Austin is 16!

Tuesday was Austin's 16th birthday. We had GaGa, GaGa2, and PopPop (as Camden is now calling Papaw) over for dinner. Austin's request is always shrimp, so we had a delicious (if I do say so myself) garlic butter shrimp pasta, broccoli, and garlic bread. We topped it off with the most decedant, incredible cake I have ever made. It was a four-layer chocolate cake with chocolate chips, cream cheese frosting, and topped with reese cups. YUM!

He got money from both sets of grandparents (always a big hit!).

We gave him a really nice paintball gun & kit. He and Kevin have a couple of excursions planned this summer and he needed a good gun.

We went outside and shot a few rounds across the yard toward a box and a tree.

Even GaGa wanted to give it a try.

It was a fun celebration.

A Big Difference

When we go to Aunt Carole and Uncle Ric's house, there are several adventures Camden gets into. With the "women" of the house, Camden learns things like...

...how to pop popcorn....

....how to sit politely and eat her popcorn....

...and how to send a text message...

A Big Difference, Part 2

With Uncle Ric, the adventures are a little more...hmmmm...silly. Camden learns to...

...feed her popcorn to Hershey dog on the floor below her....

...eat her popcorn off the counter with her tongue...

...make cappacinos and mochas...and iced chocolate milk (for those under 2)...

....and sit on the floor and make opening an empty box the most exciting activity ever...


I think Camden likes the differences - 'cause she loves them all!

Car Silliness

We took a drive in the country last night...just wanted to get out of the house. When we got back to town, Kevin had to run into GaGa's house for a minute. I whipped out the camera and took a few pictures of Camden.

I then gave her the camera and let her try her hand. She got a few blurry shots of me, then GaGa came out to the truck to say hi and Camden took a picture of her. Not bad for the first time holding a big, bulky point and shoot camera.

Jammer Day

It was pajama day at Camden's school. Daddy picked her up and I met them for dinner after work. Then we did some shopping and eventually had to get some dessert at Culvers.

Camden thought it was funny to pretend to eat Daddy and Mommy's BIG banana split.

She really only had a kid's scoop (and then only about 1/4 of it). She thought it was too much effort to use a spoon, so just took to eating it straight from the bowl!

I love her Monkey Pants jammers! We also ran into one of her friends from school, Gunner. He was still in his Superman PJs. They had fun giggling at each other.

Passover Seder

On Sunday night our church held a traditional Jewish Seder. This is a feast to commemorate the Passover of the angel of death when the Israelites where held captive in Egypt. One pastor led the service and walked us through the various traditions.

The women had to cover their head with a scarf throughout the service. Camden even participated...enjoying a pose with our pastor Terry before the festivities began.

The men also had to cover their head. Kevin, Austin, and Papaw all had yarmulkas (made of paper) that they taped or bobby-pinned to their head.

Everyone thought Camden looked beautiful in her purple scarf. I must admit those big blue eyes were gorgeously highlighted!

Camden was really into the McDonald's Frappe that we bought before we arrived. It helped entertain her (hopefully not too much coffee in it! eek!), but it also led to a cool profile shot....

Ready...Set...Go

Camden and I went to the elementary school in town on Saturday to play at the playground. Camden calls everything "weeeeeee." She loves the pea gravel in the yard, she loves the steps, she loves the swings, and she loves the suspension bridge.

But she especially loves slides. 'Cause when you go down them you say, "weeeee."

I liked each of these for different reasons....I couldn't decide...so you get all three....weeeeeee!

Riding Her Bike

Yes...that's right....Camden has a bike. Our friends Dan and Shelley gave it to Camden last summer because their girls had outgrown it.

I couldn't believe how easily Camden took to it. Of course, she can't pedal yet, but she likes steering and getting pushed.

Our little neighbor girl gave Camden a hand. She didn't giggle like when her Daddy pushed her (probably didn't help that I was a little on edge trying to video and make sure the girl didn't push her too far), but it's unbelievable to realize how big she is getting and that we're starting to do "big girl" stuff!

A Taste of Spring

It was a beautiful evening. We grilled out and Camden wanted to stay outside. So we let her play while the pork chops cooked.

Is there a better sign that Spring is just about here then bare feet?!?!

(Camden tries to be "gangsta" when she wears these jeans)

My favorite moment...when she comes running to give her momma a hug!

Our Lazy Sunday Afternoon

Camden and I played and played and played this weekend. She so loves it when someone goes in her room, sits on the floor, and "pways" with her. By Sunday afternoon I was tired of sitting on the floor and convinced her that we could bring a few toys into the living room where I could sit on something soft and still be playing.

She has turned a corner in being able to do puzzles and put her blocks into the right holes. Okay, the picture doesn't show the blocks or the top of the bucket with shapes of the blocks that she puts them through, but Camden does a good job of getting them in the right hole. Same with her puzzles. I'm glad because it gives us a few more options than the "rings on the pole thingy" that we constantly do.

She also is a little obsessed with her Nippy. She doesn't use it all the time anymore. In fact at daycare, we take it off when we get there and she doesn't get it back until she gets picked up. At home we are a little more relaxed about it, but it is primarily used in the car or when going down for a nap or bed. However, she'll be playing and all of the sudden start scrapping at her chest and saying, "oh no, oh no." Interpretation: my nippy is not attached to my shirt and I'd really like it. She also has moved into saying "nimmy" when she wants it. This morning I thought I heard her calling for me through the monitor, but she was simply saying, "nimmy" because the pacifier had come off of her PJ's in the middle of the night and she was looking for it. She is just as concerned when her baby doll doesn't have her nippy.


She also consistently asks for "watie" when she wants a drink of water. It's so great that she mainly drinks from a regular cup now and only uses a sippy cup in precarious situations (like riding in the car); although she still likes her big water bottle and straw, too.

Camden doesn't watch a lot of TV besides some videos that she is obsessed with (we watch a 20-minute "Baby" video at least once a day) and occassionally Sesame Street or Clifford the Big Red Dog. But if the TV is on, she is fascinated by commercials. I think it's all the music that is played on them...she stops whatever she is doing to watch certain commercials (the little "Frosted Mini Wheats" guys are a favorite). Sunday, she stopped playing for a few minutes to watch some chef on Food Network create a dish with pulled pork. It's interesting what gets her attention.