Aloha!

This year, the closest we could get to Hawaii was attending a Hawaiian Luau hosted by Cameron's employer. Although, I am sure it is not quite like going to the islands, Cameron and I still enjoyed ourselves. We hired a babysitter, for the first time, which turned out rather.....interesting. Perhaps my expectations for a sitter are a bit high?!?
Anyways, Cameron and I rigged up Hawaiian attire with some help from our New Zealand/Samoa friends. We ordered Hawaiian print fabric online, did simple sewing, and had our very own sarongs. I wore mine like a dress and bought a cardigan sweater to wear over top. I was given hand carved coconut earrings from Bonita and borrowed one of her necklaces, flowers, and handbags. She informed me that on the islands it is all about the accessories so she made sure I was well equipped.

Cameron wore his sarong like a skirt, with a white button up shirt, flip-flops, and a necklace to complete his look. The food was delicious and we had enough LDS friends/coworkers there that the company was enjoyable as well.

Here are a few pictures from the night.

Cameron and Jamie

Becky and Craig

Brittany and Roger

Sam and Liz

All of which are friends from work, our ward, and BYU. How cool is that?

Our little, big girl

Our children seem to run small in the size department. According to the rules and regulations of forward facing car-seats, children need to be at least 1 year old AND weight 20 lbs. With both of our girls we met the first requirement but could not bulk them up enough to reach 20 lbs. For Cambri, she hit 20 lbs at about 14 1/2 months but Ella took a bit longer and did not reach that "goal" until 15 months (which was in September). As soon as she was 20 lbs you better believe we got her a new seat and flipped her around in the car.

And with a look like this.....

we won't ever turn her back around!

The Big T-H-R-E-E

This past Sunday, our sweet little Cambri turned 3. Where has the time gone? As I thought about her birthday I realized that she is growing so quickly and will be graduating from high school sooner than we would like. I know, I know, I may be getting ahead of myself but hear me out. Just TWO years ago when we celebrated her 1st birthday she was only 1/18 of the way to graduation and now that she turned 3 she is 1/6 of the way there. Why does it feel like our time with her is slipping away? My math is correct, isn't it? I know that she has a lot of life ahead of her and many great things she needs to accomplish but can't she stay young and small for just a bit longer?
Well, Cambri, as sad as it is for me to say, another year has come and gone and with each year that passes we find ourselves loving you more and more. We do have our challenges at times but you have taught me so much about loving life and loving people. You are the happiest and friendliest little 3 year old that I know and I am privileged to be your mom. Sometimes your friendly hellos and chats with strangers make us a bit uneasy but as I think more about it, you are their ray of sun on a gloomy day....and I am ok with that :) You approach any and every child at the park and quickly become friends. You say hello and wave to each person we pass on our walks. And lastly, you are so sweet and kind to the elderly and disabled. Regardless of how different they may be from you and I, you see them as Heavenly Father sees them, as Children of God. You do not make judgments or say unkind things and for this you are a constant reminder to me of how I need to treat others.
Just the other day, we were walking home from the park when an elderly woman was walking towards us. You quickly ran up to her and began talking. I saw her countenance light up immediately as you acknowledged her. You chatted and entertained her for about 5 minutes until we continued on our walk. Upon leaving she told me, "Thank you for letting me visit with you and your children!" In that one incidence I learned a great deal about you and an awful lot about me.
Cambri, thank you for bringing so much joy into our lives as well as the lives of those you see in passing. For those older people, their children are grown, many are widowed, and they are just waiting until it is there time to go. Your little hellos, as simple as they may be, brighten up their day, and may even give them a reason to continue living.
We love you Princess Cambri! Hope you had a wonderful 3rd Birthday!

Ooey Gooey

After unloading the kids from the car, what do I find but a big wad of gum stuck in Cambri's "orange" curly hair. I thought I was about to die.
After getting gum stuck in my hair multiple times as a child, I knew that was a risk I was taking by allowing Cambri to chew gum. This girl LOVES anything minty and my gum just so happens to be minty so......she LOVES it! She is really good about not swallowing the gum so I found no harm in letting her chew it, especially while she was sitting up in her car seat.
I suppose her gum must have leapt out of her mouth and headed straight for her hair. Cambri realized it was in there before I did and she began tugging on her hair to get it out. Once I figured out what she was doing she had already ripped a bit of gum and a chunk of hair out of her head. We quickly got inside and went straight for the bathroom to operate. The last thing I wanted was to give her an emergency hair-cut. With a bit of tugging, a frozen go-gurt (since we were out of ice), and a comb we managed to set Cambri's hair free. Boy, was I ever grateful. I just LOVE Cambri's hair, the color, the curls, everything about it is just perfect to me, so perfect that she has yet to get her haircut. We trim her bangs on an as needed basis but other than that we do not go at it with a pair of scissors.
I am so grateful our little operation did not involve, butter, peanut butter, an insane amount of time, or scissors. I hope we are just as lucky next time. Or should I say there will not be a next time?!

Surprise, Surprise

On August 1st we received two VERY big surprises....both of which are fun and exciting, but in very different ways. We found out I was expecting and that I was to be called into the Relief Society Presidency. Talk about a little overwhelming, especially not knowing how my body would handle this pregnancy and knowing that my new calling would require a lot of time and energy. However, we plunged right in putting our trust in the Lord and things have been working out just great!
Back in January, I had a medical scare that sent me into emergency surgery. After experiencing abdominal cramping and spotting/light periods for several months I became a bit concerned, especially once the cramping became more severe, occurred more frequently, and lasted for longer periods of time. To make a long story short, I found out I was pregnant, that I had an ectopic pregnancy, that the mass was too large to treat with an injection, and that I needed surgery, all in ONE day. I went into surgery that very night and they found my circumstances were a little more severe than they had anticipated. My fallopian tube had ruptured, I had internal bleeding, and my appendix looked inflamed/infected, all of which resulted in having a salpingectomy (removal of a fallopian tube) and an appendectomy (removal of appendix).
Once the surgery was complete and I began attending follow-up visits we discussed how/if it would effect my chances of conceiving to which our doctor replied that I would still be able to have children. Regardless of how many times he said that, it was difficult for it to sink in. It did not seem logical to me, that a woman could have one less fallopian tube and everything would remain the same. He reassured me that one, single, fallopian tube can grab an egg from either the left or right ovary. Who knew? The only way for me to really know was to wait until the timing felt right for another child.
So.....as I took the pregnancy test the morning of the 1st, I was overwhelmed with such excitement, joy and peace when the results were positive. What a HUGE relief and a HUGE blessing. We feel truly blessed for this little one that is taking steps to be a part of our family come April 2011.
Now about my new calling. When the call was extended to me to be the 3rd Counselor in the Relief Society Presidency and handle the Visiting Teaching I felt very overwhelmed. Here is little 23 year old me, working towards graduating with my Bachelors in Home and Family Living, with two young children and one on the way (as of that morning). At that moment I thought of so many others who would be more qualified and better suited for this particular calling but I knew that the call was coming for the Lord and it is where he needs me to be serving at this time in my life. I accepted willingly and have been incredibly busy. Although, the calling is time consuming and requires sacrifices from my family, I feel that Heavenly Father is blessing us and watching out for us. My testimony of Visiting Teaching has exploded, I am coming to know the sisters in the ward on an individual basis, and I am witnessing miracles and great acts of service performed by sisters in the ward.
I feel so blessed at this very moment! I know that Heavenly Father is aware of our needs, our strengths, our weaknesses, and the intents of our heart. He wants us to succeed in this life and in order to do so we need to be stretched beyond our own abilities and learn to put our trust in the Lord. I am grateful for the challenges I have been given in my life and the many lessons I have learned and continue to learn as I strive to endure.
So anyway, with our two big surprises, perhaps it will not be a surprise to you if I do not get to blog as often as I would have liked. Stay tuned....there are a few posts and many pictures to come!

Dreaming at Dinner

Several weeks ago, Cameron and I decided that Cambri would no longer have naps during the day. If Cambri requested a nap we would happily oblige but otherwise there are no naps. It had gotten to the point that getting her to take naps was an ongoing battle that commenced everyday after lunch. For my own sanity, as well as Cambri's, we discontinued the napping. She would wake up between 6am and 7am, play, play, play, and be in bed around 7:30pm. Needless to say, by dinner time she was beyond exhausted and would fall asleep while eating dinner.



After a few weeks of nodding her way through dinner, Cambri came to the realization that indeed she does need a nap. I do not have to force her to take naps during the day (yippee!). She will just flat out tell me she is tired and wants to take a nap (yippee again!). We then head to her room and read two stories before she rests her little head for some afternoon ZZZZs.

I must say, I am beyond grateful that she is back to taking naps because......
a nap for HER = a nap for ME

that is if Ella is sleeping too!

A Bear's Prayer

This evening as we sat down for bedtime prayers....

Cambri: Who's going to say the prayer?
Mom: I don't know, who would you like to say the prayer?

Cambri: Bear (referring to a stuffed animal)

Mom: Bear can't say it, he doesn't talk. You could help him fold his arms for the prayer.

Cambri: (she walks over to get her bear and folds his arms) If we get a bear that talks, he can talk and say the prayer!
To which we all let out a little chuckle. We sure love our little Cambri, who is not so little anymore. She is a such a joy to have in our family and has really become quite the helper with Ella. They will now play together and not only that.....they are content (for the most part) while doing it. Give them another year and they will be the BEST play buddies ever!!!