Weekend

I am off to Cashiers, NC for a girl's weekend and John will be here painting the baby's room. The baby furniture has been shipped so it will just be a week or two before it is delivered here! The custom bedding we designed has also come in and it is precious. I kept saying "oh my gaw, oh my gaw, oh my gaw." The owners of Precious Cargo were like "is that a good oh my gaw or a bad oh my gaw?" It is definitely a good "oh my gaw", it turned out even cuter than I had expected and an "oh my gaw" this is really happening and happening soon!

Have a great weekend!

Favorite Photo Friday

Kyle Orr and John Hinson

John's Graduation Party

May 2004

I love this picture. This was at the party we had the afternoon of John's graduation from Georgia State with a Master's in Real Estate. I don't remember what we are laughing about but I love it when John laughs/giggles really hard because he gets Chinese eyes! I love how young we look too, well it was almost 5 years ago. I love that he is drinking a Sweetwater 420, no doubt. John had a stellar stint while at Georgia State not only making great grades but he was also on the innagural football team, took swashbuckling lessons, and was on the crew team, while working full time and sweeping me off my feet!

John is one of the most intelligent people I know and is all about furthering his education and mind and often tosses around the idea of getting a MBA or going to law school.

Opposites do attract. ;)

February 24, 2008

The day cannot end without a special post in honor of our second furry child, Butch. It was one year ago today that Butch came into our lives. John thought getting Sundance a brother, for his first birthday, was a GREAT idea. John's theory was that once we were ready to have children, the dogs would be playmates, keep each other entertained and wear each other out! I was concerned about having 2 labs in our 1300 square feet of coziness.

We rescued Butch from the Atlanta Dog Squad, they primarily offer just retreivers and we would highly recommend them if you are considering rescuing a dog. They found him running down South Cobb Drive near I-285. He had not been neutered or micro-chipped. He had no idenitification tags and was extremely skinny. Our vet thinks he is right about the same age as Sundance so we have decided to celebrate both birthdays on February 24. We don't know Butch's story so we are creating one for him with a very happy ending.

Butch is, in so many ways, so much more well behaved and appreciative than Sundance (not his fault but ours!). Sundance had been spoiled rotten and Butch hadn't, but now they both are!

At first we had Butch on a trial basis. But as the weeks went by it was evident that this brown dog was not going anywhere! And now we, even I, can't imagine our lives without Butch.

Skinny Butch on his first day with us

John and his boy Butch

Trying to get a family picture with our new arrival

John's birthday present: new bowls for Butch!










And now the brotherhood begins:

Happy 2nd Birthday Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid!

Happy 2nd Birthday Sundance!

Our first born furry child turns 2 years old today! I can hardly believe it.

Definitely don't remember him ever being this small!

The joy that this labrador retriever has brought us is immeasurable, as any dog lover and owner will attest to.

Joy:

1. the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation
2. a source or cause of keen pleasure or delight; something or someone greatly valued or appreciated
3. the expression or display of glad feeling; festive gaiety
4. a state of happiness or felicity
5. to feel joy; be glad; rejoice

The ear infections, tail head injury, kennel cough, vomitting, intestinal blockage with a 17 pound weight loss and reoccuring eye infections...just to name a few...are most definitely worth it.

Here's to you, Sundance Kid!

We love you and can't imagine our lives without you or your brother.......

Peachtree Rod & Gun Club

John spent the weekend quail hunting in Camilla , Georgia

with my dad and one of my uncles, David.

Saturday morning ~ 26 degrees in South Georgia

John and Sue

Dad and John on the Flint River

Molly the pointer (left) and Sue the setter (right)

My dad driving my grandfather's 1953 Jeep with Sue leading the way

John, Dad and David

Old Wives Tales

On a 6 hour Junior League bus tour yesterday, one of my provisionals performed an Old Wives Tale on me. She held a necklace above my wrist and it definitely started moving in circles. She has a 3 year old little boy and performed the test on herself, it started moving back and forth. I'm sold! So it made me think of other Old Wives Tales and I did some research....this is what I came up with.

1) If you carry high, it’s a girl. Low, it’s a boy.
I feel like I am carrying high. GIRL

2) You refuse to eat the heel of a loaf of bread.
Nothing new here. GIRL

3) Tie your wedding ring to a string and dangle it over your belly. If it swings back and forth, it’s a boy. If it goes in circles, it’s a girl. You can also do this holding the string over your open palm or wrist.

GIRL

4) Chinese Gender Chart (http://parenting.ivillage.com/ttc/ttcsigns/0,,j736,00.html )

Some say this is correct 90% of the time.

GIRL

5) If you have acne during pregnancy, it’s a girl. If you don’t, it’s a boy.

GIRL

6) If you have morning sickness, you’re having a girl. If you don’t, you’re having a boy.

I had all day sickness the entire first trimester. GIRL

7) If your urine is neon yellow, it’s a boy. If it’s a dull yellow, it’s a girl.

Sorry to talk about my urine. BOY

8) If your hair on your legs grows faster, it’s a girl.

I haven’t noticed any kind of sudden overgrowth on my legs unless you can count leaving the hair there for longer peroids of time because the belly gets in the way of shaving. BOY

9) If the dad-to-be is gaining weight with you, it’s a boy. If he stays the same, it’s a girl.

I should check with John to be sure, but I’m going to say.....GIRL

10) If you have headaches, you’re having a boy. If you don’t, it’s a girl.

BOY

11) Girls steal your beauty. If you look better than before, it’s a boy. If you don’t, it’s a girl.

I receive complements from people who know me and random strangers about how good I look but would they really tell me if I looked bad? BOY

12) If your feet are colder than usual, it’s a boy. If they’re the same, it’s a girl.

GIRL

13) If you are craving sweets, you're having a girl. If you crave salty or sour things, it's a boy.

Wanted Munckins for breakfast, they were all gone so I had to settle for regular donuts. GIRL

14) If your belly looks like a watermelon, you're having a girl. If it looks like a basketball, it's a boy.

BOY

TOTAL for GIRL = 9

TOTAL for BOY = 5

So I still think We are havin' a gurl!

I'm off to buy hair bows! (kidding)

T-Minus 100 Days

until our due date!

OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!

I remember when our wedding countdown hit the 100 day mark, before we knew it it was at 50, then 10, then we found ourselves walking down the aisle and relaxing on our honeymoon.

I have a funny feeling that the 4th Trimester and our honeymoon aren't going to have any similarities! And I am ok with that!

Favorite Photo Friday

Sundance

under the hutch in our kitchen

Summer 2007

In honor of our furry friend's birthday coming up in a few days, my fave photo this week is of our first born child. This was Sundance's absolutely favorite place to hide/rest when he was little and could actually fit under there. Every once in a while, we can tell that he is contemplating trying this move again and we just cringe with the sight of the entire hutch (probably full of monogrammed etched glassware) crashing down! Luckily, he hasn't tried.

Moms on Call

We live in a great neighborhood. I love it here and will be sad when we leave (we aren't leaving anytime soon, I am just saying!) One of the many things I love is the Meadowbrook Garden Club and being an active member of it. I love stuff like that, organized women's clubs....Phi Mu, Junior League, Garden Club etc. ! Don't worry, we don't do any gardening. It should really be called the Meadowbrook Social Club.

Well, last night we had our monthly meeting and Pediatric Nurse Laura Hunter from Moms on Call was the guest speaker.

I have heard of this program and their book but it was very informative to hear first hand from one of the founders. I learned alot about methods, schedules and their favorite baby products. My baby to do list just got longer. ;)

I also got to meet another pediatrician from Piedmont Piediatrics. Dr. Laura Harris lives in our neighborhood. So that was good to meet her personally. She too was a patient of Dr. Shuler's, just like John!

Another thing about our special neighborhood is that I will finally be on the receiving end of new mother meals come May/June! Woo hoo!

Lunch with Lindsay and Baby Roe

I had lunch with Lindsay and Roe yesterday. Lindsay seemed to be doing great and had even had a shower which is a great feat considering yesterday was also her first day without her momma. Roe was precious. I did not take any pics but I did learn a few things.....

1. Lansinoh is a nursing mother's breast, errr I mean best friend.

2. Be careful of the artwork you hang above the changing table as it will get wet when changing little boys. Good thing we are havin' a gurl!

3. Bouncer with vibrations = baby crack = need to put one on our registry

4. Gowns are definitely the way to go. Good thing I already figured that out on my own and have been to EVERY baby store in this city and all of the surrounding suburbs looking for them. They don't offer much of anything that is gender neutral and that doesn't say something like this.

After leaving Lindsay and Roe, I went to the Target at Atlantic Station. I was in line at the concession stand to get an Icee (craved one last week but didn't know where to go) and a very nice family was in front of me. Well, they turn around and the father was so excited to see me and the baby bump. He wanted to know all about the pregnancy. You would have thought I was his long lost cousin. He asked what we were having and I told him to guess as it was a surprise to us. He and his wife look me up and down and both agreed, we are havin' a gurl!

At lunch after church on Sunday with John and my dad, I made sure to point out that first born girls are very special!

Valentine's Day

We had a lovely evening at The Faletti's house on Saturday night with great food and even better company!

Carrie & Paton

Scott & Lauren

Last Valentine's Day before baby!

Pumpkin joined us at the table

Paton and his girls, Patch (l) and Pumpkin (r)

After 4 hours at the dinner table, we got up!

Thanks for a wonderful evening at home!

Favorite Photo Friday

Kyle and Aunt Anne

Robledo Family Winery ~ Sonoma

August 6, 2008

Anne and I took a Girl's Trip to San Francisco in August. That was my first time to the city and I fell in love. It is an amazing place and I actually like it better than New York City. We took a day trip to Sonoma and visited 3 wineries. This was our first stop and proved to be our favorite also!

And a shout out to Aunt Anne who had both of her feet operated on yesterday.

We hope you feel better soon!

Daddy's Boy

Dunkin Donuts

This is what went down this morning:

Kyle: I would like a small coffee please.

DD man: prepares my coffee and hands it to me

Kyle: hands DD man credit card to pay

DD man: holding my credit card and looking at me

You don't have no doughnn?

Kyle: thinking he is asking me if I have any dough a.k.a. cash

No, Sorry

DD man: Baby likes doughnn! You need doughnn for baby.

Kyle: Oh, uh, I already ate breakfast at home. Thank you though.

I won't lie, the thought did cross my mind but I still declined.

24 weeks!

For some reason I feel like this is a huge milestone in our pregnancy. Maybe it is because should Sweet Pea come early, he/she could survive outside of the womb with the help of technology, medicine and prayers. That is a reassuring feeling but God willing, the baby will continue to bake until at least sometime in May. Earlier than May 31 would be awesome! Sundays have become my favorite day of the week. And it seems that big milestones come in multiples of 4 weeks!

5 things I LOVE about the 2nd Trimester:

feeling the baby kick and move, nonstop

watching John feel the baby move

no more nauseous!

eating, current faves are: brownies, muffins, french onion soup, cran-grape juice, & pineapple juice

organizing closets

5 things I do NOT like about the 2nd Trimester:

trouble sleeping (which started at week 14 ~ pillow count has gone from 3 to 6 ~ in a queen size bed with 12. 5 feet of human is really a sight)

leg cramps so severe they wake me up in the middle of the night (if I was even asleep at that point!)

worrying that we are going to give birth to a giant

Pregnancy Alzheimers ~ I wore my wedding rings on my right hand the other day (?!?!)

Cramps due to an expanding uterus (sorry, TMI)

Belly shot taken today after church, lunch and errands:

Prego Activities for this week:

We have our second prenatal class at Piedmont on Monday night.

We are attending a "Meet and Greet" with our top choice for pediatricians this week at Piedmont Pediatrics on Tuesday. This is the practice John went to growing up and was seen by the recently retired Dr. Shuler.

We have our 24 week doctor's appointment on Friday morning.

Gray's Christening

Today we went to Baby Gray's Christening at The Cathedral of St. Philip followed by lunch at the Kimel's house. It was a beautiful day for such a special event!

This is a neat touch that the Cathedral provides. Baby Hinson will not be receiving one of these from the Presbyterian Church!

I did not take enough pictures! :(

Momma's Boy

Favorite Photo Friday

Our Caddy

1997 Mauve Cadillac Deville

Spring 2008

My grandfather got a new Cadillac and gave us his old one in March 2007. We were tickled and soon settled into life with 3 cars. John would often drive the caddy to work instead of taking his own car! The caddy was driven on many road trips: Charleston, Savannah, DeBordieu, Hilton Head, The Masters, and Athens for football games...just to name a few. We drove her for over a year and had a lot of fun with her. She was a real beauty.

We decided to sell her last spring and posted her on Craigs List. A couple of hours later, John gets a phone call from someone who barely spoke English. So John sets up an appointment to meet these guys. Well, next thing I know, John is at the bank cashing their check. It was 2 French Exchange students from Georgia Tech who's dream was to "own a big american car". Well, they got what they wished for.

A heavy heart

This story is really heartbreaking for many reasons:

1. We are almost 6 months pregnant, due in May

2. We just returned from Puerto Rico

3. she is from Savannah and we know people who know her and her fiance/friends

4. my mother told me upon arriving in Puerto Rico, "don't dare go anywhere by yourself". And I am sure I made some sort of groan and said "oooooooook Mom". But it is sadly so true.

Please pray for this family.

Tourist Sara Kuszak Kidnapped, Throat Slashed
Family Says Kuszak, Pregnant Tourist Murdered in Puerto Rico, 'Lived Life to the Fullest'

By EMILY FRIEDMAN

Feb. 5, 2009

The pregnant tourist who was brutally murdered in Puerto Rico Wednesday was looking forward to her upcoming wedding and the birth of her first child in May, her family told ABCNews.com.

"Sara was a devoted daughter, a free spirit and a person who had a love for life," said Joan Lang, the mother of Sara Kuszak, who was kidnapped and murdered after going for a jog on the Caribbean island.

Kuszak, 35, who had arrived from her home in Savannah, Ga., the night before she was found dead with her throat slashed, was a little more than five months pregnant with a baby boy, her mother said.

Lang said she believes her daughter was simply keeping up with her exercise routine when she emarked on a walk early Wednesday morning. Kuszak, who had been an avid runner before she became pregnant, was forced into a man's trunk in Fajardo, in eastern Puerto Rico, authorities said.

Authorities traced the signal from a cell phone call Kuszak had made from her kidnapper's car, an hour before she was found dead, to 36-year-old Eliezer Marquez Navedo, who has reportedly confessed to the random killing but has not yet been charged.
Describing it as a random crime, police said Marquez apparently acted alone.

According to a marina spokeswoman, Kuszak was on her way to visit some friends whose yacht was docked nearby when she was abducted. Kuszak's cell phone call was placed to a marina employee who then called 911.

According to Kuszak's mother, her daughter had been visiting the island with her fiance, Cheshire McIntosh, whom she had planned to wed in March.

"The two of them were planning on sailing to the British Virgin Islands from Old San Juan and were going to be married March 22," said Lang.

Lang said that her daughter had spent the past five years working as a chef on the yachts that McIntosh piloted.

"She had so many wonderful talents," said Lang. "She was very, very smart and in any endeavor she took on she always excelled."

The couple met more than five years ago when they were introduced in Fiji, where Kuszak was vacationing and McIntosh was working at a sailing regatta.

Kuszak, Life of a Mother and Bride-to-Be Cut Short

"Her fiance is just devastated," said Lang. "They met during a week away and have been together ever since."

Lang spoke with her daughter at least a couple of times a week and had last seen her over Thanksgiving, when Kuszak had spent a week and a half visiting with family in California. Lang had been planning to spend a few months living with her daughter in Savannah later this spring to help care for the baby.

Ann Marie Lehman described Kuszak, her younger sister, as the "best friend anyone could ask for."

"We were very, very close," said Lehman, who last spoke with her sister Sunday afternoon. "She's a very caring person and lived her life to the fullest."
Kuszak was the youngest of three siblings.

"She was so looking forward to spending her life with her fiance and for the birth of their son," said Lehman. Kuszak's family is arranging for her body to be transported from Puerto Rico to California for a memorial service.

"It's very surreal and I'm sort of in denial," said Lang. "I'm in disbelief to lose such a beautiful child."

"When's yo' baby gurl due?"

Going through security at the Atlanta airport on the way to Puerto Rico:

Security Attendant: When's yo' baby gurl due?

Kyle: (Looking around trying to figure out who this lady is talking to even though it was just the 2 of us standing there as I am not used to people noticing the blossoming belly yet)

Who me? (while looking at the baby bump)

Security Attendant: Yeah, yo' havin' a gurl.

Kyle: We don't know what we are having!

Security Attendant: I do, yo' havin' a gurl.

Kyle: John, we're havin' a gurl!

Working on the Puerto Rico Wedding Post....