Brooks' 6 Month pics and Eventful weekend at the Lake

Here are some great pictures from the past couple of weeks. Brooks is crawling all over the place- not in the traditional sense he does more of a snake move but he gets where he needs to go (and sometimes where we dont want him to!!). We have a bottom tooth finally and he has been a much happier camper. He is getting so big. Most of his clothes are at least 12 months and he can fit in some 18 months outfits. Here are some pictures from his 6 month shoot with Ramblin Rose Photography, we love Kim Miller's work and cannot wait for his 9 mth shoot!!

Playing in our backyard, Brooks and Wrigley having a little chat :)

Daddy threw Camden in the air he looked like he was flying!

Were at a standstill on the kitchen renovation. We have been so busy with work and school that we just tabled it for now. Mainly we just need to finish grouting the backsplash and painting the stairwell up to the second floor. Here's how it looks so far

The espresso brown bar and white cabinets look really good with the sagey green

We have all the bricks up (even though this picture doesn't show that). Just need to finish grouting!

"Savannah" (the name of the house picked by Jo Jo since it is located in Savannah, TN)

is coming along!

This past weekend we decided to go check the progress of the lakehouse Trey's parents are building at lake Pickwick (about an hour and half drive from our house). So we went to Hickory Flat in MS to my late grandad's place and spent the night with mom and my nephew. We all got up early Saturday and drove over to the lake. On the way mom had a little car trouble and luckily we found a place in Burnsville, MS that could replace an alternator on a short notice. So we all piled in Trey's truck and went on over to the lakehouse lot. It is coming along great! I think we will have many fun summers over there.  The weather was so nice, sunny and just right not hot and not too cool.

Riding the tram down to the boat with a friend of James and Joan's

The tram is a little scary (it's high up and has no door!) Better hold on tight!

Daddy and Cam on the boat

Mom and Camden

Walker had a blast!

The water was cold, but the boys didn't seem to mind!

Having fun

Trey, Cam, Walker and I took the boat out for an hour or so to ride around the lake a little and let the boys swim. The boys were doing great until when Walker and Cam were rough housing in a little closet/bathroom on the boat and Cam got his finger slammed in the door. It was quite traumatic and his finger looked mangled and was gapping open bleeding quite a bit. I just knew that it was broken and we at least needed stitches... So, Trey and I scooped him up we pulled the boat back in to the slip and jumped in the car towards Corinth's hospital ER. I held pressure on Camden's finger in the back seat while Trey sped to the hospital (we did get pulled over, but a bleeding crying child got us out of a ticket!) Once there Camden was very calm as long as I kept the finger covered he didn't seem to be in pain, but whenever a nurse or doctor needed to assess it he began wimpering again. He and I got xrays of our hands (mine was holding his flat on the plate) and luckily it wasn't broken! So, then the fun part of a nervous doctor trying to stitch a screaming 3 year olds tiny finger up as we held him down. It was quite an experience and he got a total of four stitches (I thought he needed at least 6).As a nurse, I've seen so many patients in pain and suffering but there is something so different when it is your own child. I teared up as I had to hold Camden's sweet little hand in mine as the doctor inflicted more pain on him to attempt to heal his wound. He was precious as he simply cried, "I want to go home" but it was over before we knew it and they doctor really did great considering how stressful the situation was. They were so nice at Magnolia hospital and they treated him so sweet by turning on cartoons in his room so he would be distracted and gave him a popsicle and he's been doing great ever since! The nurse who took care of him even called us on Sunday to check in and make sure he was ok. I loved that they seemed to really care.

So of course the experience made me nervous about going back and the possibility of either of my boys having another accident but I already talked to JoJo about the house and boat, etc and making sure it will be safe and secure and she assured us that it will be :) We will just have to really keep an eye on them and be cautious and respect the boat and water because we know boys will be boys!!

On another note, please keep our friends from church Brittany (also great friends with Leigh Anne, Trey's sister) and Brenton Montgomery in your prayers. Brenton is a Captain for the US Army and will be deployed to Afghanistan in October for a year to lead a group of soliders in some dangerous missions. They are a young married couple and have a massive test of faith over this next year. Our church had a prayer service for the family last Sunday (we were able to attend due to Cam's accident-that was a blessing!). It was so emotional and a huge group wrapped around them and sent up prayers to the Lord to provide a hedge of protection around Brenton as he defends our country in a foreign and turbulent land. We know Brittany will be a nervous wreck the next year, but she is a believer and we know that God will bring her peace beyond her own understanding... Our sunday school class also had a barbecue in honor of the Montgomerys that unfortunately we were not able to attend but I included a picture of that group.

Most of our sunday school class. Brittany and Brenton are in front she is blonde in shorts and he is wearing a baby blue shirt and jeans.

We are praying for them and their families and friends for peace, sanity, protection and safety as he carries out this mission he has been called to do.

Renovations...

Brooks' mean mug

5 months old picture

Since I had my pediatrics rotation this summer I was pretty consumed with it. I had clinical 2-3 days a week for two months plus work on the weekends it was alot plus trying to study and keep up with the boys you can see why we haven't updated in a while. But the boys and I stayed home together one week and played and went to checkups and Camden's first dentist visit (went great, no cavities!!). We have been doing alot of stuff like swimming at JoJo and Grandad's every week. The boys went down to check on the Lunsford's lakehouse at Pickwick a few weekends ago. I can't wait until next summer when I'm through with school and can get off weekends!!

Here are some pictures from our summer adventures:

Cam jumping off the diving board (he has no fear)

at the Hessers at a college friends get together

At the Sprinkler park with Walker, Cam we met up with Brooke and her kiddos and Cappy

Tracy's birthday party with her and Jimmy

This was my attempt to get all the kids to look at me:) Walker and Cam in matching robes (thank you CeCe) and Brooke's two Bryce and CeCe on the right

Brooks and Dad taking a dip at JoJo's

Wednesday night swim night

Cam at the playground

The boys in the sandbox that Aunt LeeLee gave Cam for his bday

Sweet boy

I had two weeks off before my fall semester started, I decided to tackle the enormous task of redecorating the kitchen/den/breakfast area. I have been dying to do this since we bought the house and I laid eyes on that awful burnt orange walls and orangey natural wood beadboard cabinetry.
Here is the before:

So first mom and I refinished/painted the cabinets, then we went on to refinish and paint the front bar as a dark brown. It This process took the better part of the week (cleaning, stripping, 2-4 coats on the cabinets, glazing...UGH!!) and Trey finished it while I was at work that weekend by putting the top coat on (thank you babe!).

Coat one pre glazing:

Bar first coat:

Then this week was spent painting the kitchen and den a beautiful sage green that I'm calling a wasabi (the real name is tadpole). Mom took off a few days off and helped me tremendously. Without her, we would still be working on the cabinets! Then Labor day weekend Trey took the boys to the Grove in Oxford to enjoy tailgating with the family (I of course was at work!) But then we started the brick backsplash when I got off Sunday night and on Labor Day. I ordered the bricks from a place in Memphis that specializes in repurposed stuff. They took antique bricks from Chicago and cut the fronts off to create a veneer that we glued to the backsplash like tile. We still need to grout but I'm so excited it looks so much better already. I still have a few more things I want to do but I need to take a break from spending money for a while I think! Camden even helped with the painting. Yes, I let a 3 year old loose to paint my walls. He actually did really well!

Finished with the sage (wasabi)!

Beginning the brick backsplash. it changes the whole room!

bye bye orange!!

I will post a final picture when it's all done!

Other than that, Brooks is trying his hardest to crawl. He is eating like a little pig and I think we have our first tooth about to make an appearance any day now. He just took his 6 month pictures with Kim Miller cannot wait to post them!

6 mths old

Camden is learning so much in his new class. Ms Stacy is incredible and he knows his ABCs, can recognize most letters if he sees them, even knows the sounds they make. He has learned what month his birthday is in and how to trace his name. I cannot believe he can do all these things and he's only 3! The school has been really good for him. He also started Karate this summer and he loves it. They come to the school and do the lessons and he comes home telling us about how he kicked and punched things(the punch through xray films to make a loud noise). My clinical for my women's health starts tomorrow and I'm anxiously awaiting what this rotation has in store. I hope and pray that I can learn a ton and become even more skilled and knowledgeable as a nurse practitioner.