Cameron's 7th Birthday!

Wow, it is hard to believe we have a seven year old! It seems just like yesterday that he was born and now he is such his own young man it seems, with interests, great ideas, and plans.   It is so fun to see him become the boy God created him to be and to help him grow in wisdom and stature. God has great things in store for Cameron and through him.  He is such a joyful,  thoughtful, observant, helpful, easy-going, boy who loves soccer and to run outside. We had a great day as a family celebrating him. It started off actually the night before when we took him out to dinner wherever he wanted to go. He chose a favorite Tex-Mex restaurant within walking distance. It was  a treat for all of us.  Yesterday morning he woke up to cinnamon rolls with blue frosting and some small gifts from his siblings.  After his Tuesday after-school ball games, he came home to his favorite meal...home-made chicken fingers, macaroni and cheese, and cooked apples, and we topped it off with brownies and ice-cream for dessert!  During dinner we spent time telling him what we all appreciated about him and then I asked him a bunch of questions. IT was fun to learn more about him.  One of the questions was: "What did you enjoy doing this past year?"  He answered, "Books!"  I am so thankful he is enjoying books and learning to read. I let him write out the answers and one fun answer he had to "What do you like to learn in school" He wrote: 1 + 3 = 4.  (Math) :) What a fun, whitty kid! I had to do some translating, but Laura Cate said, " I am glad you go to school, Cameron, and I go too." She meant she was glad that he likes going to his school and that she gets to go see him there...oh, she is so proud of her big brother.  Cameron waited patiently to open some gifts from grandparents and us while we skyped with them. Being halfway around the world is not easy! We stayed up late and played with his newest LEGO set and ended our day together! We love you Cameron!  We are so blessed to call you our son.

Cameron enjoying his very own root beer while out to eat at Peter's for his birthday dinner

Us at dinner...Laura Cate was there but refused to get in the picture and I knew we had a limited window of time with William to do it...so, just us and our boys!

Cameron birthday morning waking up early to balloons

enjoying some dessert, soo yummy!

Cameron and Laura Cate

                         

                                    talking on the phone with Grandma and Granddad while opened their presents

us enjoying putting LEGOS together after William went down.  Even Laura Cate did a great job sorting and finding pieces for us. Of course, she loves doing whatever Cameron is doing. 

playing Monopoly as a family for the first time...Star Wars style...very fun! 

On Thursday I was able to go to his school and pass out cupcakes to his class. It was fun seeing them all together.  They sang and he helped pass out the cupcakes and then he finally sat down to his....before I insisted on another photo :) he really just wanted to eat the cupcake...come on mom!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO A GREAT GUY!
 We love you Cameron Jackson. We have had seven wonderfully blessed years with you and look forward to this next year. 

Our dog (on loan)

Kopou

Some dear friends of ours went to the States for six months and were desperately looking for someone to take care of their nine year old Golden Retriever.  At first the thought never crossed our mind to take care of a dog. Actually, it did, and it was more like, "I wish I could but I cant handle having another living thing to feed, walk, and talk care of." But then we suddenly moved apartments because our lease ran out and we ended up on the top floor with a roof and grass and a fence...the previous owners had a dog, so then we decided we wanted to be a blessing to them and take their dog.  We loved her! Her name was Kopou (pronounced Copo, or cocoa as other kids called her). She was a great dog for us and the easiest doggie ever! Our kids loved to take her on walks and feed her and she was so loved.  Even baby William got excited when he saw her.  We are thankful for the time we had with her. Sadly, though,I went to check on her and and suddenly noticed something that didn't look good near her bottom :(  Alan just happened to be at home so he looked at her and we knew she needed to go to a vet.  Laura Cate kept saying, "it's ok girl, it's ok." She seemed happy and not in pain at all...just her usual self.  Unfortunately, I did not know that that would be our last time to see her.

Cameron enjoyed running with her

Kopou had a tumor and we called her owners who decided it was too hard and to put her to sleep.  We will miss her, but are so thankful for the unexpected gift she was to our family! Thank you to the Sims who let us take care of her.  She was such a great dog! We are so sad for them and know that they miss her even more than we do.  It is still sad to go on our roof and not see her running to the gate, so happy and ready to play.

lucky William was right at nose level and got lots of licks. He loved petting her ears and touching her wet nose. We took her on lots of walk (sometimes she walked me if there was a cat around). 

Laura Cate was of course fearless and enjoyed playing ball with her

October Holiday

a typical house in the countryside

Our feast! 

October Holiday is the national holiday here and we enjoyed spending time at a friend's farm house. We grilled out and they made amazing fresh curry and other cooked veggies right from their crops.  The kids had a great time climbing the mountainside and just being outside.  I guess after living here for over ten years we should consider ourselves city dwellers, but oh, we still love being outside and having the kids run around.  We saw pigs, chickens, and even picked pumpkins!  We are so thankful for our friends to be so generous with their home and food.

 

some of the kids after they came back from their hike

some of us preparing food while the kids were hiking with the other adults

Cameron and Laura Cate

A friend, different than the one actually holding the chicken,  caught one of the chickens on the farm, bought it, and took it home to eat!  I didn't see it, but I heard it was quite a sight seeing our friend running around trying to catch the chicken! 

William's Birthday Party

Birthday Party!! Sunday, August 19, 2012 4:00-5:00 pm. 

Not the prettiest cake I have made, I am learning it is not my specialty, but it spelled out "ONE".  I hung up lots of pictures of him over the past year which was fun to see. We had a great time with an apartment full of friends.  We prayed over William and thanked everyone for helping us and loving him and us during his first year and then enjoyed some cake and goodies.

First taste of cake!

not quite sure what to do with it...he usually does not like to touch food or get dirty, so he  tried to clean his tray off by picking up his food and putting it into his seat...if he can't see it, it isn't there, right?

He is not quite sure what to think...lots of people watching him eat

 These two pictures were the best we could do for a family picture that day.  Laura Cate is sitting next to William's high chair. 

 

William's First Birthday!

We made it through the first year! First year birthdays  are so momentous to me. AT times the year goes by so quickly and you don't even remember all of the sleepless nights with a newborn.  At other times, the days seem very long. Nevertheless, I always enter the day of  "First Birthday" with a heart full of thankfulness to the Lord for his faithfulness, protection, strength, grace, patience, and everything else that I need each and very day! Wow, we did it. It is also amazing to look back and see not only how this precious babe has grown, but how he has developed and grown into his own little person.  William Alan Head is so unique and such a perfect addition to our family.  He is very affectionate, loves to be held and  gives big bear hugs around your neck.  He smiles a lot and rarely cries. He likes music and can play the tambourine pretty well already!  He is easy going and gets a thrill out of observing everything around  him...and Cameron and Laura Cate give him lots of funny, crazy things to watch! He just takes it all in.  He is such a joy to have and is such a gift to each of us.  Cameron loves having a brother and Laura Cate loves having a baby around to take care of.

On his birthday, August 13, we skyped and talked to grandparents and he had his first taste of a real yummy breakfast...milk and a cinnamon roll.  I was ready to get the solids started get off of pureed mush :)  We opened some gifts for him and he enjoyed playing with the wrapping paper.  Cameron gave him a pile of some of his favorite old stuffed animals.  Alan and Laura Cate and I have not found the perfect gift for him yet... I don't think he notices because he has plenty of things from Cameron and Laura Cate to play with and use.  

After two good  naps I took him and the other kids swimming.  He LOVES the water. He actually tries to crawl through the water and doesn't mind getting his face wet.  It was a lot of fun.  It was a fun way to enjoy him that day.  

William's First Haircut

It took a couple of sittings but William received his first haircut August 11th, just in time to sport his new hairdo for his birthday!  He did not like me cutting his hair, especially at the back of his head where he could not see, but we did it and he really does look so much older. What a big boy!  

Before the scissors came

After we finished the second time and he pulled the apron off :) 

First Day of School!

Last Tuesday Cameron started his first day of school in first grade at an international school in our city.  It was an exciting and slightly sad day for us all. Oh, I will miss my buddy so much.  Six and a half years all day with this cool kid! I wish I could know every single thing that he does and says and be a fly on the wall in his classroom.  So much to continue to trust the Lord with.   I really wanted to ride on the bus (it is a small bus and other parents ride if they need to go to school) and take Cameron to his classroom. I actually wanted us all to go, but the reality of getting all five of us fed and out the door at 7:00 was impossible, so Alan stayed with William and the day before Laura Cate begged if she could go with me.  So, she got up with Cameron, had breakfast and was so excited to go to school with him! It was a fun time. Cameron seemed so big and responsible. I was excited for him too and just know that he will love it.  We are so thankful to the Lord for providing such a great school for him. It was just a half day of school,. so I spent the  morning with Laura Cate and invited some little friends over to play and make cookies for the new students :) It was really fun. They did a great job!

 I told Cameron what time I was going to get him up (I woke up extra early just to be ready) and before I could get to his room he was dressed and ready for breakfast.  So far each day I have not had to wake him, he has jumped out of bed, ready to go!  I asked Cameron today if there was anything he didn't like about school and he said, "No, just that today it rained, so they didn't have recess outside..." Not bad!  He loves to play outside, be with friends, and play soccer, so I guess he got to do two out of the three things during recess, just not outside :).  He has had a great attitude and I know he is going to have such a great time learning about so much.  I met his sweet teacher a few weeks ago. She is new here, but has spent the last three years teaching lower elementary in Cambodia!  How cool is that!!.   We look forward to getting to know her better. Thank you Ms. Cole for moving here to love and teach Cameron!

Cameron and his 1st Grade teacher, Ms. Cole

Cameron in class, third from the left, front row

Laura Cate and her friends helped me make cookies for their brothers...the boys are all in the same class and are missed by their younger sisters :(
Laura Cate, Riley, and Sophie

the bus dropping him off outside our gate

welcome home from first day of school hug!

on the second day of school waiting in the morning for Cameron's bus to come, Laura Cate was wearing her own bookbag and offered to carry Cameron's for him. She felt soo big!

Cameron and Cooper on the bus, they talk the entire way to and from school I am told...30 minutes each way! 

Cameron before going to his classroom

All last week Laura Cate walked with Cameron and me to his bus-stop to drop him off, but this week she had to learn to stay at home with daddy.  Throughout the day she says she misses Cameron and asks when is he coming home. It is fun to see him get off the bus and be greeted by a loving sister with lots of hugs.  I am so thankful for their relationship and for extra time that I have to spend with our sweet Laura Cate and  William.  I better go to bed...6:00  a.m. comes way too fast!