Hi friends! I can not believe I'm writing a 'Back to School' post featuring my fist baby Camden! I feel like he was just a little infant swaddled up in my arms yesterday (he turns 5 in November). Camden is starting his first year of Pre-K this year at a new school and we are so excited to meet his new teacher and friends. Although, it will be a little bit of a transition for everyone, I know he will have a great time and will learn so much.
One way to get him excited for this new school year is to get him some new clothes, shoes and supplies that I know he will love for school! Today I've partnered with Walmart to bring you some of Camden's favorite picks for back to school clothes, backpacks and supplies.
Walmart is the perfect one stop shop for all our Back to School needs. From clothes to shoes to backpacks and supplies. It was so easy to order everything online too! You can choose to order online and pick up in store OR they now offer 2 day free shipping on orders over $35!!
Shop our favorites for back to school clothes, shoes, backpacks and supplies for little boys from Walmart!
Shop Little Boys' Clothes and Shoes:
Shop Kids' Backpacks:
Shop School Supplies:
*Thank you Walmart for sponsoring today's post! As always, all views and opinions are my own (and Camden's)!
Oh, hey! I feel like I'm apologizing every time I post now which I don't feel great about. But, things are just busy busy busy this time of year! Have I mentioned that I started a photography business on the side? Oh, yea..that happened! And it happened pretty organically which I love. One of Bill's friends contacted me about taking their family photos and I was happy to do it at no cost because it's something I truly enjoy! Once I posted the final product on facebook, I decided to create a little facebook page for my photography and BAM! I got 7 messages asking to schedule sessions! I kept my cost pretty low just to see what kind of interest I would get. I have 6 photo sessions scheduled between now and the first week of December, and one that I completed last weekend!
So, between this new photography venture, working, mothering, wifing, (oh...and throw in potty training!) my plate seems to be pretty full at the moment which hasn't left a lot of time for blogging. But, don't fret! I'm not going anywhere!
I did want to at least get some trick or treat photos posted before Thanksgiving! We had such a fun night with the boys and I was really impressed with how long they lasted on trick or treat night. Our neighborhood hosted a little pizza in the park before trick or treat started which was so nice because I didn't have to think about making dinner for the night. Bennett was a little hesitant at first about his costume, but once we got outside with all the hoopla he was excited to join in the fun! He loved looking at all the other kids all dressed up! Camden was so excited for his fire fighter/ fire truck costume! Everyone loved it! AND we had a surprise visit from a REAL fire truck in our neighborhood! The local fire fighters come every year to pass out candy to the kids. So, of course I had the perfect photo op!
And now for the photo overload...
(Camden's costume here and boots are here | Bennett's costume here)
I mean... Does it get much cuter??
Here was my creative costume... and yes, I wore the same one last year!
Motherhood lately has been so fun! Exhausting...but, fun. I love that the boys are just starting to be at the age where they are starting to play with each other and like the same things. There's still a bit of a communication gap and of course I'm constantly playing referee with the toy tug-o-war. BUT, it is fun to see them laugh and play together.
Camden is now almost 3 (he will be 3 on November 20th!) and Bennett will be 16 months on the 28th. I am so excited for the upcoming holiday season with these two. Having a one year old and a 3 year old at Christmas time will be so magical! I feel like this will be the first year Camden will actually 'get' the concept of Santa and Christmas morning. I can't wait to see their faces light up that day!!
Of course, it's not all rainbows and butterflies all the time. These ages... they are TOUGH! Bennett is just starting to show his toddler personality. Testing his limits, trying to get into everything he shouldn't, throwing his sippy cup and food on the floor... How quickly we forget about this stage! He is also SO stubborn (which I know he get from his father!). He wants to walk everywhere and goes straight towards the street when we are outside. When I try to hold his hand, he slaps my hand away as if to say 'I don't need your help!' He wants to do everything on his own!
He's also starting to reach for all the door handles in the house which Camden just recently figured out so it's funny that Bennett is already doing this! Bennett has also cut a total of 6 teeth in the past few months and is currently working on his k9 teeth (the sharp ones on top). The drool has been non-stop!
However, with those challenging times comes one of my favorite stages! Bennett loves to dance and whenever there is music playing he starts shaking his little hips back and forth! It's probably my favorite thing to watch! He also is so funny and loves to giggle! He is just starting to instigate wrestling with his brother which is so cute! They just roll around on each other and laugh!
He is also much more cuddly at this age than I remember Camden being. Especially right before bedtime and after naps, he just melts in my arms and I soak up every ounce of it! He also loves to blow kisses and says 'muaw!' when we say give me a kiss! It's the best! He is also up to saying over a dozen words! His little voice is so cute and I love that he wants to communicate with us!
Camden is also starting to creep slowly to that 'three-nager' phase I've been hearing about. He is constantly asking questions and wants to know about everything! He also still thinks all the toys in the house are his and Bennett is just borrowing them 😂
We are about 50/50 with the potty training situation, but he does really well at 'school' so I know he's ready. I think it's time for potty training boot camp one these next few weekends since we don't have too many plans. I was hoping to get him trained by the time he turns 3, so we've got a month!
Along with his 'three-nager' attitude, he also says some of the sweetest things! He will randomly look up at me and say 'you look pretty mommy!' 😊 I don't know who taught him how to say that, but I'll take it! And sometimes after I pick him up from school he will say, 'I missed you mommy!' which just melts my heart into a puddle everytime!
Both boys are on the same schedule now, only taking one nap in the middle of the day. It makes things SOOO much easier especially with planning out our day. We typically always go on an outing in the mornings when we are home. Even if it's just getting them outside to get some exercise. I love that we live across the street from a playground! That is definitely one of the main reasons we purchased our home.
Well, Camden's dream came true Friday night when we had dinner with REAL firefighters! My grandmother had won a 'dinner for 4 with the Westerville firefighters' at a local charity event and only bod on it because she knew Camden would get a real kick out of meeting them! They greeted us at the fire station and gave us a full tour of the place and showed us a lot of their cool fire fighting gadgets and equipment. They even let Camden sit inside the fire truck! He was in heaven!
During the tour, there was an alarm that went off and we got to actually see the fire fighters jump inot one of the trucks and start the sirens. Camden was so excited and the fire fighters that was with us held him up to watch the truck drive out of the station.
After our tour, they invited us to join their spaghetti dinner with the crew. I think Camden was too excited to eat, but he chugged about 2 full glasses of the chocolate milk they offered him. I was able to get him to sit still at least for one picture with the fire fighters!
Camden was on cloud nine the rest of the night and it took some extra coaxing to get him to go to bed that night, but I'd say it was worth it to see how happy he was!
Saturday night Bill and I went on a date night! I feel like it has been a while since we have been on an actual date on a weekend night, so we were due! We decided to go to Gallo's Tap Room in Powell since our realtor that helped us find our house here in Dublin is part owner with her husband. We've been meaning to go for a while and Saturday was the perfect night because the buckeyes were playing a night away game. We were able to snag some great seats at the bar to watch the game! The food there was so good! We also went to Prohibition for the last quarter and enjoyed the loaded fries and cocktails (totally worth the calorie overload!). But, now I'm feeling like I need to majorly crack down on my diet and exercise this week to make up for it!
Sunday we just relaxed in the morning with the boys (because parenting after a date night is rough...). Then, in the afternoon, our neighborhood hosted their Fall Festival in the park area across from our house. We took the boys and even though they were a little to young to enjoy a lot of the games and things going on, we still had a fun time chasing them around and chatting with our neighbors. We had beautiful weather yesterday too, so it was nice to get outside and enjoy it while it lasts!
We had such a fun time this past weekend visiting The Orchard and Company in Plain City, Oh. I knew I wanted to take the boys apple picking again this year, since it was a hit (well, with Camden) when we went last year. I researched a few apple orchards in town and landed on this one because of the location (just a quick 20 min drive fro our house) and the fact that it had so many other fun things for the boys to see and do. Unfortunately, their apple orchard was hit with hail this spring so the apples were slim pickings (literally ha!). But, we did manage to find a few to use for a photo op of course! 😉 Both boys started chomping down on the apples as soon as they got them in their hands! Bennett kept saying 'Ahh -PPLE! Ahh -PPLE!' since it is one of the handful of words he can say now! He was in heaven!
We barely got a family photo! Both boys were not having it, so I'm actually surprised we got one where they are both semi smiling!
I forgot to change the setting on the camera before I handed it to Bill (I'm learning to use manual mode!), so this photo was a little blown out and over exposed, but I like it edited in black and white and too cute not to share!
After walking around the orchard for a bit, we headed over to the pumpkin field. There were rows and rows of beautiful, big, round pumpkins! Camden has loved pumpkins since his first halloween and Bennett's eye just lit up when he was them too!
Last, but not least, Camden rode a pony for the first time! He was a little hesitant at first, but I told him it would be like riding a real carousel (since he loves the one at the zoo) and he would be like a cowboy! Once he realized that mommy would be right by him, holding on to him the whole time, he was more excited.
We didn't stay long since it opened at 11am and by noon the boys were both starting to get hungry and tired (aka cranky). Maybe next year they will be able to stay a bit longer for all the other fun activities they had there!
Even though taking these types of outings with the boys at this age can be exhausting, I'm so glad we did it! And I'm glad I brought my 'good' camera to document these fun family memories we are making!
In other news... I got my hair chopped this weekend! I am loving the new sassy length! If you follow my instastories, you may have seen a pic! I'm hoping to post about my new 'do, some other recent happenings as well as some recent wardrobe purchases I've made. Also, I'll be co-hosting a really fun giveaway via Instagram towards the end of this week, so make sure you are following me here! So much to catch up on, so stay tuned!
