Final Soccer Game and a Bonfire

Today was Ryker's last soccer game of the season.  He was ready and eager to play today (for once).

He really hustled today and did the best he's done all season.

We were very proud of his good attitude today.

He did a good job listening to the coach and was a good participant.

Go, Buddy, go!

Then, he got his trophy, which was highly anticipated!

Way to go Ryker!

Robert was excited to not be embarrassed for once.  LOL

Next up was some play time outside.  Camden loves this chair on Nana and Papaw's back porch.  It's just his size.

After the sun went down, we started a bonfire in the fire pit out back.

Aunt Kate found these awesome boots at a consignment sale Thursday and Ryker has wanted to wear nothing but them for the past 3 days.

Nana made Camden a smore...

which he rather enjoyed. :-)

Game Night

We try to get together with some friends of ours for a game night about once a month.  We've all been so busy the last few months we haven't been able to do it.  But, tonight, we finally were able to get together at the McCollister's and play some games, eat some food, hang out, and laugh.  We had a great time and can't wait til next time!

Sometimes I think Anna and I are the same person...neither of us agreed to do a crazy face before the picture was taken...we just did. 

All the ladies. Me, Anna, Emily, and Katie

A more serious shot of Anna and I (if you ignore the photobomb efforts of my husband)

Anna and I both were rocking ripped jeans. We're cool like that.

Robert pulled double duty with Coop and Cam.  He's such a good guy!

We were there REALLY late, but had such a great time.  Robert and Tom have a great time hanging out.

1 Year Appointment

Today was Camden's one year well check with Dr. Anderson.  We went while Ryker was at school so I just had Cam and Hudson.  While we waited I put Hudson on the scale and let his mommy know how big he's getting.

14 lbs. 12 oz.  Big boy!

Cam played very well while we waited.

He got the once over from a student doctornand Dr. Anderson today.  Both agreed that he is healthy as a horse.  His stats were:

Height: 31.25" 90th percentile

Weight: 24 lbs. 2 oz. 70th percentile

Dr. A asked if I had any questions about him.  I told her I wasn't the slightest bit concerned about his health but wondered if she had any tips on curbing the screaming.  Much to my disappointment, she didn't tell me anything I didn't already know for the most part.  She did share one strategy that could work for kids who are sensitive to you getting your feelings hurt, but since Cam just thinks that's funny, that idea was a bust.  In the end, she advised ear plugs for the next 3 months or so. Ahhh!  I'm hoping we can continue to work on new words/sign language and as he gets more mobile he will get happy and the screaming will dissipate.  We were happy for a clean bill of health though. :-)  He had 4 shots including his first of two flu shots.  We go back in 4 weeks to get the second one.  He cried as expected, but not too much which was good. :-)

Girl's Trip!

Early Friday morning, Mom, Grandma, Camden, and I loaded up the van and took off for a fun-filled girl's weekend. 

Bright (or not, since it was still dark) and early about to take off!

We went over to the Springfield Antique Show and Flea Market for their Fall Extravaganza and Vintage Marketplace.  It was fabulous!  It was HUGE, with over 400 vendors.  The prices were great and the selection was amazing.  We were there just as they opened at 8 am and stayed until closing at 6 pm.  I got some amazing stuff for the kid's playroom.  (More pics, etc. to come once we are able to get everything out of the attic at my parents where it is stowed away.) 

A friend of mine had me on the hunt for a small suitcase with stripes.  This fit the bill perfectly and was a steal at $20.  I sent her some pics and she was quick to tell me to grab it for her.

Camden was very good for me this day.  We had fun stopping and playing in the mirrors.  He thinks he's pretty cute. ( I happen to agree.)

This was half way through Day 1 of shopping.  It was full by the end and we still had 2 days left! Eek!  Thankfully, my friend Anna (the one I got the suitcase for) was coming over on Saturday, so we sent quite a bit home with her and freed up some much needed space in our van for more of our purchases.

Jo, Aunt Karen, and Aunt Diane all met us in Columbus Saturday morning for the Country Living Fair.  This was my second time going and it was a blast yet again. 

Nana and Cam getting some play time while we took a break for lunch.  Our lunch consisted of sharing a big piece of homemade cobbler and ice cream.  We kept it real healthy on vacay...lol

I saw this incredible map that would've been perfect for Robert's office.  I wanted it so bad I could taste it but Robert didn't approve of its price tag. :(

This was during a little break we took on Day 3 before heading home.  He was pretty restless by this point and didn't want to be in his stroller any more.

We finished up around 3:45 Sunday afternoon and headed home.  Cam thankfully slept almost the entire way home. It was a great weekend and we are already planning next year's trip.  That one will be without a baby in tow though!



1 Year Old!

It's hard to believe our precious miracle Camden Nicoli is a year old today.  The time has gone way too fast just as I knew it would. 

I won't know his stats until next week when he sees Dr. Anderson.  He's still on pretty much the same feeding schedule.  His sleep schedule has been thrown off with the move.  He's waking up through the night sometimes and is getting up much earlier in the morning.  I'm hoping that he'll adjust to his new surroundings and get back on a better schedule soon.

He is definitely a mover and shaker.  He is on the move constantly and doesn't like to sit still for long.  He is into everything!  His favorite toys are balls.  They will entertain him like nothing else will.  He doesn't have much of an attention span for reading and hardly ever makes it through an entire book before getting up and moving on to something else.

He is either a very happy child or a very cranky child.  There isn't much of an in between with him.  Luckily, the happy outweighs the cranky.  He is walking now, but not all the time.  I know that as soon as he starts walking more he will be much happier.  The other issue seems to be frustration over his lack of communication skills (particularly at meal time).  We're trying to teach him some sign language, but he much prefers screaming and grunting to get our attention.

He is literally the orneriest kid you will ever meet.  He does stuff that he knows is wrong and then just looks at you and flashes that dimple and those big blue eyes and you can't help but grin. He knows it too!  We are in trouble with this one for sure.

He has some of the funniest expressions and still loves mimicking everyone, from what they do to what they say. 

He loves to be outside near Ryker and Tucker and tries to keep up with Ryker in almost every way. 

Oh, Camden, we love you so!  We've loved watching you grow and change over the last year.  We are so blessed that God chose us to be your parents.  What a privilege it is to watch you grow up!

(All pictures provided by: KT Design and Photography)

Instagram Update: 9/11

Emily's Sprinkle

1. Camden enjoys throwing mulch in his hair.

2. All my boys all dressed up and ready for church.

3. Camden and Sloane sharing some Cheerios in the nursery during service.

4. Camden rocking Hudson.

5. Ryker and I at Steak N Shake after church for brunch.

The boys had a great time playing outside one day.  Ryker was digging up worms.

1. Ryker woke up from nap and asked where Hudson was.  He immediately came and laid down with him.

2. Hanging at Ryker's soccer practice.

3. Cuddling Hudson.

4. Uncle Dave reading to his nephews.

5. Watching Bambi with Ryker and Hudson.

6. Camden playing with Tuck.

7. Found Ryker sleeping in his closet with the door closed one day.

8. Robert and I found this old picture while packing.  This was our Zoolander look.

9.  After a full day of packing, Robert got me my favorite ice cream.

The chaos of moving.

1. Ankle socks on a baby...too adorable!

2. The Dark Knight

3. We have a lot of stuff!

4. Camden thought Hudson needed his paci.

5. Ryker and I were reading yet another Magic Tree House book.

Making Camden's shirt for his birthday party.

Sleeping sweetly on our last night in our house.

1. Ryker was so tired on moving day that he laid on top of Cam's mattress in the back of the van full of stuff we were taking to my parents.

2. Then we got on the road and he was asleep in no time at all.

3. Goodbye house!

4. Goofing off before my cousin's wedding.

5. Cam and I were both rocking our Cons Saturday.

6. The Batmobile during the parade.

7. Camden sporting his awesome shirt at his birthday party.

8. This is after all the birthday fun.  He was SO tired!

9. Getting sweet grins from Hudson.

Life Update

My blog posts have become further and further between and even more short and sweet than usual.  I have good reason, though.  We have been busy, very busy!  Thought I would update you all on what's going on with the Brown's.  First, and biggest news, we moved!  That's right, we finally moved.  I mentioned back in late May or early June that we were moving and then never mentioned it again.  That's because right at the end of June with less than 3 weeks to closing, the deal fell apart.  We immediately put it back on the market and were pleasantly surprised when we had several showings quickly.  We accepted another offer in July and we closed this past Friday.  Woohoo!  It's been a HUGE roller coaster ride and we are so relieved to be done with it.  We were in that house for 6 years and had many wonderful memories there but it was becoming the proverbial albatross around our necks.  I thought for sure I would be emotional as we did our finally walk through but I wasn't at all.  I was just ready to be done.  Ready to move on, ready for the next chapter in our lives.  After praying about this move for so long (nearly 2 years) I think the feeling that overcame me in that moment was God reassuring me that this was indeed His will for us and the timing was right.  We have another home that we are planning to purchase.  We should close on it in early October.  It's a HUD home and needs some work, so we will have to do that before we move in.  We are staying with my parents in the interim.  The boys are sharing a room, which could prove to be interesting for bedtimes and naps, but so far, they've done great!

Goodbye house.

In other news, I started watching my sweet nephew Hudson full time after his mommy went back to work.  He is truly a very good baby and the boys are really enjoying having him around.  It's a bit hectic sometimes, but it's still great getting to love on him!

Camden's First Birthday Party!

Today was Camden's 1st birthday party.  We held it at our church which has a great cafe area with plenty of tables, couches, etc. for seating and a playland area attached for the kids to play in.  It was the perfect place to have it!

We went with a baseball theme since Cam loves to throw balls so much.  Plus, it's just cute!

My awesome friend, Anna, made the cupcakes and smash cake for us. They were delicious and looked amazing too!

I made this photo banner with a picture of Cam every month for the last year.  It was fun to see them all lined up like that and see how much he has changed.

After some yummy food, it was time to open presents!  He did a great job ripping into them.  This singing ball was a big hit.

Like I said, he was pretty into it. :-)

Trying to get a family photo.  Cam's face in this one cracks me up.

This is what we got Cam for his present.  However, he HATED it and screamed when you put him in there.  Cooper (who will be one next month), however, loved it!

Modeling his super cute shirt I made him.

Diving in to the cake.  He wasn't shy!

Seriously, so cute!

Getting cleaned up in the kitchen after all that cake.

Our youngest guests, Warren (my cousin Mark's baby, born the end of May) and Hudson (born end of June)

Sweet Ashlyn getting ready to enjoy her cupcake

Chaney, Chloe, and Paislee enjoying some refreshments

Charlotte and Tucker playing in the Playland area

Sophie and Paislee

Henry just celebrated his first birthday a few weeks ago.

Rigley will be one in November.