Fathers and Sons

Chris and Cam went to their first fathers and sons campout with Clark and my Dad!  It was so fun (I heard)!  I sent the camera with Chris, but . . . he couldn't find it in his backpack so he took no pictures.  Sorry friends.

Today's Tuesday

Waiting for "da bu" (the bus)

Camden scooched up SO CLOSE to this cute little girl, until his knees were touching her shoes.

Bear Camden.  Man vs. Wild.

(Wild won when Camden fell in.)

Water, Rain, Mud and a Stick = Heaven.

Can you believe that this boy

is now this boy?

Worst Mom Award

Goes to me.  Easily.

I took it all in stride when;

• Chris suggested I go out to Ogden and get the car, because he would finish work in SLC.
• I realized I would have to leave in the next 30 minutes to get on the next bus.
• I waited for 20 minutes outside our house to get on the 470 to Ogden.
• I dropped the books out of my bag on the bus when I sat down, because it was so full it wouldn't zip shut.
• I realized after walking to the Frontrunner station that I must have dropped my UTA Pass somewhere along the way.
• Camden wouldn't come with me, so I patiently waited to bring him with me to retrace my steps.
• The connecting bus didn't leave the Ogden Frontrunner station for 30 minutes.
• Camden wanted to run around where all the buses drive.
• Camden was leaning over into the bucket of cigarette butt water.
• Camden was running away from me and biffed it off the curb.
• I was unsure which stop to get off closest to Chris' work.
• Camden wanted to get down on the side of a busy street to play in the dirt.

But I lost patience when:

• Camden couldn't understand that we had to keep walking to get to the car.
• Camden wanted to play in the dirt for longer than I felt like we could on the side of a busy street.

I felt like the worst mother ever when;

• I picked him up, roughly, and walked the 5 blocks to the car.
• I gritted my teeth as he kicked and screamed because he wanted to go play in the dirt.
• I switched him to his carseat even when he kept crying for milk.
• I set him down after waking him up getting him out of the carseat, because he was squirming against me, but he was still half asleep and he fell back and hit his head on the sidewalk.
• I sat here crying feeling bad for how I treated him.

I officially win the worst mother award.  I'll feel bad about it forever.

Through the black black clouds of today however, I am thankful for;

• The guy on the bus who picked up my dropped books.
• Finding my pass.
• The bus driver who helped me find the right stop in downtown Ogden.
• The guy who stopped on the busy road to make sure I was ok.

UPDATE: 4:14pm - Camden is asleep.  I cleaned the house, did the dishes, did the laundry, am listening to Disney Classics and am eating ice cream.  I am doing ok.  :)

HELP ME!

Hello Friends.  I need your experience and expertise.  I'd like to be able to get around town on the bike with Cam this summer.  (Sadly, Chris has recently become a working stiff, and takes the car.)  I am poor, but don't want Camden to die because I bought a cheap bike seat.  The seats with the child in front seem like it would be hard to ride, and I've heard the stroller ones aren't very comfy for the kids.  I don't know.  If you have ANY knowledge or opinion on this please, leave me some words.  Thanks!

Here are some that come up on Amazon.com

WeeRide LTD Kangaroo Child Bike Seat $60.00

iBert Safe T-Front Mounted Child Bicycle Seat $75.00

Bell Classic Bicycle Child Carrier $30.00

DAWG

Are you sick of hearing about this yet?  Camden loving dogs?  Because he does.  Another case in point occured on Monday.  Erica, the amazing Auntie, was walking her fam-in-law's dog Mandy.  She (Erica, not Mandy) brought her (Mandy not Erica) over and Camden was in H.E.A.V.E.N.  I think you can see the energy in these first few pics.  They played outside for forever, then Camden wanted to help walk Mandy. So, Erica, the amazing Auntie, walked Camden and the dog for awhile.  This boy loves dogs.

Licking, not biting.

Camden had REFUSED to put on a diaper all day, but when Erica told him he needed some clothes on to walk the dog he RAN into the house, layed down for his diap, ran to get his clothes, AND shoes and socks to boot!  That was one excited child.

Starting on their journey.

THANKS GUG AND MANDY FOR A HAPPY AFTERNOON!

Cut It Out

 Camden had his first warranted official haircut on Saturday!  I knew the stakes were high and his previous scissors-to-hair experience was more than a disaster, but Cookie Cutters in Btfl got the job done!  The first few pics are to give you an idea of the . . . mullet-ish look Cam has had lately.

I love when Cam sits cross-legged like this.

Playing on the slide, before the cut.

I had no holds barred for this experience.  I was going to give Cam whatever the heck he wanted if it meant he would get his haircut, I mean, I drove all the way to Bountiful for this.  So, he wanted candy, he got Mike 'n Ikes.  They helped a bit along the way.  He didn't want to sit in the airplane seat, the fire truck seat, or the car seat.  He reluctantly sat in the airplane seat.  We had picked out the movie Jungle Book, one of Cam's favs, but when I clipped him in ("Safety First" says the clipper lady) he started freaking.  When she put the drape on him, he freaked more, when she sprayed his hair down and combed it back he freaked more.  My main goal was to keep him in focused on Jungle Book.  "CAMDEN!  WATCH!  LOOK!  IT'S MOWGLI! CAMDEN!  IT'S  THE WOLVES!  LOOK!  BAGHEERA! WHERE IS HE TAKING MOWGLI? OH MY GOSH!  IT'S MOWGLI!  CAMDEN!"  He was still intermittently freaking out so the magically hair cutter lady pulled out some bubbles.  So Camden would eat a Mike 'n Ike, cry, blow some bubbles, cry, watch Mowgli for a second, and start all over again.  However, it all ended on the up and up because he got a BALLOON after!  The lady was SO cute and good with him, and FAST!  His haircut is not perfect, and I did pay $16.00, but I left that place happier than Camden and he had a green balloon and a sucker.

Look at his face in the reflection.  So concentrated on unlocking the car.

Then just a few hours later I decided to give my mane the chop, so I can grow it out again.