The end of the year...

First and foremost, allow me to apologize for this recent hiatus from updating the blog. With the holidays in full swing and coming to a close, it's been difficult to set time aside to get thoughts down here, even though I've had time off. Having kids is definitely a full time job, and I never doubted it for a second! Nevertheless, I've found a little bit of time to get everyone up to speed at the recent goings-on at the Camero home.

As the year comes to a close, Isaiah is nearing the 11-month mark. We can hardly believe that he's just a month shy of being a year old! Seriously, where has the time gone? Our second bundle of joy, whom we JUST brought home not too long ago, has really grown into a little heart-breaker! His personality is starting to surface more, and is most apparent on his "good" days. He still has days where he doesn't want any part of anyone but Mommy, but hopefully those will start to taper off.

He's very much into cruising around the house, and has made attempts to stand up on his own, and has even taken a step or two. He isn't quite as adventurous as Makenna was at this stage, although he did start this cruising phase before Makenna did. He also finally learned how to really crawl, but will still do his combat crawl every now and then since he's much faster at doing that! Isaiah has also become a lot more chatty as of late, and will sit in his crib and talk to himself before each of his naps. He's learned how to clap his hands, knows the sound a lion makes, and even has his own little dance he does in support of defense during a football game (Miami no less)!

Makenna has also made strides in her development as of late, and never ceases to amaze us, on a near-daily basis! We've done our best to help her along as she grows more into the toddler phase. We're just about ready to put her in a "big girl" bed, as she looks so cramped in her crib. She hasn't started to climb in or out of it, thank God, but when she's in it, she just looks like she's outgrown it.

Her latest milestone is that she started using her potty seat! She actually started using the toilet the day after Christmas, when we put her Elmo potty seat in the bathroom. Now when she has to go, she'll let either one of us know that she has "pee pee" and will immediately start taking off her clothes! Once she goes, she gets super excited, and while we praise her for her recent achievement, she asks us to do a dance for her, which we gladly do for her, especially if it'll keep her motivated to continue using the potty!

The other day, Kenna surprised us both when she started reciting the alphabet on her own, while playing with an alphabet puzzle she received for Christmas. We've heard her say the individual letters before, and she still doesn't know all of them, but what got us this time was the fact that she held a letter in her hand, and then told us what it was! I think she got up to the letter G, and then told us some other random letters! Talk about a jaw dropping moment!

For now, as this year comes to a close, we're both enjoying this time off with each other and with the kids. This has been a tough year with both kids requiring a lot of individual attention, although we didn't expect it to be a cake walk! As they both continue to develop, both Enz & I just sit back in amazement, and to this day, we still can't believe how blessed we are to have such wonderful children! We can't wait to see what the new year has in store for our family! Happy New Year to all! May the new year bring you peace, love & happiness!!!

One of Isaiah's new rides...

Makenna figured out the whole "gift opening" thing this year...

Happy Holidays from the Camero's =)

"Pre-Christmas" for the kids

Auntie Sarah came by yesterday with gifts for the kids, and since there was a chance that we wouldn't see her on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, we decided to have the kids open up their gifts from her. Isaiah didn't know what to do with himself, as he stood there and hit the boxes like drums. He's still making attempts to stand up and balance all by himself, so that seemed to be his focus, even with the gifts around him. Makenna, being the seasoned pro she is, knew exactly what to do, and how to do it as she tore the wrapping paper off the gifts. She didn't immediately jump into it like some kids do, and it was almost as if she thought she'd get in trouble for being hyperactive or something! But once she got started, she was all about opening gifts! It'll be fun to watch these two on Christmas Day!

Both kids came out like winners thanks to the thoughtful generosity of Auntie Sarah! They both got some cool and fashionable outfits as well as their very own personalized piggy banks! Makenna already knows the drill when it comes to putting money in her piggy bank, while Isaiah tried to put the piggy bank in his mouth! What a great way for these two to start the holiday season =) Thanks Auntie Sarah!!!

Isaiah has the "what am I supposed to do" look on his face..."Hmmm, I wonder if it tastes like pork?"
Makenna loves her new piggy bank......and she already knows the basics on how to save money!

5th Annual Camero Christmas Party

Ahhhhh, now that our party has come and gone, we can finally relax and enjoy the remainder of the holiday season! Our 5th Annual Christmas Party was a hit this year, and I'm pretty sure we reached capacity at our house. Getting everything ready this year wasn't as stressful as previous years, even with two young kids running around. Perhaps Enz & I have finally found a rhythm to get things going on time, but whatever it was, made the night a fun and memorable one!

This year, there were a lot more children, and it almost seemed like everyone who came through the door had at least one! It didn't take long for the kids to break away and do their own thing, as the adults did much of the same. Makenna had a blast and got to play with little girls her own age! She's used to being around her boy cousins, but this night, she got to be a "little girl!" Not much changed as she did her own thing anyway, go figure! Isaiah wasn't in the best of moods due mainly in part to his teething. Of all days it hit him bad, it HAD to be on the day where we needed him to be "social." Oh well, he was able to mellow out at times, but for the most part, he wanted the comfort of his Mommy. Enz took it in stride and put Isaiah in his carrier, so he was literally "hanging out" with Mommy!

This year, Santa was on a bit of Filipino time, but it worked out perfectly as it gave everyone time to get settled in with the kids. Santa looked as if he had spent some time on the islands with his "bain de soleil for the St. Tropez" tan. And who would've ever known that he was a Dolphins fan?!! Hahahaha! He did his best to accommodate all the children this year, at least the ones who were willing to sit on the jolly old fat man's lap. And while a great majority of the kids were scared of him, Isaiah & Wesley were really the only ones who cried! Makenna was a little confused with Santa because he kind of looked like Daddy, and kind of sounded like Daddy, but she took no chances and kept her distance. A lot of kids were able to get past Santa's intimidating appearance to let him know that they had been good this year. I'm pretty sure Santa will visit all these kids again next year, so hopefully I'll be around to meet him too!

Isaiah in a good mood prior to the festivities

Makenna can't wait for the kids to arrive...

Makenna tries to make sense of Miami Santa

Isaiah is NOT feeling Santa Claus!

Marisol tugs on Santa's beard

And twin sister Mariposa does the same!

Wesley wants off of Santa's lap!

Kaelyn appears to fear Santa too...

Amelie takes her visit with Santa like a big girl!

Kevan tells Santa that he's been a good boy!

Monday, Monday...

So this past weekend, we dedicated most of our time in to getting the house cleaned up and the outside decorated for the holidays. We already had the Christmas tree set up and decorated since Black Friday (that what we shop for the day after Thanksgiving, our tree), and the decorating the inside of the house was pretty much done throughout the week. We started to tackle the outside, but got caught up with things like boxing & football. Hehehehe....

Needless to say, the weekend went pretty well. We brought the kids to a Christmas party on Saturday, and both of them made themselves at home with the other kids; more so Makenna since she's little Miss Independent! She found her partner in crime, Brianna, and they took it upon themselves to show just how independent they both are. Isaiah stayed with us & the grown folks, but deep inside he looked as if he wanted to join his sister and the other kids. It won't be long before this little guy is up and running with the "big dogs!" If you've seen him, he's still working on his combat crawl, but he's got it down to a science. He moves so fast from point to point that we find ourselves asking where he is all the time! His cruising skills are coming up as well, as he becomes more and more daring by letting go of the couch every once in a while! We still think he's going to walk before Makenna did, but we really can't tell.

Makenna hit the 21 month mark yesterday, and she's been amazing us with the things she says & does. She has become more inquisitive as of late and will string words together to ask questions. Her favorite question to ask is "where did so and so go," and it's usually Mommy, Daddy, Shi-Shi, puppy, ama (grandma), nonno or nonna. She'll even go so far as to ask when whomever she's "wondering" about is sitting right beside her! I think she just likes to hear herself talk, and hear other people answer her! She's too funny!

Makenna & Mommy show Isaiah how to color

Makenna thinks that it's OK to color outside the lines... Isaiah would just rather play with the crayons than color
Makenna posing with her big dogs (Isaiah was still sleeping)

Happy 10 months Isaiah!

So another day at home with the kids & it's a cold one. Right before Enz left for work we realized that hey, Isaiah's 10 months today! What a trip that our little man will be a year old in just a couple more months! Not only that, Makenna will be 21 months on Sunday, and she'll be two years old in three months! Wow, we really can't believe how quickly time flies...

Isaiah is getting a lot more comfortable being up on his feet. Although he's not walking on his own just yet, he is taking more risks as he cruises around the room along the furniture. He has a walk-behind type walker, and he's gotten pretty ballsy with that on more than one occasion. It seems that making all these attempts to walk tire the little guy out, and by the time he gets to bed, he's spent! We're not pushing him, he's just taking off on his own, and at this rate, he may walk by the end of the year! If not, it's all good, there's no rush. We're pretty sure that Makenna can't wait for him to be able to run around with her causing chaos and havoc around the house! Happy Friday & have a great weekend =)

The spoon Isaiah uses to eat a light meal...

Makenna's fashion safety eyewear (she wanted to help Daddy & Nonno install the new slider)

Happy December!!

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and now we begin the short countdown to Christmas! It's really hard to believe that we're already at this point in the year, and once Christmas passes and the new year comes, it's full speed ahead for the Camero family. We've got our anniversary, then Isaiah's birthday, then Makenna's and my birthday, Enza's birthday, and last but not least, Marino's birthday. All of that takes place within the first 90 days of the year, so to think that things would slow down after ringing in the new year, would be an atrocity!!! It's all good, we'll just take it all in stride. Besides, things are easier now that the kids are getting bigger and Enza is remaining pregnancy free =) (for now)

Thanksgiving this year was another fun day. It started off with getting up bright and early to cook our turkey before heading off to church. Lunch was spent with mommy's side of the family and dinner followed with daddy's side of the family. We've gotten into a terrific rhythm getting the kids from party to party, family to family. It can get a little hectic and tiresome, but at least everyone gets to spend time with everyone! By the end of the night we were spent, to say the least, and the kids were off in la la land, only to wake up bright eyed & bushy tailed the next morning.

cheesin' it up for the camera on Thanksgiving 2008