A Two-Wheeler

 One of the things on our to-do list today was to teach the kids to ride without training wheels. We all walked to a nearby field where there was lots of space and a cushy landing. Camilla was a little hesitant but Daddy knew she was ready. He held onto the back of her seat to get her started and then she was off. It only took a few quick tries before she mastered it! By the end of the afternoon she was starting on her own, making turns, and using her brakes to stop! I felt extremely proud of our little lady, like similar to the way I felt watching her take her first steps. I also loved watching her Daddy coach her. This parenting thing is pretty sweet most days! Hyrum gave it a shot, and is determined to keep practicing until he gets it. I'm sure he won't be far behind!

Laugh it off

 We have survived another busy Sunday. I subbed for our regular organist which left Mr. Stannix with his hands full on the bench. We took the long way to church in hopes that Joe would fall asleep and it worked like a charm! He slept on the bench for most of the time I had to play the organ and Mr. Stannix put Finley to sleep part way through the meeting. All things considered, I'd say it went relatively smooth. When something didn't go according to plan we found ourselves trying to laugh it off and enjoy the day.

Finley was starved after the meeting, but had to wait until I played the opening song on the piano for Primary. Switching from the organ to piano right away isn't as easy as one might think. For the first bit of Primary I had "organ fingers" and kept stumbling to find my notes. Then I fed the baby, played, changed the baby, played, and bounced the baby to sleep. Finley slept for the last bit of the third hour and then it was time to round up the kiddos and head home.

We ended up having to wait a bit while Daddy did some stuff for young mens. The kids were getting hungry. We drove home with two kids screaming in the back and hit every red light possible. When the last light of our drive turned to yellow I half laughed and exclaimed, "You've got to be joking me!" Mr. Stannix and I had a little laugh over it and then finally arrived home!

Joseph had removed his socks and shoes and then freaked out when Camilla helped him get them because HE wanted to do it all himself. It resulted in a nice little backyard tantrum soothed by a freezie. We all needed a little boost to help with the low blood sugar. Joseph's hair was too good not to photograph. Another tactic to help cope when your kid is throwing his gazillionth tantrum of the day.

Daddy hung onto Finley while I whipped up some biscuits to go along with our white bean chicken chili. I loved listening to them interact and I loved hearing Finley giggling away.

And at last, dinner was served. As per usual my kids arms magically stopped working and before I knew it the requests for spoon feeding had begun. "Show me your arms..." I said. They held them up. "Okay, now wiggle them," I asked. They all wiggle them. But for some reason they just don't work for eating. Hyrum ate his whole bowl full with help from Daddy and I spoon fed Camilla until she got tired of the big bites and chose to feed herself. All the while Joseph had dumped a glass of water into his bowl, smeared biscuit all over the table and made a mess of his face. Mr. Stannix and I both looked at him with his foot casually resting on the edge of the table and the sly smirk across his face and had to laugh. That boy may or may not be taking years off my life!

Hard Working Man

 We had a nice lazy start to our long weekend complete with Pj's and a big breakfast. We finally got going in the afternoon and Mr. Stannix accomplished everything on his to-do list including changing the winter tires! He takes such good care of us!

 When Finley was napping I snuck out to the garage to admire my handsome man at work.

 Joseph thoroughly enjoyed being his little helper and was quite amused with the whole thing. He repeatedly told me how Daddy was "fixin' the car". 

We ran some errands in the afternoon while it rained on and off and then finished off our day enjoying ice cream cones in the backyard. These two were so cute together I couldn't help but snap a picture of them visiting on the edge of the trampoline. Joseph's feet were absolutely filthy from running around all day without shoes. It made me smile. Summer lovin' at it's best!

Precious Moments

(Photo courtesy of Hyrum)

Time is so precious with these little ones, the good and the bad. Today I had a heart melting moment with Joseph. The last pan of cookies had just come out and we escaped to the back deck to enjoy the sunshine. After a few minutes Joseph put his chubby hand on my shoulder and looked at me with those gorgeous eyes of his and said, "I love you, Mom". It was so sincere and sweet. A moment I will definitely treasure forever.

The Best Job

It's been a long day.

I was up most of the night listening to our little lady whimpering from an ear ache.

Finley cut a tooth and has a cold.

Two of four children saw a doctor this morning and one was prescribed antibiotics.

I'm wearing the same thing I was wearing yesterday.

I smell like baby barf.

My shirt has been spit up on so many times I've lost count.

And thanks to Finley's fever this is going to be another long night.

But this is still the best job around!

The Little Brother

 This morning we all took Finley for his four month immunizations. When I got there I realized I forgot the stroller at home, but we all surived! Finley weighed in at 16lbs 1oz and is about 25inches long. He is in the 25th percentile for pretty much everything. But in the 75th for his weight/height ratio. When we finally went in to get his immunizations Joseph was the cutest protective big brother reassuring him that "it's okay win-lee" and "you'll be okay". After his three needles I snuggled him in a favorite blanket and he fell right to sleep. Thanks to that and some fruit snacks the fifteen minute wait after was a breeze! 

Since Joseph fell asleep on the way to the clinic, we let the afternoon nap slide and went out in the yard to play instead. We are really loving the sunshine and green grass these days! 

 

Finley has some pretty awesome big brothers to look up to! And they are growing so fast. I really wish time would freeze today.

Mother Dear

Today my parents spontaneously came up for a visit, so I got to spend part of mothers day with the woman I admire most. For the last week I've been thinking a lot about my mom and wishing I had some of her strengths and talents. One evening after I had cleaned up the kitchen Mike said, "Wow, you made quick work of that!" I smiled proudly to myself as I thought of how quickly my Mom cleans up after each meal. It's like she snaps her fingers and everything is magically washed and put away. What I sometimes forget is the years of experience and practice it took for her to get to that point. I now feel like there's hope for me yet!

My Mom is a pretty special lady. She is absolutely beautiful and one of the most Christlike people I know. She has always been a great example of service and charity. She always worked for us with love and without expectation of thanks. My eyes have been opened since becoming a mother to all of the selfless service and sacrifices she made for us. She was happy to wear her old jeans for years so that we could enjoy new clothes. She quietly cleaned up after each meal when we were busy with sports, friends, and school. Looking back, I hardly ever remember her complaining.

My Mom was a great constant in my life growing up. She always met us at the crossroads. Before we left in the morning she would make sure we were full of homemade pancakes and spiritually fed as well with a quick scripture study and prayer. When we arrived home from school she was always there and the house would smell of homemade bread, cinnamon buns or fresh baked cookies.

My Mom has the patience of a saint. I don't remember her getting mad at us too often (except maybe when we deserved it). Even when I lied about an injury I got quadding (for fear of losing that privilege) she patiently waited for me to tell the truth because she knew my guilty conscience would get the best of me eventually. If we did things wrong, or didn't listen she never said too much, she just quietly carried on and waited for us to learn.

My Mom taught me how to live through her actions rather than words. She has always been an amazing example to me. I am so grateful for a mother who gave up an amazing career to stay home and teach us.  Ever since I was little I have always wanted to be a Mother. My mother instilled that desire in me through her example and love for the calling of Motherhood. I am so grateful for a mother who valued womanhood and homemaking and was able to pass that love on to me.  When I mother my children it is her that I try to measure up to. And so when my husband tells me I made quick work of the kitchen, or happily proclaims that my stuffing tastes just like my moms it makes my heart happy. Someday I hope to be just like her.

Happy Mother's Day Mamma!

First Goal

 We signed the older two up for soccer this year and they are loving it! Camilla had one practise already this week, but Hyrum's was snowed out and rescheduled for today. Thankfully we woke to blue skies and sunshine! If it wasn't for the wind, it would have been perfect! This morning Hyrum woke up excited to play and told me he really just wanted to score a goal today. Hyrum played this morning and it was quite humorous watching him get the hang of it. For the first half he really wasn't sure where to run or what to do. If he did get the ball he would kick it and freeze on the spot in a funny pose until the ball stopped. It was so hard to sit on the sidelines and not coach him along! He eventually figured it out though and scored his first goal in the last few minutes of practise. He was pretty pumped. 

We got to see the replay at least ten times after. "I just ran like this, kicked the ball, and then fell like this!" We grabbed slurpies on the way home to cool off!

 Miss Camilla played her little heart out at her practise/game this afternoon. After playing once this week and cheering on her brother this morning she has really gotten the hang of it! It was great to watch her run around the field and try hard to get the ball and score. She got a grand total of four goals (except two were on her own net). It absolutely melted my heart to watch her give the ball up to a team mate so that he could score and feel good about himself too. She is just the sweetest! It was a proud mommy moment.

As soon as she finished her practise and walked off the field Joe ran up and threw his arms around her. "Wee-a! Good job Wee-a!" When he wasn't trying to take out the flags, kick over the pilons, or run away across the park, he was the best cheerleader a kid could ask for. We all came home with sun in our hair, sunkissed skin and smiles on our faces.

Bedtime Tickles

 We love it when Daddy is home! Bedtime tickles make for a happy nights sleep around here!

Little Things

For the last few weeks our family has been battling a nasty flu and cold which has left us all sleep and energy deprived. It started with Daddy and worked it's way down the family. The night that I felt the aches and chills creeping up on me I knelt by my bed and pleaded with Heavenly Father to make it a quick one! When I woke up the aches were gone, and I have been able to carry out my mothering responsibilities with all of the other side effects, so I am pretty grateful for that! Sadly, the blog was put on the back burner and has lacked the heart and soul that I long to put into it every day. While I've been posting one liners and uploading pictures here and there I have also been jotting down the little moments that bring me joy or make me smile each day.

I have made it a huge goal of mine to get down and play with the kids more throughout the day and worry less about the mess, the laundry, and the endless trail of socks up my stairs. It has been so rewarding and I have felt such an increase of joy as I get down to their level, look into their eyes, and let them climb all over me with hugs and kisses. One afternoon I found myself lying on the floor with Finley propped on my stomach, Joseph sitting on my feet begging for a rocket ship ride and Camilla at my head chatting my ear off while she ran her fingers through my hair. Even though it felt a bit chaotic, I paused and enjoyed that moment as much as I could, soaking in every detail right down to the smoothie mustache on Joseph's face. Mothering so many little people is tough some days. While being a mother is totally fun and rewarding, it is also exhausting and thankless. Remembering the little things helps me make it through the day with some sense of joy and satisfaction even when the storms come and it seems like no one is listening to me.

Our days have been starting extra early again. As much as I would love to be up and ready before the kids, it seems impossible as they wake well before 6:00am. I am usually either nursing Finley or just getting back to sleep when I hear the boy's toes hit the floor first thing in the morning. It isn't long before they are racing around the house playing tag or fighting over a toy, or screaming at each other. I dread mornings that start off with arguing. If I'm feeling energetic I will cave to the requests for pancakes with Gramma's saskatoon syrup (which has lovingly been nicknamed "wacka-toon" by Joe). After breakfast we plug away at our regular routine of morning chores and tidying their bedrooms. A part of me dislikes nagging them to get things done in the morning, but I cherish the time that we have all together knowing that Camilla will be heading off to school in September and our mornings will change. For now I enjoy the slow pace and extra time we have to do things like scripture study and prayer together, even when there's fighting and tears. I know this is time we will never get back!

If it's nice we spend the afternoon outside. If it's cloudy, we will craft, bake cookies, or I will make up a batch of bread. One time I made peanut butter and jam for lunch while Joseph stood on a stool being my "helper" and when I put the glob of peanut butter on one slice of bread he immediately stuck his fingers in it grabbed it off and stuck it in his mouth. He proceeded to do it again with the next one. While we were crafting pne day I heard Hyrum say something like, "I'll be done this picture in a jiffy. You should see it Mom! It's gunna be fabulous!" Sometimes our afternoons are rough and filled with fighting and I will hear things like, "Mom! Joe hit me with a noodle!" (the kind you use to float in the pool). And I will never forget one afternoon when I was baking up a storm and Hyrum came in quickly to grab something. Though he didn't say anything, the way he inhailed deeply through his nose twice before opening the door and heading back out showed me that he was enjoying the smell of freshly baked goods. In that moment I loved that little boy and most especially the feeling of safety and security I associate with the smell of fresh baked goods.

Dinner time is hit or miss. Sometimes they love eating what I make and other times I'm left to wonder why I even bother cooking. A few nights ago I had to laugh when Camilla and I were trying to convince Hyrum to eat his veggies. I told him it would make him grow and Camilla chimed in and said, "Yeah, Hyrum, I'm already five, it took me a lot of veggies to be five". I will also never forget when I sat down next to Joseph with a freshly prepared plate of Cafe Rio only to have Joseph dump a cup full of water right on top of it. Mr. Stannix drained it out for me in the sink and I grudgingly ate my soggy wrap.

After dinner I will put a few kids for baths rotating each night. I will still never forget one night when Joseph asked to be wrapped up like a baby after his bath. I snugged him up in a towel and cradled his toddler body in my arms. He caught his reflection in the mirror and sweetly exclaimed, "Oh baby!" After jammies are on and teeth are brushed we say family prayer. It made me smile one night while we were staying at the acreage and I over heard Camilla and Hyrum arguing over personal prayers in their little bedroom. Hyrum was refusing to say his after being lovingly reminded by his big sister and then he asked why he should and she exclaimed in a sharp whisper, "Because it's important!" Ah I love that girl. One night when everyone was in bed and the house was quiet I found myself folding laundry on my bed as the last of the days sun dipped behind the roof tops and illuminated my bedroom with it's orange glow. I could still feel the faint warmth of the orange rays on my face as I sorted socks and folded onesies and I will never forget the peace and contentment I felt in that very moment after a long days work.