What to look for...

Here's a list of everything that I need to blog about so I don't forget!

• Ammon's 1st birthday


• moving to NC


• new apartment


• Cam's new job


• random Ammon cuteness


• VACATION (in about 2 weeks)

Update

Well, we made it to North Carolina. We got here Friday afternoon, had boiled dinner (thanks Mom!) and finally got a decent night's sleep. We were looking forward to moving into our new place.

The keyword here, is "were".

This morning we drove to the apartment and went to get the keys. It all looked a little ghetto at first, but it didn't seem that bad, especially after we looked around a little bit and we talked to the manager. We went in and it was not at all what we had pictured. We had to rent it based on pictures and reviewsbecause we weren't able to go see it...this goes without saying, DON'T EVER, EVER, EVER DO THAT! Huge mistake. It was small, one of the bedrooms didn't have a closet, the windows were so old, it had been painted so many times, the sliding door to the balcony was not on right, the balcony wasn't finished...there were so many things we didn't like. There were cigarette butts all over the ground, people didn't clean up after their pets...it was bad. So, we started to unload the truck, and Cameron and I were so upset, we couldn't believe how it turned out and we felt so mislead and sad because we thought we were stuck there. But after we unloaded the truck and returned it, we talked and realized we couldn't live there, so we went to the office and asked if we could just forget it and get our money back. At that point, it was 2:30, and the truck rental office and the apartment office were both closing at 5, and if we could get everything out by 5:00, we could forget the whole thing. So, we rushed to re-rent the truck while everyone took our stuff out of the apartment. Luckily we were able to load everything and return the keys by 5:00.

So now we're living at my mom's house and we're looking for a place to live. We've found a few that we like and we're going to go look at them tomorrow, hopefully we can find one that we like and can afford, and hopefully we can find it quickly!

Being a Mommy

I wasn't planning on doing any blogging amidst all the cleaning and packing and getting ready to move. two nights ago I was in bed thinking about how fast the year of Ammon's life has gone by. I've watched him grow and learn new things and been so amazed at this little boy and everything that he's been through, and despite having the odds against him, he has thrived and been such a wonderful blessing. He always makes me smile, and I am so lucky to have been blessed with such a beautiful baby. Time goes by too fast and it reminds me to slow down and treasure every little moment with him, because time isn't going to slow down. I love being a mommy and I love everything that comes with it.

I saw this on a friends blog and had to re-post it.


When you're a mother...

Nothing is yours.

Your clothes aren't yours-They're a drying towel, a washcloth, a kleenex.

Your furniture isn't yours-It is a trampoline, a bed, a fort, a tent, a mess.

Your TV isn't yours-It's an on-demand movie theater filled with Sesame Street, Veggie-Tales, etc...

Your Personal Time isn't yours-It's Snuggle time, it's on-demand snack time, it's "Mommy, I need MORE attention!" time.

Your body isn't yours-It's a carrying device, a personal walker, two hands and two feet for getting whatever needs they have.

Your lips aren't yours-They're boo-boo kissers.

But most importantly:

Your HEART isn't yours-It fully belongs to them. And you wouldn't have it any other way.

Being a MOTHER isn't always easy, and it can seem at times like nothing is as it used to be, or never will be yours again. But it is, and always will be, the most rewarding job, life, that you can ever have. Yes, I miss my personal space at times. But NO, I wouldn't change it for the world.

Heading South...

...for North Carolina!

Yep, it's official. We are moving to North Carolina in March. Since Ammon was born we anticipated staying in Virginia (and in our current apartment) for a while. We thought Cameron would finish school at SVU, we thought another baby would possibly be born here (NO, I'm not pregnant) and we thought we would just enjoy life and settle down for a while. Well, when I was in the hospital, I was an hour away from home, Cameron was working full time and going to school and traveling back and forth an hour each way to see me and then Ammon after he was born, was a lot on our plate, Cameron's especially. He had a tough first year with SVU, and due to an administrative error and miscommunication from the school, it would not have been easy for Cameron to go back to school here. So, we played with the idea of going somewhere else...we just weren't sure where. We thought and prayed about it for a while and decided that NC was the place we needed to be. It was close enough that it wouldn't be too stressful of a move, and my mom lives there, which is a plus. Cameron will be transferring to Radio Shack there (fingers crossed that a position opens up!), he will most likely start school at North Carolina State University in the fall and we will be living close to my mom. We've really loved living in Virginia, and we have made so many friends that we will definitely miss. We're excited for this new chapter in our lives and we're looking forward to a new start.

Valentine's Day

We had a great Valentine's Day. We spent a lazy morning at home and then took Ammon to the park. We forgot our camera, so no pictures, but he loved the swings! After that he was pretty tired, and not interested in playing, so we got in the car and drove for an hour to spend some time shopping. We got some new clothes for Ammon and had a great time together.

Part of my gift...truffles and gorgeous tulips...the picture does not do justice, that box is HUGE!

Cameron made me an amazing dinner...marinated steak, garlic mashed potatoes, and salad...and it wouldn't have been complete without sparkling cider. It was so good and everything looked so nice!

Best part of the night...a bath with rose petals and candles!

It was so pretty and Cameron did such a good job. I've always wanted that, and it was so romantic.

The rose petals made the water smell so good! Valentine's Day was so great, and romantic. It was awesome to spend the day with Cameron and Ammon...I was pretty lucky to have TWO valentine's this year!

1st birthday

Hear Me Roar Birthday Invitation

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Lately

Ammon recently turned 10 months old! He has changed so much and is starting to outgrow a lot of his clothes. He is learning so much and is able to do a lot of new things. He can sit on his own and he can get on his knees and scoot backwards, and he is SO close to crawling. He loves to eat and eats a lot of the things that we eat. He loves playing with blocks, especially knocking down whatever Cameron and I build for him. He's starting to spit out his pacifier whenever we give it to him, so I'm crossing my fingers that I'll be able to wean him off the pacifier pretty easily. He weighs a little over 17 lbs and is growing like a weed. He is so happy and smiling all the time and we love making him laugh. He is such a sweet baby and we are so grateful for him, and so happy to have such a wonderful baby!