Cameron's clothes and cannoli

We made cannoli last night for an Italian dinner night we went to tonight.  It was a lot of fun and everyone seemed to like the cannoli.  It's not my favorite dessert, but it was fun making it with Chad. (We bought the shells, but made the filling and I dipped the ends in melted chocolate.)

Some different outfits Cameron wore this past week.  I had to take pictures cause he usually just wears jeans and t-shirts.  

Football star

Preppy Man dressed for the groc-ery-store!

Cameron's Sunday outfit--for his first day of nursery.  It was a gift from gma Norma (my mom's mom).  Thanks grandma!

Politicians... good or evil?

My sister wrote something on her blog that made me think a bit.  Here's what she wrote:
How I feel about politics in general...and why I had a hard time voting

Richard Armour once wrote: "Politics, it seems to me, for years, or all too long, has been concerned with right or left instead of right or wrong."

Saul Bellow wrote: "Take our politicians: they're a bunch of yo-yos. The presidency is now a cross between a popularity contest and a high school debate, with an encyclopedia of clichés the first prize."

Plato wrote: "Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber." (AMEN!)

Nikita Khrushchev wrote: "Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build a bridge even where there is no river."

T.S. Eliot wrote: "An election is coming. Universal peace is declared and the foxes have a sincere interest in prolonging the lives of the poultry."

(Note that I don’t even necessarily agree with the ideologies of all of the authors of these quotes…but I agree with what they’re saying! I’m just sayin.)

And here's the comment I left on her post:

Hmmm...I saw this in your email the other day and had thoughts but didn't have time to write them to you. Guess I'll do it now. I guess I still believe in the good in people. I definitely feel that there are politicians who are in it for power and prestige. But I also think, at least hope, that there are politicians who are in it to make changes for the good. (Just now realizing how ironic it is that I write this when this is the argument so many made about Obama and I didn't like him. Having a sketchy past, though, is kind of an indicator of a person's character in my mind.) Working with some legislators opened my eyes to how hard of a job it is. You're constantly battling between what you want, what your constituents want, and what your fellow legislators want. You always have to watch what you say, who you talk to, where you go. Someone is always going to hate you, no matter what you do. You have to dodge the media all the time, but still try to do what you think is right. This is why I've liked Bush for all of these years. I think he's a good man with the country's best interest at heart (I honestly do feel this way). Anyway, I know people hate politicians because they make promises they can't always keep. But you never know what obstacles will arise that will destroy your vision (the promise made) until after you're elected (true, some people might just be lying to get elected). There are so many things to think about when trying to lead a state or a nation or a city. To get one thing, you have to take from somewhere else. And then people get mad and don't want you in office anymore. So you try to please them, but still do what you think will be the best thing, etc. So, it's cyclical. To sum up, I'm trying to have faith that there are good people out there that want to make changes and are willing to go through Hades to do it. So the stereotype of politicians sometimes bothers me.

(I didn't post this on her comment, but I will here)-- I also got so frustrated with people before the election that would talk about how they didn't like either candidate. When I would press and ask why, no one could give me good reasons. If people had a problem with John McCain, they would use phrases they had heard on tv like, "It'll just be 4 more years of Bush's failed policies," when I know no one could give me a policy that they opposed. Ugh. Then, if pushed further (saying that they should research the issues so they really knew where they stood), the people I talked to said they didn't have time or interest. I don't get it. Don't fight against something you don't understand. I majored in polysci, but know almost nothing about state and national politics. But I had to research to find out which candidate I thought would be the best leader of our country.

So there...I'm done my rant now.

I want to know how YOU feel about politicians. Do you agree with me or my sister?

For my mom (and me)

So, my mom and I weren't huge fans of Chad's beard AND longer hair.  I think my mom liked his longer hair, but not so much the Mountain Man look.  And I've always preferred short hair and a clean face.

Well, to get us off of his back, Chad told me he had forgotten a book at school and needed to go pick it up.  He was gone for a while, but I thought maybe he was working on something at school.  No biggie.  When he got back, this is what he looked like... (we did a little photo shoot)

Hubba hubba!!

A few pics I took while we went outside for a little while yesterday.  We can't really wait for Chad at the bus anymore cause it's  A.) too dark  B.) WAY too cold  C.) WAY too windy.  I'm sad that those days are over (at least for a while). 

Still sick and my weird eye

So, Cameron is still sick.  And it's Thursday.  I know these things can take a while to get over sometimes, but whatever he's got seems pretty weird.  I'm taking him to the doc today.  His little potty issues seem better, but he's still throwing up randomly when he takes only one bite of something...?  And he kind of acts like his throat hurts.  Eh, some combo of strep and a stomach bug?!  I don't know.

And I'm a little disappointed in myself.  The pics I put up in the last post were really the only pics out of a whole lot that weren't blurry.  I know.  I'm still new to this camera thing.  But I think I've figured it out.  See, I have an astigmatism in my right eye.  We thought that was what was causing my headaches, but I'm not sure.  So I got a pair of cheap glasses that really do help things clear up a bit.  Guess I might have to wear them when I take pictures.  Cause if I don't, I'm only getting one out of 20 that is a good, clear picture.  Oh well.  Gotta do what I gotta do for the greater good, huh? :)

We're off to the doc.  I'll post later to let you know if Cameron has any weird African disease.

Update:

Well, it's a virus.  And I knew that.  But, I decided waiting in a room full of sick/hyper kids for 25 minutes was worth the doc telling me it was a virus.  Hey, I saw someone I used to be in Kindermusik class with.  So that was cool.  And since Cameron didn't feel well, he didn't run all over the place.  He actually sat on my lap--not normal at all.  It'll be interesting if one of our future children is snuggley.  I'm not sure I'll know what to do.

Anyway, no potty issues or throwing up today, so I say he's on the mend.  Just in case, I rescheduled my dentist apt. (for the 4th time) from tomorrow until Tuesday.  Want to make sure he won't get my neighbor's kids sick.

18 months old!!

I can't believe how fast a year and a half goes by!  Cameron is 18-months-old today.  I took some pictures on Monday when we went to the zoo and then to pick up Chad from school.  This view is from behind Chad's building.  We like to play there (and should definitely take advantage of this warm weather!!).

Happy Half Bday, Cameron!

Little sicky

I'm not one to stomach the site of vomit.  I say that I'm a sympathetic vomiter-- even talking about throwing up makes my stomach hurt.  Therefore, I would rather do anything than throw up!  I haven't thrown up in 6 years--even through my pregnancy.

So I'm not sure how I managed to survive yesterday.  Cameron threw up all over a blanket that was on the two of us, then had some potty issues, and then threw up again while sitting in his high chair at the table (he threw up all over his dinner).  The weird thing is that between all of these little incidents, he ran around like a crazy kid--as if he felt completely fine.  So, Chad and I got to work cleaning him up, washing sheets, towels, blankets, etc (I get kind of germaphobic when someone is sick in the house.  Just want to make sure no one else gets sick!).

Happy to report that Cameron is fine today.  I think we'll venture out to the library or zoo.  I know...I said zoo.  And it's November 3rd.  They say it'll be a record high today with 70 degree weather.  I think I should take advantage of the warmth before I can kiss the sun goodbye for 6 months!

I'm surprised at how I managed not to get sick with the sight of vomit (and the act of vomiting). Chad and I were chatting about it last night and I guess I just went into mom mode.  Now, if Chad had thrown up, I'm not sure what I would have done!

My Dreams Have Come TRUE!!

I got a present in the mail yesterday.  It's my Christmas present (and probably Valentine's Day, Anniversary, and Birthday for the next three or four years!).  I got a new camera-- a Nikon D40x.  And I gotta say... I'M IN LOVE!!!

I feel like I've been held back for a while with the camera I have.  Don't get me wrong.  It's a great little camera.  But there was a bit more that I wanted to do with the pictures I was taking.  I had been researching online and reading a book Chad got me a while ago about how to do what I wanted to do.  But no matter how I tried, I couldn't get the pictures I wanted.

So came the idea for a new camera.  I've been thinking about this for a while, but tried to forget about it or just put it out of my mind.  I knew we wouldn't be able to afford the camera I wanted.  

But wait a minute!  I'm married to the biggest deal guy there is!  Chad buys everything on ebay and ends up saving a ton of money.  We got this Mac on ebay and it's been a dream.  So, of course, Chad found the deal of the century.  This camera came with a second fabulous lens, a big camera case, and two dvds to help explain the camera (good thing...my old camera's manual was SO confusing!).

Anyway, enough text here.  On to some pictures:

This one is a bit blurry, but I still like Cameron's expression

 

Cameron's Halloween costume last night--thanks grandma! (We went to a party at one of Chad's co-worker's house and then stopped by some neighbors' places.)  This was taken with my old camera.

During Cameron's nap today, I went to the mall.  After that, I stopped in a neighborhood near ours and took some shots.

He looks so bloated...like those little toddlers in Africa (although,  he's quite a bit lighter than them!).  Well, it was after dinner!

Turning in a circle/dancing

Can you see the goose-egg on Cameron's head?  Notice how it isn't in the first few pictures of this post (that I took this morning).  Yes, Cameron had a fall down the stairs today.  This is his second time falling down the stairs, although the first time, they were concrete.  He didn't make it all the way down (somehow I managed to grab him before then--I was at the bottom of the stairs and told him not to come down, but he wanted to cause both Chad and I had gone down).  I could see it in slow motion.  I felt horrible, but luckily, Cameron's really good at calming down pretty quickly.  I just held and rocked him a little and he was fine.  What a trooper!  And yes, I win Mother of the Year award...again!

I get this face a lot lately!