Happy 5th birthday, Camden

Five years ago today, a much-anticipated little boy made his way into this world and changed our lives with his very first breaths. Over the past five years, we've experienced sleepless nights and days that felt like they might never end. We've held napping babies on our chests and given countless baths. We've cheered the wobbly first steps and braced ourselves for the inevitable falls. We've kissed boo-boos, dried tears, and considered buying stock in Band-Aid. We've listened to sleep interrupted by fits of laughter and read hundreds of books. We've watched sibling relationships form and grow into a remarkable bond. We've put on our brave faces for first days of school and we've breathed sighs of relief upon seeing smiles in the carpool line. We've witnessed the growth of friendships and answered the endless strings of "why?" questions. We've cheered first at-bats and celebrated runs scored. We've seen so much growth-- in height, in understanding, in confidence, in strength, in curiosity, and in compassion. And we've grown ourselves-- in empathy, in patience, and in our ability to love completely devoid of conditions. Happy 5th birthday to the little boy who made me a mom. You're so loved, Camden.

A baseball player is born

Making the decision to enroll Camden in his first season of Little League wasn't an easy one. It wasn't surprising to anyone that I was hesitant, of course; after all, that's just kind of who I am. But Matt had his reservations too. I think that came as a surprise to everyone, as he's known to be the laid back one in our marriage-- not to mention the fact that he's a die hard baseball fan. Our concerns were the same though: was he too young? Were we rushing him into something he wasn't ready for?

I remember my stomach was in total knots at his first game. When he walked up to bat, I was holding my breath. And then he hit his first ball and joyfully ran to first base. I exhaled, and knew we had made the right decision. Not because he hit the ball-- that was just an added bonus-- but because it was so apparent how much he was enjoying himself out there.

Watching him play over the past season was such a fun experience. His team was downright bad-- they only won game the entire season-- but he loved every minute of it. Whenever he walked up to bat, he'd quickly scan the sidelines until he found me-- and then he'd smile, wave, and give me a thumbs up.

He matured so much during the season, too. On the first day of practice, he cried when the coach made all of the parents gather for a meeting, leaving the kids alone in the dugout. He was surrounded by unfamiliar faces, unsure where his dad went, and he was uncomfortable. As the season progressed, I watched as he joked and laughed with the other kids in the dugout. By the last game, he was one of the most talkative kids on the team.

I like what sports teach kids too. Of course, he learned a lot about being a part of a team. He learned about commitment-- we didn't miss a single game all season. And he learned that hard work pays off. Camden would often ask me to practice with him in the backyard after school. We played countless games of "zombie baseball" over the course of the season. His hitting, running, and fielding all improved noticeably by the end of the season.

He's disappointed that there's no more baseball until the spring. The silver lining, though, is that  Matt asked to manage a rookie team in the spring. I'm pretty certain that baseball is going to be part of our lives for the long haul.

Happy Halloween (a little late)

As usual, Halloween was a big hit around our house. We decided pretty early on that Macey was going to dress up as a bee. Camden, however, waivered on his decision until a couple of weeks before Halloween. It turns out that it was worth the wait, though; I was totally impressed with his unique idea. He decided to be a Conehead Zombie, from his favorite game on the Kindle (Plants vs. Zombies). So, in the sea of superheroes, there was one small boy with a giant cone on his head.

 

 

I spent Halloween morning at Camden's school helping out at their fall festival. It was so fun- this was the first time I've really gotten a chance to volunteer since I normally have an active little toddler in tow. I loved seeing him in his element and watching how he interacted with his classmates and teachers.

 

 

 

 



On Halloween night, we met up with neighbors/friends/cousins around 6:30. Macey threw an epic tantrum when I put her bee costume on; she kept pulling at the poofy shoulders and screaming "OFF!" Luckily, as soon as we set foot outside, she was totally focused on trick-or-treating. She lasted a little over an hour and was quite pleased with her candy collection at the end of the night. Camden, of course, lasted much longer-- he didn't make his way back home until 8:30. Of course, he was ecstatic about his stash. 

Hope everyone else enjoyed their Halloween as much as we did!