Cabin Fever

The chilly days of January have us staying inside most days.  Friday afternoon was no exception.  Erin can spend hours playing with her family and doll house.

Grant likes to make pathways through the house with books.  The rule is to stay on the books.  If you fall off you get eaten by crocodiles.  We did not teach him this game.  He came up with t on his own, but I can remember doing the same thing as a child.  

The family: out for a quick trip to Target!!!  (I want to go!)

Hunter is never too far away from the action.

Erin insisted I get a family picture

Once Hunter messed up the path Grant resorted to using Hunter as a hurdle.  

We got in a little tummy time action

Camryn always has a cheerleader or two!

I love this picture!

I do not love this picture!!!  This deserves a post all to itself!

Camryn: Two Month Update

In some ways it seems like Camryn was just born and in other ways it seems like she's always been a part of our little family.  One thing is for sure and that is that the past two months has passed by too quickly!  Camryn is growing and changing right before our eyes and our little newborn girl is not so newborn anymore.  She went to see her doctor today for her two month check up.  She is looking fabulous weighing in at 11.2 lbs and is 23 in long!  She is starting to get a little chubby and I am sure that by summertime she will be sporting the cutest roly poly legs at the beach!  

I might jinx myself, but Camryn is such an easy baby in comparison to my other two.  I guess she really had no choice in the matter.  She is always smiling and cooing at us.  She can recognize our voices, including Grant and Erin's, from across the room.  I have never been a strictly scheduled mother, but she has settled down into somewhat of a routine all by herself.  She is sleeping well at night taking her last feeding about 11:30 pm and waking up about 5-6 am for a quick feeding before we really get up to face our day.  (She does do a bit of cluster feeding in the evening like her sister did as a baby.  I call it "tanking up" for the night.) I can't believe she sleeps this well, because her big sister still doesn't sleep like that very often!!!  

Grant and Erin love their baby sister so much!  I have no trouble getting assistance when it comes to anything involving the baby.  (Sometimes I get too much help!!!)  She smiles and talks to them and they think it's great. I am sure they will have her laughing out loud very soon!

I'm Two Months Old!

Yes, she's right!  Camryn is two months old today!  

The Rest of Our Christmas

We celebrated Christmas with Stephen's side of the family after Christmas this year.  This was not the original plan, but as we were recovering from the stomach bug they were getting it!  Poor Grandaddy and Gi!  So, we spread out our Christmas hoopla this year!

Erin received a mini van for her Loving Family doll house.  She was so excited!  (I would have loved a full size Mini Van under the tree for me....maybe next year!)  She plays with this van all day long.  Mostly taking her family to and from the doctor or hospital.  (Maybe because that seems to be all we have been doing lately.)

Grant gets a Hess truck every year from his grandparents.  This year's truck has an airplane on the back.  He thinks it's pretty cool!

Another favorite!  This shopping cart is so cute.  Erin and Grant love to go "shopping" for us with the cart.

Granny Gay holding the newest addition of the family.  We counted yesterday and she has over fifty grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren.  Camryn is a great grandchild.

We are also proud owners of pillow pets.  

We spent New Years Day with Stephen's family and introduced them to the X-Box 360 with Kinect.  (Stephen's Christmas gift)  We had fun taking turns playing sports and bowling.  I have never been a big fan of video game systems.  I have always pictured kids playing Zelda or Super Mario Brothers for hours on end, but this is fun!  It gets you up and moving.  Grant and Erin both can play too!  Grant often beats us at bowling!  I can't wait to see the new games they come out with this spring.

2010: Our Year in Review

I know this post is a little behind, but since I spent a good bit of time on New Years Eve compiling the collages I wanted to go ahead and post this.  I have had some trouble with blogger, but I think I now have the issue resolved.

January was unusually cold for a Florida winter.  We spent several weeks with low temperatures in the teens. Because of the frigid weather, we stayed inside most of the time.  We kept a fire roaring and built tents and baked cookies and other treats.  The treats above are really peanut butter bones for Hunter.  I think we were a little stir crazy by the end of this month.  (Much like we are right now!)

February was an exciting month!  We took our first trip to Disney World!!!  The kids had a blast meeting Mickey Mouse himself.  It was a cold and rainy weekend, but we made the best of it and have some great memories!  We also celebrated Erin's 2nd birthday with a Minnie Mouse Birthday party!

March came quickly!  Stephen and I participated in the 5K portion of the Jacksonville River Run while Liz and my boss ran the 15K race.  It was so much fun!  (Although I felt like I had been run over by a truck the next day!  I should have trained a little.  I'm not sixteen anymore!)  After the race I was ready to run more races, but a few days later, on 3/17/10 I found out baby Camryn was on the way.  That kind of put an end to any training I was going to do.  Stephen, however, continued to run and did several more races during the spring and early summer.  Spring was on it's way and we spent a lot of time playing outside.  The kids love to be outdoors and we always welcome the change in weather!  Melissa and the boys came for a visit this month as well!

April ushered in spring and all the fun that comes with it!  I love it when the season changes!  This month was filled with Easter egg hunts and fun with friends.  We also went to Orlando for the annual Lads to Leaders convention. We had such a busy, but rewarding, weekend!  This month flew by.  I remember we were trying to keep my pregnancy a secret, but Grant couldn't keep it a secret!  He was so excited!!!

In May we returned to Disney for one more weekend of fun!  We had to use up our Florida residents four day tickets before the end of May.  As cold as we were on our previous trip, we were just as hot this trip.  I was eleven weeks pregnant and was sick with my usual nausea, but with the help of Zofran and lots of snacks I survived.  Both sets of grandparents were able to join us on this trip and we had a great time.   Stephen and I also celebrated our ten year wedding anniversary on the 19th of May! 

In June we spent a lot time swimming and a few play groups here and there.  We took it easy most of this month.  Grant really took to swimming this year and turned into a little water bug!  I can't wait until the pool warms up and we can swim again!

July was vacation time!  We took a road trip, along with my parents, to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.  Along the way we stopped in Macon, Georgia to visit my Granny Field and family.  Then we spent a day in Atlanta where we visited the Georgia Aquarium!  While in mountains we toured Cades Cove, experienced Clingman's Dome and hit all the hot spots in the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area.  On the way home we took a little detour to Grandfather Mountain.  It was a busy trip, but we had a great time.  (Looking forward to returning to our usual beach trip this year!)

In August Stephen and I took a much needed weekend trip to St. Petersburg Beach.  He actually won the trip from a local radio station!!!  This was the first time we had left the kids and went away and it was perfect timing seeing that we won't be able to leave the kids again for a little while : )  We relaxed on the beach all day and enjoyed some great food.  (We even missed the kids a little!) 

September brought about a few firsts here in our household.  Grant finally gave up the old red tricycle and learned to ride his bike.  (He could have done this much sooner, but her just wouldn't even entertain the idea.)  Grant also started preschool!  This was the best decision we could have made.  He loves school and we have seen such a change in him!  Grant also turned four in September and had his "Tornado" birthday!  He has informed me that he wants an "Angry Piggy" cake next year.  (from Angry Birds)  I don't know how I am supposed to pull that off!  College football season was also in full swing!  Got love Saturdays here in SEC territory!

We had full October which included a trip to the corn maze and air show.  Peter Pan and Wendy  brought home a ton of candy after a few sessions of trick or treating.  Brian also came to visit and spoke at our fall gospel meeting!  

November came and along with it came Camryn!  She arrived on Thursday the 18th---a week before Thanksgiving.  We truly had much to be thankful for this year.  We were able to celebrate Thanksgiving with most of my dad's family, including my cousin, Kristin and her family!

December is always a busy month.  We had Breakfast with Santa and parties!  Santa came and we enjoyed celebrating Christmas with family.  (despite a few illnesses)

Top Ten Moments of 2010

10.  Grant learned to ride his bike

9.   Grant learned how to swim

8.   Stephen and I ran our first 5K together in the River Run

7.   Our vacation in the Mountains of Tennessee

6.   Stephen and I had a weekend away in St. Petersburg Beach

5.   Grant started preschool

4.   Our first family trip to Disney World

3.   We potty trained both Grant and Erin

2.   We celebrated ten years of marriage

1.   We welcomed the birth of Camryn Grace

Our Christmas 2010

LONG POST....sorry!

You know when you have small children that whenever there is something special planned (ex: holiday, vacation) someone is going to get sick.  It's just how it is.  I know it happens in my family and I know my brother can relate...they have visited the urgent care clinic here in town on more than a few occasions. Well, I had big plans for the week before Christmas: visions of all the baking the kids and I would be enjoying together filled my head as I bought groceries.  Tuesday morning, just as I was making the "Puppy Chow" it hit!  Erin threw up!  The dreaded stomach virus!!!  That put a halt to my plans.  Taking care of Erin trumped our baking extravaganza.  By Wednesday evening, Grant and I both had it.  Now, when I get a stomach virus it gets bad.  I had one Zofran left from my pregnancy and I took it hoping to stop it, but it didn't work.  By 1 am I knew I needed to go to the ER.  I will spare you the gory details, but was throwing up at least every 5 minutes and I was severely dehydrated.  I was trying my best to drink, but I couldn't keep anything down.  Mind you, that during all of this I was nursing Camryn.  Stephen agreed and took me and my little sidekick, Camryn  (she had to tag along because I did not have any bottles prepared for her), to the ER.  They gave me a double dose of IV Zofran and a couple bags of saline and I was feeling better.  Of course, right as we were arriving home the virus hit Stephen.  That day we camped out in the living room most of the day and the next night---sick as dogs.  Luckily, Camryn was spared from the virus.  Thank goodness for antibodies!!!

By Christmas Eve we were feeling better and decided that no one had been sick long enough that it would be safe to join the festivities at my parents' house.  (My poor father in law got sick that night and my mother in law the next day.  The down side to living next door to us!)  We were so excited because Brian and Liz and the cousins had driven all the way from Colorado to spend Christmas with us!  We had missed them so much.  (They had also had a stomach virus on their trip across country!!!)  We had our traditional Christmas Eve dinner of assorted sandwiches, chips, dips, cookies, cakes and candies.  Then, we opened presents!!!

Here Uncle Brian assigned each kid their own spot.  They were so excited!!!

Erin opening her Sleeping Beauty gown and shoes from Granny Peggy and Old Papa.

Grant and his Stinky Garbage Truck from Mimi and Papa.  He wanted this so badly!

James and Camryn.  He is such a sweet cousin!

Anna and James loving on Camryn.  They are great with the younger kids.

Every inch of the room looked like this after all the presents were opened.  

After the Christmas Eve festivities, we returned home and put the kids to bed so Santa could come visit!  

Santa brought Erin some furniture for her doll house she received for her birthday last year.  I think I need to talk to Santa....he put Mommy in the nursery with the twins and Daddy is hanging out watching TV with his feet propped up!

I missed getting the kids reactions when they saw their Santa gifts for the first time.  I was feeding Camryn so Stephen took these pictures.  I really slacked on the pictures this year, but I was so worn out!

Santa brought lip gloss....she can't get enough of it!

He also brought Criss, Cross, Crash (or smash if you are Grant)   

Camryn received a little activity mat which she loves!

Each year the kids get a new ornament from us.  Grant got the Polar Express.

Erin's ornament was Cinderella.

These are out of order, but Grant and Erin were just as excited about Camryn's gifts as they were there own.

Camryn's First Christmas ornament

Christmas morning we went back to my parents' house for breakfast.  We normally host breakfast, but I don't think anyone really wanted to come to our house for fear of getting sick.  That was fine with me because after being sick, the house was not ready for company anyway.  We went to see Tangled that afternoon.  It was such a cute movie and the kids had a great time!

Because we were so kind to share our stomach bug with Stephen's parents we had to post pone our celebrations with them until this weekend.  

Besides the illness, we had a good Christmas.  The best part was getting to spend time with the cousins and Brian and Liz.  Let's see if we can all stay well next year!

Christmas Greetings 2010

We hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Our Sunday Best

 Grant wasn't feeling the photo op!  Really, I should know better than to expect cooperation as we are headed out the door on Sunday morning.

This about sums it all up!  

(She is well loved and never wants for attention.)

There.  That's better!

Maybe I will get a burst of energy and dress them up again just for the sake of taking pictures.

Guess Who Saw Santa Last Week?

I know, not the picture you thought you would see!  I received  this picture on my phone last Friday night.  Stephen spent the week in Baltimore last week for work.  He was in the airport, waiting on his flight, when he stopped by for a visit with St. Nick.  I'm not sure what the "thumbs up" is about.  Maybe Santa was saying that he made it on the good list this year!  When I opened the email I quickly shared the picture with the kiddos.  It had been a long week and I wanted the kids to know that daddy had spoken with Santa.  They were so excited and were on their best behavior (for a little while at least)!  I asked Stephen if he actually stood in line to visit Santa, but apparently there was no line to wait in.  I guess people don't usually visit Santa at the airport! 

Cloth Diapers: A New Experience

Before Grant was born I did not even consider cloth diapering.  I did not know anyone who actually used cloth diapers and all I could picture was the old diapers and rubber pants my mother had to use to diaper us.  Seventeen months later Erin came along and now we had two kids in diapers!  I wish I had researched the idea then, but I didn't.  When Erin was a little over a year old I noticed more and more of my friends were talking on facebook about cloth diapering their babies.  I became intrigued by the idea, I was still diapering two kids and the amount of money we had spent on diapers and wipes over the past few years was astronomical!  After a little research, I decided against cloth diapering mainly because it is such an investment up front and we were in the process of potty training Grant and Erin.  I figured if we were blessed with another child I would considered it again.

So, when we discovered we were expecting Camryn I began to take in as much information from the world of cloth as I could.  I must admit it was a little overwhelming at first.  There are so many options and choices out there for cloth diapering your babies!  I was able to get a long list of advice from several of my friends who cloth diaper their children.  This was extremely helpful.  I also began scouring blogs about cloth diapering like The Cloth Diaper Whisper.  I decided to buy some Bumgenius 3.0 one-size pocket diapers, second hand, from a friend as my first purchase.  One-size diapers adjust to grow with your child and can fit your child from 8-35 lbs making them the most economical choice for cloth diapering.  However, these will not fit a teeny tiny newborn so I purchased a few newborn diapers and I tried my hand at making some as well.  I have also been able to borrow a bunch from my friend Amy.  

This is a Lil Joey from Rumparooz.  These are the tiniest diapers and Camryn is already out growing this one. They are so cute on!

Bumgenius All-In-Ones x-small

This is a diaper cover...I guess it would take the place of Mom's old rubber pants.  This cover is made by Thirsties and I have it over a Kissaluvs fitted diaper.  These diapers require a cover unlike the One-Size and All-In-Ones I mentioned above.  Those have water proof fabric built into the diaper!

I guess the question everyone asks me when I tell them I use cloth diapers is:  How do you wash them?  or (What about the poop?)  I must admit this was one thing I spent the most time researching because I had the same question!  It is really not that hard and the diapers always  come out fresh and clean!  The poop is not really much of an issue right now because Camryn is breastfed, I might have to give you a better answer when she starts solids.  I do line dry the diapers most of the time because it's good to sun them.  Then sun bleaches out any remaining stains and breaks down the ammonia build up in the diapers.  We are fortunate to live in the Sunshine State so I take advantage of the rays!  After they line dry I fluff them in the dryer...good as new!  Right now we go through an average of 8-12 diapers a day.  I was having to wash every day, but I was able to borrow some diapers from Amy and now I can wash every other day!  The picture below shows about two days worth of diapers.  I think there are seventeen diapers on the line!  It's actually fun to do this laundry.  (I actually enjoy all laundry.  It's one of my favorite chores, so maybe I am a little biased.)

Just thought I would share our new adventure into cloth diapering!