king or queen of the hill

Poor Daddy! The abuse he endures!

 

car show

After a morning of soccer, we headed to a car show in Laurel. Tyler was in heaven! He and Jenna even got to test out a 1922 Model T Ford. And later he found a moon bounce and slide and Jenna was serenaded to by the live musicians who enjoyed her dancing. This was such a fun activity and didn't cost us a dime!

 

 

 

soccer stars

 

 

dance time

The Campbells new favorite pasttime: dance time! Jenna has shown a great interest in music and dance. And Tyler has always had rhythm. So we crank up the iPod with BOSE sound system and rock out. Good funny and healthy too!

fun with food

 

green ones

Tyler still loves his green ones. He has never had them with him during the day while at daycare, but he expects to find one in the car when we pick him up. He has also now given each one a name, Four and Five.

And poor green ones...they are guilty by association. Tyler was being scolded and sent to the corner. Knowing that he is not allowed his comfort blankets while being punished, he quickly added, "My green one was bad too so it has to come with me." This boy is sharp and thinks quickly on his feet!

new signs

Jenna now knows and uses sign language for the words: apple and drink. She continues to use the ones for: more and all done. Now it is time for me to brush up on my sign language skills so I can teach her more!

in the wagon

her wave

Jenna LIVES for her walks with Daisy. And on her way out you might be lucky enough to get a Jenna wave goodbye. It's the cutest thing -- elbow, elbow, wrist twist, twist. I hope that I capture it on video before she outgrows it.

hershey park

Jenna's first amusement park trip! We had a great (and long) day along with the Howes family. Tyler's favorite ride was the ambulances and Jenna was really excited about all the baby rides -- that is until she was half way through when she nervously whimpered. We'll make a coaster rider of her yet!

 

 

 

 

 

 

the governor

Alex was so wonderful and took both kids to play soccer so mommy could have some girl time. What do mommies do during their time away from their kids? They talk about and shop for ... their kids! My friend Katherine and I headed to some great consignment shops, got some great deals and then stopped for lunch. Unbeknownst to us, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley was in town to support Howard County Executive Ken Ulman. We got to briefly chat with them and get a picture. An exciting to end to a fun morning!

 

skinned knees

With increased mobility comes increased risk of injury. Jenna's learning and has had many scraped knees from her sidewalk travels. But practice makes perfect right?

marked improvement

Tyler has been displaying the typical terrible-threes behavior (those who say terrible twos are misinformed or liars!) but recently his actions have been VERY trying for us and Ms. Debbie. So we strategized new approaches and also put him on a very short leash so to speak. It seems to be working: he was more than good late last week and has kept up the marked improvement for the most part.

Since then we also got him a responsibility chart where he can earn stars for accomplishing tasks or desired behaviors and can earn a reward of his choosing. He loves it and begged me all morning to hang it up in his room. So far so good!

teething again possible?

Little Miss Jenna is drooling like crazy all of a sudden. MORE teeth?

and she is off!

Jenna now waves off any attempts to hold her hand as she walks. (sniffle) And now she runs away from you giggling all the way, a behavior I like even less. She thinks this game is hilarious, but mommy and daddy know better and have already pulled her back from the street once. I have near heart failure just thinking about it.

Apparently she comes by it honestly because I've been told a certain other cute strawberry blondie did the same as a child. ;-)

hat style

After a week of wearing his new Navy hat, Tyler explored some more options.

 

15-month checkup

Jenna had her checkup this morning and all is well. She has exceeded all milestones and seems to be on a consistent growth curve:

Jenna's stats are:
Weight: 23 pounds, 12 ounces (50-75th percentile)
Height: 31.75 inches (75-90th percentile)
Head circumference: 18.5 inches (75-90th percentile)

first skinned knee

Jenna has started to walk with the family rather than ride in her stroller as we walk Daisy. She moves at a fast click and on this particular night she stumbled and scraped her knee. Didn't phase her much as she picked herself back up and continued on.

navy hat

Tyler LOVES his new Navy hat from Oma!

 

go girl go!

Jenna's mobility only gets better and faster!

 

 

 

fort fun

What do you do with the leftover boxes and protective covers from dining room chair deliveries? Well, you make a fort of course! So much fun!

 

we love our cereal

oma

As Oma left we asked Jenna to say Bye Bye Oma. Wow, did it sound right on. New word?

hero

Tyler told Alex, "Daddy, you are my hero!" Touching, right? Then he followed it with, "And Mom, you are my super villain!"

howard county fair

What a great day! We started off learning about and petting farm animals and then headed to the carnival-style rides. A pony ride and tractor try out later and Tyler had packed his day with about all the fun he could stand!

That is Tyler and Mommy in the front of the helicopter!

naughty squirrel

Asked Tyler where he heard a specific bad phrase and he blamed "the squirrel." Good cover.

baby doll buddy

Jenna doesn't go far without her new baby doll in tow! Not even to the kitchen table.

baby doll

Jenna got her first baby doll and she loves her! We're still working on baby care etiquette -- not covering the baby's face with her blanket! :)

 

phantom village

In lieu of Tyler's favorite train track setup, he started building with the track pieces and adding in his extensive collection of cars and trucks. I asked him what it was called and without hesitation he said, "my phantom village." This kid has creativity!