What Have We Done All Summer?

Wow! This summer has been full of fun! Brooklyn and Camden are growing so fast. This summer we've had a lot of adventures and spent a lot of good, quality time with family. I also babysat a friend's kids this summer and Brooklyn and Camden loved their time with Sarah (Age 10) and Packard (age 9). They looked forward to seeing them a couple times a week and Sarah and Packard were so good playing with the kids and giving them a good brother/sister example.

We were also able to spend some time at the zoo this summer and got to see the Koala Bears, and of course, pet the sharks. It's so amazing what a difference a year makes in watching the kids enjoy the zoo. Brooklyn and Camden both love the dolphins and we always make sure to hit the dolphin show! Brooklyn also loves the lions, tigers, and elephants, while Camden finds all the fish and seals intriguing!

We went on two trips this summer. One was with Cade's family to Great Wolf Lodge in Cincy, OH. What a great place and tons of fun. The kids both loved the water park (as did we!) and they also enjoyed Storytime at night in the lobby. And, most of all, they just loved spending time with their Gigi and Papa. I would definitely recommend this place for family time and staying just one or two nights is perfectly sufficient.

About a week later, we went to Myrtle Beach with my mom (and sister) for a family reunion. We had a really great time and the weather was perfect! I could share several funnies, but most are better said in person. The kids actually did as good as could be expected in the car...thanks mostly to GoGo's laptop and movies. Molly couldn't have had a better time with her niece and nephew with the minor drawback of listening to way too many children's songs. However, Brooklyn and Molly managed to memorize lines from the movie Elf as that happen to be Brooklyn's favorite of the week!

Well, now we're getting closer to the end of our summer as others are going off to school and we're starting in on our fall schedule of CBS and MOPS. This week we are also working with Brooklyn and potty-training and she has done remarkably well and we are NOT turning back to diapers, so that's promising at this point. The most difficult part about the potty-training has simply been to keep Camden's hands out of the toilet...he's loves any water he can splash in!

Finally, Cade is loving to be at church and working with all of the people there--staff and members. He continues to grow spiritually with the job and as a leader in our home. It is truly humbling to see how God has worked in our lives the last six months to have us in the right places in the right times. I am doing well too. Baby #3 is almost 19 wks. along. I've yet to really feel this kid move, but I rarely even get a moment to lay and be still to give myself a chance. I've been feeling great and have started having progesterone shots every Fri. They're no biggie and a nice friend of mine does them for me. Sorry for the long blog, but wanted to catch up. I've added some pics so you can see how our little ones have grown. Take care to you all!

I love playing in the backyard. At night, I do "shots" with Daddy. (Basketball)
I love playing in the pool and with my water table! I've also mastered the slide!
I really like the spaghetti Mommy made the other night. So much, it was all over me and the floor too!
"Aren't I beautiful?!" I love playing dress up with necklaces and other jewelry.

Many Changes

Wow, things can change so quickly! We found out we will be expecting Baby Stockwell #3 on Jan. 19, which is my sister Molly's birthday. Although the doctor knows I will probably be far from still pregnant on that date, we are hoping to at least get this baby to full term. I've already been told I will hit bedrest around 30 wks. (right before Thanksgiving). Part of me is looking forward to the idea of skipping the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, but really what it does is just move mine closer. I have to get it all done this summer and fall.
Some days I'm really excited for this baby and other days I'm kind of scared...I mean 3 kids under 3--what were we thinking???? Actually, we know this is God's timing and pretty much how we pictured it ourselves. We wanted our kids to grow up close, be friends, and experience so many things in life together...and, they will! We couldn't have asked for God to bless us any more.
Everything else has been going pretty well. This summer I'm watching a couple kids a few days a week, which isn't bad and I know it's short term so I can get through it. Fortunately, the kids (mine and the kids I watch) have been great! It will be weird in the fall to just have my own b/c I'm so used to always having other kids around.
Brooklyn is always getting more mature in so many ways. Even though we're still kind of in a "whiny" phase with her, she has more up moments than down. I can't definitely tell the influence I have on her, which is scary at times. The other day I was upstairs and she was downstairs with Camden. I heard her say, "Wow Camden! That's so crazy. That's cool, Camden!" And lately, as we've put her to bed, as we leave the room she tells us to have sweet dreams. I'm sure we've said that to her before, but not on a consistent basis...where do they get this stuff??? Brooklyn's favorite thing to do this summer has been to go outside with Cade after her bath and help him water the flowers. She has her own little bucket and they have quite a routine! She loves to play basketball, or "do shots" as she calls it, afterwards in the backyard!
Camden is our little man. So hilarious, for the most part laid-back, but can throw himself into a fit in seconds, which is weird because I didn't ever feel Brooklyn really do that. He's walking all along everything and can stand by himself and has even taken a few steps on his own, but he's not quite there yet. He loves the pool and yesterday he even kept trying to just put his face in...it was so funny and he was so proud!
Cade is loving his new job and I can tell he is pouring himself and his heart into the church. He really desires to see people connected and making that effort to get involved. I'm really proud of him for being willing to follow God as he led us to TPCC (in terms of a "job"), and we are realizing more and more that it was His perfect timing.
Well, we look forward to a great summer! We are heading to Great Wolf Lodge for an overnight in July as well as a week in Myrtle Beach...both vacations with family! Brooklyn is also going to her first "sleepover" (I'll be going too) at the end of June. Always something new, always something fun!

Some Early Spring Pics

"I fly like a bird, Mommy!" said Brooklyn.
Just a pretty picture!
I've mastered the art of biting the spoon when Daddy feeds me yogurt!
I love wedding cupcakes!
"Daddy knows how to do my hair, Mommy!"

Happy Birthday Camden!

This is on my birthday...the hat only lasted long enough for the picture!
I love the camera...and I love to say CHEEZZZZ!!
I loved my birthday cake and my birthday cake loved me!

The Year Has Passed So Quickly

I can't believe Camden will be 1 in two days. This past year has gone so quickly. Part of that I'm grateful for, but I also feel like where did that time go and how has he grown so quickly? I try not to compare, but I feel like I had so much more one-on-one time with Brooklyn to read, build blocks, etc...and I wonder if I shorted him of those same opportunities. However, I know he has experienced different things she never did. I try to convince myself that every family with multiple children goes through this, and all children grow up experiencing life differently based on birth order, but it's a different feeling as a mother than as a child. Anyway, I'd love to brag on him for a moment and let you know what he's been up to! Well, like any boy I'm sure, he's totally all over the place. He's very active and climbing and walking along anything he can hold onto. He laughs and smiles a lot, although having a shy, flirtateous side to him as well. I know he's our kid, but I just think he absolutely beautiful and wouldn't change a thing about him! The thing I have been most excited about is the relationship I see developing between Brooklyn and Camden. To see her be so protective (and of course those other "big sister moments" too) and for him to watch her every move is so intriguing. I know God gave me Brooklyn first for a reason, and I love growing her heart to love others so that Camden and any other siblings that may follow can have a role model that loves Jesus. I am so grateful for both of our children, and I'm so excited to see them grow together in friendship and love.

Spring is Here!

Well, it's been so nice to have such beautiful days lately. The kids have enjoyed many wagon rides and trips to the park. I'm looking forward to summer! Brooklyn is now 2 1/2 and Camden is 11 1/2 months. I can't believe he is almost one. It's scary to think how fast the last year has gone. Camden has really blossomed (no pun intended w/ the weather) in the last couple weeks. He has a hilarious personality and is so easy-going. He waves and says Bye-bye, and babbles all of the time. He's a pretty good eater and sleeper, and is just a real happy kid! He laughs a lot and loves to follow Brooklyn everywhere, which she doesn't always appreciate. Nevertheless, she's taken on the big sister role well. She plays out a good balance of nurturing and loving on him, and of course, the sibling squabbles over toys. Brooklyn just had her 2 1/2 year check this week and is about 38in. tall and weighed in at 27.5 lbs. (I'm sure one of these days she won't appreciate me sharing her weight)! A few weeks ago, Brooklyn did take a hard fall and had an emergency trip to the dentist. She chipped a top tooth and the four main bottom teeth are loose. The dentist believes they'll tighten back up, but they're still tender for her with certain foods. She's really loving to read lately and is reading many of her books to us (well, she's memorized her books to us). She will really be at a loss in about a month when we take the summer off of MOPS and Bible Study, but hopefully we can fill it with many trips to the zoo and parks.

There's not much news on the homefront lately. Cade and I are doing well and he's really enjoying his new job. We're so blessed that he is so close to home. Well, I'm sure we'll have more news in May...Camden's birthday, Mother's Day, I'm running the Mini, and whatever else comes our way. I'll try to stay updated!

*Pics above are 1)Brooklyn and cousin Avery at Chuck E. Cheese and 2) Camden laughing because he is excited Mommy fed him some ice cream!