Total Eclipse

With Mr. Stannix away this week, we have found ourselves at the Acreage. We began our morning with a batch of raspberry jam. I've made jam with my Mamma at least a dozen times, but I learn something each time. 

With the greenhouse, the berries, and the garden, my parents keep themselves pretty busy at this time of year. I was looking forward to working along side them and learning a thing or two.

My mom picked a basket of cucumbers from the greenhouse as well as a few beans for dinner. Having all of this food right in your own backyard is magical!

My Dad's tomatoes are pretty impressive this year (and so is the care and diligence he took in growing them). Where else could you find a giant 3lb tomato the size of Ollie's head?!

 Another fascinating thing about today was the solar eclipse! Although we weren't in a direct path to view it, it was still pretty awesome to watch the way things changed. 

 Our view was more like this!

The afternoon brought a drive to the lake for a wiener roast and swim with friends.

Steph and I grew up together and roomed together while I went to College in Red Deer. We got married a month apart and had our first babies 8 days apart. 

Our kids are all pretty close in age and they always enjoy getting together to play!

We were so grateful to Grampa for organizing it all. It was a delightful afternoon.

Mom and Dad took the older three apple picking after dinner, so I got to hang out with Fin and Ollie. We enjoyed a nice little walk as the sun began to dip into the horizon.

Sweet Brothers

Saturdays are made for sleeping in, that is if you don't have small children, or a husband who needs to catch an early morning flight. Bright and early this morning I carried two sleeping boys to the car so that we could drop Daddy at the airport. As I drove back I admired the rays of sun poking through the rain clouds. It was a beautiful sight. 

This afternoon I took the little boys to the park. Finley is missing his older siblings like crazy, but he is also enjoying being the oldest. As we sat on top of the playground and played I couldn't help but snap a picture of the two of them. There was a lot of brotherly love going on and it melted my heart watching them giggle together. We flew down the slide in turn and ran back to the house for a snack.

Evening Stroll

 This evening we threw our plans for bedtime out the window. Instead, we enjoyed an evening stroll and basked in the golden hour as the sun dipped slowly into the horizon. The pace was slow and welcomed after a bustling Friday. With the older children away visiting family for the weekend Mr. Stannix and I enjoyed conversing and sharing our thoughts along the way. I took note of the few yellow leaves playing peek-a-boo among the green leaves. It was the perfect evening for a walk. We returned home just as the last of the suns rays kissed the fields goodnight. My heart was full of gratitude for my family and the beauty that surrounded us.

Sweet Dreams

 Tonight I walked into Ollie's room shortly after tucking in the other two boys. He was still crying and fighting off sleep. I gently lied him back down and snuggled his moose next to him. He looked up at me, gave a soft smile and then I watched as his eyes slowly closed. All he needed was a little help and his mamma close by. I tip-toed out of the room and grabbed my camera because he looked so sweet. Good-night little one!

Monday Blues

Today was slow and difficult. The day began with demands for breakfast. Some of us stayed in our jammies quite late into the morning. I have been trying to get Hyrum to clean his room for weeks now and as I stormed out I tripped over all kinds of junk which didn't help my mood. The children wouldn't stop fighting and I was at my whits end. I drowned my frustration in cleaning and rearranged two upstairs bedrooms, vacuuming and wiping the dust as I went.

I looked outside at the grey sky and decided it was a good day to bake. The children were on each other all morning long and needed something to do. My helpful Camilla asked me what she could do next so I put her to work sifting through the wheat for small stones before I put it through the wheat grinder (a trick I learned from my mamma). She was excited and soon joined by two curious brothers. I let them work away at it while I cleared the counter tops of dirty dishes.

I then put on an old apron of my Gramma's and went to work mixing and kneading the dough for bread. I was lucky enough to inherit a few of her aprons and mixing dishes and I will treasure them always. I worked all of my worries into that dough and felt much better by the time I had finished. Camilla watched eagerly, elbows resting on the other side of the counter. "When I'm a mom, I'm going to make bread too." I smiled as she shared more of her hopes and dreams. She is such a sweet girl and I am grateful for her.

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Spray Park Lovin'

 We haven't had nearly enough of these slow, Summer days. This morning we took a spontaneous trip to the spray park. I had visions of relaxing on a picnic blanket while the children played, but as it turns out, Ollie is quite the mover! I spent most of the morning supervising him on the slide, but his smiles and giggles were worth ever minute. Before long we will be back to routines and early school mornings. But for now, we are holding onto Summer!

Ollie: Eleven Months

 Our crazy Ollie is 11 months old today! He is such a wiggler and these monthly pictures are getting harder and harder to take. I totally bribed him with a cookie, but even that hardly worked. This boy is absolutely darling with his dimpled fingers and dimpled cheeks. The other day when I looked at him I saw more little boy than baby and my heart ached for those newborn snuggles.

He is walking around furniture a lot more now and has even let go and balanced on his own for a few seconds. His older siblings are his biggest fans and they are constantly telling me how much they adore him and his chins. His personality has exploded and he points and communicates all of the time now! It's super fun.

His hair is getting longer and thicker and his little rooster tail that I loved has grown out. His face is filling out and his feet are longer now.

He still has some awesome leg rolls and chubby little toes. He makes us laugh every single day! He has such a bright face and a personality to match. We all adore him!

It's so hard to believe that we will be celebrating his first birthday in just a short month! Happy 11 months Ollie-lollie.

In the Neighborhood

 Today I was filled with an overwhelming love for our neighborhood! At one point today we had eleven kids in our backyard. There was much fun and much laughter! We had friends from all over the neighborhood. They are all such great kids and I am so glad that my children can associate with good people. I watched the whole water fight from the window and I couldn't help but smile. It was pretty "epic" as the boys would say! 

August Art Work

It feels so good to be home again! We had a home cooked meal and freshly baked cookies before bed last night. The littles are rediscovering their bikes, the park, their friends. We had a super fun July, but I think we are all excited to chill at home for a little while.

After spending the morning on his trike, Fin napped for a good three hours this afternoon. He looked so comfortable stretched out on Joe's bed. 

While the younger two napped, the older three crafted at the kitchen table. We used Bingo markers and red felt and created apple trees to add some color to my kitchen walls. 

Camilla added people to hers and was pleased with the final result.

Each of them turned out differently. I especially love how Joe's apple tree looks like it's being blown by the wind. 

With artwork on the walls and cookies in my cookie jar, all is right with the world again. 

Reese is happy to be home with her humans again. She's been playing and napping all day long. There's no place like home!

Welcome August

August has arrived! The nights are slowly getting colder, the air is getting crisp, the apple trees are full and my heart is fluttering with excitement in anticipation of Autumn.

We are home for a few days this week and then we will be taking off for a family reunion on the long weekend. I am trying to catch up on laundry and pack everything back up for another weekend of camping.

Everyone is pretty happy to be home to their own beds! Ollie is especially happy to be crawling all over the place again and not restricted by a carseat, baby carrier, or playpen.

I am desperately trying to catch up on the blog before all of our amazing vacation leaves my memory. I've been sorting and uploading pictures and missing the ocean. We had a pretty awesome time on the coast, but I am looking forward to some quiet August days at home baking, blogging, and snuggling my littles before the craziness of September hits.

Welcome August! We're so glad you're here!