...And Baby Makes Three

Merry Christmas, Baby!

2011-12-07T19:41:00.000-08:00

Is it Christmas, already? It is so hard to believe that not only is our sweet baby girl 8 months old, but that the Christmas season is upon us. It feels like forever since our "old" life (pre-Hannah) back in Christmas of 2010... I mean, what did we do with all of our extra time?

These pictures were taken Sunday at Hannah's Great-Grandmother's house... They're really our first "photo session" as a little family... mostly we take pictures of Hannah + one of us...

Katie took these for us and did a great job! Thanks, Katie!!! Love you!!!

{Merry Christmas} Everyone!

{Love, Lindsay}

She's just a little Baby!

2011-11-22T03:43:00.000-08:00

I've (obviously) taken quite the blogging hiatus due to my Photography business, GCS teaching, and life in general. But there are some things on my mind, so I wanted to share. Even though our Hannah-Banana is seven months old, there are still times when reality slaps me across the face, and I see my life with fresh eyes... and I am thankful for that life. We have a healthy sweet baby girl who is learning new things every day, who is perfect in public (knock on wood!) and who is over-all a happy baby. We just love her so much... Its hard to think of what we ever did without her. It was much more boring, I'll say that. She brings so much joy to our lives (even with her 3am wake up calls).

Here's what she is up to now:

Getting up on "all fours"... so ready to crawl

Shouting out is her way of "talking"!

Putting Puffs and other small foods in her mouth

Passing these tiny items from one hand to another

Loving her bath time

Wearing 6-9 mo clothes

Still keeping her headbands in-- not yanking them out (yet!)

Smiling ALL the time!

Sometimes sleeping through the night lately

Making it ALL the way through Sunday School all by her self... we're still working on making it through church all the way.

{She's so busy...}

{Lindsay}

Captured by Colson...

2011-11-21T18:27:00.001-08:00

{My two loves at the fair...}

When I was in the 6th grade, my uncle asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I said without hesitation, "A photographer". Initally, it was to work with the magazine setting. Think: LIFE and TIME. My grandmother let me use a (super cool) Nikon camera (... don't judge, it was all I had), and a dream was realized. I would hop on my 4-wheeler and cruise all over that farm munching on summer sausage and shooting everything I could see through my view-finder. Now, granted, it wasn't great... but I did get a couple of cool shots out of the deal, one of which is framed still. I even assisted my aunt in shooting my first wedding when I was in the 7th grade. I wasn't nervous... perhaps a bit awkward, but it was so thrilling to see what my camera "got" when we developed the film.

Fast-forward a few years, and here I sit... numerous weddings, engagement sessions, family sessions under my belt... and loving EVERY minute of it. It is something that I have a passion for. I continue to hone in my craft every time I shoot (which, since I have a 7 month old, is pretty frequent!)

To see more... http://capturedbycolson.blogspot.com/

{Lindsay}

Hannah... Week 12

2011-07-15T08:23:00.000-07:00

What a busy three weeks it has been! Its funny how time really flies when you are getting ready for a vacation! Here is a re-cap of week 12...

Starting off week 12 was a visit from Aunt Katie! Katie has been living out of town for the past few months for an externship for school. We were SOOO excited that she got to come home and hang out for the weekend! On Friday night she came right over and spent some time with Hannah and shooed us out the door so that we could go get some dinner and she could have some quality time! It was good to have her home!

On Saturday night we all went out for Mr. Wendy and Mrs Gina's anniversary and for Grant's birthday! We ate at Austin's which was delish! and were so excited to be with Katie and hear all about her adventures out of town! (Hannah FINALLY got to wear her "I love my Aunt" shirt for Katie!... it's been too big up to this point)

The rest of the week was sort of crazy due to Vacation Bible School. I helped with crafts and Willis kept Hannah with him in the adult bible class in the auditorium. She also enjoyed walking around with some of the ladies at church when she got restless in class! Here she is with her BFF Austin and Ashley :)

Friday night was Lexi's birthday party! She got to hang out with some of her family friends there! Lexi was so cute, she took a bite out of the corner of her cake... so funny!

Hannah... Week 11

2011-06-24T15:53:00.000-07:00

Hannah and I have been having lots of ‘girl time’ this week because Willis helping with a soccer camp during the day.

Saturday I had the opportunity to be a Second Shooter at a wedding with Deland Guthrie. I had a GREAT time, but the downside was that the pictures started at 7:15. IN THE MORNING! I was fine with it, but Hannah had some other plans… such as waking up at 4AM and not going back to sleep, then screaming from 5:00-5:30. Willis had to just put her in the car and go driving around. I got up at 5:30 and took a shower, trying to get ready for the photog. gig. It was an awesome day and an awesome wedding… VERY beautiful… not hard to shoot because of all the great details there were! It felt good to get back into the swing of things

While I was at the wedding, Willis was at the house with Hannah. Armed with a couple of bottles, and his parental know-how, Willis was left to his own wits. He did great, though, and I think she slept most of the time (prob. because she’d been up since 4am.) The rest of Saturday was pretty tiring, but that evening we ate with Grandma and Grandpa, and Hannah went swimming again. I also met Cheryl and Ben downtown to shoot the last batch of their engagements which turned out super amazing!!!

Sunday was (of course) Father’s Day! Hannah gave Willis a super-cute mug because he has been drinking coffee these days (it always good to have coffee around when you have a baby in the house!). It has her face on it and says Happy Fathers Day 2011… pretty cute. We went to church and Hannah sat through Big Class (aka, our Sunday Class) instead of her little nursery class because I needed to go to “Big Class” as it was the first day of that new situation. She did so good! During the church service, Connie held her and she was pretty good until about 10:45, so we went to the nursery, got her changed and made it back before the end of church.

We went to lunch at the Country Club with the Colsons and had Fathers day festivities with them which was great! My car had been acting up all week so I took it up to the car place and got a new battery… not exactly “Fathers Day” fun, but it had to be done. Hannah and I also went over to my Dads (Willis had a church meeting to go to), and we hung out by the pool with them for an hour or so. Hannah slept most of the time because it was so warm out there! Lexi is really loving the pool and Landon pulls her around on the floats… so cute! I can’t wait for Hannah to get out there with them soon!

We had evening church, which didn’t go as well as AM church for Hannah, so we stayed in the nursery most of the time and then we went out to eat. I let Willis choose where he wanted to go because it was Fathers Day, and he decided to go to Buffalo Wild Wings! It was delicious, but also SOOOO loud in there and they were having some sort of ‘fight night’ on the TVs… it was so fake (Good grief, it made me laugh it was so dumb!)

We went to town on Monday and ate lunch with Gran and also did some errands such as shopping at Publix and getting some necessities from Toys R Us. When we got back home, Grandma didn’t have to go to work, so we went over there and we worked on a little outfit that I had cut out for Hannah, but which was a little intimidating to put together. And I found a new project… small quilts!! I made the first one for Hannah (duh), but then went and got some more fabric and have already cut and top stitched 4 more to finish! I’m pretty excited about it!

Tuesday I got my hair cut and I feel like a brand new woman! My hair has been the same style for about 10 years and it was time for a change! It feels more ‘grown up’ without looking like “mom” hair (sorry.). I really love the new look! We ate lunch with Willis and I went to Hobby Lobby to get the fabric that I needed for the other quilts (that I talked about in the previous paragraph).

Wednesday, we ate lunch with Gran, Casey and Elli. Gran and Granddaddy are going on Vacation and Casey and Elli are here to house-sit, so we got together for lunch before Gran and Granddaddy left! We ate at ABC and we got some really cute pictures of Hannah, Elli and Gran! Gran just loves her girls!!!

Thursday was a home day… we’d been so busy all week that I was tired out and ready to just stay home. Hannah had a rather fussy day, refused to eat her 12:00 AND 6:00 feeding. I ended up bottling some for her so that she would take it. She finally did at 8:30, and then went right to sleep. It was pretty frustrating for me that she wouldn’t eat because that’s not something that I can force her to do. I think she was so upset because she was really hungry, but couldn’t settle down enough to actually eat. It was a tough evening for sure.

Hannah... Week 10

2011-06-18T13:01:00.000-07:00

10 Things I've learned about Hannah in this past 10 weeks:
#1: She likes to ride in the car now, and if she starts to cry, just put the AC on high and it puts her to sleep most times
#2: She likes her bath but only if the water is still running a little, and will only cry when you start to take her out... mostly because it gets a little cold.

#3: When you talk to her and smile really big, she will reward you for your efforts by a very big smile and some talking also!
#4: This girl LOVES to stretch!! She will throw those hands up over her head and arch her back and just streeeeeeetch!
#5: She usually sneezes in twos
#6: Hannah loves to be changed and loves her changing table. She'd lay up there all day if we would let her.

#7: She loves the swaddle and though sometimes she'll buck it, she likes it... don't let her fool you
#8: At first, she wasn't too sure about the whole swimming business, but she's pretty into it now... will even wear her sunglasses

#9: Hannah loves the sound of running water... REAL running water (like sinks, fountains, showers), not so much that 'fake' water sound from sleep-sheep.
#10: If she gets fussy and it's not time to eat/be changed then I'll put on my sling and stick her down in in and she LOVES it and will usually go right to sleep! Its awesome (especially in restaurants where she won't be put down and I can use both hands to eat.)

(this is our sling... we love it!!!)

These are my 10 things about Hannah... she's such a little sweetie and we love her so much!!!!!

Hannah... the blowout.

2011-06-11T19:13:00.000-07:00

Picture this scene: Very nice house with manicured lawn, proper hostess who I am unfamiliar with, classy lingerie shower with about 25 women.

Enter the cast of this story: Hannah (2 months), Me, Cleta (Hannah's great-aunt), Heather, Jennifer, Jovie (17 months).

Now that you have some back story... I will proceed with the storyline:

The shower is a brunch sort of situation and after mingling for a little while, it was time to eat. I waited a few minutes before I went to get my plate so that Cleta could look after Hannah while I did that. When I came back from getting my plate, Cleta and another lady asked if they could just keep her over near them so they could play with her. I was fine with that.

A few minutes later, Hannah woke up and Cleta picked her up out of her carseat. Cleta put her on her lap with her back facing towards Cleta so that Hannah could look out at the other ladies. Hannah was SOOOO good. She was very quiet and just looking around.

Then Heather comes in and wanted to see Hannah. She goes over to Cleta to ask if she could hold her and then Cleta hands her over. About the time that I see Heather get Hannah, I hear: Oooh Heather!!! I thought maybe Hannah spit up on her or something, but then Heather turned around and I saw it: Yellow Baby Hannah Poop from her bottom to half way up her back. And yes, it was also on Cleta.

So I throw down my plate and run to the bathroom behind Heather (who is toting my child), followed swiftly by Jennifer and Jovie, and Cleta! I had one of those changing pads so I threw that down on the bed and laid Hannah down. The poopoo was so all over her onesie (that I made her, might I add) that there was no salvaging it for the rest of the day's wear. Nor her precious bloomers. I sent Cleta on the hunt for a bag to put the dirty clothes in and another bag to put the diaper in (I DID have some of those handy little smell-good baggies but of course, they ran out like the day before!).

As Cleta searched, I made the executive decision that wipies were just not going to do the trick on this sweet baby... she was going to need a bath. Heather readied the sink bath and in she went. Handsoap and warm water cleaned her up pretty good and we snatched some random towel from the rack to dry her off with. (Did I mention that I had never met the owner of this home/towel/handsoap/sink before entering the abode just an hour earlier?... it got a bit awkward--she was cool with the whole thing, thank goodness!)

We finally got the baby (and Cleta) all cleaned up and made it out to the living room just in time to see Cheryl opening our gift... it was one for the record books for sure...

Hannah... Week 9

2011-06-10T15:06:00.000-07:00

This week was also full of changes (I'm sure I could start every weekly "Hannah" post like this!)

Sunday Night: Willis cooked fish for us here at home. We had Mrs. Gina, Mr. Wendy and Grant over to help us eat the feast! It was so delicious and am so proud that my hubby can cook so well... he beats me out all the time w/ his cooking skills--especially on the grill!

Hannah is our little alarm clock... she doesn't sleep in our bed.. EVER, but sometimes, we like to wake up a little bit before we go into the living room... and she happened to fall back to sleep while I was taking a shower on Sunday morning... isn't this the sweetest picture ever?!

Monday...
Hannah took her first bottle from Willis AND slept in her crib all in one night! I was really surprised at how well she took that bottle because I was thinking that it was something that we'd have to 'teach' her to do, but she latched onto it and sucked it dry! I think that Willis enjoyed being able to participate in the feeding aspect of her routine! That night, Willis was rocking her to sleep and we weren't quite ready to go to bed yet, so he laid her in her crib because her room is pretty close to the living room, and we could hear her. I was expecting her to wake up before we were ready to go to sleep, but she was sacked out! Instead of risking her waking up for us to move her into her pack-and-play in our room, we just decided to see what would happen. I was a little nervous, but I put the monitor right next to our pillows and had the volume on high :) She woke up at 6am... a full nights sleep on the first try! We were so proud! She's slept in there ever since!

Wednesday:
I've started making these little appliques for Hannah's shirts and even made some bloomers on Wednesday... it has been a lot of fun to be able to do just what I want for her onesies! The bloomers are so easy to make as well, and it looks so much better than me just taking her out in a onesie... I mean, it's not like indecent or anything to just leave her in a onesie, but the bloomers make it look so much cuter!

Thursday:
For dinner, we went over to Mom's house to eat fajitas (prob. my FAVORITE meal!) and to take some pictures with papa's sunflowers. Every year for the past several years, papa has grown sunflowers out by the road so that people can stop and pick them. This year, the rain has been less than normal so they weren't as full as they have been in the past, but they were still very beautiful! I had appliqued a shirt for Hannah and for Tara so that they could have their pictures made together and they turned out great! I also loved just getting together with the family as I don't get up to the farm as much as I'd like. It was so cute to see Maria, Laverne and Mom all flittering around Hannah (sweeping the bugs off of her, fanning her, getting her positioned just right)... so funny!

Friday:
Today was Hannah's "shots" day at Dr. A's office! Because of the less-than-timely visit that we had at our last appointment, we booked this appointment for the first possible time. I tried to give Hannah some baby-Tylenol and she took it, but about 10 minutes later, it made a come-back... so I'm not sure how much actually got into her system. After we checked in, it took about 10 minutes before we were called back (much better than the HOUR+ it took last time!) The nurse came in and measured her (23 and 3/4"!!) and weighed her (11lbs, 11oz!!) before Dr. A came in. he was very excited about her weight and was pleased that she was doing so well off of exclusive breast-feeding! This made me feel good, like I'm doing my job! We chatted for a little while and then the shot-nurse came in and proceeded to give her some oral medicine and then put two shots in her leg. She did ok with this, she started crying, but not screaming too bad. Then she did the third shot in the other leg and she puckered up pretty bad... thank goodness it was over and I could pick her up. When I did that, she calmed right down! I was proud that she didn't continue to have a fit because it would have made the process even worse than it was. I didn't get upset, but I didn't like it very much, I'll tell you that! We got home and she was really sleeping hard... I woke her up and fed her, but she has been pretty sleepy and a little fussy this afternoon. I gave her some more tylenol and she kept that down, so I think that helped some.

On the way home from the Doc, we stopped by the airport to see Andres... he was an international student this year and got really close with Willis... He played soccer and so they bonded over their love of the game. It was sad to see such a great kid go home, but I'm so glad that we were able to see him off properly.

Its been a pretty busy week, but a good week... I always love any time that I can spend time with our family and enjoy our life together!

Hannah... Week 8

2011-06-05T13:21:00.000-07:00

This past week has been a week of some big great changes in Hannah! First of all, we've changed her sleeping place from her little yellow chair to the pack-and-play (still in our room!). She has also started smiling a lot more and I've been holding her back instead of her head when I'm holding her so that she can use her neck muscles more. We have also been using our Mobi wrap a lot this week. I'm so glad that she likes it so much because it's been really helping me to get housework done without feeling like I'm neglecting her by letting her lay in the swing. She's been having a good week!

(Mobi Wrap)

(Laundry Baby!)

Saturday at the Crow Farm...

Monday at the Colson Pool... she wasn't too sure about it...

Friday at the Shea Farm...

Art for Hannah

2011-05-30T13:25:00.000-07:00

As you all know, I'm an art teacher for elementary, middle and high school students. I love what I do and sometimes I can't believe I get paid to do such a fun job! The cool thing about being pregnant since the beginning of the school year is that the kids really got to see my belly grow. They sometimes had funny questions and were always interested in hearing me talk about the baby. Sometimes they could feel her kick and see the hiccups! It was quite educational for the older ones as they asked serious questions about what it's like to grow a little person inside!

The elementary students were so excited and would constantly ask when the baby would be here! I knew that I wasn't going to be back after Spring Break so I decided to make sure our last project together was something they'd really enjoy. One of the "teaching standards" for us is for the students to explore the relationship between mother and child. I decided to save this standard until this particular project and was super excited about it. The students were shown a series of artworks that I put together that demonstrated different ways to show relationships between mother and child. I got them to talk about their parents and images of them when they were little. Then I asked them to draw pictures for "Baby Colson" using some of the ideas that they had seen in the PowerPoint that I showed them. I got some really great results.

I then took pictures of all of the drawings and my next step is to put them into a "SnapFish" photo book for Hannah to look at. It was such a special project to me and I am so happy that I was able to do something like this!

Hannah... Week 6 & 7

2011-05-27T05:31:00.000-07:00

So this past two weeks have been a little busy... lets review:
Last week was the last week of school for the kids and there was a lot going on... we had 2 honors programs, 8th grade celebration, senior graduation, senior chapel and the last day of school. All of which Hannah and I attended. She really did pretty good, we had to step out a time or two during the 'quieter' events, but for the most part, we got to enjoy it. Its always sad to see our seniors and 8th graders go... and this year was no exception. We really had some dynamite kids in these classes and they will really be missed.

This week was also a bit nutty. I had to go to post-planning at school, but the first day of post-planning also happened to be the state soccer meeting and scheduling for the fall season. Hannah, Willis and I piled up in the car and left around 7:00. Little Hannah did SO well. She normally isn't too thrilled about a ride in the car, but she just looked around and slept pretty much the whole time! I was so glad that she didn't scream the whole ride! Once we got there, they were meeting in a gym... with no AC, and which is very echo-y, so we found a conference room and waited in there until the scheduling part of the meeting began. After all that got settled, we went and got some lunch then started the journey home. We got home around 5 and then fed Hannah and went to sleep. Hannah and Willis went to sleep and stayed asleep until around 9. I fed Hannah again then we ALL went to sleep and got a lot of rest!

The next morning we had post-planning at GCS, and I got Augusta to come to my room and keep Hannah while I was in some meetings. She did good for Augusta and I was able to finish getting my room ready for the summer.

Wednesday, Willis needed to finish up some things in his room and our house looked like a total disaster zone! We had cleaned out the car for the trip to Macon and just left everything on the kitchen table and there were dishes and laundry everywhere... its amazing how just two days of not staying right on top of the housework can really make a huge mess! On top of all of this, I found some evidence of a MOUSE in our house! eeeew!! I hated that so much because it made me feel like our house is dirty, and really it isn't. In fact, I've been keeping it cleaner in the past few weeks than I did before! So it was pretty discouraging to have such a yucky thing lurking around in our house! Anyway, so Willis bought me some traps that would catch it w/o me seeing the nasty little thing and we put them out. Mrs. Gina came over and got Hannah and I started deep cleaning. Sheets, floors, laundry, EVERYTHING in the kitchen all got washed, and clutter was all finished by the end of the day! I felt SOOOO good knowing that my house felt good and was clean for our little Hannah. But there was still that little rodent sneaking around in the house!

Thursday was the day of reckoning for the mouse! I woke up and checked the trap and YEP!!! we got him! I felt so much better! Willis played Mr. Mom while I went back to the school and got a lot of cleaning out done there as well! Last night, Drew, Jennifer and Jovie came over and we had dinner and Jovie and Hannah 'played' (which means that Jovie was checking Hannah out and Hannah was laying there looking at her).

Happy 7 Weeks Hannah!!!

Hannah...Week Five

2011-05-17T08:10:00.000-07:00

Can it already be that Hannah is one month old? Can it be that she is already starting to smile a little and even hold her head up? Can it be that she has already moved from "Newborn" diapers to the "Stage 1" diapers? Can it be that I've already had to put up some of the clothes that no longer fit her? Can it be that my little baby is already growing up so much? Believe it or not... these things have happened this week!

Saturday started off our Week 5 with a little trip to see Gran and Grandaddy at their house for an early Mother's Day. We went to Ray's Mill Pond (YUM!) for Hannah's first trip out there and she did so well! The only thing that I didn't like about it was that there wasn't a changing station in the bathroom so I had to change her on the sink's counter. Not exactly convenient. I've started to notice those sort of things when I go into bathrooms now (I wonder why?!). She still doesn't love her carseat (or, rather, the rides in the car), but we made it there and back w/o TOO much earsplitting cries! We also had a little impromptu photo shoot while we were there!

Sunday was officially Mother's Day and since we went to my mom's on Saturday and Willis' mom was out of town to move Katie to Augusta, we went to my Dad's to celebrate with my grandmother and Step-mom. We had some delicious lunch, but I learned that it is a bit tricky to eat fried chicken while one arm is hanging on to a sleeping baby. Still delicious though! We hung out for a while before Hannah peed on Willis' pants (hence the move from Newborn Diapers to Stage 1) and then had to jet on home for a quick wardrobe change. That night Mrs. Gina and Mr. Wendy came home from their journey to Augusta and back and we stayed over at their house for a while after church so Hannah could get in some time with Grandma :)

Monday we decided to branch out with our walk a little bit and we went over to the school to deliver lunch to Willis. It was rather warm that day, but we made it w/o getting her sunburned! We stopped over at the pre-k building to see Mrs. Lori and the 8th graders were outside so they got to see her too! Its fun to see all the kids excited to see our little Hannah... they watched my belly grow all school year!

Tuesday was the Brown Bag Concert Series out on the old Courthouse Square. It was pretty warm there too, but we got there early and snagged us a shady spot under some trees and near the back (far away from the speakers as possible). Willis and Mr. Wendy played with their band and Hannah loved it! She slept through a lot of it, but when she was awake, she was just looking all around and checking it all out. We met Mom and Nane Crow there also so we got to hang out with them for a while. There were a lot of people there from church so that was a lot of fun to see so many people come out and support the band and the Concert Series! Willis sounded great and stuck through the super hot weather! We stayed the whole time and only had to take a little break to feed and change her! She did so well and it was good to get out of the house a little bit!

Wednesday, Mrs. Gina was off work and so she and Hannah and I went to the grocery store and then went over to see Grandma Peggy. We hung out there for a little while before we had to head home. It was fun to see her and Hannah! At church that night, Brooke rocked her to sleep for me which was fantastic!!!

Thursday we went to town to meet Mom (aka Gran) for lunch. They are going out of town and so she had to get a Hannah fix before she was away for a while. Hannah pitched a little fit on the way there, but then went to sleep and slept through lunch and a little shopping spree at Old Navy. A couple of weeks ago, I cleaned out all the maternity clothes in my closet and realized that I have about 3 shirts that actually fit and are weather appropriate. I decided that I needed to do a little shopping, so I went to Old Navy and hit up some cropped pants, tanks, a cute shirt and a skirt... and I got Hannah a precious little onesie and some blue-jean bloomers! Hannah slept until we got home!

Friday, Hannah and I met Gigi and Nane and Devan for lunch at Applebees for Gigi's birthday! When we got home, Hannah was looking so cute and being so sweet that we had a little photoshoot for her weekly photo!

Happy 5 Weeks Hannah!

Hannah... Week Four

2011-05-06T19:03:00.001-07:00

Here we are again... still not believing that there has been four weeks of Hannah-Time here at the Colson house! It has been fun filled and a little more adventurous this week!

Saturday... VSU class homework was calling my name... well, more like SHOUTING my name and hanging over my head. Willis took care of Hannah the whole morning so that I could get 10 assignments done! (More on that here... )
Sunday... Sunday we had lunch at Grandma Barbara's house in honor of Katie's birthday and her departure to Augusta for the summer. When we got home, Willis had to go do some things over at the soccer field for the upcoming game this week. When he got home, it was around 4:00 and I was dying to take a nap...I was soo TIRED! Willis took her into our room so that I could nap on the couch and I didn't wake up until 5:55!! Church starts at 6:00! I ran into our room and told Willis what time it was. I snapped Hannah into her carseat (wearing some lame not even cute onesie, I felt like I had dressed her like a rag-a-muffin, but we were very short on time and its what she had on for her afternoon nap). We made it just in time and she slept the whole time! We got to the Colson's house and then went to Steak-n-Shake for dinner. We left Hannah at the Colson's for the trip and it felt soooo weird not having her with us! I was glad to get back to her when dinner was over!

Monday:
Tuesday: The last soccer game of the season was on Tuesday. We decided to make an appearance. The lady Generals didn't win it for us, but they played hard and I was happy to show Hannah what Daddy does for fun! It was really hot out there, so we didn't stay for very long...

Wednesday: Hannah's first day of college was on Wednesday! Grandma came over to the house around 10:45 and let me get dressed, then we hopped into the car, took lunch to Willis, and then cruised on up to the college. After getting all of the stuff out of the car, we rode up to VSU for my class. All of the teachers and students were excited to see her! Hannah let out a little peep, but then once we swaddled her, she was a little gem! My class lasted forever, but it went well, I made an 'A' and was excited to be FINALLY done with all course-work for my teaching certification! Grandma was a HUGE help because I couldn't have taken her to class w/o her taking her out for me! We also hit up some lunch at ABC, dropped off at the bank and picked up some photos from Walgreens.... we also got all Mother's day stuff at Target before heading home! Once we got home, Aunt Laverne met us with dinner and snuggled with Hannah for a few minutes before she got fussy...

Thursday: Thursday we started out for a walk and to our surprise, it was reeeally chilly! Like in the 50s. For May in GA, that is freakishly cool! So I bundled Hannah all up and we went on our little walk anyways!

All snuggled up for our morning walk...

Hannah is rocking Tummy Time, which just so happens to be "mommy's chest time", because she likes to hang out there more than on the floor. Either way, she is getting lots of practice holding up her head and is a champ at holding it up and looking all around! So proud of her accomplishments!

Our Big Girl holding her head up during Tummy Time!

Thursday was also a semi-sad day because we took Aunt Katie (center) to dinner for the last time because she is moving to Augusta for the summer semester. Our ladies from Wed. Night Ladies Class were all there. We had a blast (and the tots did pretty well too!). It was a good outing for sure!

Friday: I took a little trip to town with little Hannah on Friday. I bought her this awesome little play 'gym' thing because she was laying on the ground w/ nothing to look at, so I decided to hook her up with a toy. She is 4 weeks old here... she's so big :)
Keri also came by to visit. She is moving in a few weeks and had to get in a little Hannah time before her big move out to Denver. She stayed with us for a couple of hours and it was nice to have an adult to talk to for a little while! Willis had an away soccer game so I was really glad to have some company in the afternoon!

Happy 4th Week, Hannah-Bear!

Daddy time...

2011-05-04T14:40:00.000-07:00

I know that Mother's Day is around the corner, and not Father's Day... but I just need to make a shout-out to my sweet hubby/Hannah's daddy. Willis does so great with Hannah. He helps me by waking up and changing her during the night while I get ready to feed her. I always knew that he would be a great daddy, and I was right!

(Family Self Portrait)

On Saturday, I had about 10 assignments to finish for my college classes and I was about to have a panic attack about it because it was all due in about 3 days. We all know that when a newborn is in the house, the house revolves around them, so Hannah wasn't too thrilled about me doing homework when I should be feeding/rocking/playing with/holding her. Willis took her all morning while I worked on (and finished!!!) my work. He was so patient with her and really took control (I knew he would!)--even put her down for a 2 hour nap!!

(A little Daddy time with Hannah)

Having a baby has changed a lot of priorities in our life, but as Willis said, "She adds a whole lot more love"... and he's right. The love between us hasn't been subtracted, but has been added by this little person. What a great and wonderful (although sometimes crazy and frustrating) life that we lead. God is good, all the time...

(At the Soccer Game, wearing Daddy's glasses)

(Hanging out with Daddy at Wendy's with some GCS Seniors guys)

Tara the Gymnast!

2011-05-03T17:18:00.001-07:00

Friday we took a little trip out to the north end of town to see our Tara do her gymnastics exhibition! It was so fun! She looked ADORABLE in her pig-tails and her sweet little leotard! She was one of the smallest ones in her group, but was sooo good! This girl has some serious talent on the beam, on the bar and on the floor too!! So proud of her hard work!!

Hannah... Week Three

2011-05-02T13:26:00.000-07:00

Hannah's third week was more smooth than the other two. We are learning each other better and I am able to distinguish between her cries a little better. She has been sleeping really well and at 4-5 hours at a time during the night! My body is feeling healed and is "nearly" back to normal... though I still have a ways to go before I get back into my old clothes comfortably. Speaking of clothes... I cleaned out all of the old maternity clothes from my closet and now it is VERY clear that I need to go shopping!

Saturday and Sunday were full of Easter fun as can be seen on the Hannah's First Easter post... the Easter Bunny did drop off a few things at Grandma and Grandpa's house though, and also at Papa-T and KK's house also!

Here is Hannah with her goodies from Grandma and Grandpa Colson...
She's yawning, not crying :)

Sunday also marked Hannah's first real bath! Her umbilical cord finally fell off and we were able to put her in her cute little whale tub! It was an adventure because she was less than happy at the idea of being bathed! She did really well, though and smelled oh-so-good afterward!

Monday:
My step-sister was in town for Easter and her little one, Ellie was of course here too! We hung out a little on Sunday, but decided to go for a little shopping trip down to Lake Park. The cousins did pretty well, got a little 'screechy' after we had been there a little while, but I think they were just trying to talk to each other :) When they get a little older, I know they will really enjoy hanging out with each other!

Tuesday:
Willis had a soccer game a couple of ours away and so we met Gran and Granddaddy at Rodeo in town for dinner. This was our first time driving around by ourselves and Hannah was less than happy about being strapped into her carseat. We got to the overpass in town and I had to pull over and pick her up out of her seat to calm her down. Bless her heart, she was so upset, but the second I picked her up, she went quiet. I really hated putting her back into the seat, but I couldn't legally drive around holding her (def. no-no!). We continued with her screaming for most of the way to the restaurant before she fell asleep from wearing herself out :( Same story on the way home. While we were there, we got to eat some delicious fajitas and I had to do this with one hand b/c, of course, Hannah decided it was time to eat about the time our food came haha. Grandma and granddaddy didn't mind holding her while I finished eating, though :)

We ended up going over to see Aunt Katie that evening after we ate, and we went for a little walk. When we got back to her house, we went to go change her diaper and I was totally OUT of diapers. AND she was hungry b/c it was time for her to eat again! What a mess! So I sat in the kitchen with a cloth burp diaper wrapped around her and I fed her like that. Gracious, I'm just glad we weren't out in town somewhere! Yikes, that could've been bad. Aunt Katie sped over to our house and grabbed a few diapers for poor little Hannah and all was well!

Wednesday:
After a pretty relaxing day, the soccer team came over to watch a soccer game that Willis had recorded. I think they were a little more interested in little Hannah :)

Hannah also made her debut in the "Wed. Night Young Ladies Class"...

Thursday:
We woke up on Thursday with a storm brewing and the sky darkening. As we laid down for a little nap around 9, Granddaddy called and told us that a Tornado had touched down in a place not far from where we live, so I changed her rather quickly and grabbed a few things and got into our closet (no windows, most interior room). We stayed there for about an hour... Hannah ate her 'breakfast' and then slept most of the time... didn't bother her a bit!

After the clouds cleared, we went to lunch with Aunt Katie and Grandma for Katie's birthday! It was really good and little Miss Hannah slept the whole time, which was fantastic! We then had to feed her in the parking lot before heading in to Target. It was a good little trip to town...

Friday:

Happy 3 Weeks Hannah!

Easter...

2011-04-25T09:30:00.001-07:00

Hannah had her first Easter this past weekend. It started off with her first Easter egg hunt at church. Its a good thing that we don't live far away from the church because we were 20 mins late to the festivities and we live about 30 seconds away from it! We are still getting the hang of our new time schedule when it comes to getting ready! Hannah didn't really 'hunt' any of the eggs, but she observed so that next year, she'll be a champion egg hunter for sure! Willis and I enjoyed hanging out with other Christian couples who have kids. The outing was def. more for us than it was for her this year. I was tired of being cooped up at home, and it was such a beautiful day! Donald and Audrey did a great job putting it together--I can hardly wait for the next kid festivity!

The rest of Saturday was pretty lazy... we took a little nap, then our friends Cheryl and Ben came over to meet little Hannah. She slept pretty much the whole time while we chatted about baby stuff and (of course) Cheryl and Ben's upcoming wedding!!

Sunday we got up and got ready for our first Sunday morning at church. Little Hannah looked so cute in her toil pink and white dress and little bow. Unfortunately, she lasted through about 10 minutes of church before Willis had to take her out into the lobby.

After church, we went home and fed our little pumpkin before heading up to my grandparents house. She slept the WHOLE time. She slept the whole way there, through all of her first Easter pictures (which she hung out in her carseat during... we weren't going to risk waking her up), through all of lunch and the entire way home. Little Hannah woke up when we got into the house and roused her up for her diaper change and her afternoon snack. She did so good!

(This is Me, Hannah, Mom, Casey and Ellie...
this was Ellie's first time meeting her new baby cousin, Hannah!)

Hannah... Week Two

2011-04-22T08:22:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe that we've already had two weeks with our precious Hannah. There has been so much going on that the days seem to blend together. Time runs on Hannah's schedule, and when she is upset, time drags on until she calms down. When she is peacefully sleeping or looking around at her new world, all seems right with the world. I am loving my new role as mommy and am enjoying each new adventure of a day that I get to share with my little Hannah. We are still learning each other and I'm still trying to decipher her cues, but each day there is a little more understanding than the last.

Sunday for lunch I drove myself to Lake Park and got some lunch for Willis and me. I left Hannah at home with her daddy. Though it felt good to get out of the house, it was very strange to have left Hannah behind. I was a little anxious to get back home quickly. Sunday night we went to church. This was our first outing as a family and I was pretty nervous about how it would go. Hannah ate right at 5:15 or so and was ready to roll at around 5:45. We put her straight into her carseat and headed over to church. She was the star of the show for sure... everyone wanted to come see her. I was glad that no one tried to pick her up, that would have made me too anxious. She made a little squeaking at the beginning of the service, and I had to pick her up and hold her, but then she settled down and did reeeeally well!

Monday was her doctor's appointment with Dr. A (as can be read about here). That was an adventure of it's own.

Tuesday was pretty relaxing, we had a few visitors come by and see the little one!

Wednesday was our big first shopping trip with G'ma Gina! We left the house around 11:00 after Hannah had eaten and she went right to sleep in her carseat. Hannah was so good in town. We used the jogging stroller and popped her carseat into it and cruised around Belks. She was asleep the whole time we were in there and in Kid Belks. We were walking by the food court area and saw the Easter Bunny!!! We HAD to get her first photo with the Easter Bunny! I had to re-arrange her about 3 times but she was asleep so she didn't care!

We were to meet Katie at McAlisters for lunch but she was going to be a few minutes so we went to JCPenny for a few minutes. I found my dress for Sunday and as we were checking out, I heard Hannah make a major blow out. The bathrooms in the mall are less than desirable and were pretty far away from the store we were in, so I decided to make the pit-stop in the dressing room. Now, keep in mind that this is my first time changing her outside of the house, so this was a whole new experience. I got her stuff all laid out: diapers, wipes, blanket, disposable changing pad, etc. Then I put her down and as I pulled off her little jeans, I found a 'prize'. This 'prize' had shot out of her diaper and all over her jeans, cute top and all over her legs. What a mess! So after I took her diaper off, she (of course) pee-peed all over herself, the disposable changing pad thing AND the blanket she was laying on. Great. After I used about a 1/2 pack of wipes, I finally got her cleaned up. Thankfully a friend had given me some little baggies to use for just such an occasion with the dirty clothes and the lack of trashcan (b/c of the dressing room).
Wednesday we decided to go on another outing to church. She lasted about two songs and a prayer before she started squeaking, so we had to make a bee-line to the nursery. The nursery class is almost like a little 'mommy and me' class for the little ones. Hannah was by FAR the youngest in the class. Jennifer C. was the teacher and the kids who were a little bit older were able to sit up in the little chairs, which was cute. They sang songs and talked about the things that God made and even blew bubbles... it was really cute. I was glad to be in there too because it was good to be able to talk to other moms who are in the same sort of place in life as me.
On Thursday, Maria came to the house and picked us up and took us out to lunch! On our way to lunch, we stopped by mom's office and let her show Hannah off to all of her co-workers. She was so good the whole time! She was asleep pretty much the whole time, which was great! We got mom and went to Applebee's for lunch. By the time we got home, we were both tuckered out and ended up taking a little nap for about an hour or so, which was so nice! We had such a great lunch outing with Maria and Mom. I was so happy to be out of the house and Maria was so awesome to take us out!

Friday was a pretty calm day. Cayla (Willis' cousin) and her sweet little boy Cayden came over with Aunt Martha and we went for a walk with their strollers around the neighborhood. It was so fun and I think that we are going to make it a weekly thing for the little ones to get together! Its funny to see how big Cayden looks compared to Hannah. It won't be long before she catches up though :)

This was our week in a nutshell...

~L.

First Dr. Appointment

2011-04-18T15:07:00.000-07:00

Today started off our routine a little bit early. We had a doctor's appointment with Dr. A. here in town at 9:45. "Normally" (I say that as if we've been doing this for years, haha) we get up, eat then take a nap... then before her next feeding, she gets a little wipe off 'bath' before reading a book and eating again. This morning, though, we skipped the story time and ate right after 'bath' time. I timed it pretty well I thought, getting her some mid-morning breakfast at 9:00 so that she'd be fat and sassy for her 9:45 appointment.

We arrived at Dr. A.'s office around 9:50 (not too bad considering we're new at timing this whole thing yet). Little Hannah fell asleep right away in the car seat and was such a little trouper. Me? I was a nervous wreck! We got in there to the office and I filled out some paperwork before sitting down with Willis and Hannah in the "non-sick-kid" area. The other people in this waiting are were letting their kids go crazy. It was super loud in there... the acoustics were bouncing the noise all over the place, and my ear had 'popped' so it amplified it even more.

The nurse measuring her...

We waited for until around 11:00 before we were seen. I was a nervous wreck because I knew that if the noise (or her wet diaper) woke her up, then she'd want to eat and I haven't had to feed her out in public yet, so I didn't know how that would go. I also haven't had to change her in a public restroom, so I was concerned about that as well.

All ready for her check-up

Once we were in our little private room, it was a whole different story, Hannah woke up pleasantly and the nurse took all of her stats. She grew 1/4" and is now 20& 1/4"... she gained a whole pound and is now 7lb 14 oz! Before Dr. A. came in, Hannah started to get antsy. It was 11:15 by this time and nearing her lunch time. I made an executive decision (with the help of Willis, of course) to just go ahead and feed her, at least a little because it was taking a little while for the Dr. to come in. Of course, about 5 mins after she started eating, Dr. A came in, but didn't mind sitting and talking for a few minutes until she was done with that side. He checked her out and said that she looks good and that her eyes and ears checked out great too!

Dr. A checking her out...

It was a rocky start, but the actual appointment went really well. I was happy with Dr. A (of course, he was my and Willis' pediatrician also!) and his non-rushed appointment. We made our next appointment for his first available time-slot to hopefully avoid the same waiting-game issue as we did before. We'll see if that works.

All dressed up for her Dr. Appointment... she had a cute little bow on also, but we had taken it off by this point.

~L.

Hannah... Week One

2011-04-15T14:36:00.001-07:00

I'm glad it is this time this week instead of this time last week.

Our little Hannah has had a wonderful week full of family and friends visiting and getting some Hannah Time. Full of snuggles and middle of the night sugars. She has been sleeping really well... 3 hours at a time at least (hopefully this won't jinx her). Her eating patterns are also doing great... latching on well and eating like a little champ!
Willis and I love her so much. Its hard to believe that my body created something so wonderful. God is truly the maker of all, and to deny Him is to deny the inner-workings of the human body. She is officially one week old today, and it already makes me sad to see her little pictures from last week with her freshly scrubbed skin and all who love her all around her. Our little Hannah is growing up... and I'm a sap about it already!

Hannah Lyon Colson... the story

2011-04-13T12:00:00.001-07:00

If there is one thing that I've learned, even this early in motherhood, it is that plans change and that you need to be flexible and roll with the punches... or contractions as the case was...

Earlier in the week:
Wednesday I had an appointment with my midwife, Teresa for a weekly check up. Previously, I had been at 2 cms and at this appointment, I was at a 3. I was feeling pretty large and over being pregnant that day and when Teresa suggested inducing on Friday, I agreed that it would probably be a good idea, although I was not really wanting to be induced, it sounded good at the time.

Earlier on Thursday morning, Teresa called me and said that she had it all set up to be induced on Friday morning and to go in around 4am. I hung up and discussed it with Willis, and after we talked about it, we decided that we wanted to wait until after her due-date (April 11--Monday) to think about induction, so I called Teresa back and she was ok with waiting, but wanted me to come in for an appointment on Friday morning sometime to check me again before the weekend. Thursday night, Katie, G'ma Barbara and Aunt Martha walked around the neighborhood in hopes to get this labor started so that I wouldn't have to be induced.

Friday:
I woke up at 6am with contractions around 7-10 mins apart. So I went into the living room and tidied up and ate some cereal. The contractions went away, so I went back to bed. Around 9am, I called Teresa to see what time she'd be at the office for me to be checked again and she told me to come on up. I took a shower and went up to the office. I left Willis at home on stand-by. I was dilated to 4 cms and wanted me to take a NST to check her heartrate before she sent me home or to the hospital. I stayed hooked up to the NST machine for about 45 minutes, and when Teresa saw the sheet that recorded the contractions, she said that I was contracting 3-4 mins apart! She told me to go home and pack my things and go up to the hospital and check in.

I called Willis and told him to take a shower and get ready, and I called the family to get the info out and get them up to the hospital also. After I got home, I tidied up a little more and got a few more things to put in the hospital bag. Willis put the carseat in while I ate a small PB&J. We drove up to the hospital and checked in around 1:00. I hopped into the wheelchair and they took me up to Labor and Delivery. I weighed in, and got settled into the room, answered some questions, took some vitals and got some labs drawn. Teresa came in and checked me, I was still at 4cm.

This is the turning point in the labor. Up until this point, I was feeling down-right jolly. I was excited and ready to get it moving. Teresa broke my water at 2:00 and put a monitor on the Baby's head which was all very uncomfortable. At this point, they started the Pitocin in my I.V. And that's when it started to get crazy. Up until she broke my water, the contractions felt like heavy cramps. At this point, with the Pitocin drip in, I felt much differently about things. My goal throughout the whole pregnancy was to try my hardest to go pain-med free, but that if it came down to it, I'd go with the epidural if I couldn't handle it. I was focused on Willis, I was imagining myself "floating" over the contractions, I was visualizing myself running over the Hart Bridge in Jacksonville as the contractions peaked like the Himalayas. They were running off the charts and I felt like even after all my focus and relaxing, I was to my breaking point at 3:30.

After this time that I was not medicated, I felt that I needed to ask for the epidural. I told Willis that I needed to be checked and that if I wasn't very much farther along, then I would get the epidural. I called the nurse and was checked. I was only at 5 cm, so I asked for the epidural, and 20 minutes later, the anesthesiologist came in and made me stay very still sitting up while I hung over the shoulders of the nurse. Thankfully, there weren't any contractions during the epidural process. I felt immediate comfort and was thankful that I was not enslaved to my thoughts about not being medicated, that I had given myself an out if I needed it. I felt very numb from my knees to my ribs and was able to talk and eat some ice chips. From the time that I sat up to the time she checked me again (about 20 mins) I had dilated to 8 cms.

Meanwhile, in the waiting room, the entire village of a family that we have was chomping at the bit to come in and see us. I hadn't wanted any visitors after the breaking of the water because the contractions were too close together and too strong to let them come in without me losing total focus. At this point, I told them that they could let some people in if they wanted, because I could only feel pressure... not the peaking of the contractions as I had earlier. I was checked about 30 minutes later and was at 10cm... it was time to push this baby out!

I began pushing on my side for a while, then was put in stirrups and began REALLY pushing with Teresa there. After about 30 minutes of pushing Teresa said that she could see a head full of blondish hair! I asked if it was curly and she said... well, we can make a curl and curled it around her finger, haha! (I saw this in her glasses... NOT in the mirror--we turned that thing right away!) She came out and was flopped up on my chest... I was in some sort of surreal state. This baby was outside. No longer inside of me, but living and breathing and was ok and had 10 fingers and 10 toes. I was overwhelmed, in a good way, about the blessing of this child.

She weighed 7 lbs 6 oz and was 20 inches long. Willis went out to our family and announced her name... Hannah Lyon Colson. (Lyon is said like Lee-Own. It is a city in France and also a derivative of a distant family name) So our little Hannah is now an outside baby.

Our first family photo!

Willis being a good daddy and changing Hannah's first diaper!

Daddy's Girl already!

Our little family!

39 Weeks Photos

2011-04-04T11:01:00.000-07:00

Maternity photos are always a good time... One of my great photog. friends, Callie Beale hooked me up with some awesome images to document this last little stage in our pregnancy with Lillis!

Surprise!! Shower!

2011-03-25T18:14:00.000-07:00

We have faculty meetings on Wednesday. This week we were supposed to have the meeting in the Middle School building because we always have them in the high school and we wanted to switch it up a bit. Well, I have class at VSU on Wednesday afternoons and I was trying to hurry back to make it to the meeting on time. I went up to the front office first because Mr. Lawson and Kent said they needed some ideas for something "creative" to do with athletics (totally random).

By the time I got to the front office, they said nevermind because I was so late and to go on down to Connie's room b/c that's where the meeting was going to be. I walk in, and no one is in Connie's room, so I walk through there and go to my room and there is the whole faculty and they all yell "Surprise!!!!". They turned my room into a Baby Shower room! Table cloths, pink punch, yummy little desserts all put out on platters, and a gift table! It was SUCH a surprise! (I was also somewhat embarrassed because my room was a TOTAL mess when I left it that day... I normally tidy up pretty well before I leave, but that day was sort of hectic!) It was such a fun event and I am so thankful that I work with people who are so thoughtful and who care so much about this baby already!

This is my "Surprised" look as I came into the room...

A little overwhelmed by the surprise!

Willis trying on some of the baby things... the pacifier is a candy that Mrs. Lori made...

Opening some fun things...

Our co-workers!

~L.

Out and About...

2011-03-19T16:55:00.000-07:00

No, SHE isn't out and about, but we have been... meaning, we've had a lot of stuff to do and therefore we've been having some adventures. There's been weddings, soccer tournaments and parties to attend... this Lillis is quite a popular girl. Here is a little bit of what we've been getting in to...

This first photo is from our last vacation for just us two... Willis took me on a surprise trip to the Condo down in Jacksonville for my birthday. It was really great! We started off getting there a little bit late, but ate at Carrabas which was fantastic (esp. considering that we could just walk right in... no wait!) Then we went right to bed because it was WAY past my bedtime... I'm asleep by like 9:00 these days!

We woke up and on Saturday, we had donuts for breakfast which were delicious... and fresh from the Dunkin' Donuts place right down the street! After shopping all day down at St. John's Town Center, I only bought ONE outfit for Lillis (be proud of my restraint!)... I was reeeeeally tempted to get her a swim-suit, but the practical side of me out-weighed the want due to the price of that little thing. We ate at California Pizza Kitchen which is Willis' fav. pizza joint ever! That night we got dressed and had fancy reservations at a place near the water... it was pretty good food, but really loud inside the restaurant, which I don't like. It felt like the cafeteria it was so loud! I could hardly stand it, but it was still great to be with my hubby on a romantic dinner date!

We got up the next morning and finished off the donuts before church, then came home, ate the rest of the pizza and cleaned up the condo before heading home... It was a great trip just the two of us!

This next photo is from the GCS art show... it's our 4th one at GCS! I LOVE the Art Show and the kids do too... it's always so much fun to see them come into the hallway to see all of the art on the floor ready to be put up and to see them "ooh and ahh" over the work up on the walls. They wander around the hall (when they should be speedy to and from the bathroom) checking for their work up on the walls. Due to Lillis' arrival date, we had to have the show earlier than normal this school year. The show is normally up the last full month of school, but this year, we had it around Valentines Day. It was good because there is always so much going on during May, but it was bad because there was less artwork to choose from because the students haven't been to art all year yet... Either way, the show was a success and students were proud to show off their artwork.
This photo is from the Lady General's trip to Macon last weekend during a soccer tournament. We all know that Willis is the coach for the girls and guys team, so that sort of makes me "team mom" sometimes. For this trip, I drove our 4-Runner loaded up with equipment and luggage and two injured players behind the school's van which was loaded down with players and driven by my husband. It was quite a trip... we won our first game and lost our second two, which was a bummer, but we scored against the second team, which was a huge thing for us! It was sort of cold because it was so windy, hence my huge ski-jacket. And at this point in the pregnancy, I don't really have a lot of clothes that fit, so don't judge the oversized pull over :)

This last picture is from today... a beautiful day for a beautiful wedding and a low-key outdoor reception! Morgan, Katie and I hung out and enjoyed the sun and the snacks after the wedding. Little Lillis was lookin' large in this long dress, but she got lots of comments about how people are ready to finally see her... and so am I!

~L.

What's in a Name?

2011-03-16T12:25:00.000-07:00

There's been much speculation over little Lillis' name, especially considering that "Lillis" isn't going to be her name... I'd like to get your opinions on what you think her name will be, so that for the record, we will have it written down if you guess it correctly. The only hint that I can give you without Willis sewing my mouth closed is that it is a real name, we did not make it up and we have met people who have the name, in real life.

So, why don't you throw a comment down and place your bets?!

~L.

Operation Nursery!!!

2011-02-07T09:56:00.000-08:00

On Saturday my dear sweet mother and sister-in-law came over and helped finish cleaning out the man-cave so that little "Lillis" will have a place to call her own. We also did a little demolition to the bathroom, but it already looks better than it did! Here are some photos from the adventure..

Looking at these photos makes me think we should be on 'hoarders'!!

All Clean!!!

This last photo is of me and one of my sweet 8th graders who made this beautiful blanket for Lillis!!! Isn't it just so thoughtful?!

That's all for now, Folks!

Photos and 30 Weeks...

2011-01-30T14:39:00.000-08:00

So, this is my 3rd round of "pregnancy photos"... the first round was at 15 weeks that Katie and I did as an impromptu shoot around Dasher. The 2nd one was with Callie Beale... more 'professional' variety. And this one was done with my step-dad and mom. Randy is starting to dabble in photography, and mom was dying for some new photos of "Lillis", so I gave Randy my camera and went out to shoot on such a nice day!

So here's a little update on what "Lillis" is up to in there these days...

At 30 Weeks, she is about 3 whole pounds!

Her brain is starting to develop more and is starting to regulate her temperature

Her 'furry' side is starting to shed, which is good...

She is about 15.7 inches long now!

I have been getting some heartburn issues, unfortunately...

She seems to be growing up into my ribs and filling out a whole lot more these days...

She is doing a lot more 'rolling' than kicking...

We go in for another ultrasound on Feb. 10th to check her out again,
and I'm very excited about that!

This is a photo of her 4D ultrasound that we did back in December... She's cute already!

Although I am excited for her to be here, we still have a lot of work to do to get ready for her grand debut... I guess we have about 9 weeks left to do all of that!

Love, ~L.

Preggo Photos...

2011-01-15T14:21:00.000-08:00

I've gotten all of the photos from the December Bump Photo Shoot with Callie Beale. I really love them and can't wait to get them printed and arranged on a new 'photo wall' that I am contemplating! I can't wait to do another round of pregnancy photos when I get closer to my due-date... I just can't get enough photos (esp. of me and my super sweet hubby!) This may be the last chance we get for pictures of just us before "Lillis" comes in and starts hogging the camera! :)

Here's to 2010

2011-01-03T06:29:00.000-08:00

So with 2011 here, three days in, I feel the need to take a glance backwards and see what all went on last year...
-We celebrated the bringing in of 2010 at the Colson's house with a bonfire
-My 25th birthday brought a Wii into our house... which is good times for sure!
- Planned a trip for the 8th graders to go to Atlanta, all went well!
-Spring Break to Cedar Key was really relaxing and good for us to just get away and chill out from crazy school stuff!
- Some great friends of ours, Ashley and Austin got married in March
- Katie graduated from College and Grant graduated from HS in May
-This summer I worked with Mrs. Lori at the daycare over at GCS about 3-4 days a week
- In the spring I decided to really pursue my photography and made some goals for myself, between May and October, I shot 7 weddings!
- Our Annual Girls Retreat at church was a blast... Project "His Way"!
-Summertime bonfires and family get togethers at the Colson's were full of messy smores and competitive games!
- In July, Willis and I took a cruise to the Bahamas to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary!
- My favorite part of the year was August when we found out we are pregnant!
-October brought on a Halloween party at Ashley and Austin's... Willis and I were the Beckhams :)
-It just gets crazy from there on with Thanksgivings and Christmases with family, Holiday party at Zach's and going to sleep at 10:00 on New Year's Eve...

With all of this fun stuff, I can hardly wait to see what beautiful things await us in 2011!!

Bump Photos and Nursery Ideas...

2010-12-21T07:44:00.001-08:00

So I realize that it has been a while since I last posted. It has been quite a semester here at GCS, and since it's winding down, I feel like I can breathe a little. VSU ended with a couple of "A's" for me as well, so I'm feeling relieved from that too! Its so cute to hear the little ones try to figure out why my belly is getting so big (or "full" as one kindergartner called it). They know that I'm having a baby, but sometimes they forget or just don't really get what that means.

Lillis has been growing so much lately, she is nearly a pound and a half! Such a little tumbler too! Last week in church I could hardly focus because she was moving oh-so-much! I could even SEE her moving, which was crazy! I am really loving being pregnant and am so glad that all the sickies have gone away! I feel really good (a little tired, but hey, I AM growing a person in here), and not eating EVERYTHING in sight I think helps me to feel good too. I'm trying to walk at least couple of times each week... some weeks I can do more, some weeks I'm a slacker (or just too busy doing other stuff). So far I've gained 12 1/2 pounds, so while I'm not trying to lose weight, I'm also not wanting to balloon up like a blimp (I am only 5'4", ya know).

One of my good friends, Callie Beale, took some documentary photos of us last weekend out at High Grove Farm here in Valdosta. It was a beautiful day with perfect light and Callie did a great job! Callie and I work together on weddings when they come up, as each others 'second shooter'. I really love her style and knew that Willis and I could be relaxed around her. I am so excited to see them all, but here are a few from the day that she let me sneak a peak at! (all the photos of us on this post are by Callie... her website link is here)

We've started to clear out her room... it's quite a process to say the least. I hope to get everything out of there by the end of our school break so that we can start planning and taking our time to decorate it just right! (You all know I'm not a huge 'baby pink' fan, so I'm going to try to find an alternative!) I just don't want it to sneak up on us, and I know that once school (both GCS and VSU) get revved back up again (not to mention girls soccer in Feb), we just won't be able to find the time, and I might be too big to be any help. Here are some ideas that I'm thinking about... (Please realize that we do NOT live in magazine world, so obviously it won't look this good....)
I really like the little puffy things up at the ceiling of this room, and also how it is "shabby chic", though clean looking. I like the colors used here too...

I like the colors used in this one... This sort of pink is something I can deal with, esp. mixed in with the oranges and magenta)

Yes, I'm aware that this is a 'boy' nursery, but I really like the set up of it. I like the couch and the chair, like a mini-sitting area, so that we can hang out in the baby's space a little too... not just one person at a time sitting down in there... cool idea I think (esp. if that ottoman opens up to be a toy chest!)

Also, we've narrowed down our names to one that we really like. But please don't get your feelings hurt when we don't tell you what it is. We have decided to keep it a secret until she's born. We don't want to over-use it, or if we change our minds at the last minute we don't want to have people all confused, and I think the element of surprise is kinda fun ;) So be a good sport and play along with us!

A week of photos..

2010-12-10T13:38:00.000-08:00

Benefit Dinner...

Everyone is always feeling on my belly...
I decided to feel on Willis' for this picture!

"Sports Day"

"Ugly Sweater Day"

"Neon Day"

This was Homecoming week at school, which is always full of 'dress up' days. Then on Thursday, we had the annual GCS Benefit Dinner, which was also great! I really love getting all dressed up and going out to such a fun event!

Our Baby Girl!

2010-11-13T06:38:00.000-08:00

Here is Baby Girl, Lillis' little photo shoot from Wednesday! She's just relaxing in there, a little kicking and moving around, a little waving at mommy and daddy...

This one is my favorite because you can see her little face so well!

Another one of our girl with her feet propped up!

Here she is waving at us... I think those hands look very artistic, don't you think?

Just relaxing...

We are so blessed by this little girl already! I've been feeling little tiny kicks and moving around in there, but nothing too predictable yet. We are still playing the name game and prob. will for quite a while! Right now, we are just allowing the reality of this little girl about to be in our lives sink in! Willis and I can hardly stand it! We want to snuggle with her already! We're about half way there though, only 22 more weeks! I keep thinking, "This time next year she'll be about 7 months old and will be getting excited about Christmas!" Haha!

Its A....

2010-11-10T17:58:00.001-08:00

Mrs. Lori made me these cookies so that I could share with my ladies class at church!!

The inside filling tells all... ITS A GIRL!!!

Carli enjoying her cookie!

Baby Colson and Baby Cookie!

We had to break the rules to sneak the cookie to Morgan who was subbing in another bible class tonight (Mrs. Strange, I promise we were careful and didn't drop any crumbs!!)

Morgan likes surprises and didn't want to know until she took a bite :)

I love this surprised look!!!

So in April we will be welcoming a little baby girl into this world and we are so excited at the blessings that God has given us already!

Give me your vote on Lillis!

2010-11-07T18:28:00.000-08:00

To the left you'll see a poll to vote for whether you think Lillis will be a girl or a boy!! We will find out on Wednesday. I can't wait to see how you guys fair!!

Lillis' first photo shoot!

2010-10-19T14:54:00.000-07:00

Little Lillis needed her/his first photo shoot, and it was a beautiful day, and I needed to document the moment, and I needed some exercise, so, what else is there to do but go for a 'photo walk' with Katie and capture some cute little bump pictures? I think Katie did a great job.. and I promise I'm not trying to poke out my belly on these (well... not TOO much at least-- there will be plenty of belly to come, I'm sure!)

Lillis, the Bump

2010-10-12T16:45:00.000-07:00

Ok, so Sunday, out of the blue, the Bump happens... its a little bump, but it's there, none-the-less. Little Lillis is starting to show. We are right now at 14 weeks... little fingers and toes are all grown and now little baby is starting to suck her/his thumb and wiggle the little toes... and even has little fingerprints already!! And it's moved from a peach to a lemon... I'm not sure where they get all of these fruit dimensions, but that's the word on TheBump.com... This kid's tripled in size from a mere three weeks ago!!

We go in for a regular appointment next Monday, then we find out in early November what the gender is! I'm very excited about that! At first we were thinking about not finding out, but once I spotted some baby clothes, I knew that we had to find out!!! We're still tossing around a lot of "W" boy names and any girl name... nothing too set in stone yet... just figuring it all out.

These two pictures were from today at the soccer field... (one right after school, the other after I went home to change) we played a big game against Central Fellowship out of Macon and won 4-2!! It was an awesome win for the Generals!! I am so excited about it! We will play on Saturday at home!

Rainy Days and Lillis

2010-09-27T06:35:00.001-07:00

On rainy days like this, I want to do one of two things:
#1: Stay in bed until 10am then perhaps stay longer watching movies or something
#2: Do art stuff

When I was little I'd always want to go to the mall during nasty weather. I really don't know why I thought that would be a good idea but somehow it made sense. Today it is raining so hard at school that I had to transport my 3rd graders back to their building in a van! And then changed into my galoshes to get back to my room w/o drowning (whilst avoiding the lightning bolts!) Rainy days are always a little extra challenge but it adds that tiny bit of drama that makes the day go faster.

On a Lillis note, I am officially at my 12th week today and I think I might have jinxed myself with thinking that the sickies have tapered off... they came back in full rage yesterday. But I'm just trying to not think about it... On the good side, on Wednesday we got to hear the Heartbeat.. it sounded like a little train. So cute! I even called our house and recorded it on the answering machine! :) We'll find out the first couple of weeks in November what the gender is, and we're really getting excited about that! ~L.

Stella and Dot

2010-09-21T10:24:00.000-07:00

No, these aren't new names we're thinking of for baby Colson, it's my friend Emily Parker's new business! This jewelry is something out of a magazine... which is funny because it HAS been in magazines, such as Rachel Ray and others too! Super cute stuff. Check out her site Here and her blog Here... she's so hip, you know she'd be into something super cool like this! She's also doing a give-away right now on her blog so def. check it out!!! Way to Go Emily!!

Lillis... Week 10

2010-09-13T10:12:00.000-07:00

Well, little Lillis is growing... and I'm starting to really get excited about a few things!!!

#1: Mom and I went to Target this past weekend and saw the most adorable little clothes... little girl clothes and little boy clothes... I just can't wait to find out what it is so that we can get that little kiddo all dolled up!!!

#2: I looked on "babycentral" and saw what my little Lillis is up to this week... he/she is done with the webbed fingers and will be working hard on growing some fingernails. Its little brain is working hard on growing smart as well!

#3: Since I'm only 2 weeks away from the 2nd trimester, that gives me hope that the sickies will go away as well... its been a lot better last week... and only minor today, so maybe its tapering off. We had a busy weekend with friends this weekend, while Willis was out of town... Lillis got lots of love from friends and family, and lots of pats.

#4: I got a be-band. Which might be the best invention ever. Seriously, right there next to penicillin. My pants are getting just a bit too tight in the waistband and I am not big enough for maternity pants, so me and my be-band have really bonded over the last day or so. I can just leave my pants unbuttoned and mostly unzipped and the be-band holds them up for me! I LOVE it!!!

I'm sure more fun things will be right around the corner... and I've been having fun discussing baby stuff with other preggo friends... my friend Tressie was in town this weekend and we had a great time hanging out while I took her maternity shots, talking about the different stages of pregnancy... good times.

Just keep us all in your prayers as we prepare our minds and house for this new little being!!!

Lillis... the little one.

2010-08-31T09:37:00.000-07:00

Lillis is what our students have dubbed Baby Colson (Willis+Lindsay...) Kinda cute. Its not the baby's name, but it'll work for now.....

On August 10, I took a pregnancy test (even though I had taken not one, but two about 3 days before), and while Willis was on the phone, I promptly punched him on the arm and said, "You need to hang up!!!". He had a confused look on his face, but when I pointed at the 'stick', he got all wide eyed too! We were both grinning like we didn't know what to do next. I went to Southern Ob the next day and got the blood test which would show if I was truly preggers or not. Teresa Johnson called me the next day (Thursday) and told me that I was about 5 weeks pregnant! I was super psyched!!!

On Monday of the next week after we had told all of our family, we decided to tell the kids at school so that they wouldn't be all asking why I'm gaining weight :) That very day, I had some mysterious issue and was worried about it, so I called back to Southern OB and went in the next afternoon for a checkup. They didn't see the little baby in the yolk sac, but I was not far along, they said not to panic. But of course, I did. They also did blood work which made me feel better the next day because the levels went up like they should have. We had to wait a whole week for the 'first official' appointment which is where I should see the little feller on the Ultrasound.

Wednesday rolled around and there it was, just a little peanut looking blob on that screen, but it was OUR peanut blob and we were very excited to see it... we even saw the little flutter of the heartbeat which was super special. I got a little teary, because of the stress I had been under that week, thinking there may or not be a baby after all, and because that was our little baby up on the screen... the technician asked if I was ok, and I was like, Duh, yeah I'm ok!!! (I didn't say that, of course, but I was thinkin' it!)

So here we are now, about 8 weeks along (plus a couple of days) and I'm feeling great about being a mom in April! I feel really blessed that I work at such a supportive and encouraging place... a lot of people on the message boards (like the Bump.com) are really scared to tell their boss, and I just can't imagine how that would be. Our families have also been super great... very excited, of course, and very prayerful and encouraging!

On the down side, I have been feeling a little morning sickness, and have tried the saltine before getting out of bed business... not a success. Not really throwing up, just really nauseated. I'm managing it better though, and feel good right now, which is a plus! I'm excited to be sharing this with all of my family and friends, esp. though the blog, which will be updated quite a bit more regularly now! Any tips or advice can be thrown my way... I'm not trying to re-invent the wheel with this one!

Two Whole Years

2010-08-07T08:22:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is our Anniversary!!

We dated for 7 years, and have been married for two... that makes 9 years total! Way back in the third grade, I met this handsome guy named Willis. He was a little bit aloof, but I knew he'd be mine someday. That someday turned out to be in 1997, when we "went out" during the seventh grade for about a two month stint. We broke up (sadly for me) the day before Valentines day. Not that I'm bitter. We stayed friends, and started dating in November of 2000. We stayed together until the summer, then broke up, only to realize during the next school year (our Junior year) that we were meant to be. We have been together through family issues, 3 graduations, a wedding, jobs, trips, ups and downs. To quote Phoebe from Friends: He's my lobster. Sometimes I still feel like I'm 15 and we're just starting to go out. Other times it feels like we are old souls together. I love him and that's that.

When we were dating, I put together this scrapbook thing to put all of our pictures in.

This is the cover of it... needless to say, it's homemade.

One of our oldest (and total favorite) pictures... this is during the GCS Christmas program 1997

Jumping ahead to 2002

GCS Graduation May 2003

We love going to concerts... here's right before a country music concert at Wild Adventures

New Years 2004... Six String Sammy rocking the Gym

Fall of 2005, Disney Trip with my dad...

Spring Break 2006 to the Keys with Dad

Skiing in Montana in 2006 with a church group!

My VSU Graduation 2007

A Couple Shower the summer of 2008

Our wedding... 08/08/08

Enjoying the reception...

Honeymoon.. Bonaire August 2008

Scuba Diving on the Honeymoon 2008

Summer 2009 at Kennedy Space Center, trying to see a shuttle launch... no go.

Our 1st Anniversary... 2009

Junior/Senior Banquet 2010

Willis' 25th Birthday at the VCC 2010

Siesta Key with my Mom, Randy and Granny... 2010

A trip to the Bahamas for an early 2nd Anniversary Celebration!

Fun in the sun... Bahamas 201

Its funny looking back on all of these pictures... it seems like a lifetime,
and also a blink of the eye... I'm lucky to have spent so much time
with such a wonderful man... and we ain't done yet!!!

The Summer of Shooting...

2010-07-06T17:26:00.000-07:00

In the last seven weeks I have shot 4 weddings. Two of which were of close friends, two were of those destined to be! Wow, what a whirlwind of a summer this has been.

My "Summer of Shooting" started on the last day of school (my "real" job.) as I darted off from our graduation ceremony on the way to Atlanta, leaving home at like 8pm, slurping on Starbucks in hopes that I wouldn't crash, and begging my Garmin to not lead me astray (as if that's never happened. hm.). After I took the (ahem) "Scenic Route" to my place of rest, I got to spend an amazing day with four beautiful and awesome sisters, and one handsome groom. Totally fun!

The day before this wedding I got a text from a sister of a mother of the bride... get all that? Which led me to wedding #2 of the summer which was uh-mazing! Between that yummy light that was cast all around and the rich green of the vineyard (yes, I said there's a vineyard, in Valdosta...seriously!) I was totally pumped! The bride and groom were absolutely gorgeous and don't even get me started on they're little attendants!

While I was out and about, snapping "prom" pictures for the school that I work for (my dear husband is the Junior class sponsor, which is how I got that super sweet gig), a woman comes out of the house and asks me if I do weddings. I think I sputtered out a yes, then proceeded to scribble my phone number and email address on the back of some piece of random paper I had in my car (REAL professional.... please note that I now have business cards. Yes, embarrassment will prod one along.). I got a call and met with them a few weeks before the wedding, and (swoon) nearly melted at the way he looked at her. The bride was perky and too precious, and the groomsmen were all about the camera, all of which I LOVE!

Which leads me to my last wedding that I had booked this summer (Though, I am still available... wink, wink). This one was for a friend who also happens to be a family member, and whose life has been intertwined with mine for quite a while. I was part of a team on this one, which was a new experience for me (and a good one!). The July weather was nothing less than perfect. 84 Degrees in July is UNheard of in Georgia. Slight breeze, no rain, no burning sun. Front yard wedding, back yard reception... perfect perfect!

These four amazing young brides haven't just been my models. They've been real women... in love, and radiant with life. They became my friends. That's my favorite part. The images rock, but I must make them rock because I end up so close to these brides. In my opinion, a happy bride is a beautiful bride, and I like to make people happy!

So right now, my planner is looking pretty bare and sad. I am anxious to fill it up with events, portraits, Christmas pictures and family photos. I'm excited about what that means... meeting new people, making more people happy, and making some new friends! So seriously, if you are digging my images, and want to hang out, then book me, talk about me... spread the love all around... ~L.

(Hit up Captured by Colson for more images, information and more about me as a photographer)

Girls' Retreat 2010

2010-06-21T13:56:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, we had our 2nd annual girls' retreat at church! It was so much fun. Our theme this year was "Project HisWay"... like "project runway" and then our tagline was "following the top design(her)" Cute right?! So we were sticking with a "tv" theme and had three lessons, each included a few songs, a skit and a 'talk'.

The first session included a "16 and Pregnant" (about a rumored pregnancy... and a girl who was 16...) skit and a talk about "Gossip Girl"... that was my 'speech'. I talked about how we talk to others and how we talk to ourselves (emphasizing that talking OUTLOUD to yourself could bring people talking about YOU :) ). Our next segment was "The Bachelor" skit and "American Idol" was the talk. That was all about how we place idols ($$, cellphones, sports, etc) in priority above our relationship with God. Our last session was "Grey's Anatomy" skit and "One Tree Hill", which focused on the forgiveness in the skit, and about what Jesus did for us on the cross, and in our lives every day.

In between each session, the girls "designed" their own jeans by using markers, etc to write the main verses from the day's lessons and adding their own embellishments and words to it too! They turned out SOO cute!! Each year, we also have a service portion of the retreat, this year's service was to bring clothes that can be donated to fellow Christians in Chile, as one of the churches in our area goes down there and takes these with them. We felt good that we can help with the problem they are having... even if its in a tiny little way....

We had a great turnout and a great bunch of 'hosts' who were so fun to work with!! I really enjoyed our day together and am so excited about how this will evolve into a yearly thing! Here are some photos from the day!

These are our totally cute shirts!!

Skit #1: 16 and Pregnant

Skit #2: The Bachelorette...

Skit #3: Grey's Anatomy...

Farm Treasures...

2010-06-12T18:57:00.001-07:00

I went over to Nankin road today to my grandparents house... it literally is over the river and through the woods. I love taking photographs at their farm, there is so many little treasures over there... hidden amongst the trees. Papa took me for a ride and I snapped photos of these pretty little things. I even got a couple of him (but I had to be sneaky about that!). I love Nane and Papa so much, and had a great time. I am so lucky to be w/in driving distance from all of my and Willis' family...

My Papa...

I must admit that after i took this one... I ate it. and it was deliciously summery tasting...

The image below is one that is very special to me. When I was in elementary school, my grandparents pressed a beautifully old 35mm in my hands and sent me off to explore the farm via four-wheeler. I would ride and snap, advance the film with my thumb, then snap some more. This very same bobbed wire around this very same post was one of my very first images that I captured and that I received praise from. It has changed quite a bit... and I wish I could find the original image... but it was neat to return to it after so many years, only to find that it has grown more beautiful than before. In fact, Papa had to rip and hold back many limbs and vines before I even saw what he was trying to show me. Another perfect treasure on this excursion.

Something about these next two make me feel dreamy...

Captured by Colson

2010-06-08T19:28:00.001-07:00

I am very excited to announce a new adventure in my life... no it's not a child, it is a business! Please check out the new blog... Captured by Colson! Don't forget to add it to your blogroll for others to see and check out too!

Books Galore

2010-06-01T10:24:00.000-07:00

So... I'm cleaning out my "craft room" which has suddenly gotten so bombarded w/ STUFF that I had to do an "extreme make over" and pull EVERYTHING out and make the three piles (keep, trash, donate)... and instead of just donating randomly, I'd like to help out my friends. I have quite the library, and have PURGED... seriously, it was painful! Anyways, here is a list of the books I have. Let me know if you want them... first come first serve, whoever tells me first can have them. We can meet up and I'll hand 'em over! (p.s. if you look over this list and I have borrowed your book and its in here, PPPPPLEASE tell me! I think I've got most of those out, but may not have them all!)

Books:
Wicked
Grace in thine eyes (higgs)
The red Tent
The mermaid chair
the scarlet letter
the friday night knitting club
90 mins. in heaven
the saving graces
Thesaurus
that summer (dessen)
the year of fog (richmond)
Women of the Bible
The last sin eater (francine rivers)
Sarah (halter)
My son, the savior (carlson)
what a girl wants (billerbeck)
Bonnie and Clyde
Gilead (robinson)
Cloud NIne (luanne rice)
bleachers (grisham)
2 large study bibles... has my name on the front, but if you want them...
Vanishing acts (jodi picult)
Mercy (jodi picult)
SOngs of the humpback whale (jodi picult)
A northern Light (donnelly)
the winter rose (donnelly)
time traveler's wife
midnight in the garden of good and evil
the last summer of you and me (brashares)
(2) girls in pants: 3rd summer of the sisterhood (brashares)
Pilgrams (elizabeth gilbert)
Chasing down the dawn (jewel)
Chronicles of Narnia-all books in one big book
Encyclopedia of scrapbooking
Speed knitting
just hats (knitting book)
Echo in the darkness (francine rivers)
chronological bible
Fair is the rose (higgs)
Eclipse
Change of heart (jodi picult)
Lord, I want to know you (arthur)
4 months to a 4 hour marathon
Everyday Deserves a chance (lucado)
Chicken soup for the college soul
A literate passion (Nin/Miller)
Sisters mortland (sally beauman)
The shop on blossom street (macomber)
The divide (evans)

Journals...

2010-05-19T18:16:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this year the Journal project w/ my students have been sort of a roller-coaster of effort levels. Overall its about 50% of the kids who really do some great work and try so hard on their journals... I give them topics and they have to complete 9 entries per 9 week grading period... and you wouldn't imagine the struggle some of these kids have... they would rather me pull out their eyelashes than do a great effort on their journals... its sad really. But, out of this pile of rubbish, I get a few gems... and they are totally worth it! Here are a few of the journal entries (anonymous!... they are still journals don'tcha know?) Keep in mind that these are MIDDLE SCHOOL students...

Topic: Shoes

Topic: Interior of your bedroom

Topic: Hands in different positions

Topic: Favorite Snacks

Topic: Some object melting

Topic: Show movement

Topic: Dream desk

Topic: Mode of transportation

Topic: Self portrait

Wordle?

2010-05-18T17:22:00.000-07:00

So I was hunting around in the blog world and found this really awesome blog that promoted the use of "Wordle".
So I made this by typing in the 8th graders' names...

There are TONS of ways to apply this... in the classroom, for gifts, for wall hangings, etc. I thought I'd share it along b/c I had never even heard of this cool device before! Check it out!

Shoe Art

2010-05-14T10:16:00.001-07:00

Soooo... We made shoe art with 5th Grade this year! I got all of the kids to bring in a pair of old ratty shoes that they were never gonna wear again... it could be any sort of closed toe shoe, either theirs or their parents' shoes... Then we painted them white!

Then each student picked any two shoes that they wanted (one of their own and one to share), then they painted them big chunky colors... then today, they came back in and painted them using different detailed designs... they turned out awesome!

Here one student is working hard on his details!!!

A couple of students "wrote" their name on the inside with their paint...

5th grade diligently working on their projects....

A few details...

I love this one... such tender hearts they have!

This one actually gave me an idea of how to alter this project for next year's group... make animal faces out of the shoes!!!

Very hip shoes!

~Lindsay

What a Busy Life!

2010-05-11T13:36:00.000-07:00

FIXED PHOTOS AT THE BOTTOM! :)

Soooo... April flew by and May is quickly following! There are 7.5 days of school left, and with it comes all of the fun activities!

Firstly... I now have my very own little Etsy shop! (scary, but true!)... it is very tiny, but it will grow if I am getting the business.. please check it out

Here we have Katie's Surprise B-Day Party!!!

GCS Field Day is always a BLAST!
(makes me nervous, but its worth it because the kids have so much fun!)

The thing I work for all year... the GCS Art Show! This is just a tiny little fraction of the amazing artwork my kids produce over the course of the school year! They make me look good!

Little Sister is just too cute not to take photos of...

Katie Graduated from VSU on Saturday... Beauty with the Brains! :)

I LOVE going to Landon's Baseball games! He is so good and his team CREAMS every other team! Dad coaches so OF COURSE they are great! Gooo Bulldogs!

22 for Katie

2010-04-28T04:20:00.000-07:00

This is my 22 Things for Katie

1. Katie is very responsible
2. Katie is very beautiful
3. Katie was a wild child, but now is full of grace
4. Katie is a crazy driver... safe, but crazy!
5. Katie is kind
6. Katie will go out of her way to do things for her friends/family
7. Katie is such a smarty! (in a good way!)
8. Katie is a GREAT sister-in-law!!!!!
9. Katie is a huge Lost/Grey's fan (and so am I!)
10. Katie has a big heart!
11. Katie has lots of friends!
12. Katie is modest (because it's hottest...)
13. Katie is loving
14. Katie is athletic
15. Katie is one of my very closest friends
16. Katie is training to be an SLP
17. Katie is funny
18. Katie isn't afraid to be embarassed
19. Katie is creative
20. Katie is supportive
21. Katie is the one and only
22. Katie is TWENTY TWO!!!

I love you Katie-thren and I hope that your birthday is FANTASTICAL!

The Family 4Runner

2010-04-20T17:25:00.000-07:00

In the Colson side of my family, there is a great deal of care and love for those around them, and a great deal of sentimentality towards certain possessions. History and family heirlooms are very important to the Colson family, and that is very respectable. One such precious heirloom is the Toyota 4Runner which Mr. Wally drove, then passed on to Mr. Wendy, who gave it to Willis when he was in High School, which gave it to Augusta today. It is a very special car for many reasons, and Willis didn't want to sell it, (because he is sentimental, remember) and so we talked about it and decided to pass it along to someone who could use it and who also would understand the "family tradition" of loving such heirlooms. We hope that Augusta will love this car as much as we did...

Latest and Greatest

2010-04-17T11:19:00.000-07:00

Oh man, I love this one (is it bragging to love something that you made? I hope not.)... I used my spirograph templates to create all of the shapes, then filled them in using all sorts of designs...and I really love how it turned out... its amazing what cool things can come out of watching a soccer game! :)

Adventures

2010-04-14T19:18:00.000-07:00

So... over Spring Break (what a blissful time!) we mostly hung around the house. We didn't get to go on an "all out trip" because of my VSU classes (blah!), so we ended up leaving after my test on Thursday around 5:00 (which I aced, by the way!), and cruised down to Cedar Key. Now, I've never been there, but Willis had gone fishing there before. We didn't really have plan about what our trip was going to be about, so we just played it by ear. I really love it when Willis plans trips, because I just go with the flow of what he planned, and its kinda a surprise because I don't always know whats next. So we stayed at this really cute place called Low Key Hideaway (get the pun?). Our room was pretty small, but it was workable for one night, and we were looking for a cheap/safe stay. We went down to the ocean front area to find something good to eat... preferably some delicious seafood! We found it for sure! I had shrimp and scallops, and Willis had a steak/shrimp combo... and we had a small shrimp pizza for appetizer... Did I mention that this might have been the windy-est weather I've ever seen!? It was like SOOOO windy! I did not like that... it was scary, especially when we went for a walk out on the pier at night... felt like it would just sweep me right in!

We left that next day after eating at a great little place called Annie's and then cruised on over to St. Augustine. We at lunch there (barnacle bills = best wings EVER), then hit up the outlet shops... some of our favorite shopping! Then we went up to Jacksonville's St. John's Town Center and did a little shopping there too! :) We ended up getting home really late on Friday night, but it was such a fun trip! I'm so glad that we were able to just pack up and run off for a couple of days! I love spending time on little adventures with my sweet husband!

Here is on of my little "zentangles" that I did on the road to Cedar Key... and in Bass Pro Shop.. and in class last night! :)

This is the doodle of our trip to Cedar Key.. I didn't get around to doing one for the rest of the trip, oh well!

This one is from Church on Sunday, I added a little color it it this time.

Doodle all the Day...

2010-04-13T11:44:00.000-07:00

I've been really jiving with the doodling thing, but I don't like to call it "Doodle" because it ends up looking really nice and artsy... and a doodle sounds inferior and like "Crafts" which is totally against all that I am for! (No offense you crafters out there...). So Here are some links that I have really enjoyed today after researching what this new technique that I've been diving in is after all.

This one really helped me to understand that "Zentangle" is what the "Official" term of doodling is... out there in that big scary art world...

And another one here showed a SUPER cool doodle dictionary!!!

Then here is one that shows a doodled cup!!! Totally awesome to see art all over in the most unexpected places...

I'm kind of excited about seeing this whole "Zentangle" become a fixture in artistic journal... its very focusing, and I like it... give it a whirl, you might like it too! ~L.

Its NOT a Diary!

2010-04-07T19:08:00.001-07:00

Well... There is something that I always have with me as of late... it is something that I do when I am listening to a sermon at church, or waiting for class to start, or while talking to other people. It sometimes helps me to focus better, and can also help me to sort out what I'm thinking about. It is something that I have wanted to do for quite a long time and have always felt like I needed to do, but was unsure how to even get started.

This thing is my journal... its not a "Diary", its not very personal... its a way to be artistic in a small frame in a small amount of time... and it helps me to listen better... I'm a visual learner, so that helps... anyways here they are... they are all from the first of Jan until yesterday..

(TO see them BEtter... I WoULD SUggEst to Click on ThEM, then CliCk AgAin to SeE TheM BiG!)

This is the first page in my journal...

This was a lesson about Heaven, and then the bottom part was a question/answer period for that nights sermon.

This turned out kinda neat, the lesson was about the power of a few righteous people in many different situations. I liked how it turned out sort of tree-ish.

This one is one of my total favorites because of the sky...

I'm not totally satisfied with this one... i don't' think its totally finished yet...

This one was during a mission statement about our "Georgia School of Preaching"... its a pretty great program...

I did this one during GCS's Lady Generals soccer game where they beat up on Terrell... always a good thing!

I found a spirogram thing and had some fun with it while killing a bit of time at Books-a-Million

This one has to do with pretty much everything that has had an influence in my life... if you don't see yourself in there, please either look harder or don't be offended depending on who you are. :)

This is prob. the only "personal" one on here... it was done on my Bday...

This one is a little more simple, done during a lesson about Jesus healing a blind man

I like how it got kinda flow-chart-ish...

This was actually my first one I did... I was really inspired to start doing a journal by Daisy Yellow blog...

This is one of my total favorite Bible stories ever... because of its complexity and its emotions...

Wedding Bells for the Guthries!

2010-03-28T13:22:00.000-07:00

Ashley and Austin got married on Saturday, and it was B-E-A-UTIFUL! Ash asked me to take the 'candids' which means that I take all of the fun pictures... and I had FUN doing it! Its easy to take photos of people you love and who are beautiful on top of it all! The dresses were bright orange which made for a very 'springy' feel, and after the drab winter we had, I was glad to see a little color! Here are some of my favs collaged so that it wouldn't take me FOREVER to post! I hope that Ashley and Austin like them too!

Here are some of the ones that I turned into black and white...

The Bridesmaids and Ash stopped by the donut shop on the way to get their hair done...

Getting their hair done was full of great 'Kodak' moments...

Aunt Connie did her Mary-Kay thing and glammed the girls up!

These are some of the details that I got... the photo of Ashley and her flowers might be my fav. 'artsy' shot of the day...

These little people were really adorable... they were full of
energy and made for some great photos!

We thought that "Crush" drink would make some REALLY cute
pictures with their bright dresses... and we were right!

Ashley getting her jewelry on for the big day...

More "Crush" moments...

I wanted to make sure that we got plenty of shots with Ashley and her 'maids, so before the big moment, we did some impromptu photos, and I think they turned out really cute!

I skip over to the reception. I don't have a huge lens or big flash to take photos during the ceremony... the 'main' photographer took care of all that. So here we are under the big white tent, with beautiful (and tasty) food galore. Gayle Lavender and crew made the reception so perfect for Ashley and Austin.

I took a lot of 'people' pictures at the reception, but I didn't know all of them so I didn't want to post them in case they are in "Witness Protection" or something :)

I really loved taking these photos... and I do every time that I take photos at a wedding...
I wish that one day I can do "THIS" for a living...
or at least do it enough that it adds a substantial donation to the "Colson Fund".
Maybe one day I can and will...

Hot 'Lanta!

2010-03-20T21:03:00.000-07:00

This Wed, Thurs, and Fri., I went to atlanta with 16 of the greatest 8th graders you'll ever meet... here are some photos of me with some of the sights we saw... more will come later!

Finally Updating!!!

2010-03-13T17:31:00.001-08:00

So... I'm a bad blogger, but I'm going to do better.. I promise!

Here's what's been going on in my life in the past weeks since I've posted:

My 25th Birthday landed on a Monday... a school day. I had joked around with the kids telling them the countdown till my birthday and how i was expecting to be showered with presents... well they decided to take it literally and planned my first ever surprise party! They even got Mrs. Dasher, another middle school teacher, to distract me while they set up! One of the students' aunt made my fantastic Paint Pallet cake, complete with chocolate brush! The rest brought plates and cups and drinks and forks!
My dad and Mrs. Barbara brought me flowers, and my mom stopped by for a surprise visit, and left a cake for me in the lunchroom! Another student set his watch for 2:22 on 2/22 (my bday) and when the alarm went off, he jumped up and said, "Look!!"... I thought it was a sweet thing to do. It was prob. the best birthday ever!

This is photos from my birthday with my Crow family... we ate at Ray's Mill Pond, and had to wait a little while, but it was a beautiful afternoon and we entertained ourselves by taking lots of pictures and hopping onto cyprus knees. Food was good, family was better!

These are from bday at my Dad's house... we had some delicious steak and I got some new pillows and some GREAT gift cards to Hobby Lobby!!!

One of my good friends Ashley is getting married in a couple of weeks. Katie and I through her lingerie party at Katie's house. We made bra/undie cookies and showered her with some very pretty things!

One of our friend traditions is to get together for lunch sometime in the early part of the year. The friends are getting farther and farther spread out... Missy is moving to Alabama next week and Cheryl is up to her eyeballs in law school down at FSU. Its hard to get together, but when we do, its such a blast! This time we ate at Two-Friends Cafe on the north side of town... very tasty roasted pepper soup, very good friends!

The GCS Baseball field got a face lift this spring with a brand new concrete block backstop. The students took ownership of the renovations by helping out painting the stripes before the game on Monday.

YAM (youth Art month) of 2010 was a great success! I had a great time at the YAM opening this year. It turns out that 5 great friends I went to college with are art teachers around the county and private schools in the area. What a blessing and a great resource! I got to look around and ask questions about other art plans and was inspired by the work they do! The show was so beautiful and I was proud of the art that my kids at GCS had done in comparison to the others!

Tonight was the last of Ashley and Austin's showers... the Couple Shower at Connie's house. We had a great time visiting with everyone there. It was a fun night!

Maybe it won't take me as long to update next time! We're going on the 8th grade trip on Wed. so I'm SURE to have a lot of photos to show!

To do list before 30!!!

2010-02-16T03:40:00.000-08:00

So in five days I will be turning 25 years old. This is a scary thought for me. 25 is one of those defining ages. Its kind of the age where you aren't really considered a baby any more to all of those who are older than you. It means that a quarter of my life is gone... yes I plan to live to be 100. I feel like my life needs a little more "umph" to it... not just meandering through life but to actually set some fun goals. (not just the boring,"be successful", "make more money" goals, but FUN adventurous goals). Some of these goals are going to have to be worked at... others I just have to make a point to make it happen. I've always heard that if you write things down, they are more than likely to come to fruition than when they are just bumping around inside your head. These are just the beginnings of the list...
And I've already done one this week!!! (I ordered SUSHI and enjoyed EVERY bite! I've never ordered sushi before!) Anybody got any more ideas that should go on here... or some of your own?! ~Lindsay!

Happy Heart Day!

2010-02-11T07:51:00.001-08:00

I made some valentines for my valentines! They were simple, and turned out great! I copied from the "love" entry from the dictionary, and began cutting them into 3x5-ish shapes.... then used a little glitter, a little glue, a little paint to jazz it up a bit!

Happy Heart Day to all of you!!!

Friends?

2010-02-08T11:14:00.001-08:00

"Why isn't my life like a situation comedy?
Why don't I have a bunch of friends with nothing better to do
but drop by and instigate wacky adventures?
Why aren't my conversations peppered with spontaneous witticisms?
Why don't my friends demonstrate heartfelt concern
for my well being when I have problems? ...
I gotta get my life some writers."
~ Calvin & Hobbes, Watterson

Self...

2010-02-04T06:33:00.001-08:00

So, in a few weeks my kids will be working on a similar project, so I did this as an example, and because it had sit drawn but not painted for about 10 months! I think it turned out ok...

Towed.

2010-01-27T17:30:00.000-08:00

Yikes. Yesterday I got towed for no reason (seriously... no reason). But it made me think about the person who had me towed for no reason. Why would someone put another person at an inconvenience for no reason? What was going so badly in someone else's life that they had to get me towed (for no reason, may I emphasize) just to feel better about themselves. I would call this adult bullying. And I wasn't too happy 'bout it either. So next time, when you're thinking about making your life better by making someone else's miserable or inconvenient... just pass on the power-trip and go get an ice cream instead.

Places of my Adventures: My Art

2010-01-17T12:36:00.000-08:00

This body of recent work focuses on landscapes. I strive to create landscapes which are the hidden away places on earth. The idealistic places of beauty and serenity. I feel that by imagining them, then putting them down on paper, that some little bit of it actually exists. These are the places of my adventures, the places hinted at by books and songs.
Most of these pieces are mixed media. I like to incorporate colored pencil, pastels and other pasted down items to create dimension within my artwork. Using different media keeps me fresh and involved with my artwork through the whole process.

"...Just over the Hilltop" 20"x15"

"Heaven Came Down and Glory Filled My Soul" 20"x15"

20"x14.5"

"Diving In" 14.25"x15"

"Wild Ones" 18"x18"

"Cutting" 5.5" x 8.5"

"Tuscan Mansion" 9.25"x5.5"

"Fire Maple" 9.25"x 7"

"Autumn" 4"x4"

"Oh, Capri" 9"x6.5"

"Hill house" 4.25"x4.25"

"Sun and Rain" 4.5"x4.5"

"A light set upon a hill" 8.75"x 6.5

"Simple and Sweet" 12"x6"

"Peeking Sun" 12"x6"

"Afternoon Atmosphere" 12"x6"

"Capella" 12"x6"

"The Land of my Adventures" 12"x6"

"Ye Shall Not Surely Die" 10"x15"

"One Blue Sky" 15.5"x15.5"

"Untitled" 20"x 14.5"

"Seaside Service" 24"x18"

"Them Hills" 22"x18"

"Chapel in Pienza"

"I make them my jewels" 15"x 15"

"Can I go there?" 3'x2'

Happy Birthday Troy

2010-01-13T15:44:00.000-08:00

So, my 3rd closest in age cousin on my mother's side's name is Troy. He had a birthday yesterday and I cannot believe that he is so grown up! He is in the gifted program at his school (which makes me so proud!) and he loves anything to do with history (just like his dad!), he plays football and really likes hanging out with Papa (and going to Huddle House!). That Troy is such a old soul, he is so grown up inside his 5th grade body! He is a great Big Brother to Truman and Tara. Just wanted to brag about him for his birthday! Love you! ~Lindz

Oh What a Christmas!?

2009-12-27T14:00:00.000-08:00

For Christmas Eve and Christmas Day we pretty much criss-cross the county, which is fine with us because we get to see all the family! This is def. a perk to living so close to our families!

Christmas Eve with the Colsons

Post Christmas Olympics... I got fourth this year, Mr. Wendy took back the gold!

Papa and Lexi!

She just got so wore out from all of the fun, bless her little heart!

The Not-So-Newlyweds, our 2nd Christmas together!

Me and Dad on Christmas Morning

The Whole Crow Cousin Gang!

Me, Willis and Tara playing with the camera!

No Crow meal is complete w/o the Laverne Hill Chocolate Cake!

Nane and Papa Crow!

Snowflake Maker!

2009-12-14T07:34:00.000-08:00

In the mood for snow, even if in south Georgia?! Make your own snow flake with this!!! Then post the link to your snowflake under the comments!!! Can't wait to see your "online art project"!

P@rADe!

2009-12-06T18:49:00.000-08:00

We checked out the Valdosta Parade on perhaps the coldest day of the season so far! It was so good though, and I enjoyed hanging out with my 3 awesome Crow Cousins and Maria and my mom! A great way to kick off the season!

Oh What a Wedding...

2009-11-28T17:18:00.000-08:00

What an amazing wedding Missy had... as if I'm shocked! One of my very dear friends got married down in a southern plantation, under a canopy of trees... it was so beautiful! Here are some photos from the afternoon...

Heather and Cheryl were prepared for the cold!

Heather posing with the greenery!

The four of us went though middle and high school and college together! What a gang!

Me and two of my best friends!

Aren't they BEAUTIFUL?!?!

Bride and her maids

I really love this one!

The flower girl waiting and watching the lovebirds

Waiting for the moment to arrive!

What a gorgeous bride Missy is!

A little info on the traditions at weddings, and some Ukrainian traditions

The couple and their bread... a Ukrainian tradition

Heather being my model for a photo trick

The class of '03!

Me and Willis with Missy!

5K Racin'!

2009-10-31T14:38:00.000-07:00

I finished this St. Johns Race in a Personal best time of 24:08...

Dad was kicking booty too with a swift 23:something time too! Awesome!

This is Dad and Me and Jake waiting for the race to start...

Ok, So, you're prob. wondering what's with the wig... well, I'll tell ya... it was a Halloween race, and I decided to dress up a bit.. but I'm thinking about adding it to my 5K routine... how do you feel about this?

I think it's a little crazy... bit I like it!... Can I wear it all the time?

Responsibly Irresponsible

2009-09-02T18:04:00.000-07:00

(yes, this is a real photo, taken in the summer of 04 on the Wild West trip with my grandparents... and yes, I thought I was looking quite bohemian...
maybe I hit the mark, and maybe my ponytail was just a bit too high... )

Sometimes in life it's good to just be responsibly irresponsible. In other words, it's good to do something that you know is right and is a good thing, even if the rest of the world think's its a little crazy or selfish, or just doesn't agree. Like quitting a job that won't let you off on Sundays for worship, or going on a trip that's worth it to you, but seems crazy or outlandish to the rest of your friends or family, or growing your hair out because for once, you just can, or relaxing the rules because you know it's the right thing to do at that moment.

(yes, this is also another real photo taken in St. Augustine during the summer of the smoke, aka '07. I totally thought I was going to get engaged this day... and it totally didn't happen.
Not that I was bitter...either way, check out the golden locks of long ago...that's responsibly irresponsible at it's finest!)

I've just been thinking about how the rest of the world views decisions that we make and how sometimes it matters and sometimes it just doesn't...

Amen Sistah!

2009-08-19T15:40:00.000-07:00

Dr. Laura is the bomb... she writes great articles with such moxie!! Check it out...

“Technology is the Evil Empire, Bent On Destroying Family Intimacy!” That’s the headline I’d like to put on this post, but guns don’t shoot people - people shoot people - so technology is not destroying families. People are destroying their own families.

The technology I’m talking about is texting, video gaming, Facebook, email, Twitter, MySpace and more. Remember when the only complaint about lack of communication in families was when family members were all in separate rooms watching different television programs? Well, now, family members can all be in the same room, totally ignoring each other for the sake of fake friends and useless information, instead of for family conversations. Some family members even text each other from different parts of the same home, rather than walk the 15 feet, hug, and talk to each other.

I remember the not-so-recent TV ads that promoted a family eating dinner together. Now, if you showed an ad with a family at the dinner table, there’d have to be a sign nearby that said “No Wireless Zone.” I wonder what depth of interaction is being missed because one is getting superficial “quickies” from texting or emailing or Facebooking? On the other hand, I already know that we’re less able to engage in reasoned, significant discourse and profound intimacies these days, because, from the age of 4 or 5, we’re geared toward the superficial, faceless exchange of comments on each other’s web pages.

Parents, you must get yourselves into gear and limit the amount of time per day donated to the wireless world outside of work. Otherwise, over time, there’ll be no need for lips and vocal cords and eye contact, and we’ll evolve into “thumbs only” beings who just peck away with a false sense of actually participating in the real world.

I hope I do the right thing when I'm a parent... but now I'm a teacher, and it's just as bad there too...

Long Lost...

2009-08-18T18:29:00.000-07:00

I've always liked poetry... I even took a creative writing class in college because of it. I've always loved the punch lines, the line breaks and the strange punctuation. I've liked the rhyming, and unrhyming ones too. I have quite a few books of poetry... mostly collections, but sometimes from one author... Some Jewel, Lord Alfred Tennyson (author of Lady of Shalot, for all you Anne of Green Gables lovers out there), and some authors I heard give readings in college.

Anyway, to make a long story short, when I was in H.S. I remembered reading this poem that had a really cool "beat", and was written in a very cool way... Then I forgot about it and once remembered about it, years later, couldn't find it... not a very "popular" poem... anyways, I was looking through some old books I found at my mom's house and Voila! Here it is, the little red book of poems, a "Random House Treasury", actually, and it sparked a little memory... and I scanned the book and there it sits on pg. 79, ear marked and everything, just waiting for me to find it again... here it is...

(p.s. it can be read vertically or horizontally... by row or column...it's not letting me type it the way it's really written... see this site for the real deal)

by Arthur Gorges

Her face Her tongue Her wit

so fair so sweet so sharp

first bent then drew then hit

mine eye mine ear my heart

Mine eye Mine ear My heart

to like to learn to love

her face her tongue her wit

doth lead doth teach doth move

Her face Her tongue Her wit

with beams with sound with art

doth blind doth charm doth knit

mine eye mine ear my heart

Mine eye Mine ear My heart

with life with hope with skill

her face her tongue her wit

doth feed doth feast doth fill

O face O tongue O wit

with frowns with checks with smart

wrong not vex not wound not

mine eye mine ear my heart

This eye This ear This heart

shall joy shall yield shall swear

her face her tongue her wit

to serve to trust to fear.

Got any good poems I should read?!

The Time Traveler's Wife

2009-08-12T15:32:00.000-07:00

So... I just got finished reading "The Time Traveler's Wife"

... and it was really a good book. I picked it up in Jacksonville after seeing the previews for the movie (which is coming out on Friday!). It really made me stop and think about what life would be like if you knew what lies ahead. Even little insignificant things would make an impact on how you would live in this moment. And sometimes if you knew what was ahead it might make you work harder to make sure it comes to fruition, or helps you to embrace what you know is missing in the future. It was a good book with a difficult ending, and some language... but it was a good read and I'm glad that I read it. I just hope the movie turns out as good... or even better...

See the trailer here

One Year Down...

2009-08-09T05:13:00.000-07:00

So hard to believe that just one year ago we said our vows and became husband and wife. I have been so blessed to have such a patient and loving husband as Willis has been. We have gone through the adjustments and have delt with each other's pet peeves and have learned so much about each other in the past year. On our wedding day, my hairdresser, Renee said," I was looking at our old wedding photos the other day and thought to myself, 'I just thought I loved him then', but now I REALLY do!" I agree... I just thought I loved Willis one year ago, but we have grown so much in just this short time... I can only imagine where we will be years from now!

Yeah, we did the one year old cake thing... the cake was great, the icing... not so much...

We took a photo out by our swing at the Old Oak Tree...

(thank you self timer!)

Hef Graduates College!

2009-08-03T19:01:00.000-07:00

One of my bestest friends graduated from good ole VSU on Saturday!
Happy B-day Hef-Money, We're so proud!!!

(I, of course, took photos of the grad. party after!)

Heather and Friends!

Heather and Family

Heather and More Friends... and Work people (which are friends too...)

Smile... It's Monday!

2009-08-03T04:16:00.001-07:00

http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/

I just want for you to look at this website because I find it VERY funny... mostly because my family has taken photos that could be a candidate for this kind of thing... Awkward poses and strange outfits make up this plethora of photos! Look... and smile... brighten up that Monday!

She's soooo California...

2009-07-20T19:10:00.001-07:00

Here are collages of photos from our trip to California...

Santa Monica Pier and Muscle Beach's boardwalk

Downtown LA... seeing stars

Our gang... Rachel, Willis and Me, all at California Pizza Kitchen

Galaxy vs. Chivas

BBQ at "Home Proper"... Food and Family

Santa Barbara Zoo

More Downtown LA... Staples Center, Grammy Museum

This sums up our week, spending time with Rachel was just the best!

Tales from California...

2009-07-19T20:41:00.000-07:00

Soooo... Willis and I went to California for a week visiting our family on the West Coast... Here are our adventures as documented via journaling... I will post pictures soon, I promise... give it time... or, you can look at my album on facebook if you're itching to get at it... (no account required)

Little Sister, Lexi

2009-07-01T13:38:00.000-07:00

Lexi is here and healthy! She weighs 8lbs 3oz, and is 20 and 1/2 inches long! Kim, Dad, Landon and I are so excited!

Here we are in the waiting room!

And here she is, Lexi Shea

Landon says that this is even better than Santa... we'll see if he changes his tune...

Internet Friending

2009-06-30T06:54:00.000-07:00

I know that I sometimes get on my soap box about living and doing to have something to blog about, but it also works with Facebook too... it's awkward to have friends on facebook who you never talk to in public... so I found this little article on Dr. Laura's page (she's awesome!!!). I'm not against chatting or social networking, but I'd take slow churned ice cream with my family over it any day!

The Emptiness of Internet “Friending”

Either directly (e.g., sadness about not having a relationship with a parent or sibling) or indirectly (e.g., having trouble being intimate), more and more callers to my radio program report a sad sort of alienation from close, loving relationships. Yet the numbers of people deeply invested in “virtual” relationships via Internet “friending” social networks like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, is growing exponentially. We are involved more in frivolous levels of intimacy and less invested in warm, caring, loving, involved relationships.

The pseudo meaningfulness we imagine as we add our names and faces to someone’s Internet site is addictive, yet ultimately vacuous. There isn’t really anyone out there who cares enough to hold your hand when you are in pain.

The Annenberg Center for the Digital Future at the University of California reported last week that 28% of Americans interviewed last year said they have been spending less time with family members. That’s nearly triple from the numbers in 2006.

In the old days when television was young, families watched together in one room. Now there are TVs in every room of the home, with 500 or more channels, and the family is dispersed, with each “doing their own thing.” The Internet is a one-on-one, non-family experience also - breaking down the cohesiveness of family dynamics, parenting, sharing, and plain old caring.

The problem is that people are, by nature, gregarious. That means we need company. When we spend our time with the technology that minimizes the intimacy of company, we forever alter the ability of individuals to actually experience pure intimacy in a positive, ultimately satisfying manner. And the experience of having lots of so-called “friends” on the Internet is beguiling, but empty — -in effect, a distorted form of solitude.

There is no wonder that so many people have a deep problem with being able to love - they mostly want to be satisfied by flattery, freedom from reciprocal responsibility and the reality of obligations and responsibilities, much less sacrifice for the general good or the benefit of another.

Technological advances in “communication” have actually increased the number of people you can interact with, but have more importantly diluted out the meaningfulness of those same interactions.

Think of families together at dinner, and a whole town helping rebuild your barn. Compare that to what you have now in your life. Which is better for quality of life?

Poetry is Hiding...

2009-06-09T13:32:00.000-07:00

Connie and I are in Perry at our very first Reading Conference... and are having a great time and learning all sorts of great new things! Our classes today consisted of an inspirational speech about our teaching methods and learning how to bring "new literacies" into the class room: i.e. facebook, blogging, wikis, etc., how to weave poetry into the classroom the whole year long, storyboard writing, reading aloud with a purpose and comprehension through comic books! We have learned sooo much and are a little zapped from it all.

I would like to share a little exercise that we did in the poetry class... the lady was saying about how poetry "hides" in different places for different people, so she asked us to make a list of where the poetry hides for us and how this list will turn itself into a poem...

Poetry hides in my husband's hair
under the layers of acrylic paint
in the bottom of my toothbrush cup.

Inside the pocket of my winter jacket
in the bottom drawer of my classroom desk
on top of the china cabinet.

In the middle of the clean clothes basket
on the nose of my niece
floating in my watercolor water cup.

On the tips of my paint brushes
on the lead inside my pencil
on the inside of the crayon wrapper

In the moment before sleep.

Where does poetry hide for you... tell me tell me tell me!

Summer... Bored Yet?

2009-06-07T20:40:00.001-07:00

I like to read... I just do. It's fun, I get into it, the little scenes playing in my mind, the little voices changing as the characters change... I love it... and I'm going to be the 7th Grade Reading teacher this year... and I'm really excited. I know that we don't have a Barnes and Nobel store around here, but you might run into one on your vacations, an I thought this was a neat little thing so I decided to pass it along

If you read 8 books, ANY books, not new ones or even a specific list, (unless of course, you go to GCS and should be reading "The City of Ember" right about now... hint, hint) and then the parentals of the house sign the form and take it to the B&N store and you get a FREE book! Cool! Check it out here... Borders has a similar deal... and we do have one of these in town!

Remember that good ole Reading Rainbow? Man I used to love this, they'd pipe it into the classrooms at Lake Park Elementary! Just thought I'd share the memories...

Reading Rainbow Theme Song ©

Butterfly in the sky
I can go twice as high
Take a look
It's in a book
A Reading Rainbow

I can go anywhere
Friends to know
And ways to grow
A Reading Rainbow

I can be anything
Take a look
It's in a book
A Reading Rainbow
A Reading Rainbow

p.s. although "Twilight" the first movie did not rock my world as I had hoped, I am still looking forward to "New Moon"... take a looksie here

Siesta Key...the place to be!

2009-05-31T19:04:00.000-07:00

I decided to keep a drawing journal whilst in Siesta Key... excuse the drawing skill...
yes, I am artist, and yes I stink at drawing with pen, I'm trying though...

(If you can't quite read the entries, click on them and they'll get really big... just a hint)

Day 1 ^

Day 2 ^

Day 3 ^

Day 4 ^

Day 5 ^

Day 6 ^

Day 7 ^

Girls at the beach!!!

Yes, I'm Reading New Moon... don't judge :)

I need less of that...

2009-05-13T18:02:00.001-07:00

Soooo, I was on Yahoo today and saw this interesting quote about Kanye West: "He said he's "too busy actually being creative most of the time" and that "everything that Twitter offers I need less of.". Lets just be honest with ourselves. With all the facebooking, emailing, blogging (I know, I know, hitting a soft spot), twittering (still haven't figured that one out) and ebaying, we're too busy "documenting" to actually have something to document about. Ironic that I am blogging about this? Yes. But nevertheless, I feel that it is a valid point. But, what's a girl to do? Hide her computer in a dark corner of the attic and just enjoy life? I think that things like this only become bad when they become irrational, and an addiction. Like Texting... oh man, don't even get me started. It's a serious addiction to our youth. I know I sound like an old hag, but it's so true... kids can't even enjoy who they're with for texting anyone who isn't there at the moment... it's soooooooo annoying... can I get an Amen?

Anyways, it's just another add on to the technology of our world that is helpful, although sometimes burdensome... for example... here I am, blogging about the nonsense of blogging, and I've missed the first six minutes of the finale of my favorite show ever, Lost... YIKES!