Home Grown Tomatoes

Nolan

2012-01-30T17:40:00.000-08:00

Nolan is 2 and he is so much fun! We took some pictures of the kids recently and this is one of our favorites. He is saying all kinds of sentences. One of my favorites is , "My do it." He loves Diego and likes to pretend that he is Diego. He says that there are all kinds of animals in our house that need to be rescued. It is a lot of fun. He uses a toy ring to be "click" to find the animals in trouble. "This find it." We go to lapsit at the library and he loves to sing songs and read books. He asked everyday last week if we could go to the zoo. He would put his shoes and hat on and say. "Go to zoo see animals NOW mom mom." It was funny. We took him today and he had a blast. His favorite part was seeing the lions and tigers. He has a ton of energy and bounces instead of walking, and loves to play with play-doh. He has gotten picky about his food. He has better things to do than sit down and eat :) He loves to "make food" with his grill and play food. He makes sure that everybody gets a "dog dog." Also, if anybody is feeling sick, Dr. Nolan is there to listen to their heart and give them a shot. Nolan loves to play with his tools. He puts his tool belt on and works on a lot of things around the house with Cam. He isn't interested in going to the bathroom in the potty but he sure likes to talk about how he will get candy when he finally does!

Get Away

2012-01-24T10:02:00.000-08:00

Jake and I went on an overnight getaway over the weekend. It was so much fun! We saved our Christmas money so it was so nice to just relax and enjoy everything and not worry about the money we were spending. We had a really yummy meal at Biaggis, got a breakfast buffet with out hotel, did some shopping, and went to Chipotle for lunch. Jake and I had so much fun we decided we would do it again.....................next weekend :) Just teasing, but we will definately take the time to do that more often.

Nolan and the hairdryer

2012-01-22T19:14:00.000-08:00

I was drying my hair one day while Nolan was watching a movie. He came into the bathroom, pointed at the hairdryer so I shut it off to see what he needed. He proceeded to tell me, "too woud, mom mom." The hairdryer was too loud and he was unable to hear his show. I giggled to myself and ever since then, whenever I am drying my hair, he comes to the bathroom with a very serious look, telling me the hairdryer is too loud, and I pretend to be surprised and apologetic. I love it! He makes me smile so much!

Cam's 5th birthday and playing outside!

2012-01-20T08:52:00.000-08:00

Cameron asked for mac n cheese, cottage cheese, applesauce, and chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting for his birthday, so that is what we had on his birthday!

We went to Choo Choo Johnny's with all the boys to celebrate! Very exciting to have the train bring a special birthday cup of ice cream!

Daddy feeding Austin a bottle.

Cam and Nolan play together a ton. They also drive each other crazy :) Cameron likes to push Nolan's buttons and Nolan likes to be over dramatic!

Austin at 3 months!

We had a few mild days last week and we took advantage of them! We got these kiddos outside to play. It was really nice to get some fresh air.

My walking gang......

The weather went from being very mild to snow the next day! So, we played in that, too!

Jake put Nolan to work cleaning up the backyard!

Cameron chose to have a Woody birthday party. We had a great time celebrating his birthday! Aunts, Uncles, cousins, grandparents, and great grandparents came to celebrate with us!

Our nephew Henri looking so much like his dad (my brother, Keith)

Cam and his cowboy cake.....and his new remote Percy of course.

Austin is big stuff sitting in the bumbo! He enjoys watching his older brothers play around.

Christmas 2011

2012-01-19T16:45:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve just before our church service

Cameron wanted to take this picture of Austin

The boys got a tool bench from Santa!

Nolan also got a baby that he named "baby Austin doll." He takes very good care of his baby and like to hold him, sleep with him, and feed him. He even wears Austin's bibs. Pretty cute.

Cameron got a talking Thomas train.

Christmas at Grandma and Papa R's

Pax looked at his Angry Birds calendar forever

Kynadi tried out her new stroller for her baby

Grandma and Austin with his new taggie she made. It is adorable!

Hanging out with Aunt Jen

Kynadi and Lydia having a snack

Austin has rolled over from belly to back! He did this around Christmas time when he was 2 1/2 months old

We also had other Christmas gatherings with my family! Here is a pic from Lindsey of my parents and their 6 grandsons!

Then the whole family! We are so thankful for all of our family!

Austin 2 months and taking Cam and Nolan to the zoo

2012-01-19T16:32:00.000-08:00

Lilly wasn't feeling well.......

It seems Austin resembles Cameron quite a bit

Austin weighed 12.1 pounds at his 2 month appointment

Jake and I took Cam and Nolan to Brookfield Zoo to see the Christmas lights. They seemed to enjoy themselves.

Nolan was terrified of santa. He walked away a minute so Nolan could calm down.

One of the buildings had a train layout it in. The boys were very excited to see this and it gave us a good chance to warm up inside!

They were some amazing trains!

Christmas Tree Trimming and Austin 6 weeks

2012-01-19T14:10:00.000-08:00

We are getting some smiles from this little boy! It sure does melt your heart...

Nolan was obsessed with a Baby Einstein movie that has a bee in it. So much so, that I made him a paper bee (it is missing some parts now). He loved that thing! The bee had to help us decorate the Christmas tree!

working very hard.....

when we first turned the tree on......

"I wanna put the bell on!"

A couple more of Austin.....(1 month old)

2012-01-19T12:21:00.000-08:00

Playing in the leaves! (from Nov 2011)

2012-01-19T12:18:00.000-08:00

Cameron enjoyed raking the leaves

Nolan enjoyed using his golf club

What a fun day!

Austin pics (almost 1 month old)

2012-01-19T12:05:00.000-08:00

I promised myself that I would take lots of pictures of our Austin so here are a few we took just playing around..

showing a dimple

so tired......

Nolan's 2nd Birthday (from Nov 2011)

2012-01-19T11:57:00.000-08:00

Nolan turned 2 on October 5, but Jake and I spent the night in the hospital that night with contractions and being monitored. We had a dynomite party for Nolan in November and he seemed to have a very nice time!

He was very excited about all of his presents, but really enjoyed the Elmo. He still sleeps with it every day

Our niece, Kynadi, was very excited about the balloons

Happy Birthday to our sweet, full of energy, hilarious, fun loving little boy! Love you so much buddy!

Austin at 3 weeks. His head was looking better in this picture..

Happy Halloween! (from Oct 2011)

2012-01-19T11:48:00.000-08:00

The boys dressed up as Thing 1, Thing 2, and Thing 3 this year. It was so much fun! Cameron and Nolan were really into the trick or treating.

Austin was a little upset about being Thing 3........

Nolan was adorable. I ordered them bags with their names on it to reuse each year and it was bigger than he was :) Jake and I wish we had him on video running around with his wig flopping!

Stopping at home to grab some mittens....

Classic Nolan......

Two of the cutest things I have ever seen riding in the wagon!

Austin still wasn't too thrilled about being Thing 3....

Jake hanging out with his boys

Austin 2 weeks and playing outside! (from Oct 2011)

2012-01-19T09:44:00.000-08:00

Nolan enjoys fingerpainting these days!

Enjoying a warmer day!

Looking at these pics from our backyard makes me super excited about this spring! Can't wait!

Austin's first bath and bottle and pumkin carving (from Oct 2011)

2012-01-19T09:38:00.000-08:00

Austin hated his first bath, just as his other two brothers did. He still doesn't really like it, but it is getting a little better :)

When Austin was 2 weeks old, he had to have a CT scan on his brain. The Dr was concerned about the shape of his head and the size of his soft spots. The results came back looking very positive and to that, we give God all the glory. I will never forget how scary it was that morning. Austin was down very low in the birth canal for quite awhile and his head was molded at this oblong shape. Usually newborns heads are able to reshape after two weeks, but his was not. We are thankful his test results came back clear and his head was more to the shape it should have been at his 1 month appointment.

Cameron gave Austin his first bottle. Austin took it great and Cam couldn't have been more proud to have that responsibility

Jake carved a pumpkin with Cam and Nolan and they had so much fun!

Cameron wasn't too sure about the slimy feeling.

Nolan dug right in!

making the design......

the finished product!

Visitors and life with Austin (from Oct 2011)

2012-01-19T09:24:00.000-08:00

Grandpa and Grandma B came to visit us when we got home from the hospital.

The boys hanging out and watching Mickey Mouse

Nolan wasn't too sure of Austin at first. It was quite funny when we brought Austin home. He did a double take like, "what is he doing here? I thought you might leave him at the hospital...." He has adjusted better than I ever thought he would and he definitely has the father instincts and loves to help take care of his baby brother

It has been so nice to have a room finished in the basement. The boys love to spend time down there. Cameron enjoys designing train layouts.

Austin Jacob

2012-01-18T13:47:00.000-08:00

He is here! Austin Jacob joined our family on Friday, October 14, 2011. After some time on bed rest, weeks of contractions, a couple trips to the hospital for false labor, this little guy came! We couldn't have been happier to have our third son join us. He was born at 9:40 pm, 6lbs 10oz, and 19.5 in long. He was perfect!

Cam was very eager to meet his little brother....

Nolan was very eager to come and eat my food.....

These 4 boys are such a blessing

Grandma was here to help out with the older boys!

Nolan trying to dry the rain.........

Camping, Preschool, and Brotherly Love

2012-01-18T12:47:00.000-08:00

My parents have a camper and they spend their weekends during the warmer weather camping. Jake and I were able to bring the boys camping in September and we all had a great time. The boys had fun playing games outside, going on scavenger hunts, grilling out, blowing bubbles, and sleeping in the bunk beds. Here are a few pics!

Cameron and Nolan love spending time together these days. Here are a few pics of them hanging out :)

Cam is off to preschool again for another year! He was very excited to go back and is doing great!

Jake took Cam to Cornfest to ride the big ferris wheel. He loved it and wasn't scared at all!

Catching Up

2012-01-18T11:45:00.000-08:00

It's been 4 months since I last posted and so much has happened! I am going to do my best to catch up and share a bit of our lives. I know it will be so nice to have this to look back on someday. So many precious moments happen every single day and I just want to cherish them and remember them.

Summer?

2011-09-10T13:23:00.000-07:00

Okay, so time got away from me, just a little bit. The summer was wonderful and flew by as always. We spent our time in our backyard, at splashparks, playing with friends, spending time with family, watching fireworks, going on walks, eating popsicles, and getting ready for our new little man to arrive.

Cameron is 4 1/2 going on 16. He is back in preschool and seems very happy to be back. He loves to read books, play with Nolan, and play games. He has been very helpful in getting ready for his brother. He kisses my stomach every day and even asks to play with him. Without fail, the baby always kicks back and makes Cam giggle very hard. Cameron cant wait to visit him at the hospital and eat all my deserts. He even got the bassinet loaded up for us the other night and is such a wonderful big brother to Nolan, I know he is gonna do amazing with another brother.

Nolan thinks he is 4 1/2 but is just about 2. He is talking more everyday and tries to repeat most words we say, but only if he is in the mood. He still loves his cat, Lilly, and loves to say her name. He is into dinosaurs, cars, and playing pretend with his toys. he loves to wrapt them up like babies and feed them and give them drinks and let them watch tv! Nolan has gotten a ton of teeth the past 6 months but has been a good sport through it all. He is in a big boy bed and he and Cam still share a room. We usually have to stop the party at night at least once but they do great and Nolan still naps wonderfully. He loves to point to my tummy and seems excited about his little brother coming. I am sure he is looking forward to having somebody else to take some orders besides him :)

A good friend of ours took some family pics recently so I thought I would post some of them.

Florida

2011-06-20T17:51:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to Florida for our vacation this year! We were so excited to see Jen, Joel, Evan, and Lydia! We were also looking forward to spending some time at the beach. It went a little differently than we thought but that's what happens sometimes with kids! We missed our flight and spent about 7 extra hours in the airport (which I am sure we will never forget). Cam got a viral infection giving him a fever and canker sores in his throat, Nolan got the same thing a couple nights later, and I got a sinus infection myself. For everything that went on, we were still thankful for our trip and got some great pictures to show for it. Here are a few.....

Cam's pre school graduation!

2011-05-24T17:42:00.000-07:00

Cameron went to pre school this year. It was a great program for him. It was at the high school and high school students did the teaching. It was a great experience for him. He will go back to the same pre school next year and he is already excited about that. Today, we got to go to a graduation for him. It was pretty cute. They sang some songs and even got little diplomas. Here are a few pics of our morning!

rocks

2011-05-13T19:43:00.001-07:00

Nolan loves rocks! I am pretty sure his interest started after his trips to the river. He loves to throw a rock in, step to the left, and flap. Everytime we go outside he picks up rocks from our landscaping and takes them with him everywhere. Some places the past couple days Nolan has brought his rocks are to Walgreens, the church, Jewel, and he is constantly trying to sneak them in the house. I love it! We do have to watch him because he threw a rock in the pool and barely missed Cam!!!

Nolan's first time to the river and Mother"s Day

2011-05-08T17:48:00.000-07:00

A couple days ago, Nolan had his first trip to the river. Cam has loved to go there since we moved here and I figured Nolan would love it the same. He sure did!

This is a picture of him having his snack after throwing rocks in the river and he wanted to throw his fruit snacks in the river, too! Yikes!

Cam was telling Nolan he had to stay behind the line that he drew for him!

He flaps just like his brother does after throwing a rock in!

New Addition

2011-04-04T12:49:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard yet, we have a new addition coming to our family in October! We are all very excited! Cam kisses the baby about 5 times a day and Nolan even points to my tummy whenever he hears the word "baby." They will be awesome big brothers. We got to see the baby on an ultrasound last week and Cam loves to show people pics of "his baby." Almost out of the first trimester! Here are a few pics of the boys. Cam has been busy riding his bike and also got to see some rail cars when he stayed with Grandpa and Grandma R. He had a blast and Nolan loved the attention he got when Cam was gone, but they did miss each other!

2011-03-13T17:43:00.000-07:00

Cameron
is hilarious to say the least! He has an awesome sense of humor and I find myself laughing at things with him all the time. He loves his new train, Gordon, which he saved up to buy. He says that he is "getting into the color blue" which is a change from the color green that has been his favorite forever. He loves to eat yogurt and granola bars. Cameron is an amazing brother and is always looking for ways he can help out his brother.

Nolan
is 17 1/2 months old. He has 4 teeth. 2 front top and 2 front bottom. It is still funny to see him with teeth. He says "uh oh" about 300 million times a day. He is also saying "mom mom" quite a bit. Yesterday was the first time he called for me when he woke up. So sweet. We play hide n seek and he says "boo" when he comes out of hiding. He is still obsessed with Lilly and harasses her all day. He loves to help us work in the basement and doesn't like when we have to come back upstairs. He loves his daddy lots and never lets him get too far away in the house.

Jake
is working hard. He is a great youth minister and its fun seeing him plan all the trips this summer even though it means we will be missing him lots then. He has been working really hard in the basement. He just about has the front living room completed. I am so proud of him and all the work he does for our family and what he is learning to do.

Melissa
is keeping busy with Cam at preschool and Nolan doing lap sit at the library. I also help coordinate the preschool ministry at church with a good friend. It's a great ministry and I love seeing the sweet little children understand what it means to help other kids out by raising money for kids in Haiti. When I get a few free minutes, I enjoy reading books. Warmer days are coming and we look forward to getting outside to play and do some more work outside on the house we didn't get to last year.

2011-03-02T09:01:00.000-08:00

Today was really nice. We are loving the sunshine and spent some time out on the deck this morning. I have a feeling we are gonna be spending a lot of time out there this spring, summer, and fall! Here are a couple pics of the boys. Cameron had been saving up money to get Gordon, the train and he finally bought him this week. He hasn't been into trains for awhile, but now "he is getting into them again."

Nolan loves his slinky and I love this because you can see his front tooth and the one next to it about through!

Nolan thinks it is his sole responsibility to run the tv. If I say it is time to shut it off or tell Cam we are shutting it off if he isn't a good listener, Nolan sprints to the tv and shuts it off.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss! We made a hat in honor of you

On Monday, we were able to see some of the cars from the new movie CARS coming out. Keith had a hookup and invited us with. The boys had fun seeing their cousins and the cars were really neat. Lots of detail. We also found out that Nolan is terrified on elevators that night. He has a breakdown when the doors close. Poor little man.

Cam and Hunter and the new car

Nolan thought he was one of the big boys

Mater was really cool

Lindsey will probably have some better pictures on her blog. We had some flash issues :( We are all healthy and loving life. The boys couldn't love each other more if they tried and Jake and I are so blessed to have them in our lives!

Hollywood Star

2011-02-25T10:19:00.001-08:00

Cam learned about Hollywood at school this week and he brought home a book. This is what it said:

I'm a star because "I don't know"

My favorite color in Hollywood would be "green"

To get to Hollywood I would take "my blue bike"

My favorite food in Hollywood would be "french fries"

I would bring "my family" with me to Hollywood

In Hollywood, I would wear "shoes"

Christmas 2010

2011-01-27T08:04:00.000-08:00

Cameron, Hunter, and Hayden had fun jumping around in grandma and papa"s basement!

Cam and Nolan, Hunter, Hayden, and Henri

Lydia and Nolan

The boys with Grandma Edi

Kynadi eating Lydia

We took the boys to Brookfield Zoo to see all the Christmas lights. It was really neat! and cold :)

Ball pit Christmas morning

Nolan was thrilled

Two of the most awesome boys I know

Lydia Mae

2011-01-05T12:52:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to our son, Cameron! We can't believe you are 4 today. We had no idea how much we would love you and each day with you makes the world a better place! Love you lots, little man!

mommy and daddy

a couple things i dont want to forget.....

2010-12-16T10:39:00.001-08:00

~Nolan gives the best hugs! Who knew a 1 year old could hug like that!

~Lilly should get some kind of award for putting up with Nolan picking her up by pulling her hair!

~Cam kisses Nolan about 40 times a day and he can never get enough Nolan kisses!

~Cam loves to talk about poop and it is so hard to be serious and tell him we dont need to talk about poop all day long!

~Nolan loves his glow-worm and Cameron loves the book "The Wriggly, Wriggly Baby"

~If Nolan is out of my sight for more than 2 seconds I can usually find him, messing with the christmas tree, helping himself to the snack drawer, trying to turn the oven on, taking off his sock and laughing about it, or pulling chunks out of Lilly's fur.

Just so I never forget......

2010-12-05T17:39:00.001-08:00

So many times Jake and I talk about how fast time goes by. Lately we have been trying to slow down and enjoy it all.

Its hard to believe that Jake and I met each other 10 years ago. Sometimes it feels like we have known each other forever and sometimes we surprise each other by learning something new about the other person. Either way, I am so thankful for Jake and the life we live. He is such a blessing.

Cam sang in church this morning. He sang a song about what the cow, sheep, and donkey said to baby Jesus. He did great and was adorable to say the least. Cam is learning so much. He is really interested in puzzles and Little Einsteins but drops it all if Nolan wants to play tag or hide n seek. Cameron is really into Christmas this year and stood in awe watching the snow fall this weekend. Nothing is sweeter than watching him take it all in.

Nolan is 14 months old today and is still toothless. They should be arriving soon. Nolan loves to eat...just about everything. And what he doesnt like to eat, he will eat it with ketchup. He is walking a lot, but still prefers to crawl a lot, just because he can move pretty quickly. Nolan loves our Christmas tree and loves to test us with it. He loves to be overly dramatic and try to get cam in trouble. He is gonna take after Cam and flap his arms when he is excited. Sometimes I just sit and laugh at the boys as they flap and are so happy.

We are slowly making our house more of our own. We love to make the changes and are so thankful to have this place.

We look forward to sharing the next few weeks with our church, family, and friends!

2010-11-23T13:55:00.001-08:00

A funny Nolan story:

Today, I asked Nolan if he wanted to play with his ramp and he got really excited and went over to our lamp and grabbed it. He thought I said "lamp" like I had changed the rules suddenly and let him play with the lamp. He was a little bummed when I told him I said "ramp"

Nolans 1st birthday!

2010-10-14T07:46:00.000-07:00

Nolan is 1

2010-10-07T18:36:00.001-07:00

Hard to believe it, but sweet little Nolan is 1. What a quick year. He is a lot of fun these days. He is cruising around the house and tries climbing up on us when we sit on the floor and play. He is signing "more" and "all done" and loves playing hide and seek. Still no teeth. A couple prospects but they are slow in coming through. Nolan loves to play with his big brother. He gets so excited when I tell him its time to pick Cam up from school. He hates socks and pulls them off after about 3 seconds. Shoes are even worse :o) Nolan is eating a lot of new foods. When he is hungry he comes over and grabs our toes. He loves to help with laundry whether it being throwing my folded clothes on the floor, emptying my baskets, or handing me clothes to fold. He loves to drop everything he can and say "uhh" and also says "mommom." Nolan loves to play on the swingset and laughs when Cam swings with him. He loves to be outside and play with bubbles and go for walks (even if he does drop his socks on the way when I dont notice). He loves his friend, Bearhead, and always sleeps with him by his side. He is a blessing and we sure love our Noli (as Cam would say)

2010-09-30T09:21:00.000-07:00

2010-09-26T17:57:00.000-07:00

We live pretty close to some railroad tracks. Cam couldnt love it anymore! Everytime we go over the tracks he always says the same thing.

"That tickled my tummy a little bit. Did it tickle your tummy, mommy and Nolan?"

Tonight he thought he needed to answer for us. In a high pitched voice he said "it tickled my tummy a little bit. that was Nolan"

and in a very low manly voice he said, "that tickled my tummy a little bit too. That was you, mommy"

too funny

2010-09-23T08:28:00.000-07:00

Hair Cut

2010-08-28T08:45:00.000-07:00

Nolan's hair was getting pretty long and was just really hot for him so he got another haircut. This one made him look like such a big boy!

2010-08-21T12:31:00.000-07:00

The summer has flown by and I can't believe we are already into August, the end of August. Jake was gone a lot traveling and we are very happy to have him back with us. Cameron is 3 1/2 now and is a pretty big deal. He likes to ride his bike, play on his swingset, and play with his friends and family. Nolan is almost 11 months old and is crawling, pulling up, and just starting to cruise. Much sooner than Cam and he is going to be a handful! Here are a few pictures from the past couple months.

Jake and the boys celebrating his 29th birthday!

The boys dressing up like Scrappy Doo for a birthday party!

Jake and I dressed up like Velma and Shaggy to go with them

The boys love to play together.......most of the time

We went to a splash pad and there was a night out against crime. There were free games, food, and even a train for the kids to ride. Cam was in heaven!

He even had to put out a fire

We took a little trip to starved rock last week! Cam was a better hiker than Nolan

2010-06-23T14:07:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics! Last week, the Shedd Aquarium was free so we took a trip there and it was fun. Cameron really enjoyed seeing all the fish and his favorite was the puffer fish. Finally, we are getting a little sunshine, so we have been out and enjoying it!

Bad cough

2010-06-13T18:23:00.000-07:00

Nolan's been pretty sick lately. It's a cough. It's so bad that Cam caught it. You better just see it for yourself!

Home Sweet Home

2010-06-02T08:20:00.000-07:00

Well, we are in our home and we are so happy! We just love having a place to ourselves and the boys are happy, too! Cameron and Nolan are growing up too fast. They just love each other so much! I love watching them play together. I don't have much time now, but just wanted to share this sweet picture!

Big News

2010-05-11T09:15:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard yet, we are homeowners! Jake and I closed on our first home a couple weeks ago and we couldn't be more excited. We celebrate our 6 year anniversary this month and it just exciting to have a place of our own. Of course, it was all in God's plan and timing. We almost got a house last summer, but things kept going wrong. That's because we were supposed to get this house! We are in the process of painting, cleaning, packing and all that jazz. We are pretty excited and exhausted at the same time. The boys have been pretty good sports and Cameron is really into picking out paint colors and using his tools to help out around the house.

Just wanted to share the news. We have been blessed in so many ways and for that we could not be any more thankful. I will try to get some pictures up when we get more settled. We will be in the house by the end of May. Just a couple weeks away!

The Zoo

2010-04-20T12:21:00.000-07:00

We got a membership to the zoo this year. It's silly not to because by the time you pay for everybody and parking, you may as well buy the membership. What a great deal! We will take advantage of this for sure. We took our first trip a couple weeks ago and it was fun. Cameron was really into the animals. His loved the silly monkeys and the penguins. We can't wait to go back again soon!

2010-04-08T08:26:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from Easter weekend. It was pretty busy, but it was fun. Cameron had a blast coloring eggs this year and couldn't have been more excited about the silly bunny hiding them from him. We had a great time celebrating about how Jesus is alive and spending time with our families.

2010-03-29T20:11:00.000-07:00

The weather is getting nicer and that means that we are out enjoying it. We took a walk to the park this afternoon and then to the library to pick out our movie for family night. Cameron thinks it's pretty cool when we pick a movie out and eat popcorn while we watch it. Tonight, our choice was Pinocchio. Cameron kept asking "where is nocchio." Too cute.

Here are some pictures from our evening.

Somebody is looking like his daddy!

Nolan took some time to pose for a picture! Can't believe he is almost 1/2 a year old......

2010-03-23T09:44:00.001-07:00

And you thought you had a bad hair day......

2010-03-19T13:16:00.000-07:00

Nolan is eating solids and he is pretty big stuff. He screams between bites, which I am told is what Jake did when he was a baby! He is already over 18 pounds!

We went to the river for a picnic with friends this morning and it was a gorgeous day. We look forward to many more.....maybe after the snow we get tomorrow!

2010-03-14T17:39:00.000-07:00

Jake and I took the boys to the Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells for a night last week. We had a great time. There were 4 indoor waterparks and a huge play park. Cameron had a great time. Nolan enjoyed the lazy river and riding in his stroller. Here are some pics from our little trip. (we had a mishap putting them on the computer so we lost about 1/2 of them)

The indoor play park had machines that shot balls out of cannons and blew them everywhere. Cameron thought it was the coolest thing ever.

Nolan was pretty happy with his brother pushing him around!

Cam entered in a duck race!

and won! He was pretty proud of himself!

2010-03-02T11:28:00.000-08:00

We are healthy and boy is it nice! It was rough for a little while. We went through croup, RSV, tonsillitis, ear infections, and throat infections. Jake somehow made it out without a scratch! I think it's the vitamins he is taking! The boys are back to their old selves and it is wonderful.

We are excited about spring and the season of life that we are in.

Cameron is growing up so fast. He loves the preschool class at the library and does an excellent job going in by himself with his friends and coming out for craft time at the end. He did tell me today that his teacher had to ask him to sit down and it sounds like he had a disagreement with a buddy about who was going to be the caboose at the end of the line when leaving the room. :o) He is really into games and activity books. He loves to learn and really pays attention when I work with him. He keeps a close eye on Nolan and loves sharing a room with him. Most of the time.

Nolan is doing something new every day. He loves to squeal. He is really good at it, too. I took Nolan to lapsit this morning when Cam was in class and Nolan did great. He really watched the teacher and listened to the books. His favorite was probably pat-a-cake. He will be 5 months old this week, which is really hard to believe. He laughs out loud at Cameron and it makes me laugh out loud!

We are all anxious for spring to arrive. It will be great to enjoy the fresh air and not have to worry about bundling up the kids every time we go somewhere. We have big plans of taking walks, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, golf, swimming, and soaking up the sun. Until then, we will continue to have our picnics on our kitchen floor, make tents, and ride our motorcycle in the basement!

Here are a couple pics of the boys this week!

2010-02-24T19:07:00.000-08:00

I hope this sweet baby brings a smile to your day!

2010-02-18T16:22:00.000-08:00

This was a conversation that took place today.

me: what should I have for lunch today, Cam

cam: hmm, how about some pizza

me: yeah, I thought about that, but I don't want to make the whole pizza just for me and you won't eat any

cam: what about spaghetti

me: that's a good idea, but I don't have any meat defrosted

cam: I know, what about peanut buter and jelly

me: yeah, that sounds like a good idea, thanks, Cam

cam: you're welcome, mommy

Snow through the eyes of a 3 year old....

2010-02-09T10:38:00.000-08:00

I know, I just posted last night and I am doing it again! The truth is, I just realized my internet works in the kitchen (today anyway) so I am able to do this while making my grilled cheese sandwiches! It's the little things in life...... :o)

This morning we woke up to snow and Cam has been waiting for more snow so he could play in it. During Nolan's nap, we went outside to play. Cameron loved it. He has been in it before but this time he really got to touch it and crunch his snow boots through it. It was awesome. Here are a few pics

2010-02-08T16:46:00.000-08:00

We have been keeping busy! This past weekend I took some high school girls to a conference in Lincoln. It was a lot of fun and I am so glad I was able to take them. It was also nice to just get away for a night. Jake stayed home with the boys and did an awesome job taking care of them, just as I knew he would. He had fun doing it and I know the boys loved it, too.

Nolan is 4 months and about 16.8 pounds. Cam was close to 17 pounds at 4 months, too. I love the chunkiness. Nolan had his shots today and it was sad. He is trying to be a good sport, but we can tell he is uncomfortable. Here are a couple of pics of what the boys have been up to.

Cameron is introducing Nolan to Thomas. Nolan sat and listened to him reading the book. Nolan just adores his big brother!

Cameron wanted to join Nolan for tummy time tonight! I don't know which one of them had more fun!

2010-01-31T20:28:00.000-08:00

We survived! The flu hit us pretty good. Cam got it last weekend and then I ended up getting it from him. It was nasty, but I hope we are all fully recovered. We shall see. We spent a lot of time playing games, doing crafts, and reading books this week. Cameron is at such a fun age. I can ask him what happened on a show, and he can tell me. If Nolan is crying when they are in bed, Cam says "It's okay baby Nolan. You will be okay." We had a game night at youth group tonight and I love that Cam brought Candy Land, sat in the middle of the floor, got it out, and students sat right down with him to play. I'm sure he won. He usually does!

Nolan is lots of fun. He laughs a lot! He watches us constantly, still thinks the world is just so awesome that he has to fight sleep. Not every time, but often. Here are a couple pics of Nolan I took this afternoon. He is changing so much!

Go Pink

2010-01-24T21:07:00.000-08:00

Jake is a coach for the youth team at our church and he thought it would be cool to pick hot pink shirts. Here we are supporting our youth team before the game on Saturday. On the way home, Nolan started to fuss and Cam said, "I think he is sad because he wants to go back to the pink."

I can't help but share these.......

2010-01-14T18:57:00.000-08:00

Christmas

2010-01-09T19:05:00.000-08:00

The boys and I had a very blessed Christmas. We spent time with each of our families and our friends and made some wonderful memories. We are so blessed to have the friends, family, and church that we do. Here are some pictures that helped capture some of our memories!

My chunky monkey, Nolan

Papa and Evan

Nolan flashing that sweet smile

Pax was thrilled to get that new phone

"What's going on? I just want to eat."

Cute picture of Hunter!

Sleepy Hayden

Chunky Monkey

Santa didn't forget to bring Cameron "Ben"

Cam loved his new game, Cariboo Cranium.

The best picture we could get!

Thank you to all of our friends and family for sharing in this time of year with us. Jen and Jodi will have to share some more pictures from our trip to Florida because our camera battery died early on in the trip!

First Sled of the Season

2009-12-21T16:35:00.000-08:00

Cameron wanted to go sledding today and he had a blast! He went down by the river and slid down a hill by himself. What a big boy!

Nolan is about 2 1/2 months old and is just a lot of fun. He is in watching his brother play with the choo choos. I think we have another fan!

Interview with Cameron

2009-12-18T10:36:00.000-08:00

Cam can really carry a conversation so I thought it would be fun to interview him. I have seen this done before and thought it would be cute. This is what I got!

What is your name? Cameron

How old are you? 3 (almost)

When is your birthday? Percy party

Do you have a brother? yeah

What is his name? baby Nolan

What do you like to play with? choo choo's on the computer (watching them on you tube)

What is your favorite color? green

Who are some of your friends? um, my teachers, Nolani, Luchi, Braydon

What is your favorite movie? Polar Express

What is your favorite book? Crack in the Track

What do you want to be when you grow up? um, I don't know

What do you like to do at church? play toys

If you could be any train, who would it be? Percy and Thomas

Do you take naps? yeah Why? When I wake up in the morning, I play

What do you want for Christmas? Ben and batteries

What is mommy getting for Christmas? coal Did daddy tell you to say that? yeah, mommy

Do you know how much I love you? I love you, mommy

Santa and Smiling

2009-12-13T20:21:00.000-08:00

We took the boys to see Santa Claus this weekend. Cameron was a little shy, but sat on his lap and asked for batteries for his trains. He also told Santa he was getting Ben (the train). He is, but it was so funny because he was so matter of fact about it. Nolan did great with Santa, too. He didn't have much to say to Santa. Here are some pictures.

Nolan is getting to be a pretty smiley boy. He is happiest first thing in the morning and he also gets really excited and smiles a lot at Cameron. Here are some cute pictures of the smiles!

Chunky Monkey

2009-12-09T06:38:00.000-08:00

Nolan went to his 2 month app. yesterday. Right now he is about 13.2 lbs and 22.5 in long. He was in the 80 percentile for weight. He is shorter and heavier than Cam was at 2 months and Nolan started out almost a whole pound lighter!

2 months

2009-12-06T13:29:00.001-08:00

Nolan is two months already! He goes for his checkup on Tuesday and I will be sure to share what his stats are then. I am sure he has gained a couple of pounds in the past couple of months. He is starting to be more aware of everything and hates to be put down. If he sees me anywhere in the room and I am not holding him, he whimpers. He is getting things figured out! He loves to fight sleep in fear that he may miss something amazing. Here are a couple of pics.

Decorating

2009-12-02T19:47:00.000-08:00

We put up our tree on Monday. Cameron had a BLAST. He loved hanging up the ornaments and loves our little snowman even more. When he is not busy picking out his toe jam he is busy talking to and playing with the little snowman. I love that kid.

Name that boy

2009-11-23T10:41:00.000-08:00

The boys are really starting to resemble each other. Especially since Nolan's eyes are getting more blue. Just for fun, who is baby #1 and who is baby #2?

Mondays

2009-11-10T08:44:00.000-08:00

I love Mondays. I know most people dread them, but I love them. Mondays are our family day. Jake works a lot on Sunday because he is a youth minister. Sometimes those days can be really long and I have to refill my patience lots of times by the time I get the boys ready for church, take them, do lunch, naps, supper, and bedtime and look forward to about 9 to have Jake come home and we can connect with each other about our days. I see him throughout the day at church and at our youth program but we always connect with the students and other people then! Yesterday was a great Monday. We got some family pictures taken in the beautiful weather and then Jake took me out for dinner. After I have a baby he always does something sweet as a way of thanking me. With Cam I got some amazing flowers and this time we went to Olive Garden. We had our date last night by ourselves and it was so nice to just be together and eat. I ate way too much and I loved it!

Here are a few pictures from our family day yesterday! Enjoy

1 month

2009-11-06T09:32:00.000-08:00

The weeks are flying by! Nolan is a month old and Cam will be turning three in just 2 months. Cameron is planning a Thomas birthday party and is trying to get Nolan to play with something new every day. Today, I think he tried to get Nolan to blow a train whistle. Nolan is getting to be a little chunk!

Sorry, the words are a little off, I can't seem to get it right!

2009-11-03T13:46:00.000-08:00

It's been a great week. The boys are feeling better and Cameron is loving on Nolan more and more. He asked me last night if I could make Nolan talk. I told him he would have to help me teach him! He likes his one-on-one time, but he also loves having the company!

Jake and I finally got a van this weekend and we absolutely love it. It is so nice with having a couple of kids. We got to spend some time with Hunter and Hayden while we were making van arrangments and the two big brothers took some time to pose with their little brothers!

Cameron wanted to be Thomas for Halloween, again. So, he was and he loved it! Hunter was Thomas, too and Hayden was Sir Topham Hat!

Uncle Brian stopped over for a visit last week and it was great to see him. Cam loved playing with him and showing him some of his library books and trains.

Nolan is filling out even more and his eyes seem to be looking more blue. We will have to see if they darken up anymore!

2009-10-24T13:54:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it is the end of October already. Time is flying by. Here are a few pictures from the past couple of weeks!

2009-10-13T16:31:00.000-07:00

I have a few min and some good internet connection so I thought I would put up some more pictures! Nolan is awesome and is a really good baby. He is filling out quickly and loves to eat. Cameron is excited about Nolan, most of the time, and loves to rub his hair and cheek. It has been an adjustment for him to share mom and dad but he is doing better than I thought he would do. He always asks for baby Nolan to sleep in his crib at night in their room and I have to tell him that when he is a little older he will. Enjoy the pictures!

He's here!

2009-10-06T10:14:00.000-07:00

Nolan Joseph
Born Oct. 5, 2009 @ 5:30 P.M.

6lbs 8oz.

19 1/4 in. long

Everyone is doing great!

2009-09-03T11:49:00.000-07:00

We have had a good time enjoying the nice weather lately. We took Cam to the train station in town and he had a lot of fun. No trains went through, though. We also went fishing earlier in the week and got a new mitt from a garage sale. We had a picnic for lunch yesterday down at the river and Cam got to try out the new mitt!

2009-08-18T11:36:00.000-07:00

I am going to try and catch up on the month of August. Jake started the month off with a week of Jr High camp. It was a great week and Cam and I met the students at the water park for some good summer fun. I turned 27, Jake is 28, and Cam says he is 21. We also went to a carnival at a local church. It was very toddler friendly and Cam had a great time. He got his face painted again and he doesn't even blink when they are trying to paint it. Here are a few pics from the water park and the carnival.

We also went to a wedding. The first of 3 in the next month. It was great to see friends and catch up and Cam broke it down on the dance floor. He had a pretty good fit when we left. Here are a few pictures of Cam dancing and entertaining himself!

Cameron still seems very excited about the upcoming arrival of Nolan. We were running errands today and he said, "Come on momma and Nolan!"

We celebrated Hayden's first birthday! He loved his cake and dug right in. He also loved his new zebra toy!

Jake, Cam, and I went to the Bears training camp. Cameron had no idea where he was, but it was neat to take him anyway.

This weekend we had Jake's family over. Cameron had fun playing with his cousins, grandparents, and aunts and uncles. Here are a few different pictures from the weekend

We wanted to take Cam to a splash park. Jake found a great one online and we had a great time. There were lots of things to keep Cameron cool and busy.

Church Picnic

2009-08-03T05:47:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of our little puppy. We had a church picnic today and it was a lot of fun. The weather was perfect and we had a great time. Things have been pretty busy lately but I have decided that it is always just like that! The softball season has come to a close and we are gearing up for the student ministry service in September. Cameron is a riot and continues to be a stinker when I teach at church. Rumor has it he sits on his square and listens for all the other teachers! I'm not surprised. He is excited about his little brother Nolan arriving. Yesterday he was talking about Nolan's poopie diapers and how he will cry when Nolan cries and then he got really quiet and said, "momma, Nolan needs to come out!" It was cute.

Saturday we were able to celebrate Jake's parents anniversary of 30 years. It was great to see everybody and celebrate their life together. Jen got some pictures on her camera so we will have to watch for some of those pictures!

2009-07-13T12:53:00.000-07:00

It was a gorgeous day today so we packed a picnic and went to Starved Rock. The weather was perfect and we all got some good exercise in on the trails. Here are a few pictures from our trip today!

Happy Birthday To You

2009-07-13T04:37:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Jake! Some of our high schoolers set it up to wake him up at 6:15 am with a drum and silly string and then took him to breakfast! It was great. He does it to the guys at church and it didn't even cross his mind! Of course I got it on tape!

Have a great day babe!

2009-07-08T08:44:00.000-07:00

Cameron enjoyed the 4th of July. He ended up getting a little sick, but was able to get some rest and feel better to see some fireworks. He just cracks us up with what he comes up with to say these days!

Camping and Rafting

2009-06-15T17:50:00.001-07:00

This weekend we took 6 students to northern wisconsin on a camping and rafting trip. We had a GREAT time. The weather was perfect for camping and we only got rained on Saturday night. We didn't have any major rain damage, just a few wet sleeping bags. It was so fun to spend the time with the students and they were so brave. Cameron had a blast camping and was a good boy. He slept great at night because he was so exhausted and was in heaven because he was able to pee in the woods for 3 days. We took lots of pictures, but I will just put a few up of Cam from his first camping trip. We played around the campsite and took walks when the students and Jake were rafting. He often did a roll call of all the students just to make sure everybody was still there and okay. We made some great memories.

Some of his highlights were hanging out with the students, eating smores, making sand castles, sleeping in his cars bed, peeing in the woods, and just living outside. He couldn't have been happier>

Cameron made himself pretty cozy in his bed at night.

He liked pretending that he was going, too!

We got home last night and are all wiped out. Cameron is looking forward to being a big brother to Nolan and has been practicing taking care of lambhead!

The Carnival

2009-06-09T18:11:00.000-07:00

We went to the carnival tonight and had a blast! Cameron enjoyed riding the carousel, a helicopter, a boat, and did not enjoy the bounce house. He was the only one in there at the time and jumped for about 3 seconds and wanted out. It was pretty funny. What a fun night!

2009-06-04T09:26:00.000-07:00

Cameron and I try and get outside as much as we can. It was a beautiful morning and Cam always asks to go down by the river. It is only about 3 blocks away and there is a great section that is shallow and Cam loves to throw rocks and sticks in the water. Sometimes we even see boats. We took a walk on the trail by our house and Cam picked up some really neat things for his bucket. He is excited about making a collage this afternoon. Here are a few pictures from our nature walk and time by the river. I love to see the world through his eyes!

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

2009-06-02T19:08:00.000-07:00

porta potty

2009-05-30T20:09:00.000-07:00

We went to Jake's softball games tonight. He had a double header and it was a beautiful day so Cam and I went to the games. Cameron had his first experience in the porta potty and had a blast. We were there for 3 hours and he peed in the porta potty about 9 times. I'm not even kidding. I don't know where he was getting all the pee from, but it was a lot of fun. I would much rather have him pee on a tree than in those things. He got to pee on a log when we were down by the river on Friday. Is that illegal when you are 2?

Another little boy

2009-05-28T08:08:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard yet, we are adding another little boy to our family. We had our ultrasound yesterday and things look great. It was so fun to watch our son pushing away the wand with his hand, kicking, and putting his hands up by his face. It is one of the most amazing things in life to see your little baby while he is still growing in your tummy. He has been very active lately. Cameron enjoyed looking at the baby pictures and tells people that the baby is a boy. He wanted to buy some M &M's at the store for the baby. I think it was a clever excuse to get some for himself. It didn't work!

2009-05-21T19:11:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband, Jake. Thank you for the past 5 years of marriage and I look forward to the ones to come. We celebrated in February by going to Mexico and it was wonderful. Tonight, we went out for dinner and that was wonderful, too. Any night of not cooking is exciting!

2009-05-18T00:33:00.000-07:00

We had a great day today. First was church, then youth group at our house. We ate spaghetti, went to the park, and shared a skillet cookie with some of the students. Cameron thinks that it is his job to entertain the students whenever they come over. He has to show them any new thing he is doing and loves their attention.

He cracks us up all the time with what he does and says. Here are a few of his favorite things to say.

"Cameron tell ______he went potty" (lilly, me, jake, thomas, anybody he can find)

"Get it, get it, get it" (while trying to pee on the cheerio)

"Lilly, come up" (when she gets in the stairway)

"No, Lilly, Cameron's juice" (when she licks his cup)

"Where ______ is " (for everything)

"momma, Cameron snack" (every hour of the day)

"mommy's a girl, Cameron is a boy, daddy is a girl" (we are working on that)

"Cameron go basement do laundry"

"No, Cameron do" (for everything)

"momma, Cameron go to park" (we are spending a lot of time there)

"luv you, momma" (usually accompanied by hugs)

"Cameron's a big boy" (going down the steps on his own)

"No, momma, we sing that song at church" ( I tried singing a song from our lesson time at church this morning on our walk over and it turns out that we can't sing it outside of church)

"A car horn" (he always hears people honkig their horns)

He had his 80 haircut (not really, but it feels like it) tonight while eating pez out of his Cub's dispencer and watching the grinch.

2009-05-15T07:29:00.000-07:00

Jake taught Cameron how to steamroll. He does it all day long and tries to steamroll Lilly. She humors him to let him get sort of close and then walks away. Hopefully he won't start steamrolling the other toddlers at church! Good one, dad!

Mother's Day 2009

2009-05-12T17:45:00.000-07:00

Baby R is growing and moving like crazy. Jake can already feel the baby moving in my tummy, too. We find out what we are having in two weeks. I can't believe how fast this pregnancy is going. I guess chasing a toddler makes it go lots faster!

He loves to give the baby lots of kisses!

2009-05-08T12:09:00.000-07:00

Peeing on cheerios. That's right. Cameron is obsessed with peeing on cheerios. I started toilet training him last week and he is doing awesome. I knew the method I wanted to use and am so proud of him. He is working hard and doing great. He has been accident free for 3 days, even during naps, and is now peeing standing up aiming for cheerios. I can't help but laugh out loud when he comes running up to me yelling "momma, Camo pee on da cheerios!" He thinks he is big stuff. There have been a couple nights he held it all night and ran up to me first thing in the morning telling me he had to go . He is a work in progress and we are so proud he took to the method we chose. Poop is going to be a whole different story, but I have lots of love and patience to give with that. I hope!

We got to spend some time with Evan, Jen, Jodi, and Paxson over the weekend and the first part of the week. It was so fun to see the new things our nephews are doing. Paxson is walking all over the place. He is so funny and has the sweetest smile. Evan has grown up so much since Christmas. He is talking a ton and makes generalizations about a lot of things. Cameron and Evan played lots together and Cameron told me to be quiet one morning this week because Evan was still sleeping. He wasn't even here, but it was cute how he was looking out for him. Here are a couple pictures of the kids

Last night we took Cameron to see Thomas live with Hunter, Keith, Lindsey, and Hayden. The boys had a GREAT time. Cameron was flapping his arms and laughing the entire time. He couldn't believe it was really them. Hayden really enjoyed the show, too. Hunter had a blast minus the part with the sheep. He cracks me up. Here are a few pictures from the show.

And......he had a good fit when we had to leave, but eventually crashed in the car on the way home!

Happy May Day

2009-05-01T11:21:00.000-07:00

Cameron and I made May Day baskets for the people at the church office and delivered them today. He loved coloring them, picking out stickers for them, picking the flowers to go in them, and giving them out!

Did I mention that I just love him to death!

Good weather and Chuck E Cheese's

2009-04-27T18:32:00.000-07:00

Gavin turned 3 and invited Cameron to his first experience at Chuck E Cheese's. This was one of Cam's favorite days of his life. He had a blast playing the games, eating the pizza, watching Chuck E, and always worrying about where Gavin was.

One of Cam's favorite things to do was play basketball. Jake didn't seem to mind that!

The birthday boy having a great time!

Playing the duck game!
Hording all the prizes!

On Sunday we took the high schoolers to a state park. We were really nervous about the weather, but it ended up being a perfect day. Everybody had a good time and Cam was such a good boy. I hung out with him at the picnic area while the others hiked, and then we all stopped for ice cream. It was a fun and tiring day. Cameron is finally interested in sunglasses again. He wouldn't wear them for several months.

Last week Jake and I were able to go to a Cubs game. It was a chilly one, but we had a good time. Jake even caught a foul ball and gave it to a 10 year old boy sitting next to us who was celebrating his birthday. He didn't stop smiling.

2009-04-14T10:21:00.000-07:00

We had a busy and wonderful weekend. Jake did an amazing job with the Good Friday service and I was proud of him. We are still looking forward to the warm weather but have been able to enjoy a few of the warmer days. Cam loves to do sidewalk chalk and bubbles in the front yard.

Cameron has mastered jumping. He starts when his feet hit the ground and jumps as he is heading back into bed at the end of the day.

Grandpa and Grandma R came to town on Friday and were able to come to an Easter Egg hunt with us on Saturday. Cameron had a good time, but his favorite part was drawing names for the raffle. I felt bad because there was a Cameron that won, and he got excited, but it wasn't him.

Hunter and Cameron always seem to wear the same shirts to holidays. Too funny, because we don't even know they have the same shirt.

There was another egg hunt at my parents and we got to spend the afternoon with my family and Sunday night and Monday with Jake's family. Jake was sad because he lost in UNO so many times.

2009-04-12T05:35:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter to you!

The Past Couple Weeks

2009-04-08T06:26:00.000-07:00

The past couple weeks have flown by. We are already 3 months into this pregnancy. Things are going good. I am feeling much better and Cameron is taking notice of the growing belly. He went to the dr appointment on Monday and was able to hear the baby's heartbeat. He smiled very big. He keeps saying the baby is a girl. We should be able to find out at the end of next month at our next ultrasound. I am on the gestation diabetes diet. They tested me for it because I had it with Cam. I do not have it yet, but the doctor told me that if I stick to the diet, it may help reduce my chances of getting it again. So, I am trying.

We are getting ready for the Easter services at church. Jake is preparing the Good Friday Service and I am doing a skit for the children. We are excited, but are busy preparing.

We finally got a new computer. We had been without our own for quite awhile. It is nice to have one to call our own. We are thankful.

We celebrated Hunter's birthday a couple of weeks ago. He had a great party and everybody had a good time. Lindsey did an amazing job on the cake. She should start a business!

Hunter got a wheelbarrow and he let Cameron give it a try before we left! It was a hit with the boys.
Last week Goldie and I took the boys to a toddler gym. They got to run around on the equipment and basically do whatever they wanted. They had a great time. Here is a little movie clip from the gym.

2009-03-24T17:12:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy couple of weeks. We have made some good memories and wanted to share them. Cameron is really into forts right now. He asks for them about 8 times a day. Sometimes we even eat dinner in them. It's a big deal. Here are a few pictures from some of our recent forts.

Another favorite thing is being a bucket head. He loves to put a bucket on his head and insists that we wear them to. Here is a picture of Jake and Cameron being bucket heads.

He is already using the internet. Cam loves to go to the Thomas website and play the games. He thinks it's the best thing ever.

We got to see Hunter and Hayden last week for just a little bit. Hunter turned 3 and we went out and they sang to him. His party is this weekend and Cameron is very excited for his cousin. We will see how it goes when Hunter is the one opening all the gifts. Hayden is getting so big. He is always smiling and loves to jump.

Sunday night we made a trip to see Jodi and Davids new house. It is very nice and Cameron made himself right at home with Paxson. He was always worried about what Paxson was doing and if he needed anything. He also broke out his evil voice if Paxson didn't do things the way he thought they should have been done. The outside pics are of Jodi and David's awesome backyard playground.

Here is a picture I took of Cam sleeping last week. He is too sweet.

Cameron's new shirt

2009-03-10T06:41:00.000-07:00

Trip to Mexico

2009-03-04T05:46:00.000-08:00

Jake and I will be married for 5 years this May. We decided a few years ago that at our 5 year anniversary, we wanted to take a big trip. We went to Riviera Maya, Mexico last week and we had an amazing time. The weather was beautiful, sunny and in the 80s. We had a great time together and it was fun to be pampered and not worry about anything but hanging out with each other and having fun. Here are some pictures from a few things we did.

The first day we took a ferry ride from Playa Del Carmen to Cozumel. That was a beautiful place. Jake had booked a snorkeling trip for us to do that day and it was a neat experience. We got to swim with colored fish that would come up right by us. It took me a while at first to learn how to breathe through the gear, but it was such a neat thing. We used an underwater camera and are excited to see the pictures.

This is the boat we went out in to go snorkeling!
Beautiful Cozumel!

The next day we went to the Mayan ruins. It was a lot neater than I thought it would be. It was really cool to see what was left of the civilization. We got some great pictures and exercise that day. There was the most gorgeous beach I have ever seen at this place. We were some of the first people to arrive so we had the place all to ourselves. The water was so blue and the sand melted in our toes. We spent the morning there.

Then, we spent a couple days back at our resort. It was such a nice place. Here are a few pictures of the property.

This was our villa.

A view from the lobby.

Another view in the lobby

The Hacienda.

We got to eat 2 fancy meals while we were there. The first place, La Gran Tortuga, was a fun dinner. They gave us these cards that are red and green. As long as we had it flipped to the green side, they kept bringing us meat out on sword. They served us things like pork, beef, turkey wrapped in bacon, sausage, and some other things. Here is a picture of my face when he told me I was getting an iguana. (the waiters were such jokesters).

The other place was the best meal I have ever had in my life. I had filet mignon and it was amazing.

We got up one morning at 5:30 to watch the sunrise. That was fun and romantic. There were only 1 or 2 other people on the beach when the sun came up.

The last few pictures were just of some fun time around the beach and on the resort!

We had a great time together and look forward to our 10 year anniversary!

2009-02-21T14:40:00.000-08:00

Cameron has been pretty busy lately. He takes his chores pretty seriously :o)

It's hard not to eat the gingerbread house when you are making it.......

It is hard to share when you are two. We are working on that. Whenever Jake or I say the word "share" Cam automatically thinks to library time when all the toddlers are fighting over the Thomas trains.

This is one of the sweetest moments. Bedtime prayers. I had to snap a quick picture the other night.

2009-02-13T20:00:00.000-08:00

Cameron is 25 months old, but he just had his 2 year appointment yesterday with his new doctor. He was not too crazy about the nurse because she was there to do her job and be done, but he absolutely loved his new doctor. She let him put the tip on the flashlight, he got to be a part of the check-up and he did great. That means a lot to me after everything he went through last march with his surgery. He did so good he got 4 Thomas stickers from his doctor and walked out saying "doctor" "thomas" "doctor". It was a good association!

He is 26 pounds. He was quite the chunk his first year of life and now he has slowed down and is a peanut, but I love it. Cameron is talking all the time. I am amazed about what he remembers and is saying. He loves to go to church and is so patient with all the people that love on him. Some of his favorite things right now are Mr. Potato head, the Mickey Mouse dvd from Goldie, running down the hallway and saying "walk," asking us to rub his back and belly before bed, singing songs, reading books, making a fort in his bed, throwing his fork down on the floor at every meal, screaming "no, mine," announcing Lilly's potty time when he hears her in the litter box, starting the dishwasher when it shouldn't be running, eating cheese and crackers, and saying "this one" and "that one."

It's great. He makes me laugh all the time and he is totally two!

2009-02-02T20:53:00.000-08:00

Hey babe. Cameron picked this phrase up from me when I said it to him earlier tonight. He also recaps his night.

2009-01-30T05:47:00.000-08:00