Diaper Daze...

It has come to my attention that I am no longer in a "Diaper Daze" since both of the kids are in underwear.  SO...I will be on the hunt for a new, equally wonderful blog name.  All suggestions should go in the suggestion box to be reviewed by management! ;-)  Stay tuned...

Our Girl is TWO

Singing "Happy Birthday to ME"
**Red chair pictures will have to wait until the camera cord is unpacked**

10 things to know about Two year old Camren.

1.  You are a chatter box.  It amazes me the things that you say and repeat.  You have me constantly (although not often enough) checking my words and phrases for content.  Jaxon is your favorite person to parrot, much to his fierce irritation.  He doesn't understand that you are only imitating him and it always turns into a yelling match.

2. Singing and Dancing.  These definitely run in your blood.  You love dance parties and shaking your little booty.  You are also getting pretty good at singing a lot of our favorite songs' lyrics. Dynamite is still a favorite in the house and you have mastered the majority of the song.  I am on a serious mission to get video of you singing this song and shaking your fists for emphasis.

3. Dairy is still off the menu at our house.  After 2 milk trials that resulted in body rashes, we took you to your allergist who tested you.  We got the official word that you, are indeed, allergic to all forms of dairy.  We celebrated the news by purchasing an EPI pen.  Not exactly the way we saw things going...but it's such a part of you and us that we don't even really think twice about it.  It's become second nature to check labels of EVERYTHING (remind me to tell you the McDs story someday)

thank goodness you like sushi!

4. You LOVE your Bubba.  He is your best bud, your go to guy.  You love to wrestle with him, irritate him and follow him around.  If you are separated from each other for any amount of time, you ask for him constantly.  You call him Bubba, but will also use Jaxon when you are serious.  Watching the two of you together makes me happy from the inside out.

5. Your independent streak has only gotten wider and deeper since your last birthday.  There is a stool in our house that has become your favorite tool.  You have learned that you can pick up that stool and take it anywhere in the house to get exactly what you want.   Wash your hands, get and apple off the counter, turn lights off/on...nothing is out of your reach (literally).

6. As rough and tumble as you are, you have a girly-girl side that has taken me by surprise. You love necklaces, hair bows, lotion, and hand sanitizer.  You have an opinion on your clothing (a very strong opinion) and love to try on shoes.  I have almost completely stopped shopping for you with out you with me.  Your opinion and sense of style is so strong, that if you don't approve of an article of clothing there is no bribery big enough to get it on you.  Mornings can be a little...um...tense. ;-)

7.  Speaking of your sense of style, you are SO into leg warmers.  Well...warmer.  You love to wear one.  Just one.  Always on your right leg.  This is something that you started yourself one hot July day. (HOT) But as I mentioned in number 6-you have a strong opinion (read: temper tantrum) and this day I chose to pick my battles (something I am getting very good at thanks to you!)  And so off we went to visit Daddy at the fire station, you sporting a leg warmer on your right leg and Jaxon with one on his arm.  I have since purchased more in the same colors as your wardrobe.  This way you always appear to match and no more power struggles over your accessories!

8.  You are Diaper free!! One day back in the Spring you just decided that you wanted to do everything  that Bubba does, including going potty in the back yard.  So you did.  (again, pick my battles) Just about 5mo later and you still prefer going potty outside, standing up, just like Daddy and Bubba.  I'm thankful that the weather has forced you into sweats, shoes and inside making your trips to the inside potty more of a habit. (ok...slight over-exaggeration...you do like to potty outside, but you use the inside toilet 99.9% of the time now. And more often than not, you do that all by your self from start to finish!)

9.  'Zilla.  The name still fits.  If anything, it fits you better now than it did when I gave you the silly term of endearment.  I haven't seen another child who can literally walk into a room and destroy it in such a short time.  Toys, books, dresser drawers.  None of these stand a chance against your determination to "reorganize" rooms.  You are also a fierce hoarder, stashing half-eaten apples and shoe (yes...only 1 of the pair) in the craziest of places.  You are always the person we go to when something is missing.

10.  But this 'Zilla-ness, this determination and drive is one of my favorite things about you. You just don't quit.  And that, my daughter, (when used for good, not evil) is going to take you far in life...You are everything that I could want in a girl-child. You keep me in a constant state of shock and awe.  I can see you doing great things in life.  Working hard, playing hard, sleeping hard, laughing harder, loving completely and being deeply and totally loved back.  You are my BEST girl.

Summer...

It has come and gone without this blog of mine and I coming face to face once.  Not one time have I sat down to start a blog or up load pictures.  And even though it has crossed my mind a time or two, I've stayed away.  Not because I don't want to record the memories my children have been making or because I am keeping things from you, dear reader.  It has been simply that WE have been making memories.  We have been IN those memories so completely this summer, that sitting down to write about them seemed to take away rather than add too.  I found that I was much more focused on the doing "for blogs sake" than for the actual memories sake.  And because of that I was missing out on the doing...I was too busy recording.  We didn't take any big trip, we didn't do anything glamorous.  We just lived.  And it was awesome.  But I am never one to deny people from enjoying our children...so here are the Cliff Notes of our summer, photo style.

 Daddy took Jax to his first Hill Climb race to watch Uncle Max.  The kid was hooked instantly!

 Gram took us to Happy Hollow Zoo in San Jose.  The kids had a great time on the rides.  We need to check this place out again...so much to see and do.

 One of the big trees in the front yard came down...twice. While Justin was at work.  

 Thank God for emergency leave.  Jax was a huge help cleaning up the mess.

 B took us to the Oakland Zoo.  Can't wait to become members there...such a cool place.

 MeeMaw and Mamoo came to our house to celebrate 4th of July.  Jax took on the roll of safety officer and made sure everyone was safe during fireworks.

 He was not the biggest fan of those loud guys...

 Jaxon got the honor of being invited to stand at attention with the crew of FFD Truck 11 during a San Jose FF's funeral procession.  It was a proud moment for this Mama.

 B and Meemaw came for a visit and we tried out the StoryLand and PlayLand parks that are in Fresno.  We had to wait patiently for the rides to open.

 But after the waiting was over, we all had a great time and rode lots of rides (perhaps too many for this Mommy and her sensitive stomach)

 This backhoe tractor toy was the biggest hit with Jax and Camren.  They (with help from Meemaw) had a great time moving sand from one spot to another.

Summer ended with a family trip to Pismo.  In all our years of trips, Justin and I hadn't ever camped without the accompaniment of friends...so this was a nice change of pace.  We got to really spend time and enjoy our kids.  Definitely something we will do again.