Happy Halloween!

Yesterday was Camdyn's first Halloween! She dressed up as a black kitty cat - too cute!

Cami and my mom

We went over to my parent's house to sit in the front yard, eat pizza, and hand out candy. I made sure we left by 8ish so we could get Camdyn home for bed. Speaking of...

She has not been sleeping AT ALL at night lately. This makes for a very cranky me. I've always been a very light sleeper, so when she wakes up every two hours, I have just barely fallen asleep before she's up again. John's been incredible, though. He's been helping me get up with her at night even though he's been working a ton, and yesterday he surprised me with a card and some gift cards. Best husband ever :)

Sleep is a funny thing - you don't really "miss" it until it's gone. For those of you who don't have kids yet, take advantage of sleeping! If you feel like sleeping til noon on a Saturday, DO IT! I'm thinking sleeping in won't happen again until Camdyn's moved out, and by that point John and I will be old and probably getting up at 5am willingly, haha.

So since I haven't posted in awhile here are some more photos of what we've been up to (pictures explain it best, in my opinion):

Romantic dinner from John (i've been spoiled lately)

John after work...he doesn't normally dress like this lol :)

LOVE this pic of us!

During the day Halloween outfit

Camdyn sleeping, it's a miracle!!

I also baked a delicious apple pie the other day.  It was my first one so I was kinda nervous, but it turned out amazing! I'll share the recipe soon :)

Now it's off to cleaning and working. I took on another freelance job (now I have THREE! Woo-hoo!) so that explains the lack of blog posts. Hope everyone's having a good day!

Life lately and my love language

Things have been very busy around here! Cami and I have had errands to run every day this week, so between that and working I haven't had time to blog :( Trust me, I'm desperately trying to get into the habit of blogging 5-6 times per week.  For those of you that are able to do that (plus work FT as I know most of you do)...I totally admire you! Blogging is so much fun, but it definitely takes time!

what i've been up to at work:

SheKnows.com: 10 Best ski resorts for the upcoming season
                        Holidays and breaking bread with Soleil Moon Frye
                        How to be a successful business owner

Rant Finance: The cost of having a baby
                    Halloween on a budget
                    Earn money from home
                    Is a joint checking account for you?

what i've been up to at home:

Nothing too interesting...cooking, cleaning, playing with Cami, etc. John and I got Mad Med season 5 in the mail through Netflix! So that's exciting. Mad Med is one of my all-time favorite shows. It's so witty and the characters are great. 

John and I started reading "The 5 Languages of Love." Has anyone read that? It's great, and I recommend it for all couples even though we're only on chapter 3. You first take a quiz to determine what your "love language" is, and then the book goes over how to meet the needs of your spouse's love language, which ultimately leads to a happier, healthier marriage. My love language is quality time, which didn't surprise me in the least. Quality time to me, though, isn't watching a movie together, it's more about actually talking to each other and having his full attention (no sports allowed during quality time!!). Anyways, it's a great book and I'm excited to dive further in.

And Camdyn is crying...so I leave you with some photos:

love this little bald chic!

oh ya know, just relaxin'

"mom, quit blinding me with the flash"

Cami LOVES her daddy!

Family Day

After a very long few days, I suggested we have a "Family Day" on Sunday.  John agreed, as long as he could be home by one to watch football.  Deal.

Sometimes in life you need to take a step back and just have some fun.  Not everything needs to be serious and stressful, especially when we have a baby to raise and take care of.  Though originally this "Family Day" was for her, it ended up being a great time for John and I.  It was just what we needed.

So, I suggested the zoo.  John vetoed immediately as it's 100 degrees out.  Can't argue that.  He then suggested walking around Cabella's and Westgate (Westgate is a huge shopping plaza where the Cardinal's stadium is).  Agreed.

Camdyn slept through the first half of family fun day, haha

Me and the babes (btw I'm finally at pre-pregnancy weight!)

John wants a rhino and a boat!

We got to Cabella's around 10am and walked around for a good hour.  For anyone who's never been, it's actually pretty fun (this coming from the girl who doesn't really like camping or the outdoors, haha).  They have clothes, a restaurant, a fudge shop, a "zoo" area consisting of dead, stuffed animals, and of course hunting, fishing, bbq'ing, camping, and anything else "outdoorsy" you can think of.  It's a great and free way to get out of the house!

yay! look who's waking up! i think she's confused.

um, the camera's over here, John :)

Elk!

I've never seen a skunk in real life - it was HUGE

Other than the mtn lion attacking the deer, doesn't this get you in the
mood for fall!?

Afterwards, we went to Westgate and had lunch at Gordon Biersch.  Yum!  Overall, it was a great way to spend the morning and I'm excited to plan our next day of fun, haha.  

Hope everyone's having a great day!

two vacations in two weeks

We just got back from two vacations, if you can believe it.  First, John and I went to Vegas to celebrate my 27th birthday.  Thankfully, my mom was able to watch Camdyn.  We stayed one night in Laughlin, then one night at Treasure Island in Vegas!  We had a great time - gambled, ate, drank, shopped, walked around, and just enjoyed being baby-less for a few days!  A highlight of the trip was two full nights sleep - yes!

Ready to go to my birthday dinner!

Yes, I was excited about seeing the Kardashian store haha!

Yummy buffet food - best ever (Treasure Island buffet)

Next stop - Helen, GA for the 2012 O'Connell Family Reunion (mom's side of family).  Georgia is GORGEOUS, minus the humidity.  We arrived on Saturday around 7pm and bbq'd and hung out with family.  It's so nice to see everyone on my mom's side of the family.  Even though it's rare (hopefully this changes!), it's so special to me and makes me realize how lucky we all are to have each other.

On Sunday, we all went to a beautiful park and hung out under a pavillion that we had for the day.  This was a great way to get everyone together since we are all in different cabins, and some of us in different areas.  The park was buried in the mountains and right next to a river.  Camdyn loved it!  That baby was made to be outside!

Monday we rented boats!  We got a wakeboard boat and all the other families got pontoons.  The lakes in GA are a lot different than out here in AZ.  The water is super smooth, and of course you're surrounded by trees and greenery instead of dirt and desert.

Tuesday my family and Chris and Susan (cousins) went ziplining!  This was SO fun and WAY better than I'd anticipated.  Three hours of flying through trees at 40mph!  Being terrified of heights, I was a little nervous (ok, a LOT nervous), but the guides were awesome and safety is a huge huge priority, as it should be, so my nerves settled after a few zip lines (we went on 9 total, plus walked across crazy bridges and repelled). 

Wednesday we went to the small town of Helen, GA for some breakfast and shopping.  This is a little Swiss town that the campground surrounds.  Most of the restaurants are German, and the shops have mostly touristy stuff, but it's really awesome looking and also full of fudge and candy shops!  Later that day, everyone went mini golfing...well, my mom and I went to the laundromat haha.  We met them later at golf and had delicious icecream.

Thursday, John went golfing with my cousins Eric and Chris and my Uncle John.  I went with everyone else to Brasstown Bald - which is an extremely steep hike that leads to the highest point in Georgia where you can see three states (Georgia, Tennessee, and N Carolina, I think).  The hike is paved, and luckily my cousin Finley was there to push Camdyn up in her stroller.  We would  not have made it without him!  We got to the top and it was super cold and windy, so Cami and I shuttled back down and went in the gift shop where it was nice and warm.  We went back to the pavilion later that evening for dinner.  This was the last night that everyone was there except us and the Shelton's.  So sad to say goodbye!

Friday we hiked Anna Ruby Falls - a beautiful hike that leads to a huge waterfall.  Camdyn loved this as well!  She kept staring at the waterfall and smiling - I think she thought she had arrived at the source of where milk comes from, lol :)  "A waterfall of milk! Yes! I've made it!"  Next we went tubing for two hours.  The river was pretty slow moving, and I got stuck quite a few times wedged between rocks, and my sister pushed my tube (and me) into a weird canal that took awhile to get out of (thanks sis), but it was fun!  It was definitely very relaxing which was nice.  

And Saturday we flew back home - 10 hours of travelling so we were pretty exhausted.  It was such a fun time and I can't wait to see everyone again!  

On plane ready to go!

Brasstown Bald

Creek near the pavilion we were at

Anna Ruby Falls

Mom and Dad

So now it's back to the regular routine of working and hanging out with my baby girl.  As much fun as traveling is, it's nice to be back in the comfort of our own home.