Trick or Treat

It was an unseasonably beautiful day for Halloween today! My two elementary kiddos dressed up in costumes for the day. My middle schoolers decided they were too old and just went to school as themselves. My high schooler also decided to go to school as herself. Everyone was out the door bright and early!

The rock is FINALLY finished on the exterior and they took their scaffolding down and cleaned up. It adds such a nice touch!

I made sure to make dinner a bit earlier than usual (I threw a few pizzas in the oven), so that we would have time to get everyone dressed and ready to go. The older three were all meeting up with friends and the younger four stayed with Mike and I. This year we had a "blanna" (banana), Buzz, Robin Hood, Oilers Player, Oilers Player, Grim Reaper type guy, and Hula girl (who later became an Oilers player). We started by going around our neighborhood. The kids always love the cans of pop and bags of candy they get at the acreages. Then we headed into town to see Uncle Mike and Auntie Chris and drop the big kids off to friends places.

Lily wanted to walk into every house we stopped at. When Sawyer was asked which candy's he would like he would answer "I just can't eat the hard stuff! It will wreck my teeth". At one point in the evening Lily said, "Mom, we have a WOT of candy, huh?" Their little buckets kept filling up with chip bags, and I was glad I thought ahead and brought a bag. The littles were done a lot sooner than the bigs, so we waited around town a bit. We got home close to 9pm, did the candy check and sort, and sent everyone to bed!

 

Halloween Cookies

This morning I made up a batch of sugar cookies for the kids to decorate after school. I started this tradition a few years ago and love to keep it going! Sawyer had his little friend over for the day and loved being over to decorate with her too. When the kids got home after school, I refreshed the icing and a few more of them decorated. Hyrum had a volleyball game and Joe had a practice after school, so they got to decorate their cookies after dinner and have them for dessert. Sometimes I miss when everyone was small and we weren't running in ten different directions each day. I cherish the days when we are together as a big group and no body is missing. 

 

Pumpkin Carving 2023

This afternoon was the only big chunk of time we could find together as an entire family to carve our pumpkins! After lunch we set everything out on the table and let the children pick their pumpkins and think of what they wanted to do. Usually it feels pretty chaotic as there are sharp knives and lots of help needed, but this year was much easier. Camilla, Hyrum, and Joe pretty much gutted and carved their own pumpkins and then Joe offered to help Lily carve hers too! Daddy helped Sawyer and I helped Ollie and Fin (who ended up doing most of his own too). I forgot, however, to get a picture of them all lined up at the end!

 

Halloween Party Time

This tough hockey player went off to a Halloween Party tonight!

 

Mothers Who Bless

I hope that when my children have grown they will remember...

The candle lit mornings gathering for scripture study...

Relishing in sunrises with me...

Enjoying warm dinners that fill their bellies...

And eating warm cake after they get off the bus in the afternoons.

"Never has there been a greater need for righteous mothers - mothers who bless their children with a sense of safety, security, and confidence about the future. Mothers who teach their children where to find peace and truth and that the power of Jesus Christ is always stronger than the power of the adversary. Every time we build the faith or reinforce the nobility of a young woman or man, every time we love or lead anyone even one small step along the path, we are true to our endowment and calling as mothers and in the process we build the kingdom of God. No woman who understands the gospel would ever think that any other work is more important or would ever say, "I am just a mother" for mothers heal the souls of men."

~Sheri L. Dew

 

Playing in the Snow

I have lost track of how many times I have put on and taken off snow gear and mittens over the last couple of days! Playing in the fresh snow has been one of their favourite things to do. Lily is constantly begging me to go out and play, and once she's suited up, she dances with glee until both her and Sawyer head out to play. 

I love watching the wonder and excitement of little children at each new season. They truly know how to delight in everything around them and make the best of life!

Counting My Blessings

Today we woke to the most gorgeous scene in our front yard. These spruce trees hold a special place in my heart when Winter arrives. They are so beautiful all dressed in white!

The buses were cancelled today, and I was happy to let everyone stay home from school and play in the snow today. I loved watching Ollie play with Lily as they ran through the kitchen while I canned tomatoes. Fin was piggy backing Sawyer and calling it his rocket ship ride. They spent the majority of the day lost in games of make-believe and I lost track of how many times I put their snow gear off.

The big boys enjoyed building snow ramps and jumps for their GT racers from crazy places in the yard. They are loving the steep hill just beyond our front stairs and have made it quite slippery! They are hoping their jumps freeze over night so they can test them in the morning.

When they got in from outside, they were happy to smell fresh cinnamon buns. The entire pan was gone in minutes. 

I was grateful to sneak into town with the truck to do our weekly grocery shop sans kiddos. The big kids do a great job keeping an eye on everyone while I'm gone. I am also grateful for big kids who help lug and unload said groceries after I get home. 

We were blessed to enjoy a warm meal together as a family in a warm home. Fin and Ollie asked to put Lily and Sawyer to sleep tonight and I loved listening to Sawyer laugh as Ollie read his book humorously. Fin tickled Lily before saying goodnight and her giggles echoed through the kitchen. It was nice to have everyone being helpful and getting along today! 

 

Winters Arrival

Winter has arrived with a big ol' dump of snow!

...ready or not!

 

Maple Cookies

This afternoon, while the house was still, I decided to make up a batch of Maple Cookies for everyone to enjoy. They were pretty yummy!

 

Coronado Island

Today we enjoyed a Sunny day on Coronado Island! When we arrived, we had plans of going stand up paddle boarding, but apparently they were closed for the season. So we made our way to the beach side and enjoyed feeling the sand between our toes and watching the massive waves crash into the shoreline. There were some brave surfers in wet suits, and a few others scattered along the beach, but for the most part it was fairly quiet and layed back. The water was a lot colder than we imagined it would be, so we weren't too sad about the SUP place being closed. We let the waves crash into our legs as we walked and enjoyed listening to the sounds of the ocean.  

Twenty-Nine Week bump.

Pictures don't do this sight justice. Even from our hotel across the bay we could hear when these jets took off (and about three car alarms would go off as well). The sound these fighter jets produce is unreal and it was so fun to watch them fly along the shore and land at the base!

Once we had walked most of the shoreline, and the boys had had their fill of watching the fighter jets, we decided to head to Orange Avenue for some lunch,  shopping and sight seeing.

When our feet were tired, we made our way back to our rental car and headed back to the hotel for a quick rest!

The evening brought us back to the pier for a walk in search of gelato!

We spent over an hour visiting outside this little gelato place while the sun set and the city came to life with the evening crowds in search of food and drink.