Looking back on 2010

Josh and Ammie.  It was about 105 degrees that day.

Linz - This person needs Saaavvving!!!!!  

Jake, Soph and Liam

My girls!

My Sweeties! Ammie, Liam, Livi, Sophia and Nya

Got to love spending time here!

My baby boy!

This year has been and interesting one for the Halls.  A few highs and a few lows.  As we stand right now we are the proud grandparents of five beautiful grandchildren, the last one Nya, being born this past July.  We are still loving our home even with the challenge of keeping it clean but it is still my most happiest place to be, then Disneyland is my close second.   No big vacations this past year, just time spent in our boat, weekend in St. George and a great trip to Powell in September.  Jake and Linz got moved into their new house the first of December and it is perfect!  Gratefully this year we have not lost any family members except Kevin's uncle Kenneth.  The year has been busy and has gone by so quickly.  We have watched alot of our "kids" come and go on missions, each one with excitement.     Nic has turned 18 this month and my heart stops beating when I think of it being my last year with my son.  Things are never the same when they come back and I  know that.  I suppose it is that part that makes it even more difficult for me. Kelsey turned 21 last month and I am still trying to figure out how that happened.  She is perfect! As always I wonder about the challenges of the new year.  I think you are never really prepared for what comes your way. Never could I have anticipated the events of this past year.  


I am truly grateful for my amazing family.  As I always say, they are my reason for breathing.  When they are here together I just look at them and wonder what I did in Heaven to deserve my children.  I can't imagine my life without them.  I appreciate my great husband. He has been my rock this year and has dealt with alot of tough days I am sure he didn't enjoy.


I am grateful for health and the strength to go out the door in the morning and head to my job.  Once taken for granted I appreciate it much more now.  Grateful for the people that are my work family. They are my sisters.  They counsel with me and help me in so many ways.  


I am grateful for the gospel and the things that it teaches us. It helps us to be better and gives us a reason to strive to be the best we can.  I know it is true and I always have.  I love the prophets both past and present and I am so grateful for prayer.  What a gift.  Blessings come to us in interesting ways, not always easy to see.  But we have to remember they do come, we just have to keep our eyes open.

Looking forward to a great year, spending time with the kids at Disney World, watching my baby graduate from high school, boating this summer and preparing for a missionary.  Certainly a year to remember:)

Happy Birthday Brownie Girl!!!

Where does time go?  My little brown eyed girl is now all grown up.  It is impossible to top last years birthday, spent in Disneyland with all her family around her.  I wish we could afford to do that every year. it was an amazing week.  I was thinking today about Kelsey and the circumstances that brought her into our family.  I had to do alot of praying and talking to myself about the whole idea of having another baby.  When I think of how amazing she is I am so sad that I even questioned the idea.  How grateful I am for decisions made, even when it seemed quite ridiculous:)  How grateful I am to have listened to the spirit and not the world.  Now here we are 21 years later and that my little brownie is all grown up.  We all love her so much and each one of us look up to her as an example in our lives. I miss her when she is away and wish I could keep her here forever.  She has so much to look forward to in her future and I am glad to have a front row seat!  Thanks for the amazing women that you are and for all the joy you continue to bring to our family.  I love you! Happy Birthday Brownie Girl!

Round 3

Stephen off to Spain, Daniel in California, Nathan is next to go,  Nicolas and Zac in Argentina
My Boys!

The first time I met Stephen he was on my doorstep with another young man with a plate of cookies to welcome us into the neighborhood.  That was six years ago and here we are watching him leave to serve a mission in Spain.  It has been fun to have Stephen next door. He and Nic will scale our fence to go to each others house.  We are proud of Stephen and wish him the very best for these next two years.  We will miss him.  Oh and Stephen, if you need me to take care of the life sized cardboard cutout of Johny Depp you have been teasing me with let me know! 

Maple Mountain Homecoming 2010

My handsome boy! 

Nic and Mikel

Being silly!  Best buds!

Nic and Mikel Jackson headed to their last Homecoming. These two are the best of buds. They had a blast shopping for something for Nic to wear.  She is a sweetie!  Man I love that boy!

Sophia

6th Birthday at one of our favorite places

Lake Powell

Our Cute Girl

Nic and Soph - Buds forever.

I love the look on her face!  They adore each other!

We have been without a mouse on our computer and that makes for some really difficult maneuvering around. Hence here it is a week late for my post for Sophia's 6th birthday!  Lots of things to say about this girl.  She is as sweet as sugar and has a serious sweet tooth.  She loves to draw and is very good at it, just like her daddy.  Sophie  loves school and is very smart.  She loves girly things and is a princess at heart, but she amazed us at Disneyland when she kept Tower of Terror busy as one of her favorite rides.  Each birthday she has makes me a little sad to see her grow up.  This year we got to spend the whole day with her on her birthday at Lake Powell.  She makes us smile and we love her so very much.   Don't grow up to soon Soph a doodle:)

Time

Ever have those moments when the quick passing of time slaps you across the face?   I have had a couple of those recently and I stop and wonder how I got to this point.  Where are all the moments in between.  I sent my baby to his Senior year last week.  I went to the school to look at his Senior pictures with him and when I looked at the picture of him in his cap and gown  my heart skipped a beat. Where did time go?  We walked to the car and he gave me his usual hug and as I sat in my car watching this young man walk back to the school I thought back on the day that I watched him walk into Larsen Elementary for the first time. I remember that day, that feeling, and hoping he would never grow up, just like I had felt three times before.  Each time I have gone through these moments with the kids I wondered how I would ever let go of them.  Without a choice and under protest I did.  Last Friday I was with Lindsey watching Sophie play soccer.  As we left the  field I saw Fran Jones. It had to be just yesterday that she and I were there with Jake and her son Nic playing Junior High football.  But there we were again, now watching our grand daughters, and again I asked myself, how did I get to this point?  Where are all those moments in between?  On my blog are the lyrics from a John Mayer song, "By the time I recognize this moment, this moment will be gone."  Who knew I would again recognize that moment so many years ago talking to Fran at the football game, or watching my baby walk into Larsen for the first day of school, now at this time.  Each day I watch my amazing kids go through their lives, the ups and downs, and wonder when they will recognize the moments they are living now.  I think at the time we think we do, but we really don't recognize how these moments  feel until they are long over and done.  Everyday has a new moment, holding the baby, making cupcakes with the grandkids, Disneyland trips,  and  listening to Soph tell me about her first day at school.  I keep reminding myself to take each day and tuck all those moments away, hold them tight and recognize them .  They are priceless.

Livi is two!!!!

In our family we have a little girl that is a cute little firecracker .  If you know her, you know exactly what I mean. She is tiny but full of personality and has a little bit of a bossy streak sometimes.  She loves to eat, have treats, her blankets and her mommy.  She has recently turned into a little mommy herself and takes very good care of her dolly. At our house Nic and Kevin are the preferred family members and she knows how to get what she wants out of both of them.   We love her tons and she can always make us smile!!!  Happy 2nd birthday Alivia!  We love you!!!!!!!!  (This is one of my favorite pics of her!)

New Baby Nya

Our fifth grandchild was born yesterday at 12:01 pm.  Nya Denece is finally here!  She is adorable of course just like the other four grandchildren are!!!!  We are so glad to have her here safe and sound so now let the snuggling begin:)  We love you!

Round 2

Nic and Zac on their Southern Utah adventure 

with Jace and Nathan. They had a blast!

Zac's farewell party June 21, 2010

Next in line out of the boys to leave is Zac.  He begins his two year adventure tomorrow - destination Argentina! Zac has spent quite a bit of time at our house these past few years and  despite the age difference, Nic and Zac have become pretty good buds. We will miss their trips to Quiznos that led to their all afternoon video games and trying to talk Zac into coming into our house instead of ringing the doorbell. (we just barely got him trained!) It could be 3 - 4 years before these two young men will see each other again. What amazing stories they will have to tell each other. Good luck Zac, we will miss you, but we know you will be an amazing missionary!! See you in two years!

My Kids

Thinking alot lately as I watch my sweet daughter contemplate the upcoming birth of our precious baby and remembering the four times I spent in her shoes.  Each time was well thought out but not without challenges.  As I sit here now approaching the end of the "raising children" part of my journey,  sad they are grown and not needing me so much anymore but loving watching them be themselves.  Sometimes when they are here together I  sit quietly and watch them laugh with each other and tuck it away for another day long from now when they are busy with their own children, and they are sitting quietly watching them laugh together.  My mother always tells me that I have done a good job raising my sweet children, and though I appreciate that, I think that they are who they are not because of what I have done but because of who they are as individuals and as a whole, the four of them together.  My hope is that they always will look to each other for whatever they need, stay close and be friends.  Thanks to my kids for the amazing adults they have become, for the choices they have made, the spouses they have chosen and will choose in the future, for my grandchildren.  This past month has brought some challenges to our family in a way that was totally unexpected.  Because it is mostly my children who read this Blog I feel safe in talking a little bit about it here.  Sometimes I sit here at the computer and look at our family picture taken last fall.  When I see myself I wonder, where is she. Where is that person that used to be me.  I  am fighting every day to find her, and though I am told it is a long journey I still wake up every morning and hope for a better day.  I am sorry to my children and Kevin for what I have put them through.  I know that I have put them in a place they never thought they would be, especially my sweet Hillary.  I am sorry that you have all lost your mother for a while, I know you miss her. I do too.  Please know how much I love you and that I will continue to fight every day for you.  I have faith in the Priesthood and know that the Lord answers prayers in his own time and way and I hang on to that.  Hopefully in a few months I will look back on this experience and think of all the things I learned because of it.  Tomorrow will be a better day. To my kids remember, as always, you are my reason to breathe.

Good Friends, Good Times!

Another Super Bowl Sunday has come and gone and once again we enjoyed the Hall/Davies Family get together.  The Super Bowl tradition began in appoximately 1983 or 84.  Since that time every Super Bowl Sunday you will find us at our house or at the Davies' eating, laughing and catching up.  As the years have gone by and the kids have grown we have increased our numbers and now we are into the next generation of party goers with our grandchildren.  After the party was over and all the kids had gone home, Pete and Cathy and Kevin and I sat together in the quiet and talked about how grateful we are for the great kids that we have and how blessed we feel.  They are by far eight of the best kids!!!!

Dress up fun!!!

Yesterday Sophia was helping all the kids play dress up.  She is the authority on such matters so we left the details to her.  Here are a few pics of them all dressed up in their princess/ballerina attire.  Liam couldn't be outdone or left out so Soph made him a beautiful Cinderella.  Guess that is what happens when you are the only boy!  I am sure that someday this picture will surface to embarrass him really good.  Gotta love those sweeties!!!

More Happy Birthdays!

From the time we found out that Liam and Ammie (due two weeks apart) were on their way over three years ago they became known as the babies.  That name stuck with them until Livy came and they were no longer the babies of the family.  They were so cute and it has been fun to watch them grow and go through their love hate relationship.  I know in my heart that they will be friends forever and  when they get older Liam will watch over Ammie and protect her just like a big brother.  Happy  late birthdays to the "babies"!  I love you!