Are You Ready For Some Football??

NFL football is back! The regular season starts this week with a game featuring the World Champ NY Giants and the Washington Redskins on NBC Thursday night, a full slate of games on Sunday (including the BILLS GAME!), and then a double-header on ESPN on Monday Night. I can't wait!!

The Bills are looking really good this year. From the coaches and the offensive and defensive schemes, to the players, established and new... it really could be a fun season to be a Bills fan. (I know I say that pretty often, but... seriously. Just watch...) :-)

The start of the season also means that it's time for Dad & the Boys to make their weekly NFL picks! :-) I almost feel like I am looking forward to that more than the football :-) It was lots of fun last year, and should be even more fun this year! We're doing the whole season this time!

There's a cool Facebook application where you can make picks and compare your results against your friends... it's called Pro Football Picks, if you're interested.

So, just a few days away... let the games begin!!

A Lesson From Monopoly

It's probably not even accurate, but tonight while I was playing a game of Monopoly with my nine-year-old son, Ian, I couldn't help but notice how the game paralleled life - and how I did not like that.

First off, it was just a really fun night. We call them OK Nights. (One Kid Nights.) It's been Ian's turn for a while, but as my prolonged silences here at GregsHead.net demonstrate, there is not much time for, well, anything these days. Not much time, and not much money. Which factored into the decision to do Ian's OK Night in our basement. (That, and the huge thunderstorms that were wreaking havoc on our entire area tonight...) It all worked out, as Ian loves the game Monopoly (and so do I!) and we shared a nice pot of tea while we played together.

Ian even learned how to find 10% of something tonight. Bonus home school lesson!

But my lesson was in the crazy notion that to make money you have to have money. It's true in life, and in Monopoly, and vice versa.

Poor Ian had me on the ropes. He had Boardwalk and Park Place with 3 houses on each. I managed to find my piece on Boardwalk shortly following his new construction project, and owed him $1400! That's a lot for Monopoly! I had to mortgage several properties, and spend all my cash, but I managed to stay in the game. A few lucky rolls, and I had enough cash to stick around long enough for Ian to land on one of my expensive properties. But somehow, that was his undoing.

He also stuck around for a while, but no matter what we tried to do, he just couldn't dig out of the hole that the first big hotel stay got him into. The problem started to become that in order to pay his debts, he had to get rid of all the stuff that could make him money. So in essence, he was getting rid of any chance he had to win, even though he was still in the game.

I, on the other hand, kept collecting Ian's money... and then, since my cash stash was growing larger, I invested in more houses. I even bought a mortgaged monopoly from Ian... paid the bank, built houses, and cashed in again on Ian. It was too easy. As I cruised effortlessly around the board (because of my cushy abundance of wealth) Ian fretted every roll of the dice.

It was so crazy to see how it really does "take money to make money." I really couldn't believe it. But it was true. Somehow, but a bit of strategy, and admittedly, a bit of luck, I managed to make the first amount of money, and then from there wise investing made the money earn money for me.

Right now my problem seems to be what Ian's problem was. Debt and other ongoing expenses keep me in a position of not having any vehicles to earn income. If I do, it seems to be just a little, and then it goes right back out to someone else. That's a frustrating place to be.

So, I have not figured out in the real world how to take the next step to get just enough money to start making money from having money... but maybe some day.

Perhaps I should just play a few more games of Monopoly with Ian? :-)

Time

My grandpa turned 85 years old on Sunday. I called and got to chat with him just a little. Had a fun birthday planned with his family (my mom & dad, aunt & uncle, and a couple others) and told me he doesn't think 85 is that old.

But it is.

It's odd, but all I've been thinking when I think about him, or see the photos my dad sent along from the party is that his time here with us is probably pretty short. I know, it could be 10 or 15 years, which really is a good long time to enjoy, but it's a pretty short time, too.

Life passes too quickly.

Today is the 11th anniversary of the day that Jen and I chose to marry. Eleven years. That's a pretty long time. Today is also the 14th wedding anniversary of some friends of ours. That's a long time. My dad is celebrating his 40th high school reunion this year. A friend celebrated his 50th not long ago. Jen's parents celebrated 50 years of marriage a couple weeks ago.

Time passes. It just keeps moving on. And for some reason I am noticing that right now.

I am noticing that Grandpa may not be around much longer, and that makes me want to spend more time with him. I am noticing that Ian is not a little boy anymore. He's going to turn 10 in a few months. He's getting older, and experiencing life as Ian Campbell, not just our child. And that makes me want to spend more time with him.

What I am noticing - and have learned in my 33 years of life - is that spending time with people is the most important thing. I have learned also that all things in life must be balanced, but when all is finished, the most important thing is to just love and be loved. (As is evidenced by my just wanting to spend time with the people who are getting older faster than I want them to.)

The hope of those of us who live with Jesus is that the "end" that we are all rushing toward is not really an end at all, but a beginning. That life only changes - and for the better - when we reach the threshold between this life and the next. Grandpa has been a rough character at many times in my life, but he's my grandpa, and I love him, and sometimes I imagine what it will be like when we both - in our new bodies and complete selves - can, along with the other Redeemed, enjoy the eternal "now" of full life with Jesus. (Now we see darkly...)

I can't know what happens after we die. The Bible is full of hopeful language of resurrection and paradise and life with no more badness. And life with people we love here. No more curse, no more sin, no more death. Seems a good place to be.

We're not there yet, but the older I get, the faster it seems we're headed there.

Who knows, maybe we'll be there sooner than I think? :-)

Enjoy the time you have with those who are around you. Call up your grandpa and tell him you love him. Spend time with your son, or dad, or mom, or daughter, or spouse...

Today's as good a time to do that.

One-On-One, Full-Court... Football?

This weekend we did get some pretty decent weather, despite a good bit of rain, and we took advantage of it!

On Sunday afternoon, the boys and Kirstie and I headed up to the high school football field (just a few blocks from our house) and we found our way in through an open gate and played one on one football (Ian vs Alex, with Dad as the QB) ... using the FULL FIELD!!! Kirstie ran right along with us, too. They would get the ball at midfield to start (no kickoffs) and they even had me kick extra points and FGs! :-) (I went something like 4-5 on XPs and 0-2 on FGs... not too good!)

It was a blast, and they were quite exhausted at the end! :-)

Can't wait till next time, though!!

The night concluded with a walk for the whole family around a couple blocks, and a visit with some new friends who live close by. We met them on the way and walked with them back to their house and visited for a while. They have three little girls about the age of our little girls.

As the kids were all playing in their front yard, Alex lost a tooth... literally! It came out of his mouth, and he lost it in their yard!! :-) Ha! The Tooth Fairy still came and left him a dollar in his (empty) tooth pillow, though. :-)

A fun, full weekend of being a family of seven. Even got a visit from Jen's bro and his son. Very nice. Hopefully a good recharge for me. Busy week ahead!!

(So, may be kinda quiet here!)

Definitely enjoying this season of life though. We love being the Campbell family. :-)

My Brain Already Works

Just now I was downstairs with the kiddos saying good morning and getting my 6-gallon water container refilled for a busy week to come. In my hand was my yerba mate, which, when first filled is quite strong. I know my son, Ian, likes it, so I gave him a sip to show him just how strong it really was.

"It gets your brain working," I said with a smile.

I had read that a while back when our Argentine friend Laura introduced me to it. Apparently it stimulates your brain, and is overall quite good for you. So, since it seemed a bit strong for a nine-year-old, I thought that could make him appreciate it a bit more.

I looked around at the other children standing there, and my four-year-old daughter was looking at me, so I offered her the mate, extending it to her with a gesture.

Apparently she was listening intently to what I said to Ian. She quickly, and matter-of-factly replied, "My brain already works."

I love my kids :-)

Our Own Dr. Seuss

A couple weeks ago, our son Alex rediscovered a book that his Grammy had bought him a while back. "A Hatful of Seuss" is a compilation of five Dr. Seuss books. He was reading it on his own and would ask me every night, "Dad, can I read this story to you?" I let him do that one night, until I was reminded of just how long Dr. Seuss stories are!

But it was really cute, and the story was pretty funny - and brought back a lot of memories - so the next night I said I would read a whole story to both the boys. They were excited, and I was looking forward to it, and it turned out to be so great that not only did we do that night, we started getting LOTS more from the library!

From all of this Seuss-ing, a side effect has cropped up. We may have discovered more than just a Seuss book when Alex first dug up that Seuss collection. :-)

Turns out, Ian was pretty hooked by the writing of Theodore Geisel, and even found a book at our library all about his life. He read it rather quickly, and I believe has pretty much recounted in stories told to mom & dad everything in that book, word for word! He really liked it!

The interesting part is that not only did he like the book, and like telling us the stories... he also has been telling us little snippets from his "inside world" about how he feels like Dr. Seuss. He's creative, and really identifies with Suess' style and I think his life. It's been pretty interesting to see that connection, and hear Ian talk about who he is and what he wants to do in a grander scheme of life.

Guess he is growing up.

So, to encourage that a bit (and just have some fun) we wrote a Buffalo Bills poem yesterday. We made sure to keep to an ABAB rhyme scheme, and even kept the meter at 7 syllables, then 8, then 7, then 8. It's not quite finished (and maybe not quite Suess-ish, but it was pretty fun! Perhaps we'll share it here someday. :-)

Also watched a video recommended by Joe about education and creativity... very interesting. I very much agreed with a lot of what this guy was saying. Mainly, how the way our educational system is set up now, creativity is not only not encouraged, it can be squashed. The more creative types are then pushed aside - or worse, medicated - in order that they might "get in line".

Watching the video, and seeing Ian recently "discover" some things about himself, reminded me how glad I am that we home school.

So I'll keep you updated on the progress of our young Dr. Seuss. Should be pretty fun to watch. :-)

Big Family Shortcuts

I have noticed that with so many children around here, I am needing shortcuts when referring to them every now and again.

We already had "the boys" and "the girls" before for easy pairings. We also call Kirsten & Alex, "The Twins" because they really look a lot alike, and are similar in other ways, and are the two in the middle. Well, they were.

Now are getting even more creative.

First there's Mom & Emma, who spend a lot of time together these days. We call them either "Momemma" or "Emmamom". Both are equally fun to say.

Then we have, "The Oldies". These are the three oldest kids, who are not our babies.

Then I came up with a clever way of referring to two kids at a time using former (or current) Buffalo Bills players' numbers. For instance, Ian and Julia are "Frank Reich". This is because Ian is the first born (#1) and Julia is fourth (#4), so together they are 14, which is Frank Reich's number.

The combinations are pretty fun.

Ian and Alex? Jim Kelly. Kirsten & Alex (if we're bored with "The Twins") are Beast Mode (nickname for Marshawn Lynch, #23). Ian and Emma? Todd Collins. (I know! Good one!) :-) Alex & Julia? Terrence McGee.

Pretty good system, I think. :-)

So, life as a big family continues to be very interesting, and tons of fun. More stories to come, I'm certain of it!

Shorties

Since computer (and especially blogging) time is limited... please allow me to share some fun stories/thoughts using another list-style post...

• Julia just turned two, but she is the smartest cookie in the bunch sometimes. This week she has been really helpful with the laundry. I don't always know whose clothes are whose, but she does! Seriously funny. And helpful! Also, she is a great talker (though sometimes hard to understand). Maybe one of the cutest things she says is when she's really excited about something, she says, "Yay-uh". (Pronounced like a souther gospel preacher, which I'm pretty sure she's never heard...) :-) Hilarious!
  
  
• The Sabres won tonight. They keep stringing me along. They sit 5 points out of the final playoff spot with only 12 possible points remaining. Thanks to some good scheduling, the team we are chasing (Boston) is our opponent for two of those games, so we can possibly make up 4 points in those two games. There's still a very outside chance they can make the playoffs, but I'm really not optimistic about any chance of advancing if they do. We shall see...
  
  
• Michigan State has worked their way into the sweet sixteen in the NCAA tournament. (Which is now only the terrific twelve or something after last night's games...) They really have a good team this year. Solid rebounding (as always) from our big guys, Namick & Suton, and a stellar freshman Kalin Lucas, as well as solid scoring threats in Morgan, Allen, & Gray. Ohh yeah... we also have that guy Drew Neitzel... he's pretty good. (If you don't know him, he's a senior, and he was fanastic as a sophomore at least, and has only kept getting better.) :-) They play Friday (and hopefully Sunday). Friday's game is against the #1 seed in the South region, Memphis. 9:57pm tip off on CBS. Well worth watching!
  
  
• Kirstie just oozes nice. It's incredible. If there is ever any "not-niceness" between anyone in the family, Kirstie steps in to the edification of the one not-niced. Every time. She's so great! Such a gentle heart. She's my little lover. She often tells me, "I just love you, Dad!" And then gives me a big hug, and often a big kiss. Well, as you can guess... I just love her, too. :-)
  
  
• Sometimes I really can't believe how old Ian is. He is nine, and definitely becoming his own person. We can see the things he really likes to do. He even talks about it. He's starting to figure it out too. He's very creative. He too is a gentle spirit. (Sometimes too gentle. :-( Easily crushed.) He's an artist. He's such a people person. Loves people. Could be his weakness actually (people pleasing) but it will also be a great strength. I'm honestly a little nervous about this transitional stage. Will I(we) handle it well? Will we be able to encourage Ian as he really begins becoming a unique individual? It's a very interesting stage for all of us. I think we are merely on the cusp, but we're definitely there. All we can do is just love him, train him best we know how, and live out what we say. And overall, make sure he knows that he is completely safe with us any time and always. That may be harder than it sounds - or I may just think too much. :-)
  
  
• Alex is TOO picky! Argh. It's been quite a struggle with people bringing us food (a bunch of new stuff he hasn't really seen before) and getting him to eat. Not to mention the great Easter candy he knows we have... that's quite a distraction as well. :-) It was funny today when we were dealing with all that again for the 17,000th time that I actually thought of "the kids in India" when I was so mad at his pickiness. "You know, the kids in India don't have any food! They just eat rice, if they can find any!!!" (Not sure on the accuracy of that statement... but thought it was funny that I actually thought it, and sorta used it. I am truly a dad, and truly old.) :-)
  
  
• Emma Caroline couldn't be cuter. :-) Funny story from today... we got a new monitor so Jen can be down here and Emma can sleep upstairs. All of a sudden we heard a screaming baby in the monitor! Yikes! What happened?? That was not normal. (Although, she has had a tendency to "freak out" at times...) So, Jen went to help her - but she was sound asleep. Completely still. Weird. When Jen came back down, Emma started freaking out again! Worse than before! Very, very strange... Jen went back up... Emma was completely still!!!! Finally, we sent Ian up to check while we stayed down to listen... you guessed it.. we were picking up someone else's baby!!!! Ha! Very weird. Kinda funny... very weird.

Much more to tell, but no time, and no energy with which to tell it. Must sleep.

Sickness Invades The Campbell Home

Jen (the pregnant one) has been sick (on top of the discomfort of pregnancy) over the past couple weeks with a few various ailments, but it didn't stay with her. Kirstie has been complaining of ear/head/neck pain off and on for almost a week now. This morning, Kirstie was still very lethargic, and her oldest brother Ian joined her in her illness-induced lethargy.

The sickness canceled our plans for today. Which were quite plentiful.

Well, the two other kids and myself were not feeling sick at all - in fact quite the opposite for the "evens" (kids #2 and #4...). They were quite loud, boisterous, and generally making life more miserable for their sick siblings.

I decided to take the healthies out to Wendy's where a group of friends generally gather every Sunday afternoon. Was even hoping to catch our nephew there who turned 20 today! (Yes... I am old...) :-) No luck there, but there were about 6 or 7 families represented, so it was definitely a nice visit for Dad who is a "people person." :-)

Untill...

Half way through our time there, Alex started showing signs of lethargy as well, and even ended up laying his head down on the table at one point. :-( He removed himself from the group (sat at a nearby table, not very like Alex with his friends) and just seemed to be getting exactly what everyone else had.

Scary thing? So did I.

As we were leaving, all of a sudden, my neck started aching, and I just felt very weird... maybe light-headed, but not that bad. Just tingly all over. Made it through that, enjoyed lunch, but felt a little strange all the way home. When we got home we put the new sickie in bed, and that's when it hit me.

COLD!!! I could not have been colder! I got under 6 or 7 blankets, all the way under, and turned the heat up! If you know me, you KNOW that something is wrong! :-) I really didn't feel lethargic, but still had an achy body all over, and had the chills som'n fierce!

So, I had some tea, put on my warmest sweatshirt, and took the rest of the day a bit easier.

Dinner was funny. I just reheated some leftovers for all the sickies (which is all but Julia!) and no one really wanted much of anything. :-) I still ate a decent amount, but definitely didn't taste right.

Right now, at a VERY early hour for me, I'm gonna down some NyQuil® and hit the sack! Might not wake up till 10 tomorrow! :-)

Here's hopin'!

Free Hockey Tickets, Anyone?

Two nights ago we decided at the last moment to spend our evening celebrating Ian's birthday (yes, he's the Christmas boy...) at Chuck. E. Cheese. We have made a tradition of celebrating birthdays there (even mine!) and so though not actually on his birthday, we wanted to do the same for Ian. (As did he!) We planned a day in January, and invited our friends, the Vs. Problem was the day we picked was a super windy day... that knocked power out in some places, including the block where you find Chuck E. Cheese.

SO, about a month later, we packed up the van and headed out! Had a nice little dinner at Wendy's first. Always a good time. (My favorite fast food place, I'd say...) and then we were ready for the real fun! We got to CEC and were grateful that they had power this time. A bit less grateful that there was a vacation week crowd (forgot about that...) but we figured out a good game plan (Dad took the girls, Mom went with the boys) and we headed out to have some fun!

After a little while of singing with Chuck E. in the other room, I decided to reunite with Mom and the boys. We made our way back and when we did, Jen had a surprise! An employee had approached her earlier and offered her FREE tickets to the Amerks game the next night! FREE??? Free. And not only that, they had a TON of them. So we could have as many as we wanted, and give them out to friends! We're in!

We'd never actually gotten to go to an Amerks game. They are the local AHL team, affiliated with the Buffalo Sabres (at least for now they are) and for many years have been quite good. Most of the current Buffalo Sabres have come through Rochester. For whatever reason, we've tried, but never been successful at getting to a game. But now it looked like we were going to finally make it!

We left CEC with 18 tickets. There are only 6 of us that fill seats. And one of those doesn't need a ticket. That means there were 13 available tickets!! We phoned a couple families we thought of first thing when we got home. (Yes... it was late.) The first were our friends, the Vs. It was Scott's birthday that next day, so it seemed like a fun birthday thing to do! BUT, he was sick. As were a couple more in the V house. So, no go there. And in fact, no go with the other family I called that night. More sickness.

So the next morning we tried to think of some more people who might like to go. One friend was able to go. Steph was going to come with her three girls - not big time hockey fans, but Steph remembered going to games at her college. Next, we invited some friends from the other side of town who weren't available, but they knew some people who were big Rochester sports fans... and perhaps we could give the tickets to them? Why not?! :-)

Surprisingly, we have another friend whose birthday is February 20th, so I called him to see if he and his family would like to go. But, alas... they already had some family plans for the night... so no go there. Still had a few tickets to hand out... but running out of ideas for who could go.

Finally, I thought of my friend with whom I play basketball once a week. We haven't gotten to spend a lot of time with their family, but I knew they sorta were into sports, and just might be able to go. They were! With our friend Steph bringing their 8-year-old neighbor, the tickets were now fully accounted for! :-)

The adventure had only just begun however.

Just before we were to leave, Steph calls and says, "My van won't start!" She said she'd keep trying and call us back. Well, she called back, but to tell us it just wouldn't work. I said, "OK... no problem. But, just in case, I'll bring the tickets with us, if you can get it started, and you'd still like to come!" She agreed, but it didn't sound promising. So, that was too bad.

Add that to our lateness, and the night was not starting as I had hoped.

We got to my basketball friend's house to begin our van caravan with them. They were just sitting in their driveway waiting for us... who were now at least 15 minutes late! Oh boy. They have been to the Blue Cross Arena before, so they led the way.

On our way, Steph calls and says, "I'm on my way! We got it started!" Ha! Perfect! Things were shaping up!

Just as we were getting to downtown Rochester, I remember that we were meeting our friends' friends at the arena at 6:45 to get them their tickets. It's well past seven at this point, so I checked our phone and sure enough there were two missed calls!

I called them back to reassure them that we were almost there. Left a message. I hoped they had stuck around.

We got to the parking garage and parked for four dollars! Great deal! Wasn't expecting that cheap! Bonus! We quickly got out of our vehicles (the game had already started!) and briskly walked through the cold streets (around probably one big city block) to the place we were to meet our friends' friends.

(Are you with me still?) :-)

Finally got there and I recognized Shane from a previous meeting at Cross Creek a few months back. (That was a funny encounter. Not sure we had met before that. He saw our oldest son Ian wearing an Apple shirt, and some other distinguishing clothing that made him realize that Ian must be the son of Greg Campbell, whose blog he regularly reads.)

Yes, I'm famous. :-)

So we all meet up there, and have a good laugh (at least I did!) at how little we all know each other. In fact, none of the others we invited had even heard the name of each other. They all had a connection with us, but to varying degrees. Pretty funny!

After hearing of this assortment of people who were joining us at the game, my basketball friend's wife (who is not the most socially outgoing person you'll ever meet) said of me, "They don't come much friendlier than you, do they?" Guess she thought it was odd that I was giving tickets to a hockey game to people that I really didn't know (Shane and his fam...) But I thought... why not? :-) Seemed like a fun plan to me!

And it was. We all finally got there, and watched a decent hockey game. There were plenty of snacks. Plenty of children! A little bit of hanging out with friends, meeting new friends, and watching some live hockey! Nothing like it! Love watching hockey in person. My boys were instant Amerks fans. Cheering and - as much as possible with many friends there - watching the game intently.

Sure hope we can go again!

The night ended with a pretty cool view of the lunar eclipse while we crossed over the rushing Genessee river which flows right by the side of the arena! Beautiful. Fun! Superb evening.

And all cause we went to Chuck E. Cheese at the last minute, on a whim!

Next whim that comes along will be taken more seriously... :-)

Can't Sleep

Not sure what it was about last night, but it was not our night to sleep :-)

First, we got our Mac Mini back from the Apple store (replacing a defective hard drive) and hooked it up right away, even used it. But then, not-so-smart, plays-with-too-many-settings Dad tinkered with the display resolution one too many times and the TV just started flickering. A LOT. Could barely see anything... couldn't find the cursor well enough to get it back to the right resolution. I tried everything, but to no avail.

So, since it was essentially a brand new drive with brand new settings - I reinstalled the OS. :-) (That takes a long time...)

As I was installing it, I watched a TV show I had downloaded from iTunes, and then put in Star Trek Insurrection which I had been wanting to watch for a long time.

The update was going along just fine, even downloaded all of the software updates from the internet once the original OS was on the disk. And all the while, Jen must have woken up a good three or four times. I had to go upstairs one time to find out why Alex was kicking the bar that keeps him from falling out of bed. Jen told me then that both boys had been talking and/or moaning in their sleep. Pretty funny.

I finally went to bed at 4am. (Later than usual...) and Jen was up again. Not long after that, the girls were needing help. I'm not sure if Julia did, but Kirstie wasn't feeling that great, so she came in a few times. Jen got her a drink around 7:15? and then I did around 7:30. At that point, Julia was awake as well.

I finally just got up and took a shower at 8:30, and Alex wandered in the bathroom somewhere around 8:50 or so. Everyone is sorta/kinda awake right now (which is early for everyone else) and I can't wait to see what kind of day we have... :-)

So... perhaps naps are in order, and an early bed time!

OH! Funniest part? Around 8am I did go back to sleep, only to dream that all six of us were in a tiny two room place ... NOT SLEEPING! It was 6am or so in my dream, and everyone was awake!! I was thinking - we all need to be sleeping!!! And Jen (in the dream) was just fine with everyone being awake.

I was awoken by Kirstie needing more help (around 8:30) and just had to chuckle. Dream was imitating reality, or vice versa.

I think we just need some sleep. :-)

My Favorite

Last night we were leaving our friends’ house pretty late after another fun evening together, and as we were saying good bye I noticed our son Alex running in circles in their front yard. He’s usually one of the first out of the house when we’re leaving (and one of the first ones in as well) so I guess that’s how he was passing the time. Everyone else had made their way to the van and to where they needed to be, but Alex just needed to run around.

And somehow, in that moment, it just reminded me of how much I love him. In fact, my actual thoughts were, “He’s my favorite!”

At first I reacted to that thinking, “Of course, so are the rest...” That’s when I realized... they are. Alex is my favorite, and so are Ian, Kirsten, and Julia. Even the next baby that we haven’t met yet. I guaranteed he or she will be my favorite, too. :-)

There’s a cool book I have mentioned here a time or two before called, The Shack. In this book, a guy has an in-person encounter with God and many times when God refers to any person this guy brings up, God says, “Oh, he’s my favorite.” (Or, one of my favorites, or something.)

Last night, I really understood that. It’s completely true of my and my kids. They really are my favorites. My favorite people. I love them more than they can know, or than I can probably express. But I’ll keep trying anyway. :-)

[As a footnote to this whole story, I was re-telling the events to Jen as we were pulling in our driveway. When I said the part about thinking Alex is my favorite, it wasn't long before Jen noticed him running circles around our yard, too. Guess he likes being "the favorite"...] :-)

Caught In A Snow Storm!

Last night I took our four kids up to the library to return some books, and to pick up a few new ones. The library is only half-way around the block, so we bundled up for a nice winter walk. It was even lightly snowing, so it was more fun than usual!

We even sang a song on the way there:

"Going for a walk in the snow to the library,
Going for a walk in the snow
Going for a walk in the snow to the library,
Going for a walk in the snow!"

It was perfect, and the kids did pretty well in the library. We got the books we wanted, and some stamps from the nice librarian. We bundled back up and headed out the door.

What we discovered was astonishing.

Swirling, blowing, blinding SNOW! Where did this come from?!? I just laughed! It was like a joke! What happened to our light flurries??? Well, we had no other way home, so I made sure faces were as covered as they could be and we set out into the storm.

And this was a storm! The wind was a constant 10-15 mph I'd guess, with stronger gusts. And the snow was collecting on the ground - and on us! - at an alarming rate. The worst part was, a third of our trip was heading west, directly into the wind! At one point during that stretch I turned around and pulled Julia in the stroller backwards (which helped a lot I think) and saw poor little Kirstie just closing her eyes and leaning into the wind as she pressed ahead into the blizzard!

It was crazy!!

Once we were able to turn south, and find a bit of shelter behind a giant brick church building, it got a little better. We laughed all the way home through the still rapidly falling snow.

Red cheeks, faces, and other exposed skin greeted Mom when we got home. Mom actually met us in the driveway, as she had seen the fierce winter storm and was coming to get us. But we managed to brave the elements and make it back home safely.

I told the kids as we were fighting the storm that we'd have hot cocoa and hot baths when we got home! And we'd also read a couple of the library books we just worked so hard to get.

And we did. :-)

Ian the Creator

I think I mentioned something about our oldest son Ian around Christmas as he was busy making gifts for all of his loved ones. I know I mentioned my awesome iMac and iPod that he made for me. (See photo here, I'll still try and get a full-size photo of it.)

Well, tonight as I was heading upstairs to bed, I noticed not only the awesome iPod that Ian made for me, but also the tool hanger that he had spent several days working on for his most creative craftsman relative, Grandpa Tom. (Unfortunately, Grandpa Tom left his present at our house when Ian had taken it to "his" workshop for a few modifications after first giving Grandpa the gift.)

It just made me smile. Ian has been so creative that way recently. Besides the gifts for me and my dad, Ian has made lots of great things for his siblings. So cute! He, along with his good friend Hannah, made an entire XBox system for his XBox-loving brother, Alex. It's great! XBox, games, controllers... even a TV! He also hand crafted some "life-size" construction paper dolls for Uncle Scott & Aunt Leah for their anniversary. (Uncle Scott was quite impressed with the tie he is wearing... thinks Ian has a future in clothing design!)

The best part about all of it is that he initiates it. It's totally from his heart, and from his own hands. I just love it! So cool to see him wanting so much to show his love for family that he labors for hours and even days to make something with, as I said, his own hands. I don't think I know many nine year olds who initiate that.

I'll see if I can scrounge up a few of the creations and put a few photos up here so his work can be more widely appreciated. Keep an eye and an ear out for the name Ian Campbell. Could be a world-famous designer some day... :-)

Just Lucky, I Guess

Last night we celebrated Ian's birthday. His birthday falls on Christmas day, so it has been our practice to set up a day in January to celebrate Ian, and nothing else. Well, he wanted to invite our friends the Velasquezes to join us for a night at Chuck E Cheese's in a town about 35 min to the west of us. Would work out perfect as that is where Mr. V (we call him Uncle Scott) works. I was to bring a cake that I made, and we would play games, eat cake, and celebrate Ian.

Well, the funny thing is...

As we were on our way there, we went through an intersection where the traffic light was out. "Oh my goodness..." All of a sudden, the days events all came together in my head... We had some serious wind (remember? we might get blown up?) and power was out all over the nearby areas - just not ours. The thought hadn't crossed my mind until just then that...

You guessed it. The only block without power in the entire area we were going to was the block where Chuck E. Cheese's resides. Nice.

Well, we decided to head back to our friends' house and eat cake and play games there. Ended up being a fun night, just a huge waste of gas and time I guess. Again... nice.

Next time... call ahead. :-)

"I'm Gonna Blow Up!"

It's a very blustery day here in Western New York state. Many limbs are down, power is out, all sorts of crazy things. My niece has power back now where she is at in Buffalo area, but she told me a few trees are down at her house - including one on their house! Yikes!

Well, as I was battening down the hatches this morning, I remembered another time we were in some seriously powerful winds. It was the spring of 2002, and we were out in Colorado, north of Denver. We were introduced to a chinook. These very strong, constant winds blow over the Rockies in the late winter/early spring and we weren't prepared for the intensity of them!

As we left the hotel where we were staying that morning, little Ian (who had just turned three) was doing his best to keep his feet on the ground! He was very concerned, and just blurted out, "I'm gonna blow up!!!"

Well, as you can imagine, first we laughed ... then we helped the lad stay connected to the Earth. He was very glad for big, heavy parents that day. :-)

It's similar today, just not as sustained.

Let's hope we don't blow up today! :-)

Christmas Report II

When I was trying to think of what I needed to do today, I also remembered the past few days that have been. It seemed like today might be the first kinda normal day in a while. (Which, strangely makes it feel like Monday, maybe Tuesday...)

It's been quite a week! I'm sure it was for you as well. I think maybe we have an extra piece with Ian's birthday being on Christmas day. Because of that there are a few more celebration days for Ian in there. Like, we did our annual Birthday Burger at Red Robin sometime last week for his birthday. Balloons, singing, and all. It was awesome! Then the fun started again this past week... maybe on Saturday.

Saturday was the day we were singing at Wal-Mart. That shouldn't have been as eventful as it was, but after getting there and getting everything set up, I realized I had no guitar picks. And then we found out that Wal-Mart did not either! So, we went on a bit of a scavenger hunt, finally picking some up (pun intended) at a local music store. Then, to top it all off, after about an hour of singing - which was super fun! - I broke a guitar string. While that used to be commonplace, I am pretty sure that's the first time I have done that in most of TWO YEARS! Crazy!

After the string broke, we packed up and did a little last minute Christmas & birthday shopping there at Wal-Mart and a couple other stores. It was nice, just me and Jen. :-)

When we got back home, we did a few more things then packed up the troops for a trip to Victor. We actually went to the mall area on the Saturday before Christmas!! (We really needed an ink cartridge, and that's the closest office store...) After we picked that up, we stopped by our friends' house and hung out for a little while with them. Had some hot cocoa and fresh-baked Christmas cookies! :-)

Sunday morning brought a visit from some other friends. They were dropping their girls off so that they could go to the Bills/Giants game over in Buffalo! (They bought our tickets from us, a nice Christmas present for our friend the Giants fan. Unfortunately, turned out to be a little TOO nice!!) We kept their girls all day, and had a blast! The evening ended with a visit from John Dupra for a recording of the Buffalo Bills Review, and then some good Christmas cookies from our friends. :-)

Christmas Eve started later than I thought it would. We slept in a bit, then tried to decide what to do. We were going to make some Christmas gifts (food) for friends and drop them off, but then after talking with them, decided to wait on that. But then in talking with our football ticket friends, ended up deciding to bring Christmas dinner over to their house to share with them the next day. So, in between making Christmas cookies for Santa, Christmas Eve also involved baking bread and making a lasagna to bake the next day!

That evening we went to Willowbrook to see friends (and family!) we haven't seen for a while - some of them a LONG while! That was nice, and was followed by a stop at another family's house for a late night Christmas Eve party! Was nice to hang out with them for a couple hours. We stayed longer than we wanted to, but that was due to caring for one of our friends' sick kids. Long story. Long night. :-) We didn't get home, and get the kids in bed, until midnight!

We weren't totally done with Christmas and Birthday preparations by Midnight, so... we were both up till 2am. For me, that's fine... for Jen? Not so fine. Christmas morning came a little too soon for her. Even though it wasn't till 9am. :-)

Christmas Day was no less crazy. Once we got up, I took a quick shower, and then we all headed downstairs to find some presents left by Santa (alongside the ones we had already put under the tree) and our stockings full of goodies! The kids were fun to watch. :-) After unwrapping all the fun presents, we headed into the kitchen to make a big French Toast breakfast for Ian's birthday! (His request.)

After breakfast, we headed back to the family room for Ian to open his birthday presents. (Yes, he gets LOTS of presents on Dec 25th, and the week before and after that!) We didn't have a cake, so I stuck a candle in a giant navel orange, and we sang for Ian using that. Fun stuff. :-)

After Ian's birthday celebrating, we packed up pretty quickly, and took our big Christmas lunch over to our friends' house to celebrate and eat with them. Spent about two hours or so there. They may be moving soon, so we're enjoying all the time we can get with them. Will be strange if we are not living in the same town...

We packed up after lunch with our friends and headed out to Buffalo to visit with Jen's family. Got there around 4:30 or so and got right to eating! (Yes, you're right... that IS a lot of eating...) It was a great meal, and a fun time with Jen's family. Her oldest brother and family were not there, but there were plenty of people to go around and we had a great time giving and receiving gifts... and eating taco dip! (One of my favorites...) :-)

We left around 8:30 or so, putting us back home at 10pm. We were BEAT from the past three days. Jen was exhausted for sure. The kids were pooped. Most slept the whole way home. But not Kirsten. She sang Christmas songs with Dad most of the time. :-) SO CUTE!!!

But we weren't done.

Wednesday morning was very busy for me! I did sleep in, but once I got up I was on the phone, IM, and e-mailing. Plenty of Boxing Day business I guess! I was also making bread because some other friends were coming over for a late lunch/early dinner. And the best part? They were bringing lasagna! Funny. I made/brought lasagna for some other friends, and then we had different friends do the same for us! Give and you shall receive. Or something like that. :-)

We had a great time with them, and enjoyed all the good food. The really funny part was they came at around 3:30, and with the short days and all, when our friends left at 6pm, it felt like bedtime. BUT IT CERTAINLY WAS NOT! So, we didn't know what to do with ourselves :-) The kids helped clean up, then watched some movies with Mom while Dad spent about TWO HOURS catching up on our finances! Crazy!

That brings us to today. And actually... it has been a pretty normal day so far. :-)

A great, fun, fabulous Christmas and Ian's birthday in 2007. Hope yours was as well!

Christmas Report

Do you remember Christmas days gone by when, as a youngster, you couldn't wait to see your friends or maybe your cousins - whoever would listen! - so you could tell them what you got for Christmas? Well, I do. But I don't think that I really got to tell anyone that yesterday, so I'm going to write it down here!

I am drinking some tea this morning from a nice new mug I got from Santa. My wife got me a Buffalo Bills book that so far is quite good, and we also have mountains of great Christmas candy! (Mostly chocolate!) I also got some nice winter gloves (mine have holes ... no... they ARE holes!) and a few cans of tomato soup! :-) (Yes... I've been wanting some of that...) :-)

It was a fun day. Lots of smiles, and even a bunch of useful stuff. Fun to give, and to receive. And the best part is that Jen actually bought almost everything using money from sales of other stuff on CraigsList, ebay, and Amazon.com. :-) Nice!

Oh! Maybe the best present of all was one that was hand-crafted by Ian! He worked long and hard to build an iMac for me! it's awesome! I'll have to post a photo :-) Even came with a wireless keyboard AND an iPod! :-) He spent many days building it for me at my workbench in the basement. (I think that Ian has now worked there more than I have....) ;-)

Hope you had a fun day as well. Feel free to share your favorite gifts in the comments below. :-)

Picks

This season I have been asked to join a panel of "experts" in predicting the outcome of each week's NFL games. So far I am in second place, behind my Buffalo Bills Review partner, Dave Drake, and another guy who are tied for first.

This week, after hearing the boys subtly add their voice to the discussion of my picks each week, I decided to let them in on it! So I made up little sheets for them to each make their picks and we'll see who ends up with the best record by the end of the season. :-) (Actually, you might be surprised... there's a good chance they will!)

It's fun to see how excited they are about it :-)

Even funnier was seeing how Alex changed a couple of his picks after announcing the games he was not going to get right - only to find out he could still change his picks up to kickoff time. :-) He's pretty cute. He now assures us that he will go 16-0 this week.

The big game of course is tonight, where our Bills face the New England Patriots. Ian and I have our Bills winning in the end (good boy, Ian!) and Alex changed that one... which will of course help him go 16-0.

We'll see!

Go Bills!

They Earned It

Yesterday the boys were just a bit rambunctious to start the day. They were not being bad necessarily... just sort of annoying, and out of control. I happened to be on the phone with my parents at the time (which was part of the reason they were annoying) and was relaying the story to them. Jen said we should send them out to stack firewood. But, since we don't have any firewood... my Dad said, send 'em out to rake the yard!

"Great idea," I said.

So, we bundled them up for the chilly morning, set down the ground rules and, truthfully, I expected to be refereeing, and end up doing the work myself.

However, much to my surprise... they did an amazing job. They both worked together. They worked hard. They even had fun, I think. They took an HOUR to do our front yard (Ian said, "How long has it been, cause the bell tower has rung twice since we've been out here...") and they never complained, even though their hands were getting tired.

Near the end of their assigned task I asked them, "Do you guys want to ask our neighbors if they would like you to do their yard? You could ask them to give you $5/each for doing it?" (I just picked a random number out of the air... wasn't sure what the neighbors would be willing to pay...) At first, they were too tired, but for some reason, Ian was able to convince Alex to try it, and they went and asked.

I checked on them and saw them raking the yard, and learned that they would be paid two dollars each for raking the front yard. They were pretty excited, and diligent in their work. I smiled and left them to it.

I continued to check on them pretty frequently. (The front yard is right near a very busy road, and well, I love my boys, so I wanted to make sure they were still there!!!) They were doing great! And they took almost another hour to do that yard!! They never stopped, just kept at it till it was done. I have to say, I have never "felt" more proud of them. It was a fun parental moment.

When the task was complete, I saw them go to our neighbor's front door and receive the payment. Alex got his first and ran away from the house cheering and saying, "Dad!!! Look what I got!!!!!!" while waving his two dollar bills firmly gripped in his right mitten. Ian was pretty excited too, but Alex couldn't stop talking about his TWO DOLLARS!!! :-) I told him, "That's great, Alex! And you earned it! You did a lot of hard work to earn that." Next thing I knew he was headed to the basement to find mom, saying, "Mom!! Look what I earned!!!!" :-)

Too cute. :-)

So last night, after telling them how proud I was of them for working together, and doing what we had asked, and then for doing twice what we asked, we went to Wal-Mart and they each got to pick out a treat that they earned with their hard work. Alex paid for his and the cashier gave him his receipt. He couldn't have been happier. He said, "I got a receipt!! This is my receipt!"

Pretty sure he's keeping that one for a while.

Not A Creature Was Stirring...

There is still a whole 24 hours of quiet to come. I really can't believe it. The onslaught of this silence was so quick, so unexpected. It's eerie... unwanted. Disturbing. And yet... glorious. ;-)

The kids are at Grandma & Grandpa's! They have been since Tuesday evening. The will be until tomorrow, probably around lunch time!!! Holy cow! Do you know how crazy that is??? My mother-in-law is a fantastic lover of children - and subsequently, of us!

In the interrim, we have gone out to dinner twice on a couple cash gifts given to us by each of our fathers. Nothing too fancy, but just a nice bonus to this strange yet wonderful quietness. We're going out one more time tonight, at our friends' request and treat. (That one has been planned for a while now.)

It has been wonderful for Jen, for sure, and I've enjoyed it as well. Some for me, but mostly I have enjoyed having a happier, less burdened wife. That's been nice. :-)

So, I miss my kids a lot. Can't wait to see them tomorrow. But, thankful that we have parents who are so willing to take them - not just so we get a break, but because they love having them around, and to themselves. I don't think a lot of people have that. It's a very nice gift, to be sure. :-)

Right now I must run a few errands... and JEN is coming with me! Sweet!

Where Do You Apply Grace?

Lately due to many different factors, our children have been both extra tired, and definitely extra tiresome. They have been frustrating both Jen and me in various (mostly little) ways. Silly, childish things... but whether they are "just kids" or not, they are still frustrating. And after a build up of lots of small things... they can seem very large, and overwhelming.

Last night after the kids went to bed, when the house was quiet and I was cleaning up from the day, I was thinking of them. Of the kids who had just so frustrated me with their attitudes, their selfishness, their carelessness, their clumsiness. And I didn't think of any of that. I thought of how much I love each one of them. I thought of how they make me smile. I thought of how sad I was that I ever get harsh with them. (Yes, out of my parental frustration, I have been known to be stern, harsh, strict... whatever you want to call it.)

Kids are great, and they (mostly) only remember the good stuff, too. When morning comes, no one remembers the hardness of the last moments of the day. It's just another chance at another day of life together. And that's great!

But what I was wondering in the quiet was, How do I bring in the grace?

See, one big example from recent times involves my oldest son Ian. "Your oldest???" you ask? Yes, even though we have a one year old, a three year old, and a super-energetic five year old... this story of frustration involves our soon-to-be nine year old! Ian has a track record of spilling things. He has trouble focusing sometimes, and just forgets where his appendages are or where other objects are in relation to his body. It happens a LOT. So, when Ian spilled the vase with the 10th anniversary roses (and plenty of 10th anniversary water in it), and it got all over a bunch of toys that were underneath where they were sitting... I was really angry.

I was angry because we've been over this. We've told Ian to watch where he is going, what he is doing. We've cleaned up too many spills to remember. And, I was extra frustrated because of the timing. This particular time I was feeling very time crunched, and didn't have room to add ANYTHING else - like a major clean up in aisle seven.

I did not mince words. I was not really "mean"... but I wasn't nice. I scolded Ian for his carelessness. Then I got mad at his self-pity for feeling like I was telling him he's "clumsy". What a crazy cycle! We made it out of that alright, and the rest of the night went OK.

The next day, I found a wet spot on the carpet. It was under the roses - which were WAY up on a tall surface. "Nooo... he couldn't have..." I thought. I was wrong. When I found Ian, he got the guilty look on his face, and confessed to having once again knocked the flowers over, and he told me he did try to clean it up. I was angry again - mostly incredulous. (If you could see where these flowers were, you'd be right with me on that...) I did not as much scold him this time, mostly just took the opportunity to let him know how unlikely it was that he could actually spill the flower vase from there. And I told him to just let me know when it happens, not let me find out for myself.

But he probably won't. Because I don't know how to show him grace. At least not in that area. I mean, we're past the grace, right? I've given him lots of grace... now he needs to learn how to actually be responsible. To change his ways. To NOT spill stuff all the time, making lots more work for Dad, and ruining our stuff. He has to learn that doesn't he? I have a right to be frustrated... right???

While I certainly can't dismiss my feelings in these moments - the frustration seems quite understandable - it is almost silly when I pretend those questions above are valid. If I really get grace, then I know that they are not. Grace does not have an expiration date. Grace lasts forever. No matter how many times Ian is clumsy, no matter how many times it's his fault, no matter how much of our stuff he ruins... I still love him, and his heart - and our relationship - is more important than my stuff, or his being able to not spill stuff.

It may seem like a silly example, but for whatever reason it has been extremely hard for me to extend grace to Ian - whom I love - in that area. I am asking God to show me how and when I can change that, so that Ian can know that he can fail and that won't affect our relationship. It doesn't... but I don't think that I let him know that very well.

So do you have any examples? Any thoughts? How do you parent with grace, and yet sustain the boundaries and guidelines and moral and other instruction that children need? I know that context is supreme, but I'd love to hear your success stories.

Until then, I will continue to look for examples to extend grace to my kids, and in so doing, probably learn a lot about grace extended to me.

Ian Jeffrey Campbell: God's Gracious Gift

A Little Background...
As we approached our first anniversary, life was a whirlwind of new things. Not only were we celebrating the first year of our marriage, we were also expecting our first baby! He was definitely planned, expected, and greatly anticipated. We were a bit surprised at how early he was coming into our family, but we grew more excited as the weeks and months went by to meet our first baby in late January of 1999.

Campus ministry was going OK. Marriage was not. How come no one told us it would be this hard? Perhaps they did, but we brushed them off as people who weren't "really trying" or had just forgotten the love they once had for each other. Well, even with the anticipation that comes with your first child, things were still pretty rough in the early going of our life together. Trying to meld two individual lives into one took its toll on both of us, I think.

And this baby was taking its toll on Jen. Of all the pregnancies Jen has carried since, this one was by far the most draining on her. We didn't know what to expect, since this was our first, but we learned that being pregnant makes you very tired, and a bit more emotional... and a very picky eater! Jen only wanted smashed potatoes with lots of butter and salt. :-) I learned very quickly to make meals for Jen to her exact specifications!

As we worked our way into the fall months, life was busy as always. I was working as a bus driver, in addition to the campus ministry, in addition to several other duties with our small church in Victor, NY. We were also attempting to raise support to work for the church who could not pay us at that time. Lots going on.

During this fall season of 1998, on one of our fall visits to Clarence, NY to spend time with family, we received some disturbing news. In fact, I think it may have been a visit to celebrate Jen's birthday (October 28th). Jen has three (considerably) older brothers. The three of them are only three years apart in age, but they are all at least 11 years older than Jen. The middle of those three brothers is Jeff. Jeff is a different sort of fellow... kind heart, loves helping people... not able to do a lot of things that other folks his age could do. But that didn't stop Jeff from being awesome. :-)

That October 28th (1998), as we were wrapping up the night of fun, Jeff began telling us of his recent visits to the doctor. They were watching some strange marks on his legs. (I forget these many years later if it was both legs or just on one. The image in my mind is only on one leg.) He pulled up his pant leg to reveal some very dark, black marks - almost like bruises, but looking more like veins - creeping up his leg from his foot. It was certainly shocking, but ... not an easily identifiable danger. He was scared as he showed us, and reported what the doctors were saying. But we reassured him that it would probably be OK, and that the doctors would help him figure out what was going on.

Jen & I probably chatted a bit on the ride home about what we had seen and heard from Jeff that night. It was a little scary, but we trusted that the doctors would figure something out, and that Mom & Dad would help Jeff get through whatever might be ailing his body this time. They were all pretty good at that by now, and we rested in knowing that.

A Turn For The Worse
Life continued as normal for the next week. We went about our regular business. Jen's belly continued its slow growth. I'm sure there were good things and bad things that happened from October 28th, 1998 until the next Wednesday, November 4th, 1998, but most of them have long since faded from memory.

Not true for Wednesday, November 4th, 1998.

I remember the phone call. I can't remember if it was from brother Jon, or Andy. (OK, the details are a bit foggy, but there are very vivid images in my memory from that day.) What I do remember are the words, "Jeff is dead."

"WHAT? How can that BE???" Jeff was way too young for this to even be possible. I remembered the marks on his legs and the hint of fear in his voice, and everything just rushed back into my mind along with the overwhelming feelings of pure bewilderment. "How can this be?"

The tears flowed freely. We gathered at Mom & Dad's house and just hugged, cried, sat in silence, and dealt with the details and the many visitors who came to share in the grief, or offer help where - or if - they could.

Though there was definitely a big hole in our lives left by Jeff’s sudden passing, we did manage to begin getting back to the “normal” routine over the next couple weeks. Campus ministry continued, bus driving continued, and the baby continued to grow inside Jen.

It was not too long after Jeff died that both Jen and I separately thought that we should name our baby after Jeff, if the baby was indeed a boy. Jen had an inkling that it was, and somehow, once Jeff died, we both knew “for sure” that it would be. We had the first name picked out already, but a different middle name, that we weren’t too sure of anyway. And there really was no question that if we did indeed have a boy - and it only seemed fitting that we would - we would certainly name him Ian Jeffrey.

It was already November, so the time was passing quickly. End of the semester events, holiday preparations. Life was certainly not back to normal for Jen’s mom & dad. We prayed daily for them, I think, and made sure to keep tabs on how they were doing. Jeff’s death was a horrendous experience for them. Maybe especially for Dad. He was the one that found Jeff. He was the one that felt the responsiblity - perhaps even burden? - to care for him for 36 years. They had their spats, to be sure. I was witness to a handful of them, and Jen can attest to so many more. But Jim & Carolyn loved their little boy (who was not so little!) and his sudden removal from their lives was just plain crushing.

Christmas was fast approaching, and we were just getting through all the stuff that needed to be gotten through leading up to a Christmas Eve service at our tiny little church building in Victor, NY. That would be the final event before a little Christmas break to be with family. It was the down time between semesters, Christmas and New Year’s... a great time for a break.

But we had to get through Christmas Eve first!

Christmas Eve, 1998
It was our first Christmas Eve service at the Church of Christ at Victor. I can’t recall right now if I was there in 1996 (my first year there on staff) but I do know we had not been there in 1997, as we spent that Christmas season with my parents in Ohio. So we weren’t quite sure what to expect. At least, I wasn’t. I and my ever-growing pregnant wife arrived at the little building about an hour before time to begin and the room where the service would be held was already packed!!! Ha! I couldn’t believe it! So, I scrambled around (in front of everyone) to get all of our musical equipment set up, and the night pretty much was just a blur from there on.

Christmas songs, smiles and hugs between friends, even a bit of home made egg nog if I remember correctly... it was a nice Christmas Eve service. After all had finished, and we’d done a bit of clean up, we packed up and headed out for the hour and fifteen minute drive to Jen’s parents’ house.

We arrived late, but talked till later. That’s a Walker family tradition I have learned. The best chats are usually after the day has been completely exhausted, and everyone retires to their various seats in the living room. It’s just a place no one wants to leave, no matter how tired they might be. (Or, how pregnant!) So we stayed up and chatted for a good while... probably hit the hay near midnight that night. Definitely heavier hearts than normal... mixed emotions as we headed into Christmas morning. The first one without Jeff.

Now we were completely unprepared for what was about to befall us. We were not expecting a baby until JANUARY 25TH. It was only December 25th. We had been reading some childbirth books, and certainly were eager to meet our new baby.... just... not yet.

About 2am (I think... maybe 4am?), I awake to find Jen is missing... and in the bathroom. I'll spare you the graphic details, but she was spending a little more time in there than normal, so I was certainly curious. She finally came back to where we were sleeping and I asked, "So, what's going on?"

"I don't know... I think my water broke." she said, a bit confused.

"You think?" I wasn't sure what that meant. I hadn't ever experienced such a thing, of course, but... wouldn't you know??? "What do you mean, 'I think'?" I queried.

She explained what had been going on for a while now, and it sure sounded like her water had broken to me! From what we had read in the books, I knew that was time to spring into action - even if we were a WHOLE MONTH ahead of schedule. But we talked about it, and Jen decided it was OK to wait till a more decent hour to call our midwife. She was back in Rochester, and could tell us what we should do. The contractions were not very severe, so we just decided to wait.

Everything progressed steadily through the night - Jen did not get much sleep, but then again, neither did I! - and at about 8:30 am we phoned our midwife. She was very excited for us, and said that the best thing to do would be to come to Rochester if we thought we could make it. Jen thought we could, so off we went.

A Different Sort of Christmas Morning
Now, this is one of the comical memories of the day. We all pile in my in-law's car, Jen & I in the back, Mom in the passenger seat timing contractions, and Dad driving... fast. If you know Jim Walker, you probably know that he's a very law-abiding citizen. He likes to do the right thing. Well in this case, his love for his daughter, or grand-baby, or perhaps his love for his car's upholstery permitted his conscience to drive at about 90 mph on the NY State Thruway. :-) We've never made such good time to Rochester! :-)

The contractions continued, and all seemed to be progressing just fine. Except that it was Christmas morning! Obviously plans had changed a bit for the day! Instead of waking up, sharing some food, opening presents - and missing Jeff - we were speeding down the highway, ready to have a new baby!!!

We arrived at Rochester General Hospital sometime in the 10 o'clock hour, and got checked in and did all of the preparatory stuff. Got settled in a room, and Jen got ready to have a baby! Not getting much sleep the night before, we could see she was a bit weak, so our midwife suggested lunch. And so, we ate lunch.

I actually don't remember lunch one bit. I vaguely remember Jen trying to force down a few things, but not really wanting anything. I have no idea if I ate or not. I do remember we were all there... and looking forward to a new baby! I believe Jen's oldest brother, Jon, and family had joined us by this point. They were going to come over to Clarence for the Christmas Day festivities, but that was preempted by this pending birth.

Oddly enough, though the labor had begun in the middle of the night (and hadn't stopped), Jen's body was not showing much progress. The doctors weren't too concerned about that yet... but we were certainly getting tired. Poor Jen! She was falling asleep - sitting up - between contractions! Maria, our midwife, was calm and relaxing, carrying on a conversation with Jen & me, and anyone else in the room... offering advice at various points as to what might help Jen. She did a great job.

Well, the hours turned into even more hours, and the rest of the family decided to make the trip over from Buffalo to Rochester! Jen's brother Andy, as well as the family who had adopted Jeff's kids (whom we had adopted into our family) eventually joined us at Rochester General. What's the point in spending Christmas day over there when the party was clearly here!!! From what we were told, there was quite the party in the waiting room by that Friday evening. :-)

All this time, Jen went ahead with our desired drug-free course. Her body was growing very weary, though. This was WAY harder on her than I expected it would be. I mean, I watch the movies and stuff, but this went on a LOT longer than any TV birth I had ever seen. (I guess editing helps that a lot...) :-) They asked if she wanted any pain medication, but she held on and politely refused the offer.

By the evening time, more and more doctors began to visit the room. Jen was in the 35th week on the 6th day - or, one day before "full term" - so the docs were watching this particular birth a bit more than normal. Because this labor was taking so long after the water broke, some of the doctors were a bit concerned and wanted to do an internal monitor thingie. We didn't really want that, but this was definitely not going exactly as we had planned, so... we agreed. The test revealed that all was still going just fine... just going very sloooooowly.

We were getting close though. Right around the 9pm hour, things started really crankin'. We had been having regular visitors to the room throughout the night. Jen's mom & dad, our friend Leah wanted to be there for the actual birth, so she had been for a few hours. A niece here, a nephew there, a brother here, a sister-in-law there. But more than that, those doctors kept coming to take a peak at the not full-term lady. It was kinda crazy. But it GOT CRAZIER. As Jen went into full labor, the room FILLED with doctors. It was nuts! I just stayed up by the head of the bed on one side of Jen. Leah was on the other, and somewhere nearby was Jen's mom and our midwife, Maria.

It was quite a party for Ian's arrival! :-)

God's Gracious Gift
The final stage of labor actually went pretty quickly, which I was so glad for. And at 9:19pm on Friday, December 25th, 1998, we were given our first baby... a boy. I just cried. As soon as I saw him I cried. I don't cry much. So, I was a bit surprised at that sudden rush of emotion. But it's all I could do. It was the culmination of 8 months of waiting for a baby with great anticipation. It was the culmination of 2 months of sorrow and sadness and loss... replaced with great joy and a healthy new baby boy! It was the culmination of a long - very different - Christmas day spent with the extended Walker clan at a hospital in Rochester.

There were probably 20 people in that room with Jen & me, and our new baby. Maybe more. A few moments - who knows how long - after the baby was born, and we were holding him, Jen's dad asked from the back of the long room, "What's his name, Greg? What's his name???" I looked at Jen and offered her the chance to give her parents the gift we had somehow almost known we'd be able to give. She was just too exhausted and motioned for me to go ahead.

"His name is Ian," and I paused, then said clearly, but emotionally, "Jeffrey... Campbell."

I don't remember exactly what happened, but there was a definite understanding in the room that this new baby boy was named after the family member whose absence still hurt us all. God had given us a gift - on Christmas day no less - and his name was Ian Jeffrey, after his Uncle Jeff, whom he never knew. We later learned that the name Ian means "God's Gracious Gift". We had simply chosen it because it was the Scottish name we liked the most.

But I think God had other plans.

I don't remember when the party died down that night, but eventually it did. My parents also came up that weekend to meet their first grandson. That was a joy as well. They brought us pizza and wings, and we watched the Bills game in the hospital that Sunday afternoon! :-) All were happy to meet this new little Christmas boy, Ian Jeffrey Campbell.

Ian couldn't have been healthier. The nurses and doctors were all thrilled at how healthy he was. He was a bit on the scrawny side (the fat comes in the final month of gestation...) but overall the thing they were most concerned about was his "slight jaundice". (I told the nurses that wasn't jaundice... Jen is kind of yellow too!) So, they ran lots of tests on him, just to be sure, but all checked out normal. I tried to tell everyone that he was just fine... that God had a purpose for him, and so he was just fine.

Ian was indeed God's Gracious Gift. He was given to us on a Christmas Day. Usually a time of family togetherness and celebration that, for the Walker clan in 1998, was marred by the sudden loss of our brother Jeff. When we imagined we'd be feeling the emptiness of death, we instead spent the entire day anticipating life, and we were given another Jeffrey.



The Marks
One more interesting thing about Ian's arrival here on the planet. Do you recall the strange marks on Jeff's legs just before he died? Well God gave them to Ian. They aren't as scary looking as Jeff's, and sure, they're slightly different. But, not long after he was born, we noticed some marks that go all the way down his left leg - which if my memory is correct, is the leg that Jeff showed us that night in October. They are not exactly the same, but it is just crazy that Ian even got those crazy marks that match his Uncle Jeff. Now, I do have a strange birthmark that extends over a good portion of my left arm, but these are just a bit different, and "coincidentally" just where the marks were on Jeff's body before he died.

I don't think any of our other children so far have fit into a bigger picture like Ian did on his birth day. Ian was born at just the right time for so many more people than just him. His story is bigger than just him. That doesn't take anything away from any of our other children who we have seen added to our family. Each of those days is certainly memorable as well. But there's no denying that we gave Ian Jeffrey the right name, even before we knew how any of the events would unfold.

Ian truly is God's gracious gift.