Side Note

I don't know how I forgot this side note from the day. Cameron has pooped through five outfits and two bed changes. No joke. It was very gross. Very gross.

The new bin

1. Catching up
I started catching up on life from being sick the past few days. For example, this evening I began taking down the Christmas tree. Owen pushed a box over to the table and began eating the left over food from dinner. Not surprised.

2. Meals are a good time to take pictures
I realized today that I take a ton of pictures during mealtime. I think that this is because the boys can't move, the camera is right there and they are always sitting next to each other. I know that these pictures get old...but here are some more. Obviously expect more meal time pics in the future.

3. Toy room

So grateful for all of the new toys from Christmas. Our toy room is packed to the brim. We got a trunk full of toys from the Orsticklopplands alone. This snapshot was taken immediately when I put the boys to bed. I actually started to pick stuff up right before bedtime tonight in order to find a magical green pacifier. It gets cleaned every night and used every single day. I am very lucky to have this space.
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Oh and yes...you can see two loads of laundry that need to be folded on the couch in the living room.

4. New recycle bin

I asked for recycling for Christmas. Is that nerdy? Today they dropped off my new bin. My new, HUGE bin. It is almost full of paper and cardboard and I have only had it for one day. I am TRILLED to have this addition to my life. Thanks mom and dad!!

5. Garage will be organized soon

I actually took this picture to show a snap an image of how crazy my garage is right now. With only one car I just seem to keep putting things out there for "storage." I would like to point out...there are MORE TOYS out there. In this picture you can see the awesome wagon we got from Erin and Jess that is filled with toys from the toy room.

Sick days

1. Cuddle bug
Cameron and I are feeling pretty under the weather. He has been wanting me to hold him while he is not sleeping and just lays his head on my chest or shoulder. He is usually crawling around and playing everywhere. It has been a nice change to just hold him and relax for awhile.

2. Alone time
Because Cameron has been feeling sick his nap schedule has been WACKY these past two days. Wacky naps for one baby usually means that they are on different schedules. Today I was able to spend time playing with Cameron and Owen individually. Owen is actually still asleep right now while Cameron is eating a snack in the kitchen.

3. Help

So I am sure you can see the theme by now....we are not feeling well. So grateful from the help from Mat and my parents so I could get some much needed rest on Sunday before work.

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4. I missed many diaper changes

Being at work on Sunday night and under the weather myself it sounds like I missed some nasty diaper changes. Trust me....I would rather change gross diapers than feel sick but hey...you have to be grateful for the little things.

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5. Christmas

Wonderful. I did not forget about Christmas. I don't have any pictures right now but hopefully will be able to post some this week. It was a great weekend with the family.

Haircut

1. Owen's first haircut
This morning Owen did wonderful at his first haircut. The top two pictures are the finished product. His mullet is gone!! He didn't smile the whole time and he also didn't scream. He actually didn't make a sound. I was very proud of the little stinker.

**Yes, he looks terrified, but he did great!

2. Santa

This afternoon the boys are going to visit Santa. This should be interesting. I am sure we will get more terrified looks!

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3. Not at work

I am so grateful that I am not at work right now. Work is kicking my butt. I work for four hours this evening but THRILLED that I am not there right now.

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4. Almost done with Christmas shopping.

I am ALMOST done with shopping this year. I tried to buy as much as possible online to collect money for Upromise. Everyday I have been getting packages in the mail. A few more things and I am finished.

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5. The new baby

Holli and Andy welcomed Rafe into the world on Saturday morning. I was working at the time so they called me on the floor and I was able to come up and see the little one in his first hours of life. I am so grateful for their friendship and I am trilled for a new little man to join the play group.

A day in the life

1. Tubes were a success!!
Last week Cameron got tubes in his ears. We were in and out of the surgery center so quickly that we were able to catch a great sunrise on the way home. He has been in great spirits, just his normal whiny self. He is going to be a handful in the future. He really wants....what HE wants.

2. Laughter

I love when the house is filled with laughter. Now that Cameron is feeling better it seems to be a lot more joyful. The boys LOVE to be chased and scared. We are always able to get huge belly laughs out of these two little ones with these those two games.

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Below is a frequent image of Owen that always makes me laugh. He just sits with the blanket on his head. I will take a quick peak of the toy room and he is just sitting there. He also crawls around and plays with the blanket on his head. He cocks his head whatever way he needs in order to see the toy, yet still have his blue blanket on his head. Should I be nervous?

3. Childproof

Since I am in the kitchen a ton....so are the boys. Mat was able to put latches on all of the important cabinets so we don't have to worry about what they are getting into. Trust me it is nice to not have cookbooks all over the floor or Pledge in the babies mouth! (No...the Pledge didn't happen.)

4. Cameron is taking off!!

Owen is usually the shinning start of gross motor skills. Cameron has taken a huge leap and almost caught up with his brother. He isn't taking any steps on his own but I think that in a few weeks he will be daring enough to take that first step. He was essentially released from Occupational Therapy and the physical therapist is very impressed with his improvement. Yay to Cameron!!! This is a picture of him walking with grandpa through the kitchen.

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I don't know if I posted that the boys have been repeating words. The first purposeful word was from Cameron. He says "uh oh" all the time after dropping toys or his sippy cup during mealtime. They both repeat words a ton and it has been fun teaching them to talk.

5. Chicago

This was a busy weekend. On Thursday we took the boys up to Valpo to see my grandparents. Oh how I love staying there. It is peaceful with GREAT food. The boys had grown so much since our last visit. On Friday afternoon my parents met Greg so the boys could spend time with him in Chicago and Mat and I took a train into the city. We had a great weekend. Grateful to get out of the house and spend time in the city.

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Here are some more pictures of our normal lives. This one of the toy room is how they like to play...with toys EVERYWHERE. I clean it every night after they go to bed, and this is what they create throughout the day. Oh...and it doesn't take long for this masterpiece.

Yep...that is a box of wipes ripped apart. He was pretty proud of himself. And that dragon toy in the back is one of the boys favorites.

Colored Balls

1. Brothers
On occasion these two little boys fight, bite each other fingers, and steal toys...but the truth is they LOVE each other. They light up when they see each other in the morning and they share in the laughter when the other gets extra tickles or his hanging upside down. I love this picture because it shows how short Owen is compared to Cameron and Owen has his hand resting on his brother's shoulder! They are watching Baby Einstein from the gate. Yes....this is sometimes the only way I get things done in the kitchen.


2. The flirt
I know that I have talked about Cameron's seductive face before but it is SOOOO hard to understand if you don't see it. I know that he is going through sometime of strange phase and I worried that I will forget about this awesome flirting that he does. Hopefully I will get it on video sometime but if I pull the camera out he is usually intrigued by the electronic device in my hand, not flirting with his mom. Anyways, it is so stinkin' cute. Trust me.


3. The healthy eater
Owen LOVES to eat. I can't really put this another way. He usually eats his food and then tries to steal Cameron's. He keeps shoving food into his mouth until he can't get anything else in. He takes food in his fist and crawls around......loves food. I can't think of anything or anytime that he doesn't eat. Oh wait, his bottle of whole milk. Sometimes he doesn't really like that....but who really likes whole milk anyways...right? In this picture he actually has food in his mouth and in his hands.

4. Breakfast in the playroom
For the past few days we have started to do breakfast in the playroom. Grapes and dry cereal...yum. Well the first morning I did this...I tried colored balls for the cereal. It was a new snack I was going to try so I thought to pull it out and see how they liked it. I left for a few minutes to get sippy cups or do something in the kitchen. When I got back they were putting the colored cereal in their mouth, chewing, and then spitting them out. After the pieces landed on the carpet they spread them into the carpet, changing the carpet it into all different colors. Because I caught them in the act it was easy to clean...and we still have breakfast in the playroom. Now we don't have the colored balls, just cheerios.

5. NEW BOY

Yesterday Cameron was almost back to his normal, fun, non-crying self. It was great. He had a small melt down at 4pm but both boys stayed up until almost 7pm. You know what that sounds like....we might be getting back to our old schedule!!!!

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Right after I typed this the boys started to melt down...before 8am. I guess I should stop bragging.

Feeling Better

1. Owen's curiosity
Both boys are growing and changing so quickly. Today it was obvious how he is smart, interested, and VERY curious. He also knows exactly what is off limits and immediately crawls right over to those items. This is a picture of him this evening. Yes. He pulled the box to the tree and climbed up. He was able to grab all the ornaments. Needless to say, he was loving life.


2. Cameron is starting to feel better!!!
It has not been the best week at our house, but things are looking up. Cameron felt miserable for the past 72 hours. He broke out in a crazy rash (you might notice it in the picture with the boys in their highchairs), he would not want me to put him down, and he was not able to break his low grade fever. It has been mentally and physically exhausting. This evening he has started to make a change. His rash is starting to go away, no fever, and he played (without me) for a short time. Here is a picture of him tonight making his seductive face. And if you notice, he about to start pointing. So wonderful and so predictable.

3. Coffee and Macaroni & Cheese
This morning I was dreading the day. It had been a hard few days, I haven't had much sleep, and I woke up already on empty. The boys took naps at separate times and though it was nice to have alone time with each of them, it never gave me the much needed quiet time. As a quick surprise Mat brought over Starbucks for me and lunch and dinner for the boys. It helped keep me on my toes and get me through the rest of the day. Now the boys are asleep, the house is picked up, and I finally have quiet.
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4. Plates
I decided to start trying plates with the boys. This actually worked out much better than expected. Towards the end Owen wanted to pick up his plate and turn it over but they did great.

5. Vacuum
This evening I picked up the toy room and vacuumed. This is a regular occurrence at our house but MUCH needed since I have been holding Cameron for the past few days. As I put the toys in the toy box Owen proceed to take everything out and throw it on the floor. He was actually quite proud of himself.

Camera

1. Amy and my new camera
For the past few weeks I was without my camera. Not only is it hard to update the blog but I was feeling sad having to go purchase a new one. Amy pulled out her old one, bought me rechargeable batteries, and gave me her camera!! She came over yesterday afternoon and we were finally able to catch up on life. It was great to see her. Here is a picture of her and her new husband, Patrick, that was left on the card. Thank you thank you thank you!!

2. Tubes
I don't know if I have posted this yet but Cameron is getting tubes. He is still running fevers and pulling at his ears. He does not feel well....at all. I hope that in a few short weeks he will feel better and back to his normal self. So very grateful that this is the only medical condition that we are dealing with besides the normal runny nose.

3. Christmas tree
The boys stayed in Chicago over the Thanksgiving holiday. Mat was able to help me put up the tree, the gate and all. Yes...this gate stays up 24/7. As the hours go on...I have been moving ornaments up, out of reach. I am happy that I made the decision to put the tree up and grateful for the help.

4. Thanksgiving
This year Thanksgiving was a blast. We had dinner at my mom's house. We played Apples to Apples and laughed and laughed all evening. It was over pretty early because of a nasty bug that was going through everyone this season. Regardless, Thanksgiving was awesome.
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5. Walking
Yes, I know that this is a picture of Owen sitting in his highchair but how could I not put this cute picture of him up to share. Anyways, he has been taking TONS of steps lately. He is even able to stand up in the middle of the floor and start on his way...it's great. He loves to move around.

Long time, no post

First I must say that I am sorry for not updating for such a long time. We have been super busy this fall and sitting down to do...well anything...is hard. The boys are getting huge and developing such wonderful personalities. Here are some pictures, but that too I am not keeping up very well. I will hope to get my act together soon.

1. Pointing
Cameron has been pointing like crazy. It is so stinking cute. He points and stares...and then puts his finger in Owen's mouth. They also both put one finger in their mouth and chew. This is the only thing that they BOTH do....do all kids do this?


2. Diet coke and coffee
Oh my goodness how I have been loving my coffee and diet coke. LOVE IT. As you can tell...the boys wish they could experience this as well.

3. Christmas cards

I was trying to get a picture of both boys for the card...as you can tell it didn't work very well. So here is one of the shots that didn't make the cut. I am so grateful though that I purchased the cards using a TON of promotion codes and got them extremely cheap. Excited for good deals!!

4. Fall weather

I can not remember a fall that had such beautiful weather as we experienced this year. We have been able to play outside almost every day and still be able to go on some walks. Here are some pictures of the boys crawling around outside with the grandparents.

5. Colorado

A few weeks ago my parents and I flew out to Denver and finally visited with the Harris family. Sawyer is so sweet and easy going. What a great baby! So happy that we were able to spend time with them. I wish that I was able to bring the boys but wow the plane ride would of been a disaster. Thanks for being such a great host.

6. Tubes

I am very grateful that we finally have a solution to the month long ear infection and multiple antibiotics that didn't work...TUBES. Cameron will be getting tubes in a few weeks so hopefully he will start to feel better soon.

Sunday

1. Cameron is exploring, learning, and growing
Both boys are growing up so much but it is extra fun right now to watch Cameron grow and learn every single day. He explores, tests his limits, and then continues to the next adventure. He is determined, stubborn, and persistent. It doesn't phase him when I say "no." He just stares at me and continues to be destructive. And yes...he does know what "no" means....he just doesn't really care. Here are some pictures of when he taught himself to pull the safety plugs out of the wall.

2. Fall

This fall weather has been great. The boys love to be outside. It is freezing in the morning and warms up in the afternoon. We have been super busy with play dates, appointments, and runny noses. Sorry that I never update the blog. Now that they crawl everywhere it is hard to find time to actually sit down and write. These pictures are from an evening this past week when we were playing outside.

3. New Toys

Birthdays are AWESOME. We have so many new toys that the boys love. Here is a picture of Cameron in the new car. They do great just playing in the toy room. They are usually playing with the same toy. They are starting to fight over the toys and it is pretty funny...right now. I am sure it will be a disaster soon. I am able to put them in the toy room while I wash dishes, do laundry, and clean up the last meal. We also have a huge play house that we got from the Fangs and it is a HIT. We will be playing with that thing for the next 10 years!!

These pictures are from a morning when the boys were playing together....sort of.

Owen doesn't look to thrilled that Cameron wants to play with the same toy....

So Cameron decided to bite Owen's finger....

4. My hair

Amongst the madness of this week I was able to get my hair cut and colored. It is nice to get a trim and get a fresh color. Even though I was so tired that I could barely keep my eyes open, it is nice to feel like a real adult.

5. Friends

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This week has been fun....and busy. I am a lucky girl to have such great friends. Wednesday night Shelby came over after work to catch up. That night ended up being a late night of moving furniture, listening to Deuces on YouTube, and pouring a full teapot of water on the floor....who are we??? I couldn't function on Thursday and during our play date Tanya cleaned my kitchen and washed my dishes. It was amazing. The rest of the afternoon I walked by my clean dishes grateful to have such a good friend.

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Last but not least....this flower sits next to my sink right now. I feel like I spend a lot of the day washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen. Fresh flowers are a favorite...so it really brings a smile to my face.