The Burt Family

Made Me Smile. . .

2010-03-01T21:43:00.002-05:00

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. . .

2010-02-24T19:52:00.002-05:00

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. . .

2010-02-23T20:04:00.002-05:00

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!

2010-02-17T20:54:00.004-05:00

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

2010-02-10T20:35:00.002-05:00

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!

2010-01-27T20:09:00.002-05:00

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

2010-01-16T21:10:00.002-05:00

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

2010-01-11T10:43:00.004-05:00

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

2010-01-08T20:06:00.008-05:00

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

Something to be thankful for. . . .

2009-11-23T21:35:00.002-05:00

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither the present or the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 8:38-39

No explanation necessary.

A Night Out. . .

2009-11-13T21:59:00.002-05:00

Tonight Josh and I went out and Cameryn had her first non-family member babysitter and it went fabulous. A little girl named Morgan from our church babysat Camy and Ellie, Clint and Ashley's daughter, while we went to the Achiever's Club dinner at Martini's. Dinner was great and we got to hang out with some grown ups which was nice.
Ashley made all the arrangements for Morgan to come and watch the girls and she was great. She was so at ease with the kids and had such a sweet demeanor. I definitely got her phone number stored in my phone! She nanny's two days a week for a family with 4 kids under five so she's a pro. Overall, a great end to a hectic day! Josh is going hunting tomorrow at 5 am and me and Camy are going to hang out until it's time for her to get her pictures made. I love the weekends!

Thursday night update

2009-11-12T21:49:00.003-05:00

I have been so tired lately! I feel like I could sleep for a week. The bright side is that tomorrow is Friday so I'm in the home stretch. Tomorrow will be a busy too but it will end with a free dinner on Cintas. Josh and I are going to the Achiever's club dinner tomorrow night with Clint and Ashley. . . and that's it. I hate to brag on my awesome husband but he and only one other rep made it this quarter and she can't come to dinner. We're going to Bravo, one of my favorite places and Cameryn is going to have her first non-family member babysitter. A little girl from church is going to watch Camy and Ellie at our house so we can have some fun, grown up time.

Saturday we are getting a family picture made and then Cameryn is going to get a few made in her Christmas dress. Pray for no tears and lots of smiles.

Oh my gosh! I almost forgot the biggest news of the week. I am the proud owner of a mini van! Josh was up to his wheeling and dealing at the car lot which happens frequently and we traded our Ridgeline in for an Odyssey. I never thought I would drive a van but I really love it. It's so roomy and has all kinds of neat gadgets. I'm hooked now. Laugh if you must, but I was once in your shoes. I'm telling you it's cool. Anyway I hope everybody has a great weekend and enjoys the nice weather!

Boys and Their Toys

2009-11-08T22:49:00.001-05:00

When we went to Logansport last weekend is was first and foremost, freezing! But aside from this Josh had a great time acting like a kid and racing around in this go-cart his dad built. The go cart was all fine and good but now my husband is talking about dune buggies and other four wheeled things that I know nothing about. This particular go-cart started as junk that a neighbor gave to Ted. ; Since they have started the tradition of going to 2 NASCAR races a year, Ted was going to make a motorized cooler with it by mounting a cooler on it and then making a really tall stearing wheel so you could sit on the cooler and drive it from point A to B (A pretty nifty idea in my book). Any how, one thing led to another and it ended up with a roto tiller motor and a rebuilt seat. I think the next step is new tires. Before we know it there will be XM radio! Josh had so much fun racing around the parking lot at his old elementary school. He works so hard, it's so good to see him just have fun and not have a care in the world. I'll admit I took it for a little spin myself. Being the embodiment of grace, I accidentally went through a puddle and splashed water all over my face and I was wearing my glasses so I was in need of some mini windshield wipers. And even though Ted is officially a "grandpa" he was not driving like one! Josh did have a little "wreck" at one point when he was trying to brake really hard and turn at the same time. Let's just say his rear end paid the price.

Gatlinberg was Awesome!

2009-11-06T20:15:00.007-05:00

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As you can tell from our pictures we had a great time! We ate, relaxed, went horse back riding, shopping, and nearly burned our cabin down. Just kidding! We did accidently shut the flew and filled the entire place with smoke. So, at about 1 am instead of hearing the tranquil sounds of the mountains at night, you could hear our screeching smoke alarms echoing through the woods. I'm sure our neighbors loved it!

We also had nightly visits from the local racoons which was cool. Saying they were not afraid of people was a bit of an understatement. We were all sitting on the deck talking and I heard this scratching sound and saw a little nose. We ran screeming into the house, but figured out they were pretty friendly little guys.

It was a great trip and we laughed non stop. We all missed our little girls pretty badly so we were happy to come home but it was so nice to have some time away with great friends!

3 Years Ago Today. . .

2009-10-28T21:15:00.004-04:00

Exactly 3 years ago today at this time I was dancing and having one of the best nights of my entire life. Josh and I were at our wedding reception at this time on October 28, 2006 and by this point in the day we were just having a blast celebrating that we get to be with each other for the rest of our lives. It's amazing to think of all the things that have happened to us since that day, but the most exciting part is all that God has in store for us in the future. He sent me the literal man of my dreams and I am so thankful to have Josh.

I know 3 years in a marriage is not really that long to some people, and I hope and pray it is just a small fraction of the time we will have together, but I feel like we have grown and learned so much in this time. Josh is not only my husband, but he's a wonderful father, son, and brother. He's the leader of our home, bread winner, lawn mower, care taker of our pets, manager of our money, floor sweeper, and the person that loves me and Cameryn more than anything in the word. He is my everything and his love is something I could not live without. He puts his heart and soul into our family and takes good care of us. He makes me laugh ALL the time. He's understanding and kind, bold and thoughtful. Right now he's sleeping on the couch instead of watching The World Series, but I know this is exactly where he wants to be and that gives me such a sense of peace and contentment. God is so good to give us His love and the gift of marriage.

"We love because he first loved us" 1John 4:19

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up" Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Happy Anniversary, Josh!

Picking Up a Baby Bumble Bee. . .

2009-10-27T20:25:00.006-04:00

We have the sweetest little bumble bee! We dressed Camy up to go to Halloween at the Zoo with Abbey and Bella and had such a good time. The girls were so cute and Bella got a bucket full of candy. They had all these candy stations throughout the zoo and they all had themes. We saw Shreck, the Disney Princesses, the Wizard of Oz characters and lots more. Bella loved Bat Girl! For me, it was awesome to see Abbey. She's a teacher and coach so our schedules never seem to coordinate. Anyway, it was a fun night and I can't wait to dress our girl up for the Fall Festival at church tomorrow!

Cameryn's First Trip to Huber's

2009-10-20T20:58:00.003-04:00

Fall is here so just as naturally as the leaves fall, you have to go to Huber's Orchard! This is a family tradition that we wanted Cameryn to experience and be able to say she can't remember a fall in her life that we didn't go. It's a beautiful drive up through Floyds Knobs with all the leaves changes, so even before you arrive you just get this sense of happiness. Once we arrived we took Camy to feed the fish in the pond. I think they were pretty full from all the visitors so when we threw our food in they just kind of gradually swam up and ate at their leisure instead of fighting for the food like normal. After that we went to the petting zoo so Cam could see all the animals. She was somewhat interested in them, but she LOVES little kids. Every time we see a kid in the grocery or at the park she can't stop smiling and reaching out to them. So the petting zoo was no different. She was so fascinated by all the people that the animals came in a distant second. Later we headed to the farmers market which smelled amazing! Fresh bread, homemade donuts, and apple cider, need I say more. Josh and I each harmed a carmel apple while Cameryn had some puffs. Poor kid doesn't know what she's missing. For the grand finale of our trip we headed out to the pumpkin patch. I think Cameryn's favorite part was the hay we sat on to get out there, but it was so cute seeing her out in the pumpkin patch. Overall, a great "Baby's First"!

I'm Back and a Little Lighter!

2009-10-16T21:08:00.003-04:00

I know I have been MIA lately but for good reason. After three very painful attacks and seeing about six doctors by the time it was all said and done I had my gall bladder removed on Monday. If you have ever had any trouble with your gall bladder you know what I mean by "attack". I would have a baby any day of the week compared to that pain. I'm sure the fear of now knowing what was wrong with me added to the pain, but it was BAD. I can remember riding to the emergency room moaning and praying for God to please let me be okay and let this pain go away. My poor husband! During the first attack we had no idea what was wrong and he had never seen me in such pain, it really scared him. While we were in the ER the pain started to gradually go away and then I was completely fine. At this point the doctor said I probably had acid reflux or it could be my gall bladder. I basically have an iron stomach and am the "garbage disposal of our family, I'll eat pretty much anything. I thought this was way off but he said the only way to know for sure was to run a scope down my throat or do an ultrasound. This would mean many other doctor visits and appointments, so like any busy mom I put it off. The doctor said it wouldn't be anything that would kill me, I would just have another attack or I may never have another one.
Needless to say it happened again so I did all the tests and found out I had a bunch of little gall stones. Apparently having little stones is worse than big ones because they can pass down into your pancreas and cause problems from there. I had surgery on Monday and all is well. I was pretty sore at first but today I took care of Cameryn on my own all day. Josh left this afternoon with his dad and brother to go to South Carolina to visit Uncle Bob and go to the NASCAR race tomorrow. He was so excited. He definitely needs a break since he has been mom, dad, and nurse all week. I'm sure the guys will have a great time on their "man trip" and will have tons of stories to tell when they come home. I'll be posting pictures soon of Camy's first trip to Huber's and other random things we've been doing!

A Weekend of Sick Babies

2009-09-20T19:54:00.002-04:00

Everyone looks forward to the weekend but this one was not so great. Cameryn started not feeling well on Wednesday and it has gotten worse and worse each day since. She has been up coughing and last night had a fever. Of course the fever doesn't hit until Saturday night so the pediatrician's office was closed. We called the on call doctor and he suggested we go ahead and take her into the hospital. Well after spending a few hours at Kosair we found out what she does not have; no strep throat, no ear infection, no bladder infection. Most likely it is some virus that needs to just run its course. Meanwhile, we have a fussy, pitful looking little girl. Please pray for her to feel better soon!
Aside from Camy, Ellie, Clint and Ashley's daughter had to go to Kosair in the middle of the night last night. She was having trouble breathing and was diagnosed with Croup. I also just read on Erica's blog that she and Sawyer are both sick too! I hope everyone gets to feeling better soon and that no one is sick again for a very very long time!

An Amazing Insight

2009-09-16T14:17:00.001-04:00

Today at Mom to Mom our speaker, Tera reference Nicole Johnson and I had to share this video. Sometimes as moms we feel like nothing we do is appreciated or of any worth. Our mission here at home with our husband's and children is all for God. He sees our hearts and He sees how hard we try. Every act of service and love we perform gives Him glory.

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me'" Matt 25:40

Here, There, and Everywhere. . .

2009-09-13T21:34:00.003-04:00

When Cameryn was born everyone would always say, "Enjoy her now, pretty soon she'll be all over the place." Well those days have been here for awhile, so I thought I would share some pictures of our girl during a typically day.

The first pic is of her in her groovey pj's crawling all over the place. We got her a few pairs of Amy Coe pj's at Babies R Us and they are just the cutest! The next one is of her sitting in her toy basket in the living room. She cruises all around her block since she can hold on to the wires. Well, I guess this time she needed a little rest so she just had a seat.

We also took her on her first trip to the park last week. It was a little cool but a great evening to swing. I'm not sure exactly what she thought of the swings but she did like the slide. We would stand next to the slide and hold her while she slid down. It was so funny. Her hair was full of static and standing strait up! After that one it's her up on the couch with her doggie that Josh brought home for her the other day. She was loving on him and giving him kisses that day (Josh and the doggie!).

And the last one is classic Cameryn. I opened the pantry to scoop out some dog food and feed Lily and Ceaser. Well as soon as a turn around this is what I see. She was grinning ear to ear! She thought she found herself a great treat while Mommy's back was turned. She cracks me up on a daily basis. We are so blessed to have such a silly, happy little girl. I enjoy her more and more every day.

So Tired!

2009-09-10T21:49:00.002-04:00

It was a long day at work today and I really really missed my girl. Just a few of my favorite, more recent pictures of my sweetie pie! No matter what kind of day you have, when you come home to her you can't help but smile and thank God for such a wonderful blessing.

"A happy heart makes the face cheerful. . ."

Proverbs 15:13

Camy must have a very happy heart!

Mom 2 Mom

2009-09-07T22:00:00.002-04:00

I recently started attending a Wednesday morning bible study for moms and absolutely love it! My friend Ashley is on staff at Highview East and her husband Clint is Josh's sales manager. We had talked about her Mom 2 Mom group over the summer and I told her I would like to check it out, just let me know when it starts up for the fall. Well, she is so thoughtful and not to mention organized and she remember to call me. The first session was last Wednesday and I really enjoyed it. The speaker was amazing! She had grown children so she knew all the joys and challenges of being a mom and then some. I don't know what it was, but just the way she spoke made things seem so simple.
Having an English degree has given me more than enough opportunities to disect a text and look for different ways to read a text and develope my interpretation of what the author is trying to convey. Even though it takes reading through something multiple times, I really like to do that. Well the light bulb went off for me when Virginia, the speaker, said to treat the Bible that way. She said to make lists and try to dig deeper into the passage you read. Sometimes you feel like you can't fully understand what your reading if you don't know all the theology behind it or if you haven't read the entire Bible. This method simplifies the process so you can learn the most important elements. One list is supposed to be what the passage tells you about God. And the other list is what God wants you to do. Reading scripture is to seek God's face and know Him better and to learn what He wants you to do and how to lead your life. I feel like making these lists really helps me to understand how I can apply God's word to my life since I have physically written down what He wants me to do. This method of reading has went really well for me this week so I just wanted to share that! Good Night!

Oh How Times Have Changed!

2009-09-06T21:27:00.006-04:00

A few weekends ago Josh's friend Chris, who we all call by his last name, Pert, came into town from California. He was a manager for the baseball team at Dayton and graduated the same year as Josh. Anyway he came in for a visit so we had him and another one of Josh's old teammates, Will, over for a cookout. Will brought his cute little family with him and we had such a good time!

His wife Lene is a sweetheart, and they have two boys; Trey is one and a half and Clayton is five months. Trey was so sweet to Cameryn and gave her hugs and played in the pool with her. We just hung out and talked and let the kiddos swim. We got out the corn hole boards but Trey was the only one who played. Pert isn't married or have any kids so it was not his typical night I'm sure! Not too many years ago those three guys probably would have never guessed they would be sitting in our backyard watching babies play and checking for dirty diapers. Things have definitely changed for the better, but it is always nice to catch up with old friends.

Cameryn's First State Fair!

2009-09-05T10:51:00.003-04:00

Cameryn took her first trip to the Kentucky State Fair this year. She was so good and LOVED looking at the animals. The weather was absolutely perfect, not your typical fair weather at all. It was warm, but not hot and there was a nice breeze going all day. Me, Josh, Camy, and Grandma Deb all went to see the sights, sounds, and smells of the fair. We took Deb to the famous Mike Linning's tent and had some of their delicious fish. It was a bit over priced, but hey that's the fair for you. Then we went inside to see all the animals. One girl let Camy pet her cow and she was so excited. I bet she was thinking, "hey this is only a little bigger than my Lily dog!" Then we went to look at the bunnies and she could not wait to get her hands on one of them. Another exhibitor had a bunny out on a table that was friendly enough to pet so Cameryn got to pet her first bunny too. She was so excited she was shaking. It was so cute.

After that we walked around a little more and indulged in another Fair tradition; the elephant ear. It was so warm and covered with cinnamon and sugar. We were all about half sick by the time we left but it was a lot of fun. Here's to the start of another family tradition that we can look forward to for next year!

Mommy's Little Helper

2009-09-03T17:35:00.002-04:00

Cameryn's favorite "chore" has got to be the laundry. When I fold clothes while she's awake, I usually just bring the basket in the living room floor and fold away so I can watch her play. Well lately she has been very curious as to what Mommy was up to so she decided to help. I must admit that I helped her into the basked but the posing was all her. She was really fascinated by the fabric softener for some reason. I think she liked being in the big pile of warm clothes. On another occasion while she was helping me she laid her head in the clothes and rolled all around. The other pictures are of the static that was in her hair afterwards. The pictures really don't do it justice. It was so funny! I hope her love of laundry continues well into the future. With only a family of three, we create a lot of it!

Karrington Jo has arrived!

2009-09-02T19:46:00.002-04:00

On Friday August 28th my first niece was born and she is gorgeous! Amy went into labor that morning and just a few short hours later Karrington was here. Mom and baby are doing great and got to come home on Sunday.

I have already decided to call her Kare Bear and that she and Cameryn will have a great time painting Uncle Justin's toe nails and putting bows in his hair! Amy and Justin are so happy to have their little girl and we are thrilled to have another perfect addition to the family. Congrats to the mom and dad, grandparents, and everyone else!

The Holiday Weekend

2009-07-08T22:39:00.003-04:00

I know these are only pictures of Cameryn to describe our weekend, but we had so much fun dressing her up and taking her picture that's pretty much all I have pictures of!

We took the whole gang up to Logansport for the weekend. Since we no longer have the Pilot, Lily got to ride shot gun in the Accord with Josh driving, and me, Cameryn, and Ceaser in the back. Even though we were all pretty close together the drive there and back wasn't to bad. Cameryn was really good and just slept and watched her Veggie Tale movie. I, some how, curled up and managed to fall asleep too so that made things go a little quicker.

While up in Logan, we just spent time with Deb and Ted and got to relax. As usual, we ate a lot and played with the dogs and the baby. Cameryn did get to meet her great grandma and grandpa Burt for the first time so that was exciting. Of course great grandma "Cheetah" and Grandpa Buchanan stopped in as well.

We got Camy all dressed up on the Forth of July and took some pictures (as you can tell). It was kind of rainy and cloudy but we were still patriotic and had a great day. I want Cameryn to know what a great country we live in and to know that without God and the sacrifices of so many, we wouldn't be where we are today. A little too deep of a lesson to be taught at six months old, but one day she'll see all of her baby pictures and know we've been celebrating the Forth of July from the very beginning. Aside from Saturday being Independence Day, our little girl turned six months old. Another month gone. . .where does the time go? The other pics are of our little photo shoot in her new hat. I absolutely love the huge flower!

TGIF!

2009-06-19T19:59:00.002-04:00

Thank goodness it's Friday. This week has been so busy! I've worked late every single night (of my 3 nights a week). We got the big news that I am going to be an aunt, and Cameryn has a little cousin on the way. My brother Chucky is expecting a little one at the end of February! I can't believe he is going to be a dad. And ironically, I found out I was pregnant the Thursday before Mother's day and he found out he was going to be a dad the Thursday before Father's day. Kinda neat, huh. Babies are a blessing and a miracle so we're all so happy to welcome another little one and his/her mommy into our family.
On that note, Deb and I were talking today and we realized how close we are getting to the arrival of another little baby. Justin and Amy are due September 14th, so only 8 more weeks or so. We all know babies work on their own time frame so it could be sooner or later but the time is still flying by. I hope Amy feels that way! All of the little cousins will be so close in age, I can just picture how fun all the holidays will be as our family grows and grows. As challenging as having children can be, nothing can compare to the joy they bring. The older I get the more important I realize family is, and the more thankful I am for everyone. Having lots of people to love and that love you and your kids is such a gift. Speaking of family, Happy Father's day weekend to all the daddy's who do their part and love their kids and their wives!

Easy Like Sunday Morning

2009-06-14T15:51:00.002-04:00

Today has been a great, lazy day. We woke up pretty early since Cameryn is getting used to her new early wake up time during the week. Don't babies get the memo that on the weekends we sleep in? Anyway, she got up and ate and then I made blueberry muffins for me, Josh, and Deb. After breakfast Grandma had to head home. I'm so thankful for her all the time, but we really needed her this weekend, and as usual she was there.

Camy did well on her first day of daycare, and I did better than I thought. I was so busy making sure she had everything and that I was prepared for work that I didn't lose it until I had to say good bye. Ms. Jenny is so sweet but I just bawled when I handed Cameryn to her. The teacher hugged me and said that if I cry, she'll cry too. To which I responded, "Well, I guess we'll all just cry because I can't stop!" I cried half way to work, but eventually got it together. Between Josh and I we only called to check on her three times, which isn't too bad. They said she played and didn't make a peep most of the day. The only time she cried was like the last ten minutes before Josh came to get her. She was pretty exhausted from her first day since she didn't nap much, but overall it was a good day. Work went well too. It was like I never left. We were so busy I ended up covering the office for a little while by myself and filling orders. I had a nice little, "Welcome Back" sign on my desk and I brought a cake because we all love to eat! It felt good to work but I was so happy to see my baby when I got home!

Wednesday started off good. I was looking forward to spending the day with Cameryn since she slept quite a bit Tuesday evening from the lack of naps during the day. We got up and ate and played and then went to meet Abbey at David's Bridal. We had so much fun watching her try on wedding dresses! They were all so pretty, but she picked the most gorgeous gown. It was so elegant and unique. When she put it on you just knew that was the one. (I guess kind of like she feels about the groom!) At the end of out time there Camy started to get a little cranky and would only let me hold her. This was her cue that we would not be going to lunch with everyone. Once we got home she really wasn't much better, and by the time Josh got home we were both in tears. She had no fever, she wasn't hungry, had a dry diaper, I put orajel on her gums, I thought nothing could be wrong. Josh has the magic touch when it comes to putting her to bed so she took a nap I did too. We woke up and were both feeling much better. The next day it was off to daycare and work again. That morning my mom called around 6:30am and said my brother, Chucky was in a head on collision on Hwy 44 with a garbage truck. She was on her way to the hospital but said he was okay. His car was totaled and his friend got stitches and a dislocated hip. Chucky just had a busted lip and a few cuts and bruises but that's it. He is so lucky that he has a mother that prays for him.
Later that day when I called at lunch time to check on Cameryn they said she wasn't eating well and asked if she had an ear infection. I said I didn't think so because she hasn't been running a fever. Turns out they don't have to. I left work early and took her to the doctor, and sure enough she had an ear infection. I felt so awful for not knowing, and it took the people at daycare to figure out what was wrong with my baby! I was so glad her grandma was coming to watch her on Friday and give her extra love while I was at work.

Camy was good for Deb all day Friday and started to act more like herself by Friday evening. I mentioned before that I was so thankful for Grandma on this particular weekend for a few reasons. I had a headache when I came home from work but after some dinner and medicine was fine. Saturday we woke up early again so by the time it was time for Camy to take a nap it was only 8am. So I skipped out for a little while to check out some yard sales, where I got some really great stuff. Robin, Erica's mom had a yard sale at there house as part of their neighborhood wide yard sale. It was great. I got Camy lots of clothes, books, and toys. I stopped by the Zimmerman's for a while and got to see everyone and all the kidos. A few women from Erica's church brought things to sell so their kids were there playing with Sawyer and they were all so cute!
After I got home, Josh had asked Deb if she would mind to watch Cameryn so we could go to the movies. Of course she said she would so we went to see The Hangover. It petty crude, but hilarious none the less. I can't even remember the last time we had a "date" so we were definitely in need of some time together. At the end of the movie I started getting a headache that just got worse and worse. Long story short, I ended up taking my dinner to go and coming home and sleeping for the rest of the night. I was actually physically ill from this monster headache. It was pretty scary, but Josh and Deb took over with Cameryn and did a great job. I'm so glad Josh had some help because I was down for the count. Today has been pretty uneventful, but I'm glad! Between Cameryn being sick, me being sick, working, and my brother's accident I don't think we need much more. Anyway, we can't forget to count our blessings too! Those are much more numerous than our issues anyway.

Our Weekend

2009-06-08T09:51:00.005-04:00

We had such a great weekend! The weather was absolutely gorgeous and we just got to spend time together. Saturday we woke up and played with Cameryn in the morning and she was in such a good mood. She is definitely a morning person (unlike her mom!) Almost every morning when I hear her in the monitor I go in and she is all smiles. Lately she has been rolling over and sticking her arm through the rails which is hilarious! She just turned five months and is already planning her escape from the crib.

When Camy went down for her nap Josh and I grilled hot dogs and ate outside on the deck. We just sat out there and talked and soaked in the sunshine. After Cameryn got up we headed over to my dad's to fish. Well, I didn't really get to fish too much, but we watched Josh, and strolled around the pond. My dad has 21 acres of land at his place. About 8 of those are cleared and that's where the house, barn, and pond are. The rest is wooded and hilly so the kids love to ride their four wheeler back there all the time. He just had the pond dug this past fall so this was actually Josh's first time fishing there. He did catch one pretty big catfish. The poor thing got the fish up onto the bank and was reeling him up to get him off the hook when the fish got free on his own! He flopped right back into the pond. One minute I look up and see the fish, the next it's gone. I yelled, "Hey, where'd your fish go?!" and he just shakes his head. Cameryn and I were headed down there to take a picture, but we missed the boat. If I wouldn't have seen the fish for like 2 seconds I would have thought he made the whole thing up.

Sunday we visited at a new church near our house. Well, the church itself is 30 years old, but they just built a bigger building and dedicated the new church this Sunday. We love Northeast (our current church) but it is 30 minutes from our house. It's a pretty big church too, so sometimes you can feel a little lost in the shuffle. We decided to try Calvary Christian since it is just two minutes away. We figured if we liked it, we would get to know more people in our town and Cameryn would eventually be friends with kids in her area. Anyway, the service was nice and the pastor was also very nice. The people in the congregation were very friendly and there were lots of kids there too. I must say it was a little more traditional than Northeast with a lot of "thee's" and "thou's" in the prayers and we did sing one hymn from the hymnals. I'm not opposed to hymns, I understand that the worship portion should appeal to everyone so I was glad they did that and had some more contemporary music as well. Anyway, It was different than what we are used to, but not bad. I think we're going to go again next week and see if God tells us to keep going. After church we went home for a little while and then back out to Gatti Land for Bella's 5th birthday party. She had a princess cake and tons of presents. This was Cameryn's first kid birthday party so she sat back and took it all in. At one point someone made the kids balloon swords and they were all running around having a sword fight. Cameryn was so into it! I know she was just thinking, "Man, when I can walk I'm definitely doing that! Look out Mom and Dad!" She is so fascinated by other kids and animals, it's hilarious.

Anyway those are the highlights of the weekend. Oh yeah, the picture of Camy and Josh while she's in the tub, she has a 4 inch tall mohawk but it kind of blends into the background. My sweet husband volunteered out of the blue to do bath time so I could get some things done. Cameryn and I have a lot to do today before her first day of daycare tomorrow so I better get ready while she's taking a nap. Keep us in your prayers! We need them, and I may possibly need medication!

A Look Back at the Past Five Months

2009-06-05T09:52:00.005-04:00

Words cannot express how wonderful the past five months have been. They have been filled with an unimaginable love, laughter, tears, sleeplessness, overwhelming joy, fun, learning, and growing. God has given us an absolutely precious little girl, but also so much more. Since Cameryn was born Josh and I have been able to feel this amazing, unimaginable love. I've said it before but, you just can't know this feeling unless you have a child, plain and simple. I think it is the closest thing that a human being can feel to the way God feels for us, and in knowing that you realize what an awesome God we serve. It has really opened my eyes and made me even more thankful to my Lord and Savior.
We've also had tons of laughs around here since little Camy came into the picture. From saying, "Heeellllllooooo" and her giggling each and every time for almost fifteen minutes to the time we were in tears laughing when Josh said I was hooked up to the pasturizer when I was pumping breast milk. You never know what will happen next. Having a baby really makes you take yourself a lot less serious and find the humor in almost everything. I'm sure there are times she must be thinking, "These people are nuts!" but we are taking in the joy of every moment with her. And as my mother told me about a million times, she'll understand when she has kids of her own.
The tears and sleeplessness are but a small price to pay for all the good Cameryn has brought to our lives. And, I must say that especially in the beginning, more of the tears were mine and they were of joy. Josh even shed a few himself. I think you have to go through the sleeplessness to really understand the sacrifices your parents made for you, and to know that everyone does have "survival mode" and you can get through a lot more than you think. I am one person who LOVES sleep. We have the most comfortable bed in the world, and laying in that big pile of pillows and soft sheets ranks right up there with shopping for me. But like I said, the good far outweighs the bad, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. (Note; I don't plan on doing it again for awhile!)
Joy is a word that once you experience "joy", you know it is the perfect word to describe how you feel, and that no other word will work in it's place. I really love that about "joy". I do have an English degree so loving words may seem strange to most, but where I come from it's normal (I swear!) Anyway, the level of joy and fun in our home was at a good level before Camy came along, but with her it is just through the roof. Not to say we don't have rough days. Any mom reading this knows that it's not all smiles and politeness when you have kids, but they also know that fun is so much more fun when you get to see and do things through the eyes of your child. Cameryn in only five months old but it is so funny to watch her study things, and grab for the dogs when they walk by. I wonder if she thinks these are her much uglier brother and sister or if she thinks they are her toys to be explored and chewed on.
And lastly, the learning and growing that Cameryn has inspired in me is tremendous. From reading every book, magazine, or internet post on pregnancy and babies to figuring out that if the seat on her stroller goes back to far it will not fold up. This one I was stumped by when I took Camy and my sister Jessie downtown and got so frustrated that I just put the whole, unfolded stroller in the back of my SUV. Lord only knows what I would have done if I had a little car! Not only have I been learning about being a mom and about what my daughter likes and dislikes, I've also learned a lot about myself and my childhood. I'm a lot more capable than I thought, yet I'm also a lot more vulnerable than I thought. Having Camy has made me closer to God, and I'm so thankful for that. For one, I need to be a good example for her, and for two, having a child shows you how much you need Him. You need His strength to put your fears at ease and His guidance to make good decisions. As far as growing, if you've been following our blog you can see Camy has done a lot of that. The pictures I posted above are of Cameryn's very first picture when she was born, some silly ones over the past few months, and the two in the middle are of her yesterday when she turned Five Months Old!

I Love this song!

2009-06-02T09:55:00.000-04:00

The Unknown

2009-06-01T22:29:00.003-04:00

As some of you know, a big change is coming to the Burt household. Recently, I have been looking for ways to make extra money. I worked at my mom's shop one day as her "assistant" which was hilarious. I shampooed people's hair all day, washed towels, put toner on, etc. It gave me a whole new respect for what my mom does day in and day out. Ladies, your hairdresser works hard to make you beautiful! Well, I had been considering working a few nights a week and leaving Camy with Josh, but that wasn't really panning out either. Apparently with the tough economy no one is hiring, or the college kids out for the summer beat me to every respectable evening job!
Anyway, out of the blue my old boss from Randstad called me and wanted to know if I wanted to come back and work part time. I was so shocked, because before I left I asked to work part time but there just wasn't any position in the company that wasn't full time. Apparently the economy has been effecting them too, and they have done a little restructuring. They laid off five people about a month ago, so I was very flattered that they called me to come back. God just seemed to drop this in my lap, after weeks of praying for something to come my way. The great thing is the pay doesn't even compare to the other part time options I was pursuing and I'll get to be back with a great team. Of course the down side is I have to be away from Cameryn. When I say down side, I mean, keeps me awake at night, cry out of nowhere, even cherish her screaming in my ear when I take her bottle away to burp her, down side. She will only be in day care two days a week and the other day she will either be with her Grandma Deb, or playing with Erica and Sawyer. I cannot tell you what a blessing it is to know that one day a week she will be with people that love her and that will look after her like I would. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't send her to some shady day care, but it is still day care. She has four very sweet teachers in her room, and will get to socialize with other children. They sing songs, go for walks in this huge stroller, play on the floor with toys, etc. Basically lots of the same things we do here every day. The part that really pulls on my heart is that she is not the only baby in the room. There are going to be times when more than one of them is crying and want to be held, how do they decide who gets picked up first? Will she be sick more than she is well? It's impossible to keep one germy little kid away from another germy little kid. I know I shouldn't think about these things, but she is my whole world.
My strategy, because I have to have some type of plan of action, is to just pray for her each of every day. He can watch over her and protect her better than I can, and even though this is so hard to fathom, He loves her even more than I do. I'm praying for wisdom and discernment and for Him to just put a band of angels and a hedge of protection around my baby. I know for some people day care is great and is a way of life, but this move is a really big deal for us. As hard as it is, I do feel like God gave me this opportunity to work for a reason, and He was answering my prayers. I'm just so thankful that He has already sent me two angels in the form of Grandma Deb and Erica. I love these two women so much and I'm so thankful to have them in my life!

Sweet Baby Lily, and other news

2009-05-29T12:00:00.003-04:00

Lily Michelle Hale is here! Josh and I went to visit our friends Stephen and Amy yesterday at the hospital and got to meet their little girl. She is so precious! She was born May 27th and was 7 lbs 6 oz. It was so funny holding a baby that tiny again. I know it has only five months ago but it's hard to remember Cameryn that small! She was a whopping 15 lbs 11 oz at her 4 month check up so who knows how big she is now. And to think she started out at 7lbs 4 oz it just mind boggling.

Stephen and Amy are on cloud nine. They are understandably exhausted from the birth, visitors, and the hospital but they are so happy. I know they'll be great parents and show Lily the best the world has to offer. I'm so excited for Camy to have another playmate so close to her age!

In other news, our trip to South Carolina was a lot of fun. I'll post some pics soon, but goofy me forgot our Cameryn so I have to get copies of Deb's. It took us about 8 hours to get down there including stopping for lunch. Cameryn was so good during the drive! We just kept her entertained with toys, Veggie Tales, Mum Mum cookies, and whatever else we could think of. She is such a joy to have! I don't know many babies that would have taken being in the car that long as well as she did (If I do say so myself!) When we got there we got to see Uncle Bob, Aunt Tina and the girls and had a great dinner. Our cousin Ashley is quite the cook! We just all talked and played with the baby. The men of course retreated to the basement to act goofy and do Lord only knows what else! On Sunday the guys headed to Charlotte for the NASCAR race, which sadly was rained out. Poor little Josh's heart was broken. They did get in a full day of tail gating so it wasn't a total loss. Us girls stayed home and went to Aubree's softball game, to lunch, and then downtown to see the sites. They have the most gorgeous park! I will definitely post those pics. We walked around the park, went to dinner, and of course got ice cream. It was a great day with the girls, and a great weekend spending time with family. Cameryn was so good the entire time, I think she could get used to the warm weather down south! We are so blessed to have such a special little girl. Each day she amazes me and I just fall deeper and deeper in love with her. You walk around your whole life thinking you know "love", but until you have a child you just don't know what your missing. Before I start to cry, I better go and work on the other 100 million things on my to do list! . . . .Or I could put it all off for just one more day and Camy and I can go outside and enjoy this gorgeous weather! Hmmmmm what a tough decision: )

The Poor, Abandoned Blog!

2009-05-20T07:30:00.003-04:00

Cameryn in her Dedication dress

Cameryn and Papaw on his birthday

Baby bunny in our yard

Stephen and Josh after the Mini Marathon

Cameryn and Grandma at the Balloon Glow

I have completely neglected out blog over the last few weeks! We have been so busy that any down time I have I've been working on other things that have been put on the back burner. So much has happened since my last posting; my dad's birthday, my mom's birthday, Mother's Day, Cameryn's baby dedication at church, we went to Logansport, Josh ran the mini marathon, the Balloon Glow, there was a nest of baby bunnies in our back yard, etc. So since I couldn't possibly remember the details to all those things I'll just post a few pics and move on to what's happening now.

Camy is still asleep and Josh is at work so I have a few minutes. Right now we are getting all packed up for our trip this weekend. We're going to South Carolina with Josh's mom and dad to visit his Uncle Bob and his family. The guys are headed to the NASCAR race on Sunday so they are beyond excited. Josh has been talking about it for months! Last year when they went, they were all deaf for two days afterwards from listening to the loud race cars all day, pretty much every man's dream! I'm excited to get out of town for a little while and have a change of scenery. Life has been a little stressful for us lately so hopefully this trip will help get us recharged and refocused on our goals and the many many blessings we already have. I'm not really looking forward to riding in the car with my 4 month old for seven hours, but at least we'll have Grandma and Grandpa to help us keep her entertained. That's about all for now. I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe Memorial Day weekend. God Bless!

Today

2009-04-21T22:15:00.003-04:00

Today Cameryn and I had lunch with my good friend Lindsey. We haven't gotten to see each other since Camy was born so it was so nice to catch up. Lindsey and I have been friends since we were 5 years old! It's so funny to think that this August we will have know each other for 20 years. . . that makes me sound old!

She is just one of those friends that it doesn't matter how long you go between conversations, we just pick up were we left off. We talked for 2 hours at McCalister's this afternoon and Cameryn was good all the way until the very end. I think she likes being part of the girl talk. The pictures above are a couple Lindsey got on her i Phone. The lighting is kind of weird on the first one but I had to post Cameryn making the saddest face ever (that was at the end of our 2 hour lunch). The other one is when she gave Lindsey the biggest, cutest grin. The bottom picture was from tonight at dinner. We got Camy a space saver high chair so right now we just use it for her to sit in while I feed her cereal. Well tonight at dinner we decided to have her join us. She was so relaxed and had her little feet up on the table, it was hilarious. She sat through the whole meal and didn't make a peep. I just can't believe how big she's getting and how I grow to love her more and more every day. Here's to old friends and wonderful babies!

Home Alone

2009-04-18T09:45:00.002-04:00

Well, Cameryn and I spent our first night at home without Josh last night. He went to northern Ohio to hang out with a bunch of his friends from college. I just got off the phone with him and he's headed home now, but he said they had a really good time. There were about eight guys that all met up at Phil's house to give him a big send off. Phil played baseball at Dayton too, but after getting his degree he enlisted in the Marines, so he'll be going to Afghanistan soon. We'll be praying that he comes home safe and that God watches over him everyday as he serves our country. It's difficult to see someone go over to a war torn country and fight not only for America but for their own lives. I'm not from a military family at all so I guess, to me, putting yourself in so much danger seems very hard. But I am so thankful to God for people like Phil, and all of the soldiers out there that do have the courage and calling on their life to protect our nation. I'm so glad Josh got to go and see his old teammates and have a true "guys night". Heaven only knows what they did, but I'm sure I'll hear the stories when he gets home. If it's anything like what they all did together in college I know I'm in for a few laughs.

Camy and I were on our own and I must admit it was a little lonely. I mean I am the only person here that can talk! We drove over to my dad's and visited with him and Chris, Jessie, and her friend Chelsey. Right now my dad is working on taking a pool down at my cousin's house and then putting it up at his farm for the kids this summer. He stays so busy and always has some little project going on. It was nice to hang out over there and talk and watch the girls act goofy. On our way home from there we stopped at Chucky's new trailer. He put a down payment down a few weeks ago so he is getting all settled in. It's really nice too. He has a little yard, three bedrooms, two baths, fire place, and new carpet. His girlfriend recently moved out so he's trying to work on decorating a little, but that will all come in time. Other than going around visiting Camy and I had a pretty typical night. I can't wait to get out in the beautiful weather today with her! Happy Thunder to everyone going!

Easter

2009-04-15T10:39:00.004-04:00

I know this is a little late but I wanted to share our Easter with everyone. It was a great day! Camy got her very first Easter basket, which is so cute. Then we got up and got everyone ready in their Easter clothes and I must say, we have the cutest baby in the world! She looks pretty surprised in these pictures but still adorable. Our first stop was church and the service was amazing! Camy went to the nursery for the first time other than during my bible study so needless to say it was much more crowded and I was a little nervous. She did fine though, and thank goodness our number did not pop up on the screen! The service itself was excellent. We are so blessed to have such creative and talented people in our church. They put so much into every service, but this particular one was even above and beyond their ususal. Pastor Bob did a great job at telling the Easter story in a unique way too.

After church we headed home where I began to cook a few things to take to my aunt Bee's for Easter dinner. The picture below is of Camy, Aunt Bee, and Uncle Jim. Every year my aunt Bee has Easter dinner for our whole family so we had about 25 people over there, and enough food to feed about 50! Aunt Bee's health is not the best but every year she goes out of her way to make sure our family is together on the holidays. It was a lot of fun cooking, talking, and eating with everyone and catching up on what is going on in their lives.
We didn't have an egg hunt this year because all of the kids are too old and Camy is too young but next year we'll definitely hide a few for her to find.

Anyway I better go get a few other things done while she's napping! Have a great day!

This is amazing!

2009-04-10T09:38:00.002-04:00

I saw this today on the 700 Club and down loaded it immediately. Today is Good Friday, the day Jesus was crucified for Our sins. Give Him Praise!

This Past Week. . .

2009-04-09T19:49:00.002-04:00

We've done a lot since the last time I got the opportunity to blog so let's catch up. Deb came down to visit us and babysit Cameryn last Friday so we could go to the Achiever's Club dinner with Cintas. Each quarter the company honors the sales reps that perform well, so we got to have dinner and celebrate Josh's achievements. It was nice to go out and be with adults for the evening (even though, much of the conversation was about kids!) We also got to celebrate Deb's birthday while she was down visiting so that was nice too. Cameryn got her a special Grandma card, and we topped off our time together with chocolate cake! She brought Camy an Easter basket and a cool toy to play with on the floor. We had some "tummy time" and boy is Cameryn holding her head up well. I'm so proud of our little muscle woman.

Saturday I helped my mom finish moving because. . . .She SOLD her house! It is such a burden off of her so I'm so glad she can move on from there. It was a lot of work but it was neat to go through all the old stuff. I brought home some of my junk like; old report cards, trophy's, notes I saved from my friends in middle and high school, etc. I also got to keep my mom and dad's wedding album, which is sad, but I still like having that piece of their history together.

Later Saturday evening Abbey and Bruce got home from Florida so Cameryn and I went over to see the ring, and believe me, it's gorgeous! Abbey's mom Debbie came over while I was there and held Camy and really got her laughing, it was so cute. Abbey and Bruce also recently got a puppy named Tyson so there is a picture of Bella and him on here too, aren't they cute! They seem to be good buddies.

Sunday afternoon Josh's cousin Ashley came to visit us from South Carolina. She was on spring break so we got to spend a few days hanging out with her. We weren't really able to give her a wild and crazy spring break, but I hope she had fun. We watched movies/TV, went to both the Oxmore and St. Matthew's mall, got ice cream, and talked a lot. We also got Camy's picture taken with the Easter Bunny while at the mall and it turned out so cute. We couldn't really get her to smile but I still love it.

Aside from all this Josh started going to a men's bible study Tuesday morning at 6 am (what a trooper!) with Clint and I started going to a Mom's bible study on Thursday mornings. We both are loving them so far! Josh likes having someone to go to the study with and I am so excited to meet some other moms and get connected at our church. I'm so proud of our efforts to grow and be closer to God and be good examples for Cameryn. We have a lot of work to do, and we'll never be perfect, but that's what makes us so thankful to Jesus for erasing our sins. With Easter coming this weekend it is a great time to stop and reflect and know that He is everything and without Him, we are nothing.

What Wonderful News!!!

2009-03-30T10:47:00.002-04:00

I got a phone call last night around 10:30 from my best friend Abbey who is currently in Florida. She's the assistant coach for the PRP girls softball team and they are down there for a spring break tournament. I was in the shower when she called so I got out and saw I had a missed call from her and a new picture message. I open the picture message and see her left ring finger with the most gorgeous diamond ring on it! I called her back immediately and before she could say, "hi", I screamed are you engaged! And she is! I was so happy I cried.

Her boyfriend Bruce got down on one knee and proposed to her on the beach. How romantic. I could not be happier for them and I am so excited to help her plan the wedding. She asked me to be her matron of honor and I am so thrilled to do it. We've been best friends since the third grade and I am so blessed to have her. All the best things and hardest things in life, Abbey and I have faced together so I'm just over joyed to be there for her on one of the most important and special days of her life. I just can't quit smiling. When someone you love finds someone that loves them so much and makes them so happy it makes one of your dreams come true too. Bruce is such a great guy and I know he'll take such good care of Abbey. And, not only does Abbey get a wonderful husband, but she also gets Chase and Bella. They are such good kids and she loves them more than anything. Bella is a spunky little 4 year old, who is gorgeous and hilarious and Chase is finishing up 8th grade and is a really good athlete. He has already played a year of football at PRP as an 8th grader so by the time he's a Junior or Senior look out. Above there is a picture of their little family this past Christmas and one of me and Abbey at my wedding. Congratulations Abbey and Bruce!

One Chapter Closes. . .

2009-03-25T08:45:00.004-04:00

Well today I officially quit my job at Randstad, and I must admit I am a little sad. I met with my boss, Dana this morning to let her know I wouldn't be returning from maternity leave. This couldn't happen without tears of course, but I let her know how thankful I am for the opportunity to work at such a great company and for everything she has done for me. Being a staffing agent at Randstad was my first "grown up" job after graduating college. I remember how excited I was to work for a world wide, professional company. I was in awe of how professional things ran and how much the company respected me as part of this team. I got to be out in the field and meet with clients, go to meetings and lunches, and had my own corporate expense account. I learned so much about business and about life in general from working there. It was such a good feeling to interview someone I really liked and then place them at the perfect job for them.

Above the work, I'm definitely going to miss our team the most. Dana, Lori, Robin, and I have been through so much together and I have enjoyed working with them so much. We have so many funny stories about our talent or the hoops our customers have made us jump through. I've spent many a late night filling orders with that wonderful group of women and I respect them more than words can say. I'll never forget the crazy lady who told me she was getting a million dollars back on her taxes or the time a car wrecked in front of out window while the bleachers were out for the derby parade, two more feet and the bleachers would have gone through our window! Downtown is full of it's characters but that is what made the days interesting and always gave us something to laugh about.

With the tough economy things are continually changing at Randstad as they try to come up with new innovative ways to sell more business and get more people working. I'm not going to miss the added stress or pressure to perform in a down market, but I am going to miss my job as a whole. The heart of my job was putting people to work and getting to know my customers well enough to meet their needs and help their business run more smoothly; That is what I loved.

However, the thing I love above all else is my little Camy. Raising her is my ministry in life and such a blessing. I am so fortunate to be able to stay home with her and be the kind of mom I always wanted to be. I don't want to miss any part of her life and now I don't have to. There will be a time when I will pick my career back up and start over, but now is the time to be with her. She's only going to be little once and I have my entire life to work to the choice is simple.

Our Saturday Project

2009-03-22T18:44:00.002-04:00

Since we have had such beautiful weather this weekened Josh and I (maily Josh) decided to take on a little project. I'll start by saying Josh loves the grass. He mows every week, wants it to be greener than any of the neighbor's yards, etc. His dad's yard is like soft green carpet so I guess that is where he gets it. Anyway, when the dogs go out they jump off the little stone landing and turn to run so they have slowly but surely pounded the grass to a pulp in one spot. Our solution; landscape around the deck, to not only save the grass but to make the backyard a little more appealing.

Josh worked so hard digging up all the old grass/sod and then hauled all of it out to the field. Next we went to Lowe's and got out plants. We got some boxwoods, dwarf burning bushes and, pink heather. We get them all layed out and I restacked our firewood under the deck and Josh starts to dig. He's digging and then all of a sudden, "Clink". He hits the biggest boulder ever. We needed the plants spaced evenly and he kept trying to dig it out but we could not find the end of that huge thing. The geniuses that backfilled our house after that basement was poured were too lazy to take the boulder out of the dirt so now we're in a pickle. We head back to Lowe's, returned our extra shrubs and got the coolest little fountain to got there instead. I LOVE it! It's so nice to sit out there now and hear the water trickle. So I guess all in all the boulder was a good thing (keeping in mind it doesn't shift one day and the back in of our house caves in!)

Also, the last pic. is of Camy this morning before church. I thought she looked so cute in her little Gymboree outfit and shoes. This was the first day that she actually wore shoes out of the house that fit her! What a mile stone in a girls life :) My dad, and Chris and Katie came over and went to church with us today too so it was great to spend some time with them. And then my dad treated us to lunch at Olive Garden, which is one of my favorite places! Needless to say it was a great day with the fam.

Little Stuffed Turkey

2009-03-20T21:58:00.003-04:00

I thought this picture was too funny so I had to share it. Whenever Cameryn eats to much she just lays back with her eyes half open, as if to say, "Good thing I have on my stretchy pants!" We call her our little stuffed turkey whenever she does this so I thought a picture of the turkey was in order.

We had a bit of a challenging day today, but good overall. My first mistake was not letting Camy finish her nap so we could go eat lunch with Daddy. Josh had to go to Bardstown today so I thought it would be nice for him to stop in town on his way so we could have lunch. We met at Hometown Pizza the best, and only place to eat here in Mt. Washington. We got to hang out a little and Camy was really hamming it up for all the waitresses in there. She would grin so big every time they came to our table. I thought since she was in such a great mood we could go to Bed Bath and Beyond and Hobby Lobby to browse the aisles. Bad idea! She did not want to ride in her stroller so I pushed the stroller with my purse in it and held her, all the while a massive puddle of drool was forming on my shirt. I'm sure people thought that all of that could not have possible come out of such a small baby and that I must have contributed in some way, but I assure you she is a drooly monster lately. Anyway, my arms are tired, I'm crashing the stroller into shelves and wobbly displays so we decide to head home. At this point my daughter decides to wail the entire 30 minutes it takes us to get home. I'm shaking her toy, putting her binky in, turning up the radio but nothing worked. If you have ever been in the car with a screaming baby you know that 5 minutes feels like 20, so by the end of the 30 minute car ride my nerves were shot and Camy looked pitiful. She was all red and had real tears! As soon as I picked her up she was fine and instantly stopped crying. I even got a smile out of her once I let the dogs out. Go figure. I hate hearing her cry more than anything but I just didn't know what to do. She wasn't hungry, I changed her at BB&B, car seat wasn't too tight, nothing. It almost makes you understand how Brittney got caught driving while holding her child! Which I would NEVER do, but you can kind of see her thought process having experienced it.

Anyway, my little angel is now sould asleep in her precious little pink pj's so I better get off of here and try to pry my husband away from the NCAA tourney! One more side note, the NIT? What is the world coming to when UK is playing in the NIT, oh the shame.

So Many Good Things

2009-03-18T11:59:00.004-04:00

Here are some pics of Camy in her St. Patty's shirt. We're not really Irish, but the shirt was too cute to resist! St. Patrick's Day isn't really too big of a deal once you're out of college and no longer amazed at green beer, but everyday is something to be celebrated right?

Aside from it being St. Patty's Day yesterday, it was absolutely gorgeous outside! Camy and I went to the grocery and for a walk in the construction zone that is out neighborhood. Warm weather always makes me so happy and energized. As if the weather was not blessing enough, I got the biggest blessing the evening before. I have been looking for a part time job to start once my maternity leave was up, since Cameryn was born. I've thought I had something a time or two but nothing has really worked out. Needless to say I was getting pretty nervous and stressed about the whole thing. It was getting to the point where I was not sleeping well and contemplating the night shift at McDonald's! I just want to make sure Camy is safe and we don't miss out on any of her mile stones. Anyway, after much thought, prayer, and calculating Josh and I decided it would be best for everyone if I stayed home with Cameryn full time instead of working a regular job! It has always been a dream of mine to be a stay at home mom, and I'm so happy and thankful we can do it. I have an amazing husband who loves me enough to do whatever he needs to, to make my dreams come true. I love him and our daughter more than anything and I know God has given me gifts that are a million times better than anything I could have ever thought of on my own. HE is Love.

Congrats Chuck!

2009-03-17T11:27:00.002-04:00

We had dinner at my mom and Rod's last night to celebrate my brother's one year anniversary for being home. I am so proud of him, words cannot describe. He's grown up so much and is one of the hardest working people I know. I the past year he's gone from having nothing but his family and freedom to a two bedroom apartment, car, furniture, his own business plus another job, girl friend, friends, pets, and a great outlook on life. If he could do all of this in one year I can't wait to see what God has in store for him in the years to come. Chucky is true living proof that people can change if they want to and there is no excuse for not making your life the best it can be. I love my brother so much!

While at my mom's I got to meet his roommate Wes, and the famous Jalynn, who is adorable. Camy also got to hang out with her uncle Chuck too! It was a great night to eat (a lot!) and celebrate all Chucky has accomplished.

Made me laugh out loud

2009-03-10T12:50:00.001-04:00

I found this new website called stumbleupon.com. You select topics you like and click stumble and neat websites come up. This is from one of the sites I "stumbled upon" and it made me laugh, and hey who doesn't need to laugh!

HOW TO TICK PEOPLE OFF
Leave the copy machine set to reduce 200%, extra dark, 17 inch paper, 99 copies.
In the memo field of all your checks, write "for sexual favors."
Specify that your drive-through order is "TO-GO."
If you have a glass eye, tap on it occasionally with your pen while talking to others.
Stomp on little plastic ketchup packets.
Insist on keeping your car windshield wipers running in all weather conditions "to keep them tuned up."
Reply to everything someone says with "that's what you think."
Practice making fax and modem noises.
Highlight irrelevant information in scientific papers and "cc" them to your boss.
Make beeping noises when a large person backs up.
Finish all your sentences with the words "in accordance with prophesy."
Signal that a conversation is over by clamping your hands over your ears and grimacing.
Disassemble your pen and "accidentally" flip the ink cartridge across the room.
Holler random numbers while someone is counting.
Adjust the tint on your TV so that all the people are green, and insist to others that you "like it that way."
Staple pages in the middle of the page.
Publicly investigate just how slowly you can make a croaking noise.
Honk and wave to strangers.
Decline to be seated at a restaurant, and simply eat their complimentary mints at the cash register.
TYPE IN UPPERCASE.
type only in lowercase.
dont use any punctuation either
Buy a large quantity of orange traffic cones and reroute whole streets.
Repeat the following conversation a dozen times."DO YOU HEAR THAT?""What?""Never mind, it's gone now."
As much as possible, skip rather than walk.
Try playing the William Tell Overture by tapping on the bottom of your chin. When nearly done, announce "No, wait, I messed it up," and repeat.
Ask people what gender they are.
While making presentations, occasionally bob your head like a parakeet.
Sit in your front yard pointing a hair dryer at passing cars to see if they slow down.
Sing along at the opera.
Go to a poetry recital and ask why each poem doesn't rhyme.
Ask your co-workers mysterious questions and then scribble their answers in a notebook. Mutter something about "psychological profiles."

Another Fun Weekend

2009-03-09T22:12:00.002-04:00

Well another weekend has come and gone in the blink of an eye! The weekend started out a little rough since Camy had to get her shots on Friday afternoon. I don't know who was more traumatized by it, her or me. Luckily Grandma Deb was there with us to make things a little easier. She stayed through the weekend and got to enjoy the gorgeous weather we had. Cameryn didn't react too badly to the shots, she was just really sleepy and got a little fussy from time to time. She was a real trooper!

Friday night my mom and Rod came over for supper and brought the kids. We had fun talking and catching up. Mamaw also brought a present for Cameryn, she made her the cutes fleece blanket with all the characters from Winnie the Pooh sleeping on it. It's pretty big so I can see Cameryn and I both snuggling up underneath it.

On Saturday we went down to the water front to see Josh run in the Anthem 5K. We were so proud of him for running. If you know Josh, you know running has not always been his thing, but he's doing great. And on top of that it was a beautiful day. After the race we all went to Cracker Barrel and ate a late breakfast and then headed home. Later that day Grandma was sweet enough to watch Camy while Josh and I got new mulch for our front landscaping. It has been sooooo windy almost all of our mulch from last year had blown away. It was nice getting to work together in the yard on such a gorgeous day, and our yard looks ten times better!

Today my sweet husband got flowers for not only me, but for Cameryn too! The picture above is of him and his little girl with her first bouquet of flowers. You couldn't ask for a better man to get your first flowers from than your Daddy! They are so cute, too! Pink Gerber Daisy's in a sassy little pot; so girly.

Let's catch up

2009-03-04T20:05:00.002-05:00

Gosh we have been so busy lately! Last weekend Cameryn got to make her first trip up to Logansport. I was a little nervous about the four hour car ride but she did great. We fed her right before we left and then only stopped one time on the way up to change and feed her again. She was a trooper. We got there late on Friday and stayed until Sunday afternoon. Camy got to meet her Great Grandma and Grandpa Buchanan and spend lots of time with Grandma and Grandpa. It was so nice to get away from home and relax.

Josh and I got to enjoy some of our favorite Logansport treats too, like custard from Sycamore and hot dogs from the rootbeer stand. We spent time on Saturday just hanging out, taking pictures and playing scrable. The one above is of Josh and Cameryn's feet since they are identical! It is truly amazing how your child forms and inherits your traits. She does have a little of me in her as well; like her dimple and her ears. . . I'll take what I can get!

Other than our weekend trip I'm continueing to look for part time work. The recruiting job is not working out, unfortunatley. I can't believe people will not attend a carreer briefing when the job market is so tight. Go figure. I know God has a plan for me though, so I'm just working on being patient. I can't bare the thought of putting Camy in day care full time but being a good mom means being financially secure so if it comes to that I'll do what I have to until we can find another solution. Say a prayer for me : )

Josh is doing great at work and with his daughter and me. I couldn't have asked God for a better husband. The way he loves me is exatactly how I need to be loved and how I always dreamed it would be. We compliment eachother so well, I know God made him as my other half. He is so good!

Camy made a new friend

2009-02-19T12:05:00.002-05:00

The cutest thing happened yesterday. I put Cameryn in her bouncy seat so I could make dinner. We had kind of a rough morning so I was surprised to see that she sat there content and not making a sound. When I looked up from what I was doing I saw her looking at the little dragon fly, we lovingly named Deidra, with the biggest smile on her face. She did it few times and cooed while smiling. It was the cutest thing ever! I think she made a new friend. I also saw her looking at her hands and moving her fingers as if to say, "Hey these are mine and I'm making them do this!" Another reason why being a mom is so great!

I'm Back With So Much To Say!

2009-02-17T20:56:00.003-05:00

I bet everyone thought I had deserted out blog, but I'm back! Things have been so busy around here I just haven't had much time. The pictures of Cameryn are of my little angel learning to smile! It is so precious when she looks at you and shows those beautiful gums. Her whole face lights us and my heart melts. It's so cool that just weeks ago any resemblance of a smile could be chalked up to gas, but now they are in response to us. It's the sweetest thing in the whole world.

Other than that we had a great Valentine's Day weekend. Josh's mom and dad came down to visit and to watch Cameryn so we could have some much needed time together. We decided to go out earlier in the day on Saturday to avoid the dinner crowds. We decided on lunch and a movie, but on our way to the movie Josh looked at me and said I really don't want to go to the movies but I feel like we should because we have a sitter. I felt the same way so we threw the plan out the window. Instead we went to lunch at Chili's (Josh's favorite restaurant) and then went to the mall. We got the ring I got for Christmas sized and then headed to the Apple store to play with all the computers. Josh loves the ones with the huge monitors so we pulled up Will Smith singing "I'm Telling You" in Fresh Prince of Bel Air on Youtube. It is so freaking funny! After that we were off to Target. It doesn't really sound like the most romantic Valentine's Day but if you have a six week old, you know that having that first real day to yourself and just laughing and talking is incredible. I had so much fun and I felt like we really got reconnected, overall a great day!

The rest of the weekend we just ate, played games, and spent time with Deb and Ted. I am so blessed to have the best in-laws ever. We can talk about things, and just relax and be ourselves. I wish they lived closer so we could do more things together with out making "plans" to do them, but we do enjoy the time we have. They couldn't believe how much Cameryn had grown and how her little personality was starting to come out. Along with those smiles we have also noticed her temper is a little more defined. She's starting a new thing where she squeals when you take her bottle away to burp her, and I'm not talking about a little whimper, it's LOUD. I guess it's a little preview of the toddler days! Anyway, Deb actually just left today. She stayed into the week so I could go to work and finish training on Monday, which was such a blessing. And the bonus is that my boss released me to work from home early so my new job is up and running!

Things are going so well, God has blessed our family beyond my wildest dreams. Everyday I thank Him and just pray that He gives us the courage, strength, and wisdom to be good parents and the people He has called us to be. Right now our church is doing a series on growing your faith so that is my goal. I feel like this is the time in my life where I need to grow closer to Him and have a "Big Ole Faith" as pastor Bob would say. I want to be an example to my daughter and most importantly know my Father more. With all the blessings He has poured out it seems like I would have no choice but to have a strong faith, but I need to go deeper. I'm so excited to see what God has in store for me and my family!

Jessie, Katie, and Chris are 14!!!

2009-02-09T10:58:00.001-05:00

This past Saturday my first group of babies turned 14! I cannot believe that they are so old, or that I'm so old! They are so grown up looking, I can hardly believe it. Both Jessie and Katie are absolutely beautiful on the inside and the out. They have their "teenage girl" moments but overall they are smart, kind, and unique. Boys don't really stand a chance! And Chris has got to be one of the sweetest young men I have ever met. He always tells me how much he loves me and is willing to help anyone. He is going to make a great husband someday.

Watching them grow up has been such a wonderful experience for me. It's been so amazing to watch them grow, learn new things, make decisions, and have opinions of their own. I feel like more than a sister to them and I'm so thankful to God for each of them. I know we'll remain close over the next 14 years of their lives and beyond. As they get older, I look forward to all their mile stones just like I do for Cameryn; graduation, prom, college, weddings, and babies. They know I will always be there for them, to help them, give advice, support them, and love them unconditionally. It's funny how birthday's make you look back, while at the same time look forward to what the future holds. My babies aren't babies anymore, but I will always be there sister and I will always love them. I can't wait to see what God has in store for these special special people!

Camy is One Month Old!!!

2009-02-04T23:24:00.004-05:00

Well our little Cameryn is officially one month old today! This month has FLOWN by so fast. It seems like we just brought her home, but in reality we've had four weeks to get to know our little girl. She is so precious and sweet! We're trying to get our routine down and although we don't really have a "schedule" per say, we do have some order to our days. Right now she goes to bed around 11 or 11:30 and sleeps until about 3 or 3:30 then goes back to sleep until around 7:30 or 8. This can change a little from night to night but that's pretty much it. In the morning she gets up and eats and then we get all cleaned up for the day (well she does every day, and I do on most days!) Every couple of days she takes a bath, which she doesn't really mind. On days when she doesn't take a bath in the morning we wash her face and hands and put baby lotion on. That has to be one of my favorite smells in the whole world. The rest of the day she just eats, naps, and we play. Right now our play time consists of singing songs, reading stories, and having some tummy time on the floor. I'm sure before I know it she'll be grabbing for toys, but right now play time is pretty simple. When Josh gets home we have supper and then they spend some time together and snuggle on the couch. So that is where we are one month into being a family!

The pictures are of Cameryn's one month photo shoot a Sears. She did so good during all of the pictures and didn't get fussy until it was time to go. We were there for about two hours so an hour and a half of a good baby taking pictures is fine with me. She was so funny, every time the photographer would get her positioned she would wiggle and move. She is starting to use her legs more and kind of pushes off, she's a strong little thing! By the time we were finished we were all ready to get out of there, but overall it was a good experience. I loved how they turned out so it was definitely worth it. Who knows what we will be doing another month from now, but we just want to enjoy everyday and cherish next month just as much as we did this one.

The Cutest Gifts for Cameryn!

2009-02-04T07:04:00.004-05:00

Cameryn has recently gotten some of the cutest gifts, I just had to share. The first pictures are of her in a headband that Erica and Robin made for her. It's a little big for her little head right now, but come spring time it will fit perfect. I LOVE the huge flower! The petals are floppy so they move and bounce around. It's pretty much the cutest thing ever.

The next pictures are of Cameryn in her very first pair of high heels! And of course they had to be pink. My friend Dottie sent these to us the other day. I had just saw them in a magazine, they're called "Heelarious", and they are! Cameryn is well on her way to being a girly girl.

Thank you so much to our thoughtful friends!

Cutie Pie

2009-01-29T19:09:00.001-05:00

This is Cameyn today all dressed and ready to go see Erica and Sawyer. Daddy put her in her snow boots. She looked adorable in her "boots with the fur" that Aunt Abbey gave her!

Winter Storm 2009!

2009-01-29T18:22:00.002-05:00

Well as most of you know we have been hit with a pretty big winter snow/ice storm over the past few days. I was one of the people laughing at all the paranoid people, who at the first sign of snow, rushed to the grocery and buy every last loaf of bread and gallon of milk. This was all fine and good for the first part of the storm on Tuesday, but by early Wednesday morning I was singing a different toon.
I had gotten up to feed Camy around 3 am and put her back down for bed at 4. Well I couldn't really go back to sleep so I turned on the TV for a little bit. At about 5 am the TV along with all of our electricity went out. I was still not too worried but decided it would be best not to go back to sleep until it comes back on. I just didn't want to doze off and wake up to a frozen baby! By this point Josh was up too and we just laid there talking about nothing by the candle light. Well hours begin to pass and around 8:30 I'm starting to get a little worried. With no electricity the house was already starting to feel just a little bit cooler and things outside were not looking very good. The weather man said we would get another 2-5 inches of snow by noon so the last thing we wanted was to be stuck inside a house with a 3 week old and no heat!
I called my friend Erica, and they were at her Mom and Dad's house since they had no electricity either. She didn't hesitate to invite us over to wait out the storm with all of them. I had practically lived at the Zimmerman's as a kid, so why not bring over my own kid to do the same thing : ) Josh and I packed all of Cameryn's stuff that she would need for the day and got ourselves together as quickly as we could. When we got there the house was startingt o fill up; It was Erica, Preston, Sawyer, Robin, James, Me, Josh, and Cameryn and Erica's mamaw and papaw were on there way too! We had a really good time hanging out with everyone and talking. Cameryn and Sawyer got to meet for the first time and were good as gold.
The only snag happened when Josh called the Mt. Washington police department and they said it would be 4 days until we had electricity. I just thought it would be for the day and we would be on our merry-little-way back home. Robin and James were amazing and said it would be no problem if we stayed there for the next few days. I kind of freaked out at first but we just headed back home and packed up for the long haul. Our neighbors Patrick and Michelle were sticking things out at home so they said they would take care of Lily and Ceaser for us. Josh still felt so bad that they had to be in the cold dark house, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
Ironically, I ended up being one of the people at Kroger gathering food for our mini disaster (there were a few loaves of bread left!) Our power ended up coming back on around 10 pm so we got to come back home and Lily and Ceaser didn't have to cuddle up with the neighbors last night. What a crazy day! But overall, it was nice to spend time with friends and know you have people who care about you and that you can depend on.

Baby Charlie!

2009-01-27T12:11:00.004-05:00

These are pictures of my cousin Chasity's new baby! His name is Charlie Lee Roby and he was born January 20th at 2:47 pm. He weighed 7 lbs 10 oz and was 21.5 inches long. Chasity and Chuck couldn't be happier!

First Day Away from Home!

2009-01-26T19:00:00.003-05:00

Today Cameryn had her first day away from home, and without Mommy and Daddy! Her Mamaw watched her today from about noon until 4:00 and she had a good time. She basically just ate, slept, and pooped but Mamaw said it was a blast. They got to chat and spend time together while I went on an adventure of my own. . . .

I started my search for part time work last week. I just thought I would put my resume out there and see what I could find. With the job market the way it is I thought it would take at least the rest of my paid maternity leave to find something, but God had something better in store. On Friday I received an email from a company about a recruiting position that you can do part time from home! This is exactly what I wanted because I love HR but wanted something that would allow me to stay home with our girl. I went to the career briefing meeting on Saturday and began training today. I go into the office again next Monday to complete my training and then I'm all set to start recruiting from home. It is such a great opportunity and a huge blessing to our family. I'm so excited to be able to keep my recruiting skills fine tuned, while still being able to have the greatest job of all, being Cameryn's mommy. God is good : )

Welcome!

2009-01-25T13:22:00.003-05:00

Welcome to our blog! One of my best friends, Erica told me about their blog and I love it! It's so fun to read about their family and it helps keep everyone"in the loop" so to speak. I thought I would start one for our little family since everyone wants to know how Cameryn is doing and how we're all adjusting to the new little one. As you can see she is doing great! She was 8 lbs. 4 oz at her two week doctor's appointment, so she's growing like a weed. She's also starting to look at me and Josh for longer periods of time and will occasionally turn her head towards our voices. It's so neat!

Cameryn is such a good baby, God has truly blessed us beyond our wildest dreams. I have been around children my entire life and always knew I wanted children of my own. I thought I understood what it meant to be a mother and to love your child unconditionally and with all your heart, but until I had Cameryn I had no clue. She is so precious and she just fills my whole heart. It really puts life into perspective and gives you concrete proof of God's tremendous love for us. He not only gave up his child who was perfect in every way for us, he then goes a million miles more beyond what we deserve, and gives us children of our own to love. It's amazing.

I hope you enjoy reading our blog. God Bless!