Rain, Rain Go Away

Today is yet ANOTHER rainy day. I went downstairs this morning to throw in some laundry and noticed our basement floor was soaking wet. If the rain doesn't let up soon, I fear for the safety of our cardboard boxes downstairs! I moved as many as I could to higher ground (on top of chairs/shelves). I can't stand all of the spider webs down there, it gives me the creeps, especially when they get stuck on my face. 

The kiddos and I passed the morning transforming our livingroom into a fort and playing in it! Camilla has enjoyed watching a movie from her fort, eating in her fort, and snuggling her baby. It was so fun! I felt like a kid again. We made awesome forts growing up and my Mum would let us leave them up for days. The one we made today isn't super impressive, but you don't need much to impress an almost-two-year-old. After pictures I added a door to make it dark and cozy inside, and we filled it with pillows and blankets. We will continue to let our imaginations wander this afternoon. Maybe our fort will become a rocket ship and take us to the moon! I'm sure Camilla will come up with something wonderful!

It's big enough for three!!

The munchkins chilling together in the fort

Camilla snuggling her doll!

 Uncle Arland even came by to check it out!
They watched Brother Bear.
(Yes, my kid is picking her nose...)

Look at this handsome boy!!

Enjoy your rainy day!

Happy Fathers Day

Happy Fathers Day to our favorite Daddy! I knew when I met Mr. Stannix that he would be a wonderful Father. He was amazing with children, and also amazing with older teenagers. He is good at communicating with them and loving them. Now that we have two children of our own I see more of his amazing skills shine through. He is so patient with them both and loves them so much. Almost everynight when we are going to bed he will say, speaking of Camilla, "Man, I love her!" That makes me happy. He is so good at making Camilla laugh and he is the apple of her eye. There is something special about the relationship between Father and Daughter. Hyrum loves his Daddy too and will smile at him all day long. It's cute to watch. 

I am so lucky to have married such an amazing man! He works very hard every day to provide for us and finish his education. Even after a long day at work he will come home and help with the kiddos and almost always does my dishes after dinner. My heart melts when he reads Camilla bedtime stories and I fall more and more in love with him. I am so glad to have such a worthy priesthood holder in my home. He makes me laugh on a daily basis and makes me feel loved.  When he grabs my hand with his strong hand, I can feel safe and warm. He knows exactly what I need almost all the time and is a fabulous listener. He is my best friend!

Thanks for all you do for us Sweetheart! We love you!!

Silly Suzy Goose

Today is yet another rainy day. Camilla doesn't do so well with being stuck inside all day. She gets bored really easily, and then ends up coloring murals on my wall with blue crayon, or this...

 Yes, that is definitely bum cream. I was busy with something and she said "Look Mum, lip stuff". I thought she was just playing with a crayon and pretending to paint it on her lips like she usually does. I looked over at her a few minutes later and she was licking bum cream off her face.

Today, I am trying to keep her busy. We spent the morning reading books and cleaning the kids' bedroom. Hyrum was fussy, so I plopped him on the couch beside her and she read to him too! It was cute. She's such a good big sister. Her most favorite book in the whole world is "Silly Suzy Goose" and she requests it every nap time and bedtime. She has it memorized, and sometimes I will hear her reading it out loud after we have put her to bed. I think I may buy a "good copy" as a keepsake for her later on.

I was luck enough to catch a few videos of her reading some books to Hyrum and I thought I would share.

"One day Suzy Goose looked around. She was JUUUST like everybody else. I wish I could be different she thought. If I were a bat, I would flap my wings. If I were a Toucan, I would make a SQUAK. If I were a penguin I would slip and slide."  

Then the pages got stuck and she couldn't find the giraff (which she knows is next) so she skipped to the end.

"All the way back to the others, just in time. PERHAA-APS it is better to be just like everyone else. ROARHONK said Suzy Goose. ALL done!"

Dancing in the Rain

Yesterday it rained again.We still ventured out (by car) to the library for some morning fun. It was good. We came home and had lunch, and then Camilla went for a nap. When she woke up she was dying to get outside! When Hyrum went down for his nap, I pulled out the umbrella and her rubber boots and we went out to the front yard to dance in the rain. She sang songs, splashed in puddles and caught rain drops on her tongue. I enjoyed the fresh smell of the rain as the drops landed on my face. It was so refreshing and wonderful. We stood under the umbrella for a while watching cars go by and talking to each other. I was filled with so much joy! All of the difficult moments of the day seemed to disappear as I laughed with my little girl on the front lawn. We came in soaking wet, but our hearts were warm with laughter. Sometimes I wish I was a kid again, and then remember that I can still splash in puddles and dance in the rain with my own kids, and I am happy.

Morning Smiles

 

Hyrum is such a good little boy! Lately, I've been enjoying his little smiles and coos. He loves attention and loves to talk to us. At night, he will sleep 4-5 hours in a row for the first stretch, then 2-3 and then maybe another hour.  He usually wakes up around 2:30 AM for his first feed of the night, and then again around 5:00 AM. Then around 6:30 AM he wakes up when Camilla walks across the creeky hardwood floor and into our room for a snuggle. Usually, I can feed him, and then he goes back to sleep while I get breakfast and pack Mr. Stannix's lunch.  It's perfect. 

I have recently discovered though that Hyrum is a morning person, or so it seems. When I go to his crib at 5:00AM he is usually flailing his arms, grunting and cooing. I pick him up and snuggle him in close and then we go to the change table for a fresh diaper. As soon as I lay him down he gets all excited! He will look straight up at me and his mouth will make the funniest shapes as he smiles and grins away excitedly. Today I was able to catch a few of those melt-my-heart little grins on camera.This kid seriously cracks me up. 

I read a lot of stuff when Camilla was little about not making eye contact or talking to your babies at night to help them differentiate between night and day. With Hyrums little looks, I can't help but smile back at him and pause the diaper change for a quick chat. He just eats it up, and flashes more of his handsome grins.  It's kind of a special moment that we share together every morning. He really is a sweet little boy!

Although I'm sad to be leaving the "newborn" stage, I am excited for this next stage. I'm excited for all the smiles and giggles that are to come! I am excited that he is already communicating with us through his expressions and with his little voice. He is gaining better control of his motor skills and his arms don't flail and shake quite as much as before. He likes to grab and hold onto our fingers, my hair, or the front of our shirts while he snuggles. He still loves to be swaddled up and snuggled tight.

 ***

On a side note, today is another rainy day. Last night, Mr. Stannix and I snuggled in bed to the sound of rain and a cool breeze coming in through our opened window. There is nothing better then listening to the sound of rain as your falling asleep (except maybe being snuggled in with the Mr. while listening to the sound of rain). When we woke up this morning our room smelled fresh and lovely and the rain was still falling outside. I have dubbed it a sweatpants day and I think the kiddos and I will snuggle up together on the couch and watch movies this afternoon. We might even still hit up the library for sing-sign, but I think we'll drive this time!

Of Things that Matter Most

"If life and its rushed pace and many stresses have made it difficult for you to feel like rejoicing, then perhaps now is a good time to refocus on what matters most."

Watching this video "Moments that Matter Most" have put a lot of things into perspective for me today. The video actually gave me goosebumps and I thought it was really well done. It was a great reminder of the things that matter most to me, and special moments that I never want to forget. 

"Moments are the molecules that make up eternity".

~Elder Neal A. Maxwell

I find these special moments in my Children's smiles, in playing at the park, in blowing bubbles with Camilla, in the pure sound of joy that comes from my children's laughter. I find these moments as I recall my temple marriage where I was sealed to the man I love for time and all eternity. I can find these moments in sweet kisses from Mr. Stannix. I find these moments as I take time to hug my children and read to them and tell them that I love them, or tuck them in tight at night. These special moments shine through as I spend time with my family and listen to their hopes and dreams. I find these moments in the sweet giggle of a little baby. I find these moments in the fresh smell of rain after a hot day, or splashing in puddles with my little girl. I find these moments in crisp Autumn air and listening to the leaves crunch under my feet. These moments appear in building snow men, skating around a rink under a blue sky, and snowball fights. I find these moments as I watch my sweet angel children sleep in their beds in their streetlight lit room with tiny grins on their round little faces, knowing that they are fully content. I find these moments with I slow down and take the time to look for them in my life.

"It's not so much major events as the small day to day decisions that map the course of living ".

~President Gordon B. Hinckley

It's not the big things we do, but daily decisions that help us focus on what matters most. The decision to hug our children, or tell them we love them. The decision to hold family prayer and scripture study. The decision to build our relationship with the savior. The decision to not get angry when little things go wrong or there's a mess to be cleaned up. The decision to listen to our little children when they talk to us and gaze into their little eyes. These are some of the things that matter most.

It's hard to appreciate these moments in the busy lives we lead, but life is so much more full and rich when we take the time to think about these precious moments. We truly do have reason to rejoice.

Our Little Trolls

Bathing the kiddos last night was just too much fun! Hyrum needs to grow some more hair though before he can fully sport the troll hair. I am in love with the little bit he does have though. Camilla helped me bath him in his little tub and had a lot of fun. She was able to get his diaper and jammies ready for me. She's such a great big sister.

Camilla has been saying the funniest things to me lately! Yesterday when she was heading out onto the deck with her baby she said "Bye!" I said, "See ya soon!" and she said, "Dive Saaaafe" (drive safe). I guess she's heard us say it so many times to our friends and family as they leave our home. She's very polite and lately her favorite word is "Danx" (thanks). I will get something for her, or help her and she will say "Oh....danx". Her other favorite saying is "Look! I peed-a potty!!" She also loves to help set the table and will say "One-a Mommys...One-a Daddys...One-a Mana (Camilla)" as she places the forks at each spot. It's super cute to watch! She will repeat anything that we say with a smile. Today I was talking to Hyrum and she started copying me in her little voice, "Watcha doin' Hyrums?!" (because she adds an 'S' to everything). Last night at the dinner table, she asked for help, so I fed her a bite of dinner and she said "Danx hunny". It was THE cutest thing ever and Mr. Stannix and I laughed out loud. She must hear us call each other 'hunny'. It's so fun to listen to her chat away all day to her baby brother or her baby dolls. She sounds so grown up.

Spitting Grass Clippings

This morning, Camilla wanted to go out on the deck to play. I unlocked the sliding door so that she could go in and out. I continued tidying up and doing what I was doing. I noticed her sneak passed with her little car and take it outside. Normally, I don't allow this because our deck has no railing and I'm scared to death that she'll ride it off the edge. Sure enough...A few minutes later I hear her crying and go outside to find her struggling to her feet. I look at the overturned car, the face down dolly and my little girl who has now made it to a standing position. I step off the edge, give her a hug and wipe the grass clippings off her shirt. She settles down and then tries to get the grass clippings out of her mouth by wiping her tongue and spitting. Although I felt badly for her, I couldn't help but let out a little giggle at the sight. Crash and burn, with a mouth full of grass to add to the humorous situation. Nothing is bruised or broken and she was fine like 10 seconds after it happened. I'm still not sure if she was just pushing her dolly around on the car and then went down after them, or if she was riding on it herself. Earlier this morning she was out playing on the deck with her dollies and I ran in to answer the phone and take the cookies out of the oven. I went back out two minutes later and she was GONE! I made a loop around our house, while talking to a friend on the phone and she was no where in sight. I told my friend I'd call her after I found my kid. I called her name and looped again around the house and she was no where to be seen. I was freaked out and thought someone had kidnapped her off our back deck or something! Seriously! I went in the house and called her name and heard no response. Then I heard her coming down the stairs. No idea how she snuck passed me in the kitchen, but she did. Thank-goodness she was inside. I suppose I need to step up my motherly duty of supervision.

Focusing on Similarities

It's natural, when you have a second child, to focus on the differences between the two. Lately, we have found a lot of joy in focusing on the similarities. When Camilla was first born, people would look at Camilla and say how much she looked like her Daddy, or how she has his forehead, or how she has my eyes and chubby cheeks. When Hyrum was first born, people would say how he has his Nana's chin and lips, or his Grampa's mouth and ears, or the Hudkins' nose, or his Mommy's eyes, or his great-grampa's hair line (just kidding). Mr. Stannix and I have found joy in comparing baby pictures of Camilla and Hyrum and noticing their similar features. They have similar little chins that get lost in their neck rolls when they tilt their heads down. They have identical colored eyes and similar forehead shapes. Sometimes Hyrum will make certain faces and look exactly like his Uncle Arland did when he was a baby. It's interesting how focusing on the similarities within a family can unify us and bring us so much joy. Not only does it bring joy to our little family, but also our extended family.

The Farmer's Market

Today when we woke up, we opened all the windows. The air smelled so fresh! We had our first thunder/lighting storm last night and it was LOUD! We decided to check out the Farmer's Market with some friends this morning! It was a lot of fun!

It brought back a lot of memories of growing up in a small town. I love going to things like this and just walking around and taking it all in.

We walked up and down all of the aisles and taste tested a bunch of different things. This pasta and sauce was amazing! It was so fun!

Camilla spent the majority of her time getting shoulder rides from Daddy, Jessica or Taylor. When we let her down to walk she would run ahead with confidence, dodging people as she walked. When I saw these lillies I couldn't resist buying a pot for my kitchen table! They are my absolute favorite flower and they were so gorgeous! Thanks to Mr. Stannix for actually convincing me to buy them. I was so excited to learn that they come back year after year. I think I will put them in a big planter outside eventually so that I can always have them.

I had to get a shot of Camilla with her two favorite people!

On the way home we stopped at 7-11 for a slurpee. Camilla ended up stealing and drinking most of mine. It was almost as big as she is!! Daddy mowed the lawn while we sat on the deck, soaked up the sun and blew bubbles. 

And finally, a picture of our little man who is growing and changing so much!

Last night as we lay in bed listening to the thunder storm and the rain pounding on the window, I was telling Mr. Stannix how I wish time would slow down. I feel like I haven't had the opportunity to enjoy him as much as I was able to do with Camilla just because of having to split my attention between the two of them. I wish I had more time, just me and him so that I could get to know all sides of my little boy and start to peek into his personality. He's already a month and a half old and I feel like he was just born yesterday. I want time to slow down!