Sunday Snapshot

Today was a crazy day! The kids were up early (of course), breakfast was eaten so early that we pretty much had to have second breakfast just before we left to keep hungry tummies happy. I have two very rambunctious boys who refuse to hang out in the primary room while I set up and instead run around the halls before church. Ollie is quite the handful these days and sacrament meeting is almost impossible to make it through. While we had a few awesome moments during sacrament where 4 out of 5 kids were sitting so quiet that angels were practically singing, we also had an episode of world war three on our crowded bench when someone refused to move over and give someone else their spot and someone stole a goldfish from a very determined toddler. Camilla rocked a musical number on her violin in front of the entire congregation. I was so proud of her! We got back to our bench only to be welcomed by a spitting war between Fin and Joe while Daddy was in the foyer with Ollie. Daddy came back for a split second to tell me he had drive someone home, and plopped a busy toddler on my lap while I strong-armed a certain boy to a new spot so his sister could have her old spot back. Then we were off to primary with a ton of new changes and new teachers and new things to take care of. The children were all very high energy, and teaching was trickier than usual. Then Daddy helped me wrestle everyone into the van and I came home solo while he stayed for a meeting.

When I got home, I felt a lot like throwing a bowl over my head like Ollie here...Sundays are crazy in the Stannix home! Thankfully the little guys went for naps. Joe fell asleep balanced on the arm of the couch, and the older two found a good movie. Fin snuggled in next to me and quickly fell asleep. Napping next to him was probably the highlight of my day. When he woke up he told me how warm I was and how he slept so good, and how much he loved me. His little voice right now is so adorable and I love the way he pronounces things. I wish I could just bottle him up the way he is right now and hold onto him forever.

Daddy was my hero and made up a batch of Grampy's tacos for dinner even though he had a rough day as well. We were all pretty cranky as we ate dinner unfortunately. We had a quick family home evening since Daddy will be working late tomorrow, and then he had to run off to another church meeting. I tucked the kids into bed and cleaned the kitchen. It will be super satisfying to wake up on a Monday morning to clean counter tops and an empty sink. Happy Sabbath!

Fortifying Families

We weren't able to do our annual Easter picture last week because we cozied up at home to watch General Conference. So this week, despite the fresh blanket of snow, we braved the cold and gathered on the front porch for a quick picture. I set my camera on top of a ladder, and we kind of lucked out. My heart swells with joy as I look at this picture of siblings cuddling close and holding hands and loving each other. This is not how every day looks in the Stannix home, but at least I know that deep down they really love each other!

Today I had the opportunity to speak in another ward about how we can teach our families to live the gospel well. As a mamma, teaching my children is something that I am very passionate about. Instilling a love of the gospel in my children has been accomplished by one family scripture study, one family prayer, one family home evening, and one bedtime story at a time. I know that as we consistently do these things, the gospel will catch fire in the hearts of our children and our families will be strengthened. I am so grateful for these littles that aren't so little anymore, and the things they teach me each day!

"As we teach our children the gospel through word and example, our families are spiritually strengthened and fortified." ~Robert D. Hales

Welcome April

This year is flying by so fast! We are already here in April and wishing hard for the snow to go away. We just got so much of it this year that it is taking a long time to melt! I am craving warm, sunny days, and afternoons at the park. The kids have been begging to get their bikes out, and have even attempted roller blading in the driveway with toques under their helmets and scarves wrapped around their necks.

I hung my Spring wreath to welcome April in hopes that the weather might take a hint and warm up! 

Despite the snow and the cold, the kids asked to stop at a favorite park on the way home from errands this morning. They walked through knee deep snow to climb and play on the monkey bars and didn't want to leave even though they were half froze.

Ollie scooted slowly down this slide and then we hung out in the van for a few minutes while the big kids finished up!

 The kids are on Spring Break this week and it's so nice having them all home (and not having to pack lunches). I am already loving the slow mornings and extra time in Pj's. We are all hoping for warmer days ahead this month. But for now, we will try and enjoy this very snowy April weather.

Egg Champ

 The kids look forward to champing eggs every year. It's something that we did in my family growing up. While we have no rhyme or reason to the order that we smash eggs together, it's always fun to see the cheering that goes on! Camilla was our champ last year, and was hopeful that she would win again. Ollie really enjoyed his first time smashing eggs and wanted to keep doing it over and over again. Joe and Daddy had the final two eggs and while we were all rooting for Joe, Quatro ended up the only egg un-smashed. We then peeled and washed them and turned them into delicious egg salad! Yum!

Dyeing Eggs

 Today we spent the day watching General Conference. It began with a solemn assembly to sustain our new prophet, President Russell M. Nelson. It was such a neat experience as I hardly remember the one that took place for President Monson. I am so grateful for continued revelation and the joy and peace the gospel brings. There were so many amazing talks and quotes that touched my heart today! 

With conference taking place, and family far away, Easter feels a little bit weird this year. Last night we did our traditional egg decorating after dinner. It's so fun to watch the kids creativity grow each year.  I love the way that they look forward to traditions!

This year, Camilla thought it would be fun to use elastics on her egg so that it would have cool patterns after it came out of the cup of food coloring. The boys all followed suit and we had some pretty cool looking eggs!

Finley dyed every single on of his eggs purple. It's his favorite color right now for some reason. So funny!

Ollie colored his egg blue, and then promptly smashed it and ate it. 

Joe made sure to take his time and was very careful with his color choices...

Daddy did Uno, Dos, Tres, and Quatro from the movie we had seen at the theater and the kids thought it was hilarious. 

The Easter Bunny hid them very well and the kids had fun finding them this morning!! We enjoyed traditional egg salad sandwiches for lunch, and another session of General Conference this afternoon while the children quietly played and built lego.

Ferdinand

Today we took advantage of $3.00 movie tickets (a Spring break deal) and brought the whole family to the movies! Mr. Stannix loves the theater and was so excited to bring all of the kids to experience a movie on the big screen. Only the older two had ever been, so Joe and Fin were pretty excited to watch a movie at the theater for their first time. As we loaded them up, Mr. Stannix worried we wouldn't have enough time to find good seats by the time we made it into the city. A plan was put into place for me to take half of the kids and rush into the theater and grab seats while Mr. Stannix took the other half of the kids to the concession to grab popcorn and drinks. 

When we arrived Mr. Stannix had barely turned off the ignition before he hopped out of the van and peeled open the doors. I felt like we were in the middle of a military drill as we hurried the children from their seats and shuffled them into the theater. I was the last to join the group as I fiddled with Ollie's belt, slung the diaper bag over my shoulder, made sure to lock the doors, and hurried across the parking lot. Joe, taking up the tail end of the big kids group, tripped a few times on the sidewalk. I caught up to him in time to help him up and hold his hand the rest of the way in. We turned the corner to enter the theater only to find that the doors were LOCKED! We had arrived so early, in fact, that the theater wasn't even open yet. I laughed out loud (and hard) as we lined up outside with very few other families who had arrived as early as us. Yes, Mr. Stannix loves his movies!

The little guys were so excited when the credits began! The look of amazement on Joe's face as he looked down the row at us was priceless. Unfortunately, Ollie only lasted through the credits before he started whining for drinks of Daddy's pop and pretty much took over the bag of popcorn. He and I quietly exited the theater and grabbed the stroller from the van. We wandered around the mall for the next little while, and he even got a nap in! Mr. Stannix was super dad and did amazing with four littles. They were so tired after that they slept all the way home!

Playful Pup

This morning I looked out the window to discover big, fluffy flakes falling from the sky. This Winter has felt so long already and I am so over all of this crazy snow! Watching our wookie pup play in the white fluff helped me see a tiny bit of joy in it. While my boys beg me every day to get their bikes out of storage, at least someone in our family is still enjoying Winter.  

Easter Cupcakes

Before the kids left for school today they shared a brilliant idea for Easter cupcakes. "You could put mini eggs on the top and they would be like bird's nests!" So, this afternoon I mustered up all of my energy and whipped up a batch of my very favorite, fluffy, moist vanilla cupcakes. I piped some vanilla icing on the top and added some mini eggs. The kids were super excited when they walked in the door and smelled the aroma of fresh baked cupcakes. I may have eaten three...

Mr. Sun

Today was practically T-shirt weather. We are crossing our fingers for Spring! It was so nice to play with Mr. Sun this afternoon on the back deck.

The Bunny Banner

This week we got out the Easter banners and hung them in the kitchen. Time is just flying by and I can hardly keep up with things these days. 

Oliver is at such a super fun age! Some days I can feel the terrible two's around the  corner, and other days I just want to squeeze and hug him all day long. He is such a nut lately and we love his scrunchy nosed grins and funny faces. He is giggly and crazy and busy and all over the place.

Nap time is always a very welcomed rest for this tired mamma. We both use the time to recharge for the after school rush. I love staring at his lashes and admiring his chubby pink cheeks. It's a good thing he's cute!