Smells like Christmas

 Joseph was the first one awake this morning. When I woke up I forgot that I had slept in his bed for half the night while he slept in mine. I smiled as I listened to him whisper excitedly about the Christmas tree that he discovered in the dimly lit sitting room. He was quickly joined by his older siblings and they all sat on the couch for a good five minutes admiring the giant tree. "It smells like Christmas in here, Mom!" Camilla exclaimed. She climbed into Joe's bed and snuggled next to me while I blinked my tired eyes awake for the day. 

We enjoyed a stake conference today and learned all about the new boundary changes with so many members in Calgary and surrounding areas. The talks were great and tugged at my heart. Mr. Stannix took over caring for Finley at church and near the end when Joseph had enough of sitting he took them both out to the halls. I sat on the bench stroking Hyrum's hair as he slept on my lap (we had a late night). There were a few phrases that touched me, one of which was "there are no empty seats in eternity" and the promise that all of our children will be with us in the next life if we remain faithful to our covenants. I thought about our sweet angel baby and let out a few tears at the comfort and peace that statement gave me. I looked down at Hyrum and an immense love filled my heart for this special boy. When the meeting ended I had to wake Hyrum and carry him to the door.

We got home, had some lunch, caught a few winks of sleep, and then enjoyed some candy cane hot chocolate. Finley giggled and smiled proudly as he sat with us at the table. I'm telling you, round tables are pretty great! I love the closeness and warmth that these last few meals have had. 

After our hot chocolate we turned on some Christmas music and went crazy decorating the tree! It was so tall, we could hardly reach the top. Daddy and Camilla strung the lights while I snapped pictures and got the ornaments out.

 

 Our tree is a tree of compromise. Mr. Stannix grew up with colored lights, but I love white lights! I grew up with tinsel, but Mr. Stannix loves garland. Our trees are never overly fancy, but we're not overly fancy people. I love having the kids help us decorate (even if Joe hangs three ornaments on one branch). 

 Finley took a couple more steps tonight and we all whooped and cheered for him. It's an exciting time. I love the new baby phase, but I also really like this stage of learning and discovery. He was quite proud of himself!

  Poor Hyrum was feeling a little under the weather and ended up puking half way through. He was so looking forward to putting the star on top, but when it came time to do it, he decided he would rather lay on the couch and put his big sister in charge. 

Mr. Stannix and Camilla worked together to get the star on top of the tree. It took a lot for our cautious Camilla to get up that high and do it. As she fumbled with star she got rather frazzled, "It doesn't fit!!" Mr. Stannix started chuckling and I about cried I started laughing so hard. The star is a little crooked but she did her best!

 

Once all the excitement was over we enjoyed our newly decorated tree and then cozied up downstairs for the First Presidency Christmas Devotional. Hyrum fell asleep right away, followed closely by Camilla. Finley nodded off snuggled on Daddy's chest and Joseph polished off a whole bowl of chips. I think it was the quietest Christmas devotional yet. It was a wonderful way to get into the spirit of the season and a good end to our weekend.

Oh Christmas Tree

 Saturday mornings are pretty special around here. We love having Daddy home and eating a big breakfast together as a family. Today it was pancakes, and I loved watching the children fill their tummies and talk our ears off this morning!

The weather has been warm and wonderful, but all the snow has melted away leaving semi-green grass and bare sidewalks. As we drove to pick up our Christmas tree this morning Mr. Stannix said, "Looks like it's going to be a Charlie Brown Christmas this year." Somehow it's just not the same without the snow, but with a hubby who commutes each day to the city the bare roads have been nice.

Since all the trees had the same price tag we picked the biggest one we could find. Mr. Stannix gets a little excited about Christmas and does a good job sharing the magic of Christmas with the children.

We stashed the tree in the garage over night to keep with tradition of decorating it before the First presidency Christmas devotional. The two little boys went for a nap (along with Daddy) and I finished cleaning and prepping for Mike's surprise birthday party!

 Just before dinner close friends and family started trickling in. It was great to see Mike's brother again. It's been a while!

 Since he's such an old guy now we needed some help lighting all the candles!

It was fun planning this for my sweetheart and I am so grateful to those who came for the visit! 

After everyone left we put the littles to bed and mustered up just enough energy to lug that giant tree inside. We had to let it get settled in before we decorate tomorrow. We didn't realize how huge it really was until we set it up! But it is beautiful and it smells amazing! We can't wait for the kids to see it in the morning!

Birthday Date

A few months ago Mike hinted how fun it would be to eat at the Calgary tower. Neither of us had ever been! I jumped right on the idea and made the two of us dinner reservations at the Sky360 for his big birthday. My awesome sister agreed to babysit the littles and I met Mike in the city for our date.

I let the birthday boy drive us there since he knows his way around much better than I do. We used his awesome parking pass and he toured me around downtown as we walked to the tower. It was fun to see some of the Christmas decorations and fancy lights that were already up around the city.

We arrived super early for our reservations and enjoyed a whole lot of time at the lookout with the glass floor!

It was pretty crazy to be so high up! Walking onto the glass almost didn't feel real. It was kind of freaky at first and made me a bit dizzy. 

The restaurant was great! The food was delicious and it was super fun to watch the view change while we ate. I wasn't sure how it revolved at first but when I set my purse on the ledge and it began moving away from me I grabbed it pretty quick! We split a dessert of his choice and then walked hand in hand back to the car in the freezing cold!

Before I left home I stuck 30 GOLD helium balloons in our bedroom to surprise Mike with. Attached was "30 reasons I love you".  That, and filling his sock drawer secretly with 30 funky socks helped make this birthday one of the best yet!

Celebrate the Season

 Today Camilla's school held the annual "Celebrate the Season" concert. They had an afternoon and an evening show time. After a lot of debate I decided the boys would fair better at the afternoon show, and Daddy would watch Camilla at the evening show. The boys did pretty good (considering Joe usually naps around that time). We took up the empty five rows at the back. I stood bouncing Fin to sleep in the carrier while Joseph hopped from chair to chair and Hyrum drew in his notebook. The senior choir was first, followed by the junior choir, and lastly, the Primary choir. The boys sat through a whole hour before we even got to see Camilla come on stage to sing their few songs. I was a bit bummed because I was dealing with antsy boys while trying to watch. Thankfully Daddy managed to grab a few pictures for me at the evening show time. I did, however, manage to snag a video of the very last song they sang as a big group of combined choirs. The whole performance was well done and both Mike and I were impressed at how many "religious" songs their were. We are proud of that girly for embracing choir. She really enjoys singing and it's so fun to see her bopping up and down to the beat as she belts out the words. Love that kid!

Counting Down the Days

 Christmas is sneaking up fast! This year I have discovered the joy of online shopping. I also started shopping a few months ago and stashing stuff away for the kids. This morning during Finley's nap I took some "me" time and made this little advent calendar. I can't wait to fill the envelopes with fun things to do to get us in the Christmas spirit! I found this little gem here. It was pretty easy to do! The boys made a nice little mess coloring Christmas pictures and cutting paper, but it was a nice breather for me!

Welcome December

 December has arrived and with it, an overwhelming gratitude for all of our many blessings. Christmas music has officially started to fill our home, lifting the mood and starting spontaneous dance parties. I've started wrapping our Christmas tins to fill with goodies for neighbors and friends. The baking has begun, making our home warm and cozy and filling it with the smells of the season.I adore this time of year and the way it brings out the best in people. 

I have been praying lately for an increased measure of charity and love for my children and today my heart is overflowing with it! When I kiss Finley's chubby toes, smooch Joe's rosy cheeks after he comes in from outside, or sit and read with Hyrum I feel like my heart might burst. Having this increase of love has helped heaps today when tough mommy moments have come up. I may have cried a few tears while stirring dinner as the children whizzed around me poking at each other and demanding things but overall there has been less shouting, ordering, whining, and complaining on all fronts. That extra adoration I'm feeling for the children today helped pull me through until bed time!

The other night the kids cut out some snowflakes with their Auntie, and they have been making them ever since. The play room is dotted with paper clippings and art supplies. Camilla, of course, had to make a couple for her teacher at school just as we were getting ready to tuck into bed.

 Once everyone was asleep after the endless requests for water and bathroom breaks, I turned on the fire and cozied up next to it. There are so many things I still need to get done this week, but it was nice just to sit and find some inner peace in the quiet of our home.

So far December, you've been good. Keep it coming!