Christmas 2011

We have had a great few weeks. I have been off for Christmas break for 2 weeks so the kids and I have had a great time hanging out, baking cookies, resting, and just enjoying the season. The kids and I went to our annual Christmas cookie swap with Michael's family. I forgot my camera, but here is a picture of Caleb baking some of our goodies!
Christmas Eve we went to church at our church and then to spend time with my extended family. Again, I forgot to take pictures, but here is a picture of 3 of my favorite people before church.

And the best one I could get of my babies.

Santa came!!!!
Checking out Caleb's goodies
He brought Abby a cool new chair with her name on it, clothes and her own {pretend} iPhone!!
Caleb with his "weally" big airplane
Abby with her Abby Cadabby doll. Santa just had to! :)
Our Christmas was great. Caleb was so much fun this year. He "gets" Santa, baby Jesus, and all of the things that are Christmas. I know next year will be amazing too! I hope all of you (what, all 3 of you??) had a wonderful Christmas, and a blessed New Year!!! A year in review will be coming soon. :)

Keeping it Real

Every year I send out Christmas cards. Since children change so much I like to take a picture right before Christmas to show everyone what they look like right now. With Caleb it has never been that hard. He LOVES to have his picture taken so it is easy. Well this year we {obviously} added Miss Abby to the picture. I was determined to get a picture of the 2 of them in front of the Christmas tree in their matching shirts. I wanted to use a strand of lights and say something like "I hope your Christmas is Merry and Bright" Cheesy, I know, but the older I get the more of a dork I become. :) So anyway here is how it all went down.....

Sitting up wasn't working, so we tried laying down. Result: Epic Fail.
Blurred baby = busy, moving baby who has no interest in taking a picture. At this point mommy and daddy are sweating. Caleb is trying to eat the light. Nice.

Next we trying Michael holding Abby and Caleb hugging her. Instead we got this:
It looks like Caleb is sneezing into her shirt. Nice.

That didn't work so we tried our tummies.
Result:
How 'bout NO.....

Last we tried the chair. Thinking we could contain them {Abby} here.

Yea....not so much.

So, our Christmas card this year is a family picture from the beach. Not my favorite, but it will do. I think next year we will start this process in.....JULY! :)

Merry Christmas!!!!

October, November, and December - so far!

I know you guys have been dying to hear from me...all 3 of you... :) I have been around but between some technical difficulties (I lost our camera cord) and time (full time job, 2 babies, a home, social life, etc.) blogging has been put on the back burner. Please accept my apologies. :)

Since the last time I posted all sorts of things have been going on. I will let the pictures do most of the talking, and I promise to try to be better about my blogging from now on.

October:
Caleb turned 3 and we had his birthday party at JumpZone. It was fantastic!

Caleb loved his Cars 2 Cookie Cake -- no regular cake for this birthday boy!!!

Caleb potty trained himself. Seriously. He woke up one morning and said "no more diapers." That was that. We have had maybe 3 accidents since. We are still working on nights.

We had Halloween.

Abby was a pig....
Caleb was a pirate....
My cute little pumpkin

November:
N is for November and NIECES!!! We were blessed with not 1, but 2 nieces in the first weekend in November.
Evelyn Grace King (Evie Grace) was born Thursday, November 3.

Harper Olivia Anderson was born Sunday, November 6.
Here are the proud grandparents with all 4 of their grandchildren on Thanksgiving day. Last Thanksgiving they had 1 1/2 grandchildren (I was pregnant with Abby). This year they have 4. We are truly blessed!
Also in November I was able to plan and attend Caleb's Thanksgiving feast. I loved every minute.


We celebrated Thanksgiving with the Andersons.
My little turkeys. Yes, I am THAT MOM who dresses her kids in matching outfits. Don't judge.
In December:
We had breakfast with Santa. Abby was very interested in him. She pulled his beard (his head jerked), she tried to eat the ball on the end of his hat (nice), and she starred at the jolly old man like he had 5 heads. Caleb was shy. He didn't tell him 1 thing he wanted, but was very concerned about where the reindeer were.
**For some reason this pic won't upload. **

Well, I think that about catches me up!! I promise to try and be better. I am off for 2 weeks and we have lots of fun stuff planned!!!

Merry Christmas!

3 years and 6 months

How do I have a 3 year old?? And how in the world is Abby already 6 (1/2 opps!) months old?!?! Time with these 2 is often times exhausting, trying, and hard, but we wouldn't have it FOR.THE.WORLD! They are amazing, and we love them so.

Caleb at 3 years....
Is ALL about baseball and football. Actually, anything with a ball. He has been this way since I can remember. He just loves sports.
Is TRYING to be potty trained. We are wearing pull-ups, and trying our hardest. Our goal is Christmas break. We'll see -- y'all hold me (I mean, Caleb) accountable!!!
Is still sleeping like a champ (wish he would clue his sister in). He goes to bed at 7:30-8 each night and takes a 2-3 hour nap after lunch. We are no where near ready for that nap to go away.
Is getting better about his extreme picky eating habits. Michael says "there is picky, and then there is Caleb." He has recently started eating chicken nuggets from fast food places and not just the Tyson ones mommy makes.

Knows his ABC's, can count to 20, knows his colors, shapes, and is starting to recognize numbers. He can consistently recognize 2, 3, 4, 7 and 8.
LOVES books. I think we have already read all of the Christmas books we have. Guess it is time for a trip to the bookstore!
Has an imagination you would not believe.
LOVES.LOVES.LOVES his sister. It melts my heart. He is so protective of her.
Finally loves school! :)
Loves milk, but not dirty milk (AKA: chocolate milk).
Weighs 28.6 pounds and is 36.75 inches tall
Wears 3T everything, but the pants have to be adjustable (skinny like his daddy!!)

Abby at 6 months old....
Is affectionatly called a "hot mess."
hasn't met a food she doesn't LOVE (with the exception of peas -- who could blame her!)
does not love to sleep....mommy does....we are currently in discussions about this. :)
LOVES.LOVES.LOVES her daddy and her brother. Mommy isn't bad either. When she see's us, she goes NUTS.
Has a poker face a lot of the time. Her brother can make her smile almost every time!!!

Loves bath time.
Loves to be outside.
Lets you know when she is hungry, and you better be ready!!!
Likes her paci....does not love.
Is sitting up, crawling, rolling -- you name it!
Has 1 tooth, and it looks like another one on the way!
Is wearing a size 2 diaper, and mostly 6-9 month clothes. However, some 3-6 month stuff still fits.


These 2 souls are the most amazing gifts I have ever been given or will ever receive. They are 2 of the sweetest (most of the time!), most loving, and beautiful (just ask their grandparents) I have ever known. Mommy and Daddy love you, Caleb Michael and Abigail Susan!!!!!

It was the best of times....It was the worst of times....HOLY SEPTEMBER!!!

WARNING: THIS IS A LOOOOOOOOOOOONG POST.....get your reading glasses ready!!!

What.A.Month! September has been quite the month to remember!!! It actually started the end of August when Michael started a new job. It had been a long process, and saying goodbye to his company he had been with for almost 6 years was not an easy task. However, he was offered his DREAM JOB at the corporate offices of the PGATOUR Superstores (one of his clients at the other company), and I am SO PROUD to say that Michael is now the Manager of IT-Operations for the PGATOUR Superstores!!!! Congrats, Daddy!!!! He is loving the job, just not the commute! ;)

After Michael's first week of work, we had a quiet weekend at home for Labor Day, getting ready for Caleb's first day of school on the 6th. I don't know who was more excited....mommy or Caleb!! As a teacher, I wanted him to LOVE school and everything about it. He is going to school at our church, so I knew the people and some of the other kids in his class. So, the morning of the 6th Caleb and I went off to school. I was an emotional wreck. I was SO proud and SO sad at the same time (if thats possible!). I took picture after picture of my little student. I think he was more excited about his bookbag than anything.

We got to school, and Caleb walked right in, dropped his bookbag at the door, and went in to play. He was not too happy with me when I made him come back for a picture with his teachers . Anyway, that was that....he was a big boy, at school, and mommy could leave. He had things to do and people to see, for goodness sake!!!!! His first week was wonderful, and Caleb was loving life!!!

In the meantime, we can't forget about Miss Abby who is rolling like a rolly polly these days! Her personality is coming our all over the place, and we, affectionatlly, call her a "hot mess."

At the end of Caleb's first week of school, I had planned a surprise night out for Michael, along with his brother, Grant and his wife, Morgann. It had been in the works for a long time. We had babysitters (thanks, Grandmommy and Grandpa!!!), and we were going to go out, in Atlanta, and act like adults to celebrate Michael's new job, Grant's new job, Morgann's pregnancy (she is due at Thanksgiving with our niece, Harper) and me for supporting all these people and I had a baby 5 months ago (HA!). He went out to an AMAZING dinner at Prime Steakhouse (DELICIOUS!!!!), out for dessert at Atlantic Station, and some nice adult time with Grant and Morgann. It was a great night...however...the end of the night was not amazing....

A month after Abby was born I started having this HORRIBLE pain in my back. It was smack in the middle of my back, went through to the front under my ribcage, and up my right shoulder. It would last anywhere from 45 minutes to 8 hours. It was awful, but I was scared to go to the doctor (don't they always have bad news?!?!), so I tried to deal with it myself. Well, in July I finally had enough, and I went to my PCP. He said that I had reflux and put me on meds. Well, the only thing the meds did was make me swell like I was 9 months pregnant. I tried that for about a month, went back and told him it wasn't working and that I wanted him to do something to see what was going on inside of me. He then told me I was wrong, and that I had reflux, and handed me a prescription for the meds I had been taking (he had given me samples), and said he would see me in 6 weeks. Needless to say, I was not a happy camper, but felt like I was stuck. At this point school was in full swing and I have 2 small children, not to mention a husband, that depend on me. BUT...the pains started happening every other night and lasted for longer....I was just plain MISERABLE!!!!!! So, I took matters into my own hands, and called a gastrointernologist (NO IDEA HOW TO SPELL OR SAY THAT!). I went in and he immediately called for an ultrasound and a stomach scope. I had both of these things done, and guess what Jennifer has -- GALLSTONES!!! He said that it would need to come out, but didn't look like it was an emergency, meaning it was clogged or about to rupture. So, that was on a Thursday, and on Friday we went out with Grant and Morgann....see where this is going???

Friday night while we were out, I started having the pain again. However, this time it felt different and started much earlier. It usually started in the middle of the night, waking me up. It never went away, and finally at 9AM Saturday morning I called my gastro guy (the doctor:) ). He said that I needed to go to the ER. So, off we went. Within an hour of being there I was scheduled for EMERGENCY GALLBLADDER SURGERY. The nurse was telling Michael and I that I was going to have to have surgery, apologizing, and I think we were both relieved....I had not been able to live life for the past 5 months because I never knew when I was going to have an attack. The nurse was shocked at our attitude and response! Ha! So, that afternoon I had my gallbladder removed. The surgery lasted about an hour, and the doctor told Michael that it was huge and clogged. He said the pain never would have gone away this time without removing it. When we were talking to the doctor before the surgery we asked him why I had this (29 year old, healthy person), and he said that Abby, or her pregnancy, rather, caused it. Something to do with the bile in the gallbladder and the estrogen that my body produced during pregnancy. He said that I most likely had this while I was pregnant, and had they known, I would have had to have surgery when I was pregnant. The girl who had surgery before me was also having her gallbladder out, and she was 29, a teacher, and 20 weeks pregnant!!! It is very common in pregnant people or people who have recently had babies. At my post-op last week the doctor said that my gallbladder was 3 times the normal size (it should be the size of a pear), it was full of clear fluid telling them it had bad for a while, full of stones and there was 1 in the duct (it was clogged). His words were "you just had a really bad gallbladder." Thanks, guy.

It took me about a week, but I am feeling GREAT!!!! I didn't realize how miserable I was until now, and how great I feel. I thought I was only in pain when I was having an attack, but I have realized, since the surgery, that I was in pain all the time. So, the moral of the story is: if you are pregnant or just had a baby and have back pain you most likely do not have reflux, you have gallstones and you need to DEMAND an ultrasound of your gallbladder! :) You can send your co-payments to me, Dr. Anderson. :)

September 25th was another big day for our family. Abigail Susan was baptized at our church, Cannon Methodist. Both of our families, all 14 and two 1/2's (Michael's sister and sister-in-law are pregnant), were able to be there. It was a very special morning for us. Abby did a great job, too!!
**I will post these pictures soon....we are having technology issues, and I want to go ahead and post this. Stay tuned...**

Luckily the last few weeks have been quiet....Caleb is loving school (after a few days of screaming), and Abby is all over the place. This week she started sitting up and crawling!!!! Since she is mobile he is starting to get into Caleb's toys, and he is not loving it! We are constantly saying the word "share" at our house!! Life with 2 is never dull!

Sorry I have been MIA, but we have been just a *tad* busy! :) I will post soon with Abby's 6 month stats and Caleb's 3 YEAR stats!!!!!!

Beach Trip, 2011

A few weeks ago we headed down to Pensacola Beach, Florida for a week long stay at the beach. The last time we had a week at the beach was in 2008 -- before Caleb was here and we went to Hawaii (I know, I can't complain!), but it has been awhile. We have been fortunate enough to have gone to the beach every year since Caleb was born, but it has always been for 5 days or so. Anyway, we shared a condo with my parents and my sister's family. On Wednesday the rest of my extended family arrived for the reunion at the end of the week and through the weekend. We had a great time, and lots of memories were made. I will let the pictures do the talking. :)

Abby's first time seeing the ocean - she was not impressed :)
The water was a little cold. (notice the stiff legs)
big brother was concerned for his baby sister
Caleb LOVED the ocean this year (much different than last year) and was so much fun!!
our little waterbug
Caleb loved the ocean!

Caleb and Savannah loved looking at the ocean everyday...we called this ocean amazement!
We did family pictures one night too. It is not easy getting a 2 1/2 year old and a 3 1/2 month old looking at the camera at the same time, let alone, smiling!!!
3 generations of Camuso ladies at the reunion dinner
Natalie Susan, Jennifer Susan, Abigail Susan
daddy won the golf tournament! Caleb wore daddy's medal :)
The Mayo sisters
(my mom and her sisters)

Mommy's birthday weekend

On July 7th I turned 29. It was a GREAT day that extended into the weekend. Thursday I spent the day with my mom and kiddos at the mall and other stores. It was a great way to spend the day. That night, Michael and I met my parents out for dinner at Longhorn's and just hung out. Friday Michael and I took Caleb to the Gwinnett Braves game. As you all very well know, Caleb LOVES baseball. Love actually might not be a strong enough word for this boys passion of baseball. We had a great time, and it was good to just spend time with our boy.

The 3 of us at the game

The last time the 3 of us went to a Gwinnett Braves game...
Daddy and Caleb
Mommy and Caleb

Our friends Kimberly and Tyson and Erica and Chris were there, too. I didn't get any pictures of the adults, but I did get a few pictures of Caleb and Madison, or Medicine, as Caleb calls her. These 2 love each other!! They have been friends since they were born!

Madison giving Caleb some lovin'

The best of the 2 of them that I could get. It was WAY past their bedtimes and WAY hot.

And since I am rolling down memory lane today, here is a picture of Caleb and Madison a few years ago. Caleb is 10 months old and Madison is 16 months old.