Cameron visited for Christmas. He was here for 13 days and we had a great time! He's grown up so much. Averie absolutely loved tagging along with him. We could tell there were times she annoyed him, but he handled it well, after all she adores him and just wanted to be with her big brother. The weather was hot and cold, literally. Christmas day was so warm we kept our patio door open until late in the evening to let a breeze cool down the house. However, there were a few days that were quite chilly and we needed to bundle up. For the most part we just hung out, we did some Christmas shopping, celebrated Carson's birthday, went fishing, played video games and celebrated Christmas.
Carson turned one! What a sweet kid! His actual birthday was the day Cameron flew in and Justin and I both worked so we didn't have much of a celebration. We brought cupcakes in for his class. He was not interested in opening his presents, but LOVED his cake. Of course, he didn't understand the concept of blowing out a candle so Cameron and Averie helped while we held down his hands so he wouldn't touch the flame. I felt really guilty that amid everything else, his birthday was a relatively small event... I'm already falling into the Christmas / Birthday trap that so many people with December birthdays complain about.
Christmas was great. The kids woke up at about 7:30 (Justin actually had to wake up Averie) and were delighted that Santa had come. Averie is 100% girl and was thrilled to get a cupcake maker, barbie, bride dress-ups and all things Disney related. Cameron got a Rip-Stik (similar to a skateboard) and in no time was riding around like a pro... he really makes it look easier than it is. Justin and I both tried to ride it, but decided it would be best to avoid an ER trip on Christmas day! Carson was just thrilled to have a chocolate free-for-all. He wandered around all morning scrounging for chocolate.
As you look through the pictures you'll notice a trend... Averie is really into silly posing. She says it's "glamour".
These first few pictures are taken at the lake behind our house. We didn't catch anything, but we sure had fun. Averie has her own Hannah Montana fishing rod which she loves, but she gets bored easily with actual fishing. Cameron really enjoys fishing and fishes a lot at home with his stepdad so he was really good at setting up the poles, baiting the lines and casting.
I thought this would be a funny picture... Technically, it is private property, but thhe lake is for private use by households in our neighborhood so we can "trespass".
We had a small, family celebration for Carson's Birthday.
I'm a bit dissapointed with our camera, it's only two years old, but we're having problems with pictures in low light... even with flash. It started a few months ago. These aren't the best quality, but they are our only Christmas pictures.
We took the opportunity to take a few family pictures. I would have loved to set up a formal photo-shoot, but just didn't get around to it. 
I think this one is funny... it really captures what that afternoon was like.
