Halloween 2013

I think this will be known as one of those Halloween's where it rained....all day long. But that didn't stop us from having fun. :)  The day started out with the girls wearing "orange" for their spirit week at daycare. I signed up to send Camryn with a special treat for her little Wobbler's class - pumpkin applesauce muffins, a bunch of cut up berries and grapes, and some sliced cheese. It was hard to think about what to send for a little class full of people who might only have one or 2 teeth! :D  When they got home, they each had a Halloween card from their Great Grandma Betty. They walked around with their VERY cute cards for quite a while! 

Now a little note about the costumes. This Halloween we were supposed to have a little ladybug and a little kitty. When asked over and over again, "Taylor, what do you want to be?", she would say, "I want to be a kitty". The costume she wore last year was a kitty, but it wouldn't fit her this year, so we had to get her a different kitty costume. And in order to not get a costume that was a ballerina kitty or a sexy kitty or a glamour kitty, we had to order one online...and pay for expedited shipping.

Wouldn't you know, Halloween comes around tonight and she refused to wear it. Oiy. With all the battles that go along with parenting a 3-year-old, this was one battle that I was not going to fight.

So instead, Taylor decided she wanted to wear her Rudolph pajamas and carry her Rudolph stuffed animal with her. I couldn't even get her to wear a Santa hat we had, so she was just sort of a make-shift Rudolph-loving toddler...for Halloween. :) She is truly a girl after my own heart. :)

We ended up going around our new neighborhood, meeting new neighbors and kids, and staying somewhat dry, despite the on and off rain. Camryn loved it, too. It was our first time really taking Taylor out trick-or-treating (she is finally old enough to "get" it), and the girls had a lot of fun! 

Despite the weather, and everything not going quite as planned with costumes, it was a good holiday. But, really, the best part of Halloween is when it is over - so we can start looking forward to the Thanksgiving/Christmas season. :)

Yep...I went there....in October :)

If you know me at ALL, you probably won't be surprised by the following pictures. New PJ's arrived, and we just had to try them out. :)

Where's Rudolph? :o)

Someone LOVES her little Rudolph friends

Christmas is coming!
PS. There is just something that I LOVE about snuggly little ones in their PJ's after a bath. :)

Bit of August, some of September, and a few of October...

When school starts in September, the blog seems to naturally fall behind. The stack of random pictures in my iphoto becomes larger - so here goes a little blog catch-up so I can remember all these random moments!

Late August, my grandparents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary! I got to hang out at the dinner with these two guys - my cousin Aaron, and Jeff.

I don't have a picture of the celebrating couple, but I snapped a picture of the place setting that they put together for everyone at dinner. Very appropriate since they moved to Holland!

Labor Day weekend involved a lot of typical cottage moments.
Being on the dock

On the beach

Taking walks

Labor Day weekend there was a lot of anticipation as we were all waiting to hear news about the arrival of a new member of the family! Jeff and Jen were due right around Labor day weekend, but their little one decided to wait until Mid-September to join the world!

On Friday, September 13, Tess Parker {my new little niece!!} arrived!!

That Sunday, I decided to get up at 3:30 in the morning and drive to Ohio to meet her in person and see Jeff and Jen. Early morning sunrise on the road...

Little sweetie...

And Jen sent this picture of taking little Tess for a walk in the Ergo - brings back memories of taking Camryn for walks in that same carrier. :)

(Can't wait to go down and visit to have Taylor and Camryn meet their new little cousin! When they see a picture of Tess, Taylor will always say - "aw, there's baby Tess!")

Most mornings before school this school year involve looking at a board that looks like this. Crossfit is the best way to start the day. :)

My school had a fun night out at T. Pony Farm - and I took the kids along to the event. They were a big fan of the big and little critters. Camryn either thought everything moo-ed like a cow, or quacked like a duck. :) I even got her to sing "e-i-e-i-o".

We also took the girls to Critter Barn last Saturday, now that we live so close! Taylor went through 3 buckets of hay for the animals. :)

And last, we carved pumpkins last night with Grandma and Grandpa Slagh....

So here is what is now on our front porch (shout out to Uncle Jason for the Dora one :)

18 months and full of spirit!

Camryn Ann is officially half way to being a two-year old. My 'baby' is truly no longer a baby. She is spirited, brave, silly, super sweet, smart, and can hold her own with her bigger sister. :)

This is such a FUN age. There is a really good balance of independence, yet still wanting to just be with 'mama' and 'dada'. Sit down with a stack of books, and she will sit in your lap and read for as long as you are willing to sit with her. Animals are intriguing to her...cows, kittens, dogs, and ducks are her favorites. Her stuffed animal lamb is her ultimate comfort item. She carries "Lambie" around by the ear, and I have be really creative about when I am able to sneak her favorite friend into the wash every once and a while. :) She does so well at daycare, and I love that she and Taylor get to start out their day together - eating breakfast at the table like big kids. I rarely see tears when I say goodbye. When Camryn wakes up from a nap, I will know it because I will hear "Mama! Mama!". My heart leaps with joy at that sound. :)

Stats about Cam at a year and a half....
* 31 1/2 inches long, and 22lbs 7.5oz at her doctor appointment this week. (Taylor was 22lbs 5oz and 32 inches at her 18 month appointment - they are very similar in size!)

* Sleeps great for naps and at night. Goes to bed between 6:30/7:00 during the week, and by 7:30 on the weekends. Wakes up between 7-8am if we don't have to wake her for 'school'.

* Wears size 4 diapers, and up to size 2T clothing for some things! Pants are still 18-24 month size. :)

* Vocabulary is exploding - a list of things that she says or tries to say right now: mama, dada, Taylor (sounds like dada ;)), Mem, I love you, water, cheese, cereal, baby, bye-bye, hi, hello, no-no, apple, shoes, more, banana, sounds for a duck, cow, monkey, dog & cat, and will sing along a bit with "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" - she loves the 'e-i-e-i-o' part, and "Row Row Row your Boat". She also knows the sounds and motions for allie alligator and bubba bear (from the Zoophonics alphabet). That is all I can think of, but there is more each day! She can also point to many body parts - nose, belly, ears, hair, toes :)

* Food is tricky. Partly because molars are becoming a literally huge pain, and sometimes she will just refuse to eat. She does well with fruits and veggies, and LOVES to dip stuff. If I am eating something, often she will want it, too. She is still my smoothie buddy, and we drink together right from the blender with a bendy straw. :)

* We had our first afternoon off together - lack of wet diapers, fussiness, red/puffy eyes, lack of appetite - meant sub plans and an early pick-up from daycare to take a trip to the doctor. Luckily ears looked clear - tubes are still in place - and other than a diagnosis of a pesky virus and super swollen gums from molars making their way through, she wasn't down and out for too long. :)

Pictures of course!

 Big sister hugs (we are lucky that Taylor had a shirt on in this picture - the girl never wears clothes when we are home!)

LOVE this little girl!!