A Birthday Hike

When I got up this morning I had all intentions of spending my birthday just like every other day. Amongst other things I had some vacuuming I was hoping to get to, and wanted to give the desk in the kitchen a good tidy since it's piled a mile high with papers and junk. Mr. Stannix had other plans for today! After showering me with gifts, and homemade cards in bed he announced that we were heading to the mountains for the day! Camilla became hesitant and didn't want to miss her swimming, so we let her stick to the routine. Shortly after she got on the bus, we made the quick trip to the lovely Kananaskis mountains for a hike.

The mountains are one of my favorite places on earth, and my dear Mr. Stannix knows that.

Seconds after arriving all three of the boys had found some sticks to play with.

It was a nice, easy hike so we took our time and let the boys explore. Finley loved walking (and would not let go of that stick). Part of the time he even skipped on his tippy-toes he was so full of joy!

I love all of my handsome boys!

When the trail became muddy and rocky I popped Finley onto my back in my new wrap (notice he still didn't give up his stick)! This was a gift from Mr. Stannix and something I've had my eye on for a while. Knowing that I get to use it on another little Stannix makes it worth the cost. It's a beautiful wrap and I am in love with it! The ergo was getting harder to wear while pregnant and this is much more versatile!

About half way up we came across this little stream.

The boys checked the bridge for trolls and ventured up the edge of the stream a little ways. I loved watching them explore.

We took a little break in the warm sunshine before tackling the last bit of the trail. We could hear the water in the distance.

Hyrum took his brotherly duties very serious and my heart melted when I saw these two holding hands ahead of me on the trail. They walked that way until the path got too rocky and wet.

The falls looked pretty cool, half melted. 

Hyrum thought it was fun to climb part way up and then slide down like a penguin. Then his bum got too cold!

Sure love that handsome guy checking out the waterfall.

After a while we were all ready to head back to the sunshine for warmth and a snack. 

This guy bounced and bobbed on my back, full of giggles. 

We took the longer trail back to the car since we still had a lot of time. The boys did awesome and only complained of tired legs at the end. I'm so looking forward to many more family hikes this Summer. I love living in such close proximity to these beautiful mountains!

Once we got back to the car we enjoyed some juice boxes and snacks. The boys fell asleep before we got back on the highway.

Hyrum stayed awake just long enough to see this cute little guy. He was pretty excited! Joe loved hiking and told me more than once that it was the best part of his day because of all the "fwesh air". They all fell asleep happy and content.

Fresh Flowers

 After waiting for months I finally got on with a midwife! Today was my first appointment and my boys were terrible. The clinic was behind and they had exhausted my arsenal of snacks and toys during our half hour wait. When we were finally called in, I didn't sit in the chair once. I answered my midwife's questions while holding the door shut so Finley wouldn't escape (after he discovered the nifty door handles) and refereeing the older boys while they fought and fussed. I could feel my face getting hot as I moved around the room like a tornado, trying to be as calm as I could. At the end of the appointment we finally got to hear baby's heartbeat (which was around 150bpm). Finley sat calmly beside me for the first time all morning and the boys inched closer to where I was laying as they listened wide-eyed. For those few minutes there was a sense of calm in the room that I cherished deeply. Then I rounded up my rowdy crew and tried not to lecture them too much as we walked to the van. As soon as I shut my door I cried. Then I called Mr. Stannix and cried some more. 

 Tonight that wonderful man surprised me with a lovely bouquet of flowers and a nice long hug. 

It definitely was a bright spot in my day! I love that man!

You're Gunna Miss This

I have just finished tucking everyone into bed for the night. As I lay next to Hyrum for a quick bed time snuggle I run my fingers through his short blonde hair and stroke his baby soft cheeks. I watch his long eye lashes blink in the glow of the salt lamp as he tells me about his day. I run my rough fingers around his cheeks, across his forehead, and down his nose. "What's going to happen when you get too big to be tucked in?" I ask. His response is quick, "Well, then, we'll just tuck ourselves in!" My mother heart sinks a little, and I wonder if he will ever miss these sweet moments together as much as I know I will. He lets out a giggle and his eyes become sleepy as I make one last pass around his face with my finger. I press my lips into his boyish cheeks and give him one last smooch before pulling the covers up to his chin and saying "I love you" for the fifth time. He grins at me across the room as I slowly pull his door shut. I desperately want to wait there, gazing upon his face and watching him fall asleep as I did when he was a baby. With one last "I love you" I blow him a kiss and turn around as tears begin running down my cheeks. After a joy-filled day with the children, it is hard not to notice how fast life can pass you by. Those moments of realization hit hard sometimes, knocking the wind from my chest and filling me with emotion, but they also give me the strength to go on. When the going gets tough I find myself whispering you're gunna miss this someday.

 

Spring Break

 After spending a few days at home mid week, we took Daddy back out to the Acreage with us for the weekend. A lot of our time was spent watching General Conference and keeping our eye on the chicks hatching. We had a wonderful time, stayed up way too late, and ate some home cooked goodness.

The older kids pretty much rode their bikes from morning until night. They called themselves "Motorbike Daisy" and "Motorbike Dash". It was quite funny!

 Finley loved being out and about! The space to run and play is definitely cherished when we're there!

 We got to watch the boys play horse shoes. It was an intense match! 

 This moment with Gramma was too sweet not to capture. I could just eat those chubby toes!

 This guy often wandered to the chicken run to chat with the chickens. It was quite humorous to watch.

We adored our extra time with our favorite guy!!

My Gramma came out on the deck to wave us off when we left. It's an unsaid tradition. As we backed out I rolled down the window and the kids shouted "BYE!" as loud as they could while waving. Gramma always cries, which makes me cry. Finley continued screaming "BYYYY-EEE!" all the way to town until he fell asleep. Until next time....

Acreage Life

 We all loved our time at the acreage! The extra fresh air and space to run and be as loud as you want is always wonderful. The kids got nice and dirty and even snuck some water for mud pies in the sand box. I brought lots of extra clothes on purpose, knowing that they would spend a lot of their time getting messy.

 These guys love their Grampa!

The kids pretty much followed Grampa around the entire time. They "helped" him clean out the pens and enjoyed wheel barrow rides over and over again. 

 Hyrum gives a thumbs up to acreage livin'. He was in heaven in his giant rubber boots.

 The weather was to die for on our last day there. We spent the whole day out side, soaked up some sun on the deck and enjoyed chatting.

 Hyrum spent the entire afternoon practicing on his bike. He got pretty confident navigating the bumpy terrain and gravel. 

 Finners enjoyed some special time with Uncle Chris.

 Camilla reminded me of myself at that age. I had a little pink bike, some awesome 90's clothes and pink sun glasses. I spent most of my time riding my bike up and down the laneway, and looked a lot like her in this picture. Good memories.

I let them have one last ride before bed. As we walked to the house Hyrum thought it would be a good idea to push his brothers bike into the sticky mud. I ran toward Joseph's upset cries to find him stuck in the mud next to his bike with tears running down his cheek. I couldn't resist a picture to laugh at later. I set Finley down on the grass, held my breath, and tread as carefully as I could across the mud to rescue him. I found myself (in my dress boots mind you) knee deep in mud. We took the snowy route out, and I wiped his tears once we had reached safety. I turned around to find Finley sitting in the very spot I had just pulled the bike from. The boys stripped down outside and went straight for baths! It was quite the epic ending to the day.

Spring Hatch

 With Camilla on Spring break we decided to take a trip out to the acreage to watch the chicks hatch. Most of them ended up coming the day before we arrived, but one little egg waited just for us. When we got there it had just started "pipping".

 There was a little hole and we could see it's beak poking out. Hatching is a long process, but the kids had fun running and checking on the little egg between play time. 

 Camilla got to help Gramma move the chicks from the hatcher to the coop. They had a pretty good success rate with their own eggs, but only ended up with one yellow chick out of the bunch. It quickly became Camilla's favorite and she named it "tiny". Happiness is holding fuzzy little chicks!

 Hyrum and I snuck out before bed time to check on them and they were all happy as could be. He was tickled to crawl right in with them and hold a few. I tucked in the kids with a promise to wake them when the chick was about to hatch. I spent the rest of the night babysitting the egg and keeping a close eye on it. The hole eventually turned into a long crack as the little chick "zippered" around the egg counter clockwise.

I woke the older two when it got close to making it's way all the way around. Hyrum wiped his sleepy eyes, took one look, and then tucked back into bed. Camilla stood on the chair, wide eyed and excited, cheering the little guy on. It was quite exciting when it started pushing on the top of the shell and eventually popped out! 

 

 Camilla didn't want to go to bed after that. She had to make sure the little chick was alright and drying off before I could convince her to make her way back to bed. I sat and watched it until my parents got home and assured me that everything was normal. We named him pippin'. He stayed on his own in the hatcher until he was fluffy and walking well enough to join the rest.

Egg Champ

 We typically do all things involving eggs and bunnies on the Saturday before Easter, but a sudden change in plans left us doing some of it on Sunday. After church the children came home excited to champ eggs. This is a tradition from my family and something they look forward to every year. We didn't do it "right" this year, but the kids had fun smashing their eggs together. It got pretty crazy. At one point eggs were flying across the room after slipping out of excited finger tips en-route to smash the opponent. Miss Camilla ended up with the title of champ this year. The boys were good sports!

 

Happy Easter

 "He lives to silence all my fears.

He lives to wipe away my tears.

He lives to calm my troubled heart.

He lives all blessings to impart."

(music here)

Happy Easter from our family to yours!

Flames Game

 Tonight Daddy took Hyrum to his very first NHL game. They watched the Calgary Flames play. It was a great Father/Son date night. They had to come home a little bit early since Hyrum was super tired and the game went late. All in all, a great evening!