Farewell Summer

 Summer is coming to a close and I am trying to savor every last bit of it before it's gone! We have been busy canning (and eating) peaches galore. My amazing sister-in-law found an awesome deal on freestone peaches and between my parents and I, we may have bought ten cases! Between preserving and hauling in the last of the produce from the greenhouse/garden, the kitchen has been a busy place! The pressure canner is often going late into the evening just to get it all done!

Back to school prep has already begun and we enjoyed a classroom tour and BBQ at the children's Elementary school this afternoon. Oliver is really excited about going into grade one and has the sweetest new teacher this year. We will miss having Mrs. W who taught the last two Stannix boys, but I think Oliver's teacher is perfectly suited to his personality and I am excited to watch him learn and grow this year! 

Most of the littles are back to school tomorrow, while some have to wait an extra day due to staggered start dates. I am looking forward to the routine and having some time with the tiny Stannix children and a few more moments to myself throughout the day. 

 

This afternoon I snuck out to the greenhouse with Lily to pick some tomatoes. Sonny found us there and I was able to snap a few sweet photos of the two of them together. I love that he is getting a little more calm with age. He is such a gentle giant!

It didn't take long for a few more of the children to find us in there! They also wanted some pictures with Sonny boy and they turned out so sweet!

 

 

Now...back to the kitchen I go!! 

Stargazing

Today we were able to head to the lake and enjoy the sun! Everyone loved swimming, knee boarding and tubing. Lily even jumped in the water a few times to swim with Daddy and Camilla.

After baths and dinner, just like almost every night before, when it started getting dark, I wrapped a blanket around Lily and went outside to sway under the stars until she fell asleep. 

Because of renovations, all of the children are in the same room and bedtime can be tricky. Lily has never known a good bedtime routine having either been rocked or snuggled to sleep and not really having her own room.

I've learned to cherish these quiet moments with her, gazing at the stars as the cat weaves around my legs and the dog lays snoring at my feet on the deck. 

Sunday Snapshots

On our way home from church we drove to this beautiful field and stood at the edge for some pictures. I wanted to get a few shots of Camilla in her new favourite dress. She is looking so mature and grown up lately and I am so proud of who she is becoming and the choices that she is making. A few of the littles also wanted their pictures taken and I was happy to oblige. I love capturing their little faces in photograph so that I can look back on these moments. We finished off with a group photo that the big boys reluctantly agreed to be in, and headed home for lunch. Happy Sabbath!

 

Quiet Afternoons

Today I was blessed with a rare moment of quiet. Lily has been opposed to napping lately and it takes me a long time to finally get her to sleep. 

She still needs them though, so the daily battle continues! Those sleepy lashes and pink lips make it all worth it in the end!

While she slept I went outside for some fresh air. I stopped to admire my sunflowers and how huge some of them are getting. They bring me so much joy and add so much beauty to the acreage.

 

Bountiful Acres

 Summer is coming to an end far too quickly! For now we will enjoy the bounties of the garden and the giant sunflowers as we prepare for back to school! I am so grateful for all of the things this acreage gives us. It is such a gift.

Oh these brothers are just the cutest!

Best Buds!

 

In the Summer Sun

Today was spent mostly outside enjoying the Summer sun. We had a lovely afternoon at the beach with cousins. The littles enjoyed wading through the water and digging in the sand and the big boys got right into sandcastle building with Uncle Arland. They ended up creating quite the masterpiece!

The late afternoon was spent checking out the garden and admiring the height of the sunflowers in my little patch. I planted a few different varieties this year. Some grow super tall, some get really big faces, and others are an evening variety of oranges and blacks. All of them make me so happy.

The new house is really starting to come along nicely with the windows finally in! It's been so fun to watch it take shape and change each day. I can't wait to make memories in this space and fill it with laughter and joy!

When the littles were in bed, Camilla and I ended up having a girls night. We topped and tailed over 20lbs worth of beans while watching a movie. I finished the day with Sonny cuddles while lightning flashed in the distance. 

 

Lake Magog and Wonder Pass

 Today we woke early, enjoyed the sunrise while we aired our tents, and took a short jaunt to Lake Magog to enjoy the eating shelter, outhouses and views. 

After our extra long day hiking yesterday, our feet were sore and we were slow moving. Despite the lack of sleep, the children were happy! 

We hit the trail with full tummies and stopped to enjoy Lake Magog and the view of Mount Assiniboine. It was crazy to think how far away we were just a few days earlier.

Joe was fascinated with the jumping fish, and Camilla caught a Toad! I think we named him Oggy.

This pointy mountain is Mount Assiniboine, the one that can be seen off in the distance on day one and two.

After the kids had had their fill of skipping rocks and watching fish jump, we wound our way around the lake and headed on to Wonder Pass.

We followed the trail through some valleys, over some streams and up through Wonder Pass.

We took a nice long rest and snack break at the top of the pass and enjoyed the panoramic view of the mountains. 

Afterwards we carried on through the pass and took another break to admire the view or Marvel Lake. The water looked incredible and pictures don't really do it justice.

Our feet were sore and I still had shin splints from our earlier descents, so I wasn't really looking forward to the climb down. We walked the switchbacks slowly, scaled some ridges, and wished for shad as we followed the edge of the lake to our final campground.

Every tall tree became a place for a quick break from the sun and our water was running low due to dried up streams. It made for a difficult last push for us in the rear. Mr. Stannix had taken the three older kids and trucked on ahead, so my parents, Fin and I were left at our own pace. Fin's feet were moving pretty slow at this point, so I had to walk ahead of him and set a pace for him to keep. 

With a lot of breaks, we eventually made it to Bryant Creek where we would spend our final night camping. Mr. Stannix and the older children were desperately waiting for us as we had the water filter. We all sat by the waters edge, filled our bottles, and then hobbled a bit further into the woods to our booked campsite to set up and cook some dinner. 

We were all thoroughly exhausted (some of us slightly dehydrated) and looking forward to being able to sleep in our own beds the next day!