Morning Snuggles

There was no school today, so we woke up slow and enjoyed the morning together. Morning snuggles in the sun will always be one of my favorite things, especially with this nutt!

 

Light

Tonight before bed I stepped out onto the deck and caught the faint Northern Lights dancing in the clouded sky. I watched for a few moments before tucking into bed. This sight is always a gift and I love enjoying it from my front porch.

 

This Sabbath Day

This morning we woke to news that President Nelson had passed away at the age of 101. We came home from church to the news of a shooting and arson attack on one of our church buildings in Michigan. At least four dead and others injured and most the building burned to ruins. To be targeted in a place of worship, a place that is supposed to be safe, is such an awful thing to think about. Christians all over the world are being targeted right now and the world is becoming more and more wicked. The day felt heavy and many things weighed on my heart. I've had such a strong desire to instill in my children courage to stand for what's right and to help them grow their testimonies strong so that they cannot be shaken. It was a day for lots of reflection and for snuggling my babies. 

 

A Busy Saturday

This morning we left the house bright and early to get Hyrum to a 9:00am game in a nearby little town. I took the three littles with me because everyone else was busy at home. Mr. Stannix had a bunch of errands and work to take care of today and my Dad took Camilla to Olds for her tournament this weekend. 

In between games these guys had fun playing on the ramps/stairs in the common area of the school until it got warm enough for Sawyer and Lily to head out to the playground!

I was grateful that one of Hyrum's games ended up being on the half of the gym with the entrance so that I could watch from the hallway while keeping an eye on this goober. He is at such a busy age and doesn't sit still for more than two minutes at a time!

I got to catch a set here and there which worked well since he usually played one set on and one set off. I was usually able to watch the whole set he was playing!

We enjoyed a fair amount of time outside in between games, hanging out at the park and swinging on these super cool swings!

Mid afternoon we sat through a set or two before Cooper got too tired to watch anymore volleyball and needed to go home. The boys were winning and I wasn't happy to leave, but the littles were toast and needed to head home. I was grateful to another mom for being willing to take Hyrum home for us since we also had a wedding reception to get to! I waved goodbye to Hyrum as they prepped for their next set and loaded everyone up. Cooper of course, slept the entire drive home.

We spent our evening celebrating the wedding of a dear friend's daughter (who I used to babysit). The weather was perfect and everything was so beautiful! The party favors were homemade jam and they looked so elegant on the table.

Camilla ended up making it home from her tournament sooner than we thought she would, so she drove herself to the hall and joined us to the dinner and dessert. Lily was sure happy to have her sister there!

These three tore up the dance floor until late into the evening when we decided to head home and put everyone to bed so that they could get a decent nights sleep before church tomorrow. It was such a fun night out!

 

Turkeys are Crazy

Tonight my Mom & Dad locked in the turkeys and Dad sent me this picture on my phone. The stinker decided to just roost on the roof outside of the pen instead of going in with the rest of them. Mom said it took them about 20 minutes to get it down. I laughed so hard at the photo! Camilla said it looked almost spooky with the tiny chicken door lit up and the misty evening sky. We've been lucky so far that none of them have flown over the fence or tried to roost in the spruce trees. Turkeys are crazy!
 

Thirty Weeks

Thirty weeks with this babe already! Time flies when you're having fun! Our home is filled with a happy kind of chaos that I know I will miss one day. As I plunked three different volleyball schedules into the calendar this week, I noticed the season would finish a week or so before this babe arrives. We are busy with bigs, and middles, and littles and I've never once wondered how this babe will fit into the schedule of our days when it comes. It just does, in the sweetest, most natural way. Even the big kids are starting to get excited and talk about baby snuggles and all of those sorts of things. We can't wait to meet this little one!

In the Kitchen

This morning as we ate breakfast, Finley peaked outside and noticed the beautiful sky! Hughes of pink and orange danced on my wall as the sun rose higher and higher in the sky. Fin ran out onto the deck with my camera, "Want me to take some pictures for you, mom?" 

It was brilliant!

Lily and I spent the morning turning these tomatoes into enchilada sauce! It was one of the things I was most excited to try this year. She loves helping me wash and chop the tomatoes and I quite enjoy her companionship.

The boys slipped up to the orchard and picked my Hardi-Mac tree for me. It only had a basketful of apples on it, but I'm excited about it! They are beautiful apples and super tasty! 

As it matures we will get more and more.

In the Groove

I stayed up way too late last night canning up the enchilada sauce and dolgo jelly. It seems to be the theme of my life almost all the time, but mostly during harvest/canning season. Often times I'm pulling things out of the canner close to midnight. I had some fun making labels for everything while I waited on the waterbath with these fancy dissolvable labels I found at Wal-Mart. 

They are super cute and will make fun gifts!

I am so happy with how this sauce turned out! The real test will be how it tastes/cooks up when poured over enchiladas. I doubled the recipe and ended up with a dozen pints to put down on my shelf. It's a little bit thicker than the stuff you find in the store, but it tastes pretty good! I'm excited to use it and if we like it, make more next year!

Afterschool we went to the high school to cheer on Hyrum and his team! He is playing setter again this year. It was the first games of the season for them and they ended up winning against one of the teams and losing against the other. 

His serves were pretty great though and he got them lots of points!

The real heroes here are the little people who entertain themselves for over an hour while we watch and cheer! Taking these two to games is never an easy feat, but I'm glad they get to be a part of everything we do!

My Favorite Season

The mornings are cool, the leaves are changing, the morning sun is golden, and we are soaking it all up! Cooper and I slipped out of the house early this morning to catch the tale end of the sunrise.

Mostly because his overalls were so dang cute!

We discovered some grapes on our little vines behind the greenhouse. We didn't expect anything off of them this year, so it was a pleasant surprise to get this tiny tiny harvest.

My favorite season has arrived!

Work & Play

This morning we woke up and got to work in the yard! We cleaned up some piles and then Mike sprayed all of the grass growing on the gravel while I finished painting the front of the garage (just don't look at the back yet). 

Cooper was out toddling around with us and decided out of nowhere to pick up this 2x4 and carry it to the firepit with Daddy. I couldn't help but chuckle as I watched him balance it perfectly while climbing the hill. This boy already has an incredible work ethic and loves to help with everything!

Yesterday and today we were lucky enough to catch all of Camilla's volleyball games in town! Lily loved sneaking into their team meetings after and it was pretty cute watching her sit quietly next to her big sis.

They played well and had some close games! Watching them pull ahead was the best!

 

Autumn Mornings

This morning we woke to the morning sun pouring through the windows. 

Autumn mornings will forever have my heart!

The afternoon was filled with lots of this...

And the sunset brought this view....

 

Carmel Apple Everything

My to-do list is longer than my arm and I never seem to get to half of it. Many times jobs are left half done as I flutter along to the next thing. At days end I just look around each day at the  varied little accomplishments here and there and give myself a nod of approval. For now, I will sit and admire these beautiful flowers while I enjoy the warm apple pie my mamma brought over!

 

First League Game

We are back to hanging out in the stands and cheering on kiddos at sports! Tonight Camilla's volleyball team played Ponoka. She enjoys playing Lib so much and it's been fun to watch her improvement even since last season. She always puts her whole heart into anything she does and I love that about her. 

Go REBELS!