still alive!

No, we haven't fallen off the face of the earth. I promise! Things have been very busy around here though! The main cause of all this craziness is that we moved a couple 2 weekends ago. I think I forget EVERY time how terrible moving is. This is the third time we've moved in the last 4 years. Crazy, I know! But we are planning to stay here for several years, so I'm sure I'll forget how bad it was by the next time we move. :) We also have had a lot of family here visiting, which we love...but it does prolong the unpacking process. My sister came to Raleigh from CA for the weekend, and David's parents are here from TX for two weekends in a row. They haven't seen Anderson since he was just a couple of weeks old, so it's fun to show them how much he's grown.

Here are a few updates on our family since it's been a while:

David: Work is going well for him...and we are thankful that he has a secure job during this time of severe job losses surrounding us. In a couple of weeks, he'll be heading to Charlotte for the weekend for a flag football tournament with some good friends from church. I'll miss him and it'll be the first time I've ever spent the weekend with the kids alone, but I know he deserves to get out for a while and do something he enjoys!

Ashley: The biggest thing for me right now is that I was recently diagnosed with arthritis. We are still in the testing process to figure out which type it is. We do know it's not Rheumatoid, but some other type. For those of you that don't know, I have been having a ton of joint pain since Anderson was about a month old. I at first thought it was just sore muscles due to hauling around a heavy carseat and doing other things I hadn't done in a while. Well, it never went away or got better, so I went to my PCP, and he referred me to a rheumatologist. I knew it couldn't be good at that point. After having blood drawn 3 different times, they finally figured out it's arthritis. I actually just went this morning to have the 3rd set of blood drawn, and they are sending it off to California to be tested to figure out the specifics. I'm getting ready to start 2 different medicines, one of which I'm really nervous about starting - Prednisone. I've heard awful stories of the side effects this medicine can have, so I'm just hoping for the best. If any of you have ever been on this medicine, please let me know about your experience with it! :) Other than that, things are going pretty well with me.

Camden: David and I have been amazed at this little boy's expanding vocabulary and ability to start spelling and reading some words. One of his very favorite things is to ask us how to spell a certain word, and write it down on paper. Whenever we are out somewhere, he's usually asking what something says or telling us all the letters he sees. At this rate, he might be reading before he even starts kindergarten! :) He is learning so much at school and we are beginning to get a little sad that his first year is almost over. However, we are enrolling him in a summer program there that is going to be 2 days a week in June and July. We thought it would be good for him to get out of the house those mornings and go do something he loves (wouldn't it be great if he loved school this much forever?!). Mommy will also have those 2 mornings to run errands with just one child. :) And as always, Camden is just adoring his little brother. I think Anderson might be his favorite toy of all. :)

Anderson: Man, talk about growing. This kid is growing right before our eyes. I feel like over the last few weeks he's become much more of a little kid than a baby. He's started to really play with toys (he has his very own toy basket in the living room now), and will lay on the floor playing for a good amount of time. We started rice cereal again with full force, and he tolerated it pretty well. He doesn't hate it, but doesn't love it either. Today I actually gave him carrots, and he did enjoy those pretty well! I think my plan is to start giving him cereal after his morning bottle, and a veggie after his lunch-time bottle. We'll see how that goes. All I know is that Anderson has a metabolism that is through the roof. He eats 8 oz. every 4 hours, cereal once a day, and 11 oz. at bedtime. With all that said, he still is in the 25th percentile for weight. Crazy! We've also really been working with Anderson to get his sleeping under control. He wakes several times during the night crying, but we are trying to resist going in is room so he can fall back asleep on his own. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Same for his naps. I am still trying to get him figured out, as he can nap for 1 hour one day, and 2.5 the next. He has started making sounds that sound like "Lalalalala" recently. He giggles and laughs several times throughout the day. I simply cannot get enough of this little guy.

Thanks for reading that novel I just wrote. Once things are more in order around here, I'll start posting pics of the house. We can't wait to finally have it done!

Here are some pictures of the boys from the last couple of weeks!

I love my boys in their PJ's. They just seem extra cuddly that way!

The boys' first bath together. Camden thought it was just about the greatest thing in the entire world!

Playing together. Camden loves to explain to Anderson what kind of bugs are hanging from his playmat.

So sweet.

The boys sitting in front of the door waiting for daddy to get home. However, when daddy drove up, Camden ran to hide... so it was actually just Anderson there waiting for him. :)

This might be one of my favorite pictures of all time. David put Anderson in his bumbo in the chair at the table for dinner time so he could sit with us. Well, everything goes in his mouth these days, and in this case the table was the only thing available! We were laughing so hard. (Yes, I know all the stuff they say about putting bumbos in elevated places, but I was sitting right next to him. Just didn't want you to worry.) :)

Busy during playtime. He loves to bang on that piano!

Camden frolicking through the grass on a beautiful spring-like day.

Look what a big boy he is sitting in his stroller. He LOVED being able to see everything vs. sitting in his carseat in the stroller.

I just loved how he kept putting his little feet on the bar like that. Look how skinny those little legs are! :)