Memorial day weekend

I got to spend most of my weekend in Shreveport on Memorial Day weekend. My high school was having a decade reunion that included a reunion basketball game on Saturday. So, my old high school teammates decided to make a weekend out of it and play in the game. It was wonderful seeing everyone again and I especially enjoyed playing in the basketball game (even though no one took it seriously, thank goodness!!). I do believe that my teammates and I still have it!

Friday night dinner with our former coach at Byrd

Right after the game (our team won!)

On Sunday, I was able to spend time at my parents house since both of my brothers were in town. I thought it was a very appropriate occasion to hang out with them and celebrate all of the armed forces that put their heart and souls into protecting our country. We took a little house boat ride on the lake and went for a little swim! I think my mom really enjoyed spending some quality time with her kids!

Fun in the sun!

The kids and I spent ten days at the condo and enjoyed having Lance there for seven of those days!! This was the first week long vacation that he has taken since our honeymoon and I know Lance loved every minute of it! We were fortunate enough to have two wonderful young ladies join us for most of the trip and they made our trip relaxing and special. One was our former babysitter, Lindsey McDaniel, and she brought a sweet friend of hers to accompany her. It was really great to have extra hands with the kids and around the condo!! And the kids still ask about them!!

We were fortune enough to have the Clark family join us for a long weekend as well. We always enjoy each others company and so do our kids! On that Sunday, Lance, the sitters, and the Clarks had to go back and left me and kids behind. But we weren't alone for too long before my parents were able to come down that night. We were able to spend some time with them the next two days.

Our trip ended with my parents dropping me off in New Orleans with Lance so we could be with his sister, Leslea. She had a rough two weeks with her appendix rupturing and having to deliver her son, Thomas Hudson, ten weeks early. It didn't look good for both of them early, but they are recovering and doing well. Hudson has a long road ahead of him, but he is in great hands at the Oshner (sp?) Hospital in New Orleans. Please continue to keep him in your prayers as he recovers in the NICU those next 7-9 weeks.

here are some pictures from the last two weeks!

Landon getting airborne on the slide

first family pic on the beach. The water was absolutely gorgeous!!

Lindsey and katie with the kids

K, L, and Cullen having a capri sun break. The only time i can get them all together!

Here is a video of Kennedy jumping into pool. I was really surprised at how fast she caught onto using the floaties. This is gonna be a great summer!

Middle of May madness

There are so many times during the day that i remind myself how blessed I am! I love the stages that kids are in right now...I am soaking it all up!

first, I am so blessed to have a wonderful hubby to let me take a long weekend mother's day trip to the beach with some very special friends. Also, a big thanks goes to my parents who also did a lot of work to make that happen. But i think they may have had more fun than the kids with the circus and all the fishing that they did!

Mother's Day 2010 Beach trip

Thursday was the last day of Mother's day out at Temple and it's hard to believe that another year has flown by. We were so blessed to have both our kids with such wonderful teachers. We aren't sending them this summer because we will be out of town so much and it wouldn't be worth it. Lance thinks i am crazy not to, but I plan on getting some help throughout the summer.

Kennedy's teachers: Mrs. Edna and Mrs. Rahel...such sweet ladies that kept landon when he was a baby too!

Mrs. Sarah, preschool 3 yr old

We have spent most of our time outside with the perfect weather we are having (and before it gets too hot). The kids are loving it and so am I. We leave in two days to take a long family vacation at our condo. It's going to be the best trip of the summer that we make down there...not too crowded, not too hot yet (i hope), lance will be there, and we will have sitters with us along with close friends who will be down in the area. Lance is really excited about getting away!

Some pics of the kiddos..

Mother's day week

I am currently posting while on my 3rd annual Mother's Day weekend trip to the beach with some girlfriends of mine in Ruston. It is just now sinking in that I am without kids and will be able to sleep in the next few mornings.....REALLY excited about that!! The only downer is that I had to miss Landon's choir production at church tonight, but I was promised lots of pictures and videos!!! I know he will have plenty more productions ahead of him. I talked with him afterwards and it didn't phase him that I wasn't there! I am sad and happy about that!!

This past weekend, Lance pulled out our waterslide and we were able to kick off summer! It was a great weekend for it. We were also able to spend some time with my sister in law while she came in town for her baby shower. Baby Futrell will be making his grand appearance toward the end of july!! I can't wait!

I never really appreciated all of the hard work that my mom put in with raising me and my brothers until I was a mom myself. I am so blessed to have a mother that is my best friend and loves to spend time with our family. My goal in life is to be half the mother she is! I love her and I want to wish her and all of the incredible moms out there a very blessed Mother's Day!! I am so glad we have a day to honor such courageous women!!! Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

(and, of course, i can't post without putting pictures up!!! ;) )

Ava, Landry Grace, Kennedy, Jake, Caroline, and Landon

Kennedy taking a break from swimming and eating cheetos to love on our neighbors dog!

My lil man getting so big!

Kennedy was a big hit at Aunt Leslea's baby shower!! I was really impressed how good she was

May already??

It's hard to believe that it's May 1st already!! I think for the first time in a while, we are actually enjoying some Spring weather! It always seems to go from cold to blazing hot, but not this year. I have enjoyed it!

The past few weeks have been uneventful in the Hall household so I won't bore you with all the details. Now, the month of May will be a different story!! It's slammed packed with lots of adventures!

Few highlights over the past few weeks:

1. kennedy is really talking so much more! She is also done with her high chair so she can sit next to her brother at the bar. It's more messy for my clean up but it's fun watching them eat together.

2. Landon has discovered his motorcycles again and is obsessed once more.

3. Landon also rode a bike without training wheels for the first time while my parents kept them...now I just need to buy a bike for him! Just haven't had the time to research which one to get.

4. Had several birthday parties and lots of trips to the parks!! We can never sit still!

I am headed out this evening to Little Rock to do a basketball clinic with one of my former players. I am looking forward to catching up with her and getting back into the gym. Then Tuesday I speak at Airline HS basketball banquet, and then it's off on a girl's beach trip on Wednesday!! Did I mention that May is crazy busy!?!?

Here is a video of landon riding a bike.

Landon has spent several hours playing in this tub of split peas with his motorcycles!!

A group shot of our weekend getaway to the beach...I am just now getting around to posting it!!

Having a chocolate party with strawberries, pretzels, marshmellows, and bananas!

This is hysterical...i was cleaning out kennedy's closet and this is a size 6 month shirt for KENNEDY, but since it has a motorcycle on it, L insisted to put it on!!!

Easter and Weekend getaway

Well, this has to be my favorite post by far!! Not because of what I am about to post, but from where I am posting it from!! Too bad I can't show you the picture of my view, but it's from the balcony of our condo in Orange Beach. We have been here all weekend with three other couples and Lance and I decided to hang back for one more night before heading home in the morning. I hope to get some shopping in, some beach time, and then attend the Tim McGraw/Lady Antebellum concert tonight after dinner

We left last thursday for a weekend getaway with The Clark's, Parker's, and the Hunt's. Without kids!! We have had an absolute blast. Between the great restaurants, great company, big laughs and great views, I just can't leave this place! The beach was a little cold at times when the wind would pick up, but I will definitely be coming home with some color!! Our highlights...

1. Shelley wanting to take a "shift" in the back seat

2. me leading our group of 8 on a wild goose chase to find "Steamers" restaurant

3. the girls kicking some boo-tay in Cranium

4. Cullen passing out after choking on some ice (very scary, so not a good highlight. Thank goodness he is ok!)

5. jeff's outrageous urges to scream out the window

I will post pics of our trip when i get back home to download!!

And now onto our Easter weekend....I hate to admit that I haven’t really gotten into the Easter festivities with the kids like I should. I just can’t imagine dying Easter eggs with the kids because of their ages, especially when I don’t really care for hard-boiled eggs! But this year, we did hide Easter eggs for the first time for the kids to hunt. They really got into it and loved it. I also threw in a ‘golden’ egg treasure hunt in our house that turned out a lot better than I thought. Inside they found some money and ring pops!! Landon was excited to take his ‘bunny’ money to Walmart and get a prize!

We missed out on several Easter egg hunts due to being out of town and then Landon got the stomach bug that carried over onto Easter Sunday. I was sad to miss church (I stayed home with him while Lance and Kennedy went) and if I had known that Landon was going to miss church, I wouldn’t have stressed so much on what he was going to wear!

Kids digging through their Easter goodies

Finding the golden egg

taking a break from finding easter eggs

Kennedy taking off to find her eggs

Beach Babies

Our little last minute trip to the beach this past week was wonderful!! I have to admit that I was a little nervous to see how the kids would react to the sand and water. Thank goodness they loved it because we will be making so many more trips down there!!! I had a really good friend of mine join us with her two sweet babies and it was wonderful company. I couldn't imagine it going any better. The mornings were pretty windy to be out on the beach, so we did some shopping one morning and took a trip to the zoo the other morning until it warmed up. The sun was out every day but the wind made it just a tad too chilly to venture out there until after lunch.

Lance was able to come down for one full day at the beach and the kids loved the surprise of seeing him. He wasn't sure if he was going to be able to get off of work to come down and I am so glad he could!

I went a little crazy with taking pictures this trip...maybe it's because all four kids were great subjects and the beach was too pretty. I had a hard time narrowing down the 200 shots to put on the blog, so here goes. There are also more pictures on facebook as well!

Landon and Jake playing in the castle that someone else built!!

The boys looking at a 15 alligator at the zoo

We decided to have an Easter egg hunt in the condo and here is Jake snaggin one up!

this poor castle didn't last long...it was a fight to see who knocks it down first!

the boys...

and the girls....

this is one of my favs...its from the first night when we got there. He doesn't even have a swim suit on and jumped right on in!