Monday, May 04, 2009

May update

We made it back safe and sound from the wonderful world of Walt Disney. We all had so much fun, coming home was bittersweet. I'm not going to write a book or anything, but I now have my own collection of Disney World tips and tricks and will happily share them with anyone interested. Quickly: I recommend staying on Disney grounds, and not taking a stroller IF your children are capable of standing/walking for extended periods of time.

And now it's time for a Hall Family update.

I've been avoiding writing about [admitting] this for some time now...my dear Father in Law went to be with the Lord on March 8. He was diagnosed with cancer in January. We miss him so much. The pain is still so strong, so raw. My heart still aches. I am comforted knowing that Larry is healed and happy in Heaven; he accepted Jesus as his Savior just a few weeks before he went. Praise God. I am also comforted as I think about Larry getting to meet my dad, Bill, finally. There is a host of men in Heaven watching over our family: my dad, Pa, Grandpa, PopPop, Larry... I imagine them sitting around a campfire telling stories, laughing, singing, praising God.

Bubba is almost 10 months old. We're talking lots of teeth, lots of babbling, stronger personality, cruising around furniture, gaining independence, less babyfood, more table food. And he is the sweetest baby boy ever...and he loves his Mama to pieces. Sometimes I think he loves me so much he would crawl inside me again if he could. He is affectionate. Playful. Funny. Easy. A great eater and a wonderful sleeper! He is such a joy. And 110% boy.


Big Girl is so big. I am still laughing at something she did this weekend. She was eating [playing with] macaroni and cheese. She stuck 2 noodles on the prines of her fork, turned it around to show us and exclaimed, "Longhorns!" I was laughing so hard my stomach hurt.
And I'm constantly amazed at her wisdom. When she wanted to watch the movie "Neverending Story" I told her she could watch it during the daytime but not at night because there were some scary parts. "But mom," she said, "Remember, I'm 4 now? I'm brave because I know God is with me." She learns so much about Jesus from her Mother's Day Out school. A few weeks ago she sang at a Spring Program at MDO...she did great.

Her hair is getting so long and she tells me almost daily that she wants to keep growing it long. People still comment on the thick ringlets that bounce on her back. "Are those natural curls?!" Yes, they are. We are big fans of leave-in conditioner (Johnson & Johnson) and the Dora hairbrush. She is currently fascinated with bugs- not big gross stinky bugs, mostly just rollypollys, June bugs, and snails.

We did a lot of spring cleaning in April: Garage sales, attic cleaning, backyard cleaning, home organization. This month is all about planning. For summer and fall. Summertime brings swim lessons, VBS, playdates, vacations, and the biggest event of the season: Bubba's 1st Birthday. And in the fall, Big Girl will begin our homeschool kindergarten curriculum and Bubba will be into something MyGym-like.

Gorbella's is in full-on money-seeking mode. We're looking for large corporations to partner with us, especially sponsors interested in naming rights. It is a lot of research and waiting. In the end I will be glad that we took our time with the entire process.

And that's about all I have for now!
God is good. Life is good. And we're making the most of it.