4th of July, etc.

We decided to take a trip to Houston for the 4th of July to visit my family one last time before Camden arrives in September, and I'm so glad we did! We had fun as usual, and it was great to spend a longer weekend with my parents than we usually do - I don't know what I will do when Neal graduates from school and he goes back to work and our summer trips will have to be cut short and planned around his work schedule! It has been really nice to have a very flexible schedule in the summer time! We woke up very early (6:00 am! Yikes!) to drive to Houston and avoid DFW traffic and made it to my dad's house by 10:15 where we picked up a car seat and two bases that are going to work out very well for us - let's just hope that Camden likes this car seat better than my sister Madison - apparently she hated it and cried the entire time she was in it, but she also didn't like the car very much at first, either. Next, we drove to my mom and stepdad's house where we immediately left for a birthday lunch for my stepdad at El Charro (my favorite Mexican restaurant in Houston - see earlier posts for details).

They embarrassed my stepdad by covering his face in whip cream that came with his birthday sopapilla - he was a good sport about it, though! Unfortunately my mom was at work, so she missed it, but we told her about it when we went up to her school to visit her and her little ones. She even put us to work by having us hold some of her babies - Neal keeps getting all kinds of practice for when his son arrives!

On Saturday, my mom and I did some shopping in the morning before we visited my aunt, uncles, and grandfather in Seabrook for grilled steaks, etc. and fun with the family! It's always exciting when we get together with my mom's side of the family.

Here is my youngest cousin, Lance, and his new best friend "Frankie Bubbles," a new dachshund puppy that my aunt was given by a co-worker. She was adorable and so tiny! I almost wanted to get another puppy, but decided I was happier to just play with this little one.

After the festivities in Seabrook, I was tired, and Penny and Peyton found their favorite places to hang out whenever I am sitting on the couch. Peyton likes to be able to watch everyone and everything while Penny prefers to cuddle and stay close to Camden (and his mom) - I hope this means that she will be very protective of him when he is here!

This was one of our many attempts to get a picture of all of the dogs together on Sunday afternoon, since we don't have a picture of our dogs with my parents' dogs. At first, the only way we could get them to cooperate for a picture was for me to sit with them, but I felt a lot like my new name should be the "Dog Lady." I'm not a fan of that nickname, by the way. Later, we were able to get one of just the dogs.

After church on Sunday - our colors coordinated, and Neal didn't even see what dress I had packed whenever he chose his shirt for church!

While we were in Houston, my mom and I went to Home Depot to look at all the supplies she would need to paint the rooms in my parents' house, and she was really motivated to get started, but she was worried that she would do something wrong when she actually started, so my sweet husband volunteered to help paint my brother's bedroom, so she would feel comfortable painting other rooms on her own (with my stepdad's help, of course). So, instead of going to watch fireworks, we stayed in on Sunday night (we did go to a movie earlier that day) to prep the room and paint. I helped my mom with the cleaning and taping, while Neal and my stepdad cleared out the furniture and covered everything in plastic. Then, Neal, my mom, and my stepdad painted while I sorted through some old toys and mementos that my mom was storing for me. In the background, all four dogs were barking, because they didn't want to be ignored, and they were scared of the sounds of fireworks going off in the street outside of my parents' house. We did turn on some classic rock to try and drown out the "din," but those pups have some lungs! I think "the painters" did a great job, and my parents were so grateful to get the painting started! I think my stepdad was wondering what my mom had gotten them into, but he was ultimately happy with the results, too! However, Penny, our schnauzer, was still mad at us on Monday for neglecting her during the painting!

With their completed masterpiece

My parents even decided to paint my old bedroom on Tuesday, because they were so motivated after the first room was completed! I can't wait to see it in person - they just sent me pictures of it, since they completed this after we came home!

On Tuesday, we had another doctor's appointment where we found out that everything is still going well. Camden's heartbeat was around 130-140 beats per minute. My uterus was still measuring the right amount of centimeters for how far along I am (28 weeks), I had gained some weight (I'm no longer comfortable sharing the actual number, but just know that it's healthy, and nothing to cause the doctor concern). My next appointment is in two weeks, and we will continue to go in every two weeks until the last month when we will switch to once a week appointments, and our next sonogram will be around 36 weeks to check Camden's weight and position for the birth. Crazy how close it is! I am currently 28 weeks along, so only 12 weeks, or 3 months, left. I can remember when I was just that far along - I can't believe how quickly time has gone by! For lunch, we took Neal's sister, Kendyll, out for her birthday to this awesome Italian place in Southlake that serves authentic Italian-style pizza. It really tasted like I was back in Florence or Rome - I can't wait to go back (sorry, for no pictures - I didn't think to take any while we were eating, because it was that good!)! We also stopped at my new favorite place, What's Up Cupcake, in Keller, on the way home to get cupcakes for Kendyll's birthday dessert (by the way, we also brought some of these down to Houston for my stepdad's birthday - they were a big hit there, as well!). Even though it's my new favorite, I promise that Kendyll did ask to go there - I didn't choose it for her! Neal and I relaxed for the rest of the afternoon before we went to the Rangers game with Kendyll. Every year, she gets to use season tickets from a family friend who goes to her parents' church in Athens, and this year, she invited Neal and I to come along, too!

With the birthday girl outside of the ballpark

Wearing our matching (free!) hats at the ballpark (by the way, thanks to my mother-in-law, I have a comfortable Heidi Klum maternity tank top in Rangers blue to wear to the games!)

Oh, and did I mention that our seats were right behind the visitors' dugout at the ballpark? This was my view at the game! The player in the middle is Kerry Wood (apparently he is from DFW and I think he used to play for the Rangers), and we felt kind of awkward throughout the game, because the Indians who were in the dugout would periodically turn around and stare at us while we were staring at them. They were really nice about signing autographs for several of the kids who were sitting around us, though. By the way, that's C. J. Wilson who was pitching for the Rangers. I have several more action shots from the game, but I decided not to fill up my blog with them, although it was so cool to be that close to the action! The Rangers had a great game (they won!), but there were several unexpected things that happened. First of all, Neal's sister was disappointed that her favorite player, Michael Young, was not playing (this is the first game that he has sat out for this year) along with one of their best starters, Elvis Andrus. Then, during the very first inning, someone sitting in the next section over from us was hit in the collarbone by a foul ball - it hit him so hard that I heard a crack, he had to sit down, and was taken to a first aid station to get checked out. This made me really pay attention, because I had visions of what happens to Drew Barrymore in the movie, Fever Pitch - let's just say that it's not a good idea to bring your office to the ballpark.

The scariest thing happened during the fifth inning when Nelson Cruz hit a foul ball up to the second level on the first base side (remember, we were sitting on the third base side), and a fan leaned over to try and catch it and fell from the second level to the first level (about a 30 foot fall). Because of where we were sitting, we saw the entire thing happen, and it did not seem real. If you know me well, you know that I am very scared of heights, and one of my worst nightmares would be to fall from one of the upper levels at a baseball field - my hands are getting clammy as I type this, and I would never even consider reaching out for a foul ball at a game. I was immediately nauseous and so worried about the guy who fell. The lady sitting behind us kept saying, "Everyone needs to stop and pray." The entire ballpark was silent as the emergency medical staff came in to assess the situation and transport him to the hospital. The thing that angered me about the situation was that fans sitting in the area where it happened moved closer, even though the best idea in that type of situation is to move away to give the experts a chance to get closer and get their job, and some of those people even got out their cameras and started taking pictures. I couldn't believe their insensitivity! I really wasn't sure if the game would continue, but after they were able to transport out the injured man and the people that he landed on, the game started again five minutes later. Several of the players looked away, because they thought he had died, while others stopped and prayed. We kept hoping to hear an update on the man's injuries, but we didn't really hear anything until after the game when we got back to the car and heard about it on the radio. Apparently, he was able to move his extremities when the paramedics arrived, and he was responsive. Today, Neal heard on ESPN radio that miraculously, he only suffered a concussion and a sprained ankle - they believe that because he was a firefighter and in good physical condition that he fared better than others might have in the same situation. Also, the people sitting in the area where he fell were fine, and they were even able to stay for the rest of the game. So, maybe those prayers helped! Still, this is probably the scariest thing that I have ever seen in person, and I was so grateful that we were sitting in the lowest possible row at the ballpark - otherwise, we would have had to go home. Thankfully, the rest of the game went smoothly, although the man who fell was still on our minds throughout the night.

Here is our group after the game (Kendyll's friend, Kelly, from church also came to the game)

On Saturday, Neal and I are taking our all day crash course about the childbirth process. I am hoping to learn some valuable information, and I think that Neal is hoping that he will be able to last the entire day - even though he is currently a student, I think the thought of sitting in a class for an entire today does not appeal to him. Let's pray that he is not too antsy!