Smile

Fisher comes home from walking with me today and say, "mom, I was good with Birdie today and came home with a smile on my face, can I have a treat?It was so cute. I am always telling the big kids when they get out of the car to put a smile on their face. He is a quick learner!

My Birthday

For my birthday this year I was able to spend a few hours alone and have my nails done, a pedicure, and my hair cut. I feel like a new mama! Jeremy was in Africa for work. The kids and I still had a good time. I baked yummy fudge brownies. Still can't believe I am 31!

The Holy Ghost

Carlee was helping me bath the kids the other night which she does a lot for me.  She had gotten them undressed and was starting the water.  She was going to plug the tub and let it feel up with water when she felt a really warm feeling in her body and the thought came that she shouldn't feel up the tub, so she didn't.  Then during the bath Graham got mad and throw himself back all the way.  Had the tub been full of water he would have went under all the way.  She knew it was the Holy Ghost who warned her.  She was so happy to followed the prompting. 

As a mother it was so special to see her face light up and feel the love of our Heavenly Father in her life.  Carlee is such a sweet and special young lady.  I know that she will live her life in a way that she will be worthy of the Spirit in her life.  She has a love for people like her Heavenly Father does.  I love you Carlee and am so proud of the good person you choose to be!

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

{dandelions}

While at the lake this weekend the kids went on many "adventures" together.  This time the girls came back with the most gorgeous {dandelions} I have ever seen.  They were huge!  The girls were so excited to show me and equally excited to make a {wish} and blow them!  Before they were ready to blow they all thought of a wish.  Afterward Savanna told me her wish.  She wished she could be a mom someday.  I thought that was so sweet!  She will be a wonderful mother I just know it! 

This day at the lake was my favorite.  It was our last day there.  We got there about 10:00 and left at 3:30.  It didn't rain a drop on us which was rare cause it had been raining everyday. 

We laid down our blanket and made our little home under a tree for those hours. The grass was lush and green in there.  Just the perfect softness.  It was calm and peaceful. The cool breeze was perfect.  This is why I love the mountains and the lake.  I always take my books and notebook and lots of pens.  I read, ponder, relax, breath deep, and prioritize my life there.  We are happy and free for those short moments.  Free to play, think, talk, sleep, relax, pick flowers, catch fish, and have fun together without the stress of daily living.  It is amazing how with so little stuff that you can feel so free.  I am so grateful to a loving Heavenly Father who created this beautiful earth.  He knew just what we would need to find peace in this busy world of ours.

Happy 5th Birthday Savanna!!

our family library and learning studio

{family library}

This is becoming one of our most loved rooms in our home.  The kids do school work here, read, play games, puzzles, or anything else they need a quiet room for.  With 6 little ones running around a quiet room is hard to come by.  There is peace and serenity there.  I tried to make it beautiful and comfortable for the whole family.

{writing area}

In this area there is pencils, notebooks, envelopes, erasers, and other writing supples.  This is a favorite school work spot.

I found these wooden letters to help the little ones learn each letter and their shape.

I found this deep wooden dish and put beach sand in it with some shells.  It is a great way to help little fingers learn their letters and numbers by drawing them in the sand.  This is a family favorite for sure.  The sand to me is calming.



This is our alphabet and numbers wall.  I found on old stick down at the barn and glued the clothes pins.  I cut our the paper and drew the numbers and letter and then laminated them.  There are so many fun things you can do with this.  I got this idea from the book Growing Up Sew Liberated.  I am loving all my new books!

{the nature basket}

This was a hit this weekend.  We went camping to one of our {MOST} favorite places on earth!  We spend many hours at the lake and this was the kids top entertainment!  They went on adventures,  found bugs and looked at them under the jeweler's loupe, they drew in the Nature Notebooks and filled up the pages, we found beautiful flowers and of all different shapes, colors, and sizes and put them to dry in our flower press.  All the kids enjoyed the binoculars.  The perfect size for little hands.  It made my heart happy to see them using thier imaginations so freely.  So much happiness contained in this little wooden picnic basket!

{learning studio}

This is where we get use our {hands} to create!  Everyone {well, those who will not eat everything} love to come in here and freely paint, bead, sew, draw, craft, cut, glue, or anything else they want till there heart is content.  We work on science, history, and art projects here.  It makes me so happy to have a space that does not have to be cleaned up.  We can leave an undone project and come back!  I dearly love this room.  I love that we have 2 new spaces that anyone in the family can go and use their creativity.



{cooling off}

We sure love Mt. Graham.  So much we names our last little guy after it.  We drove up Saturday to take a break from the heat and go on a little hike.  We gathered some great sticks for a project I am working on.  I will be posting about it soon.

As we open our door up each morning at 5:00 a.m. it is evidence to us that summer is fading and fall is on its way.  I will miss summer.  The warm sun, the smell of sunscreen, my cutie pies in their swimming, kid sneaking into the hose and splashing in puddles.  This summer went by too fast.  And by next summer everyone will be a year older.  I am trying to savor each child and the stage they are in right now.  Each so unique.  My baby is almost 16 months old!  One of my favorite things to do right now is watch them sleep.  I can't believe how blessed I am!

I am looking so forward to this weekend and getting up where is is cooler.  We are going to one of my MOST favorite places in the world!  I love the Lake and the peace it offers.  We go each year and it is my time to relax and prioritize.  I come home rejuvenated and ready to keep going with all that life is putting before me.  It is such a treat! 

Hope you enjoy your weekend!!