Family Pictures 2014

 We wanted to get our 2014 family pictures done while we were in Vancouver. I had visions, but we didn't have a lot of time. So we threw something together one afternoon and it worked out pretty well for three littles! 

Sometimes it takes a little bit of this...

 To get something like this.

 Once everyone headed back from the picnic, a few of us took a short drive up to Golden Ears Provincial Park. It threatened rain for about five minutes before it actually started pouring.

 I love that Mr. Stannix of mine!

 We pulled a very sleep Joseph out of the car and tried our best to grab a few.

 It's pretty awesome trying to coordinate three kids and two adults...

 Just before it started pouring, we also managed to get a few shots of my parents and siblings.

Until next year...

In the Details

Camilla drew something the other day during some pretend play with her brother.

She told me it was a plan to save caterpillar and unicorn from a trap.

When I cleaned the house that night I stuck it on the fridge with a magnet.

The more I looked at it, the more I fell in love with it.

It's all in the details that I hadn't noticed when she showed it to me earlier.

I love the way she drew the caterpillar bigger than her giant unicorn.

I finally figured out that those funny hats on their head are actually bike helmets.

They like to wear them when they race around on those stuffed toys.

Part of the plan included lifting the teddies from behind the piano bench with a blanket.

She drew a great double of her favorite green blanket with black paw prints.

Simple. Yet amazing.

Quiet Afternoons

We have been enjoying lovely weather almost all week, but one day was very windy and overcast. We spent the morning curled up watching movies downstairs. After lunch Camilla found an old egg carton and asked if she could use it. I pulled out some scissors, glue and pipe cleaners and let her go to work.

I carted a few loads of laundry downstairs, picked up Hyrum's night time diaper from the hallway where he got dressed, and rinsed a few dishes for the dishwasher. In between time I would help cut the egg cartons and follow Camilla's lead. She and Hyrum ended up creating some pretty cute Caterpillars. I think Hyrum's is my favorite, with the big orange nose. I loved listening to them play and create as I worked close by.

I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be at home with my children on quiet afternoons such as this. Nothing amazing happened by anymeans, just the regular creating and cleaning. But I love being near them. I love kissing their heads as they cut and paste crafts. I love seeing their eyes light up as they discover something new and fun. And I love those little pretend voices of theirs as they play with their creations. I was so glad for a blah day turned great thanks to my kids!

A Spring Wedding

 On Friday morning we woke up nice and early and enjoyed breakfast. We then got all of the munchkins dressed and headed to the Vancouver temple where Arland and Naomi were getting married for time and all eternity. Since it was raining the night before we were all praying for nice weather for the wedding. Prayers were totally answered and we enjoyed blue sky and even a bit of sunshine for most of the day!

 By the time we arrived at the temple, Joseph had already fallen asleep. We let the other kids out to explore the temple grounds and eventually took Joseph out of the car for some snuggles.

 The biggest fascination of the morning was snail hunting! 

 We managed a quick self-take of our little family before Mr. Stannix and I went in with everyone else to witness the sealing. Big thanks to some lovely girls and uncle Chris for watching our littles!

We then joined the rest of the crew outside and waited to snap pictures of Mr. and Mrs. Hudkins.

Love my parents!

Everybody minus my biggest brother.

 Hyrum's all time favorite thing of this weekend was riding in this old car.

 He lucked into a few rides thanks to his cuteness. He always sat quietly with his hands folded in his lap enjoying life.

I extra loved the blossoms and spent a lot of time under this tree with Joe in the afternoon.

 He's so cute I could just eat him!

 He ran around a bunch until he got tired. Thankfully we brought the stroller and I was able to plunk him in there and take him for a long walk around the grounds until he fell asleep. Daddy was able to sneak a few minutes with Camilla and they had a nice chat about the temple. Such special moments!

 While Joseph and Daddy were resting inside the church, I explored some more with these two monkeys. Hyrum found a stick somewhere and we also found a few more snails. 

 It was nice for them to be around the temple so much. I hope they will come to understand the important role that the temple has.

 During the reception I snuck outside to let this boy burn some energy. My Sister snapped a couple pics of us for me!

 It was also super fun to hang out with some of my girl cousins and admire the love my grandparents have for each other.

I also really enjoyed my time with my hubby. We were both so busy chasing kids all weekend that this is the only shot we have together! I sure am glad we're together forever!

Near the end of the evening the bride and groom cut the cake.

Before the night was up I made sure to grab a picture with my newest sister-in-law. Such a beautiful bride! Welcome to the family! 

Picnic in the Park

 On day two I woke up bright an early to little whispers in the next bed. The very first thing Hyrum said was, "Camilla, I'm HUNGWY!" The room was still dark thanks to some awesome curtains. Camilla tried coaxing him back to sleep with a back rub. While that was going on Hyrum whispered, "Camilla, are YOU thinkin' about goin' home? 'Cause I'M thinkin' about goin' home..." I almost giggled out loud. Then he said, "Where's Mom?" And up we all got to start our day. Breakfast was included with our stay which is the way to go when traveling with littles. It was sure great not to have to load up hungry kids and find a place to eat. After a bowl of cereal, muffins and some nasty orange juice, we were on the road again. With zero radio stations and no cell reception, we opted for a movie for the littles.

Shortly before arriving in Langley, Joseph pulled Daddy's swim trunks around his head to help him fall asleep. He likes things close to his face as he sleeps. When he started complaining we cracked the windows a bit. This was a frequent occurrence as we drove. The sound of the wind would put him to sleep almost instantly. 

We were able to check into our hotel early.  Most of our family was already there since they flew out the day before. We visited at the hotel for a bit and then headed across the city to the Jensen's to visit for the rest of the day. Naomi's Dad offered to drive some of us to the park in his nifty old car. Mike was in heaven.

We had a picnic and spent most of the afternoon at the park. I couldn't get over the leaves and green grass! It was beautiful there! While the children played, a few more people went for a spin in the car. It totally suited my Grampa.

 I think that car was the highlight of the day for a lot of us!

The littles enjoyed the freedom to run after being in a van for two days!

Joseph had a good time on the swings and refused to get off for lunch.

 Camilla enjoyed the challenge of climbing this huge rock in the middle of the park. It made me nervous watching her navigate her way up and down, carefully placing her feet in the nooks and crannies of the rock face. She enjoyed being up there for quite a while. 

 When I got tired of pushing this little guy, Daddy happily took over. He really enjoyed the extra time he got to spend with the kids on our little "vacation".

 Grampa and Hyrum checked out a nearby creek and we ended up taking a few family photos there.

When everyone else headed back to the house, we took a quick drive up to Golden Ears Provincial Park for some more family photos with my Sis (coming soon). We got a few pictures in before the rain came! It was cold! We quickly retreated to our cars and went back to the Jensen's for a family BBQ. It was great to visit with everyone and get to know Naomi's family more!

Our hotel room was amazing since we got a joined room. We put the three kids to bed in our room and then moved the older two out to the hide-a-bed after we finished visiting for the night. I had to giggle when I went in to check them and saw Mr. H taking up the whole bed. They were pretty pooped from the days events!

Breaking in the Minivan

Last week we took the littles on a road trip to Vancouver for my little brother's wedding! We split the drive there into two days. The first day we traveled a whole eight or so hours to Merritt. The kids did great! I enjoyed the mountain views while we drove through Jasper. Camilla packed her little toy camera without me knowing and asked me for it once we hit the mountains. For a good chunk of our drive we heard it power on and then she clicked away, ohhing and awwing at her surroundings. I think we could have stopped at seeing mountains this vacation and she would have been happy.

"Oh! I HAVE to take a picture of that!" she would say. Click. "Mom! Look at that!" Click. Everytime Mr. Stannix and I heard that shutter go we would chuckle to ourselves. I may end up giving her my old point and shoot when I finally upgrade. 

Driving through the mountains is always magical to me. I love the breathtaking views of those snowcapped mountains. Another favorite part of the drive for me was when leaves suddenly appeared on the trees and all was green. The contrast to back home was crazy.

The clock in the van automatically changed at the right spot (according to the GPS). The kids were getting restless, so we pulled off in Valemount for some lunch at A&W. They drank their juice, nibbled a few french fries and ran and ran. 

On the last leg of the trip, Joseph started whining quite a bit. Ketchup chips were the only thing keeping him happy at that point. We pulled into our hotel not long after with a very red toddler. He was glad to get out and stretch while Daddy checked us in.

We hit up the pool first thing. It was all the kids could talk about since we left. It wasn't as kidfriendly as I remembered it, but Camilla eased her way into the 3ft deep pool and walked around a bit.

With a lot of coaxing we got Hyrum to go down the water slide. After a few times he fell in love and Daddy took him a good five more times before we went up to our room. Joseph enjoyed it well enough and while we swam in the pool he would point to the slide and say, "Ooo-Hoo!" I could only convince Camilla to go with me once, and she hated it. It was "too dark and scary".

We then dried off as best we could and put on our shoes to head back out to our room. We were greeted by a nice little downpour of rain. Daddy went next door to grab a pizza for dinner and I bathed and jammied the littles. After their bellies were full they were easily tucked in and fell asleep before 8:30. Mr. Stannix and I went to bed shortly after and enjoyed almost twelve full hours of rest to prep us for the last bit of driving the next day.

Mother's Day

We drove home all the way from Vancouver yesterday and got in late last night. I think we were all glad to see our own beds! Sadly, the children went to bed really late and got up really early which resulted in an interesting morning while we all got ready and rushed to make it to church on time. I love hearing all of the great talks on Mother's Day Sunday, but sometimes when I hear about all of these amazing women I can't help but wonder if or when I will ever be that amazing. I sometimes cringe when people compliment me on how great I am doing as a mother because I can see all of my short comings. I've been told that I am patient, but I sure didn't feel patient this morning amidst shouting, whining children, door slamming, and tears. I've been pondering this a lot today, on the day that I should be trying my hardest to be my best. I guess what I am trying to say is that I am a mother, I am trying my hardest, but I am also human. Thankfully tomorrow is another day with no mistakes in it yet.

As I've pondered motherhood today with all of it's divinity and difficulty, my appreciation has grown for my own mother. She has so many admirable qualities such as patience, love unfeigned, charity, and grace. I can tell that she values and cherishes womanhood and motherhood, and I am so glad I've had her as an example. It is in those tough times when I am doing laundry for the hundredth time, or cooking meals without thanks that I think of her and all of the quiet service she has rendered to her family. I admire her for working so hard for us without the expectation of thanks. I cherish her wisdom and the advice she gives during those tough times. She truly is an amazing woman and I love her dearly!

Happy Mother's Day, Mum!