Acreage Life

 We are enjoying our extended stay at the Acreage this weekend with family. There's so much here to keep the kids busy and entertained. Everyone has been relaxing and enjoying each other's company and take-out has been ordered for dinner more than once.

We lucked out and got to be here for another round of hatching. It's pretty neat watching those little chicks zip around the egg and pop the top off. This is the second of three hatches. The best part is that all of these eggs are from their own hens. The first hatch gave them close to fifty new little chicks.

 Mornings are slow and fun. We play, we visit, and we eat pancakes for breakfast!

The littles helped Grampa and Auntie transplant the tomatoes into the greenhouse.

They started the plants from seed in the house and they've grown so wonderfully.

Although the wind was a little bit chilly, the greenhouse was the perfect temperature!

Finley was in heaven with his shovel and all of the dirt. He walked around and did his own thing most of the time.

Rainy afternoons at Gramma's house are perfect for napping under warm, handmade blankets.

Camilla was constantly sneaking into the chicken barn to give the first hatch of chicks some love. She already named a few of them. The yellow ones are her favorites!

This little boy was so darn cute with his dirty fingers, overalls and the sweet baby chick. My sister and I couldn't resist a little photo shoot.

When I was a little girl I used to spend hours with the new baby chicks. They were always so fun to watch and cuddle. 

Auntie Emma shared a few of these with me and I love them!

This little guy was loving life this weekend!

Back Home

This week brought an unexpected visit to the Acreage to say a final good-bye to my Grampa. We are so lucky to have lots of family together at this time. We've enjoyed the nice weather and some outdoor walks with everybody. The littles are so happy to be here with extra space to run and play and use their imaginations. I am so grateful for family and the support system that we have. 

Oliver: Eight Months

Oliver is eight months old! He is such a happy baby and brings us all so much joy! He loves to give kisses, clap his hands, and tell us stories. He's become very interactive and fun these days! He adores his older siblings and loves when they take time to play with him. Even Joe will lay down and put Ollie on his tummy and talk to him. He sleeps so well! I am only up once maybe twice each night. The long stretches of sleep are much welcomed. He is starting to get around pretty good, but mostly looks like an inch worm. Every baby seems to find their own way to crawl around and Ollie likes to stick his booty in the air and almost nose dive as he tries to push himself forward. It's super funny to watch. He recently discovered feeding himself and loves to eat baby cookies and cereal puffs. Taking his eight month photos was so much fun! I love this boy to the moon and back!

Running Again

Today I got out for my second run of the year! It's been so long since I've run, and I've been missing it. With the four boys in tow I don't manage to make it very far, but it still feels good to get out and try! I downloaded an awesome app to track my distance and time and it's fun to compare. The first time I went out running Hyrum wore his rollerblades and pretty much hung onto the stroller the entire time I was pushing it. Joe stopped and started a million times on his bike and was constantly asking for water breaks. It took me almost a half an hour to make it 2.5km, but it's so great to get outside and enjoy the nice weather! By the time we got home we are ready for a smoothie. I added an avocado and some greens to make it extra healthy.

Thanks to all of the extra exercise I usually feel pretty tired by the early afternoon. I try to keep myself busy because I know if I sit down I will probably fall asleep!  Oliver is such a giggly pants lately. Today while I cleaned the kitchen he hung out at my feet laughing hysterically at the dog or his brothers. I can't believe how fast he's growing up!!

Ninja Party

This year our quiet little Hyrum requested a friend birthday party for the first time. The week leading up to his birthday he decided he might like it to be a ninja party. Pinterest saved the day and gave me lots of fun ideas. 

Hyrum and I prepped the treat bags the day before with lots of ninja goodness.

Daddy set up "Ninja training" in the basement. He spent all morning putting it together complete with lava, laser beams and obstacles.

Hyrum invited four little friends and was so excited when they all arrived. It was fun to see him interact with everyone!! We kicked off the party making ninja swords out of balloons. It was a huge hit!

Daddy helped Hyrum run the obstacle course so that everyone else would know how to do it. 

Those boys ran it over and over and over again until there was nothing left of it. 

It was a lot trickier than it looked...

Then of course we had cupcakes (that semi-resembled ninja's)...

Then we opened presents and the boys ran wild until their parents came to pick them up. Ollie napped through the entire party and all of those noisy boys. I couldn't believe it when he woke up after everyone left.

Hyrum really wanted a ninja cake for our "family" party. It was fun to try...

After McDonalds for dinner we came home for cake and ice cream.

I sure love this kid! He's so fun!

He has been asking for roller-blades for a really long time! Watching the excitement on his face when he opened these was so worth it! He has been roller-blading in the garage, on my runs, down the driveway...all..week...long. He's gotten pretty good!!

His Mamma

I just love being his Mamma...