Summertime!

 This post is part of a blog hop for Wordfull Wednesday by Chocolate on my Cranium.

Summer Memories

I grew up in the San Diego area.  The hottest part of the summer was July and August, but it was common to have warm or even hot days from March until December.  I remember receiving beautiful sweaters for Christmas but it was much too warm to wear them.

Fast forward a few years later, and I moved to Utah to go to school.  Imagine my surprise when September brought such cold, freezing wind and SNOW.  That winter, and for several years afterward, I only felt warm during my morning shower and in the moments right before I got out of bed in the morning.  My body couldn't produce enough heat.  Clothes only insulated the cold inside me. 

But, back to a few childhood summer memories...

~Swimming all day long, in and out of the pool-- playing with my cousins, playing mermaids, the colors dunking game, marco polo, talking underwater, swimming across the pool without taking a breath, teaching my sisters to swim, my season of lifeguarding, pool parties with my high school friends, and much more!
 ~Monday nights at the beach
 ~Family camping vacations in national parks, especially Sequoia
~I remember when my little sister was born.  I was in 2nd grade, at the very end of a school year.  It was HOT that day.  Hot, Santa Ana winds made recess feel miserable.  One of the teachers was my mom's friend, and throughout the day, she'd come and tell me how things were going.  I remember wondering why Laura hadn't come yet.
~Family barbeques
~Climbing trees

And as an adult....  

~Hiking a local mountain peak with my husband. 18 miles in one day.  We were so tired!
~Visiting Cancun with my family.  Mayan ruins, ziplines, and cenotes.
~Visiting Maryland to see grandparents.  I love it when my kids get to spend time with their grandparents!
~Long walks with my boys in the morning before it gets too hot
~Gratitude for cooler days at the end of summer, but also a sadness for how short the summer is and how long it will be until it is warm again.
~LOVE the smell of summer rain
~Stomping in puddles with my boys. :)

What are some of your favorite summer memories?

Camdenism

Camden says some pretty silly things sometimes!  The funniest thing is that they seem to come at random times, just out of the blue, and not entirely connected to other things that are happening.

  Here are a few that I can remember from recently:

1.(We were in a public restroom.)
   C:  What's poking me?  (pause)    A muskrat?
    (There really wasn't anything poking him.)

2.(Camden was scrunching up his nose.)
   C: There's a porcupine in my nose!

3. (Camden had eaten breakfast--Strawberry Shredded Wheat--within the previous 1/2 hour.)
   C: I'm hungry.
   M: You'll need to wait until snack time.
    C: But I'm hungry.
    M: What would have happened if you'd eaten all your breakfast?
    C: (pause)  I would turn into a fwahwingo (flamingo).

4. (This is from a library book, but Camden enjoys singing it.  Think "3 blind mice")
Three loud trucks
Three loud trucks
See how they zoom!
See how they zoom!
They all jumped over the muck and goo.
They skidded and screeched til their mufflers blew.
Did you ever see such a crazy crew
As three loud trucks?
Three loud trucks.

5. (Brian often sings, "Fee Fi Fo Fum!  I'm going to eat the belly of my son!")
Today, Camden sang, "Fee Fi Fo Fum! I'm going to eat my daddy all up!

Happy Birthday, Nate Man!

We made it!  Nate's first year of life was a bit rocky for him (and me), but we did it.  :)    For me, the baby stage (0-1) is wonderful in some ways, but also a lot of stress and worry.  I am happy we made it through, and excited to enter this year of his life.  

Special accomplishments, characteristics, and preferences: He stomps his foot to a song we sing together.  He can climb onto the kitchen chairs (Yikes!).  He occasionally says "Nate," though we don't really know if he's saying it on purpose.  He loves to growl.  :)   He LOVES water and bath time.  He loves to eat cheese and fruit.  He likes to do a bouncy dance.  It's very cute!   He's able to fall asleep by himself, and wakes up about 1 time each night (but sometimes none at all!).  He eats mostly regular food. 

So, here are some of his birthday pictures.  Our camera ran out of battery, and I sure didn't take as many pictures as Camden.   And, the kid rarely holds still long enough to get a decent picture. Bummer.  I'll update with his weight and height stats after his dr. appointment tomorrow.  My guess is that he's 20-ish pounds and 29.5 inches tall.  (Actually, he's barely 18 lbs--4th percentile and 30.5 inches tall--73rd percentile.)   

One more update--about 6 weeks ago, his little finger was crushed in the hinge side of a heavy door.  It swelled a little, but he didn't favor it.  I watched it for a few days, but it didn't seem to be painful.  A few weeks ago, his nail started growing discolored and bumpy.  Yesterday, it separated from his finger, with only a tiny part to hold it on.  His doctor recommended leaving it on unless it started catching on things--which it did.  So, tonight I clipped his fingernail off.  I sure hope it grows back! It's all wrapped up to keep his little finger protected.  

His first bad crash--into the corner of a wall.  We are very glad we got pictures taken the night before.  His second bad crash was today, but it wasn't as bad as the first. 

Birthday cake.  Even red gel dye looks pink if you don't use enough. 

No, I didn't use shredded cheese.  It's coconut and a little yellow food coloring.

We racked our brains trying to figure out what Nate would like for his birthday.  He loves to hold things--spoons, toothbrushes, broom handles, anything long and skinny.  Brian thought of golf clubs.  Perfect! (Though I can foresee the clubs being used as battle weapons against Camden's sword.)

Little goofball!

 Playing in Nate's bed

 Where'd it go?

Yummy! (No balloons were popped by teeth, don't worry)

Happy birthday, big guy!