The Great Christmas Wreath Artist

Max has had quite the career as an amateur artist, particularly in the art form known as "painting." His gallery of masterpieces that adorn the walls of Faison Hall would put the Louvre to shame. Not to be outdone, Camille has taken to the arts to express her inner-Christmas spirit. I present what may possibly be her magnum opus, simply titled Wreath.

Warming up with a painting for a local charity auction (no, not really y'all).

This is the teaser, as we would call it in TV. "Oh my! What's she painting!?"

The artist's tools of the trade

We present for all to enjoy...Wreath. No pictures please.

Maximus (left) with Tree (circa 2012) and Camille (right) with Wreath (2014)

Winter Is Coming

Ok, ok. I know it's been a while. For that I apologize. To make up for it, I bring you a few gifts in the form of adorable photos of Max & Camille. Aunt Caitlyn has been busy helping take care of Camille while I'm still working on the road. I should know because I get daily updates in the form of the latest cute pose that Camille has learned. Trust me, there are a lot of them! I've had some time here and there to be home, but it's never much and never enough. When I AM home, I try to make the most of it. Sometimes I keep Max out of school so we can hang out and go to the "ice cream store" (I hope Mommy isn't reading this ;-). Coming up on Christmas break will give me a month to be home (as the schedule currently stands), so hopefully I can play catch up as best I can.

Our Thanksgiving break consisted of traveling back to Alabama to see Courtney's family in the Birmingham area and then onward to the Iron Bowl (that was fun) in Tuscaloosa. We decided to take our camper out for it's first real weeklong journey. I gotta say, we all had a blast. It was rather cold weather most of the time, but a few tanks of propane, electric blanket and campfires kept us warm and we had plenty of room to run around with Max and Lucy.

Mille getting closer to standing

It's never too early for roasted marshmellows!

We're ready to work

It's also never too late for roasted marshmellows

These three amigos crack themselves up

Play hard. Sleep hard.

Lucy got in on the action by finding the largest "stick" on the campground

We found some great BBQ in Mississippi on our way back home

Who loves his sister? 

Never a dull moment with MaxMan

Thanksgiving was blast. It was awesome to see some family followed by an incredible Bama game. Always a good time. As soon as we got back though, I had to immediately hit the road for work again. However, the episode we are currently shooting is in College Station, TX and I had a chance to drive back home to see everyone on my off day. It was short lived, but I did manage to capture Mille's teeth that have come in. Just look between those gigantic cheeks!

Smile so we can see those chompers!

Mille loves her some "Aunt CayCay"

Half Birthday for Camille

Our baby girl is 6 months old. Since I am behind on my blog posts, I get to update you on how well Camille is into eating solids and grabbing at all non-toy items. This girl keeps us on our toes.

Camille took a little bit of time to get convinced that solid food was what all the cool kids eat. She was not a fan of the rice cereal at first and her expression was priceless every time the spoon entered her mouth. I mixed it with breastmilk so it shouldn't have tasted so bad but Camille wasn't having it. And when Camille isn't having it, the whole neighborhood knows! That girl is opinionated and vocal (like her momma). We then introduced butternut squash, bananas, avocados, and peas to her list. Bananas are her favorite like her brother. And Max isn't too thrilled that another member in the house is depleting his banana stock. 

The conversation went like this ... 

Max: I want a banana today

Mommy: Oh, we are all out. Mommy will get some at the store

Max: No, I saw some yesterday

Mommy: Yes, but Camille ate it

Max: What?! That's Max food. I want a banana now! Why did Camille have to eat my banana?

Mommy: It's everyone's bananas

Max: Why?

And that sums up where we are in Max's life stage ... The dreaded WHY that gets asked 20+ times a day. 

Here are a few photos from Camille's pediatrician appointment on the 17th:

It's my birthday, I get to destroy paper!

Take that paper

Now I will swim in a sea of paper

Mmmm, paper

Best big brother

Early morning love

There are no posing shots in our family. The love between Max and his Mille is real. Every morning Max wants to know where she is and if she is sleeping. If she is awake then you can add an additional 10 minutes to your morning routine as he has to do a little jig and repeat multiple times "good morning Millie" to make her smile which she does every time.  He has asked to take her to show & tell, and wants to know why she can't go to school with him.  Will he always be this infatuated with her ... lets hope so.

If you remember from blog posts before, Camille moved in my belly most when I was around Max.  I believe she loves him as much as he loves her. 

Playing together at 4 months

Max is smitten

Max always asked to hold his baby sister

Giving Mille one of his stuffed animals in the morning.

Camille's first time in the cart.  He was so excited for her.

Holding onto her as we crossed bumps.

More morning love

Always trying to make her feel better

Mille showing her love with a slobbery kiss

Nap times are the best when spent together.
*Note my arm separates them and Camille retreated to her bed following the pic*

Look ... It's Alabama

The statement we heard all weekend was "Look, it's Alabama" every time Max saw a script A this weekend. You can imagine how many University of Alabama items we saw in Tuscaloosa for the Florida vs Alabama football game. We had a blast showing the kids campus and getting to watch a game.

We started the drive on Friday arriving into Tuscaloosa at 6:45pm. Luckily Ryan and Matt were already in town and able to grab a large table on the patio of Phil's where we met them for dinner and a few beers. The kids were at a breaking point and needed out of the car so being outside and in the middle of all the action (on the strip people watching) was just what we all needed. 

Mommy and Cami hanging at Phil's

Following a quick meal, we took the kids back to the hotel and went to bed. Adam joined us in the wee hours of the morning following his shift so he could be in Tuscaloosa when the kids woke up. I don't think Adam planned on the 7am wake up call though. After breakfast, we all headed to campus for some Gameday action. It was HOT, very HOT, so we made our way to somewhere air conditioned for lunch which turned out to be Zoey's in the stadium. Cami found it to be perfect spot for a nap. It was getting closer to kickoff so we met Melissa and Lester at Denny Chimes and watched the band warm up. Cami perked up for the band and started to give her signature giggle and smile which had been absent given the heat. 

Napping in the A/C

After lunch under the stadium

Photo by Max: I spot Mille

Photo by Max: At the stadium

On the Quad for Pregame Fun

Tyler and I walked the kids back to the car so Melissa and Lester could take them back to the hotel, then headed to the stadium for kick-off. 

Walking to the car with Melissa & Lester

Kickoff Time - Did I mention it was hot?

We ended the weekend with a visit to see Laura, Robert, and Mark for

Sunday breakfast. The end of the trip was exhausting for the whole family but we made it home. 

Daddy, Cami, and Max

It's check-up time!

Camille and Max were up for their appointments early this month. I'm so blessed that each appointment is ended with a good bill of health and on-track development. Originally I was going to do back to back appointments for both kiddos but soon realized the date was also Max's first day of preschool. They didn't have any other back to back appointment so they went different days. Luckily my parents took Camille for me so that I didn't have to manage my work schedule for two appointments across town.

Let's start off with little bit who isn't quite little. Camille is breaking records at her 4 month appointment coming in a whole pound and inch larger than her brother at his 4 month appointment. That's my 90th percentile baby. I just think back to what my doctor said with Max. The percentile at this age is a representation of the mom's health if baby is breastfed. Camille is an eater but not as much as her brother so I know it's just good milk that does her body good and fills her thighs, cheeks, and belly with fat! 

4 month appt:  16 lbs. 6oz  -  25.25 inches

She is one super happy baby and spends her days laughing it up. Her cranky moments are purely to get her way. 

Maximus is officially a big boy even at his doctor's appointments. We now have to stand on the scale for weight check and against the wall for height. Max was not a fan of the shifty surface to check his weight and that panic continued when we had to get him to stand up straight for something to eventually touch his head. I feel that his stats might be a bit off since he was so squeamish and didn't stand with confidence. He is healthy and percentile stats are not as important anymore. Unfortunately I did not get a picture as I was trying to do damage control and prep for the doctors arrival following the scary weight/height check and finger prick. Yeah they told me no shots this visit but I was NOT prepared for a finger prick blood test. Max is in a stage where every part of his body is special and needs ice packs, bandaids, and kisses when even slightly banged. We are also battling the "you cut me" stage where he refuses to have fingernails and hair cut as it's "mine" according to Max. So you can only imagine the joy he got out of seeing this woman steal his blood which is "mine." I was still hearing the "it hurts" whine as we were getting donuts almost an hour later. He did fine with Dr. Sherrod though. 

3 year appt:  36 inches

I can't believe he is 3. A lot of people talk about how great this age is for it's imagination, vocabulary, and innocence. It hasn't even been a month and I'm already loving it!

Max's ice pack he found in the freezer.

All hands on deck

It's official ... Caitlyn has arrived in Texas! We survived the time period between June 15 - Aug 1 which is when we leaned on friends and family to help care for Miss Camille until we awaited Caitlyn's arrival. Caitlyn, Tyler's sister, just graduated from college (Yay!) and made the move out west. Until she lands that dream gig, she will watch Cami for us.

My mom ("B") flew out for my first couple weeks back to work. 

Cami was confused by her brother dancing
behind the photographer.

B got some good quality grandkid time.

Then Tyler did the four day week of July 4th. 

This is how I left them in the morning for work.

Apparently, Cami eats meals in Tyler's work space.

Nicole, Cami's godmother, came into town from Alabama for a week. 

Ms. Forrest (Max's name for him) singing to Cami

Learning how to play golf

Lastly, my cousin Toni from New York flew in to finish off the remaining weeks. She was a trooper since she arrived in the early morning and we basically threw her a baby with post-it notes all over my house. 

We made our way to the zoo one Saturday

We are so blessed that people wanted to come out here and help in the transition. It was best for our family that our littlest one get that same love and devotion that Max got in his early months. All and all it was a parade of the best eats in Dallas. Pretty sure I gained 10 lbs but it was all worth it to spend time with all the people mentioned above. So thanks again and I'm sure Camille has changed significantly since you were here last; she seems to be growing at a rapid pace these days.