The Camp Family

Well, I turned 30 this past Saturday. I kissed my 20's good bye with a bitter sweet kiss. I must say that I have struggled with the idea of turning 30. I had the attitude of "It's all down hill from here baby!". I then realized that it really isn't. I have lots of life to live and I am approaching my 30's (insert gulp here) with a positive attitude. I am going to consider my 30's as my golden years. A time I can actually live and enjoy my life.

I want to take this time to reflect back on my 20's. I have matured, grown, learned and loved. I feel like I have matured so much in the past 10 years. I am sure in 10 more years I'll be saying the same thing. This is a list of things that have occurred over the past 10 years that have shaped me into the woman I am today......ahem.

In no particular order (whatever, you know they will be in order because I am so OCD that I wouldn't be able to list them out of order without correcting it)

1. I married the love of my life at the ripe age of 22. (Best decision of my life by the way)

2. I graduated college. Yes, I got married while in college (gasp) and still managed to graduate.

3. I flew on a plane for the first time ever. I was scared to death, but so glad I did it. Rusty and I went to Jamaica for our 2 year anniversary. We constantly ask each other why we didn't enjoy it more.

4. I changed jobs numerous times, one of which was a daycare. 3 long months and 24 prescriptions of antibiotics later I decided it really wasn't for me.

5. I started waxing my eyebrows consistently....this may be funny to you, but you should have seen the uni brow I was rockin'. Not a pretty site.

6. I built a house...not with my own two hands, but with my own two opinions!

7. I learned what it is like to have your heart walk around on the outside of your body.....twice. Having children has to be the most amazing experience I will ever have.

8. I learned how hard it is to balance a marriage, children and work all at one time. Still working on it.

9. I learned that my parents weren't as stupid as I thought they were when I was in high school. I still don't know how they let me do some of the things I did. Jameson and Levi will never leave the house.

10. I learned that it is not all about me. It doesn't matter what everyone else thinks. I am ME.

11. I learned what wrinkle cream and dark circles under your eyes are.

12. I learned what real worry is.

13. Finally, I have learned just how amazing and merciful my God is. He still teaches me every day, but I am so thankful for what he has shown me and given me over the past 10 years.

So long 20's.....hello 30's! Still kind of hard to say.

I have hundreds of pictures to show you of the children. Just still learning how to manage my time! Ha. They are doing great!

Until next time.

I am so far behind  I really don't know where to start. October has been filled with lots and lots of fun, stress, worry and excitement. Let me start with my sweet baby boy Levi. He is now 7 months old. I don't even know how to express how special this little baby is to me. He is the cutest little thing. His personality is starting to really come out and I think he is going to be a funny little thing. He loves to laugh and play. I took him for his 6 month check up last month.




Until next time.

Levi is doing great. He is already 6 months old and weighs a ton. We go for our 6 month check up this week. I'll let you know how that goes. He is super cute. I just want to squeeze him and kiss all over him every time I see him. He is growing so fast and I know he will be Jameson's age before I know it.



I promised pictures...so here they are. Just a few from over the past few months.

This is a question I get asked by many about my big boy Levi. He is 5 months old and could pass as a 7-8 month old. I took him for his 4 month check up last month and am just now getting to blog about it. I am also doing a blogger's no no.....I don't have any pictures at this moment to post (Gasp, ahhh, spit, yell). I will post pictures soon.

At four months he....

weighs 17 lbs 2 oz-which I am confident he weighs much more now

sits on his own

drools uncontrollably

screams when he is happy and mad which is pretty funny

rolls over one way

and loves to give big sloppy kisses.

I will not touch on the sleeping issue very much. I have come to terms that it is my lot in life to have children who do not like to sleep. Levi did wonderful when he was newborn, but when he hit the 4 month mark he decided he would keep his momma up all night. So all you genius blogger mommies out there, please give me some advice. How do you get your children to sleep at night? I am convinced since I have two children that do not sleep all night that it is my fault. I am the root of all evil. Tell me what I am doing wrong.  I am guessing most of you will tell me to make sure he is awake once I put him to bed. That is easier said than done. Let me just go ahead an tell you that Levi is usually asleep when I lay him down. He nurses around 8 and I can't keep him awake for anything. Is this where I am wrong? I am interested to hear how you get your baby to sleep. Please leave me a comment with the magic trick! I and my sleepy puffy eyes would appreciate it greatly. Oh how I would love to look at myself and not see blood shot eyes!

Until next time!

So some friends and I were discussing how after reading blog after blog of cute pictures and sweet stories, we feel a little inadequate as mothers. It seems everyone you read about has a perfect life with perfect children and never has a care in the world. I know in real life things are not perfect. I also know that a blog is really suppossed to be about happy sweet things. Don't misunderstand, I know there are some of you out there that think you should only blog about happy sweet things, so this blog is not for you. This blog goes out to all my peeps who need to be encouraged and reassured that everyone is not perfect. I am a great example of that.

Having one child was very overwhelming for me at first, but when you add a second one to the bunch, things get beyond overwhelming. I can't ever seem to catch up on anything.....work, laundry, cleaning, etc. I even struggle finding time to get a haircut. I havent' had a haircut in 3 months. My eyebrows are going to grow together real soon if I do something quick. I can't remember when I had a complete meal where I actually sat the entire time and ate all of my food. I am so used to eating fast that I don't even realize when I am done. I look at my plate and say, "hey where did my sandwich go?"

Back to my point, I feel sometimes that I am not a good mother because I am not crafty, or don't have time to write out schedules and menus and take my kids to the zoo and on vacation and enroll them in classes. I am just your very blah mom.....but I am ok with it. Sometimes when both of my babies are screaming I think of all of my friends with multiple children and wonder how they do it. Am I the only one who struggles? I know the answer is "No!" It's just hard sometimes. So here is my laundry. I am behind and I am proud of it. I am not crafty, we rarely go to the zoo, and we might not get a vacation this year. I am tired, I am busy, I am unorganized and sometimes I want to pull my hair out.

I hope this makes some of you moms who struggle like me feel a little better. We aren't all perfect and happy all the time. This ones for you!

Hey blog family! We are alive and well. I do apologize for the delay in updating you; however, as my VBF Brandy says, " no one warned me how hectic life gets when you have a second child". If I only had two more hands I promise I would blog. Actually I need like four more hands, but we all know that is not going to happen.

My sweet Levi will be 3 months old this Friday! My how time is already flying by. We have grown and changed alot in 3 months. We've had lots of first's and lots of cries. He now weighs about 13 lbs and is 23 in long. He is sleeping well at night (whew), but Jameson still wakes up. I hope and pray Levi stays that way. However, his pediatrician did diagnose him with......oh I can't even say it........it is such an ugly word......"Colic". There I said it. I have come to terms with it and it really hasn't bothered me that much considering Jameson was exactly the same way. If Levi isn't eating or sleeping, he is crying. He is quite the fussy baby, but he is so cute I tend to look past the crying. He is much better than he was, but he is still fussy a good bit of the day.  I have returned to work full time and we are all still adjusting to the morning routine. Some mornings once I drop them off at daycare, I just want to keep driving and not turn around for a few hours. Then I snap out of it and remember how very blessed I am to have two beautiful healthy babies. God has been so great to me and I am truly thankful, colic and all. I could go on and on, but I know you would like to see some pictures. I hope I still have some readers out there. Drop me a comment if you still hang around. Who do you think he looks like???? Some say Rusty and some say me. What do you think?

Labor and delivery was very similar to the experience I had with Jameson. Levi was born 30 minutes later than Jameson and I had to push longer to get him out. It was all worth it. I think Levi looks exactly like Jameon did when he was a baby. I will try to find a baby pic of Jameson and compare the two for you. He is sleeping great and only wakes up every 3-4 hours at night. He is a great baby and we love him so much. Life is different with two children, but we are adjusting. I am still a little nervous when I have Jameson and Levi by myself. They both still demand so much of my time and I am having to find the time for both. That can be challenging. Jameson doesn't seem to understand that baby brother can't ride the four wheeler just yet.



Speaking of Jameson, he is doing great with Levi. He holds him and kisses him. When he cries he says, "it's alright baby broder. It won't hurt". He also tells everyone that Levi has a stick on his belly (umbilical cord). So funny. Did I mention that Jameson still doesn't sleep through the night either. I stopped blogging about it because I found out that telling others still doesn't make him sleep. It was worth a try though. Jameson is basically on the same schedule as Levi. He wakes up about every 3-4 hours. Thanks goodness I have a wonderful husband who gets up to tend to Jameson. I don't know what I would do without him.



Easter weekend was great. We made it to church and it felt good to get out of the house for a while. Jameson had fun with the Easter Bunny and ate enough candy for the whole world to have a sugar high. He kept saying, "just one more". That is what I always tell him when he has had enough.

This sunday is our wedding anniversary. Rusty and I will be married 7 years! I can honestly say these past 7 years have been great! We have such a great relationship and marriage. I know we will be old and gray one day still holding hands and just as in love as we are now. This will be the first year that we are not able to go out of town. We always plan some weekend getaway for out anniversary, but considering Levi is only 1 month old, I don't think a quick trip to the beach would be acceptable right now. We are trying to plan to at least eat one meal together. We will see how that goes! Rusty is an amazing husband and father. He is even better with two children. I really don't know what I would do without him. God has blessed me with an amazing man and two beautiful children. I don't deserve what I have, but I am so thankful. Happy anniversary babe. You know I love you.

So.....things are going great right now and hopefully I will have time to blog again soon...this time with more pictures.

So in case you haven't noticed I am in the teens as far as days left in my pregnancy. Teens I say!!! Where did the past 8 1/2 months go? I am a bundle of emotions at this point. I didn't think I would be, but I am. I am nervous because I know the pain that is coming my way, I am excited because I know the love and joy that is coming and I am anxious because I know the adjustment coming my way. I have had a very eventful pregnancy this go round. Every test I have taken has been positive...including my glucose test.

Lets go back in time, picture it, January, 2011. I go to my doctors appointment to take my 1 hour glucose test not worried about a thing. Fast forward 2 days later, the nurse calls and says, Ms. Camp I am just calling to let you know that your 1 hour glucose test was slightly elevated. We will need you to start the diabetic diet this week and schedule your 3 hour test next week. I am in shock and quickly spit out the sweet tarts I am indulging in. I was so shocked that I forgot to ask her how elevated my levels were. So, the next thing is remembering where I put that stupid "sample diet" in case you fail the 1 hour test. Fast forward to next week. I am famished, starving, angry, irritable and did I mention FAMISHED from the "sample diabetic diet". Do you know you can only eat 3 oz of grilled meat in one meal.....3 oz people! So I suffer through my 3 hour test and see the doctor. I gained 0 lbs over the course of 4 weeks! My doctor sd, "you haven't gained any weight this month". I said very calmly, "I am starving. This diet is a joke". She just laughed! What???? Are you laughing because I will tell you who is not laughing Ms. Doctor Woman. I was screaming that inside, but wanted so badly to say it to her. Anyway, I refused to let the day go to pot and Rusty and I went to Buy Buy Baby to do some browsing. I am finally in a good mood and my phone rings. "Ms. Camp, I am calling to let you know that 2 of your levels were normal and 1 was slightly elevated" I think I am in the clear and start booty dancing in the isle when she says, "we need you to come back in fasting and bring some breakfast with you. After 2 hours we will check your levels again". OMG! Can we say OMG! So I schedule my next test on my birthday of all days! When I get to the office, the nurse is sticking me with the needle AGAIN  when I casually say, "how elevated were my other two test". She sd, "oh lets see, the 1 hour test was elevated by 1 point and the 3 hour test you had 1 level that was elevated by 1 point. I started to pull the needle out of my arm and jab her in the face! Please forgive me, but at this point I am hormonal and did I mention FAMISHED! I have been starving for almost 6 weeks at this point.

I say all of this to let you know that I have been tortured and poked with needles the majority of my pregnancy. And did I mention that I only failed my test by 1 stinking point!!!!!! 1 point people! So I ended up passing the 3rd test and was told to "watch my sugar intake and diet".

I am very OCD so I have actually been watching my diet and sugar intake and stay pretty much hungry all the time. Lots of fun! Oh and did I mention that in between all of this, I catch like 20 colds and stay sick for months. All the while praying that I don't catch the flu or virus.

On the bright side, I have only gained 16 lbs. I gained 30 with Jameson. I am happy about that. I also know that it doesn't matter how many times I get stuck with a needle the size of a broom straw......in the end that sweet little face is all that matters. I can't wait and I am so excited for the day to come. Please keep us in your prayers and pray that the last 3 weeks of my pregnancy will be very uneventful.

We are super excited and Jameson seems to be too. He talks to Levi and can't wait to go get him at the hospital. He keeps saying, "I tink Levi is here". I keep telling him, "look at mommy's ginormous belly baby, I promise you he is not here". God is amazing and I am reassured of that every day I kiss Jameson's sweet face and feel these sweet jabs, I mean kicks in my belly. He has been so good to us and I give him all the praise for the blessings I have.

I can't promise I will blog again before Levi comes, but I will promise to post pictures and birth story as soon as possible. Stay in touch.

So I haven't blogged in a really long time and I still have a Christmas picture up and it is almost spring. All I can say is.....sorry. Hopefully I will get around to changing some things soon.

Anyway, I wanted to take the time to give my sweet husband a shout out. He does things for me daily that I just love. He always knows when to say the right things and do the right things for me. I wanted to share something he did for me that will be on my list of "reason's I love my husband".

Picture it, Valentine's Day, 2011. Rusty and I had decided that we would not spend any money on each other this Valentine's Day because we are in "savings mode". Besides, it really is a waste of money. Anyway, I told Russ that I would cook him a good ole American cheese burger for Valentines Day. I hate hamburgers and Russ loves them. I hardly ever cook them so I thought this would be a treat for him. Anyway, Monday afternoon rolls around and I come home from work. When I walk through the door, I don't hear my sweet little Jameson screaming and running and I immediately think something is wrong. I also hear and smell the oven on. As a mom a million things are running through my head, "Jameson has burned himself on the oven and Rusty has rushed him to the ER", "Jameson hurt himself and Rusty didn't want to call me". All these terrible things are going through my head when all of the sudden my handsome husband appears out of thin air....minus my child might I add. I reach the kitchen and see candles and a set table. First thing I asked, "where's my child"? Rusty smiles and says, "he is with GiGi and I have cooked you supper". " I wanted you to eat a meal in peace and not have to jump up and down every 5 minutes".  It was at that point that I realized my child was safe and my husband once again proved to me how wonderful and thoughtful he is. He had steaks on the grill, salad, and baked potatoes waiting on me when I got home. It was wonderful. When we sat down at the table Rusty said, "I know your love language is Quality Time and I wanted to spend some time with you". Isn't he great! Rusty and I got to spend about 2 hours together and enjoy talking for a little while. He always knows how to show me he loves me at just the right times. Thank you Russ. I love you so much and appreciate all you do for me.

I have so much to blog about, but never have any time. I have had a very eventful 2 months of pregnancy that I just haven't gotten around to sharing. Lets just say, I am 34 weeks pregnant and ready to see my little man. Lets also just say that I have had some sugar issues and am about to pull my hair out for some ice cream. My doctor is torturing me and I can't do anything about it. I will hopefully get around to blogging about that whole fiasco soon.

For now, we are doing well. We have all been sick all winter and I can't wait for spring. Jameson is doing well and is completely potty trained (yipppeeeee). I hope everyone else is doing well and please keep reading. I know I have been a terrible blogger.