December to Remember

The month of December has been a busy one at our house and contrary to how I usually feel about the holiday season, I have to say that I am glad to see it go out the door!!!  Hoping that the new year will bring some happy things this year.  I have a few pics of some of the activities at our house and sadly enough to say we have no Christmas pics except of the Christmas eve fiasco.   He we go.....

This was one of the fun parts of the season when we hosted Nicolas and his friends and dates to make Gingerbread houses for the Christmas Ball. That extremely handsome devil at the the top is my boy!  

Last year we started a new tradition where all the adults go to dinner about a week before Christmas. Even though it is a lame pic, it was a great time to be together with my sweet fam!

 Hence the Christmas Eve/Day Fiasco. Speaks for itself doesn't it? This is the result of no bathroom, wet carpet, backed up sewer, wet Christmas gifts and more fun.  Thanks so much to my amazing boys who spent two days in way below freezing temps to help out mom and dad.  We love you so much!!!

Some of the other festivities were our annual Pie Night the night before Thanksgiving and the Christmas Fiesta courtesy of our family holiday cheer meister.  Lots of hanging out together eating and laughing, birthdays and watching the kids to see which kid is picking  on who.  I love it all and I am so glad to have all my sweeties here close to me!  I still have to say that my favorite part of the holiday was clear back in November when we all made the trip to Disneyland. I can't remember anything I have ever enjoyed more than that week there with my husband, kids and grandkids. It was perfect! 

One more thing I have to make note of before I finish my posting for the year is our loved ones and friends that we have lost.  You are all missed so much!

Bryce Christensen

  Amazing young man and friend passed away in a car accident at age 21. We miss ya Bryce!!!

Colleen Blonquist

  My aunt passed away from Alzheimers.

Vern Scovil 

 My uncle passed away at 93.

Becky Hall

 My sister in law passed away from a sudden

heart attack at age 54.

Peggy Dee Whitney

 My cousin lost her battle to cancer at age 56.

Mark Richardson

  Our dear friend passed away from a heart attack at age 44. Mark the Great!

JoAnna Anderson and Kayla Anderson

  Our sweet Jo and her daughter age 9 passed away in a car accident on November 12th.  

We love you Jo and miss that big smile!

Happy Birthday Hill and Nic!

When I tell people that I have two kids born on the same day they are always a little amazed, but when I tell them that they are 11 years apart they are TOTALLY amazed!  In a million years I will never know how this phenomenon  occured but I do know that I am one lucky mommy!  It has been so fun to watch the relationship change through the years between these two siblings. When Nic was little he was a total annoyance to Hill.  I think alot of that came from age difference and the fact that they are alike in alot of ways.  There are definately things about their personalities that are quite similar.  The main one is that they are both very tender hearted people.  As the years have gone by, Nic has gotten older and most days as of late it has been just Nic and Hill here at our house, they have done alot of bonding and their relationship has become far more than just two kids that share a birthday.  I am looking forward to watching them for many years and hopefully every year on December 28th no matter where their lives take  them, they will call each other or go to lunch and hang on tight to that tie that bonds them together.  What two amazing gifts I was given on this day. I love you both so much!

Deck the Halls!

Thankful

This past week has brought so many thoughts to my mind about being thankful. I spent an evening alone at Disneyland one of our nights there, wandering through the stores and watching the Christmas Parade thinking about how our lives can change in a instant and sometimes without warning they do. When Nic and Kelsey caught up with me that night they asked me what I was doing and I told them I was making a memory. I love that line from the old movie Parent Trap when she hugs her Grandpa, breathes in the smells of tobacco and peppermint and makes her memory. When Jake and Hill were little we became good friends with the Bradford family. We became part of each others families, even our extended family. We helped the family through a divorce and tried to fill in where we were needed. Karen was a busy working single mom and at that time I was lucky enough to be able to stay at home with my kids, so we helped out with her three kids pretty much on a daily basis. Jake and Hill spent alot of time playing with Kevin and JoAnna and they seemed to make our home theirs also. This past Thursday JoAnna and her nine year old daughter Kayla were killed in a tragic car accident. Our hearts are broken and we are so sad for her husband and children, but especially for her mom, dad, brothers and grandparents whom we love dearly. SO life can change in an instant and sadly sometimes it does. So I spent a week in a place I love to be, with the people I love most, watching, listening and breathing in, making a memory to hang on to so tight. We love you Kayla and our JoAnna banana!

Happy Birthday Kels!!

Seems like the time has flown by and I swear we were just barely bringing this adorable brown eyed girl home from the hospital. She has been a complete joy to us and is such a special part of our family. Kelsey is one of those people that once you meet her and talk to her for a minute you fall in love with her. She is bright and full of fun. She is talented and beautiful. She is grounded in her testimony of the gospel and she has never allowed anyone or anything to shake that. If she is your friend you a so lucky cause she loves her friends and cares about them. She is an amazing sister and I love watching her interact with each one of the sibs. She totally loves and adores Jake and sometimes I see her watching him and I know she is thinking that she hopes she finds someone with his qualities. There is a special bond there between them that they have had from the beginning. She loves spending time with Hill and they are to the point where they have so much in common. I know that as time goes by that they will continue to be close and depend on each other. Someday when I am gone they will take my place for each other and be each others rock. She loves her sis. Kelsey and Nic have a relationship that is not to common with teenagers. They are the very best of friends but yet she mothers him, worrys about and takes care of him. They love each other so much. I was thinking about our kids and how the dynamics of our family will be changing alot in the next couple of years. Not sure what is ahead for Kelsey but I do know that it will be great and I am excited to watch her life unfold. I could never begin to express how much I love this girl and how much joy she has brought to me as a mom. Happy Birthday to my brownie girl. Hope you love your Disney Birthday!

Disneyland here I come!

After at least a couple of years of planning and waiting we are finally on our way! It is funny how at my age you can still get so excited you can't sleep and it consumes your thoughts. So I am strapping on my running shoes and heading for the happiest place on earth.

You know it is Fall when....

The rakes come out and the leaves are used as a landing pad for a trip down the slide. Today my sweet girls were outside playing and I HAD to snap these pics from my bedroom window. They are not the best, but I love Ammie's smile on the last pic. Hill you are a great mommy to that little cutie. What lucky girls you are to have each other. Love you both tons!

Halloween at the Hall's

Saturday Lindsey's mom had a Halloween party and they were putting on their costumes at our house before they went over. The first few pics are of the kids in their costumes. Sophia was the lovely Daffney from Scooby Doo. Liam was of course Buzz Light Year (His hero) and Livy was Scooby Doo and a pretty cute one! Ammie was posing so cute even thought she wasn't going to the party! Then there is the cowboy. Jake is always full of fun and knows how to make us all laugh. He is a great sport too. So glad he has a sense of humor and knows how to have fun. Love that cowboy!!!

When my kids were little we always had a pumpkin night where we ate treats and carved, colored or decorated pumpkins. When they got older it turned into a FHE with friends where we still carved pumpkins and had doughnuts and hot chocolate. The last few years I have let this tradition slide. I am not even sure why. A couple of months ago my sister-in-law passed away suddenly and I have spent alot of time thinking about the things we do as a family. What will my children take with them into their own families when we are gone and what will they remember about time spent together. What can I do as a mother to provide opportunities for memories and traditions to be made. Thus the pumpkin night is back. We just hung out and let the kids paint pumpkins, had pizza and doughnuts and decorated cupcakes. I love my family. My reason to breathe.

Halloween 09

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Happy (early) Birthday Elder Al Boy

A few years ago on a snowy cold night this young man came to our house to hang out with Kelsey. He came with that smile that melts your heart even on the coldest of days. In the days and years since then he worked his way into the heart of our family. Kelsey jokingly calls him the favorite child! Time has seen Al, Hill, Linz and Kelsey all snuggled up and "tenting" as we call it, with a big blanket and the little heater and laughing about nothing really, but still laughing. We've made homemade noodles, chicken soup, pie and cookies. We decorated "Griz" (my 12' Christmas tree), had pie night, studied for tests, watched Singing in the Rain, played games, went shopping, laughed in church, made gingerbread houses, talked for hours, taught Alan about celebrating Christmas in true Hall fashion, sat on the patio swing on the warm summer evenings and had Nic's gourmet hot chocolate on those super cold days. We went to the St. George Temple, and Kayaking in the ocean. We spent five days at sea eating non-stop and laughing at every meal. We have had some serious times and had a few tears along the way. We have shared some VERY embarrassing moments, and some big events. We have had school dances, graduations, jobs and moves to college and lastly mission goodbyes. We have teased, harassed and embarrassed him, but we have also supported, counseled, fed, worried about and became attached to this young man. Thanks for all those great times we have had with you! We love and miss you! Happy Birthday to our favorite missionary! Hope you have a great birthday!!!

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Happy Birthday Sophia

Happy Birthday to our favorite 5 year old on the planet!!! We love, love, love this little sweetie. She is very special to our family and she can always say that she was the first girl to steal Nic's heart! We love you so much Sophie, and we are so glad that you are part of our family. Hope you have a special day!!!

Reflections

Today was a beautiful fall morning. Cool but cloudy, felt like fall for sure. I came into the office to the computer and turned on some itunes, (ok it was Kurt Bestor) I am not ashamed to admit it. While it was playing I was watching the pictures that came across my screen saver. It was a year ago this past week that we went on our cruise and as I watched those pics go by one by one it made me think of the fun we had and how much I love being with my kids. You know your vacation is a success if you can still look back a year later and have a big smile on your face. Thanks for the fun memories, I love you all tons. Lets do that again!!!!

Fun in the Sun - Labor Day 09

Monday we took the whole family (minus Josh who was enroute home from China), to Strawberry for a spin around the lake and a little fishing. The fishing was horrible but we had a great time just hanging out together. Looking forward to another trip and alot more fun times together on the boat. Remember fam, Lake Powell next summer, July 2010! Al, we have a spot waiting for you too for Powell 2011!