~Crazy Hair~

Mom...How's My Hair?

~Peaceful Day~

"I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book! When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library"

-Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice 

 

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads lives only one.” 

-George R.R. Martin, A Dance with Dragons

"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers."

-Charles William Eliot

"Let us read, and let us dance; these two amusements will never do any harm to the world."

-Voltaire

This was my Tuesday view a couple of weeks ago, and I can't even begin to tell you how much it was needed. I love reading, but rarely get time to do it anymore. There is nothing like a good book, a great view, and awesome company! Blessed!

~First Day & Night in Our New Home~

Our first night as a family in our new home was on Saturday, October 10th. That being said, I'm not counting it as our official first night until we actually move furniture, I am sleeping in my bed with my sheets, and Bowdre is in her crib as opposed to a pack-n-play. And, of course, we actually have TV. We just thought that it would be nice for Bowdre and I to stay on Saturday nights. This way, we get to spend time together as a family, and give Mom and Dad a break as well, especially since wedding season is in full swing once again.

Warren has been pretty much staying and working on the house during the week, making sure we are move-in ready before Thanksgiving, so we definitely want to spend time with him too! Bowdre, at this point, was teething pretty badly. Poor baby is cutting all molars at the same time, plus a couple more teeth up front. Fussy is an understatement. Thankfully, 99% of the time we have a happy baby, so this wave of moodiness and cry cry cry, I was not quite used to. WOW! Them teeth gotta hurt is all I got to say.

That being said, I tried to occupy Bowdre as best as I could, but I found out quickly that being in an empty house is not the way to do it. Here are a few pictures from that day!

Warren working away in the sun-room.

View of our storage building/carport.

Being busy.

Picking out moulding.

I'm pretty sure my child cried ALL DAY LONG. Matter of fact, I don't think she really stopped once, except for these couple of pictures that I took. We went to Lowe's and she practically had her first fit. I was so embarrassed, as I carried her literally kicking and screaming out of the store. Yea...not fun! At least someone was happy today.

Elle' loves her new home and space! Three acres all to herself, well and us too!

Thankfully, she started to get it together and we were able to have a somewhat normal dinner, but it was probably because she got to eat Chinese, so she let the moody baby go and the happy one came back for 30 minutes. Also, thankfully, due to all of the crying and fit-pitching, she was pretty exhausted and went to bed at record early time. Thank goodness! Mama was exhausted.

Now, mind you, while I was also dealing with moody, fussy, crying baby all day, I did manage to get the entire sun-room vacuumed, as well as got all the spider webs out, and let me tell you, there were a lot of them. Making my point even further, I did NOT sit on my butt all day and twiddle my thumbs. Lol. After Bowdre had gone to bed, Warren asked me to help him do something. To be honest, I don't even remember what it was. I told him that I was going to be there in a couple of minutes, so just to wait on me. Well, I guess sometime during those 2 minutes, I PASSED OUT!

This is the picture that Warren took of me. Not only did he post this picture on Facebook, but he also put these words with it.
Somebody's worn out from the first day in the new house. Cameron Rocker Clements must be tired from watching me work all day.
HAHA! Well, all I have to say Warren Clements, is that revenge is coming!

~The Past Year~

In one years time: we welcomed our sweet baby gift from God, Warren took a new career path and opportunity, we moved to Millen part time, lost my beloved Nana, I accepted a job in Statesboro, we sold the home we loved in Savannah, moved to Millen full time, I finished my French classes, accepted the job of my dreams, we found out that we are going to be godparents, and now, we are officially homeowners and residents of Bulloch County once again! This closing day has brought me so much reflection on the past year! It's been one of the best and hardest years of my life! So grateful for my family and friends that have been there every step of the way! Some of life's hardest decisions are blessings in disguise! We are so blessed and excited about the road ahead! Let the renovations begin!!!

This was my facebook post on closing day. These words are so true. Warren and I have been through so many challenges this year, but ones that ultimately led us to where we are now! We are so excited about the future and are grateful for our past! 

~We are Homeowners Once Again~

For those of you who know Warren and I, it has taken us quite a while to pick out a house. I think both of us are super picky. We like privacy, but also like being decently close to town. We like older homes as opposed to newer ones. I wanted some sort of porch...a large kitchen, large bedrooms, hardwood floors, and honestly, the list goes on and on. I'm not hard to please right?!? Ok, maybe I am...but Warren is equally hard-to-please when it comes to where we will make our home, which is something I so appreciate about him! A lot of guys really don't care!

What is funny is that Warren had driven past the house (that we ultimately ended up buying), a while ago, thinking "Nah...Cameron probably won't like it." So, he never showed it to me, and for some reason, I never found it online while completing my searches. One day, we were in Statesboro on a Saturday doing some drive-bys, and somehow, we ended up driving by this house and I told Warren to stop. I liked the area, and the fact that it was not in a sub-division (nothing against sub-divisions, but they just aren't for me). It was empty, so we could see through all the windows pretty nicely. I have to say, I wasn't sold at first, but over the next couple of days, I couldn't get it off my mind. It had pretty much everything I was looking for, including three acres, which definitely gave me that privacy factor that I wanted so dearly. It had nice large bedrooms, a neat closed-in carport (that we are ultimately going to turn into a playroom), and it had the most gorgeous sunroom off the back of the house...plus a outdoor storage building that also served as the carport.

After some serious thought, I decided that it was the house for us! I think what held me back was the fact that although the house itself was in wonderful shape...a good bit of it was seriously outdated, and I saw it somewhat as a renovation project and honestly, I don't have the time nor patience for that. This patience issue is one of, if not the sole, reason we didn't build a house in the first place. After some discussion with Warren and him doing some persuading, we decided that we could swing doing a major renovation of the kitchen, pantry, breakfast area, as well as the guest bathroom. I WAS SOLD!

We closed on the house October 6, 2015, and pretty much immediately started the project. Warren is working on the other rooms with paint, moulding, etc, but Project Kitchen/Pantry/Breakfast Room/Guest Bath is in full swing. We hope to be finished with this project by mid-November so that we will be living in our house for the upcoming holiday season! I'm excited to keep you up-to-date on our projects and of course, before and after pictures!

~Wise Wedding~

A couple of weeks ago, some of our friends John and Ariel got married! It was a beautiful location, back in the woods overlooking a pond. Unfortunately, it down-poured for most of the evening...but that didn't keep anyone from getting married...or having a good time! Thanks so our dear friends Anthony and Sarah for watching Bowdre so we could enjoy this night with friends!

~Happy 1st Birthday Scarlett~

Scarlett turned one back at the end of September, and she had a really fun cupcake-themed party. We had a great time celebrating this sweet girl! Happy 1st Birthday Miss Scarlett...the Clements family loves you!

Lots of cupcakes and one GIANT one!

Opening her gifts!

Bowdre watching Scarlett open her gifts...you can tell she's trying to contain herself!

See Mom, I'm being good!

Cupcake smashing time!

With the birthday girl!

~1st Trip to Myabi's~

For those of you who know me, you know that I love Myabi's. Every year, Warren takes me there to my birthday. Although, Bowdre's 1st official trip to the awesome and fun Japanese restaurant was last year for my birthday when she was only a few months old...

You can barely see her, but trust me, she's back there. Anyway, Warren and I decided to take Bowdre to Myabi's a few weeks ago, and it was so much fun! She loved it!

~Cameron & Warren Clements, Godparents-beginning March 2015~

I seriously can't believe that Warren and I will be godparents to a sweet baby in March of 2016. Our hearts are so full. We are so excited for our dear friends, Leigh Anne and Robby, and can't wait for this journey to begin! Here is their pregnancy announcement...isn't it adorable!

~Kaitlyn's Baby Shower~

Kaitlyn Slate, a friend of mine and former co-worker at Armstrong, is pregnant and due with her first baby girl in November. Warren, Bowdre and I headed to Savannah a few Sunday's ago to celebrate this upcoming arrival of this true blessing. It was so good to see her and catch up! We can't wait to meet this sweet angel!

~Arthur Enginneering Fall Family Day 2015~

Back in late September, Arthur Engineering (the company Warren works for) had a fall family day. I love when companies do this because it allows employees to get to see each other outside of the normal work setting, and it also allows the families to meet each other. It was held at Magnolia Springs State Park, which is just down the road from my parent's house...so super convienent. We had hot dogs, fruit, chips, chili, and enjoyed the beautful weather and each other's company for a few hours! Great day! Bowdre had a blast!

~GO JACKETS~

Watching the game with dad!

~Bowdre is 14 Months Old-September 24, 2015~

Dear Bowdre,

Each month, I find myself writing the same statement. "How have you grown so fast...and Time is flying by before my eyes...Time please slow down just a bit!" I can't begin to express how we feel and how much we love you! You amaze us each day with how smart and independent you are.

You are 27 pounds, and no telling how many inches long. I think you will be tall like mommy! You love spending time with you family and being outside. Riding on the golf cart with Elle' is probably your favorite thing to do. Don't blame you, I love doing that too, especially with you! You are talking up a storm, even though we don't understand most of it. We can tell you are trying to hard to talk.

You love to eat most anything. Favorite is probably cheese quesadillas, but mostly, you love fruit. A Chick-fil-a the other day, you passed up the nuggets for fruit! Yay! You are so easy-going, most of the time. Girl, let me tell you, you are super independent. Now that you can run, there is no slowing you down. But sometimes, you want to be held, and I treasure those moments more than you know.

You love going to school. I think it offers you an opportunity to show your smarts and challenge you, which I think you enjoy! Your teachers have nothing but wonderful things to say!

We are really proud of you...can you tell? These past 14 months have gone by so fast, and we are so in love with you!

~Mommy/Daughter Day~

One of the many many amazing perks of my new job is that I get to spend more quality time with my precious baby girl. Although she goes to school for some part of the day on Tuesday/Thursday, some times she doesn't go at all and just gets to hang out with me. A few Thursdays back, I decided to have a mommy and me day, where we just spend the ENTIRE day hanging out! I'm so glad we did, because we had so much fun!

We started by sleeping in (until 8AM!!!!!!!!!!!!!)...that hasn't happened in a while! Then a breakfast of Bowdre's favorite...scrambled eggs and coffee for mom! After that large breakfast and some play time, we headed off to Statesboro to run errands. We went to Lowe's shopping, and then headed to Bowdre's favorite place for lunch. El Sombrero! Her absolute favorite is beans and quesadillas. Come on...who doesn't love them?!

Well, I can assure you this girl does! After lunch, we headed to go grocery shopping. For those of you who don't know, Bowdre loves to go grocery shopping. She is the best shopping partner around. Entertaining? For sure...but she also helps point things out as well! Her favorite though is riding in the buggy!

Overall, we had a wonderful Mommy/Daughter Day! I am so blessed to be able to have these with the best baby around!

~Grandparent's Day 2015~

Happy Grandparent's Day to the world's best Gammy and Pop! Grandparent's Day was on September 13th, and because I am late and wayyy behind on my blog, I am just now getting to this...but honestly, we celebrate Grandparent's Day every day! I seriously have no idea what we would do without you! I can't even begin to explain how much you do for us every single day. From being the best babysitters and support system to letting us live with you...you never even think twice, and we are so grateful forever! Bowdre loves you so much it's unreal and so do we!! Thank you again for everything you do!

~Bowdre Victoria: 12 Month Pictures~

Bowdre had her 12 month pictures, and we also got the chance to take some family photos! We took them at Mom and Dad's, and I am so grateful for these pictures. It's so hard to believe that Krista started photographing our family for our maturity pictures over a year ago. This year has flown by!