A Dictionary of my Daughter

My daughter is at that cute stage in life where words don't quite come out the way they are supposed to. So here is a list of some of her words.

Glubs: A covering for the hand made with a separate sheath for each finger
USED: "Daddy can you put these glubs on me."

Sues: An external covering for the human foot, usually of leather
USED: "Mommy bought me new sues today."

Sumpin: Some thing; a certain undetermined or unspecified thing
USED: "We can go to the park today....or sumpin."

Sing: A material object without life or consciousness.
USED: "Mommy, what's dat sing over there."

Eber: At all times; always
USED: "This is the best present eber!"

Betend: [Bee-tend] To make believe
Used: "I'm betending that I'm driving a car."

Big 'ol tom cat: any cat that is not under the camp family care; a stray cat.
USED: "Mommy, can I scare that big 'ol tom cat away?"

Teedee: The broadcasting of a still or moving image via radio waves
USED: "I love watching spongebob squarepants on the teedee."

A Beautiful Mystery

My mind is still trying to wrap itself around the miracle of creation. I'm just so humbled that God has blessed us with two beautiful children. Everyday I spend with the kids I see the parallelism between parent and child and God and fallen man. Now that we are expecting our first together, the mysteries of Him are even more glorious than before. The song posted in this blog is by Phil Wickham. Its about the mysteries of God and wanting to share in the mystery of who He his. I look at the sonogram photo and can do nothing but get overwhelmed at one of the many beautiful mysteries of our Father.

A New Christmas Night Tradition

Driving around and looking at Christmas lights has always been a favorite family activity of mine. Of Course this year is special because it's our new family and the first year for us to start our own Christmas traditions. I was able to get addresses to the best places to "see the lights" from my local paper and loaded them into google maps.

Thursday night the family will grab a thermos of hot chocolate (pretending it's cold outside) and head out on a mini road trip. The only thing that could be better is if there was a fresh layer of snow to reflect the glory of the lights. Happy Christmas to all!


View Larger Map

The Friday Funny!

The Friday Funny!

To My Wife

I heard this song today and wanted you to know I was thinking of you. I wanted everyone to know how amazing I think you are. Every morning when I wake up and see you I'm reminded of how "lucky" (blessed) I am to have found you.

I love you!



All love that has not friendship for its base,
is like a mansion built upon the sand.
~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox

He Loves It

She Loves It

It looks like shes about to eat a car! My daughter has a big appetite.

"My Paper Mommy"

Every time this plane flies over us our son yells "my paper my paper!"

@ The Parade

The End

It was a cute play. My daughter wants to go again.

Scene 2

Scene 1

My Girls!

We're waiting for the show to start.

Her View

This is the wonderful view from my daughter's seat. No doubt she will be sitting on daddys lap for the show.

Her First Play

My wife and I are taking my daughter to her first theatrical play today @ 2. It's called "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever". It's about a group of misfit children who are forced to perform in a churches Christmas pageant. It's then that they learn what the TRUE meaning of Christmas is.

I will be posting LIVE updates during the play to my blog from my cell phone. So stay tuned for further postings starting at 2p.m.

The Friday Funny!

One of the problems in Mumbai is that it is illegal for any civilian to own GUNS. Let's see those terrorists try to do the same thing in the "Dirty South". Unfortunately more politicians are popping up in D.C. who would like to take the 2nd amendment away, including our "saviour" Barack Hussein Obama.

Our 1st Thanksgiving as a Family '08

Mason's B-Day '08

Cool Web Sites

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I LOVE GADGETS! IPODS, GPS'ssss, Computers, Cell phones that do it all, video game consoles, and anything else that requires a "www" or batteries and claims to entertain and/or make my life easier, and convenient get's me dance'n in the streets. (It may be a run-on sentence. GET OVER IT!) I just thought I would share with you a couple of cool new websites that will do just that.

The first one is a website called MINT. This is quite possibly the easiest tool I've found to set up a budget and gain some insight into where exactly ALL your money is going. I must warn you...the initial shock of seeing your spending trends can be extremely hazardous to your health. Some may need a bottle of Jack Daniels. The great thing about this website is it's F-R-E-E. All that is required is an email address and password to start. Once you've logged in you set up your checking, savings, credit card, and loans through your ONLINE ID's and passwords for each account. After setting up your accounts MINT will automatically update them when you sign on. It then reads and categorizes your transactions AUTOMATICALLY. The only thing I had to do was go in a "tweak" some of the transactions to read correctly. You can view spending trends, keep track of loans and payments, and create spending limits for each category. MINT will even send you text message alerts when you go over budget and email you weekly summaries of you accounts. It will also tell you when loan and credit card payments are due. For those of us who don't have the time, and refuse to spend an exorbitant amount of energy loading info into a computer to set up a budget (i.e. Quicken or Micorsoft Money); THIS SITE IS FOR YOU. Did I mention that it's FREE!

The second website is a web browser called Flock. I have to admit I've downloaded this to my computer and just haven't had the time to explore all it's features. Basically it allows the user to surf the net, edit and post blogs, twitter, and view your myspace and facebook accounts all from one page. There's much more to it that I just can't get into because I haven't used it yet. It's just another web tool to use that hopefully makes your life a little more convenient.
Now, go to McDonald's and order a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese.

Zoned!

They completely zone out when Sponge Bob is on.

The Friday Funny!

Origins

Normally I would not be so excited about ANOTHER installment of the star ship Enterprise. I lost track of the sequels after Star Trek III. However, the new movie begins where it all began...on earth, and that's why I'm so pumped to see it. From the preview above, the movie seems to shed some light on some of the characters lives; The origins of who they were and where they came from.

Our lives seem to move in a similar direction and order. We live our lives, racking up one success after another. We throw in a few broken relationships, failed marriages, financial pit falls and soon we wake up one day and say, "What am I doing here", or "Why am I still doing that", "How did I get here". Other times we are confronted with a behavior that continually gets us into trouble. I see this every day on TV and in my community. People who have run their lives into the ground because of a behavior they continually revert back to. Some of which have serious consequences. As Dr. Phil would say after revealing a destructive behavior to a poor ol' soul, "How's that working for ya?". The key to unlocking our life habits are found in our pasts. Habits, thought processes, and behaviors originate from our past. Humans are continually shaped by life's events. Some may be liberating, some may be incredibly painful. Some experiences are positive and others negative. Right or wrong, good or bad, these events shape who we are. (Keep your sunday school answers to yourself. I know all about "He is the potter and I am the clay....". That is saved for another blog.)

If our pasts shape who we are then why do we ignore our origins? If we want to positvely change who we are, we must first realize who we've become. The changes that have occurred in my own life were not made without some series introspection, but they also were left undone until I first understood what affects my past had on my present. Once I developed an understanding of where I came from, I then could move forward with changing my unwanted behaviors.

If I went and bought a plant without first knowing the origin of where it came from I probably would not have much success in keeping it alive. Certain plants need alot of sunlight. Others need very little sunlight. Some plants need an abundance of water to survive, and others would die if too much water was given. I can't successfully grow a plant, which originated in the deserts, and keep it alive watering it like it originated from a rain forest. The origins of that plant must be recognized if there is any hope in keeping it alive. Such is life. We cannot grow into all we were meant to be without first knowing the events and decisions that have lead us to this moment; the moment of life change.

(...to be continued)

My Girl Can SHAKE It!

A day in the life of the Camp's

Here is our little P-nut.

Yesterday we celebrated our little boy's birthday. Well.....pre-celebration. His party is Saturday at Chuck E. Cheeses. We were also given the opportunity to see how our unborn child was doing. I took off work around 1 p.m. and met my wife for lunch before we went to the doctors office. We were a bit late for the appointment so had to wait in the waiting room for an hour. While this was all happening, Nana was trying to work at the church office and entertain the chit-lens at the same time. Apparently my children turned the office into their own little play area. That is completely understandable. After all, they are kids. So Nana called my wife to see if I could pick the kids up. She needed to finish up some work. My wife made certain that they were not doing the sonogram before i left. I know, I know...over the phone they told us they could do one so we could see the little guy/gal which was the whole reason I went. All the nurses told my wife the doctor would not be doing a sonogram today. I was a little disappointed but I was able to spend some time with my wife so it wasn't a total loss. I left and picked up the kids and went back to the doctor's office to pick up my wife. She got in the car and informed me they did the sonogram. ARGH! Right after I left to get the kids the doctor came in to examine her. She asked if she could have one done and the doctor said, "Oh sure, we can do that today." NICE! I missed the 1st sonogram, but no worries my wife said you couldn't hear the heart beat yet. The next sonogram will be Dec. 14th. I'll keep you posted.

My boy's B-day

Ah! Fix it Daddy.


We opened Grandma Pat's gift and Uncle Vince and Aunt Chelle's gift. Thank you both for a GREAT Pre-Birthday party....party! They loved the gifts.

Cocoa Trip '08

You can also view the larger versions of these pics here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13719410@N07/sets/72157608907208668/

Click on the "slideshow" in the upper right hand corner of the linked page and then the icon in the lower right hand corner that shows the arrows pointing to 4 corners. This will give you a full screen version of the pictures.

Enjoy!

...The End

My wife and I had an amazing night together with coldplay. It was more than anyone could have ever expected.

Now I am home and ready for a good nights rest.

Goodnight

They're Heeeere!

So far...........UNBELIEVABLE!!

Anticipation II

Hey! Where did all these people come from.
Right now we are waiting for one of the most amazing bands of our generation. Ok...a little over-dramatic but you get the idea. Coldplay in 10....(to be continued).

Sleeper car's sound.

So...Sleeper Car just ended. I was very impressed. Take Johnny Cash, Kenny Chesney, and insert your favorite rock band, mix it in a bowl and that's is the sound of Sleeper Car. They're a good band worth checking out.

Opening act

The light specs in this photo is the band Sleeper Car.

The View

Our seats 4 coldplay. The deep black emptiness is the stage. I am almost pooping right now I am so excited!

Anticipation

Waiting to enter Coldplay! (updates to come)

My Ears Will Sing To The Melody of Coldplay

My wife and I are going to hear my favorite band eva. I'll be rocking to the sounds of Coldplay tonight at 7:30. I've been drawn to their music for almost 9 years now. I can still listen to ALL their albums and the music still feels as fresh as it was the first time I listened. Check'm out!
They're a guaranteed party for the ears.

The Friday Funny!

I want one!

This just smells of winter.

My Girls!

Aren't they SO cute!

Rock'n the Chalk

A Memorial, A Reminder, and a Sacrifce

Bikers exist in a different world when riding. Whether gripping the throttle of a Harley, Yamaha, or Suzuki there is camaraderie amongst riders. This is most evident when bikers pass each other on road sticking a hand out to acknowledge the other. It's an assumed respect and understanding for the other rider. It's because of the sense of unity that I feel "punched in the gut" whenever I hear of a rider who has been injured or killed in an accident.

Not to far from our house there is an access road that I drive on everyday before and after work. It's always been a particularly annoying road because the speed limit is 30 mph. For most residential roads I can accept that speed as reasonable. However, this particular road is only an access road to other neighborhoods just off the main highway and therefore I have found this speed to be clearly unreasonable...until an early evening in October when a rider lost his life on that very road. There is a memorial at the location where he drew his last breathe.

I am not sure exactly how the accident happened, but what I can tell you is that he did not die going the speed limit. Reports have said that a car pulled out in front of him. Given the location of the wreck he clearly was not obeying the speed limit. I cannot ride or drive past that memorial any longer without checking my speed and remembering the tragedy that occurred there. 30 mph no longer seems unreasonable to ask of me. I often picture him [the rider] standing near his memorial pleading with passersby to heed the speed limit.

A few evenings ago I drove past the memorial and a scripture came rushing back to me.

Hebrews 12:11

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

We are surrounded by those who have fought for faith and have gone on to cheer for us. Not just prophets and martyrs of the Old and New Testament, but those of the 20th and 21st century who have struggled with the endurance of their faith and died for Christ. They are the ones who cheer us on from the stadium of heaven as we struggle to persevere.

How often do we remember those who have been martyred? How often do we consider the ultimate martyr, Christ, and what his sacrifice has given us as followers? A more important question should be: Does His life and death move you and me to live a life worthy of His death. These questions have challenged me lately. His memorial, the cross, has reminded me to live a worthy life, just as that riders memorial persuades me to slow down.

In the movie Saving Private Ryan an old soldier stands at a grave and recalls the sacrifices a platoon made to save his life and bring him home safely. His Captain lay shot and dying behind a barricade and private Ryan desperately tries to call for a medic. With the Captains last few breaths he grabs Ryan and says, "Earn it.....earn it". A plea to live a life worthy of sacrifice.

A Miracle in Our Midst!

4 tests-4 positive results have confirmed that my wife is prego. She went to the doctor yesterday and confirmed that it's just under 2 weeks old. She will go back in two weeks to see how the baby is developing. She says that boys make her have morning sickness. This morning she had to step away to offer her sacrifice to the porcelain god. So it MIGHT be a boy! We are so excited!!

Halloween '08

Happy Halloween!

Doggy Cereal

My wife watched as our kids enjoyed their morning breakfasts. Their breakfasts almost always consist of cheerios and/or butter and peanut-butter lathered waffles. The kids always get what they want for breakfast. My wife asked our 3 year old son if he wanted to feed bunny (our dog) breakfast this morning and he got very excited and yelled, "Yeah!". He quickly opened the cupboard, where the dog food is kept, and filled the scooper with the appropriate amount of food for bunny. My wife heard him fill the scoop 2 times so she knew he was giving bunny the right amount. Then he came to my wife and said, "Mommy show me, show me..... I made bunny breakfast". He took her finger and led her over to bunny's bowl and showed her. He had poured the dog food into bunnies water dish. He looked up at my wife and very proudly said, "Look, I made bunny cereal....like me. Bunny have brea- fest like me".

She's got the STONES to ask!

Finally a news reporter (out of Orlando, FL.) with the stones to ask the questions that B.O. and Biden DO NOT want to answer. Take note that he never addresses the issue and flat out lies about ties to ACORN. Biden is right that they didn't pay ACORN a single penny. They paid $800,000. I think I found my new favorite Local News Channel.

The Sound of a Hummingbird

Yesterday my daughter was on her way to gymnastics when she asked my wife, "Mommy, do you know what sound a hummingbird makes?"

"No," said my wife, "What sound does it make?"
"Hmm hmm hmm," my daughter began to hum her favorite song.