Cliff and Jess

Christmas

2012-01-16T18:36:00.001-08:00

Sweet boy on the road heading east to spend Christmas with family in East Texas. Honey came and spent several days with us and got to ride all the way with us in our car.

Christmas morning was at Nana and Grandpa's house in jacksonville. It was all a bit overwhelming for Camden but the banana helped.

Eating cheetos with Grandpa. So fun!

Our annual pj picture!

Kimberly and Josh are engaged!! They will be getting married this summer. I am so excited for them and look forward to getting to know my soon to be brother-in-law in the future.

We spent several days in Arlington on the way back home. These sweet sweet kiddos just steal my heart everytime I get to spend time with them. They are all so much fun!!! I can't believe that they are growing up so fast. Time is flying and I don't know how to stop it!

These three found a comfy spot on the bench watching Aaron and Cliff play pool. These three have a blast together!

First of December

2012-01-16T18:08:00.000-08:00

Camden is learning all sorts of new skills. You can see he found the zipper one morning! And he has figured out that he can reach the light switches. He turns lights on and off for us all the time. He's such a helper!!

My family stopped in one night on their way to Colorado for a ski trip. I was so bummed that I couldn't go with them, but it was nice to hang out for a little while!

This little guy is a hoot! Denver enjoyed his dinner! This kids is the messiest eater I have ever seen. It doesn't matter what he's eating...it's all over. :)

This is the best pic of Camden in frotn of the Christmas tree that I could get. We had our own family Christmas about a week before Christmas day. It was nice to have a quiet mornning at home with a big breakfast and present opening.

October 2011

2011-10-27T11:33:00.001-07:00

October has flown by very very fast. We got to see family, visit pumpkin patches, and have lots of fun this month. Camden is growing so much. He is talking all the time...getting new words every week. He had a hair cut at the first of this month. I can't wait for it to grow back! I just love his crazy long hair. :)

The first week of October we stopped by the pumpkin patch. The pumpkin patches are my most favorite part of Amarillo. I had to get a couple of pumpkins for the front porch. We've since made several more trips to the pumpkin patch this month.

What a cute little hiney!! Ha! We had a fun time before bath playing in the nude outside.

Our sweet friends came to town and visit and invited us to play one morning. We were so thankful to see Elizabeth and Reese Mason. We sure miss them!!

Mom made Camden this sweater. I tried to get a picture of him before church on Sunday morning. He was very busy and hard to get a shot of. This is the best one and it is still a little blurry. Thanks for the adorable sweater NeNe!!

Cliff and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary this month too. Hannah kept Camden for us one day and Cliff and I got to hang out for several hours. We went to the driving range, painted the cars at Cadillac Ranch and ate at Saltgrass. It was nice spending a day as friends and reconnecting a little. I sure do love my husband!

One Sunday I was in my room getting ready and it got really quiet in the house. I came in the kitchen to find Camden getting ready as well. Ha! I had done my makeup while he had breakfast and didn't put it away yet. He is such a little copy cat these days.

All of these munchkins came to visit last week for four days. We got to go to the pumpkin patch, the discovery center, and to the zoo. Such a fun week. Thanks Leigh for taking time to come to Amarillo!

We made chocolate chip cookies. I had lots of help!

The crew at the pumpkin patch. We picked out pumpkins to go back home and paint on. Boy was that fun...and messy! I didn't get any pictures because both Leigh and I were busy keeping the paint on the pumpkins.

Camden wants to play with the iPhone so badly! He can't, so the next best thing is to watch Lerin really closely!

Today, Oct. 27th, we have had snow all day. It is 1:55 right now and it just now stopped snowing. The snow started in the middle of the night! We went out early because I thought once the sun came out it would all be gone. Camden liked the snow but it was cold, we didn't stay out very long.

Family Update

2011-09-19T12:08:00.001-07:00

I am being such a bad blogger these days!! I broke ANOTHER camera so it has not been as easy to upload pictures. The camera still works but I have to keep the battery/sim card part taped shut with heavy duty tape. Such a hassle to put back together every time. Why am I so rough on cameras?!

Our fall calendar has filled up quickly already. It is full of fun stuff but I have to say, me and the calendar are not friends. I wish we were more free to do what we want when we want! That phrase sounds so winey and selfish but it's true. I WILL be going camping with my two guys at some point this fall! I am determined to use our camping stuff before it rots in the garage. Ha!

Last week we go to go to the land in Coleman and spend a few days with Cliff Sr., Debbie, and Nana and Grandpa. Let me tell you...Camden had such a fun time!! He got muddy and wet everyday. He was just too cute in his jeans and boots getting to play like a little raggamuffin until he just pooped out. He got to eat up at the big table with us without his high chair. Why is he getting so big so fast?! He got to play with JJ (the family dog), and a kitten named Whiskers. He wasn't sure about them at first but soon warmed up to both and would reach down to pet them and talk to them. He got to ride in the jeep and "drive" them himself. I can tell we are going to have lots of fun memories out at the land.

Tomorrow we leave again to go to Arlington. Cliff has a conference all week in Dallas so Camden and I are going to spend time with our family there. Looking forward to some time to play with cousins!

I am looking forward to pumpking patches, spiced tea, and cooler weather to come. Hoping the fall doesn't fly by too fast! I am trying to savor the days while my sweet boy is so small. I can already feel the time slipping through my fingers!

A visit with Honey and a trip to Kenya

2011-08-16T13:01:00.000-07:00

These two had a ball together for a few days at the end of July! Honey came early to Amarillo before leaving on the 29th for a Kenya mission trip with Cliff. Camden got his fill of electronics with the iphone and ipad games and got lots of time to love on Honey! Below are a few pictures we snapped after playing in the tunnels at church.

Cliff and Debbie say they had a wonderful trip to Kenya. There were lots of new kids at the orphnage and lots of seeds were sewn. This was Cliff's 4th time to go to the Baptist Children's Center in Kenya. They are praying about another trip for next year!

Camden helps wash window

2011-08-16T13:00:00.001-07:00

Fun gone wrong

2011-06-30T12:17:00.001-07:00

I was cleaning the bathroom today while Camden went through all of the drawers. The bathroom ended up sanitized but messy afterward! Anyway Camden found some bathtub paint in one if the drawers and asked me to open it for him. I decided to oblige him by setting him in his high chair and letting him go after it while I fixed lunch. Boy did he have fun for awhile!!! Red soap paint was everywhere but he hadn't yet decided to put it in his hair or face yet. Well it wasn't too long before that happened. He laughed and played and then started feeling some stinging in his eyes which caused him to rub them more and more and more.... And then the crying began! At first I though maybe it doesn't hurt his eyes but after about a minute I knew I had made a mistake by letting him play with it. I rushed him to the bathtub and poured water over his face while he just wailed! We were both exhausted and traumatized after it was over. Camden just closed his eyes and fell asleep in my arms for about 30 minutes, poor baby!!

Note to self: don't let your 15 month old play with soap paint!!!!

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Location:Home

Aunt KK

2011-06-29T19:56:00.000-07:00

Kimberly came to visit this past weekend for 6 days. It was so good to have her here. We managed to have fun even though Cliff was very busy with work most of the time. We joined him for his kids mission event friday night for dinner and helped out all Saturday morning carting kids around. The weekend consisted of lots of playing with Camden, the zoo, the park, and the pool. Thanks Aunt KK for coming to visit. We love you!

Father's Day

2011-06-29T19:40:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Father's Day between crazy busy weeks. My boys both looked super handsome that Sunday! I had big plans to get a picture taken on that day. They turned out a little blurry but cute. Love my family and I am so very thankful for Cliff. He is a wonderful daddy to Camden!!

Lately

2011-06-21T11:28:00.001-07:00

I have been refraining from posting on here because I haven't gotten any of the pictures off of my camera. And let's be serious...blog posts just aren't as fun without pictures, right?! Camden is napping right now so I thought I'd at least catch everyone up.

The Cary's are in busy summer mode right now. We haven't gotten to see near enough of Cliff over the last several weeks, but we are making it. :) Camden and I are finding fun summer things to do together like go to the public pool, make homemade snow cones, and play in the yard. Last week was VBS at our church. I am pretty sure Cliff pulled 15-16 hour days every day last week. It was rediculous! But...God was glorified! We had over 1000 people on the church campus from 9-noon everyday last week. Lots of kids heard the Gospel and were loved on by some great people. I helped with 1st and 2nd grade missions each day. We had 6, 20 minute roations come through our class. Each class had between 25-30 kids! The days actually flew by so fast.

Camden had fun at VBS too. He actually did crafts and music and stuff just like the big kids. At the end of the week we got an adorable booklet of pictures and crafts that he did! This is his second VBS already! He'll be a pro in no time. :)

Camden is loving the swimming pool already! He wants to jump out of my arms and go for it! The $4 floaty was pretty much a waste of money because this kid can't stand just chillin,' he wants to be "swimming."

Camden is an official walker now. It is becoming the favored mode of transportation very quickly. He is also learning to climb. I found him on the fireplace yesterday! He needs to grow a little taller to get on the couch though. Not quite strong enough for that. Our baby is becoming a little boy with a strong will and a mind of his own. I'm in trouble!!

I am definitely missing family alot lately! At least once a day I wish I could swing by mom and dad's or one of my siblings houses and just say hi for a few minutes. I am making the most of the summer though and repeatedly asking God to fill me up. He truly is my source of strength and joy. Aunt KK is coming to town tomorrow. I am so excited to have her here for several days!! I keep dreaming up what fun things we'll do...but I have a 1 year old so I am sure we'll get some of those fun things checked off but probably not all. :)

Pictures soon I hope!

Big smiles

2011-05-25T14:42:00.001-07:00

This kid makes me smile!

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Eating

2011-05-16T09:49:00.001-07:00

This is how Camden eats these days! He must have a fork in one hand while mostly using the other.

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Momma, Zoo, and Haircut

2011-05-13T19:53:00.000-07:00

Below are a few pics of Mother's Day. Poor Cliff was home sick Sunday morning so Camden and I went to church together as normal and then came home for a quick lunch then a good long nap. I set up Camden's new swimming pool and the two of us enjoyed some time in the 90 degree weather! He liked the water but we really needed some of our big cousins to come help us learn about how to play in a pool!! He would only stay in the water if I put my feet in like this. Goofy kid!

I asked him for a mother's day kiss and he just laughed!!

Best picture of the day! He only left his hat on for the length of time it took to take this picture.

Last Monday my friend Hannah and I took our babies to the Amarillo zoo for the first time. Surprisingly, the Amarillo zoo wasn't bad! We went on free Monday and got to see the lions, tigers, bears, lemurs, and monkeys! It was kind of hot but I think the kids enjoyed the little stroll through the park.

Camden posing with Harper at the end of the outing. Harper is almsot 9 months old and one cute little girl!

These gorgeous curls are gone. :( Cliff and I decided to go ahead and get his hair cut today. The front and sides were getting very unruly! Camden would get food in the front every morning and it just would not cooperate most days. The back was just too beautiful though. I may be having second thoughts now that they are already gone!

He was a champ for Jacinda! He sat so big in the chair and loved watching the activity in the salon.

Don't worry, we have a whole baggy of sweet curls. He looks like such a big kid now!!

Megan and Trey came over tonight so Camden and Jack got to play. Jack is 2 months younger than Camden and is walking all around. He was teaching Camden a thing or two tonight. And Camden is sporting his new cut, looking pretty adorable.

April

2011-04-27T18:25:00.000-07:00

I have been a horrible blogger this month! It has been a fun month around our house. We had family visit two weekends in a row, and we got to enjoy Easter with family and friends this year. I'll just tell the story through pictures. The pics go from most recent to earlier in the month.

We had alot of friends over for Easter! It was a blast! I thought we were going to have rain and therefore be squished in to our house but Easter Sunday was an absolutely gorgeous day. I think everyone enjoyed playing outside and eating yummy food. Everyone pitched in and brought all of their holiday favorites! Aunt Jenny, I made your yummy pasta salad. :)

Poor Camden didn't really cooperate with his nap on Sunday so he was running on fews the whole evening but he totally enjoyed playing and watching all of the big kids!

This is the whole crew! Lots of kids = lots of fun. Kind of reminded me of old school family gatherings in the country on Easter with the Rampy's! I am so thankful for the friends that God has given us here. God is faithful to provide even when I thought I would never love Amarillo! :)

Cliff brought home a tripod from church and we were able to get some family pictures. I think we looked pretty good and I was so thankful to be able to get a family picture!

God is good to provide clothes for us! I am trying so hard to be more thrifty. Not that we are hurting for money, but I LOVE staying home and I don't want to have to go back to a job outside of the house for a while!! LOL! Hand me downs are great, even on Easter!

Cliff Sr. and Debbie were here all weekend. We had a blast but they had to leave early Sunday morning. We snapped some pictures before church.

Camden had fun with Honey and Dado!! And so did I! They even got to come to our church Easter egg hunt on Saturday morning. It was so cold and windy but we were still able to enjoy a few minutes outside.

We took Camden to swim at the West Texas A&M pool with the Bible drill kids. They have a shallow end for small kids and Camden loved it! He looked pretty cute in his swim stuff too. Can't wait for hot weather!!

My friend Megan and her son Jack came over to snap some Easter pictures with Pinkie. We really needed one more person but we made it work!! Camden had a snack in his high chair most of the time. Until we tried getting both boys in the picture. LOL! this is what we ended up with. Poor Pinkie was so patient!

Camden loves going to visit Pinkie in her cage. He crawls like this all over the yard because he doesn't like the feel of the grass on his knees. I told him he needs to just get up and walk!! Still working on that one.

Camden is growing so fast! He can now fit in his size 5 boots. We dressed him all up one night to go out and we had to get some pictures. Such a handsome little man!

Mom and Dad came to visit at the first of the month. They brought all of the toys we couldn't fit on the plane from Camden's birthday party. It was like birthday all over again! We enjoyed hanging out and getting a new oven that weekend! Ha! Poor mom and Dad put up with a day of getting that all taken care of.

Camden has found a new place to play in the laundry hamper. He is such a ham these days!

1 year already!

2011-04-04T12:29:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Camden's first birthday last Saturday with family in Kennedale. The weather held up and we had a beautiful sunny day at the park! Camden loved his first cupcake! I can hardly believe that one year ago we were finally getting to meet our baby BOY! He will be walking soon and he is full of enegry, babbling all the time. He tries to repeat everything we say these days. He 'talks on the phone,' knows what the tv change does, and uses brushes to brush his hair. He is such a happy baby. He still takes two naps a day most days and sleeps from about 7-7 at night. He is not the skinny little baby that he used to be but a sweet, chubby little boy now. He has the sweetest little blonde curls and gives the best kisses! This has been one of the very best years of my entire life. I just love being his mom! Our weekend in Arlington was packed full with fun. We flew in Thursday and did grocery shopping for the party. Then Cliff and I got to go on a date to the Mavs gave while Mom and Dad put Camden to bed. Friday we finished up party planning and then got to have lunch with the Smedley's who were in Dallas at a conference. That afternoon Dom and Gus came and they stayed the night!!!! It was so awesome to get to spend more than just a couple of hours with them. Dom posted some pics here at augustusedison.blogspot.com. All of Cliff's family arrived in town and came to the party to celebrate along with lots of my family too. We spent several hours at the park on Saturday and then let Camden nap that afternoon. We hung out with Cliff and Debbie Saturday evening and got to go to dinner with them. Then Sunday Lerin was baptized and sweet Denver was dedicated. It was such a wonderful Sunday morning! There were 7 babies dedicated that morning and I had grown up with many of the parents who still attend church at Tate Springs. I just LOVE going home. Nothing like being around people who know your past. :) Enjoy the pictures!

What a sweet baby! Cliff and I are so proud to be Camden's parents. I can't wait to see what the next year holds!

Hard day

2011-04-01T17:04:00.001-07:00

Today has been a hard day to be a mama. I am sure many moms feel this way many times throughout motherhood. I hate it! Camden has been sick this week. Just a virus that must run it's course. For the past four days he has run fever. He has not napped well today which makes for a very sleepy baby tonight. I had to leave him screaming in bed tonight because he didn't want to be comforted. Poor thing. The pic is from yesterday but you can tell he feels bad. Several times the only thong that gets him happy is getting in the moby and going for a walk. Maybe tomorrow will be better!

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Kicking tail and taking names

2011-03-21T11:27:00.001-07:00

Have a bad case of spring fever and a mobile child. Conquering the floors, the bulge a the baby with my new resale purchase!

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Bubble baths are fun!

2011-03-16T08:30:00.001-07:00

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Fussy Baby Gets Papoosed - African Style!

2011-03-03T07:58:00.000-08:00

11 months old

2011-02-28T18:12:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe that Camden is 11 months old today. His babyhood is slowly slipping away! I seriously don't know what to do about him turning 1. We are planning a birthday party in Arlington so that all of our family can be there. Camden is just absolutely wonderful. Cliff and I just love to laugh at his silly antics and kiss all over him! He is drinking from a sippy cup now. He is not wanting all four of his bottles anymore so I guess he is going to have no problem when the bottle goes away. I, on the other hand, am going to miss cuddle time four times a day! He continues to cruise along furniture and pull up on everything. He will stand for about 3 seconds. He doesn't really like doing it because he is just too busy to be anywhere for too long! I am sure one day soon he will just take off on his own and be toddling all over. Camden is also wearing mostly 18 month clothing. He's too long for most of his 12 month stuff.

I am so looking forward to spring and summer with him!!! We will enjoy lots of time outside playing in sprinklers and exploring playgrounds. I am ready for some warm weather and sunshine!
This 11 month picture was very difficult to get! He just didn't want to sit still and Cliff wasn't home all day to help distract him. :)

Cliff had to work late tonight so while our dinner was cooking Camden and I went outside to let Pinkie play and to water our plans. He loved watching the birds, playing with grass and leaves and hanging out on such a perfect afternoon.

Donaldson Family Fun Week

2011-02-28T17:53:00.001-08:00

This last week my side of the family made the trek to Amarillo for us to spend a fun, fun week together. Aaron, Trish and Denver showed up Friday evening and shortly after Mom and Dad showed up with all four girls!! Leigh couldn't come until Saturay and Bubba just got a new job so he couldn't make it at all. We had a house brimming with little girls and boys and had an absolute blast together!! We went to Glorieta Sunday and met up with Mimi and Bipaw. We relaxed, skiied, went sledding and played alot.

You can see a bit of the craziness in the picture below. The girls thought Camden needed some company in his bed. :)

Denver was such a trooper the whole week. It is hard traveling with an infant!! But I think Trish and Aaron ended up having a good time anyway.

How stinkin' sweet is this picture?!

And this one?! Robbyn and Dakota skiied together up and down this little hill. They both did great and were super adorable. I don't have any pictures of Lerin because she was at ski school in another area.

On our way to go sledding. Mom and I ended up taking the three babies back to the lodge because it was nap time and Camden and Aleigh were falling apart. They both had lunch and naps! Mom and I discussed how crazy it would be to have three babies all at once all the time. I am thankful God gave me one at a time!

Cliff and I got to ski a whole day together with my Dad and brother. It was a fantastic day on the mountains! The weather was awesome and the snow was great! I am so thankful for family keeping Camden all day for us.

Spagetti night

2011-02-16T11:51:00.001-08:00

We had spagetti the other night and Camden loved it!

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We call him Taz

2011-02-12T10:59:00.000-08:00

Camden is in to everything these days. We have started calling him Taz for Tasmanian devil. You turn your head for a second and he has something all torn up. Papers, tissues, wipes, trash! If he can get his hands on it he'll be exploring and figuring out the intricacies of stuff. I love that he wants to figure stuff out. He wants to know what sound it makes, how it feels, how it tastes, everything! I usually don't mind the messes and there are alot!

That's why at the end of the day he is usually passed out like this. We went to dinner the other night and he didn't even wake up when we brought him in for bed.

This is the sacrifice I make to shower most days. He loves getting in to my cabinet under the sink. It is safe for now until he figures out how to open stuff!

10 months old

2011-02-03T08:09:00.000-08:00

Camden turned 10 months old this past weekend. He is crawling like a speed demon, pulling to stand, cruising along furniture, jabbering like a monkey and making us laugh all the time. He tries to say bye bye daddy every morning! It sounds more like da-da-da-da with the same intonations as saying the real thing. Too cute! Sometimes he gets the b sounds in there too. He's pretty good at destroying a room. I let him get in the cabinet under my sink and he pulls everything out at least once a day. The price I pay to try and get my hair done and make up on. He has all kinds of tricks like clicking his tongue, clapping, blowing zerberts, giving kisses and dancing. He is a good sleeper and still takes two naps a day. He eats everything and only occasionally refuses food. He went through a spitting phase recently. Ugh!!! He would take a bite of food and immediately spew it out of his mouth. I think he just thought it was cool that he had the power to get stuff out of his mouth in such a fun way. Not so much fun for me or anyone sitting near him. He has stopped that for the most part now. Thank the Lord!

Kalie came to visit on my birthday weekend! Yay! We had so much fun hanging out, having friends over for dinner and catching up. The picture below is me in the party animal hat from college. This past year my friends and I have passed it in the mail from birthday girl to birthday girl. I cannot tell you how excited I was to get it in mail! The rules are you have to take a picture of yourself in the birthday hat on your birthday, print the picture, and then write on the back how you spent your birthday. Then mail it to the next girl. What a blast it was to read everyone's notes and see pictures of my sweet friends!

We had our friends, the Mason's, over the other night. Reese is 3 weeks younger than Camden and just the cutest thing ever! The babies love being upside down these days! Ha!

So sweet grabbing hands!

And these are the pictures I snapped of Camden on his 10 month day. He was really busy and I didn't get too many good ones but here is one anyway. :)

On Saturday we went to the church to watch some kids play basketball. Cliff and I took Camden in to the tunnel room to play. He had a blast watching all of the big kids run around!

Sunday

2011-01-30T11:16:00.001-08:00

It is really cold here today after our gloriously warm day yesterday. Perfect Sunday with my boys. Chili for lunch, a fire, and watching Wipeout!!

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The park

2011-01-27T15:23:00.001-08:00

Camden and I got out to feed the ducks and walk today. I put him on the ground for one second to snap a picture and he definitely put some duck poop in his mouth. Gross!!

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Playing with paper

2011-01-27T09:45:00.001-08:00

You can't see the paper in this picture but Camden loves playing with paper and I usually let him of I am in the room watching him. He will put it in his mouth some but he doesn't like the taste so he spits it right out. Silly baby!

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Camden's 1st freckle

2011-01-27T09:37:00.001-08:00

I was giving Camden his bottle just now and noticed his first freckle. Weird!

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Sweet boy

2011-01-24T17:11:00.001-08:00

Getting alot of this lately. Sweet boy.

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Too Long

2011-01-24T14:01:00.000-08:00

Well it has definitely been way too long sine I've posted! Since Christmas we had a sick kid for a couple of weeks, computer issues and really just not much happening. Camden is 10 months old this week so I will be posting pictures then. I had a wonderful birthday last weekend. Cliff spoiled me and my friend Kalie came to visit. So fun! I promise to post some pictures soon of this growing boy.

Aunt Kimberly Visits

2010-12-13T09:50:00.000-08:00

Kimberly took the weekend to come visit us here in Amarillo. We had such a great time with her! We played, went to a living nativity in town, went to dinner, and just hung out. Camden loves his aunt KK!

Cliff raked the leaves outside on Friday. We went out to help him bag them up and we had to take some pictures with Camden. He wasn't too sure about the big pile! Ha!

Camden Crawls!

2010-12-06T08:33:00.000-08:00

8 months old

2010-12-03T07:28:00.001-08:00

Camden is 8 months old this week and boy has it been a busy week for this growing baby. He is now officially crawling! I haven't caught it on camera yet because every time I try he sits back up and looks at me. He has two more teeth coming in making that a grand total of 8 teeth. And he has his first temperature today. Not sure what is going on with him. It spiked to 103 last night and this morning it is between 99 and 100. I have a call in to the doc to see if I need to bring him in or not.

Camden feeds himself

2010-11-14T12:45:00.000-08:00

Glorieta

2010-11-03T07:11:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went with our Sunday school class to Glorieta in New Mexico to our church's lodge there. We had a great time getting to know everyone more and mostly watching babies play! They were so cute together. :)

7 mo old

2010-11-03T07:04:00.000-07:00

My baby is 7 months old! Wow time is flying wayyyy too fast. :) Camden is trying to crawl! He has two more teeth and I am pretty sure the other two will be coming soon. He is talking so much too. He has got Mama down! Anytime he is unhappy we hear, Mama! Mama! Mama! He also says Dada, Baba, and is trying lots of other noises with his mouth. He is a great sleeper from about 7:30 to 6am. (Early! But it is nice to have a few hours of quiet around the house at night.) I'm not looking forward to time change this weekend! I am so very thankful for this happy, sweet baby!

HPU Homecoming

2010-10-14T13:25:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we took a "mini vacation" to Brownwood for HPU homecoming. What a weekend!! We left Thursday morning and stayed through lunch on Sunday. The weekend was packed full of friends and family. It sort of turned in to a bit of a family reunion as well as a reunion with HPU friends and FBC friends. Church Sunday was soooo good! It was fun to see the kids all grown, we felt so very loved by everyone. I didn't take very many pictures because we were just having fun being with people, but you can see Camden had fun seeing our old home where it all began. :) We sure had fun showing him around!

O MY GOODNESS, THE CUTENESS!!!

2010-10-14T11:58:00.001-07:00

Cliff had to go to Houston Tuesday and Wednesday to do a funeral for a Cary family friend that passed away. It was his first funeral and it sounds like God really used Cliff to bring comfort to this family and to share the Gospel as well. I am so thankful for my brave husband!

While he was out of town Camden and I got a little bored on Tuesday night before bed. After his bath we went outside for a little nude baby photo session. :) And O MY GOODNESS! I got some of the sweetest pictures! I think you will agree. Ha! Camden had a ball hanging out in his birthday suit on this beautiful cool evening. He kept cracking up laughing!

Camden Pulls to Stand

2010-10-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

6 months!

2010-10-01T07:49:00.001-07:00

Our sweet boy is 6 months old! We went to the doc yesterday. He got four shots but cried for only about 10 seconds! The nurse who pokes him is just awesome, so quick and calm. He is 18lbs 4oz and 28.5in. Still in 97th percentile for length and moving up to the 60s in weight. We styarted baby food yesterday too. I made sweet potatos and apples yesterday for him. He's been gnawing on apples for a couple of weeks and just loves them! I think he's a fan of the sweet potatos too because he ate them up. It is just so much fun being Camden's Momma. :) We are both growing up together in so many ways!

In Other News

2010-09-21T08:17:00.000-07:00

Below are just some fun pictures I've taken lately. Camden will be six months old next week and is growing so quickly! He's just a ball of energy and smiles. :)

This is little Harper. She stays with Camden and I a few hours every day. She's such a little doll! She's almost 2 months old and pretty much, eat sleeps and wiggles most of the time. :) I am sure these two will become such good friends over the next year!

Isn't she a cutie! Look at that poofy hair on top!

And here is Camden being absolutely adorable! He's such a ham. He is most content when he has someone down on the floor with him talking and playing with him! It is hard to get stuff done around here because we have too much fun singing songs and playing with toys.

And, o my goodness! I just love this picture. It is probably the best one we have of Cliff and Camden. Aren't they both just the most precious things you've ever seen! They matched this morning so I had to steal a picture before Cliff left for work.

R&R at the Land

2010-09-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we enjoyed a couple of days out at the land with Cliff and Debbie. We had such a relaxing time enjoying the beauty of our surroundings. Camden did so good on the almost 6 hour trip there! We even got to have lunch with our friends Daniel, Katie and Duke in Abilene.

Camden took his first jeep ride around the land, we saw bales of hay, lots of grasshoppers, two horses and beautiful sunsets! You can see he had fun with his Dado and Honey too!

Sleepy Baby!

2010-09-13T09:11:00.000-07:00

A must see if you are a grandparent, aunt or uncle! Camden had had a busy day and just could not keep his eyes open.

Camden is 5 months old!!

2010-09-02T07:43:00.000-07:00

I tried to post this several times over the last week but blogger was being dumb and wouldn't let me. Last week Leigh and the girls came to visit us in Amarillo! We had a blast playing at the house, doing Discovery Center, and all kinds of other fun stuff. It was so good to have family in town. :)

Camden also turned 5 months old on Sunday. I think I say this every month, but he is so much fun!! He is sitting up by himself, eating cereal, cutting his first tooth, and loves to move move move!

Sting Em Jackets! I have been waiting and waiting for Camden to grow big enough for his HPU t-shirt and now I think it is too small! Ha! He is growing so very fast!

Our best attempt at a family photo!

Below are some pictures of Lerin, Robbyn, Aleigh and Camden. They got to stand in a bubble at the Discovery Center! It is like a mini science museum for kids with all kinds of fun experiments. We also went to the park and had a picnic that day as well. We played on the playground and fed the ducks!

Bath Time

2010-08-31T14:03:00.001-07:00

We decided to pull out Camden's duck bathtub last night, he loved it. One "feature" of this bathtub is that if you squeeze the ducks bill he quacks. Camden could care less about this fact. That lead Jessica and I to talk about how most of the things that are added to baby toys, safety devices, and everything else are much more for the parents than the kids. All the "extras" are just added so they can charge more and keep parents entertained.
-Cliff

Camden Eating Cereal

2010-08-16T20:09:00.000-07:00

Below is a video of Camden eating his rice cereal tonight. It is so fun to see what new thing he will figure out or get to do each day. I am not exactly sure how much he actually swallowed, but he had a great time. -Cliff

YouTube Video

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Guess what??...

2010-08-16T10:11:00.000-07:00

...Camden is rolling over!!

Yesterday he rolled over from his tummy to his back four times. We have been working on this for weeks and I knew he was very close. He would turn circles on the floor reaching for toys but hadn't technically rolled over. (At Mom and Dad's house he had rolled over on the couch but he had a little help from gravity since the couch was slightly sloped.) Cliff and I had extended session in Camden's class on Sunday. Cliff wasn't in there but for the last few minutes of class. Cliff had Camden and was playing with him on the floor on his tummy in front of this other little boy who was about 2 weeks older than Camden. Camden started talking to Jackson and they were having a little conversation being so adorable together! Camden started crying at one point when Jackson made an excited squeeling sound that startled him. Ha! So this goes on for about ten minutes. I was helping with the 6 other babies in the room (we had a total of 8 babies with 3 helpers! It was a busy morning!) when Cliff softly gets my attention and says, "Jess, he rolled over!" I didn't realize what he said until he pointed to Camden and repeated himself. Camden had rolled over and I had missed it!!! I guess Camden had waited to show off for his Daddy! Later that day he rolled three more times and I got it on video. :)

Sweet Day

2010-08-07T18:31:00.000-07:00

Our little family had a nice relaxing day today. Cliff got some good and VERY sweet Camden loving today as you can see from the pictures below. It is good having Cliff back! He will be gone again all next weekend, but we'll take what we can get. Check out the sweetness below!

4 Months Old

2010-08-05T13:43:00.001-07:00

Before you see the 4 month pictures of Camden I included a few more of my week in Arlington. We got to spend an afternoon and evening with Dom, Gus and Aunt Lynne. It was so surreal for us to be sitting in the living room with our babies in our laps!! Check out how sweet Gus is!!!

Mom threw a party for Camden and I so that our church family from Tate Springs could meet Camden. She worked so hard and made lots of yummy stuff!! Thanks Mom for such a special day!

Dakota and I matched so we had to have a picture. :) I think we're buds now after getting to spend a week together! My beautiful neice is such a sweet girl. I love watching her and hearing her adorable voice!

And here are the pictures of Camden! He is 4 months and 1 week in these pictures. As I type this he is playing in his exersaucer having so much fun playing with the toys. He has turned himself all the way around in it! I can hardly believe how much he has grown over the last two weeks. He is trying very hard to roll over, loves reaching for everything and loves being busy! We had a long month without Cliff being around much so we are looking forward to getting in to a new normal for the fall.

Cliff had an amazing trip to Africa working with around 300 kids! I will post some pictures of his trip soon and maybe even get him to post for a change. Poor guy is having a rough time with the jet lag but is back at work today after taking a day off yesterday. He slept from about 10 to 2AM last night and was up the rest of the night until 6am when he took a short nap before work. I am praying that he is able to rest tonight!

Day 11

2010-08-02T18:22:00.000-07:00

Well, Camden and I made it home this afternoon. The drive from Arlington was very long, but we made it safely. We had a blast in Arlington hanging out with family and friends. The week went by quickly and we only have one more day until we get Cliff back! I think tomorrow will drag by waiting on him to fly in. I have no idea when his flight lands so I will be anxiously waiting for his phone call from Dallas. I received a txt this morning from him saying he was in the Kenyan airport waiting on their flight.

Camden was a trooper on the drive. We stopped twice for him to eat and to stretch. He did cry off and on (I am sure he was so bored). But thankfully he napped off and on as well. He was asleep tonight by 7:30. He hasn't slept great the last two nights so I am praying he remembers his bed and sleeps at least 4 hours at a time. He has been waking up every 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Ugh! Thankfully, Mom was a great help the last two nights and let me sleep some. I am so grateful to her for that! The drive today was made much easier since I was rested.

CANNOT wait to have Cliff home!

Day 9

2010-07-31T16:00:00.000-07:00

The past two days have been pretty laid back around here. Camden is doing well, trying so very hard to roll over lately! He 'rolled' from back to front while laying on the couch today but that was mostly due to the help of gravity. (He didn't roll off the couch for the record, just towards the back of the couch.) He still hasn't done it while on the floor. I imagine he is waiting for his daddy to come home to officially roll over. :) We are so ready for Cliff to come home! We are enjoying time here in Arlington, but you can't replace the daddy! And we are both ready to see him. I skyped with Cliff yesterday and probably won't hear from him again until he is in Dallas. Today they spent the day at the crocodile park with the BCC kids. The pictures from their blog are so cute and it looks like they had a blast! (www.fbcafrica2010.blogspot.com)

Another day of church tomorrow at Tate Springs with family and friends then home on Monday.

Day 6

2010-07-29T12:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we met up with the cousins for a photo shoot! You can see two of the shots below. They turned out soooo cute! Trish shot them for us. I had her take a few of Camden since he is four months old today! In the shot below I was so afraid he'd fall over that I had my hand stuck out a little too far. We'll have to crop my arm out! Ha! Thanks Trish for working so hard to get all five kids looking in the same direction!

Today Mom hosted a sweet tea to introduce Camden to some friends. It was so nice seeing old friends! We had yummy food, delicious desserts and drinks! Mom worked hard to make today special for us. We actually have round two this afternoon from 4-6 for those who work so that they can come meet Camden.

Tonight Kalie is coming through to stay the night! She flies out tomorrow and needed a place to stay so it worked out for her to stay here. Brandi is going to come by to say hi as well!

I got an e-mail from Cliff. He is doing great. They have one more day of VBS and then a fun day with the kids on Saturday. A little bit longer and he'll be home! We miss him a ton!

Day 4

2010-07-27T19:28:00.000-07:00

No pictures again today. Camden and I enjoyed a relaxing day at home most of the day. We stayed home most of the morning and visited with Aunt Lynne who had stayed the night. Then went to lunch with Dad while Mom worked today. We ran a couple of errands before hanging out with Leigh and the girls. Then had dinner over at Aaron and Trish's. But the best part of the day was skyping with Cliff!!! We got to talk for a long time. Camden just jabbered away to Cliff and told him all about being at NayNay and Grump's house. It was really cute. They are doing well in Kenya. He and his team are working with 300 kids!! 7 more days until he comes home and we can't wait!

Kenya Mission Trip

2010-07-27T12:48:00.000-07:00

Jessica has been after me lately to post on our blog. I figure there is no time like being in Africa to make my first post in a long time. I am glad Jessica has been keeping you somewhat updated on all that is going on.

A brief description for those of you who are wondering what I am doing in Africa. This is my third year to have the privilege of going with our church to Nairobi, Kenya to work in a Buckner orphanage. While at the orphanage part of our team conducts a VBS while the other half run a medical clinic. From all that I can tell the clinic is going very well this year.

As I am writing this it is Tuesday night in Kenya and we have just completed our second day of working at the orphanage. We are having a great time but things have not quite gone as planned. As Jessica already mentioned we did not receive our bags upon arrival in Kenya. It is sort of understandable to lose one or maybe two bags, but 27?!? How does that happen? It was no big deal, we sort of stuck out in our relaxed airplane clothes on Sunday at church, but bring the only white people around we were already a spectacle. For me it was so good to be back worshipping with these people. It was so wonderful to see familiar smiles and receive familiar hugs.

The next funny thing happened on Sunday afternoon as the VBS team began our final preparations for the week. For the VBS we were told we would have 32 kids, so as anyone would do we brought supplies for 45. The fun began when we were told we might have a few kids from the school that is on the orphanage grounds. We were told maybe up to 120 or 150 kids. This sounds crazy since we planned for much fewer but we just said ok and worked it out. The story get better…

On our way to the orphanage on Monday (yesterday) we were informed that we would actually be working with all of the school children. This is a total of 300 kids!!! No small task for only 7 VBS workers! As before we sat down and figured out a way to make it work. It has been 2 wonderful days and we are almost ready for tomorrow. God has truly blessed us by giving us the opportunity to make the best of every moment with these kids. Please pray as we continue on this unexpected journey.

I will try to post again sometime this week. Have a blessed day. Goodnight from Nairobi, Kenya

Day 3 - party

2010-07-26T13:22:00.000-07:00

I haven't heard from Cliff today but we sure are missing him! Cliff, I hope you enjoy the videos of our party today. Camden is doing great! He enjoyed being in the water and napping off and on while everyone else played. You can see everyone at the party in the video below.

Video of Camden in water

2010-07-26T13:16:00.001-07:00

Camden's First Swim

2010-07-26T13:05:00.000-07:00

We got to go over to Kimmie Jo's today to swim. It was a big party with all our family there, Dom, Gus and Aunt Lynne, Rendi and her boys, Holly and her kids, and some of Kimmie Jo's family too. We even got to hang out with Kari and Mason for a little while! The girls had a ball swimming and Camden was totally relaxed in the water.

NeNe and Gigi with a sleeping Camden.

Kimmie Jo, Jessie in her lap and Leigh! Thanks Kimmie and Brad for having us over!!!

Rendi with Jake, Trish with Dakota and Robbyn swimming.

Me and Camden! Wish I hadn't had mascara on!! Ugh!

Day 2

2010-07-25T19:28:00.000-07:00

Well, no pictures for you today, but it has been a great Sunday. Camden and I got to skype with Cliff and see his face. He made it safely to Kenya with the team. But they have NO luggage!! Every bag was missing when they arrived in Kenya and they still haven't gotten them back yet. Cliff said they are faring well though and should have their luggage first thing in the morning. The team also has another challenge to deal with as they begin day 1 with the kids tomorrow at the Baptist Children's Home. Instea of 40 kids, they will be having well over 100 kids each day for the VBS. The whole school gets to participate instead of just the kids staying at the BCC! Cliff sounded very positive at all. They are just having to be flexible and roll with the moment. Please pray for their continued safety and that God would use each person as He sees fit throughout the week.

Camden and I enjoyed a morning at my home church, Tate Springs. It was so good to worship with family and my church family. Also, it was such a wonderful change to worship in a place where so many wonderful memories live for me! Camden got to be in the same nursery where I spent many Sundays as a baby. The lady in the nursery this morning was the same lady who rocked me when I was a baby. Camden did great and got to hang with his cousin Aleigh during worship! We rested this afternoon and then went to a friend's 50th birthday party at On the Border where we saw many old Tate Springers! Camden slept the whole time but I sure did enjoy seeing so many dear friends.

Tomorrow we get to swim with the cousins and see Dom, Gus and Aunt Lynne! Fun day ahead!

Day 1 Conclusion

2010-07-24T18:26:00.000-07:00

Day 1 has come to an end. It is 8:30 and as sad as this may seem to some I am about to go to bed. We have had a full afternoon of fun with the family. Camden was worn out and fell asleep about 8. We went to Westin Gardens today to check out the renovated 'boat.' It was gorgeous there! We walked around the ponds, saw many flowers in bloom, checked out some goldfish, and saw lots of cute cats. We were all hot and sweaty by the end, but we enjoyed the afternoon together. After that the girls all came over for hot dogs at Mom's house. Camden has been such a trooper today through the hot outdoor excursion and the craziness of having four little girls running around! He loves having the little girls talk to him. He smiles and talks back to them.

Here we are all geared up to go walk the gardens. Camden fell asleep for most of the tour!

Below are the three of us, Trish, me and Leigh with our babies. Aleigh is 9 months, Camden 4 and baby Donaldson will be here in October. They will all be buds! Aleigh wants to eat Camden all the time!

And finally, our smiley Robbyn! She is such a poser these days giving big cheesy smiles! Cliff we hope you are having fun in Kenya and we love you very much!

Day 1

2010-07-24T08:43:00.000-07:00

Day 1 of 12 without Cliff has begun. I survived the drive to Arlington with Camden from Amarillo. The last two hours I wanted to shoot myself but that is a faint memory now (Camden cried most of the last two hours AND we were stuck in traffic in Fort Worth). I was welcomed by three little squeely girls yelling my name! Lerin, Robbyn and Dakota all came running up when I got out of the car at Mom's house and gave Camden and I the biggest hugs and kisses. The drive was totally worth it! Camden slept good last night and we have enjoyed this lazy Saturday morning by going to breakfast with Mom and a nice walk outside.

Camden zoned out during the walk on NeNe's chest! It was nice and cool outside!

We miss you already Cliff!!! 11 days and counting!

Camden's Dedication at FBC Amarillo

2010-07-15T20:01:00.000-07:00

I finally figured out how to get videos off of our video camera to put on the blog. I have several great videos of Camden, but the videos take almost an hour to upload! So for now you get to see Camden's dedication. It was a very sweet time for us. We are so thankful for God's precious gift to our family!

2 and 3 months

2010-07-06T09:36:00.000-07:00

Camden is so much fun these days! He is reaching for toys, smiling and giggling. He is trying to roll over and can entertain himself for a little while moving around on his blanket.

We had dedication at church on Sunday. Our parents and Cliff's grandparents made the trip for the dedication. We cooked out for the 4th and saw fireworks from our backyard on Sunday night.

Camden is now three months old! I skipped posting his 2 month pic because we have been really busy. We had the trip to Arlington, then a week of preparation for VBS then VBS week. Camden had a blast at his first Vacation Bible School. He got to hang out with two other baby girls every morning and was spoiled by his teachers. It was a tiring week but so much fun!

3 month picture

ARLINGTON!!!

2010-06-21T13:05:00.000-07:00

Wow! This post has been long in coming. Camden is not gaining weight well so I am feeding him all the time and having little time for anything else.

Our trip to Arlington was awesome, we saw lots of family and celebrated two 2 year old birthday parties! You can see some pictures below.

2 mo appointment

2010-06-12T12:39:00.000-07:00

We have been sooo busy lately that I have not taken the time to post any pictures. I do have some from May 29th when Camden was 2 mo and then some from our trip to Arlington. Next week is VBS for us so life continues to be crazy for the next week, but I will see if I can get some up soon.

We went to the doctor on Thursday for Camden's 2 mo check up. He is almost 10 weeks now. He had two shots and did not cry at all!! I was pretty shocked and quite proud. He weighed 9lb 10 oz and was 24.5 in long. He is 8th percentile in weight and 88th percentile in height!! You are all right when you say he is long and skinny! Ha! The doc said he's very healthy and growing just fine.

Camden is so fun to be with! He smiles all the time and loves being talked to and talking back to us. I will try to post some pictures soon of our trip. We had soooo much fun in Arlington hanging out with family and playing with cousins.

A post of pictures

2010-05-25T13:16:00.000-07:00

6 Week Shots

2010-05-11T09:21:00.000-07:00

I meant to add this to the last post.

I took Camden to the doc yesterday. He weighed in at 8lbs 13oz and got 2 shots. We only saw the nurse today and will see the doctor at his two month appointment which will actually be when he is about 10 weeks old. He definitely screamed and was totally shocked by getting stuck but after a minute he was fine and happy again. Yesterday he was fussy most of the day, but I just enjoyed holding him and cuddling him! I thought everyone would want to know how big he was now so I had to share.

Thursday we leave for Corpus Christi by way of New Braunfels to celebrate Kimberly's graduation from college. We are so proud of her and look forward to being with family. Camden and I will be staying for a full week but Cliff will have to come back home Monday for work.

A Mother

2010-05-10T15:02:00.000-07:00

WHOA!...people kept saying Happy Mother's day yesterday and it was one of the most surreal mornings of my life. Such a strange new world and so awesome at the same time. Camden was precious all day. He went to the nursery for the first time at church and slept through the whole thing. He will be well loved at FBC. The ladies were so excited to have him! I felt very comfortable leaving him with them and he obviously didn't care at all. Cliff was so sweet to me all day! He fixed us waffles for lunch and then worked the rest of the day in the yard! We went to home depot and lowe's and I got a retro glider for Mother's Day. It looks so adorable in our new flower bed. We had an area of the yard where no grass was growing so we tilled it up and are going to plant flowers and things that do well in the shade. We also got the small garden planted. I am curious to see if it will produce. I have tomatos, jalapeno peppers, squash. Last year only the tomatos produced so we'll see what happens. Camden was a trooper all day enjoying being in his bouncy seat in the shade. He was so cute!

I really missed being with my own Mama on Mother's Day. I hate that we miss out on so many family cook outs back home, but I am so very blessed and thankful for the family God has given me here in Amarillo. I definitely cherish time with the rest of our family since we get so little!

1 Month!!

2010-04-29T19:03:00.000-07:00

My baby is 1 month old today and I can hardly believe it!! I took lots of pictures today trying to cement the day in my memory. He is just so precious and I don't ever want to forget these sweet days with him. Here are some of the pictures from the day. He is still so serious! He does smile some, but I haven't caught any of those on camera yet!

The morning started in his 'I love Daddy' shirt but he peed through that early on! So...onto the 'I love Mommy' shirt. :)

I have seen some friends do pictures like this with a stuffed animal every month so I decided to do the same to compare how he grows each month.

This afternoon Camden and I went over to my friend Elizabeth's house and got to hang out with her and her sweet new baby Reese. Reese was born two weeks after Camden. I am so thankful for Mark and Elizabeth's friendship. It will be a fun year watching our babies grow together!

This Week

2010-04-23T18:19:00.000-07:00

We have had a great week at home this week. Last weekend Debbie came to get some baby holding in. She was here Friday night thru Sunday afternoon. We loved having her here to love on Camden! Then Sunday night Mimi and Bipaw came and stayed until Tuesday morning. The days were again filled with baby holding and visiting. It was so nice to get to sit and talk and share life for a couple of days. I will leave you with some pictures of last weekend and this week.

Camden is already changing so much. He is now noticing light and loves staring at the windows or at the ceiling lights. He loves to be cuddled close and is now enjoying bath time. Only he hates getting his head wet! We got out several times this week to run quick errands. On Thursday we made our first trip up to the church to meet lots of new friends! The ladies in the office enjoyed passing him around and ooing and ahhing! We will be going to church Sunday morning. It feels good for me to re-enter life again!

Aquino Girls

2010-04-11T16:34:00.000-07:00

My sister Leigh and her three girls came to visit us in Amarillo last Monday thru Thursday. I am so glad that they got to come and spend a few days visiting Camden and helping out!! I was so sad to see them and Mom leave Thursday. I have to say I have been pretty weepy since then! Poor Cliff must think I am losing my mind. I am so happy but these hormones are on a crazy roller coaster and them leaving town just set me off. Oh my!!

Lerin and Robbyn loved helping feed Pinkie everyday! They could not wait to give her a daily carrot. Pinkie was in heaven with Mom taking care of her. Mom let her out every morning and she just ran the yard all day until she was put up before dark.

Cliff scored major points this week with his neices as well. I do not have the pictures of it on my computer, but he took Lerin and Robbyn to Chuck E Cheese! They came home with bags of cotton candy and a tootsie roll. They were the only ones there that day at 11 on a Wednesday. They had a blast!

Camden has been sun bathing a bit each day to keep the jaundice at bay. His coloring looks great and we aren't concerned at all. Tomorrow we go see his doctor for the first time and then have a photo session scheduled. It will be a busy morning and I am a bit nervious but I am trying to let God take that and I am praying for a happy morning for the three of us.

Can you imagine the wild week we had with this bunch?! We had a blast and the girls were sooo sweet. We definitely had all of them screaming at the same time once or twice! Leigh and Mom were a huge help around the house as I continued to recover. I think I am finally getting back to a somewhat normal state from my surgery. I can still feel discomfort in my incision but overall I feel like I can do alot and for that I am thankful!

Look at how beautiful and grown up this little one is. She is reading a nursery rhyme book here and has so many memorized! She would see the pictures and then begin to recite the ones she knows. I was really impressed. I think she has an excellent memory like her momma. I got her on camera doing a recitation and skit of Little Miss Muffet. I just don't know how to upload those yet. Maybe I'll work on that this week if I get a chance. It is stinkin' adorable!

Below is Camden at 1 1/2 weeks and Aleigh at 6 months. Isn't she cute? She has started chunking up and is a happy baby most of the time giving us the biggest grins!

My sweet Momma and her girls. She is the best NeNe around! I know she must have been exhausted after spending almost three weeks here helping me out and helping with the girls. I am so blessed to have her as my Mom and for her giving up her weeks for us. It was really a gift! And I'm crying again, Ha!, so I think I'll stop now. More later!

A Visit with Cousins

2010-04-11T16:04:00.000-07:00

My cousin Chuck and his family stopped through to stay at our house Saturday night on their way back to Denton. They had spent the week on vacation traveling from Denton to New Mexico to Colorado and were pretty road weary when they arrived. We were happy to have them stay and finally get to meet Enzo. Boy is he cute!!! And Ruby is such a doll. I loved hearing her chatter about everything. :) Below are a few pictures I got of the three kiddos. Enzo was so smiley and sweet.
Below is a pic of Camden in his new hat. Isn't he adorable!! I went with my friend Hannah to the Amarillo 'Just Between Friends' sale. I have to say I was a bit disappointed in our sale after hearing about the one in Arlington. They had barely any newborn clothes but I was able to find a few 0-3 and 3-6 mo outfits for him. And this hat for a buck!

This is mt favorite picture of Camden and Enzo. Enzo has the longest prettiest eyelashes!

Camden has had a special week of deliveries addressed to him. I had to take some pictures. Thanks for the outfits!

Easter Sunday

2010-04-07T19:52:00.000-07:00

This Easter was quite different than any we had celebrated before. Mom and I both thought it very strange not to be worshipping in a body of believers at church the way we always have. The day was so sweet though spent enjoying out gift from God. Our friends the Maybins brought Easter lunch and we had a great time enjoying one another's company. Our three boys will be great friends once Camden grows! God is so good and we are so thankful for Jesus who made a way for us to have a relationshiop with the Father and to live rich lives of joy!

Thank you Bradley and Emily for helping make our Easter so special!!

1 Week and 2 Days

2010-04-07T19:33:00.000-07:00

Camden is already changing so much in the week he has been here with us. We have had lots of cuddle time over the last few days. I have cherished every second of it! He makes the sweetest noises and is happy most of the time. He is sleeping 2 1/2 to 3 hours at a time at night waking to eat and get a diaper changed in between.

Camden's cousins and Aunt Leigh Leigh came in to visit this week. They leave tomorrow along with Mom. It will be strange being home alone with Camden this next week. I imagine there will be lots of crying on both our parts. I am pretty weapy these days! Below are a few photos from the last few days. Camden had a touch of jaundice. The doc said just to feed him alot and let him get some sunlight. The first picture is Camden flopped over in his bouncy snoozing away.

We took lots of pictures of Allie (6 mo) and Camden (1 week). They matched in their green one morning. Allie had fun checking him out!

Camden Scott Cary

2010-03-31T09:01:00.000-07:00

Camden was born Monday night at 10:44 PM. He weighed 7lbs 13 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. He is perfectly healthy and such a pretty baby. We could not be any more proud. Sorry that we have not posted anything yet. We will be taking more pictures and will post them soon.

I ended up having to have a c-section. Today I finally feel like myself and will enjoy the day in the hospital. Camden was twisted up inside and was not moving down properly. I was having regular, strong contractions most of the day but I was not making enough progress from about 2 or 3 o'clock to 9:30 when the doctor came back to check. Dr. Castillo said we could try a couple of more hours but she was sure that the baby's head was turned wrong and would not come down properly. We decided to trust our doc and go in for the c-section. After a few tears from me and a big family prayer they wheeled me in and we had Camden a few minutes later.

I am sad to say that I remember very very little of his birth. They had me very heavily sedated. I remember them announcing that we had a son and then later Cliff brought Camden over to me after he'd been cleaned up. I gave him a kiss and then Cliff asked what I thought about naming him Camden. We had three names to choose from once he was born and Camden was the newest edition as of the day before. I am not sure what words I used, but I told Cliff that Camden sounded good and then I was out!! In recovery I wondered if I was remembering things correctly. When Cliff came in to the recovery room abotu an hour after Camden was born with our son I realized that 'yes,' we had a boy and we named him Camden Scott!! He was absolutely perfect. The misery of the c-section went away very qiuckly once I was able to hold him and we successfully nursed for the first time. He has been a champ in the eating area! He likes to eat. :)

I am so thankful for the family we had here waiting ALL day Monday. Cliff's parents, Kimberly, my parents, Trish, Dakota and Mimi all came to wait it out. I am certain God was in control but he sure did make us wait!!! All of these peole didn't even get to hold him that night. And poor Trish didn't even get to meet him. They had to leave Tuesday to get Dakota home since she was not feeling well. I hope that they get to come back in the next few weeks. Mimi won her bet with Dad with her prediction of the baby being a boy. I know it was a proud moment for her!

Below is the picture of us taken just before going in early Monday morning for the induction. We were excited and ready for he day knowing nothing about what we were about to experience.

Proud Aunt KK holding Camden. He was wide eyed and ready to take in the world yesterday.

I will try to get some better pictures to post soon!

March 29th

2010-03-26T10:02:00.000-07:00

We scheduled to be induced on Monday. I haven't made much progress this week in doing it on my own so we will get some help. I will go in to the hospital Monday at 7am and pray that the medicine does the trick. My doctor said we'd have a baby by the end of the day one way or the other. Thankfully, both baby and I are both healthy. The heart rate was strong today. For that I am very, very thankful. As much as I would love for my body to just go in to labor I know that this is best considering the risks of waiting another week. Thanks for your prayers and we look forward to introducing our baby to you very soon!

Baby Update

2010-03-19T09:41:00.000-07:00

I just got back from the doctor. No baby yet! I have made some progress (at a 3) so we agreed to wait and see what happens for another week. If baby has not come in another week she will induce me on the 29th. I am relieved to at least have an end date, but I am praying hard that God would let this baby come sometime this next week. We need the baby to drop and get this show on the road!! We'll keep you updated!

O the waiting!

2010-03-18T11:10:00.000-07:00

I know this isn't much of a news flash to all of you, but seriously! We will have one of these in our house very, very soon!! Whoa!!

And the anticipation is killing us. Ha! I have thoroughly enjoyed this week at home! I have done things around the house that I have been putting off, run errands that needed to get done, napped a couple of days. We got to have dinner over at Joe and Hannah's house and I was able to do lunch with my friend Elizabeth whose baby is due in April. I've gone for a couple of walks since it has been an absolutely gorgeous week. No baby yet though with all of this alternating activity and rest.

I'm trying to wrap my mind around the idea that it could still be another week or more before baby arrives. We had a minor camcorder emergency this week. I couldn't find the cord to charge the battery. I rush ordered the part I needed and got it in the mail today. The baby can officially come now that that is taken care of!

I am really excited about tomorrow. Cliff has Fridays off so tomorrow will be our first Friday to spend together in at least 2 years. Tomorrow will the first day of our new normal together. Maybe I'll make some waffles to celebrate in the morning!

Tomorrow we will also go to the doctor again. I'm pretty sure nothing has changed. I really, really hope that I do not have to be induced!! Sunday is the due date so we shall just have to continue this waiting game.

We Wait

2010-03-11T13:32:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted much lately. Things are sort of on hold around our house just waiting and waiting for a baby to arrive. Today is my last day of work. I am so very much looking forward to some time off of work before my new "job" begins. The "job" that I have been looking forward to for practically my whole life! I saw the doctor again yesterday. I have made a miniscule amount of progress towards the end goal. She wasn't going to make any predictions on when the baby might come or when we might schedule to be induced. I appreciate her letting this whole thing work as naturally as possible even though we are both anxious to just have this baby here!

I am feeling good for the most part. Of course sleeping is a chore at times for all of the work it takes to change sides and the constant need to go to the bathroom. Ha! Poor Cliff is probably not enjoying his sleep as much either because I end up waking him up off and on at night. He's being such trooper and patiently takes my moans and groans. He will even rub my feet every once in a while even though I know he HATES this. I have had regular swelling in my feet and hands. After really long days, like Wednesdays, it gets pretty bad and uncomfortable. And I have had swelling in my hands causing my fingers to feel tingly. Like they are constantly 'falling asleep.' The nurse said it is just carpel tunnel (sp?) and that I am lucky that it waited this long to start. I think it is just annoying!

The weekend will be nice. We, as in Cliff, will be helping Hannah and Joe move to a new place tonight. I'll be helping out where I can. Then Saturday we are going to meet Mom and Dad in Vernon and swap some furniture. They are bringing a rocking chair and a bassinet and we are going to have them take a chair that I want recovered. It will be nice to enjoy a couple of hours with them. Too bad we live to so far away!

Cliff finished up with his semester last weekend. yay! He has three weeks off until a new semester starts. I know he will enjoy not having to stay up late working on school work for a little while.

Well, that's our life in a nutshell right now. Hopefully we'll have pictures of our new baby very soon to post on here!

This Could Go All the Way

2010-03-03T14:01:00.000-08:00

Saw the doc this afternoon. This baby is not coming any time soon! Well, as far as we can tell. No changes and I haven't had any contractions. The baby's heart rate was strong and I have been doing well. I've committed to one more week of work so I guess this is for the best. I'll keep you all posted!

In other news, Gus is at home with his Mama and Daddy. Please keep praying for the Callender's though because Gus is still having some tummy trouble that has them pretty stressed! We love you Dom, Luke and Gus!

Good Monday Morning!

2010-03-01T06:54:00.000-08:00

Hello world! I wish I could say I was as perky as the title suggests, however, it is Monday morning and I'd rather be at home than at work. Just wanted to update on the weekend. We have the baby bed painted and in the room. Poor Cliff could not let it go undone for another day since everyone keeps bugging him about getting it done. I am so thankful for Cliff! He has worked hard getting everything ready for the baby to arrive. I'll have to take a picture soon so you can all see how sweet the baby bed looks in the room.

Friday night we spent three hours at the coffee shop with some friends!! It was so nice and reminded me of the good old days at HPU where we could hang out with friends for hours just talking about nothing. I am thankful for the Thompson's, Mason's, and the Eliason's for showing up to hang out!

I declared Saturday pajama day and pretty much accomplished my goal until about 4pm. I had to make a home depot run for the baby bed, grabbed a sonic drink and was home the rest of the night. Cliff got us hot wings for dinner, yum! I have to say I haven't really had cravings throughout this pregnancy, but hot wings may be the closest things. I figure I shouldn't be eating Wing Stop's wings and fries after the baby comes in order to get this body back in shape so I enjoyed them Saturday. :)

And of course, Sunday was a busy busy day as usual. I managed to squeeze in a much needed hour nap though. We had lunch after church with Dr. Joel Gregory and a few of the staff members. It was fun hearing his stories! His sermon series on Joel has been eye opening and convicting.

Sorry I haven't posted pictures lately. I'll try to be better this week!

We Wait

2010-02-24T13:08:00.000-08:00

I went to the doctor this afternoon. The appointment was short and sweet. She told me my blood counts were great. Direct quote from the doc regarding my blood count, "The best I've ever seen." Not sure what that means except I'm healthy. LOL! Anyway, the baby is very active and has a good strong heart rate. Dr. Castillo said that the baby measured in the 66th percentile on the sonogram I had last week, very average. I am just measuring funny because of the way my body is carrying baby and extra weight.

I will return to see Dr. Castillo next Wednesday afternoon. This may go all the way people!

Our friends Jon and Lindsay had their precious baby Eli yesterday in Midland! I could not be more excited for them. And really, now that Eli is here it makes me even more ready for our baby to be here. I always said to myself that our time was not too far away after Eli made his appearance. Well now he's here so I'm ready for my turn!!

The Countdown Begins

2010-02-18T10:59:00.001-08:00

I had a sonogram and an appointment with the doctor this morning. Our baby is growing just fine and is already about 6 pounds. We are down to the last month before our due date and could not be more ready to meet him or her! The baby was curled up in a little ball for the whole sonogram so we didn't get any great pictures, but what we did see was absolutely precious. We saw lots of hair growing on the back of the head, sweet plump lips, and a perfect forehead. We didn't see any of the gender specifying parts so I am sorry to tell you we still don't know if we are having a boy or a girl. You will all have to wait just a little bit longer. Ha! The poll is showing you all think it is a boy. Hmmm....only God knows right?! While the baby measured a little ahead of the due date, my due date stands at March 21st.

The doc gave us the run down on when to call and/or get to the hospital. I will go every week now until the end. O the end sounds so nice!! As anxious as I am about the actual birth proceedings :) I am ready to be done with sharing my body. And more ready to meet this little person!!

I am still working at the church, probably for another couple of weeks. We have lots of organizing and preparing at home. While this would probably drive most people crazy, I'm doing pretty good with the piles at home. Yes, the baby will be a handful and I will be tired, but baby and I will just finish it all together in the days and months ahead. And in the grand scheme of things, all of the stuff doesn't matter anyway. I am reminded everyday of how bountifully I live while so much of the world lives on much, much less!! I have alot to be thankful for, why waste my days in worry!!

Pictures from Simply Darling Photography

2010-02-17T11:16:00.001-08:00

On our vacation to Glorieta, Patricia of Simply Darling Photography (aka my sister-in-law), took some pregnancy pictures for me. Aaron, Trish, Cliff and I set out on our little photo excursion as the sun was beginning to set. It was so cold! At one point we were hiking through knee deep snow. There was a ton of snow on the ground and it was quite the adventure getting the shots! The three below are previews of the photo shoot. Trish did an amazing job! I am so thankful to have these memories.

A Weekend of Fun!

2010-02-14T20:40:00.000-08:00

Happy Love day to you all. Our day has been filled with church, family and more church. What could be better than remembering why we celebrate love day than to remember Jesus whose name means LOVE!

This weekend has been alot of fun at the Cary house. Our church threw us a fabulous baby shower so we had some family join us for the fun. Debbie and Kimberly flew in Friday night late and flew back home this afternoon. My parents and Mimi and Bipaw came Friday afternoon through yesterday afternoon. It was so nice having family here for a little while to celebrate baby with us and meet our church family.

Daddy's birthday is next week so I made him a chocolate cream pie. The pie is my grandmama's specialty so I consulted with her on recipe and instructions to get it just right. I was pretty proud of the final product as you can see in the picture below. We critiqued the product and next time I am sure it will be even better! Overall it was delicious, maybe just a little on the chocolaty side.

Happy Birthday Daddy! I love you and I am so proud to be your daughter. I am thankful for you!!!

Our shower was Saturday morning from 10-11:30. Andlet me tell you, I sat in that rocker the entire time and the presents flowed the full hour and a half. The ladies did an amazing job organizing and decorating for the shower. We are so blessed to be a part of such a generous church family. I have to say it is humbling to be showered with so much when others have so little. I am determined to be generous with my time, money and gifts to others.

Below is Cliff and I at the beginning of the shower. Yes, he attended the shower as well. He did a great job working the crowd while I unwrapped!!

Here is a pic of all of the wonderful hostesses!! I told you we are blessed. Thank you FBCA!!

I took some pictures of all of the baby stuff we got this weekend for family to see.
Here is the adorable high chair we got from my parents!! I love it and we have the perfect spot for it in our kitchen!

We have the baby einstein play thing from Trish and Aaron and our stroller/car seat combo from Nana and Grandpa. Thanks guys!!

Since we don't know the sex of the baby we got alot of books instead of clothes! Here are some of the sweet books we got. I can't wait to read them to our precious baby!

You can see the rest of the gifts here and the color of the baby's room. I love the color!! It is so calming and will be perfect for either a boy or a girl. The orange chair in the corner will be recovered soon if I can just locate a good upholsterer here in Amarillo. We got several very special hand made blankets. You can see the little bouncer, boppy, basket of clothes and basket of toys. Even the two diaper bags that I had wished for!!

Below is the picture of the dresser that I repainted. The changing pad is on top. It is a little big and I haven't decided if we will just make it work or try to find a smaller one. As you can see there is nothing on the walls yet and no baby bed in the room yet. The baby bed is still to be painted and I think wall hangings will wait until the baby arrives. We will finally know if we are having a boy or a girl and I will be able to stay home and make it just like I want it!

All in all it was a great weekend. I have five weeks left before my due date. We get to have a sonogram on Thursday. I am anxious to see how big they think the baby is and to see if we will have any clue if it may come early or not. I am still feeling great, just anxious for birth day to get here!

Ski Trip 10 Glorieta, NM

2010-02-09T18:54:00.000-08:00

Below you will see a slide show of photos from our ski trip to New Mexico. It was such a fabulous week of relaxation and lots of fun family time. We stayed at the FBC lodge in Glorieta, NM and went in to Santa Fe to ski and enjoy the town a little. I got sick with some kind of 24 hour bug on Tuesday but recouperated pretty quickly and was able to enjoy all four neices. Dakota was also not feeling great the whole week. She ran a low grade fever most of the time. I think she was still able to enjoy the week though playing in the lodge and just hanging out. Cliff and I made alot of headway with her knowing us and loving us!

The last couple of pictures are of our street in Amarillo. We returned that Saturday to about a foot of snow. The roads were closed Thursday and Friday so we were fortunate to have planned to return home on Saturday. It has been cold and yucky ever since we got home. We are expecting some snow again on Thursday of this week. We'll see what happens!

Baby Update

2010-02-04T07:26:00.000-08:00

I went to the doctor yesterday. For the most part everything looks great. The baby's heart rate is good, my blood pressure is great. However, I did measure the same at my last two appointments so I have a sonogram scheduled in a couple of weeks to make sure that the baby is growing properly. The doctor did not seem worried just wanted to have it checked out. Cliff and I are looking forward to seeing the baby again and finding out how big he/she is. The baby is wiggling around all of the time! It is so hard to believe that in 6 short weeks we'll be holding our baby AND we will finally get to discover if we have a baby boy or a baby girl!

Herd Reunion 2010

2010-01-31T20:09:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago I got to spend a weekend with my college girlfriends in Arlington at Brandi's house. There were 11 of us who got together most of which ended up staying a night or two at Brandi's place. This group of girls is so special to me! I cannot express how thankful I am to have them each in my life. We may not keep in touch as often as we'd all like, but this commitment to get together once a year is just priceless! We shared memories of our college days, supported each other in new ventures for the year to come and encouraged each other. We laughed alot!

They also surprised me with a baby shower! I brought home lots of cute baby stuff! Thank you girls for taking the time to celebrate baby Cary with me!!! Below are a few pictures of the weekend. I didn't get my camera out near as much as I'd like I was just soaking up the little time I had with them!

Below from left to right: Kate, Me, Sarah, Stephanie, Kalie, Becca, Meredith, Jan and Brandi

We were also very thankful that two of our friends and college RA's showed up to hang out on Saturday. Thanks Michelle and G for making time to hang out!

31 weeks 4 days

2010-01-21T13:14:00.000-08:00

I had another doctor's appointment today. Everything looks great so far! The doctor saw the baby kicking around and she seemed pleased. I am thankful that the appointments are short and sweet. I am feeling good. It seems that the online concensus for the baby poll to the side has decided that we are having a baby boy. :) This is a hotly debated issue around here. Our church family here at FBC Amarillo has decided we are having a girl. The Cary's believe we are having a boy. The Donaldson's are pretty undecided at this point. I absolutely cannot wait to find out!! As anxious as I am about the birth day, meeting our baby boy or girl will definitely make all of the anxiety melt away.

Cliff and I officially graduated from baby class Tuesday night. We know it all now! :) We have practiced swaddling, learned the five S's to sooth our baby, seen graphic films of birth both live and cesarean, Cliff has learned how to be a human table (ask him about it!), and we have practiced a breathing technique. Now we must just wait for baby to arrive and watch all of that learning go out the window! Ha!

In other news: Last weekend was an absolute blast with all of my sweet friends. I have hit the ground running ever since being back in town so I have not had a chance to upload pictures yet. The reunion was a blast and Dom and I enjoyed a Sunday morning together. I got to see Gus who looks much better this time than the last time I was there a month ago. I am so thankful for God's answering our prayers! He is a strong baby and so beautiful. :) Dom and I enjoyed a manicure and pedicure and lunch together. I wish we could to it more often!

Cliff and I are getting ready for a week of vacation. We are headed to Glorieta and my family is joining us. Needless to say this week has been a crazy one getting our house ready for company and getting stuff together for being gone. It has felt like we were moving again with boxes everywhere from the baby room project. I willl post pics soon!

A Weekend to Look Forward To

2010-01-12T09:01:00.000-08:00

I am at work today. Nothing special about this day really. Cliff is out of town at a conference, he will be home sometime Wednesday night. Tonight I will be going to baby class to learn about birth while trying not to freak out over the many unknowns to come. 10 weeks and counting until we meet baby Cary. I am still feeling good. Sleeping at night is not the greatest joy it once was since I have to get up several times and I have a hard time finding a comfortable position. But hey, if that is my only complaint, I think I'm doing pretty good!

I am soooo ready for Friday. Cliff and I are kind of living our lives this week in passing. He gets home Wednesday night and then I will be leaving him Friday right after work to head to Arlington where I will get to see many of my college girlfriends!! (The drive is not really something to look forward to, but you know...you do what you gotta do right?) Brandi has been so generous to let us crash at her place for a couple of nights. I am sure there will be constant chatter and some good food thrown in the mix. We will get to the end of the weekend and say we wish we had more time. That seems to be the way it always ends. Many of us only "stay in touch" through facebook so it will be such a treat to get to talk face to face and catch up on life this past year. I can't wait to look through old pictures of our days in Brownwood together and reminisce. Those were the best days!! I am so thankful that my parents gave me those four years of college!

I think the picture below pretty much sums up the fun and carefree time that college was! Ha! We have all changed, we have all been through struggles that have shaped us into different people. Some of us have travelled to far away places, started new careers, continued in our education, gotten married, had babies, experienced loss of all kinds, moved to new homes and so much more. All of us have learned new things about ourselves and about God.

I also get to stop in and see Dom and Gus and maybe Luke on Sunday morning on my way back to Amarillo!! I am equally as excited about getting a few hours with them! I hate that it has to be under such circumstances, I wish I could see them at their home in Denton rather than at the hospital. We will make the best of it though!

Slideshow of holidays

2010-01-08T11:16:00.000-08:00

I haven't had time to upload pictures and I finally figured out how to make a slideshow of photos for you to view. The holidays were a busy, fun time with family. Since being back home we have been running here and there trying to get back in a routine while also planning for the baby. Cliff helped me paint the bedroom. I am so happy with the color! I will post pictures when I get it put together. We have a baby bed now, thanks so some sweet friends from back home! I want to paint it too but it has been soooo freezing cold here that I have put it off. I think it is going to take some work to finish all of the little peices on it.

Enjoy the slideshow.

And it is 2010!

2010-01-01T14:28:00.000-08:00

2010...I have sure looked forward to this year for a very, very long time. I rang in the new year with my dear friend Kalie last night. She has been in town with her family for a couple of weeks now. Her family was so kind to give her up for a night so that we could hang out. It was so good to talk, make cookies, and watch a fun movie. We even had a quick visit from two other friends from Brownwood, Kayla and Wendy! They were stopping in Amarillo over night on the way home from a ski trip.

Kalie left mid morning and I have had the day to rest and refinish a chest of drawers for the babies' room. I sanded it down and put two coats of paint on. I have just a few touch ups left. It looks great! Cliff offered to help paint the whole room next weekend so I changed gears for my original plan this weekend. He is off hunting again at the Ranch so I have a quiet couple of days left. I am looking forward to dinner with friends tonight. And I am missing family who are celebrating the holidays in Oklahoma with Grandaddy and Grandma Patti. I definitely hate missing out!

I am not much on making new year's resolutions. But I definitely have alot to look forward to this year. In 11 short weeks we will be holding out precious baby. While I have no idea how drastically life will change I am ready to embrace those changes whatever they may be.

Must Read

2009-12-30T08:00:00.000-08:00

Go here to my Aunt Lynne's blog. She writes about the battle that Dom/Luke and the rest of the family are facing right now as Gus continues to struggle. More importantly you will find hope in the one who knows the future. Please pray today for Gus. Pray for healing, pray that God would give him strong lungs. Pray for Dom to be encouraged and held up on all sides. For Luke as he works while his family sits at the hospital. God is the healer, He is the one who sustains and gives life.

Back in Business

2009-12-29T08:43:00.000-08:00

Well, life is getting back to normal after more than a week of holiday festivities. I will post pictures soon when I get a chance. Cliff and I enjoyed the holidays with lots of family. Our travels took us to Dallas, New Braunfels, Jacksonville, Kennedale and then back home this past Saturday. Then Sunday our friends Jon and Lindsay arrived for a visit! THey are staying through Wednesday and we are really enjoying hanging out and talking babies (their baby Eli will be here in about 8 weeks). I did have to go back to work Monday and will work through Thursday but we have lunches and evenings to hang out.

Here is a break down of our Christmas week:
Friday, Dec. 18- I flew to Dallas, was picked up by Debbie and Kimberly
Saturday - shopping and Rockettes with the ladies on Cliff's side
Sunday - I got to see Gus, Dom and Luke for a bit at the hospital, more shopping, and then picked up Cliff in Waco, drove to New Braunfels
Monday - Wednesday - hanging out with family in NB, trip to Landa Park, decorating sugar cookies, resting
Wednesday - drive to Jacksonville
Thursday - prepare for Parson's Christmas, hang out with family
Friday - Christmas extravaganza, passing around cousin's tiny baby, eating
Saturday - begin trip home, stop in Arlington for lunch with my family in Kennedale, drive the rest of the way to Amarillo

Whew! It was a busy week with lots of driving!

It is absolutely dead around the office today. Ugh! I've already just about finished a book I started yesterday. Cliff woke up this morning with a low grade fever. I am praying he doesn't get really sick. He showed up to work a while ago so he must not be too ill. Of course he would die if he missed having to hunt this weekend so sick or not he'll just keep on trucking I'm sure.

Please, please please continue to pray for Gus, Dom and Luke. God is sustaining them and continues to work in Gus' body but they continue to wait it out at the hospital.

More to come, just wanted everyone to know we are still around!

Please be Praying

2009-12-16T11:08:00.001-08:00

Please be praying for my cousin and best friend Dominee and her family right now. I know they are coveting everyone's prayers today. Gus is her four month old son and will be having heart surgery in the next week or so. We are confident that God will provide for all their needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus. It is still a very very scary time for Dom and Luke and the rest of the family. Thankfully, Gus is a happy boy right now getting every need met by Dom and Luke. I know Jesus will be with him speaking sweet things in his ears as he undergoes surgery very soon. You can see updates at their blog .

Baby Cary Pics

2009-12-15T13:21:00.000-08:00

The sonogram went great today. We had the same tech as last time and she was AMAZING. She definitely knows how to make you feel comfortable and normal. The baby is a little over 2 pounds now and looks beautiful!

Check out the pictures! The first is my favorite. Our baby has some lips! I can't wait to kiss them. If you want to see the pictures bigger you can click on them to enlarge. The tech tried to do 3D but the baby didn't cooperate very well. The last one here is the best we got.

Baby Update

2009-12-14T13:13:00.000-08:00

I am now 26 weeks along in the pregnancy. I went to the doctor today, had to get blood drawn and all that jazz. I get to have a second sonogram tomorrow afternoon. We are excited about that. It will be fun to see what the baby looks like now! I am getting closer now, marked by the joy of going to the doctor every two weeks. I really hate going to the doctor!

I'll post more tomorrow after the sonogram. Baby Cary will be here very soon. My doctor was pretty much telling me that time was running short. We have to register for baby classes and get all the paperwork done at the hospital already. I guess we need to pick up the pace here a little bit. Let me get through Christmas first and then I will be in full blown baby mode. Only two more weeks of the holidays to go!

Updated Format

2009-12-08T13:40:00.001-08:00

I updated our background. I'm still not very happy with it, but it is definitely an improvement from the last one. Robbie, I still want you to show me how to make it look cool!!

I have added a poll on the sidebar for you to vote on whether or not you think Baby Cary is going to be a boy or a girl. Cast you vote, you have until March 1st. I am guessing that we are having a girl, but Cliff insists that it is a boy! He better be coming up with a good boy name since we have had trouble nailing one down! Of course in the end we will be thrilled no matter what.

Dad, you can find other family member's blogs to the left. I think they should all be correct now!

MSSW Graduation Extravaganza

2009-12-07T17:45:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful week last week was! After the excitement of Thanksgiving was over Mom and I flew back to Amarillo very early Monday morning. She came to spend the week with me and help me prepare for company that planned to come in Thursday and Friday. I graduated with my Master's in Social Work from UTArlington last Saturday. Dad brought Leigh and the girls with him Thursday evening and then on Friday Cliff's parents, sister Kimberly and Grandparents arrived. They all made me feel very special and helped me celebrate the occasion!

Below are a few pictures of the weekend. I felt so blessed to have everyone in town!!

Check out this link for more pictures:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2016159&id=100400212&l=e2927a31c2

Thanksgiving II

2009-12-07T17:26:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving continued for the Donaldson family in Midlothian on Saturday. Cliff was so nice and let me stay in Arlington for the weekend so that I could see my Dad's side of the family too. It has been a couple of years since I have gotten to spend a day with them and we had a good time together. The food was delicious, but it was also good to sit and play games together. I remember as a kid at holidays we would all sit around the glass table at Grandmama's house and play all sorts of games. I know Dad and all of his sisters must have had fun growing up because they all enjoyed playing games together. This year we sat around the table at Aunt Kathy's house and played Apples to Apples. Grandmama made her yummy chocolate pie and Uncle Shea grilled delicious ribs for all of us! I also had the wonderful privelege of meeting my cousin Brittanie's baby Peyton!

Below from left to right: Drew, Bubba, Trish, Meagan standing, and Brittanie on the floor.

Talking and playing games.

This is Aunt Carol and her first grandbaby Peyton! Isn't she cute!

Uncle Josh and Peyton.

Grandmama and some of us sitting around in the living room. It was a relaxing Saturday afternoon.

Dakota bonded with Aunt Beth. This is a pic of Dakota, Drew and Aunt Beth. Fun people!

Thanksgiving in Glen Rose 09

2009-12-07T17:07:00.001-08:00

Below are a smattering of pictures from our Thanksgiving in Glen Rose. For some reason I was too busy living life, enjoying my family instead of taking pictures. I didn't get shots of many of the family members that were there!! I'm sad about that but I'm hoping that my family can make up for that. (send me links to your pictures if you have them: Aunt Laura, Mimi, whoever else may have taken some!)

Praise God for Dad's new hip! He hiked to the river with us and did all sorts of crazy stuff that he was not able to do for many years! Robbyn took her first hike to the river with us too. She did great walking most of the way. Greg and Kathy hiked too...we had fun!

My beautiful girl Lerin!

We had family pictures done. Hopefully I'll be able to share those soon when Trish gets them all done. This is one taken beforehand of Cliff and I. You can see the baby in this one! The baby is growing and kicking all the time. We can't wait to meet him or her!

My beautiful Aunt Lynne! It was so good to get to visit some!

Check out these happy faces!!! We were on our way to the playground and these kiddos could not be having more fun! From left to right: Robbyn, Calvin, Cybil, Lerin, Clinton, and Carsen.

Dakota and Cliff playing outside. Dakota had a ball playing with her cousins!

This is baby Elizabeth. She is my cousin Chase and his wife Melissa's baby. She looks just like a Rampy baby to me!

And here's Ruby! She is Chuck and Ginger's baby. She'll be having a baby brother very soon!

And here is baby Aleigh, my neice. She is precious! Check out her happy smile while she sleeps. She was also happy to be surrounded by family!

Before Cliff and I got to Glen Rose we stopped to have lunch with our good friends Chris and Laura and their baby Faith. We are so thankful that we got to visit!

Here is a link that should get you to the rest of the album:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2016093&id=100400212&l=9ed15eb013