It was another jam packed weekend at the Cox house. On Saturday afternoon, Camille got to go to her first "big kid" birthday party. Her buddy, Corey, turned 2 and had his birthday at The Little Gym. We had never been before, but it was fun (and funny). The party was geared for the older kids there, but Camille didn't seem to notice a difference. She enjoyed watching the big kids jump & tumble. She even made her way across the balance beam, did the low bar, and did a few forward rolls herself. She didn't enjoy following directions, but loved when it was her turn to run & jump across the "air track." We laughed hysterically at Camille's interpretation (flat out ignoring) of the teacher's instructions. Admittedly, they were over her head, but we still enjoyed that she was marching to the beat of her own drum with confidence.
We got home that day in just enough time to visit with the entire Cox family as we celebrated Nick's birthday at Kaze Japanese Steakhouse. Camille devoured the hibachi chicken & rice! She kept saying "more rice!" Her favorite part was getting to play with her cousins after dinner at our house. There was even some karaoke involved :) Camille wasn't shy with the microphone when she was ready to sing her "ABC's" or "Jesus Loves Me."
Sunday morning we made our way to Pittsboro to see Baby Molly's Dedication. Molly was super cute and full of smiles and Camille enjoyed watching her during the service.
We then headed back to Raleigh for some McNeill family time. Dad, Marla, & Daniel came to town for the day to visit with us and we couldn't have had better weather! We spent the majority of our time playing frisbee outside while Camille napped :) She went back to being the center of attention once she woke up!
Stay tuned for NC State Fair pictures as we celebrate Camille being 23 months old :)
Like they say, parenthood is challenging and rewarding at the same time. We wanted to start this blog in hopes to keep our family & friends & those going through some of the same experiences up to date on our growing family. Camille is making our life full of suprises- it all started with her early arrival in 2009! We are enjoying being a family of 3 and can't wait to see what the next few years have in store for us.
Oct 17, 2011
Oct 9, 2011
some randoms....
I was looking through some pictures on my camera and found these two that made me smile. The first is Camille in her bathtub. As you can see, she loves her bubbles. She has to have her Elmo bubbles for everybath. Luckily for Mommy, they keep her sitting down the whole time.
And then if you ask Camille who her buddy is... she immediately says Maddie. Madelyn is Camille's best friend and they are so cute together. They go to school together and play together- despite the jealously that comes with the best girl friends. This was a picture that was taken when Camille had a play date with Madelyn at our house.
And then if you ask Camille who her buddy is... she immediately says Maddie. Madelyn is Camille's best friend and they are so cute together. They go to school together and play together- despite the jealously that comes with the best girl friends. This was a picture that was taken when Camille had a play date with Madelyn at our house.
A Jump Into Fall
Despite the temperatures continuing to change from hot to cool... I am ready for Fall and all that comes along with it: cooler temperatures, football, pumpkin everything, & wonderful family traditions. A new tradition for us might be Hillridge Farms. It is a fabulous farm in Youngsville, NC near Nick's office. It is like a mini Disney like fair for kids! We met up with Camille's friend Mary for some fall fun.
The first big adventure of the day was riding a pony! At first, Camille did not want to get on. After she saw that Mary was riding too and that Mommy was holding on to her, she agreed to sit. She was completely fine once the pony started moving and loved it. She still leaned a bit to the side to make sure she could feel Mommy next to her. It was so cute to watch the girls riding the ponies!
The next adventure was the hay ride to the pumpkin patch. We piled up on the ride and made our way to the patch to pick out our pumpkins. Camille went to the first one she saw and picked it up. She kept saying "heavy." She also enjoyed rolling the big ones around. Once she picked out the pumpkins she wanted, she would yell "Daddy" for Nick to come pick the pumpkins up and carry them :) After she had decided upon three, one for each of us, she enjoyed running through the patch and trying to dodge all the pumpkins.
The highlight of the day for both girls was the carousel bounce house. It was the perfect size and for the most part, the girls had it all to themselves. They had a ball and had to be coaxed out.
To end the farm fun, Camille went down a huge slide with Daddy. It was hard to catch on camera, but I got a pretty good action shot.
We had a wonderful time and look forward to trying it out again next year.
The first big adventure of the day was riding a pony! At first, Camille did not want to get on. After she saw that Mary was riding too and that Mommy was holding on to her, she agreed to sit. She was completely fine once the pony started moving and loved it. She still leaned a bit to the side to make sure she could feel Mommy next to her. It was so cute to watch the girls riding the ponies!
The next adventure was the hay ride to the pumpkin patch. We piled up on the ride and made our way to the patch to pick out our pumpkins. Camille went to the first one she saw and picked it up. She kept saying "heavy." She also enjoyed rolling the big ones around. Once she picked out the pumpkins she wanted, she would yell "Daddy" for Nick to come pick the pumpkins up and carry them :) After she had decided upon three, one for each of us, she enjoyed running through the patch and trying to dodge all the pumpkins.
The highlight of the day for both girls was the carousel bounce house. It was the perfect size and for the most part, the girls had it all to themselves. They had a ball and had to be coaxed out.
To end the farm fun, Camille went down a huge slide with Daddy. It was hard to catch on camera, but I got a pretty good action shot.
We had a wonderful time and look forward to trying it out again next year.
Oct 5, 2011
Jess Gets Married!
Nick and I got to spend the past weekend in Bald Head Island, NC for Jess & William's wedding. We had very warm weather for the festivities on Thursday & Friday.. and then the cold front came in for Saturday & Sunday. Us bridesmaids were a bit chilly in our short dresses for the outdoor ceremony. We had a fabulous time, especially since we rented a 4bdrm house to share with some of our favorite couples :) We didn't stop laughing most of the time. Jess and her family kept us busy with lots of events the whole weekend which were all so beautiful.
Here is a pic from the rehearsal dinner. We started outdoors overlooking the golf course, but had to move inside after dinner as a storm was coming through. The band had to leave, but we made our own fun indoors.
The wedding day started with a little drama as I awoke with pink eye!! We pinpointed it back to Camille who also had it back home. Love those kiddie germs. I spent most of the morning figuring out how I was going to get treated without Jess knowing. That was impossible, as her dad was the only doctor on the island. Ha! Lucky for me, he quickly called in a prescription to be delivered on the ferry prior to the wedding. I sent Nick on a wild goose chase to get the medicine since I had bridesmaid responsibilities. Little did I know it would be that wild of a goose chase. Turns out the medicine didn't make it off the 3pm ferry due to someone flat lining and having to be rushed back into Southport. Nick had to go back to the ferry at 4:30pm and hope it was there in time for the 5pm wedding!! And all this racing back and forth was on a golfcart mind you... so much slower. Nick got the medicine to me as we were headed down the stairs and to the aisle for our walk :) Saved! Poor Sterling had to squeeze the drops in my eye all while trying to get ready to walk down the aisle... my makeup was running, but I figured tears would be falling anyway... why not let people think they started early :)
Here are some pictures of us gals before and at the wedding. Sorry, I don't have any with Jess in them. She was a GORGEOUS bride though. Her dad even told her that she looked like her mom on their wedding day :) So sweet.
The best part was the wedding reception for sure. The band was awesome: Legends of Beach Music. The lead singer was one of the original Embers. They were the best I have heard! We danced the night away. A great touch to the evening- Jess gave everyone some sunglasses to where- made for great fun and great pictures!
We hated to leave the fun behind, but were ready to scoop up Camille for lots of hugs & kisses upon our return home.
Here is a pic from the rehearsal dinner. We started outdoors overlooking the golf course, but had to move inside after dinner as a storm was coming through. The band had to leave, but we made our own fun indoors.
The wedding day started with a little drama as I awoke with pink eye!! We pinpointed it back to Camille who also had it back home. Love those kiddie germs. I spent most of the morning figuring out how I was going to get treated without Jess knowing. That was impossible, as her dad was the only doctor on the island. Ha! Lucky for me, he quickly called in a prescription to be delivered on the ferry prior to the wedding. I sent Nick on a wild goose chase to get the medicine since I had bridesmaid responsibilities. Little did I know it would be that wild of a goose chase. Turns out the medicine didn't make it off the 3pm ferry due to someone flat lining and having to be rushed back into Southport. Nick had to go back to the ferry at 4:30pm and hope it was there in time for the 5pm wedding!! And all this racing back and forth was on a golfcart mind you... so much slower. Nick got the medicine to me as we were headed down the stairs and to the aisle for our walk :) Saved! Poor Sterling had to squeeze the drops in my eye all while trying to get ready to walk down the aisle... my makeup was running, but I figured tears would be falling anyway... why not let people think they started early :)
Here are some pictures of us gals before and at the wedding. Sorry, I don't have any with Jess in them. She was a GORGEOUS bride though. Her dad even told her that she looked like her mom on their wedding day :) So sweet.
The best part was the wedding reception for sure. The band was awesome: Legends of Beach Music. The lead singer was one of the original Embers. They were the best I have heard! We danced the night away. A great touch to the evening- Jess gave everyone some sunglasses to where- made for great fun and great pictures!
We hated to leave the fun behind, but were ready to scoop up Camille for lots of hugs & kisses upon our return home.
Sep 26, 2011
Another busy, yet fun weekend (and lots of jumping!)
So Camille loves to jump. She has recently gotten extra improvement in her jumping skills, maybe thanks to the bounce houses!! On Friday, Camille got a special treat at school. They brought in a bounce house for the kids to enjoy since it had been rainy all week. Well, after telling her teachers it was too loud, she went in anyway and jumped up a storm! The fun continued when we picked her up from school. Nick & I recently joined Rex Wellness and Friday is Family Swim Night. Camille spotted the pool immediately and was ready to go. She had a bit of trouble being patient enough to get her swimsuit on. The pool was heated- which grossed me out a little, but Camille loved every bit of it. She wanted to rotate from playing with the noodles to the kick boards to just swimming around with Mommy & Daddy. Once she saw a little boy jumping in from the side, she decided she wanted to do that too! Needless to say, she slept well that night.
Saturday started out to an early visit to church. Nick & I participated in the Great Day of Service where we did about 3 hours of service work in the community while Camille got to play in the nursery with her church friends. Later that evening, we went to a cookout at a friend's house. Camille was excited to go to the "party." She got to have her first taste of Frito's- while I only let her have a few, she demanded more and wanted to camp out at the table where they sat. She even convinced some of the other ladies to give her some chips off their plate. She was the only little girl there surrounded by lots of little boys. She enjoyed all the attention and made sure to sing and dance while the crowd was watching some big football games. She was so entertaining and funny and was a great eater that night, even aside from all the chips. :)
The fun continued into Sunday. We went to church and came home to nap. Later that afternoon Camille's best church friends came over to play: Mary & Victoria. The rain held off, so we got to play outside the whole time. The girls all love to eat, so in between playing they would grab some snacks off each others' plates. The hit of the afternoon was when Mary brought her jump house that she got for her 2nd birthday. While Mary didn't enjoy playing in it, Camille & Victoria had a ball. Camille jumped like crazy and loved falling down. The jump house even had a slide that Camille would roll herself down and then turn around and crawl right back in. It was so entertaining! She did a couple of unplanned forward rolls which she laughed at herself for. So we now know what can hold her attention for more than a few minutes :) Perhaps we should invest in our own bounce house since it guarantees a good night of sleep and a good mood!! Until then, Mary will be very popular with her new present!
We thought this picture was funny! Camille got so hot jumping that week took off her pants. She then was so wound up she decided she wanted to wear this Frisbee on her head. Not to mention, it looks like she is saying her pledge of allegiance! :)
Saturday started out to an early visit to church. Nick & I participated in the Great Day of Service where we did about 3 hours of service work in the community while Camille got to play in the nursery with her church friends. Later that evening, we went to a cookout at a friend's house. Camille was excited to go to the "party." She got to have her first taste of Frito's- while I only let her have a few, she demanded more and wanted to camp out at the table where they sat. She even convinced some of the other ladies to give her some chips off their plate. She was the only little girl there surrounded by lots of little boys. She enjoyed all the attention and made sure to sing and dance while the crowd was watching some big football games. She was so entertaining and funny and was a great eater that night, even aside from all the chips. :)
The fun continued into Sunday. We went to church and came home to nap. Later that afternoon Camille's best church friends came over to play: Mary & Victoria. The rain held off, so we got to play outside the whole time. The girls all love to eat, so in between playing they would grab some snacks off each others' plates. The hit of the afternoon was when Mary brought her jump house that she got for her 2nd birthday. While Mary didn't enjoy playing in it, Camille & Victoria had a ball. Camille jumped like crazy and loved falling down. The jump house even had a slide that Camille would roll herself down and then turn around and crawl right back in. It was so entertaining! She did a couple of unplanned forward rolls which she laughed at herself for. So we now know what can hold her attention for more than a few minutes :) Perhaps we should invest in our own bounce house since it guarantees a good night of sleep and a good mood!! Until then, Mary will be very popular with her new present!
We thought this picture was funny! Camille got so hot jumping that week took off her pants. She then was so wound up she decided she wanted to wear this Frisbee on her head. Not to mention, it looks like she is saying her pledge of allegiance! :)
Sep 15, 2011
Approaching 22 Months
Camille will be 22 months old in just 2 days. Time is passing so quickly! We have been out of blogland for a few days, as Camille got her first ear infection last week, coupled with a lingering stint of bronchitis. Yuck! And lucky Mommy seems to have caught a terrible cold from all those sick germs floating around. So we are a sick bunch and loaded with medicine! Camille seems to be almost 100% now, a week later.... off of the steroid and nebulizer... and now just the antibiotic, which luckily she calls "Bubble Gum" and thinks it tastes delicious!
The terrible two's are in full force at our house. Fortunately, her worst behavior comes out at home and not at school. She pushes her limits every single day and is saying no to pretty much any request you ask of her. She also is developing quite the little temper when she doesn't get her way. It is funny at times, but we have to try not to laugh and instead punish. When she doesn't get her way- which is most of the time- she immediately hits something and makes this mean face. She has learned from enough punishments not to hit us, but will go for anything else she can. Threats don't work at this point and she will immediately do what you asked her not to. We are averaging about one timeout each night- and more like 4 or 5 on the weekends when we have her all day. She walks herself to timeout and pouts, sometimes cries. She sits until we tell her she can come out, which is quickly followed by "sorry mama sorry dada" and a hug.
This was a picture Nick took which I found to be hilarious. She was acting up so terribly in the bathtub and pouring water onto the floor, so I quickly scooped her up and sent her to timeout. She was wet, covered in bubbles, and had her monkey towel on. I was praying she wouldn't go to the bathroom since we had no time for a diaper. I was more focused on the immediate consequence to her action. She sat so quietly and still... Nick and I were in the background laughing to ourselves. We call this "Monkey goes to timeout."
Camille is quite the entertainer these days. She is constantly singing, talking, and dancing. She loves attention and once she warms up to you, she will put on a show! She is also very into adult things. She loves to pretend to talk on the phone. Her play phone doesn't cut it anymore- she only wants to use our cell phones. She fights sitting in her high chair and carseat because she much rather sit where Mommy & Daddy sit. Here is an example.
Since the weather has been nice, we try to go on a walk every evening. She used to be content in her stroller. Now she just says "Millie Alk" to tell us that she wants to walk instead of ride in the stroller. We have to bribe her into the stroller so we can make a lap around the neighborhood before dark. She loves to point out "John's House" and then when she sees any dogs, she says "Come on doggie, come on." It is very cute. She is so observant and usually is spotting something long before we do. Her new thing is asking Nick to name every type of car we stroll past. Her favorite to repeat is "mustine" for mustang. She says it with such enthusiasm.
Camille continues to be an eating machine. Her favorite food right now is pizza. She asks for it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Her next request is usually applesauce or bananas. She loves to tell you what she wants to eat. We only give in to her pizza request on busy nights, but when we do, she eats it like a big girl and eats every single bite and usually asks for more. Here is Camille endulging in her pizza dinner.
The terrible two's are in full force at our house. Fortunately, her worst behavior comes out at home and not at school. She pushes her limits every single day and is saying no to pretty much any request you ask of her. She also is developing quite the little temper when she doesn't get her way. It is funny at times, but we have to try not to laugh and instead punish. When she doesn't get her way- which is most of the time- she immediately hits something and makes this mean face. She has learned from enough punishments not to hit us, but will go for anything else she can. Threats don't work at this point and she will immediately do what you asked her not to. We are averaging about one timeout each night- and more like 4 or 5 on the weekends when we have her all day. She walks herself to timeout and pouts, sometimes cries. She sits until we tell her she can come out, which is quickly followed by "sorry mama sorry dada" and a hug.
This was a picture Nick took which I found to be hilarious. She was acting up so terribly in the bathtub and pouring water onto the floor, so I quickly scooped her up and sent her to timeout. She was wet, covered in bubbles, and had her monkey towel on. I was praying she wouldn't go to the bathroom since we had no time for a diaper. I was more focused on the immediate consequence to her action. She sat so quietly and still... Nick and I were in the background laughing to ourselves. We call this "Monkey goes to timeout."
Camille is quite the entertainer these days. She is constantly singing, talking, and dancing. She loves attention and once she warms up to you, she will put on a show! She is also very into adult things. She loves to pretend to talk on the phone. Her play phone doesn't cut it anymore- she only wants to use our cell phones. She fights sitting in her high chair and carseat because she much rather sit where Mommy & Daddy sit. Here is an example.
Since the weather has been nice, we try to go on a walk every evening. She used to be content in her stroller. Now she just says "Millie Alk" to tell us that she wants to walk instead of ride in the stroller. We have to bribe her into the stroller so we can make a lap around the neighborhood before dark. She loves to point out "John's House" and then when she sees any dogs, she says "Come on doggie, come on." It is very cute. She is so observant and usually is spotting something long before we do. Her new thing is asking Nick to name every type of car we stroll past. Her favorite to repeat is "mustine" for mustang. She says it with such enthusiasm.
Camille continues to be an eating machine. Her favorite food right now is pizza. She asks for it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Her next request is usually applesauce or bananas. She loves to tell you what she wants to eat. We only give in to her pizza request on busy nights, but when we do, she eats it like a big girl and eats every single bite and usually asks for more. Here is Camille endulging in her pizza dinner.
Sep 6, 2011
Camille's First NCSU Game
Camille went to her first NC State Football game this weekend and she was a trooper!! The game was at 6pm, so we thought since Camille had had a good nap that day, we would get out there a little early for some tailgating. She was the only child in our group, but she was quite alright with that. She had some toys that kept her busy, and of course the food! She loved eating a hotdog, but her favorite food seemed to be the Doritos she kept sneaking off of Nick's plate :)
It was pretty hot, but Camille didn't seem to mind and kept hydrated (not with the Bud Light in the picture!). Walking into the game was fun because we could sense Camille's excitement! Since the temperatures were pretty hot, Camille's little curls became even curlier- so cute!
Once in the game, Camille was SO excited! It helped that we sat very close to the field so she could see all the action. She loved the band and the entrance of the players- She clapped and danced to "Welcome to the Jungle." She also felt very adult by drinking from Mommy's big water bottle.
She was very attentive to the game for the entire first half! Not sure what play this was, but Camille and I were obviously in the same mind set. Also, notice the Howl Towel. All fans got these at the beginning of the game and Camille loved waving it around during each play.
We had so much fun with her at the game and were very pleasantly suprised that she was so well behaved and let us stay until the end of the 3rd quarter!! The only reason we left at that point was because she was so tired, but not at all fussy. Our little wolfpacker!
As soon as we got home, I put Camille in the bath b/c she was SOOO dirty and sweaty. She insisted that she have her howl towel in the bath with her. It was quite comical.
It was pretty hot, but Camille didn't seem to mind and kept hydrated (not with the Bud Light in the picture!). Walking into the game was fun because we could sense Camille's excitement! Since the temperatures were pretty hot, Camille's little curls became even curlier- so cute!
Once in the game, Camille was SO excited! It helped that we sat very close to the field so she could see all the action. She loved the band and the entrance of the players- She clapped and danced to "Welcome to the Jungle." She also felt very adult by drinking from Mommy's big water bottle.
She was very attentive to the game for the entire first half! Not sure what play this was, but Camille and I were obviously in the same mind set. Also, notice the Howl Towel. All fans got these at the beginning of the game and Camille loved waving it around during each play.
She stayed in Mommy's lap most of the time, but did like for Daddy to hold her after a big play so she could clap and yell "Go Pack!"
Again, feeling very adult, she wanted to sport Mommy's sunglasses too!We had so much fun with her at the game and were very pleasantly suprised that she was so well behaved and let us stay until the end of the 3rd quarter!! The only reason we left at that point was because she was so tired, but not at all fussy. Our little wolfpacker!
As soon as we got home, I put Camille in the bath b/c she was SOOO dirty and sweaty. She insisted that she have her howl towel in the bath with her. It was quite comical.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)