Sylvan Tournament

This weekend we were in Sylvan for a basketball tournament. It was nice being somewhat close to home because it meant we could just drive home after instead of staying in a hotel. The girls played pretty good! When Mike finished his canoe course, he was able to come with me to her evening game and we got to sit together and cheer her on. It was a busy couple of days and I am grateful to coaches and friends for the extra rides etc. It truly takes a village! The team also celebrated the end of the season with ice cream at The Big Moo. It was a fun, simple way to wrap up a few months of ball!

 

Seventeenth Anniversary

Today we celebrated our 17th anniversary with a morning at the temple! Afterwards we went for lunch together and then a brief shopping date for some Kayaks. It was nice to drive and catch up on life and reflect on the many changes and memories we've made! Happy anniversary my love!

 

 

Last Day of School

Today was the last day of school and also Grade 5 Grad! Everyone pretty much took the bus, except for Sawyer because he didn't want his teachers gift to get squished on the bus ride. 

We walked into the school together and then I found a seat for the Graduation assembly.

Finley is officially done with elementary school and off to the middle school next year! He is super excited about the band program and sports teams over there. We are super proud of his dedication to his studies and his efforts this year!

The afternoon brought more lawn mowing and this time Hyrum was the one to put Cooper to sleep on the mower. 

This lady can get her drivers next month and I am so not ready! I do enjoy being chauffeured around though!

 

Grade 8 Grad

This morning we drove in to the middle school awards ceremony and Grade 8 Grad. Thankfully the school were super coordinated this week and I will be able to make it to all of the assemblies and farewells that are happening at the end of the year!

Hyrum has grown and changed a lot this year (he's basically as tall as me now) and managed to keep his grades pretty high as well. He will be off to the highschool next year to enjoy grade 9 and all of the fun that it has to offer.

The evening brought us back to the soccer field! I don't often get to watch this guy play as I am always busy supervising miss Lily on the field or chasing Cooper at the park. It was fun to peek in on him during practice today! He sure loves soccer!

 

Sunday Walks

This morning I woke up feeling super tired and drained. I got everyone ready for church and we arrived early despite having to turn around to grab something forgotten. Joe lugged Cooper in, someone grabbed the diaper bag and Sawyer was the last one out of the van. As I slid the door shut, a sweet member who had just parked beside me rolled down her window and called out to me. I turned around and walked to her car and she said, "I just wanted to tell you that I think you're a really great mom!"

This sweet sister had no idea that as I knelt by my bedside that morning, tears soaked my comforter as I poured out my heart to Heavenly Father about my failings as a mother, my frustrations with my calling, the limitations imposed on me by others... But Heavenly Father must have whispered to her as she pulled into the parking lot that I needed the encouragement today, and I am so glad she listened!

After church Lily and I wandered up to the garden to snack on some haskaps and enjoy the sunshine! It was fun spending some time with her!

She's beautiful inside and out! Full of so much JOY!

Time keeps rushing by and the children get bigger each day. I've already hit sixteen weeks with this babe and I know it's going to go by in a blink. I am cherishing these tiny, joy filled moments!

Happy Sunday!

 

Ward Picnic

Today was the Crimson Lake picnic! It was a bit of a chilly day, but we still had a decent turnout. The youth all enjoyed playing jackpot in the greenspace together while the littles hung out at the park. We enjoyed good food and good conversation despite the chilly weather! Cooper enjoyed going down the slide a bazillion times and rocketing off the end into the sand. A lot of fun was had by all!

 

Naptime

He's almost getting too big for this, but it's still one of my favorite places to be!

 

Another Night at Soccer

Tonight was another night spent at the soccer field! This time we got to bring cousin Whitney with us to play. She had a lot of fun with Cooper while she waited for Sawyer and Lily to finish up on the field. And thankfully, the weather held up and we didn't get rained out!

 

New Fluff Butts

Today was a very busy day indeed! I ended up having to go to town to pick up Camilla from seminary and drop her to the school. As I was on my way out of town, I got a call from the post office to let me know our new baby chicks and turkeys were ready to be picked up. The timing couldn't have been better! I could hear them cheeping in the background and chuckled as they told me, "sooner the better". The look on Coopers face when I put the box in the car and he heard all of the babies cheeping away was priceless!

We brought them inside for a little while so that we could get the coop ready for them. This is always the littles favorite part because they get to look at them and hold them and watch them up close. We always make sure to get our fill of snuggles before bringing them out to the chicken coop.

This boy was pretty curious this year!

He had to be closely supervised because he kept wanting to hold them all by himself!

Of course, Lily was in heaven with all of these fluff butts hanging around!

The late morning brought us up to the haskap bushes once again! They are going to be loaded this year!

Cooper picked and stuffed his face with a whole bunch!

His picking bucket ended up being used as a hat.

In the evening we had the youth out for a waterfight. I discovered a puddle in front of my counter where someone came in soaking wet and stood to cut a piece of Apple Sauce cake. Lily somehow snuck out to join the fun AFTER she had changed into her jammies. She was right out there in the mess of it all, giggle and soaking the big kids. She's such a firecracker and I hope she never loses her zest for life! I finally had to call her in near the end so she could go to bed (after getting into dry jammies of course). 

Storm clouds rolled in as the night came to an end. The youth stayed warm by a fire until it was time to go home, and then everyone came in to get ready for bed.

The absolute best part of my day though was when Camilla came into the livingroom after her shower. "Were you looking for me?" I asked. "Yes! I wanted to give you a hug!" Which never happens. "Was this a dare?" I ask half joking.... "No, I just wanted to give you a hug!" she replied. It was the absolute best!

 

Paper Airplanes

On Sunday afternoon the boys spent a lot of time learning how to make different paper airplanes. Then they begged Grampa to show them how to make his special paper airplane. They’ve spent hours out front flying them! As Ollie raced out the door this afternoon after school he exclaimed, “This is so much fun! I could spend hours doing this!” As I watched the airplanes draw circles in the sky and glide across the driveway I couldn’t help but smile. 

Tonight my Dad shared with me that these paper airplanes were MY Grampa’s specialty when my Dad was growing up. Now my Dad has passed the tradition along to his grandkids and I think that’s such a neat thing!