12.13.14

 Today we woke up bright and early to join our family and friends at the temple! My little sister is now a married woman and I am so so proud of her! Despite the rain and snow, these two were all smiles. It was wonderful to join them in the temple as they were sealed together for time and all eternity by my Grampa Hudkins. I could post a million pictures, but for now I'll just share a few!

 The newlyweds

 Sharing a little moment

 Camilla and her best bud congratulating Auntie Emma

 Mother and Father of the bride

 I was honored to be a part of the wedding party and Mr. Stannix was a trooper juggling all three of our littles for the entire day.

 I caught these cuties sharing secrets before dinner

Hyrum snuck up to the head table for dessert!

 A little shot of my brother and sister with the littles before the reception started

 My handsome boys

 Joe enjoying some food with his favorite Grampa

 And before the night was through I got Naomi to snap a few more pictures for me. The evening was wonderfully done. My Mom had been baking up a storm for a few weeks in preparation for the big event. It was great to look around and see smiling faces as everyone visited and enjoyed the atmosphere.

Mistletoe

 Today was Mr. Stannix's last day of work in Calgary! We are both pretty excited about that! It's been a long three months and I am looking forward to having him home with me again. I've missed him like crazy! I am so proud of him and all of his hard work. He does such a wonderful job providing for us and has a great career. He got off a bit early today so that we could go help decorate for my sisters wedding. When he walked through the door to the apartment Joseph ran as fast as he could and wrapped his little body around Daddy's legs for a hug. It was super cute. The kids are all pretty excited that Daddy doesn't have to go away for work anymore. After we had finished decorating I could resist pulling Mr. Stannix under the mistletoe for a smooch. I sure do love that guy!

Out and About

 Spending a whole week in Calgary can be tricky sometimes. I am super glad this is the last time that we will have to do this! Today we left the apartment bright and early and drove across town to a favorite indoor play place where the littles could burn energy and be as loud as they wanted! It was a lot of fun!

 Joe loved climbing and exploring!

He giggled everytime he went down this slide!

 The older two also loved the big slides.

I pushed Joseph around on these little racers for close to an hour. It was fun watching him learn how to drive them.

The boys also had a nice game of bumper cars. Notice Hyrum's extra rosy cheeks from all of the fun he was having!

After dinner we went out to enjoy the warmer weather and Christmas lights of downtown. Daddy took us all for hot chocolate and donuts. It was nice to be out together as a family.

Bubble Bath

 Sometimes ya just need a little bubble bath to cheer ya up. 

 It's always fun finding your toes and making bubble beards!

 Hopefully this leads to a good night sleep too!

Jolly Old Saint Nick

Today the littles and I ventured out to the mall to finish up some Christmas shopping. As soon as we walked through the door Camilla spotted Santa just a little ways down the mall. They have been so excited to talk to him and share their Christmas lists. The set up was really neat and we hardly had to wait in line given the fact that the mall had just opened. Camilla did most of the talking of course. Hyrum sat on Santa's knee happy as can be and I'm pretty sure Joe would have cried if it weren't for his older siblings beside him. He can be a pretty serious guy sometimes. 

After we finished we went to the "play area" they had set up. We did some coloring, lazed around on bean bag chairs and watched The Polar Express and built blocks with a sweet little Elf named twinkles. It was a fabulous time killer and lots of fun for the kids! A morning well spent!

Joseph snoozed in the stroller while we cruised around the mall until our feet hurt. We came across this giant telescope and were invited to take a look. The kids giggled as they checked out what was going on at the North Pole. I loved the time we got to spend together. I love that my kids are so so good and that we can do things like this together and have fun. 

Deck the Halls

Despite the craziness of this weekend, the Stannix's stuck with tradition and decorated for Christmas this afternoon. We typically do it the first Sunday of December which is almost always the same night as the Christmas devotional. It's such a great way to get into the Christmas spirit. This year we got our very first real tree! It's about twice the height of our usual tree which is as old as me and holds many Christmas memories (and lots of tinsel from my childhood days). Mr. Stannix and I got it in the stand last night after the kiddos went to bed and despite the fact that our tree stand claimed to be anti-tipping, it toppled over just as we turned out the lights for bed. We laughed, mopped up the floor, re-read the instructions, and set it back up the right way. The house smelled of Christmas all day today!

We spent our afternoon stringing lights and hanging decorations. Joseph has been so excited about Christmas trees this year. I suppose he doesn't remember much from last year.

Camilla is super a decorating and did her own thing.

Joseph concentrated very hard for this one!

Hyrum was pretty serious about decorating too! It's all business with this kid.

The bottom half of our tree was very well decorated by the end!

I just love these three! It took me a while to get Mr. H to crack a smile! I love the way the other two are looking at him so adoringly.

Joe helped Daddy decorate a bit more up top before we could get to our favorite part!

Putting the star on the top is always a highlight for the littles. Camilla did it last year, so Hyrum got a chance this year. 

There is something so magical about the Christmas season, the lights, the decorations, the spirit, the extra love. 

I sure love the special spirit these two bring into our home!

I also extra love these handsome boys of mine. One more week and we have Daddy home for good! 

After we had finished decorating there was some dancing and goofing around while we enjoyed the lights on the tree. This guy totally cracks me up lately. He's such a ham.

It was a super fun afternoon! The only bummer was packing up the car and heading out of town for the week. This week is Mike's last week in Calgary and we are all very excited! I'm glad we get to spend it together, even if it is in a tiny apartment. I am extra excited to get home next week to enjoy our tree and get to Christmas baking! 

Oh Christmas Tree!

Today was a crazy busy day! We all woke up fairly early and went to work tidying the house for company and our week away. Mr. Stannix was a champ and I couldn't have pulled things off this weekend without him! Early in the morning he took the older two out to shovel the giant mound of snow left by the plow. We spent the rest of the morning running errands. He picked up an awesome tree stand and then we went to buy our first real Christmas tree! 

The kids were thrilled to walk around the little place and pick their very own tree. I loved trailing behind them, snapping pictures and enjoying the smell of Christmas.

Daddy stood up a couple of trees and we let them decide if they were tall enough. 

Eventually we found one they liked and our strong Daddy carried it to the van and strapped it on the roof. Mr. Stannix and I put it in the stand tonight after everyone left to get it ready for decorating tomorrow. Our house smells amazing and I can't wait to see the kids faces in the morning when they see how tall it is! I just love Christmas time!

Twenty-Nine

Since Mr. Stannix was away on his birthday, we celebrated tonight when he got home. We started out with a nice roasted chicken dinner and finished up with birthday cake and presents! Each of the kids picked out their own gifts at the dollar store. It was cute seeing how excited they were for Daddy to open them! Sadly Joseph had a fever and ended up going to bed early and missing all of the festivities. We sure love our Daddy though and are excited to have him home!

"I Do It!"

Joseph has officially hit the "I Do It!" stage. 

No matter how frustrated he gets doing something, he has to do it himself. 

He will often say "I do self!"

This phrase applies when he is putting on his socks in the morning.

Or when we want to leave the house in a hurry and he wants to put his own boots on.

Or when we are running late and I have to wait an extra hour for him to click his own seatbelt, usually with unnoticed help from me, but if that help is noticed, we are there for another hour while he tries again from the very beginning!

I also hear "I do self!" when he needs some parmesan cheese sprinkled on his spaghetti.

Or when his face needs washing in the tub.

It's a super fun stage watching them learn to be independent.

Uncle Time

Today I left the kiddos with their Uncle Arland for a few hours while I finished up some Christmas shopping and errands. Joseph finally learned the proper way to ride on uncles leg and it was super cute watching him cling on for dear life while he giggled away with his brother. They sure do love that guy!