Fall Fever

I have not been a good blogger lately. Mostly because I have been working, doing clinical, and being a mom & wife in between. It's been crazy! Some weeks I have one day off which I typically use to catch up on housework, laundry, studying, decorating...
But the pregnancy is going well. We have had two ultrasounds and they both look normal.

 Can you guess if I'm a girl or a boy??!

We aren't going to find out the sex of the baby, even though it's driving everyone nuts!! I think it will make the baby's birthday so special. I have been able to get a few things done around the house like get a couple of rooms almost completely furnished and decorated. Mom and I went to several nurseries and bought alot of pansies, mums, snapdragons and cabbages for my flowerbeds. I love all the fall flowers and pumpkins!

 Getting my thanksgiving table ready

 My grandmother's (Ma) wash stand it looks perfect in my entry, I think of her everytime I see it!

Front den, finally complete!

My mom came and painted the nursery (pics to come soon). We are having all of my family and Trey's family over for Thanksgiving at our house this year which is excited (and stressful). But all the women are going to cook some portion of the meal so that no one person has to do the lions share of the work which is nice. I'm pretty pumped to host this year and I hope it turns out beautiful :) Other than that we are working with Cam on potty training. He seems to do it more at school than at home. He usually says " I already did it at schoo!" when we ask him to peepee on the potty. He is a pretty funny guy these days and keeps me and Trey cracking up alot! When he counts he'll go "one, two, eight!" I love his little expressions and what a great kid he is.

 Cheesin after bathtime!

 Clean Cam Cam

 eating chinese food (he can even use chopsticks!!)

He loves going to "Pa's" (my late grandad's place in Hickory flat, MS) wit Cece and Walker. They play with choo choo trains and have lots of open land to run around in. Plus there are horses to look at and a four wheeler that his uncle Jimmy rides him on. We've been to pickwick to ride on Trey's dad's new boat, Sunflower. Should be lots of fun in the future!

On a friends yacht at Pickwick. Cam is hugging his new stuffed monkey friend!

We also have made it to a few Ole Miss games (Starkville is a little too far for us right now!) All in all, we have been doing great and staying uber busy as always!!

 With cousin Walker at Pa's house

Helping daddy fix a hole in the wall in the game room



Camden is going to be a Big Brother!

Long overdue post I know, weve been traveling, going to the lake, school, starting a new daycare, working etc... And I guess the biggest thing we have on the plate is we found out we are expecting baby #2! I am currently 15 weeks along (due date Feb. 9th) and I've been to the doctor 3 times all good visits. The baby's heart rate is anywhere from 180's to 150's which makes me think it could be a girl but there is no telling. We have decided that we will not find out the gender of the baby and let the sex of the baby be a surprise on delivery day! It may be hard (for me especially since I'm such a planner) but I am determined to make the delivery day a special exciting day even more than it already would be! Camden has been told he will be a big brother, but we aren't sure if he really understands he will not be the "baby" anymore! He says, while pointing to my belly "dares a baby in dare" (translation: there's a baby in there). And when I mention the baby in my stomach he always says "I wanna see!" Sometimes when we are talking about the baby he'll tell us that in his belly "dares a frog in dare" (there's a frog in there!) It's hilarious, so I guess we will have to wait until February to find out what our little frog is a girl or a boy. I've been feeling alot worse with this pregnancy than the first. Alot of nausea and VERY tired. Somedays I just want to sleep the entire day. I've gotten two different prescriptions for nausea medicine and chew ginger gum frequently. I was anemic prior to this but that seems to have resolved. The doctor is confident that I should be coming out of all of it since I'm now in my second trimester, and I hope she's right! It's strange b/c other than that and my ever growing abdomen I sometimes forget about being pregnant. I guess it's because I've been so busy with this summer session with school and work and trying to make the transition to my new position at work as a day weekender (starting early September). I cannot wait to be on a day schedule! I've worked nights for the past 2.5 years and it is pretty taxing on me and Trey. My sleep schedule will hopefully begin to stabilize and I will feel like a normal  wife and mom.

In other news, Trey's parents (gran gran and jo jo to Camden) bought a boat for the lake at Pickwick. The bought a lot last year and plan to start building in March of 2012 (which can't get here soon enough!) We took it out for the first time 2 weekends ago and had a blast. It was still a little hot for Cam and since he has to wear the life jacket the whole time he got a little fussy but luckily we met up with some of James' really wealthy (and generous) friends who allowed us to troll around the lake on their 3 story (air conditioned) yacht! It was a blast, we hope to make it back down there soon and looking forward to many summer trips to the lake with friends and family.

Camden is doing great, he started a new daycare a month ago and is finally starting to do well there. His other daycare was on the verge of closing (which is did a few weeks after we left) and I thought it was time he was around more kids. Some days he was the only child there! So we got him in a the Little People's Learning barn and the first 2 weeks he cried every day when we dropped him off and many days was crying when we picked him up. It broke my heart and I prayed about it everydayand finally he just started walking in like a pro and made friends with a little boy named Henry. The teacher informed me that they were "BFF's" (best friends). He has been playing and acting like his old self again.

Like I said I start weekends in the fall in order to accomodate my clinical hour rotations. I begin with Adult health where I will spend the fall semester in a family medical clinic in Olive Branch with Dr. McClatchy a family friend and my primary care physician. I am really looking forward to learning alot and hopefully starting to feel like a real Nurse Practitioner. The spring I chose not to do a clinical due to the baby coming then and then resume in the Summer of 2011. My expected graduation date had to be moved back a semester due to the birth of our new little one, but I would rather not be completely overwhelmed and stressed! We are praying that all is well with this new little life and God will bless us with a healthy baby girl or boy in early 2011! We have 3 other ladies pregnant in our sunday school class so it's been fun going through all the labor pains with others who can sympathize with me! We will be keeping you updated on all the exciting news our ever growing family has in the works.

Keep us in your prayers as we approach our first ultrasound September 14th. I'm anxiously awaiting seeing the baby and making sure that it is healthy and growing well!

Camden is TWO!!!

I know I have been WAY behind on my postings! But we have lots of reasons, and as always we're busy busy.. We had Camden's pirate themed party a few weeks ago and it was wonderful! We had over 30 people show up and even though it was HOT, everyone had a ball. We rented a moonbounce/waterslide and had a sand box filled with "buried treasure" for the kids to dig up, kiddy pools, water table, etc. My mom made the most amazing cocunut flavored pirate cake and cupcakes and it turned out better than anything I could have ordered and spent a fortune on! Camden played so hard and got totally spoiled with toys and clothes. On Camden's birthday I want to write him a special letter:
Dear Cam Cam,
Mommy wants to tell you how much I love you and how wonderful you have made our lives since you entered it two years ago. We laugh at you all the time, you have the biggest personality. I love how you have never met a stranger and will say "hey!" to people as they pass by. You are mesmerized by other children and will stare and imitate them whenever you are around them. Me and Daddy love how you must give Wrigley a hug before you leave and you always give us kisses and hugs. Sometimes you want "knucks" from us when we drop you off somewhere. Lately you have been saying "watch this momma!" and then do some sort of trick or tumble! You have been sleeping in your big boy bed lately, but still having a hard time staying asleep since we took away the passie away. We usually hear you around 4 in the morning saying "daayyyiiiieee (daddy) or mommmiiieeee!!!" and me or daddy will come and lay on the floor next to your bed to get you back to sleep. I love your little toothy grin and how silly you are. Your little curly head is your best feature. You get tons of compliments on your cupid hair! I dread when you are a teenager and the attention the girls are going to give you. You are a morning person like your daddy and every morning you wake up in a good mood, usually smiling and jumping around in the bed! You are very independent and are always saying "me do it, me do it!!" when we try and help you with something. You are a great eater, and especially love cake and cookies (which you call koi koies) We couldn't be happier with you and cannot wait to see how much more you learn and grow over the next year. Mommy and Daddy are so blessed God chose us as your parents and we pray for you everyday that you will be a strong young man who loves and respects us as much as we do you. Love mommy and daddy

Here are a few fun pics from the party.

Summer Beach Trips

So we just got back from our two beach trips! And we had a blast on both! First we left to fly to Corpus Christi, Texas with Trey's parents to see Trey's sister graduate from pharmacy school. It was a little scary, I hate flying and we flew through some rough storms and our flight was delayed in Dallas. Camden did great he sat with Jo Jo and Gran Gran and colored and looked out the window and overall was really well behaved. We got to the beach house in Port Aransas, Texas and it was amazing! Three stories (with an elevator), and several bedrooms. We had the bottom floor with our own bathroom, kitchenette, couches etc. Trey's mom, dad, sister and her boyfriend stayed upstairs. Other family was in town for the graduation and it was nice to see them. We went to the beach a few times and Trey and his dad played golf a few times even taking cam with them for a few holes. While we were there we celebrated Trey's 31st bday! Happy birthday daddy!! We love you :)

Catching a nap between flights

Brother and sister at pharmacy graduation reception

Look how curly his hair is!

the condo!

With Grandad ("Gran Gran") at the seafood restaurant

Cool Cam riding around Texas in a convertible

We returned home on Tuesday and unpacked, did laundry and relaxed. We then repacked to go to Pensacola to visit my friends Brooker & Anthony. Tracy went with us and we spent one night with the Dukes visiting with their 2 kids Bryce (4) and Ce Ce (11mths).

CeCe and Anthony Duke

It was nice to relax and Camden stayed behind with Mom & Dad part of the time and JoJo and Gran Gran for the weekend. We traveled Friday to Foley, AL and hit up the outlet mall which was sucessful on all counts! Then we went on to meet up with our friends at our condo in Gulf Shores.

our condo crew at Lulu's

Tracy, me, Amanda (friend from High School/College)

Gorgeous white sandy beaches in Alabama

We had a great time eating at Lulu's for the rehearsal dinner for our friends Jay & Christie's wedding. We spent Saturday at the beach (luckily we were not effected by oil spill which has been devastating!!) and hit up the wedding and then rode around on their" party bus" that the bride and groom rented. It was a long day but very fun. By Sunday we were exhausted and ready to get home to our little boy. We are enjoying the new house and had a cookout last weekend with a lot of friends.

The guys enjoying the fruits of their labor:)

part of the bbq crew

The ribs were fabulous! We're still in the process of painting some rooms. CeCe (my mom) was kind enough paint Camden's room while we were in Texas so it would be aired out by the time we got back. We graduated from the crib and now are in a toddler bed! The first few nights were rough, but I put his bumper pad back in the little bed and he now sleeps in it like a champ. I changed the design from Beatrix Potter to vintage baseball. I had some cool B&W photos of old timey bball players to hang on the wall and it looks so cute and grownup! And we are gearing up for the big 2nd bday party next weekend... Man time flies! Stay tuned :_)

Spring Update ~

       Walker with the Easter Bunny, Camden wasn't so brave!                                                                                          

At Trey's chili cookoff being a boy..

We had a wonderful last few weeks. Camden had a blast on Easter. His daycare had an easter egg hunt and they said he was a natural! They had to hide the eggs twice since the kids had such a great time. Then Trey took Cam with my brother and nephew to the church hunt that Saturday (I had to work Friday night so I was sleeping!) he loved it! 
Then they made a routine trip to Home Depot and they happen to be having a kids workshop, which we found out takes place the 1st saturday of every month, where he and Trey got to build a piggy bank together! It is so cool, and totally free, he got his own personalized apron with a pin of the project they worked on together. If he does more projects, he gets new pins for each project. I think we are going to try to make this a monthly tradition! I finished one of my classes, Advanced Research, and couldn't be happier with the completion of that one! I have one more final this semester then out until June! I am debating on taking only one class this summer so I can concentrate on spending more time with Cam and Trey plus work on some house projects I've been dying to get to (namely painting).

I took Camden to the zoo last week with a friend of ours and her baby and he had too much fun, we may have to buy a membership! He knows so many of the animals names now and it is so much more fun taking him to show him the animals.

Mommy & Camden zoo field trip

checking out the turtles.

abby and Jackson on our zoo playdate (he slept the whole time!)

Sacked out after a long day at the zoo!

He is talking up a storm and even shocked us by counting the other day. We routinely count as we slide down the stairs on our bottoms (our trick to keep him from tumbling down the stairs) and he just started doing it on his own the other day! He doesn't always get them in the right order, but I will say "one, two..." and he'll say "five, six" its really cute. He is becoming very outgoing and never meets a stranger. He loves to entertain (i.e. dancing in the middle of a crowded restaurant, running up to friends of ours and tapping there leg to make them laugh!). Also, Camden has become quite accident prone lately. I think it is the boy in him. 2 weeks ago he was staying with his CeCe (my mom) and took off running and dove face first into the concrete patio! His whole nose was skinned off and had a big scab for several days (he looked like a puppy dog costume ;( then the same weekend we went to the Lunsford's house and Trey was outside fishing in their pond and I wanted to get a pic of him and Camden together fishing and Cam took off only to loose his footing and fall completly under the water in the pond!! Scared us to death, but Trey jerked him out so fast that he was only in the water for seconds.

poor boo boo nose...

Then a few days later he decided to use the doggie door as his own personal portal and skinned his face on the door mat! And finally, last Thursday he found a hole in our backyard fence and was sticking his hand through the fence trying to make friends with the neighbors dog and the dog bit a chunk out of his little finger! I was at work and Trey called and said he was balling and had part of his nail missing. It scared trey pretty bad when he came in crying and had a bloody hand! He was crying and saying "dog bite" really pitifully.. I am hoping and praying that this is not a recurring theme. I know he is a boy and will get into all sorts of things but I just hope it stays with the scrapes and bruises nothing major!!

Some of our friends live on our street and they have a little boy almost 3 (Griffin) who Cam has had a blast playing with they have played together 3 times already and I suspect many more times this summer! Of course he always loves playing with my nephew Walker. They both beeline for my closet when they're together and pull out my heels, much to the dismay of their daddies :)

Other than that, We are gearing up for our family vacation in the next few weeks. Trey's sister is graduating from Pharmacy school in May so we are going to that in Corpus Christi, Texas with most of the fam and staying in a beach house on the coast (yeah!!). Then we come back and spend a few days at home then Trey and I are off to Pensacola, Fl and Gulf Shores, Alabama to visit our friends as well as attend another couple's wedding. We're pretty excited! Both of our works are stressful these days and we are need of a week off on the beach! Pray I can figure out my fall schedule. I will have to work weekends most likely so I can get my clinical hours in. I am sad to miss out on our family weekends together and possibly miss church some sundays. But it won't be for long and then once I finish school I won't have to work nights or probably weekends anymore. I am so excited about that so I guess the sacrifice will be worth it!!

At a surprise party for our friend Adam, the newest member in the "dirty 30" club! ha!