I'm on a mission....

to find the perfect diaper bag this time around. I absolutely hated the one we had with Brayden, and we ended up using a backpack. Rubin loves the backpack and wants to use it again, and I'm fine with him doing that, but I want something a little bit cuter and easier for me to carry around. I know what I'm looking for but can't find anything. I'm having a little more luck online, but I can't tell how big they are when I'm looking at a picture. I am starting my search now so that if I end up ordering one online and don't like it, I will have time to send it back and get another one. I'm afraid I may end up doing this more than once, but we'll se how it goes. I want 2 straps (like a purse or tote), no flap over the top (just a zipper, tie, magnet, anything), and plenty of pockets for bottles, diapers, my keys, wallet, etc. I don't want to have to carry a diaper bag and a purse - I want it all in one. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know! I've become obsessed.

Halloween....

is finally over!! Now it's time to move on to the good holidays - Thanksgiving and Christmas! Spending time with family, watching football, and eating good food - how can you go wrong with that?
I had not planned on dressing up for Halloween, and said that if I did I would put very little effort into my costume. Well, on my way home from work yesterday my sister mentioned an idea that she had seen online, and my plans changed. I started working at about 8:30 last night and then woke up at 6:00 am to go to work and finish my master design. I went as a "Bun in the Oven".

Brayden was Thomas the Train and he finally figured out what this whole trick-or-treating thing was all about. He had a lot of fun but didn't last too long before he was ready to go home. He enjoyed handing out candy to the other kids and it was really cute.

Baby Name Poll!!

Follow this link and vote on our baby's name!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Y4f8SnBEYqd7g4I46lHOwQ_3d_3d

By request, the names are:
Cameron Tyler Chrisman
Cameron Carter Chrisman
Cameron Jordan Chrisman
Cameron Evan Chrisman
Cameron Ryan Chrisman
Cameron Richard Chrisman

I'll give an update in a couple of days and let you know which name is in the lead!

Jack-O-Lantern

I decided that I wanted to carve a pumpkin with Brayden yesterday. We went to Wal-Mart and bought a pumpkin and a carving kit and he was all excited...and then he laid his head down in the cart and said he was tired and wanted to go to bed. I expected him to just crash and not contribute at all, but he was a trooper and wanted to "help" and stayed with me through the entire process. He didn't help much. I thought I could get him to help clean out all of the seeds, but he said it was yucky and wouldn't touch it. He wanted to make a "silly face pumpkin" so we free-handed it and didn't use any of the stensils that came with the kit. He helped me decide what shapes to use for the eyes, nose and ears and then we started carving. I haven't carved a pumpkin since I was a kid, and I don't think I realized how much work it is! Brayden did help at times and he seemed to really have fun. He was so proud and couldn't wait to show his daddy when he got home. It was fun bonding experience.

With that being said...I hate Halloween and can't wait for it to be over. Only 2 more days! I am ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I very much prefer the holidays where I get to spend quality time with my family and eat lots of good food. November will be here on Saturday!

Arkansas Adventures

Brayden and I have been in Arkansas at my parents house since Friday and Brayden has experienced some fun things since we've been here. On Friday we took him to a state park and he got to see all of the fun animals and then feed the ducks and fish at the pond. He also "helped" my dad, who has a bum ankle, walk the walking trail.

Yesterday we went to my aunt's house. Brayden jumped on the trampoline with his cousins and we spent a lot of time down at the pond. He caught his first fish, rode on a paddle boat, rode a 4 wheeler and played in the mud. He had so much fun and really enjoyed playing and getting dirty. This is what I did growing up and I hate that he doesn't really get the opportunity to do things like that all the time. I guess that's one more thing about going to Nana's that makes it that much more special.

Brayden-isms of the week

So this week (like most) has been full of funny stories about Brayden. Each day I have meant to post a blog but never got around to it, so here is a summary:

• We drove his car around the block. We had to stop every 5-10 feet to "put gas in it", which meant putting grass in it. The normal 15 minute walk around the block took almost an hour, but at least it was a nice day

• We came home from the store the other day, and he was upset that my van was wet from the rain. Before I realized it, he had found a used paper towel in the garage and proceeded to dry it off




• Tonight we were in bed reading Brown Bear, and when we got to the goldfish page, he asked if he could ride a dolphin. He had seen a Discovery Cove commercial earlier today and somehow this triggered that he needed to ride one.



• At some point this week, he developed an obsession with "chocolate" (snack pack pudding, which he had never eaten before in his life), and carried one of the containers around for an entire day kissing it and "keeping it safe". He did finally try one and actually ate some of it.

Last Fling

So last night we took Brayden to Naperville's Last Fling. He had never been to a carnival before, so we just kept telling him we had a surprise for him (worked great as bribery to take a nap!). We weren't really sure how he would handle it - at first he seemed scared to death but then he wanted to fight through the crowd of people to be the first in line. He didn't quite get the concept of having to have tickets to ride things, or that only so many kids could fit on one ride at a time. He seemed to think that it was just like going to the parkWe were starting to get frustrated with him and were just going to take him home, but after seeing his face once he finally got on a ride it was all worth it! He had so much fun and really enjoyed everything he rode on. He still struggled with waiting in line, but I think it's just because he was soooo excited!