I am trying to put pictures of all my kids on here, but my blog site is having some technical difficulties.....Maybe later.

My Moon and Stars

Maddie is always willing to "cheese it up" for the camera.

Long Time, No Blog....

Well, there's no good excuse for the amount of time that has lapsed sinced I last blogged. It could be that like now, each time I get on the computer, I have 1 or more little ones hanging on my arm. I will be truly surprised if any of you even look at my blog anymore. At any rate, our family is doing well, no major catastrophes since Easter. Parker is doing great in 1st grade. The girls are growing more and more each day. I have been able to spend a lot more time at home with the kids recently. I have not been working nearly as much as I used to. It has taken some getting used to on my part, but it gets easier each week. We have had the opportunity to do quite a bit if traveling this year. We spent the week in Anna Maria Island in July, spent a week at Disney World in September, Patrick and I went to Maine for a trip and brought along my Mom and Dad in October, and just last week, Patrick and I went to Mexico. I am ready to slow down and stay at home for a while, but I don't think that will be happening. We are planning to take a trip to Gatlinburg with the kids next month, then another trip to the beach in April with the kids. That's as far as we have planned so far. What can I say? I guess we have a rambler's soul. Our little branch is thriving, and our callings are going well also. We were able to welcome Kyle home from his mission in August, and Laura and Brett are expecting a baby in July. No big news from the Hall side (unless I am forgetting something). We had a wonderful Christmas, a great 2008, and look forward to an exciting 2009. Hopefully I will be able to update my blog a little more often......

More Easter Pictures!

Happy Easter Everyone!

I hope everyone had a great Easter! I haven't blogged in so long, I was chastised for it yesterday (Thanks Kim!). I will try to do better. I think I only have an audience of about 5-7 viewers, but I know how much I love to read every ones blogs, so I need to do better. We had Easter dinner with Patrick's family on Saturday evening. We got to meet the newest member of their family, Baby Montgomery, and he was such a sweetie. I could've held him all day! Then on Sunday, we had Easter dinner with my family, which was great. I love to see all of my siblings, although we were missing a few people. (we missed you Becky, Dawn, Jeff, Michael, Leah!) I am posting a few pictures from yesterday, although my youngest was not interested in cooperating. The best pictures of Maddie are from yesterday afternoon when she sat down in the grass to pet the cat. Anyway Happy Easter Everyone!

Happy Birthday Parker!

Yesterday was quite a poignant day for me. It was six years to the day that my water broke and it was time to go to the hospital to bring home our first baby, a precious little baby boy. The scenario was exactly the same. It was Sunday, and not just any ol Sunday. It was Super Bowl Sunday, same as yesterday. I remember vividly the food and drinks being passed around in my labor room, when I was not allowed to have one single bite of anything. Needless to say, Parker was a stubborn boy, and it took 34 hours of labor and a c-section to get him out. That is how his Birthday came to be on Monday instead of Sunday. I took a minute last night when I was tucking him in to tell him all about that special day 6 years ago. I told him how difficult it was, and let him know that he was worth every minute! He is such a special little boy, and he loves his Mommy so much! He is my little shadow no matter where I go, and is always ready to help Mommy cook. He is in Kindergarten this year, and can already read. He is so smart, and sometimes I can't believe the things he knows. I thank my Heavenly Father each and every day for not only Parker, but all of my Family. Today though, is Parker's day, and it brings back all the sweet memories of what we did on this day exactly 6 years ago. I can almost smell that sweet new baby smell, and feel the softness of his cheeks. I remember the soft downy hair all over his face and back. I remember the way I felt when he first opened his eyes and he gazed at me for the longest moment, and I knew he was sent especially for us from our Heavenly Father, and that he had a special plan here on Earth just for Parker. I look back over the years and I can barely remember all the hard times we went through with him. All of the illnesses, the developmental delay, the medical tests he had, it has all faded with time, and what I remember most is his accomplishments, his happy smile, and his love for his Family. I am so blessed to have been sent this precious little boy, and to that I say... Happy Birthday Parker!

Coming Soon....

I am such a slacker! I haven't updated my blog in so long, and I am so ashamed of myself! It has been a whirlwind around here since Christmas. I did get a new digital camera for Christmas and am looking forward to putting some new pictures up. Well, for updated news from us, today alone here is what we're dealing with. Parker has strep throat, and we have frozen busted pipes! Sounds like fun huh? Well the pipes are fixed, and Parker actually feels better today. Here is how I am trying to look at the blessings that I have as well... Today was a school holiday so Parker did not have to miss a day of school, I was already off from work, so I didn't lose a day of pay, and we have a great friend right down the road who happened to have everything to fix the pipes handy ( and the knowledge to do it). So the way I figured, it could have been much worse! We are now members of the newly formed "Jackson Branch". We had our first Sunday services yesterday. We are looking forward to being in a small branch and the challenges it will bring. I have been called as the 1st counselor in Primary, and Patrick is the 1st counselor in the Elders Quorum. We actually have about 14 active primary children, so it is a decent size, and we hope to grow by leaps and bounds. I started a new diet and exercise program with the new year. I lost 4 pounds the first week and have been too scared to weigh myself since then. I do notice a slight difference in the size of the "junk in the trunk" if you know what I mean. Also the stomach, or rolls as I call them are shrinking as well. I was instructed by my husband to lose as much weight as I wanted, but if I lose the the two B's (butt and boobs) I will be in big trouble! Well, hope everyone is having a great New Year, and I enjoyed seeing everyone during the holidays. Love and hugs to everyone!!