A Tree Hunt

 We are spending Christmas at the Acreage this year with all of my siblings. Mr. Stannix ended up with a few weeks off work so we came out early to enjoy the family time, the peace and quiet, and the home cooked meals. The first thing we needed to do this week was go hunting for a Christmas tree! My parents have lived here a long time and have lots of great friends always willing to help and lend a hand. I loved growing up in this community. This year we went to a friends farm to search for our Christmas tree. They have a huge quarter section full of beautiful trees! We spent a good hour walking through the winter wonderland to pick out the perfect tree. The blue sky, the snow covered trees, and the morning sunshine made for a whole lot of beauty to enjoy. I may have taken too many pictures! Some of these are also from my talented sister-in-law.

Deck the Halls

 We started our Christmas break with a little visit to Edmonton. We drove past our old place and the children recognized it right away. The Wolsey's offered us a place to stay for the night and it was so great to catch up with them and watch the children play together again. They get along so well. Before we got there Camilla said, "It's been so long I don't even REMEMBER what Clara looks like anymore!" It was sweet. 

On Sunday we enjoyed church in our old, old ward where we attended when we first moved to Edmonton. Since we've been there our family has grown a lot and it was great to see old friends and attend church with Nana. Camilla was giddy when she saw her old primary teacher, Sister B. We then went over to Nana's house and enjoyed a nice little visit there. We helped her get her tree up and had a nice little family dinner.

When the children started getting tired we loaded up into the van in hopes that they would sleep all the way to the Acreage. Our plan was a success and Mr. Stannix and I loved the peaceful drive as we watched the Northern lights dance away in the distance. I've never seen them for that long before. It was absolutely amazing!

One Year

 We are away visiting for Christmas Holidays, but I made sure to bring the month stickers so I could snap a picture of Finley on his birthday! This last year went by so fast. In the last few days we have gotten lots of opportunities to snuggle during the night and at nap time since we are away from our own beds and it has been wonderful. I loved watching him nap on his Daddy's shoulder during church, his chubby cheeks smooshed up and his lips slightly puckered. It was pretty adorable! 

He has started walking a bit more recently and will take up to ten steps at a time. His preferred mode of transportation is still crawling because he's quick at it. He's quite inquisitive and curious and loves to stack things. He waves hello and good-bye and tries to mimic our words. He loves to giggle and be a part of any conversation. He gives hugs and says "muah!" when he kisses you. He eats a lot and has most recently started sleeping "through the night". The extra sleep has been a huge blessing for mamma who is pretty exhausted after a year (or three) of interrupted sleep.  

His hair still has a strawberry color to it and I can't wait until it grows in more. At his last checkup the doctor said he's almost in the 90th percentile for height. His legs have definitely lengthened out this last little while as he learned to walk. He is healthy and well and an absolute delight to be around. He is by far the most easy going baby I've had and has no problem chilling in his crib or highchair early in the morning while I get Camilla out the door to school.

 

His older siblings still adore him. Joseph still randomly kisses him on the head when he walks by. Hyrum loves to help him walk. Camilla likes to feed and mother him (even though she can hardly lift him these days). We feel so blessed to have him in our family! Happy first birthday buddy boy!!

Christmas Concert

 Today we took in Camilla's Christmas concert. The storyline followed Santa who's old Christmas records were breaking. The elves were trying to convince him to get an iPod and played a song from each of their playlists for Santa. They had rock and roll, broadway and Camilla was part of the country group. It was a lot of fun! She is on the bottom left in the dark shirt and red bandana.

All is Calm, All is Bright

 When I open my eyes the house is oh so still. I can hear Joseph's feet hit the floor as he slides out of his bed. He hits up the bathroom and flushes the toilet on his way to my bedside. His tummy has woken him and he needs breakfast stat. He wiggles his way onto our big bed and shakes me awake. "Is it bepest time yet?" he asks. I hug and kiss him with my eyes still shut. Finley has started sleeping through the night but it will probably be weeks before I feel like I've caught up on sleep. Joseph leaves our bed and heads to the kitchen. I listen as he clicks on the lights and opens the pantry door. Before long he is at my bedside again with a box of cheerios. It is time to start the day. 

As I pour the milk I look out the kitchen window and admire the view of the frosted trees. The sky slowly changes from pink to blue as the sun rises over the rooftops. I go downstairs to find the older two playing quietly and we begin our morning routine. It isn't long before we are all gathered around the table eating eggs. We say a quick good-bye to Daddy and have a family prayer. I leave the boys safe and warm while I walk Camilla a few doors down to catch her bus.

When I return, Finley is awake and I feed him breakfast. We tidy the kitchen and clean up our rooms and then head out on a walk. We stop and visit a new friend and drop off a few of our Christmas tins around the neighborhood. When we get home the children's cheeks are pink and their fingers chilled. I put on the kettle and make up some hot chocolate to help warm us back up.

 

The boys spend most of their afternoon playing close by as I work away on a baby blanket for a friend. When the fighting begins I declare nap time. Hyrum enjoys a few cartoons and some coloring while he waits for me to come back down.

We have a few hours of whispering and quiet play which is so good for my soul. Sometimes the craziness gets to me and these few hours help recharge me for the rest of the day.

 

When the boys wake up we all hang out at the table for snack time. Finley is hamming it up and I can't help but take a few pictures of my giggly boy. It's so hard to believe that he will be a whole year old next week.

 We are all excited when Camilla comes home. The games of pretend resume with Camilla's big imagination taking charge. When dinner time nears I ask them to start tidying the basement. They each get a dump truck to make it more fun and Camilla divides up the work equally. Everyone eats their dinner all gone and I serve them ice cream to celebrate the occasion. Baths and showers are promptly had and then I tuck the littlest into his crib. Daddy does bedtime with the big kids while I escape for a few minutes of sanity. I finish up some Christmas shopping and arrive home to a quiet house. Mr. Stannix and I spend some time together before bed discussing hopes and dreams and counting out many blessings.

A Pretty Sabbath

 We have been living in a world of fog and frost and it has made everything magical. As we drove to church this morning I couldn't help but gasp and repeat over and over again how pretty everything looked. The trees were all frosted and sparkling in the morning light. Mr. Stannix smirked in the driver's seat as I pointed out the prettiest trees, "Oh! Look at that one!" It was a beautiful drive! 

Before we went in I made everyone pose for a picture just to remember this day. I am so grateful for this beautiful world and all of my blessings. And even though I had to wrestle my three year old all through church, and Mr. Stannix ended up spending two hours in nursery, we still all came out smiling!

"This is a glorious time of the year, simple in origin, deep in meaning, beautiful in tradition and custom, rich in memories, and charitable in spirit. It has an attraction to which our hearts are readily drawn. This joyful season brings to each of us a measure of happiness that corresponds to the degree in which we have turned our mind, feelings, and actions to the spirit of Christmas." 

-Thomas S. Monson

Here Comes Santa Clause...

 We decided to take a trip into the city today to check out the mall and pay a visit to Santa. The first mall we hit up had no Santa. The kids were totally disappointed. So we drove to a different mall...only to find out that the wait time was TWO HOURS! There may have been some tears when we decided not to tough it out. The malls were crowded, lunch was insane, we almost lost three of our four children. I chased Joseph down as he weaved in and out of people in the foodcourt looking for me. Thankfully I saw him just as he ran looking or he may have been lost forever! 

On the way home I remembered that Santa visits the Bass Pro shop too! I called and they said the wait time was only 30 minutes. That seemed more doable. With our luck though, Santa took an early dinner break mid afternoon pushing the wait time another hour or so. We had already driven all that way and didn't want to disappoint the kiddos again, so we braced ourselves for the wait. Joe and Daddy walked around the store checking out all the guy stuff. Camilla and Hyrum walked around and did some crafts and Finley and I held our spot in line. 

After what seemed like forever, we finally got our few seconds of fame with Santa. Seeing Joseph's face light up as he ran down the walk towards the jolly old guy was worth it. Camilla couldn't wait to tell him what she wanted, "I would like a snow tiger for Christmas". He took his time and talked to each one. Finley was a champ for his first time on Santa's knee. Just as we were putting on our coats Camilla looked up at me and asked, "Do you think Santa heard what I wanted? I told him a snow tiger, but when he repeated it back to me it sounded like snow TIRE." Mike and I got a good chuckle. We reassured her, but she still worries she's going to get a tire for Christmas this year. 

And as we drove home we decided we were never doing this again...until next year probably.

Cherished Time

 Cami girl was home from school today and we totally took advantage of it! The children woke up slow (except for Joe who was up before six). I came downstairs to the three of them snuggled up in Camilla's bed to an episode of Scooby-doo. I let them stay in their jammies until late in the morning and enjoy each others company. 

 It snowed over night and Finley is still fascinated with the stuff!

 We watched the kids sled and giggle down the hill in the back yard before nap time.

 We did a craft that I've had tucked away for such a day as this.

 It won me the title of "Best Mommy Ever!" according to Hyrum. Sometimes it's the simplest things.

 I can't help myself sometimes, I love peeking in when they're napping!

 The children are at the stage where shoveling is still fun!

 Joseph loves to help, especially if it's real hard work.

 We baked while Finley napped.

A double batch of ginger cookies to give away to friends. While the older two rolled Camilla refused to take a break to eat a warm cookie. She claimed she was building stamina (something she learned about in school last week). When Hyrum asked what that was I don't think he was prepared for the long speech that followed. It was cute listening to them. I love the way the younger ones learn from the older.

Whenever my girl wears her socks that her great-gramma knit it makes me happy.  Before dinner we danced around the kitchen to this awesome song. The boys took turns in my arms as we spun and dipped and giggled. Sometimes a dance party is the only way to make a tough part of the day better. As soon as they heard the garage door open they ran to hug Daddy. As we exchanged our hello's the boys ran circles around the house. We smiled at each other in the midst of chaos. It might be a noisy home, but it's ours, and we are happy.

Guardian of the Hearth

We woke this morning to a heavy fog. The world outside had magically transformed into a sparkly winter wonderland. After two days of wind and threatening clouds we were surrounded by such beauty. The trees were all dressed in white and sparkled as the sun came up over the rooftops. Joseph sat himself at the breakfast table and rubbed his tired eyes, "It's really soggy out today, Mom" he said, as he looked out the kitchen window. Of course he meant foggy, but that made it all the more adorable. As I watched him sitting there I thought about when I caught him in the backyard a few days ago surfing on a sled in his sock feet and t-shirt and smiled to myself. It's been a warm winter, but not quite that warm!

The children gobbled their pancakes and asked for seconds and then we stepped outside into the white world to walk Camilla to the bus. The sidwalks were ice and the air nipped our cheeks. Hyrum shrunk into his jacket for warmth as we crossed the street to the bus stop. We waved Camilla off and then skated home on the slippery walks. 

The boys spent the morning playing in the cozy livingroom. They used their imaginations and cut paper skis for their little toy men and explored the slippery slopes of the couch and piles of laundry that I needed to fold. 

Just before lunch we slipped out to the store for a few things. The boys stared out the van window wide-eyed at the wonder of Winter and frost. At the checkout the cashier complimented me on how well mannered my boys were. I thanked her and smiled because today was just a good day. On the way home Joseph told me again, "It sure is soggy out today, Mom." I smiled and helped correct him, "You're right. It is pretty foggy isn't it?" He's a pretty good listener and replied, "Yup! It's foggy alright."

The boys scooted their chairs up to the island to help me make some PB&J for lunch. Then they hurried off to Joseph's room because they knew that nap time was next. I came in to find that they had switched clothes. Hyrum pretended to be Joseph and hid his smirk as I played along. "Okay, Joseph, off to bed now." Joe ran out happily to watch Finley while I read a bedtime story to Hyrum (pretending to be Joe). When I finished we layed there in silence until he couldn't contain his laughter anymore. "It's me! Hyrum!" This little prank dipped into nap time, but I didn't mind so much, it was funny. I then read to the real Joseph and tucked him in to bed. Finley followed close behind and then it was just me and Hyrum. He begged me to play catch and drew a few pictures. We had a few pretty awesome wrestling matches with the boys in the late afternoon and some awesome sibling rivalry, but for the most part it was a pretty average day.

Camilla has come home from school this week and told me of a few problems she is having with a girl in her class. Although it is sad to hear, I can't help but feel grateful for the opportunity I have to be at home with the children. Some days are really crazy and I raise my voice too much or forget about the wonder of childhood. Sometimes I'm guilty of tending the time and hurrying things along. By the time dinner rolled around today I was exhausted, physically and emotionally. The demands of motherhood are constant. But among all of the hard stuff there is always something to make it worth while, a little bit of humor or an "I love you" card from Camilla. Sometimes after a particularily exhausting day I hit my pillow at night and wonder if my children actually know how much I really love them. Did I tell them enough? Did I nag them too much? And then I'll roll over and find a little note tucked under my pillow that reads "I love yoe, Mom" and all of that doubt and worry is pushed away. 

"Stay, stay at home, my heart, and rest;
Home-keeping hearts are happiest."
-  Henry W. Longfellow,  1807 - 1882

Joseph's new favorite book is "Guess how much I love you". Often throughout the day he will say, "You know I love you so much?" Which translates to "you know how much I love you?" And I will say, "How much?" and he will tell me that he loves me to the kitchen sink, or to the park, or to the roof. It's cute. Most days I am just really grateful for their forgiving nature as I dig my way through this motherhood gig. I wouldn't be able to do it without them teaching me along the way.

It is now way past my bed time. The snow has finally come and the little flakes are twirling around under the glow of the streetlights. We have just a skiff of snow on the walks and roads, untouched by vehicles or footprints. It sure is pretty. The children are all tucked snug in their beds and I should be too, but all I want to do is snuggle up next to them and whisper in their ears how much I love them. I am looking forward to Camilla's day off school tomorrow. I've missed her a lot this week. We are going to tackle a whole lot of Christmas baking and finish up the Christmas cards. The weather will be perfect for it!

 "You are the guardians of the hearth. You are the bearers of the children. You are they who nurture them and establish within them the habits of their lives. No other work reaches so close to divinity as does the nurturing of the sons and daughters of God." -Gordon B. Hinckley

Twinkling Lights

These days the Christmas tree is the first thing we flock to bright and early in the morning. One of the kids turns on the lights and we all admire it as the sky turns pink and the sun slowly comes up. Finley really enjoys the tree this year! It doesn't have a lot of decorations, and surprisingly he hasn't tried to take too many off. Probably because we don't have any fun glass balls. Most of our ornaments are pretty kid proof. The Christmas season is so much more fun with littles. I love catching the magic through their eyes and seeing their excitement and love for this time of year.