Gratitude in Trials

Today I am grateful for...

Peaceful sunrises

Afternoon naps

And modern medicine!

Sweet Moments

Today we ventured into the city for Chiro and Costco. I am lucky to have one of the few Chiropractors in Alberta who specializes in prenatal care. I've heard it can reduce delivery time by half and honestly, I just feel better after! 

We left mid morning, which was perfect for nap time. Lily made sure to sit right by Cooper and hold his hand while we drove.

We didn't even make it to the edge of town before he konked out. When we pulled into the gas station, I peeked back to find them like this and my heart totally melted. What a lucky guy to have such a nice big sister.

We got home around the same time as the bus, unloaded the Costco haul and set up the new mini tree I snagged. Cooper really enjoyed driving his monster truck back and forth down the hallway. He's living his best life!

 

Taking Things With Gratitude

I read a quote attributed to G.K Chesterson recently that said, "When it comes to life, the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude." Perhaps it is the cozy feeling surrounding the approaching Winter season, or the fact that we are about to welcome another addition to our family, but I have been filled with immense gratitude for this life I've been given to live! Learning to take things with gratitude has allowed me to even enjoy the wee hours of the morning between midnight and morning when I am awake with our toddler settling him back into his bed for the millionth time with a drink of water and a kiss on the forehead. Taking things with gratitude also helps me slow down in the midst of the chaos and enjoy the little moments of joy purposefully placed in between the crazy. In this season of life I am grateful to be relishing in early mornings with littles running and giggling around the kitchen, days filled with sunshine and productivity, evenings around the dinner table, and spontaneous late night chats with teens. 

We have had a really busy few months, and I feel as though I've been treading water for quite some time! Mike & I recently purchased an office space in town for his accounting firm to move into. It is a full building, updated, clean, with enough offices to allow for some growth in the future! We have been busy cleaning, moving offices, setting up the board room, hanging TV's and whiteboards, and settling into the new space on top of the every day demands. He is so grateful for the new space though! The temperature is regulated much better in this building and he doesn't have to freeze his toes off while he works all day this Winter. The big kids have all been a huge help moving furniture and taking care of whatever other tasks are needed.

After the teacher strike we spent a good chunk of time running the older children to sports events. Hyrum had a whole bunch of 6:30am basketball practices which made for even earlier mornings than usual. And for a while his volleyball and basketball overlapped which meant twice the running.  I'm always grateful when Camilla is able to help with a pick up or drop off in the midst of her busy schedule. Sometimes the stars align and they end up finishing practices at the same time (or close to). We've had weekend tournaments to attend and weeknight games. The older two boys are also reffing hockey this year which means a lot of Friday nights and Saturdays are spent getting them to and from. The older two are also still doing Seminary each day and leave the house by 7:00am to make it to the church on time. Amidst all of the extra running and scheduling though, I enjoy the chats we have while we are driving to and from various activities. I've found driving to provide some of the best opportunities for the children to open up and ask questions. It's one of the few times we have their undivided attention. Looking at it with that perspective helps me feel more gratitude. 

In between all of the errands and schedules I've been desperately trying to get the house deep cleaned (or at least in decent shape) before the baby comes. We have rearranged rooms and tried putting Cooper in with Sawyer and now with Lily in hopes that he will settle into his new toddler bed before baby arrives. Alas, he still wakes two or three times each night and makes sure to close each door with a "slam" as he wanders to our bedroom. I feel like goldilocks and the three bears as I alternate between my own bed, Lily's bed and being crunched up in the toddler bed right next to him. I've sorted drawers and switched out clothing sizes and gotten a lot of the things in the bedrooms organized, which feels pretty good. I do still have to dig out the newborn clothes and get a few of each washed up for new babe. It doesn't matter how much I clean most days though, the house seems to look the same. There are always piles of shoes at both entry ways, coats thrown on the floor or crumpled in closets, homework lining my counters and tables, and dishes that seem to live in the sink. But I'm learning that it doesn't matter if the floor gets covered in crumbs and Winter boot prints right after I mop, as long as the children are fed, happy, and loved! Keeping a home has a certain ebb and flow that I've just learned to accept. 

This week we have a contractor here to demo the downstairs bathrooms. I laughed out loud when Mike told me he could finally come this week. It's not ideal timing with baby arriving in a week, but we've been waiting for months to do this, so we are grateful! He's also super awesome and hardly has made any mess outside of the bathrooms that he is working on. He's super tidy and super respectful and we are looking forward to having the basement finished just a little more. 

The other day when we were away from home Cooper decided to wake up from his nap and climb onto the kitchen island. He loves to turn the water on and off. This time no one was in the room and he turned the kitchen tap so that it was pouring directly over the counter top. The entire kitchen flooded and it wasn't noticed until it started dripping out a pot light downstairs. One of the kids ran over and grabbed Grampa to help. When he took out the pot light, a mini waterfall fell out of the hole (into a bucket thankfully). There was a nice pile of towels to wash this week from the exciting event. Thankfully, the basement roof wasn't damaged much, and my floor got a free mop! 

Sometimes when I look at the calendar I have to fight off the feeling of overwhelm that comes with it. It can be hard to juggle being present while also being away from home a lot running everyone here and there. This week is particularly challenging with a lot of things going on each day which makes it hard to just tuck in and enjoy that "nesting mode" that comes with the end of pregnancy. We've got swimming lessons, piano lessons, basketball practices, youth activities and other obligations that need to be met. There are moments where I wonder how I will juggle and do it all with another little one in tow, but it always works out, so I try not to worry too much about that. 

In the midst of all of these wonderful happenings, we are still battling with trials and frustrations. Mr. Stannix carries burdens not many know about as he serves as bishop of our ward. Every time I pray I ask that those burdens will be made light and that he will be sustained. Each morning as I wake I smile through the exhaustion of another day filled with teen hormones, sibling rivalries, and unsolicited opinions sprinkled in between the laughter and joy. I've experienced heartache over certain choices I'm watching a child make as they navigate their way through life, and I've shed many tears as Mr. Stannix and I have discussed how best to help them. There are some days where things really go off the rails and I have to throw my arms up in surrender and leave it in God's hands because while we can't control our circumstances, we can control how we react in those moments. It can be difficult to be grateful for the trials we face, but it is important, because that is how we grow and learn. As I have tried to take my trials with gratitude I have felt my perspective shift and they have become easier to handle.

Each night before I tuck into bed, I can't help but thank a loving Heavenly Father for sustaining me through another day, blessing me with things I don't deserve, and loving me despite my weaknesses. Life is full and rich in love and joy and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Sawyer is SEVEN

Happy SEVENTH birthday to our Sawyer bean! This boy is bright and kind. He loves an early bedtime and roast beef dinners. We all joke that he's an old man at heart and he totally hams it up and pretends to walk with a cane and a sore back. He still isn't a fan of sauces and probably won't sit by you if you have ketchup on your plate. He enjoys a good game of backgammon and can beat Grampa 85% of the time. 

He adds a lot of laughter and joy to our family and we are so grateful for him!

Volleyball Divisionals

Today was a busy day with an early start! Hyrum, Cooper & I left for volleyball divisionals at basically the same time the kids went out to catch the bus. 

The sun was just coming up and everything looked amazing! I took in the views as we drove and felt so grateful to live where we do!

Cooper managed to sit through one whole set, and then wandered the halls for the rest of the first game. 

It's so fun to watch the vertical these boys get vs the girls. I loved watching!

After his first game he had a few hour break in between, so I scooted back into town to catch Fin's divisionals at the middle school. Cooper had napped on the way back to town for a bit and was okay to sit for most of his game.

I bribed him with cheesy bread sticks and toys! We were going to head back to watch Hyrum's next game, but they were running early and it would have been over by the time we got there. Instead, I brought him home and came back in for Fin's last game a short time later sans kids. With my big belly it's becoming harder and harder to chase this guy and lug him places. I was grateful for my willing mamma offering to watch him at home!

 

Catching Snowflakes

The snow was a pleasant surprise today! It brought some fun driving stories and two hours of outdoor play after school! It's a lot prettier than the brown, that's for sure!

When Lily got out of the van this afternoon, she couldn't help but catch some snowflakes on her tongue! I love the way children make the best of every season!

 

Happy 13th

Today we celebrated Joseph and everything that makes him great! We officially have a third teenager in the house! His birthday present literally came in the mail today and I was able to pick it up between piano lessons (when he wasn't in the van) and hide it in the back. I wrapped it quickly over at Mom & Dad's before dinner. 

Joseph is charismatic and fun loving. He is a hands on sort of guy and enjoys being active and engaged in many things. Sitting at a desk isn't his favourite. He works hard and plays hard and enjoys life to the fullest!

 He is good at pushing buttons, but also good at seeing the needs of others and lending a hand when needed. A lot of the time he can see where he can be helpful with out anyone needing to ask, usually when we are working on projects or building things. We are sure glad he's ours!

Happy birthday, Buddy!

 

Settling In

This boy takes quite a while to settle into bed. Tonight it was my hand softly rubbing his cheek while he hugged my arm that did the trick. 

 

Cub Car Creations

This morning I happened to look out the window and noticed a baby deer nursing in our yard. It was such a sweet sight!

 

The youth were having a cub car rally at the stake center tonight, and a few of our kiddos didn't decide to go until last minute. Joseph and I spent some time in the garage cutting and sanding. He made his own car, and I cut out Camilla's. 

Cooper enjoyed playing in the sawdust.

It was fun watching him design and create his race car. He was very careful about everything. 

I decided to do a mini Cooper for Camilla to mimic the one she drives when the roads are good! I left it up to her to paint it.

She flew home afterschool and got right to work, recreating her own mini Cooper.

With some of the big kids gone for the evening, I got to enjoy these littles a little extra. They crack me up!

The Girls

When my sister was out visiting last month, she took the girls for a mini shoot. She got some pretty gorgeous pictures and the lighting was incredible! I sure love these two girlies and the relationship they have, despite being eleven years apart. Lily looks up to her big sister so so much! They are lucky to have each other.