What a week!

Wow!  What a week it has been!

My mom has come over for a visit and we are so delighted to have her here.  James and Cameron ADORE their Grandma and Cameron insists on sleeping with her every night.  Poor Grandma is going to need a proper vacation when she leaves here.

We started the week by going pumpkin picking on Sunday.  It was FREEZING, but that didn't stop the boys from enjoying a hayride and marvelling at all the giant pumpkins.  After the hayride, we grabbed a pumpkin and dashed to the car to warm up. Next year, I think I'll check the weather report before we head out to higher elevations!

On Tuesday, we celebrated the boys' third birthday!  I still can't get over the fact that they are 3 years old already.  They are such big, independent boys and want to do everything for themselves - but it feels like just yesterday that I had these two tiny preemies, such long awaited miracles.  I don't often have time to reflect, but I took some time on Tuesday to think back to the day that they were born.  They were 7 weeks early, James was a healthy 5 pounds 4 ounces, but Cameron was only 2 pounds 9 ounces.  They were so fragile that they were whisked away as soon as they were born and were put into the high risk ICU.  I wasn't allowed to hold them, but I was able to touch James' tiny hand and change Cameron's diaper while he was in the incubator.  As many of you know, Cameron was born with a heart defect (he had open heart surgery when he was a year old to repair it), he needed oxygen after he was born and was too tiny to eat by himself.  James was able to come home after being in the NICU for 5 weeks, but Cameron had to stay for an extra two weeks. 

Those first few months at home with both boys, was the most difficult time of my life!  I wondered if I would EVER sleep again!  Three years later and I can't believe how far we have come!

Wednesday was Halloween.  Dressed as puppies, the boys headed out into the neighborhood with their friends, Paul and Chanel Grobler.  THEY LOVED IT!  Cameron shouted "knock knnnoooooocccckkkk" long before he even reach the doors and they could hardly believe all the fantastic treats that people were handing out.  Frank and I took the obligatory mom and dad tax and the kids are still munching on all their candy.

By Saturday, Frank, Grandma and I were exhausted from the week's festivities.  It took several cups of coffee to prepare us for the day ahead... the long awaited birthday party!
One of Grandma's gifts to the boys was a visit from a petting zoo at their party.  Well, they couldn't have asked for a better gift!  The kids were thoroughly entertained for the full hour and a half (in case you were wondering, no - we will NOT be getting a bunny for a pet!).
The theme of the party was Kipper the Dog, the boys' all time favorite animation.  I found a wonderful woman on Etsy who had PDF files of all the kipper characters and was able to personalize all kinds of things for me - from chocolate wrappers to thank you notes and all sorts of stuff in between.  I highly recommend her for you invitations and party decor!  You can find her at http://www.etsy.com/shop/pinkpeapaperie

The party was a huge success and James and Cameron loved every second of it.  As Grandma, Frank and I fell on the couch, exhausted, after the last guests left and we surveyed the enormous mess that still needed tidying up, we agreed that next year these kids are having a party at Chuck-E-Cheese or some other establishment away from home!

 

At the end of the party, not even the 10 pounds of sugar that these two consumed could keep them awake...

 

 

So, as you can see, we've had a crazy couple of weeks! 

 

Cameron is doing fantastically, he is due to go in for his last hospitalization on Monday, November 12th, for a week.  I can't believe that this is his last scheduled hospital stay!  What on earth am I going to do with all this free time that I am going to have?