An EPIPHANY I had...

After staying home today with Cameron that has been sick on and off for five weeks, I had an epiphany...

I SHOULD OF GONE TO SCHOOL TO BE A PEDIATRICIAN!!

Oh the money and time I would have saved...

Seriously, Cameron has been sick with flu/sinus, then flu/sinus again, and well, we find out today at 3:50 what virus he has now. The poor kid has run fever more days in the past month than not. Cade got some virus from his friends at Mrs. Paula's house that led to an ear infection. He was home for two days (and is luckily feeling better today!!).

That being said, we are visiting the doc again today for the fifth time this month! I love my pediatrician and all, but I am very tired of seeing him!!

All of this being said, I am inviting any who read this blog to come over to my house this weekend, with:

rubber gloves

and a mask

in hand and join me in disinfecting my house. It should be loads of fun! I know you don't want to miss out!

Please pray that this is the last time poor Cameron and Cade get sick for a LONG, LONG time!!

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

I LOVE THIS and will treaure this memory FOREVER!!

When Cameron was a little guy (around 6-7 monthes) Josh and I started this song and dance of the song 'Respect'. (I don't even know if that is the title or who sings it, but anyways...). Josh is going to kill me for sharing this with the world, but we have done it many times in front of family. Just say we are their entertainment...moving on...

Cameron LOVED, and I mean, LOVED it when we would sing and dance this song for him. He would laugh so hard. We would laugh so hard. Our audience would laugh so hard. It was the best.

Now, we get to share this exciting moment with Cade. Except, the tables have turned a little. Cameron now gets to help turn our 'duo' into a 'trio' as he helps sing the song song and do the moves for his little brother.

This is precious to see in person if you remember us doing it with Cameron. We are happy to entertain you if you live if you would like for us to, if not, enjoy this video.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I love Cameron's dancing. I love Cade's laugh.

Oh how I don't want them to grow up!

Cade the Dragon

Our house has been all dragons lately, from Cameron's halloween costume to the new sound that the Cadester has been making. Check out this super cute video that my mom took when she visited last weekend.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Gosh I love this guy!!

Just too cute

Look at these two little guys from Halloween night!! What cuties!!

(I loved his tail!!)

(Look at that smile!!)

More to come later...I just had to share!

A little SWAMPED

Dear Blog,

It's not you, it's me. I am sorry you feel neglected. I have not been a good friend, just leaving you, alone, for almost two months. Now, don't get upset...I know it just sounds like the same old excuses, but I have been put in to a new place that I have never been before. Yes, that is a working mom of two. It has been a big life change. My day is so busy, from waking up at 6:00, feeding baby #2, heading to work, teaching 40 7 &8 year olds, pumping three times a day, picking up baby #1 and baby #2 (that takes almost 45 minutes), cooking dinner for baby #1 and hubby, feeding baby #2, baths, making lunches, bedtimes, and not to mention the other household duties. Good thing I have a GREAT hubby that helps along the way! Now, those are some good excuses, but here are some better excuses for neglecting you.

Mr. Cam-man

The 'Cade'ster

Admiring his older brother

One happy boy

Cade looks a little scared here...with reason!

Now those two boys are totally worth my abandoning you. I am slowly getting into a routine, so please just bare with me for a few weeks longer.

Your long lost friend~
Dawn :)

And we're alive....

HOLY COW!!

5 weeks since my last post...am I off maternity leave or what!?!?

The month of August has always proven to be BUSY, BUSY, BUSY for this momma...I have barely even pulled out my camera to take pictures of my kiddos. I know one day I will hear from Cade's mouth, "Mommy, what did I look like when I was five months old?" Unfortunately, I will have to tell him, "I don't know sweet heart, mommy was too busy to take pictures." Really, I have a few, but just not 'blog worthy'.

So, just so you know what has been going on with the Newton's, I compiled a list:

• Cade started school on August 3rd at Ms. Paula's house. He has done great!! Josh took him the first day so I didn't cry, but needless to say, when I picked him up, I balled. I guess there is no way of getting over those tears.
• Cameron was going to start pre-school on Aug. 5, but instead spent a few days at his Mimi and Pop's house in Austin. He loves going there and I know that they love having him. Seriously, their house is a shrine to Cameron.
  
• Cameron did start pre-school on August 10th. It was an exciting day in the Newton household. He got his lunch box, his nap towel, his change of clothes, and headed out for the day. He cried a little when Josh left, but overall had a great day!
• Then...the second day of pre-school came. Oh how we hated the second day. Cameron cried and cried. He started the day off telling me he didn't want to go. But, we convinced him to go and how much fun he would have. When Josh dropped him off, he began the crocodile tears. Josh finally had to just leave and the wonderful director called before Josh had gotten out of the parking lot to tell him that Cameron was already happy and playing with others. Oh how he knows how to pull at our heart strings.
  
• Cameron does much better now at pre-school and even asks on Saturdays if he can go. He was upset last week when I told him that he got to stay home with us. "But mommy, why is my pre-school locked? I need to see my friends." When Josh drops him off every morning Cameron has to give him a kiss and a hug and say "I love you Daddy". Seriously, if this doesn't happen every day, Cameron tells me that his daddy didn't give him a kiss and hug and that he was sad all day. Once again, he tugs on the heart strings...
  
• Cameron had his first show and tell. He had spent the night at his Mamma and Daddy Mike's that night, so Mamma had to get an item for him to bring. Honestly, I was a bit nervous that he would be the only one without something cool, but Mamma came through. (really I should of never doubted her!!) Cameron brought some jungle animals that they always play with. She found the momma and the baby and he taught his class the names of the baby animals. Honestly, this is much better than what I would of given him to bring, and I know that he must of been the STAR of pre-school that day!
• Cameron got stickers for making good choices and not having to go to the thinking spot. Way to go!! He is also got to be the 'weader' (that is leader for those of you who don't speak three year old). We were so proud.
• I have lost space for all of his art work. I can't make myself through it away. Anyone have any suggestions?
  
• Cade has battled his first and second cold since he was born all in one month. Poor guy, I wasn't sure if he was every going to be able to breath again. The suction bulb was our best friend and followed me everywhere.
• Cade FINALLY rolled over and the little boy is everywhere this month!! We lay him down in one position and it is like he plays hide and go seek with us if we leave the room. He can roll himself anywhere! You should of seen Cameron when he saw Cade roll over the first time, (imagine a high pitched voice) "CADE, I so proud of you. You are getting bigger!!"
  
• I helped open a new campus this year! I LOVE my new school so much. Although it has been a lot of work putting together a new classroom, I wouldn't change if for anything. My classes (I only teach Reading/Language Arts this year to two second grade classes) are wonderful. I get excited and sad thinking that in two short school years I will get to see Cameron walking the halls of Creek View Elementary.
  
• On August 25, I celebrated my 29th birthday. Yes, my last year in my 20's. So sad...
• Josh became a great babysitter this month as I spent many Saturdays and Sundays up at school. He is now a pro at two children!
• I spent most of this month with my new best friend, my breast pump. Sorry to be so blunt, but I feel that I need to celebrate taking 10 minutes out of my busy day every three hours to 'feed' my child.
  
• And although this technically didn't happen in August, I feel it is blog worthy...we happily welcome back...FOOTBALL SEASON!! Lord, please let the Aggies be good this year...(oh and with the beginning of Football season means basketball season is right around the corner. I love basketball now!! Thank you Josh...)
  

So that is our life in a list. Sort of...I am sure I missed something. Five months of maternity leave has come and gone. I will forever treasure this special time with my kids. Although there were days that I could of pulled my hair out, my house was clean, my family had good home cooked meals, I sometimes slept in (if 8:00 is sleeping in?), I watched Oprah, I blogged more, and I took more pictures. But oh how I love teaching. I miss this kids and I miss seeing my bestest friends daily. There is no better job than being a mom and teacher...

Hopefully my next blog won't be a month away...

Happy Birthday Jace!!

We are so excited that today is Jace's 3rd birthday! We couldn't ask for a better cousin to Cameron and Cade or a better nephew!!

Jace is one of the most out going three year olds we know! He has such an adventurous spirit and outgoing personality! Cameron and Jace love to play with each other and I am so glad that Cameron has him as a friend to grow up with.

So in honor of your third birthday Jace, here are three things we love about you:

#1: The way you tackle Cameron (thank you for helping him become a little more manly)
#2: You are such an athlete. And we especially love that you always wear those black patches under your eyes (what are they called again?)
#3: Your willingness to try anything new. You are truly a daredevil (climbing out of cribs, throwing baby powder around your room...)

There is so much more we could list...like your scooby-do crocs, your Mohawk as a baby, your keen fashion sense, your blanket and paci, the way you wrap your whole body around someone when they hold you, those arms and legs that went on forever when you were a newborn... the list goes on.

Thank you Jace for bringing such happiness to our family! We hope your third birthday is everything you wished for and more (and I promise we didn't get you a big pink bow!)

Look at Jace's face!! He is so proud of himself!

The boys playing a Chucky Cheese. There is no way both of them could fit now!

Cade is 4 months!

On July 21st, Cade celebrated his four month birthday!! I honestly cannot believe that it has already been four months. Oh how fast time goes...

I finally am starting to feel that I don't have a 'newborn' anymore. Cade has really started laughing and talking this month. Every morning after eating, he plays with his friends. His friends are the animals that hang from his play mat, which include a giraffe, a red bird, an elephant, and a set of play keys (I couldn't find the other the animal that goes on there...). He talks to them and grabs at them, and most importantly, tries to eat them. The kid puts anything that touches his hands into his mouth!!

Cameron still continues to be his favorite toy. He laughs at him when he plays and will find him wherever he is in the room. I love that each one of them love each other so much right now. I will try so hard to remember these times when they are teenagers and probably spend the day fighting like my brother and I did. Lucky for us, we became pretty good friends! There is nothing better than being so close to your sibling!

So here is a list of things that Cade is doing right now (both good and bad...):
**He is on a great schedule...up each day by about 8:15, takes two good naps (about two hours in the morning and three in the afternoon) and two good cat naps during the day.
**We have finally mastered nursing. It took some time, and I am so glad that I stuck with it, but he is a great eater!!
**He randomly will eat in the middle of the night. I would say about three times a week, he will eat and then go back to sleep. Other nights we get up 3-4 times to put the pacifier back in. I can't wait to sleep an entire night!!
**I know he is capable of sleeping through the night. We have talked about letting him cry it out, I'm just not ready yet. I hate a crying baby...especially mine!
**The only way he will sleep is if he is swaddled. I have tried unswaddled (or one arm out) but he wakes himself up after about 6 hours and then we are up for the rest of the night! NO fun at all...
**He is now on prevacid twice a day. Dr. Ransom said we could see a spike in his reflux around 4 months, and sure enough, we have! I just hope the spitting up goes away soon!
**He poops about once every three days...and then he REALLY lets it all out! I never thought I would think so much about poop! This is complete normal for breastfed babies, so I'm not that worried.
**He has finally become a better car rider. He doesn't scream his head off every time he is in the car! (I was originally driving Josh's truck for the space, but now I moved back to my RAV so Cade can watch Cameron in the car. Thank you Cameron for entertaining him for me!!)
**Almost rolling from stomach to back...he is oh so close!
**Loves his changing table and smiles the whole time he is on it!
**He is losing his hair on the sides and on the back. He still has REALLY long hair on the top. I could put it in a ponytail if he was a girl. It makes for a nice comb-over.
**Loves to hold toys and rattles and put them straight to his mouth.
**Mamma gave him the sweetest little lamb blanket that he sleeps with every night. When he gets out of his swaddle, he holds on to it really tight.
**He loves to go from a sitting position to a standing position (with your help of course) and is so proud of himself when he stands up.
**He loves his Bumbo seat and enjoys eating at the table with us each night!
**He laughs so much!! I love his little laugh. And seriously, that smile makes the reflux, sleeping, and crying issues all go away and totally worth it!

Current measurements (exactly the same as his brother at 4 months):
Weight: 15lbs 8 oz (75th percentile)
Height: 25 inches (50th percentile)

Now for a funny. One day, Cameron burped really loud while Cade was in his swing. Cade started laughing. It was so funny and Cameron was so proud of himself for making Cade laugh. We have since learned that Cade loves the sound of someone burping, so you can hear this sound often in our household. Pretty disgusting, but seriously, we love to hear him laugh.

For your enjoyment, I have posted a video of him laughing. I must say that I truly apologize for the annoying sounds that I am making. But, I will do anything I have to to hear my sweet boy laugh!

We love Cade and are so happy you have joined our family!!

Cameronisms Part 2

For Cameronisms Part 1 click here.

Cameron keeps us laughing on a daily basis! I thought I would share a few of the latest:

One morning I was still in my pajamas, which happen to be capris and hit me about mid calf.
Cameron: (in a very concerned voice) Oh Mommy, why your pants break?

Anytime Cameron has to go poop, this is our conversation:
Mommy: Do you want me to leave?
Cameron: Yes, I need some privazzzee. (privacy)
Mommy: O.k., I will shut the door, so tell me when to stop.
I slowly start closing the door, waiting for him to yell stop. Eventually, the door shuts completely and I hear...
Cameron: STOP!

Thank you Mamma for these next two.

Cameron was at Chick-fil-a with Mamma and Daddy Mike. He went up to the counter (with Mamma looking on) to get his ice cream. The man sort of ignored him, but finally acknowledged that he was there and gave him his ice cream.
Mamma: What do you tell him?
Cameron: (in the sweetest voice) I love you.

And, yes, I save the best for last.
Cameron is obsessed with a baby doll that Mamma has at her house. The name of the baby is Baby Josh (thanks Riley!). When Cameron woke up from his nap yesterday at Mamma's house, this is what happened.
Mamma: Do you want to go to the jungle?
Cameron: Yes, but I have to feed my baby first.
Mama: O.k., I think we left the bottle downstairs.
They go downstairs. Mama finds the bottle just in time to see Cameron sitting on the couch, lifting his shirt and nursing the baby.
Cameron: That my milk. (pointing to his nipple)

I guess I should start nursing in private. When Daddy Mike asked Mamma if she told him that boys can't do that, she said she was going to leave that up to the parents. Oh how I will love that conversation!

Tornado Drill

We had a little scare last night. Well, really just a lot of running to different windows in the house looking at this:

(this is not my picture, but definitely the cloud we saw!)

At 6:45 last night, it was a little overcast, so Cameron and I were going to walk to Uncle Dennis' house for a visit. Cameron was going to the restroom before we left and in about 10 minutes, the wind picked up a little and it started raining. By 7:05, all of the news stations were saying that Brazos county was under a tornado warning, and then the unbelievable happened...they cut in to my Bachelorrette: Men Tell All for a little weather coverage. What are they thinking? The weather man was having a hay day with all of these reports of funnel clouds touching down. It did get kinda scary when we saw that cloud forming out of our front window. We were very close to heading for the closet. Lucky for us, all we ended up getting was a bunch of rain.

We thank the weather for our entertainment last night!

And just to let you know...they did return to regular scheduled programming just in time for my satellite to go out! I missed about 30 minutes of the TWO HOUR show!!

A Year of Blogging

I am so happy to say that I have made it an entire year of blogging! I feel that this celebration deserves it's own post and a slew of thanks.

Thank You #1:
Thanks goes to Melissa and Sarah for sharing their blogs with me and giving me the courage to start me own.

Thank you #2:
This goes to my many friends and family who started their own blogs with my encouragement. (aka Lynnie, Katie, and Jayme). Thank you for keeping me entertained!!

Thank you #3:
Goes to the long lost buddies I have found through blogging. What a great way to keep up with so of my old pals. (This goes to you Jenn, Emily, Julie, and Sarah...)

Thank you #4:
Goes to all the people who read my blog. Some of you I know about (thanks for the comments and e-mails regarding my posts). And some of you I don't!! (I would love to know who you 'lurkers' are out there!!) I love when I go to the store or am out and about and someone I know says "I was reading your blog the other day..." Makes it all worth it!

And the most important thank you of all goes to these two boys:

Without you guys, I would have nothing to blog about.

Lets hope that when school starts in August I can continue this blog! I love going back and seeing what my family has been up to...

Our 4th of July celebration

I have been out of the loop lately as our internet has not been working at home. In Josh's words..."Dawn, we need to get that internet fixed for you, it is your only connection to the outside world!" I truly have a husband who understands!!

So, a long awaited post is finally here...and I answer the question for you...

What did the Newton's do for the fourth?

I can answer that question very easily...A WHOLE LOT!!! Let me explain the story to you in pictures...

Our day began bright and early. Sharon (aka Mama or MIL) had plans for the whole family to be at Veteran's Park in Bryan for their annual Fourth of July picnic. She also wanted us to decorate our wagon with red, white, and blue as the kids participate in a parade. I had grand thoughts in my head of a huge crowd, a big parade, patriotic music, and so much more...Now, don't get me wrong, we had a great time, but it wasn't EXACTLY what I had pictured.

The historic association of Bryan had a nice flag raising ceremony.

Lady Liberty and Uncle Sam were there to greet us. (at one point, Lady Liberty came up to me and said (and I quote) "Lady Liberty and Uncle Sam will soon be racing in the potato sack race. Please join us for the fun.")

We sat around and enjoyed the festivities (did I mention it was 150 degrees outside and no breeze?):

Time for the parade (just what I was waiting for...) Oh, the kids just paraded around on the sidewalk. It was pretty cute though...

Josh pulling Cameron in the parade. (His sign says "Let Freedom Ring")

Our niece Riley riding her bike in the parade:

Our nephew Jace brought along his motorcycle:

At around 11:00, we had had enough of the heat, as did Cade. He fell asleep in the heat. Amazing. Cameron even helped him cool off by fanning him with the American flag. So patriotic.

We headed over to Mama and Daddy Mike's for a SUPER lunch, complete with contests!! Sharon never hosts a party without games and prizes!! We had a super cupcake decorating contest...and (drum roll please) I WON!!! My super talented styles finally paid off (yeah right). My winning cupcake was a hand drawn (with icing) American flag and star sprinkles. I was so lucky and won a nice pink float for the pool!!

Thanks Katie for this pic. My cupcake is in the bottom right hand corner. There was much competition as you can tell!!

Luckily, Sharon's plans for the day did include naps for the kids. So after lunch, we headed home, the kids slept, I made my annual fruit pizza, and around 5:30, we headed over to Josh's Aunt Deb's house for swimming, hot dogs, hamburgers, and yes, our annual bike ride to George Bush library for fireworks.

As Katie says, this is NO NORMAL bike ride.
Picture it:
*About 15 adults, each on a bike
*One two seater bike complete with an adult and an 8 year old.
*Two bike trailors with a five year old, a four year old, and an almost three year old.
*One bike seat with a three year old.
*All riding through A&M's campus like we own the place.
*PTS (remember them Ags?!?) having to stop ALL traffic so we can cross the street.

It is truly a sight to see, but one of the things I look the most forward to each year. Infact, Josh and I bought me a bike specifically for this occasion! I wish so badly that I had a picture of the group. This is a must for next year! We parked ourselves in an open field across from Reed Arena and enjoyed the fireworks. Cameron really loved the green and red ones. He told everyone that over and over again, and still talks about them. Fireworks are so much better through a child's eyes!! Enjoy these pics of our evening celebration:

My yummy fruit pizza (my mouth is watering now):

Grandad and Cameron enjoying cheetos together:

Cade and Daddy Mike in the pool. (Cade looks a little scared but I promise he loves the pool!)

A horrible pic, but one of the only ones I have with me and Cade:

Look at this handsome little guy!!

We had a great, fun-filled day and can't wait until next year!

Brothers...

I just love this picture. It totally shows each of their personalities...

Cameron--a little crazy, so much fun, wild, a great big brother.

Cade---cool, calm, and collected (unless he is in the car, that is a whole other picture), happy, loves his big brother


I just hope that this love for each other continues...

The cutest little face...

Cameron's Big Party

The Birthday Boy:

Last Sunday, Cameron celebrated his 3rd birthday. We decided to go 'low key' this year, with just celebrating with the family. Of course, 'low key' never really becomes 'low key', right? We had 4 pools, 200+ water balloons, a pinata, pepperoni rolls, a game of hot potato, lots of presents, and to top off a great day, a Cranky the Crane ice-cream cake.

Cameron told me months ago that he wanted a Cranky the Crane cake. How in the world was I going to make this? I pondered for months. (remember last year, I made his cake...) About a week before the celebration, I decided that I would let Maggie Moo's make the cake, and boy was it yummy!! They did a great job designing it (better than I could of imagined!) and we really enjoyed eating it! It was a great end to a HOT summer day!

Cameron is a very lucky little boy, and I don't think he quite knows it just yet. He celebrated with some awesome family that celebrated in the heat of the day (Daddy Mike even took a trip down the slip in slide). Thank you all who celebrated with us...we really appreciate you making our boy feel so special.

Enjoy these pictures from the big day.

What Cameron woke up to early Sunday morning:

Enjoying his pinata:

What Daddies do with pinatas:

Who got more?!?!

The best pic of the cake I got:

Cade was there for the party:

A True Party Animal:

Mr. & Mrs. Sissell

Meet the Bride (Erin):

Meet the Groom (Dennis):


The Mom's:
The Dad's:

The Groomsman: The Bridesmaids:


The Best Man (Blake):

The Maid of Honor (Kim):

The Adorable ring bearer and flower girl:


And last but not least, the NEW MR. & MRS. SISSELL:


I want to tell you the story of two adorable people who fell in love and got married. Yes, my little brother is officially married. It is crazy to think that he is old enough to have a Mrs.!! Some of these pictures were taken by their two photographers, who can be found here and here. They did an amazing job!

Let's begin with the rehearsal dinner.

We began the evening with the rest of the wedding party rehearsing the big day. Erin and Dennis picked a beautiful location for the wedding at Red Corral Ranch in Wimberly, TX. We were a little worried about the heat, but it turned out to be perfect. The big oak trees and occasional breezes helped us brave the hot day! My mom and dad hosted a wonderful rehearsal dinner at the ranch (on location at the Big Red Barn). We had a fun evening of yummy BBQ, a great video, speeches, and lots of laughter. Once that party was over, the groom and his boys headed to their cabin for the evening, as the bride and her gal pals headed back to the main house. We were all in anticipation of the big day!

Going to the chappel...

We spent the entire day getting ready for the 6:00 wedding. Erin was absolutely beautiful in her wedding gown and Dennis looked very handsome! Before the big event, we all took some pictures, cried a little, took some more pictures, cried a little more, waited, and waited...and finally the big moment was here. I will let the pictures tell the story.

Congrats Dennis and Erin!