Maternity Pics!!!

So a dear friend of Jason and I's here in Abilene who we are in life group with is an excellent photographer!  Wendy is very gifted by the Lord in photography eventhough it is not her career.  Her and her husband Josh braved some unfavorable weather with us on one of Jason's days off in order to take our pics.  The weather never made it above the low 40's and the wind was quite strong; however, we laughed, toughed it out and had a great day!  Thanks guys for hanging in there with us.  We really appreciate it:)

In our opinion the pics turned out ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!   We are so pleased:)  There are so many good ones to choose from.  I will post some of my favs for you all! Enjoy. 

The End!

Christmas 2009

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas with friends and family!  Jason and I had an excellent time at home with my family.  This year Jason got to stay the longest ever down in Houston for Christmas and we really enjoyed the relaxing time with family:)

We saw extended family on Christmas Eve and a little on Christmas evening.  The rest of the time we hung out at my parents house and mainly watched Josiah play with all his new toys!  He is so big and at such a fun age:)  He loves Pappa Bear playing the guitar and always asks for him to play by finding it's hiding place and trying to pull it out!  Once night he found it and we had a dance party!  It was adorable!  He is such A HAPPY B0Y!! Anyhow, once he would go down for bed we played games and ate Christmas goodies!

I am going to post pictures below and let them do the talking! However, alot of the really good pics are on my mom's camera!  Jason and I took alot of video footage of the weekend with our new video camera, our Christmas gift to one another:)  I can't wait to watch it. 

So of course none of us are looking at the same camera!  The guys thought they were funny, but a pic of the women of the family on Christmas Eve minus Jen and Shelley!

Mom, Jamie, and I in our Christmas pj's:)!

Jason and I on Christmas Morning!

Josiah and Papa Bear after Papa opened his Christmas gift from Jo-man!

Josiah playing with his golf clubs with Dad:)

Jason and I on Christmas night-- we had to get one couple pic that day with me prego for Ava's sake!

Mom and Dad on Christmas Day- great pic!! 

Thanks Mom and Dad for making Christmas so special once again!  It was a perfect weekend! 

WE LOVE YOU!!!

Sharing Our White Christmas....

Merry Christmas Eve and Christmas to everyone!  I pray God's richest blessings over you over the next several days as we spend time with family and loved ones and celebrate the birth of our Savior! 

Jason and I slept all snug, warm, and cozy in our bed last night and then woke up to this......

We don't have the best view to show you all from our duplex, but the first picture most closely depicts the view! 

It is 30 degrees here with light snow and heavy winds (25-40mph).  The wind chill is 18 degrees and we are expected to get 1-2 inches of snow today.  For all those staying in Abilene today, they will get to enjoy a very COLD and white Christmas Eve at least. 

I felt it was only appropriate to share the pics with all of you who will not be so lucky to have a white christmas this year!  I will not be either once we leave Abilene today:), but what a SIGHT and way to get the holiday started!

We were blessed by the beauty this morning, blared Christmas music, and packed the car!  We are so excited to get to Houston to see my family! 

May you be blessed with fullness and joy! 

Random Thoughts....

So, I wanted to get on this morning to post a few things on my mind....

1.  I am SO EXCITED to get to Houston for Christmas to spend time with my family!! 

2.  Ava Reese Campbell is only five weeks away, crazy!

3.  The nursery is finally starting to come along.  We have now painted the walls, put the crib together, put up new blinds, and the rocker from my parents has come in!  It is going to look so good.  Since we got the crib up it has been crazy how real it is becoming that we are about to have a little bit in that room we have walked by for so long with nothing in it:)

4.  Jason and I are really trying to soak up all the time we have right now just the two of us before our family dynamic changes!  We know it is only going to change for the better but still want to cherish all the quality time we can get right now.  We are having such sweet and neat time enjoying the prep for our sweet baby girl.

5.  God is GOOD!  Everyday and each year He continually reveals Himself, His Glory, His Provision, and His Absolute Soveriegnty more and more.  I love that as we age we realize the importance more and more of utter dependence on His grace. 

Well I suppose that is all for now.  I am off to ENJOY this wonderful Saturday!

Final Shower-- Temple!

This past Sunday, my mother-in-law threw Jason and I a baby shower for Miss Ava.  It was PRECIOUS!  She was so excited to do it and planned forever all the details.  She made homeade party favors, all the food herself (it was delicious), had Ava Reese Campbell pencils made, and more!  We played several cute baby games, laughed, opened gifts, and HAD A GREAT TIME! 

Jason and I received a loot of clothes, blankets, diapers, and bath products.  Everyone blessed us trememdously, it was great fun!  I also finally got my diaper bag (thanks Mom), it is adorable:)  Yippee! 

Alot of Jason's family lives in Temple, so it was mainly family and then a few friends of the family!  Also, Mom came into town!  It was great.

I don't have any pics of people from the shower, Aunt Charli took pics, so if I get some I will post those; however, I  have several pics of decorations to show! 

Diaper Cake made by cousin Launa, ADORABLE!

Guest Sign in Table

Precious Flower Vase and Pic of Jason and Janice the day after he was born

Table arranged for certain games with baby pics of Jason

Delicous strawberry cupcakes with homeade cream cheese icing, YUM!

Jason and Janice being silly driking lemonade out of baby bottles before Jason took off to play golf with my dad while us girls played baby:)!

Thank you Janice for all the effort and love you poured out in order to throw this shower for Jason and I!  We are so blessed by you.  We love you very much! 

Also, thank all the other family members who supported and helped Janice pull it all together:)

Babymoon and 3 Years!!

Hello All!


Jason and I just got back from a very needed, wonderful yet short vacation!:) We left Sunday morning and drove to Fredericksburg, TX where we stayed at a bed and breakfast until we headed home Tuesday afternoon!

We walked all the cute shops in downtown Fredericksburg, ate at several good restaurants, lounged around our room at the B&B, sat out on our balcony, played cards, played yahtzee, prayed, read, napped, got massages (AWESOME), and watched movies! It was a very relaxing 60 hours or so of uninterrupted "US" time:) We had a lot of FUN and good quality time!! Praise God that we were able to take a little get away and focus on one another!

We have been so blessed over the last three years in all aspects of life! God has provided for us in all ways, surrounding us with loving family and friends, a great church home, good jobs, financial stability, a solid marriage that continually deepens and grows, and now the blessing of baby Ava! We are so fortunate and thankful for all of the sweet gifts God has given us.

Jason has been an incredible husband, kingdom partner, provider, and is going to be an AMAZING, fun, and loving father. It is so neat to watch the changes that have taken place in him over the past 7.5 months since we found out Ava was on the way. We are so ready to meet her!

We loved the two sides of celebration that took place on our short get away! On one hand we were celebrating just what Jason and I have been as a two person family the last three years. We reflected on the growing, learning, and deepening of love and understanding as well all the fun, excitement, laughter and good memories. On the flip side we were celebrating that our two person family is soon to be three, Team Campbell is expanding! It won't be just us anymore but we are being entrusted with a sweet child of God to raise, love, and nurture here on earth. We are so excited and know that we can't even fathom the depth of love and meaning Ava is about to add to our lives and to our family!

Here are some pics from Anniversary dinner and Fredericksburg......

Anniversary Dinner in town Last Week

This one, well, why not...?

Outback Steakhouse, yum!-- 3 year pic:)

First afternoon in Fredericksburg, put both so you could see the holiday decorations!

First night on way to dinner!  33 week belly pic:)

Together on way to dinner!

Second night about to head to dinner at a delicious place, Bejas!  It was cold and misty!

Second morning at breakfast, shortly before our massages.

These two are on our balcony right before we had to checkout!  We were just goofing off:)

THE END.

SNOW AND CHRISTMAS

I woke up this morning all groggy and tired.  As I walked out of the bedroom into our living room to my right our Christmas tree was all lit up and to my left out the living room window SNOW was covering the ground!  What a wonderful start to the day:)!  I love, love, love Christmas trees and the first snow fall every year! 

It reminds me of so many things, but most of all winter is here!  Jason and I are getting to go down to Houston for Christmas and stay for Thursday night - Sunday whenvever we leave. We usually are going at seperate times and he only gets to be around breifly.  Praise God! 

We miss family and can't wait to spend time with them.  It will also be my last trip down before Miss Ava comes.  Craziness!

Well I am about to get ready for work and head that way but wanted to share the BLISS of the morning with anyone who reads my blog!

Nursery Update:  Not much, but Jason worked really hard yesterday and got the room completely torn down, switched the computer over to our TV for space saving, and we packed up the book shelf!  Some progress is better than none;)!

Have a blessed day!

Life After Season AKA Baby Mode and Thanksgiving

Hello all!

 

As I briefly mentioned before, season is over. Ava is going to be here in 8 weeks and 4 days, OH MY! So.. there is a lot to be done in order for us to be ready for sweet girl!

I am still working during the days, etc, but am into full fledge nesting and baby mode! We are getting to excited and we can not wait to meet her!

Here are some things I have done lately to get ready or that are going to be done.....

• Completely degutted and deep cleaned our entire little house
• Need to take down all in second bedroom to have a nursery
• Bought an antique chest that will serve as her changing table-- it is a precious and timeless piece-- I also bought little pink glass knobs for the hardware
• Bought an antique end table
• Both antique pieces need to be sanded and painted antique white to match her crib
• We will be painting her nursery hopefully soon
• Putting her crib together and begin getting the nursery together
• Our birthing and breast feeding classes are coming up
• Jason and I are hoping to go on a 2-3 day get away next Sunday-Tuesday as a mini baby moon

 

Those are a few of the thoughts I am having! I can't wait to be able to take pictures of the completed nursery which will be a while from now, but I will post pics! IT WILL BE ADORABLY PRECIOUS!

 

I have some very dear and loving friends and family members who are willing and planning on being right along side of me to help get it all knocked out! Talan Cobb is going to help me paint/sand the chest. Amanda, Kellen, and Haylee have all volunteered to paint the nursery. Mom and dad left Abilene today with the drawers to the chest and the end table to sand, paint, and fix the hardware! I am truly blessed and SO grateful!

 

Anyhow, Ava is now head down! It is so fun knowing that and her positioning because I can be so much surer of what body part I am feeling as she moves around! My belly is definitely growing and I am beginning to feel like I don't have much room left. In saying that, I am completely aware that I have no idea what the next eight weeks hold!

 

We continue to covet your prayers as we are nearing the end! Prayers for a continued healthy pregnancy, uncomplicated and swift delivery, and sweet Ava's health and development!

 

 

Thanksgiving....

 

We headed to Temple Wednesday night for a short trip to be with Jason's side of the family for thanksgiving! It was so fun to see everyone and catch up for the brief time we had. An additional blessing I wasn't counting on was that my parents were headed to Seymour for Thanksgiving with dad's family and I was able to spend the afternoon with them Wednesday until we left. Then they got back to our house last night late and we had all day together today until about 4! It was so fun to hang out and do LOTS OF BABY SHOPPING for the furniture and randomness!!

 

 

Below are pics from Thanksgiving with J's family and belly pics for 31ish weeks:) Enjoy!

Jason and I hanging around after Thanksgiving Meal!

Cousin Launa, Myself, and her youngest Alex!

The lighting is kinda off in this one-- but above are my two best attempts for 31 week belly pics at this point:)

Jason and I at end of the night right before we left Janice's:)