A Saturday of Cub Scout Fishing!

Since Brett is now in First grade, he was able to join Cub Scouts this year and so far he absolutely loves it! And the best part? There are not only weekly meetings full of fun activities, but also lots of different things to do on the weekends! So, this past Saturday, on probably one of the most beautiful fall days of the year, we went to our first weekend event....fishing at Independence Lake! This event was for the whole county, meaning many of the surrounding school districts were included and we were surprised with all they had to offer. Brett brought his own fishing pole and tackle box but we quickly found out that that wasn't needed because each Scout got a brand new fishing pole to keep along with extra tackle! There was also about 6 different stations to go to learn all the skills necessary to be a successful fisherman :-) Brett was smiling ear to ear pretty much the whole afternoon, and I know my dad was proud to hear his grandson is following in his footsteps.

One of the most important things to learn as a fisherman? How to put the worm on yourself (or a gummy worm for practice :-) ).

This station was fun because the boys learned about different types of fishing poles and bait and what kinds of fish they each catch.

After all the stations, the real excitement began.....FISHING!!!

We were so proud of Brett because he actually helped put the worm on this time!

Camden was on the go and into everything!

My little fisherman :-)

Kyle and I were really impressed with Brett's casting! He got better and better as the afternoon went on and was determined to do it all himself. Go Brett!

The leaves were a big hit for this little guy!

One of the instructors made it clear that the kids most likely wouldn't catch any fish that afternoon because of all the commotion......but he was wrong! Brett caught not one, but TWO fish all on his own. As you can tell by the picture though, he wasn't quite ready to hold the fish himself yet :-) But he sure was proud!

Did I mention it was a perfect day?

Camden sure loves to swing!! (And it gave me a nice break from chasing him around everywhere!)

After fishing for over an hour, these two loved playing on the playground and going down the slide together! Brett is such a good big brother and sure loves to take care of his little bro. Melts my heart always.

We had such a wonderful day as a family and look forward to many more Scouting activities in the future!!

11 months!!!

Eleven months!!! Can you believe it? I sure can't. As I've written in practically every update, I just can't believe how fast these months have flown by. It is so crazy to think that in just a few weeks Camden will officially be one year old! Since I dropped the ball on taking his 10 months photos, I had this big plan to take some amazing 11 months shots. Ya know, pick out just the right outfit, have the perfect backgrounds with a nice blanket, the toys he loves, and his big brother nearby to join in some of the pictures. Well....let's just say life got a little hectic, and the 1st of October came and went way too quickly with no plans in the near future of a photo shoot.....SO.....I ended up just taking a random moment when I got one! One sunny afternoon before picking Brett up from school, I took Camden outside to play in the backyard. The lighting was perfect and he looked so cute.... and that's when it hit me.....photo shoot time!! I ran inside to grab the camera and sticker for his shirt and started clicking away. And voila! Camden's 11 month photo shoot was compete!

This adorable little guy has learned so much this past month! For starters, he is following in his brother's footsteps with his early love of cars :-) About a month ago, he started "driving" anything with wheels on the floor himself, even making the sweet "vroom" sound! So stinking cute! He also loves to put things in containers and take them out again, play chase games and peek-a-boo, rough house with his big brother, and give big slobbery kisses ( melt my heart!). Camden is also standing up without holding on to anything for short periods of time, and crawling faster than ever (on all fours, like a little bear!). He call's for "Da-Da", and is trying to say "Brett" which comes out differently each time, but always ending in a "T" sound :-) He seems to be understanding almost everything these days, and watching his little mind work never ceases to amaze me. He is such a snuggle bug and I think it's safe to say, I am totally and utterly in love with this little soul. Happy (belated) 11 months, Camden James!

*I just have to share this quick little story about Camden. Pretty much every day, Camden watches Brett do his homework with his pencil. Of course, I never thought anything of it, and really didn't even think he was paying attention. Well....I was wrong! A couple days ago, Camden got into some colored pencils. My gut reaction was to quickly take them away before he started eating them or poked his eye out....but something stopped me after I saw how happy he was exploring this new "toy" and decided to just watch him carefully. The next thing I know, he is trying to draw with them on the floor! He knew what they were for! I quickly ran and got a coloring book and showed him how to draw on paper. A huge smile came over his sweet face, as he then copied me and did it himself! Seriously, is this kid a genius or what?! :-) He continued to "draw" for at least 10 minutes, so proud of his new found fete :-) Young children sure are amazing, aren't they?

First Day of 1st Grade!

Brett officially became a 1st grader on September 8th and so far the year is off to a great start! We all really like his teacher, Mrs. Weid, and Brett has been enjoying his new class. And the best part? Carolyn is in his class and sits right next to him, AND their lockers are next to each other! The Klinks are good friends of ours and we get together often, so knowing Carolyn was going to be in his class really helped ease Brett's nerves about the first day.  Thank goodness for friends! :-) Brett had a few rough mornings the first couple weeks of school due to anxiety and adjusting to early mornings again...but this week is going much smoother and we are very proud of our boy! 

Both boys were all smiles on the first day!

We ran into Carolyn as soon we got to the parking lot!

Love this picture of these two next to their lockers :-)

And here is Brett in his classroom, all ready to learn! 

Camden!

So, sitting here tonight, it dawned on me....I never took Camden's 10 month pictures! I have really been out of sorts living in this rental house and am more than ready to be settled again in a real home that is ours. And unfortunately, some of the details in life have been put on hold...like Camden's monthly photo shoot! So, since in less than 2 weeks he will be 11 months old, I figured that's a good excuse to just nix the 'formal' 10 month shoot, and just post some fun ones I've captured lately of our adorable little guy :-) 

Just checking things out :-) Love how his little butt is in the air!

One of Camden's favorite spots in our rental? Looking out the front window that his height!

Hello!

Emma loves Camden! This picture just melts my heart.

Camden now sits in a booster seat at the table with us for dinner, and the shenanigans between these two is priceless! Let's just say there is a lot of laughter that goes on...and I love it!! 

Checking out one of Brett's TV shows....I couldn't resist his cuteness as he looked up!

My cup runneth over...I am so in love!

Camden is pulling up on everything these days...and had a quite a fun time practicing his new skill at the library one day (while attempting to pull every book off the bookshelf of course).

My mom and I went to 12 Oaks last week, and before we left, we stopped at the play area to let Camden get some energy out. He sat down for a short moment, taking everything in...and then was off! Unfortunately, he is now suffering the consequences of putting his mouth on everything....poor little guy has his first bad cold :-( 

Did I mention that he is into everything these days? He is so proud :-)

Kyle made the mistake of leaving his electric guitar out one day...Camden was jamming!

Playing the guitar together is now a favorite past time :-)

I'm going to save most updates for his 11 month photo shoot....but I will say this. I can't get over how much more of young toddler Camden has turned into this past month. Of course, he is still my baby....but he is just interacting in more of a little person way verses a baby. He loves to mimic us and seems to be learning new skills almost daily...like throwing a ball and playing "catch", climbing stairs, and cruising. He brings our family so much joy and laughter and I could never put into words just how fortunate we feel to have him in our lives! We love you, Camden James!!

The Toledo Zoo and Aquarium!

All summer long, Brett had been asking to go to the Toledo Zoo to visit the new Aquarium...and all summer long we had been been putting it off because our weekends were filled. Then, finally, a couple weeks ago we had a free Saturday so off to the zoo we went!! 

Our first stop? The Aquarium! 

Brett was all smiles...

..while Camden had the look of utter amazement and awe the whole time! 

Being able to touch some of the sea life was our favorite part...

...especially the friendly Sting Rays!

The huge aquariums were pretty cool too!

After the aquarium, we were off to visit the rest of the animals at the zoo!

We always love the penguins :-)

This was seriously the largest spider I had ever seen....at least a foot long!

Along the way, Brett turned into a snake....ssssssssss!

Quick photo opp!

Kyle and Brett had fun watching some hippos through these little windows.

Elephants are so fascinating to me...definitely one of my most favorite animals!

Camden stayed awake the whole 4 hours we were there...but passed out on the walk back to the car. Not much is more precious than a sleeping baby!

We love the zoo and look forward to going back next year!