Familiar Smells

My day started out so sweetly. Just after 7:00 am I heard Hyrum's little feet running across the floor and into our room. He examined my side table for my glasses which he lovingly hands me each morning to get me out of bed, but I still had my contacts in and my glasses were safely tucked away. With my eyes half closed I reached out my arms, hands open, over the side of the bed and waited for him to come close enough for me to scoop him up. He ran three quick steps and then I snuggled his warm little body into mine. I smooched his chubby little cheeks and his blonde wispy hair tickled my nose. Soon he heard Daddy roll over next to me and jumped up with excitement. He crawled over my baby bump and onto his Daddy to tell him good morning. I tugged on the back of his Pj's to make sure he didn't fall off the other side of the bed. He then slid off onto his feet and ran across to see his sister. At this point Mr. Stannix said to me, "Well, it looks like we know who's going to be waking us all up on Christmas morning". I slowly sat up on the edge of my bed just as Camilla came in. She hugged my baby bump, smooched me good morning, and then knelt by our bed with her face buried in her arms to say her morning prayers. Mr. Stannix and I just looked at each other, surprised and impressed by our little girl. I sat on the edge of my bed and enjoyed the baby's first movements of the day (lots of hiccups). After breakfast Mr. Stannix put some smelly stuff on both he and Hyrum before kissing me good-bye. Now every time I get close to my runny nosed little man today I think of Mr. Stannix and Fall and when we were dating. Now I need to go wipe Hyrum's nose for the millionth time today and cozy everyone in for an afternoon nap.

Playing Together

Camilla and Hyrum's new favorite thing to do together is play "babies". 

It's so stinkin' cute.

Backyard Soccer

 This afternoon when Camilla came up to me and asked to go out and play soccer, I couldn't resist, even though I was super tired. The sky was blue, the sun was shining, and it was actually hot again! My kiddos love the outdoors and it's fun to see them so active. 

 One of Hyrum's favorite things to do in or outside the house is to spot airplanes flying over. When he hears one he immediately imitates it and looks to the skies.  Planes fly over a lot and he is constantly listening for them. Other than that he ran around excitedly and enjoyed falling in the grass. The poor guy fell down a few stairs today and got another bump on his noggin. I think we average three bumps per day to his poor little head. It seems to me that boys get way more bumps and bruises than girls!

 

Camilla and I had a fun little game of keep-away. It felt good to run and kick a ball around, but baby didn't like me too much after. All of the giggles and the laughs were worth it. This girl is such a loony. She was chasing me, diving on the grass and shouting "go team" almost the entire time. They were both pretty tuckered out come bed time. They both had short naps in the car and were up for the rest of the day, so I don't blame them! Before Camilla went up to bed Daddy asked for a kiss and she said, "Um...I think you need to shave". It took some convincing to get that smooch. I have a feeling she is going to have to marry a very clean shaven guy. It made us both chuckle.

A Day in the Water

 Our kiddos were going stir crazy yesterday. They were literally running up and down the hall and into the living room screaming as loud as they could before bed. Poor Daddy was trying to get his work done. A day out was in order for today, so we took off to our favorite pool! It was a bit of a gong show, but all worked out well in the end. I almost forgot the wipes, but remembered to run in just before we left. It was a good thing because the little man has been a pooping machine. For some reason Camilla's knee was hurting her after we pulled up and she couldn't walk on it. I think she ran around too much last night at the corn bust. We had a few errands to run and I ended up having to piggy back her while Hyrum walked. I was hoping the warm water at the pool would help it feel better, but it's still sore tonight. Either way, they both had a blast and were glad to be out of the house!

When we got there Camilla hobbled out to the pool deck and we put on life jackets for both of them. She was able to move around a lot better in the water and had fun swimming around and playing with the pool toys.

Hyrum's face in this picture cracks me up. The highlight of his day was the yellow slide. He's getting so big! He is so confident on his feet now and when I wasn't chasing him down the pool deck he was having fun walking around in the water and climbing up the stairs to slide. I only missed him once, resulting in some sputtering of water, but he got back up and went again, and again, and again. He also loved doing back floats in his life jacket and would give me a good belly laugh every time I'd put him on his back and let him kick up a storm.

It's fun to see the two of them interact together. They are really good friends and for the most part enjoy one another. It makes me happy to see them play together.

Camilla is also getting braver in the water and loved swimming with her life jacket and her "Mr. Noodle". That girl cracks me up. She had fun experimenting on her tummy and back in the water and it was nice to see her so excited to try new things.

My Blooming Artist

 A few weeks ago I kept finding nice little scribbles all over my office floor. I totally blamed Camilla for it and ended up having to apologize later after I caught a little boy with a crayon...

Last night Mr. Stannix came home from work and wondered what had happened to our front door. It was loaded with red and blue scribbles...

Today, the masterpiece was completed door jam and all...

Along with the bathroom door...

(And the wall in the hallway, the backdoor, the balcony window, the floor, and the stove)

As for the culprit?

Guilty as charged...

Now it's time for me to dig out the magic eraser. 

Afternoon Snack

 Today we made up some rice krispie squares for Family Home Evening snack tonight. The kiddos finished off the remains for their afternoon snack. There is nothing better than licking it right off the spoon! I may or may not have eaten a whole row already. Hopefully there's still some left by tonight! While the kids are snoozing I'm off to keep working on a baby blanket I started last week.

Canning Deliciousness

 Today my Mum taught me how to do some canning! She had picked up a giant case of peaches a few days earlier and they were perfectly ripe (Hyrum ate three of them for breakfast). After soaking them in hot then cold water and cutting them all up we put them in jars and water bathed them. I can't wait to break into a jar when we get home. I'm sure Hyrum will be in heaven.

We took a brief afternoon break and relaxed in the living room. Camilla was out with Grampa for the afternoon hanging bird houses and sweeping out the garage. Hyrum snuggled into Gramma's shoulder and fell asleep. I can't think of a better place to have an afternoon nap. Our salsa was put on hold for a while, but Gramma got some awesome cuddles!

After he woke up we mixed up the salsa and put it in jars. I am proud to say that they all sealed (thanks to my Mum) and now we get to enjoy fresh salsa over the winter (if it lasts that long)!

And on another note, check out this mammoth zucchini that grew in my parent's garden. We put a peach beside it for size comparison. I think my mum said it weighs 17lbs or something. It's honestly almost as big as Hyrum. 

 

Twice in a Row

We are out at the acreage for the second weekend in a row. One of my friends that I grew up with is having his wedding reception here tomorrow night and I wanted to go! With Mr. Stannix being so busy all weekend, I only felt a little guilty. He's busy every day this weekend at a seminar and with that and hockey and other things I'd hardly get to see him! I am not looking forward to having the bed all to myself tonight. I always miss him a lot when we're apart. After eating lunch, tidying the house, and pulling dinner out of the freezer for Mr. Stannix, the kiddos and I loaded up in the car and headed home (my old home that is). The drive was beautiful and relaxing. As the children slept in the back I started getting sleepy myself and finally pulled over to grab some skittles and a juice. Sadly, Hyrum woke up, but it's better than me falling asleep! My skittles almost lasted the whole way there, but the last 20 minutes was hard. Usually Mr. Stannix does all of the driving. Did I mention how much I miss him? We arrived safe and sound except Camilla's eyes were practically watering because she had to go pee so badly. She's a trooper she is.

We spent the late afternoon outside. Gramma, the kiddos and I walked up to the apple orchard while Grampa mowed the lawn. The children jumped and rolled and ran through the grass. There is nothing like wide open spaces when you're a kid. We picked a few of each kind of apple to bring back to the house and snack on. Fresh apples are so delicious! Then we all went out front and watched Grampa mow the lawn. Eventually he came by and the kids each took turns riding with him on the mower.

They had a blast! Hyrum likes the mechanics of the whole thing and liked to watch and figure out how it worked. Camilla loved trying to take over the steering and doing donuts in the middle of the lawn. Grampa had her giggling pretty good.  When Camilla wasn't riding she was rolling down the hill with her baby. When Hyrum wasn't riding he was sneaking over to the quads and trying to climb on for a ride. I just enjoyed sitting on the hill out front and catching up with my Mum while we munched fresh apple slices. It's always good to be home!

Camilla kept asking me before we came why we were going. I told her it was because we were going to a wedding and she immediately said, "Oh! Can baby come? She LOVES weddin's, mom..." I am in love with her and the things that she says. Her little doll has become her real life baby. Even when we're driving in the car, baby is belted in between the two of them for the whole drive. Baby even sometimes eats with us at the dinner table and tastes Camilla's food. The other day she asked me to take a picture of her and baby sitting on the couch holding hands. Just before I took it she looks at her baby and says, "Say cheese, baby!". I keep asking her why baby doesn't have a name yet and she told me that "she will have a name when she's older, but right now she's too little". The other thing that made me laugh was when she was chatting with Auntie Emma on the phone tonight. A few of my favorite lines were "What are you up to?", and "I thought you just texted me, but you didn't" followed by throwing her head back and laughing. She's such a character.

The evening brought playing on the back deck while Grampa barbequed and killing house flies with the fly swatter (Hyrum's new favorite thing to do). Dinner time has never been so entertaining. Now I am just hoping that all this fresh country air tuckered them out enough that they'll sleep in a little bit tomorrow... Right?

Stats and Stories

 Last Friday I had my monthly visit to the doctors. The kids sat great through everything! The baby's heart rate was 144bpm and my doctor told me I was "measuring small".  I am thinking we might have a little lady on the way. Time goes by way too fast! Hyrum stepped on the scale and weighs a whopping 22lbs and counting. He can eat so much and is catching up to his sister. He has started being interested in dolls and babies lately. I will often find him with one of Camilla's dolls clutched tightly in his little man arms, bouncing and shushing. It's pretty cute. This morning he rocked woody in the rocking chair for a good five minutes, shushing him to sleep.  I just love his chubby little boy fingers and how caring he is. He is going to be such a great big brother and I am looking forward to seeing him interact with the new baby.

The transition to the big boy bed has been fantastic. I always enjoy sneaking into the room after he's fallen asleep. One night his feet were hanging off the edge of the bed and it made me giggle. When I went to check him at nap time today I discovered that he had fallen asleep while reading. So classic. 

While he napped, Camilla and I made up a batch of cookies. They turned out pretty good, but are definitely best when eaten warm!  I think Mr. Stannix and I are going to snuggle up to a show tonight while sipping a caramel steamer and eating cookies.

While Camilla napped, Hyrum and I looked out the window at the bikes and cars and bugs. The fact that he always has shoes on makes me smile. His favorites as of late are Camilla's yellow gum boots. 

A nice full day I'd say, although my house is still a disaster...

Weekend Snap Shots

 This long weekend we spent relaxing at the acreage. It was nice to escape the city and slow things down. My Mum made up a delicious Turkey dinner complete with her yummy dressing and garden veggies for Saturday night. Hyrum had two helpings of potatoes, a lot of dressing, carrots and corn. He must have been super hungry because when I let him down from the highchair, he climbed up into Camilla's booster and finished her leftovers. We all got a good laugh as we watched him try to scoop more and add pepper to his potatoes and gravy. 

Evenings were spent out in the hot tub while the sun set in the background. Camilla loved swimming, splashing, and walking around in the "pool". She always came in excited to tell me about her time with Daddy and Grampa.

Mornings were still early. One morning we woke up to Fall in the air and spent some time on the heat vent with blankets warming up. Hyrum loved this because it was something new. He would sit and look out the window while the warm air blew up the vent and into his blanket.

 

Sunday afternoon was full of relaxing and naps. Mr. Stannix snuggled his kiddos in the big chair while I got a chance to play the piano uninterrupted. It's always nice to play the piano I grew up with. After I finished playing Camilla and I went for a nap. It turned out that everyone else napped too, except for Grampa who spent some quality time with the little man. It was a fun filled afternoon for him!

 

We spent the majority of Monday outside. We helped Grampa pick some berries and walked around the acreage in our bare feet. Camilla loved filling her bucket with berries for Gramma and was a great little helper!

 Grampa was kind enough to dig us some garden potatoes to take home. Camilla loved helping him. It was like searching for buried treasure. Each red potato spotted in the dirt was like a gem waiting to be dug out. 

 Hyrum, being the boy that he is, was more fascinated with this nifty weed picking stool because it had wheels. He sat and made car noises the whole time we were in the garden.

Hyrum was also in love with the quads and would constantly run to them when we were outside. Grampa took him on a couple of rides this weekend and he loved it! Even just sitting on it was enough to keep him happy. This is his "I'm-so-excited!" face. When we ask, "Hyrum, are you so excited?" he responds by opening his eyes, smiling big with his mouth and vibrating his arms and head. Not an awesome description, but it's the cutest thing ever and I crack up every time he makes the face. 

 

After Daddy finished his work he was even able to come for a little ride around the subdivision with us. It was fun to snuggle up on the quad with all four of us and watch Hyrums wispy hair blow in the wind.

 

We also got to spend some quality time with the great-grands. Camilla loves popping over for a visit and will often go over just to say hello and sit on her Great Grampa's knee and tell him stories. Hyrum was able to hang out on the deck with Great Gramma while he played with potatoes and entertained everyone.

Camilla was glad when Auntie Emma was around and enjoyed lots of "boat rides" on the hammock and pretend play. 

And let's not forget the killer games of Rook we had over the weekend! I was able to get a couple 300 hands! It felt pretty darn good. Everyone always jokes that pregnant ladies get all the luck. They were pretty intense games and involved a lot of pictures of our hands and what we picked up in the middle. It's always fun to play with my parents and discuss strategies and things after each round. As always, a great weekend.

Thanks Gramma and Grampa!!