Tricky Seasons

The only reason we survived church today was thanks to Daddy! Cooper started getting unreasonable during the second block and Daddy kindly swept him up and walked the halls with him briefly. It didn't take long for him to come back with a sleepy, drooling Cooper snuggled up on his shoulder. I was grateful!

This season is always so tricky for me. A forever juggling act between keeping the house liveable, weeding the garden, picking the berries and snuggling baby chicks. My mind gets hyper focused on everything that needs doing inside and I sometimes have to remind myself that this is the season to be outside, soaking up the sun, getting berry stained fingers and tending to other things with the littles exploring right behind me.

 Life is such a beautiful adventure!

 

World Cup Day

Today was Soccer World Cup Day! It's always a blast and super crazy trying to catch everyone's games (especially with four kids in soccer). We spent most of the day moving our chairs from field to field with the wagon and snacks in tow. There were a few games where we split up between two fields!

Ollie played on the "white" team this year and Hyrum and Joe alternated reffing most of the U9 games. Ollie thought it was pretty cool having them both there to ref and watch. 

Lily is very passionate about her soccer playing, as shown by her serious stance in the net. She's a feisty player and awesome goal keeper!

Shortly after they handed out medals, we got pounded with a downpour! I brought one umbrella, so we all huddled underneath to try and wait it out. When it didn't let up, and the coaches started cleaning up the fields, we helped gather things and headed over to the van to wait out the thunder. Mike grabbed Sawyer from his game while I ran to the van with all of our stuff.

 Lily and Sawyer ended up catching a ride home with the cousins that came to watch and we waited out the storm.

Thankfully it didn't take too long after that for the rain to let up and we were back watching Fin and Ollie finish up.

Once Oliver's team had finished all of their games, they handed out medals and prizes and then we took him home for a late dinner.

The road was still damp and the evening fog had appeared!

They asked for a picture together and I was happy to oblige!

After a brief time at home, we turned back around to head to Fin's playoff games under the lights at the football field! It was a late game and we didn't end up leaving until after midnight. The teams were tired after all day of playing game after game, but they did so so good and it was a tight finish.

They ended up with Silver medals at the end of the night!

We all went home pooped out and ready for bed!

 

Wannabe

He just can't decide if he wants to be a baseball player or a soccer goalie....

 

Bedtime Mowing

Our Mr. Cooper is quite the outdoorsman. Before I even get out of bed in the morning, he's already at my bedside with running shoes in hand begging to go outside. He also often brings me his blue ear protectors so that he can wear them around the house. Mowing is one of his favorite things to do these days and he has even started wanting to push the buttons and control the mower a little bit more. The grin on his face as he grips the handles is priceless! It's easy entertainment.

After dinner we went out to mow the front yard, and it didn't take long before he completely passed out! The sun was on the cusp of golden hour, making his blonde hair stand out even more. I managed to finish most of it with him snuggled on my lap, and then I carried him in to bed where I'm certain he dreamt of mowing on his favorite big green lawn tractor.

 

Color Night

Last night was the athletic awards night (color night), and Camilla came home with quite the haul! She was awarded Most Improved for both basketball and volleyball, a Sports Service Award & even received a trophy for the overall Female Heart and Spirit Award (for grades 10-12).  We are so proud of this lady for all of her efforts this year. She worked hard and showed great determination and grit. She loves her sports and has made great friends in the process. Shoutout to all of her amazing coaches this year!

 

 

 

Aunt C

Tonight we had the opportunity to get together with Mike's side of the family and visit with an Aunt that was here from out East! We hadn't seen her in quite a few years, so it was a real treat.

We drove home later that evening under the most beautiful sky....

 

Sitting up Front

This morning Oliver was having a rough time at church. We hadn't even been there two minutes before he got upset over something or other and called me "stupid" a whole bunch of times. Before the meeting began, I wrestled him out of the bench and we walked up to the front of the chapel where Daddy was sitting. I explained the situation expecting Daddy to have a quick chat with him about behaving, but instead he patted the chair next to him and said, "Well, Oliver... It looks like you get to sit next to me for Sacrament today." I hid my smile and walked back to our bench with a small sense of relief. I don't think I would have survived the meeting otherwise. 

When we got home after church I related the events to someone and Oliver said, "It wasn't really much of a punishment, Mom. I actually enjoyed sitting by Dad up front." Oiy! Either way, it had done the trick and his mood had vastly improved while he sang hymns and sat next to his Dad.

This afternoon I went for a quick garden walk to unwind from the mornings events. I was filled with gratitude for all of my many blessings. The garden is growing beautifully, the garlic is strong and tall, and I was even able to harvest one more helping of asparagus for dinner tonight. We are so blessed to live where we do. 

Sunset Rescue

 Tonight while Mr. Stannix and I were out grocery shopping we got a call from Camilla and Joe letting us know that the boys got stuck while out dirt biking. It was getting pretty late, so we quickly finished up our shopping trip and headed home to rescue them.

We got to take Daddy's side by side for a ride to the trails behind our house. Joe called us on the Walkie and met up with us at the hall to show us where to go to find Hyrum and Oliver. There's a whole bunch of trails back there and he knew the best way.

We arrived to the back tire of the 230 stuck hard in a black hole of muskeg. They tried hard to free it themselves and had even retrieved a piece of plywood from somewhere to try and get it unstuck, but it's a pretty heavy bike! Daddy made his way around the big black hole to the other side so that we could winch the bike out.

It only took a few little tugs and Hyrum giving it some gas for the bike to pop out of the sink hole. They were so relieved! 

As we drove home, golden hour was upon us and the rays of the setting sun flitted between the leaves. We followed Oliver most of the way home while Cooper waved excitedly at him through the window.

We made it home just in time to enjoy the last few rays of sun before it disappeared for the night.

Daddy watered the new plants while Cooper played in his pajamas, and then we tucked in all of the littles! What an exciting night!

Sleepy Time

When Cooper falls asleep he likes to either rub his belly, or stick his hand in my shirt. He has done this since he was a wee babe and it always makes me smile. Please stop growing up!

 

His Brother's Arms

Today Joe mowed the back field and asked if Cooper could ride along. I'd peek out every now and then to make sure all was well. 

When I noticed him driving really slow, I went out to see what was up. 

I found Cooper fast asleep on his lap! Joe would have kept mowing with him if he could have, but I was certain his arm was falling asleep beneath his weight and knew Cooper would sleep better in his crib. 

He transitioned so easy, I decided to leave the headphones on for extra noise protection. He ended up having quite a long nap!

So grateful for loving older brothers!