All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth

The day after Christmas I got a surprise. Cameron was sucking on my finger when I felt something strange. After a little investigating I found that his first tooth has broken through his gums. We had been suspicious that teeth were coming but we always seemed to be wrong. Well not this time. Then two days later I was checking out his new tooth and found out that he had a friend. Yes that is right we are cutting two teeth at once. Things are too bad. Night time is the worst but with a little Orajel he calms back down. And please excuse the messy face I was feeding him breakfast when I saw the perfect opportunity to get a shot of the two new teeth.

When I grow up.......

I want to be a doctor. For her birthday MacKenzie got Operation. We finally got a chance for just her and I to sit down and play. She did pretty well for her first time playing. It was fun. I rememer when I was younger and I loved playing this game.


Steady......

Don't touch the sides or....

BZZZZZZZ!

Here is a few pictures of the kids wearing thier mulitple Halloween costumes. We went to a Halloween party on Friday night as a family. For that we were the Flintstones. Rob was Fred, I was Wilma, MacKenzie was Pebbles and Cameron was Bam Bam. We did not get a picture of all of us dressed up but we plan on putting our costumes on again to get a picture. Then on Saturday SOCEUR had thier annual Childrens Halloween party and MacKenzie and Cameron went as Fred and Wilma. They also wore these costumes last night to go trick or treating. MacKenzie had a blast. I think the part she liked best was when we got back to the hosue and we let her hand out the candy to the trick or treaters. Cameron really didn't know what was going on. I am sure next year he will be running from door to door.

Stud Muffin

Isn't he just the cutest thing you've ever seen?

Fest pictures

For some reason I was unable to add more than that one picture to the blog about the fest. So here are a few more that I took.

The band.

Inside the beer tent were we had lunch
Rob and MacKenzie on the Music Express
Cam enjoying a big fest beer.

Oktoberfest

Today we went downtown for the final day of Oktoberfest. There is a really great fest here in Stuttgart ( http://www.stuttgart-tourist.de/ENG/leisure/volksfest.htm). The fest is a time that everyone in Germany really looks forward to. There are rides, games, things for sale, food booths, and beer tents. Some of the best food I have had here in Germany I have ate during either the Oktoberfest or the Fruhlingsfest (spring fest). Today was no exception. We took the bus down to the fair grounds just in time for lunch. Rob was easy to please all he wanted was half a roasted chicken and a big beer. Me on the other hand I had a special meal in mind. I was looking for Gaisburger Marsch(http://www.stuttgart-tourist.de/ENG/hotels/gastronomie.htm). The great husband that I have looked up online the menus for the beer tents and found out which one had it. Once we got there we set out in search of the Schwabenbräu tent. Wouldn't you know that it was the farthest one from were where entered the fest. Once there we grabbed a table and placed our order. MacKenzie and Cameron enjoyed the music while we waited. Once our food arrived Rob and MacKenzie tore intotheirr chicken and I made short work of my soup. Cameron even tried to get his hands into my soup a couple of times. Next year I will have no problem sharing with him but he is just to little this year. After our bellies were full and warm we headed out for some fun. Rob and MacKenzie found a few rides to go on while Cam enjoyed the view from his backpack carrier. It didn't take long for him to fall fast asleep. I am sure that all of the people, sounds, smells, and colors were very overwhelming for him. While Kenzie and Rob rode one of our favorite rides I snuck away to grab one of my favorite treats, dark chocolate covered strawberries. I love them and was looking forward to getting a stick of them. After a few more rides and a balloon each for the kids we were ready to start walking back to the bus to head home. What a great day we had. We are already counting the days till the next fest. Next on the list will be the Christmas Market. And then Fruhlings Fest. Living in Germany is great.

Monkey See Monkey Do

Okay is is just me or does Cam look just like the monkey on the back of his swing???? I noticed it the other day when I was looking some pictures I took. Just thought I would share.

4 Months Old

On Saturday Cameron turned 4 months old. He is getting so big. Cameron is chatting and giggling all the time. Some days all I have to do is call him something silly like booger and he laughs. He is great. The other night at dinner he was sitting in his highchair staring at Rob and talking and laughing at him the whole time. It is really great that he is starting to really interact with us. And he is now starting to sit up by himself. This morning I took him down to the laundry room with me so that I could put the laundry in the dryer. I took his blanket to put in the laundry basket while I was busy. I propped him up in the corner of the basket and the next thing I knew he had pushed himself up so that he wasn't leaning on the basket. When I brought him upstairs I sat on the floor with him he sat up for a little while by himself. He is not sitting up straight but it is a start. Cameron is not rolling over by himself yet. But he will roll with help. I call him a lazy bum because if you put your finger out for him to grab he knows how to roll over but doing it by himself is just too much work for him. I am not sure how much he weighs or how tall he is yet but I can say that he is wearing 3-6 month clothes and the overalls he is wearing in the pictures are 6-9 months. And he has big feet. Cameron is already wearing a pair of sneakers that MacKenzie was wearing at 9 months. I take him in for his 4 month well baby on October 3rd so I will be sure to post all his stats then.

2nd Grader

Today MacKenzie started 2nd grade. She was so excited. This morning I made her an extra special breakfast of banana cinnamon pancakes. She couldn't wait for school. After her alarm went off she got right up and dressed. Last night we packed her backpack and set out her clothes. When we got to school the teacher and all the kids were happy to see her. They all loved her new hair do. The teacher even asked if she had grown over vacation.

Outstanding in the field having a ball

Yesterday MacKenzie had her first soccer game of the season. This year she is playing so much better than before. We tried soccer two years ago but all she did was stand in the field picking flowers. This year before we went on vacation I asked her if she wanted to try again. MacKenzie couldn't wait. So before we left I signed her up and not to long after we got back practice started. She is doing great. She listens to the coach, runs after the ball, tries to get in there and kick the ball and most of all she has fun. The only that she really needs to work on is being a little bit more aggressive and getting in there after the ball. Right now she waits for the ball to come to her. Soccer is a very interesting sport. When our kids are little we teach them to be nice and share. But start soccer practice and we tell them to get in there and take the ball from the other players. I think that MacKenzie will be doing great by the end of the season. And I think that she will be playing soccer for years to come.

Smiles

Just a few more pictures of the kids from our recent vacation.

PRIDE!!!

We are so proud of MacKenzie. During our visit to New Jersey MacKenzie cut all of her hair off. In total she cut off close to 13 inches. We are proud of her because of why she cut her hair. Last year sometime MacKenzie saw on TV a story about Locks Of Love. LOL is an organization that collects human hair from donors to make wigs for children with no hair due to illnesses like cancer and alopecia. She asked me if it would be alright for her to cut her hair to send for the kids. We agreed that when we went to New Jersey we would get it done. She is so proud of herself. If anyone comments on her hair she goes right into her speech about why she cut her hair and who it will benefit. I am glad that Rob and I are raising a daughter that thinks about others. She is looking forward to growing her hair out again so she can cut it off and donate it once more.

3 Months Old

3 months old!!! Cameron turned 3 months while we were on vacation. He has gotten so big, both physically and developmentally. Cameron’s favorite thing is still mommy. He will only tolerate other people for a little while. This includes daddy. The other day he woke up while I was down in the basement doing laundry. He started screaming so bad that Rob sent MacKenzie down to the basement to find me. When I got upstairs I call Rob when I opened the door to see where he was. As soon as he heard my voice Cam stopped crying. He is a little booger. He likes to torture daddy a lot. When I am nursing him Cam will look at Rob with this “Ha Ha” look. Cameron also loves to stand up when you hold his hands. And he has found his hands. He is always eating a “Hand sandwich” and he is now starting to put everything in his mouth. Just the other day I made him giggle for the first time. I have only been able to do it once more since then but I know that he has more in him and will keep trying to get them out of him. When he is happy Cam is a wonderful sweet baby, but when our angry little man comes out watch out. The only thing that makes him happy is mommy and his blankie.

Swanson family vacation

We just got back from our three week long vacation in the states. MacKenzie, Cameron and I flew on the 3rd of August to Newark, New Jersey. We were greeted there by Poppie and Grannie (my mom and dad). We spent a week at my parent’s house before Rob arrived and then my sister. Saturday morning MacKenzie got her hair cut (see next blog). Then on August 13th we had a little BBQ picnic at the firehouse where everyone got a chance to meet Cameron and catch up with family that we hadn’t seen in a while. Then on Tuesday Rob took MacKenzie to Six Flags Great Adventure. They spent all day riding the rides and having fun. The next day we went to Sears and had family pictures taken. I was not planning on getting pictures of the kids done but they were being so good that we ended up getting a few of the kids. On Thursday we took a trip down Aunt Kate’s house. MacKenzie was looking forward to getting in the big pool. Cameron got in the pool for the first time while we were there. He just loved being in the water. He smiled and cooed the whole time. On Friday Rob, the kids, and I boarded a plane in Philly to Rhode Island to start the second leg of our vacation. Waiting at the airport was Grandpa (Rob’s dad) and Aunt Chrissy (Rob’s sister). We spent the night at Grandpa’s house then loaded in the cars for the trip to Hampton Beach, New Hampshire. Grandpa had rented a cottage at the beach for the week. We had a blast at the beach. The weather cooled off a bit right when we got there but it warmed up enough for two very nice days at the beach. Rob took MacKenzie to the water slides one day. And we did a lot of walking down the boardwalk. Cameron got to enjoyed the fireworks and put his toes in the sand and the ocean for the first time. He was not impressed with the ocean it was way to cold for him. MacKenzie played many games and had lots of fun. She even got buried in the sand and tried her hand at boogie boarding. Our vacation at the beach ended on Saturday and we headed back to Rhode Island. We spent the night at Grandpa’s one more night and then we got back on a plane headed for Philly. Once in Philly we picked up our rental car and drove up to Newark to start the long flight home. Other than a bit of turbulence that made me sick the flights were good. First stop was Amsterdam then on to Stuttgart. Once in Stuttgart it was just a short train and bus ride before we were safely home. As much as we enjoyed our vacation and seeing family we are all happy to be back in our own home sleeping in our own beds. We want to thank everyone for absolutely everything they did during our vacation. We loved spending time with everyone and miss you all very much.

2 Months!!!!

Last week Cameron turned 2 months old. On Wednesday I took him in for his 2 month well baby exam. Well our little chunky monkey is now up to 12lbs 8oz and he is 23 1/2 inches. Cameron is doing good he has great head control and smiles and laughs at me all the time.

m ,' kkkkkkkkkklr

And he has started reaching out for things. I found this out when we were sitting at the computer and he started reaching out for the space bar. Above is a little note he typed himself. For the last few days he has been a bit fussy because he got his first immunization. But yesterday he started to get back to his old self. He has even been happily spending a bit more time with Rob.

Birthday Pictures.

I wanted to post a few pictures from Kenzie's B-day. I will write about the party later when I can put Cameron down.

Happy Birthday!!!

Today MacKenzie is 7 years old. She is getting big. So big we can't believe it. Today we are having a BBQ with friends but tomorrow she is having a party with all her friends. I will take pictures and post them.

A few new pictures

I just thought I would post a few new pictures of Cameron. Things here are going well. Cameron is getting big. He turned seven weeks yesterday. Time is flying. He is smiling and cooing more and more everyday. But he does have his mean streak and it usually comes out when I am trying to eat or at bed time. Hope you enjoy.