More Fun Pics

Daddy and Son hanging out at the picnic bonfire

My former roomie and dear friend Hannah enjoyed going to Animal Land with Lesley, Kristin, and I and our kiddoes. She spoiled the kids by buying them food to feed the animals.

The four cousins enjoy a warm swim in my in-law's pool

Ali and Jer sure have a lot of fun together!

Fun Pics from our MN Trip

We had fun dressing the boys alike! Are they praying here?

Two little peas in a pod......or a basket!

Going for a slow ride on Ali's fourwheeler

Grandpa Joel and Grandma Kathy with their 3 grandkids

Grandma Leona's 4 great-grandkids: Alathia Joy (age 2), Amelia Joy (age 2), Jeremiah David and Daniel Joel (both 10 months).

Toddler-Proof Your Toes

Anyone who has a toddler will verify that one of the most painful aspects of parenting one of these small persons is their clumsy tripping and stumbling over your toes. It hurts like the dickens and happens constantly! This summer my hubby bought me a pair of Crocs, and my feet couldn't be happier. There are many great things about these shoes, but the greatest thing of all is the fact that my toddler could stomp on me purposefully with boots on and it still wouldn't hurt if I'm wearing my Crocs. I realize these kind of shoes don't provide the arch support everyone needs, but I love them and consider them armor for my toes!

A Reunion, Funeral, Wedding, Fourwheeler, and Toppling Groomsman

Ali loves her new fourwheeler!
King Jo and I at Jake and Beth's Wedding
Jeremiah and his Cousin Daniel--We enjoyed getting to see our sweet little nephew and get to know him better. The boys are 6 days apart!

We're finally back after a 12 day vacation to King Jo's hometown! What a busy month August was. Two deaths in my family (Grandpa C. in WY and Great-Grandma Susie in MN) and a long vacation with 18 hours of driving one way with 2 small kids, plus lots of visiting and activities. It's all kind of a blur in my mind! However, we had a great time up there and it was so good to see all of you that I was able to visit. Alathia got a battery-operated fourwheeler from Grandpa Joel and Grandma Kathy and she loved zooming around on it the whole time we were there. Joel strapped it to the top of our car and we brought it home that way. Pretty scary when a 2.5 year old can drive a machine with power!

King Jo's best buddy from childhood got hitched in a beautiful wedding ceremony Sep. 1st, but poor King Jo made his mark with his most embarrassing moment ever by fainting during the ceremony (and he was one of the groomsmen!) Those 3-piece suits get hot, especially when standing in front of a shelf with about 100 candles on it. He had been feeling dizzy the day before and hadn't had much to drink or eat all day and he had never heard that you aren't supposed to lock your knees. All this resulted in him blacking out and waking up when he hit the ground and knocked over a decorative tree. Thankfully he was able to make it through the rest of the ceremony and wasn't hurt (except for his pride). He was such a handsome groomsmen!

We enjoyed the reunion with King Jo's family on the Anderson side and celebrated his Grandma Leona's big 90th birthday. I had fun catching up with old friends at play dates, our Girl's Night, and a trip with some friends and our toddlers to Animal Land (a small zoo) and the Oak Hills beach on the lake.

The Death of Etiquette

Does no one teach proper etiquette anymore? I used to find it amusing to read through my mom's old ettiquette books when I was little. I'm so glad she took the time to teach me social graces; if you are a parent and are reading this: invest in teaching your kids these things and it will serve them for a lifetime!

While etiquette seems to have died in many areas, including table manners, letting the man be a gentleman, and respect for our soldiers and President, the main area I will address today is sympathy etiquette. I recently lost my Grandpa and while he was very old and in a bad condition, it was a very real loss of a great man nevertheless. In the week since this occurred, I have been surprised by the lack of manners displayed by some folks I consider friends regarding my loss. When told about his death, two friends merely said, "Oh" and moved right on to the next topic without so much as an "I'm sorry." Others that do know of the death haven't mentioned it at all.

My friends here in my hometown have been WONDERFUL about it and I applaud each of them for having great tact and willingness to do what they can to help in the situation, as well as one of my dear e-mail buddies and my Grandma (on the other side of the family). Folks I hardly even know who read of it in the paper have been heartfelt in expressing sympathy to me when I run into them around town. I'm not looking for cards and casseroles and bouquets. But a heartfelt "I'm sorry for your loss" is appropriate.

Frugal Fridays

Frugalness with Time:

Sometimes I get so caught up in looking for frugal solutions that I forget about the reality of life and my many committments. So, my tip for today is: Weigh the costs of being frugal in a certain area and decide for you what truly makes frugal sense in the areas of TIME as well as money.

For example: I tried making my own baby wipes a few years ago and found that not only was it more work for me, but I had to use 2-3 times as many wipes since they were thinner and fell apart more easily so I had to double them up when wiping. Trying to saw through the roll of paper towels made a paper-fuzzies mess everywhere and so I ended up pulling all the towels off the roll individually and then cutting them into thirds so they'd fit in my wipe box! I discovered that it's easier for me to just buy the cheapest Wal-Mart brand wipes in bulk. In reality, I'm saving much time and effort and the cost is about the same since the Wal-Mart wipes are more durable and I only need 1/3 as many per diaper change. Especially since my babies won't always use up enough wipes in a week before the homemade wipes "spoil." Some people have success with making them, but I'm not one of them!

It may be more expensive to go to the salon every few months, but I know from experience it is worth it if you want a short or layered cut that actually looks nice! It took a year for me to grow out my "mistakes" in this area! Frozen pizzas may not taste nearly as good as homemade, but if they are on a very good sale we will buy them once in a while and spend less than we would have for homemade pizzas and will have saved a lot of time too! Cloth diapers can be wonderful but only if you feel that the time spent doing extra changes, more soaking and laundry, hanging, and folding, etc. is worth the money saved. For those of us who have to purchase water for a cistern or share a community laundry room, it makes more sense to go with the Wal-Mart brand of diapers for $5 a week.

Because I live in a remote state, I have very little shopping options around. I shop the sales at the two grocery stores in town, shop the Family Dollar and thrift store and make-do until I can get to the nearest Wal-Mart (2 times per month). It was hard to pass up a Walgreen's deal last week that could have saved me $10 on cereals we love, but my husband decided that it wasn't worth the $8 in gas money to drive to Wal-Greens and the 3-4 hours worth of dragging two little kids on a long car ride and shopping trip just to save a couple bucks. So I stayed here and had an enjoyable day and bought some cereal here with a coupon. (You gals in the city are so blessed with all your stores!)

If you love to sew, then by all means, do it! But realize that buying a 30 cent shirt from the thrift store or finding clothes in the free boxes at yard sales or clearance racks in stores can be infinitely cheaper than sewing because of the time you need to take to shop for fabric, wash it, iron it, cut it, sew it, deal with sewing machine malfunctions, etc. and if you're not a great seamstress your product may turn out to be awful anyway and something you just turn into rags! Sewing is a great hobby of mine but I'm mindful that it's not "time-effective" unless I'm making something that is very simple and can't be purchased for less.

My main point is, since our time is eaten up constantly by so many things these days (husband's needs, small children's endless demands, church activities, relationships, home-keeping, errands, etc.) we should not only be concerned with where every penny is going, but also how much time we are spending on things, even things that could potentially save us money. If I can save both TIME and MONEY by doing it myself it's best! But if I want to save time, sometimes I need to splurge a little and if I want to save money sometimes I have to sacrifice a lot of time.

Some quick examples of things that save both time and money:

*automatic bill pay saves a stamp and saves you from having to remember to mail the bill, fill out the check, etc. every month (You need to be very responsible and careful if you use automatic bill pay!)

*Spending more time planning your shopping list and rearranging it according to the stores you are going to and the layout of the store so you can shop faster and save money (it's a proven fact that the longer you browse the more you spend).

*Bulk cooking-Whether you make a months worth at a time or just cook 5 lbs. of hamburger and freeze it in 1 lb. portions, bulk cooking can save you time in the kitchen and money too since a lot of bulk foods are cheaper. You're also saving energy if you re-heat using a microwave.

Pics of Family

A Family Pic (minus Dad since we couldn't find him)

Uncle Goo-Goo holds Little Man

It sure was tough trying to get one pic of these two even looking remotely in the same direction--forget about smiles!

One Last Letter

Grant, Colter, Jer and I at the funeral

A photo board of Grandpa's life I helped design

Dear Grandpa C.,



If I could write you one last letter to you, this is what it would say:



It was my priviledge to be your granddaughter. Cousin after cousin stood up and said this in the eulogy today and I, too, feel it with all my heart. When Jason stood up and said you were a Hero Grandfather it resonated deep within me. You were definitely a hero to me and the very definition of what a Grandfather and a Hero is. When Raine talked about all the memories of us at the cabin, it brought the best things to mind. She said she will always see "Wyoming" as Grandpa. How fitting for a rugged, but gentle, outdoorsman/cowboy/soldier/builder/fisherman.

I know it was your time to go and I am so glad you no longer have to sit looking out the window, wishing you were independent and active again. I'm glad you are reunited with Grandma after 21 years apart and the many loved ones who have gone before you. Even though I hated seeing your pain, I will miss bringing the kids to see you and your presence in our lives which has been a rock throughout my entire life. Even when you could no longer do much the last few months of your life, you could still love us, and smile, and enjoy our company, and tease the kids with your remote control dog! You loved Alathia's big brown eyes and always commented on them and you often held little Jeremiah, pleased that he would smile up at you. You were very positive and never complained in any situation. You had a mind as sharp as a tack until nearly the end of your life and I just know I got my love for reading from you (as well as my stubborness and my love for dessert!)

I was never in doubt how you felt about me or anyone else in your family, because you weren't afraid to tell us that you loved us. I loved you so much and will cherish your memory throughout my lifetime. I will always be thankful that I had this time with you where we were back in Wyoming and you lived close enough for us to visit you often. In the blink of an eye, I'll be there at the Heavenly Hoedown. So build me a mansion right next to yours!

"Lindsey Linds"



Until we meet again!

Goodbye Grandpa

Yesterday one of the neatest men I have ever known left this earthly life. My Grandpa, Don Campbell, almost 92 years of age, is now at peace in Heaven after being in a nursing home for 4 or 5 months watching his body decline. I prayed that he would go soon because it hurt me to see him suffering and struggling to breathe and be inactive and lethargic when I've always known him as one of the most indepent and industrious of people. But it's still difficult to know that we can't go visit him "one last time" and that he won't smile and chuckle watching Ali and Jeremiah play with him anymore. I thank the Lord that we had some special time together where I was able to visit him often. I thank the Lord that we have some confirmation (though he was very private about his faith) that he was a believer and knew where he was going.

Thank you Grandpa for spoiling me rotten all those years and showing me an example of what a gentleman should be. You used to feed me green grapes in my high chair and let me dig in your pockets for Doublemint gum. You let us watch your John Wayne movies and cartoons, but you also taught us to work in the garden with you and play outside. You always made us lovely breakfasts at the cabin and you helped us cut down a Christmas Tree each Christmas eve up until 10 years ago. You bought me my first horse, a little Shetland named Justin Joseph, when I was only 5. You were a wonderful carpenter and made many of the churches and businesses in this county, including wooden handicrafts and gifts for all your family. You gave a lot of down-and-outers a chance and were generous to a fault. You served your country to preserve our freedom in WWII and you raised a young son and daughter alone when your first wife deserted you. You touched the lives of many, many people and you will be greatly, greatly missed.

A Home of our Own (Someday!)

Sometimes I get to thinking about a home of our own. I can't wait to plant a fancy garden with all kinds of herbs, vegetables and fruits (if they'll grow!) I can't wait to decorate and paint and make my home a haven of beauty and rest. A place where the children can run freely outside and have plenty of room in the house to stay out from under my feet. It gets tiring to share one washer and dryer among 17 people, even though I have the advantage being the only stay-home adult here. It gets tiring to always be the only one raking and doing yard work only to see the neighbor kids constantly littering garbage all over and using our outdoor chairs and swing roughly. It does get difficult with the noise and lack of privacy in these close quarters. At times I get very, very claustrophobic since we only have one window in our whole apartment that leads to the outside (the rest show into the pantry or breezeway in front) and our A/C unit is in it!
When I'm starting to get discontent I have to remember the little farm house we first lived in when we moved here a couple of years back. There were mice (my deathliest thing I'm afraid of!) and it was ice cold in the winter and oh so lonely out there with only the cows and a long drive into town. We had much more work to do with chopping wood and stoking fires for heat and we had to ration water. Living in a clean, warm, mice-free apartment that's only 2 blocks from our bank and grocery store isn't so bad! While my neighbors can be overly "present" in our lives, I am thrilled when they come over bearing tamales or flautas or the latest thing they've cooked. I have gotten them to babysit on a moment's notice in a pinch and their company and their culture is refreshing. Who else's neighbors in America today have time to sit outside in the evenings and chat?

I have learned to be very disciplined about getting my laundry done at a certain time when the facilities aren't in use and I have learned to set boundaries and be strict with the neighbor kids which I know they respect me for. While we are outgrowing this tiny place, I think if I succeed at keeping this place clean and homey I can do it just about anywhere! I'm thankful that we have a space of our own, however humble, because it is more than most people have. We don't have to pay when the water heater breaks down or the plumbing goes awry, and we can use as much water as we want since it comes free with the rent. We have lived in a dark, dank, cold, and strangely decorated basement in a very rough town durning our summer as missionary interns and nothing could be more depressing than that! So, I will cheerfully enjoy these days here until God leads us to the next dwelling. I rejoice in the friendships I've made here that might make an eternal difference in my Mexican neighbor's lives and I am thankful to be sheltered from the hot western sun!

Life at Home

Here are a few pics that showcase life at our house. My one beautiful pot of flowers, which has really thrived this summer, mainly because Ali and the neighbor kids can't reach it! Thank you Mom for potting it and giving it to me as a gift at the beginning of the summer! I made a cake last week for my neighbor Isa, and it is by no means fancy as I was in a rush, watching 3 kids at the time I made it and had only 2 colors of frosting. However, I would like to continue to practice and become a great cake decorater like my grandma! I babysat Fernanda and Frida, my Mexican neighbors so their folks could go out on their anniversary. I found some old balloons which we had fun making balloon animals out of, which I hadn't done in a long time since my Kids Ministry days!

Life here is good, but exhausting. I have those days where I feel joyful and hopeful about everything, and then those "reality days" where things are so hard and parenting feels like work I don't have the energy for. Jeremiah screamed and fussed a lot today with his cold and cutting teeth and Ali was quite a handful. I honestly don't know how those moms with tons of kids that are very young do it without having a mental breakdown. But through it all, I know that God is using these tough days to build character in me and strengthen me.

Frugal Fridays

My Frugal Friday (for Crystal's blog on Biblical Womanhood) tips for today are:

Barter with friends! Here is a pic of how I was blessed yesterday by a good friend. Her baby girl is almost a year and on whole milk now and she had about 7 cans of un-opened formula which she gave to me for my baby boy since my breastmilk is starting to dry up (he's 9 months). I was wondering how I was going to squeeze the budget enough to start buying formula since it's SO EXPENSIVE! God is sooooo good to provide for our every little need! My friend received some of these cans of formula last year from our other friend who no longer needed them when her twins turned one. If I don't end up needing them all before my son is a year, I plan to pass them on to another Christian mom who could benefit from the. They're good until 2009! Since my friend was so willing to bless me with $110 worth of formula for free, I plan to bless her by not charging her for the month of August for the babysitting I do for her son once a week (since she's a working mom).

My parents taught me to barter because my dad often did it in his self-owned furniture business. He'd trade a log bed for a half a beef from a rancher friend. They even traded furniture to the orthodontist for my brother's braces!

My friends and I also have clothing swaps where we all bring clothes/toys/baby gear we don't want or are willing to loan out and we swap things around. This is a great since it's absolutely free, which is even better than garage sale-ing (though I do love yard sales!!!) I've also traded baby-sitting for my exercise bike.

My final tip is: Swap your books at a used bookstore for credit. My brother is leaving for Argentina as a missionary and gave me his entire enormous library of books. I took in those that I didn't want for myself or my church library and got tons of credit. In turn, I got these great books pictured and still have $20 to spend there!

The trouble with having a Big Sis

The trouble with having a big sis is that she sometimes gets the urge to share (once in a blue moon) and I end up wearing her "princess hat." But in spite of it all, I am a very happy little boy most of the time.

My Kiddoes

The kids are always learning, growing, and changing. Jeremiah still doesn't crawl, but is content to sit and look at toys or rock on his belly. Alathia is learning how to treat her playmates nicely and is a big helper and loves to go to the park and be outdoors.

Weekend at the Family Cabin

We had an enjoyable weekend at my grandpa's cabin and relaxed, played some games, went on some small four-wheeler rides, and had breakfast and "church" in the woods. We saw a mommy moose with a nursing calf in the woods which was really neat.

July's Here

It's hard to believe July is already here! I've been so busy with outdoor work and outside fun with the kids that I haven't blogged in a while! I'm looking forward to the Fourth of July in my town because there is a HUGE town parade and rodeo and fireworks everywhere, all day long and picnics, etc. Here's some pics of the kids!

New Pic of the Kids

Ali Joy and Jer-Bear sure are enjoying each other these days! It's so fun to see them interacting. Ali puts on puppet shows for him and teases him until he giggles hysterically. I think having two kids continues to get more and more difficult as he needs more attention/food, etc. but it also gets more fun in other ways.

4 Years!

In a couple of weeks, King Jo and I will have been married 4 years! It seems like just yesterday he was dipping me for our first kiss at our wedding! I look at the two little beings that are the fruit of our marriage and am amazed! He surprised me with a weekend getaway to the nearest large town, 2.5 hours away and we had a great time in a fancy hotel and did lots of shopping and eating out. The kids were along, but it was still a great time!

So glad it's JUNE

Does anyone else ever feel like May is nothing but busy? I suppose with two big graduation deals (my mom's and brother's) and all the other end-of-the-season things, it really was one of the busiest months of my entire year. I'm so glad it's June and am looking forward to all those summer picnics, grilling outside, and going to the lake.

Josiah got me a lovely bouquet this week because I was having a really rough day with intense menstrual pain. Also on that day, little Ali got into my lipstick! What a goofball! Jer is always happy, except when cutting teeth, which he's been doing this week.

My HERO

It's been a while since I've done a tribute to the guy I married, AKA King Jo, so I thought I'd write a little bit about why I love him so much. He's everything I could have ever wanted in a man and MORE! He's sweet and sensitive and honors me, but is strong, manly, and a good leader at the same time! He doesn't mind pitching in to do household chores and he helps me so much with the kiddoes when he's home from work. He's always considerate of me and brings out the best in me. He can tease me and make me laugh, but he also challenges me to grow spiritually and makes me think about deeper things. He loves to spend time with his family and loves to do fun stuff, like biking to the park, taking me on a Mother's Day Picnic, going on stroller walks, etc. He still buys me flowers and gives me foot and back massages! He encourages me in my full-time job as a mom even if the world looks down on it or I sometimes get overwhelmed with it. He's kind and gentle as a father and adores babies and little ones. I can't imagine life without him and I'm so glad God brought him into my life when He did.

Summer Time Cuties

She Made it ALL THE WAY!

I'm so proud of my mom for persevering through good times and bad to get her B.S. in elementary education!!! We attended her graduation last weekend in Billings. It's been a long hard road, but Mom is stubborn and believed this was God's plan for her and now she's using her degree as a 3rd and 4th grade teacher at a Christian School!

I LOVE THOSE KIDS!!!

I had an odd day on Sunday. Maybe it was hormones, maybe it was just the need to get out, but I wanted to go shopping by myself and leave the kids home with Josiah. When I was browsing in the store I was OVERCOME with a desire to buy anything and everything for my kids. I enjoy giving them gifts but I've always been super practical and frugal, to the point of not letting people get them birthday gifts (except grandparents) and getting only one or two small gifts for Ali for Christmas. However, I felt like if I had the money, I would buy every cute outfit, every fun toy that would put a brilliant smile on her face, every little infant noisemaker for Jeremiah and adorable pair of shoes, treats and snacks, cute things to decorate their rooms, fun sippy cups, etc. etc. If I had the money I'd buy them those little battery operated jeeps and a backyard swingset and slide and slip n' slide and water park, etc etc. You get the picture! Amazingly, because we're on a budget, I got out of the store only spending $5 on stuff we actually needed. But the feeling just overwhelmed me. I went home and scooped the kids up and tickled Ali and chased her around and hugged her a ton and teased Jeremiah and reveled in loving them. I felt like God was whispering to me that just as I ADORE giving good gifts to my children, He likes to do the same for me! He's a loving Father who has trillions more love for me than the enormous love I have for my little ones. Just as I love putting a grin on their face and blessing them, so He likes to bless me! I often forget that and forget how much He really cares. Just a thought for today!