A Ray of Sunshine

The other morning we woke up to the most beautiful sunrise. Camilla and I took a few minutes to admire the pink sky behind the snow covered rooftops. We also admired the way the frost sparkled on the trees as the sun came up. Frosted trees are one of my favorite things about winter. Though that moment was short, it was super special. 

Camilla has been growing and maturing a lot lately. She is like a little "Mom" stuck in a five year old's body. Lately she has been saying things like, "Don't worry, Mom, I can do that! I've been watching you, so now I know how!" Ever since she has started saying that, I have been watching my actions a lot closer. It was such a good reminder to me that I have a little mommy-to-be following in my footsteps and watching me closely. Her independence and excitement amaze me each day. She is always willing to help out with a smile and is super good at thinking up creative, fun ways to get her brothers to do things that I need them to do. Whenever I get a "no" response from Hyrum, she quickly jumps up and makes the problem into a game and Hyrum happily does whatever it was that I asked him to. I don't know what I would do without her!

Whenever we go grocery shopping she always chats with the cashier and says things like, "I'm five, he's three, my little brother is two, and there's one on the way!" Then she goes on to tell them how much she helps out around the house because "mommy's pregnant, and has a hard time with those things." 

She is one of the most thoughtful little people I know! She has been sick with a cough lately, so when I tucked her in the other night I told her to come and get me in the middle of the night if she needed anything. She then told me that usually she needs a drink of water, but she is too scared to go downstairs. I told her she can either wake me or Daddy when he's home and then she told me, "No, I won't wake Daddy tonight, because he has a long drive tomorrow and he really needs his sleep." There have also been more than a few mornings where she has gotten up and poured herself and her brothers a bowl of cheerios so that I could have a few extra minutes to rest. 

She loves to help me in the kitchen. Whenever I am making bread, she will pull a chair up to the island just to watch. She tells me it's because she wants to know how to do it when she's a mom. Whenever the cookie jar needs refilling she gladly grabs all of the ingredients and enjoys measuring and pouring for me. She is extra good at rolling the dough into balls for gingersnaps! 

It's hard being the oldest sometimes. I feel like we expect more of her because of how awesome she is, and sometimes I have to remind myself that she is just a kid. We sure do love her and her optimistic personality. Wherever there's a problem, there's an awesome solution from Camilla. She is such a happy-go-lucky girl and I hope she never loses that!

Two Years Old

 I can hardly believe it has been two years since Joseph joined our family. Time has gone by so fast! It's been so wonderful watching him learn and grow into the little man that he is today. I will never forget the joy I felt when he was placed on my chest seconds after being born. A chubby faced, sweet baby boy who was perfect in every way. I felt so blessed.

He was a tricky baby from day one, and has always been a big eater! The very first night we spent in the hospital he did not stop crying until a nurse fed him a bottle of formula. He nursed the most of my three babies and we have developed a pretty special relationship thanks to many many nights spent nursing and consoling.

 For a while he was nick-named "Mr. Serious" thanks to his furrowed brow and dark hair. Even though he seemed serious most of the time, we were still able to catch a few sleepy grins. It was pretty easy for the older two to fall in love with their "baby go". Hyrum still calls him "Joe-Joe" and it's the cutest.

He has delighted us all with his crazy personality lately! He is still "anti-sleep" and climbs more things than the other two ever did put together. He has been pretty excited to celebrate his "bip-day" and be "two". When we ask him what his name is, he replies, "Dough!" When we ask how old he is, he holds up his two pointer fingers and brings them together. He will repeat a lot of what people say these days and is learning new words every day. The first word he says every morning is usually "Hi!". He calls Hyrum "High-ya" and Camilla "Bubba". I love how well they all get along! I can't wait to see what a good big brother he will be! 

Two for the Road

Since Joseph is turning TWO next week, we decided to celebrate today with Daddy! It was a pretty low key day, but nice to relax and spend time together. I spent a few minutes checking out pinterest for a "fun" cake idea and came across a truck cake that looked simple enough. I baked up an old fashioned chocolate cake and constructed it into the shape of a truck.

Daddy offered to decorate it for me and did a fabulous job! I always love when we get to work together in the kitchen.

We both decided that it's the windshield wipers that made it.

And I also loved how the tail lights turned out.

While I finished up dinner, the littles hung out with their favorite guy and watched movie trailers. They were all pretty happy to have him home for the weekend!

After dinner Daddy lit the candles and we all sang "Happy Birthday" to Joseph.

He wasn't entirely sure what to think about that sparkler...

And he had no problem blowing out his candles thanks to all of the great help he got from his big sis.

I had Camilla snap a shot of Mr. S and I with our little man and Hyrum wanted in on it too!

It didn't take long for the littles to pick all of the candy and cookies off!

Earlier in the morning when I had gone to the grocery store with Joe, these two decided to wrap him some presents of his own. Camilla wrapped up a favorite teddy of hers and some little people from downstairs. Hyrum gave him two of his favorite trucks. It was super cute seeing how thoughtful they were being, even if they were used toys! The real heart melter for me was when I opened up one of Hyrum's cards that he made to find a doodle of the two brothers holding hands. I sure love these kids of mine!

Shortly after gifts, we started the bed time routine. Mr. Stannix and I went to bed soon after the children because we were just too tired to stay up late and do anything else. A very successful day if I do say so my self! Happy birthday Joseph!

Satisfying a Craving

 I have been craving a day like this for a long time. A day with almost no responsibilities, no projects to be completed, no errands to be run, and no need to drive anywhere. Not only have I been craving it, but I have been needing it. I haven't felt quite like myself lately. I've felt frazzled, busy, distracted, lonely and unmotivated. After today I feel a bit more like my old self.

We woke up to frosted trees, which is one of my favorite winter sights. The snow gently fell all day leaving just a skiff on the sidewalks and cars. I spent the morning playing with the children and building block towers with Joe. When it came time for his nap, I snuggled next to him instead of waiting outside his door for him to fall asleep. I thought about how quick these last couple of years have flown by. I can't believe he will be TWO on Monday! After he fell asleep I went downstairs again to see what the other two were up to. My messy kitchen distracted me on the way and I decided to do some damage control. I then realized we only had half a loaf of bread left and knew that I would need to make another batch soon. I felt super unmotivated to do it, but pulled out the bread bowl and started measuring and mixing anyways. 

It wasn't long until I was joined by the older two. Camilla proudly showed me her paper airplane that she folded all by herself after watching me only a few times. I kneaded the bread while paper airplanes whizzed around my head and the snow silently fell outside. It wasn't too long before Joseph joined us, clicking his tongue to notify me of his hunger. So we made up a batch of my favorite chocolate chip cookies and spent the rest of the afternoon flying airplanes and eating a pan or two of those.

 I loved watching them visit with each other...

 And experiment together...

 And laugh together...

 These cookies are seriously my favorite ever!

 Homemade bread just seems so comforting to me on a cold Winters day.

 While the bread was in the oven I also made up a couple dozen bagels. I realized part way in that we were out of cheese to put on top, so I experimented and made half of them into cinnamon and sugar swirl bagels. They aren't the prettiest, but they sure are tasty all toasted up, smothered in butter, and topped with a bit of brown sugar. I always loved when my Mom would buy these at the store. Since they were so expensive, we didn't have them often, so it was always a treat! I extra love that these didn't cost me very much to make at all! 

 Dinner time was sort of uneventful. I made spaghetti because the kids love it so much! The older two gobbled theirs up, leaving Joe and I at the table to finish up. 

 

 It didn't take long for our quiet time to turn into an awesome game of peek-a-boo!

 "Boo! Mommy!"

 And then he would laugh and laugh and laugh...

I am enjoying some quiet time now that they are all tucked in, the dishes loaded in the dishwasher, and the laundry tumbling in the washer. It is nice to sit down at days end and feel proud of a good days work. I enjoyed the time I got to spend today baking with the littles and adoring each of their big personalities. I am blessed.

Oilers vs. Sens

Tonight I got to go on a date with Mr. Stannix. He scored some tickets to the hockey game, I lined up a sitter, and off we went! It was so great to have him home a day early, the littles were so excited! It was also nice to have a night out, just the two of us. It's been a while. I loved sitting next to him at the game, laughing and holding hands. I loved when he would put his arm around me and pull me in close while we chatted. I sure have missed that guy this week! The game was pretty intense. Even though we lost, I think we played well. They made a great come back in the third period but got killed in the sudden death OT for a final score of 4-3 for the Sens. Good game though!

Post Lunch Snapshot

Just a little post lunch snapshot of my little guy and I.

He is so cute some days that I could smooch his cheeks all day.

Thinking of You

Dear Mr. Stannix,

It was terribly hard to say good-bye last night, for both of us. I was so glad when you called to let me know that you made it safe and sound on these winter roads. The children slept a full twelve hour cycle which was nice. Joseph crawled into our bed shortly after midnight and decided to sleep sideways, resting his feet on my baby belly. I don't often sleep alone when you're away! There is always an extra child or two in our bed it seems. 

This morning we had cereal for breakfast. Remember how Joseph spilled his milk not once, but twice yesterday? Well, today Hyrum decided he wanted to switch seats before he began eating. He carefully moved his freshly poured bowl of cereal from one side of the table to the other. He was quite proud that he didn't "psill a bit!" Then he put snow puppy up on the table and somehow knocked the whole bowl onto the floor. I'm considering banning cereal or anything with milk from our house for a while. Since he was sad enough for both of us, I kept my cool and wiped it up with a smile, thinking of you the whole time and the way you helped me mop up the milk yesterday morning. 

After we had eaten, tidied our rooms and said family prayer, Camilla and I spent a good chunk of time on school. She did some math and practised her printing. Her baby a's are looking amazing! She also learned a few new words.

The rest of the day was filled with lots of "I'm hungry" and "Can I have a snaaaaaaack?". It seems our children are bottomless pits these days. We spend so much time making things to eat in the kitchen that I have a hard time keeping up with the dishes!

Post nap-time Joseph greeted me with the cordless phone from our side table in hand. The screen had a bunch of numbers on it and of course he wanted to call "Dad-ee" or "Papa". When he didn't have the phone he was busy climbing on things he shouldn't be. He's always trying to reach new heights it seems.

Thank-you for putting on the winter tires this weekend. It was nice to feel so safe as we drove to the store. It's so great to feel taken care of. Mr. H snuck a box of KD into the cart today, so we might just do that for dinner. I'm sure they will all be more than happy. Of course I picked up a salad for me to eat, along with some cut up veggies. 

After we got home from shopping we spent a bit of time playing in the backyard. Camilla loved pulling her brothers around on the sled and Hyrum enjoyed jumping on the snow covered trampoline. The first thing Joseph did was sit down and move his hands around in the snow. He was quite excited about it! When their cheeks were nice and rosy I called them in to warm up. It really is chilly out there! 

I sure hope your day is going well. We are thinking of you and counting down the days until you come home! I'm looking forward to sharing my bed with someone who doesn't sleep sideways and kick me all night long...

Love you!

Paper Airplanes

 This afternoon I got to enjoy a few quiet moments to myself munching a salad while the older two played outside and Joseph enjoyed an extended nap. He slept for a good long three hours, which made bed time a disaster, but those quiet moments might have been worth it.

Soon the older two had some cold fingers and joined me in the kitchen. It seems that wherever I am, they aren't far away. I am okay with that though, because I love them so. Hyrum and Camilla grabbed their paper airplanes and before I knew it they were whizzing around my kitchen.

I sat at the end of the table and smiled as Hyrum launched his airplane from the stairs. He looked so grown up in his little "farmer" outfit he picked out this morning. 

I cherish quiet moments like these, where life seems to pause and we get to soak up our surroundings. It's nice to take time to count our blessings.

On Overcoming Trials

I can't believe it's November already! Time has been flying by in the Stannix home. I have become a little lazy in our documenting lately and am hoping to have a post of "little things" for later this week. Last month was a toughy with Mr. Stannix training in Calgary during the week and coming home for weekends, which were also packed full of family things and church callings. Even though we have had a month and a half to practise our good-bye's I still cry every Sunday night as the littles and I gather in the front window to wave Daddy off for another week. And even though I've had a lot of practise with this whole "single mom" thing, I still dread every Monday. Days are long, my belly just keeps growing (for which I am grateful), and my body is oh so sore each morning when I wake and each night before I go to sleep. I am so grateful for such a responsible oldest child who sneakily tidies the toy room to surprise me, or creatively helps her brothers do things that I need them to do. She sure is a special girl!

We adored the time we could spend with Daddy this weekend. We did one final rake up of the leaves in the yard and cleaned up the garden. Mr. Stannix kept my kitchen cleaner than it's been all week and we really enjoyed some downtime as a family. There were a few moments when we were all playing in the backyard Saturday afternoon where I wished we had a personal photographer to capture the children's faces or record their laughter. Mr. Stannix lovingly told me to take a mental picture and hold those moments in my heart. There was just something so special about the way the kids giggled as they chased their Daddy around the backyard trying to steal the soccer ball. Their faces were so bright, and they were so full of love and life. I loved watching Joe chase everyone, thinking he was part of the game even though he didn't really know what they were doing. I loved the way Hyrum ran around the yard with his elbows bent, his nose crunched and a huge grin across his face. I loved hearing Camilla's belly laugh and she shrieked with pure joy. I stood in the midst of it all a little misty eyed and couldn't help but think how blessed I am. 

This year our family has experienced many trials and heartaches and I am amazed at how much closer we are because of them. I recently had someone close to me lose a baby and in trying to think of words of comfort and ways to serve them, memories of our own loss came back to me. My heart filled with gratitude as I remembered all of the wonderful friends and family who served us during that time. There are still hard days even ten months later. There are still nights where fear and doubt creep in and tears fall on my pillow. But I am so grateful for the knowledge and peace that the Gospel brings to my life each and every day. I have become so much closer with my Savior as I have used to atonement to overcome not only the little shortfalls each day, but also the things that seem unfair in this life. 

Often the words from a familiar hymn "Carry on! Carry on! Carry on!" fly through my head during the day. On those rough days I am grateful for my children's optimism and endless supply of hugs, as well as the power of prayer. Even though we miss Daddy horribly during the week, we are "carrying on" and making the best of this awesome opportunity Mr. Stannix has been given.

Trick or Treat

 Halloween was super low-key for us this year. We were super glad that Daddy came home early on Friday to enjoy the evening with us. He asked if I had started dinner yet and when I replied, "No..." he said, "Good!".

 We took the kiddos to Wendy's to kill some time and then headed back and did a couple of the blocks in our neighborhood with our cow, horse and pirate.

 Just as we were heading out, it started spitting rain. It was definitely a bit warmer than previous years where we fought with giant snowflakes and crazy wind. The rain still chilled me to the bone by the time we made it home. Joseph enjoyed all of the decorations. Mike and I chuckled at all of his words and excitement. All night he shouted things like, "Ghost!" "Wooowwww!" and would make funny fake scared faces. He's such a character.

The older two were absolute pros this year going door to door and remembering to say thank-you each time. After only one block, they thought their bags were full enough and wanted to head home. We didn't stay out long, but they sure had a lot of fun, and came home with a lot of loot. A couple of houses passed out giant chocolate bars and juice boxes to everyone. I was totally surprised! Back in my day, that only happened when you went trick or treating in the country.

Happy Halloween!