New Adventures with Camryn Leigh

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Well it has been a month since Camryn Leigh Murphy entered the world, and life hasn't slowed down one bit! It seems there is something new or different with her every day - feeding schedule, sleeping hours, spit ups, etc. we have had at least 3 explosions and 3 wet throughs. I'd like to blame it on her being in diaper size limbo.

Every day and night is a new challenge, but it is beginning to feel more rewarding than frustrating. It has been quite the adjustment for Kevin and I. For many reasons, I have had to work through different emotions and challenges to finally see the blessing she is to us.

I will keep this post short, but I wanted to thank everyone for the prayers during pregnancy, labor and currently. If it wasn't for you this journey would have been nearly impossible to accept and conquer. You will never know how much I have needed every thought and prayer given.

We are blessed. 

Goodnight :)

Good night and good morning, all the same to me!

It has been two weeks since I remember sleeping while the sun is sleeping. Aside from the frequent bathroom runs, I would be able to crawl in bed and know I would sleep until I was too hungry to put off breakfast any longer. Well, the times have changed. I sleep about 2 hours when I first fall asleep, waking up every hour to use the facilities, and then I am wide awake for the next 5 hours. Okay, it wasn't so bad at first. At first, I would only be awake 2-3 hours. But as the week progressed, the hours of being awake grew. I now have a tv schedule I follow each night from 1 AM until 6 AM. I, then, eat breakfast with Kevin and then crawl in bed and end up falling asleep around 8 or 9 AM.

Some may have seen me asking for help on Facebook. With permission from my doctor, I tried taking Benadryl a few times. It worked the first night to put me back to sleep when I would wake up during the night. The next night, back to my old routine. Another night I used it to rid my stuffy nose and head.  Worked for that, but I was still awake.

Now, some of you may say,  "It's preparing you for baby!" But, I'm thinking that's not quite the case. At least I will have a reason to be awake, when she gets here, and I will be tired enough to sleep when I can. But being awake for 5+ hours at night not being tired is a different story...I think.

By this point I'm sleep deprived and moody in the afternoons. I have had a few nights of tears of frustration. I do not look forward to two more weeks of this..

Each doctor's visit is closer to this being over!! 

We are more than ready to meet RynLeigh and begin a new routine, be it sleeping only an hour at a time or just learning the ups and downs of parenthood. So, here's to sleepless nights, high blood pressure, swollen and aching hands and knuckles! It will all go away in a matter of weeks.

38 weeks. 2 weeks to go. September 12. 

Donuts and Holes

Saturday brought about two new adventures for me. To start the day, I made Cinnamon Sugar Donuts (from biscuits) that were everything but healthy. But, that did not stop Kevin and me from eating them! It was a recipe I found on Pinterest, and was super easy. I thought I would give it a try.

Biscuits with holes! (Grands Homestyle, if you are wondering.)

Fry and Flip!

 

 

 

Let them rest on paper towels before dipping them in butter. 

 

Give them a nice butter bath...

...and coat in cinnamon sugar mixture.

And, Wah-lah!
We bit into them before we realized we needed a picture.

 

YUMMMMM!!!

 

We ate carrots for lunch.

These were so easy and delicious!! But, we did decide that we would make sure the next time we made these would be when we had others with us.

Now.. On to the next part of my day. Kevin has begun his next step in his career. He is going through Air Craft Commander Upgrade. He is moving from the Right Seat to the LEFT SEAT! To do that is no easy and swift task. What this means is that he will now make every decision that has to do with his aircraft, from when they take-off to where they will go to how they will solve issues with the aircraft to what happens when another country decides they no longer want you to fly over their country (and they are already limited on how much fuel they can carry for themselves, carrying massive amounts of fuel for refueling the other guys) to all the little things he has to know about other places, aircrafts, each circumstance that could occur, and how to fly a plane. He's so manly.
So, he has been studying every night from the moment he gets home so that he can go in the next morning and show that he knows what to do when emergencies happen in his SIM the next morning. I asked how his sim was, after his first day. His response was, "Let's just say I hope none of that ever happens in real life." But, if it did, he is studying and practicing in the sim to resolve the issue (and save his SIMULATOR life)!

So, while he was working on how to protect himself while protecting our wonderful country, I was out doing quite the opposite for our amazing wildlife! :)
I was practicing how to use a gun to, maybe one day, hunt my own dinner! I don't know that that will actually be achieved, seeing that I hit the targets about 30% of the time... and they weren't moving!

 

 

This, friends, is a 20 gauge shotgun. Now, before this gun, I had practiced with a gun that looks very similar, but uses 22 bullets, which are much smaller and do not make the gun kick back at all. This gun kicks back more than the other gun. In my head, I saw myself underestimating its power and me falling on my bum. With that said, my friend Steph stood behind me, and I also overdid my wide stance. But, no worries! I didn't fall backwards, but it was a little more powerful than I thought. I only shot once, because I wasn't sure if I would like it. Later, I loaded it up again and did 3 shots.

 

Me and friends, Michael and Bobby



This was a picture after I shot. You can see the shift in weight. This was taken as I completed the shot. So, it did throw me off a little bit, but not much.

Along with these big guns, I did decide to go a little smaller.

It's funny. This little guy still had power behind it. You have to make sure you keep your grip tight and firm.

 

**Here's a fun fact: I am left eye dominant. When I picked up my first gun, my friend Bobby was teaching me how to hold it and how to look through the scope. Automatically, I closed my right eye and looked through my left. When I told him I had to lean really far over to line up the scope, he noticed I was holding the gun as a righty, but closing the eye of a lefty. I knew that I led with my left leg, back in my track and field days. And, I know that I lead with my left leg when doing a kartwheel. I thought it was normal. But, Bobby told me I maybe could have been a lefty. Don't worry. For the next couple days, I practice my handwriting and fine motor skills using my left hand. I'm not too bad! I drew a few pictures, too! So, in the pictures taken of me, it looks like my eye is completely closed. It's not. I just really have a hard time closing my left eye and keeping my right eye open. Sometimes my eye would actually close and I had to open them and try again... Ha!

 

Back to shooting.. If you are one who has never taken a trip to New Jersey, you may not have listed this as one of the activities New Jersians do. But, I tell you what, the friends I have made at my church in Tabernacle, NJ, are nothing but woodsy, camo, and hunting season kind of people. All done right here in the state of New Jersey. Don't get me wrong, this isn't what my backyard looks like. There are the city and well populated areas. But, we are The Garden State. There is a lot of open land in New Jersey. I chose -wait, let me rephrase- I told Kevin I would only live here IF he found a place to live in one of the populated areas, close to malls, shopping centers, and plenty of grocery stores.

New Jersey has had it's ups and downs, surprises, and new adventures. And this is, by far, my favorite. I have made a handful of GREAT friends, and, no matter where we are next, I will always remember and love the ones that made this place my temporary "Home."

Marissa and Dan, our PREGNANT :) church and Military friends

Steph Carr, my friend I didn't know while I was at Harding... but she was there.

Ruger, Steph's dog, and our shooting buddy

 

The Perfect Storm - Sandy

Well, I do agree with my friend Kacie Lester when she says that I bring Texas storms wherever I go. First in Arkansas, with the terrible storms that brought us tornadoes, now to New Jersey. Last year, our area had the first hurricane in many years -- Irene. And now... We are looking at 3 big threats to hit us all at once.

I didn't realize how bad this storm could become until yesterday in the lunch room at work. It's funny how teachers have such a talent for covering about 10 topics in span of our 30 minute lunch. From nuns to The Notebook to inappropriate swim suits to hurricanes, we covered a lot of important issues yesterday!! When we landed the conversation of hurricanes, one of the teachers shared an article she had read about this storm. It is said to be like the Perfect Storm of 1991 that hit the coast of New England.

**Side Note: NBC10 is on TV as I type. It says Sandy is targeting the span of New York through Central New Jersey and down to Delaware. THAT'S ME!! Right now it is a Category 1 and may weaken before it gains strength again before it hits land. They are beginning to do Mandatory Evacuations for Cape May by Monday night. Philly is expecting 10 inches or more of rain. Mayor Nutter has told high flood plain areas to leave by 2 o'clock today. Not only coastal rains, but we are also going to be hit with inland rains.**

This article calls Sandy "Frankenstorm," because of the heavy rain, snow, high winds, and extreme tides. The harsh weather could extend even past Halloween... It could be a very wet Trick-or-Treating night. Sandy will be hitting around the time of a Full Moon, which is not only fitting and spooky but it also means that Sandy will be hitting when the tides are close to their highest. This threat makes the accumulation of rain greater than if it were to hit any other time. There are cool front systems coming in from Canada, as well as another cool front coming from Ohio.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=163600803

We could have the combination of a SUMMER storm with the air and possibly SNOW of WINTER!! Something just didn't seem right about seeing snow during a Hurricane. That happens in Texas, right??

It's funny to hear that the beaches I go to OFTEN in the summer are preparing to evacuate. Understand, I live only an hour inland from the shoreline. Long Beach Island talks about having to do a Mandatory Evacuation. (Heather and Mom, that is where we went when you came to visit this summer.)

We went grocery shopping yesterday to get a few things - Water, bread, tuna, Halloween candy... :) The water shelves were almost completely empty. We checked our battery supply and matches. Kevin ran out to try to find some extra batteries and possibly a bigger light source than my decorative candles. Grocery stores usually restock on Saturday nights (tonight), so we may try to go back out tonight to find some other necessities.

I will be sure to keep you updated and posted of how everything is progressing. Hopefully we won't lose power. If we do, don't worry, I will find a way to let you know everything is okay :)

Until next time... Beware of Frankenstorm!!

And many more! On channel 4! Like Scooby Doo and Rugrats too!

Did you ever hear kids sing that after the happy birthday song?? Now all I hear after it is "Hi-ya..(something something).. Eat more chicken!"

Happy Birthday to me and Twin A!!

I had a relaxing day at home with Kevin. We made hamburgers and caught up on our to-do list. I got to spend time with one of my favorite 1st graders, as we practiced our reading and decoding skills! Tutoring is fun with her! I came home, and Kevin and I went to our favorite sushi place near the house. Yummy birthday dinner!! I was able to talk to friends that I hadn't spoken to in months and some of them over a year!

Birthdays are hard when I'm so far away from family, but the birthday calls, texts, and blog posts (thank you Kacie) sure make it a little bit easier. I couldn't be more excited about being an age that is an even number!! 23 was not even divisible!! I feel that 24 will bring lots of fun and memorable moments.

Look back next year to see if I proved that to be true!!

Until the next big adventure of being 24...!

Speaking of new adventures...

Kevin has surprised me with a fun birthday event. He told me we are going skydiving! How do I feel about it? Three years ago when I told him I wanted to do it someday, I was stoked! Now, I think I may throw up tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes. When I make it down alive, I promise to be a better post-er. But for now, I must try to sleep before I get all worked up!

Small updates:

Washington D.C. pictures coming soon!

Having my family here was a lot of fun. We went to Johnson's Corner Farm and picked apples and pumpkins. We grabbed a wonderful homemade pie and fresh cornbread! Yum! After that, we had some lunch and made our way to New Hope, PA. What a cute little town it is! But the best part came when we drove a bit further to Peddlers Village. There were fun, cute shops surrounding islands of greenery and fall decorations. It provided benches, caged birds and rabbits for those that took a break from shopping. So cute!
Other days we hit up the malls and spent way too much money!

Wonderful being surrounded by my mom, aunt and Mama Rue! Forever memories!

I keep saying I am going to do a Before and After blog, but I keep adding more to our house! Maybe I'll pause and call it Before and Present. I decided to put it off no more! I will take updated pictures of our house and begin the blog once Parent-Teacher Conferences are over :).

Talk to you soon, because I will not accept any other outcome from our Free Falling trip tomorrow!

Good night :)

Adventures are happening!

Sorry I skipped posts. This new job really takes time away from everything that has nothing to school. But, I will complete my Before and After blog!
Before I do that... I will be capturing the sights of Washington D.C.!!! Kevin and I are heading to the Capitol this weekend.

And I'm sorry to say, but not sorry it is, I won't post next week because my mom, aunt, and grandma are coming to town! We will have our own adventures to Johnson's Corner Farm, McGuire Air Force Base, Philadelphia, and the countryside.

Be sure to check back in a couple weeks for these new flights of this part of our life!

Happy Fall :)