About me

My friend, Whitney, posted this on her blog so I thought I'd give it a try.  You are supposed to list 25-30 things about you then the readers (that's you) are supposed to leave a comment about how many you knew and/or if any surprised you.  25-30 seems like a lot, but I'll see what I can do...

1. I crack myself up (see Whit's #1...that's why we are such good friends)

2. I cannot take naps.  Even when I was getting up in the middle of the night with Camden I could not sleep during the day.

3. I have had braces twice and I still wear my retainer (almost 7 years after getting the second set off)

4. I just got a really nice camera for my birthday and hope to take creative photos someday

5. My biggest pet peeve is mouth noises...chewing, lip smacking, all of them!

6. CO drivers give me road rage

7. Dark chocolate is the best, milk chocolate is good, white chocolate is disgusting!

8. I have peed my pants MANY times from laughing so hard

9. I love to dance

10. I have always wanted to go to Africa and just squeeze those little kids

11. When my hot beverage (a chai from Starbucks, for example) gets just the right temperature, I guzzle it before it's too cold

12. I love being a wife and mommy

13. I believe you can find something positive in every situation

14. I wish I would've met my grandpa (mom's dad)

15. I want to learn how to snowboard

16. I am competitive

17. I get frustrated when I'm not good at something right away (see #16)

18. I don't cook, but wish I knew how

19. I cannot stand clutter

20. I have to sleep in complete darkness (ask Whit who put towels in her blinds for me) and with a fan on

21. I am confident

22. I love being around people every day, all day---I'm not really one of those that needs "me" time.  Although, I think that might be changing a bit now that I'm a mommy

23. I am somewhat of a perfectionist and can be really anal when it comes to certain things

24. I really was "sweet 16 and never been kissed"---by choice I might add!

25. I love getting fun snail mail--like cards and magazines

26. I am opinionated

27. In a new situation I tend to stand on the sidelines and observe before jumping right in.  People have told me they thought I was shy until they got to know me

28. I will spend a chunk of money on jeans and shoes, but not on bags (purses) or sunglasses

29. I love being an only child

30. I have a drop of Native American in me--just enough to give me the bump on my nose

So, any surprises?  Thanks for the fun game, Whit!

Mr. Panic

      So, a couple days ago I asked Crystal what she wanted for her birthday.  She got her camera, which was a whole family gift, but I wanted to know if there was anything else she really wanted. Her response?  "I want you  to write a post on our blog."  What?  Really?  I would much rather go out and buy something.  I am not a blogger, facebooker, or myspacer. Although I look at our blog daily (and many of yours) those of you that know me would never classify me as someone who "blogs."  But my wife has done an amazing job at keeping our blog current and it is her birthday, so I thought this was the least I could do.

      Well, Crystal and I are parents.  Were we ready?  I think this is a question so many couples ask.  I don't think you can ever be ready for everything that comes along with having a child.  I think Crystal and I have adjusted quite well and Camden has definitely made the life change easy and totally fun.  If you have been following our blog, you have read about all the things Camden does on a daily basis, but one thing Crystal has not blogged about is something I don't think either of us were ready for: the middle of the night panics.

      I have never been a worrier, but something about having a child has caused me to become Mr. Panic at night.  The first incident happened in the first month of Camden being born.  I have no idea what caused me to do this, but I found myself (in the middle of the night) moving pillows, moving Crystal, and looking all around our bedroom.  What was I looking for? Camden!  Can you imagine what Crystal was thinking when I was trying to roll her over? Unfortunately, Mr. Panic did not just make one appearance.  He has made many appearances and I have looked all around our room at night for our little guy on multiple occasions.  Then, it got even weirder.  I was in Amarillo, TX on business and caught myself crawling on the floor in my hotel room looking for Camden.  The worst part about this was that when I finally realized what I was doing, I got totally embarrassed like there were people looking at me.  Have you ever felt like that?  What causes Mr. P?  Maybe I could understand if we had him sleep with us in bed, but that has never been the case.  Of all the child prep classes we took, not one warned us of Mr. Panic.  I can't wait to tell these stories to Camden when he gets older. 

      So, were we ready?  Not totally.  But that has made the experience that much more exciting and that much more interesting.  Crystal and I are having a blast being parents.  From the little noises and smiles to the overflowing diapers and spit ups, it has never gotten old and I hope it never gets old (unless he is 12 and in diapers).

Happy Birthday, babe!  I wish I could be there with you (for those reading this, I am doing my first blog entry from San Diego since I am out here for work).  I hope you have a great day celebrating your first birthday with the little man.  Love you. 

Meet Benjamin!

Three down, one to go!  Four of our friends had babies in January and we've almost seen them all.  So fun!  Meet Benjamin...his mommy and daddy (Jim and Katie) go to church with us.  

He's about 6 weeks old here and very alert.  He's taking a break in the middle of his feeding. Little Benjamin is not sweating...dad gave him a little "sponge bath" on his face to distract him while mom prepared more food!

Camden watching his new friends, Jim and Benjamin.

Family pic

Benjamin joined us!

Congrats, Jim and Katie!  We are so happy for you two and look forward to sharing "boy stories." I'm bummed I didn't get a picture of the three of them...not sure what I was thinking!

Bumper sticker

"If God's not a Bronco fan, why are sunsets orange?"

Wow. Gotta love the die-hards!

Deed...this is for your hubby! :)

V-Day

Thanks for the Valentine shirt, Grandpa and Grandma Bentley!

Love the diaper booty

Look at those lips!  He's talking in this pic.

Hope all of you had a fabulous V-day with those you love.  xoxo

Meet Ava!

We met Ava last Friday.  She belongs to Sarah, a friend of mine from work.  Murriel (another friend from work) was there with her husband and son too.  It was so fun to see Sarah and her little addition.  Ava is just as cute as can be!  You can tell she already loves her mommy from the picture below.  Congrats Sarah and Scott on your precious little girl! 

So sweet!  She is exactly 2 weeks old.

Sarah and me with our babies.  Doesn't Camden look big?  I couldn't believe he was ever as small as Ava.

Murriel, Sarah, and me with our little ones.  Seth will be 3 next month!

Roles

I have been a daughter all of my life and friend for as long as I can remember.  Then there's the role of student, which I loved.  I loved school and loved my teachers, inspiring me to venture into the profession myself.  A little later the role of hot chick comes into play as boys fall head over heels in love...hahaha, yeah right!  Just wanted to make sure you were paying attention. Back to being serious...it was girlfriend.  I became the girlfriend of a few boys that were great and one or two that were not the best choices, but, nevertheless I learned. After meeting and falling in love with the best boy ever, I became a fiance.  This was different, a strong commitment that would change my life and my last name. :)  This role was filled with anticipation of our big day and what the future held for me and my soon-to-be hubby. Fun! The obvious transition here is wife.  Blessed by an incredible husband, this was one I eased right into.  The honeymoon was incredible and the day that I kissed Jonathan good-night rather than good-bye (Gilbert Grape anyone?...Lace?) was glorious!  The last four months have given me a new role, mommy.  I am honored and thankful to have this one.  Some roles you choose, others are chosen for you, and some are simply desired and never acquired.  For some, the latter describes being a mommy.  I am truly blessed to have a son, a gift.  This role, perhaps the one I cherish the most, has also been the most difficult.  I don't mean the labor or the middle of the night feedings, I mean the change.  I have slipped in and out of roles without thinking twice, but this one is different.  It has transformed me...into a different person of sorts.  I am not a worrier by nature, but now I worry about Camden daily.  Not a negative worry, a mommy worry.  I consider myself to be a confident person, but now I second guess (perhaps over analyze would be more accurate) decisions I/we make about Camden (this ranges from letting him "cry it out" to immunizations).  I talk about things like poop and rashes.  I notice a girl's diaper bag before her shoes--now that is serious! My entire being has been consumed by this one role.  It's like the mommy role is somewhat of a bully and causes all the others to run away.  I have not forgotten them, but have lost sight of them at times. There are moments when I don't want the others because it is exhausting.  My thoughts are incomplete.  I have been internalizing this for a while, yet it is unfinished.  I hesitated "blogging" about it, not wanting to sound negative about mommyhood.  Please understand I love it and would not trade it for the world.  I am just trying to sink into it and figure out where I fit. 

Extra reassurance for the extra concerned...I have no regrets about where I am.  I am simply trying to be true to myself by acknowledging and expressing my thoughts/feelings.  I love my life and those in it.  I am blessed beyond measure.  

I love...

Jesus-my hubby-my son-family-friends-laughing-cozy fires-warm chocolate chip cookies-being a mommy-strawberries-the smell of rain-new shoes...ok, all shoes-chai-the Bible-chapstick-designer jeans-the window seat on airplanes-clean sheets-autumn-hawaii-sports-sunsets-christmas-singing in the shower-dancing-reading-slippers-shopping-Camden's smiles, talking, everything-my wedding rings-inside jokes-cherry coke-white water rafting-when the "light bulb" goes on for one of my students-vacations-turkey sandwiches-music-three day weekends-s'mores-the ocean-nordstrom-fresh snow-people watching-group dinners-perfume-snuggling-good hair days-boutiques-texting-summer nights...and much more! Happy Valentine's Day! xoxo

4 months!

Our baby boy is 4 months old! I know, I can't believe it either! Here are some pics from his doc appointment on the 3rd. Please note my pants in the pic of the two of us...he has such a big smile because he just spit up all over me! Here are some things he excels in:
-drooling
-smiling
-talking
-making Mommy and Daddy smile
-explosive pooping
-looking at himself in the mirror
-lifting his head during tummy time
-did I mention drooling?
-sleeping through the night
-grabbing things...or at least making an attempt to grab (fingers, toys, books)
-listening to stories
-tracking with his eyes
Oh, the list goes on, my friends! The scale in the pic says 14 pounds, but they officially wrote it down at 13 lbs 15 1/2 oz. He is around the 50th percentile for weight. He's about 25 inches long (60th percentile) and his noggin is in the 25th percentile. We just love him!

Meet Jacob!

Our friends, Steve and Steph, had their baby on January 9th. She was a champ...he was 9 pounds 2 ounces and she did it all natural! Wow! We went to visit Steph and her new little bundle yesterday. He is so cute! Camden looked huge next to him. Four of our friends had babies in January--tis the season.

Off to church we go!