Grammy and Boompa's Spring Break!

My dad is retired but my mom still continues to work full-time as an elementary school teacher and so vacations for them revolve around the school calendar. This spring, they decided to drive down to Florida to visit Kyle's family--with a "quick" detour to Virginia along the way. We love to have visitors but they are few and far between!

My parents drove all day on Saturday, March 21, and arrived early that evening. Our first order of business was to open the presents that Grammy had brought with her.  Presents always come first! Grammy had made Cambria a Quiet Book for her first birthday. She used the same Peter Rabbit fabric for the cover that Mommy's quiet book had (thank you, random finds on eBay!) There was a matching pillow for Cambria as well.

Cambria especially liked the bunny from her "Rock-a-bye, Baby" page and the cupcake from her "Counting" page. I think she liked the cupcake best because we sang "Happy Birthday" to her every time she picked it up.

After presents and dinner was bath time. Cambria has just learned how fun it is to keep doing something that gets a response from her audience. Tonight, after her bath, I let her run around the apartment in her towel. She thought she was so funny!

I finally corralled her and got her pajamas on but she insisted on putting the towel back on her head and running around again. What a silly girl!

 

The next day we had a broadcast for Stake Conference and then Sunday naps. It was a beautiful day and so once we were freshly rested, we decided to drive around Lynchburg a little bit.

We toured Lynchburg College and got out to peek inside Snowden Chapel where Andrew's white coat ceremony took place when we first moved to Virginia and where his graduation will take place next spring. 

{When I sat in that chapel for the first time in June 2013, I recall daydreaming about what the next three years would have in store for our family. Andrew and I had just found out that we were expecting Cambria and I thought about how she would be two years old at his graduation. I also hoped that we would have  another baby at that point or that I would at least be pregnant. Dreams do come true!}

The Health Sciences graduate building (which will have a PA program this Fall!) is located off-campus and so we drove over there to see where Andrew spends all of his time. It turned out that a lot of his classmates were in the building working on projects and reviewing for an Ortho check-off. It is always fun to run into everyone and the girls are so sweet about spoiling Cambria with lots of attention. Today, they showed her some of the fun things in the lab. We have made some of our best friends here in the LCDPT program!

We had a little time and plenty of sunny weather left to enjoy and so we made our way over to the Awareness Garden at the Ed Page entrance of the Blackwater Creek Trail.

After our little afternoon excursion, we returned home for dinner, bath/bedtime for Cambria and a contentious game of Mexican Train for the adults. Let's just say that the rules in our copy of Mexican Train defy all of the Isenbarger Mexican Train canon regarding the subject. Looks like I need a new version of Mexican Train with the "correct" rules. At least I won.

The next morning, Grammy read Cambria her Quiet Book one more time before Grammy and Boompa left for Florida. We sure loved having them visit!

Little Celebrations in March

Just a few random tidbits from the past week:

I am never very good about remember Pi Day. When this new holiday comes around every 3/14, I kick myself for not having more of a celebration because I LOVE PIE!

This year, I was at Target with Cambria when it dawned on me that once again it was Pi Day and once again, I had forgotten. I swung by the paltry frozen desserts aisle and snagged a chocolate cream pie. After we put Cambria to bed, I proposed a game of Trivial Pursuit (Andrew's favorite and my un-favorite) and we ate our pie and played our pie game. Here's hoping that I can remember to properly celebrate this holiday next year.

 Monday, March 16, was a gorgeous, sunny day with temperatures in the mid-70s. What a change from last month's winter misery! When Andrew came home from school, we took Cambria out to the grill behind our complex and cooked up the first burgers of the season. We made pineapple bacon burgers from Our Best Bites (add pepperjack cheese--you'll thank me!) and Grandma Honeywell's baked beans. It felt GLORIOUS to be outside and to cook out. Hooray for Spring!

Tuesday, March 17, I anticipated St. Patrick's Day in menu only. Like Pi Day, this is a holiday that sneaks up on me. I hope to celebrate more as our family grows but this year I just decided to cook corned beef to see if I could even figure it out. One of my Facebook friends had a recommendation for a sweet corned beef that I decided to try.

SWEET CORNED BEEF BAKE

1 corned beef brisket, about 4 pounds
2 cups baby carrots
1 cup prunes
1 orange, sliced
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon orange juice

Trim excess fat and discard. Cover corned beef with water; soak for about 1 hour. Rinse and pat dry. Place corned beef on a large piece of heavy duty foil (large enough to wrap the brisket. Place in a 13x9x2-inch baking or roasting pan. Top corned beef with carrots, prunes, orange slices, onion slices, and bay leaf. Seal foil over the brisket. Bake at 350° for 3 1/2 hours. Combine brown sugar and orange juice. Open foil and brush with mixture. Bake for 30 minutes longer. Serves 8 to 10.

It turned out great! I made smashed red potatoes and fried apples to serve on the side and was rather excited about our holiday feast.

Unfortunately, Andrew had a project that ran late at school. So I had to eat solo. I was just sitting down for dinner and Cambria would not leave me alone and let me eat. I pushed my plate to the center of the table and hopped up to grab her something to keep her occupied while I had my dinner. Cambria got up on her tiptoes and pulled my full plate over onto our dining room carpet. Augh! I sat down on the couch and started to cry while Cambria was busy digging through the food and finding scraps of corned beef to eat. Andrew came home about ten minutes after that and found me in "Ultimate Mom Wreck Mode." He sweetly cleaned everything up for me and I sent Cambria to bed without her holiday root beer float. I'm sure she didn't know the difference but it sure made me feel better. Some days...

I swear this little imp is part leprechaun!

Spring Break in Raleigh

Andrew's Spring Break was the second week of March. We had wanted to go to Atlanta to visit his Aunt Heidi and Aunt Shari but somehow our text messages got mixed up and we never heard back from one another. Oh well! I suggested that we drive to Raleigh for a quick overnight so that we could go to the temple. It was very spur of the moment and we packed up and left Tuesday morning, March 10.

Just waiting in the car and taking selfies--first time this girl is forward-facing and I think she likes the view! 

We made great time getting to Raleigh and arrived mid-afternoon. The temple is only open in the evenings on Tuesdays and so we had to find something to do in the meantime. After some driving around and a few wrong turns, we were able to make our way to a large outdoor playground that we have been to before on temple trips with other ward members. I really wanted to find a baby swing for Cambria since it was a nice, warm day (albeit a little overcast) and baby swings are few and far between in Lynchburg.

Still not a fan of the slide!

But she LOVES the swing!

This trip was Cambria's first time staying in a hotel. We were a little unsure as to how it would all go since Cambria goes to bed so early and in complete darkness. Even though I am tired and pregnant, I didn't want to call it a night at 7:30! So we decided to cram her pack & play in the bathroom and pray neither one of us had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. 

Making herself right at home

We called the temple and were able to make a reservation for Andrew to do initiatory ordinances that night at 8:00 and for me to do them the next morning at 9:00. It was a little tricky to work out since the Raleigh temple is such a small temple with limited operating hours and ordinance workers.

Dinner that night was at a Mongolian Grill up the road from where we were staying. I am sure that Raleigh has awesome places to eat--we just didn't know where to go! Since Cambria really likes noodles, we thought that would be a safe bet.

Trying hard to get in more photos with Cambria but still feeling awkward taking selfies!

After dinner, we got Cambria tucked into bed and then Andrew left for the temple. I stayed up and watched HGTV shows--I've gotten hooked on them since the girls at Peaksview Dental watch them all day in their operatories. Cambria had a little trouble settling down for the night but generally did pretty well for sleeping away from home.

The next morning we had breakfast, packed up and checked out. It was my turn to go to the temple and Andrew took Cambria back over to the same park for an hour. 

It is such a blessing to attend the temple! With Cambria and the distance to drive to a temple, we have not been able to go as frequently as we would like or as much as we need to go. I feel so close to my Heavenly Father and my earthly family when I take the time to serve in the temple. I love the feelings that I have inside of the temple and the that the blessings of temple covenants allow me to carry those feelings outside and "back to reality."

After my time in the temple, we took Cambria downtown to Marbles Kids Museum. It was only $5 a person and there were several different stations on the first floor that Cambria was able to play at. A lot of the stations reminded me of the Iowa Children's Museum at the Coral Ridge Mall but instead of being in separate rooms, the stations at Marbles were all together in one room.

Practicing with a "ba-ba" that she found. She is going to be a great big sis!

Calling "9-1-1" repeatedly. Not annoying at all.

Is it any wonder that one of the employees politely pointed out the bin for "tasted toys"?

We were only able to stay for a little over an hour before we needed to get lunch and get on the road so that Cambria could try to take an afternoon nap in the car. It was a quick trip to Raleigh and I am sure there is so much more we could have done but we will have to plan in advance and better next time.

A Day in Cambria's Life | March 2, 2015

For a really long, time, I have wanted to spend a day recording the little things about Cambria's daily routine. I made up my mind that Monday, March 2 would be the day! I kept my DSLR out on the kitchen counter so that it was always handy and I had my phone when we left the house.

The day started at 6:36 AM. I know that my phone says 100% charged, but I don't know if *I* really was. I have had a hard time with mornings the last several months and am slow to get moving.

Cambria used to wake us up by the sound of her playing in her crib around 7:30. Lately, she has woken up earlier than usual and a little teary-eyed as a result. I go into her room singing "Good Morning To You" to the tune of "Happy Birthday" and open her curtains and blinds. I turn off her humidifier and space heater (her room is extremely drafty!) while she points out the books on the bookshelf and the alphabet letters hanging above her crib. It's like she can't decide what she wants to do first! 

I change Cambria's diaper and remind her that she can have a bottle of milk after that and that gets her pretty excited. She has a few diaper songs. I sing: 

Change your diaper,

Change your diaper,

Cambria!

Cambria!

You will feel much better,

You will feel much better

When you're clean,

When you're clean!

(Tune: "Are You Sleeping?")

I also made up this little ditty:

Stinky, stinky diaper!

Stinky, stinky diap!

Stinky, stinky diaper!

Stinky, stinky diap!

(My own tune)

But Andrew sings:

Change your diaper,

Change your diaper,

Change your diaper, Cambria!

Oh, we change, change, change your diaper,

Change your diaper, Cambria!

(Tune: "Oh My Darling, Clementine!")

It wasn't until Cambria was several months old that Andrew realized we were singing different diaper songs from each other. Ha ha!

Cambria has a bottle of milk and then breakfast. When she first started eating solids, she didn't like to have breakfast right away but she has come around in the last month.

I scramble an egg for Cambria while she eats raisin bread or a mini bagel or multi-grain Cheerios. I also give her a mandarin orange or Andrew will feed her a banana as he is eating his own breakfast. We sing "I Like to Eat (Apples and Bananas)" and the Sesame Street song "One Banana." These tunes are generally followed by "There's A Burp!" (to the tune of the William Tell Overture). When she was a baby, we used to bounce her a sing "Where's The Burp?" until we could sing this one:

There's a burp, there's a burp, there's a burp, burp, burp!

There's a burp, there's a burp, there's a burp, burp, burp!

There's a burp, there's a burp, there's a burp, burp, burp!

There's a BURP! There's a burp, burp, burp!

Cambria does great with finger foods but I can't handle the mess!

An unsuccessful attempt at instant oatmeal this morning

Always crossing her feet like a little lady

After breakfast is play time with her toys and I turn on her home videos so that I can grab a shower. She watches GART 2014, GART 2012, and our wedding video on the USB that we have hooked into our TV or I pull up my YouTube channel with videos uploaded to the blog and let her watch those. She doesn't like to watch regular TV shows yet but it is nice that we can turn something on to distract her if I need some uninterrupted time to myself.

Again with the feet crossed!

Between 9:00 and 9:30, Cambria goes down for a morning nap. I ask her if she would like her paci and her blankie and she gets up and walks to her crib. Cambria gets a paci only during naptime and bedtime. She has also acquired a "blankie" which surprised Andrew and I. We used to put an extra white baby blanket in the corner of her crib to prevent her paci from falling between the slats behind her crib in the middle of the night. Eventually, Cambria adopted it as her blankie and loves to snuggle up with it. Cambria's nap song is "Soft Kitty" from The Big Bang Theory to Cambria and tickle her on the "purr" parts at the end.

Soft kitty, warm kitty,

Little ball of fur.

Happy kitty, sleepy kitty,

Purr, purr, purr!

Today was a funny day. Cambria didn't take her morning nap. I put her down around 9:30 when she began showing all of her tired cues but she just fussed in her crib for about 30 minutes. I went in there to check on her finally and she handed me her blankie and her paci as if to say, "I'm done, Mom. Let's get outta here!"

After Cambria's nap, I change her diaper and get her dressed for the day. She gets another bottle of milk and then we put on coats, shoes and socks to run errands.

Monday mornings are for grocery shopping. I meal plan and calendar with Andrew the night before and then head to Walmart in the morning. We love the Walmart on Old Forest Road (can anyone else say that they love going to Walmart?!) It's new and clean and the cashiers are extremely friendly. Cambria loves to run errands! She waves and blows kisses to everyone. Many of the other customers will stop to talk to Cambria.

I try to time our shopping trip so that Cambria gets home right in time for lunch around 12:30. I can put her in her high chair and start her on lunch while I unload our groceries from the car and put everything away.

Cambria starts lunch with a squeezable yogurt. She also likes to eat turkey, chicken, hummus with pitas or rice crackers, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cubed cheese, mac and cheese, quesadillas, cottage cheese, grilled cheese, and either a banana or orange. We finish with watered down apple juice.

Andrew FaceTimes us on his lunch break and that is a highlight for both Cambria and I! Cambria gets so excited when she hears the FaceTime alert on the iPad.

Cambria goes down for her afternoon nap between 1:00 and 1:30. She will sleep for over an hour and sometimes as long as two hours. 

After nap time, a diaper change, and a bottle, we go out again. Cambria gets cabin fever easily and I find that she has better behavior and sleeps better during naps and at night when I give her a little outside entertainment during the day. Today, we drove to Target to pick up a few odds and ends and to browse. I love to just pop Cambria in the shopping cart and stroll up and down the aisles at Target. 

After our leisurely browse around Target, I took Cambria a few doors down to PetSmart. We had a little extra time to kill and I have wanted to see if she liked seeing the animals in the store. She did! She was fascinated by the birds (probably because they were so chatty!) and got to see a few dogs. Her standard animal noise is still her monkey sound but she makes it every time she sees any animal.

Sometimes after our afternoon errands, I give Cambria a sippy cup of water and some Puffs if we are going to have a late dinner. Today I let her eat them in the living room and she thought that was pretty cool.

Late afternoon, Cambria and I spend hanging around the house together. Cambria likes to go in her bedroom and pull the stuffed animals out of of her toy chest. She also loves to listen to music on the iPod. Her playlist of choice right now is "For A: Get Yo Dance On" which is a playlist I made for Andrew when we first started dating. Cambria has some sweet booty-dancin' moves and it is quite hilarious to watch.

Baby and baby bump

Cambria also loves to read books and sing songs. Some of her favorite songs are: "The Wheels on the Bus," "Five Little Ducks," "Three Little Monkeys," "Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam," "The Eensy Weensy Spider," "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree," "The Alphabet Song" and I like to sing "My Cambria Girl" to the tune of "Calendar Girl" by Neil Sedaka and just change the word calendar to Cambria. 

The highlight of our day is when Daddy comes home. I love it, Cambria loves it, and Andrew loves it.

Daddy plays with Cambria while I make dinner. Cambria usually eats what we are eating as long as it isn't too spicy for her. If I know she isn't going to be able to eat what we are having, Andrew will feed her separately while I get dinner in the oven for us to eat when she is asleep. Then Cambria gets a bath when she is done eating (and rubbing her food in her hair for the third time that day!)

Lotion, jammies, and a few more books for our bookworm before we sing Cambria her "star songs." We sing "I Am Like A Star," "God Is Watching Over All," and "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." Cambria loves to make twinkling star motions along with us as we sing. She gets her paci and blankie and goes right to sleep around 7:30.

I loved spending the day recording all of the little things about Cambria's schedule and I took over 450 photos! I know that this routine will change quickly, just as Cambria is changing so quickly. We are also going to add another munchkin to the bunch before we know it. But for now, we can enjoy things as they are in our sweet little family of three!