Updates!

It has been a while since I sent updates to Stacey, Sara and Samantha...so while you all are free to read this post...it is written with them in mind.

Brenley:

Brenley is loving school and doing extremly well! We are so happy with her progress! Her teacher reports that she is passing everything with flying colors. Her reading jumped many levels this year and she is right where she needs to be. She is reading solo these days and is enjoying books like "Magic Treehouse" series and "The Littles". She loves reading chapter books and has a deal with me that when she can read "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by herself then she gets her to own a copy of the series. She is pretty excited about that!

Brenley is now getting up on her own by setting her own alarm clock. 6:30 every morning she gets up and dresses herself. The only thing I get to do for her is her hair and help with breakfast. Sometimes she likes to go to school early and eat breakfast there. She loves school and has friendships with many children and teachers. She has even made friends with the crossing guard.

Brenley has seemed to overcome her battle with Encopresis. She slipped back into it earlier this year but she soon realized she had the power to overcome it. So she has been working hard on it and she is having great success. We are so happy to see her work on a trial and overcome! It has also helped her self-esteem.

Brenley takes a Jazz dance class and enjoys it. She will be glad to be in the 8 year old class this summer. Speaking of summer Brenley (and her mother) are very excited for summer and wish it was here already. I think Brenley is starting to feel burned out on school testing. They have been doing alot of it recently.

Brenley has become a great helper for her Mommy! She puts away the dishes from the dishwasher and both Brenley and Haley put away their laundry. Brenley recently learned how to make an easy Chocolate/banana cream pie. She loved it!

Brenley is counting down the weeks until her Birthday. She is excited to have a special day with Mom where she gets to have her ears pierced, a shopping trip and a special lunch. A girls day out. We are both excited about it! Brenley is also very excited about being baptized and she asks questions about it all the time.

Brenley enjoys playing games as a family and paying outside. She is excited for warm weather!

Haley:

Haley is our fashion diva! Everyday she carefully picks out her favorite clothes. And she does a really good job matching things and coordinating. Today for example she picked out a cream and white skirt, a yellow shirt, yellow socks, yellow braclet and a yellow headband. It all looked really cute together. Then she added a pretty pink/green sweater and a pink hat. She continues to amaze us with her ability to chose things that compliment one another. She is very particular and it works. I am starting to wonder if we have a budding enterior decorator or clothes designer on our hands. It really is uncanny.

Haley enjoys playing with many friends on our street and loves to play!!! She is getting very excited to start kindergarten and can't wait to be able to read. She is also already planning her 6th Birthday party, much to her mothers chagrin.

Haley has become a great helper with Camden. She loves to dress him herself and when he lets her it works out perfectly. I was hesitatant at first but I decided to let go and WOW I have been so impressed with what this little girl can accomplish. She is really developing some good babysitting qualities. She enjoys spending time with her brother and gets him dancing and playing (she loves to include him in her barbie play...shhh don't tell Brad). She pretty much takes CAmden around and he does what she says....and that is just how she likes it.

Haley is enjoying ballet classes and loves to dance! She also tells me she is going to be a rock star. I feel like saying to her "Yikes...I hope not!" But I don't...I say oh yes you could be and then I mention all of the other things she could be too.

A few days a week I am actually letting Haley do her own hair. She is enjoying this new freedom and does a pretty good job with a headband. So far that is about all she can do. But her combing has gotten much better.

Camden:

Oh Camden....where do I begin to tell you what he has been up to? Lets just say he has be UP TO the cabinets getting out dishes, IN TO the water dispenser on the fridge and letting the dog get drinks off the floor and he has been ALL OVER with his own poop by taking it out out of his pull up and spreading it ALL OVER his carpet, himself and everything else in his room. That was the 4th or 5th time it has happened. I have taped, put on backwards and safety pinned Camden's clothes but he can get everyting undone. We did finally find one saving grace....a safety pin on the zip up pj's. Finally something I can put him in that he can't get out of!

Speaking of getting out of....a couple of Sunday's ago I put Camden to bed in his crib. A few moments later Camden was talking to me. I put him back in his crib...a few moments later he was out again. This pattern went over for about 10 times until I finally faced the fact that Camden wasn't going to sleep in that crib another day/night. So out came everything in Cam's room and in went the toddler bed. His first night he had a tough time but since then it has been smooth sailing.

Camden has also let me know that he doesn't want diapers anymore by always taking them off and peeing between the bars on his crib or peeing anywhere else in his room. So Camden now uses the toliet consistently. He doesn't like to poop in it but he will let me know when he needs to pee about 70% of the time. So we are still learning but I am grateful for the ease of which this has come about. But after 2 children who have physical issues dealing with peeing and pooping I am extremly grateful this child knows how to do both, in the toliet, very well!

We have been noticing the past 3-4 months that if Camden doesn't know someones name then he will give them a "label". For example anyone who looks like they are old enough to be a Mom but not old enoughto be a Grandmother then he will call them Mom. The same goes with Dad, Grandpa and Grandma. We saw the first of this back in December when Sam came to visit. We later found out he was calling Nursery leaders "Mom" and we have noticed it more since then. We have seen the same pattern with our girls when they were his age. They labeled things "Daddy, Mommy and Baby". Camden has won the hearts of many because he calls them Dad or Mom. We think this is pretty cute! He is begining to remember names more and more..recently he learned the name of one of the Mom's on our street. So when we are around her we hear "Kaila, Kaila" over and over again.

Cam turns 2 next week. I can hardly believe it! He is going to be a toddler...an yet he has been a toddler since he could walk. Shouldn't he be a pre-schooler now? He is too big for his age. LOL Where did my little baby boy go?

Baby A.:

Sweet baby A. is growing so fast! She is now 7 pounds 15 ounces and started getting a bit of chub on her legs. She started smiling this week and I LOVE to see it! She gives me smiles in the morning and that is a great way to start the day! It makes the long night awake a little bit easier. I am really enjoying taking care of this baby girl! She is so special and I have learned so much about myself and the world around me! She is such a blessing! I am not sure how long she will be with us but we are enjoying every tiny minute! I am going to cry my eyes out when I have to had A. back over.

Well there it is....the long awaited updates. Sorry it took so long! I am sure I have left much out. But you will be seeing us in May anyway...right?

Stacey, Sara & Samantha: May 10th 1pm (our house) Birth Mother's Day BBQ. Please bring your favorite dish to share! Stacey, we would love Robert and Shantel to come! Sam I know you will be here next week for Cam's bday....I understand if you can't make it back in May...but would LOVE it if you could!

RSVP by May 7th.

I love you guys!!!!