The Hall Herold

Thankfulness

2010-11-22T22:07:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for:

Having a great weekend with the family. Friday night, Rich and I went to our Supper Club at Cantina Laredo with our friends. It was our first night to spend the night away from Reese. It was nice to be able to relax, but I missed him so bad! Saturday morning, I went and got my hair done and did some more shopping while Rich played golf with my Dad. We went to Church Saturday night, and cleaned/shopped all day on Sunday.
My first Coach purse. Rich gave me my birthday gift a little early. I've never been a big purse person, but I LOVE my new purse.
Only having one more load of laundry to do before our trip. We leave tomorrow when we get home from work for KY, and I'm finally almost finished with all of our laundry. Reese is packed and our stuff is all laid out. I'm ready for a road trip!
My last day of work for the week being tomorrow. We have Family Day tomorrow in my class. Each student is bringing their favorite family recipe (along with their families) so we can all sample them. I also made them all a recipe book with all of the recipes in it. Tomorrow afternoon we are painting bowls for the homeless. It's going to be a busy day, but I will get to relax for the next couple of days.
Reese's precious kisses tonight. He has become quite the Mama's boy lately. He cries when I get up from the table at a restaurant, when I drop him off in the nursery, etc. Tonight, he would grab my face and pull it to his and kiss me. Then he would say "awww." He's so funny.

That's all folks. I have a stack of papers to grade and it is already midnight.

I am thankful for:

2010-11-18T21:51:00.000-08:00

My final evaluation being over! It has been a crazy, busy week, and I'm so glad that all of my paperwork and evaluations are over for the school year!
getting to go on a quadruple date tomorrow night (Dinner Club).
having a hair appointment Saturday morning. I love having freshly colored hair.
getting our grocery shopping done and being able to make potato soup for my boys.
Getting the kitchen clean.
Going to bed 10 minutes before midnight! I don't think I've made it before midnight this week.

Short and Sweet

2010-11-17T21:47:00.000-08:00

I just got finished getting all of my work done for tomorrow, and it is 11:45 so this will have to be short and sweet. Today, I am thankful for:

getting everything finished for my 3rd and final evaluation tomorrow.
getting to eat Subway after Church with Rich.
Seeing my parents at Church tonight.
my husband washing all of Reese's bottles for me so I could get all of my paperwork finished up.
getting to play with Reese and hearing him laugh.

Bedtime!

The Hulk

2010-11-16T20:00:00.000-08:00

Reese got to be the Hulk for Halloween this year. I posted some pictures of him with his outfit on, but you have to see the whole costume (face paint and all) to appreciate it. We went to our Church's Fall Festival for a little bit. We had just planned on stopping by because it is an Outreach that is usually packed, but my mom wanted to take Reese around to show him off. Here are some pictures of Reese's first Halloween.

My boys

Reese was excited!

He's such a lover.

Nana and Reese

Playing with Sophia.

Watching the big kids in the jumping thing.

3 Days?

2010-11-16T19:36:00.000-08:00

Did I really forget to blog 3 days in a row? My only excuse is that it was a crazy, busy, wonderful weekend! Anyways, today I am thankful for:

Almost being finished with all of my Christmas shopping. I went shopping for 15 hours on Sunday with my friends Robin and Julia. These two girls know how to shop! It was so fun getting to have a day with the girls and get lots of shopping done. We may have done a little shopping for ourselves, but we got a few things knocked off of our lists. I am taking Rich with me on Sunday to Cool Springs to finish up getting his stuff done. I need him to try stuff on so I can finish his shopping.
Finding a paint color for our living room. Ok, it's confession time. The only room that I completely finished decorating in our house is Reese's nursery. Some of our walls are still bare and white. I finally have the decorating bug again so I'm going to do our dining room before January 1. I just have to get my china cabinet, make my drapes, paint, and get chandelier shades for our lighting fixture (I'm making those as well). I'm thinking about doing bead board at the bottom, but we'll see.
Getting to eat dinner with my Dad tonight. Rich had to work late so I took Reese to get his first hair cut and to eat at Ricardo's with my Dad.
Taking a bath with Reese. I'm sure some people think it's gross to take a bath with your child, but it is Reese's favorite thing in the world to do. Tonight, we got in together and just played with all of his toys. He loved the fact that mommy was taking a bath with him.

That's all for now. Be on the look-out for The Hulk!

Reese's First Birthday Party

2010-11-12T23:53:00.000-08:00

We did Reese's birthday party at Peek-a-Boo. It was a wonderful day that I will never forget. He loved his birthday party! We did the party from 10-11:45 on Nov. 6th. They had it decorated for us, had juice boxes for the kids, plates, silverware, etc. We had our cake delivered so all we had to do was show up with the birthday boy. It was zero stress, and I got to enjoy every second with our precious boy, friends, and family. Here are some (or a TON) pictures of his special day.

I had the cake made by a lady from Crossplains. She delivers her cakes and can do anything you want. It was the best cake I've ever tasted (not exagerating), and I only paid $80 for a THREE tiered cake AND Reese's personal cake AND delivery. She did the top and bottom layer with white cake and the middle layer with chocolate. She even made his candle to match the cake. It was perfect.

It looks like fondant, but doesn't have the bad taste that fondant does. She makes all of her cakes and icing from scratch.

Reese was pumped for his big day!

RJ playing with the trains. He looked at me and said, "I love it here." I barely saw him the rest of the party.

Ariah and Ariana played in the kitchen for a good hour.

Reese playing with the big boys.

His two favorite girls. This is what he does when sees Sydney and Kate. He adores them.

Oh the love Reese has for Sydney.

and Kate.

I think we are going to have to have a talk with Reese about his fascination with girls.

RJ letting Reese honk the horn on his car.

Samuel not wanting his picture taken.

The girls

Playing basketball with Uncle Jutt and Aunt T.

Please notice the kid MADNESS that is taking place at Peek-a-Boo.

and then notice what my Dad is doing while the chaos is going on around him LOL!

The boys

Lawson brothers

He loved the shopping cart.

He saw the cake and was ready to go.

Love at first bite.

Austin and Andrew laughed so hard at Reese having cake on his face. They were so entertained.

I love this picture. Austin has sheer joy all over his face and Andrew decided just to go for a bit of cake with his hands. So adorable.

ready for the next bite.

My sweet boys.

Hall Party of 3

Reese wouldn't stop eating for a picture.

Seeing if Nana wanted a bite.

Clapping

About to suck it off his thumb

Reese on the way home from his party.

Playing with one of his new toys.

Everything goes in the bus.

TGIF

2010-11-12T22:17:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, we all went to bed as soon as Rich got home. Literally, we all climbed in our king size bed and all went to sleep. We woke up at 9, ate a bowl of cereal and went back to bed. We all 3 didn't feel great, and it felt amazing to just catch up on some sleep. I obviously didn't get to the blog yesterday so I'll just combine the two days. I am thankful for:

Fridays. They are all around amazing. I remember Fridays being awesome as a little girl also. We would always order Little Caesars pizza (two square ones) with crazy bread. My mom would usually either clean the house while we watched "TGIF" or we would have family movie night. Now I look forward to getting to wear jeans on Fridays to work, playing with Reese and taking a nap with him around 3:30 , ordering pizza and watching a movie or watching KY play basketball. My Friday routine was a little different today. I had to take Reese to the pediatrician and didn't leave until 6:10. I got home at 6:40, dropped Reese off with Rich and drove to our Church to go to the Women's Holiday extravaganza. I debated on going all day because I didn't want to have to leave the boys, but I'm SO glad I went. The older ladies in our Church were adorable and so proud of all of their holiday traditions that they do with their families. I got so many amazing ideas and laughed so hard my stomach hurt.
My family life growing up. I have probably already put this on a thankfulness blog, but it deserves to be on there more than once. I grew up with a picture perfect homelife. I literally never saw my parents even have ONE argument... ever. Infact, when Rich and I had one of our first arguments I almost broke up with him because I did not know it was normal for couples to have disagreements. Both of my parents worked their butts off to ensure that my brother and I got to go to college and literally did everything they could to give us the best life they could. My mom always kept our home clean, laundry done, worked, and almost always had a home-cooked meal for us. We would all 4 sit at our kitchen table for hours and eat dinner and tell stories about our days. We were never allowed to watch TV during dinner time. My Dad always took time to play with us outside and play catch or basketball, and my mom spent her summers taking us to Opryland. We had season passes and would go all the time. My parents were always supportive. I don't think that my mom missed ONE of my brother's high schools football games, and my Dad would only miss if he were working. If he was not working, we got there an hour before the game started so my Dad could even watch my brother warm up. He would even take him a candy bar during half time so he could have something special before the second half of the game. When I cheered, my Dad would sit with all of the moms (because most Dads didn't go to just see their daughters cheer), and would watch me. I knew he did not want to have to watch a bunch of girls cheer, but it meant so much to me to see him in the stands. My parents always allowed us to have our friends over and always welcomed them as part of the family. They were incredible Christian examples for us, and Church was a huge priority in our lives. As long as we were under their roof, we were not allowed to miss Church, even when we would come home on college breaks. There were times that I had no desire to be at Church, but looking back it was one of the best things my parents could have done for me. I learned how God speaks to me in the back row of the Church, with my arms crossed, and a snarl on my face. I remember the service distinctively. Pastor John was out of town, and Pastor Glenda was preaching for him that night. I remember her talking about the gentle voice that God would speak to us with and how to listen to it. I can't remember what event I was missing out on with my friends, but looking back there isn't an event that would have been worth me missing that sermon. I thank God that my parents had no desire to be my friend or the "cool parents." They stood their ground and MADE me go sometimes. My mom also taught me how to have class. I was not allowed to wear trashy clothes (I may have changed in the car during my last few years of high school), but she taught me that I didn't have to show a lot of skin to be pretty. I always had a white and black cardigan. Oh, and one other thing that helped that they did. My brother and I were not allowed to have a TV in our bedroom. We would find shows or a movie we could all enjoy instead of us all going to seperate bedrooms and not spending time together. I think (especially for teenage boys) you are asking for trouble when you put a TV in a bedroom. I realize how lucky I am to have had a great marriage that was modeled for me growing up. I adore my parents and brother and cherish all the memories we share. I can't wait to pass on traditions as we grow our family.

I'll stop there since it is one of those long-winded type of nights.

Happy First Birthday Reese!

2010-11-10T21:14:00.000-08:00

First of all, I want to wish my precious baby boy a Happy Birthday. This has been the best year of our lives. It is 11:00 so I'm gonna have to make this a fast post. Today, I'm thankful for:

Getting to spend the entire day with Reese. Teachers get 10 sick days, 2 personal days, and about 13 weeks off a year. It's a pretty good gig. I took the only personal day I have ever taken in my 4 years of teaching, and I'm so glad I did. We got up at 7 and spent the morning playing. Then he took a morning nap on me for about an hour. We took a shower and got ready to go meet Rich for lunch. We went to Viddles in Brentwood, which is a homecooking place. It was great. Reese and I stopped by our pediatrician's office to get his 2nd shot, and came home and took a 2 and a half hour nap together. I held him through the entire nap. We played with his toys, I read him his birthday book, and we went to Church. It was a great day.
Getting caught up on rest. I finally feel rested after my nap today.
Sonic. I can't remember the last time I had a burger. I'm not a huge meat eater, and I still haven't gotten my appetite back since we had the stomach flu. I was craving a good burger after Church so I stopped and got us one. I could only take a few bites of it, but they were SO good.
George W. Bush. Well, the entire Bush family actually. I don't agree with all of the decisions that he made, but I have a weird obsession with the family. I had an obsession with the Kennedy family at one point in my life and would read any books about them and watch documentaries, etc. I am dying to read President Bush's new book, Decision Points. It is finally available.

The End!

11 months-October 10, 2010

2010-11-09T20:56:00.000-08:00

Here are a few 11 month updates. Reese got two "fang" teeth up top. He now has 6 teeth. He is still in a size 4 diaper, and size 18-24 month clothes. We got to celebrate his first Halloween during his 11th month. He began saying, "hello, mama (he would say it periodically, but now he says it all the time), more, uh-oh, and dog. He literally holds our phones up to his ear and says, "hello." It is adorable. He can throw his head back and give us a great "fake sneaze." He can perform the entire "paddy-cake"song that includes him clapping, knowing how and when to roll his hands, and how and when to throw them in the pan. When we finish singing the song he throws both hands up in the air and yells to celebrate. We did our own version of paddy-cake. It's the re-make. He waves bye-bye, is taking a few steps at a time, and eating lots of yummy finger foods. He actually walked across our kitchen floor tonight, but I'm going to include that he is a full-blown walker as a 12 month accomplishment. His favorite food is without a doubt a grilled cheese. His favorite toy is a walker/rider that is an airplane. He will not walk behind it unless the propellers are going and the music is playing. He will stop half way across the floor and re-push the buttons. He loves playing with it! He loves to go outside and play. He likes to push the garage door button to close it when we get home. We have started doing 1/2 milk and 1/2 formula in his bottles to get him ready to give up the bottle. He is doing wonderful with his sippy cup. I know, you just want pictures. Here are some pictures of Reese during his 11 month photo shoot.

As soon as I sit him down, he grabs his sock monkey and paper.

Giving his sock monkey "love"

He's a lover.

"bye-bye"

He randomly throws his hands up in the air and squeals with excitement. It's adorable.

He does not stay still long.

"Paddy cake, paddy cake baker's man. Bake me a cake as fast as you can."

"I roll them and I roll them"

"And I throw them in the pan."

Yeah!

Tis the Season...

2010-11-09T19:56:00.000-08:00

To Give Thanks! I'm running out of titles for my thankfulness blogs. I think I'll just start throwing out some random words that have nothing to do with thankfulness from now on. Today I am thankful for:

Getting to see my son walk across the kitchen for the first time. He has taken up to 3 consecutive steps, but it has been the "leaning forward about to fall on his face types" of steps. Today and tonight, he stood up straight, stuck his chest out, clapped his little hands, and took off. He was so proud of himself, and you could clearly see that he knew he was doing something big. We all 3 jumped up and down and danced.
Health insurance. It is something that I could easily take forgranted. I work for Sumner County Board of Education and insurance for teachers in known as "some of the best." We literally pay about $200/month for our entire family and our benefits are incredible. We rarely have to pay anything out of pocket. I am so thankful that we have insurance so that we can go to the doctor anytime we need to. So many mothers in the world look at their sick babies and can't help them and can't get them to the doctor. I can't imagine the pain they have to go through when they feel like they can't do anything to help them get better. All mothers who truly love their chidlren don't like to see them in pain. I have been to Africa and El Salvador on missions trips (and lots of other places as well) and have seen first hand sick children that have limited health resources so I try not to take being able to pop into the doctor and get Reese checked for granted.
Reese turning one tomorrow. I'm sure I'll blog more about this tomorrow.
An incredible camera, laptop, and video camera. I have a Canon Rebel XSi and love it. I'm not sure how to use all of the features, but if there is anything to spend money on it is a good camera and a video camera. I'm thankful that we are able to have these things. They are luxury items to me, and I realize how lucky I am to even have a camera at all.
Mail being delivered to our home. We don't even have to go to the Post-Office to get our mail. It comes right to our mailbox.
God's presence in my life. I have a life that I do not deserve, and I am fully aware of who gives me every good and perfect gift. Even though I have to ask forgiveness AT LEAST once a day for something I have said, a thought I have had, my temper, something that I did, etc I desire to please the Lord and to always show his love and kindness to those around me (sometimes I fail miserably at showing love to the people I encounter). It took me years to grasp how much God loves me and how deep and wide his love is for me. I know that even though I may not have a "perfect day" that it does not change God's love for me. Reese has not slept in two nights and today I was exhausted. Physically and emotionally just exhausted. On Saturday night, our Pastor talked about a scripture and when he read it, I got goosebumps all over my body. I have been praying that I would find ways to not be stressed and overwhelmed with work, being a mom, a wife, keeping the house cleaned, laundry, making sure the boys have what they need from the store, re-financing our home, etc. I had began to focus on all of the things that I HAD to do instead of focusing on wonderful and lovely things about life. The scripture he gave us was Philippians 4:8. "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." I had to remind myself to stop thinking about all of the things that I had to do because I would get overwhelmed and to just think about the things that are lovely about life. Today, the exhaustion caught up with me. I did not have a lunch break or a planning time. I literally looked up at the clock at 11:15 and had barely sat down since 8:00. If I had sat down it was with a student trying to get them caught up on something. My lunch was spent fixing one of my students glasses in the office, and my planning time was spent in a meeting. At 6:45 tonight (after being up since 2:30am), I realized that I had yet to eat a bite of food all day. It was just one of "those" days. Before I left my desk today, I got out this verse and said it over and over and over again. I began to think about all of the wonderful things in my life and just thought about those things. I would not allow my mind to think about one thing that I had to do or that I had forgotten to do. I just thought about lovely and wonderful things. It is so comforting to know that God is holding my hand everyday through everything. Wow, this one was long.
My friends that I work with. I listen when they are having a tough time with something, and they listen to me too. Most of the time, we are all thinking the same thing. Just the fact that someone else feels the same way about something helps. Oh and did I mention that my classroom is right across the hall and next door to 2 girls that go to our Church? It's always fun to talk about upcoming events with them.

I have a feeling that anyone who actually reads this blog probably stopped reading a while back on this post. It's bedtime.

Happy Monday!

2010-11-08T19:37:00.000-08:00

Today I'm thankful for:

DVR... I try not to be too materialistic, but I love having DVR. I don't have a lot of time, but every night after the boys are in bed I watch one show while I blog. I do not have time for commercials.
Dinner time. Every night we all 3 sit down at the dinner table (well Reese is in his high chair), and we eat together. I think it is so important for families to sit down at the table together at least once a day. This is one of the only times that we just stop, turn off the tv (most of the time) and talk to each other. Tonight I made lasagna.
My husband cleaning up the kitchen for me. I had to fold a load of laundry so my husband helped me out and cleaned the kitchen for me.
Having a garage to park my car in and a garage door opener. I love not having to scrape my windshield every morning and not having to get into a freezing cold car.
My electric blanket. My husband turns on my electric blanket for me so I can get into a warm bed everynight.
Rich being patient with me. For whatever reason, I was a little snippy tonight. I think I'm just tired because I literally did not stop today and barely even sat down. I knew I was snippy so I tried to just not talk. The "old" Rich would have pushed my buttons so that he could get some fireworks for entertainment. I think he has learned that usually doesn't work out in his favor. He just gave me the few minutes of silence I needed, and then I was over it. Nothing brought on the frustration with me. I just needed a few minutes to pray and regroup and then I was fine.
Getting almost caught up at work. I have a few more things to do tomorrow, and I'll officially be caught up.
Dunkin Donuts Pumpkin Spice coffee. Rich bought me some at Walmart the other day (we have been looking for it for a long time). It started my day off great!
Getting to hold Reese during his nap today. Every day since Reese has been born he has taken at least one nap on me a day. I know a lot of people would advice me to put him in his bed. I do put him in his bed at night. Every day when I get home from work, we try to go outside and play, I do a load of laundry and get dinner going, then rock/sing Reese to sleep. He sleeps for about an hour, and I hold him the entire time. I cherish that time with him.
Reese saying, "mama" all the time.

3 days of thankfulness all rolled into ONE!

2010-11-07T15:11:00.000-08:00

Things I'm thankful for:

Reese's first birthday party being a giant success! It was perfect. We had his party at Peek-a-Boo and had our cake delivered. All we had to do was show up. They decorate for you, have juice boxes for the kids, silverware, plates, etc. Oh and they clean everything up. It was amazing. Reese and all of his friends loved it. The cake was absolutely perfect. I'll do a post on his birthday party later with pictures.
Our friends. We have some amazing friends that make our lives so much fun!
My laundry being almost done. I have a few more load to do, but it is almost done.
Being able to buy Reese lots of things for his birthday. I am well aware of the economy being in the gutter, and we were even affected by it for a short time with Rich's old job. I am so thankful that God has taken care of us and made it possible to do special things for Reese.
Having so many fun things to do in November. This Friday I have a girl's night. Next Friday we have Supper Club. We do it the 3rd Friday of every month with 3 other couples from Church. Each couple has a month that they are responsible for. You basically just have to pick the place and make the reservations. So fun! Thanksgiving is the next Thursday (which includes a road trip with the boys to see Rich's family), and my birthday is that Saturday.
My Mom and Dad finally feeling better. They were miserable for the last part of the week.
Coffee. It is my guilty pleasure in life. I have a cup every morning. I love everything about it. The smell, the warmth, the taste, etc. I recently got a coffee grinder which makes it even better.
An extra hour of sleep. Reese seemed to adjust just fine. He slept an extra hour this morning. Rich hung out with Reese, and I got to sleep in. I barely slept at all Thursday and Friday night so I was exhausted. I'm rarely restless and usually have no trouble falling asleep. For whatever reason, I just could not sleep well.
Having today to do nothing! I love Sundays. We go to Church on Saturday nights so on Sundays we can do whatever we want. Today, we went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast, went grocery shopping, opened all of Reese's gifts, and did a few loads of laundry. The boys are taking a nap so I'm just enjoying the quiet.

That's all for now folks.

Thankful Thursday

2010-11-04T20:52:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful for:

My husband getting up, changing Reese's diaper, getting him ready for school, taking him all the way to Hendersonville to my sister-in-law's house so that she could take him to school (we can't drop him off until 7:45 at school), and then having to drive all the way to Brentwood to work. He does this every day. I start teaching at 7am so I would literally have to get up at 4:30 if he did not help out with this.
My sister in law always helping us out with Reese. Rich and I were so sick last Wednesday that we could not drive without throwing up in our cars. Beth had to pick Reese up, drive him to our house, and then drive all the way back home. She is always willing to help us with him, and I don't know what we would do without her.
Being able to cook for my family tonight. I try to cook as much as I can, but when I have to be away from Reese until 2:30 during the week sometimes I would rather just play with him. Sometimes it is just something fast, and on Wednesdays we usually get Subway and Saturdays we go out to eat. These are church nights, and it is too hard for me to do a big elaborate meal on these nights. We do all sit down together every night and eat dinner together. After work today, I picked up Reese and we went to the grocery store together. It was past-time to go because I didn't go last week with us being sick. I came home and made a meatloaf, mashed potatoes, peas, and cornbread.
Our lunches and clothes are all ready to go for tomorrow and layed out.
Getting to look up toys online for Reese for his first birthday. It is so fun!
Pajama Day in my class. My second graders will do anything to get to wear their pajamas to school. They think it's the best thing in the world. When we began the school year they were not too passionate about Accelerated Reader (a reading program that gives students points when they read a book and pass a test over what they read). I bribed them by offering a movie/pajama day evertime they get 100 points. They just get to wear their pajamas to school and watch a movie in the afternoon. They are so excited about reading and AR now. Anytime they finish their work early, they run to my classroom library to get books to read. It's amazing! Oh and did I mention that I get to wear my pajamas to school too? They think it is the coolest thing to see their teacher in her pajamas.
Reese taking 3 consecutive steps tonight and us getting it on video. It is incredible to watch him accomplish things. We all three dance and jump up and down when he takes any type of step. We all have so much fun together.
DVR... I have no idea what I would do without it. I love staying for 30 minutes after the boys have gone to bed and watching one show and doing one blog. It is my "wind-down" time for the day.

Please pray for my Mom and Dad (Mom, you may be the only person that actually reads this thing so just know I'm praying for ya'll). They both now have the stomach flu and are in so much pain. I literally could not move from our bathroom floor for 7 hours when I had it so I can only imagine what they are going through. Please pray for their healing.

Give Thanks!

2010-11-03T21:32:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago Rich and I were having a hard time getting pregnant. To make a long story short, 4 different doctors gave us a 0% chance of ever getting pregnant on our own. We began to pray about what our next step would be for our family, and God laid on my heart to start thanking Him every day for a healthy baby. Since I was so sure that this is what I was supposed to do, I took 40 days and blogged about things in my life that I was thankful for and at the end I would always thank God in advance for a healthy baby. I knew if I blogged about it, that I would stay committed to finishing it. I have decided that for the month of November I am going to try to blog about the things that I am thankful for. I'm sure I'll also blog about other things too. Anyways, I missed the first two days so I'll just chalk those up as a loss and start tonight with some of the things I am thankful for.

My Church. It is Wednesday so I got to go to Church tonight. I am so thankful for the friends I have made and that Reese has a consistant routine of being involved in Church.
Our family. I (of course) am so thankful for all of our family and the love that they have for Reese. It is unbelievable how loved my child is.
My home. Our house isn't huge and to some people it would just seem like an ordinary home, but I absolutely love my house. It is my favorite place on earth, and I love the comfort of being here with my boys. Our favorite thing to do is all pile up on the couch and watch a movie or in bed. There is nothing like it.
Reese's school. We finally got Reese into a program through Sumner County that is mostly for teachers. He was on the waiting list, and they called me at the beginning of September to let me know that he had a spot. They only take 8 children every two years, and he got in! There is a 4 teacher to 1 child ratio, and he loves being there. Oh, and it saved us a TON of money getting him in. We were paying $165/week, and now our total is $60/week.
Grocery Stores. I can't imagine having to milk a cow, make my own bread, etc. It is so nice to be able to go to the store and just get whatever I want.
Finally getting over the worst stomach flu I've ever experienced. It was terrible and all 3 of us got sick. I'm so thankful to be over it.
Getting to go to lunch with the ladies I teach with yesterday.
Rich getting his dream job last month. It is so wonderful to see him so excited about his job.
Finding etsy. Yea, it could be the worst thing for my wallet, but I love personalized stuff for Reese.
Being able to grab something to eat on our way home from Church instead of having to cook/clean the kitchen.
My house being clean. We cleaned all day on Sunday and finally got the entire house cleaned and even went through our attic and storage closet upstairs. I love coming home to a clean and organized house. I have laundry to finish up and my "to-do" list will actually be finished!
Getting to kiss my husband and son goodnight.

Halloween Preview

2010-10-25T21:07:00.000-07:00

I do the Ecores and More Consignment Sale during the Fall and Spring. At the last Fall sale, they had Halloween costumes. I had picked him out a Pirate costume and a Scarecrow costume because they were only $3 each. We tried them on him on Sunday, and they weren't exactly what we were going for. The scarecrow one was a little girly, and 6 out of my 18 students were going to be Pirates. I wanted something a little different so we found a Hulk costume. Rich and I both LOVED the movie and thought the costume was hilarious. Here is a sneak peak at Reese in one of his Halloween costumes.

He thought it was so funny when I showed him himself in the mirror.

Bruce Banner hat LOL

I gotta put a onesie on him when we go Trick or Treating.

Honeysuckle Hill Farms

2010-10-25T20:54:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, we took Reese to Honeysuckle Hills Farms. I had been there before with some of my students on a Field Trip, but the boys had not been before. We debated on driving all the way out to Coopertown to go because we didn't know if Reese would even enjoy it. I am so thankful that we went. He LOVED the animals and all of the pumpkins. It was kinda warm when we went, but it was really fun.

Someone's excited about going to the Pumpkin Patch!

Daddy and Reese at the Corn Maze

Look at that precious face!

The pigs

He let the pig snort all over his little hand.

Trying to get the goat's attention.

He was enthrawled with all of the animals.

So excited

Here comes the goat, finally.

He had no fear. He stuck his hand immediately in the fence to pet it.

He sees the donkey

Daddy shows him first

He loved it.

He kept looking at us as if he were saying, "this is amazing. Can you guys believe this?"

The sheep

Pumpkin Patch

His shirt says, "I love my Mummy."

Patty cake in the Pumpkin Patch

He obviously holds up his left hand and squeals when he gets excited.

My sweet family.

10 Months

2010-10-25T19:31:00.000-07:00

I am only one month behind instead of the usual 2-3 months. The BIG 10 month milestone was that Reese took his first step. He took his first step on October 7th while I was on my Fall Break in our living room. He got so excited after he did it. I picked him up and we both screamed and danced around the living room. He has taken lots of 1-2 steps since, but hasn't gotten past a consecutive two steps. He is in a size 4 diaper and either size 12 months or 12-18 month clothes. He got his two top teeth during month 10. He is waving bye-bye and will do patty-cake. He especially likes to do the "roll them and I roll them" part of the song with his hands. He loves to be chased around with Mommy or Daddy crawling behind him. His favorite food right now is a grilled cheese on wheat bread. He starts squealing when he sees it. I try not to let him have it very often, but he LOVES them! Here are some pictures of our precious boy at 10 months.

Lots of toys to keep him occupied during pictures these days.

His sweet laugh

About to try to rip the sock monkey's nose off.

The paper doesn't last too long these days.

Sweet face

There are his two top teeth that broke during month 10.

Yummy paper

Oh the bottom lip comes out when Mommy or Daddy say" no."

He is such a happy boy!

Chasing Mommy

I love him so much!

Learning to Walk

2010-10-16T22:02:00.000-07:00

Reese has been pulling up on everything and will cruise around anything and everything he can. I can tell that the day that he is going to take off walking is coming soon. He took his first step all by himself on October 7th (10 months old). He hasn't taken more than one at a time without holding onto something though. He'll take one step and then go straight to his knees. Then he will throw up both of his hands and squeal with excitement. He is so proud of himself. You can tell that he wants to walk so bad, but then he realizes he can get to wherever he is going faster by crawling. We got him a toy that he loves to hold onto and walk with. He gets to our kitchen cabinets and realizes he can't turn it around. He ends up ramming it over and over into the cabinets until one of us turns it around for him. Reese brings so much joy to our lives. It is so fun to watch him explore the world around him.

Ramming his walker into the ottoman.

Growling b/c he's stuck and can't turn it around.

Happy that Daddy is headed to the rescue.

He loves looking out the back door.

Happy boy

We call Reese "Bam Bam" because he bangs on EVERYTHING! He usually shouts with happiness as he is banging.

This is great Mommy.

Back to banging.

Reese's First Kentucky Game

2010-10-16T21:28:00.000-07:00

Rich's aunt got us tickets for the Western KY/ KY game. We had an incredible weekend together. We left at about 9:00 Saturday morning and drove up to Lexington. We pricelined our hotel and got to stay at the Hyatt Regency (which is connected to Rupp Arena). We checked in and went shopping at the mall in Lexington, which is HUGE. We got lots of UK gear and headed out to meet Rich's aunt. She has a parking pass, and we literally got to park about 50 feet from entrance to the stadium. Reese loved being at the game and had everyone around us laughing. He clapped with the band and squealed during the game. It was perfect. KY won which made the night even better. The game ended a little late so we had a pizza delivered to our hotel and just watched movies. The next day, we walked to the Starbucks and around downtown Lexington for a little bit and ate at an amazing burger place(Sawyers). Then we packed up the car and headed home. It was nice to get away with my boys for just a little bit.

Reese slept the entire way to Lexington.

He loved going to the window to look out at the fountains and buildings.

These two boys are my world.

Aunt M.A., Rich, and Reese

My sweet boy.

Our family.

They were both so excited.

Our nephew, Mason, came up to visit us.

My other half.

exhausted after the game

Chow Time!

Labor Day Weekend

2010-10-16T20:42:00.000-07:00

Yep, I'm still trying to catch up our blog. A few more to go, and I'll be all caught up. We had a great Labor Day weekend together. It was so nice to get an extra day with the boys. On Monday, we woke up early and just spen time playing with Reese. Then we all went to a cook-out at my parent's house. Reese loves getting to go to Nana and Gramps house.

Favorite toy. He likes to tear the purple thing off and crawl with it.

And chewing on it.

It's time to practice walking with Daddy.

It's so fun!

Nana and Gramps had a toy waiting for him. He was ready to drive.

So excited.

Here we go!

Eating his "night-night" bottle on Nana.

Lol this is what his hair looks like when he wakes up!

9 Months

2010-10-16T19:53:00.000-07:00

Reese started eating more finger foods during month 9 (green beans, carrots, cheese, puffs, etc) and loves it all! He thinks it funny to gag until he pukes, but other than that it's going great. He weighed 21.5 lbs and his height was 29 inches. He is such a happy boy. He has two bottom teeth, and is now officially finished with breastfeeding. He absolutely loves being with other kids and playing all the time. Here are some pictures of our sweet 9 month old.

He grabs the paper and monkey ASAP now.

About to give his monkey "love"

We had to move to the crib since Reese tried to crawl out of his chair head first.

We were playing "Peek-a-boo" with my camera.

It's his turn to hide.

He doesn't like to stay in his crib too long.

Bananas and Green beans

Not sure what to think

He loves it!

Peek-a-Boo

2010-09-27T19:07:00.000-07:00

We have found a fantastic place for playdates with friends. Peek-a-boo is amazing for any kids ages 7 months-probably 7 years old. They have a really comfortable sitting area for the adults and the kids literally just go play and have a blast! Here are some pictures of our first adventure at Peek-a-Boo.

Wow, I really get to play with this?

He was into everything.

Stomping his feet with excitement

Shrieking at a random little girl. Nice move son.

Our Playdate Friends (the Zwart and Madison Kiddos)

Reese adores Sydney

He gets so excited when he sees her.

Looking at Syndey

Does it get any cuter?

Always on the Move

2010-09-27T18:42:00.000-07:00

Reese rarely sits still these days. He is crawling super fast and is pulling up on everything. He really likes to have something in his hand when he pulls up on something so he can bang it on our coffee table or whatever he pulls up on. He also has been wearing his first pair of tennis shoes lately.

headed to get Mommy

Ready to play

On the move

Climbing

aw shucks!

I love his two bottom teeth!

screaming with excitement

Aw shucks, I dropped it again.

Silly me!

Maybe if I take my pants off, I can play better!

World's Best Daddy

2010-09-27T18:14:00.000-07:00

I knew Rich (my husband) was going to be an amazing father, but he has completely blown my expectations away. He truly adores Reese, and always tells him how proud he is of him and how much he loves him. Since I stopped breast-feeding (when Reese turned 9 months), Rich gets up every morning at around 5, makes Reese his bottle, and feeds him for me so that I can sleep. He washes all of the bottles most of the time for us, packs his bag in the mornings so I can get ready for work, gets Reese ready for school, and takes him all the way to Hendersonville to Aunt Beth's. I hardly ever have to ask for his help with Reese. He truly wants to be as involved as possible. When Rich gets home from work, he always plays with Reese while I get dinner ready. Reese adores his Da-da and lights up when he sees Rich come home from work. I don't know how I got so lucky with my two boys, but I am so thankful for them. Here are some precious pictures of my two boys.

Daddy reading a book to Reese

Reese kissing the babies in the book.

Playing Playstation with Daddy.

"Hey mommy, we're having so much fun!"

Sweet boy.

8 Months

2010-09-26T20:35:00.000-07:00

Reese turned 8 months on July 10, 2010. Here are some random (and I do mean random) facts about Reese at 8 months. Of course, I added his 8 month pictures.

TWO of his bottom teeth broke through.
He is still wearing a size 3 diaper.
He is eating stage 2 foods.
His favorite toy is a musical toy with drums, piano, a musical book, flute, etc that he stands up and plays. He literally will play it for an hour and until his legs start shaking.
He is getting down easily from standing up.
He is saying "Da-da (a ton), and Ma-ma (when he is really upset and wants his Mommy).
He is on summer vacation with Mommy and does tons of swimming/playing/reading.
He still loves for his mommy to read to him.

The paper does not stay there long before he picks it up.

He is a very serious explorer. I can already tell that he is a serious thinker.

He has found his sock monkey and pets it.

Now that he is mobile, he likes to be down on the ground.

He's a climber.

4th of July Weekend

2010-09-26T20:09:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am just now to July (and it is September). Like I said, I have a LOT of catching up to do. The truth is that we just got a new laptop so it has motivated me to get the blog all caught up. For the 4th weekend, we went to KY to visit family. We had only been to see Rich's family once since Reese was born so it was time for a trip. Traveling with a baby is much harder than I thought. He was great for the trip though. Here are some pictures of our trip.

Reese and his Aunt Debbie playing with one of his favorite toys... a red cup.

Aunt Mona, Reese, and Nanny Hall

Logan loving on Reese

Uncle George and his boys.

His 4th of July outfit-navy blue shorts with American flags all over them, and an "All American Boy" t-shirt. I am THAT mom that dresses my child up for Holidays.

It was HOT.

Reese with his Aunt Mona and Aunt Debbie

He LOVES to swim! He splashes non-stop and kicks his feet the entire time.

Swimming with his ducks.

Get me outta here!

2010-09-25T21:54:00.000-07:00

During month 7, Rich and I heard lots of commotion going on in the nursery. When we walked in we saw Reese standing up in his crib! He was so proud of himself. He also started wearing shoes regularly during Month 7.

I did it!

Sweet little feet

Vacation 2010

2010-09-25T21:34:00.000-07:00

We usually go to the beach for vacation, but the oil spill had us a little afraid to spend money on a condo and not get to use the beach. Oh and the fear of Reese screaming in his car seat for 10 hours also helped in our decision. We decided to go to Center Hill lake for 2 days to visit my grandmother and go out on my uncle's pontoon boat. Then we went to Gatlinburg for 4 days. It was a wonderful vacation! Reese did scream for the 2 hours from my grandmother's house to Gatlinburg... the entire time. It was great to just get to spend time with my boys (and the Outlets Mall in G'burg was amazing).

Reese and Mawmaw (my grandmother)

Trying to attack the dog.

Finding the water and food bowls.

We went to Penn Station in Knoxville on our way to Gatlinburg.

At the Old Mill after breakfast.

The aquarium.

He loved the fish!

My baby boy.

I think he would have watched the fish forever.

Banging on the glass.

My little family

After eating the BEST meal ever at Cherokee Grill.

Worn out from vacation.

80's Baby Shower

2010-09-25T20:57:00.000-07:00

My friend Tiffany had an 80's baby shower that we all had fun dressing up for. I love hanging out with my friends and getting to spend time with them. Girl's Nights are essential for my sanity. I always feel refreshed after hanging out with my friends. Sweet Cooper is already here. The shower was in June. I know, I know, I'm so behind!!!

Tiffany and Sara

Jenny and Robin

Helena and Sara

The crew. Let me know if you want to borrow my dress for your next date night. I know it's beautiful (kidding)!

Smithville, TN

2010-09-25T20:37:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few pictures I took when my mom and I took a trip to Smithville. Smithville is where my grandmother lives. Some of my uncles and aunts live there as well. It is only about an hour and a half away, and is in the middle of nowhere. It is very peaceful and quiet there. My grandmother lives about 5 minutes away from Center Hill lake, which is one of the prettiest lakes around. It is always nice to get away and get to see her.

The view from my uncle's back porch.

Reese and His Friends

2010-09-25T19:43:00.000-07:00

Reese has a gigantic love for animals. Any and all animals he tries to get to. My grandmother's poor dog has been the main victim of this love for animals. Reese likes to chase the dog, grab it ears and pull them as hard as he can, and then grabs a handfull of hair and pulls it out. The dog sees us coming and runs to hide. Reese throws a fit if the dog leaves the room. Here are some pictures of Reese with his friends.

Reese and Book (my grandmother's poor dog)

Reese and Sage (my Uncle Tim's dog)

One of my Uncle Tim's cats.

Mawmaw letting Reese pet the dog.

Squealing at the dog.

This is right before he went nuts because the dog went to lay down.

Month 7... The Forgotten Month

2010-09-24T22:01:00.000-07:00

My blog has taken a backseat to lots of playing with my sweet boys. Get ready for a "blog roll." It is time to catch up on what all has been happening these past few months with us. Like I said, we have been really busy doing lots of playing. Here are Reese's 7 month accomplishments and pictures. The big 7 month accomplishment = Reese started pulling up and "creeping." Reese is still loving all of his babyfoods. We started Organic Puffs (halved), and added a sippy cup in the mix. He hasn't really done anything with the sippy besides throw it on the ground and chew on it.

As you can see, he is into anything and everything.

Mother's Day 2010

2010-06-10T22:04:00.000-07:00

This Mother's Day was obviously very special to me. My boys got me a pedicure/massage that I get to use while we are on vacation next week! We went to Church Saturday night (as usual), and on Sunday we went to my parent's house to eat lunch and spend time with the family. It was perfect!

Before Church Saturday night.

My baby!

Nana and Reese

I love him so much!

Those thighs!

Reese's First Baseball Game

2010-06-10T21:52:00.000-07:00

We went to the Sounds game a few weeks back and Reese loved watching all of the action on the field. Daddy was so excited about taking him to his first game. Here are some pictures of our special night.

Waiting in line to get our tickets.

Watching his Daddy sing the National Anthem.

He was such a good boy during the game. He loved watching the players on the field!

6 Months

2010-06-10T20:53:00.000-07:00

The major accomplishment during Reese's 6th month was that HE STARTED CRAWLING! It is an army crawl, but he is super fast. He makes it from our living room to kitchen before I can turn around. It is crazy to look down and see my baby boy patting my feet for me to pick him up while I'm cooking dinner. He is even crawling up into my lap if I am sitting on the floor. He really just keeps getting better and better! He has began reaching for me and crying for me when I leave the room. He also cries for me if he is tired. I must say that it melts me!

Some random things going on with Reese in his 6th Month:

He went to his first baseball game
He got moved to the "creepers" class at Church because he is now mobile
He has fallen in love with any and all toys. He really likes balls (b/c he can crawl after them) and anything that lights up or makes noise.
He turns the pages for me as I read. He obviously doesn't know when to turn them, but he basically just grabs them when he gets a chance and turns them a few at a time... then laughs!
LOVES to be in the water. He went swimming for the first time and loved it. We go a few times a week! He still loves the bath and is out of his baby bath now. He usually takes a bath with mommy.
Still nursing! We may just keep him on breast milk and his veggies/fruit until he starts regular milk. I'm not so much of a fan of all of the chemicals in the formula, and it has honestly gotten so much easier for me to nurse him.
Wearing 6-9 month clothes
Weighs 18 pounds, 4 ounces
His height is 27 inches!!!
He obviously hit a huge growth spurt. At our 4 month appt, he was in the 10th percentile for both. He is now in the 75th percentile! Our pediatrician said she predicted him to be walking well before he turned a year because he started crawling so early. He's an ambitious little guy! Obviously you can't predict these types of things.
He has met his first girlfriend. She was in his class at daycare and literally would not leave his side. She followed him everywhere and would give him toys all day. He would light up when he saw her! God answered my prayers by giving him a friend to play with already.

He began by sitting up all by himself.

Next thing we knew, we had an army crawler on our hands.

Sweet face

He loves to make motor boat sounds with his lips.

Happy baby!

Very short attention span these days

Help me Mommy!

Charleson, South Carolina

2010-06-10T20:28:00.000-07:00

Reese got to go on his first vacation to Charleston to visit my Aunt Gail with my mom and I. He did great! We did lots of eating, garden tours, plantation home tours, shopping, etc. It was wonderful to get to spend time with family and get to relax a bit.

Sleeping like an agel in the car on the way to SC

Garden tours... he loved being outside in his stroller.

82 Queen.. The best place to eat! We went twice it was so good.

Nana and Reese on my aunt's back porch

Mommy and Reese

3 generations.

My Aunt Gail

5 Months!

2010-06-10T19:31:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I have updated my blog, but my husband just walked in and said, "why don't you update the Hall Herold? It's still on four months." I think I have been avoiding it because SO much has happened in the past few months. I think I may try to tackle this in seperate blogs instead of one massive blog. We'll start with Reese's big accomplishment for his fifth month... baby food! I started him off at about 5 and a half months with organic sweet potatoes. He loved them! I have added a vegtable every week since. Most people don't start until 6 months, but he was ready. I have decided to make all of his baby food because 1) it's cheaper than buying the jars, 2) it's very good for them, and 3) it's so easy! Infact, here is a quick lesson for all of you moms (or dads) incase you ever want to make your own food for your baby. You literally steam whatever you are making, puree it, put it through a strainer, allow it to cool for a few hours, transfer to ice cube trays and cover, and store in gallon size freezer bags. That's it. I make it in bulk b/c most of the foods are good for 2-3 months. My freezer is now full tons of different types of baby foods.

The sweet potatoes after they had been pureed and cooled.

In the ice cube trays.

Reese loves them!

Sometimes Mommy and Daddy like to hold you through your naps instead of laying you down

Your five month picture!

Here are some random things that were going on with Reese at 5 months:

still in size 3 diapers.
Rocking back and forth on his hands and knees
rolling everywhere!
sleeping through the night until 5:30ish most nights
began to sleep on his side sometimes, but mostly still sleeps on his belly
had his first ear infection
Weight = 16 lbs. 10 oz
His feet are his best friends. He talks to them and grabs them the entire time that he is in the car on our way to wherever we are going.
still teething, but nothing has broke through yet
sitting up on his own, but will fall after a while and start rolling around
still not liking being put in his car seat, but is able to be soothed with toys.

4 Months

2010-04-05T21:59:00.000-07:00

Reese turned 4 months on March 10, 2010. Here are some things that are going on with Reese at 4 months:

- You are in size 3 diapers.

- You rolled over for the first time from belly to back on March 14th.

- You love to grab the toys on your bouncy seat, and you are now playing with all of your rattles and stuffed animals.

- You are almost sleeping through the night. You go to bed at 7:30, wake up at 2:15 to eat, and sleep till 6 am.

- You still sleep on your tummy.

- Weight = 12 lbs. 12 oz

- Height = 24 inches

- You have started rice cereal mixed with your mommy's milk. You are still nursing all the time.

- can grab and hold onto your feet

- either suck your thumb or two fingers all the time

- starting to teeth

- had your first flu (terrible experience)!

- Mommy can make you laugh so hard that she gives you the hiccups.

- can almost sit up by yourself

- you've started "scooting" when we put you on your belly.

- you have started crying when we put you in your car seat and arch your back

- starting to grab the books when Mommy reads to you.

- You still love to sleep on your Daddy's chest and grab his chin when he talks to you.

You still don't like it when Mommy puts him down for a photo session.

You quickly get happy though

Such a sweet, happy boy!

You are babbling away these days

That's all folks...

3 Months

2010-04-05T20:58:00.000-07:00

Reese turned three months on February 10, 2010. Here are some things he was doing at 3 months:
- Wearing a size 2 diaper
- He's still in 6 month onesies, and has now moved up to 3-6 month pants/shorts.
- He is almost rolling over.
- He is still nursing only.
- Loves it when Mommy reads to him.
- Starting to sleep better at night
- Laughing and smiling all the time
- LOVES to stand
- Holding his head up and looking around
- Likes his carseat as long as we are moving.

Sweet face

Trying to talk

Those precious feet

Sleeping on his Uncle Justin

Enjoying his Bumbo SeatBeginning to hold his own bottleWhen he had the flu. He loves "lamb chops"
Sucking his two fingers
happy boy

I'm Alive!!!

2010-04-05T20:33:00.000-07:00

I have decided that I am officially a "binge blogger." I have tried to only allow myself to get onto facebook about 30 min/day so that I can spend more time with my precious boys. I think technology can sometimes be too addicting so I have tried to take a small technology break. Facebook seems to be the easiest way for our friends/family that live out to town to keep up with Reese. I'll usually upload a few pictures at a time and then go play with Reese while they upload. I am trying to ensure that my blogging/facebook does not take time away from my boys so I usually wait until they are both asleep to blog. I started back to work when Reese was 14 weeks old so I have been waking up at 5:15 every morning to get ready and feed Reese while I'm putting on my makeup. I thought being a stay at home mom was busy. Being a working mom is a whole new level of busy! Not even a comparison. Since I wake up at 5:15, I usually go to bed with the boys these days instead of night owling like I used to. Work is going great! The first two weeks were hard to get adjusted to a new schedule for us and getting into a rythym of packing us all, but the schedule has been great for us. I enjoy getting to teach with my friends, and still be home everyday by 2:45 with my baby boy. I'm on a two week Spring Break right now and will be on my summer break in 8 weeks. Not a bad deal. I thought that I would only want to work until we have our 2nd child, but being able to choose ANY school in Sumner County PLUS pick Reese's teachers is a pretty good reason to keep teaching. If I had a terrible schedule, I couldn't do it, but my schedule is perfect. Reese and I are leaving tomorrow for Daniel Island, SC to go visit my aunt with my mom. I can not wait to have a small vacation! Get ready for a "blog roll." I've been keeping notes on what all is going on with Reese so I am going to try to do a few blogs tonight before we leave.

Nursery Pictures

2010-02-05T21:06:00.000-08:00

Our nursery was finished before Reese actually arrived, but I'm just now getting a chance to post pictures. The only thing that I didn't get in the nursery was his chandelier. Reese came 3 weeks early and there simply was not enough time. I have yet get it at Lowes and probably won't. I got his changing table and armoire at the flea market. The armoire was $85 and the changing table (buffet server) was $120. My dad bought us the crib. My mom's friend did our bedding. My parents gave us the ottoman, and we splurged on the glider. We stayed on budget, and still achieved our goal. Reese's room is mainly baby blues, silvers, and creams. I wanted it to be elegant, but still have a boyish feel to it.

My mom came over and helped us paint the room.

This is what it looked like before we painted

Rich doing some painting.

I was in the garage painting the changing table.Here is the before

And the after!

The armoire before

And after!

The crib before

and after!

My Dad and Rich getting the chair set up.

Finished product

The drapes

This is hanging over his changing table.

A mirror I got at the flea market that I painted.

Frames that I got and painted.

Reese's first snow

2010-02-05T20:57:00.000-08:00

Reese's first snow was a few weeks back. We just got a little bit, but then the next week we got TONS of snow. I didn't take him out the second time, but here is a picture of us in his first snow.

TWO Months (a little late)

2010-02-05T20:13:00.000-08:00

So I am a little late in adding Reese's two month updates. He will actually be THREE months on February 10th. Time is going by so fast, and I am making sure to take in every moment. There are times that I don't even lay him down for his nap. I just hold him. I am cherishing every second with him! Here are some things that are going on in Reese's life right now. He is in a size one diaper. He is in 3-6 month onesies and 0-3 month jeans and cacky pants. Reese is smiling all the time and giving us tons of baby talk. He gets so excited after he talks. It's almost like he is so proud of the sounds he is making. We go walk all the time with Gramps at Rivergate mall, and he loves getting wheeled around there in his stroller. He also loves watching the TV. I try not to let him watch too much of it, but he will strain to get to it. He is almost rolling over, and is holding his head up for long periods of time. He LOVES it when I give him his bath. I also put him in his bumbo seat, and he sat there for about 15 minutes the other day. He looked like such a big boy sitting there. He likes going to the nursery at church and is always very well-behaved in there. He got sick for the first time a few weeks back. He had bronchiolitis, and was so pitiful. I hated seeing him so sick. Last, but not least... He is spoiled rotten! It is our fault because we love holding him so much. We figure that one day he isn't going to want us to hold him so we are trying to savor these special moments with him. Here are Reese's two month pictures.

Look who has been doing some growing!

2010-01-04T20:23:00.000-08:00

Yes, we're all still here, but I have let my blog take a back seat to Reese. While I have tried to at least keep pictures updated on facebook, I felt it was more important to be with Reese and give him all the attention I could. Tonight he went to bed with Daddy so that I could finally update our blog. Reese has accomplished SO much in the past 7 weeks. He is now holding his head up for long periods of time, smiling, and he follows us with his eyes. His favorite thing to stare at is our Christmas tree lights. He really loves the ones at Nana and Gramp's house because they have lights that fade in and out. He still loves playing with his hands, and he has just started to ooh and cooh. You can tell that he is dying to say something! He is finally fitting into some of his 0-3 month clothes. He is long and lean so his pants are HUGE in the belly, but are basically capris on him because his legs are so long. He must get those long legs from his mommy (kidding!). Reese was dedicated on Christmas Eve at our candlelight service at church. It was such a special night for us. We spent Christmas day in Smithville eating lots of food and spending time with family. This Wednesday will be Reese's first night in the nursery at church. I can't wait to get to go into a church service! Here are a few pictures of our sweet boy.

1 week old (11-17-2009)

TWO weeks old (11-24-2009)

I got wiser and started making signs. Reese was 3 weeks old on 12-1-2009 (two pictures because I couldn't decide)

Hooray!, I'm ONE month old! (12-10-2009)

Our Family

My first time to meet my great grandmother and my first Thanksgiving

My first date with mommy

Dedication Service (12-24-2009)

Our first Christmas

Reese's first month at home

2009-12-07T20:59:00.000-08:00

Our first month with Reese has been better than I could have imagined. We are experiencing what most parents experience... a lack of sleep and an overload of love for this little miracle. Rich worked from home for the first two weeks which helped so much. We have had LOTS of visitors, lots of dinners made for us, and so many people that have helped make this first month wonderful! Reese weighed 6 lbs 12 oz when he was born. At his one week appt. he weighed 5 lbs. 12 oz (because it took 5 days for my milk to come in), and at his two week appointment he weighed 6 lbs. 14 oz. He is eating and pooping like a champ! I have had an extremely great experience with breastfeeding. Everyone told me that the first two weeks are really painful, but Reese latched right away and has done great! The only down fall is that sometimes it is hard to get things done around town. I have learned that he takes a GREAT nap usually from 11:30-2:30 and so I feed him right before we leave so that I can get my errands done. I am feeling great. I'm almost back down to my pre-pregnancy weight, but my jeans are VERY tight. I haven't done so well with staying in the house. At just 5 days, we had Reese out at Cracker Barrel. I get extremely stir crazy and have to get out for a little bit each day. We go eat with Daddy quite a bit, we walk with Gramps on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at the mall, we go shopping, etc. Speaking of shopping, I have had the hardest time finding "newborn size" clothes for Reese. Premie clothes are a little too small, but 0-3 month clothes are HUGE! Newborn sized clothes fit him great, but they are SO hard to find. I need a pair of cacky pants or jeans for his dedication on December 24th! Reese is getting dedicated on Christmas Eve which we are so excited about. Enough of my ramblings and on to some pictures of Reese's newborn pictures. He was 11 days old in these pics.

Reese is here!

2009-11-17T15:33:00.000-08:00

Reese William Hall was born on November 10, 2009 at 3:37 pm. He weighed 6 lbs 12 oz and was 19 and 3/4 inches long. When we arrived at the hospital I was already having contractions every 2-3 minutes. They started pitocin around 8:20 am and broke my water at 9:12 am. Everything went completely smooth until it was time to push. Reese's heart rate dropped because he was on the ambilical cord, and his head was facing sideways. Our doctor said that they had to "get him out ASAP" so they had to use the vaccuum (not fun for Mommy or Reese). Poor guy had a coney to say the least, but it has already gone down a TON. Mommy has had a rough recovery though. It is officially Reese's one week birthday today. I'll be posting some blogs about his first week. It has been the most amazing week of our lives. We are so blessed that God gave us this child. I'm so in love with him and my love for his Daddy grows more and more everyday. I am taking in every second with Reese and enjoying every little thing he does. Here are some pictures of the delivery and Reese during his first day in the hospital!

Daddy was so supportive the entire delivery

Getting to see Reese for the first time. Such a special moment. We all cried!

He has some lungs! Best sound ever.His Daddy is in LOVE!

He contantly is doing something with his hands.

The first time Rich got to hold Reese Our first family photo
Rich went with Reese to the nursery and since he was the only baby in there they let him go in and take pictures.

HUGE News!!!

2009-11-09T17:32:00.000-08:00

Looks like our little miracle is going to be joining us a few weeks earlier than what we thought. I am being induced tomorrow at 7:00am. We went to our ultrasound today and my amniotic fluid is low. It was at a 6.5, and 5 is dangerously low. Basically he has NO more room in my belly! My stomach expanded as much as it could, and he is completely out of room. I am dialated already to a 2 and almost completely effaced so my doctor said it should go pretty quickly. My doctor said he "isn't going to play around." He's breaking my water and hitting me with the pitocin starting around 8am. Please join us in prayer that everything will go smoothly and that Reese will be 100% healthy! We are just a little excited:) I really wonder how they are expecting me to sleep tonight! We'll post pictures as soon as we get home from the hospital.

Dr. appointment

2009-11-05T06:39:00.000-08:00

We went to our ultrasound on Tuesday of this week and went to see our doctor right after. It seems like Reese has had a major slow down with his growth since week 32. He may just be out of room in my belly. He only weighed 5 lbs and we are almost 37 weeks so that is WAY to low to enduse. I never thought I would find myself praying to gain weight or to hold off on having him, but I am. I lost weight last week, but am eating as much as I possibly can! He is completely fine, just small. Sometimes I think they may just grow better "out than in." I honestly feel like there is just no more room. I'm not expanding hardly at all and am loosing weight. They are sending us for another ultrasound on Monday, and we will go back to the doctor after it is finished. He said he would enduse if my fluid drops or if there is no growth between now and then. Let's pray that Reese (and I) can put it on this week! The GOOD news is that my blood pressure was completely normal so they didn't HAVE to enduse. Pray that it stays that way. My last day before maternity leave is November 20th so I only have about two weeks left of work. I'm trying to work up until he comes. I don't think I would do very well just sitting around at home. We are officially finished with our "to do" list! We even have the house decorated for Christmas. I really have enjoyed it being done this early. I think I may start decorating every year the week after Halloween. The ONLY thing we are waiting on is Reese's comforter and chandelier which can be done after he gets here. I'm headed to go eat some more!

Hello 9 months!

2009-10-29T17:57:00.001-07:00

I will officially be 9 months on Saturday, but wanted to make sure I got in an approximate 9 month belly shot so we took some tonight. You can tell how much he has dropped, and every morning he drops more and more it seems. Even though I am quite large, I still absolutely LOVE having a baby bump. I'm going to miss it. So far, I've made it with NO stretch marks!! I pretty much slide into bed with the amount of lotion I lather on. Well, I'm off to help Rich hang the last few things in Reese's nursery. When his comforter gets back (I had it monogrammed prior to it being stuffed and finished off), I'll post some pictures of the nursery!

36 Week Appointment

2009-10-27T19:15:00.000-07:00

I went in for our 36 week appointment today. I am about 36 weeks now. My due date is VERY tentative so who knows for sure. We miscarried twins in January and although I had some "spotting" on Feb. 21st, my doctor has decided it would be best to gage MY due date based on the size of the baby instead of the last menstral date. Anyone with a brain knows that the baby's size can change within a day so long story short, I am just a different case that doesn't have a "set" due date. I have a wonderful doctor though that has kept SUCH a close eye on everything. We feel so blessed that we have gotten to see this little one (via ultrasound) so much due to my doctor being so thorough with us. Anyways, I will be "approximately" 36 weeks on Saturday.

I got to my appointment, and they did the usual... weight, blood pressure, etc then took me back to our room. My feet have been swollen the last few days, and I just thought it was because I am on them ALL day long teaching. Well my doctor walked in and said, "Do you have a sub lined up?" I told him that they are in the process of getting someone, and interviewed someone today. He said that he is sending me for an ultrasound next Tuesday because my belly isn't growing as much as he would like. Everyone kept saying that I didn't look like I had gained much, and I haven't, but I'm eating as much as I can. He said that sometimes when you are on the petite side that your ribs won't expand as much which pushes the baby down really quickly. He basically said that I would be lucky to make it another week without my water breaking because of all of the pressure. To say Reese has dropped would be an understatement! He is LOW! I've also started having contractions like crazy. They are monitoring these as well. His concern is the amount of stress that Reese is putting on my body. If my amniotic fluid is low (in the slightest) or my blood pressure is up at all next Tuesday he is going to either induse (sp?) me or for sure put me on bed rest for a week. Needless to say, we are excited/nervous about it all. If we have him next Tuesday/Wednesday he would be about 3 and half weeks early. My doctor said that Reese is absolutely fine, and that he delivers babies at 34 weeks all the time that don't even have to stay in the hospital for extra time. He is just worried about the stress that the baby is putting on my body, and he wants me nice and healthy for the delivery. I'll keep you all posted! Keep us in your prayers.

Any day now!

2009-10-25T19:32:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that Reese will be here "any day now." I have started having contractions, but they are very sporatic. I'll have one, then another 15 minutes later, then it will be 30-45 minutes before I have another one. I rested most of the day on Saturday and only had a few that night. They seem to be worse after working all day then running errands after work. I have been VERY natious this past week though. I barely have an appetite and have actually lost 4-5 lbs this past week. I have one friend that has been quite negative about my entire pregnancy... almost like a pregnancy natzi. One of those people that tells you every negative thing that is going to happen and tries to correct every little thing that you say. She would tell me, "just wait until the last two months, you'll gain a ton." Another instance in which I just needed to listen to my doctor and realize that EVERY pregnancy is SO different. I'm so sick at this point that I literally am making myself eat just so that Reese gets his nutrients. There is no more room in this belly for anything else! I am still loving being pregnant. It is the most beautiful experience that I have encountered in life. I love feeling Reese move and getting to buy him things. I love the fact that he is with me all the time. Every time I look down and see my growing belly, I can't help but to thank God for this precious miracle growing inside of me. We are now finished with all 3 of our showers. My mom's friends threw me a shower, our Church Saturday Class threw us a shower, and my teachers at my school threw me a shower just this past Thursday. It is amazing how many people are already so in love with Reese, and they haven't even been able to meet him. We have been blessed with anything that this little boy could ever need! He has more Polo shirts than Rich and I have combined lol! He is going to be just a little spoiled! He is coming home in a baby blue Polo onesie, white booties, and a white tabogon with his initials monogrammed on it. Our bags are packed, the car seat is installed, we picked a pediatrician, and Reese's bag is packed. His bedding and drapes are hung, and I LOVE the way it turned out! We still have a few things to hang on the walls, and his nursery will finally be complete. I am headed to get his frames fixed (the backs need to be put on them) tomorrow, and after they get returned everything should be ready to go. I have been "nesting" like crazy! All of our pictures had been just thrown in a box, and we had accumulated over 6 years worth of pictures. Over fall break, I organized all of our pictures (in chronological order) in photo albums. We are decorating the house for Christmas this week so that once Reese gets here, all we have to do is is take care of him and enjoy our sweet bundle of joy! Here are some recent pictures! We had an ultrasound at 32 weeks, and Reese is now head down, face down!

The gang at our Diaper Shower!

Heart beat = 148

Rich STILL gets them to check at EVERY ultrasound to make sure that it Reese is still a boy lol!

Profiling! Rich says he has my lips and nose.

Our doctor is VERY thorough and has them check his spine at every appointment. Perfect spine!

Maternity Pictures

2009-10-10T20:50:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law took all of our maternity pictures for us. She did a really good job, and I LOVE them! I am going next week to get them framed and put up in Reese's room and a few for our living room. Here are a few of my favorites.

8 months!

2009-10-10T18:29:00.000-07:00

I am 33 weeks and things are starting to FLY by. My doctor asked me at one of my last appointments if my bags were packed. My reply was "no they aren't packed, my thank you cards aren't even finished!" Everything is coming together though. We have even decided on a name. Reese William Hall is what we have decided on! I love the name and have already started getting his diaper bag monogrammed. I still need to find some pants to go with his "Heaven sent" onsie and blue cashmere cardigan to wear home from the hospital. Rich and I made a deal that he gets to pick out what Reese will wear in the nursery, and I get to pick out what he wears home from the hospital. Of course, Rich has picked a KY onsie and beanie for him. I couldn't say no though. He was so excited about getting Reese all dressed up in KY gear and to show him off. The nursery is almost finished, and I love it! We still have to hang the chandelier and get the lamp shades to go on it, and our bedding is almost finished. My mom's sweet friend is doing our bedding and drapes. We did a silk silvery color with cream for his bedding. I LOVE the fabric!!! We are also still waiting on our ottoman to arrive and to hang a few things on the walls. Other than that though, it's finished!!! I have been busy doing thank you cards and having showers and have had 3 evaluations this past month. I will officially be tenured at the beginning of next year! I have a pediatrician interview on Monday. Hopefully we will like her. I hear that she is very open to not having babies vaccinated, and we have chosen to not have Reese get the hepatitus vaccine at the hospital. I am on Fall Break right now. I have NEEDED a few days to just get caught up on rest. I only have two more small loads and all of Reese's clothes, blankets, burp clothes, socks, beanies, etc will be finished. I'm in the process of getting his cabinet cleaned out so we have somewhere to put all of his sterilized bottles, etc. Rich is getting his travel system put together, and we are planning on having our bags packed by the end of next week. Wow, he will be here before we know it. Hard to believe that two weeks from now, my doctor won't stop my labor! Here are some pictures of our first beautiful shower!

My grandmother and mom are at the far right.

I was so thankful that mawmaw got to come in town for the shower.

Some friends that got to come

Getting BIG! I love having a baby bump!

Rich's favorite gift. Thank you Rosemary!

Nana...a.k.a My mom!

The hostesses

7 months!

2009-09-03T17:48:00.001-07:00

I couldn't get this post to seperate into paragraphs so get ready for one big paragraph filled with random information! We had our 28 week ultrasound and appointment on Monday, and we have one healthy baby boy on our hands. The good news is that my placenta (I had placenta previa) moved 7 cm! It is completely out of the way! The bad news is that he is breached:( The only issue with a baby being breached is that we may still have to have a C-Section, and it makes me feel like my ribs are going to explode at any second. His head is buried in my ribs and everytime he kicks, he just head butts my right rib cage. The outside of my stomach is now bruised. Dr. Wingo said that he would do some more ultrasounds when we get closer to delivery time, and that our baby boy would more than likely turn. My mom got to come with us to this ultrasound, and she loved getting to see her grandson and hear his heartbeat. I never could get tired of hearing his heartbeat! We did have to go to the hospital last Wednesday because I hadn't felt him move in over 24 hours and my left foot swelled up to an enormous size. He was on some bloodvessel and has since moved and everything is still fine. Our nursery is coming right along. It is just the way that I wanted it. We went with blues, silvers, and creams and I love it so far. The furniture is now moved in and painted, and my dad took me to pick up my chair this week. I just have to get our bedding and everything will be finished. I LOVE how it turned out. Pictures will be up soon so that you guys can see his chateau! We have YET to figure out a name for our little man. Wyatt William Hall, Cruz William Hall, Everette William Hall, and Ryder William Hall are some of the ones we are thinking about. I just hope we name him by the time he gets here! My shower is scheduled for September 20th. We are officially registerd at Babies R Us and Dillards! Thank you to my mom who went and spent 4 and a half hours at Babies R Us with me to register. Gail Davis, Rosemary White, Tammy, and my Aunt Jamie are throwing the shower for me. I am so thankful for all of them and everything they are doing to make it so special for me. Also, thank you to my sister in law, Beth, who took our maternity pictures for us! I'll post them as soon as we get them back. She did such a great job! I am absolutely nesting. I have cleaned out every closet, cabinet, Rich has cleaned the carpets, we've cleaned out our garage, and I'm now starting to hang my son's clothes in his own closet! I am decorating for Christmas early this year (at the end of October) so that we don't have to do anything in November! Oh, my official due date is now November 28, 2009! It has been anywhere from mid-November to late November, and now it is officially the 28th! It was a little all over the place due to us getting pregnant RIGHT after my D & C from the twins. The twins due date was August 27th. It was a little emotional, but went ok. We are so excited to meet our little man! I LOVE being pregnant (other than the first 3 months). I have tried to enjoy every second of this pregnancy and every little kick I get to feel. The kicks are getting stronger and stronger, and I can now see body parts in my belly. We have our labor and delivery classes scheduled for mid-September and our breastfeeding class in October. I can't believe I will be holding my son in no more than 3 months from now. I am loving the fall weather, and football season officially began tonight! Life is pretty amazing! Here are some recent pictures.

Loving having a baby bump!

He kept sucking on his little hand. She couldn't get a great 3D picture because he was snuggled up so much in my ribs. I think he is going to be a snuggler because at our last ultrasound, he was doing the exact same thing!

Another head shot. I think he has his Daddy's nose!

Rich had her MAKE SURE that it was a boy for the third time now! To say he is excited to be having a boy would be an understatement.

I can actually feel his hand sometimes when he puts it up by his head. He kept playing with his ear during the ultrasound.

Still playing with his ear.

Trying to grab his ear.

Hi Mom!

The End!

Needing more hours in the day

2009-07-31T17:42:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not dead, but I have been working two jobs at the moment so things have been CRAZY! Today teachers had to report to school so as usual things have gotten extremely busy. Here is what all has been going on with the Hall for the past few weeks:

We celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary on July 8th! We both took off from work on the 10th and ate a Maggianos, then went on our first major shopping adventure for our baby boy. Of course, we headed straight to the Polo Outlets in Lebanon. We got him the most adorable little outfits. I can't wait to dress him up. Happy Anniversary Rich! This has been the most amazing 3 years of my life.

I met with Holly Kitzer and Gail Davis about painting our nursery and furnature. They are going to do a greyish blue with a silvery glaze over it for the walls, and they are going to paint the furnature for me too. I am so blessed that they are going to help me with the nursery. I am NOT naturally gifted with decorating so this has taken a major burden off of my shoulders. It was wonderful to be able to say, this is kinda what I want and them know exactly what to do. I am honored that they would give up the small amount of free time that they have just to help me. It has meant so much to me.

Our chair is in, but we haven't even had time to pick it up. We are going to try to empty out our office and Rich is going to paint the base coats for all of our nursery stuff. Then after Gail and Holly get it all finished, we will pick up the chair and move the furnature in.

All we have left for the nursery is the bedding. We are on the verge of getting that finished though too. Our labor and delivery classes are starting next Saturday. I'm excited to go, but a little anxious about if Rich is going to FREAK OUT when he has to watch the video lol! Our shower is tentatively scheduled for September 20th, and we are in the process of getting with Beth (my sister-in-law) to do our maternity pictures. I'm so excited about her doing our pictures. She has a gift, and it is a HUGE blessing that she is doing this for us.

Ok so on top of all of this, I have been trying to move classrooms, start school, and work from 7-4 at the Daycamp. Needless to say, I'm exhausted! It has been nice to stay busy though this summer. I will try to take some "bump" pictures soon. Our baby boy is growing like crazy. I absolutley love being pregnant and am trying to enjoy every second and his every kick!

4th of July

2009-07-06T19:57:00.001-07:00

We had an amazing 4th of July. We finally got away to see Rich's family in KY since we were both off this past Friday. We got to leave Thursday night and get there a little earlier than usual. It was such a nice trip! We even decided to take Bentley with us. He rode right in the middle of us the whole trip there and back. He was such a good boy. Here are some pictures from the 4th of July cookout at Mona's. I ate WAY too much!!!

The love of my life!

IT'S A........

2009-07-06T19:16:00.000-07:00

BOY!!!!! We had our 20 week ultrasound today, and we are so excited to be having a boy! Obviously we would have been ecstatic either way, but we were secretly hoping deep down (especially daddy) that we would have a boy first. Everything is completely healthy. I have marginal placenta previa. It just means that my placenta is REALLY close to my cervix. Bad news is that I may have to have a C-section if it doesn't migrate a little more, and the good news is that we get to have another ultrasound in 8 weeks to check to see if it has migrated enough to not have to do the C-section. My doctor said that he was pretty sure it would migrate just enough considering how much it had already moved from the last ultrasound. We haven't quite decided on a name yet. We had Wyatt William Hall picked out for the longest time, but may end up changing it. William will for sure be the middle name, but we are thinking about changing the first name to one of these: Ryder, Hudson, Cash, Brooks, Cruz, Weston, etc. There are quite a few that we are thinking about. I think we will more than likely go with Wyatt William Hall though. Gramps (my dad) got to go with us to the ultrasound today. I'm so thankful that he got to hear his first grandbaby's heartbeat! It was such a special day for us. We surprised Nana (my mom) at work with a sign that said, "It's a Boy." After we ate dinner with my dad, Rich and I went straight for the shopping. I looked for little boy outfits, and Rich went straight to the sport stores to get his little boy some toys. It was precious. I'm posting a few pictures from our ultrasound. We also got a DVD of the ultrasound, but I haven't figured out how to post videos yet. Enjoy! Our sign said, "It's A Boy!" You can't see it though. I should have used marker, but was in too big of a hurry before we left for the appointments.

His heartbeat. It was 150.

His face.

The foot. Couldn't get a great picture.

His legs that his kicks his mommy with!

His spine. It is amazing to me that they can see all of this. Technology is fascinating!

It is FOR SURE a BOY!!!!

Here is the close up of the gender lol! He will not like me for this later on in life.

Week 17 and 18

2009-06-28T18:32:00.000-07:00

On a happy note, I got our blood results back for the birth defects testing (triple scan) and everything is completely normal! On a not so happy note, I had an inner ear infection this week that was the worst thing imaginable. It was so bad that the room was spinning which made me throw up. It is much better now though! We got to have an amazing Father's Day weekend. Saturday, Rich and I went and picked out our oversized Victorian looking chair. It is an elegant chair, but it glides. It is the first thing that we have picked out for the nursery! We got it at a place in Franklin that will let you pick the fabric from hundreds of different choices. Then we went and got Rich some golf shirts, went to Blue Coast and Maggie Moos, then headed home. On Sunday, I surprised Rich with some new Nike shorts to work out in and a new playstation remote. We also went to church and went to my parent's house to swim and for dinner. Get ready for the best part of the day... Rich and Nana (my mom) got to feel the baby move on Father's Day! The baby always moves like crazy when I put my belly in the water, and they definitely felt some jabs. They say people can't feel the baby move until a few weeks from now, but this was actually at 18 and a half weeks. The baby is 10 days further than what we had originally thought. Anyways, enough of my ramblings. Here are the Baby updates for weeks 17 and 18.

Week 17 Updates:

How your baby's growing:Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

Week 18 Updates:

How your baby's growing:Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

A little movement (well, a lot)

2009-06-17T16:35:00.000-07:00

I forgot to journal about the first time I felt our baby move. I had felt things that felt like a little movement for a few weeks, but the first time that I felt a FOR SURE movement from the baby was on Saturday, June 6th. I was at my parent's pool laying on the float with my mom when I felt it. I was laying on my back, and it felt like something was thumping the inside of my belly. It was one of the most amazing feelings that I have ever felt. I have been feeling the baby move more and more since then and from what I can tell the baby is REALLY active. It is simply the best feeling to know that something that is equally a part of my husband and I is kicking away inside of my belly. I am starting to love being pregnant! Hope everyone is having a great week!

Weeks 15 and 16

2009-06-15T16:22:00.000-07:00

Week 15 Updates:

How your baby's growing:Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds.

Week 16 Updates:

I went to the doctor last Monday for our 16 week appointment. As soon as Dr. Wingo put the gel and Doppler on my belly I got to hear the heartbeat. Last time it took him a few minutes to find it, but this time I heard it right away. It was strong at 150. I also had my blood drawn for the Downs Syndrome, Trisomy syndromes, and all of the other major birth defects. I will get those results either tomorrow or Wednesday so please keep us in your prayers. Dr. Wingo did say that our baby is going to be a BIG baby. They measured the baby's legs at our last ultrasound, and he said that the baby would be really long and that there was no way that my frame would allow me to make it to 40 weeks with this big of a baby. Also, I put a few bump pictures up for your viewing pleasures...haha. I am absolutely starting to grow more and more every day. I truly LOVE showing though and having a baby bump. Enjoy!

How your baby's growing:Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

There is one big baby in here!!!

15 Weeks

2009-05-26T18:27:00.001-07:00

Well I'll be 15 weeks tomorrow. Here are some more bump pictures. I still have only gained 0.5 lbs, but I'm beginning to show. I had been feeling wonderful until tonight. Fried food does NOT work out so well. I'm really only eating vegtables and grilled food so that I can keep it down. If I eat unhealthy it usually makes its way back up. I had a homemade funnel cake today at work, and have thrown up 8 times in the last two hours. I won't be eating fried food for a while. The combination of the heat, exhaustion, and unhealthy food finally got to me. I'll try to post the updates on the baby's growth tomorrow. Please notice the privacy fence in the background that my dad built for us. One of the nicest gifts we've ever received!

Oh I almost forgot to update about our Memorial Day weekend. Friday, a friend of mine from high school and I went to watch Bethany and Holly's recital and out to eat at Fulin's with them. Saturday Rich and I slept in and went to Opry Mills and Olive Garden on a date. Sunday we rented "Taken" and LOST episodes and napped all day. Memorial Day we went to the Gourley's with LOTS of people from our church and had a cookout. It was a wonderful weekend! I forgot my camera on Memorial Day, but am on a hunt for a new camera bag so hopefully I'll be taking it with us more often. Finally, here are the pics!

Week 14

2009-05-23T13:41:00.000-07:00

I'm going to try to update every week what all the new developments are with the baby. Here are the week 14 updates. The weight gain update: drumroll please...... 0.5 lbs. I still have yet to gain a full pound, just a half of a pound!!!!

How your baby's growing:This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

14 weeks, 1 day ultrasound

2009-05-23T13:11:00.000-07:00

Wednesday night Rich and I were moving my classroom because it had to be finished by Thursday morning. I had terrible cramps and had to sit down for a while. We worked until around midnight that night and went home to go to bed. That morning I woke up and the cramps were gone so I stopped worrying and went to work at 6:45. Around 10:15 I was filling out paperwork with the special ed teachers, and I felt something going wrong. I went to the bathroom and had started hemoraging. I immediately called my doctor and he said to get there asap and not to drive. So one of my friends that I work with drove me to meet Rich at Centennial where we get all of our ultrasounds. Needless to say, I was FREAKING OUT! They got us in for the ultrasound as soon as we got there. Everything is completely fine, actually better than fine. I had a condition called "placenta previa" which is when the placenta attaches really low and covers up where the baby would come out. No big deal, but they were hoping it would "migrate" so that I wouldn't have to have a C-section. Apparently my body was doing exactly what the doctors wanted, and the placenta was migrating. This is why I had all of the cramping and bleeding. Now for the wonderful news.... I am actually 10 days further than what they thought so they are probably going to officially move up my due date to November 18th at my next appointment. I am actually (today) 14 weeks, 3 days. The ultrasound tech also did a little something extra for us as a surprise. We were planning on waiting until the baby was born to find out the sex, but she said, "I'm going to do something for you guys since ya'll have been through quite a bit, but don't tell anyone." At this point, I had no idea what she was going to do. I was thinking extra pictures or something. I could see everything on the flat screen on the wall so I watched her go underneath the baby's butt inbetween it's legs. Then I saw something that looked like a third leg. I said, "is that what I think it is?" She said, "yea, it looks like it's going to be a boy." She said she was 99.9% sure that the baby is a boy, and that she would be shocked if it was a girl! Needless to say, we were thrilled!!! We are going to wait to get anything though until it is confirmed at our 20 week ultrasound. Here are the pictures of our sweet baby. He is really snuggled up to his mommy and holding on tight to me. I wanted to make sure I got a clear picture on here so I put a few up.

Bentley's spoiled rotten!

2009-05-23T13:01:00.000-07:00

Bentley now gets to eat steak about once every other week when we have our steaks. He LOVES it! Here are a few updated pictures on Bentley. He had surgery yesterday, and is already back to his old self. No big deal, he just needed to be "fixed."

"Please Daddy"

"Much better than that dried up dog food."

My reason for getting behind on my blogs...

2009-05-23T12:34:00.000-07:00

I have decided to work full-time this summer (even though everyone thinks I'm crazy). I got a job at "The Wave." It is a day-camp for elementary school students at First Baptist Church in Hendersonville. One of my friends that I student taught with told me about it. I wasn't going to work full-time this summer, but since I am going to part-time next year, I figured I would try to put as much as possible in savings for the baby. So, I am working 7-4 Monday through Friday starting the day after Memorial Day, and the camp ends the day we go back to school. The BAD part about it has been that my trainings have fallen after school everyday so I have been exhausted. I've been going to work at the school from 6:45-2:30, leaving and letting the dog out, and heading straight to Hendersonville and working from 4-9. I haven't been able to make it home until 9:30 plus I've had trainings on the weekends so needless to say, I haven't even had time to turn the computer on. Here are some pictures of what all I've been up to.

At the first grade performance at the PTO meeting!

My first class

Doing our Mother's Day flower pots

Mother's Day

2009-05-23T12:08:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day was fabulous! Rich and I went to church together, came home to change, and headed to Smithville to celebrate at mawmaw's. It was a wonderful day. I love getting to be with all of my family. I was a little low on energy and felt kinda out of it that day, but I had a great day. I woke up to the sweetest card from Rich! Here are some pics from Mother's Day.

The life of the party!
Mawmaw's cake!

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

Sophia and Destiny

Mamaw listening to her card from Justin and Christy.

She was so touched by all of her cards. I love you mawmaw!

You really have to know my Aunt Donna to understand this picture, but she is SCOLDING my grandmother's dog in this picture. LOL!

Prego Pics

2009-05-23T11:49:00.000-07:00

I am showing a little bit. This shirt shows "the bump" a little better than most. These were taken at 14 weeks on Mother's Day.

8 week ultrasound

2009-05-23T11:12:00.000-07:00

This poor blog has been neglected. It is my first day off in a few weeks so I am going to be doing updates galore. Stay tuned! Here are pictures of Baby Hall at our approximately 8 week ultrasound. The heartbeat was 178. This ultrasound was done on April 14th, and this is the day that we heard our baby's heartbeat for the first time. I must admit that I got emotional. The realization of how great God really is hit me all at once when I heard that. This pregnancy has made me question how anyone with a baby or that has gone through a pregnancy could ever doubt if God existed. I already know that God has such special plans for our baby, and I pray every night for the call on this child's life. I'm overwhelmed with joy all the time for this little miracle growing inside of me.

Little arm and leg buds

The 3-D ultrasounds

WE ARE PREGNANT!

2009-04-09T22:13:00.000-07:00

This is in my kitchen above my cabinets and every morning I pray for a healthy baby. I love this quote! It has helped me through this whole fertility mess.

As of right now, we are almost 7 weeks. We go in to our next appointment on Tuesday, April 14th. I found out that I was pregnant on Thursday, March 19th. I came home from school that day kind of suspecting that I could be, and took two tests. They both were instantly positive. I only had about an hour to figure out what I was going to do for Rich, and this is what I came up with. I had to think of something that I could get on video of course. I will try to download that when I find my usb cable for our video camera.

I borrowed one of Rich's old shirts and made Bentley a shirt. He did NOT like having to wear it so I had to make Rich call me 5 minutes before he got home so that I could get it on Bentley before he tore it off! He doesn't look happy, but he was so cute! It says, "Big Brother" in case you can't read it.

He kinda looks like a ghost.

I liked Bentley's shirt so much that I decided to make one of my own. This is what Rich saw when he walked in the door. Only I was holding a video camera!

No I am not showing that much. I'm holding the shirt out so that you can read it.

The happy daddy!
This pregnancy has already been extremely stressful. I should have known it was going to be when I called my doctor the day I found out, and he said, "Can you get here tomorrow for bloodwork? Honey, you are as high-risk as they come." I went that Friday to get my blood drawn and got our results back the following Monday. My beta-levels (HCG) were 3,366, which is really high. They sent me in for an ultrasound that Tuesday. It was a terrible experience. The ultrasound tech basically told us that our gestational sac was not forming correctly, and was very negative about it. I left crying that day. The next Tuesday we went in for our 5 week, 3 day ultrasound. Here are the pictures from that day. Our gestational sac was fine, and we got to hear the baby's heartbeat (112). The low-stress didn't last long though, and I started spotting Tuesday night. I didn't worry too much about it because they say that it is normal.

5 weeks, 3 days ultrasound picture. The little circular ring is the yolk sac. Our baby is snuggled up next to the wall of the sac.

You can see the baby snuggled up against the wall here just hanging out in between the yolk sac (the circular thing) and the wall.

They measured the baby. It measured 5 weeks, 6 days.

Well, on Sunday I had TERRIBLE cramps and major spotting/clotting. I was SO upset. I called Monday morning and they had me come in for another ultrasound. We were 6 weeks, 2 days. Apparently, I have "placenta previa" which means that the placenta is blocking the cervical opening. They are 90% sure that it will "migrate" as the uterous grows, but if not we will HAVE to have a c-section. This has been the cause of the bleeding though. If there is anything positive about having to be this stressed out during a pregnancy, we get to hear the baby's heartbeat quite a bit, and we get lots of pictures!!! It is amazing how much the baby grew in just 6 days. I can't wait to see the baby again on Tuesday! Please pray for us. We desperately want this baby to be healthy. I have tried to keep my faith strong, but I can't help but be nervous about everything. Please pray for my sickness as well. I am sick all day everyday!

Look at how much bigger the baby has gotten. You can see the curser where they are measuring the baby.

There's little baby Hall.

The baby is still so tiny.

The Hungry Beast

2009-03-15T14:53:00.000-07:00

I came home from work the other day to let my sweet puppy Bentley out to take him for a walk. I walked upstairs to find this! This is the THIRD bed that he has eaten so now he is stuck with a towel. Ahhh the life with a puppy. I still wouldn't trade him for the world!

The Kentucky vs Vandy Game.

2009-03-04T17:32:00.001-08:00

Our brother-in-law, Aaron, is a season ticket holder for Vandy for basketball and football. He was so kind to GIVE Rich the KY/Vandy tickets for his birthday. I met Rich at his office at 5:30. I surprised him by wearing UK gear. I am a UT fan, but I root for UK if they are not playing UT. I usually don't wear KY stuff though. I feel too much like a traitor! This is Rich as soon as I saw him at his office. He's excited. I think he may be a little shocked that I'm wearing KY stuff.

Once we got all settled in his car we headed straight to Rotiers. This is a hole in the wall burger joint downtown that is INCREDIBLE. They have the best cheeseburgers that I have ever put to my mouth. They come on french bread and are so good. We also always get their cheesesticks. This is one of our special secret getaway places that we LOVE! Here is a picture of us at Rotiers. We had to sit at the bar because it was PACKED!

Warming up! Maybe they should have warmed up a little longer considering they were completely discombobulated during the game.

Here are a few of us right before the game started! It was a great night even though KY got masaquered!

Red Velvet Cake Balls!

2009-03-04T17:10:00.000-08:00

For our Valentine's party at school I made these red velvet cake balls. They were pretty good. A little rich for me, but they were good. You can use any kind of cake mixture for these and any icing. Being the southern gal that I am, I decided to use Red Velvet cake and cream cheese icing. I got this recipe from Kelly Stamp's blog. Here is all that you need for these:

All you do is bake the cake mix according to the directions on the back of the box. When it's still warm crumble it up in a bowl and mix in the frosting. IMPORTANT: Refridgerate the cake and frosting for about an hour before you start making the balls.

I just used an icecream scoop to scoop out the balls and my hands to shape them a little. Melt almond bark (either vanilla or chocolate-depending on your cake) and dip balls in the bark. I used tongs to dip them. Kelly used an egg seperator, and it seemed to work a little better.

Voila... A yummy and EASY dessert. This is good for parties, potlucks, etc. My first graders LOVED THEM!

A Special Day

2009-02-25T20:46:00.001-08:00

Today we celebrate the birth of one of the most amazing people to ever grace the planet, my husband! I could go on and on about how wonderful he is, but I will try not to bore you all with that. I am so lucky to have Rich as my husband, and I adore every part of who he is. So, I'm officially giving a "shout out" to the best husband and best looking man on the planet for his birthday! I hope you had a wonderful birthday (even though KY lost). I love you more than I could ever even try to put into words.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T16:26:00.000-08:00

Today we decided to sleep in as long as possible (10:30) then we went to the dog park with Bentley for a while. We took him home and went to Cracker Barrel. Every Saturday we go to Cracker Barrel because lima beans are their vegtable of the day and theirs are my favorite! I also LOVE having a warm cup of coffee from Cracker Barrel on Saturdays! We came home planning to go out to dinner at Maggiano's tonight, but decided we both would rather just stay home and crawl back into bed and watch LOST and Entourage all night. I took an hour long bath (magnificent), put on my pajamas, and we have been relaxing since. I am so thankful for our marraige and for not having to get out into the crowded restauraunts and fight for a table. I couldn't think of a better way to spend our Valentine's night! I'm sure when we get hungry we will run out looking like a mess and eat! Hope everyone has a great Valentine's Day!!!

Family Day at the Park

2009-02-12T19:32:00.000-08:00

We decided on Sunday that we would take Bentley to Moss Wright Park. I wanted to try out my new camera, and we wanted to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather. So we went for 3 hours. We walked him for a LONG time and then at the end of our walk, we found out that they had a "dog park." It is a large fenced in area where you can take you dogs off of their leashes and let them play with other dogs. We were a little nervous about how Bentley would behave. This was not only his first experience without a leash, but his first experience with other dogs. We NEVER let him off the leash unless we are in our house because he is deaf and can't hear us yell for him. He LOVED the dog park and so did we! It was so funny to watch him. He was a little tired from walking so much, but he enjoyed it. Here are some pictures from our walk and day at the dog park.

Bentley playing with his new friends (look how dirty he got)

He scared this girl to death when he jumped up on the table!

Sweet babyPlaying in the leaves

Worn out from his day at the park.

A New Blog

2009-02-10T20:45:00.000-08:00

I have decided to start a "thankfulness blog." Everyday (well hopefully) I will write about the things that I am thankful for that day. I will still keep this blog just to update periodically about what all is going on in our lives.

Here is the link to my new blog: http://thepowerofthankfulness.blogspot.com/.

Enjoy!!!

New Camera!

2009-02-01T19:39:00.000-08:00

Rich and I decided to venture out to Circuit City since we had heard that they were having MAJOR sales on everything since they are closing. Can you guys believe that Circuit City is closing? We had decided that we needed a camera since ours had completely broken. We went in thinking that we would just get a cheap, get us by camera. I had been wanting a professional camera for a while, but did not want to spend the money on one. Well, we walked in and all of the cameras were marked down. We saved a ton of money and got an incredible camera! We got the Canon Rebel XSi, and I LOVE it. Bentley had a small photo session tonight. I'll try to start uploading pics to the blog when we get our external hard drive hooked up to the lap top. Oh we also got the external hard drive for a great price and an ihome for my ipod. The Halls are moving up in the world of technology!!! Also, Rich had mentioned that he couldn't leave a comment on my blogs the other day. Problem should be solved so feel free to comment away!

Oh Wonderful Saturday

2009-01-31T12:12:00.001-08:00

Saturdays are my FAVORITE day of the week. It is the only day (well, usually) that we get to sleep in! Today we made it a point to get up early so that we could enjoy the entire beautiful day. We went to file our taxes this morning at 9:00. Then went to Mimi's Cafe to eat, which was SO good. We ran home after taking a nice long drive in the country to pick up Bentley to take him to the vet. He has been having some trouble with his right ear so we figured we might as well get it checked out. Nothing big, just gonna have to start using eardrops for about 10 days until the infection clears up. Then we decided to go to the Greenway in White House. It is about a 3 mile trail (I think), and it is very peaceful. Bentley LOVED it, and even met some friends while we were out there. Now I'm off to take a nice long bath. I am going to start putting pictures on the blog soon. My camera is broken so we are in the process of trying to find a new one. Hope everyone is enjoying their Saturday!

25 Random Facts Aboout Me!

2009-01-31T12:00:00.000-08:00

I am a huge facebook fan, and there is a "tag" going around for the 25 Random Facts. I just decided to post it on here since it took me so long to think about the 25 facts. Here it is:

1. I own a deaf English Bulldog. Yep, Bentley is 100% deaf.
2. I began praying for my husband in 7th grade, and I already pray for my future kids' spouses.
3. I am obsessed with People magazine and refuse to read them out of sequence.
4. I will not watch a TV show out of sequence. If I want to start watching a show, I start with the Pilot episode. I'm the same with movies. I watched all 5 Rocky movies IN ORDER!
5. I'm on the "Wireless" staff at our church. It is the 18 to 20 something group, and we LOVE IT!
6. I STRONGLY DISLIKE birds and have a terrible fear of them. I won't get out of my car if one is close to it. One time, I sat in the McDonalds parking lot for an hour waiting on a flock to finish eating their fries before I went in to meet my friends.
7. I STRONGLY DISLIKE riding in cars over bridges (the one on 109 in Gallatin is the WORST). I take my seat belt off, and put my hand on the window button (just in case I need to swim out of the car).
8. I already have a "nursery fund," and $200/month gets directly deposited from my check into the savings account for our future nursery!
9. My dreams have always consisted of: being a woman of God, a wonderful wife, teacher, and mother. Big dreams huh? I guess I'm pretty simple.
10. I am a NERD! My lesson plans are ALWAYS turned in three days early, and in college I would stay up for 72 hours straight (sometimes) to study for my exams. I graduated with a 4.0 GPA, but my GPA from my freshman year at UT was not quite as impressive.
11. I worked at Subway in high school with a few of my friends, but then the smell made me gag so I had to quit. I have worked (with the exception of my student teaching which was worse than work) since the age of 12. Yep, I have ALWAYS had a job.
12. I am secretly SO shy. The idea of having to talk to a room full of people (unless it's friends or family) literally makes me have anxiety attacks. In fact, I used to act like I had to go to the bathroom during the "shaking hands/hug your neighbor" part of church so that I wouldn't have to talk to anyone.
13. I used to make my mom tell boys that called that I was "gone and wouldn't be back for a while." I would have a crush on a boy anywhere from a day to years, but as soon as they showed ANY interest I would RUN!! I had three boyfriends: one in 6th grade, one my senior year of high school, and my husband. I can't believe she would do it too. Oh and one time my brother told one of them that I was "eating grass." I knew Rich was "the one" because I NEVER have gotten tired of him. After our first date, I couldn't wait to see him (very unusual for me). I could be with him 24/7 and never get sick of his company.
14. My dad constantly traveled growing up, and one time I chased him down our driveway crying because he was going to California for two weeks. Funny thing is that I was a sophomore in high school.
15. I've been on TONS of mission trips: 7th grade-Phoenix, 8th grade-Chicago, 9th grade-London, 10th and 11th grade-El Salvador, and my senior year my mom and I went to Kenya Africa together on a missions trip. Oh and Rich and I went to New York on a missions trip 3 months after getting hitched!
16. I STRONGLY DISLIKE laundry, mopping, and cleaning the bathtubs, but I do it all the time because I dislike any room in my house being dirty more. If we ever make enough to afford someone to clean our house, we will!
17. Sometimes I play mean jokes on people. For example: I hide Rich's stuff and make him play hot/cold till he finds it. When I was growing up, I went #2, screamed, and told my dad there was a spider in the bathroom by the toilet. Then I locked him in there. AND I STILL ROLL PEOPLE. I know, I'm so mature!
18. I'm OBSESSED with staying up late. If I didn't work, I would stay up all night long and sleep all day everyday. My dad used to yell at me and say, "Young lady, you're not going to lay out all night and sleep all day!"
19. I love inspecting things, and I'm very nosy! Rich calls me Insector Gadget (which used to be one of my favorite shows). My roomates and I in college would literally drive around everynight and "stalk" any boy that had done any of us wrong or any boy that any of us had a crush on.
20. I'm OBSESSED with TV shows and movies. I honestly feel like I am a part of these people's lives. I cried during the last episode of Friends and the O.C. I also have too many shows to name that I refuse to miss even one episode of. I even rewind the shows when Rich talks so that I don't miss a word of them.
21. Every year, I promise myself that I will work out and loose 15 lbs. I have lost the weight before, but have not consistently worked out in SIX YEARS. This year is my year though, really!22. I'm VERY close to my family and don't want to live more than 30 minutes away from them... EVER!
23. I "binge decorate" our house. I won't do anything for 6 months, and then for two weeks I will paint and decorate like crazy. Our dining room is still empty though because "I haven't had the time to find a dining room suite that I like." Yea, so we HAVE been in this house for a year and a half.
24. One time, my friends and I went to visit Bethany at UT Martin. I fell asleep in the middle of the hallway and woke up to my friends laughing SO hard. Funny thing is, they were literally punching each other as hard as possible. We woke up to find HUGE bruises all over their bodies (we called them contusions).
25. My mom ran over me one time when my brother and I were playing hide and go seek. I got up and acted like she broke my leg. She had her head down on the steering wheel and was crying. I think I was 6. I enjoyed playing cruel jokes on people at an early age.

There it is. 25 things/stories that you probably didn't know about me.

WARNING! This is going to be LONG!

2009-01-25T18:43:00.000-08:00

Hello All! Sorry I have not updated in a while. I am new to the whole "blogging world," but I do enjoy having something that will forever capture what all is going on in our lives. I have always loved keeping a diary, but I have so many thoughts that sometimes my hand cramps when I keep a written diary. Writing has always come very easy to me, so I have enjoyed keeping the "diary," but being able to type it. I think I will really enjoy blogging when we get my new camera and I can post pictures of what all we are doing. My camera is broken so a new camera is at the top of our list right now of things we want.

I had my D&C done last Monday. It was rough. Well the days to follow were rough. That day was fine because they gave me some great pain medicine to keep me comfortable, and Rich spoiled me ROTTEN! All was well until Thursday. I went back for my first day of work, which meant my first full day without any pain medication. This was the first time that I had felt the affects of the surgery. Please let me tell you that what they described as "minor cramps" were not what I was feeling. I felt like someone was stabbing me in the stomach and felt like my uterous was going nuts contracting. I knew something was probably going on that shouldn't be. Well I of course stayed and tried so hard to finish the day because I honestly missed my students so much while I was way. It was so good to see all of the other teachers, and my principal and assistant principal came in all day long to make sure that I was ok. Everything hurt though and nothing helped. Sitting hurt, walking hurt, standing hurt, everything hurt and it just got worse throughout the day. Well at 1:00 my assistant came to my room and said Mrs. Brown wants you to go home, rest, and take some medicine. My principal is Mrs. Brown, and I'm sure she noticed that my face was pouring the sweat becuase I was hurting so bad. At this point, I was natious from the pain so I went home, took TWO pain pills and layed on the couch. Around 6:30 pm, I went to the bathroom. WARNING... the next few sentences will have TMI (too much information for some of you). Well, I had basically started to hemorage and started to pass clots (fist size). It was the most painful thing that I had experienced. So, what did I do. I told Rich because he usually has an answer for everything. He had NO IDEA what to do about this, but I noticed that he was starting to sweat a little bit. The doctors did NOT tell us that this would happen. Well I decided to lay down and thought maybe it was a one time thing. Around 7:00 our friends Pastor Bobby and Toyia stopped by. I told Toyia about it, and she said that it was NOT normal, and then I remembered my doctor telling me that if there were any clots to get to the ER immediately. So I went to the bathroom, and lets just say things had taken a turn for the worse. So Pastor Bobby prayed for us, and Rich ran, and I do mean RAN through the house. He put the dog up, got me a sweat shirt and my chapstick, and carried me to the car. When we got to the interstate, he turned his caution lights on and the only time I looked at how fast we were going, I saw 90. On a side note, Rich NEVER goes 5 mph over the speed limit and it drives me crazy because I am always at least 10 over. He called the doctor to make sure that we needed to go and the doctor tried to stay calm, but told us to get there ASAP. So we went to Centennial. They wheeled me in and tried to hook me up to IVs. The first nurse tried to put it in my hand and missed the vein and then decided to flush it anyways. It hurt SO bad. Then she missed the one in my other arm and flushed it too. Rich was so mad that we got another nurse that knew what she was doing. She hit the vein on my other arm the first time around and gave me pain medicine that is "stronger than morphene that they use on people with broken bones." The first dose didn't work AT ALL so I knew that the pain was pretty bad. The doctor gave me another dose that kinda worked, but made me itch like crazy, and by the time we left they had to give me another dose with a benedryll for the itching. They sent me up for a CT and the GOOD news is that my uterous looked great-no punctures or holes, but that clots had built up and had decided to pass. It was one night FULL of pain that I spent with Rich, mom, and Pastor Sarah. We didn't get home until about 2:00am so I didn't make it to work on Friday and Rich worked from home. Friday things continued to go down hill. I started throwing up after Rich took me out for dinner that night and did not stop until 8:00 am. I actually stayed in the bathroom from around 12:00 to 8:00 am. It was terrible. I felt better by Saturday night, but was weak and tired.

We are doing much better today though. I still feel a little tired and weak but I am doing better. It is almost like I woke up this morning not only feeling better physically, but just having a sense of peace that everything was going to be ok. I know this sounds crazy, but I can actually feel God all over me. I can remember always praying when I was lonely or whatever that I would be able to feel God, and never could, but I feel God stronger now than I ever have before. It is almost like I know that I know that I know that He is just sitting there across the dinner table (because that is where I would always talk to my family growing up when I had bad days) just listening to me with such compassion. I feel like He is holding me through all of this. The few people who knew we were having fertility issues would always tell us, just give it to God, and when you least expect it, it will happen. And I wanted to just say, "you are telling two people who are DESPERATELY trying to have a baby to not think about it. Two people who have spent the last 4 months being told that there chance of having a baby of their own to hold is impossible not by idiots, but by the best doctors in Nashville who have spent their LIFE studying this. Two people who have to plan financially to spend THOUSANDS of dollars on procedures that barely have a chance of working. How can we not "think about it?" I can remember praying, God you are going to have to MAKE me give this to you. Not because I want control of it, but because I don't know how to not think about it just for the simple fact that I have to plan financially for it. Well God being the great father that he is has given me an unexplainable peace. I really don't know how to put it into words, but I feel so peaceful about everything. I'm at peace with the fact that my babies are being taken care of by God and by Rich's dad. Not that I won't think about them everyday for the rest of my life. They were my babies, and I will never take their life lightly, but I am at peace with where they are. Your ultimate goal as a parent is to make sure that your children go to Heaven. At first I felt guilty that I had maybe eaten something that could have hurt them, or that my body wasn't healthy enough for them, etc. You have all of these waves of guilt as I'm sure every mom does when something happens to their baby, but then I got a sense of peace KNOWING that I did my job. My babies are in Heaven, which is our most important job as mothers. I have a peace also that I WILL BE a mother again. For the first time, I KNOW that I will be pregnant again. I just have a peace about it. I don't want to use doctors or technology or hormones to have another baby. The bottom line is that we did something that not only one doctor told us would never happen, but that FOUR doctors told us would never happen. And not only did we get pregnant, we got pregnant with twins. God became so real to me through all of this. This is embarrasing, but there have been so many times (mainly in college) that I wondered if what I believed was right. I just sometimes had questions about my faith and wondered if God really did hear my prayers. I could never doubt God again, or Heaven or Hell. It is SO real to me. There is a God, but now I know that there is this loving, compassionate God that wants so badly for me to have EVERYTHING that I want and desire. God did something that so many people told us would never happen. He performed a Miracle. Our two babies are miracles, but I truly believe that God healed our "issue." I believe with all of my heart that God heals people when they have Faith. We have been prayed for for our "issues" that were preventing us from becoming pregnant, and I know that God has performed not only a miracle, but that God has "healed" the issue. I know that my God will give me the desires of my heart. I know this because the Bible says that if I have faith as small as a mustard seed, that I could move a mountain. My faith is MUCH larger than a mustard seed, so I know that God can give us more babies. This is just something that happened. It is life. Sometimes life hands you terrible cards. Sometimes it knocks you down, but I am determined to get up, dust the dirt off, and fight. It is how you get up when life knocks you down that determines your character. I'm a fighter. I'm not going to stay down long. My parents didn't raise me to be a wimp. They raised me to be a strong woman of Faith and to believe that when two or three are gathered together and ask something in His name, that it will be done. I believe it will be done. Period. I'm sure that there will be days when I am upset or sad, but my goal is for those to be as short lived as possible. God came to give me life and life to the fullest. I am going to live me life to the fullest, and have joy that I have air in my lungs and to be thankful for my health. I have already learned so much through all of this, but I have learned most of all just how strong I am. I remember thinking the day after we got the knews as soon as I opened my eyes, "how can I get out of bed? I just lost my babies." I didn't allow myself to stay in bed long. Within a few days, I had a plan which was different than most of my plans. My plan is to have faith. Faith that God is going to comfort me when I'm sad, hold me when I need holding, and faith that when it is God's time (not mine) that he will give us a child. I honestly do not want to become pregant until it is God's perfect time. This is why we have decided to not use fertility drugs AT ALL. I know that when God is ready to give us a child, he will. I'm not going to rush it. I am going to be patient and allow God to work. I am at peace that God will give us a child when HE is ready, and I honestly feel more at peace now than I have since all of this fertility stuff started.

Our friends and family have been so great through all of this. I'm sure it is so tough for people around us because there are no words to make us feel better. It means so much to us that we have people praying for us. My school has been great. I have cried and cried just thanking God for friends. For SOOO long I prayed everyday, "Lord, please give me a group of great girl friends" and he has. I have been surrounded by so many wonderful, thoughtful people. My school and mom have done meals for us. Four of the women I work with brought food over on Saturday, and the school gave us a generous gift card from all of the teachers. My students wrote me cards, which I cried and cried when I read them because they were so precious. Everyone has just rallied around us, and we are so thankful for everything. Just to know that people have spent an ounce of the most precious thing on Earth (time) thinking about us has meant more than anything. I haven't talked about this to anyone face to face, and have barely even spoken about what all we have gone through on the phone. I have talked to my parents, brother, Rich, and my best friend since the age of two (Holly Helton, pretty much my sister) and that's it. I probably won't talk about it so please don't be affended. It is something so intimate to me, and I'm sure I will in time talk about it, but for now I'll just blog. If you want to know how I'm feeling all you have to do is read my blog anyways. My friends from high school have been precious to check on me. They have sent me texts, cards, facebook messages, etc. We have all gone through so much, and this is just another thing that we will all go through together. I have a group of friends that I've been friends with for over a decade. We don't get to see each other often, but we all get together every Christmas and at least one other point in the year. I can't describe our relationship really, but we are all so close. I talk to a few of them all the time, but it is about 8 of us and when we are together it is like we never missed a beat. We are all spread out now, but they have all made contact of some sort with me and each one of them have encouraged me in some way. My friends from church have been so great too. They have sent me texts, etc just to let me know that they are thinking about me. Everyone doesn't know what to do or say, but we are so thankful that you all are just thinking about us and praying for us. Our friends and family mean so much to us, and each one are such a big part of our lives. Please continue to pray for us, and please pray specifically for God to give us a child when the timing is perfect. We covet your prayers.

I'm so sorry this is sooooo long, but this is the first night that I have even been able to type about what all is going on. I'm usually great about getting my thank you cards out within a week of someone sending us something, but I haven't even been able to start on them. The biggest thank you of all has to go to my husband. Yep, I just started crying just thinking about how great he is. Gosh, I don't even know where to start. He has been PERFECT during all of this. His Faith the day after we found out was so strong. He looked at me when I woke up because I immediately started sobbing and said, "Jess, God will give us children. I know he will." He has not left my side, which is what I needed most. He immediately put himself on the backburner, even though I know his heart was broken too, and just held me through it all. He didn't do anything major, but he was just there. He just sat with me and watched LOST, and Entourage, and American Idol with me. We always watch TV together, but he never left my side. He ran to Kroger for me because I have NOT wanted to see a sole that I know. I like to hide when I'm upset about anything because I hold NOTHING in. I'm a ventor and if I'm sad I cry. Had I gone to Kroger or anywhere, I would have sobbed the whole time. He allowed me to hide, and took me to dinner late at night so that I wouldn't have to see anyone or answer any questions. He has been so compassionate with me and so gentle with me. He has never once asked me to do something that I didn't want to do, and he hasn't pressured me to go talk to anyone or answer my phone or anything. He has just allowed me to grieve, which was what I needed. He has held my hand, my hair when I'm sick, and has allowed me to sob on his shoulders. Our marriage has NEVER been work as everyone told us it would be. Our engagement was a little work, but that was just because of well it just was, but our marriage is SOOO strong and always has been. We have gotten in a FEW arguments, but now when we argue we usually end up laughing at each other about a minute into it. Our arguments (since we got married) have never been cruel or hateful though. I love him WAY too much to want him to hurt. We are both passionately in love with each other, and our love grows more and more for each other on a daily basis. When Rich goes out of town, which has only been for 3 days max so far, we talk on the phone all night long, and I literally get butterflies when I'm going to get to see him and usually run to the bathroom to put my makeup on and get dressed up. One time, he even rented a car and drove all the way home to me just to get to see me a few hours earlier versus waiting on a flight. I'm sure everyone loves thier spouse, but I love him so much that sometimes when I'm at work away from him I literally ache. I know that sounds crazy, but I do. It's always on the first day back after getting to spend time together. He is by far the best friend that I have ever had. He is the only person that I have truly just told every little secret to, poured out my heart about my feelings to, wanted to be around every second of my life, and that has ever made me laugh so hard that I literally had to run to the bathroom so I wouldn't pee in my pants. He is the coolest person I know, and is such a perfect match for me because he always talks to people so I don't have to. He is hand-down the "people person" out of the two of us. The thought of walking into a room full of strangers and having to talk to them MAKES ME WANT TO CRINGE!!! Most people do not know, but I am TERRIBLY shy. Until I am comfortable in an environment, I usually HATE to talk. Rich makes me though and pushes me to get out of the house. He has been perfect to me through all of this and has taken care of me like a champ! We have fallen in love even more through all of this, and I truly could not thank my husband enough for just being who he is. God sent him my way, and he is the PERFECT person for me just the way he is. Thank you for taking care of me Rich Hall!!! You are the world to me and I adore everything about you! Marrying you, to this day, is the best decision of my life! Thanks for letting me cry. I love you.

Well I will try to not be so long winded in all of my blogs. I guess I had a lot to say. Hope everyone is having a wonderful 2009 so far. Thank you all for being our friends and family and for being there for us!

2009-01-17T16:31:00.000-08:00

On Monday we found out that our two babies went to join the Lord in Heaven. I was so blessed to have been able to carry these babies for 8 and a 1/2 weeks. We have been overwhelmed with text messages, voice mails, cards, etc. Thank you all so much for your support during this time. We are very thankful for the friends and family that have surrounded us. I will be having surgery Monday. Please join us in prayer that everything will go smoothly. We are so thankful for you all!

I could be the luckiest girl on the planet!!

2009-01-05T18:02:00.000-08:00

Today was my first day back at work after having a relaxing, but productive 2 weeks off. I watched lots of movies, caught up on my shows on dvr, had my kitchen repainted, cleaned our house, did all of our laundry, packed and unpacked us for two trips, put away all of our Christmas decorations, and spent lots of time with family. It was WONDERFUL! This morning my principal was waiting outside of my door when I got there anxiously awaiting my news. I had told her the day that I left for Christmas break to be praying for me because there was a possibility that I could be pregnant. She knew that we had been going through a lot and had been praying for us. She was so excited for me when I told her that I was indeed pregnant. She immediately said, "lets go down to my office and talk about all of your options. I know that you like things as planned out as possible." So she sat me down in the same chair that 3 months ago I was so discouraged in when I told her that I may have to take off some extra days to go through fertility treatments. She was so wondderful to me and prayed for me and even cried with me. It was very cool sitting in that same chair, but now with overwhelming joy. She asked me when I was due first. I dreaded this question because I am due August 27th which is NOT good time for a teacher to have a baby. August and May are the two most hectic months in a teacher's career. She didn't care at all though. She knew how much we have wanted a baby. I asked her for her advice on what she thought I should do. She suggested that I FOR SURE at least start out the year to get my classroom established. It is very difficult to have someone else establish your classroom for you so I can see why she wanted this. Then I asked her how long I could take. She said I could take as long as I wanted. I told her that I would want to come back in January. Then I got very brave and asked her about her thoughts on part-time teaching. She surprisingly responded with, "I think it's wonderful. I've only heard of it being successful, and I have been waiting for someone to start it up here. You would be perfect to start it up and I am even going to let you choose who you want to work with." I could have cried. What a dream come true. I would work either Mondays, Wednesdays, and every other Friday OR Tuesdays, Thursdays, and every other Friday. Plus, two weeks for Christmas, two weeks for Spring break (b/c we are going to a year round calendar next year), snow days, Labor Day, Memorial Day, Martin Luther King day, Presidents Day, a week for fall break, etc. I have already found the person that I am going to co-teach with. She is a wonderful girl, very laid back, and is having her baby in February. When I asked her about it, she literally cried. She had been praying for this for a while too. I am so excited that I can barely stand it. Please pray that the county will "ok it" even though next year will be my last year to become tenured. I am a little worried that they may not let me job share if I am not tenured. Like I said before, I could be the luckiest girl on the planet!!!!

Our baby is 6 weeks old!

2009-01-01T15:54:00.000-08:00

I am officially 6 weeks today! I have felt great (no morning sickness), but at around 2:30 every afternoon I get a little sick to my stomach. I haven't thrown up yet, but I am sick from about 2:30-5:00pm. Strange, but I think I would rather be sick in the afternoon than in the morning. Here are the updates for what all is going on with Baby Hall this week.

The nose, mouth, and ears that you'll spend so much time kissing in eight months are beginning to take shape. If you could see into your uterus, you'd find an oversize head and dark spots where your baby's eyes and nostrils are starting to form. His emerging ears are marked by small depressions on the sides of the head, and his arms and legs by protruding buds. His heart is beating about 100 to 160 times a minute — almost twice as fast as yours — and blood is beginning to course through his body. His intestines are developing, and the bud of tissue that will give rise to his lungs has appeared. His pituitary gland is forming, as are the rest of his brain, muscles, and bones. Right now, your baby is a quarter of an inch long, about the size of a lentil bean.

Baby Hall Updates

2008-12-27T20:35:00.000-08:00

I am going to TRY to update weekly on what all is going on with the baby. Here are the week 5 updates.

Deep in your uterus your embryo is growing at a furious pace. At this point, he's about the size of a sesame seed, and he looks more like a tiny tadpole than a human. He's now made up of three layers — the ectoderm, the mesoderm, and the endoderm — which will later form all of his organs and tissues.The neural tube — from which your baby's brain, spinal cord, nerves, and backbone will sprout — is starting to develop in the top layer, called the ectoderm. This layer will also give rise to his skin, hair, nails, mammary and sweat glands, and tooth enamel.His heart and circulatory system begin to form in the middle layer, or mesoderm. (This week, in fact, his tiny heart begins to divide into chambers and beat and pump blood.) The mesoderm will also form your baby's muscles, cartilage, bone, and subcutaneous (under skin) tissue.The third layer, or endoderm, will house his lungs, intestines, and rudimentary urinary system, as well as his thyroid, liver, and pancreas. In the meantime, the primitive placenta and umbilical cord, which deliver nourishment and oxygen to your baby, are already on the job.