sit

Jenna sat up for the first extended period of time!

no nap?

Alex and I have been the envy of all parents we've talked to when it comes to our children's sleep patterns. So many have warned us that their child napped each day and then out of the clear blue sky, the naps stopped. Tyler has needed AT LEAST two hours, but commonly three hours of napping time on the weekends. And then today... it was the first day with no nap. I think Alex and I will both cry if naps are over. Hopefully it was just an anomaly.

beautiful blues

We joined our neighbors for a Reindeer Run in memory of their brother. We made it a family affair running/walking in the frosty air. Even Jenna was along for the ride and I captured this image of her beautiful blues.

one step at a time

santa sighting

Tyler and I were sitting at the kitchen table when he spotted Santa jumping out of the woods beyond the grass of the backyard. He was so excited when Mommy "saw" Santa too. Then while I was reading him a bedtime story he looked at the green and pink pages and told me that he wanted all of his Christmas presents wrapped in green and all of Jenna's to be in pink.

thanksgiving

We have so much to be thankful for this holiday. Most importantly, our baby girl who joined our family this year. One thing we were not thankful for? ... the awful illness that made its way through each member of the Campbell family. Tyler and Jenna both dealt with it in prior weeks and unfortunately for me, I was stricken with it on my birthday and didn't feel much better the following day, Thanksgiving. Alex got it the following days. So it was a low key holiday for us and my mom, brother and his girlfriend did most of the roughhousing with the kids.

teacher tyler

Tyler stood at his art easel with crayon in hand and asked "What is your question?" Alex said "Where is Canada?" Tyler turned and scribbled on the board. And then, "What is your next question?"

hello Daisy

Jenna is loving on Daisy lately. She tries to reach out and feel her fur and squeals with delight when Daisy comes up close.

6-month checkup

Jenna's stats are:
Weight: 17 pounds, 1 ounce (75th percentile)
Height: 26.75 inches (75-90th percentile)
Head circumference: 17.5 inches (90-95th percentile)

The doctor is a bit worried by the size of Jenna's head. Guess her head circumference seems large on paper, but once she saw Jenna, she wasn't so concerned. But we're going back in a month to measure again to be sure, as well as get Jenna's flu booster shot.

3-year checkup

Tyler's stats are:
Height: 40.125 inches (97th percentile)
Weight: 39.1 pounds (95th percentile)
Head circumference: 50 cm (percentile not kept at this age)

The doctor said that he was "big, but very proportional!"

6 months

Half a year old already?

redmons

Well, they just couldn't stay away. The Redmons were back in town and able to see Jenna a second time in her young life. (Audrey Kate not pictured; don't you love when our precious toddlers do not cooperate?)

mommy and me

the big day

It is finally here! Tyler is 3!

In the evening, Oma and Uncle Dylan joined for our family celebration. As you can see, there was a theme to the gifts -- trucks galore!

tic toc

When my grandfather married, his best man gave him a clock as a wedding gift. This clock was in the living room of my parents' home as I grew up and I have fond memories of winding and caring for it with my own dad. Now that he has passed, the grandfather clock now sits in my home and I look forward to sharing its beautiful sounds with my family. Tyler especially has loved pointing out each time it "dongs" and counting along on each hour.

be nice

Alex and I were playing Wii in the family room. After some ribbing of each other during a bowling game, Tyler misunderstood the silly smack talk and scolded Alex, "Be nice to Mommy!"

party time

Tyler was joined by some of his best buddies for food, fun and PRESENTS! It was really fun to see Ayla, Chase, Grace, Noelle, Luca, Simon and Matilda and make chaos of the family room.

party prep

In preparation for Tyler's third birthday party, we made mini cupcakes. Yum!!

my babies