A Blustery Day

 It seems that sleep has been a hard thing to come by around here lately. Ollie is cutting some teeth (or something, I'm not sure what) and has been up at least five times a night. I woke with dark circles under my eyes to hungry kids and a messy kitchen. We spent the morning running errands in the city and came home just in time for lunch. With the blue sky and sunshine today the littles begged to go for a walk and get some fresh air. The wind had been blowing relentlessly all morning, so we made sure to cover our ears (Fin even brought along some eye protection for good measure).

 We left our bikes at home and walked to the trails behind the houses that aren't paved. We admired the golden Autumn colors, watched the leaves bustle about, and ran with our arms outstretched as the wind threatened to blow us away. The sun felt warm on our faces and the breeze was filled with the fresh scents of Fall. It was the perfect day for a walk!

Ollie nestled in on my back and when the wind blew really hard he would tuck down and lay his head against me for warmth. I love my Chimparoo wrap!

Fin wasn't cold, but he walked like this, hands in his pocket, for the entire distance. 

The fresh air was just what we all needed!

Park Lovin'

We spent a lot of time outside today soaking up the sun. It was practically t-shirt weather (minus the wind) and the boys loved every minute. Ollie played in the backyard in his barefeet for quite a while this morning. Being outside is his favorite thing to do. I popped my bread in the oven after lunch and set the timer on my phone while we played at the park. I popped home quick to take it out and then joined Fin and Joe again at the park. I love our neighborhood and it's proximity to parks and trails. We are relishing in the last of Autumn and soaking up as much of the sun as we can! 

Sunday Snapshot

Sometimes my kids wake up looking older than they did the day before.

This boy melts my heart! 

Happy Sunday!

Autumn Evenings

These warm Autumn days have been such a treat. The children have really enjoyed the extra time outside lately with their gaggle of neighborhood friends. I've been feeling so blessed to live where we do and be surrounded by such a great group of kids! Tonight I looked out at the park behind out house just as the sun started dipping into the horizon and the sky changed to orange. The wind was dancing through Camilla's blonde hair, she was grinning ear to ear. The leaves from the nearby trees were swirling to the ground as the kids ran this way and that. Their cheeks were pink from the cold, but the running kept them warm. I couldn't help but smile as I recalled the carefree days of youth. When you're running and playing tag, the cold doesn't seem to matter much. Instead of calling them home when dinner was ready, I let them soak up the last of the suns rays and come home when they were ready. The orange sky gradually changed to pink and then a deep violet before the children finally came home with pink noses and chilled fingers. We ate a warm meal together, they each enjoyed a warm bath or shower and then we tucked them into bed. Fresh air is wonderful at ensuring a good nights sleep.

Wonderfully Unproductive

This morning after the big kids left for school I lounged in my Jammies for a bit, nose in a book, while the children played at my feet. I needed a down day, and I was hooked on my novel. Of course I took breaks to feed my children (and by that I mean I tossed cheese strings at them and made canned soup for lunch). They built block towers, raced cars, wrestled and enjoyed having free reign on the toy room while snow flakes flew on and off all afternoon. Since I didn't bake, and only made a turkey casserole for dinner, there were hardly any dishes to do and the house is practically spotless (except for maybe the toy room). I snuggled the little boys to sleep, like I always do, while the older two read their books and brushed their teeth. I chatted with Cj and Hyrum, smooched them good-night and breathed in deeply. A wonderfully unproductive day. 

Bed Time

Tonight I snuggled with the little boys while the wind howled outside.

I love bed time.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was quiet this year! We usually go and celebrate with family, or have a whole bunch of family come to us. It is always different doing things on your own.

I put the Turkey in the oven nice and early and then Hyrum helped me sift the pastry flour for pies! This was my first year making them on my own without my Mom's expertise. I was nervous, but also had a vision of how I hoped they would turn out.

Mike watched me rolle the dough out for the first pie, and then crunch it up into a ball to start over again after it stuck to the counter. He reminded me with a wink that there was still time to run to the store if we had to, but I was determined!

And of course, when company is coming and I've never made something I always have to make it extra fancy. I was quite pleased with my not-so-perfect pie, and it tasted pretty good too! I also managed a couple pumpkin pies for the apple pie haters in my family.

We invited Mike's brother over for the day and he brought a couple of Chinese exchange students with him. They had only been in Canada for a month and this was their first Thanksgiving. They brought along some ribs to add to our feast!

Mr. Stannix carved the turkey while I finished up the honey dill carrots and scooped everything into serving bowls. We did our traditional weigh-in before we started our feast to see who would gain the most weight. Before we blessed the food we went around and said things that we were thankful for. Fin said, "I'm thankful for Mommy!" and totally melted my heart. There was much eating, laughing, talking, and sharing. At the end of dinner we joked about who would gain the most between the Stannix brothers and decided that 5lbs would be a crazy, only to laugh our heads off when we learned that Andrew had put on 7lbs during dinner! The children giggled at the spoonfuls of potatoes and corn they watched him eat. It was quite hilarious actually, but maybe you had to be there. ha!

Daddy worked his magic on the kitchen with his cute little side-kick. "You cook, I clean" has always been his motto and I appreciate the way he shines my kitchen when he's around.

We went to bed with full bellies and grateful hearts!

A Few Things

 I haven't put much heart into this dear old blog for a little while. Life gets crazy sometimes and I haven't been feeling as passionate about writing lately. The children are growing before my eyes and sometimes I wish I could keep them the way they are forever. Sometimes there's those perfect moments in the middle of the crazy that make it all seem worth it, and these are the moments I live for. 

Today it was Fin singing over and over again, "Here I am, here I am, how do ya do." I especially love when he wakes up from his nap and needs a little snuggle to make the world right again. He wraps his long toddler arms around my neck and rests his head on my shoulders, and it's the best!

My heart swelled with joy as I watched Joe and Ollie wrestle on the toddler bed, faces smooshed together, Ollie grinning ear to ear. Joe has become such an amazing big brother and I am so glad that I decided to have him home with me for an extra year. Being the oldest at home is so good for him. 

Bath time was a treat. As I washed the little boys' hair, the water framed their sweet faces and I couldn't help but notice all of their freckles and how mature they looked! 

Chubby baby toes, rolly little legs and belly giggles are my favorite.

I adored watching the children's faces glow as they sipped their caramel steamers by candle light during family scripture study. 

After they fell asleep I tidied up a few toys and looked up the staircase where the light hit the floor just right to reveal the trail of footprints through my kitchen from an unknown child who came home from the park with wet socks. There was a clear trail all around the kitchen showing where they had walked and I just had to smile. 

Just before I tucked in for the night Ollie woke up crying. I went into the nursery and scooped him up for a hug. He immediately nestled his face into my neck and wrapped his arms around mine tight. His eyelashes tickled my neck as he slowly drifted off to sleep.  My heart simultaneously ached for those newborn snuggles and filled with joy.

Sure there was fighting and tantrums and whining and crazy, but there was also a lot of sweet moments that I never want to forget.

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Snowed In

We flew in last night just in time for the first snowfall of the season. The wind shook our house as we slept, blankets pulled to our chins. I snuggled in with Finley before the sun came up to catch a few more winks before it was time to start the day. He gave me a big "hello" squeeze before rolling over and falling back to sleep as the world outside transformed into a Winter wonderland. 

The wet snow stuck to everything and snowdrifts had formed all over the yard. The rooftops sparkled in the morning light and the windows gradually became covered with snow as the wind blew relentlessly. I needed groceries, but who wants to go out in this weather? Instead I hunkered down and made due.

It was a perfect day to curl up and turn on the oven. As I mixed the dough for bread I was notified that the roads were terrible and Mr. Stannix and my Mum would be turning around and coming home. Shortly after their safe arrival, the highways began closing in all directions thanks to white out conditions and treacherous winds. I baked the bread while the power flickered on and off, and then threw a pot roast in the oven for the afternoon. 

Naps were had as the blowing snow stuck to the windows outside. After reading the news and being grieved by the events in the States recently, I found great comfort in our cozy home and holding my little one's close. 

We enjoyed having my Mum for an extended stay. She got some good belly-laughs from Mr. Oliver this afternoon. It was sweet watching them together!

When the children arrived home from school they filled their tummies and went outside to play! The snow was heavy and wet and the wind didn't let up. We welcomed friends for dinner who were unable to get home due to cars and a plow being stuck on their road. It made for a cozy gathering around the table and we were so glad they called!

General Conference

 Today we were up bright and early to catch the train to temple square! We watched the first session of General Conference in the Joseph Smith Memorial theater. There were so many great messages and my heart was touched so many times by stories and quotes from our church leaders. I received many quiet answers to prayers or problems and came away feeling so uplifted!

We crossed the street to the mall in between sessions for a quick bite to eat. The girl and I hit up a Chinese food place and Mr. Stannix grabbed a giant slice of pizza. The lines got crazy and it was hard to find a table. We ate quick and headed back to the conference session with tickets in hand. It was so special to go in with our girl!

We sat closer than I ever have before, and enjoyed the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the messages that were shared. Camilla was such a trooper and even took a whole page of notes without prompting. I love this girl and her enthusiasm for the Gospel and learning.

 

Mike was able to score a ticket for Priesthood session and sat 15 rows from the front! He just about shook president Uchtdorf's hand! He said the session was great! While Mike was at the priesthood session, the girl and I hit up ladies night at Desseret Book. It was crazy town in there! The six sisters were there signing books, two artists were there signing pictures, and a vocal group was there providing live entertainment. There were give aways and crazy lines!! I was glad we had purchased most of our things the day before.

We met up with Daddy outside the bookstore. It was hard to pick him out of the 100 men wearing suits and crossing the road. We held hands and walked around temple square before heading to dinner. We arrived at our hotel just in time to take one last dip in the pool before it closed. Camilla fell asleep pretty quick while Daddy and I read our books.