Team Camwell

Playing

2012-02-12T13:54:00.000-06:00

Dave hates play-dough. I'm not a huge fan myself, but Dave's frustration hits a whole new level. Getting Harry to pick up yesterday, Dave sent him upstairs to tell me, "Mommy, there's a big pile of play-dough crumbs to sweep up." We're having a cleaning service coming tomorrow (oh, I can't wait!!), and I kind of want the house to stay dirty for them (is that strange??), so I sent Harry back downstairs with the message,
"Can we live with it for a couple days?" Harry correctly delivered the message (to which Dave replied, *grumble grumble*), then came back upstairs and said, "So where am I going to live for a couple days??"

*****

Watching Toy Story 3 for the first time, Harry was getting stressed out as the toys were accidentally put on the curb in a trash bag. He said,

"If I had Woody & Buzz, they wouldn't get thrown out. I'd make sure of it."

Painting project

2012-02-11T23:17:00.000-06:00

Harry was very happy to help me paint a new frame for his room. He chose yellow, then he picked the colors for the three dinosaurs I bought, and he painted those himself. (I may have given him 4 choices for the 3 colors...)

The finished product (without the photo yet...see below):

The funny story:

Part 1) We chose a photo to put in the frame before choosing the colors and deciding on the orientation of the frame. I sent the photo (along with some others to put in the scrapbook) to Walmart for 1-hour photo developing. I sent Dave to Walmart to pick up the photos. He called saying they couldn't find the photos. I insisted they were there because I'd received a text saying they were ready for pick-up. I checked online...they were ready for pick-up...in Ponderay, Idaho. Oops. I guess that was the last Walmart we'd sent photos to!!

Part 2) I re-sent the photos to Walmart for pick-up....guess what! No 1-hour photo available at our Walmart anymore. They are now being sent to our house, to arrive sometime next week. Ugh. What a drag.

Part 3) Before gluing on the dinosaurs, I checked where the hole was on the back of the frame (for hanging it) so I'd know, well, where to glue the dinosaurs. I glued on the dinosaurs. I flipped over the frame, and it was on the wrong side. Sigh. I really am hopeless when it comes to Arts & Crafts!!

A Tale of Two Poopies

2012-02-07T13:22:00.000-06:00

Bryton has been asking to go potty in the past few days, and today he asked twice...and went poop twice!

Happy 200th birthday, Charles Dickens! Thanks for the inspiration!

(Jill prepares herself for the barrage of attacks from literary friends & family members.)

2 days later...

2012-02-05T20:21:00.001-06:00

From snacks outside to...Winter!

Harry & Dave sledding yesterday (they were soaking wet when they came inside):

Our tiny snowman (the photo doesn't do it justice...it's really small) Harry & Jill made today (Should have made it yesterday with all the wet snow. Today it was too dry & icy.):

Brothers hanging out and watching The Snowman on DVD today (any guesses on how long this scene lasted?):

Snack time yesterday

2012-02-02T11:20:00.001-06:00

February 1st, eating snack outside on our decks with no jackets!! Hello, April snowstorms!!

Zoolander-ish Outtakes

2012-01-14T10:14:00.000-06:00

TeamCamwell is not always the Vogue photospread of progressive American life that it typically appears to be. Here is an example of what won't make the next edition of American Family magazine:

Here is another pretty bad one, although slightly improved...

A new argument

2012-01-11T12:08:00.000-06:00

Our boys have discovered the joys of arguing. Benefit: it has shown Bryton the opposite of yes--and no. We often hear, "Yes!" "No!" "Yes!" "No!" Today in the car, Harry was talking about sounds he can make, and he was silly and said, "Rectangle!" So Bryton shouted, "Oval!" New argument:

"Rectangle!" "Oval!" "Rectangle!" "Oval!"

hahaha!

Bryton's Number Puzzle

2012-01-11T09:54:00.000-06:00

I like how Bryton is smarter than me at one point. I was looking at the camera screen while pointing at the numbers, and I'd pointed to 2 twice...he was on it! I have one more video of Bryton making the puzzle, but I can't upload it here for some reason. I'll try another post. I also must add that he counts all the time, but he can identify all these numbers out of order too. I was making it too easy on him in these videos!

I can't fly

2012-01-09T14:15:00.000-06:00

I have the feeling I burst a few bubbles for Harry today. We were watching "The Snowman" during quiet time today, and he asked lots of questions like, "Who made those other snowmen? Who made that Santa? Why doesn't he look like the Santa in Iowa?" How do you answer those questions? I thought it would be simple to explain what cartoons were, but I think it was starting to upset Harry that the images he sees on TV aren't real. (I managed to back-track when I accidentally said, "like Lightning McQueen isn't rea...look, a bird!") He then asked, "How does the Snowman fly?" I said it was magic. He said he wanted to fly, too. I said only the Snowman can fly, and it's just in the movie. Big crocodile tears. I told him he could fly in his dreams, and he said he couldn't because he didn't know how!

I told him, "Tonight in your dreams, you'll be able to fly, ok?"
Harry: "OK."
Me: "Do you want to try to have a nap now so you can dream that you're flying?"
Harry: "Yeah." He lies back on the couch, closes his eyes for 10 seconds, opens them and says, "It didn't work."

I couldn't help but laugh! "Of course, not, silly! You weren't sleeping!" Then he laughed and "tried" sleeping again. He burst out laughing again, and all his tears were gone.

Oh, my sweet Harry. You're growing up on us, aren't you?

Some Christmas highlights

2012-01-03T15:20:00.000-06:00

We were so lucky to have Auntie Jen, Grandma and Grandpa all here for Christmas this year. We had a lovely time with family. We said we'd scale back the presents this year...maybe a resolution to do even more scaling back next year! So many photos...I really need to spend some time on Kodak. But here are some highlights. (Hmm...also realizing I never blogged photos from Harry's birthday in NOVEMBER! Yeah, I'll get right on that.)

Christmas Eve dinner:

Decorating gingerbread cookies for Santa with Grandpa:

Christmas Eve by the tree in their new jammies:

Harry opening his stocking on Christmas morning:

Bryton playing with a new puzzle from his stocking.

Team Camwell on Christmas morning:

Harry and Auntie Jen:

The original Team Camwell, Jen, Dave, Margaret and Paul:

Kodak Gallery to come!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T23:05:00.001-06:00

We at Team Camwell wish all of you a very Happy New Year! We are truly grateful for the wonderful year we've had, and we're looking forward to an exciting 2012. As per tradition, we're sharing our resolutions with you. I hope you will share yours with us in the comments below!

I'll take a bit of space up here before our regular posting though... I'm kind of excited about my resolutions this year. Not because any of them are earth-shattering, or even all that exciting, but because I have one encompassing goal I'd like to strive towards. So without elaboration, here are my resolutions:

Jillian:
1) Go to bed early.
2) Make reeds.
3) De-clutter/purge/organize. If I'm simplifying my life and doing any of those three, they are really one and the same to me.
4) Run.
5) Make Pampered Chef customer/host contacts.
And the unifying resolution:
6) Do at least one of the above every single day. I often look at my previous year's (and years') lists and feel like I've let myself down somewhat. They're never lofty goals either, but somehow I just let some things slide. So this year I'm attempting a healthier mental approach. I'm even going to do what my friend Karmen (shout-out!) has done (still does?) and write those 5 resolutions down to carry with me in my wallet so I can check in and keep myself accountable. Not included on my list are things I really want to do every day or projects I'm planning on getting to anyway, like "menu planning", stop biting my nails forever, and finish Bryton's baby scrapbook. Rah-rah, 2012! Let's see what the rest of Team Camwell is wanting to accomplish this year...

Harry:
1) Write my name without any help.
2) Try swimming lessons again, and this time maybe put my head under the water!
3) Use less soap when I wash my hands.
4) Try new foods.
5) Be patient with my brother.

Bryton:
1) Try the potty.
2) Maybe move to a big-boy bed, but not until much later in the year.
3) Go to story time at the library.
4) Learn how to share and take turns.
5) Try to refrain myself from knocking over Harry's towers and houses while he's building them.

And finally, Dave, the comedian of the family (unedited list):

1) To finish the new cd before June.
2) To be able to visit Idaho again this year.
3) To get my to-do items done so I can just hang out on a couch sometime and not have to multi-task.
4) To start my unruly cat fix-it business of expandable corks.
5) To walk our cat Clara around the block at least once a day for fitness reasons from the comfort of my car, and open window, and a long retractable leash.

Let's see how that works out for him...personally, if I didn't have 5 resolutions, I would have said something like "shower my beautiful wife with gifts and love every day"...but then I'm just selfless like that.

Have a wonderful day and year! Keep coming back to visit and see how we're doing with our resolutions! I know you want to hear more about that cat cork thing...

Magic

2011-12-23T08:15:00.001-06:00

Harry and I were talking about Mary Poppins, and I said she was magic.

Harry: "I'm magic too."
Mommy: "Harry, you're very special, but you're not magic."
Harry: "But I can do magic things."
Mommy: "What magic things can you do?"
Harry: "I can take my magic wand and go into a forest with woods, walking right by the bears very quietly, but they won't see me. And I'll go across the magic bridge, then I'll use my star wand to chase and capture my prey. And that's why I'm magic."

OK, then.

&$/? That Harry says...

2011-12-18T12:12:00.001-06:00

Setting the scene...imagine our oldest son sitting at the kitchen table on a chair. He falls off onto the floor.

H: "calamity, oh calamity!!!!"

Oh Harry...

Letter to Santa

2011-12-16T18:33:00.000-06:00

With a bit (or a lot) of help from Mommy, Harry wrote his letter to Santa tonight. Can you tell 1) what is says? 2) which letters Harry did completely on his own? 3) who drew the picture at the bottom? 4) what the picture is? (I will be super-impressed if any of you know this...and it will validate my mad artist skillz...ok, I gave away question #3! Harry was so upset he couldn't draw one, even though I told him Santa would understand what the gray circle was supposed to be! He insisted I draw it.) Leave your guesses in the comments below!

Enough postage to make it to the North Pole? Or at least to my Memory Box?

Family Photo

2011-12-11T13:57:00.000-06:00

We had our "re-takes" at JC Penney's this morning, after a disastrous attempt at photos almost four weeks ago. With sniffles, visitors, Wicked & Oasis performances, today was the first day we were available to try again. And with success!

Best books of 2011

2011-12-11T13:35:00.000-06:00

I love reading "best of" book lists. I rarely get to more than one on the list, but many of the recommended books make their way on to my shelf anyway. (I just can't read fast enough to get through all my books!!) Dave got this list from the Daily Beast, and we were curious to see if any of you have read any of the books on this year's list. Click on the link and have a look. Have you read any of these books? What are some of your must-reads of 2011? Please leave your comments below!

Newsweek/Daily Beast Writers’ Favorite Books 2011

Snapshot of our morning

2011-12-07T08:22:00.000-06:00

This didn't last long, so I was really glad I'd grabbed the camera. :)

iPad house

2011-12-04T11:36:00.000-06:00

We love our iPads, and with a bit of practice, the boys are becoming quite proficient at using them as well!

Bryton's favorite game is "Splish Splash Inn", which practices counting and numbers with ocean animals.

Harry likes the puzzle apps and reading books like "Cars 2".

Thankful

2011-11-24T19:29:00.000-06:00

I'm in the middle of playing a 4-week run of Wicked right now, so it has been tough to get in to blog. So much to catch up on, including Harry's birthday!! But as I have the day off for Thanksgiving, I thought I'd take a minute and write what we're thankful for today. Happy Thanksgiving from Team Camwell!

Jill:
1) My beautiful family, near and far
2) Having several places I can call home when so many have none.
3) Tea
4) Dave's job
5) Wonderful friends and neighbors

Dave:
1) My family, here and around the globe.
2) My job and having many interesting opportunities to perform and teach as a soloist and with Oasis Quartet.
3) My iPad!
4) Being on sabbatical.
5) Living in the amazing Idaho house for three months, and in our beautiful house now.

Harry:
1) The sun and the moon
2) My Velveteen Rabbit
3) My family
4) T-Rex
5) My friends

Bryton:
1) My Mozart Cube
2) Bananas
3) My alphabet fridge toy
4) My family
5) Books

Final words for the night

2011-11-13T19:50:00.000-06:00

As I'm saying goodnight to Harrison, I ask,
"Harry, did you have a good day today?"
He answered,
"yeah, but I'm too tired to talk about it..."

Halloween 4--Night Eyes

2011-11-02T22:47:00.001-05:00

First up in our Halloween weekend line-up was "Night Eyes" at Blank Park Zoo on Friday night, Oct. 28th.

Meeting Clifford the trouble maker just inside the gates.

A dinosaur egg?

Scarecrow & Harry

We made the right call to bring the wagon.

A couple of Wild Things

Harry was excited to see some dinosaurs!

Halloween 3--Indianola Square

2011-11-02T22:17:00.001-05:00

Trick-or-treating on the square--October 29th. As usual...can't see Harry's face! But this time, he'd probably be looking at the camera if the mask weren't in the way.

We ran into the Bardwells and the boys collected candy together. Here's Rachel, Kedron, Micah as "James" and Eli as the cutest firefighter in Iowa.

Dino-bros

The four boys...I must admit I chose this photo because Bryton was so cute!!

And one with 2.5 of their faces showing.

Happy Halloween from Team Camwell!

Safe Block/Halloween 2

2011-11-02T20:07:00.001-05:00

(Our Halloween night 4/4--Oct. 31st)

I don't know how many years they've been doing this at Simpson College, but this was our first time trying out "Safe Block", trick-or-treating through the residence halls. Harry and I went, leaving Daddy and Bryton at home this time. They had fun games for the kids in the gym, then college students led groups through the dorms where students sat in their decorated doorways handing out candy. Some floors really went all-out in the decorating, and some were even a little scary. Unless you're a ferocious dinosaur. The tour was a little chaotic and we were worn-out about half-way through the halls. Harry, being Harry, never looked at the camera, so I have no good photos. I'll post this one though so you can see an example of some decorations we saw (I wasn't about to explain to Harry what that was supposed to be) and the costumes of some of the college students. There were many scantily-clad girls and much much upper thigh...another reason I won't be posting any more photos of our night! Next year I think we'll stick to one or two trick-or-treat nights!

Halloween 1

2011-11-02T15:29:00.002-05:00

We had 4, yes, 4 trick-or-treating venues this year!! By the time we were halfway through Safe Block at Simpson College on Monday night (venue 4), I looked at Harry and said, "What do you say, buddy? Do you have enough candy?" He said, "Yup," and we went home! :)

Completely out of order, here are highlights from Beggars Night on October 30th, which is when Indianola kids go trick-or-treating. (Our #3 of 4)

Mommy and Harry getting the pumpkins prepped for carving. (Side note: Harry wouldn't help scoop out the guts and we won't let him touch the knives, and Dave doesn't want anything to do with the pumpkins, so it's all me. I'm hoping Bryton takes after me, otherwise I foresee many painted pumpkins in our future.)

Harry sitting next to the finished products:

A cake decorator from a vendor show I worked on Sunday gave me a tasty treat to take home to Harry:

Harrison the T-Rex

Bryton the sneaky dinosaur (costume was an "alligator" for Harry 3 years ago)

We haven't even started yet, and already the boys are digging into their buckets!

Cheese!

Better view of Bryton's costume

An attempted group shot with the Amfahrs, with whom we trick-or-treated. Attempting a good shot of all 5 kids is more futile than resistance on a Borg ship.

The only two creatures that night that sat still for a photo! :) Tow-Mater from Cars is on the left. Old-school Vampire pumpkin on the right. Two cheery fellows!

Sold out

2011-10-31T13:26:00.000-05:00

What started out so sweet...

Harry: "Mommy, you are the best mommy. You are my favorite mommy!"
Me: "Why, thank you, Harry!"

...soon turned sour...

Harry: "I am going to sell you. I'm going to sell you to another daddy so I can have a different mommy."

Ouch.

Me: "Well, that's not very nice! And I don't think you'd like another mommy. She would make you get rid of all your Halloween candy. And Daddy doesn't want another wife. He'd miss me too much."
Harry: "Yes, he does want a new wife."

Red flag?! That had better not be something Harry overheard!!

Me: "No, he doesn't. I don't like this conversation, Harry."
Harry: "And if you don't want to be sold, I'm just going to put you in a box of toothbrushes. And I'll sell the box!"

Sigh. What got into my child this morning??

Bye-bye, Idaho!

2011-10-24T00:24:00.000-05:00

As usual, Dave gives me one more thing to do before bed...linking to his blog to see a few photos of our last day. :)

Click here.

We'll be on the road for 3 (looooooonnnnng) days, and we'll be back in Indianola on Wednesday!

Last day of Hope Pre-school

2011-10-20T16:09:00.000-05:00

When I picked Harry up today, they were lining up for their "Happy Thursday" ritual. Kids who did "homework" (pretty much whatever they want to do, as long as they leave it in the homework basket--Harry did his at home yesterday) get a piece of candy. Today it was a gumdrop for 'G' week. Then Cindy (Mrs. G) goes down the line and gives everyone a piece of candy, saying "Happy Thursday". Cindy pulled Harry to the front of the line next to her, and told everyone that after they got their candy, they should come give Harry a big hug and say goodbye because he's going back to "where?" and the kids all said, "Iowa!" haha--I think Harry might have mentioned this a few times. It was just sooooo touching to see all the kids hugging Harry (sometimes 3-4 at a time, almost knocking him over) and saying goodbye, we'll miss you. And Harry told every single kid, "You can come visit me in Iowa sometimes. I'll wait for you there." and to everyone, "I'll see you when I get back from Iowa!" Just about breaks your heart. :*) He told me at home, "When we come back to Idaho, I can go to school again!" And without going into too much detail (as not to upset him), I had to tell him he wasn't going to come back to school here, but he could visit when we came back, and maybe he'd like to go to school in Iowa! (A big "Oh yes! I would like to go to school in Iowa" was his response. :) So sweet. (And I guess I'd better call the pre-school in Indianola and see if they'd have space for him to join mid-year!)

For Dave, who is away in Oregon this week: I shrunk your Angry Birds shirt in the dryer, but luckily it now fits Harry perfectly.

Just kidding. I found the same one at Kohl's in Harry's size, so you now have matching shirts! Also, none of the parents or teachers at Pre-school today knew what Angry Birds was. We are just too cool...for school.

According to Harry

2011-10-19T17:12:00.000-05:00

1) "Vampires sleep in toy chests."

2) "Dinosaurs have tails instead of bums."

3) Harry's been watching Ice Age recently. "To get to the Ice Age, we just need to walk over those mountains (pointing at the mountain range outside our window). I was thinking it would be fun to live in the Ice Age."

Make us laugh

2011-10-16T11:23:00.001-05:00

Harry certainly does make us laugh!

1) After he finished eating his crescent roll this morning, he said, "I want a heck of a more!" I can only guess he meant "heck of a lot", and I guess Dave does say that a heck of a lot! :)

2) "I walk on two legs to catch my prey!" How convenient that he will be a T-Rex for Halloween!

Canadian Thanksgiving

2011-10-13T17:16:00.000-05:00

How lucky are we to be able to celebrate two Thanksgivings this year? Canadian Thanksgiving was this past Monday, and we all had dinner on Sunday. The thing I'm most thankful for this Thanksgiving: having three places I can call home (Indianola, Hope, Calgary), when so many don't even have one place to call home. Give thanks.

Margaret & friend Sheila:

Jen & Bryton:

The boys dressed up for dinner:

Bryton ready for dinner:

The rest of us (minus Bryton, hidden, and Margaret, photographer):

Thanksgiving Walk for Alzheimer's

2011-10-09T22:47:00.000-05:00

We're in Calgary again! We came for Thanksgiving (today) and a week of clinics and concerts for Dave. This morning we participated in the 5km Thanksgiving Memory Walk and Run for the Alzheimer Society of Calgary. We walked in memory of Dave's Grandma Camwell. It was a little brisk this morning for our walk, but the boys did really well for the whole 5km, and it was so nice to spend time together as a family. There are so many great photos, I'll have to do a Kodak Gallery, but here are a few highlights:

Walking from Jen's place to Eau Claire Market

At Eau Claire, all of Team Camwell ready to go! (Borrowed stroller from Jen's friend.) From L-R: Dave, Jill, Paul, Margaret, Bryton, Jen & Harry

Bryton and Jill warming up before the walk, showing off our dance moves.

And Harry is trying to catch up to the running group.

Bryton didn't like the stroller, so we spent some time walking (where we most assuredly would have been the last ones to finish...), and some time carrying him. Jen, Bryton & Jill:

Jen & Bryton:

Near the end of the 5km.

Happy Harry

2011-10-02T14:42:00.000-05:00

Here's Harry standing in one of our favorite places in Hope.

Fish face

2011-10-01T23:16:00.000-05:00

Harry came up to me at the end of our gig at Hope Cafe tonight, and first said "Mommy, how do you play oboe?" then, "Do you make a fish face and play like this?" (Makes, admittedly, a good oboe embouchure!)

Home for tea

2011-10-01T17:46:00.000-05:00

Dave, Grandad (here for the weekend with Granny), Harry & Bryton are heading down to the playground for a little while. I stayed behind to get ready for our "gig" tonight and get the boys' supper ready. Harry came up to tell me, "See you later, Mom! I'll be back by tea-time!" hahaha!

Happy birthday, Dave!!

2011-09-28T16:51:00.000-05:00

We love you!! Special message dictated from Harry: "I love you, Daddy! Happy birthday! I love playing with you." Aww...you're the best dad!

This is Harry's favorite part of baking a cake for Daddy:

Happy birthday, Grandma too!! I'd bet you wish you were here instead of jury selection this week!!

We love you!!

Yeah! part 2

2011-09-27T17:54:00.000-05:00

Yeah! I was able to get the second part of the video to upload...it was worth the hour--he's just so cute!!

Yeah!

2011-09-27T17:16:00.000-05:00

Cutest new development: Bryton responding with an enthusiastic "Yeah!" (sounds like "ya") to things he likes or questions he truly is saying "yes" to. For example: Me: "Bryton, would you like a banana for a snack?" Bryton: "Yeah!!" But the best example is the video below. (Thanks, Jen, for reminding me to use this video camera more often!) Also note that I'm reading upside down. That's skill. (Or it explains me stumbling a couple times...no, it wasn't a 10am cocktail!)

*Edit: shoot, I split the video to make the 2 minute video upload in two smaller chunks, and only the first uploaded. It took 5 hours...this is why I haven't posted more videos. Anyway, enjoy the 45 seconds of cuteness!

Scrumptious

2011-09-26T18:31:00.002-05:00

Not a new word for Harry (thanks, Sesame Street!), but he used it appropriately today at Walmart. He saw a cake box and said, "this cake looks great! I love cake. It's scrumptious! Let's see what other foods are scrumptious. Hmmm... (looks around, sees canned tomatoes) Tomatoes are NOT scrumptious!"

haha!

Pear & Plum Bounty

2011-09-25T00:26:00.000-05:00

Going on a little walk around the house with Bryton, Dave discovered two large branches on the pear tree that were so full of fruit that they'd snapped. Oh, snap! That was our impetus to harvest both the pear and plum tree this afternoon. Harry and Bryton both got in on the fun, and I could not keep Bryton out of the plums. He must have eaten 5 or 6 while I was picking. Harry took his job of filling the pear boxes very seriously. We filled two large boxes and one big basket full of pears (um, recipes, anyone??), and 1 large shoe box full of plums. Margaret had already filled one box of plums and we just couldn't reach the top of the tree. I know what we're bringing for snack to preschool this week! It is our turn!

A few highlights...

Jill picking plums:

Bryton enjoying a plum:

Passing pears to Harry:

Yum!

Dave with one basket of pears:

Box 1 of 3:

The full slideshow (38 photos)

Last boat & fire pit

2011-09-24T22:16:00.000-05:00

Fall is upon us. We emptied the pear and plum trees today (blog to follow--awesome bounty!), and we had our last fire pit with Grandma & Grandpa tonight. They head back to Calgary tomorrow. We also went out one last time on the boat yesterday, and they pulled it out for the season today.

Bryton realized he was in the box of kindling...

More Harry

2011-09-21T16:27:00.001-05:00

1) I had to check on Harry during his supposed nap today, and he told me Velveteen rabbit didn't want to go to sleep. I said, "well, he can stay awake and watch you sleep." Harry: "He wants to go upstairs." me: "Well, how about he goes upstairs with me, and you can stay downstairs and nap; would you like that?" Harry: "no, we'll go to sleep." Then as I left, I could hear Harry and Velveteen rabbit talking. Harry: "Would you like to lay down?" Rabbit: "No! Then my ears would lie flat instead of staying nice and upright!" Now I'm listening to Harry saying "hop hop hop", and I can only assume that Velveteen rabbit is not letting Harry get any rest today!

2) Harry knows the Pledge of Allegiance! We have nothing against him learning it at preschool (he is American after all)-- we just don't even know it ourselves, so it's amazing to me that he's learned it in less than 3 weeks!

3) Dave and I got home (Idaho home) from Vegas last night, and the boys were so happy to see us. (The feeling was mutual!) After spending a week with Auntie Jen, Grandma and Grandpa, Harry seems to have picked up a very British sort of inflection to his speech! Not an accent (that would be crazy in only one week--could you imagine?), but you can definitely tell he's been hanging around Brits. For example, he just told me he'd like some marmalade and scones, which are probably in the boot of the car, brought up the lift at the grocer's while the lorry filled up with petrol. Actually, no. But the inflection is there when he asks questions. It's all in the placement of the rise and fall of tone while he asks. Impossible to notate--it would be great if we could capture it on video.

Dinosaurs 101

2011-09-21T16:04:00.001-05:00

I have a feeling we're heading towards another phase, but at least this one doesn't involve licensing! Harry is starting to become more and more interested in dinosaurs. Maybe we'll even have a dinosaur birthday cake. A few weeks ago, Dave gave Harry a simplified explanation of why dinosaur bones are here but no dinosaurs exist anymore. This morning, while making his dinosaur puzzle, Harry gave me his own version:

"A long time ago, a big rock hit the Earth and all the dinosaurs turned into bones and broke apart! Then a man came along and put them back together. The rock also broke apart the giraffes, the zebras, and the whole zoo! So the zoo was broken! But the man came along and fixed the zoo."

Um, hello! New Wikipedia entry, I think!

Boat

2011-09-12T00:03:00.000-05:00

Because I have more catching up to do with this blog, here is a random post from a boat outing we took last weekend. Just a small blog post! Even though Harry has started school, it's still Summer for us here!

Margaret enjoying the beautiful weather, scenery, and of course, company...

Bald eagle

The red sculpture on the German's land--commissioned and built on this cape. Huge.

This is one of two guest houses. I didn't get a great picture of the main house. The land is huge!

Swimming with Grandpa.

Harry's First Day of Preschool

2011-09-06T18:07:00.001-05:00

Harry is going to go to school here in Hope for the next two months. I know he's going to love it! This morning, we all (Mommy, Daddy, Harry, Bryton, Grandma and Grandpa) walked down the hill to his school, Harry wearing his firetruck sweatshirt (he chose it--can you believe he didn't choose Lightning McQueen??) and carrying his Thomas backpack. When we got to the school, Harry jumped right in, introducing himself to several of the kids on the playground. His teacher Mrs. G came out and with her helper Mrs. Carolyn, they passed out name tags for the kids, and eventually they got the kids lined up by the door to go in. I was doing just fine until Margaret said, "There's his little independent spirit, separating from Mum & Dad, going on his way...", but I held back the tears.

Harry, you are so confident, smart, funny, energetic and nice to everyone. We know you're going to do just fine! We're so proud of you!

Ready to walk to school

Outside school

Lining up to go in

After school--Harry with Mrs. G

Mommy & Daddy: "What did you learn in school today?"

Harry: "I learned how not to eat the pit when you eat a plum!"

Click here to see the full slideshow of photos.

Lake shots

2011-09-06T00:56:00.001-05:00

A collection of beautiful shots taken from the boat and lake today...click on the pictures to see them full size

Location:Deer Ln,Hope,United States

Similar

2011-09-04T10:03:00.002-05:00

Randomly, last night (Harry): "There is a skin horse in the nursery in the Mary Poppins movie. Just like the one in the Velveteen Rabbit movie. So the Mary Poppins movie and the Velveteen Rabbit movie are similar!"

My business

2011-08-31T23:02:00.000-05:00

No, this isn't a plug for my Pampered Chef business (although now that you mention it, I did just achieve Directorship today!!--not to be confused with Dictatorship)...it's a Harry story:

"Bryton! Stay away from my backpack. It's my business! Stay out of my business!!"

All this fresh air...

2011-08-30T23:40:00.001-05:00

...and a little couch time. The boys watching Super Why this morning:

Cuties

2011-08-30T00:04:00.000-05:00

Harry checking out the train

Hanging out with Velveteen Rabbit--a resurfaced favorite that goes everywhere with Harry.

Both boys were all-smiles yesterday

Swimming at Trestle Creek

2011-08-28T16:53:00.001-05:00

Harry while swimming today: "I'm on an adventure! A wet adventure!"

hahahaha!

We had a great time at Trestle Creek Recreation Area today. We wish we'd known about this sooner! It's been so hot here for the past few weeks, we may have gone every day! It has a boat launch area, but that's completely separate from the roped-off swimming area, which is shallow for a very long way out, with a second roped-off area for a slightly deeper swim (still only 5 feet at its deepest). The water was warm, and while the "beach" was rocks and then grass, we had our swim shoes on, and it was perfect for small children. A lovely picnic area, shady spots to lay out our towels and dry the boys off, bathrooms...it was just perfect!

This gives you a good idea how shallow it is: I'm sitting, Bryton is standing, and Harry is crouching or kneeling.

Happy birthday, Micah!

2011-08-25T10:21:00.000-05:00

A special video for our friend:

*Mommy note: Harry did not need to go to the bathroom...just...sigh...boys.

Corn Maze and Heritage Park

2011-08-25T01:19:00.000-05:00

I was "narrowing down" the photos from our trips to the Corn Maze with Jen on August 12th, and Heritage Park with Kerry, Vaughn & Jen on August 13th, and my top picks were about 45 photos...um, a few too many for the blog. Kodak Gallery it is!

For a teaser:

Harry loved the train but was worried it would be too loud when it whistled.

These two cousins could be brothers. Except one mom (cough-cough Kerry) has better fashion sense.

Jill & Dave in front of my favourite house at Heritage Park, the Prince House.

On the train with my boys.

Harry and Vaughn on the kid-sized ferris wheel. Kerry = cool and collected. Jill = trying to look cool and collected and not freak out that Harry is on a ferris wheel and could topple down at any moment...

Another favourite from my childhood: the wooden carousel!

For all the photos (really not that many--worth a look!), click on the following links to the slideshows:

Calgary Corn Maze

Heritage Park

The many faces of Harrison Camwell...and the words that come out of the face

2011-08-24T22:56:00.000-05:00

1) Bryton was getting into Harry's puzzles. Harry said, "If Bryton takes my puzzles, he's going to have to go to prison!"

2) We stopped by a convenience store for an emergency carton of ice cream. Harry asked to please look at it when we got out of the car. I said it needed to go straight to the freezer. Harry: "Well, perhaps I could just look after it for you."

3) Driving on a dirt road...Harry: "Whoa, Daddy! You're driving bumpy!" Dave: "It's the bumpy road, Harry." Harry: "Oh, ok. You're driving very well, Daddy!"

4) Outside after coming up the stairs: "Mommy! There's a bug on a step! You're not going to want to go that way anymore!"

5) Drying off after a bath...Dave: "Who gives the best towel hugs? Mommy or Daddy?" (This is a running joke in our house.) Harry: "Mommy does!" Dave: "Well, what does Daddy do the best?" Harry: "Change dirty diapers!!" You heard it, Dave. Stick to what you're good at!

Enthusiastic (?) about his new apron! (Trains! Mommy was happy to find this at the farmer's market!)

Cheesy smiles

2011-08-24T17:08:00.002-05:00

Harry's newest smile is a really cheesy one, to the point that he doesn't even really look like our Harry in photos. Here he is in front of the horse statue made of horseshoes. (Can you see the electric fence near H's head? Picture 4 adults calling out at him: DON'T touch the fence, Harry!)

Walking by a creek

In front of the creepy airplane-turned-sculpture.

Bryton (Carter's legs behind him)

Not such a cheesy smile. Just our impish Harry!

Bryton getting in on the "cheese" action

Hiley-recommended

2011-08-24T00:36:00.000-05:00

Our good friends Jeff and Gail and their 14-month old son Carter came down from Calgary to stay with us at the house this past weekend. We didn't do much except visit, go for a few walks, cook a few meals and watch our kids entertain each other, but it was an awesome weekend. Thanks, guys!

Jeff, Gail and Carter by the lake

With Bryton, Dave & Harry on our walk

Carter looking much older than his 14 months!

Bryton about to go in for the kiss...

Best shot I could get!

Jeff looking good in the kitchen!

Gail & Carter ready to hit the road back to Calgary.

Jeff & I went to high school together, as did Gail & Dave. Jeff & Gail didn't know each other until Dave introduced them only a few years ago. Whoever thought we'd be friends 15 years later, watching our kids play together on vacation? We're so lucky!

Bookmobile!

2011-08-19T00:59:00.000-05:00

We are now the proud owners of a Bookmobile that was for sale this morning down by the post office. OK, no. But we do have a shiny new library card for said-Bookmobile! It's a lovely library on wheels, and we'll enjoy our walks to get more books every Thursday! :)

Touching sunshine

2011-08-16T11:55:00.000-05:00

I wonder what this feels like?

Camwells + Bridges

2011-08-13T22:23:00.001-05:00

It's been a very busy past couple days in Calgary! We managed to take almost 300 photos yesterday and today combined, so it will take me a while to pick out the best of the best. I've got some serious Kodak galleries to work on! We went to the Calgary Corn Maze yesterday with Jen, and it was an absolute blast. Today we went to Heritage Park with Kerry, Vaughn and Jen, and it was awesome to see Harry & Vaughn together. So much fun! Stay tuned for some posts on those two days (along with many many more from Idaho that I haven't had a chance to post yet!)...for now, I'll post an easy one. We went over to my parents' house after naps today and two of my brothers were able to come over for dinner. A little impromptu gathering is always fun.

Around the table from L-R: Bryton, Dave, James, John (Grandad), Fran (Granny), Mike and Harry.

Someone is enjoying (?) his ice cream.

3/5 siblings: Mike (always on tip-toes), Jill, James (the only time we're taller than James is when he's sitting.)

Nice to see all of you!!

Challenges

2011-08-11T16:42:00.000-05:00

We're in Calgary! One of the things I love about going back to Calgary is shopping in grocery stores. Maybe it's the big-city vibe vs. Indianola, IA, but the variety is just so much greater here. There are a few differences in shopping in Canada vs. the U.S.A. though, and I'm reminded just how long I've been in the States when I shop in stores like Superstore.

1) HUGE store. Wear your running shoes.
2) Wine, beer and spirits aren't sold in grocery stores in Alberta. You have to go to a separate building.
3) I LOVE Joe-brand clothes for kids in Superstore. This is not like shopping at Walmart in the U.S. It's actually quite dangerous to go grocery shopping and pass by the clothing section...
4) Bulk bins!! This is one of the things I miss most about Canada. From dry pasta to gummy worms, chicken-in-a-mug to granola, dried fruit to dried beans, if you need a 1/4 cup of something, you don't need to buy a big box.
5) Pay for your shopping cart (at least at Superstore). People are less likely to steal carts when they have a loonie in them (that's a dollar coin for all my U.S. friends out there)--you get it back when you return your cart.
6) Pay for your shopping bags if you don't bring in your own. I love this actually, but I still forget to bring my own bags! I did bring a Superstore bin with me today. But I didn't have a Loonie for the cart, so I had to use my bin (with no handles) to shop with. It got pretty heavy near the end and I couldn't hold Harry's hand in the store or parking lot. Luckily he's finally stopped running away from me in public!!

Shopping with pre-schoolers...While I had my backed turned, picking out a loaf of bread, I hear, "Oh! This looks good to eat!" I turn around, and Harry's holding out a bagel he'd taken out of one of the bulk bins behind me. I thought, "Well, I guess we're buying that now." Nothing should be at 3-year-old height in stores!

On an unrelated note (except for this blog posting's title), just today, Bryton has started saying "No". It's currently in the cute stage. There really is nothing cuter than hearing a real word like "no" come out of a toddler's mouth...before there's nothing more frustrating than hearing only "no" come out of your toddler's mouth. I had Bryton in my lap, and he was reaching for a book on the table next to me. I grabbed one and said "do you want to read this with me?" He pushed it away and said, "No." Same thing for the next book, until we found the one he wanted to read. I must say, it is pretty darn cute, and in a way, I'd much prefer hearing "no" to the grunting of pre-speech toddlers/babies. At least he can tell me what he doesn't want! And yes, I'm fully prepared to get annoyed and challenged with the "no"...just give me a few minutes to bask in how smart and cute my baby is. :)

Today's random photo: Dave is holding a dirty diaper in his right hand. We were 1 hour in line at the border, so we were able to get out of the car and walk around. The border guard wouldn't let Dave throw out the diaper. Maybe since the deed was done in the U.S.A. and we hadn't declared it? ;)

Concert time!

2011-08-08T17:00:00.001-05:00

Sandpoint (about 25 minutes away from Hope) has a great music festival every year, and Paul & Margaret got season's tickets this year. Most of the evening concerts feature an artist of indefinable genres--folky rockish bluesy countryish jazzy alternative non-mainstream artists. Paul, Margaret & Jen went to the first concert on Thursday night (unfortunately not impressed with the performers), Paul, Margaret, Jen & Jill went on Friday night to hear Brandi Carlile (awesome) with opening act Ivan & Alyosha (also great). Dave & Jill went to see Chris Isaak (singer of the famous "Wicked Game", otherwise known to me as the Ross & Rachel Planetarium song)

on Saturday night (he was fantastic, but the opening act was terrible--Willie Nelson's ungracious rocker son Lukas Nelson who didn't speak to the audience but did sing every song about pot and how it should be legalized...and he played his guitar with his teeth...and he did rockstar scissor kicks, so who am I to judge...except perhaps on musicianship and lack of entertainment...). I digress. Dave & I had a blast, and thanks to babysitters Grandma, Grandpa & Auntie Jen, we were even able to leave early and enjoy a walk around downtown Sandpoint and a glass of wine and appetizers at the Coldwater Creek Wine Bar, where Dave told the waiter we were celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary.

Yesterday (Sunday), we said goodbye to Paul, Margaret and Jen, who all headed back to Calgary (silly people who have to work for a living), and in the afternoon, we took the boys to their first Outdoor Children's concert at the festival. The Spokane Youth Orchestra played (very well), and we enjoyed a few activities and a picnic supper before the concert began. Here we are on our orange blanket and lawn chairs before a nice volunteer came by to tell us our lawn chairs were too tall. (Dave took them back to the van, where we had a couple of stadium seats we were able to use instead.)

Bryton the good sport.

Me & the boys on our shorter chairs.

The crowd dancing to the musical stylings of the Spokane Youth Orchestra. We were choreographed "seaweed" in the Under the Sea medley in this shot. Can you spot 1) Harry's head front and center, and 2) (harder) Jill & Bryton dancing in the crowd?

Harry enjoyed dancing too! Here he is dancing (with many little girls just to his left) to Tchaikovsky:

A little pre-concert entertainment:

I've been waiting for the day that we could take Harry to a children's concert where there's a musical petting zoo set up. I've done many in my life, and oboe is never the hot instrument everyone wants to try! As expected, the line to try the drumset (pretty much the only instrument Harry wanted to try) was really long, and they cut it off before we could get in. Oh darn. Maybe that would have been the turning point in Harry's musical career. Maybe (oh maybe, please?) now he won't have the driving passion to play drums....then there's this...out of flute, clarinet, trumpet, saxophone and trombone, Harry picked this one. And I think he was pretty good for a 3-year old!! (Scary. This or drums in my future...hmmm...)

I'm amazed I got a photo of this because Harry only put his mouth to the trombone for a second before deciding he didn't want to try it after all! I'm also amazed at how enthusiastic the students are, seeming to want little kids slobbering all over their instruments...

Never mind that it's a children's petting zoo, and that it's being run by high school band students, and that he is a professional saxophonist, Dave zeroed in on the sax there for the kidlets to play. Pushing aside toddlers in tiaras and young impressionable youths, Dave wanted to show those kids a thing or two. And he couldn't get a sound out of the thing. Never mind that the high school student was playing it when we approached the table and that a 5-year old played Carnival of Venice on it just fine after Dave gave up... *Side rant: Actually, that says a lot about the state of instruments and equipment in the schools!! My most recent oboe student (I don't even know if she's going to keep at it), still doesn't have an instrument that works, even after paying for "repairs" to two school-board instruments with the family's own money, because the band teacher at the high school said "it's good enough for a beginner"...sure don't listen to the professional oboist who also can't get a sound out of the thing. Back to the concert...Dave did actually try to find the band teacher, since it was a band boosters event, and I'm sure he would have driven the 30 minutes back to the house to get a decent reed for the kids to play if the concert wasn't about to start!

Train spotting

2011-08-07T23:44:00.000-05:00

So much blogging to catch up on! I'll just dive in with random posts! Here (for Micah, Eli, Bryson, Caden, Jay Nugent!, and any other train-loving friends out there!) is one of the many trains that passes by the house on a daily basis. (Got there in time to capture a shot of the 2 engines--orange & red, Micah!)

This train was pulling some construction vehicles on flatbeds--among other things. We see a lot of coal cars!

Grandpa & Bryton watching from the top deck of the house.

Harry, who is at one moment terrified of the trains (they are loud), at another moment, cautiously interested (see photos below), and another moment running as close to the edge of the lawn as he can get to see it up close! Oh, Harry.

August Awesomeness

2011-08-06T17:06:00.000-05:00

A great day so far, and an afternoon at a wine bar, supper, and festival concert coming up!

Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa and Auntie Jen for looking after the boys!

Jen Wakeboarding up a storm

Jen and Harrison in the tube.

Me and Harry in the boat. He was awesome in the water today!

Bryton also had fun, although not as much as Harry.

Most evenings consist of slight variations of this...

Checking out the new school!

2011-08-04T00:56:00.000-05:00

Since we're in Hope, Idaho for 3 months, Harry is going to go to preschool for 7-8 weeks. It is a pleasant 10-minute walk down the hill from the house...15 minutes going uphill! :)

The hill:

Harry in front of the building--the Memorial Community Center.

Checking out part of the playground.

Hope Preschool

Where's a teacher when you need them? Harry lined up his rocks, counted them, then recited his multiples of five.

I love the little mailboxes ready for parents to take home any newsletters, etc.

This is by the door, and I think it's for the teacher to ring to summon the children in after outside play. (Moose = very Idaho!)

View of the building from the playground.

Railroad crossing right next to the school. Several trains go by per day (and night). Micah, you'd love it!

And you can see Grandma & Grandpa's house from the school! Our van is in the driveway. (Zoomed in here.)

Playground view. Click on the photo to enlarge--Paul & Margaret's house is in the top left corner. :)

We're hoping to contact "Mrs. G", Harry's teacher, for a little tour inside sometime this month. We peeked inside the windows, and I loved the look of it. I did have a conversation with her a few months ago about her teaching style and the curriculum, and I'm really excited for Harry to go here for a couple months. I only wish he could commute more easily from Iowa and could continue going all year! :) I'm sure he'll love it!

C is for

2011-08-04T00:36:00.000-05:00

Harry this morning (6:15am-ish): "Auntie Jen, can I have a cookie?"
Jen: "No! It's too early!"
Harry: "But I really want to eat something that starts with C!"
Jen: "How about a carrot?"
Harry: "No...something else that starts with C..."

haha!

Our view for the next 3 months

2011-08-01T19:50:00.003-05:00

Does this hat make me look older?

2011-07-22T20:15:00.000-05:00

More conversations with Harry:

1) Harry stole, er, borrowed my baseball cap today. He put it on backwards and said, "This hat makes me look 10 years old!"

2) I asked Harry if he wanted to see the new Winnie the Pooh movie with me. He said, "Oh yes! I love that movie! I love Winnie McPooh!" (a little influenced by another "Mc" perhaps?) He also said, "Eeyore's voice is funny--he's my favorite!"

3) Evidence that Sesame Street is doing its job: "I love to eat apples--they're scrumptious!" I was very impressed. Of course this was followed by, "Muffins are scrumptious, pancakes are scrumptious, cookies are scrumptious, candy is scrumptious..." haha!

4) Background info 1) A light was left on in our van for 2 days a few months ago, and as a result, it wouldn't start up when we were on our way out. Background info 2) Harry and Bryton have a car track they like to play with in the basement. The little cars race around the loop, but they go through batteries pretty quickly. The batteries are easy to replace by popping off a cover underneath the car. Tonight at bedtime: "One time our van might be out of batteries again, and we might need to charge 'em up. But we can turn the car over and put in a new one!" Now wouldn't that be so much easier?

5) Tonight before bed: "Is it Easter tomorrow? Will the Easter bunny leave me some coins?"

....Dave!!!!

6) There was one more from dinner tonight, but I've forgotten! This is why I blog, so I'll remember all these little Harry-isms and stories. And this is why you need to write things down as soon as they happen! Hopefully I'll remember.

Our funny little guy!

Obsessions

2011-07-14T14:41:00.000-05:00

What Team Camwell is into these days...

Bryton is newly-obsessed with anything that beeps. To keep him still during diaper changes, he likes to hold his temporal thermometer. He loves our old phones (kept plugged for the beeping, even though we no longer have a home phone number), and he LOVES my Pampered Chef Kitchen/Clock Timer, so I'm happy to set it for many reasons during the day. He'll look up from whatever he's doing whenever any beeping sound goes off, including beeps on TV, car horns (from a distance), toys, etc., and he'll smile and say "Beeeeep! Beeeeep!" Too cute!!

Harry is newly-obsessed with coins. A slightly less endearing obsession. He will ask anyone and everyone for coins for his piggy bank, telling waiters, cashiers and the librarian that his piggy bank is not full yet. When my dad was building bookshelves for me in the basement, he dropped a few screws, and Harry, thinking they were dropped coins, jumped up so quickly from his train set that he destroyed a bridge and several track links. He's like a cat that hears the can opener or the shake-shake of a kitty treat bottle. The most embarrassing coin incident came on a recent trip to Walmart. We were waiting in line at the Express Check-out, and the elderly man in front of us dumped a handful of change onto the counter to pay for his items. Harry bolted from behind the cart to the counter and grabbed some coins from the counter. Luckily I was fast enough and got him to drop them right away, and I apologized profusely to the old man. We've had many talks about what belongs to us (ie. not Harry) and what is other people's (ie. everything, including coins in Mommy's wallet and the money Grandma might have left on the kitchen table...which disappeared into Harry's room, discovered when he brought the piggy bank downstairs to tell us that the money wouldn't fit in the slot...sigh.) We'll keep working on him. And I mean WE. Dave (who is in Taiwan), when you come home, you'll hopefully notice a lessened obsession, because I'm not giving him coins every day, even if they are just pennies, and I really had to work hard to make him understand that the Easter bunny does not come all year round!!! While I was in Chicago, Dave left coins on the floor of Harry's room to find when he woke up from his nap, and he told him the Easter bunny left them there for him!!! ACCCCCKKKK! I cut that out immediately, and I've explained that it was Daddy pretending to be the Easter bunny, because the Easter bunny only comes once a year. Geesh, Dave. Harry has only today stopped asking where the Easter bunny's coins are when he wakes up.

I continue to be obsessed with Paperback Swap (if you sign up, you have the chance to give me a free book credit by listing me as a referral!), but my newest obsession is Overdrive Media Console, partnered with WILBOR. If you have a public library card in the US (and maybe even Canada--several countries are listed), check to see if your library offers this service. (You can also click on the above link and search for your library.) You can check out up to 3 e-books at a time for free, onto your e-reader or computer. Granted, it's probably not too fun reading a book on your desktop computer, but for fellow iPad owners, this is AWESOME. Almost every book I've looked up is on there, and I haven't bought any ibooks or Kindle books since I've discovered this free service. The only downside is that if you're a fast reader, you can't return books early. They have to expire after the 2-week lending period, and there are only a certain amount of copies of each book available, which seems silly to me. It's electronic! How can only 3 people get the book at once? So for bestsellers, there is sometimes a bit of a wait. But many books are available right away. It's a bit of a numbers game, calculating how many books you can have checked out vs. amount of patrons waiting vs. amount of books on your waiting list and what you have in your cart....hence my obsession. I love it!!

Dave's obsessions? Well, besides me, he is truly obsessed with his iPad 2. You're welcome, honey! :)

Hahaha

2011-07-12T20:35:00.002-05:00

OK, this is a non-Team Camwell post, but I had to share for my friends and family not on Facebook:

Lions, Skunks, Snakes (oh my!)

2011-07-11T15:53:00.000-05:00

More conversations with Harry

1) We were driving home from the airport this morning after dropping off Dave, and there was a dead deer on the side of the road close to our house. As we approached our street, Harry could see the animal as we were slowing down for the turn. He called out from the backseat, "Watch out for that lion sleeping on the side of the road!!" At first I had no idea what he was talking about. He said, "He escaped from the zoo!" When I realized it was a dead deer, not a sleeping lion, I told him it was a deer, not a lion, but I didn't have the heart to tell him it wasn't sleeping!

2) On the way to the airport today, we all smelled a skunk. Harry said, "Where is it? I don't see it." We explained that you could smell skunks from far away when they sprayed. He started listing all the things skunks could spray when it's scared. People, animals, trees, road signs, houses, car seats, cars...(I think he just started listing things he saw!)

3) Harry had a very successful dentist appointment this morning. We love our pediatric dentist, Dr. Wolfe in Altoona. One of the things Harry was looking forward to was the prize at the end. They give him a token and he can choose a Prize Tower to use his token in. Things like bouncy balls and little (choking hazard) toys. Last time he got a blue lizard, which he loved so of course lost. I tried explaining (all the way there) that he might not get another lizard, because the (gum-ball-like) machine is random. And of course he was still very upset when he didn't get the lizard. He got a small rubber snake instead, the same material as the lizard. Well, he tried cramming it back into the machine a couple times, and he got very upset when I put it in my pocket to take home (thinking he'd be upset that he didn't get anything)...I gave it to him in the car after he begged me for it, and he proceeded to try stretching it out, telling me that it would not come into the house with us, but he'd instead throw it in the garbage in our garage. I said that was wasteful and ungrateful, throwing out a perfectly good toy, and we don't throw things in the garbage if there's nothing wrong with them. About 5 minutes later (Harry was obviously contemplating my words), he said, "This snake doesn't smell very well." Me: "You mean it doesn't smell good? It smells bad?" Harry: "Yeah, it smells bad. Things in the garbage smell bad, so we should throw this in the garbage when we get home!"

Do we have a future lawyer or negotiator on our hands?

Harry, proud of the tower he built that was taller than himself!

Happy Birthday, America!

2011-07-04T11:56:00.000-05:00

Harry was scared of the firecrackers that went off outside last night, but we're trying to convince him that fireworks are actually pretty cool and not scary. Then hopefully he'll stay outside with us tonight at our next-door neighbors' celebration. Here's Harry with his explanation of fireworks (complete with sound effects):

A few random pics

2011-07-02T22:19:00.001-05:00

Bryton & I in coordinating shirts

My sweet boy

Playing at the water table. Bryton plays with the toys, and Harry prefers dumping the water down his front. To each his own.

Bryton & Grandad

Better in 3-D

2011-07-02T22:05:00.001-05:00

We took Harry to see Cars 2 yesterday. It was a good movie, but Harry didn't want to wear the 3-D glasses after the first 30 minutes. Then maybe because it was too fuzzy, Harry got tired of watching (it was way more adult than the first Cars movie, with lots of bad guys, cars exploding, guns, spies), and as the movie was during nap time, he had a little rest on my lap.

Harry in his glasses before they were off for most of the movie.

Dave proving he can look stylish in anything!

Happy Anniversary!

2011-07-02T21:51:00.000-05:00

Dave and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary on Thursday. My best anniversary gift: Dave changed his plane ticket and came home early from his trip to Kentucky! He was supposed to be there until Sunday, but their recording session had to be postponed. Surprise! We were able to spend our anniversary together! We went out to one of our favorite restaurants, Centro, and we took advantage of the free babysitting at home! :)

10 years of wedded bliss (with some twists & turns along the way), married to my best friend. Here's to the next 10!

What a melon!

2011-07-02T21:34:00.000-05:00

I know I've been delinquent in posting photos, and I have a ways to go before I'm caught up, but I'll get there, in reverse chronological order! My parents have been here for 10 days and are leaving tomorrow morning. We've had a great week, concluding with watermelon on the deck this evening! :)

Happy Father's Day! A public card for Dave!

2011-06-19T13:31:00.000-05:00

Happy Father's Day, Dave! Sorry I couldn't be there to bring you coffee in bed (along with your robe, slippers, morning paper...oh wait, I don't ever do that...and you married me ANYWAY!!), but I hope you're having a great day with the boys! You are an AMAZING dad to our kidlets, and they are so lucky to have you as a role model. I love you!

Happy Father's Day to all the other dads out there, including my own wonderful dad John (driving to Iowa as I type this!) and fantastic father-in-law Paul--two smart, strong, dependable, funny, loving grandparents!

A little time for this today, perhaps? :)

Upcoming trips on my mind...

2011-06-14T00:23:00.001-05:00

I can't sleep. It can't help that I had two cups of tea a couple hours ago, and with the caffeine in my system, my brain has had the liberty to run free while my body is begging to go to sleep. The brain won. I needed to write down what's on my mind!!

Ever have dreams within dreams? Trips you take while on vacation feels a bit like that. I'm starting to feel overwhelmed at the amount of packing, repacking, mid-packing, house-packing, van packing, suitcase/carry-on, what-have-you packing we, who am I kidding, I'll have to do for the next several months. Here's a list of the trips we're taking between now and November, and just for fun, I'll include busy weeks where one of us is essentially out of town anyway:

This week: Jazz Camp at Simpson College--Dave, being the Super Hero Dad he is, tries to come home as much as he can to see me and the boys, but he is running this camp of 70+ kids for a week, so he's pretty much gone. Margaret just arrived tonight to help out this week. Wednesday, we're having a catered party here for the jazz camp faculty, so that's weighing on my mind too, especially since I just got back from being away this past weekend.

Next weekend: As soon as Jazz Camp is done, but before Margaret leaves Saturday evening, I leave for Saturday and possibly Sunday nights for my last Orchestra Iowa weekend. Throw in one Pampered Chef bridal shower on Saturday afternoon in Iowa City. :)

June 21: My parents arrive--I have 3 Pampered Chef shows this week and a 2-day garage sale I'm planning--they'll be here to help for a couple of weeks.
June 24-July 3rd: Dave in Kentucky for rehearsals with Oasis
July 6-9th: I go to Chicago for Pampered Chef National Conference
July 11-17th: Dave in Taiwan for Oasis concerts
Sometime that week (as soon as Dave recovers from jetlag): Drive 3 days to Hope, Idaho
August-October: Stay in Hope, Idaho
One week in August: drive to Calgary
September 13-20: Dave & Jill fly to Las Vegas from Spokane, Washington (oh yeah, we need to drive there from Hope...brain hurting), leaving the boys with grandparents & auntie in Hope
September-part of October: Harry in preschool in Hope, 3 days a week
Beginning of October: Dave drives to play recital a few hours away, gone 2-3 days
October somethingth: Dave flies from Idaho (Spokane, WA) to Eugene, OR for another Oasis concert & masterclass tour, 1 week
Latish October: Drive back to Iowa
November 8th-December 4th: Jill playing for Wicked in Des Moines
Middle of that: Dave Oasis concert (huge) in Des Moines--grandparents much needed during this time
All this time, Dave is on sabbatical for the Fall and needs to work on his project. That will seem like a piece of cake compared to all the actual traveling we have to do. I don't even know where to start with the packing. And I'd like to keep my Pampered Chef business thriving during this time as well, as I'm gaining good momentum right now. So I have to consider that in my packing. We've also had to consider cat-sitters (3), house/garden help, house guests while we're not in the house, birthday party of very important soon-to-be 4 year old we'll be missing in August (super bummed), not to mention 4 birthdays of parents & Dave--parties to plan while we're away?--AND what to do about Harry's 4th birthday party...none of us will even be around for his birthday, or the weekends before & after...we may need a Monday morning party or something.

Writing to-do lists and anything that's on my mind (that keeps me from sleeping) usually helps. Hopefully this will have done the trick! I hope I don't make anyone else dizzy.

When Harry is a Farmer

2011-06-13T12:42:00.002-05:00

We saw a pick-up truck pulling a small trailer full of cows while we were at the gas station today. When we got home, Harry said he wanted to be a farmer when he grows up. I asked him what kind of animals he would have on his farm. He said,

"A goat, a pig that rolls in the mud, a horse, a cow, a duck...and a ladybug!"

Precious boys

2011-06-01T22:45:00.001-05:00

A day in our life. (If you're clicking off a blog list, make sure you've seen our other posts today!)

Look at the mischief in THIS face!

And here comes Trouble's younger brother!

Bryton brings us one book at a time to read. He likes turning the pages.

Wearing Mommy's hat!

Playing in the Amfahr's pool.

Bryton's first time! Fun!!

Morning Sunshine

2011-06-01T22:23:00.001-05:00

Look at that face! Such a sweetheart!

Bryton ready for the day!

2011-06-01T12:01:00.000-05:00

Random Quotes from Harrison

2011-06-01T11:59:00.000-05:00

Harry on the Rock.

Neighbor Simon and Harry up to their usual high-jinks...

Harry: "If you'd like to have more fun adventures with Daddy and Harry, look for other adventures on iTunes..."

Tigers are big and scary and also taste great in a waffle cone

2011-05-31T21:45:00.000-05:00

Today's highlight was going for ice cream on the main strip through town. Harry had his first ice cream cone and loved it. The only confusion came when I was trying to explain to Harrison what "Tiger" ice cream tasted like. Apparently, next time will we have hippo, ostrich, and lion ice cream!

Thinking ahead

2011-05-29T21:21:00.000-05:00

Harry was playing with his (Bryton's) toy phone. Suddenly I hear:

"Hi, Santa! How are you? I'd like a purple Ramone for Christmas. Dooo dooo dooo..." (The phone started beeping its busy signal sound and Harry was copying it...so funny.)

Conversations you have with a 3.5 year old...

2011-05-25T14:48:00.001-05:00

Harry: Daddy, Mommy gave that (pointing to my wedding band) to you.
Me: I did indeed.

Harry:You got that ring on your finger when you married mommy.

Me: That's right.

Harry: When I marry mommy, she'll give me a ring too!

Me: I don't think so...you'll marry another lady...

Pretty Pictures

2011-05-23T21:49:00.000-05:00

Today was a nice day - beautiful boys at the zoo and my clematis plants are blooming larger more than J-LO in a dress designed for Natalie Portman.

Listen to your body

2011-05-22T13:27:00.001-05:00

Harry had his first potty training accident for the first time in a couple months yesterday. Afterwards, we were talking about "listening to your body" when it tells you that it's time to go. Harry, on the potty:

"What's my body telling me now? Is it telling me to go color in my favorite coloring book? Oh! I think it is!"

Missing photo

2011-05-21T23:51:00.000-05:00

How did I not blog this one?

They may be onto something...

2011-05-20T19:51:00.005-05:00

Some people may say these ads are outdated, but I'm sold! (Click on any of these photos to enlarge...though they're still blurry; I'll write out the small print below each ad.)

Promoting the benefits of drinking and breastfeeding (nobody had to tell me...why do you think Bryton is so mellow all the time?)

"A case of Blatz Beer in your home means much to the young mother, and obviously baby participates in its benefits. The malt in the beer supplies nourishing qualities that are essential at this time and the hops act as an appetizing, stimulating tonic."

Have I already waited too long for Bryton? It's too late for Harry. He's sure to be ostracized in preschool. (This one is my favorite by far.)

"How soon is too soon? Not soon enough. Laboratory tests over the last few years have proven that babies who start drinking soda during that early formative period have a much higher chance of gaining acceptance and "fitting in" during those awkward pre-teen and teen years. So, do yourself a favor. Do your child a favor. Start them on a strict regimen of sodas and other sugary carbonated beverages right now, for a lifetime of guaranteed happiness."

This is what I'm missing: Vitamins. Where do I buy them? Pep=Percodan?

(Husband's bubble:) "So the harder a wife works, the cuter she looks!" (Husband's bubble below:) "Gosh, Honey. You seem to thrive on cooking, cleaning and dusting--and I'm all tuckered out by closing time. What's the answer?" (Wife:) "Vitamins, Darling. I always get my vitamins."

Poor Froggy

2011-05-19T08:36:00.000-05:00

There are some dark dark nursery rhymes and fairy tales that we all grew up with. With all the modified happy endings and fluffy cotton candy stories that we feed our children, it's somewhat more shocking to come across the odd bloodbath in one of your kid's books. I was singing some songs to the boys from a folksong book, and I came across this one (which is to be sung in a round by unsuspecting frog-loving children):

The Frog in the Bog--Harvey Worthington Loomis

There once was a frog who lived in a bog
And played a fiddle in the middle of a puddle,
What a muddle! Better go round! Better go round!

His music was short for soon he was caught
And now in the middle of the griddle he is frying,
And he's crying, "Rather be drowned. Rather be drowned."

What are some other of your favorite gruesome tales or songs for children?

1 year Dr. visit

2011-05-18T21:34:00.000-05:00

It took us a while to get in to see the doctor for Bryton's one-year check-up. He was great at his appointment today, though it's heartbreaking to hear his little cry after the three shots. :( He had two fantastic naps today, and I'm hoping a good night's sleep is on the docket. He still has a goopy eye. You may have noticed a redness in some photos. It's a recurring blocked tear duct problem, which just means the shaft that lets his eye drain into his nasal passage is too small, so it can't drain, so it builds up. He's had eye drop prescriptions several times over the past year, but since it hasn't cleared on its own, he'll likely need surgery. We're being referred to a specialist at Blank Children's Hospital in Des Moines. I'm not excited at the thought of Bryton in surgery, but it's apparently a simple surgery. I'll keep you all posted.

I was a little surprised at his stats! Here we go:

Weight: 22 lbs, 40th percentile
Height: 29", 50th percentile
Head circumference: 18.25", 50th percentile

How about that? We have an "average" child!

Actually, not average at all! We also had our Parents as Teachers meeting this morning, and Karen gave me Bryton's 12-month questionnaire (called "Ages & Stages"). Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised, but Bryton blew all those tests out of the water! He's just brilliant! I'm just amazed at my little button boy.

Bryton and his new baby. Giving kisses:

Bryton's excited face. He loves his new baby!

Pitch in

2011-05-16T09:15:00.000-05:00

A new favorite game at our house: pressing random things and seeing how well Bryton matches pitch. It looks as though him and his brother are both pretty good!

Dancin'

2011-05-16T08:49:00.001-05:00

Oops! I thought I was uploading a video of Bryton matching pitch with the coffee grinder (stay tuned for that one), but this one was the one I got instead. It's of Bryton "dancing" to his toy Scout...about 2.5 months ago! Haha! Enjoy!

Call me Dave

2011-05-13T12:41:00.000-05:00

More hilarity from our eldest son.

1) Harry tried on Dave's flip-flops. (Side note: if you didn't know this already, Dave has giant feet.) Harry: "They fit me! I'm another Daddy! So call me Dave!"

2) We went to the zoo with our friends Mary & Ari (3 years old) yesterday. Leaving the zoo, Harry was having a bit of a tantrum. Mary kindly said to Harry, “Maybe when you grow up, you can be a zookeeper! Then you can stay at the zoo all the time and work with animals!” Harry: “I don’t want to be a zookeeper! I want to be Mommy’s Harry!” Awww.

3) Driving home, still in tantrum mode, Harry was telling me (yelling) that he wanted to go back to the zoo. After 10 minutes of this and a quiet moment, I said, “Harry, did you listen to Mommy at the zoo or did you run away?” Harry: “I ran away from you.” Me: “So we had to leave. We also need to have lunch at home.” Harry: “I don’t want to go home. I want to go back to the zoo where it’s fun! I want to play on the playground!” Me: “Harry, you lost your chance.” Harry: (yells) “Give me BACK my CHANCE! I want my chance back at the zoo!!!”

4) And to end on a more positive note... A week or so ago... Dave: "Harry, would you like some milk?" Harry: "Oh! Yes, I would like some milk! Thank you for asking, Daddy! That was very nice of you!"

I'm 1 year old!

2011-05-10T22:59:00.001-05:00

I am 1 year old! My birthday was on May 6th, but Mommy hasn't been able to get a picture of me sitting still until now!! I'm a tall boy, just under 30", one inch shorter than my big brother was when he turned one. I'm a lovey boy, especially with Mommy, but I really like reading books with Daddy. I will dig through the book basket until I find one I want to read, say "eeed eeed" or "book book", and bring it over to Mommy or Daddy to read it to me! I point to familiar pictures like cats, babies, balls, ladybugs, sheep and lots of other animals. I can oink like a pig, copying Mommy or Harry, and there are lots of other words I try to copy. I love animals, especially my cat Clara, and I'm getting pretty gentle with her. I've also met llamas, goats and dogs this month, and I love them all! I don't get scared of anything...except people holding me when Mommy is in the room...or the vacuum cleaner. My favorite toys are the loud ones that make music! I like to press the buttons on one toy after another and let them all play at the same time! My very favorite toy is the Mozart cube. If I want to play with it and it's off, I'll look up at Mom or Dad and let them know what an inconvenience this is to me!! Did I mention I'm loud? I have a very loud voice. I don't like to be kept waiting, whether it's for bath time, books, toys or food. I'm a very fast eater. I eat anything my parents do, which is about 300% more than Harry does. I will try anything once. Just recently I've started getting pickier though, spitting out food and dropping it on the floor. I don't really like cheese, cheerios, asparagus, rice, lettuce, carrots or corn. I love all fruit, peas, black beans, yogurt, crackers, olives (!) and recently mac & cheese (I didn't care for Kraft Dinner, but I loved Mommy's homemade macaroni & cheese!). I love playing the piano, taking books off bookshelves, taking things in and putting them back in containers, stacking blocks (I can get up to 4 in a tower!), nesting cups (my favorite bath toys), rolling and chasing after balls, and I've started playing with puzzles. I'm cruising around furniture, and I can stand on my own for up to 10 seconds, but I haven't taken steps on my own yet. I have just started to crawl funny though...I may have figured out a way around this pesky walking thing. I can just use my feet instead of my knees to crawl, keeping my hands on the ground! That's efficient, right? I love my brother, and we're starting to copy each other. Harry screams, I scream! Harry bangs on his high chair tray, I bang! We're quite the pair! I just don't like it when he takes my toys away, and I'm loud about it! I do like his hugs though. And we've given each other a few unprompted kisses too. I like hanging out in Harry's room. I like standing at his window, and I'm tall enough now that I can climb onto Harry's bed. I just need to learn how to jump like my big brother! I had my first haircut this month; Mommy trimmed my hair right before my 1-year photo. I like brushing and combing my own hair, and I LOVE having my teeth brushed! I like drinking water out of my sippy cup and drinking milk (whole milk!) out of my bottle, but I don't like milk out of my sippy cup. :) I like looking at photos of my family, on the computer, in photo albums, on Mommy's phone and on the camera. I can point out Mommy, Daddy, Harry and myself! I can say my name! I love looking at the letters of my name on the wall in my room, and I've said "Bry-tuh" after Mommy says it. :) Some of my other words are kitty, mama, dada, Harry, book, Luigi (Daddy thinks...referring to one of Harry's cars...Mommy's not so sure), bath, ball, nurse, dog, shoe and up. I'm a great sleeper, as always, sleeping 12 hours at night and two naps, 1.5-2 hours each, every day. My parents are starting to miss me when I'm sleeping now that I'm getting so fun to be around!

Mommy note:

Here's a slideshow of Bryton's onesie project. Watch as he grows into a 24-month onesie, from 4 days old, and every month from 1-12. Click here to see the slideshow.

We had fun at his birthday party on Saturday. A few friends were unfortunately sick, so it was a smaller group of 18, including our family of 4 plus Granny and Grandad who flew in from Calgary just for the occasion! (Click here for a slideshow of their visit.) The theme (loose) was ladybugs, as 10 Little Ladybugs is one of his favorite books. We had a counting contest (there were 59 ladybugs to be found, and the closest guess was Rachel's 53--she won a stylish ladybug hat to match Bryton's--see photos), a craft table (where the kids got to decorate mini flower pots, fill them with soil and plant a seed with a cute ladybug marker stick I made), and good food and cake. Bryton requested no presents from friends, so we had a box to accept food donations to the local foodbank instead. Click here to see a slideshow of his birthday (Friday), opening family presents, playing with Harry at his new water table outside (not to be confused with the water board table in our basement) and the birthday party.

We're so proud of our little button, and we can't believe he's one year old already! :)

Going to the Dogs

2011-05-01T14:09:00.000-05:00

Harry and I came across a neighbor's 12-week old puppy named Orbit. While a bit cautious at first, Harrison soon got into the fun of puppies and some pictures of which are below.

The Beginning of Summer

2011-04-30T19:27:00.002-05:00

I had the boys for most of today as Jill was speaking at a pro-logging rally in Eastern Iowa. Her speech asked the profound question of "if trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason". Powerful stuff to think about...

In the meantime, the boys and I had a great time at the Indianola Mandatory Fun Festival (see post below), a nice walk around the neighborhood, and lots of fun outside at our neighbor's (the Gilfanov's) swing-set extravaganza.
Here are some pictures of the day.

Getting hydrated and looking faboosh before heading out!

Harrison playing with a 3-month old puppy named Shanini....

Bryton checking out Harry's unconventional swing technique.

Bryton finding his center before swing fun begins...

The face of a child can say it all, especially the mouth part of the face.

"Oh Dad, you are so mildly amusing..."

THIS is the face of Baby of the Month Club, a new
magazine based in Des Moines and available at retailers everywhere.

Bryton spent lots of time putting wood chips into this car.

"Sharing"...uh...yeah...not so much...

"Nooooo Bryton, your wood chips go into MY dump truck!"

Our baby is the cutest AND the fastest

2011-04-30T13:30:00.005-05:00

As many of our friends and family know, TeamCamwell has long been involved in a bitter dispute with TeamRococo over who actually has the cutest and most athletic baby. Well, today was the showdown between the two camps, with our precious Bryton taking on Prince Reginald Rococo III at the court ordered Indianola Mandatory Family Fun Day of Light and Happiness. Finally, this will put an end to all the rampant speculation about baby-botox and other nonsense that has been floating out there in the blogosphere and the "internets" in general.

TeamRococo

Bryton's competition, Prince Reginald Rococo III

So what happened, you ask? We entered Bryton into the highly competitive baby crawling race at the Warren County Fair this morning. The heat and stress of the competition was too much for Jill, so it was just I who braved the huge crowds and gladiatorial atmosphere for about 1.5 hours this morning.

I'll put some pictures below with captions, but the big news is that Bryton won the baby crawling competition against 1600 other babies! And he won TeamCamwell $100! It was such a honor to be Bryton's father (and agent) and it almost hurts to take ten percent of his winnings and merchandising...and ancillary rights in perpetuity. Anyway, what a race! Hot champ! Too bad Mommy didn't see it, but she heard you were great!

Bryton getting ready for the throw-down

Harry in a tractor. Wash those hands!!!

Driving the tractor. Only minor damage ensued.

Harry with the world's largest chipmunk, Sigmund.
Sigmund's trainer was just out of the shot, armed with a tazer
after last Spring's "incident" with a toddler in Illinois...

Scoping out the competition pre-race.

Bryton in the starting blocks...

And they're off! Look at them go!

Bryton giving the feckless competition a chance.

Our winning TeamCamwell photo was taken, but isn't online yet.

I will post it when it is so check back soon!

Harry clapping, Bryton relaxing...

We were paraded as champions by two large draft horses, a wagon, and the
Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders (not pictured).

The best photo a technology-averse old lady could manage...

Harry after the temporary shrinking machine.
The soccer ball is actually normal size.

An excellent morning, all told!

Des Moines Botanical Center

2011-04-28T23:12:00.000-05:00

We went to the playground this morning, and although it was windy, we had a great time. I took lots of photos on my phone, and I'm still trying to figure out the best way to get them all onto the computer so I can put them onto Kodak Gallery. I digress. Both boys had great naps this afternoon, but I still wanted to get out of the house before dinner. It was really really windy at this point--not great walk or park weather. So brilliant Mommy decides, "Let's go to the Botanical Center!" We left at 4pm, got there at 4:35 pm, and it closed at 5pm. With rush-hour traffic, we got home at 5:45pm. We hadn't had dinner, Bryton fell asleep in the car on the way home as it was 15 minutes before bedtime, and Harry threw a tantrum as we were leaving the center. I am so brilliant, I leave myself speechless sometimes.

Despite all that, it was really beautiful at the center. I highly recommend going, especially on nasty weather days when you really need to get out of the house. Or if you just want to spend 80 minutes in the car for 20 minutes of horticulture.

Harry in front of his favorite tree: The Chocolate Tree

Click here to see all our photos from this afternoon: Kodak Gallery

Because Harry didn't have enough cars.

2011-04-28T08:47:00.002-05:00

Harry bought his own car yesterday, well two cars. Auntie Jen sent him some money for Easter, and when I explained that he could use that money to buy something, he immediately said, "DJ and Wingo!!" He was quite upset at the notion that we buy one car and save the rest of the money for later, so in the first (ha) of many parenting mistakes (I'm sure) when it comes to teaching fiscal responsibility (again, ha!), I let him buy both cars. He was very excited to buy them, and when we were checking out at Walmart, he held his own money, waited in line with the cars up on the belt, and gave the money to the sourpuss cashier. Side note: Seriously? Does she have 3 year olds buying cars all day long? Could she have been a little friendlier to a child giving her money? Anyway, Harry didn't want the hassle of change; he wanted the cars right away. So he would have been perfectly happy paying $20 for 2 toy cars! Haha!

Harry's had a hard time remembering the name Wingo for one of the cars, and he asks about every 10 minutes, "What's this guy's name again?" I thought maybe a good way for him to remember was to say, "Harry, think of this long thing on his back as his wing. Like a bird has wings! So you say, 'Wing' (I point to the 'wing') then 'GO'! Because he goes really fast!!" Harry: "Which Lightning car is 'Wing-stop'?"

hahaha!

Oh, I just need to add this: When we got home, I got out Harry's piggy bank he hadn't used or seen since it was given to him for his first Christmas (5 weeks old) by Grandma and Grandpa Camwell. He really liked putting his change, some coins and two bills, into his bank. When he'd finished, he looked at me and said, "I want more money! Give me more money!" I said that's not how it works. I thought maybe I could give him a quarter for an allowance or something, giving him little jobs to do. I've always thought I wouldn't do that--I want our boys to contribute to the house and do chores, not for cash in return. Hmm. Well, I said Daddy or I would give him a little job to do on Saturday, and we'd give him a quarter to put in his piggy bank. He said, "Can I do a job now?" I said we could unload the dishwasher, but he wouldn't get a quarter until Saturday. He must have remembered that conversation, because first thing this morning he said, "What day is it today? Is it Saturday??"