July 12

Just some little moments captured from today...

Joe got Lily dressed and brushed her hair while I was in town this morning.

(She stole my steamer when I got home)

These two were stinkin' cute riding the 50 together.

The raspberries are starting to ripen and soon we will be getting bucketfuls!

Camilla Turns Fourteen

Today we celebrated our favorite fourteen year old! Camilla has been planning her own birthday party forever. She had invited some friends over with the intent of going boating, but the weather did not cooperate. With rain in the forecast she quickly changed her plans to a movie/game night instead!

One of her friends came early to help her decorate and they did a great job!

It's so hard to believe that this girl is already FOURTEEN! Where does the time go! Camilla is kind, fun-loving, energetic, willing to serve, organized, talented, and full of heart. Our family is blessed by her daily and we are so grateful she is ours.

 

Oliver wrote her the sweetest card and gave her a couple of his Jolly Rancher candies.

After dinner, cake, and games, the girls asked for a few sunset pictures as a group. I was happy to oblige. These girls are so awesome! I'm so grateful she has chosen such great friends.

Of course, Lily had to also get in on the action.

After tucking in a few of the littles, we drove her last friend home late at night. With it being free slurpee day, the older three all jumped in the van and asked if we could grab a free slurpee on our way home. It was already at least 11pm, and though I was tired, I said yes. We had a lot of fun together chatting about so many different things, singing along to music, and enjoying our late night slurpees. Big kids are so great!

 

Handsome Ollie

A Sunday snapshot with my Ollie.

 

Saturday Wonderings

Today I woke to find that the jam had all sealed! I dated the lids and brought them downstairs to the jam shelf. 

While I was downstairs I overheard Hyrum and Joe talking. Joe asked "Hyrum, how do you sleep in?"

"Literally, when you wake up, you just roll over and go back to sleep."

Joe paused, "Really? That's it?"

Joseph has woken with a seize the day attitude ever since he was a babe and cannot for the life of him grasp the concept of sleeping in. Why waste all of that precious time?

In the afternoon we did a dump run and then snuck into town to purchase a new dirtbike for the boys. With Ollie getting big enough to ride and the big boys growing as fast as they have been, it was time to size up. We purchased a TTR125 for Hyrum to learn clutch on. They were so surprised when Daddy brought it home!

It fits him perfectly and I think he was pretty excited about it!

Strawberry Jam

Today we picked enough strawberries for a big batch of strawberry jam. We washed the berries and mashed them with a potato masher before throwing them in the pot with pectin and sugar. The kitchen smelled divine and my taste buds tingled with delight. Everyone dipped their finger into the empty pot after to taste the last few drops left.

 

 

Making Their own Fun

The children have been enjoying their Summer break to the fullest. They have had a few days to just do nothing and they've been running around the yard together, playing basketball, going on trail rides, and coming to the kitchen whenever they are hungry for snacks.

They've also told me they're bored a fair amount which counts as a successful Summer vacation to me! It has allowed them to use their imaginations and think of new ways to have fun together.

Tonight I put Lily to sleep while the thunder rolled through her open window, thanking Heavenly Father for the much needed rain.

 

An Afternoon at the Beach

Today a beach day was declared! We packed up the sand toys and the boogie boards and headed to Crimson for the afternoon. The children always get along so much better when we have planned things and get out of the house. 

Camilla and Lily built sandcastles together for a good chunk of time.

The boys all took turns boogie boarding around the lake.

Also, might I just say, that these pre-teen/teen years are turning out to be a lot of fun! I love watching these two enjoy each others company and help out with the littles. They are such great kiddos!

 

Canada Day

This weekend my siblings all came home to be together for the long weekend. The little cousins really enjoyed one another! We played games, spent lots of time outside, and had delicious food and a fire to finish the evening. It was so great to visit with everyone!

 

Strawberry Season

We are thoroughly enjoying strawberry season! I can't wait to have enough for a batch of homemade jam!

 

Exploring Whistler

Today we slept in and enjoyed a delicious breakfast together at our hotel restaurant!

I went with the waffles and berries while Mr. Stannix had eggs, bacon, and hashbrowns.

Later that morning we wandered into a bike shop and rented a couple of ebikes for the afternoon! We grabbed a trail map and spent the rest of our day exploring places we had never seen before. We made our way to three different lakes and took in the views of the mountains surrounding us.

I really enjoyed the peddle assist that these offered, especially on the hills! It has been ages since I rode a bike and I wasn't sure I would make it.

On the way back, we stopped at a dock and dipped our feet to cool off. 

Mr. Stannix convinced me to try out Sushi Village for dinner. While sushi is not one of my favourite things, they did offer other yummy things on the menu.

I knew how happy it would make this guy!

It was so fun to spend time together biking and exploring today!