jeff connell’s official blog

Tawsha and I were both struggling this morning…Colton is now almost 4 months old, and he’s not cooperating on the sleeping through the night thing. He had done SO well, but for the last 2-3 nights, he has been up at least every hour, fussy most of the night and into the day, and is making us both a bit stressed.

We had planned to go to church today, but ended up trying to comfort him and grab a few minutes of sleep and missed….and that was the 2nd week in a row we haven’t made it. We realized that with Tawsha
going back to work this past week, our stress levels have been significantly higher than we like them, and it’s in these moments I (selfishly) benefit from Church so much.

When I feel worked up, like the weight of the world is on my shoulder, whatever, Sunday service can make all the difference in hitting that reset button. I’m not quite sure what it is, but that lesson ALWAYS helps me to relax, reminds me God is in control, and allows me to surrender some of the burdens for his far stronger shoulders to bare.

I really missed that this morning.

Hopefully, this is just a rough two days, life will be back to “normal” tomorrow, and we can resume what little hint of a “regular schedule” we have…in the end…not complaining, just venting, because he’s the cutest, most incredible blessing ever…and I can say that…since he just woke from a nap, smiled at me, and fell back to sleep!

- Jeff

We have an addition in the family…I’m so excited to share with you that Colton James Connell joined Tawsha and me Sunday morning at 4:48am.  He weighed 8 pounds, and was 20.5 inches long.  He’s amazing, we’re overwhelmed by the blessing and the miracle that we were a part of.

Our sincerest thank you for all your prayers, well-wishes, and advice.  See some pictures of this amazing boy below. 

The weekend of the 4th of July, my big project was to get our nursery started.  We inherited a beautiful pink room when purchased the house (yikes), and even if we were sure we’re having a girl (we’re not sure which sex the baby will be), we would have wanted to paint the room.

After literally months of attempting to pick the right color, we finally settled on blue on the bottom, yellow on top, and a wallpaper border and chairrail to seperate the two. 

I spent hours patching holes and taping and then painting the room.  We captured some shots of the progress.  This weekend, I’ll be staining and installing the chair rail, and as soon as the rest of the wallpaper arrives, we’ll close this project up! 

It was fun to prepare a room for my kid…surreal…and very cool. 

- Jeff

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Paint is done…MUCH BETTER THAN PINK. 

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another angle 

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The paint is done…now just need the chair rail
and wallpaper border. 

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Late night painting…and nice sweat. 

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the rough line will be covered by the chair
rail 

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On goes the blue. 

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Late night paint party 

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Looking for missed spots. 

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Mad roller skillz. 

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Yellow and the pink we started with….purdy. 

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The test section…the possibilities were
yellow/red or yellow/blue. 

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Edges have to be PERFECT. 

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The beauty that was the room before I started. 

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Supplies and super-sexy drop clothes. 

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Testing testing… 

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Pepto? 

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The painstaking process of taping. 

Did you catch the article in the Fresno Bee today?  There’s a really cool way to turn those old cell phones that sit in a drawer, box, or on a shelf into something that the troops serving overseas can use to call home.

The article from the bee below:

Tulare man turns old, discarded cell phones into calls home for soldiers serving overseas.

By Erik Lacayo / The Bee

04/04/08 00:12:38

After cleaning out his desk recently, Tim Daley of Tulare says he had six old cell phones that he didn’t know what to do with.

He knew he couldn’t throw them away, since cell phones are considered e-waste that can be harmful to the environment.

So Daley says he jumped on the Web and found Cell Phones for Soldiers, an organization that refurbishes cell phones and uses the proceeds to buy prepaid calling cards for soldiers serving overseas.

Daley could have stopped there with his six phones, but he didn’t. Instead, he is spearheading a drive to see how many more phones he can collect.

After enlisting the help of city officials and local businesses, Daley hopes to collect at least 2,500 phones by May 16.

“I think we need to be supporting our kids overseas,” said Daley, who is not a veteran and doesn’t have family serving overseas.

Daley says he just wants to do his part and help military families who struggle paying for expensive collect calls when soldiers call home.

Earlier this week, the Tulare City Council approved designating city facilities as drop-off sites for anyone wanting to donate phones.

The City Council also voted to provide $1,000 from the city’s Good Works Fund for the effort. Daley says he had been using his own money to make signs and kiosks for the drive.

“We really believe in the program,” Daley said. “I never had a dream it would grow like this.”

Tulare Mayor Craig Vejvoda said he is confident that residents will help push Daley past his goal of 2,500 phones. “We enthusiastically support and endorse his project,” Vejvoda said.

Vejvoda said he plans to dig up some of his old phones and phone chargers that he has been collecting for years.

“We all have them laying around and don’t know what to do with them,” he said.

If you have a phone and care to participate…Tulare will host a launch party for Cell Phone for Soldiers Awareness Week from 5-7 p.m. today at City Hall, 411 E. Kern Ave. Cell phones can be donated this month at City Hall and other locations throughout the city.

I saw a story in the USA Today that highlighted a growing trend.  Parents (primarily mothers but fathers too) taking newborn babies to work with them. 

As Tawsha and I prepare for the arrival of our little one…we’ve already started to think about daycare.  This, however, was not an option we had even really thought about. 

“More than 80 companies across the nation allow babies in the workplace, according to Parenting in the Workplace Institute in Framingham, Mass., which says that number is likely to be low. It’s an extreme — and controversial — example of how employers are seeking more ways to help workers strike a balance between work and the rest of their lives. 

The number of companies allowing children at work on an occasional basis climbed to 29% last year, up from 22% in 2006, according to the Society for Human Resource Management.”

So, I’m curious.  Have you taken the baby to work consistently?  How did it work out?  Has this happened at your workplace?  How was it?  I can see this being a real issue for others in the office and a big distraction, but I would appreciate your insight.

Okay, I hate to admit this (since I thought it would be insanely cheesy before I watched it), but I LOVE THE BIG GIVE.  It’s Oprah’s latest foray into televised philanthropy, and it’s fantastic.

 I have some friends who point out the “negatives.”  It’s a tax write-off for Oprah and her elite friends who pony up money from their companies.  It’s a clear attempt at some corprorate good-will pr.  It’s so sacharrine it’s tough to stomach.

Yes, probably, perhaps, who cares?

 It’s doing two things each and every week.  Helping people in need…and reminding us what we can/could/should be doing.  It’s always jarring to me when people outside of the walls of our faith and churches can remind us so clearly of what we should be doing. 

Last night, the overwhelming message was one that I think we’ve either forgotten or moved to the background.  One of THE MOST important things we can give of ourselves is not our money, not our resources, but our time.  Investing time in relationships is just as important as the financial contributions, and the people are just as worthy as so many of the deserving causes we support. 

It was awesome to be reminded of that…I need to do a better job of getting involved and spending some time WITH PEOPLE.  It’s so easy for me to back away from that.

So, if you’re with me, let’s see if we can help eachother out.  What are some amazing groups/agencies/causes in the Valley?  Where do you know of that could use some man (or woman) hours in addition or instead of financial contributions?

List away below…and let’s see if we can’t get more involved in our own communities.

Tawsha and I had our 21 week ultrasound yesterday.  It is UNREAL to see your child and really see them start to take shape.  Tawsha and I feel so blessed by this process, and in complete awe of our Creator and his work. 

 Here’s Baby C’s latest picture. 

Tawsha and I did something last night that just made the week start better for me today.  We went on almost an old-school date.  Went to Olive Garden, enjoyed eachothers company, talked, and just relaxed.  It was awesome.

Funny how such a little thing was so important, but it was a great way to end the weekend and put me in a much better mood to start the week.

It let me just appreciate some time with my wife, and that was a huge blessing.