Cam the Ham: Let's Sleep Under The Stars...

Hi everyone! What a month July has been for our little family! We have honestly not been home during the weekends because we constantly have something to do. Lucky for us, everything has been a blast and the kids have been super busy and happy. We had the opportunity to go camping twice - Oregon and Eastern Washington. The kids did a great job and loved living out of tents!

Our trip to Oregon was first and was in the beginning of the month - right after the 4th of July (Thursday through Sunday) When Ry and I were dating, we found an amazing little state park south of Newport, right on the beach. We decided that this would be a great spot for the kids and we would all have a wonderful time. Our friends Kate and Trent joined us for the majority of the trip and of course Kate spoiled us with some AMAZING photos!! The kids had a blast on the beach - Cammie was meant to be at the ocean. He just lights up with pure joy and loves to run in and out of the water and dig in the sand. Nattie took a while to warm up but eventually was pretty sandy and tired at the end of the day. The weather was a perfect 67 degrees and much needed after weeks of intense heat back home. One day it even rained a little!! Heaven. Both kids did an amazing job sleeping in the tent and thought it was fun to jump around in the mornings. I will never forget how adorable it was seeing them sleep together in there little sleeping bags. "We didn't realize we were making memories - We just knew we were having fun."

The second camping trip was at Potholes in Moses Lake - Eastern Washington. This trip was extra special because my family invited us to their yearly friend trip (They do it every year with their closest friends and their families) This trip was a little longer than Oregon - Saturday through Wednesday and the kids didn't want to leave. Cam and Nat are obsessed with their older cousins, Jordan and Tony, and had access to them for 5 days!! And oh my goodness, they were spoiled! They went from campsite to campsite being carried, pushed on their bike or had their little sweet hands held. They were in Heaven. They had their Aunties and Cousins constantly showing them love and attention, covering them in kisses and spoiling them with treats. Thank you Jord and Tone for treating the kids with so much respect and helping us. We had several campsites next to one another and shared dinner as a group every night (20ish people). Every morning we would pile onto their boats and discover a new beach to relax on for the day. Every day was a different location at Potholes - too much fun. The kids were once again black with dirt and sand and exhausted by the end of the day! Thankfully, my Cousin Danielle and her hubby Wayne let us have full use of their amazing trailer. It was nice to bathe the kids and prepare their meals inside and quickly - THANK YOU GUYS!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!

Camping is just going to get more exciting as the kids grow. They both show interest in being outside and like to get dirty. I was so proud of how busy they kept themselves with both trips and can't wait for next year and the years to come. I found a quote that is completely 100% true and made me laugh - "Camping: Where you spend a small fortune to live like a homeless person."

On top of our amazing camping trips, we also did several fun and memorable activities! We took the kids to their first movie (Inside Out) and they loved it! Nattie actually fell asleep for half of the movie but both kdis sat quietly and enjoyed being big kids. Ryan took the day off so he was also able to enjoy this milestone. On my brother's birthday (July 16th) Cammie had yet another shoot at Zulily! OMG this outfits were adorable and he once again, did amazing! Later that night, we celebrated Ry's birthday at the Crab Pot with my parents and Doug and Cindy. We had such a great time with everyone. I'm so happy my brother has Doug and Cindy in his life as his in laws - they provide great support and unconditional love. Fortunately for us, because Ry has them, we do too!! YIPPEE! On the 19th, we took the kids to meet Thomas the Tank Engine in Snoqualmie! The kids had a great time and we beside themselves when they actually got the opportunity to take a picture in front of the train! Cammie was excited to ride Thomas but Nattie didn't understand and whined through most of it for a snack. Later that day, we drove over to Issaquah and visited the XXX Camaro Show and show some support to Papa! It was way too hot, so we only stayed for an hour or so.

On the 22nd, we had dinner with Ryan's family to say goodbye to Robbie and Brittany, as they are moving to Japan for a year. Robbie will be teaching English at a high school right outside of Tokoyo. This will be a fun and memorable experience for them and we wish them the best of luck! And finally, because I wasn't busy enough packing for camping, I took the kids to PDZ on the 24th! We were supposed to meet up with Erin and her son Flethcher, but unfortunately it didn't work out. We still had an amazing time and the kids were both in wonderful moods and happy as can be. They are both starting to appreciate having a friend around all the time and are starting to grab each other to play - ADORABLE!!

Both kids are doing amazing. Cameron finished Teeball and is starting swim lessons back up again tomorrow. He is such an active little man and is really starting to push the limits of his independence. He decided that he is "too big" to take naps anymore and is "too busy" to have quiet time most days. I wouldn't mind so much if he didn't wake up at 5am everyday! I do have to respect that he is trying to be independent and wants to have some control over his life. He now picks out his outfit everyday and Nattie's most days. Cammie has decided that taking out the little bathroom trash cans and dumping them into the big garbage is now his chore. He nimbly moves our camping cooler over to the can in the garage and dumps the little can contents without hesitation! He is seriously the cutest little thing! Cammie now insists that the bathroom door is closed while he is using the potty because he really needs "Privacy" LOL

After a couple months of asking, I finally gave in and cut Cammie's hair into a little mohawk. He said this is how big kids wear their hair and he needed to be "COOL." I have been making a tremendous effort to chat with him regarding society, expectations and emotions/feelings. This might seem to be an odd topic to discuss with a 3 year old, but he is already asking questions and making comments that surprise me. I continually tell him that he can like something that another person has, but doesn't NEED to have it to be "COOL" like that other kid. He can have something because CAMMIE likes it and CAMMIE feels "COOL" with it. Another example is the other day I was painting Nattie's toes (per her request!!) and Cammie expressed interest in painting his toes. He told me he couldn't because that's for girls. PLEASE!!! He is 3 years old! I ended up painting his toes Ninja Turtle Green and Captain America Blue - sounds pretty cool to me...

Speaking of Captain America and Ninja Turtles, everything has to be superhero, spiderman, Ninja Turtles, etc! My little baby boy is officially a kid. This kid has my heart and my love for him grows daily. There is never a dull moment with him and he constantly shows me and everyone around him love. The questions he is asking about feelings and emotions are very mature for his age and sometimes, challenge me. They challenge me because I NEED to supply him with an age appropriate explanation but his questions are so mature. He takes everything to heart and easily gets his feelings hurt if someone doesn't act/say something with care. I wish I could keep everything so simple for him and keep the sad/hurt away. He is only getting older and is noticing more and more around him. My smart, sensitive boy.

August is officially our last month at home full time together! Cammie starts preschool Sept 10th and couldn't be more excited!! I now agree that school is a great fit for him and he needs to be challenged more. He needs to have more adults in his life that provide him with a sense of security and respect. Ms Melissa (Cammie's Teacher), you are gaining a great little man!

Natalie Quinn, our spicy little angel face!!!! We have made the decision to put a hold on Speech Therapy for a little while. Nattie is making huge progress, which we undoubtedly accredit to Speech, but we wanted to see what she can do on her own. Her last day for Speech was July 16th and we melted Kate (her therapist) by saying, "BYE BYE!" when she was leaving! What a great way to end this wonderful experience. During our camping trip with my family, Natalie was shocking everyone with her vocabulary. Before camping, she could say a handful of words, but during the trip she exploded!! In one day, she said:
- Dordan (Jordan)
- Tony
- Red
- Blue
- Orange
- Rain
- Wa Wa (water)
- Cameron (once)
We were all extremely shocked and couldn't stop screaming and cheering!! Of course Nat loved this and continued saying the words. This little girl of our is so willful and passionate. Everything has to be on her terms, hence the speech, but she eventually comes around. Nat is doing so well and it is amazing to see my sweet little baby turning into an amazing, hilarious little blonde lady!

Natalie has gone through one heck of a growth spurt and is quickly catching up to her brother. Cameron is 32.5 pounds and Nat is now 26 pounds!! I swear she gained 3 pounds in a month, grew 1.5 shoe sizes and a whole clothing size! She definitely is a little eating machine and is a foodie like mommy. When Cammie goes to school, it will be nice to have special time with Nat. We will be able to go grocery shopping, the park and maybe MyGym again!! We just adore her and Ryan gets to have a little "Daddy's Girl" that I think he always wanted. He is amazing with her (both kids) and she has him wrapped around her little finger. We love you Sneak!

I hope everyone has a wonderful August and lots of fun outside while it lasts! Here are our photos for July <3