Been a while ..

Since my last post .. there has been SO much going on.


We have moved into our new house, a special little boy turned five years old, Halloween and Thanksgiving have come and gone, Pinterest has been a staple in decorating my new house, and THIS girl is getting all A's in school! Whoop whoop!

I have SO many pictures I plan on posting and posts I want to write but I will say this NOW .. I want to be able to look back on all my memories so I WILL continue to post as regularly as possible.

Our NEW home :)

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Closing on 9/30! 

Totally been a WILD ride with school full time, work full time, Coleman starting school and having homework, trying to get our rental house cleaned to get our deposit back, going on a weeks vacation, my cousin getting married, my grandmother breaking her hip ... the list goes ON and ON...

All I can say is we got it for 75k .. YES .. I said SEVENTY FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS .. 2052 square feet .. 2 car garage .. 3 bedrooms .. 2 bathrooms .. boat garage in the FINISHED basement .. bonus room .. on a whole acre of nothing but YARD!!!! 

We are SO excited :)

More pics to come ..

Heavy Heart

I have SUCH a heavy heart today.

One year ago today a friend of mine lost her sweet baby boy. I have thought about them all day long. I really can not believe it has been one year already. Looking back so much has changed. Her baby girl is growing and she is expecting a new little addition soon.


Please pray for God to give them strength to get through this day and to help heal their wounded hearts. Pray for their health and Macy's health. Pray for a strong healthy pregnancy. Pray.

Rest In Peace Tripp. 

St. Simons - Part one

Aaron and I decided to take a long week trip down to visit his best friend who lives on St. Simons. We left after Colemans baseball game on Thursday night and got there about 12:30am. It was, what felt like, a never ending drive! We had alot of fun, but I will admit, 3 days at the beach with your best friend who has a passion for fishing as big as he does and your girlfriend who was just beside herself to be at the beach and had SO much she wanted to do, was kind of a struggle.

I have also started classes at Brenau University and had some school work to do while I was there which was totally awful but I got it done! Priorities people!!

Friday we woke up, got breakfast at ChickFila, went to CVS to buy a beach chair and sunscreen, and took our food to the beach to eat. It was SO peaceful and the weather was awesome. We went fishing for a little while and then went and ate a Brogans in the village by the pier .. where I managed to sling ketchup across to the table next to us onto a sweet old lady's nice green linen jacket. Of course I told her .. but after we had a few good laughs .. boy was I embarassed! We ended up going out on a friend of theirs boat (JOHN BOAT) and we were headed to Sea Islands private beach which is probably about a 8 minute boat ride with good weather. HOWEVER .. about 5 minutes into it, it looked like a scene from the Perfect Storm and I can say that I was honestly terrified. There is just something to say about looking out ahead of you and seeing NO land .. water splashing you in the face and getting you soaked .. waves almost so big they are coming into the boat .. it was not a pretty sight. We turned around, went another way, and finally made it. Fished for a little while until a storm started rolling in and then we headed back. We had a pretty laid back night bc we were still so tired from driving the night before.

 Saturday we went out for breakfast again and then went fishing in the same morning spot. Then we went to Barbara Jeans for lunch .. THE BEST CRAB CAKES AROUND! It was YUMMY! By the time we ate it was pouring rain outside and FREEZING cold. But with my sweet tooth, we had to run across the street to the Sweet Shop and get some old school candy and some chocolate covered oreos and nutter butters. We got back to the house and they boys went fishing at some very private lake where they racked up on some huge fish! Of course, I was shopping during all of that. I was already asleep by the time they got home, so they called it a night.

Sunday his friend went fishing a couple miles off shore so we said our goodbyes Sunday morning. Aaron and I went to the beach and waded in the water! It was actually warmer in the water than out! We found 5 .. count them FIVE .. sand dollars. My favorite part of going to the beach is sitting in the water about shin deep and finding cool shells or looking for sand dollars. Never in my life have I found FIVE! We stayed out there for about 2.5 hours and then headed back. We took showers and started to pack. So bittersweet leaving bc I LOVE the beach but I missed Coleman SO bad I could not stand it! NEVER again will I leave him for more than one night. I just cant do it.

Post with pics to come ...

West Jackson Royals - Spring T-Ball 2011

Coleman is in the back row 4th from the left :)

Such a little slugger.

This has got to the the most fun I have had in a LONG time! Watching his team play ball is absolutely hilarious! They are SO stinkin cute!!

Hopefully we will get the grasp of the game soon :)

Growing up ..

Is it just me or does he look like a 10 year old in this picture? I swear he is growing up right before my eyes which is SO sad. But I LOVE the little man he is becoming :)

Beautiful Social Circle sunset!

My angel riding on Nissa, my sisters horse, at my parents house.

How sweet is this picture?!

LOVE HIM!

"GEORGIA PRE-K"

Next year Coleman will be starting Pre-k.

I think he is pretty stoked about it!!

(Setting the scene....)

I had told him to go get a book to read and then get in his bed....

He comes to be in the bathroom and says...

"Mommy, I need to practice my flashcards for Georgia Pre-k next year! So I'm going to go in my room and do them ok?"

HOW COULD I SAY NO??!?!

This is what I saw when I walked into his room about 3 minutes later ..

And the finished product .....

WHAT A SMART LITTLE BOY I HAVE!! I just adore him :)

The Rainbow Ranch

We went to the Rainbow Ranch Trout Farm on Saturday.

Let me just say it was a BLAST! I would totally reccomend it to ANYONE with kids who like to fish .. or even if you dont like to fish .. its a great experience in itself!

Coleman had never really "caught" a fish of his own before .. we have hooked them and then he reels them in. But he cast the fishing pole out himself and hooked his FIRST FISH!! Look at that smile .. melts my heart!

It is GREAT! They supply EVERYTHING .. fishing poles, bait, nets, they clean the fish for you and put them on ice, and they also take pictures of the fish you catch and print them out for your free of charge!

The boys had a GREAT time! Look at those smiles .. something that will NEVER be forgotten!

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I'm loving that it is a BEAUTIFUL day outside. Blue skies and GREEN grass .. LOVE IT!


I'm loving that Coleman has t-ball practice tomorrow and HOPEFULLY his first game on Monday!


I'm loving that Aaron is back from his fishing tournament and is home to stay!


I'm loving that my dad has a new found obsession for Words with Friends on my moms new iPhone. ITS HILARIOUS how competitive he is!


I'm loving that my Grandpa got some good news about the tumor they removed from his bladder.


I'm loving that I have the most amazing son I could have ever asked for and that he is healthy and growing like a weed.


I am loving that I am starting school in one month! Loving it but also TERRIFIED!


I'm loving that Aaron and I are going to start looking for houses soon! Let the maddness begin... yikes!


I'm loving that life is good right now :)

Leaps

"The will of God will never take you where the grace of God will not protect you"

Taking leaps of faith solely on this.

Leaps that will hopefully heal my heart and mend my soul.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Sad Momma ..

 

 

In case you dont realize .. He is in time out in the corner in the hallway .. the lights were out and he was crying.

I got in the bath .. got out to find a sleeping boy in the corner .. 

By the way, it was only 5:30pm!!

Talk about feeling like a horrible mommy!!

Happy Birthday Henry!

Once upon a time there lived a boy, Coleman. He had dreams of a wonderful friend... only this friend did not exist..yet. A friend who will listen when no one else will. One who will snuggle all night long. A friend who will stand by his side, forever and ever.

Coleman went with his Mommy and his God-Mother, Ashley, to find this friend.



I want to invite you on the journey find Henry.

 Ashley and Coleman found him ...

Coleman helping her fill the bear with kindness ...

Rubbing Henrys heart on his head so he can be SUPER smart like Coleman ...

Kissing Henrys heart to fill it with love ...

Making sure he is so fresh and so clean ...

And from there ... Henry was born!!
(I could not get the last pic of Henry and Coleman to upload ... frustrated SO I will try again in a bit)

ALL PARENTS!!

 Just copied and pasted from a friends blog ... 

WATCH THIS VIDEO IF YOU OWN A SMART PHONE!!!

A friend sent me this link, and I encourage you to watch it! It talks about how to disable a setting on your smart phone so that people can not track where you took your picture.

The Greatest Show on Earth ..

Tonight we are going to the Ringling Brothers Circus!

It is coming to the Gwinnett Arena and I am PUMPED!


As a kid, my DaDa (my moms dad) took us alot and I have such awesome memories! I cant wait to see Colemans' face when we get there. He knows we are going .. but I dont think he has ANY idea what it really is ..


Definitely a post to follow ... leaving now .. YAY!

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful to be blessed with an amazing child who loves me more than anything. He brightens my day and makes me want to better myself. Seeing him grow and learn more each day is so amazing to me.

I am thankful for a boyfriend who loves me unconditionally. Even when I am not at my best, he sees it in me.

I am thankful to have two Grandparents who love our family so much. Seeing them makes me realize how strong our family bond really is.

I am thankful for the amazing friends I have. They really are my rock. I cant say much else.

I am thankful for TOMS and how when you buy one pair they give a pair to a child in need. VERY worth it!

I am thankful for my job. Well, to just have a job for one. But also for the job itself. I travel for Northeast Georgia Medical Center and pretty much everyday is the first day of work for me. I dont see the same thing everyday, same people, etc. It is GREAT!

I am just thankful!

FINALLY!!!

I JUST NEEDED TO LET EVERYONE KNOW THAT I AM NOW A STUDENT OF .....

Classes start May 9! I am SOexcited and super pumped to get the show on the road!

Before you know it I will be Emily Griffin, RN BSN!!!

Please pray that I can slip back into school mode (one that I have been out of for 7 years) easily and that I do my best! Also that I am able to balance my time between school work, spending as much time with Coleman as I can, and also maintain an amazing relation with Aaron, my family, and friends. It is going to be SO hard .. but I am ready for the long road!

Life is too short ..

Life is too short to wake up with regrets.


So love the people who treat you right.

Love the ones who don't just because you can.

Believe everything happens for a reason.

If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands.

If it changes your life, let it.

Kiss slowly.

Forgive quickly.

God never said life would be easy.

He just promised it would be worth it.

She got her hair did ...

Thank you to Anna Rose at Siggers Hairdressers in Tucker, GA for transforming my nasty horse hair into this .. LOVE IT!!

Cupid came to Esther Drive ...

Cupid stole my heart this year .. green plaid bath robe (rove as Coleman says) and all :)

GOT HER!!! :) How could you not love this little man?!?!

Its ok to be bored ..

I have been noticing lately that it has turned into a crime for kids to be bored. It is totally annoying to me that kids walk around with their noses in a Nintendo DS or 8 year olds carrying their iPhone 4 around in their real Coach purse.


Side note .. you should not be able to own a REAL Coach purse until you are old enough to AT LEAST shave your legs. But that is for another blog post on another day.


Driving down the road you look to your left and then right and all you see are kids either watching a DVD in the car, playing with theirs or their parents phone, or playing a video game. What ever happened to counting the cars, making shapes of the clouds, reading a book, or heck ... just RIDING. I dont know why I find this so annoying but it just strikes a nerve with me.


I feel like technology is consuming so many childhoods that kids are not kids anymore. They go from womb 15 years old over night.


I have made a huge effort this week to keep Coleman away from the TV. I am not going to lie, I have been one to get off from work and be totally exhausted, pop a movie in or turn on some cartoons and bring on the peace and quiet! I don't know about your kids, but whenever mine is in front of the TV he is ZONED OUT!


I think he started to associate being home with watching TV .. that EVERYTIME you are home you should be watching TV.Which is SO not ok! Forget about the thousands (ok maybe hundreds?) of dollars worth of toys in your room .. he rather watch TV.


Maybe this all has to do with this winter being SO cold you just cant get outside and do anything. So I'm hoping it will all turn around when he starts t-ball in a few weeks and we actually have a schedule.


Ok.. my ranting and raving is done =)

Coleman-isms

Favorite thing Coleman has said to me recently ...

Setting the scene ... Sitting at home watching TV and a Proactive commercial comes on ..

"MOMMY .. you need some of that!!!"

"OH i do? Why is that?"

"B/c you have booboos all over your face"

"Yeah youre right buddy .. but I dont have money for that"

"I will give you $45 from my piggy bank and you can get it"


What a sweet generous boy but seriously? Is it THAT bad?????

Mountains, Miracles, and Milestones

Yes yes I know we have been MIA for the past couple of months .. Thats what working for three months in Blairsville will do to a girl! Getting up at 5am, getting yourself ready, then trying to fight a VERY sleepy four year old out the door is not the most fun thing at 6:15am .. then to hour and a half drive to and from work over a large mountain is the icing on the cake! OH yes, did I mention I would leave at 6:15am and not get home until 6:45pm? Thank the LORD that is over!!

On to a WAY better note ...

Since you last heard from me my Coleman turned four, started Pre-k, and got signed up for a t-ball team ... WHAT?!?!?! Seriously, how many more emotional things do I have to go through in 2 months. I know every mother says "I cannot believe how fast they are growing up" .. or "it happens before your eyes" and I have never found that to be so true. I mean did I seriously just sign my baby up for tball... it should not be time for that yet!! He is beyond excited. He will be playing in Braselton through the Braselton parks and rec dept. I am so excited for him to be a part of a team and start playing sports. But I am also sad b/c I know this is the start of like 14 years of sports, school, homework, practices, games, etc .. It starts now and wont stop until he graduates which makes me SO SO sad!! But I am so blessed to be his mommy and to have him as MY child. He continues to amaze me everyday with the things he knows and is learning. He is one smart cookie .. dont let him fool you!



Some wonderful things have happened recently ..

My bestfriend in the entire world just had her perfect world completed .. She graduated in May with her Bachelors in Nursing, got married in October to her perfect man, and just got her DREAM job as a Oncology nurse with Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta. She is SO blessed beyond belief and I am so proud to call her my bestfriend. Now all we need is a baby Garner :)


A friend of mine who lost her beautiful baby boy to SIDS a little less than a year ago just announced that she was expecting. WHAT A BLESSING! I am so excited for them I cant stand it! No one deserves to be blessed more than them right now! Prayers were definitely answered!


We have moved into a great new home about 10 minutes from our old house. It is 2 times as big as the other house and we have the space we needed. FINALLY! Our relationship is definitely going in the direction that we both dreamed of and I cannot wait to spend my life with the man of my dreams! Everything seems to be falling into place just the way it was supposed to .. which makes me smile :)

Mom, Coleman, and I at the Stone Mtn Christmas

Coleman's birthday breakfast .. look at ALL that food .. AND the birthday ice cream sundae (at 9:30am)

My handsome man with his tux on that he wore in Ashley's wedding .. HOT STUFF!!

Coleman and I watching the parade at Stone Mtn Christmas

I will be making an effort to blog more and more because I have deleted my facebook page. So bare with me ..  :)