Whoops!!! Update desperately needed!

I forgot I had a blog here! So much has happened to the Campbells in the 2 years since I last blogged.

I had the baby. It was a boy born just before Christmas on Dec. 19th at 11:59pm and his name is Benjamin James. He was born in the water at Birth Care Birth Center & was the most amazing drug free birth experience I've had. I'll share his birth story one day. He will be 2 soon & is my little pal during the day. He's quite the daddy's boy though & loves nothing more then to watch sports (any sports mind you) with his dad.

Sophie, Maddy & Noah are all in school all day now! Sophie started 3rd grade and is loved by everyone. I swear she knows every single person in the school! She's incredibly bright & has a big heart. She just turned 9 (!!!) last week and still loves Monster High!

Maddy is in 1st grade and really starting to come out of her shell. She has been making a lot of friends and shares all about the adventures she has at school. I cannot believe she's reading and writing now. Wasn't she just a preemie yesterday?! At 6.5 years old, she's in love with everything Frozen (mainly Elsa) and is quite the comedian once she's comfortable in her surroundings.

Noah is in all day Kindergarden & does so well already! He's an excellent listener and eager to do as the teacher asks. He makes friends easily & has 2 best friends from church, Hunter & Benaiah. They love being rough and tumble boys and are hilarious to watch play!

Brian started a job last summer at Fox Pool company as a network administrator and loves his position. He also does side computer networking and repair that he has plans of one day pursuing full time. He finally got his own actual truck & we've made use of it quite often already hauling things!

I'm busy maintaining our new house that we bought last summer after nearly a year of waiting due to it being a complicated "short sale". It was a jungle outside and the inside needed fixed up, but I've worked my butt off and it's awesome. It's a 3 bedroom, 2 bath rancher with a full attic and semi-finished basement (the water heater broke and flooded the basement before settlement so we had to rip out carpet and drywall etc upon moving in. We have new flooring and are slowly refinishing the basement again). It also has a separate inlaws unit for Brian's mom, Linda. Outside , we have an above ground pool (dark green when we moved in, and swimmable and clear this summer!), about an acre of fenced in yard, a big fire pit, horsebarn, 2 man-made frog ponds, a neat playset for the kids and gardens galore. This year I planted mostly heirloom veggies and my garden thrived. I'll be sad when frost hits in a few weeks and I'll stop being able to go outside and pick my salad off of the plant! Our flower beds were a mess, but I've filled them with annuals and perennials, so now they're something I'm proud to show off.

I haven't doula-ed since I became fully certified almost 2 years ago now, but I've been keeping up with my knowledge and enjoying the time I took off to be with my young children. I've also started teaching Puggles in AWANA this year (2 & 3 year olds) and it's been so fun! That age ground is a blast to be a part of.

Last August, just after we moved in & Brian's parents moved in, we lost Brian's dad.  He was an incredible man that I wish we had many more years with, but I'm glad he has new lungs now in heaven. He was able to meet all of his grandchildren & the oldest kids have fond memories of J.C. to last for the years ahead. It was a hard transition for all of us here, but I'm very glad that God gave us this house with the inlaws unit already here so we could grieve and move  on together.

It's amazing how God plans out every detail, no matter how insignificant it seems at the time. He is truly awesome! And He's brought some of the best friends we've ever had into our lives as well. We're a part of a small group that meets biweekly, but we see each other way more frequently then that. One of Brian's best buddies leads the small group and is a pastor at our church.  If you would've told me 2 years ago that Brian not only goes to church, is involved with a small group, volunteers at church and is best friends with a pastor, I would've laughed at you! God is amazing with house he has blessed our lives.

The struggles we've faced throughout the years have made us stronger and built up our character. I am so glad that my faith has grown stronger, as have God's blessings.

I hope that's enough of a quick update for now. There's so much to do everyday, and never enough time to do it! But I'll keep trying to do my best! Blessings to you!