Zum the Mum

A Whole Lot of 1sts...and one 11th!

2009-11-11T13:55:00.012-06:00

Life is just crazy. I think that statement can pretty much sum up how we've been lately. I'm beginning to figure out that around the middle of October things gear up and they stay at warp speed until after Christmas. We've had so many things go on at our house lately, I couldn't let more time go by without getting them written down. So, drum roll please...

1. Halloween fell on a Saturday this year. In the past, we've always gone to our church's fall festival in lieu of trick-or-treating. This year, the church decided to have the festival during the day which allowed for BOTH! Oh my goodness, this was so exciting. I feel a little guilty that Karson turned 6 and had never been trick-or-treating before. We had so much fun. Campbell was fascinated with the candy, and Karson wanted to hit EVERY house in the neighborhood.

The trick-or-treaters in action

Karson as "Hannah Montana" and Campbell as "A Pacified Strawberry" :)

2. Karson's best friend, Addi's birthday is just 2 days before hers. Now that they go to different schools and don't take dance together, they only see each other at church. For Addi's birthday, her parents planned a pajama party. All of the girls came in their pajamas and watched movies, etc. The BIG highlight of the party was that when everyone else went home, Karson got to spend the night (she's never done this except with cousins). Now, I was never a good "spend the nighter". I usually made it until about 11:30, and then I was ready to go home. In light of this, I waited by the phone all evening waiting for the call to come pick her up. That girl always surprises me. She made it just fine and had a WONDERFUL time!

3. Kars has had a wiggly tooth for weeks. We've tried to convince her to let us pull it out, but amidst MUCH drama, she has refused. Well wouldn't you know that while she was at Addi's party, the silly tooth fell out! I must admit that I was a little sad that I missed it, but she was so excited that all the girls got to see it, so I had to get over myself! Rusty's cousin, Georgann, gave Karson a tooth fairy pillow when she was a newborn. It came with all of these cute poems and ideas for the tooth fairy. I was so excited to use it, so the next night the tooth fairy went into action. She left a sweet poem about how important the 1st tooth is, $5, and she even cooled her wings in the glass of water by Karson's bed and made the water turn purple! Karson was thrilled to wake up to all of this on Sunday morning!

Showing off the "gap"!

!

4. Campbell had an excited "1st" on Monday. Her sweet little friend, Landrie, (who lives down the street and goes to church with us) got to come over for the day. Her regular baby sitter's daughter was having a baby, so we got to have her over! Oh my goodness, the precious moments I got to witness all day long are too many to list. They were so darn cute! They played with their babies and loved on each other...oh, I could eat them up!

Two peas in a pod! (I caught Landrie in a strange moment)

They were sharing babies and loving the fact that they had the same bunny!

5. Last, but certainly not least, the 11th! Rus and I will celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary on Saturday. It's a true testimony to how life is right now that I will be busy all day at a dance competition, but we've made plans to celebrate on another day. We've been through a lot of changes in the past year, but I wouldn't choose to do life with anyone else. He is the love of my life and I am forever grateful that God led us together. Happy Anniversary, Rus. I love you more than ever.

This is one of our pictures from the beach this summer. It's a little glarey, but I love the sunset!

And there you have it. A whole bunch of life in a short little list. We'll keep trucking along. 'Til next time...

A Six Year Old...wow

2009-10-30T13:03:00.000-05:00

Karson Elaine,

Today, at 1:03 pm, you will turn 6. I'm not sure how I feel about that. It seems like the time is just flying by. I know I say that every year, but it's so true. I've always been a "keep them little as long as possible" kind of girl, but I know that getting bigger is the natural order of life and with growth comes so many blessings. While I LOVED your baby, toddler, and preschool years, I am so enjoying the fact that you are now old enough to do so many things that you couldn't do before. You have such a funny sense of humor, and I love joking around with you. You still love to snuggle and read books together, so I still get to baby you just a bit! You are also starting to become a little clothes horse, so we have a great time shopping together (watch out, Daddy).

Here are some of the things you like right now...

Food
You've become a bit of a picky eater...but most of the time you're willing to try new things at least once. These are your favorites:

1. Bread (any kind - usually with butter)

2. Noodles (plain with salt)

3. Spaghetti

4. Baked Potatoes

5. Chicken

6. Dessert of any kind (ice cream sandwiches, no-bake cookies, and cake balls are your top picks)

Clothes

You still let me pick out what you're going to wear, but you usually have an opinion to express about it. You've slimmed down a ton (not that you were chubby before) and now most of your pants are too big in the waist.

1. Soft t-shirts from the Gap

2. Anything "bedazzled or sparkly" (Mommy is not a big fan of this, but we go with it)

3. "Cozy clothes" - you love to be comfortable

4. Boots (you have some with a wedge heel that are your favorites)

5. Headbands (you have all but started REFUSING to wear bows - gasp!)

Toys/Games

You got a DS for your birthday, and you are LOVING it!

1. Barbies
2. Anything craft related

3. Guess Who

4. Basketball (you start your practices the last week in November)

5. Dress up clothes - I love that you still like to do this.

We had your parent/teacher conference a few weeks ago. Daddy and I were so thrilled to hear all of the wonderful things Mrs. Plum had to say about you. You have already started reading and we see growth in so many areas. Kindergarten has proven to be a very happy place for you and we are so thankful.

I think the sweetest thing you wanted for your birthday was a Bible. Daddy and I found a pink one with a carrying case. It made my heart swell with emotion to see you have the desire for God's word. You've been asking lots of questions about what it means to ask Jesus into your heart. We've talked a lot about it and I think you're getting closer and closer to making this big decision.

My precious girl, the last 6 years have been filled with so many special memories. I'm so grateful to be your mommy, and I'm so privileged to get to witness all the changes and events in your life. I could NEVER begin to put into words how proud I am of you. I hope you know how much you are loved and cherished. I have loved you long before I ever saw your sweet face, and my love continues to grow each year. Thank you for blessing me every day with your sweet spirit. May this next year of your life be full of so many adventures, tons of fun memories, and more joy than you could imagine.

I love you, Mommy

Here are a few pictures from the big girl's birthday party at the pumpkin patch...(and Blogger is being quite annoying and won't let me move my pictures where I want them. Grrrrr. They are out of order.)

We played some really cute relay games with the pumpkins. Run, Karson, Run!

Blowing out the candles!

Everyone made a spider pumpkin! Very cute!

Posing by the "cake". She wanted to have cake balls...so we did!

A Very Sad Day Indeed

2009-09-28T12:01:00.004-05:00

If you know my girls at all, you know that they are EXTREMELY attached to their "bedtime friends". Many people call these sweet items, "Lovies". When Karson was learning to talk, all of her "l"s sounded like "y"s and her "v"s sounded like "b"s, so her "lovies" were "yubbies". Oh my goodness, Yubby is VERY special. She was given "White Yubby" when she was just 3 weeks old. It looked like a small white kitty cat face attached to a tiny floral blanket (about 1 square foot). We quickly realized how attached she had become and began to worry about losing "White Yubby". We set out in search of another yubby, and found one that was the same brand. It was a brown teddy bear head attached to a small blanket. Creative as we are, it became known as, "Brown Yubby".

Now, Brown Yubby was acceptable for taking to preschool and in the car, but it was definitely a second class citizen to the original, White Yubby. As time progressed and Karson was no longer taking naps at preschool or needing to take a yubby with her in the car, Brown Yubby found itself in the drawer and was no longer used at all. White Yubby was a prized possession and came out each night to help Kars go to sleep. She would take one of the ears between her first 2 fingers and rub it gently until she drifted off. It was truly precious to catch her in the act! By now, White Yubby has several holes and is extremely faded due to being washed so many times. We say it looks "well loved".

Before Campbell was born, we set out on a search for a Yubby. Nana found her a precious giraffe that we knew would be perfect. She was also given a super cute princess by my friend Lauren. Both of these yubbies were the same brand as Karson's and were attached to small silky blankets. Campbell attached herself instantly! We made sure to change them out frequently so that she wouldn't prefer one over the other (we had learned our lesson with Kars). It was so sweet to see Campbell with her yubbies! We even overheard Karson trying to teach her how to rub the ears properly! :)

Needless to say, yubbies are VERY special at our house.

For the past month, my parents have been adding on at their house. The latest in the project was that the floors were being sanded and stained, and so they had to spend several nights at a hotel. This past Friday night, I took the girls to stay with them at the hotel and go swimming (yes, we are "those people" - don't judge). Later in the evening, as we were winding down, I got out the girl's yubbies and handed them to them. They both drifted off to sleep and all was well. Around 1 AM, Rus arrived at the hotel (he had been in Stillwater for the Union game) to take the girls home. I was staying the night because I had to get up early and drive to Arkansas. forshadowing...

Saturday morning I called to check in on them, and Rus informed me that Karson had left White Yubby at the hotel. I quickly called Mom and Dad to let them know. I wanted to make sure they grabbed it before the cleaning ladies came in. I had a fear that it would get tangled up in the sheets/towels and taken to the laundry. more forshadowing...

On my way home from Arkansas, I called Mom and found out that Yubby was no where to be found. They had searched all over the room and all over the hotel. They had the entire hotel staff looking for it, and no one had seen it. Apparently during the transfer from the room to the car, Yubby was dropped and LOST. shudder. I quickly called Rus to see how Kars was taking the news. He said she wasn't handling it too well, and that quite a few tears had been shed.

After I arrived home, we talked about what had happened, and got Brown Yubby out of the drawer. Mr "Second Class Citizen" has now become her new best friend and is filling a much needed void. She still says his ears aren't good for rubbing, but that it's okay. We haven't had any tears at bedtime, so I guess that's a good sign.

I think my heart may be as broken as Karson's. This was a special item that symbolized her childhood. It was one of those that I hoped to keep forever and be able to give to her when she had a baby of her own. Ugh. It's been a sad few days here at the Zumwalt house, but I guess life goes on. It's all about perspective!

Here are a few pics of Yubby...

I took this picture last summer. I was going to write a post about Yubby (ironic, isn't it). That's White Yubby all tucked in by her chin. I laid Brown Yubby out beside her.

This picture of Campbell makes me laugh! I wonder what she was dreaming about? These are her 2 yubbies! Pink Yubby goes to school and church with her, while her White Yubby stays at home in her bed.

Thoughts from the Sick Bed

2009-09-09T17:10:00.003-05:00

Karson has been sick for the past couple of days. She's finally fever free today, but I took her to the doctor just to make sure we were in the clear. There has been some nasty stuff circulating around Owasso. They did a flu test and a strep test. Thankfully both came back negative. If all goes well tonight, she should be able to go back to school tomorrow.

After we got home from the doctor's office, this is what she told me...

"Mama (in a very pitiful voice), can we go to a yummy roll place for dinner? That would make my cough feel lots better."

I told her that I would call Daddy and check, to which she replied...

"I love yummy rolls. Bread is my favorite thing to eat. Besides noodles. Oh, and butter. I love butter. And eggs. Bread, noodles, butter, and eggs. Yeah, those are my favorites."

As you can see, we're all about the food pyramid over here at the Zumwalt house. The perfect picture of healthy eating.

First Day of School...Round 2

2009-09-01T16:27:00.006-05:00

Today was the first day of school for King's Kids, so Campbell and I were "back in action"! Did I take a single picture? NO! I'm the worst mother ever, and my poor second child is completely neglected...judge me.

The day went fairly well overall. We had a "few" criers, and I had to call 2 mommies to come pick up kiddos that just couldn't get themselves together, but for the most part it went as smoothly as first days can go. It always takes a few days to get back in the swing of things and for the kids to adjust to the routine. Hopefully in a few weeks everyone will be in the groove.

Campbell did GREAT! She didn't cry when I dropped her off, she played on the playground, ate her lunch, and TOOK HER NAP!!!! I was so proud of her. She has the same teachers that she had last year, and she was delighted to see them this morning. She adores them, and they are so sweet to her! It made the transition very easy.

I think we're all glad to be back in a routine. The past week and a half has been really strange with Karson going to school and Campbell and I staying at home. She has been a little confused about "where Sissy is", and she's been searching for her all over the house...

Is she under here???????

Nope. I don't know where she is...

When I'm feeling low from missing Sissy, Mom fixes spaghetti and everything is a-okay!

We found her! She was at Steven's wedding...performing her flower girl duties!!! (Like how I fit that in? But doesn't she look beautiful?! )

So there you have it...ALL of the Zumwalts have officially begun school year 2009-2010. Our prayer is that we follow wherever God leads! It's gonna be great!

The First Day of Kindergarten!!!

2009-08-19T11:39:00.006-05:00

This morning was a little different. Karson ate breakfast a little earlier than usual.

Then she put on her new outfit, put her new clip in her hair, and grabbed her new backpack.

She hugged Campbell and posed for a few pictures.
We got in the car and drove to her new school. She held my hand as we made our way to the front door.
We found her class, and she showed Daddy where her locker was.

Then she walked right in, got her name tag on, and began her year as a KINDERGARTENER!!!!

There were no tears or looks of desperation. Just a thumbs up and a smile!

My house seems VERY quiet (especially while Campbell is napping). 3:10 seems like forever away. I miss her. I can't wait to see how her first day of school was.

Preparing

2009-08-17T21:16:00.005-05:00

I feel as if I have spent much of the summer preparing for the fact that my child will be starting kindergarten. I started the summer worrying about the school where she will be going. Is it the right school? Will she have any friends? What will her teacher be like? I applied for an intra-district transfer to another elementary that would be closer to the church. I thought that would make it better on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday while I'm working and she would be so much closer to me. My transfer was denied. I called her school to request a certain teacher. I was told they don't take requests.

I was trying to do everything I could to make things the way I thought would be best. God had other plans.

I've spent much of the last few weeks praying for Karson's new teacher. Praying that I would let Him be in control. Praying for peace about the whole situation. I don't know why I was surprised when I began to feel better. I don't know why I was surprised that His way was better than what I was trying to work out. I don't know why I'm ever surprised that He always has a plan, and that "plan is good" (Jer. 29:11).

This past week we continued our preparation.

We bought new tennis shoes for school. When I asked Kars if they made her run fast, she informed me that it is the person wearing the shoes that makes you fast or not, not the shoes themselves. Wow. She did, however, pose to show me how fast she was going to be! :)

We also purchased a new flower clip to go with our first day of school outfit.

We then headed to Wal-Mart to purchase our school supplies. Oh my goodness, I think everyone else was there buying school supplies at the same time.

After all of our shopping, we headed to the nail salon to have our very first Mother/Daughter pedicure. Oh my goodness...this was fun! Kars loved it! She picked hot pink polish and had them add white polka dots to it. Too cute!

One of our final preparations was tonight. We got to go to the school for "Meet the Teacher". It was very crowded in the hallways, and we had to wander around to find the kindergarten rooms. We finally found them and entered Mrs. Plum's room. On our way to the school, Karson and I had discussed what we thought Mrs. Plum would look like. Karson was delighted to see that she had pictured her perfectly except for her hair color! We dropped off her school supplies and looked around the room a bit. We then made our way back through the crowded halls. We walked back to the front door and then retraced our steps back to the room so that Karson would feel comfortable finding it.

As we were walking to the car, I could tell Kars was getting quieter by the second and I asked her what was wrong. She took my hand and looked up at me with a trembling lip and tears in her eyes. She said, "How am I going to be able to find that room all by myself?"

With these words, my heart broke into a million pieces.

I guess with all of the preparation I was doing as far as worrying about the right school, the right teacher, the right outfit...I totally forgot to prepare myself for the fact that my baby girl is going to have to walk into that big school and find her room "all by herself". Ouch. That hurts my heart.

I assured her that I would be able to walk her in the first day or so and that there would be plenty of people there to help her, but it's the symbolism of it all. It's the letting go. It's the "all by herself".

God has it under control. I know that in my head. My heart is trying to catch up.

Wednesday is the first day of school. I'm planning to have precious pictures to post and a happy story to tell. It's all going to work out. His plans are good...the Bible tells me so.

Bathtub Talk

2009-07-29T21:26:00.003-05:00

I'm not even going to comment on the fact that it's been over a month since I've blogged or that I still haven't blogged about our trip to the beach.

I guess by saying that, I did in fact comment on it. Ahem.

Karson has been running fever for the past 2 days, so it's been pretty low key around here. Today was a pajama day, which hasn't happened in way too long. I don't think she moved from the couch for more than a few minutes. Sweet Campbell was busy trying to make her feel better by giving her lots of pats and bringing her toys. Oh my goodness, the love between those two just makes me want to smother them with kisses...but I know that would not end on a positive note, so I try to restrain myself.

Last weekend, 6 of my preschool teachers and I went to OKC to the Church Weekday Education conference. We had a really good time and learned some great stuff. I'm now excited to begin the year and put some of our learning into practice! One of the break-out sessions was called "Sex Education Begins in the Bathtub". I did not attend this session but two of our teachers did. After the session was over both of them came out with eyes as wide as saucers. They were informed that "if you haven't talked to your child about sex before they enter kindergarten, then it's too late. They're going to hear it from someone else". ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? Sorry, but I'm not talking to my FIVE year old daughter about this yet. Especially when she hasn't even begun to ask me questions about it. There was one thing they came away with that I did feel like I needed to take care of: calling all body parts by their anatomically correct names...so, I forged ahead and tried to take care of that tonight in, you guessed it, the bathtub. WARNING!!!! If this kind of thing makes you uncomfortable, stop reading now. I'm simply recording this, because this was a biggie for me, and I want to have it written down!

Mommy - Hey Kars, did you know that boys and girls are different?

Karson - (implied, duh) Yes.

Mommy - Well, you know we have different parts on our bottoms (internal cringing in agony). We all have a bottom, but the front parts are different. Do you know what they're called?

Karson - No, what?

Mommy - Well a girl has a ________. Have you ever heard that word?

Karson - No, it's kind of a funny word. I know what a boy has, but I'm not saying it. (She has lots of boy cousins, and has heard what my sister's children call theirs).

Mommy - Yes, sometimes boys call it that, but the real name is a ________.

Karson - A ________! (giggle, giggle)

Mommy - Mommy just wants you to know these words in case you ever hear someone say them. That way you'll know what that is. Okay? Now, can you tell me what we call a girl's?

Karson - A venus?

Maybe that's why they said I should talk to her about this before kindergarten.

The quickest way to do this is with a list...

2009-06-17T21:16:00.006-05:00

We leave for the beach in less than 48 hours, and I can hardly stand it. I am so excited!!!! We've been planning this trip for over a year, Karson has been counting down the days FOREVER, and it's finally here! I will be sure to take tons of pictures and post them when I get back.

In the meantime...here's what's been going on since May...

1. We said good-bye to some precious friends. The Ingrams moved to Virginia and we were so sad to see them go. They will be missed TREMENDOUSLY! We had a fun filled night with just grown-ups to say good-bye.

L-R: Dave, Kelli, Kendra, Mitch, Melissa, Pat, Rus, Jennifer - these are some of the most precious people on Earth! Thank you, God for friends!!!

2. Karson had her last day of Pre-K. How did she already finish 1 year of school? Oh my goodness, it's like I can physically see her growing right before my eyes. She had an AWESOME year. Her teachers were amazing and she grew so much socially and academically. We couldn't be more proud of her. God truly took control and put her exactly where she needed to be for her Pre-K year. Praise Him! Her last week was full of lots of fun activities including a birthday party for everyone! We took donuts that were super cute!

So yummy!!!

Karson's last day of school. That's Mrs. Pearson on the left and Mrs. Kendall on the right.

3. Karson and Rus took their first fishing trip of the summer. They came home tired and happy. Karson informed us that it's only fun to fish when you catch something. I couldn't agree more!

A self-portrait!

4. I went to Dallas (Rockwall) to teach officer camp. So great to see old friends and work with such fun people. We got to stay at a gorgeous Hilton on the lake. It was an exhausting 3 days, but such fun. I'm so thankful I am able to do this! The girls got to enjoy spending time with Nana and Ma, who were so precious to keep them while Rus was working! We couldn't make it without the best grandmothers EVER!

5. Karson had her 1st official dance recital. (This really should have it's own post, but if I don't do it here, I'm afraid I won't do it at all) Oh my goodness! As we walked into the PAC that Saturday morning for her rehearsal, I had one of my most special mommy moments. I was getting to help my little girl get ready for her dance recital. It is something I have pictured doing forever, and I finally got to do it!!!! I was speechless and on the edge of my seat the whole time she performed. I couldn't have been more proud - nor could the 11 other guests that came to watch her! Is this girl loved or what?! It was so worth getting in an argument with a very rude lady who wanted to take some of the seats I was saving before the show...GRRRRRR!!!

Rehearsal - look at that concentration!

Here's the star!

Two peas in a pod! Addi and Karson - are they not the cutest?

I could not have been more proud!

This was after the show...what a blessed little girl to have all 4 granparents there to see her!

6. This week has been the week for VBS at the church. I have been in Campbell's class, and Kars has been with all of her pals (this is her last year on the preschool side). It's been a great, but very tiring week. I've been amazed at how much Karson has been learning during her Bible story time. She has been able to tell me so much about the life of Peter and how Jesus changed him - amazing! Campbell has been a bit possessive of her mama. She's not so crazy about me picking up the other babies in her class, but it hasn't been too bad. Today, we were taking the babies on a wagon ride around the church. They LOVE to do this! As we were passing the 1st and 2nd grade rooms, we came upon a little boy on his knees praying with one of his teachers. I had to choke back tears as I realized that we were watching someone's life being changed forever. At that moment, as we were wheeling a wagon full of 7 babies down that hallway, angels were rejoicing in Heaven because of a new little brother in Christ! Praise GOD - this is what it's all about!!! It truly made my day. My week. My year!

Okay, that about wraps it up. It doesn't seem like much, but I feel like we've been going warp speed lately. Beach, here we come!

How is it already June 14th?

2009-06-14T21:12:00.004-05:00

We have been super busy over the past few weeks. I have MUCH to blog about, but no time to do it!

This week we have VBS, and we leave on Friday for the beach. I'm hoping to get a post up about the end of the school year/beginning of summer stuff before we leave. We'll see if that happens. Hope everyone is enjoying life! It's supposed to be in the 90s all week...ummmmm...hello hot!

I'll at least leave you with a few picturs! These were taken on Memorial Day at "Lawn Chairs and Lemondade"!

So Thankful...

2009-05-13T21:18:00.004-05:00

It's Wednesday night, and I am just now sitting down to post about Mother's Day. Does that tell you anything about our week?

We had a really special day. The celebration started on Saturday evening when the girls (and Rus) gave me 2 new crosses to add to my collection. I already have them hung on the wall and I LOVE them! Rus gave me a pedicure and tanning minutes so that I can start preparing for our BEACH VACATION that we will be taking in 5 1/2 weeks!!! I am beyond excited and so ready to be there.

Sunday morning we had to get up very early because we had to be at church by 8:15. Why? The girls and I were part of a special Mother/Daughter dance performance in both services. We practiced quite a bit over the weeks leading up to Sunday. The scheduling of the practices added some stress to our already packed days, and my nerves seemed to grow in increasing number as we got closer and closer to Sunday morning. Well, the big day finally came, and all I have to say is that I am beyond blessed for this experience. I will never again get to dance with my 5 year old and 15 month old daughter (probably never again, period). Looking into their sweet faces as we were praising the God that gave them to me...wow...Thank you, Lord, for these precious miracles. Karson was so brave and did such an amazing job, and Campbell brought tears to everyone's eyes when she toddled out on the stage.The song we danced to was called, "Find Your Wings". The chorus is so perfect for how I feel about my girls.

"I pray that God will fill your heart with dreams
And that faith gives you the courage to dare to do great things.
I'm here for you whatever this life brings
So let my love give you roots and help you find your wings."

After we performed in the second service, I took the girls with me into the bathroom so we could change our clothes. I was busy getting Karson dressed, changing my own clothes, and telling Campbell not to touch anything, when all of a sudden I heard a splashing sound. I turned ar0und to find my precious baby girl splashing in the toilet water. GROSS!!!!! I quickly finished up and took her to the sink to SCRUB her hands and arms. Oh my word. This child is definitely different from her sister.

I was very sad that I did not get to see my own mom on Mother's Day. She got sick in the night on Saturday night and was unable to come watch our performance. I think she might be sadder than I was. I've told her many times since Karson was born that I am only now able to understand how much she loves me. She is so special to me and I am so grateful to have such an incredible Christ-like role model to follow. She is my mentor, my closest ally, my most trusted adviser, and my best friend. Thank you, Mom, for being such a blessing in my life.

After we got home on Sunday, Rus went out to mow the yard which was approximately 4 feet tall due to all the rain we've been getting. The girls and I took a delightful nap. After our nap, we were playing in the living room. Campbell kept going into the kitchen, opening the cabinet, and bringing "snacks" for me to open. After about the 4th time I took back whatever box/bag she had brought me, I heard her in the kitchen again. This time, I heard a bag being opened and something being spilled all over the kitchen floor. I went into the kitchen to see what was going on, and this is what I found...

Girlfriend is gonna get her snack one way or the other. Sis is helping out too! :)

Bless you, sweet child. You indeed keep me on my toes. Even on days when you splash in the potty and spill stuff on the kitchen floor...I'm so thankful to be your mommy (and Karson's too).

Breakdown on Aisle 9

2009-05-05T21:50:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was a day of many fits for Campbell. The fits started in the morning, and continued throughout the afternoon. Campbell's fits consist of her not getting her way about something, and then throwing herself backwards while screaming at the top of her lungs. It is joy. Pure joy. I wish.

After we dropped Karson off at school, we had to go to Wal-Mart. I should have seen it coming by the fact that the 1st fit was thrown as I was putting her chubby legs through the holes in the basket. Naively optimistic however, I proceeded with my shopping. As we made our way through the store...

Side note: If you live in Owasso, then you know that Wal-Mart is the most frustrating place in the world right now due to the remodel. I cannot find ANYTHING because NOTHING is where it used to be. This makes for the world's most irritating shopping experience.

Ahem. As we made our way through the store, more fits occurred. Loud fits. Crying fits. Fits that make people stare at you with the look on their face that says, "Take your baby out of here. No one wants to listen to that screaming." I just kept walking and gritting my teeth and sweetly saying, "Cams, that's enough."

As we walked into the check out line, fit number 55 began. (Okay, maybe that's a slight exaggeration) The lady in front of me was just finishing getting her groceries onto the conveyor belt, so I knew I had a few minutes to get the screaming baby out of the cart and calm her down a bit. That's when it happened.

Am I the only one that gets stressed in the check out line? I feel this tremendous pressure to get my groceries out as fast as possible so that I can get to the other end and get the bags off the twirly thing and into my cart. Never mind the added stress of trying to put your heavy things on first so that they go in the cart first. Or trying to keep all of your cold items together. And you can forget worrying about keeping your eggs and bread for last so that they can go on top. What happened to those nice young kids that used to help my mom get her grocery bags into the cart and even out to the car? Where has service gone????

I digress.... So, I'm holding Campbell (aka "Fit-thrower), trying to get my groceries on the belt (in order and QUICKLY), the checker is asking me if I have any heavy items I would like for her to scan, and the woman behind me is giving me "the look". I wanted to throw my own fit at that point, but I managed to hold it together. By the time we left, I was sweating and worn out.

I'm telling you. Wal-Mart ain't for sissies.

Closet Cleanout '09 - continued...

2009-04-22T11:21:00.004-05:00

Okay, Miss Jennifer, you are right. What is so great about cleaning out closets? NOTHING! I have officially taken that word out of the title!

Today's project was Karson's closet. I had intended on getting started shortly after breakfast, but we had a change of plans. Rus called and said we needed to take something over to a friend's house, so we decided to walk it over! They don't live far, and the girls and I had a DELIGHTFUL walk! The weather was beautiful, the birds were chirping, and we got some fresh air! When we returned to the house, we played outside for a few more minutes. Such a fun way to start the day...we should do this more often.

Once we came inside, it was time for Campbell to take her nap and time for Mommy to tackle the closet... Karson's closet is a bit tricky. It goes way back on either side, so you have to crawl back there to put things on the shelves or hang things up...good times!

Before I show you the pictures, you must know that all of the clothes hanging in the girl's closets in the "before" pictures, are NOT the same clothes hanging up in the "after" pictures. I just want to paint a clear picture of how much work this was. Heaven forbid anyone think that I didn't do enough work! :)

BEFORE...

AFTER!!!

The Great Closet Clean-Out of '09

2009-04-20T11:47:00.004-05:00

The closets in my house are beyond messy. They are disastrous! Embarrassingly so. I decided that this week I would tackle getting them all changed over to spring clothing and CLEANED OUT! I started this morning. In an effort to stay focused, motivated, and dedicated to the end, I decided to take before and after pictures.

Campbell's closet was the "closet of the day"! In only a little under 2 hours...the project was complete. Now, don't even ask how her room looks because of the clean closet. That's a post for another day!

Feel free to leave me a comment about how awesome I am and how proud you are of my accomplishment! Yes, I know, I'm completely shameless and prideful. Forgive me, Lord.

BEFORE...

AFTER!!!

Easter...almost a week later!

2009-04-13T14:26:00.004-05:00

We had a fabulous Easter. How can you not? Celebrating the Risen Lord???? What isn't exciting about that? I truly intended to post about this long before now, but somehow it is already Thursday night, and it hasn't gotten accomplished...oh life, it does fly by...

Karson was VERY sick last week. We ended up in the doctor's office getting IV fluids on Friday. She was still a little weak on Sunday, but she was able to go to church! You'll notice in the pictures that she's a bit pale! We're just glad she's better!

I'm mad that I didn't take any pictures of the girls looking in their Easter baskets. All we did was video. They were quite excited to find yummy snacks, cute Summer flip flops/crocks, new bathing suits, and books. Karson thinks it's very neat that the Easter Bunny can make flip flops from the Gap...hmmmmm, am I warping my child??????

Here are the girls before church! Campbell WILL NOT stand still for a picture. She got so mad that she finally just sat down. I asked Karson to bend down by her...and this is the best we got. Oh well, we have many years of the traditional, "stand in front of the fireplace" pose!

After church, we met my parents and my sister's family for lunch at Charleston's. We then headed over to Nana's for the afternoon! Here are the cousins in their Easter outfits. Are those boys not PRECIOUS??? Can you tell that Kars is about to choke Cams? I'm telling you, the girl will NOT be still!

Here's the fam! Can you tell our color theme for the year? We were so proud of Rus...he even picked out his own pink tie to coordinate with us! He's such a great "girl" daddy!

"Miss Thang" sporting her bunny ears from Nana!

It was a yucky, rainy day, so we had to do the egg hunt inside. Kars was a bit irritated with the Easter Bunny for hiding the eggs too high for her!

Here, There, and Everywhere

2009-04-02T22:01:00.005-05:00

Prepare yourself for some random thoughts...

***Tonight, when I got out of the shower, I found Karson playing with my bra. She was wearing it (upside down, mind you), and talking about how "they" were sooooo big. This promptly made me crack up, because, if you know me at all, you know that there is no way that a bra of mine could make anything "sooooo big". She saw me laughing and started laughing with me. I then asked her if she would like for me to take her picture. She responded, "NO. Do not put this on the blog."

Wow. How was she able to read my mind? That was exactly what I was planning to do. Scary. I didn't even realize she knew what a blog was.

***In unrelated news, Campbell is officially off the bottle. She gave up her last one on Tuesday night. I'm sad. I wasn't ready for that. I quite enjoyed the fact that she would sit and snuggle in my lap for a solid 10 minutes and drink her bottle right before bed. It was the ONLY time of the day that she would sit still for that long. It also makes me sad because it's just one more step away from being a baby. Somebody stop the clock!

***In other random news, tonight was the last episode of ER. I watched to pre-show and cried. I am waiting on Rus to get home so we can watch the show together. I started watching this show my freshman year of college. Wow, it's been on a long time. I'm very sad it's over...it's one of my favorites.

We Interrupt this Spring...

2009-03-29T23:02:00.006-05:00

Many people would find it bizarre that my last post was all about nice Spring weather, and this post is about snow. Nope. Not bizarre, just Oklahoma!

Yesterday morning we woke up to a rain/sleet mixture that quickly turned to snow. It snowed for 8 straight hours at our house...and we're not talking about a few measly flakes here and there, we're talking blizzard-like conditions. It was beautiful, and so much fun to watch. Because the weather had been so Spring-like prior to this, the ground was still very warm. We were shocked that it stuck like it did. I guess when it snows that much, that fast, it has nowhere else to go!

This winter has been full of cold temperatures and wintry precipitation, but it has all fallen in the form of ice. We were so excited to finally get something we could play in...and this was PERFECT snow for making snowmen!

After our photo shoot, Daddy and Karson stayed out for over an hour. They built a "really cool" fort and a snowman. Daddy also pulled her around on a make-shift sled. So Fun!!!

Mommy and Campbell only got to stay out for a few minutes. Baby Girl WOULD NOT leave her mittens on, so I was worried her hands were going to get frost bitten!

Our 2 favorite snow bunnies! It was hard to see because the snow kept falling in your face...thus the squinty eyes!!! (Look at our street...this was around 1:00...the snow had been falling for about 4 hours by this time...picture 4 more hours of this!)

In Karson's 5 years of life, she has either been too young, sick, or recovering from surgery every single time we've had a snow fall. Needless to say, she was DELIGHTED to be able to play in the white fluff covering our yard. Today it was back up to 58 degrees. Most of the snow is gone. What a fun, quick, and unexpected little gift on an otherwise boring Saturday!

Spring is in the air...and so are the girls!

2009-03-08T20:58:00.004-05:00

The weather this weekend was OUTSTANDING!!! This afternoon we took a long walk around the neighborhood and then spent about an hour playing in the yard! I must say that I despise losing an hour of sleep due to Daylight Savings, but I am LOVING how much lighter it is in the evenings! I have Spring Fever...big time! While we were playing, I kept looking at the sky and marveling at how beautiful it was...it was just so BLUE! Rus kept throwing the girls up in the air, and I caught a few pics that turned out pretty cute!

Thank you God for making all things new! "To everything there is a season..."

Weeeeee!!! Higher Daddy!

Look at that grin...what a dare devil!

A Short Ride Home

2009-03-02T21:10:00.002-06:00

As we were driving home from dance class tonight, Karson was chattering to me from the back seat. The dance studio is about 10 minutes from our house, but I'm telling you, she can fill 10 minutes with A LOT of information!

Topic #1 - Pets
"Mom, do you know why I want a pet so much? Because sometimes I don't really want to talk to Campbell or to you or to Daddy. I just want to look over at that fish (we've told her she can have a fish) and say, "Hello, how are you?" and all he'll do is listen. He won't talk back."

Topic #2 - School
"Ask me about Kayla (her best friend in her class). She is NOT GOOD. She was sick. No, she wasn't at school, so I had to play with Paige. You know what Mom? Paige is a good friend. She let me choose everything we did today."

Topic #3 - Nana
"I'm ready for Nana and Doo Daddy to come home (they've been in Mississippi). I know they've missed me so much."

Topic #4 - Easter
"You know what I'm going to ask the Easter bunny for? A clubhouse. (I informed her that we only get big gifts at Christmas or birthdays. Easter is just a few little gifts in our Easter basket). Okay, I'll ask for a Wii. (I then informed her that even though a Wii is not a "big" thing size-wise, it is still a very expensive gift.) You know what Mom, the Easter bunny isn't real. It's just someone dressed up in a bunny outfit."

Do you think we're in that EGOcentric stage or what? My high school AP Psychology class is all coming back to me! I'm thinking we might need to talk about putting others first!

I hope they'll stay this way!

2009-02-24T16:02:00.006-06:00

It's been way too long since I posted. I just haven't had anything blogworthy lately. Don't get me wrong, we've been very busy, just nothing out of the ordinary or interesting going on!

My mom's birthday is today - Happy Birthday Mom! We got to celebrate it over the weekend. The entire family was there (minus my nephew Steven - we missed you). It was so fun to get to eat dinner all together. Los Cabos - yum! After dinner, my 2 sisters and I took my mom to see the movie, "Taken". It was a great movie and such fun to have a girl's night!

Since then, I've been thinking a lot about what a blessing it is to have siblings. Teen and I were talking the other day about this very thing. I told her that I watch Karson and Campbell and already see a friendship forming. I so hope their sister relationship/friendship continues, grows, and ends up being as special as the relationship I have with my own!

I keep looking at pictures of my 2 doodlebugs and feeling a bit nostalgic. The very 1st thing I ever posted was about my girls being best friends. I'm so glad it stayed that way!!! I thought I would post a few from the past, very special year!

This was taken the day we found out Campbell was a girl! We told Karson by giving her a pink doll that she picked out. Oh my goodness, she was excited!

Campbell had only been home a few days when we took this...the start of something great!

All dressed up and headed to church for Easter (Campbell's first church day) Little did they know this would be the first of MANY matching/coordinating outfits!

Supporting Daddy during the Regionals and State Finals - Go Trojan Baseball!!!!

A good snuggle always makes everyone feel better!

My 2 favorite trick-or-treaters!

The Christmas card photo shoot was lasting a bit too long...Campbell was worn out!

Best friends!

Expect the Unexpected

2009-02-10T23:21:00.003-06:00

WARNING - This post contains some descriptive details of childhood illness involving the stomach. Read at your own risk!

Although "Expect the Unexpected" is the theme of one of my favorite summertime shows, Big Brother (gasp, I know it's trashy...but I do love it), I do not prefer this theme in my own life. And I feel as if my life has been full of the it lately. I'm not good with unexpected. I like routine, order, and knowing what is coming next.

Unexpected Event #1 - Friday was Campbell's birthday. We had a great day together. She had her doctor's appointment in the morning (she's doing VERY well), we took Sissy to school, ran to Wal-Mart, and also got to spend a fun evening at Chick-Fil-A with my sister and her boys. While at CFA, I was relishing in the fact that Campbell was 1! After I fed her the normal baby food she eats, I thought she might enjoy a few bites of chicken. She did. So I thought she might enjoy a few more bites. She did. Then, I thought she might enjoy a few bites of my yummy shake. She did. We left CFA and came home for baths and bed. About 3 am Saturday morning I heard her crying on the monitor. I went in her room and found that she had thrown up ALL in her bed. NOT FUN! I'm not a good throw-up mommy. Thankfully Rus dealt with most of the clean-up, and I just helped Baby Girl settle back down. With her birthday party happening later that day, we decided to see how she felt when she woke up. Thankfully (or so we thought), she woke up feeling fine and we decided to go ahead with the party. We credited the throwing up to her crazy mommy that over-fed her at Chick-Fil-A. She had a terrific time at the party and the big kids had even more fun playing outside for a solid 3 hours! We even let her eat her birthday cake. Stellar move, guys!

Unexpected Event #2 - By Saturday night, Campbell had blessed us with some super, terrific diapers. We were beginning to realize that this might be some sort of bug we were dealing with. Karson was battling a cold, so we decided it would be best to keep the whole family home from church on Sunday. Sunday morning arrived and we settled into a slow, restful day at home. Both girls seemed to be feeling good, and we were glad for the chance to rest. Rus decided to meet some friends to play basketball that afternoon, when, wouldn't you know it...Campbell decided to throw up again! Okay, so now we KNEW we were dealing with a stomach bug. I called the doctor who prescribed some medicine that would help with the nausea. Rus came home and we prayed no one else would get it...

Unexpected Event #3 - Around 10 pm Sunday night, Rus was not feeling well and suddenly began...I'm going to leave that alone. Let's just say that he had caught the bug. If I'm not a good throw-up mommy, then I'm an even worse throw-up wife. I felt so bad for him, and there was really nothing I could do.

Unexpected Event #4 - At about 5 am Monday morning, Karson came stumbling into our bedroom and said, "I need a bowl. I don't feel good." She then proceeded to throw-up! At this point all I'm thinking was, "Please don't let me get it. I don't know what we'll do if I get it. Please don't let me get it." I spent the day on Monday nursing everyone at my house. Rus slept most of the day, Karson laid on the couch, and Campbell crawled around like everything was great...and then filled some more super, terrific diapers for me!

Unexpected Event #5 - I called a friend of mine to get her to cover the preschool on Tuesday. I knew I couldn't take the girls and Rus had to go back to work. She said she could and I thought everything was good to go. I then got calls from 3 different teachers saying that they had sick children and wouldn't be at work. I worked out the substitute situation and tried to not worry about it. At 10:30, I got a call from my friend that was covering for me to let me know of a "situation" going on with 2 of my teachers...let's just say, drama. I HATE DRAMA. How do these things happen on the one day you aren't there?

Unexpected Event #6 - Tuesday morning Rus went back to work, neither of the girls had thrown up in almost 24 hours, and I was really feeling like we were on the mend. I knew Karson had not eaten much the day before, so she was feeling pretty weak. I knew I needed to get her to eat something, so I offered her a scrambled egg...which she accepted pretty easily. I kept encouraging her to drink, but noticed as the day went on that she was getting paler and paler. Her eyes were very glassy and she wasn't speaking at all. I called my mom who suggested I let the doctor's office know what was going on. When I called my sister (who is also the nurse at the pediatrician) and told her how Karson was acting, she immediately said I needed to bring her in. I quickly got the 3 of us dressed and headed to the doctor. Dr. Boyd said Karson was severely dehydrated and gave her 2 bags of IV fluids. Poor baby. I hated having to hold her down while they put it in. She cried and cried. I will take her back tomorrow to see if she's better, if not, they'll have to run another IV. Thankfully, they left the central line in so they won't have to stick her again if that's the case!

It's almost midnight, and I'm crossing my fingers that we are FINISHED with all of this. But...nothing could shock me at this point. Lord, are you trying to teach me something through all of this? I know I'm a slow learner, but really, I think I get it!

On a happier note, I'll leave you with a few pictures from Campbell's party.

The birthday girl and her sissy! See her cute "1" onesie I found!

Another unexpected...the cake! It turned out cute in the end, but when Rus went to pick it up, it was lime green with a brown bow and purple flowers! I should have known it was foreshadowing!

Can you guess the color scheme for the party? I thought it turned out really cute, if I do say so myself!

Here's the birthday girl with her cake! She was hilarious! She kept trying to pick the pink dots off. Maybe she was just taking her time because she knew it was going to make her sick.

I Can't Believe She's One!!!

2009-02-05T16:42:00.004-06:00

Marion Campbell,

One year ago...how can I be saying that? How can it possibly have been a year? Already?...

One year ago today I started feeling a bit strange around my very large, pregnant tummy. It took me a few minutes, but after a quick call to Nana, I soon figured out that I was having contractions! Contractions?? I never felt a single one when your sister was born. They induced my labor and I got my epidural before I felt anything (the perfect way to have a 1st baby, by the way). Anyway, I started timing these contractions and realized I might better call Daddy and head to the hospital. I will spare you all of the details, but let's just say that it made for a LONG night! Because you were not yet to 37 weeks (we were short by a day), they couldn't do anything to help me along. My water WOULD NOT BREAK!!! So....after arriving at the hospital around 6:30 pm, we were not blessed with your presence until 9:24 am the next morning.

Girlie, you were worth the wait! All 6 pounds 10 ounces of you! You had a head full of black hair just like your sissy did when she was born. You seemed so tiny to us, and yet you were so alert and curious about everything. My heart was instantly expanded, and if I had ever worried "how can I love 2?" (which I don't remember worrying about), then that worry faded immediately! I laid in that bed looking into your sweet, fresh from God face and knew that you had made our family complete!

I'm having such a hard time trying to find the words to say to you. You only have one first birthday. Your Mommy should have something profound and meaningful to say to you. It should be heart-felt and inspiring. But the words aren't coming. As I'm sitting here staring at the computer screen, I realize that it's just perfect that I can't find the words because that's what you do to me. You make me speechless. I sit and look at you and know, more than ever, what God's love is. I see you crawling or playing and want to throw my arms in the air to praise our incredible Father for the miracle of life. I watch you sleeping at night and know what it feels like to love something so much that I truly would give up my own life to save another. There are NO words to express how much I love you. So again, you make me speechless.

Tomorrow morning we will go to the doctor for your 12 month check-up. While we are there, you will officially turn 1! I don't remember what life was like before you were here, but I cannot believe it's already been a year. Maybe that doesn't make any sense to anyone else, but it makes sense to me.

You are MUCH loved, my precious baby girl! Thank you for making my already terrific world an even better one. Happy Birthday!!!

I Love You, Mommy

She Cracks Me Up!

2009-02-04T20:56:00.002-06:00

At school, Karson has been working on learning to spell and write her last name. Today she came home with this paper. As you can see, she has been doing very well! See the "wow" sticker?

When I pulled the paper out of her folder I was bragging on what a great job she did...

Me - Karson Elaine, look at your neat writing!!! Did you do this in a free center, or did Mrs. Kendall ask you to do it?

Karson - She asked us to do it. We had to write it 3 times.

Me - Did you do it all by yourself (which she can), or were you looking at something?

Karson - I was looking at a card with my name on it.

Me - Well, you did an awesome job! I'm so proud of you!!

Karson - I know...hold the applause.

Oh my goodness. I had to leave the room to keep from bursting out laughing. I guess at parent/teacher conferences next week I won't be asking if we have a confidence issue! :)

Praying for Colton

2009-01-24T21:03:00.004-06:00

UPDATE 1/28- We have been at my parent's house for the past 2 days. We were getting a bit "cabin feverish", and we needed a change of scenery. Sorry for not posting this sooner. Colton's surgery was supposed to take 4 hours. It took less than 2! The tumor was underneath the scull, but it was on top of the brain (not inside). The doctors were able to remove it easily. It didn't seem to be attached anywhere. They have sent it off for a biopsy and are hoping that it will come back benign. THANK YOU, LORD!!!! This sweet boy has so many wonderful things ahead! God showed up in in so many ways surrounding this surgery. We give Him all the praise!

This is Colton Brock.

I had the privilege (along with Shelbi) of teaching this precious child for 2 years at King's Kids Preschool at FBCO. He was 3 when this picture was taken. He is now a big 5 year old in kindergarten. I truly love all of the kids that I have ever taught (both in elementary school and preschool), but if you're a teacher, you know that there are a handful that truly grab your heart. Colton is one of those.

When he entered our room for his first day, he was terrified. He had never been left with anyone but family before. We soon figured out that the only way to help him feel safe was to let him carry around his nap time pillow. I can still see that pillow in my mind. It was blue and it had little pirate ships all over it. Over the 2 years we had him in our class, we got to watch him grow from that scared little boy to a confident leader! One thing never changed...he always had the sweetest smiles and the most tender heart.

This past Thursday, Colton's mom called me with news I would never have expected. Colton has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. He will have surgery on Tuesday morning at St. Francis Children's Hospital. From what the doctors can tell at this point, the tumor is in a spot that is fairly easy to access and appears to be benign. We are so thankful for that...but we're still talking about brain surgery...on a 5 year old.

Will you please join me in lifting up this precious family? I promised them that I would ask everyone I know to pray for him. I want them to feel the prayers going out for them and their precious baby boy. Our God is big. Let's make sure they feel that.

Thank you so much! I will make sure to post an update when I have one.

Guess who took her 1st step???

2009-01-22T20:28:00.003-06:00

Miss Campbell has been standing alone for several seconds at a time for the past several days. Tonight, after her bath, she decided to take it to the next level. :) She took one step the 1st time, and 2 steps when we tried to get it on video!

She wouldn't stand alone for a picture, but at least she's standing!!! And yes, that is a maraca she's chewing on. We find that anything with a Mexican flare helps the mood at our house. You know...salsa, burritos, nachos,...maracas!

She's getting big. :(

Gotta Work

2009-01-22T14:51:00.002-06:00

I'm probably the only one that found this quite amusing, but hey, I wanted to remember this one!

Last night I heard Karson talking to Rus about her day. She asked him if he had to go to work tomorrow. He told her yes. She then proceeded to tell him that she had to go to work too. I heard him ask her what kind of job she had, and she told him she worked with animals. What a sweet little imagination. I smiled about it and went on with what I was doing.

Fast forward to this morning...

Karson takes after me. She is VERY slow to wake up. She doesn't like a lot of loud talking or being asked to move quickly. As I was finishing getting dressed, I heard her come into my room and get in my bed. I went in there and got to snuggle with her for a bit. I asked her if she was ready for breakfast, she said yes and asked me to carry her into the living room so she could watch a show while I fixed it. At this point she was still really groggy and sleepy. As I was setting her down on the couch, she said, "Is it Saturday?" I told her that is was Thursday. To which she replied with a yawn, "Ugh, I have to work today."

Stifle laugh here, Melissa.

I said, "You do? Where do you work?" Acting a bit irritated that I was making her talk so much in the morning and that I didn't remember, she replied curtly, "I told you, with animals."

I hope she makes a good salary. She's awfully young to already be burdened about a job.

A Few Blogworthy "tions"

2009-01-20T16:24:00.001-06:00

InauguraTION - Today is a day of history. Although the candidate being sworn in is not the one I voted for...I cannot ignore history in the making. It's impossible not to be excited about that. So...I wanted to make sure to document it here. Our nation is enduring a very rough economic time, and I pray that our new leaders will be able to lead our country in the direction it needs to go. One thing remains the same, our God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. HE is still on His throne, and that is all that matters.

Campbell's Baby DedicaTION - January 4, 2009 - What a special night we had! Our church had 18 families eligible for this dedication. Needless to say, we have been blessed with new life! It was a precious evening, made even more special by the fact that we were able to participate with several other families that are dear friends of ours. Both sets of grandparents were able to be there and Campbell's precious Aunt Neen (my sister). Standing up on the stage listening to Pastor Roger brought back so many memories of Karson's dedication. I felt so blessed to be able to stand there with a 2nd child that God has trusted to my care.

Here's the gang! Yes, Campbell has her paci in her mouth...don't judge! Missing from this picture are Mr. Pat and Miss Jennifer. They were in attendance that night, and are definitely considered "family", but we couldn't find them to get them in the picture!

Not the best picture, but hey, its documented! This is Miss Casie with Landrie (one of Campbell's pals). Other "pals" dedicated that night...Candler Ingram, Maxon Pennington, and Valen Ward.

Hall of Fame InducTION - January 6, 2009 - I had the great honor of being inducted into my high school's Athletic Hall of Fame! This was truly humbling and so special. My dear friend Kristi and I were the 1st to be inducted for the sport of "dance". Being a Highstepper and later coaching them for 8 years was so important and special to me, so it meant even more to be inducted as a representative of this organziation that is so close to my heart. It also made me miss it even more than I already was!!! It was a very special evening (even though it turned out to last A LOT longer than we were planning). I was so thankful to have Rus and the girls there with me. My precious parents were out of town dealing with my grandmother's estate, but my sister and her family were there to support me. I felt very loved! We had to walk out of the teepee (our school's mascot is the Redskin) all the way to center court in the gym. Thankfully I didn't trip! My sister said that Karson had the biggest grin and kept waving to me while I was walking out - how precious is that?! I wouldn't normally blog about something involving just me, but, hey, this was a once in a lifetime event and such an honor...I couldn't ignore it!

Receiving my plaque! That's Dave Stauffer on the left (my high school principal, whom I love), and Chuck Perry on my right (the AD at Union)

She made me feel so special! It's nice to hear that your kids are proud of you!

She teaches me too!

2009-01-07T11:56:00.004-06:00

I have MUCH to blog about, but no time to do it. I did, however, have to get this one down before it left my memory. It was just too sweet not to write about!

This morning Karson was talking to me while I was putting on my makeup. We were chatting about all sorts of things, and she started talking about her school day. She goes to preschool with me and Pre-K, so sometimes it takes me a minute to figure out which "school" she's talking about. She was talking about her daily schedule and informed me that they begin every morning with a prayer. This caught my attention and alerted me she was talking about preschool, so I began asking about the prayer. "Is it something you say the same every time?" "Do you all say it together?" "Do you say it out loud?"

Finally, she said, "No Mom! This is what we say: Dear God, This day is for You. We ask that You bless all we think, say, and do. In Jesus name we pray, Amen."

My heart immediately felt warm and I choked back my tears of joy (she has started getting a little annoyed with my crying). I said, "Kars! That's a wonderful prayer. That's something we should all say everyday. Not just on preschool days."

She replied, "I know. I say it in my head before I get out of bed and come in your room in the mornings."

Oh my goodness. What a blessing and an example for me. Look at this sweet child already knowing that before she gets out of bed she needs to give her day to the Lord. This is definitely something her Mama needs to remember on a daily basis. I'm just glowing in God's blessings. I'm so thankful that she has WONDERFUL teachers that are helping to lay the spiritual foundation of her life. I've said many times that the thing I want most for her is that she come to know the Lord. It's so comforting to know that there are others helping me to guide her toward that path.

God is good!

Christmas 2008

2008-12-29T21:47:00.010-06:00

As of last night around 11:00, my house was officially clean and back to normal (that is, if it's ever normal around here). The Christmas decorations are put away, new toys have found a home, old toys have been stored, and the dust that collected during the holidays (or should I say the entire month of December) has been cleaned! It feels good to have things clean and fresh, but it always makes me a little sad that it's all over. BUT...it's hard to stay sad when I think about all the great memories we made this year. It truly was a great Christmas!

*~*~*~*

We started our celebrations on Friday, the 19th. We had our annual "Big Family" Christmas at my parent's house. This is the time when all 4 of the Baddley children, their spouses, their children, and Nana and Doo Daddy get to celebrate together. This year my OLDest sister, Tracey, and her husband Steve were unable to make it (they had a company party in OKC that night), but the rest of the clan was there. We had a terrific time exchanging gifts with the ones we knew we wouldn't see during another part of the holidays, EATING, and talking a ton! If anything can be said for the Baddleys...WE CAN TALK!

Those in attendance: My brother, Tommy, his wife Amy, and their son Griffin; My sister Tracey's children: Steven, Steven's girlfriend (who has since become is fiance'- YEA!) Barbara, and Todd; My sister Tina, her husband Kirk, and their sons Joshua and John Thomas; Myself, my husband Rusty :), and our daughters Karson and Campbell! And of course...the patriarchs of the whole crew...Mom and Dad (aka - Nana and Doo Daddy).

I'm so mad at myself...I didn't take a single picture that night. Boo.

*~*~*~*

Our next celebration started on Chrismas Eve. My sister, Tina's family, and mine alternate every other year spending "real" Christmas with our family and our in-laws. This year was a year for our family, so we met our parents at their church for their Christmas Eve service. It was a very special time. Campbell didn't last long, so Rus spent most of the service in the foyer with her. She kept wanting to "talk" through the sermon. It was so sweet, but a little disturbing to those around us. The sermon was about anticipating the joy - how appropriate! Our hearts are still so tender right now after losing Mar, that the service was extra emotional for us...and that's okay.

After church we headed back to Nana and Doo Daddy's for some yummy snacks and fellowship. We got the children bathed and in their PRECIOUS matching jammies that Nana bought them, put out cookies for Santa and food for the reindeer, and then scooted them off to bed. Santa (or should I say the 4 elves) got to work! Thankfully Rus had already put together the bike Santa was bringing for Karson, so we didn't have hours of work ahead of us! We were still up til nearly 1:30. Oh! I almost forgot...We added something new to Santa's repertoire this year...we made boot prints out of baby powder coming from the fire place (it looked like ashes)! So cute, and the kids thought it was so funny the next morning!

Christmas morning started as late as we could hold the children off...7:30 (but I did have to wake Campbell up - bless her soul). We let them come downstairs all together and the festivities began. They discovered all that Santa had brought them with MUCH delight, and then spent quite a bit of time opening their gifts from each other, Nana and Doo Daddy, and Mom and Dad. We had to take a breakfast break after the "children's portion" of the morning and re-fuel. After a YUMMY breakfast of biscuits, bacon, cinnamon rolls, garlic cheese grits, and fruit - wow!, the children got to play with their presents while the adults opened their gifts. What a blessing! After it was all over, we were on "joy overload".

We all rested for a little while, and then started up the cooking for Christmas night. My brother and his family came over and we had a yummy dinner and fun time with them. My parents had given each of the grandchildren his/her own fleece blanket as one of their gifts, and we all got tickled watching all of them wander around with them. Those blankets were totally multi-purpose - they were turned into forts, capes, skirts, lovies, trampoline partners, and other assorted things. I don't think Nana expected quite the amount of joy they would bring! By the time we went to bed that night, we were EXHAUSTED! Thankfully everyone slept well and woke up rested.

The day after Christmas, Teen and I were able to stay at Mom and Dad's and help take down ALL of the Christmas decorations. With Mom's MS, this is always such a huge task for her. The kids played so sweetly (even little Miss Campbell crawled around happily) while we worked. Not only were we able to help Mom out, but we got to spend fun time together talking and working side by side. I know these are the times that always make the best memories. By the time we all went home, my heart was completely FULL!!!

Those in attendance: Nana, Doo Daddy, Teen, Kirk, Joshua, John Thomas, Tommy, Amy, Griffin, Rusty, Melissa, Karson, and Campbell - fun times!!!

Look! Santa brought Karson a bike! She was showing us her mad driving skillz. That's John Thomas following behind on his new big wheel!

Campbell says, "Oooooh!!! Look! Santa put these yummy wagon wheels in my stocking!"

Sticking with the "Baddley girl tradition" of trying on all new pairs of shoes...here's Big Girl in her new and very cute rain boots!

This precious hat came courtesy of Nana and Doo Daddy. Now that is some cute!

Karson took this picture of us after we had finished the Presents Extravaganza of '08! As you can see, we dressed for the occasion!

*~*~*~*

Our final celebration took place on Saturday with the Zumwalts. On years that we are not with them for "real" Christmas, we usually try to celebrate before, but with Rus's job change, the timing just wouldn't work out this year (we're missing those days off work for Winter Break). We had a fabulous time, nonetheless!

I must say that I married into one of the funniest families on the planet! These people are comedic from the oldest to the youngest. It's so fun to watch (and participate with) them all together! It's also somewhat comforting to know that the next generation will carry on - the kids are hilarious too!!! We had some moments of side-splitting laughter and fun! We all opened MORE presents and so enjoyed spending time together!

Those in attendance - Jerry and Martha (aka- Rus's parents, aka- Ma and PaPaw); Rus's brother Rob, his wife Leigh Anne, their children Parker and Bella, Rus, Melissa, Karson, and Campbell

Here are the girls in front of Ma's Christmas tree!

*I have 2 more pictures I want to post...but my computer is taking forever! I will have to post them tomorrow.
*~*~*~*

That about sums it up! It was a VERY Merry Christmas, indeed! We anticipate 2009 with great joy!

Thank you God for the blessings of this year - the gift of new life, the triumphs, the struggles, the sad endings, the changes, the new beginnings, the loss of precious life, the nearness of treasured family and friends, and most of all, for the gift that is YOU!

Bring on Christmas!!!!

2008-12-21T14:01:00.003-06:00

First of all, thank you for all of the sweet comments and prayers for my family concerning my grandmother. We all made it there and home safely - thank you, Lord! The service was beautiful and so celebratory of an extraordinary life. Our emotions are still high, but we are so grateful for the life she led.

Now that we are all home...Christmas is upon us! We have already celebrated 1 "Christmas" - we have several more to go...we can't wait! I thought you might like to see how the girls looked in their Christmas dresses at church this morning.

*Note - I always try to make things even between them...including the number of pictures I post! Campbell is getting more and more difficult to photograph these days due to her increasing mobility. The only shots we got of her were "action shots", so I had to post both! :)

Here's our big girl! We didn't even have to have a discussion over bows this morning...I think it was an early Christmas gift! :)

And she's off! Look at that grin...she is definitely up to something!
We finally got her to sit still for a minute...even if it was backwards! (She did have shoes on prior to the photography session. By this point, we were "picking our battles")

My sweet grandmother, Mar

2008-12-11T21:40:00.003-06:00

After a really tough battle with Alzheimer's, my sweet grandmother opened her eyes this morning, and then went home to be with the Lord.

Marjorie Elaine Chitty Ferrell Shumate, "Mar", was a lady of class. She was tiny in stature, but she made up for it with spunk! Until she got sick, she was one of those ladies who NEVER acted her age. And she was sassy. She drove around in a little Mercedes, wore cute clothes, and exercised daily. More importantly, she was a godly woman. I am so proud to be part of her heritage, and hope to honor her legacy.

Mar was never really the "typical" grandmother. Now don't get me wrong, she was awesome...just not "typical". She didn't have gray hair. She didn't wear grandma clothes. She didn't send bad gifts on birthdays or holidays. I just never remember her acting like a typical grandmother.

You must know that Mar was a true Southern lady. She had an accent as thick as any Southerner you've ever met. I can hear it in my head even as I type this. I LOVED to answer the phone and hear, "Hello Darlin' ". That was always her greeting. I can only guess that she greeted many heavenly friends this morning with that exact phrase!

In the Summer of 1997, Rus ended up playing pro ball for a team in Meridian, MS...which happened to be the hometown of one Mrs. Marjorie Shumate. What are the chances? Anyway, it was so fun to hear about my Mar from Rus. She took him to church with her and showed him off to all of her friends. She told me later that they all thought he was cute! She also made him brownies!!!! Now, remember, I told you that Mar was not the "typical" grandmother. This includes the fact that I never in my life remember her making me any sort of baked goods...but she made Rus brownies! During that Summer I traveled to Meridian with Rus's parents to watch him play. I stayed at Mar's house for a whole week. This is one of my most special and cherished memories of her. It is the only time in my life that I spent time completely alone with her (without my mom or my siblings). We had so many special talks during that week. I am so thankful for that time that only God could have planned for us.

When my mom called to give me the news this morning, I broke down. Mar has been getting progressively worse for the past 5 or 6 years. She has basically been in a coma-like state for many months. Because of the progression of the disease, babies being born, finances being tight, etc., I haven't been to see her in a long time. I regret this. I regret that my children never got to meet such an amazing woman, and that I never got to introduce her to 2 of my biggest blessings. I regret that I didn't get to say goodbye.

What I do not regret is that she is no longer suffering. I do not regret the fact that she is alert, awake, and no longer confused as to where she is and who people are. I do not regret the fact that she got to see my grandaddy for the 1st time in 28 years. I do not regret the fact that she is in Heaven with Jesus. I WILL SEE HER AGAIN! Oh, how I can't wait!

Tonight, my heart is heavy. I'm hurting especially for my mom. She has been preparing for this for years, but no one is ever ready to lose their mother. She and my dad are already on their way to Mississippi. My siblings and I will go in a few days. The funeral is planned for Monday. It all seems so final...yet so chaotic at the same time.

Lord, give us comfort in this time of grief. Help us to rejoice over her new body and remember that we will be reunited someday soon.

Mar, you will be missed. I love you so much. Thank you for the blessing of your life. You were truly one of a kind.

TOTAL DOMINATION

2008-12-08T21:56:00.004-06:00

This past Saturday night was our Sunday School Christmas party. Our friends Pat and Jennifer are the teachers of our class, and they always go above and beyond to make it fun. This year's theme was "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly". We ate good food, gave "bad" gifts, and wore UGLY sweaters. It was a contest to see who could find the ugliest! There would be a female winner and a male winner. Well...

I am SO proud to announce that The Zumwalts took home BOTH prizes! When you look at the picture, I think you will agree that the prize was well deserved. Those are some UGLY sweaters! Can you believe people actually used to think that was cute?

I should have gotten a full length shot...this just doesn't give the sweaters justice! But...how 'bout those turtle necks???? Nice.

In other Christmas news, Karson's Christmas party at dance class was tonight. Her class did a little dance from the Nutcracker, and then they had treats. Fun times! We came home on a MAJOR sugar high...'tis the season! Here are a few pics...

Performing the "doll" dance

Group shot! Look at those arms. Wow Karson. Didn't your Mommy teach you anything?

"Hurry up Mommy! My arms are VERY tired!"

I'm so technologically advanced...NOT!!!

2008-12-02T21:53:00.003-06:00

It's my blog, so I can brag if I want to.

Look at me!!!! I figured out how to make my blog cute and festive for Christmas! It only took me over an hour to figure it out (and believe me, this should not have taken an hour).

It's the little things in life, people. The little things! :)

Catching Up!

2008-11-30T21:25:00.000-06:00

Wow! It's been a while...where does the time go? I can't believe it's almost Christmas. I LOVE this time of year!!! We already have our tree up and Christmas songs are playing in my car...Tis the Season!

Since I'm totally lame, and can't think of a creative thing to blog about, I thought I would just document what's been going on and post a few pics. So...here goes!

1. Our anniversary was AWESOME! Rus had a great day planned for us. We started out the day at the spa! We had a couples massage, couples pedicures, and couples manicures! He was such a trooper to do all of this with me - it made it so much more fun! After our morning of relaxation, we went shopping for a new entertainment center (we got a new flat screen TV)...we STILL haven't found what we are looking for! We ended the day going to eat at Bone Fish (so yummy) and then to a movie. I can't remember the last time we had a date like that! It was a great day, and very special occasion to celebrate!

2. The girls have been so sweet lately. Campbell is crawling everywhere, and Karson is loving the fact that she is getting easier to play with! Many days I will find them in Karson's room playing with the pretend food or reading stories together. It blesses my heart every time! I'm so glad that (so far) they are so happy together. The other night I put them in the tub for a bath. I had to run to my room for something and told Karson to watch Campbell for a sec. When I came back, they were playing so sweetly with Karson's bath toys - I had to get a picture!

Rub a Dub Dub...2 girls in a tub!

3. We had a great Thanksgiving Break. It was so great to all be at home together and hang out with the family. Campbell was sick for part of it, but we think she's turned the corner - thank you, Lord! Now that it is officially the Christmas season, we've started talking a lot about the Christmas Story. Tonight, I gave Karson the "Christmas Test". You know, the one where you make sure your child doesn't answer the question, "What is Christmas about?" with the answer, "PRESENTS!!!! SANTA!!!!! TOYS!!!!!". Thankfully...she passed! I asked the BIG question, and her sweet reply was, "It's Jesus' Birthday!". While I was busy patting myself on the back for being such a terrific, Christian, Godly mother to my children (and so humble, I might add), she asked to see the Toys-R-Us ad from the paper this morning. Wow. The Lord knew I needed a little reality check. :)

4. A Few other pics that I just thought were fun...

My smart girl...she wrote a story! This was a about a loud hippopotamus! If you look closely, you can find those words in her own invented spelling! It's so fun to watch her learning!!!

Campbell's hair is growing like crazy! We love to "style" it right after she gets out of the bathtub. I had to get a pic! Paci, anyone?

May the joy of this blessed Season surround you! Have a great week!

10 Years!!!!

2008-11-14T10:48:00.003-06:00

10 years ago today I married the love of my life.

We have a fun weekend planned to celebrate! I will be sure to post details after it's over!

Happy Anniversary Rus!

I love you more than ever.

Better Late Than Never

2008-11-04T20:47:00.005-06:00

I've been waiting to post my Halloween pictures until after everyone else's had been out there for a few days. I wanted to make sure that my children were "ooohed and aaaahhed" over appropriately....Actually, I'm just late...but it sounded good!

We had a GREAT time last Friday! Karson got to wear her costume to school, so our festivities began early in the day. We went trick-or-treating at Aunt Tracey's (a tradition since Karson's 1st Halloween) and then went to the church for our Fall Festival. For the first time, Karson figured out about the "CANDY, I WANT TO GET MORE CANDY", so it was extra fun to see her get excited about it!

I can't believe how warm the weather was (around 75 degrees). Campbell had the cutest little lamb costume that she was supposed to wear. I had a flashback to Halloween '04 when Karson was a bumblebee. It was a precious FLEECE costume, and because it was an unusually warm year, she spent the night crying because she was so hot. Needless to say, I did not want a repeat performance! We opted to wear a sweet little tutu that Cousin Bella gave us. I was very sad not to see her as a lamb, but she was a pretty cute little ballerina princess...and she didn't shed a tear, so it was well worth the wardrobe change!

We ended the night in the fellowship hall listening to great music and eating ice cream! Both girls were happy and tired. It was a very HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

The traditional, "stand by the front door" pose - Here's Karson as..."Sharpay" from HSM!!!

Our little ballerina princess! (She's saying "abracadabra")

Cams and Aunt Tracey - 1st Trick or Treat!

When we 1st arrived at the church, we ran into...Addi!!!! Oh, the love!!!!

Campbell found a friend too! This is Landrie (our friends Nick and Casie's daughter who is 2 months younger...and so cute!!!!)

Karson wanted her face painted 1st thing - we got a pink butterfly on one cheek and a purple flower on the other...lovely.

In other news...tonight is Election night. We were watching some of the coverage before Kars went to bed (because I became strangely obsessed with it today). She came over by me and asked who I voted for. I told her "McCain". She asked if he was winning, and I told her no. She then went over to Rus to ask who he voted for. When he replied, "McCain", she threw herself down on the floor and said, "But he's not winning!!!!". Then she popped up and exclaimed, "I know! Let's go vote again!".

Unfortunately, the polls were closed. :)

Happy Birthday Karson!!!

2008-10-30T09:00:00.001-05:00

***Update - Thanks Lauren, for helping me figure out how to change the date! Also, I've added pictures of the birthday fiesta!

Dear Karson,

5 years ago today, at 1:03 pm, you took your first breath in this world. And I became a mommy. Oh my goodness what a special day! I still remember seeing you for the very 1st time and bursting into tears because I already loved you so much. You have been a blessing from the moment you arrived, and it is so hard for me to believe that you are already 5! The years have gone by so fast, and yet there are so many things that are already foggy in my memory. This, I do know...you have made me a better person.

You were a very easy baby. You slept through the night when you were 7 weeks old. You didn't spit up very much. You hardly ever cried. You were a happy baby. The only real "issue" we had was that you entered the stranger anxiety phase with a bang. It was hard to leave you in the nursery because you always cried. They always told us that you got over it quickly - thank goodness. Other than that, you were a 100% perfect baby - not that I'm biased or anything.

Now, I must say, that for the most part you have been a very easy child to raise... except when it came to POTTY TRAINING. Oh my goodness! Girlie, you nearly put me in the loony bin! We tried everything we knew to do. You just wouldn't do it. Your big trick was to "hold it" all day. By all day, I mean ALL DAY! We told you not to go pee pee in your big girl panties, so you didn't...but you wouldn't go on the potty either! It was a very drama filled time. I just knew you were going to start school in a diaper! Eventually, you decided to cooperate, and once you did it, we had 2 accidents. Isn't that amazing that I know how many accidents you had? Truly, 2!

We've also had our set of scares with you. About a week after your 3rd birthday was when we found the lumps under your chin and began the process of finding out what was wrong (microbacterial infection of the lymph nodes). You had 2 surgeries (one on November and one in April) to remove them. After that you stayed on some REALLY yucky antibiotics (3x a day) for over 4 months. You were such a trooper through it all, and never complained. I am still so thankful for all of the wonderful doctors that led us through that scary time. I'm even more thankful, looking back, that it was nothing more major than it was.

I worry about you, my sweet girl. You have done such a great job of starting school and being so brave this year. But you are still so painfully shy. Sometime it hurts my heart to watch you have to try new things. It makes you completely nervous and scared - to the point of tears many times. You are such a silly, crazy girl at home. I so wish that others could see this side of you. I feel that so many people that have met you are robbed from knowing the "real" you. I'm so proud of you and how hard you try to overcome your fears. I know it will only get better with time. Please know that you are constantly in my prayers. God will protect you and guide you. You need not be afraid.

Your 4th year of life has brought so many changes. You became a big sister, you started dance, and, you started big girl school...just to name a few. You have handled all of this amazingly well. Each day seems to bring something new for which I have to be proud. I depend on you much more than you probably realize. You truly are my helper at home and at preschool. I couldn't do it without you, and I never want to try!

It's hard to imagine that someone could love you more than I do. Oh, but baby girl, there is someone. Jesus loves you more than I could ever comprehend. I want so much for you to know Him in your heart. I want to share more of Him with you and teach you more about Him. My prayer for you this year is that you would come to know Him more. This will always be my prayer for you. That is the greatest gift I could ever give you.

Happy Birthday, my sweet girl. I love you more than you'll ever know. Thank you for blessing my life every day. You are truly one of my life's GREATEST gifts.

I love you so much,
Mommy

For the "big 5" birthday party, we went to see High School Musical 3! Such fun! (Excuse the photography/editing skills - my picture WILL NOT rotate!)

Mommy wasn't all that sad that help was still needed for reading birthday cards!

Here's a pic of Daddy and Karson trying out one of her new presents...an Easy Bake Oven!

Being born around Halloween has its perks! Today was pajama day at preschool. Since Kars comes with me in the mornings, both girls got to sport their MATCHING (I know you're shocked) jammies! Cams wasn't much in the mood for a photo shoot after school.

Change - It Is A Comin'

2008-10-21T20:47:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow will be Rus's last day as a teacher and coach. Wow. That seems so weird.

A few weeks ago I mentioned that some things we had been praying about were coming to fruition. This is it! Monday, October 27th, Rus will report to work at Samson Resources. It is an oil company based in Tulsa. This will be a HUGE change for him. We are excited, nervous, scared, anxious, and blessed to be beginning this new adventure. God has been in complete control of all of this, and we can't wait to see where He leads us.

A little background...

If you know Rus at all, you know how much he loves baseball. It is one of his GREAT passions. He played in high school, college, and professionally. He has always said that he felt coaching baseball was his calling. God has allowed him to impact so many lives while coaching this sport. At first, he was the coach that taught history; but gradually he became the history buff by morning and the baseball coach by afternoon! When he got his first teaching job (6th grade World History at Bartlesville Public Schools - wow), he was scared to death to enter the classroom. It was simply something he was doing so that he could coach. By last year, he had the entire school board in his room to watch him teach a lesson to his sophomore US History class using Web Streaming. Needless to say, "the coach that taught history" was impacting just as many lives off the field as he was on!

In his 10 years of teaching/coaching, we have been blessed with 2 beautiful daughters. Because we felt that God called me to stay at home with our girls, Rus took on more and more extra-duty roles at school in order to make this possible. Even during his off season, this kept him away from home many nights out of the week. By the time baseball season would role around, we were already used to being "without" him at home. As anyone could possibly see, this took its toll. It took his toll on him. On me. On the girls. On our marriage. On our family. Something had to give.

This past summer we began to pray that God would open doors and provide a way for us to be able to be together more as a family without it being a huge financial strain. We recognized the fact that for the past 4 years God had provided a way for us to make things work out financially and we gave Him praise for that. But we also prayed about the fact that in order to make things work out financially it was coming at a sacrifice to our time together. From there, we began to talk about the possibility of him leaving the field of education and coaching. I clearly remember staying up late one night talking about it and asking him how he felt about having to give up coaching. His reply was, "Honestly, it feels like cutting off my leg. I can't imagine life without it."

As the school year approached and doors began to close on other possibilities, we decided that God was leading us to stay where we were. Rus started the school year and began off-season with his boys just like always. In the meantime, my mom asked if it would be okay to write a letter to a man in her church that is a VP with Samson. She said she simply wanted to tell him about Rus and about what we had been praying about over the summer. We talked about it and told her it would be fine to write the letter. Since the school year had begun, we didn't really think much about it, and kind of put the thought out of our minds.

Well...a few weeks after the letter was sent, Rus got a call from Samson asking him to come in for an interview. I'll spare you the details from there...it's pretty easy to figure out what happened. What I will tell you is that between that 1st interview and tomorrow there have been COUNTLESS prayers said and MANY hours spent trying to make the right decision. We are so humbled and blessed by God's grace for us. We are so grateful for His provision and wisdom. While this would never have been our timing, He knows best and we can't wait to see what this new adventure brings.

As a wife, I am incredibly grateful to be married to a man that would be willing to give up one of his great loves just for our family. As a mom, I am proud to parent with someone who puts his children first. Our girls don't realize it now, but they have an incredibly unselfish daddy who just did something amazing FOR THEM!

I know how scared I am to begin this new stage of life, so I can't even imagine how Rus is feeling. To start something completely new and foreign...well, that's just flat out BRAVE.

So, next Monday morning at 8 o'clock, when you're heading to work or fixing breakfast or driving your kids to school, please say a prayer for Rus. He will be entering Corporate America for the first time, and you know what? I think Corporate America will look a little bit better on Monday morning, due to a certain new employee at Samson Resources!

A Turnip Reunion

2008-10-06T21:11:00.007-05:00

The 2 years I spent at Kilgore College are 2 of the best years of my life. I learned so much about dance, discipline, life...and friendship. The dorm where we lived as Rangerettes was organized into suites. You had a room mate, and then shared a bathroom with another room...your suite mates. My freshman year I roomed with a very dear high school friend. We are still friends to this day, but we were NOT cut out to be roommates! :) My sophomore year I found myself living with 3 of the most precious girls on earth. We nick-named our suite "the turnips"(it makes sense to us). We only lived together as a "suite" for one year, but we formed a friendship that is one of my most treasured possessions. That was 13 years ago! Since then, we have gone through marriages, babies, jobs, moves, houses...life! I wouldn't trade them for anything.

About 5 years ago, we decided that we needed to start getting together once a year. We made a plan and have actually STUCK TO IT! We take turns going to each other's hometowns. The weekends we spend together go by way too fast, but are always such fun! Our husbands have grown to be friends, and our kids treat each other like cousins! This past weekend was our "Turnip Reunion 08". It took place in Longview, Texas home of Jana Cloonan Horne (and her precious family). Jana was my roommate. Our suite mates, Amy Mays Jeter and Colleen Mock Stapp joined us and fun was had by all. Our itinerary was:

Friday - arrive around 4ish; kids and dads hang out at the Hornes; girls go out for LONG dinner and LOTS of chatting (I don't think there were more than 5 seconds of silence).

Saturday - eat breakfast as a "gang" at the hotel; go to a nearby playground to let the kids play; eat lunch at Taco Bueno (thank you Rus and Kate); eat ice cream at Shake's (yum); split up for a little down time/rest - guys go golfing; meet up at the Horne's house for a FALL EXTRAVAGANZA!!! (cook-out, hayride, pumpkin carving, roasting marshmallows, costume parade, FUN!!!!!)

Sunday - eat breakfast as a "gang" at the hotel; hang out for a while; time to leave :(

Too quickly our time was over and it was time to go home. I must say that both of the girls did incredibly well in the car on the way there and back - thank you, Lord! We had an awesome time. Thank you, Horne family, for such a fun weekend!!! Here are a few pictures to recap!

These are the girl "turnip greens" (aka kids). They are quite a sassy bunch!!!

Here we are ready to go on the hayride (Jana, I'm sad you're not in this picture). From L to R - Colleen (holding Wilson), Amy (holding Kate), Me (holding Campbell), Jana's son Ryan, Colleen's daughter Madalyn, Karson's head/bow, Jana's son Will. That's Jana's precious husband, Justin driving the tractor! SO MUCH FUN!!!

Okay, so not much scenery, but isn't she cute?!!! This was half-way through our hay-ride when we stopped to "pick pumpkins". Campbell was a bit confused as to what we were doing!

ALL of the "turnip greens" in their Halloween costumes! L-R - Kate, Will, Wilson, Ryan, Madalyn, Karson, and Campbell. Do they look like a fun bunch, or what?!

Here we are, carving pumpkins. Jana was the QUEEN of cleaning them out!!! We tried to get Amy to get her hands dirty, but she was not having any part of it.

Here's how our pumpkins turned out! Karson was too funny - she stood behind "her" pumpkin for quite a while..."guarding it". I don't know what she thought was going to happen to it!

Jana was so sweet and gave Karson a "Build-a Bear" kit. Karson was insistant that we put it together AS SOON AS WE GOT HOME!!! Well...it didn't happen last night, but we (and by that, I mean 'I') put it together today. Colleen, I want you to send my a picture of Madalyn's...I know you don't have anything else to be doing! :)

A Bible Scholar In Our Midst

2008-09-26T13:53:00.006-05:00

Last night was "Open House" for Karson's Pre-K class. We had so much fun getting to go to her room and see all of the neat things she's been doing. We met some of her new friends and looked at her work on the bulletin board. Because of the system they have for drop off/pick-up, I never get to see her room. I now have a better picture of where my baby is everyday! It looked like such a happy place, and Mrs. Kendall said that Karson was doing great! Needless to say, we were VERY proud of our big girl!

Miss Jennifer was so sweet to keep Campbell last night so that we could focus all attention on K and her big girl class. I must say that once Karson found out that Campbell was staying at Miss Jennifer's, we had to bribe her to go with us. She wasn't too excited about missing out on her time with one of her FAVORITE ladies! I digress...

On the way to the school, Rus and I were chatting with Karson about her day. It was a Thursday, so it was a "double school" day. We have named Tuesdays and Thursdays "double school" days because Karson goes with me to preschool in the mornings (she is in the 4 year old class) and then goes to her Pre-K class in the afternoons. It really is a PERFECT arrangement.

Anyway, as we were chatting about her day, we were also listening to Bob and Larry! The song "Whole World In His Hands" came on. When it got to the part that says, "He's got the wind and the rain in His hands", Karson shouts from the back seat, "I know that story!"...and the following conversation occured.

Rus - Yes, the one when Jesus' friends were scared of the storm, and Jesus made the rainstop.

Karson - No, Daddy, the one with the whale!

Me - Jonah and the whale?

Karson - Yes!

Me - (Ever the annoying teacher) Tell us about it.

Karson - Well, Jonah got swallowed by a whale. God sent it to save him.

Rus - Why?

Karson - Because he disobeyed.

Me - That's right, God told him to go to Niniva and he didn't go. (Then I quickly turned to Rus and said under my breath, "is that right?")

Karson - Mmm hmm, so God made a storm come and dump him out of his boat and then He sent the whale to save him.

Rus - So did the whale eat him?

Karson - No, he just swallowed him up. And Jonah stayed in the whale's tummy and it was VERY smelly in there.

Me - Did the whale finally spit him out?

Karson - Yep, and then Jonah was covered in WHALE SLOBBER!

You called it Miss Shelbi (Karson's Bible Story teacher). You knew that was the part that they would remember. I love it!!!

Life as we know it...today's edition

2008-09-19T14:58:00.004-05:00

I took Campbell BACK to the doctor today. She has a double ear infection. Poor girlie. I hate this for her, but at least it's something definite, and something that can be treated with antibiotics. Hopefully she'll be back to normal in no time.

In other news, Karson went to school today... WITHOUT A BOW IN HER HAIR. I was informed this morning that she did not want to wear a bow. I tried really hard not to show my disappointment. I even agreed without an argument. We discussed the specifics of this new arrangement and decided that she would still wear bows some days, and definitely to church. I'm going along with this, but I don't have to like it - right?

Have a great weekend!

They'll Hate Me...I Mean...Love Me For This Later!!!

2008-09-14T22:45:00.005-05:00

Lately I've been all about the matching outfits. I've waited my entire life to have 2 children that I could dress alike. Am I weird? Don't answer that.

Here is a picture of the girls before church this morning. (Don't ask my why Karson is making that face...I think we're entering into the dreaded "I can't do a real smile" phase.)

I feel that it's my motherly duty to give them life experiences that they will be able to talk about with each other when they're older. You know, experiences like, "Remember when Mom used to dress us in matching outfits. Wow. Why did she do that? I hated having to wear matching stuff."

NUTTY - it's my favorite word!

2008-09-10T21:11:00.005-05:00

Wow! How did life get so absolutely NUTTY?!!!! I have enough going on for about 15 posts, but I'm condensing them all into one. With that being said....WARNING...random thoughts ahead!

1. Preschool - Tomorrow will complete our 2nd full week, and things have not slowed down yet. I'm hoping they will soon. I feel like I am running at a constant sprint the entire time that I am there. I'm still needing to fill one teaching position, and I have another teacher that is pregnant and due next week (I need to find a sub for her while she's on maternity leave). This is TOTALLY stressing me out. Thankfully, my DEAR and PRECIOUS friend Shelbi has helped me out by filling in. I owe her big time. Thank you, Shelbi!!! Meanwhile, I'm also figuring out that there is no way possible to keep everyone happy...I don't like that. I'm a pleaser by nature. I don't like it when people are mad at me. It will get better...right?

2. Campbell - She is MUCH better!!! Thank you for your sweet comments and prayers. Little Miss Doodlebug is back to being our smiley, happy baby. She is babbling like crazy, and I am loving it!!! Today she was stuck on NANANANANANA. My mom was beaming (she is "Nana" to the grandchildren). Cams got to go to preschool for the 1st time on Tuesday, and she did so great. She took her naps and stayed on her eating schedule like she had done it a million times. I was so busy dealing with everything else going on that I only got to check on her once. :( I meant to take a picture of her first day, but I forgot that too! To make up for it, I took this one when we got home. Notice the return of the "1st Day of School Dresses" - we've got to wear them while they fit! They were watching a show together, and I thought they looked so sweet sitting there beside each other!

3. Karson - She had her first dance class on Monday night. It is a ballet/tap combo class, and she LOVED it!!! Her teacher's name is Miss Mary, and she is "very pretty" (that's what K told us after class). Kars's BEST friend, Addi, is in the class with her. These 2 were born 2 days apart, and have literally been together since then. This is the first year that they aren't in school together, so it was a glorious reunion Monday night when they got to see each other for dance. Kars keeps asking how many days it is until she gets to go back...I think she likes it! Here is one of the pictures I took Monday night. (They will both turn 5 at the end of October - how is that possible?)

4. Decisions - We have been thinking and praying about some major things for our family over the past few months. Some of those things are coming to a head this week. We would so appreciate your prayers. We are excited about how God is working and providing for us, but it is also scary to step out on faith. We just want to follow HIS plan for us.

5. Story - A quick Karson story! She has been practicing writing her name using both lower and upper case letters at school. Tonight she found a pad of sticky notes on my desk and asked if she could practice on them. I told her yes, and she proceeded to carefully write her name. After she finished, she peeled it off and began to stick it to her back. When I asked her what she was doing, she said she was making a name tag (many times at church, the teachers stick their name tags on their backs). When I asked her why she needed a name tag, she whispered in my ear, "I'm making a name tag because Ma sometimes calls me Bella". ("Ma" is her grandmother, and Bella is her cousin). I nearly fell out of my chair. She is now asleep in her bed with her name tag still on...just in case someone might mistake her for someone else.

6. Rus's Birthday - This Friday, September 12th is Ruston Blake Zumwalt's 35th birthday. Happy Birthday, Rus!!!!!! I hope you know how much I love and appreciate you! I am so thankful and proud to call you my husband. I pray that this next year of life brings many blessings and much joy. I know one thing for sure, it will be FULL of new adventures!

If you're still reading, thanks for enduring my rambling! I'm hoping that life is going to calm down sometime soon!

Poor Baby!

2008-09-03T14:55:00.005-05:00

Campbell is sick. Yuck! Bless my sweet baby's heart, she is miserable. She started acting fussy in the night on Saturday. By Sunday morning her nose was runny, but she was okay. By Sunday night she was running fever, and by Monday morning great green globs of nastiness were coming out of her nose and eyes (sorry for the description - just keeping it real). She missed her first day of preschool yesterday(my super, awesome mom came and stayed home with her), and I took her to the doctor after I picked up Kars. We waited for 2 HOURS in the waiting room (I think everyone else in Owasso is sick too) only to find out that our sweet baby has...a cold. Are you kidding me? I just knew she had a double ear infection, maybe strep throat, and was going to be dehydrated because she wasn't taking her bottles. But no, it was just a cold. And what do you do for a cold? Not much.

Regardless of what is officially wrong with her, this baby feels terrible. I just hate it for her. For the past 3 1/2 days she has had this pitiful look about her, and she won't let us put her down. Thankfully she seems to be turning the corner. Rus is going to stay home with her tomorrow, but I think after that we'll be in the clear. I guess I should be thankful she made it almost 7 months before she got anything. It's just hard to watch her feel so badly - especially when she can't tell you what to do to help her.

Monday night I had to finish cleaning up in the kitchen and she wasn't about to leave my side, so...that's how she ended up in the sink! Doesn't she look pitiful?

As you read above, Campbell missed her first day of preschool. But Mommy didn't! I'm too exhausted to write about the first week, but I'll be sure to document details later. Let's just say that being the director is busier, crazier, and harder than I ever thought it would be...but it's all coming together.

The "Thought You Saiders" - Take 2

2008-08-25T21:14:00.003-05:00

Okay, this one had me rolling in the floor!!! Well, not literally, my kitchen floor REALLY needs to be mopped and I wasn't up for rolling on it this morning, but...this one did make me laugh outloud!

During breakfast this morning, Karson was watching The Disney Channel. Between shows, a commercial for "The Jonas Brothers - Living the Dream" came on. The announcer kept saying, "Living the Dream" over and over. After the commercial was over, Karson looked at me and said:

"Mom, they don't really live in a tree."

Should I be concerned about her hearing?

The "Thought You Saiders"

2008-08-20T21:22:00.002-05:00

When I was a little girl, my sisters and I (and maybe Tommy too) used to love to read this book called Mrs. Piggle Wiggle. Actually it was a series of books. Each chapter in the book was a story. One of our favorite stories was the "Thought You Saiders Cure". The children in the story are having a hard time hearing their parents. Their parents tell them something, and they always reply with "I thought you said...". The parents get so frustrated that they go to Mrs. Piggle Wiggle to see if she has a cure. She gives them special medicine to give the children that will make them hear more clearly. We thought it was HILARIOUS!

All of that to say...Karson had a "thought you said" moment this morning. We were cleaning up after breakfast, and I said, "I need to sweep the floor." She replied, "You're going to sleep until four?!" I immediately cracked up and we spent the morning giggling about it. She had another one about a week ago, and I am kicking myself for not writing it down.

My sister posted some totally precious things that John Thomas is saying lately. That post, along with our "thought you said" moment this morning made me realize that Karson has almost completely outgrown all of her baby girl sayings. She still says a few things in her own way. I refuse to correct her...and I will physically hurt anyone else who does! :) You might find these as funny as we do!

"Cafrume" (ka-froom) - you know, the stuff that makes you smell good! As in, "may I have a squirt of cafrume please?" She's all about Bath and Body Works Body Splash.

"Besgusting" (bee-skusting) - gross, terrible, rotten; "Those vegetables are besgusting!"

"Yukalalien" (yook-a-lay-lee-in) - the small guitar-like instrument often times played in Hawaii. "Mommy, look, I'm playing the yukalalien!"

***In totally non-related news, we bought new tap shoes and new ballet shoes this week! Karson's first dance class is September 8th! She is BEYOND excited. I'll be sure to post pictures. In the meantime, the wood floors at our house are prime tapping surfaces!!!!

6 Months Old!!!!

2008-08-14T21:09:00.003-05:00

Marion Campbell turned 6 months old last week. I cannot believe it (that seems to be a theme lately). I took her to the doctor for her 6 month well check today, and since I was absent for her actual 1/2 birthday, I thought today was an appropriate day to blog about the past 6 months.

This child is hilarious! She is constantly smiling and "talking". These days her favorite spot is SITTING on a blanket in the living room. That's right, I said sitting. She's such a big girl! She loves being able to be upright without support. She plays with her toys, grabs everything (and everyone) that is nearby and puts all of the above in her mouth!

Her milestones since her 4 month blog post include:
June 13th - Upper GI scan at the hospital
June 17th - rolled over from back to tummy
June 30th - 1st cereal feeding
July 12th - 1st time in the swimming pool
July 22nd - 1st studio pictures (don't judge - I feel guilty enough)
July 23rd - sitting up for lengthy periods of time
August 7th - started reaching arms out to people
August 11th - 1st baby food feeding (peas - yum)

So many changes!!! We are having such a blast with her. She is truly a joy to be around, and a delight to all of us. For the past few days she has spent quite a bit of time saying, "mamamamamamamama". I LOVE IT!!! Rus insists she doesn't know what she's saying, but I beg to differ. I keep telling him that she knows exactly what she's saying! She has the biggest, open-mouthed grin, and she shares it quite freely. I don't think she's going to be as shy as her big sister. She's quite the social bug already.

For the past few weeks I have gone in to get her out of her crib in the mornings and found her on her tummy. I must say that there is nothing sweeter than to see her on her tummy with that little round bottom in the air. When she hears us come into the room, she pops her little head up and grins from ear to ear. Then the legs start kicking and she starts rubbing her head from side to side. It's such a funny little routine she does.

Campbell, you are precious! You are such a blessing to all of us. I don't know what we would do without you. I love you so much, Mommy

Here is our little doodlebug before we left for the doctor's office. This is one of the outfits that Karson wore when she was a baby. It's so sweet to see Campbell in it!

It was so nice outside tonight. We sat on the driveway while Karson rode her scooter, her tricycle, and her jeep. We posed Cams for this picture - she's not quite big enough to go for a ride yet!!!

****Just a note! My sister finally started a blog! Check her out and give her some love. She's linked in my side bar. Now if I can just convince my older sister to start one, we'll have all 4 of us doing this crazy thing! (Hint, hint, Tracey!!!!)

Karson's 1st Day of School

2008-08-13T20:27:00.003-05:00

***Before I start, let me say a huge thank you for all of the prayers we received during all of our travels. We are so glad to be reunited as a family and all under one roof again! Everything went very smoothly, and the girls did great. We give all the praise to God for protecting us and keeping everything under control. We're just glad those few weeks are OVER!!!

Today was Karson's 1st day of Pre-K.

That sentence seems unreal to me. It seems truly impossible for her to be old enough to go to school. Real school. Every day school. But she went. We drove up, we walked her to her room, and we left. It sounds so simple. But simple is a complete understatement for how I was feeling the entire time.

She is attending afternoon Pre-K, so we had the entire morning at home together. I tried to stay positive and cheery. I tried to spend good, quality time with her, without making her feel like I was hovering over her every move. I tried to not cry every time I looked at her. Thankfully Rus was able to come home in the middle of the day so that he would get to go with us to take her. As we drove up to the school my heart started to pound. Hold it together. I got out of the car and started to get Campbell out of her car seat. Hold it together. As I was unbuckling her seat, it was as if someone sucked the air out of me. It seemed so wrong. I should be unbuckling Karson out of a rear-facing seat. I should not be about to walk her into "big girl" school. Hold it together.

As the air came back into my lungs, we began to make the walk up to the door. Karson and I were talking about what a great time she was going to have and how many new friends she was going to make. Hold it together. We entered the building and found her room. The teachers had her class sitting in the hallway. (As a teacher, I couldn't help but smile at this. In my mind I was singing their praises because I could tell that they were going to teach them from day 1 how to enter the classroom. ROCK ON LADIES!!!). Mrs. Kendall and Mrs. Pearson greeted Kars with a smile and put a name tag on her dress. Hold it together. I helped Karson find a seat next to a friend. I leaned down to give her a hug and tell her how much I loved her. Hold it together. Rus gave her big hugs and we started down the hallway to leave. I could feel my chest tightening and the tears starting to fill my eyes, but I knew I had to give her one last smile. I turned back to look at her, and there she sat. She had those big blue eyes focused on us and gave me a grin. Hold it together.

We reached the door, and the air was once again sucked from my lungs. I tried to maintain some sort of composure until we reached the car, but as I was putting Campbell back in her seat, I could no longer keep it from coming. Out came the sobs. Rus immediately said, "You can't do that, because then I'll do it." Before leaving the parking lot, we both sat there and cried quietly. It was one of those moments as a parent when you just feel it in the deepest part of your heart that things have changed.

Her school day only lasts 2 1/2 hours. It's not the time that she's away from me. Her school building is only 4 miles from our house. It's not the distance that she's away from me. She will be going to school every day. It's not the days of the week that she's away from me. It's the fact that this is the beginning of letting go. It's the fact that next year she'll let go a little more and the next year a little more, and so on. This is what we raise them to do. I know that. I wouldn't want it to be any other way, but it's just so hard to do.

While talking (or should I say crying) to my mom today, she reminded me of the Bible verse that says, "But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." Luke 2:19. These are the times that I am treasuring. These are the times that I will ponder in my heart. Even way back when Jesus was born, Mary felt the ache of letting go. The Lord understands my heart. He feels the same way.

I picked her up at 3:30 and she was all smiles. She had an "awesome day". I wouldn't have traded that smile for anything. Not even keeping her home with me all to myself.

Tomorrow will be easier.

Big girl posing with her back-pack! She was so ready to go!!!
Here's Campbell trying to look big like Sissy. Daddy's girl!Me and my girls! This was not an easy walk to take, but I wouldn't have let anyone else do it.Waiting outside her classroom. We talked about the sitting like a lady and not showing your panties...ummmmm...I think we need to have that talk again! :)

BUSY!!!!!

2008-08-03T21:41:00.003-05:00

Life. has. been. crazy. I've never been one that likes to be going constantly. Don't get me wrong, I don't like to sit around and do nothing all the time, but non-stop activity is not my cup of tea. The schedule for our family has been the following:

July 28 - Rus to OKC for the All-State Game and Coach's Clinic
July 29 -31 - Melissa to Dallas to teach Allen HS and Lovejoy HS camps
Aug 1-2 - Melissa @ Beth Moore Simulcast (which totally ROCKED!)
Aug 3-11 - Rus to California to coach Area Code games
Aug 1, 4, 5 - Melissa teaching Owasso camp
Aug 5-6 - Melissa to Dallas to teach Haltom City HS camp
Aug 8-10 - Melissa to Austin to teach a leadership workshop

Woof! I got tired just typing that. I also almost burst into tears. You might notice that NONE of those items included our sweet girls. :( A huge thank you must go to our parents (specifically the moms) for helping us out while we are gone. We absolutely could not do this without Nana and Ma.

I'm sure it's normal for any mother to hate being away from her children. I just can't help but feel completely guilty about it. I feel like I'm missing out on Karson's last few days of being at home. She will start Pre-K on August 13th. I feel like Campbell is changing daily and I'm missing out on all of her sweet subtle daily changes - I won't even be home on her 6 month birthday. I feel like I'm not being a very good mother to them because I'm never home, and when I am, I'm so tired that all I want to do is sleep. I feel like I've been the worst wife ever, because the house is a mess, laundry has been piled up (I did get that taken care of tonight), and I haven't cooked in....years. Am I pitiful enough????

I must be grateful. God provided all of these opportunities for us to be able to use the talents HE gave us. It will definitely help us out financially, but I also must look at the fact that HE is providing us opportunities to touch lives. HE is broadening our territory and I so hope that we will get out of the way and let HIM be known to each girl I teach or each boy that Rus coaches.

This is but an ant-hill in the great landscape of time. I keep telling myself that it will all be over in a week. The girls will have a blast with their grandmothers, Rus will do a great job coaching, and I will enjoy getting to see people I never get to see. I just wish I didn't have that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Guilt has always been one of the devil's favorite games to play with me. I refuse to let him win with that one.

If you have a few extra minutes, we would so appreciate being added to your prayers. Pray that all travel will be safe, that the girls will handle all of the changes in routine, and most importantly, that the LORD be glorified through this. Thanks so much!!!

Getting Even

2008-07-28T11:34:00.005-05:00

Do you remember when we were blessed with MANY American flags on the 4th of July by our friends P and J? Well, we finally got them back!!! The month of August is a busy one for those 2! Both of their birthdays and their anniversary fall in this lovely Summer month. We decided to help them celebrate with a few "decorations"!

I must admit that although it was approximately 145 degrees outside when we "decorated", it was quite fun to be mischievous and sneaky!!! Neighborhood wars are such a treat!

Little Bits of Randomness

2008-07-23T20:51:00.008-05:00

None of these things has any relationship to each other, but some of these pictures were just too funny not to post.

Today I heard Karson say, "I'm going to dress Campbell up like Mary." Huh? I rounded the corner and this is what I saw.

Oh! Mary, you know, the mother of Jesus! Just take Campbell out of that Mega Saucer, and she could fit perfectly in anyone's Nativity Scene. From our home to yours, "Merry Christmas"...in July!

Tonight I took Karson to get a snow cone from Todd (our precious nephew). The Lord was smiling on us, because just as we arrived at the park, the sun went behind the clouds and it was actually bearable for a few minutes! So I'm documenting it here...Mommy took Karson to the park on July 23 and played outside!!! You'll never guess what kind of snow cone she got! :) (BTW, excuse the lack of clothing - she was about to take a bath!)

Yesterday we went to have our family pictures taken. I can't wait to get them back. From what we saw of the proofs, I think they will be really sweet! I'll post some here when I get them.. In the meantime, here is a random cute pic of the girls. Look how Campbell has already learned the art of the "lean in".

Happy Wednesday! SYTYCD is on tonight!!!! Don't have the energy for a complete recap, but here are my favorites:

Dance - so predictable, but I have to go with Katee and Twitch's Contemporary - so fun!!!
Girl - Katee (she is amazing)
Guy - Will (I think that boy could do anything)

Rus's Favorite Dance - Chelsie and Joshua's Disco (his quote - "that's entertainment")

Rus's Favorite Girl - Cat :)

Rus's Favorite Guy - he refused to answer this one

Girl to go- Do I even have to say it? Please people, for the love....COMFORT
Guy to go- I'm thinking it's the end of the road for Crazy Mark.

Come on, play along and tell me your thoughts!

Talkin' Smack

2008-07-20T22:03:00.003-05:00

Tonight we let Karson stay up a little later so we could play UNO. While we were getting ready to play, we were teasing her and telling her she was "going down". We're such nurturing parents. :) A few of her come backs cracked us up!

Daddy: "I'm going to kick your bootie."

Karson's Come Back: "I'm going to kick your bootie off!"

Daddy: "I'm going to kick your pants."

Karson's Come Back: "I'm going to kick your shirt!"

Needless to say, there was a lot of "kicking" going on at our house this evening. I'm sad to report that Daddy won 2 out of 3 games. What happened to girl power?

In totally unrelated news...For the past week Campbell has been humming. It is the sweetest thing ever. She purses her lips together and hums! We've nick-named her our Humming Baby. It's pretty much a constant hum as long as she's awake. LOVE IT!

Hopefully they'll still be sparkly tomorrow.

2008-07-17T23:11:00.003-05:00

Karson went to the dentist for the first time today. (Don't judge me. I know that I'm a horribly irresponsible mother who didn't take her child to the dentist until she was 4 1/2). Anywhoo...I was so proud of her. She was so nervous to go, so we pulled the old Barbie bribe on her if she promised to be brave. (Again, don't judge. I'm not above any form of bribery to better the health of my child's teeth). She did so great!!!

We went to the only pediatric dentist in Owasso, and he was great. I would HIGHLY recommend him to anyone. Everyone was super sweet to us, and very friendly. The office building was a log cabin and the inside was decorated like a hunting lodge. There was a huge moose head in the waiting room. After a few minutes of waiting, we notice that his head was moving and his ears were twitching. Kars thought this was hilarious.

After we were called back, our hygienist told her all about the instruments and explained what they would be doing. Karson went for "a ride" in the special chair and it all got started. She got to pick what kind of tooth paste (polishing cream) she wanted. You'll never guess what they had. Chocolate chip cookie dough!!! She thought it was great. Lori (the hygienist) polished away, and Kars never even flinched. When Dr. Ahlert came in and gave the report that she had no cavities, I was so proud! (Is that weird?)

On the way home, I was complimenting her on how white and sparkly her teeth were. She then declared that she LOVED going to the dentist and couldn't wait to go back. Wow. After a few minutes she asked, "Mom, will my teeth still be sparkly and white tomorrow so that I can show Nana?"

I love that girl!

So You Think You Can Dance - A Recap!

2008-07-17T01:05:00.002-05:00

Okay, so it's a wee bit past 1 o'clock in the morning, and I just finished watching one of my favorite summer time shows on the ole DVR. I have been a huge fan of "So You Think You Can Dance" since the first season. Now, I must confess, that up until tonight I have been a bit blah about this season so. I don't know what happened tonight, but it grabbed me! So much so, that in a "Boo Mama-esque" tradition, I would like to recap it. Just for grins.

I must add a few comments of my own before recapping each dance. First of all, I was QUITE ANGRY at the beginning of the show to find out that Jessica was not going to be on. Not that I loved her all that much, but the fact that Comfort was coming back made me mad. I thought we were finished having to suffer through her performances...yuck! Secondly, it made me laugh to here Lil' C's critiques. He is so articulate! I was pleasantly surprised! And third, I LOVED what Nigel had to say about making a mistake in a performance. It's so true. Every mistake you make lives with you forever, but it keeps you striving for the next time. I had never really thought about it quite like the way he put it.

Can you tell I'm truly missing dance?

1. Joshua and Courtney - Frankenstein Hip Hop & "Be Your Hero" Rumba
Ummmmm...is it just me, or has Courtney gone down hill? I just didn't think she did very well tonight. I like both of these numbers, but I'm just not loving her. That little ren de jambe/whateverthatwas thing she did in the Hip Hop (you know, the one they replayed) was. bad.

2. Kherington and Mark - "Kick Back" 2 step & "Canned Heat" Jazz
Okay, let me start by saying that I was a HUGE Kherington fan at the beginning of the season. But now, she's reminding me of Natalie and Musa a few years ago. Remember how great Natalie was until they hit top 10 and she wasn't with Musa any more? I'm thinking K is kind of like that. She's lost a bit of her mojo (yep, I just said mojo). And, she danced the whole night looking down at the stage with her shoulders raised to her ears - it was bugging me. Anyway, I thought both of their dances were pretty bad. Mark is a bit odd, but I've always liked him. By the way, I love the song "Canned Heat". I know it's old school, but it always makes me think of Lindsay Bane and our field chair routine - which makes me smile. :)

3. Twitch and Comfort - "Open Arms" Waltz & "Forever" Hip Hop
I was so uncomfortable the entire time they were dancing the waltz I had to force myself to keep looking at the TV. It. Was. Awful. If I had to see Comfort's sickled feet and nasty dance hands one more time, I was going to puke. Other than that, it made me giggle to see those 2 trying so hard to be graceful. The Hip Hop was good - hello, what did you expect, but it didn't do much for me. I do love Twitch. He just has a cute, puppy dog face. AND, Mary Murphy saying "buck" is just wrong.

4. Gev and Chelsie - "These Arms of Mine" Contemporary & "The House is A Rockin" Jive
I LOVED the contemporary. That mowhawk lady scares me a bit, but she can choreograph! Chelsie is so versatile and fluent in all forms of dance. I have been surprised by her from the beginning and she's one of my faves! I'm not a big fan of anything ballroom, but the jive was okay. Gev was struggling a bit.

5. Katee and Will - "You're Rockin the Boat" Broadway & "Imagine" Pas de Deax
AMAZING!!!!!!! They are both stinkin incredible. I love the Broadway number. The drill team nerd in me immediately started thinking of how cute it would be as a team novelty or prop routine. Too cute. But the Pas de Deax...OH MY GOODNESS!!!! First of all, I love this version of the song. I was speechless - they were so good. What an amazing gift. They are also so humble - love that!

Okay, so I'm sure this is the most rambling, nonsensical bit of junk ever...my eyes are starting to droop and the screen is now very blurry! I must go to sleep. But before I leave, I'm suggesting to those of you who also watch, that we start posting our favorites each Wednesday - what fun!

My Favorites
Dance - Katee and Will's Pas de Deax
Girl - Katee
Guy - Will

Who Should Go?
Girl - Comfort - PLEASE!!!!!
Guy - ????? I don't know. I'm going to go with either Mark or Gev (neither of them are bad, but someone's gotta go)

What do you think?

I'm thinking it's time to get my roots done...

2008-07-14T22:05:00.003-05:00

The following conversation took place tonight at the Zumwalt home:

Karson: "Hey Campbell, do you see this doll? Her name is Dora. She has brown hair like Mommy."

Mommy: "My hair is not the color of Dora's."

Karson: "Well, your pony tail is yellow, but up here (pointing to the top of my head) it's brown...no it's black!"

Wow.

This seems to be a theme in my life. Perhaps it's because I am the world's worst about waiting too long to get my hair highlighted. In my own defense, it's usually a budget thing!

I remembered tonight about another incident similar to this one. Right before Karson was born, I was still teaching 3rd grade. I had read somewhere that it was not good to get your hair highlighted while you were pregnant (something about the chemicals or something). Anyway, I was about 8 months pregnant, and let me say, the roots were pretty bad. I had this sweet little Asian girl in my class, and one day during Social Studies she raised her hand. Now, you must read this and try to hear a very thick, 3rd grade, Asian accent:

"Mrs. Zumwalt, you hair...it going to da black."

Nice.

I'm in a wedding at the end of August, so I'm needing to wait it out a bit longer. I want my highlight to be fresh for the wedding. In the mean time, if you see me and my hair is a bit "poofier" than normal, just know that I'm trying to hide my roots! :)

Don't Blink

2008-07-09T21:56:00.010-05:00

The girls and I are usually by ourselves for bath time. Because Campbell can't sit up yet (we are close), I've still been bathing her in her little tub in the kitchen. This creates quite a production at bath time. I wasn't feeling up to doing all of that by myself tonight, so I asked Kars if we could try putting Cams in the bathtub with her. Of course she was delighted! It actually went quite well, and Karson was a HUGE help. She got into the tub and began bathing without me even asking. After I finished bathing Campbell, I took her into her room to get her jammies on. While I was doing this, Karson kept us entertained with a play-by-play from the bathroom. ("I'm washing my arms. I'm pouring water over my hair..."). That sweet girl did her whole bath by herself - this is a first! I was so proud of her!

(Look at those rolls on Campbell's tummy - love it!)

In the past month Campbell has grown like crazy. She is now 5 months old - which blows my mind. She is rolling over from her back to her tummy, eating cereal, and trying to sit up by herself. The sitting up is hilarious. She usually sits in a tri-pod position (using her 2 arms to brace her), but sometimes she gets brave and decides to sit up further with no support from her arms. I had forgotten how cute this looked from when Karson did it. Why is it so funny to watch a little "round-bottomed" baby try to balance and then eventually start to crash over? Maybe those of us at the Zumwalt house are just easily amused!

The whole evening has made me quite sentimental and nostalgic. This is not unusual for me, but sometimes it hits harder than others. Tonight, it was as if God was saying to me, "Life is passing, don't blink or you'll miss it."

When I was a little girl, my mom used to sit and hold my hands. She would run her fingers over the "holes" (the little dimples where your fingers meet your hand). She told me that those holes would eventually go away as I grew bigger. Now, you must know that I was the little girl who never wanted to grow up. I would sit in my room or in the car and bend my fingers back trying to keep the holes from going away. Recently I told Karson about the holes in her hands and how that meant that she was Mommy's little girl. I explained that as she grew, the holes would go away. Now, she likes to tease me by stretching her fingers out to see if they will disappear (she must not be from the "I don't want to grow up" school of thought).

(Ignore my photography. I was trying my best to get as close as possible. I had to wait to take one of Campbell while she was sleeping. It looks like I turned her upside down!)

Time goes on. I'm sure one day Karson and Campbell will be sitting with their babies talking about the holes in their hands. It's the natural order of things. Sometimes I just wish it didn't have to go so fast.

The Name Game

2008-07-04T23:23:00.003-05:00

Happy 4th of July!!! I must say, I can be a bit cheesy on days like today. I am a patriot at heart, and I get emotional watching fireworks. I am thankful for my freedom and grateful to those who fight to protect it. I am truly blessed to live in America.

We have had a great time celebrating. Last night we went to the Drillers game with my parents. The game was fun, the weather was OUTSTANDING, and the fireworks were awesome! Karson still plugged her ears this year, but she loved watching them. Campbell didn't seem to be bothered at all by the loud booming going on all around her.

Tonight we went to Jerry and Martha's to celebrate with them. Rus's brother and sister-in-law were there too. It was fun to be with everyone. Karson and Parker played in the back bedroom most of the night. We all decided it was a sign that they were getting big (they didn't want to be in the same room with us any more). Bella LOVES Baby Campbell, and is so sweet to her. I think those 2 are going to have fun times in the years ahead.

This morning, my sweet husband let me sleep in! Oh, if you know me at all, you know that sleeping is one of my love languages. I'll have you know that I did not get out of bed until 10:30!!! It was heavenly. I can't say that I slept the entire time, but I didn't mind. While I was drifting in and out of sleep, I could hear Rus talking to the girls in the living room. During the course of their conversation, I heard him use several of the nick-names that we've given them. It made me realize that we have A LOT of them. I thought it might be fun to make a list!

Our nick-names for Karson: Kars, Kars-McGars, Sweet Pea, Pea, Pea-Pea, Crazy Lady, Wookie, Wook, Pretty Girl, Pretty, Cla-Cla, Silly Head, Sissy, Sissy Pants, Karson Larson

Our nick-names for Campbell: Cam, Cams, Campbellina, Cami, Campbell Mambell Boo, Campbelly Bambelly, Sissy, Snookie, Snook, Smiley Miley, Campbell Brown, Drooly Julie

I must say that since my husband has not referred to me by any name other than "Lucy" in years, I shouldn't be surprised that we have this many names for our children. I've always heard that nick-names are a terms of endearment - I agree!!! I do love my girls!

Life in FULL swing

2008-07-01T14:19:00.010-05:00

Wow! We have been super busy lately. Where did June go? What have we been doing?...

1. VBS was great - so glad I decided to work. Shelbi and I had a great time working together again. It was like old times!!! Karson had an awesome time with her friends, and Campbell did great in the nursery (she's so big)!

(Here are the girls on the last day - they were worn out, but so happy!)

2. Karson completed her 2 weeks of swimming lessons. SHE ROCKED!!! We are so proud of her. After crying every day last year, we were not really looking forward to it. She was a little timid the first day, but after that, she loved it and learned a ton! It's so fun to watch her conquer something that you know scares her - so brave!

3. Campbell is doing so well with her new medicine!!! She is MUCH happier and seems to feel a lot better. We had to adjust the dosage, but other than that, she's doing great. She even got to have cereal for the first time yesterday! She's growing, growing, growing. Last night was the first night we put her to bed before 9:30, and she still slept until 7:30 (that's my girl!)

4. We went to the lake and had an awesome time. My sister's husband's family has a lake house at Eufala, and we always love the privilege of getting to go. This time was no different. It was such a relaxing and fun weekend for all of us! (Pictures soon!!!)

5. Our friends P and J are too funny. There is a history of the "prank game" with these 2!!! We've found all kinds of things on our porch over the past few years! We try to get them back, but they always seem to be one step ahead of us. Well, when we arrived home from the lake the other day our sidewalk was lined with about 15 American flags. The next morning Rus and I both received text messages simply saying, "God Bless America". We replied...GAME ON! We'll let them live in suspense until we make our move! :) This picture does not do it justice (the flags are lining both sides of the sidewalk) - it really is quite patriotic. I've decided it looks festive and will leave the flags there until after the 4th! Thanks for the decorations, guys!

6. I'm getting ready to start the "camp circuit". I will be going to Dallas 3 times in the next month. I also have one camp in Austin and one here in Owasso. I always enjoy teaching camps once I get there, but between now and then it's going to get a bit crazy around here. I'm never good at leaving the girls (this will be the first time to leave Campbell over night), but I know it helps our family. I'm grateful that God has given me the ability and opportunity to use His gift. I'm trying to stay focused on that!

7. A quick Karson story...Yesterday morning I was trying to get laundry finished, and straighten up the house. Kars got very frustrated with me because I couldn't come play with her in her room. She stormed off and mumbled, "then I'm not letting you in." Soon after, I saw her go into my room and get a piece of paper. She began making a sign to hang on her door - one that would "not let me in". The funniest thing about the whole thing was that she asked me to help her spell all of the words. By the time she finished making the sign, she forgot she was mad at me...but she hung her sign up anyway.

I'm grateful for a busy life - it is always full of God's blessings! Tonight we're taking Karson to Bass Pro to go fishing in their pond, and tomorrow we have a play date with Mommy Pose, Mia, and Cole! Let the adventures continue!!!!

She's a Rocker

2008-06-16T17:03:00.002-05:00

I'm getting a little post happy these days...but this one had to be written down.

Today after VBS we went to eat at Chick-Fil-A (along with the rest of the VBS goers in Owasso). It was pouring down rain when it was time to leave, so Rus ran to the car to get the umbrella. While I was waiting at the door with the girls, Karson looked at me, threw her arms in the air, and said...

"Let's rock this Chick-Fil-A!!!!!"

I, of course, burst into laughter. Where does she get this stuff? I'm thinking we've watched a little too much High School Musical and Hannah Montana in the past few weeks!

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-15T20:47:00.006-05:00

We had a very busy but very good Father's Day. We went to church this morning, then drove into Tulsa to see both Doo Daddy and PaPaw, and then came home for naps (and mowing for Rus). Rus later went fishing with our nephew, Todd, and then he and Karson went swimming at Aunt Tracey's. Woof! What a way to start a week. This week brings VBS in the mornings and swimming lessons in the evenings. I think we'll all be sleeping good at the Zumwalt house!

Karson had a birthday party to go to yesterday, and while we were in the car we talked about what she loved about her daddy. So that I will never forget, here is what Karson loves about her daddy (at age 4).

1. He plays ball with me.

2. He snuggles with me before bedtime.

3. He likes to play outside (unlike Mommy).

4. When I'm supposed to be settling down for bed, he makes the "claw" get me and makes me giggle!

5. He lets me run on the field after his baseball games.

6. He lets me watch Star Wars (I don't know where this one came from).

7. I like to go to Bass Pro with him.

8. We go get donuts on Saturdays.

9. He lets me drive the tractor at the baseball field.

10. We go fishing together.

I would give you a list of things Campbell loves about her daddy, but...well, she can't talk yet! BUT, if you've seen her look at her daddy with those "adoring eyes", you would know very quickly that she thinks he is pretty wonderful!

Happy Father's Day, Daddy! We love you to the moon and back!!!! ~the girls

Happy Father's Day, Dad!!! I love you so much. ~Melissa

Happy Father's Day, Jerry! Love you tons! (Could these 2 look any more alike?)

No Blockage!!!

2008-06-14T15:43:00.003-05:00

Thanks to all of you who prayed for us yesterday (and long before that). Campbell's tests went very well. She was such a trooper. We had to be at the hospital at 7:00 am, and she had to have an empty tummy (she had not eaten since 11:30 the night before). Her test started at 7:30, and we didn't leave the hospital until 10:30. That sweet baby only cried when they were twisting and turning her during the Upper GI (she. was. mad.). The rest of the time she was smiling and being sweet to everyone!

We have not gotten the official report from the doctor yet, but we do know that the radiographer did not see a blockage or anything abnormal about her anatomy. Thank you GOD!!! They did confirm that she has reflux, but that can be easily medicated! I'm sure we'll find out more next week once we get the offical report.

The stuff they had her drink (Barium) was quite yucky! They informed us that it would "go in white and come out white". Hmmmmmmmm. Well, they didn't lie! We have changed some very interesting diapers in the last 24 hours.

I was going to take a picture during the tests, but she got too upset and I wasn't even thinking about it. We did take this one while we were waiting in between x-rays. She was getting her diaper changed (imagine that).

Maintaining Balance

2008-06-09T15:51:00.007-05:00

Because it is completely in my blood to be "all things girly", I have to really work hard to keep Karson and Campbell balanced. By balanced, I mean exposed to things that are....not so girly. Most of you that know me, know that it takes major self-control every evening after bath time to not put a bow in their hair that would match their jammies! I know, I know, it is a sickness...I'll admit it.

In the past few weeks, Karson has gotten to go fishing with Rus. SHE LOVES IT! Now keep in mind that she does have a Barbie fishing pole (that lights up when you cast it), but by golly, my girly-girl is FISHING! The first time they went was out on some land in Bartlesville. Thought you might want to see a few pics!

This is Kars with her new fishing pole! (She's posing like Barbie)

Kars took this one of Rus. (Sorry I cut off your head, Daddy!)

Okay, so even though I did not go with them on the fishing excursions, I still felt really good about the fact that she was doing something "outdoorsy" and well-rounded! And, since I'm feeling so good about the fact that she's balanced, I will also show you a picture from her recent dance recital!

This is her class waiting to perform. (From L-R) Jacey, Lindsey, Mia, Courtney C., CourtneyP., Karson, Addi, and Elizabeth

But let's just be honest. Bless both of their little hearts. With a mommy that dresses them like this most days (this was before church on Sunday), there really isn't a lot of hope for being anything but a wee bit girly!!!

4 months old!

2008-06-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Campbell,

It's hard for me to believe that you are 4 months old today. Where has the time gone? It still seems like we brought you home just a few weeks ago. I must begin by apologizing for the fog I've been in since your arrival (thank goodness it has finally lifted). Life has been a little crazy and I am never great at change. It has taken some adjusting to this new stage of "normal". BUT...baby girl, don't ever think for one second that your presence hasn't been a total blessing from the moment you took your first breath in this world (and long before). You are a miracle to us and a joy to all who know you.

We prayed for a very long time to have you, and from the second we found out that you were growing in my tummy, we have loved you. Your sister informed us weeks before the ultrasound proved it, that "Jesus whispered quietly in her heart that you were a girl." You know what? I believe HE did! Karson was so ready to be a big sister, and she loves you so much. She can't wait for you to be big enough to really play with her. Right now, she settles for you laying on the floor while she plays right next to you. She loves to make you smile and tries to feed you your bottle. She likes to play dress up with you and laughs hysterically when you "dance".

You are an absolute joy for your daddy and me. You have such a happy spirit and you grin constantly. One of my favorite times is right when you wake up in the morning. You will start making noises in your bed to let me know that you're awake. When I go in your room and look into your crib you will immediately burst into an open mouth grin. You are so fresh from God, that I just have to know that you are reminding me that "This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it."

So far you have:

1. Feb. 6th - been born (this was a biggie)

2. Feb. 20th - lost your cord

3. Feb. 24th - started sleeping in your room/bed

4. March 15th - deliberately smiled at Mommy and Karson

5. March 22nd - slept through the night (and have ever since - bless you child)

6. March 23rd - went to church for the 1st time

7. April 13th - went to the church nursery

8. April 20th - discovered your hands

9. April 22nd - rolled over from tummy to back

10. May 19th - laughed out loud

11. Mid May - reaching and grabbing objects

So much in just 4 months...and so much to come! If I could, I would keep you a baby forever, but at the same time, I can't wait to see what new things each day brings. Campbell, you are pure sunshine. I am so grateful to be your mother. Thank you for bringing such happiness to our house.

I love you so much,

Mommy

Free Gas...Anyone?

2008-06-02T21:34:00.001-05:00

Tonight as I was getting Karson out of the bathtub, she grabbed me and gave me a big hug. Just as I was feeling the "AWWWW" of the moment, she spoke these words:

"Mommy, I think I'm about to cut the cheese."

And the moment was over.

The Bottle...It Makes Me Sad

2008-05-27T21:52:00.001-05:00

Campbell has been having slight "tummy trouble" for some time now. Karson was NOT a spitty baby, so when Campbell arrived and started the splendid practice of spitting up most of her bottles...well, let's just say we were less than pleased. At first we thought it was just acid reflux. Dr. Boyd prescribed some medicine, she slept at an incline, we changed formulas, and endured THE SPIT. It seems things have progressively gotten worse. For the happy baby she is, feeding time is miserable. She cries through most of it and groans through the rest. It breaks my heart and makes me feel like I'm poisoning her.

Today I picked up yet another new formula to try. This is our last resort. If this one doesn't work, we have requested that she have an Upper GI scan performed to see if anything more is wrong. We've had one bottle of it already...it didn't go so well. She fussed like usual, and then proceeded to spit most of it up and choke in the process. Fun times. I called my sister (Tracey - the best nurse EVER), and she said to give it one more try. If she reacts this way again, we can offically say we've tried it and IT DOESN'T WORK.

Pray for our sweet baby girl and her tummy.

Update: She's trying to keep us confused! She has fussed off and on all day with the new formula. I don't think we're going to stick with it. We have the Upper GI scheduled for June 13th.

Lawn Chairs and Lemonade

2008-05-27T01:17:00.000-05:00

Today we went to the Moseby's for the 2nd annual Lawn Chairs and Lemondade cookout. They are so hospitable and calm while hosting 150 guests! I'm telling you - I COULDN'T DO IT! Anyway, we had a great time and got to visit with friends and spend time outside (not something we do much with Campbell).

They had an inflatable water slide there for the kids. Last year we spent most of our day standing by it and helping Karson play (while we got muddy), and drying tears because..."that boy scares me". Needless to say, Rus and I were delighted when we had only been there a few minutes and Karson announced that she wanted to slide. Rus took her over and got in line, and few minutes later she came sliding down with...a smile on her face! She immediately got back in line (by herself), and did it again 3 or 4 more times. Who knows what happened, but after the 4th time down, she got back in line, and then started crying. Rus likes to refer to these moments as "girl drama". She then refused to slide again for the remainder of the time we were there.

It was very humid today, and Campbell was not dealing with it well, so I headed inside Shelbi's house to feed her a bottle. Karson accompanied me :). While I was feeding Campbell, I asked Karson what made her sad and not want to slide any more. The following is the explanation that my 4 (going on 16) year old gave me. It was all I could do to hold in the laughter.

"Well...I climbed up and when I got up there, I was like, this is so
fun. So then I slided down and it was fun so I did it again.
After I slided down again, I got in that line and while I was in that line,
I was thinking. I thinked...I can't do this, I can't do this, I can't
do this. And I got scared and it made me cry and then I came and got
you."

Oh my goodness...that girl keeps me laughing! I should have taken a picture of her in her cute flamingo bathing suit to post with this, but that would have required me to think ahead. And these days... that's just not me! Happy Memorial Day!

Getting Started

2008-05-23T20:12:00.001-05:00

Hello! I've been a "blog lurker" for almost a year now, and I've finally decided to join in the fun! Actually, what has really prompted me to do this is the fact that my babies are growing so fast, and I'm realizing that I must start documenting these moments that I know I'll forget!

Let me begin by telling you (not that anyone is reading this) a bit about myself. My name is Melissa. I'm a wife to a wonderful man - Ruston Blake. He is the head baseball coach at Jenks High School. He is hilariously funny, tremendously talented, and an incredible father. I am thankful every day to be married to him!

I am also privileged to say that I am the mother of TWO precious girls! Karson Elaine is 4 1/2, and Marion Campbell is 3 1/2 months. Besides becoming a Christian and marrying Rus, the days they were born...well...oh my goodness, I just can't put words to the joy they brought!

Karson just finished her last year of preschool yesterday. Is it strange that I'm sad? Next year she will go to the Pre-K program every day (more than likely all day - we're still deciding on that). How has my baby girl gotten so big? Allow me to be her mother for a moment :)...She is brilliant! She is beautiful! She is hilarious! She is painfully shy! She is kind-hearted! She is MINE! What an incredible blessing it is to be her mommy. I truly don't know what I will do without her home all day with me next year. I know God has BIG plans for this little girl. I can't wait to see what the future holds for her.

Campbell is the happiest baby ever! Although she's only been here 3 1/2 months, I've already forgotten what life was like without her. She brings smiles to all who see her and tremendous joy to our house! She was born 3 weeks early and seemed so tiny when we brought her home. Well...she's made up for it! She has the sweetest chubby cheeks, and the most squeezable rolls on her legs. It cracks me up to hear people say, "Wow, she's filled out!" I just reply, "You can say it, she's chubby! We like it that way." She is daily doing new things and discovering this world around her. I'm reminded again, as I was with Karson, that life is such a miracle. I cannot understand how anyone who has been around children couldn't know that there is an AWESOME GOD who created them!

Tonight, Rus had to be at the field until late, so the girls and I were here alone (this is our usual status during the Spring and Summer). I had gotten the girls fed, bathed, and snuggled on my bed to watch "Snow White" while I took a shower. When I got out, I came to check on them. What I found was simply precious. There they were, both sound asleep...holding hands.

Lord, I give you the praise for blessing me with these 2 lives. I praise you even more that in a way that could only be Yours, that they have already, at ages 4 and 3 months, become friends.