Camden Says / 09

It's been way too long since I documented my smart and funny guy.  So, here goes:

- Anytime he toots: 

"Oh, that was a good one!"

- Protector of his baby sister from Max the ferocious daycare kitty cat:

Me: Did Max scratch Zoey?

Cam: (outraged) Yes!  Max tried to kill my baby!

Me: Oh, buddy.  I don't think he tried to do that.

Cam: I told her she's OK.  She is not dead.

- Not quite grasping the concept of his behavior/reward system:

Cam: Mommy, you're my hero!

Me: Awww, buddy that is so sweet!

Cam: Does that deserve a ticket?

- Getting coffee one morning:

Cam: I don't like coffee

Me: That's OK.  You'll probably drink it someday.

Cam: Some day when I'm a mommy?

- Learning respect:

Me: Please put your shoes on, bud.

Cam: Ay-yi Captain (with salute)

- Talking about church:

Cam: What's church?

Me: Where people go to worship Jesus or whoever they believe in.

Cam: Where's Jesus?

Me: Where do you think he is?

Cam: Chuck E. Cheese?

- Learning to read through the lines:

Cam: When we get home can I watch red commercial (YouTube Kids) on Daddy's iPad?

Me: We'll talk about it when we get home

Cam: (long pause) Does that mean yes?

- Started a story with "... when I was a little girl on Christmas Eve..."

- Protecting baby sister from small objects:

Cam: (takes toy from Zoey) Zoey!  Do not put this in your mouth!  Because it is called a choking hazard!

- Calls our neighborhood "neighbor's hood."

- Calls bandits "bandaids."

- Learning to use words to express feelings.

Me: (seeing that he is emotional and not feeling well) What's wrong, buddy?

Cam: I just want some privacy

- Told me how tow trucks use "hookers" to help cars out of the ditch.

- Learning the joys of having a little sister:

Cam: Mommy...

Zoey: Mommy!

Cam: Um, mommy...

Zoey: Mommy!

Cam: Zoey!  Stop erupting me!

- Still needs help wiping his bottom after #2:

Cam: Mommy, I'm done!

Me: (enters bathroom) woah, stinky!

Cam: It was me

- Getting in touch with his Christian roots and spelling out the letters in our last name:

Cam: P-E-the cross of Jesus-E-R-S

- Talking about bodily functions:

Cam: When you drink all of your water or milk then you have to pee pee from your peanut

- Defining an emergency:

Cam: What's an emergency?

Me: When something happens and you need help right away!

Cam: Like if you're on fire?

- Tooting etiquette:

Cam: (toots)

Me: Excuse you!

Cam: I didn't toot, Mommy!  It was just air coming out of my bottom

- Learning that we don't have time for Zoey tantrums:

Zoey: (throws herself on the floor in a fit)

Cam: That's OK, Zoey.  You go ahead and do that.

Take Luck,

LP

Cam at 4.5

Seriously, I swear he just turned 4 and now six months have passed.  He's officially closer to 5 than 4!  Just ask him because he will proudly tell you that his birthday is "really soon."  Why does 5 seem so much older than 4?  I feel like I'm constantly telling him to stop growing and that I want him to stay my little buddy forever.  He laughs at me (literally) and just keeps on growing and becoming more awesome.

- Favorite shows are Blaze, Paw Patrol, Wild Kratts, PJ Masks, and Bubble Guppies

- Favorite movies are How to Train Your Dragon, Wreck it Ralph, Trolls, Moana, and Incredibles

- Loves to "bake cookies" with me but is mostly only interested in measuring and stirring ingredients

- Loves to read out address numbers on houses and buildings

- Tells me everyday after naps and bedtime, "Look how big I am!"  As if I didn't notice.

- Can tell you his full name, birthdate, and address

- Knows what continent, country, state, and city we live in

- Can count to 100

- Is mildly obsessed with volcanoes and hot lava, going on hikes, bowling, hitting in the front yard, and saying the word "butt"

- Calls his penis a "peanut"

- Becomes a philosophical pooper every night at bedtime.  Anything to delay to inevitable bedtime - including "needing to check the weather"

- Asks for chocolate milk and blueberry muffins everyday for breakfast

- Played his first season of YMCA basketball for Coach Aaron and the Purple Monsters

- Played his second season of YMCA soccer for Mommy and Daddy and the Blue Dragons

- Loves to go swimming and to gymnastics when we can squeeze it in

- Loves to ride his "bike with training wheels" and his "scooter with no training wheels"

- Will complete his second year of preschool next week.  One more year and then he'll be off to Kindergarten

- Is the cuddliest cuddle bug.  He loves to climb in our bed

- Hasn't slept past 6am in I don't even know how long.  Every morning he comes in and says "Mommy is it time to wake up yet?" and when I say "no," he responds with "but I'm ready to be awake."

- Now has two dogs - Coco (because we said he couldn't name her "Hot Chocolate") and Raph (because his love for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles runs deep)

- Went to Disneyland and Michigan for the second time

- His favorite people in the world are Mommy, Daddy, Grammy, Papa, Ray Ray, Chris, and Uncle Joshy.

An interview update:

Favorite color: Teal

Favorite movie: The Incredibles

Favorite TV show: Blaze

Favorite animal: Elephant

Favorite book: Volcanoes

What do you want to be when you grow up?: Astronaut and a baseball player

Who is your best friend?: Matthew and Sebastian

What's your favorite thing to learn about in school?: Airplanes

Favorite food: Mac & cheese

Favoriate drink: Chocolate milk and juice

Favorite activity: Hitting outside

Favorite song: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle theme song

Favorite thing about yourself: I'm a good dancer

This boy has no idea how special he is to us.  He is loved beyond measure.

Take Luck,

LP

Zoey is TWO

Zoey Grace is two and I can hardly believe it.  Time is flying by and I am way more emotional about her turning two than I was about Cam.  Probably because when he turned two I was newly-pregnant and so I knew we'd get to do this again.  Now, I'm almost fairly certain that this is our last go-round and so I'm a blubbering mess of feelings.

Weight: 24 pounds 1 ounce (35th percentile)

Height: 32 1/2 inches (30th percentile)

Head Circumference: 17 3/4 inches (6th percentile)

- This tiny girl is like a switch.  She has one speed - on or off.  She is fearless, has so much energy, into everything, and constantly pushing the boundaries and limits

- Talks very well for her age, which is nice because she can tell us what she wants but is also not nice because she can tell us what she wants

- Wears mostly 18-24 month clothing and 2T tops.  She's like her brother and longer on the top half than she is the bottom half

- Sassy doesn't even begin to describe the attitude that's packed into this little body

- Flo is still her soulmate and she grows more and more attached to Kiki (her elephant binky) every single day

- Gets immense joy from breaking crayons with her teeth and chewing up the tidbits

- Favorite movies are Moana, Trolls, and Frozen

- Dances and sings like nobody's business.  Her favorite songs to sing are "Let it Go," "Twinkle, Twinkle," "ABCs," and pretty much any song from Moana

- Can count to 14 or 15 - depends on the day and her mood

- Can identify the colors blue, orange, and pink

- Loves to put on clothes that aren't hers and loves to accessorize with necklaces and bracelets

- Is a much better eater than Cam ever was (or is).  She'd eat an entire container of berries if I let her

- Has a flair for the dramatic and has become quite the sympathy crier

- Is still a little snuggle bug and loves to give hugs and kisses

- Has become quite possessive over Mommy and Miss Bree (a daycare provider and babysitter)

- Went to Disneyland and Michigan for the first time

- Is obsessed with "shnapstick" (chapstick), juice, sticking out her tongue, brushing her teeth, wearing "glubs" (gloves), and going swimming at the YMCA

- Hates the moment in between a shirt or sweatshirt going over her head and after her head pops through the hole

- Had her first major injury when she fell out of the shopping cart at Home Depot and hit her head on the concrete floor.  She very briefly lost conciousness and we took an ambulance right to the Emergency Room where a CT showed that she had a concussion and fracture in her skull 

- Favorite people in the world include Mommy, Daddy, Bubba, Grammy, Papa, Ray Ray, Chris, Miss Bree, and Uncle Joshy

- Best friends are Grady and Liberty

- Nicknames include Zo Zo, Beautiful, Little Bear, Peaches, and Little Peach.  Sometimes I call her "little asshole" or "little shit" under my breath but I wouldn't count those as official nicknames

Zoey Grace.  Words cannot describe how happy it makes me and how grateful I am to be your mommy.  I have loved seeing you grow into the sassy and sweet little bug that you've become.  You truly are a joy to be around (at least most of the time) and your daddy, bubba, and I simply adore you.  My greatest hope is that you grow up to be a strong woman, who believes that her worth is not determined by what is on the outside - but on the inside.  Watching you grow is incredibly bittersweet and I can't wait to see what you have to offer this world.  You are a force to be reckoned with.  Always remember that you are smart, kind, important, and beautiful.  I love you to the moon and stars, my little bear.

Take Luck,

LP