Life as an Epting

Go Hawks!!

2012-01-25T22:32:00.002-05:00

We have enjoyed going to the Shorter basketball games to cheer on the Hawks! The colors are royal blue and white so we are working on our game day wardrobe. They have matching t-shirts which are super cute but I wanted Campbell to have something a little more girly! James does a pretty good job of watching the game but Sister is BUSY. Stickers, crayons and snacks can usually buy me 3/4 of a game! ;)

Family Pictures

2012-01-25T22:02:00.022-05:00

A few weeks before Christmas we had some family pictures taken on campus at Clemson. One of Bert's former ambassadors and now fellow church member has gotten into photography. Mr. Jessie did an awesome job with our pictures. He was super patient with the kids and was very laid back about getting them to smile etc. We had decided to have our pictures made before we took the job at Shorter. So when it came time to take the pictures I wanted to have them taken on Clemson's campus to remember our time here as a family.

I don't think these need much explanation but you can see what a great job Jessie did!! If you live in the upstate and are looking for a photographer I would be happy to get you his information. Thank you Jessie for such wonderful pictures to remember this special time in our lives, with small children and at Clemson.

Melt my heart! If only you could photo shop the SUV out of the back! ;)If you know Bert ... you know he LOVED this picture! ;)

This so represents their personalities right now. James is wide open and Campbell is happy to tag along as long as her brother is with her.

This one just makes me laugh!

She is one prissy thing... I hope I haven't created a monster! Ha! :)

In case you haven't heard...

2012-01-21T23:59:00.006-05:00

Bert use to work here....

.... and we lived here....

.... now we are temporaily living in this cute house...

... and Bert works here!

If you are shocked and unsure of how you missed out on this news, don't worry it did happen a little quickly. In fact, I honestly do not know where my life went since Thanksgiving. All I know is that I survived the whirlwind and I am still trying to catch up. This may explain why the blog has been severely neglected over the past month and why you may or may not have heard from us. Short summary of a long story: Beginning of December we decided to accept a position at Shorter University. Bert is now the Vice President for University Advancement at Shorter University in Rome, Georgia. We tried to have a normal life through Christmas, regrouped the week after, Bert and I spent 4 days in Miami for work (with Clemson) for the Orange Bowl, came home and moved the following week. Crazy?!? Yes, it has been. We have our house up for sale in Anderson and are currently living in a University owned home for a few months. We would love to have visitors if you want to come and check us out. I would say if you are traveling through, but most of the people we are currently close to do not drive through Northwest Georgia unplanned. :)

So because I know you are wondering... yes, it was hard to leave Clemson. It was a decision we struggled with for a while because we were very happy there. We will miss a lot of things especially our church, our friends and being so close to all of our wonderful family but we are certain this is the direction that the Lord was leading our family for this chapter of our lives. So yes we are nervous but excited as we begin our lives in Rome. More to come on this new adventure...

New Years Eve

2012-01-21T23:46:00.007-05:00

In keeping with a long tradition we rang in the New Year with the Lees and Claytons. We missed a few families this year due to various things but enjoyed the time with these two sweet families. It was always fun to be together in college and the years afterwards but this time now is so sweet to watch our kids become buddies. James is the oldest born 5/08, Parker, Luke and Madison were all born in the summer of 2009 and Campbell in 3/10 so they are pretty close in age. Needless to say it is no exactly quite when they are all together. :)

NYE 2012: Parker, Campbell, James, Madison, Luke

NYE 2011 - Campbell, Parker, James, Anna (not pictured this year), Madison and Luke

Campbell and Mr. Jonathan are big buddies.

Miss Lauren had a lap full because all of the kids were watching the IPad.

You can tell the older kiddos understood "make a funny face for the camera". Campbell on the other hand looks a litte confused! :)

Christmas overview

2012-01-21T23:22:00.009-05:00

We had a wonderful Christmas season celebrating the birth of our Lord with our family and friends. It was so fun to have James begin to understand the Christmas story and learn the anthems with us this year. I am excited to see how the kids learn and understand more each year.

James had three requests for Christmas this year and they were pretty easy to fulfill. He asked for a Clemson Football helmet, a guitar (aka a "tar"), a new scooter. Luckily we had already locked down the scooter because he added that one in last minute on a visit to Santa. Campbell was easy because she had no requests but that won't last long. Needless to say, the kids got more than the needed and are thoroughly enjoying all of their new toys from family and friends.

Not a great picture but it is the only one of their Christmas pj's from this year. It also is the only picture I have of Uncle Zach.

Not sure if Daddy or Campbell looks more sleepy in this picture?! ;)

James waited a LONG time to open this box up from Mimi and Papa but was thrilled to finally receive his Clemson football uniform complete with a helmet! Mimi and Papa gave Campbell a pretty birthstone ring. It appears to be stuck but is actually a little too lose right now so I am not sure why she is making this silly face.

This is the one picture that I took at the Epting family Christmas gathering. James and Campbell both got new guitars from their aunts and uncles.

James has blessed us with mini concerts from his new microphone and guitar. Thankfully it is not very loud! :)

Finally back home for a few days to play with all of the new loot. We let them leave it all out in the den for 2-3 days. It was fun to watch them enjoy all of their new things.James got this Cars costume in the dress-up bin and wanted to wear it while he watched Cars 2.Aunt Daphne gave Campbell this cool Craft table. She loves to color and look at books so it was a perfect gift for her.

Gingerbread Houses

2012-01-21T23:10:00.004-05:00

I am not even going to mention the fact that this post is over a month behind..... MOVING ON...

.... and picking back up with Christmas. We went to the Showghi household for the Student Affairs family Christmas party. The smart lady that Mrs. Gail is thought ahead for children's entertainment. She had gingerbread houses set up for the kids to decorate. I have to say we have never decorated one at the Epting household but it will be incorporated in the future. James and Campbell (but especially Campbell) had a blast decorating the houses.

James loves Miss Alex and enjoyed having her help out.I love Campbell's sweet face in this picture. You can just see how excited she was about decorating her gingerbread house! On a side note, I hot curled her hair before the party which makes it look shorter - and oh so cute!!
James and Campbell loving on Mrs. Gail. We are going to miss seeing her on a regular basis!

Christmas Card Out takes

2011-12-20T21:40:00.010-05:00

I must admit I always enjoy the pictures that don't make it on the card the best! The top picture made it on the card with a few others but all of the others on here were just funny. Enjoy!

Was this everyone's best Michael Jackson move?!?

Luckily we got away with only one meltdown! ;)

December Festivities

2011-12-20T21:01:00.016-05:00

We have been busy with lots of fun activities this month. Here is a little recap.

James sang at church this past Sunday. It was fun to have our little buddy singing with the other kids!! Here he is with his buddies Logan and Marshall.

A big cheese face from both kiddos! James also sang at our Bible Study last week but I only took the video camera. Don't you just love the knees of those jeans? It is AMAZING how quickly boys destroy pants. He loves to run and slide on the floor which does not add life to the pants!! ;)

Campbell is a BIG fan of her Uncle Paul!

James enjoying a big balloon at cousin Mallory's 5th Birthday Party. (Tell me again how she is already 5?!?)

Campbell enjoyed playing with the big kids at the party. It was a super cute PJ's and Movie themed party.Busy Girl.I was trying to get a good picture of them one Sunday after church....... these two were the best we could get. Although this picture could forshadow how James may feel about her one day in the future! :)Max (and his parents) came over to watch the ACC Championship game with us. The kids always have fun playing together!

We had a movie night and James wanted to snuggle with a blanket...... so you can't leave out a little sister!

Santa

2011-12-20T20:03:00.009-05:00

This year we went to see Santa at Chick-fil-a. BEST DECISION EVER!! No line, immediate playground and dinner on the table all at once! I vote for a repeat next year!! Surprisingly, Campbell loves people in costume so she walked right on up with James and "talked" to Santa.

This is Campbell's new cheese face. We see it a lot... good thing it is pretty cute! :)

What James told Santa and what he has been telling Mommy he wanted were not exactly the same things!?!

You also get a big ice cream cone if you eat all your dinner!!

When Uncle Herb is there he makes your ice dream a little bigger than normal! :)You can also make repeat visits to say hello to Santa...and get some more candy! :)

November...Where did you go?

2011-12-01T22:41:00.006-05:00

Somehow I manged to let the whole month of November slide by without blogging and only taking the pictures you see here. We hit lots of football games, took a trip to the mountain house and just had fun being a family. The first few pictures are at the mountain house. Crazy that we haven't been in like 3 years but we have a great time. It was a fun relaxing time with just the five of us (including Boise)!

Can't beat that beautiful view!

Campbell's first experience of cereal with milk in the bowl. I was super impressed with her skills!

I am not really liking this picture because she looks WAY too grown up. James informed me that this is how a solider stands. Can't argue with that. ;)Attempt of a picture together. This gives me visions of them in middle school. I have a feeling we will get these same emotions again! ;)

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T21:27:00.004-04:00

Check out my adorable farmer and chicken!! I could just eat them up! We had a great time dressing them up and going trick-or-treating! We had a great time in downtown Clemson and ran into lots of friends. Enjoy the pictures!We stopped by Daddy's office to show off the kiddos and get some goodies!

In case you were wondering this is how you transport a chicken. To be honest, I wasn't sure if the costume would survive the car ride but she didn't seem bothered by the feathers and gloves.

My favorite picture. She was ADORABLE walking around in this costume!

James enjoyed checking out the Clemson Fire Truck.

Campbell and her sweet buddy Cadence.

2 wild boys: James and Duncan

Friends from church enjoying the night.

Helping the chicken cross the road! ;)

We needed a little break to have a taste test.

Love this sweet boy!!!

NGU Homecoming

2011-10-29T22:40:00.008-04:00

James, Campbell and Mallory got to be the grand marshalls with Nana and Pops for the NGU Homecoming Parade. The had a blast and looked super cute in their football jersey and cheerleader uniforms! It was pretty chilly but thankfully not raining!

The cute cousins ready for the parade. Nathan had his own football game so he didn't get to be in the parade this year.

The kids (and Mommy) really like Dr. Emory's nice car!

A Candy Monster just like the boys in our house! :)

I wanted a picture of the kids without the coats on so you could see their cute NGU outfits. Obviously Campbell was DONE with pictures! ;)

Here, There and Everywhere!

2011-10-29T22:14:00.010-04:00

Last week I bravely took the kids to the dentist with me in hopes of us all getting our teeth cleaned. I must say it went awesome (minus the fact that Campbell didn't want her teeth cleaned but she is still young so no big deal). The practice we go to is amazing and I would totally recommend them. James has not been since his traumatic experience in the mummy wrap and he did awesome!! So proud of my brave boy.
The kids love to hang out with Daddy while he gets ready in the morning. Since it has been colder we have gotten out our slippers! Campbell has bunny slippers thanks to Robba Dee and James has lobster slippers thanks to Duncan. My sweet boy on our newly redone swing. Some neighbors who were moving gave us a swing that needed a little bit of updating. A new coat of paint and covered cushions went along way. Some of you probably don't know that I enjoy sewing. I wouldn't say I am great but I do really enjoy making things for the house and the kids. I often get requests to show what I am working on but feel a little weird doing it. (Chances are you have seen Campbell wear most of it.) But to openly show you two things I have done recently: I just finished recovering the cushions for the swing and the outfit below on Campbell.

She is rarely ever still for pictures these days!

Campbell's face in this picture really cracks me up!! She and Pops were enjoying an early morning tailgate.

James has made a big buddy at the Clemson games. These two are so cute together and get really excited to see each other.

The kids and I go to a weekly Bible Study that has a wonderful kids program. Last week James' class sang for all of the ladies.

Not sure why James is posing like a chicken while giving a BIG cheese face! :)

Sleeping Babies

2011-10-29T22:10:00.003-04:00

Really there are no words just a melted heart! ;)

Denver Downs

2011-10-18T22:22:00.017-04:00

Anytime I go into Anderson or towards 85 I ride past Denver Downs Farm. They are known for having a big corn maze and fun fall events. They are only open for the weekends in October. We have always heard great things and have been looking forward to taking the kids but they have been too young in the past years. We got invited to a private opening there tonight and despite the rain we had a blast. It was nice to not have to compete with the mass crowds that turn out on the weekends. Emma was able to go with us and the kids had a blast!

They stayed clean for about 2.5 seconds and then I was regretting the white shirt on Campbell!
Campbell LOVED feeding the animals. They had goats, cows and pigs.

All of the kiddos feeding the animals.

Campbell was letting the goats eat out of her hand and she giggled everytime! Wish I had the video camera for that one!

They had 2 week old piglets that were super cute.

James is sending a bucket of food up to the goats.

Campbell on the cow ride. Sadly, it started raining about 30 minutes into our trip and we didn't get to do everything. I am sure the kids would have loved this ride.

We got stuck on the water station for a long time. Emma and James enjoyed floating the ducks to the other side.

Campbell picking a pumpkin.

Enjoying the hayride (before the rain picked up halfway through).

Campbell liked the horse swing.

James was super excited about the rope swing. This is his favorite thing at gymnastics and he only gets to do it about 3 times per class so he enjoyed the unlimited turns!

The Corn Sandbox was a huge hit!! I loved that we didn't go home super sandy too. Although we were super dirty and went straight into the tub upon arriving home!

Campbell may or may not have had a taste test or two (with the corn and goat food). ;)

Fall Resolution

2011-10-06T15:43:00.012-04:00

I have a fall resolution to be a better blogger. As you can see we are plenty busy and have plenty to discuss but somehow I haven't been making the blog a priority. I enjoy keeping it up so hopefully I can get in a better routine. Hopefully, a weekly one!

I broke the number one rule at our house! Don't run out of milk!! James was a little disappointed when I told him we only had a little bit (like 1/4 cup) for him for breakfast. I came through the kitchen and found him like this!! :)
We have been enjoying lunch on the picnic table outside.

Love my sweet girl in her jean leggings (AKA jeggings).

Campbell took her first bubble bath in my jacuzzi tub...

...along with James and they had a BIG time.

Thanks to Mr. Dave and Mrs. Cindy the kids have new Coca-Cola hats. James has been wearing his all of the time and Campbell likes to wear hers too!!

However, she did not like posing for a picture so you are left with a profile shot! :)

The kids love having play dates with Emma and Lily (who was napping). Notice that Campbell thinks she is quite the big girl with her big cup. She also has on James' shoe on the wrong foot. I must say I really love the age she is at (18 months) it is so fun!

Football and Popcorn

2011-10-06T15:25:00.009-04:00

As most of you know, Clemson had 4 straight home games in September so you know what we have been doing!! I am thankful for some awesome babysitters for two of the games who have brought the kids to me at halftime. It gives the kids time for a nap and enough time to think they saw the whole game! But if we are really being honest the best part is playing on the field after the game! :) James LOVES running, throwing and tackling with his Daddy. Campbell.... well she just likes to watch and eat popcorn!

Let's just say it took about 10 tries to get that first picture. I am not sure what Campbell is doing here but I have about 8 pictures like this! ;)
Running...

Popcorn

....Throwing...

...Popcorn....

...and tackling (with kisses)! Isn't that what real football players do? ;)......more popcorn...

Campbell everyone else is gone! Are you finished yet?

Football Season

2011-09-15T22:27:00.011-04:00

James and Campbell came to the end of the Wofford game with us. We had a great time playing on the field after the game. James liked running and throwing the football while Campbell just wanted to eat her popcorn! :)

My sweet football player!
Campbell loved all of the dogs and horses in the parade!

James enjoyed the band, fire trucks and horses in the parade

I asked James and Campbell for a picture together and they weren't too excited...

I asked James and Luke for a picture and look how cute! Future roommates?!

We had a picnic on Bowman with the Lees, Claytons and Hawkins after the parade!

James is looking a little worried that Sis might get his football! :)

Around the house

2011-09-15T22:16:00.005-04:00

James modeling Daddy's old basketball jersey!
We tied it up in the back to fit a little better!

Campbell couldn't be left out of the dress up party!

For some reason Campbell likes to color her face with the chalk! I guess it will be make-up before I know it!

Campbell

2011-09-15T22:08:00.004-04:00

Same girl. Same dress. 4 months later. It really is amazing how quickly they change at this age. Campbell's personality has really started coming out in the past few weeks! Needless to say we love it and her new tricks. This sweet girl (and her brother) bring our family lots of joy.

Lake with Friends!

2011-09-15T21:53:00.004-04:00

The last weekend in August we had a little reunion at the Lee's lake house. It was so fun to hang out with close friends from college and see our kiddos playing together. We had six kids with James being the oldest! I guess you could say it was a little bit active and not a lot of sleeping! :) Thank you Bruce and Lauren for hosting us, we had a great time!

Front row: Luke , Ellison, Madison, Parker and I think you have seen the two in the back before! ;)

This was the only other picture I took from the weekend. I have been super slack in the photo department but don't worry Lauren and Natalie did a much better job documenting the weekend. They luckily captured some great pictures of my kids too!
This picture I stole from Lauren but I think it is funny. A whole shelf dedicated to sippy cups!

Long Time Gone

2011-08-24T21:52:00.010-04:00

I haven't been blogging because I actually haven't been taking many pictures. I turned on the camera last week to find that I had taken no pictures since the beach! Crazy? Actually, it was kind of nice and I don't think the kids have changed too much since their last photos! :) We have been enjoying the summertime and trying to stay cool. Here are a few things we have been up to in the past month!

Daddy got a little creative at the lake and it was a huge hit. James loves to slide off the dock...
... and dive (as he calls this trick!) :)

Did you really think Campbell was going to be left out of a good time? It didn't take her long to figure out how to go down it too! (Don't worry Bert was in the water to catch her but she doesn't mind going under!)

Campbell's first set of French Braided Pigtails! What a big girl!

And now you are saying to yourself, "Did she really sit still for that?" ABSOLUTELY NOT ;)

James wanted to nap in his sleeping bag on his floor. When I went to check in on him he had added all of his stuffed animals around him!

Enjoying a Popsicle.

We went out of the lake with the Claytons and had a great time. James and Campbell like to play with Luke and Madison.

Sweet Babies on the beach

2011-07-20T23:18:00.034-04:00

We got some great pictures of the kids on the beach one night. Luckily we took them very early in the week because by day 3 James had a black eye which would not have looked great in these pictures! :) I always have the great idea to just take a ton of pictures then find one I like when I get them on the computer. Well, I took a ton and liked a lot of them this time. Many of them need some editing but that is for another day! The first 5 are my favorites. By the way, it is amazing how distracting sand can be to two kids in a photo shoot!

My camera was not yet adjusted after coming from the air conditioned house but I love this sweet picture. I love how she is holding out her hand and he is coming back for her. Wonder how many years it will last?

This was obviously the first time they have ever felt the sand! I mean really!!! ;)

I know you can't see James face in this picture but I love how it appears that they are talking.

So we did not intend to take a picture of all 4 of us but Pops convinced me my lack of make-up would just enhance the natural setting. Really? I think not. Anyway this picture sums up why we have very few pictures of our whole family. Don't you love Campbell's rock star pose?

I have about 200 pictures or Campbell's side and/or backside from last week. How does a 16 month old out run me?

Beach Pictures

2011-07-20T22:25:00.045-04:00

Ok - I finally weeded through what felt like 300,000 pictures from the beach but was actually only about 300. I have had many requests for them on the blog but you might regret it once you see how many I posted. We had a great time and enjoyed spending time together. It is always fun to have Daddy around for an extended amount of time. James had a blast boogie boarding and Campbell took many "walks" on the beach! Both of our kids love the water and it is fun to see them playing and swimming.

James loved finding starfish.....

and saving the starfish!

James enjoyed having LOTS of time with Mallory.

Campbell spend alot of the week trying to catch up! ;)

All you need is a snack if you want Campbell to come sit in your lap!

Campbell wasn't big enough for most of the rides and felt a little left out!

James thought he was BIG TIME on the motorcycles. He smiled for the entire ride.

Baby girl found a ride she liked!

James thought the water was too cold at the fountains...

... Campbell was ALL about it!

I could eat her up!

She might look the part but Campbell wanted nothing to do with actually putting the ball.

Mallory and James look like they are strategizing a plan.

Nana and the morning crew!

Work it girl! :)

Aunt Delanie sent Campbell this ADORABLE bee bathing suit and we LOVE it

Can you tell Daddy was around and snuck in a few snacks?

Future hottie! ;)

A present day hottie and a proud boggie boarder.

All of that left for 2 exhausted parents. It was a fun week but small children will wear you out!

Finally caught up!

2011-06-22T22:49:00.006-04:00

For the first time in a LONG time I am caught up with the blog - meaning that I have no pictures left to go through! It is a nice feeling! :) I haven't been taking as many pictures lately but we are enjoying the summertime and trying to stay coo!

Me and my sweet babies!
Sometimes eating lunch can really wear you out! ;)

James has a new love for sunglasses now that it is summertime!

Campbell loved squishing her cupcake (after licking the icing off!)

I love that sweet dirty face!

I have not figured this new habit out yet. James loves to put his toys in his bed and then cover them up. I thought he was hiding them from Campbell but he wants her to join him so I don't think that it is. It is interesting when I go to tuck him in and find lots of random small toys in the bed! Willing to bet this won't be the last time this sweet boy puzzles me! ;)

This and That

2011-06-09T23:52:00.009-04:00

James and Campbell love eating at their new table. Campbell thinks she is big stuff eating at a big girl table!
Mimi and Papa gave James this Pirate Ship for his birthday. Needless to say, it is a huge hit around here! The first day he used it he was so excited. I took Campbell back inside to change a dirty diaper and heard James yelling. Panicking I looked out the window afraid something was wrong but he was just belting out the theme song from Jake and the Neverland Pirates.

Shooting the water cannon.

First Mug shot. Don't you love the art work? It is still on the wall if you want to come by and see it in person! ;)

So we might have experimented with some sponge curlers. Never too young?!? She went to bed with a head full of curlers and woke up with two left. That left us with this beautiful hair-do! At least it will curl! :)

Silly girl with her brother's hat on attempting to ride his tricycle.

Family time at the Lake

2011-06-09T23:42:00.007-04:00

Campbell looks grumpy (Mommy was too). Here's a tip Campbell: Don't wake up at 5:30 am!!!

Sweet cousins snuggling EARLY in the morning. Nana and I tried to keep them quiet for the rest of the house to sleep. That is not as easy as it sounds! ;) I love that James and Campbell are holding hands in this picture. So sweet!

As you have probably gathered after regularly reading my blog, James likes to do anything that Mallory and Nathan are doing. I thought it was funny to see them drinking their drinks together.

Aunt Caroline was sweet enough to cut James' hair while we were at the lake. He was overdue!

Look at that shaggy hair!

Birthday Pancakes Take 3

2011-06-09T23:24:00.007-04:00

Our long standing (or 3 year tradition) is to have Birthday pancakes! Here is a run down of our breakfast the past three years!

We had to sing the song and blow the candles a few times. It does only come once a year so you might as well live it up!

3 pancakes with a pirate candle.

2nd Birthday - Aunt Jemima = much fluffier and tastier than last year! :)

1st Birthday - Specialty Baby Whole Wheat Pancakes!

The original "birth"day. So many sweet memories of that special day.

Happy 3rd Birthday James

2011-06-09T23:01:00.009-04:00

James turned 3 a few weeks ago. It is a shame that it takes me that long to post the pictures but oh well! (By the way Campbell started walking in April. Pretty sure poor second child didn't get that one documented like the 1st child. Maybe that was because James took a long time and we were just glad he could walk!!)

Anyway, James has been asking for a Pirate Cake for his birthday ever since Campbell's birthday in March. He really wanted a certain one he sees on out trips to the grocery store. It was very pricey and looked hard to eat. Luckily he was pleased with the one I found at Publix. IT was super cute and super yummy. I took more pictures but many of them were not very good so it made the decision easy on which ones to post!

Emma gave James these super cute Superman PJs. I think they are ADORABLE and James thinks there are pretty cool. It is so cute to see him sleeping on his belly with the cape on his back!

Slightly excited that it is finally his birthday. It was fun to see him understand and enjoy his birthday. We explained the whole birthday thing to him in March when it was Campbell's birthday and he has been counting down the days until May 28th!

Bert bought James these yard tools that he has been eyeing at Lowes. We kept telling him he might could have them for his birthday so we felt we should deliver. The gas can/watering can is a huge hit and I now have a helper with my potted plants!

Yo Ho Mateys! Love that sweet pirate. Surprisingly he wore the headpiece and of course we had our pirate sword. How else could he open those gifts?

Aunt Paula and Uncle Ken gave him a cool Pirate flag. He got lots of great gifts but I didn't get any pictures of him with them. He loves his new bike from Nana and Pops and his new pirate ship pool from Mimi and Papa!

Campbell giving Papa a little snuggle.

Mallory, one of James' favorite people.

The cute Pirate Cake!

The kiddos patiently awaiting some cake and ice cream.

Campbell

2011-05-27T12:57:00.012-04:00

Look at this sweet face!!! Don't you want to just eat her up!!! I love the age that she is at right now and seeing her walking around is too cute. I will say she is getting into things and rearranging all of my cabinets on a daily basis but I can't get too upset with that sweet face. We have ventured into pigtails and ponytails and I think she looks adorable (but a little bit older).

If you receive a random call from my cell phone then you can probably give Campbell the credit!
Loving that cute Ponytail!

Campbell enjoys brushing her teeth much like her brother did at this age.

Oh my how my stomach flops when I look at this! Yes, this is the dress I smocked her for Easter. She wore it for the 2nd time last Sunday. We came home and I was trying to get lunch started before changing her clothes. Within 5 minutes she had found a bottle of nail polish in the bottom drawer in my bathroom and managed to get it open. Luckily she was on the tile floor so it can up easy but not so much for the dress. I have spotted it about 15 times and it is almost gone or at least wearable.

I wanted to take her picture in this sweet dress that Mimi bought her but she wasn't too happy about the idea.

Still not wanting her picture made........this was as good as we were going to get.

Where oh where did May go?

2011-05-27T12:21:00.011-04:00

We have been doing a lot of this and that the past few weeks. I have found myself forgetting the camera a few times lately but none the less there are still pictures from the past few weeks. My kids will probably look back and be thankful all their pictures are digital because where else would they put them all! :)

Emma (or Nemma depending on if you choose to say it like James) invited the kids over for a test run on her slip-n-slide. It was a bit cold but still a hit!
I didn't plan on Campbell participating but I should have known she would not go for being left behind!

Looks like she liked it! ;)

James and his buddy, Lila, at our end of the year lunch for Community Bible Study.

The Easter Bunny brought this Woody T-shirt and may be regretting the purchase. He wants to wear it ALL the time. In fact in the picture above he is wearing it under his collared shirt because it was the only way I could convince him to wear the dress shirt! It has been taking a lot longer for it to make it from the laundry room back into his room once it is clean! :)

Sweet little girl loves to read/look at books. I couldn't find her the other day and when I did I think my heart melted a little bit more.

The kids love to play outside and the sand table is always a favorite.

I can't decide which of my two love bunnies looks more excited that it is Mother's Day.

We went to the zoo with Mimi and had a blast! Too bad I only took like 4 pictures but I did actually video them while we were there. I thought we might get kicked out when I turned around on the playground and James was in the grass peeing! That was an embarrassing Mommy moment but I am sure it won't be the last!!

Queenie

2011-05-27T12:16:00.006-04:00

Pops loves to spend his Sunday afternoons at the farm piddling around and taking Queenie for a ride. On Mother's Day he brought her over so James could take a ride after his nap. It ended up being a good thing that he did because they had to unexpectedly put her down a few days later. James thought he was big stuff riding Queenie and Pops enjoyed seeing his ride too!

We can't leave the dogs behind!

Miss Priss had to take a ride (or sit) on Queenie too!

I was at a bad angle for the lighting but we were in a hurry and you never know how long a 1 year old will actually sit still!

Happy Easter

2011-05-10T21:59:00.021-04:00

I feel like Easter was about 2 months ago because things in our world have been crazy the past two weeks but we are settling into a normal routine again. (Wanna bet those words bite me tomorrow morning? I sure hope not!)Anyway, we enjoyed a beautiful Easter Sunday celebrating our risen Savior with our families. It was so exciting and refreshing to see James learning about the death and resurrection of Jesus. He doesn't quite get it all but he sings a good rendition of "Jesus is alive!" Thankfully the resurrection story never gets old but Easter eggs are a different story. They were promptly packed away once the kiddos went to sleep on Easter. Maybe that is because we started playing with them 3 weeks before the big day! :)

If you have kids, you know how difficult this photo can be! :)
Don't you love those toothy grins?

My first smocked creation.

Do you get half credit if one child is smiling?

Had to include this picture because it sums up the picture taking experience. Note to self: Take pictures before church, not after service and an hour car ride to Nana's house!

Another half credit shot! :)

Mommy and her "baby" boy!

Love this picture of Granny and the kids. She is recovering from breaking both of her wrists in March! She is a fighter and we love her!

"Really Mom, can we just go eat lunch now?"

Let the egg hunt begin...or continue!

Campbell is getting a little help from Papa.

James and Mimi!

We went to an egg hunt at Nettles Park on the Saturday before Easter. Bert and James were working on a strategy before the whistle blew.

Monster Truck

2011-04-27T23:07:00.002-04:00

James spotted this monster truck as soon as we pulled into the Lowe's parking lot. Daddy took him for a grand tour and a photo. Needless to say, James thought it was really cool. Yes, that is him squatting under the truck. Too bad all we had was a Blackberry camera!

Dear Pappy

2011-04-26T22:55:00.005-04:00

You have been my best friend now for 34 months of my life. You have comforted me each night and in other tough times over the past few years. I didn't want to say goodbye to you but we both knew the day would come. I will always hold a special place for you in my heart. Mom and Dad said the time had come so I didn't put up a fight but deep down I wanted to. Thanks for always standing by me even when I lost you in the dark, the car, the laundry basket or behind the couch. You were a great friend and I will miss you.

Love, James

Playing Catch-up

2011-04-26T22:10:00.015-04:00

Wow! Once again I have gotten really behind on the blog. I am in the middle of an online course for recertification so that is taking up some of my free time that is usually reserved for blogging. We are also having some Internet issues but oh well. Here is a random mix from the past few weeks and I will have to add the Easter pictures later.

We made a trip to Me-maw and Bibbie's house and of course there was only one toy there! Not really, but they only wanted to play with the same toy! :)
Campbell wasn't up for sharing with her brother! James ate the crayons.... I think! I was finishing Campbell's Easter dress while James was coloring. He announced that he was done and I came around the corner to find this cute face. I laughed out loud....then grabbed the camera!

Showing off his hands and face!

My pantry now gets cleaned out and rearranged a minimum of twice a day!

This is the dress I wore in my aunt's wedding in 1983! I think it held up quite nicely and it was fun to let my sweet girl wear my dress. I am thankful that Mimi saved it and took such good care of it all of these years.

75% of the time this is the way I find her sleeping!

I think she looks so much like her brother in this picture!

The turtle is a huge hit at our house but like the horse above they both want to ride it!

James likes to work on his tan and his golf swing!

Campbell has gotten into this bashful stage which is quite cute!

Showing off her sassy outfit (minus a shoe!)

Hey Mom~ you want a shot of the backside?

2011-03-28T13:27:00.022-04:00

Last weekend we had a great time celebrating our sweet little girl! Campbell seemed to enjoy her party and LOVED her cake! We were blessed with great weather and enjoyed being outside with everyone. We are thankful for all of our family (and a few friends) for making time to come celebrate with us!

Watch out world... Here I come!

Campbell LOVES her new motorized jeep from Me-maw and Bibbie. It is so cute to watch her as she drives it all over the yard! Mallory, Nathan, Emma and James had a blast in the bounce house. James was in heaven because these are his 3 favorite people in the world to play with and he loves to jump! We appreciate Daph and Nate sharing the bounce house!

Sassy girl waiting her turn.

Nana

Would you believe I took a picture of each grandparent with Campbell but none of her with her own parents? Bert and I are not in any pictures with her and Bert even dressed in the party colors! At least half of my face, an arm or leg is in some of the pictures! Guess I should have planned better! ;)

Mimi

Papa

Campbell with her sweet Me-maw.

Loving on Bibbie!

Campbell was excited to open her new play food to go with her kitchen.

All the kiddos... Sorry to cut off Max but it was the best shot I had!

Max(church friend), Emma(neighbor), Campbell, Nathan, James and Mallory.

Looking a little excited about her cake!

So I thought she was messy here....

But she kept going...

and going....

until we got to this point. So I carried her off to the bath tub!

Needless to say there was cake and icing EVERYWHERE but it was fun and she loved it!

Happy Birthday to you...

2011-03-17T22:51:00.006-04:00

We had a fun day celebrating our sweet girl today! What an amazing year it has been. The Lord is so good and we are so thankful that He would entrust us with this gift of a daughter. She brings so much joy to our lives and it is so fun to watch her develop in front of our eyes. She and James love each other and have a great time together and nothing could make me any happier. I pray daily that they will continue to have this relationship as they grow up. (I am willing to bet there will be a few rough patches especially during high school! )
We didn't do the whole cake business yet. Bert had a work event tonight and wasn't home. I didn't want him to miss out on too much celebrating so we are going to wait until Saturday to party hard! Now for the 12th Monkey shot. Seems like it was just yesterday when I started this tradition!

We always have "birthday pancakes" on the kid's birthday. Campbell was a little perplexed with the candle.

Forget the candle....

Just let me...

EAT!

This little girl LOVES to eat (and her belly is proof)! Her brother is the opposite which can be quite exhausting so I am thankful she eats whatever is in front of her!

Just for comparison.... James with his 1st Birthday pancakes!

We're back!

2011-03-15T15:47:00.013-04:00

Hey Everybody! Remember us? We have been taking lots of pictures but we have not been uploading them! Surprise, Surprise! We do have a birthday girl this week so there will be lots of pictures in the near future. Planning a little girl party is so fun and sassy! I am having a great time getting ready to celebrate. We all know the party is more for me than it is for her anyway! I don't think she will ever remember it! ;)

Look at all of those teeth! She now has 4 teeth with 2 more about to pop through! Luckily she has done really well teething after she cut the first one! I was a little worried that I wouldn't survive if all of the teeth went like the first one! ;)

This is Campbell's buddy, Lily, who lives across the street. James and Emma are big buddies and I know it will be fun to watch these two sweet girls play together!
"How am I going to get out of here?"
James refers to Boise as "my dog". He is also "Daddy's dog" but not Mommy and Campbell's dog!

Boise got a little swim in at the lake to chase some ducks.

Look at that belly! We need spring to come so Campbell can retire her winter collection that is becoming a bit too snug! ;)

When James saw me take Campbell's picture with the phone he wanted me to take his as well. Love that kid. Never wants to be left out! :)

Not real sure why but Campbell loves to sleep in the corner of her crib!

And James likes to rearrange his stuffed animals before going to sleep!

I was fixing dinner when I found Campbell with a magnetic clip in her hair off of the refrigerator.... I wonder how it got there? ;)

What We've Been Up To....

2011-02-28T22:30:00.007-05:00

Might I begin by saying there are very few dull moments around this house when the kids are awake! These first two pictures crack me up and will probably be some of my favorites for years to come. I was working hard to get us all out the door on time for Bible Study last week and put the kids in James room while I finished getting myself ready. I asked him not to get out a lot of toys because we were leaving in just a few minutes. Three minutes later this is what I found! My sweet Campbell who does not like to sit still to have her clothes or diapers changed sat there while her brother but 6 complete puzzles worth of pieces in her shirt. She looks about 9 months pregnant! Love these kiddos and the fun moments they bring to each day! I also love how God is so good to give me sweet moments like this when I need them most. I was frazzled trying to get everyone dressed, fed and out the door and seeing this kinda brought me back to the reality of the fun these two bring to my life!

Just look at that sweet face! James LOVED decorating Uncle Zax birthday cookie!

I was busy cooking and looked up to find stickers all on the tile floor....yes, we might have staged this picture! It was a little hard to be made when I saw this cute face beside his "artwork". ;)

Bert shared his chocolate cupcake with Campbell!

Kool-Aid and Cupcakes with Daddy!

We had a great time visiting with Uncle Zax last weekend and we had a great time playing around outside.

Happy late 11 Months

2011-02-28T22:23:00.002-05:00

I took these on the correct day but didn't get them posted. Bert and I left the kiddos with the grandparents and skipped town for a few days. The blog was obviously not high on the priority list when trying to get us all packed and ready! We are busy planning a first birthday party which is so hard to believe! I love how Campbell's personality is developing and watching her grow but I am already missing her baby stage! She doesn't like sitting still beside the monkey so I have to work fast! ;)

We have another busybody!

2011-02-19T22:37:00.008-05:00

James has been enjoying some sleepovers with his grandparents lately which has left Campbell to be an only child. I really enjoy my one-on-one time with her but we miss our buddy when he is gone. Campbell really misses him and often crawls into his room looking for him. James has a great time going to play at both grandparents house (and getting a little spoiled!) and I look forward to being able to send Campbell so James can be the only child for a night. I love that my kids are so close and play together so well but it is also important for them to get special time by their self! Since James has been gone (and isn't into as many new things as Campbell) there are not as many pictures of him. However, Sister has found lots of silly things to get into lately!

Daddy watched the Super Bowl while Campbell and James watched Nemo!
Can we say Busybody?

Look at those cute bottom teeth!

Don't you love this get-up? No pants, unbuttoned onesie and dinner stuck in her hair! :) Campbell had fun playing under the table while Bert and I finished eating!

I went to check on Campbell before I went to bed and this is how I found her. I don't recall ever seeing her sleep on her back since she was like 3 weeks old! I still don't know how she got her arm stuck up under her like this and no clue how she was comfortable!!

This looks much more comfortable!

Playing in her kitchen!

Love that sweet girl!

Behind again!

2011-02-13T22:48:00.007-05:00

Once again I am not blogging as often as I would like. I am shooting for once a week which really shouldn't be hard but somehow it has been! These pictures were actually taken about a week or two ago but they are still cute! My camera batteries are dead so I can't upload the other pics tonight. Guess that means I am still behind?!

Campbell is enjoying playing with some of our "bigger" toys now. James received this cool ride for his first Christmas and they both still love to press all the buttons and hear all of the songs.

This picture was taken when James was about Campbell's age riding on the same toy. Look at those skinny legs!

Just for comparison... This is a picture of James when he was Campbell's age. I hear alot of people say that James and Campbell look alot alike so I thought I would "refresh" your memory of baby James! :)

Back to the present.... James really enjoyed our Taco Night a few weeks ago!

Our first set of pigtails!

Guess I need to work on getting that part a little straighter but it is hard to work on a moving target!

Chick-fil-a balloons last a LONG time at our house. I am almost no longer appreciative when they give them out because we have to take them everywhere. The last one lasted from Tuesday until Saturday and made it all the way to Summerville where we conveniently "forgot" it. It really is crazy the things that kids get hung up on!

Busted!

2011-02-02T23:23:00.006-05:00

Well, my little boy is now a man! We went to a fundraising dance with our small group from church last Saturday night and James got a little rowdy. Actually he just got tripped up and busted his chin open but had a blast dancing before it happened. When we had to leave to head to the ER he was crying because he wanted to go dance some more. Guess he gets it honest! :) Lets hope he has better moves than his parents!

Nice! And yes we are potty trained and sleep in a big boy bed but we LOVE our paci for sleeping! Go ahead and judge us. :) I was thankful the paci happened to be with us when this boo-boo occurred!

How did we ever document things before we had cameras on our cell phones? James and Bert were killing time while the drugs took affect on James' chin.

Ha! So pitiful! (not really he just looks that way)

I tried my best to get a good shot of the stitches but this was the best I could do especially with my "helpers".
It is amazing how much better things feel with a Cars Band-aid! James thought they were super cool! That means a plain Band-Aid will never again make things better! :)

Happy 10 Months!

2011-01-20T22:51:00.004-05:00

As Campbell gets more mobile this picture is becoming more difficult! :) I had to get Bert to help out for the top picture because as you can see on the bottom three, I couldn't take the picture and keep her still. At ten months Campbell is crawling around and finding trouble where she can. She mostly goes to the same things that James did at this age especially Boise's food/water!!! She finally cut 2 teeth last week and I think she has another one on the way. She LOVES to eat table food and is not a big fan of baby food. It is so hard to believe that this sweet girl is almost a year! Where does time go?

Not the shot I was going for! :)

Disney World

2011-01-18T22:37:00.049-05:00

We spent last week in the magical land known as Disney World with the Epting clan. We all had a blast and came home exhausted (but we left nothing undone on the Disney Property). We are very thankful to Nana and Pops for making this trip possible! It was fun to see James experience Disney but it was more special to see the sweet bond he has with his cousins. I pray that they will continue to be close as the grow up and form a strong friendship. Campbell was a trooper and hung with all the big kids and snuck in a nap when she could. This post will probably overload you and be more than you ever wanted to see of our family. I really did try to only pick my favorites.

Rockin' the North Greenville Tie-dye shirts at Hollywood Studios! Pops didn't have any kid sized shirts so they wore a different shirt that matched.
James and Campbell wore their Mickey PJ's in anticipation of meeting him the next day. Thanks to Mimi and Papa for the cute matching PJ's!

Daddy showing the kids where we were headed!

Go Tigers! The Tiger Rag I had tied to our stroller from football season came in handy!

I know this is a random picture but this is what James did when it was our turn to meet Mickey and Minnie. They got down to hug him and I guess he thought he was supposed to get on the ground too!?!

Can you tell how much Campbell loved Minnie Mouse? Priceless!!!

Don't you love how Campbell is looking to see if Minnie is still there? ;)

Whoa! This is a little scary because I know we will blink and he will be 16 and driving! But for now he is just so darn cute!!!

So this is Stitch. We have never watched it and James doesn't even know who he is but he kept talking about how he saw the bunny rabbit. James seems to really like him but I think it looks like Stitch is smelling him!

Campbell had a big time with her Pops last week. She has him wrapped very tightly around her little finger!

The kiddos and Pluto.

Nana, Pops and the grandkids with Goofy. James is a big fan of Goofy!

James wore his Nemo shirt to go see Nemo on Monday! James and Campbell both really enjoyed all of the Nemo rides and shows.

Inside Bruce the Shark's mouth.

In case you didn't know... Epcot. :)

Waiting in line to ride the really cool Toy Story ride, Midway Mania. Something definitely has Campbell's attention......

... The talking Mr. Potato Head.

Too cool for school.

Pops and Campbell watching a street parade.

James and the army dude.

Handy Manny!

Lightening McQueen. I decided not to post the picture where James was picking his nose, repeatedly!

Mater!

James took a nap every afternoon in the stroller except for one. As you can see, he didn't make it through dinner! ;)

"Now you listen here Daddy, you WILL give me some more of that chocolate milkshake!"

Told ya!

The weather turned pretty cold on Wednesday and Thursday so we had to bundle up!

My handsome boys!

Nana and James riding the flying Dinosaur!

Uncle Paul and a bundle of Campbell.

I love these sweet kiddos. We were waiting in line to see Woody and Buzz!

James is a huge Woody and Buzz fan after receiving the movie and figurines for Christmas!

We meet the "real" Woody and had to work for him to smile and we get this big smile for a Lego Woody!

I have posted before about how James sleeps with a large amount of stuffed animals. We took the dog (sleeping bag), Nemo and bear with us. While in Disney we bought him the little Remy from Ratatouille and Nemo bucket so he also had to sleep with those. It is a good thing he had a double bed all to himself and his toys! :)

We waited the longest for the Dumbo ride which my mom said was payback from when I was little. James was overdone at this point and took a nap as soon as we got off the ride. Doesn't he look so happy! :)

Best Buddies waiting in line!

30 minute wait, 45 second ride and a grumpy toddler. Are you jealous yet?

Bert and James dancing at the street parade party!

Princess Campbell! Love it!

Disney World: Been there, Done that, Got the t-shirt.

Disney definitely knows how to do fireworks up right!

If you really made it through all of that, you are awesome!

Happy New Year - a few days late!

2011-01-04T23:33:00.010-05:00

In keeping with tradition we rang in the New Year with the Claytons, Lees, Pascazios and Elskens. This year we all went to the Lee's lake house and had a great time together with all the kiddos. We had 6 kids between 3 families that were age 3 and under so you can imagine what that was like! We look forward to adding Baby Girl Pascazio and Baby Elsken to the group next year! It was funny to think about the different ways we have celebrated New Years with this group over the past 8 or so years. I think this was the first year we all ate in shifts and most of us were standing around a high chair while we ate! :)

Madison and Campbell

The girls of the group. (I finally broke down and cut Campbell's hair tonight. The "letting it grow out" thing just wasn't working for me so now she has some cute bangs again and not a shaggy mop.)

This was actually the best picture that I got of all of them.

The line up: Campbell, Parker, James, Anna, Madison and Luke

What is going on here...Campbell is trying to get everyone to calm down, Luke is sleeping, Parker is playing with James' ear...?

Chaos.. Love it! I especially love that Parker is tickling James. Can you tell that Anna is the oldest? Look how she sits so nicely in all of the pictures!

James was excited to try out his new sleeping bag!

Although he seems to have had some trouble staying in the sleeping bag! Notice the nice lineup of stuffed animals/characters that we get to travel with now!

The next morning Anna and James were watching Mickey Mouse together. These two had a great time together!

Snow Pictures

2011-01-04T23:14:00.009-05:00

The snow was a hit for the Epting family. Bert said it wasn't fair that he had to wait 31 years for a White Christmas and Campbell got one on the first try. In case you don't know, Bert LOVES snow and acts like a little kid when it is even a possibility for us around here! Needless to say, we had a big time playing in the snow in Tigerville. We were at Nana and Pops house and weren't quite prepared for the snow with our attire. Thankfully Mallory let James borrow some cute yellow pants that were somewhat waterproof. Someone write it down that Bert let James be seen in girls pants! :)

James enjoyed being pulled around in the sled while looking for good hills to slide down!
Campbell are you in there?

James wasn't too excited when he got snow on his gloves and coat! ;)

Daddy and his boy!

We went to help Pops feed the horses. James really likes to play in the hay loft and help toss the hay down to the horses. What a big helper!

Dogs close their eyes for pictures too? Really?!? He is still pretty handsome even with his eyes closed.

My cute little girl going for a walk with Pops! I love how she is waving in this picture. She loves to wave all the time now.... so cute!!

Tucker and Epting Family Christmas

2010-12-29T23:17:00.018-05:00

The Eptings must have been REALLY good this year because we got lots of fun gifts. We had a great Christmas with all of our family and feel so blessed to have each of them in our lives. I have about 4 or 5 posts below to catch up over the past few weeks and I need to add the snow pictures later. Enjoy the Christmas overload!

Me-maw and Bibbie gave the kids these super cute pillows that unroll into sleeping bags. They are so soft and cuddly that I wish I could fit in one for a long nap! Love these two snuggly bugs and I hope they stay buddies forever!

My sweet Me-maw and Campbell!

We like things with wheels....enough said.

Me-maw found Campbell her very own pink Cadillac! Now she has some girly matchbox cars to play with or chew on!

Bibbie picked out these cool trucks for James. The wheels light up. Do I need to say more or can you guess how much both kids love them?

Moore family Christmas. (Bert's mom's side of the family) 25 adults and 11 kids under the age of 6 under one roof. Crazy but fun. I only took two pictures during the madness!

James loved his new car rug from Mimi and Papa. He also LOVES the new Mickey Mouse watch from Santa. He can even tell you the time... 42. Not sure why but he always says it is 42.

Campbell, are you ready for your morning nap?

Uncle Zax made it home for Christmas! YAY!

Christmas morning with Mimi and Papa!

Nana and Pops gave Campbell this cute kitchen and it has been a huge hit with both kids.

Campbell says, "Ok Dad, I'm out... time for a nap!"

Pops and his girls!

Christmas Morning

2010-12-29T23:04:00.005-05:00

Well it was actually Christmas Eve morning but our kids are too little to know what day it really is on the calendar! Santa came and it was fun. We also enjoyed some sweet time as just a family of four before the holiday events began. Bert (I mean Santa) made a cool train table for James that slides under his bed. We were excited to give it to him and as you can see he was just as excited to receive it!

Loving the tricks that his train can do! This picture cracks me up. This is what I hear her saying, "You know Dad just keep your dumb phone. I see who the favorite child is. James gets that cool train table and you think that just because I am too young to remember that you can just give me a phone and little pink truck and call it even."

No a hug won't make it better.

In all seriousness the trains were a huge hit. James and Campbell both enjoy playing with them. Campbell prefers to chase them and try to grab them off the track. James isn't too excited about that idea as he would rather see them go around the track!

Baby Jesus

2010-12-29T22:54:00.003-05:00

For an early Christmas present (and in order to save my willow tree set) I gave the kids a Fisher Price Nativity set. It was a hit and they had fun playing with it. It also helped as we were talking through the Christmas story with James this year. As you can see baby Jesus had quite the journey before Christmas. Here are a few funny places that I found him. If only I had a picture of him in James' front Pajama pocket.....

Maybe this is the receiving line to see the long awaited baby? If so, I love that the cow is first and Mary is fifth! Do you think the hammer was a random act or does my two year old child prodigy understand the carpenter/hammer connection? Probably not!
Mary, Jesus, a camel, a few different balls and a screwdriver?

Jesus and Mary got to ride in the back of the pick-up around the house and they went "super fast"!

That's not yours.....

2010-12-29T22:49:00.003-05:00

First let me say that I LOVE this picture!!! I was cleaning James' room while he was gone with Bert and Campbell was playing around in the tent. I was changing his sheets then turned around to find my sweet girl like this! This is James' paci and "me" that he sleeps with. Campbell was just content sitting there watching me while having her brother's lovies! Too cute! Although I doubt James would have liked his sister taking his things! :)

Nine Months Old

2010-12-29T22:44:00.004-05:00

I just realized that I forgot to post Campbell's nine month pictures with her monkey. I think I have about 400 pictures from the month but not the monkey shot for comparison. This is getting a little more difficult as she is more aware and more mobile. She also gets cuter so I can't get mad at her about not sitting still! :)

Let the madness begin...

2010-12-29T22:05:00.010-05:00

The Friday before Christmas we kicked off the celebrations with the Todd family. James and Campbell hit the jackpot with new bath toys, a tent and a musical instrument set which have all been a huge hit around here. Robba Dee kept telling me that the tent would collapse but the kids love it so much that it had just stayed up since we opened it. There has even been some napping going on in the new tent! I was able to get a lot of good pictures of the kids on this night because they were the only ones opening and there were about 10 adults ready to attend to them. The other Christmas events got a little crazy and the camera wasn't as busy as I was enjoying the moment!

James was really excited to get more bath fizzers. The colored bath water is a huge hit around our house!
Mimi showing Campbell how to shake the tambourine.

Campbell figured the tent out pretty quick! (It has one of those tubes to crawl through on the side)

My little musician!

Little Drummer Boy!

Standing all by herself!

Robba Dee had fun drawing on the kids with their new bath markers!

Nap time! He looks pretty cozy if you ask me!

Christmas Card Outtakes

2010-12-18T16:04:00.014-05:00

There just isn't much to say because the pictures say it all!

Goodbye to a sweet friend

2010-12-18T15:59:00.002-05:00

James' good buddy Smith (aka Smiff) moved to Louisiana last week. We were sad to see them leave but wish them best of luck at their new job. Smith and James love to play together and James doesn't quite understand the moving thing yet! I could just eat them up in these pictures!

A few things we have been up to lately...

2010-12-18T15:46:00.008-05:00

Trying to finish all of Santa's shopping!

Piling ALL of our stuffed animals in our bed (and trucks, cars and whatever else we can find) after our nap.

Getting mad at Mommy for taking pictures in another Christmas outfit! Maybe she likes the dresses better than the sweater? ;)

Watching James shake the bells for his CBS Christmas program. Notice that Campbell played the cell phone!

My sweet bell ringer! :)

Dressed and ready to head to Bible Study!

I went to tutor one night and returned to find these three all snuggled up together!

Happy Birthday Daddy

2010-12-18T15:42:00.002-05:00

So like a month ago we celebrated Bert's birthday. (I am fresh out of excuses for my tardy blog posts.) Everyone enjoyed Daddy's yummy cake. James had fun blowing the candles out about 10 times and sticking his finger in the icing. Campbell was just excited to recieve a spoonful of sugar!

Late on your Christmas Cards?

2010-12-09T14:44:00.004-05:00

Shutterfly is offering 50 free cards to all bloggers through tomorrow. Isn't it just like me to wait until the last minute? I always have good intentions but some how I just don't always get things done when I want to! Thanks to Shutterfly for bailing me out. Follow this link to find out more about their deal for bloggers. They have some super cute cards and I can't wait to design the Epting family card! Now if only they could come help me get both of my kids to look at the camera at the same time.... ;)

Too bad we only need one card to send out because Shutterfly offers a lot of choices. Even though I don't always get things done early I am always thinking about ideas early on. Campbell's first birthday will be here soon and there are some really cute birthday cards.

Check out their great site when you get a chance and if you sign up for their emails you find out about great promotions like this one!

Happy 8 Months

2010-11-22T23:24:00.006-05:00

Campbell was sick last Wednesday so we didn't take our 8 month picture until today. I love watching how she is growing and changing each month. She is such a good baby and such a joy to our family. Having time with just her while we were in Alabama made me realize just how pleasant her demeanor is and how well adjusted she is to our on the go lifestyle. The Lord has truly blessed me with such a sweet and loving little boy and girl. I can't even tell you how much it thrills my soul to watch these two interact with one another. It melts me heart when I see them light up when they see one another. I can't imagine spending my days any other way during this sweet time in our life. (I will note that I was ready to pull my hair out last Thursday and Friday after they were sick all week. I guess that is normal?)
We have been working on teaching Campbell to do her chores and I am hoping to teach her to be a Godly woman who ministers to her family by keeping an orderly home. (Although I fail daily, maybe she will learn from my mistakes and encourage me to improve each day.) With that being said..... this week she is tackling the dishes. :)

Not quite where we need it to go! :)

Alabama game

2010-11-22T23:15:00.005-05:00

Two weekends ago Bert and I met up with the Banks in Tuscaloosa for a football game. We had a great time hanging out with Katie and Daniel while cheering Alabama to a win. Campbell got the luxury of being the only child out of four to join the adults. ( Well technically baby girl in Katie's belly came too!) We had all forgotten how easy just one 8 month old is compared to our wild toddlers!

The Eptings and the Banks
I think Campbell enjoyed getting all of the attention!

Roll

Tide

The past few weeks...

2010-11-22T22:47:00.009-05:00

I have been doing better at taking more pictures so that I can have more stuff for the blog but we have been busy the past few weeks and I have not been posting anything! Last week both kids were sick with a super nasty stomach bug so this documents our entire week....

We went through a lot of beach towels, diapers and kiddy TV. I thought I would go crazy if I saw one more episode of the Backyardigans but I did get most of the songs memorized! :)

The rest of the pictures are from the past few weeks and some of the crazy stuff these kiddos are into lately. They keep me busy but the make it a lot of fun. I am thankful for many things this Thanksgiving but I am extra thankful that I have the privilege to hang out with these two turkeys everyday! ;)

James said this is what Sister wears when she is a Princess. We did not tell him that, so I don't know where the connection came from but it was cute. Lately he has been saying a lot of things that we can't figure out how he learned it or where he heard it. I guess he is just a genius like his Mommy, I mean Daddy.

Campbell has been putting up a good fight during nap time so I find her in some funny ways when she finally gives up. I love how she is laying on her pillow that her sweet Me-maw made for her!

James was enjoying putting stickers all over Campbell but I don't think the feeling was mutual!

James really likes to "help" me cook which translates to him wanting pancakes or muffins everyday now. Here he is showing sister the muffins that he is cooking.

This picture was taken before the bug hit and Campbell still had chubby cheeks. I really hope they come back!

James LOVES to ride his scooter!! I have to say that he is good at it and very entertaining!

They took a BIG bubble bath one night in my big tub which was quite the treat!

Leaving on a jet plane....

2010-11-06T23:23:00.011-04:00

We had a great trip to Boston last week. I can not even tell you how excited James was about flying on an airplane. This was the first flight that he remembers or understands and it was so fun to experience it with him. Life is so fun when you get to experience it and see it through a child's eyes! How blessed we are to have these two to keep us having fresh eyes on life. We have been talking about this trip for a few weeks and everyday James would ask to go to Boston. When we got there he knew right where he was when you asked him. There are 3 posts to document our trip so see below this post!

Super excited about our trip!
James was yelling to everyone "Plane" every time one came by. I am sure many people wanted us to hush him up after the 10th one!

Baby Girl's first flight! We had the window seat which she enjoyed! ;)

1st Evening in Boston... we took James to a park to play since he was such a good traveler. They had to do a lot of sitting and they were fantastic!

So much excitement in one day... plane ride, bus ride, train ride and a SLIDE!

We asked our friend for a kid friendly restaurant and he recommended Regina's Pizzeria. It was AWESOME. Great food, great service and very kid friendly. Add it to your list if you are heading to Boston with or without kids! ;)

They brought out some pizza dough for James to play with which he thought was really cool. They also gave him a Regina's key chain which he carried around all week as his keys. Numerous times Bert and I were having to search to find James' misplaced "keys". Is this a glimpse into our future 14 years from now?!?

Another place to hit up - Mike's Pastry. Nothing like a good dessert and milk in a hotel bathroom while you wait on the kids to go to sleep. The things parents do! The other nights I sat in the hallway and the second night the guy next door asked if I just enjoyed sitting in the hallway. Rather than giving the smart answer I was thinking, I just explained about trying to get my kids to bed.

We travel lite....well, Bert and I do, but the kids require a bunch of junk to come with them! We were quite the site as we changed hotels on Thursday morning via the subway or "T" as they call it in Boston. And yes Campbell was out cold during the whole ordeal.

Boston Part 2

2010-11-06T22:52:00.015-04:00

On Thursday and Friday, the kids and I were pretty much on our own during the day while Bert worked. We had a great time exploring the city and enjoying a breakup from our normal routine. There were lots of things I wanted to take pictures of but trying to keep up with two kids in a city is a little out of my element, so I didn't get a lot of pictures of the things we did. On Saturday we all headed to BC for the game and enjoyed a New England tailgate! Here are a few things we did while we were away.

The kids and I went to a hay maze and James had a great time running around and got a prize for completing the maze.
Then a day care showed up (with their masks on in honor of Halloween). James just thought the kids were there to play with him. There was a DJ so the kids were dancing and James was just hanging right in there with them. I should have caught this on video because it was quite funny. But like I said unfamiliar surroundings and I wasn't thinking straight! ;)

On Thursday night we attended an awesome work dinner at a special couple's house. Their sweet daughter, Lauren, watched our kids so that I could enjoy the dinner with the other adults. She asked if she could give James a tattoo and this is what we came home with! James kept lifting his shirt to show everyone for the next few days!

Brother and Sister enjoying a view of the river and the scenery.

Family pic on the MIT side of the river looking towards downtown Boston.

This little boy melts my heart!

James enjoyed chasing the fat, slow squirrels on the campus at Harvard.

This picture was taken of James and Bert in October 2008. It is one of our favorites so Bert wanted a new one.....

... to include his little girl! ;)

Me and my princess

James had a BLAST tailgating with Campbell and Lauren. How fun that we met another Campbell! Don't worry his other 3 layers of clothes were orange! ;)

Campbell slept while I enjoyed some Clam Chowder..... Guess I should have taken that blanket of napkins everyone was offering since I spilled on my scarf. It is a little hard to eat soup with a baby strapped to you and the wind blowing 500 mph!

James thought he was hot stuff posing on the Boston Police Motorcycle!

Halloween Day

2010-11-06T22:39:00.007-04:00

Since we were traveling home on Halloween we dressed the kids in their costumes. They looked adorable and everyone in the city and airport enjoyed seeing them. Since James' dragon suit was so bulky we found this cute pizza costume which packed much easier! James LOVED the pizza outfit and was willing to give anyone a "bite" of pizza by offering the tip of his slice.

Bert snuggling with his sleeping flower. Don't you love his (my) cool glasses?

We took James to the park to burn off some energy before heading to the airport. We kept hearing other kids call him "pizza boy!" Hilarious!!! I really should have gotten a pizza delivery outfit to wear to compliment his costume!

Nothing to say but pure sweetness!

Think we wore the kiddos out on this trip. Campbell fell asleep while I was wearing her in the front pack as we went through the airport and stayed asleep when we moved her to the stroller. I guess she was super cozy in her outfit!

James fell asleep in about 2.5 seconds after getting to our terminal. Bert and I were hoping they would sleep on the plane but they got it all out before we boarded. However, it worked well because they were in great moods for the flight!

Happy Halloween

2010-10-26T21:38:00.004-04:00

On Sunday we took the kids to Trunk or Treat at Mimi and Papa's church. James had a great time and it was fun to see old friends and families from my home church. He didn't love his costume because it covered his hands and head. I think he will like his other one better. Check for pictures next week! We are headed to Boston in the morning for a few days for work and play. There will be lots of pictures to come next week! Happy Halloween!

On the move...

2010-10-26T21:36:00.005-04:00

It was time...

2010-10-26T21:32:00.002-04:00

....for a little trim up. Campbell was getting a little shaggy so I tried to shape up her hair a little bit.

Before...
After....
I had a little "helper" then realized it was probably not a good idea to show him how I was cutting her hair!

A Day at the Epting House

2010-10-26T21:23:00.005-04:00

Campbell has been sick the past few weeks and also learning some new tricks which have been interfering with her sleep habits. We had to lower the crib last week because she keeps pulling up and playing during nap time! :) This is how I found her last Thursday....

Asleep sitting up.....
10 minutes later.....looking slightly more comfortable

James came to find me the other day and said, "Mom. Sister's arm" and this is what I found. I think she had a little bit of help getting her arm out of her shirt! ;)

We had a great playdate with Andie and Aunt Baylis!

Happy 7 Months!

2010-10-18T22:21:00.007-04:00

It is hard to believe that Campbell is getting so BIG! I think I need to buy a bigger monkey so she will look smaller! ;) I love how her personality is developing and how she LOVES her big brother. They are best buddies and my favorite sound is to hear them giggling together. They enjoy playing together and she is learning a lot from him. She is beginning to scoot around and pull up on her crib. ( I am NOT ready for that) It is exciting to see how she develops but I know it means a little more work to keep things out of her reach once she is mobile! But look at that face... don't you just want to eat her up!?!

Happy 7 Months Campbell!
She is also teething and chewing on everything - clean or unclean! ;)

She doesn't sit still for long....

This is obviously not where I put her!

"Mom, Can I get a little help here?"

Getting ready for Halloween...

2010-10-18T22:08:00.007-04:00

James has started to enjoy dressing up and it is quite entertaining. We will debute the Halloween costumes later but here are a few dress up pictures from around the house. I am.....

Batman!

Tiger Mask...

Can you Roar like a tiger?

Snuggling with Daddy!

She glows in the dark!

Fall Pictures

2010-10-18T22:00:00.006-04:00

Note to self: Pumpkins are a distraction! :) We took some pictures of the kids after church a few weeks ago but struggled to get their attention! They still look super cute to me!

Tigerama and Clemson Homecoming

2010-10-07T16:18:00.009-04:00

We had a big time celebrating Clemson homecoming this past weekend. We took the kids to Tigerama and to the game so they were worn out by Saturday night! James loves to hear Tiger Band and see the football team. Campbell seemed to really enjoy Tigerama and the game in between her naps! Friday night we had a tailgate before Tigerama and enjoyed being together as a family.

Mac and Cheese with Grapes - Two of his favorites!
Miss Busy-body watching the cars go by!

Not a great idea to tailgate on a hill! ;)

They were both passed out on the way back to the car so Bert and I enjoyed a nice stroll through Clemson.

He LOVES to wear his Tiger paw jersey!

Campbell doesn't look too comfortable but it works!

Fun times with friends and their kiddos. Lauren with Parker and Natalie with her twins - Luke and Madison

Watching the Tigers fumble the ball... I mean play ball.

We got to play with Mimi and Papa. Uncle Zach was here too but I forgot to get a picture with him. :(

Happy 6 Months....What?!?

2010-09-22T11:10:00.003-04:00

How in the world is she already half a year old??? Can someone please hit pause for me or even rewind. Last Friday Campbell was 6 months.... I took the picture on the correct day but failed to get it up on the blog! Surprised? I'm not! Monday we went for shots and a check-up. This chunky monkey is right at 17 lbs and 28 inches long and she very healthy! She is so fun right now (especially because she can't crawl or walk) and loves to sit and play with toys.

Go Tigers!

2010-09-20T13:47:00.010-04:00

OK, I am only a little over a week behind with my blogging....maybe one day I will get back into a good routine with it! We took James and Campbell to the end of the Clemson/PC game. It was perfect because James saw the last 5 min of the game but thought he saw the whole thing. Then he got to play on the field after the game. Let's be honest.... that is all the kids want to do anyway! :) I of course wanted to have a photo shoot but needless to say there were many things going on around us which provided a lot of distractions!

This was the best shot we got of the two of them.
Love those silly faces!

Obviously this pose didn't work since he appears to be checking her diaper! ;)

All I can say is... LOVE IT! I could just eat her up!

James likes to have a football and a "shaker"!

Bert and James checking out the drum line.

Mimi and Papa met up with us to play with their favorite little Tigers!

Random shots

2010-09-11T08:59:00.009-04:00

Go Tigers!

I left her on a flat blanket with toys and this is what I found a few minutes later!

This is James' new favorite thing to do before he goes to sleep. I guess a mountain of stuffed animals makes for good snuggle time.

James wanted to watch Cars while I was taking a shower one morning and this is how I found him. I guess he takes after his Daddy and Uncle Zach and can sleep anywhere!

We had popsicles after dinner one night and sister joined in on the fun. Needless to say she loved it! Don't they look hilarious with their stained lips?

I could just eat her up!

Happy little girl in her fancy bloomers!

Boat Ride

2010-09-11T08:54:00.008-04:00

We have all enjoyed our boat rides this summer!

Sharing

2010-09-11T08:34:00.005-04:00

As you probably already know, James loves to play with his cars. Lately he has really wanted his sister to play with him. Campbell likes to just be with him so it works out well. Now that she can sit up they are much more interactive with one another. I love watching them play and giggle together. Lets hope James is a good sport when Campbell needs a friend to play dolls or cook in her kitchen!

Happy 5 Months!

2010-08-18T10:49:00.002-04:00

It is hard to believe that this sweet thing is another month older! We were having a hard time getting a good shot but I think it was all of the distractions... I mean help!

Her shirt says, " this is my little black dress" compliments of Robba Dee.

As you can see I had a lot of "help"!

Yikes...

2010-08-18T10:45:00.002-04:00

Not sure I like the resemblance in these two pictures... ;)

Sleepover with Mallory

2010-08-18T10:38:00.005-04:00

Last week Mallory came to spend the night with us and we had a blast. James was in HEAVEN having her here. He thinks Mal hung the moon! We had fun playing outside with the sandbox and pool. Mallory was a big helper to me with James and Campbell.

Love all that baby chunk!

These are a few of our favorite things...

2010-08-18T10:27:00.008-04:00

Bathtime with each other and colored bath water! ( Thanks Robba Dee)
The Exersaucer

I liked both pictures... note that there is NO bow in her hair! ;)

Mommy loves fat baby thighs!

James loves to fly on my feet

The new football jersey which he wore for a solid 24 hours. It just wasn't worth the fight! ;)

James loves jumping on, off, into or onto anything!

How is this possible?

2010-08-18T10:25:00.000-04:00

Proof that Bert has an immunity to caffeine!

Just Another Day

2010-08-18T09:39:00.007-04:00

Here are some pictures to prove that James LOVES his little sister and wants to do everything that she does. He loves to play in her crib with her after she wakes up and gets very upset if I get to her room first! I feel so blessed when I get to see these two loving on each other and I pray they will always be best friends.

James always has enjoyed this swing!
You know you are laughing right now.... There are no words. I was trying a bonnet on Campbell and James wanted to wear one too. Welcome to the Little House on the Prairie! :) You can only imagine how much Bert loved these pictures!

Too cute not to share

2010-08-02T22:36:00.008-04:00

These are just some cute shots that I have taken over the past few weeks.

James LOVES to "shave" with his daddy! He really thinks his daddy hung the moon and I love it! Everyday he asks where Daddy is and I say, "at work". James always responds " I want to go to work too!"

Checking out the cows and the Happy Cow Creamery

Happy girl!

Love it!

Campbell's First Ponytail!

2010-08-02T22:34:00.003-04:00