Catching up....

My sister Caren decided we all needed matching PJ's so here we are! We had so much fun and I miss my sisters and sista-in-law a ton already!! ( L to R- sis-in-law Kathleen, sister Alyssa, Me, sister Caren and sister Becca)

Alexis, Makaylee, Boston, Cora , Bennett, in the high chair and Kailey decorating sugar cookies.

Our family with my Dad's parents. I love these two so much and miss them! I wish I lived close by so I could spend more time with them. Aren't they the cutest!

Just a few of Bryan's family. He is the 3rd oldest of 11 so you can imagine how many of us there are! We had a ton of fun playing Apples to Apples with them and didn't want to leave!

Bennett with, "Sweeping Sam!" He loves to sweep so I was happy I could find him his own broom.

Bennett with a cookie in one hand and a pretend cell phone in the other. He looks so serious!

Garrett loves this drill and was ready to drill everything in sight!

Alexis teaching Garrett how to play checkers, if they could only get along this well ALL the time! Oh well, I will take what I get!

Life has been crazy and I haven't had a chance to update lately so here it goes...
I was able to fly out for my Grandpa's funeral on the 20th. It was a nice service and the spirit felt there was really sweet. He had lived such a great life and it was really sad to see him go but we knew it was his time. Thank you to my cousins and Bryan's parents for showing up! It meant a lot and I love you guys!
I flew home the next day and then packed up on Monday the 22nd and we left on the 23rd to drive to Utah. The drive wasn't too bad, given the fact that Bryan never wants to stop, only for gas. So on the way there we stopped 2 times. Once to get gas and go to the bathroom. The 2nd time was for me only. I jumped out of the car, I think it was still moving, ran in to pee and ran out in record time of about 1 minute! Anyhow, I love giving him crap about it but he really does hate to stop. Our kids were pretty good, thankfully we have a DVD player and DS. The trip home was only 1 stop but we all raced to the bathroom once we got in. We had so much fun in Utah with both sides of the family and I realized how much of a homebody I really am. Even though we are only 8 hours from family, it's still too far. So who knows maybe we will end up moving back. ( I know... we said we would never move back but I miss the family too much!)
Anyhow, I love the holidays and am especially grateful for my Savior this time of year. I am grateful for His unconditional love and for the sacrifices he made for all of us.

My Grandpa Howard...

My Grandpa Howard passed away today. The picture above, with my Mom and Aunt and the one below, with some of his great-grand kids (my nieces and nephew) were taken 1 week ago today. He was 87 and lived a long, full and wonderful life. His passing was not expected and we will really miss him. He was an example to all of us and lived the gospel to the fullest. I love you, Grandpa!

This picture was taken last year at a little birthday party for him. My sister Becca is sitting to his left and his wife Beverly is on the right. He always had such a fun sense of humor.
We will miss you, Grandpa!

Split pea with ham

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Gingerbread House

Last night we spent the time together as a family coloring Christmas pictures, listening to the Kidz Bop Christmas CD and decorating a gingerbread house. My mother-in-law makes amazing homemade gingerbread houses and sent me the recipe to make but I haven't tried it yet. This house unfortunately is Wal-Mart!

The final product! Now we'll see how long it lasts. My kids have already starting picking off the candy and eating it!

Fun with leaves...

My kids had so much fun raking leaves into a pile and then jumping into them and throwing them in the air. I love having a backyard. It's probably one of the most important things to Bryan and I as we have been looking at homes. We had an awesome Thanksgiving and are truly grateful for such great friends that are about as close to family as you can get. We had a big turkey dinner with all the usual's and then us and 3 other couples all dropped our kids off at my house with a couple of babysitters and went to see Twilight. It was a good show and I just starting reading the book so it will be interesting to see how closely the movie actually follows the book, if it does at all.

A big ol' puzzle...

Garrett found this puzzle that is Alexis' and couldn't wait to put it together. Yep, it's as big as he is! Maybe a little bigger!

Bryan's anorexic leg...

Bryan has an anorexic leg. His poor leg that got so messed up looks terribly skinny. It's amazing how much your leg can change and lose muscle after only 6 weeks of not using it. Anyhow, he went to his Dr. appt yesterday for his foot and ankle, got x-rays and everything has healed. He starts physical therapy next week and hopefully will be walking soon!

Weak stomache- don't read :)

Okay, so probably one of the weirdest, most disgusting things happened yesterday. It was nice outside so I decided that Garrett, Bennett and I would head out back to play. I had just gotten to about where the slide is when I heard something drop close by, as in maybe a foot from where I was. I thought, "What the heck was that?" I immediately looked up and saw a hawk circling above me. Then I looked down and saw what the hawk had dropped. It was a headless, half eaten medium sized bird. Panicked and grossed out, I found myself somewhat pleading with the hawk to dive down and take it back. Of course no luck there, so I got a shovel, a trash bag and scooped the bird up. Then ran all the way to the trash to dispose of my nice little treasure for the day. The thought did cross my mind to take a pic to post on the blog but my desire to get rid of the thing won over! So, sorry no pic's...you'll just have to use your imagination on this one!

Suds and best buds....

I think Bennett's smile says it all. Bath time is definitely the favorite time for these guys.

It's amazing how they are smiling one minute and then fighting over a cup in the tub the next minute. Notice the cup floating in the background, I put 2 cups in there for a reason but yet they fight over the same one. Go figure! Oh yeah, that's what kids do best!

Bennett adores Lex and she adores him as well. Alexis said she was just sitting there and the next thing she knew Bennett had plopped down on her. I love these moments and wish they would last longer than a minute or 2 but I will take what I can get!

As for an update on Bryan. He survived his week long work trip to Vegas and was very happy to get home. While he was there, he was able to hang out with his friend Brian who was one of his mission companions. He had fun spending the evening with him and his wife and 5 kids. Bryan has an appointment Tuesday to have x-rays done again and from that they will know whether he can start trying to walk without crutches. Hopefully everything is healing as it should be and he will be up and running in no time! Okay...we'll be happy with at least walking!
As for me, we'll skip the details...I just feel exhausted!

Hanging out...

Garrett and Bennett were hanging out in the kitchen eating snacks. Poor Bennett had no idea that in a few minutes he would be heading to the Dr. 's office for his check-up and shots.

Bennett is in the 90% for his weight and head and 75% for height. I think him getting shots was harder on me than him. I never get use to having to hold my kids arms down while they get their shots. They give you that look of, "What the crap is going on and why aren't you stopping it from happening!" But alas the little guy, or shall I say big guy survived and is napping.

Chicken Noodle Soup...

For dinner tonight we had chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Apparently Bennett didn't think so highly of the soup. I thought all kids loved chicken noodle soup! Especially the Campbell's kind!

Soccer Season....

The soccer season is over and it was so much fun! I loved coaching and working with such a great team. Each player improved so much over the season and I look forward to next season. Lex did awesome this year and is a natural at the game. It has always been a dream of mine to coach a girl's soccer team and being able to have my daughter on the team was awesome!

Bryan's foot.....

Here is a picture of Bryan's foot with his cast off. It is still so swollen and he won't be able to put any pressure on it for another 3 weeks. He is leaving tomorrow for a work convention in Vegas and will be gone for almost a week.

Bennett's costume and surgery update

Here is Bennett in his Halloween costume! We took the kids around our neighborhood and they had a blast!
As for an update on my surgery. Things went well they were able to remove the cyst without removing my ovary as well. I was happy about that! Also, what they thought was a polyp on my uterine lining ended up being Endometriosis. They were able to get that all removed and are just going to watch it to see what happens. So for now things seem to be okay and it's nice to have some answers to all the problems I have been having for the last 18 months! Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. Also Bryan is doing better and is using crutches now to get around. He had his cast removed and all the stitches in his foot taken out. He still isn't allowed to put any pressure on his foot for another 3-4 weeks. He had to go back to work on Wednesday and seems to be doing okay with that. I am glad the month of October is over!

Sneak Peek of Halloween...

Alexis and Garrett were able to go to our Ward Halloween party last night with some of our friends. They had a blast and brought home tons of candy!

Garrett posing for the picture. I think he learned it from Lex, since she seems to have a pose for every picture! (hence the picture above!)

Yay, Grandma's here!!

Bryan's Mom flew in today and will be here for a week! We are so excited to have her here and my kids are loving every minute of it! She is here to help out with the kids while Bryan is still recouperating and I have surgery tomorrow. ( Yep, you read that right! read below for more on that! )

Bryan's sister Rebecca ordered this amazing Bundt Cake for me. Yeah, it tastes as good as it looks! Why did she get it you ask??? Well, when it rains it floods around the Campbell home! I am having surgery tomorrow. Yep, it's loads of fun around here! I have been having female issues lately and am having a large cyst removed, possibly my ovary as well and also a polyp removed from my uterine lining. Anyhow, it sucks but it could always be worse!

Pumpkin Patch, my Sistas and Soccer Grandma....

While my Mom and Aunt were here, we took the kids to a Pumpkin Patch. The kids spent most of their time on the slide where they landed in a big pile of hay. It was so much fun and I really just love this time of year!

My sister's Alyssa and Caren flew out to help me with the kids and Bryan. Amongst the chaos, we were able to make a quick run up to Tahoe while Bryan was sleeping. We were able to hit a few shops on the Calif. side and then grab a quick bite at the Tahoe Hard Rock Cafe. Thanks for coming out you guys! I love you and miss you!!!

My Mom and my Aunt Shauna came out to help out with Bryan. Here's a pic of my Mom and Lex playing some soccer in the backyard. Grandma pulled out a few moves even Lex wasn't ready for! Thanks for coming to help out with Bryan, household stuff and the kids! I would have pulled my hair out without you!

How's your day going...

This is how my day is going... How about yours??

I wasn't able to post much earlier about this whole situation so here is a better explanation. Bennett is obsessed with playing in the toilet. I always have to keep the doors shut to the bathroom or he has this sense that the door is open and off he goes. So today I made the mistake of leaving the door open. Garrett starts yelling," Mom, Bennett's in the toilet!" and to my surprise he literally was. Bennett is a great climber so it's no surprise he was able to pull this one off. Anyhow, I saw him ran about 10 steps, grabbed my camera and took a picture. It's one of those moments where your like, Crap! and then you have to laugh. Anyhow, he is fine and maybe he will keep his distant from the toilet after today's little stunt. Oh, who am I kidding...He will be trying to get into the bathroom again tomorrow!

pic's of Bryan's leg

Here are a few pic's of the damage to Bryan's leg. He is feeling a little better, just weak, tired and sore!! I helped him take a shower yesterday, which was a total work out for both of us but he felt better and refreshed after wards. We were able to get some laughs and feel a little back to normal as we hung out last night and watched "The Office" together. Anyhow, thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers. We appreciate your love and support.

Bryan's Home!

Woo-hooo, Bryan is home! He is feeling better and it's nice to have him around the house again. He was able to come home last night and brought a few new items with him. He is using a walker, wheelchair and has a nice new elevated toilet seat that helps him sit a lot higher for well, you know. Anyhow, Garrett thought that was pretty cool and said, " Hey, Dad you have one just like me!" I also have to give him daily shots in the stomach of Lovenox, which keeps his blood thin to prevent him from clotting.
It's been great having my sisters Caren and Alyssa here! Sisters are lifesavers! They will be leaving this afternoon and my Mom and Aunt Shauna will be here tonight. I have also been so blessed to have such amazing friends here in Carson City. Thanks for all you guys have done and are still doing. You Rock!!!

Update on Bryan...

Just a quick update on Bryan. He has had 2 blood transfusions. He had the first one on Saturday, they gave him 2 pints of blood and he had another transfusion on Sunday and they gave him 2 more pints of blood. This isn't uncommon when the body endures a large break like the femur bone. They also have double checked his CT Scan and it doesn't show any internal bleeding. Hopefully he is done with the transfusions! He is feeling a little weak this morning but he's hoping to get some food down and see if that will help him feel a little better. Thanks again for the support and prayers!

Bryan's Motorcycle Accident

I thought I would post a little about Bryan and his recent accident. He was in a motorcycle accident on Thursday night coming home from work. He decided to come home a different route than he normally took because he wanted to check out a house for sale in that area. He came upon a really sharp turn where there was a large amount of gravel in the road and that mixed with the high winds during that time threw him and his bike off the road. After coming too and finding himself somewhere beyond the guard rail he looked down and saw a gaping hole on his inner right thigh and his leg in a, we'll just say, not so normal position. He then realized his Femur bone was broken. Luckily someone saw him, called 911 and the paramedics were on the way. They loaded him up, took him down the mountain a little further where a helicopter was waiting to transport him to the Renown Hospital in Reno. To make an even longer story short, he has suffered a broken femur, ankle, foot and finger all on the right side of his body. He had his first surgery on Thursday night and had a metal rod put in his leg from his shin area up to right below his hip. The rod goes through his knee. On Friday he had surgery to repair his foot and ankle at which time they added 2 screw to his foot and one to his ankle. For his broken finger they will put a splint on it. All that said, he is hanging in there and I am just grateful that his internal organs are fine. It will be a lengthy recovery process but I am just so grateful to have him alive. I just want to say thanks to my family, friends and ward who have rallied around and supported us during this very hard time. We love you and appreciate your help and prayers!!

Bryan's Sticky Buns, Biker Bennett and Oktoberfest...

We decided to go and support our local library's Oktoberfest on Saturday. They had a bunch of books for sale, German Pretzels, Sauerkraut Bratwurst Hot Dogs and Craft Booths. The kids got these great little hats when we got there and Alexis calls them their "detective hats!" Watch out for these crime stoppers!

Bennett loves to wear Bryan's motorcycle helmet. The sad part is that his head is just about big enough to fit it! Anyhow, he is too cute and never misses a chance to try and put it on!

So, a few nights ago I asked Bryan if he could could make his fabulous Cinnamon Rolls for Sunday morning Conference. He decided to try some Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns and they proved to be just as tasty as the name...

Yes!! They're out of the oven... Now they must rest for 5 minutes, which while your waiting feels like 5 hours!

Almost time to eat...

Bon Apetit!