Helping Gramma

Right now, we are somewhere in BC having a blast together! Can't wait to come home with pictures and fun stories to share! Until then, this should do the trick!! ;)

My mum taught Camilla how to pod peas.  I takes her forever though because she can only pick out one pea at a time.  Its adorable though.  She's such a good little helper, and it will come in handy later ;)

Thanks Mum!!

Richly Blessed

I was standing in the checkout line at Wal-Mart yesterday and overheard an interesting conversation between a lady and the cashier.  The lady was buying things for her kids' school lunches.  The cashier asked her, " How many kids do you have?" The lady replied, "I have 5" to which the cashier exclaimed "YOU MUST BE RICH!!!"  The lady kind of chuckled and they continued to make small talk.  As I moved up in the line, I started thinking about this conversation and how society thinks that you need to be rich, have a house etc etc in order to have kids.  I thought about a lot of people I knew who's husbands were getting a University education and they were living off very little, yet have a few kids and are happy.  I thought about how these next 8 months we are living off a student budget, and are far from rich, yet have a kid and are very happy and confortable. 

I don't think you need to be rich to have children, but I do think that children make life rich.

Reasons why I feel Rich:

1. I have the knowledge of the restored gospel
2. I have a husband who loves me dearly and spoils me
3. I have an eternal marriage
4. I have a little girl who makes me smile daily and gives me hugs and kisses
5. Our old car hasn't died yet
6. I have a cozy place to live, not big by any means, but it's a place to call home
7. I come from a loving family
8. I have food to eat
9. I am a wife and Mother (it makes life fulfilling)
10. I get to serve my family and others around me

I have received many blessings and therefor, feel very rich!

"I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he is rich"

~Dan Wilcox

The Last Days of Summer

Yesterday was a pretty good day. Camilla and I enjoyed some time outside.  We enjoyed the blue sky and the heat of the sun.  For a while there, it felt like the middle of September.  Luckily, there's still a few days left of summer.  I mowed the lawn the other day, so it was nice to lay on the grass in the backyard and look at the sky and watch Camilla toddle around.

She walked around the yard saying "BAA-oh" "BAA-oh" (Ball) it kinda sounds like "BOW" I guess.  She loves balls.  She loves to kick them and throw them and hold them.  It's cute.  Future sports star here!! ;)

I enjoyed watching her and thinking and sitting under the sun.  It was a beautiful day! I thought about how much I missed Mr. Stannix and how excited I am that we leave for vacation on Friday.  Just the 2 of us, er, three of us.  It will be nice to spend that time with Mike.  I also thought about what a joy it is to watch Camilla run around and have fun.  She really loves the outdoors.

Later on, we played inside.  I had a mount everest of dishes to do again, and it took a while.  Camilla occupied herself with this nifty bowl.

She then helped Daddy set up his Elliptical.  Giant boxes really do make the best toys.  She had fun in it for a while.  It was a very good day.  Today, I have some errands to run and things to get for our trip.  I have a packing list that's 1000 things long to start packing, and some laundry to do.  I can't believe tomorrow is Mike's last day of work.  Back to school he goes.  It will be nice having him around a little more.

One more day until we head out.  Can't wait to smell the ocean and hear the waves crashing in.  My favorite!

Love Letters

I have grown a whole new love for e-mail.  When I am at home, and bored, I usually drop Mr. Stannix an e-mail (or two, or three, or more).  Sometimes, Mr. Stannix writes me first.  E-mailing him at work and him writing me back makes me feel like I'm in highschool, or reminds me of when we were first dating. It's exciting, and fun!

It makes me feel special. 

~February 2008~

Depending on how busy he is, we usually get a lot of chatting done via e-mail.  It usually goes something like this....

Me: 

Hey,Just thinking about you. Hope your day is going good! Good luck on your exam tonight hey?? I spent the morning releasing my creative juices on our blog (instead of rearranging the house).  What a drab, rainy day. I think we're baking and maybe watching a movie this afternoon to kill some time. It's dragging on :) lol.

Love you lots,
xox

Mr. Stannix:  

I was thinking we could hit up a matinee movie if we can find a babysitter what do you think? Let me know luv luv luv luv luv

Regards,

Mike Stannix

The other day, I sat down to write him a love note only to discover that he beat me to it and sent me this (soon after he arrived at work): 

Hi Addie,

I hope your day is going well!  I don’t know if you were planning on going out or not but if you do can you swing by AMA and get as much information from them as possible.  Thanks sweetie love you and I am already thinking about you!

Regards,

***

 That made me feel really special! I love being thought about! I used to laugh at him, a long time ago when we first started sending love notes via e-mail, because he would never sign "I love you" or "xoxo" etc.  It was always "Regards".  He told me he was "practising his professionalism".  I just rolled my eyes.  After a few months of e-mails "regards" has taken on a whole new meaning.  I know that when he signs his e-mails this way, it is an inside joke between the two of us, and it really means "I love you". 

***

Mr. Stannix is going to KILL me when he finds this picture on the blog, but I couldn't help myself.  The other night, we were reading Harry Potter together before bed.  I was super tired, so Mr. S read to ME! It was wonderful.  I turned onto my stomach and hugged my pillow and listened to his soothing voice.  The whole time he was reading, this was my view of him.  I sat there admiring him.  I looked at all his freckles which I love so much.  I checked out those lips that I kiss every day.  I admired the slight pink color in his cheeks, and the way they look when he smiles/laughs.  I looked at his "eye wrinkles" (which P.S. I think are adorable!!) I love eye wrinkles because they show life, laughter and enjoyment.  I stared at his eyes, checked out his hair, and fell more in love with him (if that's even possible).  He truly is amazing, and patient and loving.  That is a moment I never want to forget.  

It was perfect. 

A Late Night Snuggle

Last night, Camilla had a really rough night.  Luckily Mr. S and I hit the hay earlier than usual.  By 9:15 I'm sure I was out for the night!! I awoke at midnight to a very upset sounding baby.  I went in and gave her a little snuggle, then she said "up" and leaned out toward her crib, so I placed her quietly back into her bed and tucked her in.  At 3 am, I was again awoke by a screaming baby.  I went in and got her, snuggled her, and went out to the couch and pulled the big blanket over us.  I always keep a blanket folded on the couch for nights like these.  She snuggled, tossed, turned, snuggled some more.  She even started giggling in her sleep, it was adorable! At one point, she was snuggling on my chest with her arm around me and she started patting me (like I would her back). It was soo funny!! She then layed on her back across my chest so her head was propped up and nestled nicely next to my face so our noses were almost touching.   After some more of this, she was calm and sleepy again and I placed her in her bed.  She woke up bright and early before 7:00am to see Mr. Stannix off to work.  It was nice to snuggle her again as we don't get to do that too often.  She is however, getting very good at giving hugs and loves.  Sometimes, for no reason, she'll run over and rest her head on your shoulder and say "Aww" and give hugs.  It's great! 

In other news, FALL IS IN THE AIR!!  I even saw some yellow leaves on the ground the other day!! I'm looking forward to the change in seasons.  Summer is my favorite season, but Fall is a close second!  I love the crisp air of fall, the sound of the leaves crunching under my feet and the chance to wear my sweaters! I am also looking forward to our traditional Fall Family Pictures.  This year, instead of a background filled with colorful leaves and beautiful trees, it will be filled with crashing waves and hopefully a colorful sunset!  I am really looking forward to our trip!! We leave in 3 days! I have lots to do before then.  Packing, meal planning, house cleaning, getting treats together for the road, and getting our camping gear together.  Tomorrow night is our big "planning night".  Mr. S and I will map out our route, the sites, and scope out some camping.  Both of us are looking forward to having this trip be very spontaneous. If we want to stop at random spots we will, and we will fly by the seat of our pants.  I love being spontaneous on vacations and not having a time crunch.  It makes it more relaxing and more fun.  I am SUPER excited! Anyways, the girly is being occupied by CBC kids, so I am off to do some laundry and wash up the dishes from dinner last night.  Both Mr. Stannix and I were so exhausted last night that we left everything but the food out last night.  The kitchen looks, well, messy.  If it warms up, hopefully I will cut the lawn and spend some time outside. 

A Crazy Weekend!

This weekend was pretty busy!! Friday night we left after Mr. Stannix was finished work and headed to a friends place to visit over night.  It was a lot of fun.  Half way there I came to the horrible realization that I forgot my camera!! I usually have this on me at all times! I was a little bummed, but I didn't die... We spent Friday night visiting, playing games, and eating great food! Saturday morning we ate a big breakfast and then attended a Latin Festival! It was fun to listen to the music and see the dancing again.  It made me miss Costa Rica a lot!! Camilla loved dancing to the Latin music and running loose.  She hates her stroller now, and refuses to hold our hands.  I used to laugh at the parents who put their kids' on those "Leash" things.  I always thought it was ridiculous! Now...I understand.  I was thinking of investing in one, seriously, for our BC trip.  I don't think I want my 1 year old running loose on the Ferry Ride. We got home Saturday night and had some old friends over for dinner and a visit.  My siblings were also up this weekend. Sunday we had two sets of company.  All in all, it was a crazy busy weekend!! I like it that way though.  I love cooking dinner for people and hosting.  It's fun to visit and have a busy, crazy house! I love it!

Friday, I spent all day with my Sister.  We went out and snapped a wack of pictures all day.  It was fun to just hang out and be silly and joke around.  She is a very talented photographer.  It's something she wants to get into more.   She took some amazing pictures and we had a blast together.  Here's a few of my favorites!

Oh How I love your Fishy Face

Don't have time for a long entry today! My sis and I spent the day together taking pictures and having fun.  She is stellar at editing and capturing the moment (Such as this lil cutie above).  We are off to visit with friends for the weekend!!

Happy Blogging!

Being a Mum Rocks!

After a lot of napping yesterday, and a decent sleep last night, my sore throat is almost gone, and I'm feeling less achy this morning.  How could I not sleep well with Mr. Stannix snuggling me and making me feel safe? Camilla slept great, and woke up in the funniest mood ever.  She can be such a clown sometimes.  She had a banana for breakfast (she could eat a whole bundle to herself, that's how much she loves them) and her Bubba with warm 3% milk.  I switched it the other day, she doesn't even miss her formula.  Usually I do half and half.  She is definitely turning into a porker and has gained some more weight in the past few days, I can tell just by picking her up.  She is a lot more solid. 

Today as I watched her play and giggled with her, I was hit with that "overwhelming love" feeling.  It's hard to describe the feelings of love you have for your children.  All I know, is that I love her more and more each day, if that's even possible.  She brings me so much joy. 

Last night, we watched "101 Dalmations" together.  Apparently, she wasn't close enough to the screen, and pulled out her diaper wipes to stand on.  She discovered she could reach so much more standing a little higher up.  It was cute, I laughed out loud when I saw her.  She is so full of life and giggles! She makes my day. 

This morning, I was on the computer for a few minutes, and turned around to find her watching her cartoons with her hat on.  She put it on allllll by herself.  It was super cute. It also made me feel really guilty for not sitting on the floor and playing with her.  I feel like I take her for granted sometimes, and that I spend too much time cleaning/getting things done/ on the computer and not enough time enjoying her.  That makes me feel like a horrible Mum!! I need to make more time for her and enjoy her more, because she really is a joy, and makes me happy. 

Her new favorite thing is to go to her snack cupboard and beg for treats/food. So, I'll hear her wimpering by the cupboard, and I'll tell her to "Say Please...." and she'll look up at the cupboard, look over to me, look down, look back to me and say "Pe....Peh".  Then I go and get her a baby cookie for one hand, and she stands there and holds up her other hand, so she gets one for the other hand too.  She then dances away stomping and giggling in excitement.  It's great!  Being a Mum is so rewarding.  I love that she loves to sit at my feet wherever I am.  I love when she runs up to me and wraps her arms around my legs.  I love when she gives me her open mouthed kisses.  I love when she runs up to me and says "up-a  up" just because she wants a snuggle or some lovin'.  It's awesome. I just hope I can be the Mum that she needs me to be, and that I want to be.  Life couldn't be any better!!

Pacific Ocean in T-minus 8 days! Can't wait!

Hot Tubbin at the Acreage!

Today, I got home from visiting my family.  Mr. Stannix needed the vehicle so that he could go golfing with his company today.  What a lucky guy hey?  It was a good drive, but I am soo wiped! I stayed up way to late giggling with my sister.  We shared a bed, just like old times, and talked about all of the things that sisters talk about.  We even gave each other killer back rubs.  I woke up with a sore throat and aching body. I think I'm getting too old to stay up that late!! ;)  It was fun though.  My sister also has been practising with a fancy camera.  She brought it out last night when all of us went hot tubbin' and snapped these gorgeous shots! She is super talented!!

Getting ready to go in to the hot tub!

Some lovin' from Mommy

Hanging out with Grampa

Some nice wrinkly feet!! She had a blast!

 

Chillin' with Uncle Arland

 

My beautiful Momma watching us...

The adventurous little girly!!

 

Giving Mommy some loves

Alll done, keeping warm!

It was fabulous spending some time with my Family! Mr. Stannix was super okay with me going out over night.  He knows how much I love my trips to the country.  It feels so great to get out of the city, sleep where there's no street lights or buses driving by.  I even walked around the whole acreage in my bare feet (my brother in his sock feet, he's such a boy!!).  I am glad to be home though.  On the way there and back I got to listen to my country songs and sing along.  Some of them were really sappy, and made me think of Mr. Stannix, then I would miss him a lot.  I'm glad to be back with my hubby safe and sound. 

Jarring Jam

This week, I took a trip out to Rocky for a few days to visit the acreage and my fam!  It was great to get out of the city and walk around in my bare feet again, all around.  My Mum had the day off, so we spent the afternoon making home made jam and jelly! Once you taste this stuff, you'll never want to go back to store bought again.  This stuff is sweet, and juicy and rich and delish! I have a hard time even eating store bought jam because I was spoiled growing up! Thanks Mum!!

MMM...Apple Jelly!

Gramma and Cami Stir the Raspberry Jam

When we were done, we had to do up dishes, but the best part is licking out the pot before ya wash it! Check out the jam that fell off the spoon before it hit my mouth!! 

Camilla did this while we jarred

One delicious batch of raspberry jam down! 

It was so fun to work with my mum and learn all her tips and tricks! I can't wait to make my own jam, from my own berries some day! It was so much fun! The rest of the afternoon was spent hanging out and laughing, and getting dinner ready for everyone. Camilla loved the room to run and move at the acreage! She enjoyed spending time with her aunt and uncle and gramma and grampa.  It was a lot of fun!! Definitely worth the trip out!! I even got some jam to take home with me!  Mr. Stannix was so excited to have something other than cheez whiz on his toast in the mornings.

Home made Bread!

Today, I cleaned and made home made bread! I can tell I haven't made bread in a while (it takes 2 people a while to go through 4 whole loaves) because my arm was hurting before all of the flour was even mixed in.  Maybe I need a little more exercise?

I can demolish almost a whole loaf on my own when it's hot and smothered in butter. YUM! I'm off to get another piece!!

Simply Sunday

As I post, Mr. Stannix is bathing our niña.  He was kind enough to give me a few minutes to myself and watch her in the tubby.  Today was an interesting day.  Mr. Stannix was sick and unable to go to church.  Not a fan of going solo, I can tell ya that much.  It was difficult trying to swing Choir and playing the organ in sacrament meeting, but we made it through. :)  She was a bit of a Mommy's girl today and wouldn't go to anyone, made it difficult to pass her off.  She screamed the whole way out while I went up to the organ to play.  Everyone chuckled, poor girl.  Kinda funny though. 

Tonight, Mr. Stannix and I watched Zorro together.  The couch cushions were off, infront of the couch so that Camilla could climb up and down them for a while, so we got some blankets and layed in front of the TV for a movie.  At the end, Camilla plopped right down in between us and snuggled.  It was such a great moment to remember.  It reminded me of one of my recent favorite songs "Let them be Little".  It talks about letting our kids be little, letting them giggle, and letting them sleep in the middle. It is one of the best things just watching Camilla as she is snuggled up between us.  Her head bouncing slowly to the music, feet resting on both Mike and I, and her just snuggling.  She started conducting to the end credits, it was priceless.  She sticks her pointer finger out and waves her arm.  She's such a talented little girly already.  She loves music (and especially spanish music I found out today, she sure had some moves going!!).  She's such a little joy.  Every moment is so worth it. Specially when she gives us her little smile, or runs over and wraps her arms around our neck and smothers us with her giant open-mouthed kisses.  I wish she could stay little forever, but at the same time, I'm excited to see her grow up, and see what she will become.

I wish I had some pictures to share, but the camera sat all alone today. 

I hear a giggly girl and a draining tub.  Time to go read some stories and snuggle her to sleep (Unless ofcourse, Mr. Stannix wants the honor tonight).

Life.Is.Great.

Date Night!!

Tonight, Mr. Stannix and I went on a date.  We went to see a movie together. It was great fun.  We got there 45 minutes ahead of time, and I was the first person in the theater.  Needless to say we got killer seats!! We enjoyed holding hands and snuggling, just like when we were first dating.  It was great, and muchly needed.  With Mr. Stannix doing a course this summer, we haven't had a lot of "us" time, and time to just chill together and talk, and hold hands.  It was a nice night out!! Thanks Gramma for babysitting!  Now, I am off to read some Harry Potter with my hubby to my hubby.  He likes it when I read, and it makes me feel special.  I can't wait to read like that to our kids!!
Sweet Dreams!!

Creative Juices!

Hanging out on a rainy day

Today is another rainy day.  Camilla was up at 6:00am.  I've given up on sleeping in past 7:00 anymore and usually am awake now.  It's fun to spend some extra time with her in the A.M.

Last night, Mr. Stannix and I looked at the plans for our dream home over...and over...and over again.  We talked about it, talked about different ideas, options, changes we would make to the house, and what we want for our family. It was so great! Both of us so excited that we were talking non-stop.

As we were going to sleep, I told Mr. Stannix that I really enjoy the blog because right now, its a place for me to release all of my creative juices.  Growing up, I loved rearranging my room and did so at least once a month.  I love painting, putting pictures up, changing pictures etc.  I am so excited for when we have a place of our own and I don't have to worry about how many nail holes I'm putting in the wall.  I can't wait to decorate and let all creative juices flow!! It'll be a while, but I can wait. Really, I can! 

Today, I was feeling extra creative.  I looked at our livingroom (like I have a million times before) and tried to think of how I could rearrange it. No luck, the way it is, really is the best/only way it can  be. So, I took to  the blog!! I learned lots of cool stuff this morning!! I made my own header, and learned how to center it on the blog!  I read a lot of really cool things and tricks and a lot of other stuff.  I've been wanting to change to a 3 column blog for a long time now because:

a)I can have bigger pictures

b)I can make more picture collages and fit more pictures

c)I just like that look better

So, I found a funky background and changed things up a bit! This should keep me from going too nuts on our pictures and furniture for a while. ;)

We are now off to do some baking for the afternoon.  It will warm up the house and make it smell divine! I'm also excited for my siblings to be coming up again this weekend!! Mr. Stannix is writing a final exam tonight.  When he gets home, we are celebrating him being done the course by going out for a donair. I thing we have the best donair place in the city near our house. They load it up with meat, and have the tastiest sauce I've EVER had.  For those who haven't had a donair, the sauce is what MAKES the donair. Delish. My mouth is watering already!

Pig Tails

HeHe, They're a little crooked, but what can ya do!?

This is Camilla's rockin' doo today!! She can ALMOST pull it off!! It's cute.  Most of her hair really is on top of her head, the side stuff is still growing in.  She keeps it in until she sees herself in a mirror.  She is one giggly, silly little girl! What a joy!! She's been dancing a lot lately and stomping her feet all over the house.  Her "chicken dance" is my favorite though.  Today I got the deep belly laugh and screeching.  She's hilarious!

It's been rainy and cloudy all day today.  Camilla and I danced in the rain and hit almost every puddle on our journey from the car to the mall.  She held her hand out and caught rain drops and giggled.  I got soaked.  It was marvelous.  (I just wish I had a sweater)

Mr. Stannix e-mailed me from work today.  He re-found our dream home on the net!! I had it bookmarked before we had to wipe our computer, then I lost it and was so sad.  It's so gorgeous!! If we can find the right piece of land, and save up the money, we would love to build it someday (but probably never will).  One can dream right? 

Fifteen days until we leave for vacation.  Pacific Ocean here I come!! Soo stoked!!

Our Big Girl!!

We have had a very fun filled last couple of days.  Yesterday after dinner, we all went to the park to enjoy some time outside.  I realized today that it's almost half way through August, and there won't be much summer left to enjoy!! We had a lot of fun.  While we were walking to the park Camilla kept pointing and getting excited and doing her "chicken dance", and "corny laugh".  She kept looking up at us with her crinkly-nose grin.  She was so excited she just couldn't contain herself.  It was adorable! As soon as we got to the park, she toddled over to the swings and said "up", so in she went for a while.  She tried to wave at me while she was swinging, it was cute, and she turned around to say hi to everyone she could see.  We then played on the slide, it took a while to get her off of it when it was time to go home. She loves being a big girl and sliding all by herself! She giggles all the way down. It's great!

Today, for the first time in a long time, Camilla and I went to the park with some friends.  It was fun to see the kids play together again and to visit with some other Mom's.  It was a beautiful day, and an awesome park to play at!! Camilla had a lot of fun (as you can tell by the pictures).  She thoroughly enjoyed the water this time and was running in and out and through it and laughing.  She would get wet and then "chicken dance" away from it.  She is such a Ham sometimes. She definitely loves life and goes all out!

Enjoying the swing!!

"Hmm, I wonder what I should do next"

Being a goofy gus

Talking with her mouth full...Gotta work on that one ;) P.S I totally LOVE this pic of her!

After a few good hours of playing, getting wet, and visiting with friends, it was time to go home.  We got her a "Big Girl" car seat the other day (Thanks Brooklyn for telling us about the Sale!), and she loves it.  She loves sitting forward, looking out the window, and feeling the wind in her hair LOL