Its about time! Of which I have none.

I have really meant to do better with my posts. I find that with a 3 1/2 year old and a 7 month old there is little "me" time. All our activities are aimed at keeping them rested, fed, entertained, and groomed. If one is hungry the other needs attention, if one needs a nap the other needs their bum wiped. It is never ending. Really how do people do it who have more kids or lots of little kids at home. I think either the women who do it are way more relaxed, organized, have more help, or really do have super human abilities. OK so it is not only the kids, we have grandparents needing pictures and posts, and husbands who need lunches, dinners, and rides to the bus stop at 6:30 every morning. I learned the way for me to get "me" time is to pack up the girls once a day to go shopping. Even when it is grocery shopping, they are contained in the shopping cart or stroller while I lazily and wantonly gaze at an item I think I might want or should want. I can momentarily escape some of the needs my children demand for a brief moment. We never really escape the bum wiping thing though. Callie always has to go potty in the places with the worst restrooms. I usually just tote the whole shopping cart into the bathroom. I don't care about the stares I get from customers and employees, it is the only thing that makes sense to me. I am not going to leave my baby purse and groceries out by the door, nor am I going to tote them all in while hoisting my daughter on the huge potties and trying not to get my purse and baby corroded with bathroom floor germs.

I guess I am side tracking a bit. My point is I have many excuses for not having time to post. Mainly, their names are Avery, Callie and Cameron. But, they are all so cute, I need to record our family's last month's worth of adventures.

First, I need to mention we got one vacation in before Cameron's schooling started. We went up to my sister's wedding in Hailey/Ketchum/Sun Valley (not sure what to call it) Idaho. It was wonderful!! Such a beautiful place. We got to stay in a cottage at the Sun Valley Resort. It was Luxury. There was symphony music at the amphitheater outside our cottage, professional ice skating, plenty of shopping, and outdoor activities to enjoy. We were there for 4 days, but with all the wedding stuff and relatives to visit we did not do much in the way of enjoying the area. We have decided it is definitely a place we need to come back to. At least Cameron and I decided that. Callie kept saying "I want to go home. I want to go home to my house with the orange room." Callie and I were part of the wedding party. Callie was the flower girl, I was one of the sister bridesmaids. Sarah and Zach were married in a meadow at the Galena Lodge. The wedding party rode in on a horse drawn carriage. Callie performed wonderfully she may have even given a smile while she walked down the aisle. I thought there was a moment when it could become a melt down. She was extremely tired, and she had sand in her shoes. She wanted to stop and have me fix it, but I just told her to smile and keep walking. Sand in her shoe is a major upset but, she played her part well and went on with the show. The colors and setting could not have been more spectacular. Sarah did a great job planning every detail and she was a stunning bride. We are very happy to welcome Zach to the family. We were so proud of both our girls they held up very well with little sleep and lots of stimulation. Callie entertained herself well. Then danced the night away with her dad. When Avery finally conked out in the baby Bjorn while the band played loud Neil Diamond music, we knew it would be child abuse if we did not leave.

Since then we have been home and back to the grind of things. School started for Cameron, and so did Law Journal, Job interviews, and Busing. School has been the usual busyness for him. He has already stayed up till 5am one night then 3 the next night. So far he has had three call backs with firms he is very excited about. So if you feel like praying for him he really wants to get an offer from one of these firms. Then hopefully it will turn into a job our first year out of law school.

Callie is a smart girl and I am amazed how much she is reading already. She finally earned her Wall E toy and when we went to purchase it, they were half the price than the ones we had seen before. So she was able to get EVE, too. She is a funny one always talking about robots and fire machines (fire extinguisher) from the movie Wall E. At the rehearsal dinner I found her out in the grass staring up at a huge pine tree and talking to it. I asked her what she was playing and she explained "It's a nice giant robot." (talking about the tree) It may seem a little odd, but I like to encourage anything that is not princess. Another funny thing she said at the wedding was "Dad when you are a little girl you can be a flower girl just like me." She said something similar to me the other day. "Mom, when you are a little girl and I am the mom, I will say 'Addie don't climb on that table it will fall.'" I think it is clever and funny so I don't explain that I won't be a little girl again. Callie has learned to put together the United States puzzle by herself. I am amazed and have recorded it. I have several friends who have a hard time with it. I have to admit it was hard for me, too, at first. There are lots of little pieces and there is not a matching background to tell you where the pieces go.

Funny Callie story:

We have this game called Hoopla that has all of these cards with pictures of odd things. One of the cards has a picture of Adam and Eve with the tree and a snake in the tree. After she asked us about it, we explained to her that the snake was Satan, and Satan is not very nice. Soon after that I was at the Park Place Mall and on the ceiling there is a mural of a giant snake. Callie stood there, staring at the ceiling and saying, "Oh, look there's Satan Mom. He is so cute and nice. He is my friend, mom. Satan is my friend, right mom? He's nice." I could not help but laugh. I can't imagine what a passerby might have thought.

Avery (aka blondie) is growing fast. Too fast. I want to freeze her at this age. She is so fun. Still loud and not a great napper, but very curious and into anything she can roll to. She is very determined and also very smiley. She loves to get under things: beds, sofas, desks, etc., or to try and tangle herself in things. She loves her exer-saucer, couscous, yogurt, applesauce, watermelon, and her dada. Cameron swears she said "Hi dada" several weeks ago. She does say both those words, and waves. The words at this point are probably just sounds she is toying with. She has enough hair for a clip. She sits and rolls everywhere. I realized that she rolls both ways from her back to stomach, but will only roll over her left shoulder from her stomach to back. So she has figured how to scoot her body around to roll back the other way when needed. She is quick and determined when she sees something she wants. Usually it is something dangerous, like a plug or cord. I should say her naps are getting better. She will usually take one good nap in her crib. Sometimes that good nap is 30 min. sometimes 3 hrs. She also finally will lay there awake and put herself to sleep instead of screaming her head off. This is a major improvement. She is also a good cuddle bug. Avery now has 6, almost 9 teeth, as three are coming fast.

6 month stats:

27.5 inches long

16.25 lbs.

rolling...

Sitting in the bath

under the bed

I am finally into a book. It is one I have read before. "These is my words." The title sounds weird but it is one of my favorite books. I have been so wrapped up in it today that I did not put away laundry, or shower, and I let Callie watch TV as much as she could stand it. I guess that I needed a little "me" time.

More pictures of critters: