Cameron's 11th Birthday

I can't believe it, but my oldest son, Cameron, is now 11 years old. Time has really flown by and he's turning into a young man. It's amazing to think back on all the things that have happened throughout Cameron's life and I'm really proud of who he is becoming.

For Cameron's birthday this year, we had a family celebration on his actual birthday. It worked out that my dad was on a business trip the week of his birthday, and was able to fly in the day of Cameron's birthday. We went to the Mall of America to ride a few rides and have some lunch. Then, per Cameron's request, we had Papa Murphy's pizza for dinner and a Dairy Cream Chocolate Extreme Blizzard Cake for dessert. What a yummy combination!!!! It was a nice day and Cameron was really happy to be able to have his grandpa out to celebrate with him.

Then, the following Monday, Cameron's friend, Wes, from California came out to visit for 10 days (he's actually still here). They have been having a wonderful time, but that is going to be a different post altogether. This past Sunday, July 27th, we held Cameron's actual birthday party at Grand Slam in Burnsville. At Grand Slam the kids could play unlimited lazer tag, miniature golf, bumper cars, do the batting cages and play in the arcade. All the kids had a wonderful time! We also had pizza, pop and an amazing chocolate cake (that I made!) :-) I think Cameron had a really awesome birthday. Happy 11th Birthday, Cameron!!!

Chelsea's first camp experience

Chelsea just got home after spending 5 days/5 nights at Girl Scout Camp. She went to Camp Singing Hills in Waterville, MN (about an hour south of where we live). She had a great time, but was definitely ready to come home. I have to admit that I was ready for her to come home, too. It was hard to have her gone and not be able to talk to her. I think it would have been much easier for me to have her gone, if I were able to find out how she was doing. Anyway, she did fine and only experienced a few bouts of homesickness. I'm very proud of her!

She went swimming almost everyday, went kayaking, made crafts, tried archery, had campfires and made lots of new friends. Her camp counselor said that she was really quiet at first, but after a day or so, really opened up and had a lot of fun. Chelsea went with her friend Natalie, who she knows from school and her Brownie troop. They both had a great time and I'm sure will have many memories for years to come.

Madison's Accident

I briefly mentioned Madison's black-eye in my last post recap, but I thought I'd write a little bit more about Madison's accident-proneness. As you all know, Madison is my third child, and also the baby in the family. She also has no fear whatsoever. So, she gets hurt A LOT! Her most recent and most traumatic event ended up with my taking her to the ER this past May, the day before Mother's Day to be exact. I was sitting at the computer and she came running around the corner and fell into the wall, hitting the wood baseboard right above her left eye on her forehead. I didn't see her fall, but I heard it. She screamed for a good 10-15 minutes and Tony & I watched it swell right before our eyes. It was huge! We both decided that it necessitated a trip to the ER since it was so close to her eye.

So, I picked her up and got her ready to go (she was still pretty upset). We got to the ER and she finally calmed down a little bit. They were able to get us in pretty quickly and she was seen by the doctor. The doctor wanted her to try eating and drinking a little to make sure she could keep it down and after about 20 minutes, decided that she would be fine, not CAT scan would be needed. So, we left the hospital and as were walking out, she's skipping down the hall. That's when I was sure that she was absolutely fine! :-)

Within a few days, she had a black eye and then it got all discolored. The first picture was taken after 2 days and the other picture was taken a couple of days later. She actually still has a mark where she hit, but it's not too noticeable. Hopefully we won't have to make any more trips to the hospital any time soon.

It's been 4 Months - YIKES!

Okay, okay, I know that it's been four months and I've written nothing. I'm going to try to get better. I was just trying to follow in my husband's footsteps. :-) Anyway, there's been a lot that has happened, so I'll try to give some snapshots of what has happened during that time period.

March:
Got more snow on the first day of Spring (March 21)

April:

Went to the Minnesota Zoo during a break from school and their was still snow on the ground - YIKES!!!


For a preschool field trip, we went to the Minnesota Zoo again

May:
Chelsea and Madison both learned how to ride bikes, one with training wheels, the other without training wheels


We went on a 3 mile hike and picnic as a family for Mother's Day - it was a beautiful day!!

Chelsea finished her first year of Brownies and earned lots of "Try-its."

Madison "graduated" from her first year of preschool and we had a carnival celebration

June:


To celebrate the end of the school year (and summer!), we went to Wisconsin Dells for five days - we all had a blast! I can't believe I have a preschooler, a second grader and a sixth grader - where has the time gone?!


We went to see the Star Wars exhibit at the Minnesota Science Museum in St Paul

July:


Chelsea went to girl scout camp for 5 days/5 nights with her friend, Natalie and her friend's sister, Olivia

So, that's about it - your caught up. There were more things that we did. Such as: several boy scout camp-outs for Cameron; Cameron received his first rank advancement as a boy scout (Tenderfoot); My sister, Michele, came out for a visit :-); Madison got her first black eye :-(; and many, many other fun things. I'll try to be more up to date - I promise!!!

Only in Minnesota

I couldn't resist snapping this picture of Madison playing in the snow in a short-sleeved dress! Only in Minnesota do people jump for joy at the first 50 degree day since October of last year. Madison couldn't wait to get outside and play and even I have to admit that it felt great out there! The sun was bright, the sky was blue and it felt downright warm out there. Only in Minnesota!

Happy 4th Birthday, Madison!

Well, my baby, Madison turned 4 last Friday. I still can't believe it. It feels like just yesterday that she was just a tiny baby in my arms and now she is such a big girl. It's amazing how fast the time goes by. In a year in a half, she will be a kindergartner and that seems so crazy to me!

Anyway, she had a "My Little Pony" birthday party on Saturday. She had all of her friends from preschool over and had a great time. All the kids got pony headbands ("manes"), pony tails, and a hobby horse to take home. We also made flower wands and got "My Little Pony" tattoos. I made Madison a pink, glittery cake with "My Little Ponies" on top. It was a great day and I think all the kids had a great time. I know Madison did!

Happy Birthday, Madison!!!

Christmas

We had a whirlwind of Christmas festivities this year. It started on December 21, when Tony's parents, Don & Julie, his sister, Kelly & her daughter, Carley arrived at our house. They were followed by Tony's grandma, Juanita, later that same day. The next day we housed the family Christmas party at our house where we had 42 people altogether!! It was a lot of fun and craziness! During this time, Chelsea was down for the count with a horrible case of the stomach flu. She felt horrible for 2 days, but by Sunday she was pretty much back to normal.

On Sunday, we all went to brunch at the Mystic Lake Casino where Don & Julie were staying. Then, later that afternoon (during a snowstorm), Kelly & Carley left and then Don & Tony went to a Vikings game (during which the Vikings got clobbered!). The next day, Don & Tony took the kids sledding at a local hill and they had a blast! That night (Christmas Eve), my dad, Gary, flew in to spend 9 days with us. We had Christmas Eve dinner at the casino again and came back to our house to open a few presents. After everyone was ready for bed, Chelsea & I set out a plate of cookies & chocolate milk for Santa, along with a note that Chelsea wrote saying, "Dear Santa, Is Rudolph real? Yes or No (along with a checkbox). Love, Chelsea Cloyd." It was so cute!

On Christmas Day, we had breakfast at our house and then immediately began to open presents. The kids were delighted that Santa had made a visit and couldn't wait to see what he brought. They all seemed extremely happy with their gifts, as was I. I got an I-Pod Nano complete with an armband and a Nike work-out tracking device (Does this mean I actually have to workout?!) Anyway, I absolutely love it! Later on that day, Tony's parents and Grandma left and we had a relaxing, lazy rest of the day.

My dad stayed until January 2nd and we had a wonderful time, again, during his visit. We played ping-pong, played with the new Wii that we got for Christmas, went to the Mill City Museum, played Dominos & Yahtzee and went sledding a lot thanks to the 10 inches of snow we have on the ground. Did I mention that we got a white Christmas?! It was my first white Christmas ever and let me tell you it was absolutely gorgeous sitting inside and watching the snow fall on Christmas. I loved it. So, we had a great Christmas and New Years and, although I'm sad to see it come to an end, I'm looking forward to a wonderful 2008. I hope you have one, too!