Life at the Camp Casa

Kate & Ellie

2012-02-05T10:25:00.000-08:00

Camp/Reed/Beason Family Photos 2011

2012-02-04T20:38:00.001-08:00

Camp/Schneider Family Photos 2011

2012-02-04T20:20:00.001-08:00

Christmas- palooza

2011-12-25T15:14:00.000-08:00

Christmas time is a super busy time for our household. This year we kicked off the festivities at my Aunt Joni's house the Saturday before to celebrate with Mom's side of the family. We hit up the the noon Candlelight Service at Colonial on Christmas Eve. We then went to Brian's Grandparents in Holliday to celebrate with his Dad's side of the family. Immediately after that we went to my Mom's house for Christmas Eve to have Christmas with her. Christmas morning we woke up and saw what Santa had brought Kate. He brought her a Princess dollhouse, a makeup kit, and a camera. We got dressed and headed over to Brian's parents for breakfast and present opening. We then went to lunch at Brian's other Grandma's house to celebrate with his Mom's side of the family. We immediately left there to go have Christmas Dinner with my Dad at my Aunt Janice's house. Super busy like I said, we were all pretty worn out but had a great Christmas.

Ornament & Cookie Decorating

2011-12-19T14:39:00.000-08:00

Camp Family Christmas Card 2011

2011-12-19T14:31:00.000-08:00

Gaylord Trip

2011-12-18T17:35:00.000-08:00

Crystal and I took Kate and Savannah to the Gaylord to see ICE. We also went and looked at Christmas lights and stayed the night in a hotel. The girls loved sleeping in a hotel room and getting to jump on the bed. We also got to eat at Babe's Chicken. Yum!!!

Busy December with Mrs.Connie

2011-12-17T21:16:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Connie had a lot on the schedule for the month of December. She took the kids to the Kell House for cookies with Santa, to walk the Fantasy of Lights during the day, dressed them all up like Angels and put on a program for all the parents, a trip to see Santa at the mall, and put on a Christmas party at Chuckie Cheese's.

Dress Up with Hayden

2011-12-16T21:09:00.000-08:00

Kate and Hayden love to go in Hayden's room and came out in different fun outfits!

Baking

2011-12-15T20:55:00.000-08:00

Kate and Hayden made cupcakes with Aunt Amber!

3 Thanksgivings

2011-12-10T21:00:00.000-08:00

We went to 3 Thanksgivings this year. One at Mom's side, One at Dad's side, and One at Brian's Grandmas. Here are the pics from my Mom's side! We always have lots to be Thankful for!

Shopping with Reid

2011-12-10T14:40:00.000-08:00

Sometimes after church we meet the McCauley's at United for lunch. This particular day we had some shopping to do and Reid wanted to shop with us while his Mom and Dad were doing their shopping. Such Cuties!

Party Like A Rockstar!!!

2011-12-10T14:17:00.000-08:00

Katelyn was sitting in the bathtub the other day and started talking about Partying like a Rockstar. I mean I know this was a song a couple of years ago but we haven't been listening to it so I couldn't imagine where she got that from. That same day we went to my Aunt's for lunch and Katelyn proceeds to tell my cousin Laura that she can "Party Like a Rockstar!" When asked about it, i just laughed and said I have no idea where she gets this stuff. Then a couple of days later, she tells Mrs. Connie she can party like a rockstar and starts doing fist pumping movements. Ha! Anyway, after asking around to see if any of my friend's kids were partying like rock stars, I finally figured out where it came from. There is a cars.com commercial that has two animated cars on it that are singing "Party like a Rockstar"

AWKWARD!!!!

2011-12-10T14:11:00.000-08:00

So Brian, Kate, and I were walking out of TJ Maxx and Katelyn says "Awkward" in the funniest little voice. Brian and I cracked up and I figured she must have heard that before but obviously didn't know how to use it in context. A few days later, Brian was watching Kate and he was doing his P90X workout which includes lots of sweating and rapid movements. Kate was sitting on her little stool watching him and as soon as he started doing squats she says "Awkward!" I mean I have to admit watching your sweaty Dad do squats is pretty awkward so I would say she officially knows how to use the word now. Lol!!!

Pinterest Wreath Party

2011-11-19T13:22:00.000-08:00

We decided to get together at my Sister's house and have a Pinterest Wreath Party. Everyone brought a snack and the materials to make their Pinterest Wreath. Everyone picked the ornament wreath except for Crystal. She picked the deco mesh wreath. They all turned out so cute and we had a blast making them!! It's cool to see how everyone's personalities come out in their crafts!

Trick or Treat, Smell My Feet!!!

2011-10-31T19:34:00.000-07:00

We had a big trick or treating party at our house this year. Our neighborhood is so great for trick or treating because so many of the houses participate and their are great sidewalks and tons of kids. The Reed's, Johnson's, McCauley's, and the Mills' families all came over to trick or treat. We had such a great time. The kids really got into it this year and the weather was beautiful!

Connie's Annual Halloween Carnival

2011-10-30T19:27:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Connie throws a Halloween Carnival every year for all the kiddos. They all get to wear their costumes, eat yummy treats, and play carnival games. Kate was super girl this year!!!

Pumpkin Painting

2011-10-27T19:24:00.000-07:00

Aunt Amber had all of us over to paint pumpkins for Halloween. We had so much fun!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-25T19:52:00.000-07:00

Miss Connie took all the kids to the Painted Pony Pumpkin Patch. The kids got to paint pumpkins, ride ponies, take a hay ride, play in a bounce house, and play with farm animals. A good time was had by all.

Hammock Fun for Everyone

2011-10-05T19:47:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love a good Hammock????

Sunny Day

2011-10-05T19:36:00.000-07:00

Have to take advantage of these sunny days now that cold weather is creeping up on us. We ventured over to Fowler park by my house and then finished up at my Mom's backyard for fun with a box.

Sleepovers

2011-10-05T19:29:00.000-07:00

Kate and Hayden love to have sleepovers!

Kite Festival

2011-10-01T19:22:00.000-07:00

Coyote Ranch Resort threw a Kite festival so we loaded up and headed out there. All the kiddos got a free kite and there was cotton candy, games, and McGruff. It wasn't quite as windy as it should have been but the kiddos enjoyed it.

Sweet Kate

2011-09-25T19:21:00.000-07:00

Love this Girl!!!

Cousins at the Park

2011-09-20T19:16:00.000-07:00

Kate got to play at the park with her cousins Hayden and Parker and her second cousins Garrett and Emilee. That is a lot of cousins.

Pioneer Reunion Parade

2011-09-15T19:09:00.000-07:00

Amber, Crystal, and I decided to load the kiddos up and head over to Henrietta, TX one morning to go check out the Pioneer Reunion parade. There were a ton of floats and lots of stuff to look at. Very impressive parade for such a small town.

Can you hear me now?? LOL

2011-08-21T21:17:00.000-07:00

Ms. Accessory

2011-08-21T21:10:00.001-07:00

Kate is really starting to show interest in what she is wearing. Her personal favorites right now are her "Dorothy Shoes" and her fashionable orange shades.

Kate and Mommy

2011-08-21T21:08:00.000-07:00

Kate and Her Daddy

2011-08-21T21:06:00.000-07:00

My Sweet 2 Year Old

2011-08-21T20:03:00.000-07:00

Kate turned two on August 19. Wow, time sure does fly when you are having fun! I can't believe it has been two years since we welcomed Miss Katelyn Grace Camp into our family. She has brought such joy to our lives. I can't imagine our lives without her. I am going to be one of those moms and brag on her. Brian and I have always thought she was smart of course because who doesn't think their kid is, but people tell me all the time what a good talker she is and how impressed they are with what she knows. I credit Mrs. Connie for most of that. Kate can sing so many songs, can count to 10 in English and in Spanish, knows most of her colors and shapes, and is such a good talker. She can even say full sentences. For example, "Momma, I sure had a good day swimming today." Miss Kate is very curious and soaks up everything she hears. Of course, this isn't always a good thing. Mommy is having to watch her mouth these days. Kate cracks us up, especially when she decides to call her daddy "Brian or Babe". Miss Kate is fearless. She loves going off the diving board and big kid slide at the pool. She loves animals, especially puppies. She also likes to act like one and try to lick me all the time. She sleeps in a full size bed and stays in it all night now. We are starting to tackle potty training soon. Kate is ready, Im just not sure mommy is. Kate loves other kids. She jumps from my arms at Mrs. Connies and at church to go play with the kids. She is also very affectionate to our family members. She never hesitates to tell them she loves them and give out hugs and kisses. She gets very concerned when her cousin Hayden is upset. She bends down next to him and says"are you okay buddy?" Kate also has a sassy side. She definitely likes for things to be done on her terms. She can be quite the hard head sometimes. Kate has brought so much to our family and extended family in the last 2 years. I look forward to what this little girl has in store for us in the future. We love you Kate Kate!

Texas Ranch Roundup

2011-08-21T14:55:00.000-07:00

Kate got to experience the Texas Ranch Roundup for the first time this year. This was on her actual birthday so that made it even better. Crystal and I took the girls to the kids event on Friday morning. This event was so great! The kids got a free cowboy hat as soon as we walked in the door and then got to play in the biggest petting zoo I have ever seen. They also got to ride a pony and a mechanical bull. We skipped out on the mechanical bull because the line was long and Kate kept wanting to go back into the petting zoo. She was obsessed with the chickens, guinea pigs, and bunnies. Mrs. Connie and Amber also brought all Kate's daycare friends out to enjoy the festivities. So much fun! We then went to the actual rodeo on Saturday night with the McCauley's. The kids did so well! It was a lot of fun to watch all the ranching events, my personal favorite was the wild cow milking. Pretty funny watching about of cowboys run around trying to milk a bucking cow. Yee Haw!!

Katelyn's 2nd Birthday Party

2011-08-21T13:27:00.000-07:00

We did it up big this year for Ms. Katelyn's 2nd birthday! We had her party at the Iowa Park Splash Park complete with Ken's Pizza and cake. I think there were around 70 people there this year. So many family members and great friends came out to celebrate Kate turning two. Katelyn was so busy going up and down the slides she barely pulled away long enough to eat pizza. Mrs. Connie made an adorable puppy cake for Kate because that is what Kate told her she wanted on her cake. Katelyn got so many presents we could barely fit them in my SUV. She is one blessed little girl and we are so thankful for all the wonderful friends and family members in our life. Thanks to everyone who helped Kate's bday be so special!

Family Night Friday

2011-08-16T14:38:00.000-07:00

My sister had the great idea to take the kids to the Plex to enjoy the abnormally cool weather last Friday. When I say cool I mean in the 80's but that is such a break from the 100 plus we have been experiencing. We played putt putt, rode go carts, and bumper boats and played lots of games. The kids loved it!

Where'd Reid Go????

2011-08-07T20:55:00.001-07:00

That is what Katelyn has been asking......The McCauley family has left Carlene street. They are moving on to bigger and better things. We were super sad to see them go but are happy for them and their new house. The only moved a couple of miles away but we just loved having them as neighbors. It was so convenient just seeing them out in their front yard and heading down to play. However, we will definitely be making a point to still hang out with them. They are really fun and such a sweet family! Here are a couple cute pics of Reid and Kate!

Crystal 29th Bday Bash

2011-08-07T20:46:00.000-07:00

Crystal turned 29 this past month! We like to do it up big for bdays around here! There were 10 girls total who went and we all had a blast! We got rooms at the Gaylord Texan! It was so nice! We spent the afternoon lounging by the pool, had an awesome dinner at the Riverwalk Cafe in the Gaylord, and finished off the night at the Glass Cactus shaking our booties to a fun band! We had a great group of girls who all got along so well! We finished up the next day with some Babe's Chicken, all you can eat style, and some shopping. What an awesome weekend! Thank you Crystal for being such a great friend to me! Here is to many more birthday celebrations together!

Divas- I think we are in trouble!

2011-08-07T20:41:00.000-07:00

Barn Day

2011-08-07T20:28:00.000-07:00

Savannah invited us out to her barn last Friday. Her and her Pa let us ride horses and they even let us help feed them. I took Kate and Hayden out there. Kate loved looking at the horses but she was not sure about riding them, Hayden however loved it!

Fourth of July 2011

2011-08-07T20:15:00.000-07:00

We spent our Fourth of July at Possum Kingdom this year. Brian and I went out on the boat with our friends to Hell's Gate on Saturday while Kate hung at the cabin with her MeMe and Pappy. They always have a big time! We spent all day Sunday swimming at the dock with Katelyn. She loves swimming! Cousin Kylie even came over on her boat and played. We spent Monday having a cookout at my Mom's. They had a blow up pool and sno cones. I love the Fourth of July!

Mia- My Mom

2011-07-16T09:09:00.000-07:00

Kate, Hayden, and Parker call my mom "Mia." Katelyn is obsessed with her Mia. We love her too!

Our Summer- Lots of Swimming

2011-07-16T08:55:00.000-07:00

We have done tons of swimming this summer. Katelyn is quite the little fish. We found her a puddle jumper life jacket this year and she can swim by herself in it. We have gotten to go to the splash park, my bosses house, the country club pool, and of course the backyard kiddie pools. Kate doesn't care where we are as long as she can swim.

Backyard Fun

2011-07-16T08:38:00.000-07:00

My Mom has the nicest backyard. The grass is so thick and soft. We love our Sunday cookouts over there. We get to enjoy a home cooked meal and the kids get to run around like maniacs. They even have a snow cone machine in their backyard now!!!!

Sliding and Static Cling

2011-07-16T08:29:00.000-07:00

Kate loves crawling up the fort in Amber's backyard and sliding down the slide. The fort makes me really nervous but Kate insists on climbing it by herself.

Morning- Kate isn't a huge fan

2011-07-15T17:45:00.001-07:00

Expressions

2011-07-15T17:41:00.001-07:00

Kate makes some of the funniest expressions. I wish I remembered what was happening here.

Cheetos & Popsicles

2011-07-15T17:33:00.000-07:00

Does it get any better than this?

She get it from her Momma!

2011-07-14T20:07:00.000-07:00

Look at this hot bod! Lol. What can we say? We love our carbs and they like to hang out in our belly, lol.

Mrs. Connie's Graduation

2011-06-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Connie held her annual graduation to honor the kiddos that will go to kindergarten the next year. She also does awards for all of the other kids. Katelyn got three awards. The first Award was for "Becoming a Big Girl" this year. Her Second Award was "The Best Block Builder Award", apparently Kate can stack some mean blocks. She also got a Certificate of Excellence Award for learning her colors, counting to 10, learning shapes, learning to sit for storytime, using crayons without eating them, and for being the best singer. LOL. Mrs. Connie teaches Kate so many things. She is awesome!!!

Cooking Out with the McCauley's

2011-06-06T20:23:00.000-07:00

Our neighbors, the McCauley's had us down for a cook out a couple weeks ago. Our other neighbors, Kendall and Kyle joined us and Kyle cooked us up some yummy steaks. Kate and Reid dined on some delicious chicken nuggets and capri sun. Lol. It is so nice having fun neighbors to hang out with. Kate and Reid have the best time together playing in the kiddie pool. We all had so much fun we stayed down there past midnight. Below are the pictures of Kate's cookout outfit and her and Reid's pool time.

Amber's Bday

2011-06-03T20:22:00.000-07:00

Amber and Parker share the same birthday. Parker got to have her splash party and her mommy got to go to a painting party. Amber invited me to tag along with her and her girls for a painting class at How Great Thou Art. We painted super cute red doors and then went to Pasquals afterwards for some snacks and drinks. We had a great time!!

Cousin Parker Turned 1

2011-06-03T20:10:00.000-07:00

Parker had her big first birthday bash in my sister's backyard. There were lots of kids, tons of water toys, cupcakes, and fun. I can't believe Sweet Parker is 1 already. Where does the time go? We love you Parker!

Kate's Church Outfit

2011-05-27T20:40:00.000-07:00

I put Kate in this cute dress for church on Sunday and she started yelling out "BOOTS, BOOTS." So we put her boots on and headed to church. What a cutie!

Maycie's 3rd Birthday Party

2011-05-27T20:14:00.000-07:00

We went to Maycie Morris's 3rd Birthday Party this past Saturday. It was a pony and pizza party. We had a lot of fun and and Jody did such a great job decorating. She always out does herself every year. We got the cutest party favors and all the kids got a cowboy hat to take home. Jody rented ponies for the party but her parents already had a rooster and a goat. Kate was totally in love with the rooster. She kept chasing it and bending down in it's face and saying, "hello rooster." The rooster was so scary to me but Kate wasn't scared at all. Crystal brought Kate some cute cowboy boots to wear. She even let us borrow them for awhile Kate wanted to wear them to church the next morning.

Swing, Swing

2011-05-27T19:50:00.000-07:00

Katelyn is obsessed with swinging. She will stay in a swing forever and loves to sing," swing, swing, swing, swing" the whole time she is swinging. Mrs. Connie has a swingset that Katelyn loves and so does Aunt Amber. I have found a swingset for Katelyn and will hopefully be setting it up in our backyard in the next couple of weeks.

Hayden and Tball

2011-05-27T19:37:00.000-07:00

Hayden played T ball for the first time this year. It was so fun watching all the 4 and 5 year olds trying to figure out what base to run, running the bases and forgetting to put the bat down, and fighting over the ball when it was hit to them. So crazy to think Hayden is old enough to play t ball. We really enjoyed the season.

Water Fun

2011-05-18T20:47:00.000-07:00

Mom blew up the little pool out in her backyard on Mother's Day. The water was freezing but that didn't stop Miss Kate. Her teeth were chattering but she didn't care. We played for awhile but then a storm blew in and shortened our fun. Oh well, I am sure there will be plenty of hot days ahead.

Girls Just Want to Have Fun

2011-05-17T20:36:00.000-07:00

Katelyn and Cousin Parker are really getting to have fun now that Ms. Parker is becoming a big girl.

Pony Tail

2011-05-16T20:38:00.000-07:00

Kate's hair is finally getting long enough to put in a pony tail. It is so cute when it is all up but it doesn't stay that way very long.

Warm Weather Fun

2011-05-16T20:22:00.000-07:00

We blew the bounce house up and pulled out all the toys and had a party in our front yard. My niece and nephew were over for the evening so we invited Crystal, Savannah, and the McCauley's over to play. The kids had a blast and us grown ups had fun visiting too. Can't wait for many more days like this during the summer.

Mother's Day

2011-05-15T16:49:00.000-07:00

We had a great Mother's Day this year. Went to church as a family, lunch at Brian's mom's house and dinner at my mom's. I got some sweet Tom's Wedges that I love and we even had fun with moustaches. Random I know but my mom bought them at the Dollar Store so we went with it. Ha! I love being a mommy.

Baby Elliot Schneider is here!

2011-05-11T08:36:00.000-07:00

Brian's sister Sarah had her baby girl on April 21st. She was a week early and came in a hurry. Sarah's water broke at work after lunch and Elliot was here before 5 that same day. Mommy and Baby are doing well and Kate is excited to have another baby cousin. She calls her Baby Ellie and likes to try and poke her in the eyes. I guess we need to work on that. Ha!

Playing In the Rain

2011-04-28T18:54:00.001-07:00

My sister had a cook out/ Easter Egg Hunt this past Friday for my Mom's side of the family. We were all playing outside having a blast and it started raining and hailing. We rushed in and decided to eat dinner. We then decided to hide all the eggs inside the house since it was storming out. Well right after we hid the eggs, the storm passed and the kids had their noses pressed against the window wanting to go back out. We decided to let them go out and play in the puddles. Kate was having such a blast, I decided to strip her down to her diaper and let her go to town. Well right after that, my Aunt decided she wanted a group picture of all the cousins. There are 7 kids under the age of 5 on my mom's side of the family. We lined them up and got a really funny picture. My aunt said it wasn't exactly the picture she had in mind, but I love it. I think she was picturing them all in their Sunday bests. Lol! Kate cracks me up in this picture. Here they are: Caydia, Evie, Emilee, Garrett, Hayden, Parker, and Katelyn.

Junior League Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-28T18:41:00.001-07:00

Kate and I headed to the Annual Junior League Easter Hunt the Sunday before Easter. She fell asleep in the car on the way (of course). I let her sleep for a little while but we didn't want to miss all of the fun. It took her a little while to get out of the "I just woke up funk" but once she did, she was super excited. She totally understood the concept of picking up the eggs this year. She absolutely loved the Easter Bunny. She would go up to him and hug him and then she kept going back to him when it wasn't her turn. She even posed for a super cute picture with him and Savannah.

Kate and The Ducks

2011-04-04T20:08:00.001-07:00

Amber, Crystal, and I took the kiddos to the park recently. There was a duck pond right behind the play area and as soon as Katelyn saw it, she was obsessed. She followed the ducks all around quacking at them and even tried to follow them in the water. We finally got her back to the play area but that was short lived. She then preceded to put on Savannah's stylish shades and Crystal's purse and high tail it back over the duck pond. This girl is a mess! We ended the outing with a trip to Ronnie's Burgers and Addison's Ice Cream Shop. What a fun day!

Neighborhood Block Party

2011-04-04T19:52:00.000-07:00

We received an invitation taped to our front door inviting us to a neighborhood block party. We have almost been living here a year and still have not met a lot of our neighbors so we decided to go. The hosts cooked the meats and we all brought a side. We also took Katelyn's bounce house over for all of the kids. There were about 40 people in attendance. It was really nice to actually talk to the people we just wave at all of the time. One of the neighbors was loving some margaritas that particular day and wanted everyone else to as well. There even ended up being some street dancing. Kate met Reid McCauley who lives down the street and they did some bouncing and snack sharing. We are super excited about having a new friend to play with in our neighborhood. I would say the block party was a success and how cool is that to live in a neighborhood that does that.

We Conquered Lake Wichita Mountain, LOL

2011-04-04T19:43:00.000-07:00

Hayden, Katelyn, and I decided we needed to hike up the large grass mountain at Lake Wichita. We were all wearing flip flops and I had to carry Kate up the whole way, so lets just say it wasn't the easiest hike. However, Hayden was so excited when we made it to the top, it made it all worth it. We then hiked over to the nice park there and Hayden helped Katelyn slide down all the big kid slides. He is such a great big cousin. We played so hard, they both fell asleep on the 5 minute car ride home.

Piggies are back!

2011-03-27T21:39:00.000-07:00

Kate's hair is getting so long. It is finally long enough to put all of it in side pig tails. She looks so old with it like this. She is growing up too fast.

Mommy's Pre Birthday Weekend Get Away

2011-02-26T13:36:00.001-08:00

My dear friend Crystal loves making a big deal out of people's birthdays. And I love that about her. She surprised me with a overnight mommy getaway to Fort Worth. We went shopping at Forever 21, to Joe T Garcia's for dinner and margs, Billy Bob's to see Miranda Lambert, and to Sundance Square to finish it off. We had a great time! My sister, Crystal, and Rose all came along. I didn't spend a dime. They were all so good to me and we had a lot of fun! Thank you girls! In true Mommy fashion, we were home by noon the next day to relieve the Daddy's.

Thanks again girls! What a great way to start off my 29th Birthday!

Valentine's

2011-02-14T14:04:00.000-08:00

Aunt Amber made Katelyn and Parker matching shirts for Valentine's Day! Miss Connie threw the kids a party at school. I was working like a mad woman at the Basketcase that day so Aunt Amber went and took pictures for me.

February Freeze

2011-02-04T13:44:00.000-08:00

Well we got our big snow again this year! We were stuck in the house for 3 days straight. Schools were closed, work was closed, and pretty much the whole town was closed. The first day it was fun but after that we were getting cabin fever. We attempted to leave one evening for dinner because we were tired of being cooped up, but Mother Nature had other plans. First, my car got stuck in the snowdrifts in the driveway and then when me and Kate were walking back in the house, I slipped on the ice and killed my knees. Luckily Kate wasn't hurt. Toby and Josh came over and cooked dinner one evening. Kate was so excited to see someone besides Brian and I, she ran to them at the door and gave them a huge hug. I didn't get any outside pictures because it was too cold to play but I did get this funny pic of Kate warming her buns by the fire, lol.

Terrible Two's Already??????

2011-01-30T14:04:00.000-08:00

So little Miss Kate has turned into quite the Diva lately. She can go from sweetheart to terror in .2 seconds. She loves to throw herself down and whine or cry "no, no , no ,no ,no" anytime you are trying to do something she doesn't want to do. Such as dressing her, taking her out of the bath tub, wiping her face, etc. We get on to her or sometimes try to ignore it. Mrs. Connie had to put her in time out for the first time ever last week. Katelyn was doing the "no, no, no " thing to her and also threw a fit when it was time to go down for nap. Connie couldn't believe it. She had never seen Katelyn act like that. Welcome to my world, lol. Connie said it might be the terrible two's six months early. Lord, I hope not. However, these last 3 days she has been an absolute angel. Maybe she sensed I was reaching my boiling point, ha. I mean look at this little darling.....

Hayden's 4th Bday and Kate's First Injury

2011-01-30T13:53:00.000-08:00

Hayden turned the Big 4 on January 16th! I can't believe he is 4 years old, seems like yesterday I was counting down the days til he got here. What joy Hayden has brought to all of our lives! I love being his Aunt JoJo! Hayden had an indoor pool party. There were tons of kids, lots of swimming, cupcakes, and really loud noisemakers. We love you Hayden!

On a not so bright note, Katelyn slipped on the wet concrete floor at the party and apparently twisted her ankle. Xrays showed nothing was broken but she wouldn't walk on it for over a week and is now walking with a slight limp. Poor baby girl!

Christmas Day

2011-01-02T22:28:00.000-08:00

Santa brought Katelyn a Disney tent and a baby doll set! How nice of him! Christmas morning we woke up and headed to Brian's parents to open presents. We walked in their living room and their was a huge bounce house taking up the whole space! Kate loved it! Their were tons of presents at the Camps, like usual. We made a haul over there. After opening presents, we ran home and got cleaned up and headed to Brian's other grandparent's house for lunch. Kate was such a trooper and let everyone hold her and was in a good mood even though she hadn't had her nap yet. After lunch, we came home and let Brian and Kate take a nap while I went to visit my Grandpa at Royal Estates. He was enjoying some Christmas cookies and was in great spirits! I then swung by the house and picked up Brian and Kate and we headed to my Aunt Janice's house to celebrate Christmas with my Dad and his side of the family. We took the bounce house and Kylie, Hayden, and Kate had a blast in it. Great Christmas with lots of food, presents, and fellowship.

Christmas Eve

2011-01-02T21:35:00.000-08:00

We kicked off Christmas Eve at the 4 o' clock Candlelight service at Colonial. We do this every year with my siblings and my mom and her husband. Katelyn did really well considering it lasted an hour and she had to stay semi still. She loved all the Christmas songs and even did pretty good during the sermon, however when the actual candle lighting part came around she had had enough. Hayden also got to hold his own candle this year but accidentally dripped hot wax on his hand and got pretty upset about it. Other than that, the service was great! We then stopped at my mom's and let the little kids open their presents and then Brian and I had to load up and head to Holliday to have Christmas with his Dad's side of the family at his grandparents house. Katelyn was so good playing with the other kids. We ate dinner there, opened presents, and headed back to my Mom's where they were waiting on us to open the rest of the presents. Katelyn got a princess 3 wheeler. Can't wait til it is warm outside so she can ride it. We got to our home about 10pm and were very tired!

Christmas started the Saturday before

2011-01-02T21:23:00.001-08:00

Well, we made it thru another Christmas! Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas but we have to go to what feels like a million different places over a 2 day period. We celebrated with my Mom's side of the family the Saturday before because that was when my cousin Daniel and his kiddos were in town. My Aunt Danna made all the kids cute Canvases with their caricatures painted on them and cute little sayings.

Night Trip to Fantasy of Lights with the Reeds

2011-01-02T21:13:00.000-08:00

We bundled the kiddos up and headed to the Fantasy of Lights. Brian and Dave even took part in the festivities. We ended the night with a trip to Mazzio's. Pizza buffets are a real crowd pleaser with the little ones. Kate can eat more pizza then anything else! She just shovels it in.

Visit to Santa

2011-01-02T21:06:00.000-08:00

Every year Mrs. Connie takes all the kiddos to see Santa at the Mall. We loaded all the kiddos up, headed to the mall, saw Santa, ate pizza at the food court, and had everyone back home in time for nap! Mrs. Connie went above and beyond and made matching shirts for all the kiddos. So cute!

Day Trip to Fantasy of Lights

2011-01-02T20:51:00.001-08:00

Mrs. Connie decided to take the kiddos to the Fantasy of Lights one afternoon. It was a Friday so Kate and I met them up there since Kate stays home on Fridays. Kate had her sassy pink boots with the fur on that day and boy did she strut her stuff around the displays. Her favorite was the Circus Cage with the lions. She kept going back to that one and going "Roarrrrrrrr." She is too funny!

Christmas Card 2010

2010-12-20T21:20:00.000-08:00

Polar Express in Grapevine Texas

2010-12-20T21:01:00.000-08:00

We heard about the Polar Express Train ride in Grapevine and decided to drive down and check it out. Crystal and I loaded the girls up and met Mindy Brown and her family there. They say that Grapevine, TX is the Christmas Capitol of Texas. I think they may be right. The Polar Express consisted of a fun musical show, snow, and a 30 minute train ride complete with Mrs. Claus and Santa. Katelyn fell asleep the last 5 minutes of the train ride and continued to sleep as we were walking to the shuttle bus, waiting on the shuttle bus, riding the shuttle bus, and walking to the car. LOL. Needless to say, her Mommy's arms got a good workout. We then headed over to the Stonebriar mall for a little shopping and Chickfila for lunch. We finished off the trip with a stop at Kirklands before we headed home. It was a tag team effort, meaning one would shop while the other attempted to corral the girls( mainly Kate, she was BUSY!). We didn't get a lot of shopping accomplished but we had a great time!

Tour of Christmas Lights

2010-12-20T20:55:00.000-08:00

We got invited to go tour the Christmas Lights in the Country Club via Horse and Carriage. Crystal, Savannah, Lauren, Bryn, Macy, and Jody accompanied us on our ride. We bundled the girls up and enjoyed an hour long tour of all the beautiful homes in the Country Club area. The girls were free and it only cost $10 for the mommies. What a deal! I think the mommies loved it more than the little girls but needless to say, I would highly recommend it!

First Trip to The Movies

2010-12-20T20:50:00.001-08:00

Crystal and Savannah invited Katelyn and I to see Tangled at the Movie Theater. I was hesitant about taking a 16 month old to a movie but we decided to give it a whirl. I was pleasantly surprised. Both of the girls did so good! The movie was really cute and they both stayed in their chairs snacking on popcorn, goldfish, and animal crackers. Kate only got out of her seat twice. We then went for dinner at Chili's and finished off the night at Crystal's to exchange presents. Great night with great friends!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-12T20:39:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving was really great this year. We had 3 different Thanksgiving feast to attend as well as Kate having one at her daycare. Mrs. Connie hosted a Thanksgiving luncheon for all the kiddos and their guests. I was out of town that day so my Mom was Katelyn's guest. The kids sang Thanksgiving themed songs and told what they were thankful for. Kate was a spectator this year but Cousin Hayden performed. Hayden wanted Katelyn to stay the night on Wednesday night but I offered to let him stay the night with us to make it easier on his mommy! Kate and Hayden had a great Pre-Thanksgiving sleepover. We woke up and ate breakfast and watched the Macy's parade. So fun!

We ate lunch Thanksgiving Day at Brian's Parents' House and had dinner with my Dad at my Aunt Janice's house. Katelyn had a blast dancing to the Sesame Street song with Cousin Kylie!
Amber, and her friend Stephanie, and I decided to do a little Black Friday shopping to finish off the night. We started at Toys R Us at 10pm and ended up getting home at 5 am Friday morning. Fortunately Brian was home and was nice enough to watch Katelyn while I slept til noon on Friday. Crazy but fun! I don't have any pictures of that night, but trust me, they would not be pretty. Saturday we finished off our Thanksgiving Festivities with lunch at my Aunt Joni's for Mom's side of the family. Plenty of kids over there too. Cousin Emilee and Garrett, Parker, Hayden, and Katelyn pretty much ran the show. Lots of great family time over the holiday. We have a lot to be thankful for! We are so blessed!

Chuck E Cheese's

2010-11-14T20:22:00.000-08:00

Hayden's mommy decided to take him to Chuck E. Cheese as a reward for his good behavior. Katelyn and I decided to tag along and mom even came and joined us on her lunch break. Katelyn loves Chuck E. She made a beeline for him.

Brian Turned 30

2010-11-14T19:59:00.001-08:00

Brian turned the big 3-0 this past week. The boys went and played golf all day on Saturday and then we celebrated with some of friends and family on Saturday night. My boss let us use his suite at the Hockey Game! We had a lot of fun! Happy Birthday Brian!

Flying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-11-14T19:31:00.001-08:00

The Hookers invited us out to Wichita Valley Airport last Saturday for the annual Pumpkin Drop. All the plane owners bring out their planes and take turns flying over a target and attempting to drop pumpkins on the bullseye. It was a lot of fun to watch. Brian and I took Katelyn and Hayden out for the day. They loved it! Hayden didn't want to even touch the airplanes at first but by the end of the day he said he was ready to fly. Brian Hooker offered to take Hayden on his first airplane ride. I had to call Hayden's mommy and make sure it was ok, she said it was as long as Brian or I went with him. Brian went with him and Katelyn and I stayed on the ground and watched. He was so excited. When they landed, he jumped out of the plane talking 90mph telling me how he loved it and didn't even cry. He was so big!!

Enjoying the Last Few Warm Days

2010-11-14T19:23:00.001-08:00

Winter is upon us! Booo! I love winter clothes but I hate the cold. Katelyn isn't going to know what to do without getting to play in her Mia's backyard while it is cold.

Big Girl

2010-11-14T19:19:00.000-08:00

Katelyn loves brushing her teeth! She has a mouthful now. Twelve last time I checked but I don't look often because she bites really hard.

Playing at Aunt Amber's House

2010-11-14T19:09:00.001-08:00

Wearing Hayden's old Monkey Costume

Katelyn loves going to Hayden's house to play with all his cool toys. However, he usually decides that he wants to play with whatever toy she has. It is hard sharing your toys.

What are We gonna do with this Hair?

2010-11-12T21:10:00.001-08:00

Circus Fun

2010-11-12T20:57:00.000-08:00

Brian, Amber, and I took the kiddos to the Shrine Circus. The performances were great! Katelyn and Hayden both got a light up toy and I got cotton candy. Yum!!!!
Tired Babies!

My Buddy Hayden

2010-11-12T20:42:00.000-08:00

Hayden and I go way back, almost 4 years now. He made me an Aunt, Aunt JoJo to be exact. We are still pretty tight but we don't get to have as much quality time as we used to now that I am a mommy. However, we recently got to hang out like old times at Garrett's birthday party at Gymnastics Sport Center. My mom kept Kate busy while Hayden and I got to play. It was great!

Trick or Treating

2010-11-12T20:10:00.000-08:00

We all met at our house this year to kick off the Halloween festivities. Amber,David, and the kiddos joined us for some pre party Pizza and pictures. I had to wake Katelyn up from a late afternoon nap to get her ready and lets just say she wasn't happy. She was not feeling the pictures. Parker and Hayden on the other hand were regular little models. After pictures we did a little trick or treating in our neighborhood and then we went to make grandparent rounds. We stopped at Mom's first, then we headed over to my Dad's. He lives on the same street as the Camps so we decided to walk down to their house and do a little trick or treating on the way. Hayden really got into the trick or treating this year. Katelyn enjoyed riding in the wagon. Aside from my grumpy ladybug, we all had a Happy Halloween.

Mrs Connie's Halloween Carnival

2010-11-12T19:39:00.001-08:00

Mrs. Connie throws the kids a Halloween Carnival every year. She brings out the bounce house, carnival games, goodies bags, and tons of food. Brian was working but Amber, David, and I all took part helping with the chaos.

Katelyn and her boyfriend Bryson

Mrs. Connie made this awesome Cake!Fun Carnival Games

Mrs. Connie's current and former daycare crew!

Fort Worth Zoo

2010-11-09T21:39:00.001-08:00

Crystal and I loaded the girls up one Friday morning and headed to the Zoo! We met up with Allie and Emerson! We were late but Allie and Emerson still got to make some of the zoo with us before it was time to head home for Em's nap time. Katelyn loved the Monkeys and the Penguins. I think these were her favorite because she could get right up by them. The weather was perfect and it turned out to be a wonderful day!

Cousin Emilee

2010-11-09T21:26:00.001-08:00

Katelyn and her second Cousin Emilee got to play in my mom's backyard recently. We ended up stripping them down to their diapers because we didn't want them to get cupcakes on their pretty clothes. So cute! PS. Don't be jealous of these hot bods!

Pumpkin Patch Round 2

2010-10-17T21:42:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the shots from our second trip to the Pumpkin Patch.

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-17T21:04:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Connie took all of the kids at Katelyn's school to the Painted Pony Pumpkin Patch this past Friday. Katelyn doesn't usually go on Fridays so we met them out there. Katelyn woke up on the wrong side of the bed that morning and things went down hill from there. Mrs. Connie made all of the kids matching tshirts and all of the girls hair bows. Katelyn refused to wear her bow and screamed bloody murder every time I tried to put it on her. She also refused to smile in any of the pictures. Once we got to the point where I could just let her down to run free, she got much better. She loved watching the ponies and jumping in the bounce house. She also liked riding in the wagon with her boyfriend Bryson. We got to paint pumpkins, ride on a 4 wheeler, and go on a hayride. We took all of the kids to McDonalds afterwards. Amber and I decided to take Hayden, Katelyn, and Parker to the Pumpkin Patch near MSU after nap time for a second shot at some pictures. These turned out a little better. At least I got Kate to wear her bow this time. Fun day but I was in need of stiff drink after being with all of the kids for that long. Ha!

Pumpkin Painting

2010-10-09T21:05:00.001-07:00

Katelyn and I got invited over to Stephanie Jones' house to paint pumpkins. It was messy but Super Fun! Thanks for having us Steph!

My Girl

2010-10-09T21:01:00.001-07:00

Cheese!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!