Good Luck Daddy

Today we were all up before the sun to get Daddy ready and off to his big exam! We are sending good luck vibes his way! Yesterday Camilla looked at Mr. Stannix and said, "My Daddy, he's SO sweet! And he's SO heavy!" I'm sure she meant strong.

I spent the morning organizing my fridge. It is the place I keep my pictures and quotes that inspire me. It was getting a little cluttered. Some quotes were taken away and new ones were added. It was exciting. 

We are looking forward to spending the weekend together without homework or distractions. We will enjoy watching General Conference on the big screen in our living room or "vroom-room" as Camilla calls it. I am looking forward to hearing the messages which have been prepared for us and especially to listen to our Prophet's voice.

Reaching Up

Today I am feeling very sentimental and a bit teary eyed. Maybe it's because Camilla has practically given up napping and I'm going to miss those quiet afternoon moments. Maybe it's because she trashed the one stick of lipstick I own today. Maybe it's because I just finished packing up a box of baby clothes that are too small for my little boy. Maybe it's because my children are growing so so fast and I am already missing the moments I get to spend with them playing on the grass in the autumn leaves, kicking a ball in the backyard, or reading stories. Or maybe it's because the only thing on my mind this passed week is how my little boy who was born what seems like yesterday is almost half a year old. Where does the time go? It just makes me realize how important it is to cherish the time we have with the children because we can't buy back yesterdays.

Today Hyrum is five months old and growing big. He rolled once from his stomach to his back on Sunday, but is just content to lay around and smile at people. He likes to do half turns to grab things on the change table while I'm changing him. He is becoming more interactive and responsive and loves to hold things. I am in love with his constant smiles and carefree nature. I am in love with the way he looks up at me, just to flash me a handsome grin. I am in love with the way he reaches up to touch my face with this amazed look in his eyes, like he can't believe I'm his forever. It makes me feel so special to be his mother. 

I love that I get to be home with my children each day enjoying their giggles and being smothered with hugs and kisses. Right now my sink is stacked high with dirty dishes, but that doesn't matter, they aren't going anywhere anytime soon. My children, however, are growing and changing daily, and I can hardly keep up! My bathroom is sometimes messy, but Camilla helps me clean it with her splashes at bath time. The giggles are worth it! My couch is sometimes stacked to the roof with laundry to be folded, but we enjoy the adventure as we work together and play pretend. The chores are never ending, but so is the joy. This is heaven on earth.

The Hokey-Pokey

Mr. Stannix let me sleep in for a little while this morning. When he got up to get ready for his day, Camilla followed him downstairs. I fell back to sleep moments later. When I finally woke up I heard Camilla singing the Hokey-Pokey up and down the hallway.  I smiled to myself when she said,  "Shake it all about"... I got dressed and went downstairs just in time to kiss Mr. Stannix good-bye and feed the girl who was now sitting at the table requesting crackers and butter (something my dad used to make us when he had soup on Sunday afternoons). They had played together and brushed their teeth together. I am so grateful to Mr. Stannix for letting me catch a few extra Z's!

After some toast, porridge, and a round of dishes, we loaded up in the stroller and took off to the park for the morning to visit with friends. I smiled at the sound of the leaves crunching under my feet and the stroller wheels. It was a great walk! The wind was pretty strong and the leaves were swirling to the ground all around us. Finally, we arrived, unbuckled and ran free. Camilla is such a big girl at the park now! I hardly helped her with anything today, just in and out of the swing. She ran around with her friends and played. I was very grateful for her and her independence today as I had my cousins' sweet little boy with us, and he wanted to be cuddled. We all enjoyed some delicious chocolate cookies brought by a friend and it was great to get out and chat with so many other moms. When we got home, some napped, and some didn't. Whenever someone is sleeping Camilla goes, "Shh, we have to be tow-it" (sounds like tower, but with an -it). That and her belly laugh will make me smile every time!

Another funny moment from today was when Camilla told a story to my cousin about when I took away her books the other day because she wouldn't nap, and then how I shut the bedroom door...She finished by showing off her fat lip and saying, with her head tilted to the ground, "It was tewibble!"

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!