Fall Is My Favorite

Isn't she adorable. She's a perfect example of motherhood.

She also grows perfect apples.

So many little people love her! Why does she look so young in these pictures? I can't get over it. Crossing my fingers for the young looking genes :)

I usually take school pictures on a Sunday because it's the one day everyone is fully clothed with hair brushed and faces are clean, all at once...

Charlie is looking forward to turning 12. 

He feels prepared to move on from Primary and join in Young Mens at church.

Scarlet is turning 8 this year so she's started her baptism prep class.

Jacob is turning 10 this school year. He's gentle and patient.

Jane is turning 13. She is navigating through changing emotions with impressive grace.

I mourn Hazel growing up daily. Lately she is the "H" police. If there

 is a letter H anywhere in sight, she will find it.

Ezra is still a daddy's boy. I call him my Teddy.

Our theme for 2017

"Our eternal education, that of becoming a disciple of Christ, 

requires that we plant the seed of the gospel, in our hearts- and live it."

First day of school came with a Klootcheh cookie, a bag of marbles, 

and carbonated homemade beet juice :) 

 I try to pick just the right book to read aloud for the beginning of the year. 

This year we read All-of-a-Kind Family. It was darling. We thoroughly enjoyed it.

 Ezra started piano lessons. He is very enthusiastic about it.

 She wrote her own name on her name tag at the library program. SO cute.

 Jane started riding lessons down the street. Being at the barn fills her bucket.

 Jacob writes chess notation. It's like another language. It's so cool how 

he can replicate a match by reading over his notation sheets.

Ezra drew the most magnificent mallard! I can't remember why he 

chose a mallard but seriously- it's remarkably accurate. 

Little House in the Big Woods

We moved. It's a long painful story. But I must be feeling settled in because I'm finally blogging about it. Here's our cute log house in the country, which happens to have beautiful wildflowers.

                                     

 We made the school room up in the loft. 

Our slice of heaven.

This is my favorite spot in the house- Hazel's teeny tiny room. She actually spends a surprising amount of time playing in here on her own.

We have some fun hills in the back fields so the kids have become quite comfortable ripping around on the quad.

It's been nice having some lawn mowing helpers too.

Hazel helped me unpack all the tea cups. She thoroughly enjoyed the task. 

Here is the bunk room- a triple on one side and a double on the other. 

The girls have a nice little girly corner on their side.

Janey made this cute felted fairy for Hazel's doorway.

The happy playroom- I was running on the treadmill and observed all six kids engage in play individually in the same room. No one was bugging the other.

 This may not have ever happened until this day.

We soon became the family of six kids and six ducklings and six chicks...

The kids built these nesting boxes with Timmy.

We spend lots of time watching the ducks in the pond. They put on such a show!

One of the best parts of moving in was all the fun visitors who came to see us at our new place-

Lindsay's birthday is a special holiday at our house. 

Cello friends are a treat for the rest of us because they put on concerts!

She brings pie :)

Here is Saffron the kitty. 

Our Sunday tradition is to set out this church as a reminder it's the Sabbath.

Our neighbour shared his bounteous garden with us.

Ezra and Hazel washed vegetables until the bitter end.

Charlie is our biker boy. He loves to bike.

Back to School Feast with Cousins!

This was by far the best moment of the evening. Henry shared what he learned this summer with us. It was precious.

We are all really excited for Belly and Henry to be homeschooling friends now.

We've been getting into new boardgames this school year- BLOKUS, GOBLET and CATHEDRAL. They are all short and really fun for littles all the way up to adults.

This is another favorite little corner of the house- I sit in my rocking chair under my old fashioned lamp to do my tatting sometimes and it makes me feel like I'm 93 years old but I love it. 

And just like that it's winter. We were wondering what a log house would be like in the snow- so far it's been cozy and snug as a bug.

This was on our winter walk. The littles wanted to visit the graves of 

Lilleth the duck and Butterfly the chick.

Winter ziplines!