Happy 11 months Camden Thomas!

      

    Wow! It just can't be! 11 months...I was in complete denial until I started writing this post. It is so hard for me to believe that you, Camden Thomas, are going to be a toddler next month. That you will no longer be my baby anymore. Yet, I love watching you grow. You get sweeter by the day and give kisses like its your job in life. You look forward all day to Dadda walking through the front door and you put on a show when he does. You love your Momma, Dadda is your hero and you think the world revolves around your big bro. It shows in every hug, kiss and giggle you give every single day.

     Camden, you are a charmer for sure. You LOVE women, not so much men. I think those big blue eyes are gonna give the ladies are run for their money one day. And sorry son, but you look more like your mother all the time. Your crazy, funny personality has shown through even more this month and it has been so much fun!

    You, my sweet boy, have inspired me in so many ways. You have taught me that life is short and tomorrow is never guaranteed.  Through you the Lord has been convicting my heart about home schooling you and your bother. Something that I thought I would never do or ever desired to do, but am now earnestly praying about.

   I look forward to watching you grow into your own little person, only having one wish for you life...that you love the Lord with all your heart, body and mind.  That you will be a light in this oh so dark world for him. 

  Favorite things: Little People Noah's Ark set, Jumping Zebra, the plastic chicken leg and your Brother's tent.

Favorite food: Chex mix, waffles, crackers, rice cakes, any cereal, carbs, carbs, carbs

Least favorite Food: You hate all baby food right now...yet you refuse to eat any fruits or veggies cut up. You spit out all the purees in disgust and smile when we pull out your loved waffles. You are and apparently always will be my finicky eater.

 Favorite things to do: take big brother's toys, catching bubbles, being outside, going to feed the ducks..you smile when they waddle by, hide with big brother in the tent, play with grandparents, take a bath in the big boy bath tub... you scream when Dadda pulls you out and go on any type of errand.

New things/Milestones: you are still belly crawling, not pulling up yet, have began to sign "more" and wave bye-bye :)
                                    

        Happy 11 months Camden. Even though I will cry buckets when you turn 1, I will be thankful that it's just one more month we have been blessed to spend with you!
                                                    

Pickin' "Qawlberries"

    Ant decided to take this past Friday off so we could take the boys strawberry picking. A tradition that my family started when I was little and we went every year, sometimes multiple times, since I can remember. I have sweet memories of jumping on the tractor with my brothers, sugar cup in hand, ready to eat strawberries like it was no body's business.  I also remember my Nanny and Great Aunt June taking lawn chairs out, sitting in the middle of the field and just eating away. I wonder why the Berry Farm all of a sudden started charging to go pick!? ;) This is such a sweet tradition for me and one I wanted to start with my boys! 

    We went early that morning in hopes of beating the heat and the crowds. We were successful on beating the heat, but not so much the crowds. We decided we were going to make the best of it and when we went to hop on the tractor Alexander had a mini melt down. He was TERRIFIED of this  huge thing we called a "tractor" b/c in his all his stories tractors did not look like this one! We finally convinced him to get on and after waiting a few minutes we were riding the tractor down a bumpy road excited about what was in store.

  Alexander decided picking was for the birds and literally ate the entire time we were on the patch...when I say he ate....that meant stem, leaves and all. Finally I just started picking them for him b/c he was to busy eating to pull the stems off. Thankfully Dadda did all the picking for us while we sat and ate. And all Alexander could get out between bites was, "Mmmmm  these qawlberries are soooo good mommy. These are so good. MMMMM." And there it was. The innocence in his face that  I remember as a child, eating away, like it was the best thing I ever tasted in my life and not worried at all that if I didn't put any in my bucket, that I wouldn't have any to take home.  He enjoyed every.single.moment.....until we told him it was time to get back on the tractor so we could go home.

  All in all, it was a perfect family morning. I was totally SHOCKED at how much Camden enjoyed it too. He rode on my back in the ergo, smiled at all the strangers, kicked during the tractor ride with excitement and giggled at his brother while he watched him stuff his face. 

  I hope one day my boys can look back on this tradition and treasure it as much as I do. It is simply a blissful time of picking, eating and enjoying each others company. <3

                                    2010 Alexander 10.5 months old

2011

                Camden's first trip ;) He ate LOTS of strawberries!

                                  

oh that baby...

   I know I blog A LOT about Camden and I am sorry...I just can't help myself. 

I remember when we found out we were pregnant with Camden,
we were hoping for a girl. We have always wanted one of each gender and in our minds at the time, having a little girl would complete our family. Silly me, God had BIGGER plans. 

Not only did we have another boy, but we had a hard pregnancy and a sick baby. Our lives were flipped upside down and at the time I thought life was spiraling out of control. God was there. He knew exactly what we needed and he placed him right into our arms. I remember feeling like something was always missing after Alexander turned one and I didn't know why. Like someone was missing...we weren't complete. Camden Thomas was missing...my heart is complete, our family is complete.

 He brings more joy to our family than I EVER thought imaginable. Sometimes when he laughs I cry...and I am not sure why. I don't know if it is because I never thought we would be where he is now or if its just because I love him so much. 

By the grace of God I can barely remember the NICU stay, counting his every breath till he was 3 months old, watching the light on his apnea monitor blink at night while he slept so I  knew he was still breathing. No, I hardly remember those days and honestly I never want to. What I do remember is unplugging him sometimes at night and placing him on my chest skin to skin. Feeling his every breath on me and breathing a sigh of relief because I knew he was okay.

Life with Camden hasn't been easy. Every. single. step. has been a struggle, but it has been more than a blessing to me. God has used Camden to bring me to my knees over and over again. Camden has made me a better wife, mother and friend. My husband and I have a deeper relationship and love for one another because of this sweet boy.

Why I ever doubted the Lord about who he placed in my womb, I will never know. "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.'" James 1:17. Camden is good, Camden is perfect in every way and Camden is a gift from above.

 That baby..oh that baby. He brings joy to my soul everyday. Anthony and I have a special  time with him in the mornings before we get his big brother up. We laugh, giggle and cuddle and we can't help but be overjoyed.  The Lord knew exactly what our hearts needed....and it was Camden Thomas. Thanks be to God for choosing us to be his parents. I cannot imagine life without this amazing little boy and Alexander would be lost without his best friend. <3