my man, wyatt

here are a few (well, a lot!) more pictures of wyatt from his birth weekend. my camera has been doing funky things, but i think i finally got it to work! enjoy! :)

wyatt, just a few hours old

the most precious baby in the world

bonding with his beautiful mommmy, ali

the leading man in my life, wyatt daniel
like his aunt ash, he's not a fan of pictures evidenced by the hands in front of his face :)
**can you tell i was an emotional rollercoaster that night? i have never cried so much (but happy tears of course!) in my entire life!

wyatt sleeping sweetly in his lovely plastic bassinet at wakemed ;)

wyatt with his other aunt, aka auntie re, aka ali's sister, aka andrea


bonding with mommy


the new daddy, two-hours-old wyatt, and the new mommy on lots and lots of pain meds. she was such a trooper, especially to let us take all these pictures only a few hours after her c-section! we love you ali :)


beautiful

he has arrived!

that's right everyone, the baby is finally here! my sister-in-law gave birth to my new nephew, wyatt daniel renfrow, on friday, may 12, 2006. he is absolutely gorgeous [well, handsome] and nothing short of amazing!

ali went into the hospital friday after a long week of waiting and anxious anticipation. the baby was originally due on the previous thursday, but lil wyatt decided he wanted to wait a little longer to see us. ;) the doctors scheduled to induce ali friday, but again the potoson [have NO idea how that is spelled] did not seem to phase our little renfrow. at 8:00pm friday night, after some scary heartbeat levels of wyatts, the doctor and matt & ali agreed to have a cesarian section. at 8:59, wyatt daniel was born!

recap...
name: wyatt daniel renfrow
weight: 9 lbs, 10 ozs [he's a big boy!]
length: 21.5 inches
hair: brown
eyes: deep blue
and he's got his auntie ashwee's olive skin tone too! :)

more pictures to come soon. unfortunately, my camera is being troublesome. these are just a few, so enjoy!

wyatt and daddy (my bro- matt!)


wyatt and his trooper of a mommy, ali!

minimalistic

i have a new-found love for black and white photography. i don't know what it is, but something about black and white just shows more emotion than color photos do. this minimalistic form of photography sheds light on emotion. it gets to the core of the subject and reveals it's true form. i was watching tv the other day and there was a special on the arts channel of a man who photographs in x-ray format. so neat! the images you see here are from www.wineandjam.com i was going to nanny for the woman who owns this studio but she decided to stay in california instead of coming to the beach. (plus i got a better family to work for anyways!) :) take a look around- i bet you'll love it.

home sweet home

thursday evening i came home for the summer! i am so very excited to be back in chesapeake, with my amazing parents and sweet pups. just a thought on family...

The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together.
~Erma Bombeck

(myself and my cousin, andrea, at the fair in rehoboth, delaware!)

home truly is where the heart is.

sidenote: still no baby! ali was due on thursday, but it seems that lil baby renfrow (they're not finding out the sex until he/she wants to come out and tell us all!) isn't quite ready! here's a little pic of the ultrasound a long while back. keep praying for ali's health and the little baby's health! we're all a little anxious now!!!

CYNTHIA'S ENGAGED!

ahhh i never thought that the day would come, but it finally has! my best friend from high school called me last night and told me that her beau popped the big question! CONGRATULATIONS to you both, sweet cyndie and john michael!!! :)



cyndie and i met in elementary school, and continued to go to the same schools up through high school. however it wasn't until our tenth grade of high school that our friendship really blossomed. cynthia and i were leaving the parking lot one afternoon in our respective cars when BANG - i got a little lovetap on the back of the trooper.:) well anyone who knows the trooper knows that nothing short of a meteor could destroy that thing. so needless to say, my car was fine. cyndie's on the other hand had a few more problems. though she was only going mayyyyyyybe 4mph, the hood of her car was bent in half along with quite a few other problems. we ran into the school to call her dad from a payphone (i think we both got cell phones after this) and our friendship took off from there. since then we were inseparable, until cynthia went to liberty university and i came to vt. however we're lucky enough to be less than two hours from each other and love to visit when we can.

cyndie, your friendship has meant the world to me and i don't think i would have made it through western branch without you! all those nights at 4REAL, orchestra trips (bus hair!) and countless phonecalls have shaped me into the person i am and i thank you for that. you're such an amazing friend, who has a heart for the lord and a compassion like no other. john michael is a lucky man for sure! i am sooo excited for you and wish you both all the best. now i know what we'll be doing on the beach all summer- reading wedding magazines! i love you girl!!! :)

simplicity

so i have a new favorite magazine. granted, i'm only 22 and only wish i needed to read articles about "organizing my basement" but still, i love reading this periodical for the new tips and great quotes interspursed throughout. what is it?
REAL SIMPLE.
I LOVE IT. go buy an issue and i know you'll agree with me. in fact, if you go onto their website you can request a free trial issue (i actually got two!) instead of paying full price. buy it. enjoy it. and get excited about organizing your basement. :)

"each morning the day lies like a fresh shirt on our bed; this incomparably fine, incomparably tightly woven tissue of pure prediction fits us perfectly."
-walter benjamin, one-way street

captivating

as previously mentioned, i'm reading captivating: unveiling the mystery of a woman's soul with my bible study this semester. just the first few pages of the book excite me and have me wanting to curl up in bed with some tea and read from cover to cover. sadly, we have this whole "chapter a week" thing to do, so that we can actually get something out of our readings. :p (note the sarcasm here. i love you girls!) i thought i would share this quote that just resonated within me and might for other women as well,
"sometime between the dreams of your youth and yesterday, something precious has been lost. and that treasure is your heart, your priceless feminine heart. God has set within you a femininity that is powerful and tender, fierce and alluring. no doubt it has been misunderstood. surely it has been assaulted. but it is there, your true heart, and it is worth recovering. you ARE captivating."
pretty awesome, huh? that's just page x of the introduction. i'm telling you. go get this book. it's amazing and i know you'll agree with me. :)

for Ali

Wow. Nothing short of amazing, eigh? Most people think it's a marvel of modern photoshop; however, I like to believe it's a burst of energy anxious to grace us with his/her presence. :) With my sister-in-law expecting in early May, the arrival of a new Renfrow floors me. How amazing is childbirth? A little something I just wrote...

A mother's stomach
the fetus' cocoon
housing a beauty
to brush the canvas of life

a life paramount
remains as one
in the hands of her Creator

the growth lines
these "stretch marks"
are anything but...

they are
remarkable beauty
evidence of a love
with endless domains


how lucky she is
how amazing she will be

a mother

We love you Ali. I can't wait to be Aunt Ashley. :)

simple joys

"Don't sweat the small stuff."

Today I woke up dreading the work load ahead of me. I walked outside to the 16 degree chill of a Blacksburg January, knowing the day would only grow colder. On days like today I have to remind myself of the simple joys. This Wednesday I have class from 9-5 and mountains of homework awaiting me aftewards, so it's imperative to find pleasure in the small things. We have the most adorable, primative coat rack in our apartment that says in big, bronze letters "simplify." Take a deep breath. Read a good book. Remind youself of the simple joys today.

Some simple joys that I love:

-twinkle lights
-mittens
-The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle
-ribbon bows
-emmy kisses
-giggling
-the smell of freshly-baked cookies
-french braids
-Starbucks cinnamon dolce latte
-crayola markers (my personal favorite? macaroni and cheese)
-holding hands
- :)

tis the season...

...for engagements!!! wow, i never thought that i would hear of so many people i know about to tie the knot! and so soon!!!first of all, let me say CONGRATULATIONS to all of you beautiful girls. as is expected, a girls-only major is certainly conducive to multiple engagements in a short period of time. with that said, i must explain how when we see some new "ice," we all take the first ten minutes of class learning about the ring, the man, the future wedding plans, how he proposed, if she cried...you get the idea. the engagement spark has hit my heart as well and the wedding magazine section is one of my favorite areas now at barnes and noble. future wedding planner rather than first-grade teacher? not really in the stars for me, but certainly a current fascination that brings perpetual joy. :)

classic or classroom attire?

being an elementary education major, i have typically been surrounded by females in each of my classes over the past four years. in fact, we never had a consistent male in the undergraduate coursework and Will is the lone soldier in our el.ed. masters program. having said this, it is reasonable to expect that i am surrounded by every fashion sense imaginable. granted, we don't have the gothic category, but nearly every other arena is represented among the 49 masters students.

some of the girls in my major are up-to-date with the current fashion trends. be it the chunky necklaces, embellished jeans (which i still do not understand) or the infamous "bug sunglasses," these fashionistas look like they stepped right out of the january in style.

then there are the girls who step out of a talbot's catalog to come to class. whether it's jeans or a skirt, they have the pearl necklace, bracelet and matching earrings to boast. the pearl-accessorizers have multiple sizes of pearls in various colors as well. i must admit, since coming to vt i have bought a pair of cheap, belk pearl earrings and the corrdinating necklace and tried (emphsis on try here) to pull off this look. not really me, but undeniably a classic.

then there are the comfy girls. they live for comfort and make it their motto. whether it's jeans, sweatshirts, or sweatpants, these girls are awesome. i admire these future teachers, who are obviously on the right track, worrying about how it feels rather than how it looks. i, sadly, only own one sweatshirt and have more colored pants than i do jeans in my closet. not a member of this fashion clan either.


so where do i fall in this social order of fashion? i think it's a combination of each of the above. i try to be up-to-date with the latest fashion, but chunky necklaces and ballet slippers just don't fit with my cardigans. the pearls work well with my current wordrobe, again sweaters and cardigans, however i believe they are more apt for those who put lots of time into their appearance. no makeup and wet hair + pearls? not quite fitting for me. sadly, i own a true teacher wardrobe. sweaters, cardigans, lots of khakis, danskos, striped t-shirts- i'm straight out of a first-grade classroom. classic or too classroomy? hmmmm. i think i'll make a new years resolution: as of february 5th, i will try to dress less teacher-y and more "hip." doubtful. :)

children

you may be wondering where the title of my blog came from. welllll, "nothing without joy" is the motto i used in my philosophy of education. children are filled with joy and find it's presence in the everyday. here's a little bit of my poetry that conveys the point even further...

The Child

Her hands
wrinkle and scar invisibly
as she clutches a balloon string.
The five innocent fingers,
not yet aged with lines of experience,
have no boundaries.
These hands
promise a future.

Her eyes
are satiated with wonder,
in awe at a drifting balloon.
Her world is imaginative.
The tiny anthills are giant mountains.
Fresh grass creates a royal wonderland.
These eyes
appreciate a devalued world.

Her shoes
crumble with curiosity.
They are worn from wonder
as she chases a balloon’s path.
A questioning voyager
wears size four sneakers.
These shoes
begin to traverse a world unknown.

Her mind
explores nature’s bounty,
admiring the sky engulfing a balloon.
She surrenders to discovery
and searches for treasures in the ground below.
A dandelion is the approving toy.
This mind
dances, seeing a flower where weeds remain.

Her heart
burning with desire
for an unknown world.
She delights in the soaring balloon,
relishing a simplistic life in the clouds.
This heart
is the poetry
of a spirit often lost in life.

books

so i just finished james patterson's 3rd degree last night; wow, what a novel! for those of you who don't know of the author, james patterson is a suspense/thriller writer. now understand that it's not the scary, chainsaw-murder, "thriller"-type, but rather suspenseful writing that keeps you turning the pages. this last book was about a group of terrorists who informed the public via email of their attacks. it also really gave me an insight into the justice system of the united states. if you ever want to borrow any of his works, let me know! :) so my bible study just began again for the spring semester. last night we all decided to study the book captivating: unveiling the mystery of a woman's soul by stasi and john eldredge. (john eldredge wrote wild at heart, for all you men.) just from the opening of the book, i know that i am going to love it. most of you know that i am a very emotional person, who even cries at the emergency vet shows on animal planet. the publisher describes it:

"Every little girl has dreams of being rescued by the hero, of being swept away into a great adventure, of being the beautiful princess. Sadly, when women grow up, they are taught to be tough, efficient, and independent. The Eldredges reveal in the first chapter what every woman's three core desires are: to be romanced, to play a role in her own adventures and to display beauty."

not only should every woman read this book, every man should too as well. men need to understand how most women dream of the fairytale romance. they also need to accept that women desire adventure as well; we don't all dream of baking pork chops and cleaning windows! i can't wait to read into the book more and share with you later.

continental breakfasts

the trials of a typical college student begin at 6am on monday mornings, or do they? well mine do at least, for 6am is the joyous time that my little emmy chooses to wake me up on a daily basis. that sweet puppy breath and the leap of a 64 pound dog awaken me from my joyous slumber each and every morning. our normal routine involves a trip outside the apartment building into the cold, where i stand freezing in my tinkerbell slippers while emmy chases squirrels and sticks. once my arms turn into "chicken skin" (this is what my english conversation partner minjung calls goosebumps!) i run inside with emmy following my every step. with disheveled hair and one eye open, i scoop the beloved smell of iams into her bowl and trudge back into my warm bed. a few minutes later, the monster with bad breath leaps onto the cow comforter, licking me with a sign of affection and falls back into her wild, puppy dreams at the foot of my bed. this is our morning ritual and, as much of a nuisance it may seem, nothing else puts a smile on my face quite like her. nothing without joy. :)