Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Fingerpainting

This was such messy fun! She usually paints with her food, so I thought she'd be ready for fingerpainting. Didn't take her long to discover what she could do with the paints. And it was so much fun to watch her. Her bath water ended up an interesting brown by the time we were done. Now Daddy has his first artwork to take to work!



Raylrode Daze Festivul

Well, we are still busy as always! And our days ahead are filling up quickly. Tina just finished her volleyball season, and Josie's is about to start. Raylrode Daze was a little less crowded than in the past, but we still had a lot of fun, and lots of unhealthy, delicious fair food! We had a big cookout, and got to share it with some friends and family. Tina marched in the parade with her bass drum, and Josie tossed out candy from the hose bed of the Branchville fire truck. The girls had a great time, and Lizzie loved seeing her sisters in the parade. She spied a clown for the first time in her life, and her expression was priceless. Her brow was all furrowed as she tried to figure him out. He didn't scare her, but she wasn't so sure about the bright colors and makeup lol. We saw the can-can girls dancing, and took a train ride. Ate elephant ears, philly cheesesteaks, polish sausages, and corn dogs.












Josie was the volleyball manager for Tina's team, so she got to referee one of the corners. She takes good care of the team members.







Tina has done so well this year! She's not afraid to dive in and get that ball. We are so very proud of her! Way to go girl!








This is Lizzie's new regalia. I took one of my old shirts and re-sewed it for her. Not bad for my first try. It's a tad snug, but it looks so cute on her, especially with the matching boots!



















Sunday, September 27, 2009

In Loving Memory

This is a sad, sad day for us at Keeper of the Wild. We lost one of our permanent residents at the Center yesterday morning. Not sure of the cause. Goldy had to remain at the center because she would be hunted for her fur. She was a marsh raccoon and had a beautiful blonde-ish coat. Poor Janet is hurting deeply, as she had taken care of Goldy since she was a baby. This dreamcatcher is in memory of our friend. Though she was a grumpy girl, she was one of the reasons I loved coming to work at Keeper. My heart and prayers go out to you, Janet. May Creator heal your pain quickly.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Thyroid Results, etc.

Hey, just wanted to let you all know, my thyroid is fine. But I'm going to start doing blood work for cholesterol and all that. (Finally!) I tried to do that last year, but I guess I wasn't clear in what I wanted to do, so my physical was bare minimum.





Tina looks GREAT with her new braces! Her smile is bigger, and I think I saw a bit more confidence there. And she is getting so good at volleyball! She has no fear in diving for the ball, or smacking it down over the net. And Lizzie is her personal cheerleader. Doesn't matter if Tina's sitting a session out, she's still cheering for her big sister!





Well, this weekend is Little Horse Creek's powwow in Aiken, SC. Can't wait to see old friends and make new ones. I haven't been to a powwow since June, I think. I miss dancing the Circle with my girls. It'll be a nice retreat. :-)

Alright, time to feed critters! Take care and love to you all!

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Learned Something New...



I just learned how to make these last night. Once I did the first one, the second came right along. Now that I have the basics down, I'm going to try to get fancy.

Monday, September 14, 2009

This is Rocky, my latest foster critter. Lizzie just loves him and is so good with him. He loves watching her bounce around and likes to tickle her nose with his whiskers. I'm not sure how old he is, but he's just starting to figure out solid foods. We'll release him in our yard when he's big enough. This sunset was too pretty to pass up. This is at Keeper, where we rehabilitate and release wild animals. It's also a sanctuary - for animals and humans alike.
Tina's first volleyball game this year! She's tall enough now to smack that ball down on the opposing team. We are so proud of her! Go Lady Jackets!!!


Lizzie will be a princess for Halloween, but we couldn't resist letting her try it on. It barely hampered her tomboyish antics with Daddy!



Red Hatter in training! Got the purple "dress", red beads, and pink hat to boot!






Lizzie's First Haircut!

It's a bit crooked, but trying to get this munchkin to sit still is nearly impossible. She looks much better, though, and can see! I'll get the hang of it soon enough.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Mini-Update

Happy Labor Day!

This will be a short update. We are expecting new laptops in a few weeks, and I will add photos then. I can hardly wait for it to get here!

Our holiday weekend was pretty busy. Saturday we went up to my Uncle's lake property and showed the girls where we will be living in about 10 years (hopefully). They fell in love with the place. We have a long road ahead of us, but it was so nice to be in the middle of nowhere, with no traffic or city-life racket.

Sunday we went to the beach to visit my Aunt, Uncle, and cousin. Lizzie got to see the ocean for a few minutes before it started raining. She was ooh-ing and ahh-ing at the waves. "look! ocean ocean!" I love seeing things through her eyes!

Monday was very quiet. It was nice not to do anything. Although I have adopted a baby squirrel, Rocky. I wouldn't have named him that, because all our squirrels get that name it seems lol. But that's the name he came with so he keeps it. Lizzie just fell in love with him. It's so cute to hear her calling to Rocky, and asking how he's doing. She's so gentle. Just uses one little finger to pet his head. She won't hold him, which I think is a good thing. He won't hurt her, but her hugs can be a little suffocating. :-) I think he might be about a month old, give or take a week. It's nice to have a squirrel in the house again, though. After my last four, it's gotten quiet without all the squeaking lol.

Next Monday, I'm going to have my thyroid checked. After speaking with a few friends who have had similar problems, I think I may need to check it out. I'll let you all know how things are once I get results. Tina gets her braces today! We are all very excited for her. She's going to have USC colors (burgundy and black) on as well. I'll see them at her volleyball game Thursday.

Okay this was supposed to be short. And since Lizzie's yelling at me to feed her, I reckon I'll go for now. I'll post pictures once I get my new laptop set up. Love you all!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Welcome to our blog!

Hello and welcome to the Campbell Family's blog. We have all kinds of things to share, and as soon as I work out the kinks, I will have it all posted. For now, perhaps a little background. Dan, my wonderful husband, works at a power plant and does quality control. He's also in the Army National Guard as a combat medic. And he's a volunteer firefighter/first responder. Busy busy man! Yet he still has time for his family. What a great guy! We love him soooo much!

We have three lovely girls, 12, 10, and almost 2. They are growing so fast. I am very proud of all my girls. Tina and Josie are so amazing; from volleyball, to dance, to awesome grades! They are beautiful young ladies, and their little sister Lizzie is proving to be just the same!

I have found my calling at Keeper of the Wild, taking care of various wildlife so they can survive when we release them back into the wild. I have learned so much about caring for animals, and built an even greater respect for Mother Nature and her children. I have also found a group of wonderful Native American people, who have helped me to learn about my heritage and have given me the wonderful opportunity to teach it all to Lizzie. Keepers of the Word is an inter tribal outreach for the state of SC. We learn crafts, songs, music, and so much more. We've been able to travel and discover more history and native ways than I've ever dreamed possible. It's really helped me spiritually, and to be able to pass it on to Lizzie has been the best gift!

Mom also lives with us. It's been great having her so close! She's about ready to retire from JC Penney's and has offered to keep the baby while I go find a job. :-) With Danny gone for 13 hours a day, or off with the Army, it's been a godsend to have her here to keep me company. She's doing fine and likes it here. Sick of her job, but it's understandable. Just a few more months and she'll be able to do what she wants, when she wants. Maybe her blood pressure will go down after that. :-)

Anyway, that's a small intro into our lives. I will post more when I can. Take care and here's hoping you all are healthy and happy! Dodadagohvi! (Til next we meet)