Does the name Melissa Gilbert ring any bells for you? It certainly does for me. Melissa Gilbert was my childhood favorite as she portrayed Laura Ingalls in the hit TV show Little House. I absolutely loved the Little House series growing up. She was my Monday night for years. I not only loved the show, I consumed the books and even had the metal lunch box. If I had to choose one single entertainment icon that influenced me, it would most definitely be Little House on the Prairie.

I have passed that enthusiasm on to my children, so you can imagine my delight when I found out the Little House Musical was coming to Progress Energy Center in Raleigh, March 16-21. Melissa Gilbert is starring as "Ma" in this stage show and I am so excited!

Our family is going to the musical on opening night and we are so excited! Ryan and I were offered the opportunity to help spread the word and we get to offer our friends special discounted tickets. If you'd like to enjoy this musical with your family, be sure to use the discount price code listed below when purchasing your tickets.

To receive 20% off the Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday night 8:00PM performances for Orchestra, Mezzanine, and Front Balcony Seating use discount code: FAITH

To receive 30% off the Tuesday matinee 2:00PM performance for orchestra, mezzanine, and front balcony seating use discount code: FAITH30

For tickets you can click here or call 800-745-3000.

Oh Be Careful Little Mouth What You Say!

I am currently living with a mockingbird. It's name is Abe. Abe has been a late bloomer when it comes to language, but lately he has been trying to talk more and more. Much of his talking comes in the form of repeating something. It's very funny, and very convicting.

He not only repeats our words, but he does it in the exact tone in which it was delivered. So, if you say it in a sweet and tender voice, Abe repeats it in a sweet and tender voice. However, if you say it in a snappy irritated voice, well you get the picture. It has been a good reminder to me that I need to be careful what I say AND how I say it.

It's been a delight to hear him and we've gotten a kick out of seeing him begin to assemble words into phrases. Abe has had countless reprimands for hitting, pinching, or biting. That seems to be something he struggles with more than our other toddlers tended to. I walked past he and Lizzy the other day and apparently she had playfully swatted him over something. He got very close to her face, shook his finger, and in a firm, controlled voice, he said "No, no Lizzy! No, no hit Abe!" We both giggled and he received great praise for using his words instead of his teeth in response.

That boy is truly a challenge, but the rewards are just as true!

February Happenings

It's been a relatively quiet couple of weeks here at the Campbell house. I think it's the calm before the storm. We officially start recruiting for VBS on Sunday, and that is typically when our busy season begins. Here are some highlights of what is happening in our world:

Ryan has decided to finish the degree he started in 1992. He has worked on it off and on through the years through a variety of life changes and child additions. Every time he has had to put it on hold, it has been a sacrifice for him. But, the Lord has given him some incredible life experiences that rival anything he could learn in the classroom.

He is currently taking 9 hours of online courses from Liberty. I have to admit, I thought online courses would be a breeze. I was wrong, REALLY wrong. That boy is working his tail off. He is getting up early, staying up late, and reading through his lunch in an effort to finish strong. He is doing well and I'm very proud of him. He is hoping to finish in early August. We keep telling ourselves it's a short term sacrifice for a long term goal.

Our children did the sweetest thing for Valentine's Day. My mom had offered to keep the children overnight on the Friday of Valentine's Weekend, and of course we took her up on it. Before we dropped them off, Abby kept reminding us that we hadn't paid them their allowance yet and she was insistent that she needed it for the weekend. So, we stopped by the ATM and paid them their due. Then, we went to dinner. When we got home, we found this:

They had called my mom early in the week and asked her if she would take them shopping while they were at her house. Then, while we were at dinner, they went out and each one bought us something. They snuck back into the house and set it all up before we got home from dinner. We got a box of chocolates, a bouquet of flowers, balloons, and even a singing card. It was so sweet!

In other news, Abe has been sporting some funky hair. We had decided to grow it out and see what it looked like. For a while, it was cute. Then it got fuzzy and we decided the 'fro wasn't the best look for him. I decided that he was beginning to look a bit like the Reverend Al Sharpton. I couldn't stand it any longer, so I got Ryan to cut it tonight. Here are a few before shots:

Here it is, slicked back in honor of Al.

Other than that, we're just busy schooling steadily. We're on track to finish May 21st. Much to my children's dismay, we schooled through our recent snow days. Our next door neighbors were home from school, but we kept pushing. The good thing about homeschooling is that you can have the best of both worlds. That is evidenced by this picture of Lizzy:

There's nothing like Math, on the hammock, in the snow, with your rain boots on. Betcha you don't see that in public school!