We had a wonderful December, full of family and friends! Ryan and I were able to go to Ocean Shores for his company party, thanks to Ryan and Heather!! They came down Saturday and spent the night at our house with the kids. Man did the kiddos have fun! Thank you both so much! We also made it to zoolights this year with our friends Andy, Erin and Fletcher. It was such a fun night for everyone! The weather actually cooperated and gave us zoolights with only a few other families. We made several trips up to the Edmonds area for Ryan's Grandma's birthday party and a visit with Santa at the Edmonds Yacht Club - great time. Finally, we did our annual trip to Seattle Center to visit the Christmas Trains with Auntie Kate. Both kids had such a great time and were laughing the whole time. After looking at the trains, we treated the kids to a Monorail ride to visit the Gingerbread Houses! The kids were in luck because the theme this year was "Starwars!!"
We hosted my family's annual Christmas Eve party at our house and boy did we have fun! 6 lasagnas, countless appetizers, drinks, desserts and endless laughter! It felt so good to have the family together and exchange gifts and be together. Christmas day, we opened presents here then headed up to my parents' house for brunch (DELISH MAMA!!) We had such a great time relaxing and enjoying each other. The kids were EXHAUSTED! Christmas night, we invited Ryan's parents and cousin down for dinner. It hit the spot and was nice to be snuggled in at home Christmas night.
Buddy the Elf made an entrance on December 1st and played tricks on the kids until Christmas Day! He did so many fun things for them - hid in the fridge, rode a train, used the potty, ate dog food (Thanks brother!) and many more! It was so cute to see how excited the kids were to wake up and look for Buddy. It took Nattie a couple days to get over Buddy going home to the North Pole with Santa. Poor little thing was so sad : (
Today is a huge day for Mr Cameron. He is officially a 4 year old!! He is beyond excited to reach this milestone and wants to tell anyone who will listen. Over the last month, we have watched our sweet baby boy transform into a boy. He stopped taking naps and decided that he would like "quiet time" more. It was hard for me at first because I thrived on them both napping at the same time (get chores done, eat my lunch, sit down for a minute!). After having "quiet time" for a week and a half, Cam is successfully making it to bedtime without melting down. I actually enjoy having personal time with him while Nattie naps. We play board games, watch a show or read together. 90% of the time Cammie is either holding my hand or sitting on me. It stops me in my tracks most of the time because I realize that I mean so much to him. All he wants to do is be with his mommy - it makes me melt.
Cammie is still OBSESSED with the garbage man and looks forward to Thursday every week. He is still taking out the trash (all bathrooms and under the sink with help), taking out the recycling and helping with yard waste. He calls it "his job" and never forget to bring the cans out to the curb Wednesday nights. After stalking, I mean watching the garbage man, he gets to park the cans in the garage all by himself - BEAMING. I'm so proud of how responsible he is and loves to help. He is definitely a rule follower and seems anxious when he or someone else deviates from a plan or rule.
Cam is also still loving school and has been missing his friends and teachers, Ms Melissa and Dana over the break. Every week they learn a new letter and focus on a new number. He always comes home with the cutest crafts and activities! I have never picked him up upset nor have I heard him say that he missed me - always a huge smile and can't wait to give Nattie a hug ❤️. Next Tuesday Cam gives to celebrate his 4th birthday at school with his friends. According to Cam, having your birthday at school is a big deal. The birthday boy/girl gets a custom card signed by all the classmates, a birthday crown, happy birthday song sang by the class and their mommy brings in cupcakes! He was such a big boy and decided to wait until after Christmas break to celebrate his birthday. He wanted the day all to himself. On the 17th, Cammie had his first Christmas concert at school - parents were invited to attend. That was by far the cutest thing I have ever since in my life. All the little kids were dressed in their best clothes, wearing reindeer ears and had jingle bells on their wrists. The kids sang 5 songs perfectly and were all smiles.
I can't believe our baby boy is 4 today. I couldn't be more proud of the little boy he has become. Cameron is always worried about others and wants to take care of people and animals. He has the sweetest personality and can be very shy at times. I love watching him express himself and interact with his friends - he shows his true self. I cannot wait for this year! I wish him the best year of his life - full of new adventures, friends (new and old), lots of snuggles and tons of garbage!! We love you Buggie!
Natalie is doing amazing!! We have made leaps and bounds in terms of her speech development and couldn't be more relieved. She is repeating almost every word offered to her with little to no struggle and has even been putting words together to form little sentences! Her newest phrase kills is - "Oh My Goooooosssssshh!" She knows how funny she can be now and loves making everyone laugh and smile. Nat forces her laugh out sometimes and it cracks everyone up!
Nat is such a fun little girl. She likes girly things like "Hello Kitty" and Minnie Mouse but also Starwars, Ninja Turtles, Thomas the Tank Engine and Woody (of course!!). Her new favorite show currently is "Peppa Pig" Girlfriend is OBSESSED and loves making her version of a pig noise while singing the theme song or watching the show. Unlike Cam, Nattie stops in her tracks when she wants to watch a movie or show. I know it sounds bad but when I need to get things done, THANK GOODNESS for media time!
Nattie has been becoming more opinionated and like to tell me what she wants to wear. She recently explained that she doesn't want me to cut her bangs anymore. I told her if Mommy doesn't cut her bangs anymore, that she needs to let Mommy put a clip or hair tie in her hair. She agreed and has let me do her hair everyday since then - I was shocked and still am shocked that she continues to comply! I made a choice to hold off buying clothing with characters on them until the kids made their own decisions on what they like. Nattie would wear her Woody jammies every day if we let her! This little girl is so head strong and willful!
As I said before, Nat's speech has officially taken off. We couldn't have made the progress or achievements without the help of her Speech Therapist, Larisa, Vicki and Ramona. All of these women have been huge support systems not only to Natalie, but also to me. I have opened up to all of these ladies and they have comforted me, reassured me and provided me and my family with a safe place to tackle this struggle. Thank you Children's Therapy Center for everything!!! Because of her progress, we have decided to put Speech Therapy on hold indefinitely. We feel that Nat is progressing well and hopefully after our last meeting in January, Larisa and Ramona will agree! We have decided to keep Nattie enrolled in the group classes, which will provide her with additional support as needed.
We are beyond blessed to have two amazing, healthy children that are sweet and cooperative. I have never been so proud and can't wait to see who these little people grow into - maybe I can wait : ) We love you Natalie and Cameron! Thank you for being the best kids in the world!
Today, I am 6 weeks post hip surgery and I'm doing amazing! I have not had any pain since the surgery day and I feel like I'm continuing to get stronger everyday. I am currently going to rehab at Pearson Chiropractic (seems fitting because Jay Pearson is the guy who SAVED me!!) and working with two Physical Therapists (Stephanie and Floyd). I go to rehab twice a week after Ryan gets home from work and they work me hard. It has been getting extremely challenging but I never feel the need to complain. I don't have the need to complain because it is absolutely nothing compared to what I have gone through in the past 22 months. I feel incredibly fortunate to be in the condition that I am and I'm very thankful to everyone who has helped me. I have another 2 months of rehab before I get the all clear from Floyd - and honestly, I enjoy it.
I want to take the time to thank everyone who has helped us during this difficult time. We have had several people step up and babysit the kids, helped us clean up the house, fed us and checked in. I am beyond grateful for all the emotional support I have been getting (texts, calls, emails, fb messages and visits). Just a simple check in has made my progress easier and has made me feel loved. Thank you all.
I also want to thank Ryan for everything that he has done and continues to do. This surgery was a big eye opener and he has definitely stepped up with household chores, extra help with the kiddos and provided me with plenty of emotional support. He used all of his personal time, vacation time and sick time on me and still made it to work. I love you babe. Thank you for everything you do for our family. You are amazing.
I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year's Eve and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! This quote sums up my thoughts of 2015... "It always seems impossible, until it is done" - Nelson Mandela
HUGS!
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