Fun Filled Weekend Part 1: Dressing up with the Hinson's

We were so excited to be able to visit with Shae, Katie, Annabelle, and Judah this past week. They came over for dinner on Monday and we really enjoyed catching up. I can definitely say that our new neighborhood is not Desoto Place.....we really miss our wonderful neighbors!!!

Then, on Friday, Camden and I went out to Katie's parent's house in Franklin and had a 'playdate.' We had a delicious lunch and then watched the kids play....or shall I say we played, too. :)

the princess

not so sure she likes being a princess.....
the mommy's played dress up, too!

judah: "i want the purple thing! you're wearing it all wrong! my sister can show you how it goes."

camden: "who needs these silly hats...i have my louis vuitton"

We had so much fun visiting with the Hinson's. We really miss them, but are so glad they have family here so we can still see them every once in a while.....hopefully a lot of 'once in a whiles'!

Daddy's Girl!

Best Week Yet!

Tessa and sweet Caroline came to visit last week and we had so much fun!! They seemed to adjust well to Camden's early riser schedule. It was definitely great to have Tessa here and enjoy 'adult talk' all day long....between NCIS episodes, ofcourse. I tried hard to get Tessa 'addicted' to Gibbs and DiNozzo!

We took the girls out on 'adventures', too, and they did great. Ofcourse, we couldn't figure out how to get Caroline's carseat hooked into my car next to Camden's, so our 'adventures' required both of us to drive. :) We went out for lunch and an early dinner in the same day....yes, that means their moms ate at 12:30 and then again at 5pm.....and if we're really keeping track, then probably again around 8! I love having preggo friends here. :) Lunch was at a tea room, which was really fun....it was a very quaint victorian home and we got to pick out our tea cups and enjoy yummy food. And, without Bella there, Camden did not seem to get quite as much on the floor. :) Dinner was at a Japanese steak house, and for those of you who know Tessa, you already guessed that! It was delicious, too, and Caroline seemed really intrigued by the 'fire' they light on the grill....at all the tables around us! We'll have to keep matches away from her when she gets older. Smiles!

Besides our eating ventures, most of the week we just caught up talking with each other and playing with the girls. We went on walks and stopped by the pool to cool off our feet, and played outside, too. It was really a great week! We were so sad when Friday came and they had to head back to Little Rock, but so grateful that Tessa was willing to drive all the way here with sweet Caroline! She is super mom!!! I still stress when I have to drive Camden to the mall...which is only about 15 minutes from here!....hopefully she will hit 20 lbs soon and I can turn her car seat around finally! Maybe then, she will love riding again.

Here are some pics from the week, in no particular order, seeing how I still am not great at blogging. :)

Camden: "Come on Caroline, this way!"

Caroline: "Please Camden, I just want to hold your hand."

Camden: "No"

Caroline's thoughts: 'got you back for not holding my hand and being so bossy!'

uh....i think we lost bella.....

(camden has a newfound LOVE to hold the leash wherever we go....and it just works out better for bella if she is not attached!)

not sure what cam is thinking here, but she looks a bit mischevious....caroline had a few scratches when she left here, and this very well may have been the moment right before she aquired one of them. :)

who doesn't love bubbles!! (caroline did love them, this shot just didn't capture her smiles!)

caroline: "wow-look at my feet...wonder what they taste like...."

beautiful mommy and baby

so, camden did not quite love sharing her bathtime, but she did adjust pretty quickly. caroline on the other hand, loved sharing bathtime toys!! and, me, forgetting that caroline is still a bit younger than camden, almost had to put floaties in there for them!

Strike a Pose...Vogue Vogue Vogue

Camden was a little happier this morning than yesterday...maybe she knew the sun was shining!
She is the messiest eater I have ever seen, so often her pajama shirt has to come off after breakfast, much like today, even though she had on a bib and a dish towel covering her lap! ....and notice her bows again :)


I'm a little out of order here, but here are some pics from our outdoor time on Monday, when it was not raining. She was a much happier girl! She loves bubbles and throwing the ball....and my cell phone, a habit that I have to break soon. Any tips??
Camden loves to play in her kitchen, and I love her to play in it when I'm getting dinner ready. Check out what she does with her cup.....she also tries this with the cup in the tub....that is an ongoing lesson on why we do not drink our bathwater. :)

She also puts her hand in the little 'ice and water' part on the front of the fridge and then acts like she's eating whatever it is she gets out. I don't know where she learned that, as our fridge does not even have those special high tech features like hers! :)

a very long rainy day!

It rained all day yesterday so we were like 'shut-ins.' Shaefer was on call so that made our day (and night) even longer. It was just Camden, Bella, and I from dawn til dusk, then til dawn again....and then until about 3pm when Shaef got home today. As you can see by the pictures below, Camden was definitely feelng a bit gloomy just like the weather.

Also notice her stylish hairbows....those are her new thing the past few days, despite her mood. She asks for them when I am getting her dressed, and then sometimes she even makes me wear a few. Luckily she doesn't know how to work the camera just yet to document all the silly things mommy does to make her smile. :)

It was a very long day! We even attempted to walk Bella in the rain, but when I realized Cam and I were both soaked after we were only about a hundred feet from the house, we turned back. I was afraid child services would be called in since Camden has been sick all week. So, our playing in the rain was short-lived.

Family Fun

My sisters and mom came up last weekend for a visit, and then we (without Shaefer....he had to stay behind and work) headed to Chicago so the girls could meet their nana and papa (my dad's parents). We had a great time. The 'traveling' part of the trip was a lot of fun, too. Each of you would probably think I was crazy if I tried to write out the adventures of our road trip, so I will just keep those between those of us who were actually in the tahoe and car, but for a little insight:
1) two cars following each other on major intersates is not always an easy task....ie, if one makes a wrong turn, the other must join them!
2) 2 babies who like to eat, poop, and play do not necessarily enjoy long car rides and their moms do not necessarily enjoy listening to them tell us how much they do not enjoy long car rides
3) we will no longer travel on major truck routes (I57!) that have ongoing construction and lane closures down to 1 lane every 20 miles!
4) we will no longer stop for 4 hours at outlet malls that are just 2 hours outside of chicago when we still have 5 more hours to drive (not including meal stops!) {we left chicago at 9am and did not arrive back in nashville until almost 11 pm!}
5) we will never take someone who is over 60's advice on where to go for a nice dinner (have you ever seen breaded filet mignon that looked a lot more like chopped steak??
6) we will 'stock up' on sleep in the weeks prior to any vacation where the babies must sleep in the same room, regardless if it is an 900 sq ft basement
7) we will not take pictures with the grandparents when camden can mistakenly think nana's hair is something that could actually reach out and hurt her, and therefore vocalize her fear in her usual high pitched scream
8) we will not eat pizza for dinner 3 days in a row ever again
9) we will keep our sense of humors when our siblings (or mom) are driving us!

Below are a few random pics from our trip.

we made several attempts at a sibling and child picture.....these are just a few of them, but as you can see, it is hard to get all the babies to cooperate at one time...

camden: "don't worry, i've got her!"

camden: "why am I STILL holding her?? She weighs as much as I do!"

smiling isabelle

camden: "what mom?...i'm not going to push her very far i promise!"

isabelle: "please save me"

just playing together

"this ball looks good on my head, doesn't it?"

Tyler, Logan, and Noah resting in the tree house after a hard game of baseball with an all star pitcher-me!

i don't think she's afraid of heights.

my one eyed pirate and her adventurous grammy

logan gettin ready to hit his home run

swingin!

Playing Dress Up

Camden absolutely loves hats! We have a couple of them so I keep them with her toys. Daily, probably about 10 times a day, she puts one on and wears it around...sometimes for hours! She is such a doll!! Her favorite hat is the blue and yellow one! :)

This time she had to add in a black sweater that her Aunt Annie sent to me. She likes the 'boa' look.

Camden: "How do I look?"

Camden: "i look good, don't i?"

"oh yea!"

Also, today, which is Wednesday, Camden took about 4-5 steps several different times this morning. I was really cheering her on. A friend of mine told me she read somewhere that it helps if they have something in their hand....that it kind of makes them think they are holding onto something. (Thanks, Elizabeth! :)) Well, Camden had her baby doll in one hand and her lovey in the other so her mind was definitely preoccupied with that...and she didn't even realize she was doing it...that is, until i was cheering and clapping. Which ofcourse, led her to want to do it over and over. BUT, when I tried to catch it on video for daddy, she just wanted the video camera. :)