Thanksgiving Program

The Kindergarteners at Elise's school put on a fun Thanksgiving program. Doesn't Elise make a cute pilgrim?

Pure Joy

I love this picture of Steven. He has a look of such joy on his face, and the cute gap between his teeth makes me laugh. This might be one to frame so I can look at it when he is being a stinker!

6 Months

Where has the time gone? I can't believe this little guy is 6 months already! He is such a sweet and happy baby. He has a very mellow personality. He definitley likes attention and likes to be held, and will talk and coo away to anyone in sight. Here are some facts about Cameron at six months:

1. He has been rolling over for several weeks now.

2. He likes to suck on his toes. It cracks me up!

3. He weighs over 20 pounds. His six month check up is still a week away so I don't have the exact stats, but at 5 1/2 months when I took him to the doctor he was just about 20 lbs exactly.

4. He is a very smiley little guy.

5. He can balance while sitting for very short periods of time so he can't be too far from sitting well by himself.

6. He is not a fan of naps. He often only naps twice a day for about 1/2 an hour each time. It's a good thing he is happy or this might really do me in!

7. He loves to sit in his exersaucer, and will sit in it for an hour or more (once again, this is a very good thing due to his lack of napping).

8. He has the best laugh ever. You just have to hear it, I can't describe it, but I love it!

9. He is VERY ticklish.

10. He is fascinated with his older siblings and loves to watch them.

I'm Kara Miller and I Approve This Message

I've decided that someday I am going to run for public office and my entire platform will be this: STOP DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME NOW!!!! I don't know anyone who really loves it, but when you have small children it is even worse. Cameron has been up at 3:30am two mornings in a row now, and Steven has been up at 4:30. Yep, I'm tired.

The Big Three

I can't believe it, but Steven had a birthday and turned three. Where has the time gone? Steven is great to have around because he always keeps things interesting. He has a lot of energy and we have fun trying to keep up with him. He loves to play outside, LOVES riding his scooter, and also loves picking flowers and watering the plants. He also is starting to take and interest in drawing and coloring, and he is very proud of his "art work." He is very affectionate, and has a definite "A list" of people to whom he is very loyal. He thinks the sun rises and sets over his big sister Elise.

Steven is also good at causing mischief and getting into trouble. We are hoping this is part of his terrible twos phase that he will be outgrowing soon. His talking and communication is constantly getting better, and he is learning that being able to communicate makes life much easier. He loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Dora the Explorer and Special Agent Oso, and he takes extreme personal offense to the whole concept of commercials. How dare they interrupt his programs! When Steven is happy he is very very happy, but when he is sad he is also very very sad. Happy Birthday Steven. We love you!

Initiative

It is kind of interesting to me how each of my kids are so very different. For example, if Elise wants something like crackers she asks for it. If I say yes she can have crackers but I don't get them for her she will sit there and wait until I do or ask me to get it for her. If I tell her she can get a cracker herself she'll tell me she's not sure where there are, she isn't sure if she can open the box, etc., etc., etc. If Steven wants a cracker he takes initiative and just gets one. He doesn't ask. He just pushes the chair over to the cupboard, climbs up on the counter, gets the box down, opens it and starts eating crackers. Funny how they are so different.

Yesterday Steven put a piece of cheese in his mouth and decided he didn't want it so he spit it on the floor. I told him in my most stern voice, "No! That is yucky! Pick it up and put it in the trash." He looked at me and walked around the corner. I was ready to chase him down and bring him back when he came back with the broom and dust pan in tow, ready to sweep up his cheese and put it in the trash. He had gotten into the cleaning closet and gotten both out by himself. Now that is initiative. He is one funny kid.

Halloween

We had sort of an animal theme for the kids costumes this year. And it cracked me up because when I was looking at the pictures today it struck me that each of our kids had an animal costume that sort of fit their personality.

Elise, the beautiful, colorful, vibrant and creative butterfly. In true puppy dog style, I couldn't get Steven to sit still long enough to snap a photo. He is full of energy and constantly on the go, but is also very loyal and affectionate to the ones he loves.

Besides the obvious "milk" reference, he is HUGE and solid like a cow. And have you ever seen the milk commercials that say "happy cows come from California"? Well, he is definitely a happy California cow.

Three Little Pumpkins

Cute Little Kindergartner

Isn't Elise a cute little Kindergartner? She had her very first school photos a couple of weeks back, and they happened to occur while I was at the hospital with Steven. I didn't have very high hopes for the pictures since Dad would be getting her ready. Chris is actually good at quite a lot of things, but I am pretty sure that fixing hair is not one of them. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Apparently Grandma stepped up and got her ready for picture day and the pictures turned out very cute. Thanks Grandma!

AWESOME

Last night Elise and Cameron were asleep by 6:15 and Steven was asleep by 6:30. "Awesome," I thought. And awesome it was. That is until 5:05 this morning. Definitely not awesome anymore.

4 Months

Cameron had his 4 month check up last week, and the doctor told me he is the average height and weight of a 7 month old. He weighs 17 pounds14 oz. and is 26 1/2 inches long which puts him in the 90% for both height and weight. I think he is going to be a big boy!

At four months Cameron is generally a very happy baby and either sleeps through the night or wakes up one time to eat. He is really close to being able to sit up and balance on his own without tipping over. He is grabbing things and very interested in toys. He also loves it when Elise and Steven talk to him, and he has the hugest smile. He is such a fun baby to have around!

Yes I Did

I just had a piece of lemon pie for lunch. I hid from Steven while I ate it, in part because I wanted him to eat his healthy lunch, and in part because I didn't want to share. Yes I did, and it was so worth it!

Cutest Cow

Isn't this little guy the cutest cow around? His big brother and sister are definitely convinced of that fact. I must hear them say "Awww.... he's so cute" at least three or four times each day.

Making Mischief, Breaking Stuff and More by Steven

A couple of weeks ago we had quite a hard week. Most people who read my blog probably already know the whole story so I will spare you the details, but for anyone who doesn't know we'll just say it included a trip the emergency room, an ambulance ride to transfer to a different hospital in L.A., a minor surgery, a 3 night stay in the hospital in a shared room with a screaming two week old who had just had surgery..... what more can I say? Well, there actually is much more to the story. Lots of little details that made the whole week one I do not wish to remember. But like I said, I will spare you the details. We survived the week... barely. And Steven is fine and has recovered well. However, I have definitely decided he is my little trouble maker. He has these two shirts that I think sum him up perfectly, and I think that I have decided when he outgrows them I need to frame them and put them above his bed or something of the sort.

Shirt #1: Mischief is My Business and Business is Good

Shirt #2: Whoops! Sometimes Stuff Just Breaks.So there you have it. Steven in a nutshell!

Summer Catch Up: Elise's Birthday Celebration

Elise was asking for a birthday party this year that included more than the people who lived with her, which we have never really done. I had a brilliant idea and talked her into an early birthday party at Nana and Papa's house with Nana and Papa, Uncle Adam, Hannah and Aunt Kathryn as guests. She couldn't have been happier. She picked out a butterfly cake from a book that she wanted and my mom and I did our best to recreate it. She had a pinata, and she kept saying, "Mom, will everyone jump out and say surprise?" So even though it wasn't really a surprise we did it and she was thrilled. It was funny that she acted totally surprised anyway... funny girl!

A family picture from our excursion to Shasta Dam that morning.