The Gudgels Family of four.. and room for more!

Our Christmas Card

2011-12-17T19:00:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it's that time of year again, ALREADY? With Christmas only a week away I hope you and your families are doing well and are ready to relax and take in this special Holiday. For our little family that is exactly what's happening over the next week. Or at least I'm going to try and have that be the case!

Sooo where do I start? I guess first I should say we are working on a timeline that revolves around March 13, 2012. That will be when our little girl, Kayley Bernice, comes into this world! Or at least that's when we have the c-section scheduled. We are beyond thrilled to be having a girl and can't wait to meet her! Although, a lot is going to happen before then.

Once we get through Christmas we will be in full "packing and moving" mode. That's right we are moving! (Don't worry too much local friends, we are not moving far) Long story short we are selling our house and moving from Atwater to Merced. We are very excited about the house the Lord has provided for us and are especially excited to being only 5 minutes from both the church and Brian's work. We will be saving lots of money on gas with this big move and for that reason alone we are thrilled. We will be all moved into the new house in February, just one month before our new addition arrives.

So other than those few huge changes most everything is the same for our little family.

We are still certified to do foster care although we have shifted our role a little bit for now. We started the Safe Families ministry at our church and are anxiously waiting to see how God is going to use everyone involved. This is a ministry similar to foster care, but it offers support to parents that need help and allows them to take control and make changes before CPS has to get involved. To read more about this ministry you can click here: Safe Families

Brian has been with UBS Financial Services for five years now and still enjoying it. Recently he has been co-teaching the Freshman and Sophomore high school group on Sunday mornings. Brian's parents and sister are living in the bay area and we get to see them almost every month. We are very spoiled to have them so close and the boys absolutely love every minute they get to spend with them. Brian's brother, Brent, and his wife Danielle, recently moved to Austin, Texas. They are enjoying the south and we hope to visit their new stomping grounds sometime soon. We are blessed we will be able to see them in about a week as we will all be at Brian's parents house for Christmas this year!

I am in the middle of my third year teaching at SonShine Christian Preschool at First Baptist Church in Merced. This school year has been wonderful and I am so thankful for my students and their wonderful parents! I am also very thankful for my co-workers. It's so nice working with people you really look forward to being around! Photography is also keeping me busy, however I am done with photo shoots until after Kayley is born. As if I couldn't have a more full plate I added one more thing about a month ago. I now am an Independent Scentsy consultant. Really this isn't much work at all. It just gives me an excuse to shop online. I love doing it, and the little bit of extra income has been nice. My family is still living in Merced and we get to see them pretty much every day. There is definitely something special about the boys being able to go to Papa's office regularly and scoring some "gummy fish" from his top drawer.

Camden is now 3 1/2 years old and often I have to remind myself he's only that! He started preschool three days a week this year and is enjoying it. He especially enjoys being at school with his cousin Kara. He is constantly impressing us with how smart he is and makes us smile with all of the things he says. He is very excited to be having a baby sister, although he often tells us we need to have more babies after baby Kayley is born because he wants our family to be "just a little bit bigger."

Andersen turned two in November and his personality is really starting to shine. He is very deliberate in just about everything he does. He especially loves spending time with his daddy and is often found grasping Brian's hand and leading him from the movie cabinet to the playroom and anywhere else he wants to be. He loves Cars 2 and has much commentary for just about the whole movie. Although only parts of what he is saying we can understand. I try and tell him baby Kayley is in my tummy but he just looks at me like I am crazy. It will be interesting to see how he adjusts to our new addition.

We will try and update our blog more regularly and we look forward to introducing you to Kayley in a few short months! Merry Christmas!

Much Love,
The Gudgels

Pumpkins!

2011-10-25T22:26:00.000-07:00

This was our third year going to this pumpkin patch, and each time, what I remember most is the heat! You'd think by the third year I'd expect it to be hot... but for some reason I just associate pumpkins with fall and fall with cool weather.. hmm not in the central valley! We had a great time this time with just our little family. The boys loved running and getting all sweaty. They especially loved picking the pumpkins they were going to get to carve. It was fun that Cam actually understood that if we were going to make a "pumpkin family" we had to take the size of the pumpkins into consideration. We started with baby K's pumpkin, obviously that one would be the smallest, and worked our way up from there. He is such a smart little guy, he got it, no problem!

Running through the pumpkin patch and sun flowers

Ander peaking out of the teepee

My 3 handsome men!

I kept trying to have the boys take a picture with the sunflowers but I kid you not, every single one had a few of these creatures in the middle of them.. So I took a picture of the bee's instead

Cam finding an appropriate size pumpkin to represent him in our "pumpkin family"

Ander either doesn't get what we are trying to do or thinks he's much bigger than he is.. probably both

At the top of the pumpkin stack.. When did my baby boy turn into a big boy?

Taking our great finds to the car

Time to carve pumpkins! Cam drawing his face on his pumpkin so dad could cut it out... needless to say this was more for his sake than Brian's

Ander was not very interested in the pumpkin carving... the fly swatter however.. that was a big hit...

Our finished "pumpkin family"

Ander still not very interested

And here we are all lit up!

I love this picture because even though he's been getting the lyrics mixed up, Cam has been singing "This little light of mine" to himself a lot! I'm sure there's a lot of history behind pumpkin carving, and i'm sure any one can relate it back to whatever they want.. When I was little I told my first grade class that halloween was the devils birthday... Opposite of Christmas right? haha Well, our kids are going to relate pumpkin carving to Matthew 5:16 "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds, and praise your father in heaven." Look how bright these pumpkins shine, is our light shinning for Jesus every day?

Scarf and Jewelry organization

2011-10-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

So a few days ago I gave in and joined Pinterest. I was quick to fill my boards with projects I wanted to do. Brian asked me when I planned on doing all of these things and my first response was, "Christmas Break". To our surprise I've already finished two of my "pins" only a few days later. All it took was a free Friday night and a quick visit to the new Hobby Lobby in town.

The first project I did was a scarf organizer. It was supposed to be way cooler than it was. Pretty much I thought I would be able to roll my scarfs and tuck them in shower curtain rings laced together and hanging from a hanger. It all was going great until it came time to roll the scarfs and I realized, no matter how hard I tried, there was no way I was going to get my scarfs to fit into that small of a circle. So instead I draped my scarfs through the holes and let them hang. It works well and still is a great way to organize my scarfs but its not nearly as "neat" as what I was hoping for.

This is what I was thinking it was going to be able to do...

This is what I made that was supposed to be able to let me store my scarfs like the above...

Only one of my 13 scarfs actually fit through the hole the way I was wanting it to. All the others weren't even close to being able to. So now they are all just draped through each one.. not as cute as the rolled version but it will do.

The second project however was a huge success. I made a jewelry organizer and I love it! Before I had all of my jewelry in one of those hanging organizers with pockets. It worked well but It was hard to remember what I had because it always got stuffed back in pockets and I had to double up on pockets in order to fit everything. I wore my favorites all the time but I forgot how much other stuff I had until I started pulling it all out and sorting through it.

This is how I am now storing my jewelry. I love it!

It was super easy and pretty affordable. I got all of my materials at Hobby Lobby,
here is what I used:

Stuff I bought at Hobby Lobby:
A backless, empty frame.... $15.99
Screw in cup hooks, 4 packs of 6... $7.96
A 13"x22" sheet of plastic canvas ... $1.89
(this is a sturdy plastic plastic sheet with lots of little holes)

All for a grand total of $25.84 (before tax)

Stuff I already had:
Drill with small drill bit
Ribbon
Staple Gun

This project was a success!!! I still use my pocket hanging organizer for all of my bracelets. It's prefect for that.

Camden's first day of preschool

2011-08-17T19:48:00.001-07:00

I can't believe the day has come. Camden started preschool! This is my third year teaching preschool and I love it. Camden will have half day preschool for two years before he starts kinder so for now I'm only sending him Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It was so fun having him with me today. I loved my job already, but I will say its even more special for me that my little guy gets to be a part of the program.

Before we left for the morning we had to take a picture with daddy of course!

We dropped Ander off with miss Lauren. Cam kept reassuring Ander that we would be back to pick him up soon. It was really cute.

In front of preschool with mommy/teacher ;)

By his cubby

His other teacher Miss Mallory

With his cousin Kara. He loved that she was at preschool with him.

With Miss Cindy

and Miss Brandy

We got busy after that and I'm so bummed we didn't get a picture with Auntie (Miss) Amy. Also Miss Erin doesn't work today so we missed that one too.

We are so blessed to be part of this special little preschool family. It's fun seeing everything from a parent perspective now. I can't wait to see my little guy grow.

5 years!

2011-08-15T15:55:00.000-07:00

Brian and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary last month. I can't believe we've been married for that long. It seems like we were just dating at APU... but at the same time it's hard to remember my life without him. I am so thankful to have such a wonderful husband. We had a great trip. It started with a walk down memory lane...

Where it all began.

More specifically here...

The Crestview pool. At the beginning of my Sophomore year I was hanging out with some of my friends at the pool. Brian and his friend (another Brian) came by the pool after a game of tennis. Somehow we ended up at their house for a BBQ... I believe it was Labor day weekend.

This was the house...

Brian lived in the canyon house with.. 6 (trying to remember exactly, but not sure) other guys. Lots of memories were made here! From BBQ's, to Christmas parties, becoming "officially BF and GF and even our first kiss!! How cheezy, but all memorable times in our relationship.

This was where I was living.. the good ol' Mods

We spent a lot of our time between classes hanging out here..

Cougar Walk!

And my junior year I lived here...

We ended our little visit down memory lane with a stop at the first place we lived when we got married. Parkwood Place apartments in Glendora.

We had fun visiting all the places that hold so many great memories for us. However, we were more looking forward to our final destination. Crystal cove. We got an awesome deal on a little beach cottage. It was gorgeous.

The side of our little cottage

We had such a big yard I felt like we needed to entertain some guests... We did end up getting to see some great friends.

Our view from the porch

The inside

The beach

Such a cool little community

The little cottage on the cliff above me is where we stayed.

This was staged but not far from how we did spend most of our trip.. no internet and no tv... relaxing!

Sunset..

Brian's brother and his wife came to visit us the last night we were there. We were so happy we got to spend a bit more time with them before their big move to Texas! We will miss them like crazy... but Christmas doesn't seem TOO far away.

We had a wonderful trip and I can't wait to go back there sometime. Hopefully next summer for a family vacation. =)

What's next for Foster Care and our Family?

2011-08-12T16:27:00.000-07:00

You've heard our exciting news... we are having another baby, due in March. Some of you may be wondering what happened to wanting to do foster care??? Well we are still very much involved and wanting to help children in need.

Before we got pregnant we were approached by our foster care agency about a new (or new to our area) program called Safe Families. It's a program that helps families in crisis. They help families before CPS needs to get involved. An example may be a mom that needs to go to rehab but has no support system to help with her kids while she is in the program. Safe Families can help that mom find a safe family home that would be willing to take her kids while she was getting the help she needs.

For now this program seems to be a perfect fit for our family. The average length of care needed is 6 weeks. We need something short term. I like it because its a program that also supports the parents. They are working with parents that want to do better for their family but just need help.

The biggest hurdle we are facing at the time is getting started. In order to be a part of Safe Families you need to go to a church that has a Safe Families ministry. There are non in the central valley, but hopefully that will change soon.

The director of the private foster care agency we have been going through is trying to get Safe Families in our area. He has quite a few churches going through training in the Sacramento area. All it takes is a few families in the church that want to help. There are different roles that need to be covered. Here are the roles from what I know so far.

Host Families: Families willing to take in children. Requires training and fingerprinting.

Family Coach: Requires training (and I think finger printing). Helps the host families by supporting them. Works on building relationships with parents and getting them involved so when they are ready to have their children back they will continue to have a support system.

Family Friends: Requires no training but will be given a guide on how to help. Their roll is to simply encourage the host families and help them when needed. Being involved in such an awesome church with great people we already have this. We would just need some of those families to become official "family friends".

Another cool thing, Merced County knows Koinonia is trying to bring this program to Merced and they are all for it! They know that if parents can get help before they have to intervene it can be a huge help to everyone.

So if you go to FBC Merced and this sounds interesting to you let me know! In order to make this work we need at least one family in every role that wants to help. disclaimer: we are pending elder board approval to get this ministry going, but we know if it's God's will for our church to take this on it wont be a problem. Once (or maybe I should say if) the Elders say we can go for it we will announce a meeting that will give more info on the program. It usually takes about 4 to 6 weeks to have a Safe Families program up and running so hopefully we can do that soon. We have already been approached about a family that will need our help from December-March. I really hope we can make a difference to this mom and be ready to help her in her time of crisis.

If you don't go to FBC Merced but still want to get involved, look on the the Safe Families website to see if there is a church in your area that does Safe Families.

Here is the website.
http://www.safe-families.org/default.aspx

So what if FBC Merced isn't willing to take on the Safe Families ministry? Then I think our next step will be to try and do emergency foster care. Again short term. Our agency is currently trying to see if Merced is need of emergency foster care homes.

Beach Camping

2011-07-18T21:45:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun camping at Manresa State Beach. Our campgrounds were up on the hill, just a short walk down to the beach. Perfect camping in my mind. The only downside to this trip was Brian wasn't able to come with us. (We can't all be teachers and get summers off) We went with my parents, my sister and her family, and my brother and his gf. We are thinking this needs to become a Hicks family tradition.

The two youngest cousins relaxing while we set up camp

We love sand castles...

waiting for water to fill their buckets... it was a long wait.. lol

climbing trees

flying kites

Branco makes a good babysitter

My brother cheezin it..

Wondering what's going on with foster care? There are a couple different developments in the works. We are waiting to see what direction God is leading our family and as soon as we know we will let you all know as well. They both involve taking kids into our home in different ways... just new opportunities we are excited about!

4th of July!

2011-07-09T14:40:00.000-07:00

For as long as I can remember we have celebrated the 4th of July with my mom's brothers family. My uncle and my sister have the same bday the end of June so we always used it as an opportunity to celebrate that. Now my niece has her bday the beginning of July so we've added her party to the 4th get together as well. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family.

Our attempt to get the little cousin pic.. although this wasn't how we were instructing them to stand.. it might be my favorite picture of the 5 cousins.

A little more traditional

All of the "kid" cousins.. Although some of them wont be kids for much longer.

The A family.. Minus one.. we missed you Ash!

My awesome parents

Me and my sister

And with our cousins who might as well be our sisters.

Happy bday K!

B playing it extra safe in the kiddie pool. Notice her life jacket, and floatie!

Cam diggin in to the cake

Montana 2011

2011-07-05T22:34:00.000-07:00

The first time we went to Montana was in 2008...

as you can see, Camden was only a month old.

This year was our forth year going. Every summer we wonder if we'll get to have the opportunity to go again and so far we are lucky enough to return each year.

For those of you that haven't heard. We get to stay on flat head lake in a beautiful lake house. The people that own the house are two of the most generous people I have ever met in my life. They go to the church in Arizona where Brian's dad used to be the pastor. They let us use the house, their boat, jet skiis etc all for free. I got to meet them myself this year and they proved to be exactly how I pictured them to be. They were so kind, I felt like i'd known them forever with how comfortable they made us feel.

It's a great reminder for me. We need to be thankful for what God has blessed us with and be willing to share it with the people in our lives. I don't have a lake house, a boat, or jet skiis.. but I do have more "things" than a lot of people in this world do and its a good reminder I need to be willing to share those things with others.

"Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life."
-1 Timothy 6:17-19

Now for the fun part.. pictures from this years trip.. warning... lots of pictures

I know this hat is pink... but you have to admit he rocks it well..

The whole fam loved the wave runners..

and tubing

Brians older brother and his wife

the "kids"

grandpa giving badminton lessons

and soccer lessons.. notice cam kicking with the top of his foot and not his toe

and volleyball..

and croquet

playing tag with auntie K

teeter toter with Nonna

throwing rocks in the water is a HUGE event in Montana

We did a mini photo shoot while we there..

The rodeo

Moms learn how to multi task

when did A take modeling classes?

every year there's something new, this year was the tree house.

So how can you help?

2011-06-11T23:02:00.000-07:00

When we got the boys they came with TONS of clothes. This was very cool. However as I was sorting through things I realized the majority of the clothes were one to two.. or three sizes too small for them. Immediately I started making piles to make sense of things.

They are ages 4 and 6 and some of the clothes were 2T and 24months. I'm sure they've had these things forever and who knows if they've been wearing them... but I quickly made a pile of things I knew were too small for them. I mostly shifted around and gave the younger boy the older boys clothes. I have a box of clothes that don't fit them and my hope is when our social worker comes I can ask her if I can switch out the box of old clothes for a box of new (or new to them) clothes. I've got some great stuff so far but I'm still in need of size 6 and 7. Pants, shorts, shirts, jammies.. you name it. If you have any gently used items in these sizes that your kiddos aren't using or if you feel the urge to donate to the cause then email me marygudgel@hotmail.com or message me on fb. I'm thinking we'll have the boys until wed so its gotta be soon.

I'm sure you know appearance can make a huge difference in kids self esteem. These boys are incredible and I want to make sure they at least have a good wardrobe of clothes that fit them as they transition into their next home. (for more about that read my previous post)

Be prepared, this is a long one!

2011-06-11T22:16:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a very busy, exciting, emotional three days!

We got our "big boys" and they are doing so great. The foster mom that had them before us was known to run a tight ship. It's obvious they learned a lot from being with her. I've been impressed in so many different ways with how well behaved they are. They really are great boys. For instance.. in the morning when they wake up they wont get out of bed until Brian or I go in their room and say good morning to them. We don't hear a peep from them until we go in there. That's just a small example.. they know how to share, use good manners, are good eaters, and the list goes on. hmm dream placement? I think so. However the situation is not as perfect as they are. =(

They are free for adoption. They have siblings and before they were placed with us they had been with two of their biological sisters. The social worker gave the ok to separate them on the condition that they have weekly visits with their sisters who are in another foster-adopt home in town.

We knew they were adoptable when they were placed with us, but they were trying to place them quickly so they asked if we would take them for a week and provide respite care. After a week we are supposed to decide if we are serious about keeping them, possibly adopting them. We agreed to the week and with the excitement there was a part of me that really thought we may be able to adopt them eventually.

As soon as we loaded them and all of their stuff in the car the day we picked them up they immediately started calling us mom and dad. A little shocked we went with it. We would soon figure out they give that title to whoever is taking care of them at the time. That's all they know of a mom and dad. Let's just say hearing mom and dad out of 2 boys is much different than hearing it from 4 boys. The fist night home was very crazy, but it went as well as it could. Bedtime is where I started to melt. We were putting the big boys to bed and one of them volunteered to pray. He prayed for his siblings by name, his old foster mom, dad (Brian) and "this mom" and he squeezed my hand. For some reason I found myself literally fighting back tears. I couldn't ignore the fact these boys have NO ONE and it hit me like a load of bricks.

After we put Cam to bed we came out to the living room. I couldn't stop crying. I felt so overwhelmed. Brian and I were exactly on the same page. We realized how big of an undertaking having these boys is. We agreed that having them forever, adopting them, would definitely have to complete our family and we both know we're not ready for that. We both want at least one more biological child. So what happens next?

We're not 100 percent sure, however we think it may involve them getting back with their siblings and being replaced in a home that will take all four kiddos. We are waiting to hear from the county worker as to what the next step is. I'm thinking we will have them until Wednesday or Thursday. I am totally ok with that, in fact I said we could keep them for awhile if they want to try and find the right family, but no is sure if that's the best. Tonight I finally found a peace with the whole situation. I've been praying God would help me understand what HE was doing as best as possible, and understand the emotions I was feeling. He's given me a few hints that everything will be ok. The younger one last night at bed time said, "we're going to move" I was a little taken back since they haven't heard us talk about anything regarding how long they will be here. I asked him what he meant and again he just said "we're going to move". The older one got really mad at him and told him to stop lying. The older one is really looking to attach. So this evening we were outside and both of the older boys were sitting with me. The younger one mentioned when they moved another time they found a dead snake in the yard.. he thought it was cool. I asked him if he liked moving and he said yea. I asked him if he thought it was kind of fun to be able to stay at a bunch of houses and again he said yes and smiled. The older one then told me he wanted to stay here. I told him he could stay here until they find a great place for him to go. Finally I felt like I was being honest with them. I don't want them to be in constant worry about having to leave us, but I also don't want to give them any reason to think we lied to them or broke a promise to them. He was fine with that answer and we had a fabulous rest of the night.

So I've accepted the fact these little boys will most likely only be with us for a few more days, until the end of the respite care period. I know that God had them with us for some reason. We learned a lot and I hope if nothing else they will know in their heart they have one more mom and dad that care about them a lot and will pray for them often. As I'm sitting here amongst all these piles of little boy clothes I know a way we can continue to help them, and you can help them too! If you're interested read my next blog post. It will be much shorter and straight to the point.

I'm sure my emotional roller coaster will continue for quite awhile as I reflect on our experience with these little guys, but that's a part of this whole experience. Our social worker told us that it often takes actually getting your fist placement to figure out what you're really wanting/willing to do.

For us, for now, its going to be short term foster care. Only placements whose parent(s) are actively involved in getting their kids back. We can handle kids for shorter periods of time.. in fact we can try to even plan on having more kids around that.. but we're not ready to adopt at the moment. For this we are sure.

We're getting a placement!

2011-06-07T22:15:00.000-07:00

Well the time has come! We finally (that's the impatient part of me talking) are getting a placement! I say finally but really it's great timing. I just finished school two weeks ago and I am now on summer break until mid August. It will be very nice to have some down time to get adjusted with the new additions to our family. Yes I said additions... two boys.

I can't tell you much about their situation because I'm not allowed to. Lets see I can tell you ages... They are 4 and 6 years old. We initially didn't think we wanted kids older than 4 but for some reason when they called us with these two we didn't have any hesitation. Maybe that's because a month ago they called us and asked if we wanted to take a 9 year old and that felt really old. (We obviously said no, although there was a BIG part of me that wanted to say yes).

We will have them for one week before we officially become their foster parents. This gives us some time to make sure its going to work out. If then we decide we want to switch them over to our care then we could have them for quite awhile.

With that.. I'm going crazy thinking about all the things I need to get done before they get here in less than 48 hours. Tonight we unbunked the tree house bunk beds in the tree room. That is where they'll be sleeping. Camden will now sleep in the play room/guest bedroom (No big deal because he sleeps there a few nights a week as is). This is what still needs to be done before they get here...or soon after they get here.

-Get drawers to put under beds in the tree room and Cams new room
-Get some clothes (they will bring with them what they have but there's no guarantee what that will be)
-Figure out where the 6 year old is going to start 1st grade next year. I'm leaning towards Merced Christian so he can be in the same class as my niece. So If we choose to do that I need to sign him up asap.
-hmm that may be all.. Ok so it doesn't seem like that much to do but my mind is going a mile a minute I'm so excited/nervous.

oh and did I mention that we have our annual trip to the lake house in Montana coming up.. as in we leave the end of next week?!?! If all goes as planned we will be buying two more plane tickets and bringing them with us.

We are excited. Please pray that this transition goes smoothly. We learned that every time a child gets moved to a new home they actually suffer brain damage. I pray that every thing will go as smoothly as possible and that these boys will be as comfortable with us as possible . Pray that Brian and I will have patience and understanding. Pray that Camden and Andersen will adjust well and that every one will get along. Thank you every one for your support. It is greatly appreciated. =)

Our oldest is 3!

2011-05-24T16:27:00.000-07:00

I can't believe three years has gone by since our oldest was born. He is such a blessing and we thank God for him every day!

This year, after much debate, Camden decided he wanted a pirate party. Pirates was one of his favorite rides and Disneyland when we went a few months ago, and he loves Jake and the never land pirates on Disney. So as soon as he committed to the idea (as much as a three year old could) I started planning.

Of course the invites were obvious, a message in a bottle of course!

We had the party in our children's building at church. Some very talented people just built a really cool ship that is used as a stage on Sunday mornings. The kids loved playing on it and giving puppet shows.

The cake.. seriously maybe the easiest cake i've ever made.

The Birthday Banner, thank you Auntie Amy and Uncle Todd (he burnt the edges)

Walking the plank

Painting treasure chests.

The first pinata experience. I thought I was doing good by getting a soft bat.. but it didn't work. lesson learned.

Happy Birthday Cam! We love you!

Capistrano Beach House

2011-05-08T21:16:00.000-07:00

The trip for the month of April was to the Capistrano Beach house. Brian's parents have been taking trips to this house for about 10 years now. They brought the family for the first time about 4 years ago. The lady that owns it rents it out to pastors and their families for a pretty reasonable rate. We usually go in July, but this summer she's going through a rental agency because she wants to make money to put towards her grandkids college funds and to do some up keep on the house. So if you want to book a week this summer I could get you the info.. I mean they're only renting it for $7,500/week! Crazy huh?!?! Here's a link to more information.

Anyway, we had a blast. Brian couldn't come because of work so that was a bummer. However I got to bring my friend Erin and her little girl who is Ander's age. We had so much fun and Erin fit in with the fam perfectly. Of course my in laws are so wonderful it would be hard not to fit in with them. =)

The beautiful house

All of the kiddos flock to Grandpa.. even the ones that aren't related

Andersen always wanted someone right next to him when we were outside... Nonna played that role on the patio

If we arranged marriages in our culture this one would be a done deal!

We love our rainbows!

Cam loves the ocean. His favorite place was being by the water.

He liked running away from the waves

Beautiful!

Attacking Auntie Katie with the cars

Andersen loves hats all of the sudden. Funny because Camden would never wear one at this age.. he actually still resists!

Told you.. done deal. Ok there may have been some prompting from the mommas

Doesn't my baby look like a big boy?!?!

We took the train to San Fran

2011-04-23T22:58:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took Amtrak from Merced to San Francisco and back all in one day. It took us about three hours each way. Why in the world would we do that when driving it will only take two hours each way? One reason.. Camden. He is in love with trains. Actually he's fascinated with everything with a motor at the moment. Buses, trains, cars, trucks, tractors, airplanes and helicopters are something we hear about regularly. Our church participated in a kids day out with Amtrak. Its fun for the kids to be able to ride the train, go somewhere fun, and all at a much cheaper price. AND since Amtrak doesn't cross over the bay, we took one of their buses across the bridge. We killed two birds with one stone that day.. we rode a train and a bus! He was a happy camper. As always, here's some pictures of the trip. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the train. I was too worried about making sure I had a tight hold on the little ones while we were standing next to the track. If you're really sad that there isn't a picture of the train, google Amtrak train and i'm sure you'll get the idea. That's what I'll have to do when it comes time to scrapbook.

Cam and Kara on the train

The W's

I love our little family

This guy was a riot.

I love my parents

She looks like a book worm with Papas glasses

Nonna met us at the Pier!

Andersen doing his "gasp and cover my mouth because something funny or silly happened"

Playing at the fountain at Ghiradeli square

Sisters

My baby is getting big!

Riding home with papa

Some random pictures from random times

2011-04-17T21:58:00.000-07:00

Back in March my grandparents came to visit. They live in Chicago so we rarely get to see them. It was great to get to visit with them and to get pictures of them and the kids.

Four generations

Great grandparents!

This pictures is funny because Kara was asking cam to be her prince and dance with her all night! He kept blowing her off, she was actually really sad about it. You'd never guess it from this picture though.

Practicing his skate tricks, even if he does have to use moms leg for balance

Look how handsome my boys are. I love them.

This was the first day it was warm enough to wear his rainbows... he loves them

How did I get so lucky?!?!

And for those of you waiting for a Foster care update... We meet with our social worker once a month from now on just to keep things current. At this point we're just waiting for the right placement to come along. We know God has a plan and we are trusting in HIS timing.

March.. Brian and I went to Washington DC

2011-04-14T22:36:00.000-07:00

This year we are incredibly blessed to have a fun event/trip to look forward to every month. Seriously every month until... October. So January we had our snow trip. February we did Disneyland. Now were at March. Okay, I know its April now but we've been pretty busy around here with every day "life" so I'm going back to March. ;)

Brian knew for awhile he had a business trip to Washington DC on his schedule. About a month before the trip my mom was over and it came up. She started talking about how fun it was when my dad would have business trips because his company always allowed for her to go with him. Brian said that was an option, all that we would have to pay for is the airplane ticket for me. He just figured there's no way I would want to go because he'd be in meetings during the day.

I thought about it for probably less than five seconds and laughed. You mean I could actually have some quiet alone time during the day. In a nice hotel. Where you can have anything you need brought to you by just picking up the phone. Where someone comes and cleans up after you. Where I can eat lunch with nobody touching me, "I just want to eat lunch with nobody touching me". (quote taken from the movie Date Night). Oh and lastly.. not to have anything I HAVE to do all day and I can sleep as late as I want. Not sure about you but that sounds like a dream vacation to a busy mom with little ones. I told him, call your travel agent and get me on that flight.

The trip was excellent. We stayed in two different hotels over the three nights we were there. They were both located near the white house and the other monuments. When we checked into the second hotel they told us when they have people working on the roof of their building they have to call the secret service and let them know that they're supposed to be there and they aren't snipers or anything. We were that close.

Brian actually only ended up having meetings two of the days and only 4 hours or so at a time. We got a lot of sight seeing in, enough to satisfy us anyway. I did end up staying in the hotel room while he was gone, mostly sleeping since you can make it as dark as night in most hotels, including the ones we stayed. It was fabulous. Here are some pictures from the trip. We had a blast.

Brian in front of the white house

We didn't have many pictures of us taken together because when we asked people we either got this..

Umm we kind of wanted to be able to tell where we were?!?!

or this...

So the next one we opted to set up our selves. We just found a spot in the grass, put the timer on the camera and propped it up with my purse. I was satisfied.

A few hours later though we thought we would give it another try. The guy that took this pic did good! He probably thought I was crazy when I was so happy to see he captured what I was wanting!

Now this.. was my FAVORITE place to visit in DC

Those right there are cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcakes. They have a show on TLC called DC Cupcakes. We waited in a line that wrapped outside around the building for 30 min in the cold on a Friday night to get cupcakes and it was worth it! I bought 18 cupcakes and guarded them with my life the whole way back to CA so my friends and family could experience these delicious treats. YUM

The morning before our flight we took the subway out to Arlington National Cemetery. We didn't have very long to explore but it was neat. Here's a picture from The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

We had such a great time. It was a huge blessing to be able to get away from our every day life and spend some quality time together. Mostly it was so relaxing because we knew everything back home was being taken care of. I work with awesome ladies that were supportive in me taking the few days off and were willing to cover me at work. And not once did I have a single worry about the boys. They got to go stay with Brian's parents and Auntie Katie. They were very well taken care of just like I knew they would be. They were excited to see us when we came back, but when we left Brian's parents house Camden was crying because he didn't want to leave their house! Apparently he had a great time.

Next month, or really later this month.. So Cal Beach House with Brian's family. I'm sad to say Brian wont be able to make it on this trip because he cant afford to miss work.. BUT I get to make it a road trip with one of my besties and our kiddos. Can't wait!

Disneyland

2011-03-27T16:36:00.001-07:00

It's taken me awhile to post about this, but over Presidents day Weekend we went to Disneyland and CA adventure for three days with both of our families. Three days was the perfect amount of time... We had a blast, even with one rainy cold day. We decided we would try and make Disneyland a regular family trip with visits every other year. This way the boys will be a little bit older than the last time we went and interested in different things, and it also gives the parks time to get more attractions and change things up a bit. We love Disneyland. Here are some pictures of our adventure.

The first thing we did when we got down to Anaheim late Friday night was hit up Down Town Disney so we could take the kids to Build a Bear. It was the first time for Camden, Kara & Bria to make their own bear (or in this case a bear, monkey and dog). Andersen wasn't old enough to understand what was going on so we entertained him with a pretzel... he loved it.

Our attempt to get a family picture in front of the castle

Good thing the castle family pic turned out good for at least one family that day.

My parents with their 5 grandkids ages 5 and under.

The girls were sooo excited to dance with Donald. There wasn't space for Emma to hold Donald's hand so she just started dancing by herself. Maybe the funniest part of the trip.

It's a bug's life

Grandmas and Nonnas are priceless

Grandpas and Papas too...

Lots of Shoulder rides were happening that weekend...

Ander sharing his string cheese with Miss Lauren. I love that DL lets you bring in your own food. So convenient!

Katie with Camden on his favorite ride

Loving the carousel

Meeting more Characters

Part of our attire for the weekend.

Andrsen's first trip to Disneyland was a success, he was crowned with his ears.

I know this was a photo heavy post but there's way more where they came from. Here is the link to these and more pics from our DL Trip.

Disneyland

Snow Day

2011-02-10T21:08:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago Brian and I planned a very last minute trip. We knew we wanted to go to the snow for a day, but two days before we were supposed to go we decided to make it a weekend trip instead... oh and we decided to rent a cabin... A 5 bedroom cabin. So the next step was finding people that were feeling as spontaneous as we were to go with us. Five other families ended up joining us for the weekend and we had a blast. When the weekend was all said and done we came to one conclusion... We need to get together like this more often. Here are some of my favorite pics from our snow play day. If you click on any of these pictures it will link you to an online album with the rest of the pictures. Enjoy!

What a beautiful day!

2011-01-20T15:55:00.000-08:00

It was so nice to see the sun today. Normally when we get home from school it's straight to nap time for Camden. Today I gave in to the weather and we went on a walk instead. Well I walked, Andersen rode in the stroller and Camden rode his bike. Cam is getting so big I can't believe it. He would ride far enough in front of me to show he was independent, but he would look back every now and then and wait for us to catch up. What's happening to my little toddler? He's definitely turning into a little boy and I have mixed feelings about that!

Andersen had fun too. Every time I would stop to take a picture he would point towards Camden to let me know we needed to keep going. I am so blessed to be the mommy of these little blessings. I love them.

Sorry these pics are a little over exposed.. it was bright and lets just say it was complicated enough to stop, take a picture, and pay attention to cam all at the same time =)

Third and Final interview is in the bag!

2010-12-29T17:53:00.000-08:00

We had our third, and final, interview today for our home study. We talked about how Brian and I met and about our relationship. Once again there wasn't anything that needed much discussion.

We also talked about our extended families and how they were feeling about our choice to do foster care and to possibly adopting one day. In one of the first interviews we said that we didn't have a preference regarding the race/ethnicity of the children we may have. She also asked us if our extended family would have a problem accepting a child of a different race into the family.

Neither Brian or I have been raised with any kind racial prejudice so it was easy for us to say that our families would accept any child, no matter what ethnicity they are. This is another area that I'm so thankful for. I know that if we do get a child that isn't caucasian then there may be a lot for us to learn to ensure the child understands their culture, but this is something we are looking forward to.

She said we can expect a call in the middle of January telling us that our home study has been approved. Any time after that we can get our first placement.

That is only a few weeks from now! Wow all of the sudden our "wait" hasn't seemed so long. =)

Please continue to pray for us. Pray that the first child (and every child after that) we get will be exactly who God has picked to put in our family. Pray that God will prepare me, Brian and the boys as much as possible these weeks/months leading up to our first placement. Now that we are getting closer my original fear is back... I'm getting nervous about being attached to a child and having to "give them back" to their family. Pray that I will have a peace about that and that I will not worry about things I can not control.

I am so thankful for the life God has blessed me with.. all of it. I can't wait to start this new chapter... officially.

We wish you a Merry Christmas!

2010-12-23T21:28:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our family blog! If you're checking out the link we put on our Christmas cards this year then you've made it to the right place. For people who didn't get a Christmas card, this is what we sent out. Sorry if you didn't get one, it's more than likely because we know you would see this blog anyway! =)

So here is our annual family update in a few paragraphs.

Andersen had his first birthday in November. We gave him a super hero themed party. He had a great time and especially loved digging into his giant cup cake. He started taking steps a few months ago but hasn't quite committed to this new way of getting around until just this week. He eats just about anything and is a pro at "gumming" any food given to him. This is probably why one of his back molars is coming through before his two top teeth. He points to things he wants and is becoming quite vocal. Today while Camden was washing his hands in the bathroom Andersen was pointing to the sink and squawking, letting me know he wanted to wash his hands as well. I told him he didn't need to wash his hands because they weren't dirty. I turn my attention back to Camden who is now drying his hands and when I look up Ander is dipping his hands in the toilet.. Ok Andersen you get to wash your hands now. He was quite happy that he got his way. He's starting to enjoy the train table even if Camden does everything in his power to keep him from playing with it (messing it up).

Camden is now 2 1/2 and talks to us like he's 12. He's always reasoning with us on issues such as bed, (always wants "2 more minutes") brushing his hair ("it's fine"), taking baths (will only settle for a shower), eating ("my tummy isn't hungry) etc. We have mastered putting on his boots, washing hands, identifying most colors, shapes, riding his bike, riding his scooter, potty training and much much more. When we started potty training he would tell us to "GET OUT" so we would stand outside the bathroom door and as soon as he would start going he would yell "It's working!!!!" He never wants to go to school (nursery with Ms. Lauren while mom works) because he doesn't want to leave his house and never wants to leave school because he doesn't want to come home. Needless to say he keeps us busy and it is always a challenge not to start laughing during the times we need to be stern with him. He is exactly how I (Mary) was when I was little and that makes us laugh even more.

Brian will start his fifth year with UBS Financial Services in January. It has been a great job for him and he enjoys working with the other people in his office. He is a very good dad and helps me a lot with the boys and around the house. During his free time he's playing his xbox, at bible study with a group of guys, seeing the latest movie or making nachos for a late night snack. His dad took a lead pastor position and moved to Sunnyvale last January so we have been blessed to see his parents quite a bit this past year. The boys especially love being able to see Grandpapa and Nonna every few weeks.

I am still teaching at SonShine Christian Preschool. Last year was the first year for the preschool and on the very first day of school we had a total enrollment of 12 students and we ended the school year with 24. This year we are full with a total enrollment of 40 students (24/day) and we have a waiting list. It has been awesome to see what God is doing with this new ministry. I've been blessed to meet so many incredible families. Along with teaching part time, being a mommy and a wife, I've also started doing photography on the side. It sort of happened by accident but I've enjoyed this new found hobby. You can click here to check out my photography blog. If I have any spare time at night you can find me reading. Currently I'm reading the "Fame" series by Karen Kingsbury (A spin off from the Redemption series).

Our family as a whole has had a wonderful year. We are taking a break in having our own kids for at least another 9 months because we are starting Foster Care. If you want to know more about that you can read more of this blog starting here.

Thanks for stopping by to get our annual family update. Feel free to continue to visit the blog for the latest and feel free to look around and see more of what we've been up to. Also always feel free to give us a call, email, text, find us on facebook or even stop by! We hope every one is doing well this Christmas season.

Love,

Brian, Mary, Camden & Andersen Gudgel

Home Study part two

2010-12-06T21:40:00.000-08:00

Today we had our second home study. I knew it was today, it was on my phone calendar, I'd emailed a friend last week and mentioned it... However it didn't cross my mind once yesterday and I didn't realize today was THE day until about 10:00am when Brian called me to ask me what time he needed to be home for it. Luckily the house has stayed pretty clean lately so there was no stress in that area and there wasn't much preparing to do on our part.

Our boys even got to be here for today's interviews because they were our one on one interviews. So Brian and I basically took turns having our interviews and hanging out with the boys. I liked that she got to meet our whole little family. I can't help it but I'm proud of my kiddos, i'll admit it.

So the personal interviews were her attempt to figure out why we are who we are.. How we got to this point in our life. She started with our childhood... once again both Brian and I had nothing but good things to say about our families. We talked about how we did in school- both socially and academically. Although I had an A-B average all through school, the social part was always a lot more important to me. I was the kid in first grade that got in trouble for talking to my friends when I wasn't supposed to be... that trend continued through college.

We talked about each stage of our lives and any big events that happened during them. The death of my grandpa and both of my grandmas took place before I turned 12 and although I remember being sad and aware of what was going on, I was too young to really be affected.

Then the same questions followed about my high school and college years. Unfortunately there was a couple different topics to discuss there. All sudden deaths of friends in my life.. peers. That wasn't fun talking about to say the least but it was needed because those events definitely played a part in my life. They took part in shaping me into who I am today.

I talked to her about my family and my relationship with my parents and my siblings. All good to report. I loved being able to tell her how awesome my sister is. How despite the fact that she's almost 10 years older than I am she's my best friend. When I was little she played the roll of a second mom.. then through my teen years she played the roll of a cool big sister that let me come visit her at college and stay with her and her roommates at her apartment. Now were so blessed to be living so close to each other and to have kids the same age that are partners in crime ;)

We talked about our extended family and what roles they played in my life. I liked being able to tell her that I have cousins that are more like sisters than cousins and second cousins that are more like nieces and nephews.

It was nice to be able to talk to our social worker so openly. I talked to her about how much God actively played a part in my life... in all stages. That relationship is why I am where I am today and for that I am grateful.

At the end she asked me what word I would use to describe Brian. I said helpful. Of course I couldn't just say one word so I also said patient, kind, loyal.. and then I couldn't keep it at single words so I continued with phrases like, "he's super involved with the boys" "he loves God and me and the boys more than anything else" she got the point ;)

She laughed and said that when she asked Brian the same question he described me by saying "Fun" and then when asked to explain he said something like "she's fun to be around so I don't want to be any where else but with her"

This all leads into our final home study. It will be another interview, this time only 45 min. We will talk about our marriage and then go over some of the adoption training we did a few months ago.

Things went great today. One more step is done and there's one more to go.

After the interview we were casually talking about the journey ahead of us. She mentioned that she was working with another family who was going through the home study so they could adopt a foster child they currently have in their home. They have a 6 month old baby and they're trying to hurry up and get this done because they're also more than likely going to be adopting this baby's sibling that will be born in March. (This is baby 8 and 9 for the birth mother. Babies 1-8 tested positive for drugs when born and are no longer in the birth mothers care so they're assuming #9 will be the same). This world is so broken...It makes me sick to my stomach to think of these situations happening and to think that they really are not that uncommon.

I'm excited, nervous, hopeful, anxious and every other emotion you can think of to start this chapter of our lives. We're almost there!

Thanks for your prayer and support. It means a lot and we can feel it.

Home Study part one

2010-11-23T16:29:00.000-08:00

Our first home study was yesterday and it went great. We met the social worker that would be writing our home study report for us. This is basically a report that will cover our family in detail. This will be what the county social workers read about us when they are deciding who they are going to place kids with. Basically it's our advertising... we want our family to stand out, be different, something unique that will help those county social workers remember us. Something that will bring us to their mind when they get kids that need a great family.

This whole report will be based on three different visits. This visit we answered a lot of questions that would help this social worker get a feel for who we are. We also went over what kinds of kids we were willing to take into our home. Kids with ADD, FAS, Born addicted to drugs, Autism... kids who are blind, deaf, handicapped etc, or what about kids that were neglected, physically abused or sexually abused? We had just as many questions for our social worker as she did for us. We talked through a lot of these "scenarios" and decided what would work with our family and what we didn't think we could handle... for now anyway.

We also filled out questioners about ourselves and our spouses. Things about drug and alcohol use, our extended families, our childhood etc. The social worker will use our answers to come up with topics that need to be discussed during our personal interviews. These questions were so broad. One was, "have you ever used illegal drugs?" Immediately I think no, of course not. Then I remember that my freshman year of highschool I had smoked Marijuana (yes, believe or not I wasn't perfect). I asked the social worker if that counted.. she said yes. So I'm sure that will be a topic of conversation in our interview. That's okay though because that's about as exciting as it got for our questionnaires.

Brian and I felt so blessed that we were able to mark "no, never or N/A" to the majority of the questions. It was yet another reminder of how good we have it and it all started with our childhoods. Our parents loved God, loved us and loved eachother (and still do). They taught us to make good choices, and though I ignored some of those teachings (smoking marijuana in hs would be one of them) I ultimately had a good head on my shoulders. Most importantly they taught us about God and guided us in finding our own relationship with Jesus Christ and for that we are blessed.

The next step will be our personal interviews on December 6th. After that we will have at least one more. The social worker said that for some reason things tend to slow down for them during the holiday season. Maybe the county knows the private organizations tend to be closed? Maybe the overall feelings that the "holiday season" brings help families to keep it together? Or maybe people are just to busy to notice things aren't going good? Whatever the reason, it is what it is. She predicts we will probably have a placement around January or February. This whole process is taking a little longer than we thought it would, but we are in no hurry. We believe in GODS timing and know that he has a plan for us and for the child that will be coming into our family.

Andersen's first birthday!

2010-11-09T17:56:00.000-08:00

Happy first birthday Andersen David. We love you more than you know!

Seriously this was only a year ago?!?! They change so much the first year.

Last weekend we celebrated Andersen's Birthday with a superhero party. We had a blast celebrating our little guy with our loved ones. (Remember you can click on the collages so you can see the smaller pics better.)

We are so thankful that God gave us this precious little guy. I can't wait to watch him grow... but I do wish time would slow down just a bit because it's already going by way too fast!
Listen this to this song if you haven't heard it yet, all parents can relate I'm sure. (you may need to turn off the play list on the bottom of the page before you start this song)

Time for costumes...

2010-10-14T21:14:00.000-07:00

Every year I dread Halloween because I don't think I'll be able to come up with a costume for the boys that will measure up to the year before! After much brainstorming we decided this year was going to be a superhero theme. So after talking my sister and a few other friends into joining me and making all of our little munchkins superheroes, we got together today and made the first part of the costumes... the capes. It took a long time but the results were beyond my expectations. We'll have to have a costume creations part 2 because we still need to work on accessories but here's what we've got so far.

The best part is Andersen's first birthday party will be the week after Halloween and were going to do a superhero themed party.. So the kids will get to wear their costumes again. I love killing two birds with one stone. ;)

My somewhat new hobby...

2010-10-02T18:34:00.000-07:00

About six months ago we became interested in getting a Digital SLR camera so we could take quality pics of our boys. We've been quite spoiled over the past few years with people in our lives that wanted to use us to "build their portfolios". When Camden turned a year old we ran out of people interested to take our pics either for free or pretty close to it. It was great while it lasted but I also got used to having GREAT quality and really affordable pictures.

I knew nothing about where to start so I talked to a few people and got some advice. One obvious resource was Brian's brother Brent. Brent lives in LA and is involved in Film. He's a partner of the production company Chronicle Project. On a side note, they are making a series of short film documentaries right now about how every day people are being used by God. They're really cool. The series is called Deidox, Click HERE to check them out.

Brent was generous enough to pretty much give us his old Nikon D70 since he was getting a new one. So first step accomplished, we got the camera. The next step was learning how to use it. I still have a lot to learn but I've come a long way in the last 6 months. I finally understand the "manual" settings on my camera, every one said once I got that down I would never go back to using "auto" again and they are right. I love it.

The next step is learning how to use a flash. I've never really attempted one because I prefer to use natural lighting for my pictures. Next weekend my friend Heather (Heather Marshall Photography) and I will be shooting our first wedding. The wedding is outside, but it's at 12:00pm. This means we will have a lot of direct sunlight and I'm dreading that. Also the reception is inside and who knows how the lighting will be in a reception hall. My good photographer friend Cherie, who is also one of the most generous people I know, let me borrow her flash. She has a Nikon SB-600. I've been playing around with it for the past few days and so far so good. I'm amazed at how much of a difference it can make when it's needed.

In the past few months I've been privileged to take pictures for our friends. I started putting some of my pictures up on my Facebook, not thinking there would be that many. Soon people were adding me on FB so they could see their friends pictures or because they had questions about getting pictures done with me. I finally decided to make a photo blog where I could showcase my work without adding people on Facebook. I wouldn't have imagined I would enjoy taking and editing photos so much, but I really do. I love getting to preserve these special times for so many different families.

So here it is, my photography Blog. Take a look around and enjoy :)

Now all we have to do is wait...

2010-09-28T15:21:00.000-07:00

Brian and I did our last set of finger prints today! This was a huge thing hanging over our head because it's not cheap. This is the second time we've done prints. The last set was for the foster care part and this part was for the adoption part. So about 30 minutes and $212 later we finally got our LAST set of finger prints done. (for now anyway, i'm sure at some point or another we may have to do them again.. like years from now?) The forms went straight into the mail along with the last few forms we needed to submit, our tax return and Brians DMV record that for some reason came a good week after mine even though we submitted the request for them the very same day!

So now we just have to wait... wait for Koinonia to get the papers, wait for the finger prints to clear and wait to be assigned a social worker! It feels so good to get done with this first step and it feels good for the ball to be in the other court for now. The next step will be to schedule a time the social worker can come out and start our home study. We were told this may take a few different meetings to complete and we are looking forward to it.

In other news: I (Mary) got to go on a scrapbooking retreat this weekend. I left Friday afternoon and came back on Sunday evening. While I was there I got to get two families pics edited and I did 37 pages in Camden's scrap book. By sat night I realized this was the first time I felt actually relaxed since we've had kids. It was really weird to have THREE days and two nights to do nothing but be crafty in the company of other ladies. I didn't even have to cook for myself because all of the meals were provided. I came back so refreshed and recharged, ready to be a better mommy and wife. Brian had the boys all weekend. When I came home everyone looked great and my house was immaculate! I felt very spoiled and totally completely blessed.

The scrap book retreat is definitely something I'll be doing every year and I'll be making sure Brian gets to do something similar. For him this year it was meeting his college guys up in the Bay area for a live Fantasy football draft. Sometimes we all just need a break, not because we don't love what we do every single day, because in the end I wouldn't have it any other way, but because we all need a little refresher sometimes.

I also started Bible study last week and we are studying Hosea. The title of the study is "A call to commitment" I don't think I've ever read much of Hosea before although one of my favorite books, Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers is based on the book Hosea. I'm excited to do this study and think by the title it won't be hard to apply it to this chapter in our lives.

The first lesson is on Forgiveness. The verse for the week is 2 Chronicles 7:14 "Then if My people, who are called by My Name, will humble themselves, if they will pray and seek Me and stop their evil ways, I will hear them from heaven. I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land."

In our last adoption training we spent a lot of time talking about how this process has an impact on three different parties. The foster parents and foster children, but also the birth parents. I'm sure we will experiences a bunch of different kinds of birth parents and i'm sure it's not always going to be easy to trust that it will be best for the kids to go back to them. We will have to trust that God is in control and I pray that the families we will eventually come in contact with will come to know God, pray and seek Him and stop whatever it was they were doing that made them get their children taken from them. If they do God WILL hear them from heaven, He will forgive their sin and heal their land. (Family perhaps?)

God, you are awesome and mighty. I pray that we will remember to always trust you and be thankful that we have already turned to you to carry our sins. Please give us the strength to know you are in control of even these situations and let us remember that you have the power to transform these broken families and make them whole. Amen.

These are the most common questions we've been asked so far.. we figure you might be wondering the same thing so here's our answers. =)

2010-09-12T21:48:00.000-07:00

Why did you choose to go with a private agency instead of the county?
The county social workers are on overload and are very busy. The private agency we're going through offers a great deal of support to the families and the foster kids. We have been told already several times to call them for anything at anytime and they'll be there to help us. Also our agency, Koinonia Family Services, takes the time to match families with kids based on your home study and what they know about you. So the simple answer- We're going to need a lot of advice and a lot of support and we are more likely to get that through the private agency.

Why did you choose Koinonia Family Services instead one of the other private agencies?
We came in contact with a family that was currently doing foster care through them. They had so many great things to say about them. Once we got involved with them we knew exactly what they were talking about. The simple answer- they're awesome.

How do the private agencies get their kids?
When the county has kids they can not place, or want help placing, they use the private agencies to find families to place them.

How many foster kids do you want at a time?
Initially we were thinking just one. Then we realized many foster kids often get removed from their home with a sibling. Of course we would want them to be together. So one or two foster kids would work for us right now. However two would be a bit difficult because we wouldn't have a car big enough for the whole family... We aren't too worried about it though, we know God's in control.

What ages of kids are you willing to take?
For now we are open to taking kids preschool and under. This is what our home is equipped for and this is the age we have experience with. As our kids get older we'll take older kids.

Do you want to have more of your own kids?
Yes! We're thinking two more at some point.

You can have foster kids even though you both work?
Yes. If you both work long days and don't get home until it's time for the kids to go to bed it's probably not the best idea. However since Mary just works half days its not a problem at all.

Are you worried about how Camden and Andersen will be affected?
Of course we can't help but think about this from time to time. They are our top priority. As long as we communicate well with them and are in tune with their feelings it shouldn't be a problem. We are also going to make sure we give them all the quality time they need. We are excited to give them the opportunity to be raised in a home that shows continued love for others. Camden is so social he's going to love having extra play mates around the house. We have asked Camden if he wants other kids to come live with us and he always says, "Yes." We'll see how he feels when some actually show up.

Are you finally going to keep your blog up to date?
We are going to do our best. We're really excited to share with everyone how God is working in our family. However, due to privacy laws and confidentiality laws you won't hear much detail about the kids. We also won't be posting pictures of them. This is going to be hard for us not want to show off the little cuties that come through our home, but we know the kids and their families deserve this privacy. You will hear about how our family is adjusting to this new adventure. I'm sure there will be plenty of stories to share. =)

There's obviously more but these are what we are asked the most. If you have any more questions just ask and we'll tell you!

How we got to here...

2010-09-10T21:08:00.000-07:00

Since we got married in 2006 adoption and foster care was a topic that crossed our conversation often. We both felt it was something that we wanted to eventually do. Eventually, as in we would have our biological children first, and then when they were in high school we would start foster care. It was easy to talk about it like that because it was something that was in our distant future, didn't require any immediate action, just conversation.

Now that we have Camden and Andersen the idea of parenthood isn't an idea... it's a reality. We also realized that everything we do is revolved around the boys and we love it. We're great at changing diapers, giving baths, making bottles, reading books, playing trains, singing songs and the list goes on and on. We love being parents.

When I was pregnant with Andersen I had a conversation with a friend from church about foster care. In that short conversation I learned a lot. I learned there were private organizations you could go through to do foster care rather than going straight through the county. I learned you could be specific as to the ages you would be willing to take. This friend's cousin only took infants. I couldn't stop thinking about getting started in foster care. This is the moment God really put foster care on my heart. I started thinking about what it would be like to have even more little ones in our home and seemed like it could be a reality... I talked to Brian and we decided we needed to wait until I had Andersen before we got started on anything, maybe it would be "safe" to start when Andersen was a year old... maybe. That made sense so again the foster care topic was put into the back of our minds.

Every time it would cross my thoughts I would feel so convicted to get involved. The idea made my stomach turn and I often found myself thinking things like, "I have two babies under the age of two, there's no way this is a good idea". There were so many reasons I gave myself for it NOT being a good idea. The main one was, "People will think we are crazy!"

Last spring in my Wednesday evening bible study group we were asked to come prepared to share how we plan to use our God-given gifts, time and talents until Jesus returns or God takes us Home. As I was thinking about this I wrote down the easy obvious answer on my paper. Working at the preschool both during the week and on Sunday mornings I get to share God's love with the little ones all the time and I love that. So I wrote what I was currently doing - teaching preschool. My stomach was turning again and I knew that that what I wrote was true and I was using my spitiutal gifts on a daily basis... but deep down I knew I was called to foster care as well. That evening in class when it came time to share I gave my written answer and lead into how much I loved children, not just my own children but every one else's too. Half jokingly I said something like, "One day i'd like to open up an orphanage or something so I can give kids that need it a great home".

Quite a few weeks later Brian and I seriously started talking about what foster care would look like in our lives.. not our future lives but our immediate lives. We realized that having little ones in the house requires a lot of "stuff" and that our house was well equipped. We both agreed that we are loving these stages now but once our boys are in high school there's a good chance we wont want to go back to the "baby" stage. We both felt like we were being moved to start seriously thinking and praying about foster care sooner rather than later.

About the same time I went to my last Bible study of the semester. It was at one of our group leaders house. After dinner we were sitting around her dinning room table and some how the foster care idea came up. I expressed how much God had put it on my heart and how I was nervous and scared. I acknowledged the fact that I was worried about everyone thinking we were crazy and that was one of our biggest hesitations. Of course at this point I was tearing up, it didn't help that my mom was sitting right across from me and she was tearing up too. One of my Bible study partners told me about her cousins (we'll call them the "B" family) who were doing foster care through a private organization. They started it when their kids were very young and even continued to do it while she was pregnant with their third. When I got home that night I started looking up several organizations in our area. Brian and I talked about it further and we knew it was time to get started, but still were not sure how we were going to go about it.

About a week later we were put into contact with the "B" family . After about an hour long conversation and A LOT of questions and more internet research we decided we would go through the organization they were using, Koinonia Family Services.

We made the call to the Modesto branch and told them about our desire to become foster parents. She asked me several questions as part of a pre-screening they do. Once we "passed" that part she got our address and sent us the first packet. We were so excited when it came, I couldn't wait to fill out the paper work.. little did I know it was the first of much much more!

So here we are now 6 months later. We've finished all of the paper work, the home inspection, the initial 2 hour adoption training, the 8 hour foster care training, one set of finger printing and cpr/first aid training. We have one more 8 hour adoption training left next weekend and one more set of finger prints to do. After that we'll be certified to do foster care and to adopt.

The certification process should be done by the end of this month. After that we'll be set up with a social worker who will get to know our family and do a home study on us. Then they will "market" us to the county and when there's a match we will get our first foster child. This will probably happen around the time Andersen turns one... apparently God thought waiting till then was a good idea too.

We decided to do the adoption certification process now because although we're not planning on adopting any time soon we knew we may want to in the future. More importantly we know there's a chance we will have a foster child in our home that will become "adoptable" and we need to be prepared to make that permanent decision if God leads us that way.

We look around our house daily and aknowledge how much we have been blessed. We have two extra beds and a crib that just sit empty night after night. Nothing we have been given is ours. It belongs to God and we need to use it to further HIS kingdom. We know and believe foster care is what God has called us to do and we are excited about it! Of course we still get a little bit nervous, but you know that feeling I was having? That convicting feeling in my stomach like I was supposed to be doing something that I was avoiding? Well once we started the certification process it went away. That was affrimation we were moving in the direction God wanted us to.

Brian and I are so lucky to have the same vision and goals for our life. Through this process we have become even more connected. We know it's going to be a lot of work, but being parents in general is a lot of work and we love it. I feel blessed every day to have a husband who loves God, desires me and adores our children. Any children that come through our home will be lucky to have him as a male role model in their lives.

Knowing that God has prepared in advance good works for us to do, this verse is a great inspiration to us and a daily reminder of how we need to live. At the end of His life on earth Jesus prayed to God and said "I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do." John 17:4.

Lord, you are awesome and mighty. Prepare us during this time to do your work and to serve you. Keep us strong and protect our family from anything that is not from you. We love you! Amen

Has it been a whole year already?

2009-12-15T21:25:00.000-08:00

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.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-11T20:43:00.000-08:00

We're borrowing Camden's blog to write our annual Christmas letter since we didn't send it out this year...

This past year has been quite an exciting one!

We've been in our house for about a year now and we absolutely love it! We are definitely learning a lot goes into taking care of a house, but so far the work has been worth it.

Camden was born on May 18th and is about 7 months old now. He is such a blessing and we thank God every day for giving him to us. He keeps us busy, but for the most part has been a very easy going baby (sleeping trhough the night at 6 weeks)! He loves to hang out with Mary during the day and likes all of the running around they usually end up doing. When we take him to the store he smiles at everyone like he's known them forever. He also really enjoys eating, each bite he opens his mouth so wide, he looks like a little baby bird begging for food. He's recently learned how to say, "ma ma ma" "da da da" and "ba ba ba". If you want to know more about the adventures of Camden you can read more of this blog. Also check back from time to time for updates on what's going on in his world.

Mary gets to take care of Camden on a full time basis and she feels very lucky to have that opportunity. She is still subbing every now and then, usually just for the teachers that request her. In March Mary took over the preschool director position at church. At the time that meant she was in charge of Sunday mornings and all the prep work that went into that. She enjoyed doing it so much she pursued the possibility of First Baptist Church opening a half day, Monday through Friday preschool. Mary, her sister Amy, and their friend Kim presented the idea to the church board, got their approval, and are now working on the state licensing step. They hope to open the doors this spring! It's a lot of work, but they are very excited about it.

Brian is still a Financial Advisor at UBS. As you can imagine work has been a little crazy due to the global financial crisis, however Brian still loves his job, the people he works with, and helping his clients navigate through these hard times.

We still have our two dogs Milo and Molly. They enjoy our house just as much as we do. Milo recently figured out he can jump on the couches and now spends most of his time there. We don't encourage it however, mostly because it makes Molly jealous.

Our Hamster LG died this year. It was sad, but we thought she was going to die a few times before she did so we were prepared.

We really enjoy living in the central valley and especially living so close to Mary's family. Her parents are both still working at the church and enjoying all that goes with it. Billy now works at foster farms in their carpentry department. He mostly builds the chicken coops. Amy and Todd live right down the street from us and that has proven to be very convenient. In January they will have another baby girl making her number three! Emmalyn is now three and Karalyn is eighteen months.

The only thing that would make it better is if we were closer to Brian's family. We miss them a lot but have been very fortunate to seem them every few months. We're thinking it has something to do with Camden! His mom and dad are still working at Bethany Bible Church in Phoenix. Brent and Danielle are living in Pasadena. Brent is enjoying his job working on a series of documentaries. We got to see a few over thanksgiving, he does such a great job! Danielle is teaching English at a Christian High school there in Pasadena and really seems to be loving it! Katie graduated from APU (the last of the three Gudgel siblings to do so) and is enjoying being done with school while she figures out what she's going to do next.

We look forward to the upcoming year and all that it has in store for our new family of three! Merry Christmas and God Bless!

Love,
Brian, Mary & Camden Gudgel

Tis the Season

2008-12-11T20:22:00.000-08:00

I'm learning about this new thing called Christmas and I'm loving it!

The house has been decorated for a few weeks now and last night Dad put up all the lights outside. There are colorful ones on the house and then lots of white ones all over the bushes and trees out front! I love it. We have two Christmas trees. I like the one in the family room more because there's presents under that one! Mom and dad don't worry much about me playing near the presents... I try and open them but I usually can't get a piece big enough to pull any paper off. Besides I can't read yet so I can't even tell what presents are for me anyway.

I got a what is Christmas book from my Grandma Hicks. I learned all about cookies, trees, lights and a bunch of other stuff. Most importantly though I learned that Christmas is when Jesus was born and that's really what it is all about. I'm sure mom and dad will have to remind me again next year, but I like learning about Jesus.

A few weeks ago was Thanksgiving, I like that holiday too! We went down to Auntie Danielle and Uncle Brents in Pasadena and had thanksgiving dinner. It was a lot of fun, even though Dad and I were sick. We both had really high fevers, colds, and dad had a sore throat. I'm glad we went even though we were sick though because I really enjoyed spending time with daddy's side of the family.

The week before that Auntie Katie was here and she spent a lot of time with me! She watched me a lot so mom could sub. We had a lot of fun together, but poor Auntie Katie, I got her sick.

That's all for now... Only 14 days left until Christmas.. that means 14 more ornaments to put on the little tree that hangs in the hallway and 14 days until I get to know what presents I'm actually supposed to be opening and 14 days until we have a bday party for Jesus! I love Christmas.

Sorry for the delay

2008-11-09T22:08:00.001-08:00

It's been so busy around here I haven't had much time to write... sorry about that!

Two weeks ago Nonna and Grandpa Gudgel came to visit me! It was very fun. They were both a lot of help to mom and dad while they were here and we got to spend lots of time together. I loved my long walks with Grandpa, I love being outside. Nonna also made me the coolest Halloween costume ever while she was here. I was a pirate, I know my costume was cool because every one that saw me on Halloween at the Fall Festival told me so!

I love my grandparents so much and I'm so happy I get to see them in a few weeks for thanksgiving. I'm also excited to see my Auntie Katie, Auntie Danielle, and Uncle Brent. I wish we all lived closer so we could see each other more often... maybe one day right??

Another cool thing that happened since I wrote last is I got bunk beds! I know what you're thinking, "bunk beds already??" No... I'm not already sleeping in my bunk beds. My future room (when I out grow the nursery/another baby needs it) is the tree room. We call it that because it has a huge tree painted on the wall. It had two beds in it and it made it very cramped in there so mommy asked Uncle Billy if he could make me some tree house themed bunk beds. He said yes and a few weeks later delivered them! They are super cool and I can't wait to sleep in them. When mom and dad bring me in there I get so excited and love to roll around all over them!

Thursday we are going up to Hat Creek to vist Uncle Todds family and for Melissa's wedding. It's going to be very fun and very cold. Krista said it was already starting to snow last week! Mommy is especially looking forward to this trip, it's what she told Dad she wanted to do for her birthday! She knows how much fun i'm going to have beacuse I loved the mountains last time we went. Like I said, I love being outside.

Sorry again for the short update.. It looks like my new post day may be Sundays.. or Mondays.. or Tuesdays.. or.. well you get it, whenever I have time will be my new post days!

My first trip to the mountains!

2008-10-22T22:50:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went on a really fun trip with mom and some of the other ladies working in the children's ministry at church. We all went up to a cabin in Oakhurst. Most of the moms that came brought their kids and we kept everyone very busy.

I did pretty good most of the trip, especially during their meetings. The only thing was for some reason I didn't want to sleep in my travel crib. The first night mom kept getting me when I fussed, nursed me back to sleep, and then would put me back. This happend about 5 times that first night, mom didn't like that very much. So she finally gave in the second night and kept me in bed with her! She was very worried I wouldn't sleep in my own bed when we got home, but I like my bed so that wasn't a problem.

During their free time most every one went on a walk and took all of the kids. We had so much fun! We walked around a pretty big lake. It was so awesome up there, so many trees. It was really nice to get away from the valley for a little bit! I loved it.

We came home on saturday afternoon and I was very happy to see daddy. We got to hang out the rest of the night and mom got to take a nap since she didn't sleep very well with me right next to her the night before! I'm looking forward to going back up to the mountains. We'll be going up to Hat Creek (where uncle Todd is from) in a few weeks and then back up to Oakhurst in February!

Next week Grandma and Grandpa Gudgel are coming for a visit! I can't wait to see them. I'll be posting pics of our trip to the mountains as well as some others of pretty cool things I can do now like drink from a sippy cup and put my feet in my mouth! So check back soon!

No more peas

2008-10-15T13:23:00.000-07:00

I found out I definitely do not like peas this week! Mom read somewhere that it takes about 10-14 different times of me eating a kind of food for me to be able to tell if I like it or not. Well we must have gotten there with peas because they're just not working out for me anymore. I realized it one night when Grandma Hicks was watching me. (Mom and dad went to the movies to see fireproof)

I let her know I was hungry so she went and got the food mom left for me... PEAS. Well I took one bite and swallowed it hesitantly making a horrible face. The next bite I gagged when I tried swallowing it. Grandma thought she better try one more bite. I spit a spray of peas all over the place. I communicated my dislike well because instead Grandma gave me my rice cereal, and even added bananas! Mom had done this before and I just loved it. However, now I wont eat rice cereal alone, it has to have those yummy bananas mixed into it!

Mom didn't believe Grandma when she picked me up. She said that I've never had a problem eating anything and that I loved all food. Mom had to see for herself that I wouldn't eat the peas. She got the jar back out of my bag, and tried again to feed me those peas. I communicated my dislike of peas to her the exact same way I did to Grandma only a few hours before. I made my point clear, mom's not buying peas anymore and she's going to give the last jar that's in the pantry to my friend Asher, he still likes them. (He must only be on time 8 or 9 of having them)

2008-10-08T10:18:00.000-07:00

Once again another eventful week! This weekend especially was super busy. Mom and 24 other ladies went to Women of Faith in San Jose. Of course she brought me. Asher and I did very well. We got to go to the mall and people watch during the day Friday. We loved all of the music and lights at the conference. Believe it or not though we actually got tired of being held. Towards the end of the conference mom actually laid a blanket on the floor so I could play, I loved it. She also let me sit in one of the seats all by myself. I felt like such a big boy I loved it!

We sure missed Daddy though! He had a busy weekend helping Aunt Tami and Uncle Bo move. He also got to see this really cool motocross show that was happening in the shopping center right by our house! I wish I would have been there for that, but I can't be everywhere at once!

I'm getting bigger and bigger everyday, even fitting into my 3-6 month clothes finally! Mom's happy about this because she really likes my big boy outfits. I'm talking all the time and still love to eat! In fact I never stop eating on my own. Especially when it's the good stuff like apples and bananas. When the food is finished I start crying, but not to long after I get wiped down mom gives me my paci and I get over it.

Other than that things have been pretty normal. Hanging out at home with mom and dad and a few dinners with the Westlunds at their house. Oh last night I got twitter! Dad's had it for awhile and I like knowing what the out of town family is up to so mom let me get one too! So if you're not on twitter yet get signed up and find me under CamdenGudgel. Hope you're all having a good week!

4 month check up!

2008-10-01T20:37:00.000-07:00

So a week has gone by and like we said were going to try to do this once a week.

This week was pretty good. Mommy and I got to hang out at home a lot, almost two full days of just being home.. it was very nice.

Last night Stetson and Amanda came over to see me. Well really they came over to have dinner with mom and dad but they did hang out with me too! Once again they all ate this really good looking food while I ate mushy apples... After dinner they played a board game and I just hung out. I showed them how good I am in my jumparoo, jumping so fast from leg to leg it looks like I'm running.

Today however wasn't as much fun. We stayed home all day and that was nice but then around lunch time we went to my 4 month doctors appointment. I know I've been there tons of times before but only the past two times have been since I was born. So everything was going great.. they weighed me, and measured me. I now weigh 12lbs 13oz and I'm 25 inches long! The doctor said that was great and I'm right on track to double my birth weight by six months, and that's what he likes to see. After that the nurse came in and they held me down on the table. They gave me four shots! The first one I didn't even cry, the second one I just yelled at them a little but the last two I let them have it. I was not happy about it.. worst of all mom forgot to give me my tylenol before I got them, lets just say it's been a long night. Tonight I should sleep really well though because I've had absolutely no naps today!

This weekend we're going to women of faith. I'm not to thrilled about being with a bunch of women Friday morning till sat night but my friend Asher is coming to so we'll get to hang out. We've already talked about how many times were going to make our mom's stop on the drive up to San Jose and how we'll manage to take turns crying to keep them up all night. Just kidding, we're going to be good, at least mom and miss Kim hope so!

Alright well like I said, no naps today, so it's time for me to be nursed and put to bed. Good night everyone!

2008-09-24T10:56:00.000-07:00

Well it's been a long time since we updated this but I've been telling mom we needed to get on it. I've been here now for four months and so much has happened since then.

First of all I was born! After 24 hours of labor that ended in a c-section mommy had me at 12:18pm on May 18th 2008. I weighed 7lbs 14oz and was 20 1/4 inches long. A lot of people came to meet me at the hospital including both of my grandmas, grandpa Hicks, auntie Amy, auntie Katie, uncle Billy, and lots of other family and friends. It was the longest weekend of mommy and daddy's life but I was worth it.

When I was only about four weeks old my family went to Montana. It was my first plane ride and I did really good. We had a lot of fun that week hanging out with grandma and grandpa Gudgel, auntie Katie, auntie Danielle and uncle Brent. We stayed at a house on Flathead Lake, it was huge! I even got to ride in the boat while the grown ups did their water sports. We had a really good time. It looks like this may be a summer tradition for the Gudgel Family.

Not to long after Montana we went to Oregon for my great grandpa Gudgel's surprise 80th birth day party. It was a very long drive to Grants Pass but once again I traveled very well. That was a great trip because I got to meet all of grandpa Gudgel's family. Mommy and Daddy kept saying how it was so nice up there and they didn't want to come home, but of course we did, hopefully we'll go back soon though.

The end of August we went down to Los Angeles to visit more family and friends. One of daddy's friends Meredith got married, I didn't go to the wedding but grandpa and grandma Gudgel, and auntie Katie came all the way from Arizona to watch me so I got to hang out with them. Mommy and daddy had a great time! I also got to meet some of mommy's friends, Rachel, Julia and Laruen, they were really fun and they made me laugh a lot. The day after the wedding was especially cool. I got to hang out with daddy and some of his friends! They all got together for Tex's bachelor party. I got to sword fight with Nate and Jeff and they got a skim board and a slilp n slide.. it was entertaining watching the boys do their sweet moves and I even got my fist skim board lesson! We really wish we were goign to Tex's wedding but it's just not going to happen.. have you seen the stock market latley?!?! =)

So besides traveling a whole lot I'm doing lots of normal baby things as well. I've learned how to smile, laugh, talk in baby language, push up on my arms while I'm on my tummy and roll all over the place. I'm a pretty good sleeper at night, sleeping through the night at about a month. The past two weeks have been hard though because I'm growing so fast and need that middle of the night feeding. Mom's adjusting though, she gave me rice cereal before bed last night, nursed me, then gave me a little bit of a bottle... it worked and once again I slept all night! Along with rice cereal I've discovered bananas, peas, sweet potatoes, pears, and apples. Mom also let me suck the juice out of her watermelon the other day and gave me a little taste of her milkshake! I love all those things I've been eating but I can't figure out why mom wont give me everything else she eats. Sometimes when she eats I get her to hold me, whenever she moves the fork to her mouth I open my mouth and I try to pull it down so I can have some but she just won't give in! I don't understand it, she just says I'm to little still.

The toys I really like to play with right now are my jumparoo and some of my rattles and stuffed animals while I roll all over the floor. Mom still puts me in my swing, and although I fight it at first it still puts me right to sleep! My days mostly consist of hanging out with mommy, auntie Amy and my cousins Emma and Kara (and soon to be one more). We do all sorts of things like work at the church, run errands, have lunch with grandma Hicks and of course our daily sonic drive through run so mommy and auntie Amy can get their ice teas, extra ice.

I've also been hanging out at the Westlund's every now and then while mommy goes and subs. She likes subbing but misses me a lot so she doesn't usually do it more than once a week.

Well that's a lot of blogging, but still not four months worth. We'll be better about blogging, mommy says were going to try and do it about once a week. She says eventually she's going to print it all out and put my blogs in a scrap book or something... So have a good week!

Past Due!

2008-05-12T21:05:00.000-07:00

Hello from inside mommy's tummy! (Yes still...)

Today we went to the doctor again. We've actually been there once a week for about the last month. Today was a different kind of appointment though. I had to go get a stress test! They hooked mom up to these monitors and monitored my heart beat. I decided to play a joke on the nurse and every time she'd find my heartbeat she'd get ready to strap the monitor on and I would move so she'd have to start over! I did this quite a few times so she went to get another nurse to help her. Mom, dad, and auntie Katie were laughing... I decided I better cooperate so when the new nurse came in I didn't give her any problems. I even stayed perfectly still for the first half of the test but then mom started getting bored so I thought I should entertain her by moving and kicking and stuff.

After about thirty minutes or so Dr. J came in and I knew I better be good for him. He read my heart beats and was pretty impressed. Next he did an ultra sound. This is always fun for mom so she was excited. This was the first time Dr. J had actually looked at me and his worries about me being to big were relieved. He was very glad to see that most of mommy's belly is filled with amniotic fluid and that's why I seem so big. Next he measured my head. He said a baby is really good and ready when the measurement of the head is between 90 and 93.. Mine measured at a 91.. Mom was excited about this, not to big but just right! He looked at all the rest of me to make sure everything looked good, he seemed to be having fun doing it too! He proved more than ever that I was a boy.... Mom and dad were very happy about this since they'd just spent the weekend finishing my nursery! Well more like dad and auntie Amy, they put up the border while mom watched. Anyway my nursery is awesome, thanks to all of you that contributed towards that!

So back to the medical stuff... my heartbeat was great, the fluid around me was great, my head and body were great, and we got a great report. All this means is mom is even more stumped on when I'm going to get here! She hasn't had any real contractions and just very little mild cramping! As we were walking through the hallway leaving the office Dr. J said something to dad about him being the only one to make me come... something about whoopy?? Whatever that meant. If I don't make my grand entrance by Friday then we get to go see Dr. J again to set up a time to induce. No matter what I'll be here by the middle of next week and that's all I'm going to reveal at this time!

Sorry it took me so long to get this new update, I've been busy getting ready to meet you all in the real world! See you soon!

Camden

Ps: I love getting comments but I'm stumped on who this anonymous person is... please sign your name!

When will I be here?

2008-04-05T17:05:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

Mom and I (obviously) went to the doctor on Friday. He listened to my heart beat and then he pushed on mommy's tummy a whole lot. He kept feeling all my body parts and even pinched my head! Then he told mom that he would like me to come by May 1st! He says I'm big enough to make my grand entrance and it seems like he didn't want me to get too much bigger. Like I said in the last post, I've been trying my best not to put on the pounds but it just keeps happening.

Mom didn't really think he was too serious but then he told her to schedule her next appointment for two weeks and then said, "and let's have a baby right around then!" She asked what would happen if I didn't come by May 1st.. would they induce her to make me? He said no because no matter what it will always be better if I come when I say I'm ready.

Mom's kind of nervous but really excited to meet me. She's keeps saying she'd rather hold me in her arms then in her tummy. I've been preparing her for pretty much the last 7 months by making her get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Now I'm preparing mom and dad for those late night arrivals because I make mom so hungry she wakes up and HAS to eat. So that means dad gets up and to take care of her and bring her food. It's just my way of getting them ready for those middle of the night feedings. I have the best daddy in the world!

So now no one really knows when to expect me. Only God and I know when I'm going to make my grand entrance into the world! Mom hates not knowing... she hates surprises. But either way she's ready for me to be here.

Don't worry I'll do my best to keep you posted on when they predict my ETA. We'll see how right they are!

Hey Hi I'm Back!

2008-03-19T22:18:00.000-07:00

Ok ok so I realize I have been away for a while...

Woah 3 months have gone by! So basically I'm waaay bigger now that I was 3 months ago. I'm 33 weeks old now. Crazy huh. 33 weeks ago I didn't exist. How about that for a thought that will drive you crazy.

On a more serious note, I just can't stop gaining weight. I exercise everyday, but for some reason I just can't seem to stop putting on the pounds. I keep telling myself it's all muscle and it makes me feel better. I get my exercise by doing various forms of aquatic activities. I would surf, but there are no waves in here, so I just kind of swim around. I do back floats and belly floats, but those get kind of boring so I swim a lot of laps. Those surges you feel on my mama's tummy aren't just kicks, they are kick turns. I have perfect technique already. My dad can't even do a good kick turn yet and I've already mastered it. Hint - my mom was a swimmer.

I got some new pics taken of me recently, and I actually look like a baby now. I'm not so alienish anymore. Check it out.

That's it for now. I'll try to do a better job about blogging in the last 7 weeks here, but it's tough to find the time. I'm pretty busy getting ready for life outside of mama's belly. It's going to be quite an adventure.

Allow me to reintroduce myself!

2007-12-23T19:26:00.000-08:00

Allow me to reintroduce myself, my name is Camden!

Yup it's true. I have a name. Camden. I don't have a middle name yet, but I will eventually. Hopefully before I'm born.

Wow it's been a long month. Well actually a pretty fast month, but a lot happened, so it was kind of long in a way. As if planning for Christmas and buying presents and all that isn't enough work, the folks bought me a house in the beginning of the month. Like a real house, with square footage and a garage and everything. They moved in early December and couldn't be more excited about it. I would have posted another blog before now but I've been helping mom unpack and clean and all that fun stuff.

Right now I am on my first trip to AZ to visit my grandparents on the Gudgel side. I don't know why, but I like the desert. There's something cool about it... but maybe I only like it because it's winter right now and it isn't 115 degrees out. This is also my first Christmas. I've already gotten a bunch of presents. I don't know how people know what I want when they haven't even asked me, but so far I'm getting pretty cool stuff. I picked out my nursery set tonight too, so now I can really get moving on this. Ok well Mom picked it out, but I like it.

I'm kicking and moving all over the place, but mom can't feel it yet. I'm trying my best to get her to feel it because I know how excited she is going to be when she does. Hopefully soon. I'm working on it.

Later everybody. Talk to you soon.

Da, da, daaaa!

2007-11-22T00:13:00.000-08:00

Well the vote total is officially in. The voting is closed. 20 of you were right and 17 of you were wrong. It was difficult for me to keep it a secret this long, well not really. So without further ado...

I'm a boy!

They found out today at our ultrasound appointment. I was moving all over the place to show them I'm not lazy. Mom can't feel me kick yet so she was happy to see me moving. All the moving made me kind of dizzy though and gave me the hiccups.

So my parents are really excited because they can officially plan for me now. No more green and yellow, except for maybe camouflage green. I doubt mom will let that fly though.

Mom, we have a problem

2007-11-07T22:29:00.000-08:00

Mom, we have a problem. Here's the thing, I hate In 'N Out... well let me clarify that. I will love In 'N Out one day, but not for a couple years. I can't stand it right now. I'm sorry, but it's too greasy and it makes me sick... and when I feel sick you feel sick too, so we have a little problem here. I know that it's your favorite food, but I just can't do it. Take tonight for example. You had In 'N Out and it was great going down because it's fresh and delicious and pretty much the best burger money can buy (I know what you're thinking and no, Dad doesn't sell his burgers so they don't count), but now you feel sick to your stomach and when you brush your teeth you are going to feel like you are going to throw up. Sorry. That's just the way it is.

Hello again!

2007-10-23T21:24:00.000-07:00

Sorry for my delay on the blog. It's been a busy and eventful past couple weeks.

I took my first trip down to LA. Wow, what were Mom and Dad thinking moving up here from there? I met Uncle Brent, Auntie Katie, and soon-to-be Auntie Danielle. They are cool. I look forward to meeting them outside of Mama. I got to see a lot of LA since Mom and her friends decided to drive to Long Beach to steal a USC flag... but the flag wasn't there. Those USC flags are so hot right now.

This past weekend was especially eventful. Mama and I went to the Revolve tour. It's a huge convention for teenage girls that Mama went to with the youth group. Sorry, but I'm not saying whether or not I should have been allowed in or not. The best part was Natalie Grant. Her song "Held" is awesome.

After Revolve we had a little scare but everything is okay now. Mom and Dad were very worried about me until they heard my heartbeat at the doctor on Monday morning. I tried to tell them I was fine, but I don't think they can hear me... and I can't really kick yet so I couldn't get their attention that way either. Now I definitely have Mom's attention though. I don't mean to make her sick, but I'm just growing like crazy in here and I need the energy. In two weeks I will be the size of an apple, and then a month from then I will be the size of a cantaloupe. Mom and Dad are watching The Biggest Loser right now. They should make a show about me called The Biggest Gainer. I mean I double in size every week. How crazy is that! If they did make that show, though, I would only want to do it if the guy from Survivor hosts it. He's the best.

5 MORE WEEKS UNTIL I REVEAL THE SECRET OF WHETHER I AM A BOY OR A GIRL! OH THE ANTICIPATION!

Gotta go now. Dad has to give Mom her back rub so she can sleep well and get me my energy. I have a pretty good dad.

Get a good look

2007-10-07T21:26:00.001-07:00

My parents went in for an ultrasound, so I guess there is no more hiding. They still don't know if I am a boy or a girl though, and I'm not telling... at least for like 5 more weeks. They got some pictures of me in all my glory. Get a good look now because the next time you see my I will look completely different with like arms and legs and stuff. They also got a sweet video. I would have let them take a longer video, but my agent said to cap it at 2 seconds. She said something about it being just a "teaser" or something like that. I didn't really understand what she was talking about.

Check out my heartbeat! 171 beats per minute strong.

Oh yeah - whoever voted for twins, you were wrong. What were you thinking anyways? There is no way I am sharing the spotlight with another baby.

Another week down

2007-09-30T22:07:00.000-07:00

So another week down and a whole lot more to go. It's been a relatively uneventful week, except for the fact that I now have ears. Tiny ears, but they are still ears. I watched my first college football game yesterday, or at least a couple minutes of it. Dad was watching USC beat Washington and Mom came and sat on his lap for a little bit. It was awesome, but Mom isn't exactly a big college football fan so she got up and left. I was a little upset that she didn't let me watch any more of the game, so I kind of made her a little sick. Actually, I have been making her feel a little sick all week. It's not my fault though. I'm just trying to grow in here and I require a lot of food and energy. You try doubling in size every week; it's not easy.

It would be fun to go to USC for college. Too bad it will probably cost $300,000 for four years of school there by the time I am in college. I will probably go to a cheaper school - like APU. Lol! I'm hilarious.

In other news, fall weather is here! The leaves are changing colors and the air is getting crisp. It's just getting started, but it's definitely getting colder around here - especially at night. It's sort of my dad's first real fall season too since he is a So Cal guy. Mom was working on a lesson plan this week about the four seasons and I tried to tell Dad to learn from her, but I don't think he heard me. It's probably a little easier for me to stay warm in Mama's womb, but he has sweaters and blankets and stuff, so he'll be fine. And besides, a little fall never killed anybody - sorry about that one, no pun intended.

What a weekend!

2007-09-23T22:32:00.001-07:00

It's nice to finally be home after a long weekend. The wedding was really exciting. A bunch of Dad's friends were there and it was fun for him to see them all. They were all excited to see Mom and congratulate her and ask her about being pregnant. Everybody asks,"are you excited?!" and I am just sitting there thinking, "are you serious? Of course she's excited. It's me - Baby Gudgel! Hi-yo!" I yelled that a couple times, but then I realized nobody can hear me out there, so I gave up. They probably can't speak baby anyways.

Today was pretty fun too. The parents got hooked up with some box seats at the Giants game, so they brought Pat and Alexis along with them. The box was awesome and the free food was really nice; it's just too bad the Giants had to be playing. I mean they are basically a minor league team with a fancy stadium. Let's just say I'm looking forward to my first Dodger game.

After the game we met up with another of Dad's friends who was wandering around San Francisco with his girlfriend on their way up to Seattle. Yeah, I know that sounds crazy but somehow it works out. His name is Matt, but everyone calls him Tex. Is it just me or is everyone from Texas nicknamed "Tex"? I just hope if I go to college Texas people don't call me Cal.

Alright time for bed. Mom has a lot of work to do this week so I need to make sure she gets a lot of sleep.

Much love.

Hey it's me!

2007-09-17T22:44:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it! I was planted 6 weeks and 2 days ago and I'm already blogging. I must be a genius. My limbs eyes and nose are starting to grow, just imagine how great my typing will be once I have fingers. Mom & dad have no idea what I'm gonna be.... thats why this page is all neutral colors. I know what I'm gonna be but it's me and God's little secret, at least for a few more months. So far I've decided I'm going to be really good and not make my mom throw up and all that fun stuff.. I do give her cravings though.. mostly for sleep.

I get to go to my first wedding this weekend. Dad's friend Kimble is getting married. I wish I could dance but my legs aren't fully here yet. I guess I'll just watch Kimble's family and learn how. (wink wink) I'm also excited to meet Pat and Alexis, I hope they give me a friend soon. I can be patient though because I have two cousins moving up here in a few weeks. I'm sure they'll keep me busy.

Well I feel one of those sleep cravings coming on, and I need to wrap this up before mom falls asleep and the lights go out. I'll keep you posted on my daily activities. You'd be amazed how much is going on in here.

Peace Out,
Baby Gudgel