~Happy 1st Birthday Claire~

So I missed little Claire's birthday as I recouped this last week but wanted to give this little cutie a shout out as she celebrates her 1st year of life.

*This petite tiny little thing is always so happy. You can't help but smile when you see her. She has a funny personality and likes to make people laugh. We were all excited to find out that a girl (Claire) would be the final sibling for the other Campbell family. A perfect book end to the already 2 brother & 2 sister clan they had. 

So Baby Jaxson is exactly 1 year younger than Claire but my guess is he will pass her up in size by next year. But wait...here is the one picture you'll ever see that she looks huge!

(One of my favorite pictures of all time): 

~Godzilla Claire!~

♥Hope your 1st Birthday was a great one!♥

Scout Advancement

This Wolf 

Becomes 

A Bear!

Spencer earned his Wolf badge in Cub Scouts this month just in time before his 9th Birthday. He has really enjoyed every aspect of Scouts from the friendships with the other boys, learning new things, Pack Meetings, to the great range of weekly activities.

Congrats Spence on another great accomplishment!

Mom & Jax Going Home

Getting ready to check out of the hospital.

(So why did no one tell me that about the cords that were about to strangle my neck at any second?)

(This is the position Jaxson slept in the night before: right on Mom's chest. He lay there peacefully in dream land & hardly moved all night.)

Adios: Hospital      Hola: Real Life

Don't forget to grab the flowers!

Look at this Cutie!

(Picking Up the Kids @ Mom & Dad's)

Tim: "Hi Day I missed you."

Audra: "Is he strapped in okay?" 

We're HOME!

Excited & Ready to be a Big Brother!

Meet little Jaxson!

Jaxson Mit Thomas Campbell

6 pounds 9 ounces

19½ inches

born 7:58 am

May 21st, 2009

The Big Moment

Love at First Sight...and Sound

Proud Mama & Papa

They couldn't believe he was finally here!

cooing jaxson, smiling daylan, coughing kaylea & gitchy-gooing spencer

do I really have 4 kids?

~Please excuse my recent blog absence as we regroup from a very eventful & overwhelming few weeks emotionally & physically. *Sunday morning (the 17th) began the craziness as we heard the saddening news that Tim's cousin Russ passed away unexpectedly in his sleep. Tim went through the typical feelings of denial, shock, sadness, and guilt for not having spent more time with him these last few years. After grieving with Russ' family for a time, we were required to quickly move on with rest of our week. Tim was asked to speak at the funeral adding a little more stress & emotion to things.

*Wednesday (20th) the kids said goodbye to friends as it was their last day of school here in Mesa. Daylan graduated from his 3 yr old Preschool class & We celebrated our 10th Wedding Anniversary with foot massages, a quick dinner @ Paradise Bakery & a priesthood blessing from Tim & my Dad. I showed Tim the video I had made him highlighting our 10 years together with home-video clips & pictures.

Then it was off to bed because 5:30 am, *Thursday morning (21st) came quickly as we showed up to the hospital. We welcomed sweet Jaxson into our family. A joyous moment amidst the chaos! *Later that day we even signed papers on a house in Queen Creek that we will be moving to in July.

*Friday morning as Tim attended Russ' viewing all the emotion that had built up over the past 5 days tumbled over and he broke down. But my brave Tim mustered up the courage to get on stage and give the opening talk at the funeral. I longed to be there with him and give my love and support but lay there helpless in a hospital bed, only able to support him via texting. I heard he gave an amazing talk on the Plan of Salvation and spoke of the 4 days that Russ & Jaxson had together and things they must have talked about. Tim insightfully spoke of death & birth having just experienced both & explained that both were intricate to the Plan. (Russ, a devoted husband & father to 2 young daughters would have turned 36 today.)

*I find my last post ironic as I mentioned having Faith even though we don't know all that our life entails. I pray that my testimony of the Plan of Salvation might always pull me through whatever life has in store.*

~We are enjoying every minute with our little angel Jaxson and love just gazing at him and feeling his sweet presence in our home.~

He's Our Dream Come True; An Answered Prayer!

~Amazing that the more children I have, the more I truly realize what a miracle & blessing they are from our Father In Heaven.~

Just when I think my heart couldn't stretch any further with love....it does.

Some of Jaxson's hospital visitors...

and admirers.

People love little Jax....

You just can't help but love this little guy!

(okay so I'm biased)

♥10 YEARS!...and counting♥

May 20th, 1999

From Here To Eternity

10 years later...

May, 2009

Happy Anniversary Honey...Hope you like your present. Um.. do you mind if I give you it tomorrow...about 7:30 am? We'll call him Jax. :)

Love, Me

Daylan graduates...

How appropriate that the day before my new baby comes, my other baby is graduating....well even if it is just from 3 year old Preschool. Anyhow Wednesday the 20th, Daylan felt all grown up and just in time to become the BIG BROTHER.

Grandma Kathy came for the celebration.

His Graduating Class:

look for the short, smiling one at the right side of the screen

(okay he is a 3 yr old in a 4 yr old class...so it's not that bad right?)

Thanks to Ms. Chris for being patient with Daylan's shy antics and having faith in his abilities.

There is a lot of symbolism to this photo. 

For 1: The last picture I would have taken of me before the next day Baby Jaxson's birth. 

For 2: Four years ago this same week, we were celebrating Spencer graduating from Preschool when I was also 9 months pregnant then, but with Daylan. Oh how time flies.

This "Caterpillar" Kindergartner...

......becomes a "Butterfly" 1st Grader.

~I love having a little girl. Of course I love my boys too, but there's just something special about a girl, especially when it comes to communicating. For instance, each day when the kids would get home from school, I would ask Spencer how his day was & he would usually respond with a simple ...  "It was good."

Now when I would ask Kaylea, a typical response from her would be: 

"Well Mom... I wish I didn't wear my flip flops today because I got sand in my toes at recess. Did you know that Sage wore her hair in pig tails today just like me?... Oh and we did this cool art project and I colored SO GOOD. I got a new library book and a sticker at computer lab.   And then...on the bus Gabriel gave me a brown crayon and said it was his favorite color. Then he gave me a paper with his phone number on it. I think he likes me."

Here are some pictures of Kaylea with the friends & teacher in her class on the day of their Music Program. She was in afternoon Kindergarten this last semester with a class total of 5 girls & 6 boys and loved it.

Kaylea & her biggest fan! = Daylan

Spencer ends 3rd Grade

Here's Spencer's latest project as he finished out his 3rd Grade year. He had to choose an endangered species & he chose the Rhinoceros to do his Animal Report & Habitat on. Spencer informed me of all kinds of details about rhinos. For instance did you know that "their horns are vital to their being alive?"...according to Spencer when the rhinos are 'de-horned' by illegal hunters, it kills them because their horn is connected to their brain or somethin' somethin' like that. 

Starting in January, I enrolled them in the local public school after homeschooling him & Kaylea the first semester. I enjoyed being able to go into Spencer's class every other week to help out & see him interact with the class. 

The last week of school Daylan & Kaylea joined me as we brought in summer birthday treats for Spence. He really enjoyed his teacher Mr. B and learned much; not so much academically (since he was so ahead), but more so about peoples differences and how to deal with all different kinds of people. An experience this future bishop will appreciate.

Spencer tested for ELP (Extended Learning Pull-Out Service) the last week of school and we just received a letter saying he 'passed' & has been recommended for the advanced learning class in 4th grade. 

CONGRATS on another great year Bud!

*Faith* ~Sabbath thought~

~A couple of months ago I was talking to a cousin of mine. She asked me how I was doing in my pregnancy. I said things were going fine and at that point I was just really nervous & even scared about the thought of being cut open yet once again. 

(I don't know why this time I have been SO nervous about the pregnancy and birth, but I just have. Maybe because the risks of C-sections grow greater the more you have or that there were so many unknowns in our life right then or because we have waited quite a bit for this little guy to join us and I was afraid we could lose him..?)

~My cousin looked me in the eyes and confidently yet peacefully she said: "Audra Have Faith...have faith. Everything will be okay." Such a simple response BUT I knew that she believed what she told me. I have since then often thought about her response. *Yes bad things can and do happen, but what matters is my faith in an all-knowing God. He knows the beginning, the end, the middle. We really can't change much, but what we can change are our choices, our attitudes and our amount of FAITH.

4 days left...and I do have FAITH that no matter what, everything will be okay this week as I, with the help of a loving Father in Heaven bring a precious child into this world. With your additional prayers and faith I will have an even greater sense of peace.

Moroni 7:33~37

 33 And Christ hath said: ^aIf ye will have ^bfaith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is ^cexpedient in me.

  34 And he hath said: ^aRepent all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me, and be baptized in my name, and have faith in me, that ye may be saved.

  35 And now, my beloved brethren, if this be the case that these things are true which I have spoken unto you, and God will show unto you, with ^apower and great glory at the last ^bday, that they are true, and if they are true has the day of miracles ceased?

  36 Or have angels ceased to appear unto the children of men? Or has he ^awithheld the power of the Holy Ghost from them? Or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man upon the face thereof to be saved?

  37 Behold I say unto you, Nay; for it is by faith that ^amiracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men; wherefore, if these things have ceased wo be unto the children of men, for it is because of ^bunbelief, and all is vain.

Football King

*My FAVORITE SITE to see on a 

Saturday morning!*

(a Thumbs-Up from Daylan)

*So I have to mention that the 1st game Daylan had he literally threw his body on the ground in the middle of the field when he didn't want to play. ~A proud Mother Moment...not. Seriously, I promise he BEGGED me to do this although I'm sure it looked as if I was forcing it. (Pahlease!.... 31-37 weeks pregnant...I'd much rather be sleeping in Saturday mornings than be at an 8:00 game.)

Daylan's personality is so funny. You have to really know him to really understand him. He is ULTRA sensitive & gets his feelings hurt easily. If he doesn't understand something completely or if you tell him to do something that wasn't his idea. Or if he says something that you didn't understand... watch out! He'll give the classic pouty lip and if you're lucky you might get to witness a "Daylan-tantrum." Quite amusing I'm sure IF you're NOT the parent.  

So anyhow you can see why now we can be the proud parents. We're cheering not for touchdowns, but rather for things like when he played his 1st practice & then game WITHOUT a family member on the field. 

The frustrating thing is that Daylan actually has an amazing arm & is very good at playing any sort of ball game. It comes really naturally for him. At a year old he'd throw and catch a ball better than me...although that's not saying too much.

Daylan hiking the ball 

*So being that it's almost the end of the season, we are thrilled that our consistency in coming to the games in which most he never played, has payed off! Saturday Dude went into play his 2nd game (with a little bribing) and made a couple of plays. He hiked the ball 3 times & ran the ball once. He actually got his flag pulled before he could make it across the line, but his coach told him to keep running, so Daylan thinks he made a touchdown! All the parents cheered as if he did & he was pretty proud of himself....Thus the "thumbs-up" at the top of the page. 

Today at practice he did awesome and had all the confidence in the world.

We love you Dude!

Soccer Diva

This little girl is definitely her father's daughter! She was born with a competitive, strong little spirit. With the challenges she's already had to face since birth, I believe her strong willed spirit is to get her through the tough things that she has & will endure.

Tim, Kaylea & Grandpa Ron

*Kaylea comes across as timid & shy but those who really know her, know it's all an act. This girl is tough! One day out of the blue she said: "Mom I want to play soccer." So I put her in soccer & these are pics of her at her 1st game: A Pro! The coaches were like "Are you sure she's never played before?"

Getting a Pep Talk from Dad

Playing @ one of her more recent games:

(Look at those long legs & that lengthy stride)

Kaylea just happened to be put on a team with 10 girls & 1 boy, so it has been fun to see so many PINK balls & LOTS of emotion. I think she was the only girl that didn't cry at some point of the season. She has really enjoyed learning the game of soccer & hates to see the season have to end soon. Good Job Kay Kay!