Cam's Trip To The Hospital

This morning I took Cameron in for his little surgery which really didn't seem to be as much a surgery as a little procedure but they did have to put him under and that was the scary part. All went very well and this afternoon he is already back to himself. He is running around like a chicken with its head cut off. These shots are post procedure when he was not feeling back to normal yet and we had to do everything we could to get him to crack a smile. I am glad it's over.

Much needed update!!!

Well, I know it has been forever and this blog was supposed to keep everyone up to date on what is going on in our lives but I haven't posted since November and for that I am sorry. So much has been going on.



Since my last post we took a little vacation to Tennessee for the Christmas holiday. What a wonderful (however really long) trip that was. The boys were fantastic considering the drive that we had. The plan was to leave after work on the 23rd, stop in Chicago to pick up my baby sister, Katie, and continue driving through the night and arrive at my grandmother's house some time in the morning. The plan definitely did not work out. Katie's flight was delayed time and time again and it took me 4 hours just to get to Chicago due to nasty weather conditions. Needless to say we stayed in Chicago that night and then continued on Christmas eve morning, drove through 13 hours of pouring down rain and made it to TN late that evening after stopping for potty and coffee beaks about 20 times. Not a drive I want to make again. I am happy to say that we made it back in one piece and the trip was well worth it.



Come January, we had about had it with the snow and Abbott turned 2. I can't believe how time is flying. For Cam it was the terrible 3's. For Abbott, definitely the terrible 2's. We are in the middle of a major power struggle but I am bound and determined to win the battle.

This is a 3 drawer plastic set of drawers that Abbott removed the top and first drawer of to make himself a seat in the second drawer, turned the tv towards him and was watching a movie. Pretty inventive for a 2 year old I think.

April brought Cam's 4th birthday. He got a batman scooter and has not really gotten off it since. He is due to have surgery May 14th. Cameron suffers from chronic ear infections, sinus issues and has some temporary hearing loss and although we have tried many alternatives, it seems that this is the way it has to be. He is having his adenoids removed and tubes put in with the possibility of having his tonsils removed shortly afterward. Hopefully the tonsil removal will not be necessary. He is such a sweet boy (most of the time). He has really done well in school although, because of the temporary hearing loss, has had a couple of attention issues. Hopefully next year will be much better in that department.

Cameron and Abbott on the scooters. We have since purchased helmets, knee pads and elbow pads. Much needed accessories.

We are so looking forward to Spring. It is creeping in finally and it has been great to have them outside more often. The winters are brutal and they have to stay inside more than I would like. I crave a different climate.

Papa and the boys playing T-ball.

Work for me is going pretty well despite the fact that we are in economic turmoil. It has been quite terrifying watching the stock market and how it has affected investors. It has certainly made our Reps very cranky and they have been a challenge to deal with but most are really great and appreciative of what we do for them. I truly do love my job and it teaches me something new everyday.

That about wraps it up for now. I will attempt to keep this up a little better.

Reptile Exhibit

Nov. 8th, Papa took Cameron to the reptile exhibit that was in town. Cameron loves reptiles which is a love that he shares with his Papa and I knew that they would have a big time. Cameron came home with a lizard temporary tattoo and plenty of excitement about his little field trip. He even got to hold a baby alligator as is pictured.

Cameron's First Trip to the Dentist

Cameron had his first trip to the dentist this week. There is a dentist here in Madison that closes his office down for a couple of days and just takes the kids in Head Start which is the program that Cameron is in for school. The school bus transports them to and from the dentist's office and I was able to leave work for a few minutes and just meet him there. When I arrived he was sitting in the chair with the big pad that blocks the radiation from the x-ray and when he saw me he immediately got anxious and x-rays just did not happen. Other than that he was a total trooper. I sat next to him and held his hand while he had his teeth cleaned and I was instructed on how to make sure his teeth are being brushed properly. The dentist then came in and confirmed that he had no cavities which made mommy very happy. He was treated to a new dinosaur toothbrush, a winnie the pooh sticker, and a rubber lizard which he has not put down since. I was so proud and the next day he asked if he could go back so I believe it was a success.

Fall Fun

Several weeks ago we piled in the car and headed to Anderson's Farm for a tractor ride into the pumkin patch. I had done a little research to find the best place for our little fall outing. The owner of the farm greeted us and we immediately headed out into the field. The pumpkin patch was quite the little adventure for the boys as they were able to actually cut the pumpkins right off the vines. They had a blast. We piled our 6 pumpkins back on the tractor and headed back. The owners of the farm had a very mild haunted house which was perfect for the boys. We then headed back to the house for carving. When we got home we sat in the driveway with my friend Ann and her son Jack, who is pictured with my boys, and cut the tops off the pupkins and let the boys clean out their pumpkins which, I might add, made quite a mess. Ann sat outside with the boys and helped them carve their pumpkins while I went in and baked pumpkin seeds. It was a day full of memories and something I will never forget.

Cam's First Day of Pre-school

I don't know quite how it happened but the day came that my little boy was going to school for the first time. Now what they actually do in school at the age of three is a mystery to me but I am sure that there is a lot of time for recess. Anyway, we woke up the morning of 9/11/08 and I said to him "Cameron, you get to go to school today" and the tears came crashing down. " I don't want to go to school, I don't want to ride the bus, I want to go to Nora's". Nora is his daycare provider for those that don't know. So, I sat him down and had a brief conversation about how he was a big boy now and he was going to make all kinds of new friends and learn amazing things. We hopped up and got him dressed in his first day of school outfit, got on his back pack and we were on our way.

The plan was for me to go to Nora's and stay with him until he got on the bus and then I would meet him at the school to spend a little time there with him and get his day started off. He was absolutely the cutest thing getting on the bus and getting all strapped in. I watched the bus pull away and then headed on my way.

Well, I am not biased or anything but my child was definitely the best in the class :). Just kidding of course...or am I???? LOL Anyway, they sang songs, then had breakfast of which they served themselves, and then had playtime. All the other little boys went straight for the trucks and cars and what does my child do? He goes and gets the mop and tells me that there is a "mess" and proceeds to mop it up. Is this a problem? No way!!!

I had to get to work so I gave him a kiss (I do have to take advantage of it while he isn't embarrassed) and told him that I loved him and left my baby all on his own. His first day was a total success!!! More to come I am sure.

Hair Cuts

Well, it was that time again. Cameron and Abbott have incredibly curly hair and it tends to get a bit out of control if it gets too long so we had hair cuts today. My plan was to do Cameron's first thinking that he could be the "big boy" and show his baby brother how it's done. Of course nothing goes according to plan :). As soon as the clippers came into contact with the back of his head he completely fell apart. So I went to plan B. Strap Abbott down and just try not to slice his head off. Actually, with just a hint of resistance, I got Abbott's done. Whew! One down, one very strong willed one to go. I played a little dirty. I know it isn't nice but sometimes it has to be done. When I heard the words "Abbott is the big boy and Cameron is the baby" come out of my mouth I already knew I had it in the bag. Cameron immediately said "I'm ready mom. I'll sit to get my hair cut". All I heard this time around was how much it tickled. Anyway, the venture was successful and they both look so handsome.