merry christmas

what a wonderful christmas! this is 7am and we just got downstairs to see the tree and the presents...boys were so happy!

checking out the police station

Reston police station has a wonderful open house every year. Yesterday we went to check out all their cool cars and bikes. Cameron also met a police dog who sniffs out explosives.

The boys loved climbing on the police boat.
Cameron got to climb into the fire truck then hold the hose at the front of the truck.
Jamie in prisoner transport!
Jamie and Cameron loved the police dirt bikes.

fun run for halloween

We took the boys to Reston Town Centre for a fun run this past weekend. Because it is almost halloween the kids had to wear their halloween costumes for the run. So I ended up with a Clone Trooper and Wolverine in my car!  The boys had a great time.

And Cameron met his friend from school and they ran together.

the first tooth is out!

Cameron has had two wobbly front teeth for weeks. This morning at breakfast I suggested to him that one of them was so wobbly he could just pull it out - so he did and got quite a surprise when it popped out! He rushed to the mirror to check out his gap.

He's very excited today about the tooth fairy coming this evening.

Mind the gap!
Jamie is feeling a bit left out. He doesn't get a visit from the tooth fairy and he doesn't have a wobbly tooth. Sometimes it's not easy being the little brother.

back to school

The first day of school today for Cameron and Jamie. We had to keep them busy this morning because they were so excited but when we left for school Cameron was ready to see his classroom and get started as a Kindergarten student.

Jamie is disappointed they are at separate schools but he said he had a great day and made a new friend.

This is Cameron walking into his school.

And this is Cameron joining the line of kids walking to the classroom. So grown up!

And this is Jamie, the night before school started....fast asleep at dinnertime!

ready for Mini-MItes

Cameron and Jamie are all ready for Mini-Mites which starts on Thursday. Last week, Granny Tina and I took them to practice skating. This is the first time Jamie has been in full hockey kit and he loved it. He especially loved his new compression shorts with cup (!) commonly known as his willy protector.

This is Jamie in his hockey gear.
And this is Cameron in hockey gear with Granny.

star wars boys

Cameron and Jamie have been taking care of our neighbour's house while they were on vacation. They brought back light sabres for Cameron and Jamie and they love them!

Star Wars is their favourite pretend game at the moment.

jamie faces

another classic Jamie face, this time with my sunglasses.

....yesterday we went to the pool in the afternoon, weather was lovely and pool was quiet. Cameron did a proper dive from the springboard for the first time. Jamie is able to swim to the bottom of the deep end to pick up toys from the bottom of the pool...the summer at the pool has really improved their swimming.

lego store on a rainy day

what better way to spend a very rainy day than a trip to the Lego store? especially when you are 4 and 5 years old. Star Wars is their latest favourite. Cameron is watching the old movies and the new cartoons while Jamie is just happy to help build the lego and play with it.

and for some reason Cameron's legs look incredibly thin in this photo...do they always look this thin and I've never noticed?

friends

Cameron and Devon became friends at preschool and now Devon is going to Abu Dhabi with his family for 2 years. Cameron is going to miss his friend but we hope they will come back to this area when they return to the US.

ice hockey

Cameron spent a week at Ice Hockey camp at Ashburn Icehouse. He *loved* it. I was really impressed with the organisation and coaching at the camp. Cameron's skating really improved during the week and he had a lot of fun. He said the best part was playing the small games at the end of every day. We'll be back in the fall for Mini-mites and Jamie will be back for ice hockey skating class.

swimming pool achievements

Cameron and Jamie are so happy to be at the pool in this very hot weather. They seem to have reached an age when most of the time they are happy doing their own thing at the pool. Sometimes we swim together and play together but other times they just want to do their own thing....like the diving board. A major discovery for them both this year.

Here is Cameron doing his signature "cannonball"!

And Jamie is stepping off the diving board now too!
And in another major achievement, Cameron swam a whole length. Then he said he wanted to do it again and again. So he swam 8 lengths of the pool today. I'm amazed. Most of it was underwater....he'd seen a lifeguard swim under water in the lap lanes so he thought it was cool. But I'm so proud of them both today. They are growing up so fast!

florida

Our trip to Florida was a crazy road trip but well worth it.

Here is Cameron outside Cinderella's castle. We saw a great show outside the castle. Cameron loved seeing Peter Pan.

We played Pirate mini golf with Auntie Donna, George and Michael.
Arrrgghhhh mateys.....

Jamie got to be a real pirate at Magic Kingdom. He volunteered to go up on stage and sign up to join Captain Jack Sparrow and his crew!

Then Jamie got a kiss from Minnie Mouse! He really liked meeting Mickey and Minnie.

Thanks to Auntie Donna and boys for putting us up and putting up with us for a week in Florida. We had a great time!

obx 2010

Cameron with one of the fish that Dave caught.

The kids enjoy a game of football on the beach after dinner.

The sunset that evening was wonderful.

Icecream for dessert on the beach.

Jamie was a surfer dude (plus swim goggles!) and loved his boogie board.

Jamie the shell finder.

cameron wants to be a hockey player

Cameron really wants to play ice hockey. Now he has all the gear and he's ready to go. I've signed him up for summer camp "mini-mites" hockey in July. He's very excited.

jamie can sleep anywhere

Here is my little boy fast asleep on a hard wooden bench at the ice rink. Cameron is speeding around the rink practicing for class but Jamie is taking his nap. It is a gift to be able to sleep so well in any location. As his Auntie Donna says, when he is a teenager he will be half boy - half mattress.

my preschool graduate

Cameron officially "graduated" preschool last week and his school had a big end of year graduation ceremony. Cameron is always happy to be on stage singing (takes after his father?) and was right up front singing loud and clear. He really enjoyed the show and even got to use the microphone to introduce the director of the school.

Here is Cameron looking very proud in his graduation gown and hat.

The graduating class of 2010. (girls in yellow, boys in blue)

Cameron and his friend Christian with their diplomas.

The after party with his friend Chase - more cookies and punch please!

Although it was just the end of preschool it was also the end of a chapter in Cameron's life and it felt a little sad but also exciting. His Kindergarten and elementary years will be so much fun but he also loved his preschool and his friends.

As his mum I am extremely proud of him. I'm amazed as I watch him grow and change.

another frying pan farm visit

We love visiting Frying Pan Farm.

This time we had ice creams from the farm store.

Saw the peacock fan out his feathers.

Practice our tractor driving.

and spend some fun time together.

The boys also got to milk a cow!

fun weekend with Granny

Cameron in a painters smock at the festival community mural.

Reston Arts Festival took place this weekend and they had a great Children's art tent where Cameron did some magnetic art.

Several of our trees lost branches this winter. The upside is that this one is now perfect for climbing.

Cameron was disappointed that there was no face painting at the arts festival so we did some face painting at home. He's a tiger!

Here is another of tiger Cameron....