The BIG Melt

It was a sunny, wonderful Spring day! Puddles are forming everywhere at the acreage and splash boots are a must! There is a lake forming near the chicken coop which makes egg collecting extra fun! My laundry pile keeps growing and often I make the kids strip down before they are even allowed in the house. But all of the extra fresh air and sunshine makes for tired, hungry kiddos at days end. We had chicken pot pie for dinner and when I told Ollie, "You're a hungry boy!" He replied, "I not hungry, I Ollie!" At days end my house still looks the same as it did when I woke up despite my efforts to organize and clean. I only got through half of the dishes this afternoon thanks to the baby napping in my arms. After I tuck in the kids I can still hear fain sounds of the boys jumping on beds in the basement. It doesn't take long before he falls asleep and I again have to make the choice to snuggle him or to put him in his bed and get something done. Of course I pick snuggle, and tomorrow when I wake, the house will still look like a tornado ripped through it. 

Being Productive

Today was super productive! 

I made bread and froze a few chicken pot pies for dinners. 

Sawyer enjoyed some morning cuddles and conversation from his big brothers.

The pepper plants are growing well!!

Mr. Stannix is still counting down to my birthday. I found this on the seat in the van when I went to town to meet him for lunch.

Gramma's chickens are gifting us with lots of eggs.

Ollie is becoming a little less afraid of chickens!

The kids spent all afternoon outside after they got home from school making these hilarious snowmen. Hooray for sunshine!

Sunday Walks

Sunday walks have returned!

Saturday Morning Shadows

Oliver made a new friend this morning. They both have the same bedhead and the same love for helium balloons! They could have played together all day!

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.