The Campbell Family

Ryan's birthday

2011-08-06T20:19:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday to Ryan on August 2nd. He is now 5 years old!

Leah had a hard time with Ryan getting all the attention.

Ryan got a nintendo DSi. He is so happy about it.

Making a wish!

Birthdays

2011-03-28T00:04:00.000-04:00

The pictures are all out of order, but I really don't want to bother with fixing it. I will just caption each picture and hopefully it will make sense.

Leah turned 7 in February and I made her this shirt. Don't ask me why she wanted a nike symbol. ha ha...it looks so silly to me, but she was proud to wear it.

Bradley is teething, but he is cute about it.

Leah got a pillow pet for her main gift.

Dallan started a cool tradition for our family. He wrote leah a cute birthday song. He also wrote one for his dad called, "Older than Me" to be sung to the tune and rhythm of "Cooler than Me"...it was pretty good. Clay followed Dallan's lead and wrote Dallan a song to the tune of "Time of your Life" called "Sense to do what's right". I hope this sticks because it is so fun and more thoughtful than most gifts.

Ever since we saw someone at Famous Dave's BBQ celebrate their birthday, Leah has wanted to go there for her birthday dinner. So we did. She lit up when all the workers sang to her with fireworks. It was so nice because the workers really gave her special attention rather than the monotone forced singing that you sometimes find at restaurants. Bradley wanted a bite in this picture.

Clay got a new phone, a car stereo, and scriptures. SPOILED. ha-just kidding. He completely deserves it all. He works so hard and studies in all of his free time and he earns the right to be pampered once in a while.

Dallan's friend made the cake and Leah was feeling very affectionate. cute!

Bradley is such a joy to have in our home. He smiles constantly and he adores his father!

Dallan used money from gift cards to get some of this. He is such a good young man and I can't believe he is 14. He will be going to church dances! He brings a lot of joy to our home and I am proud of him.

It seems like everytime I try to capture his winning smile, he freezes. But even his curious expression is cute.

I got Clay a Carrom board. It reminds us both of our childhood(s) and we love playing games with the kids.

Bradley is 4 months old already. It is too hard to explain how much we all love him!

Update

2011-02-18T16:54:00.000-05:00

It is time to update my blog. Here are a few pictures of the kids!

This was Leah posing with a statue of a camel at the nativity at the Washington DC Temple. We enjoyed the lights on Dec 23, 2010.

This was Bradley at about 2 months old in a cute outfit from his Aunt Janine. He is now 3 months old and 16 pounds already! His is in the 99th percentile for his weight, the 88th percentile for his length and around the 60th for his head...he is a big boy!

This is Ryan (4yrs and 4 months old) on Christmas morning. Ryan is 53 pounds! He is heavier than his sister who will be 7 in a week.

Dallan had a solo for his winter concert! He sang the first couple of lines on each verse for the song "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey (the Glee version much to my dismay). He sounded awesome! Without an autotuner I might add-suck it Gleeks. All I have is a really embarrassing picture of a different musical number from that same concert. He will be so upset to know that I posted this picture because he felt like a nerd. The group sang "Under the Boardwalk" and it was pretty nerdy. Clay and I laughed and laughed at him. He is a good sport, though.

As for Clay and I, there isn't much to update. Clay is on a special team at work which is really cool and that is all I can say about that. I have been able to start playing basketball with my friends again and I love it. Can you picture me and all of my 5 feet 2 inches? haha...it is funny to picture. Other than that, I am just enjoying being at home with Bradley! He is so sweet.

Bradley's blessing

2010-12-14T19:07:00.000-05:00

Bradley was blessed on November 28, 2010 at the Mt Airy building. He wore the same little tux that his brother's wore on their blessing day.

Ryan's blessing Sept 2006

Bradley's blessing Nov 28, 2010

Dallan's blessing April 1997

Bradley Raymond Campbell

2010-11-20T00:29:00.000-05:00

Bradley Raymond Campbell was born on November 15, 2010 at 3:24 pm. He weighed 9lbs 7 oz and was 21 inches long at birth. Raymond is my grandpa and father's first names. We didn't decide on Bradley until he was already a day old. I am not sure why we had such a hard time deciding on a name.
He is so sweet. He is very content and healthy.
He came into this world in a very weird way. I was laboring at 7 cm with regular contractions on Sunday morning at 7:30 am. By Monday at 2 am, we decided to go to the hospital. I progressed to 8 cm by 7am, but at 2pm there was still no change. I had planned to have him naturally. We are not sure why he never progressed further. Eventually it was decided that a c-section was needed.
After Bradley was delivered, a few things went wrong in the operating room. Clay left with the baby while I was sedated, given a blood transfusion, and put on a respirator. Unfortunately I wasn't able to be with Clay and the baby until the next afternoon because I was recovering in the ICU. It was a scary time, but prayers were heard and after a priesthood blessing, I recovered very quickly. The respirator came out much sooner than expected and everything got easier and easier. I have great sympathy for women who have to recover from a c-section. It is much harder. Clay and I are determined to focus on the blessings and the positve aspects of having a baby this way. It was the furthest from our plan and has humbled us. It is a Faith building experience and we are changed for the better. Clay and Bradley spent quality time together and Clay has learned so much about what new moms go through. He has been wonderful throughout this ordeal. He takes care of everything so that all I have to do is nurse the baby and heal. I am grateful that certain people were put in my life before this experience in order to prepare me for this. I had a wonderful relief society lesson about being grateful. It was fresh in my mind as I was going through my trials. I was able to think about other people's experiences and feel thankful in my trials rather than complain. Clay gave me a blessing before we went to the hospital and I am so glad that he is worthy to do that for me. He was inspired and we were both prepared to follow the spirit during our labor plans. He also gave me a blessing with a ward member while I was in the ICU. Although I didn't hear it, I knew they were there and could feel the power of the priesthood. Through their faith and the faith of others, I know that my recovery was quicker than it would have been. My ward members and friends immediately helped our family with meals and taking care of our kids. I am sure that people that we don't even know prayed for us. We felt all the love and support and know that the Lord will bless those who served us! We got to go home earlier than expected. Now we are home and getting into a routine. Here are pictures of our sweet baby!

Halloween

2010-11-02T15:54:00.000-04:00

We enjoy Halloween, but not all month long. Usually we are too obsessed with the Postseason to notice that Halloween is coming up. We like jumping into the festivities at the very last minute. So on the 29th we went to a farm for Ryan's field trip. Then we went back to the school for the costume parade and party. The kids had such a great time. We had to hurry and watch a couple of Halloween movies and carve pumpkins to enjoy as much of the holiday as we could. Everyone seemed to have a good time! Here are a few pictures:

This is Leah's first grade class getting ready for their party.

This is Ryan being silly before the parade.

This is Leah as a queen butterfly with her friend, Nivea as a mermaid.

Here is Dallan as himself, a nerd.

Ryan was done trick or treating after our little circle because he wanted to get started on eating candy right away.

I threw this pic in here because I don't have any pregnancy shots on this blog. Here I am about 36 1/2 weeks pregnant.

Leah got started on her candy right away.

I carved (and designed) the top pumpkin. Clay did the skull and Dallan did the bottom one. Next year we need to carve them earlier....seems like a waste to carve them and set them out for only one day.

This is Leah and her boyfriend Greggory. Yes, they are a couple and it is well known around this neighborhood. Too bad he is moving next month.

Summer Vacation

2010-08-24T17:41:00.000-04:00

Our vacation began on August 9th. We were waiting for a flight to California, but there wasn't enough room. It was expected, so we were not upset. While we waited for our next flight, we got to watch the President board his flight on Air Force One. It was pretty cool.

We were very fortunate to get on a flight that would take us to Alexandria Louisiana and then to El Paso Texas the next day. We really just wanted to get as far west as we could rather than wait for a direct flight that we would probably not be able to fit on anyway. It was such a great blessing! We were the only other passengers besides the crew-which were all NAVY rather than Air Force. It was so relaxed that my kids even got to fly the plane!

This is a C9 airplane and yes, that is Ryan flying the plane. The pilot allowed my kids to control the auto pilot. It made me pretty nervous a couple of times because they didn't always keep it steady. The pilot had a lot of fun teaching Dallan about the air break and it made my stomach flip. Leah would not leave the crew alone-she wrote them love notes and loved all the attention that they gave her.

After we landed in Alexandria, the crew gave us one of their hotel rooms. They were wonderful! After we landed in Texas the next day, we rented a car and drove to Henderson. We arrived around 3am eastern standard time. We had such a great week visiting family in Henderson. We didn't get to catch up with everyone that we wanted to, but it was such an unexpected part of our trip and we did our best. Of course, I didn't think to take pictures. We stayed with Gregg and Shelly and really enjoyed hanging around our old town. We are so thankful to our family for giving us a place to stay and letting us use their car! Not to mention the fact that they fed us and took care of our kids at different times. I don't think we saw Dallan more than a few times because he was so busy with his cousins.

The next part of our trip was a total blast and wouldn't you know it, I didn't take any pictures!!! What is wrong with me. My sister in law, Michelle Campbell, took plenty, so visit her blog if you want to see some. OR you can check my facebook page for some of the pictures that I was tagged in.

We bummed rides with family and went to Imperial Beach, California for a week. Our family has been planning this trip for about 3 years and it was such a great trip. We swam in the COLD ocean, watched dolphins, played games, ate yummy food, and just enjoyed being with each other. It was nice to just relax with the people we love!

After we checked out of the beach house, Dave took us to our hotel. We were allowed to check in early-thank goodness! We decided to walk to the trolley station and visit Old Town. We had fun shopping and eating.

Cuties!

The next day we took a taxi to Sea World. We loved it and especially love the fact that we got in free because of the 'Here's to the Heroes' program that allows military members and their dependants to get in free once a year. It is a nice perk!

We got wet during this show and loved it!

Leah loves to be 'dangerous'.

After Sea World, we relaxed at our hotel and prepared for a long day of traveling. The next day we got to the airport and were notified that our flight was canceled. This was not a surprise at all, but still a disappointment. Again, we were blessed with another opportunity right after we got the bad news. There was a flight to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania which is only about 2 1/2 hours from Andrews Air Force Base. We hopped on that flight and it was pretty comfortable. It was a C130, so it was loud, but the seats were comfortable. Leah hung around with the crew, and learn as much as she could about the plane. She has developed a couple of crushes, I think. When we got to PA, we carpooled with some retired military people and got to our final destination around 3am.

The trip was full of fun, blessings, and great memories.

Father's Day Fun

2010-06-27T00:01:00.000-04:00

We had a fun couple of days to celebrate Father's Day as well as support the Family Fun Day for Clay's work. We went to a Nationals baseball game as well as went to Six Flags America. We had a great time!

Clay and Dallan got the opportunity to play catch on the field after the game.

We watched from the sidelines

Ryan thinks that he has to make a silly face every time I take his picture.

Clay and the kids also got to run the bases after the game. The pictures are blurry because the promoters don't really want you to take your own pictures. They rush you along so that you will have to buy the picture that they take. This is Home plate!

Leah ran ahead of the boys.

This is them getting started...yes, the pictures are out of order and I am too lazy to fix it.

This is at six flags. Ryan looks annoyed.

Again with the silly face!

Dallan brought his friend, Kenny (on Dallan's right), and they had a good time! They ditched us a lot to ride the big rides, but they came by Thomas Town for a few minutes and we caught them on a kiddie ride. ha ha!

Yay for the splash park---we needed to cool off.

6 flags added Thomas Town this year and unfortunately for me, they loved it.

Leah was a sweetie and it was nice that she didn't have an accident in her swimsuit. Wish I could say the same for Ryan.

Memorial Day

2010-06-11T15:31:00.000-04:00

Here are a few pictures of our ward BBQ!

Even though it was hot, I couldn't get him to take off his ugly 'Indiana Jones' hat.

It was a blast to beat Dallan at teatherball 4 times in a row. The poor kid had never played before.

Sis pretty much stayed in the bouncy house the whole time.

We really love our ward and had a great time at the party!

Birthdays

2010-05-31T21:48:00.000-04:00

Here are a few photos from Leah and Dallan's birthdays. Leah turned 6 on Feb 23.
Dallan turned 13 on March 23.

I don't know why she does this goofy smile, but it cracks me up.

She is very sophisticated

She was so excited for this gift. She loves animals and this is a pet care toy.

Dal got an extra guitar for the band hero game.

And a cell phone that the poor kids hasn't been able to use since his grades are in trouble.

I love my kids!

birthdays, basketball, and talent show

2010-04-20T16:09:00.000-04:00

I can't seem to think of anything of interest to write, but I know it is time to update my blog. So here goes:

This was from a Washington Wizards game in March. It was really fun. I can't remember if they won or not. Probably not....none of our teams ever win. ha!

This is Clay's birthday. I am sure he won't be happy to see such a blurry picture and the fact that he is in his pajamas, but I don't have any other pictures. This was a fun night. He bought band hero for himself and it has been fun. I bought him a glow in the dark penny racer. It was one of his favorite toys as a kid and he always talked about how he lost it and prayed so hard that he would find it.

This was taken at the outlet mall in Gettysburg PA. Dallan wanted to go there for his birthday to buy some expensive shoes. We spent most of the day there. It was a great day!

This is "The Big Slide" in Thurmont, MD. A christian church built it and tries to keep it maintained. We love going there. There is an orchard on the way that we like to shop at.

This is a crash landing, but it is a soft landing, so it doesn't matter. We always try to get Dallan to go down while standing up, but the landing is not so smooth. I have some video, but no still pictures of it. Clay and I go down too, but I usually have so much fun just watching all the kids.

We were in the ward talent show too, but I can't remember how to post the video. We sang "take me out to the ballgame" barbershop style. It was fun and the kids looked cute in their baseball outfits. Leah said "play ball" at the end, but no one heard her. Ryan wears his baseball shirt almost everyday. I try to sneak it and wash it, but it is usually filthy and I just don't care.

Pictures

2010-03-23T15:21:00.002-04:00

I am so happy that we decided to take pictures of our kids instead of buying the pictures that the school took of them. What do you think? Did we make the right choice?

Please sir, I want some ... more?

2010-02-11T16:37:00.000-05:00

After being snowed in with about 30 inches of snow, we dug out our cars and were enjoying the fact that schools were canceled and Clay didn't have to work. It seemed like life was getting back to normal. However, on Tuesday, we had blizzard conditions and it snowed about 15 more inches. This time, it was windy and we weren't able to play in it until today. Here are some pictures of MORE snow.

This is our deck on Wednesday night after a day of snow and wind.

On Thursday (today) we shoveled the snow off of our deck and found this guy under all that snow.

He didn't help much.

These were causing water to leak in between our sliding door, so we had to knock them down.

Here are some more outside our front door. "Those icicles have been known to kill people."

Here is a picture of our neighborhood and the neighbors digging their cars out AGAIN! To the left of the tree, you can just barely see the opening to the igloo that we started. The second storm filled it in a little.

Clay is such a hard worker. He cleared the snow in front of our house, our car, our deck, the neighbor's cars, a path to the garbage can, and a fire hydrant. Dallan and I helped, but I think he did twice as much as we did.

We are crossing our fingers and hoping that the roof will not cave in with the weight of the snow.

Here is our sweetie keeping warm.

Clay and Dallan also had fun jumping off the top of our deck and landing in the snow below. In some areas out back (because of the wind and the snow drifts) the snow went up to my chest, so it was a soft landing and pretty safe. I didn't jump because I wasn't as brave.

Blizzard Man: "Check my style out"

2010-02-07T17:41:00.001-05:00

Friday, February 5, 2010 was amazing! It was a record snowfall for the DC area. We got about 30 inches of snow and we are loving it. It started snowing around 10:30am on Friday and didn't stop until around 5:00 pm on Saturday! The schools and businesses closed early on Friday to prepare for this storm. By Friday evening, the whole area was like a ghost town. They (the man) declared a state of emergency, so even if we wanted to, we were not allowed on the roads. That was fine with us because we were content to hang out at home, watch the storm, watch movies, eat, play games, and even put together a big puzzle.

Sunday was a neat experience because we got to witness the neighborhood come together. We bundled up in our snow gear and intended to play in the snow, but quickly realized that there was a lot of work to do. It was fun to see practically every single neighbor outside taking pictures and video and helping each other dig our cars out. It didn't feel like work because it was so fun. The kids played on the mounds of piled up snow that the plows left behind while the adults shoveled. We enjoyed experienceing the opportunity to give and receive service on the sabbath. It was very memorable!

This is our deck. Dallan was 'volun-told' to jump off of our kitchen chair into the snow so that we could see how deep the snow was.

Look close at the snow on top of our 'for sale' sign.

This is right outside out front door. This was placed a couple of hours before the snow stopped falling

This is Sunday morning when we slid down our front steps. This is as far as our screen door would open.

The snow plows had already come through before the storm was over.

The plows pushed piles of snow into the corners. Dal and Leah are sitting in a pile about 8 feet off the ground. That pile got even higher after we added to it by digging out our cars.

Ryan was happy just walking around making little trails, but I don't think he actually reached the ground.

This is our Yukon with extra frosting.

This is our Yukon with our house in the background. It took us about 4 hours to dig out our Yukon plus 3 of the neighbors cars.

Thursday night, before the storm, we bought a Nissan Altima. So here is a picture of our new car. What do you think?

This is Leah trying to walk on the sidewalk. It was a little hard to find.

This is Ryan trying to look tough. It doesn't work very well when you are wearing a full body snowsuit and holding a sippy cup.

On Christmas Day in the Morning

2009-12-27T22:54:00.000-05:00

Our Christmas was unplanned. We intended on visiting Nevada from Dec 21-Jan 6, but had to cancel. It was a tough decision, but after prayer and consideration, we all agreed that we needed to stay home. We were packed and had already spent time at the airport. When the flight was canceled and there was little hope in getting a different flight before Christmas, we went home. We rented a car and made plans to drive, but ultimately decided against that as well. So-my parents hurried and shipped us all of the gifts that I had already shipped to them (yes-we paid for shipping twice-ugh!) and we got them just in time. It was still great. We enjoyed spending time together and had a really fun week. Clay still has the time off, so it has been such a fun and relaxing week and will be next week too. We still had snow from the snowstorm that we had a week before (20 inches!), so we have been playing in the snow. The snow is almost gone now, though. The kids were pretty worried about not getting gifts since there were no gifts under our tree. They were extra excited on Christmas morning to see presents. On Christmas eve Leah said that Santa was going to bring us a new car since we crashed our old one. Boy do I wish that would have been true. ha ha.
On Christmas eve, we enjoyed the festival of lights at the temple and even watched "Mr Kreuger's Christmas". Boy, was that a cheesy movie. I forgot. Oh well, it was fun. This year we are especially grateful for simple things like car heaters, a plate of cookies, generous ward members, considerate neighbors, phone calls, etc. The list goes on. On Christmas Day, I came down with the flu, but no worries, Clay takes great care of me. I am doing better and am anxious to have another fun week with Clay home. We missed family, but we were not sad...who could be sad this time of year? We will plan a trip in the summer and will be better prepared for obstacles.
Sorry-no pictures. I am frustrated that I didn't take the time to grab the camera. Leah was hilarious when she woke up. I had sat on her bed and told her that it was time to get up...she didn't move. Then I said "it's Christmas" and she sat up so quick that it scared me. She also said something so loud and it made Clay and I laugh. We don't know what she said...it was probably something from her dream. Funny!

Kasey is home!

2009-12-09T15:24:00.000-05:00

We are so lucky to be close to Kasey's mission! Kasey got released from his mission in Philadelphia on Dec7. Mom and dad had the opportunity to pick him up and spend a few days with him. We had intended to meet up with them in South Philly, but after a recent car accident, we weren't able to. We are so thankful that they decided to come here!!! It was so great to have company and see them for a little while. We hadn't seen Kasey in 3 years. Our kids hadn't seen the grandparents in 3 years either. It was such a nice visit. We really enjoyed each others company and also had a nice lunch. We desperately tried to convert dad from In-N-Out to Five Guys. :) Kasey was in shock a little bit from leaving the mission field, but that is understandable. He's got some sinnin' to do. Just kidding! They are on their way back to the hotel now and we are so anxious to see them and the rest of our family when we visit in a couple of weeks!

We gave them a tour of our mansion.

They are laughing at the story of when I slipped on the ice...I wrote about it in a previous post.

Ryan blocked the picture. He was so good today and even spoke to mom & dad and Kasey. He surprised us.

Leah loves her grandparents and Uncle!

I am so glad for the good example Kasey set for Dallan.

Clay was so happy to see his parents and brother. He really misses his family a lot. I do too, but I think Clay does more.

Out to lunch! I am not sure if dad is a convert to five guys or not. :)

Our first Snow

2009-12-06T12:55:00.001-05:00

We love the snow here. It is nothing like the few times we experienced snow as children. We look forward to it every year. This year we were not fully prepared. Our 2 rear tires are in no shape to drive in snow or ice. On my way home from a baptism, I lost control of my Yukon. I slid into a telephone pole and snapped it in half! Leah and I were in the car and for that moment there were no other cars around. We are completely safe and feel fine. We feel blessed that we were not hurt. I know the Lord protected us.
At this time we are thankful for our ward for helping us with rides and letting us borrow a vehicle until we figure out what to do about our Yukon. We feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family that love us and uplift us.
Now-does anyone know a good body shop?

Leah was in the backseat behind the driver side. Thank Heavens!

You can hardly notice it, right?

If you look close you can see where the telephone pole fell on the top/side of my hood.(in the first picture)

This is our home that we are selling and if everything goes well, we will be moving soon(we will move somewhere nearby). We will be sad to leave-we have loved living here!

Despite the accident, it is just so beautiful and I still love the snow. I can't see the snow as anything but beautiful and it gives me such a peaceful feeling...well except when I am crashing into telephone poles.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-29T19:30:00.000-05:00

I don't have any pictures to share. I guess we just forgot to get the camera out. We had a wonderful holiday! Clay and Dallan played football in the morning with some ward members while the younger kids and I watched the Parade. Then we cooked a yummy Thanksgiving dinner with lots of wonderful things. Everything tasted great and now we are left with lots of leftovers. I bought my pies and rolls from my favorite place. We are so fortunate to live in this area where there are so many orchards and markets to choose from. My favorite is the Lancaster County Dutch Market! I am there once a week, so it was only natural that I would want to buy my pies from them! I don't know what I will do when we leave this area.
So that's it, it was a relaxing day and everyone is healthy and happy, so I couldn't ask for anything more.
We are still debating on whether or not we want to decorate our home since we won't be here for Christmas. Leah doesn't want to go and I have to admit, I really don't want to be away from our home for Christmas. I am sure we will get over it. We will look forward to seeing family and it will be great!

Halloween

2009-11-02T18:56:00.001-05:00

We did very last minute Halloween celebrations. None of us cared about it much, so the last minute stuff works well for us. On Friday we spent the morning with Ryan at Butler's Orchard for his school field trip. It was really fun and we wished that we could have taken the other kids with us too. Then we went to help Leah with her costume parade and class party. That night was our ward Halloween Party and we had a good time.

On Halloween day we went to a baptism and then had to run some errands. We carved pumpkins in the afternoon and finished just in time to put them on our steps and send the kids out to trick-or-treat. Our complex is perfect for trick-or-treating and we were so lucky this year because Dallan took Leah and Ryan for us. Clay and I enjoyed watching a scary movie and passing out candy to the few neighborhood kids that actually go door-to-door. These days there are so many kids that go to places of business or drive to a rich neighborhood and their loss is our gain. Since we are among the few who like to stick with our neighborhood, we are the recipients of some major generosity. Of course, we return the favor and give out huge handfuls of candy to the kids who come here. It was an easy night and we all had a great time!

Picking a pumpkin!

Hay ride

Slide

Photo op

rubber ducky derby

oooooo

Ryan loved this maze

So much that he threw a tantrum when we tried to leave

Mario

Meow

Gangsta

Gotta represent

OctoberFever

2009-10-21T10:29:00.000-04:00

Our JibJab video is no longer available which is a bummer because the kids had me play it for them several times a day.
I have nothing else to post because we are consumed with the post season. I hope to take the kids to the farm to do the whole pumpkin patch thing, but we have been sick and the day we planned to do it, it rained. We still haven't planned our costumes and frankly, I don't care since the World Series will be on that day. I would normally be trying to watch scary movies all month long, but things have changed. I have tried just recording the games, but I hate hearing the score before I have seen it. So, to Halloween, I say "Bah Humbug...But still give me candy."

2009-10-09T00:49:00.002-04:00

This is pretty funny!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Ryan's first day

2009-09-17T13:45:00.000-04:00

Ryan started his PEP preschool program today. It was very exciting. It still hasn't hit me yet that I don't have him home with me. I went to the school for a meeting and looked in on him. I also got to see Leah enjoying PE. Ryan wasn't nervous at all. When the bus showed up, he got on with his sister with no trouble. Leah is a great big sister and I know that she helped out a lot.

I am so happy that Leah got permission to ride Ryan's bus.

The class only has 6 boys right now, so I know he will make a lot of progress.

The night before our campout, we had a blast at the Nationals vs Phillies game in DC. The Nats won 8-7. It got pretty intense in the 9th inning because the Phillies got 5 of their runs in that inning. It was so fun and I can't wait to go again.

campbell camp

2009-09-17T13:01:00.001-04:00

This year we finally went camping! We chose Greenbriar Lake and it was wonderful. It rained the first day and part of the second day, but it was not bad at all. The kids wore rain boots the whole weekend even though it wasn't necessary. We discovered that the zipper to our tent was broken, so we shoved our air mattress into the back of our Yukon and the 5 of us spent the night in there the first night. It was an experience. We got a new tent for the second night and that was much better! We enjoyed spending time together, boating, hiking, cooking, and playing games. We can't wait to do it again in a couple of weeks with the ward.

Ryan was content just walking along the border of our campsite

I am so glad that we never saw the snake that went along with this pile of skin.

Dallan had fun rowing us around the lake. We saw a bunch of jellyfish and even caught one. I held it, but I think that we killed it by catching it. oops.

Leah has a net on her head. Ryan and Leah loved pretending that they were "jellyfishing".

Ryan had to be carried because he loved to wander off and run from us.

Pirates

2009-09-16T00:36:00.003-04:00

Leah was playing pirates with my dough hook when Dallan hit her with a pillow. The hook banged into her lip and split it. So we took her to the ER to get 4 stitches. We were only there for 2 1/2 hours, so it wasn't too bad. Leah was very brave. She didn't cry once. The doctor was very impressed with how calm she was. She was acting so funny and was really excited about getting a milkshake on the way home. She kept asking Clay if he remembered what flavor she wanted (strawberry). Dallan felt terrible about hurting her, but Leah is very forgiving, so everyone is happy here.

First Day

2009-08-31T08:36:00.002-04:00

Ryan was happy to play with Leah's toys while she is at school.

Leah seemed a little shy, but she will be fine. This is her getting on the bus.

Leah is mastering the art of fake smiles.

She looks pretty nervous to me, but still cute. It was chilly and her lame jacket ruined her cute outfit.

Summer

2009-08-08T15:22:00.004-04:00

I was just laying in my bed watching baseball with Ryan and decided to empty our memory card, so here are some fun pictures that have been taken over the last couple of months.

They fight during the day, but by bedtime, all is forgiven

This was taken during the Damascus Days Parade.

Just gettin' clean after a haircut.

Dallan got me a basketball for my birthday. I am 31. boo.

This is in the morning on Father's Day.

No Pictures

2009-07-04T18:32:00.003-04:00

We forgot our camera, so I don't have any pictures to share from our holiday weekend. Sorry. We are so tired from all the festivities, but we had a great time!
Friday we had so much fun playing basketball all morning. That evening we went to the Rohn's for a great Independence Day party! We played volleyball all night. The food was awesome! The kids played in the pool and bouncy house all night and the fireworks were wonderful.
Saturday we woke up early to go to the Olsen's ranch for their annual 4th of July breakfast. The food was so good! The kids loved playing in the woods, on the tire swing and checking out the animals. We left a little bit early and went to a movie. First, we had to buy the kids some shoes because we were so tired this morning that we forgot our kids' shoes. After the movie, we went to a park that has a huge slide and some old playground equipment. The slide was so fun-we are definitely going back there. Afterward we stopped by an orchard to pick up fruit and freshly baked pies. On our way home we stopped for Chicago-style pizza. Then after a quick basketball game, we are now home to relax. This was one of the best holiday weekends ever. There are so many things that I want to do here before we move!

Family Night at Camden Yards

2009-06-13T16:27:00.004-04:00

There are just too many networking sites to keep up with, so I am a little overwhelmed, so please understand why I am slacking off on my blog (not that it matters). Either way, it is just another way to waste a little time. So, here I am wasting more time. Well, maybe it is not a total waste, but my house is pretty messy and I have some projects waiting for me, so I feel like I am wasting time right now.

Last night we went to Baltimore for the Orioles vs Braves baseball game. The Orioles lost, but we still love them and always have a great time. Our battery died before the game started, so the only pictures are of our family and not the game. Other than a few friends, I suspect that the majority of my 5 or 6 blog readers do not care about baseball anyway, so here are a few pictures of us before the game.

Yes, I am not in any of them. I am usually the one taking the pictures. Not only that, but regardless of any insecurities, I am not photogenic and I don't like having my picture taken. It steals pieces of my soul. ha ha just kidding.

Spring has sprung

2009-04-06T19:07:00.003-04:00

We are so excited that spring is here. With warmer weather comes pretty trees and flowers. Maryland is so beautiful.

Other than the gorgeous weather, things are the same around here. We are waiting to find out if we got accepted to dental school and we are still not sure if we will move. We show the house on a regular basis which is a pain, but at least it forces us to keep it clean. Sorry there isn't more to report, but what can I say, we are boring.

Leopold

2009-03-16T15:49:00.005-04:00

Leah turned 5 on February 23! We love her so much! She loves preschool and has picked up lots of Spanish being the only white girl in her class. Her best friend is Lorraine and she loves riding the bus. She loves drawing/writing notes and coloring. She loves playing with Dallan and is much nicer to Ryan now that he is getting older. She loves playing with her leapster and loves it when I read her books.I love to do her hair because that is our special time together. She changes her clothes at least 2 or 3 times a day. Her favorite food is pizza. Her favorite color is pink. Her favorite cartoon is Spongebob Squarepants. She is about to lose her first tooth. Her favorite primary song is "I love to see the Temple". Her nicknames are: Sis, Sissy, Sibble, Leopold, Lipple, Cyble Shepard, Libble, and my favorite derived from sweet siss-"swiss cheese".

Motown Philly back again

2009-02-16T21:09:00.004-05:00

Clay and I decided to check out Philadelphia since it isn't that far from us. We went to 'Pat's King of Steaks' to try an original philly cheese steak. Then we walked across the street to try a 'Geno's cheese steak'. We liked Geno's the best. It was a cold day in PA, but we still had fun. We went to see the Liberty bell and walk around a little and then went home. We wanted to surprise Kasey with a visit, but it was going to add 2 more hours to our drive and we also didn't think that it would please Kasey's mission president.

Eagles Stadium!

Liberty Bell

The best Cheese Steaks! You say "Whiz steak wit" and it means you want cheese whiz on your cheese steak with onions. We also got cheese fries and birch beer. Yum!

Home of the original cheesesteak. We had it "American wit". Of course when we ordered, we sounded like Prison Mike since we don't have the right accent.

Laser Cats

2009-02-13T09:22:00.002-05:00

Leah was star of the week in her preschool class this week. She got to bring toys and anything that she wanted to share with the class. One day she took a picture that she drew of our family. I asked her why my head was scribbled out and she told me that she drew my crazy hair. I also asked her why she scribbled out Dallan's face and she said that she doesn't like Dallan. She is brutally honest. The funniest thing that she did this week was when she brought in a stuffed cat and called it her laser cat. I have included a video that my kids love to help you understand why she would say that. There are 4 videos of the laser cat saga. It is really silly which is why my kids love it.

Geico

2009-01-24T10:11:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year

2009-01-13T15:35:00.005-05:00

I have to go back to Christmas real quick because Leah's face is so funny in this picture.

And Ryan's face is so funny in this picture.

This next picture is when we went to Ziki's (Japanese steakhouse) after we were all feeling better. It was nice to get out of the house!

Christmas with the Campbells

2008-12-27T18:43:00.002-05:00

This Christmas has been out of the ordinary for our family. The week before Christmas the kids were sick and stayed home from school a few of the days. By the weekend before Christmas, we were all so sick and we hoped that we would feel better by Christmas. We had planned to see the lights at the temple, see the lights in DC including the national Christmas tree, and we also planned a day trip to New York to ice skate at Rockefeller plaza and see the Christmas tree. Unfortunately, we did not get better. We still enjoyed opening presents, but slept the rest of the day away. We spent the day after Christmas in the ER from 2:30pm to 10:30pm. Clay has resolving pneumonia and bronchitis, I have pneumonia, the kids have colds, and Ryan has conjunctivitis as well. We are just so happy to have the right medicine now and even though our house looks like a bomb went off in the living room and we all look and smell like death, we feel much better. We have high hopes of getting our sense of smell and sense of taste back so that we can have our Christmas dinner soon. It doesn't sound like a joyful time, but we are happy and will never forget this Christmas.
I didn't take any pictures (only video), but I assure you, we all got some wonderful things and were very excited. Not being able to do everything that I had planned was a blessing in disguise. I was forced to think about what things are needful and what things just take up time. I certainly wouldn't choose to be sick every year, but next year, I am going to cut out the "traditions" that are too commercial.

Breakfast with santa!

2008-12-15T21:52:00.004-05:00

There is a progression here! CLick on the pictures to get a closer look at Ryan's face. Ha Ha Ha!

As you can see we had a great time at our ward primary Christmas party!

heaters, ants, cars and christmas cards

2008-12-01T19:11:00.000-05:00

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, we discovered that our heater was not blowing warm air. We were warm because all of the cooking and we built a fire. For the entire weekend we kept a fire going and did lots of laundry so that we could run the dryer. We had fun, but the chilly air has given Dallan and I a cold. My voice is so low that it is disgusting. I am not feminine at all! Thank goodness it is fixed now! Hopefully I will become a woman again before I have to sing at a wedding this Saturday.
Another wacky thing that happened this weekend was when we decorated for Christmas. We got out our huge bin of Christmas decorations only to find that many of our items were moldy and covered in ants. It was disgusting. We saved the things that we cared about and threw the rest away. The ants were in huge piles and looked like piles of dirt. It was strange. On the bright side, now we have an excuse to buy new things...and decide if we really need something. Our tree and ornaments are fine. The crafty things are in the garbage. The only things that we want/need to get are stockings and a tree skirt.
The Sunday before Thanksgiving, our second vehicle broke down. It is a long story, but basically the engine seized. The cost of fixing it is more than the car is worth, so we will just live with one car for a while. Thank goodness we had 2 cars. We will probably get a second vehicle with our income tax refund in March.
Many of you know that Clay got to work with the presidential dental team. He met President Bush on more than one occasion and has some gifts and pictures to show for it. Today he also got a special Christmas card from President Bush. It is very exciting for our family!
One more thing...tomorrow is our 13 year anniversary! We feel that it is an unlucky number so we will not be celebrating it. Obviously I am kidding-we will celebrate it on Friday!

Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T23:50:00.006-05:00

Clay and I both feel pretty nerdy in this video, but rather than post a bunch of pictures and try to think of what to write, I felt like just sharing this video to show a few minutes of our Thanksgiving. I love other people's posts and pictures, but right now I just can't think of what to write and I really wanted to update my blog, so here you go. I also wanted to share this video of Ryan and his love for violence.

Ouch

2008-11-19T09:41:00.002-05:00

Yesterday morning I heard the garbage truck and suddenly realized that my garbage can was still on our deck. So I ran down stairs and ran outside. After stepping onto my deck my body gave out. There was a thin layer of ice over everything since it had rained the night before. I fell on my knee. Since it was so early and just outside my back door, no one saw. I got up and hurried to take my trash can down and I was careful not to fall again. As I walked in the house, I knew that I didn’t make it on time, but I wasn’t going to go back and get it. SO I fell in vain. I twisted my knee and have some weird little cuts on my foot and arms. I feel bruises in weird places, but my knee is killing me. I think I will be limping for a few days. Even though I am in pain, I suppose I can laugh about it. The funny part is the way that I fell. I slipped in such a weird way that my body thrashed around which probably explains the little cuts. I landed in such a goofy way that I was reminded of the weird body positions that Jim Carrey can do when he falls in his movies. I can picture my shaggy bed head hair flying in my face and I can vaguely remember that I let out an awkward yell. Again-thank heavens that no one saw because if my description made you laugh even a little bit, you could imagine how hilarious it would have been to see it. I still have a little bit of dignity left knowing that my description is the only account of this incident. Well, that and the pain in my knee. Oh and did I mention that I was wearing jeans under a mu mu style pajama top? Laugh it up!

Doppleganger

2008-11-06T16:28:00.001-05:00

video

2008-10-31T13:54:00.001-04:00

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid988092926/bctid1842856410
you should take the time to paste this link in your address bar. It is funny!

Let's get political

2008-10-31T13:04:00.003-04:00

This video is so funny!
I wanted to post some of my political thoughts since the election is drawing near. Normally I wouldn't want to force my ideas downs anyone's throat, but no one is making you read this right now. One of my biggest frustrations with this election is how superficial our country has become. Many adults way older than 18yrs old are voting for the first time. Why now? What I am seeing is that voters do not even know or care about the policies that their candidate is proposing. They will not be basing their vote on the merits and qualifications of the candidates. This is pretty annoying to me. If it is not obvious, I am supporting McCain. He is a true patriot and I know that he cares about our country. You should check out his book "Faith of our Fathers" if you get a chance. There is some really good stuff in there. It lets you know what kind of man he is. Does anyone know what kind of man Obama is? I know that he thinks that the idea of spreading the wealth is a good thing. I think that is a terrible idea. It reminds me of Robin Hood. Now, I liked that movie as much as the next person (Kevin Costner-woohoo), but that concept doesn't make sense in our society. Taking from the rich to give to the poor implies that everyone who is wealthy is wicked, corrupt and is undeserving of their prosperity. That is ridiculous! Some people worked hard and overcame tough obstacles to get where they are today. Should they feel guilty because someone else hasn't achieved as much success. I completely support government programs that will help those who are working for the "American dream" and are starting out with a disadvantage. I don't mind help that will level the playing field a little. But it seems like Obama wants to give away the "American dream". He wants to give it to everyone. I have to wonder, though. If you give someone the "American dream"(whatever that dream may be), is it still a dream? What will they work for? Why work if the government will provide for you. The whole idea proves that there is a break down in the work ethic. Not only that, but people should have a right to choose how they spend their money. We have all wished at one time or another that a rich relative would send some money our way. But would we appreciate and value that help if we didn't earn it? Obama defended his position by saying that he is being called a socialist because he shared his toys in kindergarten. I must say that if he wants to share his money that is fine with me. But taking from someone else and sharing their money is wrong. He will raise taxes on everyone and then-AFTER the tax hike-he will cut taxes for a certain income bracket. He says that is fair. It doesn't sound fair to me. Having everyone pay the same percentage makes more sense to me. He says that they (rich people) can afford it. Does he know everyone's financial situation? People spend what they make. Wealthy people lose their homes too.
For the record, no matter who wins, we are in the military and the next president will be Clay's boss. We will respect and support whoever wins and do our best to accept whatever changes will come about. We have complete hope in the checks and balances and hope that we will have enough conservative representation to fight for the things that we stand for. I have high hopes that Marriage will be defined between a man and a woman. I also have high hopes that someday abortion will be illegal and that our country will recognize that there are only 4 circumstances that should justify abortion. As much as I like the respect that is given to women and their right to choose, it is wrong for a woman to choose what happens to a body that is not hers even though it grows inside her.
I could go on, but politics tend to bring contention and I don’t want to ruin my blog. So this will be up until I post pictures and a description of our Halloween night.

World Series!

2008-10-30T22:16:00.002-04:00

I can get my life back now that the world series is over. I did want the Rays to win, but I don't hate the Phillies, so I am happy for them. There were some pretty tense moments so the entire series was wonderful. Clay and his dad seem to have the attitude that they are happy baseball is over so that they can move on to football. I do not like football. Maybe I need to go to a pro game in order to change my mind. Hmmm...Redskins or Ravens...what do you think?

Anyone have an extra $450...

2008-10-20T14:42:00.002-04:00

Just kidding! We are just so excited about the world series! I bit off all my fingernails during the game last night! For those of you who don't know baseball, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays beat the stupid RedSox 3-1 last night in game 7! It was so intense since the RedSox have a short history of coming back after being down in a series. We were also thrilled that the Phillies beat the Dodgers in their series. Especially since Manny Ramirez is so annoying. It will be much more pleasant not to have to look at his nasty dreadlocks during the world series. Now we can't wait to see the Devil Rays play the Phillies in the world series. We are torn on who to cheer for because the Devil Rays have never won a world series. And they were pretty much the worst team in baseball last year. But Kasey is on a mission in Philadelphia so we are partial to them too. We are only about 3 or 4 hours from Philadelphia, so if we were rich we would try to go to one of the games. The minimum price at auction is $450, but I wouldn't be surprised if they are sold out now or if the cheapest ticket is more than $1000. I want to be there so bad that I have considered starving my family for a couple of months to pay for it. I love October!!!!

For Sale

2008-10-06T08:51:00.002-04:00

We listed our house for sale on September 12 and we already got a contract going. Even though we are in conract, the realtor just put the sign out today. Don't ask me how much we listed it for...it is too depressing. It will be a blessing to move into a more affordable place. We will probably rent from a friend and be able to stay in the same ward. Dallan will have to change schools, but he actually wants to because he will be able to go to the same school that his girlfriend goes to. I will be excited not to live above a grumpy woman. The place that we would rent is less square footage, but has a basement. I am happy because it is the beginning of the next phase of our life-preparing to move and begin Dental school.

Which brings me to another piece of news...all of our (Clay's) dental school applications are in. We are hoping for UNLV, but we added:

University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry (UOP) CA
Western University of Health Sciences (WESTU) CA
University of Louisville (UL) KY
University of Maryland (MYD) MD
University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) NV
Baylor College of Dentistry (BAY) TX
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (HOUS) TX
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (SAN) TX
If we don't get UNLV, I really hope we get WESTU because it is like 30 minutes from Disneyland! Yes, I still love Disneyland and I always will. The earliest that we will know anything will be December 1 and the acceptance process will probably last through April.
Keep us in your prayers.

End of summer

2008-09-29T10:05:00.002-04:00

Our mornings are getting cooler and the leaves are changing. A couple of weekends ago we enjoyed probably one of our last warm weekends. We went to the park and played croquet and then we went to a local ice cream place called Jimmy Cone. Everyone in Damascus swears that it is the best, but I don't really like it. The kids loved it!

Down by the banks

2008-09-17T12:52:00.004-04:00

This video is not exactly entertaining, but it does reflect the beauty of this area. Everywhere we go we are constantly impressed with the gorgeous plants, flowers, and trees. It is such a joy to watch the squirrels run around gathering their food. Even though the animals are great, we hate that they keep getting into our trash. If you have seen "Over the Hedge" that should give you an idea of what I am talking about. Leah is a little snotty at the end of the video, but that is no surprise. DUH

Crazy Eights

2008-09-10T09:16:00.003-04:00

Rebecca Gibson tagged me!

8 T.V. shows I love to watch:
The Office
Seinfeld
Law & Order
America's Funnies Videos
Scrubs
Corner Gas
King of Queens
?

8 Favorite Restaurants:
(We haven't been out to eat in many months)
Olive Garden
Outback
Golden Corral
Ruby Tuesday
?
?
?
?

8 Things that happened yesterday:
exercised
did the laundry
did the dishes
walked to the bus stop to drop off and pick up Leah
made spaghetti for dinner
spent too much time on the computer
continued with our latest family scripture study plan (Yes, I am bragging because I am happy that this plan is actually working)
Had muffins with Clay and watched The Office after the kids were asleep

8 Things I look forward to:
Getting an acceptance letter for Clay from UNLV Dental School
moving to a cheaper place
more income because of the move
Being out of debt someday
Visiting family
upcoming holidays
The beautiful scenery that comes with the change of seasons
eventually some snow

8 Things I love about fall
Cooler weather
Fall smells (crisp air, fireplaces, warm meals cooking)
Halloween
Thanksgiving
The beautiful colors
going to pumpkin patches and corn mazes
Coming into a warm home from the chilly air
?

8 Things on My Wish list:
Be debt free
A new wardrobe
A home we can afford
Family to want to visit more
Us to visit family more
Clay to be done with school
More kids
Ryan to be potty trained

8 People I'm Tagging:
Amanda Cook
Michelle Scott
Mandy Crandall
Wayne Linford
Jennifer Dennis
I think that is everyone in my blog list that hasn't already been tagged by someone else...If you haven't been tagged by someone-then I tag you now.

This is cute

2008-09-06T23:11:00.003-04:00

I wanted to add this video even though I am not crazy about seeing myself on screen (who is ever comfortable with how they look in pictures/videos?) But it is so cute and Leah is pretty funny so I will deal with it.

Leah's First Day

2008-09-03T08:43:00.004-04:00

Leah started preschool today. It was all pretty unexpected. I didn't think she would go because we can't afford the prices out here, but she qualified for the headstart program which is free. So we ran out and bought her a backpack and lunch box and she started school this morning. I am glad it happened so fast because I haven't had time to get sad. She just looks too small to ride the bus that picks her up. She will go Monday through Friday from 8:10-11:30. I miss her, but I am excited for all the fun she will have and for the friends she will make. Oh, and I guess for the education. ha ha ha!

Leah'

2008-09-03T08:43:00.001-04:00

check it out

2008-08-29T18:37:00.002-04:00

I got this link off of Bec's blog and you should check it out if you like styling your daughter's hair in really cute and creative ways. She is also offering a giveaway so that is worth visiting the site too. If you comment, make sure you mention my name!
http://girlydos.blogspot.com/

support my cousin

2008-08-22T15:42:00.005-04:00

Here is a link to a song that my cousin wrote and performed. I guess that if a lot of people visit the link, then she could get her song played on the radio. So if you don't mind taking some time out to listen to it, it would help her out. Thanks!

http://www.971zht.com/cc-common/artist_submission/player.html?art=185183&gateway=exiting

I guess you will have to copy and paste it in your browser

2008-08-14T18:13:00.002-04:00

Six flags was so fun!

It was family fun day for Clay's department and they provided a yummy lunch!

This was the last picture taken before Jaron left. We had a great time with him. Dallan is hoping to visit Henderson if we can not visit as a family. I really hope we will be visiting at the end of the year!
On a side note-Clay is done with school for a couple of weeks. Yahoo!

Jaron's Visit

2008-08-14T18:07:00.003-04:00

Here are the kids enjoying the 3rd bench that Clay installed in our Yukon changing it from a 5 passenger to an 8 passenger vehicle.

There were lots of dead crabs for the kids to play with-yuck! We also saw a small jelly fish (alive)

Ryan's face is so funny!

Jaron's Visit

2008-08-14T18:02:00.002-04:00

Chinatown

In the background is the spy museum. We didn't get to go inside because it wasn't free. I think it is safe to assume that any attraction that is not within the national mall will probably cost money.

The Smithsonian museum of Natural History. These kids are so cute!

2008-08-10T15:44:00.002-04:00

We have been having a great time with Jaron! We went to the zoo and the boys were so funny. They were more interested in the walkie talkies than the animals. We also celebrated Ryan's 2nd birthday on August 2. I can't believe he is already 2!
On Thursday we took the kids to the Chesapeak bay to play on the beach, but we got rained out after only 30 minutes. On Friday we went to Six Flags America and had so much fun. We left the babies (Leah and Ryan) with a babysitter so that we could go on bigger rides and do more things. It was so dang fun! On Friday night, Kevin, Jessica and their family came to visit too! We really enjoyed their company! We went to a huge park and the kids had a blast. It was also great to take them all to church with us. We have a few more things planned with Jaron and obviously I will be posting some more pictures...so stay tuned.

Pizzaria

2008-08-01T20:23:00.002-04:00

I'm done!!!!

2008-07-28T23:32:00.002-04:00

I actually accomplished something. I finished my medical transcription training! I enrolled around October 2006 and intended to finish in 6-9 months, but obviously took almost 2 years. There were times when I wondered if I have ever finished anything that I started. I have surprised myself. I still need to take my final exam and then receive my certificate, but all my assignments are done and I am waiting on the school. Then I need to apply for a job and I don't know how that will go, but I am just happy to finish something. I am so happy that I will not be so stressed out all the time. It will be nice to be free to do more things with the kids for the rest of the summer.

Memories

2008-07-17T14:55:00.001-04:00

1. As a comment on our blog, leave one memory that you and I (Clay or Allison) had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty fun to see the responses.

Nothing

2008-07-15T01:41:00.002-04:00

This really isn't a hot topic, but I just wanted to update my blog for the blog junkies. You know who you are.
I was cracking up one night because of a commercial for desolvable gas prevention strips. The interviewer was complimenting the guy about his resume, but he kept hearing gas terms like-flatulence, gas, bloating, etc. Then her assistant comes in to give her a message and said "your son, Rip, is on line toot." I still think it is so dang funny even while I am typing it, I am laughing. Have you seen the commercial? I don't know if I described it well enough.

What a mess

2008-07-09T15:38:00.004-04:00

I have been up really late studying so that I can finish my class before Jaron visits. I am about 2 weeks away from finishing, but I have to study after everyone goes to bed. Last night I was up until 3:30, so this morning I was so tired.

After breakfast was done and cleaned up, I went up to my room to lay down while Dallan watched cartoons with Ry and Leah. I didn't know it, but Dallan came upstairs, so the little ones were unattended. Leah got into the pantry and left it open. Ryan took advantage of a wonderful opportunity. He finally had his chance to pull everything out of the pantry. When I came downstairs to fix lunch, this is what I saw...

The kids were playing in the oats like it was sand in a sandbox.

It was wonderful when it was all cleaned up and it was time to put Ryan to bed. But now Ryan can get out of his crib and open his locked door. After putting him back like ten times he finally stopped getting up. I can't even begin to tell you how frustrated and tired I am. On the other hand, in a few days I will find it all amusing. I don't know, ask me in a month.

Another world

2008-07-08T11:50:00.003-04:00

One of Clay's mission presidents, Pres. Bailey, emails us to keep us updated about his family and sometimes about the families of the missionaries that he presided over in the New York, New York south mission. He recently sent us this message:

Dear Everyone
Bart (a New York South Missionary) and Monica Bradley have been living in Bangalore, India with an international assignment with PCW (Price Waterhouse Coopers – Accounting firm) for one of their two years.
I have obtained permission to have you visit his picture library on their blog at www.mylittlemule.blogspot.com and see the many facets of a country we know little about. Please also read about the conversion of their driver Stalin. To see the info on Stalin go to the bottom of the page under 'Blog Archive' and click on '2007'.)Please enjoy
John & Lesley Bailey

If you have the time, you should check it out. The pictures are amazing and it made me want to travel. I especially loved the blog archive for 2007 that talked about Stalin.

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-07-04T19:23:00.001-04:00

2008-07-04T19:20:00.002-04:00

Camden Yards, Baltimore, MD

2008-07-03T01:47:00.002-04:00

We had a great time at the baseball game for my birthday. It rained earlier that day, so the stadium wasn't packed. Towards the end of the game it rained again. Not enough for a rain delay, but enough for some people to leave early. Plus, the game went into extra innings, so people had to get home. Hence, the reason we have closer seats. This is right behind left field after the game ended around 11:30.

I'm 30!

2008-07-01T23:54:00.002-04:00

I turned 30 and it wasn't as bad as I thought. I really don't feel any different than being 25. I do wish that Clay was done with school, but that's ok. As long as he is done by the time I am 40. I had a great day. Clay took the day off and made me breakfast in bed. We went shopping and out to lunch (at Target-oooo fancy) and then went back to the house to put Ryan to bed for a quick nap. After hangin' out for a while we then got ready and went to a baseball game. We saw the Orioles loose to the Royals 6 to 5 in the 11th inning. It was still fun and really nice to be with some of our ward members...it was Mormon Night at the ballpark. I love baseball and I can't think of a better way to spend my birthday. The game went late, so we got home around 12:30 and crashed. Our camera was in the car, but Clay got a couple of pictures on his cell phone that I will add to the blog later!

Clap Out

2008-06-12T22:38:00.002-04:00

Today was Dallan's last day of elementary school, so it was pretty special. Click on the link to see all the 5th graders getting cheered for and leaving elementary school for good. You can see Clay and I standing by the wall holding Ryan and Leah is sitting on the floor at our feet. About halfway through the video Dallan gives Clay five! It was fun.
http://www.mharmon.net/gallery/displayimage.php?album=40&pos=1

Time Flies!

2008-05-23T19:52:00.002-04:00

We can't believe it has already been 4 years since Clay joined the Navy. In that time he has advanced in rank from E2 to E5. He is currently a Petty Officer Second Class (HM2). We miss family so much and hate that life goes on without us. ON the other hand, we have enjoyed our experiences and love seeing so many new places. It is exciting not to know exactly where we will be after each set of orders. We can't wait to get into dental school and be near family again.

Talent show

2008-05-17T02:35:00.002-04:00

I've been tagged. Times!

2008-05-12T17:53:00.003-04:00

What is the best thing you cooked last week?
I wish I cooked enough to have something to write here.
The best thing that we had was chili dogs
If time, money and babysitting were no object, where would you go and with who?
I would go to Henderson and Utah to visit our families. Then we would go to Hawaii
When was the last time you cried?
During my talk in sacrament meeting. I didn't blubber, just got a little choked up.
List 5 things you were doing 10 years ago (1998).
1. Working for the city of Henderson doing safekey.
2. Taking care of my 1 year old, Dallan
3. Living at 448 Republic st
4. Enjoying Clay's lunch break when we would play ping pong with Kelly on our porch.
5. Trying to save up to buy our own home
List 5 things you were doing 5 years ago (2003).
1. Enjoying my second pregnancy that we prayed 4 years for.
2. Living in my childhood home and making home improvements
3. Being an active PTA member at Dallan' s school
4. Hating how little I saw Clay because he was in school
5. Making plans for our new life since Clay enlisted to join the Navy
List 5 things you were doing 1 year ago.
1. Enjoying our new home in Damascus Maryland
2. Not being able to afford our bills
3. Replacing our carpet with laminate wood.
4. Studying to be a medical transcriptionist
5. Hating how little I saw Clay because he was in school.
List 7 of your favorite hobbies.
1. sewing
2. reading
3. scrapbooking
4. Playing games with the family
5. computer stuff
6. piano
7. watching movies or shows with Clay
Name 5 of your favorite foods.
1. pizza
2. hamburgers
3. Chicken wings
4. ribs
5. fried rice
Name 9 places you have been.
1. New York
2. Canada
3. Washington DC
4. Hawaii
5. Boston
6. Florida
7. Dallas
8. Las Vegas
9. San Francisco
List 5 of your favorite memories.
1. Getting Married
2. Having my 3 babies
3. Going to disneyworld
4. Campouts with the family
5. Roadtrips

I tag Dave and Jaron

Military Spouse Day

2008-05-06T17:29:00.009-04:00

I was honored to be able to attend a white house event that honored military spouses. Clay was a sweetheart for helping me get the kids dropped off and he rode the metro with me until we got to his stop. I went the rest of the way, but it didn't take long for me to find a friend to hang with for the day. First, we had a nice breakfast with the yummiest food. Then, President Bush spoke to us (at least 1000 spouses) about the great support that we are to our country as we support our spouses in the military. He also honored a few spouses that have done amazing things within their communities. It was a nice speech and it was great to visit with others and just be there. It was quite uplifting and encouraging.

We also got to tour the white house; which was nice. I have been spoiled by seeing gorgeous temples, so the white house did not affect me as much as it impressed others. Still, it was nice to see the history and see the way things have been preserved through the years.

A country music singer, Phil Vasser, was there to sing the national anthem and then entertain us afterward. We had a great time! Here are a few pictures...enjoy!

We had company

2008-04-30T09:46:00.005-04:00

We were so excited to welcome Kelly and Ashley to our home for 4 days! We got lost while trying to meet them at the rental car place, but eventually figured it out. After about 4 or 5 hours we checked into our hotel in New Jersey and then went to New York City. We got there late so we only had time to eat and then get back to the hotel. The next day we were able to go to chinatown, the temple, and central park. Ashely was pretty sick, but we still all had a great time. We drove home and then took them to DC the next day. The weather was perfect and we had a great time walking throughout the national mall seeing the monuments and memorials. The next day we took them to church with us. After church we took them to the national naval medical center in Bethesda where Clay works. Then it was time to turn in the rental car so they could get to the airport. It was such a fun weekend and we hope to do it again! There are many more details on Ashely's blog-check it out!!!!!

MS walkathon

2008-04-10T19:35:00.000-04:00

Our family raised $140 for the MS walkathon. We had a great time walking 3 miles around downtown DC. It was supposed to rain, but it didn't and it turned out to be such a beautiful. The annual cherry blossom festival was going on at that time, so it was beautiful. After the walk, we got some free subway and then rode the subway home.

2008-04-08T10:39:00.001-04:00

New to bloggin

2008-02-09T16:25:00.000-05:00

So now I have to try to think of something interesting to say.