Pumpkin Patch Adventures 2013

This fall had a much different start than last year because Camp can walk this time around. That means it was time for some pumpkin patch adventures. We took Jonathan's parents to a little patch at a nearby church to get some family shots and a few small pumpkins.

Fall Family Smiles

 Then it was time for a play date at Boone Hall Plantation Pumpkin Patch. There were lots of fall fun activities to enjoy here. The kids didn't stay still long so I didn't get any pictures of Camp with his friends. Toddlerhood at its finest.

Climbing up the huge jump pillow

Safety first on the giant slide

Tractor love.

Obsessed with this cozy coupe

This one's for you, Jampa!

Feeling at home with the football toss

Silly goat

Ready for the hayride!

Saying "cheese!"

Camper's First Trip to the Dentist

Camp went for his first dental visit today! I read a lot of advice to keep a positive attitude and get your child excited about going to the dentist, so I talked it up big time yesterday and this morning. We practiced opening wide and saying, "Aaaaaah." He was so ready, and he even insisted on wearing his rain boots for the special occasion. On the way there, I had a weird wave of anxiety and got a little nauseous. I kept those feelings hidden and just took lots of pictures.

We walked in the door, and I knew we would have a great visit. There are huge castle walls, and the floor looked like water. There was so much to see that I forgot about my nerves and just tried to keep Camp excited about all the neat stuff. The staff was so welcoming, warm, and friendly. They all greeted Camp by name and asked him to go with them to play with the train table. He was friendly right back but he wanted to stay with his mommy, thank you very much. Once they got us checked in, they took us back to play with the trains and let Camp use a huge toothbrush to brush the stuffed animal's teeth. We even saw two of our buddies from playdates there. Camp was happy to pick out his new toothbrush and get his goody bag with bubble gum toothpaste and floss. He jumped right up on the chair and showed off his pearly whites. The hygienist started checking his teeth, and the little patient was very interested in her mirror and other tools. They were able to brush, floss, and apply the fluoride. I was kind of surprised at how wide he would open his mouth and how long he was letting them work on his teeth. The staff was very impressed with how well he was doing for his age and his first visit.

By the time the dentist came in though, he was signing and saying, "Done," and he was ready to go back to playing with the trains. There were a couple of shrieks and resistance, but shortly after he was distracted enough to let her do the exam. We got a great report! They were complimentary of his good habits (no paci or thumb sucking and no juice), so it was a very rewarding mom moment for me! I was definitely high-fiving myself in my mind for promoting such good healthy habits (and just having a kid who goes along with my plan sometimes). After everything was complete, Camp got two stickers and a golden coin. He got to use the golden coin to get a toy from the prize machines! He got his favorite toy: a baseball!

We have been given the okay to start using toothpaste and to move Camp's nightly brushing from after dinner to right before bed. We started tonight with the new good habits and attempted some flossing, too. I'm so glad my little alligator is off to a smiling start for good dental health!

Garnet and Sweat Gameday

We took Camp to his second USC football game last Thursday. It was the first game of the season, at home in Columbia, and extremely hot. Camp must really be a lucky charm because the Gamecocks got the W once again after our little guy cheered his heart out against UNC. A special thank you to Jampa and Honey for providing tickets and parking so we could go to the game!

My two guys in Garnet

Excited for FOOTBALL

Goooooooo!!!!

We heart the Gamecocks and silly faces!

enchanted.

Did I mention it was hot?

Tailgate with one of my best friends, Louisa

Selfie fail

Another selfie fail. Where's Camp?

Loved watching the cameras moving around and the Jumbotron

The Great Outdoors

Over Labor Day weekend, we spent some time exploring Mimi and Grandad's (Jonathan's parents) new house and land. They just moved to an amazing house on a really cool pond outside of Augusta, Georgia! We went on several "nature" walks and enjoyed time down by the pond.

I don't think he gets the idea of a "selfie."

Child Model...like his daddy!

Fruit popsicle

My little stud muffin

Discovered that throwing sticks in the pond is super cool

Camp fell in love with this duck whistle!

Thanks to Mimi, Grandad, Brooke and Gary for hosting us over the long weekend! We love spending time with our Augusta family and can't wait to come back for more pond fun.

Busy Bag Swap: Color Popsicles

Quite a while ago, some of you may remember that I hosted a Busy Bag Swap and Play Date with my mom's group. The moms, toddlers, and preschoolers all gathered at my house to play and exchange homemade busy bag activities. Well, after I had a miraculous (probably a strong use of the word) breakthrough today with Camp, I decided I should start posting about the cool activities we got from the swap.

Today's post features the amazing and fun Color Popsicles!  Even though we have used them several times before today, it all seemed to make sense this afternoon when Camp had a little "Aha" moment while playing with his popsicle activity. The concept of matching colors finally hit the little guy.  I was so thrilled. The incredibly talented Kristin created these little color coded felt popsicles for our tots, and they were an immediate hit at the play date! She even made an extension for the older children by adding the color words all written in black to separate sticks. You can find some tutorials for some like them here and here. Thank you, Kristin, for providing a cool hands-on color lesson for my tiny student!

I get it. Brown goes with brown!

Now, how do I get this stick in there?

One, Two, Buckle My...

My wonderful and dear grandmother Kaki used to repeat this little rhyme with me when I was a little girl. I am so glad I can pass on this "tradition" with Camp, and I know Kaki would be so proud of our little guy!

At just 21 months old, Camp call fill in the words. He is soaking up every big and small thing we are teaching him (and some we're hoping he won't pick up on), so his vocabulary is growing each day. He got somewhat distracted during the filming of this because of course I had to do several retakes due to lighting and camera interruptions. This was my favorite, but please excuse the wild videographer spins. You'll just swoon over the ending!

What songs, chants, or rhymes do you like to share with the little ones in your life?

Checking in at 20 Months

Hooray! Camp is 20 months old today! I know the grandparents (aka non-Facebook users) are dying to get an update.

I put this status on Facebook this morning, and it just about sums it all up.

Our boy is 20 months old today: has a new word everyday, just learned to jump, still obsessed with balls, is told all the time that he has a good arm (and he's a lefty), likes the pool, dislikes the ocean, is scared of bugs, knows all his animal sounds, hair's covering his ears, and always wants to watch the "Dinosaur Train" theme song when he brushes his teeth. Love him more than I ever imagined.

A few more tidbits:

*Top two eye teeth have broken through

*Wears size 7W shoes

*Tried and enjoyed his first ice pop

*Likes playing on his new slide 

*Loves Raisin Bran (like his mama)

*Starting to recognize colors (mostly just blue)

*Some new words include: Gamecocks, golf cart, cracker, bath, ice, rain ("bain"), helicopter (kind of a long shot but I know what he's talking about), almost all of the family names, book, blue, bus, and outside. 

*Funny story- A few evenings ago when it was time for bed, I told Camp like I always do, "Give your daddy a hug and a kiss goodnight." He went over to hug Jonathan and was trying to kiss him. Jonathan was giving him a cheek to kiss, but Camp took matters into his own hands and grabbed his daddy's face to get to his lips. Jonathan kept turning his head to avoid the lip-kiss, and Camp persistently kept pulling his head back into the forward facing position. This resistance/persistance went on for a while until Camp finally got what he wanted and planted one smack on his daddy's lips. Dear Jonathan, at least it wasn't open-mouthed!

Morning of July 4th

Checking out his new slide

Wheeee!

First Ice Pop

Good til the last drop!

"Camp, give me a little laugh."