New Growth

When I was out in the greenhouse today, Dad pointed out some of the new growth. There are already loads of flowers on the tomato plants and one or two itty bitty tomatoes coming. The Black Hungarian peppers are already growing nicely! I also tried a few Tomatillo plants this year and they have some nice flowers coming. My pumpkin plants have greened right up and are enjoying their corner of the greenhouse with room to stretch and vine out. In a few months we will be eating the fruits of our labors and my mouth is already watering!

Thick

 The air was thick with smoke this morning when the boys and I went out for morning chores. We fed and watered the "kickens" and then sought refuge inside. The forest fires this year are terrible already and if we have this much smoke here, I can't imagine what they are experiencing up North! We layed low and spent a lot of time inside today. By the time the afternoon rolled around they ended up cancelling soccer because the air quality was too bad to play in. I didn't mind one less night running and cherished the quiet time that we had together.

Counting Down

Everyone is feeling the exhaustion that accompanies the end of the school year. I actually had to wake my children today or they would have missed the bus! We've had a lot of extra littles in and out of our bed during the night. Joe finally moved to the couch in the wee hours of the morning. In the middle of making breakfast I peeked in to check on him and he was drooling on the couch while the morning sun poured through the bay window and cast it's warm glow on his still body. I woke Camilla with fifteen minutes to spare. I may or may not have counted the number of school lunches I have left to pack!

Washing and putting away the cloth diapers after the kids hopped on the bus made me so happy! Every time I get lazy and use my disposable diapers I end up grumpy and wishing I had used a cloth so I didn't have to soak and scrub an outfit out. Also, how cute are those patterns?!

I used some left over chicken broth and whipped up a homemade veggie soup for lunch. The pizza knots came out of the oven just before Mr. Stannix got home, and it was delicious!

The afternoon brought us out to the coop for eggs. The boys love checking the nesting boxes and finding pretty brown eggs. With all of Hyrum's growing pains and constant hunger lately, I am grateful for these eggs! They make great breakfasts and baked goods!

With the longer days comes evening walks and extra outside time. It's so hard to call the kids in for bed when the weather is so beautiful! After dinner we went for a walk around the acreage. The kids picked all of the fluffy dandelions and blew the fluff off. My allergies were hating me by the end, but it was worth it! Since Ollie had a late nap and Fin ended up falling asleep on the couch at 4pm I wasn't in a hurry for bedtime. At days end my mom brought over some delicious pudding and I sat and ate it with a fork because there were no more clean spoons to be found.

Simple Beauties

The days are flying by! We are loving the warm weather and all of the time we get to spend outside. The boys already have pretty awesome farmer tans and I love that they enjoy being outside more than inside.

This morning they all lined up on the couch eating peanut butter toast and watching ninja turtles before school. During the end of the year hustle, I like to make sure we still slow things down once and a while, especially for the big kids who spend such long days at school and on field trips. The morning sun combined with Ollie's bed head and all of their sweet faces made for quite the view!

I decided to ignore my messy kitchen and hang out in Grampa's Greenhouse for a little while this morning. Sawyer enjoyed swinging around while I pulled a few weeds.

Ollie, of course, had to be right in there helping! Two year olds are the best little helpers. 

When it came time to tuck the boys in for the night they couldn't sleep. Ollie had a late afternoon nap and Finley fell asleep on the couch at 4pm. They decided they would rather watch Daddy mow the lawn than go to bed.

After everyone was finally tucked in for the night, I slipped outside for some fresh air. I stumbled upon my favorite flower and picked a few to put in a tiny vase on my kitchen windowsill. As I stood outside the little boys' window I could hear them giggling and I smiled. Even though they were driving me crazy, I was happy to hear them getting along and enjoying their childhood. Watching my husband mow the yard and breathing in the smell of fresh cut grass grounded me after a tough mom day. The little blue flowers surrounding my bare feet reminded of a talk entitled "Forget me Not" and the part where we are reminded to be happy now. It got me thinking about all of the things that bring me happiness and reminded me of the beauty that can be found in the mundane tasks of the day. Later that night when my toddler got out of bed for the 124395th time and asked for a "hug and a smuch" (smooch), you better believe I gave him the best squeeze hug and biggest kiss before tucking him back into bed. I fell asleep feeling like the luckiest Mom in the world because the chubby arms that encircle my neck with hugs each day are far more valuable to me than a gold chain or a string of pearls. 

"Don’t close your eyes and hearts to the simple and elegant beauties of each day’s ordinary moments that make up a rich, well-lived life."  

~Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Evenings at the Lake

 As I tiptoed out of the baby's room this morning after a 5:00am nursing session, I turned to see the pink glow of the morning sun through the closed blinds. I quietly crept out into the living room to get a better look while the rest of the house slept peacefully on. Camilla was up at 6:00am and we read together on the couch until everyone else woke up for the day. Despite only getting four hours of sleep last night I felt awake and energized thanks to the blue sky and song birds outside. 

 While Sawyer napped the boys ran around outside in their own little world. I helped mom weed a row in the garden as the heat of the sun started warming things up for the day.

 When Mom brought in a huge haul of rhubarb I made up my Gramma's rhubarb cake, topping it with extra brown sugar and cinnamon, for the after school snack.

 With the warmer weather comes boating season! Daddy got home early from work today and got the boat ready to go out. As soon as the kids got off the bus they put on their swim suits and we drove out to Cow Lake for the evening. 

 Camilla and Hyrum couldn't wait to get out on the tube and thoroughly enjoyed their ride! 

 Sawyer wasn't sure what to think of the noisy boat and all of the wind, but he's pretty easy going about most things and adjusted quickly.

 Joe had to watch the older two a few times before deciding that he wanted to jump on for a tube ride too.

 We also managed to coax Ollie into going for a little ride with Daddy.

 I enjoyed being out on the boat surrounded by beautiful views. I loved that in some areas the lake was like glass. I loved watching the children giggle on the tube. I loved listening to everyone spending time together. 

 It was so nice to have my Dad on the lake with us to help drive the boat so that I could snuggle Sawyer. Ollie was an awesome co-captain.

 The wind made the boys hair go wild and I loved it (along with their bare little toes sticking up)!

 We finished off the evening with some fishing. The kids are getting so good and love their new gear!

 Grampa helped those in the front of the boat while Daddy helped those in the back. We had four fishing rods going and they had to make sure no body tangled their lines or hooked anyone in the boat.

 When it started getting late we made our way back to the dock. By this time the big kids were getting braver on the tube and started standing up and balancing as Grampa pulled them in. He gave a quick tug hoping to knock them onto their butts and Camilla ended up flipping off the back of the tube. The water gave her a bit of a shock, but she laughed as she swam back to shore, "Not cool Grampa! Not cool!" I am looking forward to many more nights like these, just hanging out in the boat with my favorite people and relishing in the beauty all around.

In the Morning

 Today was a good day filled with happy moments. The littles were up bright and early and as we whispered, poured bowls of cheerios and listened to our favorite primary songs my heart was full. With Daddy gone to early morning meetings, the big kids have really stepped up to the plate to help me out with the younger ones. There is something special about watching an older child take someone younger under their wing. We recently started a "buddy system" where we pair up an older buddy with a younger buddy and it has been a huge game changer. They are more aware of each other's needs and try really hard during the week to take care of their assigned buddy and help where it's needed. This morning Hyrum watched Sawyer while I got ready for church, Camilla helped dress Ollie, and Joe played with Fin quietly. 

When we got to church I put a very sleepy Sawyer in the sling and made my way to our bench with the rest of the littles. I was better able to manage a busy toddler and disagreeable preschooler with both hands free. It didn't take long for Sawyer to drift off to sleep and everyone to settle in. I paused part way through the meeting when I noticed how closely everyone was gathered around me. I had Joe sitting on my left side, Sawyer snuggled on my chest, Camilla on my right side with Ollie on her lap resting his head on her shoulder, and Hyrum next to her entertaining Finley. In that brief moment I felt so blessed as a mamma, to be surrounded by all of my littles. It didn't take long for a few of the younger ones to get restless though and thankfully Gramma and Grampa were at the end of the bench to help. Not all days are perfect, but I am grateful for moments like these where time stands still and we are able to enjoy what we have.

In primary a few months ago the kids learned that faith is like a little seed. They planted these pansies and each of my littles brought a pot home. They're so pretty!

 After a great visit with friends in the afternoon, I loved finishing up my day walking around the Acreage next to this guy and watching the sun sink behind the trees. It's always nice to reconnect often and regroup. 

 I stumbled across a song today that I felt really described motherhood and life in general.  I've had a few rough mommy moments this week and I am forever grateful for the fresh start each day, and for a Savior who's arms are steady and always ready to embrace us.

"It's been a long day, and you did your best
Let go of the past, it's time now to rest
The weight of the world is getting too heavy
Give it to Jesus, His arms are steady

And your heart will feel lighter
Everything will be brighter
Find peace in knowing
That all will be well in the morning
In the morning
All will be well
All will be well in the morning"

~JJ Heller

World Cup

 We spent the majority of our day at the soccer field today! Hyrum and Joe participated in the World Cup tournament and had a fun afternoon of soccer! They had a pretty good cheering squad between Daddy, Grampa and I, along with Ollie who loved chanting "Go JOE! Go JOE!" over and over and over. They've learned a lot already this year and it's so fun seeing their confidence grow on the field. Joe loves running around and only stopped moving when he was in net. He told me after that he scored ten goals (but I know how much he likes to exaggerate). He played well though and had fun! The highlight for him was receiving his medal and a brand new soccer ball at the end of the day. Hyrum zipped around the field and hustled hard after the ball. He is learning to pass to his team mates and look around the field a little bit more. He ran the ball down so many times and almost scored a few balls. He also was super tough when he got the ball kicked in his face. At the beginning of the season he wasn't sure if he wanted to play, but now he tells me he loves soccer even more than hockey or any other sport, so I'm glad I followed my intuition and registered him this year. He would have been terribly bored watching his brother play all season.  Good job boys!

A Drizzly Day

 It was another cold, rainy day today and I didn't mind in the least. There is something about the chill in the air and the fresh smell of rain that brings a feeling of peace and a sense of calm. I hung out in the greenhouse while it drizzled rain on and off. The little boys played in the sandbox, oblivious to the falling drops. Grampa would fill their buckets with water every time they came into the greenhouse and then they would lug them back to the sand box to play some more.

I finally got around to planting my pumpkin plants! It's something I've never grown before so I'm excited about it!

I also discovered that Sawyer needs somewhere to hang out while I help Grampa water/weed the greenhouse. We found the perfect solution! This swing was a gift from my brother when he came back from Nicaragua and it has been through all of my boys!

After getting Ollie down for his nap, my Mom and I escaped to town to buy some plants. I've been wanting to visit The Plant Ranch for a while now and even though it was rainy, it smelled and looked lovely!

I refrained from buying everything in sight, and got some awesome ideas for next year!

We also found some Honey Berries (Haskaps) and picked one up to replace the one that didn't make it last year.

And a rainy day wouldn't be complete without a batch of cookies. The first pan made it out of the oven just before the kids arrived home from school. They were pleasantly surprised! I had to stash half of the double batch in a container in the cupboard so they wouldn't eat them all before the next day.