Mom's Two-Cents

The party is over, the "baby" is sleeping and now that I finally have a chance to catch my breath, I wanted to take a minute to write my birthday post.

I really want to write something sentimental - to tell you all about how my life has changed in the last year and how much I love being a mom. I want to jot down all that's going through my mind about this past year...but somehow the words just fail me. There just aren't words to describe how much I love my child - even on his (and my) worst days - and how I can't imagine life without him. I can't figure out how to explain how even though being a mom can sometimes be the most difficult job I've ever had, it is far and away the most rewarding. Words also fail me when it comes to expressing how grateful I am for my husband and how much I have enjoyed watching him grow as a father this year.

So before I get all water-head on you, let me just post a couple of pictures of Camden with his cake...laughter is the quickest remedy for tearing up...at least you can say you're laughing so hard you're crying...

Happy Birthday to ME!!!

Hi everyone...Camden here. Mom and Dad are too busy reminiscing over the past year and mourning the loss of my "baby status" to post a blog, but I wanted to post a little something on my special day.

Today was very exciting. I woke up at my Granna Jane's house to Honey Nut Cheerios and not the old plain ones that I usually have. The Cheerio snack was followed by some good 'ol southern style sausage gravy and biscuits - yum-o!!! After breakfast I played a little and then I took a nap before I (along with my entourage - mom, dad, Oma, Papa, and Granna) went to get my very first haircut. Not that needed one or anything...here's my "before" shot...

















"Aunt Sherrie" (my stylist) kept me entertained through most of the haircut with a lollipop. I was so excited about the sucker I hardly noticed she was coming at my face with scissors.

















The haircut was a huge success. I got a little fussy b/c I knew they'd keep throwing treats at me. By the time it was all said and done, not only did I have a stylish new "do" but I had two lollipops, three cookies, and had played with three new toys and two combs.

















After my haircut I went out for lunch with the same entourage and then home for a three hour nap - all that lollipop and cookie eating wears a boy out! Now I am just hanging out with the fam and gearing up for my birthday party tomorrow.

I'll leave you with a video my mom worked long and hard to put together to commemorate my first year... She'll debut it tomorrow at the party, but I thought a sneak peek on my actual birthday would be better...

Birthdays, Birthdays Everywhere!!!

I used to think October was the big birthday month...me, Ryan, my mom, my brother, my sister-in-law...even my parent's dog all celebrate birthdays in that month. However, I am beginning to think that March is catching up. First we celebrated Jay on the 7th, then my brother-in-law on the 9th, today it's my sister's turn and Camden will round out the month of celebrations on the 27th.

But for today, we just wanted to wish Auntie M a happy 24th birthday. Again, doing it the best way we know how...














We love you, Maria and we can't wait to see you in a week. Camden is so excited about taking his Auntie M to see the cattle drive!!!

Love you - M, R, C and M-dog

A Shout Out to Cousin Jay

So I intended to post this much earlier in the day, but our Internet was possessed by the devil or several of his angels...or possibly all of them. Ryan just spent an hour on the phone with AT&T Tech Support and now we're finally reconnected. So...

We just wanted to wish Camden's only cousin, Jay, a very happy first birthday!!! We had trouble deciding on what to send...a Facebook message...perhaps an e-card...but in the end we decided sending our love and our birthday wishes ourselves just made the most sense!















































Happy First Birthday, Jay - we hope this is the first one of many, many, many more happy birthdays ahead! We love you and we can't wait to see you soon!!!

Love,

Aunt Mandy, Uncle Ryan and Cousin Camden...and Millie too!