~The Campbell Journey~

Mama Bears Fleece Blanket ~ give away

2012-02-09T08:00:00.003-07:00

Mama Bears Fleece Blanket Review &
Giveaway

I have a soft
and super cute review and giveaway for ya today! :)
Mama Bears Fleece
Blankets is a business that her & her hubby own along with a Country Store.They have 10
children, 3 of them adults and seven children, at home ..Many with special
needs. 3 that were born with down syndrome .They love everyone of them very
much!!!
She is so sweet
and I love to meet new people that have a heart for special needs children!
Mama Bears was
kind enough to send me a fleece blanket for my Princess and I to review and try
out! I loved the way she had it bundled when it arrived! :)

Isn't She The Cutest!?

Her New Blanket Joins Her For Nap Time
As Well :)

My Princess
loved this blanket!
The colors are
perfect for her and it is truly so so soft! :)
Thank You Mama
Bears!
Mama Bears Has Been So Generous To Offer One Lucky
Reader A Blanket Of Choice From Her Shop! Yay!
Just Fill Out
The Form Below To Enter! Good Luck!
(Winner Has 48 Hours To
Contact Me!)
Etsy Shop
Blog

Jennifer @ www.Iheartmotherhood.blogspot.com
did a review for our store ,her little girl got a cozy warm fleece blanket of her choice. You see her in the photos all cozy in her fleece blanket..
One lucky person will win a fleece blanket of their choice from Mama Bears Fleece Blanket store on Etsy.com

Thank you Jennifer for the great reveiw!!!!!
Jennifer also has a special big boy and that sweet little girl...

Some of my favorites of Pinterest.

2012-02-02T20:28:00.002-07:00

My favorite place to hang out on line!!!

Oh it is so fun to find new and exciting ideas to redecorate or new ideas to teach the little ones..

go check it out www.pinterest.com It's amazing !!!!!

Oh how i long for flowers and camping!

2012-01-29T10:32:00.002-07:00

Our camp trailer and van in Yellowstone. Oh how i long to go camping and taking walks looking at the trees and flowers. I think that is the most beautiful time of year. All those pretty colors to look at.

We were out for a walk..

Bella playing ..

Jordon waitting to play musical chairs.. How cute is that..

Jordon happy as heck to be going for a ride.. Look at that boy , he is soo soo adorable ..

But don't let that cute face fool ya. He can be awful grumpy when he wants to be.

Oh only a few more months until pretty flowers ..

What are you longing for??

More snow or beautiful flowers??

Have a great Sunday !!

Help save the Adoption Tax Credit 2012-2013!!

2012-01-26T16:41:00.000-07:00

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Help Save the Adoption Tax Credit for
2012-2013!!!
Please
help us save the adoption tax credit for 2012 - 2013. For many families the cost
of an expensive adoption is what keeps them from bringing home a child - this
tax credit helps alleviate some of the cost, but in 2012 it starts to diminish.
The Senate Finance Committee is about to vote on "S. 82, the Adoption Tax Credit
Guarantee Act" and we are petitioning for them to vote YES to save the adoption
tax credit.ABOUT THE CREDIT:The average cost to adopt a child is any
where from $25k- $35k or more. Currently, for the 2011 Tax Year Adopting
families are eligible for:• A maximum of $13,170 for 2011 returns • Fully
refundable as long as the adoption is initiated in 2011 or before, and finalized
before the end of 2012 (domestic) or was finalized in 2011
(international)But in 2012 the Tax Credit is going to change: • A maximum of
$12,170 for 2012 returns only, non-refundableIn 2013 it all goes away, no
tax credit at all.We are working with politicians and petitioning to extend
the tax credit as currently stated in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care
Act, so that more money is available to families allowing them provide a
financially stable home to the adopted child.TO HELP:1. To help save the
credit, it only takes a minute. Visit this website & add your name to the
petition:http://www.change.org/petitions/make-adoption-costs-fully-refundable-in-the-2012-2013-tax-years2.
Please consider sending this letter to your adoptive families, as they will be
greatly impacted by the success or failure to keep the adoption credit

FAS/FAE ~100% Preventable

2012-01-21T09:31:00.001-07:00

The Visible Kid with the Invisible Disability© 2003 Teresa KellermanHey,
look at me! Do you think I'm cute? On the outside, I look just like any other
kid - friendly, playful, and full of energy. But there's something about me on
the inside that you can't see - how my brain was messed up before birth by
alcohol. You can't see the tangled connections and all the little empty spaces
in my brain. Unless you can see inside my head, you can't see that I have -
what's it called? Static En-ceph-al-o-pathy.But what you can see is how
silly I act when I am out in public. You can see how immature I am, especially
when you compare me with other kids my age. And you always notice when I get out
of control and "lose it" when things get to be too much for me to handle.Can
you see how embarrassed I get when I can't control my behavior? And how
frustrated I get when I forget the rules - again? And my anger when I get blamed
for trouble over and over? You probably can, because you can see my feelings
plastered all over my face.You say I'm a problem. But I'm not a problem. I
have a problem. I have Static Encephalopathy. The doctor told me what that means
- my brain damage won't get any worse, but it won't get any better either. It's
forever.You can always hear me, because I talk a lot, to anyone who will
listen. When you ask me a question, an answer just pops out, whether it's true
or not. I'm good at telling you what you want to hear. I can fool people into
thinking I really understand what they are telling me. I don't want anyone to
think I'm stupid.I also act like I can take care of myself. But it's hard
for me to figure out time and money. I can't even make change for a dollar. I
can't remember what I got in trouble for yesterday. You probably think I should
learn from my mistakes. But I can't. It's not that I don't know the rules - I
do. It's not that I don't understand consequences - I do. I just can't make
myself do what I know I should do. I don't know why - I just can't.Maybe you
notice that I don't have a lot of common sense. I'm the one who goes along with
the wrong crowd, who gets sucked into doing some really stupid things. And I'm
the one who usually gets caught.My teacher always tells me, "You should know
better than that!" And I do know better. I just can't be better. The doctor says
it has to do with "lack of impulse control and poor judgment" are from damage to
my brain before I was born.My Dad says, "Just grow up." He says I act half
my age. The researchers say "arrested social development" is common in kids like
me who are alcohol affected. That means the only thing that will grow up will be
my body.Everybody can see that I'm friendly and affectionate. But nobody can see
how lonely I am. I have lots of "friends" but they never come over or call me. I
don't have a best friend. But I pretend like I do. I wish I had a dog.I'm not
afraid of anything or anybody.I'm not afraid of strangers, or of heights, or
of unsafe sex. I'm not afraid of the dangers of the real world.Should I be?
Maybe I forget. Even when people tell me things over and over, I still forget.
The psychologist says I have a problem processing information, that I have
memory deficits and attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity. Yep, that's me
all right!You probably think my mom is over-protective. But she knows how
easy it is for others to take advantage of me. Sometimes I think my mom is too
strict, because she doesn't let me go to the park by myself or spend the night
at my cousin's. I guess she knows that I can't behave properly unless she's
right by my side, and she doesn't want me to get into big trouble. Like last
year when I got too "friendly" with the little girl next door. I didn't know
that was "inappropriate." (I hate that word.) Mom said I could get arrested for
doing something like that, which really scared me. But my conscience doesn't
seem to work right. I don't want to make people mad. I don't want to be
"inappropriate." I don't want to be bad.I just want to be accepted, and
understood. Not blamed and shamed. I want to be appreciated for the good things.
Do you notice those?I want you to care, even when I act like I don't. I want
to be respected. And I need you to be a good role model for me so I can learn to
be respectful too.And most of all I don't want you to say bad things about
my birth mom because she drank when she was pregnant. Maybe she couldn't stop
drinking. Maybe her doctor told her it was okay to drink when she was pregnant.
Maybe she just did what everybody else was doing. I'm not making excuses for her
behavior, or for mine. Maybe she didn't think about what she was doing. Maybe
she had Static Encephalopathy too, just like me. But nobody could see.We
live with this everyday ! It is tough for the child and for the rest of the
family..You feel like you beat your head off the wall everyday ,trying to teach
them money and time.. You just think they have gotten it and guess what it's
gone..FAS/FAE, somedays we wish we could say good bye to you ..But you will
be with us forever..

A new look in our frontroom !!!

2012-01-15T21:04:00.002-07:00

This is the new look.. White ceiling , brown stripe and then light blue walls. I made my own chalk to paint the walls. It looks so good.. Then the bottom half of the walls my hubby put up beadboard.. I still need to paint it white , it just has primer on it right now...

Sorry it is blurry, but wanted to show you part way through painting...Plus new vinyl lettering and sayings. I just love these...

This was the old color..It was very dark. We needed a lighting up of this room...

My hubby and I.

More up dates to come..

A great weekend with the childrens aunties!!

2012-01-15T20:31:00.005-07:00

Jordon trying to walk in Kenzie's boots.. What ,that was big job for him..

This is little Bella.. She was not every going to walk or talk.. Or that is what they thought in her orphanage.. Look at this girl now!!!

Yes, that is Bella and her Daddy watching her...

Jordon playing with one of the therapy toys.. Put the cookie in the cookie jar..

Paris aka,Megan and her best buddy ~ niece Jenna.. They are so close...

Paris and Jenna best buddies!!

Bella , we told her she is too big to ship her back now... Boy Bella has grown so much since being home with her forever family...

Dez ,Andrew , Zab's and Adien.. hanging out..

Kenzie looking beautiful , as usual...

Dad , Jordon and Paris aka Megan... snuggling and watching a movie...

Ok !~ Yes we traveled this weekend to Bigfork,Mt to visit the Aunties.. That's what the kiddos say.. We all had so much fun.. They live in a great area..It sure is beautiful there. We made a few trips into Kalispell,Mt . We went looking for vintage and junk finds. Boy we love to go looking for treasures.. Oh i just wish we would have had more time to go junking !!! Maybe when the weather get nice here in Montana... We never know if we will be snowed in .. So we headed home today...

It was great spending time with the aunties.. It is so nice to have someone cook and clean for you... Auntie Linda is a very good cook!!! We all loved the visiting and eating time spent together..THANK YOU Aunties for the wonderful time.!!!!1

We hope to see you both again soon...

We also spent a few hours in fellowship with another adoptive family... It was sure nice to meet this family.. We spent a few hours talking International adoption talk.. Finding out what a ride adoption can be.. We have found that all adoptions are different... Some are meant to be , and some are just a stop before the kiddos find their forever family... But all adoptions pool heavy on your heart and mind as well... We have 7~seven adopted kiddos and not one of their adoptions was to easy... But it all sure makes you a stronger person... We send many prayers to this family , and many families needing our prayers.

Please pray !!

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T16:09:00.002-07:00

We would like to wish all of our family and friends a very happy and healthy New Year.We had a very hectic New Years Eve at our house, along with our seven of ten kiddos we also had 5 of our wonderful grandchildren spend the night with us. That is a grand total of 12 running, jumping, screaming, arguing kids. It was a very loud evening and I didn't think we were ever going to get all of them to sleep at the same time,but oh what fun it was for Jody and I to have about half of our grandkids together at the same time and we are very lucky to have them close by so we can see them often.We love all of you kiddos and grandkiddos

Love Mom aka Nana
Dad aka Papa

Merry Christmas !!

2011-12-25T09:58:00.002-07:00

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!!!!

We sure hope you have a blessed Christmas..

Lots of Activity around Here

2011-12-23T09:52:00.003-07:00

We have been extremely busy around here lately. Everyone is doing great and patiently awaiting the arrival of Santa.We are on our third Christmas tree already (yes 3) the first one had half the lights burned out, so Mom decided we would have a real tree this year for a change, but after only a short time it was getting dried out and with the help of our three littlest ones pulling off lights and ornaments most of the pine needles ended up on the floor, so out the door this tree went lights and all to our older son Jake's house and Dad & Kenzie went to Wal-Mart and picked up a nice white artificial tree.It looked very nice for the first day but now all the decorations are on the top half and the bottom is bare L.O.L. In the middle of all the craziness Mom decides she wants to redo the livingroom with a new color and bead board, not an easy task with the crew of 10 to 20 people we usually have at our house, so it won't be finished in time for Christmas this year (maybe next year).McKenzie got a signed photograph in the mail the other day from her favoritest actress/singer Salena Gomez, she was so excited she was shaking and crying tears of joy. All the other kiddos are doing well, the three littles are going to start speech therapy the first of the year so that will be interesting, Deztany and Andrew are still plugging away at school, some days Dad gets lots of work out of them and other days very little and as for Maggie (Paris) we have a really difficult time getting her out of bed by noon because she prefers to do her schoolwork in the afternoon and evening.Mom and Dad are doing just fine also, some days we just look at each other and shake our heads and ask why, but we wouldn't want our lives any other way because we love all the hustle and bustle of all of our kiddos and grandkiddos in our house.Check out our family picture around the tree, it is impossible to get everyone to look at the camera at the same time.

some pretty special kiddos !!

2011-12-15T19:43:00.004-07:00

Kenzie and Jordon,

Jordon helping do chores.

Jordon giving big brother Andrew a big loving hug!!

Chrissie playing with her shoe laces..

Not much snow, but we have a snowman in the front yard. Thanks kiddos..

Happy Birthday Honey

2011-12-03T09:55:00.002-07:00

We all want to wish Jody aka Mom aka Nana aka Gramma a very very Happy Birthday

today. Yes this wonderful woman wears many hats every day seven days a week. Thank You for everything you do for all of us .Have a great day

Love the whole darn crew

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!!!

2011-11-24T14:47:00.003-07:00

We hope you all are having a happy Thanksgiving.. We really have so much to be thankful for.

We have been blessed with a very big family and lots of special friends.. I am so Thankful for the love of my great hubb and all of my wonderful children .. God has blessed us with 10 beautiful children and 9 awesome grandchildren.. I am also so very thankful for my mother.. She has tought me to have a very giving and loving heart for all people. Orphans , homeless people, and many others people with special needs .. As you all know we have been blessed with three wonderful little ones with Down Syndrome. What a ride that has been so far.. Many of our other children have special needs also. Our house is very busy each and every day . But we would not change it for anything.. Feeling very Thankful today and everyday!!!!

Have a great Thanksgiving !!!

Chrissie's Adoption Day !!

2011-11-18T13:51:00.004-07:00

Welcome to the family ~Christyn Joy ~
We are so glad you are our daughter ...
We love you so much!!!

Chrissie's adoption day and Bella's re-adopt day ... Christyn and Magdalena are now legal Serbian born sisters, both adopted in the USA .. That means they both will get a Montana birth certificate..
It has taken 17 months and three different lawyers to get CHRISSIE'S ADOPTION DONE...But it was worth it.

Chrissie . ready to go see the judge.

Bella waiting to go see the judge..

Chrissie was so happy to just be going , she was dancing around.

Just chilling !

We all love you very much!!!

Mom and Dad and all your siblings!!

Nov 10th,2008 Meeting Magdalena Faith ~Bella~

2011-11-10T10:22:00.033-07:00

Meeting and loving on our little Bella !!

When we look at all the pictures of Serbia, we sure do miss the beautiful country and most of all the wonderful friends we met there... Sending out a big Hello to all of you good people in Serbia...

We also miss the children that stay close in our hearts.. We pray they are doing as good as can be...I sure wish we could know how they are doing.. Maybe somebody out there who gets to see the children will post how they are doing...

Anyhoo , our Bella is doing awesome!! She loves having a big family and of course her own recliner to rock in... She will push you out of her chair if you try to sit in it..She also loves to snuggle with everybody in our family... She will come to you and get up with you and snuggle.

She is still pretty little for a seven year old. But she is daddies little girl...

Anyone thinking of adopting ?? Do it .. You will be so amazed at how much love you will have for the children and the love they will have for you.. It is so worth all the heartache and trouble to get to the children and get them home . Also it does take many many funds to get them home.. Money well spent !!! That is all i can say about that...Give a child a loving home and family!!!

We are so very thankful for our BOO SMELLA~

We sure do love her !!

Love always your forever family...

Thrree years ago ~We went to Serbia

2011-11-09T09:13:00.006-07:00

Bella boo , she is so beautiful !!

On Nov 8th, 2008, we got on a plane ,one of many to travel to Serbia to adopt our Magdalena ~Bella~ . We were so excited and scared all in one. I ~Jody~ had never been on a plane before, so i was really nervous and mostly sick on the flights. All i remember is we couldn't wait to meet our new daughter . She was loved and wanted !! We didn't care if she would ever walk or talk. We just new she was our daughter and we needed to bring her home. Oh we were going to a country that we had never been before...

Boy we were surprised when we arrived in Serbia.. What a beautiful country , many many sights to see and all new friends to meet.. We met many new friends and learned many things about their country.. We also learned in therie country there is no age limit on smoking or drinking alcohol.. They all or most of them smoke and they love to drink alcohol.. They love to have fun.

Any how , we stayed in a neat apartment ~ We met Vlado and Svetlana who showed us around the apartment and also Svetlana took me ~Jody~ around town and showed us how to shop and do money transactions.. We were so thankful for that. It really helps when you have friends in the new country to make you feel at ease. We sure enjoyed their company at a special dinner they took us out for. Svetlana and i ~Jody~ had lots to talk about...

We had our Ministry meeting on Nov 10th ,2008 . We were pretty nervous for this. But it went very well. The social workers were very nice .. The best part was when we finally got to go meet our little Bella , and i sure do mean little .. She was 19lbs and she was 41/2 years old. Oh how this momma cried when she got to hold her.. Bella wrapped her arms around my neck ,just like a little monkey and she was not going to let go... That was a good thing ,because this momma was not going to leave her go either...Jasmina and other workers just watched as we got to love on our new daughter.. We are so thankful for all the people that helped us bring our daughter home.. Three years and lots of love does make a difference... Bella can walk and she can say some words. That is if she wants to... Bella is our little teaser , she loves to tease anybody. We are so thankful for the gift of Miss Bella....

Eveyday we would go see her at the orphanage. We would bring diapers and food for her. We brought Pedi- sure and baby food to feed her. We also put her on a bottle so she could be held and cuddled ... We also brought many many fleece blankets that i made for the children. I sure hope they got to use them... We still talk about all the children we got to see .. Oh how i wish we could have brought more children home with us...But we pray they will find families very soon. Because one day longer is to many for these children. I pray for the little blind girl , i sure hope somebody will show her some love. I also pray for many other children that my heart cries for.. We also have got to watch some of the children come home to their forever families.. That sure makes your heart feel great...

Thank you to everyone involved that helped us bring our Magdalena ~Bella home !! We sure do love her so very much!!!!

What we have been working on..

2011-10-27T14:26:00.004-06:00

We got new buttons made for our Etsy stores.. Mama Bears Fleece Blankets and The Campbell's Country Store. Both buttons are on the sides of the blog. So go check them out. We have 11 items listed so far in our country store, and 100 fleece blankets listed so far.. So if you are looking for gifts for birthdays , Christmas, or any special holiday. Go take a look , you may find something you just can't live without...Gary and I~Jody~ have been working lots of hours to get both stores up and running.. Now we just need to get the word out .. So please share our stores with all yoour friends... We sure would appreciate it!!

Other news ::: All the kiddos are doing better , now that we are all on meds again .. Yes, we have been sick all month . This is the second dose of meds.. So say a prayer we get better very soon...

Also we had to get a new lawyer to get Chrissie's adoption done. Our lawyer never got it done and we want it done before the end of the year.. She is our daughter , now we just need the name change and final papers...She has been with us for 15 months ,it really is time to get this over...

Please share our stores with all your friends and family!!!
Thank you ,
~Gary & ~Jody~

Last Journey of the Summer

2011-10-18T15:34:00.004-06:00

Our camp trailer at the R.V. park

Mom and all the kiddos

Such pretty colors

Looking for Trouble

We made our last trip of the summer to Yellowstone N.P, we were there the last part of Sept and the first part of Oct. we have never made this trip so late in the year, but it was well worth our while because the fall colors are just amazing the weather is clear and cool and best of all the traffic was very light.We stayed at the Grizzly R.V.Park in West Yellowstone which also happens to be the same r.v. park that Kate Gosslen and her 8 kids(Kate + Eight) stayed at. Our kiddos were so excited being able to play at the same playground and see what site number the Gosslen's stayed in earlier this summer. The kiddos wanted to use the same site but is was already taken, so maybe next summer we can reserve site#19.It was a wonderful trip, but after 3 or 4 days in a camp trailer with two adults and seven kids Mom was ready to head for home, you see it takes a ton of work and tons of patience to be able to travel with our crew, but after a long cold boring Montana winter she will be ready to go again in the spring

Vintage Shabby Chic Furniture

2011-09-29T07:59:00.011-06:00

Bellas new chair. This is an old school chair. It is very well built. We bought 4 of these and have redone them for the little ones in our house..Each little one has their name on their chair. So cute.
This is a side table, or plant stand. I painted it and put ( God Is Good All The Time) on it.
This is an awesome side~table.

This is what our deck looks like most days. Furniture ready to be painted oe for Gary to fix and sand down. We work great as a team. Now to sell a few pieces, that would really help.
Antique buffet or sideboard. This is a very beautiful buffet. It soon will be on our Etsy store. The Campbell's country Store.THIS IS BEFORE IT WAS PAINTED.

This is her after she was giving a few beautiful coats of paint and some Annie Sloan soft wax. Look an see how lovely she looks now. She will be on our Etsy store very soon. You can also check out our Mama Bears Fleece Blankets Store on Etsy.You can also check out our blog stores , the buttons at the right will take you to them.

Gary and I ~Jody~ have been working on some new to us furniture. Some are antiques and some are just really neat upcycled pieces of furntiure. That we have brought back to life with a new face lift..The Vintage shabby chic look , i just love it.

Have a great day!!!

~Jody~

Jordon enjoying his ice cream cone !!

2011-09-12T22:15:00.013-06:00

He is so adorable!! We love to just watch him. Jordon loves to eat ice cream cones.

Just look - he would make a great milk commercial . Oh boy he is so much fun..

Jordon is the only child in our house that is not being homeschooled yet.

Gary `AKA..Dad is giving it a try this year. He has been working hard to get the other 6 kiddos at the table for school each day... Thank you Gary...

I have been busy painting new to us furniture. Most of it is vintage shabby chic..

Check out our store ~http://www.campbellscountrystore.com

~Very Busy People!~

2011-09-05T22:35:00.002-06:00

Yes Mom ~Jody~ and Dad ~Gary~ have been busy working on their antiques and vintage furniture. SO to help them out, Kenzie and Deztany have watching the Little's for them. Dad sands them down, and Mom paints them. All last week we all had the flu. it started with Jordon... And ended with Chrissie. So all of the kids had to take the week off of school :(. No one wanted it. Kenzie didn't get it till almost the end (she hid down in her room... Till her and Dad went to get slushies and she stuck upstairs.) Today Mom gave Dad Paris Andrew Grandma Weezy and Uncle Jim a hair cut. They all looked nice! Paris learned how to text today! Now she texts Kenzie all the time... Until she watches TV. Good News for Bella and Kenzie... Their favorite star. Fred Figglehorn (Lucas Cruikshank) is having his 2Nd come out in a couple of weeks. They are so excited!

OH B.T.W (by the way) this is KENZIE.

A Very Busy Saturday

2011-09-01T21:56:00.006-06:00

cooling off in the river

our neighbors to the north

Shriners on parade

Having a good time

This past Saturday we were lucky enough to take in a Shriner parade. This bunch of clowns were having their annual convention in our hometown and the parade route just happened to be only one block from our house, they came from six different states and parts of Canada and entertained our town for three days.These guys really like to have a good time as you can see by the pictures and we had just as much fun watching them struting their stuff.It was by far the most enjoyable parade we have ever attended.Thank you guys for the wonderful parade and most of all thank you for everything you do for the children.After the parade we headed to our grandson's 2nd birthday party which happened to be 3 hours away from where we live, it was a nice party down by the river and all the kiddos had fun playing in the water because it was so hot outside.Happy Birthday Afton we love you guys and hope to see all of you real soon

Someone needed our camp trailer batteries more than us..

2011-08-12T13:03:00.002-06:00

I really cannot believe someone stole our camp trailer batteries...Both of them. We went to load everything in the trailer to go ,and no batteries.. I really hope these people needed these more than we did. I also hope they know they stole this from a really big family with special children.
I am so mad right now , i am sure glad i never seen these people take them. I am sure they would have had a fight on their hands.. Our family really loves to go camping and traveling with our camp trailer..

But quess what it won't slow us down !!! WE will just have to put out 200.00 or 300.00 dollars to buy new ones.. Money that we could use else where..

I sure wish people weren't so mean. But oh well. We will be off to have fun soon...

Say a prayer for these people or person..

Moms Playhouse

2011-08-09T10:03:00.006-06:00

Dad aka Gary hard at work

Campbells Country Store

Mom taking time to pose

Mom has been super busy around here (not her) She had another gargage/store sale this past weekend, it rained most of Friday but Saturday was clear and hot so we had lots of traffic in and out all day long. We like to tease Mom that she would rather put all of our treasures in our own house instead of selling them, I think this is more like her big playhouse than a store. We don't complain though because this is something she loves to do and it gives her a break fom her otherwise hectic life, and if Mom is happy everyone is happy. Seriously, this gal is amazing, she does all this work with the store and still has time to do housework and take care of Dad and all the kiddos.We all love you very very much and thank you for everything you do for all of us, you are a beautiful person.

Oh we have been having lots of fun !!

2011-07-27T15:34:00.003-06:00

Yes, i really think it is lots of fun shopping for old furniture , dressers, old drop side tables. We are always on the run. When not running we are outside working on the furniture that we have brought home. We sand them and re-paint them, Then distress them.Check out our store , click on the button for Campbell's Country Store.

Yes, kiddos are all doing great. They are just enjoying the last weeks of summer vacation. We usually start school Aug 3rd. So they don't have much play time left..

Oh so busy !!

2011-07-09T23:12:00.003-06:00

Yes, we are very busy , not just with all the kiddos. But we have many new adventures in progress. Ya know we have two stores on line . WE have used these two stores to raise funds for our special needs adoptions. Well now we are working really hard to make these our full time jobs. Yes, like i need more full time jobs. With all the kiddos 7.still home and Kali the kiddos friend we have 8 kids traveling and helping us ...

So we have going to yard sales and thrift store shopping for old furniture.., vintage items , and lots of antiques..We have many items set up in the garage. We are also working on many to redo and repurpose .. Many very nice items. I will post pictures when we get them finished.

All the kiddos are doing great!!! Knock on wood.. Bella is the only one that seems to have a very runny nose . I"m thinking maybe some allergies.. Poor girl ...

Kiddos have been loving summer vacation.. They really like sleeping in . Then being out on the trampoline.. Now if we could just get them to remember that they still have chores to do everyday.. They seem to forget that..

Oh we have been having a great time going to antique shows and junk fests . Lots of yard sales, oh so much fun.. Also we have found some old time markets to stop and shop at.. Love love to shop these stores.. We are hoping we can have a great store someday soon...

Just wanted to let you all know we are still around just very very busy.. So if you have not got an e-mail back you know we are busy, plus my laptop is in getting worked on. So i finally broke down and had Gary get me a new one... Thanks Gary... Now for pics..

Best thing of all i get to spend lots of time with my hubby and kiddos and i get to paint many vintage items.. Oh i feel so blessed...

Farm Chick Pictures

2011-06-13T11:22:00.001-06:00

The Farm Chicks Show !!!

2011-06-09T09:04:00.004-06:00

Serena and Cathrine signing Country Living Magazines.. Yes, i got mine signed also... I love my Country Living Magazines..

OH so many treasurers to see and find..

Farm Chicks , that says it all!!!

Andrew looking around, oh so much for him to touch and see..

Seven sisters candy

Oh my , where do i start .. It was wonderful !!! We really enjoyed it so much...

There was so much to see and some really wonderful people we met..

I also got my books signed by Serena Thompson, but i forgot to have Gary or Kenzie take a picture ... It was a little tough with 8~ yes eight kiddos in tow.. Three in strollers and five who could touch everything... I am sure hoping next year i will be able to attend again. It was wonderful... Oh my i found some great treasurers to bring home.. Justwish i would have had more room to bring more home.. Did i say this was the most awesome Show i have seen. But then i really love old or vintage treasurers..

Mom was like a little kid in a candy store, she just loved everything at the show and yes I think she looked at every item in the place at least once.We are sure glad she had such a wonderful time because she has been talking about the "Farm Girls" for a long time and has been planning this trip for weeks and weeks.Dad spent the entire show herding chickens (kiddos) around the show and trying to keep everyone out of trouble, so Mom could enjoy herself, but it was well worth it just to watch Mom and how much fun she was having.I'm sure she will keep a close watch for next years show date. We love you so much Mom

Megan ~aka~ Paris ~ Happy 8th Birthday

2011-06-09T08:56:00.002-06:00

Happy 8th Birthday onthe 7th Paris ..Yes , i am a little behind on posting.. But we have been very busy ...When , is it not busy in our house??/

Paris we sure hope you had a wonderful birthday...It seems we are always traveling for Megan~Paris's birthday...I will let you all know where we went this year in my next post....

We love you so much Paris!!!!!

My siblings !!

2011-06-02T20:13:00.002-06:00

We have been going through old slide movies at my mom's. So we have had these pictures of when i was little ~Jody~,put on dvd's. This is my sister who is a year older than me, and my little brother who is a year younger than me.. Boy we mut have kept our mom on her toes.
She raised us by herself, for many years. We are so thankful that she made us be very independant. We cannot thank her enough..

Sam, Jody, and Helen riding Skipper.. Them were the days. I really loved to go riding ..

W had lots of fun times...

Jody,Helen, and Sam. It lookslike my sister Helen is holding her rabbit. Our dogs are standing by Sam... It is really neat to look back at these pictures.. We didn;t need cars , we had horses. What better way to travel. Them were the days...

Thanks mom,we love you so much!!!

~Jody~

Roasting smores, new glasses, and ears pierced..

2011-05-26T09:18:00.003-06:00

Yes, Andrew got one ear pierced.He loves it..

Bella sporting new glasses..Mira-Flex glasses.Yes, Bella got her ears re-pierced . The first time they got infected. So we try again.. Bella is doinggreatwith the earings, but poor with keepingthe glasses on... So everyday we stand right by her and put her and Chrissie's back on them all day long...Boy would it save us alot of time if they would just leave those glasses on...

Chrissie sporting her new eye wear and yes new earings. Chrissie also got her ears pierced..

Chrissie does great with the earrings, but likes to throw the glasses..These girls ..

Having fun in the back yard roasting smores.. It was dy to a few minutes. We sure have been having lots of rain.. Yes some snow. We are sure we will see snow this weekend.. Just wouldn't be the same without it...

Have a blessed and safe weekend!!!

Camren making smores, yum yum.Kenzie, Dez and Andrew sitting around the fire..

~Jody~

Happy late birthday to my wonderful hubby!!

2011-05-26T09:11:00.002-06:00

Happy late birthday honey!!!
Gary's birthday was on the 19th, that shows how far i am behind on blogging..
So now i will try and catch up...
Honey we hope you had a wonderful loud birthday!!
Yes, i say loud because it is never quiet in our house. Somebody is always screaming...

Love ya honey,
~Jody~

Loving their big brother !!

2011-05-17T13:33:00.002-06:00

Big brother Jake , Chrissie and Bella boo...Bellaloves to sit on everybodies shoulders..
I think she thinks she is a cat.. We don't even have any cats..Everybody has allergies to them.
So it must be a downs thing..

The little girls love to hug on there brother.. Also climb all over him..
They would give him kisses , but he runs ~ he doesn't like them lick kisses..
Ya know they get a little wet and gooey..Big brother can not handle that..
Maybe one day...

Love much~Mom

Our Princess Bella loves to be outside!!

2011-05-14T20:38:00.001-06:00

Bella on the st and spin..

Bella has to be ith everybody outside,. She loves it..

Thanks Carolee ,Piper and Jason !!

2011-05-11T16:36:00.003-06:00

Jordon looking spiffy~

Chrissie with her new dress..Carolee made these outfits for the kiddos . We just love them, the kiddos were so happy with there new clothes..

Bella dancing around with her new dress..

Chrissie so excited with her new dress...

Oh how Bella loves her new dress..

THANK YOU SO MUCH CAROLEE!!

FAS/FAE~ 100% PREVENTABLE~If they only new,before they took that drink or drinks!

2011-05-09T22:46:00.003-06:00

The Visible Kid with the Invisible Disability© 2003 Teresa Kellerman

Hey, look at me! Do you think I'm cute? On the outside, I look just like any other kid - friendly, playful, and full of energy. But there's something about me on the inside that you can't see - how my brain was messed up before birth by alcohol. You can't see the tangled connections and all the little empty spaces in my brain. Unless you can see inside my head, you can't see that I have - what's it called? Static En-ceph-al-o-pathy.
But what you can see is how silly I act when I am out in public. You can see how immature I am, especially when you compare me with other kids my age. And you always notice when I get out of control and "lose it" when things get to be too much for me to handle.
Can you see how embarrassed I get when I can't control my behavior? And how frustrated I get when I forget the rules - again? And my anger when I get blamed for trouble over and over? You probably can, because you can see my feelings plastered all over my face.
You say I'm a problem. But I'm not a problem. I have a problem. I have Static Encephalopathy. The doctor told me what that means - my brain damage won't get any worse, but it won't get any better either. It's forever.
You can always hear me, because I talk a lot, to anyone who will listen. When you ask me a question, an answer just pops out, whether it's true or not. I'm good at telling you what you want to hear. I can fool people into thinking I really understand what they are telling me. I don't want anyone to think I'm stupid.
I also act like I can take care of myself. But it's hard for me to figure out time and money. I can't even make change for a dollar. I can't remember what I got in trouble for yesterday. You probably think I should learn from my mistakes. But I can't. It's not that I don't know the rules - I do. It's not that I don't understand consequences - I do. I just can't make myself do what I know I should do. I don't know why - I just can't.
Maybe you notice that I don't have a lot of common sense. I'm the one who goes along with the wrong crowd, who gets sucked into doing some really stupid things. And I'm the one who usually gets caught.
My teacher always tells me, "You should know better than that!" And I do know better. I just can't be better. The doctor says it has to do with "lack of impulse control and poor judgment" are from damage to my brain before I was born.
My Dad says, "Just grow up." He says I act half my age. The researchers say "arrested social development" is common in kids like me who are alcohol affected. That means the only thing that will grow up will be my body.Everybody can see that I'm friendly and affectionate. But nobody can see how lonely I am. I have lots of "friends" but they never come over or call me. I don't have a best friend. But I pretend like I do. I wish I had a dog.I'm not afraid of anything or anybody.
I'm not afraid of strangers, or of heights, or of unsafe sex. I'm not afraid of the dangers of the real world.
Should I be? Maybe I forget. Even when people tell me things over and over, I still forget. The psychologist says I have a problem processing information, that I have memory deficits and attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity. Yep, that's me all right!
You probably think my mom is over-protective. But she knows how easy it is for others to take advantage of me. Sometimes I think my mom is too strict, because she doesn't let me go to the park by myself or spend the night at my cousin's. I guess she knows that I can't behave properly unless she's right by my side, and she doesn't want me to get into big trouble. Like last year when I got too "friendly" with the little girl next door. I didn't know that was "inappropriate." (I hate that word.) Mom said I could get arrested for doing something like that, which really scared me. But my conscience doesn't seem to work right. I don't want to make people mad. I don't want to be "inappropriate." I don't want to be bad.
I just want to be accepted, and understood. Not blamed and shamed. I want to be appreciated for the good things. Do you notice those?
I want you to care, even when I act like I don't. I want to be respected. And I need you to be a good role model for me so I can learn to be respectful too.
And most of all I don't want you to say bad things about my birth mom because she drank when she was pregnant. Maybe she couldn't stop drinking. Maybe her doctor told her it was okay to drink when she was pregnant. Maybe she just did what everybody else was doing. I'm not making excuses for her behavior, or for mine. Maybe she didn't think about what she was doing. Maybe she had Static Encephalopathy too, just like me. But nobody could see.

We live with this everyday ! It is tough for the child and for the rest of the family..You feel like you beat your head off the wall everyday ,trying to teach them money and time.. You just think they have gotten it and guess what it's gone..
FAS/FAE, somedays we wish we could say good bye to you ..But you will be with us forever..

Guess who got left at the zoo ???

2011-05-09T11:15:00.001-06:00

We are missing someone in the photo of the Kiddos

The bigger girls each have a little kiddo to keep track of

Aren't they both soooo cute?

A very serious conversation

Kali, Jordon and Mom

We took our first road trip of the summer to the zoo in Idaho Falls, Idaho which is about four hours from home, not only did we have our own kiddos with us but also Kenzie's buddy Kali.We stayed at a wonderful R.V. park in Idaho Falls and even though it is May we were wearing heavy clothes all the time because it was cool and rainy.We spent lots of time at the zoo and luckily didn't get rained on at all.We were not able to see some of the animals because it was still to cold and wet for them.Everyone had a great time but eventually we had to leave. On our way out Mom wanted a picture of all the kiddos in front of the zoo sign,and when we finished we headed for the van and while we were loading kids mom realized we were short one kiddo, yes we walked off and left Chrissie sitting in her stroller in front of the zoo sign.Kali ran back and found her just sitting there watching people walking by.No she was never in any danger at all because we noticed she wasn't with us as soon as we got to the van.The rest of the trip we were constantly taking a head count. We did arrive back home on Sunday afternoon with everyone we left with on Friday. A few days at home and we will be planning our next adventure

and more monkeys

2011-05-09T11:10:00.001-06:00

Maggie spending time with her Daddy or looking for a ride up the hill

Deztany and Kenzie measuring up to the lion

Kali and Maggie and the Tiger

Where you going

More babies

Little monkeys

2011-05-09T11:04:00.001-06:00

Monkeys

Not sure who was more amazed with who. Jordon kept trying to kiss the monkey

Hang in there

These two guys are very entertaining,but for some reason they weren't out in their play area

The Family at the Zoo ~

2011-05-09T10:57:00.001-06:00

Another new baby

Baby peeking out of moms pouch

Taking a bath

Watching you watching me

The whole crew of us at the zoo, another visitor was nice enough to take the photo. No, Chrissie is not sleeping, she just decided to not pose for this picture.

Tautphaus Zoo ~more animals

2011-05-09T10:50:00.003-06:00

Tiger on the prowl

Dad and Jordon

The camels were still wearing some of their winter fur

Peek- A- Boo

This sloth bear arrived at the zoo just a few days before we did

Tautphaus Zoo~

2011-05-09T10:44:00.002-06:00

There were lots of new babies at the Zoo

"who are these people staring at me?"

Zebras are amazing

The lions were a big hit

Tautphaus Park Zoo, Idaho Falls,Idaho

2011-05-09T10:37:00.002-06:00

Yak

Mini goats

Peacock ~ being pretty~

Penguins

Everyone loved watching the penguins

On our way to Idaho

2011-05-09T10:31:00.001-06:00

This little guy was sitting outside our camp trailer

Dad was feeding him popcorn

A mural on some grain silos in Idaho

Winter is still hanging around

Patiently waiting

The kiddos all did very well on the four hour ride, all eight of them.

Come along to the zoo with us ..

2011-05-07T21:13:00.004-06:00

Lots of snow still on the mountains..

Lunch at McDonalds

A long load

Dez, Bella and Chrissie

Andrew and Jordon

Happy 6th Birthday Chrissie !!

2011-05-06T22:27:00.004-06:00

Happy 6th Birthday Chrissie , you are so special to all of us!! We are so glad you are a part of our family!!We sure love you very much!! We hope you had a very special birthday today.

Chrissie in the van , we are heading to the zoo in Idaho Falls,Idaho. The kiddos thought that would be a great birthday present for miss Chrissie. So we hope she sure enjoys the day at the zoo, tomorrow..

The kiddos on the trampoline ..
We love ya;s very much..

Easter ~ We are blessed~

2011-05-02T08:38:00.002-06:00

Bella and Aubrey taking dad or papa for a walk..

Rachel,Gretchen and Paris~aka Megan ..

Letting the kiddos out to find the Easter eggs...

Nat;s and Aub's finding lots of eggs..Some had candy in them and some had money..

The little girls looking so pretty..

Easter was very fun for all the kiddos .. We love having our annual Easter egg hunt !!

So nice to spend it with family...

Love ya's

Some cuteness

2011-05-02T08:28:00.002-06:00

Chrissie

Bella sporting a Fred shirt !!

Natalie and Aubrey building blocks.

Jordon , sporting a milk stash. That would be a cute picture for got milk !

Chrissie, Jordon and Aub's .

Happy 31st Birthday Jason !!!

2011-04-27T11:14:00.003-06:00

We hope you have a wonderful day today and always!! Happy birthday to you!!

Happy birthday to you !!!

We hope to see you soon..

Love from all of us !!

McDonalds Fire in Butte,Mt

2011-04-26T22:38:00.003-06:00

Fire breaks out just before 4:00pm

Fighting the fire from above

A total loss

A view from across the street

sad Just getting started

Our local McDonalds burned to the ground this afternoon. It was a very emotional scene for our kiddos,because we all know how kids love McDonalds. We are very thankful that their were no injuries to employees,customers or firefighters

McKenzie's 11th birthday party !!

2011-04-14T21:33:00.002-06:00

Happy 11th birthday McKenzie !!! I know this post is very late.. But better late than never..She is such a beautiful young women..God blessed us dearly with McKenzie our first adopted child..What a blessing she has been to all of us... Thank you so much Kenzie for being you..We love you so much..

McKenzie and one of her best buddies Kali !! Not sure where her buddy Rachel was..

Big sister Amber watching the little ones .. Do you see Bella outside with all the kiddos while they play football. She was not staying in the house while all the kiddos were outside..Bella lets us know she is a big girl now. She wants to play and run just like the other children..

Do you see her again. Bella is chasing after the other kiddos...

Family and friends for Kenzies birthday party...

We hope you had a great 11th birthday this year Kenzie!!!!

We all love you so much !!!

Love Dad & Mom & all the family !!

Save the date ~Boss your heart Ministry~

2011-04-13T07:38:00.004-06:00

I don't know if y'all will be able to see this large enough to read it. I think if you click on the photo, it will show it larger on another screen. In memory of Chrissie and in remembrance of the day Chrissie went to heaven (which is approaching all too quickly), we are hosting the first annual “Boss Your Heart” Benefit on Saturday, May 21, 2011 from 10AM-5PM at the San Marcos Civic Center. There will be a team roping event, along with children’s activities, food/concessions, a silent auction, and a whole lot of family fun! We are in the process of forming a 501c3 (non-profit) in memory of Chrissie as well. All proceeds from the benefit will go to Boss Your Heart Orphan Ministries, which will be a non-profit to help orphans in memory of Chrissie. We NEED help to make this possible. God recently laid this idea on our hearts, not leaving us a whole lot of time for planning, but we feel confident that He will lift up a team of volunteers to help us make this dream a reality. If you would like to help us with this benefit, please contact me at Lorraine@ForgottenSawRanch.com. We would be so very blessed by your support! There are so many areas where we need help; there will be something for everyone to do. Please prayerfully review the list below to see if God might have you help in some way. We are grateful for your friendship, prayers and support, and we look forward to seeing what God does as we commit to carrying out the legacy of love, joy, and hope that God so abundantly blessed us with through our Princess Chrissie. It is our greatest desire to bring God’s love to orphans around the world through the efforts of Boss Your Heart Orphan Ministries, all for His glory, in memory of our precious princess. Please forward this to anyone you know who might want to help! 1st Annual Boss Your Heart Memorial Benefit & Team Roping May 21, 2011 10AM-5PM Hays County Civic Center San Marcos, TX Team roping, children’s activities, silent auction, food/concessions, family fun! We need TONS of volunteers. We need people to start right now with various areas, but we’ll also need people to help the day of the event. There’s a place for everyone to be able to help, and the more help we have, the easier it will be on everyone to make this a huge success, in memory of Chrissie. (If you live out of town, please consider donating an item for the silent auction.) Here are the areas where we need HELP (if I’ve forgotten something, please let me know!!!): · Corporate sponsors o Need a chairperson to solicit sponsorships o Need as many sponsors as possible o Need someone to send thank you notes to sponsors o Need someone to organize listing the sponsors on a banner/signs · Food/concessions o Need a chairperson to organize o Need lots of helpers to serve, work shifts, etc. o Will serve BBQ plates (need cooks!!!) o Would like to have a cotton candy machine, sno cones, etc. · Children’s Entertainment o Need a chairperson to organize o Need lots of volunteers to set up activities, work shifts, etc. o Would love to have inflatables and maybe even a mechanical bull, funded by corporate sponsors · Publicity (PSA’s, newspaper articles, fliers) o Need a chairperson to organize publicity 1. Radio stations (PSA’s: K-LOVE and local stations) 2. Newspaper 3. Fliers (create a flier) 4. Free publications (Hill Country Sun, Hill Country News and Views) 5. Banner to hang at the event · Set Up Crew o Need a chairperson to organize o Need lots of volunteers who can arrive early to get things set up on May 21 · Clean Up Crew o Need a chairperson to organize o Need lots of volunteers to help clean up after the event · Decorations o Need chairperson to organize o Need volunteers to decorate the day of the event · Silent Auction o Need chairperson to organize (Carrie and Maris: are y’all wanting to be titled as the chairpersons?!?) o Need LOTS of donations (anyone can gather donations at any time) · Team Roping o Chairpersons: Troy and Jamie Ashford o Need someone to solicit prizes: saddle?, buckles? o Kids’ prizes · Children’s Rodeo Contests o Need chairperson to organize several events for the kids to enter between roping rounds (in main arena as well as things to have on the grounds that are rodeo-related for the kids to participate in) 1. Ideas include a dummy roping (kids pay a fee to enter in the dummy roping where they try to rope a calf dummy on the ground), stick horse barrel races, kids relay races in the arena · T-shirts o Need a chairperson to organize (I have the contacts, just need someone to take care of the details) Pam Sadler · Website o A friend has great ideas for the website (and is able to do a lot with websites), but it would be extremely helpful if someone would be willing to build the website template. •Please mail auction donations to: ◦Lorraine Patterson, PO Box 1708, Kyle, TX 78640 Posted by Lorraine, AKA Forever Blessed We are so excited for the Patterson Family !! Can you help with donations of gifts or of money.. Thank you ~Jody~

All eyes !!!

2011-04-11T08:00:00.000-06:00

2011-04-11T07:50:00.002-06:00

Jordy standing on his head..

Look at that big smile!!! Bella loves having a family...She has really came along ways in our family!!! We love this little girl with all our hearts...

What a beautiful smile from our Princess!!!

Dad trying to teach Jordy how to drink out of a straw.. Jordons telling dad no way dude...

Andrew has been dressing in Gary;s old work clothes. He tells us he is going to work. I guess now that dad is home Andrew feels he should go to work now...

Happy Birthday McKenzie

2011-04-05T14:41:00.002-06:00

Today is our McKenzie's 11th birthday, it seems like it was only yesterday she was a baby rocking with her mommy and daddy. We are very proud of Kenzie and everything she can do. She is very mature for an eleven year old, and is very helpful to mom and dad, espically with electronics, computers, and cell phones, she also has a very very good memory that comes in very handy sometimes. This afternoon we are letting her go to the movie "Hop" with her two buddies and without mom or dad, yes this is a first. Anyway we all hope you have a great Birthday Kenzie We love you very much Love Mom, Dad an yhe rest of the crew

Happy April Fool's Day!!

2011-04-01T21:49:00.002-06:00

Yes it's April Fool's day. And today Mom~Jody and Mckenzie got their eye's checked. They had a goofy idea to get contact's. Mom~Jody had a better time getting them in than getting them out, Kenzie on the other hand had a better time getting them out. So about an hour after we got home Kenzie and Mom~Jody had to take them out. Kenzie took 10 minute's to take them out, and Mom~Jody took a longer time cause she was better putting them in. SO Kenzie and Mom~Jody took an hour and a half trying to get them out of Jody's eye's. Kenzie told her if she had them or not. SO it was "KENZIE TO THE RESCUE". It was quite the experience getting contact's. Kenzie's eye's did okay and Mom's had a little bit of a tough time getting them out. SO IF YOU DID ANY PRANK'S TODAY IF YOU WANT YOU CAN TELL US WHAT YOU DID! THIS IS A POST BY MCKENZIE CAMPBELL! :-)

Happy 7th Birthday "PRINCESS" Bella~

2011-03-26T20:37:00.003-06:00

Bella's beautiful Birthday Cake

Bella sitting in the sun

She loves to wrap the curtians around her

Bella is growing so fast

I DIDN'T DO IT

Our little Princess turned 7 years old today. it is hard to believe she is 7 already. Bella has come so far since we brought her home at 4 yrs old.We estimate that physically she is about the size of a 3 yr old. Bella is very petite, but there is a lot of energy in that little body so she is always on the go either causing trouble or tormenting one of us, and we wouldn't want her any other way. Happy Birthday to our precious Princess, you are very special and we all love you very much.

Happy 9th Birthday Andrew!!!

2011-03-25T12:35:00.003-06:00

Happy 9th Birthday Andrew !! Chrissie and Bella having fun at Andrews party!!

Papa and Aubie!!

Grandma weezy and the kiddos!!

All of us having a great time !!

We love you Andrew

Yes, i am posting this late..

Andrew turned 9 on March 19th.. He had a great party,.Thank you everyone that came!!

Andrew is really starting to become a big boy now. We do love him so...Wwe hope you had a wonderful birthday Andrew..

Blessings !!!

2011-03-25T12:25:00.002-06:00

Bella looks like her daddy sleeping sitting up!!

Bella hanging out in the sun on the couch!!

BabayJ waiting for his dady to come home!!

Paris~aka Megan , she is beautiful!!

Chrissie and baby J playing !!

Thank you for the support !!

2011-03-23T08:19:00.001-06:00

Thank you to all that have left comments !!!
It is so nice to hear encouraging words..

We will be fine.. Things will need to change , for the better... Yes, i will be able to spend some time with my hubby .. He will be able to stay up later than most of the kiddos.. Maybe not Paris ..Paris aka Megan likes to stay up with mom..

We are hoping to spend some time at the lake this summer...
If we can find a safe play yard for the 3 little ones and Andrew too.
Andrew likes to run off by himself.. Boy that is not safe for Andrew...

More later

Sick family and Gary lost his job !!

2011-03-18T17:20:00.002-06:00

All of us have been sick for the last two weeks.. Kiddos have been running temps , runny nose and just feeling cruddy. So we have been home staying away from everybody so we don't get them sick.. Kenzie , Jordon,Bella and Chrissie have all been getting breathing treatments. Long lists to keep track of meds for each child. We hope soon we will all be better soon...

Well Gary ~aka Dad ~ Went to work just like any other day, got up at 2:00 A.M for his shift.
At 6:00A.M. he got a message to have a meeting with his boss at 1:30 P.M. HIS BOSS AS NOT BEEN HERE TO MONTANA in months. So we figured something was wrong. Gary and the two other drivers went to the meeting .After Gary being with this company ~for he is in his 15 year.
They said they will be done working in two weeks. Wow after that many years you would think they could at least give them a months notice..

That means Gary and I~Jody will no longer have health insurance.. That really sucks, for lack of a better word...
I guess we have to look on the bright side~we will get to spend sometime together. Gary will be able to stay up later than 8:00P.M. That part will be nice.

I will have extra hands here to help me teach the children for awhile. Boy i don't know how long Gary will be able to handle that.. We will see.
Please say a prayer for all of us to feel better and for Gary to find a new job that will provide for all of us...
WE LOVE YOU GARY aka Dad !!!
Have a great week end !!
~Jody~

Silly pictures of our kiddos !!

2011-03-08T11:03:00.004-07:00

Bella Boo

Amz and Jordon

Cool Chrissie !!

Poor baby Jordon pouting !!

Jordon is mad !!

2011-03-06T21:09:00.003-07:00

I know it has been a long time scenets we've updated. All the kid's are doing good! Jordon is learning how to stand and crawl on his knee's and not on his butt. Bella has been picking up food and putting it in her mouth all on her own (good job Bella!). Chrissie is doing good. She likes to pick up shoe's and puts them over the gate. Megan "Paris" has officially moved into Mckenzie and Deztany's room. Andrew is getting excited for his birthday (his birthday is March 19th!) and is trying to be on his best behavior. Deztany has been wanting to go see Justin Bieber's 3-D movie called "Never Say Never". McKeznzie and Bella love this squeaky voiced kid, His name is Fred Figglehorn, they both love him. Kenzie is counting down the day's until her birthday too (Her birthday is April 5th). She is going to be 11 (her lucky number). 50% of Kenzie's time on the laptop she watches Fred on his you tube site (some of his videos are hilarious, to Kenzie). Every time Kenzie turn's on Fred Bella will be sitting with you and when she hear's the three word's "Hey it's Fred" she will head for Kenzie.(you can go to Fred's you tube site at youtube.com/Fred). Deztany like's Justin Bieber. She is alway's saying '' If i meet Justin Bieber i will scream and faint''. Paris Kenzie and their friend's Kali and Rachel are just loving Taylor Swift's new album Speak Now! (They love you Taylor!!!!!) and Andrew is liking other artist's like Sean Kingston and Big Time Rush. He want's Kid's Bop 19 for his birthday. Kenzie on the other hand want's Fred's Christmas album called "It's Hackin' Christmas With Fred". I think she is overly obsessed with Fred (his real name is Lucas Cruikshank).

THANK YOU FOR READING!!!!!!!!!!!
This post is made by Kenzie

Bella working with Dixie~ her O.T Therapist.!!!

2011-02-25T12:46:00.002-07:00

Bruno Mars - Just the Way You Are (Cover by MattyBRaps ft. Tyler Ward)

2011-02-22T07:52:00.001-07:00

Bella is saying hi !!

2011-02-21T14:59:00.002-07:00

Bella is working hard..

Chrissie jumping !!

2011-02-21T10:54:00.002-07:00

Look at them go !!

2011-02-20T10:23:00.002-07:00

Chrissie have lots of fun on there little trampoline. Their aunties from Wyoming , where here to visit , and they bought this for the children for a wonderful present. Bella likes to stand on it. But she can not figure out how to bend her knees to jump. Chrissie sure can jump..
Thank you Aunties !!!

Chrissie loving her trampoline!!

Jordon with a bow in his hair..

Andrew and the little girls..

Chrissie and Bella sitting at there perch. Being sweet!!

Thank you Auntie's Linda & Maddy

We had so much fun visiting with you.

Hope to see you both soon!!

Sending our love to you !!

The Three Littles

2011-02-13T16:09:00.003-07:00

Jordon loves to look at books

Chrissie likes to remove her clothes

Bella dancing to the music

Jordon taking a break from his piano playing

Double the Trouble

All the kiddos are doing great, Jordon is getting more mobile every day not to mention he is growing so fast that it won't be long before he will be big enough to carry mom around. He has a very outgoing personality and a smile that brightens up any gloomy day.Bella is the same old Bella and does everything on her own terms, she does know how to do lots of things and she also knows exactly what you are saying to her, but she will pretend she has no idea what is going on. She has come so far since she came home to us, and we are very proud of our little Serbian Princess.Our little Chrissie is all settled in with our whole family now and her and Bella like to compete with each other about everything, it is really cute to watch them interact with each other, yes the even compete on who can be the most MISBEHAVED for the day, which usually ends up being a tie most days.They are all still doing O.T.Therapy every week and taking turns tormenting Dixie (OT Therapist).The four bigger kiddos are all doing fine, they all have their days but it definitely keeps it interesting around here. Mom is still schooling everyone at home and most days all goes well, it will be very interesting when they are all teenagers.

Oh so precious !!

2011-02-09T19:42:00.002-07:00

Oh what a sweet baby !!
Look who's having fun on his lion ..
Bella and Chrissie looking for trouble !!
Bella looking at her book ..
Bella standing at the table looking at her book..
Bella is doing so well. She has come so far already. We can not wait to see what all she will be able to do.. Bella is walking all of the time now. She can do some signs when she wants to . She feeds herself and can tease anyone of us at her own will. She is a wonderful little girl.
Yes, she can be a beast , but most of all she justs loves to snuggle.

Chrissie is doing well. She is very smart and can sign many words. She has been very helpful in helping Bella to learn and do new things..She is adjusting well to all of us and does listen to the rules when she wants too. Chrissie is also very loveable , but also has a mean streak in her.

Jordon is doing awesome!! He is a very smart little guy. He loves to play and snuggle. His favorite toy right now is the music piano. He will sit on his bench and play music for along time.
Jordon loves to give mommy wet kisses , it is so adorable and sweet. Jordon will bend down and plant a sweet smooch on mommy. It just melts my heart.. All in all they are all doing very well..Gotta go kiddos are calling!!!

~Jody~

Can you help the Dickinson Family bring Masha home !!!

2011-02-06T15:29:00.002-07:00

This wonderful family needs our help !!!

They are waiting for a date to travel to bring home Masha, but they are still short on the funds needed to randson Masha from her orphanage..

Today WOULD BE A GREAT DAY TO HELP MASHA !!!

Can you spare a few dollars for this cute little orphan.. May you also pray that very soon she will not be an orphan anymore... That she will be with her family forever..

The Cornish Family is having this fundraiser for the Dickinson family .

Kenzie's new hair ..

2011-02-02T08:35:00.003-07:00

Took mom 8 hours to put these in, and 3 hours to take them back out..

Kenzie looked so beautiful , as always.

Love ya Kenz !!

Pictures, pictures !!

2011-02-01T22:12:00.003-07:00

She loves to eat !!

Bella also loves to eat now!!

Jordon and Bella playing in a basket full of socks..

More fun!

The signs we make..

2011-01-28T08:26:00.001-07:00

Check out our signs we make..

Click the button on the side it will take you to our store..The Campbell's Country Store!!

Pictures

2011-01-28T08:16:00.002-07:00

Thanks Rachel~ I really love this saying..This is one of the many signs Gary & I (Jody) make.

Chrissie playing.

Nat's just looking beautiful!!!

The little ones playing.

Jordon playing ball..

Jordon's Firetruck bed and Megan's Bug car bed.

2011-01-26T08:56:00.002-07:00

Jordon changing the oil in Megan's bug car bed..He likes to go under the little car,
Jordon busy under the car bed.
Nat's and Aub's playing in Jordon's firetruck bed. The kiddos all love to play firefighter in the firetruck bed.
Megan ~aka ~Paris in her bug car bed. She really loves this little bed.
Nat's and Aub's having lots of fun at Nana and Papa'a house. They are so cute, you just want to give them a great big hug...Love ya's

A Home for Lisette fundraiser !!!

2011-01-19T13:43:00.005-07:00

Hurry they only have a few hats left !!
Hats with flowers are only 10.00 each!!!

2- Red hats with flower on it.
1-Black hat with flower on it.
2- Blue hats with flower on them.
2- Orange hats with flower on them.
1- Turquiose hat with flower on it.
1- Lavendar hat with flower on it.
3- Purple hats with flowers on them.
e-mail faithjobes@yahoo.com to place your order..

No, baby is not for adoption:::

They have hats with flowers for $10, or flower barettes by themselves for only $5! They also have awesome headbands with flowers on them ... Email me faithJobes@yahoo.com for info on colors that are available. All proceeds go toward bringing Lisette HOME!

They are getting close to traveling so they need to raise some more funds soon!!!
Take a look they have some cool hats!! And you get to help a sweet little girl come home !!! How awesome is that.....

Go to http://ahomeforlisette.wordpress.com/

Andrew and the puppy !!

2011-01-17T19:13:00.001-07:00

Daisy sporting her new muzzle ..She really likes to chew everything she can get to...

Some of the damage Daisy has done..

Andrew and Daisy both like to get into trouble..

This is the siding on our house..

The steps in the house... Bad Dog ~ Bad Dog~

WERE STILL HERE

2011-01-17T19:04:00.002-07:00

Jordon eating lunch

Bella not eating lunch

Chrissy enjoying lunch

Jordon fighting with his big sister Amber

McKenzie, Deztany and Maggie with their friends Rachel and Kali

Things have been going fairly smooth around our house, as smooth as can be expected I guess.Everyone made it thru the holidays in good shape and it's been awhile since we've had an emergency requiring a trip to the E.R. Jordon is growing way to fast, he turned 18mos old today, he is saying some words now and is getting really close to crawling. He has a short temper and likes to argue and fight even with Mom and Dad. Bella and Chrissy are their usual cute selves, they are definitely sisters in everything they do, they fight for attention, food, toys and everything else the other one has. Their favorite game is to push each other off of the couches even though they know they will spend time in timeout. Kenzie Dez and Maggie are doing great with their schoolwork and they are starting to get along better all the time (sometimes) and they all like to help Dad with all the shopping. Mom is doing great, she is still homeschooling all the kiddos and running the household so she has a very busy schedule.but she does a great job and we are very lucky to have her as Mom and as my wonderful wife, she is one unbelievable woman.

Baby Cami needs our prayers !!!

2011-01-13T08:20:00.002-07:00

This is what Cami's mommy had to say ..
Please pray for all of them , and for baby Cami to get better soon.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Not Even Sure How To Begin...

Camryn is sick. She is literally close to death right now.

1. Camryn is now Blind
2. Camryn now has seizures
3. Camryn has tons of brain bleeds
4. Camryn has a collapsed lung
5. Camryn probably has more that I can't remember right now

Last but certainly not least...

Camryn has to have a trach placed tomorrow. Why? you ask... Well... Cami is having trouble breathing without a machine doing it for her now. She has oxygen on at all times but her sats are not good. She is on heliax (sp?) and Comfort Flow to help her. She had a procedure yesterday and I got to see the horrific pictures of the problem. Due to the breathing tube she has a ton of scarring in her throat and now only has an opening the width of a needle to breathe. Camryn cannot get in enough oxygen. So, I was given 3 options. They are as follows...

1. Do the surgery to try and repair the damage
2. Put in a trach
3. Let "nature take it's course" ie- let her suffocate to death

#1- Sounds great right? Well, not really because while he is cutting away- Camryn is getting no oxygen at all. So, she will die.
#2- The trach- I hate this option- but it will save her life.
#3- Not in this lifetime- I will die first- as in "over my dead body"

It is scheduled for 12pm tomorrow unless they have to do it by emergency before then. Please keep her in your prayers because I don't know what I will do if I lose her. I CAN'T LOSE HER. I.would.rather.DIE.
My Ob/Gyn has prescribed me Z*oloft and X*anax to deal with this. There isn't a pill in the world that is going to fix this. I can't believe my life. I am very MAD right now. I would do ANYTHING to be in her place. I would trade places with her if I could- but I can't. I feel responsible- I brought her into this world. I WANTED A CHILD FOR SO DAMN LONG and I finally got them and I don't know what I did, but I did something because Cami is is DYING right in front of me!! I have to stay strong for Cody. I have to stay strong for my husband. My husband despite being over 6 foot tall and being able to lift over 300 pounds is not able to deal with this. He leans on me- I am about to BREAK. This blog is my only outlet- so I apologize for being so negative, but I have to get it out before I SNAP and hurt someone. I am ANGRY at the hospital. I am angry at a nurse who had the nerve to try and touch me. She didn't like the results. I am just sorry to Cami and Cody.

Christy
PLEASE PRAY FOR THIS SWEET FAMILY TODAY !!

There is a chip in on my side bar to donate to Cami';s family.. If you can help ..

2011-01-05T22:09:00.002-07:00

Andrew sporting new shades !!

Kenzie ,she is soo cool..Looking good Kenz

Daddy and Bella having some snuggle time.

Daddy and Paris aka Megan .

Daddy and Jordon doing what they both love to do best..Yes, nap ,Daddy loves to nap in the chair with Jordy Jo..They look so cute!!

Love ya's Mom

Happenings around our house..

2011-01-05T21:53:00.002-07:00

Chrissie looking cool!! She was loving this..

Jordon being cool , he loves to wear the sun glasses.

Oh, Yes Bella looks so cool also. Her and sister Kenzie playing.

Bella really enjoying her tubby time. This has taken two years, yes two years for her to really love to play in the tub.. It is really cute, she loves to splash and roll over in the water. Both that is really big, when we first adopted Bella she hated her time in the tub. So it really is great to see her play in the tub.

Jordon taking his tubby !!

Congrat"s to our oldest son Jason and his wife Jazz !!

2010-12-31T19:21:00.004-07:00

Jason ~Daddy and baby Kyrie Rose

Kyrie Rose

Just after her birth ~Kyrie Rose
6lbs,11oz.

19 inches long.

12:25 p.m.

We have a new family member!! Our oldest son Jason and his wife Jazz had a beautiful little daughter on Dec 26th,2010. That means we have another beautiful grand daughter !!

They are all doing fine. Her big brothers are so in love with her. It is pretty great to have a little girl in their house now..

We love you all very much!!

Pictures,pictures,

2010-12-28T21:47:00.003-07:00

Jordon , Mom, and Kenzle.

Nat;s,Aub's and Andrew

Aubrey drawing pretty pictures , on paper not the walls!!

Bella, being cute!!

Merry Christmas !!!

2010-12-24T20:12:00.003-07:00

Merry Christmas to all our family and friends near and far !!!

We hope you all have a wonderful day !!
Happy Birthday Jesus !!

Please help a family in need !!

2010-12-21T07:45:00.008-07:00

Christy and Cami !!
Baby Cami !! Please pray for Cami !!

My friend Christy and her family need your help!!!
Please if you can will you call or send in some funds for them to be able to pay for their room at the Ronald McDonald house. Their baby girl is fighting for her life and they need to be with her at all costs.. I will have a chip in set up , it will go to my acct: then i will call all the funds into the Ronald McDonald house, or you can send a check or call a gift in yourself.
Thank you so much for help Kevin ,Christy,Cody and baby Cami!!!!
Please pray for healing for baby Cami !!
Please pray for her parents and brother while they travel this road with her!!
Please lets help this family, they really need it!!
This is what Christy has to say!!

Monday, December 20, 2010
In Need Of Help
Though I hate to do this, I have to. I need to ask to help. Unfortunately, we have to pay $10 a day to stay at the Ronald McDonald house, on top of that we have all of our regular bills at the house. On top of that Cody broke 2 of his teeth and he does not have dental insurance so we have to pay more than $500 out of pocket to fix his bottom tooth. His top tooth is chipped, but it isn't a big deal the bottom tooth is cracked down into the gum and is a big deal- it is painful for him. Kevin took off of work for 2 weeks when Cami went into the hospital and it was not paid. So, we are up a creek. I do not have a paypal account anymore. If you are able to help (even $10 will help tremendously) you can mail a check/money order to the Ronald Mcdonald house at

Ronald McDonald House
1315 Barbara Jordan Blvd
Austin, Tx 78723
http://www.rmhc-austin.org/ to donate using a credit card

or call

512-472-9844

you can write on the check/money order my name Christy Faglie Room 28 or give them my name & room number when you call.

If you are able to donate directly to them, that will help me tremendously- that way we won't owe them so much. We still owe them $80.00 from when we were here when Cami was born and as of now we owe them another $120.00. So, we are up to $200.00 now. I don't work- I stay at home with the kids and since Kevin was off for 2 weeks unpaid and any money I do have has to go to get Cody's tooth fixed- we are broke. We are not going to have a very good Christmas this year. Cody & Cami will be taken care of though- family has made sure of that. Kevin and I do not need anything- we just worry about having our bill here paid.

I am sorry to ask for anything, I know this is a horrible time of year to ask for anything- I know my readers have their own problems to deal with and their own families to buy for. However, if you do have anything extra and can help- I would appreciate it.

They moved Sissy off of the strong ventilator that collapsed her lung today- they were worried that it may collapse her other one and that would be devastating. So, Sissy is now on the regular ventilator. That is both good and bad- good because it won't collapse her remaining good lung and they can also give her breathing treatments with this one and bad because she is de-satting with the weaker ventilator. I feel like I am on a roller coaster. However, it isn't about me- it is about that little girl who has been through so much in her 4 months & 2 days on this earth. Camryn is a little fighter, she is a strong little girl.
You can read their blog @ http://www.dailynewsofus.blogspot.com
Thanks for reading & God Bless you all

Please don't forget this little orphan boy!!!

2010-12-16T09:10:00.003-07:00

Please,Please, Don't forget Srecko!!! We are still trying to raise funds for him to be able to come home very soon!!! Can you please help us try to get his funds needed to pay for his medical appt::: 100.00 or maybe we can try and get enough for his visa to be paid to be able to come to America~ 500.00 .. We only have three more days left to raise funds for this sweet boy.. Can you even think of being an orphan, being an orphan at all?? Well what about being an orphan for 7 , yes seven years, that is his whole life.. No Mommy holding him, no daddy playing ball with him. Well he does have a family that is trying very hard to bring him home. His dad is waiting to play ball with him, and his mom is waiting to hold and hug him ever so much. They just need our help. Won't you please donate just a little , every dollar helps to bring him home...Please pray and then see if you can spare a few dollars for Srecko..Yes , this is all about him, he needs us now to help him have a wonderful life. This is a handsome little guy that really will be an awesome son and part of a family... Please pray , then go see if you can spare some change for this sweet boy ... Please think of the less fortunate~ they could really use your help....

~Jody~

Our grandsons Christmas program!!

2010-12-15T08:37:00.003-07:00

Our Granddaughter Natalie and son-in-law David .

Our daughter Amber and our other granddaughter Aubrey.

Our Grandson Camren (he is the one in the sunglasses) Singing Bitzen's hip hop.

Waiting to perform

Singing "All i want for christmas is my two front teeth''

Oh , how fun it was to go watch the Christmas program at our grandsons school.. We all loved it!!! It is so cute to see them all singing anf they are all so proud. Our kiddos really love going to the program. Our grandson Camren did awesome, he really loves to sing.. Ok: here are some pictures..

Buy now buttons on our stores ARE WORKING NOW

2010-12-11T09:51:00.004-07:00

Our buy now buttons on our stores are up and working right again. So if you have tried to make a purchase on either of our stores, you can go back now. They all should be working now. If you have any problems ,PLEASE e-mail us at jngcampbell9@msndotcom.. We are so sorry about this. We have been wondering why our fundraiser was not going well at all. I am so busy i forgot to re-check each button..
I have been flying by the seat of my pants with trying to get everything done.Plus with our newest daughter Chrissie , she is into everything she can get her hands on. So we are working hard to get her to listen and do as she is told. Boy is that a chore.. She has a mind of her own and prefers to do what ever she wants..She likes to pound on everything , and has broken at least one window in her bedroom. Dad put plexey glass up over the windows now. Chrissie bangs on the floors and tables and what ever is in her reach. So even after parenting many,many,many children you get a new one that has many new challenges. So we are all learning new ways to help Chrissie deal with these issues... We love her and want her to have a very productive life. Ok enough on Chrissie. Now for Dez and Andrew, you know that children with FAS/FAE do not deal well with changes. So this time of year is very hard for them and us also. They have so many out burst and tantrums that it really takes up loads of our time. We try to keep things the same ,but with the holidays it is impossible to do . So we are keeping them home as much as possible . One of us does the running for shopping and then stay up late to shop on-line. Boy will i be glad when January gets here. Yes, i really do love Christmas and the true meaning. What i do not like is the new version of Christmas, the i want everything there is out there. I really do not think children need and should have everything they should want.
Ok , even Bella has been acting up . She has bitten two of children in the last couple days. Bella has not bitten anybody in along time. Enough said . We have much still to do to get ready for the holidays.

Please if you can spare a few dollars to help little man Srecko to be able to have enough funds to come home soon to his adoptive family. You can donate right to him with the chip in or if you still need to buy gifts we have some really nice fleece blankets or wood signs still for sale... Just click on the buttons on the side bar and they will take you to our stores .

Thank you so much !!!!
~Jody~

Birthday party pictures.

2010-12-06T12:45:00.003-07:00

Jody with her Mom Weezy ~~

Chrissie, Bella and Paris aka~ Megan

Jake and Jenna~

Bill , David's dad aka grandpa Bill. It was so nice to see Bill and have a short visit.

Kali, our other daughter. She is one of the kiddos friends and she spends a lot of time with us..We love her like our own child..

2010-12-06T12:01:00.002-07:00

Beautiful birthday cake ~ for Jody and her mom AKA. grandma Weezy. We had a very nice party . Lots of family and food to bless us. It is always nice to have lots of family to visit with..

Jody and her mom's birthdays are 1 day apart ,so we have a party together. More pictures to come.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM

2010-12-03T15:51:00.002-07:00

Today is Jody's birthday and we all hope a very special one at that. We are all very blessed to have you in our life and you mean the world to all of us. Have a fantastic day we LOVE you.
HUGGS N KISSES Gary and all the kiddos and grandkiddos

Our biggest Fundraiser yet !!!!

2010-11-27T11:37:00.006-07:00

We have been working over time to have enough Fleece blankets and wood signs to have a huge fundraiser for our little buddy Srecko aka. Scott. Remember that little guy, how could you forget. We talk about him a lot.. He is always on our minds!!! He is needed 1.500.00 dollars for his part of fees to come to the USA with his new family.. He needs a plane ticket, and medical exam, and his visa approval from the US Embassy to be able to travel to the USA.. We are having a big sale on our adoption fundraising stores !!! We have three stores to get ready , so it has taken many hours to get everything ready ..

Right now we are having our biggest fundraiser yet!!!! We are helping a very sweet family to raise the funds to be able to travel and bring their new son home. You see they are adopting a third child from E.E. and fell a little short to be able to travel to pick him up. This little guy is 7 ~ yes that is right he is seven and he has been waiting seven~7~ long years for a family to come and get him. He has seen many new families come and get their new child and he watches as they leave . Waiting for his family to come and get him. This little guy has C.P.~ Cerebral Palsy and he really could use some therapies to help him. Please help us in helping The Severson family to be able to raise the much needed funds to bring their son home... 25 % of every sale of a BLANKET OR WOOD SIGN will go to the Severson family fund to help bring home their son. His travel expenses are around 1,500.00 dollars to get his plane ticket , medical and visa for their son to leave the country he was born in. We also will have a chip in set up if you would just like to donate to help the Severson family....
Thank you so much for shopping Mama Bears Fleece Blankets !!!www.mamabearsfleeceblankets.blogspot.com

Thank you so much for shopping The Campbell's Country Store !!!!
www.thecampbellscountrystore.blogspot.com
http://www.campbellscountrystore.blogspot.com
Also we are having this fundraiser on our E-Bay Store also~ But on the E-Bay Store you will be donating two times..One time will donate 25% to the Severson family and then there is 10% for Breast Cancer or Reece;s Rainbow.org for every blanket sold.
So if you would like to do a double donation for the holidays, you can shop our E-BAY Store @ http://stores.shop.ebay.com/mama-bears-fleece-blankets
Visit us HERE!

You can also donate by the chip in on the side of our blog, it will go right in the Severson family fund for them to travel to get their son...You can also visit The Severson Family Blog @ www.findingourbutterflies.blogspot.com

We will be having the fundraiser starting today until Dec 20th, 2010. We sure hope and pray we will have all his funds needed to purchase his plane ticket and pay his other fees and maybe have a little left over for him to have a very nice dinner in his first country before he gets on that plane for the USA... BOY WILL WE BE VERY HAPPY WHEN WE CAN POST THAT OUR LITTLE BUDDY HAS ENOUGH MONEY TO BE ABLE TO COME HOME TO HIS FAMILY!!! That would really make us so happy for Christmas!!! All i want for Christmas is Srecko to have enough funds to go home to his new family... Please God help us raise the much needed funds , very very soon!!!
Thank you all so much,
Gary & Jody

Orphans Prayer

2010-11-26T08:02:00.003-07:00

ORPHAN'S PRAYER

Each night before I go to bed I fold my hands and bow my head
Praying for a family and the day she will come for me I ask God
to watch over my friends at the orphanage The place that I call home
Wishing we find families and rooms of our very own.
I finish my prayers and climb into bed
Hoping that God heard what I said
My prayers usually turn out to be my dreams at night
Hoping they will be standing there when I wake to the morning light
One very special morning, I will hear their call
I jump out of bed and run down the hall!
Is it them, Is it them, is that why they've called my name?
Running I hear them shout "It's them, it's them, they finally came!"
Have all my prayers been answered, have all my dreams come true
There they are in front of me, Oh Mama & Papa! Oh Mama & Papa!!
Is it really you?

"Yes, it is my darling, We've come to take you home,"
"We will love, protect and cherish and you will never be alone."
Mama & Papa looks at me so differently a look so new to me,
They touch me so gently, just as I dreamed it would be.
As I look into their eyes I watch them fill with water,
They embrace me and whisper, "I love you so my daughter".
They take my hand and hold it tight, I will never
let it go, I hold with all my might. Hand in hand we walk together,
No one needs to speak; we know this is forever.
And through our journey when we finally meet each other,
She will have found her dream and I will have found my mother & father.

Yes, i know this talks about a girl, but we think of a little guy. He really needs to get to have his own family. A mommy and daddy of his own.. A sister and brother also.

I am so happy for our family and friends , that we could all be together for Thanksgiving. We had really awesome food and lots of family time. We are greatful for all of the food and family...

But i really still think about all the orphans , that we got to see while adopting Bella...One little guy still stands out.. Do you all know who that is??? Yes that would be Srecko!!! We really want to see this little guy be able to come home to his family... We are working on a fundraisier to get his part of the adoption part paid for him to get home .. That would be his airfare, medical and visa. We will be posting our fundraisier very soon. He needs 1,500. to get his ticket and medical and visa to come to the USA...Yes , that is all he needs for his part to be paid for . What a gift that would be for Christmas!!! For him and for our family , so we would know that his is home with his family ~The Severson Family~

Check back soon for details!!!!
~Jody~

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T10:37:00.002-07:00

We would like to wish everyone far and near a Happy Thanksgiving, we are so thankful for our family and friends. We are very fortunate to have all of our family so close to us to celebrate with.Have a great day and pray for those less fortunate

Happy Gottcha day and 2 years of being a Campbell !!

2010-11-18T14:55:00.005-07:00

This is of Bella , when she was still at her first home.. So tiny , We so loved getting new pictures of Bella as we waited to go and get her. She is such a blessing in our family. We all love her so much.

Bella and Natalie going for a walk around the house. Bella is the big auntie of Natalie. They are so cute!!!

Dixie : the kiddos O.T therapist , working with all three of the kiddos at once. Bella is still working hard to learn new things. Now that she has Chrissie here with her , they find lots of trouble.

Big sister Deztany:: Teaching her little siblings.. All the big kiddos take turns working with their little siblings. THEY LOVE TO SEE THEM LEARN !!

Bella walking all around the house, by herself.. She is doing so awesome. Now she will be able to keep up with the big kiddos. Bella has been a Campbell now for 2 years!! We love that she was able to join our family.. Bella has worked very hard to learn many new things in the last two years. She gets more attention than she probably thought was ever possible.. There is always somebody there to help her learn , and to help keep her and Chrissie out of trouble.

I would do it all over again to get Bella:: I had never been on an airplane, that is until the trip to get Bella. We new from the start that Bella was severely delayed , but it never made any difference to us. We loved her from the start and we love her so much more now that she has been home for two years... She is like a sponge, she is soaking up all the information she can. Bella is very smart, she just needed her family to help bring it all out.

If you feel that nudge , that calling , or what ever you want to call it. That feeling that your family is not complete, go for it. Step out and adopt an orphan, it is so worth it. Our Bella has been such a joy to our family. It sure was worth that time away from our other children. We were so worried to leave the children at home. But the time went quick and soon we were home with our new daughter. Bella has been such a snuggle bear , she loves to get up with you and have you rub her face and snuggle you. We so enjoy holding her and snuggling her.

Every child deserves a family to grow up in. Can you adopt an orphan ? If you can they are so worth all the work of getting the paperwork done and the travel time away from home AND YOUR OTHER CHILDREN. YES, WE MISSED OUR FAMILY WHEN WE WERE GONE.But we all did wonderful.

I will never forget the first picture we saw of Bella. That was our Princess waiting for us to come and get her. It never mattered what they said was wrong with our Bella , we were going to get her home with us forever. We were told from the very begining that Bella was very delayed, and our we sure we want to adopt her. Yes, we still wanted to adopt our little Bella, she was our little Princess from the first time we saw her. We our so so happy that we stepped out of our comfort zone to travel and get our little Bella home.

Happy 2 years of being a Campbell ~Bella Faith ~ We love you dearly !!!!

Mom , Dad , and all of your family..

How sweet !!!

2010-11-13T09:43:00.002-07:00

Rachel and Bella on halloween.

Bella signing I LOve You !! She is trying to terach Jordon to sign ...

Jordon already to go !!

Chrissie looking pretty !!!

Bella just cruising around the house. Bella has come so far since being home with her family ..

Love really does make a difference !!! When children feel loved they will grow and learn..

~Jody~

And the winners are ???

2010-11-12T08:34:00.003-07:00

Finally, yes we are letting you all know who won the signs and book. We have all been very busy, so sorry for the delay..

So congratulations goes out to :::

Angie Christopherson won the book: America's cheapest family.

1st sign : Jeannette Weil

2nd sign : Julia Nalle

3rd sign :: Jennifer Rush

I will take a picture of the 3rd sign soon.

Thank you to everyone that said a prayer or donated to Srecko~ aka ~Scott's Fund .

We hope and pray he will be home soon.

I will be shipping out the book and signs very soon..

Thank you very much !!!

~Jody~

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO DONATE TO Srecko's AKA ~ Scott's adoption fund

2010-11-09T11:37:00.003-07:00

Thank you to all the folks that donated already to help Srecko aka ~ Scott to be able to come home to his family... There is still time to donate, but please hurry. Today is the last day. Then tommorrow the Severson Family will draw the 3 winners.

Hopefully soon they will be able to bring their son home..

Long awaited pictures !!

2010-11-08T09:29:00.000-07:00