The Best of 2015

As this year comes to a close I've found myself doing a lot of reflecting. The beginning of the year flew by while I juggled four little one's at home and clung onto the little bit of sanity I had. I enjoyed being at home with the children all day and not having to go anywhere. We soaked up those newborn months as much as we could and Finley was well loved. 

As the snow started melting we spent a lot more time outside enjoying the fresh air. We would go for walks daily and play in the little ponds and streams. We loved exploring the paths around our neighborhood and making memories together. 

In the Summer months Camilla learned how to ride a two wheeler. Mike and I took in a game of soccer during FIFA. We spent a lot of time at the legislature cooling off in the pools. The littles also went for their first boat ride. Just before the cool weather hit we squeezed in a hike and overnight camping trip out West.

In the Fall Camilla started grade 1. It was a huge adjustment for me! The boys and I would drop her off and pick her up each day and I longed for the days where we were all home together. It was also a nice change in that the boys grew closer together and the fighting decreased. The rest of the year was a blur as we packed, moved, unpacked and organized. We have experienced heartache, loneliness, trials, friendship, and joy. Through it all I am so grateful for the Gospel and a loving Heavenly Father who knows better than we do sometimes.

Onward to 2016!

An Afternoon Skate

 We decided to check out our local rink this week when Uncle Andrew came to visit. Hyrum was itching to try out his new skates and Camilla wanted to practice her glides. The weather was perfect!

It didn't take long before there was more sitting than standing going on and the teenagers began whipping pucks around. We decided to call it a day and went home for some hot chocolate and a nap!

The Finale

 Today was our last day at the Acreage! I always seem to leave more tired than when I arrived, but my heart and soul feel so much better. We stay up ridiculously late pretty much every night playing games and then get up early with the kiddos. I can never bring myself to go to bed early because I love being with everyone! Last night the boys stayed up until the wee hours of the morning playing Rook! I heard it was pretty epic, but I went to bed shortly after midnight and missed most of the action. 

The weather has been amazing! We had planned on leaving in the morning but the sun and sparkly snow were begging us to come out and play. While Finley napped we all went out to the hill in the front yard for some sledding. The suns rays kissed our cheeks and the snow glimmered as we waded through the snow to the hill. It was so beautiful and peaceful and perfect.

 The kids flew down the hill on their sleds over and over again, never tiring!

 Camilla was an awesome big sister and shared her slider with Joseph.

 They had SO much fun!

 Hyrum just had to squeeze on for a ride or two!

 The hill froze over night with a few jumps and the kids loved it!

 My Dad joined us for a little while. I sure love that guy!

 He gave some pretty awesome pushes!

 Near the end Camilla wanted to try snowboarding. She did pretty good! My Dad rigged up this rope on the front and she made it the whole way down without falling. It was pretty awesome! She was thrilled to show Daddy her new tricks!

 After some cider and a nice lunch it was time to pack up the van and head home. Daddy joked that our van was so full we'd have to leave someone here for the week. They all volunteered immediately, of course! I went over to hug Gramma and Grampa Purdon good-bye while the big kids climbed over bags and gifts and got their belts on. She always gets a little teary eyed, and told me that having the kids around was the best Christmas present ever. Gramma purdon peeked through the window on the back door waiting for us to leave so that she could wave us off. My parents stood on the back patio in the glow of the sunlight and waved as we backed out. As we drove down the lane tears stung my eyes. Mike grabbed my hand and looked over at me, knowing how hard it is for me to leave.

 The drive home was breathtaking! The trees had a fresh frost and the branches glimmered in the sunlight as it sank in the sky. 

 As it dipped further and further behind the mountain range it cast a golden glow over the fields, bringing warmth to the chill of Winter.

 I watched the sky change colors as long as I could. We drove silently admiring the beauty all around.

 As the mountain range became closer I knew we were getting close to home. 

Soon the golden glow was gone, like a candle that had been blown out. The lights of the city appeared and then disappeared as we turned to make our way to our new little town. We had such a wonderful time, but it felt good to be home again.

Catching Air

We woke up to snow again today. When the kids got dressed to go out and play Grampa followed them out and hooked up the sled to the quad. This is always a huge highlight and something they'd been looking forward to! Joseph prefers to ride on the quad with Grampa, but the other two love the excitement on the sled. As they've gotten older and more brave Grampa has started making the rides a little crazier. My friends and I used to do this for hours on end, and even I was a little afraid as the sled drifted and tugged behind the quad. Grampa took us around the subdivision and we even caught some air on a jump or two! It was loads of fun! Once we finished we broke in the sledding hill out front. We are so enjoying this mild Winter weather!

A Christmas Skate

 The children woke bright and early Christmas morning and raced up stairs to see what Santa had left them. Finley was babbling in his crib so I scooped him up and went to join them. Excitement filled the air and when they could no longer contain it, they ran to wake everyone! Gifts were opened at a swift speed and I tried to capture the moment with my camera and my eyes as wrapping paper flew and shouts of glee erupted. It was hard to keep up! When the last gift was opened, Joseph began to cry wondering why there was nothing left to open. For him, the excitement was found in unwrapping the gift and it took him a while to understand that now it was time to say thank-you and play with the new things. 

My Mamma whipped up a hot breakfast not long after and we all soaked up our time together. The morning was spent in our pj's relaxing and hanging out together. It was so special to be with everyone! Just before lunch we got everyone dressed warmly for skating. We headed up to the neighborhood rink for a good ol' hockey game. Some of us had skates, and some of us didn't, but we all played and it was just so great to be with everyone. With such beautiful lighting us girls kind of went trigger happy on our cameras. Thanks to Naomi and Emma for most of these pictures!

Joseph zonked out on the short car ride, tuckered from the morning events. We left him in the warmth of the van while we laced skates and began shoveling the rink. My Dad soon came to the rescue with the quad and plowed the rest of the snow off for us.

 This is Camilla's third or fourth time on skates and she was so excited to try her glides and work on her balance. 

 Joe was a natural and only took a few minutes to learn how to maneuver on the ice all on his own! We were all so impressed with how well he was doing for his first time on the ice. He was thrilled to be skating around with everyone.

 Hyrum grew out of his skates, but still enjoyed working on his stick handling and shooting pucks into the net!

Hyrum and Daddy played a little one on one while everyone warmed up!

 Camilla adores these two aunties of hers and clings onto them any chance she can get. They are pretty wonderful!

 My sis and I froze our fingers off taking pictures, but had a lot of fun laughing together!

 It wasn't overly warm out and the children's cheeks were soon nice and rosy. They still insisted on skating and I think they were pretty warm from moving around on the ice!

 We got a nice little game of hockey going and even had team captains. 

 Some of us got pretty into it! We had a lot of fun and I'm not even sure who won.

 This guy could have hung out at the rink for the entire day shooting pucks. 

Mike is pretty passionate about hockey, and I love that about him! It's always fun watching him skate around and teach our boys all about his favorite sport. I love that guy and feel incredibly blessed to call him mine!

It wasn't long before the sun started dipping behind the trees casting an orange glow all around. It's warmth soon left us and we unlaced our skates and headed home for warm drinks.