Hall Farm

Feb. 2nd = GHD

2012-02-05T18:27:00.000-08:00

11th Annual

Israel made groundhogs is space and in the ocean

Steve shooting Groundhogs for our Groundhog Stew

Playing "Pickup Groundhog Poop"

Tammy and Nadia

Pin the Teeth on the Groundhog
Julia and Christian were our spinners

dizzy Mommy

Tossing cards into a hat
"it's all in the wrist"

Mia in action

Dessert: Groundhog Mounds (in sand since we live in the desert)

Mormon Battalian Days

2012-02-05T18:00:00.000-08:00

Jan. 28th we drove to Old Town San Diego for the festivities. We made rope, bricks, pioneer dolls, enlisted in the battalion (with a feather quill), learned to do laundry, roasted biscuits over a fire, listened to old time music, and marched in the parade. Israel's favorite, no suprise, was playing with the guns. Julia spent most of her time with the marble runs, and Eliza practiced hard on the stilts.

Pinewood Derby Winner

2012-01-22T15:35:00.000-08:00

Israel and Stan made an awesome car for his first pinewood derby race. Stan didn't want Israel to lose (like he always did) so we talked to my brother Mike and then watched all these youtube videos about what he told us to do, spent more money than I was expecting on these little bits that attach to our drill, and make a super fast car.

Israel won 1st place for our pack, 1st place for wolves and will be going to the District pinewood derby in March (I didn't even know we had district races). He was a graceful winner. I'm so grateful for my Israel, he is conscious of other people and doesn't poke fun. He asked me this morning if he could give his trophy to his friend who didn't win anything.

cutting the car-Israel chose the easiest option (only 2 cuts)- with some persuasion. It helped that we told him he had to do the cutting:)

Sanding-Israel did not enjoy this LONG process. On the right our drill has the special mandril Stan bought to sand the tires.

The winners circle

1st-Israel, 2nd-Grayson, 3rd-Landon

Whale Watching-No Whales

2012-01-22T15:00:00.001-08:00

For MLK Day were spend 6 hours in the car and saw no whales-talk about disappointing. Thank goodness we were listening to the Chronicles of Narnia so the drive didn't seem as long.

On the Boat

Playing on the Beach

All we saw were a few sea lions-super disappointing. The ocean was so choppy that they ended our cruise early and gave us a pass for a free trip in the future-maybe we'll try again in May, the next few months are packed.

This Time . . .

2012-01-22T15:00:00.000-08:00

Things We've Done Different This Time Around
1. Had our baby at home
2. Given him oral Vit. K and no eye drops (since I don't have chlamydia)
3. Used cloth diapers (and wool-I am enamored by wool-that stuff is amazing, I'll tell anyone foolish enough to ask me all about it)), not from day 1, but since 2 wks old
4. Used EC (elimination communication) basically we're training ourselves to put JT on the potty when her has to poop. Some days are good and some don't work at all, still, since we cloth diapering, when it does work we're happy.
5. Babywearing (and not because I wanted to either- JT demanding it and didn't like any of the carriers we already had- not my premax baby sling, not the baby bjorn either. He loves his sleepywrap and besides the annoyance of wrapping it, it is the most comfortable baby carrier I have ever used with any of my children, hands down. We also have an Ergo, #2 in most comfy-quicker to use and in this lime green color I adore)

Things We've Done the Same
1. Slept him on his tummy in the same little bassinet/car carrier that I slept in as a baby (yes, you read that right-and I don't think I was the first Ashcraft to use it either.)
2. No binky-we did try this time, but not that hard
3. No bottle (too time consuming when I'm here all the time anyhow. Yes, I'd love some freedom, but I am so dang lazy-pump, sterilize bottles, warm them properly-I'm a walking zombie, it's not going to happen)
4. Use Costco's Kirkland wipes-best thing on the planet. Even though we use cloth diapers I haven't tried reusable wipes yet.
5. Let him stay in our bed once he wakes up at night-we've been lucky this go round-often he doesn't wake up until 5, most all nights at least not until 3

New Years with the Christensons in AZ

2012-01-22T14:00:00.000-08:00

Peter, Julia holding Marianne, Andre, Eliza holding JT, Israel

Melanie put up the Hello Kitty decorations from Marianne's party for my birthday-don't we look stylish?

Presents!

Our chefs for the weekend. They did the shopping and the cooking and it was delicious-they even made a cheesecake from scratch.

JT is 2 months old!

2011-12-28T13:31:00.000-08:00

5 wks old- our little elf

6 wks old-my fav. outfil

being tortured by silly Julia-he puts up with a lot!

smiling-he's my easier baby to make smile and coo

Christmas Day-2 days shy of 2 months

in his sleepy wrap. This thing is magic-I understand why it's called a sleepy wrap. It puts him right to sleep. We use it for all our outings (which at this point is only the library, park, and grocery store)

We love our JT- he still has those gray blue eyes and darkish hair. He's a tummy sleeper and he doesn't mind his car seat. We've been doing EC and cloth diapers this time around and I love them, just prefolds and covers, we haven't had any blowouts and he's only gotten wet a few times-each our fault for not changing him or putting the cover on wrong.

He had his first babysitting adventure last night. We left him for 2 hrs for our anniversary and he did great (Thanks Angie!). He loves staring at the Christmas lights and ceiling fans. He's already 15 lbs-it's crazy he's so big. We're rotating into 3-6 month clothing already. We're still working on sleeping at night-I can often get 5 hours and Christmas Eve Eve he slept for 8, but that's the only time. He sleeps in his bassinette initially then I keep him in bed with me. He loves to sleep snuggled into my armpit. It's tricky to get out of bed without him waking in the morning. I recently discovered when he's mellow I can feed him, knit, and read from my propped up kindle:)

We're so glad JT has joined our family. Even in all the craziness of having a newborn and now being a mom of FOUR it is so sweet to hold our little guy, to reaffirm the plan the salvation and know that he is a gift from God.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-28T12:23:00.000-08:00

JT woke up early-we found the presents at 3:30 am

Israel woke up at 5:30 and opened all his Santa presents and some under the tree before we woke up. Here he is with some of his loot.

such a silly cutie!

reading her new book

After our wonderful church program-we got to sing plenty of Christmas Carols AND hear some nice musical numbers-(nice job Sister R-even if you did make me sing Star Bright with you)

Birth Story

2011-11-09T21:24:00.000-08:00

This is a shortened version. I wrote out the full and it was super long. If interested leave your email in the comments and I'll send it your way.

our birth team: Karen Dobbins(midwife assisting), Denise Perez (my doula), Quincy Bates (my midwife)

A month before Joseph was due I had an awful appointment with my OB consisting mainly of them trying to convince me to schedule a c-section. It was very disturbing and yet I was weeks away from giving birth. I felt strongly impressed that I shouldn't have the baby with this doctor (the only one my insurance covers) Looking for other options we called a licensed midwife I had talked to earlier on in my pregnancy, Quincy Bates. I really liked her and her respect for letting us have the birth experience we wanted (and for taking us on so late in the pregnancy).

On Thursday Oct. 27th I was 39 weeks pregnant. I knew I was at least 80% effaced and 4 cm dilated as I had been 2 weeks prior (the last time I'd been checked). We had a full day planned. Julia and I went to the library and then to school to lunch with the kiddos and drop off bean bags I'd made the night before for the Fall Carnival. At 11:20am while at school Stan called to see if he could go running without his phone. I gave him the all clear since nothing was happening and then left school at noon.

When I got home I was feeling awful-no contractions, but really crampy, tons of pressure, loose bowels, and I had bloody show. I called my midwife and doula and they got ready to come over. Meanwhile Stan was still away from his phone. I did not want to have this baby alone and was grateful when Denise Perez (my doula) arrived. She started prepping the pool for the water birth and it was just a comfort to have an adult in the house. (My friend came and picked up Julia).

Soon the contractions were coming and really powerful and hard to handle which was frustrating since Julia's birth had been pain free. I can't say that about Joseph's. Finally Stan arrived about 1:20 and Quincy shortly afterwards. I labored on a birthing ball with Denise using oils and a vibrating massager on my low back and I held onto Stan or Quincy's shirt and rested the crown of my head onto their bellies.

Finally the pool was ready (Quincy thought the whole time we wouldn't have time for it). When I stood up to walk to the pool I lost the rest of my mucus plug AND my water broke. Quincy had set up a birthing stool just in case that I quickly sat down on. It was 2:00 pm, only 1 hour and forty minutes into the labor, and I felt a desire to immediately start pushing. Stan kept asking if I wanted to get in the tub. "No." I said, "we're having this baby right now. Stop talking."

The pushing phase was really quick (7 min), the hardest part was not pushing as his head was crowning, necessary to avoid perineal tearing. I rested once his head was out, waiting for another urge to push; his body naturally turned allowing his shoulders to fit and with the next contraction Joseph Teancum was born at 2:07 pm.

The labor was so fast that he hadn't fully cleared his lungs, so Quincy and her assistant Karen Dobbins, after letting me hold him briefly, cleared his lungs so he could breathe better. We waited for the cord to stop pulsing then Stan cut the cord. Then I delivered the placenta. They assisted me to my own bed where I rested with my Joseph Teancum and Stan by my side. It was so fast I was still amazed that we'd already had him. He was so big and had that wonderful dark hair my babies are born with. He didn't want to open his eyes or nurse at first, he was still adjusting to our world.

Eventually the midwives and Denise assisted me to get a shower and then we weighed and measured Joseph- 8lb 9 oz; 22 in long.

It was a wonderful, special time and we felt so close to our Heavenly Father. That He was watching over and loving us. I'm grateful to have had the experience of a home birth even if it wasn't the water birth we had thought we were going to have. Doing something natural and beautiful as birth is in my own home was empowering and special. I'm so grateful that Joseph Teancum joined our family and that he is healthy and strong. We love our boy and the labor that brought him into our home and family.

Blessing Day Nov. 6th 2011

2011-11-07T10:14:00.000-08:00

We blessed Joseph Teancum yesterday before my parents had to leave to go back to Utah. It was really special to have them there with us. I've never brought such a young baby to church. He was only ten days old. He did great for all of sacrament meeting and didn't cry during his blessing.

Michele lent us this blessing outfit she made for my nephew Joshua (I think) and gave us this beautiful blue blanket. It's as soft as can be too.

I added this picture because I like it so much. I don't often like pics of myself.

With Grandma and Grandpa Ashcraft. They were such a wonderful help this past week cooking, cleaning, running the kids, and playing with Julia so she didn't feel left out. I love you Mom and Dad!

Stan gave Joseph a name and a blessing. A few of the things he blessed his with were to grow strong and healthy and have a pure soul, to have the power of God to administer to his brothers and sisters, to serve faithfully like Joseph of Old, and to have a great posterity.

I just love this picture of Israel holding his brother. These two are going to be pals. Israel's already decided. He's excited for all he's going to teach his brother.

The one family picture that doesn't look awful. Getting 6 people looking the right direction and smiling is going to be a challenge!

Joseph's First Bath

2011-11-07T09:29:00.000-08:00

Joseph's Ambilical Cord fell off so early that he got his first bath is the tub. He was so sweet. We expected crying since he doesn't like having his diaper changed, but he didn't cry at all. He seemed to enjoy the warm water.

Getting all dry. Israel loves that his baby towel is now Joseph's

All Clean. And his hair is still dark! We'll see how it does after the next bath . . .

Happy Halloween

2011-11-02T12:23:00.001-07:00

Presenting Joseph Teancum Hall

2011-10-30T19:00:00.001-07:00

Born October 27th 2:07 pm
8 pounds, 9 ounces
22 inches long

1st Family Picture-Joseph about 4 hours old

Israel, Eliza, and Julia love their little brother. They love to hold him-especially Eliza.

Birth Story and more pics to come.

Israel's Baptism 10-9-11

2011-10-18T07:23:00.000-07:00

Israel was baptized with his friend Makayla Wilkey at 1pm church. Bishop Douglas conducted, Grandma Hall talked on Baptism, Daddy baptized Israel, then Gary Wilkey talked on the Holy Ghost. Israel was confirmed a member of the church and given the gift of the Holy Ghost by Grandpa Hall. We sang I am a Child of God and Baptism. I played the piano and Spencer Walton conducted the music. It was a really special day and we were so glad for all the people that came and gave our family support. The RS room was full. Israel asked his good friend Ben Adams to say the closing prayer and Bishop Douglas was a little confused when he announced it-it was cute.

Of his baptism Israel, who has been scared since sunbeams about getting baptized since you have to be fully immersed, said it felt so good he wanted to do it again. He was so happy and so were Dad and I. We're proud of his decision to follow Jesus Christ.

We love you Israel!

Happy Birthday Week

2011-10-18T07:05:00.000-07:00

At the Hall house we're blessed to have our three children born within a week. This means lots of partying, sugar, presents, and silly songs. We start each birthday singing all the birthday songs we know and telling their birth stories (they can never get enough: tell me more, what did I do as a baby, etc.). This week we were able to get the kiddos to vary their birthday treats. Julia picked cupcakes, for Eliza we made a gingerbread house cookie, and for Israel we had cinnamon rolls. Yay for variety, there's only so much cake I can eat.

Julia turned 4-she's so big and such a helper. She and Mom are big pals since her other siblings are in school and baby boy hasn't come yet. Julia loves to dance (ballerina stepping) and makes up hand positions and twists and has a great time. She's our commedian and has such a great laugh-we can't help laughing right along with her. She loves Dora the Explorer and playing with her tea set (we need to get her a new one since Caramel did a good job destroying her old one. Word to the wise, don't leave anything in our backyard that you care about.) She's all about baby dolls. She has good babies and bad babies and a favorite black baby (that's it's name) that she let me sleep with while Stan was on a business trip-pretty good for snuggling. Julia is very reverent in church. The best Sunbeam we have this year I'm happy to be able to say and she loves her teacher Sister N.

Eliza turned 6-she's grown up so much this past year, not only in height (but she's still a stick-thank goodness for adjustable waistbands), but emotionally too. She's getting braver, talking to a few more people, and even doing well in school (bless you Mrs. L!). Eliza is a really good reader, she loves to play doll house and think about the future. Frequent topics-how young you can be to get married, when she'll be an adult, and the fact that her husband needs to be named Henry Hall (do you know the song "There's a hole in my bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza?" Well, she wants to be married to a Henry because of that and she doesn't want to have to change her last name. So if you know any good quality Henry Halls age 6-9, send them our way in 14 years!) She loves to play the piano, ride bikes with dad, dance with Caramel, our dog, and play legos with Israel.

Israel turned 8-how big he is. I still can't believe we have an 8-yr-old. He's getting baptized this Sunday after church and we're so proud of him. He got his first full set of scriptures, a scripture tote, journal, and 1st real tie for his birthday and he didn't even complain. That might be because there were a few pokemon cards thrown in there:) Israel is in 2nd grade and doing well. He and Eliza play on the same soccer team and he's already scored a goal this season. He's very aggressive. Israel's a great reader, his favorite books right now are the Asterix comic books (if only they were AR books). He's quite the artist and writer as well. We enjoy his creative side and hope he grows up and keeps it.

35.5 Weeks Pregnant

2011-10-04T07:24:00.000-07:00

First Day of School

2011-08-30T16:38:00.000-07:00

We home schooled Eliza for kindergarten, but this year we've put her into public school with Israel. She's in 1st grade with Mrs. L (who also goes to our church) and she is super sweet, in control, soft spoken, and willing to work with Eliza and help her transition. Thank you Mrs. L-I feel comfortable knowing she is in your class and you're watching out for her.

First Day Pics:

First Day Feelings:
Israel hit the lottery, his 2 best friends from 1st grade were in his same class (Mrs. C). We're hoping with the changes because of high enrollment that he'll still be with at least 1 of them when the new teacher is hired. He told us right off the bat that 2nd grade wasn't as fun as 1st grade and that Kg was the best (who could disagree with that?) He's comfortable with new situations and had a really good start.

Eliza wanted school to start so she could play on the playground! But that first day she was really nervous. She didn't cry (even though pg me did, but not until I got in the car). She sat in her chair and although she didn't participate much that first day she made it through the day. I waited for the phone to ring the whole time she was gone. At 2nd recess she saw Israel and he helped her be happy. It's hard being in school when you're new, have never done the routine and don't have any friends (besides being too shy to make them). At pick up she wouldn't even look at me she was so sad and told me she didn't want to go to school again.

Julia missed her playmates, I'm just not as fun at dollhouse as Eliza is, so we did special things like making cookies and cutting her hair.

How they're liking school a week later:
Israel is having a blast. He likes what he's reading, enjoys his teacher and is making new friends. Can you imagine a class with 38 kids in it? He can.

Eliza still needs me to walk her to her seat, but once she's settled in she's okay. This morning she showed me her new science book with all the animals! Mrs. L even said she answered a question in class the day before, so things are going better and she's found a friend. Thanks Abby!

Julia didn't want to be left out, so she had a first day of school picture too-and here she is playing the banjo with Daddy. She's getting used to special time with Mom and today we started Teach your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.

Utah Trip Week 4: Part 2

2011-07-15T10:48:00.000-07:00

The big Ashcraft Family Reunion-30 people in 2, 12 people cabins up at gorgeous and masquito infested Island Park, Idaho (about 30 min. from West Yellowstone entrance)
Stan enjoying the hottub with the kiddos one morning. Don't worry, we didn't have the temperature up very high.

Fishing on the the Buffulo? River. Grandma and Grandpa taught all the kids how to cast and let them play as long as they were interested. Even with all the fishing that went on during the 4 days we were there, nobody caught anything-not even my expert bro-in-law. Good thing we hadn't planned on eating off the river!

Julia with cousings Jessica, Jacob on Emily's lap, and Hannah.

Israel learning from Grandpa. He worked at it for a really long time and was sad when he still didn't catch anything. Fishing can be tough for kids.

Walking the slackline. Cousin Kienan pictured, is really good at it and all the Robbin's boy and Stan had a great time playing on it. Israel learned to take a few steps on his own. Not easy.

Eliza with cute cute 7 mo. old baby Asher.

Me with my nephew Sean soon to be missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

We did this beautiful little hike to the Upper Mesa Falls. Lovely little hike, plenty of shade, and breathtaking waterfalls. I kept on thinking of Super Man rescuing Lois Lane from Niagra Falls.

The happy Hall girls

Israel giving us the "oh, no, I don't want to fall in" pose.

Saying goodbye to family was hard. Here I am with my dad (and Israel of course)

What a great vacation we had. Thanks for all the people who gave us food and beds and let us invade their homes. We love our extended family and are looking forward to next July when we hope to go to Utah next.

Utah trip Week 4: Part 1

2011-07-14T17:55:00.000-07:00

Playing with the Robbin's crew.
Here we are up at Christopher's Mom's cabin. The kids loved riding horses for the first time.

Israel with Joshua

Julia with Sarah

Eliza with Joshua

Milking goats at the neighbors

Stan got pretty proficiant and even went back for a 6 am milking. Not only that, but he loved drinking the fresh milk-he even drank half a gallon in one sitting!

Julia loved the baby goats

I'm not sure which of my kids took this picture, I was just really impressed by it. In picture-Michele, Christopher, and Elizabeth

playing dress-up. Don't they have an awesome swingset? The tall swings that are so hard to find these days. This is my dream swingset when we have a bigger yard (and extra money)

Julia

The only picture I got of the fireworks/sparklers. Huntsville has a really good show.

Utah Week 3

2011-07-14T17:39:00.000-07:00

Playing in Laketown is always a highlight. This time we even got to go shooting AND ride tractors.
Here we are shooting grandma's .22

Moving Pipe in the North field with my Uncle Eldon

Enjoying tractor rides with Eldon. He taught the kids to answer "green" to the question, "What color should a tractor be?"

Playing in Bear Lake. The water is up so high that we only had a tiny bit of beach. We still managed to have plenty of fun.

Aunt Jan let us ride Squirt. Julia rode too, but I forgot to get a picture:(

Grandma gave the girls this blanket she knit. They share it and have been taking turns sleeping with it since.

Utah Trip Week 2

2011-07-14T17:22:00.000-07:00

We got together with Katie's kid's Aidan and Ivy and have a fun time visiting old haunts. We of course had to get donuts at Krispy Creme and then we went to Wymount to play at our old playground.

A new sign-up at Wymount-you have to love BYU and all their signs . . .

Julia and Ivy-so cute!

Israel with Aidan. Israel planned this shot:)

We sure love the Purdies. Katie and I have been super friends since moving into Wymount together 5 years ago. We wish we didn't live on opposite ends of the country. (they live in Florida) My happy hope is Jason'll find the perfect teaching job in Utah and then when I visit my family I'll be able to see her too.

At the Lehi parade with my big brother Mike's family. The kiddos loved collecting all the candy.

Emily and Rachel marched in the parade with the American Fork marching band. Julia loves these girls (and their "cowboy" hats)

Utah Trip Week 1

2011-07-14T17:06:00.000-07:00

I went to my first Writer's Conference- Writers and Illustrators for Young Readers in Sandy, Utah. I took Louis Plummer's Novel Writing class. I just loved her!

My good friend Katie took the class as well-isn't she beautiful!?!

While I was at my conference 8-5 for a week my wonderful sister Jane (with my mom's help) took care of my kids. Julia with cousin's Hannah and Hailey at their lemonaid stand. Eliza holding a marshmellow shooters Jane made with the kids out of pvc pipe. So fun. Note: I don't know if this is the same site my sister used.

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T16:36:00.000-07:00

Even though we can't be with you today, we are celebrating that you are our dad. We miss you and love you so much.

From Israel: I love how Dad wrestles with me, how funny he is, and that he goes on fun trips and pays for us.
From Eliza: I love that Dad is funny and gives me good hugs and bike rides.
From Julia: I like that Daddy loves me and that he's a good ballerina stepper.
From Robin: So glad we're married and can be a family forever. You are such a good dad for our kids. Thanks for the time and energy you put into being involved in each of their lives. I love you.

A picture post of the last few months

2011-06-01T13:54:00.000-07:00

So I haven't been too good with the camera, so we don't have very
many pictures. but here's some from Easter and a few random ones thrown in as well.

Playing with Good Friends

2011-06-01T13:30:00.000-07:00

Alan and Melanie came out from Phoenix to see us this past weekend and of course they brought their adorable baby Marianne, and 2 boys Peter and Andre.
This is one of those wonderful couples that both Stan and I get along with Alan and Melanie really well. That's not always easy to find for us with our unique interested, no desire to watch sports, and not being into reality tv shows. These guys we could live close to and be very happy-besides, they're really good cooks:)
No surprise here-we rock climbed, went swimming, made sushi like we did last time-thanks for the (sushi cups and roller and bringing the goodies), learned how to make this amazing bread in a dutch oven, played games, and just had an all around fun good time.

Eliza and Andre were inseperable. They're such close friends. Not only that, but they play together really well. No fighting or having to seperate them the whole weekend. I have to admit to day dreaming that they'll get married some day, but I'll remember not to tell Eliza that or it will certainly never happen:)
Eliza wrote him a note we need to put in the mail. So cute:

Julia and Peter played really well together as well, but there were a couple of times we had to break up an argument. Peter loved playing Wii games with Israel- the Indiana Jones and Starwars Lego games were his favorite. Julia kept calling Peter Petes. We thought it was so darn cute.

The big kids at the pool.
Jules and Petes

PS-I'm 17 weeks pregnant and starting to feel like a human again, so hopefully I'll be posting again.

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T07:45:00.000-08:00

The girls and I made up these songs last week. We've been singing them and laughing and hope you enjoy them too!

Love's Day
(to the tune of Row, Row, Row your Boat)
I love Love's Day
I love Love's Day
I love Love's Day
The best day of the year.

Valentine's Colors
(to the tune Alluetta)
Pink, red, white, and purple
These are Valentine's colors,
But the color we love best
Is purple, purple, purple!

We hope your day is filled with hearts, hugs, and lots of candy

Eliza woke us up at 5:05 this morning, so excited to wish us Happy Love's Day and then wake up all her siblings. As a reward I think they're all going to get a nap today. Stan and I shouldn't have stayed up so late playing WiiFit Plus last night:)

EDITED TO ADD

I just saw that the Cybils book awards were announced today- as a book lover I feel that it's rather appropriate that they chose Valentine's Day. I've been looking over the list and getting all excited about more books for Israel and me to put on hold at the library. I think I'll take a moment here to tell you how much I appreciate libraries-without them, I don't know what I would do. I certainly can't afford to buy all the books I read (although after I read them if it's a super read sometimes I do spoil myself). I visit the library more often than the grocery store. Even as small as ours is here in 29 I'm so glad we have it.
Here's the link to the Cybils in case you're interested too.

Pegasus by Robin McKinley and finally a bit of an update

2011-01-13T18:58:00.000-08:00

So, it's been forever since I posted. We've been busy and enjoying our Christmas Break and getting to see my brother I hadn't seen in 3 years, and being horribly sick for two weeks, and then just getting back into the swing of school and work and piano lessons. Transitioning Israel off the Wii (after his new lego games from Christmas) hasn't been easy and for the 1st time ever homework has been a fight.

Some of you know that I go in an volunteer in Israel's class on Wednesdays-yesterday, Max, one of the kids, asked me what my job was. When I told him that I stay home and take care of Israel and his little sisters. Max asked, incredulous, "You're a babysitter?" Even though I explained the difference he was still mystified.

Our computer is not acting right at the moment, so no pictures right now. Soon I'll probably post way too many and bore everyone except maybe my mother-in-law:)

Big things this past month-we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary buying a much needed new bed- AND we got it in KING size, much to our excitement. It's a generic of the dream bed I layed on in Brookstone a few months back that we bought on amazon-high density foam beds are amazing. This one came vacuum packed and I couldn't believe that what was inside the box was a bed and I was terrified we'd made a horrible mistake even after all the wonderful reviews. BUT after following the directions and struggling it out of the wrapping to sit and return to original shape it turned out absolutely wonderful. We've only had it for 2 nights, but I LOVE this bed.

Now on to Robin McKinley my long time favorite author who won me at a young age with Beauty and then again with The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown. I have read all her books and only been disappointed in Dragonhaven's 40+ page epilogue. Isn't this cover wonderful? I keep staring at it happily. I want to be there, in that meadow- the Pegasus is optional.

Pegasus did not disappoint and reminded me of my first readings of her Damar books (not that it was anything the same and a completely different world of people and creatures). I lay on my new bed today with the quilt my mom helped me make when I was sixteen that has been hiding for the past year. I pulled it out to put on our king size bed and I was taken back to my basement room on Huntcliff Trail.
Sylvi our main character is a princess being bound to her pegasus. As usual I don't want to tell you any more-even that on the leaf flap, because it always tells too much. What I will say, if read this book-wonderful fantasy-clean, interesting, wonderful. Five hours after finishing it I am still right at the climax where the book ended. Yup, ended. It has a sequel not even coming out until some undetermined date in 2012- isn't that awful? Never before has she done this to me. My chest is still bursting with the wait AND it'll be forever. I liked the book so much that I'm actually buying it. I read a lot of books, but buy not even 1%, so that should tell you something.

Happy reading, and look for more from us soon (when crazy computer is more happy:)

Christmas 2010

2010-11-29T16:58:00.001-08:00

Retro Plaid Christmas 5x7 folded card

Get custom photo Christmas cards online at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

50 Free Snapfish Cards

2010-11-23T20:45:00.000-08:00

Checking the mail and getting Christmas cards from our family and friends is one of our favorite things that we get to do each Christmas Season. We love to see how everyone has grown and what is new and good in so many lives. We also appreciate the fellowship in Christ as so many celebrate his birth.

We hang our cards on ribbons on the walls of our entryway each year. So we really like getting those cards early:)

If you're like me and looking around for the best deal for Christmas cards this year- check out Shutterfly. I really like their "easy to navigate" site. It's sinly to add, organize, and order from them. Would you like to get 50 free Christmas Cards from Shutterfly? I sure would, so I'm telling you all about them. I have used Shutterfly and found many great deals and high quality photos.

Here is the Christmas card we're thinking about: Pretty Poinsettia

It is elegent and classy- AND it's a 5 by 7 folding card. I like how the card actualy says Merry Christmas and it's perfect for the family shot we like to put on our cards. Plus- you can write your Christmas letter inside the card and it will be printed and ready for you. No extra work!

Here's the link to the Christmas Cards:
And they don't just have cards but also photo books, calendars, mugs, and more!
I recently went to a Shutterfly Photo Book party and I was really impressed. The books are just gorgeous and much easier to put together than I had imagined. Look out Julia, you might just get your baby book!

follow this link to find out how you can get 50 free Christmas Cards HERE.

Merry Christmas!

Israel's Pirate Party- Happy 7th Big Guy!

2010-10-12T12:28:00.001-07:00

We had a big friend birthday party full of dangerous pirates, treasure hunts, and tired parents:)

in line to destroy that pirate pinata- we had bought 2 super big bags from Walmart, but could have used 2 more.
Israel threatening Shel Silverstien, I mean the pinata (anybody read Diary of a Wimpy Kid The Last Straw?)

Rescuing the drowning soldier from the water (something he'd wanted to do since seeing his cake the night before)
my friend Wendy helped me make the cake with a pirate lego set Israel got for his birthday (she supplied the bricks for the border- we're new to legos in the Hall house)

Princess Party- Happy Birthday Girls!

2010-09-29T16:29:00.000-07:00

We had our first friend birthday party for Eliza (turning 5) and Julia (turning 3) yesterday. Five little princesses were able to come over and join the fun. We all had a great time and Julia and Eliza couldn't have been happier.

All the princesses received a manicure, crown, necklace, bracelet, and ring so we could be fancy. Then we played Elefun (Julia's birthday present), ate lots of pink food, danced to princess music, and then played outside.

Showing off their princess hairstyles before the party.

Look at those wide open eyes and happy smile. I think she's enjoying her party:)

Playing Elefun

Pin the tiara on the princess. See Julia peeking out beneath the blindfold?

Eliza- even as a princess showing off her climbing skills. I always think she'd make a good "paper bag princess" (if you haven't read the book by Robert Munsch give it a try. It's one of my favorites)

taking on the pinata

Eliza looking dangerous.
Blowing out the candles together.

Eliza with her special Cinderella doll.

Me by the cake. The windows kept falling off- I think the wafers didn't like being in the fridge. This picture is before we fixed them. We didn't get an after one. Silly us.

We're so glad we have our girls:) Now we just have to finish cleaning up the mess!

ps look what came in the mail:
Israel modeling his Halloween costume- Thanks Aunt Sue! He LOVES it:)

1st day of 1st grade

2010-08-23T16:14:00.000-07:00

1st grade

1st day Kg so you can see how much he has grown.

Israel had a great first day in school. The only complaints were that he didn't get enough turns at hot potato and a run in at recess with The Giant. Seriously he looks like he should be in 4th grade. He made Israel give him the basketball at recess without even saying please. I asked Israel why he gave The Giant the ball and he said he didn't want to get punched. Smart kid.

He talked all about his 3 recesses and Mrs. C reading Amelia Bedelia's 1st Day of School and all the new classroom rules. It's looking like it will be a great school year.

Let's just hope that Israel can keep clear of The Giant. At least they're not in the same class

Dr. Stanley Hall Ph.D.

2010-08-19T15:59:00.000-07:00

We did our 2nd road trip to Utah last weekend to celebrate Stan's graduation. We're all so thrilled to be done with school. His parents came out to celebrate with us and we all stayed at Dana and Jason's house. Just after he was officially hooded. Did you even know Stan's smile could get so big? That is one happy guy right there.

Everyone at the convocation- Amanda, Dad, Mom, Me, Stan, Mom Hall, Dad Hall, Dana in the back.

showing his hood

Israel, the future graduate:)

My good friend Liz graduated with Stan. She earned her master's degree and just moved this weekend to Claremont for her PhD- we're practically neighbors:) only 2 hours apart!

Dana was so sweet. While watching the kids for the general commencement she not only took care of 5 children, she also made these cute posters, decorated the room with balloons and streamers, and made Cafe Rio Chicken- yummo!
Eliza modeling her and Julia's new pop guns and awesome hiking boots. Don't you love the wool socks Stan got them?

Israel hanging out with Grandpa

Look at these kids sleeping. This is how we found them one morning. Julia's legs inbetween Israe's and Eliza's legs around Julia's neck.

July Utah Trip

2010-08-19T15:29:00.001-07:00

I discovered most all of my pictures are of the kids with their cousins, but then that's what we went to Utah for in the first place. It had absolutely nothing to do with escaping the heat of 29 Palms in the summer. Well almost nothing to do with that, or that fact that Stan was gone to Boy Scout Camp:)

Visiting with Dana and her twins Arlo & Josiah (13 mo. in July)

Julia holding our newest member of the family. Jane's son Logan Cash (2 mo. in July)

Israel with Hannah and Hailey. They have such a good time together (esp. playing Wii)

Playing at Bear Lake with the Robbin's cousins (Kienan is getting buried)

Julia again holding a baby- this is Mariam, one of Michele's twins. Julia is such a little Mama:)

This is Elizabeth and Mariam on the quilt I made for their nursery. Mom did a great job on the machine quilting for me.

With the Robbin's cousins again. Israel and Sarah were good buddies.

Eliza riding in the back of the Dad's truck next to Bryce. I just love this picture, I'm not quite sure why.

Julia at Laketown's park.

Mom and Dad modeling the bocce ball game I brought up and we all had a blast playing.

Israel with good buddy Aidan who now lives in Florida. We were so happy to be visiting so we could hang out together. Aidan's mom Katie is one of my super good friends and we're writing pals as well. I sure miss being in the same building with the Purdies. Who'd have thought we'd end up on opposite sides of the US?

Mom and Dad with my kiddos on their front steps

See the arch above them? they had just finished rocking it that morning. The house is coming together really well. I only did a tiny bit of grouting, but I'm glad to have been able to help out a bit.

Visiting Coles Knob Part 2

2010-07-11T19:33:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more pictures of our trip. Thanks Grandma and Granddaddy for such a wonderful trip. We relaxed, we played, and we ate good food:)

Shooting Granddaddy's SKS. I actually learned how to disassemble and put it together all by myself. It was fun to work with-even if the gun is too heavy for me to hold steady:)

Picking blueberries is always a highlight. We love the picking/eating off the bush time and all the future food- the pies, cakes, breakfast food, and fruit salads we make with it. Yeah for blueberries!

Stan's good friend and best man at our wedding John Curle came down to Cole's Knob and the boys did an 8 mile hike on the Appalachian Trail. John has a 10 year goal of hiking the entire thing.

The kiddos on the trampoline. The kids got on so well with Addie this time. It was fun to watch them together. Israel especially appreciated that she'd play the car arcade game in the basement with him. We're looking forward to Travis's family's visit to CA sometime in the near future.

Visiting Aunt Jean's house. She gave us the banjo she'd found at a yard sale a few weeks before. We had a nice visit and Israel was mesmerized by all the collections (thankfully the girls were asleep in the car or we might have had a few disasters)

Sunday afternoon we played a lot of music. Travis taught Stan and I to play on our new banjo- We can play Cripple Creek, Foggy Mountain Breakdown, and Boil Them Cabbage Down. And this is a big one for me- Travis's teaching method totally works for me. I have all 3 songs memorized and memorization has always been a bear to me. Thanks Travis!

Stan getting Corban Stanley to sleep. We both enjoyed all the baby time we were able to take. Corban is 7 months old and really a good little guy.

Highlights not pictured:

-Going to the Floyd County Branch for church. It was so good to see the branch we've heard so much about and bonus- we even got to hear Grandma give a talk.

-Watching Toy Story 3 in 3D. The adults liked it at least as much as the kids. We recommend it.

-Spending the night at Travis and Renee's playing games and the girls having a big slumber party.

-Travis setting off an impressive SC style firework display on July 3rd. We watched the show laying down on the trampoline. It was perfect.

Going to Cole's Knob (Part 1)

2010-07-08T20:52:00.000-07:00

We went to see Grandma and Grandaddy Hall over the 4th of July. On a wagon ride at the Wickam Reunion at Alta Mons.
Looking for craw dads at Alta Mons

A beautiful dead butterfly Eliza found

At the Double Springs School in Check, VA

A picture of what it looked like before they painted and renovated the school

Israel and the Outhouse. Israel noticed right off it looked just like Shrek's outhouse moon and all. See his Shrek face and hands?

Julia on her slate

Working math on his slate
Eliza discovering the microscope. She enjoyed being the teacher and telling us all what to do.

Me by the door. I even rang the school bell.

ABC123

2010-07-08T20:19:00.000-07:00

Israel passed Kg with flying colors and is looking forward to 1st grade. We are all going to miss Mrs. T. his amazing and loving teacher when she moves to Kentucky. Israel won the Kg writing contest, this is what he wrote on the prompt "I Wish"

I wish I had a baby brother! I like babys. I want one so bad. I am fine with my baby being a twin or a normel baby brother. I do not wont a baby sister. Becaus I have a lot of sisters.

(spelling and grammer are all his)

I'm right with Israel- I wish he had a baby brother too.

Here's pictures from the last day of School Luau

Finishing his last worksheet in kindergarten

Israel and his best friend Jimmy (who won 1st place for Kg art) with Mrs. T

I'm sneaking in Eliza and Julia's last day of storytime at the library with Mrs. Kasey. She moved to Idaho last week and we're sure going to miss her-especially Julia

The Newest Member of Our Family

2010-07-08T20:12:00.000-07:00

Zeke the nocturnal Austrailian Tree Frog is our family's first pet. He's rather quiet and spends most of the day hidden in his moss. Stan is grossed out by him and as of yet hasn't touched him. Israel and Eliza hold him. Julia wants to but I won't let her. Mainly we leave him be, but today we took him out and he climbed our smooth broom handle.

I'm a Trekkie

2010-06-24T14:03:00.000-07:00

A Pioneer Trekkie that is!

We trekked from Riley's Ranch to Mile High (7 miles) and then back a different way (2.5 miles) the next day. We slept in tents (some boys under the stars) without any padding. We could only bring what would fit in a pillow case and it had to weight under 15 pounds.

It was a definate challenge and we were sore and tired for a day (okay 3) after we got home, but we'd happily do it again. I just hope we have some bigger boys next time:)

Our Family

Stan on the lead rope

THe boys lifting the cart over and up the gorge. We had to unload our entire cart, fireman carry the stuff across, carry the cart over and then reload the cart. Whew!

Working hard during the Girl Pull. We sure missed our men gone with the Mormon Battalion

Me at Mile High Ranch. See all those carts lined up in the background?

San Diego Zoo

2010-06-09T11:03:00.000-07:00

Look at that love

Stan had another conference in San Diego so we went down Monday after school and stayed until Wednesday at 5 am to get Israel back to school on time.
We played on the beach the first day, it was too cold for swimming, but we enjoyed the shells, building sandcastles, and attempting to fly our dollor store kites.

Day 2 we went to the Zoo and then the kiddos enjoyed the pool while I read a book (it was too windy for swimming if you ask me)
acting like orangutans
real orangutan
Julia loved seeing the hippo above and below the water
She wanted a picture by all statues in the zoo.
Israel with a bird trainer and a Eurasian Owl- the biggest owl in the world!

Israel with a seal at the polar bear place (our 3rd time going and to our dissapointment those polar bears still aren't swimming

On the gondola ride. Eliza was most excited about this high flying ride over the zoo.

Julia with elephants

What a good trip. Next time we want to go to the Wild Animal Park

Bishop, CA Memorial Weekend

2010-06-09T09:58:00.000-07:00

What we didn't know when we planned out trip to the quiet town of Bishop was that every Memorial Weekend they celebrate MULE DAYS. There were people and animals and carnivals, and busyness everywhere. We were really surprised until we started seeing the huge banners- AND all the RV's and mules everywhere. It looked a lot like a Fiddler's Convention in Virginia. We avoided all the Mule Celebrators and experienced the rocks. Bishop, home of bouldering, was our playground. We camped at Owen's River Gorge and climbed Sat. and Monday in the Happy Boulders. We walked around the Buttermilks on Sunday, but we were good and didn't do any climbing. Our bodies and especially our hands needed that day of rest to recover from the volcanic rock. We were pretty beat up, and sweaty. Next time we're going when it's not so hot.

Eliza did her best climbing yet. She was such a trooper.
Eliza wearing Stan's climbing shoes- she's ready to get on the rock.
On own back on the last day. Tired but happy.
I avoid highballs as a rule. But this one had 4 stars and I wanted to conquer it. It's tried it Sat. but lost my footing and almost fell at the crux. It scared me so much that I down climbed. I tried it a little bit later but I was still too nervous to complete the climb. I thought about it Sat. night and Sunday. Can I do it? I can do it! What if I fall? . . . First thing Monday we went back to the Heavenly Boulders and I conquered the Heavenly Path. It felt so dang good that even though I was worn out I didn't care how else I climbed, I was happy!
Israel and Julia by one of the many ant houses they built. They even built them a playground- if only the ants had appreciated all that work!

This is one of Stan's last climbs. This is an overhanging one (I couldn't top out)

Front Sight

2010-05-16T14:38:00.000-07:00

(I got a certificate too, I just didn't think to bring it up for our photo op.)

Short Version: Stan tricked me into going to Front Sight for their 2 Day Defensive Handgun Course. I was scared and didn't have any experience with handguns (and really none with any gun). The school is very safety conscious and taught Stan and me a lot of techniques and gave us a lot of knowledge on the ethical and moral issues of carrying or using a handgun for protection. The scenerio that we ran through at the end was the scariest. I'm really glad that I did it and that I succeeded to taking out the advesary and protecting my family. I would recommend Front Sight. (If you're interested in more detail about my Front Sight experience see the long version after the pictures.)

Doing a final check on the 75' that we're unloaded. I'm the 3rd one on the left.
Stan by our targets on the 5'. I was bad and never got a picture of him in action
On the 75' practicing tactical reloads and malfunctions.

Long Version:

You know how sometimes your husband (or wife) will ask you if you want to do something and you say, "um, sure, sometime" so they'll stop talking about it? Well Stan and I had one of those conversations back in February. It was about going to Front Sight for their 2 day handgun training course which he could get for 70% off. (He'd sent me some emails previously with links, but I'd only looked at one briefly.)
The next night he came home and said he'd signed us up for a course for the weekend of May 7th and 8th. I was a bit in shock.
"But you didn't even ask me"
"You said you'd do it sometime"

Still, I felt I'd been tricked into it, but decided it would be a nice weekend getaway for the two of us so long as I could convince him not to camp in the "no facilities and no water access area." I could just see us dripping sweat, tired, dirty, dusty and not able to shower- yuck.

Anyhow, here is my previous gun experience- Growing up I went shooting skeet 1 time with my cousins (I don't think I hit anything the 2 times I pulled the trigger. I do remember I thought it was fun to use the hand launcher though). Stan thinks I shot a rifle with my dad one time after we were married- I can't say either way on that one.
Handguns were always off limits in my home growing up. I had definitely never shot one.

So, I was about to go to this class surrounded by sharp shooters and rednecks. I was scared. I was certain I would look like a complete fool. AND I couldn't get out of my mind that I would probably accidentally kill someone or at the very least shoot my foot.
I kept looking at the website (www.frontsight.com)and watching the videos. Stan convinced me that most of the class wouldn't be experienced and that red necks already think they know everything about guns- and they certainly wouldn't pay someone $1000 to train them.

Now for the gun situation. As most of you know I'm left handed, we went to a store so I could hold some hand guns and try to make them work- the safety, cocking, racking etc. It was really awkward and I got even more worried. The man behind the counter encouraged us to look at the revolvers- those I could handle. Put bullets in, pull trigger. If I have a malfunction, pull trigger again. This stuff my nervous mind can do.

I ended up using a Smith and Wesson model 60 .357 revolver. Stan used a Springfield XD- he really liked the safety and ease of use. I used Special 38 bullets and had 2 speed loaders and a 2 speed loader holster. I had to find a belt that fit me since I'm really not a belt person.

Once we got to the school (after going to the bathroom since it was a long drive to Pahrump, NV) we got suited up. The people at Front Sight are very professional and competent. I always felt safe and was happy with the pacing of the course. I also liked the very specific rules. Our hand guns could only be in 3 positions- our holsters, pointed down range at the ready, or pointed down range to fire. The rules for safety on the firing line were very specific. No bending over, gun of course always downrange, no muzzling anyone or anything we didn't intend to shoot, gun in the holster and hands by our side before turning around. Unless on the line for shooting drills our guns remained unloaded. And that was something checked and double checked. We worked in teams. One person on the line, the coach by their shooting shoulder, guiding, reminding, helping, and so forth and then we would switch.

Stan and I only worked with each other at the very end of the last day. We spent most of the time learning from others. C.J. a First Family Member and returning student worked with me all the first day. He was very encouraging and helped to build my confidence.

The hardest things for me- I'm cross dominant, so I kept using my right eye instead of my left. I had to close my right eye before I drew my gun. I tended to lean back, instead of forward in the aggressive weaver stance. My right elbow didn't like to be bent and pointing down.

We did a lot of dry practice. The entire first morning was only dry practice. How to present the gun to the ready (5 steps from holster to target) and present the gun for a firing. How to hold the gun properly to load and unload. We went through the malfunctions of semi-autos (1-3) but obviously for me I was always pull the trigger so I spent that time working on mastering the speed loader. I only have 5 bullets vs. 8 (in the 1911's) or up to 20 in the really cool semi-auto that shot body suit piercing rifle bullets. I tried to pay a lot of attention so I could use a semi-auto as well, but I was glad I'd chosen to learn first on a revolver.

We had 2 very funny and amazing instructors Malone and Eric. Eric was a great demonstrator. These guys put in a lot of practice and I felt safe learning from them. Our class had 28 students.

During lunch we ate in the air conditioned classroom and watched front sight videos followed by in door classes on ethics and morals from 1 to 3:30pm during the hottest part of the Nevada heat. These classes taught me so much. I think they were the most valuable part of the entire two day experience. When and if to shoot and the ramifications of our actions etc.. If it wasn't something worth dying for, don't pull your gun. Also, learning the 2 controlled shots to the thoracic cavity to STOP (no kill) the attacker. then if they're still coming one controlled and careful shot to the head. I don't know that I could pull a trigger to kill someone, but I definitely don't have a problem with stopping someone who was going to kill and harm me or my loved ones.

The highlight of the course was the most mind rattling. The "live scenario" when we went into a "house" and would have to shoot at the targets. I was really nervous (like that feeling during testimony meeting when you know you should get up and you're going to burst- that's how I felt waiting). Finally when it was my turn they took me to the room. For the 2 day course we don't move through the house, but stay in one location and only have a 180 degree shooting area. We have a coach attached to us via a large carabiner. He let me load and get ready and then told me I could not move my feet. I was surprised, but somewhat relieved. The more basic the better for me. The coach acted as the bad guy voice for the targets, kicking behind me on a wall to make it sound like banging on the door and demanding entrance. Then the door fell in and I encountered bad guy #1- I delivered 2 shoots to the thoracic cavity and was surprised that I'd actually done it. The targets we'd been using on our range only had a generic outline, so I was still nervous if I could shoot the picture of the real guy). 2nd target- good guy holding a power drill (no shot). #3- another bad guy through a different window (2 more shots to the thoracic). #4- another window, another bad guy. This guy got my last bullet, then I had to do a tactical reload. I was so nervous I fumbled it and I'm sure if that first shot hadn't done a good enough job taking him down I would have been dead. 2nd shot- more to his weapon than the center of the thoracic cavity (my front sight had been on the weapon not where it belonged). #5- and this one really threw me. I bad guy with a knife holding a blonde boy about 5 years old. We had not been trained at all what to do in a hostage situation, but I wasn't going to let him have my child. I tried to shoot the head but was too far to the left (the side away from the child- I hit in the white outside the target). I said "I don't know if I can do this" and the coach actually told me that I could (instead of still talking for the bad guy) I was able to shoot him just above the lips. A little low, but still a really good shot for me and very empowering. I now know that if I had to, I could do it. Then the exercise was over. Stan went after me so I got to watch him go through the same scenario. I'll let him share his experience if he wants to. One thing I will say, the coach talked a whole lot more trash and used a bunch of cuss words when it was Stan and not me.

For me the entire course turned out to be very empowering. I was no longer afraid of hand guns but recognized them as a tool. The danger is of course the person using the tool, not the tool itself. I don't feel competent to carry a concealed weapon or anything, but I am dry practicing at home and I am grateful that Stan signed us up without asking because otherwise I don't think I ever would have gone. I'd encourage everyone to take this course. They offer a huge range of courses and opportunities. Check out their website for sure. It's a bit of a strange site to navigate, but worth your time.

Israel's First T-ball Season

2010-05-13T10:37:00.000-07:00

Israel is on the Express Little League Team with his best friend Jimmy. They play at Luckie Park (swings, slides, etc) so the girls are happy to go to games and practices as long as I bring food and promise park time. (Underdogs on the swing anyone?)
Israel with some teammates before Opening Ceremonies.

Playing first base just like his mom. He even caught a fly ball one day. Not that anybody gets out in t-ball, but it was still pretty exciting!

One game he played catcher. Doesn't he look so cute all suited up?

He's become quite the hitter- solid grounders that get past the outfield fielders. His throwing and catching are steadily improving as well.

We're proud of our T-baller.

Playing Ketchup

2010-05-10T10:12:00.000-07:00

I've been a posting slacker. Stan's birthday was on April 24th.

My Stan turned 32 years-old. He's really getting up there:) We had to be in Palm Springs for Youth Conference Training (we're going to be Ma and Pa's for the Trek) so we decided to make a day of it.
After training all morning we went to a nice park and played soccer, enjoyed the playground, had a fun picnic, and then Stan opened his presents with a lot of help from the kiddos.
Afterwards we went to How to Train Your Dragon in IMAX 3-D. Very cool experience, but in the future I won't take the girls-they wouldn't keep their glasses on.
Next a quick trip to the Mall to get Stan's watch fixed.
Then to a Brazillian Resturant (like Tucanos in Orem). We were very happy, well fed campers.
What a fun day to spend with my family!

Recent Funny Kid Statements:

Julia asking me to get her a specific food. Me- "That's not possible"
Julia- "I'm impossible!"

On Mother's Day Stan gave me lots of chocolate and caramel. I shared one with the kids and they wanted more.
Me- "You can only eat more if your name is Mommy"
Julia, after a little pause of thought, "My name's Mommy."

Israel loudly at church on Sunday after the Primary President told the Jr. Primary that she wasn't perferct, "You're not?"

Soon to come post: My Front Sight Experience and Israel's T-ball career. Can you believe he caught a fly ball on 1st base?

My Climber

2010-05-01T07:50:00.000-07:00

"Funniest Laugh Ever"

2010-04-28T22:56:00.000-07:00

If you're having a tough day this will brighten it up!
http://www.break.com/index/funniest_laugh_ever.html

Our Past Week

2010-04-14T09:55:00.001-07:00

Julia, Eliza, Jimmy, and Israel excited for the small circus to start.

Israel trying to be like the circus. I still don't know how he got Julia up there.

Having our neighbor Jennifer and her friend Barbara over for a Birthday Dinner Celebration. Jennifer turned the big 4-0.

Israel picking up trash with the Boy Scouts for our town's BUCK A BAG contest

unloading the Doria's trailer

Our van with trailer attached. As you can see we still need to build up the sides:)

Happy Easter!

2010-04-14T09:19:00.001-07:00

Our Easter Creations

2010-04-10T11:23:00.000-07:00

I got it in my head to make something for all the kids for Easter this year.

For the house:

Peeps using Dana's tutorial over at Made

For Julia:
a reversable knitted toy- bunny or duck from Spud & Chloe

For Eliza:

a PINK apron with ruffles from I Have to Say I changed this pattern slightly- instead of the flapping bib I made 2 pockets for putting utensils in and for the ties I angled the ends because I think that makes for prettier bows

For Israel:

I couldn't think of anything he'd really be excited about that I could make, so instead I bought him Connect 4 for only 1 dollar with those awesome Hasboro coupons that came in the Sunday paper and the super sale at ToysRUs.

For Mrs. T:

a zippy wallet from Noodlehead
one of our peeps bunnies decorated by Israel, and a spring colored dish cloth using my grandfather's pattern (sorry no picture)

We found the basket at a thrift store for 50 cents!

The Marshmellow Test

2010-04-04T16:38:00.000-07:00

Stan came home last night talking about how incredible the priesthood session was. He told me a lot of little details, the first one being THE MARSHMELLOW TEST. When my little bro called today and asked if we'd tried it yet (and that little Lauren who is barely 3 ate it pretty immediately) I was really curious. Here's the deal

A scientific study was done in the 60's and 70's on self control in children. They were placed in a room with a marshmellow. The proctor told them if when he came back the marshmellow hadn't been eaten then they would get 2 more. They were left for 15 minutes.

Of this study 3 different groups came out:
1. those who held out for the extra marshmellows
2. those who held out for a while be eventually caved
3. those who immediately gobbled their marshmellow

The study followed these kids over the next 20 years I think (I really should check the conference talk) the most successful ones being those in the 1st catagory.

Here's how it went at my house-
Julia age 2- she waited for maybe 1 minute and then began slowly eating the marshmellow (we used the big ones) group #3
Eliza, age 4- held out for a whole 10 minutes before she caved group #2
Israel, age 6- added on to the test. His response to the explanation, "and then if we don't eat those we get 3 more." Okay, I agreed. Right now he's waiting for his 3 more because he made it easily to 15 minutes. I told him he had to wait 20 minutes- no problem by the look of things:) group #1

Try it out at your house and let me know how it goes.

Me, Liz, downtown LA, and Claremont, CA

2010-04-03T18:58:00.001-07:00

Last weekend my good friend Liz was in Claremont checking out a PhD program she was accepted to (making that big should I move and do this program decision). Claremont is 2 hours from me and about 30 miles outside of LA. The second I took the Claremont exit I was surrounded by the most pleasant, appealing, and safe feeling community. I really hope Liz moves there so we can get together more often.

Stan kept the kids for me so we could spent the day together. We decided to be adventurous so we headed for LA's fabric district. I was armed with a GPS, printed directions, and an incredible guide from Dana at Made one of my all time favorite blogs. We had a super fun, tiring time. We did get lost, but only 1 time, all the stores were so fun and I was able to get some serious steals on fabric. It was quite the experience. We even saw a protest rally. When we got back to the car and realized we hadn't taken a single picture Liz took one of me by the car. I know, goofy, but what can I say.

Next we went back to Claremont and enjoyed the gorgeous botanical gardens and all the unique signs inside of it. I couldn't resist taking a picture of each of them. I hope you think they're as funny as we did.

More Cousin Fun- Joshua Tree Style

2010-04-03T18:42:00.001-07:00

Keys View- you can see all the way to Mexico- the fault line, Palm Springs etc. An incredible view, but boy is it windy!

Julia and I exploring at Cap Rock
Matt, Israel, and Cline. They loved scrambling over all those boulders and getting lost up inside Cap Rock (Grandma didn't love watching it:)
Stan and Susan together.
I'm sneaking this photo in- technically this is still a cousin picture because this is the St. Patrick's Day dress Susan bought for the girls. Doesn't Julia look so cute surrounded by all those flowers.

Legoland

2010-03-26T08:29:00.001-07:00

Stan's Mom, Dad, and sister Susan with her kids came out to see us and go to Legoland. We had such a wonderful time together and we all enjoyed Legoland. Here we are in our St. Patrick's Day Greens.

Stan beside this Lego Dragon.
Julia's favorite ride. She did this slide over and over again. See the "bag" her feet are in? She carried it all by herself all the way up the stairs and did the "Dune Raider"
Stan by King Tut. We rode the fun Lost Kingdom Adventure inside of it. During the ride you have guns to shoot targets- I beat Stan!

Watching the Funtown Fire Station Show. The kids just loved it- and the boys got wet!
Susan, Eliza, Audrey, Grandma with sleeping Julia, and Granddaddy in the dry section.
With the Funtown Firefighters- a dream come true for our Eliza (future firefighter)
Israel flying a plane- check out that happy face.
Eliza and I flying. Eliza's loved the roller coasters- especially the Dragon (which was my favorite as well) She also got did the Jousting Ride (she named her horse Squirt. Sadly Stan and the camera were elsewhere, so I couldn't get her picture, but she was loving every second.
Julia in her helicopter.

We just loved our Legoland time. We could have spent days here. So much to do.

Somehow we didn't get a picture of our favorite "ride" doing the Fun Town Fire Acadamy. We had to propel the firetruck down the track by pumping a level and steering, then aim the hoses as your teammates pumped the fire hydrant. It was seriously hard work. My arms were tired from all the pumping- especially since Stan and I did it 3 times (and finally won)

If you ever come to S. CA and have young kids- this is definately the place to go. Tons of fun activity centers (lots of water play). Once kids are 11 it is probably not as cool, but for the group we had, it was perfect:) A big selling point for me was that all the people we saw were families, no teenagers just haning out and cutting lines. It was really nice and safe feeling.

Legoland gets and A+.

What is Robin Wearing?

2010-03-23T13:49:00.001-07:00

Here's a hint:

If you guessed Crack Climbing Gloves- good job!

Stan made these from a used bike tire inner tube. One thing we discovered pretty quickly moving to 29 P is that crack climbing is very painful- we cut our hands (and sometimes ankles) pretty often. Taping works, but it takes a lot of time and tape, so Stan determined that crack climbing gloves have to exist. He was right- but we didn't want to pay $40 for them, so he found this tutorial click here

They work great, the only thing we're trying to figure out is a better way of attaching. Taking off the tape is pretty painful- especially if you're as hairy as Stan.

Last Night I Won This

2010-03-20T14:44:00.000-07:00

Grand Prize at The O- Club's Bingo Night

MADISON BOXED OP ART CARRYALL
$358.00
style:14587
Fashion-forward yet confidently classic, enduring functionality in our new signature Op Art fabric.
Op Art sateen patchwork fabric with crinkle patent leather trim
Inside zip, cellphone, multifunction pockets
Fabric lining, zip-top closure
33” detachable strap with 14” drop
Double handles with handles with 5 1/2” drop
12 (L) x 12 (H) x 5 1/2 (W)

And I won this prize earlier in the evening-

I'll let you guess which one I am more excited about.

Two bingos in one night- I've been doing a lot of celebration dances:)

Elizabeth and Mariam

2010-03-18T11:54:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited for my sister Michele's twin names. They had Elizabeth and Mariam picked out but then had changed their minds because of the meaning behind Mariam (a wonderful family name if I do so say myself). Is means bitter or sorrow etc.

Anyhow, I just checked facebook and it's finally official- Elizabeth Gabrielle and Maraim Abigail.

Now I can always say they were named after my Eliza Mariam!

ps- they're doing super good and in the step down nicu- off all machines and working on eating well. They're back up to birth weight and gaining-yeah.

Anybody out there a knitter? I need your advise.

2010-03-09T09:28:00.000-08:00

I've looking into buying dpns (double pointed needles) for knitting socks and toys. I use the Denise interchangeable system for my regular knitting and circular needs, but they aren't designed to work for socks (or go smaller than size 5).

I've been looking around online for tips on the best length to buy. DPN's range from 3.5 in. long to 10 in. long. I don't know if I should get something in the middle like a 7 in. or what is the best option. Also- they come in so many varieties. I'm leaning toward bamboo. What do you think?

For the baby socks that I just knit I used my Denise interchangeable without the cords (I used size 6 and 7 so I'd have 4). Notice how short the needles are and how one size doesn't have a point? I think they turned out okay except that I is a whole inch shorter than the other. I haven't had the courage to unpick and fix it yet. Can I undo the Kitchner stitch? I'm not sure.
the pattern came for the Spud and Chloe blog I just found (and really enjoy). It's a free clearly written pattern, my first sock in the round and totally doable-- I just measured wrong on the 1st sock. Here's a link to the pattern.

So, any advise you have I'd welcome. ps- I'm thinking about trying spinning. Anybody know anything about that?
Thanks!

I have 2 new nieces

2010-03-05T08:09:00.000-08:00

My oldest sister Michele had her twins yesterday at 34 weeks. Baby B's water broke at 31 weeks, so the fact that they made it so long is wonderful. They've already graduated to NICU 1. We hope they can stay there for the next few weeks.
They both look so much healthier than I was expecting and have hair- Elizabeth has lots of it-dark and curly too.
Michele with Baby B (they haven't agreed on a name yet) 4.6 lbs

Elizabeth 4.4. lbs

I'll add better pictures soon. These are the only ones we have- uploaded for my bro-in-law Christopher's cell phone. These girls are the recipients of that elephant quilt I've been working on and love.

The Ross Sisters: Solid Potato Salad

2010-03-04T08:26:00.000-08:00

I just watched this video and don't know what to think- I amazed and slightly horrified at the same time- and I'm a yoga instructor!

Solid Potato Salad

What do you think?

Wow

2010-02-28T18:21:00.001-08:00

We found this totally awesome carved tree on our last rock climbing adventure. Seriously impressed. I bet you are too.

Cute kids and Israel's Art

2010-02-28T18:19:00.000-08:00

My Sunday kids- somehow (even though we stayed up until 12:30 am watching A lot like Love) we were actually ready for church early this morning and the kids were matching and cute (thanks to Jane), so we took some pictures of the fam. in our front yard.

Here's some of Israel's book he made for his teacher for her birthday. She always tells me it's difficult to send his work home and I discovered that it was difficult to let his book go. I actually cried a little bit reading it one last time with Stan. He laughed and said, "lets take pictures." What a brilliant man I married:)

2010-02-26T14:33:00.000-08:00

A friend sent me this poem. I am amazed at how its writer captured so well all the things I have been feeling and the questions I've been asking with my miscarriage.

To My Little One

I never felt you move, My Child,
So small while you were here,

Never saw your tiny fingers,
Never kissed your head, so dear.

But I felt your little spirit,
As it glowed inside of mine

The light and hope of your new life,
A gift from Father, divine.

And I wonder . . .

Will you yet come to us?
Return at a later date?

Or is your mortal visit done?
And do we have to wait?

To see you and to raise you,
To watch you laugh and grow.

I have faith that I’ll yet know you.
And I want you to know,

That I hug your siblings more tightly,
I kiss their little cheeks,

So happy that I have them,
Oh, the joy they bring to me.

And I will always be grateful,
That short as it seemed to be,

For a little while,
I held you inside me.

-Alisa Evans

A few things that make me smile

2010-02-21T18:49:00.000-08:00

As you know I've been having a little bit of a hard time recently. One of the ways I've been staying positive is to find lots of reasons to smile each day.
in no particular order:
1. all the comment love I've recieved. I didn't even know that many people looked at the blog:)
2. My little Julia, she talks up a storm all about everything. Today she told me they learned about turtles in nursery. What do turtles do I asked? "Ribbit"
Here she is being a pirate. I couldn't resist taking the picture, but then I had to get her a different hat:)
3. being with my Stan

4. reading a good book. Right now I'm reading Inkheart. I'm going to read this aloud to Israel after I finish it. I can't believe it took me so long to crack this one open. If you haven't read it yet- I hope you do.

5. Israel being so excited about learning- he's learning to read, to ride his bike, do soduko puzzles, play the piano, AND asking lots of questions- especially about the gospel.
6. My new Bosch mixer I brought home from Utah. I've been saving up and am excited to use it tomorrow to make my bread.

7. Being with my family in Utah. The day before we came back home I read the picture book "The Relatives Came" to Eliza. It's one of my all time favorites. This time I told her we were the relatives visiting and I surprised myself with my tears as we read and laughed together.

8. Getting to climb in the Quarry again and working a fun, challenging stemming problem. I'm still thinking about that one.

9. Finishing the quilt top for my sister Michele's soon to come twins

10. Sleeping in my own bed again (after 8 days on the road)
On our trip this is the kids at Aunt Dana's house- see how Eliza and Julia are holding hands in their sleep? They're happy to be back in their own beds too.

Doctor Hall PhD

2010-02-18T15:42:00.000-08:00

Stan defended his dissertation today. I went to it and I have to say it was stressful for me and I didn't even have to do anything! Stan did a great job and his committee unanimously voted for him to pass his defense. He does have to make revisions, but that is really typical and was expected.

This is Personal

2010-02-10T14:24:00.000-08:00

If you don't do personal- I wouldn't keep reading.
I am writing every day, if fact, I am trying to write a book. Today I took a brief hiatus from Mara, my book character, and wrote about something personal and weighing on my heart. I don't quite know why I feel compelled to write it here, but I am.

Free Write 2-10-10
I am the mother of 3 children with birthdays all within a week of each other. Since we’ve been having children Stan and I have fielded poorly made jokes about our sex life, but once we were expecting our second the jokes got even worse: “Oh, you must do it only once a year.” “You must only be fertile in January” “It must be a time when you can really relax because of the holidays” etc. Even the not so rude ones such as “What perfect timing you have” have not been easy to hear. It is true that we have 3 children- all of whom have birthdays within a week of each other, but the truth of the matter is that is just how it worked. We’d been trying to conceive for 6 months before we succeeded with our first child. Our second took 7 months, and our 3rd one was an accident. That old saying “Abstinence is the only birth control with 100% success rate” was, we found out quite true. After being mortified to discover we were expecting- and on top of that in the beginning of October AGAIN, I was not happy. I knew the comments would fly again and again. People just can’t seem to help themselves around a pregnant lady. It’s like there is a license to say anything at all “You just couldn’t get any bigger” is one that comes readily to mind.
The comments did come and I again fielded them with smiles and laughs as usual. We had our 3 beautiful children and I was happy. But, I had also developed a fear of January. In fact I told my husband either was can’t have sex in January or I’m getting an IUD. We got an IUD and I loved that thing. But that’s really not on subject. About 10 months ago I had this vivid dream that God wanted me to have a child, but I couldn’t even accidentally get pregnant because of the IUD. I pulled it out myself that very day. (We’ll not go into how IUD’s are supposed to be removed by your doctor). This act was a huge leap of faith. We were graduating from my husband’s PhD program and didn’t have a job yet, we didn’t know how insurance would work and so forth. I was determined to get pregnant and my husband, not surprisingly, was happy to comply.
A job, a move, and 8 months of trying did not produce a baby. Finally it was January, my “fertile” time. By now I wanted to be pregnant so bad, I wanted to keep trying this month anyhow. Let the inappropriate remarks come (but I didn’t want to have to tell anybody until it was really obvious we were PG).
As you may have guessed, that 9th month, January, we finally conceived a child. I was so happy- I seriously was glowing for a full week and a half. And then I started spotting-something that hadn’t ever happened in any of my pregnancies. I was worried; my husband was relaxed and confident that I would carry the child to full-term. I called my sister who has miscarried 5 or 6 times. She confirmed what I’d looked up online. Calling my doctor’s office-- at 6 weeks they wouldn’t see me. Wait and see I was told. We set up an appointment for 3 weeks out. I did a lot of crying, and then one morning I had heavy bleeding and passed a blood clot. I examined it, worried it might be my child, even setting it aside for a day before finally flushing it away. I still held onto hope- praying often that I might be pregnant still. I kept thinking if I’d really lost it and I would experience period like bleeding. I did not. But I also didn’t feel my typical early pregnancy feelings. I don’t often throw up, but usually feel nauseous and have to eat constantly.
The doctor’s office had told me I could take a birth control test in 2 weeks and see if it was still positive. I took that test yesterday- one of those dollar store ones that you have to supply your own cup for. When I came back to check on it (I couldn’t sit there and watch) -- it was negative. With heavy heart I nodding, confirming what I already thought was probable and spent time grieving my loss.

Now here I am, felling sad and alone-- trying once more to conceive and praying that I won’t have to wait until next January rolls around.

Groundhog's Day Extravaganza

2010-02-05T08:36:00.001-08:00

For this year's party we invited 5 couples that we really thought (and hoped) would be able to be goofy with us. We were not disappointed.

Stan and I by the Groundhog's day banner Stan made- his artistry always amazes me.

We ate groundhog stew, yummy bread sticks, cheese and crackers, and 7 layer dip to start off our evening.

Israel's groundhog- his shadow is the grey one to the left (although I'm sure you all figured that out already)

Heather Ann won the guessing how many gummy groundhogs were in the jar-AND she generously shared with all of us:)
Sergio won the "throwing cards into a hat" game (5 out of 10) and had the honor of donning the hat to read Phil's Prognostication - more winter.
The start of our Groundhog Poo Pick-up game (a version of skittles if you've ever played that game- let me know if you want the details) Heather Ann also won this game- she was an amazing pooper scooper!

Matt won the funniest Groundhog's Day Memory (let just say we all had plenty of creative license)

Here's his story:

So there I was, knee deep in the swamps of Vietnam. Chesty on my right, Daly on my left. Today's mission, find that Groundhog . . . and destroy him. Then out of nowhere, Charlie the Groundhog charged. It was a nightmare. Carlie saw his shadow. Chesty got another Navy Cross, Daly his second Medal of Honor. Me? I got this scar, courtesy of Charlie the Groundhog

note: Matt is a Marine and Chesty and Daly are Hero Marines from the past.

We ended the evening with Phil's Favorite Treats (kettle corn) while watching the last 15 minutes of the movie.

Thanks for all the fun guys! We're already talking about next year.

Growing Up

2010-02-02T13:20:00.000-08:00

When we moved to CA our teaching Israel to bike took a serious pause. We're on a semi-busy 40 mph road with high burms on either side and no sidewalks anywhere. Stan started working with Israel again anyway and Israel can now ride ALL by himself.
Other firsts, he started his first fire (with minimal help from Dad) with flint and steel last night during Family Home Evening when we learned how to work Stan's Kelly Kettle.

ps Today is one of the favorite Hall family holidays- Groundhog's Day. We were awakened at 6am by Granddaddy Hall and tonight we're having a little celebration. Look back for pictures soon!

Israel, Where is your Jacket?

2010-01-27T08:31:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was having a horrible "I don't feel good and want to do nothing day." Luckily this day also corresponded with Stan's day off. So, he took Israel (and the girls) to the bus stop in the morning. (He also cleaned the house, folded laundry, and took the girls out for a while, but this post is really about the quest for the jacket.) Stan picked up Israel after school. When they walked in the door Israel was missing his nice winter coat. We need that coat I thought. "Where's your coat Israel?" I asked. Not surprisingly my 6-year-old couldn't tell me its location, if he'd worn it to lunch, to recess, or onto the bus for home.

I called the school, had his teacher check the classroom and the Kg playground (Nope), called the school again, found out how to track down the bus, drove to the HS where bus was (Nope), drove to the Elem. School, checked Cafateria (nope), playground (nope), classroom (nope) went back home all the while driving looking out at the road, maybe it fell out of the bus? maybe Israel dropped it coming home on his bike(nope)?

I pulled into the driveway feeling devastated- we're going to have to buy him a new coat for our trip to Utah next month. I don't want to buy him another, dang it I finally pulled myself out of the car and put my purse and jacket away.

And then I had this little hopeful thought in the back of my mind- what if Israel didn't put it on this morning? I opened the van door and there on the floor by his seat is his nice winter jacket.

"Just Like Me"

2010-01-22T14:06:00.000-08:00

One of this little cutie's favorite games is "Just Like Me"

"Mommy, you have 2 eyes, just like me" (finds my eyes, finds her eyes)
"Mommy, you have 2 ears just like me" (finds . . . you get the idea)

Well a few days ago we were again playing this innocent game when I realized I really need to give my eyebrows some more attention.

"Mommy," Julia said, "you have hair just like me!"
"You have a nose just like me"
"Mommy, you have 2 eyebrows . . ."
and instead of saying just like me,

she said "Just like Granddaddy"

Ouch- and thankfully a good long laugh to share with you:)

Eliza Surprises

2010-01-19T19:24:00.000-08:00

Usually Eliza doesn't want to be outside. Especially when it is cold or wet. The past 2 days she's been doing this:

After her bath this morning shockingly Eliza brought me 2 matching hairclips. Not only did she want then in her hair, but she also kept them in ALL day.

Israel's Photography, Happy Birthday to Me!, Fish Stix Puzzles, and It's Fall

2010-01-11T16:45:00.000-08:00

Israel is a true budding photographer. He really enjoys creative pictures and had fun at this climbing site on Old Woman Springs Road.

So, I forgot to blog my birthday. I turned 31 and had the super great present of my friend Liz coming over from AZ for New Years. We played Pandemic (one of my all time favorite games that Stan got me for my birthday-thanks love!) put together puzzles, and enjoyed Joshua Tree Nat'l Park. We pulled taffy for New Year's Eve before letting off little poppers in the back yard and running around our back yard (at 9am) shouting Happy New Year with the kids. Notice the red on my hands and the kids lack of shirts? red food coloring is not to be taken lightly:)

On the Hidden Ranch Hike. Liz and I climbed into this little archway- Israel was our photographer

cutie patuty Julia wearing Stan's hat My cake is a cranberry pudding recipe I got from by friend Betsy. It was a caramel sauce. Not much could be better than this! I posted the recipe here.
This 500 piece fish stix puzzle was given to Eliza. The giver (who will not be named) insisted that it looked hard, but was really easy because of the fish stix design. This puzzle took at least 10 combined hours to complete. Super fun, different, and so challenging. Eliza said we could have it and to give it back to her on her 17th birthday. If you're looking for a puzzle challenge-it would be a good one.Sorry the video is sideways. I rotated it, but it didn't stay rotated. You'll have to rotate your head instead:)
Happy 2010 and remember- it's only 21 Days until Groundhog's Day. Don't forget to have a big party, eat groundhog stew (we're hoping we can catch one in CA) and watch one of the best movies of all time.

"How did you know my dad stinks?" and Giant Challah Bread

2010-01-04T10:45:00.000-08:00

A neighbor surprised us the night before we left for Christmas in VA (and a huge blizzard- more on that here) by bringing us all lots of gifts. She used to be an Avon lady, and we were showered with lots of Avon goodies. For Stan she gave him cologne and 3 deoderants- to which Israel asked "How did you know my dad stinks?"

On another note I finally made Challah bread (I've fantazised about eating it since my study abroad in Jerusalem in '99.) I used a recipe from one of my Jewish professor's wives. It was 5 hours of rising time. Well in the directions it says 4 small round loaves or braid it. I wanted to braid it just like the kind we always bought early in the morning on Friday mornings in the Orthodox Jewish Quarter. Well, I foolishly made 1 loaf of challah bread instead of 2 or maybe 4 and not surpirsingly needed extra baking time.
It tasted just like I remembered and we devoured half of it last night. The trick was finding a container big enough for the rest of it:) I posted the recipe here Every Day Dinners.

Virginia for Christmas

2010-01-04T09:31:00.000-08:00

Stan's parents kindly flew us home for Christmas. What none of us realized was that we would be landing right in the middle of a snow storm in Greensboro and attempting to drive North into a storm some called the Monster Blizzard of the South. After 5 hours of terrifying driving on mainly 2 lane roads (nothing big goes from Greensboro to Check, VA) in a front wheel drive minivan whose windshield and wipers wouldn't stop freezing, we finally reached enough civilization in Roanoke and thankfully were able to find a hotel with a short drive way the we could manage we spent the night and left the next morning at 10 am. Thankfully the snow had stopped around 7am and we were okay to drive into the mountains or wonderfully plowed roads. The trip from our house to grandma's took an impressive 30 hours. And the kids to better than was expected all things considered.

Our fun trip ended all too soon and we were headed back to the airport again. 17 hours to home.

ps-If anyone is around Greensboro we stopped at the most delcious eatery Elizabeth's Pizza Italian Resturant. It's worth your time- great service and even better authentic foods.

2009-12-25T13:41:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas! Love, the Halls

Hi Santa . . .

2009-12-11T07:13:00.000-08:00

And she did better than Julia who shouted "No, No, No" once it got to our turn:)

Anybody else have children terrified of Santa?

Israel's Primary Talk

2009-12-06T12:48:00.000-08:00

Israel did so good on his talk today. He wrote it from minimal help from me and did a great job. I pointed to each word as he read it all by himself. (We practiced saying Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego) We're so proud of his reading and his love of the scriptures and Jesus Christ.

Here's his talk

My family is blessed when we remember Jesus. One of my favorite stories is of Daniel's friends in the dungeon of fire. Shadrach, Meschack, and Abed-nego had bee nthrown into the fire because they would not worship idols. They prayed and Jesus was beside them and they did not burn. The bad guys were scared. Daniel's friends were blessed because they remembered Jesus. My family is blessed when we do good things like helping my mom and dad and my sisters. We are reverant and good when we remember Jesus. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

The Living Desert

2009-11-29T17:20:00.000-08:00

Stan and Israel both had Veteran's Day off, so we went to The Living Desert outside of Palm Springs. We all had a really good time, even if it our stroller got a flat:)

Thanksgiving 2009 Collage

2009-11-29T16:57:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-29T16:56:00.000-08:00

ps Thank you Pioneer Woman- we had your flat apple pie, fried chicken and mashed potatoes (with Cream Cheese)

Happy Storytime Surprise

2009-11-25T13:11:00.000-08:00

Our tiny library does a weekly storytime on Wednesdays. It's small (so much better than crowded Provo) and I usually take the girls, today Israel and his friend Layla (yes a girl) went with us. Guess what they sent us home with?

are you curious?

can you guess?

Shot 1 everybody happy

Shot 3- still trying to get Julia to smile- Eliza is done.

Shot 5- Julia giving her all, Eliza wishing she was anywhere else.

That's right, not only did we make these really cool turkey headbands, but each child got to pick their own new book to keep. We're now the proud owners of Chips and Salsa, Jimmy Sangwow's Out of the world Moon Pie Adventure, and Lil' Bill's Is it My Turn Now.

W. I. P.'s

2009-11-23T15:24:00.000-08:00

1 almost done, 2 to go on my Sewing Organizer from Flossie Bottoms. The tutorial is in 3 seperate posts. There are lots of little steps, but it's very doable. Also, I was confused on the scissor triangle part- I commented on her post and she emailed me that same evening with the answer. I love the little trash compartment- top right- it velcros on and off. Also, bottom leftcorner is a needle and pin holder (currently snapped closed). It folds into 3rd and has a strap I haven't added yet.

You can see here my more creative free motion quilting. As usual I stuggle with my machine's tension, so you can see the blue thread coming thru- I didn't fix it on purpose this time because I liked the effect on the plain brown fabric.

My 1st applique project: A pink elephant baby quilt. I'm in love with the results. With applique, not so much. Here's a sneak peak.

Dolly Diapers- A definate work in progress. I got the idea from Make it and Love it here, but she doesn't give a pattern, so I went thru lots of practice runs. I've made 2, but have 6 more to go and if I have time, little changing pads to go with them.

So Funny

2009-11-18T21:29:00.000-08:00

I know I did this as a kid.

Israel just came out of his room after changing into jammies looking like he'd gained a few pounds.

He'd put on his clean school clothes for tomorrow under his jammies to save time in the morning.

I love that kid

Too bad I had to make him take them off.

What We (the TBD BC) read this month

2009-11-17T14:04:00.000-08:00

First, I joined The Benner Daily Bookclub. Posted about it here

2nd, this month we read 3 books. Of the first two and its sequel

I definately prefered The Hunger Games. These books are worth your time. Very intriguing, very fast reads. Katniss is a great main character with many strong supporting characters as well.
Can you imagine being in an arena with 24 other people- and knowing only 1 of you is getting out alive?
Can you imagine that drawing names like a lottery to see who will be in the arena is what your country forces people to every year to remind you of your past rebellion?
Can you imagine needing food to survive so badly that you allow your 12-18 year old children to put additional chances in the lottery just so you can survive?

Intrigued?

Now you wanna read these books, don't you?

The last read of the month Vampire Academy I finished yesterday. It's the first in a series with the 5th one coming out May 18th 2010 and the 6th one late 2010 according to her website.
I read this one is a day too- quick, interesting, not clean enough for my teenage nieces, but a good read. I'm planning on reading the whole series (work with me library . . .)
It's a pretty complicated world author Richelle Mead has created. From the site "Two races of vampires walk our world. One, the Moroi, are alive and wield elemental magical. The other, the Strigoi, are undead and evil--feeding on the innocent to survive. Rose Hathaway--a half-vampire with poor impulse control--is training to be a bodyguard for a Moroi princess. Learning to decapitate and stake is hard enough, but Rose's real danger may lie in an illicit romance with one of her instructors..."

Read these books- or if you already have, let me know what you think. And if you want ot join TBD's bookclub- I'm sure she'd still have you- even if she is Team Gale not Team Peeta:)

In the Hot Seat

2009-11-16T12:13:00.000-08:00

My meeting with Mr. Principal was a bit intimidating at first- you'd think I'd be over that since I'll all grown up and all, but I didn't enjoy it in the least.

We sat and looked at Israel's attendance report and he kept on telling me all these stories of kids with 54 excused absences or taking 3 weeks for funerals etc. I wanted to focus on Israel and the laws, but it was difficult to keep steering him on target.
He said of the 14 letters sent I'm 1 of 3 actually meeting with him. He said as long as we keep them informed of his absences in the future and do the make-up work everything should be fine. I said what about SARB? Aparently we're not enough of a problem for that yet, just keep communicating.

Me- I have been communicating, we've been doing all the make-up work. What more are you expecting?

Him- just keep communicating

see how helpful the discussion was?

Me- so the issue is funding, correct?- you only receive money for actually attendance

Him- we just need the children to come to school (another boring story followed)

see how open he was with me on the issues?

I did get a few questions answered, but not what I was hoping.

I left knowing
1. no SARB yet
2. no court date
3. no fine
4 "keep communicating"
5. I don't like CA school system or it's laws

Egg-in-the-Hole

2009-11-13T09:05:00.001-08:00

I read and love The Pioneer Woman's blog. Not only does she make me laugh constantly, but she also makes me hungry. I have enjoyed with complete success every recipe of hers that I have tried. Yesterday her cookbook FINALLY arrived in the mail!

"The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl"
I'm salivating all over the place just looking at it. The book is full of personality, great photography (not just of food but ranch life), funny stories, and of course lots and lots of pictures to explain how to prepare her recipes.

This morning for breakfast I tried out the easiest recipe from the "In the Morning Section". Egg-in-a-hole. I'm a lover of runny eggs, and I'm amazed to say this is my new favorite way to eat them.

1 piece of bread-I'm using my own wonderful homemade wheat bread-YUM
1 egg
salt and pepper
butter

cut out a circle in your bread (I used a glass) I didn't want to waste the circle, so that went into the pan too.
heat skillet- melt some butter
add bread
after about a minute add the egg into the hole
salt and pepper liberally

wait 1 minute
flip
wait another minute or longer is you don't like runny
All done-

Eat and enjoy.

you can find her book on Amazon for 14.95 (instead of 27.50)
Her entire website is worth you time too www.thepioneerwoman.com
She's also a homeschooler, her own photographer, and has her entire Black Heels to Tractor Wheels love story on the site- going for Country Club to Country.

ps- school update- this afternoon at 12:20 I'll finally be meeting Mr. Principal.

The Power of the Brain

2009-11-07T11:43:00.000-08:00

Read the following: start slow and then speed up

I cdnoult blveiee that I cluod auaclty uesdnatrnrd what Iwas rdaning. The phaonmneal pweor of the human mind Aoccdring to rscheearch at Cmabridge Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in what order the ltteers in a word are, the only iprmaotnt thing is that hte frist and lsat ltteer be in the right pclae. The rset can be a taotle mses and you can still raed it wouthit a porbelm. This is bcuseae the human nimd does not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the owrd as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?

This week with Israel home all day from school we finally checked out www.starfall.com. It's the site his teacher uses during their computer time. If you have any pre-k or kg children it's a fun alphabet and learning to read site. Zac the Rat taught us all about the short a sound in a silly story of jam, ants, and fans. Also- you get to decorate your own gingerbread man and your own snowman (Israel's top favorites). The site also recieves feedback. After every activity you do it asks if you liked it (smiley face), if if was okay (straight mouth face), or didn't like it (frowny face). I like that they're checking in with the kids for what works and what doesn't.

Another site worth mentioning- The Yuckiest Site on the Internet- This one is super fun. We found it in our search to answer Israel's "Why is my pee yellow?" Pimples farts, burps, and funnybones- get your answers here. Any boys out there especially are gonna love this site.

Do you have any sites that you've found really work well for your children? Please share.

Trick or Croup?

2009-11-05T08:34:00.000-08:00

We got a nice surprise at 4 am Halloween Morning- Julia had croup (which has now gone thru all of our kids). We still took her trick-or-treating though. Most of these pictures are from Thursday's Fall Festival at Israel's school or Friday's Haunted Hospital at Stan's work. Living in a new place (and a town without street lights or sidewalks) made for interesting trick-or-treating.
Carving pumpkins for FHE- we had no idea the wouldn't last a week. I love Israel's expression in this shot.

Our end result. the middle pumpkin Israel designed himself (Stan cut it out)

The Fall Festival- Eliza wanted to wear pink-ALL pink.

Julia at the bean bag toss

The first scary person in the Haunted Hospital. All the people would sit still like they were statues with a bowl of candy right in front of them. Israel reached for candy and he "came alive" it scared Israel really well and the girls didn't like it at all, but Israel and Stan went through a second time.

> Eliza was super cute as a fireman. She's holding her right hand like she's holding a big water hose. And yes, this is what she wants to be when she grows up. She teaches everybody Stop, Drop, and Roll, and reminds us what we should do if our house is on fire.

We hope you had a happy and healthy Halloween! I've enjoyed seeing every one's costumes.

Seriously Considering Homeschooling

2009-10-30T09:15:00.000-07:00

So, I love Israel's teacher, he loves school, I know it's good for him and in this town that's the only place he has playmates, but I'm seriously considering yanking him out.

We got a threatening letter yesterday from the principle about reporting us to SARB School Attendance Review Board because Israel has missed 6 days of school. 3 were for my Grandmother's funeral (which they know) 1 was because of a crazy long, horrid doctor's appointment so he could stay in school (also excused), and 2 were for our Sacramento trip. So, only 2 unexcused absences and he's in kindergarten. If reported to SARB we'll receive a $330 dollar fine for not being responsible parents. I'm so ticked off. We have to commit for 90% attendance or pay the fine.

So any advise out there? I'm so mad, but I promised Stan I wouldn't talk to the principle until next week.

Homemade Magic

2009-10-28T13:50:00.000-07:00

I turned this into this

with a little help of a neighbor's wheat grinder. I've been itching to try it since I bought a bucket of 45 lbs. of wheat (and let it sit in my pantry for 2 months)

Then I turned the flour into this

and we have been loving our homemade whole wheat bread.

I made 4 loaves, anybody want a slice?

So I did it

2009-10-23T11:16:00.000-07:00

For those of you who didn't know- I love to read. I eat books. Mom used to say I hibernated in my room all the time with my books. Stan often groans when I'm reading a really good-I can't put this one down book- he'll probably have to make dinner, and clean the house, and bath the kids, and put them to bed, and . . . well you get the idea. But what I also really enjoy is talking about the books I read. I do goodreads, but I don't like to tell much, because I don't like spoilers- even the flaps tell too much.
I've been missing my book clubs (and my Wymount people) so when I found Shealynn's online book club I joined and convinced a few other people- thanks Katie and Amanda- to join too. Yesterday I joined the discussion on Twitter about this book.
Twitter is new to me and a bit weird, but it was so cool to be tweeting? with ladies from all over that had read the same books and were doing this book club. We have a small showing- just 5 or 6 last night, but I really enjoyed it. If you like to read teen books, maybe check it out. (there's a button on the left side) Next month we're reading Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Vampire Acadamy. Plus, Shealynn does all these book giveaways. In fact this week she has a giveaway a day going on. I'm entering them all- even though I've never won anything. here's her blog www.shealynnbenner.blogspot.com Anybody else want to read with me? I'd love to discuss these books with you too.

Snow in California?

2009-10-18T13:47:00.000-07:00

On Columbus Day Sarah and Matt from our ward invited us on a trip to Amboy (remember Amboy Amanda?). The plan was to hike the Amboy Creater- one of the youngest volcanos on earth. Just the day before Eliza had asked if there were volcanos in California, so she was excited to be going to see one. You can read about it here. It's a mile hike in and Israel and Eliza both did a great job getting there. Julia rode on daddy's back after the 1st half mile. There are 25 miles of lava fields surrounding the Crater and we got to hike into a volcano-how cool is that? You can walk all around on the 2 lava dams formed from the 2 no longer flowing lava lakes. On the way home we stopped by the salt flats we'd seen on the way to the crater- Israel was convinced it was snow, so Marine Matt let him taste it and he got a big handful- poor kid.

Israel is in one of the 2 lava dams formed from dried lava lakes.

Israel at the salt flats. Just for the record we did have a salt fight.

Trick or Treat Bags

2009-10-18T13:13:00.000-07:00

This year for Halloween I had a decision to make- buy 2 more of those plastic pumpkins that take up all that space and are annoying to store- or find a better solution. Thank you craft blog for giving me the basic idea for my "better" solution. I made Julia's bag the pattern size, but made Israel and Eliza's bigger. If you'd going to make one for a child 3 or up I'd definitely add a few inches (I added 2). My kiddos has a great time picking out their own fabric (2.44 a yard at Walmart). The bonus of these bags, besides being cute and individualized for each child is that they take almost no storage space during the 11 months of the year we don't need them:)
A similar bag is for one of you. If you'd like to enter my first giveaway- tell me your favorite Halloween and why. Winner drawn at random Thurs at noon. I'll mail to out Friday so you can have it by the 31st.

Eyes closed!

A few of the decorations we picked up from the dollar store on Thursday. We went back the next day to get a little more and they'd already replaced their Halloween items with Christmas decor. Can you see the eyeballs in the goblets?

Ode to the Bathroom Floor

2009-10-15T09:17:00.000-07:00

Oh tile so hard,
Oh smells so strong,
Oh child so happy,
While I wish you would pee.

Potty training, oh potty training,
when will you end?
Potty training, oh potty training,
when will you end?

Julia Michele,
Could you just go,
Does it have to take 4 books,
Could it maybe take just 2?

Potty training, oh potty training,
when will you end?
Potty training, oh potty training,
when will you end?

I try to be cheery
And finally we hear
The most wonderful music
That means we are through.

I leave the hard floor,
I wipe the little bum,
And we wait for a while,
Until we repeat it all again.

Giveaway

2009-10-14T18:37:00.000-07:00

No, not here, but at The Benner Daily- 2 books from her book club I'm doing (and my library doesn't have them, so I' d love to win )

Also, I'm going to be doing my own little giveaway in the next few weeks, so check back soon.

Quick Update

2009-10-12T20:40:00.000-07:00

10-7 Israel lost his 3rd tooth. He lost it on the bus on the way home. Unfortunately it had been picture day so he was wearing a brand new white polo shirt .
10-8 Robin volunteers all day long in Israel's class- Mrs. T is a Saint. I don't know how she does it with 27 students. I'm in awe.
10-9 Snake Visits- Girl's Night Out at our house 1 gopher snake. Boy Scout Camp Out- 1 baby rattler and 1 tarantula (age unknown)
10-10 Rock climbing in Indian Cove
10-11 Find out the niece Emily was in American Fork High Band Bus Accident. Thankfully she is okay. She has now been in a bus that has rolled And gotten to ride in an ambulance. She has bumps and bruises, but is mainly okay. Emotionally I know it has to be really hard. She and 2 siblings lost a Band Instructor that died trying to save the bus after the driver passed out behind the wheel.
10-12 Hiking to Amboy's Crater one of the youngest volcanos in existance. Julia split her chin open in the bath tub. After calling her dr. we were told all they would do was superglue it since she's only 2. So we did it ourselves. Put a new background on our blog thinking this will be great- for Halloween and Thanksgiving, then saw Happy Thanksgiving up the left side. Just pretend it says Happy Halloween as well.

2, 4, 6 (8) who's birthdays do we celebrate?

2009-10-05T12:19:00.000-07:00

Julia, Eliza, and Israel of course. We've had a happy week of birthday adventures and even a big ol' road trip to add to the mix. We did all the presents of Monday of Julia's birthday. Israel was going to wait until his birthday, but watching the girls open theirs and knowing he could too was too much to resist:) It was easier that carting presents up to Sacramento, that's for sure. We went with Stan to the AAMFT Annual Conference. We stayed at a hotel with a pool and spent a lot of time in it. We also enjoyed the continental breakfasts. We ate and ate.
I'll let the pictures tell the rest.

The Golden Gate Bridge with Stan's freshman year roommate Mike Lindsey
Sequoia Nat'l Forrest

see the snow in Stan's hair. Israel was very excited that it snowed on his birthday!
I had to sneak in a picture of my roses. I just love these ones. They're in the front yard. See the yellow center? And the smell- it would be worth a car ride.

Grandma House

2009-09-25T14:49:00.000-07:00

At the graveyard.
"Where are all the dead bodies?" Israel wanted to know. Once I explained they were buried under the grass he said emphatically "this is boring".

Grandpa's carvings and some few of his rocks

The wonderous rock pile. No visit was complete without taking a few rocks home. When I was younger the pile was even bigger.

The ottoman that became a boat for every child old enough to flip it

Grandma's rocking chair made when she was 3 by her grandfather.

Grandma loved roses. Here are some of the beauties in bloom while we were there.

The bobcate that always scared me as a kid. Can you see his sharp teeth?

One of the many paintings Grandma painted. She was a wonder- landscape, indians, trains.

I'm Home

2009-09-23T16:37:00.000-07:00

The kids and I had a surprise trip to Utah this weekend. My Grandma Ashcraft passed away at the age of 97 and a half. Although we're sad she has died, we're glad that she is now in her right mind and with Grandpa again (he died 10 years ago so she's been alone for a long time). Some of you may know that my parents have been caring for her for the last 2 years and it has been quite the challenge. They were glad to do it, but the work definitely took its tole. All of my siblings except Chuck (who had just arrived back home to Alaska after a year serving in Iraq) were able to be together. It was really nice to see family and get out of the heat. I also discovered the quick way to get to Vegas and that if I have to I can drive all the way to Provo all by myself. I drove straight from here to Cedar City before stopping and then all the way to Provo. It was tough driving back even splitting it into 2 days. My cousin Melanie let me stay with her in St. George on the way home. She's such a nice cousin. I've always really liked her. This is the 2nd time she's opened her home to us and I'm so glad she's willing. I have pictures I'll post shortly of the trip.

Just a few side notes:
I love tile floor, but it's not so good of bowls (we lost 2 bowls alone yesterday)
I made a ribbon blanket today from a crafty blog I like. I'm really happy with how it turned out. I did not do the applique letter as I don't know the name of the baby this blanket is for.
Our swamp cooler is back in action AND we were able to successfully change out our locks (for those of you that don't know Stan went out the front door last week and the handle came right off. We've been having to go in and out through the garage.

Note from Israel:
Jesus wears sandals in heaven all the time because it's so hot in heaven
Question from Eliza:
Why do we have to wear heaven clothes when we die?
Julia statement was the pallbearers are carrying grandma from the funeral home:
"I poop, I poop, I poop"

Update

2009-09-09T12:08:00.000-07:00

We had our first rainstorm on the 2nd- notice out ineffective gutters:)

I tore down the old nasty pantry with Israel and Eliza's help. (I know we have a picture somewhere, but I haven't found it yet) And Stan and I put up a new one- this included tiling a small section of the floor. Now we get to see if it can hold the weight of food like it's supposed to. (yes we anchored it into studs)

I made a purse from the Moda Bakeshop
one of 2 inside pockets
We put up the tire swing (sadly my bottom is too big to enjoy it)

Stan taught Julia to say "I . . am . . tired" over and over. It's rather funny, but she wasn't so sure of the camera.

"When's it going to rain?"

2009-09-02T15:58:00.000-07:00

Israel likes to ask me. Well today I finally had the answer because we got rain-lots of it. It was pretty exciting once it got going. Water running down the street, off the house everywhere. Jumping out of the gutters and all over the patio (we still have about 3 inches of water on the patio AND that's after I went out and "bailed" for a while. Pictures and maybe video to come (if I can load it). Not only did it rain, but we got hail as well. Quite the exciting afternoon if I do say so myself:)