New Office Space

Today the boys made some more money reffing, I relaxed between pick up and drop offs, and we managed to move some more stuff into the new office space we recently purchased! I am excited to show everyone what it looks like inside after we get things moved in!

 

Naptime

The only time this boy is still during the day is nap time. And I find myself stuck in his room staring at his sweet face, admiring his pink lips and button nose and long lashes. We sure do love our Cooper trooper!

 

A New Roommate

Today I moved Coopers toddler bed downstairs. Sawyer now has a new roommate! I'm not hopeful this will work out as he still wakes two or three times a night for no good reason, but he can officially climb (and fall) out of his crib now, so it was time. He's pretty good at falling asleep, but I did have to sit on the end of his bed for a bit. Crossing my fingers he doesn't wake and wander too much tonight. 

 

Welcome November

November has blown in with gusting North winds. The last of the leaves have twirled from the trees and fallen to the ground. The brisk, cool air nips at our cheeks and noses. Mornings start with a warm fire and evenings are filled with hot chocolate and tea. We are slowly getting into our back to school routine again and mornings aren't feeling as rushed. Cooper plays trains at my feet while I mix and roll cookies. The oven has warmed the house and the smell of gingersnaps lingers in the air. Welcome November, we're so glad you're here!

 

Sunday Snoozin'

Todays "Sunday Snoozin'" photo is brought to you by Joseph.

There isn't a Sunday that goes by where this guy doesn't nap!

Murder Mystery

 Today was a busy day in the Stannix home.  It began bright and early with a 7:30am drop off at the rink so the boys could reff a game. I juggled kids, picked up McDonalds, and helped Mike get ready for the Murder Mystery dinner at the church tonight. The afternoon flew by and before I knew it everyone was heading out the door one by one for the activity. The gym looked INCREDIBLE all decorated up with candles and name tags.

It was tricky to seat people and make sure tables were full and after being shuffled here and there trying to make things work it ended up being just Mike & I at a table in the far back of the gym. Mostly, it ended up being just me though because Mike was busy juggling the youths questions and eventually got sucked into the kitchen to wash all of the dishes that were piling up. A couple of people at nearby tables offered me to just pull up a chair, but it was fine. I thought I should stay to keep Mike company in case he ever returned. The sweet youth brought out plated dishes for the five course meal throughout the evening and I enjoyed photographing and eating all of them. They did such an awesome job!

After the second or third course I started feeling lonely and sorry for myself as I looked around at all of the full tables. It was so great to see people enjoying themselves though! I pasted on my best smile and enjoyed chatting with the youth who would come by. 

Eventually Mike came to find me because he was having a hard time keeping up with all of the dishes! Seventy plates and soup bowls and all of the cutlery was becoming a little much for one man. His fingers were wrinkly and he needed an extra hand! I filled one of the sinks for the initial rinse, made the middle sink bubbles, and the final sink a rinse sink for the freshly washed dishes. Doing that helped speed the process up and then I could dry and put away and help clear space on the counter tops. We worked away in the kitchen while listening to the youth interact and laugh with each other as they plated each course in the next room over. 

And I managed to sneak out to enjoy a little bit of the main course!

We went to the gym for the final reveal and had the youth line up for an applause. They did amazing dishing up and serving all of the adults in the ward! It was fun being in the kitchen and listening to them work together and enjoy one another. When the night was over, they all sat down to some slightly cold dinner and visited over the events of the evening. When they had all finally eaten, they took over the rest of the cleanup with four youth on dish duty and the rest vacuuming and wiping and putting away. Everyone did a great job! Not many will know the crazy amount of work that Bishop did behind the scenes to make this activity run smoothly from setup to technology to printing/cutting/folding clues and name tags etc. He is also amazing!

Trick or Treat

This morning we woke to the most beautiful sunrise. The sky looked like it was on fire. The children enjoyed it just as much as I did and someone snapped this picture for me!

Lily spent most of the day engaged in free play. She let her imagination go wild! 

 

I had to chuckle when she came running out with her goggles, elsa dress, and unicorn.

The Sr. Girls have a volleyball tournament this weekend and we were able to catch a game or two this afternoon! Loved watching them play! The rallies are so fun!

Cooper helped me unload the dishwasher and prepare an early dinner. The little ones were eager to go trick or treating!

We left the house around 5:00PM and hit up the acreages in our subdivision. Olivers pillow case was basically full of pop and giant candy bars before we even dropped him off to trick or treat with his friend around town. Luckily, he came prepared with a second pillow case!

We hit up a bunch of people we know and love in town and enjoyed a quick porch visit.

As the little ones sorted through their candy, I went outside to check on the treat bag situation. We only had three little trick or treaters this year! Later on I snapped a quick picture of the pumpkins before blowing out the candles and bringing everything inside. Until next year!

 

First NHL Game

 Today Mr. Stannix picked Hyrum up a little bit early from school and they headed into the city for an Oilers game. He was offered a pair of season tickets yesterday (because this individual was flying to the Jays game today) and decided on a whim to accept. It was the perfect opportunity to spend some one on one time with his oldest boy and make memories together. 

Hyrum got to pick out a new team jersey since the one he got for Christmas a few years back now fits Fin. He was super excited!

While our team didn’t end up winning at the end of the night, it was still a great game and they enjoyed their time together! 

Piggy Back Rides

It was back to school as usual today! The strike is officially over. Cooper missed his older siblings terribly and begged Fin to piggy back him all over the house when he got home from school. I love the relationship these two have!

Pumpkin Carving

The happy chaos of pumpkin carving! We were lucky enough to have a night where everyone was free this week! The big kids were kind enough to humor me and help out the littles where they could. Camilla kindly picked up the pumpkins for me when she was out and about driving. It was fun to keep the tradition alive!