I've been spending most of my blogging time writing letters to Campbell since she seems to be taking up a larger part of this life now-a-days. But I wanted to take a second to write about this past year and give thanks.
The past two years of this life have been altering to put it mildly. Micah and I started "facebooking" about this time 2 years ago, we soon started dating, got engaged, got married, got pregnant, and became physical parents all within 20 months. We are now starting to relatively settle in...
And I am thankful.
I am thankful for an amazing husband. He loves being a husband and father. I love that he is passionate about Jesus, family, and being a photographer. I love that he and I were on the same page and willing to sacrifice financially so he could stay home. (Which has been amazing for his relationship with Campbell AND our marriage.)
I am thankful for an amazing daughter. She is hilarious, fun, and absolutely the most chill girl I know. I love getting to know her and seeing her personality develop. I love getting to teach her that we are always here for her and comforting her. I love reading to her and starting to teach her about Jesus and other nations at such a young age.
I am thankful for a heart that sings to be a mother. I am thankful Campbell will be a big sister (someday) and for being one flesh with a man who has a desire to give the lonely a family.
I am thankful for my quirky and loving family, as well as my amazing in-laws who love us so adequately.
I am thankful to my friend Becky for giving Elmer such a wonderful home.
I am thankful to my community at School 91. I have an amazing job and am blessed to be living into God's desires. I love my students and the staff. I appreciate an administration that allows me to stay home part time this year as well as a great job share partner.
I am thankful to be a part of a great church family and house church. Common Ground constantly challenges me to grow in my faith, encourages me to seek the Lord, and teaches me more and more about what it means to follow Jesus. My house church keeps me in check, loves me when it is both easy and difficult, and provides me with accountability and friendship.
I am thankful for friends to read books with and live life with.
I am thankful that God is faithful and persistent. I am thankful He whispers that he loves and misses me in my ear and that He is pursuing me.
I am thankful for Jesus' life on this earth and the legacy He has left for us. I am thankful I have an opportunity to follow in His footsteps and I pray that my heart continues to form to His.
May you recognize many thanks in this season. And may God's blessings be upon you.
peace.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
Get out the VOTE!
Campbell is a finalist in a Halloween photo contest! If you would please go vote for her here:
http://murraycrew.blogspot.com/2009/11/4tunate-halloween-photo-contest-top-5.html
it would be MUCH appreciated!
peace,
Carter
http://murraycrew.blogspot.com/2009/11/4tunate-halloween-photo-contest-top-5.html
it would be MUCH appreciated!
peace,
Carter
Monday, November 2, 2009
quick update
So, it's almost midnight here on Kingsley Drive and I promised Micah I would stay up with him while he finishes a proof book for a client. He didn't ask me to stay up with him, I just knew it would be another way I can support him. He is an amazing man and wonderful photographer. I don't know if it is possible for a woman to be more proud of her husband than I am of him. It is my joy to stay up with him...to show my love and support of him, but also it gave me a chance to write my first entry in our new blog!
dearcampbell.wordpress.com
I've always wanted to have some kind of clever niche to blogging...for a while I thought I would incorporate the phrase "drunkenly staggering," or at the very least "staggering," into every post. But, alas, I couldn't smoothly make that happen.
But I discovered I like writing Campbell letters.
We will still maintain this blog, but my hope is to turn it back into something a little reminiscent of previous blogs...something to share our thoughts, and not just the day to day and statistics of our absolutely perfect daughter. :)
See, she's pretty perfect.
dearcampbell.wordpress.com
I've always wanted to have some kind of clever niche to blogging...for a while I thought I would incorporate the phrase "drunkenly staggering," or at the very least "staggering," into every post. But, alas, I couldn't smoothly make that happen.
But I discovered I like writing Campbell letters.
We will still maintain this blog, but my hope is to turn it back into something a little reminiscent of previous blogs...something to share our thoughts, and not just the day to day and statistics of our absolutely perfect daughter. :)
See, she's pretty perfect. So anyway, check out dearcampbell.wordpress.com and check back in here sometimes as well.
peace.
peace.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
3 months
Dear Campbell,
In true Bell fashion this letter to you is late. You turned 3 months old on Monday. Three months of our lives have been filled with your snorting, wiggling, crying, smiling, and pooping. Three months of our lives have only given us a fluttering notion of how you will change us.
You are the most precious gift God has given us. You have taught us so much about love and given us a glimpse of how God must love His children. Never would I have imagined the feelings I get when looking at you. It's like my heart is about to jump through my chest.
You've gotten too big for Daddy to toss you in the air. I swore I would never let myself forget how tiny you started, but it's already starting to fade. I just do my best to remember how it felt to have you fall asleep on me since you are no longer content snuggling.
You love to see the world and are always checking out your surroundings. You love looking at the fan above our bed, watching Dinosaur Train (much to Daddy's pleasure) on PBS, following the dogs while they play, and staring at pictures in books as we read to you. You love when Daddy reads you Cat in the Hat or when Mommy talks about the pictures in Eric Carle's Animals.
More often than not you are happy. You have the best, gummy smile and laugh at all our silly songs and voices.
I miss the days of cuddling, but love the baby you are becoming!
Love you, baby Campbell!
In true Bell fashion this letter to you is late. You turned 3 months old on Monday. Three months of our lives have been filled with your snorting, wiggling, crying, smiling, and pooping. Three months of our lives have only given us a fluttering notion of how you will change us.
You are the most precious gift God has given us. You have taught us so much about love and given us a glimpse of how God must love His children. Never would I have imagined the feelings I get when looking at you. It's like my heart is about to jump through my chest.
You've gotten too big for Daddy to toss you in the air. I swore I would never let myself forget how tiny you started, but it's already starting to fade. I just do my best to remember how it felt to have you fall asleep on me since you are no longer content snuggling.
You love to see the world and are always checking out your surroundings. You love looking at the fan above our bed, watching Dinosaur Train (much to Daddy's pleasure) on PBS, following the dogs while they play, and staring at pictures in books as we read to you. You love when Daddy reads you Cat in the Hat or when Mommy talks about the pictures in Eric Carle's Animals.
More often than not you are happy. You have the best, gummy smile and laugh at all our silly songs and voices.
I miss the days of cuddling, but love the baby you are becoming!
Love you, baby Campbell!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
on being interesting
So Micah and I have been talking quite a bit about my post on being interesting. Micah has been so incredibly supportive about how I'm feeling...he is just an amazing husband, father, and man.
Our house church makes sack lunches for the Pourhouse (www.pourhouse.org) on the 4th Sunday of every month. We've been doing this for a year or so and our amazing friends the Wilsmans decided it was time that we partake in community with the people we serve once a month.
I was having a particularly difficult day on Sunday and feeling very anxious. I had been trying to get out of serving meals with the hopes of sitting around and watching TV, but Micah thought about my pleas and determined that we would go serve meals because "it would make me more interesting."
He was right.
We took the cutest crying baby ever (other people's words, not mine) and went down to the veterans memorial in downtown Indy. We strapped her onto myself with the Baby Bjorn and let Campbell work her magic!
Babies are the best conversation starter ever. All we had to do was stand in front of the steps where people were sitting and waiting for their meal and James came to us. He fawned over our darling girl for a few moment and then we started talking. He and Micah hit is off pretty well and I struck up a conversation with a couple walking by. Well, actually they approached us with the question, "Is this baby homeless?" :)
We met lots of people...a woman and her boyfriend who had been trying to get pregnant for years and were now past their first trimester, a man reading Plato for leisurely reading, a father who had a wallet full of pictures of his children and could not be more proud...and we loved them to the best of our abilities. Campbell smiled and cooed and worked her charm. We did our best to not judge, but to care and show respect.
It's difficult, but we strive. We love. We do our best to turn to Jesus and just be.
peace.
Our house church makes sack lunches for the Pourhouse (www.pourhouse.org) on the 4th Sunday of every month. We've been doing this for a year or so and our amazing friends the Wilsmans decided it was time that we partake in community with the people we serve once a month.
I was having a particularly difficult day on Sunday and feeling very anxious. I had been trying to get out of serving meals with the hopes of sitting around and watching TV, but Micah thought about my pleas and determined that we would go serve meals because "it would make me more interesting."
He was right.
We took the cutest crying baby ever (other people's words, not mine) and went down to the veterans memorial in downtown Indy. We strapped her onto myself with the Baby Bjorn and let Campbell work her magic!
Babies are the best conversation starter ever. All we had to do was stand in front of the steps where people were sitting and waiting for their meal and James came to us. He fawned over our darling girl for a few moment and then we started talking. He and Micah hit is off pretty well and I struck up a conversation with a couple walking by. Well, actually they approached us with the question, "Is this baby homeless?" :)
We met lots of people...a woman and her boyfriend who had been trying to get pregnant for years and were now past their first trimester, a man reading Plato for leisurely reading, a father who had a wallet full of pictures of his children and could not be more proud...and we loved them to the best of our abilities. Campbell smiled and cooed and worked her charm. We did our best to not judge, but to care and show respect.
It's difficult, but we strive. We love. We do our best to turn to Jesus and just be.
peace.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
pictures
Here are some pictures taken recently. (Spoiler: the final picture is NOT for the faint of heart...) The first picture is Micah reading to Campbell! She loves being read to and has started "reading" back to us!
Check out her double chin and first pair of jeans! She looks like such a big girl! I get teary eyed about how quickly she is growing! I remember scoffing at a person who was dropping off their daughter in the nursery and tearing up because her daughter was 6 months old, but now I totally understand! I am so thankful that I get to be home so much in Campbell's first year of life!
This is a (blurry) shot of the pouting game she loves so much! About one second after this picture was taken she smiled at me.
And now for the gross picture...seriously, if you can't handle poo scroll away now!
(Pardon the baby bottom...)
This is Campbell's finest masterpiece. She did this for us a few weeks ago...hard to believe that tiny bottom can cause such a mess! But, oh! She is a pro!
I believe this happened around 5:30 in the morning. I was changing her diaper inbetween sides when I noticed something on her bottom. It looked like part of a wipe had gotten caught between her cheeks. When I went to wipe it off, she shot poo not only all over the changing table but all over my hand and arm! I screamed and Micah came running. He manned holding her legs while I went to wash my hand. Then I heard him shout! I came running back to this...she had sprayed not only onto the receiving blanket, but also on the side of the shelving unit...amazing.
Hope you enjoyed the pictures!
peace.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Cars, Coffee, and Campbell
*My car may officially be retired. It's true. I'm pretty disappointed in Nissan. My 2000 Altima only had 120,000 miles on it. Seriously? When did properly maintained cars only start lasting 10 years? That's pretty pathetic. Another "Seriously?" Why do people think they can charge $2000 for cars from the '80's? Though I did find a woody wagon that hold 9 people that was pretty exciting.
*We probably won't get another car until January. Woot for the one car family! Kind of... Parts of me are excited. It's a chance to really clean and organize the house (instead of moving our mess from room to room). It's an opportunity to read the Buffy the Vampire Slayer comics (laugh all you want, Joss Whedon is a genius!) that Micah got me for Christmas last year. I can hone my photography skills on our beautiful daughter. I can start the Bible study I bought and planned to do over the summer. I can bake! I can rediscover some of the parts of myself that I miss. Micah even mentioned starting to put documentaries back onto the Blockbuster queue.
*I am going to start running a FREE coffee house from our home. Not really anything fancy, but I'm excited none the less. People who come by to visit will have many choices of tea, chai, hot chocolate, and freshly pressed coffee to choose from. Plus it will be a good way to unload my baked goods and show off a clean and charming (but probably slightly disorganized) home.
*We will save a few bucks by only having one car to put gas into and pay insurance on...insurance south of 52nd St. in Indy is kind of expensive.
*Campbell has started pouting. It's hilarious. Today she would laugh and follow it up with a pout. Then I would say her name and she would look at me and smile. I don't know if she is playing or just forgets why she is pouting when I say her name, but either way it's hilarious. And a good indicator that at a mere 2 months she is learning to work the system.
*peace.
*We probably won't get another car until January. Woot for the one car family! Kind of... Parts of me are excited. It's a chance to really clean and organize the house (instead of moving our mess from room to room). It's an opportunity to read the Buffy the Vampire Slayer comics (laugh all you want, Joss Whedon is a genius!) that Micah got me for Christmas last year. I can hone my photography skills on our beautiful daughter. I can start the Bible study I bought and planned to do over the summer. I can bake! I can rediscover some of the parts of myself that I miss. Micah even mentioned starting to put documentaries back onto the Blockbuster queue.
*I am going to start running a FREE coffee house from our home. Not really anything fancy, but I'm excited none the less. People who come by to visit will have many choices of tea, chai, hot chocolate, and freshly pressed coffee to choose from. Plus it will be a good way to unload my baked goods and show off a clean and charming (but probably slightly disorganized) home.
*We will save a few bucks by only having one car to put gas into and pay insurance on...insurance south of 52nd St. in Indy is kind of expensive.
*Campbell has started pouting. It's hilarious. Today she would laugh and follow it up with a pout. Then I would say her name and she would look at me and smile. I don't know if she is playing or just forgets why she is pouting when I say her name, but either way it's hilarious. And a good indicator that at a mere 2 months she is learning to work the system.
*peace.
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