The Campbell Family: Joe, Amy, Lucas, and Kate

Little Mother

2011-05-02T16:11:00.000-07:00

Kate loves sitting and singing to her babies....melts my heart!

Easter

2011-05-02T16:02:00.000-07:00

Lucas woke up with a fever, breathing issues, and strep throat! Despite that, we had a great Easter! Kate and I went to church and then we had dinner at Grandma's, Joe and I trading off.

Toothfairies First Visit

2011-05-02T15:57:00.000-07:00

Lucas began wiggling his first tooth on the lower front and within a day and a half he had wiggled it out! The toothfairy visited and left her fairy dust all over him and his bed and left a $5 bill! We went the next day to the Dollar General and got many treasures! He was so excited!

Baseball Season!

2011-05-02T15:50:00.000-07:00

Lucas is playing in the coach pitch league this year and is doing very well! He's a better batter than fielder, he gets a little preoccupied with shooting his teammates with spiderwebs! He usually gets a hit everytime up! He's got a great team, Sam, Peyton, Tristan and Nate. They are having a great time!

Spring Break

2011-05-02T15:44:00.000-07:00

We did lots over spring break around our "home base". We went to the zoo, Louisville playgrounds, Huber's, lots of playing outside in the great weather!

January Snow Sledding

2011-01-30T05:46:00.001-08:00

We went out to Mom and Dad's to sled with the cousins. Janna and Finn went along, too. As soon as we got there Dad put us on a sled together, I was too trusting. You can see where we ended up and that was after catching air from the ramp that I didn't know we would be going over. Kate squealed the whole way and Lucas couldn't wait to get to the top to do it again!

Babies, babies, babies

2011-01-17T12:09:00.000-08:00

We feed them, put clothes on, take them off, change diapers, tuck them in, snuggle with them....repeat.....

This is the picture before frustration sets in. She wants to fit with her babies and it just won't happen.

The "Chalet"

2011-01-17T12:02:00.000-08:00

On Sat. Curt invited us to the "chalet"he was house-sittting. We had a fun afternoon playing with the coyote-dog and hiking through the woods.

Snow Days!

2011-01-17T11:04:00.000-08:00

The best part of winter is definetly snow days! The kids had a blast outside!

Saturday with Santa

2010-12-06T19:01:00.000-08:00

Lucas is so excited about Santa and has SO many questions this year, yet he is still very timid! He wanted to do everything ELSE first then go see Santa. Thank goodness for his cousins' persuasions!

Telling Santa....

I love Lucas' proud face in this one, like "Look where I'm sitting" but still a bit frightened.

Kate, on the other hand, has a "don't even think about it" approach. She says, "I no sit on Sinta's lap" as she shakes her head "no". But almost every night she says, "I want to see Sinta." Go figure!

Candyland

2010-12-06T18:56:00.001-08:00

Our Black Friday started in Candyland at Derby Dinner! We had a great breakfast, Kate with most of it on her shirt, and enjoyed the show!

Kate's 2nd Birthday

2010-10-31T10:36:00.000-07:00

We had a simple celebration for Kate's "happy day". She's not big on crowds right now so we grilled some hot dogs and had a nice fire. She had a great time. She loves kitties so we did a "Hello Kitty" cake. You might notice the bow....I had to bribe her by saying, "You can only eat cake if you have a bow in your hair," it was surprisingly effective, but what happened to it after cake, I'll never know! It ended up being a very fun evening! Most importantly Kate had a great "happy day". She is still telling us everyday that "I 2. It my happy day." Not sure when her "happy day" is going to end!

Playing in the leaves

2010-10-31T05:52:00.000-07:00

Kate was a sneak-attacker while Nate and Lucas were trying to make a big pile. She would speedy-fast be in the middle of it!

Waiting on my oatmeal patiently...

2010-10-03T12:26:00.000-07:00

Lucas' 5th Birthday

2010-10-03T12:16:00.000-07:00

What a fun and crazy day! I counted 22 kids present, 11 of which were under 2, the rest were under 5 with the exception of 2! It was nuts! Pretty bad when the calmest part was the pinata-bashing! We were glad that so many could make it to help us celebrate, reptile-style!

Labor Day

2010-09-18T11:01:00.001-07:00

We had all been under the weather the week and weekend leading up to Labor Day, but we were well just in time to attend a family reunion!

Catching up with friends!

2010-08-22T12:07:00.001-07:00

Kate and Isabelle

SC girls! How we've multiplied!

I.U. roomies!

Lucas and Peyton

This is what summer's all about!

Huber's

2010-08-22T10:25:00.001-07:00

Kate was telling them "No bite...."

Family Trip to the Zoo

2010-08-22T10:11:00.000-07:00

My yard sale steal the day before! I sold my other double stroller back in May b/c I didn't like how big it was and hard to manuever. I have been missing one this summer and happened upon this one at a great price!!(with a little sweet-talkin')

My little monkey!

The kids and I were able to make several trips to the zoo this summer. We were able to bring Daddy along on this trip! Kate kissed every piece of plexi-glass in the place! She was a hoot making the animal sounds! Lucas is passionate about the snakes...yuck! He's all B-O-Y!

French Lick Water Park

2010-08-22T09:48:00.000-07:00

Summer fun!

2010-08-22T09:21:00.001-07:00

4th of July Weekend

2010-07-14T19:29:00.000-07:00

Panama City Beach Vacation

2010-06-28T10:19:00.001-07:00

This was the norm when I looked to the backseat on the way to, (12 hours) and from (14 hours) Panama City Beach. We were able to go with GG and Pop, Matt and family, and Curt flew in from CA to meet us! We had such and unbelievably fun time spending most of our time at the pool and some time each day at the beach. We had nap time (adults and kids) everyday. We had great seafood dinners and most importantly, great memory-making moments! I'll share just a few!

My bathing beauty! It was difficult to get her picture with her eyes open with that bright Florida sun shining so brightly!

We finally made it! This is how the boys celebrated on our way to the beach!

Kate wasn't too keen on wet sand on her toes. Pop was trying to be persuasive!

Kate must have been showing me what Pop showed her.

The kids pooped-out at the end of the day. Kate and baby were tuckered out!

Between 3 cameras, we took this picture about 75 times. This was my best.

She got braver as the week went on....

Only thing missing was Daddy! Boy, did we miss him!

On our "alligator walk" in St. Andrews State Park. Luckily, we didn't see any :) We would've been too easy of a target.

Kate spent most of her beach time under the tent eating snacks and napping.

We had a fabulous trip! Hopefully one of MANY to the beach!

Teeball

2010-06-06T06:29:00.000-07:00

Triple trouble = Peyton, Nate, and Lucas

Gearing up for the parade!

Lucas and Nate

Easter

2010-06-06T05:43:00.001-07:00

Roommate Reunion

2010-03-25T19:29:00.000-07:00

3/5 of the I.U. girls got together in Jasper the last weekend in February. It was the first time we met Quinlin. We had a great time getting to know him and catching up! Thanks for coming down Katie! He's a doll!

First Birthday Parties

2010-03-25T19:20:00.000-07:00

Two of Kates "gal-pals", Isabelle and Addison celebrated their first birthdays this month! Happy birthday girls!

Game Night at the McAfee's

2010-03-25T19:17:00.001-07:00

While the grown-ups were playing games, the kids enjoyed watching Madagascar on the big screen. This was one of the only times they were all sitting!

Uncle Curt/Jungle Gym

2010-02-20T08:47:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun with Uncle Curt while he was home!

Jenna's Baptism

2010-02-20T08:23:00.000-08:00

My beautiful niece, Jenna Rae! Congratulations!

Sledding

2010-01-10T09:41:00.001-08:00

This morning we skipped church (shhh) and went sledding at the golf course! The kids (and adults) had a blast! Kate loved it too! What a perfect morning. Uncle Curt came home from his trip early just so he could take his nephews, and Kate, sledding!

Christmas Day

2010-01-10T09:40:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve at GG and Pop's

2010-01-01T07:36:00.001-08:00

I love matching pj's!

2010-01-01T07:16:00.001-08:00

My little candy cane children woke up ready to go to GG's house to celebrate! Since Kate can't pull off a bow yet we had to accessorize with the boots!

Nee Nee's Party

2009-12-26T19:12:00.000-08:00

Lucas was one of the wisemen in the nativity during the play. He informed me he was #1 (he was the oldest). Kate wasn't able to go b/c she had run fever all week. I really wanted to see her in her snow fairy costume :(. Lucas was reluctant to sit on Santa's lap, but peer pressure worked to our advantage this time!

Oregon Trip

2009-12-26T18:59:00.000-08:00

Our family traveled to OR the week before Thanksgiving. It was Kate's first time meeting Joe's brothers, dad, aunts, uncles, and cousins! We had a great time! We were able to spend the weekend at his parents' time share where we were able to spend quality time with his brothers' families and parents. Lucas had a great time reacquainting himself with his "girl" cousins! We were able to get together with MOST family members and many of Joe's friends! It was a great trip! To view our pictures go to our shutterfly site, joeamycampbellfamilypictures.shutterfly.com

2009-10-23T11:20:00.000-07:00

Happy 1st B-Day to Kate. We celebrated last weekend and had a great time. Kate loved her cake and ate nearly half of it. Hard to believe she is already 1. Time flies when your having fun!!!

Lucas turns 4!!!

2009-09-29T09:17:00.001-07:00

Hard to believe our little boy has turned 4. Seems like just yesterday we brought him home. We are so lucky to have such a funny, loving, healthy boy. We take a lot of things for granted in life, this weekend reminded me to stop and enjoy the time we get to spend together. Lucas played in the jumper from 10:30-7 with about an hour break. He fell asleep in the shower on my shoulder, tired boy!!!

On the move

2009-09-12T10:57:00.000-07:00

A week ago Thursday, Kate took her official first step. Over Labor Day weekend she would go a step farther each day! I would say now, she's officially walking. Check her out!

Ahhhhh-ah-ah

2009-08-30T13:08:00.001-07:00

When we make this noise Kate will lay her head down on whatever or whoever she is playing with! She loves to love right now!

Shopping with Mommy

2009-08-30T12:59:00.001-07:00

Last week we got caught in Target during a thunderstorm so we passed the time in the toy aisle. I got some great ideas for 1st and 4th birthday presents!

Kate loved these baby dolls that crawled and made noises as you walked by! She kept clapping and trying to kiss them! She's so sweet!

Hanging out with the newest addition

2009-08-30T12:51:00.000-07:00

Pictures from Holiday World that never got posted!

2009-08-30T12:44:00.000-07:00

I just found these pictures that I forgot to post after our trip to Holiday World. This was by far the best day of the summer! We had such a great family-fun day! Lucas can't wait to go back!

New Addition to the Family

2009-08-21T07:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Jenna Rae Davidson was born!!! Healthy little girl of 7 lbs. 2 oz. Everyone is doing great!!

Jimmy Buffett Concert

2009-08-16T14:13:00.000-07:00

Joe and I went with some of our best "couple" friends to the Jimmy Buffett concert in Cincinnatti. It was our adult end-of -summer outing. This is on the lawn, waiting for Jimmy.

Oh, there were many sights to be seen. We were walking through the field seeing them:)

The people who had this have an actual website where they post these. Die-hard Buffett fans!

My great friends, Alicia and Janelle. Thanks for the pics Alicia!

4 year pictures

2009-08-16T13:18:00.000-07:00

Isn't he handsome??

2009-08-05T14:11:00.000-07:00

Just a sampling of Kate's 9 month pictures we had taken today! Lucas got his 4 year picture taken too, but they're all turned the wrong way for blogging! I'll work on it!

Squire Boone Cavern

2009-08-05T12:31:00.000-07:00

We went on a day trip last Sunday to Squire Boone Cavern with the McAfee family. Lucas and Sam had their flashlights and were ready to see some bats. If you ask Lucas about his visit to the cave he'll tell you his favorite part was seeing the bats (we never saw any though! :)) I think we'll take an annual spluenking trip every summer.

Is it time to go yet? 73 stairs down and 73 stairs back up!

Action shots! Lookl at all those bats!

Lunch break! What big helpers!

Mining for gems! We have a whole bag of them! No gems could be better than Lucas and Kate, though!

Community Park

2009-08-04T10:41:00.000-07:00

We've been to Community Park several times this summer. Lucas loves going and feeding the ducks. He's always so excited to feed them, but gets a little nervous when every duck in the park surrounds him. His nose is at perfect nipping level!

Jackson County Fair

2009-07-30T12:03:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday we made our 2nd annual visit to the Jackson County Fair.

The "pee" amigos...we had to stop twice (50 min. drive) for pee-breaks on the way there.

Kate loves hanging out with Pop and watching the boys and all the animals. I'm not sure how I ended up forgetting to take pictures of any of the animals.

We saw tractors, tractors, and more tractors.

We ended the night at the rides and games. What fun we had!

Kate's first graham cracker

2009-07-24T13:51:00.001-07:00

Kate's had a variety of new foods this week, plus anything she finds on the floor :)

She loved the graham cracker. She tried rice last night and a french fry today. She seems to want what we have and isn't crazy about her baby food. It takes her 3 meals to go through a Stage 2 food and we still throw lots away. I'm going to move her back to Stage 1 for awhile. She is qutie "gaggy" on anything with texture. Oh well, she's a happy baby, is growing, and sleeping through the night so I'm not too worried!

Back in the swing of things

2009-07-24T13:22:00.000-07:00

By Tuesday we were up and running again after Joe and I both being sick Sunday. I needed most of the day Monday to catch up on sleep after my E.R. visit for a Cat-Scan of my guts, which turned out fine! (Long night, long story!) We had our final week of swim lessons! Lucas is definetely more comfortable in the water and willing to try new things! We went swimming at a friends house, made a trip to the library, and today, went to SIGS Sportsplex to "Bounce Time" with Sam and Jake. Everyone had a blast! We had some sweaty, tired boys afterward. The germ-i-phobe in me made Lucas get in his pool (he was too tired to go for a bath) and I squirted some baby shampoo in there to clean him off a bit! Can you blame me with all the illnesses lately?

Kate and Jake having their own fun!

Lucas stealing the cheese from the cheese pit! Check out those red cheeks!

Sam and Lucas were "tit for tat" today! They play and fight like brothers sometimes!

Guess who woke up with a 101.5 temp. after nap?

2009-07-16T18:24:00.001-07:00

Kate....we almost made it 24 hours without fever this week....

Monumental Sick Week

2009-07-16T11:51:00.000-07:00

Monumental because Kate began pulling up on Sunday/Monday and crawling on Tuesday! Wow have I been busy! Sick because Lucas started running a fever and coughing on Sunday and it finally broke last night about 9:30. He is much better today, but still doesn't have a lot of energy and is hacking still! We haven't done one thing this week other than some short strolls in the evening and a trip to the dr. and drugstore. Tonight we're going to try swim lessons and dinner.

Getting those veggies in creatively....

Watch out Lucas...she owes you some ear tugging for all you've put her through the last 9 months!

I was worried about Kate taking her FIRST bottle from me, yes I said first, on Tuesday. I have been having back issues and had to get a shot of anti-inflammatory so Kate had to take a bottle for that following feeding. (Pump and dump: 14 oz down the drain:() ) As you can see, she didn't care how she got it....she sucked it right down!

Happy baby

2009-07-08T07:26:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July

2009-07-08T06:36:00.000-07:00

We had a cook-out-packed 4th of July weekend! We had lots of food, fun, and fireworks. Lucas and Kate were both fascinated by the fireworks!

This is how Kate stayed dry until the parade started and the sirens woke her up.

Braving the rain for the parade.

Ready for bed after watching the fireworks!

Swim lessons

2009-07-08T06:30:00.000-07:00

Lucas and his tee-ball buddies, Sam and Gabe, have moved onto swim lessons at the Y. There are only 6 in their class. Lucas is a little intimidated after the first lesson where they divided them into 2 groups, the sinkers and the swimmers. Lucas was a sinker. He DOES NOT like going underwater. I had to bribe him to get him to go back. He "has to pee" anytime they are getting ready to do something he doesn't think he wants to do. He's so like me, it's scary! Once he does something he is giving me a thumbs-up and smiling, sometimes in the middle of what he's doing!

Hole repaired

2009-06-29T11:57:00.000-07:00

Lucas now has some bling in his mouth. We went for his first dentist visit about 2 weeks ago because he had a spot where food kept getting stuck. We are so good about brushing teeth and they even brush them after lunch at Nee Nee's. The dentist said due to the placement and the good condition of his other teeth that it was probably developmental. So...today we had to go have his hole fixed with a silver cap :(. I was dreading it because he actually had a good first experience and was looking forward to going back...now that's all changed, unfortunately. I had to lay on top of him to keep him from pulling on their arms and sitting up. I figured, better me than a stranger. I would have hated to have seen it without the laughing gas because it didn't seem to do much to calm him. I told them to crank it up! Afterwards he said that it didn't hurt it was just scary. He's sleeping now. He cried himself to sleep because he was exhausted and he said "I don't like this in there". I think it's rubbing on his gum. Hopefully we'll have only good visits from now on. I will definetly take some bribery to get him back there, but I figure I've got about 5 months to do it and for him to forget this!

Sunday at the Zoo

2009-06-29T11:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the first day without CRAZY humidity so we decided to go to the zoo. Joe hasn't been able to go with us yet this summer! We had a great time and were home before it got too hot.

Lucas with the lemurs. "King Julians" from his favorite Nick show "Penguins of Madagascar". We ended up buying one at the gift shop. It's the first time we've ever gotten anything in all of our zoo trips, but I was clear that this was not going to become a habit!

Feeling the love with the penguins. My sweet little boy.

Hold on Kate!

This hippo really liked Lucas! He kept swimming up and giving him a kiss.

2009-06-24T18:06:00.000-07:00

We had quite a busy day today. We started off playing outside most of the morning. Then we had a guest, Kate's gal-pal, Isabelle, Danielle's daughter (4 mo.). She came over and Lucas "babysat 2 babies!" He was so excited to be a helper. Thank goodness he napped from 1:30-4:15!

At 5:30 Lucas had a rain make-up tee ball game in the blazing heat, but the other team didn't show up! We got a little practice in anyway. Afterwards, GG brought Lucas some new googles to sport while he was cooling off. Look who joined him after mowing the grass. Truly a summer day!

Last 2 weeks

2009-06-22T12:08:00.000-07:00

Kate's first swim! She was stylin' in her new suit. I'll post a model-shot soon! I had my hands full that day!

My little water bug!

Family picture at Addison's baptism.

My gal with me

Daddy's wrapped around her little finger!

(Thanks for the pics Janna!)

Slip and Slide

2009-06-14T06:16:00.001-07:00

Cole and Nate got a new slip and slide and invited Lucas down to try it out!

Kate enjoys watching everything they do!

Coles Birthday Party and Lukes Tball Game/Practice

2009-05-26T18:42:00.000-07:00

A couple of pictures of Cole's 5th b-day Party and Luke's rain make-up game that turned into practice. Also, a little video footage of Luke at his game. We had a good time at both.

Kate and Jake on their first date...watching their brothers playing baseball!

Luke in action.

First Tee Ball Game (finally!)

2009-05-24T05:44:00.000-07:00

Today was Lucas' first tee ball game after 2 rain-outs. He and his "cousin" Sam were so excited to see each other and so cute in their Pirate uniforms!

Lucas was patiently waiting for the other teams to finish!

Lucas was such a trooper. It was hovering around 90 degrees and at 2:00, right during naptime. He never once complained or left the field. I'll try to get some vidoe next time.

We love the nice weather!

2009-05-19T18:00:00.001-07:00

Kate's first sliding experience.

Uncle Curt encouraging the adventurous side of Lucas (not that he needs much encouragement!)

Kentucky Derby 135

2009-05-03T11:57:00.000-07:00

Well, they always say that things happen for a reason....Friday the weather forecast was quite gloomy...70% chance of rain with a high of 58. So, we decided to postpone our cook-out until Memorial Day weekend. Turns out, the sun came out, it was not too hot and not too cold and I was really kicking myself for not going through with it until about 12:00 when we were offered 2 Derby tickets for $50 each!!! It costs $40 to go to the infield alone! We decided we couldn't pass it up, when would we ever get that kind of opportunity again? So we got all fancied up and headed to Churchill. We had a blast! I was 2 for 2 before the Derby race. Of course on the first race I told Joe to bet $2 on 3 to WIN and what did he hear? $5 on 8 to win. Of course 3 won, but I had nothing to show for it. I was up $2 on the day. Joe on the otherhand, we won't go there....The horses, to me, were the same, but the people watching was WAY better. The hats (one made from balloons), outfits (lots of bowties and plaid), drunken people dressed like cowboys, fat guy in a Speedo with a gold medal and a Michael Phelps swim cap were some of our people watching highlights. We are glad we can say that we've actually been to the Derby. Thanks to Mom and Dad for watching the kids, again, so we could go.

Joe's friend, Gus, and wife Amy who got the tickets for us. It was great to finally meet them.

Me with my $5.60 winnings (could've been more, thanks a lot wooden-ear Joe)

The guys had to get a picture with THIS guy!

Mine that Bird heading to get the blanket of roses. (50-1)

Catch-up

2009-04-28T19:16:00.001-07:00

Yikes! How embarrasing that I'm just now posting pictures from Easter!! This is my catch-up post! Things are going well. Kate had her 6 month check up yesterday. She weighed 13lbs. and 14 oz. She's in the 25th percentile for length and weight and the 50th for head (big brains like her momma :)) Other than that we have been enjoying the weather and we're looking forward to our 3rd annual Derby party on Saturday.

I actually got teary-eyed getting Kate dressed! It was like I reverted back to when I dressed up baby dolls. I love dressing her up!

Lucas was not being very cooperative during pictures, but Kate was full of smiles!

I know that turkeys are for Thanksgiving, not Easter, but I had to give him props for finally getting something he's gone hunting for :)

Sunday Hike

2009-04-05T14:06:00.001-07:00

Since today was going to be our last day of nice weather for a week or so we decided to go for a hike at Henryville State Forestry. Lucas was VERY excited.

We found a goose egg in the water. My pack-rat son would normally want to cart it around with us, but thankfully there was too much else to do!

The hikers! We went over lots of little bridges with Lucas, of course, as the leader! We'll definetly have to do this again!

Spring Saturday

2009-04-05T07:03:00.000-07:00

We had great weather yesterday! We began our day by walking down to Cole and Nate's house to watch the Little League Parade! Nothing like a bunch of teams warming up their arms by throwing candy before their first game! Yikes! We MADE OUT! My kids will be so happy to see new candy in my candy box at school! Then we walked on to Easter Egg Hunt #2 at the American Legion, which started at 12, but for some reason they decided to start at 11:50. There were NO eggs left by the time we got there but the boys had fun playing on the playset and didn't seem too upset! The rest of the afternoon we played outside, took naps, and went for ice cream! These are the kinds of days I've been waiting for! Kate is doing much better. She still has a cough and lots of mucas after sleeping, but I think the worst is behind us! We DID have to go back to the Kosair ER last Sunday for the same problem. Her oxygen level was okay once they deep-suctioned her so we got to come home, thankfully! I am ready for warm weather to stick around and for my kids to be well! :)

Lucas likes to live dangerously....messing with my flowers.

We've had to discuss which ones are okay to pick and which ones aren't. So far so good....

Kate thinks Lucas hung the moon! Everything he does is funny! I love watching her watch him. He's such a good big brother!

Easter Egg Hunt #1

2009-03-28T09:41:00.000-07:00

Well, maybe Easter will be like Christmas...by the end my son won't be terrified of the Easter Bunny. If you remember at Christmas it took about 4 exposures for Lucas not to panic around Santa. I've tried to explain that they are friends and they play golf together in the summers...we went to the park, in the rain, with Cole and Nate and he almost chickened out because the Easter Bunny came onto the field. He only got about 6 eggs because he was worried about where Mr. Bunny was. Oh well, that's an easy record to break for next weekends hunt!

Can you see the green fading bruises on both sides of his forehead? One from bumping heads with another child on the playground and the other from hitting the bathtub. The cut on his face is from road-rash from not putting his feet down at the end of the slide. The picture doesn't illustrate his burnt fingers (stove) or his appendage that was zipped up (by Dad!) It's been a rough Spring Break!

Spring Break is here!

2009-03-20T18:39:00.000-07:00

Spring Break is here and we have ABSOLUTELY no plans and I love it! We are just going to hang out, play, and go with the flow! Kate is doing MUCH better. She's only getting up about once a night, coughing, but then goes right back to sleep. We had a super-busy week beginning with St. Baldricks last Sunday. This is the second year Joe has participated and this year he organized a team in honor of one of our friend's son. It was awesome to see! I'm so proud of him.

I had conferences this week so aside from playing catch-up from being out with Kate I had to do report cards and get everything ready to meet with parents. Water under the bridge though. Joe also left for OR to watch the NCAA games in Portland with two of his best friends, his brothers, and his dad. He was very excited to go! I, on the other hand, was a little nervous about getting both the kids ready and out the door on my own...we did great though! I am definetly ready for him to come home on Sunday though. Lucas keeps asking me when Daddy is coming home.

What a week!

2009-03-10T17:30:00.000-07:00

A week ago Saturday Kate started coughing and had a bit of a runny nose. We kept her home on Monday and Joe took her to the dr., who said it was just a viral cold. Wednesday, my babysitter called and said that Kate was running a fever and was breathing a little fast. Another girl there had been diagnosed with RSV the week before so I asked Jeannine to watch her closely. I took her back to the dr. and they diagnosed her with broncholitis. Nothing new to our household! I was thinking, boy, we''ll really get our money's worth with that nebulizer. They said to do treatments every 4 hrs. Right before bed I did a treatment and she seemed to get worse. I called the dr. and they said to give her another one right away and if her respirations didn't slow to take her to the E.R. After her second treatment I called Beth to bring her stethoscope and she timed her respirations at over 100 a minute. I called my mom and we headed to Kosair (Joe stayed home to put Lucas to bed.) When we walked in I couldn't believe how many kids were there with seemingly the same symptoms. After assessing her, they put Kate on the high-priority list because of her need to be deep-suctioned. We were back and had seen a dr. by 10:15 p.m. and she was deep-suctioned at 11:15. Around 12:30 they decided to admit her based on her oxygen level and her respirations. Then they put her on oxygen My mom headed home and Kate and I finally got to a room at about 2:15 a.m. where they deep-suctioned her again. Her mucus was so thick that she couldn't breathe through it or get it out on her own. They would put a long, thin, rubber tube up her nose and down her throat to get all the gunk out. They did that 12-15 times during our stay. In order to come home she had to go all night without oxygen and without needing to be suctioned. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night she had to be put back on oxygen and needed suctioning. Due to her "impressive cough" that lasted 2 minutes at a time they tested her for whooping cough. Thankfully that came back negative, but they were pretty convinced for awhile! Finally she made it Sunday night and we came home Monday! Yeah! She is much better. She has a cough that just won't quit and is not eating or sleeping very well, but we're home! I'm planning to go back to work on Thursday since I'm OUT OF DAYS! YIKES! I home April and May are healthy months! Thanks for all the prayers. Being there reminded me of how many great friends I have and how much we are loved. I am so appreciative of our overall health because there are so many that aren't as fortunate who do what I did for 5 days for a much longer time! We're so blessed!

4 month well-visit

2009-03-01T17:04:00.000-08:00

We went for Kate's 4 month well-visit on Monday and everything was great! Kate weighed in at a whopping 13lbs. and 1 oz. She is really beginning to show us her personality. She's such a happy baby. She thinks everyone around is solely there to entertain her! She smiles non-stop! She just started reaching and grabbing things! We brought down the exersaucer today and she loved it! I can't believe that she's already big enough for it.

We're ba-ack!

2009-02-20T17:18:00.000-08:00

Our computer has been out of commission for the past 3 weeks, but it is back virus-free. It wasn't the only one fighting virus' these past 3 weeks. Lucas finally got over the fever, but then got croup. The following week we were just driving along to school when he said, "Mommy, I just spit up" which was followed by heaving....thank goodness for leather seats! I pulled into the parking lot at school, and then thought, "Now what?" so I called the school secretary who got Joe out of basketball practice and came to my aid. I had stripped Lucas naked because he was soaked through to his underwear. I, then, remembered that I had some clothes in Lucas' size that someone at daycare had given me for Kate....so...I dressed him in a Halloween shirt that said "Who needs a costume when I am already a princess" and pink leopard stretch pants. Too bad I don't have a picture of that :) He was upset that he had to put them on, but Joe and I made such a big deal that they were "cool" that he wouldn't take the pants off for the rest of the day!! Ah, the joys of parenthood. Just when I thought all was clear, I got a call on Wednesday that Kate had it! Yikes! Once I picked her up she was alright, she got it all out there! Lucky for me!

Kate has had 2 new gal pals born in the last 10 days! Sara had Addison (7lbs. 9oz.) and Danielle had Isabelle (7lbs. 9oz.) today! Poor Danielle, her water broke yesterday at 7a.m. and they ended up doing a c-section at 7a.m. this morning! Sara elected for a repeat C-section-smart girl! Our girls are going to have so much fun together! I'll get a trio picture soon!

Music to my ears...

2009-01-28T17:57:00.001-08:00

There's nothing better than the laughter of your children!

More Snow!

2009-01-28T17:49:00.000-08:00

This morning we got about 2 more inches of snow! We were cancelled again today and they've already called for tomorrow! Most schools have already cancelled for the whole week due to some major power outages (Mom's been real busy!) Thankfully we've had power all along. We are so lucky to live in a great neighborhood surrounded by great people. Last night Janna and Brad slid over dodging breaking tree limbs and had some soup with us. We watched Idol and played Apples to Apples. Tonight we had our first annual Neighborhood Snow Party! We all pitched-in something we had the ingredients for without going out. We had quite a spread: brownies, Chef Boy-ardee pizza, KFC, dumplins, chicken buffalo dip and enchiladas! What a mixture! Good food and good friends make the best memories!

Snow Day!!

2009-01-27T11:08:00.001-08:00

Ready to go play! Thanks for the new boots GG and Pop!

So who cares that we'll be going to school in July! It sure is fun today!! We were finished playing in the snow and back in the house drinking hot chocolate by 8:45 a.m.!!! Round 2 will be after nap!

Isn't Life Great?

2009-01-27T11:04:00.000-08:00

Sick week

2009-01-27T10:54:00.000-08:00

Lucas started with a high fever last Monday, courtesy of the aquarium I guess, and was out of commission all last week. He was white as a sheet and burning hot then freezing. He finally was fever-free on Friday. Joe and I took turns juggling work everyday. My mom stayed with him one afternoon while I went in to deal with all the substitute piles and he went to work on Friday morning with Joe! The highest it got was 104.3 and that really scared me! Thank goodness that's over!

A Day Trip to the Newport Aquarium

2009-01-19T05:30:00.000-08:00

Daddy and Lucas in the "Coral Reef". All we said we were missing was some sand and a fruity drink.

Petting the shark: 2 fingers after the shark's head has passed...that kind of scared me!

"It's gonna get me!"

Ribbit!

Stingrays

So, we were getting tired of playing the same games, watching the same shows, and needed a break from our routine. We decided to head to the aquarium near Cincinnati. We had so much fun! It was a really nice aquarium. Lucas had to get over the inital fear that the fish could come out and get him! Yes, Kate and I were there. She slept on me in the backpack most of the time!

Round 2

2009-01-11T16:02:00.000-08:00

I feel quite like a boxer when the week begins! Just fightin' like crazy to keep my head above water, counting the seconds until the bell rings. Who decided that the weekend should only be 2 days? We enjoyed a lazy weekend. Kate had a 2-day adjustment period to taking bottles. Nee Nee couldn't take her gagging and crying so she went shopping for new bottles for her on Wednesday. She took 3-5 oz. the rest of the week! What a great babysitter! Joe got off work early on Friday and had the whole house clean and did the grocery shopping, what a fabulous husband I have. He didn't have to work on Saturday so we had a really nice weekend spending lots of quality family time together! Here's to hoping week 2 goes as well as week one!
This was Monday morning, Kate's first day at Nee Nee's.

Turning the Page

2009-01-04T18:29:00.001-08:00

As I write tonight I'm a bit weepy! Back to school tomorrow, already! It is amazing how fast time goes by! I have enjoyed my time with Kate and Lucas these past 11 weeks. That was a time I will never forget and also a time that I will never get back. I'm fortunate that I was able to take as much time as I did, they are only that age for what seems like a moment. It's difficult to be too sad because as they grow each age seems better and more fun than the last. I will miss them tremendously! Wish me luck! (I've started a new ticker b/c I can't wait to be home with them again!)

Precious Moments

2009-01-03T18:27:00.000-08:00

Big Boy

2009-01-03T18:23:00.000-08:00

Lucas can make his own bed! He actually enjoys doing it. I wonder how long that will last??

Happy 2009!

2009-01-02T18:02:00.000-08:00

We headed to the 3rd annual Lewis New Year's Eve pajama bash to ring in the New Year. The first year Lucas was the only child and this year there were 10 kids under 4! It was wild! We had a great time. We left at 11:30 when Lucas layed his head on my shoulder and said, "I ready to go home Mommy!" There's a first time for everything! We made it home and got ready for bed. We were on the couch 2 minutes before the ball dropped and then we all went to bed. Joe and I were talking as we waited for Lucas to fall asleep and we both agreed that life doesn't get much better than this!

Kate couldn't decide whether she wanted to poop out or party! She was out from about 9 p.m. on and didn't even wake up when we got home!

Super Curtis Christmas

2008-12-28T06:14:00.001-08:00

We celebrated Christmas with my mom's side of the family yesterday. My grandma gets the award for the most creative Christmas present. She made Super Why capes and shirts for Cole, Nate, and Lucas. They loved them and were entertained for the rest of the day. The super heroes mysteriously broke a vase in her basement without even touching it! Amazing what super humans can accomplish when left alone for a few minutes!

Merry Christmas

2008-12-26T08:49:00.001-08:00

Santa must have been CRAZY this year. He brought Lucas a drum set. We really didn't think it would be that bad, oh but it is. Poor Kate! We had a great Christmas. Lucas also got 2 new movies, lots of books, toys, trains, and clothes. Kate got teethers and a new bag to take to Nee Nees. We have enjoyed spending lots of time together!

Baby Jesus

2008-12-25T19:16:00.001-08:00

Kate was honored to play the part of Baby Jesus at the Christmas Eve Children's Mass at St. Paul. We are lucky enough to be the first family to have 2 children play the part! (I was going to say baby Jesus's, but that just doesn't sound right.) She did great! She slept right up until it was time for me to lay her in the manger and then she, of course, woke up. She didn't fuss though. She kept reaching up and kicking her feet! She did great!

Kate's Christmas Present to us!

2008-12-23T11:32:00.001-08:00

Kate has been working really hard on our Christmas present; sleeping through the night. She knows Mommy goes back to work in less than 2 weeks:(:(. Last night she went down at about 9 p.m. and she slept until 6 a.m.! Yeah! I'm hoping to stretch her until 7 a.m. (her ideal first feeding time) but I'm not pushing my luck. Beggars can 't be choosers! Way to go Kate!

We tried out the BUMBO the other day and she really liked it, for about 2 minutes!

Of course Lucas had to try it out too!

Check out Kate and Daddy!

2 month check-up

2008-12-18T11:59:00.000-08:00

Kate went for her 2 mo. check up yesterday and she was as perfect as I thought! She weighed 10 lbs. and 11 oz. She is in the 50th percentile for weight and head, but only the 10th for length... surprise, surprise! She got the equivalent of 5 vaccines, only 2 sticks and one orally. She wasn't too happy! That's the worst, but I'm pretty sure her getting things like Whooping Cough would be worse!

At Last!

2008-12-17T11:32:00.001-08:00

I should have known he would do it for Nee Nee. Last night was their daycare Christmas party. The kids all put on a play. Lucas was an alligator and his job was to "snap" the monkeys. He was also in the "Row, row, row, your boat" song. He wasn't sure at first, but when Santa called his name to get his present Joe carried him up and then he sat on his lap. He never would look at him though! I had to snap quickly.

These are the girls that love on my boy when I can't! They all can't wait to get their hands on Kate.

We were worn out and we decided to do bath together last night. Their first bath together of many I'm sure!

Maybe Next Year???

2008-12-09T07:32:00.000-08:00

If Kate is anything like Lucas it will be at least 3 more years before I have a picture of the two of them with Santa, together, without tears. At least we know not to waste our money trying to go to Disney World! Saturday we went to Mom's work to see Santa and ride the carriage ride.

Kate's debut with Santa

Yes, there were people there besides our family!

Progess with Santa. Look how close he is!

Giving Mrs. Claus a try!

What a good lookin' family!

So much to be thankful for....

2008-11-28T18:27:00.000-08:00

Kate's first Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving! Sorry for the suspense, but Kate's hearing is PERFECT! It must have been fluid in her ear from birth when they tested her after she was born. We are so relieved! It was quite a morning. I had dreaded her being sedated and missing a feeding, but to my surprise, after setting my alarm for 5 a.m. to feed her and working darn-near-magic to keep her asleep until 10:30 a.m. the audiologist informed me that she was too young to sedate! I was inwardly happy, but very frustrated that I was misinformed by 2 different people at Kosair AND a doctor at my pediatrician! I can't be too upset though because of the outcome, but, as most of you know, it's HARD to ask a newborn to miss a feeding!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at my grandma's house!

Hard at work on a craft

The finished product

1 month check-up

2008-11-25T12:48:00.000-08:00

Kate and I went for her 1 month check-up today and everything looked great! She weighed 9 lbs. and 2 oz. What an eater! She was in the 50th percentile for weight, 55th for head, and 25th for length, surprise, surprise Joe and I are such giants! Tomorrow we go to Kosair for her hearing screening. Keep us in your thoughts!

Kate's Baptism

2008-11-17T05:18:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Kate was Baptized into the Catholic Church. She did great, she slept through the whole thing even the water on her head! Afterward we had everyone to my mom and dad's house for dinner. Thanks to all who celebrated with us!

This was the gown that I was Baptized in made by my grandma. There is a picture of me laying just like this on the same blanket

The godparents: Curt and Janna

Happy Birthday to me!

2008-11-08T12:13:00.000-08:00

What a great 31 years I've had! I couldn't ask for more! I have been blessed in so many ways! These pictures sum it all up! Thanks for the great shots Janna!

Photo Shoot

2008-11-03T06:39:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-03T06:29:00.000-08:00

Halloween was pretty low-key this year, as is everything thing right now! Lucas wasn't to hip into the costumes and spent most of the time scared, so we didn't push it, there will be plenty more to come! Even still, we have way too much candy from REMC trick-or-treating and Nee Nee's party! We even made it into my school party and the kids were so excited to meet Kate.

Brotherly Inspection

2008-10-27T10:18:00.000-07:00

Lucas likes to check things out for his little sister! He's such a watch dog!

Yes, this should hold her!

Lucas had to get in the crib with her to check out her view of the mobile!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2008-10-27T10:16:00.001-07:00

Joe had a very low-key birthday last Tuesday. I think he was quite content, though!