Sleigh Ride

It's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you.....

Today, Camilla and I went out and played in the backyard.  I took her sleigh out for the first time to pull her around.  She had a blast! I got very wet shoes.  

Note to self: Get winter boots from parents house

She was laughing like crazy! It was so much fun! 

She eventually wanted out to explore...

She found a fun soccer ball to play with for a bit, then she got tired.

I thought maybe she was ready to go in for nap time...

Boy was I wrong!! She wasn't even undressed yet and she was already truckin' up the stairs determined to get back outside.

As I blog, I am listening to some Alvin & The Chipmunks Christmas tunes. Brings back memories from my childhood! I love Christmas music and the excitement it brings! What a fabulous season! We missed starting our advent calendars yesterday.  Looks like we get two chocolates today!!

Birthday Bash

Okay, so it wasn't much of a "Bash" but we did have a lot of fun! I love making birthday's special. Growing up we used to get to pick what we wanted mum to make for dinner and then we'd always have the traditional birthday cake (angel food and sea foam icing).  We got to pick the color of the icing, and that was a treat! For Mike's birthday he picked pulled chicken on french bread for dinner.  It's his fav, and I couldn't complain because it's super easy and delicious! As far as the cake went, anything chocolate was a go.  Camilla and I spent the day preparing! She was a super great helper, er, well, great at licking the beaters and stuff like that... She wouldn't give it up, even after all the icing had disappeared!  My brother also helped us out!

On a side note:

I had a dream last night, and in my dream, Camilla smiled at me and her poor two bottom teeth were all rotten and yellow and cracked and funky looking! Probably sub consciously I was feeling guilty for letting her share my frootloops that morning AND lick a whole beater of sugary icing, and not brush her teeth that night (I forgot). Any ways, I was glad her see her pearly whites smiling up at me this morning from her crib! 

This year, I tried really hard to make a decent looking cake. I looked at pictures from last year and there was jam oozing out the middle and down the edges.  That's not supposed to happen.  This years cake was much more of a success with chocolate buttercream frosting and strawberry syrup drizzled over shaved chocolate.  The skor ice cream really topped it all off!

After dinner, we had to wait a bit, and then we enjoyed some cake and ice cream. Camilla super enjoyed it!! Mike opened presents and we all visited.  It was fabulous!  To end the night, we watched a few episodes of "Lost"...We're hooked..

I am super excited that it's FINALLY December! I can't wait to set up the tree and bust out the decorations. This is my favorite time of the year.

1/4 of a Century

Just wanted to wish my Mr. Stannix a very happy 25th Birthday!

My goal for this year: Take more pictures of JUST Mr. Stannix!

(I couldn't find any for this post!)

25 Reasons Why I love you

1. You make me feel safe  2. You make me laugh  3. You're a fabulous dad  4. You're okay with me cutting your hair  5. You like to listen to the same cheesy love songs I do  6. The way you look at me with that twinkle in your eye  7. You comfort me when I need it most  8. You realize how important family is to me  9. You understand me more than probably anyone else does  10. I love the smell of your cologne, it reminds me of when we were dating  11. We have the worlds longest hugs  12. You're a great dancer (even solo!)  13. We have way too much fun together  14. You can make Camilla laugh like crazy  15. The gospel is important to you  16. You're okay with having a "well lived in" house because Camilla is happy  17. You make me want to be a better person  18. You loved your mission  19. Your cheesy humor (yes, I do love it!)  20. Your singing (haha)  21. Your never failing patience  22. The way we can laugh together when something goes wrong (most of the time)   23. You get up super early every morning and work super hard at school so that you can support our family  24. Your determination and love for life  25. The way you plan things out

Our Favorite Fire Fighter!

Yesterday we went to the fire hall to visit our favorite fire fighter! 

Camilla had fun checking out the fire trucks!

Camilla and Daddy

Uncle Mike tried to put his fire fighter hat on Camilla, but she kept ducking out from under it. 

Then we sat in the truck and listened to Uncle Mike tell some intense stories about driving to fight a fire!

It was pretty neat to see the inside and watch all the lights blink.  We also checked out this heat sensor thing that they use to see how hot the fire is/walls are. We got to see all the cool tools on the truck and what they use them for.

Uncle Mike even called dispatch and got them to do a special "Fake call" for us so we could see/hear what goes on. He was a fabulous tour guide! We got to see the workout room, the sitting room, and the kitchen.

My brother Arland came along as well to check out where his bro works! He even got to try on a uniform.

Camilla got a nifty coloring/activity book with stickers. She quite enjoyed herself!

We finished our tour off back with the trucks and Camilla got a picture with her favorite fire fighter! I love the look on her face in this picture, so proud! We had a great tour! So neat to see the inside of a fire hall and what goes on! Thanks Uncle Mike!

Baking Day!

Today has been a pretty fun day! This morning we went over to our neighbors house to play with the kids and bake some cookies for an awesome center piece.  We got up, cuddled on the couch for a bit, watched cartoons, had some breakfast and then got all dressed and ready to go.  I thought it would be fun to put Camilla's hair in pig tails today.  She looks SO grown up!! It's adorable. Our little toddler....

She sat on the bathroom counter and played quietly with her tooth brush while I brushed and did her hair.  It worked out fabulous! The other plus about them being closer to the back of her head is that she doesn't really know they are there.  She doesn't pull them out like she does her clips or pony tails. 

This is the fancy center piece (Camilla really wanted the baby star on the top to eat!). It was my neighbors idea.  I haven't had time to decorate the cookies yet, but you're supposed to decorate them and then stack them and it looks like a Christmas tree.  You can make it with Rice Krispies and even Jello! They look pretty neat.  The best part is, after dinner, you can eat it for dessert!!  Pretty excited to finish it and have some one over for dinner. 

This afternoon we are heading to Uncle Mike's fire hall to visit him at work and look at the big fire trucks! It will be pretty fun! 

Toot-a-loo!

Sun and Snow!

Today the thermometer said it was only -2 outside! Mr. Stannix e-mailed me when he got to school and said it was a beautiful day to take Camilla outside.  

We found her snow pants, put on some socks, zipped up her jacket and found a nice warm hat.

She sat out on the bottom step and waited for me to put her boots on and then climbed up the stairs to the back door.  She couldn't wait! She was happy to get out and play in the snow!

I shoveled the walks with my "shadow" not far behind me clunking around in her big snow boots. It was beautiful outside! I almost felt like taking off my jacket and just wearing a sweater! 

The sun was shining bright and we had fun!

Camilla only ventured out into the deep snow a couple of times.  Mostly, she just stayed on the side walk and played.  Near the end she enjoyed sitting down in the fluffy white stuff and then even was brave enough to lay in it!

We made a fabulous Camilla snow angel.  She liked waving her arms around and kicking her feet! She kept laying in the same spot and doing it all over again.  It was pretty funny! 

Before she got tired, she was loving running up and down the freshly shoveled walks.  She would go all the way to the end, and I would watch her from the front step.  She would then say "DOH!" (which is "GO!") so I would say, "Ready, set GO!" and she would take off running down the walk.  She had too much fun!

After about an hour of taking in some fresh air and feeling the warm sun on our faces, it was time to go in.  The chicken noodle soup is almost ready and I think today I am going to make it the same way I used to get it growing up, with a scrambled egg and some soya sauce.  Nothing better than a hot bowl of soup for lunch on a winter day.  Then it will be nap time and tidy-up-the-house time. 

One more month until Christmas! I can hardly wait!

Sneak Peek

Me as Dobby, and "My Wheezy"

Mr. Stannix will definitely post an update about our fabulous party, but here's one pic from our awesome night! Sadly, there has been very little blogging lately.  A nasty flu hit our house on Monday night and I am still recovering.  I wasn't able to eat for over 24 hours.  I was really worried about the baby in that time because, well, pretty sure it isn't good to go that long without food when you're pregnant.  Mr. Stannix came home yesterday and sent me to bed.  I gladly obliged.  He took care of cleaning up the house (which included my mount everest of dishes) and putting our baby happily to bed.  What a great husband I have.  I woke up to grab a freezie because I was starving and super thirsty.  We snuggled a bit on the couch to transformers but sadly weren't able to finish it.  We both were early to bed, and Mr. Stannix caught the dang bug in the middle of the night.  Luckily, he made a speedier recovery than me, and was off to school this afternoon for his classes. My body ached all night and my back has never been more sore.  I didn't get a whole lotta sleep until I moved to the couch early this morning.  This is one nasty bug I wouldn't wish on anyone.

Kept some chicken soup down at lunch and am taking it very easy today.  Here's hoping tomorrow is a way better day!!

A Slow Morning

We've had a super busy weekend as you may be able to tell by the picture.  Camilla looked absolutely zoned out and tired at breakfast this morning.  I don't know where she found her hat, or why she is wearing it like that (and at breakfast for that matter) but it totally looked hilarious. She was just super tired this morning, we were all a little slow getting going and off to church.

This last Friday evening we had a huge Harry Potter party with a bunch of great friends! It was a lot of fun, and we have pictures of everyone dressed up that we'll share in a later post.  (I think Mr. Stannix is planning on doing a little write up..)

On Friday we ran errands in preparation for our party and enjoyed a few special moments.  First, my brother babysat Camilla while we made a Costco run.  We took advantage of being kid-less and made it into a Hot Dog date.  Costco has a delicious Hot Dog/Drink Combo for cheap cheap.  That was our date.  Next, we enjoyed holding hands as we crossed the Wal-Mart parking lot to pick up some odds and ends.  Although those may sound like simple things, they really were special to us!!

The Orange Box

Camilla went through our recycling today and found her new favorite toy, an orange box.  She's been playing with it all afternoon.  Putting things in it, closing the lid, carrying it around, opening the lid, sorting things into it, putting it in different places.  It's been fun to watch her! Who knew something so simple could entertain for so long! Maybe, for Christmas, I'll just wrap up a bunch of boxes for her!! Just Kidding. 

Meanwhile, we've had a frustrating electrical difficulty since breakfast.  Apparently the grill, microwave and toaster can't all be plugged in at the same time, even if you aren't even using the microwave... I've tried every breaker and none of them will turn it back on.  How frustrating! The poor people upstairs are going to have to reset everything when they get home.  My bad. Other than trying to fix that, I've been making preparations for our Harry Potter Party tomorrow night!! Last night Mr. Stannix and I made up some Butterbeer (non-alcoholic of course) to make sure it would work and it was stinkin' delicious! Camilla has been chilling with me, helping me clean here and there and picking up her toys, and of course, playing with her awesome orange box!

Our Big Girl

When I took the camera out at lunch to snap this picture, Camilla looked right at it with the most hilarious grin and said "cheeeeese"! It was adorable. 

We have recently gotten rid of the tray on her high chair and pulled her right up to the table with us to eat.  She enjoys this much more than being in her own little space and loves being a part of everything. 

Camilla has also recently started nodding her head yes to things.  It's her new favorite thing to do.  It's the cutest thing to watch. She is now understanding the difference between yes and no.  I asked her if her lunch was yummy and she nodded her head dramatically. She also likes to nod when she chews.  Quite funny.  Today she learned how to touch her belly and say "full" when she's all finished eating.  Or I will ask her if she wants more, and she will shake her head and say "no". 

It's so exciting to watch her learn all these new things, but also, sad.  It makes me miss my tiny little girl.  She's so grown up now and independent! Yesterday she even started telling me what she wants to eat.  At breakfast she said something that sounded like grape, so she had some grapes.  Then a few minutes later, she wondered over to the table, stood on her tip toes to look on top and saw the strawberries (which she loves) and said "stawb".  I'm enjoying the fact that I can understand her and that she is learning to communicate so well. 

When she dirties her diaper she tells me right away (sometimes even before she does it).  "Po-Po" and she'll start heading to her room for a bum change.  I just can't believe how grown up she is now!!

Anyways, just a quick update on the kiddo! I'm off to eat my lunch and start a baby blanket!