Cami is TWO!!!

This couple of years flew by fast!  Cami has brought so much joy to her brothers and parents. We're so grateful to have her in our family.  Just the other day she was pointing at a picture of Evan again, saying, "That's Evan."  Only this time she added, "That's Evan's body."  I wonder how much she knows or knew before she could talk.  How I would love to learn!
Anyway, here's a few pics of her birthday and a few before.  My camera quit working, so I had to use Jared's hunting camera.  Yes - he has a hunting camera!!

...Getting in the pink and preparing for the big day - painting butterflies and flowers to decorate her room!

On Dad's birthday, practicing before her big day, how to eat large quantities of sugar

Want a handful of icecream?
Without being asked, Cami automatically says "cheese" when she sees a camera.  I don't know where she picked that up.

Cake anyone?

Happy Birthday, Dear Cami!

The boys decorated their cupcakes with princess shoes, crowns, pearls, and apples.  Jace swallowed his in one bite, I think.

 



Dad made it just in time for cake.



She ate the icecream and just looked at the cake.  Perhaps she thought it was too pretty to eat.  I finally cut her a slice and she ate it like a princess :)



She had so much fun opening her presents!  She giggled and got so excited when she saw what was inside.  Raincoat from Jared's sister and cute cute outfits with matching hair bows.  She absolutely loved them!  She had to put the raincoat on right away and ran to her closet to get her pink boots to match.  Jared's parents got her a pink flamingo necklace that she wore to church and was a pretty pretty princess.  The gloves were from my family...

My sister found this baby doll, perfect for Cami.  You can never have too many babydolls! Cami loves that she can take the shoes on and off and change her diaper.  She's even potty-training her baby on her little pink toilet.
We gave her a baby doll-size port-a-crib to put all her dolls in, and Lance picked out a purple dinnerware set with Tinkerbell on it.  (the pink one had The Little Mermaid on it.  She only knows who Tinkerbell is)  When we put her bowl and spoon out for her, she exclaims, "It's Tinkerbell!"
Cami is such a delight and we're so blessed to have her!

Day 13, Gratitude Journal

 

Happy Birthday, Dear Daddy...

1. I'm grateful that Jared was born 34, I mean 35 years ago today!  He had to correct me today about his age.  Man, he's getting old!
2. ...And for the happiness that he has brought to my life.
3. I'm grateful for the hard worker that he is.  Even when he's so tired that he can't stay awake.  Even for his own birthday. 




Waiting for Dad to wake up to open his presents:
Pistachio nuts from the kids, a dress shirt and tie
from me, Tupperware bowls for making deer/elk
jerky from his family, a T-shirt with a buck on
it from my family, and...

"Utah Deer Droppings" that my mom found.  Jace's friend was over, and wasn't sure what to think.  We played it up.  (Chocolate Covered Peanuts)
Yum! How we've missed those droppings!



When I asked Lance to make Dad a card, he had this great idea to make a card with a picture of Dad's elk on it.  I found him one of Jared out in the mountains with his elk, but he didn't want that one, he wanted the one of Dad putting "Phillip" up on the wall (as you can see, far right).  Then of course, Kyle wanted the exact same picture for his card to Dad, but he let me do another one of him with his Dad, and the card making fun began...  There's even one from Evan, blowing up birthday balloons (3rd from Right, with Jace, for Jace's 4th BD)
L to Right: Daddy and Cami during brother's soccer game, Jace with results of a hunting trip with Dad, Us on our second honeymoon in Vegas just before moving here...
The middle pic isn't a card, just one that Lance and Kyle both wanted for each of their shelves, and Lance used for the birthday dinner centerpiece.  It is Jared with "Phillip", just after they met in the mountains.
Then Evan and Jace getting ready for Jace's 4th birthday party, Daddy carrying Kyle to the top of a hill in Utah for sledding, and the hanging of "Phillip".

Day 12, Gratitude Journal

My Gratitude Journal was haulted due to the Christmas rush.  Aaah!  Back to it...

1. I'm so grateful for time off work and time off school.  The kids start school again tomorrow, and they probably would have missed it if Jace hadn't said something today.  As we were enjoying lunch together today, I told the kids how nice it's been to have them home and isn't it nice that we have a few more days left before school starts again?  And that was when Jace had to inform me that they're back tomorrow, on Dad's birthday.  I thought, since we had our own holidays coming up (Cami's birthday is the day after Dad's), that the school district would acknowledge these important days and keep the kids out just a couple days more.   It's been so nice!
2. I'm grateful for clean rooms.  With the break off school, Jace and Lance were able to declutter their desks and anything else that needed it.  Jace got to decorate his room a bit more with his artwork.
3. Frozen Dinners.  Yesterday was so nice to come home from church and stick the second half of a recipe I made a few weeks ago in the oven, and take a nap!
4. Leftovers - I know I've gone over the 3, but tonight was super nice because I didn't have to cook dinner with all these leftovers!  More time to paint pink butterflies!  More on that later... I've even got pics of the boys painting pink!