Father's Day

My life has been filled with so many great examples of righteous fathers. I wanted to take a few minutes on this special day to wish them a very happy father's day! I'm not sure if my Dad knows how influential he's been in my life. I married the man I did because of the example I had growing up. I am grateful that my Dad is a worthy priesthood holder, who is sensitive to the promptings of the Spirit. One of my favorite things to do with my Dad growing up was to drive with him, especially as a teenager when I was struggling with friendships, boys and future goals. His listening ear, wisdom, and words of advice and encouragement kept me going during those hard times. I am so glad that I can always count on him for advice and help. I love ya Dad!

Today my heart is also full of gratitude for my own husband, the father of my littles. I love him dearly and am so grateful for all that he does for us! He has adapted so well to fatherhood. I love watching him with our children. I had been struggling giving Joseph his bottles of formula all week and he just would take them. Finally, the other night I gave the bottle and the baby to Mike. He patiently rocked Joseph as he fed him his bottle. I love watching him nurture our children. He is such a loving father and I couldn't have asked for anyone better!



HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

Weekend Dates

I am a total believer in the importance of going on dates even after you've been married. It's been a little tricky to squeeze these in with such a young family, but we make a point of at least doing something monthly, even if it's just catching a movie at the theater in my hometown when we go out to visit the Acreage. We kind of jam packed the weekend with dates. This morning Mr. Stannix and I went Canoeing for a few hours at Rundel. Even though it was the smallest pond ever, it was still fun to spend the morning with my main man laughing and learning to trust his steering techniques. It has been soooo long since I've been in a canoe and I was a little scared at first. I also like being in control and we had a lot of awesome steering wars. It felt good to hang out on the pond (even though it was threatening rain and the wind never stopped) and laugh together. And when I pulled my camera out of my trustee plastic ziploc, you should have seen the look on his face! Yup, I'm crazy.

We spent the afternoon with Mike's brother Andrew, Christina and her Mom. It was fun to visit and see them. It had been far too long! After dinner we took off to the theater to catch the new Superman movie. It was good, but would have been even better if I didn't have to close my eyes for half of it. Me and 3D don't do well together. I'm excited to watch it again snuggled next to Mr. Stannix in the comfort of our own living room. Joe now takes bottles of formula, which makes me feel like a new lady. It was nice to be able to leave him twice today and not have to worry about pumping or if he will be hungry. The kiddos had a great evening with Uncle Mike and Auntie Chris. They must've tuckered them out because they were fast asleep when I went up to check on them. I planted a long gentle kiss on each of their heads and pulled their covers up snug before going to bed myself. I sure do love when I get to spend a few hours away, it makes me appreciate the time I have with them so much more. It also makes me appreciate my husband a lot more! I had so much fun with him today!

 

These Little Moments

It was another one of those days full of moments that I don't want to forget. And for the sake of my terrible memory I took note of them all day just so I could record them here to smile at later. Camilla joined us at somepoint in the middle of the night and with the way she sleeps all sprawled out in our double bed, I decided I'd get a better sleep if I hopped out. I woke up in Camilla's bed this morning with Joe snuggled next to me. I peeked an eye open when Camilla snuck down the creaky stairs with her cute little bed head. A few minutes later Hyrum ran across the room and jumped on our bed with his Daddy. They sat on the edge of the bed together facing the window. The morning light shon through Hyrums blonde hair as he snuggled in close to his Daddy excitedly chatting away. It was the cutest moment.

After breakfast was all cleared up I made up a batch of Daddy's favorite cookies. The children snuck a bunch off each pan, as usual. It made me smile. Sometimes all a day needs is a few warm cookies to make it better.

Before lunch we took off to the river valley. The wind was picking up and I could see the clouds building, but we chanced it anyway. On our way home it poured, just like our last adventure. This time I came prepared with an umbrella. Camilla skipped behind me, umbrella in hand. When the rain picked up I held it so we could both be covered. She decided to keep dancing along behind me, sticking her tongue out for raindrops. Her hair was all wet and dripping and her eyes looked extra blue. She was full of laughter and enjoying every moment.

In the late afternoon just as I was taking buns out of the oven, Hyrum came in to get a drink from the water cooler. As he pulled his cup down off the table it slipped and spilled all over the floor. Recognizing it as an accident I bit my tongue and passed him a towel to wipe it up. He responded enthusiastically and instead of wiping it up right away he began pretending to slip and fall. As he said "whoa-oooa-o" and wiggled his little body around I couldn't help but grin ear to ear and let out a laugh. Man, that kid makes me smile. He would wiggle his arms up and down with just his pointer sticking out. He eventually wiped most of it up (probably with his pants) and then joined us in theliving room.

We looked forward with excitement to Daddy coming home from work and met him on the front lawn. I love seeing their eyes light up as soon as their Daddy peeks out from behind the tree down the walk. They are so glad when Daddy comes home.

Tonight as I tucked in Camilla she asked me to lay with her and scratch her back, like she does most nights. So I layed next to her and we whispered together. I told her all of the things that made me glad today, her sharing with her brother, helping me with Joe, singing. When I asked her what she was thinking about I saw her toy giraffe pop up from where she was playing with it. "I was just wondering where my giraffes mommy was," she replied. I smiled to myself, wondering if she had even heard any of the things she had done that day that brought a smile to my face. Then she said, "Were you in-pointed in me when I didn't share my puppy with Hyrum?" Oh man, my heart melted. I love that girl! So thoughtful, even when she seems to be worried about something else.

Early Morning Chats

Hyrum loves his morning chats with his "Bampa".

This particular morning, he was too cute not to take a picture of.

My children may or may not have had peanutbutter cookies for breakfast that morning.

Highs and Lows

With just over a week to go until the big move, we've been busy packing away. The last few days I've been a little under the weather. Yesterday I pulled out the biggest box we had and let the kids play with it. It provided endless entertainment all afternoon and even made a great spot to nap for miss Camilla. That box was pretty much the highlight of our day.

The lowlight was probably when I picked up Joseph and propped him up on my hip before realizing he was oozing out the sides of his diaper. So he went for his evening bath a little early and then sat naked while I wrangled the other two into their jammies.

New Floral Pillows

On Saturday after the kids woke up from their naps we noticed Hyrum's legs were covered in streaks of black marker. We went right upstairs to investigate and found this...

I guess he thought my side table could use some color and my wedding quilt needed character. I now have new chevron (well, pretty close) patterned pillow cases, and floral throw pillows. Anyone who knows me well enough knows how much I 'love' floral. Thankfully it was dry erase marker and not permanent. The stuff on the side table pretty much wiped off, and I'm crossing my fingers that it will come out of my quilt. 

It's a good thing Mr. Stannix was home and noticed his legs first. I might have lost it if I went upstairs and found my quilt all marked up. Good thing he's so darn cute when he gives me his "ohhhh, sorry mommy" face.

Missing my Newborn

The other day my heart ached for the newborn stage again. I miss cradling a featherweight tiny body in my arms. I have been soaking in all of the cuddles and snuggles I can get from baby Joe before he embraces his independence. Whenever he falls asleep for his naps I find myself holding him just a little longer instead of doing the dishes. I love feeling his soft hair tickle my chin and I love putting my lips to his face while he takes those deep sleepy breaths. He cut his first tooth on Saturday! He also likes pulling himself up on his knees and rocks back and forth when he sits on the floor. It's all going far too quickly!

I had the opportunity of watching a first time mom interact with her little one. I admired the care and attention she gave to her sweet baby girl.  I couldn't help but smile. It brought me back to myself four years ago when I was constantly worrying about this or that with my new baby, wondering if she was warm enough or comfortable enough, or happy and jumping at every little cry or sound of discomfort. Then gradually I slipped into this role called motherhood, gained a little wisdom, and started to worry less and less and just enjoy the journey.  And oh how sweet it has been! Still, whenever I see a newborn, I can't help but want another one.

Family Fun

This is the first weekend in a while where we have had nothing crazy going on. We were able to spend today together as a family and it was the best. It's always great when Daddy is home. We spent the morning watching Camilla's first dance "recitle". The girls were so cute. Camilla would wave and blow kisses while she danced across the room. She really enjoyed this session of dance. When she finished she ran over to us and Hyrum exclaimed, "CAMA! Give me a huuuuuug!"

While the kids napped, Mr. Stannix and I went to work cleaning out the creepy basement, sorting things and getting more packing boxes. We managed to get the whole desk in the office taken apart and more boxes filled. It finally feels real that we are moving. When the kids woke up, Mr. Stannix asked them what was missing in the office. Hyrum replied, "Gramma!". It was pretty funny. Since they napped for so long we took them to the park for some fresh air and sunshine. Even though it was late in the day, the weather was gorgeous. Mr. Stannix got some kite flying in and then played with the kids on the slide. They were so glad to have their Daddy playing with them. I stood enjoying the sand between my toes, and a wiggly baby in my arms watching my most favorite people. I loved seeing their smiles, the sun glistening off their blonde hair while the wind swept it away from their faces. I smiled at Hyrum's bare belly as he giggled down the slide in his Daddy's arms.



We finished off our evening at the park by checking out the water. Camilla thought it would be funny to splash Joe. His reaction was pretty cute. When everyone was tuckered out we picked up some fudgsicles and headed home to BBQ some chicken for dinner.

I finished off the evening a very happy lady. The children had strawberries and sugar for their bedtime snack. I sat on the chair across from Hyrum and admired him while he ate. He was sitting on the big couch in front of the window, the sun shining on the top of his head. I couldn't help but smile as he maneouvered a big strawberry into his mouth. He looked so cute, and I felt so blessed. There is nothing better than being surrounded by my family.

A Big Sister

A big sister is; a teacher, a helper, a big tease, someone to boss you around, a mentor, someone to laugh with, someone to sneak cookies with, a listening ear, someone to get you into trouble, a playmate, someone to share a snack with, someone to wipe your tears away when you fall, someone to wake you up in the middle of the night to giggle with, a good example, a mini mommy, and most importantly a best friend.

Keeping it Real

This afternoon Joseph was playing in the laundry basket and filled his diaper. A few minutes later when I was sure he was done I went to change it and found that it had been filled to the point of oozing out the top and making a nice little pile behind him as well. It was the kind of diaper that called for an impromptu bath. Just as I got him out the timer went off for the bread and buns in the oven. Joseph layed naked in the hallway on his towel chanting "Da-Da-Da" over and over again while eating his chubby, freshly clean, little toes. I rinsed his cloth diaper and cleaned up the mess. Soon I had Camilla at my feet in the kitchen asking for fresh bread and honey, a baby who needed to be diapered quick before things got out of hand, and buns that were getting extra golden brown. It was one of those moments where I just had to laugh at the chaos and enjoy the fact that my home is filled with children running or rolling around my feet, demanding my attention and giving me the hugs and kisses that I need, just when I need them. Once things settled, and I had gotten a diaper on Joseph I enjoyed blowing raspberries on his chubby tummy and pressing my lips against his soft baby skin. Now for that bread and honey...