Rainy Days

We woke to rainy skies this morning. Strong winds whipped the boughs of the spruce trees while the children blinked away the sleep from their eyes. There was a familiar chill in the air. Rainy days are a nice break where I am able to catch up on baking and house work. Weeding the garden was out of the question, but I did sneak away to the greenhouse with my Dad to pick some of the ripe tomatoes. I was also able to join in on a fun game of hide n' seek in the dark with the children. They were taking turns scaring each other and were overjoyed when I joined in. They had fun screeching and pretending to be afraid while Sawyer slept through it all!

Magic

Tonight we spent the most magical evening in the raspberry patch. Not all of the littles were keen on picking berries again, but I was happy to spend the evening with those who did. Finley held my hand and swung the berry bucket in his other hand as we walked. Camilla asked to carry Sawyer and loved every minute! She is looking so grown up lately! As a storm rolled in and the skies darkened around us we enjoyed the gentle breeze and the scents of rain that tickled our noses. When we got back into the house, Camilla offered to feed Sawyer and put him to bed. She made it look so easy and within moments he was fast asleep and she was tip-toeing out of the nursery. 

Summer Days

These days start early and I haven't had a lot of sleep lately. Sawyer has been waking often in the night, likely sore muscles from crawling and pulling himself up on furniture. He still won't take a bottle very well, but I am trying to be persistent. While I cherish the moments nursing, it is nice to have some reprieve every now and then. As I sit on the couch and enjoy the sun pouring in the bay window so many thoughts and ideas spin through my mind. 

Happy sounds filled the house this morning as we ate breakfast and got ready to go outside. We picked raspberries and did some more weeding. My body still aches from all of the weeding this week. It's funny how a simple job can work muscles you didn't know needed working! 

When the three little boys napped, the older kids played in hushed tones. As I enjoyed the quiet and the gentle Summer breeze from the garden, I couldn't help but feel content and happy. 

Also, I have twelve dozen eggs in my fridge that I have no idea what to do with.... So we had Frittata for dinner tonight!

Berries for Breakfast

We woke to a blue sky for the first time in forever. I wrapped Sawyer on my back and told the kids that breakfast was in the raspberry patch this morning. The bushes were dripping with plump, juicy raspberries! They followed me up to the big garden and we picked and ate to our hearts content. Slow, sunny mornings like these have me wishing that time would slow down.

Mother & Daughter

My girl and I ended up matching for church today, so I had Hyrum snap a picture for us.

I sure am grateful for Camilla and the example she is to her younger siblings. She is a pretty special girl and I feel so lucky to be her mamma. She teaches me every day about meekness, patience, and finding joy!

By the Bowl Full

This little boy was looking so grown up today!

He really enjoyed his giant bowl of raspberries, cream and sugar.

 He has at least one bowl full every day.

 It's his favorite.

 He needs to stop growing up so fast!

Fields of Yellow

This morning the littles and I ventured out in search of a golden yellow field. I've been feeling overwhelmed with life lately and thought that taking a drive together might help. We drove and drove down winding highways lined with fields and fresh cut hay with no luck. Just as I was ready to give up Joe called out, "Look! Over there!" We turned off the highway and snapped a few quick pictures. My heart was filled with gratitude as I looked at my sweet kids all gathered together. 

Motherhood can be hard and most days leave me feeling like a failure as I try to navigate my way through the dishes and the piles of laundry while trying to make sure everyone's needs are met. I've been running on empty lately and haven't had much to give my family other than an overtired mom who is desperately trying to keep things balanced and in control. It can be hard when there's no recognition at day's end and your work goes unnoticed and without thanks.

But my littles are always watching and taking note and encouraging me in their own way. I hear it in their "I love you's" and their hugs. Sometimes I just need to slow down and take the time to listen.

Holding Up

It's been a rough couple of days. I've been failing hard-core in the Mom department. Mr. Stannix has been busy with work and church and I've done bedtime on my own all week. I'm afraid I've been short of patience. The highlight of my day was getting the mail because this adorable owl diffuser I've been swooning over finally arrived! Camilla gets to use it in her room to help her out at night. It plays nature sounds and white noise and helps her room smell great! When the day got too rough I found peace in the greenhouse. Sawyer swung and played with his toes while I helped Dad prune and weed. The quiet of nap time was much welcomed.

Taste the Rainbow

There is something so wonderful about gathering a whole bunch of veggies from plants  that you helped start from seed and nurture. I love knowing where my food comes from and how it was grown. I love that my littles are able to eat organic, fresh garden produce for every meal. 

I was practically jumping up and down with excitement when I spotted these giant red tomatoes. My dad spied the cucumbers and I grabbed some gloves (they're super prickly) and picked them. The parsley was ready and I was able to gather a few eggs before heading inside. I am still desperately waiting to find a blue egg from my Americana's one day!

Sawyer was my little buddy as I strung up some tomatillo branches, pruned my pumpkin plants, and picked some yummy things.

The misty rain gave way part way through the day. Oliver and Joe helped me pick half a bucket of red currants. The bush is loaded and we hardly even picked 1/4 of what's there! The sun sure felt good on our faces though! 

After dinner the children were begging me to go for a walk. It started to rain just as we were getting our jackets on and I really wanted to get to the bed time routine. I was feeling extra tired and frustrated at the mess in my kitchen. I decided to paste a smile on and brave the rain, and I was so glad I did because as I came around the side of the house I was greeted by the most beautiful double rainbow! I would have missed it had I chose to stay inside and do the dishes. The children enjoyed the walk and the fresh air calmed my worries. We all came back home in a better space to work through the bed time routine while Daddy was at the church for meetings. Putting six kids to bed on my own sometimes feels hard. I want so badly to take enough time with each of them, but sometimes it gets chaotic. I usually end up flooded with feelings of guilt and inadequacy after tucking the last of the littles into bed, wishing I hadn't lost my patience. The phrase, "I'm Sorry" is used often, but I am glad that my children are able to learn about repentance and forgiveness in a safe environment. Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet!

Home Again

After being away all weekend we came home to a lot of great things growing! I was so excited to go to the greenhouse and check out my pumpkins and the tomatoes! It always seems like these things just grow over night! Just last week my pumpkins were the size of my thumb and this week they are looking like plump baby pumpkins. The red currant bush also exploded and we will be picking buckets and buckets! The rest of the day was spent relaxing and bathing (some of us outdoors) after a weekend of camping!