A Little Time Outside

For Christmas Camden received a mini swing set with an attached slide from my parents. Each side of the box had a bright symbol that said "eazy-peazie to assemble." Not the case! After a couple of hours and a few "colorful" words Brian finally had it put together.



The weather has just recently been nice enough for Camden to get out into the grass and really crawl around. Since being able to do so he's discovered how to climb on his swing set. He loves to slide! We're working on getting him to climb the steps and sit down to do so but he prefers to go head first. He hasn't fallen off yet but I'm sure that time is fast approaching.



I know most all kids loved being outside; and Camden is no exception. He loves picking up leaves from the ground, pulling up blades of grass, watching the trees blow in the wind, and just generally being outdoors. I'm not what you would call an "outdoors" girl but I'm slowly starting to enjoy it a little more each time I take Camden out. Who knows?? I may be out in the woods camping before you know it! LOL

Lions & Tigers & Bears

Last Sunday Brian and I took my Mom, Madison and Camden to the Houston Zoo. We made the drive downtown and after circling the entrance multiple times, (it was under construction and we weren't sure where to enter) finally parked and made our way inside. It was a little chilly and even a tad cold at times but we made our way through almost the entire zoo. We saw tons of animals, went to the petting zoo, road the carousel, at cotton candy and couldn't leave without a stop at the souvenir shop.


Camden loved being outside all snuggled up in his bear hoodie and enjoyed looking at the animals. He even got to pet a goat...which eventually turned into him pulling the goat's hair. lol He loved the carousel and was dancing as it went around. We will definitely have to take him back and let him explore the children's zoo more. He'll be walking and probably even running soon and can really enjoy more of the exhibits then. It was a great way to spend a chilly, overcast afternoon.






We were about to leave when he finally pooped out.

One-Year-Old

Yes, my baby is one...well, actually one year and two days old to be exact. (I'm a little delayed in posting) It's hard to believe that one year has gone by so quickly. The morning of his birthday, as we were eating breakfast, Brian and I were remembering how special, exciting, scary and long that day was. After being induced the night before our healthy 8 pound 4 ounce baby boy arrived at 4:30 in the afternoon. And now that baby isn't a baby anymore...*sigh*...he's now my great big one year old. Happy Birthday Camden!

Playing with the birthday balloons the night before his birthday.

Camden's VIP. Madison and my Mom flew in for his party.

Nothing like a rock for an appetizer!

Yes, that entire cake was just for him.

After a few "nice" bites he finally dug in.

He looks as if he can't eat another bite.

Needless to say...there was cake EVERYWHERE!
He loved it and we did too!

Just a Little MIA

I know it's a very uncharacteristic for me to not post for a couple of days...but two weeks is just down right ridiculous! I've been down with the flu for a week. :( The last week was the worst I have ever felt in my life....Seriously!! I'm feeling better now; just trying to get back into a routine. Also, I've been super busy planning and having Camden's first birthday party!!! Yes, as of today, I have a one-year-old. We had cake, snacks, punch, and presents...the whole nine yards! Those pictures and blog will be up shortly. :)
To those few "readers" I know I have out there in the blog-o-sphere, I'll be back posting again (hopefully regularly) next week. We're off to the zoo tomorrow and the beach on Monday! :)

Exhausted

Camden normally takes his morning nap sometime between 8:30 and 9:00 and sleeps anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half. Today was the exception to that scenario. I laid him down at 8:40 and he was awake at 9:15. Normally I wouldn't worry about it because he'd simply take a longer nap after lunch but we were going to go to lunch with some friends after church and a "normal" nap time wouldn't be possible.

Camden was great during church but started to look a little drowsy after we picked him up from the nursery. He dozed off just a few minutes before arriving at Chili's but was wide awake once we sat down at our table. He ate a really good lunch, "talked" with everyone, played with a couple of straws, and flirted with the people at the tables surrounding us. I knew he had to be getting tired.

We left the restaurant around two o'clock with a very tired little boy. Once in the car he started to doze off. I did my best to keep him awake until we got home so that I could change his diaper and put him to bed...that didn't happen. He was out cold (and I mean COLD) by the time we returned home.

I had to change his diaper before laying him down and was a little nervous about how easily he'd go back to sleep. Fortunately, it wasn't a problem. He never woke up. He was so exhausted he slept through the transition out of the car, through the diaper change and an additional two hours before waking with a big smile!
He was so exhausted...poor baby!

Babysitting Mommy

Today is my first official day of "work." Okay, it's not a desk job and surely isn't 9 to 5 but it's still work. Why kind of work? Babysitting.

I haven't yet decided if or when I'll return to the education field or in which capacity I will do so. I'm still loving every minute of being home with Camden. The opportunity to babysit presented itself at a meeting with our small group from church. A sweet couple we've become friends with recently had a precious baby girl. Both parents work and the daycare at our church, where their older son attends, starts taking children at the age of 18 months. She was telling me about talking to different people and centers that could take Annsley and wasn't satisfied with the level of care they would provide or could not afford their services. After talking to Brian, I offered to keep her during the week when she works. Her days and hours vary so I could understand how it would be hard to find consistent care at a reasonable price. Fortunately, I have the power to be both! :)

Brian and I were interested and a little concerned to see how Camden would react to having another baby in the house. So far he's been excited, has rocked her car seat, touched her nose, crawled to the bassinet when she started to cry and tried to climb into the swing and bouncy chair that he used not too long ago. We thought that it would be a good opportunity for him to be exposed to a baby so that in the future when another baby is coming along that it wont be a completely foreign concept.

The day has gone wonderfully smooth! Annsley arrived at 7:15 when Camden was having breakfast. She was fed and recently changed so after breakfast we all spent a little time playing together before she took a nap at 8. Her nap time gave Camden and I a little time with just the two of us before he took his nap at 9. I was able to switch the laundry around before Annsley was awake at 9:30. At that point she had a bottle and is currently swinging in the baby swing talking to the mobile. Camden is still napping away which gives me this time to catch everyone up on my new job! Let's just keep our fingers and toes crossed that the rest of the day and each day that I have her goes a smoothly! :)

Spaghetti Head

Camden has the tendency to be a picky eater. He'll eat most anything but he doesn't typically eat when and what you want him to. He wants what he wants when he wants it. It goes back to him being extremely strong willed and just a tad stubborn.
(I still claim that he doesn't get it from me)

One thing I've never seen him turn down is spaghetti.
He loves the saucy noodles!


Yea for finding a food he'll eat most any time its in front of him!
Boo for the mess!


(Leave it to me to forget to put on his bib!)