Just because...

Just because Camdyn loves to take her radio flyer tricycle for a ride while sporting a side ponytail...
while walking her favorite dog....
Just because, we love to go outside after school and play on the slip and slide
and finds pure enjoyment from taking drinks from the water hose....
Just because this little girl is the most amazing gift to our family... I thought I would post some pictures for our friends and family to enjoy!

Mother's day 2010 and randomness!

Let's first start off with Mother's day and then complete randomness will follow the rest of the week. I love to take a variety of pictures throughout the week and then blog about them...they make for great memories!

Mother's day was another fabulous year just like the last. Camdyn is getting good at spoiling Dustin and I and I slept until 9 and she woke up shortly after. Dustin had a card waiting with this inside of it!*Camdyn, daddy said this card reminded him of you and I and I think so too!

Dustin got me the best gift I could have gotten and that was a nice gift card to pamper myself with. I cannot wait to use it and it's to a new salon that just opened!

How do you like my purple nail polish?? :)

We played around, got dressed and headed off to church. What a perfect message it was about marriage and the pillars that create a successful marriage. Click here if you would like to see some of it. (Just click the button that says "watch" under the message labeled "It starts at home") Love this church and all of the messages!

We ended our day with my parents coming over to enjoy our usual grilling out. It was such a great day.

Now the following pictures are of you Camdyn throughout the weeks and some items thrown into the mix!

The day after her birthday party we headed over to Chuck E. Cheese to let her play. This was a pretty entertaining experience. We brought Gigi and Grandma Dot with us and we ran around with a 2 year old and a big cup of gold coins trying to put them to use! Instead of her following us around, we followed her around (this is now our life!). She wanted to ride in this monster truck and every time we would put her on it, we got this face...

She then wanted to ride on the horse and we got this face as well..

It was funny-she would just make this face like she was trying hard to enjoy it all but the movements felt a bit awkward to her :)

We then spent literally the last hour on and off of this! She would whisper in Bob's ear and give him hugs...

and we slid over and over...

and sat with Bob some more.


Now brings me to my most favorite item that I carry around with me EVERYWHERE and cringe when I forget them (which has happened only once)

These bad boys!! I have been eyeing these since Cam was born but the age said 2 years so I decided to do as usual, and follow the rules! We have started using these the last few months. I own the singles and the wipes and they fit very nicely in purses and backpacks. They make me feel so much better after getting Camdyn off of playgrounds, grocery carts, parks, etc...after I have wiped her hands and arms down with these! I am one of those mothers and I will always be one of those mothers :)

I have not been taking much pictures of our food so I thought I would post an easy concoction that we like. It has easy ingredients that I threw together but it is very tasty and simple after a day of work!
All it consists of is pasta shells, cut up tomatoes, zucchini, onion, basil (from our garden!), olive oil, Cavendars (Greek seasoning) and a splash of grated Parmesan and you have your main course for dinner! Simply boil your pasta, saute the zucchini in olive oil with the seasoning, add the veggies and pasta and last the parmesan.

Does your little one have a million things they like to drag around in and out of the bed with?

She carries all of this out of her room in the mornings and I love it.

Camdyn also likes to get in her bed and play and read forever while I clean up her room and the kitchen. I think it's so cozy and sometimes I wish it was my bed!


The other day when I was cooking dinner I heard Camdyn talking to her chicken and telling him that he was going to "time out". I turned around to see what she was doing and I found her doing this,

Poor chicken stayed in time out for actually a couple of days so he must have done something pretty bad! We rarely even do time out anymore partly because I don't think she thinks this is really a consequence so It was funny that she thought about this.



Camdyn's good friend Addison got Camdyn a whole set of high heels for her birthday and she loves them and click clanks around our house in them all the time.

They look so good with a nice Dr. Bertrand hospital shirt and a diaper :)

After tomorrow Dustin and I can say that we only have ONE more Monday until Summertime!! I have some very summery pictures that I hope to get posted tonight.

Happy Saturday!

A mother

Words cannot express what you go through emotionally and spiritually when you give birth to your own child that you/your spouse and God have created. The love that you share with that child is unconditional. This is now my most precious trademark that I feel God was preparing 25 years of my life to become, a mother.

Growing up I had an obsession with "real life" baby dolls. I was not into Barbies or stuffed animals but I dreamed about what it would be like to have a child and I played with my dolls non stop, 24 hours a day. (right mom!) My best friend April and I would even go to Walmart and buy newborn clothing, shoes and diapers to dress our dolls in to make them seem more real. :) I made invitations-threw birthday parties for them, rocked them to sleep and even fed them food that came out into their diapers (please tell me you remember this doll!) Let me mention that I was pretty ecstatic once that doll hit the shelf. I also took pictures and got them developed of my most favorite doll named "Kaitlyn". I never knew at this age that God had a beautiful, chunky, big hazel eyed little girl waiting on me in heaven that I would soon love in the years to come named Camdyn. It's amazing how life becomes so much more real when you have a child.

Dustin and I have been blessed with two mothers who have given us so much and shaped us into the parents we have become. Thank you so much for caring so much about us and our most prized possession.

Adina-{Gigi} Thank you for raising Dustin in a Christian home while creating a loving, nurturing husband and Daddy for Camdyn and I. Thank you also for loving Camdyn like she was your own daughter and for the outpouring love that you have for her. She may only be 2, but she knows how much you adore her.

Mom, {Nanny} Thank you for making me into the person and mom that I am today. Wow, you did an amazing job at raising 3 girls and not once did I feel like the middle child. :) Thanks a ton for all of the advice and help you have given me in dealing with sicknesses and ailments that come a long with having a little girl. Thank you also for loving our Camdyn that you bring her pure excitement and joy when she knows that she is going to get to see her "Nanny and Poppy"

**This picture will always make me smile seeing the look on both of your faces while holding her.

We love you Gigi and Nanny more than you will ever know!

*I now have my most FAVORITE little write-up that I know some of you might have seen over e-mail. It is a conversation between a newborn and God. This has always brought tears to my eyes when I read it and it is the most sweetest thing that I have ever read. I am leaving it to share with you. I truly feel this is what we are supposed to be like as a mother for our children. Enjoy and have a Happy Mother's Day!!

A Newborns Conversation with God.

A baby asked God, "They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow,
but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?"
God said, "Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you."

The child further inquired, "But tell me, here in heaven
I don't have to do anything but sing and smile to be happy."

God said, "Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you.
And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy."

Again the small child asked, "And how am I going to be able
to understand when people talk to me if I don't know the language?"

God said, "Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and
sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care,
your angel will teach you how to speak."

"And what am I going to do when
I want to talk to you?"

God said, "Your angel will place your hands together
and will teach you how to pray."

"Who will protect me?"

God said, "Your angel will defend you even if it
means risking its life."

"But I will always be sad because I will
not see you anymore."

God said, "Your angel will always talk to you about Me
and will teach you the way to come back to Me, even
though I will always be next to you."

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices
from Earth could be heard and the child hurriedly asked,
"God, if I am to leave now,
please tell me my angel's name."

God said,
"You will simply call her, Mom."

Camdyn's Ice-cream parlor!

*Thank you April for taking this pic...this is the most precious picture!

Camdyn Reece celebrated her 2nd birthday on May 1! This year it was so much fun planning her party because I got to go off of her interests for the theme. (Thank heavens that she still was not interested in the Wiggles!) Last year it was all about what I liked and this year I got to personalize it just for her! I made it into an ice-cream parlor (she loves ice-cream) incorporated Elmo and Abby (she loves Elmo and just started liking Abby in the recent months) and she was dressed in a tutu with converse (to show a little bit of her sweet but spunky personality)!! I think it turned out great and she still looks at pictures and talks about things that she remembers. Almost everyone was able to attend that we invited and we were so blessed to have our family and closest friends here with us. Here is the evidence that we had a good time!

Before the party started...Look how calm and collected she is :) Taking a "calm" ride on her horsey :)

Some of the decor/treats from afar...

Welcome to Camdyn's Ice-cream parlor!

Abby was the pinata for all of the babes but she also made a fabulous centerpiece!

Dessert bowls

These suckers were personalized from Elmo to her best friends. I was sad because I thought I didn't get a picture of one of my favorites but I did! In the red container we have old timey Dr. Peppers in a bottle...love these tasty guys! :) "Party hats" for your ice-cream sundaes!! Check out her very own ice-cream cupcake that I made! Doesn't it look like a real ice-cream cone? I topped it off with a pink gumball :)

Now friends, this is the unplanned table...I was hoping to cram all of this on the island with the ice-cream toppings but it wasn't happening!

I cut out (with cookie cutters) letter C's and the number 2 peanut butter sandwiches to go along with her Sesame street friends!

and another Elmo accessory
Camdyn's favorite part of her party...Her castle bounce house!

Here are some of our favorite visitors that we love and adore!

Here is C blowing out her candles on her cupcake and being shy when as she calls it "Happy Day" song was being sang to her...

This is Jared (One of Mrs. Sherry's sweet sons) who Camdyn loves and thinks that he is her brother. Both of the boys take such good care of her.
Camdyn and Ella taking some time out to color :)

Cam and Barrett in the bounce house!

Look at this serious face!

The last two pictures are of the pinata. I love how all of their little heads are gathered ready to pull the string!

The hostesses at the END of the party (Wow, we were worn out by this time!)

This makes me laugh, mainly because after everyone left the rest of the family (and Kelsey) stayed and played forever in the bounce house and Camdyn got naked with her diaper and played hard. I was telling them that we were not about to be one of the neighbors who lets their child run in the front of the yard with only their diaper on and by this point...I did not care and we turned into one of those neighbors :)

Thank you so much to all of our friends for spoiling Camdyn with perfect presents and your company. Camdyn loves you guys and we appreciate your friendship so much.