In the Middle of the Night

Last night I got this song stuck in my head and I'm still singing it this morning, hence the title of this post. Around 2:30 I was woken up by the sound of Hyrum blowing bubbles with his tongue and cooing. He was awake, but content. I listened to him from my bed as I tried to force my eyelids to stay open. I sat up in bed and touched my feet to the cool hardwood and ventured over to the next room. The floor creaked and groaned as I walked across the landing. Knowing where the "bad" spots are, I was able to maneuver my tired legs around them so that I wouldn't wake up Camilla with the noise. I looked over the edge of the crib and saw the faint outline of a grin as he kicked his legs in excitement. I tucked his little arms back into his blanket and wrapped him up snug, then cradled him in my arms as I walked to the rocking chair. I sat and nursed him for quite a while, but he would not go back to sleep. Finally, wrapped up tight, I tucked him back into his crib and left him to fall asleep on his own. He continued to coo and blow bubbles for the next half an hour. Finally, slightly annoyed that he was keeping me up, I hopped out of my warm bed again and tried to feed him one last time. He nursed for a few seconds, then looked up at me and stared. There in the dark we sat and rocked and stared into each others eyes. I took my fingers and started drawing on his face. First, around his eyes, then across his forehead, then down the side of his face, up to his ear, and around his eyes. As I sat I listened to the odd car drive by on the street and watched the glow of the orange streetlights outside the upstairs window. With every circle I made around his eyes, they slowly began to close. Just as he fell asleep I heard the 3:30 train whistle in the distance. I snuggled him for a second and then placed him in his crib and covered him up. As I left the room in my tired state I thought of the events of that special moment over and over so that I wouldn't forget them in the morning. I didn't want to forget the way that he looked up at me and watched my face. I didn't want to forget the warmth of his tiny body as it cuddled into mine. I didn't want to forget the love that I felt for my growing baby boy. I went back to bed grateful for the special time that we got to spend together, just the two of us, in the quiet dark room of our old house.

Homemade Play Dough

This morning after Hyrum went down for his nap I decided Camilla needed some fun one on one time. We made homemade play dough and spent the morning making fake cookies, sandwiches, and pizza. The familiar feel of the play dough on my fingers brought back so many memories of when I was a kid. I'm pretty sure my mum made this for us at least once a month if not more! 

It's super easy and quick to make. The best part is that it doesn't have a strong smell and if she eats it, I know what's in it! 

Play Dough Recipe

1 Cup flour

1 Cup water

1 TBSP oil

1/2  Cup Salt

2 Tsp Cream of Tartar

Mix together in frying pan and cook like scrambled eggs, scraping bottom frequently until it cooks and pulls together into a ball like shape. Dump onto the counter and knead until it cools. Add your favorite food coloring and voila!

Although making lots of colors is fun, the monochromatic part of me wished I had just made one color. Camilla invented a whole new color called marble from the orange, blue, and pink. When we're done playing with it, we will roll it into balls, or a ball depending on how much the colors mix, and store it in the fridge in a plastic bag for more fun tomorrow!

Watching Cars

Hyrums new favorite thing to do is look out the window and watch the cars go by and the leaves dance off the trees as the wind blows. If I could hold him there, he would stay there for hours. It is our favorite thing to do in the afternoon together, just the two of us.

Tears of Laughter

Camilla has been super testy lately. She's so full of energy it's not even funny. I guess that's what I love about her though, the energy. Last night we went out to Walmart. While we were there we realized that we pretty much do the same thing every Friday night. We cruise around Walmart and look at stuff, bribe Camilla to be good with the promise of fries at the end, and then hit up the golden arches for a snack. Last night as we sat and enjoyed our fries Camilla played musical chairs all over the restaurant. She finally settled herself, fries and dip into a cozy little booth by herself. She took a few bites, then ran around like a hooligan. She ran out into Walmart for a second, then turned around and came back. Just as she crossed the threshold separating Walmart and McD's, a Walmart employee came barreling down the aisle with a huge plastic bin of cardboard. I almost choked on my fries as I began to laugh. Camilla turned around, startled at the sound. I thought of the headline, "Death by Walmart Employee" and shared my thoughts with Mr. Stannix. We could just picture it, the only thing comparable to a short little girl being hit by a plastic bin would be someone in a movie being hit by a bus and flying through the air. Had my little girl decided to run out of the restaurant a few seconds later she would have been plowed over by a big plastic bin of cardboard. You may think us cruel, but I promise it was in good fun. We laughed until we cried, and then of course hugged our little girl, thankful that she hadn't stepped out in front of the plastic bin.

A Very Long Night

We've been having some rough nights around the Stannix home lately. Too warm? Full moon? I can't quite put my finger on it. They are horribly long, filled with tossing and turning, visits from Camilla and a wide awake baby boy. Last week, Camilla crawled into our bed just after midnight and ended up staying until Hyrum woke up at 3:00am. I crawled over top of the girl to get out of bed and fed my baby boy. He was too awake to eat and just stared and giggled at me instead. I swaddled him back up and put him in his crib. Then I made my way slowly down our creaky flight of stairs for the nightly pee break and glass of water. I then transferred our sleeping girl back into her bed. As I picked her up her short arms made their way around my neck and her long, limp body snuggled in as I carried her across the hall. Just as I crawled into bed, I heard Camilla shaking her sippy and whispering "Empty". I went back down the creaky stairs to fill up her sippy and grab another glass of water for myself. After a cool drink of water and a kiss on the forehead, she lied back down. Seconds later, Hyrum was still moving and talking, wide awake. I attempted nursing him again, but it was a no go. The next stop was the change table for a fresh diaper, sometimes that works. Round 3 of nursing was unsuccessful. I sunk back into my bed and pulled the sheet up (because it was too hot for covers). The fan blew my stray wisps of hair around as I lay on my back wide awake listening to Mr. Hyrum call for me. After 10 minutes, I went to get him and bring him into our bed. He snuggled between us and brushed Daddy's back with his tiny hands as he flailed them around in the dark. Then he played with my fingers. I rubbed my finger over the palm of his outstretched hand, feeling his chubby fingers and the creases in his hands. He finally calmed a bit. I gently tucked his little arms into his blanket. He turned his head to the side and deep breathing soon followed. I delicately lifted him into my arms and placed him back into his cozy crib for the rest of the night. Camilla, however, was still awake, and had been for the last hour or so. She was trying to read her books in the dark. I took her books and put them on the floor and kissed her goodnight once more. I then went back to bed and lay awake for another half an hour. My bed smelled of my Camilla's sticky little fingers. I could almost pinpoint exactly what she had eaten that day just by the after smell that remained in my bed. I smiled as I thought of her. Camilla then requested a banana milkshake in her sleep and that was the last thing I heard before my eyes finally closed. Mr. Stannix snuck out of the room at 8:00am and left me and the munchkins to rest. Camilla came in and gave me a good morning kiss shortly after and then sneakily went downstairs to join Daddy. Mr. Man didn't wake up until 9:00am. It was a nice end to a very long night...

 Sleeping in the tent on Family Vacay

The Tale of Two Frogs

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.