Sleep Tight

Last night after Mr. Stannix and I watched an episode of Smallville, I took Hyrum upstairs to put him in his crib for bed. I tucked him into his blankets and kissed him goodnight. Next, I peeked over at Camilla's bed. I like to make sure she's covered up before we go to bed and kiss her goodnight. When I looked over at her bed, the streetlights outlined a lump hanging off the edge.... With further investigation, I discovered it was Camilla!!

I giggled out loud and, of course, ran for the camera!! When Mr. Stannix came upstairs, all he saw was the camera flash going off and he asked what I was doing. With a bit of the giggles still left, I called him into the room to share the funny moment. We both laughed, A LOT! After a few shots, Mr. Stannix swept his little girl up into his arms and set her back on her bed, the proper way. She opened her eyes for a second and appeared to be scooting herself over the edge again (must have been comfy?). Mr. Stannix laughed some more, and then shifted her back up to her pillow for the night. I have no idea how anyone can fall asleep like that!! It's like she wanted to get out of bed real bad, but knew her feet weren't supposed to touch the floor or something. What a funny kid, she cracks me up!

Hyrum on the other hand, slept like a baby for the first bit of the night until he got too stuffed up to sleep in his crib. He was wide awake at 5:00am again, but I squeezed another hour of sleep in while snuggling him on the couch. I hope he gets over this cold/congestion soon.

Today, I am loving being a Mommy. It's been a very happy-emotional day so far. My eyes have burned with happy tears a few times already. This morning when Mr. Stannix was about to go out the door Camilla said (in her pouty little girl voice) "Need....A kiiiisssssssss". Mr. Stannix stepped back in the house and went and gave his little girl a kiss. She's so stinkin' cute sometimes. After she got dressed, I noticed her face was covered with crusted on boogers and needed a good wash. We went to the bathroom and got a nice warm washcloth. I bent down to eye level with Camilla and gently wiped her face. She patiently stood there while I washed. When I finished, I looked her in the eyes and asked for a smooch. She tilted her head sideways and leaned in so I could kiss her on the cheek. After, she looked up at me and said "I love you". There is nothing better than hearing those three words spontaneously come from the mouth of your child. I looked her back in the eye and then squeezed her in a tight hug and said "I love you!....SO much!"  She then repeated "SO much" over and over and hugged me back! What a lucky Mum I am! After, she ran from the bathroom to her baby brother and gave him the sweetest, most gentle kisses and then turned to me and said "I love baby".  She says that to me a lot throughout the day or before bed. It's almost like she's saying "Thank-you for the baby brother Mum, I love him so much". I just love my job! The sky is blue and the sun is shining!! I'm looking forward to a fun day today. My dad is coming up for a bit this morning and then we have friends visiting this afternoon with their kiddos.

It's Popsicle Time!

I had another 5:00am start to my day today! The best part of my morning was at 7:00am when Mr. Stannix said I looked beautiful today. I hadn't even brushed my hair yet... When you wake up that early, you run out of things to do really fast! We went to the park again for over an hour, and Camilla enjoyed herself a lot! There were other kids there today and she liked to wave at them and follow them around. She chased this poor little girl around the play gym because she wanted a hug... The weather was great and it was fun to get outdoors. When we got home, we went out on the back deck and enjoyed the Popsicle Uncle Andy got for her. It was her very first and very own. She had a hard time with the short stick though.

I am looking SO forward to enjoying many more Popsicles on the deck this summer! Since Hyrum was napping, we stayed outside for a little while and played with the balls and sat in the grass. Camilla LOVES it outside and I'm sure would spend her whole day out there if she could. 

After all the fun outside, it was nap time and I was very excited! The kiddos let me sleep for almost 2 hours and it was much needed. I could hardly open my eyes after the nap though and could have probably fell back to sleep for another 10! Poor Hyrum is all stuffed up and has a bit of a cough. He doesn't sleep so well at night, and neither do I. I'm hoping tonight will be a little bit better! At least Camilla still sleeps through the night. Anyways, should get to making some dinner.  Yesterday's dinner making was a fiasco. It was started really late and Camilla was hungry and I was hungry... She wouldn't stay out of the kitchen and was doing everything in her power to be a little rebel attention getter. I paused to chat at her for a few seconds and my meatball sauce boiled over. (Gas stoves are no fun to clean). The meatballs seemed to be taking FOREVER. I finally realized that at some point Camilla had turned the oven to broil and they really weren't cooking at all because the broiler is underneath. Starving mommy and crying kids don't get along so well... Poor Mr. Stannix had a headache and wasn't feeling well either. Dinner didn't make it to the table until after 8:00pm. We pretty much sat on the couch zoned out while Camilla went nutts on the place. Here's hoping for a better dinner 'experience' tonight!

Weighed and Measured

This morning I took off for a walk with the kids nice and early. As per every Thursday morning we were headed to Sing Sign at the Library. Just next door is the health clinic and I had to take Hyrum there this week anyways to get him weighed and measured. It was beautiful outside, but with the wind you wouldn't know it was 17 degrees. As I sat in the health clinic chatting with the nurse I could feel my face burning up from the walk. I think I even broke a bit of a sweat, and it felt good!! It felt great to be out and active again! I am loving this warm weather.  Mr. Hyrum David now weighs 8lbs 6oz at 13 days old. He's doing good, minus some congestion that the nurse said was normal post birth mucous...I think I maybe got an hour of sleep last night as we had a sad, coughing/choking little boy all night who then decided 5:00am was a good time to wake up. After the nurse was done with us, we walked the short few steps next door to the library for Sing Sign. Camilla had fun, but was 'testier' than usual. She knew that because Hyrum was strapped to me that it was hard for me to grab her. The "do you want to go home?" threat was definitely used a few times today. All in all, she did really well though. Hyrum slept the whole morning and Camilla zonked out in the stroller on the way home. Normally, this would make me happy, but I was REALLY looking forward to my afternoon nap today. My empty stomach was the only thing keeping me from crashing on the couch after I lugged Camilla up to her bedroom (oh, and writing this post). 

Home from the Library

I'm guessing this afternoon there's going to be some more of this going on if Camilla has anything to say.

She had so much fun with this pail of water yesterday, for hours, on the deck. She got soaking wet, but it was worth it for all her smiles and giggles. It made me feel really happy/emotional watching her play on the deck yesterday for some reason. Maybe it was her sweet little blond pigtails blowing gently in the wind, or her sly little grin she would give before sticking her bare feet in the pail, or the sunshine dancing on her hair. I just fell in love with my little girl all over again.

Having two is too much fun! Hyrum is more awake and alert at times during the day now which makes it fun to play. Camilla adores him and loves when he flings his arms around and touches her face/hand/nose etc. It makes her giggle. Anyways, I'm off for some lunch. My poor little man has the hiccups and a bad case of the sneezes at the moment, it doesn't sound too pretty...

Fresh Air

This morning the kiddos and I ventured off to the park. It's amazing how much you can accomplish in a day when you have to wake up at 6:30am. Camilla was thrilled when I mentioned the park at breakfast and exclaimed "Park! YEAHHHHHHHHHH!". She was giddy the whole walk there. Notice the green green grass!? Hooray for Summer and sunshine!!

I couldn't find the baby sling this morning (never have much luck with it anyway) and didn't want to put Hyrum in the baby carrier because it's huge. After some Google searching I found a cool video for a bed sheet baby carrier. It worked great, and it was cheap!

It kept my little guy snuggled in close to me and hands free to help miss Camilla (not that she needs it).

We had oh so much fun together! Camilla climbed up and slid back down probably 100 times. The slide was super fast today it seemed (maybe it was the wind at her back) and she had a blast! We walked all over the park and enjoyed the sunshine and wind. Camilla chatted non-stop and I enjoyed giggling with her. All in all, a fabulous morning out! We are now off for our morning snack! Mommy is also looking forward to nap time this afternoon...

Chocolate for Breakfast

You know your in for a long day when you see this in your kitchen at 7:00 AM.  

The kiddo found it's hiding place in the pantry this morning approximately 5 minutes after she woke up and busted through the plastic window to get her little hands on this beast of a chocolate cat. Luckily, I wasn't too far away and we managed to only eat the ear and left eye before I was able to take it away!! She's been munching on small pieces on and off all day....

Also, a few shots of the kiddo's together from yesterday.

Hanging out on Hyrum's blanket...

Camilla stretching to show me how tall she is...

The Joys of Mommyhood

After last week, I was feeling a little worn out and tired. It's hard getting used to being up so much at night again. After my "Day of Rest" yesterday, I'm feeling better and ready to tackle my week!! We are enjoying our baby boy, who is now a whole week old. He really is a good sleeper, but for some reason I still feel like I'm up all hours of the night (I blame it on the countless diaper changes). He sleeps for 3 to 4 hours at a time during the night, but when I'm up, I'm up for a good hour or so after the nursing and diaper changes...yes changes. Typically, when I pull him out of his crib, he's soaking wet. I take him downstairs and get him out of his wet clothes and diaper, then I nurse him, during which he fills his diaper to the brim with poop. We run and get changed again, and then I nurse him again to get him back to sleep, which sometimes doesn't work and then I have to bounce/rock him to sleep before laying him in his crib. It's quite the process!! I have come to the conclusion that little boys wet/dirty their diapers 10x more than little girls. Little boys also take way longer to change and the whole time your just watching and anticipating getting peed on. My little guy also has the funniest/loudest burps ever with no spit up! He is also the biggest grunter ever. Sometimes when I put him in his crib, he will just grunt uncomfortably for 10-15 minutes until he finally decides to go to sleep. He is also kind of an oinker. I tried feeding him in bed this morning and he woke Daddy up with all his snorting.  Although there are many differences between Hyrum and Camilla, one thing that remains the same is that they are both very cuddly. It is those little moments of snuggling that help me get through those sleepy nights. I love snuggling him up on my chest and listening to his sleepy breathing. I love feeling him curl his little body in close to me for warmth. I love that he trusts me completely. I love when he wrinkles his little forehead and looks up at me with his big blue eyes as his head wobbles back and forth. Being a mother really is a special thing!

Camilla is adjusting so well to being a big sister. She loves her little brother to pieces and is constantly wanting to snuggle/hold/kiss him. She does very well with him and is super understanding and patient when I have to change and feed him. We've had a few very special moments together since he's been born, just her and I. The other day we were sitting on the couch together having a chat (yes, she likes to tell me stories) and she came over and layed her head down on my lap and snuggled in close. This was special because it's something she hasn't been able to do for the passed couple of months because of my big belly.  It was a very intimate, bring-tears-to-my-eyes moment. I loved looking down into her eyes and seeing her face light up as she smiled back at me. Yesterday, she colored me some awesome bling in nursery for mothers day. It was very special to get something from my little girl.

I am also glad to have such an understanding and loving husband. He's been a big help even though his life is crazy busy right now with work and CASB. He even snuck on the blog yesterday morning and wrote some very thoughtful things down about me for Mothers Day. It was a fabulous surprise to read it! I am so blessed!

I'm grateful to have my Mum as such a great example to me! It was wonderful to celebrate Mothers Day and remember all the special women in my life who have been such a great influence. Mommyhood truly is a blessing!

Home Can Be a Heaven on Earth

When I met Addie she was going to school to be an elementary school teacher.  One of the conversations I loved having with people when I first meet with them is what their plans are for their future career.  When I asked Addie what her plans were she smiled and basically said well right now I am working on plan B, plan A what I really want to do is be a stay at home mom. 

Well its been four years since that conversation and Addie is living her dream, but even better than that she is making her dream contagious.  It seems like everyone she influences including me has a greater desire to make their home a better place.  Addie has created a beautiful feeling in our home.  We have a little piece of heaven in this 70 year old house!

Addie puts in alot of hours into her job; I thought I worked long hours as an accountant but she, she starts her day at 7 am and then decides every day to put in overtime and stay up with me and spend time with me.  Almost every day she is either baking:  bread, cookies, muffins, buns, bagels, or BABIES!!!  Every week including her first week home from the hospital she heads over to the library with the kids so they can play and dance with other kids.  She takes the kids to the park, she dances with them in the living room, she snuggles them on the couch, and then she will read them books for hours just to hear them laugh!

When I come home our house is usually a mess but our home is in such great order!  Our home is a heaven on earth because it is filled with love.  Thank you Addie for building our home with love.  Thank you for all you do that goes unnoticed and unmentioned every day!  Thank you for bringing smiles to our faces then capturing those smiles on our blog so our family can remember them for generations to come!

We love you and cherish all you do!  On behalf of the Stannix Family and all those you have positively influenced happy Mother's Day sweetie!

Isn't she beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First Weenie Roast

Summer is coming! Yesterday was a beautiful day and Camilla and I were able to spend some good time outside in the sunshine. We had fun playing mostly in the backyard for a lot of the morning and some of the afternoon.

We then had a visit from some cousins and finished off our afternoon with a nap. Daddy got home late from work and we visited with him for a little while. He got some snuggle time in with baby Hyrum, who was pretty awake and alert!

We finished off our Friday night with some good friends roasting wieners over the fire in the backyard. It was a lot of fun! Camilla enjoyed stuffing herself with ketchup chips and playing catch, and the adults had a great visit! Baby Hyrum was even able to come out with us for some fresh air and enjoyed snuggling anyone who wanted him around the fire. We are looking forward to summer now more than ever and many more cookouts with friends!

Made My Day

Today Camilla was sitting watching Mr. Dressup with half a bagel and some chocolate chips on a plate. I was in the office with the baby and she came in to ask for more "ta-ta cheeps". She bent her little legs, tilted her head to the side and wiggled her little bum, asking in the sweetest little girl voice she could muster up, with a slight pout to her bottom lip. It brought the hugest smile to my face and pretty much made my day. She looked too cute to say no to.

I put another small hand full on her plate and she grinned up at me. Unlike a bowl, plates don't respond well to tipping and there went all the "ta-ta cheeps".

Instead of getting mad, she sat on the floor to clean them up. Every chocolate chip she picked up went right to her mouth, followed by a "mmmmm". It was pretty funny! It is these small moments of joy that keep me going! Camilla has become slightly more difficult, especially when I'm nursing (because she knows I can't do anything about it). She still has more sweet little girl moments than monster moments though and she brings me so much joy! We managed to make chocolate chip cookies today and we are now going to enjoy some hot out of the oven!

Happy Friday!

Growing and Changing

Dear Hyrum,

You are growing up too fast! Today you are six days old. Last night I started missing having you a part of me. While your sister was playing in the bath, I snuggled you up on my chest on the couch. You tucked your little legs all the way up to your stomach and curled your body in close to me for warmth. I leaned my head down and gently rested my lips on the top of your head.  Your fuzzy hair tickled my lips as I kissed and cuddled you. Tears stung my eyes and I was overwhelmed with emotions. I suddenly realized how quickly you are going to grow and change. I wanted you to be inside of me again, safe and a part of me. After a few tears, I got control over myself again and enjoyed our quiet moment together on the couch. I know that soon you will be toddling behind your big sister and playing with her. I hope for now you will let me snuggle you and kiss your little cheeks! Please don't grow up too fast.

Love,

Mommy