ready to ride!

Grayson loves helmets...and glasses. This picture just makes me laugh! Watching him walk around with that helmet on always makes me think of Dark Helmet in Spaceballs.

it's a baby!

Erica had her ultrasound last week and we found out...it's a baby! *whew!* we were worried there for a second! More specifically, we found out that it's a boy. So, no girls in the David Hintze lineage as yet! I guess it's all up to me...hmmmm, then we might never have a girl! Anyway, here's a few pics of the little guy. I will respect his privacy and not post the "boy" shot! I do have some boundaries!!

A profile shot

The top of his head--when Grayson saw it, he said "gawww, that's big!" Where does he come up with this stuff?!

A foot

A face shot--this pic is a little creepy!

Does anyone else ever think of the episode of Friends where Rachel can't see the baby in the ultrasound when you see ultrasound pics? It always makes me laugh!

introducing Thomas Cooper Frey

Cooper was born around 2:00pm this afternoon to my dear friend Joni (Hanks) Frey. Cooper was originally due on March 11th, but he seems to be a laid-back guy who was in no hurry to arrive--but arrive he has! Cooper is Joni and Tommy's first child. As I thought it best not to alarm a 6-hour old infant with bright camera flashes, these pics were all taken without flash in a dim hospital room...so they're a little blurry.

Joni and Cooper

Tommy and Cooper

Awwwwhhhh!

Erica and Cooper

Me and Cooper

(Erica did not have the same qualms about using a flash...and Cooper didn't seem to mind!)

I think Erica pinched him or something...

I leave you with a foot! :)

I'm sure more pictures will follow in the days and weeks ahead! You know how I love taking pictures of babies!!

Easter, part 2: pocking eggs!

I don't know what y'all do with a basket full of boiled eggs, but around here we pock 'em! Pocking eggs was always a part of our Easter family get-togethers, but I'm realizing more and more how strange and unfamiliar many of our South Louisiana traditions are to outsiders, so I'll explain: (actually, the person who wrote this blog will explain!)

It works like this. You take your hard-boiled egg, and your opponent would take his. Both of you would hold them with the pointy end exposed, and the two of you would rap them together until the point of one or the other broke. The broken egg became the property of the person with the intact egg. This would go on until nobody had an uncracked egg.

Here are some pics of this strange but really fun tradition!

Erica and Presley are really excited about their freshly dyed eggs!

Peyton and Presley are modeling with the eggs!

The girls are getting the hang of it!

Explaining to Pawpaw how it's done.

I just liked Presley's expression in this one.

The victorious pock!

Grayson and mom ditched the pocking for a serious conversation.

Erica with the last egg standing!

Presley with the victorious egg!

What do you do with a bunch of cracked, hard-boiled eggs? You peel them, of course!

Eva is saying "get off me!" You can tell that she has older siblings...and a pesky Pawpaw!

Me and my mom

Evidence of my mad photography skills!

Well, I don't know about all that...but these are some pics from our "Trahan family photo shoot" at Rip Van Winkle gardens in New Iberia, LA, last weekend. We never did get a good family pic--2-year-olds can be a bit temperamental--but we got some cute shots of Grayson.

Old habits die hard...

Ok, when I did my little experiment in November, it was not with the intention of flaking out on all of December...but it is beginning to appear that way, isn't it?! I'm blaming it on the SEASON! Nights that I would be home blogging 'til my heart's content, I have been at Church sitting through Sunday AM Christmas show production practices (We're doing a three-part thing on three consecutive Sundays) OR fuming in stupid Lafayette holiday traffic in an effort to find interesting and novel Christmas presents without spending exorbitant amounts of money OR at Mom's house wrapping her presents and trying to help out as best I can since she bears the lion's load of the holiday fanfare OR serving as a personal shopping assistant to dear ones who need someone along who'll say "oh yeah, she'll love that!" at the moment of indecision and frustration. I've had things that I wanted to blog about...but they occur to me at inopportune moments and then vanish like twilight dreams. And so this is a rambling apology and a promise to do better for the last 10 days of the year, or so!

Oh, and I am celebrating as today is my LAST day of Substitute Teaching--Hooray!!! I'll post more on the details later...

Oh #2, yesterday was Grayson's 2nd birthday. We had a party for him on Sunday at mom's house, and I took some pictures but Erica has confiscated my digital camera indefinitely (get your OWN camera, Trahan family!) so I don't really have any to post. I'll post a pic of him from just after he was born. It's hard to believe we started with such a fragile little creature now that we're in the throes of toddlerhood!

Just after he came home.

At Josh and Ashley's wedding this summer (all of my more recent pics of him are on film or in my camera, both of which are in Erica's posession!)

Just Say No To Turkey!

That's right dear reader! This year our family just said NO to turkey on Thanksgiving! How sick and twisted is that?! Instead, we had barbecue ribs and chicken, roasted corn grits (which I've recently become kinda obsessed with) and rice dressing along with the more traditional green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole and pumpkin pie. I must say that the meal was quite delightful! A wonderful time was had by all! Happy Thanksgiving, dear reader!! And if you're hitting all of those great Black Friday sales starting at 4am tomorrow, ...lemme know how that goes for ya! But wait until a little later to call because you won't catch me up and shopping at such a psychotic hour!

FYI

Well, I have nothing to post today...but in an effort to follow through on my commitment to post everyday for the month of November, I'm writing a post to tell you that I have nothing to post...it's been a long--and not particularly fun--day. For those of you who are familiar with my extended family, my Aunt Sussie's 22-year-old son Brandon died Friday from complications following an epileptic seizure. His wake was today and his funeral is tomorrow. Please keep his parents and older sister Kristen in your prayers in the days and weeks ahead. He was a sweetheart, and I still don't think I've realized that he's really gone. I will miss him.

every new beginning...

'every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end'

It's a line from an over-played song by Semisonic circa 1999, but while the song is out of vogue--forgotten, along with a plethora of other songs that are relegated to the dungeon of non-peak play lists--the sentiment is timeless. Graduation was last night. It was our school's first graduation. And while it was beautiful and special, I can't help but be a little melancholy today as I think back over the last three years and recognize all that has brought us to this point.

I started teaching at Highland as a last-minute replacement for a middle/high school math position that had become vacant at the end of the first quarter. My initial encounter with the then 10th graders was probably less than warm. They were not happy about the turn of events that brought me to the school, and--according to Hanna--they had planned to dislike me from the start. I was stressed out about teaching Geometry, so I really didn't pick up on the coolness of the group, and, as I was a close friend of their class sponsor, I tagged along on many of their fundraisers and outings. I guess they eventually came to accept me and we all survived that year of Geometry.

And then the next year I transitioned into teaching English and Bible. I was their Apologetics teacher and as we had a very open curriculum, the class gave us wonderful opportunities to plumb the depths of many ponderous mysteries--mainly those of God and boys. I continued to participate in those fundraisers and we went to NYC that spring. Now, you haven't really been to NYC until you've been there with a group of 16-year-old girls...and Aggie! Truly one of the most memorable experiences of my life!

And then this year they were seniors. I had a mixed class of juniors and seniors for Speech I--a class that no one wanted to take! Gone were the days of in-depth conversation which could be considered class discussion. We now had a defined subject matter and a classroom infiltrated by another group. With a larger group and some serious cases of senioritis, we lost some of the camaraderie of before. No princess parties to commiserate over. No trip itineraries to plan. It was par-for-the-course, so to speak. Relationships ebb and flow, and I thought it a natural separation as these girls began to plan for the next phase of their lives.

And then came graduation. I expected to be more emotional about the whole thing, but I had a camera in my hands and I was more concerned with preserving memories than I was about processing them. I listened to speeches and presentations with the ear of a speech teacher and I watched it all with the eyes of a photographer. I was excited to see them in their caps and gowns. I was amazed to see Brittney looking out at the crowd as she gave her speech. I laughed at this ridiculously entertaining German in his Italian suit as he talked of his upcoming debate with the guest speaker. (Becca's gonna be the only one who gets that.) I hurriedly ate my meal and chatted with co-workers and then I wandered around the restaurant snapping pictures of the chatty family and friends of the graduates.

And then I brought the film in to be developed. As I looked through the pictures, I was struck with a bittersweet reality--it's over. We are now at 'some other beginning's end'. They've graduated. They're moving on to exciting new beginnings. They will never all be together again as they have been...and for a group of five girls who have been in school together since elementary school, that's a big deal. And while I'm sure that each of them will be successful in the days and years ahead, I still grieve for the days and years left behind. Time is such an interesting concept. You cannot speed it up, you cannot slow it down, and it will not be stopped. I just wish that it came with a pause button! Change is exciting and surprising and a necessity, I know...but it involves some growing pains and loss that catch me by surprise from time to time.

So to the class of 2007, I will remember you...

• every time I see a Louis Vuitton purse


• every time I hale a cab


• every time I see a crystal tiara


• every time I hear The Prayer


• every time I eat an airplane biscotti cookie


• every time I avoid a geometry proof ;)


• every time I see a little Chinese man fall through a wall (...hopefully never again!)


• every time I wear camo


• every time I see Christmas decorations


• every time I eat a 'Big Bertha' or a Caramel Cream


• every time I hear Wicked or Phantom


• every time I read Donald Miller


• every time I see prom dresses


• every time I run into Brittney's future husband!!


• every time I encounter a group of girls as diverse as can be, but who still know and love each other like sisters

...in short, I will think of you often! I love you!!

Wisdom of the ages

My aunt Sussie took this picture at Thanksgiving. This is my Pawpaw with two of his great-grandchildren--Grayson and Austin. I ran across this while I was looking for something else, and I love it, so I thought I'd post it.

Me...the budding photographer ;)

I took these pics for Erica and Damon the weekend after Thanksgiving, but she wouldn't let me post them because she was giving some of them for Christmas presents...so now i can finally post them!! (They're scanned from 4x6 prints.) I am having lots of fun with my Aunt Sussie's old Cannon AE-1 Film SLR camera! (I don't know what I'm doing, so I'm always excited when the pics turn out well!!)

Grayson actually looked AT the camera and said "cheeeeessssseeee"!!!

I believe it was THE only time he actually looked at the camera the whole time!

Grayson hasn't quite started walking on his own yet, but he loves to toddle around with help. I just thought this was a cute, candid pic.

Damon, Grayson, and Erica
Christmas 2006

He was always more interested in what was going on somewhere else, so this was a common occurance. We just thought it made for a neat shot.

I love the colors in the stones and columns in this shot.

And here Grayson looks like an old cajun man telling a story. He's a hand-talker, for sure!