Our Family Christmas

This is our mantel decorated for Christmas. I love it! I started collecting those red trees a couple of years ago and try to add one or two each year. Never imagined last Christmas that we would have another stocking hanging on the mantel! So thankful for God's goodness. I bought these stockings when Eli was a baby and planned ahead and bought 4. It was perfect when we had Caleb. But this year, I couldn't find a matching stocking for Owen and I didn't want him to be odd man out, so, I made his to match the rest. It isn't exactly the same, but it's pretty close and I bet you wouldn't have known. I was proud of how it turned out! We spent Christmas Eve at our house and invited my parents to join us. This was my brother's year to do Christmas with his wife's family (they switch every year). So the boys got dressed up in Christmas outfits that Pamma bought them. This was my first take and when Caleb said cheese, it was really loud in Owen's ear and caused some major tears!

We attended Christmas Eve service at First Christian Church and it was beautiful. They had asked Lance, Owen, & I to play the role of Mary, Joseph, & Baby Jesus. But, after considering how big Owen was and that he doesn't like to be swaddled or really held like all the pictures you see of the nativity, we decided it would be too stressful for his mother and declined. Our decision proved to be the right one as we had to walk and stand with Owen during the service! It was awesome to worship on Christmas Eve - missed doing it last year because of the blizzard.

We always make a birthday cake for Jesus and eat it on Christmas Eve. Fancy cake don't you think?! Eli picked out a pink cake this year.

We read the Christmas story using felt pictures the boys put up on a felt board (it was definitely crazy this year!). Then the boys opened a "first gift of Christmas"! Next they set out cookies for Santa and were off to bed. Eli was beside himself excited, and I was just thrilled watching him! It was a moment I wanted to freeze in time.

Santa left lots of fun things for the boys, and they played with them all morning long. They stayed in their pajamas until after lunch!

Later that day, we went to Papa & Pamma's house for a yummy Christmas dinner. It was such a relaxed day for us. Oh, and Owen has been sleeping through the night which was a perfect "gift" for Mom!

Boy do I love these three!

Hope you had a blessed Christmas!

Tara

2 Months

Can't believe our little (actually not so little anymore) Owen is 2 months old! He has settled into a good routine and has been such a joy these past few weeks! We had his 2 month check up last week and found out he weighed 12 lbs 9 oz and is 23 3/4 inches long. The boy is growing like crazy and definitely thriving. And I am happy to report, the past 2 nights I've gotten a 6+ hours stretch of sleep! Hallelujah! So, I have to share our 2 month bear pic. This was the month I dressed all 3 boys in the same outfit, so you can get a look at them all.

Owen at 2 months (12/15/10)

Eli at 2 months (11/29/04)

Caleb at 2 months (1/15/08)

Don't you just love it! Eli gets the award for the biggest cheeks definitely, and Caleb was the smallest, and Owen has the most hair!

Tara

Tour of Owen's Room

Here is a little picture tour of Owen's nursery. I love how it turned out. It's a happy place!

The ABC wall is the focal point and theme of the room. Owen seems to really like it too. He just stares at it and smiles. From where he lays on the changing pad, it seems that he gazes mainly at the P & Q. Boy do I love that red chair (best baby purchase 6 years ago!)

Close up of the wall - I love the C since it has baby cars on the road!

Another close up on the other side. Love the J made out of wooden train track and the T was made from sticks from the creek we always walk down to.

Bedding from Pottery Barn.

Ordered this print from Etsy. Love, love, love it!

Hobby Lobby frames I spray painted.

Above the bookshelf. Eli made the ABC print on a canvas especially for the room!

Another print I ordered from Etsy.

Lastly, Owen's Christmas tree - an ABC tree of course. We both love looking at this.

Hope you enjoyed our little tour!

Tara

Thanksgiving 2010

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at my mom & dad's house. The food was delicious, the house smelled wonderful, and the company was too bad either! Our kids played their hearts out and it reminded me of holidays when I was a kid - nonstop fun with my cousins!

So thankful for my family! My brother has taken over the pie making for holidays and they are delish!

Buttermilk, Apple, & Pecan pie this year
Owen's first Thanksgiving! I know, I'm cheesy!

Who in their right mind takes their 6 week old shopping on Black Friday? Me - but he didn't go out at 4am! Ha! Here we are at my favorite store Hobby Lobby - my sister in law, mom, me & Owen. He was really good.

Family Pic before the big game.

Eli and I went to the Bedlam game. Lance was kind enough to stay home with Owen so that I could go & Caleb spent the night with his cousins & Pamma! It was a great game even though it didn't end like we wanted. We had fun!

Great memories!

"Give thanks to the LORD for he is good, his love endures forever."

Psalm 107:1

Tara

Bear Pictures

Before I had Eli, someone gave me the advice to take his picture each month with a stuffed animal in the same spot to watch how he grows. So glad I did this beginning with him. Since then, I've seen lots of other ideas but I like our monthly bear pics the best. I love to go back and compare the boys in the bear pics at the same age. So, last week Owen was 1 month old and thus began his year long bear photo shoot! He did pretty well. Over the years, I've mastered this task. I like to use my camera on a tripod so I can have my hands somewhat free. I know how to prop them up in the beginning when they can't sit and I take several to get the best one. And some months I will even put them in the same outfit at the same monthly age to see how similar or different they look. I know, I'm a little bit crazy, but I don't care. Here are all of my boys one month pics.

Eli at 1 monthCaleb at 1 monthOwen at 1 month

Same chair, same bear, different colored walls! This is one of my favorite baby traditions. Hard to believe our Owen is already 1 month old!

Tara

Caleb's 3rd Birthday

Caleb turned 3 on Monday and we had his birthday party on Sunday at a local pet store. Since he has been obsessed with snakes lately (we read snake books, he loves the rattlesnake at the zoo, we stop by the pet store on a weekly basis to look at snakes), we decided to have a "snake party". It turned out to be the perfect venue for this mom of a newborn who always goes a little overboard on birthday parties. And, he was just delighted! He got to choose 3 animals to have them bring into the party and of course he chose 3 snakes: a small one, a medium sized one, and the extremely large one named Charlie that is a store pet. I made a snake cake per his request which was really easy. Very fun party and a very happy boy! Definitely a memorable one. For the record, I HATE snakes and was extremely glad that Lance helped Caleb with the snake holding! But, you do what you gotta do for your kids! Here are pics from the party.

Can't believe he is already 3! Love him so!

Tara

Happy Halloween

This is what we've been up to this week! Hope your halloween was fun!
(In case you couldn't figure out what Caleb is - it's a spider! He had the most difficult time figuring out what he wanted to be for Halloween)

Tara

Unexpected blessing

Most of the time, the best blessings are ones we don't plan out in our heads, they just sort of arrive! Owen has been such an unexpected blessing to us! One that we didn't really plan on having, but one that now we can't imagine living without! Thank you God for overriding my small brain idea of how my life should turn out!

We are home now and adjusting to our new "normal" life - 3 boys! Eli and Caleb were very excited to have Owen home and love him so! Caleb asks to hold Owen at least once a day, gives him lots of hugs, says "Ahh, he's so wittle" all the time, and has only tried to crawl into the crib once! Eli has lots more questions this time around and wants to know when Owen will be doing all kinds of things like crawling, sitting, eating food, etc. He is also good to find the paci, burp cloth or whatever I need. Owen has been "well received" by the Hall brothers - makes my heart smile!

We have even ventured out a couple of times and things went pretty well

This is my new life! So thankful for it.
Would love a little more sleep, but I'll settle for this right now!

Tara

Owen Samuel Hall

Owen Samuel Hall

Born at 4:29am

October 15, 2010

7lbs 4 oz - 19 inches long

So very handsome and loved!