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!!!

One Hot Little Lady

First, I must say, you do not realize how much you will miss something until it is gone. Boy is that ever true! Little miss Ella woke up early, early Friday morning with a temperature of 103 and that is when it all began. She is still battling this supposed "virus" which means there is little we can do (other than pump her full of motrin). She went to the doctor Friday afternoon after waking from a nap with a temp of 106. Talk about hot! They ruled out ear infections, strep throat, a UTI, and strep throat, leaving us with the diagnosis of a viral infection.
It breaks my heart to see her this way. She was and has been so uncomfortable---little to no appetite, sleepier than ever, not wanting to play/interact, and not thrilled about drinking liquids. In fact, she would not even eat her all-time favorite food...CHEESE. Every time she hears that word she can be found hightailing it to the kitchen, saying "cheese" with such excitement, but not the past two days.
I just want my little Ella back. Although I do not mind the cuddles that accompany caring for a sick child, I miss her. I miss her smiles, her laughs, how quickly she will guzzle down a cup of water, her waiting by the fridge for cheese, getting into all of my cupboards, hearing the patter of her feet as she runs down the hall, feeding her in her highchair, seeing her big, bright blue eyes, etc.
We love and miss you Ella and hope you will fight off this nasty bug fast! It is no fun seeing you this way!

lights, CAMERA, action

At this very moment,
There is a package in the mail
There is a package in the mail, with my name on it
There is a package in the mail, with my name on it, and a camera inside

I cannot wait!

In April, we sold my camera to a relative as there had been talk about me wanting a smaller, point and shoot camera. All of which is true but it has taken until now to get one. Cameron read up on so many reviews trying to get me the best of the best for the best price. Last night I brought up "the camera" talk and was jumped on right then, read a few more reviews, and came to a decision.

I am so HAPPY to have a camera again! My blog is in great need of pictures.

You can bet once it arrives, pictures will be taken. And those pictures will be taken right away. Stay tuned!

Laugh of the Day

This morning the girls and I ventured over to the park for "Mommy & Me". First stop, the swings. Each time we go to the park, Cambri has requested that I give her an underdog on the swing. For those unaware, it is when you run under the swing as you push it up.

Here was Cambri's request:
"Mom, can you give me an under-wear dog?"

I could not control my laughter. It was just too dang cute. Perhaps we have been talking a bit too much about the potty and all that accompanies it. Regardless of the reasoning, I hope you found it just as humorous as I.

Public Potties Here We Come

We have got ourselves a potty trained two year old. Hallelujah! It took a great amount of effort and incredible patience on both ends to achieve success. Back around her second birthday (October) she was showing many of the signs of potty training readiness so we gave it a whirl. She did make it in the potty several times the first day so I thought we were off to a great start. Needless to say, we hit many bumps along the road, and using the potty became a battle. After dealing with a fighting two year old for quite some time the thought came to me that I needed to take a break from the potty. I was not thrilled about this option but decided to go along with the prompting. We took about two weeks break then jumped right back in to using the potty and VOILA! It worked, it stuck, and all are happy.

Now that we have mastered the obstacle of toilet training (other than nights), I have mixed feelings. I am SO grateful I do not need to buy nearly as many diapers and I do not need to clean dirty diapers from 2 children all day long...just one. However, on the down side it makes shopping all the more interesting. I encourage Cambri to use the bathroom before leaving our house but it is hit or miss on whether or not she will try. If she begins throwing a fit, I just let it go. I am finding somethings are not worth fighting over. To no avail she "needs" to use the bathroom just about everywhere we go. It is not an easy task as you may know. I have to hold Ella in one arm, lift Cambri onto the toilet and hold her there (public toilets= GERMY YUCK) so she does not touch the filth. Washing her hands is the exact same story. I suppose with some more potty usage and a few growth spurts she will be able to handle it all on her own.

But for now I will be content with my bicep workout each time I go shopping! Who would have thought shopping could be an exercise?!

Softball Stitching

Have you ever been hit by a softball?
Have you ever been hit by a softball, on the knee?
Have you ever been hit by a softball, on the knee, leaving an imprint of the stitching lines?

I have! And I have been laughing so hard about it. It was unbelievable!

After last weeks softball game, my legs had taken several beatings. Let's just say that before the start of this season it has been several years since I last played softball. And when I did play softball it was an all girls team, not coed. This year I was asked to play on Stockamp's (where Cameron works) team. For the past several games, I have been playing 3rd base. The combination of playing 3rd base and not having played in several years made me a bit timid to get down low and catch the low flying balls. I think my mentality was if I can not stop the ball in my glove why not use my body?! I knew if the ball made it past me it would stop somewhere in the middle of 3rd base and left field. Which if that held to be true, they opposing team may get several bases out of the hit, if not runs. Towards the end of the game, the batters were really putting on the heat and slamming them right up my alley. I feared of losing teeth or getting smacked in the face by the ball so I used my legs a few times to stop the ball. It has been 1 1/2 weeks since the game and two large bruises are still hanging around. Thank heavens I do not wear shorts often!