It's been a busy month with lots of birthday celebrations and family visits.  Camille is walking around like she's been doing it her whole life and she loves it!  Not only is she walking, she's talking up a storm.  She is very sociable and loves to talk to mom and or anyone else who is around.  She also continues signing and using her words and has added "help" to her list.  We've been enjoying and taking advantage of the beautiful sunny days and hoping they'll last for a while longer.  Camille loves to be outside exploring.  She crinkles leaves, collects sticks and rocks, and smells the roses.  It's been fun to have our garden in bloom and take her out to pick fresh blueberries, strawberries, green beans, and snap peas.  It's amazing what she can gnaw down with just four teeth, although we can tell there are more on the way!  The toddler phase is so much fun, we are continuously amazed and entertained!

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Just a few photos from our afternoon at the park.  It was the first time we'd been there since Camille started walking and she was so excited to be walking around with all the other kids.

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What a treat to have so many family members at Camille's first birthday celebration, including ALL of her grandparents!  Cousins Rick and Lisa were so generous to host the party at their home in Huntington Beach, and it was the perfect setting.  After a dip in the pool and a bite to eat Camille was ready to dive into her cake (prepared especially for her by Nana and Uncle Chad).  This time it went EVERY WHERE!  It's hard to tell if more went in her mouth or on her body!  It was a perfect celebration for our little angel! 

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Tara's parents had planned to spend a week in So. Cal. with her brother so we made plans to be there as well.  We thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to see lots of family and to celebrate Camille's first birthday with all of her grandparents present.  It was a whirlwind week full of lots of activity and travel and we enjoyed every minute.  Thursday was spent at Descanso Gardens near where Tara's brother lives.  Camille was so happy to see her big cousin, Uncle, Grandpa, and Nana.  Friday was spent at Papa Roly's house and the girls got to go swimming!  Saturday was also at Papa Roly's and Camille finally got to see Uncle Kirky!  Sunday was the big birthday party in Huntington Beach.  Monday was a quiet day at Papa Roly's and then dinner with Grandpa and Nana to celebrate their 40th Wedding Anniversary.  Tuesday was photo shoot day with the cousins and grandparents.  Wednesday was a trip to the L.A. Science Museum, a sad good-bye to Nana and Grandpa, and then on to Camarillo to visit Aunt Susie, Uncle Mike, Great-Grandma Gail, and Grami.  Thursday we headed back to Papa Roly's for a few hours and then boarded our plane to go home.  Lots of fun memories packed into one short week!

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Our 7th anniversary was on August 3rd.  What a more perfect way to celebrate seven years of wedded bliss than as a family.  Our day began with Camille's One Year Check-up.  She was weighed, measured, poked and prodded, and after it was all said and done the doctor informed us that she was "PERFECT!" which, of course, we already knew!  Christian had to work so Camille and Tara dropped him off and spent the day together at home.  At the end of Christian's work day we headed to the original Old Spaghetti Factory which is right on the river.  It was a perfect evening and we had a beautiful view from our table.  Dinner was delicious and afterward we enjoyed a leisure stroll.  It was a happy anniversary indeed!

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And just like that, she's ONE!  We can hardly believe how quickly this year has passed.  You can imagine how many times we have played the day of her birth over and over in our minds and the tears we've shed (of happiness and sadness) because she is growing so fast.  Her celebration was small (the big one will be in August in Southern California) with Mommy, Daddy, Grami, and Tara's friend, Jayme.  However, thanks to the use of two laptops, we also had Grandpa, Nana, Uncle Kirky, Auntie Lindsey, Uncle Chad, and cousin Keira too!  We had a delicious dinner and then out came the cake.  She was quite unsure of how to react with the cake.  She mostly just looked at it and then at us.  She eventually patted it a little but still wasn't too sure even when Christian gave her a lick of frosting.  She was far more interested in the balloons and presents!  She is thoroughly enjoying all of her new toys and clothes but we are fairly certain her favorites are her new chair and activity cube.  What a wonderful, memorable year this has been and we are anticipating the next to be the same!  Happy birthday, sweetheart!

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On the morning of her first birthday we decided to have an informal photo shoot of Camille.  We have posted photos taken all month which you can find below, but these are her "One Year Old Photos." 

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It isn't too often we have someone around to take photos of all THREE of us.  Luckily, Grami loves taking photos and was happy to oblige.

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She is growing way too fast, but what a joy she is.  Camille weighs 19 lbs. 10 oz and is 30 inches tall.  She now has four teeth which we get to see a lot of because she is such a smiley girl!  She is babbling more and more every day and it's fun to hear the "words" she uses for different things.  Along with "Mama," "Dada," "up," "hi," and "pop" she now says "ba" for ball, "boo" for balloon, "dow" for down, and "poo" for pool.  She knows eleven signs now and is so happy to be able to communicate many of her wants to us.  It's fun to see her put them together such as "More milk please."  She also points at everything and then looks to us to show her the sign for it.  It is a learning experience for all of us!  Camille LOVES the water and enjoys splashing around in her kiddie pool as well as in the hot tub.  She started Waterbabies swimming lessons and did very well for her first time.  She and Christian have been practicing her kicking and scooping all week!  She has great balance and continues to stand up for various lengths of time.  Just this week she took her first steps!  So far the most she has taken at once is three.  We wouldn't really call it walking yet, but she is definitely "stepping" and is excited to think she can get around on twos rather than fours!  She is an expert climber and loves climbing on anything and everything.  Luckily we live near several parks with climbing equipment so she has plenty of practice.  She has been able to climb up the stairs for several months now, but she has now become a pro at climbing down the stairs.  Camille continues to be a social butterfly and enjoys having visitors or being in a place with lots of little ones running around.  Never before has a year passed by so quickly and what a year it's been!  Our lives have never been fuller.  What a blessing it is to have our beautiful, sweet Camille.

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To celebrate Camille's first birthday, Tara and Grami took Camille to the zoo.  It was Camille's first time and she absolutely loved it!  It was a beautiful morning to visit the lions, tigers, elephants, giraffes and other wonderful animals.  Next time, we're determined to take Christian. We're sorry he missed out!

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Wednesday night Christian's mom arrived.  Camille didn't get to see her until Thursday morning and she was very excited when she saw her Grami walk into her room!  We had a wonderful time out in the yard, trips to the mall, a trip to the zoo, Camille's  first birthday celebration and first swim lesson.  We're so happy she was able to be here with us and we're excited to see her again in August.

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Last week we hosted our long-time friend, Stacy.  She is a 4th grade teacher in Taiwan and is back in the states for vacation.  We feel so honored that she spent part of her vacation with us.  We had a nice, relaxing time together enjoying the sunshine and warm weather.  Camille loved Stacy from the beginning and the two of them were inseparable!  We're hoping for another visit very soon!

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The weather has warmed up and we are enjoying every minute!  Camille loves to be outside playing in the pool.  In fact, she loves it so much she says "pool" and points at the door to go outside! 

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What a treat for us to host the McNamara family for a night!  Tara and Stacey worked together at Woodside and we all were excited for their visit.  We enjoyed the evening together with a walk to the park and dinner on the deck.  The following morning was a bustle with three little ones crawling up and down the stairs filling the house with giggles.  Camille loved having "little people" around and took the opportunity to show us what a big girl she is....she crawled DOWN the stairs for the very first time!  What fun!

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With the sun out and the weather warming up we thought it would be fun to get a kiddie pool for Camille to play in.  She loves splashing around in the bath tub and hot tub, now she has a pool of her own that is just her size!  She absolutely loved it!  We're hoping the sun sticks around so we have lots of opportunities to use it!

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Tara's good friend, Andrea, came to spend a long weekend with us.  She brought sunshine and warm weather with her which enabled us to be outside a lot!  We enjoyed an outing to the park, the mall, and plenty of time at home in the yard and hot tub.  Camille adored her and was all smiles whenever she was around. 

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Now is when we wish time would just slow down.  Camille is growing so fast and it makes her Mommy teary-eyed to think that next month she will already be ONE!  What a joy she is!  This month has brought new accomplishments and challenges.  She is now completely done eating purees.  Just after she turned ten months she decided that she wanted the food that Mommy and Daddy were eating, so now that is what she eats and she is quite content.  She's a pretty good eater and tries most everything we give her.  The day after we got back from our trip to CA she began using a fork.  We are continuing to stab her food, but she loves to feed herself with the fork!  She has also found that dropping the fork and other objects makes a loud sound that she rather enjoys.  She likes the Drop and Pick Up game.  When an object is dropped she looks at us and says, "Uh, uh, uh!" as she waits for us to pick it up.  Signing is progressing as well.  She signs "all done" for everything now!  We are working on "more", "eat", and "please."  We are also hearing her make more sounds closer to words.  We have been able to decipher "Dada", "Mama", "up", "pop", "bye-bye", and "hi."  We keep thinking any day she will be up walking.  She has been practicing standing unassisted for various lengths of time.  She surprises herself when she realizes she is up on two feet!  It's adorable to watch her.  By this point she has also become quite the climber.  She climbs all over the couch, all over Daddy, up her high chair, up the oven, up her crib, up the stairs...she climbs anything and everything she can.  She continues to be very sociable and loves attention given to her (who doesn't?!).  Sabbath school, the grocery store, the coffee shop, and the post office are all highlights for her especially when there are other babies around.  She loves "chatting" with other babies and kids we pass along our way.  Today at the post office she played Peek-a-Boo with a little boy standing in front of us.  He hid behind his dad and popped out and she giggled with delight.  She continues to amaze us every minute of every day.  We have never known such love!

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It was a cold, rainy day outside but we had plenty of sunshine on the inside as we celebrated Christian's first Father's Day.  He took Camille to get donuts for breakfast and the rest of the day was spent snuggled inside together.  Camille and Tara had worked in secret and were excited to give him his Father's Day gifts; a book all about daddy hugs and a photo of his beautiful angel girl.

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We decided to take a quick, spur of the moment trip to Southern California as not to miss out on celebrating with Lindsey at her baby shower.  We are so glad we were able to be there to see Lindsey's adorable baby belly.  The weekend also happened to be graduation weekend at Loma Linda Academy so we stopped by the grad party for cousin Carley and were able to visit with lots more family.  It was a whirlwind, but we thoroughly enjoyed our visit!  Now we're home and wishing for sunshine and warmer weather.

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Saturday afternoon our family joined us on a walk up to Benny's Mountain for Camille's dedication.  We had asked Tara's dad to dedicate her and couldn't have thought of a more special place than on The Farm.  It was beautiful and memorable in every way.

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The day we have been looking forward to for over a year finally arrived!  On Camille's ten month birthday we boarded a plane and headed to Michigan's beautiful Upper Peninsula for a week long vacation with Tara's family.  The trip was uneventful with a layover in Chicago and then a quick flight to Hancock airport.  We spent the first night at Grandpa and Grandma Rendel's house where Tara spent every summer growing up.  Monday we were greeted by the rest of the family; Tara's parents, brother Kurt and his fiance Trish, brother Bret and his girlfriend Jessica.  That evening we had a hot dog roast by the crick then headed to our rented house near Baraga.  Tuesday we spent at the house and exploring the area, Wednesday we took a trip up to Copper Harbor, Thursday we spent around the house, and Friday we spent back at The Farm and nearby McLain State Park.  Saturday we spent at The Farm enjoying the beautiful weather and celebrating Camille's dedication on Benny's Mountain.  What a memorable day to be surrounded by our family and have Tara's dad dedicate Camille in such a special place.  Sunday came far too quickly and it was time for us to say good-bye.  We had the most wonderful time and are looking forward to the next time we can all be together.

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Time continuously passes far too quickly!  It seems like just yesterday we were writing about her turning nine months.  Camille is showing us more and more of her personality each day.  She lets us know when she wants something by grunting and holding her arms straight out or up.  She also tells us when she doesn't appreciate something!  She is constantly babbling and making new sounds.  We love the looks we get when she figures out a new sound to make, she is so proud of herself.  She is getting around the house very well on her own and follows mommy and daddy wherever we go.  No walking yet, but she has been toying with the idea on a daily basis.  She kneels and tries to lift herself up but hasn't quite gotten it yet.  Her second tooth appeared the morning of May 16 which has made her grin even more adorable!  She has now decided that she would much rather eat the food off our plates rather than the purees mommy has been making so she is eating less and less purees and more and more "grown-up" food.  She has enjoyed pasta, veggie links, grillers, chopped fruit and veggies, and many other delights.  We find it incredibly fun and often amusing to introduce her to the culinary world.  She continues to be fascinated by everything we do and watches intently to see how things work.  Each day continues to be a blessing with our growing girl.  Enjoy the photos!  We have also posted more videos.

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We enjoyed a wonderful opportunity to celebrate neice/cousin Brandon's 11th birthday at the Old Spaghetti Factory.

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A special day with the most beautiful girl.  How lucky and blessed we are to have our darling daughter. 

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It was a beautiful, sunny day here and we couldn't have been happier!  Tara's one request was to stay out of the kitchen for the weekend and Christian and Roland were happy to oblige.  We spent the day enjoying the sunshine.  It was perfect!

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Camille hadn't seen her Papa Roly for five months, so as you can imagine, we were all looking forward to his visit.  While he was here we celebrated Cinco de Mayo, Tara's birthday, and Mother's Day.  We had several days of beautiful weather and took advantage!  We took many walks to the park, played outside, went to the mall, visited the Rhododendron Garden, and spent lots of time at home just relaxing and enjoying the company.  Camille enjoyed every minute with her Papa.  She crawled, climbed, clapped, and cuddled.  We hope we won't have to wait too long before the next visit.

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She's been out as long as long as she was in!  Life continues to be in the fast lane.  If she could run she would, but instead she crawls REALLY fast!  She is cruising around the furniture and can stand on her own without holding on to anything for about two seconds.  She has become quite the climber.  Just today she climbed up the side of her crib and knocked down a picture frame.  Time to lower the mattress again!  She is quite adept with the finger foods we have given her so far which include Cheerios, Kix, bananas, avacado, pasta and cheese.  This month has been incredibly exciting for our little social butterfly.  We had a play date with Annalise and her mommy, Heidi (a classmate of ours).  Andy and Danielle came for a weekend visit.  Our trip to California brought many known and new faces and she greeted each one with a big, gummy smile.  No teeth yet!  We don't want to hear how quickly time passes.  We are feeling it and we wish it would just slow down.  Every moment is precious.

UPDATE:  April 24- We spoke too soon!  When we woke up this morning we found that Camille has cut her first tooth!!

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The three of us flew to Sacramento to spend some time with Grami and Gar-ball.  We had a lovely weekend with the two of them and Kirk and Lindsey, who drove up from So. Cal.  Camille could not have been more excited about all the attention.  She was in the midst of constant activity and didn't miss a beat.  She could hardly contain her excitement with the dog.  She chased him everywhere and giggled with delight when he licked her.  Camille and Tara were able to stay for a week and enjoyed their extra time despite the rain and cold weather.  One of the highlights was a short rode trip to Woodside to visit Tara's friends, co-workers, and many of her previous kindergartners.  Time flies when you're having fun and before we knew it, we found ourselves back home looking forward to our next big trip!

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Camille wasn't quite sure what to do with the plastic eggs we placed around the living room.  We're sure in the years to come she will grow to be more interested but as for today, she found one she liked and stuck with it.  Our baby girl knows what she likes!  Happy Easter!

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We were so excited to have Christian's cousin and his wife come up for a long weekend.  We were hoping for better weather, but no such luck!  We made the best of it, however, and thoroughly enjoyed our time together.  Friday evening, admist a hail storm, we headed to the original Old Spaghetti Factory which sits right along the river.  It was a beautiful setting and we were very glad the power came back on so that we could enjoy a delicious dinner.  Camille adored them both.  She smiled and giggled at them and looked for them intently whenever they left the room.  The morning after they left she stared at the door as if waiting for them to burst in!  Our time passed far too quickly, come back again soon!

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It was wonderful to have Grami come visit us for a week.  Camille wasn't too sure about Grami at first, but soon warmed up to her.  Every morning Camille greeted Grami with the biggest smiles!  Grami took the best care of Camille spending time with her during playtime, putting her down at nap time, feeding her at meal time and getting her ready for bed at night.  Friday night we were joined by our niece, Brandon.  It was such a treat to take Grami and Brandon to Sabbath School with our traditional donut shop stop on our way.  Sunday came too soon and we had to say "good-bye" to both Grami and Brandon but we're looking forward to another visit soon!

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Another month has passed and it has been a big one!  Camille learned to crawl the first week of March and her world has completely changed.  Along with crawling she has learned to stand up in her crib, pull herself into a standing position using various pieces of furniture (her favorite is the ottoman), and climb the stairs.  She has been babbling more and more.  We think she has the sweetest voice and love to hear her"da-da-das" and "ba-ba-bas."  She continues to eat anything and everything that we put in front of her.  She tried beets for the first time and ate a whole jar full!  Teething biscuits are her new thing.  She loves gnawing on them and creating a gooey mess in the process.  Speaking of teething, she is right in the middle of it!  We are sure we will see it pop through any day now.  Camille continues to teach us new things every day and we can't think of anything more fulfilling than to have the opportunity of looking at the world through the eyes of our darling baby girl.

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A few photos from Camille's visit to Sabbath School.  She looked adorable in the outfit from Nana and thoroughly enjoyed all the attention!

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 We flew down to Loma Linda for a long weekend with Kirk and Lindsey.  It was a beautiful weekend in sunny Southern California and we took advantage by spending lots of time outside.  We were literally shaken by four pretty significant earthquakes in one day which left us feeling quite nervous but we were happy to be there to celebrate Lindsey's birthday and spend some quality time together.  Camille did great on the plane rides there and back.  She was very excited to spend time with Puka and adored her Uncle and Auntie. 

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Camille is growing so fast!  She is now 15 lbs. 10 oz. and is 27 inches long!  She is sitting up all by herself and has gotten back into a sitting position twice after rolling over onto her belly.  She is putting everything into her mouth these days; fingers, toys, towels, hair, EVERYTHING!  She is able to reach for things and transfer from one hand to the other.  Her babbles continue to amuse and we can tell she loves "talking" to us.  We have yet to hear a distinguishable "Mama" or "Dada" but we are waiting!  We have begun teaching her sign language and she is now able to recognize "eat", "milk", "mama", "dada", and "bath".  We continue working on "all done" and "more".  Solids are going well, she has liked most everything we have introduced to her.  She wasn't too sure about avacados and broccoli, but loves mangos, bananas, edamame, applesauce and everything else!  When she sees mommy getting her food ready she races over in her walker and squeals with delight!  On these rainy, wintry days she continues to be just the sunshine we need.

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Today was a gorgeous, sunny day and we decided to take full advantage!  The sun was shining into Camille's bedroom casting the most beautiful light making it perfect for photos.   Camille was more than happy to oblige me with her antics and giggled the entire time.  After we finished we headed straight outside to the park to soak up more sun.  We love to be outside whenever we have the opportunity!

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Camille's new high chair arrived just in time for Valentine's Day thanks to Grami Jami!  She had her Valentine breakfast sitting in her new chair and we think she likes it.  The three of us spent the day at home together.  She is the perfect Valentine!

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Today was SuperBowl Sunday and we celebrated in a big way!  We wore our 49er pride in hopes for next year as we cheered on the Saints and the Colts.  We would not have been disappointed either way, but we were happy to see the Saints win! 

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Camille had her six month check up today.  After looking her over, watching her roll over and grab a tongue depressor, and listening to her heart the doctor told us she is "Perfect!"  Of course, we knew that already but it was fun to hear it from a professional! :)  She weighed in at 14 lbs. 13 oz. (just over double her birth weight!) and is 26.5 inches long.  Camille started solid foods this week!  She is already a pro at eating and loves sweet potatoes and bananas!   Now if only Mommy and Daddy could just get the food in her mouth rather than all over her face.  We don't have a high chair yet, so it's a little tricky!  Camille also wore her first pair of shoes yesterday!  She doesn't care to wear them too long but loves how it helps her move her walker so much better. 

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Camille turned six months old today!  We can't believe our baby girl is already half way to being a year old!  Time is flying by so quickly.  She is growing and changing on a daily basis and it is all we can do to keep up.  She has now outgrown the wrap we'd been using for naps and nighttime and we find her in all kinds of precarious positions in her crib as she rolls and scoots around.  She has found her thumb and uses it at times to put herself to sleep.  She continues to be vocal, really loving the sound of her own voice.  She is eager to crawl and pulls her legs underneath her in effort to do so, but Mommy and Daddy are happy to have her wait to reach that developmental stage!  She slept through the night without interruption for two straight weeks this month.  We're hoping to get more of that!  She loves her new walker and scoots around the kitchen floor and squeals with delight when she is in it.  We continue to feel so incredibly blessed by our beautiful daughter!

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To celebrate Camille's six month birthday she got two special new toys.  The first one is a walker!  She got to test drive it while we were visiting Kori and Riley and she absolutely loved it!  When we got home from IL there was one waiting for her and she couldn't have been more excited!  She squealed with delight at the sight of it.  The other special toy isn't really a toy at all but a Klean Kanteen just like Mommy's.  She loves holding and drinking from Mommy's and now she has one of her very own.

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Christian had to leave early to go back to work but Camille and Tara stayed a few days longer.  We drove to the airport to drop Christian off which gave Tara the opportunity to spend the afternoon and night with her good friend, Kori, and her family.  Kori's daughter is three weeks older than Camille.  The girls seemed to enjoy seeing each other and got along very well.  We left wishing we lived closer to each other and excited for our next visit! 

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The three of us were very excited to take another trip to visit Tara's family.  On our way there our flight from Denver to St. Louis was canceled due to weather.  It was quite an adventure for us to spend a night in a near-by hotel with nothing but the clothes we were wearing.  Thankfully the hotel had a pack-n-play for Camille and tooth brushes and tooth paste for the two of us!  We were on our way early the next morning and happy when we finally arrived at our final destination.  While we were there Uncle Bret and Grandpa got to show off Camille at their respective jobs and Nana got to feed Camille with a spoon!  On the trip back Camille and Tara flew from Quincy to St. Louis in a small nine seater Cessna Prop plane.  They both quite enjoyed the adventure and were happy to make it safely to St. Louis.

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New Years Day brings another celebration for the Anderson family because it happens to be Auntie Carol's birthday!  This year was a big one for her- 75!  We were so glad to be able to be there to celebrate with her and the rest of the family as we all gathered together in Huntington Beach.  Having lots of family around means lots of arms eagerly waiting to be wrapped around Camille.  She was such a trooper as she moved around the room being smothered with hugs and love.  As we all know, Auntie Carol is the true belle of any ball but Camille came in at a close second!

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We ended our Christmas celebration spree on Saturday in Camarillo at Uncle Mike and Aunt Susie's.  Camille was very excited to see and spend time with more of her family.  Our celebration included 3G (Great Grandma Gail), Grami Jami, Grandpa Gar-ball, Uncle Kirky, Auntie Lindsey, Uncle Mike, Aunt Susie, Derek, and Allie.  During our time together we enjoyed playing numerous rounds of Mexican Train, eating delicious food, going on walks, and just relaxing.  It was great fun, but we're sure Uncle Mike and Aunt Susie were happy to have their house back when we all finally left! :)

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Christmas day found us in Huntington Beach with Papa Roly and Daniel.  We arrived the Tuesday before and enjoyed relaxing and soaking up as much sun as possible.  On Christmas Eve day we were joined by Tara's 3 1/2 year old niece.  Keira is a wonderful big cousin and loves "Baby Mille."  Tara's brother and sister-in-law, Chad and Kelly, along with Auntie Carol joined us for Christmas Eve dinner.  Christian's brother and sister-in-law, Kirk and Lindsey, joined us on Christmas day.  Camille thoroughly enjoyed all the attention from uncles and aunties and thought that tearing paper was too much fun!  It was truly a very, merry Christmas!

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At five months Camille is doing so many new things!  She has new sounds for being excited, tired, impatient and a high-pitched one that she makes whenever she chooses.  She has found her toes and enjoys sticking them in her mouth when getting dressed or a diaper change.  She is rolling over like a pro these days and has just started tucking her knees under her belly in effort to crawl.  She continues to love bathtime and is super excited about her bath time toys and new tub.  We adore her and are enjoying every moment and new phase of her life!

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We were all healthy and excited for our trip to Quincy to celebrate Christmas with Tara's family.  The trip was long but Camille did incredibly well considering.  We arrived in St. Louis on Friday evening and were greeted by our friend, Kori.  We spent the night at Kori and Tom's house and were happy to finally be able to meet little Riley.  Camille and Riley were hilarious upon being introduced, we wished we would have video taped it!  Mid-morning on Saturday we were picked up by family friends, Reggie and Amparo.  We finallly arrived at Nana and Grandpa's house on Saturday afternoon and while we were there we got to enjoy time with Grandpa, Nana, Uncle Kurt, Uncle Bret and Jessica.  Although our time was short, it was wonderful!  Camille thoroughly enjoyed all the attention, especially the evening sing-a-longs with Grandpa and Nana!  We celebrated Christmas on Sunday morning and Santa was generous to all of us, especially Camille who recieved her first doll, a talking puppy, new bath time toys, three beautiful new outfits and much more!  How blessed we are to have such a loving family.

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The day Papa Roly had to leave we got new visitors- Grami Jami and Auntie Pam!  Although the weather cooled off significantly, they brought sunshine!  We had a wonderful time relaxing at home, walking around the mall and to nearby parks, and even enjoying our first date post baby while they babysat! 

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Thanksgiving Day was spent with Roland and Daniel who drove up on Monday to be with us.  It was a dreary day outside, but there was a warm and sunny atmosphere inside as we all worked together in the kitchen to prepare our feast.  Camille was as darling as ever and just adored being with her Papa Roly and Daniel.  We have always had so much to be thankful for, and this year is no exception.  I think we all agreed that top on our list was a smiling little 12 lb. bundle of joy.

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Today is Camille's four month birthday!  Unfortunately, she had to visit the doctor today and get her next round of shots, never fun!  She took it like a champ, though!  We were all impressed, doctor included.  She weighs 12 lbs. 4 oz. and is 24 3/4 in. long.  The doctor told us that she is perfect (which, of course, we already knew) and is growing and meeting her milestones right on schedule.  She is a bubble-blowing, high-pitched squealing, giggling, razzing, scooting, smiling little angel!

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This week has been a tough week for both Mommy and Camille.  Mommy got sick on Tuesday and by Wednesday Camille had the same bug.  She had a fever of 103.7 at one point and was very mellow and moaning a lot.  Thursday she visited the Doctor who told us to change our travel plans as we were supposed to fly to see Tara's parents and brothers over the weekend.  We are now planning our trip for December and hoping our baby girl gets better soon.  She is still coughing and raspy, but slowly getting back to her old self.

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Sundays are football days around this house.  You can never train a child too early to vote for the right team, so Camille sits next to us in her 49er cheer outfit and cheers right along with us.  This past Sunday was a particularly exciting game, you can see she really enjoyed it!

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We had company again for Halloween this year.  One of Christian's high school classmates and her husband joined us for the evening.  They are due with a baby girl on February 1st.  We enjoyed some soup together, handed out candy to all the kids that came to our door, and took a walk around the neighborhood.  Camille had missed a nap earlier in the day and, unfortunately, didn't enjoy the walk very much and was put to bed shortly after we got back.  A big thanks to Auntie Susie and Papa Roly for the Halloween clothes!

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Just a few photos from this past week.  She's growing so fast and now fits into an outfit her Nana got her when she was just one week old!  Thanks, Nana!  Last week Grami Jami sent her a hat to keep her ears warm so of course we had to try it out!  It was VERY cold outside (45 degrees) so it was good timing.  She wasn't quite sure what she thought of it.  She kept trying to get it off, but when it wouldn't she finally gave in and enjoyed our walk.  Thanks for the hat, Grami!

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Every day is a new day!  Camille is smiling, gurgling, blowing bubbles, sucking on her fingers, rolling over, babbling, and sleeping longer at night!  She weighs 10 lbs. 7 oz. and is 24 inches long.  She loves to sing along with mommy and daddy and has made a new friend who she sees every time she looks in the mirror.  What a joy she is!

• Photos- Updated with NEW photos 10/24
  

This weekend Camille got to meet Uncle Kurt and his girlfriend, Trish.  It was worth the wait, she adored Uncle Kurt!  Although here only a short period of time, we hope he left filled with smiles and love from his newest niece.  See you in November!

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The day after Uncle Mike and Aunt Susie left we had more company at our house, Grami and Grandpa Gar-ball who stopped in on their way to the San Juan Islands in Washington.  It was so fun to have them visit for a few days.  We got to go shopping one day and bought Camille some new outfits since she is fast outgrowing all her newborn clothes!  She's actually starting to fit into 0-3.  We hope you'll visit again soon!

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This week is another busy one at our house and we couldn't be more excited!  It started on Sunday with the arrival of Uncle Mike and Aunt Susie.  They flew up and traveled around the Portland area before coming here.  We took a walk to the mall, watched some good football games, visited the Rose Garden and Japanese Tea Garden, and thoroughly enjoyed each others company.  Thanks for coming to see us!  Come again soon!

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Camille is such a happy baby and makes our hearts happy every day!  This week she spoiled us with one night of 6 1/2 hours of sleep!  We know it's possible, now if only it could be more consistent!

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Time passes by so quickly.  Camille is two months old!  She has reached 10 lbs. and is looking and feeling more like an infant than a newborn.  She smiles and coos so much, which we just adore!  She loves practicing standing, her legs are so strong and she holds her head up very well.  She also loves being sung to and will laugh and coo along with whomever is singing.  We hope you'll be able to view the movies, they are priceless!  She brings such joy to our lives every day.  We are so blessed! 

• Photos- Updated with NEW photos 9/23
  

We were so excited to be invited to go to the 49er game on Sunday with Dean and Candy Hadley.  Being that it was Camille's first, it was extra special.  Grami Jami gave her the most darling 49er cheerleader outfit, which she wore proudly.  She was too cute and she did great!  It was a hot, hot day in San Francisco but she tolerated it just fine.  She spent most of her time in the portable bassinet we carried with us.  It was perfect for shading her from the sun and allowing her to take a nap.  We had a great time and left feeling elated that the 49ers beat the Seahawks!

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Thursday we left Capitola and headed to Grami Jami's house in Galt.  On our way we had a quick stop in Woodside and Camille got to meet many of mommy's co-workers and students.  Camille was quite a trooper for all the riding in the car, she did great!  Being at Grami and Grandpa Gar-ball's house was so much fun.  Mommy and Camille decided to stay an extra week, which was very hard on Daddy, but he flew back on Friday and joined us for the weekend.  Camille enjoyed spending the week swinging, jogging (in the jogging stroller), playing in the grass, swimming in the pool and spending time with Grami and Grandpa.  On Sunday we got to join Grami, Grandpa and the Hadley's for Camille's very first football game- San Fransisco 49ers v. Seattle Seahawks.  It was an exciting game and even more so because the 49ers won!!

• Photos- Updated with NEW photos 9/23
  

Monday morning we continued our journey north to Capitola.  Camille did outstanding with the road trip.  We had a wonderful room at the Venetian hotel, right on the beach.  We spent our time relaxing, enjoying the sunshine, walking around the quaint little town and eating delicious food.  Wednesday night we celebrated Papa Roly's 60th birthday with dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Shadowbrook.  The time passed far too quickly, but we had a memorable trip and are all thankful for the time together.

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After Papa Roly's party we packed up and headed north to Camarillo to spend the night with Uncle Mike and Aunt Susie.  We were so happy to have the opportunity to introduce them, along with Grandma Gail, to Camille.  Cousins Zac, Bonnie and Derek were also there as well as Derek's daughter, Allie, who seemed quite smitten with Camille.  What fun to get to meet more of her family!

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Camille had her first plane ride from Portland to Long Beach.  She did very well the whole trip!  Mommy nursed her during take off and she slept the rest of the trip.  Papa Roly was so excited for us to be be there.  He greeted us at the airport and took us to his house.  We had a wonderful time there.  Saturday night Camille met her Holevas cousins and on Sunday she met many more of the Anderson relatives at Papa Roly's 60th birthday celebration.  She stole the show and loved every minute of it!

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We thought we'd share some videos we've taken this past week along with a couple new photos.  Camille continues to grow every single day.  She smiles at us so much and we love it!  She also has been having longer "wake" periods (although you wouldn't know it from the photos!).  She got weighed on Monday and at that time weighed 8 lbs 11 oz. and is 22 inches long!  We're excited for Camille to take her first plane ride on Saturday.  We're heading down to Huntington Beach to celebrate Papa Roly's 60th birthday!  Be sure to check back for more photos!  Also, we added more photos from when Tara's brothers visited that you won't want to miss!

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Alot has happened these past five weeks!  Camille has met most all her immediate family and those she hasn't she will get to meet soon!  She is a ray of sunshine in our lives and we just can't get enough!  She is holding her head up on her own, cooing, smiling, and practicing her scooting during "tummy time!"  She loves to be held, rocked, and sung to.  We hope you enjoy the photos, it was too hard to choose just a few!  A big "Thank You!" to Nana Russell and Great Auntie Susie for the adorable outfits used in our photo shoots.

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We've had such a wonderful time this past week!  Uncle Bret and Jessica arrived on Tuesday and had a few days with Camille all to themselves.  Uncle Chad and cousin Keira arrived Friday evening which has made for a very fun full house!  During their visit Camille has kept up her rigorous schedule of eating, looking around, then sleeping.  Keira seems to be quite smitten with her new little cousin and loves to hold her while sitting on the couch.  We're excited for Auntie Kelly to join us on Saturday and have the opportunity to finally meet Camille.

• Photos- Updated with NEW photos 9/2
  

We can't believe our baby girl is already a month old!  She is such a joy to us and we're so happy to be able to share her with you.  She is changing every day and we are enjoying every moment.

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Camille thoroughly enjoyed having Auntie Lindsey and Uncle Kirky here with us.  We had a wonderful time together with trips to the mall, the park for a barbeque, and the coast!  Camille was happy to give them both lots of opportunities to practice changing diapers while they were here.  We couldn't believe it was the first time for both of them but they are pros now!

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A big day today with a visit from Uncle Kirky and Auntie Lindsey.  We are so excited for them to be here and Camille has enjoyed the day snuggled up getting to know them.

• Photos- New Videos Added 8/16
  

Mommy and Daddy can't believe how fast time is passing already.  Camille is two weeks old and to celebrate, she had her two week check-up!  The Dr. said for her to keep gaining weight, so Mommy and Camille are doing what we can to make that happen!

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Camille has been so lucky to be able to meet her all Grandparents. We loved having all the visitors and we miss them lots.

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We went to the doctor today for Camille's first check up.  She is gaining weight and heart and lungs are healthy.  I think the doctor said she is "perfect."

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Camille's first days at home.  Lots of photos for the Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, and Friends.

• Photos - Updated July 30, 2009
  

Camille comes home to see her new bedroom.

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Camille Scarlett Anderson was born July 23, 2009 at 10:49am.  Weighs 7lbs 5oz and is 20.5 inches.  She is absolutely beautiful.

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