Fun Filled Weekend

I'll actually start with a picture from last weekend, because it's just too cute not to share with everyone.

So, I'm not smart enough to put the pictures in order because Megan does most of the posting. But, with Megan out of town this weekend, I thought it was my job to post the updates from Ohio from this past weekend (with some extras thrown in for fun).

This was supposed to be the last picture, but somehow it's first. This is the flag retirement ceremony from Cameron's Pack Graduation on Sunday. It was a very nice, humble reminder about the sacrifices that have been made for us and how the flag symbolizes everything that we, as a country, stand for.

Cameron officially "crossing over" from Tiger Cub to Wolf.

Our favorite Cub Scout.

On Friday, I volunteered at Cameron's school for field day. Here are a few pictures of the day's activities.

Bounce House

A game where two sides competed to get the marble from one end of the group to the other using small pieces of PVC pipe.

Beach Ball "Team Race"

Sponge Race

Once again, Cameron's baseball game was rained out on Saturday. But, thankfully, Aunt Stacey came to visit again and saved the day. She and Cameron had a great time playing with Legos, making cards and hanging out together.

June already!!!

Wow, we have been keeping so busy that I just realized today that I hadn't updated the blog for a while. Cameron is now officially done with soccer and into baseball. He only has 3 days of school left for the year and then begins his summer vacation in which he will spend a few weeks at a time between our house and his mom's house. He seems to really love baseball and actually does pretty well with it. In his first game last week he went 2-3 with one run scored and an RBI. He also did really well in the field. Last night he had another game but only got 2 innings in before the rain came down and we were all stranded in a torrential downpour. He did manage to get another hit last night and made a pretty good play at 3rd to get a runner out. I am mildly impressed by his ability considering he's only had 2 practices and two games to learn the game.




This past weekend Noah got his first haircut. He sort of had a "Gene Keady" style comb over so it was time to get it trimmed up. Since Aunt Stacey came to visit, she joined us on our walk over to Cookie Cutters for the momentous occasion. Surprisingly, Noah did very well until the very end when the stylist busted out the clippers. He looks so much older now that he's had his hair cut. He seems to be transitioning to toddlerhood so quickly. He is everywhere these days and I am exhausted for it. We have learned that because of his obsession with the toilet, all lids should be closed at all times to prevent wet messes. He is starting to babble more often and occasionally we get a ma ma or da da and even a ba ba sometimes. He has transitioned nicely to drinking from a sippy cup and yesterday I noticed that he is finally cutting his first tooth.




In other news, we finally got around to checking out the Columbus Zoo. We knew it was close to our house but we had no idea how close. It's only about 5 miles down the road and it's so easy to access. We didn't get to check much of it out but the part we did check out was really cool. The day we went was boy scout day so Cameron got to do a ropes course which he thought was so fun. We did purchase a membership to the zoo (which was built by Jack Hanna and is ranked #1 in the nation) so if you come visit, we can take guests too!!!




We have a VERY busy month ahead complete with visitors every weekend and then our big family vacation at the end of June. I'll keep you posted when I have a chance. Have a great summer!!!

Busy Weekend

This past weekend, there was a lot going on around here. From camp outs to soccer games and Noah's dedication at church, we were busy busy busy. We were also excited that Grandma and Grandpa came for a visit. Here are a few pictures we snapped over the weekend with more to come later...

A day in the life...

So, Noah has been quite adventurous lately. He is literally into everything. Here are a few photos I've snapped over the past few days to show you what kind of trouble he tends to get himself into.

Hmm...wonder how I can get in there?


Look what I found Mom!!!


I wonder what goes on in there?


Playtime with my best bud Bailey. We're striking a pose!!!


I love love love my big brother!!!

That's pretty much what's been going on around here. I had no idea how exhausting it could be to chase around someone so small.

We have been super busy lately with Cameron's soccer season wrapping up and also baseball season beginning. Tonight, Cameron and Stuart are going to the Columbus Clippers minor league baseball game and afterwards are camping on the field with the rest of the boy scouts. Then in the morning they'll be treated to breakfast and a skills presentation put on by the Clippers players. Cameron is so excited. This weekend is also Noah's dedication at church so Grandma and Grandpa are coming out for a visit. We could not be happier they are coming!!!

Be prepared for more pictures next week and have a great weekend!!!

Man on the move

Yep, we're crawling, and pulling up and making life way more interesting for mommy and daddy. He started crawling almost 2 weeks ago and has just recently begun to pull himself up on the ottoman in the living room. He cruises a little but is still a little too wobbly to go too far. Life is much more fun for him now that he's mobile but much more hectic for mommy. We have baby proofed the house although I'm sure that he'll find ways around it. I just can't believe how quickly he has changed. He is so much fun and I just love it that I get to spend most of my day playing and watching him grow.

In other news, we are loving this sunny weather!!! Last night we spent the evening out on our back deck enjoying each other's company. We have really made an effort as of late to shut out distractions and focus on being a family. The past 2 Sundays have been media free days. This means that we have had no TV, radio, or computers. Just us spending time together, getting things done around the house, and shutting off the constant noise that tends to fill our ears. It has been very refreshing and we will continue this on most Sundays throughout the summer.

Cameron's soccer season has been up and down. They won their first few games but have hit a bit of a skid here of late. He has 3 more games and then it's on to baseball season. He has about 4 more weeks of school and he is very excited for his summer vacation.

It was 1 year ago this past weekend when Stuart and I came out to Columbus to look at houses. It's amazing that out of all the houses we looked at, this house was the only one that really stood out. I remember making the decision to make an offer on the house and how stressful it was for Stuart. I remember looking him in the eye and telling him that this was not too good to be true, that, in fact people had been praying for us and for our situation and this is where we were meant to live. One year later we could not agree more. We are so happy here in our home. We have a wonderful neighborhood and a new church family who we are getting to know and love more and more everyday. I feel as though this has become our home now. I feel so blessed.

This weekend is Mother's Day weekend. I am excited that this will be my first "official" Mother's Day. Cameron will be with his mom so Stuart and I are planning on enjoying the weekend together with Noah. Happy Mother's Day to all of the special women in my life who are moms.

What we've been up to...

While we were in Washington over Cam's spring break, Cam and Stuart had the opportunity to go hiking in Spring Mill State Park with Uncle Matt. A good time was had by all. Uncle Matt even showed Cameron how to geocache. Fun times!!!






Last week, Cameron had his first soccer game of the season. The mighty yellow jackets reigned victorious over the purple dragons. Cameron played a good game and shut out the other team while he took his turn in the goal.






Noah is 9 months old!!! We can't believe how big he is getting and how much he is learning. We took him for his 9 month checkup last week. He weighs 18lbs. 4 oz. and is 26.5 inches long. He is in the 20th percentile for weight and the 5th for height. I was praying that he would get his father's height but I'm pretty sure he is all me (including his fiery temper). He is not crawling yet, but he's so close. He manages to get on all fours and scoot a little bit but doesn't make any big progress. We can get him to wave at us occasionally and he's also eating more and more finger foods. He loves bananas, grated cheese, sliced turkey, and avocados. Here are a few new pictures.







We are so happy that warmer weather has arrived. Cameron is thrilled that he can be outside most of the evening when he gets home from school. Even Noah loves his daily outings in his stroller. My soccer season has also started. I feel like the old granny out there but I do not embarrass myself too badly so I think I'll stick with it. It is a lot of fun and the bonus is that it's a built in workout.

That's all we've got for now. Enjoy this sunny weather while you can. We are!!!

Time Flies!!!

Wow, I just realized it had been over two weeks since I had updated our blog. God forbid that I not keep you up to date on our lives. Last week was a bit crazy since we had been gone the entire week before down in Washington and Indianapolis visiting family and friends. It turned out to be a very eventful trip. As many of you know, Stuart and I are sports junkies. So, imagine our delight when our hometown Hatchets basketball team advanced to the State Finals while we were in Indiana and we were able to attend the game. It was a nail biter but in the end, class prevailed and our boys brought another state title back to Washington. This is the 3rd they've won since Stuart and I have known each other. Hatchet basketball was always great but has been amazing since we've had some kids named Zeller pass through the school. The same night that Washington won the state championship, Butler advanced to the Final Four in Indianapolis. We will always remember that Saturday night. Butler is playing tonight for the National Championship. Even Cameron has gotten into the spirit and asked if he could stay up tonight to watch the Bulldogs. He has a special love for them because when he was 4, I took him to his first college basketball game at Hinkle Fieldhouse and we were able to sit right on the floor. He LOVED the bulldog. I don't think he'll be able to stay up for the game tonight since it doesn't tip off until 10 but he will want an update as soon as he's awake in the morning.
Spring weather has arrived and we are all enjoying the sunshine. Noah has been battling this chronic cold and cough. We are starting to think that maybe he just has allergies. We're hoping that all of this clears up soon so we can all enjoy being outside. Cameron has started soccer practice and seems very excited for his games to start. His first one, barring any bad weather, will be this Saturday. This year he's on the yellow jackets and Stuart and I couldn't be happier that we're not the coaches. It's nice to see someone else try to keep the attention of a dozen 7 year old boys.
This past weekend we had some visitors from Indiana. One of my best friends and her husband and new baby boy came to visit. Clark, Carrie and AJ arrived on Friday and stayed until Saturday afternoon. It was so nice to have them here and show them our new house and neighborhood. Noah found AJ to be particularly interesting. It was funny to see Noah reacting to a tiny baby. It's hard to believe that Noah was that small just a few months ago.
Speaking of Noah, he's on the verge of crawling. He lunges forward from a seated position and gets on all 4's. He hasn't figured out how to get his legs under him yet but manages to pivot around on his belly. He's also pretty proficient at scooting on his bottom.
Yesterday we celebrated Easter with our new friends, the Metz's. Adam happens to be the pastor of our church. He and his wife Mary Beth have 3 beautiful children who Cameron loves to play with. We spent the afternoon out on their patio while the kids played. It was such a beautiful afternoon. A perfect Easter Sunday.
I will post pictures of all the latest festivities when I get a chance. Right now I have to go rescue a certain baby from his crib.