Nourishing my Soul

I have been feeling a push lately to rise before the children in the morning. Something has been stirring in my soul. At 5:45 this morning, while the house was still and quiet, I lit my grandmother's lamp, shewed two little boys back to bed, and studied my scriptures.

As the rooster shouted his good morning, and the furnace heated our home, I read and nourished my soul in hopes that I would be more pleasant when the littles awoke. 

"And blessed are all they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost." 3 Nephi 12:6

My goal is to keep this up for the rest of the week in hopes that it will bring light to the atmosphere in our home and help me deal more calmly with trials that may arise this week. Nothing valuable ever comes without sacrifice.

 

In other news, I am thirty-two weeks into this pregnancy! It's amazing how quickly time flies by with each pregnancy. There is still so much to do, but I am not worried or stressed about any of it really. Over the years I've learned that baby's don't really need much aside from nurturing and love. There will never be a short supply of either of those things in our home thanks to our large family and lots of siblings who are ready to snuggle and dote.  

 

We can't wait to meet this little one in a few months!

 

Sledding

 Everyone was so excited that it was Saturday today. It's been a long week of school and the littles needed a day to relax. They spent practically the entire day outside sledding, building and playing. It was so nice!

  

 

Softly Falling

Today the softly falling snow made our home feel extra cozy. I love days like these where time seems to slow and everything becomes hushed.

 

Throughout the day I often pause at the window to watch the flakes swirl to the ground, mesmerized by their magic. 

 

As the weather becomes colder, the trips to the chicken coop become more frequent. Putting on my Winter things and trudging out through the snow is the perfect break in my afternoon. All of the crosses have started laying and I am loving the dark browns, blues and olive colored eggs we are getting.

 

 

The reality of Winter also means that my back entryway looks like this 99% of the time. I am grateful for infloor heating in this room. Everyone just lays out their gear on the tile and it dries relatively quickly.

 

On the way back in from chores late in the evening, the house was dark, except for the outside light to show the way. I felt grateful for a warm home filled with those I love.

 

Snug and Warm

While it's a chilly day outside, we've been keeping snug and warm! Sawyer happily went for his afternoon nap and slept for so long. While he was asleep I made up some bread and cinnamon buns for our afterschool snack.

 

The littles got home from school and spent literally two and a half hours outside. They built an epic jump on the sledding hill out front and went flying off it over and over again. We had hot turkey sandwiches for dinner and everyone was so happy and helpful. 

 

Dinner was filled with lots of excitement and chatter! As I stood in the kitchen and observed the scene my heart swelled with gratitude. Sawyer even had to start hamming it up when everyone else was laughing and had us all giggling pretty hard. I cherish nights like these.

 

At the end of the day we gathered in the bunk room and read by candle light. The littles are really loving the Little House on the Prairie series and we've had some really great conversations surrounding it. About half way through the chapter, Ollie could be heard snoring away on the top bunk. When we finished, everyone tucked in quietly and I made my way upstairs to do the nightly tidy and dishes. 

 

When I checked on Sawyer I found his covers kicked all the way to the bottom of his bed and his little round belly showing. I gently pulled down his shirt, pulled his covers to his chin and lightly kissed his forehead. His fingers were intertwined in his hair, a habit he's had since birth. 

At last the house was still, moist from simmering tomatoes all day on the stove. I stirred the pot full of tomatoe sauce and admired how thick and nice it was. Sure we could buy it at the store, but there's something about the work involved that makes it taste just that much better. As I locked doors and got ready to tuck in for the night, I said goodnight to kitty who was curled up in her bed on the back deck and gave Reese a pet as she stretched out beside Finley for the night. These are the days!

 

Snow Excited!

The littles are so excited about the fresh snow fall!! Finley was jumping up and down as he headed out the door to school today! I enjoyed a slow morning, watching the sun come up as we waved everyone off on the bus. My drive to and from town was dreamy. I love when the fresh white snow covers the bare branches and brown grass and makes things look fresh and wonderful again!

 

 

 

First Snow

This morning I looked out the window to see snow gently falling. It didn't take long for the leaves to be covered with a light blanket. Ollie kept looking out the window every five minutes and asking, "Is there enough snow to go sledding NOW, Mom?! I'm just so excited I can feel my tummy tickling!" We turned on the oven and whipped up a batch of ginger cookies for the occasion. When the kids got off the bus I could hear them screaming, "IT SNOWED!" as they ran up the lane way. I guess it's time to get out the snow gear...

 

 

Thanksgiving

We've had a full Thanksgiving weekend with a few of my siblings home. We've loved the cousin time and late nights. We enjoyed a big meal at my parents place when everyone was here and then I cooked a turkey, dressing (etc.) up today for those who stayed for the holiday Monday. I don't have many pictures to show for it, but it was wonderful to get together with family and enjoy a good meal. I made pumpkin pies for the first time in forever (thanks to my mamma for the crust) and they were so yummy! Hyrum said it's his favorite pie (which is something I didn't know) and he may have had like three pieces. Oh! And it's also important to note that Hyrum won this turkey at their school turkey trot. He was so stoked! 

 

Grateful

With freezing temperatures on their way, today became potato harvesting day! We had a few extra family members around to help dig and lots of littles to bend and pick up potatoes. The potatoes were a lot smaller this year and the hills weren't as full. We still feel blessed to have gotten what we did though!

Once the crates were full, we loaded them into the back of the truck to take to the root cellar. The littles were all super helpful and happy while we worked and stuck it out until the end!

Oliver has been begging to stop by the stairs every time we drive by on our way to town. We decided in the late afternoon to head out as a family for a walk. Unfortunately the weather wasn't very cooperative and it started getting really windy and spitting rain. 

 

By the time we finished, everyone was cold and ready to go home. But it was still so nice to get out on some trails and enjoy the smells and sights!

 

I am super grateful for this crew! When I think back on how crazy this year has been so far, they've shown such resilience and strength. I know it hasn't always been easy for them and there is things and events and people that they have missed so much. I appreciate their happy attitudes and willingness to persevere and help those in need along the way. 

 

Thanksgiving Crafts

 Today we had no school, but the littles were still up super early! I could hear the chatter of the little boys come up through the heat vents from downstairs. Soon Sawyer was begging to get out of his room and I heart someone tip-toe down the hall to rescue him. "Hi Joe!" said Sawyer in his little toddler voice. They whispered back down the hall to the playroom. It didn't take long for a fight to break out over some LEGO. Oliver was balling, Hyrum was upset. Once everyone was settled we made a batch of German pancakes and fresh warm syrup. As Sawyer peered through the oven door he pointed and babbled. "Yes, Pancakes!" I respond. "Pa...take!" he repeats. Everything smelled amazing and the kitchen was cozy. 

 

We spent part of the afternoon doing some Thanksgiving crafts. I had seen this cute idea on the internet for handprint turkeys and they all turned out so great! The kids had fun painting their fingers and each turkey looks unique! While each of them waited for a turn painting their fingers, they worked on their thankful trees. I love how the atmosphere changes as we all contemplate what it is we are thankful for. They came up with some good one's this year and it was so fun to read them all and see the differences and similarities. They are all growing up so fast!

A New Pet

We recently had a kitty show up on our door step. It has been hanging around for about a week, but only in the evenings. I've been begging the kids not to pet or feed it because it will never leave if we do. But the other night during a late night pressure canning session with my Mum, it kept Meowing on the back deck, and oh my heart! Mum and I put out a little bowl of milk for it and I've never seen a kitty drink so fast. I then set out a handful of dog food because that's all we had and she gobbled it right up. The poor thing was hungry. 

 

The kids were thrilled to see her the next morning and she's been loyal (as loyal as a cat can be) ever since. She is the friendliest stray kitty I've ever met and even lets Sawyer hold her tail while they walk around the yard together. 

So now we have a cat. She is a fabulous mouser though, so she's actually been very helpful! Camilla named her Paula, I still call her kitty. 

We enjoyed the sunshine for the rest of the day. We harvested a bunch of things from the garden and sawyer pretty much ate a whole container of freshly picked strawberries. 

 

He learned how to pick the green part off and then stuff them in his mouth. I love the amount of fresh fruits and veggies I can get into these guys!!

The rest of the afternoon was pretty chill. The littles really enjoy the new carpet in the playroom and love reading books and playing on the floor.