Classics

My Mum came up for the day today! It was great! Fun to just hang out.  She brought a backup from her computer of a bunch of old pics for me. I copied them to my computer, we looked at them, joked, laughed. It was good times.  It made me miss the good ol' days. haha My siblings will probably kill me for this! But I was looking through the pictures and found some fun, crazy ones.  Good memories....

Everything from lettuce fights, to dressing up, to Christmas, to just being silly!! We had so much fun together. Especially when we would sneak up onto the garage roof (we weren't really allowed). It's lovely to have siblings around your age.  The three of us were tight growing up (still are, just live further away).  Being homeschooled for a while, we had lots of time to be together and grow together.  We've shared many an inside joke, participated in many a wrestling match, and done many...many dishes together.
"I don't need a dish washer, I have three right here!" --Mum 

It was a lot of fun growing up with these two goof balls!! I love the relationship we have together.
Thanks for the memories guys!! Keep 'em coming!

Love,
Your Big sis!

P.S. Please don't beat me up to much for the pics, especially because you're both taller than me now, and Arland is definitely stronger...Not like the good ol' days when I could pin ya down ;)

Funday Monday

"Who says I can't wear my sunglasses upside down?"

"Don't I look pretty Mum?"

This is how I found Camilla this morning when I came into the kitchen after tidying the bedrooms.  Sunglasses on upside down and happy as ever! She even kept them on long enough for me to pull out my camera and snap some pictures.  She danced around the kitchen, checking her reflection out in the stove for a good 10 minutes or so. It was great.  I thought she looked super cute.  I think she was trying to be like her Uncle Mike, who always has his sunglasses on his head. 

After some breakfast, and a nap for the munchkin, we set off to run some errands for Mr. Stannix.  On Thursday he's leaving for a 3 day camping trip with the Young Men.  We are going to miss him very much!! I packed the stroller up in the car and we set off to check out MEC for some camping things.  Miss independent decided she didn't want to sit in her stroller, and nothing (not even the straps/belts) were going to hold her back.  She wriggled her way out with some trouble and proceeded to grump and scream in the middle of the store.  Oh Camilla, why can't you be that quiet sweet baby you once were.  Toddlers are fun, but I'm telling you, they do have their downsides! haha So, we bagged the stoller, and I let her walk around the store a bit, she only pulled a few things off the shelves, but after a few minutes she had had enough!! I made my way over to the checkout (just in time too!!) with a screaming baby.  Just as I got in line, so did a million other people behind me (phew).  Needless to say, I was glad to get outta there!!

Then I had to check out another place for sleeping bags (I looked at MEC, but holy expensive).  As I was trying to weigh out my options and check out all the different kinds, my awesome toddler was running away and trying to get her hands on anything at her height.  Between grabbing her and bringing her back to the sleeping bag aisle and trying to look at what I wanted and check out prices, I was feeling frazzled.  I finally made my way out with some compact North 49 sleeping bags.  Orange and black outside and grey inside.  Not exactly the look I was going for, but they are hooded (I like hooded sleeping bags) and the price was right!

We finally made it home, and boy am I glad!! I kiboshed grocery shopping in lieu of the crazy tot in the back seat. We'll save it for later, or tomorrow for that matter.  It's been drizzling off and on all day, again, but I guess it is July.... On the good side, our garden has grown like crazy! I really need to pick the lettuce soon or it's going to go bad. 

Mr. Stannix doesn't get home until 9:00  tonight.  I can't wait! I want to show him all the cool stuff I got for him today!

A Fun Filled Saturday

Today was a great day! We got to spend a lot of time together doing a lot of fun things!! 

It started out as a typical Saturday Morning.  Mommy getting breakfast ready, Daddy getting ready in the bathroom, and Camilla jamming out to Daddy's ipod while she watches him.  She has recently learned how to "head-bang". She moves forward and back, and bends forward and her hair flies all over while she rocks out. She was doing it in Wal-mart last night, pretty funny!

A total Michael Stannix face

Daddy studied for a midterm this afternoon, so Camilla and I spent some time out in the backyard. She played with a bunch of balls, ran around a bit, and talked to the puppy next door through the fence. The best part is, IT WASN'T RAINING!!!

After Daddy finished his studies, we went to Millennium Place! Best swimming pool/wave pool ever! Camilla loves to swim!!

Catching the waves

Chillin' in the pool and lovin' it!!

We may have swam a little too long as Cami came out all wrinkled!! She had fun though!

We went to the indoor play place after the pool and burned some more energy.

Tonight, Mr. Stannix and I are going to snuggle up to a movie and enjoy some candy and popcorn. What a glorious Saturday indeed.

Next time I pray for patience...

Next time I pray for patience....I'll have to be more clear.  I've come to discover that when you pray for patience, Heavenly Father doesn't grant you patience, he gives you opportunities in which you have to practice patience...Like today for instance, when Camilla got frustrated or something happened (I'm still really not sure what) and she threw a screaming fit.  I've never seen her THAT angry before, she's usually very happy and bubbly.  I think she was frustrated that she couldn't get her shirt back on herself, who knows, I certainly don't.  I can tell ya though, my patience has been tested by this munchkin all week. It seems the more she learns about the world around her, the quicker she wants to grow up and the more frustrated she becomes. She is so determined to do everything herself.   She wants to dress herself, and gets frustrated because she can't get her t-shirt on.  Some days, I wish she could talk so she could voice her frustration instead of just screaming. (This is a new thing....screaming)  Luckily, I studied my scriptures this morning, and said my prayers, or I probably wouldn't be able to deal with the cute little monster. It's a good thing I love her ;) Today, I feel like I'm handling it well, I didn't even feel angry when I was unable to control her little outburst.  The quote my Edmund Burke "Patience will achieve more than our force" is definitely being repeated over and over.  I can't force her to stop screaming, but I can help her problem solve. She is just learning about things and learning how to control her feelings, and as I'm patient with her, I can help her learn and grow.  I'm definitely going to quit praying for patience though!! HaHa.... I think I've had my fill of it.

In other news, IT'S FRIDAY!! T-minus 2 hours or so and Mr. Stannix will be walking through that door, and he's MINE!!! I'm excited for  the weekend. Just hoping the rain clears up so we can enjoy the outdoors a little bit. 

 This is our center piece for dinner tonight. I picked it this morning. They're my favorite flower!

My Little Helper

This morning, Camilla woke up at 7:00 am.  Mr. Stannix was okay with that because he got to see her before leaving to work!! I got her a bottle and they snuggled on the couch until Daddy had to leave. He misses her too!  She went over to the door with him and got to his shoes before he did. She then picked up the heavy, black dress shoe and handed it to her Daddy. It was sweet.

Camilla and I took advantage of the sunshine in the early hours of the morning and took to the yard.  I pulled out about a million thistles, and weeded some of the flower beds, mowed the lawn, and then we came back inside.  After a short nap, I decided it was a good day to bake cookies.  Camilla pulled up a chair and was my little helper.  It was a lot of fun!!

We made, and enjoyed, oatmeal cookies! I need to get my mum's recipe though, the recipes I get offline just aren't the same as the delicious cookies I used to eat growing up.  My mum would make them, and the whole batch would be almost eaten before the last pan came out of the oven (that's how good they are!).

Camilla is missing spending time with her Daddy as he has night classes this month, and unless she wakes up early, he hardly sees her (if at all) in a day.  She keeps running over to our wedding picture and pointing and saying "Da-da".... Yesterday when he left for work she cried :( It was sad.  Every time I sit down at the computer, she comes and says "uppp", and she sits on my lap and we browse through pictures/videos.  She loves it! And it's special to spend time together telling her stories and showing her pictures.   She is such a sweet little girl. We are excited because tonight, Daddy will be home after work and able to eat dinner with us.

I do miss Mr. Stannix when he is away. Like a lot.  Yesterday I went stir crazy and had to keep myself busy.  I think I scrubbed every nook and cranny in our little home.  I washed all the floors, shined all the sinks/taps,  I even scrubbed down the inside of the "hood" thing over the stove.  It was disgusting, it had like an inch of caked on oily grossness. It felt so good to get that done, and now I can admire it when I turn on the light underneath it.  I vacuumed this morning, but as I type, I can feel oatmeal cookie crumbs beneath my toes.  I may have to do another once over ;)

Another Rainy Day

Thought this was cute! The poor kid is so bored inside all day thanks to the rain.  She fell asleep in the middle of the living room with "Shattered" by OAR playing in the background.....

Oh to be a kid again!!!

Power Outage

Late last night, after Mr. Stannix got home, and the dishes were all done he brought out Harry Potter again. He read to me a little bit while I tinkered around in the Kitchen.  After brushing our teeth, and saying our prayers, we jumped into bed.  Mr. S left the lights on though! As I lay there wondering why, he slowly slides Harry Potter across the bed towards me.  He likes when I read to him. It's cute.  I enjoy reading aloud! I can't wait until our kids are older and I can read it to them with Mr. Stannix.  Reading Harry Potter together is something we started last year.  I had never (shocking I know) read Harry Potter before and Mr. Stannix is practically addicted.  So, to make me read it, we read it together.  We've read the whole series once and are on our second round.  Anyways, As I was reading the third book to him, the power went out.  We waited a few seconds, it never came back on. So I got Mr. Stannix to run and grab a flashlight.  He held it for me as I read.  Romantic right? I thought so.....

Miss Camilla was asleep through the whole thing!!

This pic was actually taken on Canada day, but it's cute!!

My Mother

"Mothers, take time to teach your children. Catch the teaching moments. This can be done anytime during the day -- at mealtime, in casual settings, or at special sit-down times together, at the foot of the bed at the end of the day, or during an early-morning walk together. Mothers, you are your children's best teacher. Don't shift this precious responsibility to day-care centers or baby-sitters. A mother's love and prayerful concern for her children are her most important ingredients in teaching her own.

Teach children gospel principles. Teach them it pays to be good. Teach them there is no safety in sin. Teach them a love for the gospel of Jesus Christ and a testimony of its divinity. Teach your sons and daughters modesty, and teach them to respect manhood and womanhood. Teach your children sexual purity, proper dating standards, temple marriage, missionary service, and the importance of accepting and magnifying Church callings. Teach them a love for work and the value of a good education. Teach them the importance of the right kind of entertainment, including appropriate movies and videos and music and books and magazines. Discuss the evils of pornography and drugs, and teach them the value of living the clean life.

Yes, mothers, teach your children the gospel in your home, at your own fireside. This is the most effective teaching that your children will ever receive. This is the Lord's way of teaching. The Church cannot teach like you can. The school cannot. The day-care center cannot. But you can, and the Lord will sustain you.Your children will remember your teachings forever, and when they are old, they will not depart from them. They will call you blessed -- their truly angel mother.

Mothers, this kind of heavenly, motherly teaching takes time -- lots of time. It cannot be done effectively part-time. It must be done all the time in order to save and exalt your children. This is your divine calling. (From address given at a "Fireside for Parents," 22 Feb 1987 President Ezra Taft Benson - Ten Ways to Spend Time with Children)

I'm glad I had a mother like that! One who quit her job to stay at home and teach us all of these important things! She did teach me a love for the gospel, for my Savior, and helped me develop a testimony.  She taught me how to be modest and respect my body and myself.  Whenever I would wrestle my brother she would tell me to respect him. She taught me proper dating standards and helped me prepare for a temple marriage.  She taught me to Love and Value hard work! She cooked, cleaned, made bread/buns, baked so we could come home to cookies, taxi serviced us around, and did everything else to help the home run smoothly. I'm grateful for her sacrifice and diligence.  She gave up a lot for us!! She's has shown me the ultimate example of what it takes to be a great mother and instilled in me the importance of being home with the children and teaching them daily.  I never realized how much work and effort she went through until I became a mother myself.  I now appreciate my mother probably more than I ever did.  She is a wonderful woman! Working together with my Dad, they have provided a great home for me, and great example. Thanks Mum! You truly are my angel mother.  

 Bread that my Mum taught me how to make

Delish!

Four Needles and a Drizzle

Today is a not so fabulous day.  This morning Camilla had her one year immunizations. She was a very brave little girl. She got poked in both arms and both legs.  Two minutes after, she was toddling around the clinic gabbing and saying hi to everyone.  She did good over lunch, had a small nap, and played.  A few hours ago though, I think the immunizations caught up to her.  She was so sad, so we had a cuddle on the good ol' lazy boy, she woke up still sad and her limbs seemed to ache. 

She decided to lay her pretty little head right here and use her thumb to soothe herself.  

Eventually, she made her way over to this guy and snuggled up for a snooze.  Every couple minutes I hear her little voice complain/cry, and go and cuddle next to her.  I don't think she's ever fallen asleep on the floor before, she does look cozy, so I think I'll leave her. She's still in her pj top from this morning.  When we woke up, it was raining, and it has been drizzling allll day.  I dubbed it a lazy day, threw on some sweats, and left the kiddo in her jammy top.  Perfect weather to snuggle up together. This evening Mr. Stannix is at a night class, so the girly and I are definitely going to snuggle to sleep. I'm hoping she feels better by tomorrow so she can giggle and play the day away. 

Difference of a Year

Then....

And Now!!

What a difference One Year makes!!