Camilla's Baptism

Today was a day that Camilla has been looking forward to for a long time. Last year we attended all of her friend's baptisms and now it was her turn. We had friends stay the night and family arrive in the morning for the big day. 

A couple of months ago we picked up a set of scriptures and had her name engraved on the front. She was tickled when she opened them this morning!

Clara gifted her a matching dress for her birthday and they loved wearing them all morning. We all pretended we couldn't tell them apart and it made them laugh. 

After lunch we made our way over to the church for the main event. Auntie Naomi was kind enough to snap a few pictures for me.

I still can't believe that I have an eight year old. She is wise for her age and I am so proud of her for following the example of Jesus Christ.

Coordinating all five kids proved difficult. Finley ran circles around us and only paused for short bursts of time. We managed to get a few decent ones. These cute kids are all ours. I feel so blessed.

This girl has set the way for the rest of her siblings. I am so grateful for her example and the care that she takes with each of her brothers.

I was already holding back tears before we even made our way into the chapel. So much joy for this little girl of ours!

Camilla had asked Great-Gramma to speak on baptism and she almost wasn't able to make it. Grampa wasn't feeling well so I prepared to give her talk for her. A little while later she called to let us know she would be catching a ride with my cousin Jenny. Our girl was so glad she could make it!

Daddy was super proud to be baptizing his girl!

Grampa confirmed her a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and gave her the gift of the Holy Ghost. 

We had sweet second cousins their to share in the moment as well! After she was baptized we made our way back to the chapel and Camilla played "I am a Child of God" on her violin without a single mistake. She was so brave and it was so neat to see her play in front of a crowd.  

Auntie Emma spoke on Baptism and Auntie Naomi helped out with music. Camilla is so lucky to have such great women in her life to look up to!

Great Gramma did such a wonderful job on her talk! She was a little bit nervous given her failing eye sight. She memorized her talk and delivered it with much grace and elegance. She began by telling Camilla how Grampa was among the very first group to get baptized in Edmonton in the very first chapel (white avenue). And Gramma was among the very first group to get baptized in Manitoba. She talked about how little she new when she was baptized at twenty and how blessed Camilla is to grow up in a home where the Gospel is taught. She spoke on the baptismal covenants and the things Heavenly Father promises us in return. She ended her talk with these three little bears and talked about the three things that we "bear" after baptism. "Bear" one anothers burden. "Bear" the name of Jesus Christ. "Bear" witness. 

After Camilla was baptized Auntie Emma gave a great talk on the gift of the holy ghost and how important it will be in Camilla's life as she makes decisions and strives to follow Jesus. She shared some cute stories and poems and Camilla smiled through the whole thing! 

We finished off the day with a later dinner at the Roadhouse. Wings for all! We enjoyed our time with family and enjoyed celebrating this girls special baptism day.

Spontaneous Camping

 Yesterday some good friends called us to tell us they were camping nearby and invite us to join them for a night! We packed our overnight bag, five kids, the tent, sleeping bags, and the dog in twenty minutes and hit the road! The littles ate a snickers bar on the way (great dinner, I know) and talked non-stop. They were so excited to go!

 Half-way there, Ollie started fussing and when I went to make him a bottle I realized that in all of the commotion, I forgot the diaper bag at home! All of the bottles, formula, baby food, and dog food were in that very important bag. I couldn't believe I'd forgotten it! When we finally pulled into town we made a quick stop at Wal-mart for the things we forgot. Mike waited in the car while I quickly ran inside. I got back to the van with everything except the bottles (probably the most important thing!!!) I've been losing my mind this week. Mr. Stannix being the great husband that he is, volunteered to run in and grab the bottles for me. We finally pulled into our site an hour after bed time.

 The boys played in the dirt while we set up camp. Hyrum tried climbing a tree and got a bunch of prickles stuck to his only shirt. Before long they were running around camp without shoes and their bare feet were black with dirt. They were all having so much fun though! 

 Once the kids were fed, we started a fire! It was a highlight!

 Pop was had and enjoyed by all.

 And our sweet little pup was glad to be with us!

 Once the kids were asleep the adults sat around the fire and visited until well after midnight. It's always fun to catch up with good friends! 

We crawled into the tent next to these cute boys and went to sleep. The kids all slept great, but I did not. I was busy keeping Ollie asleep and quiet most of the night, and when he was asleep I was worrying about how I would calm him when he would wake again. Most of our crew was awake shortly after 6:00am. We all took a trip to the bathroom and then snuggled back into our sleeping bags for a few more minutes. Finley slept until 8:00am! Perhaps we should sleep in a tent every night.

His World

This afternoon as I swayed in the hammock I watched this boy play with his car. He stood, he sat, he crawled around, he pushed, he pulled. He was in his own little world and loving life! He is growing up so much!

A Little White Dress

 Camilla is getting baptized on Saturday and we are all pretty excited about it! Jesus set the perfect example for us when he was baptized, and Camilla has been looking forward to her baptism for a long time! I've been looking for a white dress for a few months now, but when she found my dress in the back of her closet she insisted on wearing it instead. This week we got it all cleaned up so that we could go to the temple today and take some pictures. I can't believe that I have a little eight year old already! She's grown into such a beautiful little lady, inside and out! 

Eight

The girl who made me a mother is eight today. EIGHT! Although we've been preparing for this special birthday for a while now, it still snuck up on us. As I reflected on the day she joined our family eight years ago, I couldn't help but be filled with joy and love for this little girl. 

She's always been a firecracker, and very independent. She hated being swaddled as a baby and loved the freedom to stretch and move around as she slept. She wasn't a huge snuggler either, she liked her space. 

She's always had a love for life and a great sense of humor. She was a pretty happy, easy-going baby and was super easy to love! It's been a joy to watch her learn and grow over the years.

She is a bubbly girl with a big heart. She loves to be a good sister and friend to all she meets. She's responsible and wise for her age and does a lot of things that are way beyond her years. She is a fabulous big sister and a joy to be around. She is thoughtful and kind, always trying to put other's needs above her own. Often, she recognizes and fills a need before anybody can say anything. She has grown into a wonderful young lady and we are super proud of her! Happy eighth birthday Cami girl!

Birthday Fun

Today was our last full day at the Acreage. After snuggles with Reese on the couch and a yummy breakfast we made our way out to the garden to pick the strawberries. Mom and I picked the whole patch and ended up with a nice sized bucket full.

I brought my side-kick along since he had just woken from his nap. He tried to eat some strawberries but ended up throwing them on the ground instead.

We didn't pick on Sunday so there were a lot of juicy berries that were ready to be picked!

Once we finished we went into the greenhouse to help finish watering. The bees were buzzing up a storm flying from flower to flower. 

It's no wonder everything grows so well in there!

Dad's tomatoe plants are almost as tall as me and have nice, round tomatoes on them. It takes Dad 45 minutes to water the greenhouse each morning. He's done a lot of research and has quite the green thumb.

Just this morning we got a basket full of cucumbers for pickling, a whole bucket of strawberries, saskatoons, and rhubarb. 

Absolutely scrumptious!

Camilla really wanted to celebrate her birthday with Gramma and Grampa before we went home. She requested another trip to the lake. It was overcast and rainy, but we managed to get out between thunderstorms and let the kids go for a little swim.

The weather was perfect. 

This boy sat on my lap for a little while before taking off toward the water. 

They were loving their new squirt guns!

When it was time to go I rinsed our boy off in the lake and put him in a fresh diaper. 

We got home before the rain began and enjoyed a BBQ.

And presents...

And cake...

 

The girl was pretty excited about the sparkler on her cake! She is such a wonderful little girl with such a sweet heart (more about that tomorrow). After they had their fill of cake, we cleaned up, packed the car, and took off for home. Some of the kids were desperate for their own beds