Fall Fun

Fall weather has arrived in Indiana. That means deer hunting, festivals, and family/holiday gatherings. It also means it's time to dig out the jackets and make sure Camden has some long pants...because her love of the outdoors is not deterred by a chilly breeze.

Camden's Tent?

October 1 is the start of bow season in Indiana. That means Kevin needed some new toys (I mean he needed some equipment to be able to hunt and provide meat for our family). He purchased a new blind which arrived by UPS last night. Kevin promptly set it up in the living room! Oh well...Camden liked her new tent.

She liked crawling in and out and around inside. Especially if Daddy was "playing" too.

Oops...might be a little too big for this girl.

Cherry Dress

I love Camden's cherry dress. It's long and flowing. It makes crawling a little difficult...and she sometimes steps on it even when standing, but it's just so cute on her. I think she likes it too, because today she stood in the middle of the room and swayed back and forth to make her dress twirl. Too cute!

After church, Camden was full of play. She made the most of all her toys. She's really into balls right now. She loves them little.

And she loves the one she can palm. Perhaps basketball is in her future!

She also has a few big bouncy ones that she loves to throw. We have given her a pack of cards that she loves to sort and throw and, unfortunately, put in her mouth.

I finished a roll of paper towels and gave her the tube. She had a blast. She used it like a trumpet and made all kinds of fun sounds. Then, of course, she also just put it in her mouth.

Do they ever outgrow that stage?

Artist in the Making

We have been thrilled with Camden's school. And they have been thrilled with Camden. One day it was, "I wish we had 10 Camden's." The next day it was, "she is so easy." All her teachers talk about how happy she is and how she just, "goes with the flow." I told them it's been that way since the beginning. That's just the way this baby girl is!

I love that they keep the kids so active. Her classroom is filled with toys and there is plenty of free play time, but they also do a circle time, teaching the kids to sit and listen. They sing songs and read stories. They have a playground area outside and also take walks around the neighborhood in a big buggy wagon. But on rainy or cold days, they have a fellowship hall where they have bigger toys and do other activities and games. Finally, they do arts and crafts.

I love walking the halls and seeing Camden's art work.

Apparently this tree was to be decorated with some round block, but Camden thought her fingers did a much better job. Looks great to me!

See...I Have Hair

Camden has such fine, blonde tresses, it often appears as if she doesn't have much hair. However, it must be noted that if you lift the strands, she actually has quite a bit of it. Or at least the little she does have has some length.

Please also note that full mouth of teeth. This grin doesn't nearly do it justice. Not only does she have the 8 front teeth, but 3 molars are completely through...and the fourth is not far behind. To top it off, they are all HUGE! I'm not sure where the big teeth come from, but she has them.

The bad thing is that she cut those molars about the second week she had her cast on. She was up many nights crying and I ended up sleeping on the couch cradling her more often then not. I feel horrible, because I chalked it up to misery from the cast and didn't even think about giving her anything for teething pain. Then one day I checked her mouth and there were molars - oops! I'm glad she loves me despite my inept mothering.

Gallery Walk

Several times throughout the summer, downtown Lafayette stays open late so people can enjoy the beautiful weather and stroll the art galleries, antique shops, and restaurants. Usually musicians also line the streets and play at various venues.

Our friend Lora was visiting from Colorado, so Kevin, Camden and I met her for dinner at Arni's. Everyone who comes "home" has to stop for one meal of this famous pizza. We enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with her one-on-one (or one-on-three), then met up with some of my other girl friends and their significant others at the Gallery Walk.

Aunt Carole, Uncle Ric, and Ra-Ra and La-La also met us there. Camden had to show off her camo (just like her uncle) and the Nike's that they gave her for her birthday that she can finally wear!

Kevin had to go to work, but not before we could grab some dessert at Cold Stone Creamery.

Camden is a fan and went straight for the chocolate flavor her Aunt and Uncle had, instead of the fruit-laced scoops her Mom and Dad thought was a little better option. Smart girl!

She also took the time to show off her new cell phone.

Perhaps the "Death by Chocolate" made with coffee ice cream was a bit much!

First Day of School

Technically, it the first day of daycare, but we've been calling it, "school" to Camden. Our friends Ashley and Graham, who live in Louisiana, take their daughter to a program called, "Parent's Day Out" or "PDO." They have loved it, so when it came time to find Camden a daycare, I did a quick google search for this program, hoping there would be one in Lafayette. Surprisingly, the only one in the area was in Crawfordsville at the First United Methodist Church. This was perfect! It was just a 15 minute drive in the morning right on my way to work. Kevin would have to shorten his sleep a bit, since it ends at 3:30pm, but it was just right for Camden. She was supposed to start in August, but we had a little "mishap." So today was the big day!

Camden woke up at 7:15am. Good morning, Sunshine!

She had some breakfast...

...and a talk with Mommy.

We then packed her backpack and lunch bag.

Daddy got home just before 8am, so Camden took pictures with each of us.

Then the star of the day showed what a big girl she was and how excited she was to go to school.

Her regular schedule will be all day (8:30am - 3:30pm) on Mondays and Tuesdays and through lunch (8:30am-12:30pm) on Wednesdays, but we decided this first day she would only go for the morning. We wanted to ease her into it.

I pulled into the parking lot and got her out of her seat. She loves her replacement Britax carseat, even if the design is a little more neutral then before. That's her classroom in the building behind the car.

We went in the front door.

Signed in.

One of her teachers, Miss Cindy, met her at the door to her classroom. Camden gave her a big smile and a wave.

We walked in and Camden immediately wanted to go see her new friend, Cole, who had already arrived. She gave him a big smile and they got to playing together.

Miss Cindy brought over some blocks and I was able to give Camden a kiss and get away before she had time to fuss too much.

As I walked backed down the hallway, I peeked in the door and saw that Camden was still playing...and happy!

Soccer Game Beauty

We traveled to Danville this week for a soccer game. Games usually start at 5pm, so I have to leave work early and we usually grab a bite to eat on the road. Camden enjoyed eating pieces of our pizza crust, canned chicken (a new go-to protein), and her favorite finger food - apple chunks.

Camden also enjoyed having the ability to get around and make friends. For the first time, there was another young child there. It surprised me that other families didn't have young kids, but most of the boys on the soccer team are the youngest in their families. What that means is that the parents are all our age, but this child was one of their grandbabies! I forgot that we were such old people to have a 1 year old - ugh.

She was sporting a new pair of shoes, too. She had a growth spurt...at least upward...and she needed some new, size 4 shoes. Target has the cutest ones!

And look at those legs! I think I'll continue to love the sight of them for a while.