Surprise!

 Today my Mom and I went shopping together in Red Deer. We set the date a few weeks ago and agreed it would be a good time to go on the shopping spree Dad had gifted her for her birthday. We stopped at the fabric store in Sylvan and ended up spending a few hours at the quilt show spontaneously in Red Deer before hitting up the mall. By the time the late afternoon rolled around, I was anxious to get home as I knew the kids would be off the bus and Mr. Stannix would be leaving work a bit early to meet them. 

We got back into town way later than I had thought we would and Mom made sure to take her time driving home. By the time I got home, Sawyer was hungry and I was feeling pretty tired. I walked into the house to shouts of "SURPRISE!" and decorations everywhere! Mr. Stannix had done a stellar job at making sure the cars were parked at the neighbors and the extra BBQ's were hidden in the greenhouse so that I wouldn't be suspicious. He had been planning this for months! Suddenly the hush hush conversations he kept having with my parents about their "taxes" all made sense. 

All of my siblings as well as many friends from all seasons of my life were able to attend and my heart was filled with so much gratitude for all of these amazing people who have contributed to who I am now. The room was FULL of people! I spent a lot of the evening chatting and only managed to snag two pictures. I wish I could have taken a picture with each and every person who made the effort to be there and show their support. Mr. Stannix and my parents worked so hard to put it all together and it was so fun!

Serenity

"No one can posses an afternoon of rain beating against the window, or the serenity of a sleeping child, or the magical moment when the waves break on the rocks. No one can posses the beautiful things of this Earth, but we can know them and love them. It is through such moments that God reveals himself to mankind." 

~Paulo Coelho

A Woodland Blanket

This morning we woke to a dusting of snow, but the sun was bright!  This time of year is always tricky because it doesn't feel like Spring when it keeps dumping snow.

I wandered out to the coop to check on the babies and help fill food and water. Sawyer was down for an early morning nap and the other boys followed me out.

Mr. Stannix is still leaving me presents each day as he counts down to my 30th birthday. This bag of skittles was a welcomed surprise when I left to get groceries.

My mamma finished quilting Sawyers blanket late last night and came over to give it to him. It's so stinkin' cute! Knowing how much love and effort went into it makes it all the more special. 

Our kids all love their "Gramma blankies", hand stitched with love!

The sun came out in the afternoon so that we could spend some time weeding flower beds. I collected a whole bag of poppy seeds from my Gramma's dried up poppies in the back flower bed. I can't wait to find somewhere for them to be planted.

An early afternoon trip to the coop gave me lots of surprises to collect. I can't wait for our new hens to grow up and give us more different colored eggs!

April Arrives

Good morning from the hen house! Our little fluff balls are growing and it's been so fun learning all about raising baby chicks. We are looking forward to warm Spring days and afternoons watching the clouds float across blue skies.

Sunday Snapshots

 Sunday Morning 9:15AM

Sunday Afternoon 3:00PM

Girl Cousins

We were so lucky today to have my cousin Jenny and her girls here! Camilla adores these two girlies and after putting up with five brothers all week, she was super excited to have some girl time! We enjoyed lunch together and then spent lots of time snuggling new baby chicks and playing outside. It was a great way to finish off our Spring break week!

Rochester Hatchery

 Today we were up with the sun to leave bright and early to pick up our new baby chicks. At the beginning of the month we placed an order for some new laying hens and I've been counting down the days ever since! Most of the time they just ship them with Canada post, but we thought that since the kids were on Spring break it would be fun to make a little road trip out of it!

 The sky was so pretty when we woke up this morning! I love it when I get to catch a good sunrise!

 We stopped on the outskirts of Edmonton for lunch at Boston Pizza. The kids are such great little travelers! With Ollie at home with Gramma, lunch was relatively easy and the older kids behaved well. Sawyer got passed around the table while we waited for our food and loved being out of his car seat! 

 The kids were so excited when we picked up the box of chicks! They argued about who would hold the box on their lap. Everyone peeked in quickly to see the little fluff balls noisily cheeping away. 

 After a little while we brought a few of them out to hold and everyone settled in nicely for the long drive home.

 The boys each had a little chick sleeping on their laps and Camilla was busy naming her favorites!

 We tried out a few heritage breeds this time and I'm so excited to watch them grow! The Ameraucanas and the Welsummers looked like little chipmunks with their stripes and colors. The little Brahma's already have furry little feet! The red sussex were easy to pick out and the black bard rocks were easy to find too. 

 We drove about half way home before stopping for a potty break and ice cream cones. The baby needed to nurse and the big guys needed to stretch their legs. 

 Ollie was pretty excited when we all arrived home and couldn't wait to snuggle a "kickie".

 Mom had prepped the coop with heat lamps and fresh water. We transferred all 60 baby chicks to their new home. Camilla helped take them out of the box and stick their beaks in water before letting them go. When I was a little girl I loved sitting in the coop and watching the new chicks run around. It brings back so many memories watching Camilla sit in their and hold them all. 

After the kids went to bed I snuck out to hang out with the baby chicks on my own. It was so peaceful sitting in their as they quietly peeped and ate their food. I heard the gate creak outside and foot steps across the front porch. I looked out the window in the door to see who it was, but didn't see anyone. Suddenly I heard a knock on the door, "Mom? I come in?" Ollie, my night owl, had walked all the way from the house to the coop in the pitch black with only the starlight to guide him. I chuckled to myself as I opened the door. He didn't skip a beat, "Hi kickies! How you doin' night?" He continued, "Dey so cuuuute! I hold one?" I let him snuggle one last chick and then we made our way back to the house for bed.

A Dusting of Snow

 The first thing Ollie did when he woke up was look out the window in the baby's room where I was nursing and exclaim, "It's dusty out there!" We received a light dusting of snow overnight and Ollie couldn't wait to get outside to play in it. Once I got Sawyer down for his early morning nap, Oliver and I wandered outside to make tracks to the chicken coop. I loved watching him as he took in his surroundings and marveled at the greatness of nature. Life is so good. 

Spring Break Shenanigans

Spring break is in full force over here! We didn't make any concrete plans, and everyone has been happily running around the acreage and keeping themselves occupied. Today they asked to play with my video camera as they had an "epic idea" for a video. As I was chatting with my dad at the kitchen table the all came into the kitchen, opened the cereal cupboard, and pulled out Camilla's hamster! I did not even SEE Camilla put Chester in there and laughed out loud when they pulled him out. Their video was called "The Terrorizing Hamster" and was basically about a boy (Joe) who would find the hamster terrorizing him all day long. When he woke the hamster was crawling on his chest, when he poured his cereal he found it in the cupboard, when he got his bike to bike to school the hamster was on his handle bars etc. There wasn't much talking, so all we heard was the "DUN...Dun....DUHHHH" when they found the hamster each time. I'm pretty sure he even found the hamster on his sandwich (that he thankfully didn't eat) at lunch. It kept them occupied for quite some time!

After helping Grampa in the chicken coop all morning, Ollie had a bath and then happily tucked in for his afternoon nap while the big kids played outside. As I was nursing the baby to sleep I heard Hyrum screaming my name through sobs. I put Sawyer down and rushed out front to see what was wrong. After watching some bmx videos on youtube he thought he would try a new trick. He ended up landing way wrong and going over his handle bars. His whole right cheek was smeared with mud and his clothes were soaked. I had to try hard not to laugh. A few seconds later Grampa and Joe came around the corner as Joe had run for help. Aside from some crooked handle bars, all was well. 

I spent the remaining naptime tackling this giant pile of laundry! Folding laundry for this many people is no joke.

I pulled two chicken pot pies out of the freezer for dinner. Joe was so excited! Last time I only cooked up one and all of the kids wanted seconds, so this time I was prepared! As we got ready for bed it started to rain. I cracked open the windows slightly to freshen up the house. There is nothing better than the smell of fresh rain!

Barefeet Weather

The littles were all up bright and early today! It's hard not to be when Mr. Sun wakes us up again each morning. We had giant pancakes for breakfast and then everyone was outside to play for the day. 

Mr. Stannix has still been counting down the days until my birthday. He's been hiding a little gift around the house each day for me to find and it's been so fun! 

Sawyer is looking so grown up lately! He is such a joy and we sure love the happiness he brings to our home! 

Camilla and Joe helped get the pots ready for Grampa's tomato plants this afternoon. I enjoyed running barefoot on the patio all day and nursing the baby outside with the warm sun on my face.

 

At days end we all come in with dirty hands and feet from a day spent outside. All of the extra sun has brought out a nice dusting of freckles on Joe's nose that I so adore. Ollie has been sneaking out of bed a lot at night time. He tinkers around with a few toys and gives us endless hugs. I remember Finley going through this stage and cuddling us as we watched our even show. I know it will pass and I try to gently guide him back to bed. Time goes by way too quickly! When the house was finally still and quiet I looked out the back window before bed to find a heavy fog had settled all around us. The lights from the highway were barely visible and I was happy to have everyone all safely tucked in.