Daylight Savings

This week has been a lot of early mornings with Ollie waking shortly after Daddy sneaks out to the gym at 5:00am. While the rest of the house sleeps, we snuggle in our big bed and wait for the first rays of sun to peek through the window. My body is weary from being up most of the night and I am desperate for another hour of sleep that I know will never come.

Our mornings have been filled with imaginary play and kindergarten work books. My house is often filled with ninjas and if I'm not careful where I walk my feet scream in pain after stepping on the hundredth Lego of the day. The boys fill the sink for their Lego boats and play shirtless in the water. It isn't long before their jeans are wet and water is everywhere.

The warmer weather brings a morning walk because we could all use a little fresh air after hiding out in the basement during this cold snap. We all return home with runny noses and smiles on our faces. 

Noodles are requested by some for lunch. My stubborn toddler rests his chin on his folded arms and stares at his food refusing to eat...again. Upon closer examination I find two big molars growing in which have made sleeping and eating difficult this past week. 

My afternoon is filled with sticky fingers and food covered faces as they race around and play. 

There's red lollipop in the dogs hair from the day before, but she is still happy to jump on the dishwasher door and pre-wash a few things while I'm loading it. With so many sticky kiddos she pretty much requires a bath once a week it seems.

Hyrum comes into the kitchen walking with a stiff body, and then jumps with both feet. When I ask what he's doing he shrugs and says, "I just wanted to see what a toy feels like..."

 

We pick up Camilla from school and take Joe to his chiropractor appointment. Everyone behaves well and listens great! I praise them and tell them how much I love them and they are quick to return the sentiment. 

The late afternoon brings coloring at the kitchen table. They smile as I proudly tape their artwork to my kitchen wall to display. The children have learned about rainbows this week and each picture has a rainbow, pot of gold, or a leprechaun as we get ready for St. Patty's day. 

 

While I make dinner Joe starts making me crazy and then runs away shouting between giggles, "AH! run for my life!!!" By the time I catch him my anger has melted slightly and I hug him tight and laugh.  He is the only kid who can drive me so crazy and make me love him so much all at the same time.

Daddy is working late tonight so we have an earlier dinner. My toddler hardly takes one bite before he excuses himself from the table. I put the little boys in a bath, start the shower for Camilla, and load the diffuser with some Peace and Calming before bed. I quickly do dishes while listening to Hyrum sing to himself rather than eat his dinner. His made up songs make me smile.

When I go to get the boys from the tub I discover that they have flooded the floor with water...again. This time it takes five huge towels to mop up and miraculously didn't leak down into the basement. 

Once everyone is jammied, Camilla turns on the Moana soundtrack and dances with her little brother. She has him put his feet on hers and it's about the cutest thing I've seen all day!

After that it's bed time routine. We brush teeth, watch a quick church video to settle, and pray together. I sing to the boys while I nurse the baby. Just when everything is still and calm, the dog jumps up and barks at Hyrum singing in the tub. I wait again for the boys to be still. Camilla sneaks in and rubs my back tenderly and whispers, "The ceiling started leaking, don't worry, I put a towel down." sigh

 

When the little boys are finally asleep, I tuck Ollie into his crib and head downstairs to read to the big kids. I find the dog eating poop from the diaper pail and my patience is oh so thin. She gets put outside while I clean up the mess and direct the littles (with less grace than I'd like) through their bed time routine. 

Before long the house is finally still. I sit in the rocker and put my feet up for a few minutes, letting out a sigh of relief. Daddy finally arrives home from a long day at work and brings me a yummy burger to lift my spirits. We snuggle up to a show and it feels good to be together again.

Stow Away

When you're heading out to a dentist appointment and Reese thinks she's coming too.

Great to be Eight

This afternoon Camilla and I attended a little "Great to be Eight" event at the church! The primary did a great job of putting together treats and introducing the almost eight year olds to all of the fun stuff that they have to look forward to in the coming year! It's crazy to me how fast time goes. This little lady is growing up and looking forward to her baptism with excitement. It's fun helping her prepare and watching her learn. We sure love her!

Traditions

We are on church cleaning duty again this month. It's a wonderful opportunity to serve! The kids like it because after their jobs are done, we get to go for ice cream. As Camilla put it, "It's tradition". I love traditions that include ice cream, and I think Finley does too!

Oliver: Six Months

 It's amazing how half a year can go by in the blink of an eye! This boy is six months old and loving life. He brings me joy every day and I am so glad that he's a part of our family! He is such a special boy, always happy, always smiling even when he's struggling through teething and a cold. 

 He gets more fun every day! He has almost mastered sitting, is sleeping better at night, and has even started babbling non-stop. He carried out a whole conversation with someone the other day. All he said was "Ba-ba-ba" but man it was hilarious! It's so fun taking note of new things that they weren't doing the day before. It all goes by so fast!

 He has recently discovered his toes and they have quickly become his favorite thing to play with. They are always tucked up where he can reach them while he rolls around the floor. Sometimes he will even suck on his big toe.

 He adores his siblings and anyone who will give him the time of day really. People often comment about how happy he is, and he really is. I joked the other day that he's such a good baby that he makes it hard not to want more! We are seriously lucky with this boy. My very favorite thing though is when he wraps his arms all the way around my neck and presses his face against mine. He just learned how to blow raspberries on my cheek and it leaves us both laughing. I am so glad to be his mamma and can't wait to watch him grow!

The Sniffles

The snow has returned in full force. This morning after Camilla left for the bus I grabbed a shovel and started clearing the walks. Joseph was quick to join me and after explaining what was left I had to go back inside to sooth a crying babe. Joe came running in a few minutes later, frustrated that the snow was so heavy and he wasn't strong enough to push it. He stomped back down the steps and tried again. The next time he came in with a smile and exclaimed,"Mommy, I said a prayer and Heavenly Father made me strong! I can push the snow now!" I beamed with pride at my little guy, set a contented babe in the lap of his big brother, pulled my mitts back on and joined him in the driveway again. 

I spent the rest of my day surrounded by little people. I cleaned up the kitchen, baked some bread and put dinner in the slow cooker. I also wiped this boy's nose about a hundred times. We've all got a pretty bad case of the sniffles over here. 

Sowing Seeds

 I am ready for Winter to be over already! I've been looking at cute little herb gardens and pots of spinach on pinterest and can't wait for Spring to come. I have loved the idea of having Spinach growing indoors all year round and now that the stores are bringing out their soil and seeds again the boys and I spent the morning buying seeds and planting things. It was fun to answer all of their questions and see how excited they were about the growing process. 

I'm still on the hunt for a cute little herb planter, but for now these pots will do the trick!

 One thing I love about having Hyrum home for Kindergarten is the spontaneous opportunities we have to learn and practice. 

He got to use his spelling and writing skills to label the pots for me and I was super impressed with his neatness.

 Joe especially loved getting dirty and spraying the water!!

 We were fascinated by the different shapes, sizes, and colors of the seeds. I love the way their curiosity teaches us each day!

After Joe photobombed the tenth picture of the morning I decided he was too cute not to capture. I sure do love this boy and his zest for life!!

Toothless

After we arrived at the chiropractor this morning Camilla came to the front to show me a cool trick. She could twist her loose tooth all the way around and she thought it was hilarious! Loose teeth gross me out for some reason!!

She spent the rest of the afternoon playing and twisting it and wishing Daddy was home to pull it out. 

And then to her brother's delight, it came out while they were playing Wii. As I nursed the baby to sleep they all whooped and cheered for that dear sister of theirs. Now I just need to remind the tooth fairy to visit tonight!

Sweet Potatoe

 Ollie loves food! I cracked open a jar of sweet potatoes at lunch and scooped out the top quarter of the jar for his first try. He ate it up pretty quick and cried for more. So I scooped out another quarter for him to eat and he excitedly waved his arms around as I spooned it into his mouth. 

When that was finished he protested rather loudly. I cleaned out the rest of the jar, warmed it up, and fed it to him. Once we were finished his hungry tummy was satisfied and he had a nice, long afternoon nap!

This kid is growing up way too fast!!

Finding Renewal

 It's happening. The morning sun is greeting us earlier each day. We wake to soft rays of light sneaking through the curtains, and clear skies painted in pastel pinks and yellows.

As I tidy the bedrooms I crack open each window and take a deep breath. My nose tingles and my senses rejoice at the faint smells of Spring in the air!

At just about six months post-partum I am finally starting to feel like a normal person again! The combination of my new discovery of essential oils, a four year old who finally sleeps through the night consistently, and the added measure of light in each day has definitely played a part. My hair is still falling out like crazy but my emotions are leveling out and it feels nice to have a familiar flutter of joy in my heart once more. I have been waking up with more energy and a greater desire to live in the moment.

 It's amazing how quickly life can pass you by when you're preoccupied with the doing. Sometimes I find myself so busy and consumed by my mothering duties that I forget to look up and gaze upon their sweet faces as they tell me stories or share exciting things. I've been really trying to work on that one little thing lately and it has made such a huge difference. When they know that I am listening they are more prone to listen to me later when I ask them to help out. And when I stop to look into their eyes and really focus on them, my love for them deepens and so does my joy as a mother.

I've been thinking a lot lately about how blessed I am to be at home with them. It comes with it's fair share of challenges, heartache, and sometimes loneliness, but there is also a lot of amazing moments that I get to share with them because I am here. I love that I get to know their little quirks like the way Finley loves ketchup with his nuggets while his brothers prefer plum sauce. I also know that Joe likes his sandwiches with "just peanut butter" while Hyrum prefers plain honey. I know the way they like them cut and I also know that one of them really likes to change their mind a lot when it comes to making decisions.

I adore the way Finley plugs his nose when he eats cinnamon hearts because they're "picey". That boy is so grown up lately it hurts. The other day I set the table with a plastic fork for him and he was quick to protest, "I no want a baby fork please!" And when I told him it was naptime the other day he responded with a "yep-pease" and tucked himself into his bed.

If I wasn't at home all day I would miss Joe running inside from the yard to relieve himself in the bathroom and saying, "Whew! That was a good call!" It made me laugh. He also told me the other day that he loves everything that I cook for him and he will always eat it all gone. When I sing him to sleep at night he will rolls over at least three times to hug me, plant a kiss on my cheek, and tell me how much he loves me. I know he is feeling loved when he expresses love.

One of the biggest things I've noticed lately is how quickly they are growing and changing. Each day this week they have woken up looking a little bit older with fresh ways of thinking about the world around them. When I see my beautiful, blonde girl with curls in her hair and lipstick on for fun, a voice inside my head screams "Stop growing up!!" Her wisdom, quick whit, and concern for others amaze me every day!

Oliver greets me with smiles each morning and as I scoop him from his crib and wrap him in a hug I feel a love so deeply it hurts. His baby coos and newfound babble melt my heart and make me want to hug the stuffing right out of him. I hold him close enough to feel his baby breaths on my cheek and let him wrap his arms around my neck and grab a hand full of hair. I adore the way he sticks his lips out and arches his back after a satisfying nursing session. He loves to bounce in his jolly jumper, grab toys, and sit up in his highchair. He changes every day and my mother heart can hardly handle it! He is definitely my most clingy baby and always has a handful of my hair when he's propped on my hip. I remember getting the impression that he was going to be a special soul, and I definitely notice things about him that make this clear.

Hyrum will be going into grade one this year and is excited to ride the bus. I'm already anticipating how odd it will be to only have three kids at home (sounds strange, I know). The house feels more empty just thinking about it! He is such a tender soul with a genuine concern for all in the house, and especially the puppy lately. He went to bed practically in tears the other night because he was feeling bad that he hadn't played with Reese much during the day. As the tears tumbled from his cheeks, Reese moved in closer and nuzzled his hand. "She still loves you soo much!" I said. He laughed and quickly wiped his tears on the sleeve of his jammies and pulled her in for a snuggle. He takes after his Mamma big time and I can fully relate to his feelings and concern, because sometimes they are mine too.

There are some nights where I lay awake with tears tumbling from my cheeks after a hard mommy day and feel badly for spending so much time keeping up with the laundry and not enough time playing with the children. But even though I mess up on silly things day after day, or I raise my voice one too many times, they still climb up on my lap and give me the love I need to press forward. There is so much to be learned from these littles of mine and I am so grateful for this opportunity to glean from them! And to quote L.M Montgomery "Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?"