Comfort Food

The wind last night was strong and loud. The tree branches outside hammered on our roof until early this morning. The sleep I got was broken and I saw almost every hour pass by on the clock. I listened to each breath as my children slept away in their cozy beds next door. I warmed my feet on Mr. Stannix's and snuggled down under the duvet. Turning from side to side was painful and this morning I could hardly walk when I woke up. I think it's safe to say that baby's head is where it should be and he or she is getting ready. 

After breakfast I made up some carrot cake muffins and topped them with cream cheese frosting. The best comfort food ever. I also managed to put a delicious pot roast in the slow cooker for dinner and I can't wait to smell it cooking away this afternoon. I am going to put my feet up for the day, enjoy my children and stay cozy. We will all probably catch an afternoon nap later on, which I am so looking forward too!

There and Back

Today was an outside day! We are trying to catch as much of the sun's rays and fresh Autumn air as we can before the snow flies. We walked up to the mall and back to grab some groceries and some odds and ends. Camilla got a chocolate milk and lollipop out of it and was quite happy the rest of the way home. My little man finished off the last little bit of my steamer after it cooled a bit and loved every drop. He would vibrate while saying "mmm" to let me know that it was warm and tasty. Camilla licked her lolli all the way home, kicked up the leaves, carried sticks, and jumped in random piles of leaves. It was so funny watching her. Those two are definitely good at making me laugh!

Walking has been more difficult lately and I definitely can feel it when I get home. These pregnancy hormones are kicking in and my legs feel all stretchy and sore all the time. After too much walking the rest of my day is filled with random braxton hicks and sore hips. It's crazy that there's only a month left until this baby joins our little family! I've been cleaning and organizing the kid's room like crazy and have managed to even empty a drawer in Camilla's dresser and find some closet space for baby clothes. Tomorrow I have a lot of "too small" and summer clothes to box up for storage and then I'll be done! The more things are coming together the more excited I am.

These old videos totally made me laugh today.

One Day at a Time

Life has been so busy lately! Between work, school, two busy toddlers, keeping up the house, making meals, church callings and this upcoming baby, I've started to feel a little overwhelmed. This week has come too fast and I am not super excited for Mr. Stannix to start CASB again for the next eight weeks (but thinking with the end in sight makes it a little more bearable). I had a few meltdowns yesterday. It was just a hard day. Thankfully Heavenly Father always sends us tender mercies and dinner was provided for us, along with great company. When everyone went home, we left the house as is and went up to bed for the night because we were both so exhausted. After a few bad mommy days I was feeling pretty down on myself and cried to Mr. Stannix telling him that our kids are going to remember me as a drill sergeant more than a Mum. I am so thankful for a loving, supportive husband who helps talk me out of those slumps. Thankfully, today life was put into perspective and I was given the strength I need to press through these next few months. It's not going to be easy, but it will be worth it in the end!

My Dad came up today and surprised us all at church. The kids were pretty excited to see their Grampa! After church we all enjoyed lunch together (traditional Sunday soup), played, and visited. When Grampa left, Camilla stood by the door, looked up at me and said, "Well, that was sure a great afternoon!". She sounded 3 going on 10. It was adorable. Shortly after, she zonked out on the couch for a quick snooze. Hyrum napped for over two hours, which hasn't happened in a long time! It was definitely a quiet afternoon.

Tonight I witnessed the sweetest moment shared between Hyrum and Camilla. We've finally gotten back into the routine of bed time scripture reading and it's been so amazing to see the change in our home. The children are so much more agreeable and peaceful and the feeling in our home is so much better. Camilla reads from her Book of Mormon, Hyrum looks at the picture version quietly on the couch and one of us will read. It's been great! After prayers I asked Hyrum to say good-night to everyone. He looked at Camilla, waved, and clicked his tongue twice (his version of night night). As we went down the hallway she came running for a hug and a kiss. Hyrum said, "hut!" (his word for hug) and they embraced long and hard, then smooched each other right on the lips! He then waved, said "baa" (his word for bye) and started towards the stairs again. As he left Camilla said "I love you!" and he giggled. It's so great to watch them show love, and in that moment I felt so blessed. 

I then read to Hyrum in his bed and we sang "I am a Child of God" like we do each night. When we finished I waited in the next room and went downstairs when I thought he was asleep. As soon as I started reading to Camilla I heard him run across the floor to the doorway. Sure enough I heard, "ma!". I went up, placed him back in his bed and then came down and read with Camilla again. After a good twenty minutes we went up so I could tuck her into bed. When I got back downstairs I could hear Hyrum giggling. I told Camilla to be quiet and still so that Hyrum wouldn't giggle at her. Soon they were both bursting with belly laughs. I tried to use my best serious voice and asked them to close their eyes for bed. Soon I could hear Camilla breathing deeply, followed by Hyrum's giggle. I then asked Camilla to stop breathing so funny and go to sleep. She then informed me that she was taking deep breaths to stop her from giggling. It was too funny! They calmed down pretty quick after that and I haven't heard a peep since.

Soggy Windows

Camilla woke up from her nap today after I had started dinner. All of the things on the stove fogged up our windows and when she came downstairs she said, "Ohhh no, our windows are so soggy, I just need to wipe them all day!" It was pretty cute. Hyrum must have forgotten his fall yesterday and still insists on driving his car on the couch.

Snowflakes have been falling all day and this old house was quite chilly when we woke up this morning. When I was playing with the children on the floor I could feel heat coming from the vent. The funny part is that our furnace isn't even turned on! Just shows how cold it really was this morning. We all snuggled up with heat bags and blankets and watched a movie until we warmed up enough to get dressed. Daddy even pulled out his winter coat for the bus ride this morning. 

Hot chili and fresh buns for dinner tonight! The perfect way to warm up!

Extra Sleep

For some reason lately, I haven't been in the blogging spirit. I feel like I have writers block or something (I can't even think of a title for this post). The days just seem to come and go and very little has stayed imprinted on my mind. In an effort to document the childhood of my little ones, I will try to remember some of the details of today as best as I can. The highlight was definitely being able to sleep in this morning. I woke up and listened as Mr. Stannix put on his shoes and quietly slipped out to catch the bus. It was around 8:00. I turned over, my legs achy and the baby rolling about in my tummy, to find miss Camilla snuggled down under the covers with her head on Daddy's pillow. Her sparkly blue eyes said good morning as a smile formed on her sweet pink face. She wrapped her arm around my neck, whispered "I love you" (in that sincere little voice of hers) and smooched my cheek. We snuggled and whispered for a few minutes until Hyrum finally awoke and ran full speed across the landing and to my bedside. I turned to look over the edge and the first thing that came out of his mouth was "BOO!". His big blue eyes and mischievous little grin always make me smile in the morning. We got up, made beds, and had morning prayers. The extra sleep was definitely welcomed by all and everyone was in good spirits. 

I went downstairs and discovered that poor Mr. Stannix only had pumpkin pie and orange juice for breakfast. We all had fruit and warm porridge for breakfast and then cuddled up to a Disney movie. I love slow mornings. Hyrum is starting to talk a lot more and says so many things. Some of the words he's learned lately are; bye (ba), Camilla (MaaaA), cookie, bun, bug, shoes, strawberry (baberry), grandma/grandpa (bapa), yeah, cheese, please (peeeees) and a few others. Although they don't necessarily sound like the word, they are close enough that I know what he's talking about. My favorite is when he says "please", it totally melts my heart! Camilla will also ask him a question and then say, "say 'yeah' Hyrum!"

We spent most of the afternoon passing out flyers for the food drive this weekend. Hyrum fell asleep in the stroller cozied up in his warm winter coat and extra blankets while Camilla ran around like a crazy behind me. She had fun burning all her energy. We still have half a route left to do tomorrow, so I'm hoping it's warm! My legs ache from all of the speed walking I did and I can tell this baby's due date isn't far off. 

Hyrum has been obsessed with his ride-on car again today. I caught him multiple times sitting on it on the couch and bouncing up and down. Each time I would lift him and it down and remind him that we only drive our car on the floor. As soon as I left the room he would put it back on the couch and bounce on it some more. One time when I was in the bathroom I heard little hands playing with the door handle. Eventually the door opened and on the other side was Hyrum, standing on his car, with a giant triumphant grin on his face. Now every time someone is in the bathroom you can hear him dragging his car over to help him open the door.

One of my pet peeves as of late is all of this extra energy my kids seem to have.  By the time the late afternoon rolls around they can be found RUNNING down the hall and into the living room to the couches over and over again. Usually Camilla is "chasing" Hyrum and they'll be screaming or giggling their heads off. I try so hard to stop them and initiate some quiet time, but today I gave up. As I cooked dinner I chose to let the laughter and giggles be music to my ears (and tried really hard not to worry about collisions). The older Hyrum gets the more they enjoy playing and wrestling together. It's been a neat change to watch (amidst all the craziness).

The Big Turk chocolate bar that I am now eating is the perfect end to my day! Soon Mr. Stannix will be home for the evening and my life will be complete. Man I love that guy! And just so this post isn't pictureless I'll leave you with a little snap shot from Saturday afternoon.

Thankful

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! It started out with General Conference and ended with a nice relaxing day spent together. Conference was so wonderful to listen to as always and a few of the talks really hit home. We got together with some of the Stannix clan for Sunday evening and enjoyed a nice Turkey dinner together (I even managed to almost duplicate my Mum's dressing). Mr. Stannix did a great job carving the Turkey! It's been great to have him back after his week away, I don't think I've been smooched so much since we were first married! On Sunday night he even told me I was remarkable. I don't think I've ever been called that before! I adore him.

I am thankful for so much this year, I don't even know where to begin! I am very thankful for a wonderful husband who works so hard to provide for us. I am thankful for our two beautiful children and their sweet smiles and giggles each day. I am so thankful for a healthy body and healthy pregnancies. I am thankful for the opportunity to have another sweet spirit join our family, motherhood is truly a blessing. I am thankful for all of my family members and the role each of them has in my life. I am grateful for my testimony and the happiness the Gospel brings. And I am grateful for the knowledge that I have a loving Heavenly Father and older brother Jesus Christ.We have been blessed with so much and there is much to be thankful for!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Maternity Photoshoot

On Thursday my sister had the day off work, so we loaded up the kids and went out to shoot some maternity pictures. It was a bright, sunny, Fall afternoon with just enough crispness in the air to make our cheeks nice and rosy. I loved watching my kids run around and enjoy the fresh air as they tagged along. They looked so healthy and vibrant with their bright rosy cheeks and pink noses. I have never had professional maternity pictures done before and she needed a subject, so I was pretty excited! We had a lot of fun and it was great to spend the afternoon with my sister! She took a lot of pictures that I am in love with, so I'll narrow it down to just a few to share!  I can't wait for this next little one to join our family!

 

Thanks so much Emma! 

Check out her photog page here.

Gramma's Barbershop

Today I finally worked up the courage to cut the little man's curls off. He woke up with a giant rats nest in the back of his hair, something needed to be done. When Grampa took Camilla to town for the morning I strapped Hyrum in the booster and wrapped the hair cutting cape around him. I debated trying to cut it on my own. Thankfully Gramma came to the rescue and made quick work of it! 

When Gramma asked him to look down at his toes so that she could trim the back up, he leaned all the way forward and practically touched his nose to his toes. It was super funny. I was too busy laughing and forgot to take a picture of it.

 

He was a pretty handsome dude after. We didn't take much off the top, mostly just cleaned up the back, but it definitely made a difference.

Although the back looks much better, I'm still going to miss those curls!

When we finished we got Hyum to clean up the mess. He enjoyed vacuuming for the next hour or so. Who needs toys when you own a vacuum? Gotta love cheap entertainment.

On it's Way

Winter is on it's way! This morning there was a definite chill in the air. It had rained all night and mid morning wet flakes started falling to the ground. In between storms we found a few minutes to take the kids outside for a quick walk and some fresh air. We walked the other side of the tree line around my parents Acreage for some protection from the bitter wind that was blowing in the snow. Despite the cold, the kids had fun and didn't want to go inside after.

 

They enjoyed catching rain drops on their tongues and hiding under the trees from the rain. It was quite the adventure!

Hyrum had his afternoon snack on the counter. We shared a special moment together as we watched the snow come down outside and he put his chubby toes on my belly. As his toes played and twisted they eventually made their way onto my bare tummy where he left them for a few minutes to warm up. I love that kid!

By the time the evening rolled around there was finally a skiff of snow on the garden and roof tops. It didn't last long, but was definitely a reminder that Winter isn't far off!

My night was complete when I got my nightly phone call from Mr. Stannix. It was great to hear his voice and know that he is doing well! Talking on the phone sometimes reminds me of late night phone conversations when we were dating. Only three more sleeps!

Garden Adventures

 Last night my dear Mr. Stannix drove away to Calgary for the week for training. The good-bye was hurried as it was after a fireside in Red Deer. The children and I drove back to the Acreage with my parents and Mr. Stannix had a lonely drive to Calgary. I'm going to miss that guy this week!

Despite our late arrival home last night the children didn't sleep in all that much. Everyone was up bright and early and we spent the day pulling the rest of the carrots out of the garden and getting them ready to go in the root cellar for the winter. The kids carried the freshly pulled carrots from Gramma to the wash counter where I took the tops off and got them ready to wash. 

When they finally got bored of that Hyrum grabbed a shovel and dug in the dirt for a while. He was a very happy boy after that!

 

Soon Camilla wanted to dig too. Between the kids and Grampa they finished up the row while Gramma and I took the tops off. Eventually Camilla grabbed a little pail, filled it with dirt and "planted" some carrots of her own. It was pretty cute. 

 

I think they had a fun morning in the garden! All of that digging certainly tuckered them out! Camilla felt pretty strong to be able to dig with the big shovel.

 

When we got in we had a granola bar for afternoon snack. Both Hyrum and Camilla snuggled up together on the big chair. It was so great to see them getting along so well without being asked!