The Casady Clan

End of the Year Highlights

2011-01-27T11:55:00.003-06:00

Halloween - Alice & the Red Queen

College GameDay Fun

Cousins

Great snowman around Christmas

The twins came home after nine weeks and are doing great! Dilynn currently weighs in at 10 lbs and Lorelai 9.8 lbs. Growing and smiling and cooing - so cute! I haven't seen them as much as I'd like because of several sicknesses. I'm so ready for winter to be over and that's not happening any time soon since Snowpocalypse is about to descend upon us.

We had a great Christmas as well - missed out on spending time with my extended family, but had a low-key Christmas morning at home and then lunch at my sister's with her family & my dad. We spent the day after with Devon's family. The girls had a great Christmas, necessitating a cleanup/reorganization of their room. They're pretty good about giving their toys away and understand that those less fortunate need toys as well.

Proud Aunt

2010-09-08T15:10:00.003-05:00

As if I wasn't proud enough of my own children, I am incredibly excited about the birth of my identical twin nieces! My sister (and her husband) has been quite the trooper, first of all being surprised to be pregnant with twins, but with a very unusual twin pregnancy. Mono mono twins, actually, where both twins are in the same sac, making cord entanglement a very high risk. High risk enough that she had to spend 6 weeks on bed rest in the hospital, only to deliver her girls ten weeks early. Two weeks ago tomorrow, they were born. Dilynn Renae weighed in at 2 lb, 14 oz and Lorelai Ann was 2 lb, 8 oz. At present, they are both doing well, breathing almost without assistance. Feedings are the big issue now. Dilynn's been doing pretty well and is up to 3 lb, but Lorelai's stomach is not quite ready. They have given her a few feedings and the doctors say this is all very normal for the age they actually are. They are SO beautiful, though. Tiny, but very beautiful. If you're interested, you can see their blog at http://goatnjdubplustwix.com

...and my Preschooler

2010-09-08T14:54:00.004-05:00

Rory started preschool yesterday. A year earlier than I started Cameron, but she's ready, wanting to follow in big sister's footsteps. She's going twice a week, from 9-1. First day was a success, but I wasn't at all surprised. She doesn't take as long to acclimate to a new situation as Cameron does. The teachers said she did great and were impressed by all that she already knows...colors, letters, numbers, etc. So proud!

My Kindergarten Girl...

2010-09-08T14:41:00.002-05:00

After almost three weeks of school, I actually got a little teary-eyed today. My beautiful 5-year-old has let me drop her off each day. With a hug, a kiss and an I love you to both Rory and I, she grabs her backpack, puts in on her back and strolls into school all by herself. She looks so big and yet so small, but I am so very, very proud of her. She has stories to tell and people to talk about, almost every day. She was even a little sad that Monday was a holiday and she had to miss school.

10-Year Anniversary

2010-09-08T14:20:00.003-05:00

Devon and I celebrated 10 years of marriage at the beginning of August. 10 YEARS! It's crazy to think back what all we've been through, good and bad, in that time. It's been quite a ride and I hope the next 10, 20, 50 years hold more laughter, more fun, more good times than sadness and tears. Whatever they hold, I look forward to spending them with him.

We planned a somewhat last-minute trip to Mexico, although we had been talking about going somewhere for months. We picked an adults-only resort in Cancun that turned out to be perfect for what we wanted to see & do...relax, eat, shop, a little bit of adventure (more for Devon than me) and just all around beautiful scenery. Not to mention, one week without the girls and we knew they were in good hands. They spent the week on their grandparents RV and had as great a time as we did.

Summertime

2010-07-01T17:13:00.002-05:00

My favorite time of year! I love being warm. I love lounging out by a pool or in my backyard. I love the smells of sunscreen, flowers, cut grass and BBQ. We are having a pretty relaxing summer and I love that!

Cameron is in summer school - kindergarten! I think she is enjoying it even though almost 3 weeks in, she still resists when I drop her off. I thought she'd be ok by this week, but no. It's going to be tough having 4 weeks off from school and doing this all again. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Rory, on the other hand, is trying to figure out what being an only child for 8 hours of the day is like. She likes to be close to me and sometimes I need a little space...ha! We are enjoying each other's company, though. We swim, have play dates, go shopping, etc. This could be a little why Cami doesn't want to go to school. She thinks Rory and I are having tons of fun without her, which is SOMETIMES true, but more often than not, we're just hanging at home.

That's about all for now. Hopefully I'll get in the habit of blogging more, but I have said that a lot.

Rory Turned 3!

2010-04-27T11:08:00.005-05:00

Three years ago, I was more than a little surprised to give birth to a redhead. That redhead easily stole our hearts and has given us much joy the past three years.

Three things I love about her:

1. She is very friendly & doesn't really show favoritism.

2. She is a cuddler. She still loves to snuggle up regularly with us.

3. She loves her big sister wholeheartedly. Though they fight often, I don't think there is any person she'd rather be with. I hope that never changes!

Happy (Belated) Birthday, Rory!

Feeling Loved

2010-02-23T12:51:00.004-06:00

Something we all long for, to be loved, to be known, right? One of my love languages is "gifts". I love getting a gift, but more importantly, love getting something that is "me". Knowing that someone has paid attention to pick out something that I will love means the world.

Luckily my husband is pretty good at doing just that. He made Valentine's Day special this year just by being here, but also by doting on me over a few days time.

Thursday he showed up with flowers (daisies, one of my faves) in beautiful pink & purple! Not to be forgotten, the girls each got a flower and valentine of their own.

Friday, around the vase of flowers was the Bon Jovi scarf I hinted at...pink with lyrics from Bon Jovi songs written in a sparkly silver. Love it! Plus, he arranged a date night...dinner & a movie on our own. Perfection.

Saturday, he got me something that allows me to listen to my ipod in our new car. Yay!

Finally, on Valentine's Day I got a box of white chocolate covered strawberries. Yummy!

I love him so very much and am so thankful for him!

Cameron Turns 5

2010-01-15T12:30:00.003-06:00

Five years ago, my firstborn came into the world. It's hard to believe she's already five, has been attending preschool & will be starting kindergarten this year.

Here are five things I love about her:

1. She has learned several song prayers at preschool this year and makes sure we pray before we eat a meal.

2. She loves to sing & dance, especially to Taylor Swift, Hannah Montana & the Glee cast.

3. She is very sweet & loving to her little sister...well, at least in public. Not always at home, but I know what it's like being the big sister & the little one is always in your stuff (Just kidding, Jordan!)

4. She can carry on a conversation. She tells me about school or church or something she's watching or playing with. I love that!

5. She has a really good memory. She remembers things from 2 or 3 years ago, which seems pretty impressive to me.

She is a beautiful, smart, independent, strong-willed (or passionate) five-year-old. I love you Cameron Jo!

One More Christmas

2010-01-15T12:22:00.003-06:00

I've been lazy and haven't been on the computer that holds all our pictures, but I wanted to post some of Christmas in Ashland with Devon's family. Wish I'd taken a picture of the food because in the past few years, we've been having a non-traditional meal. This year it was crab legs & prime rib. Yummy!

Girls opening presents

Rory & her Mickey Mouse computer

Jake playing with a Hannah Montana doll

Christmas!

2009-12-26T08:28:00.006-06:00

Cameron was in her first Christmas play and I'm sure it won't be the last. She played an angel and had one of the longest lines. She did so great! Her class also sang three songs, one of which they learned sign language, too. They all did very well!

Cami saying her line

The three blonde angels

On Christmas Eve, we traveled to Dixon to celebrate Christmas with my family. It was the first without my grandpa and things were a little different. However, no matter how many people we've lost, we're still able to celebrate Jesus' birth together. The girls enjoyed playing with their cousins & opening the gifts my aunts & cousin gave them.

Cousins

For once, she posed without complaint!

This one has no problems posing for a picture!

A rare picture of us

For the first time ever, we spent Christmas Day at our house. We can see this becoming a new tradition for us. We actually woke up before the girls, then Rory woke up and Devon was trying to not wake Cami up, but she bolted up in bed as soon as he entered the room. Then he tried to quickly get out to start the song we play Christmas mornings..."You Gotta Get Up", but she was right behind him (and she has to climb down a ladder!) Anyway, it was great seeing their excited and slightly overwhelmed faces at all their presents and being excited for others to open their presents as well. I love that! My dad, sis & bro-in-law came over for presents in the morning and the rest of the day was spent eating & relaxing, a great Christmas!

Christmas morning

A Magical Vacation

2009-12-13T07:25:00.004-06:00

My awesome Dad splurged on our Christmas presents this year and took us to Walt Disney World for the week. My sister and I have been several times to the Magic Kingdom & EPCOT, but the last time was 14 years ago. Of course, this is my girls first trip there. I can't begin to tell you everything about our trip. Well, I can but it's going to be a fairly long post.

First of all, we stayed at the Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary Resort. This part of the hotel opened just this past August and was amazing! We stayed in a 2 bedroom villa which was plenty of room for all of us (3 bathrooms!). It had a great pool with an awesome water slide. Both of my girls braved this alone (after we were told they had to). It only took a little convincing (or a push) and they loved it. You could hear Cami scream the entire way down! :) This hotel is right by the Magic Kingdom and offers great views of the castle if you're on that side or at least from the walkway to the main building. Great place to watch the fireworks each night.

We started our week at EPCOT where in the restaurant, Akershus, in Norway, you can dine with the princesses. I thought this would be a special treat for the girls (and me) and a great way to introduce them to Disney. It began with a complimentary photo with Belle. This is who Cameron was for Halloween, so I thought she would be incredibly excited, but lo and behold, my precious 4-year-old went all shy on me. Now, this is a normal occurrence. She typically takes a while to warm up to people, but this is BELLE in her beautiful yellow dress. A little overwhelmed, perhaps? At least Rory wasn't...we have a beautiful picture of her with Belle & one of the entire family with Cami's head turned away. Unfortunately, she now regrets it and says, "I should have looked at the camera." Learning experience? Anyway, the meal was really good. We weren't sure what to expect for Norweigan food, but we all enjoyed it and it was a lot of fun to have Cinderella, Aurora, Snow White & Ariel come to our table as we ate. We toured EPCOT's World Showcase & rode several rides in Future World, then headed back to the hotel for dinner at the hotel & a dip in the hot tub & pool.

Tuesday, we went to Magic Kingdom. I wasn't sure what to expect on crowds and such. I had been researching so much for this trip, reading Disney message boards, looking at touring plans for the parks, figuring out which day to go to which park and still there were mixed reviews on crowd levels for this week. Well, we were indeed surprised & thrilled with the crowd level the day we were there. We only had to wait in line for 20 minutes at the most and that was maybe 1 or 2 rides. Many of them we just walked on. Cami loved most everything she went on, except maybe the Pirates. I thought Haunted Mansion scared her, but she said she liked it & wanted to do it again. They rode their first roller coaster in Toon Town. I wish I had captured the looks on their faces. They had this strained, "holding on for dear life" face, but Rory said, "That was fun!" when we got off and Cami wanted to ride again. They both loved Dumbo & really loved the Tea Cups. They rode them twice during the week. Luckily, Devon loves them too. My stomach says No! :) We finished the day by meeting Mickey & Minnie. The girls loved it! Then, dinner back at the hotel & more swimming.

Wednesday we went to Hollywood Studios. This is a great place, especially if you love movies, but it's not necessarily the park for my girls' ages. They loved the High School Musical production that went on right in the streets and they loved the Playhouse Disney show. They were also able to meet or see several characters as several of them are often out right in the center of the Studios. However, there are a lot of shows which is great for adults (I'm still sad I missed out on Beauty & the Beast), but we weren't sure they'd sit for long productions. We did see "Voyage of the Little Mermaid" and even that scared them. I guess a gigantic Ursula as well as feeling some of the effects was a bit much. There are also a few shows and thrill rides that are a bit too scary or they're too small for. However, for us adults, Rock-n-Roller Coaster was AWESOME! Unfortunately, we missed out on Toy Story Mania, which is the hot new attraction there. Next time, we'll go there first! We ended the day in the "Streets of America" where they have the Osbourne Family's Spectacle of Dancing Lights. I'm sure there are videos on youtube and I tried to take some video, but I'm sure it doesn't do it justice. It's this amazing light show set to music with an unbelievable amount of lights.

Thursday, the weather wasn't as great as it had been the first few days, but coming back to this cold weather, I can't really complain. It did rain a little, but we still enjoyed a little bit of Animal Kingdom. Basically we walked through one "forest" to see some gorillas & miscellaneous animals and we went on the safari ride. The jeep drives through small waterways and over bumps that were created to simulate a real African safari. It seems like the animals could come right up to you. The girls loved that, but after a quick lunch and the rain not letting up, we decided to head back to the hotel to rest. After our naps, we went back to EPCOT for dinner at the Coral Reef restaurant. We dined by their almost 6 million gallon aquarium, watching Rays & Sea Turtles, fish & sharks swim by. After dinner, we headed back to the Magic Kingdom for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party where we got to ride some rides again, take in a special show in Tomorrowland and watch the great parade & fireworks show. Both were spectacular!

Friday was our final day. We had breakfast at Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary where Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto & Donald came to visit as we ate. Then, we decided to tour the two other hotels on the monorail line...the Polynesian & Grand Floridian. Rory enjoyed playing in the sand by the Polynesian and we saw two different wedding parties by the Grand Floridian. One of them we witnessed actually getting into a Cinderalla carriage pulled by miniature horses! We went in the Grand Floridian to see the huge gingerbread house (they sell goodies from inside it) and huge Christmas tree, then headed over to the Magic Kingdom to enjoy some attractions again as well as try some things we hadn't done yet.

It was an awesome trip and I'd love to go back, especially when it's decked out for Christmas. I'd never been at this time and Disney goes all out (as they do for everything). It's amazing the amount of detail they put into decorations, shows, etc. to make Disney even more magical for Christmas. I'm so glad my girls got to experience it and hopefully will get to again and again. Oh and yes I have pictures. I'll post a few on here soon.

Eavesdropping

2009-11-19T14:38:00.002-06:00

Oh the conversations I overhear when my girls are playing! Sometimes one of them repeats something that I've said...usually a disciplinary statement. That's always fun. Sometimes they sing songs or quote movies which is really cute.

Presently, they are playing with Barbies & Princess dolls. Rory was making two of the girls kiss. Cami says, "Why are you making two girls kiss? You need to kiss a boy." Rory replies, "Oh I need to kiss a boy. Okay." That's all. Thought it was funny & cute.

Birthdays and other days...

2009-11-06T11:11:00.004-06:00

Today would have been my mom's 52nd birthday. She's been gone for almost 6 years and it still seems surreal at times. Fairly often, I catch myself thinking, "She can't really be gone". As much as I am thankful that she is in the most beautiful, wonderful place, sitting with her Savior and has no more sickness and pain, I still so badly want her to be here with me, her family & her friends. I want her to be a mother to her adult daughter who is now a mother, to be a grandmother to her granddaughters, to enjoy the little things together like shopping and TV shows and movies.

It's just another day. There is rarely (if ever) a day I don't think about her, but birthdays (of hers, of mine), holidays, and of course the anniversary of the day she died, are prominent reminders that she's not here. The hurt hasn't lessened at all. I wonder it ever will. I'm sad. I miss her.

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T16:52:00.004-06:00

Princess Belle & Minnie Mouse had a great time trick-or-treating! We hit up several friends' homes around the area, as well as Hy-Vee and the Trunk or Treat at the Fairview church next to Hy-Vee. Final stop was the fire station near our house for a good bowl of chili, "driving" the fire truck & of course candy. The candy haul should last us for months!

Also, on Friday, Cami had her first school Halloween party. They trick-or-treated through the other classes at school and then paraded outside and waved to the cars passing by.

Her whole class outside

Cameron with some classmates

Our princess & mouse

Cameron's Pumpkin

2009-10-26T07:53:00.003-05:00

This is what Cameron & Devon did with her pumpkin. Since she picked such a petite pumpkin, it turned into a pretty small jack-o-lantern. With the candle I put inside (which is just a tealight), you can't put the top on or it starts burning the pumpkin lid, but oh how cute it is.

Field Trips

2009-10-26T07:39:00.003-05:00

Cami's school has taken several field trips already. They first got to tour Hy-Vee & Shakespeares's, then the fire station near their school. Rory & I were able to join them on their trip to Peach Tree Farms where they got to feed animals, take a hayride, go through a maze and pick out their own pumpkin. It was a cold day, but the kids had a lot of fun anyway.

Posing by the pumpkins

Feeding the goats

On the hayride

Picking out their pumpkins

The whole class (Cami seems to be hiding)

Catching up...once again.

2009-09-18T11:06:00.005-05:00

I'm so bad at this blogging thing. I thought I would be good. I like to write and I love to get my thoughts out by way of journaling. I thought this would be a good venue to just share what I'm thinking and yet it the majority of the posts are about what's going on with our family. Which is fine, I guess. It keeps people informed, but then I'm always behind on sharing what's going on as well. Oh well, a work in progress, I suppose.

Anyway, the big development that's happened is that Cami started her Pre-K preschool class. At this moment, she is finishing up her 2nd week. See how behind I am? The first two days I dropped her off, she loved it! Then the 3rd day came and tears and screaming were involved. Heartwrenching! Of course, she ended up being fine and did not have to come home or anything, but the tears have come each drop off time this week as well. I think the crying period is shortening, but it's still hard. I know she likes it and participates and she will almost always share something about her day. Just this morning as we were packing her lunch, she told me her favorite things were playing outside & Bible class! Here are a few pictures of her first day...

Walking in with Rory

A little shy at first

Checking it out

Finally, a smile!

Rory didn't want to leave her sister at school

Anniversary

2009-08-06T08:11:00.003-05:00

Nine years ago I married my best friend. We still have fun together, enjoy being with each other, love raising two beautiful girls and just doing life together. I look forward to many more years with a wonderful man, husband & father.

Summertime!

2009-07-13T09:55:00.003-05:00

Just a few cute pics from the summer so far...

4th of July Weekend

2009-07-13T09:36:00.006-05:00

For the 4th, we got to spend some time at Goose Creek Lake again. Our friends' parents have bought a newer lake house with 6 bedrooms where all of their family as well as the four of us fit very nicely. Good thing, too, since we spent the majority of Saturday inside! Friday, however, was very nice and we spent the day on, in and around the lake, enjoying the beautiful weather, good friends & cold drinks.

Floating on the intertube

The little girls piling on Katie & Kyle

Group Hug

Two dads, 3 blondes & a redhead out for a boat ride

Father's Day Weekend

2009-06-23T08:42:00.005-05:00

We went to the Cardinals/Royals baseball game in Kansas City Saturday, along with my Dad, sister, brother-in-law & his parents. It was the girls' first Cards game and they I think they had a good time. We almost made it through the entire game and probably would have had there not been an hour & a half rain delay. We left in the 0th inning, missing out on Khalil Greene's 3-run homer, but definitely not missing Albert Pujols' 2-run homer earlier in the game. Plus, the Cardinals were ahead and won 7-1!

The updated "K" stadium is pretty cool. We walked around the ballpark, stopping for a while at the play area behind center field, hung out on the concourse until they finally announced the new game time, then enjoyed the view from our high up but really good seats.

Grandpa Wolf

2009-05-28T09:11:00.008-05:00

After a short battle with lung cancer, my grandpa (my mom's dad) passed away a month ago this week. He was not only an incredible man & grandpa, but my last grandparent. We lived in the same town growing up and for quite a while, just around the block. In my small town, we could walk to my grandparents' house and did that often. I wanted to blog about him at the time, but feared I wouldn't portray him as I'd like. I still don't have all the words, but here are some great things about my grandpa.

He gave me a nickname that (sometimes unfortunately) has stuck. Most of my family & many family friends still refer to me as..."Bootie". My grandpa used to sing, "Bootie go to night, night" and the nickname stuck. You can see why I say unfortunately, although I do love being the grandchild singled out. :)

He loved to travel and some of my greatest childhood memories involve vacations with my grandparents. We always traveled to Florida, via my grandparents' van, playing games on the long drives. My first encounter with the ocean was with him, as well as my first trip to Disney World and several other amusement parks. When I get a copy, I'll post a poem he wrote about his many travels.

He was an giver, encourager and "filler". My aunt read a children's book at his funeral about filling people's buckets. My grandpa did that in all aspects of his life. He loved his family & friends unconditionally and lifted people up just with his presence.

He was a joke-teller. Every time we saw him, he'd have a new joke. He loved to make people laugh!

He was always genuinely excited to hear from me or see me when we visited. After I had children, he always wanted to see them, wanted to know how they were, wanted to see us more.

He was an incredible Christian man and I am thankful I had him as an example in my life. He lived an incredibly full life, to a grand 87 years old. Though I'm still sad that he's gone (and even caught myself about to ask my Dad just last night on the phone how Grandpa was doing), I know he is with His Savior now as well as being reconciled with my grandma, mom and many other relatives & friends.

Playing Catch Up

2009-05-28T08:47:00.006-05:00

Well, I have obviously not blogged in some time. I've been very lazy about it. So, I'm gonna do a quick catch-up. Here are some highlights...

Rory had her 2nd birthday, with minimal fanfare. The four of us celebrated at home with dinner, cupcakes & presents.

Cami got to use her golf clubs at the driving range with Devon for the first time. A future Annika Sorenstam?

The four of us took a week-long vacation to Southern California. We spent four nights in San Diego at an awesome little hotel on a marina. Seriously, on the marina. If we had jumped off our balcony, we would have been in the water. We went to Sea World, the zoo, and the beach as well as toured other parts of San Diego, ate some great food, including some places highlighted on Guy Fieri's, "Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives". The next three nights were spent in San Clemente, a gorgeous beach town about an hour north of San Diego. My best friend & roommate from college lives there along with her husband & 3-month old baby boy. We had such a great time visitnig with them, eating good food (again) and just relaxing and enjoying the gorgeous (although a little cool at times) weather and scenery.

Easter

2009-04-14T20:49:00.004-05:00

We had a busy Easter weekend. We were able to take the kids to Eggzzstravaganza on Friday night for a "sneak preview" with other staff & volunteer kids that were not able to participate on Saturday. The girls had a great time checking out all the rooms. My friend, Tricia, was the creative genius behind it and it was incredible! There was a glow-in-the dark mininature golf room, an obstacle course, a Big 12 Shootout and Baby Nascar (toddler roller coasters) to name a few. The girls especially enjoyed the Baby Nascar room. Rory would have stayed in there the whole time had there not been other kids wanting a turn.

Saturday, the girls & Devon spent the day in Ashland working on his dad's roof (well, just Devon) while I spent the day at church helping at Eggzzstravaganza and Kidcrest. I was incredibly moved by the Kidcrest service. We have amazing volunteers back there who consistently show their heart for Jesus through their words and actions.

Sunday morning, the girls enjoyed their Easter baskets, but I'm proud to say that Cami knows that "God's Son" is the answer to this question: "What is Easter really about?" She was also able to tell me about the story book she made with pictures of the Last Supper, the cross & the empty tomb. Yeah!

Of course, we never got a picture of them together. We were running late before church and Cami wouldn't cooperate. Then after church when she would, Rory had chocolate on her dress. :)

Church Talk

2009-03-24T09:09:00.005-05:00

Cameron attended "big" church this weekend for one service and Devon wrote down the comments she made during the service:

I like that water thing when they put their heads in.

Jesus helps people when they are hurting.

I think I need to sit down because I could fall down.

It's not balanced. It's supposed to be balanced.

It's taking a long time to get it balanced.

(The last 2 are in reference to the scale Pieter used as a visual).

A Really Big Sister

2009-03-02T08:25:00.004-06:00

Another Cami story...

I was being lazy the other night and said, "Who wants to put Rory to bed?" and surprisingly the response came from Cami, "I will." She took Rory into their room, told her to get in bed, "read" her a book, turned out the light and shut the door. We didn't hear a peep from Rory the rest of the night when we typically hear some small cries of resistance.

Bible Stories

2009-02-22T16:01:00.003-06:00

Since moving up to the 4 and 5-year-old class at church, Cami has been loving Kidcrest even more (if that's possible)! She doesn't always tell us what she has learned, but today was a special treat, possibly because she heard it three times this weekend since Devon & I both worked all services.

Me: What was your lesson about today?

Cami: Well, our story was about a father and he had two sons. One son took all of his dad's money and then he spent it all. He fed some pigs and then he was going to eat their mud. Yuck! He went home and his father threw a big party to celebrate.

Me: That's a great story. Thanks for telling me!

Cami: Our Bible verse is(as she does the actions she was taught), "The son wants to tell others about the Father." Luke 10:22

She remembered the entire verse by herself along with the reference! I'm so proud, which is of course why I'm bragging about her on the blog.

Princess & Pirate Party

2009-01-19T11:42:00.003-06:00

Friday night we celebrated Cami's birthday by having a Princess (and pirate) party at our house. We had several of Cami's friends over...Lakota, Ava, Noah & Taylor, and Braeden & Sophia, as well as their parents. The girls dressed up in princess attire, while the boys had sword fights. We made chili for the adults and pizza for the kids and ice cream cake to top it all off!

Before the party

Dressing up

Yummy cake

Princess Ava

Princesses Lakota & Cami dancing

Happy Birthday, Cameron!

2009-01-14T10:54:00.004-06:00

My firstborn turns four today! Here are four things I love about her. (Thanks for the idea to my friend over at Life Unscripted).

1. Her incredibly expressive personality
2. Her ever-growing vocabulary
3. The way she "protects" her little sister
4. When she unexpectedly hugs me and tells me she loves me!

Happy Birthday, Cameron Jo!

The Golden Globes

2009-01-12T07:50:00.002-06:00

As much as I love sports and sporting events, I also enjoy the "girly" things, like Awards shows. The Golden Globes are typically a really fun event because they're a bit more casual. Well, maybe casual's not the right word. I mean everyone is still decked out and fixed up (maybe a LITTLE much on the hair, Drew!) so maybe off-the-cuff is better. They tend to have an "anything goes" feel versus the more serious Oscars. Plus, they honor both television AND movies!

Last night's Globes didn't disappoint in that area, although I was concerned the camera crew or director were on crack at one point. Not the best I've seen technically. I digress, though...

Some things I noted...
First of all, Heath Ledger's win for his performance in The Dark Knight. I thought his nomination was definitely deserved and MAYBE he won because of his untimely death, but he won! The director of The Dark Knight accepted the award and gave a beautiful speech on Heath's behalf. It was a very heartfelt moment.

I was incredibly excited for Kate Winslet's not one, but TWO wins, although her first speech was rather boring. Do you have to mention EVERYONE's name? Her 2nd go-round, she was even more emotional and incredibly sincere, giving love to Leo and her director husband, Sam. I saw tears in Leo's eyes!

I also loved the real emotion from winner Sally Hawkins. She was sincerely grateful.

It was fun seeing Steven Spielberg awarded just because of the video montage of movies he's been involved in. Funny thing...during most of Spielberg's speech, I was wondering why they were showing a beaming Drew Barrymore so much. I kept asking myself what movie of his she'd been in. I kept picturing her as an adult and couldn't place it. Finally, it hit me, oh yes, ET! Duh!

The ad libbing from many presenters made for lots of laughs! Don Cheadle making fun of Brad Pitt being dumb in "Burn After Reading", Colin Farrell making a reference to his former "habit", Tracy Morgan's acceptance speech for 30 Rock's win and everything Ricky Gervais said.

As always, cable shows and movies I don't watch or haven't seen won, but it always makes me want to see them and I've actually HEARD of most of the nominees this year. I'm hoping to see Slumdog Millionaire soon! I'd already heard it was excellent and apparently it was rightly rewarded by taking home four Globes.

As for the fashion, most everyone looked incredible. I loved January Jones, Anne Hathaway, Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, Christina Applegate & Amanda Seyfried to name a few. As for the men, gotta love them in tuxes! Bruce Springsteen looked incredible and Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Tom Hanks, Leonardo Dicaprio all looked very handsome and classic. I even loved Ashton Kutcher in all black! However, I agree with the writer at E! who picked Johnny Depp as Hottest Presenter and said, "he seemed like he just woke up from some sexy dream, and because Glenn Close looked like an excited schoolgirl when he came onstage. Trust us, it ain't easy to get Close to squeal."

Birthday Wishes for My Best Friend

2009-01-08T09:12:00.005-06:00

Happy Birthday to my best friend and the love of my life, my husband. Devon celebrated his 32nd birthday yesterday by having the day off! Lucky for me and the girls, I always cherish and relish when he is home with us. We had an excellent breakfast at Cracker Barrel, followed by a leisurely day at home and then dinner at Chevy's. Two times in a restaurant with the kids yesterday was surely a feat, but they really did a great job. One comment from a friend, "You're twice the age of someone getting their license this year." Nice. I laughed, of course, but really I'm not too far behind.

Happy Birthday, my love! I look forward to many more birthday celebrations together!

Christmas 2008

2008-12-28T20:45:00.003-06:00

We had a wonderful Christmas, celebrating last weekend with Devon's family in Ashland, Christmas Eve with my extended family and Christmas Day with my immediate family. The girls cleaned up on gifts as did Devon and I.

With my extended family, the kids exchange names for gifts, but they also receive gifts from my aunts and cousins. I thought Cami would be very gracious because she had been awesome the Saturday before with Devon's family, enjoying the gifts she opened and enjoying watching others open theirs. However, after one of the first gifts she opened (an incredibly cute puffy vest with a shirt to go underneath), it was not "Thank you" that came out of her mouth, but "I didn't want new CLOTHES!" Oh, to experience being unable to keep your child from saying what you don't want them to say. (Did you get that?) After a couple more not so gracious comments, she was sent to time-out for a bit, to come back in a much better mood and enjoy the Christmas festivities AND all the gifts she received.

Oddly enough, Rory didn't have much interest in opening the gifts until she caught a glimpse of what was under the paper. Her favorite toy by far...Handy Manny's Talking Toolbox. It kept her attention FAR longer than I've ever seen a 20-month-old's attention captured.

Christmas morning began with the traditional playing of Rich Mullin's, "You Gotta Get Up", followed by several hours of present-opening, a hearty breakfast of bacon, eggs & pancakes cooked on Devon's new griddle and relaxing and playing games.

Here are a few pictures...

Trying to get a picture of Cami in her Christmas dress

Rory in her Christmas dress

Cami loved her princess dress-up clothes and modeled each of them within 10 minutes.

Rory's other favorite gift...Elmo Live!

A Few Pictures...

2008-12-10T08:15:00.007-06:00

I've obviously been really bad about blogging lately and I still don't have a lot to say at the moment, but here are some pictures.

Thanksgiving in Iowa...

Cami "driving" the RV...

Rory channeling Harry Potter...

Cami's awesome gingerbread house...

The girls in front of our tree...

Halloween

2008-11-04T19:38:00.003-06:00

The girls had a great time dressing up as Jasmine & a tiger! We trick-or-treated at Hy-Vee, at Devon's family in Ashland, the fire station near our house, then ended up at our friends, the Rau's, where Cami got to help pass out candy to other kids in the neighborhood.

Rory didn't really like wearing the hood as you can see.

Election Day

2008-11-04T12:20:00.006-06:00

Finally, Election Day is here! I'm not what you would call a politically savvy woman. I do try to be as informed as I need to be on the candidates and issues of which I am voting, but I admit, most of my political knowledge comes from "The West Wing" (the TV show, not the actual area in the White House). However, I love voting! I'm incredibly grateful I live in a country where I have the freedom to do so.

I was excited to take my kids with me, although Cami told the lady volunteering at the electronic ballot who "she" was voting for. Nothing's a secret when you have a 3year old.

As an added bonus, I enjoyed a free cup of coffee from Starbucks just for voting...I love America!

First Haircut

2008-10-27T13:58:00.005-05:00

Rory got her first haircut last week. She did great and sat very still! Her hair has grown much quicker than Cami's did. Cami didn't get her first real haircut until after she turned 2.

Before...her bangs were really long.

After (I think she was posing)

Homecoming

2008-10-27T13:35:00.004-05:00

We took the girls to the Mizzou Homecoming parade Saturday morning and they loved seeing the floats, bands and of course, grabbing the candy off the streets. It was a pretty cold morning, but they didn't seem to mind at all.

Later, we had fun tailgating and watching the Tiger football team destroy the Colorado Buffaloes. So glad to get a win again and in such dominant fashion!

August Dean White

2008-10-27T13:31:00.004-05:00

Welcome to the world, August Dean!

Our close friends, Jeff & Samantha, had a baby boy almost a week ago. We are so excited for them! It was an amazing day and I was honored to be able to share it with them. You can see him on their blog, samandjeffwhite.blogspot.com

Grievances and Celebration

2008-10-14T11:09:00.003-05:00

This weekend was a mixture of fun and stress, sadness & excitement, grieving and celebrating.

The Tiger game was just so sad, I'm finished talking about it. If you saw it, you know how bad we looked and unusually so. I'm anxious to see what happens this weekend.

Sunday, though, was all about celebrating our friends, Jeff & Samantha, who are having a baby very soon. We had an incredibly non-traditional "shower". So much so, it was not referred to as a shower. It was a party with friends, food, cake and presents. We watched a little football and played Rock Band on the Wii.

Pumpkin Patch Fun

2008-10-14T09:33:00.006-05:00

The weather this October has been incredible! Personally I like that it has stayed so warm. I do not look forward to the cold days that we'll experience soon enough.

We took advantage of the gorgeous weather one Saturday and headed to Peach Tree Farm near Boonville. The girls loved all of it...seeing animals like chickens, turkeys and pigs, as well as the goats they got to feed!

We also took a hayride around the farm and spent some time in the pumpkin patch, although oddly enough, we didn't actually buy a pumpkin.

WOW Retreat

2008-09-29T12:08:00.015-05:00

This past weekend, I attended the WOW (Women of Woodcrest) Retreat held at the Hyatt at Union Station St. Louis. This was my first women's retreat, partly because I have been busy on the weekends they've fallen and partly because I always thought I was too young to attend, like I wouldn't fit in or something. That was not the case this year. The location, the band, speaker and genuine women and friends all made for an incredible time of fellowship, community-building, worship, spiritual insight and retreat. I'm so grateful I was able to go this year and already looking forward to next year!

Dinner on Saturday night. Yes, there were boys. They're in the band.

Tricia & Carrie playing some Guitar Hero during Saturday night's free time.

Self-portrait of Karen, Niki & myself

Janel & Lori rocking out!

Niki & JP bustin' a move to Hannah Montana (it was quite funny!)

Bunk Bed Fun

2008-09-15T08:29:00.003-05:00

Earlier in the summer we purchased a loft/bunk bed for Cameron, with the hope of moving Rory into her room when she gets old enough for a "big" bed. I was thinking this would be closer to her 2nd birthday (April), but Friday night Devon decided to try it out and put Rory in the bottom bunk to go to sleep. It actually went pretty well. She only got up 3 times and each time Devon just took her back to the bed. He said he didn't even hear her getting up. She would just toddle out with blanket in tow into our room where Cami was watching a movie. After the 3rd time, she stayed there and slept until morning.

The next night, we had been over at a friend's house and got home late, but I thought I would try it again to see how she did. Not too long after I put her down, she quietly toddled out with blanket in tow and I took her back. The next time, we were already in bed, but we heard noises so Devon got up to check on her. She was having a good old time with the play kitchen like it was the middle of the day. So, he put her back in bed. Not too long after we heard noises again. It was my turn and did I get a shock. Rory was on the top bunk (where Cameron was CONKED OUT) walking around and laughing. It was the funniest thing I've seen in a while. I couldn't believe Cami slept through it and Rory was so pleased with herself. I wanted to leave her there and get the camera, but I got her down and decided the crib was still the best place for her for now.

Tiger Football!

2008-09-04T12:35:00.005-05:00

If summer HAS to come to an end (and I would rather it didn't), it's a good thing something great begins...football season! We decided to make a weekend of the first Tiger game and spend two nights with some of our St. Louis friends, Katie & Greg. So, we hit up the grandparents to watch the girls and Devon and I were able to spend most of the weekend kid-free. What better thing to do than watch the Tigers play Illinois! (Ok, maybe there are a few things better, but this is WAY up there.) Along with our friends, Jeff & Samantha, we drove to St. Louis Saturday morning and eventually made our way downtown. We ate hot wings & fried pickles at Hooter's, took in some Dr. Zhivegas at the Bud Light tailgate and then went to the game.

The game itself was great and Mizzou played pretty well, albeit allowing the other team to score too many points, but I'll take 52 points from the Tigers any day.

The rest of the weekend was spent playing Rock Band on the Wii, playing cards, at the driving range and just relaxing. An awesome weekend and we're looking forward to more Tiger football!

Fighting Sisters

2008-08-21T08:04:00.004-05:00

The girls have started fighting...already! I never would have expected the sibling fights and bickering to begin at such an early age, but alas, it's here. It's not just the older sister picking on the little one either. No, they both dish it out. Rory wants to have everything her sister has which makes for a good time when more often than not, Cameron's just not going to give it to her. She'll run away and Rory takes off after her. Rory also mimics everything her big sister does. Cameron was walking to her room "exasperated" about something and she let out an "Ugh", walked to her room, accidentally hitting a bowl of Cheerios sitting on the table. Rory followed, made her own noise and purposely hit the bowl. :) So, their fighting isn't ALWAYS irritating, at times it can be funny. This is a picture of Rory when she's mad at me, but it's pretty much the same "mad" face she has with her sister.

I've commented on it before, but I do love how Cami is so protective of her sister in public. She gets a little shy and takes a while to warm up to people, so instead she'll shower her sister with love and affection in the midst of a crowd. Pretty cute, although we are continually working on manners and at least saying "Hi" when people are talking to her. Here they are together, in a happy, silly moment.

Sidenote: Here's the picture of Devon & I from our Anniversary date two weeks ago. (Our computer was out of commission for a while, so I didn't have picture uploading capabilities for a while.)

August 5, 2000

2008-08-06T11:44:00.004-05:00

Eight years ago, Devon & I got married on as hot a day as it was yesterday with 250 family and friends packed into the First Baptist Church of Dixon. It's amazing to think about all the changes, struggles, and great times we have had in such a short time. He is the love of my life, my best friend, my favorite person to be with, a wonderful, loving father, a giver, server and amateur comedian. Yes, he still makes me laugh (even though I sometimes roll my eyes).

Last week he had to go on a business trip to Cincinnati and the entire dynamic of our household changed. First of all, I was sole caretaker of the girls for five days (kudos to those who do this often, not to mention all of the time), but also because I am just used to him always being here, especially at night. Having him by my side gives me comfort and helps me sleep a little more peacefully. We survived, though, and I ended up with several "breaks" from the girls in the form of a meeting, bowling, and coffee with a friend. We all missed him, but it could have been a very difficult week and it really wasn't too bad at all. Thankfully, he returned safe and sound and we spent a great weekend at Goose Creek Lake with the girls.

Last night, we celebrated our anniversary. I have a pre-date picture, but haven't uploaded to the computer yet since ours is being worked on, but we looked GOOD. :) We went to Jack's for the first time and had an AMAZING dinner, along with good conversation. Then, we took a short stroll through Shelter Gardens before returning home. I couldn't have asked for better!

Blogging Just To Blog

2008-07-21T15:19:00.008-05:00

At the moment, I have no stories to tell, no anecdotes to share, I just haven't blogged in a while, so I'm filling some space. So, here go the random thoughts that pop out...

It's already been two weeks since I blogged about the 4th of July...meaning summer is on the downhill swing. I'm not excited about this fact at all (although it will mean Mizzou football)! My kids aren't in school yet, so I don't have "back to school" to look forward to, although I constantly marvel that two summers from now, Cameron WILL be getting ready to start school! I love summer because of warm (or hot) weather, many sunny days, long daylight hours to be/play outside, swimming, getting a tan, BBQs, ice cream (although this I love even in the dead of winter), vacations and a more casual way of life for our family. With our kids as young as they are, our summer is not busy at all. I know better than to wish my girls to grow up any quicker than they already are, but I do wonder what life is going to be like in just a few years. Will my girls get involved in the activities and sports that I want them to be a part of or will I need to learn something new to engage with them? I have promised myself I won't pressure them into the sports I played and loved, but I know it will be hard to fulfill that promise. I watched my 11-year-old cousin, Kelsey, play basketball at the Show-Me-State Games this weekend and loved watching her team play. It took me back in time, wishing I had started earlier...maybe I'd have been a little better. It made me want to coach...hopefully I'll have the opportunity when my kids get to basketball-playing age. And if they don't play basketball, well...let's not go there yet.

More randomness...I watched an incredibly sad and yet wonderful movie last night. I cried pretty much the entire movie, but still loved it. It might have been the mood I was in, or just that I hadn't had a good cry in a while because I can see myself watching it again and not being quite so affected by it. It was P.S. I Love You, with Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler, not to mention Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Harry Connick, Jr. Anyway, Holly (Hilary) & Gerry (Gerard) are married and Gerry dies of a brain tumor at the age of 35. Tragic, of course, but then beginning on her 30th birthday, she receives a cake and a letter from him, followed by gifts (including a vacation) and letters. They are filled with things he wants her to do to take care of herself and to get back out in the world. I haven't figured out yet if this would be unhealthy for a person, only increasing the grief with each letter or just a special gift to be able to hear from that person a bit longer as you begin a new "normal". So, I cried because there are so many times I wish my mom had been able to write something, a journal, card, a letter good-bye. I wasn't with my mom when she died, so it partly comes from that regret and wanting closure and the chance to say good-bye. I also cried because unfortunately I let myself GO THERE sometimes and wonder what if that were to happen to me. I am SO blessed to have Devon for my husband (of almost 8 years!) and two beautiful, special girls, so I don't dwell for long.

On another note, (because I can't end on that!), Cami got her hair cut a little over a week ago. She adamantly refuses for me to fix it...EVER, so we decided to cut it and see what it would do. Because her hair isn't very thick, we weren't sure, but we are so glad we did. She now has an adorable style and refers to herself as the "blue" girl from Charlie & the Chocolate Factory. See for yourself...

Okay, so not the best picture to capture her cute "do", but she wasn't being completely cooperative (imagine that!), but it won't be long before I post more. Oh and the day after she got it cut, she said, "I want a pink (meaning the holder) ponytail". Go figure.

And not to leave little sister out...here she is in all her cuteness.

4th of July Weekend

2008-07-08T08:43:00.008-05:00

I hate when weekends are over. They always seem to fly by and three-day weekends are no different seem to go even faster, if that's possible. Technically, I don't have a job I have to go back to on Monday, but then again, I guess I do. I love having my husband home for two full days, not only to spend quality time with him & the girls, but so that he shoulders some of the load of caring for them. That being said, we had a really nice time visiting my Dad and some extended family in my hometown of Dixon this weekend.

On the 4th, we had a fish fry with my Grandpa, aunts, uncle and cousins. The fish was caught last September when my Dad, Grandpa and Uncle Howie & Aunt Marlene went to Canada. It was yummy! They had been wanting to fry it for a long time since they'll be going back this September. After the fish fry at Grandpa's, we went out to my parents' house and shot off fireworks as well as watched the fireworks being shot off from the surrounding houses. Cameron covered her ears every time, but she did admit they were pretty, just too loud. She even got to hold a few sparklers. We thought Rory would be in bed, but with all the people, she just didn't want to be away from the excitement, although being outside with the fireworks wasn't exactly her cup of tea either. She cuddled on my shoulder and jumped several times with the louder fireworks, but never cried.

On Saturday, we went swimming at the Country Club where my Dad is a member. I thought there might be a big crowd since the weather was cloudy and unseasonably cool the day before, but surprisingly it wasn't crowded at all. The girls pretty much had the run of the place and enjoyed swimming in the kiddie pool and with us in the big pool. Devon got to play a couple of rounds of golf this weekend which he really enjoyed. I would have liked to play, too, but someone had to watch the girls. Speaking of that, my aunt (Nanny), and cousins, Keri & Kelsey watched the girls Saturday evening while Devon, my Dad and I went to see Hancock and had dinner at Cracker Barrel.

Sunday we went to church and watched the incredible Wimbledon tennis match where Nadal eventually bested Federer. All in all, a great weekend!

Walking and Whatnot

2008-06-24T10:57:00.008-05:00

It has been mentioned to me by a couple of people who read my blog and have seen Rory recently that she is most definitely walking. This is contrary to what I posted about a month ago. So, in keeping with updating you about my kids...hey, Rory is walking! She really started around her 1 year birthday, but it was never anything consistent. She would take some steps, then fall back to her hands and knees and crawl her little heart out. However, as time progressed, she began walking more and more and though she still crawls occasionally, Devon and I have marveled at how much she is really walking almost all the time now. It is a lot of fun to see her grow up like she is, yet she still looks so tiny walking around!

Other than that, nothing too exciting has been going on in the life of the Casady's. We are loving the summer and warm weather, hanging out with friends and family and just enjoying life. We spent some time with our friends Niki & JP Friday night. They were house-sitting for the Mitchell family, so we got to play with their new puppy, Suki, which the girls loved. As you can see, Cami wanted to wear her fairy princess dress for the night, and who can really blame her?

Saturday we went to the Cherry Hill Festival for a couple of hours. We ate free hot dogs and drinks provided by Cherry Hill Dental, browsed the stands of local artists, let Cami jump in the bounce house and saw my sister as Johnny Banks again. No pictures this time around, but let's just say Cami was still not loving her Aunt Jordan in that costume.

Twin Lakes & Twilight

2008-06-14T16:31:00.009-05:00

Wednesday the girls and I went swimming at Twin Lakes with our friends Erica & Ava. The girls had a great time, so I'm sure we'll be going back many times this summer. It's a great place for little ones...basically a huge wading pool with waterfalls and slides. Of course, all the pictures I took were during break time.

Thursday we all went to the Twilight Festival in downtown Columbia. We went to see Jordan dressed as her bank's "mascot". As you can see from the photos, they weren't exactly into their Aunt Jordan as Johnny Banks. So, we grabbed some candy and went to the kid area. We took a horse-drawn "carriage" ride and Cami had a great time jumping around in the bounce house.

Weekend Fun

2008-06-09T08:11:00.009-05:00

This weekend we got to spend time with our good friends, Tim & Lindsey and their family at their lake house on Goose Creek Lake. We have spent several weekends there over the past few summers and have loved it each and every time. It's just a relaxing time spending the day in the lake, on the boat or playing with the kids on the deck and this weekend was no exception. The kids spent time in the kiddie pool, which is getting a bit crowded with the growing families, but they love it. We also took the boat out a few times for skiing and riding the intertube. Devon got up on one ski which was awesome! Unfortunately I don't have a picture of it. As for the intertube, Cameron rode for the first time last year and definitely wanted to do it again, but we thought we'd see how Rory would like it as well. This turned out to be quite the adventure. Devon got on with both girls and we were going really slow, but then decided to speed up a bit. When Tom (Tim's brother) tried to ease up the speed, the intertube took a nosedive and the girls went overboard. A little scary for me watching from the boat, but Cami did so well keeping her head up and holding onto the intertube while Devon kept Rory's head up and then grabbed Cami. Tim dove in to help as well. Rory was a little scared, but it didn't seem to faze Cami at all. She was telling stories about it on the boat and was eager to get back on the intertube. I was very proud of my brave girl! The rest of the weekend wasn't quite so eventful, but just an enjoyable time with friends. We're already looking forward to our next Goose Creek vacation.

Rory playing in the pool

Tim & Lindsey's daughter Reese "driving" the boat

Cami, Rory, Reese, Summer & Ty (Tim & Lindsey's niece and nephew) squeezed into the pool at one time

Cami with Summer & Ty on the golf cart

Devon with the girls before the "swim"

Life Moments

2008-05-27T09:05:00.011-05:00

As I sit and type these words, I am torn between wanting to get my words down and putting it off until later so I can play with my girls now. You see, last week one of my favorite musicians, Steven Curtis Chapman, lost his youngest daughter in an accident outside their home. Obviously, I did not know the Chapman family personally, but being a fan of Steven's music and keeping up with he & his family on his website, I feel like I do. His music has touched my life, along with many others for years now. He has written encouraging, fun, uplifting and poignant lyrics, comforting many and I pray those same words will be able to comfort them at this difficult time. The Chapmans have also been an important advocate for adoption, something that has been on my heart for some time and increased when I learned more through the foundation they created. It is called Shaohannah's Hope and focuses on adoption assistance, awareness and orphan care. Along with their three biological children, they adopted three little girls from China. Maria was the youngest of these.

After reading several blog entries on Steven's website, they are hurting, of course, but they are still able to praise God and rejoice that Maria is in heaven with Jesus and that they will see her again soon. How uplifting...that amidst a tragedy and loss of this kind, they are full of faith and love for a God that is Sovereign and know that nothing happens in vain. "For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans for peace, not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11.

Since learning the news, I have felt such sadness and heartache for this family and utter disbelief that something of this magnitude could happen to a family completely dedicated to serving the Lord. However, it is a lesson to me that we should hold onto each moment as best we can, making each day count. This is really nothing new as I have had significant loss in my own life, but yet another reminder that we can never know what tomorrow brings. Although easier said than done on some days, I desire to do this, love the Lord, strengthen my faith daily, be the best wife and mother I can be and enjoy and relish the little moments that may seem insignificant, but are what life is truly about.

Perhaps most touching is the song he most recently released called "Cinderella" and is about exactly that...slowing down and taking time for those little moments. Here are links to the music video and story behind the song. Click on "See More Videos" to access the story. http://www.stevencurtischapman.com/radio/frame.htm

Some tidbits...

2008-05-20T12:54:00.007-05:00

Life has been relatively quiet lately, which is why I haven't been blogging much. We are enjoying the warm weather and getting to be outside, whether it's at a park, a friend's house, or our own backyard. Rory is still not walking, which is somewhat frustrating when we're outdoors. Luckily, she doesn't seem to mind crawling on concrete or dirt. I have to adjust my own thinking and recognize that dirt is not the worst thing in the world! Some days I think she is just lazy with her walking. She sometimes won't let us put her feet on the ground to stand her up. She is, however, talking and jabbering a lot, which is fun to hear. She has also been imitating us regularly. For example, when we cough or sneeze, she does a fake one of her own. Pretty cute! We finally got her 1-year pictures taken, oh, just a few weeks late. We got several good ones - she smiles so easily!

Cameron just continues to grow up and is a lot of fun to carry on a conversation with. I love hearing her talk about the kids in her class at church. We are there often, working and volunteering, and she talks about her "friends" regularly. A little shout out to my girls...there are many weekends we are at church for all three services and they don't seem to mind. They're either used to it or just love being there as well! Cami loves playing outside, especially swinging. She loves music and dancing as well. Her favorite artist right now...Taylor Swift, a young country singer. She has the cd in her room and turns it on often. She is also into wearing dresses or skirts right now, although she still doesn't like me to fix her hair.

Royal Tea Party

2008-04-29T12:42:00.003-05:00

I took Cameron to her first real tea party, a Royal event featuring Belle, Mrs. Potts & Chip from Beauty and the Beast. She dressed up in her new "Papa Lynn" dress and her Sleeping Beauty crown. Held at the Upper Crust downtown, it was a fundraiser for TRYPS (Theater Reaching Young People and Schools). They have a production of Beauty and the Beasty in a few weeks. We haven't bought tickets yet, but I think Cami would really enjoy it. It was a fun time with our friends Carrie & Lakota. We ate rose-shaped cake, took pictures with the characters, played games, sang & danced, and finished off the morning with a "parade" around the room. Each child took home a rose that lights up. Cami was one of the lucky ones and also won a door prize.

Bon Jovi Rocks!

2008-04-23T22:35:00.007-05:00

Well, the big concert was last night and it did not disappoint. Daughtry opened for Bon Jovi and was very good. Then, there they were...Bon Jovi! Those guys can still rock and sound AMAZING! They did a great set of songs, most of my faves...You Give Love a Bad Name, Bad Medicine, Always, Home, It's My Life, Livin' On a Prayer, I'll Be There For You (props to Richie), the list goes on. And Jon...he not only sounds good, he still looks good, ladies. Too bad I didn't have girlfriends with me to share a few moments of adoration. I was lucky to have my wonderful husband with me, though. We didn't exactly have the BEST seats in the house, so people behind us weren't as enthusiastic about standing up even when we did. They never complained, but they didn't join us either. Hello, people, it's a rock concert! Not to mention the group of 6 to our left that had to squeeze past us to get beer more often than not. Good times. However, it was still a great night and a great birthday present!

Happy 1st Birthday, Rory!

2008-04-20T07:37:00.005-05:00

Our little redhead is one year old today! I am truly amazed at how quickly time goes by. She is a joy and a blessing and such a happy little girl. It is a strange sight to see her without a smile. She has started taking a few steps if we set her away from us and make her walk to us or a toy, but nothing consistent yet. She knows she can get to where she wants to go by crawling very quickly.

Above are pictures from her birthday party we had yesterday. We were supposed to go to Cosmo Park, but the weather did not cooperate. It was rainy and cold, not unusual, but I was hoping for a warm April day. Maybe one year we'll get to be outside on her birthday. Luckily, the family is flexible and we had everyone over to our house, where we barbecued and had ice cream cone cupcakes. Rory really liked hers and didn't want it to be taken away, but we quickly distracted her with gifts. Of course, she got distracted by the toys that were unwrapped as well as the discarded wrapping paper. It was a good day! As Devon said, "I think Rory really liked her birthday party."

Stupid Jayhawks

2008-04-08T09:25:00.002-05:00

Yes, that is truly how I feel. I never thought they were the best team in the nation as some "experts" may have said, nor do I think they are the best team now. Sure, they have a trophy that says differently, but my opinion is that Memphis' poor free throw shooting finally got the best of them and Kansas got incredibly lucky by hitting a 3 with 2.1 seconds left. That's all I have to say about that.

As for tonight, the women's national championship game should be a great one between Tennessee and Stanford. Two amazing coaches and programs. I'm in awe every time I hear the statistics of Pat Summitt's success. If Tennessee wins tonight, it will be her 8th national title, behind only legendary coach John Wooden who has 10. Incredible!

Weekend Fun

2008-04-07T15:49:00.004-05:00

We had a fantastic weekend! We were excited when we realized that Saturday we had absolutely nothing we HAD to do. We spent lunchtime at Twin Lakes park with the girls, washed the car (which made Cami laugh a lot) and a short trip to Wal-Mart for mulch. After that, the girls took naps, Devon did some quick yard work, basically putting down the aforementioned mulch. Not long after that, our friends Chris & Hilary came over with their daughter, Taylor, to enjoy some of the cake they made me for my birthday. Then, a bit later, Niki (and JP after church) came over to watch some Final Four action. Very happy about the Memphis win, not so much about the KU win. Hopefully tonight, Memphis will be cutting down the nets.

Sunday, Devon & I went to a Cardinals game with Jordan, Chris, Jeff, Sam, Katie & Greg. Before the game, we had lunch at White Castle. Then, off to see the stadium for the first time (for me). It was a beautiful day for baseball! We had great bleacher seats - right behind hottie Rick Ankiel who had an awesome game! After the Cardinals' win, we went to Ted Drewe's Frozen Custard. What a great birthday celebration!

The Big 3-0

2008-04-04T08:10:00.006-05:00

Well, hitting the big 3-0 wasn't nearly as bad as I expected, especially since Devon surprised me with tickets to a Bon Jovi concert before he went to work yesterday morning! I hinted around enough that this would be the best present ever and he totally came through. I will be able to cross this off my list of things to do before I die. The concert is April 22, so I get to prolong my birthday celebration. I usually call it my birth-day WEEK, but now I can stretch into a birthday month!

He also gave me tickets to the Cardinals game for Sunday. It will actually be my first time at the stadium (I can't believe it either), so I'm pretty excited about that. I'm looking forward to a day in St. Louis with family and friends.

My birthday day was very good. Jordan & Chris came over after work and brought pizza and presents. I got a cute Cardinals shirt and some Old navy flip flops. I love them both! My friend, Hilary, brought an awesome chocolate cake for me that she had baked herself and decorated with a little help from her husband, Chris. Plus, I got tons of birthday wishes in person at church that morning, through phone calls, as well as via facebook!

All in all, a great day and the celebration isn't over yet!

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T17:53:00.004-05:00

Happy Easter to everyone! This is actually Rory's first Easter since it fell mid-April last year. The girls enjoyed Eggstravaganza as well as getting their Easter baskets and hunting for eggs. Well, Cami more than Rory. :) We were very blessed by the Easter service we attended as well as being able to serve in Kidcrest. Devon was the teacher for the 3rd, 4th and 5th graders on Easter morning. He did a great job sharing the message not only of Jesus horrible death, but the hope we are given, because of his resurrection...the true reason for celebrating Easter.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2008-03-18T08:42:00.008-05:00

Though I've never really celebrated St. Patty's Day before besides the obligatory wearing of green, we decided to have a special dinner in honor of the day. We made a Reuben Hash, which was a Rachael Ray take on a traditional Irish meal. Made with potatoes, corned beef, sauerkraut, some spicy brown mustard and a splash or two of beer (was supposed to be Guinness, but we went with a slightly thinner beer, 1554) and topped with cheese. It was very tasty!

I also decked the girls out in green. I couldn't get them to turn around, so here are there backsides. I tried to make it fun for Cami..."Today is St. Patrick's Day and we're supposed to wear green.", but of course she still challenged me on which green shirt to wear. Her other choice was still wet from being recently washed, so she conceded without too much of a fight.

Longing For Spring

2008-03-10T09:31:00.002-05:00

Winter has seemed so long! With being cold and fighting colds and other sicknesses, we are very anxious for spring to get here. These short glimpses we have had are wonderful, but I'm looking forward to full-on spring! I want to see things blooming and turning green, more frequent warm weather and enjoying being outside. The weather people say this week is going to be pretty nice and I am so thankful for that! Winter be gone, bring on spring!

Spa Weekend

2008-03-10T08:32:00.002-05:00

This weekend I was able to get away with the women leaders of our church, while the kids stayed with Dad and Grandma and Grandpa. We went to the Lake of the Ozarks where we relaxed at the Lodge of the Four Seasons and Spa Shiki. On Saturday after some shopping, we enjoyed time in the whirlpool, sauna and relaxing on the lounge chairs while waiting for our spa treatment. I got a Swedish massage and it was amazing! I was hoping I would continue to feel the effects of it, but I think I could already use another one! Several of my condo-mates and myself stayed in for dinner and enjoyed a Friendly Freezer meal. Then we had an incredibly fun group time before heading back to the condos for talking, relaxing and playing games. Sunday we had breakfast in the condo, then had a large group time of connecting with God. After that, we headed out for more shopping and spent most of the afternoon at it! It was a great weekend of hanging out with friends, getting to know new ones, celebrating the women's leadership of Woodcrest and relaxation. Can we do it again next weekend?

Happy (Belated) Valentine's Day!

2008-02-22T10:08:00.006-06:00

So, I'm a little behind in my posts. We had a very Happy Valentine's Day! Jordan & Chris came over a couple of days before and gave the girls gifts. A nightgown and cookie mix for Cami and an adorable spring dress for Rory! They also brought gifts from my Dad that he had left the last time he was here. An Elmo mini-lunchbox with cookies inside and for Rory, the QT Pie heart box with chocolates, which we got to eat of course. :)

On Valentine's Day, Devon surprised me with a card, a single rose and a gift card for tennis shoes! He had it all set up very cute with the rose connected by fishing line to a shoe box under the table with the gift card inside. I know tennis shoes don't sound very romantic, but they are ones I really wanted when I saw them, so it was perfect for me! I love so much when he remembers something I've said I'd like to have! He also left the girls plastic hearts with candy inside. Once again, we got to enjoy the M&M's instead of Rory! I know Valentine's Day is a very commercial holiday, but it is still nice to feel special and loved on that day. I am blessed to have an amazing husband who I love so dearly and who loves me in return. Not to mention, two beautiful daughters who I love so much as well!

Branson Weekend

2008-02-22T10:07:00.001-06:00

A couple of weekends ago, we got to go to Branson with my brother-in-law's family. Our niece had a cheerleading competition on Sunday, so we made a weekend out of it. We stayed in an awesome condo (timeshare in the family) and pretty much just hung out, relaxed, ate and played Wii. On Saturday, we went to The Butterfly Palace. We enjoyed the butterflies a lot. They even landed on us a few times and there were so many different ones. Pretty cool. We also had a great time getting lost in the Maze of Mirrors included in The Butterfly Palace. Sunday was the cheerleading competition and Megan's team took first in her division!

Super Weekend

2008-02-06T09:41:00.000-06:00

This weekend was chock-full of sports, one of my favorite ways to spend a weekend. After spending a few hours with the Solid Rock basketball league at church, I had a Dad-Daughter date at the Mizzou/Kansas State game. It was awesome! I knew it would be fun just to go, but getting an unexpected victory off a nice, steady comeback in the second half just made it even better!

After that game, the entire family trekked over to Fulton to watch the William Woods boys play. Not quite the same atmosphere as Mizzou, but I must say, it was still an exciting game, back and forth until about 3 minutes left when McKendree started to pull away and won by 11. Not bad for the bottom team in the conference against the top team in the conference. Unfortunately Logan (my cousin who we were there to watch) didn't get to play. Maybe next time.

Sunday, of course, was the Super Bowl and though we're not really Giants fans, we were all about rooting against the Patriots. Man, was it a good game. It's been all about the Manning boys the last couple of years, so that's pretty cool. We watched it with our friends Bradley & Carrie and their daughter, Lakota who is Cami's age. They played and we watched and cheered and of course, ate some good food.

Go Tigers!

2008-01-31T07:49:00.000-06:00

As an avid Missouri Tiger fan, I want my Tigers to do well all the time, but I am a true fan, meaning I cheer for them all the time, through the good and bad. Once again, something bad happened...off the court. These types of things make me crazy, because I just want the players to care enough about their sport to stay out of trouble. This article from the Columbia Tribune says it all. http://www.showmenews.com/2008/Jan/20080130Spor001.asp

I want to give kudos to Coach Mike Anderson for sticking by his zero tolerance policy and punishing his players that broke the rules. Suspending five players was a big risk, but the Tigers were still in the game and it was yet another they could have won, even using just the seven players that he did. Sorry, Nick Berardini, we really thought you would get to play.

Kid Speak

2008-01-20T18:26:00.000-06:00

Cameron has been greatly expanding her vocabulary and adjectives are used abundantly in her conversations. Amazing, incredible, awesome, totally cool, even terrible have been heard on multiple occasions this week. She cracks us up everytime she uses one. It is just too grown-up! She also uses, "well", quite a bit. As in, "Well, I'm just playing, "well, let's do (blank)", and even just "well, ok." I love it!

As for Rory, she has been saying "Dada" for quite some time now and we know she understands who "Dada" is even if she does babble it over and over. She will look at Devon and say it very clearly. I understand that this is the easiest syllable for babies to say, therefore the first, and I do think it's adorable, but God had quite the sense of humor on this one. Since, it seems, moms are still expected to do much of the work involving their children. For example, today Devon took Rory to a restaurant bathroom for a diaper change and there was no changing table in the men's restroom. I will note that not all restaurants are like this, but I still end up being pleasantly surprised when there is one available for men to use because more often than not, they are missing. It's 2008, Dads are involved now, give them a changing table, too!

Three Years Old

2008-01-16T07:54:00.000-06:00

Our firstborn turned three on Monday. Where does the time go? It has been and continues to be so cool seeing her personality come alive in all that she does. She is a great big sister who loves to make Rory laugh and whether she means to or not, she makes us laugh more often than not. I believe we have made it through the terrible two stage, although I hear there can be a terrible three or four stage. We're hoping for the best and things are going well so far. One big feat we accomplished before her third birthday was getting her potty-trained. She is doing so well! We love you, Cameron Jo!

Also, here is a link to pictures of Cameron from 2-3 years. Do not feel pressured to look at them. There are quite a few.
http://www1.snapfish.com:80/share/p=938161200499529735/l=340149528/g=8124251/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB