henry’s nursery is absolutely adorable with a jungle theme, complete with a sign that says “no more monkeys jumping on the bed” from lyndsey’s mom.  he might not be jumping yet, but we’ll see how long that lasts!!

and a few family photos to finish it off!

we also took a few VERY cute Christmas photos, but i won’t spoil them on here in case family looks at this post!  but maybe i’ll let you see those later in december!!  lyndsey and marc, thanks for letting me take these precious photos of henry and i hope you all have a wonderful Thankgiving with your little one!

and HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you all!!

first, my apologies for not updating for such a LONG time!  things have been crazy in my world & i am trying to get a new rhythm going!  i’m sure you understand!

but here’s something REALLY cool!  i have a new logo (in lots of different colors!), compliments of my fantastic graphic designer friend john…check out his site!

i am waaaay excited!  thank you john!!  posts soon to come, i promise!

happy monday!

more to come…SOON!  i promise!

for this challenge, i am putting up some pictures of my beautiful, inspiring friend melinda from last september and this year.  it was great to look back at these and realize how far i’ve come in a year!  i also like this challenge because it was great to look back at my photos (and thus, my life) a year ago and see how much things have changed and how blessed i have been in the past year.  it’s nice to sit and take that in every once in awhile!

so, without further adieu, i give you melinda…

BEFORE (September 2008)

AFTER (June 2009)

i was blessed to be able to spend some time with these girls and get to hear their stories, so i thought i would share a few.  the benefit concert i helped coordinate through SIM was to raise money for lois lodge and for another home in ethiopia & i am SO thankful i was introduced to lois lodge that way!

i hope to spend lots more time there, getting to know the girls and leaving with them a few keepsake photos of their pregnancy & time at lois lodge.

carrie is 24 years old and came to charlotte from new york to stay at lois lodge during most of her pregnancy; she wanted to be around other women that were going through the same thing she was and take pregnancy and parenting classes.  as soon as i saw the girls interacting in the house, i knew carrie was the “house mom”…she was the organizational one, and also very encouraging to the girls about where they needed to be next and what the plans for the day were.  i asked if she saw herself as the “house mom” and she said “yeah, most of the time i do, but i love getting to know these girls.” 

i’ve seen carrie a few times since and she ALWAYS looks this smily!  she has a very warm heart and very genuine words.  carrie has since moved back to new york to have her baby!

kelsey is 19-going-on-25.  she found out she was pregnant just a few weeks before her graduation from high school in 2008.  she lived with her parents and sister in the same county i grew up in – they are completely your all-American family and never imagined they would find themselves in the situation that they were in.

kelsey said that overnight, she felt that she didn’t relate to her family anymore and she didn’t want to be told what to do with the baby – whether to parent or put the child up for adoption.  her mom said she also felt lost, knowing that her baby grew much older overnight but still treating her like she had the week before.  kelsey found out about lois lodge and realized that it might be best for her to move in and spend some time getting her thoughts and feelings together, and learning about her options.

kelsey’s sister’s words touched me the most – she cried as she talked about kelsey leaving the house and expressed how difficult it was without her sister around as she was used to.  she said she missed her and the time they spent together, but knew that kelsey needed to be where she was.

kelsey said she spent lots of time in prayer at lois lodge, learning about God and talking with girls who were making the same decisions.  she said that one night in bed, she was praying and simply realized that she wasn’t ready to be a parent, and that she needed to look into adoption.  she started that process at 7 months with a Christian agency in matthews and found dream parents for her little girl.  she had her baby in january and said that as soon as she had her, she thought “i had this baby for this family” and she has not regretted her decision.  she still sees her frequently and the mother even texts kelsey when the baby does cute little things!

kelsey will be starting college in the fall and she wants to be a social worker.  she spends lots of volunteer time with the girls at lois lodge and the gratitude she has for this place is clear.

ashley is a mom shoppe client who lives in charlotte, not at lois lodge, but she attends parenting classes and spiritual enrichement classes and earns credit for her pregnancy and post-pregnancy needs.  ashley is FULL of life and says that lois lodge has given her hope and confidence during her pregnancy.  she is so thankful for the people who spend their time and give their clothes and baby items to lois lodge so that they can be used again.  she was a joy to spend time with, as you can see in her pictures!

~

the greatest impression that i left lois lodge with is that there is HOPE in the midst of CRISIS.

these girls made quite an impression on me & rocked my perception of what a woman facing unplanned pregnancy looks like – the truth is, they don’t “look like” anything stereotypical!  they are normal, everyday people just like you and me.  but they have found LOVE and HOPE at lois lodge & it has made all the difference in the world!

{if you would like to learn how you can help lois lodge, please visit their website!  what a great cause in our city!}

this is the NEATEST (yes, i said neat) place we’ve ever seen & we feel like we are embarking on “move-in weekend” at college again or something!  wrap-around porch, all hardwood floors, beveled glass in all the windows straight from the 30s, butler’s pantry, 10′ ceilings….but i don’t mean to brag. 

living room, french doors to dining room, swinging door to butler’s pantry and kitchen, tiffany being excited!

“the treehouse” – our new office, tiff’s room, my blue room!

Barbie dreamhouse, i love you already.

recent guilfoyle household conversation:

allison: “so caden, now that you know what ‘sister’ means, do you know who mommy’s sister is?”

caden: “yes!  michelle!”

(michelle loves this.  )

we spent a saturday in the memorial gardens in concord, nc…it was very hot & caden was sometimes happy, sometimes not so happy to be there BUT i think we got some pretty good shots!  then we had a nice little lunch in a cute restaurant down the street!  i love finding random local hole-in-the-wall places to eat, i love the charm!

i like to call this one “like father, like son & allison looks awesome”

you know i can’t go anywhere without candy & caden LOVES m&m’s…

and this was reportedly caden’s favorite picture when he saw the CD i gave his mom…

i enjoyed spending the day with you guys, as always!  can’t WAIT to take more pictures with the three of you and the NEW baby guilfoyle in february!!

i was becoming so dilligent about updating the blog, but i’ve found myself behind because so much has been going on with life!  i promise to update sooner than later and i will leave you with this taste of what’s coming soon:

the guilfoyle’s in the garden…

 more of the beautiful girls from lois lodge…

& a little teaser for “Homes for Hope,” a free benefit concert for lois lodge (charlotte) & the deborah house (ethiopia) this friday in charlotte! (go to the website for information – you should watch the video!!!)