Wordless Wednesday: Music therapy
2:28 PM Posted In gabby , music therapy , wordless wednesday 7 Comments »
A visit to the Nut Tree
7:00 AM Posted In cameron , gabby , nut tree 6 Comments »
A few weekends ago we met up with my cousin at the Nut Tree, about 45 minutes away from where we live. I always knew this place existed but I have no idea why we have never been there until now! It was way too much fun!
Really, it's just a shopping center with super fun play stuff in the middle but something about it was just so much fun. They had those life-size checkers and chess boards, a beautiful carousel, a merry go-round, a train, a teeter-totter (seriously, when's the last time you saw one of those?) and so much more! Cameron was in heaven.
I wish I could say Cameron was in rare form when I took this picture but really...this is typical.
Pure giddiness!
My favorite part of the Nut Tree was the old fashioned ice cream parlor (drool) where they had all of these cool stationary vehicles. Cameron could have played all day in just these planes, trains, and automobiles if we would have let him.
Finally, it was time to go home and Cameron made sure everyone at the Nut Tree knew he did NOT want that to be the case. He took one last ride on the train and then we said our goodbyes and promised we would bring him back soon.
We weren't lying...it was truly really fun and hopefully we'll go back within the next few weeks before it gets unbearably hot.
Really, it's just a shopping center with super fun play stuff in the middle but something about it was just so much fun. They had those life-size checkers and chess boards, a beautiful carousel, a merry go-round, a train, a teeter-totter (seriously, when's the last time you saw one of those?) and so much more! Cameron was in heaven.
Gabby thought it was pretty awesome too despite the skeptical look on her face!
.
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I wish I could say Cameron was in rare form when I took this picture but really...this is typical.
Pure giddiness!
My favorite part of the Nut Tree was the old fashioned ice cream parlor (drool) where they had all of these cool stationary vehicles. Cameron could have played all day in just these planes, trains, and automobiles if we would have let him.
Finally, it was time to go home and Cameron made sure everyone at the Nut Tree knew he did NOT want that to be the case. He took one last ride on the train and then we said our goodbyes and promised we would bring him back soon. 
We weren't lying...it was truly really fun and hopefully we'll go back within the next few weeks before it gets unbearably hot. :)
It's T-Ball season!
2:04 PM Posted In cameron , t-ball 4 Comments »
Last year I was so excited to get Cameron signed up for T-ball but registration came and went without me ever realizing it. It's probably a good thing though considering how he did with soccer...
I knew this year would be better though since he is a much more outgoing and confident kid than he was just a year ago. We got out on the field for his very first game and he pretended he didn't even know me. He was so excited to have "teammates" and was quick to start playing catch with anyone who was willing!
Gabby thought it was pretty cool to watch big brother play ball but was less impressed with me all up in her grill to snap some photos.
The kids were so cute out there and finally it was Cameron's turn up at bat.
He hit the ball on the first try!
...but then totally spaced out and had absolutely no idea where to run despite all of us on the sidelines telling him and pointing him in the right direction. I think he first ran to second base, back to home plate, then to third and FINALLY to first base where he was supposed to run. He had everyone in tears, laughing. He thought he was pretty funny too!
I knew this year would be better though since he is a much more outgoing and confident kid than he was just a year ago. We got out on the field for his very first game and he pretended he didn't even know me. He was so excited to have "teammates" and was quick to start playing catch with anyone who was willing!
Always the Ladies Man!
Gabby thought it was pretty cool to watch big brother play ball but was less impressed with me all up in her grill to snap some photos. 
The kids were so cute out there and finally it was Cameron's turn up at bat.
He hit the ball on the first try!
...but then totally spaced out and had absolutely no idea where to run despite all of us on the sidelines telling him and pointing him in the right direction. I think he first ran to second base, back to home plate, then to third and FINALLY to first base where he was supposed to run. He had everyone in tears, laughing. He thought he was pretty funny too!
He got up to bat one more time and it was the same story despite Nguyen going over where to run repetitively. Oh well...hopefully he'll understand the concept by the last game of the season. He had fun and that's what matters most!
4:04 PM Posted In birthday , cameron , gabby 3 Comments »
I apologize for my SERIOUS lack in blogging activity. We've been insanely busy and at the end of the day, I want nothing more than to shower and and go to bed. Hopefully I can get back on the bandwagon soon!
Many things have been going on. The most exciting news I have to report is that the crab feed and silent auction to help bring home sweet Sofia raised $19,889.19 !!! Can you believe it? It was such a fun and amazing night. Check out details and photos from the night over at Lisa's blog here! Sofia will be home VERY soon. I cannot wait to get my hands on her...she is already so loved. Our little Ds family here in Sacramento is unbelievable you guys. AMAZING!
The crab feed was last Friday night and my good friend Chrystal was staying with me (lucky for me!) and got to help me the next morning with preparing for Cameron's fifth birthday party. As always, I was a total anxious mess trying to get everything ready but I had plenty of help from Nguyen, Chrystal, my aunts, and my mom. I hope you're not too scarred, C! :)
The weather was perfect. We had a bounce house, crafts, a pinata, lots and lots of food, and FUN! It was another successful event!
Glue, sparkly/shiny things, markers, and feathers to stick on stuff. They loved it!
The bounce house was by far the biggest hit of the party. It arrived at our house at 9am and they didn't come to take it down until after 8pm so we (the adults) had plenty of time to bounce and be total and complete goofballs.
Meet "Swimmy" or if you ask Cameron, "Schwimmy." Our neighbor/friends brought this for Cameron and he was thrilled! It was hard to peel him away from the fish so that he could continue to entertain and play with his guests, but eventually I was successful and he returned to chat with Swimmy after everyone left.
My aunt was trying to get a picture with both Cameron and his new friend so she told him "stand closer to Swimmy...I want to get your face next to him in the picture."
You get what you ask for with this guy...
So the first three days with Swimmy were really exciting. By day four, Cameron seemed to have lost interest in his new friend which I am actually thankful for because...Swimmy died. I have no idea why. I have been taking EXCELLENT care of him but I guess it was just his time. I have been meaning to head over to the pet store in search of a Swimmy look-a-like but have been procrastinating and since Cameron hasn't even mentioned him in five days, I thought I was safe.
Unfortunately, I attempted to flush Swimmy by pouring the water into the toilet bowl. I thought I could be successful in dumping the fish and water without dumping all of the rocks as well but I proved myself wrong. All of the rocks started to fall out and I had no net to retrieve the dead fish so I stopped my plan all together. Later that day, Cameron was quick to notice Swimmy's bowl had a very small amount of water and that Swimmy seemed to be
What else...
We finally booked our Disney vacation and Nguyen and I are SO excited. I am 100% sure that we enjoy Disneyland more than the kids! We're going in May and my mom is coming with us this trip. I know it's going to be a blast and I can't wait!
Before our trip I have to finish up my Community First Aid and CPR course I started last week. I have been wanting to get CPR certified for FOREVER and I am finally doing it. Yesterday we got to practice on the dummies and it was pretty exciting. It feels like a huge weight off my shoulders to finally know that I can do something if, God forbid, anything every happened with Gabby or anyone else, for that matter! As many of you know, my main concern with her is choking (since she thinks chewing is a waste of time) and next week we will be addressing that exact issue. Hopefully I can stop calling 911 and feel more prepared if/when she ever decides to scare me again.
I think that's all for now. Gabby has her annual Audiology appointment tomorrow and then her IFSP on monday so hopefully I'll have some GOOD news to report!
We've gone PRIVATE!
10:58 AM Posted In hate 5 Comments »
Due to some really sad and unfortunate circumstances, I have decided to make The Phamily Blog private. There are several groups on facebook and in the blogging community that are targetting our children and creating websites for the sole purpose of ridiculing them. Several of my friends have been targetted and I cannot sit back and wait for Gabby's sweet face to show up on their hateful agendas.
This makes me extremely sad but I'll do whatever it takes to protect my sweet girl.
And so it begins...
This makes me extremely sad but I'll do whatever it takes to protect my sweet girl.
And so it begins...
Snips and Snails: 5
2:00 PM Posted In snips and snails 8 Comments »
A few days ago I was talking to Nguyen on the phone while he was at work. Cameron came over and decided he wanted to talk as well. They talked for a few moments and then Cameron handed the phone back over to me. He started to walk away but at the last moment, turned around and screamed into the phone speaker, "STAY FOCUSED!"
1/28/10 While Cameron was playing legos, he looked up at me for a moment and said, "Remember on Christmas Eve when I opened that one present and it was jammies and I was sad?" I acknowledged that I did, indeed, remember the incident. He continued with "I'm glad you still love me even though I was upset. I love my jammies now."
2/4/10 Cameron was having a fit about WHO KNOWS and finally I said to him, "Cameron, you really need to stop whining like a baby," to which he firmly replied "I am NOT whining like a baby...I am whining like a BIG BOY!"
2/7/10 Cameron and my mom were baking cookies and my mom was trying to show Cameron how to drop the dough onto the cookie sheet with a spoon and a little push of his finger. He quickly got the hang of it and told us he was using his "action fingers" to get the job done.
3/4 On the way home from T-Ball pictures, Cameron asked us "Is Gabby gonna have that Down syndrome?" I was confused as we really haven't had the conversation about what Ds is just yet (I didn't think he was ready or would understand.) So, I replied with, "Well, yeah...she has Down syndrome. Why do you ask?" to which he replied, "Well are we going to have a party for her?" Again, I was confused so I asked, "You mean like a party to celebrate her having Down syndrome?" to which he responded with "YEAH!" Nguyen and I chuckled as I told Cameron we could TOTALLY have a Ds party. He then asked, "So can we give her the Down syndrome at the party, then?"
:)
1/28/10 While Cameron was playing legos, he looked up at me for a moment and said, "Remember on Christmas Eve when I opened that one present and it was jammies and I was sad?" I acknowledged that I did, indeed, remember the incident. He continued with "I'm glad you still love me even though I was upset. I love my jammies now."
2/4/10 Cameron was having a fit about WHO KNOWS and finally I said to him, "Cameron, you really need to stop whining like a baby," to which he firmly replied "I am NOT whining like a baby...I am whining like a BIG BOY!"
2/7/10 Cameron and my mom were baking cookies and my mom was trying to show Cameron how to drop the dough onto the cookie sheet with a spoon and a little push of his finger. He quickly got the hang of it and told us he was using his "action fingers" to get the job done.
3/4 On the way home from T-Ball pictures, Cameron asked us "Is Gabby gonna have that Down syndrome?" I was confused as we really haven't had the conversation about what Ds is just yet (I didn't think he was ready or would understand.) So, I replied with, "Well, yeah...she has Down syndrome. Why do you ask?" to which he replied, "Well are we going to have a party for her?" Again, I was confused so I asked, "You mean like a party to celebrate her having Down syndrome?" to which he responded with "YEAH!" Nguyen and I chuckled as I told Cameron we could TOTALLY have a Ds party. He then asked, "So can we give her the Down syndrome at the party, then?"
:)
My little Beasties!
7:00 AM 9 Comments »
Thanks to our rad "in-the-know" friends, we heard about an awesome art studio downtown designed just for kids seven and under called ArtBeast. I have been anxious to take the kids but Gabby has been sick on and off so I have had to wait...until a couple of weeks ago!
.
This place is beyond awesome. It's a three story home that has been converted into three different play areas. The lowest level is set up with puppets, costumes, a stage, instruments, and even a pretend spaceship. The kids got right to work down there.
.
.
The main level of the house is an actual art studio where they have easels, craft stations, and a clay table for the kids to create whatever their little hearts desire. Gabby wasted no time tasting the paints.
.
Yummy!
I learned my lesson after this first trip to ArtBeast...I simply cannot have a camera in my hand while Gabby is painting. She was blue from head to toe.
Creating a clay masterpiece!
The backyard of artbeast is set up with dirt, shovels, pails, dump trucks, bowls, spoons, etc. I think Cameron had the most fun outside.
They also have a baby washing station with baby dolls in sudsy tubs. We avoided that area this trip but it sure was cute...maybe when it's warmer out.
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Gabby took a liking to the dirt as well.
Maybe she liked it a little too much?
And apparently, rocks are delicious as well.
.
Finally, we cleaned up a bit and headed upstairs for some tumbling/climbing for the princess.
My little climber loved it!
We left ArtBeast after two hours and Cameron cried and cried when we had to leave. I ended up buying a month long family pass since the kids had such a great time.
.
This place is beyond awesome. It's a three story home that has been converted into three different play areas. The lowest level is set up with puppets, costumes, a stage, instruments, and even a pretend spaceship. The kids got right to work down there.
.
.The main level of the house is an actual art studio where they have easels, craft stations, and a clay table for the kids to create whatever their little hearts desire. Gabby wasted no time tasting the paints.
.
Yummy!
I learned my lesson after this first trip to ArtBeast...I simply cannot have a camera in my hand while Gabby is painting. She was blue from head to toe.
Creating a clay masterpiece!
The backyard of artbeast is set up with dirt, shovels, pails, dump trucks, bowls, spoons, etc. I think Cameron had the most fun outside.
They also have a baby washing station with baby dolls in sudsy tubs. We avoided that area this trip but it sure was cute...maybe when it's warmer out..
Gabby took a liking to the dirt as well.
Maybe she liked it a little too much?
And apparently, rocks are delicious as well..
Finally, we cleaned up a bit and headed upstairs for some tumbling/climbing for the princess.My little climber loved it!
We left ArtBeast after two hours and Cameron cried and cried when we had to leave. I ended up buying a month long family pass since the kids had such a great time. I have a feeling we'll be spending a lot of our summer days here!
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