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

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...

First Day of School...Round 2

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!

So Thankful...

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

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.

Easter...almost a week later!

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

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...

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!

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!

I hope they'll stay this way!

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

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!!!

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

Guess who took her 1st step???

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. :(

A Few Blogworthy "tions"

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!

Catching Up!

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!

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

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!!!

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."

Poor Baby!

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.

6 Months Old!!!!

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!!!!)

Little Bits of Randomness

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

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!