Normal and Nice

Dan and I have lived in our Condo for 2.5 years. There is one person in this entire complex of over 150 units that I know well enough to borrow an egg if need be. And the reason I know her is because she is in our ward. Yes, this is part my fault. Yes, it is partly because there is a high turnover rate(renters). Yes, there are a few sketchy people that I'm not so sure I would want to associate myself with. Yes, I am making up excuses. But yes, this is the truth.

So anyway...when the unit across the way from us went up for sale for the second time since we've lived here, I didn't count on meeting a new best friend. But after it sold and we saw the new owners in passing, I was rather relived as to who would be living there. They are a younger couple, no children, speak English, both work, and from what I know, friendly.

Well the months have passed and the communication with them went the same as with any of the other neighbors close by. If we passed them while walking from our door to the car we would say hello, but nothing too much more. So when I took them a plate of cookies yesterday I didn't get my hopes up that things would change immediately. I was just thinking that getting to know my neighbors a little better was probably a good thing. And I wanted them to feel comfortable enough to knock on my door if they ever felt the urge.

I think it worked. I think these neighbors will be more than just an awkward hello in passing. I could see myself taking them treats and loaning them my husbands screwdriver. Ya know, neighborly things. Why you ask? Because today these very neighbors brought us a vase of cute flowers to thank us for making them feel welcome.

If that doesn't make your day, I don't know what does. I love normal, nice neighbors!

7 Months

It's funny how the months seem to go by so slow while you are pregnant, but once your baby arrives...times flies. Camden is 7 months old today and I cannot believe we have had him for that long!

I took him to the park the other day and here are just a few of the millions of photos we took! His checks are so dang loveable! And what is cuter than a double chin covered in drool?

Now that he is 7 months he has mastered sitting up on his own. He loves holding his own bottle and we are currently struggling giving the love he has for this up. I have tried giving him a sippy cup and he only wants to play with it, not drink from it. Even if he is not hungry, he will cry for a bottle, it is a total comfort thing to him...I'm scared! He loves anything that makes noise. Speaking of noise...he loves to make sudden outbursts, loud and random. He enjoys hearing himself "talk". Lately we have had so much fun playing a little copy cat game with him. He will make a grunt or yell, then I will do it back, then he does...so on and so forth. It is way too fun for me!His two bottom teeth are huge and a little crooked, but super cute(just for journal purposes I'm not sure I ever mentioned...his first tooth came in at 5months and his second when he was 6 months). He is a really good eater and will try just about anything you put in front of him. His favorite food, or should I say dessert, is Guava. He loves our dog Chewie and all stuffed animals. His latest obsession is shoelaces and water bottles. If you are drinking from a water bottle he will yell until you give it to him. He has a firm grasp on anything he comes in contact with. He is ALL BOY! I love it!

He is such a joy in our lives and he makes life so complete. I get so excited everyday when a little more of his personality comes out.

Happy 7 months baby!

I Finally Did It

My new neighbors have already lived here for over three months and I am just now getting them a welcome gift. Today Camden and I spent all morning making/sampling these melt in your mouth Cream Wafers. They are very simple to make but take a while to cut all of the small shapes out.

hmmmm...I wonder which part he enjoyed more...making, or sampling?When I took a plate over to my neighbor I was a little embarrassed that I had just gotten around to it, but extremely relieved! A welcome gift is always appreciated(at least I hope), no matter how late.

Cream Wafers

2 cups Butter(the real stuff)

2/3 cup whipping cream

4 cups flour

1 small bowl(about 1 cups worth) of granulated sugar

Mix butter, cream, and flour thoroughly. Chill for 1 hour. Roll dough 1/8 inch thick and cut into 1 1/2 inch rounds(I used small shaped cookie cutters). Coat both sides with sugar and place on ungreased baking sheet. Prick in 3-4 places with fork. Bake @ 375 for 8-10 minutes.

Creamy Butter Filling
1 cup soft butter
3 cups powdered sugar
3 tsp. vanilla

Blend together and mix in drops of whipping cream until good consistency to spread on a cookie. Tint with pink or green food coloring.

Put two cooled cookies together with filling. Makes 8-10 dozen

I Need A Nap

Camden is growing up so fast I can hardly believe my eyes. I just finished looking at some pictures taken the day he was born and compared them to now. WOW! It is amazing the difference and growth six(almost seven) months brings.

There are moments when I feel like I was just pregnant, or that I just gave birth. Those moments are usually when I feel clueless about this whole parenting thing. You would think by now I might know why my child barfs all the time, or what sets him off, or what makes him the happiest. But just when I get the hang of it, he moves on to the "next phase" and I am back at square one.

The past few days have been rather trying in the parenting department. Right now I blame it on the fact that Camden's top teeth are coming in. But then again, I think I have been blaming it on that for the past month. He just doesn't nap like he used to, he gets up several times in the night, he is a lot more fussy, he doesn't eat the same, he wants a bottle ALL THE TIME, he poops way too much for my liking. You name it, it's gettin' on my nerves!

So this morning as I was talking myself into getting up out of bed to get my crying child, way before he should've been awake. I couldn't help but think of how LONG these last 6 months have felt. It feels like an eternity since I have had a nap in the middle of the day, or a full nights sleep, or a day of doing nothing with no responsibility, a quite house, sleeping in, running errands quickly. I was feeling so sorry for myself!

That was until I walked into Cam's room and as soon as he saw my face, the crying stopped and a huge smile appeared. And it brought me back to the moment I saw his first smile. Just like it was yesterday.

Funny how time can play tricks on your mind.

Good Deal

So I finally did it. I bought Camden a highchair. He has been needing one for a little while now and I have been putting it off for several reasons. I hate them because they are so big and bulky. I hate the fact that they cost $100 for a cheap one. And last but not least, we don't have the room for one sitting around our kitchen.
So I ended up buying this small and perfect one from IKEA for $19.99. Yep, that's right, less than 20 buckaroos!
Camden loves it. After I put it together I put him in it to see how sturdy it was. As soon as I took him out, he cried hysterically until I put him back in. This might be a good distraction tool when I need 20 minutes to make dinner, that is until the newness wears off I'm sure. But we'll enjoy it while we've got it!

BBQ & Guitar Hero

We got together with the Wright's tonight for a BBQ at their house. It was super yummy!! Afterwords we were all sitting around letting our food digest, when someone came up with the brilliant idea to play guitar hero. So we put the kiddos in their PJ's and came back to our place to jam out.
We stayed up late and had a blast!
Don't mind my beautifully matched PJ's.
Good times! This is probably the only game I have ever played on play station. We were all joking about how irritated I used to get with Dan when he would stay up late and play this game. Until one day he made me try it, and I got hooked. If I knew how to turn the dang thing on I would probably sit in my PJ's and play it all day long.

The Last Supper of 2007

For New Year's Eve we went to dinner with Spencer and Tiffani's family. We had every intention of doing something fun after dinner for one last 2007 hooray! But who were we kidding...Camden barely made it through dinner.
Who takes their kid to dinner with them anyway?!?!?
Yeah for 2007. Welcome 2008!