I Do Adore

I adore my little girl! Every time I here this  one song by Mindy Gledhill I think of my sweet Camilla. Every little thing she does I do adore. She's such a sweetheart. She will always give hugs when she sees the need, or just because. I love when she plays with her little brother and makes him giggle while I make dinner. I love her little voice and the way she says please and thank-you. I love it when she sings her nursery songs, or tells me about her day. I love her sweet kisses and the way she jumps into our bed for morning snuggles. I love reading bedtime stories with her. The new favorite is "Green Eggs and Ham" and it has been requested the last three nights. I love how she expresses herself with words like amazing, and other words that are huge for her two year old vocabulary. I love that when I take her shopping she touches everything and says, "This is pretty cute Mum!" I love how excited she gets to go grocery shopping with me. It is one of my favorite things to do and I'm glad we share this same love. I adore her bright blue, sparkly eyes and the energy that she shares with all around her. She's amazing!

 Lately, she has been very challenging, and we've had lots of time-outs, but it's the sweet little moments that we share together that make it all worth it. On our way out to Gramma and Grampa's last week her and I sang along to our favorite song together. She asked me to play it over three times. On the way home with Auntie Emma, it came on the playlist again and we were able to get a video of Camilla singing. After the song was over, she said, "press play again? Puppy love song?". I couldn't resist. We listened to it a couple more times and it made me giggle each time! Here's the video...

My dear Camilla, every little thing you do I do adore!

Singing in a Coffee Shop

I woke up this morning with a pounding headache and wondered how I would make it out of bed and downstairs. I have been wrestling with a cough that has turned into a serious headache, stuffy nose, and earache. The morning went relatively well, thanks to my sister who helped me out with the children. After a giant bowl of chicken noodle soup, my earache subsided enough to carry on with the appointments of the afternoon. Camilla had her first eye exam. We left a little too early and had to kill some time. We found a cute little coffee shop on 112th Ave and my sister bought me a steamer. It definitely cheered me up!

What made me giggle though is while Camilla and I were waiting on these nifty leather chairs, she broke out into her own, very loud, chorus of "I Am a Child of God". 

"I am a chide of God, he's sent me heeeere..."

After she completed the whole first verse, the lady at the table on her laptop turned around and let out a quiet giggle while Camilla started again. I smiled proudly at my little girl as my face turned a nice shade of pink in embarrassment. This was a very quiet coffee shop, but my little girl shouted her little testimony from the rooftops!

Camilla's eyes are great (not that I was worried). She did a good job at looking for the hot air balloon in the machine while they took pictures. She then saw the optometrist and named all the black and white animals she saw on the wall as he changed the pictures with his remote. When she was done she got a yellow sucker.  She also took some pictures with Auntie Emma today and I am in love with them!

I spent the afternoon putting away groceries and making dinner. Homemade cream of chicken soup and Mum's biscuits were exactly what the doctor ordered. Camilla wasn't so much a fan. While I did the dishes she sat in her chair for probably close to a half hour making siren noises out of boredom. I giggled to myself as I did dishes and let her do her thing. My sister and I reminisced about having to sit at the table when we were little until we finished our dinner. 

After the kitchen was cleaned up, the kids went for baths. I made it a nice warm bubble bath. Hyrum was loving it. He would kick and splash his little heart out. I made it just a little too deep though and the poor boy swallowed some bubbles. I am positive he will be burping them up tonight.

Time Out

Saturday morning came early, too early for me. Mr. Stannix was up and showered before I woke up.  I stayed cozy in bed as I listened to Hyrum coo and screech in delight from is crib. Mr. Stannix quietly came up the creeky stairs to kiss me good-bye before he left. He had a course all weekend and I was going to be all alone with the children. He sat on the edge of the bed and bent down to kiss my forehead. He apologized for leaving me with a boring Saturday.  Suddenly I blurted out that I was thinking of going 'Home' for the weekend to see my Mum and take a time out from city life. Mr. Stannix smiled at me, "Whatever you decide sweetie, I'll take my house keys just incase." I really don't like leaving Mr. Stannix, but I needed a break after the long, crazy week. Before he went downstairs to leave, he brought Hyrum in and snuggled him into bed with me. Soon I heard Camilla's little feet on the hardwood and she joined me for morning snuggles. As he went downstairs he said, "If you do decide to go, make sure you drive safe." I debated to go or not to go for the longest time and finally came to the conclusion that Mr. Stannix was going to be gone for most of the weekend anyways. As I got up and made the bed, I began setting out clothes to pack without even thinking. That settled it. I made some porridge for breakfast and spoon fed my little man some rice cereal. I whipped up a big pot of chilli and some homemade buns for Mr. Stannix. I know how he hates to cook and I wanted him to be taken care of while I was gone. With the house clean and morning naps had, we took off just in time for the kids to have their afternoon naps in the car.

The drive was beautiful. I love this season. The colors on the trees were gorgeous. As I rounded a few corners and coasted down the familiar hills the views were breathtaking. The fall leaves provided a beautiful contrast to the black storm that was rolling in over the mountains. I took a deep breath in, and slowly let it out. I was home, and it felt good.

Camilla woke up just as we got into town and excitedly exclaimed, "Almost there!!" We drove over the bridge and checked out the river, then onto the windy little highway to the acreage. As we pulled into the subdivision Camilla exclaimed, "There's Damma's house! I found it! YAY!" Hyrum woke up and Camilla looked over at him, "High-am we here!! You so excited? Mum, High-ams smiiiiiiilin' at me!"

I spent the rest of the afternoon juicing crab apples with my Mum. Dad Barbecued Chicken for dinner, and we had acorn squash smothered in butter and brown sugar, fresh garden potatoes and freshly peeled garden carrots. After dinner, Mum and I made two batches of crab apple jelly. I got excited for my sister and I both to come home in the future and can jams and jellies with Mum in the kitchen. It was special for me to spend that time with my Mum.

The kids went to bed in the spare room and I spent the rest of my night crocheting and listening to the wonderful pop sound as the jars of jelly sealed. I chatted with my parents without the interruptions of cars zooming by on the street. As I turned out the lights and went to bed, it was super dark. It had been a while since I had experienced dark like that. There were no streetlights shining in the windows, just the lone yard light on the far side of the house to keep an eye on the deer and wildlife. I snuggled into the big queen bed and missed Mr. Stannix like crazy! Camilla rolled over and snuggled into me as I fell asleep. Before morning, both children were sharing the big bed with me as we slept.

We missed Daddy while he was home doing is course, but it was nice to be in my old home ward where there were many helping hands and laps for Hyrum to bounce around on. Camilla enjoyed nursery and playing with the kids. We got to visit with Nana and Auntie Faith after dinner and then we called Daddy. Camilla left him a cute little message to call her back. Mr. Stannix was at a church meeting Sunday night and didn't get in until late. I kept Camilla up to talk to her Daddy when he called back. She got tired and started resting her head on Gramma's lap as she snuggled under a blanket. Then she snuggled Gramma with her head on her shoulder for a few minutes. Finally, Mr. Stannix called back to talk with his girls.

Today we are looking forward to returning home to Daddy and spending time together tonight! I am not looking forward to the long drive, but I am so looking forward to giving Mr. Stannix a big kiss when I get home! I am so grateful for my Mr. Stannix and his wisdom, love and support. He works so hard for us, and we love him so much!

Crab Apples

Yesterday we picked a whole lot of crab apples! The tree was gorgeous and loaded with apples ready for the pickin'! The branches sprung back to life as we relieved them of their load. As I picked I admired the contrast of the bright red apples against the clear blue sky. It was beautiful! 

Camilla was a huge help! She picked the few branches that were hanging low enough to reach. She would jump and grab apples from the branch (and most of the leaves). She also picked up the ones off the ground that we would drop. It was super fun to spend the morning with Auntie Chris and visit with Uncle Mike at lunch! We are super excited to make some crab apple jelly soon!

We had nachos for dinner. I was feeling bad because I didn't cook up any veggies, until I remembered that Salsa has veggies in it! After dinner Camilla had a PB&J sandwich, just to make sure she was full before bed. Mr. Man enjoyed his rice cereal again. I brought him upstairs while Camilla finished her sandwich to change him into his jammies. I layed him on his change table and began undressing him. He smiled up at me and I couldn't help but blow raspberries on his naked little tummy. He screeched and giggled causing our stairway to be full of laughter. I love the sound of laughter before bed. As I tucked in the kiddos the giggles rang in my ears. 

Filling Tummies

Hyrum had another small bowl of Rice Cereal or "Rice See-see" as Camilla calls it, for dinner yesterday. He LOVED it. So much so that he was grabbing the spoon and practically feeding himself. I guess I wasn't spooning it in fast enough for him. He's getting to be such a big boy. After his belly was full he had some floor time. He enjoyed it for the whole of two minutes until his sister rolled on him. He's going to grow up to be one tough kid!

When I was putting him down for his afternoon nap Camilla was playing quietly on her own. It was almost too quiet, the kind of quiet that equals trouble. After I got him to sleep I investigated and found her like this...

She had stuck so many stickers on her leg it looked like she had a cast on. As I made dinner I had to keep getting her to peel them off the bottom of my feet for me. I'm sure I will be finding them all over our house for weeks! At least they kept her quiet for a few minutes!

Because she ate all of her dinner, I told her she could have dessert. I was going to give her a scoop of ice cream in a bowl after dinner, but she said, "umm, maybe....Milkshakes?" After cleaning up the toys and getting into jammies, we whipped up some banana milkshakes for bed time snack. It was great. After prayers and a piggy back ride, Daddy read her "Green Eggs and Ham" and then she zonked out. After Daddy came back downstairs we snuggled up to an episode of Smallville. I put my head on his lap and stretched across the couch and he played with my hair, my favorite. A day well spent!

Indoor Playground

Last night before bed, this is what we did...

 Yes, that's a fork in Camilla's hand. I think she even has strawberries in her mouth...

Sometimes the word "Mom" can be used interchangeably with "Indoor Playground".

Sand and Autumn

This morning we went for a long walk to the park to play with friends and enjoy the colorful leaves and the crisp Fall breeze. Camilla's little legs walked the 20 minutes there and all the way home after. 

Hyrum rode quietly in the stroller all the way there and slept all the way home. Camilla liked to help push her brother down the sidewalk. She also enjoyed running and picking up sticks. I was constantly reminding her not to run with sticks in her hand. She was so full of life, everything was exciting to her! The colorful leaves danced around our feet as we walked. Camilla skipped beside me with her tiny, chilled hand safely held inside my hand. Our hair got messed up in the wind, and our cheeks turned a nice rosy color. The perfect Fall day...

 When we got to the park we were greeted by our good friends! They survived a nice sand fight and overall had a lot of fun together, runny noses and all! I was glad we braved the chill for a day at the park!

 I am excited for Hyrum to experience the park next year when his little legs are running a million miles an hour to keep up with his big sister. He loves her so so much and is always full of giggles when she's in his sight. Yesterday she tried sharing her chocolate chip cookie with him, I think he liked it. We left the park with chocolate chip cookies in hand to munch on our long walk home. About a block away Camilla bent down and I asked her what she was doing. She told me she was putting her cookie in her "pocket" to save for later. It was super cute. I bet it had a nice ride home with all the sand that was in the cuff of her pant leg. She's so cute. With the kiddos down for afternoon naps, I am off to make some blue berry bagels for breakfasts the next couple days. Hopefully the oven will warm up our house a little bit! I love this season, it's very cozy, a blanket and sweater season. We actually had hot chocolate with our breakfast the other morning. This old house gets chilly some days. Nothing like baking to warm it back up again!

Super Pooper

Yesterday we all went down for naps. I was awoken by the sound of the toilet seat slamming shut and figured Camilla was down playing in the bathroom. It was weird because she never plays in the bathroom. My body was too tired to investigate, so I slept for another few minutes until a tiny hand was placed on my back to wake me. I rolled over blurry eyed and looked at the smiling face of my little girl as she exclaimed, "I pooped in the potty Mommy!! A big one, AND a little one!" I rolled over so that I could look over the edge of the bed, and sure enough, pants and diaper were no where to be seen. My energetic two year old went down stairs and into the bathroom and waited for me while I got the other munchkin and came down. Camilla stood in the bathroom and patiently waited for me. As I got to the bathroom she pointed into the toilet to show me her success. Ahh, the joys of motherhood. Not only had she done the dirty deed in her little potty, but she successfully dumped it out into the big potty and it was ready for the flushing. After washing up and getting on a clean diaper, she was rewarded with two jelly beans. I would have given the kid the whole jar for doing all of that on her own and letting me sleep, but it would have probably made her sick. I was SO impressed. We haven't even really been potty training, but this little girl almost always does her number two business in the potty. I must tell her a lot because as I was putting on a clean diaper she said, "I pooped in the potty! That makes Mommy SOOO happy!" You bet it did. She proceeded to have two more successful trips to the potty throughout the afternoon. After dinner we ate chocolate chip cookies on the deck and watched for airplanes. It's one of Camilla's favorite things to do. She can hear them coming from a mile away!

Hyrum was a completely different story yesterday! He awoke from his morning nap very sad. I went up to get him and realized he had projectile vomited all over his bedding and blankets and self. I brought him downstairs and bathed him and then changed him into outfit number one. A few seconds later he puked all over himself again, and was onto outfit number two. After his afternoon nap, he filled his diaper and moved on to outfit number three. I changed his diaper just before dinner and between diapers he managed to pee ALL OVER himself. I think I lost count after outfit number five. He must have had an upset stomach because that kid NEVER pukes. Around dinner time, Hyrum spent a lot of time in the wrap and wanted a lot of snuggles. I think he may be finally cutting teeth. I will very much miss his toothless little grin! At the end of a very long and messy day, it was nice to sit down with Mr. Stannix, my crocheting, and a bag of skittles. That bag of skittles was probably my only saving grace yesterday as I would sneak some here and  there  Mr. Stannix saved me some for today, so sweet of him. Last night I was awake often enough that I saw all of the numbers 11, 12, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 throughout the night. I hate nights like that. The funny part is Hyrum slept like a baby, it was miss CJ who kept sneaking into our bed all night. I can't really blame her though, she has a wicked cough and runny nose.  If the going gets really tough today, I think I still have a chocolate bar stashed away somewhere.

Train/Maroon 5

Saturday night Mr. Stannix and I got a night out on the town complete with a bus and LRT ride and a concert! The noise and the energy at Rexall place was amazing. It was Mr. Stannix's first concert ever, so it was super fun. We went with Mr. Stannix's brother, Andrew and his girlfriend, Christina. It was a fun filled night! Matt Nathanson opened up the show and played some familiar tunes. Then the stage was switched up for Train. As the lights went low, a train whistle blew signaling the start of act two. It got louder and louder, the cheering got louder and louder and finally the lights went on the stage and the band began to rock some tunes. 

For the first five minutes I couldn't get over his tight, white pants and hilarious stance (probably due to the tightness of the pants). Mr. Stannix wrapped his arm around my shoulders as we sat side by side. They put on a super good show complete with a huge encore. Lots of great songs were played!

After Train completed the encore, the stage was again switched up for Maroon 5. They opened up with "Moves like Jagger" and also played a lot of their other popular songs. The crowd stood and danced for almost the whole time. I personally loved how they transitioned from one song to another while they kept playing. As we stood and danced to the music, Mr. Stannix put his arm around my waist and we danced together. It was kind of romantic and I liked that everyone knew I was his.

At one point they whipped out a giant disco ball which spun lights on the whole audience. It was SO cool! The show was amazing! The music, the lights, super fun!

It was great to have a night out with just my Mr. Stannix. They finished off the night with "She Will be Loved", but we took off before they finished to beat the rush and get home to our babysitter and sleeping children. 

Although I thoroughly enjoyed myself, there was one point in the middle of the concert where I almost burst into tears because I was so home sick for my munchkins! Call me crazy, but I love being home with my children. It was our first time getting a babysitter who wasn't family but I knew she would do amazing!

We totally took this in the train station!

Where's Camilla?

The other night I went upstairs to put Hyrum in his crib and found an empty bed. We usually tuck Camilla in first and then I feed up Hyrum and get him ready for bed. While I was downstairs nursing, I heard the floor creek upstairs as she tiptoed across to our room and climbed into Daddy's side of the bed. This has become a new fetish of hers. We'll tuck her in, and then a few minutes later she'll sneak out. The first time it happened she was so sneaky we didn't notice until we actually went up to go to bed and found her cuddled in under our duvet, sound asleep. I put Hyrum in his crib and went downstairs without taking too much notice. As I got to the bottom her sweet little voice called out, "Mum, I need a smoochie". How could I resist. Back up the creaky stairs I went to give my girl a kiss good night. I wish she could stay little forever.