Fun at the Pumpkin Patch

We headed to the pumpkin patch today with Hannah, Jason, Julie and Lou. The kids seemed to have a great time. I love this time of year. Here are some pictures from our day...

Surfboards...

The surfboards for the cupcakes have arrived. I'm having such a great time planning Camden's birthday. I forgot how much I enjoy planning!!! Here's a picture of the surfboards that will top Camden's birthday cupcakes. Poor Camden will not be able to enjoy one though...They contain egg whites. These were ordered from http://www.bakersnook.com/.

Aiden Lynn

Congratulations Keira and Brandon! Aiden Lynn was born yesterday morning at 10:27am. He's 7lbs 15oz and 20.5 inches long. He’s absolutely adorable! I think he looks like his mommy. What do you think? This picture was sent via cell phone. I'll post more pictures tonight.

Easter Eggs...

Hannah came over this weekend. We had planned to go to the zoo but since Mother Nature can't decided if it's winter or spring, our trip was delayed. Instead of going to the zoo we decided to color Easter eggs. Just thought I'd share a couple pictures. If you can't tell from the pictures...Hannah loves pink.

Happy Birthday!!!

Saturday we celebrated Brian's 29th birthday by hanging out at BW3's with some friends. Brian's parents also headed over for the celebration which was nice. One of the most memorable moments of the day had to be when Brian did a shot called Statue of Liberty. For those of you who have never heard of it, a Statue of Liberty consists of dipping your thumb in the shot, lighting it with a match, downing the shot and then blowing out the flame coming from your thumb. It was actually pretty funny. I think Brian's finger was still a little sore Sunday. OH! Let's not forgot, I was the typical "You have a baby...In a bar" mother Saturday afternoon! After BW3's we headed over to another "bar" to hang out. The night ended with Brian cooking Ben, Steph and myself dinner.Iit was actually very good. But again, pretty amusing.

Sunday we headed to Ikea for a new new piece of furniture. I love that store. I could have spent the entire day there but Brian's more of an "in and out" shopper. We went there for a particular item and that's all he really wanted to look at.

Which brings me to the huge change occurring in the Laurent household. Brian will no longer be working for the Columbus BlueJackets! We are taking a leap of faith and venturing out into uncharted territory...at least for us anyway. Brian is going to be an independent consultant for two different companies. We are turning Camden's playroom into an office, hence the reason for our Ikea trip. We had to purchase a new desk (and some lucky bamboo). He will be working from home on the days he's not traveling. We are both extremely excited about this opportunity but also very nervous. I've been praying every night and have realized that sometimes you just have to take a chance. It's a huge step but I truly believe it's a step in the right direction.

Honey - I am so proud of you and excited to be taking this journey with you.

I'll post pictures of Brian's new office when it's done. He's actually painting it right now!

Enjoying the nice weather...

Enjoying some time outdoors today with Camden and Hannah...

Our new 1/2 bath...

We have a long list of DYI projects and we haven't started any since completing Camden's nursery. So a couple of weeks ago we decided to start a weekend project... remodel the 1/2 bathroom – new flooring, new paint color, new light fixture, new outlets/switches, and a new faucet. Needless to say, we ran into a few problems….

For some reason whoever originally installed the pedestal sink didn’t install shut off valves so we decided we should install them - Quick and easy, it should only take 5 minutes… right? Wrong! More like 5 hours which included 4 trips to the hardware store, 4 calls to friends for advice and 1 hilarious minute when we thought we had the valve on correct but when I turned on the water it shot off the pipe, hit B in the stomach and water went everywhere! It was pretty funny.

Our next hurdle came when we tried installing the toilet. Okay, I shouldn’t say we. All I did was paint the walls, Brian did everything else. Anyway…again, whoever installed the toilet didn’t install it correctly so when B tried to reinstall it, it wasn’t the easiest thing to do. So to make a long story short we had someone from my company come and install the toilet.

So our weekend DYI project turned into a week long project but in the end, Brian did a fantastic job. I still have a few things to add, like a shelf and maybe a picture but the bathroom looks 100% better than it did! Can’t wait to start on the main bathroom!

Before

During

After

Our weekend...

What a weekend! First Terry and Terri came to Columbus for the weekend to watch Camden so Brian and I could attend my company’s holiday party. While they were having fun with Camden Friday night, Brian and I were dancing the night away. Okay, so I was dancing the night away while Brian was talking to friends but, we had a blast. I think it was our first real night out in over a year! We got home around 3am!! I know for a fact that hasn’t happened since before I was pregnant. Thanks Terry and Terri!

Me and my hot hubby...

Me, Santa and Leslie

Andrea, Leslie and me

Saturday, Terri and I headed out to a craft show my friend was in and did some shopping. Saturday evening Terry, Terri, Camden and I attended a Blue Jackets game. We were 3 rows from the ice! I’m not a huge hockey fan but when you’re that close you can’t help but to have fun. Camden was in awe. He was awake most of the time but fell asleep in Grandma’s arms during the last period.

Isn't he adorable in his hat?!

Watching the game with Grandma and Grandpa...

Hanging with Daddy at work...

My mom and Dennis are in town visiting for a week. Brian and I picked them up from the airport Sunday morning at 1am. Although I wish they were visiting under better circumstances, Brian and I are happy to see them. Sunday morning Dennis and Camden met for the first time and my mom got to see how much her little grandson has changed over the past four months. I’m glad they are having time to bond this week. I came home from work today to find my mom and Camden taking a nap together. Cute!

Camden and Grandpa Ziegman...

Camden and Grandma Ziegman...

OSU/Michigan Weekend!!!!

First a side note – Our pictures are saved to our personal computer and the internet is hooked up to my work computer, because of this I haven’t been posting as often as I would like. The reason – I like to post pictures to go along with what I write. But from now on I’m going to blog and then come back and post pictures.

What a great weekend – Camden and I “celebrated” his 1st OSU/Michigan game with Laurel, Jason, Cole and some other friends, while Brian headed down to campus to tailgate. We started the morning off by sending pic text of Camden wearing his “Poop on Michigan” shirt to some friends and family. He was so excited. He was even smiling in the picture! I’m brainwashing my child! Not only has he worn an OSU every Saturday since he was born (football season) but I made him wear this “Poop on Michigan” shirt twice last week and he made a “Stomp on Michigan” art project at daycare. He’s either going to love OSU or rebel and love Michigan! Anyway, OSU really did stomp on Michigan this year. I’ve never seen them so bad. (BTW - Abbey and Tim - we missed you!)

After the game and after we all realized Penn State was going to win their game and OSU would probably not be going to the Rose Bowl, Camden and I head home. Before bed, I changed Camden into the Penn State outfit and sent a pic text to is G-ma and G-pa Laurent with the words “Go Big Ten!”. Terri and Terry called and said it looks like I beat him before putting on the outfit. I told them actually as soon as I put it on his started pooping! HA!

On Sunday, my dad, grandma and aunt came to visit. My dad is so cute with Camden. He brought him a new outfit and book. When he gave it to me I could see he was a little teary eyed. I can tell he loves Camden so much. When he visits he doesn’t put Camden down. Even when Camden gets fussy, my dad just holds him and rocks him until he calms down. I love seeing the two of the bond. I have a cute picture that Brian took of the two of them sleeping on the couch. While my dad was holding Camden, the rest of us played Wii Bowling. All in all it was a great weekend!

Blurry cell pic but still cute!

Camden in his "Poop on Michigan" shirt

Camden with the guys!

Wii...

A lot of our friends and family have it and Brian finally talked me into it - We bought a Wii. Brian is so excited. He’s like a kid in a candy store. He called me three times the night I was supposed to get it to make sure I actually bought it! And the night after we got it, we spent the entire night moving furniture around so we would have more room to play it. The family room actually turned out great. I love the new arrangement! Anyway, our plan is to get Wii fit so we can try to get in shape. Everyone is sold out of it right now but hopefully we can get it soon. We also want to get Tiger Woods golf and the original Mario Bros. I can’t wait to plan a Wii Party!

Congratulations Andrea and Tom

Brian, Camden and I traveled to Indianpolis last weekend to attend my friend Andrea's wedding. It was so nice to see all of my friends who I haven't seen in such a long time. As for the wedding itself, everything was gorgeous! At one point, Brian said he felt like he was in a movie. Everything was perfect - the location, the colors, the cake, the food, the flowers, the dress...perfect!

Camden stayed with Grandma Laurent and Zane while we attended the wedding but he did go to the reception with us. I wanted everyone to have a chance to meet him. We danced to our song and then he passed out! He looked so adorable in his outfit!

First Trip to the Zoo...

The Columbus Blue Jackets had an event at the Zoo Tuesday evening so Brian and I decided it would be the perfect time to take Camden. The event took place after the zoo closed so we basically had the exibits to ourselves. Although we only spent about 30 minutes looking at select animals it was so much fun. Our first stop was the penquin exhibit. Camden was sleeping as you can see below. We then headed over to see the lion which had decided to move indoors so we could only see his huge paw. After that we walked over to the tiger exhibit which we all three loved and spent most of our time. There were two tigers - one was laying around but the other one was playing with a ball. It was awesome to see this huge tiger playing ball just like our little pups do. Brian took some cute pics and we moved on to some smaller animals and then the elephants and rhino's. I can't wait to take him back next year when he will actually be interested in what we're seeing. The best part of the night for me was seeing Brian holding Camden, explaining the animals to him and telling him stories of when his grandma and grandpa brought him to the Columbus Zoo.

Cool Website...

While reading Parents magazine, I came across an ad for Cozi.com - an online calendar. I decided to check it out because I've been looking for a way to keep Brian and I organized on what we have going on especially since the hockey season has started. I've tried the calendar on the fridge and it doesn't work. We both keep things on Outlook at work. The great thing about this online calendar is that you can sync it to Outlook! Oh - and you can start/keep your grocery list (or other lists) on the website and if you forget to print it off...you can text it to your phone. Anyway, Brian and I are going to try it out. - Just thought I'd share.

Sickness...

Yesterday afternoon it hit me like a ton of bricks. I was fine all morning but then around 1:30pm I started to feel sick. Abbey stopped by to visit on her way back to Decatur and I just kept telling her that I felt nauseous. After she left I laid on the couch with Camden and started to fall asleep when all of a sudden...I couldn't even make it to the bathroom! I spent the rest of the afternoon calling Brian (who was golfing) hoping he would check is phone. How was I going to make it though the rest of the day? No one tells you how to take care of a newborn when you can barely stand or take care of yourself. Needless to say, we made it through. Brian got home around 7pm and I immediately handed Cam over to him and went straight to bed. Around 11pm Brian said Camden needed to be feed and told me he was starting to feel sick. Anyway, Brian and I were sick the entire night. This morning when I took our temps - mine was 100.4 and B's was 100.9. My fever finally broke around 1pm and I started to feel fine, Brian however, now had a temperature of 101.9! The good news is Camden seems to be fin - I've been taking his temperature all day. Hopefully Brian starts to feel better soon.

Back to school...

Towards the end of last year I talked to my manager about going back to school to earn a Certificate of Accounting Concentration. I had done some research and found that Columbus State offered this program so instead of earning an MBA which I started in Indy, it would be like I had double majored in business: marketing and accounting. I would basically just be fulfilling the accounting requirements. This would take less time than an MBA and get me to the same point – credits needed to take the CPA if I ever decided to and the ability to get a better accounting position. Anyway, right after I found this information I found out I was pregnant and that changed everything. I had a difficult time concentrating in class one I got engaged - there was no way I was going to take classes while preparing for Camden's arrival! Now that Camden is here I’ve started thinking about it again. But is this what I truly want to do or do I want to start doing the wedding planning? And do I want to dedicate the time to it? I would only take one class a quarter (love the quarter system) so four or five classes a year and it should only take two years but that’s time taken away from our family. I'm already having a hard time knowing that I have to go back to work soon. The idea of leaving him for most of the day - I don't want to think about it. Between class time, time for homework and studying…What if I was at class and Camden decided that was the night to start crawling or say his first word? Or is now the right time since he's so small. When he's older we'll be doing more things together and it may be more difficult. Plus, going back would mean more work for Brian. He would have to be the one taking care of Camden while I was in class. The up side it that completing this certificate would mean better opportunities in the future and it would give me more confidence in what I am doing. I’m not sure what to do. The good thing is it’s too late to decide this quarter because classes are starting. I think I’ll take the first step and meet with an advisor in the program. I'd like to see what classes will transfer from OSU and IUPUI and how much time will need to be dedicated. I’ll let you know what I decide.

Poor Griswald...

Today we found out that Griswald has to have surgery! He somehow tore the ligament behind his knee. This is equivalent to a human’s ACL. I took him to the vet last week because we were concerned that he was getting arthritis in his back right leg. The doctor thoroughly checked him and said it could be the start of arthritis but there was no definite way to know. The other possibility was that he pulled a muscle. We’ll it turns out the he had a slight tear in his ligament and he completely tore it yesterday when we let him outside in our back yard (darn squirrels!).

As if we don’t have enough going on in the next few weeks – now our poor little pup has to have surgery! He looks so pitiful walking on 3 legs. Honestly, I think it bothers us more to see him like that than it does for him to walk like that. He’s not in too much pain; in fact he still wants to chase squirrels!

Gris at the lake

The Big 3-0!

Well today is the day - I can no longer say I’m in my twenties. It’s official…I am 30! The good thing is that I haven’t had too much time to obsess over it since most of my time as been dedicated to planning for Camden’s arrival. And honestly, why should I obsess over it..right? Not all things may have gone exactly as I planned in my twenties but I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. I have a wonderful husband and we’re expecting a little miracle soon. I have great friends and a wonderful and supportive family. In the end, isn’t that what’s most important. Things change, people change, interests change - Everyone's life plan deviates off course at some point. What matters is that we make the most of the journey. With that said, I’m making a thirties resolution to myself. I’m going to take life as it comes, enjoy myself, and spend as much time as possible with my family and friends and try to enjoy every moment.

Here’s to turning 30!

Our weekend...

Brian and I spent a nice relaxing weekend with our family at the lake. Brian's little cousin, Karly, graduated from high school on Friday. I am so happy for her. I know she's feeling so many emotions right now but most of all...excitement. Excited to be done with high school and excited to move on to college. It's hard to believe the little girl I met 9 years ago is all grown up and now a graduate! Saturday, Maya and I spend the morning making sandwiches for Karly's, grad party while Terry focused on the cheese potatoes and meatballs. While we were busy preparing the food, the guys worked on the yard at the cottage. In the afternoon we headed over to Karly's graduation party. It was fun. We watch a ton of home video's that Karly put together. They were hilarious and sweet. Brian and I decided we need to figure out how to use our video camera before Cam's born!

Side note - I love spending time at the lake with family. I love seeing Zane and how big he's getting. He's like a little man now! I also love the time we spend at the lake because we get to catch up with Pat and Maya and hear what's going on in their lives. I'm excited that we have a place we can all meet and just hang out and relax.

As for Sunday, Brian and I headed back to C-bus around 11:30 am. We had to stop twice on the way home for me to go to the bathroom. I swear, Camden is sitting right on top of my bladder! When we finally got home, Brian mowed the lawn while I went to the store and bought a mattress for Camden's crib. His room is finally starting to look put together! Sunday evening, B and I went to Target to start pricing diapers and ended up buying out first pack of diapers and some wipes. Okay, this may sound stupid but I was truelly excited about us buying diapers. I know when I have to keep buying them I'm going to hate the expense but it was fun buying them for the first time. I plan to buy one pack per week (variety of sizes) until he's born. Get a little headstart on the expense! Anyway, here's picture of the crib with the bedding. Now we just need to get some blings and a rug for the room....

Mother's Day Weekend

Our weekend -
Brian and I spent this Mother’s Day weekend at the Laurent Cottage. Friday afternoon we headed over to Decatur and played in DFL with Terri and Terry. After golf, Brian, Terri and I headed up to the lake for the weekend. Saturday, Terri, Brian and I went to the nursing home to visit Grandma Borne. It was so nice to see her. I wish we could visit more often. Terri shared the news about Camden with her and for a split second I swear she new exactly who we were. She smiled and seems excited to hear the news! As for the rest of the day, I spent most of it lying around and napping while Brian and his parents spent most the day working on the yard and preparing the lake for the summer ahead. Part of me felt horrible that I couldn’t participate but the other half was so exhausted that I couldn’t help but feel glad that they didn’t expect or want me to help. At one point I did pick up a rake but I ended up just standing there watching them. I read that I would start feeling tired again during the third trimester but I didn’t think it would start happening so soon! Anyway, Sunday – Mother’s Day, Terri woke up and made us all pancakes for breakfast - Something doesn’t sound right about that does it? Brian should have made breakfast for his mom but she did and I enjoyed eating it. That afternoon Brian and I stopped and had lunch with Terri and Terry before heading back to Columbus. It was a nice and relaxing weekend – At least for me!

Me…a mother?
Last week if hit me…I’m going to be a Mother. This pregnancy has gone by so fast. Our little Camden is due 3 months from today! 3 MONTHS!! Part of me feels somewhat prepared. I mean the nursery is almost complete, we have all of the furniture, I’ve read all the books, we have a pediatrician and we’re researching daycares. I guess I am as prepared as I can be but what about the other stuff. The important stuff...the stuff you can’t prepare for, the mom stuff. Am I going to be as patient as I need to be? How am I going to know what to say when he asks questions I’m not prepared for or what about the day when he comes home with a broken heart? How am I going to be able to help him through these things? What about naps and feeding schedules and all of the other stuff? AHHH! Anyway, my original point to this paragraph was that as I was laying on the hammock on Saturday afternoon, I started thinking about all of the wonderful Mothers I have in my life but four in particular - my amazing mom, Brian’s mom, Terri, my sister-in-law, Maya, and my best friend, Laurel. Each one of them, in a different stage of motherhood and each one of them amazing in their own way. After thinking about them, I started feeling a little less anxious. It helps to know that I have these remarkable women to turn to when I have questions. I am happy that these women are in my life and that they will play a significant role in my child’s life as well. Happy Mother’s Day. I love you all.

New Kids...

I have to share my excitement. If you’re my husband your about to roll your eyes, if your one of my close friends you’re going to start laughing and if your anyone else you’re probably going to think I’m a little weird but...the New Kids on the Block (NKOTB) are going to be on the Today show tomorrow morning and they are coming out with a new CD!

Yes, I am one of “those people” who watch E, and Entertainment Tonight. I like to know what’s going on with my favorite celebrities. And although Brian hates this, it’s also one of the reasons he loves me so much…right honey? So maybe that’s why I’m so excited about this. I’m excited to find out what they’ve been up to over the past 15 or so years. Or maybe it’s because this group brings back so many memories of my childhood. I remember spending countless hours decorating my room with posters of them. I had the sheets, the comforter, and the Joe McIntyre pillowcase. I remember the fun times I had with my Aunt Debbie and mom at concerts and how they would buy me everything with Joe McIntyre on it. I had a ton of those huge pins and wore about 10-15 (big and small) to each concert I went to. One night, I think I was in 6th grade, about 5 of my friends and a parent slept in a minivan at the mall so we could be one of the first people in line to buy tickets to a concert. I remember sitting on my grandma’s porch with the radio listening to their tape (yes, tape) and dancing around. I knew every word to every song and still get excited whenever I hear one of them on the radio. Or maybe I'm so excited because I love pop music and I’m excited to see if their new CD is any good. All I know, is I am looking forward to watching the Today show after work tomorrow. I'm glad we got DVR ; )