the camp blog

18 Months!

2011-12-21T21:23:00.000-05:00

So hard to believe but little Levi is 18 months old today! He has been sick (Hand, Foot and Mouth) for the past couple days so he has been a bit grumpy. He is also perfecting his tantrum skills and boy are we in for it! Can we say STRONG will! This was the first time that I took out my camera to take his picture and he didn't giggle at the click of the shutter. :( Hoping that is not gone forever but I think we have lost the magic of camera. Levi was much more interested in playing with his toys than looking or smiling for Mommy. It was also quite a dreary and dark day so taking pictures inside was a bit of a challenge. I think this storyboard captures him just where he is right now - TODDLER. :)

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-18T22:03:00.000-05:00

#2!

2011-11-30T21:33:00.000-05:00

This is super late but figured it needed to be posted here as well. (The whole world knows already!) The Camp Family is going to be getting even bigger come May 2012. :) We will be expecting baby #2 sometime around May 16th. We find out in a few weeks if it will be a baby brother or a baby sister!

One of my good friends, Casey Martinez, captured some great family photos for us - including this one. Doesn't Levi look so happy about his news??

September Travels

2011-10-02T21:06:00.000-04:00

We were busy busy during the month of September. Gone, then home for a few days, gone again, home again. Whew! Glad to be home to stay for a little while. :)

We took our 2nd Outer Banks vacation with the Ball Family and the Charles Family. We had a great time! Very relaxing. And despite the mosquitoes which were brewed up by Hurricane Irene the beach was quite nice most of the week. It got cold and rainy at the very end of the week but we were going home so no matter. :)

We were home for a week and then turned around, got on a plane and flew up to Pittsburgh. We were there for the GCC Homecoming but also to spend time with good friends that I miss dearly! We stayed with Jenna and Danny who graciously opened their cute little Pittsburgh home to us. We had a great time catching up with everyone!

Outer Banks Vacation

2011-08-20T20:51:00.000-04:00

We just got back from one of two Outer Banks vacations that we are taking this year. This past week we stayed in Duck with the Camp Family. Levi was sick for most of it which dampened the fun a bit but we made the most of it. He wasn't sleeping well and was waking at the crack of dawn every morning so I figured I might as well take advantage of it. So Thursday morning I drug Mike and Levi down to the beach for a little photo shoot. Haley (she was up super early that morning too) came along too but she wasn't crazy about getting dirty or getting her picture taken - as you can see. :)

Tackling the never ending "to-do" list

2011-07-31T21:33:00.000-04:00

If you were to come to our house you would quickly see all the projects that we have going on - at once. Our usual MO is start on a project, get it about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way done, and then stall out. For instance, the stairs are installed and look great. But we still have yet to caulk and touch-up paint. Even the hardwood floors that we installed almost 2 years ago still need trim around the fireplace and the closet trim needs to be done. We simply do not stay on task and our mind wanders to the next item on the "to-do" list. :)

So today, we were "shopping" on Craigslist and thought it would be fun to check out the building materials section. Never know when you will find something good - and today we did! An entry door (exactly like what we have been looking for) was listed for a very reasonable price. Once we were sure that it could potential work in our opening we called the guy up and asked if it was still available. Next step, go see it. We stopped by after church (lived just down the road from us in downtown Apex - so convenient!). The door was perfect - exactly what we were looking for but we had a few reservations. It set to swing the opposite way, there wasn't a frame, and it needed a bit of TLC. After collecting information on new frames, we decided that we could totally make it work and it would save us a ton of money (the man had even knocked $50 off the original price!). And off we went to get our new door!

So, we at least have the door now. Who knows when we will get it installed. :)

Pendant Project!

2011-07-28T15:24:00.000-04:00

My semi-annual craft project post is here! Haha - just kidding - I do way more projects than 2 a year. At least 4. :)

This project started when I saw a newborn photo that used this pendant bunting in it. Along with this photo came a very handy tutorial which gave me the confidence to go ahead and try it. I had always known the basic premise for making these but just never got around to it. And these are strictly for my photo business since none of them match anywhere in my house but how fun would this be around a little boy or little girls' room??!! Got me thinking for sure!

Anyways, here they are!

Girl's Day Out

2011-07-17T20:16:00.003-04:00

This past Saturday, my dear friend Lindsay and I left the husbands in charge of the little boys and headed out on a mini-roadtrip. :) We have been pining to go to a few stores down in the Charlotte area but needed a) whole day b) no distractions. We FINALLY got both requirements filled and scheduled and headed out Saturday morning.

First stop - Pottery Barn Outlet, Gaffney SC (after stopping for some coffee!). Still a bit expensive but we did find some items that we wanted at a discount. (YAY!) Look at all those couches! It was tempting....

We also hit up the Gap outlet there because, why not? Then we headed back up the road to Gastonia, NC and stopped in at Mary Jo's Cloth Store. This is a fabric lover's dream come true. So much fabric and all kinds. I got some fabric for a chair I plan to recover and Linds got a few pieces to make pillows.

Then on back to Charlotte to explore IKEA (sorry no picture - I got lazy). It was crowded but we didn't have any time constraints so we wandered through the showroom and the marketplace and got a few decor items on the cheap. After a nice sit down dinner we headed on home. We had such a great day - relaxing and fun! I think I'm recharged for another week....maybe..... ;)

Birthday Party!

2011-06-24T15:04:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday we had Levi's birthday party. We had lots of family and friends come to help us celebrate! Despite the heat, we had a great time eating lunch, breaking a pinata, and enjoying yummy desserts (although the birthday boy wanted nothing to do with cake). Here are a few pictures of the day. :)

First Birthday! {1st Post}

2011-06-19T21:49:00.002-04:00

You will have to bear with me over the next few days. There are going to be a few posts for Levi's 1st birthday festivites. :) First up - birthday pictures! Go check out my photo blog for Levi's "pro" pictures by mommy. :)

Emily Camp Photography

And the project is finished.....

2011-06-13T10:06:00.000-04:00

Well, sort of. Good news is that the stairs are now back in commission. Old carpet is all off, new risers put on, and new treads stained and installed. And it looks fabulous!!!!!!!! Mike really has outdone himself on this project. :) However, we still need to go back and touch up all the white paint and cover up stain spots. Not to mention we now have a lovely unfinished gap between the top step and the old carpet in the hallway - yuck! Hallway is next! BUT, we are in the home stretch of the ginormeous floor project throughout our house. So here is the finished stairway (except for details - so don't look too hard!).

Let's remember where we came from......BEFORE:

AFTER:

Some more angles....

Beach!

2011-06-09T22:44:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we went on trip #1 (out of 3) to the beach. We spent a long weekend in North Myrtle Beach with some friends. We had a great time! Levi did pretty well - pretty normal for him at least (he definitely had his moments). Mike and I even got to enjoy a very nice evening out to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary (which happened to be the Friday night we were there). Overall, we had a relaxing and fun weekend! :)

Summer

2011-05-30T20:58:00.000-04:00

Well, summer has officially arrived in North Carolina. After a rare mild spring, the heat and humidity have been turned up to full blast. The beginning of the Memorial Day weekend brought rain but it was nice and sunny (but very humid!) by the end. Monday we spent just hanging out as a family and then later with church friends at a cookout. We spent quite some time out in the front yard just playing in the shade. Levi now likes to push around his wagon and walk behind it. Won't be long before we have a walker! He also seems to really enjoy being outside and playing in the grass. He has absolutely no qualms about being dirty either (much to mommy's chagrin). He seems to have developed a skin reaction to grass, however. We'll be keeping our eye on it. Doesn't look serious and doesn't seem to bother him.

Mommy had the fancy camera out today since she was taking birthday pictures for a certain big boy (those to come later!). So a few from "play-time". He thinks it is so cool to walk behind that wagon! :)

Getting Big

2011-05-11T19:15:00.000-04:00

Just an update on the "chunk", as we affectionately call him. :) He is getting so big and his hair is getting so long! Next week he will be 11 months - so hard to believe! Levi loves the camera {especially for mommy!} so we have fun taking little snapshots. :)

Zoo Day!

2011-05-07T21:57:00.000-04:00

This post is a little late in coming but still wanted to post these pictures! About 2 weeks ago, my friend Lindsay and I took our boys out to Asheboro, NC to the NC Zoo. I was initially really worried about this day trip - fearing that I would be carrying my 25 lb. baby all day long. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised and we had a WONDERFUL day! Both boys did great, we had beautiful weather and just an overall good day. Looking forward to a full family trip someday soon!

Stairway Project

2011-04-18T13:49:00.002-04:00

So we finally are getting somewhere on our loooonngg awaited stairway project. Remember WAY back when I posted that we wanted out stairs to look like this {I really like the numbers - haven't convinced Mike yet}:

Mike did most of the work so he gets a lot of the credit. All I did was a bit of sanding and taping - and of course, supervising. :) Mike got the banister stained {after a good bit of prep work} on Sunday afternoon during Levi's nap and it looks great! He/we still needs to poly it, take the tape down, and touch up paint but the banister is looking pretty good! Yay for progress!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Close up shot:

*Sorry about picture quality! Definitely will take better pictures when we get the WHOLE thing done! :)

"Momma"

2011-04-05T11:07:00.000-04:00

Need to share another video {sorry if you are on Levi overload!}. :) Levi has been a late "talker". He didn't start babbling or making different noises until just recently. I wouldn't say he is truly babbling yet but he has figured out one letter and it happens to be "M"! Most babies say "Da" first so I was thrilled when Levi started saying "momma". Granted, he has no idea what he is saying and just says it randomly but it warms my heart a bit. :)

Crawling! {Sort-of}

2011-04-01T10:36:00.001-04:00

Levi has been so proud of himself lately that he can get to his knees from sitting and back up again. He has been looking like he is going to take off for about 3 weeks now. But alas, just hasn't been able to figure it out. Instead he started scooting backwards. He especially gets going when he hits the hard floor. This has gotten him places {definitely not where he was intending to go - usually getting stuck under furniture and in corners}. See exhibit A.

Just in the past few days he has decided that he WANTS to go forward but just has to figure it out. We have tried helping him by mimicking the crawling action. This afternoon I think something clicked in his head and he did it! Briefly but he did it! Hopefully our little frustrated little man is onto something. :) Here is a little video of his accomplishment!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2011-03-17T13:43:00.001-04:00

GeeDunk Picture

2011-02-25T19:32:00.001-05:00

Grove City College's alumni magazine, The GeeDunk, has a section that shows off all the babies born to alums. All you have to do is let them know you had a baby, they send you a t-shirt, you take a picture of baby in t-shirt and send the picture back to GCC. Then they publish it in the next issue. I finally contacted the college after Christmas and we got our shirt a few weeks ago. Took some pictures of Levi today (more to come!) and we finally have a GeeDunk picture! I am absolutely in love with this picture - how cute is he!

Sort-of crafty

2011-02-16T16:03:00.001-05:00

Craft projects just have NOT happened since Levi was born. I really wish that I could say that I have done something over the past 8 months but sadly I have not. I am going to blame this on how difficult of a child Levi is and not my lack of motivation....yes that's right....no time due to challenging baby.... :)

Anyways, Levi's great-grandmother sent him a card for V-Day with his first monies in it! I don't even have a cutesy piggy bank for him so I decided I would make him one. I have tons of these Mason/Ball jars so I grabbed one and quickly personalized it. Very easy project - hardly a craft project - but we are going to ease back into this!

Happy V-Day!

2011-02-12T09:22:00.002-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day! Sending everyone lots of love!

A Day at the Park

2011-01-31T15:14:00.001-05:00

This past weekend was a beautiful January weekend! So, we spent some time outside on Saturday with little man. We took him down to the neighborhood playground and swung on the swings and explored the jungle gym. :) He seemed so happy to be "playing"!

7 Months

2011-01-22T14:51:00.001-05:00

Somehow we skipped 6 months - guess we were too busy with Christmas and all! Levi turned 7 months on Friday. We were back at the doctor's office due to a lingering ear infection so we got a new weight - 22 lbs!! He is a BIG boy! He has started smiling and laughing a lot at our facial expressions. He has also started to squeal when he is super happy! He is eating solids but are a very picky eater thus far. All Levi likes at the moment are sweet potatoes, bananas and applesauce. Levi is trying to figure out how to roll onto his tummy from his back but not there quite yet. Sitting up really well but not making much of an effort to move anywhere. Although, he gets really frustrated when he can't reach what he wants! Levi is going to be a little drummer (or at least is right now) - he bangs everything on anything. The drop/pick-it up game is a new favorite as well. Since, we switched his formula to a hypo-allergenic mixture he has become a much happier boy (except when he is sick). Here are some pictures of Levi playing and smiling!

Sick

2011-01-15T20:01:00.000-05:00

That time of year. Everyone has something. Ugh.

We have all been a mess since we got home from Christmas. Mike has been the exception - he has stayed pretty healthy through it all. I have had some sort of crud for weeks. Finally feeling better but still not great. Levi has had a persistent cold, an eye infection and now an ear infection (with a much nastier cold!). Needless to say, I am exhausted and very ready to have everyone well again.

First Christmas

2010-12-31T20:15:00.000-05:00

We traveled to MD for a week to visit with family and friends. Here are some pictures of Levi's first Christmas!

Food!

2010-12-22T20:48:00.000-05:00

Food has been a challenge with Levi from the start. Don't get me wrong - the kid loves to eat. Unfortunately, he has reflux which has made the process of eating very frustrating for him. He also lacks patience which made breastfeeding a nightmare. Recently we switched him to a hypoallergenic formula - Nutramigen - in hopes that it would solve his constant fussiness. We have been using it for 5 days so far and it does seem to be making a difference. Yay! As for solids, we have been trying them for about a month now with very minimal luck. The past few days I have tried sweet potatoes and he seems to really like them! Today we had a particularly good feeding session so I decided we need a picture of that orange smile! Really hoping we are turning a corner for little Levi. :)

Thanksgiving

2010-12-01T20:29:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving was very low-key this year. We stayed home since we had traveled the whole eastern seaboard in September and October. It was lovely to not have to travel! We were especially glad because Little Man got his first cold right before Thanksgiving (which has now turned into croup and an ear infection....). Here is a very unhappy and sick Levi on his first Thanksgiving. :)

My sister came to visit and we had our friends Brian & Lindsay and their little guy over for dinner. It was a team effort for dinner - way to take the pressure off me!! We had a lovely evening (despite a sick baby and a cranky 2 year old!).

5 Months

2010-11-21T09:00:00.000-05:00

Time is flying - although some days it definitely doesn't feel like it! Our little boy is 5 months old now! He is working on sitting up and rolling over but still has yet to do either. He is "talking" a lot now and is so much fun to interact with. He really does not like tummy time and will roll right off his stomach and onto his back. We went to the doctor just a few days ago for a reflux check and Levi weighed 17 lbs 4 oz. Big boy!

Mommy got a new camera the other week so to practice we took some pictures of Levi. Still learning the camera but we got a few cute ones. :) Here is the best smile!

Baby's First Halloween!

2010-11-01T09:57:00.002-04:00

This past weekend, exactly one year ago, we found out we were pregnant! I was also still hobbling around recovering from my disastrous injury. This year we have a very active and healthy 4 month old that got dressed up as a penguin - thanks to Aunt Sarah! It is amazing to see all that has changed in a year!

This past week we also broke out the jumperoo (thanks Aunt Erin!). It is safe to say that Levi LOVES it! He was a little confused at first but once he figured out that he was supposed to jump he went to town. :)

4 Months!

2010-10-21T16:44:00.001-04:00

I can't believe how delinquent I have been on updating our blog! I got on here to post Levi's 4 month picture and realized I haven't posted anything since his 3 month picture! Will try and get better. :) We have had a busy month full of traveling. We traveled up to Pittsburgh for my dear friend Jenna's wedding and then down to MD to visit with the family for a week. Home now until Christmas. Whew!
Levi goes to the doctor tomorrow so we'll find out how big he has gotten - my guess - 16 lbs! We'll see!

3 Months!

2010-09-23T16:53:00.000-04:00

Levi turned 3 months this week!

Vacay at the Outer Banks

2010-09-20T17:59:00.000-04:00

This past week we took a week long vacation with friends to the Outer Banks. Vacation with a almost 3 month old isn't exactly relaxing but we had a good time nontheless. :) The week started out a little rocky but once we figured out how to get little Levi to sleep (& momma too!) we were pretty good for the rest of the week. Despite baby woes, the beach was wonderful and we had a great time with our good friends. We are looking forward to next year's trip when Levi will be big and playing in the sand! Here are some pictures (not as many as I would like) from this past week.

Road Trip!

2010-09-08T18:46:00.000-04:00

Way back last spring my dear friend, Jenna, asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding. I, of course, said yes - couldn't wait! A few months later we learned that we were pregnant and we would have a little one in tow for all of her wedding festivities. September has come - so hard to believe! - and we made our first of two trips to Pittsburgh this past weekend. This trip was for her shower and we will return in a month for the wedding! We also stopped over in East Liverpool to visit my family. Levi got to meet a bunch of great aunts, a great grandma, and some cousins. It was a tiring but wonderful weekend!

2 Months!

2010-08-24T09:52:00.000-04:00

Levi officially turned 2 months on Saturday (when Grandad was visiting!)! He had his 2 month check-up on Monday and he is super healthy and growing fast. He is now up to 12 lbs and 23.5 inches long! He is not a fan of shots (who is!) and was a tired crank the whole evening - but at least he slept it off! Here are some pictures of Grandad's visit with Levi. :)

Contest Winner!

2010-08-22T21:38:00.001-04:00

I actually won a contest! I won a craft magazine and a Charm Pack of Bliss Fabric from Camille Roskelly's blog. Hoping to eventually make a quilt (for me!) with the fabric. :) Check it out!

August

2010-08-19T16:08:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately - the blog has kind of fallen by the way side these past few weeks. Life with a newborn is interesting! And tiresome! As Levi approaches two months, we are slowly finding a grove. Some days are better than others. He has started to smile and interact with us which has been fun. He successfully rolled (stomach to back) himself over multiple times at the beginning of the month but hasn't really done it since. However, he is very strong and very active. He likes to know what is going on! Here are a few pictures of Levi that we have taken over the past few weeks.

Funny faces. :)

Miss Jenna came to visit me!

Spit-up king!

Naptime

2010-07-30T16:40:00.000-04:00

This is what Mommy has been doing during naptime {she probably should be sleeping too but oh well!}......

I hate our carpeted stairs but putting in hardwoods on a staircase is way to expensive. I may have found an alternative! Stained treads with white risers - beautiful! The banister needs to be stained darker anyways.... :)

We got the idea to stain our banister from this blog - Centsational Girl. She recently redid her laundry room too and I love it! Since our laundry room shares a home with the downstairs bathroom ours won't look exactly like this but I love the concept and the colors.

I posted this picture awhile ago. I still am in need of a new front door {not to mention new windows and a new roof....}. I want to install a new front door and figure out how to add dimension to the front of our very boring house. {Any suggestions are welcome!}

One of the bigger projects I want to tackle is the kitchen. Our cabinets need a facelift and the cheap laminate countertop needs to go! I really would like a softer and brighter look in the kitchen.

And then there is the master bath. Where do I even start? This project won't probably happen for awhile - mostly because we have no idea where to start. But we want to open it up, get rid of the ugly builder grade sink {replace with something similar to the above picture}, and update the shower somehow.

Obviously we have been a bit preoccupied but I really want to get going on some projects soon! I'm thinking the stairs might be a good place to start.....
Naptime is over! Back to reality. :)

One Month!

2010-07-22T14:14:00.000-04:00

Levi is one month old! We had a very eventful well-check yesterday {full of screaming and tears} but all is healthy. Levi weighed in at 9 lbs 15 oz - almost 10lbs! He is now 22 inches long. Growing like a weed!

Newborn Pictures

2010-07-19T11:44:00.000-04:00

Levi will be a month old on Wednesday!! So hard to believe that we have had our little guy for 4 weeks. He is outgrowing clothes already, starting to make faces, and holding up his head a little bit. It is amazing to look at photos and remember where we were just 4 weeks ago. Since I never posted on the blog some of Levi's newborn pictures, I thought I should put some up - for those that haven't seen them on Facebook.

Home Alone

2010-07-15T11:55:00.000-04:00

This week has been my first week home alone with Levi. It has been interesting! I had a crying break-down Monday night - totally convinced that I was not cut out for this job. However, each day has gotten a little bit better - or at least my confidence has grown each day. Levi is really a good baby he just has his little quirks - like any baby! So we have been working through some of those issues. One of his major issues since he was just a few days old has been gas and reflux. The first night we had him home we realized that he did not like to lay flat. So the first few nights he slept in a baby papasan chair and then our friend lent us a Nap Nanny that allows children to sleep at an 45 degree incline. This is supposed to be especially good for babies with reflux because it helps relieve the pain of reflux. Since then, Levi has been sleeping in the Nap Nanny fairly successfully every night. While I appreciate my sleep I do worry about having to wean Levi from the Nap Nanny and into a regular crib. So this morning I experimented. :) We have a pack-n-play that allows babies to sleep at a slight incline. Nothing like the Nap Nanny but not completely flat. Levi was obviously tired after his 9 AM feeding so I double swaddled him up, put the sleep positioner in the pack-n-play and laid Levi down in it. He cried for a few minutes, fought the sleep for about 10-15 minutes but then eventually fell asleep! We will have to keep working on this - I think we might try moving Levi to his room soon. Here is a video of my little victory. :)

Change of Pace

2010-07-11T21:43:00.000-04:00

We have had a huge change in pace around here. :)

Sleeping a lot. :)

Chair Obsession

2010-07-03T16:42:00.001-04:00

I am slowly getting used to the new routine with a newborn but it is definitely different being on Levi's schedule and not my own! Even checking email and Facebook has become much harder to do! I'm sure that we will get into a groove over the next few weeks. This afternoon we actually had a little bit of downtime while Levi napped (he hasn't been doing this all the much - surprising for a 1 week old) so I quickly used the opportunity to catch up on some things. Of course, I decided a little bit of online shopping was in order! :) While online at Target I stumbled across these adorable chairs. Only problem, I have nowhere to put them! Maybe a redesign of the living room is in order.....

I don't know why but I LOVE this chair in yellow. So bright and happy!

The aqua is so pretty too!

This green chair would look fantastic in our office - I think it might be a little short for the desk though.

And, of course, I love the baby blue - would look great in our bedroom.

I love the brown - nice and neutral.

Way to go Target - great colors and great patterns. Guess I should start saving my pennies now....

Levi's Birth

2010-06-30T19:39:00.000-04:00

For those that care to read, here is a summary of Levi's birth story. I am not much of a storyteller so bear with me and my factual style of writing. :)

Levi decided to make his appearance one week early on June 21st - the first day of summer! I had woken up early Monday morning, around 3:30 AM, with a horrendous headache and a feeling of nauseousness. I took some Tylenol, put heat on my head and laid back down for about two hours trying to get rid of the headache. At about 5:30 AM, I rolled over and suddenly felt like I was going to throw up. I got up out of bed and did throw up - twice. It was at this point that I realized something was not quite right. I tried to ignore the feeling and laid back down in bed. After laying there for 5 minutes, I decided something really was not right. I woke Mike and within the next ten minutes we decided that my water had most likely broken. I called the emergency number and spoke with the on-call doctor who instructed us to go directly to the hospital. We arrived at the hospital at about 6:00 AM and were taken to a room by 6:30 AM. A quick little test indicated that my water had indeed broken and we were officially admitted to the hospital. We had a quick realization that our son was going to be born that day! My doctor instructed the nurse to start me on Pitocin since I was not having any contractions. A very evil drug!!! After a few hours of labor, the contractions got closer together (as in right on top of each other!) and much stronger. The nurse checked and I was about 8 cm dilated. So close yet so far away! At this point, Mike was encouraging me to get the epidural. Poor guy felt so helpless as he watched me in so much pain. I conceded (I did not want an epidural going into labor) and the nurse rushed to get the epidural started. I was able to get the epidural, just in time, and my body instantly relaxed. Within 20 minutes I was at 10 cm and about ready to push. Very quickly, nurses were gathered, the doctor arrived and I was being instructed to push. It took about 10 pushes and Levi Michael arrived at 1:58 PM - only about 8 hours after being admitted to the hospital. Weighing in at 8 lbs - he was much bigger than either one of us expected. He also had a ton of hair! He is completely healthy and absolutely perfect! :)

And because I don't like posting without a picture, here is a picture from Levi's first photo shoot with Mommy. :) It was a short photo shoot because the child does not like to sleep like a normal newborn. I am hoping that we can sneak a few more pictures this week before he gets too big!

Welcome Levi!

2010-06-22T09:46:00.000-04:00

This will be brief but we have a special announcement. :) Levi Michael decided to make an early appearance on Monday, June 21st at 1:58 PM!! He weighed 8 lbs 1 oz and was 20.5 inches long. Mom and baby are both doing well. We will post more when we are home and off the hospital connection. We are both so in love with our baby boy!

New Portraits

2010-06-20T21:47:00.001-04:00

I have been keeping myself busy the past few weeks doing a few photo shoots for friends. Check out the recent sessions over at my photo blog - I definitely had some cute subjects! :)

Emily Camp Photography

Nursery Reveal!

2010-06-08T18:55:00.000-04:00

Levi's nursery is pretty much done! I'm sure we'll still do some organizing as we adjust to life with a newborn but it's a good start. Now we just need a little baby boy to fill the room. :)

The chair is currently covered with a sheet. It will have a proper slipcover in the near future - Grandma is making one! {She also made his bedding!}

Picture frames will get pictures as soon as Levi makes his debut and mommy can take his picture. :)

The closet organizer was built by Mike. Didn't he do a great job?!?!

37 Weeks

2010-06-07T17:54:00.000-04:00

We are in the home stretch! Only 3 more weeks to go! We are very ready to meet little Levi. :) His room is almost done (stay tuned for pictures) but otherwise we are ready for his arrival. Here are my 37 week stats and picture (sorry, not the best picture!).

How far along? 37 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 24 lb gain - really, going to stop answering this question!
Maternity clothes? Yep.
Sleep? So, so....

Best moment this week: Celebrating our 4th anniversary. :)

Movement: Lots of moving! Likes to make my stomach jump and move around.
Food cravings: sweet tea & pizza
Gender: Boy!
Name: Levi Michael
Labor Signs: fair amount of Braxton Hicks
Belly Button in or out? In but flattening out
What I miss: Sleeping well!
Milestones: Full term! Levi can come anytime now. :)

Levi's Dresser

2010-05-22T14:53:00.000-04:00

So we are slowely but surely working on Levi's room. It is finally starting to come together! But it isn't done yet so you'll have to wait on pictures of the whole room for right now. We did get the Craigslist dresser repainted and put up in his room (finally!). So here is the before and after reveal.

Before

After

Sorry about all the stuff in front of it! The room is not completely organized yet. :) We are pretty pleased with how it turned out. It is amazing what a little bit of white paint and spray paint will do to a piece of furniture! For those that are interested in re-doing their own piece of furniture, we followed instructions that you can find over at Young House Love. We love that blog!

Maternity Pictures

2010-05-18T11:16:00.000-04:00

Here is the link to a preview of the maternity pictures that we had taken over the weekend! Can't wait to see the rest. :) Enjoy!

Nicole Faby Photography

34 Weeks

2010-05-17T21:52:00.001-04:00

Today marks 34 weeks! And in honor of this milestone we had maternity pictures taken last night by Nicole Faby. She did great (even beat the thunderstorm!) and the preview pictures are so fun! We can't wait to get the rest of the pictures. :) Here are my 34 week stats.

How far along? 34 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 22 lb gain - going to stop answering this question!
Maternity clothes? Yep.
Sleep? Not great. :(
Best moment this week: Getting my maternity pictures done!
Movement: Lots of moving! Likes to make my stomach jump and move around.
Food cravings: sweet tea & lemonade
Gender: Boy!
Name: Levi Michael
Labor Signs: No but I think we have had a few Braxton Hicks
Belly Button in or out? In
What I miss: Running and sleeping without waking up!
Milestones: No more traveling far away! Got our last trip in this past weekend by flying to Ohio for a cousin's wedding. 6 more weeks to go!

Newborn Pictures

2010-05-10T19:10:00.001-04:00

Last weekend, I did my 1st newborn session! Check it out over at my photo blog. :)

32 Weeks!

2010-05-03T15:51:00.000-04:00

How far along? 32 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 18 lb gain
Maternity clothes? Yep.
Sleep? Definitely not great but at least I'm getting some sleep.
Best moment this week: Spending time with a little newborn and realizing that I will get to hold mine so soon!
Movement: He moves a good bit when I'm laying down. Not a hard kicker though {thank goodness!}. He does get the hiccups quite often!
Food cravings: lemonade, sweet tea - hummus and pita bread have been my new obsession
Gender: Boy!
Name: Levi Michael
Labor Signs: No but I think we have had a few Braxton Hicks
Belly Button in or out? In
What I miss: Running and sleeping without waking up!
Milestones: 2 more months!! Eek!

Photography Practice

2010-04-30T12:52:00.001-04:00

So, tomorrow morning I am photographing my first newborn (8 days old!) completely solo! Eek!! I am so excited about it but sooooo nervous. This morning I whipped out some of my supplies to practice. Since I am having a boy I do not have any baby dolls hence why we had to use a teddy bear. :) I give you my teddy bear newborn!

30 Weeks!

2010-04-20T22:22:00.000-04:00

We are at 30 weeks! Had an appointment yesterday and everything was "perfect" (according to the dr.). In this picture, I am not technically 30 weeks but fairly close - I don't feel like taking another picture!

How far along? 30 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 18 lb gain!
Maternity clothes? Yep.
Sleep? Definitely not great but at least I'm getting sleep.
Best moment this week: Having my 1st baby shower. :)
Movement: He is pretty active! Especially when I lay down to sleep!
Food cravings: lemonade and sweet tea - can't get enough!
Gender: Boy!
Name: Levi Michael
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In
What I miss: Running!
Milestones: Having other people feel him move from the outside. :)

Photography Workshop

2010-04-20T21:51:00.000-04:00

This past weekend I attended a photography workshop in Burlington, NC that was run by Sara-Anne of Sara-Anne Photography. It was a great workshop! (Check out my post over on my photo blog.) It is not just for those that want to be a photographer (as a job) but it is also for those that just want to learn more about photography and Photoshop. She is hosting another workshop in 2 weekends up in Northern Virginia and has 2 spots open. For all my MD/VA friends, if you are interested please visit her blog for details: Reflections Workshop.

Are we there yet?

2010-04-19T21:29:00.002-04:00

I apologize for the absence of posting - Mike and I have been traveling all over the east coast this past week. We are finally home and back to normal life. :) Here are some pictures from our travels.

Last weekend, my lovely sister, mom and good friend threw me a baby shower in Maryland. It was a beautiful shower and I was totally overwhelemed by all the folks that came to celebrate. It was so good to see family and friends - especially friends that I haven't seen in years!

On Monday we drove back to North Carolina (loaded down with baby gear!) and switched cars and continued driving to Charleston, SC. We spent 3 days in Charleston on a mini-vacation with my parents. My aunt and uncle drove down from Myrtle Beach on Thursday. We had beautiful weather and everything was blooming - it was gorgeous!

3rd Trimester!

2010-04-05T11:59:00.002-04:00

We have officially entered the 3rd trimester!! I am 28 weeks (or starting 7 month) today. Saw the doctor this morning and heard Levi's heartbeat. Everything looked good and healthy. :)

How far along? 28 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 12 lb gain
Maternity clothes? Yep.
Sleep? Still not great (and certain to get worse). I toss and turn a lot! But I did sleep pretty well last night!
Best moment this week: Getting his room painted. :)
Movement: Yes a good bit.
Food cravings: yogurt or frozen yogurt, lemonade, cheese
Gender: Boy!
Name: Levi Michael
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In
What I miss: Running!
Milestones: 3rd trimester!

Burlap & Scrap Wreath

2010-03-26T15:17:00.001-04:00

I have been in a very crafty mood this week. We'll see how long it continues! The other day I ran across this tutorial on how to make a burlap wreath. I instantly fell in love and had to make it. So, off to Joann's I went to gather supplies. Today I give you my burlap wreath! I really like it - it makes me smile. :)

Craft Projects for Baby

2010-03-25T08:55:00.001-04:00

I have been working on some sewing projects this week for Levi and still have more up my sleeve! I am really into the applique on shirts - so cute! These are the two that I have gotten done so far. I need to go to the craft store to get more supplies! I found the pattern for the tie on this adorable blog: Trey & Lucy. I got the picture for the whale somewhere but I honestly can't remember where!

I am excited about a few other craft projects but these I had to have commissioned. There was no way I could do these! One of my old middle/high school friends, Amanda, is expecting her first little girl in just a few weeks. She has been making (yes, making!) all of her cloth diapers. They are so cute that I just had to have her make me some too. :) I commissioned her to make two custom cloth diapers for me. I am so excited about these - they are so cute!

PS - She does sell these (in your choice of fabric). So, if you are interested, I'll put you in contact with her!

Craigslist Find!

2010-03-17T14:01:00.000-04:00

I just bought a Stanley dresser off Craigslist for $100! I love good finds. :) It is perfect except for the color so we are going to refinish it. Stay tuned for pictures!

Western Carolina

2010-03-16T19:11:00.000-04:00

This past weekend we were invited by our friends, John & Kati (no relation to the TV show!), to their parent's vacation home in western North Carolina. Along with John, Kati, their 2 children, and us, we were also joined by Matt & Karen and their 2 little ones. The cabin was very pretty and just perfect to fit us all. We mostly hung out and relaxed but we did get out and about a little bit. On Saturday morning, we headed to Chimney Hill, NC. We walked through a few shops and then we went gem mining. We had so much fun! The kids loved it as well as the adults. It was definitely "fake" gem mining but it was still cool. Here are a few pictures of our adventure out on Saturday.

We are in!

2010-03-10T10:34:00.001-05:00

Ambassador Presbyterian Church (Apex, NC) has officially moved into our new church building. The church has been meeting in public elementary schools for over 10 years and this past Sunday was the first service to be held in our very own church building. It is a beautiful building and we are all so excited to have a permenant location. But it is just a tool for us to spread the Gospel to our community. We pray that the Lord uses the building and us (the real church!) to His glory.

I didn't take a lot of pictures on Sunday. I believe there will be some more up on the church blog at some point so check that out. But here is a picture of the sanctuary (sorry for the quality!) and a picture of Mike and I outside the building.

24 Weeks

2010-03-08T17:30:00.000-05:00

We are now at 24 weeks! Almost through the 2nd trimester which is hard to believe! Saw the doctor this morning, heard the heartbeat and everything is looking good. Here are my 24 week stats and picture:

How far along? 24 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 10 lb gain
Maternity clothes? Yep.
Sleep? Not great. I do a lot of tossing throughout the night.
Best moment this week: Mike being able to feel him kick. :)
Movement: Yes. Some days more than others.
Food cravings: cheese, yogurt, lemonade
Gender: Boy!
Name: Levi Michael
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In
What I miss: Running - never thought I would say that!
Milestones: Feeling kicks!

Sewing Projects

2010-03-01T22:56:00.000-05:00

I made my first taggie blanket this evening. It is very cute! But I definitely learned a few things for next time. :)

Baby Kicks!

2010-03-01T09:22:00.000-05:00

Baby Levi is starting to kick! This morning, I finally felt his kick from the outside. I was sitting with my arm resting on my belly and he totally made my arm move! So sweet. Now we just need Levi to cooperate so Daddy can feel him. :)

A Name for Baby Camp

2010-02-22T11:49:00.001-05:00

Mike and I have come to a decision on a name for our little one. And since we are not keeping it a secret we thought we would let everyone know what it is. :) Our little boy will be Levi Michael. We are very excited to have a name for him and to call him this instead of "the baby". Now to get the nursery decorated!

Church Move-In Day

2010-02-20T18:40:00.002-05:00

Our church was allowed by the inspector to continue with move in today. So there were lots of folks that came out to help unload and clean off furniture, office supplies, toys, etc. We got everything unloaded and into the building in the morning. We can not meet in the buliding quite yet as we are still awaiting our permenant CO. So the prayer this week is that all the last minute projects get finished and we are able to have our 1st service next Sunday as scheduled! Here are some pictures from the activities this morning.

Updated Blog

2010-02-16T23:22:00.000-05:00

So, I spent some time this evening customizing our blog. What do you think??? Now that I know how to do it I can play around with all kinds of backgrounds and fonts! I got all of my instruction from this site: kevin & amanda. They have all kinds of fun Photoshop and blog tips! Mike also helped with some of the coding so I could clean it up just a little bit. Enjoy! :)

Butterflies

2010-02-10T16:02:00.000-05:00

Being able to feel our little baby move is an amazing feeling. :) Right now it is just random faint flutters - I can't wait till I can really feel him. Although, I'm sure I will want him to stop beating up my insides! Just thought I would share while I was feeling little butterflies!

Boy, boy, boy - oh boy!!

2010-02-08T16:48:00.000-05:00

We have a little boy on the way! Doctor said everything looked good and healthy! Name has not been decided yet so we are holding off on that announcement but we'll let you know as soon as we have it picked out. :) Here are my updated stats along with some pictures!

How far along? 20 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 8 lb gain!!
Maternity clothes? Still sort of. Pants mostly maternity but shirts are mixed in.
Stretch marks? No
Sleep? Ok. Still don't like sleeping on my side but it is working.
Best moment this week: Definitely getting a picture of our little guy and finding out we are having a little boy!
Movement: A little bit. Still very light and random.
Food cravings: cheese, yogurt
Gender: Boy!
Name: Close but still working on it.
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In
What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach!
Milestones: Half way done!

Floors Done! {Almost}

2010-02-05T14:15:00.005-05:00

The new hardwoods are down in both rooms! We are slowly moving everything back into the rooms but we are loving the new look downstairs. We only have some trim {baseboards/quarter round} left to install. It was a long couple of weeks to have your house ripped up but it was totally worth it. Here are a few pictures of the finished product.

One more week!

2010-02-01T14:52:00.003-05:00

We only have one more week until the long awaited ultrasound. Next Monday we will find out if this is in our future:

or this:
And we, of course, can't wait to see pictures of our little one. :)

SNOW!! {and sleet, and freezing rain....}

2010-01-30T09:40:00.003-05:00

Here in NC we are actually experiencing some snow this morning. The snow started last night and fell all night. Sometime in the early morning {I know because I heard it all night long} the sleet began as well. This morning we are getting a snow/sleet mixture. It is supposed to continue all day long so we'll see what we end up with. Oh yeah, it is supposed to be freezing tonight - not going to help the ice situation.

As if we weren't busy enough already....

2010-01-27T11:47:00.005-05:00

We added a new addition to our "family" last night. A 2008 Toyota Highlander - our "family" car. We found the one we were looking for out at dealership in Wilson and drove out to take a look at it. The car is in awesome shape and was well maintained. They had a good sticker price but we obviously fought to get it a little lower. Didn't get as low as we hoped but oh well. That was our first experience {together or individually}) buying a used vehicle from a dealership. Not the most fun - car salesman are pushy and stubborn but the experience could have been a lot worse. Here are a few pictures of our new SUV. :)

Fun Website!

2010-01-19T12:48:00.005-05:00

I was reading one of my favorite blogs, Young House Love, this afternoon {check out their awesome bathroom redo!} and they had an awesome website featured. Knock Off Wood is a website that shows you how to recreate furniture from some of your favorite stores - Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, etc. I love it! Mike might not though. :)

Slow Going...

2010-01-18T16:16:00.003-05:00

So, the floors are coming along - slow but sure. We have about 1/3 of the living room done and hopefully a lot of the hard spots done. Here are some update pictures {I apologize for the quality - I was just taking quick pictures with our little point-n-shoot.}.

The laying begins...

The progress we had made as of 9 PM Sunday night.

16 Week Update

2010-01-12T17:38:00.002-05:00

We had our 16 week check-up this morning and everything looks good! After a minor blood pressure concern {all is well - I apparently don't do well with the automatic blood pressure machines}, we heard the little one's heartbeat - about 161 bpm! We have our next appointment set for February 8th @ 9:00 AM. This will be our big ultrasound and we should find out if we are having a boy or a girl! We are super excited now and ready to get to 20 weeks! Here is a fun little quiz that some others have been using.

How far along? 16 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 1 lb gain
Maternity clothes? Sort of. Some maternity jeans but everything else is regular clothes.
Stretch marks? No
Sleep? Ok. Working on sleeping on my side. Slowly getting used to it.
Best moment this week: Hearing the heartbeat again!
Movement: Nope, not yet.
Food cravings: cheese, yogurt and lemonade
Gender: Don't know yet!
Name: I think we have a boy and a girl name picked out but nothing is official yet.
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In
What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach!
Milestones: 16 week appointment and all is good!

Hardwood Floors - Begin!

2010-01-10T14:54:00.006-05:00

The long awaited project of hardwood floors has begun! As you might remember, we found our floor back in September at Lumber Liquidators and they have been sitting in our garage since then. We were in the midst of our wainscoting project when we bought them so we waited to do one project at a time. Then Christmas time happened - so that is why we are to January and just beginning. We are starting in the living room and then once we are are finished there we will move on to the office. So this is what our living room looked like before (you can catch glimpses of Mike's wainscoting work):

First things first, carpet needs to come up.

Then the particle board subfloor needs to come up so that all the floor will be even.

Pictures from Christmas

2010-01-07T19:05:00.005-05:00

I realize that these are very late in coming but I just got them off my camera! I have been busy working on pictures for Sharon and Family trying to get them ready to send off. Of course, I didn't take many pictures while we were in MD but I did take a few from Christmas morning.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T11:48:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas to all from the Camp family!

Hope everyone has safe travels and a wonderful holiday with family and friends! Keep in mind as you go through the hectic next few days that we celebrate Christmas so as to remember Christ's birth.

“I bring you
GOOD news of great JOY
that will be for all the people.
For unto you
is born...a SAVIOR who
is Christ the Lord!”
Luke 2:10-11

Trip to the Southwest

2009-12-16T19:57:00.004-05:00

This past weekend we traveled to New Mexico and Arizona for a long weekend. We spent 2 days in New Mexico with Mike's Aunt Barbara and Uncle Kurt. We had a great time hanging out with them and exploring the Albuquerque area! Aunt Barbara took us to a preserved Indian Pueblo, the city's Festival of Lights, Old Town, a natural land art exhibit, a casino (!) and lots of good food. Saturday morning we caught a flight to Tucson, Arizona. We got some lunch and checked into our hotel to get ready for a wedding that evening. That evening we attended a wedding for one of Mike's co-workers from IBM. It was a lovely evening and the couple was gorgeous. Sunday morning we hung out at our fancy hotel and even ordered room service for breakfast! Sunday afternoon we caught our flight back into RDU. Here is a picture of the two of us walking around the desert landscape of Arizona. I'll try to put up more pictures in the near future!

Baby Camp is on the way!

2009-12-15T14:49:00.005-05:00

Yes, you heard it right - we are expecting our first little one in late June of 2010! We are super excited and are just in awe of God's handiwork. We spilled the beans to family and friends (as much as possible!) last night and it was an overwhelming response. We are so blessed by all the folks that are surrounding us as we walk through this new adventure of our life.

Some details for the curious folks. :) We found out that we were pregnant on October 30th - so we have been keeping this a secret for a loooonng time! We had our first ultrasound on November 9th and found out that we were exactly 7 weeks along. We saw the heartbeat that day and everything looked good! We were also given the due date of June 28th at that appointment. Yesterday, December 14th, we had our 12 week check-up where we were able to hear the baby's heartbeat with the Doppler machine. We were waiting for this appointment to share our news just to make sure all was well and that we had made it through the 1st Trimester.

Here is a picture of the baby at 7 weeks. We will not get another picture until 20 weeks when we find out if it is a boy or a girl. Mike "doctored" up the picture a little bit. :)

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree!

2009-12-06T13:48:00.004-05:00

Thanksgiving Weekend

2009-11-28T18:57:00.006-05:00

We had a very relaxing and nice weekend with family and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving. We were sad to not be with all of our family but we had a great weekend none the less. My sister and her husband, Katie & Greg came down on Wednesday and stayed with us through Saturday. They brought their adorable new puppy, Radar. Yankee and him had so much fun playing together. :) On Thursday, Katie and I spent the whole morning getting ready for the big Thanksgiving dinner. Our friends, Liz & Mike, drove down from Durham with yummy apple pie and joined us for dinner. We had a nice dinner and after we all promptly fell asleep! Haha - not really but we were all zonked out after dinner! We did a bit of Black Friday shopping and just hung out for the rest of the weekend. Below is a picture of our Thanksgiving table {the only picture I took all day!} and a picture of all of us at Jordan Lake.

Where did November go??

2009-11-20T18:45:00.003-05:00

So, I just realized that it has been almost a month since I posted last. That is how boring life has been around here! I feel like November has dragged along but now its almost over and I don't know where it went. It is going to be Christmas before we know it! We really haven't been up to much lately. Mike has been slowly working on some house projects {pictures soon!} and I have been going to physical therapy and trying to get better.

We are gearing up for Thanksgiving next week as well. My sister and her husband are coming to visit for a long weekend and we are also having Liz & Mike over for dinner. It will be fun! We'll see how well I can cook a turkey..... :)

4 Week Update

2009-10-29T14:06:00.004-04:00

I am officially 4 weeks out from surgery {as of yesterday} which means I am now "safe". In theory, my tendon should be strong enough now and will not snap again. At 6 weeks they consider you "healed" from surgery. However, that does not mean that you are back to where you were before the injury. There is still a long way to go to get my ankle moving and my calf muscle built back up. Physical therapy has been going very well so far and my therapist, Michelle, is very happy with my progress. She even emailed the doctor to see if she could speed things up! Still waiting to hear from the doctor but hoping that he will say yes. At the PT office this morning, I tried walking without the splint and it felt weird! A little bit like Jell-O. My leg is so weak from just a few weeks of not doing much with it. So, anyways, I am making progress but it is going to be a slow road to get back to where I was. That is my update for now!

Hope you all have a good weekend filled with yummy treats! :)

Back to Fall

2009-10-24T14:45:00.005-04:00

Thanks for the few of those that gave their opinions on my Christmas card designs! If anyone else would like to contribute, please still do! I haven't made up my mind yet. I find it funny that I had the exact opposite feelings towards the cards I created. Number 3 was the first one I created and I thought it looked too simple. I do like number 2 {as all of you did too} but I also liked number 1. We'll see which one I choose! :)

Back to present day {let's not get too far ahead of ourselves!}...it is fall and the colors are finally starting to pop on the trees. I am not mobile enough to hop in my car, drive down to the lake and take pictures. But, I wanted something. Today is rainy and so I decided to have a photo shoot with my mini-pumpkin and gourd collection that are sitting on my kitchen table. Just a little bit of fall colors for ya'll. :)

Last weekend my lovely parents came to visit and to keep my company while Mike was away at Camp Willow Run with the youth from church. I was originally scheduled to go on the retreat but a gimp isn't much fun at camp. But they came to visit and brought their new pup! He is adorable and he and Yankee had a blast together - maybe a little too much fun. :) I snapped a few pictures of Paddington while he was stuck in my dad's arms. I apologize for the quality of these pictures - I took them quickly and I am still figuring out the 1.8 aperture {it is hard!}.

Christmas Cards.....???

2009-10-22T19:52:00.005-04:00

Yep - Christmas cards. I know, it is only October but I have had a lot of time to sit and think about Christmas. As I have spent lots of frustrating time in years past trying to find the perfect card, I have decided that I am going to create my own card.

I am brand new to designing stuff like this so if they all look novice, I apologize! Here are three designs that I have come up with. Please vote on the one that you like. If you have any suggestions or don't like any of them let me know too! You can click on each image to make it bigger.

I'm sorry if this won't be a snail mail surprise for some but I need some feedback (Mike wasn't much help!).

#1#2#3

Not much to blog about

2009-10-14T19:18:00.003-04:00

So, life has been a bit boring for me the past few weeks. Life on the couch doesn't get very exciting. :) I am now 2 weeks out from surgery and started PT yesterday. I am not looking forward to the pain that will come with PT but I am looking forward to moving and getting better! This week is week 1 out of 6 for the initial start of my PT therapy. I will keep you all posted on how progress goes.

Our church, our neighbors and our family have been so great during this time. We had so many meals made and brought to us. Along, with just books, movies and coffee. :) Having folks just come and spend time with me has been a great blessing as well - it gets boring when you are home all day by yourself! So thank you all!

My mom and dad are coming to visit this weekend and I am looking forward to time to visit with them and hopefully getting out of the house!

Photoshop!

2009-10-07T12:31:00.004-04:00

I am now the proud owner of Photoshop CS4 and Adobe Lightroom! (Well, Lightroom is being delivered today.) I am so excited and have already spent way too much time playing with Photoshop. I was going to post a picture of the box but I am way too lazy and my camera is upstairs - a trek that I am trying to make only once a day!

Quilt for Baby A!

2009-10-04T17:15:00.002-04:00

I couldn't post this before today because I did not want the recipient to accidentally come across this post and see her present! :) I finished my first ever quilt the other day and am fairly happy with how it turned out. One of my good friends, Meghan, is expecting her 2nd child any day now - a little boy! When I first got my sewing machine I was determined to make her something for her shower present. This quilt looked easy enough and so I set out to do it. This quilt isn't hard but it took me waaaayyy longer than most since it was my first attempt. But it is done! Here are some pictures of the finished product. I can't wait to take pictures with this quilt and little Mr. A on top! :)

Day after Surgery

2009-10-01T12:30:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was the surgery. Everything went really well and I had an excellent team of nurses and doctors. I was apparently pretty funny and happy through some of it all too! Despite the very large bandage on my leg and having to get around on crutches I was feeling pretty good yesterday. On top of the general anesthesia, they gave me a nerve block to my foot so I couldn't feel anything until about 6 this morning.

And then it all wore off and now there is pain and I haven't moved from my bed.

The oxycodone is definitely taking the edge off but isn't completely taking the pain away. Mike graciously got my camera for me (he has been such a good nurse for me!) so here is a picture of the very large bandage that encases my left foot.

Fresh Flowers

2009-09-29T15:01:00.005-04:00

Can you tell that I have nothing to do but hang out with my camera & computer?? This injury stinks but at least I'm getting lots of time to work on my bible study material, read, learn more photography skills and do lots of blogging. :)

Fresh flowers in my house always make me happy. There is something about their color and life that adds an inviting and peaceful vibe to the house. After my injury my sweet husband and helpful sister-in-law both brought me flowers. Mike brought me pink roses which are just so sweet and look fantastic on the kitchen table. Erin brought me a mixture of yellow and orange flowers that make it feel just a bit like fall as you walk in the front door. Some pictures for your enjoyment. :)

Autumn Arrival

2009-09-29T11:15:00.005-04:00

Fall has decided to come to North Carolina - it is much much cooler outside today and it is supposed to be like that all week! Too bad I will just have to enjoy it from the couch. :( But, I think Yankee is loving it! When he hasn't been outside this morning he has been sitting right next to the storm door. He even had his paw pushed against the door so that it propped open just a bit just to catch a bit of the breeze. I thought it was quite cute. :) My camera was sitting right next to me so I snapped a picture.

New Lens!

2009-09-26T13:43:00.003-04:00

So, last week (right before my accident!) I received my new lens in the mail. I had ordered a Nikkor 50 mm 1.8 lens so that I would be able to take better portraits. That afternoon I played with it a little bit and here are some photos from that day. Yankee was being a good model for me! I LOVE it but I am definitely going to need some more practice with it. :)

News from the Doctor

2009-09-25T18:57:00.002-04:00

We meet the surgeon today and spoke to him about the options. He agreed that I definitely have a torn achilles tendon and he highly recommended surgery. Apparently, you can heal this kind of injury by casting and immobilization but it is not as successful as surgery. So, surgery is scheduled for this coming Wednesday. I will be off my leg for about 2 weeks and then will be fitted for a splint and start PT. I will be able to walk fully in a couple of weeks but won't be back into running or athletics for a couple of months. Better news than I was anticipating but it is still going to be a long couple of weeks. Thanks for all the prayers!

Unexpected Injury

2009-09-24T18:18:00.003-04:00

Earlier this month my neighbor and I were talking and he saw my volleyball t-shirt. He asked, "Do you play volleyball?". I said, "Yes!" So he gave me information about the Apex Community League and how to join his team. So I signed up and have been pumped to be able to play volleyball again. However, that excitement and anticipation was crushed this past Wednesday with an unexpected injury. As I was leaning in for a ball my left foot popped and I fell to the ground. I knew right away that it was the achilles tendon that had popped and something was not right. Yet, my pain subsided and I was eventually able to hobble to my car and drive home. Once I was home, Mike and I decided that maybe I should go to the ER. So off to the ER we went. The diagnosis was what I knew it would be but still all the while hoping it was not - achilles tendon rupture. This injury requires surgery to correct and months of recovery. All of which I am not looking forward to. Consult with the surgeon is tomorrow so I will know more details then. For those that are out there reading our blog, please pray for good news from the doctor and a speedy recovery! Thank you!

New Floors

2009-09-18T18:40:00.004-04:00

Mike and I have been mulling over new hardwoods for the downstairs basically since we moved in. Nothing ever made us jump out of our seat and called to us "Buy me!". But the other day this flooring, I'm pretty sure, called out to me through my computer screen. So I proposed it to my husband and he said we should go look at it. On down to Lumber Liquidators we went this evening. Found out that it is on clearance (hence the cheap price) and they didn't have much left! There weren't any ifs ands or buts - we were buying it. All this is to say, we bought new hardwood floors for our downstairs today! Now we just need to install them.....that will be quite the process I'm sure.

Front Door

2009-09-17T19:45:00.003-04:00

I found the PERFECT front door online today. I sooo want it (exactly as pictured - if it comes with the little portico that would be great too!). Too bad it costs an arm and a leg - $2000 to be exact. That just seems ridiculous for a front door. Am I the only one that thinks that too? Apparently that is about how much you have to shell out for a nice front door. Mike says I can have it for the next house. :(