THE SETINA'S

Just some cute pics

2008-12-23T12:23:00.000-08:00

Moving the stool to the window opened up a whole new world of sites and sounds.

Now whose kid hasn't done this?

She loves to play in the crib, hates to sleep in it.

....and this is just a fraction of the stuffed animals that live in Camryn's room.

Cutie Pie.

Apparently shoe fetishes start early....and it doesnt matter how big they are or who they belong to, she's ALWAYS trying shoes on.

Cammy and Elmo.

New winter hat and mittens. Its been SOOO cold these past few weeks.

We LOVE Liberty Park!

2008-12-23T12:03:00.000-08:00

I am so grateful we live close to nice, clean, toddler oriented parks. Liberty Park is our favorite because there is no sand, just cushiony, rubbery padding that is perfect for all the falls Camryn takes, and it has a really nice water sculpture and beautiful flowers for smelling.

She can climb on all of the structures, and the slides aren’t too steep. She LOVES the swing and slides, and has gone from cautious to fearless in just a few trips. She’s just like her daddy in the “fearless” department and I’m sure the first thing she’ll want to do when she turns 18 is jump out of a plane. Mommy will watch from the ground, as usual!

Camryn on the swing.

Daddy pushing.

Look at my hair Ma!

She goes down the slide all by herself.

I'm 16 months old today - 11/27/08

Cammy and daddy making silly faces at each other.

It was difficult trying to leave the water sculpture. There was some kicking and screaming but that's normal right?

She had to smell at least 20 flowers.

My babies.

Fun with Blocks

2008-12-23T11:48:00.000-08:00

Blocks, do they ever get old? Clearly this family still likes to play with blocks and we’re having some good times AND making great memories!

The best part about these old wooden blocks is they originally belonged to my dad and uncle which makes them 60+ years old, and then they were played with by the rest of the Anderson clan, the uncles and aunts, the cousins, the grand kids, the great grand kids, friends of the family, and many more.

These wooden blocks have literally been played with thousands of times and they are still fun to play with. The simplicity of the blocks inspires us to use our imaginations and we’ve come up with some great buildings. Josh came over and built the Lincoln Memorial and then the Parthenon (although I don’t have a picture), then Camryn knocked them all over of course. She’s great at stacking too – she continually amazes us with her talent and skill.

Aunti MoMo, Uncle Javi and Cammy having fun.

You're silly uncle Javi! Blocks don't go in your nose!

Auntie Mandy trying to corral Camryn.

Our toothbrush made from the old wooden blocks. See, we CAN be creative.

Successfully eating with spoon and fork

2008-11-17T10:51:00.000-08:00

So it turns out the kid is a natural. We had given her a spoon pretty frequently when she ate but she wasn't really good at it and always opted to use her fingers instead and throw the spoon overboard.....well that's all changed. One day she just started using the spoon as if she'd been using it for months and now she won't eat without one. We've also introduced a fork, and like spoon, she's got natural talent!

Today on the menu: meatloaf, mashed potatos with gravy, and broccoli, her favorite.

2nd Annual Pumpkin Patch Visit

2008-11-13T10:54:00.001-08:00

I'm a little late posting these pics but they are here at last. Enjoy.

This was our 2nd annual trip to Pa's Pumpkin Patch in Long Beach. The set-up is great with gazillions of pumkins in every size you can imagine along with games, rides and a petting zoo.

This year we were able to take advantage of the activities Pa's had to offer because Camryn's a "big girl" now!!

We met up with Shannon who was there with her mom and kids Kade and Kyla (little Jack was at home with papa)and we had such a fun time eating funnel cakes and riding the train.

First we took some pictures by the pumpkins. Then we watched the ponies and then Camryn rode on the Pink Elephant ride all by herself. I couldn't tell if she was all that impressed because the look on her face was the same throughout the ride, a kind of "I like this but when it is going to stop" kind of look. We were so proud of her for not wanting to get off the second the ride started.

Then we took a ride on the carousel and walked into the petting zoo where she must have decided all of the white goats looked a little like Jenner so she had no hesitation when it came to pulling on their horns and trying to cuddle with them. Thank goodness they were all sedated and fat from all of the food because they didn't seem to mind Camryn's outgoing personality. We checked out the ostrich and the emu and the giant sow and bunnies. They also had little chicks in a mini barn of their own which made me want to build one for our own back yard. How fun would that be?

Our visit ended with a train ride. Camryn got to sit with Kade while Kyla manned the engine and sounded the whistle.

It was a fun day and we're looking forward to next year.

Lollypops, Ponytails & our first visible "Owie" (as most are to the head and therefore, not visible)

2008-10-22T09:31:00.000-07:00

I'm not feeling very creative today with my story telling so I'll just start with a few pictures.

Friday before we took our walk in the park we stopped at the bank where they had a bowl of lollypops at the counter. So I gave one to Camryn to hold, not eat, just to hold, but before I knew it she had peeled a tiny piece of plastic off the top and stuck the lollypop in her mouth. Once she tasted that orange yummyness I knew I'd have a difficult time taking it from her. Inevitably there was a small struggle because I wouldn't let her have it while we were driving to the park, I had to keep reassuring her I'd give it back.

ummm, goood

When I asked her if it was yummy, her face said it all.

Pretty green eyes.

On Saturday morning after we picked up our coffee we stopped at Kim's for her fund raiser garage sale and bought about 10 books and puzzles for Camryn. We basically let her wander around and pick what she wanted and of course, she migrated toward the books. I love my little book lover.

After that we got ready for Tasia's 2nd birthday party. Camryn's hair is now long enough to put into two pony tails and for some reason I thought it would be easy to do but she absolutely FREAKED! It looked so stinkin cute but she was thrashing around just wanting them out, even though I know they weren't pulling her hair. I know this because when I finally gave in and took them out, she still spent the next 10 minutes stomping her feet and crying. I had to show her in the mirror they weren't in anymore before she finally believed me and stopped crying. Kids!

You can barely see the pony. She was being so uncooperative.

This is the best I could do. Funny thing is, two days later she pulled her hair and said "Pony?" as if wanting me to put it back in.

And now on to our "Owie". Sunday we took a walk through MonteVerde Park where there is a mile long sand path through a beautifully landscaped park. Every time Randy and I walk the path we fantasize that one day our back yard will resemble this park. Anyway, instead of walking, like most children age 14 months Camryn likes to run as if she's being chased by something but this time she slipped and fell on her way to us which resulted in "owies" and "booboos" and lots of crying. The owies are such a novelty now that we now discuss them at all times of the day. Strangely enough, I tripped over the dog leash on my way out the front door on Monday morning and acquired my own "owie" so now Camryn and I talk about how mommy got hers and how Camryn got hers.

Ouch!

Poor knees.

Close up.

Mama's owie

Our Little Helper

2008-10-17T09:58:00.000-07:00

Camryn's become quite the little helper these past few weeks. From wiping up "virtual" spills with a papertowel to dragging the grocery bags into the kitchen, she's showing us she's going to be a big helper. She drug about 5 bags from the front door to the kitchen, then started helping unpack the bags. I know, I know, they're plastic bags, but we recycle them at the grocery store so don't hate us for not being "green".

Ballet feet and organization

2008-10-15T11:33:00.000-07:00

Ballet Feet

So I think I do a pretty good job at packing up and storing clothes Camryn no longer fits into, but apparently this cute little pair of socks got away from me, and thankfully, because they've turned into Camryn's favorites.

The socks with maryjane print on them are the cutest socks ever (thank you Kim) and get plenty of compliments. I was a little bummed when they didn't fit anymore but that doesn't seem to be a problem for Camryn, whose daily request is to have them put on her feet. Sock Mama! Mama Sock! And once they're on she is a new baby. She suddenly becomes obsessed with her feet, to the point where if she can't see them (because of a dress or long pants), we have to take off the dress or tuck it up in her bloomers or roll up pants. She runs around staring at her feet and what they're doing, not taking into consideration all the things she could run into. We've had a few minor casulaties since those socks surfaced.

Organization!

Finally organized and it couldn't feel better. I seriously got tired of feeling like I live in a daycare center with all of the toys cluttering my living room.

Well, Ikea, Randy, and a little help from Camryn fixed that and boy does it feel good. Although I wished I had chosen the black/brown unit, this birch color one will suffice until it eventually ends up in Camryn's room. Just knowing every time I walk into my house it won't feel like I'm bombarded with an array of obnoxious toys makes me very happy. Who knew an $89 unit could cure my baby toy blues.

Camryn helped putting in the dowels and when Randy had to take the last one from her in order to finish the unit, you'd literally thought he was cutting off her hand. She was very involved and you can already tell she'll be a big help when there's something to put together or clean up. Her other new obsession is wiping everything down with a papertowel, from the carpet to the wood floors, to her rocking chair and yes, the dog. I'm wowed by how much she understands and how much she wants to imitate everything mommy and daddy do.

(I wish I had taken a picture of the incredible mess our living room was for the past 14 months but I don't have one. Most of you reading this already know the depression that can come from an excessive overload of bright colors and talking toys)

I will find a hole where this dowel will fit! (Too bad those holes are to secure it to the wall little one!)

Helping Dada.

Interesting look.

All finished and kickin' back!

Camping, Beaches, Redwoods and more....

2008-08-01T11:03:00.000-07:00

So camping was awesome this year! (We had to skip our annual trip last year because I was in the delivery room). We absolutely loved having Camryn with us. She is quite the explorer, loving the dirt, rocks, weeds and flowers, trees, sand and water.....and birds, seaweed, sand toys, new friends, long walks and bike rides. We were so glad she started walking before this trip because I can't imagine her crawling in all the places she was able to walk. We got quite the work out from following her around everywhere but to see the delight in her face when she experienced something new was priceless.

Aside from great conversation with all the family we hadn't seen in 6 months or more, the food was awesome, the smores were perfect and the boose trumped it all. We haven't been that liquored up in a long time and how many nights were like that? Hmmmm, I can't count. All I know is the minute we got there the Tequila bottle was out and the party had started.

Our days started out in the mild cool air sipping coffee and talking. Then we loaded up for one of the various beautiful beaches Bodega and Sonoma has to offer. The ocean there is beautiful and the waves pounding against the rocks is endless and exciting. We saw seals laying on their backs in the seaweed almost every day, and there were groups of pelicans that flew down so close to us you could see their eyes.

We visited Lucas Warf for the best fish&chips ever (twice!) and the Tides Warf which has been there since I was a kid. We took a picture of Camryn in the whaling pot, you can barely see her head out of it, and I have the same picture of myself at almost the same age in my photo album. We took a day trip to the beaches on the northen end of Sonoma (Goat Rock) and then through Guerneville to see the great redwoods, thousands of years old. Many of them so big you could stand in them. This is a trip I always like to take because it reminds me of how old our planet is, and we still get to see some of the few things that withstood the tests of time.

After our day trips we usually wound down around a fire with drink in hand while one of the families made dinner. Each family makes dinner on a different night and this works out well for us. We had fish tacos and jumbalaya, bbq chicken sandwiches with pasta salad and strawberry shortcake, beef stew with the best sour dough bread ever delivered fresh daily to the local store, tri-tip with baked potatoes (right over the fire) and corn on the cob, spaghetti with salad and more yummy sourdough bread, and last but not least....chili with cornbread (and by the way, 3 different homemade chili's to choose from, mild, medium and hot) with sides of cheddar cheeses, onions and sour cream. Does this sound like camping food to you??? We know how to rock the menu on these trips!

We topped everything off with a tribute to Camryn for her 1st birthday. We served pie and yummy brownies made by Pat and all her cool friends, and opened gifts. Camryn had her own little cake and we sang happy birthday. It was the perfect thing to do!

Our one major casualty included Kyle being hit in the eye with a stick that left him with a cut and minor black eye....I think he didn't mind it so much because he took interest in the girl camping across the way and spent some quality time with her trying to make it feel better! Oh, I remember those days, when you're just about 16 years old, no real responsibility, and nothing but fun to be had. She (Paige was her name) went to the beach with us one day and it looked like they were having a lot of fun together. Hope her family didn't mind since she came back completely soaked from head to toe. I think Kyle will remember this trip for a while. She was really cute. (Oh yeah, forgot to mention we gave Kyle his first shot of Tequila to dull the pain...should we have?? Who knows - we did it anyway!)

This trip was really the best and we can't wait until next year! I want to personally thank Dave and Jane for selling us their trailer (this trip just wouldn't have been the same in a tent). Most of my family that have trailers didn't have them at our age so we are eternally thankful for that.

Thank you to everyone who was there for the great fun we had. Looking forward to seeing you all at Christmas, unless Jack can finagle getting the cabin for Thanksgiving. It would be nice to bbq a turkey together this year.

Cammy Nic's first 4th of July!!

2008-07-08T12:53:00.000-07:00

So the 4th of July was fun, as usual. We spent the day at Shannon's parents house eating and drinking and hanging out by the pool. The company was great, we always love spending time there. Everyone is just like family.

Camryn loved the water and spent lots of time getting her face wet and kicking her feet. Brother Kyle was so sweet with her. He took her all around the pool, even though I was a little bit nervous, but he held onto her tight and made her laugh.

The fireworks were loud but impressive, especially TJ's grand finale. All the kids lined up on the sidewalk, sitting with their legs crossed and watching intently. Each one got to take a turn picking out which firework was next.

And by the way, lots of walking for this little girl on the 4th. You'd have thought she'd been walking for months the way she was navigating around the cars, kids, sidewalks and grass.

Thanks Mickie & Jack! Looking forward to next year!

The beach calls us

2008-07-02T09:11:00.000-07:00

So we just can't seem to get enough of the beach these days. We head out to Seal or Belmont 3-4 evenings a week. Maybe we just want our daughter to enjoy the things we enjoy? Its been so peaceful by the water....and yesterday the water was incredibly warm, warmer than I've felt it in a long time. Warm enough to actually get in if you wanted to. (Too bad I don't look so hot in a bathing suit anymore or I might have actually considered it.)

Camryn enjoys the beach as much as we do. She points at the waves and shreeks with excitement when the waves crash. Yesterday a wave broke at the jetty and the water drops flew high into the air, coming down on us like rain. She sits in the backpack on Randy's back and kicks and bounces when the birds fly by. Yesterday someone caught some type of sand shark and that was pretty exciting too.

We left around 6:30 and came home to make dinner and take baths. It was a really nice afternoon. Maybe we'll do it again tomorrow.

Procrastination and then some...

2008-06-26T12:03:00.000-07:00

Obviously I'm a procrastinator and although starting the blog was simple, maintaining it is another story. I'm going to work at getting into a groove because posting a few simple paragraphs should be routine, like checking email for instance. My favorite part of this whole thing is still the pictures, posting and viewing.

So I guess I'll start with last Friday, meaning Friday 7 days ago, 7 days before the Friday that will soon be tomorrow. (Time just gets away from me somehow).

We had a fun-filled, water logged, yummy BBQ night at Shan & Rob's. Even though Camryn wasn't big enough to slide down the slip & slide alone, that didn't stop her from making the most of it. She just crawled to one end, played, then the other end, played, and back and forth and back and forth. As much as I say "I wish she could do this" or "I wish she could do that", she proves to me every day that she doesn't yet need to be a big kid, that she can manage on her own and this impresses me.

Just Getting Started

2008-06-19T10:47:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I can see how much fun this is going to be. The ability to "share" in this technology driven world can really keep you connected to family and friends with minimal effort so there's really no excuse anymore. So just give me a few days and there will be something read, an introduction followed by the constant doting of my daughter I'm sure. I'm enamored with her. By the way, she signed her first word yesteday....EAT!! It took us a few minutes to get it but we did, and our oo's and aw's were followed up with crackers.

Thank you Shannon for introducing me to this!