Significant Developments

Our move to Boise coincided with....or precipitated....or accelerated... significant developments in both of our children.  Cam's developments have been primarily physical developments (with some social/emotional regression...) and Sophie's developments cannot be contained by any labels!

Cameron: He now walks about 50% of the time. His steps are uneven and paused, but he gains more confidence and stability every day.  He throws a ball with force and he can catch a ball almost as "well" as his sister!  He loves to drive a toy car on the ground and push it all over a room.  He eats like a football player.  But, we've had more difficulties with Cameron's crying lately.  He gets frustrated so quickly with meals, with transitions, with bedtimes.  He screams and throws major tantrums if he has a different dinner than the rest of us, if Daddy tries to put him down for a nap instead of Mommy, if he wants to crawl down cement steps but we pull him away... I think his frustration stems from his inability to communicate and his inability to walk quickly.  Needless to say, he has been a bit of a challenge of late.  

That said, he is still adventurous, mostly-jolly, silly, animated, and cuddly.  And he is just as enamored with his sister as ever.  Life in Boise has been amazing for Cameron because he loves to be outside, feeling the wind across his face, seeing dogs and birds and trees, and playing with eating dirt and water!

Sophie: Words cannot do justice to how this girl has developed.  Perhaps it's because she is officially 3.5 years old.  But, I think it's our move to Boise and the lifestyle that comes with it.  I'm actually overwhelmed with how to describe who Sophie is now.  So, some anecdotes:

A.  Our neighborhood is filled with lots of kids--mainly boys, mainly 5 years and older. That doesn't stop Sophie from putting on her helmet and riding her bike several houses down to see 'the crazy boys.' She has really befriended a  6-year old boy named Cooper.  She will run down to his driveway, talking to Cooper, his dad, and their dog. Cooper, his older cousin, and Sophie played a game of 'kick the can'.  Sophie ran around, squealing with delight like I've never seen her.  She was confident, silly, chatty... and her poor baby brother was so frustrated that he wasn't included.  

B.  On another evening, we had walked down to the neighborhood park.  Cam went to bed and the three of us then sat in the front yard.  We talked to neighbors (adults), and Sophie participated in every conversation.  Then she stood on our sidewalk and waved and yelled to every person who walked, ran, drove, or biked by.  She stopped a couple to tell them that their dog looked like a goat.  She told another boy that she used to live in Bellevue.  Then, Cooper came by and they did high fives and told jokes.  

C.  Sophie is adjusting well to her new preschool.  It is really different than her old school, but as the "new girl", she has shown confidence, poise, and strength.  Because the structure of the school is different than what she is used to and because she is the youngest student, there is more open time for students to interact and explore.  It sounds like a couple of the boys have been teasing Sophie a little bit---the Momma bear in me wants to take action, but I'm so happy that Sophie comes home from school and talks to me about everything--good, bad, and ugly--that happens at school.  Here is one incident that she narrated: "In circle time, this boy kept kicking me with his foot.  I asked him three times to stop but he didn't. So, I just stood up and I walked to another part of the circle by friends who wouldn't kick me."  Doug and I praised her for making a good choice and taking control of the situation.  She then responded, "I think that (boy) is probably telling his mommy what he did and probably he learned his lesson."  

D.  Sophie's facial expressions, hand gestures, sentence construction, conversations, and EVERYTHING ABOUT HER seem so old.  Tonight she told me "I think I'm done for the day."  Her imaginary games and pretend scenarios are so amazing.  She wants to know how everything is spelled, and she asks really perceptive questions about stories we read.  Nothing gets by this girl. She is 3 going on 13.  I know that I'm not being as descriptive as necessary to portray the dramatic changes in Sophie over the past month (The English teacher inside me is screaming at me to 'show vs. tell' in this blog post.). It's simply difficult to capture everything amazing about this girl.  She is growing up into the most amazing person, and she teaches me life lessons on a daily basis (especially when I'm feeling insecure about making new friends here...I just look at her...she's doing great!!).

In other news: We have made some friends (YAHOO!!!).  We explored the Boise Greenbelt last weekend which was beautiful.  Our noses and cheeks all got kissed by the weekend's sun. We also went on a morning walk through the creek/forest area behind our house.  As we were exploring, we heard a loud crash and turned around to see a bird falling with a major THUD right by us.  We aren't sure if the bird fell or was pushed out by these other squawking birds, but we came up with some great white lies to calm our animal and nature-loving preschooler... Also, the Boise aquarium leaves much to be desired, but Zoo Boise is amazing!

the view from our backyard of the farm 

Boise Photo Dump

Sophie loves "her" special landing on our stairs.  

Sophie's preschool is in the distance. 

After dinner at "The Merc" (neighborhood store/pub), we stretched the night out on the Village Green. 

Outdoor fun!

Sophie was actually a really big help in the garden; I was so appreciative of her enthusiasm for pulling weeds!

We are all less than impressed with Cameron's manners at the table. 

Our backyard faces the neighborhood farm; this afternoon, a tractor was out... the kids were in heaven. 

post-nap snack

Boise must win the award for most in-ground trampolines per capita.  Our neighbors have one...

... and Uncle Chris and Auntie Ali have one. 

The one day it "rained" in Boise, only two kids showed up for soccer practice.  Our Northwest girl wouldn't miss soccer b/c of some drizzle. 

more jumping

Cam was not interested in playing with Grady, Auntie Ali, and a new friend...there was a ball to throw. 

This kid actually has a pretty good throw!

Although I'm holding Cam's hand in this photo, he can walk unassisted about 7-8 steps at a time.  

We are expecting 80 degrees this weekend! There are times that it still doesn't seem real that I LIVE in Boise and that we really did move!  But, life is getting back to normal and I couldn't ask for 3 more wonderful people to share this adventure with!

CRW: 11 Months

My baby doesn't seem like a baby anymore.  He is a full-on boy.  He is days away from walking, and I'm already writing a list of first-aid items that I will need at our house to prepare myself for his rambunctious antics this summer.

He is big and active and independent.  He has a sense of humor, and he has figured out how to play jokes.  He tilts his head back with big laughs after he throws food. He giggles as he tries to feed me a toy car or a mushed up piece of banana from his fist. He rolls around and laughs when I tickle him and sing "Itsy bitsy spider." He can throw balls and toys with force (although they go backward).  He sticks his hands out to "catch" balls.  He has figured out how to crawl up into Sophie's bed all by himself.  Every time he crawls up, he squeals with delight and becomes a wild child! He puts his fist to his ear and pretends to talk on the phone when Sophie and I model for him.  He squawks back at Sophie's soccer practice when her coach yells, he meows or barks (more like squeaking) back at animal sounds, and he simply exudes joy when he "catches up" or "keeps up" with big sister.

visiting Boise aquarium

And our happy boy has finally said his first word, and it's the most important word for a happy life: Mama.  He will loudly yell my name when I come into the room and he'll crawl so quickly to me.  It's heart overload.

Cam = messiest eater on face of the planet.
Cam = biggest eater on face of the planet.
He screams at the top of his lungs if he isn't eating what we are eating. Oh, BOY.



Bathtime is his all time favorite thing to do and the squeals of joy and splashing provide much entertainment.

Oh, my oldest child....

On one evening, Cameron was crying in his crib.  I decided that he needed more bottle or a diaper change, so I headed upstairs.  The minute I opened the door, I realized he had fooled me.  His crying immediately stopped. He was standing up in his crib, and when our eyes met, he got a HUGE grin on his face.  He tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling and he produced a belly laugh.  I said, "Caaammmeronnnn!" and he raised his hand to reveal that he did have his binky in his hand.  He popped the binky in his mouth and then pulled it out again.  Then, he threw the binky on the ground and started to laugh again.  It's all a game for him!



This next anecdote doesn't demonstrate good parenting, but it's worth documenting.  As much I love and appreciate Cameron's discovery of jokes, I'm tired of him throwing food on the floor and laughing while I pick it up on all fours.  I've been introducing some minimal discipline by saying "no, Cameron" or shaking my head and using complicated explanations to make my 11-month old son understand how frustrating these meal routines have become.  This week, Doug was out of town, so I was eating dinner by myself with the kids.  Cameron was throwing his apple pieces all over the floor, and he was cracking himself up.  After 10 minutes of this, I scooped up all the apples, and said "Ok, Cameron.  That's it.  You're all done."  Sophie then said, "Sh*t, game over, Cameron." I looked at her in shock, and asked her what she said.  She replied, "I say 'sh*t' when something happens by accident.  Daddy says that. And the game's over because Cameron keeps throwing his food."  Daddy immediately got a text from Mommy....but if I'm honest, I bet I'm the one who badly influenced my 3 year old...

My boy won't sit still to read a book. He shakes his head back and forth and then tilts his head far to the side and gets a big, upside down grin.  But, he is an amazing cuddler.  He will crawl really fast to me, crawl up on me and nestle his big head on my chest and neck.  It's the sweetest thing ever.  A boy's best friend is his mother, right?!

I love his sheepish grin when he's proud of himself for doing something naughty.  He may not have many words, but Cam knows what he's doing.  He is going to be trouble!

At bedtime, Sophie and I both tell one another the best part about our day and the least favorite part of our day.  (side note: these conversations are amazing.) More often than not, Sophie's least favorite part of the day deals with something that Cameron did: "My not-so-favorite part of the day was when Cameron took my bunny" or "My least favorite part of the day was when Cameron ate Louie's cat food" or "My least favorite part of the day was Cameron ripping my book."

Oh, Cameron.  You are such a joyful son.  You make us laugh, you make us roll our eyes, you make us throw our hands up in the air, and you make us complete.  I love how you crawl really fast with your head tucked low when you're on your way to doing something naughty.  I love how you cuddle with me.  I love how you give me Eskimo kisses.  I love your runny nose and red cheeks.  I love how you work so hard to play with your older sister.  And I love how you have provided great distraction these past couple months as we've embarked on a major life transition.  I'm sad that you'll never have real memories of our Bellevue home, but I'm so excited for the life ahead of you here in Boise.

11 months old!