Jolly Jumpin'

Right Here

Most nights I still end up snuggling in the little boy's room until they fall asleep. I squeeze into Joe's bed and nurse Ollie while I rub Joe's back. It doesn't usually take very long for their snoring to interrupt my singing. Tonight as I got up to leave I took a few minutes to admire my sleeping babies. Before scooping Ollie over into his crib I snapped a quick picture. There is no other place I'd rather be in this whole wide world than right here snuggled next to my children at bed time!

In Good Company

This week we got a call from our good friends asking if they could come for a visit! These are the kind of friends who don't even have to ask to come visit. We would take them anytime! We were so excited that they wanted to stop by while they were down this way! 

They stayed for a couple of days and it was so great to catch up with my bestie. The littles had a lot of fun playing outside and in. Finley pushed little Addie around in his little car for most of the morning. It was pretty cute to watch!

Miss Adeline gave me the motivation to finish this bonnet that's been on my hook for a while now. After she modeled it for me I sent it home with her because it was perfect for such a classy little lady. Can't wait to see these guys again!!

Oliver: Five Months

Our little man is five months old! He is such a happy boy and we love his easy going personality. He always wakes up smiling and can brighten any day! I love when he wraps his arms around my neck, tugs my hair and tries to eat my cheeks. His giggle is contagious and he always tries to join in on the laughter around him. 

Most days he is content to play on the floor or in his exersaucer while I get things done and tend to the other children. If he fusses I wrap him on my back and he snuggles in for a snooze. He loves to be carried (especially now that he is teething). He adores it when his siblings play peek-a-boo or jump up and down to make him laugh.

He has become quite the mover! He rolls all over the place now when he's lying down. If he's sitting he kicks his legs and flaps his arms. He has discovered his hands and often holds them in front of his face and babbles away at them. He is grabbing things and putting things in his mouth. He loves to eat and opens his mouth for each spoonful. If we don't feed him fast enough he grabs the spoon and starts shoveling the food in himself. He is in nine month clothing now and keeps growing!!

Sleep has been hit or miss lately. Typically he only wakes once or twice a night but these last few weeks have been rough! He loves to hold a soft blanket while he sleeps or nuzzle his face into a blanket when he's tired. He is slowly learning to fall asleep on his own, but still prefers a cuddle or nursing.

He has bright blue eyes, chunky legs, chubby toes, and kissable cheeks! We adore our little Ollie!

Happy five months big guy!

Puppy Love

The kids sure love having this girl around!! She puts up with a lot from the three littlest boys. We love her spunk and playfulness! We've almost got her potty trained (hooray!) and she fits in well with our crazy crew!

Happiness Is

 Today was our first Tuesday in a long time with no obligations or commitments. I am not one for scheduling a lot of things for the children while they are small. I like our life to be simple with lots of time to just be together. I spent a lot of my time in the kitchen with my little helpers at my feet. They have the whole house to play in, a basement full of toys, but they prefer to be close by and today I wasn't about to complain. While I baked there were children hiding in the pantry smooshing their faces against the glass to make me laugh, a child snuggling the puppy at my feet and the baby squirming on the floor. 

When the first pan of cookies came out of the oven I hardly had time to take a picture of them before they were all gone. While the music played, the toddler danced and the timer counted down until the next pan would be ready I reviewed some reading material with Hyrum at the table. We used flash cards to make funny sentences and laughed together. He has really taken a liking to reading and it makes me so happy to see him learning! Between words he would stuff his warm cookie into his mouth and giggle. It made me wish that I could be a kid again.

After lunch a pair of lemons were sitting on my counter begging to be used. Hyrum mixed together the ingredients for lemon bread while I nursed Ollie to sleep. He was happy to crack all of the eggs and we got to talk a little bit about math. "You've got one egg in there already, and you need four. How many more eggs do you need to crack?" He carefully placed the loaf pans into the oven and I set the timer. I went downstairs and gave the little boys fresh cloth diapers and then Finley crawled up on my lap and let out a sigh of contentment. I snuggled him into my shoulder and brought him up to his bed for naptime. He woke to fresh lemon bread and sunshine.

In the early afternoon the skies cleared and the sun came out. After almost four days of constant snow it was much welcomed! Despite the chilly temperatures Finley came waltzing into the nursery with one snow boot and his diapered bottom begging to go into the yard and play. All of the boys suited up in their snow gear and headed out to enjoy the fresh snow!

As I watched them play the bird house caught my eye. It looked like such a cozy little home with all of the snow on top, and I couldn't help but smile and wish for the same cozy feelings to be present in our own home. The big boys headed off to play on the big snow mountains at the park while Finley and I opted to warm up in front of the fire. He played a game of Tug with Reese before we wandered upstairs for a cup of hot chocolate. Camilla came home just as I was putting the kettle on and opted to stay home and join us for hot chocolate instead of playing with her brothers at the park. She went ahead and changed the music to her favorite songs and gave me a wink while I grabbed her a few cookies from the cookie jar.

The boys came home fighting and then seconds later they were both laughing hysterically over something. Boys are so peculiar sometimes. I opted for roast beef sandwiches for dinner because it was easy and let the children have some extra free time to play since Daddy was heading to young men's early. The boys started talking about how fun it was to play "tackle" with Daddy yesterday and then Joseph begged me to play tackle with them after I finished my sandwich. We all went down to the basement and they cleared a spot to wrestle. It was hardly fair since it was four against one. I was on the floor with Finley kissing me all over my face and the older three tickling me to death! It's been a long time since I've laughed that hard. They thought it was hilarious and I loved every second.

While the boys were bathing a friend stopped by with some delicious pizza buns and cinnamon rolls. It felt so nice to be thought of and helped me feel a little less lonely! It's so nice to know that people care.

After baths and ice cream we finished our evening with family prayers and I tucked them in for the night. I snuggled on Joseph's bed while the little boys fell asleep. Reese cuddled up to my feet as I nursed and before long I had sung them all off to dreamland (including the dog).

And now here I sit with my legs tucked up in my nighty listening to the hum of the dishwasher and the clicking of the keys as I type. I sent our tired Daddy off to bed early after a long day at work and an evening with the youth. I have just finished doing the nightly rounds where I pull the covers back up to the children's chins and give them one last kiss. They have all been asleep for a couple of hours now and are hopefully dreaming good dreams. 

In a few minutes I will be tucking into bed with extra gratitude in my heart. When Mr. Stannix came home he apologized for the hard day that I must have had (with him being so busy and no one else here to help with the children). Usually, days like this are difficult, but today I was able to give a half smile and pull out my camera to show him all of the joy that I tried to capture today with my lens. Life can be hard, but there is always good to find, sometimes it just takes a little extra effort.

Holding On

Today the road report was red all the way into the city, so Mr. Stannix decided to work from home! We all love having Daddy around. He drove his girl to school this morning and took her out for lunch in the afternoon. When he finished his work he helped Hyrum build his log cabin from Christmas and I got lots of extra hugs and smooches throughout the day. It felt good to have most of my family home under one roof on a Monday! The snow hasn't let up much and Mike shoveled twice today! 

I played the piano for a little while after Camilla left for school. Oliver cooed in his seat next to my bench while Finley and Reese fought over a pair of socks behind me. Soon Fin climbed up on the bench where the puppy couldn't reach him and sat so still while my fingers danced across the ivory keys. It felt good to play again, to release emotion into my music, to feel something.

This afternoon Oliver fell asleep in my arms and all I wanted to do was hold him and stare like I used to when he was a newborn. He will be five months old pretty soon and I can't help but wish time would slow down. I admired his long lashes, his button nose, his chubby cheeks and pink lips. While we rocked the snow continued to fall outside. I soaked up the moment as best I could before placing him gently in his crib and quietly closing his door.

The Necessity of Trials

 The children have been working really hard to fill the jar full of chocolate hearts and acts of kindness. The other day I asked Joseph to take out the recycling (since it's on his chore chart) and he very politely replied, "Thanks, but no thanks Mom". As I sat in the mothers lounge today at church I got thinking about that little moment and when Heavenly Father gives us trials I sometimes feel like saying, "Thanks Heavenly Father, but no thanks." 

I know that trials are a necessary part of life and without them there would be no growth. I am grateful for the opportunities that I've had to be stretched and pushed throughout my life. I know that Heavenly Father doesn't give us anything we can't handle with a little bit of faith, perspective, and perseverance.

After learning of the recent passing of a mother of four that we are acquainted with I couldn't help but feel like all of my trials are so insignificant in comparison to what this family is going through right now.  It has caused me to reflect a lot on how precious time is and how I can make every moment count. It has given me a deeper desire to hold my children close and cherish each day with them.

Whenever my children complain about something I've asked them to do that is difficult, I encourage them by saying, "You can do hard things!" I'd like to think that when we are passing through trials of our own, Heavenly Father is close by, cheering us on, and whispering in our ears, "You can do hard things!" How grateful I am for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the knowledge and strength that it gives me to press forward each day with optimism and hope!

First Food

Daddy fed Oliver his first taste of rice cereal tonight! He gobbled it up and made the funniest faces. He mostly liked it, though his facial expressions might say differently. It was quite funny to watch and left the children giggling at the dinner table. Daddy was happy to feed him! 

Love at Home

 We woke this morning to a thin blanket of fresh snow. After breakfast we grabbed two big blankets and huddled around the heat vent as we did our morning scripture study. The children's feet were quickly warmed by the hot air from the furnace and they happily sat and listened to me read. After a rough night with a sick babe it was a welcomed moment of peace and contentment. No body wanted to move for morning prayers, so we said them right there with our toes still touching the vent (very reverently of course). Then it was a giant group hug before we sent Camilla off to school. 

As the snow gently swirled to the ground outside, I baked a few loaves of lemon bread, started some bread dough, and put together a few freezer meals. I have decided that Winter is for baking (but anybody who knows me knows that I bake no matter the season, it's my happy place). The children love to climb up on the counter top or nearest chair and help! If you were to ask Mr. Stannix he would tell you how much I love to make a mess in the kitchen. And if you were to see the stacks of pots, pans, mixing bowls, and baking dishes on my counter at this moment, you would believe him.

After I got the little boys to sleep yesterday the older three helped me welcome February with our traditional heart sugar cookies! Camilla had the day off school randomly and I enjoyed having her home! The cooler weather brought snow and there is something magical about baking with flakes of snow swirling around outside your window. The warm oven made our home feel cozy and the children's smiles lit up the room. I enjoyed watching them laugh and giggle together at the little round table while they iced and sprinkled the cookies. I couldn't help but hope these memories will stick with them forever. I hope that they remember me baking with them in the kitchen (and not yelling at them to clean their rooms).

On Monday night in FHE we introduced our traditional jar of love. In the past we used buttons to fill up the jar. Each time I caught the kids doing an act of kindness or something that contributes positively to the feeling in our home I would let them add a button. But if I caught them doing something that wasn't very nice I would take a button out. Once it was full we would go for ice cream (or something like that). I debated giving them their own jars to fill this time, but then changed my mind because we all contribute to the feeling in our home, and it's fun to see the progress we are making together. This year we are filling it with heart shaped chocolates and when it gets to the top they get to eat it.  They all take this jar quite seriously and it brings a miraculous transformation to the feeling in our home. I know they are just kids, and I always allow room to say "I am sorry" if they want the button or chocolate put back. We learn a lot about the way we should treat others as we think about ways we can serve our family members. I love hearing that someone's bed was anonymously made or a chore was done without having to be asked. The feeling in our home is significantly more pleasant as everyone contributes positively and brings their best attitudes. I love the little moments where our home feels like a little piece of heaven here on earth.

"May our families and homes be filled with love: love of each other, love of the gospel, love of our fellowman, and love of our Savior. As a result, heaven will be a little closer here on earth."

-Thomas S. Monson

 "Love at Home"