Party with a GIANT MOUSE!

We had Cameron's official 1st Birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. I really was not very excited about having it at my house so I we decided to go where there was pizza, games, a GIANT MOUSE and where they clean the mess up for you!

It was a hit! We had a great time. Cameron was little taken back by the big mouse. He was not sure what to think but after eating over half of that birthday cake and practically bathing in it, he wouldn't have cared if it was a T. Rex singing and dancing. Here's the play by play...

One year ago...

Since then..

Happy Birthday Cameron. The last year would not have been the same without you!!

Since August 19th cont'd...Special Braiden and mom trip

One of my funnest childhood memories was the time that my Dad woke me up early one morning and said "Wake up, we are going to Disneyland!" and we did. It was so fun to be surprised that way. We also lived in California, 30 minutes from Disneyland so it was much easier to do that. Well, if you haven't figured it out, we are big Disneyland fans. Maybe because Eric and I we both born and raised in California and Disneyland was a huge part of both of our childhood memories. So anyway...I decided that since I had a 4 day weekend for Labor Day I really wanted to surprise Braiden with a mom and me trip to Disneyland. So I did! It wasn't easy keeping the secret but it all worked out and we had so much fun.

The week before we actually spent in St. George with my grandma helping her get over a bit of an illness she was experiencing. My company has an office down in St George so I went down, with Braiden, and stayed with her. Braiden stayed at the house with my Grandma during the day while I was gone and helped her get food and took the dog out. He was such a good helper. You can bet by the time I got home around 2pm he was begging me to take him to do something. He went swimming everyday. He now thinks he is Michael Phelps.

On the way to California we made our obligatory stop in Las Vegas but I am becoming less and less enchanted with Sin City. Braiden really wanted to stop at the M&M Store so we did. This quick little "jaunt" turned into a 3 hour ordeal. Ick! Las Vegas on Labor Day weekend. Stay Away.

We finally made it to my Dad's house on Friday evening and went out to dinner with the whole familia. It was fun and I finally got to meet Sam, my little 8 month old brother. Those of you who don't know the mechanics of my family, hang on...

Me and my dad, I am the oldest.Braiden playing with Dads guitar. He looks so natural with that, doesn't he? Thank you Rock Band...These are my two brothers from another mother. My little Latin brothers Sam and Lee.
Here we go...Left to right: Lee, Braiden, Paul, Norma (dad's wife), Sam, Mary, Me, Julie, Dad.Not so little Sam WatsonI love this, I had to take a picture of it. This is a perfect lesson in not counting your chickens before they hatch. My step mom, long ago, bought this teddy bear hanging with all the kids names on them. Little did she know that there would eventually be 6 more kids in the Watson family. So Ben improvised and drew the 4 then my dad added the last two after Lee and Sam came. I love that its still on the the wall. I hope he leaves it there for a long time.
So I learned after this trip that its really important to spend time with each of your individual kids. I think Braiden was really hungry for some mom attention. In the craziness that comes with being a full time employee and a mom with very young kids it gets easy to look over the important things just so i can get through every day. Braiden and I had a really good time and he loved the one on one attention. I kind of did too. I didn't realize how much I didn't know about my son. Looking forward to the next one, Bud!!

Since August 19th cont'd...Happy Birthday to me!

August 24th marked the one year anniversary of my 30th birthday. Translation: I am 31. Officially in my 30's. Whoa. Although I have to say that this year was heck of alot more pleasant than last year. Not that my birthdays aren't always great days thanks to my awesome husband but being 9 months prego, 4o lbs overweight and swollen with elephantitis does not make for what I call a feel good day.
Eric surprised me with a little overnight getaway to Snowbird Lodge. It was such a surprise that I didn't even take my camera. Bummer because it was so beautiful there. We ate dinner at the restaurant in the Lodge and the next day we took the tram up to the top of the mountain and enjoyed the breath-taking views. I had never been there before but it was really a nice retreat. We brought the kids back some little things. Paige got the feather boa and the sword and gun were for Braiden. Somehow the interest in these gifts was a little backwards as Braiden ended up running around with the boa and Paige was so in to that pirate gun. Hmmmm.

We came home that afternoon and my family all came over for a Watson Birthday Bash. PS-Watson is my maiden name in case you didn't know. My family is great. They know me so well and I got some awesome birthday presents. A bonus surprise: My step-sister Christy was visiting from Kansas with her baby and she came to the party. It was so cool to see her and Zoey. Also my Brother Ben who has been living in Northern Cali for 3 months came home a week early and showed up to my party! Happy Birthday to me!!

Abby, Jenice, Ben, Paige, Christy

The three babies: Baylee, Zoey, Cameron. All born within weeks of each other.

Ben and Jenice

Whit and Ashton

Cameron the party animal squishing a banana in his hand.

Braiden wrote this cute little song for me for a birthday present and then stole my camera, which I had threatened his life about doing, then recorded him singing it. Its pretty cute so I couldn't get mad at him. There were, however, about 30 little takes on the camera from him trying to get it just perfect. Thanks Braiden. You are awesome!

Since August 19th cont'd...Goodbye to tonsils...

Well this actually happened on August 18th but still is blog worthy. Since we LOVE having surgery in our family so much we decided to have Paige get her tonsil and adenoids out as well as get tubes in her ears a week after I had an emergency appendectomy. Fun, FUN! I am absolutely sick to my stomach right now though because I had some precious pictures of Paige in the recovery room and some irreplacable video but something malfunctioned with my little camera and I LOST those pictures! FOREVER! ARGGGG. Oh well. Such is my luck with electronics. The following are all the other ones I did get that day though.

There is no agony comparable to knowing sending your child to experience pain. Although Paige was blissfully unaware of what was going on and thought we were at another version of Disneyland in the Primary Children's Pre-op waiting area, it was very hard to see her being wheeled off in her wagon to the OR with complete strangers. Doctors, yes, but still complete strangers. The same thought goes through your mind as when you drop your expensive clothes off at the dry cleaners (weird metaphor, I know). Will they treat your "stuff" with the care you would? Well in this case I have to say the Primary Children's Hospital is an amazing place. Those people have amazing and difficult job but I did not come across one person that I would not send my baby with. They took excellent care of her. And she only had tonsils out. I can't imagine anything beyond that and hope I never have to.

Anyway- she made it. All went well. I will never forget when about 20 minutes after they gave her some liquid Versed, she was laying in her wagon looking a little drunk and dazed, she looks up at Eric and said "Dad, I really like this place." Eric got tears in his eyes and almost got me there but I was so glad that she was happy an comfortable. Not scared.

Waiting in the check in area- totally clueless!

An ingenious way to get kids to breath to hear lung sounds- BUBBLES!!

The cutest little diaper bum in PCMC!

Walking down the hall with her "bubba". Braiden came with us and was such a good big brother.

Pre-op waiting room (Disneyland)
Playing with mask and stethoscope.

They do what with this bag of fluids?

Anxious parents waiting...

Paige was miserable which means we were miserable for the week after the surgery but we kept her nice a drugged up with Lortab. Dang I wish that wasn't dangerous and addictive. Its was heaven sent for little Paigey when she was in real pain. She gave us a hard time about not wanting to eat. What kind of kid doesn't want milkshakes and jello all day long? I am keeping my fingers crossed that we don't have to do it with Cameron but his chances aren't looking good. Maybe this coming year we wont have to go to the pediatrician twice a month?