Memorial Day weekend

It was our first trip to the lake - as a family of four!!

Was I a little nervous about making the drive up there with both girls? Yep. Did it go perfectly? Nope. But did we have a great time once we got there? YES! :o)

Car rides have never been our forte. Taylor wasn't a fan of the car when she was little, and now she gets carsick quite frequently. Camryn is like Taylor as a newborn because she doesn't fall asleep easily in the car, and when she gets mad about being in her car seat, it takes a lot to calm her down. So it took a few ziplock bags (3 to be exact - one on the way there, and 2 on the way back) during Taylor's car sick episodes, lots of attempts with the paci for Camryn to soothe her, and a few Dora episodes on the iphone to make it there and back. But we made it!

The weather was nice (with the exception of Sunday, which turned into a good day for shopping :)), and Taylor couldn't get enough of the beach, sand, seashells, and water. Between sunshine, being on the boat, eating good food, and just relaxing (as much as you can with 2 kids), it was a good trip. And I turned 31. Yikes. That seems old. :o)

Playing on the beach

Our little explorer - checking out the natural stream that runs through our yard

Taylor spent a lot of time in just her diaper - she was happiest running around this way for the most part :)

Taylor also decided she was going to be a big kid and no longer want to sit in her booster seat for meals, but preferred sitting up on a big stool instead - silly girl :)

Sharing popcorn for a snack - yum!

Little miss Camryn got her own special attention as well - next summer will be so fun when she is RUNNING around splashing with Taylor!

Camryn spent a lot of time sleeping - all that fantastic air off the lake and sound of the waves and water seem to create GREAT naps for both girls!

(Yes - she is sleeping on her tummy, which we allow during naps when we can keep an eye on her...she LOVES her tummy)

 We can't wait to go back - yay for summer!!

Breakfast, bottles, boo-boo's and more

A few moments captured recently that I want to remember :o)

** Breakfast
A typical early morning scene on days she goes to daycare - eating a bowl of cereal while watching Little Einsteins...

** Bottle
Camryn's first bottle! Taylor did NOT do well with bottles, and so far it is going a little better with little sister

** Boo-boo's
Taylor has fallen down many times (after all, she is a toddler), but after one tumble during a walk she scraped her knees and she got to have her first big girl bandaids (Dora ones, of course). It is amazing how they magically seemed to make her knees feel all better! :)

** Deanna's playhouse
One gray and cold morning, we decided to meet up with Ty and Addi for a playdate at Deanna's playhouse...they had a blast!

** Little sister is getting bigger!
We are still waiting for a full-on big social smile (only little smirks here and there for now), but here are a few pictures of Camryn we took recently to show how much she has grown! She turned 6 weeks on Friday, and already seems quite a bit different than when she was first born - although her hair continues to be just as dark and be growing even fluffier some days! :o)

(This pose reminds me of a super hero :))

Our little lady...

When I see the date the "17th" each month, I usually think about Taylor and how old she is now. She was born on the 17th. I don't know how long this tendency will last, but today is the 17th, and as I looked at my calendar this morning, I was thinking about our little lady.

She is 2 years and 3 months old today. We're cruising along to 2 1/2.

There is a lot of talk about Camryn lately because she changes so much each week, but Taylor has her own achievements that are so much fun at this age. I don't want to miss writing them down because I want to remember her at this stage.

I just read in my "Growing Child" newsletter that toddlers her age learn about 50 new words a month. Yep. I would believe that. Taylor's vocabulary amazes us, entertains us, and is growing and changing constantly. We LOVE when she becomes animated about talking about something. She will try so hard to get us to understand what she is saying - mixing words with random consonants and babble thrown in - sometimes stumbling over her own thoughts as her mouth moves faster than her brain can formulate the words. I love that we can talk to her like she is a little lady - she will pick up what we are saying as we talk to her like we would talk to an adult. She will follow directions to multi-step instructions we give her (if it is something SHE wants to do :)).

This new vocabulary also allows her to feel like she can really TELL us what SHE wants, too. She doesn't hesitate to exert her own independence many times throughout the day. Taylor will let us know what she is feeling. She has started using more feeling words to describe herself, describe something that is happening in a book, or (her favorite thing) to describe how Camryn is feeling (usually noting when she is feeling sad when she starts crying :)).

Other things I don't want to forget...
** Counting to 12
** Wants to walk on her own rather than ride in the stroller
** Remembers stories, favorite episodes of her shows, favorite songs (she loves songs with the "Professor" from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse this week, and also a song by her favorite character, Pete, about how to burp a baby " top, top, bottom, bottom, middle, middle, middle"
** Had her first ponytail this week - so cute!

** Is starting to show signs of being sick of wearing a diaper - tugging at it, and preferring to not have it on at all :) - we're letting her take the lead on potty training and will start when she shows us she is ready
** Moved up to a size 7 shoe this week
** Is all of a sudden taking LONGER naps! Hallelujah! The past few weeks, more often than not, she will go down between noon and 12:30, and sleep until 3:00 or after (almost an hour more than before!)
** Has developed a shy streak that seems to happen randomly - but she will actually drop her head and refuse to make eye contact, and cling to Ryan or myself - we think this may just be a part of her adjustment to being a big sister
** Loved going to her first softball game for Ry this season - although she calls it a baseball game :) - "dada HIT the ball!"
** Can have a sensitive stomach in the car...2 weekends ago she got sick 3 times on our way to and back from BC, but last weekend she didn't get sick at all during the trip
** Is perfecting her toddler tantrums - which seemed to have increased in length and volume when they happen :)
** Would be lost without her favorite three things - blankie, Tony, and paci :)
** Is curious about everything - in this picture she was wandering around looking at bugs, ants and plants at my parents house, and then spotted Speedo, the cat, watching her from inside :) I feel like she looks like such a big kid in this picture!

** Favorite phrases:
"Uh oh, what happened, mama, what happened?"
"Oh man!"
"Scuze me"
"Look who's here, mama!" (usually referring to Camryn)
"Tickle me!"
"Aw, nice" (she will say this when she has 2 of something - 2 rubber ducks, 2 sippy cups, 2 similar stuffed animals - almost as if she is referring to these similar objects being "friends")
"Where dada go?"
"Not dat one!"
"Try again"
" Suit ON!" - this girl loves the pool and swimming

Ryan and I have moments where Taylor makes us wonder just how long our patience will last, but most often she just brings so much joy, laughter, and fun each day, that we are just LOVING this toddler stage!!

One month old!

Sunday, which was also Mother's Day, Camryn turned one month old! Time could slow down a little bit and I would be okay with it. :)

She has changed a lot in the past month ~

** Wearing size 1 diapers, 3 month clothes
** Yesterday we adjusted the car seat straps up one slot because she is getting bigger!
** Likes to be swaddled when sleepy
** Loves sleeping on her tummy - either while sleeping on one of us, or while napping during the day (we always keep a close eye on her!)
** Takes a paci...sometimes...
** Grunts like crazy when she starts to wake up...and in her sleep at night, which doesn't help with our quality of sleep sometimes
** Is a lot stronger and can hold up her head quite a bit better
** Still has a full, fluffy head of dark hair
** Gets pretty cozy when I wear her in the carrier
** Still is waking up every 2-3 hours at night to eat, goes back to sleep fairly quickly though
** Has longer awake periods - and doesn't just want to be held, we have to move, rock, and walk to keep her happy
**  Evenings are a little unpredictable - some are calm and peaceful, but half the time she is a bit unhappy with the world and can be fussy for a few hours
** Is a great eater, and filling out all those cute little baby rolls quite well
** Does the cutest little stretch sometimes when she is done feeding - back arched and arms stretched way overhead as if to she is doing a little cheer "yay, milk!" :o)

Camryn at 5 days old

Camryn at one month old - not too happy about having her picture taken ;)

Big sister had to get in the picture, too

Taylor usually likes to be where Camryn is when she is awake - even if Camryn isn't too happy about the extra big kisses and hugs :o)

And I had to include these three pictures of Camryn with her buddy Addi, and Ty and Taylor, too...

Ty and Taylor each with their paci and stuffed animal :) - those two are quite the pair! Their toddler relationship is definitely a "love-hate" one! Equal amounts of fun play time, and then also hitting, pushing and toy-stealing in the mix, too :)

After trying to take away the paci's - Taylor obviously unhappy, oh the drama! ;o)

Taylor loves helping with bath time (Camryn looks so big already! :))

Mother's day surprise - Sunday when I drove the girls down to BC to see Mem!

Taylor going in for a big hug and kiss :o) She loves being really close to Camryn

Mommy of 2 - couldn't be happier :o)