Alex and Mackenzie

Busy Bees

Wow -- life seems to have gotten very busy for us lately! A lot has happened in the last three weeks. Here is a brief recap of the major events:

I celebrated another birthday, my 31st to be exact. It was a special day. Rusty and Alex took me to lunch at Macaroni Grill. That evening, Alex went to Mackenzie's house for a few hours while we grabbed dinner at a gyro place we've been wanting to try and then went to a movie. We ended up going to the cheap theater and watching "National Treasure 2" because there just weren't any new releases worth watching. Anyway, it was fun, and the best part of the whole day was that I got a break from cooking (Rusty made breakfast, too)!

This year (the first that I can recall since we've been together), Rusty decided to try his hand at making a cake for me. When I got home from work, he was just taking it out of the oven, and it was a beautiful golden color and smelled so yummy. I wish I had taken a picture of it, because ten minutes later, this is what it looked like:

Always, always grease and flour your cake pans, folks! That's my kitchen tip of the day. No, no, no need to thank me.

A can of frosting, some Starbucks mocha syrup, and a can of mandarin oranges later, this is the masterpiece that emerged:

That's a "31" with my name below it, just in case you were wondering. You can't fault his creativity, bless his heart. (How Southern am I?)

And here I am blowing out my candles:
And, just in case you were wondering, the cake was actually quite good. We had Danny, Katie, and Gina (Katie's mom) over to help us eat cake and icecream. Rusty cut very small pieces of cake because he didn't want anyone to feel like they had to force themselves to eat it, and everyone went back for seconds! The cake did have a crumbly, cornbread-ish texture, however. Turns out, he made the cake with Bisquick. Bisquick, people. Bless his heart.

Okay, moving on.

Rusty had gall-bladder surgery on April 4th. The procedure went well, and he spent several days at home recuperating. It will be interesting to see if having no gall bladder helps with the acid reflux he has been dealing with for the past several years.

On Thursday, April 10, we went to the circus with the Gearsons. I have never been to a circus before (unless you count some of the elementary schools I visited during my AET years). Alex really enjoyed the show -- especially all the animals. He even got to ride a pony during intermission! It was a very late night, though (the show didn't even start until 7:30), so he was pretty cranky by the time we left. Our son is not usually one to just fall asleep in our laps when he gets tired -- instead, he runs around like a maniac, getting progressively more hyper. It's like he knows if he slows down he'll just fall over.

Most of our circus pics didn't turn out (still trying to figure out all the tricks to our new digital camera), but here are a couple that did:


Let's see, what else? A bunch of little things... We've had several out-of-town friends stop in and stay with us over the last few weeks. I have been getting things in order so we could file our taxes -- for the last two years. When did I turn into such a procrastinator? We had an appointment with our CPA on Monday, April 14th. Definitely getting in just under the wire, wouldn't you say? But the good news is, we are expecting a fat (phat?) refund from the IRS. Woo-hoo for the Economic Stimulus Package! Rusty has been super busy (and super stressed) with paper-writing and studying for finals. The semi-annual Highland Children's Clothing Sale was last weekend, so I went and did some shopping at that. (And can I just insert here that I LOVE consignment shopping and saving money? Definitely gonna miss these clothing sales when we move to Africa!)

Speaking of Africa, we are a little over a month away from leaving on our survey trip. Our visas are in process at the Angolan embassy, and our funds are rolling in (track our fundraising progress with the ticker above). This week, we received a very generous contribution to our cause from a church here in Memphis, which brings us over halfway to our goal and gives us enough to purchase our plane tickets. God is good, and we have faith that he will provide the rest when we need it!

All three of us have been needing to get several vaccinations before going to Africa this summer. The weekend before last, I went to a nearby clinic for mine. Four vaccines cost me a whopping $375. Ouch (in more ways than one)!

Last week, Rusty went and got the same four vaccinations and it only cost him $305. This is because, being the scatterbrained person that I sometimes often am, I set my typhoid vaccine (a set of four pills that you take orally) on top of the car, along with all my shot records and a packet of information I had printed off the CDC website, while I strapped Alex into his carseat (I had taken him with me since it was the day after Rusty's surgery and I wanted Rusty to stay home and rest). Then, you guessed it, I got in my car and drove off, completely forgetting about the stuff on top. The good news is that, after I realized my mistake (and had a complete meltdown), Rusty and I went back to look for everything. (So much for staying home and resting!) We ended up finding all of it except the typhoid vaccine (even found the instructions on how to take the pills, but not the box with the pills in it)! I am thankful to have recovered all my shot records, because those were truly irreplaceable. But it was a bit painful to go in and spend another $70 on a second typhoid vaccine.

As for Alex, he will only need two vaccinations (thank you, Starbucks insurance and well-baby check-ups for taking care of everything else!) -- but the clinic Rusty and I went to doesn't take kids under the age of five, so I will have to take him downtown to the county health department. Ugh, not looking forward to that.

And, no, I am not pregnant, so I can't even blame my scattered brains on a new life growing within!

Confessions of a Graduate Student

Well, I figured it was getting to be about time for me (Rusty) to make another post on the family blog. Which I haven't done in a year and a half. Basically, what this means is that I'm looking for an excuse to do anything except work on my term papers. I even thought about dusting on top of the broom closet the other day, but that got me thinking about sweeping the floor, which made think about mopping the floor, which got me thinking about vacuuming the carpet, which made me realize that the vacuum is kept in the closet of Alex's room, which got me thinking about playing with Alex, untill I remembered that he was napping, which of course I wouldn't want to disturb him and wake him, because he would want to play outside or watch Begietawes (VeggieTales), which means that I wouldn't be able to work on my papers. I can't wait to be done with school. At least then I won't feel guilty about playing with hot wheels and watching cartoons.

I think I should start a blog dedicated to stay-at-home dads, that work way too many hours at night, never see their wives, living a funless life while trying to complete graduate school. AAAGGGHHH!!! Okay, I'm ready to continue my work on the Psuedepigrapha of Jude. (For those of you who don't know what this is, don't worry about. It has no relevence to your life. Well, actually it does, but you'll have to wait untill the next time I post to find out how or why. Which basically won't be for at least another year and a half, or until I decide to go back to graduate school, or until Judgement Day, whichever comes first.)

For Auntie Ronda

"When I left you, I was but a learner. Now I am the master."

Points for correctly identifying which movie this quote was taken from!

The "C" Word

Cancer -- this little word strikes fear in my heart like no other. It seems like every week, I hear of someone else who has this terrible disease.

Cancer claimed my aunt's life this past Monday. She battled it for over ten years. She was a new grandma. It just seems so unfair.

A 29-year old acquaintance was recently diagnosed with a very aggressive form of breast cancer. She is the same age as my sister. And she had just met Mr. Right. It just seems so unfair.

My mother-in-law died of a cancerous brain tumor. She was 64 years old and she had a lot of living she still wanted to do. I often wonder what our lives would look like right now, had she not gotten sick. It just seems so unfair.

I have been following this little boy's story and praying for him for some time now. He's had leukemia since he was about 2 months old. Now, he's over a year old and things aren't looking so good at the moment. It just seems so unfair.

I hate cancer! I have been wondering this week if the way God feels about sin is somehow analogous to the way I feel about cancer. Cancer eats away at the body just as sin eats away at the soul. I'm sure God hates watching us destroy our lives and scar our souls with sin even more than we hate standing by helplessly and watching cancer ravage the bodies of our loved ones.

I have definitely gained a new perspective on the sin in my own life as I have pondered this.

UPDATED: The Fun Just Never Stops

Yesterday, Alex tripped and fell on the sidewalk outside our apartment, busted his lip and chipped one of his top front teeth. This morning, he had a fat lip, but the tooth seems (to my untrained eye/finger) to be fine. I guess now I really need to make that first dental appointment -- just to be sure. I know that's going to be so much fun!

This evening, the cold that I thought he was getting over seems to be making a come-back. It looks like I'm in for a long (and probably sleep-deprived) weekend. Maybe even a trip to the doctor to make sure he doesn't have another ear infection.

So much for my To Do List.

Updated to add this picture, which I did not realize Rusty had taken until the morning after I posted:

Easter Weekend

I hope everyone had a great Easter. Our weekend was packed full of lots of activities. On Friday, Alex and I decorated Easter eggs. I decided he was old enough to help this year, and I was surprised by how well he did.

He was so surprised when the egg came out a different color!

Dipping the egg by himself

For the right price, I might let you hold my purple egg.

Our collection of rainbow-colored eggs

Friday evening, Rusty and I went to a Passover Seder dinner at our church. Alex stayed at his friend Mackenzie's house for the evening. It was our first time to participate in a church sponsored one. The other two we have experienced have been as guests of our friends, the Chans. The food was yummy -- they even served roast lamb! I was impressed. I always appreciate how celebrating Passover gives new and deeper meaning, not only to Easter, but also to the communion service we have each Sunday, because that's where it originated.

On Saturday morning, Alex hunted for Easter Eggs here on campus with the group from the Highland Church. He had such a great time!

Picking up Easter eggs

I snapped this pic about 5 seconds after he realized there was candy inside the eggs.

Alex and Mackenzie counting their spoils

This was about as close as Alex would get to the Easter bunny -- and only because there was a big basket of candy on the bench and he wanted some!

Saturday evening, it was our turn to keep Mackenzie so Sean and Laurel could go out. The kids had a great time, but Alex was sure tired after two late nights in a row!

Sunday morning, Rusty had to work, but Alex and I went to church and then had lunch with our friends and next-door neighbors, the Mullins. After Alex woke up from his nap, we put stickers on our dyed eggs. He only dropped one, which I thought was pretty good! The next morning, I made deviled eggs and egg salad -- yummy!

Hope your Easter was egg-stra special, too!

Big Boy Bed

First, there was the cradle. Then, for several months while we were in transition, the pack-n-play. Eventually, some friends from church gave us an old crib, and we all slept a little better. But, the time has now come for the crib to go to storage. We put it off as long as possible, but when your "baby" starts climbing out of the crib, it's past time to make the transition!

Alex has been sleeping in his big boy bed for over a week now. So far, it seems to have gone fairly well. He figured out very quickly that he could get out of it on his own, but we decided it was a battle worth fighting, so we have been pretty strict with him about staying in his bed at night-time or nap-time. The biggest disruption has actually been to our morning routine. Gone are the days of letting him lay in his crib and talk to himself while I take a shower, get dressed, put the dishes away, and start breakfast. Now, he wakes up bright and early and comes straight into our room, stands by the bed and says "Hi, Mommy. Hi, Daddy."

I suppose it does make for a better wake-up call than a blaring clock radio.

Next rung on the big boy ladder -- potty-training! But we have decided to wait until after our trip to Angola to begin that adventure.

Alex in his big boy bed (the quilt was made by his Nyanya)

Fundraising Begins

I have mentioned before that our family will be traveling to Angola this summer with the rest of our team on a survey trip. It goes without saying that a trip of this nature is not cheap; and so we begin the fundraising process. This week, Rusty and I finally got our first batch of fundraising letters (over 100 of them) mailed off. And more should follow next week.

It occured to me as I was folding letters and stuffing envelopes this afternoon, that I don't have mailing addresses for all of our blogging buddies. And we certainly don't want to overlook anyone who might be interested in contributing to our survey trip expenses! :) So, have a look at the letter (just click the link below), and if the Spirit so moves you, please... give generously!

http://rustyandlaura.googlepages.com/fundraisingletter1.pdf

Updates

I finally updated "Alex' Corner" (it's been about 6 months). Just scroll down the page -- it is at the bottom of the sidebar on the right.

Also, be sure to read the recent posts about our snow day fun and Alex' birthday party.

Snow Day!

This Memphis weather is somethin' else! The first weekend in March, we had highs in the 70's. Last Saturday, this is what we woke up to:

That's snow, ya'll! At least six inches of it. In Memphis. In March. We just don't get snow like that very often 'round these here parts. I don't ever remember snow like this in our previous Mid-South winters, and Memphians tell me it has been a very long time since this area has seen a snowfall this big. It started snowing about noon on Friday; by 4:00, it was really coming down thick and starting to stick; and it finally tapered off around midnight. Of course, two days later, it was gone (highs in the 70's again this week), but not before we got the chance to romp and play in it:

Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!

Making tracks

Alex and Mommy (love those rosy cheeks!)

How to make a snow angel (clockwise from top left):

1) The stance

2) The fall

3) The "swish swish"

4) The finished product

We went sledding on a cardboard box on the hill by the soccer field.

Even Daddy got in on the action.

Alex went by himself several times on his own small piece of cardboard. Every time he got to the bottom, he would cry. He hated that he had to get up and walk back up the hill to go again!

Brooks let Alex ride with him on his real sled a few times. It went much faster and farther than our pathetic box!

What a fun way to spend a Saturday morning!

Party Time

Last Tuesday, we had Alex' birthday party. We invited three of his little friends -- Mackenzie and Esther who live here on campus with us, and Joshua from church -- and their parents, and the Reeses, and Miss Rachel. The original plan was to meet at the park near our house and let the kids play for an hour, then go back to our apartment for dinner, birthday cake, and presents. I was hoping for some nice spring weather, especially seeing as the previous weekend had brought some lovely temps in the 70's. However, as Murphy would have it, the party happened to fall on a very cold and yucky day (I think the high that day was in the low 40's). It's a good thing we live about a 5-minute drive from one of the only Taco Bell's in the entire country with a play area! So, we started the party out there instead.

Alex and Gina going down the slide

Esther and Joshua

Mackenzie managed to have a great time, despite having hurt her arm the day before. X-rays later revealed her arm was BROKEN! Poor baby!

After about an hour, we went back to our apartment for dinner. I made chicken and white bean chili, a fruit tray, a veggie tray, and pigs-in-blankets. Considering our son's love for all manner of balls, we went with a sports ball theme for the decor and table ware.

The kids ate in the kitchen.

We sure crammed a lot of people into our tiny apartment!

After everyone had eaten their fill, I brought out the birthday cake and ice-cream. In keeping with the sports ball theme, I did a basketball birthday cake. This was my first attempt at decorating anything more complicated than cupcakes, and I must say, I was quite pleased with the results (although I did have to use an entire tube of yellow food coloring gel to achieve the desired bright orange for the frosting).

Alex blows out his candles with a little help from Mommy.

After eating cake, Alex opened his presents. He got some really fun new toys, but the favorite so far seems to be the toy lawn-mower from Mommy and Daddy. He pushes it around the house all day, running over our feet and making a lot of noise. It may be relegated to an "outside toy" before too much longer!

Thanks to everyone who came and helped us celebrate Alex' 2nd birthday!

Who's Two? Alex, That's Who!

I simply cannot believe that my baby is now two years old! It just boggles my mind to think that in two years, he has gone from being a tiny, helpless mewling little creature to a walking, talking, exploring, learning, loving little person. Amazing!

We had a nice family dinner at home tonight. I made Japanese curry (one of Alex' favorite suppers) and a fruit salad. Danny and Katie joined us later for the singing, candle-blowing, and cupcakes. It was very low-key -- we didn't even have any presents for him to open! Not to worry, though, his actual birthday party is next week and he'll have some presents then. He's only two; he'll never know the difference, right?

Happy 2nd Birthday, Alex! We are so very proud of you!

My apologies to those family members who tried to call us today. We were not intentionally ignoring you!

"Mud" About You!

Happy Valentine's Day

to all my peeps!

XOXO, Alex

Annual Family Newsletter

I've been experimenting with Googlepages and have figured out how to upload our family newsletter to the blog. This is really great, because I decided this morning after checking on what it would cost to actually have this newsletter printed at Kinko's, that it was beyond what we could afford this year. So I will be taking the content and reformatting it into a basic, no frills letter and then ordering prints online of the photo on page 1. For those who care to see what it would have looked like, had money not been an issue, you can click the link below.

You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer in order to view the file. You can download it for free here.

http://rustyandlaura.googlepages.com/Xmas2007.pdf

The Quest

What to say about Quest? It was... emotionally exhausting... intensive... draining. It was, in the words of Danny Reese, "a 2-day cross examination of every aspect of your life." Each couple and single on the team was interviewed in a round-robin style by 2 people from MRN as well as four experienced missionary couples. Over the course of 2 days, we sat through ten 1-hour interviews (no wonder we were tired)! We reviewed some of the assessments we had taken in the weeks before. We answered questions related to our physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, financial, and marital health, our ministry experience, our response to stress and trials, our theology of missions, and a variety of other topics. I talked until my mouth was dry and my throat was hoarse!

In addition, we (meaning the Angola Team) prepared lunches and dinners for the entire group (shout-out to Teague for coordinating this), and had a group project to complete by the end of the second day. Each couple and single also had to prepare a 20-minute self-introduction (Rusty and I did a Power Point of pictures to tell our story) and a 20-minute devotional.

Although we were tired at the end of the 2 days, I have to say that it was a good and helpful experience for us as individuals and couples, and for our team. During our "exit interviews," each couple/single was given a list of strengths as well as growth areas and recommendations. They had some really wonderful and encouraging things to say about Rusty and me that just brought tears to my eyes! Then, we met all together and they gave us a list of team recommendations.

We look forward to continuing our relationship with MRN in the coming months and working through the team formation and preparation process with them. For right now, however, our thoughts are focused mostly on the upcoming survey trip to Angola this summer. I am really starting to worry about how we will raise the necessary funds in the next few months as well as the more practical aspects of traveling in Africa with a 2-year old. Please pray that God will calm my anxious heart!

And while I am asking for prayers, please also lift up our trip to Texas this weekend. We will be traveling to Denton, TX to meet with a church that is interested in our plans for Angola and possibly supporting us. This will be our first presentation to and interview with a missions committee, so we are understandably a bit nervous. We are thankful that teammates Danny and Nathan will be accompanying us to help with the presentation and to lend their emotional support.

Group photo from our Quest weekend below:

Back row from left: Greg Brooks, Henry Huffard, Robert Meyer, Rusty Campbell, Danny Reese, Evertt Huffard, Paul Schwartz

Middle row, from left: Dottie Schulz, Jane Huffard, Roger Pritchett, Nathan Holland, Ileene Huffard, Mary Lane Schwartz

Front row, from left: Laura Campbell, Karen Pritchett, Katie Reese (and baby!), Teague Meyer, Jordan Yarborough

Not pictured: Alex Campbell

Auntie Again!

I have a new neice! Yesterday, February 4th, Jana Faith Marcum was born in Cochabamba, Bolivia. To see pictures of this new little bundle of joy, head on over to my dad's blog. I'm sure that Josh and Julie will post pictures of their own within a few days as well.

I am so looking forward to this summer when the Marcums will be back on furlough, and I will be meeting two of my neices for the very first time!

Congratulations, Josh, Julie, Michaela, Eliana, and Jana Faith!

First Day of "School"

As I mentioned in my last post, Alex has started attending a Parents' Day Out program one day a week. It is not technically school, but since "skoooo" is easier for Alex to say than "Parents' Day Out," that is what we are calling it. So far, he seems to be really enjoying it. He has a wonderful teacher, Miss Rose, who has been teaching there for 27 years. 27 years, people!

Below are some pictures of Alex on his first day of "school."

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!

Give Daddy hugs before you go.

Nothing says "school" like your very first backpack!

More to follow soon on Quest... once I have had time to process everything. We are still trying to recover from the mental and emotional strain of the weekend. It definitely lived up to its "intensive" label!

Holiday Travels and Current Events

After Christmas in Michigan, we spent several days traveling back to Memphis. We stopped in Clarksville, TN (to see Uncle Dennis and Aunt Diana Campbell), Huntsville, AL (to see Rusty's cousin Linda and her family), and Dechard, TN (for Uncle Lyle and Aunt Shirley Starnes' family get-together). We had a great time with everybody, but it sure was nice to get back to our own beds again! Pictures below.

Alex and his second cousin, Naomi.

I'm a big boy now!

I can go down on my tummy, too!

After we got back, we enjoyed a few quiet days at home before I had to go back to work. We spent some time rearranging, organizing, and decorating Alex' room. Rusty began another semester of school. And Alex has started attending a Parents' Day Out program one day a week. We have also been busy preparing for our intensive Quest weekend with the Angola Team and Mission Resource Network. This included taking numerous psychological tests and personality profiles (oh, the joy). Quest is next weekend, so please keep us and the rest of the team in your prayers!

Please Pray for Kenya!

If you follow world news at all, you have probably heard about the recent violence in Kenya. The situation sounds very scary, worse than any I remember facing during the years my family lived there (and yes, I know the media hype tends to make things sound worse than they really are). Still, things could spiral out of control very quickly. Reading stories of riots, looting, shootings, and church burnings just breaks my heart. Kenya is, after all, the land of my birth and where I grew up. A part of my heart will always think of it as "home." Please, please pray for Kenya, that this situation can be resolved and the violence will come to an end.

Click here to read a report from CNN.

Scroll down for a recent post on our Christmas activities.