Merry Christmas!

Christmas morning!!! The tree awaits:Grandpa & Grandma Campbell wanted to come over for the morning festivities. Living only 6 blocks away, we figured the plan was foolproof. No such luck. They got stuck in the snow. Luckily, three of their neighbors were already out shoveling their drives and they helped get the car back on the road again. Once they arrived, we woke everyone up and got the day started. We hooked up the internet camera with Grandpa and Grandma in Michigan so they could be live for present opening, a well. That was pretty fun adn they said they could actually see things pretty well. Now, on to the good stuff:Abby's favorite part of the stockings:After a breakfast break, we were headed back for present-opening, Round 2. Thanks to all the costume changing, some certain boys lost their clothes for the rest of the morning...Abby was done with presents:Until she found out she was getting a baby:But, here was Abby's favorite present. In case you were wondering who would buy a fake cat, now you know. Listen closely. Can you hear the difference between Abby meowing and the kitty?A nice nap for everyone and we headed to Grandpa and Grandma's for dinner. The boys could hardly wait to tear open Abby's new "Snow White". Not really a good year for outdoor toys, but they did enjoy riding their bikes on our 10 ft. tile floor from the back door to the bathroom. (Something tells me that could get old pretty quick.) One more family shot:And two very happy little boys ready for "Infinity and Beyond."

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve has finally arrived! Noah's super-cute countdown calendar has finally reached the stable. We had a vey busy day. Noah's choir sang at one of the early services and he really wanted to participate so I took him out to the 3:00 service while daddy stayed home with the nappers. Rather than us drive all the way back out home and rush through dinner so we could all get back out to church by 6:30, we decided to just meet at one of the restaurants in the church parking lot. All of this makes perfect sense, right? Now add in an unbelieveable snow storm that just happens to fall on Christmas Eve. To say it was crazy would be an understatement. Beautiful, but crazy. Every child in Kansas City must have been praying for a white Christmas because that is certainly what we got. 14 inches of the stuff. But, I am getting ahead of myself. Back to dinner. To avoid the parking lot mess around church, I decided Noah and I could just walk across the parking lot to dinner. 20 minutes later and soaking wet from the blinding snow that started just before we headed out, I decided maybe that was not such a good idea. (I'll know for next time.) Made it through dinner and rode back to the church. Threats of the impending storm had caused many people to come to earlier services so we had no trouble getting in to usually one of the busiest services. It was beautiful and even more special this year because we got to share it with our oldest son. He sat pretty well and sang his little heart out to the songs he knew. Now, he got a battery operated candle but managed to drop it on the floor enough times that it didn't work when it was finally time for it. So, I let him use mine. And, no one was set ablaze. Hooray!
So, after church, with now a good 6 inches on snow on the ground and it showing no sign of stopping any time soon, we set off on a tour-de-Overland Park. Somewhere along the line I had this idea that I wanted to do something special for those who have to work on Christmas Eve. It is one of my favorite nights of the year and it all revolves around being with family and just being together - at home, at church, at dinner. I think a lot about the people whose jobs require them to work on this particular evening and what they sacrifice that many of us take for granted. But not this year, I wanted to let them know that we were thinking about them. Enter "The Great Cookie Challenge". We made 6 different kinds of cookies and packaged up 4 batches of cookies with a little note thanking that read, "We are thinking of you as you work on this holiday. Thank you for all you do." Along with a cute little nativity picture that the boys colored and Luke 2:11. They really did turn out cute and I was thankful for the last minute help. Now, should you attempt something like this in the future, maybe check out public service policy for working on holidays. For instance, apparently, police officers do not actually work in the office on Christmas Eve. However, keep in mind that you can still get in to use the restroom should you have a potty-training toddler in the back seat and your little adventure is taking a good two hours. The firemen did not let us down, though. They seemed very shocked/confused/surprised by our visit. The boys did get some cool hats out of it, though, and at the second stop even got to go out and tour the garage - crawling in and out of all trucks and ambulances. Oh, we also stopped at the Maternty unit at Menorah. (They did, after all, help us deliver our 3 greatest gifts...) Here is a picture of Christopher and Noah returning to the car from the hospital. I told you it was snowing...
Now, when we finally arrived back home, we did remember to put out our reindeer feed. Unfortunately, about 8 inches of snow fell on top of it before the reindeer probably got a chance to eat it. But it looked pretty while we could still see it. The kids got their jammies on and we rushed through "Twas the Night Before Christmas". I guess maybe next year we will have to make it the night before the night before Christmas so we can all fully appreciate it.
10:47PM and the boys finally got to set out their cookies for Santa. Of course, there could be no agreement on what Santa would like so we had two different cookies AND a glass of milk and one of apple cider. Something tells me Santa enjoyed every drop of it all, though...
And, finally, off to bed for those visions of sugar plums.

Done and Done.

At approximately 11:00AM today, I completed my Christmas shopping. All intended gufts have been purchased and all extra items have been returned. Not too bad considering my dear husband gave my his suggestions just this past Sunday and school has been out so everyone has been home all week. Usually, I am busy running around up until dinner on Christmas Eve finishing up items my husband needs for his family. Now, I should point out that he is in charge of those items this year and he will be out shopping after work this evening. But. like I said, I am all done. Now I just have to wrap. Oh, and finish (or rather start) the 6 different cookies we are making to deliver to local firehouses tomorrow evening. Who procrastinates? Us? Never...

The Birthday Celebrations

In true Campbell form, our birthday celebration was pretty extended... First up - the family birthday party. With Grandpa and Grandma Randolph in town, we took advantage of everyone being together. Grandma Page graciously offered to host the party as our house wouldn't hold everyone. Now, I have been thinking about Benjamin's party for months, trying to scope out a theme that might appeal to him. Benjamin has been a little obsessed with motorcycles for quite sometime and I really thought that is what we go with. About a month ago I decided to let him have a say. (Pretty generous, no?) I offered motorcycles or pirates - I REALLY want to have a pirate party... He said, "Pooh." Daddy and I tried pointing out that he had a Pooh party last year and this year could be different. "Pooh." We tried pointing out his other likes - recommending pirates... or motorcycles - "you love motorcycles, Benjamin!" "Pooh." So we dropped it for a while. One day while out driving we passed some bikes. "Hey, Benj, want me to see if those guys can come to your birthday party?" "Yeah, they could have some of my Winnie the Pooh cake." So, Pooh it was. Right at the end he added pirates in to the mix. Being a mom out to accomodate (and thanks to the internet), the party came together. (And notice the motorcycle sweater.)

We did have a strange actual birthdate as Benjamin spent the night before at the hotel with his grandparents. It was a little sad not seeing him first thing in the morning but, guess what? We survived. We did go to the Lenexa play center after the grandparents headed to the airport and he enjoyed that. And, somehow, by the time Noah got home from school, Benj was down to nothing but his 'birthday suit'. I figured of all days, this one seemed appropriate for the outfit choice. After dinner, we did have to dress as we headed to the mall to see Santa. More on that later, but we do want to share our after Santa activity. The boys got to do jumping. They loved it! Benjamin was laughing so hard he could hardly jump. Spectators were stopping to share in his laughing (and probably to laugh at the fact that he was stuck a good six inches above the trampoline just swinging there and cracking up). Luckily the guy working can push buttons to get everyone going again. It's a good thing we don't go to the mall too often because I am pretty sure we would not be able to just walk past this anymore.

Ah, but we saved the best for last. Benjamin's Family Fun Day. We might have to rethink our activities after this one, though. First up, was 'The Princess and the Frog'. (Now before you go questioning our parenting, yes, there was voo-doo. However, have you ever seen a Disney movie? They all have some sort of magic, spell, curse, scary something. We were willing to give it a try.) It was a good movie. The boys liked the trumpet playing alligator the best. Abby liked crawling out in the hallway the best. Yeah, she and mom missed the end of the movie, but I think it is safe to say I will see it again someday. Benjamin picked Chick Fil-A for lunch. Oh, how we love the Chicken House. Next we let him choose - Monkey Business or swimming. Even with his brother screaming his choice from the backseat, Benjamin was able to choose what he wanted to do - swimming. We dropped Abby off at Grandpa and Grandma Campbell's and headed to the Matt Ross. We haven't been in a while and boys had a great time. We always manage to coerce people out of the pool by promising play in the Treehouse, if they are quick. They had about 10 minutes to play. Finally time to collect everyone and head home for naps when it all went south. As Benjamin was jumping out to get his shoes on, he tripped and slammed his face into one of the posts. His bottom teeth went right through his lower lip. So, we went back and picked up Abby and since neither parent wanted to miss out on his possible first stitches, we all headed to the ER together. Three hours waiting. Through nap time. In a small, enclosed examining room. Three hours. Good news is, by the time we saw someone, his cut had healed itself to the point of not needing anything except some cleansing and antibiotic cream. Thank goodness for the TV's in the examining rooms. I really do like 'Wizards of Waverly Place.' And Noah got an examining glove out of it. He hasn't removed it from his hand since. Sounds like a fun day, hunh? And this is the only picture we have to show for it. We sort expected Benjamin would always be our first ER case. We really are thankful that his injuries were not more serious but I think I am not alone in saying I hope next year's Benjamin's Family Fun Day is a little less eventful. Maybe we will just stay home and play 'Uno'.

Nd that sums up Banjin's birthday for the year. Better start scoping out my "Pooh" possibilities for next year...

BENJAMIN IS 3!!

Whether we are ready or not, Benjamin is 3.

Benj, you are a little guy of great expression. Whether you are happy or 'MAY-ad', you express it 100%. There is no in between. Of course, your anger doesn't last for long. (You like to smile too much, I think.) You have the hardiest laugh and we really can't help but join in when we hear you. You love your big brother and want to do everything Noah is doing. You are also very forgiving when your big brother doesn't want you to. You also love your little sister - sometimes a little too much. You love to make her laugh and to crawl around and chase her. You love puzzles, books, singing, jumping on your bed, playing punch, and doing 'glue projects'. You still love to nap - even with mommy, and, my personal favorite, you still love to 'sit with mommy in the rocking chair and cover up with the animal blanket.' (I hope you never outgrow that.) You have accomplished so much this year in learning to ride a bike, going potty, sleeping in a big boy bed, and going to school, just to name a few. You love to try new things and rarely show fear (most of the time this is a good thing). We love your sweet personality and your perpetual happiness. You spread joy to many and we are so thankful to call you ours. We look forward to celebrating many more birthdays with you, Benjamin! We love you!

A Visit from the Grandparents

As I mentioned, Grandpa Doug and Grandma Bonnie were in town this weekend. (And Uncle Scott, too, of course.) I cannot tell you how excited my children get when they come to visit. And it is really fun when they fly in because the boys can call in the morning and ask them to come over and when the boys wake up after naptime, they are here! I feel badly that my parents feel they need to stay in a hotel at times when they come, but the boys sure like it. They get to take turns going and staying as well and that is a very big deal. So big that they don't even fight about it. No, really. It is the one thing they do not argue about. They know they take turns and they wait to find out who gets to go when and they just accept it. Noah, the crafty one, did try to talk Grandma into taking them both one night (on Benjamin's night, of course) but he was okay with her "No". We fit a lot in to the weekend. Benjamin's birthday pictures, Noah's school play, Benjamin's birthday party, Christmas at Resurrection, and Scott's birthday party. (Shoooo... It's usually one of those weekends after which you need a weekend to recover.) *** Can't seem to find the super-cute pictures of Benjamin falling asleep on Grandpa's lap that I wanted to include. So, you'll just have to make them up yourself. :)

Christmas at Resurrection

Our church does a major Christmas program. Major. 5 performances. Orchestra. Actors. Dancers. Choirs. The adults start practicing in October two times a week. For this reason, Christopher and I have opted to sit the season out. With three small children, we just can't bring ourselves to be away from the house that much. So, we pay our $20 just like everyone else to attend the performance. We have never been disappointed. (Really, if you would like to be blessed by an evening of great music with a beautiful message, you should think about attending sometime...) Even my parents have made it a tradition to come down and go with us. (It does help that it typically happens to fall the weekend of Benjamin's birthday, although it sure makes for a full weekend.) This year we had a special treat in that we got to see Noah in the show. Luckily, he only had to go to one dress rehearsal - not the preceding 2.5 months of practices. Unfortunately, his choir spent so much time preparing for the children's musical that he didn't really get a fair chance at learning the Christmas music. However, in true Noah form, he did not seem upset by this in the least. Christopher and I opted to go on different nights with our respective parents so the other parent could stay home with the younger kids. (Last year's attempt at acclimating everyone to theater was kind of a nightmare so we opted out this time around.) Which meant Noah got TWO NIGHTS to perform. He could not have been more excited about singing in the "big aquarium" or what most would call auditorium/sanctuary. As you'll see in the video, he picked up on the words pretty quickly. This particular video is good because it shows him doing it all - singing, lip-syncing, snapping at dad, conducting, watching the video screen. Oh, and picking his nose.

Noah Sings from Stephanie Campbell on Vimeo.
And listen carefully. Do you hear the audience laugh when Noah picks his nose? That's because he happened to be featured front and center on the big screens when he did it. Dad and I were proud, I assure you. I mean how many people can draw a reaction like that from 3000 people? Yeah, 3,000. Like I said, dad and I were very proud.

On a more serious note, I would just like to say that in all honesty, we really are proud of Noah. On the way to church Saturday night, Noah asked if his friend Eric would be there that night. I said I wasn't sure because I didn't how Noah would react to the fact that Eric was not singing. Turns out, he was fine with it. I am absolutely amazed at his willingness to get up in front of people all by himself (without a parent or a close friend). Whether I am dropping him off at Star Wars camp (with only one other 4 year old in attendance and a LOT of older kids) or an open gym session (where he knew absolutely no one - again) he just goes right in and does his thing. (Thank goodness he doesn't sense his moms anxiety at letting him go in to such situations!) I spend enough time around children to know that this is a pretty special quality. Heck, I know a number of adults who wouldn't feel comfortable under such circumstances. I hope that he never loses his willingness to try new and different perhaps even uncomfortable experiences. He gains so much from all that he does and I know it is making him a special little boy.

Star Wars in Concert!

Star Wars in Concert came to Kansas City and we almost skipped it. You see Noah has a thing for TV/movies so I had delayed showing him the movies because I figured it would be an endless battle of requests to see them again and again. I was also concerned about exposing him to the violence of an extended armed conflict. As I think about it I was only a few months older than he when I saw the first movie in its original release. Considering that the boys favorite Bible story is David and Goliath, a story of violence and conflict, I suppose the lesson for Dad is that we live in a broken and violent world. We can't avoid that reality but we can use those stories to teach.

Well I recorded a show from PBS about the making of the concert. In a few short minutes my resistance was gone. This was going to be a special experience that I would regret missing. I grabbed some tickets just days before the show and told Noah that he and Daddy were going to do something special. Of course once you open the door like that he can't just wait to find out the surprise. After a relentless series of questions and hints I told him we were going to see some Star Wars friends and some music. I have played most of the sound tracks for him, and he has seen people dressed up in Star Wars costumes on a few occasions but I don't think he really knew what he was in for. All the same he told everyone he met that he was going to see Star Wars.

When we arrived at the show he was still asking lots questions to try to figure out exactly what we were going to see. I wanted to get there plenty early because they had put on display several movie props and costumes. I shouldn't have been surprised that the props were of secondary importance to him. The highlight of the evening for him was to see all of the characters. Check out the photos below. We didn't even wait to take off our coat before he was jumping in line to visit the first character. I don't think he ever decided who his favorite was but meeting R2-D2 had to be at the top of the list.

On to the concert. There was no way to really prepare him so we just had to dive right in. It was a wonderful production really. Anthony Daniels, aka C3-PO, was our MC. Anthony gave a brief explanation of each stage of the Star Wars saga then the orchestra followed with music from the soundtrack accompanied by a series of movie highlights on a giant screen. For the first half of the concert the only time Noah breathed was in between songs when he asked if there was going to more. It was so cute.

Intermission came and we had a chance to go visit some more "friends" and get some water. Here is a funny story for the middle of this post. While I am trying to pay for our water Noah starts talking with some other kid his age. Now he had told me that some of his friends from school would be at the concert. So the dad comes over and introduces himself. Both of us assume that they are schoolmates. Turns out the other kid attends a preschool at a synagogue. The two boys just decided to be old friends on the spot. Was that the Force bringing us together or just two boys that never met a stranger. :) Anyhow, back to our regularly scheduled post. Normally I eschew buying trinkets but I thought he might enjoy having a souvenir to remember the evening by. Ten dollars for a lightsaber keychain seemed a bit high but as Stephanie recalled it was twelve down at Disney. What a bargain! :)

The second half of the show moved rather quickly and Noah was getting used to the format. After all was said and done Noah had learned all of the secrets of the Star Wars saga. I feel bad that he didn't get to experience them in the original dramatic presentation. Hopefully he will still find the movies entertaining.

After the show I was prepared for lots of questions but Noah seemed focused on one particular element that he saw. Why did Padme die? He hasn't stopped talking about it and in fact we just now had a request to name our next child Padme Amidala and change his to Anakin. He is too young to inserting himself into a romantic scene, right?

In the end it was a perfect evening. Star Wars has had a special place in my life and I really enjoyed sharing it with him. And to think, I almost missed out on all of it.

Look Dad a Comperial Guard!