She is a monkey!

Whatever happened to the sweet little baby girl who just sat there and smiled all the time, or always wanted to snuggle (well, that was actually never the case), who was happy just being around her family, reading a book, playing with her toys or watching a movie. Actually, I'm not sure any of these things really describe Cambree, but she really was a great baby. Now she's into absolutely everything, and she's a tease about it too. I'm sure she must get it from Chad. She amazes me with the creative solutions she can find to getting into something that she wants, and will persist until she gets it. I thought that object permanence wasn't something that babies have, but she's not one to forget. Her favorite phrases are, "Good girl", and "Wanna get down". Little miss independence. I suppose I can figure out where she gets that from.

Carribean Cruise

Chad and I went on a fun cruise with Heritage Makers to Haiti, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Cozumel, and the Cayman Islands. We went on Royal Carribean's Liberty of the Seas, which is their newest ship, and is absolutely huge. Rock climbing wall, basketball court, ice rink, shopping promenade, Flow Rider, Ben and Jerry's ...so many fun things. We had a great time, and are looking forward to our next trip already.

Cambree's First Halloween!

Cambree LOVED Halloween. She dressed up as a little fairy princess, and I was surprised that she kept her costume on as long as she did and didn't seem bothered by it. She even sat a lot more patiently for all her pictures than her daddy did. Each time the doorbell would ring, she would get all excited, and take a mad dash (or crawl) for the door. Then she'd give her series of "Hi's" and put her sticky hands in the candy while staring and all the fun costumes. The evening ended with Daddy giving her a sucker, so she's now been introduced to real Halloween fun.

California Fun!

Kristi and I had a work event in Anaheim, and we invited mom to join us so Cambree would have someone to play with during the times we were working. It was a really fun trip! Cambree was actually pretty good on the plane ride there - I just kept her entertained with her book, tons of treats, and a window seat. On the way back, after throwing a large tantrum right before we boarded, she fell asleep and didn't wake up until we landed.

One evening we had some free time, so we took Cambree to Disneyland for the first time. She slept through much of it, but really enjoyed what she saw. Her favorite ride was the Nemo ride, and she just stared out the window at the fish the whole time. She's learned to say, "Hi" so everyone and everything got about ten of Cambree's "Hi's". I brought some little tiara's home with me from our work event, and Cambree kept trying to put it on, which I was surprised about because she generally doesn't like hats. When I was looking through the pictures, I noticed Kristi wearing one, and it made me laugh, because Cambree was just trying to be like her auntie Kristi.

Canada 2008

I suppose when you begin a blog, you just need to start somewhere, so since I have been working on our Summer in Canada 2008 photo journal this is where I'll start.

Our trips to Canada have been a highlight in our family's life over the past couple of years, and this summer was no exception. Greeted by more cousins than you can imagine, our fun began as soon as we arrived. Chad's sisters and their families were in Canada as well, so add their kids to the 20 other cousins under the age of 12 and it created a really great time.

Part of our tradition while in Canada is spending time at Auntie Angie's. Slip-n-slide, horses, chickens, trampoline, bubbles - what more do kids need?

Most of our nieces and nephews have learned the hard way that when Uncle Jimmy says something he means it. When he said to the kids, "If you throw water on me, I'll throw you in the pine trees," Hunter had to test him. I could see "the cousins" giving Hunter the warning look that said, "Don't you remember last summer with the water tap and shale? He's really going to do it!" Hunter still ended up being Jimmy's victim for the afternoon. Regardless of his tough consequences, Jimmy still remains the favorite uncle to tease.

It wasn't all play, there was time for farm "work" too. Hunter and Cassidy love to go irrigating with their uncles because they get to ride in fields full of mud. Usually, they get to drive too!
When the Utah Nelsons arrive, it seems like the farm is at risk of having all work shut down, but it survived while we had plenty of fun.

It's a real blessing in our life when we are able to spend time in on the farm, and with our families in Canada. Chad loved the time he was able to spend on his grandpa's farm while growing up and really wants the kids to have those experiences as well. Growing up on a farm I used to say I was a city girl raised on a farm, and now that I recognize the value of it I feel like a bit of a farm girl in the city. It's so much fun to see the kids experiencing things that are new to them, and to see the smiles on their faces from sunrise to sunset.