I have not yet figured out how to put the pictures on from my new IPAD but I am slowly getting more familiar with it. We had an awesome Christmas this year, the best ever in my opinion. Joe woke Cammie and I up and she was so excited to see all her presents. Mom and Dad and the Great Uncles came over to open gifts and have breakfast with us which was lots of fun. Gary told the funniest story about a lady flying with her cat. We went to the Beadenkopfs after that and ate way too much. Cammie got even more gifts and Andrew made us a wall hanging out of a window frame that is perfect. We had a mini open house that evening and had a great time visiting with the Cellinis, Donna and Bill, Daniel and Kristen, Alice and Mike, Emily and Edd, Mike and Donna and Meaghan, Rick and Nathan. I was sure Cammie would crash when everyone left, she laid in bed and watched the winnie the pooh movie and then wanted to play so we were up til about one. So needless to say I did not do any shopping today. Joe and Cammie went out for a bit and I got some of her stuff put away. Trying to psych myself up to start a diet since I am totally disgusted by the scale numbers. Got lots of plans for the new year so we will be getting very organized and hopefully much healthier!

Merry Christmas to all!

Cute Christmas Program at School!!

Monday I made another trip to the post office but went to Eldersburg so it went much smoother!  The Woodbine PO is horrible.  Cammie entertained the cashier by singing jingle bells for him so he enjoyed that.  We went to the library and then I was informed that she had to have burger/fries before school or she would be very upset.  I'm sure you can figure out what we did then.  After I dropped her off I did some Christmas shopping and now I am officially done except for some gift cards that I need to pick up.  Tuesday was the Christmas Program at school and that was really cute.  They sang some songs and did a little skit and then had an ice cream social.  So sweet.  Got some grocery shopping done today and just trying to get the house in order for the big weekend.  Also trying to keep the wild woman under control.  She loves Christmas lights and she understands about Santa.  She still doesn't want to sit on his lap but she definitely wants to be on the nice list!!

Still waiting for Santa

Business as usual in the frenzy leading up to Christmas.  I just can't believe that is almost here.  All three of us are finally recovering from some cold/flu/grossness that we probably picked up in Disney or on the plane.  Wednesday I felt like death and had a fever so I missed the annual executive board dinner and poor Joe had to go by himself.  I felt a little better on Thursday and Cammie went to gymnastics and then we did some running around.  I think we have also finally recovered from the great tree fall of '11.  The Christmas tree is tied to the wall and has showed no signs of movement since the other night.  On Friday I made a run to the post office to ship Lab Rescue calendars and ended up being there over an hour as the computer crashed halfway through.  Ugh.....  Joe called while we were in the PO and asked for some Mucinex so we took a trip to see him.  Cammie loves seeing the boys at the firehouse and she had fun talking to Mr. Boz.  After that I apparently went insane because I thought it would be ok to run to Columbia Mall.  I just had to go to Disney store and Build a Bear.  I parked somewhere near our house I think and had to walk forever.  The place was crazy and we were lucky to make it out intact!!  Saturday my Mom and Dad picked up Cammie and took her to their house so she could help them decorate their tree and she enjoyed that.  We ran some errands (crazy on a saturday) and grabbed a bite at Glory Days.  YUM!  Now I am just making sure I can fit everything I need to in this next week.  I am so dreading a trip to the post office tomorrow.  I only have about 30 orders to ship but after friday.... I tried to ship them Saturday but we got to the PO right after it closed.  I just want to take this moment to say to our mailman, I think you are the biggest douche.  And I'll leave it at that.  Today we had a good family day, Donna came over to make sugar cookies and then made us chicken and dumplings for dinner.  That's always a way to get on my good side!!  Our friend Heather stopped by to drop off a plate of cookies.  She's awesome and I love that Cammie calls her Feather.  Well enough rambling for now...... Night!!!

Is Santa coming tonight?

That is the question of the day/week/hour!  Cammie understands Christmas this year for sure!!  Saturday we met Jennifer, Brooke and Alyssa at the Lyric to see Phineas and Ferb Live.  It was SO awesome!!  They did a really funny show and I would love to see it again.  I hope when it finishes they do it at Disney.  It was hysterical.  The grownups were laughing just as hard as the kids.  I won't bore you with the details of our lovely drive to and from the city.  Just one word should cover it... yikes!  Sunday Joe got some OT or Mickey Money as we have been calling it! So Cammie and I went with the Beadenkopfs to cut down a tree.  Cammie found one and Daniel cut it down and Paul drug it to the truck and then later Daniel brought it in for us.  It looks really good.  It's been a while since we have had a real tree.  Donna and I made chocolate chip cookies all afternoon Sunday and Cammie helped.  She especially liked taste testing the chips before we put them in.  All together I think we made 4 double batches and they are so yummy.  Then everyone came over for chili and left right before Joe got home.  Trying to stay on the diet while baking cookies is hard!!  They finally turned out the way I like them this year and I believe that it is because of the mixer!  Cammie went to school today and I went to Weis and the post office.  I save 95 bucks at Weis!!  Got a huge cartful of food!  Trying to get organized in sending out the Lab Rescue calendars too.  So lots going on as usual!!  I'm trying to keep up!!

Needing to feel some more magic.....

Is there an official term for needing a vacation after your vacation?  We have been crazy busy since we got back.  Cammie went back to school on Tuesday for Blue day.  Luckily I called Mollie before I left and we did a quick change from a pink sweatshirt into a blue mickey mouse one and Joe grabbed her blue ribbon from the horse show for show and tell.  The rest of the day passed in a flurry of unpacking and balancing the checkbook.  Sigh......  Wednesday we took Cammie for her speech evaluation and she did fine with that.  The therapist said she is age appropriate and gave us some exercises to do with L words.  Sadly she has a true blue Bawl-mer accent.  I passed my mammogram, YAY and got my bloodwork done.  Been thinking a lot about getting the spinal cord stimulator done.  It is supposed to relieve a lot of back pain which would be awesome.  Next time I go to pain management I am going to go for it I think.  They do a two week trial first which is nice so you can find out if it works or not.  Thursday Cammie went back to gymnastics and did well there.  She really likes it.  We hit Walmart afterwards and picked up some good deals there.  In the evening we dropped Cammie off at Donna's for a little while and intended to go to Home Depot in Eldersburg but somehow we ended up eating dinner at Chilis and then going to the Walmart there and found some more deals.  In between all the running around we have been getting the house decorated and we have more lights on Osbourne starter kit!  I am hoping to stock up on after Christmas sales.  We went to the dentist today and Cammie got a full check up and cleaning.  She did really well.  Our hygenist is super nice too!  We <3 you Heather!!  There may be the start of a cavity on one of her molars though so we need to keep an eye on that.  Just trying to get organized and clean some and get prepared for Christmas.  We keep reminding Cammie that Santa is watching her and got an idea today to change the ringtone for the house on my cell phone to a Christmas song and put a picture of Santa as the contact icon, so we have already had one call from him to find out if a certain someone was behaving herself.  Trying to get my coupons organized too, as we are both on a diet officially and I want to be thrifty with money and food!  Wish us luck!!

Back to reality.........

We pulled off another awesome Disney vacation thanks to friends and family!!  Here's all the news that is fit to print!
November 29th Tuesday
We met the O'Neills, the Uncles and LouLou at BWI for a 7am flight to Orlando.  A little valium and a cocktail on the plane plus a smooth ride made for a pleasant flight.  Cammie slept for a while too so that was also nice!  No turbulence and an easy landing made us very happy.  We were met by Tiffany Town Car and we all piled into the van and headed for our grocery stop (a great way to stock up on snacks and drinks and save some big $$$)  the driver dropped us and the uncles off at the Boardwalk Villas first and then dropped everyone else off at Coronado Springs.  We checked in and my Mom and Dad met us there.  We then got Cammie's annual pass (this is her first trip that she had to pay for admission!)  Our room was ready so we headed up there to unload our baggage.  After that we all headed for Hollywood Studios by boat and into a beautiful warm sunny day!!  We met everyone else there and rode the Toy Story Mania ride which is FUN!!  We had lunch at the Catering Co. with Brooke and then Cammie and Brooke played on the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground.  We caught a few songs by Mulch, Sweat and Shears and did some dancing in the streets and then roamed around for a bit.  The highlight of my trip was meeting Phineas and Ferb and getting my picture with them.  It was really funny when we were standing in line because I asked Jenn if my hair looked ok and she informed me that I was meeting cartoon characters and not the lead singer of Creed.  I told her that I was only asking because we were getting our picture taken and she needed to keep up because now my band is NICKELBACK!  We also met Jake from Neverland Pirates.  Tried to get on Toy Story Mania again but the line was crazy, then tried to do Backlot tour but when we got up to the gate Cammie had to pee.  This was our first diaper free disney trip so it does take some getting used to and you really need to be proactive with the bathroom stops so that you do not wait in line only to have to step out for a potty run.  We watched Voyage of the Little Mermaid which is really good.  We really like the puppets in there.  We all met up again and got coffees and sodas and we saw SANTA!!  A real Santa, Cammie and Brody got to meet him and we reminded them that Santa is always watching them, even on vacation and we actually saw that Santa a few more times and some other ones too which was really helpful when reminding them of the fact that they needed to be good!  We stayed at Hollywood Studios until they turned on the Osbourne Lights and we walked through those.  That makes the whole trip worth it.  One of my favorite parts!!  After that we took the boat back to the Boardwalk and ate a late dinner at Big River Grill.  They have an awesome beer cheese soup and they offer a DVC discount.  We sat outside on the boardwalk and they turned on a heater which made it perfect!!  We made it back to the room where Joe fell asleep while Cammie was in the tub and I was shooting water all over the bathroom.  Yikes!!  The Uncles were out having a good time and we never even heard them come in!
November 30 Wednesday
Woke up, got ready and got some coffee on the BW and hopped a bus to the Magic Kingdom.  Got my awesome travel agent friend Elyssa to make dinner reservations for thursday evening for Gary and Michael at the Prime Time Cafe.  Breakfast was at Crystal Palace and we picked the perfect time because there was barely anyone in there and we got LOTS of face time with Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet.  Pooh picked Cammie as his partner for a parade and Pooh and Tigger were chasing Cammie and Brody all over the restaurant.  Eeyore gave out lots of hugs!!  It was so fun!  Piglet did some flirting with Uncle Munckle!  We all ate far too much but it was delicious.  After all that breakfast fun we did some rides.  Joe and Cammie got on Aladin's Carpet and we all walked through the Treehouse and rode the Jungle Cruise.  Caught the end of the Pirate Tutorial and then some got on Pirates ride.  We found the fairy section and met Viddia and Tink.  Cammie liked chatting with Viddia but didn't want to meet Tink.  I got my picture taken with her and I look like a giant beast next to her!  We took the rafts over to Tom Sawyers Island which was fun  then Joe and Cammie got on Dumbo finally!!!! They also did the Merry Go Round.  We all got on Space Ranger Spin and then watched Mickey's Philharmagic which is Cammie's fave.  We headed for Trails End for dinner after that and that was fabulous as usual.  It wasn't crowded either and we ate too much (seemed to be the trend) and then we walked around the campground and looked at Christmas decorations.  Another fun tradition that we are doing!  It got pretty chilly so we boated back to Magic Kingdom and then caught the bus back to the BW.
December 1st Thursday
Got up early and hit Animal Kingdom when it opened at 9am.  Headed right for the safari and walked right on it.  All of the animals were out and we saw the baby elephant.  Too cute!!!! After that we walked through the trail and saw all of the gorillas including the baby there too!!!  Very sweet!!  We didn't see the meerkats out this time which seemed strange but during the safari we did catch a lot of giraffes walking around.  Spent a little time at the Conservation Station.  Watched It's Tough to Be a Bug and got on the Dino ride with Cammie.  We had lunch at Pizzafari and then Joe, Cammie and I headed back to the room for a nap/shower.  Cammie fell asleep on the bus back!  Once we were refreshed we headed to EPCOT by boat for dinner at the Garden Grill which was a HUGE disappointment.  First they lost our reservation and then it just went downhill from there and I am not a fan of the rotating portion of the meal.  Bleck!  We did meet Chip, Dale, Mickey and Pluto so Cammie enjoyed that.  After dinner we joined the O'Neills and LouLou, they had dinner there too but we couldn't all sit together, and we headed for our premium seating at the candlelight processional.  Michael W Smith was the narrator and that was pretty neat.  They had a choir and told the story of Christmas and Jesus in verse and song.  Cammie liked the Halleluah Chorus!  We had to sprint around the world to make it there so it took a while to recover from that!  We stayed for Illuminations and Joe and I had not seen that in a while so that was a treat!  Cammie loved it.  Oh, the reason we had to sprint to the Candlelight Show was because we snuck in a ride on Soarin'.  Cammie really loved that.  I think that is now her favorite ride!!
December 2nd Friday
Walked to Dolphin to try to catch bus there and ended up hopping on a Mears shuttle to take us to the Contemporary for Chef Mickey's breakfast.  That is the BEST!!  We got our Mickey waffle fix again and blintzes and everything else.  Basically had to roll us all out of there.  It was pretty crowded so we didn't get any special treatment there but it was still totally worth it!  Caught the monorail to the Polynesian and walked around there a bit then walked over to the Grand Floridian, just looking at Christmas decorations and enjoying the gorgeous weather!  We saw Cinderella's coach at the GFlo which was really cool.  Saw the gingerbread house there also and then caught the monorail back to MK.  We rented a stroller for Cammie and then got on Space Ranger Spin and the People Mover.  Then the kids got pictures taken with Buzz.  Got on Peter Pan, It's a Small World, Dumbo and watched Philharmagic again and met Rapunzel.  We lunched at Starlight Cafe.  Watched the castle get lit then bussed home.  Cammie fell asleep on the bus.
December 3rd Saturday
Boat to EPCOT for Soarin', Living with the Land and Nemo.  Took the Uncles to the place to try all the different cokes.  Saw Pooh and Tigger in UK and Alice in Wonderland and Aurora and Marie the cat.  Went back to BW and Joe and Cammie got in the pool which Joe said was freezing.  No nap that day so we just hung out at BW and ate at Big River Grill and did a little shopping and played arcade games.  Also had Fish n Chips for the first time. YUM!!!
December 4th Sunday

Headed to MK and got pastries on Main Street.  Rode the People Mover and watched Philharmagic again, then met up with the Uncles in EPCOT.  We got Orange Chicken in China.  SO GOOD!!  Back to room for nap, then back to EPCOT for Fish n Chips and french pastries for dessert.  Did a little shopping and then watched Illuminations again.  Back to the room to pack. :o(

December 5th Monday
Got up and finished packing.  Did our baggage check with Southwest at the resort and then headed for Downtown Disney.  Yet another gorgeous day!!  We all met up at T Rex for lunch and then did a little shopping before the van picked us up at 2.  Got to the airport and then had an uneventful flight home.
Great vacation!!!!! Already have the next one planned!!

Gone to Disney........

Thank you Elyssa!!  We'll talk to everyone when we get back!

Counting down to Disney!!

This time next week we will be in Sunny (hopefully) Orlando.  Today we are in Rainy Woodbine. Blah!!  We have been scarily productive lately!  We got some mums planted in the new bed by the driveway, the dogs all got a much needed spa day on Friday, got some shopping done, Christmas shopping is almost complete, got the Thanksgiving Turkey already (31 pounds!!!!), and got lots of cleaning done!  As much as I hate to rush the seasons I am kind of anxious to decorate for Christmas for some reason.  I think it is because we don't have a lot of Thanksgiving decorations yet.  Each year we have been adding to our holiday collection!  Yesterday while Cammie was in school Donna and I ran some errands.  We went to Yankee Candle to use our buy two get two free candle coupon!!  Then we hit Baughers for some Thanksgiving supplies (YUM) and Safeway too.  Then I had my best coupon haul yet at CVS.  I got 2 6-packs of Pediasure, 4 bags of candy (for Christmas really!!) and 2 tubes of Colgate all for $19.81 and I got a $10 gas card back, so really it was only 9 bucks!!!  Go  me!!!  We have been rocking the couponing lately! 

Cammie and I had to pick up Brady for school today and it was so cute, when he got into the car Cammie looked at him and said, "What's new Pussycat?".  I laughed so hard!!  Then they walked into school under her umbrella holding hands!  Too cute!!  Well I'm off to get some cleaning done while Her Highness is at school!! 

Diva-licious!!

Dress up is still favorite game to play!  Had our first parent teacher conference and we have to take Cammie for a speech evaluation.  I have that scheduled for December 7th.  We are gearing up for our trip to Disney and doing some serious couponing!!  I am getting better at it and have had some pretty good hauls!  We are having Thanksgiving here and we are also looking forward to that as well. 

Snowbunny

Cammie had a good couple of days at school.  Parent teacher conferences are next week so I am sure we will hear about how spectacular our little prodigy is!  I don't know if I am becoming more organized or am just managing to get more stuff done but I am doing it!!  I have been in contact with my new best Disney friend!  If you need to book a Disney trip she is the woman to do it.  That is all that she handles and she is great.  Cammie had gymnastics today and did really well.  Her and Morgan were the only ones with Ms. Roz so they were loving all the special instruction!  Now Cammie is looking at some of our old Disney photo albums and asking why there are no pictures of her.  It's so funny.  She is very excited for our next trip!!  Only 19 days away!!

School picture!!!

What do you think of our little cutie???  She looks like such a ham in the class picture!  She is so funny!  For Halloween she was a funky fairy princess and loved it.  We went to Donna's and walked around her neighborhood, Cammie wished everyone we passed a Happy Halloween and loved knocking on doors and getting treats.  It was lots of fun.  They had a little Fall Harvest Celebration at school and she enjoyed that too.  In gymnastics Cammie and Morgan got moved from Busy Bees to Tumble Bugs!!  So that means that instead of Missi and I chasing them around the gym, we get to sit in viewing section and watch!  The girls did really well last week and didn't seem to miss us at all.  On Saturday Donna, Cammie and I went to the Craft Fair at the Hoco Fairgrounds and that was nice.  I got a couple of things but some of the stuff that I liked was too expensive and some stuff you just want to make yourself.  We took some pictures of things that we want to get Andrew to make also.  That morning a transporter dropped off Simon a 6 year old black lab (that was around 1045) and he was going to be our foster but before he even arrived he had two appointments set up to see him.  The first family came at around 330 and they loved him so they spent some time with him and then ended up taking him home so we had a very brief foster period with him.  He was sweet but very stressed out, no wonder though since he had just been dropped off at the kennel by his family the day before and spent the night there.  We also had a visit from the Merkels, Sharon, Ken and Becca stopped by on their way home from hiking.  It was really great to see them and hang out for a bit.  Cammie loved playing with Becca and was very excited that Becca brought some toys to hand me down to her.  She calls Becca "Backup" and wanted her to have a sleepover!  We haven't really gotten to see them since we moved so that was great!  I miss them!  On Sunday Alice and Donna came over so that we could make applesauce and my parents came over to play with Cammie.  We peeled so many apples.... ugh!  We made a ton of applesauce though, it should last the whole winter for sure!  Fixed a ziti for everyone for dinner and then was ready to crash for sure.   Joe went to work today and Cammie went to school so I had a little bit of free time while she was in school, I went to the library (heaven when I have time to actually look around!!) and then I went to Walmart (hell because it was so crowded).  I just had to get some necessities.  I am getting on the ball with organizing my coupons and I am going to spend some time on that tomorrow.  I got back to Cammie's school a little early and it was actually really nice to just sit under a tree and read for a bit outside.  When we got home we stopped by the pigs and fed them some apples which they seemed to enjoy and then we had to stop by the goats (they had gotten out of their yard when we were headed to school so Cammie wanted to make sure that they were all OK) and then when we got the mail Cammie was THRILLED to receive her new Teddy!  She hasn't put him down since then.  We played with the dogs for a while outside and watered the flowers that are left blooming and she actually crashed early tonight.  I am headed for bed myself now!

Happy Halloween!

I know I've been bad again but I'm going to get better I promise!!  I have some ideas I want to share so hopefully that will keep me on top of things!  It's been a busy few weeks.  We are really getting into the swing of school and Cammie seems to really like it.  She had her first field trip to a pumpkin patch and her favorite part was riding the bus!!  Joe and I celebrated our 12th anniversary this past week and we had dinner at Chiapperellis with Matt and Jenn to celebrate that and Joe and Matt's birthdays!  It was so yummy and so was dessert at Vaccaros afterwards.  Cammie is loving gymnastics still, or 'nastics as she called it.  She had an Uncle Gary day last week so that we could do some grown up shopping. She had lots of fun with him and he did as well.  She also really enjoyed our first snowfall yesterday.  She woke up shouting that it was snowing and that winter was finally here!!  It snowed all day and she loved going out and playing in the "winter"!!

Picture Day outfit!

Last Thursday Cammie had a great time at gymnastics and then since it was such a gorgeous day out we decided to go to Summers Farm Adventure in Frederick.  It is so much fun and they had a bunch of baby animals there that were so cute.  Cammie also liked getting a loud "hee honk" from the donkey.  She liked the slides and the mazes and of course the jumping pillow (pics on facebook).  Joe and I are in the process of mastering the budget and savings.  We've been watching Extreme couponing and trying to figure out a way to make it work for us.  Joe ended up working OT on Friday so Cammie and I ran some errands and then stopped by Station 3 to see him for a bit and then we went to Ms Sue's to get a hair cut.  Cammie walks in their house like she owns it and starts yelling for Bill!!  It was funny and since then she has been wanting to "do hair" which really just consists of brushing mine which actually feels pretty good.  She pretends to wash it and braid it too.  Saturday Joe had to work so I spent the day cleaning, Cammie uncleaned and then I re cleaned on a vicious cycle.  Leslie stopped by on Dreamer and Cammie loved that, especially when Les let her ride around the driveway a bit. 
Sunday, The O'Neills came over for dinner and that was lots of fun!!  It is so great to hang out with them and we did some planning for Disney!!  The trip will be here before we know it!  Monday I dropped Cammie off at school and then did an awesome stocking shopping trip at Food Lion, I got an overflowing cart of food for $137 and saved $85!!!  They did have a lot of great BOGOF deals but I was still impressed with myself! 

Tuesday was yellow day at school for Cammie and she wore her yellow Perry the Platypus shirt and took a toy school bus for show and tell.  However when we got to school after she had been excited to see her friends and right when the teacher was saying hi to her, she hid behind me and had the lip out and the face and the tears and was crying that she didn't want to go!  And she didn't want me to leave her there.  ACK!!  Mrs. Woodward is so nice though, she picked her up and got her to help get the play doh out and told me she would call me in ten minutes if she didn't calm down.  I waited 15 and got no call so when I went to pick her up she was fine.  The teacher said she was fine as soon as she got in the classroom.  She did inform me on the way home that I should not have left her while she was crying.  Soooo I'm not sure what that was all about.  She did get her flu mist on Monday after school and she didn't like that at all, said she would rather have the needle.  Next week is field trip to a pumpkin patch and she is going to be so excited to ride on a school bus!! 

The rains have come again and the past two days have been miserable.  Got a lot of cleaning/organizing done yesterday with a lot of help from Joe!  Today we went to 'nastics and Cammie did well, even swinging on the rope which she said she did not like.  At least she tried it!

Our Princess

The days just kind of whiz by!  We've been decorating for Halloween and fall already and Cammie loves it!!  She has changed her plan to be a pirate princess and now wants to be a funky princess.  So we are working on that.  Loving the cool weather and we just got a solar hot water system put in so hopefully that will save some $$ and take us off the grid a little. 

Red day at school!!

Yesterday was Red Day at school and Cammie loved it!  She wore a red Mickey shirt and took Clifford for show and tell.  She has been full of songs that they are learning and has been singing Thank You Laura, but I'm thinking it should be Thank You Lord?  Since it is a christian preschool and all.....  It's very cute.  She loves learning new things and meeting new friends.  Yesterday when I dropped her off I didn't even get a kiss goodbye, she just headed for the door and informed me "you need to leave now Mom".  Ugh.....  I went to Toys R Us and got some early Christmas shopping done.  I'm trying to get it all done before we go on vacation this year!  Wish me luck.  Poor Joe has had a busy busy week and it doesn't look like it's going to slow up soon.  I'm trying to clean and organize some more today, I got the fridge cleaned out so that made me feel somewhat better!!

Sigh

Well I am trying to develop some sense of organization slowly here.  I don't know why I am finding it so difficult.  Cammie had a cold for a couple of days and missed a day of preschool (or what she refers to as playschool).  She is doing very well at it and she really likes it.  I can barely get her to give me a wave when she goes into the classroom.  I'm still working on the time management part of my two and half free hours and trying to get errands done.  Joe has been busy at work and ended up having to take a class all weekend.  We did get to go to Mary's on saturday night to have crabs with Theresa while she was in town.  Cammie enjoyed playing with Philip and Zach.  She thinks crabs are yucky though.  We'll have to work on that.  Donna came over to visit Cammie on Sunday, we were going to go there but someone through a hissy fit and wanted to see Aunt Donna but did not want to leave the house.  Then Daniel came over and took her for a quick ride on the four wheeler so she was a happy camper.  After they left Jimmy and Brandi Wilson brought their dogs Dexter and Shiloh over for us to petsit.  They also brought the girls which thrilled Cammie to pieces.  She had played with Abby earlier in the week when Jimmy brought her out but now she got to play with Abby and Lily!!!  She has a new best friend in playschool named Lily also.  Tomorrow should be cute, they have to wear something red and bring something red for show and tell.  I suggested that she take Clifford the Big Red Dog stuffed animal and she informed me that "That's a great idea Mommy, you are so smart your highness".  She makes me laugh out loud so often. 

Can't believe it's almost fall!!

Well it's been raining a lot off and on and it got cooler so the stinkbugs haven't been as bad.  Thank goodness!  Last week Alice and I took Cammie to Baughers to see the animals and we found out that Peaches the bull died on 9/9. :o(  So sad and not sure why.  We had a YUMMY lunch at the restaurant and someone took a nap on the way home.  On Saturday I was supposed to take Cammie to Donna's so I could go to the retired guys crab feast but Cammie had some tummy issues so I didn't want to leave her and I wasn't sure if she was getting sick or not.  She felt better around dinner time so Donna came and got her and took her for a couple of hours so I could get some stuff done.  It's amazing how much you can accomplish in a short time!  Laundry, folded and put away, floors vacuumed, dusting, bathrooms etc!!  Today Kristink came to watch Cammie and the dogs so we could go to a Lab Rescue fundraiser at Barrel Oak Winery in Delaplane Virginia.  It was fun.  The winery is dog friendly and was so pretty and the people were very nice.  We didn't do any tasting but we did get two bottles of wine that sounded really yummy and are looking forward to trying them.  I wish they were not so far away because it was definitely a place I would like to return to.  I have a couple of nice pictures that I will post on facebook.  We had dinner at Donna's and now Cammie and Joe are fast asleep and I am headed there myself.  Hope everyone had a nice weekend!!  I'm loving these chilly nights and cool days!!

Bad bad blogger.......

As I have been recently reminded I have been a very bad blogger....  I have been trying to get organized as well trying to keep up with the wild child but enough excuses.  We have been busy and Joe and I are trying to become more thrifty and save money.  Cammie started preschool and likes it alot!  The above is a picture from her first day last week.  She does preschool two days a week and gymnastics once a week.  We may throw swimming into the mix later since she has been asking for that again.  I promise I will update this more frequently!!

Our princess.....

We finally got some much needed rain the other day and now it is thundering again.  Not sure what is going on since it's still sunny out so we'll see!  This week has flown by in typical fashion.  Sunday, Leslie stopped by with Cabella (Clyde is in love lol).  Then the Fishers came over for dinner and then Bill and Donna came over for a bit.  Monday we went to Kohls in Ellicott City (in between monsoons) so I could get a couple more of the clifford books and stuffed animals to stash away for Christmas.  Of course it's tax free shopping week so the shopping center was mobbed, we were looking at shoes for Cammie also and we liked (and so did she) the light up skechers but was a little hesitant to buy them since they are expensive and she is in between sizes right now so we found a cute pair of jumping beans tennis shoes that were on sale for 20 bucks.  When we went to check out the cashier said if I used my kohls card I could save 15% so I figured what the heck and then she used a discount she had so I ended up paying $9.34 for them!!  I wish we had gotten the skechers!!  Oh well.  After that we headed for Columbia mall.  Chick FilA for lunch (YUM) and then some walking around.  We did go to Build A Bear and Cammie picked out a bunny and a cute outfit for it, then we found a cute shirt at the Disney store to put away for Christmas.  I am planning on being done with Christmas shopping before we go to Disney!  So yes I am starting now!!  Tuesday we met the O'Neills at Chuck E Cheese in Annapolis and that was fun because Cammie was really missing Brooke and Brody.  AND we got a big stash of hand me downs for Cammie from Jennifer!  We are set!!  Wednesday we ran some errands and Donna and I took Cammie to Baughers and we petted the animals and then got some peaches.  Joe and I are going to make pies this weekend and freeze them.  I want to do some canning next year but I think I need a mentor or something for that.  We went to Ms Sue's for Joe and Cammie to get a hair cut also and Cammie hung out with her best friend Leslie and Ms Sue's cats.  Poor Joe had to go back to work today so Pudge is really missing him.  Cammie is too, she keeps asking where her Daddy is. 

Horsin' around!

Summer is flying by and we are still valiantly battling the stinkbugs.  I pulled up some of the garden the other day and we have traps set out but it's like emptying the ocean with a teacup!  Cammie had a busy week, she went to the Howard County Fair twice and was in her first horse show on the 7th.  Leslie did an awesome job with her and she entered four events and got first place in one, fifth place in two and sixth in one.  So she got four ribbons to bring home and show off.  Joe's been off for the whole week thanks to a very painful nerve block that I got on Tuesday and back to back kelly days.  He's been getting a lot of stuff done around the house to include building some shelves in the garage.  We are trying to find lots of stuff to sell in a yard sale next month.  The sign language class started again at the library and Cammie loves that and gymnastics ended for the summer but starts again in a few weeks.  She is going to continue through the fall and hopefully get some more swimming lessons although I'm not sure if it would be better to wait til spring at this point.  I want to find things to keep her busy though!!  Well she finally crashed early tonight and Joe and I have already enjoyed a soak in the hot tub so bring on the rest of the exciting Saturday night!!!

Cammie loves to garden!

The summer is just whizzing by and the stinkbugs are taking over our garden.  ICK!!  We've been trying all sorts of things to kill them and they have proven to be scarily hardy.  Joe has a catch and kill system going on but there are so many that it's overwhelming.  I keep threatening to set fire to the garden to kill them before they start flying around.

We have set in motion to get a solar hot water heater installed and that should be pretty interesting.  We ultimately want to get solar panels installed on the detached garage but the plan that we had initially wanted to go with changed drastically so that will have to wait a bit.

On Wednesday Cammie, Donna and I went to a puppet show at the library in Westminster.  I have never been to that library and it definitely has the best kids area.  They have all sorts of things to play on and play with.  Cammie really liked it and she loved the puppet show.  Friday we ran some errands and I went to TJ Maxx because I was looking for a button down shirt for her and they were having a great sale.  I've never really shopped in there before but I will go back for sure.  I got her a few things to grow into!!  AND I found a button down shirt!  Today Joe had to go back to work but he's off all next week so that will be nice.  My mom and dad came and took Cammie to the Howard County Fair and she loved that.  She got to see all the animals and get on a bunch of rides.  It seems like it's going to storm so hopefully we will get some rain!

Hot Rod!

Happy August!

The 3 Musketeers!

So Joe and I aren't sure if by keeping the wild woman busy we are entertaining her or building her endurance.  Yikes!!  To bring everyone up to date, here goes!!  My parents celebrated their anniversary on July 11th.  YAY!!  We went to the Winfield carnival with Timmy, Steph, Tanner, Missi, Mike, Morgan, Owen, Mr Mike and Mrs Marsha.  It was lots of fun until a storm came through and everyone ran for their cars.  Friday night Missi, Mike, Morgan and Owen came over for a cookout and that was lots of fun.  Cammie and Morgan played and had lots of fun!  Sunday we went to the HoCo fairgrounds to watch Leslie in a horse show.  We all enjoyed that and Cammie liked hanging out with Bear.  Monday was lots of fun too, Cammie wanted to have a pickwick so we went to Cunningham Falls and ate lunch and then Joe and Cammie went swimming for a while.  She loved it and she did so well in the water!!  Going to start more swimming lessons and riding lessons also! 

The garden has been doing OK, we've been getting lots of zucchini and I've been making lots of zucchini bread which is in our freezer and Donna's too.  We are starting to get cherry tomatoes too so I've been looking for recipes for them.  They started work on the project at the bottom of the driveway and it looks better already, all the weeds are gone and the footers for the new walls are dug.  I'm excited for it to be done and looking good!  Andrew and Donna came over the other day so Andrew could help Cammie do her stepping stone project.  It looks really nice, now we just need to find a place to put it.  They also brought 5 goldfish that I think Kristink won at the carnival.  Today there is just one lone goldfish left.  Ugh....  It's starting to get really hot and humid so we are trying to plan some water activities.  We got spoiled by the last couple of weeks, it's been hot but not as humid.  A big storm came through yesterday afternoon and brought some much needed rain!

Cammie is 3!!!!!!!

Been bad and busy again!!  On the 28th Ms Sue came and picked Cammie up and took her for the whole day!!  They had so much fun swimming, playing at the park and coloring.  It was so nice to have a day to myself!  On the 29th Cammie had her last swimming lesson of this session so Joe went to see it and she did so well.  She loves swimming around with the noodle and she went up and down the pool again, showing off for Daddy!  Cammie and I went to Annapolis for a pain management appointment in the afternoon and the next day Joe had an appointment at the podiatrist.  His foot has been bothering him so the doc gave him a brace to sleep in and he says it helps some.    July 2nd, Cammie went back to gymnastics and that was a little different, different kids and different teacher.  I like the week day class better and I like the instructor better.  On the 3rd we went to Donna and Bill's for dinner and that was yummy.  On the 4th we went to a BBQ at Meaghan and Rick's.  The 5th we did a bunch of shopping for Cammie's birthday bash and on the 6th we all had appointments to get gorgeous with Ms Sue.  Cammie and I went over first because Joe was meeting with a rep from State Farm.  They are going to have to fix the Journey again, the tail lights are popping out and some other stuff is falling apart.  While I was getting my highlights Joe and Cammie went swimming and when Mr Bill got home he got in the pool with them and Cammie was very concerned because he just jumped in with his shorts on.  On the way home she kept telling me that Mr Bill went swimming with his pants on. Thursday Jimmy Wilson stopped by to see Joe on his way home.  It's so nice to have people stop in and say hi!! On Friday the 8th Dee and Steve dropped Smokey off for us to watch while they go on vacay and everyone was glad to see him (even Pudge a little)  of course it was raining.  Daniel and Kristen came over for a  little bit to drop off some tables and chairs and then Alice came over for a sleepover!!  Cammie has actually been falling asleep in her bed on her own a couple of nights.  She eventually ends up in our bed but at least she starts out in the right place!  Saturday morning we got up early and started the full swing of party prep!!  We were cooking and heating and picking up stuff and dropping off the dogs at the kennel and then people started arriving!!  Luckily Leslie took Cammie to gymnastics for me so I got to get some stuff done while they were gone!  So many people came to help up celebrate!  We had so much fun and it was so great to see some people that I haven't seen in a while!!  Cammie got tons of presents and everything was really cool!!  Sunday we hung out a bit and played with some new things and then in the afternoon we went to Brady's birthday party and that was lots of fun too.  Cammie liked getting in the pool with the other kids.  Today she went for her 3 year check up and she was diagnosed as a happy healthy smart three year old!!  She is 39 1/4 inches tall and 38 pounds!!  Bring on the rest of the summer!

The Three Amigos

The past couple of weeks have flown by and I have been very bad at keeping all of Cammie's fans updated as to her activity.  The week of June 13th pretty much passed in a blur.  Joe was working everyday that he was supposed to be off doing HVO training.  Tuesday we went and had lunch with him after going to the park.  Thursday we went to Chapel Hill Farm with Jessica, Jayden and Aunt Debby.  Friday Cammie had another swimming lesson and she swam the whole length of the pool and back with just a float and a noodle.  Saturday we went to Kaileigh's birthday party at Mary's house and then to the Browns for Kristen's graduation party.  Both were lots of fun.  Joe had off for Father's Day which was nice and then Monday morning we left to meet Jenn and Matt at Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg.  That was LOTS of fun.  The ride down was pretty stressful.  Someone screamed for about an hour and then fell asleep ten minutes before we got there.  We hit the waterpark and had fun!!  We had a late dinner at Jungle Jims,  I got the best Chipotle Lime BBQ wings.  I think I would eat just about anything if it was in that sauce.  YUM!!  Cammie finally passed out at around 11 and we all slept in Tuesday  morning.  We headed to the O'Neill's room and then went to the waterpark again.  We got chinese take out for dinner and poor Joe had talked all day about kung pao shrimp and they screwed his order up and he got cashew chicken.  Wednesday we left for home around 1130 and Cammie was good for a while.  The GPS took us some horrible route through Richmond and then through DC.  Thanks a lot.  Cammie screamed for a while and then fell asleep at 29 and 70.  Sigh....  I had told Kristen that we wouldn't be home until the next day by mistake so she thought something was wrong that we were home early.  She came by after work to pick up her things and then Paul, Jessica and Logan came over for a little bit.  Cammie liked playing with Logan.  Friday my Mom and Dad came and picked up Cammie to go to the Land of Little Horses.  They had a full busy day and lots of fun.  Cammie really liked it.  Saturday we had dinner at Woodbine Inn with Bill and Sue Rosier, Leslie, Ben and Mama Rita.  It was so much fun and they got me some cute gifts for my birthday!   We stopped at Donna and Bill's on the way home.  Yesterday the Fishers came over for dinner and that was lots of fun.  Joe cooked a roast on the grill and I used my new kitchen aid mixer to make mashed potatoes and we had yummy corn and Granny Franny made a delicious blueberry cobbler for dessert!  Cammie loved playing and showing off for Poppop Fish and Granny Franny!  Today we have just kind of been hanging around.  Not very much motivation left.

Busy busy busy!!!

Cammie's latest project is trying to teach the dogs to jump through her "hulee" hoop.  They have all walked through it but it's really funny when she tells them to jump.  I wish I could speak dog because I would love to know what Bailey was thinking.  Last Thursday was Cammie's last gymnastics class and they had a little ceremony which was so cute.  All the kids stood on a podium and got a medal.  I forgot the camera and didn't even think of using my phone. Geez.....  Friday Cammie and I went to the library and then to see Joe at the firehouse.  Cammie had fun playing ball with the "boys".  Today we have been hanging out at home, Joe is working a trade so he hasn't been home for a while.  I got a ton of cleaning done and we have been outside a little bit, it's been really hot and humid.  We have also been watching for the giant groundhog that we saw last night in the strawberry patch.  I don't want to run into him again!  Other than that not a whole lot has been going on.  Potty training has its good days and bad days. 

Carnivals have started!

Thursday we had a busy day!  Gymnastics in the morning, then we all went to Ms Sue's to get our hair cut and mine highlighted.  Joe and Cammie ran some errands and then she fell asleep in the truck so he hung out and chatted with Bill.  That evening we met Timmy and Tanner at Gamber's carnival and the girls had so much fun!!  They got on so many rides and laughed the whole time.  Cammie beat a bunch of people (including an older man) at this one game and won a big stuffed dog, then she won a little pink bear by throwing a dart to pop a balloon and she gave it to Tanner which was so sweet.  She also won a goldfish, which we put in the Rosier's pond.  A good time was had by all!! 

Friday morning Cammie had her second swimming lesson which went really well.  Afterwards she told me she needed to pee on the potty and she did it on the big potty!!  Potty training has been going so so I guess.  She does really well at times and has no interest in it at others.  Joe did some more work on her swing set in the evening and she got to swing a little bit.  Of course she fell backwards off the swing and bumped her head on the ground but she cried for a minute and then wanted to get back on the swing. 

This morning I dropped Cammie off at Emily and Edd's and I went to help at the Lab Rescue Dog Walk in Annapolis.  There were so many people and dogs there, it was great!!  It was such a nice day too!  The person organizing it (Carol Lagundo) did an awesome job!!!  AND we raised a lot of money, surpassing the goal that was set even before the event!!! 
Looking forward to having an uneventful day tomorrow.  I just want to hang out and get some stuff done at the house and chill out with Joe and Cammie and the beasts!!! 

Our future soccer star!!

I can't believe it's June already!! Saturday we had a cookout and Alice, Donna, Bill, Daniel, Kristen and Paul came over to eat and hang out.  All the food was so yummy and we had a really nice time.  Sunday Joe had to go to work so Cammie and I just hung out and then he got OT on Monday so we went to see him at station 9.  Cammie liked that a lot and she liked seeing Daddy get dressed to go on a call.  After that we were going to go to the playground but it was too hot so we went to see Donna for a little bit.  Paul fixed the bed cover on the truck for me since it started to blow off for some reason when I was on 29 so I had to pull over on 70 to take it off.   That was fun.  Tuesday we went to Jones Junction Toyota and got an 11 Camry SE that is so pretty and has lots of fun features.  It was the first time I ever got a car off the showroom floor.  Cammie was really good the whole time we were there, and then Joe left with her while we were waiting for the car to be detailed and the power went out in the building.  Luckily it didn't affect me but I was definitely ready to leave by the time they were done.  Today Joe got a couple of hours OT, it's his kelly day so Cammie and I hit Walmart for a bathing suit and then we went to her first swimming lesson at the YMCA.  She did so good and I really like the teacher.  I think it will be good to have the individual instruction too.  Her next lesson is Friday and she seems excited about it.  After that we did some stuff in the garden and made a trip to Home Depot.  Joe grilled some burgers for dinner and we got to soak in the tub and enjoy an adult beverage.  Good day and a nice evening!!

Fun at the park

The week has flown by as usual.  Sunday my Mom and Dad came and picked up Cammie to take her to the Clark farm.  Joe got some stuff done around the house and I went to the adoption day in Frederick.  I also came home with a lovely foster dog named Honey.  She is a doll!  She has two possible visits for this weekend so I'm thinking she will be adopted soon.  The only strike she has against her is that she is 11 but she does not look or act like it.  Monday Cammie and I spent recovering from the busy weekend.  Tuesday Joe had a class in the morning and we went and looked at Toyota's in the afternoon.  Wednesday Alice came out to watch Cammie so that Joe and I could go to Atlantic City for a timeshare deal.  The stupid garmin took us way out of the way on the way there but we made it.  The sales guy wasn't bad, he looked like The Situation (I don't watch Jersey Shore but I know who the people are from the gossip mags).  I kept waiting for him to pull up his shirt and show off his abs.  He was nice and not aggressive.  He showed us around the place and we were unimpressed.  Then the manager came over to talk to us and he was an ass.  Luckily we only had to spend about ten minutes with him.  He kept trying to tell us what we could and couldn't do with our Disney Vacation Club and how this other deal was so much better and how we could take all these vacations every year but they would cost extra.  It took about two hours and then we got our gifts, which were 4 round trip airline tickets to a bunch of possible destinations and a 3 day/2 night vacation to a choice of about ten different destinations.  There were also coupons for free stuff to use in Atlantic City also but we just really wanted to get out of there.  We made good time coming home and stopped at the Avenue in White Marsh and had dinner at the Tilted Kilt which was really good.  Poor Joe though was having issues with his contacts all day and couldn't see very well, he didn't realize that the waitresses wore sexy outfits so he was like, I can't believe you brought me here and I can't see anything!!!  Our waitress was really sweet and I got a cheese steak which was good and their fries are really yummy!  Oh and their crunchy potato chips are awesome too.  They have some drinks that sound really good too. We walked around for a little bit afterwards and then headed the rest of the way home.  This morning Cammie had gymnastics, where she had fun as usual.  She and Morgan were so cute running around and holding hands.  It was sweet.  We came home and had some lunch and then she got in the kiddie pool that Aunt Alice set up for her yesterday and played in there for a while.  It turned super hot all of the sudden so we didn't stay outside long and the dogs haven't wanted to be outside much at all.  I also booked our airfare for Disney this week!!  Joe has been laughing at me because I'm so excited about the deals that we got.  He and I only had to pay $5 each for our round trip tickets, thanks to Southwests rapid rewards.  Then I booked Cammie's and Matt and Jennifer's and the kids and Jennifer's friend and got a 20% discount off of all of them, thanks to a coupon from Uncle Gary but it was an awesome deal!!

Fun at Chuck E Cheese!!

Saturday I met Kristen and Chad at Chuck E Cheese so they could take Cammie there.  She had fallen asleep on the way there and when I went to take her out of the car seat she got so excited to see Kristen.  She didn't even look back!  I ran a couple of errands, went to CVS and got a bunch of stuff, spent $34, saved $37 and got 10 extra bucks!!  Then I just hung out and walked around the stores in the shopping center.  It was nice being able to take my time and look at stuff.  I was going to go to Harbor Center but I didn't feel like dealing with traffic.  Cammie had so much fun she chatted all the way home about everything they did.  This morning my Mom and Dad picked her up to take her to the Clark Farm.  Joe got to do some stuff around the house and I went to the Adoption Day in Frederick.  A lot of dogs got adopted this week but not many got adopted at the event.  I came home with a foster named Honey who is very sweet.  She is 11 years old and just a doll.  Pudge even likes her and he only tolerates most other dogs.  Daniel and Donna came to see her tonight when Daniel brought his car back over.  Got some random stuff planned for this week but I think I'm going to take it easy tomorrow.  Yesterday the truck door blew shut on my knee and it hurt so bad I thought I was going to throw up so it's aching pretty bad and so is my back.  I'm falling apart!!! 

Always ready for Disney!!

This week just flew by and it was really crappy weather all week.  Weird weather too, storms, then sun, then rain, then wind.  Then repeat.  Joe and I started putting Cammie's swing set together which has been kind of fun, in a twisted sort of way.  Thursday gymnastics was lots of fun and Cammie did really well.  I can't wait til they post the summer schedule.  I also need to call to check on her swimming lessons.  My to do list is needing a little updating I see.  Today Cammie and I road tripped it over to see Jennifer, Brooke and Brody.  That was lots of fun and I got a jug of sangria to take home!!!  Cammie did not want to leave at all.  We have a busy weekend ahead of us if everything goes as planned.

Rocking out with the microphone

Had a good day yesterday too!  We picked up Alice and went to see Uncle Gary in Cinderella.  It was really good and we had a lot of fun.  Cammie liked clapping with everyone and once when Gary walked off the stage she said (loudly)  Uncle Gary is gone!!  She made it through most of the show, all but the last 20 minutes or so.  Then we went to Chaps to pick up food.  Joe had seen it on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives and wanted to try the Raven sandwich.  Funnily enough it is in the parking lot of the Gentleman's Gold Club.  We saw a huge woman walking in there with see through tight white "leggings" on and black undies that I don't think were supposed to be a thong but they were.  I tried to take a pic but there were too many people around.  Anyway, we made it home and Cammie stayed up til about 10. I guess she wanted to see the Survivor finale too.  Today we have been putting together parts of her swing set which hasn't been as bad as I expected but still not something I want to do again.  Tomorrow I've got doctors appointments so that should be another fun filled day!

I know it's been a week!

Monday and Tuesday we got tons of stuff done out in the yard, to include finally getting our garden in!!  Cammie planted a bunch of flowers (pictures are on facebook) which she loves to water.  Thursday Alice and Matt came out to watch Cammie's gymnastics class and of course they did a bunch of other stuff first in the class before they got to the gymnastics part.  Friday morning Joe went to a meeting and when he got home, I went to Target to pick up a few things. Today we went to Tanner's birthday party and had lots of fun.  The pool portion got rained out but they got someone to come in and make balloon animals and Barney even showed up!  It was really nice and they had tons of yummy food!  Cammie had so much fun!   She is passed out now and we got to soak a little in the hot tub.  Night!!

Our future farmer

Had a great day today!  The weather was so nice too.  Joe got home from work finally this morning and we went to drop some things off at the Bennett's farm.  Bruce wasn't home but Ms Kate was.  They have a baby goat whose Mama died so they are bottle feeding him.  He was so cute, he played just  like a puppy.  Cammie loved feeding him and playing with him.  She also got to hold a kitten which she liked too.  We visited all of the animals and she was in her glory.  After that we went to Donna's so Cammie could help Donna and Andrew plant flowers.  She loved that too.  She helped fill the pots and baskets and helped put the flowers in them.  When we got home Joe finished building the garden box for our veggies so we are going to get dirt for it tomorrow so we can plant.  Cammie helped water all of our plants and flowers outside.  She likes doing that also.  Joe and I checked out the boxes with her swing set pieces in it because we were trying to figure out where the heck the sliding board was, well we found the instruction book, note it's a book not a manual.  The sliding board is in about twenty pieces.  UGH!!  We are going to get the spot ready for that too and then Daniel is going to put it together.  We are going to breakfast at Lisbon tomorrow morning. YUM!!  Hope all my favorite Mommas out there have a Happy Mother's Day!!! <3

So excited about her new soccer ball!!!

Today turned out to be another pretty day, of course because Joe is still at work on a trade.  Cammie woke up early at about 3 and kept me up for a while and then she got up for good around 730.  We met Meaghan at the playground by the Target in Ellicott City and I had a huge panic moment while we were waiting for Meaghan and Nathan to get there.  I was walking around underneath the play set and it was really crowded, I had to go around one section because I couldn't get under it and then I couldn't find Cammie.  I was calling her and starting to get freaked out.  It was like in the movies where everything starts to spin around you, some of the other moms started helping me look for her and it was only a couple of minutes but it felt like an hour when I called her name and she finally answered me.  She had gone to the little play set and was on that.  I was about thirty seconds away from bursting into tears.  By that time Meaghan and Nathan had gotten there with lunch from Chik FilA and she brought me a... wait for it.... banana milkshake!!!  YUM!!  It was awesome!!  We walked for a little bit on the trail, and then watched Cammie play on the small play set for a while and then we went to Station 7 to see Joe.  Nathan got his picture taken in the engine and the truck and seemed unimpressed by both.  He was just taking it all in.  We hung out there for a bit and then went to Toys R Us.  Every time I buy diapers I keep hoping it is the last time so cross your fingers everyone!!!  We got home and watered all the plants outside so of course it rained tonight.  It actually stormed pretty bad for a little bit.  Cammie and the dogs are finally sleeping so I'm going to hang out and look forward to Joe finally coming home in the morning!!

Always ready to do some gardening!!

I am pleased to report that Cammie is feeling much better!!  Tuesday we were able to start getting full doses of amoxicillin into her but mixing them in sprite.  So she hasn't had a fever since Monday night and hasn't complained of a sore throat since Tuesday.  Wednesday when she got up she was more herself but she didn't want to take a nap so by evening she wasn't in the best of moods.  Joe was gone all day so he got home long enough to see her for a couple of minutes and eat and then he picked her up after I put her in her pjs at about 7 and she literally fell asleep as soon as he held her.  Of course being the smart ass that he is he says, "I don't know why you complain that you have trouble getting her to sleep".  He's lucky I thought that was funny....... We hurried up and got in the hot tub for a little bit and then Donna and Daniel stopped by.  Cammie woke up a couple of times but I was able to watch Survivor and then relax for a bit.  Oh, we had a yummy dinner too, I used one of those Philadelphia cream cheese mix things, the santa fe one.  It had a recipe for chicken enchiladas and I added spinach to it.  YUM!!!  This morning we went to gymnastics and then came home and spent some time outside.  Cammie likes helping to water all the plants and pulling weeds.  Our strawberry plants are doing pretty well.  I can't wait to get the vegetable garden in.  The only thing we forgot to get is cucumbers so I think we will have to do a seperate box for them.

Rough weekend.....

Saturday morning didn't start off so well.  Cammie woke me up around 630 and said her stomach hurt.  She does say that when she is hungry and then after she eats she will say that her stomach is all better.  So I got her something to eat and when she went to climb up on her chair she just stopped and screamed and then doubled over saying that her stomach hurt.  She kept grabbing her right side so I was afraid it was her appendix.  She kept saying how badly it hurt and crying so I called Joe who was still at work and told him that I was taking her to the ER.  She was quiet all the way to the firehouse to pick him up which is odd.  Anyway, we got to the Peds ER at HCGH and they took us right back.  They did a urine cath first which Cammie took like a champ, she held very still and cried but didn't fight.  Then we went to xray and she did really good holding still, after all they were taking pictures of her!!  So after a bit the doctor came in, (she had come in and examined her before the xray) and said that Cammie was backed up pretty far.  So as if the urine cath hadn't violated her enough she had to get a soapsuds enema.  She took that not as well but did hold still for the whole thing.  That seemed to work pretty well and they told us to give her 3 days of milk of magnesia and a week of miralax.  The Peds ER is pretty nice, the nurses were nice.  So she did pretty well for the rest of the afternoon, she took a nap which is odd and then laid on the couch with Joe for a while.  I tried to go to Sun Nursery to get a couple  more pots to plant our trees in but that place had a line waiting out of the parking lot.  We managed something for dinner and went to bed.  It seemed like Cammie had a fever during the night but she slept pretty well.  Sunday she did OK with the miralax and it seemed to be working.  Uncle Gary and Uncle Munkle came over in the afternoon and she was very happy to see them.  We all hung out and Joe fixed us dinner.  At one point when I went to change Cammie she seemed like she had a fever again and when I finished her diaper change she promptly fell asleep on the bed.  Which is odd.  She didn't eat much and had a rough night Sunday night. I called to schedule her a follow up with her pediatrician this morning and she said that her stomach seemed OK but to decrease the dose of the miralax and keep it going longer.  BUT then she checked her throat and said it looked really red and her tonsils were swollen.  UGH, so she did a strep test which of course came back positive.  We left there to go pick up her amoxicillin and I had to cancel her play date at Missi's with Morgan.  Joe and I were supposed to go to Cammie's preschool orientation this evening.  However when they called to confirm I said that one of us would be there since Cammie had strep and they said they would prefer that I not attend since I'm potentially contagious too.  We were also supposed to meet Meaghan and Nathan tomorrow so I have had to reschedule a bunch of stuff. Oh and the whole giving Cammie her amoxicillin is a real treat.  The first dose she threw up on me and I tried again and she spit it at me.  I got a bunch of advice off of facebook and tried to give it to while she was laying on the floor and I got most of it in her.  Then she crashed on the couch for about an hour.  The rest of the evening has been full of tears, screaming, medicine, showers and I don't know what else.  Now Her Highness is raring to go which means she'll crash in a bit.  I hope the night goes well.

I just saw that Rick Springfield is going to guest star on Hawaii Five-O tonight.  Hmmmm.....  I'm also hoping that my Dad is feeling better, and also my Aunt Debby!!  Lots of love to you guys!
AND since I get to subject everyone to my opinion---- ROT IN HELL OSAMA!!

Cammie, Emily and Edd

Tuesday Cammie and I met Jenn and Brody at the Columbia Mall and hung out there for a bit.  It was fun, we checked out some sales at the Disney store and then went to lunch at Uno's.  Then Cammie and Brody got on the carousel.  Ugh....  I had to get on with them.  I didn't think the ride would ever stop.  When we left them Cammie and I stopped by the firehouse so Cammie could see Daddy.  She acted all shy when we went in but she got to see T-Doggie which she LOVED.  Joe washed the truck for us and Cammie helped a lot which was really cute.  It ended up being a gorgeous day and we had a really good time.  Wednesday Joe had to cut the grass so we didn't really do a whole lot.    Cammie fell asleep early and we got in the hot tub and then watched Survivor.  The storms have really been bad and one woke me up right after I had fallen asleep.  Sigh.....  Thursday we took Cammie to gymnastics which she did really good as usual.  She is so funny and cute when she runs around in her little leotard.  Then Joe got some painting done and I got Cammie's clothes sorted out for the most part for spring and summer.  It's so not fair that she has more clothes than Joe and I put together.  We finished one of the garden beds and went to get strawberries to plant in it.  It looks really nice.  We need to plot out the area for Cammie's swing set so we can get moving on that too.  Joe had to go back to work today so I took Cammie to the sign language class at the library which she liked and she played with the same little girl that she has been playing with.  They both wanted to keep playing but hopefully we will be able to set something up.  Then we stopped at Home Depot to get a couple more strawberry plants to finish out the bed and got them in the ground.  Cammie loves gardening!!!  It's been sunny off and on but it's really windy and a little chilly so I'm not sure what the weather is going to do.

Our Easter Bunny

It's been a weird weather week again.  We didn't do a whole lot last week because of the extra dogs in the house.  Thursday night Donna, Bill, Paul, Joe, Daniel, Kristink and Riley all came over for dinner and then Cammie and Riley (and Donna and I) all colored Easter eggs which was lots of fun.  And it made for yummy deviled eggs on Easter!!  Joe made lasagna that was really good.  Friday night we met all of them at Winfield Inn for dinner.  It was so good!  Their crabcakes were really good and no shells!!  Cammie was really good too.  She sat the whole time and then at 9 she told Joe she was ready to go so we left!  Smokey went home Friday morning too, he was glad to see his Mom and Dad!!!  Saturday Joe had to go to work and Leslie asked us down to the barn in the morning so we went there so Cammie could ride a little.  She loved that and didn't want to leave.  We did a little cleaning and took a nap and then Ms Sue invited us over for dinner. YUM!  Sue, Bill, Ben, Leslie, Bear and MamaRita were all there.  Cammie had lots of fun playing with the cats and Cabella and drawing pictures.  When we left the fridge was covered in her artwork.  I think I owe Ms Sue a pack of paper!!  Sunday morning Joe came home from work and we gave Cammie her Easter basket.  Then my Mom and Dad came over for a while and Cammie got some more gifts.  In the afternoon Matt, Alice, Mike, Emily, Edd, Meaghan, Rick, Nathan, Donna, Bill, Andrew, Daniel and Paul all came over and we had an egg hunt for Cammie.  She had lots of fun and liked it until she realized that the last egg had been found and raided so that it was empty.  She did not agree that she had enough candy in all of the other ones.  Nathan slept almost the whole time and wasn't happy about getting his picture taken but he was really cute!!  Dinner was really good, we had ham, au gratin potatoes, green beans, cole slaw, and rolls. (and devilled eggs of course).  Meaghan made an awesome cake for dessert so basically everyone was stuffed.  Rick helped Cammie plant the seeds that Alice got her so she was loving that.  Then we thought she was going to fall asleep on Paul's lap but she was just getting her second wind.  It started raining really hard in the afternoon so everyone left and we just spent some time playing with toys and hanging out.  (I did take a nap)  We watched the Amazing Race and  I was sad to see my cowboys get eliminated.  Cammie fell asleep around 930 so we got to finish an awesome day with a soak in the tub!!  Of course today is gorgeous since Joe has an executive board meeting.  Cammie and I were outside for a while, we planted some sunflower seeds in cups and then painted in the driveway.  The dogs were loving laying in the grass but then they all got hot so we came inside.  We'll go out again in a little bit.   I hope everyone gets to enjoy some sunshine today!!!