Takin' It Hard

This is what four shots will do to you. I can safely say that the 4 year-old check-up is the worst ever. Not only do they make Mommy part of the crime, they double team and do two at a time. One nurse on both sides. With Caeden I was just glad to get out of there in one piece. Camlyn on the other hand broke my heart in pieces.
Something else we walked out of the doctor's office with was an appointment to see the eye doctor. There is a possibility that he has astigmatism. I guess we will find out in Feb. In the mean time his vision is 20/30, which is perfect for a kid. In the mean time I will contemplate ways to keep glasses on a kid that spends half his time upside down!

A Blast From the Past

I guess we are going retro around here. Anyone else play this game?

We Finally Have It!!

Once upon a time there was a little story called Franky the Brave Fireman. There were also a little boy and a little girl that listened to it over and over. Not so long ago there was a Franky the Brave Fireman in this house. Now my two little boys can listen to it over and over as well. Thank you soooo much for posting this on you tube!!! We have already watched it three times since we found it this morning. Enjoy!

A Birthday Party According to Camlyn

Clowns and party hats are a must do.

Presents are welcomed with flying paper and surprise.

Winter hardy lollipops will still come up even if there is not much snow.

By four years old you are proficient at blowing out your candles.

Birthday party hangovers are inevitable.

Playing Catch Up

Calling on all siblings and cousins, remember Old Maid? Seems a new generation has discovered the excitement.


Pick a card any card, would you fall for it?

Looks like Grandma did!

Family Reunion Auction

How much would you bid for this lovely basket of candy apples?

Halloween, Rain or Shine!

After putting in all this work, a little rain was not going to stop us!

Our knight in residence, Sir Kicks-A-Lot.

And farmer Bob, as one candy giver called him.

Naughty Tooth Fairy!

Caeden has lost two teeth now. The first one I was a bit too squeamish to try more than a half-hearted tug. That tooth was destined to stay in until the neighbor kid convinced Caeden to flick it out. Which he did, outside. Needless to say that tooth was lost forever. As it turned out, no tooth, no tooth fairy.
His second tooth came out yesterday. He very carefully put it in a little glass bowl and checked on it several times during the day to make sure it was still there. He was excited to see if this tooth fairy business was for real. Unfortunately, for me it was a very busy day. Needless to say, this mommy forgot.
5 am this morning Caeden comes crashing into my room. "Mommy, the tooth fairy didn't come." I had just spent my last dollar yesterday on a diet Coke and pillows don't take debit cards. What's a mommy to do? Naturally I slip a dollar out of Mister Money Bag's, Caeden, wallet. Yes, all you Grandma's out there I will slip another one back in! Am I an awful Mommy or what? Paying a kid with his own money!

Pumpkins, Pumpkins, Jackolanterns

Camlyn fell in love with pumpkins and Jack-O-Lanterns this season. If you noticed the decorations on his bedside table, it was all him. He has been carrying around his pumpkin since it came home. He has also been asking me over and over, "Mommy whats Jack-O-Lantern mean?"
Operation Scoop Pumpkin Guts is in full swing.




The results, a bunch of friendly spooks on the front step.

Both of them were proud of their new friends. Camlyn could hardly bear to leave his little pumpkin out there.



Today, they took some pumpkins to school....

And came home with a few more!

Serious!

These are a few pictures that should have gone with the last post. This was the first time getting dressed after we switched dressers. Caeden was up and dressed within seconds, which doesn't usually happen. I love the serious expression on Camlyn's face. It's his "I'm a big boy and proud of myself face, but don't want to be too obvious about it."

My Weekend Project

Camlyn has really been changing too. He has been growing more independent, as well as a little boy should. One problem is that this was his dresser and he was not able to get the clothes out himself. I have been searching our towns and the Internet to find a suitable dresser for him and was not able to find anything that I thought would work. After one more try on Friday night an idea came. Why not switch Camlyn's and Caeden's dressers?

The result was even better than I hoped for! Both boys clothes fit wonderfully in their new homes. Better yet, both boys are thrilled with the results. In Camlyn's words, "Those are my drawers!!" As in, Caeden, you better not touch.

I love how big and roomy Camlyn's room is now. I would put a picture up of the rest of the room, but there are still huge piles of blankets that I don't know what to do with. So now I have a few new projects that need to be completed. I think that new curtains and some wall art are in order, and as much as we have enjoyed this color of green over the years, I think a new color is required to transform it completely into a little boy room. The baby is slowly but surely disappearing.

Open House

Last night we had an open house at Caeden's school. Here was our official tour guide for the night, sitting in his place.

We got to look around his room and see what they have been working on. Here he is showing off his new found reading skills. The words in orange are the "sight words" they are working on. He knows a few more besides these. Each week he comes home with a book, or two, that he can read. He is also doing an amazing job spelling! Pretty impressive how fast they are learning. Wasn't so long ago we were working on letters and colors!

After his room we went to the most important room in the school.... the gym! Besides what he is working on in class I get the most reports about what goes on in gym class. He can already climb all the way up the rope.

Our official tour guide did a wonderful job last night. Taking us back and forth across the school, around every corner and into every nook and cranny. He sure knows his way around really well for a kindergartner. He even stopped to guide a fellow classmate who was lost. Several times we had to stop and yell down the hall to some friends. Was a good night and good to see our sons new kingdom!

Soccer

Seems I let a whole soccer season go by with out showing off our little star. Last years games looked a lot like this... Both teams chasing him down the field, set on repeat.

This year the games look more like this.

He has learned teamwork and to pass the ball next we will have to work on when it is appropriate.

Are You Ready For Some Football!!?

Our new resident football player. His position? Wide retriever, but only because there was no Quarter Bark left in his size. This was one Walmart sale we couldn't pass up.

Quiet House

First off I will apologize for everyones sore necks after reading this. My pictures have suddenly turned into read only! :( Today was Camlyn's first day of Preschool. It was awful quiet around here!



Couldn't resist this picture of them all marching off to school, little stairsteps.

Check out this guy at his locker. "This is old hat mom!" I have been there done that for two years with Caeden!" This mommy did not cry when her baby went to school. Is something wrong with me? Although I did almost cry when I picked him up and got big hugs after school. "Are you my friend?"

Fun on the Not Quite So Farm :)

With all the running and playing that the boys, and dogs do when they go to Grandpa and Grandma G's, you would think that they lived on a big farm. This time it involved a little fishing off the deck and a little of the real thing.

Xou Xo go in some quality time with his cousins as well. Meet Bo, and Hogan.

So what does all this fresh air and exercise equal on the car ride home? Tired boys...

And yes, Caeden was sleeping under the towel.

Kindergarten!!

Hard to believe our little man is starting kindergarten this year. We really are in a new chapter of our lives. This was the day of our orientation. He was so excited to go, and as you can tell little Camlyn was as well.

The orientation was nice, we got to find his locker and classroom, meet his teacher, and put all his new supplies away. Just how nice this was we didn't know until today....

He is a big boy now and knows all about this school stuff right. At breakfast he informed me that I could walk him to school but I was to leave him in the playground. I was not to walk him to his class. "The teacher will tell you no, no. You already went to school."
And when we got there? It was a little like Where's Waldo. Can you find him?
Not quite so sure now. As for all my bravado about going through this before and I am not going to cry this time. Well, what do you think happened when I saw that little head bobbing along in the mass of children?

Happy 4th of July!

Sorry for the Ron Paul advertisement at the end, I really just wanted the audio.

Parade in the Rain

Even more fun when you have the right gear!

Camlyn heard the sirens before we got there and decided he was done!

Bugs, Bugs

Caeden is at that buggy age. Last night we came home with two earthworms and some dirt in a box and a firefly, the first one of the season, in a plastic baggy. Firefly went to bed with him and has been drug all over the house. He tried to hitch a ride to meeting this afternoon too. My job is now to do some researching on fireflies. Maybe we won't be telling Caeden that some fireflies eat each other....

Couple of Cheese Balls

No, this post is not just a shameless plug to show how adorable my little ones are. (Though they are quite handsome.) I was flipping through the pictures on the camera, and couldn't help but notice the big cheesy grins in these. Must have finally got past the whole camera shy thing!