Silly Memory for later

This is one of those things I want to write down so we don't forget!
Cameron is still such a little guy, so little in fact that towels just drown him and he trips over even baby towels with the hood as he walks from the shower to our room. So we started using dish towels and they fit perfect! It is so cute to watch him run from the shower to our house because his little buns stick out the bottom. I need to get a picture!
Also, yesterday he participated with one of his favorite TV shows, Little Einsteins, He pats his legs to get rocket started and he even said "Blast Off" with the show! Halsy and I almost died from the cuteness! He is talking more and more, even putting two words together "MORE PLEASE" "HELP MOMMY", etc. He is getting to be such a big kid! I love you Cameron boy.

Christmas is my favorite holiday

We had such a blast of a Christmas this year!
I was lucky and got most of my shopping done and presents wrapped 2 weeks before Christmas! I was only waiting for 2 presents that were to be delivered on Christmas Eve! YIKES, but they made it and all was well!
We went to the Grotto with my family on Wednesday evening and got to look at the beautiful lights and listen to a concert in a large Catholic church. the music was nice and it was packed to the hilt! I was mostly enjoyable, except that Cameron wouldn't sit in his stroller, he wanted to be carried....ARGH. He screamed and screamed until we pulled him out, and then he made no more fuss. So we all took turns and had fun.
Christmas Eve morning we got up and packed our things and headed to Eugene to be with Halsy's family for Christmas! The drive went fairly quickly and with no issues. Cameron does so much better in the car than he used to. We got to Eugene around 1pm and got unloaded. We hung out with Grandma and Papa and ate lunch. Then we played a fun game called "Nertz" or "Wackee Six", anyways it is a mix of solitaire and speed....very fun! We had the family over for Christmas Eve dinner and Dru (Halsy's mom) made her famous lasagna! We loved it, it was a fun memory to be eating her lasagna. We then played more games until kids bedtime and hit the sack a little earlier than normal.
Christmas morning we woke up and went over to Halsy's sister's house for presents around 10. It was a house full of family! Brothers, Sisters, Moms, Dads, Cousins, Nieces, Nephews! LOVED IT! We opened our presents and laughed a lot! Cameron loved his present - bugs and a book about bugs. Halsy got me a pre-natal massage! YAY and I got Halsymoney to go shopping for new shoes and a gift card to Chipotle so he can go- since I never want to go there and he does. His family has a few fun traditions, we do a name draw for all the brothers and sisters, but we also do a white elephant exchange. So we always get a good present, but then a pretty crappy one. I think this year the favorites were; pregnancy tests, Tai Bo VHS tapes, pancake mix, etc. We all get a good laugh out of it!
We ate through the entire day and played lots of games, especially when the kids were napping. We had Prime rib for dinner with baked potatos, veggies, and homemade rolls YUMMY!
Cameron had so much fun with his cousins, he would just disappear for periods of time playing downstairs! It was nice for me not to be his only source of entertainment. We headed back to his parent's house around 9pm for bedtime. Cameron was so tired! We hit the sack immediately. We woke up the next morning at 10am! I couldn't believe it, let alone I sleep that late, but Cameron has never slept that late. We had our breakfast and headed home to Portland with a little tear becasue we already missed everyone.
When we got home everyone attacked Cameron because they missed him so much. We opened presents with my family becasue we did a gift exchange too! We were spoiled rotten, especially me! We got lots of beautiful little girl things for Miss Carter, Cameron got really fun toys and books, Halsy got new socks and a sweatshirt, and I got a brand new Glider chair for my house upstairs!! I was so happy I cried, I really wanted one but knew it probably wouldn't happen. I found out after that Halsy gave up his Christmas gift so that I could have the chair! what a love! I was so thankful! I also got a cute hat, headband, sweater, and movie tickets!

All-in-all, a wonderful Christmas! Can't wait for New Years!

Bedtime Woes

Cameron started sleeping in his big boy bed a few weeks ago and has been doing well up until last week. He began this habit of crawling into our bed around 4 or 5 in the morning. This would be alright with me if he went back to bed, but he doesn't. It becomes jungle gym time with mommy as the play structure. Pulling on my ears, rolling on top of me, kicking me as he tries to get comfortable, and no personal space unused between us. I have been getting no sleep! So last night, I decided I wasn't going to do it anymore. When he got into our bed at 4:30, I was hopeful that he would just drift back to sleep so I wouldn't have to do what I was planning. But, he didn't, he started the gymnastics. I wanred him, "Cameron, if you dont lie down and go to sleep, mommy is going to put you back in your bed." "NO!", was his definate reply. So he didn't stop and I got out of bed to put him back in his. He flipped out! Crying, screaming, really mad at mommy! I had to put him back three times before he decided to try daddy's side of the bed. (All of this is made more difficult becasue his little bed is only 2 feet from ours, we only have the space to share a bedroom) Halsy had to get up and put him back a few times, then Cameron started going to the door, he did that twice and then asked for a bottle, we gave him a couple ounces and laid him in his bed and this time he stayed!! He cried again for a little while, but stayed in his bed. He then fell asleep with enough time leftover for Halsy and I to go back to bed for a couple hours before we had to get up! WHEW, what a night! Bed training is no fun.

The Name Dilemma

Halsy and I were watching Love Actually last night and one of the character's names jumped out at me! Natalie. Then Halsy said he liked it too! So I wrote it down on the list as a potential. I really like the name and I think it is beautiful.....Natalie Kate Carter, however, I don't think it is as beautiful as Katey Jane Carter. Its not the name as much as it is what it means to me. I love that she will be named after my mommy and my aunt, I love that she can be called Kate, Katey, or KJ, all three I really don't mind. I never thought that I would like the name Katey, but I REALLY do. I don't know how to convince Halsy to let me name her that. He is dead set against it! He wants to compromise and do Natalie, because I don't like his favorite....Charlotte. Also, its not that I don't like it, Charlotte is beautiful, it is just not as beautiful as Katey Jane. ARGH. I don't know what to do, we finally have just decided that we will leave the hospital with a no-named baby girl! I am just secretly hoping Halsy gives in and lets me name by daughter a beautiful name!

Christmas Tree hunt

The Morin family decided to get a real Christmas tree this year for the living room! For the past couple years we always had little ones that would destroy the ornaments and the tree itself, so we just had the fake one in the front hall. We decided that Cameron and Jackson are old enough to understand "No" and Finn doesn't even care yet!

We went to Haggs tree farm up on bald peak. This happens to be the same tree farm the my parents took me when I was 3 days old and have been coming to ever since! It was so much fun to have everyone there! It was absolutely freezing that day, so we were pretty bundled! We rode a hay trailer pulled by a major old school tractor (with I think the same driver from 1984) up the hill to where the Noble trees were. It was fun jiggling around and laughing. Jackson thought it was fun that he could see his breath when he breathed out. We go to the top and they let us out, of course mom was already freezing so she ran into the shed to get warm by the barrel stove, only to find that it was not lit yet. Brrrrrr. She was so bummed. Up the hill we hiked looking and searching for just the right tree. We found some that we liked, but I do believe the honor of tree finder goes to John. By the time we found the tree, Cameron and Finn were too cold and were pretty fussy, so Meg and I headed back to the shed in hopes of a fire. A fire we found! Oooooo it was so warm, Cameron stopped crying and we cuddled in the little shed together until the boys brought the tree down. Soon after we were joined by mom and dad in the warmth.

We got back on the rickety old hay trailer and went down to watch our tree get shaken and bundled for the ride home. We went over to the big barn for some hot chocolate and candy canes. Also, the boys had fun looking at the animals they had there! All the boys fell asleep immediately after getting into the warm cars. We had fun. Decorating commenced the next evening to Amy Grant Christmas music! It doesn't get much better than that. Merry Christmas!!

Baby moving and Name Decisions

This morning I was wakened by some moving in my belly! I don't remember Cameron ever waking me up before, but how fun it was to feel her moving (yes, I said her). It was a quiet mommy moment, how few there are!
We are having a major name dilemma at the Carter house. EVERY name that I love, Halsy hates. EVERY name that Halsy loves, I don't like or don't like as well as my names. It is so frustrating! I hope we come up with a name soon, or we might leave the hospital with a no named baby!

My list includes:
Katey Jane Carter (so I can call her Kate after my mommy), Claire (after my Grandpa who passed this year) DeLong Carter, Faye DeLong Carter, Miriam Kate Carter, Adele Kate Carter, Nora Jane Carter, Bryn DeLong Carter, and on and on. I like more old fashioned names and family names.

Halsy likes:
Charlotte Kate Carter (so he can call her Charlie), Paige, Phoebe, Ashley, Sophia, Reagan, Mikala, April, Sidney, or Logan. I can't figure out his pattern of like and dislike.

Oh well, we have been through so many baby name websites I feel like giving up and just naming her bob.

Wish us luck!

Amazing Feats

This is one of those stories you need to write down before you forget.........Cameron has a new habit of peeing on the carpet, bed, wood floor, etc. after bath time if you don't get a diaper on fast enough! I can't resist cute baby boy buns, so I usually gamble with the chances for a peek of that little naked bod! Anyways, I was in the bedroom getting his pajamas and said diaper, when Halsy starts yelling, "Honey! Honey! Cameron is peeing in his mouth!". I ran into the living room and sure enough he had managed to pee sitting criss cross applesauce, but the pee went straight up in the air and into his mouth! How this happened we don't know, but there he was licking his lips and smiling at us because I am sure the looks on our faces were hilarious. I then proceeded to clean him from head to toe and the carpet wondering how bad it was that my son just essentially drank his own pee. Apparently, its not bad for you, but I really hope this won't become a habit :) We had a good laugh and I get his diaper on a little quicker now!

18 weeks pregnant and counting

I signed up for this email when I was pregnant with Cameron and really loved it! I enjoy seeing how the pregnancy is going and seeing what other mommies are doing at my stage of pregnancy! We are 18 weeks and we get to find out what the gender is in 2 weeks! My vote? BOY!! but we shall see....

How your baby's growing:

Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

18 months Old

Our Cameron boy is 18 months old! We went to see Dr. Palmer and Cameron passed with flying colors! He is hitting all his milestones and Dr. Palmer is smitted because Cam sits there and lets him look in his eyes, nose, ears, mouth, etc.....with no fuss!

Height: 32 3/8" (50th percentile)

Weight: 21 lbs 11.5 oz (5th percentile)

Head: 18 7/8" (50th percentile)

He now weighs 21 lbs and is 32 inches tall!! We are still in the 5th percentile for weight, and 50th for height/head. Hey, at least out little guy is consistent!

He is running, climbing, babbling, and saying "NO". He gives hugs and kisses freely and smiles a lot. He is a cuddler and loves our ears! He loves milk, grapes, cheese, toast, bananas, and apples. He just started to wear 24 month shirts, almost 18 month pants, and size 5 or 6 shoes. He enjoys the car ( as long as there is a bottle involved) and is really fun to tak on errands because he just likes to hang out!

His list of signs has grown to incorporate:

BIRD, AIRPLANE, SORRY, I LOVE YOU, SOCKS,

He has added words like:

POTATO, HELLO, TWINKLE, YES, YAH, MIMI (Megan), NOSE, EYE, EARS, TEETHIES (teeth), THANK YOU, SORRY, PLEASE, MOMMY, DADDY, GAMPA, BYE BYE, TOODLES (Mickey Mouse),

He has added animal noises:

SNAKE, DOG, BIRD, and DUCK!

We love our Littlest of Cameron Boys! Growing way to fast and we can't believe it!

I am one of those Fall/Winter people!

I LOVE Fall and Winter. When that first Oregon breeze of cold air comes in, I smile. I love the changing leaves and the cold breeze. I love bringing out the turtlenecks, boots, and warm scarves and gloves. When the Calendar swicthed to November, I felt a twinge of excitement in hy tummy because Thanksgiving & Christmas are around the corner. I love everything about this holiday season, the music, the decorations, the food, the family, and the festive feelings everyone seem to adopt! I can't wait to start singing Christmas carols and wrapping presents! I can't wait to sit around the thanksgiving dinner table and tell everyone what I am thankful for this past year! Time just needs to hurry!!

Halloween 2009

The only bummer about November is it is time to take down all the Halloween decorations, which, surprisingly has climbed the list of favorite holidays now that Cameron is old enough to trick-or-treat. We had such a blast on Halloween this year. Cameron went as a little puppy dog and I don't think he could have been any cuter!!

He was a little hesitant at first to go to people all dressed up at their doors, but as soon as he realized that they were giving candy......he was all about it!

He waslked right up to every door and dug his chubby little hands into their bowls of candy to pick one, or two, or three...... He was so excited after every door to come and show me what he got and fill his baggie of treats!

(and we all know who really ate his candy, ahem Daddy) He even signed thank you to a lucky few after they gave him treats! He was the smallest thing around and people coudn't believe the cuteness. They would call their family members to the door to come and look at him. It was fun to watch him have a good time.

We had perfect weather and the street we chose was really fun. Everyone was in the Halloween mood, doors decorated, parents in costume, it really made it a blast. It was also special because it was my grandmother's neighborhood, and she has a tradition of dressing up like a witch to answer trick-or-treaters at the door. She is so fun!

Miracle Blessings (aka....pay your tithing)

I have seen many doctors over the past few months and I was calling all of them to find out what I owed, when I was to be billed, and due dates, etc. I called the Chiropractor's office and the office assistant informed me that there had been a mistake on my bill, but that they wanted to look at it and fix it as best they could. The mistake was that when they originally looked up my insurance, the person wrote it down wrong. they had me as a copay patient and were billing my insurance. I should have been a cash-only patient because my insurance only covered a tiny amount of each service. So I had racked up a pretty large bill.

When the lady from the office called, she informed me that the bill was rather large. I replied with "You know what, it was expected, so just send it over and I'll get you guys taken care of".

She said, "Well, Dr. Lovelace wants to take a look at it to see if she can write off some of it for you".

I responded, "That would be awesome, thank you. Anything would be appreciated." She said she'd call me back later that afternoon to let me know.

When she called me back she informed me that Dr. Lovelace wanted to write off the entire bill!! I started to cry "Really? Thats Amazing!" "Is she sure? WHY?" She replied, " Dr. Lovelace felt badly about the mistake and she knew your struggles monetarily, being a student and all, so she wanted to do this for you."

I couldn't stop crying, but I managed a thank you and hung up. Halsy was here and wondering why I was crying, I could barely get the words out to tell him that $950.00 was gone from our worry plate. I was so relieved because I had been stressing for months trying to figure out how we were going to manage all this, but this was a blessing from Heavenly Father.

Another little one is on its way!!

Yes, thats right. The Carters are PREGNANT! We are very surprised and I think we'll be excited soon!! We don't even know how pregnant I am, but we'll find out in a couple of weeks! Here we go!

Cameron's 15 month Doctor Appointment!

Cameron went to see Dr Palmer for his 15 month check up. He is such a big boy!! Here are his newest stats:

20.2 lbs (finally made it onto the charts)

31 inches tall (50th percentile)

He passed the exam with flying colors and even with extra praise for his little personality! We had to get two shots, but he did pretty well.

Cameron is learning so many new things daily!!

He makes all kinds of animal noises:

*Mooo* *Meow* *Roar* *Neigh* *he haw* He makes a sound for: *fish* *Bunny* * elephant*

He can say:

"MaMa" "DaDa" "uh Oh" "Nana" "Oh Toodles" (occasionally)

He can sign:

MORE, FOOD, PLEASE, MILK, SHOES, AGAIN, I LOVE YOU, ALL DONE, and BYE BYE.

He is a little cuddle bug and still loves to hold mommy's ears!

He loves to play chase/hide and seek.

He loves his bottle and to throw his food!

He tries to do a sumersault on the carpet, but only ends up pushing his head across the floor.

He loves to be outside, doing anything, as long as we are outside.

He is a brave little guy....running, jumping off things, playing with Jackson.

He loves to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Ice Age, Elmo's World, Wipeout, and Toy Story!

He is a stair master....Up.......down....up........down......we can barely keep up!

He now nods his head yes when you ask him a question....so cute. He can tell me yes or no!! Ahhhh I love big kids!

We love our Cameron boy....

Forgotten Anniversary.....

Halsy and I both forgot our anniversary this year!! How did that happen??? Well I think it has something to do with the fact that we are insanely busy with school, work, kids, the house, family, and life in general, that we absolutely forgot. Not that we have any excuse becasue I know other people are very busy too and never forget, but I was glad we both forgot and could laugh about it instead of one forgetting and the other getting their feelings hurt.


The way we found out it was our anniversary was Halsy's brother in law sent him a text message around 10am saying "Happy Anniversary Bro". Halsy died...he looked at the calendar and sure enough it snuck right up on us! He called me at work and said "Hey honey I just got a text message from Matt". I said, "Okay is it good or bad?" (becasue his voice sounded like he was either going to laugh or cry) and he said "well, i think it's a little of both.......look at the calendar and see what today is." "Oooooohhhhh!! today is our Anniversary" and then we both busted up laughing!! We laughed till' we about peed our pants and then said "Happy Anniversary honey" to each other and said "I love you" and went on with our day. Luckily the night before we actually went on a date to see Harry Potter so we counted that as our anniversary date!

So here's to remembering our Anniversary....I love you sweetheart and I am excited for another 4 years together plus more!

We are officially Gateless!

We have now taken down all the gates on the stairs!! Cameron has mastered the stairs....although he still makes me very nervous, but I figure that if never take them down then he will never become an expert. It is a lot harder to keep him contained to a space now too! He loves to go upstairs/downstairs and run through all the bedrooms! Hopefully I won't have to endure too many spills down the stairs before he gets it down.

He is getting so big, I weighed him before bath time tonight and he is almost 21lbs!! I know that doesn't sound like very much, but for Cameron that is a lot!! He is finally feeling better and his appetite is 100% improved. So hopefully we will be on a healthy kick for a while, it is no fun to be sick!

Beach Trip 2009

Day 1
Our departure time was 12 noon…and we actually came very close, leaving at 1pm. We packed in the horrible heat that is currently plaguing Portland and got out as soon as possible. We headed to Costco to pick up last minute items for the trip and headed westward to Seaside! Jena and I drove the minivan with the babies and Dad drove the big van with the rest of the clan. As soon as we hit the road Cameron and Jackson fell fast asleep and Jena retired to the back seat to read/sleep. I was grateful for the quiet. We stopped at a rest area when the boys woke up and relaxed a little while they stretched their legs and used the bathroom. Cameron tries to grab the honey bees on the clover..but luckily they always fly away. We found a little creek behind the rest station and went to dip our feet to get away from the heat. John found little baby trout swimming in the creek and figured out how to catch one. He would catch them in his hands and the babies loved looking at them…and Cameron loved trying to squeeze them. After a nice break we got back in the car and headed to the beach house. Our beach house is way cute and fits us perfectly! John and I took the little boys to explore and find the closest beach access and find fun things to do! We had homemade pesto pasta for dinner and it was delicious…thank you Mother. We watched Last Chance Harvey, which was very good, and hit the sack around midnight. The weather was beautiful, it never got above 85 and there was a breeze all day! Couldn’t have asked for a better start to the vacation!

Day 2
Cameron woke me up with an adorable smile around 7:30 and we headed downstairs for a bottle and some TV before everyone woke up and started making noise. We hung out together on the couch until 8:30 when the house woke up and we started to get ready for our beach boot camp led my Mom. I had to stay with babies and take my turn missing the workout, but I will join the torture tomorrow! I took the boys to the beach to watch them workout and to watch Cameron discover the sand and the waves. I put him down barefoot in the sand and at first; he didn’t know what to think. He gave me a worried look and noise, but wiggled his toes around and then took off to play. He fell in love with the sand, sat down, and was covered in minutes. He still hadn’t seen the ocean because we were quite far away from the waves due to low tide. When he did see the ocean, he got a little overwhelmed by the view. He was running towards the waves excited to play in water and then he started crying…he didn’t know what to do. He wanted me to stay by him until he felt comfortable. He crept closer to the water, but would back up as the waves headed towards his little toes. He never really got into the water, he was much happier in the sand. We played and had a blast…building castles and digging moats. We came back to the house and decided to have brunch. Jena and I cooked pancakes, sausage, bacon, and eggs. It was yummy….so tasty after playing on the beach in the sun! Our cousins were in Portland from Colorado and decided to come and visit us at the beach. They came, and while the boys took their naps, went boogie boarding. I stayed at the house and watched a movie until Cameron woke up. He has been so fun to bring on vacation. When he woke up from his nap, I heard “Maaaa” on the monitor and I answered by yelling up the stairs “Mommy’s coming!” and he didn’t make another peep until I came into the room and he bounced with excitement! He is growing up so fast….such a fun little person.

We came down and shared the couch while he got his sleepies out and then the family returned from the beach. Jena and I wanted to take the boys down to the beach to play while it was still warm and Dad said he would come with us. We set up our blankets and had so much fun!! We played in the waves…jumping and enjoying how the water felt. The boys were covered in sand, especially Cameron’s ears (and mommy’s ears). We built a big sand castle with a moat, but the tide was coming in and our castle was defeated by the waves! We had to move our blankets 3 times because the tide kept creeping up on our stuff and soaking us! Mom, John, and Katelyn showed up on their bikes to come and hang with us too! We played until past dinner time and then people’s tummies were growling so we headed home. We had sliders and fries…yummy. After dinner we played in the living room and wrestled with the babies. The kids were getting rowdy so we went for a walk in the golf course. It was so beautiful and the weather was perfect for an evening stroll. Cameron fell asleep and luckily transferred to his bed! We watched Bedtime Stories with Adam Sandler and laughed till’ our sides hurt! Halsy called mid movie so I missed a lot of the middle. He misses us a lot and can’t wait to come down Thursday night! Now I am headed to bed so I can get enough sleep to survive Boot Camp tomorrow!

Day 3
We went for a very nice run on the beach (just mom, dad, and myself) and then came back to the house for showers and to play on the beach! We were going to go to Cannon Beach to look at the tide pools and play on Haystack Rock, but there were so many people coming to the beach from Portland that we were waiting in miles long lines to get anywhere, so we stuck to Gearhart beach. Cameron fell in love with the ocean today! He was very nervous and would whimper if I put his feet in the waves, but after watching Jena, Austin, John and Jackson have so much fun he decided to give it a try. He loved it! He was walking without holding my hand after a while and the waves were up to his little thighs. I was so excited he wanted to play in the water. We all got covered in sand digging holes and building castles, but it sure was fun. We came back earlier than the rest of the crowd because Cam was getting pretty cold from the Oregon water! We took a warm shower and got dressed for dinner. We tried a few places, but yet again we were foiled by the huge crowds of people. We found a little dive on the roadside and decided to give it a shot. We were glad we did, we shared yummy burgers, beer battered fish and chips, and chili dogs. Don’t forget brownie ala mode, strawberry shortcake, and bread pudding….yes my diet was out the window. We came back to the house to cuddle in for a movie. We watched Chain Reaction with Morgan Freeman and Keanu Reeves, it wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t awesome either.

Day 4
Cameron joined our run today in his jogging stroller and he loved feeling the wind in his blonde hair as I suffered pushing him. We stopped to work out at a playground for a little bit so he could go down a few slides. After the workout we get dressed and wet to Nehalem bay for crabbing! I was the only one who had been crabbing before, so everyone was very excited. We brought Jackson with us and he looked so cute in his little life jacket. He was smiling so big the entire boat ride until he fell asleep, just played till’ he dropped! We were very successful in our catch! We caught 2 full buckets of crab…it was a blast. We laughed and talked up and down the inlet dropping and pulling our pots. We decided we would be the Northwestern. Dad was Sig and John was Edgar….anyways we love that show and had fun crabbing like The Deadliest Catch!

While we were pulling into the dock to survey our catch Megan called to say she was in labor! We couldn’t believe it….she was headed to the hospital before we were even off the boat! We took our crab to the cook and had to wait 45 minutes for them to cook and clean all our crab before we could drive the 40 minutes back to our beach house! Megan updated us the entire way! Before we got to the beach house she was dilated to an 8!! We got to the house and packed like mad trying t make it, but as we were driving home we got the call that she had her baby! 6:30 pm Patrick Finley Morin. 7 lbs 8 oz, 20 inches long. We raced and got there 1 hour after the little man arrived! He is so beautiful and I think he looks like Megan. We all smelled like crab and beach, but we didn’t care. So our vacation was cut short, but I can’t imagine a better reason!

Cameron's First Word and Sign!!

Cameron said his first official word!! He has already said Maaa and Daaa and boble (bottle), but he has never said anything clear enough to be an actual word. Yesterday he said "APPLE" and pointed to an apple on the counter. Clear as a bell "APPLE". He gets such a reaction every time he does it that he repeats it all the time now. I am so proud of my little guy. I can't wait to hear his little voice more and more.

Here he is in the car doing it again...

I have been signing to Cameron since he was 10 months old. Just a few basics: Mom, Dad, Food, More, Please, Night Night, I Love You, Milk....anyways he is starting to sign back!! He can make the sign for Milk and for Please, but yesterday he put two signs together to say "MORE PLEASE". It is the cutest thing....I will get it on video because it really is so adorable. The best part is that he knows what he is saying. We were eating a banana together and I always say and sign "MORE PLEASE" while we are eating....and yesterday he signed back!!!

It's the little things that make life fun!

I have been so out of whack for the last month I have only been able to update facebook. So for new stuff, check facebook and I will just do better from now on.

Lets catch up a little......Cameron is finally feeling better from his cold/cough, which makes life wonderful again. We are both still working and busy as ever!! I have not been enjoying the sunny weather becasue that means ALLERGIES!!! Terrible Hay Fever and Grass allergies debilitate me almost daily in the hot summer. I am hoping a doctors appointment might help me get some relief. I have been running for a few months now and believe it or not, I am really enjoying excercise. I have signed up for my first 5K in August so there is no turning back now!! I have a workout partner and that makes all the difference. Halsy just finished finals week and is very excited to not worry about school for a week. We only have one more term before we start Chirpractic College!! I can't believe it is almost here. We were thinking about moving when school came so Halsy wouldn't have to drive so far, but in the end we decided it was financially and emotionally better to stick around here. So my parents have some permanent house mates......but they love it! I am especially excited to stay in the Farmington Ward and keep my friends and calling that I love. I am very excited to be living here when Megan has her baby and stay with my family!! Halsy has a longer commute, but I promised him as many books on tape as he can handle!!

Cameron is growing!! FINALLY....we went to the doctor and he is almost 20 lbs....what a big boy! He is drinking whole milk by the gallon and loves to eat hot dogs. He has added "Ball" and "Balloon" to his list of words. He still moos at everything, but we can get him to "quack" and "Grrrowl" sometimes. He gave us his first sign, something I have been teaching for a few months. He said "please" by signing. I was so proud (especially becasue my family called me silly for months). He also has added spinning to his dance moves. He is so fun! I love watching him figure things out.

My Grandpa DeLong passes away this week and what an experience. It was very sad, but also very wonderful! Having all of the family together from all corners fo the USA was too amazing. It was a beautiful funeral and grave dedication. This was my first experience with a death in the family close enough to feel sorrow. I am very grateful for the gospel and the knowledge that I have that I will see Grandpa again.

4/19/09 - 5/9/09 Recovery and Getting out of the house!

We finally rid ourselves of the dreaded Pink Eye. The disease spread through Brooke to Cameron to Jackson back to Cameron to Dad to John to Halsy to Katelyn and finally ended there!! Mom, Jena, Matt, and Megan came out unscathed. We were purell and clorox freak!! I couldn't stop cleaning and washing things. I NEVER want pink eye again. Hopefully we cleaned well enough that it is gone forever. I haven't posted in so long due to the amount of sick and suffereing people (including myself) that I was caring for. We were so excited to be able to leave the house, but we were so nervous we waited a week after we showed no symptoms to venture out. We took the boys to the playground, out to dinner, to the grocery store (where we liberally drenched the cart in Lysol becasue we determined that was the origination of the pink eye in the first place) and we were loving being around human beings again!

Halsy had been working for Play N' Trade (video game store) for almost a year and it was wonderful. However, the owners weren't too business saavy and announced they were closing the store down. Leaving us without income.....SCARY. Luckily Roof Life needed some data entry work done and he could do that part time from home and then it turned into a full time office position!! YAY for Halsy! We are so happy to have a working schedule again. It gets a little crazy when Daddy is home too much (Mothers out there....you know what I mean). Halsy is still doing school and we only have 1 term left before we start Chirporactic College!!! YIKES....now that it is getting closer I don't think I'm ready.

Cody (our cousin) is leaving on his mission and on Sunday we drove to Seattle to hear his farewell and give him loves! Cameron did so well in the car. Napped, ate, played, read books, and caused no fuss! I am so thankful for my sweet little guy. Cody did a great job and it was fun to see all the family again! We had Mother's Day at Red Robin in Seattle, which was a little weird, but it was better than in the car. We had yummy lunch, balled as we read our Mothers Day cards and then got on the road home.

Cameron is getting smarter by the day. He has learned a few new tricks that I just love and of course he won't perform for anyone. If you ask "How big's Cameron?" then say "Soooooo Big!" he puts his arms above his head and smiles! So cute!! He knows how to Moooo like a cow and Baaa like a sheep too! He loves to sing with Grandma Morin and even is starting to do some of the actions with her. He has no fear of the stairs, which is heart attack time for me becasue he will just walk right off the top stair. He loves to run circles with JAckson around the couches and play their own version of tag (which usually ends up in pushing and crying) but they have so much fun in the nea time, what are you going to do? Cameron also loves to Dance. I have a video on facebook of him dancing and it is too cute!!

PINK EYE...Oh the horror!

I got pink eye and so lovingly passed it to Cameron. Luckily no one else got it in the house so far, but we had to cancel most of our friends from Cam's birthday party because we were contageous (I always think of adventures in babysitting when I say that word) The party was still a success, but we were pretty worried for a little bit. By the way, if you have never had pink eye.....it sucks. I had never had it and I never realized how torturous it is to have red, itchy, dry, yet gooey eyes all the time...ARGH poor us! It is finally starting to get better. Thank goodness.

This is what I have looked like for the past day or so.....lovely.

You can see that his left eye is swollen from the itchy goo that is in there.....poor guy!

4/12/09 - 4/18/09 Easter and more fun!

Cameron is starting to climb on everything! He loves to climb into buckets, bowls, and baskets, especially when there are things in them to throw out!

Jackson loves to make soup and pies for everyone! Here is Cam, Grandpa and Jackson eating some soup a la Jackson!


EASTER!! Jackson got to go on his first easter egg hunt this year! It was so fun watching him find the eggs....at first he didn't get it, but when he found the candy inside the eggs he was all about it!

On easter we get a few presents from grandpa and grandma! Cameron got a book...we love books!

This is Cameron's easter outfit for church! I found it at a resale shop months ago and was so excited that he fit into it. We still had to roll the pants, but we made it work and see how cute he looked!!

We finally got a sunny day in Sherwood, OR and we celebrated by playing in the water. Halsy washed the car and Cam and I played in the waterfall. At first Cam didn't like the water, but once he discovered all the rocks in there I couldn't get him out. We played for over an hour and had a ball!