Camden's 5th Birthday

Camden is five! I can't believe it! It is so fun to be his mom. He is such a fun and funny kid.

Here he is on his Birthday

 This time Camden got to pick the cake but he and Alek still had a combined party, only this time it was with my family.

 

 He LOVES dragons!

 

We also had a big present to give him at home. he had to go outside and close his eyes. We had Alek close his eyes too so he wouldn't ruin the surprise when he saw the present.

 Camden was so happy to have a new bike. He loves that it looks like a dirt bike. Hopefully later this summer he will be ready for the training wheels to come off.

A little bit about Camden at five years old:

• He loves dragons, dinosaurs and sharks.
• Camden has so much fun at preschool and has learned a lot. He also has lots of friends at preschool and plays equally well with the boys and girls in his class.
• He doesn't have a sweet tooth at all. On the rare occasion that we do have dessert he usually politely declines. He will sometimes say, "Maybe I'll have a cookie tomorrow." I've never seen a kid decline cookies, cake and other goodies the way he does.
• He always wants to be like Jace and copies everything Jace does.
• Camden loves apples and eats one with lunch almost every day.
• He's been begging to sign up for soccer again and can't wait until summer soccer starts. He wears his and Jace's old soccer jerseys, soccer cleats and shin guards as much as possible.
• He aslo wants to go hiking all the time. One of his birthday presents that's not in his pictures above was a pair of hiking shoes. He can't wait to hit the trails.

And while Camden is past the age of pronouncing things his own cute way (for the most part), he does have a couple of things I want to remember.

• He still doesn't pronounce his R's real well. A couple of words come out really cute because of this. The two I can think of are purple and turtle. Since he is good with his L's the words sound like he's saying them with a British accent. I sometimes think up excuses to get him to say those words because I love the way he pronounces them.
• After taking a long drink of orange juice he set his cup on the table and exclaimed, "That juice is so taste-able!"
• This story is a little longer. One of the kids in Camden's preschool has special needs. He lacks the physical coordination the other kids in the class have and he's pretty much non-verbal, but he does do some sign language. Well, this little boy's mom invited Camden (and Alek and me) over for a playdate. Camden wasn't hesitant at all about playing with a friend who would be seen as "different" by most people. He played well with his little friend and was super patient when this friend was being a little rough with him at one point. (he wasn't acting out, he was just so excited to play with Camden and couldn't verbalize it so it was expressed physically) This little boy's mom said she asked both of the preschool teachers which child in the class was the nicest to her son and they both said it was Camden. And it's not the first time he's shown this type of sensitivity. My cousin also has a son who has some speech delays and does sigh language. And Camden played with him last summer at a family reunion with no problem. They got along great! I was so impressed by Camden's maturity and accepting nature in these situations. It's really not something you would expect to see from a 5 year old.

I can't wait to see what the next year has in store for this sweet boy! Happy birthday little buddy!

Spring Soccer

Spring! It's spring now, could this post mean I'm all caught up? No. It means I have another out of order post to publish.

Camden played soccer last fall and loved it! he wanted to play again this spring, unfortunately the timing wasn't right for it. But we'll probably sign him up again this summer or fall. So stay tuned for some more action shots like this...

 Based on the next 2 pictures we are also looking into some type of martial arts for him.

Guess Who Else Started School?

Camden!

Not long after we moved, I found out that one of our neighbors runs a preschool. It's only twice a week for 2 hours a day. I thought that would be perfect for Camden since he's never done preschool before and he's only 3, so he doesn't need more than that right now. Luckily she had an opening when I called and I got Camden signed up. He absolutely loves it and asks to go every day.

Here he is on his first day. he was so excited I could barely get him to sit still for a couple of pictures. He honestly could hardly contain himself. Can you tell he's excited?

In this one he's looking at the classroom on his first day.

I must admit, I miss him a little while he's gone. It's definitely quiet around here when Camden's at preschool but it's also nice to have some one-on-one time with Alek. And knowing that he's having fun while he's gone makes it easier too.

The "S" Word

Jace and I had the following conversation over lunch yesterday:

Jace: Mom, do you know the "S" word?
Me: (surprised) Um, is it a bad word?
Jace: Yes.
Me: Does it start with a sshh sound?
Jace: (confused) No?
Me: (very relieved) Oh...then I don't know. What is it?
Jace: (whispers) Stupid
Me: Oh yeah. That is a bad word.

And since we're on the subject of words, here's Camden's favorite new phrase: Holy moly what the macaroni cheese! It makes me laugh every time.

Finally Posting Birthday Pictures

I got a few good birthday pictures from my sister and I have a few more from the kids' actual birthdays.

Alek loved his duck birthday cake. (On the right you can see me taking some pictures with the camera missing a memory card.)

Camden wanted a football cake this year. He was so excited when he saw it.

On Camden's actual birthday we got some football cupcakes.

He loves unwrapping presents.

He got a Harley Davidson tricycle but he just calls it his motorcycle. He loves it!

Since I didn't get any good pictures of Alek tearing into his birthday cake, I decided to let him re-do it. He didn't seem to mind at all.

Happy Birthday Camden

My kids seem to be growing up so fast these days. Camden turned 3 today, and somehow it seems like just yesterday he was a newborn baby sleeping in my arms. He is such a funny kid with the silliest personality. He always keeps us laughing and he always seems to be happy.

Here's a little bit about Camden at 3 years old:

• He loves to play with his brothers. When Jace plays with Camden he is just in heaven, but he also plays really well with Alek. He is really sweet with him, for the most part. (Everyone has their moments.)
• Even though he loves to play with Jace, he also loves to bug him. He really knows how to get Jace upset and seems to enjoy doing it more often than I'd like.
• He can't stop talking about going to preschool. He wears his backpack around as much as possible. It is often worn with a bike helmet for some reason.
• When he says he smells something he makes it sound like he is the thing that smells. He will say, "I smell like a skunk, I smell like brownies," or, "Mom, what do I smell like?"
• His favorite color is still pink. He wants a pink bike helmet to go with his trike he got for his birthday.
• Camden calls Gatorade "Alligator." He also calls elevators alligators. But after saying see ya later, he says crocodile.
• For some reason he is terrified of animals. We don't know where this came from but he is quite terrified, to phobic proportions, of dogs, cats, ducks and even baby chicks. Insects also scare him if they are large or get too close.
• He has some pretty creative ideas/aspirations. Last week he said he wants to be a shark when he grows up. Jace said that he wants to be a professional golfer when he grows up. Camden's reply was priceless. He said, "And we can go swimming together and I will eat you."
• He recently went through a phase where his middle name was Bob. Everyone in our house also had Bob for a middle name. So we would go through the day calling each other Camden Bob, Mommy Bob, Jace Bob etc. When he would wake up from his nap, he would stand at the top of the stairs and say, "Guess who's awake?" I would ask who and he would say, "Camden Bob." with kind of a sing-song voice and a sneaky grin
• Some of his favorite things right now are Spiderman, dinosaurs, football, basketball, play-dough, and painting. His favorite foods are mac 'n cheese, fruit snacks, ice cream, and pretty much any kind of candy.
• Camden loves to sing and knows quite a few songs. He can sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Popcorn Popping, Happy Family, and a handful of others. He really likes the song You Are My Sunshine, and occasionally sings it to me. Sometimes he replaces the word Sunshine with Mommy. I love it.
• And here's one more thing he said recently. He gave me a huge hug out of the blue and after kissing me on the cheek, he said, "I love you, you're my best mommy."

I love watching Camden grow and learn more every day. He's such a sweet kid and has such a funny sense of humor. He definitely keeps me busy, but I have a lot of fun with him too. I love you so much my little Camden Bug. Happy Birthday!

Manic Monday: Party

What a perfect word for manic Monday. Today we had a fantastic party. We celebrated Alek and Camden's birthdays at our house tonight with lots of family. What made it even more fun was that we also celebrated the birthdays of two of the family members who came too. So, what's better than a birthday party for four? Pictures of that birthday party.

I captured pictures of Camden and Alek opening presents. I had the most darling pictures of Camden and his cousin Cambree with their arms around each other, and pictures of Alek who stopped repeatedly to pose and give a big cheesey smiles. Then there were my favorite pictures. Pictures of everyone with their cakes. There were some really great shots of the kids blowing out their candles and Alek picking the frosting off of his cake and making a mess.

So, why am I describing these pictures instead of just posting them? The answer to that is simple. I had a momentary brain lapse amid all the hustle and bustle of the party. I quickly grabbed the camera when it was time to take pictures, forgetting that the camera's memory card was not in the camera. The pictures I took all evening were taken in the camera's "demo" mode. And they were stored temporarily. The camera allowed me to take pictures and showed me how they looked afterward. Unfortunately, every time the camera is turned off, the pictures disappear.

So you can probably imagine my surprise and disappointment when I discovered that we now have NO pictures of the party. That is why I am now begging those who were at the party and used a camera, with a memory card, to please share any pictures you have with my kids in them. Even if my kids are only in the background or if half of their face is cut off because you were trying to get a picture of someone else, I'll take it. I need some kind of photographic documentation of Alek's first and Camden's third birthdays.

Kid Talk

I love the things my kids say. They are so funny and creative. I had to put these on here so I wouldn't forget.

I was stirring some ground beef in a hot skillet while preparing dinner one evening, and Jace walked up next to me and looked into the pan. Suddenly he said, "Golly, that looks hot." I could barely reply. But I did manage to ask him where that word came from. He said it was on The Fox and the Hound.

Apparently that movie has some good lines because this next one was courtesy of that movie as well. Thank you Disney.

I was driving home from the store with all of the kids in the car and I had to stop at a red light a little faster than I anticipated. (But I didn't exactly slam on the breaks either.) Anyway, as I was trying to slow down in time, Jace cautioned me by saying, " Whoa...Easy there old girl." He sounded just like an old farmer trying to soothe a nervous horse.

This next one is a Jace original.

Jace: Mom, why are dreams called dreams?
Me: I don't know
Jace: They should be called night wishes....or sleeping wishes.
Me: Oooh I like that. I think that's a good name for them too.

Here's a couple from Camden

Jace was talking about how if he fell, he could break his arm. Camden's reply was, " If Jace broke his arm off he would go to the hospital...and get a new one!"

Every night this conversation takes place:

Me: Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite. (He likes me to say this to him because I say it to Jace.)
Camden; Don't let the bugs bite. But the bugs [are] outside. Hiding under the snow. In the mud. They won't get me.
Me: No sweetie, they won't get you. Good night
Camden: Good night

Any time Camden gets in trouble and goes to time-out he tells me this, "I not your best son. I only Daddy's best son." But when Casey puts him in time-out, then he's my best son and not Casey's

Even Alek has some good timing. He doesn't take enough to have a quote on here yet but he loves to nod his head yes. He usually does this when I'm telling him not to do something. But he also nods with me in agreement occasionally. For example; today I changed his diaper and told him it was so stinky. He wholeheartedly agreed with me by nodding emphatically with a very serious look on his face.

Manic Monday

NUTS

Manic Monday is a new thing for me. It's basically a creative writing exercise where you use the word provided, in your blog post. For a better description of it you can go to the blog of the person who started it by clicking here. I think I'll give it a try for a while and see how I like it.

The first thing I thought of when I saw the Manic Monday word for today is a game Camden likes to play. It's really simple, here's how it goes. First Camden says, "You're a nut." The only acceptable response is, "You're a nut." That's it. I don't know why he likes it so much but it really cracks him up. He starts laughing really hard after a couple of exchanges and then it just starts getting louder as anyone within earshot starts to play. Pretty soon everyone joins in, calling each other nuts. His laugh and excitement for the game are contagious. That kids is too funny. So, when that "game" is being played I am surrounded by a bunch of nuts.

And here's my smiley list for today.
1.The following exchange between Camden and me: I said, "Camden come look at this bug, it's a katydid." Camden stoops and looks at it. Without taking his eyes off of the insect he said, "What did Katie do?"
2. This conversation between Jace and me.
Jace: I love you mom.
Me: I love you too Jace.
Jace: Mom, when I say I love you, I get a warm feeling in my heart.
Me: I get one for you too.
3.When Alek is trying to crawl around in his crib when he wakes up from his naps.
4.The beautiful blue sky this morning.

Things the Kids Say

My kids have said some pretty funny things lately and I need to blog about them before I forget.

Jace:

We were at the store and walked past a display of Halloween items. Jace saw a garland of skulls and said, "Look mom, bone heads!" Then he added, "But don't worry, they're not real" I was so glad he said something else because I was working so hard to stifle a laugh I couldn't say anything.

Jace gets a nature magazine geared toward kids every month. He loves looking at it and having me tell him about all of the animals in it. One of the pictures was a bright yellow slug, called a banana slug. He remembered the name the first time I told him but after that he started calling it a banana thug instead.

One of Jace's new friends since our move is a little girl named Isabel. I honestly love that he likes to play with her so much. When I was his age my best friend was a boy. He and I had so much fun together when we were little and we remained friends for many years. Anyway, one day, she had to go home; as she was running down the sidewalk in front of our house Jace called after her, "Bye Isabel, I love You!" Isabel called over her shoulder, "Bye Jace. I love you too!" SO CUTE

While I was getting Camden into his pajamas one night I could hear Jace talking to himself in his room. I didn't catch much of what he was saying but I did hear him say, "I'm going to marry Isabel."

I love when Jace says a prayer. He almost always says, "Bless that we can have a good day and a good eternity."


Camden

Not long ago I asked Camden why he was so cute. His answer was perfect. He said, "Tuz I want to."

When Camden said a prayer before dinner last week he said, "Thank for day, thank for day, thank for day..." he must have repeated it seven or eight times and he was saying it faster and faster. I couldn't hold back my laughter. It was too cute. Camden just stopped, looked at me, and said, "What?"

Camden was talking about his aunt Katie who was pregnant at the time with baby Sophie. He said, "Katie have a baby Sophie in his tummy."

If he needs help with something he says, "help you me"

Casey opened a can of Pepsi with earshot of Camden, which is always a mistake. Camden came running and asked for a drink. When Casey told him no Camden quickly said, "But I listen to you today" It worked because he had been listening, Jace was the one having problems with that because at the time, he was in time-out.

When he gets caught doing something he shouldn't he says he was just pretending to do that. I was reading to him when suddenly I felt his teeth on my arm. I said, "Don't you dare bite me." He said, "I dust betending to bite you." Then after a brief pause he added, " I tan bite you it will be funny."

It's so fun to hear the things they say. It gives me a chance to see the world the way they see it. I just love being their mom.

(Wow, This makes three blog entries for today. That's definitely a blogging record for me.)

So Many Choices, So Little Time

In previous years I have made the mistake of waiting until a week or two before Halloween to get costumes for the kids. To avoid doing that this year I asked the kids, a few days ago, what they want to be for Halloween. And this is what they have thought of so far.

During the past week, Jace has decided on several costumes. His list includes: Superman, Spiderman, Batman, a black Power Ranger, a cowboy or anything from Star Wars or Transformers. He even came up with the idea of being a volcano. But I'm not quite sure how to do that one.

Camden's list is a little smaller but has a running theme. So far he has asked to be a pink kitty, a pink doggy, and then he finally settled on pink Superman. He said, " I wanna be pink Superman... at Christmas." I assured him he would be the only one.

I have a couple of baby costumes I could use for Alek but I also found a dalmation costume that was cute, so I bought it. At least I would have some choices. Unfortunately when I put it on him, Casey guessed that he was a cow. So I guess we're back to square one. I guess if nothing else I could borrow something my sister got for her baby at a baby shower. We tried it on him for fun and it fits him pretty well. But I don't want to make Camden jealous

First Day Of School

Jace started kindergarten this year. Of course he's only two days into the school year but so far he loves it.

Camden thought he was going to start Kindergarten this year too. When we took Jace to the school for back to school night Camden followed him around and copied everything Jace did. Then when we saw a school bus a couple of days later Camden said, "I want to get on the bus too." So when Jace got ready on Monday, Camden put his backpack on too.

I took Jace to school and stayed (along with all of the other paparazzi parents) until he lined up with his class and went inside. He wasn't hesitant at all. In fact, he probably wondered why I was hanging around for so long. I didn't cry when I left but I did have tears in my eyes as I got into the car. He seems so grown up.
Once again, Camden though he was being left out. When I started to drive away he said in a pouty voice, "I'm big as Jace"

Jace came home on the bus home. He thought that was really fun.

Camden was glad to have Jace home.

It's weird to think that even though Jace seems so big now that he's starting school; someday I'll look back at these pictures and be amazed at how small he was when he was in kindergarten.

(Disclaimer: Jace's shirt isn't dirty. I smudged part of the picture because his shirt has the name of his school on it. Just a safety precaution since this isn't a private blog.)