Fall 2010

Well, here we are. November. It’s snowing outside. Sam is napping and Elliot just finished lunch. I thought of napping too, but I have learned that if I do, it will be even harder for me to sleep at night, and I need all the chances I can get. So, I thought I would update the blog at least once before the baby gets here. Who knows when the next opportunity will be…

In August, we took our first Family Vacation. Packed the Durango full to the brim and headed up to Idaho to visit some great friends of ours. They joined us on our venture to Yellowstone, which I have to say I could have easily stayed there for the rest of my life. I was like a kid in a candy store when viewing all the geysers. I thought they were the most fascinating things. Seeing the Bison so close, almost too close once or twice, was a real treat for my animal loving heart.

The kids did ok, I think. Sam learned to absolutely loathe his car seat. Elliott wasn’t a big fan of camping. I can’t blame him. We all got a taste of nearly freezing to death the night we camped out. Had no idea that in the middle of August it could still turn into a fridge at night there. Even with all four of us squished together on a small twin mattress, layers of clothes, coats, socks, and blankets. The kids fared much better than Ian and I. They slept in between us, warm and snuggly in a cocoon of our body heat, while our butts literally hung off the edges. Along with frozen feet, my worries of when a moose was gonna trample us to death in our sleep or a bear was going to wander in and eat us for a midnight snack…. well, makde it pretty impossible to sleep. I don’t think we did, come to think of it. We were very grateful to hop in the Durango and turn on the seat warmers and heaters until the little café opened down the road. Lots of coffee was had.

Before we knew it we were heading home. I wasn’t ready, but whoever is after being someplace like that? Truly one of the most amazing places I have been to… and I only saw about 1/800 of it.

Once we got home and settled, bad news befell us. My best friend of 13 years, my mama kitty, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. It had spread to other parts of her body as well, and we had to suddenly prepare to lose her. For me, this was devastating news. I really had a ridiculous idea that she would be with me into my old age. She stuck around a little over a month before I had to make the decision to let her go, before she had to suffer anymore. She fooled a lot of us, acting like nothing was wrong most of the time. Stubborn as hell. September 30th I had her put down. Sam was with me, of course I don’t think he cared about anything besides the toys he played with while there, which was good. I still tried to hide my tears as much as possible from him. He gets very concerned when people cry. While we waited, Banshee ran around the room with eyes wide and curious, crawling into cupboards and knocking over what she could. If it wouldn’t have been for her bloated belly and her gaunt face, I may have just put her back in the apple box and told them never mind and gone back home. Ug. I sure do miss her. She resides now in a nice wooden box, a pile of ashes in a black velvet bag. Atop the box is a plaque with her name and tiny footprint embedded onto it. Surely did not think it would be there anytime soon.

Don’t have plans to get another pet any time soon. I figure maybe baby Isaac will be hairy enough, I can just pet him a lot instead. 4 more weeks until he is due to make his arrival. I will honestly say, as long as he is healthy, he can come out now for all I care. Pregnancy is not my favorite thing, especially this time around. I’ve paid my chiropractor more than I can even stomache right now, but it kept me working up til this point, and I know what a huge help it is going to be at the time of birth. I am planning another natural birth, which excites and terrifies me. I am spending these next few weeks in preparation for it, though I really am not sure how much one really can prepare.. especially when you have no idea what to prepare for….
As far as baby goes, we sure are prepared for him to join our home. Last month we had a baby shower, graciously hosted by the wonderful Yolanda that I work with. It had a great turn out, and we had so many fantastic and loving people pitch in to help get us prepared for our little one. I have been happily folding and refolding all of his little baby clothes and blankies and rearranging the house and getting cravings to paint rooms that are already painted. … I go to bed dreaming of Home Depot and Babies R Us. Nesting is so fun. But hey, at least I am prepared.. right?

Boys boys boys. What have they been up to?

Elliott has been in costume since September I believe. We slowly added to it in preparation for Halloween, and he looked pretty swell as Link again for Halloween. For the third year in a row. Despite the rain, Ian took him out trick or treating and he scored a pretty good amount of loot. Kindergarten has been really fun for him. Making a lot of friends, learning to read so well. He grows about an inch a day I swear. Lately his favorite thing to do is play Wii Sports. He is a master bowler and tennis player. I hope to get him in real sports soon.

Sammy Bambino. I still can’t believe he will be 2 in January. He is all boy and all Cameron. He is a magnet to trouble and taking risks, and he knows how to work just about anyone to get what he wants. He wears me out. I am nervous to see what will happen when Isaac joins my boy brood. I won’t be able to keep an eye as Sam as closely as I can now…. Should we start taking bets on when the first trip to the ER for a broken arm or stitches will happen? He is such a love and a character. He has a fascination for animals and anything his big brother is doing, which luckily, for being a 5 year old, his brother has a pretty good amount of patience.

Isaac. What’s he up to? Not even out in the world and he keeps us quite entertained. Never have I known a baby to be so active in such a small place. I am amazed that my body can tolerate the things he does. Can skin really stretch that much? You bet, though I can’t say it feels good. I have video footage that might be useful in the next Aliens movie….. 10:30 p.m. is hiccup - o - clock as of recent. Not sure how I can sleep through his gymnastics, but hiccups are all together a different annoyance that I can’t seem to fall asleep through..



Ian and I had the opportunity to escape (did I really say that) and celebrate our 8 YEAR anniversary in Snowbird last month. What was supposed to be a fun filled 3 day/ 2 night stay turned into a lot of time in bed watching bad TV. My body thought that particular weekend would make for the perfect opportunity to go into false labor overkill. Still, it was nice to just be able to sleep in and do whatever we wanted (however limited) without having to really worry about anyone or anything but us.

Alright then. I can’t think of what else to update. A few more weeks and I will hopefully be finding some time to post pics of a wrinkly baby and tell of whatever adventure birth brought with it.

getting away with pretty much anything up at Snowbird in grandma and grandpas condo

grandma and grandpa watching kids play

yep

Halloween at grandmas

Link! (can' you tell by the red snow boots alone...?)

Grandpa Gary came to visit!

Loves and Kisses and wonderful Holiday wishes. I know I can’t wait for turkey dinner…….

Summer 2010

Alright, so it isn't even the end of July. Still, i have so many pictures to post, that I figured I would get ahead so the next post isn't a two hour gallery of the whole summer.


It is 80 degrees outside right now. Such a relief from the last week, but, it s only10:45 in the morning. I know whats coming..and it's ugly. We got out early to the park today. Tanner park, by my grandmas house. For most of hte time, we had the park to ourselves. The a cute little 2 year old named Freddy and his grandma joined us. Elliott and Freddy palyed while Sam found the sprinklers and I blew bubbles for everyones enjoyment. After Sam had a swing slammed in his face and was knocked to the ground, we decided we had enough, and came home.


As Sam naps, Elliott plays Zelda and I blog, glancing often into my freshly painted insanity of a kitchen. It is actually quite awesome. Just needs some decor....




It is green to say the least. Elliott was very helpful in painting the large wall with the roller, and sticking his hand directly in the paint…. A few times. But he is very excited and he says I chose the perfect color. He is so smart.

Yesterday we took a trip to the Kennecot mines (Ian's idea). It was free admission, and an early Monday morning, so we thought, why not. Well, apparently so did a lot of other people. Still, it was pretty amazing to see it in real life, instead of just across the valley every day. Elliott was infatuated with the gigantic trucks , and Sam, well I don’t think he cared about anything there. He did a lot of people watching. He is good at that.

A few weeks ago we took our first hiking trip with the kids. Yea, I know. First one, and its already halfway through the year….. Well, it’s been a little difficult to get our schedules in sync, and I don’t dare go with the boys alone. Sam is all adventure, and he keeps my hands more than full. Plus, I haven’t been feeling so hot until the last month really, ya know cuz the baby and all. OH YEA! That! I knew there was something important I wanted to mention here…..

Half way done already with being pregnant. I still forget the majority of the time as I am pretty busy. Night time is when me and the little one get out ''connection time''. I read or write, and he does all night gymnastics. So far we have decided on the name Isaac Ian, but there is always time for change. I can not WAIT to see what this little guy looks like. To me, his ultrasound profile looks so much like Elliotts.

(pretend there is a cute ultrasound picture of the baby here.

I hate this blog system.)

(then, pretend there is a picture of Elliott on his new bike here)

I’m am still loving being out of school. I like the time I get to spend with my kids, without the constant stress of trying to find time to get school work done. It is great also to finally have time to dedicate to writing. So far, the book is coming along really well. I am working on getting the boys room put together. I think I need to make a trip to IKEA. We have bunk beds in their room now, though I don’t dare let Sam out of his 'cage' yet…. I’ll keep him in there as long as I can. Elliott sure likes them though. I remember how much fun I had on bunk beds when I was a kid….. like falling off and breaking my arm. Good times.

Alright. Enough chit chatting. Gotta leave room for pictures.

super lazy cat. hard working man.

our caterpillar friend

5 months

bad idea.

really. he is excited about the bunkbeds.

Happy summer everyone.

May 25, 2010

Wow. I can't believe the last time I blogged was in January. Not that I have had nothing to do....

Well, what has been going on since then? Quite a bit actually, though I can't seem to remember much this year besides the last couple months....

Lets see. We will start with Mr. Elliott.

He lost a tooth, as you can see. Got two more slowly making their way out. He is rather excited about this, though the actual pulling of the tooth was quite a dramatic event. Unfortunetly I missed out on that since I was at work, but I heard all about it. I think the scariest part was the blood of course...





We bought Elliott a 'real' bike.. now he just needs a helmet and knee pads and all those good things. He is very excited to ride it, and I think the weather is finally going to cooperate. Still loving his trains, though not as much as he used to. His current obessions are Mario video games and playing 'soccer'. Hopefully he will enjoy all the hiking I plan to do this summer. He has binoculars now, which he also enjoys, especially when using them to spy on the few neighbors who actually open their blinds.... I think I will get him a camera too. He is so curious, and so amazingly observant. He is very much his own person, with a very interesting sense of style, and a comical and fascinating vocabulary. He is very sure of himself and what his brain tells him. He will even arguee a point until you pretty much give in... even if you know its not true. To him , it is.. and sometimes you just have to leave it at that.

Kindergarten starts this fall. I can't believe it. Ok, I can .. sort of. I am really excited for him, and I think he feels the same. He had a really great time at orientation. It will be good for him to finally make some friends around here. I still remember my best friend from kindergarten. I remember a lot from that time. I loved it. I sure hope he does too. I wonder if he will be challanged enough.... I am sure the teachers will have their hands full. I mean this in a good way. He has plenty of questions.. always.. and much to say as well.

Sam. Oh my little character. As I type he is fighting a nap.. its been about an hour now. Not typical for him. He usually crashes out. Must be those molars coming in... 9 teeth now. Most of them crooked. Not sure what thats all about, but with Sam, it isnt surprising. Just adds to his charm and humor. Sam is very interested in being a grown up boy like his brother. He has no use for baby toys.. he only wants cars and trains, especially the ones his brother is playing with. That tends to cause a little tension in the house. When all else fails, Sam just needs his blanket and a fruit bar, and his mommy, then all is well.

If he could be outdoors all the time, I'm sure he would be. He loves it. Think he will have a great time up in the mountians with us this year. He is quite the explorer, and very set on whatever ideas he has or places he wants to go. It's best to just let him lead, and interfere as little as possible. He of course always heads for trouble, so we always keep a very close watch on him. He is truly a Cameron boy.

Sam is a very cuddly little guy lately, and his favorite cuddle toy is of course, the cat. She is so tolerant of him, and he is very much in love with her. (Kitty was his first word). If she isn't around, he may find a toy elephant or car to snuggle. Almost anything acts as a phone, so we see him wander around a lot with items pressed to his head while he repeatedly says hello. He hates having socks on, but loves shoes and a hat. I am pretty sure if he didnt have to wear any clothes at all he would be the most content..

Well, unless you have been really out of the loop, you would know that we are expecting another baby. Coming in December, of course. It's quite a story, finiding out about this whole thing. If you are interested in reading the very raw and personal story, go here:

http://dirtypillows31.blogspot.com/

Things are going well. Hitting the 3 month marker this week. Still a bit sick and tired, but it is slowly, and thankfully, wearing off. I can't wait to find out the sex of this thing.. Can you imagine me and 3 boys?? Or me and a little girl? I dont even know what to think right now.. it all seems pretty crazy, but we are getting excited.

Its going to be quite a challange, 5 of us in this little apartment. The kids will be taking over our room. We are going to have to work hard on keeping organized and probably get rid of a lot of things to make room for this little one. I didn't realize how many changes one more little life could make. Like needing a new car, for instance...

We think this one will do pretty well. So far its working out great. I feel like I am driving a bus around most times, but I'll admit, it feels pretty awesome riding around in such a sweet, huge ride. We are pretty proud of it..

Oh yeah, I quit school. It seemed like a really hard decision to come to, but now that I am out, I'm really happy. I love having time with my kids again, instead of the stress and guilt of ignoring them to get all of my homework done. Sure, I miss the creativity and some other aspects of it, but I would rather have this joy of feeling like a better mother. I still obsess over home and architecture magazines and occasionally hunt down beautiful and inspiring places online, ... maybe one day I will go back. I don't know. I have a lot of plans. Some dealing with Interior Design, and some very much the opposite. Like finally writing my book (s)........