Has it been a whole year already?

Wow. I can't believe it's been a whole year since our last blog update!

Over the last year, Camden quit the blog. He says that blogs are "so 2008" and he has moved on to Twitter. He now spends all his time running around the house with his dump truck like a crazy person. He has become quite a fun little 19 month old. Both Mary and I are greatly enjoying being able to really play with him and interact with him. He is starting to say lots of words and repeats most things we say to him. It seems like everyday he surprises us with something he knows or says. For example, Mary was reading to him a book about shapes today and he pointed to a circle and shouted "circle!" We are very proud parents.

Camden's favorite thing, however, is trains. Our house is close enough to the railroad tracks that we can hear the trains blow their horns when they come by. Every single time Camden hears a train, he yells "beep beep!" and runs to either the door or a window to try to see the train going by. When he is not looking for trains he is often playing with his train set, building tracks, and pushing his trains around. Here is a couple pictures from the pumpkin patch this year:

So over this last year, we have been a little bit busy. Being a stock broker is, in a word - exciting. Actually, I love it. Everyday is interesting and it is always changing. I absolutely love having a job that allows me to make a significant, positive impact in people's lives (although - everyone does if you really think about it).

Speaking of work, Mary started a preschool this year with two other women from church (one being her sister). She loves it. God has clearly gifted her in the area of working with little children and it shows. In a tough year for preschools (and really all schools), they have been steadily growing, adding more students every few weeks. It's been great hearing the stories of what the preschoolers are up to and seeing how much our little niece, Emma, is learning.

The preschool is called SonShine Christian Preschool. Check it out here for more info if you want.

Mary hasn't worked in a few weeks though for a very big reason. We had another baby! If you haven't met him already, this is Andersen David Gudgel:

He was born on November 9, 2009. He was 19.5" tall and weighed 8 lbs and 4 oz. He has been a great early Christmas present and we couldn't be more thrilled. And as you can see, Camden has been having some fun with his little brother.

Okay, so we didn't actually let Camden push him around in the dump truck, but he gives him kisses and holds him every now and then. So far, they get along just fine. I'm excited for the day when they can play together.

Looking back on a very full year, we can't help but be thankful for how blessed we are. God continues to provide in amazing ways and makes his blessings new everyday. We are looking forward to a great Christmas and an exciting new year next year.

Merry Christmas! God bless you.