Brother, I'll Follow You

One morning this week the boys joined us in our bed for snuggles with the baby. Mike asked Joseph if he was going to serve a mission and he replied with a firm, "No!". Next, he asked Hyrum the same question and he replied with a little laugh, "Yeah". Then Mike looked at Joe again and said, "Hyrum's going to go on a mission. If Hyrum goes, will you go?" Joseph thought for a second, nodded his head and said, "High-ya go, Joe go." It was such a sweet little moment and one that I hope they will remember later. 

Today the boys had their last Sunday together in Nursery. Next week Hyrum moves into Sunbeams and Joseph will be on his own. They have wonderful nursery leaders and we always hear funny stories about the boys when we pick them up after class. When Joseph first started in nursery he had a really hard time and would often seek out his brother for comfort. Hyrum would sweetly hug his brother until he felt better and then the two of them would go off and play. The nursery leaders thought this was so cute and even took a few pictures of it. These boys have been so lucky to spend this time together! Things are going to be different for them both in the new year, but I hope that Joe will always remember the example of his big brother as he follows him through primary. The brotherly love that they are showing now is living up to their names.

One Week

 Our baby Finley is one week old today! Time seems to go faster with each baby. This week has felt like a blurr of days mixed with days. I am getting used to functioning like a zombie again, but can't complain all that much because Mr. Fin really is a good little sleeper. He is such a good baby! So chill and relaxed. He loves being held and will sleep up to four hours at a time in my arms. He's also spent a couple of nights in his crib doing two and a half hour stints. When he is awake he is pretty charming for the most part and the only time he ever cries is if he's starving or getting his bum changed. He is adored by his siblings and they are always fighting over who gets to hold him. He gets at least one hundred kisses a day and they love to touch his little head. 

I have been trying to cherish as much time as I can with this little guy before Mike heads back to work and my attention gets split four ways. It's been hard for me to put him down and there are many times I wish I could hold him all day long. He is such a snuggler and I love having him in my arms. I like the quiet moments we share in the evenings after everyone is tucked in for the night. I love watching him sleep, especially when he flashes me those sleepy baby grins. I adore giving him eskimo kisses and holding his face next to mine as I kiss his little cheeks over and over again. I can't get enough of his little feet, long fingers, and fuzzy hair.

 

He has spent a lot of time sleeping in his first week of life and is just starting to have more awake time. When he is awake and fed he is happy to hang out in his big sister's arms while she talks to him. This usually results in a bad case of the hiccups because he gets to excited, and then Camilla can't stop laughing because he sounds like a squeak toy. Hyrum loves spending quiet time with the baby and will often lay beside him on our bed when he's asleep and just stare at him. Joseph has become quite familiar with Finley now and sometimes tries to pick him up when he thinks I'm not looking. When I change him and he cries Joseph will come in and say, "It's ahhh-kay buddy, it's ah-kay!" Finley is definitely well loved around here!

Christmas Day

 On Christmas morning the littles didn't wake up until 7:00am. I was up shortly before them to feed Finley and waited patiently for everyone to join us on the bed and open their stockings. Joseph sat on the floor beside me opening chocolate after chocolate. He couldn't be bothered with the presents Santa left for him in his stocking. After they finished we all made our way downstairs, plugged in the Christmas lights and slowly opened presents. I think one of my favorite things this year was watching them open the presents they got from each other.

 They each went to the dollar store with Daddy and picked out a gift for each other to put under the tree. I was so impressed by the thought that they put into these gifts. Hyrum got Camilla a frozen coloring book and she loved it! She got him a cool army set which he set up right away.

 Hyrum excitedly watched as Joseph opened up his dino. I loved seeing them so excited about the gifts that they gave. So special.

 One of Camilla's favorite gifts was her Elsa dress. I've never seen her change her clothes so quickly!

 Joseph enjoyed his little "Kee-kee Gorsh" jack in the box.

 We took our time playing in between present opening.

 Hyrum got a lot of super hero stuff, including an awesome Spider Man costume!

 Joseph killed me with cuteness in his fleece moose jammies.

 Nana came by in the late morning and surprised the littles with some great gifts. 

 I couldn't resist piling them all in the sled for a picture!

 We spent the rest of the day relaxing and enjoying time together.

I can't get over how big this boy looks these days!  He is sure a great kid. We finished up our day with Turkey dinner (big thanks to Mr. Stannix for all of his help)! Everything was super delish. By the time the littles went to sleep, Mr. Stannix and I weren't too far behind. It was such a wonderful day!

Christmas Letter

 Dear Family and Friends,

We wanted to wish you all a merry Christmas and happy new year! It's been a busy year for us, full of great memories! The beginning started out a bit tough with the loss of a much anticipated fourth baby five months into the pregnancy but we learned a lot and grew closer together as a family. Despite our trials, we continued to count our blessings each day. 

In February we attended Mike's CA graduation at the Shaw Conference Center. It was a wonderful day spent honoring all of his hard work and dedication over the last six years as he has worked towards accomplishing this goal. We are so proud of him! 

The Spring time brought us a new van, puddle jumping and lazy afternoons spent painting. In May we took a mini vacation and attended my little brother's wedding in Vancouver. It was great to enjoy the spring flowers and gorgeous blossoms while we were there celebrating with family and friends. 

During the Summer months we took advantage of our back yard and enjoyed many afternoons outdoors blowing bubbles, playing in the sprinkler and enjoying the sandbox that Daddy and Grampa built. We also spent a few days at the Legislature grounds swimming in the wading pools and exploring nature. In June we took the kids to the Calgary zoo for a day. We all enjoyed the animals, especially the penguins! In August I started up a little crochet business and has been keeping fairly busy with orders since she opened up shop!

In the Fall Camilla started Kindergarten! She has enjoyed reading, writing and math and is constantly learning and asking questions. In September Mike was given the opportunity to get more education and experience in his firm. This opportunity required him to train with the office in Calgary for three months and though the timing was bad with me being in the last three months of a pregnancy, we decided to go ahead with it. The littles and I spent some time at the Acreage and enjoyed visiting Daddy for a few weeks on and off in Calgary. Mike was a trooper and drove the roads home on the weekends to see everyone. We definitely cherish the time we are together more than we ever have before!

December has been an exciting month and we are ending the year with our hearts full to the brim with gratitude and happiness. Mike finished up his training and is back home full time. The kids love having Daddy back and are so much happier when we are all together. A few weeks ago we went to Calgary to see my little sister marry in the Calgary temple. It was a great day spent with family and friends! Just a week later we welcomed our newest addition into our family. It's still weird to think we are a family of six! He weighed 6lbs 15oz and we named him Finley Garth. As the Christmas season is upon us we are enjoying our new little baby and the sweet spirit he brings into our home.

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year!

Love,

The Night Before Christmas

 Tonight we shared dinner with the Sister Missionaries. Mr. Stannix spent the afternoon making a double batch of Grampy's Tacos and they were super delish! After dinner and a Christmas message from the missionaries we opened our traditional night before Christmas present. Each of the littles got a brand new pair of cozy jammies to sleep in Christmas Eve. After everyone was changed we cozied up on the couch and listened to Daddy read the story of Christ's birth from the bible and finished off with "Twas the Night Before Christmas". I have never seen the littles so excited to go to bed before! They are super excited for Santa to come and eat the milk and cookies they left for him.

 Merry Christmas to all!

And to all a good night!

First Day Home

It's been a crazy few days! We still have no crib set up and our upstairs is a disaster, but our hearts are filled with so much peace and love this Christmas season despite it all! The other night I rocked in the rocking chair with Finley amidst the mess and wrote down a few things that I didn't want to forget. While I have a few minutes I thought I would quickly do a write up so that I can remember the children's first impressions of their new baby brother and all of the cute things they say.

On our first day home everyone slept in until 7:00am. I spent a few quiet moments before everyone woke up snuggling next to my new baby. Joseph was the first to wake and cuddled in next to Daddy. Camilla was close behind, eager to see her new baby brother. They all hugged, kissed and rubbed his head before heading down to breakfast. While the older two were down eating breakfast, Hyrum wandered out of his room. While rubbing his eyes he sweetly asked, "Where's my new baby brother, Mom?" It didn't take him long to climb into bed and lay next to baby Finley, faces close together. It was the cutest thing!

After breakfast, the boys went off to church and Camilla and I hung out in the bedroom for the morning. She was such a great helper, and she loved spending one on one with baby Finley. We spent the morning whispering to each other and enjoying the quiet. One thing she told me was, "It's okay if it's not a girl, baby brothers are cuter anyway!" She also said, "I am still the only girl. Isn't that special!?" I was so glad to hear her take the news so well. She really did want a little sister. Then Finley got hungry and snorted up a storm while he cried. Camilla laughed so hard there were tears in her eyes. It was a good moment.

Hyrum takes any chance he can to stare into Finley's eyes and snuggle up next to him. I love seeing him take his role as big brother so seriously.

Joseph is pretty proud of his new little brother and keeps saying adorable things like, "CUUUUTE, Mommy, CUUUUUUTE!" while pointing at the baby. He also calls him "Win-Wee" which is pretty cute too! I was afraid he would be jealous, but he's quite possessive instead. He is always asking to, "Hold it!" and doesn't like to take turns with anyone else.

We had a great afternoon filled with a visit from Uncle Arland and Auntie Naomi, my midwife and my grandparents. It was great to have everyone here. We have been given so much help! Naomi cooked up an awesome dinner for us which I greatly appreciated!

This Daddy of ours has been a total rockstar at keeping everyone happy and everything cleaned up. I am so grateful for him and all of the love and support he gives to us each day!

Finley and his Great-Gramma Hudkins

 Finley and Great-Grampa Hudkins

 After everyone left I managed to get a few sweet baby grins. We feel so blessed to have this little guy in our home!

 Also, this is what a busy father of four might look like after he takes care of a million things in a day. Mr. Stannix has been super dad! We sure love him!

Finley's Birth Story

When I woke up Saturday morning, I had no idea that the day would progress as it did.  I had slept on and off through some light contractions all night but didn't think anything of it. Around 5:00am I heard Joseph crying and snuggled next to him, our faces nice and close. I rubbed my fingers through his hair until he fell back to sleep. Looking back, I cherish this moment because I had no idea it would be his last snuggle as the "baby" of the family. When I left his room I had a few more light contractions and began timing them. They were five minutes apart consistently, but not overly painful. After an hour or so I crawled back into our bed and told Mr. Stannix. We whispered in the dark while we timed more contractions and waited on the kids to wake up. Mr. Stannix was supposed to head into work, so a decision had to be made. After a trip to the bathroom and a few more close contractions we called my midwife and headed to the hospital to meet her. Before we left Mr. Stannix gave me a blessing of comfort where I was promised joy and strength. 

Uncle Arland and Auntie Naomi came over to watch the kids for the day and we made it to the hospital by 10:00am. We were able to spend some time relaxing in the room and chatting with my awesome team of midwives. I was so impressed at the care they took to create a peaceful atmosphere to bring our baby into this world. Megan dimmed the lights in the bathroom so I wouldn't have bright hospital lights to deal with while laboring. When things weren't progressing, they decided to go for a quick lunch break. After they left I curled up in the bed and napped while the sun warmed my face as it beat through the big hospital window across the room. It was so peaceful and so needed. I had no idea how long the afternoon ahead would be. 

It was by far the toughest and longest labor of them all! The midwives kept checking the position of the baby and it looked like baby was a little off thanks to my tight right hip. They had me labor in a few different positions to help baby shift into the right spot. My midwife knew just the right spots to massage during each contraction.  The contractions were super intense, but not close enough together. After pushing for a very long time, my midwife suggested turning on my side. She sat on the side of my bed, gently rubbing my leg and encouraging me along while the other midwife sat at the bottom waiting patiently for the baby. I so appreciated the intimate atmosphere and the genuine care I felt from both of these ladies. There were no bright lights beaming down at me from the ceiling and no doctor suited up at the bottom of my bed. After a few more pushes, baby came out face up and was put right onto my chest. When I asked if it was a boy or a girl, no one knew the answer. After experiencing a stillbirth, no words can describe the relief and happiness I felt in that moment, boy or girl. Tears of joy stung my eyes as I enjoyed the sounds of our new little baby screaming away. 

The first thing I noticed was the baby's wrinkled up face. My attention was then drawn to the long fingers as baby sucked away on them. I laughed because at each previous appointment my midwife would tell me that baby's hand was up by it's head. I looked up at Mike who was proudly grinning at the sight of our new baby. I was so glad to have him by my side through the whole day. It was nice not to be rushed or pushed along. I held our little bundle for quite sometime before Mike cut the cord and we actually checked the gender. 

It was a boy! A perfectly healthy, screaming baby boy! I let my midwives wrap him up so that Mike could have a turn with him. When he was finished they weighed him in at 6lbs 15oz. After he was all wrapped up he was pretty content. He was always sucking on two or three fingers at a time and was a natural at nursing.

We enjoyed the quiet room for a few hours and then got ready to check ourselves out. I have never liked the long hospital stays and knew i would get more rest at home. We bundled Finley up for the long drive home and Mike warmed up the car for us. My midwives helped us out and we gave them each a huge hug good-bye! Finley slept the whole way home and most of the evening. The older two were waiting up for us and Joe came down as soon as he heard my voice.

 A family of SIX!

 After everyone left and the house was still and quiet I enjoyed some baby snuggles and thanked my Heavenly Father for blessing us with another sweet little spirit.

The Best Gift

Finley Garth Stannix

December 20, 2014

5:18PM

6lb 15oz

Ninja Turtle

On one of our nights in Calgary we found ourselves out driving in search of a late night meal. We ended up turned around in an unfamiliar part of the city and had to take a U-turn. We had just passed a bowling alley and the kids were excited. "Look! A bowling alley! Can we stop?" We went up the road a little ways to find a good place to turn around. Then we drove back the way we came. "Look! Another bowling alley!" Hyrum exclaimed. Mr. Stannix and I chuckled to ourselves. Then Mr. Stannix proceeded to turn around one last time, just to see if Hyrum would do it again. The bowling alley was on Camilla's side this time, so he didn't notice. When we flipped around again to head back in the right direction, he spotted that bowling alley out his window again and excitedly exclaimed, "Another bowling alley! Three bowling alley's I've saw tonight!" Mr. Stannix and I were pretty much peeing ourselves laughing while we listened to Camilla explain how it was the same one. Hyrum wouldn't have it. He was convinced that we had seen three separate bowling alleys that night. It took a little explaining from Daddy. When he learned that Daddy was playing a trick on him, he laughed and laughed. It was super funny.

That kid is so full of character lately! He also loves to be different characters. Yesterday he ran around with his red Spiderman shirt, blue pants, Spiderman shoes, and red socks covering his arms with a string tied to them for a web. This morning he discovered the blue tissue paper and made himself a ninja turtle mask. He totally cracks me up!

Thirty-Eight Weeks

This pregnancy has gone by super fast! I hit the thirty-eight week mark on Saturday. With only a few weeks to go I am getting pretty anxious. I am glad to have Mr. Stannix home for good now! It's helped me to relax and feel more excited for baby to come now that we are all together again. The last time he came home from Calgary he surprised me with a nice comfy rocking chair. I could hardly believe my eyes when he lugged it into the entry way and set it next to everything else he brought home with him. I'm still not sure how he fit it all in the car! It was such a thoughtful surprise and I am looking forward to rocking this little one to sleep in it each night as I count fingers and toes and enjoy the warmth of his or her little body next to mine. I am so looking forward to baby snuggles and smells. It's crazy how quickly one can forget what those feel like.

 This week I am hoping to get Camilla's room organized so that we can set up the crib and get things ready. I wanted to give Camilla's room a fresh coat of paint and pick up some sort of closet organizer, but life has been crazy and I just haven't gotten around to it. As I've been taking the time to reflect on the Christmas season and the humble circumstances under which our Savior was brought into the world, I have been able to find some peace even though our house is in a crazy state. I've always thought how special it is to be pregnant during the Christmas season and Mary is often on my mind during these weeks. What an amazing woman she must have been.

I have been blessed with a fairly easy pregnancy this time around. Most of my struggles are just because my tummy is big and I can't bend or sleep very well. My crazy fear of loss subsided for a short time, but has recently resurfaced as I near the end of my pregnancy and baby is too crowded to move as often. Baby is super quiet during the night and I often wake up in a panic because I haven't felt it in a while. I am so looking forward to having this babe safely on the outside to snuggle and love! The Stannix home is buzzing with excitement as we count down to Christmas and enjoy being back together again!