Busy as a Busy Bee

This is one of those posts to say I'm super busy right now and don't have the time to post too much! We are all alive and well, (although Noah caught some type of 24 hour bug and then shared it with J) I'm just super busy.

For those who don't know, every year BirthMom Buds has a big event/retreat for Birthmother's Day. (Yes, I know it's actually held the weekend before Birthmother's Day but it's still in honor or Birthmother's Day.) This is our 6th event and although it's a lot of work I really love doing them. Luckily since Melanie came on board as the event planner a few years ago and took over a lot of the logistics which left me the opportunity to focus more on the decor and program aspect of the event which is more up my alley.

This year's theme is Mad Hatter's Tea Party and has been really fun to plan. Since choosing the theme I've noticed Alice in Wonderland parties popping up everywhere. I'm sure that has something to do with the release of the new movie. I'm excited to be able to show you pictures of all of the decorations next week!

This year we have a lot of out of town guests coming too. We have some people that are on the BirthMom Buds staff and I've been friends with for several years now but have never met in person!!

It seems like no matter how much I do before hand there still ends up being a lot of little things left to do in the days right before our event so that will keep me busy this week but next week I plan to address some of the questions that some of you have asked me regarding Noah's up coming surgery.

Quote of the Week: The Will of God

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

Wordless Wednesday: Angel Choir Boy

Noah does this little pose that my Mom and I have nicknamed "the angel choir boy" pose. He'll take both his hands, put them together, then place them next to ear. At first I thought he was only doing it when he was tired but then I noticed he does it pretty frequently so I think it's just calming/safe to him.  Whatever the reason he does it - it's cute!

Once upon a time, having so many pics of Noah doing this might have bugged me. I was always looking for that "perfect" shot. Ya know, hands folded neatly in his lap or something. But now, photos like these that capture Noah as he truly is have become my favorites. 

 
Angel Choir Boy in the Mountains

Angel Choir Boy at Baseball

Angel Choir Boy at Easter

Angel Choir Boy at Special Olympics

For more Wordless Wednesday check out 5 Minutes for Moms, Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs, and Wordless Wednesday Headquarters

I Heart Faces: Collage Week

It's collage week at I Heart Faces and since yesterday was mine and my husband's 7th anniversary I thought I'd make a collage with some pics recently taken after a photo shoot at one of my favorite parks. (Click on it for a larger view.)

Check out more collages at I Heart Faces!

Houston, We have a Surgery Date!

It feels like "lift off" now that we finally have a surgery date for Noah's Scoliosis surgery. It's May 28th. I'm teary eyed as I type this feeling both relief and even more worry. It just feels so real now to have a date. So so so very real.

Wordless Wednesday: Special Olympics

Noah was in the Special Olympics yesterday. His events were the 25 meter wheelchair race and the ball throw. He did the wheelchair race in one minute and one second and had a blast. The expressions on his face say it all.................

Getting a lil' pep talk from his "coach"

And their off!

He's so excited because he sees his Momma, Daddy, and Grandparents at the finish line!

Look at those lil' hands hard at work!

Granddad on the sidelines cheering him on

He's so so so proud of himself - and we are too!

For more Wordless Wednesday check out 5 Minutes for Moms, Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs, and Wordless Wednesday Headquarters

Ban the R Word

I HATE the "R" word.

It's derogatory.

It's ignorant.

It's used in a joking manner when it's just NOT funny.

It's offensive.

It hurts people.

It's disrespectful.

Some people feel that getting upset about the use of "the r word" is silly but I say that those people have obviously never had their child or a loved one called that name.

I honestly feel that the r word and the n word are brothers. The African American community came together and spoke up to make others realize that the n word is derogatory and now the special needs community and their supporters are doing the same.

We've taken the pledge to ban the r word....
Won't you?
(Drop us a line if you do!) 

Quote of the Week: Pace of Nature

"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience." 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ultimate Blog Party 2010

It's party time! 5 Minutes for Moms is hosting their annual blog party. I participated two years ago but didn't participate last year. It was a fun and great way to meet new bloggers so I thought I'd give it a try again. Kick off your shoes (or slippers), grab a cupcake and a soda, and learn a little bit about Coley's Corner.

For the newbies visiting Coley's Corner, let me tell you a little bit about myself. My name is actually Nicole but most of my friends call me Coley, so you can too!

I'm married to the love of my life, J, and we'll be celebrating our 7th anniversary this month! Together we are raising my son, Noah, who is thirteen. Noah has cerebral palsy, epilepsy, ADD, severe scoliosis, and is borderline autistic. Noah will be having a big, brutal surgery this summer so please keep him in your thoughts and prayers and feel free to check back for updates. Noah is definitely a handful but he's a heart full too! We live in the South where I'm a stay at home Mom, free lancer writer, and photographer

I actually got addicted to blogging my reading them first and finally said, "Hey, I want one too!" Thus, Coley's Corner was born. It's basically just a mish mosh of posts that mean something to me such as venting about raising a child with special needs, sharing a tutorial on a craft projet, sharing a meaningful quote, or participating in a photo challenge. And sometimes I even re-discover myself through my writings here!

I've made many friends through blogging and maybe I'll make a few more through this blog party. Leave me a comment and let me know where your home on the web is and I'll pop by. 

Thanks for visiting! 

Wordless Wednesday: Easter Photos

Noah was NOT in the mood for picture taking. I tried multiple times on separate days to get good pics of him in his Easter outfit but he was uncooperative. I snapped these at the park near my parents house on the way home from church and they turned out pretty cute.

(Love his expression in this one!)

For more Wordless Wednesday check out 5 Minutes for Moms, Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs, and Wordless Wednesday Headquarters

A Few of my Favorite Things about Spring

Fall is my favorite season. It has been for as long as I can remember. Probably has something to do with my birthday being in the Fall. But I still welcome the change of each season and am thankful for Spring after a long cold winter and can find lots of good things about spring. 

Some of my favorite things about spring are: 

Sandals!

Snowcones!

Epic Flower Rings
(and it's even better when said ring comes from the Easter Bunny - that only happens in the Spring)

Pastel Colors

Baseball

What are your favorite things about Spring??

Quote of the Week: Hope Floats

"Beginnings are scary, endings are usually sad, but it's the middle that counts the most. You need to remember that when you find yourself at the beginning. Just give hope a chance to float up...and it will too." 

~ from the movie Hope Floats

Easter Fun

We had a fun time at my parents for Easter. Church was great and then we enjoyed a nice Easter lunch of chicken cordon blue, baked potatoes, green bean, and salad with fruit parfaits for dessert. 

Saturday evening, we dyed eggs. Noah didn't want to participate so my Mom, brother and I had fun dyeing eggs just like old times. 

Noah's egg turned out to be my favorite. My brother rocked out the dual dye job while I did the writing of "No No." 

Pretty cool, huh?

Hope you had a good Easter!

Happy Easter!

Usually I'd posted a picture of Noah all cute and in his Easter outfit but getting him to just sit and attempt to smile for pictures just hasn't been happening lately. I'm going to try again tomorrow but for now, here's our adorable pup Paisley in her Easter finest!

Happy Easter!

All I need to know I learned from the Easter Bunny.....

 

Don't put all your eggs in one basket. 

Everyone needs a friend who is all ears.

There's no such thing as too much candy.

All work and no play can make you a basket case.

A cute tail attracts a lot of attention.

Everyone is entitled to a bad hare day.

Let happy thoughts multiply like rabbits.

Some body parts should be floppy.

Keep your paws off of other people's jelly beans.

Good things come in small, sugar coated packages.

The grass is always greener in someone else's basket.

To show your true colors, you have to come out of the shell.

The best things in life are still sweet and gooey.

Beautiful Day

What a beautiful day it was here today. It was a smidge too hot for the first of April (mid 80's - sheesh!) but the sun was shining and I had outdoor photo shoot for friends, brought J and Noah with me and we all just had a nice time. I got splish splashed my pink toes in a fountain (along with the kids) that we probably weren't supposed to be splish splashing in but it was still a good day!