Don't get me wrong that is one amazing little girl you see in that picture and she is a ball of fun but how does this:
turn into this:
so fast?
This Wednesday will mark three years since Adam and I got married. Hard to believe. So much has happened since then, not the least of which being the addition of Campbell to our family. To celebrate, we spent Friday night at a local bed and breakfast. Adam is probably still cussing silently in his head because I insisted on bringing Campbell. But if she knew any cuss words I think it would be Campbell who would be cussing in the aftermath of our little trip.
Saturday morning as I packed up our stuff, Adam took Campbell around to look at the grounds. They wandered up to a bell that Adam thought Camper would get a kick out of ringing. What Adam didn't know was that a colony of yellow jackets was making a cozy little home out of that bell. Campbell's crying alerted me to the situation. Adam and Campbell both received three or four stings. We spent a nervous 30 minutes or so waiting to see if our daughter was allergic to bee stings . .. Luckily she was not and actually, once the excitement died down, Campbell didn't seem any worse for the wear. I think she was more scared than hurt.
But, except for this little hiccup our trip was enjoyable, the scenery beautiful.
Campbell was very excited to get to see cows up close and personal. Incidentally, cows in Campbell's world say "boooooooo" not "mooooooo." Here we are Saturday morning "booooooing" with the cows.
This past weekend we journeyed to Charlotte, NC to spend the holiday with Adam's family. Adam so rarely gets to see his family that the trip was too short and went by too fast but was a fun chance for him to catch-up. There were sparklers . . . there was swimming . . . there were brats and there were, of course, pictures.
Adam's folks - aka Ganny and Popper - used the opportunity to take photos with the grands for their Christmas card this year. Below is my favorite . . . If you look carefully you can still see last year's card in the back ground.
This is my favorite photo from the session . . . GG is such a gem!
A new study shows that the sight of your baby's smiling face triggers the same reaction in a mother's brain as drugs. For any mother who has experienced the joy of your baby smiling back at you, this natural high is not surprising news.
I know my sweet girl's smiles and giggles keep me flying high as a kite all the time!
I love this quote from Maggie Gyllenhaal about the wonders and life-changing aspects of becoming a mother!
"I think having a child changes everything and has deepened everything in my life. I never knew that I could be so tired. I never knew that I could work so hard. I never knew that I could love so much or be so patient or be so excited by the tiniest, tiniest little thing. Everything about it has surprised me."
I agree 1000% - there's nothing better! And how cute is this little family!?
By the by - Adam and I are both totally stoked for the upcoming Batman release!
Check it out . . . Our little star! She already looks annoyed by the paparazzi!
. . . you enter your baby in the county fair baby contest. And that is exactly what Adam did last night! Much to my dismay - we were there to cheer for Nathaniel as he competed in the Diaper Derby and Daddy's pride got the best of him as he looked around at the other baby contest entrants and the next thing I know Campbell is entry #10 in the 6-12 month age group! (Thanks, too, to Aunt Gina for pushing Adam - not that he needed much convincing!)
I wasn't sure about the whole baby contest thing for several reasons not the least of which being a very real fear that I might get up there and not be able to contain myself is she didn't win. So, since it was his bright idea Daddy took her up on stage and the two hams in the family had their 15 seconds of fame. As it was she finished second out of 18 - not bad. (There is no way the baby that won is cuter than my kid but, WHATEVER!) Not too shabby really when you consider that all the other babies were decked out in frilly dresses and bows and those goofy headband things. I think Campbell was the only one without her ears pierced (my biggest baby pet peeve, by the way!) She was there straight from daycare with lunch still on her shirt and in her hair.
It was her beautiful personality that put her over the top and out shone all those tiny little fake diamond earrings. She got up there and waved and smiled and all the judges went "Aw" at the same time. Atta girl! This will be her one and only beauty pageant appearance because I am determined that she will not skate by on her good looks and I will not teach her that being pretty or "hot" is all there is to being a girl. So, if she had to be in the contest I'm glad it was her adorable, magnetic spirit that won over the judges. Incidentally, speaking of personality - Nathaniel also finished second in his contest. He would have won the Diaper Derby but for his pause at the beginning to stop and smile and flirt with the judges before crawling.
After their unofficial awards photo shoot we took the winners on a victory lap around the carousel. Campbell loved it! Nathaniel wasn't so sure but seemed to enjoy it, too.
Campbell even did the daredevil one-handed move - maybe she has some of my reckless streak in her after all. It's hard to tell - I think Daddy's cautious side and Mama's devil may care attitude battle it out inside her a lot. Her tentative crawling is a score for Daddy's caution. The back flips and hanging upside down tricks and love of speed are scores for Mama. If I can get her walking and show her she can make herself go fast I may make a hurdler out of her yet . . .
