A Day in the Life with The Halls

First Day of School

2011-10-11T15:41:00.000-07:00

YEs I Know I am a little behind in posting of the first day of school but I had a minute to spare before we are off to volleyball so I thought I would make a quick post.

Life had been crazy busy but school is going well. So far I have done really well on my first tests. Which is a relief but there is still alot of semester to get through.

Wish me luck!!!

Hope all is well.

few more pics

2011-08-24T09:17:00.000-07:00

summer fun

2011-08-23T07:51:00.000-07:00

Well it's hard to believe that summer is almost over. It has gone by fast but it has been a good one. We spent the first part of summer watching baseball. Tevin's team ended up losing in the finals. Which would of sent them to the Canadian Little League series in Vancouver. That was heartbreaking, but he had a good season and hit about 4 homeruns. And about 6 more that could of been if the ball had just risen a few more inches.

The girls attended basketball camp out in Magrath and really enjoyed it. Baylee has finally discovered her vocal cords and has become a mommies girl. Which has it's plusses and minuses. She has also decided that she wants to take her diaper off. We have spent most of the summer naked. Ryan went and bought her some pull ups last night to see if that would help. It's hard to believe that she will be 2 in the fall. Bryna brings great joy and laughter into our home each day. She is at such a fun age and is such a loving girl. She is very excited to be attending pre-school this year at the big school with the older girls. We just spent an awesome week on twin lakes in Idaho. We rented a small cabin on the lake and it was so much fun. It was great to have the water right there to swim on and not have to drive to the beach. Boo loved the dock and spent 10 hours a day out in the water playing and jumping off. Tevin has decided to play volleyball this year instead of football so we will see how that transition goes. He hasn't played much volleyball so hopefully he will learn it well enough to make the team. We just finished buying him size 10 runners for school!!!!

Abbie is growing like crazy and really has developed a love for basketball this year. She is wearing a size 8 ladies runner and will be sharing shoes with me sooner than later. She is entering 5th grade this year and excited to be the big kid at the school.

I am registered for full time classes starting Sept. 6. I am excited and petrified at the same time. I finished my Psychology class this summer with an A-. 1.1 points shy of an A. Oh well I was happy with the results. But it will be challenging to see how I manage 4 classes. I am taking anatomy and physiology, english, sociology and weightlifting and exercise(with my old college basketball coach). Most of you know but for those that don't Ryan was called to be the Bishop of our new ward and will also be the women's assistant basketball coach at the University this year. Our life will be very busy. It should be an interesting semester. This will probably be my last post until I am done. Hope everyone is well and I am ready for some beautiful fall weather!!!!

2011-06-13T09:22:00.000-07:00

It's been an eventful few months as always. I have been busy coaching Abbie's club basketball team. We had a great season and didn't lose a single game. It was such a great experience for Abbie to make friends with girls who have the same interests as she does. She improved so much and is an awesome rebounder. Emily had her dance recital and I started my on=line class and had my first test. Bryan is finishing up pre-school this week and the other kids will done school in two and a half weeks. Tevin will finally be done basketball this weekend and then we are full swing into baseball season. The summer plans are filling up quickly and I am trying to figure out how to fit everything in. Hope everyone is doing well and that your summer is filled with warm weather and sunshine!!!!!

Turning 8

2011-06-13T08:06:00.001-07:00

Well it's hard to believe but Emily was baptized this weekend. She was so excited and looked so beautiful. We were grateful to have so many of our families come to watch and participate.

Emily is the kindest girl and really has such a kind and loving heart. She is such a good big sister and I love that she always takes the time to think about others. We are so proud of her!!

What up with the Halls

2011-02-20T20:02:00.000-08:00

Well I almost jumped on Joann's bandwagon to bid the blog farewell. As it seems to be on the very bottom of my priority list but.....I decided that I do really enjoy popping onto everyone else's blog to see what everyone is up to so I figure I need to do better for family and friends so they can see what we are up to.

I had this big long post going on in my head about life but I have decided to forgo the mentalness that exists in my head and just focus on the goings on of the our busy house.

we have been watching lots of basketball. Tevin made the Rep team at middle school and has done alot of playing basketball. He had a great season and made alot of improvements. Abbie has been playing after school basketball and loving it. And Ryan and I spend our saturdays coaching basketball for community ball. Starting in 2 weeks I will be coaching Abbie in Ull and Ryan will be coaching Tevin in U13 for club basketball. Plus Ryan will be coaching Tevin baseball. Still not sure how we are going to fit it all in but we will figure it out somehow.

Over the past few months we have had little girls turn 1 and 3. We have been to many bball tourneys, we have celebrated Christmas with all the Dudley clan at my house and we ate KFC in about 20 minutes on V-day before both dad and mom had to rush off to work.

The kids are growing like crazy and I am afraid it has been some long months of colds and runny noses with the two little girls and we all have cabin fever so bad. The cold weather is starting to wear on all of us.

We have unfortunately postponed our trip to Disneyland for one more year. Yes it was a hard decision and tears were shed but we all decided as a family that we needed to get our yard done this summer and we just can't do both. So I am proud of the kids for learning the lesson of being responsible and making good financial decisions and sometimes that means sacrifice.

So a trip to Kallispell for baseball and a trip to Spokane before school to go to SilverWood and back to school shopping will have to do this summer.

Finally the biggest news of the year is that I am going back to school. Yes I am starting this summer and doing 8 courses over the next year and will be applying to the nursing program next year at this time. How I am going to accomplish this is yet to be determined and still do everything else on my list. But that is where faith comes in and the family pulling together so that when I am done I can work one job and make some good money instead of working 3 part time jobs so supplement the income and pay for all those sporting activities!!

I am excited and ready to stimulate my mind. I love being at home but I am afraid the day to day of being at home seems to be a struggle. It is time.....

Wish me luck and I hope that I can do a little better in keeping you all updated on whats going on in our life. Well it is time to get ready for work. Until next time....

puppy, puppy,puppy

2010-10-18T17:09:00.000-07:00

Well I better get my act in gear with blogging before life is gone and the kids are all grown up!!

I can't get over how time goes by so quickly. Some dear friends of ours lost there 39 year old daughter on friday to cancer. She was diagnosed less than 6 weeks ago! Wow is right. She was a single girl but she was a elementary teacher and although I did not know her personally very well she was an awesome person. Ryan played basketball with her brother Spencer Holt at the Uof L many many moons ago. Barb and Wayne Holt there parents are the best of the best. They treated Ryan and I so good during our basketball years and we will always hold a special place in our heart for them as we spent many times at there home playing cut throat UNO and sitting in the stands together cheers our boys on. It is times like these that I am knocked back to reality and am reminded of all the many blessing I have.

Which unfortunealty includes now a puppy!!!!!

For those of you who know about our last experience with a puppy I imagine you are laughing right now and wondering why!

But it is called a husband who loves dogs and couldn't wait until spring like we planned. That way we would have a yard and a deck and a fence. Oh no we needed to get this puppy right now.

But I can say she is adorable and we love her. The short time she has been on our home is more enjoyable than one day with Redick. I don't think we even had one good day with that poor mut!!!

Her name is Sage and I think she is going to be a good one.

Wow part 2

2010-09-20T06:14:00.000-07:00

Okay so my journaling didn't quite make it to my post last night. As usual I was having problems with aligning my pictures with my words and then my brother and I talked for 1.5 hours and by then I had to leave for work. So the moral of the story is...I didn't get me post done. So here it is.

Life here has been very busy as usual. Slowly I am getting things done around the house. There are still lots of little things to do. But it's coming. The pictures below are of the main floor. It was sunday yesterday so the upstairs of course was a mess. I will try and get the up and down stairs done in the next few days.

The kids have been busy starting there fall activities and I have started 2 part time jobs.

So between the kids, my jobs and Ryans work we have discovered that our time together is very precious.

We are heading down to Colorado in a few weekends for the girls to be sealed in the temple to the Casey's. We are very excited and only Rye and I are going so we are looking forward to some time alone. It will be a quick trip but we are excited for it.

Well thats all for now folks!!

Wow!!!

2010-09-19T19:03:00.001-07:00

Still here and its moving Day

2010-08-05T06:37:00.000-07:00

Okay so I know my blogging has been super lame. I don't know why I have been so lame about it. But life is about to change again and we are so excited. Did our walk through for the house last night and it looks stunning. Just a few things to fix and take care of but we should be set to go for tomorrow. We are loading up the trucks today and off we go in the morning.
So pictures and new house to follow soon...promise Amber!
Wish us luck that we don't completely scratch up the new walls in the first day!

Life

2010-05-06T08:44:00.000-07:00

Well life here has been busy. Which is good. The busier things are the faster time goes by. Here is a picture of the house. It actually is all framed we are just waiting for a roof. Next week I should have some pictures of the roof to put on.
Last night we went to the girls final concert. It was awesome. The choir instructor does three choirs. Children's, Youth and Seniors. The Children's choir which the girls are in is pretty large and they are very good. They sang beautifully. The youth choir the kids are 12-15 ish and the senior choir is high school age, university age kids. They are amazing. They sang some songs last night that just sent chills up your spin and literally took your breath away. You could feel the spirit in the room. It was awesome. I am so glad I had found this choir for the girls to be a part of. It was a pain driving to Lethbridge every Wednesday but well worth it. Next year life will be so much easier when we are 5 minutes away from everything.
Well the weather here has been awful and we are so looking forward to some nicer weather so the kids can play baseball and soccer.
We are off to Calgary for the weekend to see my parents and hang out with family. Should be fun!!!!

Welcome to life with Bryna. She really is like no other child I have ever been around. She is into everything and has so much life to her. You can't help but fall in love with her instantly. She definitely keeps me busy and brings new challenges to my life each day!!!!!!!

Chickenitza

2010-05-03T06:56:00.000-07:00

I get so frustrated trying to organize the pictures on this thing. The pictures are backwards to what I am going to write.

This was by far our most favorite day. We had such a wonderful time. We booked a tour with an LDS tour guide called Mosiah. He and his family run tours all over the place down in Mexico. We had such an awesome time with him. We learned alot about the Mexican culture and way of life. Saw many things and learned so much at Chickenitza.

My favorite spots were where he showed us Samuel the Laminate would of stood as well and the 2060 pillars that represent the stripling warriors. It was simply breathtaking. I felt the spirit and was so amazed by the structures and the Book of Morman coming to life for us.

It was well worth the money spent to have him take us.

After we were done at Chickenitza we went to this cenote that was about 5 min. away. It was simply breathtaking. After being out in the hot sun it was so refreshing to jump in and cool off. The jump was pretty high and you hit the water pretty hard. My face and butt stung for a few minutes. But it was beautiful. The Cenote itself was about 60 feet down and then from the water it was about another 90 feet down. There were vines and roots that hung down and little black fish that swam in the wate all around you. Sometimes you would feel them brush up to your legs.

We came home exhausted but so enriched and rejuvinated. I highly reccomend the tour and the cenote.

Well that is about all I have. Our last day we were going to go ATVing and then into another cenote but we were so wipped out from Chickenitza that we decieded not to go. So we went into Playa Del Carmen and did a little shopping and bartering and got some fun souveniors for everyone. Then we came home and I hit the beach for a few more hours while Rye took a nap. We ate our final meal at the asian restuarant there and it was very good. We were able to experience mexican, Italian, French and Asian cusine at the al la carte restuarants.

We had such a wonderful time and were ready to get home to see the kids. Not so ready to be home to the freaking cold weather that welcomed us.

I can't wait to go back again and take the kids. Our goal is in 5 years. To save up and take the kidos with us. And hopefully grandma and grandpa so we can have some extra hands.

Well It has been almost a month since we left which is crazy to think. My tan is almost gone but we are on the count down for the house. I have some more pictures to post and hopefully will get to that later. We should have a roof on by the end of the week.

Yeah.

So long for now.

wedding day

2010-05-03T06:38:00.000-07:00

I am trying to get these posts done. The computer here is so slow and takes forever for my pictures to down load that I don't always get them done. Anyway this day was a nice relaxing day. We just took it easy at the resort. Slept in, layed by the beach, went swimming in the ocean and did some reading. Well Ryan did some reading. I tried I just wasn't into it. I just preferred to lay and feel the sun on me and sleep and enjoy the peace and quiet.
We had to be ready by 5 for the wedding.
We had an enjoyable night. The wedding was beautiful and we had a great time visiting and celebrating Jay's marriage.

2010-04-21T08:23:00.000-07:00

Well I have finally got a second with no baby in arm to get these posts going. She is at that stage where she needs to see me or be with me all the time and sitting in front of the computer doesn't work because she attacks everything in sight.
But she is sleeping pretty consistently through the night so that is great.
I have had sick kids and hubby home this whole week which turned into nothing getting accomplished and being very lazy. We watched Lord of the Rings for two days in a row and enjoyed being lazy. Finally got my but in gear yesturday to get some work done and we get the call from Greeley that it is raining and the basement is flooding. So needless to say Ryan is currently in Greeley as I am typing at the Pauls house. So jelous that he is there. Miss Greeley so much.
ANyway on to my trip. It may be christmas before I get all my posts done!!!!
Day 3 we decided to venture out on our own and see what taking the public transit would be like.
Basically you got out onto the highway and stand by the road and wait for a big van to come by and pick you up. We went out and sure enough in 2 seconds a van pulled up and we were on our way. We went to Tulum to check out the ruins. We went on our own with no tour guide. That was fine but I think next time we will hire a tour guide so we can learn more about it. This first picture is of a coconut. I posted this so you could see that we drank out of one of these but I didn't get a picture of ours. They were interesting. They call it coconut milk but it is clear like water. It tastes almost like a carbonated water. Very tasty.

Tulum was amazing. It is like this big huge city by the sea. It had walls all the way around it and tall look out points for spoting people coming. The water and beach were amazing. The sand was so soft. The water is so clear. We later learned from others that the best beach to go to was further down in the town of Tulum. I guess it was amazing. Next time we go we will have to venture to that beach. Parts of the beach by the resort was very rocky so you had to search for spots that was safe to go swimming in. I guess that is why Tulum was so amazing. There were no rocks to hit your feet on.

We spent about 3 hours there and then headed back to the resort. It was perfect we got back in time for our daily nap and relaxing by the beach for awhile. Then we had to get ready for the wedding rehersal. We ate with everyone an the world cafe and then they did a quick run through of how everyone was to walk and all that. It was a nice night. When we were done we went for a long walk around the resort along the paths they have. It was very nice. Another great day.

ANd yes Ryan did a number to his face. It's called learn how to apply sun screen!!!!!! lol

Day 2

2010-04-15T08:31:00.000-07:00

Well Day 2 was equally as awesome. We went to this place called Xel-Ha you say it shell ha. It was their version of a water park. It was pretty neat. They had this long river that we rode down. We started on tubes. Their was this place called the cliff of courage. We stopped their to jump off of it. I don't have any pictures because I didn't have my camera with me in the water. And well we were both jumping. Ryan managed to lose his snorkeling mask and his locker key in a matter of 20 minutes. Fortunately he spotted his snorkeling mask and he got that but he lost his locker key and we had to pay 5 bucks to replace it. What a guy.
Anyway the jump off the cliff was fun.
We got back on our tubes for awhile, then I was having a hard time going anywhere so we jumped in the water and started our snorkeling adventure. It took us awhile to find where the fish were but we did find them. They like to stick close to the coral the the rocks. It was pretty cool to see. We were both feeling a little sea sick so we got out and relaxed for a bit and got something to eat. Now that I knew where all the great fish where I wanted to get back in but Rye had had enough. Not much of a water guy to begin with.
So we found a great spot where he could sit in read in the shade and I could get back in for more exploring. I only lasted about 30 minutes and I was done. The constant motion of the water moving was more than my stomach could handle. So I got out and sat in the sun for an hour. Then it was on to the best part of the day. I went and swam with the dolphins. It was great. It was such an awesome experience and I was glad Rye persuaded me to go for it.
It was amazing what a calm feeling it was to be in the water with them. They were so breathtaking and calm. They felt like soft rubber. You wanted to just grab on to their fin and let them take you for a ride. But of course you couldn't. You could have the dolphin give you a ride but of course it cost extra. Everything down their is about the money. That's another post.
Anyway it was amazing and an experience I will never forget.
Later we came home and of course took our daily nap. Got showered and dressed up for the evening. This night we had decided to go to the Mexican restaurant. But it was closed as they had set up tones of tables and chairs on the plaza for a big Mexican buffet. We had a blast visiting with friends and they brought out a mechanical bull. Rye got in line to go do it but they shut it down before he had a chance to get on.
It was a great night and an awesome day.

Where to begin......

2010-04-14T10:50:00.000-07:00

Where to begin. We had the most amazing trip. It was truly everthing I had imagined it would be.There is so much to write and tell. So I thought I would do it day by day. It might take me a few days to get it all written.
We got there sunday night and were just blown away by the scenary and the beach. We were pretty hungry so we got our names on a list for a resturant. We ate the first night at the seaside grill. It was located right down by the beach. It was incredible. The sun sets there very early so by 7 it is dark. Which took a little getting use to.
Monday was our first full day and was a great day. We slept in, went and got some breakfast at the buffet. Ate way to much. Which seemed to be a common theme each day. When it's All Inclusive why not.
We spent most of the day on the beach, relaxing, reading, sleeping. Some friends we went with found a great spot about 5 minutes down from our beach that was not so rocky. We walked down there and had our first taste of what it was like to swim in the ocean,
It was incredible. The water was so warm and of course tasted very salty. But it was like swimming in a warm bath. I loved it. It was one of my favorite parts was swimming in the ocean. The water was so clear and breathtaking. It almost doesn't seem real.
Then we went back for a nap and to get out of the sun for a little. Shower and get ready for the evening. Most of the a la carte restaurants there require you to dress up to dine. It was lots of fun. Note to self for next trip, back way less capris and shorts and shirts and more skirts and beachy clothes. I took way to much stuff that I didn't even wear. Monday night we dined at the French restuarant. It was a highlight. I was a little nervous about the food. But it was very yummy. Probably are favorite restuarant. It was great. Then we headed down to the beach for the big game. It was amazing. Watching Duke win the national championship while on the beach. There was only one other person there cheering Duke on. Everyone else was cheering for Butler. So we cheered very loud and were so excited. A dream come true.

Do you frequent my blog?????

2010-03-29T15:06:00.000-07:00

I finally added a few more friends blogs to my list. I have been meaning to do that forever. I still have a few that I need to add. As I was searching today for a few url address so I could add them I came accross some friends from Greeley that had me on their list as checking my blog out. So I added them. I was wondering if there was anyone else who goes on every once in awhile. I know I am not a frequent blogger but I do go on everyday to check out and see what everyone else is doing. So if you frequent my blog let me know so I can add you to my list. It is always fun to see what everyone is up to.
5 days to Mexico.
I had a great weekend shopping with my sisters. I forgot to take my camera and was going to have Keltie take a picutre so I could post it...but forgot. Found some cute new items to take on my trip and now I am just ready to go.
Miss Baylee finally took a bottle so I feel like everything is going to be okay. Rye and I decided to stay in a hotel on saturday night as we need to be at the airport fairly early sunday morning. So we are going to watch our DUKE boys in the final four in our hotel room. Looking forward to it greatly.

We have a Hole

2010-03-25T07:55:00.000-07:00

Well I never thought this day would come. But it finally is here and we have a hole in the ground. I think Ryan was even more excited than I was. I think the drive and late nights is getting very old. Tevin and him have even resorted to sleeping in his office. It has been a crazy month. We have been to Medicine Hat and Edmonton for Tevin's basketball. All without Ryan. He has worked almost every weekend this month and had lots of extra functions going on. Being a single parent is getting old. Our almost completely potty trained girl has totally regressed and it is almost back to square one. She has fortunately got the popping thing down but can't seem to know when she needs to pee. If I take her all day she is fine but she wont communicate. Ryan says don't get so frustrated with her. I tell him you come home then and potty train her and see if you don't get frustrated. Anyway I am trying to be patient with her. Her life is in such chaos right now. She hardly sees her daddy and is such a daddy's girl. She cries every time he leaves and her anxiety is so high she wont leave either of our sides. She wouldn't even go to nursery last week. So I figure when we get back from Mexico we will be getting rid of a soother and get this potty thing down.

We leave for Mexico in 9 days. I am very excited and very stressed at the same time. Baylee will not take a bottle. Refuses. I have resorted to feeding her rice cereal 2 times a day and will up that to 3 just before we go so that she is actually getting some food in her. We are trying a sippy cup and that is going okay. Yesterday I decided that I needed to stop nursing her during the day so that both our systems could get use to it. By 8 I was in tears I hurt so much. So hopefully after a few days of that my body will settle down and Bay will get use to not being able to nurse. I just wish this darn trip was in about 6 more months when I didn't' have a nursing baby to worry about. Oh well I am trying to not get to worked up about it and not let it ruin our trip. Which is a much needed break for both of us.

Well I was worried I wasn't going to get my March post in but I did it. I am going shopping this weekend to try and find a dress for this wedding. I went to this girls house yesterday who sells modest clothing to look for something. She has lots of swimsuits from Down East Basics and different companies likes that. I hadn't really planned on buying a new suit as they are expensive. I had purchased a cheap suit from Costco for 25 bucks. Nothing great but it was cheap. Well it is a little low cut and I figured it would be but I thought it would be okay. Well we went swimming for FHE on monday night and I wore it. At the end of the night Abbie says to me..."Mom I don't like that swimsuit. It shows to much of your...." She couldn't quite say boobs. I could tell all night that she was bothered by the fact my chest was pretty exposed. So I figured if my 9 year old daughter was embarrassed than I should be to. So I broke down and spent $80 on a suit but at least it is modest and very cute, so I don't have to embarrass my daughter. What a good kid.

So I hope everyone is well and I know we are all ready for some spring weather. I am looking forward to soaking up some sun and can't wait to go exploring and we get to watch the final NCAA game on the beach sipping Pina Coladas. Oh yeah that's what I'm talking about....GO DUKE!!!!!!

Chow for now and I will be back after Mexico. Here are some fun pictures of what we've been up to lately.

So Proud

2010-02-26T09:00:00.000-08:00

There are moments in life that despite the trials and tribulations you know that you've made a right choice. Leaving Greeley was so incredibly hard for us. We were blessed with such amazing friends who really became our family as we lived so far away from family. A school we loved so much and felt so connected to. A baseball team that was more than a team it was our family. And church members who we loved associating with.

It has been a challange this year living in Claresholm with Ryan and Tevin on the go to Lethbridge constantly. We don't usually see them until very late at night and then they are off first thing in the morning. I have learned some very valuable lessons about family and space and myself. It has not been easy. But....

there comes moments when we know that our lives have been guided and directed and help to strengthen our faith. I have had several of those since being here that despite missing Greeley and often wishing maybe we could go back. A few have come when I have watched Tevin play basketball and associatte with his team. His new school has been very good to him and he has really grown and is doing very well.

The next is watching my children play with their cousins and strengthing my relationship with my sisters and how much fun that has been.

Lastly it has come when I watch Ryan do his job. He has done such an amazing job. Two weekends ago we had the opportunity to participate in a 'blast from the past'. It has been ten years since Ryan played his last year of baketball at the Uof L. He decided that he wanted to use this weekend as an opportunity to honor this team that went all the way to the national semi-finals that year. He contacted everyone and every player but 2 were able to make it. They boys all met and scrimmaged in the afternoon and then we went for a lunch and were able to visit with players and wives and girlfriends and it was so awesome. We had had such good times together and it was so great to see everyone. Then that night the team was honored at half time of the game. It was incredible for me to watch the day and evening unfold and watch Rye work. He did such an awesome job and I was so prould of him. It was also breast cancer night and that is why we are all wearing the pink shirts. It was truley an amazing day and my battery of course was dead so I had to rely on others for pictures so I don't have them all yet. I am going to post what I do have.

Anyway our house is going to be starting soon. I am trying to be patient. The plans are being drawn up and they should start digging in the next couple of weeks. That is exciting and I can't wait.

Baylee is rolling over constantly and growing so fast. Bryna is pretty much potty trained and still driving her mother crazy but she is a blast and keeps us on our toes.

We have just over a month to go until Mexico. Feeling excited and nervous at the same time. Baylee still isn't sleeping great so I am nervous about leaving her. But I am looking forward to the time away and to spend it with Rye. I still have 10 pounds to lose but Oh well I am trying. I am hoping to atleast get 5 more before we go.

Chow for now. Hope all is well.

GO CANADA GO!!!!!!

Thank Heavens For the 'Whole Armor'

2010-01-20T11:02:00.000-08:00

I've been pondering the last few days over things that have transpired the last few days. My anonymous person who ever they may be made reference to my armor. I say to them, yeah for me. I am glad to have the armor on and have it help me to get through each day. Let me tell you this life we lead is not what we learned about in Young Womens. My BFF and I would joke about that all the time how they sure didn't teach us this stuff in Young Womens. The sad thing for me is, even this awesome most incredible person who I love has even left the church and taken her armor off because she has found something else that fulfills her life. I know she will read this so I want her to know that I love her, I truly do and I miss our friendship and miss her. I hope she is happy and finds the answers in life she is searching for.
I know that we are all in this battle of life together and it's so hard to see how Satan truly is attacking the family in anyway possible. I see so many good people around me having so many struggles. For me, the only way I get through it all is truly my testimony and the ability to Pray and know that I have someone on my side. Does that make life easier..not always but it sure does help.
I have had several people e-mail over the past few days and say they know someone who has had some nasty comments put on there blog as well. I still don't know if our "anonymous" person is someone I know or a complete stranger. And in the end it doesn't matter. I took off both posts because they were kind enough to leave me several more nasty messages that I didn't think people needed to see. Now all my comments will be filtered, which is a pain but it's the only thing I can do other than going private. So for now if "anonymous" tries to post more comments to try and get a rise out of people it wont work because the only one who can see the comments is me. Quite frankly I don't have time for you.
It's interesting there reference to the whole "Molly Mormon"attitude. I really truly believe that, that status is long gone. I don't think any of us are trying to be a Molly Mormon. Not even the best of the best. We are all trying to be good people and be good moms and wives and full fill our callings and help out at school and in the community. Does it seem like to too much at times..yes. Do we out do our selves at times...yes. Do I do it because I am trying to one up my neighbor or look the best. Maybe sometimes..but mostly I do it because I want to. I love being a mom, I love going to the school and knowing all the teachers and have them know me. I love and I mean love coaching my kids at basketball and watching them play sports. I love it all. Do I still cry myself to sleep at times because I feel overwhelmed. And I wish I had my sister in laws figure (Annie) I will even name who I envy. Do I wish my skin was flawless like my cousin Crystal. Do I wish I had perfect teeth like Shannon. Oh I so do. But at the end of the day I am just trying to be the best me.
I love the 'whole armor'. ANd love having it on because when I let bits and pieces fall off that is when life gets hard.
So mr. or mrs. anonymous. I suggest you find something else to do with your life that maybe could bring happiness to peoples lives instead of trying and I mean that very lousy, trying to do what? Ruin others. Do some good with your life instead. Send money to the Haiti relief fund. Be kind to a stranger....tell those you love that you love them and appreciate them. Do GOOD.
As President Kimball says....JUST DO IT.

Well I felt I needed to get that out. I have sure appreciated the e-mails and phone calls that I have received. They so made me happy and realize how blessed I am to know so many awesome people. The result of feeling in the deeps of despair has turned into a resolve to be happy and do good and be better.

Hope everyone has a good day.
I think I challenge everyone to do one thing nice for someone this week. Be it big or small, but do it. Post it back and share with us if you want..or don't. But lets pay it forward this week.
TErra

Baylee

2009-10-25T15:05:00.000-07:00

Well Baylee will be two weeks tomorrow so I figured I better get this post done before a month has already gone by.

Baylee Cameron Hall

was born on October 13th 2009 at 7:47 am

I know what a lame day October 13th. I was hoping for the 12th.

Oh well we will not complain as it was the glorious day that she came out.

Well the birthing story goes....

I had been having contractions that whole weekend and had been bound and determined that I would have a baby that weekend. Rye was home for the whole weekend basically and it was Thanksgiving so it meant we had Monday as well for walking and all the things we could do to get this baby out. Friday night I had been up with tones of contractions and thought we were starting but by 4 they stopped and then we had nothing in Saturday. Sunday I started to have quite a few at church so Rye and I walked a tonne and every time we walked they would start and then when we came home they would quit. Anyway by Monday I figured we might as well just wait until next Monday as I was set to be induced. Then we went to bed Monday night. I had been having some contractions but still no real pattern to them. So we went to bed around 11. At 12:30 I woke up and was feeling like something was happening. I got up and got onto the computer. I was waiting until about 2 before I was going to wake Rye up. He came up from downstairs around 1:45. The contractions had been consistently 2-3 minutes apart for over an hour and were increasing in intensity. So we figured we'd better go. We go to Lethbridge and to the hospital around 3. I told Rye I bet I'm 3cm. Sure enough I was. So basically I labored for 4 hours at the hospital. If we lived closer I probably would of waited to go to the hospital but we didn't want to take any chances. Finally the doctor came around 7:15 and she checked me. I was now a 5 but very "stretchy" was the word she used. She broke my water and said go ahead and do what you need to do. She figured it wouldn't take to long. After she broke my water I could literally feel her slide down and well the contractions and the pressure intensified 10 fold. Well we basically had a baby by 7:47. It went fast and hurt like a bugger but it was done. I think both Rye and I did a quick check to make sure it was a girl....and it was a girl. We had no complications and everything went well. She has been doing well and has been a good baby. Other then she has her days and nights mixed up a little and loves to sleep during the day but likes to show me her bright eyes in the middle of the night.

Bryna has had a hard time. She is missing her mommy time and has a hard time understanding what "being gentle" means. So we are living day by day at the moment. We feel very blessed and are enjoying this last baby.

I am humbled by the miracle of birth. I think that as you get older and with the more children you have you appreciate the miracle even more. Because you know how fast they grow and how limited your time is with them and how that feel of holding a newborn lasts only a second and then is gone and replaced with tantrums and tweeny girls and an 11 year old boy. Let me say 11 year old boys are a breed of there own!!!

At times when I ponder what happened to the other little boy I was convinced we were going to have I am reminded of all the people I know (including my two sisters) who haven't been able to have there own children and I feel very blessed and am excited to be the mother of 4 teenage girls!!!!! Ryan on the other hand feels scared and nervous about raising 4 teenagers but I am truly just excited and love each one of them so much.

The world has gotten to be such a hard place and family no longer is a priority but I am grateful for all of the awesome people we know and have been surrounded by in our life. And for family who we love very much. So as I venture through this journey of motherhood faced with 5...yes 5 children I can only lead on my Savior for support and my friends who are such good examples to me. To my Colorado friends we love and miss you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well I hope everyone is well and are having a good Sunday afternoon.

Terra

How many times have you been to the fire station????

2009-10-07T11:08:00.000-07:00

Well that is the question I pose today. How many fire station field trips have you been on. I am sure I can beat you all.

After thinking about it the magic number is 7. Plus my dad was fireman growing up and so we went a few times when Tevin and Abbie were little. So I am boosting my number up to 9.

Does it get more exciting every time you go. Well no...but...the adorable 6 year old who get to ride the truck all the way to the station from the school was all smiles and had fun. And the 23 month old wasn't quite sure about the whole thing, especially when the fireman came in with his gear on. That got her up and running over to mom's lap ( whats left of moms) lap. I figure with two more children to go through pre-school and kindergarten we could have that grand total number up to possible 13 by the time I am done. And of course I wouldn't miss it for the world.

Pregnancy update - for all of you who are anxiously waiting for me to be out of my misery. Actually I have been feeling a little better. The bruised tail bone or chipped or whatever happened to it is getting a bit better. Although I am a little worried about pushing the baby out when most of the pressure comes from the back and you have to push. But I am sure the excruciating pain coming from my tail bone will be over ridden by my body being ripped in two.

I am done to a count we have 12 days left. The doctor is going to induce me on the 19th of October. So unless I have the baby earlier than that the 19th is the date. It is a little weird knowing the actual date that you will have your baby. Never had that before. I am excited and ready. Well I just noticed that Bryna fell asleep on the chair so I better move her to her bed before she wakes up and doesn't take a good nap.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving weekend my fellow Canadians!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rye and I were talking last night how we will miss American Thanksgiving. Canadian Thanksgiving comes so fast and there isn't the hype or the tradition around it. Oh well what can you do. None the less Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and I hope you are surrounded by family and friends.

The cold has arrived

2009-09-30T10:22:00.000-07:00

Well for all my whining and complaining about the heat the cold has finally arrived. Although I do welcome it with open arms the kids aren't as thrilled about it as I am. But I have more energy than I have had in months and feel like I can handle life a little better. That I feel like the count down can officially start now that tomorrow brings us October. I thought it was time to change the blog a little. I love Halloween. I know there are lots of people who despise this holiday. But I love the colors and the excitement it brings for the kids and helping them with there costumes. I am interested to see how they celebrate it here at school. If the kids get a party or not. I know there has been lots of places that have gone away from that. Hopefully we get to wear our costumes to school and have some fun. But if not we will not complain and be happy. Well that is all for now. Boo boo insists on trying to type with me so it is time to get off as that is not going over real well. I look forward to sooner than later sharing an announcement with everyone. Either that we have found a house or that we have had a baby. Either one would make me happy!!!!!

I'm still Alive--Honest

2009-09-26T11:26:00.001-07:00

Well the time has finally come to get back into things. I have been living in my one little world these past few months. It has been a bit of a difficult transition but I am hanging in there. I have about 4 weeks left at the very most and I am hoping for 2 - 3 to have this baby out of me. I have been miserable and uncomfortable and pretty much lazy. The weather has been very hot and that has not helped. I am hoping that it is going to cool down a little and that seems to give me some energy. We are living at Grandma's and Grandpa's and that is going well. I will be ready for our own space when the time comes but we are grateful for them and for letting us stay here until we get things figured out. Tevin drives everyday to Lethbridge with Ryan to go to school. It is a 45 minute commute so it is an early morning. He is playing football as well in Lethbridge so sometimes it is 8 before they get home at night. He is doing really well and has taken on his new school with a positive attitude and is making friends. He is happy and I have been so proud of him. The girls are going to school in Claresholm and are happy as can be. They take the bus and they seem to like that enough. Which is nice for me. I don't have to drive them, especially when the baby comes it will be nice not to have to worry about it. They are doing dance in Claresholm and are enjoying it. Every Wednesday we drive to Lethbridge for them to go to choir. Which they are enjoying. Emily has had some firsts happen in the last few months. She learned how to ride her bike and she lost her two front teeth just last week. And last but not least we have Boo Boo who keeps me on my toes and is my little buddy. The two of us spend our days haning out and have the house to our selves. She is talking like crazy and we have started potty training. She is fun to have around and she doesn't miss a beat. She loves going out every morning and watching the girls get on the bus and waving to them. Last week she tried to get on the bus and decided she wanted to go with them. So we went for a walk instead and that was an ok second option.

We miss our friends very much in Colorado and look forward to visiting. But we are happy and settling into our new environment. I look forward to getting to Lethbridge and getting settled. Ryan is working very hard and right now we see little of him on the weekends as he is very involved with the sporting events that are taking place. We are going to Mexico in April for a week as one of his best high school friends is getting married there. We are looking forward to that. Well I am grateful for the world of blogging so atleast I can see what everyone is up to and I am back on track and my goal is to do a couple posts a month. Here are a few pictures of our happenings over the last few months. Bye for now and hopefully news of a baby will soon be following.

So Proud, Awesome weekend and ahhhh I hate Moving....

2009-06-30T07:15:00.000-07:00

Well I couldn't decide on which title to use so I went with all three. I figured I better get my post done early today or it wouldn't happen and I have to pack my computer up today.
We went to Steamboat on the weekend for Tevin for a baseball tourney and had an awesome time. Grandma and Grandpa H came and met us down their and we were so grateful that they did. Tevin's team played great and won the tournament. I am so proud of him. He is such a great ball player. He plays first base and is really good and he pitches. He has been struggling hitting the ball the last few weekends and so that has really made him and his dad frustrated. We made it to the semi final game and Tevin was on the mound. He "pitched his guts out" as the baseball expression goes. They went into extra innings and he was so nervous but he kept compossed and did it. It was one of those movie ending. We were home team - which means we get last bat- which was a huge advantage. It was tied 6-6, we had 2 out and the kid up to bat had two strikes on him. If he struck out or got out we would have to play an extra inning and Tevin wouldn't of been able to pitch because he had pitched all that he was allowed to. Kaylor hit the ball and it dropped just infront of the center fielder and our guy on third base scored to win the game. It was very exciting. They went on to win the championship game 12-6. We have been lucky to be a part of a great baseball family and we will miss them so much. They got a cake for us and some goodbye gifts that we are so grateful for and where truly touched by there love and kindness.
Today is also M day. Moving day. Although we have been in the moving stages for a month now but today we should be done and have most everything packed on on the pods ready to go. Ryan leaves tomorrow for a month. The kids and I will stay for July and then off we go. We are so excited and so sad at the same time. We feel so blessed to have so many wonderful friends and have been so blessed living here in Greeley. I managed to get my post in for June but it will probably be August before I get another one in. So in the meantime I enjoy reading all of your blogs and wish everyone a Happy Canada Day and a Happy fourth of July!!!!!
It appears I can't get my pictures to post so I will come back later and try again!!!!!!

Amazing Children

2009-05-22T13:02:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a month of craziness. I think I have almost spent more time at the school then home. We have been so blessed to have such an awesome school for our kids to go to and incredible teachers who care so much. Yesturday was the last day of school and 5th grade graduation. We had an award ceremony in the morning and Tevin recieved the Presidental Award for Educational Excellence. He bascially had to be advanced in math and reading, be involved in extra curricular activities and a few other things. He was near the top of his class in academics. Shawsheen has a tradition that at the end of the awards ceremony all the teachers in the school line up at the front of the gyn and each 5th grader walks by and says good bye. The picture that I posted of that is Tevin's 3rd and4th grade teacher Ms. Hyland. When Tevin got to her she started bawling which of course sent me into bawling and he even started to cry. Especially with us getting ready to move on it was so hard to say good bye to everyone at the school. There were many tears shed and many hugs given. We have been so blessed.

Last week Abbie won an art competition for drawing a post card for The Greeley Commerce. They had to draw a post card that represents Greeley. There were 2000 2nd graders from Greeley who entered and Abbie and another girl in her class were one of 7 who were chosen. There picture will be made into a post card that the Greeley Commerce will use. Once they are printed we will be getting a few copies. She also got a $10 gift card for Wal-mart. She was so excited. Abbie and Emily started softball this week and are doing really well. I don't have any photos of them yet. I will next week. Emily is pretty little to be playing on Abbie's team but I did not want to do t-ball again and only wanted one team plus Tevin's to worry about. Em has had some hits and is doing well though. Well it has been an amazing few weeks and we are going to spend the weekend watching Tevin play baseball and have our foster kiddos in respite. It will be a nice break as well. We are also saying good bye to our good friends the Binns as they are heading back to Colorado Springs this weekend. I know we will be life long friends and it has been so fun having them around the last 3 years. Enjoy the pictures of the kids and I will be back in a few weeks with lots of big news from the Halls.

Which Way Will The Wind Blow

2009-04-26T14:06:00.000-07:00

Well what can I say. Recovering from streep. Home from Texas and still no decisions on where life will take us. Although we are getting closer.... I think. North or South it will either be one direction or the either. We think. Or maybe not!!!!!! I was just looking at my blog real quick. After looking at a few others I realize how boring my blog must be. But what can I say. Every post will be about my kids at whats going on with them...because pretty much that is my life. I wouldn't trade it for anything. So back to Texas. Well it was an interesting trip. I think we definately felt like we were entering another country. There were not alot of trees, no mountains and alot of dirt. So could we live their and be happy? I don't know. Thats the question that haunts me at night. The city was pretty old and the schools were very old. But the people were awesome and so very friendly and nice. Their was a church on every corner...litterally every corner and they got bigger and bigger. No we were not in Utah and they were not Mormon churches. Being asked what church you go to is just standard. The realtor even likes to make sure the missionaries get water all of the time. But the job would be great and we would adapt!!!!

What will the North hold for us. That is yet to be determined. We wont know that until the end of May. Yesturday I was pro South and today I am pro North. I wish the Lord would just give me a vision in my sleep and maybe then my streep would go away and I could focus on getting things done. Well that is about all I can musture up for now. I have some cute pictures of the kids at easter so I think I will add those. Have a happy week to y'all. oops that must the Texas in me starting to rub off!!!!!! Oh yah...opinions on double strollers!!!! Side by side or front to back. Whe the double stroller??????? Lets see a gainage of 5 pounds already, feeling like crap, lovenox shots twice a day in the belly and Ryan convinced that it will be another girl. A promise that this will be it......

A few photos

2009-04-11T09:20:00.000-07:00

WOW

2009-04-10T15:48:00.000-07:00

This post is long over due. The insanity has been through the roof. I have been super busy being one of the main people behind the scenes of making sure Tevin's play of Beauty and the Beast was a success.
It was such an awesome experience. I worked so hard and made new friends along the way. And saw moms and dads and teachers sacrifice so much for these kids.
They were fantastic. I will post some photos but I was so far back that they are not great shots.
In the middle of all of this I had company who came with crappy weather. And I got a blood clot in my let about a foot or so long. Rye and I were to take of for a few days alone since my parents were already here. But that did not happen. It felt like things were out of control. But fortunatly we were able to get everything done. Had a wonderful time with family who I love very much. And Rye and I are still able to take our little trip in a couple of weeks.
Where are were going?????
No where real exciting but potentially life changing. Stay tuned.... (which probably means atleast a month from now) lol oh well I can only do what I can do.
I had something happen this week to some dear friends of mine that has caused me severe pain and anger and tears and all of that. It really helped me to put life into perspective and put my priorities in place.
All I will say is mothers hug your children a little more each day. Speak in a kinder voice, do a sweet something for your hubby and stay strong to your faith and beliefs because you never know how quickly that all can change.
For those of you who have not heard of Mark Mabry(spelling). I am going to attempt to post a link for a youtube. If it doesn't work go to you tube and type in Reflections of Christ. It is a short video of work that he is done. I think it is awesome and wanted to share that with you all.
I hope that you all have a good day and that even though life is hard it is so worth fighting for!!!!!!

Life

2009-02-27T11:39:00.000-08:00

Well I was frequenting my blog to look at the other blogs I like to frequent and realized that again it had been about three weeks. Oh well. Life as always is so busy that I barely have time to blog surf let alone write. It amazes me when I do waste some of my time blog surfing at what people do on their blogs.

Well life here has been crazy busy as always. We had two of our foster boys go home yesturday. It was a sad day. Ryan has been busy at the school non stop trying to get work done and I have been busy with appointments and meeting and trying to keep up with the house. I am failing miserably. Money is tight yet the need for this that or the next thing is never ending....sigh. My 10 year old ventured into his first real big mistake in life and got himself into some whopping trouble. Can't wait for those teenage years!!!
But life is still good and we continue to be blessed as always.

I am going to Time ouf for Women in Denver next weekend and look forward to that.

Basketball is almost done so that will be nice and Tevin's play will be done in about 6 weeks. Although soccer is starting as well as baseball. BUt that means warmer weather and playing at the park and going for walks, which brings a smile to my face.

Well that is about all the babbling I need to do for one day.

Life is going to be bringing many changes to the HAll home over the next several months. What those are I still don't know yet but stay tuned and I will keep you posted.

Here are some pics of the kids on V-day. I love my kids so much, even when they make dumb mistakes.

TTforN.

See if you can figure out what that means and wear it comes from.

Special weekend

2009-02-02T08:50:00.001-08:00

Well we had a busy and great weekend at our house. Stacy was baptised and it was a very special night. She really glowed and had a special spirit. We were very blessed to be able to be a part of this day. Well that is about all I have time for. But the pictures say it all. Happy monday!!

What is a great Birthday!!!

2009-01-27T18:20:00.000-08:00

Well I think it was last year around mothers day they has a poll on the internet. It was basically going over the things that women want most for mothers day. On the top of the list was the house to herself for a weekend. It is so true. Sure we love to get flowers and jewlery or for some of us scrapbooking supplies or clothes. But if you really wanted to know deep down I would have to agree with millions of other women . Quite, alone time, peace, that would have to top my list.

Well this weekend being my birthday I sort of got a little of that.

Tevin and I headed down to Colorado Springs. The Thunderbird Singers were asked to perform portions of their Fiddler Jr. performance that they did last year at this big music teachers clinic. So after fundraising and all that we were finally ready for our big weekend.

I took Tevin out of school early on friday and we headed off. I wanted to stop on Castle Rock at the outlet mall and do a little shopping. We got their and Tevin was hungry so we went through the drive thru. I left him in the car with his food while I started in on hoping to find great deals. After awhile I called him on the cell and told him to come and meet me. Sure enough he came. To make a story short 2 hours or so later we were heading to the car with our packages and the weather was turning ugly and I asked him for the keys. I could tell immediatly by the expression on his face that we were in trouble. I had not once told him to get the keys and bring them I guess I assumed he just would. Well we know what happens when we "assume" things. Anyway we were able to get the door unlocked with a display stick from Childrens Place and a Security Guard. We felt very blessed and new we were being watched over.

So we made it to CO Springs much later then we wanted but we atleast made it on time. We had a wonderful time and it was a great way to spend my birthday. The sad part was that how often do I get to sleep in a hotel in a bed all to myself and have to wake up at 5!!!

But we were done with our performance by 9 and so we went back to the hotel and I slept and watched Duke kick the snot out of Wake Forest. It was great to spend some one on one time with Tevin and he really is a great kid.

When I got home I was welcomed to a talent show put on by all the girls which included singing and dancing. Then on sunday Rye made me quiche and ceaser salad with chocolate cake and chocolate icing. It was a great weekend.

Well I figured I should post a few pictures of Tevin in his costume. He was Lazar Wolf for Fiddler and was such a cute old man.

He has been cast as Gaston in this years performance of "Beauty and the Beast". We are very excited.

Well I hope everyone is doing well.

The day after Monday

2009-01-06T20:24:00.000-08:00

Well I am on to day 2 of the new year. Although it is the 6Th the new year started for me on Monday. The previous days before that didn't count because I was still being very lazy!!!

I managed to do some scrappin for at least 30 minutes both days and that feels good. Yesterday was a happy Monday for me. Typically I hate Mondays. The kids get out of school at 2 and so the day seems to fly by. I usually start laundry and so by the time the kids get home the house is a mess and I feel frustrated. So I decided that I was not going to start laundry on Monday any more. That seemed to help me get the house re cooperated from the weekend a lot faster. Therefore creating a Happy Monday. Although by the end of the day I had such a head ache that I took some muscle relaxers way to late and so therefore getting today was not an easy task. Leading into a grumpy Tuesday. I had it out with the Atmos energy lady...got a letter talking about repayment of student loans. Had to transfer money from savings into checking because our freezer went belly up and we had to buy a new one to put all the cow meat we just purchased. Can you feel the headache starting already. And then my cute neighbor came by and brought a thank you card for the Christmas goodies we had given her. And that totally changed my day. We call her the zucchini lady. As she brings us zucchini all summer long for us to turn into bread. She is also a fellow Canadian. A french Canadian but we wont hold that against her. So I decided to tackle the sock basket that has been screaming at me for the last 2 months..fold me, fold me. That definitely made me happy.

Well I guess that is about it. It is my turn to post on the scripture blog that I am a part of so I better go.

Have a great night and here is to the hope that i will be a Happy Wednesday!

As you know I can't post without putting up a picture. So today you get to enjoy Bryna being cute and adorable in her pj's and tutu.

A new Year

2009-01-05T07:06:00.000-08:00

Well the time has come to finally get back into things and resume daily life. My hope is to really try and make a go at doing my blog on a regular basis. So instead of worrying about the last three months that I missed and trying to go back and update I am starting fresh today and moving forward into a new year. If you want to see pictures of the last three months. Well you will just have to see them on face book.

We had a lesson yesturday in RS about the new year and bascially resolutions. I decided this year that I was not going to make some huge long list of all my resolutions and overwhelm myself. Because basically I already know what I need to do and so I just need to get to work.

These many things that I am working on include better scripture study, prayers, and being a good examlple to my kids at home. Setting a good tone and not being so quick to get angry with the world around me.

I want to try and spend 30 minutes a day working on scrapbooking. My goal is by summer Iwill have the kids school books done and caught up to there current grade. I organized them all the other day so now I just need to get to work. Well I think that is a good start to my week. I hope everyone is having a good day. I am going to post a few photos because I quite frankly what is a post if it doesn't have any photos.

Where Does the Time Go

2008-10-22T08:29:00.000-07:00

Well unfortunatley I do not have a whole lot to write about. Life has been busy as always. Abbie's baptism is on the countdown and I still have a million things to do. Not to mention getting ready for Halloween. So the list has now turned into vital, most important and Oh well it will have to wait till next year!!!!
We've had some sickness and stuff to deal with, with the kids so that has slowed me down a little. Well that is really all I have to say. Oh yah started Dinky Dunkers basketball last night. I always love meeting my new team for the season. I have some good kids and some that will keep me on my toes. It means that basketball is starting soon and that brings in the best time of the year. Nov till March. The countdown to March will start soon.
Well by for now and hope ya'll havin a good day.

My main Man

2008-10-07T20:47:00.000-07:00

Well Tevin had his first Thunderbird singers concert tonight. Of course if was great. Simple but sweet and entertaining. He amazes me with the all the abilities that he has. Yet he drives me crazy almost every day. I think that a mother loves her sons so much because they are so different then what they know and they exasperate you yet they bring you so much joy at the same time. At least mine does.
Well life here has been pretty much same old. Busy, busy. Emily is learning how to read and I can't believe how quickly she is picking it up. They use this system called Jolly Phonics and it really teaches them there letters and sounds very quickly.
Abbie lost a tooth today, finally. It is only her third tooth. They seem to be taking forever to be falling out. Boo Boo is growing like crazy and has decided that she needs to have her own personal cell phone at all times. She has even called a few people on occasion with it.
Well that is all for now and I have no pictures to offer but I just wanted to jot down my thoughts about the 4 things that make my life complete!!!

Random

2008-10-03T22:58:00.001-07:00

Okay well this post is mostly for me. I need to remember this in later years.

Emily comes into my room yesterday and says mom, how long have those little pictures been on the wall. Referring to the frames on our wall that have been there for about a year now. I replied a long time, why, I 've never seen them before!!!! Then she went ahead and took a picture of them so she would remember that they were there.

She shares my passion for photography and in fact that is what she wants for Christmas.

Back Tracking A Little

2008-10-03T22:43:00.000-07:00

Well I started the Blog after Abbie had her Birthday. But I need to go back and post the big night of getting her ears pierced. I love all my children for different reasons and they are each special. Well this little girl, (well I guess she is not really little anymore) holds a special place in my heart. I can remember when we found out that we were having a girl. I knew all along for some reason that she was going to be a girl. She is the only one that I have had that experience. I can remember being so excited. She was the easiest baby in the world. So pleasant, so happy slept through the night so fast. She makes my life easy! And for many of you who know my life.... well it is not easy. She makes everything easy and does things so obediently. She's not perfect and has her struggles but I am so grateful to be her mom.

Anyway enough of the sentiment so on her eighth birthday we got to go and get her ears pierced. She was very excited and we had a wonderful night together. She talked the whole time. There is such a difference when I am in the car with Tevin than with Abbie. Tev and I talk a little and then usually listen to music and sometimes there's silence. But not with Abbie, from the moment we get in the car until the time we come home she does not stop talking. One would wonder what about.... I don't know it amazes me what she thinks about!!!!

Anyway here are some cute pictures of her on her big day!!!!!

And the exploring continues....

2008-10-03T22:41:00.000-07:00

Be careful what you wish for

2008-10-03T22:26:00.000-07:00

Well it's amazing how life can be funny. It took us two years and two months to finally get prego with Bryna. It was a long and difficult time in my life. But finally the day came when we were blessed to bring Boo Boo aka Bryna into our family. It has not been an easy road. She had reflux really bad for the the first 8 months and so she spent the whole time pucking and not sleeping!!!!Which of course meant no sleep for me. But we are almost 11 months and have made huge progress in the puke department and we finally can sleep all night long( most nights). But on that note she has brought so much joy and laughter into our home. After not having a baby in the home for 4.5 years I think Ryan and I truely forgot what it was like to have a baby. As I was trying to make birthday dinner for Rye the other day it was quite the adventure with a little one at my feet. But it is so much fun and I can't believe that she is almost one!!!!!!!

Turning 36

2008-10-03T22:17:00.000-07:00

Well as always life around here is never dull. I have decided that the sooner I accept that fact that my house will never be clean the happier I will be. I guess if I got rid of the 8 kids and the husband then I would have a clean house. But then what fun would life be.

Well on wednesday we celebrated ry's birthday. I had to take pictures of what we ate. Because not much has changed over the last 11 years.

Navaoo Tacos and Skor cake. I have a picture of his 26th birthday and we are eating the exact same meal. I am going to try and find it this weekend and I will post it. The interesting thing is who is in that picture. One child, how many children fill that picture now. 4

Which leads me to my next post!!!!!!

Emily

2008-09-28T16:13:00.000-07:00

Ryan took Emily to Wal-Mart with him yesturday and she wanted to take her own money. She decided that she was going to buy some gum. Ryan told her that he would buy it for her. But she insisted on using her own money. She was very proud of herself. The great part of it was she came home and shared a piece with everyone in the house. And in our house that is alot of people (except Autumn because she was sure that Autumn was to little to have gum)!!!!

Hello blogging world here I come!!!

2008-09-26T14:31:00.000-07:00

Okay well here is my first ever official post. No one but me may ever read it but that is okay. I have finally decided to join the blogging world for a few reasons. I have read and read other peoples blogs over and over again and love to do it. Many times people have made comments about using as a journal for the life with there family. I have been thinking about that for awhile and then this morning something happened that made me decide that it would be a good thing to do. I will get to that in a second. So here I am and I look forward to playing and typing and exploring the blogging world along with the rest of you.

Okay to the comment that got me here. We have a big move happening to our family some time in the near future. Where and when is yet to be determined but the kids are struggling with this and don't want to leave. I am trying to give little plugs for how cool this place or that place would be etc... Well Emily my 5 year old decided that her daddy needed to get a job at Wal-Mart and then all would be well and we could stay in Greeley forever. So of course the other kids jumped on the band wagon and agreed!!!

So when I was working out today I was thinking about that and how cute it was and decided that I needed to to better at writing these moments down. Since we are in the age of computers and not writing I decided that by doing a blog and saving all of my entries and maybe even putting them in a book later on I would be doing some family history and it would be easier for me to keep track of those little moments that are so important.

So the journey begins and I hope you will enjoy it as much as we do.