Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve we had a quiet dinner at our house and then pulled English Crackers. Crackers are like decorated tubes with a firecracker, prize, joke/game, and paper crown inside. We read a nativity story and with much ado the children got new pajamas and (finally) went to bed! In the picture below note the cookies and milk laid out for Santa's imminent arrival. Visions of Sugar Plums Danced in Their Heads--Clement Moore Can you tell in the above photos who is really not sleeping? You guessed it! Daughter in the middle was waiting up for Santa...Mom was laughing at my boy asleep in his crown and so I had to snap these photos.

Christmas Eve at the Arapahoe House

Christmas Eve Eve Gift exchange Joanthan and Lucy Susannah's first gift! Our Christmas Eve dinner with family was actually on the 23rd (Sunday evening, "the eve of the eve" Hannah says). We met and had dinner with my side of the family and took some not-so-good photos of our Nativity reenactment story. Joe is a wise man bearing frankincense and myrrh. Pretty shepherdesses. A cute angel (Cami, Lisa's second daughter). Mary (Rebekah), Baby Jesus and Joseph (Jonathan). Susannah turns out to like to hold baby Jesus (briefly, before throwing him down). The girls, Hannah and Rebekah, practiced a duet of Christmas songs to play. Hannah and Rebekah played a number of Christmas songs on the piano of their own arrangement. Monkey see, monkey do. Cousins Owen and Alex (Little sister Amy's boys) play too. Elfi baked up a bunch of Christmas cookies!!! Grandma Clayton holds baby Andrew (Lisa's son). Grandpa Clayton holding Sonya Clayton (David's second daughter). Susannah walking at 11 mos!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all! Peace on earth. Good will to men. Life is good. My brother Mike made a CD with favorite Christmas 2007 Songs on it. We have been listening to #13 "Doop Doop Xmas" by Paper Moon...It begins, "Doop doop doop doop doop...it's Christmas!" This lyrical ditti has been floating around in Joe and my head all day. The children turned on the "sparkling music" and began singing along while Joe fried cheesy eggs and I made peppermint (herb) tea for a quick breakfast this morning. Soon, it was discovered that Santa had mistaken Susannah's and Rebekah's stockings (again!). He was also mistaken last year with Hannah and Rebekah's. I made a quick change to bring peace. When Jonathan was going through his stockings treats, apple, orange, chocolate and small gifts, he unwrapped a theater size box of Lifesaver Gummi candy. "Oh, I know what these are!" "They are 'flubber gubbers'!!! Anyone want some flubber gubbers?" (He shared all around and we joked at his imaginary word. Baby Sussanah, now eleven months and three days old, and walking/climbing/exploring her world was given a present. Her "big" gift was a ball game in a large box with a baby on it. She promptly tipped the box on it's large side and sttod up on it, sat down and fell off backwards onto the floor--spread eagle with a "what just happened" startled look on her face. No worries, she was up and trying it again in a flash--no tears...lesson learned...approaching the stand on box more carefully the second go round. Rebekah was thrilled with her Fisher Price Puppy Grows and Knows My Name toy dog. (This replaces a real puppy or getting a new mother...these were her suggestions when I told her we were not going to get a puppy when the three "Survivor" guinea pigs are still being fed most of the time by yours truly or Joe). Hannah, loved earning, buying, and making many gifts for family and friends this year. She made bath salts on Thanksgiving and bought used books at the Library Book sale with me. She gave up her "cracker" silver earrings to an aunt and really seemed to catch the spirit of the holiday this year. Rebekah also earned and bought gifts...a few making it to Christmas. Baby says it is time for bed. It is nice to think of the first Christmas gift and of a little baby boy who would come to save us all. God bless you!

December 10, 2007 The girls played at a Christmas piano recital at Brooke Roney's house tonight. The big "to do" was about getting both girls hair done up in hot curlers and so it would be full and curly for the program. Rebekah played "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and "Jingle Bells." Hannah played "Joy to the World" and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing." They have an excellent teacher, Kellie Stilwell, who lives three blocks down the street and has eight of her own children and so is very patient with our wily young women. Wonderful Job! Grammy, Aunt Beth, cousins Jackson and Lauren also came to listen t the beautiful music!

December 9, 2007 We arrived at the LDS church Sunday evening for tithing settlement (a chance to pay any missed tithing or ten percent of our income to the Lord, see Malachi 3:10 ). The clerk came out before we met with the bishop. Joe and I were hurrying to count the children's tithing from sandwich baggies and fill out forms to declare their tithing also. The clerk said, "No beans this year!" Joe and I looked at him stunned. Apparently, after a lesson on the Lord's law of the tithe, one of our children turned in an envelope to the Bishop and when it was opened it was full of dried pinto beans and not coins! We had a good chuckle over that one!

Taking Steps

Ok, this is just to record that Susannah is walking. After we took this video showing a paltry 3 steps, she beat her old record of 6 steps and now has a new record of 11 steps in a row. Yeah, I know we are proud parents ! Enjoy, and just think of all the trouble she can get into walking at only 10 months!

Let it snow, Let it snow ....

Well, it has been snowing in Provo! We had a fun time yesterday, building an enormous snowman, and decorating for Christmas. In the picture, you will also see cousins Cami Ashton, and you can almost see Lucy Ashton behind Hannah. It is definitely getting closer to Christmas, and the beautiful snow is helping us all get in the mood. Julie and I have had a lot of fun activities going on this past week or so. Hannah was in the Christmas program with the ward, and quite a production it was! Hannah was an Angel (isn't she always an angel?) in the program, and we were all very impressed by the scope of the whole production. Kudos to Sister Comish for setting up such a fun evening! The kids of course got to see Santa: Check out Susannah's reaction. (Santa is looking skinny, and the Shades aren't helping the kids feel like it is the real Santa, but hey, Mike Stilwell is a jolly guy). Jonathan was tickled with the bag of loot from Santa: orange, candy canes, pencil, activity book, and candy.

Christmas greetings from the Campbells

December 2007

We wish you a Merry Christmas,

And a Happy New Year!

We just want to send you all our love and our happiness this Christmas season. Our family is enjoying a new-to-us Honda Mini-van (with four children and many errands to run, automatic doors are a lifesaver).

Joseph is now “Chief of Staff” at EMIA. This means he is now in charge of the “IT” department, as well as the actuarial department.

Julie is now an accredited leader with La Leche League International, and helps support breastfeeding mothers. Of course most of her time is spent just being a mother!

Hannah is a Fourth Grader and loving the art projects and Accelerated Reading Program. Recently she also got beautiful new glasses.

Rebekah is a Second Grader and loves animals, including her three guinea pigs. “Can’t we get a puppy for Christmas?”

Jonathan, our four year old, enjoys Rainbow Preschool, computers, V-smile and friends!

Susannah is ten months and busy standing and walking. She is smiley, patient, and enjoys whipped cream.

We love you all, The Campbells

Great Grandpa is Laid to Rest

An emotional day. The sun dawned bright and the air was cool and clear. "A day great for flying," Great grandfather might have said. As I looked down onto Grandfathers wrinkled and smiling face, spotted with vitiligo, his strong, large hands to his side, laying uncharacteristically still in the dark gray casket...I had an impulse to kiss his cheek and did. Cold and odd smelling. Grandfather was not there. It was only his old body, cast off a strong and adventurous spirit. Hannah stayed up last night and wrote a detailed card to her Great Grandpa Clayton. On the upper front she wrote, "I will always remember you!" in her best cursive. On the back she wrote," I miss you sooo much!" She asked if it would be all right to tuck inside the coffin with Great Grandpa. I called Grandma Clayton and she said that would be fine. She had tucked inside the card a necklace with a heart pendant that she received at her baptism with the word "Remember" on it. Rebekah sat on Edith's lap or next to Great Grandma, watching, crying, pondering life after death. Last night at the viewing for family, Jonathan asked Joseph at the open casket if he could touch Great Grandpa. Joe mentioned that he might touch his hand. This morning, I glimpsed Jonathan alone, quietly standing next to the coffin, reach up, and hold Great grandfathers hand--reverently, quietly, with a look of awe on his face. A moment of quiet reflections for an active boy. (Great) Grandfather would have been proud. Who knows...like the lyrics to the song, "Where is Heaven?" When you're with the ones you love it's right where you are! Perhaps the veil is closer than imagined and Grandpa Vaughn Clayton smiled upon us and the tributes to his heroic life. The children enjoyed the thoughtful "lunch" sacs prepared by Grandpa Keith Clayton for the ride to Ogden. Large Ziplocs contained wrapped danishes, various chips, puddings, desserts, drinks, and small candy. Internment was in west Ogden. Two small planes flew above us, children ran in the rural grasses amidst tombstones and bees flew amidst the flowers, including the purple carnations with the large white QB on wings sent by the Quiet Birdmen Society (old aviator buddies of Vaughns').

In Memorium, Vaughn Miner Clayton

(Great-Grandpa Clayton with Susannah, April 2007)

This morning my father called to inform me that Grandpa Vaughn Clayton died this morning at a care center in West Valley, Utah. He would have been 94 years old on November 27. Attendants believe he died around 4:00 a.m. Dad and Mom Clayton, David, Hyea Won, Hyea Won's mother, Kaya and Sonya visited with Grandpa Clayton yesterday and took pictures of him. Dad mentioned he was lucid but weak. He has had Congestive Heart Failure and dementia for several years. Some memories I have of my Grandpa Clayton include his white tickly mustache, his musk smelling cologne, and the smell of Halls cough drops, hearty hugs and kisses, fishing trips with boats he repaired and kept running himself in his shop, riding ATVs and on the back of his newest motorcycle, Christmas Eve dinners and program, Family Home Evening programs together, his special dialect: nippers (scissors), paramedic van (ambulance), stories of building Alliance Radio Tele-communication towers over seas (Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Greece, and the Holy Land travels), Skip-bo cards, Rummicub, etc... He was a man who was able to teach himself to drive and fly (back in the days when obtaining a pilots license was easier than a drivers license) and believed in the "make it do or do without" philosophy... He was the original MacGyver. Grandpa was adventurous and curious. He found out how to build things and then built them. He will be sorely missed and welcomed into heaven by his first wife, Eunice, and missed by his family and wife/caretaker Edith Jex Clayton. If it is true that "heaven is not so far away" then I hope he looks out after the rest of us...We love and will miss you, Grandpa.

Halloween is Here!

Surprise! Susannah cut her first tooth through (on the bottom left) today. She was a very cute Dalmation puppy for Trunk or Treating.

Jonathan was a fuzzy green caterpillar. He was very particular about his treats and would go up to a bowl of offered candy and sort through it to find different treats than he already had in his pumpkin candy bucket.

Rebekah was a very cute black cat!

Hannah has been deciding what to be for days...Her costume decisions changed minute by minute, hour by hour. She ended up being a "She Vampire" for the school Halloween Parade and two hours later being a beautiful ballerina for Trunk or Treating.

Joe and I wore our Mr. and Mrs. Incredible shirts. Who says they are costumes!?

In our neighborhood, children go to the nearby L.D.S. church for "Trunk or Treating." Ward members pull in their cars and open decorated trunks and children go from car trunk to trunk and get lots of candy quickly!

Susannah sucked through a bubble gum Dum- Dum sucker wrapper and realized all she had been missing! She grouched at me when I took off the remaining wrapper and squeeked until she got it back to suck on. She was very happy with herself and her sucker!

A friend, Mary Rencher was a detailed oven with a loaf of bread inside. I paused and told her how cute the costume was and she said, “it’s true you know! I really do have a ‘bun in the oven.’” He husband was the cook!

We also visited Grandma and Grandpa Clayton's Hobble Creek Canyon Ward Trunk or Treat where the children got bags of crayons, pictures to color, and some candy from Grandpa and hugs from Grandma.

At Aunt Anne's house on the way home, the children recieved full size candy bars, Rice Krispy bats and rats, and hot cider.

At home, the children got to select candy to go in a sandwich bag and offered the rest to the Great Pumpkin (over twelve pounds worth!).

He brought toys to all the children the next morning in place of their candy offering.

Preschool and Pumpkin Carving

Tuesday, Jonathan wanted to dress up as Caleb (Caleb Sherman, an active five year old down the street) for Halloween activities in his Rainbow Pre-school class. Hmm, we decided he could be a dragon slaying knight too.

We carved pumpkins the eve before Halloween. Rebekah chose a goblin theme. Hannah and Jonathan shared a pumpkin with Hannah's traditional one being on the front of Jonathans' Edvard Munch "The Scream" inspired one on the back.

A "Night at the Museum"

"A Night at the Museum"

Monday night, October 29, 2007 Joseph and I went to the Discovery Gateway in Salt Lake City to attend The Utah Education Association's Awards Event where Educator's Mutual received an award for it's years of service insuring teachers and school districts. The Museum was fully staffed and catered by tuxedo wearing butlers passing out Hor D'oeurves, single serving dinners, and desserts.

We mingled and got to check out the Robots exhibit and meet important legislators including Peter Corroon (Mayor of Salt Lake County).

Out on the terrace of the museum is a Life Flight helicopter pad where children (and adults alike) can sit and hear a simulated rescue mission.

We were entertained by selections from East High Schools' musical "High School Musical." A fun night!

Dad survives Sunday

Everyone knows that the sabbath is a day of rest, right? So late last night we were sure we would sleep well, wake up early and refreshed, have a nice Sunday walk, and everything would go smoothly. We got to bed later than usual, Julie telling me her great plans for improving things, me doing my best not to fall asleep. My love for my wife was the only thing keeping me from falling into a deep sleep. So I survived until after prayer, at least I think I did. Come to think of it, I don't really remember saying amen. But I do remember Julie waking me up saying, why is it all wet under Susannah? I learned in the morning (I don't have any real capacity to function once asleep) it was all related to the flu. Enough said. Do you really want me to elaborate? So when we finally woke up, we washed the baby and the parents thoroughly, and then Susannah (pre-diaper) had a whole lot of poop. On the carpet. Sigh. Julie washed the baby- again - and I washed the carpet. Yeech. Ok, so we decided not all was lost, Julie and the baby could stay home, and the kids and I would make it to church. And, we had an hour extra because of daylight savings. So we got to church, and I went to drop Jonathan off to his class, and couldn't find anyone. Why are they already in general primary? I asked myself. And then I came to a sudden realization. Uh-huh. Not daylight savings until next week. And I was an hour late. Finally in Sacrament meeting, we were holding on, and Rebekah came to me crying and saying her tummy hurt. Yikes! We got out of there fast, expecting spew any moment, but once we were home Rebekah made a speedy recovery, but it was all for the good. Maybe it was a blessing to me that Rebekah had the unexpected tummy ache. I can see Heavenly Father looking down at me and finally taking pity. And when I got home, I took a nap with Mom and the baby, and so the sabbath was a day of rest after all.

The Time Machine

This morning the baby and I were sleeping in after getting the other children off to school. Susannah has a cough which wakes her five times an hour and makes the nights long (or too short, however you want to look at it). After having our furnace checked for Fall maintenance last Wednesday, it no longer heats so the One Hour Heating and AC were going to send out a crew this morning. Jonathan sauntered in about nine thirty and mentioned something about a Time-machine ready. "Okay Jonathan, go sit in your bed and read books until Mommy wakes up and I'll bring you some fruit snacks." I rolled over and went back to bed. Pretty soon I hear the back door slamming. I get up and yell from the top of the stairs, "Jonathan? Have you been outside?" "Yes, Mother. I am not climbing the ladder because ladders are dangerous!" "Jonathan, are there men down there?" "Yes, two men." I hurried and got dressed. I opened the blinds to see a yellow truck from One Hour Heating and AC with a big hour clock on it...ahh, the "time machine." Steven, a technician, mentioned that Jonathan surprised them by climbing up their sixteen foot ladder and peeping through the door to the furnace (in the attic of our vaulted ceiling house). "Don't worry, Ma'am. I verbally guided him back down the ladder." He reassured me. $108.00 later for a new time switch for the heater and still no hot air. I called the company back and they sent another technician this afternoon who found a mysterious circuit board, which they removed and will call Lennox about, and rewired our furnace. Finally, heat!