Lights Out

Tonight I am glad that my kitchen is a separate entity all of it's own.

After dinner I turned off the lights and left things as they were.

I listened to my children giggle as they splashed together in the bath.

Camilla would do something and then Hyrum would copy.

Then we snuggled in Camilla's bed with a heat bag and read stories.

Hyrum gooed Camilla's face with kisses before bed and there was more giggles to be had.

Then I snuggled my little man in a blanket while he drank his bottle.

He fell asleep in my arms, and it was the best.

Now Mr. Stannix and I have the evening to ourselves.
It's been a while since we've spent some good quality time together.

I think we're going to cozy up on the couch and watch a movie.

Or maybe play a board game and chat.
And maybe make up a hot drink.

Either way, I'm glad I have him all to myself tonight. 

And I'm glad that I don't have to look at my kitchen again until morning.

Slippery Sidewalks

I was stirred awake last night by the sound of rain hitting my window instead of the silent snow falls that usually accompany cold January nights. I layed in the dark listening to the rain pound against our big old upstairs windows while the tree branches danced on our roof top. Soon my thoughts were broken up by the sound of a hungry baby over in the next room and I made my way down the stairs to warm a bottle. As the kettle warmed the water, the cries got louder and louder. The stairs creaked as I rushed up to the rescue, shaking the bottle of warm milk. Hyrum sucked that bottle back in like 30 seconds and then went back to sleep. I fell back to sleep to the lovely sound of rain, in January.

Camilla begged me all morning to go to the park. After Hyrum woke from his not-so-long morning nap we all bundled up and went out for a walk to the park. The sidewalks were literally like skating rinks and I was afraid for my life as I carried my boy on my hip, followed closely by Camilla. The rain had melted the snow covered sidewalks and then turned to slippery ice. It was quite the adventure. Every few feet Camilla would slip and fall on her bum and then we would laugh together. 

At the park some kids were sledding down the little hill. Camilla was fascinated by them. As I watched I realized they weren't using sleds at all. The rain had made an ultimate sledding hill and they were sliding down in just their ski pants. AMAZING! I suddenly wished I had a pair of ski pants on at that moment. It reminded me of when my siblings and I used to super slide down the hill on the driveway, until we got into trouble for making it too icy. 

The children both played in the swings for a little while. I smiled at their cute rosy cheeks and they would throw their heads back and giggle. Camilla also enjoyed the slide, but I bet she would have enjoyed that slippery hill just as much!

The walk home was slow, Camilla would hold my hand and "skate" sans skates. It's hard to drag a toddler with a baby on hip. She giggled away as her feet slid and twisted underneath. We sang a song (that I made up) that goes to the tune of "slippery fish". 

Slippery feet, slippery feet, slipping on the sidewalk. 

Slippery feet, slippery feet,

Slip,

Slide,

Whoooooooaa!

It made Camilla laugh, and she's been singing it ever since.

Lowering of the Crib

Hyrum has recently been "on the move". His favorite move is to steam roll around the living room. If he's on the hardwood or in the kitchen he will show off his bum scoot. I'm not even gonna lie, I love that kid to pieces. When he's on the floor playing with toys he likes to hold things up and then drop them. If they make an especially loud sound he likes to do it again, and again, and again. His favorites are Camilla's glass cups and plates from her tea set. I also adore the triumphant look I get when he accomplishes something amazing like pulling himself up to a standing position or sitting up. He can no longer be left on beds unattended or plunked in an empty laundry basket to keep him busy.

I thought my house was pretty kid proof, but it's looking like I need to rework a few things. It's funny how much you can forget in just a short year or two. Just little things really, like how interesting electrical/USB/any kind of cords are to curious babies. Or how nothing phases them (not even hitting their head on the floor) when they are on a mission to grab something. One thing I have also noticed is that little boys are curious creatures. Hyrum loves to touch things, move things, play with wheels, and figure out how everything works the way it does. He is so curious about everything. Just the other day I had a glimps of how crazy life is going to be when he starts motoring around, which has caused me to thing about this whole baby proofing thing, which got me on this whole topic in the first place.

This morning I had to lower his crib down to the next setting. Where is time going? I am excited for him to explore his little world at a new level in the not so distant future as he learns to move around on all fours. For now, he can stick to the bum scoot and army crawl. As long as he continues to give me snuggles and nestle his face into my shoulder when he's sleepy, I'll be a happy momma.

New Year, New Nail Polish

This morning Camilla woke up and told me the best story ever.

Her little feet came down the stairs and then her sleepy eyes peeked into the office where I was busy at the computer.

"Teddy just woke up Mum."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. There was a shadow on my door, just twooooo monsters."

"Whoa! Two monsters?"

"Yeah.... I was shy. Then I just came down stairs."

The shy part made me giggle. I scooped her up for her morning snuggle and she continued to tell me more fun stories.

We sat down to some rolled oats for breakfast. Hyrum had baby cereal and fruit. His little tummy is like an endless pit. Last night for dinner he had a whole bowl of cereal, a handful of peas and a bowl of mashed potatoes. By dessert he was still going and enjoyed some peaches and a baby cookie. And because I'm already off topic, the car stunk real bad of rotten eggs the whole way home thanks to the little man's farts. We cracked a window and laughed all the way home.

I put the children's clothes in the wash and then scrubbed the floors. When I went to transfer the clothes to the dryer I found a toonie in the bottom of the wash! My kids are rich! I tucked it away in my pocket for laundry duty payment. I hated this rule when I was a kid, but it definitely pays off when you're the laundry lady.

Then while I was chatting on the phone with my Mamma I noticed all was too quiet in the office. I peeked in on her carefully painting each of her fingernails with a blue marker. Oh the joys. I'm taking a more "light hearted" approach this year. Instead of being angry I shrugged and grabbed the camera. This allowed me a few minutes to cool off and then we had a little chat about markers and paper. Here's hoping it washes off! What a loon!

Farewell 2011

This year definitely went by way too fast! So much has happened in our little family.

Here's the Tally:

We moved once
We were blessed with one healthy baby boy
Camilla turned two
We had one fabulous family vacation camping in the mountains
Mr. Stannix completed four years (that's a lot) of University and will now be working full time

Can't wait to see what 2012 will bring!

Bob Skatin' Blonde

Today we took Camilla skating for her very first time. Santa brought her some bob skates for Christmas and they work great! She cried for a bit on the first lap and then started enjoying herself a bit more. It was fun to have Auntie Emma there to skate along with! We are loving this warm weather and blue sky.

Christmas Snapshots

Yesterday was Christmas! Hyrum woke up at 5:00 am for his first bottle of the night. I layed him in his crib after he finished his milk and he drifted back to sleep. Mr. Stannix woke up at 6:30 and couldn't stand the excitement any longer. Soon Camilla was awake and up we went to open her stocking. "Look what Santa bwought me mum!" We got the whole thing on video. Then we sent her to wake up the grandparents.

Uncle Chris snoozed and snored on the couch through it all. He can sleep through anything I think. Soon we were joined by Great Gramma and Grampa Hudkins and my parents. Dad passed out the presents like every year and we all watched each other open them. The kids had fun and Camilla wanted each thing taken out after it was unwrapped. She and Hyrum came away with some good loot. Camilla had a kitchen theme this year and loves to make us meals with her fake kitchen. Mr. Stannix finally got his warm dress coat and is in love with it. He got me a new, quicker camera to capture our family memories for the blog. He also had he honor of opening the family blog book this year. Hyrum vibrated with excitement as he would tear at the paper here and there to finally discover what was inside.

We then had a quick breakfast and scrambled to make it to church on time. It was a lovely meeting though and I'm super glad we went! I love Christmas! When we got home the kids played some more. Hyrum loved playing inside a box. Sometimes I wonder why we even bother with fancy toys!

After lunch my little brother called from his mission in Chile. We were delighted to be able to see him thanks to skype. (You can check that out here). He told us he had a whole two hours to chat with all of us. We soaked up every momet. The first ten minutes seemed to last forever. I went to get Gramma Purdon so she could be in on the conversation. She sat infront of the computer and started to tear up. I then started to tear up and was very emotional for the rest of the conversation.

He has been out six months now and is doing great! His Spanish is really good and he and his companion sang "Called to Serve" for us in Spanish. My little brother is already so so grown up! I am so proud of him. When it came to the end of the two hours we all cried through our good-byes and it took a good five minutes for either of us to work up the courage to end the call. Mr. Stannix wrapped his arms around me and comforted me after. I love my dear Mr. S. I don't know what I would do without him.

We then enjoyed presents and a visit from Nana. Camilla named her toy puppy "Dutchess" from the Aristocat movie. She also likes to say to me,"Groovy Mamma, Groovy". She cracks me up! We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting and the kids played with their toys.

I meant to snap pictures of the family together before I jammied the kids, but we didn't. They still turned out pretty good! I was nice to get a four generation photo. It is so wonderful to be surrounded by family!

Gramma and Grampa Hudkins with the Great Grands

Four Generations

Christmas Letter 2011

We just wanted to wish our friends and family a very Merry Christmas. This year has gone by so quickly it seems. We have been blessed with great friends and great adventures.

As of this month Mike will officially be done his schooling at the University of Alberta. He has put a lot of time and energy into his studies and for that I am grateful. He will start work full time January 2012 at KPMG and finish his designation on the side. It’s a long road, but well worth the effort. 

I have been busy doing the job I’ve always dreamed of. I enjoy the sweet moments I get to share with the children as we go on adventures, bake cookies, color, and dance in the rain. It is in these moments that my heart is filled to the top with joy. I have recently become addicted to crocheting hats and it has sort of turned into a mini side business and is something I enjoy doing very much. 

Camilla turned two years old in July and is enjoying life as a big sister. She loves to dance and sing all day long as well as color and read books. She is a great little mommy to her baby dolls and loves having tea parties in the living room. She is quite the talker now and especially enjoys talking on the phone. She has been a great big sister and is always helpful. I love her sweet little spirit and her big heart.  

In April we became a family of four. Hyrum David was born April 29^th, 2011 weighing 7lbs 9oz.  He loved being swaddled and snuggled and has turned into quite a chill little man. He sits back and goes with the flow of things. He loves to watch his big sister and she gets the best belly laughs from him. They are so cute together.

For our Family Vacation in August we spent time in Waterton and Cardston camping with friends, and then in Kimberley B.C. camping together. It added up to about a week total of tenting it and the little kids did great. Camilla enjoyed swimming in the lake and building sandcastles with Daddy.

As I remember everything we’ve done this year I feel so grateful for all of our many blessings. I am so grateful to be a mother and find so much joy and fulfillment in this special role. I am so grateful for a wonderful husband who works so hard for us. 

At this Christmas time I am so grateful for our Savior who was born. What a great example we have to follow. I am thankful for all he has done for us. 

 **Big shout out to my talented sis who snapped these photos for us!**

Christmas Eve

Today was a fun day! Mum put the Turkey on in the morning and made her dressing. She was pretty busy in the kitchen all day and we tried to help where we could.

I got a few minutes to myself during Hyrum's morning nap to read and study my Scriptures. I finished off by reading the Christmas Story in Luke. What an amazing story. My sister then played one of my very favorite Christmas songs on the piano. My brother used to play his French Horn while I played the piano and my sister sang. I love the lyrics to this song. It's such a beautiful song. The words and melody alone are enough to make one teary eyed. I think it expresses my feelings perfectly.

The Manger Bed

Mollie J. Bridgers

A Long time ago in a land far away,

A Baby was born, a miracle took place.

The baby lay awake in a manger filled with hay.

Mary, the mother, looked upon her baby's face.

Chorus:

Did she know the heartache she would suffer?

Could she see the challenges ahead?

Did she know her Son's life would be taken?

Did she sense this, as He lay in the manger bed?

As Mary held her child, she felt joy and happiness.

The sweetness of her baby was pure and innocent.

He was to be the Savior, He would give all He had,

To share the love of Father with fellow man.

Chorus

Did she know her Son would be my brother?

Could she know the love He would possess?

Did she know her Son's life would change my life?

Did she sense this, as He lay in the manger bed?

After Camilla and Gramma and Auntie Emma got back from town, Grampa hooked up the sled behind the quad and took the kids for a spin around the subdivision. On the way back they got excited and Daddy told them to put their hands in the air and cheer. Cutest thing ever.

We shared dinner with friends and family out by the Christmas tree and it was a wonderful way to get into the Christmas spirit. My Mum is a fabulous cook!

All day Camilla's been "talking to Santa" on her pretend cell phone and making all of us talk to him. Tonight after our pool game he called for real just to talk to Camilla. She ended the conversation by saying, "Well, I'm just watching a show. Bye. HoHoHo." Soon we heard bells coming up the walk and in came Kris Kringle (emphasis on the "Chris"). The girly's eyes got so wide and excited. It was pretty fun!

Looking at Santa

After the children were bathed and in bed, we all enjoyed watching Santa Clause 2. It's been a great weekend so far and I can't wait for tomorrow!!

Gingerbread Houses

Tonight we made the traditional gingerbread houses. Camilla and Auntie Emma made a rice krispie house and called it Cami Estates. There was lots of laughter and fun conversations had.

Mum made pies and Christmas pudding in preparation for the Christmas dinner tomorrow. Gramma and Grampa and Uncle Chris came and we all shared dinner together. Mr. Stannix put in his order yesterday for a wrap around deck. It looked pretty sweet!

Some people were having trouble with their roof. Dad came up with the genious idea of cups, and it worked perfect. I must say that Mr. Stannix has come a long way since our first year of gingerbread house making and he didn't need to use the cups. I'll never forget how proud he was of the house our first year together (we were dating). He told my dad he was going to save it for his posterity and they laughed. Almost four years later and look where we are now!!

Cami girl had more fun eating the candy. I think she did a "one for the house one for me deal". I'll be surprised if she sleeps tonight!