A Good Child

I saw this posted on a blog I follow, and boy did it resonate with me.

It touches on the subject of raising a good child.

There are so many times when my little one is running around, not minding and screaming like a wild banshee when I tell him 'no' or 'not now', that I'd be lying if I said I wasn't feeling this EXACT way sometimes. How will I raise him to mind us? To follow directions? To SIT DOWN FOR CRYING OUT LOUD?

So follow that link up there and read the post, it'll just take a few. And it is better written than I could ever articulate!

Weekend Recap

We had a very busy weekend!

Friday after leaving daycare, we went straight to the pediatricians office for our fifteen seventeen month checkup. He was due to get a couple different shots including the flu shot and the MMR. He has had a bit of a cough and drainage with lots of snot, so I agreed to giving him two shots but asked to wait on the MMR. And due to the unseasonably mild winter and the fact that he would have to have a two parter flu shot and it would be spring by the time he would get part two, I decided to take my chances and skip the flu shot. We will see how that goes. They redid the waiting room and the childs play area - it has a cleaner look. Camden enjoyed playing with the toys.

{looking into an interesting toy}

{waiting for our shots!}


We got our updated stats - which I think the height is totally wrong. As soon as I laid him on his back he started wigging out, looking around for the shot. Poor baby knows what is coming, even though all we wanted to do was measure him! The stats are as follows:

Height: 32 inches (52%)
Weight: 23 lbs .5oz (18%)
Head: 45.5 cm (7%)

So yet again, despite our large potbelly we are much smaller than expected. We got our shots which was horrible, but that is to be expected. He was crying as soon as he was laying down, stopped when she wiped the alcohol on his leg, cried through the shots but as soon he was sitting upright, he was fine.

Afterwards we went over to Grandpa and Grandma's house and played with the cousins while Husband and his Dad textured a wall. Camden had a BLAST with his cousins, they played so long they all bathed and then ran amuck in their pjs. By the time we got home, he crashed.

{playing with Mommy's hat}

{cousins in the tub. All working together to fill their cups}

Saturday we ran errands, spent more time with Husby's parents while getting oil changed and tires rotated. We attempted to keep little C up long enough that evening to attend a friend's bday gathering for a few but the little one was fussssssyyy. It may be teeth as there has been some intense drooling and chewing on things, but only time will tell. I did manage to squeeze in enough free time to watch a movie, I finally saw Bridesmaids.

Sunday we did grocery shopping, house cleaning, cooking and swinging at the park. It was a nice relaxing day, that was much needed. Camden LOVES to swing. LOVES it. The first area he runs to at the park? The swing. It so cute how he runs over to it and points at it and waits expectantly by it. He did the slide a few times, but he always runs back to the swing.

This picture was taken a few days ago after daycare. Apparently they were doing one of his classmates (a girl's) hair, and he ran over pointing at his head wanting them to do his hair. So they gave him a little hawk. SO cute.

He unfortunately had a haircut Saturday as well, so this cute little spike is going to be much smaller if he asks to get his hair done again!

It was a busy but relaxing weekend, and I am glad I got to enjoy it - because it was my last weekend for a while! The next two are spoken for with conferences for CEUs and work. Boo. Oh well.

Happy Monday!

A Boy and His Dog.

C can officially climb onto the couch on his own now. Apparently 17 months to the day meant he was going to be tall enough to hike a leg to get up on the sofa. This means that he can use the back of the couch cushions to climb on top of Pearl's platform. (Yes, our dog is spoiled, and likes to look out the window so we made her a platform so she wouldn't ruin the couch. No judgies!)

He loves to climb up here and pet Pearl, as well as pull the blinds and slap his hands on the platform like a gorilla beating his chest announcing he's the boss. I guess it's his way of exerting his 'dominance'. ;)

Anyhow, these two are so cute together.

Where does the time go?

Sometimes, I still can't believe that it's 2012.

That I have a kid who is almost a year and a half old. YEAR AND A HALF.

That I have been graduated for over ten years.

That I have held the same job for as long as I have. Only because it means I have been out of college for that long.

That we've been married over five years.

That summer is coming again, and this year I'll have a toddler instead of a baby.

The saying holds true, time really does fly.

And I'm just trying to grasp onto each fleeting second.

Llama Llama Misses Mama

My favorite time of the day is roughly about 330. That's the day when my work day is ending and I get to go pick up little man from daycare. It is by FAR my favorite time, and that's mostly because of the way I get greeted in the afternoons.

Usually he sees me, and smiles and runs over to me. every. single. day. I will be so sad when this ends one day! Lately in the mornings he just waves and smiles as I leave instead of chasing me out the door crying, so I had to take a video of what I see in the afternoons just so I'll have that reminder. (I feel like this may come to an end, sooner rather than later!)

This particular day, I decided to have my video recording on and just happened to catch this as I walked in. Ironically, I also was able to catch him kissing himself in the mirror, so I think he was shocked that I appeared as he was giving his reflection some loving. :)



I apologize for the not so good picture, it's the best my iPhone had that day! Isn't he a cutie though?

Pearl and Camden

This is what the poor dog deals with on a daily basis. She's so patient! She is just relaxing and chewing on her lion and the ball of fury known as the Toddler has a different idea!



She's such a good dog. I'll have to take a picture of them playing together, cause they are adorable!

Seventeen months!

-You are growing by leaps and bounds! You look so grown up sometimes. Your 18 month clothes are starting to get a little tight. You still have a large belly, so your pants are tight, but T-shirts are still pretty big. You are mostly wearing 12-18 month tops, and 18-24 and even 2T bottoms! We switched you to a size five shoe, two days ago. They are HUGE on you, they look like clown shoes. But your toes were pushing pretty good on the edge of your fours, so there was no other option!

-You are adding more and more to your vocabulary daily. You can say all sorts of things from Mama and Dada to dog, go, more and bubbles. You still have no real interest in talking, but you understand more and more daily. You take your shoes and put them up when we tell you, you know how to feed the dog and you throw things away for us when we ask. You are continuing to sign for things you want, learning 'water' this month.

-You started the new year off with a bang, growing your fifth tooth on January 3rd! Daycare called and said you were in a horrible mood and that is extremely odd for you. They got my permission for teething tablets and said you calmed right down. Later that day I noticed you did have a rough spot up there (its your top left tooth beside your two front teeth) and it was fully through by the end of the week.

-You are sleeping fairly well despite teeth. You still cry out occasionally at night(bad dreams?), never with a real rhyme or reason, or for long enough for me to get in there. You are sleeping 715-5:30ish in the morning and taking a two hour nap.

-You continue to be the pickiest eater on the planet. I'm not joking here. Textures aren't your thing apparently, although you do love to play in your food. Your favorite things to eat are the smooth baby food purees. You continue to run to the closet and sign more for them. I'm to the point where I don't fight it, I'm just glad that you are getting somewhat healthy food in you. They changed up the menu at lunch and you are not a fan. I thought you'd like having eggs for breakfast but apparently you prefer the toast like your Mom. (go carbs!)

-Your separation anxiety waxes and wanes. Some days you chase me crying out the door, other days you'll run up to the other staff members for hugs, or you will run off to your little play gym and wave bye and blow me kisses. Melts my heart! Lately, there have been no more tears. I'm so proud when I can kiss you bye and you blow me kisses as I walk out the door. Precious!

-you are still wearing a size five diaper and an overnight diaper.

{You've been a big fan of standing on things lately}


-We had our first bout of sickness for the winter this month. You have a bit of a cough and your nose is running non-stop. Some of that I think we can thank teething for that! I had to put off your pedi appointment, maybe this coming week!

{here you are asking for Daddy to please blow bubbles}

-You loved Christmas, the new toys and playing with family. You were the slowest at unwrapping presents and then you would want to immediately play with what you had unwrapped - becoming uninterested in all the remaining wrapped presents. You got lots of toys that we are still getting used to playing.

-You love drinking your water out of your own Camelbak that we got you, it's pretty darn cute.

-On Christmas your Grandma Sid bought you a teddy bear that's a panda. You and the panda and your blankie are besties. You don't like to go anywhere in the house without either, especially after waking up or before bed. You will go to your room and attempt to jerk them through the slats of your crib if they are still 'sleeping'. You will cuddle so sweet with them, laying your head on them to snuggle.

-You are still a big fan of Mickey, but can rarely sit still or watch more than a few minutes.

{This is how you look when the Hot Dog Dance comes on. Mesmerized!}

-This month you also managed to get the most impressive bruise you have ever had. You fell while at your Grandma and Grandpa's and had an impressive bruise for a good two weeks. In fact, this the first one you've had that managed to lump off of your forehead.

{It took me a while to see this at first, but look at the shape of your forehead. Yes that protrusion is his bruise!}

You continue to grow and amaze us daily. You are the light of our lives, we are thrilled to be on this journey with you!

Mommy

Moves like Jagger

I recorded this a few weeks ago in the garage but still in the car.

I looked back to see Little C 'dancing' to the music.




I love the hand pat on his knee towards the end of the video.

I suppose it is safe to say he gets his moves from his Dad. ;)

More Randomness.

-I received my order from Mpix. LOVE the prints. I got a few prints on their metallic paper, the ones of the street art in Oz look AMAZING.

-These stuffed animals with this sign were up at work. The guy in the office that didn't want them anymore put this sign up. Ha!

-We were supposed to get something via USPS by mail the other day. I happened to be home so I was excited to be able to sign for it instead of having to go to the post office later. When the mailman brought my mail, it was not there. So I logged back on to USPS tracking. The verdict? Even though they were in my city the DAY before, the accidentally shipped the package out to a city an hour away. So the tracking now says missent. And we wonder why they are going under?

-Got to meet this sweet baby last week. He belongs to a girl I work with. He's gonna be a cute little redhead just like his big bro!

-Camden last week at dinner.



-We did try Oklahoma Joes BBQ. It was pretty delicious. I had the Barn-Z-Man sandwich, which is a variation of the z-man but named after a high school acquaintance. His variation involves pulled chicken, and his wife's version - The Mrs. Barn-Z-Man is on Texas Toast. I had the Mrs. And it was delightful. Like that would seriously change your life. They eat there ALOT because it didn't take long for there to be a sandwich named after him. Impressive, really. Here is a picture of my sandwich.

{Amazing, right?? Mmmmm. My mouth waters looking at it. I tried Chris' dinner too but mine put it to SHAME!!}

-Camden made the bulletin board again! He's representing the one year olds in the daycare! Go Camden! (It's the dark blue one)



-I still haven't decided if I think Beyonce really had her baby or not. I know this is random, but did you all see the video of her on that talk show where her bump collapsed in on her? It looked WAY fake. When I was pregnant I know my stomach never caved in. Hm.

-The weather has been amazingly mild. I don't know what that's about, but I'm not complaining! It's supposed to cool off again and then be up in the 70s again. Are we sure it's January? This is making my self-diagnosed Seasonal Affective Disorder much easier. I've been in a much better mood, despite having been sick for the past two weeks.

Happy Wednesday!!

Golden Globes

Who out there watched the Golden Globes?

I won't lie, I zoned in and out, and caught bits and pieces.

But lets talk dress here.

Julie Bowen's Dress?

Stunning.


Charlize Theron?

Gorgeous. Girl knows how to carry herself. I almost always love her look.

Angelina Jolie?

Eh. I like that it's a classic look. But she always looks so...icy. So while I think the look is nice, I think it would look nicer on someone else.

Jessica Alba was another one of my favorites.

A smooth and soothing color? Yes please. A fit body a few months after baby? Impressive. I like that she just looks comfortable in her skin.

Now for my not so favorite looks...

Lea Michele.

Sigh. Come on girl, I want to like this look because I like her, but I feel like she's trying WAY too hard! And she looks like a fish. Or a snake. Or something slippery.

Kelly Osborne.

Seriously. What is THIS? Those shoulders? Grey hair? She looks like the girl from Willy Wonka that swells up into a huge blueberry. Such a shame.

Lastly, Meryl Strep.

Such a shame, because I LIKE Meryl. I think she has some amazing talent and so must everyone else because she's always at these award shows. But this collared black dress? So...uh...ODD. I don't know how else to describe it. It's casual yet trying to be dressy but it's not getting there. It's almost western-ish. Not a fan.

Well those were my two cents. Like I said, I didn't catch much of it, or see really ANY of the movies for that matter, but I like to check out the dresses!

What did you think?

White

To some, white is just a color. But in my experience, it is a friend. A companion. A faithful and lovable dog.

I had friends in college that affectionately referred to her as "white dog". Of course, she'd come tail wagging to whoever was talking to her, no matter what they called her.

Pearl is my first 'baby'. She is getting older now, and it is starting to show. She's a little slower, sleeps a little more, and creaks more when she moves. But if you bust out some bubbles she'll jump and chase them like a puppy. You take her to a swimming pool and you'd never know her age.

Here's to my sweet Pearl, who has been the best "fur baby" one could ever ask for!

Linking up with the Paper Mama, for her photo challenge!

Randomoscity...

-We have the sickies again in our house. Last week was strep and this week it has turned into nasty colds. Hopefully this will pass quickly.

-My mom bought polish and a dryer to do a shellac manicure. I REALLY liked it. I think I liked that I felt that I could be just as tough on my nails and chase around a toddler and it not chip. I did pick at it and peel it off about 8 days later, but that is my nature, I tend to be a picker. Overall rating is a solid 4.5 stars.

-Camden has been loving his Panda. Here he brought Panda to help him work at his workbench.


-I am dying to try Oklahoma Joes BBQ. We had one open up by us in December but the timing hasn't been right yet to go. Hopefully soon!

-These are my Christmas gift from Husband. They are AWESOME!! The weather this week was finally nice enough to wear em out and about.


-Camden has been getting mysterious red spots/marks on his chin that appear after he eats goldfish. At least, we are pretty sure it's goldfish. It appears we will have to do some testing to see if these should be cut out, since it is one of the snacks he gets at daycare.

-Husband introduced me to a show on Spike called Flip Men. It's very addicting watching these two guys flip houses. I do enjoy it! I do not, however, enjoy Storage Wars. Or Swamp People. But we won't go there.

-I ordered some Oz prints from Mpix, I haven't ordered from them before. I am excited to see how they turn out! Hopefully there will be some framers and we can add to our Oz collage in the bedroom.

-My sisters bday is today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

-We ran to the mall last week to switch out some stuff for Chris. While there we passed the Disney store. Camden was pretty awestruck to see a big Mickey, and was sure to wave long after Mickey was out of sight.

That's all the randomness for now. Momma needs to be sleeping since the little one is!!

Shopping Cart Drama

I had to run to the grocery store the other night after going to the gym to pick up a few necessities. I parked way out towards the back, with no cars in any parking space except diagonal and to the right. Outside this car a woman was loading her groceries.

I hop out of the car, and head inside.

I get about halfway in when I hear a BANG! and I turn and look back to see the woman that was parked diagonal and to the right had lost her cart, and it had managed to roll into the FRONT OF MY CAR.

I stopped and made eye contact with her, she made eye contact with me. She proceeded to give a little shrug like 'oops' and grabbed the cart.

Seriously? SERIOUSLY? Who does that and doesn't say sorry??

I head in to the store, still partially fuming. I call Husband, who gets pretty worked up and asked why I didn't get her insurance information and why I didn't consider it to be a 'hit and run'.

I'm thinking in my head, seriously?

He even has me run outside to see if the woman was still there. (she wasn't).

I head home where I proceed to discuss it with him again, saying "she didn't even say sorry!" He comes outside to check out my car and scratches his head confused, "where did she hit you? What kind of car did she have?"

That's when we realized the big misunderstanding.

He thought I said she hit me with her CAR, not her CART. Oops! We ended up having a big laugh after that, discussing the hit and run for her shopping cart.

At least it made me feel better about the whole situation! ;)

Christmas Cookies

Camden helped make his first batch of cookies this year for Santa. We had to split it up into two parts and finished baking them after he went to bed, but it's the thought that counts, right? He got to enjoy the best parts: pushing on the cookie cutters and licking the spoon. :)

{clapping for himself. He was so proud!}

I'd say this version involved less mess than the first. ;) (Sorry Jess, next time we'll stay away from the sprinkles!)

2012 Goals

I think the word resolution is a little lame. I prefer to use the word goal. Everyone has been posting their 'goals' so I guess I am going to do a little thinking and put mine down. I'm all about accountability, right?

-I want to be more present in the situation/life. I want to be able to put down the phone, walk away from the TV, step away from the housework. I want to be sure that I am fully present and living in each moment, especially since it seems my little boy is growing up WAY too fast.

-I want to continue a healthy workout routine. I always get discouraged by the New Years Resolution folks that come and take up my machines for a good two-plus months. When my area is taken I tend to find it harder to get up and go the next day. Not to mention the cold. I downright despise being cold, and going outside in the freezing cold to get my workout on? Hard to do.

-To stick with my youversion Bible reading, and continue to learn and grow my spiritual walk. It's a work in progress!

-To be content. It's hard to not always want more, or to do this, or go here, or be this. This goes along with the be present in the moment, but contentedness is another important aspect. Again, I have been blessed with SO much, and sometimes I need to step back, inhale deeply and survey all the amazingness around me.

So what are YOUR 2012 Goals?

Lights on Rhema

There are amazing Christmas lights that a church in our city puts up every year. The line to drive through their parking lot around Christmas is just insane. It gets miles long around the Christmas season as cars barely creep through. If you are lucky enough you can find a place to park and wander around on foot. We decided to skip the crowds, and really were going to skip the whole thing, until last week. Last weekend the temperature was in the 60s (in December? What?!?) The church keeps their lights up until January 1st, and with the weather being that amazing AFTER Christmas, we decided to stop in. We went right at dusk, and stayed just long enough to wander around a bit, enjoy the lights and let Camden take it in. It was a nice little Friday night outing with my little family! I am enjoying having my husband back on Fridays, it means we can do spur of the moment things like this!

Man plague.

Beware of Man plague!

Happy New Year, the man plague has already struck our household! Husband texted me from work on Monday to let me know he felt like he had a fever. He said he was cold all day, and he never complains of being cold. I had a feeling it was coming, since he spent the entire night before snoring, and he NEVER snores. At least, not enough for me to kidney punch him four or five different times with no relief in the snoring despite what side he was laying on.

He came home from work and proceeded to whine, whine, and whine some more. Husband, would you like some cheese with that whine? He ate dinner and proceeded to tuck himself into bed at the ripe hour of 5:45. That's right, FIVE FORTY-FIVE. Most people in the nursing homes haven't even started watching their nightly episode of Wheel of Fortune!

it just happened to be my lucky day, because he said, "I'll even let you turn the thermostat up a degree". BONUS! Sick husband lets in the warmth!

At least before bed he admitted, "I don't do well being sick". Geez, honey. You think?

Here's hoping a normal functioning husband awakes this morning, and the other members of the family stay well! :)

Pow! Right in the Kisser

The weather here has been gorgeous lately, and we have been taking advantage of the sunshine while we can, and heading outdoors to enjoy some quality family time. Here, we were playing with bubbles. In this shot, Pearl was going for the bubbles and inadvertently nailed Camden in the side of the face while jumping for them, and I happened to press the shutter button at just the right time!

Love it!

Even though this looks like he was going to cry, he didn't think a thing of it.

Family Pictures

A girl I graduated with in high school facebooked me and we agreed to trade off taking pictures of each other's families on a Saturday before Christmas. We hadn't decided how we were going to take family pictures yet, so her idea was brilliant. I was happy with the turnout, mainly because I was thrilled to be on the other side of the lens!

Thanks again to Jennifer Robertson for the pictures!