Back in Action...

After two wonderful weeks of vacation, the kids returned to campus tonight. Scott and I enjoyed the peace and quite of an empty dorm, took many long walks in the spring sunshine and had fun just being home together. Here are a few pictures from our vacation!








Although it's a little tough getting used to having the students back on campus, the good news is that summer is just around the corner! Spring term always flies by and is actually a pretty fun time to be working at a boarding school. As the weather warms up and the snow starts to melt, everyone just naturally seems to be in a happy mood! Scott isn't coaching this spring, so we'll be able to go on runs and long walks together in the afternoons, watch baseball and lacrosse games and enjoy our adorable little boy! I have to say, we have a pretty good life! Thank you God!

Living the Dream...

This is a little "Blog-Out" (instead of shout-out...I'm not sure which of my friends coined this phrase...Barb? Jill? Jaq?) to two of my good friends from college are living the dream! They are incredibly talented singer/songwriters who have formed their own band called Jill and Kate, (check them out on itunes!). Their music is incredible and always puts a smile on my face when I listen to their songs.
With Katie, Jill and Meghan at graduation...

While they continue to work on their own music, they are also part of Kelly Clarkson's band and travel the country and the world singing backup (and playing guitar - yeah Jill!). Just in the last few weeks they traveled to the Bahamas, hopped around Europe visiting cities like London, Amsterdam and Vienna, flew back to the states and appeared on Good Morning America, American Idol and Live with Regis and Kelly all in a matter of a few days! Sometimes I look at their life and wish that I had the same opportunities. They are seeing the world, meeting famous people, and truly living their dream of performing and being successful musicians. It's awesome to see how far these friends have come, and I'm not gonna lie, it brings excitement to my quiet little life when I get to watch them on television and cheer for them from my couch.


After seeing them perform on American Idol this week, I was thinking about how awesome God is. Jill and Katie are having the time of their lives and are really doing what I believe God created them to do! And although their life is incredible and I have fun hearing their stories and watching their success, I know that God has different plans for me. As quiet as my little life is, I'm so blessed with my wonderful husband, my beautiful child, and our life at our school. I love that when I wake up and open the shades in the morning, I'm looking at the beautiful mountain that I first climbed when I was three years old. I love that I can almost see the roof of my parents' house that I grew up in down in the village from our yard. I love that we have thousands of acres of woods out our back door and that we literally (and I'm not even exaggerating) saw 15-20 deer surrounding our house last night. I love that my sister and her family live on a farm just 10 minutes away. I love that Camden is going to grow up in a town where people leave their cars unlocked and know most of their neighbors by name. And I love that although my life is so different from Jill and Kate's, we are all "living the dream" in our own way and can maintain a friendship despite our different lives! I'm so proud of what they have accomplished and I'm so thankful that they bring some excitement into my little world, and at the same time I'm so proud of my own life and where God has brought me and my little family.


"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose."

Now how's that for a Blog-out!?!?! :)

on my own...

So, this week felt like a big week! Camden is turning seven months old on Monday...it's AMAZING how quickly time flies. He is such a little man these days! He loves to walk around holding our hands, he sits up and plays with toys by himself and is developing quite a little personality. He is such a joy to be around, and I'm realizing that I have hardly spent any time away from him in the last seven months (well, 15 months including pregnancy!). This winter I tutored some kids for an hour four days a week during the academic day here on campus, but other than that Camden has been in my arms, or by my side, for most of his life! On Thursday of this past week I went to the first day of a new series as part of a Women's Bible Study at our "new" Church. We started going to GCC last spring and have really enjoyed meeting new people, getting involved in a weekly cell group and getting settled into our new church home. I am really excited to be part of this Bible Study. Having a baby in the house makes personal time and quiet times few and far between. I felt a little sad leaving Camden behind with Scott as I drove the 35 minutes down to our church, but I must admit that I came home feeling refreshed and excited...and SO happy to hug my little one. I'm not sure if it's pitiful, or wonderful, that this 3.5 hour trip was the most time I've spent away from my little guy. I feel so blessed that I am able to stay home with him. He brings such incredible joy to my life, and I honestly felt like something major was missing when I was at church. I know it will get easier to leave him as he gets older, but for now, I know it is a good thing for me to do something on my own. Even though it's hard to drive away alone, it's good for me (spiritually and emotionally) and it's good for Scott to have some alone time with his son. Who would have thought you could love someone so much?!??!?!

Happy Valentine's Day!

We had a wonderful Valentine's Day today! No Saturday morning classes meant that Scott and I were both home all morning together! We had a big breakfast of blueberry pancakes and bacon and enjoyed a nice quite day with Camden.

Camden even made Daddy a Valentine's Day card!

He loves chewing on his fingers!

Scott made fun of me all day because I actually took the time to make a Valentine's Day card for myself "from" Camden! I think it's cute!

How could this smile not brighten my day?!?!

Scott was very sad that he didn't have the opportunity to get off campus in the last couple days to buy me flowers, so he brought Camden downstairs early this morning and let me sleep for an extra hour (an amazing gift!) and made these beautiful roses! :) Pretty darn cute if you ask me.

My two Valentines! No flowers or jewelry could compare to these two precious gifts in my life. (Although I am excited for my upcoming massage that Scott got me!)

Hope you all had special days as well!

Recent Favorite Photos!

Here are some photos from the last month or so that I just can't help but share! Our little man is the best thing that ever happened to us! Hard to believe he'll be six months old tomorrow! Time is flying by! Enjoy!

With Daddy...


Mama's little boy...




Sitting up all by himself!!!

Wearing his new sweater, knit with love by Great-Grandma Sylvia!









We are just so thankful for our beautiful, happy, healthy baby boy and can't wait to see what the next six months hold for us!

Random Facts...

So there is this Facebook craze going on right now where everyone is writing down twenty-five random facts about themselves and sharing them with their friends. I don't usually participate in these types of things, but I was getting so many lists from all of my friends so I jumped on the bandwagon. I have to say, it was such a fun activity to be able to reflect on both silly and serious things in my life and to share them with those I care about. Since not all of my relatives and friends have Facebook, I've decided to copy my list on to here! Enjoy!


1. I am married to the most wonderful man in the world and am madly in love with my 5 ½ month old son.

2. I love working at a school and being involved in kids’ lives. There are some students here that I’m really going to miss when they graduate!

3. I hate the sound of clocks that tick out loud! Especially if I’m trying to sleep in the same room as one! (I usually have to take it off the wall and put it in the hallway if I find myself in this situation!).

4. I grew up without a television and vowed that once my children were old enough to be aware of what they are seeing on TV we would get rid of ours…unfortunately, this decision is going to be a very difficult one to make as I’m somewhat addicted to Ellen, Jon and Kate Plus Eight, American Idol and (I’m TOTALLY ashamed to admit this) The Bachelor.

5. I rode a unicycle in the Macy’s Day Parade when I was 10 years old. - I met Joey Lawrence at the parade and didn’t know who he was (see #4) – but all the other girls on the Andover One Wheelers were quite smitten by him!

6. I grew up in a town of under 2,000 and have returned to my roots after a five year college hiatus on the North Shore. I love living in the country!

7. I admit that I would have been (well, probably still am, but REALLY would have been until recently) a great candidate for What Not to Wear on TLC. Stacey and Clinton would have had a field day with my wardrobe! Haha!

8. I desperately miss playing soccer competitively. I would give anything to play on a really competitive team again.

9. After playing sports all the way through college and coaching for the last 5 years, I have come to the realization that I LOVE to play sports much more than I love to coach them. I have yet to truly make the switch from athlete to coach, and am not sure if I ever will.

10. I made so many incredible friends in college and wish they lived closer.

11. I love photography, but am awful at keeping up with my photo albums.

12. I am excited to have more children someday, but am terrified of going through labor again. 36 hours from when my water broke until Camden arrived and I had back labor with no drugs. I’m glad I survived, but am so fearful of experiencing that again. I think I need post-labor counseling!

13. I grew up listening to Rosenshontz and Kids Praise and Camden WILL love them as well! ☺

14. Even though I’m married and have a child, I still sometimes sneak my Carebear out of the drawer in my bedside table and snuggle with him/it.

15. One of my biggest regrets in life is not giving a toast at my sister’s wedding. I feel like a horrible sister and have never let myself forget it.

16. I love that my Mom and Dad came to almost all of my soccer and basketball games through both high school and college. I feel so blessed that they are so dedicated to me.

17. I enjoy eating out and really miss Not Your Average Joe’s, Bertucci’s and Sylvan Street Grill from the North Shore, but will never get sick of PC’s or Pizza Chef (the two restaurants in our area – I’ve gone a million times in my life and it never get’s old!)

18. I loved to act and sing when I was growing up and did all the school plays and a summer theater production until High School.

19. Scott and I had a beautiful, outdoor wedding with contra dancing in a barn - Perfect for us!

20. I love being a mom. I love reading and discussing parenting topics. I love using cloth diapers. I love watching Camden learn, grow and laugh and my absolute favorite thing in the world is snuggling with him in bed. Thank God for long afternoon naps!

21. My relationship with God is the most important thing in my life and I can’t even fathom what my life would look like without Him.

22. God had to rupture my appendix for me to realize that Scott really was the one for me!

23. My first job (other than babysitting) was scooping ice cream at the yummiest ice cream store in the world! One of the perks of working at Arctic Dreams was getting free ice cream (even when we weren’t working) and I literally ate thousands of dollars of free ice cream over the years – I’m surprised they’re still in business!

24. I’ve only gotten one professional hair cut in my life (thanks for bringing me Tina!) and realized that the one’s my mom gives me are just as good and much cheaper!

25. I absolutely LOVED my college experience at Gordon – loved the classes, loved the teachers, loved the athletics and made the best friends of my life there. Good thing I followed in my mom and dad and sister’s steps and went to Gordon!

26. I have to add a #26 - I love my family soooo much and can’t imagine where I would be without their love and support. I also feel so blessed to have married into the Allenby family and feel like I’m probably in the minority because I actually really look forward to spending time with my in-laws!

Camden's Friends

Scott and I absolutely love living in New Hampshire. We love that our house backs up to thousands of acres of woods, that we always see people we know around town or in the grocery store, that we usually don't have to worry about locking our car, that we can step out our front door and walk to beautiful lakes, mountains, meadows and the awesome rail trail...but at times it does feel a little lonely. I hear from other young Gordon-alum moms about how they bring their little children to baby story hours, children's museums, MOPS, free swim lessons at the YMCA and tons of other activities that keep their children active and happy and provide a great way for young moms to meet other women. I often talk to these friends (or read their blogs!) and get a slight sense of jealousy - would I be happier living on the North Shore still where there are more opportunities like this? Sometimes I'm tempted, but then I remember all the traffic and busyness and am glad that we live where we are.

Although I don't have quite as many formal opportunities to meet other moms, I do feel extremely blessed to be living in a community full of new moms and babies! Six babies have been born on campus in the last seven months and another woman is due in April! I am (by far) the "baby" of the group as everyone else is in their mid-30's to early-40's, but despite the age difference between us, we are all going through the same things - sleepless nights, researching vaccinations and how and when to introduce solids, dealing with baby's first sickness, etc...

We have been getting together once a week for what we call "Mama's Tea" - it is so fun to see our babies roll around on the floor together and share ideas on different parenting techniques. There is a sense of relief that sweeps over me when I hear a friend say that her child is waking up to nurse every two hours as well, or her child hates tummy time too! It's nice to know that there are other women out there figuring out what's best for their family and their child as they go. Parenting truly is a continuous learning experience - and once you think you have something down, it changes!

Along with these women on campus, many of my very best friends from college are having their first babies as well! Sadly, we all live very far away from each other, but we have a great time sharing stories and ideas over the phone or via Skype on the computer! We were lucky enough to get together at Homecoming in the fall and introduce our babies to each other - it was pretty cute!

We feel so blessed to have so many baby friends for Camden, and as a result of these little friendships, my relationships with many of these women have grown much deeper. I'm so excited to see Camden grow up with these other little boys! It's going to be an adventure!

Caden, Camden and Preston...


Camden and his cousin, Clara...


Camden and his friend Jordan...(Jordan is two months younger).


Camden and his little buddy Linden (Linden is six weeks older than Camden).

Camden's First Christmas!

Wow! It's hard to believe that Camden's first Christmas has already come and gone! In fact, today is his 5 month birthday! Time really is flying by! We had a wonderful Christmas season celebrating with friends and family. We feel truly blessed to be surrounded by so many people who love us and support us and are so thankful for all the love that is constantly showered down on our little one.

We celebrated with my side of the family for a few days before flying out to see the Allenby clan in Ohio on Christmas Eve day. Here are some pictures from our time with our families...

My parents enjoying the little peanut...


Camden with his Great-Grandpa Gordon...


Camden and his Great-Grandma Sylvia...


We had a wonderful time at our annual gathering with the McAllister's...

This is me and and my best friend from growing up, Lindsay M., with my new little bundle...


...and just chillin' with Bepa...


We got tons of snow over our vacation...here's a picture of our house during one of the storms!


And then we were off to Ohio! I was sooooo nervous for the flights (hoping that we weren't going to be THAT couple with the screaming baby...), but Camden (as usual) was amazing! He slept the whole way there and back!

Here he is with his Great Grandma and Grandpa Erickson...


and playing with his Great Grandma and Grandpa Allenby...


The whole family...


Hanging with Mama on Christmas Morning...


Family fun...


One Christmas tradition that we are starting with Camden (a continuation of Scott's childhood tradition) is that we are going to give him an ornament each Christmas that he will take with him when he is all grown up and out on his own. Here is this year's ornament...


We hope you all have a wonderful year in 2009! I know we will!