Mr. Novembers and Twins!

Thanksgiving was AWESOME y'all!! We did things a little different this year and although sometimes change can be a bad thing, this year it was absolutely AMAZING! Typically, we head over to Derek's Mema's Thanksgiving evening and enjoy food and family time. We talk, laugh, EAT, and go home. This year however, Scott(my brother in law's) mother Cheryl, offered to do it at her house, and let us all just come eat there and bring a dish. I was elated because I absolutely LOVE going to Cheryl's house. Not only is it only about 2.5 seconds from my own house(Which is convenient when the boys pee their pants, or need a jacket, or you forget your camera haha), but its just beautiful, big, and has lots of yard for the kids to run and play. I look VERY forward to any event I know will be at her house because she just does such a fantastic job putting things together. She hosted my baby shower with Camden, and all her get togethers are just adorably decorated and so fun to be at. So, Thanksgiving day, I made green bean casserole and Pumpkin Ooey Gooey Butter Cake. BOTH were a hit, but the Cake was truly the winner. Let me just say it's PAULA DEAN approved, and leave it at that lol. I probably could of enjoyed it myself alot more if I didn't make it. Something about seeing the two sticks of butter, whole bag of powdered sugar...you get the picture, made me feel about 10lbs heavier from just MAKING the darn thing! Anyways, all the food was delicious. We ate like Kings and Queens, but the best part was all being together and enjoying each others company. I love this time of year! My boys(all three) were looking VERY handsome that day. I swear if they made a baby HUNK catalogue(they probably DO), Camden and Carson would HAVE to be Mr. Novembers!



Friday, I woke up early(VERY EARLY) to go shopping with my best friend Aaron! We hit Target and Kohl's and I feel we got some GREAT deals! Carson has been having a very difficult time at night, and swears he doesn't want to sleep in his room. He says he wants a "new room", which to me sounds like a BIG request from a *ALMOST* 3 year old. None the less, his daddy and I decided that for Christmas this year, we couldn't give him a NEW ROOM, but we COULD make it a little more grown up for him. So, when I found the CUTEST 6 piece bedding set at Kohl's for $30 I could NOT pass it up! That is right $30 for this: It regularly is $99.00. Today as I got on just to SEE if I got a good deal its already back up to $55! So yes, I snagged that adorable bedding all for $29.99, and it was indeed a GOOD DEAL! I also got some other good gifts that were on sale and I am ALMOST completely done with my Christmas shopping. While in Kohl's, Aaron and I were approached by a news crew to do an interview. We of course agreed and we MADE the 6 o'clock news. YES, we are now famous and who knows "The HILLS" may be calling us to be their next big things! ;-)! You can watch the interview at this address:http://www.wctv.tv/video/?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=4337796&flvUri=&partnerclipid=
Keep in mind it was like 6 in the morning, we weren't exactly READY for our close ups! :-)

On a different note. I know I have mentioned it before, but I frequently get asked if the boys are "twins." Although, I think they resemble, I do NOT think they look even close to being identical twins. Carson has alot more hair at this point and its very blonde. Camden's hair is a few shades darker and he is a good 3 inches shorter than Carson. Still, at least once a day if I am out with both boys, it never fails that someone will walk up to be and say, "Aww your twins are adorable!" or "Wow, are they twins?" Lately though they are actually really ACTING like twins. Sometimes it's Camden acting way more GROWN up than he really is, and wanting to do the things his big brother does. Alot of times, its CARSON acting Camden's age again and wanting to be "A Baby" as he calls it.
Yes, there is he trying to go back to his younger days. Camden isn't sure WHAT TO think of it. I know its just a stage, but I just try and remind Carson that being the big boy has its perks too! So, although I know they aren't twins, many days I feel like they REALLY ARE!

It's beggining to look ALOT like Christmas!

And it TRULY is! I love so many things about the holiday season and I honestly pretty much LIVE for this time all year long. I love the crisp cool weather, the changing leaves, the smile on everyone's faces. I LOVE the awesome food, the time with family, and the beautiful lights and decorations everywhere! I LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR!! I have so much to be thankful for, and I have truly been one blessed women this year! I am a NURSING student, mommy, wife, I have great friends, A great family......life is GOOD! I have to admit there are certain things I absolutely LOATHE about this season too! Like uhhh hmmmm Exhibit A:
Camden's oh so infamous red cheeks! Ugly old Mr.Eczema is trying to rear his little head, but Mommy here is staying on top of it and doing everything she can to prevent that from happening. I am coating those cheecks day and night and so far he isn't making TOO much of an appearance yet! Exhibit B:...Wait on second thought I won't even SHARE this grusome image with yall, but exhibit B would be nasty ear infections! I cannt STAND them. Since Camden has had his tubes put in, we have been blessed and not seen the first sign of an ear infection until yesterday when he woke up with the grossest thing you have just about ever seen pouring out of his ear. I was truly horrified and after a visit to his Dr. I was told Camden indeed had an ear infection! Last winter was SO brutal on little Cam's ear that we ended up with tubes. Although, I know the tubes are doing their job by releasing all that pressure out of his little ears, I truly hope we don't go through all the ear infections we dealt with last year! Thank goodness now though, I know what to expect and won't FREAK OUT next time I see that nasty gunk oozing out of his ears. I think I just hate sick babies all together.

I think I hate my babies being sick, because when they are all well, LOOK how darn cute they are??!
I am so thankful for those precious little faces!!! I am also thankful for their daddy who takes care of us and supports us both financially and emotionally! WE LOVE HIM TOO! :-)

Yes, our family has all around had some very ROCKY times this year, we have been hit with some hard blows, but non the less my list of "things to be thankful for" is still VERY long and I know that I am blessed beyond belief!!!

Its OFFICIAL

So it is official. I am an acceptee to the 2010 R.N program at SWGTC! I am super excited and anxious to start. It is hard to fathom that in 18 or so short months I will be H.Godwin R.N! WOW! Dreams really do come true, and I am seeing the light at the end, even if the END is 18 months away! I know it will be hard, I know I am going to want to give up sometimes, I know there will be things that try and stand in the way, but I am determined and I will succeed!

I knew WHEN I got accepted there were alot of kinks that would/will have to be worked out for me to get in. There are so many things that could prevent me from doing what I need to do, but I gave them all to God and I trust he is going to provide. If you are lost and wondering what I mean, let me explain. Well first the medical stuff(physical, dental exam, blood work/testing, shots) alone will cost me $500. Then there is the uniform costs, books, and medical supply kit which I am estimating will probably cost me around $1000. Oh and did I mention we will be adding another DAY care bill because Camden will be starting Noah's ark around the time I am starting the program too? Then raises the question, since we have ONE vehicle which we can all fit it, how will Derek be able to pick the children up from daycare when I am working those LONNNGG clinical hours? For all practical reasons we need another vehicle which fits our family, but that is a WHOLE NOTHER subject lol! Yes, all this needs to be done right now, before I start my program and its Christmas time. Derek, his mom, and I also have birthdays coming up in December, so without all this EXTRA stuff, December is a very expensive and hectic month for us!. Derek jokingly asked, "How does a physical sound for Christmas babe?" I laughed, but in all honestly, its probably what I SHOULD Be asking for. I am trusting God. I am trusting he will provide. I told myself If I got accepted I would let NOTHING stand in my way, and that is the truth. I will find a solution to ALL those things and I will let God lead the way. To top things off, yesterday, our one family vehicle, breaks down. My husband feels confident he can fix it himself, but that is something else that is going to need money. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Ok sorry, but I do feel much better now that I screamed loudly one good time! Anyways, so yes, this is what is going on at the Godwin home. Stressful times, but very thankful times too! I am so thankful that my hard worked paid off, that my good grades made the difference, that this past year of homework and studying was all WORTH IT! I know I will probably look back 2 years from now and say, "GOSH what was I soo stressed about?" but until then can y'all just pray for some financial MIRACLES and for all things to fall into place?!

I am so PROUD

This will be probably another one of my *RANDOM* ramblings, but try to bare with me! :-)

I am so proud! So very, very proud of my husband. Some of you know, and some of you don't, that Derek's dads health has taken major blows recently. Because of this, my husband has stepped up to the plate, not only carrying the load of his usual everyday work, but also all that his dad usually handles too. From bidding jobs, to doing invoice, Derek is doing it all! I am so proud of him. He is handling everything so well, and I just am amazed at how easily he has just stepped into his new role. God has truly blessed me with an amazing husband who is so mature and able to handle so much! It is so amazing how God puts two people together who complete each other. Derek is the voice of reason, I am the worrier. Derek is the go with flow guy, I am the planner. Derek is very responsible, I am sometimes careless. All my weaknesses are his strengths and vice verse. AMAZING! Only God could match people so perfectly to complete each others needs so well! :-)

Only 3 weeks left of this quarter, and I am SO ready for it to end. I need a break and I will get a nice LONG one after this. A whole MONTH and it is going to be such a wonderful time with family and lots of good relaxation( I hope)!! That is probably a very good thing because next quarter I should(GOD BE WILLING), start my actual nursing classes. I know this is going to be a lot more work, a lot more school hours, a lot more studying and I need this nice break to get geared up to take this on! So, I need to make it through these last three weeks, and then I will be good to go!

The boys are doing good! Carson was really sick last week, but is all back to his old self now. It was pitiful to see him so sick, but I did get some very good snuggle time out of him. Not that I enjoy a sick child, but I have to admit I love the way "Mommy time" seems to make them feel so much better! It makes me feel good too! :-) We had some family pictures done, and can I just say they came out AMAZING! If you haven't seen them, you can check them out here: They came out SO amazing, and that isn't even ALL of them. The others will be shared later, I'm saving our family one for Christmas cards so that one will stay a surprise until the cards get send out!

Well better get to do some homework!......Yep, more ramblings

My heart could BURST!

I am so incredibly blessed that sometimes I think my heart is going to burst! SERIOUSLY! There are so many things I have going for me, and I could go all day listing things that I know God has blessed me with, but today I just want to share a few that have stuck out lately. God has blessed me with two GORGEOUS children. I look at them and I know I am blessed. They are healthy and beautiful and I am so lucky! I took these pictures of Camden the other day, and when I look at them I cannot help, but admire how beautiful of a child he is. His little face is so angelic and he is just one handsome little guy! I don't mean that in a completely superficial way either, He is handsome inside too(keep in mind here, I said HANDSOME...NOT perfect! haha) He has the silliest and sweetest personality sometimes, and although he does have a flare for the dramatics, I am so glad he is MINE!


Then I look at Carson, and although I think he is AMAZINGLY gorgeous too. That child has a heart of GOLD! Unless, you know him personally you probably don't truly know how special he is! I realize all parents think their child is special, but Carson has this personality that is like no other, and I cannot think of one person that doesn't meet him and fall in love! He is always doing the sweetest things. Today for example we were at his MiMi's house and he asked for a Peanut Butter and Jelly. I told her she could make one and half it for the boys. She made it and asked Carson who was going to get the first half...he sleflessly said, " Give it to Bubba!" At 2 and 1/2 years old my sweet boy is willing to give his brother the FIRST half of his favorite food! My heart could of burst right then! :-)
The other night I told Carson he needed to go to bed. I tucked him in and left the room. Thirty or so minuites passed, and I realized his light was on. As I rounded the corner to see what he was doing, I found him in his bed reading his little toddler bible. He was reading(in his own little way)to his little stuffed animals! I ran to grab my camera because that is something I want to remember forever!
Yea you guessed it, my heart could of burst right then with love! I am a mommy to two quite amazing little boys! :-)

I am worried!

I am a mom and of course I worry! I try to not worry too much, or look to deep into things, but sometimes things are hard to over look. I am worried about Camden and honestly not sure what to do, or where to go. Here is the problem: Camden is an EATER and I know there is nothing wrong with that. I don't consider him overweight(and at his age the Dr says thats almost impossible) but I do think he has a problem. MY child eats more than my husband can eat, and never gets full. He eats and eats and eats, and until you pysically PULL the food from his hands he refuses to STOP. Maybe this wouldn't be such a problem if he wasn't ALSO eating things that aren't etable. I know babies put things in their mouths, but I know we are all born with the reflex to spit out what doesn't taste good. NOT CAMDEN, at least once a day he sneaks into our bathroom and I find him eating soap. YES you read that right...bars of soap! Pica may come to mind, but developmentally Camden is ADVANCED and his Dr explained to me that children with Pica usually show very delayed development! We ran blood work on him anyway, and it came back fine. I dont' want to be worked up over this, but it just bothers me that I dont know what to do to stop it or get it under control. Maybe I shouldn't be worried, maybe this is normal, but when my son is eating so much and also trying to eat non-etable things, it worries me! The other night we had a birthday party at our house and cooked hamburgers and fries. Camden ate a whole burger(these weren't mini burgers...TRUST ME) and fries. Carson ate maybe two bites of his burger and said he was full. The next thing I know, Camden has climbed up to the table and eating MOST Of Carson's burger too!
Everyone thought it was so funny and cute, and it was...but after I got him down and caught him digging in the trash to eat someone elses burger, I no longer found it amuzing. How can he NOT feel full, my grown HUSBAND can't down 3 cheeseburgers...so how can a 16 month old? I really really really don't want anything to be wrong with Camden, trust me! I should be relieved that his blood work came back perfectly normal, because after reading about Pica I was terrified and praying to GOD that my son was not going to have this. Honestly though, and I MEAN be honest...is this something you would be concerned about?

My how fast things CHANGE!

When I decided to go to school to be a nurse, it was mainly based off of the AMAZING job I felt the nurses did when I had both boys. They were so supportive, and you could just tell they loved their jobs. With Carson there was a nurse whos shift had ended HOURS before he was born, but she stayed right by my side anyways because she said she wanted to see me through until the end. How awesome is that? She could of went home, but she loves what she does so much, that staying isn't even an issue to her. It was then that I had this "hunger" to get into something that I loved and would be a career I would be happy with and proud of. My ultimate goal is to work either Labor and Delivery or the Mother/baby unit, and I pray everyday that God will open that door for me when the time comes. Up until my sweet Peyton(my best friends daughter) was born, I had never seen a baby born in real life. Being there for Peyton's birth was so amazing, and emotional and I am just blessed that Aaron(her mom) let me be there for such a monumental day in her and her husbands lives. I think I have a special bond with Miss Peyton because of it, and I love her to pieces! I am so grateful I got to see things from that side of table, because having a baby and seeing one born are two TOTALLY different experiences. Last night, I got to see new life be born again. Autum(one of my oldest and closest friends) gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, and she asked me to be there to witness Baby Jaevyn's birth. It felt SO great to be there to encourage her and also I was able to help her nurse for the first time right after he was born. She has an older son and didn't nurse him, but really wanted to with Jaevyn. It felt so awesome to be there to help her get comfortable and get him latching good the first time. I was AMAZED at how alert this little guy was right after birth and he, no lie, came out LOOKING for the *GOOD STUFF*! At 5 minutes old he was rooting around, sucking his hand, and I have never seen a baby do that so soon. He latched right on within 15 minutes of being born and stayed that way for a good 15 to 20 minutes....It was AMAZING and I know it gave my friend Autum a great boost of confidence to see him doing soo well with it so soon! Seeing both these babies born, and being able to help both of these friends with nursing advice and issues has only FUELED my hunger to do this for a living and be there to coach, guide, and assist in lots of women having babies. I don't see how the job could ever get old or any less exciting, and I am just trusting God to help me pursue this dream. I think I will probably have to work on my overwhelming emotions though lol because so far I haven't been able to stop the water works from coming at either birth. I don't know how strangers would feel if their nurse is boo-hooing as their baby lets out their first cry :-)

It also never fails to amazes me how quickly these babies grow. I took my Little Bear for his 15 month check up today(even though he is really only a week from being 16 months) and he has already tripled his weight since birth. My 8lb 6 oz newborn is now a VERY healthy 29lb (ALMOST) 16 month old! My how things change.*THEN*
*NOW* The Dr. said he is perfectly healthy and maybe even a little advanced for his age. He is in the the 90th percentile for both his height and weight, and his verbal communication the Dr. said is advanced. I attribute this to the fact that he is picking up ALOT of things Carson says and the Dr. agreed! Let's just hope he doesn't pick up some things that slip out of Mommy's mouth on occasion! ;-)