Just a walk in the park

A couple weekends ago, Emily and Justin were up in Syracuse for a wedding. We got to have dinner with them on Thursday night, and then spent the day with them on Sunday. It was a gorgeous day so we decided to go down to Onondaga Lake Park and go for a walk.

Walking along the path. At this point, Cameron was riding in the wagon.
That didn't last for long though. He wanted to help Mama pull the wagon.
Mr. Cool Man.... And yes, his sunglasses are on upside-down. They stay on better that way, and he doesn't care about the fashion at this point.
We decided to have an impromptu photo shoot when Tim found a tree that worked. Cameron was happy to cooperate.
My handsome smiley boy
What a cutie!!
Mama, Daddy, Cam, Emily and Justin

House Update

It has been a while, so here is a quick update on the house. On the outside the shutters are on, and they fixed two pieces of siding that were a shade off.

In the back the rear steps are in and the kitchen vent has been added on top of the kitchen roof.

The hardwoods have been stained and first two coats of polyurethane applied. The trim around the window wall and fireplace are almost done the fireplace is just missing the actual mantel piece.

Here are a few different views of the kitchen. You can see the two levels for the island in this one.

Microwave is in, stove will go underneath and fridge will go to the left.

Here is were the sink will be.

Updated dining room shot with the floors done. The only thing left to do in here is outlet/switch plates and hanging the light.

The stairs and railings are stained.

Nothing has really changed in Cam's room but I liked this angle. It shows that besides the color being really BRIGHT, it also looks really nice with the white trim.

Cabinets in the master bathroom.

Front door is stained.

View of Kitchen from mudroom door.

Tonight we picked up all of the lights so they should be going in this week. I think the counter tops will go in next week, along with closet organizers. Then tile in master shower/tub and backsplash in kitchen. Then carpet upstairs, sinks, toilets, faucets, shower trim, shower glass/door, towel and TP holders, and who knows what else. We are getting close though. Hopefully we will finally close on our old house this week!

Cameron turns TWO!!

Two weeks ago our big boy turned two years old. It is crazy to think about - how can two years have passed already?? Cameron had his two year checkup last week and did very well. The doctor was impressed with how much Cameron talks and how well he could answer questions. The doctor asked him what he got for his birthday and Cam answered, "Got airplane. People get in. Airplane fly in the sky." We were proud of our smartie! The doctor asked us if Cameron eats well and when we told him that Cam's birthday dinner was Thai food, he thought that was pretty good. Cam capped off his great visit with two shots and having to get blood drawn (for lead testing) - he did not like that at all, but got three stickers out of the ordeal so he survived. Here are Cam's two year stats (where the trend continues - tall, skinny, big-headed kid):
Height: 36 inches - 90th percentile
Weight: 27 lbs, 12 ounces - 50th percentile
Head: 50 cm - 85th percentile

And now for more interesting stuff - pictures from Cameron's birthday party! We had Cam's party the day before he turned two. Lots of friends and family attended: Nana, Poppa, Uncle Matt and Gina, Omi and Opa, Aunt Susi, Ed and Michael, all of the Alexanders, Amanda (representing the Mantiones), Aunt Jen, Joe, Uncle Chris and Patrick, the Santaguidas and the Langes. Cameron also got great gifts sent from afar from Grandma and Grandpa, Mimi and Grandpa, Auntie Cathy, and Auntie Kim, Uncle Jeff, Ella and Jack. And now for some photos!

Cameron gives Abby a push on the firetruck.
Braden and Bridgette discuss the weirdness of the old school toys.
Now Cam gives Braden a ride. Pretty much everyone who rode the fire truck was "helped" by Cam, whether they wanted the help or not!
Daddy and Cam checkout the fridge animal magnets
And the train tracks
Festive Daddy
Cameron thanking Bridgette for his gift. We joked that we will show this picture some day at their rehearsal dinner.
The aftermath: Mama is highly amused, Cameron is falling down lovestruck, and Bridgette realizes for the first time the power she will have over men.
One of Cam's big gifts from Mama and Daddy: his own tool bench and tools
Abby the goalie
Cameron's birthday cake, courtesy of Wegman's. One of these years I will actually make and decorate his cake!
And the cupcakes. These we did make! The chocolate animal toppers are from Germany, and they were very cute.
Cameron tried several times to blow out his candles with not a lot of success. Daddy turned the cake around with candles near him and he did a little bit better.
He did very well with chowing down on the cake though!
I love frosting!!!
And the mess afterward. If you look closely, you can see the damage that brightly colored frosting does to your face, hands, arms and any other visible skin. Cameron had a blast!
Two kids in the toybox
Ok, I have had enough of close proximity with girls, get me out of here!!
All in all, it was a great party. Cam had a great time with everyone, got lots of great gifts and ate a ton of food. Thanks to everyone!!!

Picking out our pumkin and Halloween

Because we have been so busy getting the house packed up, moving out and moving into Mom and Dad's house, we haven't had a chance to do much for Halloween yet. So on Halloween Day, we packed all of the usual Halloween activities into one day.

First we went out and got pumpkins. One bonus for waiting until the last minute is that pumpkins were really cheap! That was a nice bonus, and Cam didn't know any better. :-P
Can I get this one?
Besides pumpkins, there were some other activities at the place we went. Here, Cam and Mama are dinosaurs!
We also went through a hay maze. Cam lead the way the entire time, and he didn't make one mistake. It was actually really weird, he always went down the correct path. I guess he has a good sense of direction, or else he is a good guesser!
My cute little maze navigator
Okay, I want this pumpkin, please!!
We went back to Nana and Poppa's and carved the pumpkins. Cameron chose all of the facial features for the big pumpkin, and Tim carved it. Mama went to town on the little pumpkin, and what started off as a happy, grinning pumpkin turned into a vampire pumpkin!
Cameron with the pumpkin that he "carved"
Cameron with the little pumpkin. Notice his fingers part way into the mouth, trying to reach the lit candle. He loved the candle inside and was fascinated by it. He called it "the birthday in the pumpkin".
We put the pumpkins outside and got Cam into his costume. When we went out to take his pictures on the porch, he only wanted to look into the pumpkins to see the candles.
Finally, happy with his look at the "birthdays" inside the pumpkin, he smiled for a nice picture and we went out trick or treating. He wanted to walk and wasn't too quick, so we only went to about ten houses before he got tired out. He had a GREAT time though!! He loved saying "trick or treat", loved getting stuff in his bucket, and loved looking at the decorations in everyone's yards.
Cameron with his pumpkin and some of his other goodies. One of the neighbors had a special bag prepared for him with toddler friendly snacks, and he also got some glow sticks.
Cameron's loot dumped out. He is holding another special treat, a little pumpkin stuffed animal that Cameron really likes. The rest is candy and various other snacks. He was very happy with the whole thing and at bedtime, announced "I like trick or treat."