Elder Hudkins Reports

Today my little brother left on a plane to the MTC. A few of us were able to go and see him off at the airport this morning. It was a neat experience for us all! We love him and are going to miss him so so much!

We snapped some pictures while we were waiting with him in the airport.

Finally, a lady came and said it was time for him to board, which meant it was time to say good-bye.

Farewell little brother! We will miss you!

He then made his way to the customs door, and walked through without looking back.

He is looking forward to a two year mission full of wonderful experiences!

Farewell Little Brother

Playing pool for the last time with Cami Jean!

My little brother is leaving on Tuesday to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Santiago Chile. I am so proud of him! On Sunday we enjoyed a "farewell" of sorts gathered with friends and family. Arland spoke in Church about the importance of living worthy. It was a great talk. We enjoyed a BBQ with friends and family in the afternoon complete with laughter and a few games of pool (mostly just one game that "never ends, it just goes on and on my friends"). 

By far, my favorite part was being able to have a member of the Stake Presidency in my parent's home that night to set my little brother apart as a missionary. For the next two years he will be known as Elder Hudkins. What a special experience, one that I want to record in my own journal so that I'll never forget it. I'm pretty sure everyone's eyes were wet as we felt of the special spirit that night. There was no kleenex, so a roll of toilet paper was passed around the circle of chairs in the living room to blow noses and dry tears. What a special day. I am so proud of my little brother and the choices that he has made to bring him to this point in his life! I'm so excited to watch him learn and grow as he serves the Lord and the people of Chile. We will see him off on Tuesday at the airport.

Happy Anniversary

 

 3 years

2 kids

3 houses

1 really old car

Countless memories

Happy anniversary to my Mr. Stannix.

I'm so glad you're mine forever!

Weekend Recap

This weekend was fabulous! Mr. Stannix had Friday off because we were heading home. We stayed at our dear friends' place on Friday night. After we put all of our kiddos to bed we enjoyed good conversation, Lost, homemade slush, and blueberry pie with ice cream. 

Hyrum loves his Daddy so much!

Homemade rhubarb slush and ginger ale.

After a few good episodes of Lost, it was time for bed. The Daddy's had to move Camilla out of the bedroom and into the living room with us. I watched as the mattress was carefully tipped to fit through the doorway and wondered where Camilla was. Lo and behold, she was still zonked out on the mattress. The Daddy's had to try really hard to contain their laughter as they carried her the rest of the way into the living room. Of course, it made the best picture!!

On Saturday, we went to the acreage and visited with all of the family that was up for my little brothers farewell. Because it was our anniversary, Mr. Stannix made some secret plans. I fed our little man and got all dressed up so we could head to Boston Pizza for dessert. Mr. Stannix grabbed my hand and we walked right passed the car and out to the apple orchard where I was greeted by a dessert picnic!

I was super surprised and excited! We sat and enjoyed a glass of sparkling juice and talked about the lovely three years we've had together.

Mr. Stannix looked very handsome as per usual!! Sadly, the clouds rolled in and our picnic got rained out.

We finished off our lovely date by hiding in the pool room. We enjoyed our dessert with candles and quiet. Mr. Stannix and I exchanged cards and lots of "I love you's". It was super special! We then enjoyed spending time with aunts and uncles and playing games.

A Hot Summer Day

Yesterday afternoon brought this.

There's something about a naked baby wrapped in a blanket that is just so sweet. 

Especially when they wake up from an afternoon nap full of smiles.

I am in love with his soft skin and his little arm rolls.

When Daddy Comes Home

We're so glad when Daddy comes home!

Five O'Clock in the afternoon is an exciting time in the Stannix home. We watch for Daddy's bus from the couch in the livingroom. We blow Daddy kisses as he comes up the walk. Camilla runs to the door excitedly and greets Daddy with hugs and kisses. I get to smooch Mr. Stannix after his long day of work, and he pulls me in close for a tight squeeze. Then, Daddy usually has tickle/cuddle sessions with the kiddos. Hyrum was so happy to see his Daddy yesterday that he couldn't stop smiling. I'm so glad my children have a Daddy like Mr. Stannix.

Yesterday around dinner time, our friend noticed that Camilla's left leg was swollen, tight and hot below the knee. She had been complaining a bit about it all day, but I thought it was just the bug bite below the knee. I bathed her before bed, hoping it would help the swelling. She went to bed okay, but I was worried. I called Health Link at 11:00PM after examining her swollen, hot leg and chubby swollen feet. The nurse on the phone said I needed to be upstairs with Camilla while I answered questions. I was worried I would wake up Hyrum in the process, so I brought up a flashlight so I could see Camilla. She was still sort of awake when I went up. While I checked out her leg and talked with the nurse, Camilla and I made shadow puppets on the wall of her bedroom.

It kept her occupied while I finished up on the phone. She was super cute. The nurse kept hearing her talking and said to me a few times how sweet her voice is. After a half hour conversation, I was told not to worry and it was probably just a super big reaction to the bug bite she acquired earlier that day. Just as I crawled into bed, the phone rang and it was the nurse again. She said she was just thinking and wondered if the scab under her knee was an infection. I told her it was just a bug bit that had been itched off and thanked her for checking. I was super impressed that she phoned back. I love Health Link.

No Shame

Camilla likes to dig for "Boo-doos" in her nose. 

She makes sure that when she gets a good one she shows us all.

"Look! A Booo-doo!"

Then she likes to wipe it on my pants.

It's pretty gross.

One day I related the story to Mr. Stannix.

We both laughed.

Camilla was listening.

Now, whenever I try to take a picture of her, it turns out like above.

This child of mine has no shame.

Ah, the life of a Mother....

Lunch on the Deck

Finally, a beautiful day!! Camilla was outside on the deck playing at 8:00am this morning. She couldn't wait to get out in the glorious sunshine and play under the blue blue sky. Every time I look at pictures of her, I can't help but think about how fast time is going by! She looks so grown up in all of her summer pictures this year and I'm starting to miss my chubby fingered, toothless little girl! She is oh so much fun though. I love the sweet things she says and I love her imagination!

We ate lunch out on the deck today just to make sure we are soaking up every ounce of sun before the rain comes again. It was a lot of fun to be with the kiddos. We were missing Daddy a lot though! This picture of my kiddos and I is my new favorite! I love being at home and being able to spend time with them all day long. They bring me such joy!

After lunch we went to the park. It was really fun, except that Camilla was tired and it was nap time. We stayed for a good hour, most of which Camilla enjoyed the swings. "Higher Mommy, higher!" is all I heard. After the park we came home for a snack and naps. We enjoyed strawberries and sugar out on the deck. The rays of the sun shining through the leaves and casting a slight shadow on the back deck. The cool breeze made it just perfect!

Camilla is super testing my patience this afternoon. She dumped a whole glass of water on the kitchen floor and then started splashing in it. We had a chat and cleaned it up. Not even five minutes later, her chocolate milk was dumped on the floor, purposely, right in front of me. After that, I decided it was definitely nap time, and we went up and read a story.

The rain filled up all of Camilla's sand buckets to the brim. I think we'll go splash around and play with them when she wakes up! Now that my little boy is asleep, I think I might go close my eyes on the couch for a while!

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!!