Summer pictures

Summer in America

We spent five weeks in Michigan and Ohio this summer. It began with a house full of Paul's side of the family in Granville, Ohio, for the 4th of July weekend. Granville makes a big deal of this holiday. They block off their main street and put up a fair with carnival rides, fried food, and live music. They put on a big parade with pretty decent floats. And they host the annual "Firecracker Five" 5-mile race, in which Paul participated for the 3rd year running. And a pretty decent fireworks show! Emily got to go for the first time and was duly impressed.

One ride at the fair is the kiddie roller coaster. In previous years, the kids have bypassed this ride. Too scary, they figured. But I guess Emily and Brandon figured they were brave enough this year. So they got on with their cousins Tori and Abby. As you can see, Brandon had the time of his life! And Emily and Tori, well, they asked the ride operator to let them off early.

Here's Jacob, proud to be an American during this first week in the country in his entire life.

After the relatives left, we got busy househunting. We selected a really 4-bedroom house on a cul-de-sac in Newark, Ohio.

To begin with, we will be renting it out. We got it now while the market's good, and the interest rate, too. I must say, now that I know what our house would be like if we lived there, I want even more to move there! But I realize that we have it good here in Okinawa, so I can be patient and wait to see what the Lord has in store for us. So anyway, yes, we bought the house. I thought I'd be pretty nervous about it, because every time we buy a car I get nervous. But we involved the Lord in the decision and felt good about it, so I was able to move forward with confidence (with just a couple of nervous moments).

Besides buying a house, we did some fun things like eating Whit's frozen custard. There is something magical about going there! It's not just the smooth, creamy texture and the delectable flavor combinations they put together, but it's also where you eat it--on the streets of cute little New England-style downtown Granville, where the locals all know each other and chat on the sidewalks as they eat their custard or walk their dogs. Plus, we always go after dinner so the air feels so fresh and cool. It just makes me glad to be there (and not in Okinawa at the peak of the hot, humid summer). I didn't take any pictures by Whit's this year. But here's a picture in front of some building downtown.

We also went to a children's museum in Newark (The Works), which was lots of fun. Later we went to a big, famous children's museum in Columbus (COSI), which was huge, expensive, and not as cool. And a little tiring. But it was still fun.

More pictures to come.

Emily's dance

Emily participated in the "Tinikling" dance of the Philippines for her school's Asian Pacific Heritage celebration. Two teachers clapped bamboo poles down and together, and the dancers did their dance between the poles. Emily was nervous at the first couple practices that she'd get her feet caught!

For a few months, I have been taking the boys to a weekly music group that a friend of mine headed up. Parents and kids do a half hour of music time with simple musical instruments (shakers, castanets, sticks) and puppets and scarves, etc. with songs to sing or music to accompany. It was our turn to host music group in May, and my friend loaned me her supplies. Emily wanted to do music group on our own so she could see what it was like, so we had family music time on Memorial Day. After the usual half-hour, Emily wanted to keep going!

Also on Memorial Day, for Family Home Evening we had the first ever Campbell Family Talent Show! Emily did a ballet dance and showed some of her paintings, Brandon sang a song he learned in preschool and showed some of his paintings, and Nathan danced to “Upside Down”(hilarious--he really gets into it) and sang “Bill Grogan’s Goat” with Paul leading him. I played a song on the violin and Paul played a song on the kiddie piano and showed one of the scrapbooks he made. It was really fun. Brandon was a bit nervous at first to sing, but he did it! Here's a video of some of the show. Unfortunately my video of Nathan dancing didn't work out, so I'll have to capture that for you another time!

The reason I wanted to do a family talent show was to help Brandon feel more comfortable performing. Last week on the last day of preschool, the class sang some songs for the parents. Brandon had been excited about it for days, telling me, “We’re going to sing for you!” When it was time to start singing, he started out singing and doing some actions for about three seconds, then apparently the shyness struck him and he stopped singing and started wiping his eyes, and then moved behind another kid and sat down through all the rest of the songs. He didn’t make a scene at all, but just made himself invisible. Then when the kids sat down again and it was time for Mrs. Vroman, his teacher, to pass out their folders and certificates, Brandon scooted back to his spot. So he didn’t cause any problems, but I thought it was a little sad that he missed out on the fun of performing the songs. He also won't say the scripture or give a talk in Primary because of his shyness. So the family talent show was a good step for Brandon. The next week for Family Home Evening, we all gave talks or testimonies and the kids stood up at a makeshift pulpit. It was really wonderful.

Potty Training

We're halfway through week 3 of potty training Nathan. He's done really well going pee-pee in the toilet and rarely has accidents. But does anyone have any great tips for getting him to go #2 on the TOILET? Not only is he pooping in his underwear two or three unpredictable times per day, but now he won't tell me when he goes (probably because I will show my disappointment), and he'll SIT in it, squishing it into the fibers of his tighty-whities. Not fun to wash out. Not fun at all.

The past few months...

I often think of what I would like to share with you about my life, but since I write so rarely, one of my "newsletters" is always a large task, so I put it off even longer! Anyway, I'll do my best to sum up some highlights since I last wrote.

Jacob is 5 months now and is such a cute little boy. I really enjoy him. I love nursing him and making him smile and seeing his face light up when I approach him. It's fun seeing him learn to reach out and take hold of things now. He started sleeping through the night last month. He's a good little sleeper and would probably take longer naps every day if he didn't have to be interrupted so often when we take the other kids to their activities. He really enjoys being around us and doesn't like to be left alone for too long. I've moved his swing to be right by the dining room table.

Nathan will be 3 in June and is an extremely sweet little stinker. He loves to play with Brandon. When they wake up really early or during their "nap" time, when they're supposed to play quietly in their rooms (or sleep, perhaps), it is really hard to keep them apart. Brandon usually removes the gate in Nathan's doorway. Often I just let them play together if they're playing nicely, even though they're supposed to say in their own rooms during those times. It's too much work to keep putting them back in their own rooms! Nathan also really likes to play outside with the neighbor kids (as do the other kids). Below is a picture of Nathan with the three year-old neighbor boy. We don't know the boy's first name, but isn't he so cute?

These are fun neighbors, by the way. They have several children. The girls teach Japanese words to Emily and she teaches them English words, all the kids love to ride bikes and play outside with our kids, and the adults often share treats with us, and we give treats to them as well. It's been a fun way for us to share cultures. The last thing we gave them was chocolate chip cookies, and they brought us Okinawan doughnuts and a baked cheesecake-like dessert, only not as sweet. Very yummy. Maybe we'll make them apple pie or something else that's very American. Any ideas?

Brandon will be 5 in June and goes to preschool three mornings per week. It's a really good preschool (on base) and he has learned a lot there and at home this year. It's amazing me how well he is reading by now! He delights in doing things by himself, and this is no exception. I'm looking forward to Brandon's preschool year coming to an end in a couple weeks so I don't have to take him there and pick him up so often! Preschool is only from 9-11:30, so that's a lot of driving back-and-forth. Jacob gets one or two naps interrupted on those mornings. But it's been worth it. Here's some of Brandon's writing on our white board.

Emily is 7. Her first grade year has been quite different from kindergarten year in many ways--especially socially, how she worries more if people will laugh at her, cares more what people might think of what she's wearing, and has started talking about crushes and boys loving girls, etc. (She doesn't have a crush yet, but a boy in her class reportedly has one on her, and I don't think she's thrilled about it.) Paul and I really enjoy the creative things Emily draws and writes about. She is also crazy about reading. It is a red-letter day for her when I bring home a new batch of books from the library. Emily reads and reads them after school all the way until bedtime, except for when we make her stop and eat and do her homework, bathe, etc. Her favorite subject at school is math because it includes the most new stuff for her. She likes learning. She recently got her own scriptures, which she's excited about. She has started going to the gifted education program at school.

Paul was the Junior Varsity soccer coach this year. Last year was his first experience with soccer as the assistant coach, and this year the coach transferred to another school so Paul got the job. He was nervous before the season started, but I think he really did a great job learning more about soccer and helping the boys learn what to do. They all had a good time. The kids and I took picnic dinners to his games sometimes. That was fun, especially since they were by elementary schools with playgrounds, so I could relax and watch the game while the kids played. They had a ball. (Ha! Ball.) Soccer season ended at the end of April, and Paul is glad to have some more time to do other things.

I am constantly trying to arrange my schedule and fix my priorities so the most important things get done. I struggle between wanting to spend time with the kids and keeping the house semi-orderly, doing the many errands that our household requires, and doing other things I want to do (like writing this). Our house is never a total disaster, but I really am not a perfectionist about the house. I never have been. I let the dishes pile up for a couple days with no guilt and I mop the floor only once--maybe twice--a month, and I rarely dust. So I shouldn't really feel guilty about wanting to clean up, right? It's healthy to remove grime from surfaces and not have papers and toys spread around everywhere. But the reason I'm saying this is that sometimes I do feel guilty when I want to finish doing the dishes and Nathan asks me to read a book, or I want to make dinner and Emily wants me to help her with a craft.

As well as set proper priorities, I need to be able to "run and not be weary." I need to take care of my body so I can work well. Often I am just too tired. If I get enough sleep--which seems to be more hours than most people need--I feel okay, but it's hard for me to be in bed by 9:30 every night like I need to be to feel good. I also struggle to get enough exercise. I know it would help me feel better, mentally and physically. I need to work on finding a good routine that I enjoy so I can stick to it.

I have planted some vegetables in some planters in our back yard. This is my first attempt at a vegetable garden and it's kind of exciting. I've been unusually faithful watering them. (My thumbs have never been any shade of green.) I've had it in mind to start a garden "someday," so it's satisfying to be doing it, even if on a very small scale.

Another thing on my "someday" list has been to bake bread regularly. I did make bread a few months ago and was thrilled with my success (since my previous attempts turned out really dense). Now I'm looking for a good recipe that uses whole wheat that isn't loaded with sugar. If any of you has a good one that doesn't require gluten flour, which I can't find at our commissaries here, please pass it on. Half white/half whole wheat would be fine.

The boys and I have been participating in a music class made up of some friends from our old church branch. We rotate being in charge, and this month is my turn to lead/host. Today was our first day to have it at our house. It went really well. The kids enjoyed having everyone come. I was a little too stressed over getting the house clean, because all those who have hosted since the group began (four months ago) have had immaculate houses! I'm glad I get three more weeks to host it so I can practice not stressing so much about it! We have a half an hour of play time, half an hour of music time (music and songs with movement and using simple rhythm instruments), and then some more play time.

Speaking of relaxing...I have noticed that in my efforts to help my kids get good nutrition, be well-rested, establish good habits, and get enough attention from me, my personality is one to worry about it too much--to feel stressed. I think my general problem is a lack of confidence in my decisions. The same issue arises in deciding whether to let Jacob cry himself to sleep and how long to let him cry. Even deciding when to do the dishes and when put them aside so I can sit and read a book with a kid takes that kind of decision-making. Or making Jacob wait a few minutes to get fed so I can get dinner in the oven (which I just did; I'm feeding him as I type), so we all can eat on time so the kids won't have to be rushed through their baths and bedtime routine and so they can go to bed on time so they won't be too tired tomorrow, which, especially in Brandon's case, results in hyperactivity and a reduced willingness to obey. I know this is all a part of learning how to be a parent and being an agent and a steward for others. It's good for me. It is hard, but I must be growing from it since I'm trying, and things are working out okay. I suppose decisions like this cause me stress because they affect my children so much, and I want them to be happy and healthy and turn out well, yet I also need to do things that I want to do. But, as I get more practice at this, I am also trying to learn to relax about it all. (I've seen my sister, Marcia, be amazingly calm and composed as she manages her kids, which she says came from having lots of kids, rather than being a pre-qualification for having them!). I have made some progress, but as we've added more children to the mix, I need to improve some more. Sometimes I think this mothering thing makes me miserable! But that's just when I'm tired. If I am better rested, it is still hard and there are some unpleasant moments, but I still feel a general satisfaction about my life, a peace that I am doing what I should, and that is worth everything!

On May 5, a Japanese holiday (Children's Day, formerly Boys' Day), we got to ride a river boat down a river that spills out into the ocean. The boat ran along the coastline for a few miles and it was beautiful, and fun to point out familiar sites to the kids from that different perspective. The experience was extremely exciting for them. Brandon noted, "It's my first boat ride!" Emily said her favorite part was tasting the ocean as it splashed a bit on her face. (Paul stayed behind with Jacob, and took our picture.)

Today I got sitters for the boys and attended a Mother's Day "box lunch" social at Emily's classroom. The kids sang songs for us, and Emily looked so sweet and loving looking at me as she sang. We had decorated a box this past week for our lunch. It was good to do that with her. After the social, the mothers were invited to join the kids for recess. Mostly I pushed Emily on the swings--her favorite thing. (I swung for a minute, but it made me feel woozy. Swings are for kids!) Emily was in heaven this entire time. She kept saying during the social and recess how much she loved me. I was SO glad I took that time out for her. She gets put off so often as I try to meet the more demanding needs of her younger brothers.

Here we are in her classroom with our home made lunch box.

Jacob in action - Two months old

Here's a video of Jacob for all you Grandmas out there--and any others interested in seeing what he's like in motion.

The long-awaited birth story

I finally wrote about Jacob's birth, for those of you who are interested.

A week before Jacob was born, Dr. Vaughan and I discussed a date to induce me. Wednesday and Thursday (Thursday being Thanksgiving) worked for him, but I suggested Friday. That day was less convenient for him, but he said he was willing to do that. I was still a bit unsure whether to be induced just yet, even though the doctor was encouraging it due to the baby's estimated size. I had a checkup already scheduled for Friday, so he suggested I come in for an earlier appointment—8:45—and we’d talk about inducing me for later that day. Paul and I discussed it and I decided to go ahead and get induced Friday. So on Thursday, I called the clinic for Dr. Vaughan to find out what time I would be induced (wanting to inform Brenda Jones, who would be watching our other kids that day). He said he had two appointments out of the hospital that day (which he hadn’t known about yet at my previous appointment), so he’d be out of the hospital in the afternoon until about 5:30, but said if I delivered before he got back, his partner would deliver the baby, and he said he’d trust his partner if it were his wife having a baby. He asked if I’d be comfortable with that, and I said no; I’d rather have him deliver. So he suggested I come for my appointment at noon and after my regular appointment, we start the induction, and then he’d be back by the time I needed to deliver. (This made for a long day for him, bless his heart).
So, on November 28, the day after Thanksgiving, Paul and I showed up at noon. When I went to the OB desk for my appointment, the nurse said Dr. Vaughan said for me to go upstairs to Labor and Delivery instead of going through my regular appointment first, because he was doing an emergency C-section at the time. This was fine with me because it just meant that the induction would be started sooner.
I went upstairs and changed into the flowery hospital gown. The nurse started me on the IV (with fluids only), which hurt my forearm quite a bit, and I cried. I felt like a wimp for crying from that pain! I didn’t even cry from labor pains later on, but I cried from that! Maybe it’s because it surprised me how much the IV needle hurt. I had forgotten to bring lunch to eat in the car on the way, so they brought me hospital food for lunch. It was good. Dr. Vaughan showed up at 1: something. He checked my dilation and I was at 2.5 cm—not as far as I thought I’d be, because I’d been having some contractions for a few days. He then put in the epidural catheter. He didn’t succeed at the first spot he tried (which hurt quite a bit), so he did it at a second spot, which was less painful and didn’t take long. At about 2:00 they started the pitocin. The contractions were extremely mild for quite some time, and I wrote some thank-you cards for baby gifts and rested. When the contractions were getting more painful, I finished the thank-you cards, which distracted me from the pain. After that, the contractions were getting quite painful and I was thinking about the epidural. The nurse on duty was a 60 year-old lady (by my estimation) who spoke very little English. I felt a little trapped there with just Paul and her there and no English-speaking nurse to understand me well. I told her I was thinking about getting the epidural. She asked if I wanted it now. Paul knew how to say “not yet” in Japanese, unfortunately. I wasn’t so sure I wanted to say “not yet”! But Paul was right—I shouldn’t get it too soon in case it wore off before delivery. So I didn’t correct him and reluctantly went along with the “not yet.”
Dr. Vaughan got back around 5:30. I think I was dilated to 3.5 cm or so by then. The contractions were getting painful by then, but I still didn’t need the epidural. He broke my waters and said the baby’s head was pressing hard down on the cervix by then, so he expected me to get some hard contractions really soon. And let me tell you, I did! They felt like they were pulling so hard on my cervix that I was sure I was dilating fast. I was ready for my epidural! After a half hour, he checked my dilation again to see if I was progressing quickly. If I was, he wasn’t going to go take his walk, but if I wasn’t, he felt that he’d be able to take his walk and be back before delivery time. To my dismay, when he checked me, I was still at 3.5 cm! Bummer. So he went and walked his dog. Dr. Vaughan suggested I get only a half dose of the epidural at first in case that was enough pain relief, and then I could get the other half dose whenever I wanted without having to wait the required amount of time for a second dose. The epidural took well on my right side and less on my left side, but I was quite satisfied with the pain relief it brought me. With Dr. Vaughan gone on his walk, Paul and I were again left alone with the little-English speaking nurse. My contractions got harder quite fast and she saw that I was suffering a lot again by the anguished expression on my face. She came over and said, “Big pain?” I replied, “Yes—big pain!" Without even asking me if I wanted the other half dose, she made a phone call to Dr. Vaughan, and then came over and gave me the other half dose. I was very grateful! So it turned out that she didn't need to speak much English to be a big help! The other half-dose helped some, but soon the pain increased so much it didn’t feel like I’d gotten an epidural at all. But who knows how it would have felt without it. All this time in my mind I’d tell myself that I just need to make it to 9:00 pm. I had estimated that by then I’d be going to the delivery room. Dr. Vaughan came back and checked my dilation, and I can’t remember what I was dilated to. Not much more. But in less than an hour after that, I felt like pushing! It wasn't a great urge to bear down, but some, so I thought I should tell the nurse. So she checked my dilation and I was at an 8 or 8.5, and said it was time to go to the delivery room (since I was progressing so fast, I guess, so I would be at 10 cm in no time). I was so glad. It was almost 9 p.m., so I was right about the time! The nurse went and got Paul, who had gone to the waiting room a few minutes earlier (to sit for a little while on something more comfortable than the hard chair they had in the labor room for him, or the hard floor, which he had reclined on during part of the labor, which the nurses chuckled at.) I was relieved that I’d be delivering soon, but I was unable to feel very excited because I was in so much pain! I remember them putting up a bar above the bed for me to hold onto, and I wasn't able to talk much to Paul when he came in as they wheeled the bed into the delivery room. Paul and I were both amazed at how fast I had dilated in less than an hour.
In addition to the bar above me to hang onto, they also pulled out handles on either side of me to pull on as I pushed during each contraction. I tried using those, and Dr. Vaughan said I made more progress when I used them rather than the bar, so I didn’t use the top bar after that. After I got home from the hospital I noticed my forearms were sore, and finally figured out it was from pulling on those handles so hard! I think I pushed for about 20 minutes. When the baby's head became visible, Dr. Vaughan said he could see some hair. I commented on how all of our kids were born with a lot of hair, and he said it wasn’t anything to get excited about! Turns out that Jacob has much less hair than any of our other kids had when they were born! (But I think it's really cute.) I delivered the head slowly and was so relieved once it was out. Dr. Vaughan had me push when I wasn’t having a contraction to deliver the shoulders slowly. When I was done, I was excited about how slowly and carefully we had been able to get the head and shoulders out, and I remarked happily, “So I didn’t tear at all, did I?” He said, “Oh, yeah, you tore when the head came out.” I was so disappointed! He said, “With a baby that big, you couldn’t not tear!”
Very soon they put little Jacob on my chest. I was lying flat so I couldn’t see his face very well, but it felt so wonderful to finally hold him! My relief that I was DONE with the delivery was immense! Still, it felt a little unbelievable that I had made it to this point, that the pregnancy was over, and I actually was holding my baby. Dr. Vaughan told us he sent the nurse away so that I could have more time to hold him. (She was going to weigh him and do all the initial stuff they do to babies.) That was kind of him. When he was done sewing me up, he said a prayer with us, as always. (It's a Christian hospital.) It was a wonderful prayer, asking that Jacob would bond well with his siblings and that my laceration would heal well, and everything else that was appropriate. I wanted to find out what the baby weighed, so he then got the nurse to come and take him. They weighed him in another room this time (unlike my other two babies that were born there). Dr. Vaughan was going to go home and I said something about how he wouldn’t find out for a while how much the baby weighed, and he said, “Oh, I can wait and see.” He left and came back a few minutes later and told us that Jacob was 9 pounds, 5 ounces—by far my biggest baby. Wow. Then he went home.
The nurses wheeled me back to the labor room and brought back Jacob. Paul and I took a few pictures of each other holding him and then I nursed him. He latched on easily. I suggested Paul leave pretty soon so he could get Josh Jones home since it would be 10:30 p.m. by the time he got home. (Brenda brought her teenage son, Josh, to our house with the kids for bedtime, and then Josh stayed there until Paul got home).
I asked the nurse when I’d be able to go to my room, because I was very tired. She pointed to the clock and indicated that at 10:55 p.m. I could go to my room. I don’t know why I had to wait. I asked her, but she didn't understand me.
A nurse came to get Jacob. I reluctantly let them take him away. I loved having him with me, but I also was anxious to go to bed!
Then a nurse came and gave me a sponge bath on my upper body. This was something they'd never done for me after giving birth. That was a kind thing to do since I had gotten sweaty. She did one area at a time so I didn’t feel all naked at once.
Finally I got to go to my room. I didn’t bother to wash my face or brush my teeth (since I didn't throw up during transition like I did with the previous two babies). I had to go to bed with the IV still in my arm since I didn't succeed at going to the bathroom. In the middle of the night, I got up tried again and succeeded, so I called the nurse and she took out the IV. Much better! The epidural catheter had to stay in my back until morning, unfortunately.
My hospital stay was pretty good. On Saturday my after-pains were quite painful, especially while breastfeeding, and my back hurt a lot in the epidural spot, even after Dr. Vaughan came and took it out. But by Sunday that felt much better. In fact, the last time I took pain meds was midday on Saturday, less than 24 hours after giving birth.
On Saturday around 1:00, Gail Hanks came to visit. We had a nice visit and near the end I asked for the baby to be brought in so she could hold him. Later on, Paul came with the kids. That was also a really good visit, and I felt remarkably good compared to the last two times Paul brought kids to visit me in the hospital. Those visits were harder for me, and I remember it being painful to have them climb on me, but this time, Nathan even pushed on my belly and it didn’t hurt! When it was time for them to leave I even wished they could stay a little longer (which is not how I felt when they visited after Nathan was born), but they needed to get back for dinner. When they were about to leave, Emily said she really missed me, and she got teary. That made me cry, too!
Saturday night after dinner I felt a little down—lonely and tired and a bit depressed—so I went on a walk outside for about 15-20 minutes. I was amazed I could do so and feel so good. The exercise and the time outside made me feel better.
On Sunday I didn’t get any visitors. Paul couldn’t come with the kids since visiting hours weren’t until the afternoon, and they had church in the afternoon. But in the late morning they called and I talked to the kids—especially Emily—for a long time. I asked if she still felt lonely for me, and she said she didn’t feel lonely anymore when she was talking to me on the phone. So I stayed on the phone as long as she wanted (more than an hour), until they had to go to church.
Paul and Nathan came to get me on Monday morning. We had just a little while before Brandon would be done with preschool, so we went to a park near the preschool. It felt so peaceful to be there together. I felt like things would be okay.

Sweet Little Jacob

Here's our Jacob at 2 months.

February stuff

My fans have asked for more blog. So here it is.
What's going on in the Campbell fam?

• Nathan sleeps in a little big-boy bed and pees in the potty (occasionally).
• Brandon has been working hard at writing his preschool classmates' names on his Valentines. It's so cute to see him concentrate so hard!
• Emily claims, "All I ever do is homework!" but spends just a few minutes on it per day, with lots of whine-time surrounding it.
• Jacob amazes me at his ability to fall asleep (sometimes) and charms the pants off the whole family with his smiles.
• Paul is getting over his sickness that lingered over a month until he finally went to the doctor for antibiotics. Good thing he got them before March came around (his hardest month as a teacher, as it is 3/4 of the way into the school year and has no days off).
• Jill is tired but enjoying life. I'm especially excited about the new weekly music group for preschoolers that some friends invited us to. It's fun for Nathan and Brandon to participate in, and they get to play with the kids and toys before and after the music part. Really, the play/social aspect of it is the most exciting thing, for them and for me!
• We all are enjoying the Japanese "cherry blossoms" that are all over the place this time of year. We're going to attend a "Cherry Blossom Festival" this Saturday. It's probably just the same as any of the fairs we go to with dumb little (and expensive) kids' carnival games, food for sale (our favorite part), and possibly some Eisa dancers and Taiko drummers. The big plus will be seeing Emily surrounded by all the PINK blossoms, which will surely be a taste of heaven for her.
• I think I've converted to using liquid Tide rather than the powder (although usually cheaper)! It smells so good!
• I have 9 lbs to lose to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. The number sounds small but I still can't wear most of my wardrobe. Plus, being tired makes me want to eat more! And I can't escape being tired with a 2-month old!

Christmas Newsletter

Below is a link to our Christmas newsletter. (Click on the little cereal box.) Hope you're hungry...
We hope you all have a great Christmas season!

Paul and Jill

P.S. The file is uploaded onto Scribd in a PDF format. If you do not have something to read or save PDF files (a specific computer file format), please go to http://get.adobe.com/reader/