At Sea

Today was the hardest, longest day we've had in a while. I came down with the flu on Tuesday night and spent all day Wednesday on the couch while my littles took over the house. When I heard plastic crunching in the kitchen I went in to investigate and found Hyrum and Camilla sitting under the table eating cheerios right out of the bag. It made me giggle a bit. It wasn't long before cheerios could be found all over my house, underneath the couch cushions, and in the bathroom. Come mid-morning I decided to put up the baby gate and barricade everyone in the living room. We may or may not have watched Disney movies all day long. I was so achy and tired and it took everything in me just to pick up all the dirty diapers and vacuum the cheerios up at the end of the day. Thank-fully Joseph has been a gem and has been going to sleep with little or no bouncing. Last night he simply layed on my shoulder while I patted his back. As he drifted off to sleep he would nestle his fuzzy little head into my neck. I love kissing the top off his head. The kids went to bed in the same jammies they wore all day and slept in the night before. All in the name of survival I guess.

We definitely have a bad case of the coups here today. There has been non-stop whining, crying, biting, toy stealing, complaining,  head bonking, and falling off things. It all started bright and early with Hyrum coming downstairs before 6:00am. Camilla was close behind and asking for breakfast on her way down. I asked if she wanted toast and Hyrum immediately ran to me repeating, "I uh tooooast!" over and over. I smiled, "you want toast too, Hyrum?" "Yeh-Pee! MMM gooo! Toe!" Ah he cracks me up. He then asks for jam repeatedly until I respond, only his J's still sound more like D's. I then asked Camilla if she had a good sleep and she goes, "yeah, I just slept for five minutes!" Then Hyrum interrupts, "Fweeping! Fweeping! Five min!" Before we knew it Daddy was heading out the door with Hyrum shouting, "Wub you!" I then read Hyrum The Cranky Bear book which he calls "Cwanky Beaw". Later on when I was playing with Camilla's hair Hyrum ran up to me begging, "Pet me! Pet me!" and pushing his head into my hands. I literally burst out laughing.

Although the day was chaotic and exhausting, a moment of peace finally came in the late afternoon when I was nursing Joe on the couch. Both kids had just woke up from their very short naps and quietly came downstairs. One by one they began climbing over my outstretched legs and snuggling under the blanket. Before I knew it Camilla had taken us away deep into her imagination. My floral couch suddenly became a huge boat lost at sea with a captain who we called "hey man". We rolled over huge waves and saw whales and sea lions on our adventure. It wasn't long before the sizzling slow cooker in the kitchen became a scary monster, a dragon in fact, and it was in pursuit of our ship. When Hyrum had heard the slow cooker sizzling earlier he was legit afraid and ran to me in tears. This time he just pretended to be afraid, letting out that funny scream of his and shouting, "MUH-UH! MUH-UH! Twuick! Hide! AH!"

Finally we landed on a sandy beach so that I could bounce Joseph to sleep because he was crying. "Joo-peh pying" says Hyrum. Camilla responds, "Don't say stupid Hyrum!". I must admit when he says Joseph's name it does sound a bit like he's saying that word. While I rocked the baby the kids made sand castles on my living room floor. Camilla's imagination continued to run wild and her brother wasn't far behind trying to repeat everything she was saying. The story got pretty intense and I wish I could remember all of the details. I love that girl and her ability to escape into her imagination and bring the rest of us with her. It was the quietest hour we had all day, and it was pure fun! I may have even caught a few winks while we were sailing and pretending to be "fweeping" with our eyes closed. Bonus!

Poor Mr. Stannix is feeling under the weather as well. By the time he got home we both plunked down on the couch and let the kids have their way with the house until dinner was ready. 

Afternoon Sun

This afternoon I enjoyed some quiet time with Joseph on the couch soaking up the afternoon sun that always pours through our living room window before it begins to set behind the rooftops across the street. This is one of my favorite things to do in the afternoon. The warmth of the sun on my skin reminds me of Summer and makes me feel warm all over. Today I enjoyed connecting with Joseph though. I propped him up on my legs so we were sitting face to face. I love when he makes eye contact and coos at me. His newest trick is to form his lips into a tiny little O shape while he makes conversation. It's pretty dang adorable.

They're All Mine

Today I ran some errands with the kids. One of the stops on my list was AMA to get Joseph's birth certificate. I parked the car and unloaded the stroller from the back. Joseph was still crying, he's not a fan of his carseat. Since the lineups can be long, I decided it was best to keep everyone belted in to something. I buckled Hyrum into the top of the double stroller, Camilla in the bottom, and put Joseph's carseat on my arm. The walk from the car to the front door was just enough to put Joe to sleep. I lucked out and was first in line before a mad rush of people came in. I was quickly helped by a lady at the desk. The children all sat quietly, Hyrum staring at the big TV screen and Camilla playing with a toy she brought from home. As I filled out the paper work the lady looked over at my kids and said, "you've got your hands full today don't you?" I politely smiled and quietly chuckled to myself. Then she goes, "are they ALL yours?" I proudly responded, "yep, they're all mine!" Oiy, I've only got three and people are already asking me these things.

As I left, pushing the double stroller with Joseph's seat hanging from my arm I couldn't help but smile. All of the older people smiled politely at me as I made my way to the car. I fumbled in my jacket pocket looking for the keys and finally found them between toy cars and a soother. I looked back at my kids and smiled once more. Yep, they're all mine.

In My Kitchen

In my kitchen this morning I have...

 a brand new little Sunbeam finger painting away,

 a sweet baby boy sleeping in the swing,

a cute little baker mixing up cookies,

two blonde cookie monsters,
(One with breakfast smoothie still on his face)

three dozen of my Mamma's oatmeal cookies,

one batch of bannock frying on the stove, and dinner in the slow cooker.

On a side note, don't these two look a-like?!

Aint Nothin' Better

There is nothing better than a freshly bathed baby.

Except maybe the cute, roly-poly seven week old 

in my bathroom sink.

Everyone's Des-hausted

Today was the last weekday that we got to spend with Daddy before he goes back to work on Monday. When Hyrum came to my bedside this morning I may or may not have led him back to his bed to catch another hour of sleep. He lay quietly in his bed and soon dozed off while I nursed Joseph back to sleep in the big green chair (and caught a few winks myself). Our house didn't really get going until 8:30 this morning when we all came downstairs and I whipped up a batch of pancakes for everyone to enjoy. 

Joseph snoozed away the morning and I had to wake him to get him in his snow suit so that we could run some errands.  Mike dropped Hyrum and I off at the grocery store and took Camilla with him to get his skates sharpened. As we walked through the front doors we were greeted with a "Happy New Year" from our favorite check-out ladies. They all asked where Camilla was and were sad that she wasn't there to talk to them. We then started our usual tour around the grocery store, beginning in the produce section and working our way aisle by aisle. Because my little man still wasn't feeling too well, we skipped our free cookie at the Bakery and made our way down the canned fruit and cracker aisle. Around the freezer section Hyrum started to get bored and dropped his "tool dudes" on the floor. We helped an elderly lady find the maple walnut ice cream she was looking for and carried on to the next aisle for garbage bags. By this time Hyrum was resting his head on the cart, watching the floor as we took on the rest of the store. We reached the meat section in no time and were soon on our way to the till for check-out. Shopping seemed to take half the time without Camilla there to chat with everyone and follow me around the grocery store (I still missed her). After taking care of the bill we waited near the front entrance for Daddy. It wasn't until then that I noticed Hyrum had actually fallen asleep. I let out a giggle and watched out the window for Mike to return.

I got in the car to a very excited little girl who had a lot of fun with her Daddy. She told me that Daddy got her triangle treats because she was "SO good and only ran away once". She had a grin from ear to ear. We rushed home, unloaded the groceries, and made some lunch. Mike chowed down and then headed to the bank for his meeting. While he was out I made up some buns for dinner, tidied up, and nursed Joseph while the other two napped. Mike returned with a big smile on his face, a twinkle in his eye and a dozen orange roses. I was definitely not expecting it. I love "just because" roses. The smell of fresh roses quickly filled my kitchen as I unwrapped them, cut the stems and put them in a vase. I am going to be so sad when Mr. Stannix goes back to work. These last two weeks have been great! If I could have him home with me every day I would. And not just because he's done almost all the dishes and put the kids to bed pretty much every night, I just love having him around, and love spending time with him.

Mike requested to BBQ tonight for dinner, so I made up some hamburgers and we unfroze our sliding door with a kettle of water so he could have deck access. The kids had fun making faces at Daddy through the glass door and passing him the BBQ sauce and plates.

Joseph has recently started settling more and has some awake time during the day to play and coo at us. The kids love this and love talking to him. I will often put my face close to his to make eye contact and say, "Hi sir". Tonight I caught Hyrum nose to nose with Joe saying "Hi....Shir". Joseph was grinning and cooing right back. Those two are so cute together. Joseph loves when the kids are in his face and talking to him in their little high pitched voices. He will give them the sweetest little grins. Mike and I will often watch this and smile away ourselves. I love our little family and the relationships our children are building with each other. I adore Josephs interactions, his sweet little grins, and his soft looking eyes.

After dinner Hyrum went and played with Daddy. Joe was sleeping in the swing and Camilla still had her dinner to finish so I decided to clean up a bit and do some dishes. While I stood at the sink with my hands in the hot soapy water I was serenaded with Camilla's own version of Jingle bells where she would make up words for the parts she didn't know. I smiled as I scrubbed at pots from lunch and washed the plates. Her little hands danced around the table with the last of her bun which she was refusing to eat. The bun then became a bed for something and I heard her say, "Phew, I'm going to bed, I'm so des-hausted!" She continued to play with her food, poking her finger through the top of her bun and turning it into an umbrella to keep her dry from the rain that seemed to be pouring down from the kitchen ceiling. Sometimes I wish I could take a peek into that girl's imagination, it's a good one. She finished off with a rendition of the ABC's while I poured Hyrum a bath. Once Hyrum was splashing around in the tub she informed me that she didn't want a bed time snack and asked to be excused. Oiy, dinner is a challenge with this little blondie.

And now I think it's time for me to finish up the nightly tidy of the living room and start getting ready for bed. After the night I had last night and our busy day today, I'm feeling a little bit "des-hausted"!

Homemade Soup

This little dude is still feeling a bit under the weather today. He puked five times before bed last night and was up every hour with Daddy all night. He's had lots of naps today and I've enjoyed the extra snuggles. I love when his little body just melts into mine while he falls asleep. When he's finally asleep I can't stop staring at his long, dark eye lashes and cute button nose. He woke up pretty thirsty this morning and so far has kept everything down. Gramma made him up some homemade turkey broth soup with noodles. He sat in his high chair saying "Common noo-els" while chasing them around the dish with his spoon. He felt much better after that!

New Years Day

Our New Years Eve was pretty exciting. We spent a lot of it watching Wipeout on TV, playing with the kids and munching on finger food. Shortly after we rang in the new year, Hyrum puked all over our bed and himself. We had an hour of crazy with a puking toddler and a fussy baby. Daddy ended up tending to Hyrum most of the night while Joe and I snuggled up on the couch. Luckily today found everyone in better spirits (and health) and we could enjoy the outdoors. Grampa took the kids and I for a sleigh ride behind the quad up to the rink. It was a blast! We took Hyrum skating for his very first time. Instead of looking hopefully through the glass, he was in awe to be on the actual ice. Everytime I would ask him if he was having fun he would say, "Ha-ee?". He can't wait to be able to skate with a stick. It was a lot of fun!

 

I thought if I skated a bit faster with him that he would glide more instead of walk, but his little feet would just pick up the pace, step after step!

 

 Camilla had a nice little skating lesson from Daddy and loved being pulled/pushed around the ice.
 

 She got braver and braver as time went on. She was pretty happy to be outside and learning to skate.
 

 We had a few little troubles with the bob-skates, but Grampa was always quick to fix them.
 

 Near the end Camilla got brave enough to try standing on her own. She was SO proud of herself. The look on her face was priceless.

 Hyrum also got brave near the end and refused to hold our hands. The only problem was that he looked like he was going to face plant if we didn't hang on to him. Grampa figured out the perfect solution and just grabbed him by the jacket while he skated around. Problem solved!
 

I could have stayed on the rink with everyone all day long. The weather was so nice and the sky was so blue and beautiful! Grampa snapped a quick family picture before taking the kiddos for a sleigh ride. Mr. Stannix and I enjoyed a few laps around the rink on our own holding hands and sharing our dreams for 2013.



Happy New Year

 

Happy New Year from our crew to yours!

We're ringing in the new year at the acreage with Gramma and Grampa.

The kids are loving the warm winter weather and fresh air.



My Missionary Brother

I am almost done with the Christmas re-cap, I promise! On Boxing Day we went over to my Gramma and Grampa Hudkins place for a Turkey lunch and a Skype session with my little missionary brother all the way over in Chile. When I told Camilla we were going to Skype Uncle Arland in Chile she said, "Oh. Does he eat Chili there?" It made me laugh. Since we were going out I decided to dress Joseph in some "real" clothes. He sported his cute little plaid diaper shirt and navy corduroy pants. He was pretty handsome looking.

My Gramma put on a great dinner! It was great to have everyone gathered in their home to visit and share delicious food. I am happy to report that only three glasses of water were spilled at the kids table where my Gramma, Mike, the kids and I sat. 

After lunch it was time for the best part of the day. Once clean up was done Elder Hudkins signed in to call us up on Skype. It was great to be able to talk to him. This time we chatted in groups and only got a few minutes each. It was so great to see him and see that he is doing well! When it was time to say good-bye I was choking back tears. Mr. Stannix noticed and gave me a big hug with those strong arms of his, which made me cry even more. I miss that kid and can't wait to see him in six months.

After we finished up with our dear Elder Hudkins, we all visited for a little while longer. Joseph and Uncle Chris had a nice chat on the couch. It was so great to be able to see everyone.

Grampa was constantly getting loves from his grand-kids.  Joseph slept soundly on his arm while Hyrum and Camilla snuggled and cuddled their Grampa. They sure do love him!

It was sad to leave after such a fun day, but our kiddos were pretty tired...