Peace and Quiet

The trees are covered in frost and a deep fog has settled over our little town. The boys sit at the round table with a ball of play dough and a few toys each. Joe has immersed himself in a game of sorts, whispering as he squishes play dough between his fingers and flies his cars around in the air. Hyrum is meticulously sticking tooth picks into his creations with out a word. The house is quiet and still. Finley is nearing the end of a long, much needed morning nap. I have just finished cleaning the kitchen of two days worth of dishes.  My sink sparkles and it smells good again. I sit down and enjoy the quiet while I can. I breath deeply, ponder and smile upon the scene before me. These are the moments that I live for. 

Partners in Crime

Joseph and Fin are becoming fast friends. Today these goofs ended up with goose-eggs on the right side of their foreheads. Joe ran into the corner of the wall while walking around with his eyes closed and Finley tumbled off the very last step and hit the tile floor. 

Later in the afternoon I went downstairs because all was too quiet and discovered that Joseph had locked the two of them in the bathroom. My imagination went wild as I wondered what they could be up to in there. I finally convinced him to open the door and found Finley with the toilet brush in hand, and a big grin clear across his face. He was soaked up to his elbows. There was a huge puddle of yucky water surrounding the toilet. I can laugh about it now, but I definitely didn't laugh about it then. Camilla kindly offered to watch Finley in the bath while I cleaned it up. 

We are entering the fun stage again.

Little Things

Today I will remember....

The way Joseph ate his honey and bread upside down (it tastes better that way don'tcha know), leaving drips of honey on his chin.

Hyrum's epic egg carton pirate ship complete with a crows nest and pirate.

How well the boys got along.

The way Joseph fell asleep on my lap mid afternoon after sweetly asking to lay his head there. 

The overwhelming feeling of love that I had for Joe as I combed my fingers through his hair and watched him sleep.

Camilla's smile as she ran down the sidewalk towards me after school, orange lipstick expertly applied (that she snuck in her backpack without me knowing). 

The way Finley clicked his tongue and grabbed his belly after eating a spoon full of jello.

Watching the kids pretend to be wizards as we cleaned the basement with our magic wands and harry potter music.  

Mr. Stannix calling me at 6:00pm to tell me his car wouldn't start. 

Pizza dinner at 8:00pm. 

Life is good.

Light

The morning light is beginning to creep through our windows a little bit earlier each day. As we play in the backyard each afternoon the children relish in the fresh air and smell of Spring around the corner. It has been a mild Winter, but I am looking forward to having a little bit more sunshine in my life. 

While we've been indoors I have found happiness in making a huge crochet blanket (my biggest project to date), cloth diapering Finley, baking yummy things, and playing on the floor with the littles. 

Today I couldn't help but snap a picture of Mr. Fin as he basked in the afternoon sun. I admired his growing hair, his chubby cheeks and how handsome he looked in his little white onesie. 

Saturday Snuggles

Saturday's mean special time with Daddy!!

The Reality

Someone visited our bed more than just a couple of times last night. I was so tired that I hardly noticed as he snuggled his cold little body next to mine. He tossed and turned for a few minutes and then scooted of the side of the bed and walked back to his own. The wee hours of the early morning were spent playing musical beds and sleeping with one eye open. 

During the day I was on bathroom duty. I have a toddler who's obsessed with the toilet just like his brothers before him. While Hyrum only ever threw things in the toilet, and Joseph tried to flush everything, Finley likes to splash and play in it. When you have littles who sometimes forget to flush, this can be messy business. The little guy gets a lot of baths during the day! 

Most times when I'm in the bathroom I find myself using toilet paper that's been rolled onto the floor. I don't even bother rolling it back up again. We just use the pile until it's gone. 

I spent the morning doing dishes but you wouldn't know it if you were to look at my kitchen tonight. I often spend my days doing things that are quickly undone over and over again. 

My frustration got the best of me this afternoon and I apologized to the children at the dinner table. It always amazes me how quick they are to forgive and express love. 

Days like these sometimes leave me feeling discouraged, until I find a sweet little valentine on my pillow from my two oldest. They drew our entire family, each grinning from ear to ear, hands held tight. 

In their eyes, all is well. Our home is happy, our family loves each other, and that is good enough for them. It really brings life back into perspective. This picture sits on my nightstand as a reminder of the love that we share despite the troubles of the day. These children make me happier than anything else ever could. 

New Limits

The snow has been slowly disappearing and Finley has a newfound love for the outdoors. It amazes me how far those little legs carry him each day. This afternoon I loved watching him explore the backyard with his big brothers.

Hard Workin' Baby

 I get such a kick out of Finley lately. He has a huge obsession with my broom. If he had his way he would play with that thing from sun up to sun down. The broom closet is often the first thing he goes to when he wakes in the morning. As he toddles around the house I find myself ducking and dodging the tip of the broom as he likes to carry it near the bottom. And when it's time to put it away at night he throws a full on tantrum to protest. He is at such a fun stage right now. I always think I love the newborn stage the best, but this stage is definitely a close tie. 

Messy Mornings

 These kids get up crazy early most mornings. Today was no exception. Joseph was dressed and ready to go by 6:15am. He had already woken Camilla (who was also dressed) so I poured them both a bowl of cheerios to eat while I got myself up and ready. I was kneeling at the end of my bed saying a much needed morning prayer when miss Camilla came tip-toeing in and tapped me on the shoulder. I had already finished, but kept my eyes closed for just a few minutes more. I wasn't quite ready to face what the day had in store after being up all night with a croupy baby and a boy who's afraid of the dark. I'm not even sure my body remembers how to sleep through the night anymore. Turns out Joe had knocked his bowl of cheerios off the table and there was milk everywhere. I was glad I wasn't in the kitchen when it happened or I might not have been able to remain as calm as I did. I mopped it up as I breathed a heavy sigh. Tears of frustration definitely stung my eyes this morning. This dear, sweet little boy has knocked off more bowls of cheerios then I care to count in his short life time. I am considering banning cereal from our home all together!

Things started to turn around at lunch time though! The boys were happy and cooperative and even loved each other! 

 

It's these sweet moments that I live for. I was glad I had my phone nearby to snap a picture! I love the way Finley pulled Joseph in close, with his chubby little hand on his face. Hyrum hovered over to join in and makes the perfect "protective" big brother. Life sure is messy sometimes, but I wouldn't have it any other way with these three!!

Farewell January

 We have been waking up each morning to a fresh skiff of snow on the sidewalks. The weather has been so warm though that it mostly melts by the time the afternoon rolls around. January is always a tough month for me, so I was happy to wake to a new month today. After I sent Camilla out the door to the bus I put up my little heart wreath that I made a few years ago. It serves as a reminder that we can do hard things with the help of a loving Heavenly Father. 

The rest of the day was slow and easy. I spent the morning playing with the boys and finishing up a little crochet project. Whenever Finley wanted my attention he would come over and bite my pants. He found it quite amusing to make his Mamma jump and squirm. It drives me nuts-o. 

 By the late afternoon I figured we'd better do something, so the boys and I mixed up some dough for our traditional sugar cookies. (First year here) I let it chill in the fridge while I cleaned up the kitchen. 

Camilla got home just as the first pan came out and was so excited to decorate and eat them!

 Joe licked his knife probably a hundred times, so he has a special plate of all the cookies he decorated to munch this week.

I love celebrating Valentine's day all month long. The kids always put a little extra effort into showing love and giving service and our home always feels just a bit happier because of it.