May Update!

Yes, I know it has been nearly 3 weeks since my last post! I just can't keep up! I attribute it to having 2 kids that rarely nap at the same time and not being home in the evenings! Sure... that's all I got! I really need to try harder at this! :)

It has been a busy, but great month!! I celebrated my 29th birthday on Tuesday, May 11th. It was a nice day and went out for lunch with my mom and sister. We didn't do much in the evening, as it was my first spin class of the session, so didn't skip out on it. Gerry and I would still like to go for dinner or something sometime... just the two of us.

We headed out for our first camping trip of the year on the May Long Weekend. It was a quading weekend out at Cynthia RV Campground (just west of Drayton Valley). It was a good weekend... but cold!! We got a bit of rain and snow flurries on Friday night and Saturday, but Sunday was better and of course, Monday was beautiful because we had to head home! That's the way it always goes, doesn't it?! Colby had a great time playing outside and enjoyed some quick little rides on the quad with Mommy and Daddy. He loves that he and I now have "matching helmets" and enjoyed riding in the mud! Colby and Gerry had a lot of fun... I think we have a future quader on our hands! Jenna did fairly well... slept her usual times, but had a bit of troubles falling asleep. It's a new place and she is quite an observer, so she was more interested in looking around, etc. She stayed nice and warm in her toque, mitts, and snowsuit too, just like the big kids! All in all, it was a great weekend... besides the fact that our cooler and some alcohol was stolen the first night from right outside of the door of our trailer!!!

We enjoyed a great trip to the zoo yesterday with Tracy, Blake and Em, and Kristy, Landon, and Jordan. There were more animals out this time and the kids loved being able to run around! Thank goodness there wasn't many people there in the morning when we arrived. We enjoyed a nice picnic lunch, then headed to the southside to see Ger at work! Colby always loves going to see Daddy at work and enjoys driving the forklifts!

Our little Jenna is already 8 months old! I weighed and measured her last week and she contines to grow... slowly. She's 16 lbs. 15 oz. and 26 3/4" long. It's crazy how much smaller she is than Colby was... At 8 months old, Colby was a whopping 21 lbs. 5 oz!!! Big difference between the two! I sure enjoy having my little girl! :) She is SO close to crawling... gets up onto her hands and knees, rocks a bit, and then plops back onto her tummy. She's been doing the "army crawl" for quite a while now and is so quick! She can move around a room and get any toy she sets out to! I don't think it will be too long before she's crawling and moving even faster!

She's is beginning to get more of a 'schedule' now. We are trying to get her to not eat during the night and it seems like we're making progress! She's usually in bed sleeping by 7:00 or 7:15 and was eating at about 4 or 4:30. But last night she slept from 7:00 until 6:10!!!! Hopefully this is a permanent change! I like it! :) She's napping really well too during the day, which is helpful. She is truly a generally happy baby and quite content unless she needs something... then you can hear her a mile away, I'm sure! ;)

Colby is such a little boy... he has so much energy these days and enjoys playing outside. He loves his new playhouse and monkey bars in the backyard and riding his plasma car on the driveway and the sidewalks. He is really good at playing with Jenna and likes to have little conversations with her. However, he's not such a fan when she reaches for one of his trucks or cars!! He has been showing her how to crawl and encouraging her lots! It's pretty cute! He's into trucks, quads, hockey, Thomas... anything really! He's doing well at Gymnastics and really enjoys most of the activities. He's not such a huge fan of the high beams though. The trampoline and foam pit are a couple of his favorites! Preschool is nearly over for the session and he continues to do really well. I drop him off and enjoy an hour chat with other moms and friends from the class!! It's a nice little break! :) He has made some really cute crafts and enjoys telling me about the songs he learns and toys he plays with. I'm going to miss it when it's over! I think it has been really good for him! I am trying to soak up every day with the kids and am going to miss it when I'm back to work in a few months. I especially love the summers because it's nice out and we can spend a lot of time outdoors! :)

We've been enjoying the nice spring days and spend a lot of time at the parks, out for walks, and enjoying play time in the backyard. We are currently getting our fence built and can't wait for it to be done!!! Soon... if the weather would ever cooperate!

Congratulations to my cousin, Jenn and her husband, Rick on the birth of their son, Jack Richard Sultanian on May 27th! Can't wait to meet him! All the best to everyone!

Have a great weekend everyone. Hopefully the rain doesn't last all weekend... I'm looking forward to some 20+ temperatures for next week!

xoxo

Gerry, Lesley, Colby and Jenna

Happy Mother's Day!

May 9, 2010

Dear Colby and Jenna,

I love you so very much! So much that it's difficult to describe! You two wonderful kids are the absolute loves of my life (yes, I do love Daddy too very much, but I think he realizes that he's no longer number one!!) Having children has been the most rewarding thing in my life and I am so blessed every single day to have such amazing kids! You bring so much joy to my life and fill each and every day with love, laughter, playfulness, and pride! I am so proud to be your mommy!

Being a mom means so many things to me! Some of my favorites are hearing the words, "I wuv you Mommy!" the come with a big hug and kiss from Colby and seeing Jenna's big smiles and hearing her laughter when we see each other in the morning or after nap time. I love seeing you discover new things and learn how to do things for the first time. Your excitement and love of discovery is so exciting. This is why we play so much! I love it (and well, you do too!!)

I can't believe how quickly you've both grown. Maybe it's just part of my nature, but I shed a tear or two when I look back at your newborn photos and remember how small you were. Sometimes I wish I could just hit a "Pause" button on time! But on the other hand, I look forward to you growing up because it means seeing you hit more milestones and engage in new activities at different stages of your life. Seeing your first smiles, first laughs, first crawl, first step, first words are all moments that I'll never forget! They're so exciting! (Thank goodness for our videocamera!!)

I absolutely love being your mom and wouldn't change it for anything in the world. I have the best (and sometimes hardest) job in the world! But you make it all worth every minute of it! You mean the world to me and I'm so proud to call you my children!

Love you... so much... now and always!!

xoxo

Mommy

Life with the Cameron's

Jenna was 7 months old on April 21st... I weighed and measured her and she continues to grow at a good pace. She put on just over 1 pound in the last month and now weighs 16 lbs. 5 oz. and is about 26 1/4" long (still short, but growing nonetheless!) She is getting closer to crawling... I think it helps that she loves being on her tummy so much! If ever put on her back, she'll instantly roll onto her tummy... and then around a room! She's doing better with solid foods too. She's now eating 3 meals a day! Big girl! She seems to enjoy vegetables much more than Colby did, so hopefully that doesn't turn into a huge battle like it continues to be with him! Fingers crossed! :)


I adore watching Colby and Jenna interact! I think he is loving the fact that she can sit up now and play with toys. They often just start giggling at each other, especially when she's in the Jumperoo! Warms my heart to see them laughing and playing together!


Colby loves playing outside and we can't wait to get a fence... very soon!! We have hired someone to build our fence and are hoping it will be done next weekend. We have quite a few bigger toys in the backyard (new playhouse, monkey bars, fire truck, etc.) and it makes me a little nervous to have them all in the backyard with no fence. Oh well... soon!! :)


We've had a couple of very busy weeks again... or should I say, still?! We had a multi-family garage sale at my parents' house this past weekend, which was a whole lot of work! Hours and hours pricing things (mainly the baby clothes that took all of that time!), arranging things, and then actually being there for the sale. All in all, it was quite successful, so in my eyes, it was worth it! Not as many baby clothes were sold as I had anticipated, so I guess it's time to pack them up again for a little while. Thank goodness the rain held off... it was cold and windy at times, but I welcomed the chilly weather over the rain! Thank you, Rain Gods!!


Saturday was our nephew, Blake Cameron's, 3rd birthday party! It's hard to believe that he's 3 years old already! It was a great time and the kids had fun playing outside, enjoying hot dogs for supper, and lots of playing! Thank you, Cal and Tracy, for a fun party!

The kids and I enjoyed a nice, quiet day at home yesterday. With so much go-go-go lately, I really enjoy a great jammie day at home! I'm hoping the weather turns around soon... what's with the blizzard on May 4th?! Spring is more than welcome... now if it would just arrive (again) and stay this time!! Have a great week, everyone!

The Cameron's xoxo

Phew... Life is busy these days!

I can't believe I've left our blog this long before updating... it's been difficult to find a few minutes to blog lately! So here it is... very overdue!

Decisions as a parent are more difficult to make than decisions before kids! True? Some might agree with me, but in my mind, they definitely are! Everything affects the family and we put our family first. That's why making the decision about returning to work was more difficult this time than it was returning to work after having Colby. Long story short, after weighing all of the pros and cons with varying FTE's, I will be returning to work full-time at the end of August for the next school year. I'm happy with the decision now, but it wasn't easy. I am fully prepared for even more less 'me time' once I go back to work full-time. Hopefully we'll be able to balance everything well as a family. :)

We've been pretty busy lately with spring programs beginning recently. Colby is attending "I'm Big Enough for Preschool" again until the end of June every Tuesday morning at the TLC. He's doing really well and this past week, I actually didn't stay in the room with him and he did great the entire time!! The idea is for the kids to progress to not having a parent in the room and I'm happy we're getting there! Tick Tock Time also began last week, so we are going to that every Friday morning. It's a really great program with a fantastic facilitator! She knows how to captivate all of the kids' attention!! A definite must in these kinds of programs! Also, Colby began Gymnastics this morning. It's a Parent and Tot Program through Aerials Gymnastics and he enjoyed it! I look forward to going again next week. I think it's nice for him to have a one-on-one activity with Mom or Dad!

We had our niece, Kourtney, stay with us for four days last week. It was so wonderful having a 14 year old around! She's great with the kids and Colby loved having her here! I took her grad dress shopping on Saturday... without the kids!!! Wow, I had forgotten how nice it is to shop sometimes without any kids with you. Could be a factor in how much shopping I did for myself!?! A great day of shopping ended in a great night of scrapbooking at our house until the wee hours in the morning with 6 fabulous ladies! It was a lot of fun and I began Jenna's scrapbook... finally!! I only accomplished 6 pages, but it's a start! :)

Colby is such a funny kid and often leaves us wondering, "Where did he get that from?" He's definitely a backseat driver... yes, our 2 year old tells me to "Watch out, Mommy!" "Slow down, Mommy. You're going too fast." "If you fall off this bend, Mom, I'll pick you up." He often surprises us with words and phrases too. I love this age and it's so fun to have a full conversation with a toddler! He's loving the beautiful weather and wants to be outside all the time! Going for walks, playing in the backyard or at playgrounds, and driving his new Plasma car are some of his faves outside. He is so cute with Jenna... he likes to get her toys, tell her "It's okay, Jenna" when she's crying, and kiss and hug her good night. I love it! :)

Jenna is growing up too fast... she's almost 7 months old and is learning to do more and more things all the time. She is rolling like crazy. She rolled fairly early, but now this is her main mode of transportation around any given room! When put on her back, she instantly flips to her tummy and would rather play with toys on her tummy. She is sitting up and enjoying the world in a whole new way now! She's still not a great eater of solids, but we're working on it. The sleeping is getting better... still not a great napper and continues to wake up once a night crying. Eventually, we feed her, but know that we need to "Ferberize" her and get her back to her 11 or 12 hours a night that she was doing for months before she was sick. We'll get there one day... I hope!!

Congratulations to Gerry's sister, Kathy, and her boyfriend, Rob, who became parents to Grayson Micheal on Monday, April 12th. Haven't seen him yet, but Carmen says he's pretty cute!

Gerry and I are going to his Curling Banquet tonight, so I'm looking forward to visiting with some other adults and dressing up a bit! How sad is it that I'm looking forward to wearing some nice clothes!?! :) Thank you to Leanne and Ryan who will be babysitting... I know Leanne and Ryan will enjoy their Jenna time and Colby is so excited to play with Connor!

Have a great rest of the weekend... enjoy this BEAUTIFUL weather!!
xoxo Lesley

Our baby girl is 6 months old!

While I still can't believe it, yes... our baby girl is 6 months old already! I thought time flew by too quickly with only one child, but I often find myself wondering where the time actually goes! It seems to fly by much quicker with having a toddler and a baby! The days, weeks, and months seem to disappear right in front of our eyes. If nothing else, it is a good reminder that we need to live every day to its fullest and cherish every second because they truly do go by too fast!

Our little Jenna is doing really well. At her 6 month check-up last week, she weighed in at 15 lbs. and was 25.4" long. She's definitely growing! She was always on the shorter side of the spectrum and is now finally making her way up the growth chart... slowly, but surely. This puts her at the 50%ile for height and weight, so she's doing great. Up until this point, she was either not on the growth chart, at the 10%ile or the 25%ile for height, so she's steadily growing! Must be all of those healthy vegetables she's eating!!

Jenna is such a happy little girl. We don't really hear her cry unless she needs something... and then, you can hear her next door, I'm sure! She definitely has a good set of lungs on her! She has the biggest, toothless grin... I love it! She loves to giggle and has an adorable little laugh, especially when she's being tickled. She loves to cuddle, be held, and snuggle! Of course, this is one of my favorite times of the day... when it's just Jenna and Mommy, cuddling and reading stories, singing songs, or just talking! She is one observant little girl! One of her favorite things to do is sit and watch... everything! She loves to watch Colby play and just giggles when he tries to make her laugh. It's so cute to watch them interact! He is such a great brother and we are blessed he is so gentle and caring (usually). He enjoys getting her toys, helping me feed Jenna, reading stories to her, and playing with her on the floor. She is very close to sitting up independently, but isn't there quite yet. She will be soon though, I'm sure. She loves to roll over! As soon as she's put on her back, she instantly rolls onto her tummy. She enjoys being on her tummy too, so maybe she'll be crawling soon too?!? She loves to stand up and jump, too! She absolutely loves her Jumperoo! It's pretty cute to see her jumping like crazy in it! Jenna also enjoys being outside and going for walks in the stroller. She hasn't been a fan of her car seat since birth, but really enjoys sitting up in the stroller and looking around. We are very fortunate that she is a good sleeper, too! She usually naps three times a day and her early afternoon nap is slowly increasing in length, which is great. And she is still sleeping great at night, too. Jenna has been sleeping through the night since she was about 8 weeks old and she's still doing well at night. She usually sleeps for about 11-12 hours. She must know how much her mommy loves to sleep, right?!

We're working on the solids now... honestly, she's not a great eater of solid foods. She is not a huge fan of the cereals, but is doing much better with the vegetables, so that's good news. I hope it continues to get a bit better everyday. While I truly love newborns, I am really enjoying her being a bit older now and being more interactive. Although, I always say that every stage is my favorite stage! It's great to see her holding onto objects, chewing on absolutely everything!, playing with toys, discovering things (like finding her feet!) and learning so much about her environment everyday.

Sadly, Jenna has already been a patient of the Stollery Children's Hospital. Last Monday morning, I was concerned with her in-drawing and crackly chest as she breathed. Luckily, she had her regular check-up that morning. Long story short, our doctor sent us to the Stony Hospital where she was treated for shortness of breath and what we would eventually find out was RSV and Bronchialitis. She was treated with several medications, but her oxygen level wasn't staying up high enough without the support of oxygen. We were taken by ambulance to the Stollery where she was seen in the ER there. She was doing much better by this time and only required one more dose of Ventilin that night. She was admitted for observation overnight to monitor her oxygen level. Thankfully, she did great and was discharged the next day. Whew... now that both of our kids have been there, I hope we don't have to go back again! We are very fortunate to have such a fabulous facility in Edmonton. All of the nurses and doctors there are truly wonderful!

Being a mom is definitely the best job in the entire world. While it's also a difficult job, I wouldn't trade it for the world. We have amazing kids who we love to pieces! What would we do without children? I think we would all have a whole lot more time on our hands!! LOL!

Love,

Gerry, Lesley, Colby and Jenna

xoxo

Dear Grandma...

First off, let me say, I love you, Grandma.
May your days ahead be filled with love and
joy as you are re-united with Grandpa and other
loved ones again.

This is a very difficult blog, as it has been a rough week. On Sunday morning, we awoke to a phone call from my mom saying that my grandma has passed away overnight. It was completely unexpected and shocking, to say the least. She was such a gentle woman who was so proud of her family and life history. Even though we heard her stories (many) times due to Alzheimer's, they never got old. One of my favorite sayings of hers was when she'd look all around, seeing her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and say, "Just think... all of this because of me" or "I never imagined all of this." She kept her promise to come to Canada after her first husband was killed in World War II. As she and my Auntie Ann (who was 3 at the time) travelled west to Alberta, she met and married my Grandpa. And the rest is history... 10 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild was due in a few months.

As I sit here this evening, I am still finding it difficult to believe that she's gone. Even though it's been a week of planning, extended family arriving from out-of-town, I still feel like it's a dream. Tomorrow is Grandma's funeral and it's going to be a very long and tiring day. She was my last remaining grandparent and it's difficult to say good-bye, especially because it was so sudden. To quote a poem written by a friend of my sister's for her funeral tomorrow...

Dear Grandma,

Fond memories flood us
As we cry,
We were not ready
To say good-bye.
Though we knew
Your time would come,
You are our Grandma,
Friend and Mom.
We'll miss your smile,
Your selfless way,
We have so much
We'd like to say.
You walked this earth
With love and grace,
And in our hearts
You'll hold your place.
If you could have spoken
Before you died,
These are the words
You would have replied.
This life for me
Has truly passed,
I've loved you all
'Til the very last.
Weep not for me
But courage take,
And love one another
For my sake.

We love you, Grandma. I am proud to call you my Grandma. You lived an amazing 92 years and had a very successful life filled with loved ones, joy, laughter, and many memories. Rest in peace.

Love and hugs,
Gerry, Lesley, Colby and Jenna xoxo

Is it that time already?!

Yes, it is nearly April, which, in the education world, means it's "time to start thinking about next year's assignment" time! When I was granted my maternity leave, the paperwork indicated I had to let the school division know my intentions for next year by April 30th. Turns out, they're wanting to get a "jump start" on staffing, so they've been calling me wanting my letter. After putting off the decision and many, many discussions, we finally made a very tough decision... I will be returning to work full-time at the end of August for the coming school year. I was considering the option of working part-time, about 0.8 FTE or so, but financially, it didn't even make sense with the cost of full-time childcare. So, back to full-time work in too few of months!

I really do love being home with my kids and I can't believe how quickly life flies by, especially when you have two children. I do enjoy my job though (as much work as it is and the many extra hours I put in) and I'm confident everything will work out. Hopefully this year is much more positive on the childcare front... let's not go there!! LOL! It's all about finding a good balance for the family and yourself. I've always worked full-time in the past, so I am fully aware that it's going to be hard. Thank goodness I have an amazing husband who helps out and does so much around the house! If only the school day was shorter so I could be home earlier... hmmmm.... :)

We have had a difficult couple of weeks. Colby broke out with some sort of terribly itchy face, resulting in major scratching and marks on his face that wouldn't clear up with medication or ointments. Still not sure what it is... but now he is on oral antibiotics and it seems to be helping greatly. Very strange, but it has improved tremendously, so hopefully it's gone for good soon! He also came down with a pretty bad cold last weekend. He was running a fever, had a bad cough, runny nose, and wasn't able to get much rest due to the cough. Thank goodness he was napping in the afternoons and I think he is almost back to himself. The only problem now? Jenna has a cough and runny nose.... grrr!! When it's in the house, it's inevitable that both kids will get it, right?! So frustrating! Hopefully it is a mild one for her and she'll be back to normal quickly too. She's still her happy, content little self, just a stuffed up, coughing little girl now. :(

We are in between sessions of Preschool and Tick Tock Time now, so it has been great having a rather low-key week. Besides Colby being sick, it was truly really nice to not have plans everyday and running out every morning. It's great to stay home and just PLAY!! Tonight was Colby's last swimming lesson of this session and he passed the "Duck" level. Good job, buddy! :) He got a check mark for each one of the skills/activities and will go to "Sea Turtle" next when he turns 3. I registered him in gymnastics beginning the middle of April. It's a Parent and Tot class that we will attend on Saturday mornings. I think it will be a great outlet of energy for our very energetic little man!

We have a busy weekend ahead with Gerry playing in another bonspiel tomorrow afternoon. We also have Jenna's 6 month pictures on Sunday morning, followed by a date with some friends, Joe and Tara, at Jubilations Sunday evening. I hope Colby and Jenna will be good for their first "non-grandparent" babysitting night. Chantel will be great, I know it!

Have a great weekend everyone and Welcome Spring!!

The Cameron Family
xoxo