Future Engineer

GaGa and Grandpa came over Saturday night to play cards.  They brought one of Camden's favorite toys from their house so we could see what a little brainiac she is.  

 

It actually does take some ingenuity to get all the pieces fitted together and the right screws and placers in place.  She is a pro at putting it together and taking it apart.

Her Guest

Saturday Camden had a playdate with Paxton.  He lives in our little town, so we decided a nice afternoon playing at home was in order.  We picked him up at 11:30am then went to the mini-mart up the road where they each picked a bag of chips.  Boy did they think that was the greatest!

 

I made grilled cheese while they tortured chased Max through the house.  They ate lunch and made silly faces for the camera.

 

 

Then it was a full afternoon of pulling every game/toy/item out of every closet.  There was also lots of jumping on beds and chasing Max (poor, poor kitty).

 



 

 

We also got the playdough out for a bit.

 



I took Paxton home at 5pm.  Camden begged to have him over on Sunday.  They had so much fun!

Camping in the Arctic

Another fun month of activities at school.  The class had a field trip to Jump and Play in Avon early in the month to celebrate "Jumping into the New Year."

The theme this month has been "The Arctic."  Lots of talk about cold weather and various animals.  Love the decorations of the room.

 

 

A wall full of penguins and moose.

 

 

A close up of Camden's. 

 



 

This week they mixed the theme up a bit and added an outdoor adventure to it.  They had a campfire in the middle of their circletime circle, pine trees on the wall, and pop-up structures.  On Friday, it was P day and they got to wear their PJ's, bring sleeping bags, their own tent (Camden), and things to snuggle with.  They also watched "cold" movies (Camden brought Ice Age) and ate "P" food.  We made pigs in blankets to share and she also had pickles, pumpernickel bread, peaches & pineapple, pancakes, peanut butter cookies, and, of course, popcorn with their movie.

The kids were so cute in their PJ's.

 

In the afternoon, some high schoolers came and led them on a scavenger hunt using the maps they made earlier in the week (picture coming) and assisted the kids in making walrus hand puppets.  Camden had actually taken her stuffed walrus as a snuggle item, so they used it as a model.  Camden thought that was the coolest!

 



Mission Complete

She got all her books read!  She got another prize from the treasure chest and a new book.  There are still 2 weeks left, so we will keep reading books so her "coupons" can go in the weekly drawings for bigger prizes.  It's been a fun winter activity!

Be Gone!

The past 2 weeks have been filled with various degrees of sickness.  I had a mild stomach bug a few weekends ago that kept me curled up on the couch.  Kevin then had a severe stomach virus for about 5 days, missing several nights of work (very unusual).  It lingered into the next week, but nothing severe.  Last Friday I got a call from school that Camden was vomiting.  Thankfully (?) Kevin was still home with his sickness, so he got her and nursed her all day.  When I got home from work, her temperature was still 101 and she just wanted to lay around (very unusual).  She had taken a nap when she got home and then fell asleep about 7pm (very, very unusual).  But she woke up about 9am the next morning completely ready to go.  So glad hers was a classic 24-hour flu!  I, unfortunately, got the stomach bug again this week and was down for 3 more days.  Anyway, I think all 3 of us are doing okay now.  Just hope the cycle doesn't repeat itself.  Sickness be gone!

 

We had a few Christmas items still in the house that needed put in the attic.  Camden decided to take her first trek up the stairs to see what was up there.

 

It was a nice day out, despite cold winds, so we stayed in the garage out of the chill and Camden was able to ride her bike while we swept the filthy garage floor. 

It's amazing how much dirt, dust, and road stuff accumulates from off the vehicles.  Even Camden grabbed a broom to assist.

Dirt be gone!

Winter Reading Program

Over the holiday break, Camden and I went to the Crawfordsville Library to check out some books.  While there we signed up for the Winter Reading Program.  We turned in her first set of coupons last night for the books she read last week.

 

She dropped them into the weekly drawing box and picked up the snowman parts that she gets to add to her square on the board.

The librarian took her picture when we signed up and she got to find it and add it as the snowman's head.  Of course, she picked pink hat and mittens!

She is halfway to the goal which we should finish this week.  She also got to pick something from the treasure chest for this week's success.  She chose the snowman ball & paddle in the corner.  Too cute!

Thank You

GaGa and Grandpa have watched Camden so much in the last month.  We try to regularly give them some thanks by taking them to dinner or giving them a gift card to go out.  Uncle Keith was in town, so we headed to New Ross Steak House for a nice dinner out together. 

 

Camden took a few pictures of our guests...

 

Then I had to get a few nice ones of Camden with her grandparents.

Chuck E Cheese's

One of our final days of vacation, we invited Paxton to come to Chuck E. Cheese's with us.  He had gone to the THCM a few weeks ago, but we lost our camera on that excursion (we are jinxed with point and shoots) and have no photos of that fun day together.

 

I don't think he had ever been and was thoroughly impressed.

 

We usually don't get food when we go, but I "splurged" on pizza since I had a coupon.  It wasn't too bad and we had plenty of leftovers for Kevin's dinner and Camden's lunch the next day.

I loved watching them dance with the big mouse. 

Back to games and playing for a bit.  It was a nice adventure to get of the house with a friend for the afternoon.

They both crack me up!  In every picture they posed for they made a silly face.  Two funny kiddos!

New Year's Day

Papaw always has us over on New Year's Day for corned beef, cabbage, and black eyed peas.  Uncle Brian as well as Amanda and family were also there.

Papaw has a little dog that the girls were anxious to pet.  Unfortunately, it was a little jumpy when it came to hyper girls (Camden in particular).

 

 

Duke (Austin's large dog) was actually a little more interested in the girls.

 

 

Preslee was impressed until she got upset.  She wasn't as impressed when Aunt Gina thought she was so cute when she cried and took a picture.

So nice to start the new year with family!