A Tale of Two Christmas Letters, Part II

If you read my last post, you know all about how there came to exist two Christmas letters from the Campbell Family in 2007, and you have most-likely read version number one. My wife and I work hard to maintain our address book, but due to relocations, computer crashes, and other various reasons, we inevitably find ourselves missing a few important addresses. If you are one who did not receive a hard copy of our letter and current pictures to go with, please accept our apologies. Your absence in our address book is certainly not to be taken personally!

As promised, I have included the traditional version of our annual greetings below, as well as our holiday pictures. We wish you a warm and wonderful holiday celebration, and a prosperous New Year! - The Campbell Family

Season’s Greetings One and All!

The tree is up and adorned with its decorations, holiday displays dot the neighborhood, and carols new and old fill the airwaves of local radio stations. Several rounds of Christmas goodies have gone to their various destinations, and holiday gatherings are abundant. Even Mother Nature has joined the scene, adding a few blasts of winter precipitation to create the proper landscape. As the kids watch an old Christmas movie favorite, it seems the perfect moment to compose our annual recap of the year’s events & highlights.

Korynne turned one in May, and is constantly on the go while trying to keep up with her two older siblings. She loves to explore most everything, and even caused Mommy’s first-ever call to poison control this summer. She’s proven to be quite fearless while scaling the tallest cupboards, counters, and tables. Frankly, we’re beginning to believe she thinks of herself as immortal as she has no qualms about tackling Daddy, or throwing herself in the middle of a family wresting match. Her willingness to play rough, though, is countered by her sweet and loving disposition. Korynne’s vocabulary is expanding quickly as she surprises us with a new word almost daily.

It’s been quite a busy year for the princess of the house. Madilyn turned three in August, and began preschool (or “pretty school” as she refers to it) in September. She has made lots of new friends, and rarely comes home without a new story to tell. While Madilyn has proven to be quite the strong-willed little girl, she is very willing to help Mommy and Daddy with various tasks around the house, her favorite being meal preparation. She seems to have fallen in love with the color pink, as she will often mention the need to go shopping for more “pink princess stuff.”

Big-brother Kaedyn is just a few weeks away from his ninth birthday, and is thoroughly enjoying third grade. He’s seen his share of past struggles in school staying focused and knowing when it is appropriate to “goof off.” He has put most of those issues behind him, however, and has taken a giant step forward in his maturity. In his spare time, you can find him buried in an exciting new book, and he is usually at or near the top of his class in terms of total minutes spent reading each month. Kaedyn continues to enjoy (most of the time) and excel in his role as big brother, especially since they are a good audience for his brand of humor - he loves to make others laugh, and is quite good at it!

Being home to raise her kids is an element of her life Mandi truly cherishes, but make no mistake; her calendar is always quite full! She’s in her twelfth year at Advantage Personnel, where she serves part-time doing marketing and office support, and continues to enjoy the social element of selling candles for PartyLite. In November, Mandi completed training to become a Doula, and will begin assisting mommies-to-be in their birthing processes. She’s so excited about her new adventure, and looks forward to continuing her studies in this field. Mandi continues to serve as the Finance Coordinator with her Mothers of Preschoolers group at church, and traveled to Nashville in September for their annual convention. She considers herself blessed to be part of such a tight-knit group of friends. Mandi has also made some big changes in her life, including daily exercise & healthy eating, helping her to lose almost 50 pounds. We also surprised Mandi with a party to celebrate her 30th birthday in July.

September began Kevin’s fifth year as an Emergency Services Dispatcher for Lincoln and Lancaster County. He continues to enjoy his work, and is currently awaiting an interview for a supervisory position. He recently began a new business adventure with MonaVie, and is in the throws of learning the finer points of presenting their product. After losing nearly 110 pounds, Kevin has set a goal to run the Lincoln Marathon in May of ’09. His training is underway, and he continues to research the best ways to continue his healthier living. His favorite pastime, though, is being a Daddy as he just can’t seem to get enough of his kids.

As we add the finishing touches to another year full of God’s grace and blessings, we pray for a warm and peaceful holiday season for each of you. May your New Year be full of the hope which comes through the birth and presence of Jesus Christ! Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!!

Love, the Campbell Family –
Kevin, Mandi, Kaedyn, Madilyn, and Korynne