Sleeping Beauties!

Now that Cameron is in the toddler bed, I've been leaving her door open until she falls asleep. That makes it easy to snap sweet pictures of sleeping beauties!


Snuggling with her baby


My snuggle buddy!


Carter asked if he could nap with Cameron one afternnon. It was more like confined playtime. They were too cute together so I couldn't resist grabbing the camera!


Neither kid was a paci user, we just had them from baby registries just in case. We kept the pacis on a shelf of the changing table and Cameron "plays" with them from time to time. This picture was taken during naptime after a February trip to the park.


Using the bible, blankie & baby as a pillow


Carter thinking he doesn't "need" a nap anymore



Carter tried his hardest to stay awake for the Duke/Carolina game


Cameron buried under her blanket

Speaking of sleeping, Carter went through a spell of waking up in the middle of the night and coming into our room to tell us he was scared...aka climb in to sleep with mommy and daddy. After we spent time teaching him that God protects us, and reminding him that mommy and daddy help protect him too, we decided a way to help him would be to leave his door open and the hall light on. That quickly solved the problem though there are some mornings that he wakes up when Aaron us getting ready for work/taking the dogs out. We got in a little habit of him coming into bed with me at 6:30, usually waking up on his own, and he would start to get upset upon entering the room because he wanted his daddy. The solution to that problem was to tell him every night at bedtime that "daddy will be here while you sleep but not when you wake up." That seems to help most days. But much earlier when he would wake up that early, he would request to watch tv in bed with me and then I'd go back to sleep. Now he just climbs back in bed with me (sometimes on my same pillow) and goes back to sleep. The thought has gone through my head a time or two to get up and do something productive but I just LOVE my snuggle time with Carter! When it comes to bedtime, Carter always asks me to lay with him and how can you say no?!? I just keep reminding myself that there will come a day :( when he won't want to be in the same bed with his mommy so I'm gonna soak it up now! And we have the BEST conversations at bedtime. I'll post about that someday soon! ;)

Prior to Cameron moving to the toddler bed, she would go to bed around 9pm and wake up generally between 8:30 & 9am, and would nap for 2+ hours a day. These days she's been going to bed between 8:30 & 9pm, sometimes a little earlier, and waking up around 8am. I think I am starting to see my sleep patterns change...boo! I am NOT a morning person. Cameron has also not napping as long its more like 1-1.5 hours. The kids have been going to bed a little earlier recently because Carter is at a point where he doesn't "need" a nap if for some reason we need to skip it but he will fall asleep in the car around 6pm if you're out. He's still a good boy without a nap though the occassional easily heart broken moments.

We have a love/hate relationship!

Oh blog, I have missed you! I think about you from time to time and know I've got to get back in the habit of updating. For now, I jot down cute kids happening on my facebook, random word document and the notepad on my iphone. Now, I just need to merge it all together with the billions of pictures I take! :)

We went to watch the Super Bowl at Jonathan & Molly's house last night so the kiddies slept till 9:30am which made the whole day get a late start. All that to say, the kids didn't go down for a nap til 3ish. Jonathan and Molly are some friend's we've made over the last year as a result of the Mother's Morning Out group that I've organized. I'm not really sure if I've posted on that yet. Guess I gotta go back and check. :)

Let's do an update on Miss Cameron!

Miss Cameron turned 19 months on Jan. 17th--my how time flies! That next week, she decided to "jump" out of her crib (she told me "I jump" when I went to get her after she was crying) so we knew it was time to convert her crib to toddler bed. She jumped back in the fall one time and I think I scared her to stay in the crib a little while longer.

So on Friday, January 27th, we converted her bed around 7:45pm. She was suuuppper excited and was jumping on the bed, putting her head on the pillow saying night night. We started to get her ready for bed around 8:30 and that's when the stalling started. She kept asking to hug everyone over and over again.
8:45: She got out of bed when Carter's cd player started playing music and she saw Aaron go in there to turn it off. He returned her to bed.
9:00 She got up to go peep around the corner to see Carter sleeping. Aaron returned her to bed.
9:03 Then she was hanging off the edge of the bed and fell out onto the body pillow on the floor. She figured out that she wouldn't get hurt so she fell out playing a 2nd time. That's when Aaron went in to get her a spanking. :)
9:08 Carter started coughing and Cameron started fake coughing in return.
9:10 Cameron says that Carter is crying (which he is) so I go into see him and he said he was crying because I didn't give him a hug. Usually I lay down for Carter for a few minutes upon his request. Well I told him I couldn't this night to help Cameron get to sleep on her own in her own bed. I guess that's where the hug got lost.
9:12 Cameron laid down for the first time. 9:19 Signing Up on the Rooftop.
9:25 She was hanging off the side of the bed because she dropped something on the floor and Aaron went back in the room to help her get back on her pillow.
9:34 Signing O Christmas Tree
9:45 Finally

I'm impressed with Cameron. I expected her stubborn personality to make this a challenge but then I was reminded that she's a quick learner as a girl! ;) Carter got out of bed 19 times the first night before falling asleep on his own...Cameron--2! :)


Excited about her "new bed"


Finally asleep!

Museum of Life and Science--Carter's 1st Preschool Field Trip

I'm currently stalling while Cameron grabs a little nap. She got up early for the dr this morning and then needed some quiet time in her bed. Triples at HT started last Wednesday and I couldn't get motivated to get all my coupons organized so I passed. But something came over me this morning to want to get some things together and go, so I'm letting Cameron get a little nap in before heading to HT. Hopefully it's worth my trip and effort since its the last day of the sale.

My mom had a few days off from work around Labor Day so she wanted to do something with us during the day. So I suggested the Museum of Life and Science in Durham. It's kinda pricey but I was able to catch a B1G1 coupon online. We headed out to Durham and made a day of it.
Carter's first Preschool Field Trip :)


Bugs, Bugs, Bugs
Here is Carter using a large scale microscope to see small insects


Animals: There are lots of barnyard animals. Cameron is a fan of cows but she was rather scared of this one. There is also a dinosaur trail and live bears and wolves. The bears were hiding but I was able to spot 2 wolves.


Picnic Lunch & playing music


Carter was super excited to ride the train! The train costs extra but was a fun treat when we returned from our picnic lunch.


Touching "clouds", Measuring himself & rolling balls

15 months

This morning, we got up EARLLLY (so we could go during 1st block planning so Aaron could join us) for Cameron's 15 month check up with Dr. Langdon. Carter was super chatty about wolfpack football, telling her that the bad guys lost, about the fireworks and tunnel and marching band, etc. We had to ask him to be quiet so she could talk. Cameron is growing, growing, growing...

Cameron at 15 months:
Weight: 27lb 7.5oz (96%)
Length: 33.25inches (off the chart)
Head: 46.4cm (60%)

I looked back at Carter's numbers and Cameron is almost 2lbs heavier and 1.25 inches taller.

Cameron got 2 shots & a flu shot and Carter got the flu mist for the first time.

All is well with our healthy children. :) Praise the Lord!

I want a drum for Christmas

That's the discussion that has taken place after the first 2 NC Football games this year. Carter wants a GIGANTIC bass drum (like the kind that you wear on your chest) and he wants Cameron to get some cymbals. I think this new love all came about after the band played right in front of our tailgate spot.







He's not just partial to the band...he loves the football team and the cheerleaders and mascots too. Carter is really enjoying the games this year, even this weekend's game which was cold and rainy.

Be intentional

Cameron on our trip to the Life & Science Museum in Durham


I'm tryyyyyyyyyyyyyying to be more intentional about things...one of them being updating this blog. Ahhhhh!
I was doing an online survery about Cameron's development for her upcoming 15 month appointment this month and one of the questions what asking if she said more than 4 words other than Mama & Dada. So I started thinking of them...

Here's a few things about Cameron at 14 months:
*Says Dog, Bow, Fish, Bye-Bye, Hey, Ball, Book, Baby, Pack Pack (for Wolfpack!), Door, Down, No & Mine (These last 2 she's been saying for a couple months!), Nana, Papa, Rock Rock, Tickle,
*Signs Thank you, More & Please (and sometimes says the words along with the sign)
*Counts along with Carter-more like humming along
*Cameron sleeps about 12 hours each night
*Naps for 2.5-3 hours
*When she wakes up earlier than I want her to, she willingly plays in her bed with her babies.
*Loves to read. Sometimes you'll find her reading a book by herself somewhere
*Loves animals. Her favorites(for sound making purposes)are dog, cat, horse and cow.
*She's a great eater. But so was Carter at this age. And she has her mommy's sweet tooth. Sometimes you'll see her dancing in place at the sight of something yummy.
*Wears Size 4 diapers & Size "18 months" but most of her clothes are 12-18/18-24m.
*Recently became interested in blowing a kiss
*It so neat to watch Carter & Cameron interact. In the car, Carter likes to ask her questions just to get to her say No repeatedly. One night he kept asking if he could have some icecream when we got home over and over again. Everytime he would ask, she would start out soft saying no and then she was eventually yelling no at him.

Happy Birthday Derrick!

Yesterday, we headed to Greensboro to spend the afternoon with my brother on his birthday. My dad & Aaron were there...just not in any pictures of these pictures.
Despite very short naps in the car, the kids did well during lunch at Mellow Mushroom & then we headed back to his apartment for cupcakes and icecream. The kids enjoyed yummy desserts, running around, jumping off the fireplace and wrestling with Uncle Derrick!