Up, Up .... and Away?!?!?!

Seriously, could she be growing up any faster!?!?! Yesterday while paying bills in the office, Camdyn was happily emptying her book basket onto the floor of her bedroom. Suddenly....silence. Knowing this usually means trouble, I hurried around the corner to her bedroom only to find my little baby STANDING!!!!!!! She had the biggest smile ever on her face and was obviously extremely proud of her ability to pull herself up onto her exersaucer! Although we had been kneeling for a few weeks now, I had no idea this would be happening so soon! 8( Needless to say, we are now back to the drawing board with the baby proofing of our house.....

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish.....Gold Fish?!?!?!

I know it is a bit early, but Ms. Camdyn hosted her first (maybe annual?!?!) Halloween Party yesterday afternoon! All 13 of us dressed in our scary best and headed across the street to the retirement home for a little early trick-or-treating. I am fully aware of my bias, but I like to think our little goldfish stole the show! Not a very traditional costume, I know, but I saw a picture on-line and just couldn't help putting my own spin on the idea! I am still going to try to get a video of her "swimming" across the floor........but here is a sneak peek at the beginning of our Halloween fun!

Just a Little Overzealous

While my original thoughts centered around the "more the merrier" concept, I will begrudgingly admit, 13 children under 8 is just a bit over-the-top for a house pushing 1,100 square feet. However, I did learn several cardinal rules of kiddie Halloween party hosting:

1. Mom's must stay. Merely dropping your toddler off is in no way, shape or form an option....it is a vital necessity.

2. Glow necklaces are not such a great gift. While the kids loved each moment of glow-in-the dark fun, our teeny tiny bathroom was not a fan of 10 kids jamming inside to see how they worked in the dark!

3. Rain forest Jumparoo's are apparently not only for infants.....why craft, eat or play games when you can squeeze 3-4 year old bodies in a seat claiming a maximum capacity of 18 pounds. I have some great photos for Fisher Price arguing false advertisement.

4. Kids dressed as super heroes, really think they are super heroes. If I got hit with one Spidey Web or Karate Chop yesterday, I was hit with 100.

5. Parties don't need an ending time. The point at which to leave became glaringly obvious when 2 fights, 4 kids in tears and 2 minor injuries all occurred in the same 30 seconds!

Thanks Camdyn's little friends (and moms) for a great time!

Momma's Little Super Star

With Dad out of town and Mom's biggest work event of the year, Camdyn had to be a superstar for 12 hours on Friday. I am proud to say, I have the best kid ever.....and she got the gold star to prove it!

Big Girl and Not Quite Lovin It

Since 3 jars of food and 5 bottle simply couldn't keep our little busy body going, it was recommended that we start adding in some real snacks! Although she seems fascinated by the bananas, cheese and Puffs on her tray, she can't quite figure out what to do with them.......so, they get rubbed into her chin, eyes, hair, ears and cheeks! Last night I thought we managed to get 6 pieces in and down. Two hours later when I slid on the pajamas, I realized we got them down...the inside of our clothes! I found five and am still holding on hope that the final one found its way to her tummy.

Apparently, Mom and Dad Have it All Wrong.........

Maybe it was because we had seen other parents do it this way. Perhaps it was the picture on the box. But, apparently, kids are supposed to go under the Exersaucer rather than in it! In the past few days, Camdyn has been super into crawling over, under and through things. Although it is usually Mom, Dad or Barley that we are trying to conquer, last night it was her Exersaucer. However, rather than just tunneling on through, she decided to park herself there and play......and she was not so happy when Dad wedged her out to go for a walk!

A Little Under the Weather

Unfortunately, the first snow has brought about our first super nasty cold! Between coughing, snotting, sneezing and drooling, we just haven't had time for the camera! But don't worry......Camdyn promises to feel better soon and smile extra pretty for the next round of pictures!

My First Real Bath

We knew there was lots of shopping to be done in Portland, so Camdyn and I packed with care before we left, analyzing exactly which of the dozens items we usually travel with were actually necessities. Figuring we could utilize the extra set of hands provided by Grandma, we decided we could sacrifice our very bulky baby bathtub and just settle for the sink! I will admit, that when bath time rolled around, I was a little nervous about Camdyn's response. We had always used the little sling in her baby tub and that seemed to be working just fine.....little did I know we had apparently been denying Camdyn the experience of a life-time!

We decided on my parents exceptionally deep laundry sink to do the job and she looked so small as we set her in the basin. I anxiously awaited the trembling lip and blood curdling screams, but was pleasantly surprised by Camdyn's coos of excitement. Mere seconds later, she was howling with laughter,splashing non-stop and had drawn the entire family in to see the show. Despite the water flying onto the counter, the walls, the windows and floors, none of us had the heart to stop her from absolutely loving this first real bath! Needless to say, we will be storing the baby tub immediately and moving onto the exciting world of big-girl bath time!

Family Photo Time

Not the best family portrait, but at least evidence that Camdyn really does have a mom and dad!

Future Soccer Star

Since the sport is near-and-dear to both Mom and Dad's hearts, it has been a long standing joke that Camdyn WILL play soccer! We would teasingly tell people that we would teach her that every ball, regardless of size, color or intent, was a soccer ball. We kid about limiting exposure to other fall sports, leading her to believe that there simply was only one option available! However, it looks as if we can put our worries aside....... When presented with an insane number of playing options at a friend's house last weekend, Camdyn was immediately smitten with the soccer ball, eagerly chasing it around the living room for nearly an hour! Sometimes dreams really do come true!

Headed to P-Town

Just wanted to apologize for the lack of blogging the past week. Jeff has been off training to be a helicopter crew member, so I have been busy juggling work, home and my little crawler who manages to get into everything! Not so much time left for photo shoots.

This afternoon we are headed to the big city in search of a snowsuit, some quality time with Grandma and Grandpa and to pick up Daddy! 8) We promise some pictures from our adventures early next week! Thanks for checking in on us!