Homemade Soup

This little dude is still feeling a bit under the weather today. He puked five times before bed last night and was up every hour with Daddy all night. He's had lots of naps today and I've enjoyed the extra snuggles. I love when his little body just melts into mine while he falls asleep. When he's finally asleep I can't stop staring at his long, dark eye lashes and cute button nose. He woke up pretty thirsty this morning and so far has kept everything down. Gramma made him up some homemade turkey broth soup with noodles. He sat in his high chair saying "Common noo-els" while chasing them around the dish with his spoon. He felt much better after that!

New Years Day

Our New Years Eve was pretty exciting. We spent a lot of it watching Wipeout on TV, playing with the kids and munching on finger food. Shortly after we rang in the new year, Hyrum puked all over our bed and himself. We had an hour of crazy with a puking toddler and a fussy baby. Daddy ended up tending to Hyrum most of the night while Joe and I snuggled up on the couch. Luckily today found everyone in better spirits (and health) and we could enjoy the outdoors. Grampa took the kids and I for a sleigh ride behind the quad up to the rink. It was a blast! We took Hyrum skating for his very first time. Instead of looking hopefully through the glass, he was in awe to be on the actual ice. Everytime I would ask him if he was having fun he would say, "Ha-ee?". He can't wait to be able to skate with a stick. It was a lot of fun!

 

I thought if I skated a bit faster with him that he would glide more instead of walk, but his little feet would just pick up the pace, step after step!

 

 Camilla had a nice little skating lesson from Daddy and loved being pulled/pushed around the ice.
 

 She got braver and braver as time went on. She was pretty happy to be outside and learning to skate.
 

 We had a few little troubles with the bob-skates, but Grampa was always quick to fix them.
 

 Near the end Camilla got brave enough to try standing on her own. She was SO proud of herself. The look on her face was priceless.

 Hyrum also got brave near the end and refused to hold our hands. The only problem was that he looked like he was going to face plant if we didn't hang on to him. Grampa figured out the perfect solution and just grabbed him by the jacket while he skated around. Problem solved!
 

I could have stayed on the rink with everyone all day long. The weather was so nice and the sky was so blue and beautiful! Grampa snapped a quick family picture before taking the kiddos for a sleigh ride. Mr. Stannix and I enjoyed a few laps around the rink on our own holding hands and sharing our dreams for 2013.



Happy New Year

 

Happy New Year from our crew to yours!

We're ringing in the new year at the acreage with Gramma and Grampa.

The kids are loving the warm winter weather and fresh air.



My Missionary Brother

I am almost done with the Christmas re-cap, I promise! On Boxing Day we went over to my Gramma and Grampa Hudkins place for a Turkey lunch and a Skype session with my little missionary brother all the way over in Chile. When I told Camilla we were going to Skype Uncle Arland in Chile she said, "Oh. Does he eat Chili there?" It made me laugh. Since we were going out I decided to dress Joseph in some "real" clothes. He sported his cute little plaid diaper shirt and navy corduroy pants. He was pretty handsome looking.

My Gramma put on a great dinner! It was great to have everyone gathered in their home to visit and share delicious food. I am happy to report that only three glasses of water were spilled at the kids table where my Gramma, Mike, the kids and I sat. 

After lunch it was time for the best part of the day. Once clean up was done Elder Hudkins signed in to call us up on Skype. It was great to be able to talk to him. This time we chatted in groups and only got a few minutes each. It was so great to see him and see that he is doing well! When it was time to say good-bye I was choking back tears. Mr. Stannix noticed and gave me a big hug with those strong arms of his, which made me cry even more. I miss that kid and can't wait to see him in six months.

After we finished up with our dear Elder Hudkins, we all visited for a little while longer. Joseph and Uncle Chris had a nice chat on the couch. It was so great to be able to see everyone.

Grampa was constantly getting loves from his grand-kids.  Joseph slept soundly on his arm while Hyrum and Camilla snuggled and cuddled their Grampa. They sure do love him!

It was sad to leave after such a fun day, but our kiddos were pretty tired...

What Christmas Means to Me

As I mentioned earlier, this was our very first Christmas on our own. We slept in as long as we could. Around 7:00am I heard Hyrum's little feet pitter-patter across the floor and into our room. He was quickly joined by a very tired, but very excited sister. We all grabbed our stockings and gathered on our bed with the lamp on low. The kids were pretty excited (except for Joe who slept through the whole thing)!

After opening stockings we ventured downstairs to check out the tree. There wasn't any presents under it the night before, so it was quite a surprise for the kids to see it full of presents. Santa left a hockey net and a couple sticks for the kids. Christmas could have ended there and Hyrum would have been the happiest kid on the block. He was so excited!

 One tradition that we do each year is to print our blog book. I worked on it a long time ago and printed it when the deals were on. It had been sitting in my closet for the past couple of months and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it Christmas morning for a peek. So happy with the way it turned out! We took our time opening presents and had a few intermissions of playing hockey. Hyrum was in heaven playing with his Daddy.



Camilla's big gift this year was a toy digital camera. She loves pretending to take pictures and showing them to us, so it was perfect. After Auntie Emma's photoshoot a while back she was setting up props and posing her animals for pictures. She enjoyed playing with this all day.

 

After all the presents were opened, Hyrum spent the majority of his day begging people to come and play hockey with him. At one point he was looking kind of sad, so I asked him what was wrong and he said, "Ha-ee... Tum Pay". Basically "Come play hockey". Ah, he was cute.

 

 

My all time favorite part of the entire morning though was when he came up and plopped himself down in my lap for a cuddle. He just sat there while I wrapped my arms around him, rubbed his back, smooched his cheeks and held him close. Because Joe is usually the one who needs this during the day, it had been a while since I got to snuggle my big boy. The love that I felt for him was incredible. I just sat there thinking, this is what Christmas is all about, spending time with those we love and enjoying moments like these.

 

My big surprise this year was the blanket that I have been secretly crochetting for Mr. Stannix. He's been requesting one for a while, but I've always been busy with other projects on the go. I started it just after Joe was born and worked like a mad lady day in and day out, any spare moment I had without him in the house. I was still sewing the last few pieces on a few nights before Christmas when he and the kiddos were playing outside in the snow. I still ended up a row or two short but promised to finish it over the holidays!

Camilla and I had fun taking pictures of each other all morning.
 

Joe slept away the majority of the morning in his swing. I still can't believe he's over a month old! He's such a cutie! I could kiss those cheeks all day long.
 

Daddy and Hyrum played Hockey a lot. It was pretty fun watching them together.

In the late afternoon we were joined by my parents and sister. The kiddos loved their gifts from Gramma and Grampa. It was great to spent time with them and enjoy Christmas dinner together. We didn't do anything too fancy, just a chicken, potatoes and veggies. At this point I wanted to be able to spend as much time with my kids as I could, and this meant spending less time in the kitchen. 

After our long day, it was finally time to put the kiddos to bed. Hyrum insisted on sleeping with his stick and it was so dang cute I just had to sneak in later for a picture. Success in the gift giving department. After the kiddos were in bed, Mr. Stannix and I (and Joe) snuggled up on the couch to a movie and treats. I love spending time with Mr. Stannix and sharing these special holidays with him. I love our little family and the joy that we share together.

The Eve of Christmas

Because we spent Christmas on our own this year, it was very quiet and low key. After we got back from Fort Sask we tidied the house and got it all ready for Christmas morning. Before bed we opened the night before Christmas presents (jammies) and set out cookies and milk for Santa. It was fun watching Mr. Stannix get the kids all excited for Christmas morning. After they were finally asleep, he and I hung out with Mr. Joe for the night and watched the Santa Clause while we wrapped presents. It was fun to just sit, visit, wrap and eat together in the living room. Previous years we've had to be more on our toes because we had to cart wrapped gifts to wherever we were spending Christmas. It was definitely different this year.

I enjoyed the night with my sweetheart, just the two of us sitting near the lit up tree enjoying our Christmas movie.  It was exciting to wrap gifts for the kiddos and picture their excited little faces first thing in the morning.  I hope to spend many more Christmas eve's together like this.
 

A Day in the Fort

This year we got to spend Christmas eve day with cousins and Grandparents out in Fort Sask. It was fun to be surrounded by family for the day and visit together. The little cousins all ran around the house and played together all afternoon. At one point I was nursing on the couch and glanced over at the kitchen table where I noticed my little man had climbed up for a snack beside his Great-Grampa. The sun was peering through the kitchen window and it was such a perfect little moment.

Later in the afternoon all of the boys braved the freezing temperatures and played some road hockey. They all had a blast! Mr. Stannix played goalie and came in nice and sweaty after.

We finished off our evening by getting the great-grands together to perform a condensed version of the Nativity. It was super cute seeing them all together. I actually got a video of the entire thing. It's pretty special because Grampa narrated it and was able to share a bit of his testimony at the end. Baby Joe even got to play the role of Baby Jesus. 

I like the way my Gramma described the whole thing on our family blog. 

Mary sat sedately looking over Baby Jesus who was perfect in his sleeping repose on the soft pillow.  Joseph stood by her side.  The shepherd flitted all over the countryside presumably looking for the lost sheep.  The angel quietly did her own thing.  The wise(ladies) came along nicely after what would have been a spill of frankincense and finding the lid for it.  The donkey sat at the corner of the stable completely in awe of the fact that he had carried the woman who carried the King.

It was very short, but very worthwhile. I giggled when Camilla put her costume on over the princess dress that she wore all day. It was great to be able to remember the real reason for the season and ponder the life of Christ. It's been pretty special to have a Winter baby to cuddle at this time of year. I can't help but be reminded of that sweet baby Jesus laying in a manger and everything that his mother went through.

After a quick bite to eat we got our kiddo's home to enjoy the rest of Christmas Eve together.

Christmas Rolls

Little Joseph has turned into quite the chunkster over the holidays. 

Tonight I had a few quiet moments to spend bathing him while Mr. Stannix put the other two to bed. 

As I washed his little body I noticed all of the 

rolls that seemed to be appearing out of no where. 

I'm pretty sure he has a roll for every week of his life and I adore them. 

The whole time I bathed him I wanted to eat those sweet cheeks of his and tickle his chubby little feet. 

He was actually enjoying the warm water and 

even cracked a few smiles as I talked to him.

Mr. Joseph I love you so much!

Christmas Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

Another year has gone by and we wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! It’s been a busy, but fun filled year for us. The kids seem to be growing right under our noses and we get so much joy out of watching them play together.

Camilla turned three in July and is loving life. She has a wonderful imagination and loves to play pretend. She has named her dolls and almost all of her stuffed animals! She is very independent and loves to help out around the house. We love her and her zest for life!

We celebrated Hyrum’s first birthday at the end of April with family and friends. It was a wonderful backyard BBQ and we enjoyed the time we could spend with everyone. He started walking on his birthday and we haven’t been able to stop him since! He loves to run around the house with his sister. He loves making car noises and turns anything that remotely resembles a hockey stick into a hockey stick.

In March we were excited to find out we were pregnant with baby number three! We welcomed Joseph Allen into our family November 17^th of this year. The kids adore him and he’s never short on hugs and kisses. He is almost one month old, weighs 9 lb 3 oz and is doing well. He has brought so much joy to our little family.

We celebrated Mike’s university graduation in June with two kids and one on the way! Aside from work, Mike has been busy working through his CASB modules after work and just wrote his last module exam in December. In his spare time he enjoys playing Hockey for the Rangers and is really quick on his feet!

Addie has been busy at her dream job of being a stay-at-home mom. She spent the year crocheting hats, baby blankets and slippers in her free time. Her days are mostly spent playing and crafting with the children.

Over the summer we took a trip out East to visit Mike’s Nana and family. We started in Halifax by checking out the tall ships, drove around PEI, and spend most of our time in New Brunswick visiting with family.

We have received so many blessings this year and are grateful for a loving Heavenly Father. As we celebrate the Christmas season it is great to be able to ponder Christ, and all he has done for us! We wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

Love,

 

Merry Christmas to all....

And to all a good night.