Just some cute pics

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!

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

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

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

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)

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

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".