Fall Favorites

Today the weather was pretty warm, so we took advantage of it and spent the afternoon outdoors. We raked the few leaves in our back yard into a pile to jump and play in. The kids had a lot of fun with it!

 Camilla picked out the funniest little outfit for the day, I wish I had snapped a picture of it before she put her coat on. She wore a frilly red shirt with another long sleeved red shirt underneath it. Paired with her pink polka-dot tights and jean skirt, it was pretty cute. I also love when she pairs her bright yellow rubber boots with tights.

 Hyrum cracked me up all day with funny little things he would say. Out of the blue this morning he says, "I don't swim under water though, Mom, because I'm a GUY!"

He sure loves playing with his sister! 

 Camilla kept leaping from her stool doing spins or other funny tricks. She misses our deck and giant pile of leaves we used to get at our old little white house.

 And then there's Mr. Joe, so serious!

 Camilla's a pretty great big sister to have.

 I just loved watching and snapping pictures of the fun...

Later in the afternoon I put my multi-tasking skills to the test. With dinner sizzling in the slow-cooker, and bread dough rising on the counter, I whipped up our favorite Ginger cookies. Auntie Emma helped us roll to get them done in time for me to roll out the bread dough falling over the edge of the dish. Camilla's cookies were perfectly round, with no cracks in them. She works so hard to make things perfect, I love that about her. Hyrum's job was to roll them in the sugar and put them on the plate. As he placed each one on the plate he would say, "One for Dad, one for me, one for Dad, one for me, and one for me too!" My sister and I laughed pretty hard at that. Once we finished I rolled that dough into a dozen buns for dinner, a loaf of bread and a pan of Cinnamon buns! The house smelled amazing. Baking is definitely a Fall favorite!

Cinder-illa

My children are always the happiest when they are helping.

They frequently ask to help with things like vacuuming, sweeping, and dishes.

Camilla volunteered to sweep the floor after breakfast today.

She did a pretty good job too! 

Most of what she found came from under Joe's highchair.

She's getting so big!

Close to Home

Tonight there was a house fire near our home.

Mike and I were reading together in the front room when we heard all the sirens.

We didn't think too much of it, sirens go off frequently in the city. 

Soon a bunch of cars were parking near by and people were walking down our block.

We looked out the front window and saw orange flames reflecting in the house across the street.

We went out back and looked down the block to see fire fighters battling a huge blaze four houses down.

It was super sad to think about that family losing their home and belongings. 

Everyone made it out safe thankfully!

I snuggled next to Mike before bed feeling a bit emotional.

I was also feeling ever so grateful for our many blessings and safety which we enjoy.

This week hopefully we will hear of some way we can help the families involved.

Our prayers go out to them.

Find a Penny, Pick it Up

My sister has been doing some theme photography in between her family shoots. She asked if she could borrow my little blondie for a few hours and came back with these great shots!

Eleven Months

Dear Joseph,

Today you are ELEVEN months old! Only one short month away from a year. You have grown and changed so much in just the last few weeks that it's hard to document every little thing. But I will try my best!

I think that your biggest accomplishment this month is learning to sleep through the night. I didn't push it, but you were getting pretty heavy to rock and I was in desperate need of some extra rest. It didn't take much to coax you into sleeping through the night when you were finally ready to do it. Now, you go to sleep all on your own for every nap and each bed time. We usually put you to sleep first since you're the youngest, and usually the most sleepy. After a bottle, some snuggles and multiple kisses goodnight, we simply lay you in your crib and then listen to you sing yourself to sleep on the monitor. Moments after you settle in for the night, Hyrum and I will sneak in so that he can go to sleep too. You are getting used to sharing a room and hardly wake up when your brother has bad dreams anymore. 

You are getting pretty steady on your feet. Whenever we play downstairs on the carpet you will crawl over to me, stand up and then let go and balance on your own. You get quite excited and like to show off. This week you even took TWO steps all by yourself. We are anxiously awaiting the day you decided to start walking. 

You love playing with Camilla and Hyrum and always try to get in on whatever they are doing together. You're pretty rough and tumble lately and don't mind so much when they smother you in hugs and play on the floor with you. Whenever you are part of the action, you are happy.

You really enjoy being outside and get grumpy with me when I let the older two out to play and keep you inside. We usually end up joining them. Your favorite thing to do is push the car around or dig in my garden. You are getting better at keeping the dirt out of your mouth and in the garden. 

At eleven months you like to talk and visit with anyone who will listen. You recognize when people are leaving and will often wave and shout "Ba-Byeeeee!" It melts our hearts. You are super goofy and giggly. The other day you and Daddy kept shaking your heads at each other and you were laughing pretty hard. 

You love toast, cheerios, peaches, pears, cut up bananas, small pieces of chicken, chili, spaghetti and all sorts of food. You will eat pretty well anything we put in front of you and are a pretty solid kid to pick up.

You have such a great attitude and are a joy to be around! You are often smiling, babbling and checking things out. Thanks for bringing so much happiness to our little family! 

Love ya Joe,

-Mom

A Morning Walk

 The littles woke up a bit grumpy this morning, so I knew it was a day where I needed to keep everyone busy and happy. We made up some colored goop with cornstarch and water, which turned out to be super fun for quite a long time. The science of that stuff still amazes me. Once the sun came out and warmed everything up, we went out for a walk down the trail to our favorite little bridge. 

The Fall colors were amazing, the bright blue sky, the golden glow of the sun and the bright leaves.

 

 The littles love looking at the reflection in the water and throwing rocks over the edge.

My sister was around for the day and made sure to join us! It was great to visit as we walked, and have the extra help with everyone.

 Hyrum is a pretty handsome little man. I adore his big blue eyes and blonde hair. We frequently get stopped on the trail and receive many compliments on his hair. He has such a quiet, pensive personality. He just likes to observe and think. 

 Joe is super close to walking and has even taken a few steps on his own! Lately he is a giggly ball of energy. It makes me want to squeeze him tight and kiss his cheeks all day long. He has become pro at going to sleep on his own which has made both nap and bedtime that much easier for everyone involved. I adore that ball of boy.

 Auntie Emma was great at multi-tasking, holding hands and pushing strollers. I was also super impressed with Camilla's little legs. She peddled a long ways!

In order to walk up to speed I had to lift Hyrum up like this sometimes or else he would end up peddling his legs off to keep up with the speed I was walking. He thought it was hilarious though and compared it to being on a motor bike. The sound effects this boy produces are priceless. We are hanging onto days like these and jumping on opportunities to get outside and have fun!

The Corn Maze

Today we ventured out and got lost in the corn maze! We started our day pretty early when the morning was still brisk and nippy. Even though it was chilly, it was nice to beat the crowds and enjoy the maze. Our first stop was the race track. Camilla hopped right on and started peddling. It surprised me! She made it all the way around twice on her own.

When she rounded the last bend on her final lap she pretended to be super tired and let her arms hang by her side as she peddled. I had to smile.

Hyrum wasn't quite big enough to peddle on his own, so Daddy kindly pushed him around for a lap.

After the kids had their fill of racing, we made our way towards the maze for some exploring. Just outside the maze was a cute little wagon filled with hay and pumpkins. It was the perfect photo-op. The only problem was that my boys' smiles were no where to be found.

Daddy offered to carry Joseph for the morning and they were the best of friends. Joe loved bouncing up and down as Daddy walked and smiled everytime he got me in his sights. I think Daddy enjoyed the extra snuggles.

Hyrum was scared, and cold, but mostly scared. I piggy-backed him majority of our time in the corn. I put him down for a few minutes and he pretty much looked like this the entire time.

But when he was up on my shoulders, he was in heaven! He loved trying to look over the corn and help us find our way.

It wasn't until near the end that Hyrum enjoyed getting down and running around the maze, leading the way. Camilla was pro at answering the questions at the different posts and saying "left" or "right". I love her energy and enthusiasm. 

 

At one point she had a fallen stick of corn and she was holding it as high as she could in the air so that the people on the other trails would be able to see it and laugh at the corn moving through the field. She cracks me up!

When we finally exited the maze we made our way over to the animals. The kids watched the pigs and goats for a while. 

I couldn't help but snap a shot of my handsome husband holding his little man. 

Those two melt my heart.

The kids absolutely loved this bouncing pillow. Camilla helped her brother up by pushing his bee-hind and then she would take a running start from all the way back at the fence to get enough speed to make it to the top. 

Just before we left we checked out the giant mountain of hay bails. Camilla loved climbing and jumping off. Man that girl is a looker! I adore her.

All in all a morning well spent! We came home to hot turkey sandwiches and afternoon naps for ALL! It was wonderful to spend a chill day together as a family. It's nice to be able to enjoy each others company and really be able to listen to the children. They have such sweet and special spirits. I ended my day feeling very thankful and blessed for all that I have. I couldn't have asked for better kids, or a better husband. Mike is so patient with everyone and works so hard to provide for us. I am so glad for this time of year and the way it fills me with gratitude.

A Homegrown Thanksgiving

We held our first official Thanksgiving in our new home. Since today was such a busy day, I did a lot of my cooking yesterday. I made up the dressing and pies in the morning and whipped up a batch of buns after the kids were in bed. After I got the turkey in the oven this morning we all got ourselves ready for church. I had to give a talk and teach young women's. Camilla saw me curling my hair and decided she might like some too. My goodness it made her look so grown up! She and Hyrum looked adorable and I had to take a picture of the two of them before we left.

Nana and Auntie Faith came up to enjoy the Holiday with us. Nana came to church with us this morning to help Mike out with the littles while I was speaking. It was great to spend the day with them.

 

When we got home from church the house smelled amazing! Turkey-lurkey was cooking up fabulously and browned up really nice. The flavor was incredible! There is nothing better than a homegrown turkey. Thanks Mum and Dad for raising such deliciously huge Turkeys and sharing them!

Mr. Stannix carved it up for me while I put the finishing touches on dinner. It's kind of his thing and he's gotten really good at it! 

This is the first time we've had a kitchen this big to dine in. Usually we are crammed into our tiny pocket kitchens with our elbows touching as we visit and enjoy. The extra space sure was nice this year!

 

Joseph pretty well licked his bowl clean. He is a huge fan of dressing, potatoes and gravy!

 

This was also my first year making pie crust! Usually my mamma does it, or I just buy them and make my own filling. I used my Mum's recipe and it actually turned out okay. Next time I'll roll them out a little thinner and they will be perfect! I made one apple and one pumpkin.

 

When it was time for everyone to leave, Joseph gave the cutest waves. I love the new things he learns each day and I couldn't get over how sweet his chubby little hands were as they waved good-bye.

 

We've had a great time visiting with family this weekend and are looking forward to spending the day together with Daddy tomorrow! Happy Thanksgiving to all of our friends and family.