I only got through about half of my visit with Camille's family so I'll finish up here...(disclaimer...lots of rambling and cute pictures of grandkids)

I ended up staying about a week longer than I had planned so I could help Camille out a bit while Kellen was gone.  Camille kept trying to get up and do something but really just couldn't.  She would get so nauseated and weak, she would end up back in bed or laying by the toilet.  Every night she w)ould say, "tomorrow I'll feel better" but then the next day, she really didn't feel better. 

Towards the end of the week she started perking up and her shingles weren't hurting her as much so we got out and did a few things.

Sam has been playing flag football this fall and it's a hoot to watch them. Sam plays defense and he thinks that's really cool.  Kellen has been helping to coach and I think Sam really likes that too. 

 We went and got a pedicure one day after dropping Emily off.  We went to this place that costs a little more, but the chairs in this place are incredible. You sink down and it feels like the chair is swallowing you.  Then these magic fingers start massaging all over your back side.  They even have pads that squeeze in and massage your head!  You want to sit there and let your toe nails dry for 2 hours cause it feels so good !

Kellen has been working hard on their yard.  Their grass has all filled in and looks great!  They bought some hibiscus plants for the back wall that will be real nice too.

 Emily and I slept in Olivias bed.  She is such a funny girl.  We would  read books and watch silly cat videos till all hours of the night (don't tell Camille)

 Brittney had a birthday party for Leah at a splash pad park.  She is a little cutie.  Brittney is juggling a hundred different things but doesn't ever seem to get frazzled. Her kids are a lot!, they wear me out just watching them from a distance, but she always seems calm and patient with them. She has done a good thing to give all these kids a stable happy life.  

 When Camille couldn't get out of bed, Emily and I would come and keep her company there..Emily is pretty entertaining. She has dance moves like no other.  

 Then she would hold Camille's phone on Camille's belly so baby brother could hear the music too.

 Emily helped me make cookies and the dough got a big thumbs up.

 Olivia saved her money and bought this silly game where you keep pulling out the sticks in the hat till it lets all the water in the top loose all over your head.  It was pretty funny till it was your turn to wear the hat!

 Brittney invited us over for  a nice dinner on Sunday afternoon.

Emily goes to a little playgroup once a week that is kind of like the old Joy school.  The moms take turns having the kids over.  She came home with all the B things this day.  She goes to a preschool a couple of days a week too that she just loves.  She wants to do everything Liv and Sam do so getting to put on her backpack and go to school is just the best!  She sang songs she had learned that day all the way home.

So Emily woke up Sunday morning with a big blistery looking thing on her leg.  We were trying to not freak out, but it looked just like chicken pox.  The doctor had told Camille that shingles weren't contagous to people unless they hadn't had the chicken pox or had been vaccinated.  Emily had had her first vaccination for chicken pox, but wouldn't get the next one till she went to kindergarten.  We thought it couldn't be, till another one popped up and she got pretty bad diarrhea.  Camille had had diarrhea for about two weeks and I think that added to her overall icky feeling.  You could tell Emily wasn't feeling very good so Camille decided to have her checked out. We took her to Camille's pediatrician but he wasn't there so we saw a different doctor. He was in quite a hurry and just took one look at her and said "it's not chickenpox"  He said it was just a rash...hmmm didn't look like a rash at all.  He said if it was chicken pox it would be around her trunk, not her legs. 

Well that was good news that it wasn't chickenpox, but we still didn't know what was making her sick and he didn't have any conclusions except for telling us it was a rash.

Emily is such a good natured little bug though, she is always happy and ready to strike a pose when I pull out my camera.

Stickers from Trader Joes and riding the dog at Old Navy.  You can see the sore on her leg there and there were a few more on the back of her leg.

Olivia is such a doll.  She told Camille that she really wanted to go to the mall with me. ..just me and her.  I thought that sounded fun too, so Camille programed into my phone just how to get there.  I don't know my way around at all and get lost just getting  out of her neighborhood.  I was just getting to where I felt comfortable driving in her old neighborhood!  Anyway, it worked out just fine and we made it to the Superstition mall without incident. 

We had such a fun time shopping  togegther! 

Liv needed some new dresses so we found some cute ones at the Justice store.

She liked this top with the fringie scarf so we got that too!  Then we went into Victoria Secret and  I got me a new bra, then to the candy store for treats for everyone. Olivia's one request was a stop at the pretzel shop so we got a  big bag of bites and sat and ate them and talked and people watched. She is growing up so fast.  I can't believe she will be 10 tomorrow!  She is growing up to be such a delightful young lady...she has a great sense of humor and is so sweet and patient with Emily.  She will spend hours playing with her.  She is so good with Sam too and really watches out for him at school now.  Those kids really love each other.  Even though they all have their own bedrooms, they all end up in Sams room on the bunkbeds or on the floor so they can be together.

Anyway, we had a great time together.  I'd just give anything to be able to do things like that all the time.

The last morning I was there, Camille felt pretty good so we decided to go for a hike. It was the perfect temperature...sunny but not too hot.

The desert is incredibly beautiful in it's own unique  way.  These pictures don't do it justice.

We thought we'd get a few quick games of racko in before I headed to the airport.  Camille dominated. Emily danced and sang for side entertainment. 

Kellen hooked me up with a seat in first class on the way home.  Boy they sure give you special treatment!  I didn't have to wait in any lines for security and was the first group to get on the plane.  As soon as I got in there, a guy comes and takes my bag and says he will stow it for me.   Ha!  I had the first seat on the first row and it was pretty sweet!  They come right away and ask if I would like anything to drink and bring a basket of treats to pick from! Wow no wonder Kellen love it!  There's blankets and pillows to make you comfy and constantly checking to see if I wanted more drinks or treats.  I was wishing I was on a longer flight!  When we were about 20 minutes away from home, the captain came on the intercom and said we were going to be flying into some pretty bad turbulence and he wanted everyone to sit down and buckle up, even the flight attendants. (Camille had sent me a news flash from home saying we had had several tornados earlier that day...I'm sure that had something to do with the bad turbulence.)  The shaking started right away and I've never felt it so bad.  The plane was shaking so bad, then would drop down and bump like it was hitting something. Needless to say, our fancy drinks went flying. This went on till we landed.  I got so nauseated, I really had to fight it to not let myself throw up. As soon as we landed, the pilot came on the intercom and apologized for the rough ride.  You could tell that he, along with everyone else was pretty shaken up.  I was sure grateful to put my feet on solid ground.