cameron at two...

oh my little camma, you are two and living up to all the "terrible" hype.  you are terribly loud, terribly troublesome, terribly fiesty, and terribly cute to boot! despite your extreme behaviors, it's tough to stay upset with you... those sparkly blue eyes and gumball stuffed cheeks are your ticket out of trouble and the admission to the very center of my heart.  you are much like your mama and don't see the point in shoes, but i sure do hope you start to hold on a little tighter to your britches, you are one bare-bottomed little booger as of late! you love singing songs and clapping at the end of each one.  photographing you is no easy task, but when you do smile for me... it's with your whole entire face and i eat it all up.  you've never met a fruit you didn't like, but can't seem to friend a hairbrush for the life of you.  you are constantly learning new phrases from your big sister "hay-de", and daddy and i are so proud of how well you can communicate at your age. at the same time, we hang our head in shame at the fact that you won't give up your bottle. ugh! your favorite phrases are "catch me" and "i don't know" and you answer "yes" and "no" questions with such a calmless and maturity about you that i am starting to think that you hold the secrets of the universe in your big round belly.  you must be storing something good in there... you eat like a bird.  after a long day of chasing you around and fighting with you and your hard head there is nothing like hearing you at the top of the steps yelling "mommmmy! mommmmmmmmmy! mommmmmmmy???".  this is my cue that you are ready for bed and have forgiven me for my impatience with you throughout the day. one broken glass, three crayons in your belly, and two bite marks in haley's arm later... you're ready to call it a day, rest your heavy head on my right arm, and press that warm chubby body up to mine to fall asleep.  you are my sweetest of dreams and i love you, do!

dream a little dream

i've been tip-toeing around my sweethearts on this early sunday morning, careful not to wake them up. i've got the windows down, a gentle breeze is pushing its way through the curtains, and the birds are singing me little spring songs. although i don't see early mornings like this very often, they are a real treat and i always find myself wondering why i dont go to bed a couple hours earlier so i can take in this brief and beautiful slot of time every morning.

i can hear the sound of baby's breath and see little chests rising and falling and not missing a beat, the sun just peeped its head over the mountains to say "good morning, you have the whole day in front of you, do something wonderful!", and the warm crimson sky and the brush-stroke clouds have me inspired to do exactly that.

...and to fill this day with beauty and gratitude and love for the things that make up this little world of mine.
particularly for a sweet little girl, Cameron, who turns two today!



We are not celebrating her birthday until Wednesday or Thursday when Nick is off work (fingers crossed we can have her clubhouse atleast painted by then)... but Mema has planned a little cook-out tonight complete with hamburgers and hot dogs, a few presents, and "BIR-DAY CAKE!" (which was actually one of cameron's first words... ha!)

The birthday girl spent all of yesterday running around the yard, getting dirt between her toes, and practicing her candle blowing skills. She stripped herself down for bath time but when I returned to check on her, she was already passed out on the couch. haha. Birthday preparation is tiresome when you are two!

And speaking of birthday prep, I've got some sewing to do!!

Have a blessed Sunday, friends!
<3

for more sunday sweetness,
head over to the simple things.

my little dough girl...

for lack of much else to say after such an exhausing trip,
(we've been cruisin' through virginia for the past 5 days)
it feels so lovely to be back home...

and there's nothing like cameron spilling a bunch of flour on the floor
to break us back into our routine!
<3

shifting mindsets...

feeling thankful...
for a hard working little miss and her desire to pick me a beautiful bouquet of daffodils
for a chubby baby and the little fountain spouting from the top of her head
for my husband who works outside every day to provide for our family
(and the chill in the air that makes me even more so)
for a moment to breathe in the fresh air while my children explore nature
for baby buds and sprouts and other tiny hints of spring
for the color yellow and the sunshine it brings in 60 degree weather
for my complete denial of the season, even while wearing layers and a wool peacoat
for little red noses and big sneezes that bring me back to my senses













for finding some color in a week that seemed so comfortable in black and white...

what are you thankful for today?

<3

for lack of a top hat...

we're still trying to get better over here.  sore throats and stuffy noses all around.  we did manage a walk around the block today with a little stop for some soothing flintstone's ice cream and to sit and wave and scream at all the cars and trucks passing by.  we were met with some happy waves, weird looks, and the occasional heart-shattering (to a 3 year old) ignore. i don't think my two kids have ever known such excitement! or maybe we've just been cooped up in the house for too long.

that may or may not also be the reason for a picture such as the one above!

Happy President's Day!

60 minutes with miss priss...

haley is off at her weekly story time gathering so I thought i'd share what an hour in the life of cameron mae includes:

a grand bubble bath fit for a princess and her toy horses and a tub all to yourself, an orange polka dotted hair bow paired with a striped pillowcase dress because when you're this cute it's allowed, a matching orange popsicle to tie your outfit together and kick away these rainy day blues, three trips to the potty (two false alarms), a couple temper tantrums for good measure (one over oatmeal, of all things!), coloring at your mommy's desk and pushing all the buttons on the computer because breaking something is your daily (perhaps hourly) destiny, one shoe on and one shoe off and a barebutt underneath it all cause that's how you roll, and last but not least, a tea cup full of goldfish for a touch of class...

hello february, you are off to a fine start!
...although i did send haley to story time without a bath. whoops.

this little piggy had a poor paint job...

i hope you are laughing rather than gagging. i know some people have a problem with feet so i debated not posting this entry for that reason (i am the thoughtful type, you see) ...but this set of poorly painted piggies comes with a sweet story.

last night, while haley and i were miserable on the couch, cameron got ahold of the fingernail polish. she came up to me saying "paint paint paint" but i told her i didn't feel well and sent her on her way. she's a very smart girl and knows that when mommy says "no" she can use those cloud-like cheeks and baby blues to sucker in daddy.

while the outcome isn't the prettiest, i can appreciate the gesture and the happiness that followed it. nick sure did try, cameron's wishes were granted and i have another reason to laugh/yell at and (secretly) adore my husband. we're all winners over here.

i do apologize for the lack of thrilling updates as of late:  feet, puke, and bare butted toddlers... haha. thanks for hanging around. <3

greetings from her porcelain throne...

toilet scenes should definitley be done in black and white. it adds a touch of class where it might not otherwise exist... and classy is just what my littlest princess is as she waits patiently on number 2 while working on a valentine. okay, maybe not classy... but productive at the least and certainly cute as punch!

next thing to check off our sick list:  homemade juice popsicles