Monday, March 30, 2009

The kids

While a lot of our attention has been on Makenna's growth, we've forgotten how quickly Isaiah is developing as well. Its fun to compare where Isaiah is now to where Makenna was back when she was a year old. Back then, she was a lot more chatty than he is now, but he's picked up on more words than she did, probably because he hears her saying them and then he attempts to say it too. Regardless of what we're teaching Makenna, Isaiah is right behind her playing catch-up, though she's at the point of understanding what were asking of her while he's just imitating. Either way, they're both making great progress in their overall development!

Isaiah continues being overly inquisitive, and has found great interest in the dog. Whenever Marino enters the room, Isaiah lets out a big "oooohhhhhhh" and follows him all over the place. He likes when Marino licks his hands, and enjoys playing with Marino's teeth. Marino is very careful and will just lay there while Isaiah has his way with him. We've been fortunate that Marino has taken well to both babies, even though a lot of people still can't believe we have such a "beast" around the kids =)

Makenna is turning into a real peach, and her attitude has really started to surface. She's become so independent and strong-willed, and will shout "me do it" when she doesn't want any help in doing something. She will ask for help though if she gets in a bind, but that's usually after getting extremely frustrated! HA, sounds a bit like me =) At this point, we're allowing her to express her independence, to a certain degree of course (give an inch, they take a mile)! She's still too young to do much on her own, but recently, when putting her in her car seat, she started with the "I wanna drive" chant. What the? Drive?? Already?? Oh boy, do we have a big task ahead of us with this one!

Playing hide & seek at Yogurtland

Storytime for ALL the kids (even Marino's getting in the mix)

Friday, March 27, 2009

Good Mood

CONGRATULATIONS to our friends the Nguyen Family on the arrival of the newest addition to their family: Kaitlynn Nguyen! Kaitlynn was born on March 26, 2009 at 4:43 pm, weighed in at 7 pounds 10 ounces, and was 20 inches long. We wish nothing but happiness & great times ahead for the Nguyen family!


Life is always better when our two little ones are in good moods, and while they both have their occasional meltdowns, they've gotten better at just being happy =) As Isaiah continues to cut new teeth, his mood swings are more frequent, but for the most part he's been a happy camper. So when he's in a good mood and Makenna's in a good mood, it makes for fun times between the two of them. They play better together, and they "talk" more to one another; basically they just get along well and that makes for a great overall mood at home! When the mood is good, it brings the stress level way down, making family time fun time! Couple that with this great weather we're having, it just make life seem more manageable. Ahhhhhhh! Happy Friday all, have a great weekend =)

Isaiah found mommy's hula-hoop but didn't know what to do with it but drag it around the house...

Makenna rockin' daddy's docs

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Developing personalities

So it seems that our two little munchkins are becoming quite the formidable tag team these days. And while they're both making great strides in their development, their bond with one another is much like that of any other brother and sister pair we've seen. They have their good days, and their not-so-good days, some more than others, but at days end, they both give each other a goodnight hug and kiss. I wonder how long that'll last before they start ripping each other's hair out!

Now that Enza's birthday has come and gone, we're done with the "Camero birthday rush" which tends to keep the momentum of the holidays and our anniversary going. Ahh, a lull in the festivities is all we need, because it seems like we've been going non-stop since Halloween! For now, we can enjoy the silence, how ever long that lasts! With all the recent birthdays came Isaiah's new word: birthday! He actually said it right before we woke Mommy up on her birthday. That being said, Makenna's favorite song at the moment is Happy Birthday, and she sings it to anyone and everyone regardless of their date of birth!

Isaiah has sprouted a couple more teeth, and has been one big ball of drool as of late. He can't keep his shirts dry for more than a few hours and we're finding that his laundry is neverending! His little jealousy streak is slowly developing, and he doesn't like to share our attention, especially with his sister. If he's sitting with one of us and Makenna wants to join us, he will immediately push her away and start crying. I'm pretty sure he learned that from her, but we're slowly working on the whole idea of "sharing."

Makenna's attitude is showing up more, and was the most evident the other day when I called her over to clean up her toys. Her response? "I'm doing something!" and she said it with such attitude it left Enza and I speechless! Sure, it was funny, but then we started to look at the big picture and had visions of her future rebellious years. We need to nip that in the bud before the attitude becomes overly dominant. And so it all begins...


Our artsy little man, showing off his latest drawing...

Makenna helps prepare breakfast

Friday, March 20, 2009

Patience tested

We thought Makenna's terrible two's started early, but seems like that stage may be in full swing now that little Miss Independent has a big voice! Sure all her words were cute and funny when she first started saying them, but since she's figured out how to put them together to form sentences, she's literally been telling us what she wants and doesn't want. At first we praised her for her ability to use the right words at the right times, and that's a great accomplishment for a two-year old. But when that word is the dreaded "no," it gets a little old. She acts as if she has a say in the matter, regardless of what it is. For example, Makenna will say "no" when we tell her it's time for her nap. Or she'll say "no, I don't want to eat" when it's time for dinner. These are just a few examples of her thinking she has a choice! It gets to the point where every other word is "no" and sometimes she'll even confuse herself by saying it when she wants something! HA! She knows that word will get us going (God knows what we used to go through if we said "no" to our parents) and she just keeps on saying it to push our buttons. When we don't give in, she'll break down and cry, and sometimes throw herself on the ground. She's also developed this weird, whiny, roaring sound that makes us look at each other and ask, "where did she learn that from?" Oh well, we keep telling ourselves that it's just a phase that kids go through, and with that, we're preparing for when Isaiah goes through it, if he hasn't begun already! Right now he starts up when he sees that Makenna is having a fit, and he's already Mr. Sensitive.... Oh the humanity!!! Happy Friday!

Makenna and Isaiah on a good day...

The family @ Brianna's 2nd birthday (we were all kind of sick here)

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

That's entertainment!

The kids have always been a great source of entertainment, but more so lately, as their personalities continue to develop on a grand scale. Those who have been around can see it in a couple of things. With Isaiah, he's become less of the "fuss-bucket" he used to be and has become more inquisitive of everything around him. You can see it in his eyes when he spots something new and interesting, and he'll usually say, "ooooh, what's that?" He's also a lot quicker on his feet now, and he's gaining a better understanding of what we tell him. His newest thing is that he wants to walk to his room on his own when he has a dirty diaper. If we tell him we have to change it, he'll immediately make a beeline for his room! Who taught him that???

With Makenna, it's almost as if she's on overdrive, especially with her speech! She's at that stage now where "me do it" and "I did it" are pretty common. Our little Miss Independent loves to do things on her own, but will always ask for help if she runs into a snag. It's funny to hear her ask "daddy help you" when she needs assistance because she's basically repeating what I say to her when I notice she's stuck. Out of the blue, she'll sing entire songs (nursery rhymes) while Enz & I look at each other in amazement! Just last night, she called both Enz & I by name! HA, too funny!

They're both at great stages in their young lives and it's so fun to watch how they feed off one another's energy. Sure there are still times when Kenna overdoes it and gets Isaiah all riled up, but it seems that he's learning to get over it quicker. That is, unless she continues to push his buttons...

Isaiah rockin' Makenna's leopard print scarf, with his "blue steel" pose....

Makenna just hammin' it up for the camera...

Friday, March 13, 2009

TGIF!

TGIF! So now that the weather's gotten a lot more favorable, we've been able to take the kids outside without the fear of getting wet, WHEW! Not quite sure how long the great weather will last, but we've been taking advantage thus far and the kids love to be outside! Isaiah got a wagon for his birthday last month, but we haven't been able to use it due to all of the rain. Both kids have been able to enjoy it since it's been warm, and they both love being pulled around in it. I guess it gives them a little more freedom as opposed to being stuck in a stroller! Here's to continued warm weather as the month progresses! Happy Friday!!

Our little "wagoneers"


Isaiah LOVES blueberries!
Makenna attempts to play us a tune

Monday, March 09, 2009

Makenna's 2nd Birthday

Still can't believe the little one is two-years old, and to this day we still find it hard to believe how blessed we were that she was born on my birthday. What are the odds? For this birthday, we decided to have Kenna's party at the Little Gym, and let her and her "posse" blow off some steam! It worked out perfect as the kids were allowed to do their own thing, mixed in with some fun instructor time. Now that Isaiah's been walking for a solid month, he was able to get down and run around with all the bigger kids too! The time went by so quickly though, and by the time all the kids sat down for cake and ice cream, they all looked exhausted! Makenna had such a great time on her birthday, so much so that I think it pretty much erased her memories of the "jumpy house" for Isaiah's birthday! Thanks to everyone who made it out to celebrate this milestone with Makenna =)



Kenna's new ride


Hangin' with the two little monkeys, Makenna & Kevan
The "crew" eagerly anticipating the extra large air mattress to be inflated


Makenna & Isaiah LOVE bubbles

Enjoying the "parachute"

Mommy playing with Isaiah on the balance beam
Elliott & Cole swinging
A bunch of tired little monkeys....

Getting ready to dig into the Dora cake! Happy Birthday Makenna!!













Monday, March 02, 2009

Fun with the kids!

Yet another relaxing weekend at home, with not much planned but to lounge around and do nothing! We were anticipating the next "big storm," but apparently it turned out to be just a teaser as it didn't really rain much. The kids were on their best behavior for the most part, though Isaiah decided to rebel this weekend and took it upon himself to skip out on his afternoon nap on both days. He's got another tooth starting to make it's way out, and he's been drooling more than the dog! Makenna continues to "wow" us with her ever-growing vocabulary, and the use of her new words is pretty much spot on! We often find ourselves wondering, "how does she know when to use that?" So now it's a matter of keeping a watchful ear on what we say around the house because it seems that Kenna's radar is up and running, and she seems to have selective hearing as to what she picks out to repeat! As cute as it is to hear her repeat certain things, it's probably not appropriate to hear her drop an f-bomb when talking to grandma!

A future American Idol?

The Camero Family Rock Band!!