The Novaks

100th Post!

2009-10-18T17:43:00.000-07:00

Our 100th post on this blog. Who knew we would have so much to say and share. Our kids have continued to grow and make us laugh often. We have had a very eventful past month. Kendall is really getting around quickly, crawling all over the place. She is pulling up on anything that is stationary...and some things that aren't. As you can see, she still has some issues with reaching and forgetting to take a step. I think the splits are her way of stretching before her activities (just like daddy tells his patients).

I was in charge of helping Camden wind down before bedtime the other night. Usually that entails reading books, playing puzzles, watching a movie, singing songs. This night, however, I thought a little football was in order. He LOVED the tackling part the most! Needless to say, I am no longer in charge of night time activities.

So, you know how when we were kids and were lucky enough to get the opportunity to lick the beater when mom was making cookies, or brownies, or muffins, or cake? Well, my son has taken it to a new art. He convinced his mom to "help you, mommy" by getting her to let him sit on the counter and assist. This assistance included putting his hands in the batter to mix, putting equal parts of mix on the counter and the floor, then finishing up with a chance to lick the beater. But not how you and I remember it. When his beater was licked clean, he simply dipped it back in the bowl! Great strategy, son.

Also, having "baby stuff" around has allowed Cam to regress into hopping back into the exersaucer to re-live his youth. We are so proud.

Cam and Kendall had the amazing opportunity to ride on April's horse, Hot Dog. They LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it. Petting, feeding, riding, and cheering on Hot Dog was such a highlight of their late summer activities. A big thanks to Aunt April for letting our kids hang out at the stables. They had a blast.

Today was ZOO BOO at the Indianapolis Zoo. Camden didn't take a good nap because he was too excited to sleep, knowing that he was going to get to go see the animals. He loved seeing the

monkeys, bears, lions, fish, penguins, snakes, and giraffes. But his alltime favorite was seeing the cows and feeding the ducks! That's right, all the exotic animals we pay to go see, and my son just wants to feed the ducks. At least he had a good time. Kendall just wanted to pull on Cam and be held most of the time, but she was a cute dalmation!

The last two pics are just our two kids having fun playing together. Kendall would follow Camden to the end of the Earth right now. She will crawl after him anytime he gets up and moves, and you can imagine how often that is with a 2-year old boy! They make us smile more than they make us want to pull our hair out. So, the scales are tipped in their favor. We are loving being parents to these two wonderful kids. We hope all is well with everyone out there still following our humble little blog. We love you and God bless.

Dear Kendall...

2009-09-20T10:13:00.001-07:00

September 20, 2009

My sweet Kendall,

Today, as we dedicate you to the Lord, I want you to know how much I love you. From the minute we knew you were going to be born, Dad and I started praying. Praying for your safe arrival, praying that Camden would love you too, praying that we'd be the kind of parents you'd need, and most importantly praying that you'll grow to understand just how much Jesus loves you. His love for you, Kendall, is immeasurable and when you put your trust in God, He will lead you to great things. Kendall, you are such a lucky little girl to have so much support from lots of friends and family. You can't even begin to know how many people love you and pray for you! We are so blessed to have people all around us committed to helping us raise you to be a strong Christian woman! So many precious things about Pastor Lyon's prayer stand out to me Kendall. I want you to remember these things...

You are a priceless expression of God's creative genious and you were imagined by Him!

We pray that God will honor you because of the promises Dad and I made today.
We pray that you will be safe and the enemy will not touch or harm you in any way.

May you grow strong and someday choose Jesus for yourself!

When you find Mom and Dad, may you also know you'll find the living Christ.

Kendall, Dad and I will continue to pray for you as you grow into a young lady, making decisions all by yourself. We are so confident that as you seek Jesus prayerfully, with a joyful and thankful heart, the precious plans for your sweet little life will be unfolded. We picked a bible verse especilly for you, Kendall, when you were born. 1 Thessaloninans 5: 16-18 says....Always be joyful. Keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. What precious words to live by!

I couldn't be more proud of you today, Kendall! I love you so much!

Mommy

Are you still reading?

2009-09-15T12:30:00.000-07:00

Who knows if anyone still checks the Novak blog, but here I am anyway! My motivation for blogging is that some day I KNOW I'll want to look back and remember the funny things my kids were doing and how I was feeling during this time of my life. Here's my monthly recap! I'm a proud momma....lots of bragging to follow!!

Camden is now 2 yrs and 3 months. He might be the busiest kid I've ever known! Cam has a zest for life that just doesn't quit. From the minute he's awake until he lays his head on the pillow, he is running, exploring, asking questions, and testing limits. :) We have most definitely entered the glorious age of 2!!! Joel and I continue to pray for patience and wisdom to raise our sweet boy! As difficult as some moments can be, this stage is our favorite so far because Camden is talking so much, learning new things everyday and cracking us up!!! He loves fire trucks and rescue vehicles, the movies Nemo and Cars, playing outside, and pizza. :) Today Camden said, "I love being home, Mom. It's beautiful here". He is precious and we're so proud of him!

Kendall will be 8 months on Sept 22. She comes in at a close 2nd to the busiest kid I've ever known. Kendall tries her hardest to keep up with Cam, following him EVERYWHERE. Camden can always make Kendall laugh and smile....they are best friends. Kendall crawls and pulls up on furniture, toys, your legs, and anything else you can imagine. She hands out smiles so easily and strangers make the biggest deal of her. Lately she has been scrunching up her nose because she just can't smile big enough. Too cute. Kendall loves trucks (I know, I know...we're working on it), playing ring around the rosy on our laps and "falling down", tickling with her daddy, and FOOD! She recently started eating big people food and loves fruits and veggies, banana bread, and mashed potatoes! We're having Kendall dedicated at church this Sunday and are looking forward to celebrating her! She is a blessing and we're so proud of her too!

Joel and I are doing great....stealing moments for eachother whenever we can! We LOVE date night, for sure! :) We're getting excited about finishing our basement. Things are busy, but good. Here are the latest pictures of the kids!

A summer in pictures...

2009-08-02T10:01:00.000-07:00

We're back in the blogging world after a LONG hiatus! We've had such a great summer with lots of time with family and fun in the sun! I can't even believe school starts a week from tomorrow!!!! I have loved every minute of being home with my babies this summer, but always look forward to the challenges of a new school year. I am so blessed by being able to stay home part time again this year! Joel is busy at work, still loving what he does.....he doesn't like much complaining that summer break is over. Ha! Ha!

OK...so I decided that I would just post a ton of pictures and hope that they would explain the highlights of our summer....here goes.

We kicked off our summer with a Novak, Royer, Farmer, and Trent family trip to Siesta Key, FL. The kids loved living together and playing in the sand! We had a blast and can't wait to go back. Joel and I celebrated our 5th anniversary while we were there...unbelievable! Love that kid more everyday! :)

Camden and Gage were the cutest little ringbearers in Christa and AJ's wedding. Thankfully Christa was laid back and her expectations weren't high for our precious 2 year olds, because Camden took off in a dead sprint down the aisle and dropped his pillow. Gage, being the polite gentleman he is, picked it up and shouted "Cam, wait!!". Down at the end of the aisle, Camden took back his pillow and we heard a very polite "sank-you". Oh dear. Thank you AJ and Christa for the fun experience! :)

We celebrated Camden's 2nd birthday on June 13th....can't even believe my baby is 2! Our house was decked out in a fire truck themed party and Camden got so many cool things like a firehouse, basketball goal and sand & water table! Cam was super healthy at his 2 year check up weighing in at 26lbs and 36 in long. He knows all his colors and shapes, lots of letters and a few numbers too! He cracks us up everyday with the new things that come out of his mouth. We're so proud of our boy!

July was filled with lots of relaxing at the Dolphin Club, an awesome visit from my bestest Jessica and her sweet family from Arizona (can you believe we didn't take one picture, Jess? Terrible!!) and an attempt at potty training....(yep, I said attempt).

That brings me to our Kendall Jo. Let me just brag on this baby for a minute. She is an absolute joy in our lives and Joel and I are just head over heals in love! Kendall is as easy as you can get...hardly ever fussing and her face just lights up in a huge smile whenever she catches your face. Kendall is sitting up like a pro and army crawling to whatever she sets her sights on. My prediction is that we have an early mover on our hands. Yikes. Camden adores her, continuing to talk in the highest pitched voice you can imagine..."Try it baby...no crying Kendall Jo...come here baby"...we love watching them together! Kendall checked out beautifully at her 6 mo check up in July weighing in at 17 1/2 lbs and 26 in. long. We're so proud of her, too! :) Some of the latest pictures of Kendall...

This is where I found my sweet baby while I was busy making breakfast for child #1. Opps! Never said I was Super-Mom! :) Time to get the gates out, huh?

Finally, Wade and Steph worked their magic again and took some awesome family pictures (really they were for Kendall's 6 month-ish pictures...but we got some cute ones of Camden too.) Here are some of my favorites...

Shewww!!! So sorry for the summer break in blogging...I promise I'll be better. Hopefully no one has given up on us! Have a great week!

Special Mother's Day

2009-05-11T11:40:00.001-07:00

Being a mommy is definitley the hardest job I've ever had. It's crazy to think that sometimes I feel more confident in a classroom full of 35 sixth graders than braving the grocery store with only 2 kids! Sometimes I struggle day to day to get past all the piled up laundry, papers I should've graded a long time ago, snotty noses, and POOP....but yesterday during church I was just overcome with joy at how blessed I am by my husband and babies. All three of them are absolutely precious to me and I feel so lucky to be their mommy and wife. I am learning to let go of the list of things around the house when Camden pats the couch and says "mommy, sit down" (no way that will last much longer!!)....the dishes can wait. I'm learning to curb my frustration when Kendall wants to eat (STILL!!!!) in the middle of the night. We have the rest of our lives to sleep through the night. God is teaching me to find joy in all aspects of mommyhood...even when I don't know the best decision, I'm exhausted and feel like crying! :)

In the (almost) 2 years that I've been a mom, I've developed a new appreciation and love for my two moms! My mom and Misty are constant supports to me and I'd go crazy without their help and guidance. They are such special grandmas to my kids and we're all so lucky to have them....Happy Mother's Day Mom and Misty!

Here are some recent pics of me and the kiddos....

Just had to throw this one in for a laugh....Camden was working those heels! :)

Easter, Pics, and April Thoughts

2009-05-02T17:19:00.001-07:00

I will start with pictures of my beautiful new (3 months old now!) little girl. As you can see, Hillary loves putting her in various different hats and headbands with bows and flowers galore. I think Hillary is psyched to have a girl to dress up instead of giving Camden her purse and high heels to wear around the house...I know the purse picture already made the blog, but I am trying to keep the high heel pic for our archives only (that is until his graduation day when I flash that photo in front of the school auditorium).

Kendall is growing and changing more and more everyday. She smiles more often and we are getting the most precious giggles out of her. She is really coming to life and is a joy to be with. Camden is a good big brother and always gives her some of his toys to play with, pacifier when he thinks she needs it, always asks if she wants to go do something fun like "ride in the car," "go outside," or if she "wants a snack." It is so sweet to hear him include her and say things like, "no crying, Kendall Jo." It truly melts your heart to see your kids get along. I know that can change on a dime, so we are cherishing it now.

Easter was so much fun. Hillary loved picking out the kids outfits and taking Cam on 3 Easter egg hunts. This is my favorite picture of my kids and me ready to go off to church. Don't they look adorable? This is going to be my new wallpaper on my computer at work.

Camden loved "finding" eggs on the ground and putting them in his basket. We hunted Easter eggs at my Aunt Debby and Ervin's with cousins Lily and Chloe, at Nana and Poppi's with cousins Gage and Daniel, and at church with a whole mess of other kids. It was pretty easy pickings at his age level, you just scatter the eggs in the yard and watch the free-for-all. P.S. doesn't Cam kinda look like Don Johnson in Miami Vice with his pastel blue suit with shoulder pads complete with sandles...hot stuff dude.

Here are some fun pics of the kids hanging out together. On the right, Cam thought it would be fun to play in our sump pump clean out and splash around. Mommy LOVES messes. It was pretty funny, though...and he had fun.

April is a tough month for our family. It has been 3 years since we lost my brother, Zach in a tragic plane crash April 20, 2006. We miss his so much every day, but especially around Easter when we all spent our last holiday together. It is sad to know that our kids can't hang out with their Uncle Zach and be blessed by his words, smiles, hugs, and music. He was the best man/brother anyone could ask for and he is sorely missed. His influence is ever-present in our kids lives and we are so thankful for that. Zach, we miss you and long to see you again.

Elmo & Chicago

2009-04-09T09:21:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I have posted on here, but we wanted to update everyone on how we are doing. Hillary and I went to Chicago for an extended weekend and left our two "precious" children with their grandparents. By the way, they are way more "precious" after you have been away for a little while. We saw the musical, Rent, actually got to sleep in some, go shopping, enjoy time with just each other, and eat an entire meal without interruption...that was the best (well, maybe not the best!!)

Anyway, we dropped Cam off with our good friends, April and Ryan where Camden got to experience his first live show featuring one of his favorite TV stars...ELMO!! I can only imagine how excited he was. He got this cool light-up toy that spins and has Elmo on the top. He plays with it ALL the time. They said Cam was mesmerized and was pointing to all the characters he knew (Elmo, Big Bird, Ernie, Burt, Oscar, The Count). He just loves hanging out with the Docks...and doesn't Ryan look like such a big boy with his Cars back pack? Thanks guys, for taking care of our little guy, he adores you both.

This picture is my favorite, because Camden has been into trying to smile lately (you can see how well that is working for him). He scrunches up his nose shows his teeth, but thinks he is making the coolest face ever. He cracks up after he does it everytime; probably because he makes everyone laugh at his ridiculous face, but he thinks he is a comedian. Camden walks around the house holding any number of objects up to his eyes and saying, "cheese" then pulls that goofy face. It is a riot to watch him pick up things we do in his own interpretation. He is always surprising us and making us laugh. Cam is also a really good brother to Kendall. Sorry no pictures of her this time, but she is still healthy and actually starting to laugh a little with some of mommy's tickling. We are so blessed to have two wonderful children. Stay posted for upcoming Easter pictures...don't think that Hillary hasn't had at least 3 outfits on Kendall already in preparation for the big day (Happy Easter, Jesus). And yes, the outfit that has been decided upon, has been laid out with all its accessories all week.

Birthdays, Doctors, and More!

2009-03-30T06:37:00.001-07:00

Our precious niece, Lily, turned 1! It's unbelievable how fast that year went! She is the sweetest little girl....so smiley and good natured. She and Cam have so much fun playing together. Brytni and Jason put together an ADORABLE flower-themed birthday party. The weather was gorgeous and we had so much fun celebrating Lily's first year! Is this not the cutest picture???? We love that little girl...and her mom and dad, too!

Miss Kendall checked out great last week at her 2 mo check up. She is weighing in at a healthy 11.5 lbs and is 23 1/4 inches long....both ranking in about the 75th%. We're so proud of her! I have to give a shout out to Ashley Sommer with Simply Bow~licious Bow~tique for adding to Kendall's cute factor with this adorable headband/bow. I went a little crazy on Ashely's website buying all kinds of oversized bows, flowers, hats and tu-tus to accessorize sweet Kendall. Thanks Ashley!

I never know what Camden will get into while I try and steal 15 min to put myself together in the morning. Sometimes it's my makeup....sometimes our toothbrushes....today it was Joel's glasses. If that boy isn't the spitting image of his Daddy....

We've blogged before about how into hats Cam is......he INSISTS that we all wear one at all times. Finding all the hats is seriously the first thing he does when he wakes up! I caught some cute pictures of him putting one on Kendall this morning.

Back to work tomorrow!! This maternity leave has FLOWN by! I'm excited to see my students and get back into the swing of school, but I'm a little nervous about the transition back intobeing a working mommy! :) Joel and I are counting down the days until our "date weekend" in Chicago coming on FRIDAY!!! Topping our to-do list is eating a peaceful meal....sitting down....and not holding a baby. Ha! Also, sleeping later than 6:30 and getting ready without little people at our feet!!!! Have a great week!

Smiley Baby!

2009-03-17T11:39:00.000-07:00

I was able to catch some sweet pictures of Kendall smiling the other day! This first one is a tad bit close because I was holding her while snapping the pic. I had to include it though, because it truly captures our Kendall Jo's massive double chin! Ha! Kendall is definitely growing at a healthy rate and, as you can tell, doesn't miss many meals. She melts our hearts when she lights up....the baby talk is unbearable around here right now! :)

Camden is saying new things everyday! Lately there has been lots of roaring, since we're really into dinosaurs. He's also been saying "Awesome" a lot too....very cute. Manners are my favorite right now as Cam is always saying Peas mommy, ank-you mommy, and I'm warry (sorry)mommy. I'm telling you...ANYTHING is ok by me when he says those things. Here is the latest pic of Camden playing with an old purse....Joel was very proud.

We're anticipating lots around here....Cousin Lily's 1st birthday, Kendall's 2 mo. checkup...unbelievable, Camden's ear follow-up, mommy's return to work...yikes, and a MUCH NEEDED adult only Chicago weekend! Stay tuned....

My Babies....

2009-03-11T05:28:00.000-07:00

I've decided that seeing my two kids together, starting to interact, is one of the most special things I've experienced! Kendall is starting to give us little smiles (we still have to work pretty hard for them...but she's getting it!) and Camden hears us talking all kinds of high pitched sweet talk to her. Camden wanted in on the action, so we frequently hear him goo-gooing and saying "hi Kendall Jo" in the highest voice he can manage. So funny! You don't realize how stupid you sound until your 1 year old mocks you.

Here are my two babies....

Joel and I were in the kitchen making dinner the other night, and here's what we found when we looked into the living room! Watching Camden love his sister on his own melted my heart. I know the pictures are all similar, but I thought they were so precious...I wanted to share them all. I love Camden giving Kendall her pac in picture 2 and then sticking his tongue out in picture 3. Ha!

They are both growing so fast! I hope one day when they are fighting like brother and sister that I can remember how sweet they were on the floor together like this! :) Have a great rest of the week!

Tubes and Cute Outfits!

2009-03-02T07:19:00.000-08:00

The past couple weeks have been crazy around here! Camden had the worst ear infections to date and the surgery to put tubes in couldn't have arrived quick enough. I was a nervous mommy letting my baby go back to the operating room with the nurses....but we were SOOO proud of him! Camden went right to the nurse (after giving him a high five, of course), and was so brave leaving us! Not 10 min. later the Doctor came back to tell us that he was recovering. Here are some pictures documenting Camden's first hospital experience!

Camden thought his hospital hat was hilarious!

Cuddling with Mommy before they took him back for surgery. Thank goodness for good 'ol Handy Manny and the Disney channel....it sure made the time go fast!

After Camden came out of recovery, he layed with me for about 20 min and then decided he was back to normal.....jumping on the hospital bed and changing the TV channels. :) How cute are his way too big jammies?? Camden did great during surgery! The doctor said he drained a lot of thick fluid off of each ear. He told Joel and I that not only would Cam feel much better about the world, but that he'd be able to hear better too! We already notice a difference in him...we're so thankful for everyone's prayers and for a quick recovery!

There isn't a whole lot to share with you about Kendall that's new! She's still adorable with her chubby cheeks, sleeping good chunks at a time during the night (4-6 hrs), and working hard at wrapping us around her sweet little finger. I have to say that this little one has the cutest clothes ever! I promised I would take just as many pics of my second baby as I did Camden. I know that hasn't happened....but I'm trying! Here are the latest!

How did we ever get this lucky? Joel and I are blessed beyond words for these two babies.... we just can't believe they're ours! Hang in there everyone....surely spring is right around the corner!

Life at the Novak house....

2009-02-18T05:14:00.000-08:00

Our new life with 2 kids has been quite an adjustment around here! We are slowly starting to get more sleep, as Kendall has been sleeping 5 hour stretches the past couple nights....everyone stop reading and knock on wood right now! :) Long nights are tough when you have a "ready to go" toddler up at 6 am! Joel is amazing and gets up with Camden most mornings to give me a few more minutes of shut eye. I was so nervous for Joel to go back to work, but I'm getting used to how it feels to make one baby wait (and cry) while tending to the other one. I feel really comfortable with having the 2 kids by myself at home....but I've yet to venture out ANYWHERE with both of them! Ha! I think we're going to brave the library tomorrow, so say prayers! :)

Here are some random pictures from the last couple weeks at home! As you can tell, Camden has fallen in love with hats....he eats, plays, and sleeps with whatever hat he can get his hands on!

Camden is growing up so much! He is saying more and more each day....please and thank you mommy are a couple of my favorites! We found out that he will have tubes in his ears next Thursday....hopefully that will help cut down on all our sweet boy's ear infections!

Amy and Jon were in town last week and got to come over and hang out with the Farmer's and us. It was great to catch up with them and watch them meet Kendall and play with the boys.

Here's Kendall throwing up some gang signs her brother probably taught her. Can you believe that baby's mommy makes her sleep in bows and dresses? :)

Joel and I are so excited about busting out of the house on Saturday night for a belated Valentines date! We're pretty sure Cam's old enough to babysit....we'll let you know how it goes! :)

Home, Sweet Home!

2009-01-29T05:50:00.000-08:00

Kendall is officially 1 week old and I can't imagine life without my precious girl. Joel and I are still in disbelief that we have two kids! It's so nice to be home and attempt to get into a routine with Kendall and Camden. Joel has been an AMAZING help and I want to cry thinking about him going back to work next week! We've kind of taken on a man to man defense around here and I'm having trouble contemplating having both the kids on my own! Say lots of prayers next week! :)

Kendall is a doll and still sleeps most of the time. I love that newborn coma phase!! Camden is adjusting beautifully and loves to give his sister kisses, shove her pacie in her mouth (we're working on it) and turn on her little chair that vibrates. He says..."here Kenal". So cute. My bible study girls and small group girls have arranged for us to have meals brought in 3 days a week until the first week of March! Shut up!! We feel so blessed to have people willing to help us through this transition. Here are some more of my favorite pics from the hospital...

Kendall loves her Daddy already!
Family of four

This is the day we brought Kendall home...

Our little Eskimo all bundled up!

The Grandmas holding the babies....isn't Ikey adorbale, too?

Big brother Cam sneaking a peak.
I love this one! Kendall's little headband slid down during a nap....our little diva needs her beauty sleep mask already! :)

Kendall gets a weight check today, and I have a checkup as well! We'll let you know how everything goes!

Welcome to the Family, Kendall

2009-01-23T07:55:00.000-08:00

The day we have anxiously been awaiting is finally here! Little Kendall Jo Novak was born at 7:51 am on Thursday, January 22, 2009. She officially weighed 7lb 13oz and was 19 1/2 inches long. She has so much dark hair that it can hold a bow!!! I can also spike it into a mohawk, which is not exactly what Hillary had in mind for her sweet baby girl's hairstyle. We love her so much already, it is truly amazing. She has a pretty dark complexion and a round face and rarely opens her eyes. When we swaddle her she looks just like a little Eskimo! She is so sweet. God has his hand on our lives and our children, and we feel blessed to have this opportunity to grow our family. Both Hill and Kendall are doing great and loving each other. Camden loves his new sister so much and has given her several kisses...he does, however, keep calling her "Ikey" which is his almost 4 month old little cousin. Pretty cute. Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes, as they were much needed. Well, here are some much anticipated pictures. Enjoy and more to follow.

Hillary in her gown and ready to deliver (C-section prep much more laid back than active labor as you can see).

I accepted the girly addition to the family and am sporting a rather flattering pink boa for the occassion.

Natalie (Hillary's sister) decorated Kendall's crib with a pink boa and plaque displying the title of "Princess"

Hillary meeting Kendall for the first time while on the operating table (priceless!)

Me getting to hold Kendall for the first time (equally priceless)

Our precious little girl...look at all that black hair!! She is so sweet, but she has a set of lings on her, don't be fooled.

Finally, Camden gets to meet his new baby sister and gives a big kiss. He even gave her a pacifier later as a peace offering...we'll see how long that lasts. Well, for now, that is all I have time to post. Gotta run back to the hospital and be with my little girl and AMAZING wife! We are happy to see and visit with anyone who wants to come by. Again, thanks for all your prayers.

Pretty in Pink!

2009-01-16T08:01:00.000-08:00

Two weeks in between posts....we're getting better! :)

I'm so lucky that my sweet sisters and girlfriends wanted to make sure that Kendall was set with some ruffles and pink before her big birthday on Thursday! Otherwise, our little girl would've been swaddled in baseball blankets and sucking on blue pacifiers! :) They threw me the most adorable pink pajama party complete with pink feather boas for each guest, a princess Kendall cake that left me speechless, and more girl clothes than we could've ever hoped for! Unless you've been 9 mo. pregnant, you can't understand how amazing it was to have a baby shower where it was acceptable to wear your pj's!! Check out some of the pics....

All the adorable hostess'

Little blurry....but still so cute! April found all the Disney "baby" princesses. Kendall will be in heaven when she's old enough to play with them!

Natalie's fireplace was decorated with Kendall's initials (on glitter paper :)) and 4 of the most adorable outfits I've ever seen!

Joel and I stayed up so late that night going back through everything and oohhhing and awwing over all the fun gifts. Ok, so I did all the ohhing and awwing, but Joel did stay up late. :) Thank you to my sweet friends and family who were able to celebrate Kendall at the pj party!

Here are some pictures of Kendall's nursery!
The little sign to the left of the window says..."Child of God, Child of Mine"

All her furniture, except the crib, was mine growing up...so that feels really special! Mom worked really hard to make the fabric covered stool for her vanity.

We're definitely girlified and ready to welcome our daughter into the world on Thursday at 7:30 am! 5 more days!! Yikes! Ok, I realize that it's really 6 days, but it's my blog and I get to count the way I want. Today is almost over, so you can't count Friday. Thursday is the big day, so you can't count it either. See how that works? 5 more days. My goal is to get one more post on before then....but you know how that goes! If not, Joel will be on at the end of the week with pictures of our baby! Love you all!

Family, Christmas, New Year's & The Rest!

2009-01-01T06:47:00.000-08:00

Well, well, well. I guess we should be kicked off the blogger website from lack of recent entries, but until we get official notice, here is the latest with us! Hillary has been super busy growing a little baby, chasing an 18 month old, shaping the minds of 6th graders, and keeping our new home in order. Can you believe that we will be adding another addition to our family in just 3 short weeks!! We have some great pictures from Christmas and being together wth family. Here you go...

Camden helped decorate the tree. For every ball (bulb) he placed (tossed) in the tree, he took three off. It was fun anyway though. The tree decorating eventually lead to this picture...not Hillary at 36 weeks pregnant, but the gate around our lovely Christmas tree. Doesn't it all just say, "Happy Birthday, Jesus."

Cam got some great presents this Christmas. He LOVES his drum set from Aunt April and Uncle Ryan. Thanks for the gift of noise, guys! Just joking, it is so fun to watch him play.

He also got to spend some quality time with cousin Lily and cousin Gage. You can see that they have different relationships. Cam and Gage play with their new light sabers from Uncle Josh, while Camden and Lily share a Christmas kiss.

The kids were all so cute playing with their new toys and giving big thank you hugs and kisses to everyone!

We are so blessed to have wonderful kids and great families and friends to share our love and happiness with. Thank you for keeping up with our blog and our lives, even if we have been delayed with updating everyone. May your 2009 be filled with joy, prosperity, and unfailing love for everyone in your lives.

I had to add in a picture of Camden showing baby Kendall how much he loves her already and can't wait to meet her. Hurry up, sis, I got alot to show you!

Ready, Set, Catch Up!

2008-11-23T11:34:00.000-08:00

We have no excuse for the poor job we've done posting in the last 7 weeks other than we've been up to our neck (actually over our head) in wallpaper scraping, painting, tiling and growing babies around here. :) Our house is coming along slowly but surely! Joel is amazing....he works long hours at work everyday and then comes home and works on our house every night! Our goal has always been that by the holidays we'd be finished and ready to focus on our expanding family (which we've barely thought about...yikes). We're just pushing that back from the Thanksgiving holiday to the Christmas holiday. Ha! You'll have to check out what we've done so far in the background of some of these pictures. Thank you thank you thank you to all our family who has been over here helping! Mom informed me a couple weeks ago that...."this is the last house". Ha! We're so blessed to have willing helpers!

Camden is growing and learning so much. He says something new everyday, it seems like! Right now he is on a big "no" kick. Everything is "no"! Did you sleep good? No. Are you hungry? No. Are you Camden? No. His favorite thing to do is play with something he knows he's not allowed to touch, all the while pointing his finger and saying "no-no"! So funny! He's also really into having LONG conversations on the phone....we're SOO OVER play phones, it has to be the real thing. Auntie April gave us an old cell phone that still works, so he loves pretending!

Kendall is growing too! Aunt Brytni gave us about 100 boxes of Lily's clothes, so we're in the process of sorting. It's so fun sitting on the floor surrounded by girlie, lacy, pink! :) We only have about 8 more weeks until we meet her! Let me try and catch you up over the last 7 weeks with our latest pictures....

Happy Halloween! Our little monkey clutching the Snickers....just like his Mommy!

Cousin Gage the Dragon helped Cam rake in the candy

Camden swiping candy from sweet bumble bee Lily...we're so proud of him.

Playing outside on a beautiful fall day....

Cam wants to be just like his daddy...we caught him "painting" in his bathroom right before a bath. Adorable!

Camden pointing out pictures to Daddy in our new Hearth room...which is a shared room with the kitchen. How about that funky Avacado wall?

30 weeks and growing in our new Living Room! Dining room is on the far end, too!

We hope this finds everyone happy and healthy! Enjoy your Thanksgiving week with food and family....I promise the next time you hear from us won't be when Kendall's born!

Hello, Kendall!

2008-10-07T05:28:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, we went to the wedding of a good friend of the Novak family. We had a great time and were so thankful that the wedding/reception was at a golf club. Camden definitely made a huge game of finding and throwing golf balls. What age do they slow down, again???? We're waiting!! :) Anyway, since we were all dressed up, we thought it would be the perfect time to start capturing belly shots of sweet, growing Kendall. Joel has been able to feel her tiny kicks for a couple weeks now, but they're getting stronger each day! Even still, she seems to be a little softer and gentler than big brother Camden was. We're anxious to meet and snuggle her 15 short weeks from Thursday (ha ha....can you believe I'm counting down already???)

23 weeks and growing...

We tried to get a good family picture all night and this one was the best! It's hard with the two babies....see the golf ball in Cam's mouth?? :)

Say prayers for our house situation. We got a call the day before we were to close saying that the person buying our house lost his job, therefore no one was able to move forward with the pending plan. We have every single thing packed ready to go and are just waiting for the situation to be resolved. The poor people that owned our new house have already left and are paying for the house to sit empty + their new place. It's hard for Joel and I to think about unpacking and starting the house showing process over....so we're just praying and waiting for things to fall into place. We've been encouraged that it will still happen, but aren't sure when. We keep reminding ourselves that God's plan is bigger than ours (except I liked my plan just fine. :)). We'll keep everyone posted! Have a great week!

OCTOBER!!!!

2008-10-01T10:56:00.000-07:00

Holy cow...I can't believe our last post was September 2nd!! So sorry about that! I have no idea where September went! We've had the craziest month at our house. Hang in there....there's a lot to catch up on!! September 10th, we took Dad to the emergency room with a really swollen and red leg. Turns out he had a weird leg infection that caused him to be in the hospital for over a week and another week of home recovery. This week was his first week back to work and he's feeling much better. All the ladies in his life are making sure he's taking it easy! :) Thanks for your prayers for my Dad!

September 12th, we welcomed a perfect, beautiful and precious little nephew Isaac Paul Farmer in to the world! It was very hard not having Dad there with us to celebrate Ike's little life, but we definitely had the computers hooked up for a much needed ichat where Dad could see Ike and Nat and talk for a minute. Big brother Gage is adjusting great and is very loving to the baby! Holding Isaac makes Joel and I SOOOOO excited to meet Kendall!

Nat and Adam weren't even home a week before they had to take sweet Ike back to the hospital with a high fever. They ran lots and lots of invasive tests including a spinal tap to rule out anything dangerous and kept Isaac for 48 hours to observe him. He's home now and is doing much better! Thanks for your prayers over him, too!

We're hoping everyone in our family stays well so they can help us move in a week!! We actually close on our house Friday and we have lots of home improvement plans over the next week before we move all our things. Lets just say every spare moment and each nap Camden takes has been filled with packing packing packing. I'm definitely never moving again! :) We're so excited and feel so blessed to have our health and a new place to call home!

Camden is a talking machine saying words like pretty, Mommy, poopy, Daddy (oh I'm already working on teaching him to string those four together), bible, amen, car, bath, ball, apple. So cute to hear him and watch him learn! Kendall has definitely decided to make her grand appearance! Belly pictures on another day. :) Check out the latest of our little guy and family...

Big boy with Daddy's shoes

Playing with pretty cousin Lily!

My boys being lazy eating yummy cookie dough!

The rest of these pictures are from last weekend's trip to the pumpkin patch! It was so great to spend some quality family time together since things have been so crazy lately! :)

Camden waking up the poor chicks!

Where am I??

Looking for a pumpking with Dad...

.....and Mom.

My personal favorite...Camden milking a cow.

Whew...that was September!! Hopefully you haven't quit checking the blog. I promise to be better! New house pictures soon! :)

It's a Girl!

2008-09-02T14:46:00.000-07:00

It's official...Camden is going to have a little baby sister. Hillary and I just got back from the Dr.'s office and had an 18 week ultrasound. Everything looks great from her heart to her brain, kidneys, bladder, and girl parts! She was so precious and we can't wait to welcome little Kendall Jo Novak into the family. Hillary already has plans for a chandelier, pink dresses, little shoes, and for me to build a stage for dress up and future performances in our new house. Oh yeah, we sold our home and have made an accepted purchase agreement on a new one on the far west side of Anderson. We have alot of changes ahead of us and we are so blessed to have the opportunity to grow with our ever-changing family. Can't wait to keep everyone updated on life's adventures for the Novaks! I LOVE MY FAMILY!!! Especially that Hillary!

Here's what Camden thinks of having a sister.....he's got that tongue out already! We're already working on "be gentle".

We love the Carignan's!

2008-08-19T18:30:00.001-07:00

Check out some of the new pictures of Camden that Wade and Stephanie just put on their blog....so freaking cute. To see lots more, go to http://www.carignangallery.com/

Once you enter the website, click on clients and then our password is camden. There are a few adorable ones of Gagie too! We love how our photo sessions are just playtime! They truly capture our real life!!!!

Hope everyone has a great start to the week!

If you're happy and you know it...

2008-08-18T11:53:00.000-07:00

Today is my day off and Cam and I had a great time painting the sidewalk with water! He loved holding all the brushes at once and cracked up multiple times when he dumped our bucket of "paint" out. :) Can you believe our precious 14 mo. old can spell his name?? :) Ha! Obviously that was with a little help, but we still think he's brilliant.

On August 13th, we celebrated Joel's 27th birthday! Camden and I are so thankful for him and all he does for us! Now that we have our own baby boy, I realize just how special birthdays are to your parents. I know that I will remember every detail of Cam's very first birthday, even 27 years later. Thank you Dan and Misty for raising such a loving husband and father...I'm so glad you brought him into the world! :) Check out Camden's special birthday song for his Daddy....he's been practicing so hard!

Goodbye summer!

2008-08-04T06:27:00.000-07:00

As I start the last week of summer vacation, I am reminded once more of how thankful I am for my job. I absolutely LOVE the fact that I get to be home with Camden all summer, and I'm even more thankful that during the year, my schedule allows me to be home with him every other day. I think it's the perfect balance of adult/kid time. The middle of August doesn't feel near as daunting when I don't have to work everyday! So, I'm excited to start school, meet a new group of scared little 6th graders, and get back into our fall routine. I think Cam is ready to be back at Miss Becky's too. We're so blessed to have an awesome sitter that Camden adores!

New baby Novak is growing! We're starting to see a slight baby bump (mainly at night after dinner. Ha!) He/she hides again in the morning. We're 14 weeks along and are so thankful things are going well. 4 more weeks until we know whether Cam will have a brother or sister! I think I heard him say he wants a little sister. :)

No more news on the selling or buying of a house. We continue to pray that the perfect person comes along!

Check out a sneak peak of the pictures that Wade and Stephanie Carignan took of Camden....I can tell the rest will be ADORABLE! We'll be sure and share more when we get them!

1st Haircut!!

2008-08-01T11:42:00.000-07:00

Camden was a super big boy today and got his first haircut! I couldn't trust anyone but Nicole at Shaggy Chic (except of course, my best Jess...but unfortunately we can't afford to fly Cam to AZ for a haircut. Ha!) to cut that crazy head full of cowlicks! Camden was very brave and didn't mind one bit that scissors were flying around his head. We had more of a problem keeping my wild child still. He is up for anything except being calm. :) Have I mentioned that I'm jealous of any parent who has lap sitter child?? Camden hasn't sat on our laps longer than 30 seconds his whole life. Needless to say, I had lots of tricks, songs, and snacks up my sleeve for his 10 min. haircut. :) Check out the pics...

After this big production, our little guy was worn out! Here's the final picture of the hair while Cam was conked out on the way home.

He looks like such a big boy with his new haircut!

BIG Changes!!

2008-07-23T05:39:00.000-07:00

Well, we have much exciting news to share since our last posting on July 2nd. Joel and I are so excited to announce that we are pregnant again, with what appears to be a very healthy baby so far! I am 12 weeks along and have heard a precious heartbeat several times already. Doctor says the first trimester is right on track and looking great! We will have a repeat c-section on Friday January 23rd. While I dread the surgery/recovery, I am so pumped to actually know the date for sure and not have to wonder...will today be the day?? That alone causes much anxiety for Hillary the planner (and therefore Joel, the listener) :)

The next exciting change is that we put our little house on West 8th Street up for sale. I'm full of mixed emotions as I think about leaving our first little house. We've created so many memories here....from tearing out kitchens and bathrooms to bringing our first baby home. I'll definitely be sad when we pack up all our things. On the flip side, Joel and I have had so much fun planning and dreaming about our future. We can't wait to be in a neighborhood with a bigger home for our family to grow! As of right now, we're really excited about 2 homes that we'll be going through a second time on Friday. We've had several people go through ours and are interested, but nothing final has happened yet. We're showing it again this Thurs. and Friday to two new people! Pray that they LOVE IT! :)

Our heads are kind of spinning with all these new responsibilities and changes. We feel so blessed with what we already have and continue to seek God's guidance in lots of near decisions! Pray that all works out and the right doors are opened and closed.

Stay tuned for recent pics of our crazy kid who NEVER stops moving. The Carignan's took Camden's pictures last Sunday and we can't wait to see what they captured. If you can only picture this....the only thing that would make Camden smile in the 120 degree heat was saying...."don't you eat that...it's ca-ca." Joel and I felt like idiots and Wade and Steph probably thought so too, but what are you gonna do? We had to make him laugh!

Hope everyone is doing well! Have a great rest of the week!

New Videos!

2008-07-02T06:01:00.001-07:00

We thought we'd share some video of Camden enjoying his birthday cake, as well as walking! He is absolutely everywhere and continues to bust the same spot on his chin about every other day. He does pretty well with a band-aid, but every once in a while I'll catch him chewing on it. Ha! Hopefully the accidents will subside once he gets a little more sturdy. Hope everyone has a great 4th of July!

Notice the tamborine he carries around CONSTANTLY....this is part of the band in a box we described last time. Awesome.

Ready...Set...Catch up!

2008-06-21T06:19:00.001-07:00

Hopefully no one has given up on checking the Novak blog. So much for having more time in the summer...it's been a crazy June! Hang in there...we've got lots to fill you in on! :)

We started the summer celebrating our 4th anniversary with an amazing trip to Myrtle Beach! Joel and I had such a great week relaxing and eating awesome seafood every night. Camden got some quality time with each set of grandparents while we were gone. We missed him terribly, but were so blessed by the

break of responsibility and the chance to spend some time "just us". We sure devoured him when we got home though! We were so excited to get the opportunity to see my great friend Erin and her husband Todd, who live in SC, while we were there. They were so sweet and drove a long way to share a breakfast with us a Grandma's Kitchen. It was great to see them and catch up! Here are some pictures of our trip!

We had one week after we returned to get ready for Cam's big baseball birthday celebration! In true Indiana style, our outdoor baseball party got rained out, so we were lucky enough to move it inside at Aunt Natalie's and Uncle Adam's! We had upwards of 50 people share in Camden's special day. I still can't believe my baby boy is one year old! Not possible! It's truly been the fastest and most fullfilling year of our lives. He definitely heard the entire story of the day he was born. It's amazing how you remember each detail! He is such an incredible little ball of energy and source of joy for us. It's only getting better and better and we can't wait to see what the next year brings! Check out some party pictures!

Joel and I were so excited to have Jason Warpool, Joel's great college roomate friend, here for the big celebration. Jason came bearing gifts...one of which might be Camden's ultime favorite toy ever. Band in a Box complete with maracas and a tamborine. You can only imagine how annoying. Jason, we love you, but you need to know that we are already on the hunt to pay you back and you don't even have kids yet. :)

4 days after his birthday, Camden decided to take 5 steps on his own! Since then, he's getting braver and braver and continues to walk 5-10 steps at a time. He still gets the job done faster crawling, so that's what he prefers, but we forsee our little guy running before long. Walking videos to come! Thanks for hangning in there for our June summary! :) I promise I won't go that long again!

Summer is here!

2008-05-26T11:56:00.000-07:00

The holiday weekend has been packed with fun at the Novak house! Our beloved home away from home, the good 'ol Dolphin Club opened on Saturday! We packed up (the whole house it seemed like) and spent the day splashing around. Camden didn't know what to think at first....the water felt pretty much like a melted ice cube! Even though he wasn't too interested in getting wet, he had a great time crawling around and watching cousin Gage!

Our little pretty boy doesn't like scraping his knees! I don't blame him one bit! :)

After a good nap on Saturday, we headed to the lakes with Joel's family! It was great to relax and catch up with everyone over beautiful weather and wonderful food!

Here's Cam hanging out on the lawn...after the cold pool, I wasn't about to put him in the lake! :)

Snuggling with Mom.....
...and Dad!
It was great to spend time with precious Lily too! She is a sweet toe-headed angel! Camden is a wild child compared to that little one! :)
Reading a book in a chair that was Papaw's as a little boy
I think it's funny we're all looking in the wrong direction....but still cute of the two little families!

We came home from the lakes on Sunday night and are closing out the weekend with another Royer family dinner on Monday! I'm getting used to other people feeding my family every night! :)

We hope everyone had an awesome long weekend!

Pass the remote...

2008-05-15T12:32:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been so long since we've updated! I didn't manage to take one Mother's Day picture...but I had such a blessed day! It can't get any better than having my bed-headed baby hand me a card! :) Joel has already set a great example to Camden about how to treat his mommy on Mother's Day! I'm one lucky girl!

Lately Camden has been REALLY into all our remote controls. The other morning, he kept changing the TV off of the Today show onto ch. 9. I would continue to change it back, only to find it switched again. Once he was down for his morning nap, I tried to change it back to Matt Lauer and a message popped up informing me that my 11 mo. old child had recorded ch. 9 and I couldn't change it!!!! That stinker! :) He continues to make us laugh each day! No more head-way on the walking....but he's getting there! Lots of fast cruising and pushing his lawn mower.

Here are some of our latest pics....

Remotes in hand

Looking a little mischievous

Best Buddies....most of the time!

2008-05-04T08:04:00.000-07:00

Cam and his cousin Gage spend most days of the week together....whether at the babysitters, playdates with their mommy's, or dinner and The Office at the Farmer house, the boys always have a great time playing. Camden looks up to his big cousin so much...constantly following him back and forth as Gage tries to escape! Nat, Adam, Joel and I love watching them together and thinking about what they'll be like as they get older. We're so blessed to be close to one another and raise our families together! Here are some random pics of the boys hanging out....

Mesmerized by something outside...

Getting into Aunt Nerdalie's Arbonne...apparently it's delicious

Fighting over a toy...they're working on conflict/resolution. :)

Trying to figure out how to GET OUT! :)

"What the heck? Why doesn't Cam have to use a fork??"

Is that not Adam Farmer and Joel Novak in the tub, or what? Hilarious!

We love you, Farmers! We can't wait to snuggle baby Isaac in a few short months! :)

Sad News....

2008-04-22T05:15:00.000-07:00

We are so sad to say that we had a miscarriage over the weekend. Even at just 7 weeks pregnant, it's amazing how much you love your tiny baby already, and are devastated to learn of anything wrong. It has been a very emotional time of loss coming at the same weekend of the anniversary of Joel's brother Zach's death. We know that God's timing is perfect, but it's sure hard to understand sometimes! Losing our baby has sure made me realize what a miracle Camden is. His precious smile definitely brought tears as we came home from the doctor with bad news yesterday. He is such a source of joy for us and I am SOOO blessed and thankful to be his mommy. Thank you Lord, for the miracle of life you've already blessed us with.

Yesterday also marked 13 years of "togetherness" for Joel and me. How crazy is that??!?!?! I can't believe that 1/2 of my life I've spent loving the same boy. Joel, you have exceeded every expectation I had of a husband. You have been an incredible Christian leader of our home and continue to challenge me to trust in God's direction for our lives. We've shared our happiest days and saddest days and I can't imagine walking through life with anyone else. I can't wait to see what the next 13 years holds!

We will continue to hold tight to the truth that God has a plan for our family, and trust that He will work things out for the good, even if it means hurting a little right now. Thanks so much for the prayers and kind words we've already received from lots of you! We have the BEST family and friends. I am confident that life will return to normal very soon and we'll have more pictures to post of our busy little guy!

Orange Bats and Green Beans

2008-04-15T16:43:00.000-07:00

Camden's favorite toy lately is his bright orange bat. It always has a home in one of his hands, NO MATTER WHAT! Cam is a pro at crawling with it, playing with other toys with bat in hand, and beating everything in sight. I thought Joel was going to have a heart attack when our sweet boy starting banging on the TV. Check out our little slugger....

We have a very independant baby on our hands....we're sure his first phrase will be "I can do it myself". I'm still holding out for "you look beautiful today, mommy". Camden never wants help with anything. His most recent meltdowns have resulted from us trying to help feed him something. We have laughed so much at how he very deliberately spits out what you just fed him, only to put it back in his mouth himself. He is a great eater....so we just let him get messy! :)

What, you never save green beans on your forehead for later?

We hope everyone has a great rest of the week...enjoy the beautiful weather!

Here we go again....

2008-04-09T05:22:00.001-07:00

NOVAK, Party of four please! :)

That's right...Camden's going to be a big brother! We were very excited to learn last week that we'll be expecting another sweet addition to the Novak family sometime early Dec./late Nov.! That will make our 2 little ones just shy of 18 mo. apart....AHAHGHGHAH! We'll be busy, but we're telling ourselves it'll work somehow! :) Those of you who have been there, or know better...please don't tell us the truth. Ha! Joel and I feel so blessed to be pregnant again...God is so good to our famiy! My prayer for the next 8 months is that we will treasure each day with Camden as he will soon have to share our focus and attention. We're so lucky to have the help of great family and friends to support us through this new adventure! Stay tuned for new baby/belly (hopefully not for AWHILE!) updates, as well as what Mr. Camden is up to!

Until then, check out these belly pictures from almost 1 year ago....I forget how big it actually gets, and I CAN'T BELIEVE we're doing it again!!!! This was Joel's graduation last year....just about ready to POP!

Here are a couple pictures of Camden telling his Meme and Papa the good news! I'm embarrassed to say that we definitely had puff paint at home to make this very trendy "Big Brother" t-shirt. I'm pretty sure they were Joel's. :)

Camden meets cousin Lily!

2008-04-01T11:56:00.000-07:00

I'll keep the talk short this time, as we have tons of pictures to share from our fun weekend up north to see baby Lily and her mommy and daddy! Camden was a great boy and had so much fun giving Lily open mouth kisses (what a fun story that will be later!!). We continue to be amazed at Brytni and Jason's hospitality and go with the flow attitude just days after bringing home a newborn....amazing! Ok...enjoy!

How did I get stuck with the big one?

It was so sweet to watch Joel and Bryt together with their babies!

You want me to paint your toenails? Ok baby Lily. :)

Loving on Meme and Papa Novak

Camden and his good buddy Bailey

We also wanted to share some videos we took over the weekend of our kid's infectious laugh. Hope they make you smile like they do for us! :) Have a great week!

Baby Lily is Here!!

2008-03-27T16:16:00.000-07:00

First, let me tell you just how excited Hillary and I are to have a brand new niece! She is the most beautiful baby girl ever. Little Lily Ann Hessler was born March 25th at 5:54 a.m. and was a healthy 8.0 pounds and 21 inches long. She has crazy long feet and fingers with light eyes and light hair in front with slightly darker hair in back...an absolutely perfect gift from God.

Brytni was a CHAMP!! She had about a 12 hour labor or so with 3 hours of pushing! I give up on a #2 after a couple of minutes. I can't even imagine. She is doing great and I couldn't be more proud of my baby sister. She acted like she has done this a million times. Brytni was so happy and light-hearted after the whole event, asking us how our night was and if WE were tired. We had a chance to get some precious photos that we wanted the whole world to see. More to follow, as we are headed up to the Goshen area again this weekend.

P.S. Hillary says I look good holding pink...I tend to agree. We definately got baby fever again holding a little tiny baby instead of our monster (cute monster, though).

Happy 1st Easter!

2008-03-24T10:47:00.000-07:00

Easter was a whilwind day, starting EXTREMLY early because Mommy and Daddy had to work the Coffee Bar at Church! Camden wasn't too awake yet, but we had to snap a Happy Easter picture! :)

Morning Daddy....are you the Easter Bunny?

Here's our little Payne Stewart, Jr. We're battling 4 new top teeth that are minutes away from breaking through, combined with a CONSTANT dripping nose. That explains why Cam looks like he has to sneeze in all these pictures! :)

Here's a great example of ALL our attempts at getting both boys to sit for a picture. We're crazy
for even trying...but aren't they adorable?

What's up, cousin Gage! How about those curls coming out of his hat... love that baby!

Seriously Mom, are we almost done?

I LOVE FOOD! Getting ready to eat at Nana and Poppie's

Enjoying some Boz the Bear after a full belly

Cam loves his GG Tanner

Winding down with mommy and a good book

How about our 9 month old baby is decked out in argyle from head to toe and his mom and dad have to wear coffee t-shirts to church. Please don't tell me that's a glimps into the future...I'm not quite ready to accept it. :)

Stay tuned for some new Cam TV in the next few days, as well as an update on baby Lily's arrival...any day! Hang in there Brytni! :)

We love you all and hope you had a blessed Easter full of good food and family!

Camden and Mommy do laundry....

2008-03-12T11:57:00.000-07:00

Camden was super interested in helping me fold laundry the other day...especially the sheets! After lots of slobbery rolling, twisting, and playing, I probably should've washed them twice!

He's in there somewhere...

Up for a breather...

Hanging out under our fort...little cross eyed! :)

Practicing to be a shepherd in the Christmas pageant.

Cracking up in the laundy basket...so cute

I'll tell you what...laundry was never this fun until Camden came around. He definitely makes mundane chores much more exciting! Camden can't wait until next year when we wash the sheets again...just kidding, Mom! :)

You're a genius....maybe

2008-03-09T13:32:00.000-07:00

It's been a really nice, quiet weekend here at the Novak house. We had a great time Friday night with both of our sets of parents over for dinner and games.....actually we never got to the games because we had such a great time catching up. Camden didn't know what to do with both his Meme and Papa AND Nana and Poppi in the same house!! Talk about attention. We had some appetizers and played and then put the rug rat to bed so we could have some dinner and quality adult time! Joel and I have always felt so blessed to have parents who are friends!!!! I had the best intentions to snap some pictures of Cam with his Grandparents....but I just didn't! However, our little man was getting nice and clean before they came over and we captured a cute butt shot of him standing at the tub. I love how those cheeks are clinched so hard in order for him to stand! What a workout Camden! :)

After lunch on Sunday Camden kept making the cutest noises with his mouth like he was sucking on a popsicle! I went to grab the video camera and you'll notice it in the beginning...but then our genius baby figured out his shape tool box!! He's never done it before...but our little ham figured it out just in time for the camera! We'll see if it ever happens again! Enjoy...
Just in case you're wondering, Camden DID get the star, but it was almost 5 minutes later and he definitely used the process of elimination. Way to be a problem solver, buddy!

Dolphin Club...here we come!

2008-03-04T04:08:00.001-08:00

I don't know about you, but we're beyond ready for nice weather around here. It's tough to think of inside activities to keep Camden AND Mommy happy and engaged all day long without cabin fever. While he LOVES going to malls and groceries....we're both kind of sick of produce and shoes (that's a lie....I will never be sick of shoes). We can't wait to take walks in nice weather and go to parks....and most importantly...our very own Dolphin Club!!! Camden is an 'ol pro at the pool, as we had him decked out last year from the time he was just a few weeks old. The other day, Cam was a little fussy and I just knew that he was trying to tell me he wanted to have a pool party in the tub....so we did! Told you I was a cool mom! :)

Don't worry all you baby poolers...the ensemble will be complete with swim diaper and trunks come Memorial Day weekend!

Shake your groove thing...

2008-02-27T12:32:00.000-08:00

We're in the Gro-cery store, I'll tell you why! There's a list of things we need to buy....SHOPPING at the grocery store. A loaf of bread and peanut butter spread...who could ask for more? Ok Ok...it's not quite the same without Boz the Bear singing the grocery store song...but Cam LOVES it no matter who is singing it! Cam is crazy about the grocery store and is hilarious to wheel around in the cart. He especially loves the helium balloons over by the cards. He immediately throws himself back in the cart so he can stare up at them! I'm praying that the day when he starts begging for things is still far away. Anyway...here are some cute pictures from the other day when we were heading out for the grocery. One note from that stupid song and he's all smiles! :) Just a quick reassurance to our far away friends....our son really doesn't have an orange nose in person. Ha!

We're pretty sure that Camden will qualify for the next season of Dancing with the Stars with this move. Look out Drew Lachey....

Spring can't come fast enough for the Novaks....hope everyone is hanging in there!

Laughter...you know

2008-02-24T11:49:00.000-08:00

I know some of this footage may be old, but I wanted to get some video of Camden cracking up and having fun in the tub. We know that we are partial, but he just has the most infectious laugh that we wanted to share.

This is from around Christmas, but still makes us smile. It has been 2 months since these videos were shot, but he still splashes like this in his tub, and still laughs at me when I make a fool of myself.

Hope you all enjoyed the videos...have a great week.

Exploring Everything!

2008-02-18T10:34:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of Camden's latest "explorations"! He has definitely discovered that we have couches...and everything within reach is fair game to pat, eat, push and knock over.

Whoops...dropped my sock

Line up ladies! Camden's got a new ride!

Discovering presents for cousin Lily! Sorry about the slobber Lily! :)

This is how Cam would look everyday if Daddy was in charge! He loves his Dad!

Camden wants to wish everyone a happy and healthy President's Day! :)

Bronchitis and Bubbles

2008-02-15T05:25:00.000-08:00

Well we have a pitiful sick little baby on our hands. After several days with a nasty runny nose (whenever we approach his face now, he very deliberately pushes us away....that's how much we've wiped that nose!), and junky cough we took him to the doctor. She listened to his chest and decided he had bronchitis. We hate it when Cam is sick....he's just not his active self, and he's not happy doing much at all. Hopefully the round of antibiotics that he's on will kick this thing in the rear! We've been laughing that he looks like Dumb and Dumber with two steady streams of snot coming down his nose! :) We have a couple random pictures and video to share. These first couple crack me up. When we went in to get Cam up the other morning, he had partially undressed himself. Our little "Stud Muffin" as his shirt would indicate, wanted to show a little skin! :) Check out those rolly arms! Camden definitely thinks those are muscles. He can't explain the chins...
Here the boys are chearing for the Super Bowl game.....true Colts fans all the way! :)

Check out this sweet video of Camden enjoying his Valentine bubbles!! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Cam is Crawling!!!

2008-02-09T05:25:00.000-08:00

Well daddy finally came through and figured out how to get video from our camera onto the computer. I added a firewire drive so we can now put hours of hilarious video of our sweet little boy on the blog!!! Since our last posting, Camden has been crawling for about a week. He went from up on all fours and rocking to this:

Now there is no stopping him. He seemed to just decide one day he was ready to get going and literally took off. He has the whole high arm and leg kick thing going and definately won't sneak up on anyone with his hand smacking the hardwood, but he sure is cute...and scrappy. He will fine a way to get to any ball you roll on the ground in front of him. Yes, this is the first time Cam has made his own way into the dining room and has also ventured into the kitchen. Gate system here we come.

We also wanted to add a video of Camo eating...he isn't shy around a dinner table (aka his highchair). He will let you know if food isn't placed in front of him in a prompt manner. We are working on patience. He sure is a good eater! Here is one of cereal from a few weeks ago, you can tell how excited he gets for every bite.

This is a more recent one with Camden feeding himself some of mommy's pancakes for breakfast.

Why a Son Needs a Dad....

2008-01-26T05:21:00.000-08:00

Camden and I are blessed beyond words to have Joel as daddy and hubby! :) He is the ultimate helper around here...never asking what needs to be done, just jumping right in and doing it! Joel plays Mr. Mom EVERY morning that I work and gets Camden up, fed, and off to the babysitter. I can't even describe how much I appreciate those few extra minutes to myself those mornings. Even better, more Saturdays than not, I get to sleep an extra few minutes while he gets up with Cam! It melts my heart to watch the two of them play together on the floor. Camden lights up whenever Joel enters a room, and then Joel says "that's a good smile!".......my absolute favorite!!! One of the most special books I've read is called "Why a Son Needs a Dad" by Gregory Lang. Here are some of my favorites....

A SON NEEDS A DAD.....

to show him affection with out hesitation.
to teach him to apologize for reckless words.
to pull him back when he's headed in the wrong direction.
to listen when others have grown tired of listening.
to take him to the ballpark.
to show him how to love others, even when it's hard.
to teach him that family is more important than work.
to be the standard by which he will later measure himself.
to teach him how to be a good husband.

A Son needs a Dad because without him, he will have less in his life than he deserves.

My prayer is that Camden grows to be even a fraction of the man that his Daddy is. Thank you Lord for my incredible husband.

Our Rotten Little Baby! :)

2008-01-21T13:57:00.000-08:00

Changing Camden's diaper is next to impossible anymore! After discovering that he loves to be on all fours, he wants NOTHING to do with laying on his back. Distracting him with a toy while we try to get the job done lasts 3 seconds at the most. We've retrieved many a toy, pacifier, shoe, etc from behind the dresser! Joel is getting really good at putting the diaper on from this position....Mom still needs some work....but I'm a pro at dressing him like this now! :) Don't worry, I'm ALWAYS winner at the "not it" game when we smell poop! Joel's the sucker everytime! Ha! All these new toys from Christmas, and our sweet boy wants to play with a rag. I'm thinking I have a future floor polisher on my hands. Can't wait to assign those chores! :)

Mom, I'm busy...quit bothering me!

Camden wants me to tell anyone who was thinking of buying him a toy that he'd rather have a new Swiffer and some Oragne Glo floor polish.

Birthdays, ear infections and new food!!

2008-01-16T07:15:00.000-08:00

Sorry it's been so long since we've last posted! Cam has had a busy week and a half!

Cousin Gage turned the big 1 and he loved eating the icing from his cake! We were sure he was going to finish the whole thing! Smart move, Nat and Adam taking his shirt off....Gage, you're the coolest 1 year old we know! Cam had so much fun playing at the party. Hadleigh Cherry is such a little looker! Camden was infatuated with her!

You can't tell it from all these smiley pictures, but we've been going through our first round of ear infections/cold. He's on a couple antibiotics and we can tell things are looking better! Camden's been a trooper, though! Aside from sleeping a TON (like 4 hr naps!!), he's been pretty easy going. Here's our happy guy in the tub!

While he's a little closer each day, Cam isn't crawling yet. He can scoot anywhere though...pretty hilarious. Camden is a little goat...eating ANYTHING that is offered to him. He loves it ALL! His new favorite grown up foods are pancakes, baked potatoes, and scrambled eggs. 7 months old and getting so big!! Check out our little GQ baby before church on Sunday! :) We're not sure what's up with the orange nose in all our pictures....too many carrotts maybe??? Oh well, we'll keep him. Have a great week!

Random Pictures!

2008-01-04T07:59:00.000-08:00

Looking through the camera, we noticed lots of random pictures that I thought I'd post! Enjoy!

Hanging out with Aunt Brytni. Cam is covering that sweet little belly, but we can't wait to meet little Lily!

Little spit up accident with cousin Justin. He was dangerously close to getting some mac n cheese right in the mouth. Look carefully and you'll see it still on his face! Opps!!!

Lounging with Cousin Kate! She's so fun!

Nose kisses with Papa Novak

Keep praying that the day our sweet baby climbs out of this crib is still very far away!

Check out the new Colts jammies complete with hat and booties! Thanks Cousin Lauren and Adam!!

Cam loves brushing those two tiny teeth!

Good habits start early, right?? :)

Cam's new cool Nikes are a special present from the Docks....thanks guys!

We also want to wish cousin Gage a big HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY!!!! Can't believe how big you are! Stay tuned for pictures of the fun Boz party tomorrow.....Camden is so excited he can hardly wait! :)

New Toys + Colts = Crazy FUN! :)

2007-12-30T13:11:00.000-08:00

It's funny watching Camden play with his new Christmas toys. We've discovered that he loves shooting hoops in his new tiger basketball toy (watch out...we may have a future NBA star on our hands...especially with his staggering projected height. Ha!)

So excited to play.....

Thinking about shooting.....

Making sure everyhing tastes normal....

All ready to watch the Colts thump the Titans!

Hope everyone has a safe and happy new year!
AHhguuAHHDADADADA ~ Love, Cam

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-26T08:02:00.001-08:00

We were so blessed to spend a wonderful Christmas with our family and friends....Camden is now officially spoiled. Mom and Dad did good with only a stocking and 1 present (which Cam could care less about....the tissue paper however was a huge hit!). The Grandparents/Aunts and Uncles on the other hand went crazy with new outfits, books, and toys. He is one lucky baby!!! It's amazing how much having a little one changes your Christmas!! Joel and I were more excited to see what Cam opened than our own stuff! I can only picture how exciting every Christmas from here on out will be! We hope everyone had a great day filled with family, fun and food!! :) Check out our Christmas morning!

Camden tasted each and every thing in his stocking! :) We're already annoyed with the rattling elephant! Big Boy sippy cup!How do you get in this thing??

Crazy Mommy trying to make us laugh on the right....

Crazy Aunt Natalie trying to make us laugh on the left! :)

We can't wait to show the boys pictures of them in their matching Christmas sweaters when they're 16! HA!

The Big 2-6!!

2007-12-17T15:10:00.001-08:00

Well Camden and Joel helped me celebrate a fantastic birthday on Sunday! Actually it was more like a celebratory weekend! :) We had fun holiday plans both Friday and Saturday night, so Cam was with GREAT babysitters both nights! He loves playing at his Mimi and Papa Novak's house....and overnights at the Docks are so fun too! Rumors are that Ryan and April had a great time, but don't look for any precious Dock babies for awhile. :) So needless to say, by Sunday I was ready to spend the day with my baby! We had an awesome dinner at Nana's house and Cam got to play with cousin Gage while we watched football! After such a big weekend, Camden was so tired! Yawning and rubbing his eyes, we layed him down...but that sweet boy was just not ready for the fun to be over quite yet (which can you blame him?? This monunmental day only comes around once a year! :) Joel and I were putting songs on my new iPod and Cam wanted to join in. So we cranked the music up and danced for awhile....we've discovered that Cam likes a little Fergie! (We won't tell him that when he's older). He had a blast mocking the dance moves that Daddy did. I wish you all could've been a mouse in the room! :) Here is a picture of Cam and Mommy playing our favorite horsey game! Have a great week

Big Boy!

2007-12-15T05:56:00.000-08:00

Camden went for his 6 month appointment this week....unbelievable! This has been the fastest 1/2 year of my life! Cam weighs in at a whopping 16.5 pounds which puts him at slightly below average and is 27 inches long which is a tad bit tall! :) Overall, very normal! Dr. Schulz was impressed at how well Cam was sitting and predicted that we'd have a crawler very soon. After spending 10 min. with sweet Gage.....I've decided that I'd LOVE it if Cam stayed immobile for a little bit longer. :) Camden also got 4 shots, which becomes harder for Mommy every time. The more he's aware, the worse it is!! We were happily singing the Itsy Bitsy Spider and then Bam!! :) He looked at me like "how could you let this happen!!" As terrible as it is to see your baby hurting, I will tell you it's the BEST feeling to be the comforter. To be the one he reaches for....burying his head in my shoulder. I LOVE that part of mommyhood! Dr. was also impressed with how Camden eats like a Champ! She said he's ready for another feeding of solids each day. That means cereal at breakfast and bed and veggies at lunch and dinner....ALL WITH BOTTLES TOO!! Wow...that's a lot of food! As you can see from the following two pictures...there is NO time to wipe off the peaches before he is screaming for the bottle. Why is he so messy all the time?? Well if you don't shovel the food in fast enough, Cam is quick to tell you that you're doing it wrong. So, I'm resigned to the fact that it's a messy process. It's okay, I'm a cool mom. :) Check out our messy eater:

One more shout out to Wade and Stephanie...the super photographers!! Here's a link to Cam's Christmas/6 mo. pictures....so cute!!

http://www.carignangallery.com

Go to clients: the password is novak

We love them all, but the pictures in the middle where Cam has the POOP face is histerical. You'll know when you see it! :)

Look what I can do....

2007-12-11T04:51:00.000-08:00

Camden can officially pull up on all fours....but still can't go anywhere. :) It's so cute to watch him rock back and forth! Love that sweet little tush sticking up in the air!! He goes for his 6 mo. check up on Thurs. We can't wait to see what our big boy weighs!

Cam still loves playing in his exersaucer (which we refer to as his office because he just seems so busy...such a hard worker). Lately he pays special attention to the blue seal. As you can see in the picture, he can fit almost the whole thing in his mouth. We're so proud of him! :)

I couldn't resist including this precious one of Gage. Look how nice he's reading while he's waiting on his lunch! :) Such a big boy. That's it for now....kind of a boring week at the Novak house! Hope everyone is well!

More to come....

2007-12-05T05:21:00.001-08:00

Hello friends and family! We haven't blogged in awhile, so I wanted to give a quick update! Camden is doing great....sitting up and rolling all over the place. Every now and then he'll pull up on all fours, but he can't figure out how to look up once he's there! So, he just lays his head down....pretty cute. We're convinced that the hardwood floors don't help...he slips and slides a lot! He has FINALLY figured out how to keep a pacifier in his mouth! It just clicked one day! Joel and I have been laughing that if it takes 6 mo. to master every skill, we're in trouble! :)

Good friends Wade and Stephanie Carignan took Camden's pictures the other day. Hopefully we'll have some to post soon! They are so incredibly talented....so creative and fun to work with. Check out their website.....go to gallery and then children......scroll down a bit to see some adorable pictures they took of Joel, Cam and I when he was just a week old! Wade even entered one of Joel and I kissing Cam's head and titled it "Love" in a contest and it won somthing! :) They had it framed and gave it to us....so sweet. I was a little offended they didn't want to hang it in their house...I was thinking right over their bed. Ha! Here's the link:

http://www.carignangallery.com/

Check out our cute little snow baby! :) Have a great week!

Busy boy!

2007-11-29T08:29:00.000-08:00

Hey guys...Camden here! I had such a fun morning today, that I wanted to tell you all about it! It all started when I woke up and discovered something new and green in the corner of MY area. Just so you know, even though it looks pretty....it pokes. :)Then I saw a shiney angel....I almost had it!

All this playing made me ready for my morning nap! This is my new favorite way to sleep...with my cute butt in the air. Ooopss...not allowed to say butt.

When I woke up...my best buddy Gage was over to play for awhile! Our favorite things to do are wrestle and watch Boz. This is us starting to wrestle. Don't think I won't bust that lip again, Gage. :)

Gage, I can't see Boz over you!!

Aren't we good boys???

Before Gage had to go home, we had time for one book!

What a fun morning! I heard mom talking to daddy on the phone and she said it seemed like it should be dinner time....and it was only 8:30!! Wonder what that means?? Oh well....check you later.

~Cam

I Looooove Thanksgiving

2007-11-24T14:46:00.000-08:00

This was Cam's first Turkey-Day and he had so much fun spending time with family, eating, playing, laughing, and just being a kid. We tried to talk mom into letting him wear his Thanksgiving pants (you know, just in case Camden needed a little extra room to let those sweet potatoes, carrots, and corn digest), but mom just had to dress him up and look cute to show off...Well I think this is a safe way to get put into the back-up outfit (YES, the trusty elastic waistband pants!!) His only request was that we leave his cool shoes on while we changed him.

The day after thanksgiving, mommy was ready for Christmas decorating. Now that she has a new platform to "dress up," (she still tries to dress daddy up also) Camden was once again dressed for the occasion. You have to admit he looks pretty cute in his little santa hat complete with candy cane striped pants. Tis the season!! More funny pics and holiday cheers to follow. Hope everyone's Thanksgiving was as blessed as ours.

Yumo Carrots!

2007-11-19T07:09:00.000-08:00

Camden has recently entered the yummy world of baby food....and what a great eater he is! So far he loves sweet potatoes, carrots, bananas, and prunes (you know why I like you Cam? Cause you're a regular guy. We don't know what movie that's from, but Daddy says it a lot) :) Guess what else?? Our sweet baby woke up the other morning with 2 teeth!! I don't know why, but that made me so sad! I guess I never thought my baby would ever grow old enough to get teeth. Ha! They are definitely through the skin and causing Cam to drool uncontrollably! He has been such a good boy, though. We can tell they're sore, but he is still a happy little guy for the most part! I think he's trying to tell us he's ready for a steak. :)

We hope everyone has a restful and blessed Thanksgiving! We're planning on eating lots of turkey and taters! Check out this precious carrot covered face....

Daddy's so funny....

2007-11-15T15:51:00.000-08:00

Joel's recollection of children's songs stinks, so when he is singing to Camden (if you call that singing....love you babe) he often resorts to Jesus Loves Me, Jesus Loves the Little Children and Hush Little Baby. I've been so proud of him because in the last few weeks, he has been working on broadening his repertoire. So lately we've had SEVERAL lessons on how Patty Cake goes. Tonight I got out of the shower upstairs and overheard Joel trying to play Patty Cake with Camden. Here's Joel's version (you have to sing it in a silly, almost woman's voice, by the way).

Patty Cake, Patty Cake, baker's man. Bake me a cake as fast as you can. Roll it, Pat it, Throw it up, Shake it up, Bake it up, Eat it, put it in your belly and eat it, eat it, eat it. Needless to say, Camden AND Mommy were cracking up! We're laughing AT you Dad, not with you. Keep learning those songs!

Baby Dedication

2007-11-13T04:49:00.000-08:00

This last Sunday, Camden was dedicated at church. It was such a blessing to stand in front of our friends and family to reaffirm our marriage vow, and promise to raise Cam in a loving Christian home. Even more special was that Adam and Natalie dedicated Gage with us. It has been an awesome journey raising these babies together. Adam and Nat are incredible parents, and we are constantly looking to them as examples. Thank you for letting us share this day with you!

Daily we are reminded of what a precious gift God has given us in Camden. He is the joy of our lives and we can't wait for him to know and understand Jesus and how much he loves him, too! Thank you to ALL of our family and friends who made his dedication a priority. It meant so much to have you there. Camden is such a lucky little boy to have the incredible support system that he does. Joel and I feel so blessed to know we can count on your love and prayers as we raise our son.

Ok, enough of the mushy stuff......how cute is our little newsie? :)

We're so thankful for Natalie, Adam and Gage. Have you ever seen a cuter baby wearing a sport coat? We love you, Gage!

The good ol exersaucer

2007-11-07T07:32:00.000-08:00

It seems like yesterday that our sweet 7lb baby was staring up at cousin Gage, green with envy, about wanting to play in that exersaucer! :) Where has the time gone.....Cam is big enough now and he LOVES his exersaucer. His favorite thing is to spin the little noise maker (we were sick of that after the first 5 min.) or chew on the orange lion. Camden will be 5 months old next week! He eats his cereal like a machine and is so close to sitting by himself. My new favorites: getting him in the morning...I don't think anyone has been that excited to see me before :), when he trys to put his chubby slobbery hands in my mouth, and when he says "Ah" for each bite of food. It's hilarious. Check out the latest pics of our little guy living it up in the exersaucer!

Our Stinky Face....

2007-11-01T08:17:00.001-07:00

Camden's favorite book is called I love you, Stinky Face......and so it was only fitting that for his first Halloween we dressed him as a super stinky skunk. :) We had a great time "trick or treating" with our sweet skunk who had no idea what his crazy parents were making him do! We were cracking up because after the first stop, he was already ready for a bottle! Ha! Let's just say by the end of the night, we had one tired trick or treater! In and out of the car seat wearing a skunk costume is not the easiest task. Cam had fun playing with cousin Gage, who was a precious turtle (it was hilarious to see this tiny turtle walking!!!!) Thanks to all who had special treats for the boys! Nana, we love our Boz movie! MeMe, our halloween toy is so fun! Aunti April had 2 fun toys and even Mommy's favorite candy! Aunt Maxine surprised us with a ghost bear and now our favorite word is BOO! :) Thanks to Aunt Jodi and GG Tanner who contributed to Cam's piggy bank, and Grandma Novak who had the traditional carmel candy and $1. :) Mamaw and Papaw Ward gave Cam 2 new bibs and some apples (it might be awhile for those!!) Finally, thank goodness for cousin Kati and Justin where we finally landed for the much needed diaper change...our skunk liked playing with cousin Justin's new wii better than our whole night of
house hopping! ha! Here are some pictures that capture Cam's 1st Halloween!

Our little skunk truly got into character.....no smiling for the camera! :) We love you, Stinky Face!!

Michigan vacation!

2007-10-28T15:30:00.000-07:00

Well we just returned from our annual trip up to Traverse City Michigan for Fall Break. We had such a great time relaxing and hanging out with the family! We ate GREAT food (thanks to Nana!), played games, watched movies and the world series :), and just spent time together! Both Camden and Gage were SUCH good boys. Driving 6+ hours in the car will test anyone's patience, but they did outstanding! Both kids slept great and were good at restuarants....that becomes a big deal when you're parents! It's a success if you didn't ruin anyone's meal. Ha! It's getting so fun to watch them play together. They love to kiss! :) Check out some of the great pictures we took.....we're already planning next year's trip!

cute pics to come!

2007-10-25T06:52:00.000-07:00

Hey all! So sorry we haven't posted in a couple weeks....it's been busy! We're headed to Traverse City Michigan for a long weekend with Mom, Dad, Josh and the Farmer clan! So excited to get out of town and relax. We'll make sure to post cute vacation pictures next week when we return! Happy Fall Break! :)
Joel, Hill, and Cam

4 month checkup!

2007-10-12T14:06:00.000-07:00

Well Camden had his 4 mo. checkup this week....it's so hard to believe that 4 months have gone by! It seems like we just brought our 7 lb 10 oz baby home! Now, he weighs in at a whopping 14.2 lbs and is 26 in. long. Getting SOOO big! He looked so sweet laying naked on the exam table smiling and flirting with Dr. Schulz. :) Aside from those nasty shots (which are much harder on Mom than Cam), everything went really well! The Dr. wants us to start trying to feed Camden cereal once a day. Here is a picture of our first attempt. The pic is cute...but it DID NOT go well. :) Cam spits it everywhere and makes a terrible face like it's the worst tasting stuff ever! We gave up after he about arched himself out of his chair. We'll keep trying....I think he's probably saying forget the rice cereal....let's have some Froot Loops like Dad! :) We get pretty inventive when playing on the floor these days. Here's Camden rolling around in his dress. :)

Camden is super excited about his fall wardrode! :) Stay tuned for more cute pictures in big boy clothes!

Camden meets Mason!

2007-10-08T10:23:00.000-07:00

This past week has been so fun getting to visit with my very best friend Jessica and her precious son Mason ( you too, Brent! Ha!). Jess and Brent were in town for a week and we got to spend some time catching up and letting the boys play. Mason and Camden are 1 month apart and already know they're best buddies! They were such good boys while their Mommy's talked and talked and talked! Camden even shared his mat and showed Mason all his toys! Jess is an incredible Mom, and it was awesome to see her in action. I always knew she'd be a great Mom, but to see her interact with Mason was just so neat. Mason was such a cuddler....I LOVED holding him and loving on him! Jess and I always pick right up where we left off dispite the long distance and now that we're Moms, I really miss having her close. I can't wait to schedule our next play date! Mason, Camden wants to know how you get your hair to look so cool?? He says to tell his Mom what kind of gel you use! :) Check out some pictures from our time together....

The latest pics....

2007-10-04T05:14:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! We thought we'd post Camden's latest pictures! He's getting so big....we can't wait to see what he weighs at his 4 mo. appointment on Oct. 10th. We call this his "Mom, I'm gonna punch you if you take one more picture of me in the tub" picture. :) I can't resist!

Check out those cute new green pj's. They say "hop into bed!" The hat was just for picture's sake...we didn't make our poor son sleep in it. :)

Next, a shout out to friends Alex and Amy Renes in Colorado! Thanks for the cool Rockies uniform...Camden is just now big enough to wear it! Joel's already tying that right hand behind his back, so we might have a lefty in our future! :) Camden told us to tell you that he is ready for a little Renes buddy....or girlfriend!

Finally, just a sneak peak at a future post....Camden with his best long distance buddy Mason Hodges! Jess and Brent are here for a visit, and we've LOVED spending time with them! More adorable pictures to come....they deserve their very own post. :)

Pros & Cons of having an older cousin

2007-09-23T15:01:00.000-07:00

First of all, let me tell you how much little Camden LOVES his older cousin, Gage. They have so much fun playing together, talking, and most recently sharing. Camden really enjoys all the cool clothes that he gets handed down from his bigger cousin. That way, they both can be lady killers in style. We think they are both so adorable in their little outfits and I have to keep reminding Cam's mom that he is not a doll, and he wants to wear Cubs and Colts gear (he told me that...we speak the same language). The big con to sharing...we are pretty sure Gage has soiled himslef while wearing the aforementioned cool clothes. Not the best way to hold up your status as lady killers, guys! Anyway, how cute does he look???

Lately, Cam has been a talking fool. He chatters on in his own little language and especially goes on and on when he is trying fight the dreaded nap or bedtime. I think he is trying to talk himself out of it. No such luck. Hillary feeds him, puts him on her lap, and cracks open a good book. Sounds like a recipe for sleep to me. I have such a wonderful little family and am so blessed by them everyday. God is good. Just a quick little update to brag on my kid again. Hopefully, some more Colts and POSTSEASON-BOUND Cubs pics to follow. Keep your fingers crossed!!

Go Colts!!

2007-09-20T05:07:00.000-07:00

Hello friends and family! We wanted to show everyone what a big Colts fan Camden has become! He was decked out in his new bib for the game on Sunday, and loved just hanging out with Dad cheering them on to victory! If superstitious Joel has anything to say about it, Camden will be wearing the same outfit and bib and sitting the same way in his Bumbo seat on 1pm this Sunday too. I'll put my foot down on wearing the same diaper. :) It is the joy of my life to watch Joel explaining every play and detail of the game to our 3 mo. old son. Camden adores him and listens very intently. He even gets all worked up with his Dad when a bad call is made or someone in their "fantasy life" doesn't do well. I thank God every minute for my 2 boys. I'm so blessed, and I can't believe their BOTH mine. Check out these pics....

Camden....you're not watching the game! :)

Blocking for Peyton?

All this football makes for a precious, sleepy baby.

Hope everyone has a great week.... and Go Colts! :)

Weekly update

2007-09-09T14:36:00.000-07:00

Hey all...Camden here. It's been a busy week at our house. Here are some pictures that show what we've been doing! This is me playing on my mat. I'm practicing my poses for my 3 month pictures...I hear that the 1/2 smile is a real lady killer. What do you think? Here is me after a bath. Just admit it, I'm pretty irresistable in my hooded towel. Mom thinks I'm the cutest after a bath. One whiff of that baby lotion and you're hooked!

Lately my favorite song is Twinkle Twinkle. Last week it was Itsy Bitsy Spider. I like to change things up alot. I don't know if it's the song, or that beautiful lady who sings it to me. :) Anyway, here is a picture of me and my mom singing.

Last but CERTAINLY not least, here is a picture of me pooping on my Dad. It was hilarious. I got him out of nowhere! It was such a mess I had to get in the tub to clean up. It was worth it though....many more to come Dad! :)

Hope everyone has a great week! Peace out!

Cam

Camden's 1st taste of Victory

2007-09-03T06:44:00.001-07:00

Camden has been newly appointed as General Manager (GM) of his dad's fantasty football team. Cam couldn't stay up for that late for the live draft last night, but gave me his input on who he liked and who to pass on. Last year, dad successfully got 2nd place beating out the family rivals Uncle Adam and Poppie (Grandpa Royer). This year, with both of us playing, 1st place is as good as locked up!!

But before fantasy football, we had a great weekend with Cam's 1st overnight trip to the lakes. He had a great time just hanging out with family, eating biscuits and gravy, playing with grandparents and aunts and uncles, but most all he LOVED the boat ride!! Cam's best surprise, though, was finding out that he is going to have another little cousin to play with before too long. That's right, my sister Brytni and her husband, Jason are EXPECTING!!! My little sis is pregnant! Can you believe it??? We cannot wait to watch our family grow. Brytni is doing great and is looking forward to parenthood. She is a natural and will be great. We are giving both of them practice with our little bundle of joy...especially when he cries. They need to practice that part(and we are happy to help them prepare).

Camden loves hanging out with his family and we thought this picture of him looked quite mischieveous. He is already plotting ways to torment his little cousin, and has plans to pursue higher schemes of parental domination when they are both a little older.

2 month stats...

2007-08-30T16:31:00.001-07:00

Hey all! Camden had his 2 mo. check up last week, and we're just now getting around to updating everyone! He weighs a whopping 11 lb. 12 oz. ranking in the 50th percentile of kids his age. He is 24" long which puts him a little above average for height.....we're not surprised at that one, seeing as how tall his mom and dad are! Ha! Everything else is super healthy. His hemoglobin levels are looking a little better and he's released from taking those nasty iron drops. Yeah! He's a happy little guy...starting to smile at us a lot more. Cam is doing great at the babysitter's a couple days a week. He has a great time with cousin Gage....we're so glad he's there too! Check out our lastest pics! :) More updates soon...

Camden LOVES getting that diaper changed!

Napping after a tough day...

Praying in my bumbo seat.

Cam's first posting

2007-08-19T13:20:00.000-07:00

Well my parents finally decided to let me write on the blog. I've been asking for a long time now, and I figured out that all you have to do is cry around here and then they start to listen! :) Lots of new things have been happening at my house. My mommy started back to work this week, which was the saddest day of my life. I know she has to go influence all those young minds, but I just miss her (did I mention she is the most beautiful mommy ever?) :) Luckily this week, she starts her part time thing and I will get to be with her every other day from now on! YEAH!

Next, I finally got to meet the McLaughlins! Jon and Amy are so fun, and I loved having them hold me! I just wish someone would have fixed my hair before that beautiful Amy saw me...how embarassing! Jon is teaching me to sing already...maybe he'll write a song about babies next! :)

I didn't think anything could be as fun as that...until I got to sit in my Bumbo seat for the first time! That thing is awesome! It helps you sit up, without even trying! All you have to do is hold your head...which is good practice, but gets hard after awhile. That's where that crying thing comes in handy.

I saved the funniest for last. I know this blog is about me, but I couldn't resist! My best buddy Gage pooped so big that it leaked out his diaper and got on Uncle Adams arm!!! How funny is that? I can't wait to pull that one on my own Daddy. Get ready Dad...it could come any minute! I had so much fun writing on the computer....keep checking, maybe they'll let me do it again!

Just hanging out....

2007-08-10T14:09:00.000-07:00

Well, it's hard to believe that Camden will be 2 months old on Monday (Joel will be 26 too!...getting old!!!) The time has gone so fast....everyone tells you that and it's so true! I catch myself thinking about wanting another one, but then I quickly come back to reality and remember all those hours of labor! Ha! Maybe a few more months...or years! :) Most of the time Camden is a happy baby who loves just hanging out. Little tummy time...little time with Daddy....it's not easy being 8 weeks old. So much to do in a day! :) Just admit it...he's the cutest 2 mo. old you've ever seen. Check out that sleeper....high waters or what? Mom's in denial that Cam is getting bigger. Aren't capri's in style for boys now? :) That's it for now!

Ready for bed!

2007-08-03T05:47:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple new pictures of Camden getting ready for bed! He is just now starting to like his bath....only if we sing all the way through it! Can you picture Joel? Ha! Mom does most of the baths. A couple of posts ago, we talked about wrapping Camden in the swaddling blanket. Now you can see proof that we actually do put our kid in a straight jacket! Look at that precious grin...he loves it! Cam is getting smart though. Being wrapped up tight definitely helps him get to sleep, but when he cries and we go to get him....the good ol blanket is in a wad in the corner of the crib. He's our little Houdini! I don't think I could get myself out of that thing the way Joel wraps it! :) We knew he was a genious! :) That's it for now...hope everyone has a great weekend! Love you all!

How cute is he???

2007-07-30T06:31:00.000-07:00

Hey all! Lately Camden has been sporting a new pose that we like to call 'Super Baby'! Check out these pics...

Working on those enormous muscles is a tough job....almost 7 weeks old and trying to impress the ladies already!!

Here is another cute picture in the Cubs outfit from speicial Illinois cousins Christy and Keith. Camden is going to be taught to be a loyal fan right from the start!

Camden is absolutely the joy of our lives...we are loving parenthood. Joel and I can't believe that he is ours! My favorite time with Cam is in the morning when he wakes up. He has the most ridiculous case of bed head you've ever seen...that combined with crusty milk on his face makes him adorable!! He is definitely a cuddler...mom hopes that continues until he's 20. :) I love when he furrows his brow....the spitting image of his daddy. A couple of Joel's favorites....during middle of the night diaper changes when Cam is calm and just stares out the window of the changing room with his big blue eyes. Also, when Camden is hungry...Joel puts the tip of his nose near his mouth and he goes to town on the end of Joel's nose. I know, I know...but can anyone really be that surprised? That's mild compared to some of the other things Cam gets put through by his dad. :) Just teasing...Joel amazes me everyday with his patience and wisdom. He seems like he's done this a million times. I'm so blessed to have my two boys! :) God is so good.

Stay tuned to watch the little guy continue to grow!

Getting Bigger!!

2007-07-27T05:20:00.000-07:00

Hi friends and family! Camden is now 6 weeks old and growing so fast! He is definitely more awake now, and starting to "talk" a little with a few a-goos and coos here and there. It's amazing how stupid you're willing to act to get him to do something! He is starting to sleep much better at night....last night he went 8 hours!! Shut up!! We're pretty sure it was a fluke, but we think he's a genious anyway. Camden's Mimi told us about a swaddling blanket that helps babies sleep....we like to call it his baby straight jacket. So far it has worked wonders! Just thought we'd pass that tip on to any sleep deprived parents out there! :) Here are some new pictures of our little guy!

Well, since the last time we've posted, Cam thought it would be cool to join his messy buddies Gage and Mason.....however instead of a poop disaster like we've been waiting in anticipation for, he thought it would be funny to catch us by surprise with a little puke. I was so glad Daddy was holding him for that one! It was much funnier! :)

Camden loves spending time with his Aunt Natalie! She gives him lots of kisses and sings fun songs....he is one lucky kid!

Cam and Gage play great together as long as us Mommys are close by....we're pretty sure that's the way it will be until they're 25. :) We see lots of trouble making in the future. Camden looks pretty jealous of the exersaucer, huh? Just a few more of mom's famous milk shakes and you'll be in your exersaucer too, Cam!

Camden took his first plane ride to San Antonio, TX to watch good friends Shane and Beth Fitts get married! He is a great traveler...very go with the flow! We had such a good time with Shane, Beth and their families....San Antonio is a very cool city! Unfortunately, with all the baby gear, and with Daddy busy being Shane's best man...not many pictures got taken with our camera. We think Camden's Papa got some good pictures though...so we'll see what we can do about getting them on the blog. Thanks for being great hosts Shane and Beth!

That's it folks! Until next time....

Mr Popular!!

2007-07-14T14:21:00.000-07:00

Camden has been a busy little boy lately...

Hanging out with his adopted Aunt April & Uncle Ryan. They love him so much. Ryan tries some tough love, but he is a big softy. Cam and I have already had a talk not to listen to his Uncle Ryan. So far, I am 0 for 2. April is already spoiling him rotten...does Louis Vuitton make a baby line?

Next, we all went to a beautiful wedding at the Scottish Rite for one of my classmates, Lesley (Hughes) Woodruff and her new hubby, Jay. Everything was wonderful and we had lots of friends who loved holding and playing with Camden. This is a picture of classmates, Bryan and Crystal. Don't they look nice together!? I feel a new relationship in the air.

Between trips to various places, Cam wanted to take a little R & R time. You know, a little time just for himself. So we ran some warm water, put on a little Kenny G, and closed to the door to the bathroom and let the little guy take some "me" time. What, with always being passed around and so little time away from those overbearing parents of his.

Next, it was off to the lakes, where Camden loves to hang out with cousins Steve and David. We all had so much fun over the 4th of July weekend visting, golfing, swimming, boating, and EATING. Camden already is getting to love Mamaw's cooking and her "little dabs."

Lastly, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to join the west side crowd and thug our little boy out in his matching Nike onsie, socks, and stocking cap. I captured this image as he was shouting gang-related slurs at his mom. He is so tough. I wouldn't want to cross him with that attitude and scary demeanor. Camden and his mom both agree, this is not a good look for such a sweet little baby. He is a lover, not a fighter folks! Well, until next time we will keep you updated with pics and stories of the infamous, Camden Zachary.

Not much change...we are still in love

2007-07-04T09:59:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!!! Sorry for no updates in a couple of weeks. He is still small and doesn't do a whole lot. That hasn't stopped us from snapping pictures, and every little thing he does we think it is monumental. Of course he is sooooo advanced. He is definately awake more often during the day and sleeping better through the night...and by that I mean he can go as long as 4 hours before a feeding and diaper change. He makes us laugh all the time at his various facial expressions and gestures. I have not gotten anything done around the house since he was born and you can forget about studying for my all important licensure exam (kinda a big deal). All I want to do is come home from work and hang out with my beautiful family.

Hillary is doing GREAT! She looks fabulous and is feeling good as well. Motherhood suites her well. She is so patient and loving. It is tough to always be "on" and feed him/attend to him solely on his schedule, not your own. That has been the biggest adjustment, and to be the only source of comfort for Camden when he is hungry is a tall order. She has done it without complaint. I know I wouldn't be so calm at 2:30 a.m. or at 9:00 p.m. in the middle of wedding with 300 guests! Lauren and Adam, you know what I'm talking about!!! Anyway, we just wanted to send a couple of pictures out that we think are cute and we promise to update more often and include video here before too long.

Welcome Home Little Man

2007-06-18T18:22:00.000-07:00

Camden is now 5 days old and has spent 2 whole nights in his new home. The first night, he wanted to stay up and take it all in. He slept and ate much better night # 2 and we hope that pattern continues. Today was my first day back to work, and everyone there was so great. They had congratulation signs over my desk, presents, and treats in the breakroom...it made coming back to work not so sad, but I still missed the heck out of my little family.

Today, mom (Misty), Hillary's mom (Margo), friend (Nell), and sister (Natalie) came over and kept Hill & Cam company. Mom drove them to the hospital for a check up to see how he was progressing with his feedings. We are proud to say that he is almost back to his original fighting weight of 7 lbs 10 oz. He has been an eating machine here lately, taking up a lot of Hillary's day. We don't seem to mind though, right now anyway. I even still enjoy getting up in the middle of the night to change his diaper just to hold him and calm him back down. I know, I know, give it another week and I'll let him sit in his own filth before draggin myslef out of bed. But for now, we couldn't be happier caring for him in anyway we can.

Yesterday was my first father's day and I was sooo proud to show off my new little boy. It was nice to be with family over the holiday. It is so fun to be a little family ourselves. We are also so glad to have wonderful friends in our life who have (and continue to) provide us with dinners and gifts. Thank you all SO MUCH. We definately feel loved. Well, more postings and pics to follow. I need to get with Camden's cousin Gage and uncle Adam and even get some videos on here too!!

He is finally here!!!

2007-06-14T12:30:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful and precious little baby boy God has blessed us with!!! Camden Zachary Novak was born 7 pounds 10 ounces and 21 1/2 inches long...we don't know where he gets his height. He was born at 4:29 a.m. June 13, 2007. He has his mom's ears and his dad's cowlicks. His mother and I have fallen head over heels in love with him already!!

Let me just tell you absolutley amazing a woman my wife is. She was so determined and confident and relaxed through, in my eyes, some of the most unmatchable pain I can imagine. Even during painful contractions where she was unable to speak, she was an angel still saying "please and thank you" to those helping her after the contraction was finished. I put her name up for cannonization for sainthood with my connections at the Vatican. She began her induction at 7:00 a.m Tuesday morning and began having painful contractions at 3:00 p.m. She endured those progressivley stronger contractions for 9 hours before finally receiving an epidural at midnight when she was 6cm dialated and 100% effaced.

Family friend, Maureen Lyon was Hillary's Doula and was an pillar of strength and source of calmness for her and I both during the labor. Camden was handling all of the excitment with stride and his heart rate was strong and in the perfect range; however, after about 2 hours on the epidural Cam's heart rate shot up to over 180 beats per minute and Hillary started to have a fever. The nursing staff tried to lower his HR with oxygen, turning Hillary, shutting off the Pitocin (which was set at 26 mL/hr which is 6mL higher than typical)...none of these meaures helped. Hill was re-checked and was about 8-9 cm dialted and the doctor was called. The OB arrived and said let's not wait any longer, let's get him out of there. Within minutes, we were rushed into the OR for an immediate C-section because he was in distress. So, after all of enduring labor, Hillary ended up with a C-section and both her and Cam are doing fabulously. He is so perfect we just wanted to share this with everyone we knew and thank them for all of their prayers during this stressful and scary labor. The power of prayer is untouchable. We love you and thank you all. MANY MORE pics and update to follow!!!!!

Latest update!

2007-06-08T06:35:00.000-07:00

Good morning family and friends! We wanted to give you a quick update on Mr. Camden's arrival. We visited out doctor yesterday and were frusterated to hear that there is still no change (still 2 cm dilated). Our Dr. wants to try the induction again on Tues. June 12th, which is Joel and I's 3rd wedding anniversary! We were a little hesitant to be excited about going through that whole process again. We will be exactly 41 weeks on Tues. and she absolutely won't let us go past 41 weeks and 3 days because of other complications that can come with a late baby. So we decided to go for it again on Tues. Our Dr. reassured us that at 41 weeks she will be much more agressive about making him come out! Last time she wasn't willing to break my water because there is no turning back after that. She said many times breaking your water is like flipping a light switch and much progression takes place after that. However, if there still isn't progression, we run the risk of needing a c-section. That's a little scary to think about....but precious Gage arrived by c-section, and he is absolutely perfect! Thanks Natalie for the great example you've been to me during this whole process!

After our appointment yesterday, we are CONVINCED we have a little sweet little brat on our hands. :) Our Dr. was concerned about his lack of movement, so she hooked us up to a monitor for 20 min. to track how often he moved. I'm not kidding...it was like he was doing gymnastics. Joel and I were cracking up at how my belly just leaped around everywhere. The kid doesn't move ALL DAY, and then decides to really show off when we're hooked up to the machine!

We're thankful for a healthy baby, and for everyone's thoughts and prayers. We are trusting that God is in control and He is the only one that knows our baby's birthday. Hopefully Tues. brings happy news! Hope everyone has a great weekend! Until next time...

Stubborn Little Boy

2007-06-05T11:42:00.000-07:00

Well, I know we posted last time that it would be Camden's birthday soon, but he really didn't think that was a good idea. He is pretty content right where he is!! Hillary was induced Monday morning at 9:00 am and started the pitocin (synthetic oxytocin that your body produces to push you into contractions/labor). She got the full dose at around 1:00 pm, and stayed on that dose about 14 hours. The progression was VERY slow and Hillary didn't feel contractions regularly until about midnight and with increased intensity around 2 am...but only if she was laying down. Once she was up on a ball or walking around the contractions went away which is an indicator of false labor. She was no further dialated but about 75% thinned out, which is not good progress in 24 hours.
The OB suggested to go home get some rest, see her on Thursday and maybe set up another appointment to be induced again next Tuesday...we hope it happens before then. Pretty discouraging news after Hill worked really hard and we had a long day of anticipation and medical procedures. It is tough when you wait so long to meet your little baby and have to go home without him. So, keep us in your thoughts and prayers and pray for peace, courage and strength. We are so blessed that even though our little punk kid is stubborn, he is still really healthy with a good strong heartbeat and seems to have a mind of his own already. Thanks for all of your concerns and love. We can feel the support of family and friends. We will post again SOON to update everyone. This time, no pre-mature happy birthday wishes!!!

Happy Birthday Camden!!

2007-06-03T17:06:00.000-07:00

Well, our pregnancy journey is just about officially over! Then the REAL journey begins!! :) Tomorrow morning, Joel and I are heading to the hospital at 6:00 am to be induced so we can finally meet our little guy. The anticipation of knowing what is about to happen in just a few short hours is crazy!! I doubt there will be much sleeping going on in the Novak household tonight (and for many nights to come!!) We are so ready to be able to call our family and friends without the eager question..."is it time"??? For 2 weeks now, we've been disappointing everyone with the same old..."she feels fine". Joel and I decided today that Cam is definitely grounded as soon as he makes his entrance into the world, as he has been disobeying his Mommy ALREADY!! His "I'll come when I'm ready" attitude is SOOOOO his father. :) Speaking of...I can't imagine a more excited and eager Daddy than Joel right now. He is absolutely precious!!! He'll be a fantastic coach, even during those un-christian moments in the delivery room that I'm sure to have!

We are so excited for life to change tomorrow, we can hardly stand it! Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers for a safe, quick and gentle delivery! :) The next post will be pictures of Camden Zachary Novak! Stay tuned....

"Any Day Now!"

2007-05-30T04:57:00.001-07:00

Hillary just had her 39 week doctor's visit yesterday afternoon and we had some pretty exciting news. The doc said she was almost 2 cm dialated and "very soft" (which is OB lingo for no turning back now). At the end of the visit, she told us it could be any day now, and Hillary's body was ready. Well, my eyes got really big about this time...to know that we are going to be parents in mere DAYS filled me with immediate excitement and anxiety. I cannot wait!!

Hillary has been FABULOUS through the entire pregnancy. She never complains, still works with 60 6th graders, exercises, and is almost always in an uplifting mood that just makes everyone want to be around such a happy, glowing pregnant mom. I have never loved her more...but I bet I will in a few short days!

So, next time I post hopefully it will be with pictures of our new (and great-looking) baby boy!! I hope all of you are even a fraction as excited as I am. We love you all and can't wait to share this joyous time with everyone.

Lots of New Exciting Stuff

2007-05-15T17:30:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been 2 weeks since our last post and a lot has went down! Sorry for the delay in updating. We just found out yesterday Hillary's best friend, Jessica (Krieger) Hodges had a beautiful little boy, Mason Isaac. 8 pounds 6 ounces 20 and 3/4 inches long. Way to go Jess! Brent kudos to you too buddy. We are sooo happy for them and their new family!

As for us, Hillary had her second shower last weekend hosted by my aunts, Natalie Novak, Debby Berry, and Jodi Van Winkle...I wasn't even invited and they are MY family. I heard from a reliable source, though that it was outstanding with lots of great laughs, gifts, support, and "tips". We are so blessed to have such a wonderful group of family and friends who love and support us and our new growing family. Thank you all so much!

As for me, yes I finally graduated...and just a shade under a decade! For those of you that are wondering, No you don't have to call me Doctor. You may simply address me as "sir". It was a very nice ceremony with a special time dedicated to just our physical therapy class prior to the actual graduation. I was elected by classmates to give the farewell address to those attending. It was a bitter sweet moment, because while it is wonderful to be starting a new page in my life (one with an actual paying job) it will be hard to leave behind the great group of peers whom I shared 3 years of growing and learning. We finished off the weekend with a "Cinco de Mayo" aka "Cinco de Joel-o" party at mi casa hosted by none other than my beautiful pregnant wife, Hillary. It was alot of fun hanging out and celebrating with everyone.

Today we had Hillary's 37 week doctor's appointment. Yes, every week now!!!! Hillary's belly is still measuring a bit small...but if you ask her, she will disagree!! So, we had the opportunity to have another ultrasound just to make sure everything is checking out alright. Camden is doing great!!! Plenty of fluid, good heart beat, he gained a whole pound in 2 weeks, and most importantly readily identifiable boy parts!!! Hill's doc said she is probably measuring a bit small because of her "strong abdominal wall" or as I like to refer to it "abs of steel" or "Body by Hill". We are doing so well and cannot wait for 3 more weeks for Camden to be here and to meet him. We are just so anxious to see what he looks like. Thanks for all of your continued prayers and we promise to keep everyone updated. Unitl next time...

1st Shower

2007-04-29T17:26:00.000-07:00

Let me start by saying "I Love Pizza!!" This must be Joel's kid. I even had the leftovers from my "pizza themed" shower for dinner tonight. What an adorable idea. I can't imagine a better day than today...it was great to have many close friends and family able to share this exciting time with me. Thank you all so much for all of the wonderful gifts. We are so blessed. I want to especially thank the girls who put this all together for me to make it so speical. So, thank you April, Natalie, Brytni, and Anna (we missed you Jess, but know you were there is spirit!). I am so thankful to have each of you as friends! Camden will just die when he gets to meet all his "beautiful aunts!" We still have a few more showers to go, and he is already spoiled rotten! :)

Things are going great with the pregnancy! 5 weeks from Tues. is the big day! The "nesting instinct" has definitely set in, as we have turned our house inside out this weekend getting ready for this baby. Poor Joel....I think after having him pull all the dishes out of the cupboards and lay down new contact paper, he was about to kill me. :) What a trooper! He is surprisingly really good at painting my toenails, which I can no longer see or reach! He patiently bundles up when I ask for the air to be on and am STILL sweating!!! I can't imagine a more loving husband...I'm so lucky. Let's see if he can hang in there 5 more weeks (hopefully 3, NO MORE than 6!!) Starting Tues. we see the doctor every week...so stay tuned for more updates!

Remembering Zach...

2007-04-21T07:48:00.000-07:00

Dear friends and family,

We wanted to take this opportunity to remember Joel's brother, Zach, who was taken from us way too soon in a tragic plane crash a year ago this weekend. This year has definitely been a roller coaster of emotions, as we are dealing with daily grief and loss, as well as joy and excitement at the arrival of our precious baby, Camden Zachary. Having this baby boy has been the most thrilling time of our lives, but it's also equally hard not be able to share our joy with Zach. He would have been the BEST Uncle, and we ache to know that he won't be able to hold Cam and get to know him, here on earth. Even though Zach isn't here with us anymore, we feel that he knows Camden already and will be rejoicing with us not only on his birthday, but throughout his life.

Joel and I are committed to teaching and showing Cam what kind of person Zach was. We are blessed to have his beautiful music, which Camden already loves. We're counting on those CD's to sooth any and all crying. :) Zach was the most hardworking, goal oriented, and musically talented person we know. His love of the Lord and his family are examples to us daily. Our prayer for Camden Zachary is that he grows up to be a fraction of the person his uncle was and is. Even in the womb, we have started to share our favorite stories and memories of Zach with our little man. Zach was an inspiration to all he came in contact with, and will continue to be an inspriation in his nephew's life.

Thank you to all who have been praying for our family during this time. Your prayers are truly felt. Your cards and words of sympathy mean so much to Joel and me. Hold your loved ones close, as we are reminded of how very short life is. We can't wait to hug and kiss on Cam in just 6 short weeks!!

Happy Easter

2007-04-07T15:04:00.000-07:00

The nursery is officially done!! All we need is a baby to put on the finishing touches. Thank you Margo for making all of the bedding. It looks awesome. Hillary is now 31.5 weeks along, but if you ask her, she is 33 weeks. Her sister, Natalie and her have a screwed way of keeping time. Hill is doing great still, although she is starting to get a little more uncomfortable...I don't know why. Hormones raging and constant clothes changing keeps me hopping. It even makes me do some crazy stuff, like trying on Camden's duck towel, just to break it in of course.

We just wanted to put another update out there to wish everyone a blessed and happy Easter. As we are counting down until our new arrival, we pause to reflect on the numerous blessings we have in our lives and the tremendous sacrifice that was paid for our salvation. We love you all and can't wait to catch up again with the next posting. Watch that belly grow!!!

30 week belly!!

2007-03-28T17:05:00.000-07:00

30 weeks along, and I have definitely moved from a "bump" to a "belly"! Camden is growing so fast...we are noticing big changes everyday. According to our latest doctor's appointment on Tues., he is approx. 3 lbs. and 17 in. long, with a super strong heart beat of 141. Both he and I are right on track. Joel and I are amazed each visit by what a miracle this whole process is! The 10 week countdown has begun! Cam loves to kick me(hard!) on the right side in the ribs when I'm laying down. We can actually see my belly jumping! Joel thinks he's trying to get outta there! :) I disagree....I think I've made a sweet little home for him. Joel has been replaced at night by my favorite body pillow. LOVE that thing! :) I'm working on some negotiating strategies to keep it even after Camden is born. As each week passes, we are growing more and more anxious about meeting that little guy!

Things I can't wait to do post-pregnancy

1. Drink coffee everyday (and every other source of caffeine)

2. Where pants that zip

3. Sleep in any position BUT my side

4. Play with my precious baby

Things Joel can't wait for about post-pregnant Hill

1. A wife that doesn't grunt whenever she changes positions

2. Losing that body pillow!

3. No more burping (at least from Hill...Cam burping is no biggie)

4. Not hearing "but I'm pregnant!" :)

Best Friend Bellies

2007-03-18T14:31:00.000-07:00

Hi friends and fam! Usually Joel does the posting, but I'm the boss today!! Last Sunday, my best friend Jessica came all the way from Arizona for her baby shower. She is due to have sweet little Mason 3 weeks before we expect Camden! It was so good to spend some time with Jess and see her adorable little belly. Talking with her was so fun, since she's going through this pregnancy business too! Somehow she could identify with all the prego drama a little more than my hubby. :) Just teasing...Joel is absolutely wonderful...SO sweet and attentive. He will be the BEST daddy in just 11 more weeks. He talks to Cam everyday and tells him to keep working on his swing (we all know that's what he's doing when he moves around in there....swinging bats, and fielding baseballs). We're pretty sure we have a Joel, jr. seeing as how I can't stay out of the pizza and doritos. Definitely daddy's boy! :) We've officially diagnosed Grandma Misty and Aunt Brytni with a baby clothes buying illness. They have been so generous and thoughtful...Cam is one lucky kid! This has been such a fun journey for us and we can't wait for Camden to meet all of you! Stay posted for 11 more weeks, and we'll make sure to post pictures of our precious boy. Love you all!

Nursery & baby update

2007-03-03T14:25:00.000-08:00

Yes, I think we are finally done with the furniture for the nursery...but we all know how much my vote counts. We went to Ikea up in Chicago this past weekend and picked up some pretty cool items to put the finishing touches on things. Now, we just need the bedding which Margo is so thoughtfully going to fabricate for us. Thanks in advance Nana!

While we were up there we stayed with Hillary's cousin, Nick and his wife Bry. It was nice to visit with them and see their place. We saw the musical Wicked and ate at some wonderful restaurants and found out little Cam loves deep dish Chicago style pizza, just like his dad. I am alreay grooming him for Chicago and Wrigley Field. We wanted to have a last getway with just us before Camden gets here. It was a terrific weekend!!

Hill had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday for her 26 week check-up. Everything is looking fine and we are right on track, measuring at 26cm on the dot! Camden must realize how much his mom LOVES to be punctual. She is going to start going to the doctor every 2 weeks now, that is crazy! Hillary is starting to have a little heart burn. We think that given his genetic background, he will be a hairy baby...it'll be spiked with gel right away if so. Lady killer! Also, we registered today at Target and Baby's R Us. It is all VERY overwhelming. We had fun overall, and only almost got a divorce once in the store! Just joking. We hope all is well with everyone and sorry we haven't updated in a while. We love you and can't wait for Spring!!

6 Month Bump

2007-02-17T14:20:00.000-08:00

25 weeks pregnant! I have one hot momma livin in this house. Hillary is finally starting to show a little. Isn't she adorable? I know I am one lucky guy. We can't wait to start our little family together. Hillary is a natural mom. We babysat our little nephew, Gage "Sea-bass" Sebastian, AKA "12-Gage" last night, ALL NIGHT. He is such a sweetie, it just makes us want Camden to get here so badly...even though we were up most of the night. Before I could go to sleep, Hill made me go through the steps of infant CPR. We are both learning alot and as we all know, practice makes perfect. Thanks Natalie and Adam for allowing Gage to be our "practice baby."

Nursery

2007-02-15T04:46:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of pictures of the nursery as it is right now. We just wanted to put up a couple more phots. More will follow. We are going to Ikea next week, and I'm sure we'll come back with some wonderful things for Camden's room. Until now, we love walking by the room and just picturing the future. The mobile over the crib was a creation that Hill & I put together, with her leadership. Turned out pretty good!

Pregnancy Update

2007-02-11T15:03:00.000-08:00

Moving into the 24th week of pregancy, and little Cam is kicking and punching his mom like crazy. He is most active right after a meal. He takes after his mom. Hillary is doing great. Still active with lots of energy...up until about 8 p.m. We have all seen her crashing about this time. Kinda cute, though.

The nursery is coming along nicely. Crib, dresser, glider and mobile are all up and in place. He is going to be in style (his mom will make sure of that). We'll make sure to post pictures as soon as it is finished. Stay tuned for pictures of Hill and her growing belly as well!! We are so excited and just want to share our experiences with all of you. Thank you for all of your continued thoughts and prayers throughout our journey. Can't wait until Camden comes to join our family!!