Fountain Fun

The kids had a blast playing at some fountains for one of our ward's park outings. And in case you were beginning to think Cameron is my favorite child, since many of the pictures are of him, that is not the case. I just have to constantly be following him around so most of the shots are of him. Then there is Ella who 90% of the time screams if you try and take her picture. No this is not a picture of Eric as a child. We can just call this kid Eric Jr.

Day 1

Yesterday it was getting close to Cameron's nap time and I couldn't find a single binkie. AnYwHeRe! We have like 5 of them so really you would think I could find at least one, but no. I was talking with my friend and she suggested I just be done with them since I had been planning the detox. First I didn't do it because we were driving to Utah and I didn't want to think about all the screaming for 12 hours in the car with no binks. Recently it has been the fact that in a few days I am leaving for a girls trip to Utah and my kids will be cared for during the day by other members of my family. I could just see them cursing my name as they try and get him down for a nap with no binkie. Well I couldn't find one in time for nap so I just decided to bite the bullet. NO MORE BINKIES! Both yesterday and today for naps he cried for a good 20-30 minutes before falling asleep in front of the door. Last night for he screamed and cried and every once in a while would say "Where are they? I can't find a binkie!" It was sad and broke my heart but there is no turning back. His sweet little voice is all raspy today. 4 more nights before I leave. I hope he is adjusted by then. Otherwise sorry Joanna, Rachel and Deidre. :)

The Coast

We recently took our first trip of the summer to the coast. You can't really say beach because the word beach brings thoughts of warm, blue water, clear skies, swimsuits, etc and that isn't usually the way things are at beaches in Oregon. Don't get me wrong I love the coast and think it is beautiful, but usually some sort of jacket is required, many times it is cloudy and windy and the water is fun as long as you don't mind getting numb first. We had a great time playing in the sand, being chased by waves, hunting for shells, eating lunch (I think Cam ate more sand than food) and hanging out with my sisters for a little while. We are looking forward to our next trip.

This is such a sweet picture of Eric and Cameron but what you can't tell is that Eric has the death grip on Cameron because he had no fear of the water. I mean really I have tons of fears so why can't my kids have some!

Ella is so funny with pictures, sometimes she screams bloody murder if you try to take one and other times she wants a photo shoot. She found this really long stick and wanted me to take pictures for several minutes.

Cam digging in with his oh so attractive Dorito face.

Look at the Garden Grow

For those of you who are die hard readers of my blog (that may only include a few family members) you know that Eric built me a planter box for Mother's Day. Well we planted (and by we I do mean Eric and the girls) tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, beans and cucumbers. They are all growing like crazy and it has been so fun for the kids to go out and check the progress of everything. About a week ago we started getting cucumbers. Since we will have tons the kids have enjoyed picking them and eating them daily. We are excited for other things to ripen and I am sure we will be expanding this garden area more next year.

Cameron ate this entire cucumber himself. My kids are very good veggie eaters which unfortunately they didn't get from me.

giving me a close up

My hydrangeas have also started to bloom. I love love love hydrangeas. They make me happy. We are loving the nice weather and enjoying our little spot.

Trion Creek

A few Saturdays ago we took the kids to a state park a few minutes from our house. It is a gorgeous place to hike and on such a hot day it was the perfect place to be. The kids loved walking along the trails, looking at the plants, picking up sticks and enjoying nature. Not sure what the thumbs up is all about.

All three

Cameron and one of his MANY sticks.

Inside a gigantic hollowed out stump.

Natalie showing off her "Y" stick, for BYU.

One of the bridges. Cameron was fascinated with them.

Rockets

Who knew that tampons would make such a fun toy for a two year old boy but it seems that they do. Cameron seems to love being in the bathroom so, to avoid spending my day from keeping him out of the toilet we have knobs on the door so he can't get in. They have been so great and have kept him from having lots of fun in there. Recently we bought new interior doors (I love them by the way) and got rid of the brown ones. Eric and I, well mostly Eric, were able to switch out all the doors but some how the bathroom one shifted ever so slightly and so the door no longer closes. As much as Eric does all the work he does need me to help steady the door, but we haven't been home at the same time for about a week and so the bathroom has been fair game for Cameron. For the most part he has been pretty good about staying out, only going in to brush his teeth or play with the hair accessories. However the other day I walk in the bathroom to find Cameron sitting on the floor surrounded with Tampons that had be shot out of the applicator like little rockets. He thought it was so fun. I was not amused.