Beginnings of a New Year!

New Years Day 2009
We were so excited to have Evan, Leah and Kendall from Louisville, KY! The Negleys came, too, and we all brought in the New Year with a yummy lunch with some black-eyed peas.

Brandon, Jonathan and Evan
Rachel N., Me, and Leah
We all have girls and they enjoyed playing together
Kendall, Alyson, Julie and Mya

Cheap entertainment: Having daddy pull you in the laundry basket around the house.

Well, little Miss Alyson isn't quite a baby anymore. She's sure of her capability of eating spagetti with a spoon and bowl by herself... She is doing really well...

....Well, other than the nice big mess!

Julie LOVES to help me cook in the kitchen. She's quite the 'chef', too! Here she is helping me make banana bread.. one of her favorites!

Which one of us is having the baby?

Each year our church hosts an annual Chili Cook-Off where each Connection group gets to have a booth. Each group can enter a chili, a cookie and a theme. This year mine and Brandon's parents' group was a Dr.'s theme...

...and ours was a 'Antacids Required' theme. Each couple (4) litteraly dressed up as antacid medicines. (from left to right) Kellye, Gary and little L.J. Hamblen dressed up as Tums bottles (L.J. was a Tum); Rachel and Jonathan Negley were Rolaids; Brandon and I were Pepto-Bismol (Julie was a Tum, too); and Rachel and Rusty dressed up as Beano. Behind us we painted cardboard to look like an Antacid shelf at the store of all sorts of medicines.

...and since my belly was too big for the cardboard to go on my front we had to cut out a hole in the middle. So, I painted a t-shirt the same color as my bottle and it says, "Cherry Flavored". Also, the goofy things on our heads are flower pots painted to look like measuring cups..

A Carter-Campbell Reunion!

Our previous next door neighbors, Jim, Becky, Emory, Avery and Colby Carter came for dinner a couple weeks back. It was so good to see them and let the kids all play (and we can't get together without getting out the dress-up clothes!)

Emory & Julie: Princesses and Friends forever

Bathtime with cousin, Cambry!

As Alyson is getting older, she is becoming more and more of a daddy's girl. Everyday when Brandon comes home she runs up to him with such excitement saying, "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!!!"

Alyson and Papa reading a book... Aly is really into it, too!

The girls and I with Rachel at mom and dad's. Rachel is showing us a few nice guitar attempts on dad's guitar =)

Fall Pictures 2008

A couple of weekends ago when the leaves were still so pretty, we went to the Battlefield Park where we met the rest of Brandon's family for a group picture. Above is Brandon's mom and dad, Randy and Patsy, and below are a couple of family pictures of Amber, Chad, Cody and Cambry Parrish (Brandon's sister's family).

Earlier that day I met Rachel and Rusty to take some pictures for them. It was alot of fun and got some neat shots. For more of their photo shoot and other family photo shoots this Fall go to my photo blog at: http://mirandacampbell.blogspot.com/

For the Fall Festival at our church Julie dressed up as Princess Sleeping Beauty and Alyson was a pumkin... the same pumkin that Julie was at that age!

Camping Trip '08 and More!

Last weekend we went with my side of the family out to the Middle of Nowhere where we camped out Friday and Saturday night. We, especially Julie, had a lot of fun. Very relaxing and nice to get away from everyday life!

Saturday Julie helped make the blueberry pancakes. When it comes to the kitchen she is the best little helper!

Rusty, Rachel, Mandy, Alyson, Julie, Brandon, Mom and Dad, and the 3 dogs: Canyon, Bingo and Dottie

Me and my girls! (and hiding inside: baby boy Campbell)

My beautiful Julia Cathryn

Rusty and Rachel

Isn't Rachel's hair just BEAUTIFUL!?!

Ok, just kidding. But, when she's done using that pick and 'Big Sexy Hair' hairspray it is really cute!

Dad and Mom. Still in love after 30+ years!

Rusty and Rachel's new son, Canyon. He was such a good boy. I didn't hear him bark once the whole 2 days we were there! I don't know that we could have counted on him to give us the warning if there had been a bear or coyote at night!

Rusty and Brandon went out for a little while on Sat. to go hunting.

Brandon and Julie by the campfire Saturday night while listening to the Razorback game.

Me and my sweet baby girl

Mom and Dad's newest daughter, Bingo. She's a beautiful girl Boxer dog.. only a few months old. And dad let Julie name her Bingo!

Ok, so here's the cheering crew out in the woods listening to the poor Razorbacks- we were so close! Before we left home to go camping Brandon had looked on line to see what all the radio stations were that would get the game out near the area we would be camping. So, with a wind up radio and little added aluminum foil on the antenna, we were set! It actually came in pretty clear!

Julie was such a good helper. She helped Papa when sawing the wood for the fire.

Alyson walking with her daddy

And on a different note.. I had to share what my sweet mother-in-law,Patsy,has been up to. Just a few months ago I had mentioned how I wanted to learn how to make bows for the girls. Well, when you give that wonder woman a challenge, she is all over it! Soon after she went to Hobby Lobby and bought yards and yards of ribbon and made her 3 granddaughters bows galore!

Thank you, Patsy! The girls love them and they are adoreable in their hair!

And not only does she love her 3 granddaughters, but is crazy over her two grandsons, Cody(9) and also, the new baby boy to come in March! She and my father in-law are so excited that it's a boy so they have gone shopping and have totally helped fill the baby's closet with little boy clothes! Thank you Randy and Patsy... We can't wait to put them on him!!

This past Tuesday we went for our 20 week ultrasound at the clinic we go to. Both our moms, Kim and Patsy, as well as Julie, went with us to join in on the excitement. We were so excited that they have a new 4-D ultrasound machine! It was amazing the detail that it showed. Of course, he's only 20 weeks along, so he looks like a baby, but still a little 'alienish' (if that's a word). But it was so sweet to see him move. He kept opening and closing his mouth which they say they do that when they are drinking. You could see even little things like his little armpits and little rolls under his chin.. little fingers that moved and his little ears when he turned his head. I just don't understand how someone could think a baby in utero like that is not a person! It's a precious life.. a gift from God with a purpose for his life! Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of children.

Above: 4-D (he has his little arms up by his head- that's his elbows by his face. He usually liked holding his ears)

Below: 2-D

And here I am halfway through (at 5 months). Just 20 more weeks to go!

A New Blog to Share!

So, my sister is finally catching up from living in the dark ages. SHE STARTED A NEW BLOG!
I wanted to let the rest of you bloggers know so you can go and visit hers. And leave her a comment- she would love it =) Her blog address is: http://rachnruss.blogspot.com/

And for the rest of you who don't quite have one started up yet, you should! It's really easy. You just go to http://www.blogspot.com/ and it walks you thru the steps of setting one up. And best of all, it's free! I've enjoyed having one- more than anything to journal and post pictures of the girls. Once in a while I'll post picts of Brandon and I or ones of our wonderful families and friends.. It is a great way to share with out of town (or in-town) family and friends what is going on in your lives. Oh, and I have a question for you 'Pro-Bloggers'. Do you know if you can print the pages of your blog? I thought it would be really neat if you could order it in the form of a book, too. I love seeing and reading on the computer, but more than that having a hard copy to always keep would be nice=)

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!