Kamm Family Fun Weekend in GA!

We are looking forward to our first Kamm Family Fun Weekend in GA.  This will be the first time Harleigh has met her Uncle Pete and Aunt Alex.  Pete and Alex (I would imagine mostly Alex) took the time to organize a great family get together the 4th weekend in October!  We can't wait to spend time in the mountains, catch up with family (Pete, Alex, Mimi, and Bibi will all be there), and get some R&R.  Also, Uncle Pete said that Dillon, GA is known for country ham, so of course, we are all excited about that.  We are looking forward to the weekend away.  Here's the link to where we are going: 24 days and counting!

http://www.dillardhouse.com/

Happy 7 months, Harleigh!

I can't believe my baby girl is 7 months today!  It's so cliche, but time does fly by after having a kid.  It feels like yesterday we were bringing our little peanut home.  At the 7 month mark,  Harleigh has begun talking more than ever!  We were at a play date with friends on Saturday, and Mac (a little boy that's 10 months) was getting acclimated to the group and did not like the fact that Harleigh is very outspoken.  She was talking the entire time we were there, and when Mac would get upset, she would "talk" even louder to match his cries, which in turn caused him to get even more upset.  We're not sure if Mac will want to come to another play date with our little talker.

Happy 7 months!

Weekend Away- Pictures

Here are a few pictures of the beach trip we had.  Great weather, great friends, great drinks, great sleep! :)

Weekend Away

This past weekend Zak and I went away for our first time sans Harleigh!  It was difficult to say "goodbye", but we knew we needed this weekend away to sleep in and re-energize!  We had a great time with friends at Ocean Isle beach in a huge 5 bed/5 bath house. 

We definitely missed the little one, but knew she was having a great time with Gigi, Papa, Aunt Ginger, and cousin Landon.  She was exhausted when we got back and slept almost 12 hours last night!

Happy 1 Year Birthday, Julia!

Julia,

Happy Birthday, BFF!  I had so much fun celebrating with you last weekend!  Thanks for being a great friend and showing  me the ropes at school.  I'm bummed we won't be in the same class anymore, but I'm excited I'll be able to peek in and get to watch you eat from the "big girl" table.  Also, I don't know what I'm going to do without being able to turn to you everyday with my hair questions.  Thanks for being such a great friend, Julia!  I'm looking forward to celebrating many more birthday's together.

Thanks,
Harleigh!

Happy Grandparents Day!

Dear Mimi, Bibi, Gigi, and Papa:


Thank you so much for all you do for me.  I'm so blessed to have you in my life. I really enjoy the amount of attention I get when we are together.  You all do such a great job playing with me, singing to me, brushing my hair, making me laugh, changing my diapers (even the "bad" ones), and praying for me.  I look forward to all the memories we will make. Thank you so much!  I love you!

Happy Grandparents Day,
Harleigh

BOOK CLUB

BOOK CLUB GIRLS

(Left to Right: Katie, Angie, Most beautiful and influential book club member-Me, Beth- preggers with Mary Grier, and the one who started it all- Natalie) Not pictured: Jenn, Liz, Sarah, Bryn

I'm sure when you read the title of this post, most of you thought, "Okay, this is a joke". Actually, no, I am in a book club. I've been in it for over a year now. I haven't quite "read" a book yet though. I have been watching the movie for the books that we do read. (And by "we" I mean all the other girls in the book club.)

I'm taking it up a notch this month and my girlfriend, Katie, got the book on CD so I can be part of the book discussion and not just be the movie critic. The book we are reading/listening to is "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" by Mark Haddon.

Any good, easy, SHORT reads you can recommend to our book club? (Preferably one that has a movie, in case I run out of time? :) )

Nicknames

Zak claims to have a few "nicknames"; however, I constantly have to point out that it's not a nickname if you're the only one calling yourself that, Z-man/Kammbone.

At only 6 months, Harleigh has a handful of nicknames. 

Here are a few that she has acquired in 6 months of life:
Munchkin (or "Munchy" for short)
Har
Peanut (bc she was so teeny when she was born)
Har Bear
Har Har
Little One
Harster

If you have any other nicknames you think we should add to the list let me know!

Happy Birthday, Ginger!

Today is Ginger's birthday! 29 years ago today, Ginger blessed this world with her presence.  Ginger and I have celebrated her birthday together every year and as a new mom I'm sure this year will be the best one.  I'm sure daddy Dean has something special up his sleeve (and if not, Dean, you better get crackin').  For her birthday, this is part of my gift to her, 5 reasons why I'm (opps, today is not about me) Ginger is the bestest sister ever:
1. Thoughtful.  Ginger is one of the most thoughtful people I know.  When we lived together at college, and I would have a stressful event coming up, like a test or a timed run for volleyball.  Ginger would always write a sweet note of encouragement that would allow me to relax and get through whatever the event was.
2. Creative.  I have a very creative family.  I believe the medical term is S.C.I.G. (Super Creative Intelligent Gift).  Ginger has this.  She is both very artistic and a great writer (check out her blog: http://lifeasadean.wordpress.com/). 
3. Honesty. Ginger is brutally honest. Whether you want to hear that your haircut looks bad or that the blonde hair dye you thought was going to look like the blonde hair on the box, and it actually turned out like Carrot Top. Ginger has no shame in letting you know that your "hair can be seen from a half mile away". Thanks for your honesty, Ging!
4. Funny.  I laugh all the time when I hang out with my sister.  She says some of the funniest things, and does some of the funniest things.  She has no problem in making fun of herself, and never takes life too seriously.  One of my favorite memories was when I was at tryouts to walk on for UNCW vball, and we had to do this drill where a ball was rolled side to side on the court and you had to stop it before it reached a certain point. Before any drill, the coach would always have someone demonstrate and on this particular occasion, he chose Ginger.  As she was trying to complete the drill, she ended up stumbling I mean, completely wiping out and eating it.  I had told the other girls trying out that I had an older sister on the team. One of the girls sitting next to me ask which one was my sister, and I pretended to not hear the question, as I did not want to point out that it was my sister laying flat on her face licking the wood floor!  Love you, Ging!
5. Christian Woman.  Ginger is someone I have in my life for the reasons above, but  most importantly is that she helps hold me accountable for my walk with Christ. When worldly things began to get to me, Ginger helps me realize what really counts and keeps me in line with my faith. 

All of these are why I'm blessed to have an amazing, loving, OLDER sister!  Thank you for playing such a huge role in my life, Ginger.  I can't imagine not having you being a part of it.  Enjoy this FINAL year in your 20's- the count down is on- 364 days 12 hours until you are 30!