Pantry Cleanout & Timeouts

Today I finally worked up the courage to do a pantry clean. Our unfinished walk-in pantry has kind of become a catch-all and the floor was covered with junk. When the children finished school last year, all of their extra school supplies and school work got stashed in a corner. As I was going through the pencil cases and ziploc bags of extra supplies, I came across this itty bitty pencil and it made me laugh. We now have two huge ziploc bags full of crayons, a bag of dry erase markers, a bag of markers, a smaller bag of pencils, and a smaller bag of pens. School work has been sorted into various grades and the important stuff kept (like art work) for the kids keepsake boxes. It was a big job, but the pantry looks so much better now!

Later in the afternoon, Sawyer ended up in his room for a brief "time-out". Whenever this happens, his bed gets torn apart and toys get strewn all over the floor. A few minutes later, I walked in to find him snoozing in a heap of blankets on his floor. His 3am tv watching stunts seems to be catching up to him! Ha!

Apple Everything

This morning I had a piece of apple pie for breakfast (thanks mom) along with a warm cup of apple cider! It was delicious.

The weather made it the perfect day for apple picking. The dolgo crab apple tree smelled deliciously ripe and the sunshine felt warm on our faces. Grampa brought the quad trailer up to give Lily and Sawyer the extra height they needed to help us pick. When they got tired they took turns jumping off the trailer in their bare feet and pretended to drive the quad through mud puddles.

 

My new Mac tree only gave us four apples this year, two of which remained in nearly perfect condition. They are huge and delicious and I can't wait for the tree to mature!

We also picked the three remaining Prairie Magic apples to enjoy (the birds and bugs enjoyed the rest). I'm looking forward to more pies and apple jelly!

Back to School

Today is the first day of school for this crew (minus Joe and Camilla who went yesterday)! They are all excited about the new year and their new teachers. We officially have kiddos in three different schools, which should keep life exciting this year. Joe is excited to be at the middle school with Hyrum, and Camilla has moved over to the high school! I can hardly believe they are all this old already. I am already holding my breath as I contemplate juggling the sports and extra curricular activities this year between the five of them. Sawyer is starting kindergarten at home with mom, and is pretty excited about learning new things!

 

 

 

 

Here's hoping they have a great day!

Chasing Rainbows

There are a few special times each year where we are blessed to see these double rainbows stretch over the acreage after a storm.

And each time feels just as magical and special as the last. A tiny reminder that Gods hand is in all things.

I will never tire of chasing rainbows!

 

Autumn Vibes

 This morning we drove to church as poplar trees swayed in the wind and yellow leaves danced across the highway. The chill in the air was unmistakable and I couldn't help but smile. My favourite season is upon us and I plan to enjoy it to its fullest!

Baby boy is 22 weeks and kicking up a storm already! Lily can't wait for him to arrive so that they can "run and pway togever". Time always flies too quickly. 

Happy Sunday!

A Wedding Date

Tonight Mr. Stannix and I got to attend a wedding reception together. It was nice to be out for the evening and brought back memories of our own wedding!

 

The Princess Phase

Lily has officially hit the "princess phase".  

She lives in princess dresses and adores her baby dolls!

I'm also very excited about the fall décor that I can start bringing out!

 

A Trip to the City

The arrival of September brings the arrival of school and today was the day chosen to head to the city and pick up some of the last minute things that the children need for school. 

We began the morning by hitting up the elementary school to grab the school supplies kits that we had ordered for Fin and Ollie, and check out their new classrooms. They confidently know their way around the school now, which means I don't need to make a special drive in for the first day. 

We were able to get in a stop or two in the city before everyone started getting hungry for lunch! The children are pretty good about helping out when all of us head into a restaurant. They order for themselves in the lineup, and then find themselves a booth or tables to gather at while I pay and wait for the food. The big kids are able to help fill drinks and entertain the littles. While it sometimes can be hectic, moments like this one pictured fill my heart. Sawyer was having an especially hard time with the seating arrangements (and being surrounded by ketchup, he hates the smell of ketchup), so Hyrum suggested they move across to this table for two. Hyrum sweetly opened his burger for him, helped him with his toy, and chatted with him while they ate. It was such a huge help!

When we arrived home I was happy to find my package for the baby arrived in the mail. New, cozy sleepers with fold over mittens! I'll be tucking them away for a few months, but I've been slowly gathering things we need before January.

 

Salsa Time

It has been a productive couple of days around here! This morning we tackled the tomatoes and made up a big double batch of salsa to be enjoyed over the Winter.

 

Lily was such a big helper, stirring the pot while it simmered away.

This week I've managed Pepper Jelly, Raspberry Jam, and todays double batch of salsa. It all looked so pretty lined up on the island that I had to snap a picture. 

 

Beach Day

With the whole crew back together and the thirty degree weather, we declared today a beach day! Before we left on our Summer vacation I had scored a great deal on a kids kayak and the boys couldn't wait to finally try it out! They had been begging all week to go.

I barely saw most of the big kids as they took turns kayaking and boogie boarding out on the lake. 

Fin and Ollie were light enough that they could basically double on the kayak, or one of them would be the motor and kick around at the back of the kayak. They all had such a good time together!

Sawyer was content to hang out near the shore, even though the lake is knee deep forever before it drops off.

Camilla was able to take Lily for a quick swim.

These two became buds while they were away in NFL spending all day together at the beach throwing logs, rocks, and catching minnows. 

When we got home we had the best Taber corn for dinner thanks to a thoughtful friend who offered to grab us a whole bag while she was there! It was delicious!

Tonight as I was sitting in Lily's dimly lit room, waiting for her to fall asleep, I opened the window to let in the cool evening breeze. It didn't take long for the sound of coyotes in the next field over to reach our ears and serenade her to sleep.