7 Swans a swimming...

We are getting geared up for the holidays, oh yes we are!!!

Ally and I spent the day hanging all the stockings and cleaning around the house. I need to make a Wal-mart run to buy all my cookie supplies:) I'm really starting to feel the crunch!

There is yet another BIG storm heading for the midwest this weekend. We WILL have a White Christmas! We are still recovering from the last two storms. There are glacial formations on my porch, driveway and patio! I got out the shovel and ice scrape thing and tried to make a dent out of all the ice, but NO lie, there is ice 1.5 in. thick under the snow.

The pictures in this post were taken tonight:) We had the most beautiful sunset. The other one is Ally and her friend Hannah. They have been playing dress-up, aren't they fancy:)

Merry Christmas everyone.

CINDERELLA???

Here is the latest member of our family:)

This big wooly booger was found near Steve's wood pile in his garage.

It is absolutely the biggest fuzzy caterpillar any of us has ever seen!!!

When it would crawl up my arm it felt like tiny needles poking into my skin! The kids thought it was cool!

Cinderella was rather inactive so I let Ally keep it in her sand pail. Alas, we came home from Grandma's last week and the thing escaped! We have not found it yet.

Just like the fairy tale Cinderella... Ally's may come back all transformed and beautiful some day?

FALL IS ... Pretty flowers, fuzzy catepillars and wildlife wall murals???
Hello again! Life is fast and fun! We have been on the go go lately but try to have as much fun as we can along the way:) Ally has been collecting fuzzy catepillars, as you can see! They are her little friends and she makes homes for them, lets them crawl all over her, feeds them and yes, confides in them! She definately needs a new dog!!!

Don't you just love the life-sized mural? Steve totally loves it, I think it's a bit much, but he wanted a manly basement so I will live with it:) We are ordering carpet very soon and yeah! The basement will be done! On to the next project?

The beautiful flowers will soon be gone. We are suppose to have our first freeze this week! The boys (Zach, Luke and Liam ) had football yesterday and we froze our buttutties off!!! Especially Audrey who wore this skimpy tank top to the game, Tom had to make a Wal-mart run to get her a hat and sweatshirt! The north wind was brisk and all they had was instant coffee at the concession stand! BUMMER!

Everyone is getting sick!!! Ally had a bad cough with fever! I wasn't feeling all that great for a few days and now Zach has cough, sore throat and fever! I have been a prisoner of my home since Thurs. Calgon take me away!!! Zach's school said a virus has been going around and some kids have been absent 7-10 days- YIKES I'm making chicken noodle soup for dinner ALL IS GOOD!!! Later:)

Hola, from Panama! There really is not much going on here lately:( I've been trying to diet and walk everyday, walking has been great! Ally can ride her bike forever and never complains of being tired. So she rides and I walk, it's becoming our routine! The Dieting on the other hand, is tough!!!! I really eat healthy, good foods, but after tracking my calories daily on www.sparkpeople.com I consistently consume too little calories a day, and a majority of my calories are carbs (which totally suprised me) So I need to quit being too busy to eat and exercise more:0 ttfn

Hola, from the Rocky horror picture show!!!

When I blogged last time, Steve had just gotten over his hernia surgery. He recovered nicely and was pretty much back to normal. He had some complaints of heartburn and stomach pain though.

Two weeks ago Steve went out of town and got really sick! He had to go to the ER. After a few tests and scans they found he had kidney stones.

They gave him some pain meds and told him to drink lots of water to flush them out. He was in horrible pain but started feeling better when he got back to Panama. We thought the worst was over but the day after he got home (Sat. 15th) he woke up early with severe groin pain and was hot, sweaty and vomiting! He could hardly talk he was in so much pain. I took him to the ER and more tests and scans showed that one of the stones was too large to pass through ( kidney stones form in the kidney and there is a very narrow tube that connects the kidney to the bladder. This narrow tube is where stones typically get stuck and the back up of urine causes intense pressure. Once the stones hit the bladder there is no pain. ) They kept Steve overnight and the stone still didn't budge. The doctor sent him home with strong drugs and (Wed. 19th) he had to go in for this shockwave treatment that broke up the stone (Picture) there was a lot of sandy stuff that came out too. Right after his treatment he peed bright red bloody urine! It was quite a week for us!

The doctor called us after steve's shockwave treatment and said Steve needed to come in for a consultation because his blood work came back and there was some concerns. To make a long story short Steve's blood calcium level is all out of whack and he must have surgery. He has a parathyroid tumor(NOT CANCEROUS) www.parathyroid.com they say once he has the surgery he will feel 10 yrs. younger! Calcium in your blood causes all kinds of bad symptoms and Steve has blood tests every year and his calcium has been elevated for many years, but no doctor has ever been concerned about it? Thank God for Steve's kidney stones! I will keep you updated on poor pin cushion Steve.

Yes, we're still alive!!!

Sorry for not blogging lately, I've been so busy that the computer has taken a back seat for awhile. I haven't taken any pictures in a long time either so I thought I'd just update on some happenings at the Hall house.
The kids go back to school tomarrow:) The summer sure went by fast, but man oh man am I ready for fall and winter to get here already! It has been so --- hot!!!
My garden is plentiful this year, I have tomatoes all over my counter, we can't give them away fast enough. I've already made two double batches of salsa and need to make more tomarrow night.
As most of you know Steve had surgery two weeks ago. Some how he developed an umbilical hernia, he thinks he over did it at the gym, but who knows with him? Steve still thinks he can do twenty year old stuff in his almost forty year old body. Poor guy. Now he can't lift, pull or push anything over 10 lbs. So I've been doing all the yard work, taking trash to the dump , trying to get stuff done in the basement etc... He took a week off from work and is recovering nicely. I've caught him trying to lift stuff, so I really have to nag him.
I gotta go, I'll try to blog more this fall! ttfn

It's almost July and so far summer has been jam packed with excitement and a little bit of sadness.

As most of you know our cute, little dog Biscuit is dead. We had a few sleepless nights around here, but lots of good memories! Biscuit was our first baby and had almost 13yrs. of love and constant attention. I told the kids when our other dog dies we will get another, one dog is enough.

One of Zach's classmates from school died last week. He was in kindergarten and third grade with Zach. We went to his funeral yesterday, it was very sad. Lane had Downs Syndrome and was such a happy kid. He always wanted to play sports with the other boys and was just one of the gang. He got really sick around Christmastime and Zach came home one day and said they had to amputate one of Lane's arms. He had just gotten out of the hospital a couple of weeks ago, but got a kidney infection, his heart stopped. Zach keeps saying " I can't believe Lane's dead.

Vacation in the Ozarks was awesome!!! I miss waking up in the morning and letting all the kids go to the beach! As many kids that we had running around it was so relaxing and easy. Thank You Mom and Dad! It was a memory maker for sure. Steve and Heidi's huge fish, OJ getting into green marker:), Tom dropping the fillet knife into the lake(hopefully no one swims over there), Steve dropping my huge fish into the lake, JR catching a fishing pole, Joe catching fishing line the very next day, all the big one's the got away during our midnight excursions(must be the beer), Quiddler:), Heidi's mountain lion sighting!, the list goes on and on!!!


Baseball and Softball is just about over, we have tournaments starting next week. Zach's team has only won one game and Hayley's team has only lost one game so the tourney's should be interesting!

Emily and kids left with mom on Wednesday:( It was such a blast to have them here. The cousins all get along so well, we will miss you all soooo much! You too Rob!

Fourth of July is almost here. We went to this little farm in Kansas to buy our fireworks. Steve goes there every year because the fireworks are half the price of fireworks around here. The kids lit some stuff off last night with their cousin from Iowa. We are having a little party on the 3rd and some friends of ours have a huge shin-dig on the 4th! They get huge gi-normous ones from Missouri, probably a few thousand dollars worth! Crazy, but the kids love it! I could not justify spending that kind of money on stuff you just blow up!
Zach left for Boy Scout camp the day we got back from the Ozarks! He was gone for a whole week and came home with tons of mosquito and chigger bites. He had a blast. The last night they were there they had a huge storm, so he came home all wet and muddy. All his gear was all wet too! It was such a mess!

Well, gotta go for now, everyone have a safe holiday!

The countdown has begun!!!

The big kids get out of school for the summer on Tuesday! I have mixed emotions during this time of year. I love my kids to death, but having them around 24/7 is sometimes grueling. Zach and Hayley love to fight and argue, and then there's the whole "I'm bored what can we do now" thing, which totally drives me nuts because no matter what I suggest they turn it down? Oh well, vacation is almost here and I just can't wait to see everybody:) I even started putting things that I'm bringing into boxes today, I know it's crazy of me, but when I think of stuff we are going to need I figure pack it now so I don't forget later! My mind is so full:) I found a huge clothesline, that we can cut-up if needed and a whole pack of clothespins so we can do laundry and hang suits on. I could go on and on, but I must go. Today is my last day of home daycare and I am giddy with excitement, I've been doing it for so long that it's really no big deal, but I signed Ally up for preschool/daycare and I can't wait to find a fun job somewhere!!! I'll keep ya'll posted.

P.S. The picture up top is of Zach's Confirmation- we are so proud- He worked hard this year learning all his prayers and the dreaded 92 questions. Joe was his sponsor-thanks Joe- It was a fun night and the Bishop really gave the kids a great talk!

JUST CHILLIN...

Literally, just chillin' here in Nebraska! April, so far has been sooo cold and wet! We were spoiled in March with 70 degree temps, but now are in the 30's -40's for daytime highs. Snow is in the forecast for tonight even! I think all of my beautiful plants have either died or are badly damaged, they are all brown and wilty:( My fruit trees have lost all of their pretty blossoms too! This weather has the kids indoors on most days and I am getting frazzled.

Easter was nice this year, but again freezing cold! The Easter bunny hid plastic eggs with candy in them around our yard. It was probably around 15 degrees out, so the kids got on their winter coats and found all the eggs. All the candy inside was frozen solid, so we had to let it thaw out before eating:) That bunny must have hid them the night before:) Going to Mass was also quite a thrill. All us gals had our sandals and new spring dresses on. BRRR! Next week looks better, and I keep thinking that in less than two months we will all be together! HOORAY.

HAPPY "LATE" BIRTHDAY CHRISTA KUCHTA!!!

Makayla Jo is here!!!
We are having a great time today! Makayla is here and Ally finally gets to be the oldest. She is taking on the mother hen role with pride. She told me this morning " Mom I will take care of Maykayla today okay!"

So far she is doing great and not being bossy at all!?@* I think it's because Makayla seems to be in awe of Ally. During lunch, Ally would take a sip of juice, then Makayla would take a sip. Ally took a bite of sandwich, Makayla took a bite etc. etc... It was hilarious:) Makayla has been following Ally all over the house and right now they are both doing somersaults in the living room (more like rolling all over the floor) Ally has even been sneaking cookies and sweet cereal for the two of them, so sorry Gina and Joe if Makayla is bouncing off the walls tonight:) She did eat most of her lunch though, she totally devoured the egg salad sandwich I made. So I guess I should also be sorry because now she will be bouncing and farting:) TTFN

Ooooh Blue!!!

Well Here's Zach's blue room. We are going to paint the closet beige, after all it's just a closet. Zach is very anxious to get moved in, but we still have to get carpet and all the wood work done. There is an end in sight though and we just can't wait!! Steve and I spent some quality time tiling the bathroom floor yesterday. It only took about three hrs. now we have to wait a day and Steve will grout inbetween the tiles. we picked an almond color grout so it should look pretty. TTFN

Turkey Time in Panama...
Wednesday morning I was on the phone with Emily when eight turkeys came strolling into our backyard. I totally freaked out and practically hung up the phone:) I ran and got my camera and slowly opened up our back door. Our big black lab started charging at the turkeys and barking like a maniac! So of coarse I started running after the turkeys trying to get the perfect picture... no such luck, they ran soooo fast, but yoou can kind of make out the big black blobs in the background here? There are two in the top photo and all eight in the other. COOL huh! I'll try to get better pics when Sadie is not around. These turkeys like to fly up and roost in my neighbors tree at night, and we can hear them gobbling sometimes. TTFN:)

Spring has Sprung...

Brown paint is a great bathroom color!

Isn't Zach cute in his uniform:)

Ooh la la!!!

Yum yum yum delicioso:) Ugg, Ugg me chief cow horn!

We have been quite busy the last few weeks. Zach is now a full fledged Boy Scout after five crazy years of Cub scouting. His arrow of light ceremony was really fun! We had a big dinner followed by dessert, every family had to make a themed nature cake, they were delicious:)

Zach went on a big campout last weekend and learned how to use an axe, a knife and how to start a fire with matches and flint- Watch out Nebraska!!!

Spring sports start up soon for Zach and Hayley so I will once again be living out of my car, fun times, fun times!

I've been painting like a fool down in the basement, it's coming along slow but sure. Everything has to be primed first so it's kind of a pain. We picked out a dark brown color for the bathroom, so far it looks great!

I have definately got crochet fever! I started this afghan a couple days ago and ran out of yarn so I went back to the store to get more and they don't carry it anymore! Oh well, I have the same yarn, but in all different colors so I decided to make a wacky rainbow blanket!

Allison turned 4 and we talked her into getting her ears pierced! She really didn't want to at first because Zach and Hayley kept telling her that they use this big metal gun to shoot the earrings in! They are not very nice and somehow I think it's kind of funny because I'm sure me and Emily use to do the same kind of things to the younger sibs:) Anyway, her ears look great and they were only sore for a couple of days. She's such a BIG girl!

I better go, Kari's bringing her kids over soon because she's got her Drs. appt. and I need to make a themed cake for Zach's cubscout banquet. I'm thinking about making a cake shaped like a tent and make a gross green icing to frost it! Who knows? Mom suggested a fish shaped cake with gummy worms coming out of it- that would be cool too!

Our basement project is going full-speed ahead, now that we are all over the flu! Steve is still not 100%, but at least he can get off the couch now:) Steve and Jarrod got all the drywalling done this week and another friend will come over to tape the drywall and make everything smooth so I can start painting, yea!!! It's hard to tell from the pics what's what. The 1st pic is going down the stairs, and on the right is the bathroom and Zach's room. To the left is the playroom/spare bedroom and the big main room will house a big entertainment center and either a ping-pong table or pool table. Steve picked out a huge mural from Cabela's to put on one whole wall, I'm kind of scared to see what that's going to look like! It is 8.5 ft. tall x 14ft. wide and has deer and ducks on it. Maybe we'll get camo furniture too! (just kidding about that, although Steve would be all for it!) Well I better go for now, Ally keeps getting into stuff. She had Valentine's candy for breakfast! I'm the best mom ever she tells me:) If she only knew I was ignoring her needs!

Ahhh, it's February...

Hunting season has sadly come to an end( Now our basement project is finally in full swing) Ally has been spending most of her days coloring, playing barbies and helping in the basement.

Steve and his buddies did all the framing, wiring, plumbing etc. I am in the process of putting in all the insullation, it's pretty easy, but itchy. When that's done the walls can go up and I will be painting and staining. I just seriously can't wait to have double the living space. No more toys in the living room, no more bedtime drama between Ally and Hayley, they will now have their own rooms. Pinch me, I must be dreaming. I'll keep taking pics to show our progress, it already looks different now from when I took the pictures two days ago. Ally's been doing her best to keep us motivated.

Hello everybody!!!
It's been forever since my last post, but life around here has been same ole' same ole'. Congrats to all my sistas:) I am so happy for all of you! (The pregos) This will definately be a close race to the delivery room. I can't wait to taunt you all during vacation! We will buy you gals some O'douls or something so you can pretend to party:)
Let's see... I went to moms yesterday and worked on this Christmas tree wall quilt. Kari and I are doing the same one, so it's too fun! We will take pictures of them soon because they are almost done. Just in time for next Christmas!
The big kids started back to school again, so I can get things back to some kind of order. I got all my holiday decor down and put away, it's such a chore, but I feel so good and organized after it's all done.
In other news... Ally has her first REAL birthday party invitation for this Sun. she has been carrying the invitation around everywhere and telling Zach and Hayley that they can't go! Her little friend Payton is going to be 5 and they are doing a gymnastics party:)
Zach and Hayley just started B-ball clinic at Norris, this goes for the next 6wks or so. They really like basketball, but are at a slight disadvantage height wise. Anything to get some exercise in during these sluggish winter months.
Zach has his last Pinewood Derby car race this Sat. Zach is in his last year of Cub Scouts and we are hoping his car finishes in the top three. Last year his car went on to the state tournament. I will post a picture of his car when I figure out what's wrong with my computer. I updated a few things and now when I click on the add image button I get a big red X, like a pop-up blocker sign or something.
I will do my best to blog more often. ttfn!