talk or not talk?

Today I got a pedicure. I splurged and went to an actual spa to get it done rather than Happy Nail or Super Nail. It was very relaxing and wonderful to get out by myself for a couple hours. I'm not sure I can rationalize spending quite that much on one again. It might be a nice treat every year or so. Anyway, it was just me and the pedicurist (is that a word?) in the room. I found it somewhat awkward as far as conversation was concerned. On one hand, I feel like I don't want to talk because I want to just relax and focus on how good it feels. But on the other hand, I feel a little rude not making at least some polite conversation. I decided on a compromise. I waited until the end, when she was actually painting my toes, and made some small talk. That way, I didn't feel like a total snob, but I was able to enjoy the majority of it in silence.

Cam stayed back with dad. This has been a very busy week for Chris, so Cam hung out in his office with some toys and Baby Einstein while dad worked. Chris then put him down for what is proving to be his second 2 hour nap in two days. Can somebody please pinch me???
On Saturday we are headed up the coast for a week in a house with Chris's family. It should be loads of fun, especially considering it will be in the 60's there and the 100's here!! We'll be sure and take lots of pictures, especially when we take Cameron to the beach for the first time. Have a great week!

what do you expect??...

...it's hard work being wheeled around in a cushy seat in my comfy pajamas!! (how cute is he??)

books and walmart

A while back I posted that I wish I read more. My sister suggested a book entitled, "Wild Swans". I got the book, read it, and am still thinking about it. It was amazing, to say the least. It is a true story following the lives of a Chinese family who lived during the regime of Mao and communism. I simply cannot put into words the horrific things that happened to them. In a nutshell, it seems to me that communisms' intentions were pretty good (share the wealth, no separation of classes, etc.). However it got so completely out of hand that I would describe their living conditions as truly horrific (and even that isn't a strong enough word). Was it a feel good book? Heck no! But I would highly, highly recommend it as it was very enlightening and made me realize how completely spoiled I am living here in America. When I throw myself a pity party because Cam didn't nap as long as I would have liked, I simply think about the character who was forced to kneel in the snow for 8 hours straight as punishment (and that was a pretty mild punishment!) and I quickly snap out of it.

Now, on to a completely different subject: Walmart. I used to dislike, no actually I used to hate Walmart. Whenever I went, there were screaming kids running around, messy aisles, things always out of stock, etc. Moving to Beaumont, I had to resign myself to the fact that I would have to frequent it often as it was the only store of that type close by. I have come to really like it (although as soon as a Target moves here, my loyalty will quickly change). The main thing I like is their grocery prices. My friend, Ana, and I have long had a friendly debate over which super market is the cheapest. She says Ralph's, I would say Staters. No longer, however. I challenge anyone to find lower prices than Walmart. Here are a couple of examples you can use to compare. Graham Crackers: $1.00. Sweetened Condensed Milk (I know, a little odd, but I buy it so much I know it by heart): $1.08. Those are just a couple. And please don't look down on me for saying this, but they actually have some semi decent clothes!

pretty much a great day

Today was a lot of fun. The "pretty much" in my title refers to the present time, in which we are listening to Cam cry pretty hard. The reason? He has figured out how to stand up in his crib, making going down for naps, and now bedtime, rather difficult. I'll continue about our good day while crossing my fingers that he'll be asleep by the time I'm done with my post.

My friend, Jen, is babysitting her nieces and nephews this weekend. They live about 15 minutes from us. Today we went over for a swim in their pool (this was after he had taken a great 2 hour nap...quite unheard of for my little cat napper). He seemed to enjoy the big people's pool, whether it be standing on the step, or relaxing in the little turtle toy.


He also got to spend some quality time with their dog, which he also really enjoyed.

Tomorrow Chris heads out to the OC to play in a golf tournament sponsored by our old church. He is very excited. Cam and I will head over to my mom's and attend a birthday party for a friend of her's (and mine from when I was little) who is turning 100!

Here is a video of Cam and his new crib trick. My disclaimer to this is that while it is a cute video, right now it isn't too cute. Actually it is heartbreaking as I type to listen to him cry. Unfortunately he needs to learn that bedtime is not standing time...but gosh I wish it didn't involve crying!!

ocean's 13

Today my mom watched Cam while Chris and I went to see Ocean's 13. I find it so unbelievable that we paid $6.75 per ticket, and that was the bargain "first showing of the day" price! I'm not a big fan of going to the theatre normally (well, we can't go that much anyway because of Cam). I'm a pretty tough person to please as far as movies are concerned and I hate the feeling of having wasted money on a movie I didn't like. Luckily I really enjoyed Ocean's 13 (much better than Ocean's 12).

Cam is still in the "attempting to crawl" stage. He won't scoot, as we call it, unless he REALLY wants whatever we have placed before him. He would much prefer to pull himself up on things, stand, and cruise around the furniture. I'm still researching into the relationship between brain development and crawling (I know, sounds weird and it might just be an old wives' tale), so for now, we try and intice him to practice. One thing that almost always works is the remote. What is it about babies and remotes???

father's day

Yesterday we went over to my parent's house to celebrate Father's Day. When we got there, my parents had a great surprise for us. They had put up the cutest tree swing for Cameron. He really enjoyed it and was quite mellow when put in it.

For Father's day, I made my dad a cartoon strip with a few things I was thankful for. In brief, my cartoon included:

*The fact that he is always willing to help out, whether it be picking us up from the airport (during rush hour no less!), taking me to the ER when I had an eye infection, or picking Chris up from the car dealership. Those things might not sound that amazing, but the great part is that he does tons of these things without ever making you feel like you are putting him out. He is always ever willing and ever cheerful about anything you ask of him.
*He often brags to us about how wonderful my mom is. I love this and think it is so neat for a child to hear.
*I love his heart for missions and his never ending quest to help with The Great Commision in leading people to Christ.

You can't see my cartoon too well (maybe that's a good thing!), but here is a picture.

This was also Chris's first Father's Day. As Cam is a little young to put his appreciation into words, I'll do it for him.
Thanks dad for loving to:
*Wrestle with me. I promise as I get bigger, I'll be better at it
*For taking little breaks throughout your work day to come and see what mom and I are up to
*For asking mom to get you when I wake up from a nap, so you can come see me
*For being so silly when you play with me and getting me to giggle even more than mom does!
*For being so helpful to mom when I can get a little demanding. You give her lots of breaks and are always willing to help out in whatever way you can...often encouraging her to get out while you watch me



Happy Father's Day everyone!

petting zoo and play time

This week we made our first trip to the petting zoo. A group from my mom's group met on Wednesday. I was excited to see what Cam's reaction would be because he gets such a kick out of dogs (giggleing especially hard if they lick him). I was slightly disappointed when he seemed indifferent to all the great animals, even when one of the donkeys went nuts and gave some fabulous noises! Above is a picture outside the petting zoo. You might wonder why I didn't include pictures of actual animals since we were at a petting zoo afterall...well, it turns out getting another mom to take your picture, while she is in the middle of chasing down her kids, is not as easy as you would think!


Sometimes the days can get a little long if we don't have an outing planned. I can usually sense when Cam is getting tired of his same old toys and the same old living room walls. Usually we go for a walk every day. I find that even if it is super hot, it is worth it to get out of the house as he always enjoys the scenery. Anyway, here is a picture of him on a quilt in the front yard. I know, I know, not that exciting of a destination. But at least there is a possible mail truck or ice cream man for him to look at! I've learned that getting outside is usually an instant mood lifter if I'm tired or a little on the bored side. I remember my mom would always say that and want me to take a walk or simply walk outside for a minute as she claimed, "It will really make you feel better". Well, mom, this picture is for you!

yucky chicken

Today we made what has become our weekly trip to Costco. We only needed a few things, but among them were a few rotisserie chickens. Back in the spring, I attended a tea at my parent's church. They served the most amazing chicken salad. I got the recipe and have made a few batches since then. The key difference is that it doesn't use chicken from a can. As I set aside the discarded chickens (we made more than one for our neighbors across the street, who recently had quadruplets...no, that isn't a typo!), Chris came in. After inspecting my chickens, he informed me that I had missed quite a bit of meat, to which I responded, "No, I didn't. The rest is yucky dark and slimy meat.". He proceeded to pick of more chicken and add it to my pile. I allowed this, somewhat begrudgingly, because I don't like dark meat as it kind of grosses me out. So am I wasting chicken by insisting on leaving the dark/slimy meat, or am I right in the philosophy that that sort of meat shouldn't be eaten? He finally got tired of me inspecting the additions he was making and discarding a few of them...and eventually quit.

Family

This past weekend was such a great weekend with some of Chris's family. His parents arrived Friday and stayed through Monday. His aunt Noonie and our friend Deb came Saturday and stayed until Sunday. Chris's parents brought a wonderful item for young Cameron, a sand box! Chris's dad built it himself, which will make it so meaningful to see Cameron play in it. The current dilemma is how to get 1500 lbs. of sand in it. We are still working on that part. Here is a picture of them putting it together.

On Saturday, everyone except Chris's mom and myself (and Cam) went golfing. When they returned, we bbq'd hamburgers and had a fun time hanging out. They were quite tired from the 18 holes they played, but they had a nice time. Sunday morning we had the BEST CINNAMON ROLES EVER. Chris's mom gets them from a wholesale bakery up in Fresno. They come frozen and you bake them yourself. They are Cinnobon size and taste almost exactly like them. The best part??? They are only 14 cents each!! Yes, you read right. They are incredibly cheap to buy for some odd reason. Here I am enjoying one with a healthy ("healthy" meaning "a lot"...as you can guess they aren't that healthy!!) slathering of frosting.



After church on Sunday, we went out to lunch, then Deb and Noonie headed home. That night Chris and I got to go out on a date while his parents stayed home while Cam slept. Right before his parents left on Monday morning, Cam got his first boo-boo. He was sitting and nose dived onto our mat right outside our front door. His crying was short lived, thanks to some quick cuddling from mom and dad. Here is a picture of his little scraped nose. Poor guy! (actually, now that I've posted it, I realized you can't really see the scratch very well. But it is a cute pic, so I leave it!)



p.s. As I write this, I'm watching Cameron clap. This is a new talent his dad just tought him moments ago. Too cute!!