31 days: brightening my day

it's been a tough couple of weeks at work. super busy. few breaks - physical or mental or emotional.

sometimes (or alway), when things get tough...you have to take matters into your own hands.

so earlier this week, i grabbed these two recent photos off my iphone and printed them.

on crappy office paper. and stuck them to my office wall. with tape. no frame. no frills.

and you know what? they make me smile and breathe a little easier every time i look at them.

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this post is part of  a thirty-one day series.

my goal is to get my story telling groove back.

photos + words = chronicles

find links to all the chronicles here

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31 days: one of the big boys

it's no surprise that coleman idolizes his big brother.

and it's not really that surprising that spencer is a great brother, tolerating coleman most of the time.

and it's no surprise that coleman became obsessed with baseball after watching his big brother.

or that he wants to be "one of the big boys".

what's surprising is how cool the "big boys" happen to think coleman is.

we are lucky that spencer's baseball team not only tolerates, but enjoys coleman...who is now lovingly referred to as the team mascot.

top photo taken during the spring/summer season of 2011;

second photo taken at the beginning of the fall 2011 season.

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this post is part of  a thirty-one day series.

my goal is to get my story telling groove back.

photos + words = chronicles

find links to all the chronicles here

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31 days: moments missed

it's not ideal that i spend my days in an office, rather than raising my son. but we are truly blessed to have a kind and loving caretaker for coleman when are working (that's her in the yellow shirt up there).

and you see that adorable little guy in the wifebeater and clashing hat??? yeah, he's mine. all mine. i love him all the way from his bad hair cut to his dirty little toes! but i digress...

i struggle with not staying home with coleman. it's a luxury we can't afford, and in the spirit of complete honesty, i'm not sure i'm emotionally or mentally capable of pulling off the stay-at-home-mom gig. but, i often have regrets and worries.

i think of things i did with spencer, when he was coleman's age, and i'm sad that i am finding it such a struggle to make time for the same things now. and he has milestones, and i miss them.

this is one of those. he had two field trips close together this summer. i was able to go on one, but not the second. i didn't realize until i got this picture on my phone that the field trip would involve a pony ride. his first pony ride. and i missed it. and horses are kind of a big deal to me. you know, in my "i think i was a cowgirl in a previous life" world.
when i chose to participate in this project, i was uneasy about it simply because this is a rather "public" forum and i honestly didn't think anyone cared to read about the ins-and-outs of our days... boring, right?

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on day one of october, i happed upon another blog doing a similar format and she included this quote. all i have to say is AMEN SISTA!!

“Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self.” ~ Cyril Connolly

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this post is part of  a thirty-one day series.

my goal is to get my story telling groove back.

photos + words = chronicles

find links to all the chronicles here

*****************************************************************

31 days: spencer's penguin

 this is george the penguin. not really. he doesn't have a name, but i feel like he should. so i am calling him george. which, in our house, is the "go to" name for random things. it's matt thing. my grandfather's name was george, so it's a little weird for me. but i digress.

last year, in sixth grade, spencer made this penguin in art, towards the end of the year. it's hard to get a twelve year old boy to talk much about school. but when they were working on this project, he talked about it frequently.  you could tell he was excited about it. and i was excited to see the final product. and therefore felt obligated to photograph it.

i think spencer has a penguin fetish. it's not the first time he's chosen penguins as the subject of a class project. i wonder what the appeal is? regardless, i think george is adorable.

 and now he's the most over-photographed clay penguin around...

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this post is part of  a thirty-one day series.

my goal is to get my story telling groove back.

photos + words = chronicles

find links to all the chronicles here

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31 days: one sister, one aunt.

michelle.

my older sister. the middle sibling.

aunt to the boys.

she lives a few hours away.
close enough to be convenient.
far enough away to be inconvenient.


she gives and asks nothing. she worries with her heart.
she loves my coleman and cherishes her time with him.
she tries to give me a break. sensing the need.


she accepts spencer as our own.
and has from day one.


an awesome sister.
an awesome aunt.
thanks michelle...you rock!!!

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this post is part of  a thirty-one day series.

my goal is to get my story telling groove back.

photos + words = chronicles

find links to all the chronicles here

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31 days: bo's graduation

rewinding back to early june, my oldest nephew, Bo, graduated from high school. i experienced such mixed emotions - proud of his accomplishments, sad that he'd be heading out of town for college, worry for my sister as she said goodbye...and of course, the realization that i was old enough to have a nephew in college. really???

ultimately, the emotion that always swelled to the top was pride. headed to not just any college. but the citadel. as an athlete. just super proud of the man he has become. it's hard to even believe it, but he truly is a man. it even feels weird to use the term "nephew" because, for me, that is associated with a child.

at the risk of slipping into a ridiculously cheesy moment...i totally remember the day he was born. hours on end in the hospital waiting room. and then, finally the word that my sister would have to deliver via c-section. only fourteen years old with practically NO knowledge of childbirth, i fell apart. my mom and a nurse, rushing to my aid (um, after giving birth, i realize how ridiculous this is...seriously, why were they worried about ME???). ginger ale and soothing words. 

and to be honest, i don't remember the first moment i laid eyes on bo. i was fourteen, and selfish. instead, i remember the moment i walked into my sister's delivery room and she said "hey boo". a nickname i had not been called in years. a reassurance that, despite the new addition to her life, i was still there. her baby sister. and still important. i doubt she knew how important that one word, "boo", would've been at that moment. but, nineteen years later, it's clear as day. (and for what it's worth...the nineteen years since that day have fulfilled that moment's expectation...she's a freakin' AWESOME big sister). 

so, in summary. congratulations bo. congratulations sherry & chip for raising an incredibly fine young man. despite making me feel old as dirt, i look forward to watching bo mature even more. bo, thanks for being funny and awesome and caring. we've always said he has an "old soul" and it still rings true.  

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this post is part of  a thirty-one day series.

my goal is to get my story telling groove back.

photos + words = chronicles

find links to all the chronicles here

*****************************************************************

31 Days of Chronicles

a short while ago, i happed upon something that was coming up in the blogosphere. it was "31 days of change". eight bloggers (a few of which i already follow) were participating during the month of october. they each had their own topic and would be posting daily about it on their own blog. the nester shared this post encouraging everyone to participate! (that same post also includes a list of the 8 main bloggers with links.)


i was immediately smitten. i brainstormed ideas of fantastic topics that would amuse the masses. and then reality hit. i can't even post a few times a month right now. i'm swamped with life. it's a fact. open your eyes. so i begrudgingly withdrew my fantasy of participating in this fun challenge.


but a few days ago, i decided i would settle on a happy medium. yes, i would love to use this challenge to get my blog groove back on, but it's just not realistic at this season in my life. but i miss blogging. and i miss writing. i miss sharing stories. i miss photos.


as a result, i have settled on thirty one days of chronicles. i have posted practically no photos or stories over the last three to four months (with the exception of week in the life in late july). so, this is a way to challenge myself to get back into the groove of prioritizing telling our story.


i am not focusing on any one topic in particular. anything that is happening in our lives or has happened in the last few months and i deem important enough to throw on my blog. i know these posts will not be entertaining or exciting to most. but if nothing else, hopefully it will get me back into the routine of blogging...possibly leading back to some more "meaty" content for any readers i may still have left.


i am also hoping it will help me get back into the groove of taking more photos...something i've really slacked with lately.


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if you are participating in 31 days, leave me a note - i'd love to check out your post!
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31 days of chronicles :: day by day


1 :: bo's graduation
2 :: one sister, one aunt
3 :: spencer's penguin
4 :: moments missed
5 :: one of the big boys
6 :: brightening my day
7 :: hot now
8 :: a shared first

celebrate {coleman - sept 2011}

 

i have not been posting these monthly updates due to lack of pictures (multiple long stories there). this update is late, very late... and only comes with this one photo. an iphone (instagram) photo that i love and adore and cherish. it is so coleman. it captures everything that he is right now.

so here goes...long overdue:

my dear sweet coleman...

right now you are nothing short of amazing. your vocabulary grows daily. the rapid development stops me in my tracks, but your adorable words and sayings keep us entertained!

i love how you use certain words correctly but also sometimes incorrectly. one of your favorite words is "heavy". though you often use it properly, you also use it in place of the word "hard" or "difficult". if you are struggling with something, you will say it's "heavy". but you actually pronouce it "hovy"...almost with a british accent.

the other word you sometimes misuse is "fit". any time you don't like how something is happening, you will say "no fit. no fit".

you are obsessed with bags and pocketbooks. you will grab one and fill it with whatever. you will gather your toys. trash. anything that's not nailed down. and then proudly you prance around with your bag...daddy gets a little worried about this sometimes :)

despite my best attempts to prevent it, you are loving the wiggles. it's all about the music and dance moves. and honestly...despite the annoyance level that four color coordinated jiving british guys bring--i get it. i totally see the appeal. and many days i've walked around with a cheesy tune in my head. but it's all worth it to watch you "bust a move" in your white boy way.

our morning routine includes you playing with my makeup. despite how sleepy and/or grouchy you may be...it's the one thing that can (almost) always get you out of your rut. you usually end up looking like a colorful leopard, your cheeks spotted with a combination of mascara, foundation, blush and eye shadow.

counting is your thing right now. you count slow and steady with lots of drama. always with a pointing finger. i love it. you can go well into the teens, occassionally missing a number along the way. but overall, you are quite good!

little guy...you are my everything. thank you for being so dang cool.



video {coleman...our piano man}

during this lapse of *real* blog posts...here is something to keep you entertained...
taken during our stint at a hotel, coleman doing an interpretive dance (and occasional singing) to billy joel's piano man. i'm a bit biased, but i think this is hilarious.

thirteen years

today...spencer is thirteen years old. a teenager. 

four weeks ago, he started seventh grade. though this is his second year of middle school, he changed schools...his is brand new. he is now a timberwolf! (i think it's super cool that the kids wore matching "opening day" shirts...pictured above). he even made the front page of the paper!

he's off to a great start. a few less-than-stellar grades at the very beginning have been followed up with consistently strong performance. the good grades...impressive. but the best news? he loves his new school and teachers. he struggled with his teachers last year and i think this change will make a huge difference. 

back in july, spencer had to "try out" for the new season of his baseball team. (we were told it was more of a formality for returning players). he *made* the team and began practices a few weeks ago. same coach. many of the same players. a few new ones. he loves it. and tournaments start this weekend. 

we are super proud of our him...hard to believe. thirteen years.