Birthday Girl

Since we were out of town on Camden's actual birthday (Tuesday), she had her school celebration on Wednesday.  The shirt she wore last year still fit, so she was decked out to announce her specialness!  

A few things to know about 3-year old Camden:

* She loves PUZZLES!  Books and cars and other toys are fine, but her favorite indoor activity is doing puzzles.

* She loves watching Nick, Jr. shows on the laptop.  It's the way she winds down before bed.  Backyardigans, Bubble Guppies, Dora, Umizoomi, Olivia, and Wow Wow Wubbzy are top picks.  Can you believe the names of cartoons?!?

* She loves to have her back (and bottom) scratched as she starts to fall asleep.  The back of her arms are another spot she often requests.

* She insists on climbing in and out of her car seat and attempts to clip all the buckles.  She actually can do everything except pull the strap tight (although she attempts that too).

* When eating out, for breakfast she likes fruit smoothies and a hashbrown from MickyD's.  For lunch or dinner she would choose a "booger" and apple fries from BK or nuggets and french fries (and fruit cup) from the Cow Place (Chick-fil-A).

* She has started to do a lot more drawing and writing.  She'll draw something, then tap her finger beside her mouth and say, "something's missing" before adding the next feature on her masterpiece.  She also likes to have a pad of paper and make a list for me to take to the grocery. 

* Going to a hotel is an often made request...she equates that with swimming and wants to go on a trip every weekend.  Fortunately for her, we make frequent hotel stays and she is becoming a very good fish in the water.  With her swim vest on, she can swim end-to-end, turn in circles, and float on her back.  She's getting braver about putting her face in the water and jumping off the side into our arms..."look out below!"

* She copies things I say all the time.  She "drives" a boom-boom (car-shaped shopping cart) and says, "Come-on people" and "Are you kidding me?" as we pass people in the aisles.  I think she may have heard me say that a few (hundred) times as I drive down the road.  She also does a lot of "Uuhh!" when something odd happens.  I never realized how much I said it until she started.  For instance, this morning on the way to school, we passed a tractor on the road.  Camden said, "Uuhhh!  He's supposed to be in the corn field.  Silly tractor!"  That's almost verbatim.  She uses such complete sentences and big words.

* If we let her, she would stay outside, play with the hose, eat fresh blueberries and yogurt, and be naked all the time.

* She likes to do flip-flops (somersaults) off the foot stool and loves to jump on beds and couches.  A dance/tumbling class is on schedule for August.

* She always says her grace at dinner (God is great...) and has learned to ask to leave the table when she is done eating.

* She is a light and a joy to both Kevin and I.  While she's begun to have a few more "grumpy" spells and struggles sometimes to listen and obey, she sure is one big blessing to us.