Boo-boos and family

I guess it comes with the new territory, but we have been fighting the boo-boos with Miss Braelyn. She pulls up all the time and tries to walk. She has fallen a couple of times and left bumps and bruises on her head. We have put up corner bumpers on the glass coffee table (thank goodness!) but she still seems to find things to get hurt on. Nothing serious yet.

Sunday we went to the apartment pool for a while before heading down to Mom & Dad's pool. She woke up with a little rash that morning and I didn't think anything of it. By Sunday night, it was covering her entire body. It wasn't itching or hurting her, but it still concerned me. Since she seemed to be okay and I didn't see the rash in her mouth and throat, I decided to avoid the ER and wait until yesterday to take her to the doctor. He said it could have been anything (probably the red velvet cake she had at Saturday's family reunion!), but it was harmless and wasn't bothering her. It's pretty much gone now. Better safe than sorry.

We went to a family reunion on Saturday for Nanny's extended family. Braelyn wore a precious pillowcase dress that my mom had made for her and she loved all the attention (and food she wasn't supposed to have!) Here is our precious Nanny. She is 86 and still going strong!

The reunion was at the lake and Braelyn had LOTS of fun with the ducks. Cody even made friends with one and had it eating out of his hand.  

She's home...and crawling! (Zumba, anyone?)

Braelyn is back!! FINALLY! I have missed her so much.

And she is CRAWLING! It's all happening so fast! I knew she was mobile, of course, but she followed me out of her room yesterday while I was collecting laundry...and on her hands and knees! She's gotten really fast and it seems that she enjoys chasing the dogs around. It's so exciting to watch her grow and learn. She is also working on the "pinching technique." Meaning she is able to pick up small objects with her fingers. We are going to start giving her those little "puffer" snacks that look like Cheerios. It's a big step in her learning to feed herself. Not quite sure if I'm as excited about that milestone. Talk about a mess!

Has anyone else out there ever taken a Zumba class? I am dying to try one and I think I have convinced my mom to take it with me. Joe and I work out on the Wii and play Just Dance (which we LOVE). The doctor said it was a great program, very affordable and it's usually very successful, so why not? It's a little inconvenient to take it with my babysitter but maybe my dad or Joe can keep little bit while we dance the night away! If you've taken it, please let me know how it was. I am super nervous to go to the first class and be "the newbie."

Smilebox Card for Daddy

 I ran across this little program that Hallmark has called Smilebox that lets you make a card collage for ecards! I made this one for my dad for Father's Day.

Make your own free digital collage

Our Other Babies!

We have the two most awesome dogs you could ask for. Boogie (the fat chihuahua) has been with us for three and a half years now. We stumbled across him at the local humane society just before Christmas of 06'. Poor little guy was just a lonely pup. We had just miscarried with our first pregnancy and it was perfect timing and a perfect match. He is in tune with peoples emotions and knows just how to act when you're down and need some company!

Emily (the tiny Yorkie) weighing in at just over 4 pounds has been with us for three years.  Brittany had her named years before we ever got her. We looked and looked for just the right compliment to Boogie and the right addition to our family. We finally found her in Jasper, GA. She is a little air headed (we like to think of her as a 'free spirit' of the dog world), but a ball of energy! She absolutely adores playing with her squeaky toys. You can throw it for her a hundred times and she will be back at your feet with it in a heartbeat.

The two are so attached to each other that they panic on the rare occasion that they are separated! They don't get quite the attention they did before Braelyn came, but they adjusted well and fairly quickly. Braelyn is getting to the age where she likes the dogs, and now Emily brings her toys to Braelyn instead of us! Things change so fast!

Blogged By Joe (I know I know, you expected Brittany!)

Happy Father's Day!

Today is Joe's very first Father's Day! (and Braelyn is in Michigan.) We Skyped with her this morning so that Joe could see her precious smile on his day. Here is a picture of Daddy & Daughter!

We miss her so much but we hear the family is really enjoying her. I'm so glad, but the selfish side of me wants her back now. Only a few more days! I have been getting a constant flow of pictures courtesy of her Aunt Jeni. I'll post a few now.

We have been cleaning EVERY thing in the house while she is gone. We've spent the last two days cleaning the carpets since she is so close to crawling. We are going Mom & Dad's later to celebrate Father's Day pool style. I really do have SUCH a wonderful father. I can't even begin to count the ways he supports me, encourages me and loves me. He is the most wise man I have ever met and his reliability is unfailing. No gift or card I could ever buy would truly express how much I love him.

Stormy Night in Georgia

We had terrible thunderstorms move through last night. Certainly the worst I've seen in a while. Yesterday was the hottest day we've had so far and that really set the stage for quite a show! The lightening was constant and it just poured. There was alot of low rumbling thunder and I was praying it wouldn't wake Braelyn up. The winds were unbelievable! I think it was 50-60mph constant for almost an hour! I wasn't nervous here since our apartment is on the back side, but mom and dad's got hit pretty hard. There are several trees down on their neighborhood...some on houses. The pool took the worst of it. It blew the glass table into the pool and shattered the glass, broke the umbrella in half, tore apart the pop up canopy and sunk numerous cushions and signs. The glass is really the big thing, I think. We can't let anyone in the pool until we know that every piece is gotten out. I'm seeing alot of snorkeling practice in my near future. Mom works really hard to make the pool area nice, so I know she's upset. I hope to be able to go down today and help.

We just spent the day yesterday at the pool, too. At one point, there were 21 of us there. Braelyn slept for a good portion of the day, but found time to play with Aiden, Andrew, Kyndal, Ragan, Tucker and others! She truly is her mother's child. I hope to post pictures later today. And although I see fun things like snorkeling in my near future....in my present I see lots of laundry, cleaning and packing for Braelyn. Her Grammie is on her way to pick her up for the Michigan trip and although I'm going to miss her, I sure am looking forward to getting things done!

Pictures to come!

Would the real Braelyn please stand up?

It's official! Braelyn is pulling up! ALL over the place! We lowered her crib last night and it seems like such a big step. She finds it easier to pull up now that there is more of the rails to grab. Joe and I make a big deal when she stands by clapping and cheering. She thinks that is just the grandest thing! She let's go, plops on her hiney and throws her hands up and down while laughing. I think she continues to pull up just for us to cheer. Now that she can go from laying on her stomach to sitting to standing...nap times and bed time are becoming much more difficult. She wants to exercise rather than sleep. This morning she climbed around for 30 minutes before passing out. I haven't seen her actually "crawl" yet...but she is SO mobile that I'm starting to think she will skip crawling. She rolls and scoots and lunges wherever she wants to go. She has the knee movements down...she just can't figure out that the hands need to move, too. It's won't be long!

She is going with her Grammie and Aunt Jeni to Michigan on Wednesday for a week!! She is going to visit her Great Grandma who can't quite make the trip down. Although we will miss her, we think it's important and special that she meet her GG. And I'm already borrowing my friend's babies to help fill the void! ha! Kendal and I are having a sleepover next weekend and Aiden is staying with us on his parent's anniversary. Joe and I will spend ALOT of time on Microbiology while she's gone.

Braelyn's Attempt at Laundry

This is Braelyn's attempt at helping with laundry. She rolled around in it and laughed.  I guess maybe that's her way of acting as a human fabric softener? :)
My apologies that it's a little blurry. It came off the phone.

Top 10 List

I have this thing called a "top ten" list. Joe jokes that it's more of a "top thousand" list, but it's just a list of my favorite things. It's in no particular order and without including things like family, friends, Braelyn...etc. (Those are sort of givens.) These are just little things that make my day!

1. Sand.    I love sand! I love to play in it, draw in it, build sandcastles...it's calming to me. Braelyn and I will certainly share a sandbox when she gets older.

2. Jimmy Buffett.    I'm a parrothead though and through, thanks to my Daddy. Everything just seems a little better with Buffett. He sings songs about actual experiences and it really takes you there.

3. A perfect picture.    Let's face it. No one takes perfect pictures 100% of the time. When I get that frame-worthy picture, it makes everything great!

4. Coke.    Need I say more? I can't live without it. I just can't. My morning Coke is like my parent's morning coffee. Ahhhh...

5. My good 'ole blue jeans.    There really is nothing like slipping on my favorite pair of trusty jeans. I can count on them to always fit and look great. No matter how many times my Nanny asks me "Did you buy those jeans with all those holes in them?!" No. I wore the holes into them. That's part of the reason I love them.

6. Old friends.   New friendships are always exciting, but there's something about the old friends I've kept over the years. There's history and the relationship is comfortable. I've held onto a select few of my "old friends" and I wouldn't trade them for a million new ones!

7. Good sushi.   This is a rather new one on my list. I used to want to vomit at the thought of eating raw fish, but once I mustered up the courage to try it...I loved it! I now know that all sushi is definitely not the same. We have found some amazing little places that serve the freshest sushi I've ever had and sometimes, finding great sushi is quite a challenge but the reward is so, so worth it.

8. Clorox Anywhere Hard Surface.    I know, I know...a cleaner? You just can't imagine how much easier this has made my life. I just spray it on any and everything and *poof!* Germs are gone. Laugh if you want, but Braelyn has yet to be sick!

9. My iPod.   Even more so than my phone. It has every piece of music I've ever owned on it. It has the internet, my pictures, my contacts. I just couldn't live without it.

10. My cedar chest.    Joe built me an amazing and beautiful cedar chest for my 21st birthday. The inside has an engraved plate with a message from him. It holds all my favorite things from my past. Our wedding invitation, my graduation tassel, my favorite stuffed animal from when I was little, one troll out of the hundreds I collected when I was young, my grandma's bible, my baby blanket, Braelyn's coming home outfit and an array of cards and pictures. He spent months (some of them with a broken leg!) building this for me and it's certainly my treasure chest. I always swear that if there's a fire, I will muster up super human strength and drag it down the stairs. (It's huge!)

11. Joel Osteen.   I always feel better after listening to one of his sermons. He always preaches a positive message and makes me want to make changes for the better.

12. Post Secret.    For those of you unaware of what postsecret is, please visit their blog. (Post Secret) I can laugh at one, cry at another and sometimes stare in shock that someone shares the same secret I do. It's become a Sunday morning ritual to sit down with my Coke and view the new secrets for the week.

Okay, so it was more of a "Top 12" list, but you get the picture.

Happy Anniversary to Us!

It's our anniversary!! We have been married for 4 years today. I always feel like it's a little bittersweet. Sweet because it's another year of experience under our belt. Another *wonderful* year together! Bitter because it reminds us just how quickly time slips away. I can't imagine what it will feel like to have 50 or 60 years together, but I look forward to finding out firsthand!

Braelyn & Friends!

Braelyn has TONS of friends her age! I thought I would post a few pictures of Little Miss Social in action.

This is Adeline. She is 3 months younger than Braelyn and LOVES to play! Braelyn is learning VERY quickly how to share her toys.

This is Andrew. Braelyn is a little more into him than he is her. His mom and I have been friends for 12 years and he is 3 months younger than Braelyn, as well. You can see more of Andrew at his family's blog. (The Friend Family Blog!)

And THIS little guy is Aiden! He is Braelyn's main squeeze. They play together at least weekly, sometimes more. He is 3 months older than Braelyn and she is trying very hard to keep up with him. It's good exercise, anyway. As you can see, they've been friends since the very beginning. (They just didn't know it!)

 She has others, as well. She just doesn't have pictures with Tucker, Aaron & Rhyen yet. I hope all this socializing will pay off when it comes time for baby #2! (Not for a while! Don't want the grandparents having a heart attack or going broke. Braelyn is already breaking the banks!)

We have arrived!

It seems like EVERYone is jumping on the blogging bandwagon these days, so why should we be any different? :) With our family scattered all over the country, we thought this might be a convenient way to keep everyone updated on the small day-to-day happenings in the Hall house. ...and of course since babies grow so fast, I hope that you'll all get to enjoy Braelyn as much as we do.

Please feel free to comment! We would love to hear from all of you!