CHEEEEEEESE ....

Well, Ian's been potty trained for a while now ... Campbell is just starting to take an interest ... but in the interim, we've found good use for all the pull-ups in the house. I guess living in Oregon really improved our tendency to reduce, re-use, recycle.... well, not re-use, that would be gross ... But you get the gist. ;)

Sleeping under the Stars

Last weekend Jon decided to put up the tent ... the evening weather has been great and he wanted to sleep outside before it gets much hotter. So Friday evening we got home from wherever we'd been and he started putting the tent up in the yard. You KNOW Ian was crazy with excitement! The tent was ready, sleeping bags in place and they were ready to go. Of course Jon wanted to hang inside a bit longer before hittin' the hay ... Ian was so patiend and eventually crashed out on the floor. We picked him up and put him to bed in the tent. (Poor kid missed the fun part) BUT, he woke the next morning wide-eyed next to his Daddy ... so excited that he had slept in the tent!

Ready to go ...

Jon's was equally excited for a night outdoors

Ian and Daddy still sleeping the next morning...unfortunatly Campbell decided us "indoor sleepers" needed to be up at dawn. Go figure. LOL

Ian Showing Campbell around the tent ... it was pretty funny

Happy Birthday, Campbell

Wow ... 2 years have quickly flown by. As I sit here this morning on the back porch, Ian's running through the sprinkler thing and Campbell is steering clear of it... every now and then he tells Ian to turn it off. He's not a fan of the random water spray, I suppose... They're so fun - and really do enjoy playing together, or apart but near each other. Campbell is such an independent little person - happy to do his own thing or hang with the crowd. He is so easy going it's almost scary ...

Two years ago, Jon and I headed to Dr Nelson's office for IV antibiotics in preparation for an induction that afternoon. (I was Strep B and since Ian delivered so quickly, it was anticipated that Campbell wouldn't give us the needed 4 hr labor for the IV...) once that was done, Jon and I had lunch wandered the mall ... waited for the call from our fabulous OBGYN. Finally we headed to the office - Meredith brought a lemon meringue pie and met us in the waiting room (My last official pregnancy craving) and there sat the 3 of us, eating the pie straight from the tin in a crowded waiting room. About 3:30, we went back, broke my water and off to the hospital we went. Mom and Meredith were there ... and just in time for the last "push" Dad and Amy arrived... It was great to have everyone there as our little Campbell Forrest joined our family.

Jump head two years ... It's funny when we joke about having 8 address in 5 years ... but funnier when I realized that Campbell had shared 4 of them by the time he was 16 months. He's two and although I'm sure much of it is because he so competitive to keep up with older brother Ian, Jon and I are constantly amazed by him. His vocabulary is amazing - he knows all his letters by sight and their sounds. It's crazy. he loves to sing and I love to hear him sing "Jesus Wants Me for a Sun BEAT! We celebrated his Birthday on Saturday and later that night, he was playing with a truck singing "Happy Birthday". Now this wouldn't normally surprise me, he sings all the time, but Happy Birthday isn't a song we sing around the house so I was surprised that he would remember the song without prompting after we'd sung it to him earlier that afternoon. He makes me smile when I call everyone for dinner asking "Who wants to eat??" Here comes Campbell to the top of the stairs ... "I DO, I DO!!" And he does... He's a healthy little eater who Jon loving refers to as "Baby Phat". ha..ha... He's such a great little boy and it's so fun to see him playing with Ian - They are becoming such good little friends now. I'm sure that won't always be the case, but I love to hear Campbell call for Ian and it's wonderful to see Ian try to teach Campbell new things. Life is good and we are so blessed to have these little boys!

Campbell (6 mo) Ian (2 yrs)

Campbell (1 yr) cousin Cal (9mo)

Campbell (18 Mo)

Campbell Today !

We love you, Campbell!

Springtime Excitement ....

Our latest family photo ... CHEEEEEEEEESE

Yes, strange, I know ... who takes a family pic at the hospital?? ha..ha...

Well, if you hadn't heard ... we (specifically Jonathan) have had an interesting month. it started several weeks ago in February with some lower leg pain. It was recommended that he see a physical therapist for some possible tendon issues, which he did. The PT discovered some deep muscle spasms that he target during a few sessions. Turns out, however, that pain worsened and began to travel slowly over the course of a couple of weeks. Long story short, after some swelling and some minor chest pain, he finally went in on a Wednesday afternoon for an ultra sound to rule out a blood clot.

Well, crap. The whole "rule out" plan was foiled when they discovered a large blood clot. (completely unrelated to the muscle spasms.) So we left the radiology center and headed directly to Mercy Gilbert Hospital where they did a Chest CT and discovered bilateral pulmonary embolisms (more clots on either side of his lungs) Thus, Jon spent the next 5 days in the hospital connected to a Heparin IV. He was released on Monday, only to return two days later, Wednesday afternoon (an ugly pattern forming). Another clot in the same leg meant he would once again be admitted. That night they inserted a filter to trap any other leg clots and prevent them from moving to the lungs, heart, brain ... he was released the following week. (side note about insurance companies... he actually had to stay an extra day while they sorted out coverage of meds...they covered in the hospital but didn't want to cover at home. what?? So, it took a lot of intervention of many folks to get that sorted out.)

If you know Jon, you know that he just isn't a sedentary guy, so all of this sitting around doing nothing .... not being able to breath fresh air was NOT his idea of a good time. He was told that he will need to lay low for several weeks.

So, after nearly two weeks in the hospital, he was glad to be home and we were happy to have him back. We felt so lucky to have been back in AZ where we could lean on family to help with the boys. We stayed at my mom's house and the boys were lucky to be able to spend LOTS of quality time with Mimi, Honk, Papa & Grandma A and Aunt Mer while I was with Jon at the hospital. We really, REALLY thank them for all of their help.

He's been home for about two weeks now ... with limited activity. Again, a total buzz kill for out outdoor guy. After a follow with is Hematologist (who, coincidentally, turned out to be my Mom's Oncologist ... small world) he was given the green light to head back to work part time next week and then full time the following week. we're hopeful that things will go smoothly for him. He's been anxious to get back to work...especially as we run into his patients at the grocery store or WalMart. the other day, in fact, he ran into a couple who were so happy to see him up and around. apparently they'd seen him earlier the day he first went to the hospital and then somehow heard that he'd later been airlifted to the hospital. (No heli ride for him... lol)

Jon talking to his folks on the phone while Campbell entertains himself on the stroller


Man, this kid can have fun anywhere! ha..ha..

Poor Ian, had fallen asleep on the way to visit Daddy and wanted to rest a little longer on the "guest bed" in Daddy's room

**** UPDATE 5.15.09 ****

OK, this is how back-up I am on the blog ... It's been 10 weeks since this all began.

He was diagnosed with Factor Five Leiden which is basically something in his blood that won't break down clots. 20% of the population are "factor 5" but only 10% of them will ever get a blood clot. We still don't konw why Jon got the clot in the first place, but the challenge has been breaking them down. We joked about making t-shirts saying "Staying Alive with Factor Five" ... (not really all that funny, I know ....)

Jon was FINALLY able to return to work this week on a Part Time basis, hopefully working his way back to FT shortly. (He did return in March for a 1/2 day but it was too soon and the leg reacted badly. "It's an angry clot!" according to Dr Schtivelband. But Thankfully the leg has been cooperating and he's not having the pain/swelling he had been experiencing. He's spent the last two months entertaining himself with daily (now twice daily) abdomen injections ... and sporting a very secy black thigh-high (aka compression stocking) fun, fun, fun...but it's working. They plan to remove the filter at the end of May. It's been a sticky and sometimes scary experience but we're thankful he's been blessed with improved health and is finally released to return back to work. Thanks to everyone for your fasting and prayers, it has been such a strength and meant so much!


XOXO

Mah Sweet Boys

Ian & Campbell one week after church ... man they were in the from the garage and out the backdoor in a flash. These little boys just love having a big grassy yard and can't stand to be away from their sandbox for any length of time. ha..ha...

This picture just makes me smile ...

St Anthony's Monastery

Several months ago, Jon came across St Anthony's Monastery, just outside of Florence. He's had the opportunity to meet Monk's from the Monastery at the office and one day took a drive down to see their gardens after meeting them and learning about it. A few weeks ago, after a kickball game, Jon drove us down to check it out. One of the kids had fallen asleep, so we didn't get out, but we did get a few pictures. Tonight while posting these photos, I looked up their website and enjoyed reading a bit about the monastery, how it was started, etc. I was also relieved to think back at our decision not to leave the car and walk the grounds. We were clearly out of dress code and may have found ourselves making serious gaffe. We plan to go again, and thankfully, I am a bit more educated on what to expect and what to wear! :)

The grounds are beautiful and it's interesting to learn that they have labored there for just over 10 years and truly created "Something out of Nothing". Hopefully we'll soon have more to share

Kickin' it in Florence ...

We've arrived. The Russell's have officially entered the world of kids sports.

This spring Ian joined the local Kickball League for 3-6 yr olds. 6 weeks of games and some weeks they were "double-headers" a tall order for teams made up mostly of 3-4 yr olds. ha...ha. The first week their team had two games and it was not unusual to find the kids leaving the dugout to find familiar faces on the bleachers. At one point there was a group of 4-5 running a circle around the pitchers mound.

The season is now over, but here are some of my fav pictures of this little adventure.

Ian claiming home plate after running the bases. Go, Ian, Go!!

taking a much needed breather after a double header

Lined up for their turn to kick

Running the bases

Ian with his good friend Nikki focused solely on their defence ... yeah, right. I guess they figure if kickball doesn't work out they're headed for "So You Think You Can Dance".

Happy Birthday, PBS

The last weekend in January, the local PBS station, housed on ASU campus, hosted a birthday party for the station. They had special guests, Grover and Elmo along with various activities for the kids ... face painting, story telling, crafts, cake (which by the way was crazy good) and a tour of the set. "Tour" makes it sound rigid, really, the set was wide open and they kids could play and get to know various areas of a TV Set, camera, teleprompters, etc... We went with our friends, the Scilley's. The Dad's stayed home while the Mom's headed to Tempe for the day and had a blast playing at the station. It was a great time and the kids really had fun. We look forward to next year's party for sure!

Ian, Campbell, Nicole and Caden sitting at the news desk

Ian with Grover and Elmo (as if you didn't know...)

Ian and Nikki

Ian and Nikki trying their skills on camera. Ian loved that they guy set it up so they could talk to each other on the headsets while they were working the cameras. Seriously, I LOVE this picture!

Pre-School

Ian started pre-school in January ... hoooraaayy for everyone! It's an afternoon session, which is great for me ... he's in that post nap phase so it keeps him busy in the afternoon. I've pushed Campbell's nap time to coincide with Ian's school and now I get 2.5 hours to catch up on projects, or whatever... it's lovely. There are only 4 kids in the afternoon session and the best part is that it's just around the corner. It's seriously a win-win. He's an active all-boy kinda kid, so this whole learning to sit - learn - focus is probably more of a challenge, but as his teachers say ... that's the point of pre-school. (I'm sure that's just what they say to make the mom of said type of boy feel better. LOL)

First day photos...

And our celebratory cake that we make after school on the 1st day to celebrate. Ian is funny, he insists on it being "a-b-d-D" never just a simple a-b-c ...

Sunbeam

January 2009 meant that along with about a billion other 3 year olds Ian became a Sunbeam. Wow, they just keep getting bigger.... Campbell hasn't been happy about Ian joining the ranks of the "bigger kids", shedding a few tears when we drop him off in the primary room. I find this curious since they weren't even in the same nursery class last year, but what can you do. I guess it's not that he misses him, but rather he might behaving more fun. LOL There are 21 Sunbeams in the ward ... 3 Sunbeam classes. Must be a record. (Boy am I glad I'm still in RS LOL)

Am I There Yet???

It's funny ... You grow up, hit a milestone and think you're "grown" ... dating, college, dating, marriage, dating, children, less dating ... more hi-5's in the hall ... all along the way, something big happens in your life and you say to yourself, "This is it, I've arrived!! I'm officially a grown up now". Well, last week, I think I finally 'arrived'. Yes, I've hit all those "big girl" milestones, but last Saturday, as I drug myself to the car at 6:15am, I had to laugh as I thought to myself, yep, I'm officially getting older. So, which milestone was it? ... ha..ha..

Man, it's early ... and Jon's car radio only gets 2 stations... and 1 is in spanish. grrr...

But ... Jon's home with boys and although they're still snuggled warm in their beds, I'm actually enjoying a little "quiet time" as I venture out this quiet morning to Casa Grande on my own.

Then again ... I've yet to hear anyone actually celebrate the occasion. Yikes!

"Put this on ... open in the front"

"Meet Joi ... and her friend, the digital Mammogram machine"

Yes ... see that tray where her hand is resting? Yea, that's where yer boob goes. And that clear/white portion above... that slowly gets lowered onto your breast, smashing it flat to take the picture. It's a little awkward and the cause for a great deal of laughter during the experience. LOL

And finally, Me, no longer a Mammo-Virgin. ha..ha... Seriously, it was really no big deal. They had the new digital machines, which Joi insisted was soooo much better than the old version. Although, it still "smashes" so I'm not sure how it differs. Maybe it's the duration of the shmoosh. In the end, it took less than 15 minutes and truly, it's not painful!

Most women begin getting mammograms at 40, but because of my family history, it was recommended that I get one now.

And now, for the "public service portion" of the entry. Remind the women in your life to get their annual mammogram. If you have a family history of breast cancer - talk to your doctor about when you should start. Even if you're not worried about breast cancer now, it's good to get a base-line mammogram so your doctor can detect changes from year to year.

Last week we met up with Grandpa and Grandma A & Aunt Mer to see the Temple lights at the Mesa Temple. It was beautiful ... the grounds are amazing every year. We also enjoyed the Nativity exhibit and music. The weather was fab and we had a great time.

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Fun Stuff

Don't you agree that arts & crafts are one of the best parts of the holidays? Ian and I had fun the day before Thanksgiving painting pictures and place cards for the family...

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk, Nov. 2008

November 9th marked a great day for us ... our walking team, Mimi's Pink Ribbon Warriors joined the American Cancer Societ's annual walk to raise money for breast cancer research. As my luck goes, I'd been knocked out with pneumonia earlier that week and was unable to join the team, but Jon and boys were able to participate.

I want to thank everyone who helped support the team either by donation, or joining us for the walk ... It was a great day and out team raised $1500. We'll look forward to next year and hope you'll join us if you're able!

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Southern California, October 2008

In this insanely long post, we'll uncover may mysteries, including:

What's up with this bench?

Why are the boys at the San Diego Zoo in their PJ's?

Who is this strange woman in our doorway?

The last week of October, Jonathan attended a CME Family Practice Conference in San Diego. Not ones to miss a good time, we gathered ourselves, along with Aunt Meredith and headed for SoCal on a Tuesday after work.

We headed west on I-8 towards California. Aunt Mer brought some new movies and all was well in the back o' the van. We arrived in Yuma for dinner and a stretch around 7p. Ian woke up just as we were pulling into the BK (who boasts a 3 story play ground... although as a Mom, I wonder if 3 stories is really that great of a thing.) Anyway, As we headed in, Ian, who was still waking up, missed the sidewalk step, tumbled and cut his upper lip. Awesome! Poor guy finally settled down, his lip swelled up and we made it through dinner. (I guess a paper crown really can make the difference. LOL) Before we got back on the road, we changed diapers and put the boys in their pajamas so we could just put them right to bed when we got to SD. A perfect plan, indeed. We pulled in to the hotel around 10:00pm a great place in Mission Beach that Meredith found called The Bahia. We unloaded the van got settled and called it a night.

The next morning, I got Jon off to his conference, about 8 miles away on the way back I stopped and picked up some groceries at Ralph's. A Fry's/Kroger affiliate. I mention this stop only so I can say this. This was the WORST grocery store I've ever been to. Not because of cleanliness, selection or price, but because the employees from top to bottom were rude, crass and completely inept. Staff was rude to each other, a elderly woman asked an emp for help finding something and he said, "I'm really busy right now". (WHAT???) You couldn't get anyone to make eye contact or say excuse me when they barrelled by you through small isle and at checkout, there were serious pricing discrepancies. (my 2.5lb of apples @ 10lb doe $10 somehow rang up for nearly $7. Even after they sorted out the pricing, the girl could figure out how to fix the register and said it still rang up right. (WHAT??) It was almost surreal. LOL but I digress.

Got back to the room, the boys were up and we all had some breakfast before getting ready for the zoo. Which is when we discovered the boys duffel bag was missing ... Yes, to make this very long story short (code for longer and less interesting...) It was gone - we'd unloaded it and knew it was in the lobby one the bench (pictured above) while we were unloading everything from the van. So, with the exception of the PJ's they were wearing, the boys had absolutely no clothes. Arg! We made phone calls to lost and found, scoured the hotel property for clothes strewn to 'n fro but turned up nothing. Wouldn't the folks who walked off with it be surprised when they found it stuffed full of toddler clothes. So, with nothing left to do, we packed up and headed to the zoo. We bought the boys zoo shirts, but the rotten Mom that I am, I figured they could stick it out in their thermals (Picture #2) until we could get to target. Yep, we got lots of interesting looks that day. LOL... that afternoon, we hit the Old Navy and Target and found some things to carry them through the week. To wrap up this long story, (assuming you're still with me) The next morning, while I was taking Jon to his meetings, the hotel called and they had found the bag near the front lobby of the hotel (A different bldg on the other side of the property.) I got back to the room and we all celebrated with the news. A short time later, the ever so popular "Strange Woman in the Doorway" knocked on the door with the red duffel back in tow. And boy, were we blessed. It appeared that everything was still in the bag. Whew! So, off to return the new treasure. ha!

The rest of the week was full of fun with visits to Sea World, la Jolla, the San Diego Temple, Carlsbad to visit Aunt Ashley, Uncle Dan & Cousin Cal and a trip to see Great Grandma Joyce before returning to Phoenix. If you've made it this far into the story, you're reward is the following collection of photos organized by event.

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