Storybop time

Every night after Camilla has her bath and gets into her PJ's, she wants to read a story.  Once She's dressed, she cruises on over to her box of "BOPS" and pulls out a story for me to read to her.  She says "BOP" "BOP" (Book) in a really high pitched girly voice.  It's pretty funny. You can't resist reading one to her, or two, or three, or all of them. 

And so we sat and read together.  Bop after bop.  It was pretty fun.  Daddy joined us shortly after for scriptures and prayer.  Camilla is so good now, she sits still and quiet the whole time, and folds her arms all on her own for prayer.  I then snuggle her while she drinks her Bubba and then tuck her tight into her crib.  There is nothing better then creating special memories at bed time. 

After I read with my little girl, I got to read with Mr. Stannix.  He has a big midterm tomorrow and I got to help him study! We went over definitions and enjoyed laughing together as I understood none of it.  He is now unwinding on the couch with a movie and I think I am going to get some nachos and cheese and join him!

Piano Playing Duo

It's been yet another busy, fun-filled weekend with no blogging.  Today is a catch up day once again.  Friday night we had some good friends stay the night.  It was a lot of fun to visit and catch up again.  The babies also enjoyed playing with each other.  I always love watching Camilla interact with other kids.  We ordered pizza for dinner that night, drank a lot of Jones sodas and stayed up visiting until way to late (as always).  It was very enjoyable.  On Saturday the boys went and helped a friend with some electrical work and the girls stayed back and visited and caught up on some much needed sleep.  The kiddies had fun playing together.  Camilla discovered how to climb up onto the piano bench (with the help of Mr. Stannix's school bag) and wouldn't let me take her off.  She loves tinkering on the piano.  Future musician? I think so. I caught a couple shots of the kiddies playing together (and even one of them holding hands). Ahh, young love. 

Camilla was so great with Isaac.  I gave her a cookie for each hand, because usually she eats two, and she gave one to Isaac to eat.  It was sweet of her.  So fun to see her sharing at such a young age. 

After the boys got home, we all went swimming at the rec center.  Camilla LOVES swimming.  She had a lot of fun and was very giggly the whole time!! We had a great weekend and are very thankful for such great friends who come all the way to our house to visit us!! I am now off for some lunch! This pregnant lady is hungry!!

Toot-a-Loo

Frizzy Friday

Miss Camilla's hair cracks me up this morning.  I was actually giggling out loud.  The pictures really don't do it justice, it's absolutely hilarious!! (I especially love the folded tongue in the second picture..)  The back is a horrible rats nest, and the front is sticking up ALL over the place.  At one point it looked like she had little horns on either side of her head.  It's cute.  There's definitely something sticky in her hair on the back.  It doesn't feel so nice.  I think a bath is in order this morning. She couldn't care less.  She's just playing and watching her shows.  It looks to me like she had a pretty good sleep last night!

The rest of our day yesterday was interesting.  Camilla had an upset stomach and had a very messy diaper, which turned into messy pant legs as well and ended in a bath.  At dinner I sliced my thumb open while I was taking the lid off the sour cream.  I tell ya, I hope I never have a day like that again.  Mr. Stannix and I relaxed and watched a movie, then went to bed for the night.  

Anyways, today we have no real plans.  I am cleaning up the house and playing with my crazy haired little girl! Those pictures still make me laugh, what a character she is!!

Happy blogging friends!!

From Quiet to Crazy

Last night Mr. Stannix and I were able to enjoy a good half hour together after we put the girly to bed.  I don't know why, but both of us plopped down on the couch side by side and stared at a movie-less TV.  We just sat there, in silence, enjoying each others company. It was much needed with all the things we've been busy doing lately.  Mr. Stannix hasn't been getting home until late every night as he has 4 upcoming midterms to study for.  It felt good to just sit side by side and hold hands and listen to the silence of the house.  We were both so tired, we went to bed pretty early.

Today, is a complete opposite of that.  Just when I thought I kicked morning sickness in the butt it came back to get me.  It started out as a pretty good morning. I got to lay in bed and listen to Camilla chat to her stuffies in her crib for a good half an hour.  Then I got up and thought I would make myself a hardy breakfast of porridge.  So I did, and my empty stomach was excited to eat it.  I smothered it in brown sugar and poured on a little bit of milk and sat on the couch to eat it.  I took the first bit, something tasted funny, and it smelled a little weird.  Oh well, maybe it's just me I thought and kept truckin' along.  I think I ate about 1/4 of it before I gave up!! I decided fresh strawberries and sugar sounded better.  I ate a lot of those.  Then I went to making some bread, but my stomach really didn't feel well, and then, well, I got that kick in the butt I was talking about earlier.  Not a fan of re-tasting strawberries.  I personally blame it on the sour milk (which doesn't expire until the 17th, so it's weird to me that it smells/tastes funny already).

Camilla has also been locking herself in the bedrooms all day today, and I was just waiting for her to jam her fingers or something, and sure enough, she did.  Ouch.  The poor kid has been so accident prone lately. I think she may be going through a growth spurt.  Her walking is pretty uncoordinated....

Then I went out to pick up more milk and some veggie dip because the ranch dressing I had just wasn't cutting it.  On the way into the house from the car after, Camilla had a nice fall on the sidewalk.  It probably would have been okay had she not had her sippy in her mouth at the time.

You can't really tell in the picture, but the one side of her top lip is totally swollen.  She started crying outside, so I dropped the groceries to give her a hug, and when I looked at her mouth, there was blood everywhere! Not one of my favorite things to see.  I've never had to deal with an accident like this with my own child before.  I had no idea what to do.  So I snuggled her and ran inside and kept snuggling until she stopped crying.  I even  called my mum I was so worried.  She eventually got over it, but I still didn't like how red her mouth was.  Cold glass of water to rinse it down? I think so.  I then tried to examine the damage, but she wouldn't let me lift up her lip, and wouldn't open her mouth wide enough for me to see anything.  Did she break a tooth? Is her tooth going to fall out? Did she cut her lip? etc. etc.  No idea, and still no idea.... But she's happy now.  I'll examine her teeth tonight when we brush them.  At least they're baby teeth...  She kept making funny smiles and playing with the inside of her mouth with her tongue.  Kind of funny.  I imagine her lip was a little numb after and that probably felt weird to her. The shoulder of my sweater is all covered in blood from snuggling my crying babe.  Part of being a Mum I guess! :)  I'm just glad she's feeling better.  Now let's hope the rest of my day is uneventful!!

In Love with a Blondie

Taken by my sis!

Today, I am absolutely in love with my little blondie.  She has been so giggly and so much fun.  I love hearing her screech as I chase her around the house.  Her little belly laugh is priceless.  Lately she's started doing these high-pitched ALL girl laughs.  It is hilarious. Music to my ears.  She is such a little ball of energy.  Last night before bed, we got to snuggle a little on the couch.  She was really calm.  I loved the feeling of her tiny body nestled next to mine and her head resting on my arm.  I rubbed her back and tummy and she just melted into me.  It was the best.  She makes me laugh every day.  Lately, her hair has gotten really long.  Her little eyes are often seen peeking through some wispy bangs.  (I try to keep it pinned back). The back always looks like a little rats nest from sleeping or being in her carseat, or playing with blankets.  That's my little girl though. And that's the way I love her. 

Lately, she's discovered the garbage can and whenever she finds pieces of paper or garbage, she happily takes them and throws them in the garbage can.  Yesterday, she was being really quiet again, a little too quiet.  As I lay on the couch I heard the garbage can lid swish swish.  I got up to investigate.  Camilla quickly backed away, and looked up at me with a grin similar to the one above.  I tilt my head a little sideways and try to put on my best serious face as my mouth forms a tiny smirk.  "Camilla, what are you doing?" I ask.  I lifted the lid off to examine the garbage and found not one, not two, but SIX of her little toys in the garbage.  A bouncy ball, her dolly's hat, some shape toys, and a few of her little bath toys.  So, from now on, the garbage is examined very thoroughly a few times a day.  Yesterday, she also tried to catch the swirling water in the toilet after I flushed it.  (EW).  I grabbed her in the nick of time, and still washed her hands good. She's so adventurous.  It's fun to watch her learn and grow.  If I'm ever kneeling down or bent to try and pick something up, she'll rush towards me and squint her eyes a little and make these almost fake giggling/laughing noises as she "tackles" me or snuggles me.  She loves playing, especially if you're at her height.  She also loves patting people when they hug her and yesterday I even got a few good squeezes when I hugged her.  

I am absolutely in love with everything about my little blond beauty. 

Thanksgiving

This weekend really was fun filled and packed full of activities.  We had a lot of fun staying up late, eating yummy food, playing games, and working.  Sunday was a really good day.  We went to church and heard some really great talks on being Thankful.  I was glad that we were out because we got to listen to my sister give a fabulous talk!! Dad really wanted to carve pumpkins this weekend for Halloween because everyone was together. So, Sunday night, that's what we did. It was a blast.  I love gutting the pumpkin and feeling the goo.  Dad was excited this year because he had a cool tool that he thought would be awesome for pumpkin carving! After finding a cool picture online, we all went to work carving our pumpkins into works of art! Dad made a crazy looking pumpkin face.  Mike and I did the one with the stitched up mouth, and my brother and sister did the smiley little person.  They turned out awesome. After, we lit them up and sat and admired them for a few minutes in the dark while we chatted.  It was great fun!

Monday, my mum woke up nice and early and began making preparations for our thanksgiving feast.  She's amazing!! The turkey was in, and things in place.  She also made her yummy dressing (stuffing) on the stove. Mr. Stannix made sure she made extra because he loves it! The boys drove to the cellar to get some extra potatoes for dinner and took Camilla for a car ride.  Before they even hit the highway, she was zonked out.  All the fresh air and playing is so good for her! Mr. Stannix carried her in from the car and put her in the play pen for a snooze.  I helped my mum with final preparations (setting the table etc.).  We were so lucky to have both our families together this year again for Thanksgiving.  Mr. Stannix's Mum and sister came out to feast with us! It was great to have everyone together to celebrate.  I enjoyed setting the table. I'm all about decorating and hosting etc.  I enjoy being creative and making things look nice.

The table set for ten!

I didn't quite get to the Turkey quick enough to take a picture.  It's already half carved in this picture, but doesn't it look delicious?! My mum is amazing!

Our fabulous feast.  Pink lemonade, carrots, honey-dill beans, potatoes, cranberry sauce (even though my big brother is the only one who ever eats it and wasn't here this year), cheesy-dill homemade buns, Turkey, dressing, Jello, butter, salt and pepper......YUM!  I only took a little bit of everything (except dressing, I took lots) because I knew I would fill up fast.  There's a joke in my family about Mr. Stannix and his eyes being bigger than his belly.  He ALWAYS dishes more then he can eat and goes hard at the beginning and then takes his time finishing up, and usually can't finish.  This year, as he filled his plate, we all joked again that he wouldn't be able to finish it! I took a picture of his full plate (because I thought it would make a humorous blog entry).  Although, I'm now noticing that Mr. Stannix didn't take any beans!! Oh wait, I think I see ONE!

While he got made fun of for taking too much, I got made fun of for taking too many pictures.  "I'm making memories!!" is always my response.  Camilla got tired of me feeding her and was impatient with me, so we decided just to give her a bowl of her own to go at! Usually, I don't like doing this. I don't like messy, covered in food kids.  I'm weird that way.  Eventually I'm going to have to enjoy it. It was so funny watching her with her two little teaspoons.  She really shoved it all in.  She was hungry! 

Then, she got a little tired and began to slow down.  I tried to get a picture of it, because it was so cute, but she perked up when I brought the camera out.  We all looked over at her and she was resting her head on her arm/little hand and just watching and listening to us all.  She had been doing it for so long that when she moved her hand off her forehead, there was a little pink mark. 

She did however almost finish her whole bowl of potatoes, dressing, carrots, and gravy. What a big eater!

My mum did a fabulous job with the feast.  It was enjoyable and most delicious! Thanks Mum for all of your hard work!!

And for any of you wondering....

Mr Stannix DID finish his plate.  He even scraped it clean, which he NEVER does.  I'm pretty sure it was just to prove me wrong since I took a picture of it.  I think the last few bites were hard ones to swallow ;).  I have a very competitive, determined husband. I don't know where he fit it all, but he did it.  Maybe next year, he won't get made fun of! *Just kidding* HaHa

I am Thankful for...

Family- life wouldn't be complete with out them.  I have a fabulous husband who loves me and a crazy little girl who makes me smile every day.

The Gospel- The knowledge it gives me that families can be together forever and that I will be able to return to my Heavenly Father again someday.

Good Friends- who are always there when you need them for support or advice

Good Parents- Who taught me well and are there to lend advice and help.  I truly was "born of goodly parents".  

All the blessings I enjoy in this life- The food we eat, the home we have, our little family, financial security, the opportunity to get an education....etc.

And so, so much more! How truly blessed we all are!

A Super Saturday

We've had a busy weekend and I haven't gotten to doing much blogging, so I'm kind of back tracking.  Forgive any grammer/typing errors.  I'm using my sisters computer and the keyboard is different.  Here is our Saturday in a nutshell!!

Gramma made Camilla a fabulous PB&J Sandwich with a very generous amount of her homemade raspberry jam.  What a lucky girl!! She loved it, as you can tell!

Then, we hopped on the quad and trailer and went to the orchard to transfer some pine trees to another part of the acreage.  My Dad and I planted FIFTEEN of 'em.  It was a fun afternoon.  Camilla loved the quad rides and playing in the water.  At one point she walked right into a freshly dug and mudded tree hole.  Her whole foot was covered, so I stuck her leg in a water bucket and swished it around to get the mudd off.  She then played in the water, and even tried to drink some out of her hat!!

It had only a little bit of dirt in it (ew).  So funny though!!

My dad worked really hard.  He dug out all fifteen holes (except the one that I dug, which was huger than I thought it was, and got the teeniest tree put in it) and all fifteen trees and made the mud mixture and carried the water.  I helped get the pokey trees on the trailer but couldn't really help with much lifting.  I was mostly there for moral support...HaHa

And Camilla, well, she was  LOTS of help as you can tell...

She found the bucket of mud and had a blast making a mess and flinging mud at her auntie Emma (who's name she can pronounce quite well). She'll run around the house going "EMMMMMMMMM-AAAA.." and calling her.  Quite funny.  Gramma came out after she finished pulling carrots and rescued my wet, soggy, muddy little girl and brought her in for some fresh dry clothes.  She had so much fun though.  After she was changed, she came back out and got to enjoy the feel of the grass between her toes and the wind in her hair while we dug up the last four trees. 

She loves being outside and finally loves the grass between her toes.  That's my girl!! I love the grass at the acreage.  It's soft and thistle free and feels great on your feet.  Later on that night we decided to have a fire.  There were some raspberry canes to burn, and the boys....well....they got a little out of hand with the burning....



Mr. Stannix stoking the already huge fire!!



The flames were like a zillion feet high! I've never seen a fire that big before!! Camilla went nutts and was raising her hands in the air trying to reach the tippy tops of the flames.  It was fun.  When the fire calmed down a little, we all enjoyed visiting around the fire and eating smores.  Another favorite thing of mine to do. 

THE END

Carrots and Camilla

Camilla and I went outside a few days ago and pulled some more carrots.  Usually I don't leave them in this late, but my Grampa told me they'd be okay until the snow came (and after if I could still find them) so I haven't been in much of a hurry.  I don't think I have EVER seen garden carrots as big as the ones we pulled yesterday.  One, in particular, was VERY HUGE!

I tried getting Camilla to hold it up for a picture so that I could get a good comparison.  She tried to eat it!! It was pretty funny.  This carrot was as long as from my finger tips to my elbow (just to give you an idea). The bottom half was caked with clay.  It was funny.  Camilla was such a great little helper the whole time.  She was right out in the garden with me, sitting on her bum, digging in the dirt, and trying to help pull out the mammoth carrots.  When it was time to wash them, she helped me pull them out of the bucket and lay them on the lawn.  She loved sticking the carrots under the hose to "help" me wash them and got soaking wet.  Eventually, she got bored and went and climbed on the picnic table.  Then she blew a shoe somewhere, and ripped off her sock.  I went to put her shoe back on and the bottom of her food was caked with mud and her little green pants were pretty dirty from sitting on the wet grass.  She had so much fun though. I love that she loves to help me out and that she already at such a young age can see where she is needed (sort of). It was a good afternoon outside.  We shared some carrots with the neighbors upstairs and across the way.  It was great fun.

Her and I came in and got cleaned up and I got dinner on.  We had some yummy warm chilli on toast.  Mr. Stannix had to go to the church and get some things done, so I tossed the girly in the bath and let her play for a while before bed.  After I had lotioned, massaged, and dressed her, I went out into the kitchen to make up her Bubba.  While I was out there, she snuck into her dark room.  I called her a few times. No answer.  It's never a good sign when all is quiet.  Just as I finished mixing the Bubba, she came out with what looked like a white tissue.  OH NO! I thought to myself.  NOT the WIPES.  I went into her room, and sure enough, every single wipe was ripped out of the wipe dispenser and scattered all over her room!! I chuckled to myself, and then stuffed them all back in the dispenser.  Now, it doesn't work like it should (ya know, like a tissue box does) but I can sure grab the crumpled wipes a lot easier!! ;) She's such a little character.  I've pretty much given up on folding her clothes when I put them in the drawer because they get taken out daily by the munchkin.  So much for being organized!! HaHa.  I love it.  I'm loving the craziness and the fun.

Camilla's other favorite thing to do is watch the doodlebops.  I don't know what it is about them, but every time they come on she goes ballistic pointing and talking and dancing.  She squats down on the floor in front of the TV (no, she doesn't sit on her bum, she squats) and watches.  I think she squats so that she can stand up and dance quicker when the fun songs come on. 

Camilla has also discovered her limbs.  She loves swaying her arms around, clapping, and playing with her fingers.  She's been experimenting with jumping lately (but can't get off the floor yet).  If you jump, she will laugh hysterically! She pretty much thinks it's the funniest thing in the world! She loves lifting her foot up really high and taking giant steps.  She tries to skip, it's more like this little minni gallop, pretty funny. She also likes to try and stand on one foot and tilt herself to the side.  She does pretty much all of this with her tongue stuck out. (Extra balance? Concentration maybe? It's gotta help somehow.) It's so funny watching her experiment and learn how her body works.  Some days I miss my tiny, helpless little baby.  But I'm enjoying this energetic little girl that is ours to keep forever!

Sick Little Girl

Yesterday I had a very sick little munchkin.  She was fine all morning, went for her nap fine, but got all snuggly in the afternoon.  So, I enjoyed snuggling her on the couch for pretty much all of the afternoon/early evening.  She had a bit of a temp, and I could tell she wasn't quite herself. She was a little shaky and weak when she would get up.  Around 8:00 she jumped off the couch in search of her water and took a few big gulps, then came back to snuggle.  Within seconds of pulling her back onto my chest, the puking began.  I was in shock! I didn't know what to do as the waterfall of chicken nuggets and cheese chunks was spewing my way.  Feeling a little nauseous myself, it wasn't a pretty sight.  I did however manage only to gag and make funny noises.  No puking for me.  We ran for the bathroom, stripped down as fast as we could and tried to get rid of the slime and smell.  Yuck, yuck, YUCK! 

I can still smell it on me as I type, and I scrubbed with soap.  Daddy came home in the nick of time and was able to take over snuggling the kiddo so I could clean up and get some wash in the washer.  She went down to bed after daddy snuggled her for a bit and then he ran to McDonalds for some dinner. 

I think today is a great PJ day.  I was up almost every hour last night and alternated between snuggling her in bed, and then putting her in her crib when she started sitting up too much, or snuggling her in the room when she was crying.... Oiy. It's been a while since I've been awake that often in one night. We will be relaxing and recovering today so that we can enjoy our long weekend and my mums yummy dressing!!

Baby Bump

I love baby bump pictures. All throughout my pregnancy with Camilla I took bump pictures.  I enjoyed watching my belly grow because it meant I was getting closer to meeting our little baby.  Although the being sick part isn't so fun, there are so many other things that I enjoy about being pregnant, and taking baby bump pictures is one of them.  I'm excited for our next ultrasound, I look forward to hearing the heart beat, I looked forward to the first kick and feeling some movement, and I look forward to holding #2 in my arms.  Being a mother is truly an amazing gift.

Mr. Stannix looked at me the other day when we were driving home and said "I think 6 is the perfect number of kids".  I turned and looked back at him and said "Really? I think 9 would be perfect!".  Who knows how many kids we'll actually have, but in my books, the more the merrier.

My Great Gramma Hudkins used to say "If there's room in the heart, there's room in the home." And I love that.