Musical Beds

Some people play musical chairs. Well, we play musical beds. Last night I tucked the littles in and they all went to bed super easy! I only had to tell Hyrum to go back to bed once. After my friend's little lady got picked up, I went back upstairs to check on Camilla and give her a good night hug. I felt around her bed in the dark trying to find her but had no luck. I called her in a whisper and she quickly jumped out of my bed, "here I am Mommy!". She told me she didn't like her room because it was too dark, so I let her fall asleep in our bed. After Mr. Stannix returned home from scouts he went back to work at the kitchen table until really late. I finally got Joe to bed at 11:00pm after four tries. I went up to bed shortly after and snuggled up next to Camilla who had made our bed all nice and warm. Mr. Stannix came to bed and hour or so later and not long after he hit the pillow Hyrum appeared at our bedside. I climbed over Camilla and scooped him up. He rested his head on my shoulder while I carried him and his favorite blanket back to bed. If only our double was big enough for four, it was already crowded with three. I jumped into Camilla's bed and fell back to sleep almost instantly. When Joseph woke me up for his next feeding I peeked at the clock which read 4:00am. Is anyone else calculating this? I got almost five whole hours of sleep! I think the little man has hit a growth spurt. I'm crossing my fingers that it continues. I woke up around 7:00am with both munchkins snuggled in on either side of me in Camilla's bed. And when they couldn't contain their giggles any longer (bless their hearts for trying) we crept down the stairs for a bowl of cheerios. Joseph slept until almost 8:00am. I didn't think it was possible to love him any more, but he definitely got some extra loves for his awesome sleeping performance last night. I don't even care that the first thing he did when he woke up was to fill his diaper to the brim.

The rest of the day was spent nursing, playing with children, baking my very favorite chocolate chip cookies, catching up on dishes and waiting for Telus to come and fix our silly telephone (turns out it was a shorted wire downstairs). Sadly I overcooked the very last pan of cookies. It seems I do that to at least one pan in every batch.

After nursing Joseph in the late afternoon he slept  across my lap while I gently trimmed his fingernails. When I was done those he was still fast asleep so I slowly unbuttoned his white sleeper and slipped his long feet out. I paused to admire his chubby toes before I gently clipped them too. It was nice to take care of that. I love me a clean baby in white.

Before I knew it the children were getting antsy, running up and down the hallway, chasing each other and screaming. I put the upside-down nacho bake in the oven to melt the cheese and then called the crew for dinner. When Daddy e-mailed me saying he would still be another couple of hours I cranked the tunes and cleaned the kitchen while my kiddos sat at the table for what seemed like an eternity picking at their dinner. I think my favorite was Camilla resting her head on her elbows or balancing her spoon on her dish out of boredom. 

I swept my kitchen floor to this tune.  It always puts me in a bouncy, fun mood. I especially love the old-school dancing in the video. When Hyrum was tired of looking at his food, he dumped it onto the floor. I had a lot to sweep. When I finished I pulled out his chair to unbuckle him and discovered he had a lap full of food. So much for sweeping...

And right now as I write, the children are both tucked into their beds. I'm sure Hyrum fell asleep in two minutes flat. He was one tired boy. Camilla wasn't far behind. Joseph is still hanging out on my lap and there's no sign of Daddy yet. I think it's time to whip out a chocolate bar and listen to some more tunes while I wait for Mr. Stannix to come home.

Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 Cup Butter (melted)

1 Cup Brown Sugar

1/2 Cup White Sugar

2 Eggs

2 Tsp Vanilla

1 Tsp Salt

1 Tsp Baking soda

2 Cups Flour

1 Cup Oatmeal

MILK Chocolate chips

Dash of Nutmeg & Cinnamon 

350 for 8 minutes

I promise you won't be disappointed!

La-Boo

A few days ago Hyrum started saying 'I love you' without being prompted. He's such a sweet boy. 

At random times throughout the day he will come up to me, rest his head on my shoulder, hug my leg, or give me a smooch and say, 

"I La-boo...Mommy" 

Those soft spoken words melt my heart every time. 

Today he must have sensed I was having a hard day because I got showered with hugs, kisses, cuddles and expressions of love. 

He was kind of having a hard day too and constantly wanted up to cuddle.

He woke up from his nap very upset, so I asked if he needed a cuddle. The house was quiet, it was just the two of us awake. 

I cherish moments like this with each of my children. 

Sometimes I forget how often they need that and I have to make a conscious effort throughout my day to pause what I am doing for some snuggle time with each of them. 

Today I was happy to snuggle with Hyrum on the big chair in the living room and hear him giggle and whisper

 "La-boo... Mommy" in my ear.

Voluntary expressions of love are the greatest!

I also had a friend who must have sensed I was having a rough day today. She sent me some beautiful tulips to enjoy. She's the best!

A Lot of Chilling

We have been doing a lot of chilling lately. I'm grateful to my parents for putting the littles and I up at the Acreage for the week. Mr. Stannix has been working long hours and the break this last week was much welcomed. Mr. Stannix always seems to know when I need to get out of the city and kindly sends me home. I leave him a clean house, homemade bagels and muffins for breakfast, homemade soup for dinner and a short love note. This week went by fast and Daddy surprised us by showing up for dinner on Friday night. Everyone missed him tons! We all enjoyed being back together on Saturday. We started the morning off slow and spent our afternoon outside.

While Daddy and Grampa finished working on the knives they're making, Camilla high-jacked Grampa's phone and played games.

Joseph was the first one dressed because he soaked through his jammies. He actually got to enjoy some tummy time and I loved his little grins!

Hyrum was in-love with the quads the whole time we were there and always wanted to be anywhere Grampa was. Whenever he heard the words "Garage" or "Quad" he would jump up from whatever he was doing and say, "Boots on. Hymum come too. Quad ride?" It was pretty cute. One day he spent an hour just sitting on the quad in the garage while Grampa did some work. When he started to lean forward and fall asleep on the gas tank Grampa brought him inside for a snooze.

Little Joe loved all the snuggles and attention. 

On Saturday afternoon we enjoyed the Chinook weather and built a snow fort! It was so fun to be outside. Hyrum liked to help push the snowballs as I rolled them and we'd make them so big they would hardly move.

Camilla was having a blast and loved playing king of the castle.

This is the last picture I snapped of Hyrum before he lost interest and wandered off to sit on the quad. Grampa came to his rescue and they took the quad to plow the neighbours drive-ways. This gave Mike and I some one on one time with miss Cami.

She became pro at rolling snowballs all on her own and helped construct the second layer of the snow fort.

Part way through Mr. Stannix took a break for a snowball fight. While I finished the top layer, he enjoyed chucking snowballs at me from the deck. Soon my Mum came out to defend me. Camilla quickly got in on the action too. I haven't heard her laugh that hard for a long time! She had so much fun with us. She would totally tease and be all, "I won't throw this at you, I promise". It was cute. I love spending time with that girl!

Mr Stannix finished up his knife. It just needs some tung oil and a little sharpening and then it's complete! I'm super proud of him. Pictures don't really do this thing justice. It's a beaut!

We took off, just the two of us, for dinner Saturday night. It was a much needed date and I'm super grateful to my parents for watching the kids. It's always great to talk with Mr. Stannix about anything and everything. I'm super glad he's such a great listener.

Bed Head

Our week has been very quiet and low-key. The children have been sleeping until almost 8:00am each morning and it's been glorious. One thing that brought me joy today was Hyrum and his awesome bed head. Each morning my Mamma has made us up a "smoo-ee" to go with our breakfast. The children LOVE them. By the end of the glass they would each have an awesome mustache and a smoothie uni-brow to match. That plus Hyrum's bed head totally made my day!

Toothless

I seriously can't get enough of these toothless little grins.
Today, as I gently poked his sides I actually got a few little giggles too!


Life is Good

Dear Mr. Stannix,
We are halfway through our visit at the Acreage. We all miss you a lot. Camilla keeps asking where you are and when you're going to come to Gramma's house. At breakfast today I glanced over at Hyrum and couldn't help but smile. He had some nice bed-head, I think he's almost ready for another hair cut. Gramma removed his shirt and put a bib on him so that he could go to town on his bowl of porridge. His legs were crossed, the way he has crossed them since birth, and the expression on his face told me that life was good. For some reason it made me think of you and I wanted to let you know that life is good, and we are all doing well! The children love the extra space to run and play. Hyrum and Camilla run circles around the pool table until they are out of breath. Hyrum is Grampa's shadow and loves going with him to the garage to sit on the quad while he works away. Camilla built a pretty sweet helicopter out of the tinker toys today, I'll have to take a picture of it for you. That girl has some serious talent. Joseph is loving the extra interaction. He loves to snuggle Gramma and have conversations with Grampa. Tonight he coo-ed and talked to himself in the mirror for a good five minutes. It was the cutest thing ever and made me smile so much, I wish you could have seen it. He has such a sweet little voice and is talking more and more. I'm sure you'll notice a bit of a change when we see you again on the weekend. Other than that, I spend my days visiting with my Mum and Dad, baking cookies, reading my book, and finishing up your blanket. Thanks for sending me home, it's been a nice break.


I Love You!
-AJ

A Country Visit

With Mr. Stannix working long hours, my sweet Mum came up and picked up the kids and I and brought us to the Acreage for the week. On our way out we stopped in to visit Gramma and Grampa Martin at their farm outside of Drayton. The last time I had been there was when Camilla was a baby, so it had been a while. We pulled up to their cute framed log home and were welcomed by the neighbors dog. As we walked up to the front door they both opened it to greet us. Grampa was in his western shirt and Gramma had on an apron. I loved this. I always picture myself later in life as that Gramma who welcomes the kids home in an apron and barefeet. I adore their little western home with the upstairs loft bedrooms. Grampa's home made wood furniture and trinkets decorated the livingroom and a mounted deer decorated the wall above the big fireplace. We had a nice little visit in their cozy livingroom. Soon Gramma was asking what we'd like to drink and our visiting moved to the kitchen table. We enjoyed a bowl of homemade soup while Gramma put together a plate of baked goods for dessert. Gramma removed her apron for pictures and I admired her western belt and tucked in shirt. We left just before dark to finish the rest of our drive home. It was a great visit! 

 



Unforgettable

Sundays are always unforgettably busy these days. The whole day is a whirl wind until everyone goes to bed and I get to sit down next to Mr. Stannix for our weekly planning meeting. A few weeks ago we made the mistake of napping the kids after getting home at 2:00pm which resulted in Hyrum sleeping until 7:00pm, and then brownies and a movie for everyone. Today started out a bit slower for me which was nice. The kids all slept until after 8:00am which never happens anymore. It was only because Camilla had tucked into our bed in the middle of the night and I ended up in hers after the morning feed, but I'll take it. If I'm being honest, her bed is the most comfortable in the whole house. I got the kids up and ready while Mr. Stannix took off to his Sunday morning meeting. We enjoyed dried cheerios since the milk was sour, toast and jam, and a bit of fruit. I hopped in the shower while Joseph was sleeping and the other two were finishing up breakfast. Joe slept longer than I thought he would which allowed me time to blowdry and do my hair before church. Once the kids finished breakfast, we all headed upstairs to get dressed. We even managed a few spare minutes for some pictures before Daddy came to pick us up for church.

 

 

We walked out in the freezing cold and piled everyone into the car, only to unbuckle them a few minutes later when we arrived at the church. Camilla is really good about taking her jacket off and hanging it up while Hyrum runs around playing "catch me if you can". On a good day Joseph is already asleep and I wrap him up in his blanket, but today he was very awake. Knowing I had to play the opening hymn, Mr. Stannix agreed to sit with the kiddos instead of helping the young men with the sacrament. After a quick chat with the organist, she thought it was actually the fourth hymn she needed a hand with, so Mr. Stannix went to help the boys out anyways. Just as the meeting started Joseph puked over my left shoulder and down the side of my shirt. I shrugged as I wiped it off. A few moments later he did a nice little number over my right shoulder. I officially smelled like baby barf and had the wet stains on my t-shirt to prove it and the meeting had hardly begun. Before I knew it, the organist was making hand signals at me and it turned out that I needed to play the opening hymn. It was just being announced, so I had to move quick. I passed off the baby to our awesome nursery leader who was sitting in front of me and another sister jumped up to sit with the other two. I jumped off the organ after I finished to join my kiddos for the hardest part of the whole meeting. I juggled Joseph and two busy children while we sang another hymn. During the Sacrament portion, the kids started getting on each others nerves. Hyrum had Camilla pinned  by the wall while he pinched her right on the back of her arm. I picked him up with my one free arm and chucked him over my legs and onto the other side of me on the bench. He protested loudly. My face grew hotter and hotter as the meeting progressed. I was sure all eyes were on me and my crazy children (really no one noticed). Then Camilla had to pee, even though I told her three times to go before we left the house. Daddy offered to take her and Hyrum soon followed, and I soon followed him. As I walked down the aisle three sets of hands went out with kind looks as sisters offered to hold Joseph for me. I politely smiled back thinking I could handle it. Hyrum ran like a loony around the halls before I finally picked him up to bring him back in. That kind of thing doesn't fly with us. I walked back into the chapel with Joseph cradled in one arm and Hyrum propped on my hip in the other arm.

 

After that meeting was over we made our way down to the Primary room to help/watch Camilla do her Scripture. Super funny. She's not shy at all, and that's good (sometimes). I then made my way to the mother's room to nurse Joseph for most of Sunday school. Relief Society was spent bouncing Joseph to sleep in the back and waiting to jump on the piano for the closing hymn. And then before I knew it, it was time to go pick up the kids from their classes. It's always fun having more kids than arms. We slowly made our way across the gym to the side entrance. Hyrum ran around the gym repeating, "Run run run!" over and over again. I had to smile as I watched his gangly legs skip and run in the wide-open space. With he and Camilla running in two separate directions it was hard to get a handle on them to guide them out the door. Then Camilla makes her way out and books it to the coats to hide underneath them until I arrive. Thankfully there was a smart mother sitting at the entrance with her kids, treats in hand and willing to share. I went back to the gym to find Hyrum running at the edge of the stage with a basketball in hand. Worried that he wouldn't see the edge and stop I sprinted across the gym (as fast as you can sprint with a baby in your arms) to be there incase he fell. I propped him up on my hip again and we made our way out of the gym. Daddy joined us shortly after, thankfully.

 

Our afternoon at home consisted of left over tacos for lunch and afternoon naps for most. I enjoyed snuggling Joseph. Camilla cuddled in on the other end of the couch and fell asleep quickly. And I sighed a breath of relief... until next week. 

On a Saturday Night

It's Saturday night and all of the Stannix's are in the kitchen making up a batch of Grampy's Tacos.  Mr. Stannix had to work today and thought it would be a fun treat to make these up together tonight.   My mouth has been watering all day.  I always enjoy cooking in the kitchen together, especially when I get to watch Mr. Stannix flip the tacos high in the air! It truly was a Saturday today. Hyrum stayed in his Pj's all day and graced us with phrases like "No Way!" when asked to do something. It's funny to hear him say it and I have to try really hard not to laugh. Terrible twos here we come!

My Chubby Joseph

There are somedays when I wish it was summer so that Joseph could just wear diaper shirts around the house and I could enjoy his roly-poly legs. 

Bath time is a good time to do that though, and I just can't get enough of this kid! 

It's our special one on one time together. 

Could he get any cuter?

**Happy Birthday to my Beautiful Mamma today!**