Cameron Antonio Mennsfield

Superhero B-Day Pics (Late I know...)

2010-04-11T13:01:00.001-05:00

Here are some LATE pictures from Cameron's 4th Birthday at our house. We had tons of fun and the kids seemed to really enjoy all of the activities. All the kids got their own capes to decorate and masks, and then we played cool superhero games with silly string (Spiderman's web) and a glow stick (Kryptonite). Of course we topped it all off with the most awesome Batman cake! We were wore out by the end...but as always...it was all worth it! ;)

Tina, Cameron, and Helica

Super cool Batman cake (YUMMY!)

Decorating capes...

Super Addison!

Opening up gifts...always mass chaos!

Surgery...here I come, again!

2010-03-12T09:42:00.001-06:00

Well, somehow, someway, God has decided that I need to spend a 2nd spring break recovering from surgery. Last year, I had my gallbladder removed after a 4 day stay in the hospital....and now a year later I am having hernia surgery. They believe it is from one of the incisions from my gallbladder surgery. While most people are heading off to sunny beaches, I will be laying around on the couch once again. Now, I won't complain about the laying around part, but I just want to be sure that I get to spend good QUALITY time with Cameron. I know a lot of people have it a lot worse that I do with medical problems, so I am thankful that it is something that can be easily fixed and hopefully I can recover and move on quickly!!!! Prayers are welcome! Now my bank acccount might not recover as easily...but that's what I get for having teacher's insurance. :) Gotta love it...

Fantastic at Four!!!!!

2010-02-20T16:30:00.001-06:00

Happy Birthday to my sweet baby boy!!! On Feb. 20, 2006, at exactly 10:28 p.m, we were blessed with the sweetest miracle around...Cameron Antonio Mennsfield.

Cameron,
       It is so surreal to think that 4 years have already passed since that day.  Each year that passes it is amazing to see what type of person you are becoming. You have got the funniest personality and you remind me so much of Grandpa with your sense of humor. I am blessed to say that you make me so proud and I love you more each day too. Here's how....
1. I love how you remind us to pray before we eat
2.That you say "The Our Father" all on your own during out night time prayers
3.You have learned to write your name all by yourself
4. You have a true love and passion for football
5. You give me a kiss on my cheek and tell me, "I love you Mommy...you are the sweetest and best Mommy in the world." (That melts my heart every time.)
6. You are able to beat me at checkers.
7. When you are playing a sport you always try to stop and check on a person if they are hurt.
8. You say the darndest things...like when a commerical for the Victoria Secret Fashion show came on, you looked at me and said, "I wish my Mommy was like that."
9. You love, love, love Michael Jackson! Hearing you sing and dance to his music is the best entertainment out there.
10. You are YOU! (And we wouldn't change anything about that!)

I thank God EVERY chance I get for bringing you into all of our lives. Don't ever forget how much you are loved and cherished on Earth and in Heaven. I know you will do some amazing things in all of your years ahead. Your Daddy and I will be right there cheering you on each step of the way. Happy Birthday sweet boy.
                                                                                           Love,
                                                                                           Mommy and Daddy

Checking out his new surroundings for the first time.

Cleaned up and looking handsome.

All Star Jam Session-2010

2010-02-19T22:12:00.000-06:00

We were so excited to get the chance to check out the All Star Jam Session this past weekend. It was more crowded than we could have possibly imagined, but Cameron got to try out some cool things. We also got to see Josh Howard, Avery Johnson, Biz Markie (Cameron remembers him from Yo Gabba Gabba), Chris Webber, and Carmello Anthony(for a split second).

Check out the skills. (Ok...the man set it up for him to spin like that, but it looks pretty cool!)

I just realized he has his tongue out while getting ready to make his shot...can we say Michael Jordan style? I think we may need to go NBA instead of NFL!

I know...blurry. They were rushing me. :(

I think in just a few more years we'll be ready to take on the big boys.

Snow Days

2010-02-11T19:38:00.000-06:00

11 a.m.-Leave it to the football fanatic to play in the snow! :)

5p.m- Back out for more snow and more fun!!! (and yes he was bundled up, we took a quick picture after we were already about to come inside.)

Looking forward to our snow day tomorrow! At least Val and I both get to stay home this time.

Feeding the Ducks

2010-01-24T19:43:00.000-06:00

The weather was SO nice this past weekend and the Cowboys were losing ;( , so my mom and I took Cameron and Emma to feed the ducks on Sunday. My sister lives right by this pond in Carrollton, and I don't know why we had never taken Cameron before! Needless to say, they loved it and we will definitely add this to our list of things to do this Spring...and I for sure will remember to bring more bread. I thought I had plenty, but with 2 excited kids and greedy birds flying around, our bread ran out pretty quickly!

Say a Little Prayer

2010-01-14T22:06:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to remind everyone to say a prayer tomorrow for my co-worker, Tracy, and her family. Tomorrow is Nash's 2nd birthday, and I can't even imagine how it feels to see this day pass by each year and not have a little one in your arms to celebrate with. I'm sure that Nash will be celebrating up in heaven tomorrow, and so many here on Earth will be thinking of him. :) Although Tracy is expecting another blessing in just a few weeks, I know their hearts and thoughts won't ever let them forget their second little boy. So if you can...take an extra few minutes to pray for this family tomorrow, and each day after that.

MUST READ BOOK!

2010-01-06T22:06:00.001-06:00

If you get a chance during 2010 to read a book, please try out Mitch Albom's, Have a Little Faith!!!! If you don't have much time to read, no worries, because his books are pretty short reads, but they pack a powerful message! I just spent the past 20 minutes crying at the end of this book, and it left me feeling so touched and inspired by faith and hope. What more could we need in life than faith and hope in God (or maybe another higher power you believe in.) The last time I sat and cried like this was right after I had Cameron and I read another one of his books, For One More Day. That one hit me like a ton of bricks, since it was about a son going back and spending one more day with his deceased mother. His books are truly inspiring...so I hope you find the time to read his latest!

Christmas Blessings

2009-12-27T23:47:00.002-06:00

     I'm so sad...another Christmas has come and gone. It always makes me sad after Christmas, just because I always feel so much joy leading up to this time of year, and now it's all gone. ;(
     Although I'm bummed, I have to say that we were so blessed to have spent another great Christmas together. Each year that Cameron grows older, we get to see another side to the holidays.   This year we really focused on Jesus being born this day and the fact that Santa brings him 3 gifts because the Wise Men brought Jesus 3 gifts. He seemed to really understand the overall concept, so that was a plus.   We had also been using the advent calendar to count down to the big day, and I was really happy with how Cameron kept track of the days. He would wake up each morning and first look for "Boy" elf and then remind us that we had to open another door on the calendar.
     Although getting home from Christmas Eve Mass was a little scary, it was all worth it. We were also supposed to have a party that night with Vals' family, but because of the weather, we only had a few guests, and we managed to make the best of it.
     Cameron was THRILLED Christmas morning when he saw that Santa had ate his cookies and that he brought him his Spiderman Mask and Web Shooter, a Transformer action figure, and a SuperWhy Computer. What a lucky guy. Just like last year, everytime he opened a gift, he said, "Wow...this was just what I wanted!" I'm guessing this phrase might stick around for awhile. We then managed to make it over to my mom's to open gifts with my side of the family and then I came back with my mom and made my first Christmas dinner. (Ok, my mom did 90% of the cooking, but I helped!) I was completely exhausted by the end, but SO glad that we did it.
     Reflecting on this day...it's kind of funny because it's been exactly one year that I had been praying to God for another blessing for our family. At times I feel like he isn't listening, but looking all around me I know that I have so many blessings right in front of me to be thankful for. God has his own path for our family, and I'm a firm believer that just because I'm not getting the answer I want right now, doesn't mean that God doesn't already have it all worked at for me in his own time. As hard as it may be at times to accept that, I am praying on it each day. I'm truly blessed with the family that I have all around me and spending this extra time with them this holiday just helped me realize it even more! Here are some photos from the day...

Grandpa and Dani put a smile on his face! They got him tons of X-Men action figures to play with and Cameron hasn't put them down since!

Buzz Lightyear...who broke a few hours later. Bummer. Luckily we found another the day after X-Mas.

Where's Daddy you ask? Either passed out after eating dinner or playing Wii, we don't remember!

This was the best shot we could get of the 3 of them...we probably tried about 15 times!

Let it snow...

2009-12-25T23:41:00.000-06:00

We have been gearing up for Christmas Day this entire week. We've been busy making gingerbread houses, baking cookies for Santa, and building snowmen! :) I was SO excited to get a white Christmas this year, and Cameron was thrilled to get the chance to play in it. (Although we did a lot of praying while sliding all the way home from the Children's Mass on Christmas Eve!) The Lord truly watched over us to get us home safely.

I think the Gingerbread house was supposed to look like this...

but our special house looks like this! ;) Thank you Caroline and Andrew for helping out!

Getting those cookies just right for Santa!

Brrr..it was quite chilly out, but totally worth it for this snowman! (Cameron also spent

alot of time trying to catch the snow in his mouth to eat!!!)

Christmas Eve...how could Santa not love our cookies????

All Aboard the North Pole Express!

2009-12-07T19:48:00.001-06:00

This past weekend, we had the chance to visit the North Pole Express in Grapevine. We missed the opportunity to get tickets last year, so we were excited to have the chance to see what it was all about. My mom and niece, Emma, had the chance to join us. It was REALLY cold out there, but the kids had the chance to take pictures with Santa (this is Cameron's 3rd time at this!), play in a bounce house, and watch/be part of a Christmas show before boarding the train in their PJ's. On their way to the train they had snow coming down which the kids thought was so cool! Santa managed to make his way onto the train, and that was quite a hit too!!!

Emma and Cameron getting the chance to be part of the show! (And I just realized that if you look closely they are holding hands...so sweet!)

Jolly St. Nick again!

Waiting for the train to leave the station.

Grandma and Emma!

He's BACK!!!!

2009-12-06T20:48:00.000-06:00

"Boy" elf has made it back to our home for a second holiday season! :0 ("Boy" was the name that Cameron gave his elf last year.) He made his way in from the North Pole on Thanksgiving Day, and hopefully he can work some magic on our little boy. We've been going through a bit of a stage with Cameron these past few weeks. (To give you an idea of what we've been dealing with, we've already taken away 2 gifts from under the tree that we had bought for him...(Santa's gifts come on X-mas morning, unwrapped...duh!) Cameron's little elf goes to visit Santa every night to report on Cameron's behavior, and then reappears in a new spot the next day. Here's the first day that "Boy" came in...Cameron seems pretty happy that he came back this year.

Go Texas Longhorns!!!!!

2009-12-06T16:52:00.001-06:00

No, it's not what you're thinking...Val and I have not become big Texas Longhorns fans. :) But we are fans of the Texas team that Val has been coaching for the past few months. His nephew, Chris, has been playing with the Frisco Football League for quite some time now, and this was their last year to play in this league. Their goal was to finally make it to the championship this year, so Val was on board to help join the coaching staff, and it paid off! Not only did they make it to the championship game...but they WON!!! It was quite an exciting game, and Cameron loved cheering on his Daddy and his cousin. I loved that Cameron got the chance to see such a big accomplishment happen for these kids, and he got to see his dad's coaching in action. Congratulations Val...and to the entire team. :)

My Little Champion

2009-11-28T23:57:00.001-06:00

I'm sad to say that Cameron's 2nd season of soccer is officially over. I am thrilled to say though that this season was 100% better than the first one last spring, and his team won every game! The first time around it was such a learning expereince for the entire team who had never played before, and this time around Cameron was a seasoned pro! He was so enthusiatic to get out there and score, and I have never been so proud as a parent with his attitude. (Granted...I pray that God gives me many more moments to be proud of my sweet boy, but I am blessed to already have these proud moments!) Now I know that the kids on the team ranged from 3- 4 years of age, and kids at this age can be very emotional. There were kids out there crying when they got knocked over, crying because the didn't want to play, crying because they couldn't get the ball to score a goal. You name it, there was a kid crying over it. Thankfully...that was never Cameron. When he got tripped up, he got right back up and kept on running to get that ball. When others were crying because they didn't want to play, Cameron was ready to get out on that field and score. If the other team (or his own teammate) had the ball, Cameron would run at warp speed to take that ball away and score, but if someone else happened to score, Cameron would happily skip back to the center of the field and was ready to try again. Now, I know he gets his love and talent for sports from his Daddy, but I'm pretty sure he also gets this attitude from him too. I'm totally a sore loser when it comes to any sort of competition and when things aren't going my way with a game, I'm ready to give up. ;) I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Cameron doesn't one day wake up with my winning attitude...ha!

Here he is with his medal and his team...

Thank you Cameron for playing your heart out these past few months...you make your Mama and Daddy proud!

Now comes the next hardest decision for Val and I....T-ball or Flag Football next? Guess we'll just have to wait until next year to see. :0

Trick or Treat!

2009-11-01T20:34:00.001-06:00

Whew! This has been an exhausting weekend for all of us! Trick or Treating can really wear you out! In August, Cameron wanted to be Buzz Lightyear, but soon changed his mind to Wolverine. He has been on an X-Men and Iron Man kick, so Wolverine it was. He truly had a blast and was literally running house to house to get to the door first. My mom, sister, brother in-law, and Cameron's 2 cousins, Chris and Aaron, came over to trick-or-treat. Lilly, or "Wonder Woman", made a visit earlier in the evening for pictures. I was sad that the 2 super heroes couldn't go out together for the night, but Wonder Woman had her own neighborhood to head off to!
Cameron had us cracking up as always. He was so excited, that he kept mixing up what he was supposed to say. He knew he had 3 main phrases, "Trick-or-treat", "Happy Halloween", and "Thank you.", but sometimes he would come back and tell us that he forgot to say "trick-or-treat" first, or he would say "happy halloween," but forgot the "thank you." I guess the sight of candy had him all confused!

Don't be fooled, he really didn't have much to do with the carving of this pumpkin! I have finally figured out that I am the only one in my house who really likes carving pumpkins. :) But Cameron did pick the design.

Here's our own 2 super heroes of the night.

Grandma and Wonder Woman

Cameron and Mommy!

Too cute!

2009-10-30T20:03:00.000-05:00

Just had to post this adorable picture of Cameron, Emma, and Lilly. :)

Cameron's New Room!!!

2009-10-24T08:33:00.000-05:00

Whew...I am thrilled to say that Cameron's new big boy room is 90% completed. Surprise, surprise, we went with a sports room. :) We wanted a room that would last for quite a while, unlike his baby room. These things can get expensive, so I told Val, he's using this until college! Probably not, but it's worth a shot.

We had the worst expereince with getting his furntiure delivered though, and we are still waiting for a net sports rack to hang over his bed. Granted, he still doesn't sleep in his room, but we have mananged to get a few naps in with his new "big boy" bed. Val and I really don't mind him sleeping with us, but we figured he was getting to the age of switching over from baby room to big boy room. Hopefully in the long run the new room will encourage him to want to sleep in there instead of in our room. My overall theroy about it though is that life is short. He's not going to sleep with us forever, so as long as it's not causing a problem, why not get that extra snuggle in while he still likes us!!!! ;0 Not to mention, my sisters and I were all raised sleeping with our parents when we were little, and I don't think we are too dysfunctional because of it!

Here's his first nap in his new bed.

A friend of Abby's had these on her blog...and I knew they would be perfect for his sports room.

Corn Dog, Funnel Cakes, Turkey Legs...and Pumpkins!

2009-10-16T20:07:00.005-05:00

I LOVE the State Fair of Texas! When Val and I first started dating, we started the tradition of going to the Fair every year together. Once we were married, we continued on with the tradition, and now that Cameron is here, we have kept it as a family tradition. Of course I just go for the funnel cakes, since I am getting too old to enjoy all of those crazy rides! :) The good thing is that now Cameron gets to enjoy them. (Although he not a fan of the crazy ones...and he let us know that right after a roller coaster ride with Val.) After that we stuck to the more mild rides. The weather was quite chilly, which is a first for the past 9 years that Val and I have gone together. I'm used to sweating bullets out there, but that's Texas weather for you! Here's our day of fun.

We then had the chance to go to the Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch this past weekend. That has become a Fall tradition for us too, along with baking cookies with my sisters and nieces. I LOVE this time of year because of all of the activities that we get to do with each other. This time of year always brings us back to doing things together as a family with my sisters and mom. I hope that my nieces and Cameron will be able to look back at the photos and videos during this time and cherish the moments as much as we do.

Football Fanatic!

2009-09-27T19:35:00.004-05:00

Here's Cameron so thrilled today because Val went and finally got him the mouth guards he had been asking for. This kid sleeps, eats, and dreams about sports, and football is ranked #1 in his book. I just hope he has as much enthusiasm for the game in 15 years, and he does now! He would play football (well, actually he will play any sport), 24/7 if we would let him. Even at my school's family picnic on Friday, Cameron ended up playing football with some of the kids. I probably could have left him there and picked him back up at 8, and he would have never noticed. I think what I love best though is the smile on his face when is playing. There is this pure joy he gets out of it. :)
I can't wait to one day watch Cameron play on a real team, and I'm sure he's counting down the days too! Since he isn't old enough yet to play, he spends some of his weekend time helping out Daddy. Val now coaches on his nephew's little league team in Frisco, and Cameron heads off to each game ready to be on the sidelines. Val says it is so hilarious to watch him warm-up with the team, runs drills with them, and then he even goes through and gives the other team high-fives and tells them "Good Game" with the rest of the football team. We finally got a few videos of Cameron playing football outside with Daddy and his cousin, Aaron.

Dora+Cupcakes=Big Mess!

2009-09-20T20:24:00.003-05:00

Oh goodness...we have fallen into the stage of the TV influencing Cameron. The other day, he saw an ad of how to make Dora cupcakes from scratch. Naturally, this made him get the crazy idea in his head that we HAD to make those cupcakes. I held out for a few weeks, but being the nice Mommy that I am, I finally went and bought all of the ingredients. Whew! I have to say, I think the ad should have warned that children would not be able to do much, and that the parent would do 99.9% of the work. Despite the mess we made and the exhaustion of putting these together, it was all worth it...Cameron was so excited to see the cupcakes turn into Dora's face! The things we do for our children! Here's the proud chef (assistant chef) with his cupcakes.

Soccer Star!

2009-09-12T13:18:00.004-05:00

Soccer season for Cameron has started once again. We decided to take the summer off, and then we got an email from his old coach to come join their new team, "The Sprinters." We had our first game today and we couldn't be more proud of Cameron! His first season was a little rocky (Ok, I'm sure he didn't think so, but more so for Mom and Dad.) It wasn't that he didn't do well, I think it was just all so new for him, and it didn't help that they put his team on a division for more experienced players. This time he is playing against teams that have about the same amount of experience, which makes it more enjoyable for the kids.
Val and I can definitely see how much he has learned from already playing one season earlier in the year though. He went out there today and played his hardest. He didn't just stand around, but he would go for that ball every chance he could get! He even scored 4 times!!!!!! Of course here is a little video of our Soccer Champ scoring a goal. (He is in the red jersey #10. Please don't be frightened by my cheering, I know it can be loud!) It is so cute to see him excited and having so much fun out there.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2009-09-07T20:24:00.007-05:00

On Saturday night, we had the chance to spend time with family and friends to celebrate my entrance into my 30's! Depressing as it may seem, I'm trying to follow my mom's advice. She always says, "Better to have a birthday to get older, than no birthday at all!" Isn't that the truth! As much as I hate getting older, at least the Lord has blessed me with another birthday to celebrate! Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate with us at Love and War in Texas. It was truly a perfect birthday, to sit and eat with the people that are nearest to my heart and who love me unconditionally. Of course I feel the same way about them. :)
The one thing I regret is that I wish I would have recorded my birthday song to post. Let's just say...it was unforgettable. I have NEVER heard someone scream "Happy Birthday" so loud in my entire life. Thank you Bethany for asking that sweet waiter to come over and sing to me. :) I'll be sure to pay you back on your birthday! Enjoy the pictures...

Happy Birthday Mami!

2009-08-30T15:41:00.004-05:00

We had the chance yesterday to have a big family party for my grandmother's 80th birthday!!!!! We both share the same birthday, Aug. 31, but yesterday was all about Mami! A lot of relatives came in for the party, and it seemed like she really enjoyed spending time with everyone. (Although my mother said she was in a panic a few hours before the party because she was worried about everyone looking at her.) :)

The funniest part was that a Mariachi band came in and played for her and they had her sit and listen for the entire time they were there. They kept playing song after song, and she finally said to someone, "I guess they're just going to keep playing until I pass away." Awww...it did seem like they were playing forever.

Now the saddest part was when we watched a DVD slideshow of pictures from her life until this point. As soon as the first picture showed up and it was of her and my grandfather, she immediately started crying. :( It made me sad to think that here are all of these photos of her life, a majority with my grandfather and her immediate family, and now here she is having this celebration without so many of them by her side. I know she missed having them there, but I hope she was able to see how many of us love her.

Happy Birthday Mami...here's to many more birthdays together!!!!

Fun Time Fishing

2009-08-27T19:07:00.005-05:00

These pictures were just too cute not to share. These are from Cameron's first fishing trip. He was really excited that he caught 4 fish, although Val said he had a REALLY hard time waiting for the fish to bite. Surprise, Surprise. He went about a month ago, but since we've been back to work, I have been too overwhelmed to even think about posting them! :) Ah, the joys of working. :(
Patiently waiting...
Showing off a fish he caught...

Biggest Fan Ever!

2009-08-04T17:14:00.004-05:00

So when Michael Jackson passed away this summer, he managed to captivate the attention of one special little boy. Who is this little boy I speak of? Cameron of course! :)
For some reason he has seriously become obsessed with Michael Jackson! Every time we leave the house he has to know if his CD is in the car, and then we have to listen to the same songs over and over and over and over!!!!!! "Beat It" and "PYT" used to be songs I liked and now I have listened to them so many times they make me nauseous! To add to it, he will sing "Beat It" everywhere we go, i.e. the bathroom at church or at the pool, while we are shopping at the mall, etc. ANYWHERE! He has also stated that he wants to be Michael Jackson for Halloween...hopefully that will change before Oct.! Or else I better start searching for a fancy glove for him to wear and highwater pants.
The other day though he had me cracking up...I came home and he was singing, "I got a nana." He kept singing this to me, and I asked him if he wanted a banana (which I thought would be odd, since he doesn't even eat bananas.) He kept getting so mad, because that was NOT was he was trying to say. Finally I asked where he heard this from, and he said, "Michael Jackson said it." Ohhhhh......it finally made sense, so I asked him, "Cameron, are you singing "Dirty Diana"?" He was like "Yeah Mommy...that's what Michael Jackson says." I guess the banana part was his interpretation of the song. Oh goodness. :)

Six Flags

2009-07-18T21:43:00.004-05:00

We were so excited that the high on Friday was only going to be 95 degrees, that we decided it was a perfect day to spend at Six Flags. Cameron last went when he was about a year and a half, so it was so much better taking him at an age where he could ride a lot more rides. Val and I really enjoyed taking him on rides that we loved growing up. It was so much fun creating memories for Cameron, just like we both have. Lord willing, one day Cameron will take his kids to Six Flags and they can take a picture on the big chair too! (My sister's and I all have one on this big chair, so it was a "classic" picture for Cameron that we couldn't resist.)

My niece, Emma, got to spend the day with us too, and her and Cameron both said the Log Ride was their favorite. The big Spanish boat was ranked last for the both of them. They both were freaking out the higher the boat went, and of course I convinced Cameron to get on the ride after he saw it and said he didn't want to try it. Whoops! :)

Here are some more pics from the day...

The Joys of Being a Mother to a Boy

2009-07-13T22:43:00.002-05:00

Why do boys think it is so funny to talk about inappropriate topics? Growing up with 2 older sisters, I never had to experience a lot of bathroom talk if you know what I mean. But...now that I have a 3 year old, my life consists of Cameron trying to toot on me to be funny or he'll say the word poop or bum bum to get a laugh out of someone. TRUST me, Val and I have not set an example for this kind of behavior in our house, but somehow Cameron has picked up on it. (Must be in the boy chromosome.) Sorry if this grosses people out, but just think, I get to live with it. :) He does manage to get a giggle out of people when he does these things, but I think it is more of his facial expressions or the way he says things that make people laugh. According to others that grew up with boys, this doesn't seem to go away anytime soon. Boys, boys, boys, can't live with them, can't live without them. But, I wouldn't trade mine in for the world! What's life without a smile or laugh each day, and Cameron definitely takes care of that for us!

First Baseball Game/Fireworks

2009-07-06T20:50:00.005-05:00

A few weeks ago Cameron got to go to his first baseball game. The past few summers we figured either it was too hot or that Cameron was too little to really enjoy a game. Since we just live a few minutes from Frisco, we went to see the Roughriders. Surprisingly, Cameron was not that into the game. He finally told us that he thought he was going to get to go play baseball when we told him we were going to a game. Whoops. :( I guess that would be a bummer at 3...thinking you were going to get to go play a game, but then end up only watching it!
Here are also some fireworks pictures from this weekend. We were able to see the Frisco ones on our way home. It was like they were in our backyard! Another let down with Cameron though! After a few minutes, he was totally over it! Maybe next year!

Slip and Slide

2009-07-01T17:02:00.005-05:00

Cameron has found a new joy in life! A few weeks ago at Target, we were shopping and Cameron saw a slip and slide, and of course he wanted it. ;) Val and I explained how dangerous those were and I told him that he would hurt his tummy if he tried it. (Since he is only 3 we just thought it would be hard for him to run and slide on his stomach without getting hurt.) Well this week my friend, Misty, brought her little girl Addison over to visit, and guess what terrific toy she bought for them to try out? A slip and slide!!!! The first thing Cameron told her was..."I can't do that, Mommy said I would hurt my tummy if I did." (Do you think he'll remember everything I said when he is 16 and out with his friends? Let's just hope so!) After about 5 minutes of checking it all out...here is Cameron on his new favorite toy. It was the first thing he wanted to do as soon as he got up this morning. Guess I was wrong, he isn't too young to learn how to do it!

Give an Extra...Remembering Nash

2009-07-01T08:53:00.002-05:00

Give an extra hug, smile, kiss, laugh...just give an extra bit of love today to all of those around you that you cherish.
Today is the one year anniversary of my co-worker's 5 month old leaving his family and entering into heaven. I pray that Brad, Tracy, and big brother Tate are all able to be filled with the sweetest memories of little Nash and that God brings all of their family comfort today.
The pain of losing a child is unimaginable, but I hope that in remembering Nash, we are all able to take the time to love those around us just a little bit more. Most moments in our lives seem to pass us by so quickly, i.e, going to work, doing the laundry, making dinner. But the memories we cherish so dearly are the ones with our loved ones, and since we never know that God has in store for our lives, I hope that everyone is able to give that extra today to those they love...in memory of Nash.

Carmelita Villalobos Family Reunion

2009-06-29T20:19:00.008-05:00

This past Sat. my dad's side of the family ventured out in the 100+ degree weather for a family reunion. It was just a simple gathering of my grandparent's kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids. Cameron made me laugh of course because he couldn't figure out why my cousins from my mom's side weren't going to be there. That led me into a discussion of who's on grandma's side and who's on grandpa's side. A little confusing, but I think he got it! :) The BBQ was great and made all the sweat worthwhile! I was sad that my dad wasn't here to be part of the gathering, and I know how much he would have loved seeing everyone. We definitely had QUITE a few relatives missing, but hopefully we can do this again soon and get more of the family together.

Cameron and I trying to not pass out from the heat!

SOME of my cousins (definitely not all of them)!

I guess these kiddos would be second cousins????? (Kids of all of the cousins)

My sisters and my mom (me too...of course).

A True Legend has Left Us...

2009-06-26T09:51:00.004-05:00

Growing up, I was never able to figure out why our lives are affected so much when a famous person passes away. I remember very distinctly when Princess Diana passed away, Tupac, Biggie Smalls, Aaliyah, Lisa "Left Eye" etc. (I am sure I am showing my age here.) It would bother me so much, and then I would always think, why do I care so much? These people don't even know me!!!!

But I think that now that I am older I get it...all of these famous people bring us back to memories of our childhoood or high school. I remember parts of my life, based on the music I was listening to or what movies I went to see.

So I guess that is once again why I am so saddened by Michael Jackson passing away. I just keep telling Val over and over..."I can't believe Michael Jackson is gone!" I cried when I was watching his videos on MTV last night, especially the ones when he was with the Jackson 5. That's what I remember most, the adorable little boy and the cute young man in the Thriller video. The connection with Michael has nothing to do with a child abuse case or plastic surgery, because that is not how he affected my life. I treasure his legacy for the musical genius he was. No one can deny that. Val said it earlier, unless you lived under a rock, growing up most people had a Michael Jackson poster, a glove, a leather jacket, a cassette tape...and that is so true.

There is no way anyone can ever reach the WORLD with music like Micahel Jackson did...and for that I will never forget him.

Vacation Bible School

2009-06-22T19:38:00.004-05:00

I am thrilled to announce that Cameron survived the first few days of Vacation Bible School!!! Ok....I survived the first few days! ;) Since he has never been to any type of daycare or Mother's Day out program, I was so nervous! I just wanted to be sure that he was OK, that the kids were nice to him, that he wasn't scared, etc. So of course on the first day I was worried for 3 hours straight, and it was so hard for me to leave him, but I didn't want to be that crazy parent that is stalking her child at school! When Val and I went to pick him up they were singing their final song of the day, and Cameron was dancing all around and trying to sing with them. His group leader said he was so good and so sweet. Oh, all of that worry for no reason!?! The sweetest moment was today though when I was cleaning, and all of the sudden I heard Cameron singing, "This Little Light of Mine." Aww, my little choir boy!

How on Earth will I survive his first day of Kinder??? EEKK!!!!

Summer Days

2009-06-20T21:30:00.004-05:00

Every morning that Val would take Cameron to my mom's house, they would pass by the water park we live by. Cameron would always ask when he could go there, and of course he always heard, "Soon." Finally Cameron got the point when he said to Val, "Daddy, when are you actually going to take me there?" I guess he finally had us figured out!

So now that we have hit those dog days of summer, we took Cameron to the Rosemeade Rainforest Pool in Carrollton. It is on a smaller scale than the bigger park we live by, but of course Cameron didn't really care about the size difference between the 2 parks. He was happy to go down their slides there and they had cotton candy...so Cameron was good to go! Please forgive my child and his cheesey smiles! :)

Cameron and Emma

Cameron and Caroline

Seriously...the Cotton Candy was gone in less than 3 minutes!

Lunch Date

2009-06-18T22:36:00.004-05:00

Cameron and I were so excited to get to have lunch on Monday with Abby, Lainey and Bethany. Cameron is always excited to get out and eat with the ladies...although I don't know how long this will last! It was great for Bethany and I to get the chance to catch up with Abby, our former co-worker. We miss her SO much, and of course it never hurts to get to see adorable Miss Lainey too! Thanks for spending time with us ladies! Here's the only decent picture we have from lunch, since Cameron tried to take most of them. ;)

Happy Birthday Val!

2009-06-07T13:41:00.009-05:00

Summer has arrived for the Mennsfield Family! Val and I officially ended the school year on Friday, and we started our break off by celebrating Val's birthday on Sat. I won't mention how old he is, but it starts with a 3 and ends with a 4. :) My brother in-law's birthday was last week, and Val's nephew's birthday was 2 days before, so we sang Happy Birthday 3 times. It was exhausting, but Cameron loved it because he got to blow out the candles 3 times. Our families came over Sat. night for wings...lots of wings, and for a little American Idol. There's nothing better than wings, an American Idol singing contest, and a fruity drink from the Carribean (if you know what I mean.) It's crazy to think that I FIRST met Val on his 24th birthday, 10 years ago!!!! We've been through a lot in 10 years, college, marriage, having Cameron, our 1st house. I look forward to what the next 10 years bring...Val will be 44 then...and hopefully not in more of a mid-life crisis than he already is! Ha!

Icee+Gummy Bears+2 Cookies+The Movie "Up" = :(

2009-05-31T09:02:00.003-05:00

So this is how the title came to be...

Saturday was a big day for Cameron! We took him to see his first movie in a theater, which was the movie "Up." Cameron really got into the snacking part of it, he drank an entire large ICEE that we were all supposed to share, 1/2 a box of Gummy Bears, and then after we left the movie 2 M&M Chocolate Chip cookies. I think you get the picture, this is not going to end well!

From the movie standpoint, Val and I really thought he would enjoy it, and normally I think he would have if the movie was more interesting. About an hour into it, Cameron said he was done watching the movie...so I took him out into the mall and we did some shopping for him instead! Honestly though, I was getting bored with it too, it wasn't like "Toy Story" or "Lion King", so I didn't mind leaving either! What a let down!

So fast forward to driving my mom and niece home after they got out of the movie, and what do you think came out of Cameron's mouth? "Mama, I think I'm going to throw up." (Sorry if you get grossed out by this kind of thing!) So lucky us, we've spend the rest of our night dealing with that lovely issue.

So needless to say, next time we will be a bit smarter.
1. Don't let him stuff his face with junk for an hour
2. We will be sure that the movie will really be worth our time and one that he will be willing to sit through.

The sad part is...now I keep thinking, is this going to be his memory of his first movie and he'll never want to go back! :) Here are a few pics from the event...
There's the lovely ICEE!

We're Still Here!

2009-05-26T22:09:00.003-05:00

Wow...I just realized that I have been such a slacker...I haven't posted ANYTHING since the beginning of the month!

We said goodbye to my Dad and his wife this past week. They headed back to Japan, after my Dad had been here over 2 months. We had some great quality time with Grandpa, we miss him already!

Then, on May 17th, Val and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary. We went to eat at my favorite restaurant that day, Japon, and it just happened to be Prom night too. The waitress asked if we had any celebrations, and we told them we were celebrating our anniversary. It was pretty funny because the people at the table thought we looked too young for that, and one woman said, "Oh, I thought you guys were here for Prom." Aww...isn't that too cute, she thought we were going to Prom. I'm not quite sure if I should take it as a compliment or not! :)

We are also definitley gearing up for summer, now that we had Memorial Day off! I love this time of the year, but then again I dread it. There is so much to do to get ready for the end of the school year, and while I am so excited for the summer, I am so stressed out too! Not to mention that I had to spend the day serving Jury Duty today, all the while I was thinking of the million things that needed to be done at school! EEKK!!!

Cameron has still been working hard at soccer. I think I've had a REALLY difficult time accepting the fact that he is 3 and he won't be playing like he is on a professional team just yet. I guess that is the competitive side of me coming out. I'm really working on dealing with the fact that all he wants to do is be goalie now. (He does SO well at it, but I miss him being out there "playing" soccer.) He told me last week, "Mama, I scored 1 goal already, now I want to just be the goalie." I think he has it all figured out...score once...my job is done...then I can spend the rest of the game being the goalie, where I don't have to do much running at all! He's such a mess...but we love him!

That pretty much sums up our past month, hopefully I can get back with the program and post some pictures too from this past month. Wish me luck with that!

Making Mama Proud

2009-05-04T22:21:00.002-05:00

I may have mentioned to some of you out there, that Cameron has had a really tough time with being 3. (Ok...Mom and Dad have had a tough time!) We didn't see terrible 2's, but terrible 3's seemed to arrive right after his birthday. There were a lot more tantrums, arguing, and attitude! Val and I have really been working hard to maintain boundaries with Cameron, while at the same time still trying to understand that he is 3 and there is only so much he can understand right now. On that note, I now have to give him big props for being such a sweet boy too.

During his soccer game this past Sat., Cameron was really working hard to get the ball from any player in his way. In the process, it looked like he knocked over a few people. The sweetest moment though was when a little boy from the other team fell down and Cameron was in the heat of the game, but he stopped and looked at the little boy on the ground. Instead of running off to get back in the game (like I was screaming at him to do!), he knelt over and checked on the little boy to see if he was OK. It seemed like something so little at the time, but when I went back and watched the video of the game, I realized that not once did any other kid stop to check on anyone else that got knocked over the entire game. I was really proud of my boy that he actually took the time to show care and concern for someone he doesn't even know. Sniff, Sniff...

Cameron's team did do a lot better this past Sat., and Cameron cracked us up because he looked like he was trying to play every position on the team. He was his own one man team. The coach put him at goalie for a while there, and he was doing a great job of keeping the other team from scoring too much. But then there was one time when the ball was coming right at the goal and Cameron kicked that ball so hard, that it passed up everyone from both teams. Cameron must have seen a great opportunity, because he then left from being goalie, ran after the ball he just kicked out, got to mid-field, and wacked that ball all the way into our net and scored. It was pretty hilarious to watch him go from defending our goal to scoring all in one minute. That's my boy! ;)

Team America-1: Super Heroes-Too Many to Count!

2009-04-11T22:39:00.006-05:00

As you can tell from the title of this blog, the first game for Team America didn't quite go as planned. We tried our best, but the Super Heroes were definitely more skilled at soccer than we were. Apparently this was the 6th season they had played together...compared to this being our first game EVER. Slightly an unfair advantage, but it did give the kids the idea of what a game of soccer is all about.
Getting a few last minute plays in before the game.

Team America

Our two main goals at this point...
1. Learn which goal is for OUR team (The problem was not that our team can't score...it's just that we score for the other team.)
2. Learn how to turn around with the soccer ball to actually score in OUR goal (Apparently 30 people screaming at you to turn around doesn't sink in when all you see is a goal in your sight..even if it's not the goal you are supposed to score in!)

On the positive side, the kids really enjoyed themselves and had a blast. They were really so proud of themselves and of course we were too! There's no comparison to watching these tiny kids in their uniforms working so hard and having so much fun. We are already looking forward to game #2!

Oh...I forgot to mention, our little champ was the one who scored our one point! Way to go Cameron. (OK, so technically the goalie made the ball go in when he was trying to kick it back out, but that will be our little secret, it was close enough for us!)
A picture with our soccer champ

Coloring Eggs

2009-04-11T22:17:00.004-05:00

Cameron really got a kick out of coloring Easter eggs this year. The kit we bought this year had the most hilarious stickers to put on the eggs. He kept cracking up everytime he made an egg with a silly face. Here's a few pics...

It is bittersweet every time a holiday passes us by. On the one hand I am so excited every holiday because we get to share in making traditions as a family, but then again I am sad to see my little baby turing into a little boy. Every year he becomes so much more independent and can actually participate more in the activities, and then I think back to his first year and it makes my heart hurt a little that so much time has already passed us by. I'm really trying to savor each moment, but of course that becomes difficult with the normal stresses of everyday life! As we get ready to celebrate Easter tomorrow, I am so thankful to God for giving us this life together and giving us these moments as a family. It is only because of him that we are here each day, and that is a beautiful thing! Happy Easter!

Team America!

2009-04-10T14:36:00.003-05:00

Team America had their first practice last night, and I wish I would have taped it all! It was so adorable and so hilarious all at the same time. Cameron is on a co-ed team with 9 other 3-4 year olds. I was really nervous on how he would react to this, especially since he's never gone to a daycare before where he would have to listen to a "teacher", and he is typically never around kids his own age.

The good news though is that he did GREAT! He listened to Coach Miguel's every word and followed every direction he gave him. I was really impressed, but of course Val says he isn't surprised one bit! :) He did knock over a few kids trying to score a goal, but hey, that's all part of the game right? He keeps telling everyone how he knocked over a girl and that Daddy (Val) had to carry her off.

It will be interesting to see how they work "together" tomorrow playing against another team. I have a feeling I will be laughing the entire time!

Bring on the Eggs!

2009-04-05T17:56:00.006-05:00

Wow...it's been awhile since I last posted anything! We have been quite busy with getting back to work and visiting with Grandpa! Grandpa made the long journey from Japan the week of Spring Break, and Cameron has been on cloud nine ever since!

Today was an especially busy day...after church, Cameron had his meet and greet with his soccer coach!!!!! Cameron is on "Team America" and his first game is next weekend. I cannot even begin to tell you how excited Val and I are that Cameron is old enough to play a sport. (Naturally Val has been waiting for this day ever since I was 19 weeks pregnant and we found out we were having a boy!) I'll be sure to post pictures of the big first game!

After the meeting, Emma and Lilly came over to go to the Easter Egg Hunt held by our HOA. Here are a few pictures of the big event.

Don't mess with Pancreatitis...

2009-03-15T22:26:00.002-05:00

So...maybe I have finally learned my lesson, don't ignore pain in your stomach that last more than 4 days! :)
Last Friday, March 6th, I began having a dull ache in my upper abdomen. Over the weekend, I figured it would go away and all would be well. Apparently not. By Tuesday, I headed to my primary physician, who thought it would be best to set up a sonogram for Wed. morning. Naturally...I head back to work and go on with my day as normal. (We had Open House coming up on Thurs., so there was no way that I was going to go home and rest!) While I was typing sub plans at 5 p.m., I finally started getting the feeling that maybe my little stomach pain was not going to last me until Wed. morning. Basically, the pain became worse than contractions, and I knew I was dealing with something more serious.
Now knowing me, I still decided that it would be best to go home, take some Alleve, and wait until Wed. morning to get my sonogram. Sadly, I ended up at the ER by 9 p.m., and admitted to the hospital by 3 a.m. Truly, that was the worst night of my life, I have never been so sick and in so much pain. Honestly though, I thought the ER doctor was joking when he told me that I was diagnosed with Pancreatitis and that the only way you cure it is by not eating.
HUH???? Not eating? Once again if you know me...I wake up thinking about food and go to bed thinking about food! After I had a few days of being doped up on pain medicine and my sonogram on Thurs., they did come to the conclusion that gallstones were causing the problems with my pancreas (thank goodness, since alcoholism is the other leading cause!) The only problem was, I couldn't have surgery on my gallbladder, until my pancreas settled down. So yes, I held out in the hospital until this Sat. to have my surgery, with only a few bites of Jello and apple juice in my system! Truly I think I hate Jello now! LUCKILY, I am back at home and feeling much better, just mostly sore.
Now...who do I have to thank for getting me through this past week. There is no way I could name everyone. I have the best husband (he kept my little Cameron feeling safe and loved...even though there were some hard nights), mom, dad, sisters, son, and friends in the whole world. Thank you for keeping my sane in the hospital, and thank you Abby for the good book to read!
Did I mention that I had Open House this week??? ;) My 2nd grade team and old team member Julie, really saved my life at work this week and took care of everything for me. I couldn't ask for better friends, and I don't know how I could ever repay them.
And last, but not least, thank you God...thank you for getting us all through this week safe and sound and back home safe with each other. You are always there to get us through the ups and downs. For that I am truly thankful.

Especially for Grandpa!

2009-03-04T22:57:00.005-06:00

I know Grandpa has been waiting to see the awesome jersey that he bought Cameron for his birthday!
(Dad, you should know that Cameron has taken a lot of heat for wearing this jersey...but he is trying to make his Grandpa proud! He tells everyone that it is "Grandpa's team.")

The Big Bowling Party!

2009-03-04T19:29:00.005-06:00

I am finally getting around to posting Cameron's pictures from his birthday party. He had the BEST time that day, and was completely wore out after the party. Of course he still had enough energy to open and play with all of his gifts when he got home! :) I think the best part of the day for me was watching him stare at his Thomas the Train cake for almost an hour. Val brought it home before we went to Main Event, and Cameron couldn't take his eyes off of it! We kept trying to keep the lid on, but Cameron told us he just wanted to look at it until we left. What a nut....
Thank you to everyone who came to share in this celebration with us. I don't know why, but I am really into the "birthday" thing. I am sure I drive Val crazy with all of the planning I put into his party each year, but I want Cameron to have the best memories from his birthday. I guess I see it as such a blessing to have gotten another year with our sweet boy, and I want to celebrate and appreciate the day of his birth with all of our family and friends.

The Big 0-3! A Message for Our Birthday Boy...

2009-02-20T23:12:00.003-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAMERON!!! You are finally celebrating the big 0-3! Granted...it's nowhere close to the big 3-0, but to your Mommy, this is a really big day. I can hardly wrap my mind around the fact that three years ago, we were FINALLY going to the hospital to have our little boy. What an adventure it has been so far. We have seen you go through some of the biggest milestones this past year alone.
1. Saying your first full sentences ("I Love You Mommy" has been my favorite.)
3. Learning to use the big boy potty :)(within a few weeks I must add!)
4. Throwing not your first, and certainly not your last, temper tantrum (but some of your best.)
5. Learning to throw an amazing "spiral" football
6. Cooking your first meal
One thing has remained the same though each and everyday. In an instant, you have the ability to melt our hearts and crack us up. We could not thank God enough each and everyday for bringing you into our lives. What a true blessing you are. Our prayer for you is that as each birthday passes, that you never forget how much you are loved by so many and how truly precious you are in our eyes and in the eyes of God. Thank you for being the coolest son ever, and for putting a smile on our faces each and everyday. Enjoy this special day Cameron. We love you, Mommy and Daddy

Here is a picture of the brand new 3 year old with his fancy new bike!
We will post more birthday bash pictures tomorrow, after the big bowling party!

A Day of Love

2009-02-14T08:21:00.002-06:00

Anyone that knows me, knows that I am not the biggest fan of Valentine's Day. I am sure this sounds pretty odd coming from a woman :), but I guess it's the cynical side of me coming out! Not that I don't love cards, gifts, saying "I love you", but what I love more is when these things come randomly or out of the blue. Over the past 10 years of Val and I being together, he has really gotten the hang of this! When we were dating he would "pop" up at my job with a single rose just to say hi, and even now he will send me random emails telling me how much he cares for me. Awww...what a great guy!

Now that we have Cameron, we try to just get him a small gift to let him know we love him too, and then as a couple, we just use this day just to spend extra time together. I suppose that's what we will try to focus on, a day all about spending time with each other, instead of making it all about cards, flowers, or gifts. So maybe I should say that I'm not a fan of the "commercial" side of the day, although Cameron is....he just got a brand new video! (Please ignore the cheesy smile!)

Ladies and Gentlemen...We Have a Walker!

2009-02-01T16:36:00.011-06:00

I am proud to announce that my adorable, 10 month old niece has made 2 big accomplishments this past month. For starters, she got her ears pierced. Naturally, I am biased, but I do believe she looks quite stylish with her new studs!

AND.....she started walking! I do have a theory on why kids walk early in my family...I think they are just trying to get away from this crazy family!!!! :) Just Kidding!

Congrats Ms. Lilly (or "Willy" according to Cameron). We are so proud of you.

Order Up...

2009-01-27T20:08:00.014-06:00

Cameron has 2 new obsessions after playing sports. Taking pictures (of course with my camera) and cooking meals in the kitchen. We have a few meals that he has already perfected.

Naturally, Cameron started off wanting to help me when we baked cookies, like at Easter or Christmas. Now we have gotten to the point of him having to help me with EVERY meal I make! He also loves to make his own "mini" meals while I am cooking. He searches through the panty and adds random items and mixes them all up. We're starting to make some real progess though into actual meals.

Here is his first pizza he made all by himself.

First Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I just have one thing to say, Cameron's future wife better thank me for getting him in the kitchen at an early age! Married women out there...you know how nice it can be when you have a husband that can cook a good meal. Who knows, maybe he has found his calling. (We'll still keep the football close by though!)

Hey...what's Barack Obama doing?

2009-01-21T18:46:00.010-06:00

As I sat at home Tuesday, miserable from the flu, I actually found that there was a great blessing in disguise to be found. Since I was forbidden to go to work, I was able to watch a full day of inauguration ceremonies!

What a beautiful and historical moment to experience. As I called my mother on the phone to share in the joy of the day, she made me laugh. As Cameron was playing, he saw the T.V. and turned around and said to her, "Hey...what's Barack Obama doing?" I guess he found it strange that he hadn't seen him on T.V. for a few months, and then suddenly, there he was again! Now I make sure to talk to Cameron about who is our President and why it was such a special event!

It truly hit me on Tuesday, what my dad has been talking about for the past year. As of Tuesday, I can look at Cameron and with NO hesitation in my heart, I can turn to him and say, "Cameron, when you grow up you can be the president if you want to be." I like to think of him as my little Barack Obama, (although this really confuses him when I call him this, and he always reminds me of who he really is by saying, "Mama, I'm not Barack Obama, I'm Cameron."

I know people are out there that still question who he really is and what he really is about. That is expected. But beyond the political viewpoints, I like to focus on the meaning of what just happened by him being elected in the United States. What a historical moment to witness. To see the look on people's faces on T.V, to see the hope and joy in their eyes, to feel that same pride...it's a beautiful thing.

My prayer now is that Cameron can grow up to appreciate this day and to live his life without any limitations on himself. He can grow up and make a difference too...now Val and I are left with the big job of getting him there.

A Sweet Boy to Remember

2009-01-16T17:38:00.000-06:00

Sadly, a dear co-worker of mine and her husband lost their precious son this past summer. Nash Adam Sievers would have celebrated his first birthday yesterday, Jan. 15th. If you are reading this, I hope you can take time out of your day to visit this picture slide show that was made by a friend of Tracy's, to remember this special little boy.
http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=7cd5f51a12d7082d5c98b5&skin_id=701&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url
Words will never be able to express how deeply we all feel for this family, but hopefully giving everyone else the chance to see Nash's sweet smile will bring a smile to their face. May God wrap his arms around them all to give them the strength to make it through all the ups and downs that lie ahead.

Out with the Old...Locks of Love

2009-01-02T20:58:00.000-06:00

Over the past few years, I have really been touched by children and even family members that have been affected by cancer. After seeing a few of these people lose their hair and purchase wigs, I decided to make a donation to Locks of Love. This organization makes wigs for children who need them. I figured...I was blessed to have hair that grows quickly (this is one hair advantage of being Hispanic!)...so why not grow it out and donate it to a good cause. After growing my hair out for the past year, I finally passed the 10 inches needed for a donation, and decided to start the new year with hair 12 inches shorter! Out with the old...in with the new. Here's the new look....

Can you tell that I was a little creeped out holding the hair??? :)

http://www.locksoflove.org/index.html

Our official Christmas!

2009-01-01T19:27:00.000-06:00

Is it just me...or does Christmas come and go much faster now that we are older? The best part of our Christmas this year was that Cameron was TRULY able to understand the concept. Before the gifts started coming his way, we talked to him about baby Jesus, and how we were really celebrating his birthday on Christmas. This led to a discussion of why Jesus was born, how he ended up on the cross, and why he had to die for our sins. Then I realized...am I really having this discussion with a 2 year old??? :)
On Christmas Eve, we had to leave out cookies and milk for Santa. (Cameron was really excited about this part.) I decided to take a few bites out of each cookie...you know, to give that "visual" effect that Santa munched on a few, but he had eaten too many already to eat them all! Somehow though, when we woke up on Christmas morning, they were all gone! (Val stayed up until 2 a.m. putting together Cameron's train set, and he ate all of the cookies!)

Christmas morning was perfect. Cameron ran to the fireplace to check on his cookies and then ran straight to the tree. We've decided to leave out 1 gift every year that is unwrapped and already set up, so that way it looks like Santa set up that one toy specifically for Cameron. This year it was his GeoTrax train/airplane set. I honestly don't think Cameron has skipped one day since Christmas to play with it! Good choice Santa...it was just what he wanted!

Watching Cameron open gifts was pretty funny. EVERY time he opened a gift, he would say, "Wow...this is exactly what I wanted..." Except, when he got to any clothes! Those just got tossed aside and then he would say, "What's next?" Hmm...spoiled a bit?

This is the guitar he specifically asked Santa for... he likes to jam out while watching Imagination Movers.

We were able to spend Christmas Eve with Val's family and Christmas Day with my family. I was so excited because we all waited to open gifts at my mom's house together...and that is a big accomplishment. If you know me this is really important, and it doesn't always work as planned each year! We survived and loved every minute of Christmas 2008 and God truly watched over us this year.

As of today, 2009 has arrived. It makes me excited and nervous at the same time. I look forward to all of the great things God has planned for us, but then my crazy mind always worries about things that may not be so great. Hopefully God will grant me the strength in 2009 to enjoy all that life has to give, without thinking about the bad! I hope 2009 brings everyone what they dream of....

Christmas with Grandpa!

2008-12-30T17:13:00.000-06:00

Our Christmas started a little early this year, because my dad and his wife came to visit from Japan for the first 3 weeks in December. We were all overjoyed to have him visit, especially Cameron. Grandpa bought him his first set of real golf clubs (and now of course Grandpa is his new best friend.) We can't hardly wait to see him again in April! Here are a few pictures from his visit and our "Christmas" together.

Grandpa and Cameron

This "shooter" was a big hit with Cameron! (Kind of scary as a mom!)

Grandpa and Lilly

Everyone else is doing it...

2008-12-29T17:31:00.000-06:00

I have to admit that I have fallen into the peer pressure of starting a blog! Sadly, the parent in me feels that Cameron's life is one step behind because he does not have a blog spot! :) On the other hand, I've been able to keep up with so many other families because of their blog, so hopefully others can do the same with ours. I do think that I should clarify one thing though...don't expect too many posts...life gets crazy at times!