Cameron lector

I sure hope it's not a sin to sneak out your iPhone and record your daughter as she's doing the second reading at Christmas Eve Mass. I just couldn't help myself.





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Christmas day 2011

Christmas morning came bright and early right on schedule. The girls were awake before seven but waited to come in and wake us until 7:15. I think they even woke their brother.

As usual Bryan made them wait before going into the living room to see if Santa had visited our house.

Of course since they have been such wonderful big sisters, Santa had plenty of reason to leave them what they asked for. Brenna got her Nintendo 3DS, Cameron got a Vera Bradley purse, and Douglas got a crib mobile with a book.

Douglas loves his soft car toy.

Cameron really scored big this year. She has been asking for a cell phone for a long time. Bryan and I kept putting her off, because we didn't think she needed one. She has been very responsible this year and we agreed it was time to take that step.

Bryan turned the phone on and hid it in the Christmas tree. We meant for it to be the last present of the morning, but when I suggested she open the "big" present first (meaning the big wrapped box) he misunderstood and called her cell phone.

Unfortunately I didn't have the video running, because when the phone started to ring she figured it out immediately and became quite excited. Maybe that should be hysterical.

There was only one problem. She couldn't find it. She and Brenna were tossing about all the presents underneath the tree, but they never thought to look in the branches, and she was too excited to stop and listen and figure it out! Eventually she did and I was surprised that she was able to put it aside to open her other presents.

I think my favorite gift exchange was Brenna giving Cameron a necklace she bought at the school holidays store. She was so genuinely excited about Cameron opening it. It was a very sweet moment between sisters.

Everyone had to help clean up afterwards. We had a breakfast casserole and got ready to pack because we were going to Silver Belle Ranch for a few days.

Getting everything together for ourselves and the baby was quite a chore and it wore them out.

We made a short stop at Colonial Oaks to visit Granny and Merr.

After our visit we headed west arriving at the ranch just as the sun set. Lisa's family arrived just after us, but David's family came the next day because Alexander wasn't feeling well.

We had a very nice Christmas day!

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The Christmas Season

It finally started to feel like Christmas on Friday because Bryan was off work. We took Cameron to the church to practice her reading, and she did a great job.



Then Bryan and Brenna went to the mall to buy a few last-minute gifts.

We continued our family tradition of driving around and looking at Christmas lights that evening. McDonald's has a really yummy peppermint mocha right now. We saw some beautiful displays in the neighborhood.

Saturday was Christmas Eve and we spent the whole day in the kitchen making Sunday's breakfast casserole, sausage cheese balls, pecan pie, merry cherry fudge, and banana nut bread.



Despite a drizzly rain, the 6 pm Mass was quite crowded. We arrived early-about 5:25- to make sure Cameron checked in on time. We were in our traditional seats in the front left center pew when Cameron processed in.



I could tell she was a little anxious about lectoring, but she did a perfect job and looked beautiful (and so much older than 12) in my red sweater and her black Douglas was awake, but quiet during Mass.



After Mass we came home and got ready for bed. Brenna and Cameron put out the cookies and milk.



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A big hit

Lisa invited the girls and Douglas to her house this morning to decorate Christmas cookies. We baked gingerbread men and sugar cookies the night before to bring to her house. Surprisingly the decorating went very smoothly, and the kids played nicely afterwards. Lisa, Leah, Mom, and I had a nice visit together. But Douglas was the big hit!


All the cousins wanted to play with him. Paige kept saying "baby" and Daniel just had to hold him. He sure loved his boy cousin.


Even Laurie wanted to play with him.


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Here Comes Santa Claus

Today I took the girls and Douglas to see Santa Claus. We've had the same Santa Claus for the past 11 years and he has always done a really great job.

Santa arrived at the mall at 10 AM so we got in line at nine. We were surprised that we were so far back in the line, but it turns out the first people in line had been there since 7:30!

Since we are expecting to wait, the girls each brought a book. Douglas took a nap. We woke him up just before we got to Santa.

As I've done in years past, I took pictures of the girls -with Douglas- in front of the Christmas tree.



Douglas turned out to be a little trooper waiting to see Santa.



Brenna told Santa that she wanted a Nintendo 3DS. Cameron told Santa she didn't want anything this year, and we didn't think to tell Santa what Douglas wanted. I thought the picture turned out great!


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Pumpkin Patch 2011

We couldn't let another year pass by without a visit to the Pumpkin Patch! This tradition started when Cameron was about 8 weeks old and I use the annual photos to measure the girls' annual growth and visual changes.

We put off taking a photo this year until after Douglas arrived. Since he was almost two weeks later than originally expected, I was beginning to wonder whether we would be able to pull it off before the pumpkins disappeared. However, this Sunday afternoon turned out to be a beautiful day, although a bit overrun with mosquitos. We managed to get some great photos of the kids. (How strange to say "kids" instead of "girls" now.)

This is Cameron's first Pumpkin patch photo since she began wearing glasses in August, but they don't hide her beautiful blue eyes at all!

Another year older, Brenna still has her confident smile.


Welcome Douglas! Only nine days old, this will be the first of many years of "birthday" photos for him.

These girls really love and dote on their baby brother, sometimes to the point of arguing over who gets to hold him and rock him.

While at the CLUMC pumpkin patch, a lady offering "free photos" asked if she could put my son in a basket. We didn't know at the time that she is a kids photographer just giving back to the church. These next two photos are from my camera at an off-angle from her, but you can see how she carefully placed him in the basket.

I must say that in other photos, his little ears have never stuck out like they appear here! It must be the angle I took the photo. I never would have thought to put him in a basket like this. How creative!

I can't wait to receive the actual pictures taken by the photographer tomorrow or the next day. Depending on how she captured the image, I may consider using one of these for his official birth announcement.

Happy Mothers Day

Everybody slept in at SBR this morning. I shared coffee and conversation with Dad while Mom fixed breakfast and the girls worked on a special banner.



They also drew several pictures for me.






Dad & I went out to the new 78 to move the bulldozer and take out a gate, replacing it with barbed wire. Bryan and the guys have strung wire with Dad before, but this was the first time I helped alone. The hardest part was pounding the metal stakes into the dry, hard ground. When we started it was very nice outside -overcast and not terribly hot, although the dust gets into everything. In your nose, mouth, coats your skin & clothes. We were coated with dust and sweat before we finished and the sun burned off the clouds letting the sun beat down.









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Location:Silver Mine Road Harwood,Harwood,United States