Project Life Tuesday

A friend of mine with grown children and grandchildren was recently asked if she could have pictured life as it is now 20-30 years ago... she said no and that while she has enjoyed every stage of life, her one wish would be to be able to "remember every single moment"... my initial thought was "this is why I scrapbook" but then I realized that I don't scrapbook every single moment.

Most of my friends know that I don't go many places without my camera... I love capturing both the big "moments" as well as the little "moments" in photographs. I have very few pictures of my childhood... although I have very fond memories of that time, I have very little tangible evidence of those memories. I can't put into words the emotions I go through looking backthrough pictures of years past particularly the last 11 years of this season of life I've known as motherhood. I want my children to have a tangible piece of their childhood to remember and I want to be able to look back at photos and remember those moments as well. I scrapbook most of the big things such as birthdays, vacations, first days of school, and most of the firsts my kids experience; but I have so many "everyday" pictures that sit in boxes or on my hard drives hidden away from view.

For 2012, I decided to begin a project created by Becky Higgins known as Project Life. The basic premise is to capture everyday life. As I read more and more about this project I realized it was a great way for me to capture and document my family's everyday life. My goal is to take a photo a day to capture and remember moments. I know there will be days that I may forget or for whatever reason not take a picture... and that's OK! I can still document our daily, weekly or even monthly moments in 2012.

I have ordered my supplies but the photo protectors I want to use are out of stock so I haven't begun actually putting my album together. However, I really want to participate in Jessica Turner's Project Life Tuesday (a wonderful source of much Project Live inspiration) so for today I'm just going to share some of the pictures I am documenting our first week of 2012 with...

Campbell and I at our fun bowling adventure

with friends to celebrate the new year

a picture of my running shoes to

signify my resolution to run 600

miles in 2012

Will jumping x's for the first time on Hollis.

Campbell doing homework in the passenger

seat while we wait for her brother in middle

school carpool... our daily afternoon routine.

a glimpse at the week's weather... warm,

warm, warm!

I am so excited about this project for 2012 but as I began to gather my supplies and get organized I came to the realization that I can also do this for year's past. I spent a few hours this evening going through pictures from 2009. My kids were 6 & 8 that year. We got a new puppy that year. Kip and I went to our first Mardi Gras ball that year. We saw the Eagles in concert that year. I can't begin to tell you how much fun it was to revisit that year of our lives and all the "moments" I want to recall and remember. I seriously think Project Life is about to impact my memory keeping in a huge way and I can't wait to share it with you each Tuesday as I not only document this year but revisit years past in the process! If you are looking for a simple and fun way to document "moments" then I encourage you to check out the links above! There are so many different ways to do this project that I am confident that anyone can find a way to fit this into their lifestyle! So as I end this really, really long post I am beyond thankful for my camera, Project Life and ALL the MOMENTS that make up my life!

School Days

So today it was back to school for the kiddos after a long two week break for Christmas. I remember a few years ago when I dreaded the breaks from school and couldn't wait for them to go back... they were young, they were busy and they were exhausting:)... never did I imagine a time when I'd dread them going back after a break but alas they are older, more independent and honestly a lot of fun to have around! This was Kip's year to work Christmas week and work he did! He was either at work or sleeping most of the week but the kids and I managed to have some fun! We went to two movies, roller skating, shopping, the park and of course the kids did a lot of horse back riding! Will started jumping x's and verticals during the break and is so excited with his progress! Campbell had taken a break from horseback riding while she participated in Girls on the Run and rehearsed and prepared for the Nutcracker... she was very excited to be back on Sassy and picked right up where she left off! So proud of both of them! After all the fun, I guess it's understandable that neither of them was ready to go back to school today and I was just a little sad dropping them off and not having anyone in the car to talk to! Although I must admit the sadness didn't linger too long and began to dissipate as I slid into the chair and got a much needed haircut & color! Ahhh! Plus one day of school down and it's already time for Friday! Love a two day school week for sure! Bring on the week-end!!! So today I am thankful for a short school week, week-ends and of course my sweet friend Tammy and the rockin' hairstylist that she is! And here's a lovely, no make up, I'm tired photobooth photo of the new do! Happy Friday eve, y'all!

Focus on Joy

Today was riding lessons for the kids... they both have discovered a true love for horses and riding and I love watching them develop new skills and get better each week. As I watched them today I really thought of something I read here in a friend's newsletter today...

Trade exploration for FOCUS.The younger you are, the more experimenting you should do. But once you’ve found what you were created to do, stick with it and continue to learn.

Will has always struggled with "focus" whether it's in the classroom, in a conversation or an activity... something has to be really good and/or important to hold his attention for very long! So as I watched him ride today and go from walk to to trot to canter over and over and jump x's over and over it hit me how FOCUSED this boy is on horseback. He has discovered something that he is passionate about and truly loves to do. The joy and determination are written all over his face when he rides. He intimately cares for those horses and just loves being in their presence. So today (day 3-01/03/12) I am grateful for Brittany and the wonderful trainers/staff at Sommerview Farm for allowing my kids the joy of horseback riding and particularly for helping Will find what he was created to do and to trade exploration for focus... focus on riding well, focus on safety and above all focus on joy!

New Beginnings and Running Shoes

Day 2 (01/02/12) Today I am thankful for my ability to run and the fact that I live somewhere that I can run outdoors year round...

As we begin a new year I can't help but feel giddy as I always do at the possibilities of new goals and resolutions for the upcoming year... and yet my success rate at keeping most of my goals/resolutions is not that high! But there's just something about a new year and a seemingly clean slate erased of past failures, past mistakes and lack of success in previous years. So today I embark on new goals for 2012... I have 12 goals for 12 months in the year 2012... My first goal is to run 50 miles a month for a total of 600 miles this year. I'm planning on running the River Run (a 15k) in Jacksonville March 10th then perhaps a 1/2 marathon in the fall. What are your goals/resolutions for this year? Whatever they are... here's to much success in 2012!

Gratitude

what if you woke up with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?

This past November, there was a movement on Facebook to post something each day that you were thankful for. I participated and through that month I began to really take stock in everything, both little and big, that I had in my life to be thankful for. As I created our Christmas card (a year in review) and took a look back on 2011, I must admit that my family had an amazing year. We traveled a lot, my kids participated in many wonderful sports & activities, we had visits from many loving family and friends, we experienced many "firsts" and the list could just go on and on... but as I reflected on our very blessed year I couldn't help also reflecting on a year that was also painful and hard for so many of our dear family and friends... the loss of Kip's grandmother Mimi in June, a friend that lost her father very unexpectedly, two friends that buried their husbands much too young, a precious young schoolmate of my children that fought so hard but lost her battle with cancer, the state of our economy and job loss for so many, several friends that are experiencing the pain of separation and/or divorce, friends diagnosed with and battling life-threatening illnesses, major weather disasters that devastated entire cities and unfortunately this list could go on and on as well.

As I reflected on these two lists I was torn between multiple emotions... joy for the amazing things we were blessed with in 2011, sadness for those things that stole joy from so many and then somewhere in the middle was a strange sort of guilt that our year was such a joyful year while others had more pain than I can honestly even wrap my mind around. Comfort came in this verse... 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 be joyful ALWAYS, pray CONTINUALLY and give thanks IN ALL circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

So this was my challenge to myself in 2012... to really strive to live out this verse every moment of every day. So for the next 365 days I'm going to focus on the things that I am thankful for (even the hard stuff)... and I'm going to try really hard to use this blog as both my journal and accountability on this gratitude adventure! Hope you will come along for the ride and share your thoughts as well! So here we go...

DAY 1 (01.01.11) Today I am thankful for my family. My husband that truly loves me unconditionally and my sweet kids that bring so much joy into our lives it's crazy! This was Kip's year to work Christmas and he worked a 24 hour shift Christmas Eve... no matter how many holidays he works, I still have the tendency to get a little cranky and sad that he's not home with us... but I am thankful for these two pictures of my kids and me on Christmas Eve and my sweet, exhausted hubby opening gifts Christmas morning in his scrubs because they are snapshots of our "real life" and remind me how truly blessed I am to have these three!

The Highlights of a Decade

Wow... it's hard to believe that it's been 10 years since the big Y2K frenzy and we're already ten years into this century! Although there have been some incredibly tough times for our family, friends and our country in this time, we've also been blessed by some really fun milestones and memories in the last decade as well! Will's teacher Mrs. McMahan posted a fun Facebook update today about 10 favorite memories from the last 10 years so I thought it would be fun to do a blog post with a little photo review of the last 10 years for our family! These are the first 10 memories that came to mind when I read her post...

1. We started off this decade back in November 2000 with the birth of our first child Will. Such a treasured memory and the start of the amazing journey of parenthood! It's still hard to believe my sweet Y2K baby is now 9 years old!








2. 2 1/2 years later in April 2003 we shifted from a family of 3 to a family of 4 when welcomed Will's baby sister Campbell into our family! Again, how she has grown to be my sweet 6 1/2 year old little lady so fast is beyond my comprehension!







3. In June 2005, after 4 years of medical school, 6 years of residency/fellowship, we celebrated big with Kip's completion of his "training" years and became a full-fledged Neonatologist! Along with that celebration came the move for our family to Baton Rouge, LA. This move was not easy and many tears were shed as we left all our friends and life as we knew it in Louisville but now 4 1/2 years later I count that move as one of the wonderful blessings we experienced in this decade... while I still miss my friends in Louisville Baton Rouge is now home and we've made so many wonderful friends here!
(this fire truck was their "house warming" gift when we moved)





4. In 2006 and 2007 we celebrated Will and then Campbell's first day of school at The Dunham School. This school and all the amazing teachers we've had hold a very special place in our hearts! I can't imagine my kids at any other school... this is Will with Mrs. Lombardo and Campbell with Mrs. Kim on each of their first days of school ever at Dunham!







5. In February 2007 we made our first family trip to Disney World... we did a combination trip of parks and a Disney Cruise! We had lots of fun and the kids' favorite part was seeing and getting autographs from all the characters!










6. Another fun source of memories from this decade is what has become a tradition of our annual beach trip to The Beach Club the first week of June. We go along with multiple other Dunham families and share a week of good times and relaxing!















7. New Years Eve 2007 was the night of a conversation I had with my friend Lori in which we decided it would be a fun idea to train for and compete in Rocketchix a local triathlon here at LSU. So we convinced our friend Carolyn to join us and the three of us trained and on May 4, 2008 we did it! It was probably one of my most favorite "personal best" memories! I loved it and look forward to 2010 being the year that I get both my kids to participate in the Rocketkidz Triathlon!


8. Just a few days after the triathlon, Kip and I got to head off to Las Vegas for 5 days to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary! Neither of us had been to Las Vegas and we had a ball! People watching, golf, exploring all the hotels and on our actualy anniversary (5/9/98) we spent the evening celebrating another fabulous decade (the 80s) with a Duran Duran concert at the Hard Rock Hotel! Such a fun, fun trip!



9. In January 2009 we welcomed yet another member into our family... one of the 4 legged variety. We adopted Miller our black lab puppy and now can't imagine life without him in it. The kids love playing with him and he is just the most mellow lab puppy ever! He turned a year old on November 28th and is now 85 lbs. but is still as sweet and mellow as ever!













10. In February 2009 we experienced what we will probably remember as our most wild memory of the decade. We were invited to experience Mardi Gras in New Orleans by attending the Endymion Extravaganza. This is a Mardi Gras ball held in the Superdome and it was quite an experience. From the amazing floats, the wild costumes, the entertainment (Kid Rock and REO Speedwagon... I'll give you one guess which one I was able to sing along to:)) to the great company it was quite a night!



These are just some highlights from our decade... we've enjoyed many more fun times with visits to and from grandparents, great grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends! As I reflect on the amazing experiences and encounters our family has had over the last 10 years and thank God for our health, happiness and abundant joy I am also acutely aware that so many friends have been through great loss this decade... death, divorce, jobloss just to name a few and I pray that amongst the sadness and pain that you each can experience great joy again! I am thankful for the men and women that fight for our country each and every day and especially those that have sacrificied their life in doing so. So as we leave 2009 (and this "all over the place" blog post) to enter into the next year and decade we leave you with well wishes and prayers for a healthy and prosperous 2010! We look forward to the new and exciting memories our family will make in the next 1o years and hope that each one of you can be a part of those memories in some way! God Bless!

9 Years Ago Today...

Wow... it's been a while since I last posted! Facebook has really made me a bad blogger! So a few weeks ago Will asked me if I remembered last year on his birthday writing 8 things I loved about him (on my old blog)... he then asked me if I was going to do a "9 Things I Love About Will" post for his birthday this year and I figured that was the best reason to jump back into the blogging scene... so here we are! 9 years ago today I gave birth to my first born, my son Will. Today as we celebrate his 9th birthday I present to you 9 reasons why I love this boy to the moon and back...

1. I love his genuine and contagious smile!

2. I love his amazing memory and how he randomly will say "remember when I was two and we did..."

3. Even thought they have their typical "sibling issues" I love how much he loves his sister. He comforts her when she's sad, laughs with her when she's happy and looks out for her like any big brother should!

4. I love the notes/pictures he randomly write/draw for me to tell me he loves me.

5. I love that he still want me to tuck him in at night and tell him that "I'll see him when the sun comes up".

6. I love his gorgeous thick hair and how it falls across his forehead (even if people often tell us he needs a haircut)!
he has!

8. I love his love for all things music! I love how he can hum in various sounds and sound exactly like the Million Dollar Band. I love hearing him sing... praise and worship songs, rock songs, honor choir Christmas songs, and of course his absolute favorite The National Anthem. I love hearing him play his guitar (when he practices:) and I look forward to loving hearing him play his new drum set:):):)!

9. I love his strong will and his desire to try hard and be successful! He has his share of challenges and often gets frustrated but still tries very hard to overcome and work hard and I love it when he is successful in moving beyond the frustration and is successful with hard work!

So there you have 9 things for 9 years! He may be almost as tall as me, he may not let me kiss him in public anymore, and he may stink like crazy when he comes in from playing outside now but he will always, always, always be my sweet baby boy!

Happy Birthday Will... I know you're excited for your birthday to be on the same day as the "Iron Bowl" so Roll Tide Roll... beat Auburn for Will!!!