Gramps & Grandpa

My Dad's birthday was on the 10th and we were so happy to have him here so we could celebrate with him! My Mom, Dad, Camden, and I spent the day together while Jonathan was at work, then the 5 of us went out to dinner. Dad's special day ended with some ice cream cake (delicious)! We are so thankful for you, Dad! You are the best Dad a girl could ever hope for. Thank you for being a great example of a loving husband...you set the bar high (good thing Jonathan could reach it)! We hope you felt loved on your big day!

Camden and Gramps checking out the tiger

Dec. 12th: Camden just opened his train set from Gramps and Grammy

Dec. 10th: birthday dinner. Cam is excited!

Today another special guy is blowing out the birthday candles, Jonathan's Dad! Happy birthday to my wondeful father-in-law. We love and appreciate you. Thank you for being a great Dad to Jonathan, a fantastic FIL to me, and a loving Grandpa to Camden. We really wish we could celebrate with you, but look forward to seeing you in January when you become a Grandpa to a 3rd little guy. Happy birthday!

Camden modeling his shoes from Grandpa and Memaw for his birthday. You can see the shoes better when he doesn't have pants on. :)

Sharing snacks at Camden's 2nd birthday party

Posing with the cool bike from Grandpa and Memaw

Shutterfly Love!

I love anything with personal photos, but Christmas cards are my favorite! You can find a huge selection for this holiday season at Shutterfly.com. They have added numerouse styles just this year, so you are guaranteed to find one you love! Along with Christmas cards, Shutterfly offers creative gifts for everyone on your list--calendars, mugs, mousepads, ornaments, and even luggage tags (just think, a picture of your family instead of that pesky ribbon to differentiate your black suitcase from all the others).

I love Shutterfly! Their prices are just right and you can't beat their selection! I've used this site for Christmas cards and birthday invitations for my little guy. This year I might just have to make a calendar!

Shutterfly has an incredible offer for bloggers, they are giving away 50 FREE holiday cards. To find out more, click here: http://bit.ly/sfly2020

Be on the lookout for a fabulous Christmas card from the Bentley Fam made at Shutterfly.com!

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationary/christmas-photo-cards

Pics from the Patch

We went to the patch with the Beall Fam this year. It was a beautiful day and lots of fun!

The Patch

Daddy and Camden (sporting a crop top fleece)

Picking out one just his size

Our little scarecrow

Now for the big guys!

Looking for the perfect pumpkin

So strong!

Feeding the goats with Daddy

Piper and Camden

Sweet lovin'

Time for a ride in the wheelbarrow!

Family photo

Silence

I'm sitting here with a cup of tea in hand and tear-stained cheeks. Jonathan is on a plane to Colorado for two reasons: work meetings and to oversee the packing process (all of our stuff will be in WA by the end of this month). Camden is asleep. I've already looked at blogs, checked my email, and skimmed through statuses on Facebook. There wasn't anything else to look at or read, but I continued to click away. Then I realized I was wasting time--something I do often on the good ol' Internet. I set down the computer and in approximately 2.4 seconds my eyes were filled with tears. Happy or sad tears? Yes. Necessary tears? Absolutely!

Silence is rare in my life, for a number of reasons, I suppose. I'm a Mommy to an energetic 2-year-old who takes really short naps. I'm a wife to an incredible guy who I want to spend time with, especially after Camden goes to bed. I like to be busy. I like to talk. I like music. I like to be with people. I'm pregnant and tired. That last one may not make sense so let me explain. Processing life takes a lot of energy. At the end of the day I don't have much left--it has been used up doing things I love with my favorite little guy which is great, but it's gone nonetheless. So, tonight I decided to avoid filling the silence with the computer, TV, music, or a book and instead just sat in it. Now I am here with tear-stained cheeks, back on the computer, but feeling a bit lighter. I haven't fixed anything, but I've allowed all of those things that have been pushed to the bottom of my heart and mind surface. My thoughts are still fragmented and chaotic, but I will share some of the topics that bounced around my head...

pregnancy. mama of 2. transitions. moving. friends: old and new, near and far. marriages: some with many struggles and some with a lot of strength. my relationships with God and others. our house in colorado. my priorities. teething. family. our church. being sick is lame (especially while jonathan is away). finances. sleep.

Here's to silence and my love/hate relationship with it. Tonight, my friends, I loved it!

Noteworthy

Camden is growing, learning, and changing all the time! It's so fun to watch! Here are just a few things I want to have in black and white so I don't forget what he was doing at this age.

Camden...

• did a somersault all by himself on November 3rd. It was so cute to watch...he was surprised and proud at the same time.
• jumped on November 11th. He's been "jumping" for a long time, but both feet came off the ground at the same time on the 11th! Now he loves jumping everywhere!
• is starting to sing parts of the alphabet.
• has counted to ten! He often leaves out one and five, but he can do it!
• is chatting up a storm! Babycenter says that kids his age have about 50 words in their working vocabulary...he has over 250! Yes, I made a list!
• doesn't miss a thing! I will say something to Jonathan and he will talk about it hours later when I didn't even think he was paying attention.
• loves "driving" Daddy's car and thinks it's hilarious when he turns the radio up really loud!
• has made his stuffed giraffe his little buddy. He talks, plays, shares his food, and reads with him.
• only wants to listen to Christmas music (shout out to GG-Jonathan's mom-who starts playing the holiday tunes in August...okay, maybe not that early)!

He is awesome! We love this boy!

Prego-week 28

I'm officially in the 3rd trimester (as of yesterday) and I cannot believe it! This pregnancy is flying by! I suppose having a toddler to occupy my time makes it seem much faster than the first time around. Overall, I'm feeling great! It's getting a bit harder to put on my shoes and hold Camden, but that's all part of having a big belly! This little guy is a mover! He is all over the place and sometimes I can feel him on both sides of my belly at the same time--it's like he's stretching. I am one of the fortunate ones to have easy pregnancies and I love every minute of it!

28 weeks!

Everything goes in his mouth lately--molars.

Hugs for his brother! This was after giving him a kiss, that's why my shirt is a little wet.

12 more weeks (hopefully--stay in there, buddy)!

Many of you have asked about a name...he doesn't have one. We're working on it and will keep you posted.

Auntie Sara

Happy birthday, Auntie Sara! We hope you're having a great day celebrating your first birthday as a Mommy! We love and miss you!