Hi everyone! I hope everyone had an amazing August and enjoyed the last little bit of hot weather and outdoor activities like we did. The last couple days have shown us that fall is indeed, just around the corner. WOW! Crazy summer wind/rain storm over the weekend!! I hope everyone is ok and that power is on : )
August was so much fun for our family: We attended our cousin Jake's wedding on the 8th, Playdates at both Woodland Park and Point Defiance Zoos, Blaser Bash (kidless!! Thanks Nona and Papa!), countless park playdates including a splash park, Thody Picnic, Swimming lessons and finally SOCCER PRACTICE! This month seemed a lot busier than usual but I think it was because of the heat. I have to admit, I did not like the 90 degree and above days this year. In fact, anything in the 80's was too much for me! It is extremely hard to get motivated to leave the house and pack a suitcase full of snacks, water, extra clothes, swim stuff, sunscreen, hats, etc! I'm very thankful that fall is coming our way in a couple weeks.
September is going to be very exciting for our little family. First, half of our family has birthdays in September! Little Natalie is turning TWO this Friday! Secondly, Mr Cameron is starting Preschool next week!! As cheesy as this sounds, I cannot believe my baby is old enough to go to Preschool. It seriously seems like yesterday that we were trying to figure out how to dress him and now he is attending school!
Cammie is VERY excited about starting school and I try to talk about it with him everyday. He has been bringing up several fears that he does have about starting this new chapter in his life. The biggest fear is that no one will want to be his friend. Whenever he brings this comment up, I want to grab him and cry - Don't worry folks, I don't actually do it! I do my best to explain to him that he will make so much friends, he won't remember everyone's name! This usually makes him giggle and lightens the mood. I tell him how friendly and sweet he is and that kids would love to be his friend. I usually get a little smile by now. Finally, I finish up by telling him how cool he is and that he makes others feel important and special. By the end of our conversation, he usually says how he can't wait to go to school!
There is no doubt in my mind that he is going to excell in Preschool. As a SAHM, I feel like he is in need of more challenging activities but I lack in the knowledge of what to do. I'm excited to see what he says when he gets home - what he did that day, crafts, games, activities, etc. Cammie is a pretty shy guy so I'm curious to see how he does without Nattie or myself as a buffer. As his mommy, I'm extremely excited for him to start this new chapter but I'm also very sad. I'm sad that I won't have my little buddy around me all the time. I'm sad that he will be doing crafts with his teacher instead of me. I'm sad he won't need me as much. I'm sad he will find a new best friend. I know this all sounds so silly, but he is my best friend and I'm going to miss him so much. On a lighter note, Cammie being at Preschool twice a week will give me a much needed chance to have one on one time with Nattie! I am tossing around the idea of taking her to gymnastics class or My Gym during school. Stay tuned! Cameron's first official day of Preschool is September 10th. We have his school orientation Wednesday - Next time you see or talk to Cammie, wish him luck and tell him how cool he is : )
August was the last month until winter for swimming lessons for Cam. He did exceptionally well and tried everything his coach instructed him to do. There were 4 kids in his class and Cam was the youngest by 2 years! You couldn't tell because he was just as motivated as the older kids! I was so proud of him! Natalie will continue with swimming lessons (I'll talk about her lessons more later) and Cam will be taking a break for the fall. Cameron started SOCCER last week and is VERY EXCITED about his new sport. This year, he gets to wear shin guards and CLEATS! He thinks he is soooo cool and wants to wear them all the time. Cam had his first practice last week and I was quite surprised at how serious and focused he was. He did a great job dribbling the ball, shooting goals and running. When I was a kid and just started playing soccer, it took me a while to get used to wearing cleats and shin guards. This kid is going to be a natural. The team hasn't decided on a name yet - but there are several friends from Cameron's Teeball Team (The Big Red Dragons), so he was looking forward to that. I'm so happy that he wants to participate in group sports. As I said before, Cam is shy, so putting himself out there is very brave.
Cameron is very into superheros and spends most of his day either playing with them or talking about the powers and abilities they have. It is so funny to see the progression from toddler to preschooler because it is so abrupt! He wants everything to be "COOL" not "CUTE" but still wants to be cuddled and loved on. I'm seriously looking forward to the future - I can't wait to see what he is going to be interested in next. Cam is such a sweet, kind boy and wants answers to everything. He is so empathetic for a THREE year old and has such a grasp on emotion already. I try my best to be honest with him regarding sensitive issues (loosing pets, people getting hurt and most recently death). I'm starting to realize that there is no "AGE APPROPRIATE" time to tell your kids some things. I will know in my heart when it is the right time to talk to him about certain topics. Ugh, some parenting things are super challenging. This is where a manual would be greatly appreciated!
I really wanted to finish up Cameron's section of my blog by telling you guys his new favorite obsession. It really isn't new, in fact, he has always loved this: The Garbage Man. This month, the garbage man has reached a new level. He obsesses about when "BOB" is coming and what combo is going to happen that week. Is it going to be Yard Waste Bob, Garbage Bob AND Recycling Bob?? Or.... is it going to be Yard Waste Bob and Garbage Bob?? Or.... is it just going to be Garbage Bob and Recycling Bob?? I'm telling you people, I spend at least 2 hours of my day strictly talking about the garbage man!! As of this month, Cameron declared that all trash and recycling in the house is his job and that he wants to do his "work" all by himself. He takes each trash bin from every bathroom and the laundry room, and dumps the trash into the big bin in the garage. He uses a little step stool to complete his "work" and then does the recycling by himself. On Wednesday nights, Daddy helps him take the bins to the curb for "Bob." The next day basically revolves around when the Garbage Men will be coming to our house! After our trash, yard waste and recycling has been picked up, Cam pushes all three cans back into the garage by himself. It is sooooo adorable! I love that little guy : )
Natalie Quinn is doing amazing!!! I seriously cannot get enough of this little girl. She has such a wonderful personality and knows exactly what she wants. She is still struggling with her vocabulary but manages to get her point across and communicate in her own way to let us know her needs. We took a little break from Speech Therapy but decided that she was progressing beautifully with it. We made the decision to decrease the Therapy from weekly to biweekly and she has a new therapist that comes to the house on Wednesdays. I'm hoping this will continue to increase her desire to verbalize her wants/needs. As of right now, she is saying a few new words and appears to be purposely holding some words back - little stinker!
Nattie is still very much in love with Toy Story and you will never see her without her favorite toy - Her Woody Doll. That little guys eats every meal with her, sleeps with her, goes to the gym daycare with her, EVERYWHERE!! She loves talking to him and even has arguments with him sometimes (It can get pretty heated!) Nattie is very silly and it is fun to see my little tomboy breaking the "Little Girl" mold. I always knew that she was very independent and marched to the beat of her own drum. She plays cars and trains and digs in the dirt with Cameron then turns around and dances to a song on "Tangled." She is a very special little girl.
Nat is doing amazingly well at swim and seems like a little natural in the water. She is still enrolled in the "Parent and me" swim class but it honestly seems beneath her. The problem is that she can't register for teacher swim classes until she is THREE. We are hoping the Y will make an exception and let her register early because she will be ready around the first of the year. Nat does everything the "Coach" asks with ease and always has a smiling face. She loves swimming but I think she loves the one on one time she gets with Daddy. We will continue to take her swimming during soccer season!
Nat loves racing, dancing, snuggling, giggling and honestly making people happy. If I feel stressed out or look upset, she grabs my face and says something in a soft, loving voice (jibberish) - MY LOVIE!! Cameron is her favorite person and she loves following him around, coping him and staring at him. She wants to be with him all the time and I'm nervous how she will deal with Cammie going to Preschool. It is so adorable to see them interacting and playing together. Cam is very attentive to Nat (when he wants to be) and you can see her melting when she gets attention from him. I have a feeling that her third year is going to be exciting. She always keeps us on our toes!
I hope everyone has a smooth transition into the school year and fall. Hugs!!
