Happy Halloween

From the clowns in our house.

Pumpkin Carving

I love carving pumpkins. I enjoy the whole process from cleaning out the "guts" to creating the face to roasting the seeds. It's a fun tradition that I want to start with Camden and I was anxious to see how she would react.

She was a little leery at first, standing back from the pumpkin and looking a little concerned.

But then she decided it might be fun to hold the pumpkin. She never has been one to hesitate to do things. She's our little daredevil after all.

Next, I let her see how slimy the seeds felt, thinking she'd get curious.

I was right...it passed the "ohh...interesting" test and she dug right in!

Camden would have played for quite a bit longer, but it was getting late and it was time for a bath. The pumpkin still hasn't gotten carved and the seeds aren't roasted. Plus our evenings are packed the rest of the week. So I guess the rest of the steps of the actual pumpkin carving may have to wait until next year. But judging by her reactions and expressions, Camden is definitely game for this tradition.

15-month Update

Camden passed her 15-month mark on Monday. I can't believe how big she is. She looks so tall! When we look at her with her bears, it is just remarkable how she has changed. Take a look back at last November...a little less than a year ago...and compare it to these pictures.

I really should have choosen a better prop then an empty diaper box, but it was handy!

After the "official" photo shoot, Camden decided to wrestle the big bear...

She makes me smile so hard. What a sweet, sweet face.

Final Visit to Riley

Camden had her final check of her femur at Riley's on Thursday. They printed off the first X-Ray and the one from that visit to show the bone growth. It's almost impossible to tell the difference in these pictures...but amazing on the screen. If you look close on the first one, you can see how it is bent about 1/4 of the way from the top. In the second picture, you can see the bone growth around the fracture.

Okay...maybe you can't see, but trust me it's there! She is healed.

We thank Dr. Caltoum for the wonderful care of Camden from the surgery to put the cast on through the final check.

We stopped at Barnes and Noble after the visit and Camden was in hog heaven. She was non-stop for 30 minutes exploring every book in the children's section.

I finally told her it was time to go (cause I was getting exhausted from picking up after her) and started carrying her out of the section. She put the fingers together from each hand...the sign for "more"...telling me she wanted to stay and look at more books! Gotta love a book lover!

Evening Playtime

Every evening after dinner Camden plays in the living room. She's got a plethera of toys and she explores them all. She also walks around the house...into her bedroom...into the kitchen...into our room. She's in constant motion. Even after her bath, she plays and plays.

One thing she is loving right now is sitting on the other end of the couch from me and leaning against one of the couch pillows. She loves her pillows. She hugs them and pats them and generally wants them near her when she's on the couch. She's also learning to get down from the couch without falling on her head. That's a good thing!

The second thing she is loving to do is put her head down on the ground with her bottom in the air. It's almost like she is starting to do a somersault or a head stand. She gets in that position and then giggles and giggles. I tried to capture a picture of it last night, but she decided since I was on the floor, she'd rather play with me. I didn't complain.

She brought one of her toys and we enjoyed some play time together.


I can hardly stand how cute her feet are! Love, love, love them.

Pumpkin Patch

We have not had the weather or the time to get to an actual pumpkin patch (plus it's down in Mansfield which is in the heart of Covered Bridge Festival territory - crazy traffic right now). So we settled for the large display in Crawfordsville. They had a good selection and we're happy with the results.

We didn't have the camera when Camden helped us pick them out, but she liked showing them off in the front yard.

Using a Spoon

We've been slowly transitioning Camden to feeding herself. Obviously she can handle things with her fingers, but it's time to get out the spoons. Tonight it was her yogurt.

She holds the spoon well, going back and forth between her right and her left hand.

She doesn't always get anything on her spoon, but it gets to her mouth fairly smoothly.

But sometimes, a spoon just gets old. And sometimes yogurt is much easier to eat with your fingers.

Oops...she spilled a little.

Oh well, there is one way to fix that.

House Showing

I got a call at work on Monday morning at 11am from our real estate agent. Could we show the house at 5pm? The house was a mess and we had to be at the high school at 3pm to feed the soccer team dinner before the sectional game. "Sure!"

Fortunately it was Kevin's day off from work, so he could begin picking up. I wrapped things up at work and got home by 1pm. We both were feverishly cleaning and Camden desparately needed her nap. She kept getting underfoot, wanting to attention. I put her in her high chair and she amused herself for a bit...a few chocolate goldfish crackers didn't hurt, either.

Kevin came into our bathroom that I was cleaning and told me to come look. Camden was so tired and since we couldn't stop to hold her and put her down properly, she did the only thing possible thing - fell asleep in her high chair. Poor, adorable baby girl!

The house looked fantastic when we left for the school. Tuesday our agent called and informed us that the couple didn't end up showing up. UGH!

Daddy's Tractor

One of Kevin's favorite toys as a boy was a tractor. He always wanted to be a farmer like his grandpa. He still has one of his John Deere's from childhood...and occassionally still adds to the collection with Christmas and birthday wish lists.

We have them displayed in a case in one of the bedrooms and Camden loves to look at them when she sneaks into that room. Recently I let her play with her dad's old toy. She has recently started making "vroom, vroom" noises near gators and tractors and lawn mowers, etc. This little tractor gave her the opportunity to put the new skill to more use.

Soccer Sectionals

The Southmont soccer team won the first round of sectionals in a hard-fought, sudden death match. It was very exciting. The team had a night of head shaving in preparation. The mohawks are the end result.

Camden thought it might be better on the windy and chilly Saturday afternoon to sport her new winter hat.

Forward or backwards, it's an adorable look!

CSX Family Day at the Zoo

Kevin's yard was accident free this year, so the company celebrated by having "Family Day" at the Indianapolis Zoo. Gramma Pat and Grampa Jim were able to come. We enjoyed free admission and a free lunch, as well as a free train ride. It was a gorgeous fall afternoon and perfect for strolling around the Zoo. But since Camden is refusing to get off my lap and refusing to let me type, pictures are going to have to do right now. I'll fill in details of the adventure later.