Go Packers!

A dad of one of the little boy's in Maddie's class this year plays for the Green Bay Packers. So they made signs two weeks ago at school wishing him good luck. And Maddie is very excited to watch Cruz' daddy play tonight!

And here is another picture of her from school, playing in the snow.

Saturday Attire

I pick Maddie's clothes out the night before she goes to bed, so in the morning she can get dressed by herself (and so we don't have meltdown over what she is wearing for the day). But on Saturday's usually it doesn't matter what she is wearing (not to mention I am worn out by the end of the week), so I let her pick out her own clothes. Here was her choice today:

I was pretty impressed! 

It has been a long few weeks in the Camp household. I had been battling a cold on and off for three weeks after Christmas that turned into a sinus infection and strep throat. Two rounds of antibiotics, and I was better just in time for us to make a trip down to Atlanta last weekend. We had so much fun seeing family, catching up with friends, and a much needed night out with the girls. Anna flew up from Tampa, and Margo drove in from Birmingham, and we had a fun day with Abby. And I am so thankful for time out of the house, especially since we returned home and ALL of us got the stomach bug throughout this week! (Hence why my sofa cushion cover is drying on the banister in the picture of Maddie from this morning).  We are all finally feeling better today. We have done a lot of laundry and a lot of cleaning, and hopefully our house is finally sanitized!

Here are a few pictures from the trip to Atlanta. 

 Maddie with Nana Camp & Aunt Jan (Chris' grandmother & aunt)

 Breakfast with the Donalds, Cahills, & Sutherlands.
Definitely a little different than when we lived in Atlanta (Maddie was the only baby). Now there is Mary Stewart, 16 months, Mary Frances (at home taking a nap), 8 months, Charlotte, 15 months, Maddie & Emalyn (and the Donalds are expecting baby #2 in June). I'm so excited we are planning on going to the beach in September with all the babies. Going to be an adventure, I'm sure!

A Time to Celebrate and A Time to Mourn

The week and a half of celebrating Miss Emalyn's birthday culminated tonight in her big party. We were so thankful to be celebrating the first year of this little one with family and friends.  I don't think she got to open one present for herself (and I found most of her new toys up in Maddie's room tonight), but the good news is she doesn't know the difference yet. (In her mind she didn't open them, they aren't hers). 

Here was the birthday girl eating her cake. She was not too fond of the hat. 

The theme was pink and brown ladybugs. I had a friend make the invitations, and they turned out really cute. 

And I had her cake ladybug cake by Darlene's Kakes, which is where we always had our birthday cakes from growing up, but it was the first time I had ordered one. Ithas just moved into the Donut Den (and you can pick up the cake on Sunday!). It was delicious. And Emalyn even had her own smash cake. 

A few more ladybug decorations:

Loving on her Bebe. 

All the kids playing upstairs in Maddie's room before dinner. 

Neel, Carrie, and Miss Caroline 

Singing Happy Birthday!

 Big Sister always right there to help!

          

  Here favorite thing was the bow off of Katie & Lewis' gift!

 All the "big girls" sitting on the sofa

It sure was a special night, but as I have been running around and getting my house ready for such a joyful occasion and even celebrating today, my heart has been break for my sweet friend Abby Johnson Haygood, who's husband, Sam, passed away from cancer early in the morning Friday. As I was fixing the lasagna for tonight to celebrate, she was burying her husband. I cannot even imagine everything she is going through. Talk about changing my perspective. I had my list (as usual) of projects I wanted to get accomplished in my house before the party, which so quickly seemed to not matter anymore. Abby was an ADPi a year younger than me and was in my Bible Study for three years at Auburn and then for a year after she moved back to Atlanta. She and Sam got engaged the weekend he was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma, and it had already metathesized to his lungs, which is one of those times when I wish I just got to be the friend and didn't have the oncology nurse's perspective in the back of my head. He went into remission a little over a year in, but then he relapsed two weeks before their wedding. I don't usually cry in wedding, but I don't know how there could have been a dry eye in the church as they made their vows to each other "for better or for worse...in sickness and in health."  I think it was always the trip to Atlanta that I was dreading and praying that I would never have to make, but I think it made it harder on me that I couldn't go today to be with Abby. I know in the whirlwind, I wouldn't have gotten to see her but for a second. But it goes against everything inside of me not to be there for a friend in a time like this. Anna Boney and I are hoping to get down to Atlanta the end of the month to spend a weekend with her. My prayer right now is that the Lord would provide someone to walk through this new part of her journey with her who has been through a similar circumstance who can truly understand what she is going through. 

"There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven:...a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance" Ecclesiastis 3:1,4

Emalyn is One!

My sweet baby is one today. I cannot believe it! What can I say about her? She is just so precious and has been such a joy this past year. Sitting in the hospital this time last year, I had no idea how this new addition to our family would stretch and challenge me. And I know we will have some challenging days ahead, but for now I am thankful to be on this side of the first year with two little ones!

Since birth, she has been the typical second child and has just gone with the flow of things. She is always a few steps behind the big kids (or even baby Carrie for that matter), but it never seems to bother her.  But if you dare mess with her when she is in the middle of doing something, watch out! Girlfriend will give it to you. She seemed to come into this world knowing how to turn on the big tears in a hurry. And she quickly learned it was survival in a house with a big sister, who is the queen of switching a toy for the toy she is holding. We have just started telling her no when she is doing something or crawling somewhere she shouldn't be, and this is the reaction you get whenever you tell her no...

(which is so different from Maddie...Maddie would look at you smile and do it again)

Looking back on this year, here are a few of her favorite things:

Sleeping on Chris' chest - she is a Daddy's Girl and has been since day one. Chris laughed in the beginning and said Maddie gave her no other choice b/c she always wanted me to be holding her and Chris holding Emalyn. But I remember I had reached a point of desperation at about week 3 when she wasn't falling back asleep after a feeding, and Chris offered to go sleep with her on the sofa. She slept for 5 straight hours, I couldn't believe it! And even in the last few months as she has been up a few time getting a new tooth in, the only thing that would comfort her was sleeping on daddy.

Playing with Maddie - Maddie can get her laughing harder than any of us. She woke up one morning last week, and Chris and I were sitting on the sofa with her. She was fidgety and looking around the room, and I realized she was looking for Maddie. As soon as Maddie came down the stairs, her whole face lit up! They have so much fun playing together.

Loving on Bentley - he has much less patience with Emalyn than he did with Maddie. But when he does give her a chance, she get a huge smile on her face and starts patting him with a few tugs of the fur in between.

And last but not least, she loves singing - we started going to a Music Together class when she was a few months old, and Emalyn loves it. Musical instruments were some of her favorite presents this Christmas.

We went to Dr. Beveridge's today for her check-up and she was 29.5 inches long (65%) and 20 lb (33%). So she is still long and lean but is steadying out in the length percentages and came back up in the weight percentages, which Dr. Beveridge was happy to see because she had been trending down. They asked me if she had between 2 & 4 words, and I panicked at first b/c I remember Maddie having 8 or 9 works, and all I could think of for Emalyn was ma-ma and da-da and ba-ba. But Chris reminded me she does say "hi" when she holds the phone up to her ear (it come out sounding more like "ha") and she will mouth bye bye as she waves. She has 6 teeth with the 7th finally breaking through. She has gotten good at pulling herself up but is very cautious and I have only seen her let go once to stand without support. She is finally starting to take steps holding my fingers (for a while she would take two steps and sit down).  She will make a gobble sound when you ask her what a turkey says, and she is learning how to say please in sign language.

We had her playgroup over this past Friday, for an early birthday celebration and will celebrate again on Sunday. Here is the birthday girl eating her first cupcake.

And the choas of having all the little ones running around, but so fun!

My mom came over and brought Emalyn a cupcake tonight. Maddie was so excited to sing Happy Birthday to Emalyn (and blow out her candle for her).

 And to end the big day, after the second day of being stuck indoors because of the snow and school being canceled for Maddie today, I gave in and agreed to blow up the big swimming pool in our living room. Another fun day at home with my girls!

Christmas Season

'Tis the Season to be Jolly, and it definitely was Christmas filled with laughter and joy at our house. I feel like I have just begun to recuperation, and we are already full swing into birthdays with Emalyn turning 1 today (I'm hoping to post again later today about the big day) and Chris' on the 19th. 

I give Chris and the girls each an ornament that relates to their year in someway. Chris' was a drill, since we are always working on some little project around the house. Maddie's was a pink angel that said "Jesus Loves Me This I Know." We have sung this to her since she was little before she goes to sleep along with a few other songs, and I have had so much fun this year listening to her sing it to her baby dolls as she tucks them in. Emalyn's was a cute frame that had a 1 on it; it has been a fun 1st year with her (plus I had to find one she could hold on to and not break!).

The next week was the 3 year old Christmas Sing at St. Georges. Maddie was in her element, singing and dancing. Bebe, Mimi, and Miss Caroline all came to watch her. It was precious. 

We had some friends over to decorate to decorate Christmas cookies. These are two of Maddie's little friends from church, Anna Claire and Caleb. I think their favorite part was dumping the sprinkles on!

We had Lessons and Carols at church the Sunday before Christmas, where the children sang and read verses telling the story of Jesus' birth. Maddie and Anna Claire could not stop hugging each other.

Miss Ingrid, Maddie's Sunday School teacher makes a gingerbread house each year. It is amazing...thatched roof, pretzel fence, goldfish pond in the back, stain glass window, candy-cane light posts, gingerbread men sitting at the picnic table. It is quite a work of art.

And afterwards, the kids get in line and get to each choose a piece to eat. Maddie somehow managed to be the first in line this year!

The next night we went Christmas Caroling with Chris' family to raise money for Fannie Battle, a local charity. 

 Here is Macie holding Emalyn. She is so sweet and helpful with my girls. 

 We opened presents from my mom and Chris' parents the week of Christmas, which helped spread out the gifts and allowed the girls to enjoy all of their presents.

 Uncle Tee gave Maddie a sleeping bag for her baby dolls. She has set up her bathroom as her baby dolls rooms, with their beds and sleeping bags all lined up.

 

Mimi and Grand D gave Emalyn her very own baby doll, which she was already hugging before we could even get it out of the box!

Christmas Eve, our sweet friends the Bruces, invited us to a breakfast with Santa at Richland that Katie's parents host each year. Katie and Robert lived diagonal from each other in our townhome complex in Atlanta, Katie was a pharmacist at Alfac, the unit I worked in in Atlanta, and they moved back to Nashville about 10 days before we did. It has been so fun to have them in our lives in Atlanta and Nashville. Maddie was memorized by Santa, and Emalyn still wasn't quite sure what she thought of him.

Maddie could not believe that Santa had an early present for her!

 I love this picture because Emalyn is not screaming but she is just looking at Santa like who in the world is this man!

Then we came back home for a round of naps, and off to the Morrissey's, a good family friend of my dad's family for a mid-afternoon meal. Then to church to open up the nursery for the Christmas Eve service, and back to our house to open presents with my dad's side of the family

 Here is Emalyn with my aunt, Lee Anne, holding her bag of whips (which used to be Maddie's very favorite treat...she still is not quite sure how she feels about Emalyn getting them now)

 Here are Maddie & my cousin Bailey opening her bitty baby clothes from my dad. 

The big morning finally arrived. Maddie must have asked me every day during the month of December if Santa was coming today. So hard for a 3 year old to understand that he doesn't come until the end of the month!

 Here they are in the Christmas Tree nightgowns I embroidered for them.

 Here is Emalyn with her new jungle toy!

 And Maddie with her new kitchen. 

And thus began the battle of sharing the new toys - this is a very typical moment in our house these days: Maddie was on Emalyn's toy....

 Emalyn realizes it takes off behind her...

 Realizes she can't catch her, comes back to where we can see her and starts crying. It amazing to me that she already knew that was her toy and she was not about to share with Maddie!

My mom and Uncle Tee came to watch them open their presents or at least see what Santa had brought since Maddie could not wait until Bebe go here to start opening, and then my dad stopped by that morning to see the girls presents.

We stopped by the Camps house to give the cousins their presents, and then it was off to my mom's house to have Christmas breakfast with her extended family.

It was a busy month but filled with so many fun memories!