Summer Storms

I picked the kids up after school today. Camilla got in the van and the first thing she said was, "there's a storm rolling in!" Boy was she right. Not long after we got home the heavens opened and it started to pour. The littles devoured half of the no bake cookies that the little boys helped me make this afternoon and then gathered downstairs. The thunder shook the house as I kneaded the pizza dough for dinner. Music was quietly playing in the background and the children were building forts in the basement. Hyrum decided he needed to test out his new rain jacket so Ollie and I joined him, barefoot. We danced in the rain until we were soaked and lightening flashed in the sky. Ollie wasn't a fan of the thunder and kept covering his ears. The sky continued to rumble as the rain steadily drummed on our roof. There is something about summer storms that brings a cozy feeling to our home and fills my heart with gratitude. 

 The rain continued to fall as I worked in the kitchen. Camilla brought up the box of crayons and a stack of white paper and sat at the little round table. She drew a picture of a rainy day while Ollie stood on the chair beside her opening and closing the crayon box. We sang and hummed along to the music while we worked on our separate projects. One of my very favorites lately is THIS song. It was the perfect mellow song for a rainy Friday.

When they noticed me spreading the pizza dough on the pans they eagerly joined me at the counter. Fin happily sipped the pineapple juice that I had just finished draining into a cup. It always brings back memories to homemade pizza nights when I was a kid. Camilla expertly made the pepperoni pizza while Fin dumped handfuls of cheese onto his Hawaiian pizza (which I smoothed over just before placing it in the oven). Ollie sat in the middle of the counter eating cheese and stray pieces of pineapple while they worked on their master pieces and I smiled at his chubby toes. We finished the evening gathered around the dinner table with Daddy while the aroma of fresh baked pizza filled the air. Hyrum ate three whole slices! I wouldn't be surprised if he's growing again.

Daughter of Mine

A few months ago Camilla began begging me to teach her how to crochet. She really wanted to make a baby blanket for Auntie Emma's baby girl due in June. I was excited for her interest in crochet, but also knew it wouldn't be an easy thing to teach. I can remember the long hours spent sitting at my Gramma's kitchen table working on baby blankets and needing her help every few minutes. I decided to brace myself for the challenge and we finally got to it one Sunday afternoon. We looked up a few easy blanket patterns and she picked her colors. I showed her how to hold her hook and do a chain and double crochet. It didn't take her long to catch on at all and she worked and worked for about three months on this blanket. She would bring it when we'd go to soccer practice and crochet on the side lines while we watched her brother play. She would bring it on long drives and work away in the back seat. She would bring it into the back yard and work away in the lawn chair. She would even crochet while she watched her favorite TV shows with the boys. When she found out her Auntie's baby shower was just a few weeks away she worked even harder on it to finish it in time, even though I assured her she would still have a few weeks before babes arrival. She is one determined girl! She was so excited to wrap it and watch her auntie open it. I am super proud of her for choosing to do something and then sticking with it until the end! She's really excited to start another project!

Sunshine & Rainbows

Today we woke to a cloudy, dark sky. We spent part of the morning snuggling on the patio while the clouds spit rain. The temperature was perfect, and we enjoyed the fresh air. The day passed slow and we took advantage of the dreary day and snuggled in for afternoon naps. Chores were done, snacks were had, dinner was made, and excited children were welcomed home from school.

 

After dinner I took Hyrum to soccer practise while Daddy tucked the rest of the kiddos into bed for the night. Clouds rolled in half way through practice, rumbling and threatening rain. Without warning the sky opened up and big drops fell hard accompanied by whipping wind. Umbrella's were being turned inside out and kids were screeching with glee. I looked across the field to find the most gorgeous double rainbow. Pictures don't really do it justice. The children were freezing, but having too much fun to care. When the rain and wind let up a bit they finally got into a game, but it was filled with happy chaos.

 

 I spent the rest of my evening folding laundry and watching Call the Midwife. I didn't finish until after ten and practically crawled up the stairs to bed. As I pulled back the covers the wind picked up and lightning flashed out my window. Shortly after I had tucked into bed there was an absolute downpour. The drops beat against the roof and hit against the window and I listened contently as I drifted off to sleep.

Baking and Snoozing

 It was a drizzly day today...

 Which meant a big batch of Monster Cookies...

 And nice, long afternoon naps!

Cloudy Day

 After a nice warm day yesterday it was kind of refreshing to wake to cloud cover and cooler weather. We ventured out to the park in the morning, waiting for Mr. Sun to peek out from behind the clouds. 

 If Ollie could have his way, he would spend all day outside, rain or shine. He is happiest when he is outdoors wandering around. I am excited to get out to the mountains this Summer and get a few hikes in. He is going to love it!

My monthly order arrived on my doorstep this afternoon. It was the perfect way to brighten a cloudy day. I have been waiting to try the baby shampoo and lotion for quite a while! I love the smell of it, and I love that it's free of toxins and other harmful things. I will be using it on the youngest kiddos until baby arrives in the Fall!

Summer Vibes

This morning we slowly eased ourselves into the day. I didn't get dressed until late in the morning and my bed sat unmade. Instead, I caught up on some blog posts from our trip, watched cartoons with the boys, and looked up a few hair salons in town. I scored an appointment at a homebased salon (that's very reasonably priced) and she told me to bring the boys so they could play with her puppy's. My long hair was starting to drive me nuts and she looked at me like I was crazy when I told her how much I wanted chopped off. 

It turned out so much better than it usually does! Usually they want to give me a bob when I tell them the length. It was the first hair cut I've had in a long time that I haven't cried about after. Ha! And it's perfect for Summer time!

I promised the boys we would turn on the sprinklers after lunch. They eagerly changed into their swim suites while I warmed up some soup. We spent the rest of the afternoon being lazy in the backyard. Every time I went into my house I was reminded of all of the things I should be doing or cleaning, but it was so much more fun to spend the day outside with the littles!

When Ollie woke from his nap he joined the boys in the water! He loves being outside and is constantly bringing me my shoes and asking to go out.

I enjoyed lounging around in the chair with Reese on my lap watching the boys play. It was kind of nice to have a day of "nothing".

This bee chilled in the flower on my front door wreath for quite some time. It's very much alive, just confused I guess!! It was still cool to see though.

My floors are covered in sticky watermelon juice that drips off the chins (and elbows) of hungry boys. I know it needs to be mopped, but who wants to do that when it's so nice outside? I have a feeling this will be a constant battle in the very near future.

Wide Open Spaces

Running around a cushy soccer field in your bare feet at golden hour is the best way to end the day!

Last of London

On our last day in London we fought the crowds at the palace to watch the changing of the guards at 11:00am. It was quite a neat experience to see! It lasts a whole hour with music, marching and the official ceremony. Even though we ended up showing up after most of the crowds had already gathered, we still managed to get a pretty good view!

We happened to have already started heading back when we heard the music again. We stopped outside of the military museum and they marched right past us and into the gates. It was pretty awesome!

We then walked around in search of lunch and stumbled upon this amazing burger and shake place off the beaten path. 

It was a little bit pricey, but well worth it in my opinion! The barbecue sauce was incredible and the burgers were super filling.

Last on our list was Tower Hill to see the bridge and the castle. They resurrected a few of these old school double decker buses for touristy places. We let a few other number 15's go by because the driver said it doesn't directly take you past Tower Hill and you need a connection. He told us to wait for the older bus behind him as it's the most direct route. We had hoped to grab a ride on this bus, but when the driver finished his lunch break, he pulled up to the stop for literally 5 seconds and then drove off without picking up any of us five tourists who were eagerly waiting to hop on (and even asked if they were taking passengers ten minutes before). The couple we were waiting with decided instead to grab a cab, we waited around for another number 15, got lost for a bit, and grabbed a connecting bus that brought us right to Tower Hill.

Unfortunately we arrived right at closing time so we weren't able to actually go inside, but the view was still incredible!

We walked out onto the bridge a little ways and then turned around and headed down to the riverside to explore.

We were pretty tired by this point in the day and relaxed on a bench for quite a while to rest our poor feet. 

The bus took us back to Trafalgar Square where the route terminated. Instead of waiting for the next bus we were used to catching, we decided to walk back to our hotel. 

We took the scenic route, strolling through St. James park and admiring the golden hour as the sun poked through the leaves and reflected off the water.

Our trip was pretty epic, but definitely had it's fair share of bumps along the way (and one morning where we were both complete grumps). As we reached the end we were grateful that we still liked each other! It was nice to spend time together one on one without distractions or responsibilities and just reconnect. Even though it was a month early, Mr. Stannix leaned over to me on the park bench and whispered, "Happy tenth anniversary sweetheart." As he kissed my forehead and wrapped his arm around my shoulders I felt those same feelings of peace and safety that I did when we first started dating. I feel pretty lucky to be married to that guy and love the life we share!

London: Covent Garden

Our second last day in London brought us to Covent Garden. We scored last minute, half-price tickets to a Broadway musical play and the theater was in this neighborhood. After sleeping in way longer than we should have, we grabbed a late breakfast and spent the afternoon walking around the market. We scored some delicious gelato, sat and watched some street performers, and peeked at some handmade clothes at the market. I found a whole cart of handmade dresses that reminded me of Camilla.

We've covered a lot of ground on foot these last few days and enjoyed the surprises around every corner! We explored a good chunk of this neighborhood while we waited for our play to start in the evening.

I love how the whole city is decked out for the royal wedding that's happening in Windsor this weekend. There is a ton of people here to celebrate and so many tourists around.

We've so enjoyed the cobble stone streets and unique things that London has to offer!

And I've officially hit fifteen weeks with this pregnancy! Baby number six is due to arrive mid November and we are so thrilled!

London: St. Pauls Cathedral

Today we spent the day walking around London. We walked all the way from our hotel, to parliament, across the bridge and up the other side of the River Thames. We peeked into a few of the art galleries, found a little market tucked out of the way, admired the globe theater, and finished at St. Pauls Cathedral. 

 

We had heard amazing things about St. Pauls and decided to bite the bullet and pay the admission just to check it out. The inside is gorgeous and I wished I could take photos the entire time. We grabbed a head set and took an audio tour and finished up by climbing 528 stairs to the tippy-top of the dome.

The views from the top did not disappoint! We walked the entire circle around the dome admiring London in all directions.

By the time we made it back down all 528 steps our legs were jello. We walked a block up the street and happened upon a cute cafe with an awesome two course lunch special. Nothing on the menu looked super appealing to me and it was hard to decide what to get, but it ended up being one of my favorite meals of the trip.

Mr. Stannix shared my lunch and I shared his delicious steak. I love ordering two different things and being able to steal off each other's plates. We took our time and enjoyed our meal while our legs rested.

I found this handmade treasure at the cutest baby botique. I love that it's hand knit and made from Morino wool. In the evening we took in a show and caught a bus back to our hotel after a late dinner. Another day gone, another 100kms (or so it feels) walked.