boys, boys and more boys

I have written about this before, but several of my college girlfriends all had first born sons all within a year of each other.  Needless to say, it is a lot of fun and now that they are getting older, a lot of activity every time we get together.  Last week, the Bumpus family had us all over for chili, cookie decorating and just a night to hang out.  I always love spending time with this group and it is just so much fun to watch our boys interact. 

Here are the boys...haha... they weren't too happy about taking a picture together: 

Take 2... a little bit happier:

The girls decorating cookies:

Hudsond and I decorating his cookie... and yes, I do realize Hudson has a plastic knife in his mouth :)

The moms and our boys:

Unfortunately, I didn't get ANY pictures of the dads... :(

Thanks Bumpus' for having us over!  We love your new house and we loved getting to see you all!

Carrie Underwood Concert

So, I have already posted these pictures on facebook, but I figured I would blog about Carrie Underwood's amazing concert.  I literally felt like a little kid counting down the days until Christmas. We were given tickets to sit in the very front section at the Hollywood Bowl and a limo ride there!  I have been to the Hollywood Bowl before, but we have only sat in the nose bleed section.  The front section where we sat has only 7 rows in it and it is completely blocked from the rest of the crowd.  We were in the 5th and 7th row, but we able to walk all the way up to the stage during the concert.... close enough to make eye contact.  

I have loved Carrie Underwood since she was on American Idol and this was the first time I have ever seen her live.  And because she was at the Bowl, the LA Philharmonic accompanied her!  I was really hoping that she would sing "Jesus Take the Wheel" and she did!  To our surprise she also sang the chorus of the hymn "How Great Thou Art" right in the middle of "Jesus Take the Wheel".  With over 17,000 people singing along it gave me chills to imagine what it will sound like when all of God saints are gathered around his throne worshiping him.  It really was such a sweet moment that I will never forget.  However, I think I am ruined now for all future concerts, because sitting that close to the stage gave us a whole different experience.   

Amy Hof you will appreciate that I had my seatbelt on :)  After we took the picture, I realized I was the only one wearing my seatbelt... to which I must say, "safety first" ...haha

Before the concert, BD made reservations at The Geisha House which is an amazing sushi restaurant owned by Jennifer Lopez and a few other celebrities.  I have only tried sushi maybe 2 other times in my life and I have never been a huge fan... but after our dinner there, I am hooked.  I loved it!

We met up some friends, Ryan and Ashley for dinner and then they rode with us in the limo so they could avoid the parking at the Bowl.  We sang or really we yelled all her songs in the limo on the way there... and don't let Ryan fool you.  He knew every word...haha

This is a picture of our sushi after we had all already dived in... and we totally finished the entire plate!

I was nervous that we couldn't take cameras in, so unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera into the concert.  Once we got in I realized, that yes you can bring them in :(  So, we had to use our phones for a camera for the remainder of the night.  

Trav and I in the limo right before the concert:

This gives you a glimpse of how close we were.  It was so fun... we could even see the bobby pins in her hair and the color of her toe nail polish.  Nat and I were totally into all the costume changes.  I must say she is amazing on tv and on her cds, but hearing her live gave me a whole new level of respect.  She blew us away... and I think at one point or another all of us shed a tear or two :)

It was a night I will remember for the rest of my life.  There aren't too many times in life where we get opportunities like this, so we were very thankful for such an amazing gift!

a little over a year later...

So, a lot can happen in a year.  This blog post is a month late, but September mark a year since I picked up a camera for the first time.  I had NO intentions on starting a photography business and at that... absolutely NO intention on ever wanting to shoot at a wedding (way too much pressure).   The only thing I intended on doing was to learn how to take good pictures of my son.  So, after Travis showed me a few things and I asked a million questions to Trever and Michael, I was off and running.  Before I knew it Trav and I decided to take a leap of faith and start t&h photography.

I remember standing in the camera store deciding if we were going to buy another "cheap" lens or if we were going to pull out of our savings to buy the "real deal" kind of lens.  Well after much discussion and support from Trever... we did it.  We decided to buy the proper equipment and start a business. We knew if we were going to be somewhat successful we were going to have to have the right equipment. It was a scary thing to use money from our savings, but well worth it.

It really is crazy to look back and see all the opportunities God has brought our way.  And to see how God has provided for our family through our photography business.  It really has been such a blessing and well, a lot of hard work.  We know we have a long way to go in perfecting this art and there will always be more to learn... but it really has been an amazing journey.

I have loved being able to stay home with our son Hudson and yet, still contribute to our income.  It is a bit challenging learning how to balance both, but quite rewarding at the same time.  I also have really enjoyed getting to help other inspiring photographers along the way.  We are no experts (like my brother-in-law Trev or our good friend Michael), but we are continually learning.  And I love to be able to pass our knowledge along to others who are on this same journey.

So, thank you to all our friends and family who have been a continual support throughout this past year.  Michael, Trever and my sister Summer have given us so much direction and help.  Thanks for all you have done for us!  Cheers to another year!

and the train of his robe filled the temple...

Tonight I saw the most beautiful sunset that I have ever seen in my entire life.  I was going out in our backyard to let Hudson play when I caught a glimpse of the beauty in the sky.  I wanted to see this sunset take its final bow at the edge of the ocean.  So, I grabbed Hudson (who was only wearing a diaper) and I grabbed the keys and ran to the car.  We live 3 blocks from the beach so normally I would ride a bike or go for a walk, but I didn't want to miss the sun setting.  I didn't even put on shoes or grab a camera.

I decided to head to one of the beaches where I could easily park and get to the water as quick as possible.  On our way there, I couldn't help but notice the people walking outside along the street and yet, completely unaware of the beauty above them.  But, as soon as we got to the beach, it was a different story.

People stood still.

Hudson and I sat on the beach taking in the scene.  I noticed people had phones and cameras out trying to capture the beauty.  And I fought back the tears as my mind began to focus on the One who created this glorious scene.

This past Saturday night we heard the husband of one our friend's from college preach on Isaiah 40.  He talked about the attributes of God and we were reminded of His power and His indescribable glory.  Also, Trav and I have been reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan and the last chapter I read was talking about the throne room of God.  I was reminded about the verse in Isaiah 6:1 that says, "In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple."  After reading that chapter, I sat back and began day dreaming about what it would look like for the train of his robe to fill the temple.

I then began to think about how even Isaiah couldn't describe the vision he had of the glory of the Lord.  And then there was this sunset... and it was as if God was showing a vision of his indescribable glory.  I could try to tell you that the clouds filled the sky and there were bright pinks, reds, and oranges.   I could go on to tell you that the sea below looked iridescent and as though there was a pearly glass blanket on top of the sea sparkling as it reflected the sky.  I could tell you that no one who saw this moved because they didn't want to miss it.  I could tell you that I watched God's creation worship Him in the skies.  I could tell you that I was completely moved by our majestic God.

But, all of these words would fall short.  None of these words would give you a glimpse of the glory in the sky.  And to think, what I did see was just a glimpse of the glory of God.  God was reminding me that He is greater than I can even imagine.  He cannot be described.  I imagine this is how Isaiah must have felt.

I don't think I will ever forget tonight.  Sitting on the beach with my baby boy dressed only in his diaper watching a glorious show of our Creator.  I don't want to miss His glory.  I don't want to be like those who were walking along the street and never even noticed.  I don't want to live my life so "me" focused. I don't want my christian life to be about my life experience and have God fit into that.  I don't want to read the word of God thinking how does this verse apply to me, but instead read it thinking what does this verse say about God.  I want to fit into His plan.  I want to be a part of displaying His glory.  I want to tell others so they don't miss it.

I imagine tonight I saw a glimpse of the train of his robe.


Revelations 7:9-12
"After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.  They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.  And they cried out in a loud voice:

'Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.'

All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures.  They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: 'Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!' "

Hudson happenings...

Crawling through his tunnel...

Workin' with the guys...

Eating his first oreo :) yum...

having a car wash...

relaxing on the couch...

And just being Hud...

Summer's 30th Birthday

My beautiful sister, Summer just turned 30!  So, we all gathered for a little surprise celebration.  Summer thought Bryan was taking her out on a date and instead found all of us waiting for her for a night of dinner and dancing. 

Summer and the Hud bud dancing:

My dad and Summer dancing together... so sweet :)

Happy Birthday Summer!

You are an amazing sister and we are all so blessed to have you in our lives!

As my dad would say, "the land of the dis"

Last week we went to Disneyland with the Hofschroers.  While we were waiting for them, we had to take a tradition picture with the "C"since we are the "C"ollins :)

We haven't been for a few months and it was amazing to see the change in Hudson's response since last time we went.  He was so much more aware of everything around him and of course, the parade was a huge hit. 

The Hofschroer's on the most fun ride in Disneyland.... I can't even remember the name, but it will leave you remembering it (we all felt slightly sick afterwards and no we weren't on the tea cups).

While Amy and I fed dinner to our boys, our husbands went off to ride Tower of Terror.  We decided to ride a few rides with the boys while we were still waiting.  So, we rode Heimlich's Chew Chew Train... and well, we were so taken back by the experience we insisted the guys ride it with us after we joined up again. 

The boys getting ready for the chew chew train.... 

I think it should win a prize for Disneyland's most boring ride...haha.  We even asked the guy working there how long people actually wait for this ride to which the answer was up to an hour.  All I can say is that I am glad we didn't wait an hour for this ride. 

I have a beco baby carrier that I often wear and put Hudson in.  I just love holding him while he is sleeping.  So, even though the little ones fell asleep we still managed to ride Pirates, watch Fantasmic, enjoy a few D-land goodies and we even stayed until closing.... which we haven't done in a long time. 

Hud and Lo on our way back to the cars:

Good friends, good conversations, good times :)

Beach Fun

(Warning: Hudson has grandparents in Ohio who don't get to see him much, so please excuse the abundant amount of photos of Hudson)

This summer Hudson and I have been spending a lot of time down on the beach.  Although, our summer really didn't feel much like a summer, the weather was still really enjoyable.  Here are just a few random beach pictures from the last couple of weeks. 

Play date with Jackson:

As you can see, we are now a hat-wearing baby again :)  With his fair skin and light blue eyes, I am constantly putting on sun screen and I really try to keep a hat on him to keep the sun off his face.  So, during his no-hat-phase, this was a major problem. 

He looks so grown up in this picture:

Checking out the train that was going by...

Enjoying some time on the swings:

And one of my all time favorite things to do is to take a family walk down to the beach in the evenings.  It is just so quiet and peaceful. 

What a better beach toy than a drum stick?