Matchy Matchy

I can't help but dress them alike, especially now that I'm on a roll making these awesome ties!
Nothing makes my heart go pitter patter more than this!

Camden-isms

The morning after his birthday while playing on his new computer from Nanny and Papa:

C-Hey Mama, thank you for my birthday. I am so soooo happy now!

One night after he had come home from the babysitters:

M-Hey buddy, what did you do at Kathy's house today?

C-Um. I took the toy from Cohen.

M-Why did you do that?

C-Cause Jace man needed it.

M-(Thinking to myself...Way to go, hookin' your baby brother up like that)

one..two...free

All Camden wanted for his birthday this year was muffins(muffins and cupcakes are both known as muffins to him) and balloons. Seeing how Aunt Charlie gifted me with a new giant cupcake pan for my birthday, I decided to give it a whirl.

It was a success!  He loved putting his own sprinkles on and couldn't help but devour the masterpiece. 

His favorite gift was a toss up between a computer from Nanny and Papa, and a dinosaur fort from Aunt Charlie who traveled a long way to help celebrate.

Our first stop for the day was the bowling alley.  Nothing like a couple rounds of fun and a pizza.  I was obsessed with how cute those two were in their miniature bowling shoes.  My immature highschool self thought about stealing the shoes for his daily use, but luckily my more mature self got a grip and we walked away empty handed!

After bowling we headed to a local bounce house to let out some sugar before kissing my newly turned three year old goodnight.

Camden is definitely growing up before my eyes.  He has gone from a fussy newborn to an independent man.  He starts most things out a bit on the cautious side, but once both feet are wet he will never look back.  He loves to wrestle, box, dinosaurs and bugs.  He would never pass up an opportunity to go golfing or hang out with his Dad.  I'd be kidding if I didn't say he had a sensitive side.  He loves to be with his girlfriends.  If nails are being painted or make up applied, you better believe he wants in on it too.  After all, what boy doesn't want shinny toenails from a fresh coat of clear polish and soft kissable lips from regular usage of chapstick.  He likes to follow other kids his age and is a good leader to those younger than him.  He is a proud big brother and the perfect one for Jace.  His most recent accomplishment is learning how to dress himself and put on his own shoes.  He is obsessed with books and dancing to music.  He loves Nursery and going to Kathy's house(his babysitter).  He loves hard boiled eggs, mickey mouse shaped cheese, and chocolate milk in a closed cup(with a straw).  Eensy weensy spider, I love To See The Temple, and I Wanna Be a Billionaire, are some of his favorite tunes. He would live outside, take a bath 8 times a day, have every pet possible, and eat treats all day if he could.  He is a smart little guy and working on being able to recognize letters.

We feel so lucky to have Camden in our family.  Happy Birthday to "the dude", we love you!

AH-HA

I'm not sure if it's motherhood, maturity, hormones, or age that bring me to so much reflection as of lately. Whatever it is...it's happening and I can't stop it. Along with all this reflection comes one big emotional mess.

A few weeks ago a friend invited me to join a group of her friend's for lunch and an Easter Egg hunt with the kids. I jumped at the chance to enjoy yummy food and let my kids run around. I was excited for them to use some of their energy in hopes for an awesome afternoon nap. But what I got was so much more.

All of us compiled our eggs together and a few moms hid them in the grass before the hunt began. Shortly thereafter the madness was in full force. Someone said go and the children darted for their eggs. Camden is at the age where he can fen for himself at these sort of activities, so he was doing his thing. Jace was in heaven with so much space to crawl around, he was all over the place. I was enjoying being outside and not having to entertain anyone or clean up any mess being made.

Just as I thought I was enjoying myself I noticed one of the mother's struggling to make her way to the grass. She recently lost her vision and from what I could tell, was a bit unsure of making her way around. She was no where near her children, and as I approached her to take her hand and show her where they were; I noticed her whispering words of encouragement to them. She was trying so hard to take part and be involved in what they were doing, even though she could not physically see them.

I was overcome with emotion and had to walk away(hide behind my car). I had a serious "ah-ha" moment. My so called pleasure was and unimaginable pain for that other mother. How selfish of me to not soak up these memories and be more involved in what is going on right now.

So lucky for my kids(okay, and me) we've been enjoying life a little fuller. I've been running on the playground and going down the slides. Taking time to enjoy the simple pleasures in life that are right in front of my eyes!

Number 1

Jace decided it was time to grow up and have a birthday! This past year flew by quicker than I ever could've imagined.

Jace is such a good eater but he didn't do nearly what I had expected to his cake. I'm pretty sure he filled up on all the homemade mac and cheese not knowing what was coming right after.

He decided to take a few steps about a week ago and is gearing up and ready to walk. He stands by himself for long periods of time and is rather proud of that. He will take about 7-8 steps before falling on his face(he hasn't perfected the fall).

Jace is such a snuggle bug and a total comfort baby. I have learned the difference between a binkie baby and not...it's incredible. With that darn thing constantly attached to his shirt he was always able to pacify himself. It was awesome! But I worried about how attached he was from day one. I had visions of finding binkie clips to match his first day of kindergarten outfit.

About 2 months ago he lost his last binkie at church and I never bought another. We just decided he could go with out and we'd see what happened. He slept like a champ that night, and that was all we needed for proof. But I will say he is definitely a different child now. He will let you know when he is upset. I often find him with the Mr. Potato head parts inserted in his mouth in exchange for the missing pacifier.

Along with the pacifier, he said goodbye to his bottle last night. Wish us luck!

He made it to his well visit check with Dr. Ciminello and got away with only 1 shot. He weighed in at a solid 24.3lbs(75%) and is 31 3/4in(95%) tall. I'm pretty sure his head shrunk with his last haircut as it measured 18.6in around.

Jace is such a joy and my love has definitely increased by leaps and bounds this last year because of him. He is the perfect little(not for long) brother for Camden and the best surprise I've ever had!

Thanks for having a birthday Jace Man. We love you!

Easter Sunday

This Easter was sort of a bummer because I had to work.

Luckily Dan got it off and was able to take the boys on a little egg hunt in their cute new clothes!

While they were out having a blast I was on the 11th floor of the hospital freaking out when I felt the earthquake. Luckily it didn't last long and my panic attack was small:)

Happy Easter!

TMI?

Camden has this new thing where he thinks it's fun to come into the bathroom with Dan and I whenever we pay the water bill(so to speak).

So this morning Camden noticed Dan was doing his thing and he headed for the bathroom. Two seconds later Camden came walking out and barfed on the floor, right outside the bathroom.

Careful not to make him feel bad I asked why he barfed. His response was priceless, "Daddy's poop is stinky".

I am still laughing!!!