Best Buds

The days have been long this week! I found myself checking the clock multiple times today and it always ended up being much earlier than I hoped it was. I guess that's what happens when you get an early start to the day! Now that the sun is up sooner, the littles are waking earlier. The upside is that they are all pretty tired when bed time rolls around thanks to long afternoons outside. 

Hyrum often tells me, "Mom, Fin and I are best buds!" Today I loved watching the two of them play together. He held his little brothers hand and walked around the yard. They sat and giggled in the chairs together. They bounced on the trampoline. When I went out to check on them I found them chilling in the lawn chairs. Finley has recently learned how to fold his arms and he thinks it's a hilarious thing to do. He thought it was even better when his big brother started to copy him! 

There's been many an evening this week where I've found myself craving a slush. Yesterday the boys helped me make up my Mom's rhubarb slush. They were all pleased as punch when I suggested a glass full after lunch today. I have a feeling this is going to help pregnant me get through the Summer a lot easier!

Swimming Lessons

I signed the littles up for swimming lessons way back in January. We've been waiting and waiting for this month to arrive! When I double checked the times a couple of days before I noticed that the boys weren't registered in any classes even though my receipt showed that I had payed. I got in contact with the pool and they worked it all out for me. They ended up getting another instructor and creating a whole new class for the boys. They pretty much get private lessons every week. It's been nice to see Joseph improving so much. The first lesson he screamed and cried for most of it and would not put more than his big toe in the water. I was kind of surprised! I thought for sure he'd be my crazy fish. Now he is bravely doing back floats and gets into the big pool without hesitation. 

Camilla ended up with double lessons since her school lessons started this month too. She is loving it! She swam all on her own the other day and told me "it was incredible!" I love that I was able to get all three of them in lessons at the same time. Finley hangs out on my back in the wrap for the half hour. It works out well!

Blink of an Eye

Today was a good Sunday, filled with many moments of peace and contentment. The children got along really well (minus a squabble or two) and I adored watching them help each other and play together all afternoon. We took the kids to a grassy part after dinner for a picnic dessert and some frisbee. It felt good to spend time together, to laugh together, and to grow together. It was one of those days that I just want to soak up for later! 

This morning Joseph woke up looking older. After he was dressed in his church clothes I could hardly believe how grown up and mature he looked! I've noticed a few subtle ways he is growing and changing over these last few weeks. His speech is improving, his brain is thinking and wondering, and he is so full of love for those around him. All day today I had to do a double take each time I looked at him. My little Joe is indeed growing up, almost too fast. My heart can hardly handle these babies of mine growing so quickly. As we walked up stairs he grabbed my hand and said, "Mommy, I love you TOO much!". 

Since they are all growing and changing so quickly, I cherish the little cuddles and extra hugs that they freely give. Tonight after scriptures and prayers Hyrum randomly climbed onto my lap and placed his head on my shoulder for a snuggle. "I wish I could stay here forever and sleep here," he said as his body melted into mine. I chuckled as I told him of a time he was once small enough to fit in my arms and sleep away the hours. When I felt the measure of love I had for my dear boy welling up in my heart, and the tears forming in my eyes, I stopped telling my story and just held him close for as long as he wanted to stay. Mr. Stannix, noticing the tears I was holding back, quietly smiled as he helped shuffle children to bed. 

Watching these little people grow up is so bittersweet sometimes. Of course I want them to grow up, and be successful and love life, but there is a huge part of me that is going to miss their tiny bodies snuggled next to mine at nap time, or the spontaneous "I love you's", or the random hugs. I will miss tucking them in at night, reading them stories, rubbing their backs. I often leave my dinner dishes for the next day just to soak in these moments with the children. I am grateful for Mr. Stannix who reminds me that even though our house isn't always clean, our HOME is in great order. The dishes will always be there, but the children will be gone in a blink it seems!

Good Friends

My kiddos can't seem to get enough of the sunshine and blue skies. While I cooked dinner today the younger two played out on the back deck. I loved hearing their giggles as I prepped and stirred. It's been so fun to watch Finley grow! He loves trying to keep up with everyone and they just keep getting closer and closer. We have our fair share of sibling rivalries around here, but I so cherish moments like these! I love seeing my kids learning to be good friends.

Trampoline Lovin'

The weather has been amazing! 

We have been enjoying a lot of time outside.

Finley would play out there all day if he could.

He has developed a recent love for the trampoline.

He especially loves it when one or two of his siblings sit on there with him.

We all enjoyed his awesome trampoline hair today!

Signs of Spring

 My day today started much earlier than anticipated when I was woken by a hungry, no, starving three year old at 4:00am. "Can I have a granola bar?" "No sweetie, the granola bars are all gone." Cue whining. "How 'bout some cheesy crackers?" "Sorry hun, you ate the last one yesterday." And then in desperation for some much needed sleep, I offered the kid a cookie, at 4:00am... "But I want TWOOO cookies." "No darling, it's the middle of the night. You may have one cookie and go back to sleep." We argued for at least a half an hour before I left the cookie and a drink on his side table and crawled back into bed whilst he continued to fuss in his room. Then Finley woke up. Sigh. 

I spent most of my morning tackling a MOUNTAIN (I'm not exaggerating) of dishes. Our dishwasher started leaking big time yesterday mid-cycle. I have a hard enough time keeping up with the pots and pans around here, let alone every single fork and spoon that gets dirtied by six people. I put a very tired Finley for a nap, gave Hyrum the iPad, and plunked Joe in front of the TV with a snack (I'm a horrible mother). I stared at the kitchen and tried not to cry as I remembered Mr. Stannix's promise to fix the dishwasher after he gets back....on Saturday. I dove my hands into the sudsy sink of hot water and reminisced about our student years, living in our little old white house, with the tiny kitchen, and no dishwasher. After three sink fulls of dishes I wiped down the counters and admired my work. It really wasn't as bad as I had anticipated it being. And once everything was nice and clean, I made sure to get it nice and messy again (a little inside joke between me and Mr. Stannix).

 Joseph, bored with his movie, wandered into the kitchen to see what was happening. He eagerly washed his hands and jumped up on the counter to help me roll and fill some homemade perogies!

 I think we made about forty of them. I stuck the cookie sheets in the freezer and then rounded up the kids for a walk. The weather was too beautiful to ignore, and I wasn't about to do more dishes.

 Finley always loves the extra space to run and explore.

 Hyrum picked me a bouquet of dandelions.

 A Mother's favorite flower.

 These two have always had such a sweet relationship.

And while the frustrations of the day stirred inside me, I tried to capture all of the joys. Finley's strawberry blonde hair sticking out of his cap made me smile. 

 we admired the signs of spring, the flowers, and the leaves popping out around us.

 Nature is so good for the soul.

 18 week bump watch courtesy of Joe.

 And I almost forgot to mention that Finley got his first hair cut today! I think you only need one guess to figure out who dun' it (and it wasn't me). I really wasn't sure if I should laugh or cry. First hair cuts are sort of a big deal for me and I wasn't even PRESENT for this one! I picked the whisps of hair off the couch and stuck them in an envelope labeled "Finley's first haircut". His hair is so fine you can hardly notice, unless you're looking for it. 

 After everybody fussed over dinner, they all rotated through baths. This kid is growing so fast, it's killing me!

Bed time went off without a hitch, and everyone is fast asleep. As I look back on these pictures of my day, I'm glad that I tried to focus on the joys instead of the trials. Life is hard sometimes, but when I'm diligently looking for these moments to photograph them for later, it's amazing how many of them appear.  And I hope that when I look back on these busy days with littles I will mostly remember the good. Now I think it's time for me to curl up with a favorite book and some chocolate.

"The secret to living well and longer is: eat half, walk double, laugh triple and love without measure..."
~Tibetan proverb 

Tiny Reminders

It's early morning. The sun hasn't even come up, but I've already been out of bed twice. Just as I'm falling back to sleep I'm startled awake by the most dreadful sound. I rush over to Joe's room to sooth him and then change his sheets with sleep still poking at my eyes. He has the pukes. Soon, all is well. I kiss him good-night and fall back into bed. I slowly close my eyes. Tap, tap, tap. Baby begins dancing around inside of me. Even though I'm exhausted to the point of tears, I smile, because those tiny first movements are SO comforting.

The morning rush ensues. There's breakfast to be made, lunches to pack, and kisses to be given. I rush around the kitchen all morning loading the dishwasher and wiping crumbs off the counter. Joseph runs up stairs to tell me "something BAD has happened!" He takes my hand and leads me downstairs to show me the water dripping from the basement ceiling. I breath deeply. In and out. I turn off the dishwasher and lay on the couch for a rest. Tap, tap.... I feel baby again, softly moving around.

In the late afternoon I sit at the table and rest my head on my arms for a few quiet moments. I can hear the children playing happily outside. Finley is having a little snooze in his crib. I rest my eyes for just a moment and enjoy those little taps once more. 

The day flies by, and the bed time routine approaches. While the older kids stare at their plates of dinner, I wipe Finley and dress him for bed. He drinks his bottle while we snuggle in the chair. He nestles in close while I sing to him. Tap, tap, tap. Tears of gratitude well up in my eyes as I finish the last verse of "I am a Child of God". This baby has so many wonderful siblings to take care of him or her.

Those little taps are what keep me going. Tiny reminders that life is good and sweet despite the chaos and challenges. I may have yelled one too many times, I may have mommy guilt at the end of the day, and I even sometimes feel undeserving to welcome another sweet spirit into our home. But each night before bed I kneel down and thank my Father in Heaven for these sweet little blessings, and the baby wiggling around in my tummy giving me the reassurance I need to push forward. 

The Mondays

 We've got a bad case of the Monday's around here. Finley is just getting over the pukes, and I had three loads of blankets to wash today. I had read somewhere that using a new wrap as an under the table hammock will help break it in, so I decided to give it a try.

 The kids each had a turn while we read morning scriptures, and then Finners hogged it while I did laundry and a tidy of the main floor. The poor little dude did a lot of barfing yesterday.

 After a three hour nap he woke up feeling a bit more like himself. His giggles kept me going today while the boys faught and my house was a mess. My patience was pretty worn out by noon.

Turns out the reason Hyrum was so irritable this morning is because he was coming down with something too. At lunch time he complained about a sore throat and yawned non-stop while he stared at his food. Instead of eating, he cozied up on the couch for a long afternoon nap.

Bubble Blowing

 This morning the boys and I went to Wal-mart for some milk and a birthday gift. We came away with bubbles for all and a little red hat that Joe wouldn't give up (he needed one anyway). Lately when I look at this kid I can't help but think (and sometimes comment aloud) how grown up he is! His talking improves every day and I love the way his brain works. He has a hilarious sense of humor and loves to make people laugh. He is pleasant, more thoughtful, and aware. I can't smooch him without him wiping it away seconds after, "Yuck! I don't like kisses!" Then I kiss him ten times more while he giggles and tries to wipe them all away. 

 While I watched him in the backyard this afternoon my heart swelled with love! 

I adore this boy, ketchup face and all!

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.