Annual River trip

Today the crew left on their annual river trip! The kids have been looking forward to this trip since the end of the last one. They talk about it all year and have made such great memories on the river with their dad and grampa! This year we were a little better prepared! We had Big Red to fit all of the passengers and gear as well as tow the trailer. Everyone helped load up the van early in the morning and then we drove over an hour to the drop off point.

 

 

 This year instead of braving the steep slope on the west side of the river (just on the back side of that overpass), we opted to check out the boat launch prices on the East side of the river at the little camp ground. It was by far the best ten dollars we've ever spent! We didn't have to walk far to bring the gear to the river and there was no crazy hills to twist our ankles!

 

 

The littles were quick to get to work, hauling firewood, food, propane tanks, and gear. I mostly just made sure that Sawyer didn't decide to go swimming in the river. 

This cami-girl of mine is such a go-getter and I love that she is always up for a good adventure! One of these times I might be able to tag along so that she's not the only girl. 

 

 

 

Once we had all of the gear and the canoes on the bank, the fun began. Mr. Stannix and Grampa started fitting in coolers and such like a puzzle, making sure the canoes were balanced the weight evenly distributed. Also making sure that there was fun drinks and junk food on both canoes. I think the food is what the littles look forward to the most. They get spoiled when they go canoeing. While we waited for all of that to go down, each of the kids grabbed a pop. Sawyer happily chugged the last half of Hyrum's can and I probably shouldn't let him have that much sugar, but.... 

 

 

 

 Finally they were all loaded up and ready to go! We gave last hugs, I reminded them to be safe, and I took a group picture. 

 

 

Then I stood on the bank with the two little boys and waved them off into the distance. The drive home was quiet and uneventful until I reached the outskirts of town. Suddenly a massive hail storm blew in and my wipers were going like crazy and I could hardly see! 

 

The little boys and I pulled into Timmies for a dozen donuts (after our long morning away) and I quickly checked the weather radar to see if the storm had hit the river yet. It was close and I was hoping that since they had planned a shorter first day, they has already gotten off the river and set up camp. My Mum and I kept an eye on the weather for most of the evening, praying they would be safe and have fun!

 

 

Pause

I'm pausing my house work today to stare at this sweet face.

Still Waters

These last few days have been some of the nicest days we've had this Summer! The temperature has been close to 30 and the skies have been blue. We were planning on heading out to the lake in the morning, but we didn't end up making it out there until just before lunch. The water was glass and everything looked gorgeous!

The big kids were anxious to get on the knee board and enjoy the smooth water, so Daddy and Grampa sacrificed their ski time and let them go for a few runs. It is insane the amount of confidence they have gained just over this past week or so. Both of them are now jumping in and out of the wake with huge smiles on their faces! It's so fun to watch them learn new things and enjoy our lake time so much!

We even got to watch this plane land and take off again!

When we couldn't take the heat we stopped to swim. Pretty much all of the kids get in the water now without a problem and we have a good time.

Grampa took Mr. Stannix for a ride on the kneeboard since it was too choppy to ski. Sawyer had to sit with him and have his hands on the wheel. He loves learning how things work!

We finished off the afternoon with one last tube ride back to the dock. Ollie waited so so long to hop on the tube while everyone took turns kneeboarding. He was so excited to finally have a ride! We took it nice and easy and he giggled the entire way, putting his arms in the air and giving us the thumbs up to go faster.

Sawyer was pretty tired by the time the afternoon was through! I covered his head with a damp towel to keep him cool and the sound of the boat and the rushing wind put him to sleep. It was nice to cuddle him for an hour or so. It's been forever since I've snuggled him to sleep!

We got home just in time to make dinner for the littles and get everyone ready for bed. Sawyer and Ollie were ready to go to sleep an hour before bedtime. We left Camilla in charge (with Gramma right next door) and she put everyone to sleep and watched them for the evening so that we could enjoy a night out with friends. We swung through town and grabbed some KFC and then met up with our friends at the boat dock.

The water was INCREDIBLE! I couldn't stop admiring the beauty that surrounded us as we drove around the lake and watched the sun set. I've always wanted to go boating at dusk, and tonight was so perfect.

After enjoying our bucket of KFC, we each took turns boarding and skiing and it was so much fun! We laughed so hard! We've all been so busy with work and surviving this crazy pandemic with our littles that it was nice to take a break and relax for an evening.

I really loved being on the water with this guy sans littles. It was fun to laugh together and have adult conversation.

I also really enjoyed driving the boat and whipping the boys around on the lake!

We finished off the evening by taking our friends for a wild ride on the tube while the sun dipped lower on the horizon. We all laughed so hard!

When we left my heart was full of gratitude for this beautiful world, good friends and laughter.

I see many more evenings on the lake before this Summer is up!

Hope Smiling Brightly

This morning I was up with the sun. I watched the sky change colours and curled up on the couch while the first rays of the day warmed my face. The children joined me shortly after with requests for food. After breakfast I took the scraps to the chickens and soaked in the morning light.

There is so much going on in our world today and I often go to bed with a heavy heart. I worry about the challenges my littles will face as I watch so much unfold around us. Between this pandemic and the politics and opinions on social media, I wish I could keep them home forever, guard them from what's happening, but I can't.

At almost twenty weeks along people wonder why I would want to bring another child into the world as we know it now. Though I struggle to know what the future will hold, I have never doubted our decision to welcome another baby into our home. I also feel deeply about my divine role as a wife and mother.

There is a gorgeous painting that has been circulating around of a home surrounded by stormy skies. Inside a father and mother, with an infant in her arms, are holding up the walls. fields of flowers line the floors and beams of hope shine from behind them. Right now, it perfectly depicts my feelings. Our homes can be filled with hope, beams of faith and beauty despite the turmoil and storms in the world around us.

Here in the safety of our home we will weather the storms and guard against hate. We will teach our children of a loving Heavenly Father who has a plan for each of us. We will learn to love one another, to forgive and to be Christlike. We will fill our walls with hope and faith and endure whatever might come our way.

"You are the guardians of the hearth. No other work reaches so close to divinity as does the nurturing of the sons and daughters of God." ~Gordon B. Hinckley

Mr. Fix-it

Oliver loves spending time in Grampa's greenhouse. Whenever Grampa is out there working, you can bet Ollie is close by. I don't mind so much because the peace and quite is kind of nice sometimes! I came out this morning to find Ollie dressed in all of his construction gear, running around being a super fixer. Grampa watered and chuckled away as Ollie ran up and down the aisles asking what he could fix next. I am loving this age. Three year olds are so fun!

 

 

Bounty

This month has been filled with so many wonderful things! We have enjoyed spending lots of time outside, watching the garden grow and produce and playing in the sprinkler. 

Ollie loves helping out with whatever chores need doing. Picking strawberries is fun for him and I love hearing him gasp at the size of the big ones! He always requests that we go straight inside to wash them so that he can eat them all right away! 

The greenhouse is doing incredible and some of the tomatoes are close to blushing. I can already taste a homemade BLT!

 

Sometimes after I've tucked the littles in, I like to sneak out to the hen house to grab the last of the eggs. The air is always cool and fresh and the acreage is quiet. I couldn't help but be filled with gratitude as I passed by the growing garden with fresh eggs in both hands.

 

There is beauty all around, despite what may be going on in the world!

Crimson Lake

Today we were blessed with more amazing weather! We took the boat to Crimson for the afternoon and had such a blast! The kids are so brave now and loved jumping in and messing around on the knee board.  Finley and Joe even got in the water for a bit to cool off! We also enjoyed a bit of time on the beach with Auntie Emma and little cousins. It was great to spend time with everyone.