First Word

About 10 days ago Cameron said her first word, (and I can't believe I forgot to include it in the last post!). She said "Mama". She has been doing the "mmm" sound while jabbering for about two weeks, but one morning just before nap time she was playing on the floor and getting pretty tired. She was getting a bit fussy and as I walked by she looked at me and very clearly said "Mama." It was really cute. She has only repeated it 3 times since then, always under similar circumstances. Carter has heard her say it and now he wants to know when she is going to say his name.

Seven Months Old

Our little angel is 7 months old. I can hardly believe it. She is so much fun to play with. She's still the happiest baby ever, always smiling, giggling, or singing. She doesn't crawl yet, but that doesn't stop her from going anywhere and everywhere she wants too. She has decided that rolling is as good a form of transportation as crawling. Sometimes you can see her trying to figure out how to get to a specific toy with out having to take her eyes off of it, but always ends up rolling anyway. She loves watching and playing with her brothers. Now that she is more mobile we have had to make sure the floor is free of small objects and we remind the boys (especially Kyle) not to share their snacks with her. She is close to sitting up on her own but every time we set her on the floor to practice she flops right down on her belly so that she can play freely. She is our sweet, lovey, Cam-Cam and we still can't get enough of her.

Keeping Cool

It has started to cool off here a bit, but it's still hot. Sunday it was 90+ degrees so we let the boys play in the little lawn sprinkler and they were so funny. Even though he runs through the big yard sprinklers, Kyle wasn't so sure he liked this one. He would get close and then run the other way over and over again. He and Carter had some wash clothes that they had been using to play "car wash" earlier that afternoon. Kyle put his on his washcloth on his head and for some reason that made him brave enough to run through the sprinkler! He was so cute. The two of them had a blast running and jumping and doing tricks over the water.

Silly Boy!

Then it was Carters turn!

My boys refuse to wear bathing suits if they're in our own yard.

Cammie thought the boys were pretty funny too.

After that we were blowing bubbles. Well Carter and I were blowing bubbles, Kyle was eating them...ya I don't know why.

Hopefully the heat is on it's way out, but until it's gone at least we can have a few laughs while keeping cool.

Carter's 4th Birthday

We didn't do a party for Carter's Birthday this year. Instead we just put up a few decorations and had a BBQ with a couple of good friends. My mom and step dad were still here visiting which was nice. Here are a few highlights.

This is the Birthday hat that Carter got from school.

He was so proud to wear it.

I baked and iced the top tier of his cake a few days prior to his birthday and put it in the outside fridge. Later I noticed that someone had nibbled on it. When I asked Carter about it he said that he saw it in there and just wanted to smell it. I asked how the bite mark got there and he said, "Well it just smelled so good that I had to take a little taste." At least it was his own cake. I fixed it in plenty of time for Birthday candles.

He was so worn out that he fell asleep with his new truck right in the middle of the walkway. Turns out the poor little guys wasn't feeling well, but he said he had a fun birthday anyway.

Here are some things about Carter:

He LOVES his sister more than anything in the world.

"The Backyardigans" is his favorite show.

He loves green beans, french fries, and going to the car wash.

He is very sweet, complimentary, and observant.

He is incredibly helpful.

He is very attached to his grandmothers and talks about them all the time.

He would prefer to be outside or in the garage with his dad.

He gives great hugs.

I can't believe he's already 4. He is growing so fast. We love him so much!!!

Preschool Update

Carter has finished 2 weeks of preschool. The first week was a little rough, lots of tears, but that's part of the reason we decided to do preschool. The second day we sent some pictures of our family with him in his backpack. His teachers said that helped. She also said that they let him carry his backpack with him all day because it seemed to make him feel better. Friday was the same. He stayed home sick on Monday, and Gregg took him to school Wednesday. Gregg said Carter was a wreck when he dropped him off, sobbing and running after him, but when I picked him up Carter told me that he had a good day. His teacher said he cried for a total of 3 minutes, then put his backpack away and ran off to play, (something he had not done before.) I was so happy. I was prepared for tears when I took him on Friday, but when we got there he said "Bye Mom!" and went to play - no problem. It was awesome. It's like someone flipped a switch, all of a sudden he gets it, and likes it. I knew we would eventually get to this point, but I had no idea it would happen so soon. Monday there is no school so he won't be back until Wednesday. Hopefully the long weekend doesn't change things! ;-)

A Month of Birthdays, Grandparents, and Cake

August was a busy month for us, starting with our trip to Fresno to see Grammie Chrissie and Grandpa Wardle. Later in the month Greggs Mom Kathy (Grama B) came to town. She got here a few days after her actual birthday, but we weren't going to let that stop us from celebrating. We went to pizza and then home for "Piggie Cupcakes".

We had a great and very fun visit with Grandma B and the boys were very sad to see her go.

A few days later my Mom and Step dad, aka Grama Lou and Grampa Charlie, came for a visit. They got here on my Mom's birthday. So we celebrated again! This time with bowling and "Spring Flower Cupcakes".

Kyle bowling for the first time!

Grampa Charlie and the boys.

Grama Lou and a very happy CamCam.

Carter waiting the return of his ball.

And of course, our sugar high for the night!

A few days after that My brother Nolan and his wife Melissa came to town, (from Fresno) to pick up their daughter Jordan who had been staying with us while my parents were in town. Carter's birthday was the next day so, you guessed it, we decided to celebrate yet again with more cupcakes.

Carter and Jordan decorated these with mini M&M's, yum!

Last but not least, we celebrated Carter's 4th Birthday with a cake of his choosing. When I asked him what kind of a cake he'd like for his birthday he said, "I want a big round circle cake that's yellow." A few days later he decided he also needed a "tall green cake." This is what I came up with.

All caked out? Me too. I think I'll give my bake wear a break for a while, or at least until the next birthday comes around.

Happy Birthday Grama B, Grama Lou, and Carter!