Just in time for Summer!

Kissing Anyone?... When my sister turned down a movie last weekend due to horrible headaches, she called her doctor who ordered blood work. (She has kidney disease). The blood work came back showing she had monocytes off the charts. Being so close and doing many things with family (cousins), we figured we would get tested. Half of our family (Mom, Miss H, and Susie) have active Mono (mononucleosis)! Who would have guessed? Poor kids...We found out on the last day of school. (The last days have been state testing...Miss H has been complaining of being so tired it was hard to think of 3x3). Rest, rest, rest...And less kissing, of course!

In Memory of...

This Memorial Day weekend, we wanted to include our children in our celebration. After dinner on Sunday with Mom and Dad Campbell, Aunt Beth and cousins, the children went out to our garden and cut irises (with Joe, of course) and put them in a vase. Inside, we looked at old pictures of Great Grandma and Grandpa Campbell, Great Grandma Ivanson (Babushka in Russian), and Uncle LJ. We visited Provo Cemetery where the above mentioned are resting and also visited Evergreen Cemetery in Mapleton where we saw Great Grandpa Arthur and Great Grandma Della Hall and Uncle Keith Clayton Jr. and Uncle Jonathan Clayton's graves and Green Lawn in north Provo. On Monday, we brought Frog Eye Salad, Broccoli Bacon Salad, and a Butter cream cake to the Hall Clayton Memorial Day Swim Party. Even though it rained most of the day, the children (except perhaps Susie) enjoyed swimming in the heated pool, watching Harry Potter with cousins (older children), and eating pizza and playing computer games.

Memorial Day 2008

For Memorial day, I thought I would include a few memories of those who have passed on who are important to our family! (Joe is writing about his family, Julie about hers) My older Brother LJ. I think this day, we were shooting a slingshot over the deck. LJ was always making jokes and having fun, often at his own expense. Grandpa Campbell. I remember when I was very young he would put on a record of the 3 billy goats gruff and we would laugh and laugh. He would play a game with us where he would catch us between his feet. Grandma Campbell. She was a wonderful cook, and since they only lived a few houses away, we would visit every day and get a treat. She was the one who often made our birthday cakes. Babuska was my Russian grandma. She was very short, but also sweet. She was very generous.

Rainbow Pre-school Graduation

Grandma Clayton, Grammy and Pop Pop Campbell, Aunt Beth, Jackson and the star students Jonathan and cousin Lauren graduated from Helen Gourley's Rainbow Preschool! They sang songs about Days of the Week, Holidays, Telling Time, and such and then received their diplomas and ate a rainbow of refreshments and Skittles candy. (Which Jonathan added to his clear soda to make colored "punch").

Author's Tea with Miss H

Tea anyone? How about an autograph from the author!? Miss H and I went to her school's media center and had "tea" (ice water with lemons) and lots of scrumptious cookies, brownies, and sweet breads while we sat down at a table and listened to the authors' of their "All About Me" published and bound books. (Always knew she would write stories!)

A Wonderful Mother's Day!

Mother's Day:

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The Hand That Rocks The Cradle Is The Hand That Rules The World is a poem by William Ross Wallace that praises motherhood as the preeminent force for change in the world.

Wikipedia, free encyclopedia

Blessings on the hand of women! Angels guard its strength and grace, In the palace, cottage, hovel, Oh, no matter where the place; Would that never storms assailed it, Rainbows ever gently curled; For the hand that rocks the cradle Is the hand that rules the world. Infancy's the tender fountain, Power may with beauty flow, Mother's first to guide the streamlets, From them souls unresting grow-- Grow on for the good or evil, Sunshine streamed or evil hurled; For the hand that rocks the cradle Is the hand that rules the world.

Woman, how divine your mission Here upon our natal sod! Keep, oh, keep the young heart open Always to the breath of God! All true trophies of the ages Are from mother-love impearled; For the hand that rocks the cradle Is the hand that rules the world. Blessings on the hand of women! Fathers, sons, and daughters cry, And the sacred song is mingled With the worship in the sky-- Mingles where no tempest darkens, Rainbows evermore are hurled; For the hand that rocks the cradle Is the hand that rules the world.

Never a Dull Moment (911)

As those of you with children know, there is often never a dull moment! Tonight, after the elementary "Extravaganza," Joe and I left all four children in our bedroom watching "Night at the Museum" while we drove to a market (three minutes down the street). We were participating in a neighborhood yard sale in the morning and wanted to get round price stickers, cereal, and a treat for Friday night. (We also bought along Stephenie Meyer's new novel The Host that Joe is excited about reading. We finished up Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George just today). At the store we ran into a friend of Hannah's mother. After chatting a few minutes, we left and I read to Joe as we headed home. As our house came into view, Joe gasped and said,"Julie, Look!" In front of our house their was a firetruck, ambulance, and police car--all with lights on and circling and an unknown gray sedan in our driveway. "Oh no!" Joe parked across the street and I jumped out and ran towards the house, sick to my stomach, smelling for smoke and listening. I reached the front door and opened it to find nine uniformed Emergency personnel in the front entryway, along with my children and Aunt Beth and a friend Troy (the gray car). Beth was smiling. I looked around. "Are you the mother?" a man asks. "Yes," I hesitantly respond. "Your daughter here (Hannah) called us at 911 because her brother fell and hit his head on your treadmill and she was concerned about the blood. She was pretty nervous about your response and we just want you to know that that she was brave and did the right thing." My immediate thought was,"No she did not! Joe had his cell phone and she never called it, we were closer than the fire station!" I kept this to myself. The men were very friendly and it seemed to be a slow night for Emergencies along the Wasatch Front. They stayed and chatted, signed autographs for Rebekah and told me differing advice on whether or not to get it stitched or "let it be (scar over) and help make him look like a boy!" After we served Aunt Beth and Troy drinks and strawberries and heard how they had just come minutes before and about Rebekah using a white washcloth to stanch the blood, we butterflied the small hole closed on Jonathan's forehead, called Grandpa Clayton and discussed gluing the wound tomorrow at his office and went to bed. Never a dull moment!

School Extravaganza!

Every year the elementary school holds a fund raising event where they sell pizza, hot dogs, nachos, cotton candy, bake sale items, and tickets for face painting, hair dying, train rides, and jumping games, Fishing Pond, etc. They also do a gift basket auction and cake walk. The funds earned go back to help the school buy playground equipment, fund reading programs and teacher training, etc. Whole family fun, fun, fun (amidst the tears, ups and downs of "I want,"s and sometimes losing one another...).

Too Hot Already?

Ahh, Spring has sprung and with it comes the crazy weather in Utah. In snowed last Thursday and today (Monday) it is in the 70s. Miss H and Miss R invited a couple of friends over to play in the sprinklers and get cold in the kiddie pool and then heat up in the jacuzzi before going home. I can still hear my mother's saying,"Play in the sprinklers? Not before the snow is melted off Timp! (Timpanogus Mtn.)" Sometimes all the snow is still on Timp in July...guess I've gone soft!

Happy Anniversary!

Dear Joseph, Thank you for choosing me to marry you eleven years ago in the Salt Lake Temple. Thank you for being my best friend, husband, lover, Daddy, handyman, budgeter, exercise partner, game player, childbirth supporter, comforter, comedian, book clubber, poet, and statistician etc. May we have many more years together. Lilies, Julie For our anniversary this year, we stayed at the Silverado Lodge at The Canyons. Why there? Joe had to attend an all day UHIN meeting the next day. We brought Susie and Jonathan up early and Grandpa and Grandma Clayton brought up Miss R and Miss H after their school. We shopped in Park City, read a great book, and found a quaint Italian restaurant with a fireplace and Creme Brule (one dish, two spoons). Grammy and Pop Pop Campbell came up the next night and we ate dinner together and enjoyed the jacuzzi tubs (Joe and the children found the pool--it was being serviced while we were there).