Late Night Chats

It's just after 9:30pm when I make my way to the kitchen to finally make myself some dinner. I had just finished tucking the older two into separate rooms for the night after the idea for an indoor "camp-out" went south. The phone rings, it's Mr. Stannix again, I'm pretty sure he misses us! We talk while I crack eggs into a frying pan and pop some toast into the toaster. After being away for a week the food is scarce and the milk is sour, so this is the best I could come up with. A few seconds later and I am startled by a sound on the other side of the kitchen. Camilla has made her way downstairs, and patiently waits until I'm done on the phone. After listening for a few minutes she figures out that it's Daddy and asks politely if she could talk. Of course I say yes! I get out a plate and butter the toast. She skips into the kitchen, hands me back the phone, and sits down at the table. We say good-bye to Daddy so that he can eat his dinner and dig into our plate of spicy eggs. Camilla delights me with conversation, and even though it's late and she should be in bed, I let her talk and talk. I watch her smile and tuck her short blonde hair behind her ears while she tells me stories and I realize how much I've missed her! 

After we finish our plate we each take a huge drink of water and I give her a hug good-night. She doesn't want to let go and tells me how much she wishes she had someone to sleep with her. I smile and try not to roll my eyes. This will be the tenth time I've come upstairs to tuck her in for the night. It is then I realize that she has missed me too and is needing some Mommy time. We walk up the stairs hand in hand and tip-toe back to her little tent. I lay down beside her on Hyrum's pillow (he is fast asleep in my bed). She tells me how she has a hard time falling asleep and how her eyes don't shut for hours! Being a Mamma, I know exactly what to do. I run my fingers through her hair, massaging her head as I go. Soon her eyelids begin to get heavy. I softly draw on her face with my finger tips, across her forehead, around her eyes and up the bridge of her nose. All of those features that were once so tiny have matured so much. I quietly lay beside her, studying her profile as her eyes drift shut. Soon her breathing becomes deeper and her head turns to the side. I tuck my arm around her little body, give her a little squeeze, and stay for just a few minutes longer.

I leave the tiny tent, grateful for the extra few minutes I got to spend with my girl. I could have easily sent her up to bed while I tended to the dishes and clutter, but I'm so glad I didn't! I come downstairs and turn out the lights on the mess in the kitchen, and then Mr. Stannix calls again and we talk until bedtime.

"What is most important almost always involves the people around us"

~President Thomas S. Monson

Weekend Getaway: Whistler

After a nice, scenic drive, we arrived at our gorgeous accommodations in Whistler. We dropped off our stuff, drove the rental car to Avis and walked back to our hotel. The first thing we did was take a nap in our nice air conditioned room. Mr. Stannix had to wake up just before dinner and head to the first part of his training. I slept right on through to 8:00PM. This trip was mostly about seeing Mr. Stannix, and also mostly about catching up on some much needed sleep!

Mr. Stannix was busy with courses from 8AM-5PM, so I usually spent my days doing a lot of sleeping and a little bit of exploring. I'm pretty sure the last time I took two naps a day was when I was very little, and it felt awesome!

 While Mr. Stannix spent most of his day here...

 I loved exploring the little shops! I found some awesome fleece Christmas jammies for the boys that were buy one get one. A deal I couldn't pass up! Hyrum has been wanting footy jammies since he grew out of his last pair, so I think he will be extra excited!

 On our last night together we discovered a cozy little Mexican restaurant tucked away in the corner of Whistler. We both love Mexican food, but were extra surprised when we got the menu (cactus on an enchilada, what?). It turned into Mike googling images on the restaurants website to help us decide what to order. Our waiter was Mexican and even spoke Spanish to us (thankfully I know a bit). It was a super fun experience.

 Gotta love that authentic Mexican stuff!

 We had big plans to go on an evening hike, but neither of us were really feeling up to it, so we just walked down to Olympic Plaza to check things out. And you can't go to Olympic Plaza without taking a picture in the rings!

I loved exploring at night since most of the heat had gone. Usually by then a nice breeze was sweeping through the village to cool things off. We finished off the night with a favorite TV episode and I packed up some of my stuff for my long day of traveling the next day. I sure do love spending time with that Mr. Stannix of mine! I can't wait for him to come home!

Weekend Getaway: Stanley Park

 A few months ago we learned that Mr. Stannix would be away for two weeks while attending to work related trainings and meetings. We decided to drop the kids at Gramma and Grampa's for a few days so that I could go out and visit him half way through. He picked me up Saturday morning at the Vancouver airport. It was such a relief to see him waiting for me at the baggage claim. He planned out the day and after renting a car we were on our way to Stanley Park for the morning. We stopped at a little bike rental place and got ourselves a double bike to explore the park. It had been at least five years since I had ridden a bike, so I was super nervous! I also have a hard time giving up control (even in a canoe right Hun?). We pushed the bike to the street, hopped on, and hoped for the best! We had a bit of a wobbly start and I was scared for my life for the first 15 minutes or so, but we got pretty good! The trickiest part about riding in the back is timing. As soon as Mike started peddling, my peddles moved whether I wanted them to or not, and when he stopped, they stopped. 

 After some awesome navigating by my handsome hubby, we made it all the way to Prospect Point. My tush was pretty sore from the awful bike seat and the bathrooms were our first pit stop (just for me).

 We wandered around a bit, debated getting some over-priced food, and checked out the view.

 Then we snapped a selfie in front of the Lions Gate suspension bridge.

 On the way back we biked the shoreline and enjoyed a glorious ocean breeze. 

I kind of felt like a grandma, but we honestly had so much fun! I can now put another check mark on my bucket list. We finished of our bike ride with lunch at the cactus club and then made our way back to the car for our drive to Whistler.

Gramma and Grampa's

Yesterday was my last day at the Acreage with the kiddos before leaving them in the loving hands of Gramma and Grampa for a few days. They love the extra space to run and explore and love visiting Great-Gramma and Grampa Purdon for their daily chocolate fix. 

Joseph shared a bowl of Cherries with Grampa for his mid-morning snack. He gave a satisfied, "Mmmm!" after each half. 

The three kids also spent some time feeding the little chickens grass.

Joseph helped Gramma refill the chicken's water bucket.

We spent the early afternoon exploring the historic park just outside of town. I had to get a picture with my birthday girl!

We walked the trails and spent a lot of time here in the fort. The older two loved this rope swing! We probably spent majority of our time in here watching them take turns on the swing.

Eventually Camilla discovered the nearby stump of wood. Grampa helped her get it in position and they took turns swinging off the stump. After each turn Hyrum had to empty out his sandals from using his feet to stop. 

After a short nap, Joseph woke up and joined in the fun.

Grampa even helped him have a go on the rope swing and he giggled the whole time!

 Watching him run and explore was super fun!

And a trip to the fort wouldn't be complete with out a teepee.

We finished off our visit exploring the trail and then went into town for a birthday lunch!

After eating two mini burgers and some fries, Camilla got a huge piece of cake. She got a little embarrassed when they sang to her which really surprised me because she's such a social butterfly.

After the meal, Hyrum hopped down and walked around the table. "What are you doing Hyrum?" I asked. "Oh, Just going to give Camilla a birthday hug," he replied. Those two are the sweetest! Thanks again for lunch Gramma and Grampa!

We finished off the day with our nightly visit to the strawberry patch. Joseph got pretty into it this time. I loved watching him carefully pick a red strawberry and bring it to his mouth. Life couldn't be any better in that moment.

We ended up with quite a few strawberries and the littles enjoyed eating them for their bedtime snack. I'm sure this will be a nightly occurrence while I'm away visiting Daddy.

Five Years Old

Our sweet Camilla is FIVE today. She is getting so grown up! Last night as I was tucking her in, I whispered in her ear that it would be her birthday today. She then responded, "Great! Does that mean I will be taller since I'm five?" I love our bed time talks and snuggles. Camilla is an amazing little lady with a huge heart and desire to do good. She is constantly thinking of others and their needs. Whenever I have a short snooze on the couch she always covers me with a blanket. She is a fabulous big sister and is constantly looking out for her younger brothers with her little, "no no no, Joe" or "It's okay, Hyrum, I will help you." If she's ever grumpy or upset it doesn't last long and she will giggle away the tears and put a smile on. She brings so much joy to our little family! 

Happy Birthday Camilla!

Freshly Picked

Dear Mr. Stannix,

Hope you are well. The children sure loved chatting with you on Skype this morning, even if it was a gongshow trying to fit them all on the screen to keep them happy. We left for the Acreage shortly after talking with you. The drive went well and I endured multiple episodes of "My little Pony". Joseph napped for most of it and then when he started complaining I rolled down the windows. Works every time. The weather has been warm, though clouds were gathering this afternoon and the wind came in gusts after dinner. The children visited Gramma's not-so-baby-anymore chickens. Hyrum loved sitting in the pen with them and observing.

We then helped Gramma pick the strawberries. Hyrum liked to pick and eat his and Camilla wanted to make sure they were washed first.  We picked a whole bunch and there's still more to come tomorrow! We enjoyed fresh, juicy strawberries all afternoon (don't be too jealous).

 

I miss you terribly and can't wait to come and see you on the weekend. I look forwad to being in your arms again and spending time together! I am already planning out my outfit so that I can wow you at the airport. I am off to bed for the night though. Love you darling!

 



Splash Pad

This hot Summer morning brought us to a near by splash pad for some fun! It seemed to take forever to get shoes on all of their feet and get them out the door. They argued over who would open which door and it continued all the way to the park. It's funny how when one thing is off in their little lives, it affects them so much! I think it's safe to say that they already miss having Daddy around (I know I sure do). Once we got there, we found a nice shady spot to set our towels. The older two went towards the water and Joseph booked it over to a near by playstructer with swings (his favorite). It was stressful trying to keep them all together.

 



 

After a little while I was able to convince Joseph that the water was really fun and he followed the older two around.

 



Hyrum got more and more brave as the morning progressed and even stuck his head under a fountain. He then pretended to shampoo his hair. The kid could have his own herbal essence comercial! It was hilarious.

I am so glad that these three are such great friends! After everyone had enough, we went home for lunch. Joseph was pretty excited to cozy up in his bed for a snooze and the other two played away the afternoon.

Out and About

 Today brought an early morning walk to our favorite little bridge. The weather was perfect with a slight breeze to keep us cool. I'm not sure we would have made it if Uncle Arland wasn't there to help. Hyrum dared the very last STEEP hill and almost tipped his bike as he raced down. Thankfully, Uncle Arland was close by and able to grab him before he fell.

 We stayed at the bridge for a few minutes to check out the stream. These kids are so full of energy!

 

 Of course, Joseph had to do some climbing. This guy is such a handful lately. I can just feel the approach of the "terrible twos" and if he's anything like his older brother, I'm in for it big time.

Halfway home, everyone was pretty tuckered out!

Eighteen Weeks

Yesterday I hit eighteen weeks with this pregnancy. After everything with our last pregnancy, we've kept this one way on the down-low. It hasn't been easy since I was pretty much showing at eleven weeks along, but people have been kind enough not to ask or inquire. I feel like I've been on an emotional roller coaster full of excitement, anticipation, and fear. These last four and a half months have gone by so quickly simply because I am always looking forward to my next midwife appointment so that I can hear that tiny heart beating and have a few minutes of peace. My midwife is so so good as I have cried, expressed my fears, and related my emotions to her. I am so grateful for her and the time that she takes for me! 

A few days after I went for my first blood test, my midwife called, worried with some results that she had received. My thyroid levels were all out of whack and I needed to get into my family doctor as soon as I could to get a prescription to help level things out. I immediately began researching and coming across words like intellectual impairment, stillbirth, spontaneous abortion, and delayed development. It was a frustrating two days trying to get a hold of my doctor (as if I wasn't already stressing enough). I tried a walk-in clinic after the littles went to bed and after three hours of waiting, the server was down so no one could access my blood work and write me my prescription. The next day I prayed hard and lucked into a same day appointment with my family doctor thanks to a cancellation. I was able to get my prescription and my doctor was kind enough to let me hear the heartbeat since it was around the same time I had miscarried the last baby.

The children are excited and oh so helpful. Each time they pray they remember to bless the baby and tears almost always come when I hear those sweet words. They were extra excited to learn that baby was coming before Christmas and Camilla acted out a frantic scene that I'm sure will take place at Christmas, "No, you get the baby, I gotta decorate the..." "No, I'll get the baby, you decorate the tree.." "No, Camilla, you get the baby.." "Who's gunna decorate the tree?" It made me laugh big time. I love that girl. Camilla wants a baby sister and Hyrum wants a baby brother. I'm certain they will love either a baby sister or a baby brother. 

We are enjoying the last leg of Summer and gearing up for crazy as we accompany Daddy for three months while he's on training. It will be lots of back and forth as baby gets closer to arriving and my appointments get closer together. But we are excited for the adventure and family time!

The Birthday Girl

Since Daddy is going to be out of town for the next couple of weeks, we decided to celebrate Camilla's birthday a week early. Today was the special day! At breakfast Camilla asked me if I could please call her the birthday girl, and so we did! We had a lot of fun hanging out as a family! I made her a rainbow cake to celebrate and we did a mini photo shoot before the festivities.

 Camilla is such an awesome five year old and I can't wait to share a bit more about her on her birthday post next week.

 I love that she has to throw at least one funny face in there every time we have the camera out.

 Looking at how big she is in these pictures makes me tear up a bit. It's hard to believe that just five short years ago we were bringing this sweet little girl home from the hospital.

 She has grown into such a beautiful little girl and being her mother is an absolute pleasure.

(Excuse me while I cry all over my keyboard)

 We broke tradition and sliced the cake early for pictures. I am so glad I did because we didn't get one good one of that cake after dinner.

 A few weeks ago at Wal-mart she eyed up a little pink scooter and has been talking about it ever since.

 She was the most excited little girl today!

After lunch they begged us to go for a walk with them. They were getting bored of riding out front I think. We went down to the trails and let them go free. Hyrum conquered his fear of hills on his bike and Camilla pretty well mastered her scooter skills. We all came back pretty hot and tired!

We celebrated with some of the family here in the city with a BBQ, cake and ice cream. It was a pretty fun time! More on this little girl next week! We sure do love her!