sweet irony

i got an email from Michael Moore this morning and Chris and I couldn't help but laugh. read it if you can, it's a good one! I find it funny that people in the Christian community think it's okay to meddle in politics. isn't there a separation of church and state for a reason?? does it not go both ways? government stays out of religion and religion stays out of government. it just seems a bit rude for a high powered Christian like James Dobson to call upon the God of all to meet his needs. i donno but i think God might be busy with trying to solve the hunger crisis... or something important like that.

shit like this makes me feel like walking away from the title "Christian" is the right thing to do

new shoes for Camo

i have had the hardest time finding shoes for this kid. like his sister his little feet are so fat that about every shoe attempt fails. today the kids and i met up with Cassie at the Cherry Hill Mall and i was able to find some shoes that fit him. YEA!

Cameron has really taken off with this walking thing. he seemed more boy than baby today :o(

here i go! oh that sweet face!

there is no stopping him now!


i hate it when i fall down... help!

Cameron walking!

here's some video of Cameron's new milestone.... WALKING! over the last week he's been slowly getting the courage to let go and take off. as you can see in the picture it's been a bumpy road but i'm sure it's only a matter of weeks before he's a pro.

who has the best neighbors in the whole wide world?!?

WE DO! i'm telling you nobody can beat Jennifer, Leighton and Collin as neighbors? these folks routinely bless us with food, child respite & gifts.

Jennifer who is Chinese often cooks authentic Chinese food and always brings us over a large platter which we savagely devourer. typically she'd feed us once a month but since she's been laid off of her job we've been getting meals left and right about once a week! tonight it was dumplings & shrimp lo mein... delicious! another of her specialties are her egg rolls which are simply heavily (and i'm not even an egg roll fan) the only problem with this arrangement is that it makes Chinese take-out really blah :o) oh man and she makes a killer pasta salad. i don't know how she does it but it's so much better then your typical pasta salad. i live for that pasta salad.... yumm





Leighton will at least 3 times a week come collect Mayden after he's finished work for her and Collin to play outside. i take a little time to get something around the house finished then Camo and i join them out back. and Cameron adores Leighton they are best buds for sure.

then of course there is the friendship Collin gives May-May is wonderful. everyday she keeps constant vigilance thru the window that faces the backyard waiting for any sign Collin is outside playing. when she's spotted him she runs in circles screaming "Collin's outside, Collin's outside!!! can i go out? can i go out?" then they run to each other like a scene out of a romantic movie. it's really funny! those two are like two pees in a pod.

i really need to think of a way to repay them for all they provide for us.

he's got a point

if anyone is in need of something pointed at 'Cameron Jude inc.' can do the job. he has discovered the usefulness of that pointer finger and knows how to use it. from animals to lights to objects unseen to the human eye he can point with such urgency that it makes you want to turn your head immediately. in the event that the pointing does not get your attention he will add an "ehh" into the mix that will be sure to really get you looking.

i rent him by the hour and pay is very minimal.... hugs, kisses, smiles and laughs usually do the trick.

tomato pickin'

we're finally overwhelmed with tomatoes! they don't look perfect (a byproduct of organic gardening i suppose) but they taste darn good. today Mayden and i picked 8 large tomatoes and a few dozen cherry tomatoes with plenty left on the vine to ripen. i will be distributing some to our neighbors tomorrow as i do not think we can eat these all before they go bad. so far my favorite way to consume these fine tomatoes is to rub some garlic on a slice of bread, add slice of tomato, sprinkle w/ mozzarella cheese and toast. yuuuum! any good tomato recipes out there? if we don't snack on all of the cherry tomatoes i'll be freezing them to make some spaghetti sauce this winter.

VA trip

the VA trip crew

so we made a quick trip to Virgina at the beginning of our vacation week. it was exhausting but well worth it. we primarily went to introduce Cameron to his great grandparents (my paternal grandparents) we haven't seen them since Mayden was 11 months old so this trip was long overdue! while we were there we also got to spend some time with my dad's cousin, his wife and kids. they are a great family who we've kept in contact with throughout the years.

below are some pics from the trip. we'll be taking small local day trips for the rest of our vacay week.

Nana & Grandad w/ 2 of their great grandkids

Nana got roped into walking this boy around

Cameron (14 months) & his "cousin" Adam (5 months)

Harris kids, Speer kids & Shawn

April, Cameron, Mollie, Adam, Mayden & Shawn

go fly a kite

mom-mom and pop-pop brought Mayden a kite yesterday. the weather was perfect so we flew it and it was fun!

have you heard?

Christmas in August?

i know nobody wants to talk about Christmas in August... but i do :o) we've recently decided that this Christmas will be different for us. after a really empty-feeling gift giving season last year, i have a plan to change that this year. the Speers will only be giving handmade/homemade items as gifts. this will accomplish two goals. 1) lower the cost of buying gifts for us 2) support the little man (see below)

shortly i will be drafting a letter to our friends and family begging them to not spoil us this year. we don't need more stuff and i don't want to feel badly for making them a frame made of popsicle sticks when they give us a big screen TV (slight exaggeration on both ends). with the economy the way it is right now money is hard to come by so i will be encouraging our friends and family to use it well and to not go overboard.

if i can't make it i will purchase the handmade from vendors at craft shows or from this great website called Etsy. Etsy makes it possible for anyone to sell (some really amazing) handmade items. in fact using Etsy will probably help me nix that popsicle project and be able to hand out some really cool gifts.... on top of supporting the small time people. Walmart does not need any more of my money, but these folks could probably really benefit from some extra cash. i should mention that the prices (especially shipping costs) are really low.

beauty around our house

Kiki the frog

we have a rather large frog that has decided to call the little pond in our backyard home. he is normally really shy and every time i walk by i hear the enevitable **splash** from him jumping for cover. yesterday he must have been really hungry because he was out and about for all to see... hunting as you'll see in the video. i asked May what she thought we should name him and so he she is now Kiki the frog.

our morning at the farmers market

early this spring i made a commitment to myself that i would try going to the Farmer's Market weekly (or at least every other week) to buy all of our families fruits and vegetables. here it is already AUGUST and today was the first day i wrangled the kids in the car and met my mom at the Burlington County Farmer's Market.

this summer i've been reading (slowly but surly) Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingslover and so far it's great but it's definitely kicking my butt in the "buy & eat local food" realm of life. so we went and it was nice, small but nice. we sampled some homemade salsa the blueberry flavor was my favorite. Mayden did not exactly appreciate the salsa as much as i did given after her bite she proceeded to spit it out in a napkin... hello embarrassing!! i bought some blueberries, peaches, watermelon & my mom treated me to a bar of lavender vanilla honey soap. one stand had the most amazing (yet pricey) blackberries and i just might go back to get some next week. oh and perhaps i'll find room in the budget for a pie too :o) i'm going to try Columbus Farmer's Market soon as it's a bit closer to us. it will be fun to compare the two.