Cherry Picking

This morning we were up at the orchard bright and early to pick the Evans Cherry Trees. Lily insisted on carrying the basket up, and hanging onto it the entire time. Finley and Oliver helped for a little while and eventually just ate cherries and talked to me while I picked. With a small step stool I was able to still reach to the top of the trees. It will be wild when they mature even more! Oliver kept telling me how happy he was that we had all of these yummy things growing for us to enjoy. We ended up with a full basket of cherries for me to pit and turn into cherry pie filling later. As we headed back to the house they were all drooling over the apple trees and can't wait for them to be ready!

 

Brotherly Love

These boys were up bright and early this morning and enjoyed some time together on the couch while the rest of the house slept. They were super cute together! Cooper is so lucky to have so many older siblings to love him. 

We spent basically the entire day outside going through the wood and junk pile at the back fence and then taking out a small portion of the fence. The big boys helped jack out some of the posts and we added some more junk to the trailer to haul away. It was a long day, but I'm super proud of everything we got done and how tight I managed to get the wire again after we adjusted the fence line. It looks so nice opened up!

 

Quiet Faith

A few weeks ago I came across a quote from Elizabeth Elliot that reads “God is not calling you to do great things. He is calling you to be faithful in the little things.” I was struggling with feelings of frustration at not being able to do grand and wonderful things during this season of life and worried if what I was offering was enough. 

As I read that quote tears welled in my eyes. It was a gentle reminder from a loving Heavenly Father that my little day to day efforts hadn’t gone unnoticed and that all of those seemingly “little things” are actually the big things. He doesn’t overlook the little things & neither should we. 

In this season of motherhood being faithful in the little things looks a lot like consistent quiet time in a busy, noisy house. It is having the faith to expand our family even when I worry about having enough capacity. It looks like setting aside the chores to nurture a small child when they need my touch and affection. It is staying up late with pleasantly chatty teens listening to their dreams and desires when they’re eager to share. It’s being present for the big moments as they grow and experience success. It is preparing nourishing meals with extra love and care. It’s making our home a comfortable welcoming space where the spirit can be felt by all who enter. It is kneeling by my bedside and praying over each family member morning and night. It is waking each morning with a smile despite how tired I might feel, embracing the dark circles under my eyes as badges of a life spent giving in many smalls ways. 

None of these acts are big, but in these quiet acts of faithfulness I can feel him shaping me into the woman he wants me to be & I am slowly learning to be joyful and content in the quiet ways I’m able to serve in my home, church & community. 

Fully Licensed

This girl can officially drive all by herself! I think I was almost as nervous as she was for her to take her test. I had butterflies FOR her the entire time she was out with the instructor. She came back with a smile on her face though, so I knew all was well! She aced her parallel park, and only had a few minor demerits. Her instructor told her she had been taught well, and I know she was super grateful for the hours her dad put in helping her learn how to parallel park in the mini.

She is so looking forward to the extra freedom and all of the adventures awaiting her this Summer. My mamma heart is full of anxious excitement as I watch my oldest gain more and more independence. It is so hard watching your kids grow up sometimes! I’m not quite ready for it. I am glad she’s such a responsible girl and know she will do great! We are so proud of her!

 

Lake of the Falls

July ended with an epic three day backpacking trip with some friends (the Andersons) up to Lake of the Falls. Mike took the oldest five while I stayed home with the littles. I would have went, but hiking at 5 months pregnant wasn't recommended by my midwife. Oliver begged to be able to go and did pretty good for an eight year old! Camilla smuggled a two pound book into her pack to enjoy & Hyrum carried almost as much weight as his dad! Their backpacks weighed anywhere from 15-31lbs with all of their gear (varied by age). It sounded like everyone had a great time, despite the difficult hike. They even got to slide on some snow while they were up there. I was grateful to hear about their adventures when they arrived home, and happy for the shared photos (which I will post in no particular order).

 

 

 

 

Sunset in the Garden

Raspberry season is in full swing around here and we are picking gallons and gallons each day from our bushes! We were glad to have some extra help today from Uncle Mike and Auntie Chris to help lighten the load. My freezer is already filled with more berries than we can eat before next year (along with some packages left from last year). 

Cooper really enjoyed picking berries with us today and ate a whole bunch!

I wandered through the greenhouse mid afternoon to check on things and was surprised at how well our corn is doing! It's taller than Grampa now and we have so many cobs forming! 

After tucking in all of the littles, I got on some coveralls and began painting the garage! It was still the peach color of stucco we had before the renovation and we have been procrastinating the job of painting it. We decided to go with the darker color and I'm loving how it's turning out so far! My goal is to surprise Mike when he gets back from the hiking trip, but painting stucco is proving to be more time consuming than I'd like, so we shall see.

When I had finished painting for the evening the sunset skies were calling me on a walk. I noticed this mamma deer feeding in our field on my way up to the orchard and stopped to watch her for a while. 

I peeked in on the turkeys, and they were happily roosting.

I admired the apples & reflected on my day as the sun painted the sky. 

Then I grabbed a quick snack and headed inside for the night to finish cleaning the house while it was quiet.

 

Sunday Evening

Thankful for quiet Sunday evenings....

 

FSY Pickup

Today we went truck shopping in Edmonton. Mr. Stannix was curious how much he could get if he traded his Titan in for his dream truck (a Ford Raptor). We spent most of the afternoon hanging out at the dealership, test driving things and talking finances before finally purchasing! It was an exciting day for Mr. Stannix!

 In the early evening we hit up a park to let Cooper stretch his legs before picking up the big kids from FSY around 9:30pm. This little community park holds so many memories of Camilla at this age as we lived in this neighborhood!

After picking up the kids at the University, we went out for dinner at Earls and listened to their FSY stories, things they learned, people they met. It sounded like a great experience and I am so glad they could both go!

 

Morning Crepes

Today was a busy day! We began with crepes filled with nutella, fresh raspberries and bananas. The kids really love when I make crepes for breakfast! Then we got a bunch of stuff done outside...

 

A Boy and his Dog

Just a boy and his Dog.