Ward Picnic

It feels good to finally be sitting still. It's been a busy day. Joseph woke up at the crack of dawn and I walked squinty eyed to greet him in the hallway only to find Camilla sitting sweetly on the corner of her bed admiring the pink and orange sky above the rooftops. We grabbed a quick snack on our way to the basement and then they watched Saturday morning cartoons while I finished making a little hat for someone. 

Daddy and Hyrum joined us shortly after and then it was breakfast and a quick hair cut for Daddy. Mr. Stannix spent most of the day packing and getting ready to go to Calgary where he will be training for the next three months. Of course we will still see him on weekends and when we go down to stay with him at the apartment, but we are still going to miss that guy! We ran some errands, picked up some groceries and packed the car. The littles all gave their Daddy a big hug and snuggle before he left. I may have cried my eyes out when we said good-bye. It's going to be a tough three months full of traveling and semi-single parenting. But we will grin and bear it! 

After we waved good-bye to Daddy, we loaded up and headed to the Ward Picnic. It was at a beautiful little park tucked away in the back corner. The children were thrilled with all of the green space and ran to their hearts content. Joseph was a handful, and was also wet from the knees down minutes after our arrival. Hyrum slipped in shortly after and cried for quite some time about it. I wanted to leave ten minutes after we arrived, but stuck it out for the kids. When it was time to eat I juggled three plates, fought off the wasps, and listened to Joseph whine in his stroller. We found a cozy place in the sun to keep Hyrum (who was pretty wet) warm while we ate. Camilla had a hotdog bun with all the fixings minus the hotdog, and Hyrum only managed half a hotdog. Joseph, well, he had a bag of "Cheeze wheezies" as Camilla calls them and a few bites of a bun. We then enjoyed ice cream cones and the children ran around playing games while they dripped ice cream all over their hands. They were happy, so I didn't care. As much as I wanted to stand still and visit with people, I ended up jogging around the park after Joseph who just wouldn't sit still, and then finally decided it was time to head home for baths and bed time. My muscles still ache and I miss that Mr. Stannix of mine more than ever!

And now, here we are. I've demolished a whole Dairy Milk Fruit & Nutt bar and put up my feet. I've decided to forego my crochet orders and call it a night!

Autumn Snow Storms

Yesterday morning I woke up to snow covered roof tops, as if someone had taken a white paint brush and elegantly painted strokes of white on the edges of each. The grass and trees still remained green and I felt a little sad that we seem to have skipped Autumn.

The children woke up excited to see that fluffy white stuff floating around outside. "Is it Christmas?!" Camilla asked.  At the grocery store that day I picked up a bunch of sunflowers for my table, a tin of hot chocolate, and some mini marshmallows. The kettle has been taken out of the cupboard and found a permanent home on my counter for the season.

Today our home was chilly when we woke up. I caved and turned on our furnace. Joseph immediately discovered the vent under the kitchen sink and giggled as it blew his hair around and warmed his cheeks. I pulled out my Autumn decorations, lit a pumpkin spice candle and glued some sunflowers onto our wreath at the front door. Our home felt warm and cozy, just the way I like it. One thing this cold weather has done is remind me how close we are to the end of the year. I can't believe how fast time flies lately! The children are all growing so fast I can hardly take it.

Camilla has officially begun Kindergarten. She is mastering her math skills, writing letters and numbers, and constantly asking questions. I love how curious she is about the world around her. Our readers should be in by weeks end and I can't wait to continue teaching her to read and write. She continues to be a huge help around the house tidying things without being asked and unloading the dishwasher when she feels up to it. Last night we were fighting to get Joseph up to bed and Camilla cheerfully said, "Joe, Wanna play follow the leader? March, march, march...." and up they marched all the way to his room so Daddy could tuck him in. I love her creativity, patience, and gentle heart. Some of the things she comes up with to help the boys along astound me!

Hyrum is continuing to love and enjoy each new day. He talks a mile a minute and even I have a hard time understanding him sometimes! He is a helpful big brother and loves playing with his siblings. He still has a hard time with "Sp" "Sk" "St" and most other sounds like that. Yesterday he was super excited to help make "Wice kswippies squares". His other huge accomplishment is peeing standing up. He just decided that's what he was going to do one day and has proudly stuck with it ever since. Last night he cracked me up when he picked up his toy guitar, stood on the bottom step and sang a song about a lost slipper. "I lost my slipper...." while strumming his guitar. I wish I had recorded it, because it still makes me smile. He is still my tender guy and loves snuggles and hugs. He melts my heart each night as he delicately kisses sleeping Joseph on the forehead before hopping into bed.

Joseph is full of spunk and energy! The child locks have returned to the bathroom doors to prevent excess flushing and my cupboards often stay locked now. When the house is quiet you can pretty much guarantee he is up to no good, or has climbed somewhere he's not supposed to be. His talking has really picked up and he is starting to express himself more with words instead of tantrums and frustration. The other day he was sitting at the table and held up his cup and said, "Mo pees Mom". His "thanks" is still a tongue roll, so it's pretty funny when he says "thanks Mom" because it's "(tongue roll) mom". His favorite words are "Yeah" and "Hi". When you ask him a question now he will respond with a sweet little "yeah" or an excited "yeah!!". Whenever we go out anywhere he makes sure to say a whispery voiced, "Hiiiii" when we pass people. I also here a lot of "Hap Mom" when he needs help. If it's really urgent (like when he's stuck somewhere high that he's not supposed to be) he will yell "HAPPP! HAAAAAP!" We also taught him to say "I love you". It used to be "I.....MOM!" and now it's "I....Wa....DAD!" It's pretty cute. He is still our class clown and loves to make everyone laugh. He will either sing "Dooo DOOO!" and turn his head side to side or pretend fall and say a silly, "Owwwww". He makes me smile every day!

The baby continues to grow and it's movements are a lot easier to feel now. I am about 25 weeks and getting more and more excited to meet this little one. I love putting comfy sweaters over my baby bump each day to keep us warm. I have finished about half of my Christmas shopping and plan to have everything done by November for sure! I have spent many an evening crocheting little projects and I love sitting still on the couch while baby turns and kicks inside of me. I feel that this baby is such a great blessing for our family and I can't wait to meet him or her in December!

Corn Maze

Today we took the littles to the corn maze for some fun. It was a much needed day away from home. This last week has been filled with lots of arguing and fighting, so I was thrilled to see them all happy and getting along again. The weather was gorgeous and we enjoyed every minute of our time! I love how it can feel like Fall all week and then all of the sudden go up to 24 degrees. I made the littles dress in Fall clothes and they were totally cooking by the end of our visit.

 Our first stop was the trampoline. I was glad we came early because our kids pretty much had the whole thing to themselves. Joseph loved bouncing around with his brother and sister. I had someone comment how good Joe was on his feet for such a little guy. It's only because he has two older siblings to keep up with! After one crazy bounce off the edge, he learned to sit on his bum to slide off. 

 Watching Hyrum bounce from one end to the other in his barefeet with the sunflowers swaying in the background filled me with so much joy! 

 Pure joy.

 I also loved hanging around with my main man for the day. We've got one more week with this guy before he leaves to Calgary and we are all going to miss him so much! As we watched the children all playing independently around us we couldn't help but be grateful for this stage of parenthood. It's so nice to have independent kids and non-stressful outings. We are going to enjoy it until baby comes, and then we are going to enjoy having a newborn to snuggle and love again too.

 The entrance to the maze had this awesome giant rocking chair. Since there was no lineups we took our time hanging out on the chair and snapping pictures.

 The sunflowers were to die for!

 Again, this chair....hilarious!

 Camilla, Hyrum and Daddy were pretty quick on their feet, so I got to hang back with Joe-Joe. Those cheeks are oh so kissable still!

 Beauty all around.

 The best big sister ever!

 This little guy totally melts my heart!

 After being lost for a little while we had some tired legs. The boys took turns getting shoulder rides from Daddy. Joseph refused to smile for me. Such a serious boy sometimes!

 He had to take a few minutes and feel Daddy's whiskers. 

 While the older two went back to the trampoline I watched Joseph on the slide.

 "Ooo-Hooo!"

 Camilla remembered these karts from last year and was so excited to ride them! 

 Joseph had a hard time waiting his turn, but had fun when we finally got to ride!

 Even Mr. H was able to peddle his way around the track on his own!

It was such a fun visit, we had a hard time leaving. I snapped one last picture on our way out. I love how it captured each of their personalities. They really need to stop growing up already!

Kicking off Kindergarten

 Auntie Emma took our little lady out for a "school" themed photo shoot. They turned out super cute! While Mr. Stannix and I were looking at them, we both couldn't believe how big our little girl has gotten! She loves learning and we are excited for Kindergarten this year!!

Little Joe

Yesterday afternoon amidst all of the craziness I noticed Joseph was being far too quiet. Camilla went to investigate and found him in the upstairs bathroom brushing his teeth. His socks and pants were soaked by the time I took him out. I'm sure he could have sat there all day if I'd let him!

Kindergarten

Here we are in September all ready! This year is just flying by! Miss Camilla has started Kindergarten and is so excited to learn new things. She has already made her way through a few workbooks this Summer and really enjoys it! We have decided to homeschool her for Kindergarten since I love having her around so much and also because we will be traveling back and forth to Calgary to see as much of Daddy as possible while he's away for training. Even though she has been working hard at her school for a few months already, I thought it would be fun for her to pose for a "first day of school" picture. 

 We love this little lady and her love for learning. She is already such a smartie and I can't wait to watch her learn and grow this year!

Labour Day

 Our Labour Day was pretty low key this year. We hung out at the Acreage for the day and relaxed. After staying up way too late playing Nerts and Sevens the night before, we were all moving kind of slow! We enjoyed the cooler weather and the off and on sun-showers. After some pancakes for breakfast haircuts were given. 

 I let Gramma tackle Joe's blonde locks since I need a little more practise keeping it long. Daddy watched closely making sure Gramma didn't go too short.  

 She did an excellent job! Joseph sat super still the whole time. 

We spent a few hours out in the garden pulling potatoes and carrots. Camilla loved helping Grampa dig potatoes! Joseph loved raiding the pea patch with me. Yum! It was sure nice to escape the city and relax for a few days with people we love!

At the Homestead

 We are spending some long overdue time at the acreage this weekend. Camilla has been excited to go for over a week and even made up a little craft all on her own to help her count down. Each day she has been pulling a piece of paper with a number written on it from her wall to keep track. 

When we arrived Dad was working in the garage and my Mamma was in the garden pulling fresh carrots. Not long after we got there Joseph tugged Daddy's hand and asked in his jibber-jabber for a wheel barrow ride. 

After that we wandered up to check out the raspberry patch. It's near the end of the season so it was pretty slim pickings, but we did manage to get a few handfuls each. 

Ah, the good life.

The neighbor was up picking and let the littles take a turn on her pony. Camilla was in heaven! The grin on her face was so priceless. 

Hyrum had his cute little smirk on. You could tell he was excited, but he was so excited he didn't want to show anybody. They loved it!

I had been secretly wishing for one last storm this season, so when I saw the clouds rolling in I got a little excited. It started with sun showers and we even got some nice thunder and lightning. While I was visiting with my Grandma in the kitchen she pointed out this awesome double rainbow and I ran for my camera.

So excited!

I finished off my evening with a slice of peach pie and some visiting. Even though I'm all grown and have a family of my own, there is still something special about coming home. 

Twenty-Three Weeks

This morning the littles and I went to visit the midwife for baby's monthly check-up. We waited for only a few minutes in the cozy waiting room before my midwife came to get us. The children played at my feet while we chatted about anything and everything. We went over everything from my bloodwork and ultrasounds and also talked nutrition for a little while. She was so sweet and patient with the children and even let Camilla talk to her for a good five minutes. Near the end of the appointment she had me stretch out on the comfy couch so that we could listen to baby's heart beat. The children always love that part! They each got a special job and she even let them listen to their own heart beats after. Now Joseph points at his chest and says, "Baby, baby, baby". Super cute. Baby's heart rate was around 145bpm.

After our appointment we loaded up in the van for the short drive home. Joseph ended up falling asleep not long after we left. When we got home I gently unbelted him and snuggled him into me. He wrapped his arms around my neck while I carried him in to his bed. I love when that little guy sleeps on my shoulder. He smelled of fresh laundry and peanut butter sandwiches. 

After Joseph was tucked in for his nap I went to the couch to put my feet up for a few minutes. Camilla joined me shortly after and asked if she could feel the baby. She felt a few good kicks and her giggles were priceless. These little moments are some of my favorite!

Personality

This kids got personality, that's for sure!