Thanks for reading!

We had the baby!  You probably figured that.  James Braden Campbell was born Friday, March 27th at 3:53pm weighing 6 lbs. 15 1/2 oz., 19 1/8 inches long.  He was a little guy.  But not anymore- he's a little chubber now.  The prettiest baby boy you ever did see, see...

Next week we're going to Texas to show him off, I mean, to celebrate my parents' 40th wedding anniversary.  Wow!  40 years- and they are still so young!

In August we're going to Alabama to show him off, I mean, to go to Jim's family reunion.  The summer is flying by, but that's a good thing.  I thought I was going to go insane with all 3 kids home.  But we've had company (Emily and kids), VBS, swim lessons, etc.

Here are the big things coming our family's way: Jim is going to be the pastor of a new satellite campus for our church- Bay West Church in Palm Bay, just south of Melbourne.  We're not moving, but it means that Jim has been VERY busy, trying to keep the Young Adult ministry going while getting ready to "launch" the new satellite (appropriate vocabulary for this area- the Space Coast).  Ann Marie is getting ready for Kindergarten- she got into West Melbourne School for Science, a magnet school in our district right around the corner from our house.  It is the 3rd highest rated elementary school in the STATE of Florida- woo hoo!  We're very excited to have gotten in off of the waiting list (it's chosen by lottery).  I just dropped a wad of money at the uniform store on Friday- eek!  But, oh, the wardrobe battles we won't have to face!  "Do you want to wear your khaki skort or your khaki capris today?"

Anyway, I'll post some more another day.  If you're out there reading this, drop me a comment and let me know what you want to hear.

Jim is ready/excited/busy getting loose ends tied up so that he can be the SuperDad he always is in the hospital.  He does pretty much every diaper change while I look on from my comfy hospital bed.

Ann Marie is counting down the days and jumping up and down as she tells everyone she sees our happy news.

Susanna is getting ready for HER baby to come out (Yanna) on the same day that baby bud/Braden comes out.  She wants to make sure that her baby will have a bed and a carseat and people to help her take care of it.  She's hilarious.  By the way, this is the 4th baby she has had in her tummy during this pregnancy.  Two boys and two girls.

Mommy is getting geared up for the anatomy lessons that will be delivered the first time the girls observe a diaper change and the first time Susanna watches Braden "eat".  Whoo!  I'm also trying to be realistic about what REALLY needs to get done before Friday and what can wait.  Even though I know that sleep-deprived days are coming soon, in a way I'm looking forward to the next few weeks of rest- a different kind of rest.  The calendar-is-cleared-so-I-can-recoup kind of rest, no chores I'm allowed to do besides feed the baby and tell people where to find things, visiting with family and friends, etc.  All of that will be nice, a happy bonus to having a sweet baby to snuggle on the outside instead of being kicked and stepped on from the inside!

Messengers came and told Jehoshaphat, "A vast army from Edom is marching against you from beyond the Dead Sea.... Jehoshaphat was terrifed by this news and begged the Lord for guidance.  He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting.  So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the Lord's help.

Jehoshaphat stood before the community of Judah and Jerusalem in front of the new courtyard at the Temple of the Lord.  He prayed, "O Lord, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven.  You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth.  You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you!  O our God, did you not drive out those who lived in this land when your people Israel arrived?  And did you not give this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham?  Your people settled here and built this Temple to honor your name.  They said, 'Whenever we are faced with any calamity such as war, plague, or famine, we can come to stand in your presence before this Temple where your name is honored.  We can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and rescue us.'

And now see what the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir are doing.... For they have come to throw us out of your land.... O our God, won't you stop them?  We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us.  We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help."

As all the men of Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, wives, and children, the Spirit of the Lord came upon one of the men standing there...  He said, "Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem!  Listen, King Jehoshaphat!  This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid!  Don't be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God's.  Tomorrow, march out against them.... But you wil not even need to fight.  Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord's victory.... Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!"

Then King Jehoshaphat bowed low with his face to the ground.  And all the people of Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the Lord.  Then the Levites... stood to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud shout.

Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa.  On the way, Jehoshaphat stopped and said, "Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem!  Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm.  Believe in his prophets, and you will succeed."

After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor.  This is what they sang: "Give thanks to the Lord; his faithful love endures forever!"

At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start  fighting among themselves.... So when the army of Judah arrived at the lookout point in the wilderness, all they saw were dead bodies lying on the ground as far as they could see.  Not a single one of the enemy had escaped.

King Jehoshaphat and his men went out to gather the plunder.... There was so much plunder that it took them three days just to collect it all!  On the fourth day they gathered in the Valley of Blessing, which got its name that day because the people praised and thanked the Lord there.

1.  Move to Florida- hurricanes, fires, so far from home, etc.  I better stop saying that I'll never move to California!

2.  Handle my children's runny noses.  I always said that Jim would have to do that because I have a nose thing, kind of like my sister, Daphne, and my friend, Winn, have a foot thing.  But I forced myself to do it.  I even used the bulb sucky thing (we call it the "snorker"), and I'll be using it again this year I'm sure.  But then I'm done, no more snorker, that's it.

3.  Be the youngest of my siblings to get married- 22, right out of college.  For a while I thought I would be single forever or at least be an old maid for a while.

4.  jklllll;;;;l;l;l;l;lkkl;;;;l=- Susanna wrote that.  I still don't think I'll ever do that.

5.  Buy a minivan.  Now, I wasn't incredibly opposed to the idea like many of my peers.  I just thought we'd probably get a bigger SUV.  But I LOVE IT!  It's so comfy and will definitely be a plus with Baby Campbell on the way.

6.  Get on Facebook... and get halfway addicted... and have flair... and have almost 300 online friends... and make comments... and post notes about myself... I still can't believe this one.

7.  Have beautiful children.  I tell you what, they definitely got the best of our genes.  Long dark curly eyelashes, big brown eyes, gorgeous hair, and cute little bodies.  And they're growing beautiful on the inside, too.  They may go through an "ugly stage" as my dad says every kid does, but I'm telling you what- prejudice or no prejudice, my kids are darn cute!  (Even Baby bud looked pretty cute on the 3D sonogram)

We had good traffic, pretty good weather considering we had 3 nights in a row this week of freaky below freezing temps, and good food.  Jim also made sure that the girls each got some ears to commemorate their first trip- custom-made ones no less!

Our favorite rides/attractions were Peter Pan, Buzz Lightyear's space invaders thing (we rode that one twice- the second time I scored 119,700 points- a family record, and it has to be a park record, too), the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, the parade, the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, the Mickey Dream show in front of Cinderella's castle, the Indy Speedway (Jim and AM drove that one since "expectant mothers" were not allowed), meeting the princesses and Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and the fireworks.  Yep, we stayed all the way until closing time (8:00).  I was surprised they made it that long myself, but Disney worked it's magic- right up until the time we had to wait 20 minutes to get on the monorail to the parking lot.  We made it home about 11:00.  The girls slept good on the way home and today we don't have much to do but recoup.

We already know what we want to do next time, which will probably be awhile from now considering what will happen in our lives over the next few months!  But we're very grateful for a super fun family day at one of the world's favorite places.

6/30/07-We had been here a little over two weeks, in a new house, our old house was closing in a few days, and we were so thankful for all the people who had been helping us.  Psalm 30:7-8-"I will be glad and rejoice in Your unfailing love, for You have seen my troubles, and You care about the anguish of my soul.  You have not handed me over to my enemies but have set me in a safe place." v. 14-15-"But I am trusting You, O Lord, saying, 'You are my God! My future is in Your hands." v.19-"How great is the goodness You have stored up for those who fear You.  You lavish it on those who come to You for protection, blessing them before the watching world."

God is so cool and so ready with His Word to give you whatever you need for today.  I know it, I believe it, I've seen and experienced it.  Happy reading!

4/14/07-"How long, O Lord, how long?"  I still cry when I think of this day... 1 Kings 18:25-19:18- Lord, sometimes I feel like the prophets of Baal, dancing around and carrying on and "still there was no sound, no reply, no response." (v.29)  But I know that my God is the one who consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, the dust, and the water.  Like Elijah's wet altar, our situation is stacking up for a miraculous show from the Lord. (v.33-39)  I feel like we've waited in the drought for a long time, and all we've seen is "a little cloud about the size of a man's hand rising from the sea" (v.44)  But that's all God needs to bring "a terrific rainstorm" (v.45)  Are you giving us provisions that will have to last and will last for "40 days and 40 nights"? (v.8)  v.15-"Go back the same way you came"- God had Elijah travel all that way just to reveal Himself to him.

4/16/07- A phone call led to a visit, a job offer, etc.

5/1/07-After a visit to Florida, we needed some confirmation that this was where God wanted us to go.  1 Chron. 12-15:24- This passage is about change, about all Your promises to David finally coming to fulfillment, about his taking leadership.  I see so many parallels in what we're about to do: 12:1-37-You surrounded David with capable people who would help him in his efforts- they were loyal and very skilled in different areas.  12:39-40- They spent 3 days celebrating his new role.  13:12-14-When David got afraid because of circumstances, you ended up blessing someone else.  14:8-17-When the enemy figured out what was happening, they came against David, but You gave him direction after he sought You out.  15:13-David had to be careful to seek Your way of doing things to be successful.

To be continued one more time...

1/23/07- I wrote in my journal, "Lord, where are You leading us?" God: Exod. 23:20-21- "See, I am sending an angel before you to protect you on your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you.  Pay close attention to him, and obey his instructions."

2/7/07- Lev. 26:1-13- "If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you the seasonal rains... You will eat your fill and live securely in your own land.  I wil give you peace...and you will...sleep with no cause for fear... I will look favorably upon you, making you fertile and multiplying your people... I will live among you, and I will not despise you.  I will walk among you... I broke the yoke of slavery...so you can walk with your heads held high."

2/14/07- Num. 14:17-19-"Please, Lord, prove that Your power is as great as You have claimed.  For You said, 'The Lord is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love...' In keeping with Your magnificent, unfailing love, please pardon the sins of this people..."  Katye: Moses was reminding God of His promises.  Obviously, God didn't mind.  I think it's because 1)He loved Moses and enjoyed the close fellowship they had and 2)He loves it when we know His Word and 3)It was in His plan all along to faithfully love His people even in their gross rebellion.  God, I'm not Moses, but may I remind you of a few of Your promises? "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." Jer. 29:11 and "My God will supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:19

2/26/07-This is so cool to look back on!  Deut. 12:5-8a-"You must seek the Lord your God at the place of worship He Himself will choose from among all the tribes- the place where His name will be honored... There you and your families will feast in the presence of the Lord your God and you will rejoice in all you have accomplished because the Lord your God has blessed you.  Your pattern of worship wil change..."

3/7/07-Josh. 15:18-19- A tiny little story about Caleb and his daughter.  Here's what it said to me that day-- A father's heart longs to grant the requests of his children.  Lord, You have already given me so much- a house, cars, a family that loves me, gifts to serve You with.  But now, "Give me another gift."  Give Jim a job where he can grow and serve You in a way that honors You most.

To be continued...

April 5, 2006- In the midst of selling our house (which might have foundation problems), a $1300 plumbing repair, our church’s building campaign, and being 8 months pregnant, I was reading 2 Samuel 22 and found many reminders and promises.

v.3-“My God is my rock, in whom I find protection”

v.7-“In my distress I cried out to the Lord…for help. He heard me from His sanctuary; my cry reached His ears.”

v.26-“To the faithful You show Yourself faithful; to those with integrity You show integrity.”

v.31-“God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true.”

v.33-“He makes my way perfect.”