SNOW Days!!!

Over the past few days we got about 5-7 inches of snow...and Camden LOVED LOVED LOVED playing in it. The first day it was just Camden and I, and our neighbors, because Shaefer was on call. SO, preggo mama got Camden layered up in no less than 5 shirts and 5 pants...plus jackets....to the point where she could hardly walk and her boots would almost not velcro closed. She was a cute little snow bunny...and warm! :) So, after we were all bundled up, we headed out for our snow fun.....her first 'instinct' was to pick up the snow and eat it....something her DADDY showed her with the icicles a few weeks ago. She's so smart with such a good memory! SMILES!
Thankfully, we had just received an order from Diapers.com the day before, so I had a nice big box for 'sledding' fun! She LOVED LOVED LOVED sledding! She would just lay down in the box and giggle the whole time...she definitely wore me out with the sledding. I guess she did have the easy part...in the box...while I was running up and down the 'hill.' Our neighbors joined in on the fun and we had sledding races...video to come soon.
Shaefer came home Saturday, and after naptime for both he and Camden, we headed outside for more snow fun.....OOOPS, forgot to mention that we did get out in the snow a little bit just before naptime.....The roads were pretty bad here...and Shaefer made it all the way to our complex entrance, before getting STUCK! He called us and asked me and Camden to come down and 'add some weight' to his truck so he could hopefully get up the hill. (I did not take this offensively....atleast not today! :) He has been singing me the "I like 'em hefty...etc." song from Madagascar where the hippo is singing to his 'ladyfriend' hippo, so I'm used to the 'hefty' jokes lately.) Anyway, along with 4 guys from the neighborhood, we got his truck up the hill, and Camden and I got to experience driving/riding in the snow, only to realize we couldn't get up the slightly inclined driveway either....Shaefer and I both shoveled snow for the first time, and got his truck safely in the garage...since it was predicted to be 9 degrees Sunday morning when he has to go back to the hospital. :)
Anyway, obviously (from my long narrative) I enjoyed the snow, too! (and Shaefer ended up taking my snow covered car to work on Sunday bc it is front wheel drive and much easier to drive on the snowy roads....guess the 'danger ranger' is not all he believes....hehehe! :)
Enjoy the pics...i still have a few more to upload, along with one video, which hopefully I will get to tomorrow.

Toddler Play....

Inspired by my sweet friend, Tessa, Camden and I had a day (or should I say half hour!) full of fun 'toddler' activities on Sunday. Tessa found all kinds of toddler websites that showed fun and exciting new things to try with toddlers...including playing with ice, and ofcourse, one of Cam's favorites, painting. So, in about 15 minutes TOTAL, we had wrapped up both tasks early Sunday morning. It takes much longer to 'set up' and clean up than it does for Camden to actually complete the 'game' or just decide it's time to do something else. The joys of toddlerhood and being surrounded by endless opportunity for fun and play.....(and I am so blessed to be at home with her and watch every new skill and discovery). Here are some pics from our 2 activities on Sunday:

Camden's Cuteness

Just a few of the 'cute' things Camden is doing right now:

*she loves to come grab your hand and take you wherever she wants to go...whether it is to the kitchen to get a snack, upstairs to find her lovey, or just to the 'open space' in the living room to dance it up.

*she holds her up her lovey (or one of her many dolls) and says 'weeee' as she takes it higher, then lower, in the air. (this, I assume, is a 'gentler' way of how her daddy throws her up)

*she LOVES to make faces while she is in her high chair...she makes smiles and squints her eyes, pulls her head downward and then cuts her eyes up at you, then scrunches her mouth together and wrinkles up her face.....not such a great explanation but this is hilarious to watch! Hint: If you make the faces at her, she'll do them for you.

*she LOVES LOVES LOVES to look at herself in the mirror (and I did not teach her this!)....When we are upstairs, she will stand in front of the mirror and smile at herself, talk to herself, and make various faces...it is so funny to watch her! She often gets into my dresser drawers and pulls out things to try on......well, atleast an attempt to try them on. :)

*When Shaefer gets home and she hears the garage door opening (yes, I gave Shaef the garage since he leaves so early and its soooo cold!) Camden runs across the living room to the gate at the stairs and jumps up and down holding onto the gate until he gets upstairs to her....it's almost a competition between her and Bella now, who also rushes to the gate to get his attention first.

*She definitely understands soooo much...I can pretty much ask her anything and she will respond appropriately....
"Do you want to go downstairs and have breakfast?" Cam: "Okayyy"
"Do you want to tell Bella bye bye and go take a nap?" Cam: "Noooo"

*She loves lotion...and loves to put it on my belly these days! So precious. Also, I kind of put lotion on 'backwards'....I don't like it on the palms of my hands, so I squirt it on the tops and then rub the backs of my hands together....Lesson to me: Camden does things exactly how I do....she now puts her hands out for me to put lotion on by balling up her fists, palms down. I put lotion on there, and then she rubs the backs together...or sometimes I have to help her. :)

Funnyisms:
*She pulled up my shirt yesterday and I'm guessing noticed my ever increasing belly size, and said "Oh Wow!" clear as could be, and then laughed! (Talk about mama's self esteem!)

*She 'dances' much like her father...ok, and me....without much rhythm at all!! She basically turns in circles over and over on the floor, then falls out of dizziness just before getting up to do it again. She does love to sing and dance with the Wiggles, following their hand motions. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is a precious one..she puts her hands up above her head in a star like shape....and she makes you do it with her.

*We are not potty training yet, but she is becoming more and more aware of when she is 'going.' However, she is not relating the potty chair we have to what it is actually used for...she prefers to WEAR the seat cushion on her head and look in the mirror.

And my favorite thing of all....she is the BEST HUGGER ever!!! She especially likes to hug her daddy right when he pulls her out of the bath, usually before there is a towel to keep HIM dry, and just hangs on for a long time. It is sooo sweet! And, she will hug me whenever I ask (pretty much...) and it is just such a tight, sweet hug, that I never want to let go. I always ask her if I can just hug her forever....she just laughs at me...probably thinking, "oh mom, you are so silly! I'm just getting what I want by doing this!"

January is here...and almost gone already!

It has been FREEEEZING here in Nashville the past few weeks. We are finally warming up and I'm so thankful. Sweet Bella Grace has to have a walk every day (you know, she is still our first little princess) and even in her sweaters, she sprinted for most of her walk, but still only likes to 'focus' in the same spot every day, which requires walking past the mailboxes, and sometimes even up the hill almost to the road....may not sound like far to you..BUT, to my 25 week belly, it is! :) That said, Camden could not tolerate the cold...despite how bundled she would be...and would start screaming and be uncontrollable about halfway through the 'walk.' This means that I had to carry her, squirming all about and trying to jump out of my arms...and did I mention that I have a 25 week belly...oh yea, maybe it's a little bigger than that! :) Basically, not too comfy for carrying a toddler for miles (or atleast what seems like miles!) :)

Besides our adventurous walks, we have had a pretty relaxed January....Lots of playing with all her Christmas toys, which included a tent that she got from her Aunt Kelley, that she absolutely loves to 'hide' and play in. All of her 'sacred' toys are kept here, and every once in a while, she invites me or Shaefer in....and sometimes Bella, too.

I have yet to figure out my posting pictures issues (as to why I cannot see which pics actually post until it's 'posted') so i'm including (i think) pics of Camden all bundled up in the snow, 'ice skating' in her PJs with Daddy behind the house...and eating icicles (which I'm sure were completely dirt free and only fresh frozen water, swinging at the park on the first warm day, a few of daddy playing, too, fun with toys in the house...and one dramatic moment caught on 'film.'

Swagbucks.com

I am a true coupon clipping, internet searching, stay at home mom. Swagbucks.com is a site I learned about from one of the blogs I subscribe to that teaches me how to save money on groceries, get free stuff, and sends me daily updates on ways to save money on various other things, too. I put a link to swagbucks on our page so I can earn more points. Take a look at it and if you choose to sign up, do so under me so we can both get points.... My referral link is http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/kspires.

The way it works is that you upload the toolbar and then just do your searches through it, as if it were google or aol, etc. It uses the Google and ASK search engines, so I'm having great luck with it. You earn swagbucks randomly with your searches, and after you accumulate x number of swagbucks, you can get 'free' stuff, like amazon and starbucks giftcards.....it looks like it takes a lot of swagbucks to get even a $10 giftcard, but hey, it's free, even if it takes you a few months to 'win' it. :) Let me know if you sign up and what you think!

Tour de Georgia....

My camera battery lasted through the 2nd day of our trip (yes, i forgot the charger in TN), so I only have pictures from those days. Here are a few of them. I don't know what order they are in, but I promise we do not really keep Isabelle in the dog crate....she climbed right in and then tried to coax Camden to join her. Isabelle also wanted every one of Shaefer's presents...especially his hat. Camden liked to 'chill out' in her Aunt Kerri's gorilla chair...guess she was trying to look like her Papa all relaxed with his drink in his recliner. There is one picture of me with one of my best friends from high school, Alicia, and her little boy, Luke, who just turned 2 last week. Wish we could have caught the entire trip on film as we had a wonderful time with all of our families!

More Pics....