Fall is Coming!!!

Sorry there was no post in July. We were busier than ever! We have had lots of fun with weddings and other photography. We're a little behind on that blog too, but make sure to check out our photography blog, www.wohlfordphotography.blogspot.com over the next couple of weeks for lots of photos and updates!

Even though I can't post a photo at this time, I wanted to go ahead and put up a new background and small post. Notice the school background. I have been lusting after all the cheap school supplies. This year, more than the 2 previous years, I have missed setting up a classroom. (And the paycheck!) Don't get me wrong...it's a LOT of work! Most of that organization wears off pretty quickly once the students arrive. But I love to plan and organize, love the excitement of a new year, fresh classroom, eager students, all the possibilities. I also love the line in You've Got Mail when Tom Hanks sends Meg Ryan an email and talks about a "bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils."

I'll get a little school fix this year when Will starts preschool in a just a couple of weeks! There will definitely be first day of school photos to post then! He warmed up by attending 3 1/2 VBS programs this summer and was away from me far more than he will be on his 2-morning-a-week school schedule. When I ask him if he is excited about going to school, he says, "No. I will miss you." But even right now he is asking me where we are going today, so I know he will be glad to have places to go and things to do! Just this morning he told me he wanted to go to Bible School, even though at the time he said the same thing he is saying about school, "I don't want to go. I will miss you."

I'm sure even though it's less than 6 hours a week, I'm really going to miss him too. I anticipate some tears, as he is my baby, going off to grow up. I know, preschool is optional, but I also know it's what's best for my smart little man. I also plan on spending my 6-7 weeks (hopefully!) of pre-Baby preschool getting a few things done, relaxing in a coffee shop or two (drinking hot chocolate, not yucky coffee), relishing the EXTREMELY rare chance to be alone without an agenda. And then it will all be over, hello Baby!

But before she gets here we do hope to squeeze in a few trips to the pumpkin patch. We probably won't be able to make it 3 or 4 times like last year, but we better make it some. Looking forward to the joys of a pregnant woman being hoisted onto a hayride. That should make for some comic relief!

Ho Hum

It seems like the holidays have been gone forever. When we took down the Christmas tree, Will kept saying, "It's over, Mommy? Christmas is over?" But in spite of the calendar, Will insists on looking for our chimney every time we pull out of the driveway (because Santa comes down the chimney!). Will also managed to stow away the chicken that dances to his own special rendition of We Wish You a Merry Christmas and The Chicken Dance. I've been trying to reassure him that the Christmas season will officially be upon us again in just 10 short months.

So here we sit at the end of January, a usually less than eventful, ho hum kind of month. But already lots of little things have happened and the year is 1/12 over! So here's to January and all the little events that made it pass quickly...

Happy belated birthday to my sweety, John, who turned 39 this month. Among other things in your time on earth, you've managed to snag a beautiful wife ;) and a brilliant son! Cheers to you! But seriously, there is no one on this earth who's character I admire more. I love you!

Will got to meet Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber. He asked why they weren't talking. John told him they were shy because they are use to just hanging out with other vegetables.

We saw 2 snows. Will got to make snow angels and go sledding for the first time. He is begging to make a snowman, but unfortunately we are still waiting for snowman snow that will stick together.

Wohlford Photography participated in our first (hopefully of many) bridal fairs. We have already booked a few weddings for the upcoming year and look forward to more!

We have had our first 2 family movie nights, beginning with Disney's CARS. Will is now obsessed. At least 10 times a day we must retell the part of the movie in which Mater and Lightning go tractor tipping. Will is developing his own story telling skills as we put our foot down to telling the story for an 11th time and Will must tell it to us instead.

We decided on a preschool for Will. The sign-ups for the fall begin in January and fill up quickly. Kind of crazy! I never really thought I'd send my children to pre-school, especially not at 3 years old. But it's one of those things I just felt in my heart we needed to do. Will is smart and social and can use a little extra variety and stimulation. At such a young and impressionable age, we wanted him to attend a Christian school. We were also looking for a place that would challenge him when he's ready to move ahead. (Yes. You probably figured out we think he's smart! As a teacher, I'm going to try hard not to be his teachers' nightmares!) So after looking around, we decided that Will will be attending Porter Memorial. I'm sure my parents are secretly happy about the Baptist influence. I just can't wait to see him act out the Christmas story in December!

Growing up next to Fort Knox, I always managed to become best friends with the army brats (their term, not mine). So each year I had a new best friend because my old one had moved away! This month I said goodbye to another good friend of mine, who's daughter also happened to be a good friend of Will's. It brought back some sad memories for me. I tried to explain what was going on, but Will didn't seem to understand much until we left her going away party. As soon as we left, he kept begging to go back to her house and it broke my heart. Thank goodness that now, unlike when I was a child, we have Facebook, blogs, and cheap long distance to keep us connected! (We'll miss you a lot Nancy and Sophie (and Paulie and Dan)!

Will has developed a fear of Goliath and other giants, as well as an increasing fear of the dark. When he's scared we remind him that God is watching over him. We've talked briefly about the fact that Jesus is coming back to get us some day. The other night while we were praying, Will asked if Jesus is going to come back and get us. I told him yes. Will continued by asking,"He got good toys?" I replied, "The best." But just to be sure, he asked, "Him got cars???"

I have loved every stage of Will's life so far (except the waiting for him!), but by the things coming out of his mouth lately, I'm really looking forward to this 3 year old stage coming in a few weeks!

Just for Fun

These are the rules:
1. Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on the computer
2. Select the 4th picture in the folder
3. Explain the picture
4. Tag 4 people to do the same
5. No cheating (cropping, editing, etc.)



Much to my sister's dismay, my nephew, Josh, has always loved and wanted to play football. For the past 3 years, he has played for Lexington Traditional Magnet School. We were asked to take some action shots and do photo collages for some of the teammates. We also got to do a giant team photo. This is one of the action shots. I really enjoyed doing it. Too bad I don't know more about football!

Next year we will begin cheering for Josh at Lafayette High School. I love the atmosphere of high school football and hope we can attend several "Josh-ball" games, as Will is now calling them.

I tag...
1. Kristen
2. Amy
3. Nancy & Dan
4. Jill

Erica, thanks for the fun challenge!

Dangerous Beauty

We count ourselves among the crazies--the ones who cheer on the ice and snow in hopes of being snowed in for several days, where the world around us will have to shut down and finally be still. It may be dangerous if you aren't very careful, but you cannot deny the beauty when everything is crisp and white. We are often jealous that we somehow always seem to fall just south of the boatloads of snow that others seem to get so frequently. This time we were in luck.



While others went without power, our little nook stayed nice and warm. Even our cheap pear trees, the only 2 left in the neighborhood, never lost a branch. Praise God! Our friends weren't all quite so lucky. We had some good friends stay with us a couple of days--slumber party style. Will was quite excited and, in typical playboy fashion, used the time to make a new girlfriend. He'd seen Hailey a few times before, but nothing bonds a young couple like spending quality time together. Check out his first kiss below...

My, they start young these days!

In spite of all the fun, we did miss out on a few things. It was actually too cold and icy to get out and sled and build snowmen. We would have made the old family go at it anyway except my husband is lucky enough to work at the only place in their area who wouldn't shut down. (Apparently someone in Indiana, where all the stores were closed, got to make the decisions here.) It's just no fun without John!

But I did dress Will in 5 or so layers to slip around the house and take some pictures for a few minutes. I was itching to get out and take some "cool" ice pictures, but I own one of very few Jeeps that aren't actually 4x4s, so it was a little dangerous. Plus you can't really traipse through snow and tight places with an almost two year old who loves to run the other direction, so no great ice pictures this time. : ( But maybe we will get lucky again. Winter is not over yet!

Kingdom

Our church just concluded a series called Kingdom. It was a reflection of what the world would look like if God's kingdom were to come crashing down to earth and God dwelt in the midst of us. The main idea was that we are God's hands and feet, so we should be living out God's kingdom here and now. We may not be able to stop wars or global warming, but we can impact the lives of those around us.

During this series, the church was challenged to actively participate in God's kingdom. One of the ways we were challenged to do that was by taking photographs of God in the ordinary. I've included a few of the photographs that I submitted. You just can't deny God's existence when you see Him in nature, but unfortunately we don't take the time to stop and appreciate it enough.



This picture was taken a couple of years ago when we were still waiting to adopt our precious little one. It was taken while the Moon Festival, a huge family holiday, was taking place in China. I thought about how the birth parents, and perhaps my little one, were going to be staring up at the same moon even though I was half way around the world. It gave me the hope that I needed at a time when I felt like my baby was so far away.


Aren't flowers amazing? Here they are in the midst of a busy campus, at the arboretum, a little haven in the middle of a crazy world.


Ah...vacation. God wants us to rest, just as He did. I don't ever feel closer to God than when I'm somewhere on the water.


We don't take enough time out of life to do little things to appreciate or encourage people. It's the little things that let people know we care.


This says "kingdom" to me the most. If you want to know what's in my heart, take a good look at this picture. My sweet, wonderful husband sharing the story of Jesus with the most precious treasure, my son. My favorite time of day is reading Bible stories and praying with Will and John each night. No matter how crazy and just plain stupid John's work schedule is, he's here with us at this time. We as a family are sharing and learning about our God. This is the most important thing that we do all day, all of our life.

So there is a peak at how God's kingdom looks out my window. What does it look like to you?