Gummibunny

Zoo!

2009-01-08T03:13:02Z

I've been jonesing for a chance to take Camille to the zoo, especially since she seems to love animals as much as I do. We enjoy our neighborhood Oatland Island Wildlife Education Center, which has wolves, buffalo, a farm, and a few other fun creatures, but I really wanted Camille to experience a larger zoo.

So when we visited Erin and Dave and Jones in Miami, we decided a trip to the Miami Metro Zoo was in order. We'd barely made it through the front gates before Camille spotted these animal statues, and she was happy enough just playing with the rhino. Little did she know she'd see one later that day!

In addition to the wildlife, we even managed a celebrity sighting. Reese Witherspoon and kids were renting a bike to ride in the zoo. We tried not to stare.

Camille saw so many of the animals she's read about and learned about, and was quick to hop on top of this statue outside the elephant exhibit and show us her trunk.

But the highlight was at the end of the trip when we finally made it to the giraffe area. We knew we were pushing our luck because it was WAAAY past naptime, but they let you feed the giraffes and I couldn't resist.

I really thought Camille might be a little timid, because she can be shy sometimes around new animals like a strange dog or the loudly honking goose at Oatland. But as we approached the giraffe with our "salad" (kale, I think), she didn't hesitate to stick out her arm and offer the snack. We may have a future zookeeper in the making.

By the time we were leaving, she was exhausted. We made a quick pit stop by the restrooms, and she spotted some ornamental monkey grass near the sidewalk. Sinking into it she said, "I'm going to sit in the jungle."

There were so many fun pics and even better video, so I had to put them together in this zoo clip. I think she's going to have fun watching this tomorrow when she wakes up! Me too!

Zoo! from Ginger on Vimeo.

Bowl Game Bliss

2009-01-07T04:22:17Z

Lee always does well with my birthday and Christmas presents, and this year was no exception. In addition to some very cool and very me presents (like my Twilight/Vampire Baseball shirt and two Harry Potter-related books), he also wrapped up a pair of these:

Oh yes. Tickets to UGA's bowl game. I was ECSTATIC. It has been years since we've actually seen the dawgs play in person, and these days it seems impossible to find an affordable pair of tickets to a game at Sanford Stadium. We were in Miami the few days before and after the bowl game, so Erin and Alva graciously agreed to take care of our sweet girl while we made the day trip to Orlando for the game.

We both wore our jerseys - I was Matthew Stafford and he was Knowshon Moreno (in the black-out jersey). I realized how out of practice I was at this whole gameday business because I left my face tattoos and our stadium seats at home. We lost our car flag a few years ago when a window was inadvertently rolled down on the highway, and it was never replaced. But what we lacked in paraphenalia, we made up for in spirit.

I screamed like a Banshee. I made a fool of myself. I actually teared up a little when the band formed the arch on the field and started playing fight songs. I know - I know - it's crazy. I'm crazy. But I just love that school and I love that team and I had missed them so.

I'm so glad we won, although even if we hadn't I think I still would've walked out of that stadium a happy dawg for having watching my team play in person. It was a little disorienting seeing live play after so many years of televised games. I kept looking for that yellow "first down" marker, and longed for the instant replays that help me figure out what the heck just happened. But I wouldn't trade it for the chance to roar with the crowd and do the "Go Dawgs, Sic 'em!" cheer amid a sea of red and black. Can't wait to do it again some day.

A Merry Little Christmas

2009-01-06T02:13:07Z

Christmas morning was great. For the first time in our married years, Lee and I spent Christmas Eve and morning in our own home. That didn't seem nearly as important in years past, but it's something I'd like for Camille to experience and remember.

When I was in 3rd grade, my family moved into a home with stairs, and those stairs factor mightily into my Christmas morning memories. Anticipation mounted with each descending step, until I turned the corner to see what Santa had in store. This year, I was excited to take Camille down her steps on Christmas morning.

Here's a little Christmas morning video recap!

A Merry Little Christmas from Ginger on Vimeo.

Happy Holidays!

2009-01-04T02:49:20Z

In just the last three weeks, we've driven more than 2700 miles, traversed 5 states, been hosts to family members and then the guests of family members, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We just arrived back home tonight after spending New Year's in Miami with Erin, Dave, Baby Jones and Boo.

There are so many things I'd like to write about and so many pictures to share, but tonight I need to unwind. However, I couldn't resist putting together this clip of Miss Camille on Christmas Eve making cookies for Santa Claus and Rudolph (and herself, apparently).

Christmas Cookies from Ginger on Vimeo.

Christmas Cookie Playdate

2008-12-24T01:17:42Z

Miss Camille was so excited to be invited to a milk and cookies playdate today at Elsie's house. The two friends enjoyed reindeer sugar cookies in Elsie's new playroom before posing in front of the tree as the two cutest reindeer EVER.

Holiday Recycling Idea

2008-12-22T03:45:27Z

Lee gets all the credit for this holiday recycling idea, 12 months in the making. We saved all our Christmas cards last year and are reusing them this year to make gift tags. We're cutting out certain parts of the cards, punching holes in the corner and tying them to the gifts with ribbon. I think they turned out well - like this glittery snowman for Baby Jones:

And this cute bear:

We're using more than just characters. Sometimes festive patterns make a nice tag, too.

I have enjoyed looking through last year's cards, being a little creative with the tags, and not spending a penny on the project! Score!

Letter to Camille: Twenty-Nine Months

2008-12-20T01:30:38Z

Happy Twenty-Nine Month Birthday sweet girl! Just a few minutes ago, I put you in your crib and watched you scoot as close to the wall as you could - just like you do every night. You reached a hand through the rails and began rubbing your open palm over the lavender plaster bumps on the wall. Apparently, this has become a self-soothing technique and I think it's so cute because it's so ... you. You came up with it. It wasn't something we suggested, and nothing a sleep book could suggest, it's just something you decided you enjoyed. And that makes it cute.

Last weekend, when we visited Nana and Granddaddy you slept in a pack-and-play. When I laid you down to sleep I thought about your plaster wall and wondered if you'd miss it. If you did, it didn't show, but we still discovered another of your adorable self-soothing techniques. Not long after I'd closed the door, I heard a whispering sound on the monitor. We turned it up and tuned in. You were sleeping with your beloved Foofa doll, and I realized you were singing one of her songs.

You've become quite the songbird lately, and that's one of the many things I've enjoyed about this last month. Your current favorite songs are Jingle Bells (which you originally sang as "Tinkerbells, Tinkerbells...") and Rudolph. Yesterday, I also got an earful of a Yo Gabba Gabba song about using inside voices. Except the only part you would sing was, "OUTSIDE VOICE! BIG AND LOUD!" Over and over. Silly girl.

But I think you love making monkey noises even more than singing. I'm not sure how this began, but I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that your Daddy is a very convincing monkey. He makes us both laugh with his antics, and you like playing along too. You regularly tap us with your magic wand and say, "Abra-cadabra you! I turn you into monkey!" and we have to hop around sounding like monkeys until you tap us with the wand again.

All this monkeying around has become quite helpful for getting you to go upstairs for a bath. In the past, you weren't always too keen on beginning your bedtime routine. But one night, Daddy exclaimed, "Let's be a monkey family!" and started climbing up the stairs making monkey noises. You bolted for the stairs to join him faster than I thought possible. Now, every night we head upstairs as a monkey family (sometimes an elephant family and robot family too.) I got this video one night when we were all going bananas (pun intended):

Monkey Family from Ginger on Vimeo.

It has been fun watching you play with your cousins this last month, as we were lucky enough to visit with Jones over Thanksgiving and Stella last weekend. At Nana and Granddaddy's, you were such a good sharer, and even wanted to include Stella in your play. She tolerated being your patient as you tried out your new doctor's kit.

And even sat still long enough to join you for a tea party!

I began to have visions of what these gatherings will be like in the future, or at least what I hope they'll be like. Nana and Granddaddy have a play room upstairs, and I can picture you two bounding up there together in a fit of girlish giggles to play with toys, watch movies together, and just be buddies. I imagine one day, when the pack and plays have been sold off at yard sales and are a distant memory, you two will even have slumber parties together in that room. I enjoyed my cousins growing up, especially the days we spent together at my Grandparent's farm, and I wish the same for you, too.

Camille, one of coolest things about having you in our lives is how you help us rediscover the wonders of childhood. And few things were more wonderful for me as a child than Christmas. Watching you discover this season has been so fun. From decorating the tree, to Christmas parades and stockings, you've soaked up every bit of it. And Santa Claus hasn't even come to see you yet!

Despite the trimmings and holiday lights, it definitely doesn't feel like Christmas right now. The temperatures have been in the 80s the last several days, and at first I was really annoyed. I get frustrated enough that we don't get any snow, and feeling like I'm going to start sweating in December is like adding insult to injury. But after I came to terms with the fact that I cannot change the weather, I decided to embrace it. Apparently you had the same thought, because yesterday morning you said, "Mama, I want to go to beach." And I thought, "Why not?"

It was a little strange listening to Christmas music on the way to build sand castles, but I didn't fight it. There were only a handful of other people there, parking was a breeze, and as we walked over the sand dunes we could see dolphins in the water. It was perfect.

You split your time between playing in the sand and chasing away the birds. They wanted some of our snack, and when they got too close you'd jump up and run at them, waving your arms wildly and yelling, "Go away birds!" I caught you in mid-yell in this photo, and it makes me laugh.

Oh sweet girl, you make me laugh so much. Best of all, I think you're happy too. Today, as I got you out of your carseat to go to a Christmas party at your preschool, you announced, "Mama, I'm happy." That's really all a parent can hope for their child, and I'm so glad you're happy. You make me very happy too. I love you sweet pea.

Matching Beauties

2008-12-18T02:52:48Z

Last weekend we enjoyed our annual pilgrimage to Tennessee for a Christmas celebration at Nana and Granddaddy's house. It's always a fun weekend, but I found myself looking forward to it even more this year. I couldn't wait to spend some quality time with the whole family, including my recently mobile niece, Stella. The last time I saw her she wasn't walking yet, and now she's running and climbing and ready to PLAY! Camille seemed happy for the company too.

Nana, of course, got matching outfits for them again this year. Here's a photo from Christmas 2007 of the girls in their matching red.

Look how they've grown! Here they are - Christmas 2008 in beautiful blue.

Cam-Speak

2008-12-16T18:42:51Z

While watching dolphins break the surface of the Savannah River today, Camille says, "Those dolphins are a little bit gay."

Sure, she meant gray. But that's not what she said.

Cam-Speak

2008-12-11T00:31:01Z

I love how much Camille's vocabulary is growing, and I adore all the funny things she says as she tries out her new language skills. I can't keep all these unintentionally humorous sayings to myself and I want to document them, so I'm going to start posting some of them here under the heading "Cam-Speak."

Here's a nugget of joy from yesterday:

"Mama, I need put on my sunglasses. They keep my eyes warm."

And earlier tonight, she said to her Daddy (Dee-dah as she calls him these days):

"DeeDah, I need to rock and roll. I need help."

Christmas Parade

2008-12-07T02:36:49Z

I know, I'm ridiculously sappy, but watching Camille at the Christmas parade tonight just melted me. As each float or marcher wound by our spot in Reynolds Square, Camille waved with a mittened hand and called out, "Hi! Merry Christmas!" I felt all misty-eyed, and I'm not even sure why. It was just so sweet, and I loved watching her get caught up in the excitement. More than once I thought, "this is totally why we have kids."

I don't have any pics from the parade because it was a night-time parade of lights and not easy to photograph. But the parade was just the icing on a very Christmas-y day. This morning, we went to Riverstreet for a downtown Christmas celebration, and Camille loved checking out all the decorations outside one of the local hotels.

Then this afternoon, we picked out our Christmas tree. She seemed to enjoy the outing, but I believe the highlight for her was not choosing the tree, but receiving a candy cane from the workers!

Foofa Stocking

2008-12-05T01:17:38Z

Several years ago, before Lee and I had a child and still had lots of free time, I made our Christmas stockings. It seemed like a fun, creative project of minimal difficulty, and I enjoyed giving each of us a unique stocking. Mine has a cat made to look like Luca, and his has a Millie dog.

When Camille was born, I fully intended to make her a stocking too, but I had two excuses. Number one, I had a child to care for. Number two, my machine broke as I finished making our first stockings, so I didn't have easy access to a sewing machine.

But I have a machine now, and this is Camille's third Christmas and she seriously needs a stocking. So last night, I set out to make her one.

It was a little harder than I remembered (or maybe I'm rustier), and there were many four-letter words uttered during the sewing of the white fluffy top on the stocking. It kept getting hung in the machine. And while I love Camille's name, I had not considered how difficult it would be to cut out that many felt letters and fit them on a stocking. Anyway, I finally finished the basic stocking and then it was on to the fun part.

My idea for her stocking (well, it was Lee's idea really) was to decorate it with something she likes, but in a way that can be changed next year. Her current love is Foofa, one of the characters from the Yo Gabba Gabba TV show. So I used some felt to create a Foofa on her stocking, and tacked it on with just a few stitches so it will be easy to remove in the future and replace with something else. I don't imagine 16-year-old Camille will want a Foofa stocking. Just a guess.

I was happy with how it turned out. Definitely not perfect, but if I had wanted perfection I would've bought a stocking from the store.

In photos, the bright pink Foofa doesn't stand out particularly well against the red stocking, but oh well!

Camille LOVES it, and that is the best part of all!

Photo Shoot

2008-12-04T01:31:58Z

Last month, we had our annual family photo shoot. I say annual, although this was only the second year we've done it. But I really enjoy having professional family photos, so I'm planning for this to be an annual tradition.

Rather than a studio shoot, we wanted more candid shots. We take a lot of candids of Camille, but usually one of us is behind the camera. So we wanted candids of us just hanging out being a family. And I was very happy with the pics!

"Chase" is still one of Camille's favorite games, and I was glad the photographer got these shots as Camille ran around Forsyth Park yelling, "I get you! I get you!"

Gotcha!

I love this picture of a sweet nose kiss with one of my favorite fountains in the background.

There was a birthday party happening nearby, and the photographer asked the partygoers if he could have a balloon for our shoot. Camille was thrilled with her yellow balloon (they didn't have pink). But the photographer also captured what unfolded next, which I think needs no captions.

Fortunately, the nice birthday folks realized what happened and were kind enough to let her have another yellow balloon. Good people!

Now I just have the difficult task of deciding which pictures to print and frame. It's a good problem to have.

Camille's Wish List

2008-11-30T20:41:59Z

Thanksgiving was great, especially since we got to visit with Boo, Erin, Dave and Jones for several days. But I'm pretty mad at myself for forgetting my cameras. Argh! I'll post some pics once they send me some from their cameras...

Anyway, I always try to restrain from any Christmas revelry until Thanksgiving has passed, despite the valiant efforts of the department stores. But now I'm like - BRING IT. I would've loved to get a tree today, but it has been pouring for 2 days straight and I'm sure all the beauties at the Lion's Club lot are sopping wet.

But this hasn't stopped me from talking to Camille about Christmas. We've been asking her what she wants from Santa, and so far this is her list:

A pink one (not sure what exactly it is, but it had better be pink)
Princess shoes
Batmobile
Foofa (the pink character in one of her favorite TV shows, Yo Gabba Gabba)

I've also been trying to get her hyped up about having her picture made with Santa at the mall. Her first Christmas, we got this cute photo:

Last Christmas, we stood in line, but it was clearly not happening. She kept saying, "No, no no," and I didn't want to force her into that strange bearded man's lap.

This year she seemed open to the idea, but I was skeptical. She's not as terrified of costumed characters as she used to be, but she's still wary. This afternoon, I asked her if she wanted to go to the mall - I was just planning to let her play there since it's so rainy outside. She piped up, "And go see Santa! And have my picture with him!!!!"

Since she seemed up for it, we agreed, and off we went. She remained excited until we actually saw him, then her grip around my body tightened. She buried her head in my shoulder and peered at him timidly.

Once we approached, she was willing to talk to him from the safety of her Daddy's arms, and told him she wanted princess shoes. However, she didn't seem interested in sitting with him. But this was a seasoned Santa, and he asked for a hug. She leaned in and hugged him, and Santa deftly plopped her onto his lap before she could object. And miraculously, she seemed okay with it! She even looked at the camera and said, "Cheese!"

And once it was all said and done, and I think she was pretty proud of herself and excited about her adventure. She has definitely been a good girl this year, so I think Santa will find a way to bring her some princess shoes this Christmas.

This Is Why I'm Thankful

2008-11-26T02:06:38Z

Tonight, we were sitting on the living room couch when Lee pulled Camille up into his lap and declared it was "Cuddle Time!" Camille spread her arms open wide and flung herself at us saying, "Hug both!"

After a giant family hug, she said, "Kiss me Daddy!" Which he did. Then she said, "Kiss me Mommy!" Which I did. Then she tuned around to sit in both of our laps and announced, "This is my family."