Fri-yay

It's Friday! 

We are pretty happy about the weekend being here.

Everyone has been pretty tired lately, especially this busy toddler of mine!

Organized Chaos

There is a happy medium that exists between a clean house and utter chaos. Most days I feel like I'm barely keeping it together! Somehow I manage to keep our home running through semi-organized chaos. This means that everything goes full circle each day. I wash the dishes just in time for them to pile up again. I clean up the toys and vacuum and then the toys come out again. The clean laundry waits in baskets to be folded when I have a spare moment. It frequently looks like a tornado ran through our house, but there's not a whole lot I can do about it. Mr. Stannix frequently reminds me that the kids are happy and that's all that matters. The extra sunshine has been such a blessing! Moods are lifting and there is a different energy in the air. 

I found my surprise in the crib this morning when I put Sawyer for his nap. 

The peppers that we planted last week are sprouting and we love watching them grow! I can't wait to get everything in the greenhouse and watch it turn into a jungle of delicious things to eat!

With all of the extra fresh air comes nice, long afternoon naps. When I found Ollie asleep like this in my bed it took a lot of will power not to snuggle right in next to him and nap myself.

Camilla was the only one who wanted to try my St. Patricks day craft this year. The rest of the boys were too busy soaking up the sunshine and playing with sticks outside.

When everyone started getting crazy, we went for a glorious walk to the end of the subdivision and back up the hill. The two little boys wanted to hold my hand the entire way and I loved every minute!

Open Windows

The sun is waking up earlier and earlier every day. I relish in the quiet, watching the sun rise as I ponder and get ready for my day. There is something about watching a new day begin that fills me with peace.

With the weather finally being above zero, I crack open a couple of windows and let the fresh air pour into the house!

Gramma's hens gift us with some lovely brown eggs each day to eat. They've become quite the staple in the Stannix home over the last little while.

While the baby naps I try a new recipe for school lunches. The little boys and I enjoy taste testing these corn dog muffins for lunch, and I can't wait to see what the kids think of them.

Mr. Stannix is still leaving me little surprises all over the house each day. Today I found one tucked under my latest crochet project. They are such a day brightener!

The kids have already taken out their bikes and love riding around the subdivision. While I nurse Sawyer I listen to sounds of happy children enjoying the sunshine, mud, and fresh air as they explore. I call out to them through an open window at dinner time and they all come in happy and rosy cheeked. Bedtime is gradually being pushed later and later each day as we enjoy more outside time and make memories together!

Daylight Savings

We woke up so late today! Daylight savings is kicking our butts. I managed to get the kids fed and pack their lunches in under 30 minutes! They made it to the bus with a few minutes to spare. Then I nursed the baby and watched the blue jays play in the pine trees down below. Another sign that Spring is on it's way!

Family Skate

 Today was a fun-filled day that has left us all feeling rather exhausted! The children were up way too early for a Saturday and I was having a hard time getting breakfast going. They may have raided the cookie jar before I managed to feed them.

 One of my favorite parts about Saturday mornings though is watching the littles interact with each other. This morning Camilla snuggled Sawyer for quite a while and he loved every minute of it. She's going to make a pretty awesome Mom one day!

 The boys spent most of the morning outside. They seem to think that since its not minus a bazillion anymore they should be able to wear sweaters and running shoes. I'm pretty sure they are just eager for Spring to come and this is their way of pretending it's still not Winter. The fresh snowfall makes the acreage look extra beautiful and reminds me why I like it here so much! Hyrum and Joe ran around outside all morning long. When I heard them clunking around on the front deck I peeked out the window to see what they were up to and found them laughing their guts out over this wonderful idea they had come up with. Before opening the door to chew them out for using my laundry basket, I noticed it was the broken one anyway and let them have some fun. While Sawyer napped on my shoulder I silently giggled as they essentially pushed each other off the deck, sometimes hitting the snow covered stairs. 

 After running my girl to a birthday party I came home to the most wonderful surprise! My kitchen smelled of fresh flowers! Mr. Stannix took it upon himself to remind me how old I am getting. Only 30 days to go until I turn the big 3-0. I sure do love that guy! The fact that he remembered in the midst of tax season makes it all the more impressive. 

 The kids have been begging us to go skating and despite the warmer temperatures, the wind was still pretty brisk and cold. I was able to leave Sawyer at home with my Mom for an hour to enjoy a skate with the kids. 

 Ollie was so excited to be included and LOVED skating with Daddy. "Faster! Faster!" is all we heard the entire time we were skating with him.

 Finley was essentially like a baby deer on the ice, all legs, everywhere. It took him a while to get his balance and we helped him pretty much the entire time. He was super happy to be there though and with a little bit more practice he'll get it!

 Camilla impressed us all with her spins and tricks!

 Joe loved being on the ice. He's our outdoor kid. If there's ever a choice between watching a movie or going outside he will choose outside every single time.

 "Faster! Faster Daddy!"

 This guy is missing two front teeth and looks like a real hockey player now!

 Once the sun dipped down behind the houses it got cold pretty quick. Daddy did some stick handling with the boys while I unlaced Fin and Ollie's skates. They enjoyed walking around the ice in their boots for the last few minutes.

When it was time to go home I had to run half way around the oval to bring back Ollie who would rather freeze to death than go inside. He had also managed to throw his mitt in a snowbank part way through his walk and I had to go back and find it.

The boys did at least four laps around the oval and were tired and ready to leave by the end. We were glad to take our frozen tushies to the van to warm up and enjoyed hamburgers at Gramma and Grampa's when we got home.

 My sister and I went out for late night appie's and managed to clean our plates despite being full from a delicious dinner. I loved visiting with her sans kids!

Good Company

 This morning we woke to snow and cold. Giant flakes fell to the ground all morning long while we were tucked up inside our house snug and warm. Since I'm a homebody I wasn't too unhappy about our predicament. 

 I spent the snowy March morning with the March sisters, the dog curled up by my side, and a nursing babe across my lap. The little boys were content to play in the freshly cleaned living room and relished in the slowness of the morning.

 Oliver hauled this old rocking chair out of the baby's room and rocked to his hearts content as the wind blew wildly outside.

 After school snuggles were enjoyed as everyone crowded on the couch to watch TV. I love looking out into the room from the kitchen to see everyone piled on top of each other while they relax.

 Camilla turned the snow shovel into a sled and pulled Ollie around the yard, creating the perfect path to the Chicken coop for Gramma. Ollie is so lucky to have such a fun big sister!

We had my sister and my mom over for dinner and enjoyed warm crusty artisan bread and creamy chicken wild rice soup. I can't think of a better way to enjoy a snowy day than a warm bowl of soup and good company.

The Simple Life

 The days are getting longer! The extra light in the early morning lifts my spirits and gives me energy. Sawyer is going through a growth spurt which means more night time feedings and longer naps. 

 He's had a bad case of the sniffles so he spends his naps in the bassinet where his head is raised slightly. He looked pretty angelic napping away this morning!

 I tried a recipe for homemade lipbalm, and it turned out so good! I love the smell of beeswax and the peppermint added the perfect touch.

 Longer naps make for a pretty happy baby and we can't get enough of those gummy grins! 

I also couldn't get over how much Ollie looks like Hyrum did at this age while he napped. I'm pretty sure today was one of those days where he woke up looking much older than when I put him to sleep! That's pretty much life right now. A lot of making things, and a lot of sleeping.

School Skate

Today I got to slip into the Arena and volunteer in Hyrum's class. He was so happy to have Daddy skate with him last week too. His teacher happily held Sawyer while I skated around with Hyrum and his classmates. It was fun to see a few other parents there as well. It's always a joy to help in their classes and see them with their peers!

Sunday Mornings

This morning as I was chatting with Mr. Stannix in the bedroom I heard a knock at the door. Before answering I decided to finish up our morning chat and ignored it for a few minutes. Soon I began hearing multiple knocks as the children began beating down my bedroom door. "Yes?" I asked. Five different answers came in quick succession, practically on top of each other. "I need you to tie my tie!!" Exclaimed Hyrum. "I want my normal underwear!!" shouted a frustrated Finley. "I can't find my white shirt!" Joe chimed in. "Can I borrow a scarf?" added Camilla. Underneath it all was the background noise of Ollie knocking and loudly adding his own "Ahhhhahahhhahhhhh!" to the mix. I laughed out loud as I pulled open the door. Sunday mornings are never boring, that's for sure!

In Like a Lion

 This month has come in like a lion, true to the famous saying. I feel like it has been cold for so long! Whenever the warm sun pours through the windows in my house I bathe in it like a cat on a lazy afternoon. I can't wait for the weather to warm up a bit so that we can get outside. The mornings are so cold (-37 today) and the kids had more snow days than I'd like to count last month. They were lucky enough to be off school today for a different reason though and enjoyed relaxing and playing together. I find that they are so wiped by the time Friday rolls around. I spent the day side stepping an obstacle course in my hallway of laundry baskets that needed to be washed or folded and odds and ends that needed to be put away in the bedrooms. There was an overturned stool outside the bathroom door and the vacuum hose slithered the length of the hallway like a snake waiting to attack at any given moment. It takes skill to walk in a house full of children without tripping on toys or slicing your foot on bits of lego strewn all over the living room. The army men defending the couch managed to prick my bare feet (I hate socks) more times than I'd like to admit. The mudroom was carpeted with soggy snow gear and the sink kept piling with dishes. Bellies constantly need feeding and cookies are baked daily. By the time dinner rolls around I'm exhausted!

Crab apple raspberry syrup courtesy of Gramma