Goofy Camden

We have been getting requests for more pictures of Camden. Here are a few pics of Camden acting goofy in his room. He made his crown in Sunday school this past week at church.

Camden watched High School Musical 2 recently. I think he's a big fan! He has been singing songs from the movie ever since I got home from work this evening.

First full week of August

Well, we've had much excitement this week with many new activities. We've frequented the Fitness Center many times already this week (a miracle in itself....it having childcare really makes it much more possible to get there). Camden is enjoying playing in the childcare area, and on certain days, he gets to do a "Little Fit Kidz" class. He gets to march and jump and play games in there designed to give the kids a mini-workout as well. I like that option. It helps tire him out some too, as I sure am ready for some down time after working out! We've gotten to go swimming, and that will undoubtedly be a great motivator to help Camden do those things I've been wanting him to do (like broadening his food choices). The proper motivation gets us all into good routines and habits.

I (Renee) took my first water aerobics class called "Deep Water Workout" which was what drew me to this gym in the first place. With the slipped disc in my neck, I need a workout that is no impact. They give you a flotation belt to wear around your waist and put you where you can't touch. The belt keeps you up, but if you want your whole head above water (I'm very claustrophobic, and I prefer to have waist up out of the water), you have to keep kicking. Beyond that, the lady has many different exercises that she calls out for you to do, and she counts them off. For at least 30 solid minutes, I was getting an incredible workout. Not sure if it's possible to sweat in water or not, but I was definitely sweating from my head above the water. Now, I was in this class with some older ladies, but they could have swam circles around me! They've taken the class for a long time, so they have it down. I know this is gonna help me get back in better shape.

Now on to more fun news....Camden started his second year of Cubbies last night! YAY! He had so much fun. Cubbie himself stopped by for a visit, and Camden got to meet him in person! They had a fun night making a Cubbie bear puppet and watching Veggie Tales. Camden got popcorn during the movie, so he was definitely happy! He is excited about learning more this year. He will have to know the Scripture references as well as the verses this year, so we are gonna work hard through the week for sure. He is so blessed though with a fantastic memory. It shouldn't be that much more difficult for him.

Eric and I sat in on the youth service last night. We're praying about getting involved there. We kind of want to stay in our adult SS classes though and get to know some people first. We'll see what the Lord has for us. Anyway, the service was awesome. Bro. Derek & his band are really hard core Christian, and they were great. He's a great speaker too, really hitting the hard issues. We are talking with him about doing some drama with the students as a way to ease into the program without becoming Small Group (SS) leaders right away. Drama is definitely our hearts, and it is probably Eric's best area of ministry that he is passionate about where it just comes easily for him. He's such a great actor...most people don't know when he's being serious and when he is messing with them. We're praying about these opportunities as we want to get into serving but aren't quite sure yet what the Lord wants for us.

We are excited about getting to take Camden to a UT game this fall. We are trying to get tickets to the Arkansas game in Knoxville. We have wanted to go every year, but last year we coached Upward football and the years before we couldn't make it work either. There are many home games this year, so that helped us out too. I can remember going up on Saturdays with my dad when I was in Middle school. It was so much fun to be there for the Vol Walk getting to sit on the Library Wall and be a part of the hype before and after the game. Eric and I have only been to one UT game together (although, it was the best one to go to....we got to see UT beat FSU in the National Championship game in Tempe, AZ....we lived in Tucson at the time...it was AWESOME...the desert was definitely painted orange!). We look forward to enjoying being a UT fan together as a family in the heart of Vol Country! It's almost time to say, "It's Football time in Tennessee!" Did I forget to mention that I'm a HUGE football fan? Definitely sport of choice to watch and play.

Well, I better go. I might try to work on some pictures for awhile. I guess you'll find out if I'm successful at it or not! Have a blessed day whenever you may be reading this!---Renee :)

Cabin 1B - Lighthouse Christian Camp

Here are the kids from Cabin 1B at Lighthouse Christian camp. Four of these kids accepted Christ as their Savior... Praise God!

Summer 2007

Summer's been fast-paced and is basically gone now! We've done swimming lessons, had fun at some water parks, and visited family & friends. Camden played Upward Soccer where we found out that he is pretty shy and not too sure about running after the ball into a group of kids that probably will knock him down if he tries. He had fun though, and we'll try another sport next year that doesn't involve so much mass chaos. Eric has been blessed to play more golf or go to the driving range this summer than ever. He & Camden enjoy the driving range together, and we all enjoy playing a round of golf. Since Camden is getting older and more independent, it makes it a lot easier to do fun activities like this as a family.

We felt the Lord was leading us to look for a new church back in the spring, so we visited many places in late spring and early summer. We joined a new church, Flint River Baptist Church (http://www.frbc.org/), on July 1. We are so pleased that the Lord made our transition quick and easy into the new place of worship & service He had for us. We enjoyed a great time at our church's "Freedom Celebration" on July 1 where we saw Big Daddy Weave in concert and played in inflatables. Renee has already been enjoying being a part of a huge choir. She is also enjoying her new Ladies Sunday School class. Eric is looking into & praying about working in the student ministry. He is also enjoying his Men's Sunday School class as well. Camden is adjusting well to our new church too. He has so many activities focused at teaching him about Jesus & the Bible here. He finished his first year of Cubbies in the AWANA program last year, and he will start his second year of Cubbies this week. He will be a part of a preschool choir starting soon. Beyond Sunday School, he will have a lesson and focused activities related to the lesson during the worship time as well. We are very excited to be settled in a church home once again.

On with summer:
We volunteered at Lighthouse Christian Camp (http://www.lighthousechristiancamp.com/) for a week in July. It reaches out to children who could never afford to go to summer camp, and most of the children come from rough home lives. The children get to do all sorts of fun stuff while learning about God's love for them. They are given the opportunity to accept Jesus as their Savior, and many of them do by the week's end. Eric got to lead 4 boys from his cabin to the Lord while at camp. Renee helped cook all week for the 100 or so boys, volunteers, & staff. What a blessing! God is so good. Camden spent the week with his Mimi & GaGa (it's in the town Renee grew up in where they still live), and he had a blast! He got to visit with his Daddy Gene & Mommy Nell as well as go on fun adventures to play with new friends at McDonald's, the county fair, etc.

We joined today at the Fitness Center on the local college campus where Camden took swim lessons earlier this summer. We are excited about being able to take him swimming more often & year round (indoor pool--YAY!)

We've had several friends have surgeries and injuries this summer, so we have spent some time showing them God's love in practical ways. It's so great that even though we weren't settled in a church home part of the time that God still gave us opportunities to serve Him. We are certainly happiest when doing the Lord's work.

Open House for Mother's Day Out will be Friday for Camden. He will start "school" on Aug 14. He goes on Tuesdays & Thursdays to help prepare him for elementary school and give Mommy some time to get projects done.

I'll end here for now. I'll try to post some pics soon.

Getting Started

We're getting started on our webpage. We hope to keep pictures posted to keep up with the fast pace of our lives these days. Seems like the first few years of having Camden around were spent at home teaching him how to be an independent little boy, and now, he's got it! We stay busy and on the go these days. It's so much fun. We wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.