. I am always mesmerized by the colors of the sky. What a beautiful world we live in!

Autumn Days

Today was so wonderful! I have been loving these Autumn days so much. The air is crisp and full of delicious smells, the aroma of fresh raspberry jam fills Gramma's kitchen, the leaves are beautiful, and the temperature is perfect.

We started the day off with hair cuts for these two handsome boys! Finley loves having his hair spikey like his older brothers and always looks so grown up after a good trim.

Sawyer loves exploring outside, letting the grass tickle his fingers. I love watching the wonder and awe in his eyes as he soaks in his environment.

Naps are always a must after a long morning outside and I always have to check on him because he looks so sweet.

In the late afternoons we always end up gathering on the west facing deck to catch the last of of the suns rays. The kids love spending all day outside running around the acreage.

The big kids are always fighting over who will carry Sawyer on our adventures and it's so fun seeing their relationship with their baby brother. 

If the Seasons ever got stuck on Autumn, I definitely wouldn't complain!

Fox in the Hen House

This morning I sent the kids out to feed and check the chickens, just like they do every morning. As I was rinsing some dishes I looked out towards the coop and saw the kids waving hysterically in the lit up doorway. I quickly opened the door and Camilla shouted through tears, "The chickens are DYING!!!" I threw on some boots, instructed Joseph to care for the littles, and sprinted out to see what was the matter. There was feathers everywhere and the chickens in the back run kept screeching. A fox had gotten into the hen house and was stuck in the outside run.We blocked off the doors to the coop and I went to the outside run with a flashlight and yelled at the fox as tears welled in my eyes (I was angry). Hyrum ran to the house to wake Gramma and Grampa while Camilla held an injured chicken and guarded the door. It was quite the fiasco, and the poor kids still had to catch the bus to school a half hour later. We had a good chat at the breakfast table about life on a farm and how these things sometimes happen. Dad, Mom and I went back out after the sun finally came up to assess the damage and try and figure out where the sly fox crept in. We cleaned up the feathers in the back run as best as we could so that the kids wouldn't see them when they got home from school. It was a hard morning for all of us I think.

The rest of the day was thankfully uneventful! Sawyer napped for a few hours while the little boys painted some wooden pumpkins.

Everyone has been counting down the days until Halloween, especially Finley. It's his most favorite holiday!

Voting Day

This morning we woke to the most beautiful sunrise! 

I love watching the sky change morning and night, I will never get tired of it!

Mike and I went to town early this morning to vote in the federal election. We are hoping for a change, but I guess we will see! This is how Sawyer felt about the whole thing...

This boy plays outside any chance he can get. This afternoon his favorite toy was the mini skate board!

I decided to try something new for the after school snack today. Homemade doughnuts are delicious!

An Afternoon Walk

The little boys and I went for a walk this afternoon. The sky was blue and it was far too nice to stay inside all day. We took the stroller down the lane and up the ditch and explored all of the things there was to see. 

Nature is the best cure for anxious souls and busy boys.

This chub-a-lub finished off the afternoon with an epic nap! Sometimes I wish I could join him.

Sugar Cookies

It seems we've been passing around a little flu bug in the Stannix home. 

One look at Finley's eyes today told me he was coming down with something. He slept away the afternoon in my bed while I baked Sugar cookies.

When the kids got home from school they iced our traditional Halloween sugar cookies (and ate their fair share).

These are the moments!

Autumn Moments

I love this time of year! The temperature is perfect, the air is crisp, the leaves are gorgeous and there's a hum in the air as we hustle about harvesting and preserving. Experiencing this time of year at the acreage for a second time has been perfect! We love being near Gramma and Grampa, the space to play outside, the ever-giving garden, and the colorful eggs.

 

The kids are all growing so fast! Sometimes I wish I could bottle them up and keep them forever. I do enjoy all of the stages and watching them all interact. When the big boys read books to the little boys or I watch Camilla snuggle a sleeping babe and grin as she listens to his sighs and coos, it melts my heart and makes me feel grateful for all of the ages and stages. 

Our afternoons are often spent coloring, playing outside, or biking around the acreage. When we are all together huddled over coloring books and pencil shavings, laughing and talking, my heart is filled to the brim. Sometimes I have to remind myself to slow down, ignore the mess, and soak in the moment.

 

It's really great having extra arms close by to help out! I feel as though my house is in a constant state of neglect. I've gotten really good at moving and stacking dirty dishes to make room for more dirty dishes and making due when there's not many clean things left. We've eaten jello out of cups with giant serving spoons and sipped our soup with straws then no clean spoons could be found. I really do try to keep up with it all, but this is the reality of life with this many kids.

 

At days end Ollie will ask, "Mom?" and I'll smile, "Yeah, bud?" ....."I just love you SO bad!" And these are the lines that make it all worth it. All of the mess and chaos and tantrums and dirty bums are all worth it for the "I love you's" and the hugs and the sneaky smiles. Lately I've been woken by the sound of coughs echoing through the night. We've played a lot of musical beds. After being woken countless times in the night, the comfort of my bed holds me tight.

Needle Craft

The sunrises have been glorious this week! Watching the sky change is one of my favorite things to do in the morning.

The children laugh at me because sometimes, right in the middle of breakfast, I will get up and run to the window and tell them all how beautiful the sunrise is today. I hope they always remember to cherish the little things and relish in the beauty of nature.

We sauced a whole lotta tomatoes this morning. We have crates upon crates ripening faster than we can keep up! We've learned a few new tricks though to speed up the saucing process and are getting a lot of it canned up into spaghetti sauce and salsa! Yum!

Naptime cuddles are still a thing with this sweet boy and I cherish them. I regret all of the reading and worrying I did with the first few babies. I wish I had just sat and enjoyed them more instead of making sure I wasn't going to spoil them with too many cuddles or create bad sleep habits. Holding him in my arms always feels right.

Today I woke up with a desire to knit. It's something that has always intimidated and intrigued me all at the same time. So I dug out Gramma's knitting needles from my Mom's basement, took a peek in an old needle craft book that my Mom handed me and looked up a YouTube tutorial. After the littles fell asleep I went to work feeling like my fingers were all thumbs, tongue stuck out slightly to the side and muttering things out loud when I finally get it like, "Hallelujah!" after one hundred tries on a single stitch. I've dropped my needles one hundred times and the darn stitches don't stay on very well, but I haven't given up! Casting on wasn't so bad, but this knit/purl thing might take me forever! I probably should have started with something like a dishcloth.