Wednesday, December 30, 2015

SEVEN!!

We now have a SEVEN year old!! Wait...what?! How on earth did that happen?! I know it is so cliche to say this....but time really does go by faster and faster each year and for some reason seven seems so much older than six. I am so proud of our big boy and we had such a great time celebrating!!

Brett woke up bright and early on his special day, hoping with all his might that he got the one thing he wanted most...a Lego Star Wars Kylo Ren Shuttle!

 And guess what? He got it! 

He worked hard on this all morning and we loved seeing how happy he was!

Throughout the day, Brett opened more presents and here he is with another Star Wars toy he got. Did I mention that this kid is obsessed with Star Wars?!



Posing with his new Star Wars Lego sets in his bedroom :-)

Later in the day, my parents came over to celebrate! They had lots of fun putting together the solar system that they got him! Btw, don't you just love my dad's blue reading glasses? He is so stylish!



After presents, it was time for dinner (Jet's pizza, as usual) and then CAKE!

Brett put the candles on himself this year :-)

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you"


Before Brett blew out his candles, he ran to get one of his Lego catalogs to show up what he was wishing for! How cute is that?! :-)

Action shots! Love how Camden wanted in the fun too :-)



After cake and ice cream, Brett was exhausted (wired, but exhausted!) so he had some down time in his room, playing with his new toys before finally going to sleep with dreams of Christmas morning and more presents! Thank goodness he has not yet realized how much it actually sucks to have your birthday the day before Christmas. And thankfully, our family and friends have never jipped him because of this! Happy Birthday, Brett Zachary! You keep us on our toes and teach us just as much as we teach you. Love you forever and ever!

Sunday, December 20, 2015

Our Favorite Christmas Tradition!

One of our very favorite Christmas traditions is going to the nearby tree farm to pick out our Christmas tree! We always look forward to this adventure very much and go the first weekend after Thanksgiving. It's crazy to think that last year at this time, Camden was still a newborn and slept through the whole outing....and now look at him! Both boys thoroughly enjoyed running through the trees in the crisp fresh air. It was such a beautiful day!


Brett happily posed for a picture.... while Camden just wanted to GO!

Me and my big boy amidst the beautiful tree's :-)

Posing next to a tree that was his size!

My 3 boys. Love the looks on Kyle and Camden's faces! Pure joy :-)

Camden was quite the ham...pointing, smiling, and making sure he was a part of everything!



And he's off....

One of Cam's favorite parts was climbing in and out of the wagon while the big boys chopped down our tree.


Picture time with the tree we picked out! First Kyle's turn...

And then mine :-)

Brett somehow managed to squish his little butt at the very end of the wagon with the tree for a ride back!

And TA-DA....our Christmas tree all decorated in our new home! 

Merry Christmas, everyone!!

Thursday, December 10, 2015

A Visit With Santa!


A couple weeks ago, Santa came to visit the library in Chelsea, so of course we had to go see him! This was no ordinary visit either. One of the Cub Scout den's had set this up, and instead of paying or donating money to see him, you were to bring a toy for Toy's for Tots! Such a great idea and wonderful opportunity to teach your children about the importance of giving this time of year (and always) and that there are many kids out there less fortunate. Brett picked out a huge semi truck and motorcycle to donate, and had no trouble giving it away. He really seems to understand that not everyone is as lucky as him and I love that he actually enjoyed picking those toys out to give to someone else. Another great thing about this visit was that it meant we didn't need to go the Depot to see Santa (during Hometown Holidays) like we usually do. It is absolutely packed every year and we often have to wait in line for over an hour.....and at the library? There was no line at all! Score!

And just look at this Santa! I think he was the real one :-)



My original plan was to just hand Camden to Santa and start clicking away.....even if he was in tears. I figured it would be a classic photo op and a fun moment to look back on. Plus, I liked the idea of both boys being in the same picture. Well, Santa had other ideas! He gave me detailed instructions on how the picture should be taken. He didn't want to hold Camden because he would probably start crying and he did not want to upset him. I should hold him myself and just stand next to him, and he would stand closer to me instead of the baby. I even tried to hand Camden to him at one point but he just wouldn't take him! He was a very sweet old man, and really, how could you argue with Santa?! So below is the best picture I got :-) Camden wasn't so sure....but he never cried! 


Hopefully the Cub Scouts do this again next year and the real Santa comes back!

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Camden's Birthday Celebrations!


To be honest, we didn't really plan anything for Camden's birthday because in the weeks leading up to his special day, we were consumed with another exciting event....my brother was getting married on October 31st! Yes, the day before Camden's birthday and on Halloween! We had also just moved into our new home a week ago, so our minds were all over the place! We knew we would do something to celebrate our beautiful baby boy, but just hadn't had a chance to figure out when or how.  That's the nice thing about a one year old....they don't have a clue so really you can celebrate whenever you want :-) 

Matt and Amy's wedding was absolutely perfect and we all had such an amazing time (accept for poor Kyle who ended up going back to the hotel with the boys early and basically missed the whole reception). I was so happy to be part of their special day and officially welcome Amy into the family! After a late night of celebrating, a new day dawned with another celebratory event...Camden's first birthday! Kyle's dad, John, and his wife Roberta, had come from Wisconsin to help out with the boys, so Camden's first gift game from them....a V-Tech walker. The funny part is, I had actually purchased the exact same one a few weeks ago but was planning on staying quiet about it....but of course that didn't happen with an overly honest 6 and 1/2 year old! Camden sure didn't seem to notice though and had fun opening it anyways :-) After breakfast, we parted ways and started the 4 hour journey home. Then, about halfway home, we saw a sign for a Toys R Us and Red Robin. Immediately, Kyle and I decided we needed to stop at the toy store to pick out a couple presents for our one year old and have a birthday lunch! What a fun way to break up the drive and also do a little celebrating on the way home :-) 

My view from the front seat on our way home....too priceless not to post :-)

Checking out one of his new toys in the aisles of Toy's R Us!

It's mine, all mine!

Cheesing with the birthday boy (while he holds his very own cellphone) at Red Robin!

And a little coloring to pass to the time :-)



After lunch (where Camden ate over half of Brett's mac n' cheese!), it was time for the staff to sing Happy Birthday to our boy! We weren't sure how he would react with all the commotion...but he ended up loving it, smiling the whole time! :-)


Then it was time for the best part...ice cream! Camden dug right in!

When we arrived home a couple hours later, he had another birthday present waiting for him...this neat dump truck from Grandma and Grandpa Mo! Still one of his favorite toys :-)



For not planning anything ahead of time, I think Camden's birthday turned out pretty good ;-) We then did a little more celebrating over Thanksgiving weekend when Uncle Matt and Aunt Amy were in town. Unfortunately, my good camera needs a new lens so we were only able to catch photos on our cell phones...but even if they're not the best quality, at least we were able to get some pics!

First things first...opening presents! Brett was a big help :-)



His new brooms and dustpan were a huge hit!


"Are you sure this thing is for ME?"

And yes, we did some regifting this year of some of Brett's old things. We already have so many toys...no need to buy more when they are new to Camden! Here he is checking out his plush bowling set :-) Brett loved this when he was Cam's age so we were happy to pass on the joy!

This kid is walking everywhere these days!

Watching intently as Uncle Matt demonstrates how to use the big broom :-)

After presents, it was time to eat dinner! We let Brett pick this year since Camden is too young, so Jet's pizza it was! By the way, I love finally having a real dining room table to sit around! The best! (Just don't pay too much attention to the ugly wall paper in the background....that is going to be one big project that I am not looking forward to! lol)


Happy Guy!

The sure sign Camden is all finished? He starts pouring out his water everywhere! Quick! Get him out!

Another shot around the table :-)

Then it was time for cake!  

Brett worked hard putting the frosting and sprinkles on!

Camden loved the balloons he got before his yummy dessert!

These pictures are out of order but you'll get the gist :-) I don't think he actually ate much of the cake but he sure had fun exploring and sampling this sweet birthday treat!


Love how his little hands are folded in the picture! So sweet.


"Oh geez, mom. Will you stop taking pictures already?!"

Finger Lickin' Good!


Happy 1st Birthday, Camden! 

We sure had a great time celebrating our special one year old little boy! I am so amazed how fast the time goes by, especially the 2nd time around, and am forever grateful for pictures and memories to look back on :-) Here's to another amazing year with you in our lives, Camden James! We love you to the moon and back.