Morning at the Lake

 Ollie slept all the way through the night and woke quietly at 5:30am. I can't even begin to tell you how amazing it felt to get over six hours of sleep IN A ROW! The morning was slow and the big kids stayed sleeping a little bit later than usual. Camilla was the first to wake and enjoyed a bowl of cheerios while I put together the ingredients for Gramma Purdon's rhubarb cake. 

As the morning went on the littles woke up one by one for breakfast. The sky was blue and the sun was warm as I sent my little girl off to school. The boys and I had to run an unexpected errand which landed us near a lake. Before heading home we stopped by to run and dip our toes in the water. When life throws ya lemons, make lemonade. The sand had just been raked and was warm beneath our toes. Walking along the beach was so very good for my soul. 

 

 We were the only one's there so early in the morning which made it even more wonderful. I watched Ollie eat his first fistful of sand while the big boys ran around kicking and jumping for joy. It was decided that we had to come back here with swimming gear and buckets next time!

 The boys could have stayed and played all day long! And as I watched them I forgot about the piles of dishes, the sticky floors, and the chaos in the toy room. 

 I especially loved hanging out with this chunky blonde boy. His wrist rolls, his thighs, his oh-so-kissable cheeks. We all went home much happier than when we left! We are so looking forward to coming back many times this Summer!

The Good Life

We have discovered a love for chopped up frozen blue berries! He has two teeth that are visible now and six more that are well on their way. After stuffing fistfuls of berries into his mouth he had the cutest blueberry face ever!

Somebody decided that 5:00pm was a good time for a nap right in the middle of the kitchen. I sidestepped him as I made dinner and set the table. 

And when all of the kids are occupied, the dog begs for some extra lovin'! This is the good life.

Summer is Here

  This morning we met up with some friends at the park! While us Mamma's played around on our fancy camera's the littles relished in the first day of Summer! As June comes to a close, I am counting down the days until school is out!

Jiggity-Jig

 Home again, home again, Jiggity-jig. We had a fun day yesterday, but we left this morning to make our way home. We had to take a pit-stop in Red Deer to take care of a few things and then of course McDonalds for lunch. There was a crazy storm in Red Deer tonight and I was glad that we were able to get home before it hit! Now we are left dreaming of all of the beauty on the Acreage until we head back with our canoe once school is out. 

Playing Hooky

Today we played a little hooky to go and visit nature because the mountains were calling. My brother had a friend in town from Chile and I had to sign some paperwork so we packed an overnight bag and headed out at bedtime last night for the Acreage. The littles stayed up way too late and we all fell asleep to the sound of frogs and crickets (my favorite). This morning we drove out West to show our tourist some of the Rocky Mountains. We spent most of the day at Crescent Falls taking in the sights and fresh air. The kids had fun exploring and throwing rocks in the river and nearby creek. 

We roasted hot dogs on the fire for lunch, drank way too much pop, and ate lots of junk. Finley ate half of a water melon I'm sure. Joe made fast friends with our tourist and held her hand everywhere they went. He doesn't quite understand that she only speaks Spanish, so he chats away in English while leading her around. The little people enjoyed scrambling up and down the steep hill nearby over and over again. It's funny how the simplest things can sometimes be the most fun.

When they went off exploring with Grampa I shouted after them, "Please don't get your feet wet!" I didn't want them to be cold and wet for the rest of our afternoon. Grampa, being the fun guy that he is, helped them take their shoes off and make their way carefully to a rock in the middle of the shallow creek. The water was cold!! I took my shoes off before we left to dip my toes in the chilly mountain water. As I stepped in I heard my dads voice from the bridge, "Be careful. It's slippery!" Once a dad, always a dad. ;)

The drive home was quiet as everyone fell asleep one after the other. We spent the rest of the afternoon at the acreage checking out the tall tomatoe plants in the greenhouse. Finley and Joe love to help Grampa water them a few times a day. They are going to have quite the harvest this year!!

Camilla and Hyrum spent hours picking wild strawberries down by the pine trees. They came home with a little container full to share with all of us. They were sure sour!

Father's Day

 Today we celebrated our favorite guy! We got up early and tippy-toed around the house getting things ready. The littles were so excited! We made Daddy breakfast in bed and everyone carried in their cards and our big gift. He has been hinting at wanting a new set of scriptures for a while now. There's something about turning real pages that makes a study great! I managed to get him a set with his name engraved on the front. It was a good surprise! We took our time getting ready for church and ended up having lots of time beforehand to take pictures. Each of the children got a special picture with Daddy and then we tried really hard for a big group shot (we may have bribed them with candy).

There are so many things that I love about this guy of mine. He is patient, and kind and loving. He takes time with each of the kids when he's home at night to tuck them in and talk to them. He is a big softy and I will always find him snuggling Joe to sleep even though he's told me a million times that it's time to quit. He is someone you can count on and depend on. He is a spiritual giant who helps anchor our home. He is a great listener and gives good advice. He is smart and good at what he does. He can accomplish anything he puts his mind to! He loves the Lord and is a worthy priesthood holder. We are all so lucky to have him! Happy Father's day sweetheart!

Date Night

 I am so glad that I get to be married to my best friend. He still opens my doors, brings me flowers, and gives me excited butterflies. We were lucky enough to get out on a date tonight. We ordered way too many wings and held hands at the theater. I think he's pretty great. There's not many people that I can be one hundred percent myself around, but this guy is one of them.

So tonight, when the sun was setting as we drove by my favorite tree he agreed to pull over so that I could snap a picture or two. Date nights are the best!

Clipper

Life is pretty exciting around here these days...

 This guy is cutting EIGHT teeth at once. Yikes!

And Mr. Stannix bought a canoe which will be enjoyed for many years to come!

Hyrum sight read the words on the edge "Clip-per. Mom! It's called Clipper!"

Welcome to the family, Clipper.

Childhood

I often think about the kind of childhood I am giving my kids and wonder what parts of it will stick out in their minds when they are grown and gone. Will they remember how much I nagged them? How many times I raised my voice? Will they remember baking cookies? When they look back will they think of me constantly standing in front of the kitchen sink or drowning in piles of laundry? It's so hard to balance work and play sometimes.

 This week I am finding my delight in their smiling faces! I fell in love with the Sandy's Trim Fit diaper from Motherease, and I think Ollie likes it too. 

 Now that the weather is warm he spends his day showing off a cute cloth diapered bottom.

When the boys complain of hunger in the late afternoon they push up a chair and help me bake something. Big soft gingersnap cookies are always a favorite! I always double the recipe so it lasts more than five seconds. 

We've had a lot of rain this week! I may or may not have raised my voice (ahem) a few times at them to stay inside...and please not get wet...but when I heard them screaming with joy in the backyard while I made dinner, I raised my white flag and snapped a picture of their sweet joy-filled faces. This is what childhood is about. Joy, discovery, and a little bit of dancing in the rain!