Merry Christmas!

Just wanted to wish all of our friends and family a very Merry Christmas from the Kempton's! We love you all! Happy Holidays. :)

Cutest little firewoman on the block

Need I say more?

The New BK

After some very careful consideration, BK now has bangs and really dark hair. (Yes, it IS darker than normal)

Happy Birthday Baby Girl

Today my Cadence turned 2 years old. I can't believe how fast these first 2 years have flown by for us. She has blessed our lives in more ways than we can count. Happy Birthday, precious girl.

Potty Time!

Well, the time is upon us... Cadence is ready to potty train! Woo hoo! For a while we have just been taking her to the potty here and there and just not pushing it. But the other night she took her own diaper off and went to the potty and came and got me afterward. I was in shock! My precious little girl is growing up.

Is it okay that I am not ready for this? Diapers are so much easier! Sure...they are more expensive, but I don't have to really worry about accidents much! This will be quite an experience!

(As you can tell by the picture, C isn't so sure about this either)

You're Still the One

September 16, 2008 marked 7 years since James and I began dating. A lot has happened in that 7 years. We both graduated high school and made brief attempts at college. We got married and had the world's most beautiful little girl. We've been through our share of problems and come out on the other side stronger than ever. And we've made some wonderful memories together. James is the love of my life. I am so thankful to be able to call myself his wife.

When Daddy's In Charge

I was working upstairs while Cadence was trapped in her high chair eating yogurt and Daddy was "watching" her. All the sudden, I hear "Britt...come down here...". This is what I found... She was VERY pleased with herself. Little stinker...

Terrible Two's

So, 1 month and 8 days to go until Cadence is 2 and we are already experiencing the terrible twos. I am NOT excited about this. Seems like all this girl does anymore is fuss. C'est la vie...she is still pretty darn cute when she is acting like a human being. I swear she knows every word in the dictionary now. Okay...not EVERY word, but most of them. She knows all the animals and what noises they make, and of her 65 Noah's Ark books, she can pick him out as the old bearded man every time.

I Heart NY

And so does Cadence...

I'm so glad Cadence said to me while shopping in Old Navy, "Mommy, please buy me this shirt...I love NY just like you." So I caved....

Disney Vacation 2008

Me, James & Connor

Me, Kelly & Jamie

Everyone

Cadence, Jordan, and Connor

Cadence loving on Dace

So we recently took a much needed vacation and ventured down to South Florida. Our first stop was Wesley Chapel to stay with Kelly and Daniel. They have such a beautiful home. It was nice spending some time with them and letting the kids play. Cadence loved Dace and was acting very Mommy towards him!

Next up we met Dad, Kim, Jamie, Nichol, and Connor in Orlando and headed to Magic Kingdom. It was so nice getting to see everyone. We hadn't seen Jamie and Nichol since their wedding 2.5 years ago in Tucson. They had never met Cadence and we had never met Connor. He is one of the sweetest babies I have ever met. It took C a while to warm up to Uncle Jamie, but as soon as he bought her a lollipop the size of her head, she liked him. :)

After saying goodbye to the Boyle's Sunday morning, we headed to Animal Kingdom with Daniel, Kelly and the boys. It was a ton of fun but VERY hot! We still have a day left on our 3 day pass, so I see another trip down there in the future!

Sorry for the delay :)

So what has been going on? First off...I didn't get the job I last blogged about. I totally saw it coming and was rather relieved to hear it. I then talked to my boss who talked to his boss and he said I'm covered. I'm going to stay where I am at. Woo hoo!

I just turned 22 on the 14th. I was actually pretty sad about it! There is something depressing about leaving 21 behind...everyone thinks you are so "young" when you are 21...now I feel old. I had a good day, nonetheless. I got some beautiful flowers from my parents, TONS of phone calls and e-mails. It was all very nice.

Our friend Bryan FINALLY got home from "the desert" on the 11th. We were so thrilled to hear he finally made it. It's been 7 months! We are lucky...he has been officially stationed back home (here) so we get to bug the crap out of him. :)

Miss Cadence...what can I say. She is the absolute light of my life! My love for her is completely and utterly indescribable and it is the most amazing thing I could ever hope to experience. She steals my heart over and over again every single day. The "Wuvu" (I love you) and "Men" (Amen) and "Mommy" are the sweetest words ever. Come on parents...you know what I'm talking about. Okay...I just needed to, once again, brag on my little bug.

These days

I am interviewing for a new position tomorrow. This will be my second interview in two weeks. I obviously didn't get the last job. That's okay, I really wanted it but I know they went with a better candidate. I'm just praying that I stay true to the Lord's Will. This position doesn't involve more money (I don't think), but it will shave about 7 minutes off of my drive each way, so that's a plus. Incase you didn't know, my company was recently bought out for the second time by BAE Systems. Come October, the lease on my current building will be up and all of our people will be integrating to our MTI building on Ready Ave. This affects me because they have plenty of admin over there and I would more than likely be laid off. So I'm getting a jump start on the move!

On another note we spent Sat-Mon in Cape San Blas with James' family. It was fun, but I was ready to be home. Cadence doesn't love the sand or the water, although she did warm up to it a bit. Now we need a family (us 3 only) vacation!

My Little Girl

I'm sitting here at work and I get a call from what looks like James' cell phone. Here is the how the conversation went:

Me: BAE Systems, this is Brittany
Caller: ...
Me: Hello...
Caller: ...
Me: James! Hellloooo!
Caller: Momma! Dadda!
Me: Cadence! Hi Baby. :) Mommy loves you!
Cadence: Momma, momma, momma, momma! Click...

That just made my day. I called James back and he had no idea she had his phone. Ahh...the little things. :)

Sunday

Sunday we had a great day at church. During Sunday School, we had a professor of archaeaology and the Old Testament come and take us through the timeline of King's and showed a slideshow of what the land looks like today...it was really cool. Sunday evening we learned about a traditional Passover meal and what it was like that night at the Last Supper. You had to be there, but it was very interesting. :) We ate bitter herbs and I almost gagged...hehe.

We also got to spend some time with the Curlings. We don't see them very often, and Mrs. Eva was kind enough to make us lunch and open her home to us in between church services. She also took some great shots with her fancy camera.

I love this song.

I know that I'm not worthy to call upon your name
All my life I've been a sinner and for that I am ashamed
But I heard that you would listen so I'm giving you my plea
I'm too unworthy Lord, to come to you
Could you please come down to me?

I know that there are others who could offer more than I
I promise you I'd understand if for me you had no time
I think I've just hit bottom and I'm looking up to see
I'm too unworthy, Lord, to come to you
Could you please come down to me?

I guess I must be reaping from the seeds that I have sown
Lord, you owe me nothing, we haven't spoken for so long
If you could spare some mercy
I'll pledge my life to thee
I'm too unworthy, Lord, to come to you
Could you please come down to me?

Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me

Well, we are about 6lbs away from talking to a recruiter. The excitement is too much to handle. I was told yesterday that the wait time to leave for basic training will be 3-6 months. Hence why I am so anxious for James to enlist. I need some change. He's doing good, though, so I shouldn't complain.

I have kind of reached a plateau in my happy-ness these days. I feel like I'm trapped in a box and am itching to get out. On the one hand, I have a great job that pays me way too much. I love it, but I don't. I am ready to pursue something I can really excel at. What is that? I have no idea. We are blessed with a home that isn't too expensive, but basically we are getting what we pay for. Not so great... We have all managed to stay sick for several weeks and its getting old.

I think Cadence is scared of her room, too. She won't go to sleep in there anymore. I let her fall asleep with me, stick her in her bed, and between 1-3 am it is for sure that I will hear from her. She cries hysterically when she is in there awake. I don't believe in ghosts...but does she have one? Any advice for me?

Oh, and I hope everyone tuned in for American Idol last night. Archuleta totally stole the show...but I'm biased as I have loved him from the very beginning. Cook seems extremely self absorbed when the judges are praising him.

The waters have been quiet

Not much going on these days, really. Cadence is sick AGAIN, and the doc says there is nothing wrong with her. What does he know? Luckily, she has a follow up from her tube surgery tomorrow so hopefully that ENT can tell us if there is something wrong. Oh, and she is 31.5 lbs of love these days...

I'm coping with the loss of my best friend, but it's hard. No, she didn't pass away, but she moved...so I'm in mourning. Getting used to her NOT being here hasn't been easy; I keep thinking "Hey, maybe Amber will want to meet for lunch today...", yeah right, Brittany.

Still praying about joining the military. James is still doing good with his exercise/diet regimen. We'll see if it pays off. The thought of moving is really exciting to me. I think it would be good for us. Only God knows right now, though!

Weight Loss, Words, and Sprained Ankles

I am so proud of James. He has successfully lost 14 pounds on his trek to a healthier weight. He looks great and I can tell he feels great. Way to go, honey!

Cadence now says about 40-50 words. She surprises us with a new one about each day. The most recent surprise was "Love You!". We have been waiting for that! She also LOVES to pray and as soon as we are done, she says "Men!"...(as in Amen!). It is the cutest thing.

This morning I noticed she was limping a bit and she would point to her foot and say "Owe". So I pressed on it, rubbed it, bent it...and she didn't make much noise. But then she goes to walk and she is limping and crying saying "owe!". I felt so bad for her. Can babies get sprained ankles? I don't know if maybe she got it stuck in her crib slat and twisted it, or maybe it just fell asleep... Needless to say I have Meme on ankle watch today. Here's to hoping it's nothing.

Who Am I?

Do you ever just feel lost? Lost in thought, lost in life? I have a lot of days where I feel that way. Lost as in sitting here thinking of all the things I should be doing, could be doing...or even things I want to do. I don't know where I'm going...

Let me preface this by saying that I KNOW my Lord and Savior, and I KNOW that I will be spending eternity in heaven...that is not what I am talking about. I'm talking about doing my work down here. What does God want of me? What does God desire I do with this life He has given me? I'm not completely sure. All I can do is pray. I pray I'm a good wife to James...and mother to Cadence. I have a hard time understanding God's timing a lot, but really, who doesn't? It's a Great Mystery. But it's funny how once you have made it through a storm, or a trial, or a moment of joy and look back and see what God saw from the beginning. His timing really is perfect, even though we don't understand it.

Sometimes I feel lost at my job; like should I be in college right now? I know I want to go back, but when is the right time? We certainly don't have the finances right now, and I am not sure I want to spend my extra time away from Cadence. All the time I have with her is so precious.

Should we be in the military? Is James meant to join? We don't know that either. It feels like we have been here so many times before. How is this time different? Will God allow him to lose the weight he needs off and be able to join? I have so many unanswered questions, and who knows if they will ever get answered...

I choose to take it all in stride. Keep praying that God's will be done and keep trusting Him.

That's all I have...

Adult Time Is Always Good

James and I got the chance to go out with some of my (our) co-workers on Friday and it was great. Cadence was home sick with my mom, but she was doing OK. Of course our night didn't last too long, but any amount of adult time is great. Had some awesome (not exaggerating) pizza over at Helen Back...I was shocked at how good it was! We will go there again some time. Maybe when Bryan gets back from the desert. He'd like it. It was right on the water and it was an awesome night.

I haven't had much to say the past few days, so sorry for the lack of posts. James is sick with the flu now, that's great. Cadence is getting over her sinus infection. Can I have a break, please? Now my house is a wreck and I don't have an ounce of desire to clean it. Oh well, it can wait.

Been thinking a lot lately about Amber and Brandon moving...it's getting close and I fear I'll be a mess. I'll save the tears for then, though. I love you honey!

Slow Dance

Have you ever watched kids On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain Slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You better slow down. Don't dance so fast.
Time is short. The music won't last.
Do you run through each day On the fly?
When you ask How are you?
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done Do you lie in your bed With the next hundred chores Running through your head?
You'd better slow down Don't dance so fast.
Time is short. The music won't last.
Ever told your child, We'll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste, Not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch, Let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time To call and say,"Hi"
You'd better slow down. Don't dance so fast.
Time is short. The music won't last.
When you run so fast to get somewhere You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day, It is like an unopened gift.... Thrown away.
Life is not a race. Do take it slower
Hear the music Before the song is over

I have a problem

A shopping problem...seriously, it's an illness. I can't spend money for a month...are you kidding me? This isn't a restriction James put me on, but I self imposed. I handle the finances anyway. It's been two weeks and I have only bought groceries and James and I ate out to dinner on Friday. (Wait, scratch that, I got my hair did...but that was WAY overdue) What a change that is for me. Did you know Target was literally only 4.5 minutes from my office? Too close for comfort if you ask me. I must resist. I need to learn to control my cravings and not give in like usual. The smell of new clothes and shoes and all things baby for Cadence is just too tempting. How will I do it? How will I survive? Wish me luck.

A General Blah-ness

Today's Monday...woo hoo. The weekend was pretty depressing. Found out that a friend kind of screwed us over and it's going to cost us $400. That bites a big one. But, luckily we will be getting that tax rebate (Lord willing) and it should cover us. I just need to learn to be thankful. At least it's not coming directly out of our pocket, right?

James' alarm went off 3 different times this morning, so basically I got up at 5am when my alarm wouldn't go off until 6am. Thanks honey...

Please pray for us...James is really working hard at exercising and eating right to lose enough weight to join the Air Force. We have been praying about this since before we got married, and it never seemed like the right time. Is the right time now? I don't know. Only God does. I think it would be really good for our little family. Don't get me wrong, depending on our parents and having them nearby is great, but we have gotten very comfortable here. I think we need some real world experience...

Until next time, America...

Can't Hold It In

I realize 3 posts in 1 day is a lot, but I have a lot in my head. I constantly feel the need to talk about Cadence. Yeah, yeah...I know it's natural when you are a parent, but I have a different need. It's like a sickness. I HAVE to tell people how much I love her. I HAVE to tell people that the love you take on when you have a child is so indescribable. I guess it has to do with reading about so many sick children and reading about people who have lost their babies or never gotten a chance to even meet them. I don't know why I read it...I guess to remind myself just how lucky I am and just how short life is.

Cadence is my world. I cannot imagine breathing if she weren't here. I make it a point to tell her every day how much I love her...and get in as many hugs and kisses as possible. I find myself constantly smelling her hair, kissing her little hands and feet, and just staring at her. I want to take it all in. What if there were no tomorrow with her? I want to be able to rest in knowing that I loved her to the innermost depths of my heart and soul. She IS my heart and soul. No doubt about it.

Not a day goes by that I am not asked the question "So, when are you having more?". I'm only 21 people! Lord willing, I have a lot of time! Yes, James and I want more babies. When? I don't know. If we had more money, we might just have one tomorrow, but that isn't the case. I also have that "Can I love another like I love her?" question constantly in my head. I know that I will take on a whole new love with another child, but for now I am being selfish because I only want Cadence to have it. Just for now...

Thanks for letting me share. :) Thank you, Lord, for letting me be Cadence's mom...what a blessing you have given me.

Losing Great Friends

The military really bites sometimes...especially where we live. You run the risk of befriending military folk and then they get stationed a thousand miles away. Not fair. Don't get me wrong, I love the military, but I hate losing friends to it.

Amber and I have been best friends for a while. Since high school. I don't know what it was, but one day I just realized how alike we were. I can tell her anything and not be judged, and I hope she feels she can do the same.

She and Brandon are leaving me soon...all the way to Maryland. Boo on Maryland. Now who am I going to e-mail all day while I act like I'm working? Who am I going to shop with? Who am I going to meet for lunch, and secretly go shopping? I am going to miss her. It really sucks. "She's only a plane ride away"...not when you can't afford that plane ride. Bah Humbug.

Not to mention, James and I also just recently lost a great couple that we loved hanging out with. James and Nathan kind of forced me and Mary to hang out for the first time. We knew them from church, and they lived literally two blocks from us. I let James know that I didn't need any new friends, and that I enjoyed being a homebody. :) Plus, they had a newborn, and we had none, so I wasn't used to friends with kids yet. After numerous times of Nathan and James prodding and telling us we were so alike, we caved. We were like old friends in an instant! Three years later I consider them great friends and miss them terribly. Mary was always a great friend and so easy to talk to. She always had great Godly guidance to share. Nathan could always push James to do something physical...James loved that. :) God Bless you, Robertson's!

Hopefully the first of many

After a failed attempt (on my part) to keep our other website going, I promise to do my best with this one. :)

Where we are right now:

I (Brittany) am still working for what was AIC and just passed my 3 year anniversary. It was actually pretty exciting for me. You don't see many 21 year olds with no degree holding a great job like mine, so I am very thankful.

James started working with my company's sister company, MTI, back in October. He is doing very well there. They depend on him a lot, and that is always important. We are still praying about whether or not the military is right for us, so please keep us in your thoughts.

Cadence is definitely the light of our lives these days. She now has about 30 or so words that she says consistently and it is the cutest thing. Her favorite word is Popsicle, which she interprets as "Padah". Just yesterday she had tubes put in her ears. She had 10 ear infections before this, so we are hoping this solves that problem. Other than being weirded out from the anesthesia, she was back to herself in no time. Lets hope that money was well spent. :)