Congratulations, Dad!

As of today, my dad is officially RETIRED. Practically 60 [straight] years of working - WOW! Jobs have included such things as: paper boy, grocery store butcher, bus driver, teacher, Northern Michigan woodsman, minister, car factory lineman, and cost accountant - just to name a few. I have always thought of my dad as a very hard worker. When he left the employer he had worked for the longest, the flyers for his going-away party stated he'd missed 9 days in 28 years. Eat your heart out, Cal Ripken! Even here at the end he was working 12 hour shifts - sometimes 6 or 7 days a week! Makes me tired just thinking about it. While he comes from a family that doesn't necessarily understand (or maybe it is appreciate) the word retirement, I think my dad will be the first in the family to take it in for a while. (My grandpa worked misc. jobs until about 90, his two brothers that have retired before him have found other occupations to fill their time.) He is, after all, the first to have a retirement home. As I type this now, my parents are busily packing up their house here in Kansas. They will be headed back to Michigan this weekend. We will certainly miss having them close-by but wish them the best in their new lifestyle. Hopefully, my dad is on his way to some much deserved rest. Congratulations, Daddy!

Hunting Easter Eggs

Going out to lunch after church meant we did not get home and down for naps until 3:30. Luckily, everybody slept (which meant mommy and daddy could too). The Easter Bunny came while we were napping and we attempted our egg hunt when we woke up (at 6:30). Next time, remember to feed dinner first. The boys each found one egg and were done. They just wanted to concentrate on eating that one thing and had no interest in looking for anything else. The pictures make it look like they were actually in to it, but don't be fooled. We eventually gave up and ended picking up the remaining eggs ourselves. Luckily, they did get to do some hunting the day before at our next door neighbor's birthday party. And for the last two days, Benjamin has wondered around the front room putting eggs (and anything else that will fit) in to his basket. So I guess all was not lost in this tradition. We'll just have to plan better for next year. P.S. Anyone need a Chicken Dance singing duck? We got two... :)

Happy Easter!

It was a busy week around here with all of our musical responsibilities at church. We started off with Palm Sunday - unsure of whether or not Noah would be marching through the sanctuary with his little palm branch. Turns out he was not there - next year. And next year, I will have to sit in the congregation. For the third year in a row I bawled through it all anyway. At first I thought it was because I was saddened by the fact that Noah was old enough to be doing such a grown up activity. This year I decided it is something completely different - when Noah is out there, it will be as though he was really one of the little children in Jerusalem following the crowd; not really understanding what his actions were about but just following along. I realized that while I like to think Jesus' salvation is for me, I was obviously not one of the crowd that persecuted him. After all, I wasn't there - how could it have been me? But when you see your child participating, you can no longer deny that you were in fact 'part of the crowd'. It's amazing how being a parent changes your perspective on things... On Wednesday we had an extended rehearsal to prepare for the rest of the week. Thursday we had Maundy Thursday service, filled with music. Grandpa and Grandma Campbell were out of town so the boys had to come to church with us. It was convenient but it meant getting to bed far past their bedtime. Saturday we had an extra rehearsal for Sunday because we had a guest artist performing with us. And Easter morning found us at church at 6:00AM. Thankfully, G & G Randolph were at our house and willing to bring the boys so Christopher and I could both participate in all three worship services. It was a blessing but sure made for a long day. Luckily, we got to hear the sermon three times so we had plenty of reminders as to what the day was all about and just how blessed we are to be saved. Oh, and just a reminder... just three more years until Easter is on April 24. Better mark your calendars.

20 weeks!

Today marks the 20 week mark - HOORAY! Now I can start counting down instead of counting up. And it is actually starting to feel as if an end may be in sight. Preferably not for another 15 weeks at the very earliest, but an end all the same. My medicines are working wonders and as long as I remember to take them, life is good. I still hit the sack about 8:00PM every night, but no more sickies - for which we are all grateful.

Just 20 more weeks until we find out the answer to that one question that has been bugging us all for 33 years now. Am I more my mom or more my dad? See, my mom is the only girl with two older brothers. I am the only girl with two older brothers (also born when my mom was 33, coincidentally). But my dad is one of 5 boys. His dad is one of 5 boys. His mom is one of 6 girls. So, see? This is the true breaking point because I cannot have both, it has to be either one or the other. Which do you think?

Oh, and by the way, my due date is 8/5, right? Hallmark lists that as 'Sisters' Day. Is that a sign or is that a sign?

Picture Day

Today was the day for Noah's 3-year-old pictures. They turned out GREAT! He was such a big boy - listening to the photographers and [mostly] doing what they asked. We got some terrific shots and, as usual, it was hard to pick out the best. But this is what we narrowed it down to:I took Benjamin in his Easter duds as well on the off chance we were able to get a picture of the two of them together. It was not my goal for the day but I thought it would have been nice. And, guess what?!?! My low expectations were more than exceeded. Check it out:

Meet Baby III

We had our sonogram last week. Of course this offered no useful information for most of you, but we did learn that our little baby appears to be perfect at this point. See for yourself.
Profile:
Face:
Feet:
Perfect little fingers:

He's Hired

Another item on the long list of how Benjamin differs from Noah is that he loves to pick things up. Noah comes in to the play room and dumps everything out. Not that he intends to play with any of it, I guess he just feels better when it is out on the floor. Benjamin follows about three steps behind putting everything back where it came from. Well, today I did some dusting. I think he has a new favorite activity. I cleaned off the ceiling fan and he stood right next to me reaching up as high as he could to help out. He was only about 4 feet too short but I will take the help. The feather duster was actually more fun for chasing kitties. (Kitties were not so sure about this.)

Our Little Cowboys

Although, we sort of think they look more like farmers... Our boys would not wear their hats at the party. They did humor us for some pictures at home, though.

The Chicken House

Trying to get 6 three-year-olds to pose for noteworthy pictures was not an easy process, but here are some of the highlights from the party. (The western wear is due to the fact that we had a cowboy theme for the party - hence the denim and hats...)

Playing...

Our guests...

The table...

Blowing out the candles...

Happy Birthday, Noah!

It's hard to believe but our little man is THREE YEARS OLD today! While we have had three days of celebration, today was the big day. Daddy took the day off and Noah's friends joined us at 'the Chicken House' for lunch and play. Noah pooped himself out so well, he came right home and took a three hour nap, asking that we read no book first. We have had this funny tradition in the past of at least one person getting extremely sick right around this week and being miserable for the birthday party. The first year it was all of us. Last year, it was mommy and Benjamin. This year I made sure everyone remembered to stay healthy. Unfortunately, I forgot to share the plan with the birthday boy. He really struggled with a fever off and on this weekend and this afternoon but at bedtime appeared to be recovering. It was a busy day, but I think it was fun for all. Now we have 365 days to listen to plans for "My next birthday..." And, as luck would have it, we remembered to take the annual bunny pictures. Happy birthday, Noah Douglas!

Playing Outside?!!?!!?!

I don't know how this [incredibly too long of a] season, known as winter, has been in your area but we have not had a very pleasant one. It seems everyone is complaining about something. It has been very, very cold. We have not had a lot of snow, but it has snowed all too often. And the worst part is that it will get warm and tease that spring is on the way, then BAM! The cold is back. I've tried not to get swept up in the excitement of the warmer days because I knew it would only get cold again but even I couldn't help it this weekend. Both Saturday and Sunday it got up to 70 degrees. It was really windy, but we still took advantage of the sunshine and got out into the back yard. This was Benjamin's first time outside exploring on his own. He was first taken by the sticks on the patio and loved the fact that the dogs would come and take them from him. He later found the same with the balls. He did a lot of wandering around in the grass and discovered tricky things known as 'hills'. It was hard to go both up and down them. Daddy says if his belly weren't so big, he might not have been so tippy. Once he made it to the dirt, he was plenty happy to pick up hand fulls of it and put them in the shovel or dump truck. He only tried to taste it a couple of times. Noah was very happy to get back out in to the yard and went right back to digging on his dirt pile that he had left in the fall. We are beginning to wonder if he will ever get it moved to wherever he is trying to move it. Big brother did a great job of sharing and tried to teach Benjamin how to play with the diggers and tractors. I'm guessing we will be spending a lot of time in said dirt pile in the months to come. Oh, and just in case you were wondering, wind chill is 14 today. But I am trying to stay positive as I got these two sure signs that spring is indeed on its way...

These Shoes Are Made For Walking

It has been a full week now that Benjamin has spent more time on his feet than on his knees. He has discovered that it is easier to carry things - like books - when you are not continually crawling over the top of them. This method might not be quicker, but he sure enjoys it. He still tips over a great deal but is quick to get right back up and try again. His mommy can't get over how much bigger he looks when he is walking upright. Luckily, he is not speaking in complete sentences yet, so I can pretend he is still little - for a little while longer, anyway.

Look, Ma! New shoes!

Grandma Campbell took us to the mall last week and bought both boys a new pair of shoes. We have had lots of practice with how fast they are already. With all the toys picked up in the front room, it is the perfect location for 'Chase'. Noah runs and daddy follows after. When Noah gets caught, there is a big tickle-fest. Now that Benjamin is toddling around, he is getting in on the action. He follows right along behind and as soon as someone heads (or looks as thought they might head) in his direction, he does a 180 and giggles and giggles while he tries to get away. Usually the action goes right past him, but he doesn't appear to mind. He is just happy to be included. And, big brother is doing a great job of avoiding collisions as he runs past. Let's hope that continues. And special thanks to Grandma Bonnie for the personalized cups so there is no confusion at water breaks.

Benjamin Meets Oreos

What more can you say?

Burpy

So, it really works better when he just says it on his own (which is a lot, these days). But, Benjamin did humor me with a 'burpy' so you could hear it. And I've thrown in some bonus signing for your viewing pleasure.

It's Baby Signing Time

Benjamin has not had nearly the signing exposure that Noah had by this time, but he is quickly catching on to the signing. He knows that he is supposed to be able to tell us things with his hands and when you ask him to say something, he gets a huge smile and waves his hands like crazy. No surprise, the first sign he picked up was 'eat'. And he most certainly knows what it means. He found a picture of a cracker in a book and was pointing and yelling at me. He then started signing 'eat'. I was trying to hold off until dinner but he then moved himself over to the gate at the kitchen door and started singing more emphatically and added some tears to make sure I got the picture. He got his crackers. The other words he knows: fish, dog, cat, and more/cracker (he is using the same sign interchangeably right now). Noah is doing a good job of putting the signs back in to his vocabulary also to help teach Benjamin. I sure love this stuff and am glad we were introduced to it!

Meet Bianca!

The newest member of the Campbell Clan. We'd hope to find a good deal on a used van, but instead got a great deal on a new one. No complaints here! We are still working on getting her parked in the garage just right - takes a couple of tries. But the boys love their new ride and being able to see out the windows. The parents feel very mature driving a mini van. Oh, and if you know anyone in the market for a Volvo wagon, please send them our way.

Uh Oh!

So, officially Benjamin's first word was 'Burpy,' but since he has stopped using it and we never got it recorded, we will have to take this instead.

A True Son of Kansas City

Eat your heart out, BBQ lovers...

Hey, Dapper Dan!

Check out Mr. Handsome! (Special thanks to Uncle Mitch for the outfit.) You can tell that he was not a big fan of the hat but he humored me for some pictures.