Thankful Trees

 Life has been keeping us pretty busy, but I wouldn't change a thing! Lately I've been lucky enough to volunteer in Joe's class once a week when they are at the arena. 

I love being on the ice with him and his class!

 Finley loves helping out in the kitchen and especially loves making cookies. Lately, Oatmeal cookies have been our go-to recipe.

 After school this week we were able to work on our thankful trees. I love hearing what the littles are thankful for each year. It's so important to count our blessings and be mindful of the little things.

 Finley took this cutting and pasting project very seriously and filled each and every leaf with something he was grateful for.

I loved listening to these two at the end of the table as Camilla helped Oliver write the things he was thankful for and cut out his leaves. 

 It was so nice to spend the afternoon together laughing, eating cookies, and counting our blessings.

 I'm so thankful for these littles of mine!!

Extra Arms

Today was my first day home after a long weekend away with Mr. Stannix and Hyrum in Salt Lake City. We were welcomed back by happy children, a croupy preschooler and a sick, feverish babe. Gramma had some rough nights the last few nights with two sick boys and hadn't gotten much sleep.

Sawyer spent the day snuggling whoever would stop for a few minutes to cuddle him. He jumped from the arms of Daddy, to Mommy, to Gramma, & Grampa. If it wasn't for the extra arms I wouldn't have gotten nearly the things done that I needed to.

I managed to put a nice dent in the laundry piled high on my bed for folding. I processed 20lbs of tomatoes into sauce and managed a few dozen apple muffins. Then Mom and I made room in the freezer for half a beef that is coming in the next day or two. The boys had fun playing outside after school. I ended the day admiring a gorgeous sunset and the trees dressed in white.

Two Wheels

Today we woke to the most beautiful Autumn day. The sun was shining, the air was crisp, and the smells divine. After peeking at the forecast it was decided that this would be the last good day to get the potatoes out of the ground and into the cellar.

 Grampa dug while the little boys and I set the potatoes out to dry and then picked them into wheelbarrows. We brought them back to the house where we sorted them into crates, some for seed next year and the rest for eating.

When we had finished sorting, Finley asked for help with his big bike. He has been working on his balance for a while now, but he didn't really have a desire to learn until recently. After helping him push off a few times, he peddled his heart out all the way across the yard! We all cheered and clapped and he walked his bike back with a big smile on his face. As night fell upon us and it started spitting rain, we took a few more turns around the yard and then called it a day! It won't be long now before he is peddling around the neighborhood with his older siblings on two wheels!

Happy October

October has arrived and we are on the countdown until General Conference. To prepare for this weekend of spiritual enlightenment I have decided to do another social media fast. This means I won't be on Instagram or Facebook for a while. I've found that disconnecting from the world helps me focus more on my heart and the needs of my family. 

We are really excited to be heading down to Salt Lake with Hyrum this year to take in this special weekend right on temple square. The rest of our littles will enjoy the conference from home with Gramma and Grampa. 

 I am desperately trying to keep up with this blog each day instead of catching up on happenings months at a time. The pictures and stories captured on our family blog are such a treasure to us, and the kids especially love looking through our blog books and reminiscing. They grow up way too fast and I want to savor every moment!

 The recent dusting of snow we received finally melted today, so the little boys and I went out on an Autumn walk around the neighborhood. We ventured up the side of the highway and admired the pretty leaves.

 This truly is my favorite season and it never seems to last long enough!

We are looking forward to hot apple cider, Autumn soups, devouring novels and snuggling on the heat vent in the early morning light. 

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."

~LM Montgomery 

The North Wind

Just a boy and his dog checking out what the North Wind blew in last night!

Sleepless

 It was a very long night and I didn't get much sleep. Our girl was up with a cough most of the night and a couple of the boys peed the bed resulting in whispers on the couch in the wee hours of the morning. It was a night filled with bathroom lights being flicked on and off and soft foot steps on the floor. The icing on the cake was Sawyer deciding that 5:00am was morning time.

 Naptime came nice and early and I enjoyed the still of the baby's room while the little boys played. 

After a few hours of chopping and reducing I managed another six jars of delicious Salsa! By dinner time I was feeling quite exhausted! Here's hoping we can all get some sleep tonight.

Joe's Nose Knows

There is a chill in the air and morning snuggles on the heat vent have begun again. The weather man (and Joe's nose) tell me there is snow on the way by week's end. We are harvesting the last of the apples, and the greenhouse, and picking berries today. My fingers are cold, but my heart is full!

Fresh Bread

 There was a chill in the air this morning and the window cracked open in my bedroom made me want to stay snuggled under the duvet with Sawyer as long as I could while Mr. Stannix quietly got ready to head to Edmonton for work. 

 When I walked past the thermostat I made sure to turn it up a notch. When the furnace turned on I sat on the heat vent with a blanket wrapped around me. It didn't take long for the kids to join me, one by one. Fin tucked his legs under the blanket, curled up on the floor and let me scratch his back until he fully woke. 

 After the morning shuffle I washed 10lbs of tomatoes and a whole lotta peppers and went to work on another batch of salsa while Sawyer napped peacefully.

 The bread came out of the oven just in time for lunch! 

The house smelled pretty incredible for a few hours with the Salsa cooking and the aroma of fresh bread. We are still recuperating from sleepless nights, but it sure felt good to be productive!

Harvest

 This morning we woke to dark skies to the West. I did a quick house clean, drank a hot cup of cider, and then headed outside. I picked the last few zucchinis that I missed and brought the last of the sunflowers in for my kitchen table. 

Once the little boys finished using their imaginations inside, they joined us in the greenhouse and helped us harvest the tomatoes. We only did half of the greenhouse and got around 400lb of tomatoes. Finley loved helping snip the tomatoes from the vine and Ollie helped us load the crates up one tomato at a time. By the end, my fingers were brown and stained. 

While Sawyer napped I made up some zucchini brownies for the big kids to enjoy after school. Joe got off the bus just as I finished pulling in the ripe paste tomatoes. He joined us for a few minutes, brownie in hand, crumbs on his lip. 

We went into town for piano lessons, dropping off Joe and picking up the older two. Along with back to school comes all of the extra activities and a little extra running around. My parents are so great and always offer to keep a kid or two at home while I taxi everyone else around. 

Hyrum came out to check the chickens with me before bed. We took in the sunset and checked out the sunflowers once more. It won't be long before the frost or snow takes them out!

 

The kids went to bed so good! Ollie missed his afternoon nap and was exhausted after being outside all afternoon. Camilla tucked him in and he didn't get out once! The big boys snuggled into their beds and didn't make a peep. 

When the house was quiet, I ran a bath to soak my dirty hands and stained fingers....It didn't help. It's a good thing I'm proud of these garden hands. Ha!