Cameron's Baptism

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."  Matthew 19:14 NIV

Today was a very special day for our little guy... Cameron was Baptized!  We are thankful for the family and for KK and family and Ron and Francis for coming!  Big Frank, Dorthy, and Virginia came up this weekend from Austin, but Big Frank was not feeling well this morning so Dorthy stayed with him while Virginia (GG) came to the service.

Cameron was dressed so handsomely with his linen while shirt and pants, and the tie that made the blue in his eyes stand out even more.  As the preacher held him before the congregation he even commented that his eyes were the bluest he has seen.  :)  Then we moved to where the holy water was for the baptism.  Just as the preacher was placing the water on his head and praying for him, while we all laid our hands on him, little guy decided to get his hands on the preachers microphone.  He grabbed it and jostled it enough to kill the mic!  The preacher was graceful and made light of it, but instead of preaching his Palm Sunday sermon hands free, he had to use his hand held microphone. :)  I then took Cam to the nursery because I hoped he could get a little nap since the service was during nap time.  Then I was able to sneak back in during one of the hymns.  Emerson was the best behaved she has ever been during a church service.  We didn't even have toys for her to play with, but she sat there watching and listening and was so good.  I just couldn't believe it.  Afterwards we came back to the house to enjoy some lunch that I mostly got from Cafe Max.  They have delicious chicken salad, pasta salad, and I also bought their caesar dressing.  I also had a few other treats, a cake I ordered, and CC & PaulPaul brought cookies they made.  Big Frank and Virginia had a little bit to eat and then hit the road to get back to Austin since Frank was not feeling well.  I hate that they came all this way and that he felt so terrible... I know they wanted to be able to enjoy this time, too.  :(   We all ate and then after that opened up Cameron's baptism gifts and some Easter gifts since we are planning to go to Austin for Easter.  The kids both had a really fun time playing with the toys and gifts... They were both in need of naps after this... we all needed a nap actually!  Here are some pictures from today.

Sweet smiles before the service.

Family picture following the service

All of us following the service

God Bless Cameron

Some fun treats  

Gifts and Easter baskets for the kids

Cam with the cross we got him... his facial expression here is a little funny to me.

Cam already reading on of the bibles he got.  :)

 Paul Paul and Emerson wearing the bunny sunglasses... ha ha

More of the Arboretum!

Last weekend we all visited the Arboretum again to take more pictures... I was on a mission to get some Easter pictures and pictures for Cam's first birthday party invitation.  The weather was absolutely beautiful that day.  In the early part of the morning it was a little crisp, but with the sunlight coming through it really felt wonderful.  Emerson had such a fun time playing with the Easter eggs I brought for the pictures and little Cam did, too.  It was entertaining watching Emerson run around, playing make-believe acting like a princess.  That is a big thing for her right now because she likes to be called a princess.  We actually use this to our advantage when we want her to do something.  It goes like this... If she doesn't want to change in to her pajamas for instance...  Frank:  "Emerson, princesses like to wear their pajamas."  We may have to repeat, but she becomes convinced that she should wear the pajamas.  :) So anyway, it is fun watching her and listening to her mind wander freely.  Cam was also in a great mood just going with the flow of things... We are truly so blessed to have such cooperative and sweet kids.   Here are a few pictures I wanted to share.  And my mission was a success, by the way.  I think we got some really fantastic pictures.  Yay!!  :)

Bounce!

Last weekend we were in Austin visiting Frank's parents.  We had a fun weekend visiting and Emerson got a really special surprise... a bounce house!  Frank's parent's old neighbor bought a bounce house to have for when her grandson visits and thought Emerson would enjoy it too.  So she brought it over for the weekend and we set it up in the media room.  In a matter of minutes the "castle" was inflated and ready.  At first Emerson was not sure about it... every time we have gone to a carnival or outdoor activity that has a bounce house she always refuses to go in.  This time was different though because she was more interested for sure.  Slowly she gained the confidence to give it a try and before we knew it she just wanted to play in her castle and bounce all the time!  :)   Here are a few pictures from last weekend of Emerson enjoying the castle and of the Paul guys!

Cam's Poor Hair!

I've had a productive day... it has been a really great day.  We had fun this morning going to the Arboretum, then enjoyed delicious BBQ at Spring Creek, came home and got both kids in bed for naps, while they napped I ironed some tablecloths, filled Easter eggs with candy, and filled the Easter baskets for the kids.  So after dinner I got to thinking that I could trim Cam's hair.  I had noticed that it was in his eyes and knew I needed to get it trimmed.  Without really thinking and acting rather impulsively, I googled how to cut hair.  Seriously, I did.  I watched a quick little video on tips for a successful hair cut and thought to myself, "I got this".  Well, I did not.  Poor little Cameron has now forever lost his sweet little baby hair that was so wispy over his eyes and his hair is crooked.  It looks like a chilly bowl gone very badly.  It looks like I cut a ton of hair, but I really didn't.  It was just a few little snips.  :(   So now we are going to have to get it fixed at a real kids hair place where they can fix the damage!  I just want him to look great for his Baptism, Easter, and his birthday.  I hope his hair will grow back fast!

Happy Update!  I took Cam to Cool Cuts on 3/11, a kid's hair place, so they could fix his hair cut and make it look better.  I was a little nervous he would not be ok with a stranger messing with his head, but he did so well.  He sat in a chair that was made to look like a car and we buckled him in without a problem.  He sat up and held my hand pretty much the whole time until he decided he was really interested in the steering wheel on the car.  No tears or screaming, just one cute and adorable little boy. :)  Here are the pictures from his hair cut.  

After having some time to adjust to it I absolutely love his hair cut, but it was so sad at first!  He looks so much older to me now.

Dallas Blooms 2013

This morning we went to the Arboretum to see the tulips and other flowers and get some pics of the kiddos.  :)  It was a really pretty day with the sun shining finally after having a couple of gloomy days, but it was freezing in the wind!  Still, we enjoyed our quick trip to see the grounds and snapped quite a few wonderful pictures of the kids.  They spent most of the time tucked under a fleece blanket in the stroller, but we got them out for pictures.   Emerson wanted to run around and walk, so she was a little perturbed with us for making her ride.  I'm looking forward to going back there this coming Friday and probably Saturday as well.  The weather will surely be better and more like Spring.  I want to get some pics for Cam's b-day invitation and Easter pics as well.  Since it was so cold we didn't take the time to get the Easter eggs out for pictures.  I didn't want little man crawling in cold and wet grass!  Below are the pictures we took... there were so many I liked and did not want to cut out so there are quite a few!!

We visited the Arboretum when Emerson was 10 months old and took this picture of her that I have always loved.  I thought about it earlier and got a picture of Cam in the same place.  :)

Here is sweet little Emerson at 10 months.  :)

I love this little boy so much.

I also love streams...

A sweet couple took our picture.

Daddy's little girl  :)

I like this one, too!  In the poetry garden entrance.

Tulips!

 Emerson running to give Daddy a hug.

More tulips

Such beautiful colors.

Our little princess... that is what she likes to be called.  :)

I could give him kisses all day.

My boys!

She always wants to touch the flowers.  :)

We really love looking at the flowers everywhere... the landscaping there is absolutely stunning always.  Soon we will go get some flowers for our house and garden area out back.  I am so glad that March is here!  :)  

Afterwards we went to have lunch at Spring Creek BBQ and all enjoyed the food and the FREE ice-cream.  Well, Frank and I did... I gave both Emerson and Cameron some and they were both disgusted with it.  :)

Cam's 10 month update!

February has only 28 days this year so Cam is celebrating 10 months today!  It is hard to believe he will be a year old in just two months!!  I have already started getting party stuff ordered and purchased and am looking forward to celebrating his first year!  He continues to grow so fast and is such a sweet little boy!!  He has become quite the stinker already too with his constant missions to explore every part of our first floor.  There is no stopping this little guy!!!  It has been a fun month for Cam... he has learned even more new things!

• Cam has gotten super fast with crawling and pulls up on everything!!!  It makes me nervous that he is so brave!
• He likes to try to put his fingers in to electrical outlets!!  We obviously stop him... no need to call CPS : ) 
• Cam just learned how to crawl all the way up the stairs for KK... Frank and I are just able to get a few steps out of him at night before he wants to move on to something else!
• KK discovered that Cam could feed himself the pouches of baby food.  She saw another young kiddo doing it and thought Cam could too, and was right!  He loves it!  We do, too!  It's a win-win!  ha ha...
• I really think he is actually saying "mom" and "momma" now... before I thought it was baby babble, but I think it is ligit now.  :)  He also does this lip smacking thing that is so cute.  
• He is a healthy eater... he has 3 bottles throughout the day, his first around 8am, then another at 2:30, and then 7:45.  He has a breakfast cereal, then 2-3 jars/pouches at lunch and then usually 3 things of food/pouches for dinner.  He loves the Gerber stars and gets cranky if we don't put lots of them on his highchair tray for him to pick up and eat!
• He is getting a little better with the sippy cup, but still not great with it.  
• He is getting over his first cold, but it hasn't been too bad... lots of snot to go with the never ending drool!!
• During the week Cam sleeps longer it seems (seriously... as opposed to sleeping longer Saturday or Sunday) and will stay in bed past 8 alot of the time, but on the weekends is up around 7:30.  He is taking 2 naps still... the first at 10 lasting until around 12 and again at 3 until 5 or so.  We get him in bed for the night around 8:30.  
• He enjoys the sleep sac for nighttime or nap time still and sleeps with a paci.  That is pretty much the only time he has a paci or if we are going to be in the car for a longer trip.
• Cam is getting bigger, but I am not sure what he weighs.  He seems to need 18 month clothes if it is Carter, size 12-18 for Gap/Target clothes.  
• He is wearing size 4 diapers.  

I have a few fun videos of little man.  He is just such a cutie pie:

Cam feeding himself a pouch!

Just crawling around to explore the house!

Cam was making some funny sounds.

Little man crawling and pulling up to stand so he could get the remote!  He actually walks along the furniture a little, too!

And here are some pictures from throughout the month... many taken on my phone!

 Our blue eyed sweetie pie!

Having fun being a boy!

Big guy feeding himself his bottle.

 I love these expressions!!  

He loves those pouches!

Could anyone resist that smile?

Our happy 10 month old!

He has grown so much!

House of Cards

Our world has been shaken with the news of Frank senior's cancer... Yet again when all seems well and we are busy living and enjoying life things change in an instant.  It seemed harmless enough... just another spot for the dermatologist to remove, or in this case a surgeon, but really it was just a glimpse into what was brewing beneath the surface.  At first it was dreadful news and I knew when Frank called me on his way home telling me his parents needed to talk to us together that it was cancer.  I just knew.  But we did not and could not have believed it would be as developed as it is.   Stage 4 Melanoma... How?  How can a person who is diligent about getting his skin checked have this?  How can a healthy man have this?  Of course, I know that has nothing to do with it... when Dad was diagnosed with cancer it was just as much of a shock... a man who ran track in his youth and college days, put on a few "healthy" pounds, but never smoked and hardly drank was diagnosed with esophageal cancer.  In this way it all sounds so familiar.  Frank's dad is healthy... he is an active golfer and is always doing something whether it is running up to Golfsmith (yet again!) or to Great Hills to see friends, he is out and about.  He is so cautious with his health and uses sunscreen but it seems that it was not enough to stop this.   I have done so much thinking about this... the unpredictability of life and how hard it is for me to accept not being able to control it.  I do everything I can to keep things in control in my life... I have schedules, routines, and plans for what I want to happen.  I want to plan for things to always be as they should in my mind.  I have such a hard time with the reality that it is not in my control.   What we have is this house of cards... we build it into what we want it to be with the hand we are dealt.  We build layers and fill it with so many things that are important to us... our families, our friends, memories... but at the end of the day it is all so fragile.  It feels like in an instant it can crumble.  I realize we are incredibly blessed.  We have amazing children and have loved and enjoyed every minute as we share our children with our parents and family.  Watching both my parent's and Frank's parents be grandparents and dote on our children has been truly wonderful.  I am fearful that this will change or I guess in a way I know it will change, though we do not know when.  While that is both obvious and inevitable as this is the way of life, I did not think we would be faced with this reality any time soon.  We pray daily and I know so many of my friends do the same... this is not in our hands and far from my control.  I need to find comfort in knowing that what is meant to be will be, but I am not sure I can. Please sweet and understanding family and friends of ours, please keep praying.  For now things are calm with Big Frank.  He is still tired and is taking so much medicine, but it is too soon to know if the cancer medicine is working.  And thank you to our family and friends for helping us through this.   I find strength in knowing my family and girlfriends are always there for us... It helps me to be there for Frank... I have expressed to many of you that Big Frank is pretty much Frank's best guy friend... they talk constantly about golf and what is going on... such mundane conversation to a non golfer, but to them recounting the shots on the holes at the course, what club was used, where the holes were placed on the greens, etc... this conversation is always special to Frank.  They share this bond and always have.