Made Me Smile. . .

My husband knows just what to do when I'm feeling down or out of sorts. Without going into too much detail I have had an emmotional past few weeks. Then on top of that stuff, I feel like no matter how hard I try I can't make people happy, fix things, or have my feelings considered in the slightest. I know I should be reading a chapter out of "The Invisible Woman" but frankly I'm too tired.
Pity party aside : ) Josh came home today with the sweetest card. I LOVE a good card, afterall, it's the biggest small thing you can do! On top of that he had these beautiful spring flowers, and the latest issue of Paula Dean's magazine filled with yummy recipes to try out. It was basically a trifecta of things he knows I enjoy. Showing someone you love them while doing it in a way that says I know and understand you is just priceless. I'm so thankful to have such a great husband, which brings things right back to God. No matter how crappy things are going he shows me that He is right there with me by giving me Josh, and the other countless blessings he has poured out over our family. God is good no matter what is going on here on earth, but His grace helps us through and I am so thankful for that.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and corageous. Do not be terrified; do not be dicouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

I Heart Mom 2 Mom. . .

I love Wednesdays! Aside from Saturday, it is my absolute favorite day of the week. I got up early so I could do a few things before Camy got up. It's so nice to have that time to shower and prepare for the day, it's just hard to get out of bed! I'm going to try and do it more often, but I have a long standing love affair with sleep, so we'll see. Cameryn got up and was in such a good mood. I have always loved our time together first thing in the morning, I have a feeling she may be a morning person as she grows up.

Anyway, we had breakfast and then headed to Mom 2 Mom. Tera Melber spoke today about the theology of adoption and she was awesome! Highview has such a heart for orphan care and adoptions. It's amazing to be part of a church were you don't just hear the gospel, but see it in the lives of so many. As an adopted child, today was a little emotional for me, but in a good way. Being on the other end of it and seeing these moms around me that have made that choice or are in the long process of adopting a child into their families made me feel so special and loved, not only by my amazing parents but by my creator.

Tera's presentation of adoption was from the point of view that we are all, as believers, adopted by God into his family through Christ. I won't go into as much detail as she did but I was so touched that I have to share some of the main points.

1. Our adoption was accomplished despite our condition.

Romans 3:10-23 Tells us that not one of us is righteous but we are made right by our faith in Jesus. This mirrors a physical adoption in that orphans often times come from bad circumstances or have different circumstances. You don't adopt to get a perfect child, you do it out of love.

2. Our Adoption wa accomplished through the suffering of our savior.

Romans 5:6-11 explains how Christ died for us while we were still sinners and showed us his great love. Children don't understand all the trials and tribulations you experience in the adoptions process, but it is so small compared to what Christ did for us.

3. Our adoption required a ransom.

Matt. 20:28 and 1 Tim. 2:6. Christ paid the ultimate price for us. If he calls you to adopt a child then he will provide the means. All we are to do it trust and obey.

4. Our adoption is for the glory of God.

Romans 15:7-9. God adopting us is all to bring Him glory and when we adopt children it brings light to the gospel. We are ambassadors of Christ every single day.

In closing Tera did not make us raise our hands if we planned on adopting and anyone who didn't was kicked out! The whole point is that, as believers we are given a mandate to care for orphans. They are one of the most vulnerable groups of people in the world and because we have experienced an adoption by our heavenly father, we should take action to spread His love. She gave us great practical ways to love on the fatherless that ranged from prayer, gifts of money things and encouragement, helping a family in the process of being foster parents or adopting, going on mission trips, or being a forever family to a child. I have a lot to pray and think about. If anyone wants the detailed information Tera gave us on how to help, just let me know.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
James 1:27

Valentine's Day. . .

I know this is a little week but I have had a heck of a time since then! I made heart french toast that morning before church and it was a hit! I had to wake up a little earlier but it was so worth it. My family knows I show my love through food so this was a super obvious way to make the day special. Cameryn got a cool, hot pink giraffe that says, "I'm wild about you", and the most adorable kitty cat pj's. Her daddy seemed to enjoy being Cameryn's only Valentine, but to quote Darius Rucker, "It won't be like this for long." (By the way, that song still makes me cry every time I hear it!)

It was a great day to celebrate love and make the ones I love most feel extra special.

"A new command I give you; Love one another as I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this, all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another."

John 13:34-35

Baby Will Has Arrived!

Baby Will arrived at 3:22 am on Feb. 15th via emergency c-section. He is absolutely precious and perfect in every way. He was 7 lbs. 12 oz. and 19 3/4 inches long. Kim and Chucky could not be happier or more in love with anything. Mommy and baby are doing well and should be coming home tomorrow!

Will was due on Valentine's Day so we knew he would be a sweetheart. During Kim's weekly doctor's appointment the Wednesday before she was already 4 cm. dialated but no baby. I would text my brother daily with, "Still no baby?" and he would just say, "nope". Well at noon on Valentine's Day Kim got up to let the dog out and her water broke. She was so ready for him to be born and he was courteous enough to start the process on his scheduled day. By the time they got to the hospital and got into a room it was 2 in the afternoon. She wasn't really having very strong contractions so they just waited it out. The day went on with no dialation. I thought it would go so fast since she was already 4 cm., but what do you know, I was wrong. I got to the hospital around seven thirty or eight to keep them company. My mom and sisters arrived and we all just waited it out together. At 1:00 they started her on pitocin. This brought on contrations but still no big progress. Around two thirty they started moving her around because the baby wasn't tolerating the contractions very well. By three I told my brother I may have to go home before Will was born so I could be with Cameryn while Josh leaves for work. Not five minutes after I said that, the nurses come rushing in. The baby's heart rate was going down and they needed to deliver him right away.

They unplugged everything and wisked Kim away. Chucky was shocked and scared. We prayed and then I had to leave the room. It seemed like eternity to him before the nurse came back into the room where he was to give him a sterile suite to go into the operating room with Kim. The whole time he waited we texted back and forth. I tried to reassure him but the truth is I wasn't sure. I had faith in the doctors and most importantly in God, but they took her so fast and the nurses were running down the hall I didn't know what to think. I can't imagine what was going through his mind. His whole life was in that operating room. After Kim was prepped and ready they finally came to get Chucky and take him in there. Ten or fifteen minutes later we had Will.

It was a crazy, wonderful night. I got home at 5:45 am and Camy got up at 7:30. Let me just say, I was tons of fun to play with that day! Thank goodness for Finding Nemo! Cameryn will get to meet her baby cousin soon. Like I said, they should be home tomorrow and everyone is doing great. Parents are exhausted and baby is happy and healthy. What more could you ask for. God is good.

Cabin Fever = Indoor Gymnastics

Today I was off from work so I got to spend the entire day with my favorite girl! Since Mom2Mom was cancelled because of the weather we had the whole day to be silly. Camy carried her baby doll on her back and walked around the house for a while and it was so cute I had to take a few pictures. When I put it on her, she acted like it was perfectly normal and fine. She didn't try to take it off or anything, just walked all over the house with it.

Later in the day, I took an idea from Erica and Sawyer and brought her mattress into the living room for some fun. Her favorite part was walking on it and trying to step down onto the ground with out falling. She must have done this for at least 20 minutes. Then I started to show her how to flip (sorry no pictures of that!). She would squat down and put her little head on the mattress and I tossed her legs over. It was soooo cute. My little gymnist did pretty well for only 14 months old. She LOVES to slide so of course we had to prop the mattress up on the couch for a little sliding. Fun times. Hope everyone is staying warm and has a good rest-of-the week!

Ladie's Night!

I know it is already Wednesday (how'd that happen!) but I still wanted to post that I had a girls night for the first time since I can't even remember. It was so much fun! Saturday, Josh had Camy and Preston had Sawyer so Erica and I were free to do whatever we wanted. First we went to Calistoga where we ordered the same thing without even knowing it. I would definitely recommend that place; delicious! We just ate and talked with no concept of time. Then we headed to the Summit for a little shopping at Gymboree. After that it was of to Tinsel Town to see The Lovely Bones. Overall, a good movie but I don't recommend it if you have a little girl or young child for that matter. It was one of those movies that when you left you just kind of stared at the floor with your forehead wrinkled up. Like I said a good film, but not a movie that leaves you feeling happy. Needless to say I have seriously been contemplating how weird my neighbors are and the likelihood that they are serial killers. Anyway, it was a great night with an even greater friend. I came home feeling relaxed and ready to be a better, more patient mommy.

Achiever's Club

Every quarter Cintas has a dinner for the sales reps that meet their goals. Well, for the past 9 quarters my awesome husband has made it! We went last night to August Moon for dinner and it was delicious. It's a chinese place on Lexington Rd. and the atmosphere was nice but the food was even better. I blew my extra 35 weight watcher's points but I've been good all week! My new week starts on Tuesday so I have a few days to behave myself before I weigh in.

We shared a babysitter with the Lawrence's so Cameryn got to spend her evening playing with Ellie and Morgan at Clint and Ashley's new house. They waited patiently for it to be finished being built and let me tell you it was worth it. It is gorgeous! The girls had a fun night and so did the grown ups. I have to say this was one of the best Achiever's clubs for talking and laughing. It was kind of a small group so we could all sit at one table and hear everyone speak and tell stories. It was an overall, great night.

I'm so proud of Josh, and thankful to God for giving him the ability and ambition to do well at his job. He works for a great company that appreciates him as well, so you know that came from the Lord too! I hope everyone else is doing great and enjoying the weekend!

Cameryn's First Birthday Party

Our little Camy had her First Birthday Party and it was great! All of our family and friends came to celebrate the special occasion. Cameryn loved it when everyone sang her "Happy Birthday". She just grinned and looked all around. It took her a little while to dig into her cake but once she got going she knew she found something good. We had pizza and she got to play with all her little friends. We had kids ranging from 7 months to five years old. I love having a house full of people and we definitely had that for th party. Camy got so many nice things from everyone, our house is officially a toy store. Thank you so much to all our family and friends. We love you so much!

One Year with Cameryn

Our sweet girl is one year old! I can't believe how fast the time has gone by. Cameryn, you have filled my life with more joy and love than I ever thought possible. This year has been filled with so many wonderful things, here's a list of just a few of the things that have made this year so great.

Cameryn in one year you can;

*Walk so well. You run up to Daddy when he gets home from work and follow Lily and Ceaser all around the house.

*Give hugs and kisses

*You can say Dadda, Momma, Duh (which I think is dog), hi, tickle tickle (that is a new one and it is hilarious!), and lots of other gibberish that is so precious
*You have 4 top teeth and 4 bottom teeth

*You can feed yourself finger foods really well. Some of the things you like are; Puffs, bananas, goldfish crackers, any kind of bread, toast, or biscuit, and animal crackers.

*You love to play in the bath tub and do all you can to drink the bath water.

*You wave Hi to everyone all the time. It is so cute. When we go into the grocery you say "Ha" to EVERYONE that walks by and stick your little hand in the air. You are such a friendly little girl. God gave you quite a personality!

*You love Veggie Tales, Finding Nemo, Happy Feet, and Tinkerbell. You look just like Daddy when you watch TV, so into it with your mouth wide open.

*You like to play with anything that is not a toy which includes; spatulas, zip lock bags, lip gloss, hair brushes, mommy's cell phone, any dog toy, plastic bowls, and anything else you can get your hands on.

*You get in trouble the most for playing in the dog's water bowl. You splash your hands in it, and have even stepped in the bowl a time or two, socks and all.

*You go to daycare twice a week and your teachers love you. Miss. Jennie is your favorite and you always give her hugs and kisses.

*You can play peek-a-boo

* You dance everytime music comes on, but your favorite song is the one Daddy made up called "Hey Boogie Boogie"

* You can give high fives.

*You pull your socks off every chance you get, regarless of how cold it is.

*You LOVE other kids. Some of your favorite playmates are Sawyer, Ellie, and Bella. As soon as Karrington and Lily get big enough I'm sure you will get to play with them a lot too.

*You love to read books too. Some of your favorites are; Night Night Prayer, Brown Bear Brown Bear, Disney Princesses, Mouse Cookie, and Good Night Gorilla.

You are such a precious girl, I could never name all of the things that I think are special about you. I am so thankful to God for giving me such a precious gift. I love you more than I could every tell you. My prayer for you is that you love the Lord with all your heart and love yourself because He made you. I feel so priveleged to get to be your mother and see all the things you do and say. I can't wait to see what God has in store for my little Cameryn girl. I love you baby.

Love,
Mommy