Our little girl is on the move!

I can't believe how quickly Jenna moves these days! She has been "creeping" for quite a while now, but once she began crawling, there's no stopping her now! She loves chasing around after Colby and playing with him. I adore watching them play together! She has been pulling herself up on anything and everything in sight, including standing in her crib now, climbing onto the treadmill, up to Colby's train table (and stealing trains... which he is not a fan of!), to the couch, and the list goes on...... She's walking a lot when holding onto our fingers, so maybe she'll be an early walker too?!

Jenna has made a great transition from baby food to eating our food... and I'm loving it! She's mainly eating everything that we eat, just without sauces, etc. She loves feeding herself, which makes it a bit easier too. She loves fruit, yogurt, bread (must be my girl!!)... everything, really! :)

We've had a busy week already and it's only Tuesday! Yesterday, Cal, Tracy, Blake and Emerson came over for a visit mid-afternoon and the kids stayed here for a while when Cal and Tracy went to pick up their new minivan! Colby and Blake play really well together and Emerson fits in there perfectly with the boys and Jenna too! It was busy with the four kids, but we had a lot of fun playing outside. They all stayed for a yummy steak dinner too. Thanks for the visit, Edmonton Cameron's! :) Today, I watched Connor (my cousin Leanne's little guy) all day. Colby and Connor are inseparable when they're together, so it was a great day of playing and fun at the park. We went to Kristy's for lunch and more playing in the backyard before heading home for naptime. Can you believe all 3 kids slept at the same time?!? Woo hoo!! :) Okay, the overlap was not really all that long, but still... there were a few minutes of quiet!

We are leaving tomorrow evening for Gull Lake until Sunday. A great little extra-long weekend camping trip! Gerry took Friday off, so he's staying the entire time too, which is great. Tomorrow, the kids are going to Kristy's for a little while around lunch time so I can attend a Retirement Luncheon for one of the teachers at my school. Susan Fulmore is an incredible teacher who has so much wisdom and guidance to share! Her passion for literacy is infectious and she makes me want to become a better teacher and continue to work on my programming. She actually taught Gerry grade one at Forest Green School!!! (From what I hear, he was a bit of a trouble maker back then too!!) LOL! I'm really going to miss her and our lovely chats and her endless positive energy, but wish her a wonderful time in her retirement! Hugs to you, Susan!!

Have a great rest of the week, everyone! Enjoy Canada Day with family and friends!

xoxo
Lesley

Father's Day Weekend!

Our little Jenna turned 9 months old yesterday! I took her to be weighed and measured today and she is slowly, but surely continuing to gain weight. She is gaining about 1/2 pound every month and is now up to 17 lbs. 8 oz. and about 27 1/4" long. I find it really hard to measure her length... she's kind of a wiggle worm! All in all, doing great, I'd say! :)

We had a great weekend! I went to Jubilations on Friday night to the production "Greased"! It was a lot of fun with 11 other fabulous ladies. We hit the road bright and early Saturday morning for Grande Prairie. We got there at noon, so we had plenty of time to visit. The kids did alright... Colby was fine, but Jenna is not a great traveller. She hardly napped at all, so that didn't help. It was great to visit with Gerry's Grandma and Grandpa Alstad for a few hours, then to see both of Gerry's sisters for a little while too. We had a nice dinner with Gerry's mom and she took us out for ice cream after dinner! Colby loved it and had his strawberry sundae up to his elbows!! Jenna enjoyed her first little taste of ice cream on her soother... thanks, Grandma! :) After the kids were in bed, Gerry and I headed over to Carmen and Darren's house for a visit. They were having a block party, but it was nice to see them and their close neighbor friends. The kids were up bright and early on Sunday morning (sorry Grandma and Grandpa!!) and we went to watch Dylan's baseball game. Colby LOVES Dylan and had a great little picture afterwards with him... "on the baseball field". He thought that was pretty neat! We visited with Kathy and the kids back at the house and then hit the highway just after noon. The kids did much better on the way home... leaving just before nap time was definitely key! :)

We got home, unpacked, and then headed over to my parents' house for a Father's Day dinner with my family. Happy Father's Day to all of the Dad's in our lives! We love you!!

I always knew that Gerry was great with kids... nieces, nephews, and kids of our friends. But it is amazing to see him every day with our own children! He is such an wonderful, caring, loving, and fun daddy and I know Colby and Jenna are so incredibly lucky to have you in their lives! You are truly wonderful Ger... we all love you so very much!! xoxo

Have a great week, everyone!

Lesley

Loving life!

Some fun events in our lives lately...

- Kristy and I took the kids to the International Children's Festival in St. Albert. Colby LOVED riding the bus, seeing "real" firemen and a fire truck, seeing all the people, and watching Bobs and Lolo on stage for a bit. I hope to go next year... he was still a bit young for it this year.

- I had the pleasure of attending the 2010 YWCA Women of Distinction Awards Gala. It was a great event and I'm so proud of Jen, who won this year's award in the category of Athletics, Recreation, and Fitness!

- Farmer's Days 2010!! To follow tradition, we watched the parade and had a BBQ at my parents' house after on Saturday. Colby loved the parade and enjoyed seeing the floats, horses, tractors, police cars, and the fire trucks! It was too late to head to the grounds on Saturday afternoon, so we went on Sunday instead. It was great! Very well laid-out this year and Colby had a blast on a few of the rides and the Kids' Zone! I'm really glad we went and look forward to more festivals this summer... I LOVE going to the Street Performer's Festival, so can't wait for that!

- Group Camping Weekend! Again, to follow tradition, my entire family went with the entire Schram family for our annual camping weekend. It is so special that we still all keep in contact and are close after growing up with the three great Schram girls! We are all so close in age and now have kids very close in age too! Between the six of us girls, we have 10 children... with 9 of them being 3 years of age and younger!! Whew! It was busy! We had a group site at Wabamun Provincial Park and had 10 RV's there. It was such a wonderful weekend... great weather, great company, great fun for the kids (without having to worry about anyone being on the road!), great food, and of course, great drinks!! :) Mental note... take more shooters next year!!

- We are driving to Grande Prairie on Saturday morning for an overnight visit with Gerry's family. I'm looking forward to seeing Gerry's family (the last time we saw them was at New Year's). We're hoping to see Gerry's Grandma and Grandpa as well, celebrate Kourtney and Dylan's birthdays, and take in one of Dylan's baseball games! Colby's pretty excited to go and stay at Grandma's... he has his Thomas suitcase packed already!

Update on our babies...

- I really shouldn't call them both "our babies" anymore... but it's a habit I need to work on. (Yes, I still often call Colby my baby boy!) Colby is busier than ever these days! He's loving that our fence is finally finished and playing outside with friends, Jenna and Mom. Colby's last day of "I'm Big Enough for Preschool" was last week. I think he is sure going to miss his teachers! They had a little party and had a cookie to decorate with icing and sprinkles. He helped himself to just the icing though, so needless to say, he was a bit "wired" for the rest of the day!! He was getting out of his naps for a while, but now he's been falling asleep almost instantly at nap time. While the two hour nap is welcomed by Mom, a difficult bed time is not! It is taking longer and longer for him to fall asleep, going to sleep pretty late, and then getting up earlier! Hopefully we can figure it out soon and move out of this difficult transition time... He's getting to the "Why?" stage! Everything has a "Why, Mom?" attached to it! He's enjoying playing with Jenna more now that she's moving, but occasionally gets annoyed that she likes to follow him around. I love it when he gets her going with laughter! It's so cute! He does love his baby sister and worries when she's upset. He will often go up to her and say, "What's wrong, Jenna?" or "Why is Jenna crying?" Usually a kiss and/or hug foll0ws to help make her happy again. Awe! Maybe they'll still be best buds in 10 years?!? ;)

Colby excited with his new "deca-ations" in his room...Mud? What mud?! Before outdoor shower after driving dump trucks through the mud while camping...

- Jenna is our happy little baby girl. She is usually quite happy except when dinner and bath/bed time is nearing. Later on in the afternoon, she often wants to be held and isn't happy being on the ground playing. While I enjoy our snuggles, it's often difficult to make dinner and everything at this time of the day! As I mentioned, she is a girl on the move! She's been "creeping" around for quite a while now, but officially began crawling last Sunday in the trailer. Still this week, she'll crawl for a little bit, then plop down to her tummy and continue. I think she knows she's faster with her creeping still! :) She is now pulling herself up on things, which has caused us to do some major baby-proofing again. She pulls up to laundry baskets, toy boxes, even the TV stand. Since she has always loved to stand since being a newborn, I think she might be "cruising" in no time. She loves to watch... everything! Especially Colby! She tries to follow him around the house, particularly when he's racing cars on the floor. She laughs when he does and grabs at everything, including his arms, hair, feet, everything! Another little quirk... she kind of has a shoe fetish! Yes, at the age of 9 months, she is obsessed with shoes and has been for a while. Those close to me blame it on me!! :) Wherever we are, she'll find shoes and chew on them! This annoys Colby when she's chewing on his slippers... while they're on his feet!! LOL! As I said, she's nearly 9 months old (early next week) and is doing really well. She is sleeping much better lately and not waking up in the very early morning hours anymore. Thank goodness!! She eats quite a bit, so I'm curious to know how much she weighs now. I will take her in next week to check it out!
Daddy and his girl... (yes, she is most always chewing on something!!)...

I'm taking in every moment of being at home in my last few months of maternity leave. Then it's back to the real world of a full-time working mom. I'm a bit nervous about teaching full-time with two small children now, but I know it will all work out... with balance. That's key, I think!

Have a great weekend, everyone! Enjoy the beautiful weather on the way again!

xoxo
Lesley

Fun weekend!

I had a great weekend, despite the busyness of it! On Friday night, I went with a friend to a big sale at Dragon Lillies (baby/kids boutique in Spruce Grove). To make a little date even better... I won one of the door prizes!! They called me later Friday evening and told me that I had won $150 to a photographer in Spruce Grove!! So exciting! I was beginning to think about possibly doing Jenna's 1 year photos and a family photo shoot at the end of August/beginning of September. Will be contacting her soon! :)

On Saturday, Gerry and Jenna came to watch Colby and I at gymnastics. He has a great time and truly, it's a great outlet of energy! :) He's becoming more comfortable with the beam, so that's a plus too! He isn't a huge fan of the really high one, but is coming around. From there, we headed to South Edmonton Common for a couple of quick stops and then to Costco. I was wanting to get some outdoor flowers to plant, but good thing I didn't! The rain, snow, sleet, and hail has not been nice this weekend! Hopefully the weather turns around for a beautiful week ahead. Last night, I went to my friend Amie's house for a Creative Memories party. My goodness, how things have changed! I got some beautiful paper packages and got me thinking more and more about some digital scrapbooking in my near future.....

Today was Painting and Redecorating Day! Jenna was up bright and early, so I was able to finish taping and prepping her room for painting. It was a LONG day of painting... but 3 coats later, I am SO happy with the results!! A nice bright pink and some redecoration including some very cute flower decals makes it a great girly-girl room!! :) (I think Gerry is a bit tired today from having the kids all day!!)

Aaahh... not too much happening this week... preschool and my fitness classes, as usual. Ooh, and I'm attending the YWCA Women of Distinction Awards Gala on Thursday night. My best friend, Jen, is nominated for an award. I'm looking forward to a fun night of fancy clothes out with some fabulous people! Good luck, Jen!!

Have a great week, everyone!
xoxo
Lesley

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