Old School Sunday

While I was at home last week I made up a few bow ties for the little mister.
I must say he looked very debonair today.

Go Team

Tonight we watched Uncle Andrew play some football here in the city! It was fun for the kids to go check out the stadium and see what the game was all about. They were pretty pumped to get a stick of bubbles and a football at the entrance.

 Uncle Andrew got to quarter back, he's crouched behind the line of guys waiting for the ball.

The kids had a lot of fun climbing the stairs and walking around in the stands. Camilla even made some friends with a few girls at the top. But by the time the third quarter rolled around, this was Hyrum's take on the game...

 I giggled as I watched him fall asleep like this. His chubby fingers were so cute pushed against his little cheeks. By the end of the game, it was getting pretty late and the lights were on in the field. The kids did well to hang out that long! We found Uncle Andy and grabbed some more pictures.

 I can't believe how much Camilla looks like her daddy in this one! I think it's her nose and cheeks that does it! We checked out the field for a few minutes and the kiddos posed with their favorite football player.

 I think my favorite part was when we finished taking pictures, Camilla kicked the grass a few times and looked around the field and then asked, "Can I run?" What a cutie. Her and Uncle Andrew ran to the goal post and back and she giggled the whole time. Something about kids and wide open spaces.

We got home and discovered we had left the balcony door open, screen and all for three hours! I made Mike check for bums downstairs and imagined all the spiders and other things that could have crawled in. Hopefully there won't be too many surprises this week!

In His Arms

My main man is back after almost a week away.

I am so happy.

After the children went to bed last night we went out and snuggled in the hammock.

It was nice to talk, make plans, set goals and especially laugh together.

Eventually we put our hoodies up to keep the mosquitoes away.

When it was time to go inside Mr. Stannix quickly jumped out which left me

lying flat on my back in the grass laughing really hard.

Man, I missed him!

Still Hanging Around

We are still hanging around at the Acreage. One more sleep until Mr. Stannix comes home. I can't wait! Until then we've been filling our days with long walks, outdoor adventures, afternoon naps, throwing rocks in the pond, and enjoying my Mum's homemade rhubarb slush.

Both of the kids were pretty exhausted this evening, so we set up the hammock where the volleyball net usually is and relaxed in the evening sun. The kids enjoyed swinging back and forth with the cool breeze. They looked pretty tuckered out. They've had so much fun here the last couple of days.

Hyrum just about fell asleep after his turn so we made our way to the house to get ready for bed. Hyrum went right to sleep as soon as I put him in the crib! Camilla had some apples and cinnamon and watched Cinderella for some down time.

 I'm looking forward to the possibility of an afternoon nap in the hammock tomorrow with the kiddos. And I am super excited to see Mr. Stannix at dinner! 

Happy Helper

Hyrum was an only child today. Camilla went with Grampa for the day to play while he helped sand a friends cabin. Hyrum quite enjoyed the extra space and was a great little helper. He played a lot with the vacuum and especially loved the on/off switch. Now if only our vacuum at home wasn't so big, he'd be all over that chore for me!

Homefront

Dear Mr. Stannix,

I know you only left last night but I miss you like crazy! I had a lump in my throat after I came in from kissing you good-bye in the rain. I hate when you leave. While you're gone for the week I thought I would keep you posted on our happenings at the Acreage. Waking up to my Mum's homemade pancakes was the highlight of my morning. I smothered four with peanut butter before stacking them and topping them with Mum's homemade syrup. Delish!

We filled up the rest of our day by spending time outside when it wasn't raining.  We walked up to the orchard and Grampa showed us the baby black birds in their cozy little nest in the garden. Hyrum enjoyed walking around and checking out all the trees. Camilla spent most of her time picking dandilions and blowing the fluff off of them.

 When we got back to the house we said hi to the neighbors horses. Camilla fed them some grass and Hyrum stood on the sidelines. The children sure do love being outdoors!

Before afternoon naps we hung out in the garden with Grampa. Camilla has a super good memory and remembered planting beans with Gramma last time we visited. It was neat for her to see how they've grown up! She was so excited. Hyrum had a blast helping Grampa weed and checking out the veggies. He learned to step over the potatoes, but he almost squashed Gramma's carrots.

Everytime I would try to bring him inside he would protest. If he could have it his way he would stay outside all day. The fresh air has been so good for him! He was super tired when I put him to bed tonight!

 Thanks for bringing me home! You're the best.

Father's are so Special

 Usually around the end of the afternoon dinner is simmering on the stove and we've run out of things to do for the day. We hang out in the living room and listen for city buses to speed down our street.  They make a kind of high pitched humming noise as they near our house. We do this so often that even Hyrum knows the sound. When he hears a bus go by he looks up from what he is doing and screeches, "DAAA!" (Dad). If we see a bus heading South we guess that it might be Daddy's bus and gather on the big purple couch. Sometimes I don't know who's more excited, me or them? The children climb up the back and stand in the big window staring eagerly at the bushes waiting for Daddy to come down the sidewalk and appear. He always looks so handsome in his dress shirt and tie with his shoulder bag. As soon as they see him they wave, screech, blow kisses and giggle excitedly. When the door clicks and opens up, they run into their Daddy's arms for hugs and kisses. If you ever want to know what the phrase "squeal with delight" means just listen to Hyrum when his Daddy walks in the door after work.

It is the highlight of my day to see the smile on my dear husband's face as he smooches and hugs our children after a long day of work. If he sits on the couch for a quick rest, it's not long before he's surrounded by little people climbing and smooching on him. I love seeing him snuggle and kiss his little boy, showing him the kind of Father he should one day be. I am so glad I married a man who is such an amazing father. He works hard each day to provide for us. He is adored by his children and loved like crazy by me!

Happy Father's Day darling!

Some Happenings

Yesterday was a busy day. I made breakfast, mowed the lawn, weeded a flower bed, scrubbed the kitchen floor (including under my fridge), vacuumed, washed and folded two loads of laundry, played with the kiddos all afternoon, made dinner, and started my meal plan for the rest of this month. Playing with the kids was so much fun! Hyrum likes to be chased and he likes to be the 'finder' in hide and seek (mostly he just likes when you jump out and scare him). He loves when I get down to floor level and play around with him. His laughs yesterday were to die for as he ran screeching around our living room. He spent most of the day in just his diaper as he protested getting dressed. Camilla took off her clothes before eating Gramma's canned raspberries in the afternoon and never did want to put them back on again. Mr. Stannix came home to naked, raspberry faced, crazy haired kids. But they were happy!

After Mr. Stannix finished his CASB I gave him a hair cut. Then we ended the evening by snuggling up on the couch enjoying popcorn and homemade butter beer (don't worry, it's just milk, sugar, vanilla and butter). I admit, we started our evening together super late, but this new TV series we started is just so darn addicting! Honestly, we hardly even touched the popcorn because we were so hooked. 

We ventured out to Wal-mart this morning for some fresh fruit and other odds and ends and have spent the rest of the day relaxing at home. I got the bathroom cleaned while Hyrum napped and it feels good to have that done! My kitchen is sparkly clean and dinner is simmering in the slow cooker. It's been nice to have this boost of energy the passed couple of days. My house finally looks normal again, minus the shoes I keep finding everywhere. Every time we leave the house it takes me ten minutes to locate my second shoe. Hyrum's newest fetish is walking around the house with one shoe on whether it's Daddy's work shoe, my flip flop, my runners, or something of Camilla's. It's cute watching him cruise around with a shoe ten sizes too big! His new favorite hiding place is between the big chair and my piano. Whenever I call him for a bum change he always runs there to hide for a while and then peeks out at me with a grin from ear to ear. I love that kid.

I am loving being in the second trimester of this pregnancy. My energy levels have returned to normal and I'm feeling baby move around which is comforting. We went to the doctor's on Wednesday and heard the little heart beat. It took her a while to find it. I might have been worried except baby did a few hard kicks when the doctor was poking the doppler around.  I asked her what the heart rate was before we left and it was 144bpm. A girl perhaps? We're not finding out with this one, so it will be a fun guessing game!

Land of Pretend

There's a few things I've been wanting to record about Camilla before I forget them. A few weeks ago we went grocery shopping. Camilla got her quarter and we hit up the candy machine on our way in. That quarter gave her a whole 10 jelly beans and she spent the rest of the time matching the colors to things in the store. "Look, Mum, this one matches the lettuce, it's green!" "Look! This one is the same as the oranges!". That girls excitement and zest for life is definitely contagious. When we finished at the check out she told the lady, "Bye! See you next time!" and then spun on her heels and skipped towards the door. I love that kid.

Also a couple of weeks ago our car started acting up, and we figured it was time to get it checked out. We took it to an awesome little shop that does a cheap diagnosis. The wait became long, and there wasn't much to do in the tiny shop, so we went for a walk across the parking lot to A&W. While Hyrum and I stood in line, I sent Camilla to pick a table. I couldn't see her tiny body over the divider in the middle of the restaurant, but I knew she was up to something from the big smiles on the faces of the Chinese couple sitting a few tables down. When I went over with our order of fries she proudly exclaimed that she had gotten Hyrum a chair! My tiny little girl pushed a highchair across the restaurant and carefully set it at the end of the table for her little brother. I couldn't get over how thoughtful she had been! She never ceases to amaze me!

Today we escaped to the land of pretend where we found robots, cowboys and teddy bear picnics. It was a fun filled afternoon! It's amazing how a simple box can keep a kid entertained. I love that she has an imagination and is able to play pretend. Her and her little brother had a lot of fun together today. When it was picnic time I had to keep Hyrum occupied while she found plates and made "food" for everyone. She's such a thoughtful little hostess. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!
 

Peanut Butter Toast

Breakfast - 7:35 AM

 Guess who's happy to have a third bottom tooth?