Ellie turns 4

Ever since her best friend and her cousin turned 4 in July, Ellie has been asking when it was her turn to be 4.

On the morning of her birthday, she woke up at 6:30 am with a huge grin on her face.

We sent her to preschool with pink-frosted sugar cookies for her friends and she came home with a cute birthday card and crown. Her grandma Ann took her on a lunch and shopping date, which she loved.

I met her at the movie theaters with my sister and her kids and we watched Frozen. This was only Ellie's second movie in a theater and she loved the entire thing. I thought it was so cute too.

Afterwards, we went to get her birthday scoop at Baskin Robbins and she chose "rainbow," of course -- which she says is her favorite color.

She had a "Tangled" tea party a few days later, where the girls enjoyed a dance party, a game of "Sneak Past the Dragon," and a tea party with a pink drink and cupcakes.

A few things about Ellie at 4 years old: 

-She is such a good big sister. Although she has her moments when she wants to pester him, she watches out for Camden and makes sure he is OK.

-She's so smart. She surprises me with her insightful questions and observations.

-She loves wearing dresses and pretending to be a princess.

-Her favorite show is Curious George. Her favorite movies are Finding Nemo and Cinderella.

-She has a very sympathetic spirit. If she notices that I am down, she will ask me about how I'm feeling and try to help me feel better. She tells me that when she hears Camden cry at night, she feels sad for him.

-She is a social butterfly. She always wants to play with someone and she loves her friends.

-Her favorite foods are spaghetti, macaroni, grapes, carrots and popsicles.

-She says she wants to be a doctor. She is very interested in the way our bodies work and what helps and hurts them.

-She's a daddy's girl. But I love it when she asks for her nightly "Mommy snuggle time."

-She still loves her books, and is especially into Clay and I telling her imaginative stories, in which she is the heroine, of course.

I love my sweet little buddy so much. I know she is going to grow up to do amazing things, because she is already making a positive difference in our family members' lives. I love you beyond words, Ellie my girl.

And now for some party photos:

Little man

I know it's cliche city, but my little boy is growing up WAY too fast. 

I did not feel this way with Ellie. Why is it so different with my little boy? 

I was always looking forward to every new stage Ellie reached. With C, it's almost painful to let go of certain stages in his life. 

Take nursing, for example. Two days ago, I decided it was time to be done. I found myself tearing up about the fact that that stage is over, and I didn't expect that. I know nursing is different for everyone and there are good reasons people can't do it or decide to stop, and some people just plain hate it. And I respect that. But I love it. There is just something about that closeness and dependency that strengthens my bond with my baby and it's such a special, relaxing time. I looked forward to nursing a baby again when I was pregnant with Camden, and Camden being done is only advancing my baby hunger for #3. Which isn't in the making for awhile yet, FYI. If my sanity (tightly connected to my sleep) weren't an issue, it would be otherwise.    

Back to the man of the post. He is such a stud. There is nothing that makes me smile more than seeing him wobble around everywhere, something he has finally gotten the confidence to do since he took his first steps in August. I love that he giggles when I put on his shoes because his feet are insanely ticklish, like his dad's. 

He babbles nonstop as if he is giving his perfectly understandable opinion. He does say some real words, like duck, cat, deer, wow, dad, mom, grandma, grandpa, thanks, sky, drink, baba, ouch, hat, shoes, car, some animal sounds, and his favorite, NO! Which he screams every time I take him away from something he wants to play with or take him to change his diaper. He loves to throw balls, play with trucks, water and dirt. (surprising?)

He is becoming very opinionated and wants to touch and explore everything -- especially things he sees me and Ellie using everyday like makeup and the bathroom sink. 

The kid is obsessed with animals from flies and ants to cats, dogs and his favorite, birds, which he talks to in a high-pitched voice. 

Any time we give him a stuffed animal or blanket, he snuggles into it and says, "mmmm." 

My favorite thing he does is give kisses when asked. There is nothing better. 

The bond I have with this boy is indescribable. When I come back from being gone and see his face light up and his arms reach out to me and he sighs, "Mama," my heart breaks into a thousand pieces because I can't handle how much I love him or entertain the thought of him being someone else's boy someday. People talk about daddies and their shotgun-mentality when boys come to date their girls, but man. Wait 'til this mama bear sees girls trying to date her boy! 

For now, I'll just enjoy the fact that I am the main girl in his life and I get to snuggle him all day long. I love you, Camden J. 

That time we went to Park City

For the last two years, Clay and I have had the chance to take our little family up to Park City for a little staycation, if you will. This year, we got to go for a whole week! It was a dream. Not so far away that we had to deal with jet-lag and cranky travel-worn kids, but far away enough to feel like we escaped our day-to-day lives. We are going to try to make it happen every year. 

 Guardsman Pass is breathtaking.

 Right?

 Main Street. I lived at the top of it with my dad for a year during middle school. I'm 99% sure the house I lived in was haunted. It looks much better now:

 I have always wanted to photograph this barn, and I finally got the chance. 

 We got some amazing peaches at the Park City Farmer's Market.

Even though the weather was rainy, we spent a lot of time in the "warm tubs" they have for the kids. 

All the children's activities the resort offered made it an extra fun trip for the kiddos. 

Then there was the food. I still think about my lemon ricotta pizza from Vinto's and the s'mores we had with Reese's peanut butter cups and symphony bars. I'll end on that sweet note. 

And now I need some chocolate. 

Camden turns one

When Ellie was a baby, I was purely excited for every new stage she reached and never looked back. But with Camden, it's different for some reason. He is my little baby, and now that a year has passed, it means he is that much closer to the end of babyhood.

 Camden at 10 days old

Camden at 1 year old

When I was pregnant with Camden, I sensed his mild, innocent spirit. He is still a happy, calm boy.

I'll never forget the night he came into our lives in such an unexpected way. (and place!) I remember thinking how surprisingly peaceful it felt to have him born in our home and to just be able to stay home and go to bed afterwards. I'll always cherish those first few weeks of snuggling with Camden in bed, because, as Clay warned me, he wouldn't be allowed in there once he got a little older. With Ellie, I was way too nervous to ever sleep next to her. But because I have been less anxious with my second, and because he would NOT go back to sleep sometimes unless he was lying next to me, it was a necessity. And I loved it. I have tried to get him to sleep next to me since, but he won't. Bittersweet.

I'll also never forget how gassy/colicky he was for the first 4-5 months. It can't all be butterflies and fairy dust, right? :) But Clay swooped in as the super-husband he is and helped immensely every night. And he still does, because as sweet as our baby boy is, consistent sleep just isn't his thing.

A few more tidbits about Camden at one year old:

-He's still nursing strong. He isn't showing any signs of wanting to stop. Ever. Wish us luck.
-He is a mama's boy to the max. Sometimes I have to hide from him to get something done because if he sees me, he wants nothing else. With that said, he is much better at playing on his own than Ellie was at this age.
-He is already such a boy. He loves digging in dirt, mud, sand -- anything that will make a mess -- and chasing balls, banging things, and rolling trucks along the ground.
-He gives the best kisses. Open-mouthed and accompanied by an "awww" sound. He's also a snuggler.
-He loves his big sis. They play with each other now and make each other laugh and I'm convinced there's nothing better to watch than my own kids making each other happy. I guess having multiple kids is worth it after all. :)
-His blonde hair, blue eyes and dimples are melting hearts everywhere.
-He crawls like a madman (ever since he was almost 8 months) and shows no desire to walk. I'm cool with it.
-He loves to say mama (obvs), uh-oh, duck, quack, milk (mok/gok) and attempts to say a bunch of other words.
-He loves when we read books to him.
-His trademark move when he is excited is getting up on his knees and flapping his arms. We call it "raptor arms."
-He wants to eat everything in sight, but because of his food sensitivities and eczema (which we're sure he'll grow out of, like Ellie did) we steer clear of gluten, sugar, nuts, eggs and dairy.

Clay often reminds me how I was worried I couldn't love another child as much as I love Ellie. I had nothing to worry about. I love my son more than I could have imagined and we have such a sweet bond. He makes me baby hungry for more little boys! :)

Now, for some pictures from his splash party!

We chowed down on vanilla bean buttermilk and chocolate fudge cupcakes and pizza.

The kids had a blast on the Slip n Slide. 

How cute are those baby glasses? Thanks auntie Kira. :)

He's pointing to his favorite person.

 I made Camden a gluten, dairy and sugar free cake.  As gross as that sounds, it actually tasted pretty good! Apparently Camden did not agree. He wanted nothing to do with it.

Me with my mom and sisters. I love all the crazy girls in my family. 

The only picture you will ever see where Ellie's face looks chunky. Haha.

A splash party wouldn't be a splash party without turning it into a water fight.

Thumbs-up to turning one!

Fourth of July

Last year, I decided the Fourth of July is my new favorite holiday. I love Christmas and all, and the meaning of it is obviously of paramount importance, but the busyness, materialism, and cold of December just doesn't quite compare to the sun-up, sun-down celebrations of Independence Day -- all done in the warmth of the sun. And now that Clay can be home celebrating with us instead of playing in his annual Fourth of July BYU soccer game, it's that much better. Although, we both miss his days with BYU soccer. 

Anyway, back to the Fourth. There is nothing like celebrating it in the heart of Provo. Watching the parade in the morning is a tradition I love, especially when good friends let us crash at their place to watch it. (Love you, Dayna and Steve!) But this year, we started the day's celebrations even earlier with Ellie's first real race -- a 1 mile run around Kiwanis park. She was so hyped up about running a race and talked about it all summer. She had hurt her knee the day before and was limping a little on the big day, but she was so determined to run as much as she could. When she had to stop and walk or have me hold her, she said, "It's OK if we don't win first." Atta girl. 

It was so cute to watch her cross the finish line. She said, "Mom! When I was running, my leg hurt a little but when I crossed the finish line, it stopped!" We walked to the runner's station and got her medal, which she was thrilled about, obvs. That night, when she was going to bed, she said, "I loved my race, mom." Looks like this might have to be added on to our annual festivities. 

We got smart this year and rode our bike to our friends' place on Center Street to watch the parade. It was nice to get a little workout in pre-holiday food gorging and to ride past all the people celebrating. Once Ellie spotted her best friend, Jayne, she was in heaven for the next couple of hours we spent watching the parade. Our friends were kind enough to let us borrow one of their cribs, and Camden eventually, miraculously, took a little snooze mid-bagpipes, canons and marching bands. My favorite float this year was Get Air Hangtime's, which had a trampoline float with people doing flips on it. Cool. 

After the parade, we went home to give the kids naps and do some prep for our family barbecue. When everyone arrived we ate good food (Bam Bam's brisket), the kids played on the Slip n Slide, and we visited with our next door neighbors and their family, who we are close friends with, and watched their annual firework show, which we call Cul de Sac of Fi-Er! (Sung to the tune of Stadium of Fire's theme song, of course.) These guys don't mess around. Their fireworks come from Wyoming and are super awesome. Once the sun started going down, we put a fussy Camden to sleep (he was asking to go "nigh-nigh") and walked over to the stadium to watch some of the Kelly Clarkson concert on the mega-tron. She has a pretty impressive voice, if you ask me. Then we got settled on our front lawn and watched the firework show. 

Ellie and her cousin, Kate, were fascinated, but would not unplug their ears. Haha. Little Camden snoozed through the whole thing, amazingly.

It was a fun, fun day and night. I love America. And I love Provo. There, I said it.