slow down!!!

Today my son drank his last bottle--EVER! Yikes. His birthday is next Friday, and the plan all along was to stop the bottle/formual at one year. I noticed last week that I was about to run out of formula, but I didn't see any reason to buy more--what was one week going to do? So the formula can kept getting more and more empty, and it didn't bother me. Until today when I mixed up that last bottle. The good thing was that Campbell and I were walking with Sara and Taylor when he drank it, so I couldn't really give in to these feelings, but now that he's asleep, well, I'm sad. But also excited. It's great that we don't have to buy anymore formula--it'll be like getting a raise, but he's just growing up so fast. Soon he'll be walking and talking and he won't need me as much. What a roller coaster.

I was thinking earlier about all the ways our lives have changed this time last year. I gave up my Cindy the Civic for the mom-mobile, Harvey the CRV. (yes, I name my cars, and I like it!)Some friends asked us if we wanted to go eat at Bonefish Grill with them, but we had to suggest a different place--one that was a little more kid-friendly. We used to go to bed whenever we wanted, but now we know our little man will be up by 7, so it's off to bed much earlier now. We never leave the house without Cheerios, a sippie cup, 4 diapers, a change of clothes, and tons of toys. And speaking of packing stuff, try staying overnight somewhere! But I know that David would agree with me when I say, it's worth every thing we changed and more. I guess sometimes I just wish it was going a little slower. So I'll leave you with one of my favorite pictures of my precious newborn.

Happy Birthday, Pop!

Today was David's dad's birthday, so he and Gerry came over to our house to celebrate. We had a great dinner of salmon and homemade pecan pie for dessert. The birthday boy's piece had a candle in it! Campbell helped Pop open his presents--practicing for his birthday next week. We had a great time and hope that Pop had a great birthday. We love you!

there's no place like home

Happy Thanksgiving to all. We are finally back home from our whirl wind family tour from Lewisburg to Kentucky. I cannot brag on my son enough for how great he was. We haven't been home since Wednesday afternoon, and he didn't even get in the bed tonight until almost 9:00. He has been sqeezed, tickled, talked to, pinched, hugged, and kissed by countless people he's never or hardly ever laid eyes on. And through it all, he kept that incredible smile that just grabs everyone who sees it. And so, I reiterate my title and say, "there's no place like home!"

It's also been nice to get back to my computer and catch up on the blogs I so eagerly check on a daily basis. I loved reading all the lists of blessings people are thankful for, so I thought I'd share just a few of my own.
I'm thankful for:
1. God and His infinite blessings and grace
2. a husband who loves me and takes such wonderful care of our family
3. a son who is healthy, happy, and an absolute joy
4. a family who loves me and taught me to love God and work hard and be there for each other
5. in-laws who treat me like a daughter
6. the opportunity to stay home with Campbell
7. wonderful friends from college, church, GMS, and our neighborhood
8. a church family where we feel loved, accepted, encourged, and challenged
9. great movies I've seen a million times and quiz my mom and sister on the quotes!
10. a life that makes me wake up and wonder how in the world I could deserve such blessings

I truly hope you have had a wonderful holiday. I loved seeing all my family and David's family and watching them get to know Campbell. The Lord is good, and I am thankful.

the perfect end to a day

Yesterday I went to Lewisburg to work for my parents during the big Thanksgiving rush. We had 4 lunches to get out, so it was stressful. Then after lunch it was all about plucking turkeys. Now, what I mean by that is pulling all the meat off a cooked turkey. You might think this would be an easy task, but these turkeys had been in the refridgerator, so they were rock solid. Needless to say, I was beat when I came home.

Campbell had been with David's mom for the day, so David went to get him and they ate dinner up there. That gave me some time to unwind when I got home. I got a long shower and a snack--NOT turkey! And then my precious boy came home. He was so excited to see me. We played and then he got in the bathtub. Maybe it was because I had been away from him all day, but he was just the cutest and funniest he had ever been. He got to splashing all the water out of his little tub. There was water going everywhere. I called David in and he took some pictures. But there's really no way to capture it without a video camera, and we don't really know where ours is right now. Anyway, Campbell was having a GREAT time laughing and splashing. I just kept thinking to myself how lucky I am. I'm lucky to have the greatest kid God ever made. I'm lucky to have a husband who wants me to stay home with our son. I'm lucky to have a family who appreciates me when I come down to help. I must say that life is pretty wonderful. I hope that you find something that makes you feel this way, too. Here are some pictures David took of our sweet little guy in the bathtub. One of them is kind of blurry, but it shows the water going everywhere. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Jamie

Today is my sister Jamie's 29th birthday. So we went out to dinner tonight to celebrate. Her little boy, Russ, is only 4 months older than Campbell, so any dinner with the two of them is quite exciting. At one point Russ had the pepper shaker in his mouth, and Campbell had a goatee made of cheese! But we had a great time, as we always do. So happy birthday, Jamie. You are a great sister, and I'm lucky to have you. The picture above is of Jamie, her husband Clark, and Russ from our vacation this summer.

Saturdays with Daddy

Lots of times on Saturdays Daddy gives Mommy a break and declares it "Daddy and Campbell Day." It's very nice for me to have a break. This past Saturday I went to a cookie swap, and next Saturday I'm going to my monthly scrapbooking day. I know these days mean a lot to David, too. For a while Campbell was always very clingy toward, but he's finally starting to get over that. This morning he would hardly let David leave. I know that just made his day. Anyway, I took a picture of them watching football together Saturday night, and it was so cute that I had to share it with you. And the picture down here is Campbell wearing his Daddy's hat--it's a golf and UK hat. What more could they ask for? Anyway, these are my boys, and I love them very much.

11 months old

So yesterday Campbell turned11 months old. I cannot even believe that it's been almost a year. You know, everyone says to you when you're preganat that the time will fly, but you just can't understand it until you experience it. And you also can't comprehen how much your life will change just because of that little tiny person! And so, today I thought I'd share with you a few of the changes and the lessons I've learned in these first 11 months. I hope you find them helpful, or at least amusing.
1. Never say never--like don't ever say, "I'll never let my child watch TV all day or eat ice cream when he's a baby or on and on and on. Believe me, it will come back to bite you!
2. Don't get your hopes up too much when you he learns something new because when you try to get him or show off his new tricks like "What does the cow say?" or "Wave bye bye!" and he just looks at you like, "huh?"
3. Your child will make a liar out of you every chance he gets--like when you say, "he loves peas," or "he can't climb the stairs," and there he goes spitting out his peas or climbing those stairs!
4. Gerber Graduates Puffs are the greatest things ever made and can cure whatever ails your child--he's tired of being in his stroller, give him puffs; he's impatient waiting for dinner, give him puffs; he hates Sunday school, let him eat puffs!
5. Strange people in the mall or the grocery store will speak to and maybe even touch your child. It will never cease to annoy you unless they give you a huge compliment!
6. From now on, every commercial or song about children and especially birth will bring tears to your eyes and you'll think, "What is wrong with me?!?" every time.
7. You cannot even begin to imagine how much God loves us because you don't think it's possible for love to be stronger than the love you have for your child.

So, if you have a child or know a child, give him or her a hug today and cherish every smile and giggle. Just a little advice from me. Have a good day.

best buddies

Campbell is so blessed to have lots of great buddies around him. I can't say enough about how sweet Bogie is with Campbell. This morning Campbell was pulling Bogie's tail, and he didn't even seem to mind. Now that's a good dog! This is one of my favorite pictures of the two of them doing their favorite thing--looking out the window together. The other picture is my nephew Russ who is only 4 months older than Campbell. They are also best buddies. It is so much fun to see them play together. This particular night they were both playing with the chip clips from the refridgerator. We are going to have to buy 2 of everything! But I can't wait for them to grow up together and be great friends. Campbell has lots of other buddies, too, but these are just some cute pictures from the last few weeks that I wanted to share with everyone. Hope November is going well for everyone. I can't believe that next week Campbell will be 11 months old. Yikes, I can't even think about it!!

Curious George Goes Trick or Treating

Campbell's first Halloween was lots of fun. First we went to Lewisburg to see my parents, and then we did some trick or treating in our neighborhood. He even tolerated the hat on his costume all night. His favorite thing was playing in the candy. Too bad he can't have any, but I'm sure his daddy will take care of the leftovers. All in all I think we all had a great time. He even got his picture made with the girls across the street. Hope everyone else had a great Halloween, too. I can't believe it's November.