Thanksgiving

Yes, I know I 'm a little late...

11.25.11
We got to spend Thanksgiving in Puyallup with Scott's family this year...

Below: Cameron giving Brandon his typical "love"

the kids made apple turkeys

Grandma shared some of the delicious food with Brandon...

Cameron being his crazy self while enjoying pumpkin pie...

And us girls were crazy enough to brave the crowds Thursday night to check out some Black Friday deals. Unfortunately all of us apparently forgot that we live in the state of Washington and left the house without waterproof jackets or an umbrella (in our defense--it wasn't raining when we left). Either way, we had a great time standing in line in the rain only to realize that once we got inside the store we would have to wait another hour or so in the check-out line, so we opted to ditch out early and come home for some hot chocolate. 

What a great Thanksgiving Weekend!

Random outbursts and a boy that's growing up

So it is 8:06pm, the boys are in their beds and all of a sudden I hear Cameron yell, "Far, Far Away on Judea's Plains, Glory to God, Glory to God."

Gotta love that kid and his random outbursts.

On another note... Matthew gave a talk in Primary today and said the whole thing all by himself without any help.  He's been practicing all week and has even been praying that he would do a good job and not be nervous. Crazy to think he is old enough to do that.

Brandon at 10 months

11.20.2011

Brandon loves to grab your finger, stick it in his mouth and chomp as hard as he can with his two bottom teeth--so be careful!

He is getting pretty good at push ups...

can sit up, but easily falls over...

And prefers his laying on his stomach over his back...

He is by far my easiest baby... smiley and easy going... if I could just keep Cameron from torturing him. 

9 month (10.24.2011) stats since I'm a little behind...

weight: 14 pounds, 8 ounces

length:  24 3/4 inches

head: 43.5 cm

nap time

Why does Cameron find joy in emptying the clothes out of his closet? Toys are annoying... but clothes... I'm seriously considering moving all clothes to my room (that's where we kept them in San Francisco). I guess at least it is keeping him quiet.

not a climber

After 30 minutes of coaching and the kids piling a whole bunch of blankets and toys next to the bunk bed ladder, Cameron climbed to the top of the bunk bed all by himself for the first time this morning. (I’m not sure if it totally counts since he pretty much started about halfway up using the mound of toys/blankets). 

Cameron's 3 year and 1 month stats:

weight: 34.2 pounds

height: 38 ¼ inches

Trick or Treat

We took our Fireman (Matthew), Pirate (Cameron), and Bear (Brandon) trick-or-treating. They were really excited about getting so much candy and finally talked us into going back home because Cameron's hands were freezing--I guess cold is finally starting to phase him. What a fun Halloween!

Halloween Weekend

The weekend before Halloween we got together at Scott's parent's house in Puyallup. The kids loved playing with cousins, eating the yummy treats that Grandma made, and dancing it up at our glow-in-the-dark dance party.

Mindy's birthday dinner

10.22.11
For Mindy's birthday we got to go out to eat with just the adults. It was great to have a break from the kids and enjoy a night out.

And we can't forget the delicious food!

crazy kid

Really Cameron? Was it necessary to squirt lotion all over the blankets and pillows in my room while I was feeding Brandon? Did you think I wanted more laundry to do? Guess it's my fault... maybe someday you can be trusted to not be so destructive... but after I hear what your father did when he was a kid, I'll take an extra few loads of laundry. 

the answer...

***Spoiler Alert***

And now for the answer...

left to right

Cameron, Brandon, Matthew

How did you do?

who's who

And now for a guessing game...

who's who?

Parkerosa Farms Pumpkin Patch

10.15.11
We went to the Parkerosa Farms Pumpkin Patch with some of Scott's family. The kids loved running around with their cousins and we had a great time in the corn maze, petting zoo, going on a tractor ride, and of course picking out pumpkins.

Cameron--my shorts boy. He insists on wearing shorts all the time--we'll see how long he wins. 

above: cousin Sydney showing Matthew exactly what to do/where to look

(very typical of their relationship)

The boring stuff

Over the summer we got to live with Scott’s parents while we waited for his license to come and while he looked for a job. After all our initial leads didn’t work out, he ended up finding a job through Craigslist in Centralia, WA (a small town about halfway between Portland and Seattle). Scott started working the beginning of August just a few days a week and is now up to a full five days a week. We moved into a four-plex in Centralia the beginning of September and I’m finally feeling like we have some sort of routine in our lives again.

Can I tell you I am loving… being on the bottom floor, real carpet, a covered parking spot, a backyard (just wish it was fenced in), easy freeway access, parking lots, and a washer and dryer (oh, what a difference that makes!)

And now for a few pictures of the boys in our new place... 

Mud Mountain Dam

8.27.11
In honor of Garet and Scott's Dad's birthday we went to Mud Mountain Dam for a picnic, hike, and playtime at the park and water. As "party favors" the boys got pirate patches and all the kids got candy necklaces. Cameron immediately fell in love with his pirate patch and insisted on wearing it the whole time.

Below: Cameron and Aunt Hannah the pirate buddies

Cameron's new favorite phrase: Aye, Aye Captain!

below: group picture taken during our hike to the dam

Cameron even insisted on wearing his patch to bed...

Aye Aye Captain!