crackers

Whenever we need more crackers, we always buy them at Costco because, well, they are a better buy. Since they only have two kinds, our choices are pretty limited. Luckily both kinds are on my top five favorite cracker/chip list. What are you favorites?

1. Cheez-its
2. Wheat Thins
3. Sun Chips (French Onion)
4. Ruffles (Chedder and Sour Cream)
5. Ritz Air Crisps

weekend

Yesterday we took Cam to a park in Palm Springs. Someone had told us about it as it was supposed to have a really cool fountain for kids to play in. They were right and I think I'll take him again because he loved it! The park in and of itself is quite big, so this little fountain area will make it that much more appealing come the super hot weather. Cameron is so funny to watch because he squints and flinches when the water hits him, but goes right back for more.





Today after church (a service where Cam successfully stayed in the nursery...can I say I was ECSTATIC???!!!!), Noah and Wendy and Jeremy and Ana (along with their new daughter, Mia) came over for lunch. We had a great time, as usual. Times with the six of us always seem to go by too fast and don't happen often enough.

Here is Cam kicking back watching TV while the adults eat lunch. He always crosses his legs when he is sitting down or in the carseat...so adorable!

a couple things

Sometimes Cam has to eat his lunch/dinner on the road. This bib has been such a lifesaver for those times. In addition, it is great when we are out to eat as he obviously doesn't have a tray then and this way I don't have worry about him knocking over a plate on the table. This is one of those items I recommend to all new moms. I've gotten several comments on it when we are out because it is just so darn handy!



Cameron LOVES to be outside. Chris and I realized that he is outside many times the majority of the day. We go to a park usually twice a day and he always loves it when I take him out in the front for him to run around. One of the "points of interest" for him is our neighbor's fountain in their front yard. Because he frequents it so much, Wendy made him the most adorable, personalized stepping stone. I was so touched when she showed it to me and couldn't wait to take a picture of it. Thanks Wendy and Fred!! (check out Cameron's name written on the bat!)

sleep over

I used to be a part of a MOPS type group at my mom's church. Since Cameron wouldn't stay in the nursery, I had to stop attending, which I was really bummed about. However this past week I was able to go (Chris watched Cam) so that I could see my mom. She was the speaker for the meeting and she did AWESOME. The topic was on how to be a Godly mom. She was so clear, articulate, and interesting, and I'm not just saying that because she is my mom! I got a lot out of it and felt proud to be sitting in the audience as her daughter. Afterward, she took me out to lunch for my birthday.



On Saturday, Chris's brother and sister-in-law dropped their two girls off for a sleep over while they got away to Palm Springs for the night. We had such a nice time with them and they behaved so well! The hardest part was at the park where it became quite apparent that keeping track of three kids as opposed to one is very different! Hopefully they had a nice time with their aunt and uncle, because we sure did!







Sunday afternoon we went to a birthday party for a friend's son who turned one. It was held at a kid's gym, which was GREAT!! I highly recommend having parties at places like this because it makes it so nice for the kids. Cam would have never lasted just going to a house. But he adored this place and was quite content to run back and forth on the gigantic trampoline.

the solution

I have always considered myself a pretty thrifty person. I head straight to the sales rack at most stores (although sometimes I do the "fake browse" in the front of the store first) and I could care less about brand names. However this thriftiness has not translated to wise spending when it has come to Starbucks. I realized that I have been spending too much money there and it has been adding up. So Chris and talked about it and came up with a solution. I figured 6 drinks a month was a good amount for me. Knowing what I get each time, I was able to add up how much this would cost us for one year. We then purchased a Starbucks card for that exact amount. Now I have to be choosy with my Starbucks runs because once I'm out, I'm out!

A cool thing about this is the new policy Starbucks has adopted. Whenever you purchase a drink with your card, you get a free syrup addition or soy addition. I always order my hot drinks with soy and have been spending 40 cents each time for the upgrade. No more! Those 40 cents are going to add up and give me a free drink at some point!! How many times do you allow yourself a Starbucks (or another coffee shop) a week?

my military man

Yesterday Chris and I bit the bullet and cut Cam's hair. I like it long, but it was getting too shaggy around the ears. I don't know how to cut it using scissors and we have tried a salon (even the cute kid friendly one) and let's just say his screams can be heard a mile away. Don't get me wrong, it isn't as though having his parents cut it means he sits like an angel, but at least it is in our home and we don't have everyone in the salon staring at us. Since I can't do it very well with the scissors, Chris does it with "the buzzer". The name alone I'm sure tells you Cam is NOT a fan of the noise.

Anyway, we got the job done, with fewer tears than we had actually expected. He looks sooo adorable, even more like a little boy. I call him my military man because he looks like he has a crew cut and just stepped off the ship. :)



The only problem now is that, since the weather has turned hot, I'm paranoid about him getting a sunburn since you can see his little bald head. I've tried with all my might to get him to wear a hat. But no matter how much I distract him once I put it on, he somehow senses the foreign object on his head and takes it right off. Darn it!

so when do you say something?

Today we went to Victoria Gardens. We were excited that it was hot enough to see if Cam would run around in the big fountain they have. Unfortunately the fountain wasn't working, but we still had a nice time.




Over in the play area, there was a smaller fountain that Cameron enjoyed playing in for a while. After he had finished and had moved on to something else, a 7 year old kid (that's my age guess) hopped on top of the fountain and proceeded to splash other kids, drink from the fountain, and generally make himself quite annoying to those kids around. Chris made the comment that if Cam had wanted to go back over and play in it, he would have said something to the mother of the kid. Something along the lines of, "Excuse me, but your son is splashing kids around the fountain and making it difficult for other kids to play. Would you mind asking him to stop?" I don't think there is anything wrong with that, but if it were me, I probably would have just avoided the whole thing and redirected Cam to something else.

So what would you have done? When is the line crossed, in your opinion, regarding the behavior of other kids?

vegas

Today Chris and I got back from a mini vacation to Las Vegas. We love Vegas. No, we aren't huge gamblers by any means (although Chris did frequent a few black jack tables), we just love walking around the hotels, shopping, sitting and people watching, eating out, etc. We had such a wonderful and relaxing time together, despite missing our sweet boy tremendously.

Unfortunately the day we left him with my parents, he came down with a fever. At one point, it hit 104 degrees and Chris and I found ourselves contemplating coming home. It wasn't that we didn't trust my parents by any means, but we just wanted to be near him while he was feeling so yucky. Fortunately the fever came back down and by the next day, he was back to normal.

Here we are at dinner our second night. I love sitting outside or by the window and we got a great view with this table!



I had a very successful shopping trip. It was sooo nice to take my time and try things on, rather than estimate my size and just buy it, like I do when Cam is with me! One thing I realized is how much things have gone up in price. I remember in high school places like Windsor Fashions or Forever 21 were relatively cheap. However I couldn't find a cute shirt at Windsor for under $35! Call me cheap, but that is far too much to pay for a shirt!

giggles

Ahhh, the joys of watching the tape measure being retracted (with a few sound effects thrown in for extra giggles):

gosh I hope this works!

Some of you know that Chris and I have very difficult sleep habits. As husband and wife, sleeping together has progressively gotten harder and harder. Here is why. For some unexplainable reason, (yes, unexplainable as I have been checked out by a neurologist and am completely normal) I convulse during the night. My whole body will shake for a few seconds. Chris jokes that sometimes he thinks I get air it is so hard. Anyway, this combined with the fact that Chris is an EXTREMELY light sleeper and can't easily fall back to sleep has made for some miserable nights for him. I never know I'm doing it, but he does. I can't count how many times I have woken him up at 2:00 in the morning, only to have him unable to fall back to sleep. He'll usually go into the other room to finish off the night or just get up and start working (and doesn't that make for a long work day!!).

I have felt horrible about this, but there is absolutely nothing I can do. Sooooo...after too many nights sleeping in separate bedrooms, we tried the Lucy/Ricky approach. We pushed a queen and a twin together and basically slept in separate beds but in the same room. This worked, however we just didn't like the arrangement and didn't feel like it was the healthiest thing for us to sleep in separate beds the rest of our lives. So we finally broke down and bought a temperapedic (actually it is an off brand of the same concept bed). Gosh I hope this works, because this bed wasn't cheap!!

25 things

Ok, so my friend Karen "tagged" me on her blog, so I decided to play along and give you 25 facts about myself. So here they are, mixed up with a few opinions of mine...

1. I've seen "While You Were Sleeping" too many times to count
2. If the hours weren't so hard, my first career choice would have been a baker
3. I think people who prefer "salty things" over chocolate aren't really human
4. Back in high school I took guitar for two weeks and then quit (sorry mom and dad!)
5. As a kid, when I would play tennis, my cheeks turned so red that parents would ask my mom if I was ok
6. There is nothing better than an underbaked brownie filled with choc. chips
7. I hate scrapbooking
8. Pure relaxation: Reading a magazine while laying in the sun
9. I once trained for a marathon but only got to 9 miles
10. My top quality I look for in a friendship is someone who asks questions
11. If/when we have another child, and if it's a girl, I would love to name her Bella. Chris says nope.
12. I LOVED my job as a high school counselor. Loved, loved, loved.
13. I sometimes was a snot as a teen and made my mom cry. Now it makes me cry to even think about making her sad
14. Someone once considering a divorce said he thought kids were "resilient"...I wanted to punch him
15. I like one on ones more than hanging out in big groups
16. My next door neighbor and I used to make up AWESOME dance routines on our roller skates. One was to Michael Jackson's "Black or White"...it was brilliant
17. I went on a three day Mexican cruise with three girlfriends after my high school graduation
18. I don't understand people that video tape the whole time they are on a Disneyland ride
19. I don't have a favorite sports team
20. I like nuts by themselves, but NEVER in dessert
21. I lived with Jen for 4 years and probably went to bed later than her 3 times...my point...I LOVE SLEEP
22. I think I'm married to quite possibly the funniest person I know
23. I used to have a crush on Michael Landon from Little House on the Praire
24. Dr. Laura- you either love her or you hate her...I LOVE
25. I think Karen, who sent me this, has amazing hair