Photo Session with Camellia

I had some time alone with Camellia, so I tried to do a little photo session with her. This is in the master bedroom using the drapers as background.

Favorite one

Smile one

Crazy one

Looking old one

Baseball and Cheer Camp

 

Caramel did coach pitch this summer. One of her favorite activities after school was to have me pitch the ball to her, so I signed her up. Caramel was the only girl on Angels team. She enjoyed game days the most. There were some hot evening this summer at the baseball field. When batting she would always hit the ball on the first few pitches. Having daddy come to practices and games was a little embarrassing for Caramel, she does not like it when her family cheers for her loudly.

Caramel also did a cheer camp for a week, 3 hours a day.

 She learned a lot of cheers and 2 dance routines. Her cheer is a "tip it in" one for basketball. One song has an "ice cream and cake, do the ice cream and cake" chorus. Even getting her hair pulled back in pigtails wasn't that challenging. The week ended with sharing all the cheers, dances, and different jump kicks with parents.

Birthday Boy

 

Myles is 2! He is so cute.
I love the way he tries to communicate and tries to be helpful.
Most of his words he says in his own language.

Myles loves....
to talk about when things are hot or cold for eating.
cows, thanks to the drive through Idaho.
trucks and motorcycles, of course.
the car garage toy and to line up cars.
to dance as soon as the music is heard with a quick head shake and pouty lips.
jumping in the water.
chasing ducks.
squishing bugs.
his yellow blanket that smells most of the time.
dogs at the park and if small enough will try to ride them.
to run and sit on the potty if you tell him you need to go.
to climb the diaper changing table if you tell him you need to change Camellia's diaper.
to comb his hair when you do.
to sit in Rhett's carseat if he gets in the van first.
to wear a helmet like Caramel and Rhett when they ride their bikes.
to cry when any adult leaves the house, even adults he just met.

For his birthday present, we (by we mean Anthony) decided on one big gift- a bouncy house. We opened the balls first and Myles loved them. Caramel pushed him around the house in the box with all the balls. Big surprise when the kids found out what the balls were for. So for now the front formal room is nothing close to that with a couch, 2 chairs, and a bouncy house.

Myles weights 30lbs 6oz (75%), height 2 feet 11.25 inches (75%), and head circumference 19.5 inches (70%). No shots for his check up.

Family Tummy Time

Here is Myles thinking about this tummy time. Wondering if it is really all worth it. Camellia's normal tummy time partner is Myles. He loves to copy her if I position her some way. Right now the kids are pretty tan except Camellia, she looks super pale with reddish looking hair and blue eyes. Myles is the tannest with his sweet farmer's tan.

The kids love to blow on Camellia's tummy and back. She tolerates it.

Everyone enjoying tummy time except the one that is getting the workout. Camellia had rolled a couple times, but on August 21st she became "a roller" and does it as soon as you lay her down. She loves to roll over in the middle of the night and start crying.

Myles Cleaning Service

Myles loves to push the vacuum around. He always needs a turn. Probably half the day Myles is just in his diaper. I do dress him in the morning. When eating or drinking happens, it usually ends with taking off all his clothes. He has a limit of 2 outfits a day. Being covered in yogurt is his favorite. His little hat is a Mario one Rhett got from McDonalds. Myles still loves to wear head accessories- hats or sunglasses.  

Kidd Family Reunion

The kids and I drove down with Grandpa Dan to Utah to see cousins. Caramel and Rhett love to see and talk about cousins. They think they are the greatest thing- cousins! Cousins are like bonus friends that you always keep in contact with and do super fun activities with. Sadly for my side of the family, we live the farthest away so visits are usually once a year. 

Crazy Cousins

The Line Up

While we were in Utah, Myles turned 2 years old!

We shared some mini cupcakes with cousins.

Myles did a little cheer for himself.

Myles and his cousins.

Grandpa Dan and Myles

Of course since Myles face was almost all healed up, he fell on my sister's cement garage stairs. Just took off a little skin. Poor Myles.

Camellia in her new purple shorts, so she can survive the Utah heat.

Aunt Enjoli and Jimmy with all the cousins on a raft in a man made lake. 

Camellia and me at the swimming pool next to Aunt Desi's.

Rhett loving that he can jump in the water.

Myles relaxing with the tube.

Caramel expert hula hooper at the Children's Museum which was literally full of children everywhere. It is hard to keep track of four kids, lucky Camellia isn't mobile.

Grandpa Dan and Camellia relaxing in the shade at the museum.

 

Utah was tons of fun seeing family. We even travelled up to Preston, Idaho. This is were Grandpa Dan grew up. We saw his family's farm. Caramel was nice and blunt declaring to everyone that the farm life smelled. The town of Preston has grown - 2 traffic lights. The kids enjoyed the parade and rodeo. Parades are such amazing things- getting candy thrown at you from cool floats or people riding horse. After that it was a super crowded restaurant to grab some food then off to the rodeo. The best part of the rodeo is the clowns and the kids riding the sheep. Everyone enjoyed it except for Camellia, it was a little loud. When it was all done, the kids were sad we didn't stop for the carnival rides but it was 11 o'clock way past my sanity time.

 

On the long ride home, we got a flat tire right when we entered the state of Oregon. I did not enjoy that car ride. And I would love to say I will never drive straight through again, but never say never.

Kranz Family Reunion

At Seattle airport before take off to New Mexico for a Kranz family reunion. The kids enjoyed looking at the airplanes. Last reunion Anthony and I didn't have any kids. It was a different experience with 4 young kids this time. The kids did great on the flight. I had the girls sit with me and the boys were with Anthony. Having the car seat for Myles on the flight was a must. He did not complain too much and slept. The drive up to Ruidoso from the airport was much more fussy. 

Rhett had a little buddy his age. Ben and him had fun running around and making all the crafts.

Caramel and Charity playing a dice game when a rain storm came postponing golfing.

Anthony and Myles

Pirate Oreo Grandpa Neil

We stayed at a rental house with Anthony's sisters and dad. The house was just down the road from Anthony's Uncle Leon and Aunt Linda's houses. Tons of deer by the house and around the town. There are a lot of fake deer statues around that the real deer blend in with. Myles really enjoyed watching them. We even saw a bear the first night up at the rental house. 

Super tall slide. A little scary with Myles climbing and getting distracted. We were up in the mountains so the weather wasn't too hot, still when playing at a park Rhett complained about the sun and wanted it to go away.

Hot tubing with Grandpa Neil on the porch of the rental house. Hot tubing is something Grandpa Neil is known for.

Cute picture of Rhett on the swing.

Caramel and Rhett on the merry-go-round with Ben. Caramel rode this with some of the older kids being pushed fast, thought she was going to throw up or fall over.

Anthony golfing off of a toilet. There was a golf course with fun added things Aunt Linda had added like a toilet.

Caramel with her Aunts at the park when all the family played field games.

Picture with all the family in the Kranz Reunion t-shirts on Uncle Leon's deck.

The Need of Shells

One day the kids were begging for shells. They wanted to go to the beach and collect shells. We tried going to Seahurst Beach, were we go often in the summer but it was closed for construction. So the next nearest beach was Des Moines beach. We saw some fun birds including a duck family with 4 ducklings.

Tried to get them to all look at the camera.

Couldn't even get one. Great listener, the ground was too interesting.

Don't be fooled by this picture. Camellia had a huge messy diaper that got on her onesie and pants. I had to wrap this blanket around her, so she didn't get cold or look half naked.

Crab shell find by Caramel.