Life as a Hall: Good Call

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Emma Jane

Our little Emma is not so little anymore. I feel like time has really just flown by--I don't remember it going by so fast with Abby. Life is so much busier with two. I can't imagine what life with 3 or 4 will be like. :)

Emma Jane is such a happy baby. We LOVE having her in our home. She is a great sleeper, eater, giggler, and is just a joy to be around. The number one thing people or strangers comment on is the size of her legs. She is one "chunky monkey" as Mike likes to call her. But that just means she is healthy, right?

She can sit up by herself, but still leans over because I can only imagine how hard it is to keep her body up. We are working on her posture. ;) She has been able to roll over from her back to stomach since 4 months. She can stretch her body into the strangest positions to get herself to move all over. She is getting up on all fours and rocks back and forth--but hasn't done much crawling. She is a scooter and can get around the house by pushing herself backwards. I will walk into a room and she will be 7 feet away from where I last saw her. It's hilarious!

She loves to babble--she started saying "dadada" at 6 months. Mike says she knows his name already, but really? She says "Mmmmmm" and just recently started saying "bababababa." I love this chunky baby of ours and cannot get enough of her. I am always so excited to see her and kiss her chubby cheeks!

The Big 3-0

Mike and I both turned 30 this year and in order to celebrate, I decided to throw him a surprise party. I found a pot throwing studio nearby that you can rent out for parties. It was the best idea ever! Mike loves to work with clay--he took classes in high school and college. He has been looking for his own pottery wheel for years, but with no place to put it right now, he hasn't jumped the gun, yet. When I found this place, I knew he would really enjoy it. I invited a few of our friends, asked his buddy to get him to help pick up a piece of furniture (when in reality he was coming to his surprise party), and we anxiously awaited his arrival. It was a huge hit with everyone--and Mike was really surprised. The whole week before I assumed he knew and just pretended he didn't, but he honestly didn't know anything. I was so glad once the surprise part was over--I was just nervous I was going to spill the beans before the big day. It was a great way to celebrate the big 3-0! I hope we can go back another day for fun because it was so fun!

The party food

A chocolate oreo cream birthday cake.

I made a collage of photos of Mike growing up--basically the past 30 years. We hung up a couple poster sizes around the clay studio.

The surprise--when he first walked in the place, he thought, "Oh cool! Why don't we stay awhile and throw some clay before we move furniture?"

Then he saw everyone and was like "Awww man!"

Surprise honey!

The group receiving instructions....

The first throw--watch out!

Working the wheel....

Smooth hands...

There were about 10 wheels for everyone to try out. We had them all going and everyone got to make one or 2 items.

Emma got to be part of the action, along with 2 other babies, Miles and Scott.

I even got in on the action once I was done taking pictures, etc.

We forgot candles, so the owner of the studio brought out his--a blow torch!

Happy birthday, Mike! Here's to another 30+ years!

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Blog? What Blog?

Hello out there! Anyone still following? Baby #2 really has taken it's toll on me. No time for anything it seems, but here I am attempting to blog again. Here's what we've been up to lately.

Abby wanted to take a soccer class so we signed her up for one with the city. The first class was somewhat of a disaster. She kept crying because kids were taking her ball or telling her not to use her hands. I had a hard time not laughing, but we put her in the class afterwards which had half as many kids and she quickly gained more confidence. It's been a lot of fun watching her.

Having 2 girls means I get to dress them up in matching clothes! I made their Easter dresses this year--my first sewing project since having Emma. I miss sewing. The other outfits I just bought.

Easter Egg Hunt 2012--At Grandma and Grandpa Hall's House

Easter 2012--My sister from Danville came with her kids to join in the egg hunt and my sister from Utah came with her kids, too. The kids had a blast.

Emma and her cousins. Caleb, on the left, is one month older than her. Miles, on the right, is 6 weeks older. She looks happy, no?

I can't believe how fast the time has gone by. Emma is a dream baby. Sleeps, eats. and laughs regularly. I forgot how much fun a baby can be. And this age is so interactive and playful! I love it!

Emma's first time eating real food. She really struggled with the rice cereal. I tried for 2 weeks and she still never caught on or showed interest. She cried sometimes, but I tried oatmeal after 2 weeks and she ate it right up. She must have a sweet tooth already (if that's possible without teeth, yet).

I fed her after a 7 mile run. I signed up for a half marathon 3 weeks before the race. I've been training as much as I can and I still don't think I'm ready. But at least I'm trying....

6 months: she can sit up, roll over (she's fallen off the couch, ottoman, and bed--I do watch her, she is just a fast mover), she says "Dada" over and over (Mike says she is calling for him....sure), she weighed in at 18lbs, almost 19, and measures 24" inches long. She is an angel and such a joy to have in our home.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Christmas at Gingerbread

At preschool, Abby participated in a lot of fun activities. They got to ride their scooters or sit in a wagon in the Downtown Holiday Parade, they decorated gingerbread houses during class, and they got to meet Santa at a Cookie Exchange party. It was so fun to see her at school and interact with the other kids. We love Gingerbread and all the fun activities they have! It was a great way to celebrate the holidays!

Abby decorating her little gingerbread house. I had gone in a few days before to help assemble the houses so they were all ready to decorate on their Family Fun day. The icing was made with meringue powder, powder sugar and water and was the strongest icing I'd ever seen. It worked great.

Cookie Social with Santa.

Abby told Santa she wanted a bike for Christmas, but he thought she said a book. He was so excited and told her to keep reading. She told me later she didn't correct him because she didn't want to make him mad. Funny girl.

Abby rode her scooter in the Downtown Holiday parade. I remember watching this parade as a little girl, so it was fun to be a part of it. Abby got pretty tired of riding her scooter--next time we'll have to bring a wagon and just pull her in it. We met for the parade at 4:00PM and didn't get done until 7 PM. It was a LONG night and we were all pooped. We met up with Mike and Emma and they joined us. We decorated Abby's scooter with Christmas lights, which she loved!

Emma's First Week

Bringing Emma home from the hospital was almost a relief. We only stayed over one night because I was done with all the nurses and interruptions. I knew once I got home I'd have more time to just sleep without having people in all hours of the night checking up on me. Emma has been a dream baby. She has slept great since the first night and has only continued to sleep better each day. I attribute that to my mother--who is a great sleep trainer. When my mom came to stay with us, she so willingly takes the night shift with the new babies. She is a GREAT sleep-trainer, holding the babies off with a pacifier until they are inconsolable. It's usually only a 3-5 hour stretch, but it's amazing how good that feels as a new mom to be able to sleep more than 2 hours at a time. I believe that because of those stretches, my babies learn to sleep long periods of time.... And I have my mother to thank!

When we left the hospital they were worried about her weight gain. Emma had lost almost a whole pound so they made sure I went to see her doctor later that week. I wasn't too worried. Emma slept almost 8 hours after she was born, so I knew that was a big part of why her weight had taken such a drop, but I still went to the doctor. They recommended giving her formula in addition to my nursing her. I gave her a bottle once, but then decided she was nursing better and more often, so I didn't give her one again. Her next appointment she had gained a whole pound! And that was in only a few days. The doctor was happy, and so were we. We have another healthy, chunky baby on our hands.

Emma found her fingers....

Abby loves to lay next to her sister...

My mom, the sleep trainer.

Emma's first sponge bath. Mike is the official bath-giver in our home.

My dad came soon after Emma was born. He was a great help, especially with Abby. She loves her Grandad.

Abby is really good at holding Emma, which I was surprised at. Usually, it's only a 2 minute hold before her arms are "tired."

Play time with Grandma Sue.

My mom braided our hair....I miss having her around to do this.

Coming home. I never really look at myself in the mirror while at the hospital, but boy, do I still look pregnant or what? Ha! :)

October Festivities

Despite my due date being on Halloween, Abby was still able to participate in some fun Halloween activities. We explored a local pumpkin patch with a friend--even in 80+ weather, which is not so fun being 9 months pregnant. Abby was invited to a Harvest Festival by a friend. Each child was to bring 30 items to "trade" with each other. It was really fun to see what everyone brought. And Abby had fun "shopping" and trading with the other kids. Two days before Emma was born, we went to a friend's house to carve pumpkins. Mike did all the carving while Abby smiled cutely with the pumpkin.

Abby decided she wanted to be Rapunzel this year for Halloween, along with every other girl, right? She was so excited to wear her costume to her school party. She even wore the uncomfortable shoes the whole time. When it came to Halloween night and the trunk-or-treat, she did not want to wear her costume. At least we got a cute picture of her at school....