Easter Recap

We spent part of our Easter weekend at the Acreage. Mike ended up with a bit extra time off work, so we decided to escape the busy city. The weather was perfect! We got a lot of visiting and outside time in. Hyrum and Camilla love the extra space to run.

One of my favorite places to sit first thing in the morning is in the recliner. Joseph actually fell asleep in the sunshine on my lap while we visited. I soaked up the cuddles from my sleeping babe and continued to enjoy the warm sunshine pouring in through the front window.

This time around we were able to spend a bit more time with Great Gramma and Grampa next door. Hyrum and Camilla loved sneaking over for treats from Gramma. She's been working hard knitting. Last time we were out she traced each of the kids feet and hands. She had knitted them little mittens and is now making matching socks. I couldn't resist snapping a picture of Gramma sizing up the heal on Hyrum while Great Grampa held the back of his sweater to keep him from falling. I love that my Grandparents are able to spend time with my children, it's such a special thing!



Mr. Stannix and my Dad took the kids out for a long afternoon walk over to the next subdivision. I guess on the way home Camilla ran most of the way and beat her Daddy to the house. Mr. Stannix said that by the time he reached the end of the laneway he was out of breath and Camilla's little legs were still going strong ahead of him. She has so much energy! I love to see her enjoy life. 

We also enjoyed quad rides and being pulled on the sled.

I loved watching Hyrum and Camilla dodge Grampa's snowballs on the front lawn.

The kids kept Grampa on his toes and gave him a nice leg workout.

 I enjoyed relaxing and visiting the most! My mamma also cooked a delicious Turkey feast for Friday evening. There is nothing better than a home cooked meal! We spent the rest of the evening decorating easter eggs. Thank-you pinterest for the genious idea of using a whisk! The kids had fun. Hyrum wanted to be Mr. independant with a spoon and ended up smashing one of his eggs. I just chuckled as I grabbed a new one. They did pretty good!

We forgot to champ them before we left on Saturday, but Mike's Nazi/missionary egg ended up winning. Apparently it had a pretty mean point to it! The tradition continues.

My Little Lumberjack

Tonight I escaped up to my bedroom for a few minutes after Joseph had fallen asleep. I had just bathed him, massaged him with lotion and put him in some clean Jammies for the night. My Mum picked up these adorable Jammies for twenty-five cents. They are cozy and when Joseph wears them he reminds me of a little lumberjack. Tonight I was enjoying the way his little body melted into mine. As I sat on my bed I could feel his little breaths on my neck as he cuddled his head into my shoulder. His chubby feet brushed my lap and I couldn't resist rubbing them. They were so soft on my finger tips. I couldn't believe how much room this once tiny baby took up snuggled on my chest. I sat there with my eyes closed for just a few minutes and soaked up the moment. Just as I started dozing off, I heard a little voice calling for me downstairs. "Mum, where are you?" said the little voice as it went and checked each room. Just as Camilla made it to the stairs I arrived at the top and smiled at her. I feel so privileged to be called "Mom", and it makes me feel special when my kids search our house calling for me. I hope they will always find safety in my arms and in our home.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter from the Stannix Fam!

More to come of our Easter celebrations.

Made My Day

We celebrated Easter a day early so that we could focus more on the true meaning of Easter on Sunday this year. We have spent the last couple of days at the acreage enjoying the warm weather, time with family and my Mamma's cooking. We had Turkey dinner yesterday complete with Mum's famous dressing. 

This morning the Easter bunny came and left some goodies for the kids. They ate every last morsel of chocolate the bunny left for them. We left early afternoon because Mr. Stannix had a hockey game tonight. Just as we were saying good-bye Hyrum ran out the door and across the yard. Earlier he had gotten his pants wet sledding, so we were just going to take him home without them on. My Mum and I shared a laugh as we watched him take off across the yard as if someone was chasing him. His long legs carried him quickly as his little diaper bottom wiggled in delight. It felt good to laugh that hard. I got so much joy out of watching him. He reached his final destination full of giggles.

It made my day.

Crafting With the Littles

We've had fun getting ready for Easter around the Stannix home!

The littles and I have enjoyed many mornings of crafting.

Big thanks to pinterest and some imagination.



Spring Splashing

It's finally starting to feel a little bit like Spring. The snow is melting like crazy and the children are enjoying it! Hyrum found some gum boots that I had stashed away for him last month and wanted to wear them. They had a lot of fun splashing together!

The day before we built a snow fort in the backyard and went sledding off the deck. At one point the children were both "showering" under the drain pipe of the garage, fully clothed in their winter gear. They came in sopping wet. It was refreshing today to dig out the gum boots and enjoy some splashing sans snow gear. Camilla even found some green grass! She got pretty excited, which made me excited.



Last night I dug out a favorite blanket for Joseph and it still had the faint smell of sand and sun screen. It made me crave warm Summer days, the park and the beach. We are definitely ready! For now I'll enjoy big bear hugs from Joe.

His First Taste

Joseph has been a hungry boy ever since the day he was born.

Lately he's shown interest in our food by licking his lips and munching his tongue.

Yesterday he had his first taste of rice cereal.

It was pretty humorous.

A little bit unsure...

"Hey this stuff isn't too bad!"

"Mum, this is good!"

"I need MORE stat!"

After he finished, I sat down to eat my dinner with him on my lap.

A few seconds later he started nodding off.

I think he likes it!



Finger Painting Fun

This morning I felt like my day yesterday poured over into my night. Between nursing Joseph over three times, bad dreams, and children falling out of bed, I hardly caught a wink. This morning started out bright and early with Hyrum crawling into bed with us at 6:00am. After breakfast I decided to break out the finger paints and try to sieze the day.

The kids had a lot of fun!

 Hyrum hasn't had much experience with finger paints and started painting his belly before he even touched his paper.

Camilla went right to painting her hand and making hand prints, it's her favorite thing.

Afterwards, I put them in a bath to wash up and then we went upstairs and started our morning routine. Everyone got dressed, made beds and said prayers. When we made it back downstairs I glanced at the clock. I was a little bit deflated when I realized it wasn't even 9:00am yet.

Later on in the day, I caught Hyrum in the bathroom doing this...

Looks like finger painting struck a cord with this little guy!

Smiles for Daddy

I just finished tucking in the last kid for the night. I should probably be doing something productive like sorting the toys back into the bins or folding the blankets from Camilla's blanket fort. Instead I am sitting at the kitchen table enjoying a plate of homemade fudge and the warm air pouring out of the vent beside my chair. Mr. Stannix is off at Hockey and Auntie Faith is spending Spring Break with her mama which leaves me here with a very quiet house. I promised myself I would write a quick post and then jump into bed for the night. All day today I have been admiring Mr. Stannix and how amazing he is. This morning he brought his laptop to the breakfast table and played some music. We both admired the children as they danced around our tiny kitchen, wiggling their arms and tapping their toes to the beat with big grins on their faces. Saturday mornings are always the best because Daddy is home. The children had an early breakfast of cheerios and then shared a late breakfast of spicy eggs and toast. They are bottomless pits I tell you. I can't seem to keep up!

We joined some friends for lunch at "Red Losper" as Camilla calls it. It was so nice to see them again and catch up! Our oldest children are a week apart, so we talked about doing a joint birthday party this year! Fun times. While we were there Mr. Stannix made a point of taking the children to see the lobster tank. Hyrum loved looking at it and got borderline scared when the lobsters would start to move around.

Our late afternoon was quiet. Hyrum fell asleep in his bed and Camilla in her blanket fort. Mr. Stannix and I even dozed for a bit on the couches with the afternoon sun pouring in on our faces. It was glorious. Hyrum had his usual post-nap tantrum. This time Mr. Stannix was here to help him through it and he was oh so patient with him. I've always admired his patience and control. After twenty minutes upstairs Hyrum suddenly was finished and made his way down stairs rubbing my favorite lipgloss in circles over his lips. All I could do was shrug, atleast he wasn't screaming anymore.

When the kiddos were napping I grabbed a few shots of Mr. Stannix and Joseph together. That boy sure loves his Daddy! Playtime with Daddy is always the best though!

We had BBQ steaks for dinner. I have been craving them forever. While Mr. Stannix cooked them the children went sledding off the deck. I loved listening to them giggle as I cut up potatoes and prepped things for dinner. I feel so blessed to have married such an amazing man!

Cloth Diapered Bottom

I have been cloth diapering since Camilla and I just have to say that I love a cloth diapered bottom! After three years my cloth diapers are starting to look a little worn, so I figured it was time to start replacing them. Last week I went out to my favorite cloth diaper supplier and picked up a few more. She lives on a cute little acreage just outside of Sherwood park so it was a bit of a drive. For some reason Joseph wasn't liking his seat and all of the singing in the world wasn't soothing him. Finally he fell asleep, just in time to wake up when we packed out of the car.

Half way through our visit alphabet magnets started appearing out of nowhere. I soon realized they were dropping out of Joseph's clothes. I dug around and got them all out. Melody and I had a good laugh and continued chatting about the different diapers. As I stood up a few more fell out of his pant leg. It's no wonder he was so upset on the drive there. Oh to be a third child.

Anyways, I tried out a new type of diapers and I am in love with them! It's crazy how much cloth diapering has changed in just the few short years I've been doing it. Things just keep getting better and easier. I am already looking forward to my next visit to pick up a few more!