Spring Rain

I woke up nice and early to the sound of rain hitting my window! I am so glad it's nice enough to rain instead of snow. The windows were all cracked open to let in the fresh smell of Spring. Shortly after that I had bread on the go and my oven on to bake. I love rainy days. Most of yesterday was spent outside moving dirt from our old garden plot to the new spot. We all got some nice sun on our faces and enjoyed our time together digging for worms and catching ladybugs. Today I was glad to be stuck indoors baking and cleaning my neglected house. Maybe after my next round of dishes my black, dirty gardening fingers will be back to normal! Joseph sat on my lap at 10:00am and fell asleep while I was chatting with my little not-so-little brother. The littles have had fun playing pretend together and doing some "school". But they are all starting to sound a little irritable since they were up so early this morning. I think it might be time for some TV intervention!

Brothers

Today we spent almost all morning and afternoon outside.

The kiddos loved it!

Hyrum was even sweet enough to give his brother a ride when he got tired of walking.

(Don't worry, I held his hand the entire time the tricycle was in motion).

I love how close these boys are getting the older Joseph gets. 

I am so grateful my kids are such great friends!

The boys spent some time playing with worms from the garden this afternoon.

Love them!

Connecting

Today after the Sun warmed the air and all of our chores were done, we took off to spend a few hours at the park! The littles have been dreaming of this since mid-Winter. I was glad to get outside for fresh air and sunshine!

 Joseph loved the swings and surprisingly avoided the puddles. We had a bit of sand eating. He tried not once, not twice, but a good three or four times to eat sand. Silly boy. I also got a kick out of a Mamma who kept chasing her toddler out of the puddles so he wouldn't get dirty. 

 This slide was pretty slow, but Joseph enjoyed it over and over again!

 The boys stayed on the saucer swing for a good 15 minutes at least! 

Camilla jumped on for the last leg of the ride. She kept trying to kiss me when they'd get close. It totally cracked me up! It was nice to finally get out and enjoy some warm weather. I love when we are out of the house and I have an opportunity to really connect with my kids without the distraction of my iPad or house cleaning, or laundry. It was nice just to hang with my three stooges and watch them learn and grow!

Easter Sunday

Today we celebrated Easter with family. The littles were up nice and early to check their baskets and then we quickly got ready to head to the church. It was a special Sunday because Elder D. Todd Christofferson was visiting our stake. We went nice and early to save seats. The littles sat very well alternating between Gramma, Grampa, Uncle Arland, and soon to be Auntie Naomi. It was a wonderful meeting! Just before we left I was able to snap a few pictures of the kids in their new Easter outfits. 

Camilla has grown up so much! She's quite the little lady when she wants to be! Mr. Stannix and I were killing ourselves laughing whenever we told Hyrum to smile. He has the cutest fake smile I ever did see. I love that guy!

Joe was tricky because he wouldn't stand still enough. I snapped this one after church!

Joseph kept looking to his older brother to see how he should act. It was THE cutest. And then Hyrum's fake smile in the next one just cracks me up, so I had to include it! So glad my kiddos are such good friends.

 

Joseph has turned into such a little man lately. His face is filled out and he likes to ham it up for the camera.

 

This was the only one I managed of all three of them looking. I can almost hear Joe's belly laugh when I look at that giant grin of his!

After church came a quick egg champ so that we could make some egg salad sandwiches for lunch. Naomi did pretty good for a first timer! Mr. Stannix was pretty proud of his bumble bee and picked the chant "Sting like a bee!" Camilla thought it was pretty hilarious. Sadly, Gramma annihilated his Bee egg. Camilla and Gramma faced off for the last round and Miss CJ ended up winning! Watching her jump up and down was priceless.

While we all were visiting in the kitchen Camilla had fun quietly entertaining her little brother in the other room. I peeked around the corner to find them building and clapping together. It was the cutest moment!

We grabbed a few pictures on the front step after lunch and then relaxed and visited until evening.

Menu:
Ham, Scallop Potatoes, Green beans and Carrots, Garlic Asparagus, Jello Salad and Homemade Buns

Dessert:
Vanilla Cream cheese pound cake topped with strawberries and ice cream

My Parents, Grandparents, Brother and almost Sister-in-law joined us for dinner and the evening. It was great to visit together and hear stories. The kids were still on a sugar high well into the evening, but crashed as soon as they hit their pillows!  It's so great to be together with family to celebrate the Easter Season.

We're So Glad...

We're so glad when Daddy is home! He put in some extra long hours at the office this week so that he could spend a Saturday with us. The littles were up so early that he made pancakes for their third breakfast (we kind of eat all morning around here).The kids sure love spending time with him!

 Joseph loves goofing around!

 Mike's mamma used to make animal shaped pancakes for them when they were little and now Mike carries on the tradition. Camilla got an easter bunny and Hyrum got a bear.

 We all enjoyed relaxing and taking it easy!

 Once it warmed up we ended up spending the whole afternoon outside! Camilla made her very own Olaf with some help from Hyrum. 

 Joseph kept trying to take things from the neighbors front flower garden, so he spent some time on my shoulders.

 We also went on a nice long walk to a little bridge. The kids had fun throwing snowballs in the creek (and at Daddy). We had an ongoing snowball fight the whole way home. It was super fun to just be together and laugh. Joseph napped in the stroller and missed out on the fun, but we sure enjoyed our older two!

 The evening brought traditional Easter Egg Decorating. The kids were pretty excited!!

 Notice Camilla's new bangs that she trimmed herself...

 Joseph colored a blue egg, and then smashed it a few minutes after.

Camilla made a favorite pink and yellow egg which sadly rolled onto the floor shortly after completion. But she was quick to problem solve and made a second just like it! They all crashed pretty quick after we tucked them into bed. All that fresh air was great!

God is Near

 Yesterday was an incredibly difficult day for me for some reason. I woke up to snow and felt a hint of the Winter blues. I was feeling sorry for myself. I wanted so badly to be eight months pregnant, aches and pains and all. I passed by Camilla's room as I went to scoop Joseph from his crib. An image that I had created a few months earlier of Camilla's room all set up to share with a new baby flashed in my mind. Needless to say, I was pretty weepy all day. Ever since January the children have prayed, "Please bless Mommy to feel better" each and every time they pray. Those words are always so sweet and thoughtful and bring tears to my eyes on those tough days. They don't necessarily know the extent of my hurt, but they can always sense when I'm feeling down, and those little prayers are answered over and over again as I strive to faithfully navigate my way through each new day smiling and experiencing moments of Joy. I came across this painting online the other day and it really brought me comfort.

Art by Brian Kershisnik

Some days I truly feel like there are angels on my left and on my right giving me strength and bearing me up. I'm grateful for this Easter season to be able to remember our Savior and all that he did for us. I am grateful that he suffered not only for our sins, but also for all that seems unfair in this life. I know that he lives, knows me personally, and is near.

A Winker

This handsome little dude kept winking at me across the dinner table last night.

I love him.

Sweet Dreams

 Joseph fell asleep in his highchair amidst chaos and craziness again. Most days he can hardly make it through lunch without dozing off. When I pulled him out I had to pry a grillcheese sandwich from his hands and brush off his crumb filled shirt. His warm little body snuggled in close as I scooped him from his chair. His arm grabbed the back of my shirt and then slowly let go as he drifted back to sleep.

He will be seventeen months old tomorrow and I can hardly believe it! Lately he has been attempting the stairs going forwards with one hand on the wall for balance as his short little legs make their way from one step to the next. It scares me to watch! He has also taken a liking to stuffed animals. I wish I would have thought of that when he was just a baby, maybe it would have helped him sleep better!

Before I left the room I had to stop and admire him for a few minutes. I love watching my babies sleep. I like the way his long eyelashes rest on his chubby cheeks. I love the way he tucks his knees and hands under his tummy. And I love hearing those soft breaths as they dream.

A Little Evening Fun

 I am still waiting on Mr. Stannix to come home from work. After dinner I bathed Joseph and Camilla had some fun of her own! My sheets were still drying and my bedding was at the bottom of the bed. She thought it made a nice cozy pile to jump into and did it over and over and over again. I get such a kick outta that girl!

Her poor "ballet slippers" as she calls them, kind of bit the dust the other day. Her big toes were poking out the top. They were well loved. Last night while Mr. Stannix and I watched a show, I whipped her up another pair!

 

Life After Six

Sometimes life after six is a little messy...