Pond Skating

 Today Daddy took the big boys skating on a nearby pond for a few hours. They had a lot of fun! Hyrum told me he watched Daddy's legs and then tried to copy him as best he could. I sure hope that these boys always try to follow their Daddy. He's so wonderful and today I am feeling extra blessed to call him mine! He's been on holidays for a week now and every day he has tried his best to make my life pleasant by keeping the kitchen clean, lugging baskets of folded clothes upstairs, playing with the littles, and cooking dinner a couple of nights.We've got another week with our favorite guy and we are looking forward to more pond skating and sledding!

Marion Elizabeth Purdon

A few weeks ago I was expressing to Mike how blessed I felt to still have both sets of grandparents around. I was feeling particularly grateful to be able to receive advice from them and watch them relish in the joy of great-grands. There is something so special about watching a grandparent or a great-grandparent hold your child. They cherish and love them like only a grandparent can and as I study their faces and the light in their eyes I can see that they know deep down how truly fleeting these years can be. Life can change so quickly.

The week before Christmas my mom took my Gramma in to the hospital to get some stomach pains checked out. It didn't sound too serious at first and then they started running some tests and debating whether or not to go ahead with a surgery. The next day I woke to texts from siblings and a few missed calls. My brother, sister, and I spent the morning wondering if we should make the trip to Red Deer to visit Gramma at the hospital. With both of them being down South already it would be easy enough to carpool up and make an afternoon of it. They met at my house and my wonderful sister-in-law offered to watch my littles while we went. It was nice to be together, just the three of us (and Ollie) again.

We arrived at the hospital close to 3:00PM prepared to say our final good-bye's to Gramma. We notified my Dad of our arrival and he met us in the parking lot with news of my Gramma's passing. We had just missed her. As we all huddled in the safety of my Dad's arms, the tears began to fall. We slowly made our way up to Gramma's hospital room and met with my mom, cousins, aunt, and uncle. It happened so fast, it was all quite shocking. I was so grateful I had made the special trip out to visit at the Acreage after Ollie was born so that she could meet him but wished more than ever that she would have let me take a picture of the two of them together. She wasn't feeling well that day and wouldn't let anyone have a picture unless her hair was done. It's one of the things that I love about my Gramma. She always liked to look her best!

Over the last few weeks memories and thoughts of my Gramma have been on my mind. Especially at this time of year, knowing how much she liked the Christmas lights and the holiday season. I already miss her butter tarts, pies, and Christmas pudding.

My Gramma was born in 1935 to Florence Priscilla Caskanette and Walter William George Smith. She attended a one room community school house in Bruce County up until grade eight when she was offered a position in a nurse training program at a nearby hospital.  She met my Grampa at a Christmas concert put on by the school and he asked her to dance. She spent the next few years nursing in London at a children's hospital before marrying my Grampa and settling on a farm in Wingham, Ontario. They raised five kids on the farm and she cooked for many men during harvest season. She would often tell me stories of the pies and rolls that they made each night for dinner.

Before my Grandparents moved here, they would make the drive from Ontario once each Summer for a long visit. Whenever I think of my Gramma visiting us at the farm I think of her soft molasses cookies that she would bake for us to enjoy. She would keep them in an empty ice cream pail above the fridge. She always wore a yellow jacket and watched us blow bubbles and jump on the trampoline. Her hair was short, dark black, and permed with tight curls. Shortly after we sold the farm my grandparents moved out West and we bought houses side by side in town. A few years later we moved to the Acreage and my parents added an in-law suite to the house. I have been blessed to live next to my grandparents for over half of my life!

When I think of my Gramma I remember her in the kitchen. She was always baking or cooking and their house always smelled of spices and garlic. She could make raspberry jam from tomatoes and pumpkin pie from mashed carrots or squash without anyone even suspecting a thing. She was talented! She knew how to spice a dish and make the best pie crust. When we had big family gatherings she would make a big roaster full of mac n' cheese for the kids. Even when we all grew up she still made it for us. We would heap it on our plates and always go for seconds. It was topped with loads of cheese and crushed soda crackers. She was never allowed to cook growing up and learned a lot of what she knew after she was married. She became quite the cuisinista in her lifetime. She taught me that the "whizzer" is the best kitchen tool and only way to make banana bread turn out like hers.

Gramma was a tom boy. This Summer I learned that she played in a women's baseball league until she was three months pregnant and decided to stop because she was so competitive she couldn't help but slide into the bases. I watched as she sat beside Hyrum on the bench outside her front door and taught him how to place his glove on the ground to catch a grounder. At 81 years old she was still crouching over to show him the correct way to place his glove on the ground so that he wouldn't get a ball to the face.

She had a love for animals and especially loved children. We had many conversations surrounding motherhood and she gave me a lot of advice. She gave up nursing shortly after the children came along and never understood why women would want to work outside the home. She had her fair share of flack, even then, for staying home to raise five children instead of continuing her nursing career. She found joy in homemaking and creating beautiful doilies, crochet angels and stars for the Christmas tree, big warm afghans to keep her family warm, and good food to fill our tummies. She did all of this with joy and optimism. She was chipper even through trials. As she shared her stories of raising children I sensed that she understood well what I was going through with our little family. Whenever I'm having a hard Mommy day I think of her and the many conversations we've had and her words echo in my head, "You're doing a damn good job." Now she's cheering me on from the other side.

My Gramma Purdon instilled in me a love for baking and crochet. When I was ten she taught me how to crochet and I successfully made and gifted two baby blankets. I cherish the time we spent together conversing at her kitchen table as she guided me through my granny square patterns and helped me whip stitch the pieces together. Every time I'd go visit her I would admire her crochet afghans draped over the railing. Knowing how much time and effort goes into something like that makes them all the more special and wonderful. I find myself being a little more careful with the one she made for me when I was a teenager. 

Whenever the great grands came to visit she would give them a chocolate from her special candy dish (but just one). They would suck on it while they gave hugs and told them about things going on. It has been a privilege to live beside them for over half of my life as they silently observed and found joy in our successes. She loved talking to the babies when I'd bring them over and enjoyed their smiles. After nursing a children's hospital she always had advice for fussy babes. She is the only one that Joe allows to call him "Joey". One of her favorite phrases was "crikey sakes".

She was thoughtful and quick to share her feelings. She always told us how much she loved us and cried when we would leave for our own homes.  Her hugs were long and heartfelt, always coupled with an "I miss you's!" It was tradition for us to roll down the windows on the van and have the kids shout their good-bye's as she waved us off from the deck with tears in her eyes.  She took special care of Grampa cooking healthy things to keep his energy up. She loved to serve her family and worked hard to make others happy.

I feel so lucky that she has made every one of my Littles a special white blanket for their blessing day like she did for me and my siblings when we were babies. The other day Ollie was a little bit cold after being outside with us so I grabbed the blanket off the back of the rocker and threw it over him to warm him up while I nursed. Gramma was sure to send it up early and insisted Oliver would need something to keep him warm with the chill of Winter creeping up. Tears stung my eyes as I wrapped him in it and remembered her. She made a few extra white blankets and I promised my siblings that I would carry on the tradition for their kids if they wanted me to. I have five of these handmade white baby blankets plus my own from when I was a babe and they are treasures. Before I had finished nursing I slid my hand under the blanket to find two toasty warm baby feet, and I felt my Gramma near. Every time I crochet I will think of her. 

Boxing Day

Could there be any better way to spend Boxing Day?!

Also my favorite line...

"Mommy! Mommy! Help! The puppy's got my undies!"

Christmas Day

 Christmas morning came early as it always does! Mike and I tucked into bed shortly after midnight. Ollie gave me perhaps the best present of all -- 8 hours of sleep in a row! It would have been an amazing night except for Finley waking to find his sippy and the older two coming to my bed side a couple of times around 3:00am to tell me that Santa had indeed come and asking if they could open their stockings. I sent them back to bed but heard them whispering for a little bit afterward. Finally at 6:00am they came into our room with stockings in hand! Everyone hopped onto our bed and opened their stockings with glee. 

Once we finished, we ventured out to the tree and everyone found a place to sit. Mike passed out the gifts one at a time starting with the youngest and working his way up. To say that Finley was thrilled with his gift would be an understatement. 

I've never seen a kid so excited about a car!

 He sat in that there beeping the horn until it was his turn to open a gift again and then he'd get out for a short time. It was so cute!

I loved watching how careful Joe was opening his gifts.

The chaos of Christmas is so fun!

Opening gifts a little bit slower allowed them to be played with and enjoyed.

Reese wandered around and joined the fun when she could.

As soon as Hyrum opened his new hoodie he had to run and get dressed. 

Gift opening can be tiring though!

We really tried to keep Christmas simple this year: Something they want, something they need, something to play with, something to read. Hyrum loved his light saber and spent all day building his Star Wars lego ships from Gramma and Grampa.

Reese got lots of loving!

Mr. Stannix gifted me with a tube of gingerbread lip sense (kiss proof, smudge proof lipstick) and gloss. It's nice to still feel pretty when you're a mamma and this stuff only needs applying once a day! He also had a special necklace made for me with all of the kids names and a special charm. He put a lot of thought into everything and I feel so lucky to have him!

We then ate breakfast and got dressed and ready for church (which was shortened to an hour because of Christmas). We ended up with a few minutes to spare and snapped some fancy photos of everyone.

Church went so good considering how tired the littles all were. At one point I looked over to find the boys in a tussle on the bench. Hyrum was stretching Joe's suspenders with one hand while Joe was squeezing Hyrum's other hand without mercy.  Thankfully my eyes were enough to make them both stop! I then looked to the other side of me to find Finley playing Quietly while Camilla planted kisses on his cheek. When I flashed her my don't-touch-him eyes, she whispered, "He's just so cute!!" How could I blame her?! He was pretty stinkin' cute today.

The rest of our afternoon was super low key. Lots of puppy snuggles and snacking. Mr. Stannix had planned on BBQ for dinner, but we had a late lunch of left over tacos and were too full for anything else. It was probably the easiest Christmas dinner ever, although the lack of Turkey and stuffing made it feel a little less like Christmas. I am so grateful for my crazy crew and the love we share. The kids bring so much magic into Christmas. It was a wonderful day!

Christmas Letter 2016

Dear Friends and Family,

We have officially been in our new house for over a year. We have been blessed with a great neighborhood, some new friends, and a wonderful ward to attend each Sunday. The children have a nice yard to enjoy as well as a nearby park frequently filled with neighborhood kids to play with. Addie loves being able to watch them from her kitchen window as they organize mini baseball games and swing on the monkey bars in the warmer months.

Mike enjoys his job in the city working as an international tax manager. He loves the challenge of dealing with new things day in and day out and enjoys the people he works with. He was grateful that Winter held off for a little while since he commutes on the highway to and from each day. Now that it has grown colder we decided it was time to say farewell to our 1999 CRV and invest in a newer vehicle to make his drive more pleasant (and keep his toes from freezing off). That old CRV has been such a blessing to us as we bought it from my parents for a dollar when we were first married. It's bittersweet giving it up, but his commute is much more enjoyable now that he has a heater and seat warmer.

Addie spends her days at home living the dream and is grateful for Mike and his career that allows her to be at home with the littles. She makes sure everything is going smoothly on the home front and takes care of things like grocery shopping, diaper changes, baking, and teaching Hyrum Kindergarten this year. She has recently made the adjustment to FIVE kids, and although some days are really hard, she wouldn't change where they are for a second. In her very limited spare time she enjoys keeping up with the family blog, serving in her Primary class, baking, and crocheting hats and slippers.

Camilla is loving her new school and has made lots of good friends! She is doing well in all subject areas and and has a really great teacher this year who helps make learning fun. She takes the bus to and from school and independently walks to the corner each morning to catch it (one of the perks of small town living). Life with four brothers isn't always easy and she cherishes her "girl time" with mom anytime she can get it.

Hyrum started Kindegarten this year and is writing and reading small words. Mommy likes having him home for the extra year as he is a great big brother and peace maker. When Camilla leaves for the bus in the morning he jumps on the piano and gets a little lesson from Mommy. We have made it half way through his piano book already this year and he enjoys the challenge! He loves playing with Joe and Fin and holding Oliver when Mommy needs extra help. He is really into his Lego and loves to build things.

Joseph is busy and fun! He loves playing with Hyrum when Camilla is at school and they've been getting along well. He has a huge heart and loves spending time with people. He loves to work and when he starts to get bored and pick on his brothers Mommy puts him to work washing walls. He thinks it's the greatest thing ever which makes his mom laugh! His brain moves at such a quick pace and he always needs help to stay busy! We love him and the extra spunk he brings to our family.

Finley has just entered the "terrible two's". He continues to bring us so much joy along with the messes he gets himself into each day. Mommy has to keep an extra close eye on him during the day and quiet usually means trouble. He makes up for any problems in cuteness and has the most contagious little laugh. Right now he loves copying everything his brothers do, right down to every word they say sometimes. If they are all shouting for our attention or telling us a story he will chime right in beside them repeating word for word what they are saying. It's quite fun to watch him grow!

Oliver is growing like a weed and probably our biggest baby. At his two month appointment he was in the 90th percentile for height and weight (compared to the 25th percentile of the rest of our kids). He has huge hands and  he may just be our tallest boy. His brothers might be able to pick on him for a short time, but we will smile each time we remind them that one day he WILL be bigger then them.

A recent loss in Addie's extended family has caused us to reflect on this Christmas season with more tender feelings than ever before. We are grateful for our Savior and the comfort and peace that He brings us not just at Christmas time, but all year round. We are counting our blessings and feeling extra grateful at this time of year for what we have. Christmas is more about presence than presents this year and we are so glad for loved ones near and far.

Merry Christmas!

Love,

Christmas Eve

 It's been so different celebrating with our own family of littles this year. We have been taking it easy, snacking, snuggling, playing, and loving much. There are moments where we really miss the hullabaloo of Christmas time with extended family, and many moments where we cherish this time we have with our littles. 

As the snow began to fall yesterday I slipped out to the store with Ollie and stocked up on groceries and last minute things so that we could spend a cozy weekend together. This morning Daddy slipped out for two important things that I forgot: Egg nog, and hot chocolate.  With those things on hand we were ready to not leave our house again until next week. 

By noon we had gotten a whole foot of snow. Daddy and the littles bundled up and went into the backyard too play. They were so excited to see how deep it was since we've only had little snow falls up until now. As they played the flakes continued to swirl down around them. It was a Christmas miracle. 

 And it kept falling all day long... 

The littles were happy to come inside to warm cups of hot chocolate and conversation around the kitchen table.

 In the late afternoon I felt brave and decided to give Finley a much needed trim. Camilla and I both let out sad exclamations as we watched his blonde hair fall to the floor. I took a good couple inches off the back and tried to trim his bangs as best I could. As long as it stays swiped to the side, it looks super cute! He looked so grown up after!

 Later in the afternoon we snuggled up to a movie downstairs and heard a big clunk. The littles ran upstairs to check it out and found a cute little puppy waiting to meet them. Turns out miss Reese was getting a little bit chilly in the sleigh and needed to be dropped off a bit early.

 Oh the excitement!!

 It was love at first sight for these guys! I think Reese will fit in nicely.

 Mr. Stannix spent the afternoon making the traditional "Grampy's Tacos" for dinner. He decided to do a double batch and spent a long time tossing tacos in the air to flip them in the pan. I look forward to watching our kids when the time comes to teach them this art of flipping tacos.

 There was lots of puppy lovin'...

 and snuggles...

 And lots of sweet smiles.

 While the snow continued to fall.

 Daddy entertained us with his mad flipping skills and then fried the filled tacos for dinner. We ate until we were stuffed and saved the last plate for lunch.

 As per tradition we let the littles each open one gift (which is always jammies). They were pretty excited about their onesies! We read the Nativity story in Luke and then tucked  them each into bed with a big hug and a smooch. After a few extra glasses of water, they finally fell asleep and Daddy and I got to work setting up Christmas.

 Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

North Pole Musical

 We were lucky to have Daddy stay home from work on Wednesday! We took the boys to Camilla's school for the afternoon performance of the North Pole Musical. It was quite well done and we loved watching our little Elf dance her heart out and sing in the front row! She is such a performer and I could tell she loved every minute. She has really enjoyed being a part of the choir at Brentwood school these last couple of years. She loves to sing and has been blessed with an awesome choir director and music teacher. 

(Middle in green behind the mic)

(Bottom left in the Green, photo credit to whoever posted this on the Brentwood facebook page)

I took a pretty awesome video while wrangling the two littlest boys into their seats and bouncing the baby to sleep in the carrier. It's terrible, but you can at least see Camilla and hear her awesome group of kids!! 

Click HERE

Cake for Breakfast

 Because of unforseen circumstances we didn't end up celebrating Finley's birthday yesterday. Instead we had cake for breakfast with our little family, Auntie Naomi and Uncle Arland today! Finley was delighted when we all sang to him and mesmerized by his candle! Everything is so magical at that age.

I couldn't give him a haircut before his second birthday even though he needs one. I adore his long, whispy, blonde toddler hair. I love the way the ends curl after a hot afternoon of play, or a long nap. Now that his birthday has come and gone and he's a big boy, I should probably rethink that trim!

Big thanks to Auntie Naomi who snagged these two pictures for me. I made this owl back in the Summer and have kept it hidden in my closet until today. He was so excited when he opened it. Happy birthday little man!