Smoothie

This little cutie loves his morning smoothies!

Hidden Treasures

I braved the roads and went to Michael's today with the littles. I needed yarn for some upcoming projects and wanted to pick up some craft stuff for Christmas to help occupy the littles on these crazy snow days. While I was there I stumbled upon some wreaths that were on sale and couldn't resist making one. All of our previous homes have been rented basement suites with a back entrance or they've had screen doors on them. Now that we have a home and our very own door, I couldn't resist trying to be a little creative and adding to the Christmas spirit in our neighborhood. It's not super pretty or crafty and I will probably add more stuff to it soon, but for now, it works!

Last night we did family home evening while eating supper since Daddy had a lot of work to do in the evening. We watched a Christmas video with the kids and then had a conversation about why we celebrate Christmas. Both the older two could not stop arguing over every little thing. We asked them to tell us what they though Christmas was about. Hyrum said Santa. Oh boy. We've got some work to do! Eventually we narrowed it down to baby Jesus. But Hyrum decided to argue with Camilla about that. She agreed, he disagreed. Then I said "Christmas is about Christ". Hyrum then shouted across the table with glaring eyes and a wrinkled up nose, "Chwismas is about CHWIST, Camilla!!!" Making progress. Mike and I were cracking up the whole time. I love those guys. Here's the cute Christmas video we watched. I cried when I watched it this morning with the littles, just a sweet message.

In other news, I opened up my corner cupboard to find lots of little treasures in my pots and pans. Joe's favorite thing to do is put the alphabet magnets (or other treasures he finds on the floor) inside my pots, pans and rice cooker. It made me laugh!

The Sparkly Stuff

 We have been shoveling and shoveling and shoveling the snow! This afternoon while Joseph was napping Camilla and Hyrum came outside to burn some energy and enjoy the fresh powder. It's the fresh sparkly kind where you can actually see the intricate shapes of the flakes as they fall on your jacket. I wish I could take a picture of each little shape. Although the snow has made driving a nightmare, it sure is pretty!

Hyrum explored the sidewalks before I shoveled breaking trail. He loves to run around outside!

 

 Camilla's favorite part was jumping into the snowbanks!

And I just couldn't get over how cute Hyrum looked all bundled up.

Daddy's Workshop

Today after church we went and enjoyed the Children's Christmas party put on by the awesome firm Mr. Stannix works for. Because it was "Daddy's work party" it turned into, "When are we going to Daddy's workshop?" The littles were quite thrilled to learn Santa would be visiting, I think the most excited of the three might have been Hyrum with his, "When are we going to Santa's house?" We got to walk through the mall on our way there and look at all of the decorations. It's a good thing the littles hold our hands because their eyes were to the roof most of the time in awe of the Christmas decorations. They had so much food and goodies for people of all ages. Camilla and Hyrum did some crafts at the kids table and had a lot of fun with the glitter glue. They also had a sweet magician come (which was Camilla's favorite part). I was so proud of the kids for sitting nicely and helping everyone enjoy the show. Lastly was the entrance of Santa and the passing out of gifts.

Camilla kept it short and sweet and Joe didn't cry!

When Hyrum's name was called (after the pronunciation was corrected) he jumped up and ran across the stage. He may have been the most excited kid there! 

He was pretty proud of his present from Santa and held onto it until we got home and let him unwrap it. I was seriously proud of the littles and their self control. When I glanced into the back seat to find him zonked with his present still clutched in his little fingers, I couldn't help but smile, and take a picture.



Birthday Celebrations

Today we celebrated Mike's birthday! It was a super chill day filled with lots of relaxing. Camilla spoiled her Daddy with cards and homemade gifts all day long. My personal favorite was the "I lobe you" card that she wrote for him with the whole alphabet inside and a picture of him as a stick man. She is such a sweetheart.

 Daddy even got some awesome snuggles and a head rub.

After Dinner of Daddy's choice we dove into a triple layer chocolate cake. The little swere pretty excited to help him blow out his candles. We all feel pretty lucky to have this guy as a part of our lives! Happy birthday darling!!



Results

Mike has been eagerly awaiting 8:00am this morning to find out if he passed his big UFE exam that he wrote in September. After waking up at 5:00am and eating some pancakes and a fruit smoothie, the time finally came to fire up the computer and check for his number on the list. It was such a relief to scroll down and FIND IT! I am so so proud of him for all of his hard work and dedication. As we drove to the office this morning for all of the hoopla that goes on there, he turned to me and said, "Well Hun, we're set for life!" I am so grateful for his dedication to both family and career. 

I honestly never doubted him, he worked so hard!

Joe's Favorite Pal

It's not often I get pictures of Mr. Stannix these days. Tonight I captured this little gem before bed and had to blog about these two. Joe loves when Daddy comes home and will often wait at the door and peek out the window calling "Daaa-Daaa" or "Daaa-Deeee" over and over again with excitement. Today when Daddy came home someone yelled, "Daddy's home!" and Joe came toddling through the kitchen as fast as he could yelling screeching "Daaa!" It's safe to say this boy loves his Daddy very much! Daddy has tucked the kiddos in quite frequently lately with me being away at Young Women's and Volleyball a few nights a week. He and Joe have a cute little bed time routine that works like a charm. I am so grateful for such a loving husband and father for my children. I love seeing him play with the children and make them laugh and giggle!

Crazy, Lazy Days

Winter can be so much fun and on the warmer days the kids love playing in the backyard! Mr. Stannix has been hard at work and has also had the vehicle for quite a while since he's out of the office. Sometimes being couped up at home can make ya a little crazy! That's definitely our day today! Since we've been home a lot I took out the big boy undies again and took the plunge into potty training. It always goes good for the first few days and then suddenly he wants his diapers again and can't even be bribed with chocolate chips. I'm not about to push things though, he will be ready soon enough.

I also adored Joseph's little giggles today. He has become so much fun! I love the way he interacts with everyone and I love watching him toddle around the house with one sock on and one sock off. 

 

I can't believe how big he is getting!

Best Friends

So, it's late and I should probably be in bed. Mr. Stannix is sitting beside me on the couch reading his favorite book and after showing him some pictures from this morning, I just had to blog them. Sunday's are always crazy days. A few weeks ago we sat in Sacrament meeting with quiet children and listened to the talks and sang all of the songs. Today wasn't one of those days. I ended up out in the lobby with a baby on my hip, a two year old crying and tears running down my cheeks. Sometimes life is hard with three little people. But then tonight I looked back at some pictures I snapped of Hyrum and Camilla and all of the bad things from today seemed to slip away and be forgotten. Somedays, amidst all of the fighting and arguing those two do, I find myself constantly reminding them that they are "best friends". And then days like today, it just melts my heart to see them enjoying one anothers company and telling me that they are "best friends" while they hold hands and pose willingly for pictures.

When I look at this picture of the two of them, all I can think is How in the world did they get SO BIG! I miss that little girl who used to show me where her eyes, nose, ears and whiskers were, but I love the beautiful little girl she has grown into. I miss my snuggly baby boy, but I love the handsome little man he's becoming.

These two have been loads of fun lately and there are a few moments from this week that need to be documented. I have recently discovered the joy that little boys get out of wrestling. Luckily Mr. H has an older sister who doesn't mind being a little rough and tumble. The other day I watched them giggle and wrestle for quite a while in the basement, falling over, rolling over each other, and laughing hysterically. It brough back memories of when my siblings and I used to wrestle or tickle each other until we were laughing so hard we couldn't breath. We also made Daddy's favorite Gingersnap cookies the other day. Both of the children pulled a chair up to the back side of the island to help me roll and dip the cookies in sugar. Camilla is great at rolling and she explained to Hyrum that it was his job to take them after they'd been covered in sugar and put them onto the plate. She's such a great little explainer. This afternoon in particular, they were getting along great. Every few cookies Camilla would lean over to her brother and wrap her arms around him, or kiss him on the cheek and tell him how much she loved him. It was a total heart melter. Then Hyrum would say "Ganx Camilla! I wuv you too!" And though it took us way longer than it should have to roll those cookies, it was worth every minute to see them working together and increasing their love for one another. Today after church they enjoyed some crackers and cheese on the kitchen floor while I prepared a late lunch. Hyrum sweetly broke his already tiny piece of cheese in half and shared it with his sister.

I am glad they understand the act of sharing and showing love. It is so great to see them getting along so well with each other. By the end of the day my heart was just bursting with love for both of them! I'm so grateful for the privelege it is to be their mother and watch them grow. Although, sometimes I think they should slow down just a little so that I can enjoy them for just a bit longer!

Start to Finish

I started out my day giving my blondie a hair cut...

He was pretty excited about the clippers!

And he looked pretty handsome and grown-up when I finished!

I finished my day by sharing a banana milkshake with Joe.