First Christmas!

It was Camden's first Christmas this year, and we could not have been any more excited! So excited, that we forgot to take a lot of pictures... instead, we were more "in the moment" with Cam. It's really hard for me to let go of my camera in memorable moments like this, but it was worth it since I was actually in the action, instead of just documenting it. SO, I don't have a ton of pictures to share, but just a few.

We wanted to make sure that Camden learns and understands the true reason we celebrate Christmas, with a healthy balance of the things that make Christmas magical for kids. So we did incorporate Santa and his reindeer, along with a few other things.

We went to visit Santa Claus earlier in December, which you saw HERE. Camden did great, but was more interested in that long, white beard instead of the man behind it :) We had a small Christmas tree this year since we had to leave the day after Christmas. It was actually better, because Camden started crawling quickly after we got the tree and it was high and out of his reach! We had fun decorating it together and talking about each of the ornaments (mainly my starbucks cup ornaments) and the sparkly star we put at the top of the tree. On Christmas eve, we went to church as a family and got all dressed up like we used to do growing up! Bobby even took us out to Starbucks beforehand as a special treat! We had read the accounts of the real Christmas story from the bible a few days before, and had been singing the traditional Christmas songs (Silent Night - Cam's favorite) since November! A few days before Christmas, we went to Flat Iron Farm to see all the Christmas lights and animals... Camden especially loved the John Deere Electric Train display they had!

On Christmas morning, we woke up early and came down to our little tree with presents underneath! Santa came to our house! We forgot to do stockings this year. Oops! For breakfast, we made cinnamon rolls and sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus - something we borrowed from friends that I thought was a great idea! Once we opened presents, we packed up the car and headed up to Nana and Jido's house to spend the rest of the day playing there!

The day after Christmas, we all hopped onto a plane and headed to New Zealand!! Then we came home and took a breath.

Christmas PJ's I bought for Cam to wear Christmas morning, but he outgrew them!

This moment will forever be in my heart.

Filled my freezer with these babies to give my neighbors/siblings for Christmas!

SANTA!

We met Santa Claus himself on Sunday...he visited California, Maryland a little early just to meet our little guy (and a few other sugar-covered children from our neighborhood).

Our Santa didn't smell like sausage or cheese (See the move "Elf" for that reference), but he was a bit on the skinny side... either way, I think Camden was quite intrigued with Santa's beard, as he tried to grab it a few times. Here's Camden's FIRST visit with Santa for his first Christmas. I am so excited! Camden is too...he's been playing with an empty cardboard roll of wrapping paper for the last 20 minutes. Who says kids need a bunch of expensive toys?!

Camden's Christmas Greeting

A little Christmas message for you:

I don't know what it means, but it certainly sounds profound.

And some attempts at a Christmas Card picture.

Thankful

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

Worship the LORD with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the LORD is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations. --Psalm 100

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all.

28 & 29 Weeks

Ok, please forgive me as I did not blog last week's pictures AND I'm a day late in posting this week's pictures. These past few weeks have been ca-razy with picture taking, child raising, traveling and thanksgiving-preparing. I do apologize.

Our boy is growing leaps and bounds this week. In the past week, Camden has started army crawling/crawling on his knees and he also cut his THIRD tooth (up top). I can't believe that this time last week, he couldn't crawl and now he's everywhere. For those of you who've met Baby Cam, the boy does not stay still for long anyway, but now he's mobile. With the new mobility comes poor naps and the need for "preventative discipline." We now need to start training him by setting boundaries and such. This is going to be a long process, I can tell.

Anyway, this is short because I have a million pies to bake before tomorrow and Camden has just crawled into my craft closet where there are lots of shiny things...BUT I leave you with last weeks' and this week's pictures. I have a video of him army crawling, which I will update later. For now, have a very happy Thanksgiving. We have SO much to be thankful for this year. We've been praying every day that God would give us a thankful heart not just tomorrow, but every day of the year. It is so good to give Him praise!

I'm sorry for the funny color. It was dark out when I took the picture and didn't have my flash.

What a little turkey! Love him.

He's squealing here, if you couldn't tell.

Oh, how I could stare into those dark brown eyes all day long. Don't even get me started on those cheeks and dimply knuckles!

Yes, we decorated for Christmas already. I couldn't wait! This year since we have a mobile bub, we decided to put the Christmas tree UP to spare any constant visits to the christmas tree. But nonetheless, he found the sparkly, blue button on the computer and goes to that every.time.we.put.him.down. Must find a solution for that.

Happy Halloween!

Well, Halloween turned out to be a bust this year. I totally procrastinated on Camden's costume, so I was still making up my mind this morning of what he should be! Bad Mama. All afternoon, he wouldn't nap, so he was exhausted and finally fell asleep...right before it was time to hang out with the neighbors and go trick-or-treating. I was so sad! So we have no pictures of all of us together and him with his costume on.

Thankfully earlier today, we tried it on and I got some pictures. He's Mr. McGregor...the famed farmer from Peter Rabbit who turned Peter's father into a pie. Huh. Anyway, it was all I could come up with the morning of Halloween. I even had a little vegetable set from Ikea that we used as his vegetables :) I think he's a rather strapping (and tired) little farmer!

So, maybe next year will be better. Happy First Halloween to Camden (and cousin Jack, who was a Pea in a Pod!)!

He's shreiking/laughing here. His face is so funny when he does that! He'll kick his legs really fast, flail his arms and start laughing and let out a high pitched squeal.

Oh, how I love those bright eyes.

Killian decided to check out the situation... from a distance, of course. Cam shrieks in excitement whenever he sees Killian!

My tired, handsome, little Mr. McGregor...with his lettuce.

25 Weeks!

Oh my, my boy is just about a half a year old! I can hardly believe it's that time already. Am I prepared for this?! Will the rest of the year go by this quickly?

There has been a lot happening in the last week! Camden got his SECOND tooth this week (accompanied by some tears) and he also started eating some rice cereal on Friday! We've since moved him to twice a day on the cereal (yes, still breastfeeding), and should be at three times a day in a couple of days. We'll keep that routine for a week or two until he gets the hang of eating with a spoon, then we'll start introducing some veggies :)

Since Halloween is right around the corner, I thought we'd get in the spirit and take his weekly picture with a little orange! (I still don't have a costume for this poor boy...the mustache is the best I can do at this point!)

21 Weeks

21 Weeks this week... boy keeps on growing!

We hit a big milestone this week as Camden got his FIRST tooth sprout yesterday!!! I noticed that he had been chewing on everything way more than normal, but when he gave me a big grin last night, I noticed a bit of white in there as well! It's not very big yet, but it is noticeable...especially when he's chewing on my finger!

This week also starts his change over into official 6-9 or 6-12 month clothes! I had to pack away all of his 3-6 month clothes because he is just too tall. Thankfully Baby Gap was having a sale and I could snag a few cute fall things for him to wear. Thanks to Aunt Karoline, Camden has the most adorable winter coat to wear... if only it would get cold!

Nothing else to report this week. We tried out a potential Halloween Costume this morning and I SWOON. I love a guy in a bowtie. Especially one with squishy, slobbery cheeks that I can kiss. I got this off of Etsy shop, Littlevys. She has the most adorable selection of mens, boys and babys bowties and neckties! It's so hard to find cute boy accessories and she has some adorable things! Anyway, just a few snapped this morning. Can you guess what the Halloween costume could be?!

Baby's first tooth.... can you see it? It's just a little sprout above the gum on his bottom rack - to the right :)

Happy 4th of July!

Wishing you all the patriotism and pride you can handle on this 4th of July weekend! Please remember our men and women abroad who are fighting to protect the very freedom under which we live. We cannot thank you enough for your bravery and sacrifice.

Our little guy wants to wish all of you a very Happy 4th of July!

New Life

Never in my life have I been required to trust in the Lord as much as I am now.

There is nothing I can do to make this baby come any faster. Sure, I ate a whole pineapple by myself. Yes, Bobby and I ate spicy Mexican food for an entire weekend. You bet I took a few walks in this gorgeous weather we've been having. Along with a slew of other "sure fire" techniques recommended by those silly "old wives," nothing is going to move this baby budge except for God's swift hand and that baby's will.

Since tonight is the eve of Easter, I've been thinking a lot about the meaning of it and the fact that I am about to experience new life at its finest and most raw form. I always loved that my birthday was in the Spring (I turned 25 a few weeks ago). Normally, everything is coming into bloom and the world just lights up as it's decorated with pale green sprouts, dusty pink blooms and a whole lot of promises that after a dark and dead winter, Christ renews the earth and breathes life into it, making all things new. On top of a new year of life that I'm given on the 12th of April every year (a blessing in itself), I'm also filled with hope that after death, LIFE is promised to those who believe and trust in Jesus.

"I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live, even though he dies." - John 11:25

Pregnancy (and labor, I imagine) has been a death of sorts. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE being pregnant. But a death in the mental and emotional sense. Everything I've done during this pregnancy is not for me, but for the healthy of this baby. I took no medicine to protect the baby from any harmful chemicals. I ate healthy food (except for my precious, processed sugar cereals). I'm choosing not to take any drugs during labor to protect the baby from anything potentially harmful (of course, my "sacrifices" are nothing compared to Jesus' death on the cross for our wrong doings). Pregnancy has rather been a death to myself and my selfishness. I am so thankful that this baby is due to arrive around this time of year. A reminder that after the "death" (the death of my own will and spirit) of labor, a new life will arise and give hope to his Mama and Daddy, and hopefully, everyone's life this sweet baby touches.

I still think that I haven't even began to grasp the miracle that is about to ensue. But I'm waiting. Patiently waiting for this new life to fill us up and bring us hope after a long and dead winter. Thank you, Jesus.

Happy Easter, dear readers!

A Little Love

A few of my favorite things for Valentine's Day:

Ranunculus Bouquet: Good Luck. Anything other than Roses or Carnations, please.

A dozen cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcakes (and don't worry... they ship): $29 + Shipping

Tiffany Key Necklace: $200

Silver Bracelet by Elephantine: $30

Merry Christmas, Darling

Happy New Year, too!

It's been a crazy and eventful past few weeks, getting ready for Christmas. Bobby and I have a big trip to New York City planned... I have a feeling I won't want to leave. No worries...lots of eating, walking, and Christmas window shopping will take place. On the agenda: visit Brooklyn for some awesome Grimaldi's pizza, spend Christmas Eve at Bobby Flay's restaurant, have a quiet breakfast in a French brasserie, visit the 4 story GAP and their maternity section, go to the "Top of the Rock," and most importantly, go see the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall!

In other news, I hit the 23 week mark today in my pregnancy! I am almost to 6 months along, which makes me realize that I only have 3 months left. WHATT!?!?! Starting New Years, the nesting phase will go into full swing.

New pregnancy "symptoms:"

- My belly is starting to itch on a regular basis. I don't know if that's from the cold, dry weather, or the baby growing inside (which is now about 11 inches long, and weighs about 1 pound). Thankfully, I have a lifetime supply of Coco Butter to keep my stretching belly from itching too badly.

- Since my last post, I've successfully and single-handedly finished 3 gallons of milk and 2 crates of clementines. I cannot get enough!

- I can no longer lay on my stomach. Like, at all. Even laying on my back is becoming uncomfortable. Bad news for me, since I WAS a stomach sleeper.

- I have heart burn like cra-zyyy! Perhaps it's all the sweet junk I've been eating due to Christmas upon us. Either way. I could beat Pete's Dragon in fire-breathing hands down.

- I've booked our newborn family photographer for when our Peanut first arrives!!! Check them out because they are awesome. They just had a little baby too! The Beautiful Mess, from Charlotte, NC!

- Baby is kicking up a storm! I feel him all the time, and can even see my belly move when he kicks. Everyone says this, but it's the weirdest feeling in the world. I love every little kick though. It means our sweet boy is growing and healthy!

So here's to 23 weeks! More than halfway through. Oh, and baby? Can you puh-LEASE start growing faster so that I can look more pregnant?! Thanks, Mom.

And because I know I won't be blogging before Christmas, here's our Christmas card from Minted.com. And special thanks for Megan Beth for taking our pictures. I will share the rest once I get them all back :)