The Collinsworth's Blog

Fall 2009

2009-12-18T10:52:00.000-08:00

Yes, it has been a while ( 4 months actully) since I have posted anything on this blog! It really does take some dedicated time, which I just can't seem to find these days!

A lot has gone on since my last post...

First, we took the plundge and moved! We moved on Faith's 2nd birthday weekend (September 5th) and then quickly celebrated her birthday with a party at our new home a week later! Thank goodness my mom was here to help! As I was still throwing up daily and hardly eating due to the aweful morning sickness I had this time around! We love the new place and Faith quickly adjusted (after we got her a Big Girl Bed)! I think she had outgrown her crib and wasn't sleeping well in it anymore! She loves her Big bed now!

A few pics of her party...

Oh, and I guess in case you haven't heard....IT'S A BOY!! For sure...many ultrasounds have confirmed! I have slowely moved all of Faith's furniture into the baby's room and she is left with her new bed and a dresser that is on order! Maybe by the summer I will have her bedding and everything put together better! His room is painted blue and he will have white bedding timmed in the blue. Simple! I'm not one for themes, but that's just me.

Next, was Halloween!! Faith was the cutiest BEE ever!! We went to our old neighborhood and trick-r-treated! She had a blast! After a few houses, she had the hang of it!

The Big Orange Pumpkin Farm

We are still envolved in gymnastics class! She LOVES it! She is amazingly strong and her coach it impressed with her ability...we do miss on occassion, because I have to be so involved, and sometimes I just don't have it in me to do!!

Also, swim lessons are still going on! I love sitting on the sidelines and watching her! She is getting better every week! We only have a few weeks left and then I think we are going to take a break for the next session and start back up in the summer!

Faith knows she is going to have a baby brother, but she doesn't really understand what that means! She will kiss my tummy and has even shared her stickers with him and put ton on my belly! I am pretty anxious about how she is going to react, and fully expect some serious meltdowns (from her and me)! However, I am excited to meet him! Life is changing quickly! I have my c-sec scheduled for February 24th! So we should meet him then! And, NO, we do not have a name yet! We will make our decision once we see him and have time to figure out who he is! I think Faith was named late in the afternoon the day she was born...that is totally fine with us! Hopefully we will have it narrowed to only a few names though! Because right now we are not even close! It's funny, because many people thought we had a name picked out for Faith but we wern't telling, but actually we hadn't decided and didn't want to decide until we saw her and had a chance to decide on our own. It was special to us that way!

We are really looking forward to Christmas this year, as Faith is excited to "see" Santa! She knows she has to wait for Santa to open the presents under the tree...this should be interesting!

I hope everyone enjoys this time of the year! We are all blessed!

Last but not Least!

2009-08-20T11:24:00.000-07:00

Faith jumping in off the "island." She loves this thing! Notice baby in hand and all! It sure was hard to get some pics, as I had to be in the water too, but this was before class started and her teacher played with her a bit so I could get some photos!

2009-08-20T11:22:00.000-07:00

More beam

Faith and her friend Kennedy....Faith brought her baby to class (not a good idea as ALL the girls wanted to play with it) Kennedy asked Faith to "please share," and this is the look Faith gave her! These two girls seem to coordinate on their outfits a lot too!! Very cute! Not at all intentional! Just good taste moms!!

Walking into swim lessons!

Faith with her teacher (Ms. Sarah) and one of the boys in her class "Braydon"

More pics!

2009-08-20T11:18:00.000-07:00

Balance Beam

Pushing up on the bars!! Yeah! First time!

Pictures from Gymnastics & Swim Lessons

2009-08-20T11:11:00.000-07:00

On the Uneven Bars!

The Rings! Doing a Stradle!

Hanging from the uneven bars

The rope

It's Been Ages!

2009-08-16T11:07:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been forever sinced I have updated my blog!! I joined the community of Facebook and lost touch with Blogging! Too much to keep up with if you ask me! However, I know there are many friends and family that do not participate in Facebook and would still love to hear about Faith and our lives. So, I will try and update every few weeks!

So much has happened this summer!

Faith finished Mother's Day Out in May and we have been home all summer together! Yes, it is a blessing, but it is very trying on my patience too! She has grown up so much and has hit the "terrible two's." This summer, we have not taken an vacations or gone anywere memorable, but we have kept busy doing fun things together as a family!

Faith has been enrolled in WOGA Gymnastics here in Frisco. She LOVES it! We go once a week and it is a "mommy and me" class. She is SO strong and has the ability to pull herself up on the bars and with a little help, flip over! She loves the rings and likes to hang on them and lift her legs up to her chest! Her coach is amazed at how much strength she has! I guess I didn't realize how much she has, since I see if everyday! She is one of the youngest in her class.

We have also been attending swim lessons at Emler in Plano once a week....my goodness, this girl is a fish!!! She can't wait to get in the pool and go under and kick! She holds her breath, and has learned how to climb out of the pool by herself. They really have a great program there and it has really tought me how to guide her in safety, kicking, pulling her arms, etc. I had no idea how to teach her all of this!! Once again, this is a "mommy and me" class, so I am in the water too...fun (that was ment to be sarcastic)! She has no fear of the water and loves to jump off the side, slide down the big slide and just loves putting her head under! She would live in the pool if she could! This class comes to an end next week, and we will decide soon if we want to continue during the fall as well...she would move up to the bigger class and I wouldn't have to be in the water too....woohoo!!

Another big this this summer is...we have been dealing with trying to sell our house since March! We finally got a contract on it and are supose to close now on September 3rd! We found a new home in the area we have wanted to move to...Prosper, TX. It is a much larger lot and the house will have more room too! The home is a spec home that the builder started and had not sold, so we are excited it is new and fresh! We really are looking forward to closing and getting moved! It is very exciting and a new adventure! For those of you who don't know where Prosper is...it is about 10 mins from where we are now. Yes further North and East (for your Fort Worth folks). But, we look forward to Faith going to school in their excellent schools and having a small community atmosphere, while being minutes from Frisco!

Our final news for the summer....we are expecting BABY NUMBER 2!! I am almost 12 weeks pregnant, and so excited! This is truely another blessing in our lives. I am due March 3, 2010. I still have a way to go, but I think with the upcomming move and holidays, it will go by so fast!! We really look forward to bringing this baby home and it being another big part of our family!! I think Faith may think it is "her baby" and try to take off with it!!

So, we have been pretty blessed and busy this summer. Faith starts back at Mother's Day Out in one week! She now has to have a nap mat and there are no more cribs or swings in her new room! She really has grown up! We will celebrate her 2nd birthday September 6th! Almost 2...wow! Next thing you know, I will be trying to hold off on her turning 16!! Like I said before, she has hit the terrible two's, but is also a very loving, sweet, smart, outgoing, vibrant little girl! She has a plethera of words she says, but mostly only her dad and I can understand them, and some, we have no idea what she is saying...she says things like...Lacy, dr., eats, babies, dog, paci, mama, dada, moo (for cow), nee (for horse and Aunt Nee), Joel, Mimi, swing, outside, towel, pool, MINE, Faith, the list could go on and on, but these are just a few! She hasn't been to the doctor in a while, but she is about 36 inches and 30 lbs now!! Very tall! Imagine that! We have also really enjoyed spending time with Alissa (my neice) this summer. Now that she lives in Texas again, we get to see her a lot more! Faith LOVES her cousin, and they have a ton of fun together!! She is a great babysitter too...although I can't leave her home alone yet! But when Alissa is 13..she will do great babysitting!!

Here are a few pictures from this summer...not too many, as I can't take pictures in the water! I will try and get some pics this week of gymnastics and swim lessons! I need those for memories!

I hope all of you have had a wonderful and blessed summer!!

New Fun

2009-02-08T10:37:00.000-08:00

There hasn't been much going on around our house lately....well, never mind, I guess there is always something!!

Joel has of course been working a lot lately, so Faith and I needed some new things to do outside...she got a swing for the front yard, and she loves it! I attach it to a big tree branch and away she goes! And, she was given a new climbing play house for the back yard with a slide. She has no fear, and knows just what to do. She climbs to the top, and slides down. What a life saver for me!! Something fun to do in the back yard! If our yard was big enough, we could have gotten a nice swing set with swings and everything....one day!

I Tell You...This Girl Has No Fear!

2009-01-14T09:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I picked Faith up from MDO. I had to run by the store and grab a few things. We got home, I carried in all the groceries, then Faith. She walked in, and grabbed a small pillow that hangs over a door knob and is beaded. She loves to carry this around like a purse over her shoulder. Well, she broke it, and the beads went everywhere!!

I still had milk sitting on the counter...but I had to stop and clean up beads! The joys of motherhood!

Faith thought it would be fun to grab the beads and put them in her mouth... so I found myself chasing her to get the beads out of her mouth instead of cleaning them! (Can't you picture this?)

I decided to put her in her crib for a few minutes while I vaccumed them up...milk still on the counter!

I got about 1 minute into vaccuming...and turned around to find Faith standing behind me!! Yes, she got out!!! I can't believe at 16 months she climbed out of her crib!! It is no longer a safe haven, and is now dangerous if she is playing in there! I have no desire to make it into a toddler bed either! When she is tired, she doesn't try to climb out, but if she is in her crib for anyother reason than sleep...she throws that leg over and is climbing out!

She definately keeps me on my toes!!

The Girls

2009-01-14T09:28:00.000-08:00

Well, last week was our first time to pick Alissa up from school....Faith couldn't wait, and noticed her immediately when she walked out of the school doors! She loves her cousin, and calls her "liss." We came home, and I took the girls to the park for some fresh air and fun!

For those of you who know Faith well...you know that she is a crazy dare-devil and has NO fear! She loves to swing as high as she can, and the slides....wow....she slides down backwards, headfirst, and loves it! She absolutely has no fear!!

Enjoy these pictures!

Christmas Morning ~ 2008

2009-01-09T10:27:00.001-08:00

Christmas morning was a bit more fun this year than last! Santa visited Faith for the 1st time! He left a very cute pink retro kitchen complete with pots and pans! There was also a stocking filled with books, a bottle for her baby, and a stuffed Reindeer! She loved it all!

Mommy and Daddy had a strange idea that santa would leave a kitchen, so they bought some wooden food, and an adorable shopping cart to help her shop for cooking! I think the shopping cart quickly became one of her favorite toys! There is nothing she doesn't put in there and push around the house!

Lots of presents from Santa and Mommy and Daddy

Lacy always has to stick her nose in things! What a good dog!

Fun ball bouncer toy - I love this thing!

I know just what to do!

Look what Santa left behind

The Gaylord Texan - 2008

2009-01-09T10:13:00.000-08:00

We took Faith to The Gaylord Texan before Christmas. We had plans of going one Friday, and my mom called and said her and Mike were in town and wanted to meet us at the Gaylord - well...we were already heading there! So, they joined us for a short while. We went through the Ice Sculptures which was neat to see again. It will be more fun when Faith can go down the slide! And, wear a jacket so I don't have to carry her through it! Next year!
Joel, Faith and I stayed and ate dinner there, and walked around looking at lights, etc. Faith had her picture taken with Mrs. Clause and got to pet the real Reindeer!!

COLD Ice

Look at the Fishy

Family Photo

Nona and Faith

FAMILY NEWS

2008-12-16T06:33:00.000-08:00

After College Station, Boston, Ohio, Texas (for a short few months) and Arizona.....Renee and Alissa are FINALLY comming back to Texas for good!!!

Renee has accepted a great position at Wells Fargo in Grapevine, Texas and will begin work on December 29th! Yes, she just found out yesterday and has tons to do to get ready to move!

She is in the process of finding a house too!

Congrats Renee on the new job!! I am sure you will do great!!

PlayDay

2008-12-10T13:16:00.000-08:00

Today it is so cold outside! I had some errands to run, so Faith and I ventured to the mall for some shopping and playing! The first time I took her to play at the indoor playground, she wasn't sure how to climb on the things, and I had to help her a lot! So, after a few times of going...today she did it all on her own!! Big Girl!

Also, she was pretty fasinated with the new gloves she had on her hands. This was the first time wearing gloves!

Thanksgiving Weekend

2008-12-02T12:57:00.000-08:00

This past Thanksgiving weekend, Renee and Alissa were in town! We had a wonderful time, except Joel and I were sick with a cold and sinus infections! Yuck! We split the day with my dad and Joel's dad's side. It was very nice to see everyone, even though it was for a short time on each side.

On Saturday evening, we went to my dad and Sheila's reception. It turned out very nice, and the girls had a wonderful time!! As you can see....Faith LOVES her cousin!! I don't think Alissa realizes just how much of an influence she is, and is going to be to Faith over the years! Faith learned to copy EVERYTHING Alissa did!! Right down to jumping on the sofa at the reception!! WOW! I never thought I would let my daughter act like that...but it was pretty darn cute! As you can see, she was a mess by the end of the evening!

These pictures are out of order....sorry

This was after jumping on the sofa....she had red cheeks, and one foot had come through her tights....

Cute Faith...before the running and jumping came out....

Just the 3 of us....

The girls....

School Pictures

2008-11-17T12:30:00.000-08:00

We received Faith's school pictures back....and they are too
cute! Look at my little "Big" girl....doesn't she look like a little school girl now?

On a Serious Note -

2008-11-04T09:48:00.000-08:00

I had to post this update......

Yesterday Joel went on a motorcycle ride after he was done working. Those of you that know me, know how much I HATE him riding! We have recently talked seriously about him selling the bike and getting a fun old car.

Well, my worst fears came true yesterday. He wrecked his bike! Thank God he will be okay. Basically his bike was acting up, and quit running. He was on a country road, and was pulling over to restart it. It fired back up on its own, and basically bucked him off the back. He went off towards the right and has some road rash. They worst is that he has broken and dislocated his right wrist.

He is in surgery as we speak having it set, and having a plate put in. His right arm will be no use for several weeks as it heals.

So, the moral of the story....the bike is being sold!!

Here is a picture of his arm last night after it was casted to help stabalize it before he had surgery today.

HALLOWEEN 2008

2008-11-04T09:29:00.000-08:00

Our little Ladybug was as cute as can be! She enjoyed her costume, but was tired and cranky....

Enjoy the pics!

Halloween Day - Not Night

2008-11-03T09:06:00.001-08:00

Here are a few pictures of Faith baing a "Dare-Devil" Halloween day. Her and I went to the park to buy ourselves some time before her Daddy got home and we got ready for trick-er-treating!

She climbed all the way to the top, and slid down the slide all by herself!! She loved it! (actually I had to help her get on the slide, and she was trying to go down head first!)

The Cowboy's

2008-11-03T09:01:00.001-08:00

Joel and I were kindly given tickets to the Cowboy's Game last Sunday. They played Tampa Bay. We had a great time and they actually pulled a win off that day! Not yesterday...wow...not a great season!

We had great seats and really enjoyed our adult afternoon!

Thanks to Noonie for babysitting Faith!

Well, Well, Well....

2008-10-30T10:06:00.000-07:00

I had to post this one..... Tuesday when I picked Faith up from Mother's Day Out, I was greeted by her teachers. They were somewhat laughing, while writing up an accident report.

Apparently Faith decided to BITE another little girl! She bit her finger and left some marks. I told them I would ground her and put her to bed with no dinner...(obviously I was joking). They did not see exactly what happened or if anything provoked it, but it happened. I apologized with embarrassment and told them to please tell the other mom I am so sorry.....

Hopefully this is not going to be an ongoing thing!! I think something had to of happened, or Faith was just checking out her new teeth to see how they felt! :)

COMMING UP....

2008-10-27T17:26:00.000-07:00

Friday is Faith's first (ok, second) Halloween!! Last year she slept through the entire thing in an orange onesie that said "Lil Punkin" on it.

This year she will be........stay posted to see some adorable photos!

WELL VISIT DAY!

2008-10-24T13:47:00.000-07:00

Pictures from this morning!

Faith this morning

Pointing to her Ear when I asked her where it was

Just non stop moving!!

Today Faith had her 12 month well visit at the Pediatricians. Yes, she is 13 1/2 months, but I just hate all these shots their little bodies get, so I wait longer than I am suppose to, and our Dr. works with us to spread her shots out a bit further. Today she was suppose to get 4 shots, but we only did 2. She got her Flu vaccine, and the Chickenpox vaccine as well.

You will be happy to know that she is now 25 lbs and 32 inches tall!! She is in the 96th percentile with height and 89 percentile in weight. Her head is still in the 17 percentile (it has always been small). I guess that is a good thing! She looks very proportionate!

Faith is hitting all of her milestones...she says "Mama, Dada, dog, bird, book, ball, La (for Lacy our dog), Bear, Hi, that, I (for ice...she loves to chew on ice), and one or two other words! For her age, she should be saying Mama, Dada and at least 3 other words!

The one thing we have not done yet, is get rid of the formula completely. Our pediatrician said she should be on whole milk only now. So it is time to wean off the formula. Pay raise here I come!!!

Otherwise, she is healthy, vibrant, and PERFECT!

THE BIG ORANGE PUMPKIN FARM

2008-10-14T10:52:00.000-07:00

Ryan, Olivia and Grace

Ryan, Susan and Sydney

Joel, Deanna and Faith

Hayride

Last weekend we went to The Big Orange Pumpkin Farm in Celina, TX. We had a great time, and this will be a yearly tradition! Our friends Olivia, Ryan and Grace as well as Susan, Ryan and Sydney joined us. The girls are all 8 weeks apart, Faith is 13 months, Grace is 11 months, and Sydney is 9 months...it makes for interesting outings!

Faith wasn't too sure about the goats. One was ok, but when several came over to her, she screamed! I don't understand...she LOVES our 85 lb dogs. But when it comes to little 5 lb dogs or goats, cows, etc. She is so scared!

Enjoy the pictures.

Big Girl - 13 Months Today

2008-10-06T09:46:00.000-07:00

Faith is really becoming a BIG GIRL now, she 13 months today! And, she is officially off the bottle!! Ok, so they are still in my cabinet, but sippy cup only now! She is SO proud of her new cup and will not let us hold it. She is still taking formula out of it, but I am slowly weaning her off of that with Organic Whole Milk. Within the next few weeks, she should be on milk only! Joel will be so excited, he can't wait for the pay raise! Now if we could only get her potty trained ~ I would be thrilled!

She is finally getting some more teeth. She has 4 on top and working on a 3rd one on the bottom. Which means another bottom one will soon follow!

She is becoming quite the good eater now too! She was so picky, but now she will eat almost anything, except meat. She is not sure about the texture ~ I don't blame her!

Here are a few pictures I snapped with my I Phone over the weekend. My sister called and was missing her and asked for some pictures, so here they are....OH...and her hair is looking more and more blonde too!! YEAH!

New Play Group

2008-09-22T10:54:00.000-07:00

Faith and I joined a new playgroup in our area! Last Friday was our first "outing" with them! We had a wonderful time, and Faith was the bell of the ball! I have found that Faith is very outgoing, and is not afraid to walk up to any child and play. Sometimes, she is a bit sassy about it, but she did hug a little girl her age when I told her to "be sweet."

We went to Frisco Gym and she was able to run, throw balls, jump in the bounce house, and just have a good time! She was exhausted after about an hour. Once we got home, Faith had spiked a fever, and was sick the rest of the weekend with a stomach bug going around! She seems to be on the mend now!

We had spent the morning away from her "babies" and when we got home, she would not let them go! (Hince the picture)

Picture Day

2008-09-17T11:24:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, we had outdoor pictures taken for Faith's 1 year photos. These are also going to double as our Christmas card photos! So, we were killing two birds with one stone...however, we had to get out in the Ike hurricane winds and rain that morning~ needless to say, Faith wasn't too happy about it, so we got the shots we could and then today her and I finished up some more shots thanks to our great photographer working with us!

My neighbor is a photographer and does an outstanding job! Please check out her site to view Faith's photos...she will be adding more from today's shots as she has them ready to post.

A sneak peak...

http://www.blessedbphotography.com/

Faith1 is the password

Work Status

2008-09-16T17:33:00.000-07:00

I have decided to stay home with Faith. I am very lucky to be able to do this. I am working only on Monday's and then will be with her the rest of the week. So far I have been doing this for just over a month. I am really enjoying it and so glad that we have finally resolved our nanny issues once and for all!

Deanna

FAITH TURNS THE BIG ONE!

2008-09-16T10:34:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my baby girl is 1! (September 6th) Amazing how quickly this year has gone by! What a blessing she has been and continues to be in our lives! We are so lucky to be her parents!

Enjoy these pictures from her birthday party!

Faith's 1st Birthday cake, designed to match her invitation and

the top layer doubled as her smash cake!

The Birthday Girl checking out a flower from her cake.

Renee and Alissa

Madeleine, Alissa, Grace, Olivia, Analise, and Faith

The Birthday Girl with Mommy and Daddy

Welcome

2008-09-15T11:39:00.000-07:00

WELCOME

Welcome to our NEW blog! I decided it was time to get into this century and blog. I am also hoping that this will be a good way to "show off" miss Faith and all her new accomplishments! Obviously this blog will be mostly geared towards Faith!

Enjoy!

This picture was taken when Faith was 8 months old.