Happy Birthday, Baby Hunter!

Hunter Blackwood was born 5:50pm Wednesday November 28, 2012.

Congratulations, Stefanie and Heath!

Happy 32nd Birthday, Jean!

Stefanie made the cake for Jean's birthday. I made dinner, and April and Clinton kept a watch out for Jean so we could surprise her. We were just finishing up the candles when Jean walked in. Surprise!

Happy Birthday, Jean!

Sorry the video was so short. The memory card was full. :(

Jean blew out all 32 candles in 1.5 breaths. It still counts. I hope all your birthday wishes come true!

Love,

                   Colleen

Aqui 'Ta!

Art and Diane sent this to me, and it made my day. Enjoy. P.S. They're saying "Donde esta el bebe... Aqui 'Ta!" from Ice Age in Spanish.

Little Beds

Clinton finally upgraded from crib to toddler bed. As you can see, he loves it. What I don't understand is how adorable a little bed could be. I mean... it's jwust stho kwute!

New Toy

 

Karate Kiddo

Stef and Clinton: Venture Outdoors Festival

You can watch the "cooking" video that Clinton and April made on April's Blog here:

http://imaginarymonth.blogspot.com/2012/06/video-cooking-with-clinton.html

Boy or Girl?

Oh Happy News!! Clinton will be a big brother soon! Please post your prediction for the gender and due date for our new bundle of joy. Prize TBA. The doctor says the due date is December 6. Heath thinks it's a girl who will be born on 11/27 (note: Heath accurately predicted the gender and due date for Clinton) We shall see...

The New Avatar

Because Art and Diane are new to this family blogging, I'm posting this video of Grace where she quotes little Avatar Korra.

Clinton Runs!

Clinton has a lot of energy in the morning. He had already run around 5 million times.

Happy Birthday Mother of Eight!

You can hear Clinton gargling in the background.
That's how he says "I love you Grandma, happy birthday!" No no... not really... but all of us do love you! xoxo

Happy Easter from Kape

Colleen tells a story to Clinton

Ode to my Nanny

A rap by Clinton

photo art by Amora

She's  cool, she's smart, she even likes to sing.

She's patient, She's funny. She loves The Lion King.

Eggs and toast for breakfast; ramen and broccoli;

If you want to see her smile pass her a day old brownie.

She really loves her Kindle; a bookworm to the core.

Her all-in-one desktop leaves her disconnected no more.

She likes chatting via web cam; teley's are a snore.

Dr. Who and Kora make her jump up on the floor.

She makes a mean PB&J; She's learning Japanese.

She's even taught me manners; I'll say "Bless you!" when you sneeze.

Who takes great care of Clinton from 9AM to five?

Who loves Supernatural and Once Upon a Time?

My nanny--That's who. She's totally the best.

I hope you liked this rap. I made it up myself.

My nanny is so awesome. I'm lucky that she's here.

A big shout out to my Aunt Apey. Thanks for wiping my rear!

The Hoarder in You

I just finished reading The Hoarder in You: How to Live a Happier, Healthier, Uncluttered Life. It was written by Dr. Robin Zasio of the A&E Network's show Hoarders.  It was an excellent read, which I highly recommend to all of you for several reasons: 1) We all have stuff, 2) we all have emotional stuff, and  3) we've had personal experience with hoarding. I strongly  believe that this is one of those "best books" out of which you can seek "words of wisdom." Below are some insights I have gleaned from this book, patterned by President Gordon B. Hinckley's message to the youth in 2000.

Be grateful. We are always told to be grateful for things that we have, but how do we show that gratitude? The book talks about making items useful, storing or displaying them properly, or giving them to somebody else who might have a better use for them.

Be smart. Becoming better stewards, as God would have us be, requires us to learn. Sometimes, clutter overwhelms us simply because we don't know what to do with it. We have plenty of resources to instruct us and help us. Plus, learning how to manage our possessions saves us time and money that we otherwise would have spent searching for a lost item or buying its replacement.

Be clean. There's a reason why it's said: "Cleanliness in next to godliness." Clutter creates anxiety, which tends to make us turn to our natural-man bad habits. Addressing clutter also increases anxiety, but it's an anxiety that has an end. There's also the added health benefits: more room to exercise, breathe easily, prepare fresh food, sanitize surfaces, etc.

Be true. We're all prone to some clutter blindness, whether physical or emotional. We get used to living a certain way and simply ignore the truth, or we lie to ourselves. Striving to be true helps us recognize and avoid Satan's lies.

Be humble. A lot of hoarding problems come from a person's being a perfectionist. There's no perfect place to put something, so the perfectionist ultimately feels defeated. Pride also keeps us from celebrating our successes because we think a little improvement is never enough. Being humble helps us to be patient with ourselves and with others who want to help us.

Be prayerful. Dr. Robin asks her patients to "sit" with their feelings of anxiety. In other words, meditate on the feeling before acting on it, whether that is to avoid the clutter or work on it. Meditating and being prayerful helps us take a feeling, which may happen in a split-second, and pick it apart to reveal and address the untruths that are lying underneath like "I'm a failure," or "I'll never change."

I apologize for the length of this post, but I wanted to share with you all a little of what I learned, just in case you decide to not read the book. I hope this helps all of you, even if it's just in a little way.

RIP McKaela

I'm sorry to report that our chinchilla, McKaela, died this morning. Three years ago, I was pondering what life would be like when I got back from my mission. I wrote that McKaela would still be the same because "she's a strange, hearty creature." Every time I went to her cage, I expected her to be dead, and every time, she proved me wrong, until now. I gave her fresh food and water the other day, but I think she was already weak. I had also given her a fresh dust bath, and that's where I found her. She seemed so peaceful, I thought she might be sleeping, but alas, she was not.
I did some research, and it turns out she had the symptoms of a  respiratory illness, which apparently is difficult to detect until it is too late. Now, she is in chinchilla heaven, which I imagine to be full of dust and almonds. To those of you who will miss Micky (as I affectionately called her), I send my condolences. She was a good chinchilla. May she rest in peace.

A House Called Shelley: Don't Be a Voldemort

A House Called Shelley: Don't Be a Voldemort: After months away from this blog, I've finally decided to come back. I mostly attribute my long absence to Seasonal Affective Disorder. I di...

Clinton Says Hello to everybody!

Us in the LDS Film Festival

Thought I'd share:
the animations Jared, Ape, and I participated in for the LDS Film Festival 2011 & 2012.

http://highonacting.blogspot.com/2012/01/lds-film-festival-filmmaker-twice.html

karyn

For Example

Brian sent this little video via email, but now we can post videos to this blog for all Garrison Clan members to see!

The Garrulous Garrisons

So in coming up with this blog, April and I ran a few names: The Garrisonian, Garrulous Garrisons (my favorite after "The Garrison Clan"), Garrison Gauntlet, Garrison Gimmick, Ghostly/ Ghastly Garrisons, etc. You may suggest a few names too, but I like the simple, strong, and traditional "Garrison Clan". I hope that as we share the special moments in our lives, we can grow closer together, even though we may actually be so very far apart. I love you all and cannot wait to hear from you! Please send pictures and videos as often as you can.

Much Love,

Colleen E.

P.S.  garrulous adj. given to constant idle, trivial, tedious talking