Practise Makes Perfect

 Just a boy...

 his dog...

and a piano.

Before my Eyes

Dear Camilla,

Sometimes I lay awake at night and wonder how I got so lucky to have you as my oldest child. You are so passionate about life and have such a big heart! You have special willingness and desire to help that goes above and beyond what a seven year old should possess. You always want to be doing grown up things and most days I wonder if I expect too much of you.

On Sunday as I was using the rear view mirror to put on my lipstick you unbuckled yourself and came to the front, wishing out loud that I had pink lipstick like Auntie Naomi. The closest thing that I could find was my tinted lip gloss and you shrugged your shoulders and rubbed it on your smirking lips.

You are an absolute joy to be around with your witty sense of humor! I hope that you never lose that. If I'm ever having a bad day you are quick to cheer me up with a joke or kind word.  And if I'm having a moment of tears you quietly distract your brothers and play the role of big sister so well.

Always remember that you are talented! You possess many admirable qualities and are capable of so much. Perhaps this is why I push you so much. I can see your great potential! You have a talent for rhythm and music. You have a talent for dancing. You have a talent for making people laugh. You are amazing at seeing the needs of those around you and putting them above your own.

Never forget that you have a Heavenly Father who loves you very much! You have a divine role in this plan! In a world where chastity and moral purity are seen as old-fashioned I want to instill in your little heart a love for the Gospel and the importance of keeping the commandments. Even though it's hard to do what is right in a world of diminishing values, I want you to know that choosing the right will make you happy! I love that your personality is that of a leader and I hope that you will always strive to be a good example to those around you of a happy, virtuous life. 

Even though you were blessed with all brothers, there are many women in your life setting good examples and cheering you on! I am so glad that you have wonderful Aunts who spend time with you taking pictures, going on icecream dates, and setting good examples. You have wonderful grandmothers and great-grandmothers who have spent their lives relishing in the joy of motherhood. Enjoy their sweet spirits, feel of their love, and learn from their wealth of knowledge. And I hope that as you grow you will remember your own mother who sometimes loved you a little too much and pushed you to learn and grow.

A Loving Father

This afternoon as I watched Mr. Stannix and Ollie rock in the nursery I was filled with gratitude for the man who loves our littles. There is nothing I love more than seeing his strong arms wrapped tenderly around a child. I love when he hugs them, reads to them, and shares special moments with them. He plays the tough guy card pretty well, but he is a tender soul with a big heart. I am grateful for him and all that he does for us each day!

"By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families."

The Family: A Proclamation to the World

Snowy Days...

This week has gone by much quicker than I hoped it would. Camilla had the week off school and the boys and I really enjoyed having her home! She is super helpful and they get along really well most of the time. I spent majority of the day harboring feelings of guilt for not taking the kids out to do something fun on the last day of break.

 The snow has been falling since early this morning and I honestly didn't feel like going anywhere. It was the perfect day for fleece jammies, finishing up crochet projects and baking with the littles.

My Dad and I gave Reese a haircut when we were at the acreage this week. She looks like a completely different puppy now with all of the black tips gone! The kids hardly recognized her when they first saw her.

When things got crazy this afternoon I called everyone up to help me make some peanut butter marshmallow squares.

And I made sure not to scrape the bowl too much because there were happy little fingers anxiously waiting to lick it clean!

And as they licked, happiness filled their eyes once again!

The chocolate zucchini muffins came out of the oven just as the squares went into the fridge. They made the perfect afternoon snack for hungry tummies! 

Over the River

 With no school this week and Daddy putting in extra hours at the office, the littles and I took the opportunity to head to the Acreage for a couple of days and visit family. We made it in time to see some of my siblings and spend a night playing games before everyone left!

The littles begged Grampa for a quad ride on the little bit of snow that we still have.

He took them around the back field a couple of times as they whooped and cheered.

They have become pretty fearless and sure enjoy the ride!

 There was lots of snuggling with aunts, uncles and grandparents!

 Game playing with Grampa!

 My Mom snuggled Ollie to sleep almost every nap time. It might be hard to break him of this luxury when we get home! Thanks for the fun Mom & Dad!

Family Day

 This morning we woke with a spontaneous need to leave the house! Mr. Stannix suggested a favorite indoor play place and the littles jumped for joy. We spent the afternoon together as a family sliding down big slides, playing tag and eating cookies as big as our faces! The little boys finished off the last of my fruit smoothie while I smiled at their brotherly love. Everyone fell asleep on the drive home, giving Mr. Stannix and I some time to chat and connect. The afternoon was a success!

Biscuit

I found this little guy on the couch tonight after tucking in the littles. Camilla loves to draw charts, countdown calendars, and leave me notes. She had asked me a few times to sew Biscuit but something always came up. Her sweet note made me chuckle and I stitched up Biscuit while the children slept snug in their beds.

Mamma's Helper

 We woke to clear skies and a beautiful sun rise! As I tidied the rooms and pulled the curtains to let the sunshine in I made sure to crack all of the windows to freshen the bedrooms. It didn't take long for the house to be filled with smells of Spring and new beginnings. It's one of my favorite smells!

 My second favorite smell might be fresh baked bread! We were running low on white flour so I decided to make a batch of whole wheat to tide us over until grocery day. Finley eagerly scrambled up on the counter to help dump ingredients and push buttons. I was just grateful that Ollie slept through the noisy wheat grinder!

 I tried a new recipe and beat it a little bit extra in the mixer. It looked so perfect after I put it in the bowl to rise!

 While we waited on the bread dough we mixed up a batch of my favorite chocolate chip cookies. The first pan came out just in time for Camilla to sneak a few after she got off the bus!

Little man woke up happy and we hung out in his room while the fresh air poured through his cracked window. The greatest joys of life are sometimes found in the most simple things.

Valentine's Day

Our Valentine's day was low key this year! I woke up cranky and tried to make up for it with pink heart pancakes and heart shaped jello. Mr. Stannix called me on his way to work to thank me for my efforts and remind me that I am a good mom (even though I wasn't feeling like it on this particular morning). The kids were happy and fed and dressed and that was all that mattered! 

Camilla skipped off to the bus with heart shaped sugar cookies for her bus driver, teacher, and classmates. 

Ollie fell asleep on my bed mid morning and had a nice little snooze while I showered and tidied up bedrooms.

Mr. Stannix scared me half to death when he came through the garage door half way through the day and surprised me with flowers in hand. He worked from home all afternoon and I was glad to have him home, even though he was working!

It was hard to get anything done with this sweet boy smiling on my lap all afternoon. While the big boys played I sat and stared at this growing little babe of mine!

I loved the extra love in our home today!!

The afternoon sun called us outside to play. The two littlest have pretty bad coughs still, but I knew that the fresh air would do us all good! It was perfect snowball weather and we made a nice sized fort with some neighbor boys.

It took Joe a while to learn how to start a snowball, but once he got the hang of it there was no stopping him!

This wooden sign arrived in the mail today, just in time for Valentine's! I've always wanted a sign with our wedding year on it and ordered this from Little bit of Everything out of Lacombe. I am so excited to find a place to hang it in our home!

Jolly Jumpin'

Right Here

Most nights I still end up snuggling in the little boy's room until they fall asleep. I squeeze into Joe's bed and nurse Ollie while I rub Joe's back. It doesn't usually take very long for their snoring to interrupt my singing. Tonight as I got up to leave I took a few minutes to admire my sleeping babies. Before scooping Ollie over into his crib I snapped a quick picture. There is no other place I'd rather be in this whole wide world than right here snuggled next to my children at bed time!

In Good Company

This week we got a call from our good friends asking if they could come for a visit! These are the kind of friends who don't even have to ask to come visit. We would take them anytime! We were so excited that they wanted to stop by while they were down this way! 

They stayed for a couple of days and it was so great to catch up with my bestie. The littles had a lot of fun playing outside and in. Finley pushed little Addie around in his little car for most of the morning. It was pretty cute to watch!

Miss Adeline gave me the motivation to finish this bonnet that's been on my hook for a while now. After she modeled it for me I sent it home with her because it was perfect for such a classy little lady. Can't wait to see these guys again!!

Oliver: Five Months

Our little man is five months old! He is such a happy boy and we love his easy going personality. He always wakes up smiling and can brighten any day! I love when he wraps his arms around my neck, tugs my hair and tries to eat my cheeks. His giggle is contagious and he always tries to join in on the laughter around him. 

Most days he is content to play on the floor or in his exersaucer while I get things done and tend to the other children. If he fusses I wrap him on my back and he snuggles in for a snooze. He loves to be carried (especially now that he is teething). He adores it when his siblings play peek-a-boo or jump up and down to make him laugh.

He has become quite the mover! He rolls all over the place now when he's lying down. If he's sitting he kicks his legs and flaps his arms. He has discovered his hands and often holds them in front of his face and babbles away at them. He is grabbing things and putting things in his mouth. He loves to eat and opens his mouth for each spoonful. If we don't feed him fast enough he grabs the spoon and starts shoveling the food in himself. He is in nine month clothing now and keeps growing!!

Sleep has been hit or miss lately. Typically he only wakes once or twice a night but these last few weeks have been rough! He loves to hold a soft blanket while he sleeps or nuzzle his face into a blanket when he's tired. He is slowly learning to fall asleep on his own, but still prefers a cuddle or nursing.

He has bright blue eyes, chunky legs, chubby toes, and kissable cheeks! We adore our little Ollie!

Happy five months big guy!