Happy Holidays!!!

Happy Holidays! 2010 has been an exciting and crazy year and sending out our yearly holiday card fell through the cracks! Family and friends mean the world to us and we are so very thankful to have all of you in our lives. We wish everybody a safe and very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The Laurent Family

Our Christmas Weekend...

You know how you have this picture in your head of how your day will go and then the day actually happens and it's nothing like you pictured..? Well, that was our Christmas. I call it the not-so-perfect, perfect Christmas because although nothing went as planned, it was still a wonderful Christmas.

Christmas Eve started out great - Brian and I loaded up the Jeep with all of the presents and the car with all of our suitcases. Yes, we had to take both cars. (Lesson #1 - Buy the big presents in Indiana so traveling for Christmas will be easier.) The drive over was okay for me, Camden slept the entire time. The drive for Brian - not so good. By the time we got to Decatur, Brian was really sick. He spent most of the day laying on the couch. Terry, Terri, Camden and I headed over to Grandma Laurent's for dinner and Brian stayed at the house. When we got back to the house, we found Brian laying on the bathroom floor.


Even though Brian was sick and couldn't participate, I decided Camden and I would still continue the "traditions" we started last year. AH! Not so much -

1. Open a present containing new PJ's to wear to bed - I couldn't remember which box I wrapped them in. Luckily Grandma Laurent saved the day. She let Camden open the PJ's she bought him.
2. Open a present containing a new little toy - Instead I just gave him an unwrapped truck.
3. Watch a Christmas movie - After dinner we watched a Christmas movie - Merry Christmas Charlie Brown". Camden was disinterested but it caught his eye several times.
4. Read - The Night Before Christmas. Grandpa Laurent tried reading this to Camden but he was tired and ready for bed. I tried reading to him a little more in the bedroom but it still didn't work.

Christmas Day -
Christmas morning I woke up and turned the light on only to see Camden with poop all over him and his sheets! Great way to start the morning! I cleaned him up a little and threw him into the bathtub. I couldn't believe it, not only was Brian sick but Camden was also having some stomach issues. After the bath, we had breakfast and them it was time to open presents. I got the video camera out and realized the battery was dead! AH! Really?! (Lesson #2 - Make sure all batteries are charged) The good part of this is that Terri and Terry let Brian and I open one of our presents early - a new video camera. Although we didn't get to use it that morning (had to charge) it was a nice surprise. The rest of the morning went well and Camden had a great time opening his presents. The second present he opened was bubble so all we heard was BUBBLES for the next five minutes and he didn't want to open anything else (Lesson #3 - open bubbles last).

Later in the day, Brian was starting to feel better so we headed over to Cross Creek to surprise Brian with his TV. That was one of the only things that went as planned! We was surprised and very excited.

We spent the rest of the day, enjoying time with the family. After the kids went to bed Pat, Maya, Terry, Terri, Brian and I enjoyed a game of Imagine If. It was pretty fun!

Here are some pics from the rest of our weekend...

Two Down, One to Go

Brian, Camden and I headed up to Lorain the weekend before Christmas to celebrate Christmas with my dad. Although it was a short trip, we had a great time. We spend most of our time over my aunt and uncle's. We hung out with my cousins and just had a nice relaxing time. I realized I need to make it up north more often. My little cousins are growing up so fast. I don't see them nearly enough. Here's some pics from our day...

One Down, Two to Go...

December is always a busy month for Brian and I. Not only do we have the Christmas shopping, the decorating and the work parties etc. We also have three weekends of Christmas celebrations - one with my mom, one with my dad and one with the Laurent's.

This past weekend was 1 of 3.

My mom and Dennis flew in from Arizona to stay with us for the weekend. They decided not to bring the warm weather with them so Camden and I decided to have a hot chocolate waiting for my mom when they arrived. They were both so excited to see Camden. It's been 5 months since my mom last saw Camden and entire year for Dennis. The three of them had a great time hanging out and catching.

Saturday we all headed over to Xenia for the Ziegman Christmas celebration. We haven't been there since my mom and Dennis moved to Arizona so it was nice being there and catching up with everyone. We always have a great time when we get together.

Camden had fun playing with the girls. He especially liked playing with Darby. Here's some pics of the two of them having fun...



Camden loved playing with the tissue paper that filled the bag his presents came in. He's adorable!

Today we spent the day shopping for Camden. One thing I learned recently, grandparents love to shop for their grandchildren. So do parents, but grandparents can by whatever they want because they don't have to figure out where to store it or deal with the sound it makes. I do have to admit my mom and Dennis listened to my suggestions. And they made sure Camden smiled and like the toys before putting them into the cart. If he didn't smile, it went back on the shelf. Camden walked out of the store with a bike, guitar and a bunch of cars - all of which he loves.

Thanks - G&G Ziegman!

New Year's Eve

What’s better than staying in eating pizza, drinking martini’s, playing Wii and ring in the New Year with two close friends and our little guy?!

Camden wishing everyone a Happy New Year before heading off to bed...

Brandon and I with our girlie drinks (notice the fingers)...

Brian with his manly drink...

Keira taking a quick nap before the new year...Isn't she an adorable pregnant woman?!

We decided to break out the Wii. It was hilarious watching Brandon do the step and the hula hoop games! Keira kicked butt on the ski jump!

As for my new year's resolution this year... I decided on several.

1. Get in shape – I know, I know. That’s on everyone lists but it’s one of mine too. Everyone told me the last 5 pounds was the hardest to loose after having a baby. Those people are lucky! For me it’s the last 10!!!
2. Read a little each night before going to bed - I’ve been having a hard time finding time to read, so from now on the TV's being turned off and a book/magazine is being opened.
3. Find a church – This is something I’ve been talking about doing for awhile. I just need to do it.
4. Put things away after I’m done using it – I need to do this. I used to be organized. Brian now says I am the most unorganized organized person.

Merry Christmas!!!

Brian, Camden and I celebrated Christmas with my side of the family the weekend before Christmas. We drove up to Lorain Saturday and spent the day at my Aunt Tammie and Uncle Danny’s house with my dad, cousins and Aunt Debbie. We watched old family videos and watched the kids open presents. My dad spent the entire time holding Camden. He even changed his diaper for the first time which was amusing to watch. At one point in the afternoon my Aunt Tammie asked my dad is she could hold Camden. She had to ask because he wasn’t just going to give him up. He’s so good with him.




When we got home from Lorain Saturday evening there was a big surprise awaiting Camden - My mom and Dennis bought him his very own fire truck for his first Christmas!


Christmas Eve we loaded up the car and headed over to Decatur. I had previously mentioned to Brian and his mom that I wanted to start a few simple traditions so we did…

1. Get Camden a cute pair of pajamas to wear Christmas Eve night – I actually forgot to do this but Grandma Laurent saved the day - She found these adorable pj’s for him…


2. Watch a Christmas movie – I didn’t actually think Camden would participate in this tradition this year but he did. We watched “Merry Christmas Charlie Brown” – 25 minutes long - Perfect for Camden’s 1st Christmas.

3. Open one present before going to bed – He opened a small Teddy Bear that sings lullabies.

4. Read a Christmas story before bedtime – We read “T’was the Night Before Christmas”

Christmas morning Camden opened his presents from Mommy, Daddy and Santa and then we headed to church. I was a little nervous about how Camden would react but he seemed to enjoy himself. He spent half the time staring up at the fans and the other half sleeping in his Grandpa Laurent’s arms.

Later in the day, Pat, Maya and Zane arrived. We opened gifts and sat down to dinner. Christmas is so much fun with kids. Zane had a blast opening presents and seemed to really enjoy his presents and some of Camden’s – the drum in particular!

The rest of the weekend was just as fun. Friday we met up with Terry’s side of the family for dinner. Brian's aunt got Camden a new friend. Doesn't he seem so happy!

Then on Saturday, Beth, Dan and the kids came over for dinner. I didn't have the camera out while they were there because had the video camera out instead. I have some funny video of all of us playing Wii! If we ever figure out how to get the video onto our computer I'll share it!!

Thank you everyone for such a great Christmas. We had so much fun and enjoyed spending time with all of you.

Note to self - After reviewing all of the pictures we took thoughout Christmas I noticed we didn't take a family picture! I'm adding that to my list of traditions! Take a family picture!

Here comes Santa...

Camden and I headed to Easton today to see Santa Claus. I had no idea what I was in for. We left our house around 3:30pm and got in line to meet Santa around 4:10pm. The line was long but didn't look too long. After about 30 minutes of waiting in a line that was barely moving the person in front of me asked Santa's helper how long of a wait it would be. His answer... 1-2 hours. WHAT?! The two people in front of me left but I decided to wait. I had already been waiting 30 minutes and I really wanted a good picture of Camden with Santa. I should probably add that Camden did meet Santa Sunday at Brian's Christmas party for work but the picture didn't turn out that way I wanted and the Blue Jackets logo is the backdrop. Anyway, Camden and I spent two hours waiting to see Santa. The first 1.5 hours wasn't bad. Camden was happy and having fun laughing at other kids as they played in line. However, as we got closer to Santa so did Camden's nap and feeding times - this meant fussy Camden was about to deubt. But to my pleasant surprise he handled it well and we got a great picture of Camden with Santa. An added bonus - I got a 5X7 for $5.00 since it was his first Christmas and they let me take pics with my own camera too. Okay, so Santa doesn't look so great but Camden is adorable and so grown up!

Oh Christmas Tree...

I’ve been thinking a lot about family traditions and what family traditions we would like to start in our family. One tradition we’ve decided to start is going out and cutting down our Christmas tree. Brian and I actually did this the first year we were married but skipped last year due to the horrible morning sickness I was experiencing. This year I’ve been so excited about cutting down our tree. I’ve been picturing how the day would go for a few weeks now. Needless to say, the day did not go as I envisioned.

The day started out great. Brian, Camden and I had a relaxing morning and headed out after Cam’s first nap. Everything was going the way I had planned. To make things even better… it was snowing outside! After stopping by Lowe’s to get work gloves and twine (hard lesson learned the 1st year we did this) and by Toys R Us to buy Wii Fit (yeh!), we headed to the tree farm. Once we arrived we realized it wasn’t the same one we went to two years prior. I was a little disappointed since that one had Santa and this one didn’t but things were still okay. After putting Cam in his snowsuit I realized the Baby Bjorn wasn’t going to work. It wouldn’t snap over his snowsuit. This is where things fell apart. The only other option was to put him in his car seat and carry him. He started crying and we were freezing. To make a long story short, we didn’t see Santa, we didn’t drink hot chocolate by the fire, and we didn’t get a Blue Spruce Christmas Tree. In fact, we didn’t cut down a tree at all! Instead we drove 40 minutes to get a precut tree that we could have gotten at Anderson’s which is 2 minutes from our house! Now don’t get me wrong, we actually had a great day and it was definitely memorable. This is one tradition that we will continue. I just hope Camden enjoys himself a little more next year!

1st time in snowsuit....

At the tree farm....

Precut trees....

Brian did most of the work...

Happy Thanksgiving...

Brian, Camden and I (and the pups) had a wonderful Thanksgiving with our family. It started the Sunday before Thanksgiving when my dad, Grandma and Aunt came to visit. My dad spend the afternoon holding and spoiling Camden while the rest of us played Wii. My Grandma almost beat me in bowling!

Grandpa Adams and Camden sneaking in a quick nap...

Thanksgiving morning Brian and I loaded up the Jeep. After we packed everything we “needed” for Camden, I didn’t think we were going to have enough room for our stuff or for the pups. It looked like we packed the entire house! I didn’t realize we would need so much for a weekend trip. It turns out we didn’t. When there’s family around that doesn’t see Camden on a daily basis they are all you need. Next time the swing and Bumpo stay at home!

When we arrived in Decatur, Grandma and Grandpa Laurent got their hugs and kisses in and then we headed over to Aunt Charlotte's house. There were several family members who Camden had never met so it was nice to be able to spend the day with them.

The day after Thanksgiving, Terri and I head out to join in the Black Friday festivities. We left the house at 4:45am and headed to Babies R Us. After BRU we headed to Target and quickly figured out they didn’t open until 6am. People were standing outside in the freezing cold, in a line that wrapped around the building..crazy! We decided we didn’t need anything that bad so we moved on to Toys R Us. It was the same way. I hope Camden doesn’t ever want something that I can only get by standing in line for hours in the cold and then for hours in line to pay for it. But if he does, myself or Brian will probably do it just so we can see the excitement on his face Christmas morning. Anyway, we stopped a Starbucks and Wal Mart and were home by 8:30am! I think we got a lot done in a short amount of time!

We spent the remainder of the weekend at the lake cottage. Friday evening was spent entertaining my nephew Zane and Camden. It was cute to see the boys together. On Saturday, Pat and Maya headed up and we celebrated Thanksgiving with Aunt Beth, Karly, Ben and Uncle Dan. I love the holidays!

It was such a great weekend. We have so much to be thankful for!

Happy Halloween!

I can't remember a better Halloween. It was such a great day. It started off when I got a picture text from my two guys. When I opened it I saw Brian holding Camden who was dressed in his pumpkin outfit for daycare. What a great way to start the morning. Then in the afternoon the three of us headed to the zoo! We had so much fun! I think Camden's favorite part was the aquarium. After the zoo, we dressed Camden in his Tigger costume. ADORABLE! I know I'm a little bias but he's the cutest thing ever. We passed out candy with all of our neighbors and towards the end of the evening we all walked around the neigborhood and passing out our remaining candy. After trick-or-treat was over we ordered pizza and hung out in our neighbor's driveway for a bit. It was such a fun day.

Thanksgiving 2007

Brian and I hosted our first Thanksgiving this year. My dad, grandma (and Oliver), Aunt Debbie and her boyfriend Tim drove in from Lorain to help us celebrate. Everything went as planned…even the turkey I was so nervous about. I was freaking out a little on Wednesday because it was still frozen but it was ready to go by Thursday morning. It was my first time making a turkey and Brian’s first time carving one. I have to say we make a great team but next year we have to remember to take the wishbone out and make a wish (I had one ready too). Oh - something I learned while preparing the turkey – the neck is not always in a bag so beware!

The table looked great. I used the holiday China Terri got me as a shower gift and we finally used the water goblets we got as a wedding gift. I made a few snacks for everyone to nibble on while watching football until dinner was ready. Tim made homemade gravy (he wasn’t too excited about my canned gravy) and help Brian carve the turkey. Brian said grace and we all said what we were thankful for. After dinner we ate pie and watch football until everyone decided to head home. All in all…it was a good day.

I’ll post some pics when I find time to figure how to post them!