Monday, April 27, 2009

Busy week...

Last week was a rather busy one at work and at home, making it nearly impossible for me to get on the blog and update. And while this week doesn't seem to be letting up one bit, I'll do my best to get some new photos of our little rugrats up here, along with some of their recent accomplishments. For now, all I can say is that they're really starting to feed off one another, developing that tight bond that can go either way. They have their good days when they gleefully play games of hide-and-seek, share toys, and just sit and "chat" with one another. And they have their not so good days when all it takes is a look to set one another off! The not so good days are sometimes comical because we can't figure out why they can be so touchy?! But then we realize that both kids are just mirrors of Enz & myself when we're just not having good days, only on a smaller and less understandable scale! Those bad days just require a little more work on our end to make the kids feel "normal" again, but at the end of the day, all the hard work is well worth the effort as the kids revert back to their carefree selves.

Our little mischief maker...

Breaking in daddy's new slippers...

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Trip to the SF Zoo

This past Monday, since both Enz & I had the day off, we took this opportunity to surprise the kids with their first visit to the zoo! The weather was beautiful in SF that day although the wind started to pick up by mid-afternoon. Nevertheless, the day was a perfect way to complete our Easter weekend!

The kids didn't quite know what was in store, except that they'd get to see a bunch of animals. We were a bit disappointed when we found that there were no elephants at this particular zoo, but I don't think the kids minded so much, especially since they did get to see a lion and a bear (two of Isaiah's favorites because he knows how to make their sounds)!



Both kids had a great time in the Kid's Farm, a small petting zoo where you can get up close and personal with a bunch of farm animals. Isaiah proved to be a "Dr. Dolittle" in the making as he was captivated by all the goats that surrounded him. He showed no fear when they came to him in search of food. In fact, he was so enamored by this one particular goat, that he didn't want to do anything else but pet him and only him! HA! Enz hung out with Isaiah and his buddy, and it took her a while to get him to finally move on to the rest of the animals. Makenna was more selective with the farm animals and told me exactly which animals she didn't like (sheep). Maybe she thought they looked gross and disgusting? Or maybe that's just what I thought?!




After trekking through the entire zoo, and having a nice lunch in between, we noticed the kids were starting to wind down a bit. They weren't the only ones, as we finally realized how much more energy these two little ones over us! Before leaving we took them on a carousel ride and they both loved it. What a great way for them to end their first trip to the zoo. It didn't take any time for them to crash out on the ride home. We hope this was a memorable time for the both of them, a first of many more to come!























Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Happy Easter!

This past Easter Sunday we spent the afternoon with the family and the kids had a blast! Not only were they older, they were a bit more "seasoned" with the Easter egg-hunt (at least Makenna was)! Isaiah still needed a little coaching, but what can you expect from a 14-month old?! Once he found one egg on his own, it was almost as if that was it for him, and he just wanted to play with that single egg! Enz had to urge him on in order for him to find other eggs. Too funny! Of course Makenna did her own thing and picked up as many eggs as she could find. In the end, they came away with their baskets full, and we came home with wiped out kids! Fun was had by all and we can't wait for next year's Easter celebration!

Makenna got that "I'm on a mission" look on her face

Isaiah's got one egg, now the search is on for more
Happy Easter from the Camero Family
The cousins and their loot

Thursday, April 09, 2009

Two-year doctor visit

Yesterday, Makenna had her two-year checkup and all went well. No shots this time around, so Kenna was in a GREAT mood! The doctor was impressed with Kenna's current level of development as she listened to him intently, and thanked him at the end of her appointment =) Her current measurements are as follows: she's 34 inches long/tall, which puts her in the 50th percentile for height; and she weighs 30 pounds, which puts her in the 80th percentile for her weight. Barring any unusual circumstances, her next appointment is at three years of age. It'll be interesting to see how much she develops in the next year!

Our two-year old diva...

Monday, April 06, 2009

Cruisin'

As the kids learn the concept of "sharing," the house is constantly filled with sounds of screaming, crying, and the word "mine!" Even if they both have similar toys to play with, Makenna always wants to play with whatever Isaiah's playing with, even if it's of no interest to her. Basically she only wants to play with a toy if he's already playing with it. Go figure! For her birthday, she received a Little Tykes Cozy Coupe, and with all the other "ride on" toys she's gotten, it took me this long to put it together. When I did, she was all smiles and she screamed like a wild woman! She was SOOOO happy that she was even willing to share her new ride with her little brother! Happy Monday!

"I love it when we're cruising together...."

sharing is caring!




Thursday, April 02, 2009

"Sorry Dada"

Possibly one of the best things about our children is their innocence. They're both growing and learning so fast, and they just seem to soak up everything we teach them. Not only that, they seem to pick stuff up along the way that we don't teach them, and I'm not talking bad things either.

Breakdowns, meltdowns or whatever you want to call them, are not specific to young children. Being an adult does not make you less susceptible to such breakdowns. Call it a bad day, but I fell victim to one of these breakdowns yesterday, and in retrospect, I feel badly on how I handled it.

The kids look up to us adults as parents, role models, and guides. They look to us for understanding, strength, and overall comfort. When they have their so-called "meltdowns," they look to us for help to get through them. We are supposed to provide them the knowledge and understanding as to why something is happening, and how best to get over it. Whether it be a solid one to one talk, or even parental disciplinary actions, our children depend on us to help them get through these confusing times. Once all the dust settles and the emotions are back in check, the kids go about their merry way almost as if they've forgotten that they just had a tantrum a few minutes prior.

When one of us adults has an off day, it really shows, even to the untrained eye of the kids. Yesterday was my day, and I don't know how the kids got the best of me, but they did, and to make things worse, I let them get to me. I forgot that I'm the one that has the ability to rationalize and to sort through my thoughts before blowing up. I let the kids and their fussiness break me down, and I don't know why.

The beauty of the whole mess was that my kids were there for me. As I tried to get through my episode, I got quiet, and in doing so, it triggered something in Makenna. She followed me around the house and hugged me, and all along she kept asking me "okay dada?" as if she knew something wasn't right. Isaiah was also quick to follow his big sister and would keep calling out "dada?" as I struggled to get their dinner ready for them. But even their innocence wasn't enough to snap me out of my funk. Makenna noticed that I wasn't looking her in the eye when responding to her and she persisted by saying "sorry dada." It's almost as if she thought that I was angry with her and by apologizing to me, it would make the tension go away. Man, I look back and I realize that I was a jerk to my kids last night, plain and simple.

I don't want to be that kind of parent who takes his frustrations out on his kids. I mean sure, they can have their bad days and do things that can really work my last nerve. But sometimes I fail to realize that they're just babies, and in order for them to learn what's right, they also have to learn what's wrong. As an adult, I've had the experience of going through that learning process, so I have the advantage over these kids. In fact, being an adult doesn't mean you have all the answers. We're constantly in a state of learning, from the day we're born to the day we pass, so it's safe to say that, as a family, we're all learning together.

At the end of the night, after Enz put both kids down, I went in to see them right before they fell asleep. I apologized to both of them for "acting up." Isaiah responded with a big smile through his pacifier, and Makenna gave me a big hug and said "sorry dada, I love you, see you later!" After that it hit me, life is way too short to let the little things bring you down.

Sorry kids, for letting you down, I'll try harder next time. Thank you for being there for your Daddy!

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Mr. Personality

It seems that our little man has started to come out of his shell as of late, and it was most noticeable last night when we had some of our cousins over for Tuesday night shows & DVR catchup. Isaiah has been extremely moody these past couple of weeks, mainly because he had a few teeth cutting in at the same time. As the pain and irritability subsided, he became much more of a delight to be around, with less fussiness and more laughter! He has actually started to repeat more words, especially after hearing Makenna say them. Last night he was all laughs as he enjoyed a little play time with the family. I don't think we've ever seen him so giddy & giggly for so long. As he began to wind down, he became his usual fussy self, but we attributed that to his normal way of telling us that it was time for him to go down. We're hoping that with the weather getting warmer, and the days getting longer, he'll be able to enjoy more awake time with his new-found pleasant demeanor. We also hope yesterday wasn't a one-time thing, and that we see this better side of him more frequently!


The little man has developed a shoe fetish...

Eager to fill & walk a mile in daddy's shoes...