Fresh Eggs

It was another beautiful day filled with collecting eggs and playing outside. The little boys helped Grampa wheel the raspberry canes to the fire pit. Finley is almost strong enough to use the wheelbarrow all on his own and loves to help! Ollie likes to run and play all day, especially when it's warm!

Blue Skies

The weather has warmed up once more and we are enjoying some more time outside. All of the snowing and melting and snowing and melting is starting to make me crazy. While the weather is nice we are trying to get the garden out, some of the raspberry canes dug, and the yard cleaned up.

This morning I tried my hand at homemade pretzels. Aside from a little too much egg wash, they turned out really yummy!

The little boys sure love the extra space to run and explore! Fin visited Gramma's chickens and loved feeding them leftovers from the garden.

Sugar Cookies

Today I decided to whip up a batch of traditional sugar cookies. We make these every Valentine's, Halloween and Christmas and cut them into different shapes. I figured the kids would have fun decorating them after school and it was something to help us get excited about Halloween. Finley helped me cut out the shapes and I spent the afternoon putting pans of cookies in the oven. When the littles got home we gathered around the kitchen table and iced to our hearts content.

Family Time

Early this morning big, giant flakes began slowly falling to the ground. It was so magical and made our home feel cozy. It was the kind of beautiful snow fall that makes you want to play Christmas music even though it's only October. Joe convinced us all to go on a walk down the driveway and out into the subdivision. The big kids took their bikes and worked really hard to make it through the deep snow. They thought it was hilarious to ride through the fluffy white stuff.

Ollie trudged down the driveway, squinting and rubbing his eyes as giant flakes hit his face. It took him a while to decide that he liked it!

 We loved walking with Daddy, breathing in the crisp cook air. It's nice to have some time on the weekend to unwind and relax. At the end of the subdivision we came across some kittens playing in the snow. When we turned around to go home, they started following us. We didn't want them to get lost, so Mr. Stannix scooped them up and brought them back to their driveway and then we hurried the littles home. By the time we made it to the corner, they were on our tails again. This time I scooped them up and took them back, and then ran as fast as a pregnant lady can run to catch up with everyone else. Mr. Stannix and I laughed and laughed about it all the way back home. While the children took off their winter gear, I put a big pot of Milk on the stove for caramel steamers. I mixed in a few tablespoons of brown sugar, and a splash of vanilla then frothed it up with the hand mixer. "This tastes like waffles!" one of the children exclaimed as we cozied around the table to drink our warm drink. We are all about the feeling of Hygge around here in the Winter.

The evening brought us to the church for a harvest themed gathering. We enjoyed Chili, homemade breads, and delicious preserves and pies.

Gathering with friends made a great end to a snowy, chilly day!

Frosty morning walk

 In the darkness of the early morning I rolled over to find all three younger kids piled in my bed. Ollie's hands were like popsicles as he tucked them near my tummy for warmth. I snuggled chilled bodies under my warm duvet and we talked and giggled until it was time to wake up. We were greeted by the most beautiful sunrise. The trees and the grass were frosted and the weather was perfect. After getting the kids off to the bus, getting dressed, and tidying a few rooms the little boys were getting restless. 

I told everyone to get their shoes on and we wandered out in the cool morning air for a walk. We crossed the yard, the deck to the chicken coop, and then ran up to the orchard. 

We admired the sparkling frost covered Autumn leaves, crunched the snow under our feet, and frolicked in the morning light. I took a deep breath in, exhaled a cloudy breath, and felt the peace that I was hoping for. 

We took our time walking back to the house, watching our shadows stretch across the yard and giggling together. We unzipped our coats with cold fingers and made three cups of hot chocolate to enjoy. These slow mornings with just the two little boys are some of my favorite.

Icy Puddles

This morning I enjoyed watching Joe stomp the glassy, thin ice out of every puddle as he wandered down the driveway. The sounds of children mastering piano scales filled the house most of the late afternoon. With three kids in lessons, the piano is getting a lot of use! I spent most of the afternoon making bread and ginger cookies. The baby has flipped back around and into proper position since last week. I am so relieved! The children checked for eggs in their jammies tonight, and I thought it was hilarious. I love these little acreage kids. Mostly I am just taking it easy and missing Mr. Stannix immensely. 

Maternity Photo's

 This weekend Naomi and Emma announced that we were going to be taking maternity photos! While we watched the Sunday morning session of General Conference, Naomi did my hair and make-up while I snuggled a sleepy Whitney. We snuck out after lunch to a nearby park where my sister snapped some pictures. The girls did a great job posing and trying to make me relax. I'm not the kind of person who likes to be singled out or given special attention, so it was hard to be natural about it. Ha! I think my favorite part was skipping and swaying through the clearing after Naomi showing me how it's done. But it was so fun to hang out with my sis and sis-in-law for part of the afternoon. They are both so lovely. I can't wait for this sweet babe to join our family next month!

Thanksgiving Feast

It has been so wonderful having family in town for the weekend. Camilla and I have been getting in our baby snuggles with miss Whitney and Kieran here. Whenever a baby needs a nap I am happy to rock them to sleep! 

Camilla is going to be such a big helper with this next baby of ours! She is getting so big and I love that she is able to hold Whitney on her own now!

My mom put on a fabulous meal for all of us and a few uncles and aunts who joined us. Sadly, I only got a picture of my mamma's pies!

We had fun gathering all of the cousins together for a quick picture in the leaves. It's so fun for our kiddos to have little cousins to play with now! We are super thankful for family this weekend!

Gather

I've been admiring homemade signs in pinterest as of late and thought I'd try my hand at it!  With a little bit of help from my dad we cut and nailed some boards together. I used some left over paint from our renovations and finished it today! I saw a cool tutorial where they printed the letters out mirror image and transferred the ink onto the sign by rubbing over the letters. I shakily hand painted the word "Gather" and it turned out not half bad for a first try! I was super excited to hang it in the kitchen, where we often gather and chat and spend time together as a family. In a world that is getting increasingly busy, it is sure nice to slow down and spend time together as a family.

Thankful Trees

After school today we made our traditional "thankful trees". This year we used a free printout and glued some tissue paper leaves it it. The children each wrote something (or ten things) they were thankful for beside their tree. It took a better part of the afternoon and helped curb the fighting that usually happens before dinner. Sometimes it's good to pause and think about what you're grateful for. I especially love that Joe put "Mom's yummy dinner" and "Dads jokes".