The Watson Clan

now that i'm beginning to get the hang of this 'blog', i thought i would let everyone know how the extended family is doing...

ma & pa: the parents are fantastic! mom retired from work in june and hasn't slowed down since. after constructing her new greenhouse this spring, she keeps quite busy tending to her numerous plants and flowers. lest i mention her weekly yard sale jaunts... dad is still teaching music lessons in farmington at 'music makers'. he seems to enjoy it and beams when he is able to discuss a student's improvement. i'm not certain how he is adjusting to having mom home 24/7 these days. they say a retired wife becomes the husband's full-time job...
dad has been asked to judge the fiddle contest in sedalia at the state fair this year. i believe he has agreed, so if anyone attends, you'll have to tell him he made the right decision :)

the coalier's: kelly, carrie, gram and georgia moved to ashland this spring - about 15 min. from columbia out in the country. they LOVE the country life and do not miss living in town at all. kelly is working 6 days a week at their shop, 'orchids & art'. he was recently commissioned to design the 'official' city of columbia t-shirt and the print depicts carrie and the kids. you'll have to check out the upcoming issues of 'inside columbia' to view the art. it's beautiful! carrie tends to the kids full-time and has her hands full! gram turned 3 in june and georgia just turned a year this month. it's hard to believe at times how quickly babies grow. georgia is now crawling and pulling herself up onto tables & chairs - she has the bumps and bruises to show for it! :) carrie has enrolled gram into preschool starting this school year. he will go 2-3 days a week and is so anxious to get his backpack and lunch box!

the harris': jason, jessie and josie are anxiously awaiting baby brother jackson - eta sept. 27 (jessie's birthday!). although i believe jessica has the most anticipation of any of them. i couldn't fathom being pregnant during the summer months! josie will be turning 2 in oct. she is the cutest thing ever! jessie's last day at 'addison's' was thurs. i believe her plans until the baby arrives is to get the house in order for the new addition. jason is a manager at chemical lawn co. (i can't recall the business name). he oftentimes works 6 days a week, so now that jessie is home full-time i'm positive she'll have dinner on the table for him nightly. ha! he is currently participating in a 30 yr. old soccer league on his time off.

the watson's: barry and brittany are still in kirksville with brittany having one more year of school until they move to columbia for her to finish her graduate studies. they are expecting a baby towards the end of dec. their ultrasound was 'inconclusive', therefore they will just have to wait and see what they are having. brittany is having a great pregnancy thus far and we are SO excited to see them this summer when they are able to come home and visit. barry will soon begin helping kelly at his shop in columbia. he will commute a few days a week, but it's worth it since he is learning everything to help kelly once they move to columbia next year. brittany has finished her summer research paper and will travel to pennsylvania to give a presentation. then they are off to canada for vacation.

someone please tell me how to keep mosquitos away! :) jlc

Waterbaby

on ellie's 6 month 'birthday' [071107] we traveled to mom and dad's for a morning visit. the weather was fantastic and we decided to take ellie for her first swim. she was elated as you can see!

Welcome Technology

well, i've done it. i've joined the masses to create a pseudo-website for the family. my cousin's wife started a blog for her upcoming birth and i thought it was brilliant. not only is it simple to use - it's free! :)
i vow this will not house a forum for political insights, religious beliefs or complaints about life. nor will i post the most viewed youtube clips or cartoons. my plan is to share with our loved ones the goings-on with our family in the hopes we can all keep in touch.
therefore, feel free to bookmark the page and return when you desire some entertainment. i'll try to keep current and post photos often.

on to family news...

daddy: ryan remains truly busy with the business as of late. besides the design of 'inside columbia' monthly [insidecolumbia.net] and the lodge of the four seasons magazine 'experience'; he has taken on 'ozarks magazine' which publishes each month as well [ozarksmagazine.com]. ryan has also begun to perfect his culinary skills. each evening he amazes me with a creative spin on a classic or something completely different. i have to admit i'm a pretty lucky girl.

mommy: i have returned to work full-time after taking maternity leave. was a terrifying change, yet i am enjoying work and the paycheck doesn't hurt either! i am working 4 days a week at the Herald [stegenherald.com] and continue as the 'bookkeeper' for rc design (although i'm not as up-to-date as i should be - sorry dad).

bubby: warren is your typical onery 4.5-year-old. he attends preschool 5 days a week (or else his parents would go insane) and i believe 'tries' to stay out of trouble. :) he is swimming under water now and has mastered the monkey bars on the play ground. he was recently evaluated by our parents as teachers instructor and scored extremely high for his age. he must get that from his dad :)

sissy: ellie is now 6 mos. old and darling as ever - that she gets from her mom :) she is sitting up, scooting backwards, rolling everywhere and jabbering nonstop like her brother. she is going to daycare 4 days a week and is fascinated by all of the other babies to play with. she never stops smiling, unless she is hungry and is certainly spoiled.

as my first attempt at 'blogging' i don't think i fared too badly. practice makes perfect, they say.
from (what i think HAS to be) the mosquito capital of the state - jlc