Watch out Disney World, here we come!

*Note* Click the Blue "Watch out Disney World, here we come!" heading to cut the French music (this goes with the next post and will make no sense with the Disney World Photos).

Hello again,
I am sorry it has been so long since I have posted anything significant, but March has been a crazy month! Chris's new job (though still at Lexmark), has kept him busy (I don't think the word "busy" even covers it). He spent 8 days away from us in France, and Sarah spent time in Pikeville (as did I for a couple of days). He returned on Saturday night only to prepare for our next adventure, Disney World! We knew we were going south for spring break (I am so tired of the cold weather...see late fall posts...) but we did not decide where we would head when the time was right. Disney World fell into place on Tuesday night and we had to begin the gigantic task of finding all our warm weather clothes by Thursday morning! I am tired just thinking about it. Needless to say, when Sarah found out she was going to meet Mickey, she was ecstatic. The funny part was she wasn't exactly sure what Disney World was. She kept asking questions like, "Do they have toys there?" I think she thought we were going to a gigantic Disney store like in the mall.
Wednesday was crazy. Sarah began "helping" me pack. Yikes! She brought me every pair of pajamas she could find and piled them up in a suitcase. I undid everything while she napped so I wouldn't hurt her feelings. Once we got the dog feeding lined up (thanks Jason and Papaw Coleman, we owe you one), we were ready to go!

Here is our happy little girl watching movies on the way down with Lamby and Winston. Notice the gigantic piles of stuff surrounding her. We need a bigger car for this! Once we made it there, we dropped everything off at the villa and jumped back in the car for an evening Magic Kingdom visit.

This is our first tram ride into the park. Sarah couldn't wipe the smile off her face.

Notice the Minnie Mouse shirt. Brandy brought this home for Sarah on her last visit. She was so excited to show it to Minnie and Mickey.


We're here! Isn't the castle beautiful?




I wanted one of those oh so cute photos of Sarah in front of the castle. She would have none of it. She wanted to find a ride. Oh well...


As we closed in on the big guy, Mickey Mouse himself, Sarah spied Pluto's doghouse.


Here is Mickey's bedroom! He was so kind to let us invade his private space.
Yea! We found Mickey! Sarah had to bring her smaller version of him to show big Mickey.

That night, we watched a beautiful parade. Sarah was awestruck.


It's a small world had to be Sarah's favorite ride in the park. We rode it multiple times.
Here is the happy girl on the boat floating through countries.



The castle at night was spooky but beautiful.




Our tired little girl let me hold her for one last photo before we left that night. What a successful night it was! We rode about half the rides in the park in a span of 5 hours! I am so glad we ventured out at night.





The next day was Hollywood Studios. The real thrill of the day was meeting some of the Little Einsteins. Notice the shirt. She was trying to impress them with her Einsteins clothing as well.



She was also happy to see Handy Manny.





But nothing compared to the thrill of Leo and Annie. She loves these two the best.



Next, we moved along to find Woody and Buzz Lightyear.





Unfortunately Buzz had to leave for a mission, but she was happy to meet Woody.

My highlight of the trip was getting to visit the "American Idol Experience." As you can see, the stage looked exactly like the real thing. They had clips of Ryan, Randy, Paula, and Simon and had three real contestants sing per hour with the audience voting for the winner. The finale at night featured all the days winners. The final winner received a golden ticket to take them to the front of the line at the real American Idol auditions. I could have stayed here all day (but my family wouldn't hear of it). Fantastic show!




This was the lady who won our hour. She was good!

Sarah was pumped to see Mickey two days straight! This Mickey hugged and tickled her and wouldn't let her go. It was so cute!

She was pretty excited to get a Mickey hat at the park on this day.

Our last show at Hollywood Studios was "Beauty and the Beast". It really seemed Broadway worthy. The singing was great and the costumes were beautiful.

At Animal Kingdom, Sarah met Pocahontas. She seemed less sure of going up to a real person and not a character.

Jiminy Cricket asked us all to join in a photo.

I think this was Sarah's main attraction of the day. We moved into "Africa" and she couldn't stop playing these drums. I love this photo. Sheer joy!

I must admit, the lines at Animal Kingdom left a lot to be desired. It seemed that everyone in Florida was there on this day! We got a fast pass for the Safari Ride that morning and I am so glad we did. It was the most fun ride of the day. It seemed very realistic.

Meet the crocodiles.
A termite hill (made of termite spit???)
The elephants.

The rhinos...
The tired child. This week really wore her out. This was the only stroller nap she took all week. There was just too much to see and do. I really hope she is able to remember this trip. I know I will cherish many fond memories from this spring break as well.

Our last day at Epcot was cut very short. I forgot the camera so sorry, no photos. We jumped in the car at 1:30pm with the intention of driving 8 hours to Atlanta for the night. But it was not to be... After driving through dangerous sever thunderstorms for hours (with tornado's touching down in towns all around), we called it quits south of Macon. It made for a long Wednesday journey, but it was worth it. We all slept snugly in a king size bed at the Hampton Inn.

I will admit, Sarah did have a hard time driving that many hours in the car. She kept saying "Are we there yet?" and "Get me out of here!" But I wouldn't trade the pain for the great fun we had in Florida.

Now for the unpacking and laundry... May the force be with me.

Traveling Family

Chris returned from France last weekend tired but happy. It was good to get away from the Lexington office for a while and see some sights. He worked until 8:30 pm almost nightly, but still had the chance on the weekend to visit Paris and snap some photos. We are so happy to have him back. He said he missed Sarah terribly (isn't it funny how tiring but wonderful kids are?). He is back to work now, but I thought you might like to see some of the beautiful views of Paris from his lens.

As for Sarah and myself, we visited Pikeville and Sarah stayed for 4 days with Mom and Dad during the work week. What a big girl! She has a blast in the mountains and begs to go often. They brought her back to me just in time for us to spend a couple of "girl time" days and then drive up to Cincy to meet Chris at the airport.
Our travels are far from over this spring. We just booked a few days in Orlando! Sarah is excited to see where Mickey Mouse lives. We will post new photos shortly.
Happy Spring!

Nothing like spring and horses in KY....

This was a busy and oh so fun weekend for the Coleman's. It is finally spring! I have enjoyed the 65 plus temperatures for the past few days. I really think it lifts every one's spirits to be able to come out of the winter cocoons we call houses, and begin to interact with the world again. Chris spent the morning working in the backyard (which, thanks to Katie, is beyond repair). I lifted the windows and happily poked around the house cleaning. Cleaning is not nearly as dreadful when you have warmth and sunlight in each room you enter. Sarah had lots of fun playing with her outdoor toys which have been off limits for so many months.
This evening we went to Maura's third birthday party. What a perfect weekend for a semi-outdoor party! The theme was "horses" and she held the party at her grandparent's house which is beautifully situated on 5 acres nearby our home. I love to visit their home...I stand outside looking at the countryside and pretend just for a moment, that I am looking off my back porch. I guarantee my blood pressure drops every time I visit. Oh well... back to reality...
Maura had a fantastic party! I will give you the "low down" in the photos that follow.

Lily arrived just after us. She is really growing up!

Sarah quickly jumped into a horse costume.


The birthday cake. My friends are all so crafty, my efforts pale in comparison. This is why I go to places like Amerisport gymnastics... I can't compete so, I just let someone else do the work!



Look at the cute stable they created for the occasion.

Here is Julie and "baby Tristan" as Sarah likes to call him. I don't think he is going to be a baby for much longer. He is so cute!

Let the games begin! Sarah brought her stick horse to the party. There was a highly competitive but highly chaotic game of horse racing in the backyard.

stick horse race from Angela Coleman on Vimeo.

Don't worry, everyone got blue ribbons!

Sarah was so proud of her efforts.

As was Lily.

I had a rare photo of Chris and I taken while we had the chance. Notice the blue... we are very "blue" about our beloved Wildcats dismal season.

Sarah got to hop on a real saddle. The funny part was that she couldn't understand what it was and kept saying "It doesn't have a head!"


Julie hid prizes in the hay and let the madness ensue! I think the kids liked this game the best.

Finally, the moment Sarah had been talking about all week. Smokey Joe came out of the barn to greet the kids. Here is Liam saying hello.

Maura wasn't nearly as interested in the horse (since she sees him often). She spent her time on the tractor.

Sarah loves animals. this is the closest she has been to a horse. She even fed him!

Sarah and Smokey Joe from Angela Coleman on Vimeo.

Seventy degree days fade quickly when the sun goes down. On go the coats.

We talked Amy into joining in the fun. Sarah calls her "my Amy". I am so glad they have that special bond. Amy loves birthday parties as much as the kids!

Time to sing for the birthday girl!

All the games and fun tired out these three year olds. Great memories for Maura and all of the kids were made today!

On a completely unrelated note, let me give you the quote of the day from Sarah "wise beyond her years" Coleman. "Let me tell you something Mom, it's not complicated for you". Enough said.

Have a great week!

Not enough time in the day!

Hey readers. Sorry I have been so absent in past weeks. I am quickly finding out that two jobs aren't for me! I have 15 more observations to do for UK before April 1st. Please pray for me! I cannot wait until I am back to just teaching and being a wife and mommy. I have photos and videos to show, but no time to blog about them these days. I will simply crunch a bunch of photos of a variety of February events into one big blog to save myself time.

I am so glad that March has arrived! I celebrated my birthday on March 1st this year (thanks to that elusive Leap day which escapes me three out of four years). I found that, for the first time, I really did not want to celebrate my birthday. I guess I have officially hit "old age" (I know my mom is chuckling as she reads that). I am more excited to see the end of the dismal winter season here in Kentucky. We have had below average temperatures here all winter. We even saw a 10 degree night on Monday night! Luckily this is all about to change. We will even hit 60 degrees by this weekend! This is just in time for Marua's birthday party, which we are excited to attend.
The past month was busy with many birthday parties. Sarah was invited to four parties last month (not counting my birthday)! Amy was nice enough to take Sarah to one and I managed to attend another with her. . Sarah had a great time at Avery's birthday party with many of her friends from church and preschool. I am sorry the photos are not great...I couldn't keep anyone still long enough for a good shot. I guess this is a mark of a great party!

This is Avery's cake. Her mom, Donia, is so crafty. She made this herself! She is also starting up a invitation and program creation business called the Blu Sash. Check her out at http://www.theblusash.com/. She is quite creative and has done work for church, birthdays, and weddings.

Here is one of the few photos I caught of Sarah. The kids spent the who time running along the "yellow brick road". Avery had a Wizard of Oz party and it was so cute.

Nico took a break under the table to escape the chaos for a moment.

Sarah decided that under the table was the place to be as well.

As you can see, watching the birthday girl open presents wasn't a priority for most of these three year olds!

Doesn't Avery look cute as Dorothy?
Here is a wide shot of the event. Thanks for a great party Simmons family! We love your little girl so much!

I have so few photos of Chris's mom and Dad, I thought I would include all of the ones I took this month. Sarah loves playing with her "Mamaw and Papaw from the street". They came by to visit one afternoon.

See the joy?

Mamaw and Sarah hugging.

We feel so blessed to have them living near to us now.


Now for the next of my random February post. We took a trip last Thursday to the local Mall and to my favorite restaurant, the Olive Garden. All Sarah cared about during the day was getting close to the mall play area. She is obsessed with this duck. Look at her triumphant face.

We also spotted a friend at the mall on this day. Nico! They seemed pretty ecstatic to see one another here.

More random thoughts... Sarah is obsessed with balloons. she kept this one from Avery's party. She spends hours playing with any balloon she can find. She seems to think she can blow it up bigger even though it is tied off. I wish my biggest problem of the day was trying to blow up balloons. Oh to be three again!

On my birthday weekend, we decided to drive up to Cincy to take a visit to my favorite hangout, the Cheesecake factory! We loaded up the family. (Mom went with us, Dad went with Jason and Ashley).

Sarah wanted nothing to do with photos in the car.


Mamaw was in a much better mood.
I am embarrassed to say that I took no photos of the trip other than in the car. I don't know what I was thinking!

I came to my senses and grabbed the camera at the end of the day when we stopped of at Totter Otterville in Covington. Mom, Dad, Jason and Ashley went on home.

We decided to give Sarah an hour to burn off all that energy she built up from riding in the car and shopping.

This is the view from outside Totter Otterville. I cannot wait until it is warm enough to play on the playground and let Sarah ride the train.
Inside, she immediately spotted the ball pit and slides. She was surprised when she jumped off the slide to see this gigantic elephant!
More sliding.

Here she is flying high above the crowds.

Then she moved on to the ballet room. She didn't stay here nearly as long as last time. Maybe her love of ballet is wearing thin.

She did spend a lot of time in the water area. This place is a lot like a children's museum. The best part is that adults don't have to pay!

This is another view of the outside area. They have areas to dig for "dinosaur bones." Come on spring!

It's time to say goodbye. We had an exhausting day, but plan to come back very soon.

Now, if I can just get one job out of the way, you won't be able to keep me from blogging!

Bye

Few photos, many updates

I am sorry I have not been able to update the blog much in the past months (two jobs versus one makes all the difference). It has been a cold, long winter here in the Bluegrass. I am soooo ready for Spring (I think I was saying that in the blog last November; remind me again why I live in Kentucky?). Our life has seen a lot of changes in the past months in terms of Sarah as well as our family. Sarah has turned three, naps are here there and everywhere. We as a family have been visiting different churches, meeting new and old friends, attending a Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University class, and working like crazy in both of our jobs. Whew! With all of this change, I love the days that I just get to stay home with my little girl. Sarah has made many new friends in the past months at church, and the teachers all say the same thing when we pick her up, "She is a hoot!" Tell me something I don't know. I have listened outside the door to hear the whiny shy Sarah (when Mom is around) turn into the life of the party! I guess I would prefer this to her whining when I leave, but it sure is draining... I am so glad she is having fun learning about God with friends.

Her latest "she did what?" moment came at a friends house last Sunday night. In front of about 20 people, Sarah made friends with a little boy, played and sang with him, and then gave him a gigantic smooch that he will likely never forget! His eyes were as big as saucers. I apologized and when I talked to her about it later, I said "Sarah, it is okay to kiss Mommy and Daddy, but boys don't want you walking up and kissing them out of the blue." Her response was, "It's okay Mommy, boys like to kiss." Ugh!!!!!! I am in for a long 15-20 years with this one. I tried to say that boys have germs and could be sick and she could get sick from kissing them, but it was to no avail (any advice out there?). I was a very shy girl when it came to boys (I said boys were "gross"), but Chris had many "girlfriends" even in Kindergarten. I guess she gets it from his side of the family. Maybe I will let him try and deal with it in the future...

Here is a video of Sarah reading her favorite book "The Polar Express". She has had a love affair with this book since last December when Ashley and Jason gave it to her for her birthday. She loves to "read" out loud, and I enjoy listening to her so much! She is especially expressive with this book. She remembers chunks of passages verbatim and other passages she summarizes or makes up a line she likes better. I hope you chuckle as much as I did watching her read. My favorite line is "it broke my heart to lose the bell of Santa's sleigh." Her accent is great! She may not grow up in the mountains, but you can't take away that mountain accent. I wonder where she gets it????


Sarah reading from Angela Coleman on Vimeo.

Have a great week. Pray with me for an early spring!

Happy Valentine's Day

This special Valentine ditty goes out to Sarah's family and friends that she won't be able to see in person this Valentine's Day. We love you!


Happy Valentines Day 2009 from Angela Coleman on Vimeo.

Ice Storm and aftermath photos

Hey everyone,
I finally posted all of my ice storm photos below. I began the post last Wednesday and finished it Saturday night. Most of the photos occurred after the Wednesday post date. Unfortunately, blogger won't let me change the date to show it as a new post. So if you are interested in seeing what happened in the bluegrass (especially those of you from other states), scroll down below my "folk singer" post to see the rest.
The weather guys says we missed getting a monster snow storm this week. Most of the time this is bad news, but I can't say I was looking forward to another week at home, so I am sorry east coast, but it's all yours. We look forward to drying out and getting back to some sense of normalcy.

Have a great week.