Mika asked me the other night if I treated my kids different as a boy and a girl. He asked with the admission his daughter has him wrapped around his finger and his mouth can't produce the word 'No' in her presence. I told him I didn't treat them differently and Jenna backed me up on this. Then I started noticing in all the pictures of she and I, she was in my lap being held...even when she was taking a nap. Hmmm...
You'd think I said something bad like "No!"
I apologize up front for thinking this is funny. I've told everybody before Campbell is developing quite the temper. It used to require some slight or being told 'No.' Now as you'll see below, all it takes is for Daddy to ask her to not take her bow out of her hair. If you read that part softly and in an even way, you'll pretty much have the first 30 seconds of this episode before I turned on the camera. Thankfully she did let me off the hook at the end so I didn't feel bad all day. You know-feel bad for suggesting her not do something.
Runnin' with the big boys!
This video just makes me laugh. Noah was showing me how fast he can run and Campbell decided this was as good of a time as any to try to run for the first time. The results are comical as she tries to keep up with him.
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Let's...call...those...Hogs!!!!!
Campbell is fired up for the Sugar Bowl!!!
Putting up the tree
Unbelievably the Sullivan's not only have their tree up before December, it's up before Thanksgiving baby!!!
Yesterday was the kind of day you dream about. The kids' were good and agreeable and stuff actually got done. Last night when we actually started to decorate the tree, Jenna let Noah help out. It was the kind of thing I'm watching and know she wants it to go a certain way but I'm scared it will go another. He could have been uninterested or been too focused on the end result, but instead Noah was really into the story of each ornament (or "ordament") which was exactly what she dreamed it would be. It's her favorite part of Christmas.
My personal favorite was an ornament with a picture inside of Jenna and I running from the church with rose petals in the air. I showed it to him and he exclaimed, "That's you and Mommy getting married!!!" with glee.
Peek-a-Boo vs. I'm Thankful
Tonight at dinner we have two videos pitted against one another for the title of cutest Sullivan kid. In corner 1 we have Campbell with her powerful punch of Peek-a-Boo. In corner 2 we have Noah with his thotally thawesome thankfulness.
Corner 1
Corner 2
Campbell's 1st Birthday Party
Congratulations to our baby girl. Her momma was emotional all morning knowing her last baby is turning 1, but she made it through. It was a lot of fun with her family and friends here. Of course the cake was her favorite part.
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Campbell talking to the dogs
Campbell has started chasing the dogs around the house. Now she's wanting to talk to them even when they are outside. Here's a cute video.
What we learned this morning
Wow. We learned a couple of things this morning before we even left the house. One kind of serious and one not so much.
Noah woke up early again (I despise falling 'back for DST) so he had to be sent back upstairs to get dressed while I got in the shower. While the water was heating up, I came out into the living room to see Noah still in his pajamas AND in his shoes. He was laying out his pants when I asked what he was doing. After he simply explained he was getting dressed with those patented looks at me like I have 3 heads-I asked how he was going to get his pants on over his shoes. With the same - go away Dad look - he told me he'd be just fine. We've had this conversation before and usually I insist he do it right but this time I decided to let him figure it out for himself.
I went ahead and got in the shower. I've always known this but the interchange with Noah really crystalized it for me. Parents can't teach their kids anything. We can only guide them, but they have to figure out on their own what we already know. Hopefully, we can control the lesson to be learned in a safe way.
In the shower, I thought of a scary moment in my life. A friend of mine and I were coming home from ElDorado on a weekend night. I was driving my mother's car and curfew was going to be a close thing. I hit the Thrill Hills of S Jackson going way too fast. I knew not to go that fast. I'd been told not to go that fast, but until that moment when all 4 tires left the ground, I didn't believe I shouldn't go that fast. Luckily we survived, but if chance had put a car in the oncoming lane we wouldn't have. I never drove like that again and I can still get chills thinking about it. Kid's have to make their own mistakes-we can only pray they learn some of them going down a hill on a deserted road on their bike.
When I emerged clean and dressed Noah was completely ready for school. I asked him how he got his pants over his shoes. He sheepishly whispered, "I had to take them off to get my pants on." I nodded to him and didn't say another word. I guess we both learned something.
***Oh yeah, the kid's looked awfully cute this morning so I took their picture. Noah wanted his stuffed penguin in the picture as well. That's when we learned Campbell DOES NOT like penguins.
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Halloween 2010
Noah really got into the 'scary' part of Halloween this year. He was much more curious about the mummy's, skeletons, and ghosts than last year where he didn't sleep alone for a week following. The Green's came over and went trick-or-treating with us again this year. Noah wanted to be "black Spiderman" and Hayden wanted to be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. Since each was the other last year, we saved about $25 and switched costumes. The downside is the pictures are going to be difficult to figure out which year they are from because they look the same. Luckily, Campbell is in most of these so we can figure it out that way.
Campbell went with us on our street and we showed her off to our friends. She was so cute but she really wouldn't wear the hood of her costume for long. Ron and I took the boys over to Thornbury while Jenna and Valerie handed out candy. Annie and Pops came over too.
The best story of the night was a house with a teenage boy laying in the yard wearing a creepy clown mask. As the boys came up to the door, the kid started slowly commando crawling towards them. It was a little creepy but clown masks are always creepy to me. Hayden and Noah steered clear but after getting their candy Noah walked up to the boy and asked "Are you a good clown or a bad clown?" The kid didn't answer but the way Noah approached him had me concerned. I shouted to Noah, "He's a good clown, DON'T KICK HIM!" I don't know how I knew what he was planning but my mind could see it play out. Noah retreated to us at the road while the kid's mom laughed from the front porch. It got better because we went to the next house and the kid started crawling towards the next group of trick-or-treaters at his house. He was laying perfectly away from me so my considerable ninja skills took over and I snuck up on him. I pounced on him and yelled-the blood curdling scream from him sounded like a 1st grade girl with her hair caught in something. I thought his mom was going to have a stroke she was laughing so hard. Of course, she saw me coming and I could tell from her reaction she was okay with me giving her son a good scare.
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Our first Daddy-Daughter Night
Through a quirk of fate and chance, Campbell and I are the only ones home tonight. Jenna left today for a conference in Dallas and Noah is spending the night with his Annie and Pops. So I picked my little girl up at 4:30 and the date began. It started with a game of steamroller in the living room floor and it ended with her asleep on my chest. The in between is the sort of things ballads are written about.
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Our little after bath song
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Good autumn weekend
Despite my allergies going crazy I love crisp mornings and beautiful afternoons. Magga came up this weekend and hung out with us and the kids. Noah loves having her here. On Friday morning, I caught him straightening the spare room and he informed me he was "getting it ready for Magga." Saturday was tough. We laid a person dear to us to rest and then had to watch her beloved Hogs go down. On Sunday, we braved the crowds and went to the corn maze, pumpkin patch, corn cannon, etc. on Hwy. 112. The corn maze was cool but I'm glad we had a map, because we may still be there without it. The kid's had a lot of fun but it was exhausting for them. Magga made it safely home and we geared up for another work week. Hopefully we'll have a lot of crisp mornings this year. Not quite ready for icy mornings yet.
Note: Sorry I just published this but there was a photo I wanted to include from Jenna's phone but I just never could coordinate it.
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News footage from Alabama game...finally
Here's the quick news footage from tailgating at the Alabama/Arkansas game. It's funny how it was Cuz's tailgate but he left before his party was filmed. There's a second bit during the story with Frizzle (Kara) and Cleve front and center with Campbell in the background.
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Presenting Princess Bruise
You've got to love the wonderous time in a child's life when she takes those first steps into the walking world of toddlerhood and lands squarely back in the middle of her black and blue infancy. At least we have a new game of connect-the-bruises at bathtime.
Day at the zoo
We decided to get away this weekend and headed over to Tulsa. We stayed at the Radisson Friday night and enjoyed the indoor kid pool playground. Then Saturday we hit the zoo. Noah has been to the zoo about 3 times but it was the first time this year and he didn't remember the previous visits.
I have a bit of advice. If you have a 4 year-old in your life, drop what you are doing and get to the zoo pronto. It was so much fun watching him marvel at the animals. It wasn't even the bigger animals like lions, bears, etc. He had just as much fun seeing snakes, birds, and the smallest species of turtle. If one of us wasn't right beside him when he saw a new animal, he'd freak out and find the other and parent and yell "Mom/Dad-you've got to this!!!!!! It's soooo cool!!!!!"
Campbell had fun too, but it was more just being outside on a beautiful day. We may have to make another trip over there before it gets to cold.
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Arkansas vs. Alabama
The game was heartbreaking but the day was a lot of fun. Amanda and Sue came into town for it and we all crashed the Lyons tailgate.
Behold the power of the iPad!
2010 JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes
Saturday morning Noah and I pushed Campbell in this year's walk in support of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. This was Jenna's second year as a volunteer and our second year to walk. It's a really nice day with a nice laid back vibe. It's always moving to see the different teams rallied around a child and this year was no exception.
We walked for Jenna's friend Cristin as well as our old neighbor Jill and Cuz's friends the Bonsell's. Noah kept wanting to walk faster because we were 'in a race.' I failed in repeated attempts explaining some races have a different type of finish line. I'm sure one year he'll get it.
Campbell running in circles-The Sequel
She just cracks me up when she gets to going. This one was sitting outside enjoying the perfect weather.
Campbell running in circles
I was trying to capture the moment of Campbell running in circles in her little 'walker.' However, Noah aka Ben 10 was dying for my attention. The result was an over stimulated Daddy who couldn't keep the camera still.
