Spring Vacation 2009

After my 7-month hiatus from the blog, I hope to redeem myself with this review of our spring vacation! Settle in friends; it's gonna be a long one.

The First 48 Hours

Our trip to Europe started with an uneventful 18-hour journey during which Camlin slept only 2 hours. But despite her loss of sleep and 5 hours of time, Camlin had plenty of energy to chase after Nanny's frail dogs, try out everyone's shoes at Auntie Bridgett's house, and run around the garden at Auntie Helen's family gathering - all that on the first day!

Camlin hugging Corey and playing with Coral


The Wedding Party

We got a late start on Saturday after catching up on some rest; but we made it to the pub on time for the combination celebration of Shelley and Paul's wedding and Paul's 40th birthday. After a quick trip over to St. Andrews for a nice service, we all settled back into the pub for an evening of drinking and dancing.

We had a great time catching up with family and Camlin exhibited a slight crush on little Sam, dancing with him, copying his break-dancing moves, and blowing bubbles with him in a shared lemonade.

The highlight of the night was when Cams emerged as a future rock star with her 10-minute karaoke performance. It started with her taking the mike from another karaoke performer to la-la along, quickly changed over to Hannah Montana's Best of Both Worlds (which she continued to sing despite what track was playing), and ended with the DJ putting on Hannah's song so Camlin could shine. After a huge applause, Camlin finally gave back the microphone!

The Happy Newlyweds


My immediate family (except Cath and Clive)


Camlin singing karaoke and dancing with Abigail


Camlin and Sam blowing bubbles


Family Outings

On Sunday, we enjoyed the afternoon with most of the family at The Twirl of Hay (a pub with an indoor playground). Trudi and her son Callum joined us too, which was a big treat. We then headed to Wigan to visit my Granddad Jones for the last time (he died on July 3rd).

Monday was a nice dry day so we took Camlin and Abigail to the Farm Park, along with Trudi and Callum. We had a great time feeding the animals, taking a tractor ride through the fields, and playing on the zip line.

Abigail feeding the lamb


Cath, Abigail, and Camlin on the tractor ride


Me and Dave on the tractor ride


Can you guess why this horse's name is Smiley?


For the next three days, Camlin stayed with Nanny and Granddad while Dave and I enjoyed some needed R&R in Barcelona with Pete and Bridgett. (Watch for another post coming soon ... I think 3 days kid-free in Barcelona deserves its own post!) Cams was kept really busy with a trip to Whiz Kids, the movie theatre (to watch the Hannah Montana movie), and a day at the Welsh Mountain zoo. She had a great time with the family but she was still happy to see her mom and dad when we returned.

Our last day was spent shopping, eating pasties (man, I miss pasties), and a family farewell dinner at the pub. Camlin entertained everyone with another rock star performance when she stood on the picnic table outside and used the umbrella holder as a microphone. And once again, she sang Hannah Montana's Best of Both Worlds. (By this time she was pretty good, especially since my mum and sister Shelley got her a microphone that plays the song - something she still plays with at least once a day.

Camlin with one of Nanny's dogs


Camlin with Granddad Popplewell and the other dog


The Trip Home

The journey home was one full of heavy hearts and plane delays, finally arriving home, shattered, after 20 hours. But it was worth it. We had one of the best and busiest vacations ever. This one will definitely be hard to top!

Camlin - with too much energy - at Newark airport


Additional Pics

I couldn't resist adding these in because she is just too freaking cute!!

Family Portrait

Seconds before the Peers left to catch their train, we decided to have a quick family photo. Despite the rush to find the tripod and the right camera, we captured a perfect picture. (Unfortunately, we didn't have time to get Cams out of her 'jimmy-jams'!)

Just Cute

On Boxing Day, Dave took Pete, Bridgett, Corey, and Coral up to Wintergreen to go snowboarding so Camlin and I got to spend the day together. We had fun playing and napping together.

She is posing in this picture in her new Dora outfit from Auntie Stephanie with the not-so-matching Hello Kitty socks that she insisted on wearing for 2 days straight! You can't see, but her hair is tied back with a purple Hello Kitty ponytail holder. I couldn't resist capturing this designer moment!

The Reazin Christmas

This year it only took 2 days for Camlin to unwrap her presents. Partly because she had to either put on, play with, or put away each one as they were revealed. And now as I desperately seek bins, drawers, or shelves for them all, I am left wondering if I went overboard again!

With the Peers' here, we had a long, relaxing Christmas morning of present-opening, followed by playing outside in the 65 degree weather (while I was busy in the kitchen), and then the day culminated with a huge feast. It was wonderful having family here this year!

Camlin knew somehow that the largest pile of presents belonged to her!


There were plenty of presents to go around.


I am especially proud of the dinner table.


Here is the flaming Christmas pudding.


And this is Boxing Day morning as Camlin finishes opening her presents.

Favorite Uncle

Despite having only met him a few times before, Camlin was as excited as Dave and I were to see Uncle Peter. I'm not sure if it was the chocolates he brought or the readily available loose change he had, but Pete quickly became Camlin's best friend. He had to take Camlin to school, read her bedtime stories, and sit next to her at my birthday dinner. And as he flies home tonight, Camlin is counting down the days until he returns in a few weeks with his girls. Christmas will be fun this year!

Progress Report

As it’s been a while since I’ve written, I decided to provide a detailed progress report for Camlin. Get comfortable: this is a long one. Hang in and you’ll be rewarded at the end with a couple of pics.

Educationally and developmentally, Camlin is progressing nicely. She can count to 15, knows her colors and basic shapes, can sing the ABC song, and recognizes 3 letters: C, M, and L. She is potty trained, speaks in complete sentences, eats with a fork, drinks from a regular cup, holds a pen/crayon correctly, colors somewhat within lines (although everything is usually blue), throws and kicks a ball, and can run, jump, and hop really well. She runs especially fast in crowded shopping malls.

Her favorite activity is to play Let’s Pretend. I think she likes this because she can be really bossy. Not surprisingly, she is always mommy or the teacher. Activities include playing in the pool on the hardwood floor, going to Chuck E Cheese in the living room, or putting us to bed in any designated area of the house. Yesterday while playing pretend Camlin said, "I'm mommy." Pause. "I have boobies now."

Camlin's Idiosyncrasies:
- She asks almost daily about her birthday! (I think it's about the cake.) Tonight I said, "I have a surprise for you in the morning," to which she exclaimed, "It's my happy birthday?"
- She likes to ‘shush’ us if we are talking while she is watching TV or reading a book.
- She obsesses over her hands and face being clean when eating. It's not unusual to go through at least 3 napkins per meal.
- She likes to take off her pants as soon as she gets home. (see below picture)
- When asked something to which she doesn’t know the answer, she responds, "I can’t know that."
- She still has her ‘go-go’ (pacifier), which she will sneak into a pocket or purse in an attempt to get it out of the house.
- She likes to walk around with her hands in her pockets or on her hips.
- She likes warm milk.
- She knows how to share when someone else has something she wants.
- She prefers her bangs in her face rather than held back with a clip.
- She is easily bribed with promises of cake or chocolate coins.

Recent Activities:
- We went to see Disney on Ice. Camlin’s favorite part was seeing Ariel. She now skates on the ice in her playroom, which translates to dancing on the rug.
- On Wednesdays, we take Camlin to Kangaroo Jacks after school so she can get some exercise while she goes crazy on the jumpy castles.
- Last week we celebrated Thanksgiving by relaxing and eating a huge dinner. Our friends, the Grimes', stopped by too so we could meet baby Miller and Camlin got to play with Colby. The highlight of the day was the semi-forced, but incredibly cute hug between Camlin and Colby!
- Yesterday while at the mall, we figured we’d stop and see Santa. Much to our surprise Camlin ran up to him, jumped on his lap and put her arms around him. They had a nice, intimate conversation while she fiddled with the buttons on his vest, and then he actually had to extract her other arm from around his neck so they could pose for the picture. Odd. Next year we’ll dress her in a nice outfit! (see below picture)
- Today we decorated our Christmas tree. Camlin was more interested in having a coffee party with the coffee ornaments I got from my old manager 2 years ago (last year she did the same thing).

And my final thought: At a recent parent/teacher conference, we learned that Camlin doesn’t listen (not a surprise; she gets that from her dad) and she is incredibly bossy (again, not a surprise; she gets that from her mom). We’re screwed.

Decorating the tree (without pants)


Sitting happily on Santa’s lap

Our Happy Halloween

For us, Halloween lasted a week. It started last Friday night with the Harvest Festival at Camlin's school. All the kids went back in the evening for games, crafts, and trick-or-treat. Camlin proudly (and cutely) wore her Ariel costume and announced to anyone who would listen, "I'm a mermaid."

Camlin's candy loot from the festival was gone by Monday morning, but we were still reading her Dora book, The Halloween Cat, every night before bed. On Thursday we made Halloween cookies, although I think Camlin was more interested in eating the cookie dough rather than waiting for the finished product.

The festivities culminated with a glorious night of trick-or-treat. Luckily, the weather was mild so Dave and Camlin visited the houses in our cul-de-sac and then she experienced the giving side of trick-or-treat by handing out candy to the kids who knocked on our door. I think she was more excited about giving the candy away - after each visitor she exclaimed, "I want more kids!" Hopefully the candy will last a little longer this time.

Message for Daddy

Here's a short video message for Daddy. Hopefully, it will brighten his day while he is on business in Phoenix this week!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Scary Pets

Dave and I decided that we should get a pet for Camlin; something small so she can learn about taking responsibility. We thought a guinea pig was a great idea: not too messy, pretty well contained, easy to feed, etc. So, on Saturday we drove to the pet store and Camlin picked out an adorable white, black, and tan female and she was giddy as she petted it's silky coat. But, when we attempted to pass it to her, she screamed so loud she scared us! This was quickly followed with, "I don't like guinea pigs".

Next, we looked at fish. Camlin was completely taken with the Disney Little Mermaid fish tank, but when we went to pick out a fish she was just a little too excited about hitting the tank to scare the fish. Another plan foiled. We left defeated.

Then just last night as we played in the yard after dinner, a neighbors (rather large) cat joined us. Camlin had so much fun playing with Mars. She was so cute and things were going so well. Maybe we should get her a kitten. Then disaster struck when Camlin went in for another stroke, covering Mars' head, and he bit her on the arm. We've officially given up.

All About Me

Well it's been a year since I finished the course work, but I finally picked up my degree from school. While I've been a graduate for sometime now, and even started on my MBA already, it didn't really feel official until I had my degree in hand!


A couple of weeks ago, my friend Christina lent me a book called Skinny Bitches. It's title is misleading however, as it's purpose is to convert meat eaters to vegans rather than to help people lose weight. Let me tell you, if you've ever needed a reason to stop eating meat, read this book. I am not ready to commit myself to a completely animal-product-free existence, but I have cut out most meat from my diet (much to Dave's chagrin). We'll see how long I can live without a nice bloody steak ...