Cole Family News....

It is why violence so moves the collective spirit...to compassion...to grace... It is why the unspeakable rips your heart out...even when you are not the person experiencing it... It is why people mourn for those they love...and those they have never met... Love is not an intellectual concept.  It is a part of the spirit, woven in and inseparable. It's why people without the capacity or will to love have no attraction...no softness...no light... Love is real.  It's palpable. Love IS lounder. Love is loud, even in pictures: SDL This Beautiful You - L.I.L. edition

Last night Jenna did not want to go to sleep.  She was stopped up and complaining that her ear was hurting and she was fussing every time we put her to bed.  We tried to let her "cry it out" but her cries would get intense, so I finally went in and snuggled her while I rocked her in the rocker.  Jenna doesn't snuggle much these days - as she is in the midst of attempting to assert her independence as only an almost 2 year old can - but last night was an exception.  Last night she let me hold her like a baby and asked me to sing You Are My Sunshine.  Over and over and over again.  Each time I would wind down, she would say, "Do it again, Mommy."  And I did.  With gratitude for the miracle she is.  With gratitude for that moment, when many others were robbed of the chance of it.  I laughed and cried as I sang it and she seemed to know I needed that closeness with her.  And after I sang it for what had to have been the 40th time, s...

Whew!  Things have been so very busy here!  So busy I have been short on time in general - and definitely have not had the opportunity to keep up here.  I have a lot of things I want to update about when I get a chance, but for now, I am sharing some cute pics of Jenna so far this holiday season...  Preparing to go visit Santa last weekend... Santa was having a hard day, as a lot of the kids before Jenna were crying, so she went up and gave Santa big hug! Santa and Jenna spent a good while talking... Jenna enjoyed her candy cane so much she wouldn't let go of it to take pictures in front of the Christmas tree... Jenna's school had their Christmas program yesterday.  It was hard to get pictures of the actual program, but here are some of Jenna with us and with her "friend", Cooper (they have been besties since they could sit up)...

There are so many things I want to blog about and I just have not had time, as we are insanely busy right now.  Topics that I hope to blog on soon: What does family mean?  Or something like it.  I want to share with you my family from Texas and muse on the legacy you think of when people in your family pass away, as my uncle John did last month. Shout out to my past loves (thank you for everything you gave me, good and bad...).  It's reflective of what I learned from each one that makes everything work with JP.  It's part gratitude for the good/healing from the bad (at least that's how it's forming in my head). My Dad has a story line that goes something like, "The best things that happened to me in life always happened after I got my a$$ kicked..."  Mine is, "The best things that have happened to me in life have come out of left field..."  But today, I am just giving a quick update... Jenna had a great Halloween...   I stood i...

Jenna had her first experience with Trick or Treating this past Tuesday night when we took her to Boo at the Zoo at Riverbanks Zoo.  She was sweet as a fairy/angel (we couldn't decide so we just let her be whatever everyone thinks that she may be...lol) and we had a great time! Getting her to the zoo - in costume - was a challenge, as Jenna is NOT a fan of big, puffy tutus.  Like Mommy, she loves her little skirt with tights and boots, but isn't a big fan of the really girly-girl stuff.  As a result, we had to let her play at the house in the tutu some before we could go, as she screamed her head off when I first put it on.  After climbing in and out of the laundry basket (a current favorite thing to do), she calmed down enough to head out.   Getting a picture where she was lookind at the camera and smiling was a lofty expectation with all of the people and action going on at the zoo... Because we got there before it got dark, Jenna was a...

This year marks 8 years since we lost Jennifer and Chris. There are still no words to describe the void that suicide leaves in it's wake.  Like any other loss, you have to find meaning in the good memories and in trying to help others who have been affected - and by participating with organizations like the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, that work hard at education and prevention, as well as survivor services.

Where does the time go? We have been so busy, it has been hard to keep up, much less take the time to update the blog!  Here are some snapshots from the past few weeks... Jenna potty training....   Mommy & Daddy hiking at Graveyards Fields... At a 3D movie - I won't admit which one... Jenna Sassy Pants Food is art, right?   And a mash up of Jenna videos from this month so far: