The Camp Family

We had a great Christmas. Lots of fun, food, and family. Jameson got so many presents from so many people who love him. Thanks everyone. We love you very much. I took too many pictures and could not possibly explain in a blog just how much fun we had. I decided to post a few pictures in a slideshow and hopefully you will get the picture.

After Christmas was over and all the presents were opened, I told Rusty that I was so thankful that we were able to provide a wonderful Christmas for Jameson and our family. Jesus is the real reason we even celebrate Christmas and it was evident just how real Jesus is at our house. He blessed us with so many fun things and with families who love us.

I am a slacker. Go ahead......call me names. I feel shame. You know as well as I do that this time of year is the greatest, but the busiest as well. So let me catch you up.....Lots of parties, lots of birthday's, lots of wrapping......you get the picture.

Last week was my mom's birthday. She turned...just kidding mom. I wouldn't dare do that to you. If you knew my mom, you would know that she loves birthdays, but hates telling her age. She thinks she looks like 98 and is old and wrinkled, but others think differently. She is so pretty and doesn't look half her age. You can tell her that all day long and she will never believe you. Anyway, my mom is a very special person in my life. I wouldn't make it without her. My roomates used to make fun of me in college because I would call her every day and talk to her. She is my bestfriend and always will be. She has taught me a lot.



No matter what I call my mom with, she always has an answer and always gives me reassurance and encouragement. She has never discouraged me or given me a negative answer. Rusty laughs at me because he knows when I am worried that I am calling my mom for advice.

I don' t know what I would do without you ma! Happy Birthday! I love you.

I am truly blessed to have a mom like I have. She has raised me well and I am so happy to be her daughter.

A lot has happened in the past 2 weeks. Last weekend I went roller skating with some friends and we had a blast. I haven't skated in like 10 years, so I was pretty cautious! I don' t think I can recover from a fall like I used to be able to. I have to admit that I felt pretty old. There were lots of young "teeny bops" there looking at us like we were way too old to be hanging out. We didn't let it get us down though. After we skated safely for a while, we hit the moon bounce and slide. We screamed and giggled like teenage girls again. It was fun! It was a much needed release. Rusty stayed at home with J and I knew I had nothing to worry about. It was a great night. Thanks for inviting me Abby!


This past weekend, we spent the night with our buddies Mark, Jill, Brandy, and Jonathan. Brandy, Jill and I were roomates in college and have been best friends since then. We all got pregnant at the same time and have very cute babies all close in age. Some might call us crazy, but we were willing to take the challenge of coming together for one  big sleep over. We had a great time with minimal melt downs from the kiddos. Lots of memories were made. I hope it is something we can continue to do so our children can grow up together. I only got one shot of the kids playing together and it is not very good, but you can see how cute they all are.



Between all the hussle and bussle, I have managed to finish decorating my house for Christmas, wrap some presents, clean house, do laundry, cook, attend 3 Christmas parties and go to work. Very busy, but I feel so blessed to be able to do it all. There are lots of people out there that would love to work and have fun with their children, but can't. I thank God every day that He allows me to be busy, even though sometimes I feel like pulling my hair out. It is a true blessing.



Have a great Christmas and remember the families that are less fortunate than we are. They are out there all around us. I see it every day.

P.S.  Still dealing with sleep issues and still need prayers! Thanks.

You know the old saying, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them drink". Well, I have come up with a new slogan for my life. It is, "You can lead a baby to bed, but you can't make them sleep". Most of you know that my precious little baby has never been a great sleeper. He had gotten better, but recently we are going through a regression. He wakes up almost every night around 1:30 and stays up for about 2 hours. Some nights I feel so helpless because I don't know what to do. So, I am asking for some quick prayers for Jameson if you have time. I am a firm believer in prayer and I know it works, so please join me.

More posts with pictures coming soon! Christmas is just around the corner and I am so excited! Thanks for reading.

I just remembered that 2 years ago today I found out I was pregnant. It was an amazing day.

• I will never forget the feeling in my heart when I saw the + sign.
• I will never forget shaking with excitement.
• I will never forget shooting secretive glances at Rusty across the room before we told our families.
• I will never forget taking 5 pregnancy test
• I will never forget the love I developed immediately for the baby growing inside of me.

I will never forget.

Thursday was great! We ate lots of food, visited with lots of family, and needed lots of sleep afterwards. Thanksgiving was smooth sailing.

Friday me and my mom decided to go "black Friday" shopping. We are crazy for doing it, but we aren't as crazy as some people. We didn't get up at 2 am like most. We arrived at 7 am and actually had a great time. We found some sales and checked a few names off the list. When I got home that afternoon Russ told me that he heard some squeaking in the house that morning and it was coming from the garbage. I immediately thought that we had a mouse and wanted it gone NOW! Russ then told me it was coming from the garbage with our Christmas decorations that I had thrown away (remember the ones that the chipmunks had destroyed). I said, "Russ, I bet there were some baby chipmunks in there and that is what you heard. I am going to get the trash and look."  He said, "Can, no you're not". He knew I was serious.

Let me pause for a moment and remind you all how much I LOVE animals. My heart has a huge spot for all animals. It is because they are so helpless. I hear a story on the news about people being hurt and it doesn't bother me, but if I hear a story about an animal getting hurt or lost....it is over. I almost start crying. Since I became a mother, my heart is even bigger for baby animals because I know how much they need a mommy.  I have always been this way and always will be.

Ok...so back to the trash. I go outside and pulled the bag with the decorations out. Sure enough, I hear the squeaking noise and look down to see this....



They were so cute and I HAD to rescue them. I didn't touch them, but I did sit the bag back up on the shelf where the momma chipmunk stays. I know this sounds pathetic and I was all mad at the chipmunks last week, but that was before I knew they had babies.

Day 3
Saturday was finally a day of rest. We woke up, had some breakfast, and played. Rusty was busy outside putting up Christmas lights on the house. I was so excited about decorating our house this year. He did a really good job. He is a bit scared of heights and didn't want to go all the way up, but I told him I really needed lights on the top and he caved. I have that power over him you know! The first night we plugged the lights in, the fuse blew and I was bummed out. After a changed fuse and 3 more extension cords, this is what we have. It felt a little "Christmas Vacation like" to see all the cords and lights. Now I am so ready for Christmas!

There are times in my blogging history where I have nothing at all to blog about and then there are times when I have so much to blog about that I have to decide what I should and shouldn't share. This is one of those times. There are so many fun things I want to share with you, but I may have to break them down into days. It has been a very eventful few days for me and I feel the need to share. I think I will start with Thanksgiving Holiday's-Day 1.

Thanksgiving holiday started on Wed. afternoon for me. I was finally home from work and so excited to start a long weekend. Rusty was going to go help his brother paint Wed afternoon, but we needed to go to the bank for a few minutes (we have just bought a new car and were working some things out). Anyway, we finished with the bank and  Russ headed to his brother's and I started home. Along the way, I stopped for gas at our local Wal-Mart. I didn't want to stop. It was packed with cars lined up 3 at a time at each pump; however, I was almost empty and had no choice. I finally get to the pump and get out to start my pumping process. I swiped my card, opened the tank, started my gas and ATTEMPTED to get back in the car. It was at this point that my heart fell to the pit of my stomach as I quickly realized my doors had locked with the keys inside.....and did I mention that J was inside too!!!!!!!! I panicked and had no idea what I was going to do. The nice lady behind me saw the panic on my face and said, "Is yo baby in tha car?" I said, "yes, can I borrow your phone". I quickly called Russ and with panic in my voice said, "Russ, my doors are locked and J is inside. Come quick. I don't know what to do".  Meanwhile I check in on J and he is as happy as can be. Did I mention that the clerk at the gas station called 911????  So, I am pacing back and forth wondering what I can do, looking for rocks to break out my brand new car window(just in case), waiting for the police, questioning how my doors even got locked in the first place, and panicking all at one time. I am also having to tell each car that pulls up behind me that my child is locked in the car and they will have to chose another line.

A few minutes later, (which seemed like hours) a fire truck pulls up. I think, "oh, they must have sent the firemen instead of the police". So, I watch the nice little firemen get out of their truck, walk right past me, and get in line to buy something. Obviously they were not there for me. Well, I made them be there for me. I told the nice little fireman that I had locked my child in the car and asked if he could help. They were very nice and looked my car over. This is the response I get, "oooooooh, I sure would hate to have to pull that door off. That is going to be tough. And your car is so new too." I felt much better after that! :) Jameson is still sitting patiently and starts waving and smiling at the firemen. Russ finally arrives and tells me that he set up our "Onstar" system and they could unlock the doors. Did I mention our new car has Onstar and it is amazing! Russ made the call and they unlocked my car for me.

The firemen pulled my keys out of the car and handed them to me. I guess they thought they should do something since they just stood there and made faces at Jameson. They were really nice and calmed me down alot.

It turns out that my car has some kind of safety mechanism that auto locks my doors and that is probably what happened. I still don't really know, but I do know that it will never happen again. The keys will be in my hand at all times.

It was really my fault anyway. I usually leave the door open and take the keys out of the car when I get gas, especially when I have J with me. I was just distracted that afternoon and wasn't thinking. Praise the Lord for Onstar, the lady who let me use her cell phone, the fireman and my husband for coming to the rescue. Did I mention that the police never showed up!!!  Never! Oh well. 

It was a very frighening yet learning 20 minute experience.

Jameson,
I am sorry mommy is so scatter brained all the time. I promise to never lock you in the car again. Thank you for smiling and waving at the fireman and for giving me a big hug when we got home. You are a sweet boy and mommy is a dummy! That's all.
I love you.

Yesterday afternoon I decided to pull out all my Christmas decoartions to re-evaluate what I have. When we moved into our new house, we just stored all our Christmas  in Rusty's storage building.  We have had chipmunks living in the storage building for a while now, and they jump at Rusty when he gets stuff out. I think it is hilarious and have favored the chipmunks in the past. Afterall, they are such cute little creatures. Well no more Mr. Nice guy! Most of my Christmas stuff was in hard plastic totes, but a few items were in zip up soft plastic. The chipmunks decided they would make nest upon nest in all my Christmas decorations in the soft plastic. It was disgusting! I had to throw most of it away. So....no more feeling sorry for the little chipmunks. It is on!!!!

I would have taken pictures for you all, but I was too disgusted.

On the other hand, it is Thanksgiving and I am very excited. It is the one time a year my mom makes dressing. It is delicious and we beg her to cook it all year  long,  but she refuses. I think she just likes the control! :) This time 2 years ago  I was pregnant and didn't know it. I ate the most I had ever eaten in my life and had no idea why! Fun times!

I am thankful for so many things in my life. I am thankful most of all for my beautiful healthy child, my wonderful husband, my family and Rusty's family who love us so much, my health, jobs,......the list could go on and on. God has blessed me beyond what I deserve.

Psalm 107:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; his love endures forever!



I will tell you one thing I am not thankful for......those blasted chipmunks!! Alvin and the chipmunks has a whole new meaning now.

Everyone have a great Thanksgiving! Eat lots and lots of good food and enjoy it.

This picture is priceless! I have a feeling it will be one that I frame and keep forever. Jameson loves his daddy and this picture just seals that love. Rusty is such a good dad too. He and J spend the afternoons together until I get home from work. Rusty can't wait until Jameson gets a little older so he can take him fishing and golfing some afternoons. I can wait because that means J really won't want his mama anymore. I am very lucky to have a husband that jumps right in there so much. He has started giving J his bath every night so I can do other chores, and he does such a good job...way better than me! Just the little things Russ does to help me out are amazing. So.....good job Russ, I can't wait to see you try to give 2 kids a bath at one time(eventually)! ;) I love you and just wanted to let you know that I appreciate you.

I know, I know,.......gag, barf, puke. So much blah blah blah. You know what I have to say, "tough"! Part of my job as a wife is to encourage my husband and that is what I am doing. If you don't like it, don't read it. Actually,I didn't mean that part at all because I really like people reading my blog. Just skip over this one and I promise no more mushy stuff for a while.

More blogging to come.....I promise!

My friend Abby took some pictures of J a couple of weeks ago and they are so cute. She does a great job every time she takes his picture. If you need some pictures taken for Christmas she is very flexible and affordable and does an amazing job. Just leave me a comment and I will give you her info.


Jameson's hair was really getting out of hand with curls. They are so cute, but it was getting where I couldn't even brush his hair and  if I did, it looked like I hadn't. So, we decided to get his hair trimmed.  His Gigi cut it for him. She has the running record as the "first hair cutter" for all the grandchildren. She did a good job too. Here are a few pictures. I couldn't get an after picture because he wouldn't be still any longer. You can see in the pictures above all his curls and I will post a picture later of the after shot.


Every thing else is just the same.....we are getting ready for Christmas. I am so excited this year and have already done a little shopping. I am so excited because I know that J is going to have so much fun opening his presents. Isn't it funny how when you have children you don't even care about "you" anymore. I wouldn't care if I got one thing this year as long as J has fun (ok...maybe some pajamas, right Russ!) It's great how God transforms us like that isn't it.

J turned 15 months last week and I can't believe it. I say that every time, but it is true. Time is flying. We went for our 15 month check up yesterday. He weighs 25 lbs. and is 31 in long. He gained about 3 lbs and 1 in. in 3 months. He is in the 50th percentile on both weight and height. He has never been in any other percentile since he was born. He has pretty much been a text book baby with all of his milestones. The only thing he did not follow the book on was sleep, or lack of it!!! He is perfect and I love every thing about him.

I am adding more pictures of Virginia too. We took so many of the mountain and they are just to pretty to leave out. I threw in a few movie scene pictures too. See if you can guess which scene it is.  Thanks for reading.

Did you know that this is the motto for the state of Virginia? Kind of weird huh. I thought it was very funny. Rusty and I took a little trip to Virginia this past weekend. We have had it planned for a while now. He originally wanted to surprise me with the trip, but since it is a 9 hour trip, he wanted to make sure I was ok leaving J for that long. So after much thought, I decided to go on this lovely trip my wonderful husband had planned. I know you are asking, "why Virginia of all places". Well, Rusty manages a plant up there and is familiar with the area. Secondly, it is usually very beautiful this time of year with the leaves changing. Thirdly, we have been to VA and West Virginia more than once and are familiar with the drive. Now that we cleared the air, I want to tell you about our trip. It was the first time we had left J, so I was a little nervous and knew I was going to miss him dearly. However, we are so lucky to have grandparents who are willing to give up their time to take care of our little man. They did a wonderful job taking care of J and I am thankful to have the help. Thanks Gam and GiGi. Ok......we left on Friday and got there around 4:30. On Sat. we had planned to go hiking on some mountain that Rusty had found. He said it had some good hiking trails and we thought it would be beautiful to see the leaves, and Sunday we would drive back home. On Friday night we ate a the cutest little local restaurant called the "Log House". It was wonderful. They had stuffed squash to die for. Anyway, we got up on Sat. morning (late!!!!!) and headed up the mountain for our hike. After asking a few directions and thinking we were never going to reach our destination, the heavens opened up! We rounded the curve and I swear I saw the most beautiful sight I have ever seen!  It was a hotel sitting on a hill made of rock. It was a very familiar hotel that I recognized from the side. I didn't even have to see the front before I realized where I was. I quickly looked at Rusty and said, "Babe this hotel looks like the Dirty Dancing hotel". I then said again, "Russ this looks just like Dirty Dancing". Still in awe at the possiblility that this was the actual hotel, I said for the third time in a much higher voice, "Russ, this looks just like Dirty Dancing". I finally look over at my husband and he has a grin on his face and says, "yes baby, this is the Dirty Dancing hotel". He had taken me to the scene of Dirty Dancing. I could not believe it. He then shared with me that he had this trip planned for more than a year and was so happy he could finally bring me. My wonderful, sweet, thoughtful husband had searched out this place and surprised me. Most of you know, that I love, love, love the movie "Dirty Dancing". I know it is pathetic and I know the movie doesn't really support my morals and values, but I still love it. I can act out scenes, quote lines, and know lots of trivia. I love to dance and this movie is all about dancing. I have always dreamed about being a dancer and for a few hours on Sat. I got to pretend. It was so fun to walk around and see actual places where the movie was shot. We took lots of pictures and I will never forget that day for the rest of my life. It was wonderful and I love my husband for being so thoughtful. Like I've said before, he knows how to touch my heart. Thank you sweetie for loving me so much that you would spend your whole Sat. learning even more about Dirty Dancing. Even though I've made you watch several hundred times before, you still seemed interested.

I could go on and on about the weekend, but I am sure you are tired of reading by now. It was great and very relaxing. I guess you want to see some pictures now don't you? Just remember pictures do no justice in this case. I am also attaching some beautiful pictures of the mountains. Thanks for reading.

Thanks again Babe for taking me on such a special trip. Just one more reminder of how lucky I am to have you. I love you!

Sunday Rusty and I took our Sunday school class on a little hike that we used to take as a young couple. You know the times when nothing else mattered except spending time with each other. No other worries in the world except if your breath smelled good or if you had something in your teeth or if the jeans you were wearing made your butt look good. Those fun not a worry in the world days. We had not made the hike since we've been married and decided it would be fun to take others along this time since the leaves are so pretty this time of year. The weather was perfect. We could not have asked for a better day. So, we all take off up the hill on our short hike. A few minutes later I realized I was really huffing and puffing. I also noticed the other girls were too, but maybe too proud to say it. So being the none shy person I am, I said,"Russ, you gotta slow down. I can't breathe". So we took a break and this is what we looked like.


We finally made it to the top and it was all worth it. This was our view. It was amazing once again to see God's beauty and creation. God is so good to us and we take it for granted every day. Sometimes it takes Him taking our breath away to bring us back to reality.

The month of October has been very eventful for the Camp's, especially this past weekend. I will update you on all that has happened in the shortest blog I can. Let me start by saying once again that J is the cutest child ever! He is learning something new everyday. During October, he learned some animal sounds, cut roughly 6 teeth, jumped in his first moon bounce, ate his first sucker (thanks Brandy), slept until 8:00 in the morning (first time ever), went to a Halloween party in the "big boy" room at daycare, and trick or treated. I am sure there is lots more I am leaving out, but I will spare you the boredom. We have had so much fun! I know November is going to be just as fun.

First things first. We took Jameson to the Fall Festival at our church a few weekends ago. He played "go fish" with his Gam.


He picked a duck for a prize.


He took a hay ride and got first class tickets.

And finally, he jumped on the moon bounce (or whatever you call those things). He loved it and wanted to stay in it all night. He realized he could fall down and it wouldn't hurt. He lauged so hard every time he would fall. It was really fun to watch him.