The Symphony

 We decided to celebrate our anniversary early this year with a night at the Symphony! The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra was playing the music of Harry Potter and it was amazing. Thanks to my parents we were able to head up earlier in the  day so that Mr. Stannix could meet a few clients and get some work done at the Edmonton office. I was able to visit with my dear friend Jessica for the afternoon before picking him up. We enjoyed Vietnamese for dinner and dropped Sawyer to my brother's place for the evening. It was the longest I've been without a baby in months and it was nice to get away with Mr. Stannix for the night!

The Late Morning

The late morning found me snuggled on the couch watching the rain fall and the spruce boughs bend in the wind. Sawyer's chubby hand held my shirt while he snored contently on my chest and the boys played in whispered tones at my feet. The furnace came on a few times just to show us how cold it really was outside. As the rain briefly turned to snow Finley exclaimed, "Oliver! It's going to be Christmas soon!" Soccer practice was a cold one leaving the boys chilled and cranky. I couldn't feel my fingers by the time we got back into the van. Everyone was tired and worn out, but especially my middle man after a long field trip today. He is one that needs quiet and calm, just like his mamma. After everyone was tucked in for the night I did a quick tidy of the kitchen and then made up some hot chocolate for Mr. Stannix and I. The wind howled loudly as we drifted off to sleep.

Baking Spoils

 We had more rain today which made for a lot of rainy day baking. The kids were still in and out all day long and as I mixed ingredients, Oliver would walk through the kitchen with rubber boots two times his size. CLUMP CLUMP. 

After a morning of dirtying my kitchen the final baking count was six loaves of fluffy white bread, a dozen cheesy pizza knots, and a dozen blueberry muffins which will mostly end up going towards school lunches.

 Sometimes, rain days are nice! And if you ask Oliver, it doesn't matter what the weather is like. He's always happy!

Wrestling Match

It's been such a rainy month! The little boys are going stir crazy. This morning they wrestled around the livingroom for a good hour while I baked cookies. 

Finley's favorite thing to do is tickle people and Oliver uses his toddler chunk to his advantage. He can pin Finley down in 10 seconds flat. If the headlock doesn't work, he just sits on Fin's head until he screams for help. 

A rainy day wouldn't be complete without a double batch of cookies!

Stormy Skies

The sun graced us with her presence for most of the day today. Waking up to blue skies and sunshine always sets a good tone for the day. 

We don't have many more school days left this month and we are all eagerly counting down the days until Summer! I had to snap this picture of the boys this morning, looking all grown up on their way to the bus. And of course Ollie had to get in on the picture too. 

Grampa's greenhouse is growing so many yummy things! We harvested the first of our Black Hungarian Peppers today. They already smell so good!

With the extra sunshine I hung the cloth diapers over the railing to dry. They blew in the wind while greedily trying to catch a spot of the sun. All of the windows were opened and I loved listening to the sound of bird song as I played with Sawyer on the floor. 

Whenever the weather is agreeable, Daddy comes home early from work and hooks up the boat! There's already been a few days where we have picked up the kids from school and drove straight to the lake for a few hours of fun in the sun! 

Sawyer is starting the like this boating thing just as much as the rest of us!

It's always a treat when Grampa comes along! The littles like having him around and especially love it when he jumps on the tube with them.

Mr. Stannix got brave and tried the knee board for the first time this year. The water was still chilly, but he had fun!

Sometimes I look at my kids and they look older than they did yesterday. I wish I could freeze time!

It was such a gorgeous evening, but the storm clouds soon caught up to us. I loved the contrast of the dark clouds and the color of the lake while the suns rays peeked through the storm. It was so beautiful!

Soon it was time to head home for showers and bed. Our schedule has already started to relax a bit and we can't wait for more carefree nights like these!

Happy Father's Day

Today we spoiled our Daddy with breakfast in bed and lots of hand-made cards. We are sure grateful to have a super Dad around to love and care for us all. After six kids, he's a natural at this Dad thing and makes juggling them all look easy. He has more patience than I ever will and I love sitting back and watching him do the Dad thing. There is nothing more attractive than a Father who fulfills his role with love and tenderness. Those moments where he cradles a new baby, falls asleep next to a little boy, disciplines with love, and teaches with passion make me fall in love with him all over again!

We snuck a quick picture in before he left for his early morning meetings. All of these littles sure love their Daddy!

I had a friend make up this T-shirt for Father's day and it came just in time! We enjoyed a Father's day dinner with my parents and the kids even helped me make a special dessert. I hope this guy feels celebrated every day, and not just on Father's day, because he sure works hard and deserves all the love! Happy Father's Day sweetheart!

Slip n' Slide

It is so great when life slows down a little bit! Typically the children are up with the sun and I don't often get to 'sleep in' on a Saturday morning.

I cherished my morning snuggle with theses two this morning while the rest of the house slept soundly. 

When the sun heated things up Daddy and Grampa busted out some plastic and turned it into a homemade slip n' slide. I dumped half a bottle of dish soap all over it and the littles had a blast!

Camilla was the only one brave enough to go on her tummy!

The littles convinced Daddy to go down and he didn't disappoint! Unfortunately I will be washing grass stains out of his t-shirt for the next little while. 

Oliver was a little bit worried about going down, and after Daddy helped him out a little, the look on his face was priceless!

We finished off the day planting a few new trees in the orchard!

Rain Rain Go Away

It poured rain all day today! I enjoyed a quiet afternoon listening to the rain while the little boys all napped soundly. After cuddling under a blanket on the couch to read I may have dozed off for a little while myself while a cool breeze blew through the living room. It was a perfectly lazy afternoon!

Summer Scents

This morning the boys helped me with morning chores. Most of the time Gramma beats us to it, but today we were able to get outside nice and early thanks to the beautiful weather! Ollie dumped a few buckets of chicken feed into the laying hens and Finley fed the meat birds. When we finished we went outside to watch the chickens run around the grass. 

While Sawyer napped, I joined my parents in the garden to help with the weeding. I worked away on the North East corner all morning long. When it got really hot, I slipped out of my rubber boots and let my bare feet sink into the black garden soil. By the time I had finished my knees were dirty, my finger nails were black, and my legs and back were aching. It felt so good though to visibly accomplish something. Sometimes when you're in the throws of motherhood it can seem as though you aren't accomplishing much during the day. The dishes get washed and then dirty ones get thrown right back in the sink. The floor gets mopped and then someone runs through the kitchen with food. At least when I had finished pulling weeds, it looked clean! 

Finley and Oliver played so well today! I loved looking over at them walking around the acreage hand in hand in a world of make-believe. As the sun became hotter we retreated to the deck for a glass of rhubarb slush to cool us off. I opened the windows on the shady side of the house and Ollie quickly fell asleep as a gentle breeze blew through his room. These days I am enjoying the smell of freshly mowed grass, sleeping beneath blankets that have been hung outside to dry, and evenings spent at the lake with family!

Brace Face

Camilla got her braces today, and looks extra cute with her purple elastics that she chose. She's been such a good sport about it!

This afternoon brought us one of the first warm, non-windy soccer practices of the season! Joe loves running around the field and plays his heart out every practice!