Mom 2 Mom

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!

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!

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

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!

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

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!

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!