Time

 This morning when we woke up the house was cold! Our furnace wasn't working properly when we went to bed and we stayed up until after midnight trying to fix it with no luck. The baby woke in the middle of the night with hands as cold as popsicles. I cozied him next to me in bed to keep him warm. Finley crawled in with us early this morning and warmed his cold feet on my legs. When it was time to wake up we went straight downstairs and turned on the fireplace. The infloor heating kept it relatively warm down there and I could change the baby without him getting chilled. We went upstairs for a quick bowl of cereal and then gathered in the basement again. Hyrum finished his bowl and then promptly barfed it up again all over the living room floor. He is the third child to get the pukes this week and now our basement smells of sour milk and corn pops.

The furnace repair man came by in the late morning. Turns out we had an ice blockage in our fresh air intake causing the pressure switch to fail. He took a few chunks of ice out of the vent and charged us an arm and a leg for labour! I guess we'll know for next time!

 

I think my favorite part of having sick kids is the extra time they spend sleeping! I even caught a few winks on the couch until Joe woke me up. We had a late lunch and I endured a few cranky littles. My sanity was walking a fine line with a counter full of dishes, a crying baby and a whiny preschooler. My Dad called just in the nick of time and brought a little sanity back into my day.

We enjoyed a relatively quiet afternoon. I made the littles up a batch of play dough and they happily played while I finished cooking the filling for the chicken pot pies.

The puppy settled into her bed for an afternoon snooze and Oliver was finally content just to lay in the bassinet and listen to the music and sound of his brother's voices as they quietly played. Just breath mamma, just breath. I tidied here and there in the kitchen between requests to "taste" their latest play dough creations. 

Finley asked to get down from the table after an hour of play. He had the sweetest twinkle in his eye and instead of placing him on the floor I propped him on my hip, placed his hand in mine, and started dancing right in the middle of my dirty kitchen. He swung his head back and giggled as we spun, then tucked in close for a cuddle. Tears of joy stung my eyes despite the trials of the day. We twirled and laughed for a few minutes more. Just as the song ended I heard the dreaded sound of barf hitting the floor in the dining room. It splattered and filled a two meter radius. Hyrum stood still in the middle and Joe stood frozen in the doorway to his bedroom on the other side. I felt the tears welling in my eyes and wondered how on earth I was going to make it until dinner. I mopped it up with paper towels and then pulled out the bucket and disinfectant and began scrubbing the floors. Camilla walked in from school before I finished and told me about her day. Just as I got to the table Finley reached for a rolling pin and knocked a full glass of water on the floor.

Everyone but Hyrum continued to play play dough while I made up a smoothie to fill hungry tummies. Joe insisted on using a spoon and while he grabbed one from the drawer his cup tipped in his arms and splattered all over my freshly cleaned floors. I totally cried. Defeated and frustrated tears. Recognizing it as an accident helped me not to lose it on Joe. When he saw my tears he hugged me and said sorry. I started counting down the hours until Mr. Stannix would walk in the door, wrap me in his strong arms, and whisper in my ear.

 Our girly started violin lessons this week and practised three times before dinner! I am already so proud of her and it's only been a few days. She loves playing it!

While I made dinner I listened to THIS incredible song that left me crying as I put the pizza toppings on with the help of the littles. It made me think of my Gramma and the need to hold my children close more often. So when Camilla begged me to play her memory game with her at the table while the pizza cooked I smiled and said "yes!" The dishes will be there tomorrow, but these days with the littles are fleeting. 

Mike got home from work just as the pizza came out of the oven. He wrapped me in a tight hug and whispered in my ear, "Hello, darling." The troubles of the day melted away in his embrace and I was filled with gratitude for our crazy, chaotic life with all of these littles and the joy that they bring into our home. Motherhood is hard, but I wouldn't trade what I have for anything

The Monday's

I start my day at 6:00am with a forced smile, determined to get into the swing of things cheerfully. We all eat breakfast before 6:30am and wave Daddy off to work. As he backs out of the garage I notice the snow that had fallen all night long and it squeaks under the wheels of his car. Before getting dressed I put on my jacket, tell Camilla she's in charge and head out to shovel. I get the front walks done and a path down the garage for Camilla to walk to the bus. Then I head in, pack Camilla's lunch and do some piano with Hyrum. We all head downstairs where it's warm and I change bums, feed baby, read scriptures and say family prayer. We wave big sister off to school and I finish helping the little boys get dressed.

We have a lot of errands to run so I start getting everyone ready and shuffling them out the door. My nose informed me that I had to change a dirty bum (of course) just after I'd slipped Fin's Winter boots on. I load everyone up, put my mitts on, and finish shoveling half the driveway while the van warms up so that I don't leave tracks. We drove to the grocery store just as the sun was rising. We watched the big red ball over the snowy hills slowly float into view lighting the sky with a soft, pink glow. By the time we made it to the store the sun had almost completely risen into view.

Once we made it to the grocery store I un-belted the boys and put the baby in the carrier. His nose quickly turns pink as the frigid Winter air nipps his face. We all run as quick as we can into the store to grab a cart. The air hurts my hands after leaving my mitts in the van. Joseph begins whining right off the bat and I know he isn't feeling well. He jumps on the end of the cart for a bit and then decides to lay on the floor of every single aisle and slide along despite my pleas to walk. Clunk. Finley's boot slips off his little foot as they dangle from the seat of the cart. I pick it up, urge Joe come along, and make my way to the next aisle. I pause to look for something and just before I go again Finley shrieks, "my BOOOOOOT!" I look down, and sure enough there's his right boot on the floor again. Hyrum is now dragging Joe down the aisles while he whines and giggles all at the same time. The mommy passing by with one well behaved child in her cart smiles and avoids eye contact. The older gentleman in the next aisle comments how I've got my hands full as I scoot my four year old with my leg. By the end of our shopping trip his coat is filthy. The older two start fighting at the checkout with full out kicking and punching involved. I put Hyrum to work transferring groceries to the till while Joe lies on the wooden bench by the exit. While I wait to pay I have to hold Hyrum back from bugging his little brother. It was a pretty big grocery order and I'm grateful for the offer of help to the van. The kicking and fighting resume in the backseat and my patience is wearing thin with three more stops to be made!

We make our way to the town office to register our puppy and get a dog tag. Finley snuggles in the carrier on my back while the older boys do cartwheels around the lobby. Before long the squabbling resumed and as I talked to the nice lady I scoot the baby carrier around so that Hyrum will give Oliver some space while Joseph pulls on my leg whining of a tummy ache. The lady behind me in line chuckles, "You've got your hands full!" Yes, indeed.

After loading them all back into the van and belting them up with frozen fingers, we make our way to the library to drop some books off, the post office for a package, and the dry cleaners for Daddy's freshly cleaned work shirts. By the time we finish everything an hour and a half has passed and I am so ready to go home!

I follow my grumpy boys into the house with a hungry baby in tow. Before any groceries can be lugged in the baby needs to be nursed. I plop down in a chair, let out a frustrated sigh and feed the baby while chaos resumes around me. Once the baby is satisfied, I begin dragging in the groceries and listening to requests for chocolate milk and yogurt.

I get a few of the groceries unloaded, feed the boys a snack, put the baby to sleep and then finish putting away the rest of the food. After lunch I start a batch of lemon cranberry muffins and lay down with Finley. Joe begs for a nap and I spend a few extra minutes rubbing his back and comforting him. While I am in the boys room, Hyrum comes and steels the sleeping puppy from the kitchen. I pull the muffins out of the oven after the boys fall asleep and then go down stairs to discover Reese has put Hyrum to sleep too. The house is completely still and I let out a sigh of relief! I make up one last batch of cranberry orange muffins and then sit down to a book.

When they wake we have a snack and wait for Camilla to come home. It doesn't take long for the after school chaos to begin. Camilla drops her coat on the floor of the entry way alongside the boys' jackets (that they refused to pick up earlier). Puppy greets her at the door with lots of jumping and licking and they all shriek and giggle while I try to photograph Ollie.

Daddy leaves late from work and the boys boycott dinner and put themselves to bed leaving Camilla, Fin and I at the table. Finley eats his portion and Joe's. Daddy arrives home shortly at 7:00pm safe and sound on the bad roads. I make an executive decision to move FHE to Wednesday night, and we tuck the last two littles into bed.

Mr. Stannix and I are so tired we can hardly keep our eyes open and have no desire to move off the downstairs couch. Eventually we crawl into bed, but neither of us get much sleep with a teething-almost-rolling baby and the two little boys. Joseph wakes up famished at 4:30am and after a banana and a cookie he barfs all over his bed (while I'm lying in it). Before 6:00am I have bedding in the wash and we begin another day...

Oliver: Four Months

 Oliver is four months old today! I made the mistake of taking these pictures just as the school bus dropped Camilla off. There was a lot of chaos in my front entry way as Ollie sat on the couch and I might have lost it for a second. The puppy was jumping on Camilla and the kids were all shrieking with glee at the arrival of their big sister. I could hardly get Oliver to look at the camera, but they did help me get some genuine Ollie grins. 

Ollie is quite the chubster and I love him all the way from his rolly chin to his chubby toes.  Kissing his giant cheeks is the highlight of my day! He lights up the room with his smiles and his giggles are to die for! He is super interactive and fun, and likes to be a part of whatever we are doing. 

 He recently discovered his hands and it's so funny watching him stare at them as he plays with his fingers. He can grab things and bring them to his mouth now and enjoys checking out his surroundings with his chubby fingers (when they aren't being sucked on). 

 He can roll from his front to his back and is super close to rolling back to front. He loves his jolly jumper but hasn't quite figured out how it works yet. I find it super helpful when I'm cleaning bedrooms in the morning. Puppy likes to jump up and say hello when he's in his jumper and it makes him giggle.

 He is quite the thinker lately and even tries to make conversation sometimes! He blows bubbles and babbles to whoever will listen, but gets especially excited when Daddy holds him after work. Whenever he snuggles with me he wraps my hair in a death grip and grabs my shirt with the other hand.

 He is such a joy and I can hardly believe how quickly this time is passing! He has grown out of a lot of his clothes already and we are into the 6 month box. He is pretty big and round, which just means there's more to love! 

Sleep has been hit and miss lately and I think he may be cutting some bottom teeth already. His fingers are constantly in his mouth and he is working his gums pretty good! Camilla has been a huge help with him lately and loves that she can carry him around a little bit more now (even if they are practically the same size). He is happy to go anywhere with her, as long as he's being held! He is such a delight and we are so happy he's ours!

Snuggle Time

We have ended up extending our stay at the Acreage by a day or two. Mr. Stannix is helping with  basement reno's and I am enjoying relaxing with my mamma and the littles. 

This morning while Ollie was enjoying some tummy time, Reese came over and snuggled next to him. She's very mindful of the children and it's been neat to watch!

Gramma also enjoyed some snuggle time with Ollie this afternoon and gave me a little nap! I'm pretty sure this chub has started teething and we've had some rough nights!

Joseph is pretty rough and tumble, so Reese usually keeps her distance. When I came into the room to find the two of them snuggled on the couch it was a heart melter. He was quite proud that she fell asleep on him! Tomorrow is our last day here and we are going to miss the relaxation and family!!

Snow Tunnels

This afternoon the older two begged Daddy to dig tunnels with them in the snow. He happily obliged and they ended up with a pretty sweet little fort in the snow banks. It had two tunnels, joined by another tunnel and a secret roof entrance. They love spending time with their Daddy and were so happy when they came inside!

Acreage Adventures

We have found ourselves out at the Acreage for the last bit of Christmas break. I must admit I shed a tear or two when I thought about my Gramma not being next door anymore. She always brought over warm banana bread upon our arrival and the littles would gobble a whole loaf to themselves. Grampa is doing well and when he caught me crying he told me to be happy. He said that I should just tell myself to be happy anytime I felt like crying. It was so cute. Mom and I went through Gramma's yarn and got it out of Grampa's way as per request. I inherited her stash and a few special crochet books (the one's she picked the patterns from for our baby blankets). It's so quiet over there now without the radio and TV going non-stop. I sure miss her.

Despite the cold weather the littles bundled up and asked Grampa for a sled ride behind the quad. We had to do some shuffling with the ski pants since I forgot Hyrum's, but it worked out okay because they are all similar in size. 

Typically they go for a nice, easy ride down the road, but today Grampa took them to the back field. They are getting older and enjoy the thrill of falling off much more now. 

Our cautious Camilla was even trying to tip the sled when Grampa would whip them around the corners! Their giggles were priceless!

Joseph finally worked up the courage near the end and went for one circle. He wasn't a fan of the tilted sled as it followed the quad tracks around the field, but he survived!

I hung out with this handsome guy until the littles begged me to get my snow gear on and go for a ride with them. Being that I'm not pregnant this Winter I was able to let loose and have fun without worrying about anything. Camilla and I shrieked and whooped behind the quad as Grampa crazily drove around the field. It made me miss the good old days with the neighborhood kids!

New Years Eve

We had a fabulous New Years Eve with the Wolsey's! They were on their way South and stopped in for the night. The littles had a fun afternoon of sledding followed by hot chocolate and snacks. We BBQ'd steaks for dinner and broke out the pop to start the party. Joe had been looking forward to having a whole can of pop to himself all week! It's the little things. After dinner we opened up some New Years Eve crackers to find fun jokes and paper crowns. Once dinner was cleaned up we gathered downstairs for a dance party to burn off all the sugar. There were some pretty sweet moves!! We let the kids eat treats and watch a movie and then rang in the New Year nice and early shortly after 8:00pm. Once the littles were in bed we cozied up with some good conversation and warm drinks in hand. We didn't quite make it to midnight and I promised myself that if I heard the fireworks after I tucked into bed I would get up and watch from our window. I am pretty sure that I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow! We love these friends of ours and are so glad that they came to visit!

Happy New Year!!

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!"