Summer Lovin'

Today was a wonderful day! We had lots of yard work to get done and then the children spent a good hour playing in the sprinkler! 

When I take time to slow down and watch them play I can't help but feel grateful for the life we've been able to create over this last year. The children are happy and fulfilled and growing.

At nap time Ollie draped his frozen arm over my neck as he yawned and drifted off to sleep after a full morning of jumping through the sprinkler. I was sweaty hot from weeding the garden, so it felt so good! 

Our chicks have gotten so big and we are looking forward to when they start laying soon!

Daddy and Ollie spent the late afternoon mowing the lawn as a storm blew in from the West. 

They finished just as the clouds opened and started pouring rain. 

Hyrum spent a good chunk of the afternoon constructing a robot out of Lego. He transforms from a robot to a rocket and it's pretty cool!

After tucking Sawyer in for the night I snuggled with the little boys until they fell asleep. The older three quietly scooted chairs to the window to watch the lightening storm. As I listened to Ollie's deep, sleepy breaths I heard them whispering and quietly shouting "Ooo!" and "Ah!" after each lightening strike. I lay their contently for a little while before finally tucking in the last of the littles.

Dinner on the Lake

There is something about the stillness of an early morning that I enjoy, even after being up all night with a baby. I woke to the sweetest baby grins and the children talking over a pile of Lego in the living room. Oliver ended up spilling his whole cup of juice all over the floor which resulted in a sticky floor and sticky feet. The dog snuck the babies breakfast of scrambled eggs and ended up moping in the morning sun after being caught. Ollie spent all day telling me that he could do "every stuff". He is starting to articulate his words so well and is sounding so grown up lately! As the children enjoyed their slush on the deck this afternoon a few of them started fighting. Ollie quickly jumped in with a solution,"Well be a wittle NICER!" It quickly diffused the situation as we all burst into giggles at the cuteness of it all. 

We headed out to the lake for the late afternoon and got in a few good rides despite the wind.

When the boys got in their hair was spiked straight up and wind blown. They always joke that they look like Bruce Wayne when this happens and in their best Batman impersonations they say, "Hi! I'm Batman." 

We enjoyed dinner on the boat in the middle of the lake. Tuna sandwiches and a big bowl full of berries did the trick!

It's always great to be on the lake together!

The children are growing up before my eyes and I wish I could freeze time!

Camilla: Double Digits

As of today I have been a mother for ten years! Camilla has been such a blessing to our family and I am so grateful for her and all that she has taught me. She is smart, organized, funny, caring and thoughtful. She has so many goals and expectations and is always living life to its fullest. I love her sense of adventure and never ending optimism. 

She may be small, but she is mighty and easily guides her brothers in the right direction with her whit and love. She has a desire to do what is right and thinks carefully about her choices and how she treats those around her. We are sure proud of her and who she is becoming!

We went to town today to get our traditional free slurpee. Camilla and 7-11 have the same birthday, so we always celebrate with free slurpee day! She's also been saving up for a budgie bird and somehow convinced us to let her get it today. It's pretty hard to say no when she cleans and sets up the cage all on her own and is one of the most responsible ten year olds I know!

KIWI seems to be adjusting well to life in our busy family and took his first fly around the house already to check things out!

The day ended with a requested angel food cake and marshmallow icing!

Then she took her birthday present for a spin around the neighborhood with her brothers! Happy birthday cami girl! We sure do love you!

Slow Paced

Today was a slow paced and cloud covered. This Summer has been so weird with lots of rain days and mild weather. The children all woke up in pretty great moods though which I counted as a huge blessing!

My heart was filled with gratitude as I watched Hyrum play with Sawyer on the floor this morning. Sawyer is so lucky to have so many older siblings who love and care for him each day!

I spent the morning baking bread and turned some of the dough into Cinnamon buns. They didn't last long once I spread the cream cheese icing on top. Yum!

We went up to the big garden in the afternoon to help Gramma pick Haskaps. It didn't take long to get berry stained fingers and full tummies!

Oliver loves all of the space and freedom that the acreage provides and often wanders around singing to himself. It really is the best!

Mamma's Bed

Today Ollie requested to nap in my bed. I was happy to oblige and tucked him in under the duvet and quilt. It didn't take long for him to doze off, and I came back to the cutest scene! Sometimes I wish I could freeze time and keep them little like this forever. I wish I could capture his little voice, his chubby cheeks, his toddler hands, and those long sleepy lashes.

Beach Day

This afternoon we took the children to Crimson Lake to cool off and swim. They were so happy to be there that they happily dug in the sand and swam to their hearts content. I was able to just sit and enjoy the view with Mr. Stannix, until Sawyer started eating sand. He has figured out that if he's on a blanket, all he has to do is pull the blanket back to get to whatever he wants underneath. I took him to the edge of the lake and he sat and splashed until it was time to leave. There is something about the lake that helps soothe my anxieties. The adversary has been planting thoughts of "You're not good enough" and "You're not teaching them enough" and "So and so must think you're kind of weird" and "You're a lousy housekeeper". These thoughts swirl around in my head all day, breaking me down and making me feel like I'm never enough. On tough days it escalates making tears fall into my sink full of dishes at days end. Sometimes they sneak out during family prayers or while singing lullabies to the children at bedtime. After a rough day today, the older boys wouldn't stop fooling around at bedtime. It got so bad that one of them ended up coming upstairs with gum in their hair. Staying patient wasn't an easy feat, but we eventually got it out, and they eventually did fall asleep!

Made with Love

We woke to more rain today. The littles are going stir crazy (and so is their mamma). The only things that kept me sane today were my baby's sweet morning grins and throwing my to-do list out the window to crochet some new toys for the children. 

I went outside after the littles were in bed to grab the last of the eggs and couldn't help but pause ans marvel at the growth of the garden. The rain has made it impossible to weed, but things are growing!

Snickerdoodle Cake

Camilla and Hyrum wanted to make snickerdoodle cookies today. They followed the recipe all on their own, but the dough ended up looking a little runny. When I saw the glass measuring cup on the counter with a bit of milk in the bottom I asked how much milk they added. Camilla pointed to the line, 1 1/4 cup instead of just 1/4 cup. OOPS! After a few tears we decided that we could fix it. We added baking powder instead of baking soda and omitted the cream of tartar and viola! Snickerdoodle cake! It smelled so yummy and the whole thing got eaten within the hour. I told the kids they had better write down their recipe so that we can make it again! 

Greenhouse Update

Summer break hasn't been feeling very "summery" with all of the rain that we have been getting. Rainy days have meant Harry Potter on repeat all morning and afternoons spent playing Monopoly with Grampa. One of the great things about the greenhouse is that you can work in it rain or shine! This afternoon I went out to look around and help Grampa with a few things. While I was out there Camilla and Hyrum decided to make cookies all by themselves. They came out looking odd and after taste testing we realized they forgot half of the butter, a whole cup of brown sugar and a whole cup of oatmeal. They were pretty salty! They tried again with fresh ingredients and the first pan came out paper thin. We added a bit more flour and the second pan didn't spread at all and ended up burning on the bottom. It was an adventure and a great learning experience. I'm half way to having my dream of kids who bake for me!!

A Mothers Prayer

Let there be morning snuggles, quiet sunrises, and watermelon kisses.

Let there be dancing in the kitchen and laughter in the home.

Let there be grace when I fall short, and extra hugs when I'm feeling down.

Let there be stories read & games played.

Let there be faith to push through the hard days in anticipation of better days ahead.

Let there be bed time tickles, endless belly laughs, and "I Love You's" spoken. 

Let there be time to hold onto that sleeping baby for just a little while longer at days end, soaking in his goodness before placing him in his crib.

Let there be evening prayers to express gratitude for the blessings that are mine and to plead for strength to wake tomorrow and do it all again.