Quiet Time

When quiet time accidentally turns into nap time....

Getting Out

My little guys have pretty much been up with the sun every day this week. We had a pretty rough morning with such an early start. I fed them breakfast, looked at my crumb filled kitchen through tears and decided that curling my hair might make me feel a little better.  By the time 8:30am rolled around I couldn't stand the arguing any more! Everybody was irritable and deaf to my pleas to stop fighting and do their chores. I decided that getting out of the house was my only other option. I called the children to get their shoes on, loaded Fin in the stroller, packed some raspberry muffins, and put the leash on the dog. 

 My mood was lifted by the wind in my hair, the beautiful flowers along the way, and Finley's giggles.

We walked towards the trail and kept walking until we felt better. We made it all the way to a favorite park and spent the rest of the morning playing. 

They slid down the slide over and over again as the sun kissed their cheeks and the sand warmed their bare toes.

This guy enjoyed a little more independence!

We all went home feeling much more agreeable then when we left. I felt more at ease and able to tackle my daily tasks and the kids got along much better in the afternoon. Sometimes getting out of the house is all it takes!

Rainy Day Play

 We fell asleep last night to the sound of rain and thunder. I layed their in silence, counting the seconds between thunder and lightning, wondering how long it would be before I'd hear one of the children pitter-patter their feet into our room. Surprisingly, they all slept through (the little boys even slept until 7:30)! Miracles happen people! 

The rain was still falling when I woke and I was greeted by happy children. A part of me was glad for the rain. After a busy couple of days I was looking forward to spending a quiet day at home with my littles. I spent the morning throwing laundry through our newly fixed washer while the children quietly played. I took advantage of the extra tidy basement and vacuumed with Finley's help. It always takes twice as long, but his big grins make it worth it! I also chuckled when he snuggled up to Tucker and gave him some loves. He always says, "Dood boooo-ey...." (good boy) when Tucker sits nice. It's the sweetest thing to listen to.

 A rainy day wouldn't be complete without a quick project!

 In the late afternoon, when the rain let up, we all walked up the street to pick up some fresh farm eggs. It rained pretty good on the way back and Finley was tickled. "Nain! It's nainin'!" He would repeat as he grinned at the sky and let the rain fall on his soft little cheeks.

 I snuck a picture of these two washing their dino's in the sink. I love rainy days for the imagination and play that happens.

 While I cooked dinner, Finley hung out on the stairs anxiously awaiting Daddy's arrival. When he heard the garage door open he got so excited!

The older two got the giggles super bad at the dinner table. It took everything in me to let them keep going. As bedtime approached, the sun came out for the first time all day. When their little friends came by and asked if they could play, I let them run to the park for some fresh air and sunshine. They played on the swings and jumped in puddles as the sun dipped behind the rooftops. This is what Summer time is for!

Bed Head

Somebody woke up with some pretty awesome bed head this morning!!

The Bright Side

Today began at the early hour of 5:00am when both of the little boys decided to throw an early morning tantrum. I woke puffy eyed from falling asleep with the weight of motherhood on my shoulders. After working pretty much around the clock, our house is only ever semi-tidy, and the dishes are never completely done.  It's hard to go through an entire day without and thanks or recognition for all of the things a mother juggles. This job pays in hugs and kisses, and the bonus is when someone remembers to put the toilet seat down or actually hits the laundry basket when they take off their clothes at days end. I couldn't help dwelling on the fact that Summer is already half over and it hasn't been quite what I envisioned. I had big plans for a few hours of "mommy school" each morning that kind of got pushed to the side. I had hopes of going on a few outings with the children. Instead, I am in survival mode as I finish up this third trimester of pregnancy, and try to keep up with house work. The children don't notice as they happily run off to the park, jump on the trampoline in the yard, or play with their toys.

My first week back in the trenches of motherhood has been both rewarding and exhausting. At weeks end I am feeling emotionally drained and sore. I won't tell you about the time that I found an eatmore bar while cleaning off a shelf and hid in my laundry room to eat it as fast as humanly possible so I wouldn't have to share (yes, my jaw hurt after that chewy bar in case anyone was wondering). 

I laughed with Mr. Stannix a few nights ago about how Finley is the only kid who doesn't find his way to our bed in the middle of the night like the others frequently did at his age. I think I spoke too soon, because the last couple of nights we've had a squirmy toddler in our bed more than once. He maneuvers his body to fit in any spare nook or cranny around my baby bump and cuddles in close. While I enjoy the extra snuggles, my nights have not been the most restful. 

I let myself be cranky for a good hour this morning and then I decided to take the littles to a field and grab some pictures before the harvest. Their mood is almost directly dependent on mine, and I found them to be more agreeable after I willed myself to have more patience and pulled them close for morning hugs. The sun was up and bright and the sky was blue. We left the house before 8:00am and drove a short distance to a field I've had my eye on. Minus a few pesky mosquitoes, they had a lot of fun taking pictures together and saying "cheese" a ridiculous amount of times. Before going home we hit up the grocery store for some fruit and milk and the littles each scored a helium balloon from the rodeo festivities in the parking lot.

When we got home, Finley helped me put away the groceries like he always does.  He hadn't quite finished his cup of orange juice when he reached in to the tote to pick out something for me and as he tipped over, so did his cup. I turned around to find the strawberries sitting a puddle of orange juice.  I let out a heavy sigh as I mopped it up with paper towel and tried to stay cheery as we finished our job. 

Once we finished I turned on some feel good music and cleared some space on the counter. They each pushed a chair up to help me make a giant batch of my gramma's oatmeal coconut cookies as we danced and sang. After rolling a million cookies, they were happy to finally eat a few. I may have just called that our lunch and went ahead with my to-do list. While they played I swept the floor for the first time in a couple of days and made a pile big enough to feed a small army. It always amazes me how much stuff I find on my kitchen floor. 

But when I look back on my week, it has been filled with lots of wonderful moments sandwiched in with the hard stuff.  The children are learning that Mommy can't bend down pretty much at all and have been champs at putting their shoes away in the closet. One time Camilla forgot and Hyrum went ahead and picked hers up along with his and it totally warmed my heart. I dread doing laundry as I almost have to grunt just to reach the freshly dried clothes from the dark cave that is my dryer. Finley is quick to help and even though it takes twice as long, I am grateful.

I have been enjoying listening to Finley build his vocabulary. There are a few things he says now that are easy to understand and super adorable. I wish he could stay this age forever. I love when he tries to boss around our puppy, Tucker and yells, "No Dugger!" over and over again. The other day I watched him build block towers over and over again and exclaim, "Awww maaaaaaaa!" (aw man) each time it fell over. He has picked up on when the older kids ask or tell us things and quite often in the van he will say, "Daddy...?" over and over again until he responds, "Yes, Finley?" After the hundredth time it can get pretty tiring. 

On our way home from the park to make lunch I asked the kids if they wanted macaroni and cheese and Joe said, "I don't want cheese, just macaroni. Okay Mom?" I couldn't help but chuckle. That same day he also frequently said, "Mommy... imagine if...." and finished it with something funny like, "you were this tall and...." or "if I had a broken finger and had to do...." 

Finley has started playing at my feet more as I make dinner or bake bread. The other day I wound up his little toy car at least a million times because he was so sweet when he asked and it made him so happy to watch it go. I laughed as I would stir the dinner, wind up the car, wash a dish, wind up the car, wipe a counter, wind up a car..... 

Our neighbors asked us to pick their raspberries while they're away and I finally got around to it last night just as a storm was rolling in. As I walked over sans kids, I breathed in the air and could almost taste the rain. I picked under a black sky as the thunder rumbled and rain threatened. If there's one thing I've learned about berry picking, it's that you find the best ones when you get down and look up. The biggest, juiciest berries hide under the leaves and are seen better when you look up. I feel like life is the same way. As I remember to get down on my knees and look up to Heavenly Father, I find it easier to recognize the blessings in my life and things always look brighter. 

Boy's Best Friend

 Tucker is slowly learning his role in our family. The boys enjoyed giving him some loves this afternoon while he was having some quiet time. Every time Tucker settles and lets the kids pet him and snuggle him they say, "Mom, I am so glad Tucker came to our family." He's definitely brought a lot of happy chaos to our busy little family. I am glad that he gets to "grow" with us and learn to fit in to our family dynamics. Hyrum and him seem to have something special, and I love seeing sweet moments like these.

Whistler Part II

We had a pretty great week in Whistler! While Mike attended his daily tax course, I caught up on some much needed sleep and finished organizing most of our next blog book. I even treated myself to my very first massage ever, and it was amazing! It took me a few days to get used to being without the kids. It was weird to be able to enjoy my whole dinner without having to share or leave the table one hundred times to fill cups, clean spills, or grab something. Mid-week I wanted to bake something so bad! The kids would call me every morning and tell me about their exciting adventures at Gramma and Grampa's.

It rained on and off most of the week, but we finally saw a little bit of sunshine our last couple of days. I took to the streets to do some window shopping and picked up a few little Christmas gifts for the kids and a Christmas tree ornament. It really is a pretty place to explore!

On one of the warmer evenings we went for some Cows ice cream after a game of tennis and some dinner. We got there just before it closed, and then had to try and quickly pick from the huge selection!

Mid-week we treated ourselves to room service after spending the night in the pool. We thought the prices were ridiculous until we saw the portions! We were expecting them to just knock and leave it like they always do, instead a lady came in and pull our hot food out from a special place under this fancy table. 

On Friday morning I packed the van and met up with Mike after his course. We settled into the van for the long ride to the Acreage to pick up the littles. We took the slow, winding road back to Alberta and drove through Banff just as the sun began to set. Just inside the park we saw two black bears in separate places along the road and stopped to take a quick picture out the window. Then we laughed (with fear) at the tourists who got out of their truck to get a picture practically with the bears...yikes!

While we drove I reflected on the week. It was wonderful to relax and have some time for myself. I have come back calmer, more collected. I feel like I will be able to be a better Mom because of it! As the sun dipped further and further behind the snow capped mountains, I let out a sigh of relief. Alberta will always be home to me.

Hudkins Reunion

 This month has been a bit of a whirlwind! We got back to Rocky late last night from our week in Whistler, loaded up the kids and the dog early this morning, and headed to Edmonton for the Hudkins reunion. We were kind of volunteered to organize this one along with my little brother and his wife. They did a lot of the work, and I mostly posted on the family blog about the location and time and stuff. We do a big weekend reunion every couple of years and try to alternate with a day reunion one year in between. The turn out this year was sparse, but those that were able to make it had a lot of fun!

 The kids love interacting with their little second cousins! (And check out that cute little photo bomber...)

 My grandparents have made quite a legacy!

 My cousin, Jenny brought all of the games and activities for the littles. They had so much fun with all of the minute-to-win-it  games!

 I think the most entertaining game to watch was this one...even the adults had to join in!

Whistler

We've been in Whistler for a couple of days now, and it's been nice and relaxing! The drive alone left me feeling quite content (even though we were sick with awful head colds). I was in aw of the beauty around us the entire time and couldn't stop taking pictures! We passed by lush green mountains, tall snow covered mountains, calm mountain lakes, and waterfalls that stretch from mountain top to bottom.

I didn't so much mind the slow drive on the twisty mountain road with views like this!

We passed through a little place called "Pemberton" which apparently puts on a HUGE music festival. There were crowds of people walking along the side of the highway from campsites like this to listen to all of the different music.

We're staying at the Fairmont and the view from our room is amazing. It's in the upper village which makes it a bit more of a walk for dining/shopping, but it's lovely! We've been able to jump in the pool and hot tub almost every night to relax before bed.

On our first night here we went to our favorite little mexican joint. 

The food was just as impressive as last time we were here! I got the chicken fajitas and Mike got the enchiladas.

It's such a cozy little place to eat and I love the "authentic" feel it has. While Mike spends his days at his tax course, I spend mine catching up on blog books and sleeping. It's been nice to wake up each morning feeling rested, but I sure do miss our littles!!

A Little Getaway

 Last night we arrived at the acreage to drop the kids off for a whole week of fun at Gramma and Grampa's. Joseph ended up being awake all night with an ear-ache and sore throat and I took him to the doctors early this morning to see what was up. After a throat swab and a chest x-ray it was diagnosed as a viral illness to be treated symptomatically with tylonel if needed. He was in much better spirits by the late morning, and I didn't feel as guilty about leaving him. I knew he was in capable hands and would be on the mend shortly.

We gave hugs and kisses and jumped in the van for a whole week without the children. It rained the entire time we drove through the mountains. Mike and I both had the sniffles and plugged ears. We practically had to yell to hear each other and when we talked we sounded like we were talking with our noses plugged. It was not an ideal way to start a vacation, but we pressed on and made it to Kamloops for the night with lots of cough drops and water.

We enjoyed a late, quiet dinner at Moxies and an early bed time!