Sugar Cones

We are half way through our week! Mr. Stannix has been working late this week so I've been flying solo in the evenings. This means simple dinners, crazy bed times, and staying up way too late enjoying some "me" time. Last night I stayed up late watching "Call the Midwife" while trying out a new crochet pattern. 

Camilla loves her new bunny "Lyla" and hasn't put her down since! I'm pretty happy with how she turned out and if I get some extra time this Summer I may make a few more!

The nights have been beautiful and ice cream cones on the deck was a must tonight after dinner. As we ate our cones our neighbors came out and visited. Reese kept all the drips licked up!

Everybody shared a lick or two with Ollie and he was so excited! Finley hasn't quite figured out how to eat the cone yet. Soon his ice cream melted and his cone became more of a cup. By the end of the night ice cream had dribbled all the way down from his chin to his belly button. We said good-night to our neighbor and Fin went straight to the bath tub!

Water Play

As the sunshine continues to grace us with it's warmth, I can't help but feel happiness creeping in at every turn. Somehow it makes the hard things easier and the troubles melt away. The children are constantly running in and out the front door. It happens so much lately that I seem to flinch less each time the door is slammed shut behind them. 

This morning I made up some strawberry muffins while I watched the boys at the park out the kitchen window. As soon as they came home they raced up to the kitchen before even taking off their shoes. Being the growing boys that they are, I lost count of how many they ate. It's a good thing they are mini-muffins. 

Mr. Ollie is on the move these days. When he became uninterested with pulling things out of my kitchen cupboards he went out to enjoy playing in a bowl of water beneath the sun. 

It got pretty wild! 

The rest of the afternoon was spent ignoring the dishes on my counter, the mountain of laundry on the couch, and the cluttered toy room. Instead, I grabbed some blue cotton and a hook and watched the boys splash in the pool.

The Eye Doctor

Our Monday began bright and early with breakfast and chores and then we were off to the eye doctors! All four boys were booked for appointments but Finley didn't want to go. After everyone else was loaded in the van he sat on the stairs, arms crossed, determination in his face. "I not going to daw-tors!" It took a lot of convincing but I finally got both his shoes on, and his big brother kindly belted him in to his seat. 

We were the first appointment and it wasn't quite open yet, so we waited in the van for a few minutes. Hyrum was super excited to learn that we had the same sunglasses and asked for a picture. The two older boys jumped out of the van and walked  themselves in. I scooted Ollie onto my back in the carrier while coaxing Finley out of the van. "No, I not going mom!" When I finally got him inside, he sat in a chair, arms folded, and pouted.

We all followed Doctor D. into the room and started the check-ups oldest to youngest. Hyrum got to do the letters and totally forgot what an "E" was, so he just skipped it each time it came up. He aced the 3D test and the color test. He is still a teeny bit far sighted but not enough to need glasses. 

Joe aced his eye exam and has perfect vision! She was surprised at his answers and how engaged he was in the whole thing! By the time she was ready to lower his chair, Finley was on the edge of his seat saying "My turn!" He told Dr. D all of the pictures that he saw in the screen ('House" "Duck" "Hor-sey") and even spun around in his chair and tried to cheat by looking at the computer that he had been staring at while his brothers took their exams which made us all laugh. She was so impressed by him and told me that she's never done this much of an exam with a two year old. 

We made a few stops on the way home and one of them was at a new park. As the boys ran out of the van to play I got a hug from one, shouts of "thank-you's" and a sweet little "You da best!" from Fin. Lots of fun was had, but this spinner was a favorite. Joe spun so many times on it that I thought he might be sick. Childhood at it's finest...

Around and around....

There are moments when I wish that they didn't have to grow up. Before long this boy will spend his days at school being influenced and taught by someone other than me. He's such a great kid, and a wonderful big brother. We are going to miss having him around all the time!

Joy

 We had a really good Sunday today. The little boys were up at the crack of dawn, so we hung out downstairs for a little while until I mustered up enough energy for breakfast. Hyrum brought up a jar of peaches and I divided the whole thing between the four of them. While they gobbled them up I put on my apron and cooked up french toast. Once everyone was finished they mostly dressed themselves for church! We were all ready with 45 minutes to spare. When it was time to go I grabbed the little boys out of the backyard where they had been running around in their sock feet.

 Camilla snapped a few pictures of me and my little buddy.

Finley sat on Camilla's lap for most of sacrament meeting and played with her fingers. Joe fell asleep sitting up next to Daddy. I passed Mike the baby to put to sleep after the sacrament had been passed and then layed Joe on the bench in his place. The other three snuggled up close to me and joy swelled in my heart as we listened to the talks and sang the hymns.

 

The rest of the afternoon was pretty low key. Fin fell asleep on the way home from church and we almost forgot about him in the car! I was making sandwiches for lunch and when everyone grabbed their sandwich and I still had one left I panicked. He was happily sleeping in his car seat and had only been in there for like five minutes. Sometimes after church is finished, I wish I could just nap like him!! Happy Sunday!

Yard Work

 Today was our first Saturday home in a little while, so we took advantage of the nice weather and did some yard work. Joe helped Daddy load up all of the sod we dug out last year and they took it to the recycle yard. That boy is such a hard worker! I wish I had snapped a picture of him with his little leather work gloves on. We ran a few errands at nap time, taking turns going in to each store.

Hyrum helped Mike pick out these awesome zero gravity lawn chairs! We were all excited to try them out.

 All of the littles took a break from the pool to see how these cool chairs work.

 Fin and Joe thought it was hilarious when they reclined. They all got along so well today. It made my mamma heart swell with joy.

 This is where Ollie hung out while we weeded and dug things out of the flower bed out back. 

 I can't believe how much he looks like his Daddy at this age! 

 Mr. Stannix enjoyed an afternoon snooze in the new chair.

 It was a perfect day to spend outside!

In the late afternoon, while the big kids were out playing at the park, I came downstairs to find this sweet boy curled up on the couch for a long overdue nap. I think that means he had fun playing outside!

Happy Friday

 After two days of constant wind, it was so nice to wake up to the birds singing in the quiet of the morning. We sent big sister off to school and then I whipped up a few dishes from last night. When Ollie woke up he enjoyed a sink bath and flooded my kitchen floor with water. The world seems so much more peaceful today without all of that noisy wind. Life is good.

Windsday

I fell asleep as the wind howled outside. Ollie slept through the entire night and woke around 5:00am for his morning nurse. The house was quiet and still despite the storm outside. I read my scriptures while cradling Ollie in the crook of my arm. Once he fell asleep I tucked him back in his crib and crept over to my bed. Just as I pulled up the covers the rain started to pour. 

The littles all slept until after 7:00am! Camilla was the first to wake and came quietly into our room for a morning hug, dressed and ready for school. She told me how afraid she was of the wind, but how she was brave and stayed in her bed all night. 

In the afternoon when the boys started going crazy I pulled out the paints and called them upstairs. They sat and painted for hours while raindrops danced on the window outside. We made handprint flowers and then Hyrum decided it would be fun to paint something else. 

When I first saw the yellow crescent shape I asked him if he was painting the moon.

"No," he replied, "I'm painting a banana!"

He then painted an apple and an orange too.

Naps were had by the two littlest while the older boys continued to paint and create.

When Camilla got home from school she made sure to let me know how crazy the weather was and how I should have let her wear her Winter jacket this morning. She went downstairs and put on her crochet headband to dull the noise of the wind gusts. The trees in our yard were practically bent in half and our house was shaking. The poor dog practically blew away when I let her out to pee. Camilla soon began to cry, but Joe rushed to her side and put his arm around her. I suggested she read some stories to Fin to help take her mind off the storm, and it worked like a charm!

I put a pre-made lasagna in the oven for dinner. Half way through cooking the lights started to flicker. I prayed the power would hold out long enough to finish cooking it, and it did!

I finished the afternoon making homemade bath salts with my essential oils. It seemed like the perfect night for a warm, smelly bath and extra bedtime snuggles. Just before bed the older two looked into the yard and exclaimed, "Our trampoline! It disappeared!" It was in pieces along the side of the house next to some shingles that had blown from our roof. 

The littles fell asleep while the wind continued to blow and blow and blow. It was a constant noise all night, that never let up. They cozied down under their fluffy blankets with a favorite stuffy and drifted off.

Batter Up!

 This afternoon we loaded up all of the littles, invited some friends, and headed over to the Hall to play ball! Each of the kids had a turn to practice their batting skills, and then we got a small game going. Grampa was a star in the outfield and Daddy hit the ball out of the park. Everyone had a great time, though Camilla is still convinced she likes kickball better. After dinner we loaded up all of our tired littles and headed for home after a long weekend away. Until next time!

Speak Gently

Today I woke up feeling super grumpy. We spent the morning trying to find a lost swimming suit before the bus came and everyone was a tad bit overtired still. I managed to make French toast for breakfast. Camilla squeezed in a super quick violin practise and then just about missed her bus. They've had a substitute driver and she comes five minutes earlier than usual. 

The boys and I headed to the city to run some errands. They were good so we braved the wind and hit up a nearby park. New parks are always exciting and even though the slides were out of order they had a blast! 

Finley surprised me by navigating up AND down a ladder. He's getting so big these days. Despite the cold they didn't want to leave. It took me a while to convince them that it was time to head home for lunch. 

We stopped at a gas station on our way out of town. As I was filling up the van Joe's plastered his face against the window, mouth open wide and tears on his cheeks. I looked in the back to find two boys in a tussle. Shoes and fists were flying in turn as they tried to work out their differences. I tapped the window and gave them my mom eyes. When I realized there wasn't much I could do from where I was standing, a small laugh escaped my lips as I shook my head at their boyish ways. 

They continued to wail as I drove away, so I parked and made them both get out. "You want to hit him? Hit him! As hard as you can right in the nose..." Hyrum turned his head to hide his smirk and wipe the remaining tears. Joe exclaimed, "No! He's my best friend! I don't want to hurt him!" I will never understand boys... While they hugged and made up I caught a stranger a few cars over smiling to himself after watching the whole scene play out. We all buckled up and headed home. The boys slept in the back while I soaked in the beauty of wide open fields, big red barns, and farmers prepping the ground to plant. 

As I pulled into the garage everyone woke and began screaming for something. Joe was starving, the baby needed feeding, and Fin had a dirty bum. Diaper changes took priority and I tried to take deep calm breathes as Joe yelled from the top of the stairs. 

Everyone cheered up quickly with some lunch. Hyrum and Fin went down to play together and Joe helped me bake cookies. He measured and dumped all of the ingredients and rolled over half of them on his own. It was so satisfying for him and he proudly brought some cookies to his brothers once they cooled. It was a huge success because I didn't burn a single pan!

When I was at Michaels this morning I fell in love with a wall hanging that had this quote on it. It was way more money than I'd usually spend on home decor and I loved it so much that I even placed it in the cart for a few minutes (until I talked myself back out of it). Instead the boys helped me pick out a cute frame and I found a free printable online. I am so pleased with how it turned out! 

By mid afternoon all of the couch cushions were off and the boys were engaged in a crazy game of make believe. I sat in the rocking chair with the captor at my breast watching the chaos unfold. I've been desperately trying to wean this dear babe of mine but he's stubborn. I'm trying to savor these afternoon nursing sessions because he is growing fast and soon they will be no more. I watched him drift to sleep with the dog curled up at my feet. 

Finley drifted off for his third cat-nap of the day in the late afternoon. Capturing moments like these helps me stay grounded and reminds me why I do what I do. Sometimes the constant mess can be overwhelming and other days I'm able to stay calm inside despite the happy chaos. 

At days end I found myself snuggled in a single bed with my boy, my baby, and a puppy as dark clouds blew in from the West. When Joe twitched his leg and all three were breathing deeply I knew it was safe to tuck the babe into his crib.

Monday Musings

We are back home and getting into routine again. The day started with an early wake-up from my teething baby. He has a runny nose and a cough. It's been exhausting for this mamma. I feel like I am drowning in house work with bags to unpack and laundry needing to be done. Everywhere I turn there's something that needs to be cleaned, wiped, folded, picked-up. 

One of my bright spots today was when Fin came up and hugged me randomly and told me, "I wuv you Mommy." He did this a few times today and each time he hugged my leg, or rested his head on my shoulder it made me feel so grateful to be his mamma.

Joe has been trying my patience today. Each morning I pray for perspective and the ability to see life as my children do, but sometimes it's hard when he's throwing the dirt out of my pots on the deck. When I asked him why he did it he responded, "I was just having fun." He wasn't trying to be a bother, he was experimenting and learning. Later on when he dumped a basket of clothes that I had folded I got extra cranky. I made him clean them all up and put them into their proper drawers. When he was finished he hugged me and apologized. As I nursed the baby to sleep Joe quietly snuck into the room and motioned for help with something. I couldn't refuse his dashing smile that seemed to say, "Please?" and his sparkly eyes that said, "I love you!" Sometimes I have to remember that he's not meaning to be "bad". His brain just works so fast and unless it's kept occupied it makes him do crazy things. He is one kid that can drive me crazy and fill my heart to the brim with love all at the same time. 

Hyrum is all boy lately. He loves to explore, adventure, and spend his afternoons outside. There has been a lot more punching and wrestling this week. All of the sudden he has a need to climb, and play rough, and tease. It's quite funny watching all three boys roll around on the livingroom floor putting each other in headlocks or pinning each other to the ground. I know it's just a glimpse of things to come. 

Camilla is such a responsible girl. I love how she gathers her things for school, half packs her lunch all on her own, and problem solves. She is wonderful at helping her brothers when they need her. I am so grateful for her happy, sweet, positive attitude. She's a tough little cookie and always tries her best. 

I would love to get back to blogging every day, but life seems pretty crazy these days. Instead I jot a few things down on my phone while I nurse and hope that I remember to back post them later. I miss documenting the ins and outs of our days. The kids are so little and easy going right now. Life is hectic and slow all at the same time. I love being home with my littles day in and day out. I know that this stage won't last forever, so I'm really trying to cherish it!

Happy Mother's Day

This Mother's day was a treat! After being up most of the night with a cranky baby, I was woken up by an excited little blonde girl who took my hand and led me up the stairs for breakfast. She cajoled her aunts into making a mother's day feast (with uncle and Daddys help too). I was greeted at 7:00am by this happy face. 

After breakfast I snuck back down to catch a few more minutes of shut eye before the baby and other kids woke. On the end of my bed was chocolate and a card from a thoughtful husband. 

 Before we left to church with everyone I got my talented sister to snap some pictures of all of us. I am so grateful for these five little blessings who call me Mom. 

Joseph was being extra sweet and hugging and kissing Finley the entire time. But I love their little personalities, Camilla's toothless smile and the love that we all share.

I am grateful for my own Mom who instilled in me a love and reverence for motherhood. There is no one else who serves as selflessly as her. She goes about serving quietly with a smile pretty much always on her face despite what may be happening around her. She is kind, level headed, practical and a wonderful example of what it means to be a mother. 

We all enjoyed a delicious Chicken dinner together in the late afternoon. After it was all cleaned up my Dad gathered everyone to watch a short video clip on motherhood. He then asked the kids to list some things that mothers do. Someone shouted "give us treats!" My heart melted and tears filled my eyes as Joseph explained that "Mommy's love you when you're sad and mad and they give hugs and kisses." I am so glad that he understands the unconditional love that mothers have. 

"No woman should ever feel the need to apologize or feel that her contribution is less significant because she is devoting her primary efforts to raising and nurturing children. Nothing could be more significant in our Father in Heaven’s plan."

-Quentin L. Cook