No Naked Dancing

We had a great time at Jen and Steve's house. Now that we have a combined total of 4 children we figured naked dancing should be a no go! What kind of example would we be?? We BBQ'd, played cards, the kids swam, and just hung out.

Jonathan and Katlynn singing their hearts out!

Noodle Fight!
Belly Flop!
Savannah and Carter
Jonathan singing..singing..singing..
Father and Daughter duet
Playing spades..the girls whipped up on the boys
Me and Jen at the fair

Staycation

It's here, the only vacation the Hallock family will get this year!! I'm not complaining. In fact I'm pretty darn excited!!! We left Derby about 2 this afternoon and headed to McPherson. That's where my Dad lives. I haven't seen my Dad since February 2004, yup, 4 and a half years!! We didn't get to spend much time, only a couple of hours, but now that he's close again we will see him a lot more!!

Savannah, Grandpa Wes, and Jonathan

Same people, different pose :O)
Me and my dad :O)

Because we stayed so long in McPherson we are running late getting to my good friend Jen's house. I have known Jen since elementary school and we've been friends since high school. Jason and her husband Steve used to be stationed in the same company at Ft. Riley. I was in her wedding, she was in mine, you get the drift :O) I haven't seen Jen since November 2004 when I came to Kansas when my grannie was sick. I can't wait to hang out tonight!! I can't even imagine how much fun we are going to have. I still have pictures of Jason, Steve, and a few others doing a naked macarana in the snow in our front yard. Oh those were the days!! I wonder if there will be naked dancing tonight???

Tomorrow we are heading to Abilene to visit my family. I will get to meet my new nephew Codey!! I hoping to see Teresa too(another friend from school!). Then tomorrow night is FAIR NIGHT! Where I am from Fair Week is HUGE. Everybody goes to the fair. People come back home just for the fair. It's the cool thing in a town of not very many cool things. Sunday we are hanging out with my friend Amber. I have also known Amber since elementary school. I haven't seen her since one of the trips home from Germany when Jonathan was itty-bitty!!

Here's to a great weekend!!

The End of an Era!!

As a child I spent many a summer weekends racing with my grandparents. It is some of my happiest memories. It was so neat to brag that MY grampy was a race car driver! We would arrive at the track on Fridays, they would do qualifying runs, then there would always be a big BBQ sponsored by the SCCA( sports car club of america). Then Saturday and Sunday were always HOT, with lots of last minute fixes and tire changes to be done. I always had to hang out at the RV or in the stands b/c you had to be 15 to go down in the pit. By the time I was old enough to go down in the pits I was off living my own life hanging out with my friends on the weekends instead of my grandparents. My Grampy didn't stop racing until 2001, but by then I was in Texas, having babies, and being a wife.

This weekend Grampy took the car out of the garage, loaded it on the trailer and took it to David's. For as long as I can remember I have been able to open the garage door and see the 'ol MG waiting to be prepped for the next race. Now the garage has a new occupant.
Now that the MG is out of the garage, it leaves room for Grampy to park is new love.... For the past few years the porche has had to sit in the driveway. No more! It has it's own home in the garage now protecting from the children(mine) who will be riding scooters, bikes, and skateboards in the driveway :o)
If want to or have time to sit and try to visualize me in my daily life. Here it is. This is my home. Now matter how far from Kansas I am. Grammie's has always been home. I am soooo happy to be here and to know that even when I'm not living here anymore, I will only be a short drive away!!
Tomorrow I go pick up my babies from the airport!! I can't wait. I'm SOOOO ready for them to be home. I enrolled them in school yesterday, found out who their teachers are, and got a feel for the school. I have already purchased all their supplies(so much less than what the TX school districts wanted). I feel like I actually purchased for my child, not all the children sitting around them. It even stated to place your child's name ON their supplies! In TX they specifically said NOT to place your child's name on supplies!! I need to get Savannah some shoes for school, and Jonathan needs a few more things, but for the most part they are set!!

Annoyed

It's kinda petty,

but important to me.

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Okay, vent over.

I feel a little better ;O)

Happy Saturday!!

Gainfully Employed!

Yup, Jason has a job!! He starts on Monday!! The pay is good. Benefits are great, but we have to pay out the nose on the premium!! It's more than double what we paid in TX. Instead of 25 and 40 dollar co pays we have 10 and 10. Sweet! Plus $3 generic RX's. You can't beat it.

We are on the wait list for a town home in a nice apartment complex in town. We plan on staying here in until November 1. We want to be in our own place when Forrest is born. The kiddos come home next Friday, then we are planning a trip to Abilene to see family and old friends. Everything is coming together :0) God is Good, no, make that Great!!

Almost Employed :o)

Jason's interview went really well! They called him back within 2 hours to schedule a 2nd interview! When we went back today they talked to him about a totally different position than want he applied for. An accounting position instead of an admissions position! Craziness! They are willing to start him between his starting and ending wage at RR. Which is awesome! Insurance begins after 60 days!! He's really excited about the opportunity. He is still going to follow up with David about Cessna. We are pretty sure his starting wage with this other job is higher though.

I haven't heard back from the insurance agency about the position I interviewed for. I suppose they are still doing the checks. We'll see. I'll be excited if I get it, and OK if I don't. I love being home again, and being lazy!!

Update, Update, Upadate

We are here. We are alive. We are ecstatic!

Friday was stressful!! The penske place wouldn't take Jason' Gma's CC. Soooo...we had to go to U-haul and pay 100 dollars more! We got a truck and that's all that matters. Jason loaded the truck Friday and Saturday morning. Staci and CJ arrived after lunch to load the heavy stuff, and Thank God they did! They were LIFESAVERS!! We left Texas about 6:45 on Saturday evening. Whooooooooooooooo-Hooooooooooooooooooo!!

We ran into a bad storm in Oklahoma that had be praying out loud to my Lord above. I couldn't see the road, it was coming down so hard. My max speed was about 25 mph. It was awful. We rolled into Grammies at 1:30. It only took us 45 minutes longer than normal with the u-haul.

Yesterday Jason, Grampy, Grammie and I unloaded the uhaul. It came out alot faster than it went it!! Then we hung out here at the house, and grammie and I made Jason his birthday dinner of choice. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY!!

Today I had my interview at 10. It went really well! it lasted and hour, then they called me an hour later to have me come back and fill out the paper work for credit and DMV checks. Sweet! I went to the Dr. today to. All is well, he seems nice.

Tomorrow Jason has an interview at 12. Hopefully that goes well, and my uncle is going to try and get home on at Cessna. I plan on being completely and totally lazy tomorrow, except for going to the library to print some stuff out.

I'm leaving in a mini van...don't know when I'll be back again....

We are up and at'm!!! Jason just left to get boxes and breakfast. I'm about to hop in the shower and finish up this bedroom! Jason loaded 90% of the boxes last night, so today is big stuff and misc crap that we find as we clear out each room.

Can you believe it???

I'm leaving Texas today!! Wooo-Hoo!

Jason's Grandma gave him her CC number, now lets hope the truck rental place will accept it......

Update

So HR said that since my last day was before the paydate my information was deleted and a check mailed. He paid it was mail 2 days before the paydate which was Wednesday. Ummm, I was still employed there on Wednesday so why was it mailed?? I had already changed my address, so the check is on it's way to Kansas. Doesn't do me much good here in Texas. So I'm waiting on a call back from his manager and in the mean time Jason is calling his Grandma to see about borrowing the money. Agh!!!

A test-and I don't lke

So I was supposed to get paid today. I didn't. I wasn't my last paycheck, so there is no reason to hold any of it or to mail it or any BS like that. I have another check coming after this. I NEED this money! I tried calling HR, but they don't open until 8. I have 27 minutes to stew and get angrier than I already am.

Sooooo...

Yesterday I applied for 5 or 6 jobs online. I didn't put any time or effort into it. I just searched career builder and applied for what sounded interesting, even if I wasn't qualified. I didn't even submit a cover letter with any of my resumes.

Today I got a call!! It was from one of the insurance companies I applied at. I applied for 2 different positions, so I'm not sure which one they are calling about, nor do I remember what they are for. Note to self: Go back to Career Builder before returning the call....

Now the bad part. I feel HORRIBLE! Jason has been job searching for 2 months with little feedback and I half a**ed apply for some jobs and get a call, and I don't even want to work!! AGH!! Either way we need the money so pray for me!!

amazing isn't??

How you can find something you hadn't thought about in ages and it will take your happy mood and shake it to the core. How it can take you from the top of the world to the depths of hell. Today while packing our room I found all of Jason's college info for nursing school. I opened the folder, read what was inside, and chucked it so hard and loud across the room that Jason came running in. It represents a fork. A fork in his road that he choose not to take. A fork that instead almost lead to the end of our marriage. Instead of holding out at GR Morris and starting nursing school in 2 months, he decided to go to work for Select Comfort and well..the rest is history.

Now I'm angry, upset, hurt, mad, and a million other emotions that I can not put into words. Some good things have come from that experience, although not many. As a Christan I know God's hand was at work the whole time whether or not I choose to or want to believe that. He has the big picture and I can only see what is in front of me. That is what has gotten me through. Him, not me. His strength, not mine. I am not a dweller of the past. I know it gets you no where. Look forward, look to future, look at the blessings that I have NOW. There are to many to count, but to get my mind off of this I'm going to try.....

Don't Worry

Due to my addiction to Blogger and Myspace I will not be taking the laptop to KS with us. We have very little time with the children as it is and I do want to waste any of our time together.

Sooooo....see you Sunday!!

Happy 4th!!

What a Great Weekend!!

FRIDAY: Not only did I get to go to lunch with Claudia I also was invited to dinner by Melibelle!! We had a great time and chatted and laughed for about 3 hours!! She gave me a personalized necklace of the kids names (minus one, I have to send it back to her later)












Saturday: Check the baby blog, I'm not retyping all of that!! I was so tired I crashed at 8:30 Saturday evening, then woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed at 1 am!

Sunday: I was going to pack my scrap stuff, but first I wanted to organize it. Wheew. What a task! I had 5 boxes on my bed and I started placing items in each box(tools, embelishnments, photos, ect...). I have the scrap closet empty, but I still have to go through the armoire which is FULL!! Needless to say I will not finish this tonight!!

BEFORE:





<-------About 1/2 way through!!







I have given up cleaning and packing for the day. Army Wives is on!

Do you recognize this woman??

Today I went to lunch with Claudia. We hada blast!! Chatting with an old friend and enjoying a good meal is the best!!

I am more than a little pissed. A month ago Jason's mom asked for the kids, and wanted to fly them out that weekend. Remember? Well, she FINALLY called back to see what dates she could get the kids. The dates we thought would work originally won't, b/c Jonathan begins football on July 25 and School starts August 12. So she calls, Jason gives her a span of potential dates. Anytime between July 7 and July 25, and they have to fly out of Wichita b/c my grandparents will not drive 4 hours to Kansas City.

So she calls back and says she can get a straight through flight out of OKC on the 7th. Well, my grandparents are not going to drive them 3 hours to OKC either. So trying to be accommodating Jason recommends getting the flight on Sunday the 6th, and we can take them to the airport on our way back to Texas. So she calls the airlines back and books their flight...LEAVING OUT OF OKC ON SATURDAY THE 5TH!!! And returning July 25th.

Which means that in the span of 9 weeks I will see my children 1 1/2 days. Can I tell you how unhappy this makes me? Not to mention she got her way and we are taking the kids to OKC AND we will have to pick them up from OKC when they return. So here is what my 4th of July weekend will be like:

July 3rd: Leave work at noon, get to KS at dinner time
July 4th: Spend day with the kids
July 5th: Leave Grammies at 9 so we can drive to the airport and check the kids in for their 2 o'clock flight. Leave OKC when their flight does and return to Texas

In there do you see any time for me to go to Abilene and meet my new nephew??? Nope that's b/c I'm taking my kids to the airport on the day SHE wanted, instead of the day Jason told her! I think she did it on purpose. She is constantly trying to bully him into doing things her way or "choosing" her.

She still has yet to acknowledge the new baby. She did ask how I was, and Jason said good and that we are almost 1/2 way there. To which she replied, that's good. She didn't ask how the baby was, when he's due, what names we are thinking about! Nothing. Can I stress how DONE I am with his family. I sent her pictures of him after the last sonogram, and she didn't even acknowledge them. At least could have written back, go to hell, I hate you. After talking to his mother, Jason called his grandmother to let her know the kids would be east this summer. Did she ask about the baby?? NO! WTF! I asked Jason if they knew the baby was HIS. I just can't fathom why they are being so ugly. Jeez, heaven forbid we have 7 years between children!!

This just reiterates why we are moving to KANSAS to be near family and NOT New York. My family doesn't treat him like this. And honestly, they would have reason too. I have never been anything but supportive and loving to him over the past 12 years and they still act like I'm Satan. Of course since I can't confront them about their stupidness. I take it out on Jason. I personally think he should and could have more of a backbone with them. However he thinks it would fall on deaf ears and he'd be wasting his time. Either way, it makes me mad at him. While I understand it isn't 100% his fault, I do think he should buck up more. I mean honestly if my mother didn't want to speak to me about this child I'd be devestated! Luckily, my mother for all of her "issues" would NEVER do that! Nor would my grandmother or anyone I deem worthy of being in my life.

If you can't celebrate my joy, then screw you.
It's just sad when it's the child's own grandmother....

Today is the day

Today I will put in my 2 week notice. I have been counting down to this day for so so long it seems almost anti-climatic. I thought I'd be happier, but I still don't want to go to work. I couldn't fall asleep last night, so I'm pretty cranky day. I just want to lay here in bed and sleep.

Today was productive!

We move in 3 weeks! I can't wait! We have been lax in the packing department. So after Jason realized next weekend is my shower( I expect to see all of you there!), then we are going to Kansas the following weekend for the 4th, then the next weekend we are MOVING he decided he'd better get his butt in gear!!

This is what we packed today:

We finished the living room. The only thing left is the Partylite that I no longer have boxes for and the curio. I need bubble wrap for all of that.

We packed all the clothes Jason's manager sent home with him for Savannah. A bunch of cute stuff! She told Jason her daughter is an "Old Navy Ho", and it showed! I'm so thankful, she's growing out of everything.

We packed our closet. What a task. It had clothes, shoes, partylite holders and wax, a printer...

We packed all the boxed partylite. It's never good for Jason to see that many teal boxes at once :)

We packed the hallway bath. Nothing left but TP and the kitty litter box. Any one want a cat?

And finally the hall closet, nothing left in there but the shoes we still wear

While all this was going on, I have been doing laundry

STILL TO DO:

Scrap Stuff- It's a daunting task. I want to keep some stuff out b/c there are 2 scrapbooks stores up there. I want to be able to go to crops and meet people.

Our room- Not really to much in here

Kitchen-This will be the biggest pain

Our bathroom- This will be hard b/c I keep telling myself I'm going to throw away all my old makeup and hair product.

Storage Unit-Agh. I don't even want to think about that.

Got any extra prayers??

I've got a little list of prayer requests:

1. Peace of mind for Jason. He is stressing about finding a job. I keep telling him we don't move for almost a month, but he is on pins and needles.

2. My teeth. I broke one of my teeth today eating candy. I just got the tooth pulled from when I broke a tooth eating candy with Savannah!! This one is not at the back so it can't be pulled, it will have to be capped. Not while pregnant though! Please pray that it doesn't start hurting!!

3. Money-Not getting the stimulus check really put a cramp in our savings. I am saving as much as I can, but I still have to pay our bills while we are here too!

4. My sister. She's starting over. Pray for a great job and a smooth transition.

Boring

Not that I'm complaining. I love boring!! I am working, sleeping, and working again. That's pretty much it. They have overtime, and I need the money, but man I hate my job so much. I do not want to stay there 1 second longer than I have to. Only 16 days of work left. I can't wait. I give my notice on Monday. I'm kinda hoping they will just tell me I can leave and pay me for my last 2 weeks. Hey, a girl has to have a dream right :o)

Happy Sunday!

Ok, not really. Sundays are bittersweet. I love the day its self, but I hate that it is the day before Monday. The day before I have to go back to my hell hole of a job. I can't even begin to put into words how much I hate my job. I changed my shift from 7-4 back to 8-5. At least this way I can put off going, even if I have to stay an extra hour. AGH! Only 1 week until I put in my notice and only 3 weeks and 2 days until my last day. Our management is so stupid. I know others in different departments who don't hate it, so it must just be our department. They suck. Not my co-workers I like most of them. Just management.

I have a nephew!!

He's my first! Jonathan has given up the reign has the only boy. I don't have pictures yet. But...

Codey Nathanial arrived June 12 at 8:35 a.m. via c-section.

He was 7lbs, 3 oz and 20 inches long

From what I hear he is totally gorgeous!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STACI!!

I don't have enough time in the day to write a blog about how much I love this woman!! She is indescribably WONDERFUL!! I hope you have a great day friend!! I love you!

We did it!

The kids room is packed!! Bunk beds are apart, books, toys, and clothes are in boxes! One room down!! Whoo-hoo! We have cleaned the rest of the house and are in the process of laundry! We need more boxes. Hopefully this will encourage us to start packing the rest of the house too. Slowly but surly it is getting done.

I had an AWESOME time at GASC. I made cards, no pages :0( It was great just hanging with the girls though.

Too bad tomorrow is Monday...agh. Not much longer.....

Wish me Luck!

We were up before noon. Woo-hoo! And we are getting ready to start packing the kids room. I'll let you know how is goes! I also want to catch up all the laundry, and clean the house. Lofty goals I know....

Don't forget, season 2 of Army Wives starts tonight on Lifetime!!!

GASC

Tomorrow I'm going to the Great American Scrapbook Convention. I haven't been scrapping near as much as I used to, but I still love it! I can't wait to have a little creative girl time. Jason is going to go the Rangers game next door, so he'll get to have a little fun too!

This weekend we HAVE to pack SOMETHING in this house!! I know it will be easy once we start, but it 's starting that is hard. Pray for a productive Sunday!

If it wasn't for bad luck, I'd have no luck.

So, much like the rest of America we have been looking forward to our stimulus check. While it wasn't going to be for fun stuff it was going to substantially increase our savings for moving. WAS, is the operative word in that sentence.

When Jason got out of the Army they over paid him. Every once in awhile they will send us a letter and I will send them fifty bucks, but to be honest it's totally not on my radar. They didn't bother with our 2006 or 2007 tax returns, but decide to suck up our stimulus check. Yup, all 1800 of it. I can file to get part of it back since the check is for both of us and the debt is only Jason's. I have have to wait for the papers from the IRS to arrive, then I have to mail them back and wait 8 weeks. 8 weeks! We'll be in Kansas by then! What good will it do!! So the buckle down is about to begin!! We planned on saving as much as we could anyway, but now every penny will count!! Agh!!

Are you ready for this??

I have so much to tell, I hope I can get it out before my fingers fall off! We spent last weekend in Kansas. It was wonderful!! I can't wait to move back home! On Friday we did all of our errands, and we were able to be lazy Saturday and Sunday. Sort of. We were lazy on Saturday. Sunday we drove to Abilene where my mom and sister live and hung out with them. It was HOT, but great.
My sister is dating(and plans on marrying) this guy who already has a daughter. So the little beauty below is about to become my newest niece! Her name is Elizabeth and she is so sweet. She took right to me, which I think bothered my mom. She kept saying, " She didn't attach herself to me that quick" Buy the time we left she was calling my belling button cousin! Too Cute!!
This is my littlest sister Tiffany. She is having this baby on Tuesday if he doesn't come on his own before then!!! My first nephew!! Last I knew his name is going to be Cody Nathaniel.
This is Jonathan and Savannah with Me-ma and Pop-Pop. Yup, Jonathan got a haircut.
We also went by the cemetery and visited my sister and my grannie's grave. My sister died when she was an infant, so there was plenty of room to place my grandmothers ashes there when she passed away.

On Monday we drove back to Texas. It was a little weird coming home and not have the crazies here. We are slowly getting used to it though. Tomorrow we are going to pack up their room. About half will get thrown out or given away. Then slowly we'll pack the house and put it in their room until we load up the truck.

This week I found out my annual raise amount. Are you ready for this? .14 an hour! yes, you read that correctly fourteen cents an hour! If I wasn't leaving in 28 work days I'd be furious. I got the whole, the company is in bad shape, not everyone is getting raises, you should feel luckily spew. Whatever, I'd rather have gotten nothing!! So happy I'm leaving there!! I have serious shortimers and pretty much don't care about much of anything that is work related.

Wednesday night Jason's mom called and asked if she could have the kids for a visit..starting SATURDAY(today!). Um, hell no! How frickin rude! They are comfortably ensconced in Kansas and she wants to fly them to PA in 3 days? Not mention all the things they already have planned? Not to mention I asked 6 months ago if she wanted them this summer and she said NO. Jason and I were dumbfounded at the rudeness and selfishness if it all. They've been in Kansas less than a week! AGH. I think she was upset and surprised when Jason told her no. He told her they could come the end of July, but she hasn't called back to get exact dates. I think she just wanted him to say say how high, when she said jump. She still has yet to acknowledge the new baby. She told Jason she was upset she had to find out on the blog(when she was not talking to us!) Um, if it wasn't for this blog she'd know nothing. Hence the fact that it's locked. If she's going to complain about what she reads, then she won't read. No more Hallock Family Updates for her!

We have been pretty lazy this week. We come home from work and hop into bed! I mean that literally. We lay in bed and watch TV all night. We have started re-watching the Veronica Mars seasons. We are at the end of season one. I love Veronica Mars. I still upset when I think about them canceling it..sniffle..

Today we went shopping! We did our baby registry at Target and Babies R' Us. So much fun!! Jason had a blast with the scan gun. We bought a froggie outfit. I couldn't help it. I have already had 2 children and Babies R'Us was overwhelming. I can't believe it doesn't send new mothers in shock!! They had alot of the stuff for our theme which made me soooo happy. The wall shelf is on clearance for 6.90, so if anyone is going to be in Hulen area soon, let me know!! I'll pay you back if you pick it up for me!! It's normally like 24.99!! After that we went to Motherhood in the mall. I spent way more than I intended. It was Jason's fault. He MADE me buy these $50 jeans. I have never even spent $50 on NON pregnant jeans. But me oh my, they are so comfy. I will wear them from now until I deliver, and maybe even after. I didn't want to get them, but I'm so happy I did. Plus, since Jason insisted I don't have to feel guilty!! I bought 6 tops and 2 bottoms. I bought a SUPER cute black, cream, and silver top. Kinda dressy, but so cute and on sale. I need a girls dinner out to wear it too! I'll be honest, I LOVED strapping on that fake belly to try clothes on with. I can't wait until I get bigger and this baby is moving more! I love being pregnant(the throwing up does suck though)

Tomorrow we are packing the kids room, working on Jason's resume, going grocery shopping, and scrappin(I am, he's not). So it will be a full day!! I think that about has you caught up on our neck of the woods!! If you have any questions let me know!! Love ya all!

i know, i know...

i need to update. and i have lots to say. but i don't want to take snuggle time from my fella. i'll be back soon. promise.

Why do people have to wear clothes?

Darn Adam and Eve for eating that apple and making us wear clothes! Clothes that I have to wash!! I must be honest, clothes that Jason has to wash and I have to fold and put away. I'll be so happy to only do laundry for 2 before it gets bumped up to 5! I was hoping to be a little more progressed in the packing process by now, but I still have piles of clothes. The suitcase is empty, and we leave in less than 48 hours!!

Our Last Weekend Together

This is the last weekend we will have as a family for awhile and it's been great! On Friday Jonathan stayed the night with a friend(and went to 6 six flags on Saturday!!). Jason, Savannah, and I ran a few errands, then came home and watched the baby video! They were able to record our whole sonogram for us. We watched it back with Savannah, and it was neat to see her reaction. She loved watching her little brother(so we've been told) move around, she even got to hear his heartbeat. I can't wait to take it home this weekend for my mom and grammie to see. I'm trying to figure out a way to put it on the baby blog for all the world to see.

On Saturday Jason, Savannah, and I went to Jason's office to get some boxes. They go through paper like crazy, and have tons of paper boxes. After we picked up the boxes we went and looked at used cars. We have been talking about getting a cheap second car. Nothing fancy since he doesn't want me to work when we get to Kansas. However I can't rely on my Grammie to cart me everywhere while Jason is working, especially with a new baby and lots of dr appts. So, we bought a car. A van actually. We spent a little more than we had been discussing, but we ended up getting a way better interest rate than we thought we would. So it balances out. We only got a 3 year loan, so it will be paid off quick. Thankfully the payment its low enough that will still be able afford it on one income. What an awesome feeling to have a van again! Jason hinted at filling it up..lol! I told himhe had to pull teeth to get me to agree to #3, he needs to wait awhile before starting on #4! After we bought the van, we went grocery shopping, then swimming! I love having a pool in our apartment complex!! It was a nice relaxing way to end a Saturday.

Today, Jason got up fixed breakfast for the family. Then we started cleaning and packing. I had the kids bring out all their clothes and we put summer clothes in a pile to take to Grammies and started packing away the winter clothes that will go into storage. I'm doing the laundry and as clothes get done we are packing them in boxes, a suitcase, or they are going in the goodwill pile. With this move I'm all for purging! I'm a pack rat and I know it. I'm trying to be better, but it's hard!! This afternoon we are going to go swimming again :0) The kids are already begging, but we have to reach a good stopping point first.

I'm happy that the kids are excited to go to Grammie and Grampy's, but I'm going to miss them too. I know they will be in great hands, but it will still taking some adjusting. They are big kids now, that's crazy! I have big kids, and a bean. LOL! Jason and I are both looking forward to our time alone. We are in a MUCH better place this year than we were last year when they left :o) We will be taking full advantage of that. With this baby coming we are going from 11 years until empty nest, to 18 years until empty nest!! More if Jason gets his way and we have 4! So we will cherish all the alone time we have coming.

Update! Pictures!

It's all on the baby blog.

Sorry I've been MIA...I've been throwing up like crazy, and feeling poopy!

Pray, Pray, Pray!

Today we go to the high risk OB, they will be doing the high resolution sono to check on the baby. Pray for a healthy, developing Hallock! I will post an update on the baby blog when I get home!

I love being a mother

To me everyday is Mother's day. I have 2 wonderful children who are smart, kind, compassionate, loving and that is a huge blessing. Yes, they drive me crazy sometimes, but I wouldn't have it any other way! They make me complete.

Jonathan- This boy makes me so proud. Not only is he special b/c he's my first born, he 's special because he is himself. He is always asking questions and is thirsting for knowledge. He KNOWS what he is doing with his life. He doesn't say " I want to be..." he says " I'm going to be..." If you know Jonathan than you know that sentence ends with....play football in the NFL!

Savannah-This girl is so colorful. There are so many dimensions to her personality. She is artsy, she is loving, she is selfish, she is Savannah. She unfortunately knows she's beautiful. We are working on her being a little more humble. She is a very talented artist. She can put together an outfit to die for. I don't have near the fashion sense that she does. She doesn't want to get married, and fully intends on living at home forever!! Which Jason says is OK with him!

Our bean-Wow. This little baby growing in me is such a blessing. S/he symbolizes our re-birth as couple. I won't ever pretend our road has been easy, but nothing worth having is easy. We have come out stronger, stronger than I ever though possible. This little girl/guy is highly anticipated. I can't wait to hold this baby in my arms.
Happy Mother's Day to all the mommy's in my life!

I love you all!

Life Lessons

I think everyone has gotten this in e-mail at some point. It's all good stuff and should be re-read every so often. I bolded my faves.

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't judge others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else. 20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"
27. Always choose life, at least you know your way around here
28. Forgive everyone of everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45. The best is yet to come.
46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48. If you don't ask, you don't get.
49. Yield.
50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

H.....H.....H.....Are you sure?

If you know me then you know my breasts are....large. And well, being pregant makes them larger. So tonight I went to purchase some new bras. She asked if I'd like to be fitted, well of course I would! Until she said, It looks like your a large G to a small H. I'd go with an H so you'll have room to grow during your pregnancy. What? H? I didn't know bra sizes went that high! Just so you know, it goes like this:
D
DD
DDD
F
G
H
I just don't get it. I couldn't even bring them home tonight! I had to SPECIAL ORDER them! I'm so in shock. I have my appointment with the high OB scheduled. Pray for calm nerves and a healthy baby!

He R.E.A.L.L.Y. loves me! :0)

R- really looking forward to spending the rest of my life with you and our children
E- excited to have another baby.
A- always loving to snuggle with you. Having you lay on my chest is the best
L- loving you is what I do best. You are my everything
L- little baby boy in your belly! Yeah! Or a girl? Hhmmm… let’s pray for a boy
Y- you. I fell in love with you at first sight. I really did.

I love you baby!! Always! Forever!

YOU’RE MY GIRL

Bring on the Testosterone!

Last night Savannah had her sleepover. The next time I volunteer to have 5 little girls over, PLEASE smack me! They weren't bad, they were just girls! How did my grandma raise 4 girls, my mom raise 3? I give them many, many kudos. I have stepped my prayers for a boy!

Kailee, Savannah, Allison, and Megan(Kiyah was on her way)

We went swimming and it was COLD! The kids loved it though.

Hopefully the water will be warmer for Jonathan party.

Allison, Kailee, Kiyah, Savannah, Megan

Jonathan, poor guy barely survived!!

After swimming, eating twizzlers.

Today was a lazy day. We didn't do much. No laundry. No cleaning. Just recovering :0)

today's lesson in being a good person

here's the deal. if you find out something that was obliviously not meant for you to know, keep it to yourself. what good does it do to tell others? none. unless you are a kiss ass. or just plain mean. especially if you were asked to keep this information to yourself and chose not to. that makes you untrustworthy and a dirtball.

What a week! And it's only Tuesday!

The week started out great b/c I got to wear jeans to work yesterday! I love wearing jeans, I wish management could understand how much more productive I am when I'm wearing jeans. Granted I had to unbutton them after breakfast b/c there wasn't enough room for my baby, my belly, and my breakfast. Then we go to an afternoon meeting/thank you ceremony. They announce that Top Performers will get a jeans day today. Guess who gets a Top Performer award?? ME! I figured I didn't have a chance since I got one 2 months ago...but I was wrong! Then we had a raffle and I won a $50 American Express gift card! Sweet! What did I buy with my $50 you ask? Maternity clothes, Motherhood gladly to took my gift card :)

Today, while wearing my jeans, I had a dr's appt. I'll put all the details the baby blog, but the trip the Dr. was good and bad. Good, b/c they did another sonogram(pic on the baby blog!), but bad b/c she is referring me to a high risk OB/GYN( details on the baby blog). I have to give a shout out to Staci who calmed my nerves a BUNCH when I called her after the Dr. visit. Love you!

Since tomorrow is the last day of the month I will get to wear jeans again! YIPEE! 3 days in a row. I am busting a happy move! I'm going to be so depressed when I have to wear slacks to work on Thursday :0( Only 2 months and 11 days though. I haven't decided if I will try and get a job in Kansas once we move. I suppose it will depend on if anyone will hire me with a preggo belly. If I do work it will only be until the baby comes. Jason wants me to stay him with him/her like I did with J and S.

Life is preparation for eternity

This is an absolutely incredible short interview with Rick Warren,"Purpose Driven Life " author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California. In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said: People ask me, What is the purpose of life? And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were not made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven. One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body-- but not the end of me. I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity. We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense. Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one. The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort. God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness. This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer. I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore. Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life. No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for. You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems. If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness,"which is my problem, my issues, my pain." But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others. We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her. It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people. You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life. Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy. It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease. So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72. First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases. Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church. Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation. Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free. We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity? Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)? When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.

Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.

Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.

Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.

Painful moments, TRUST GOD.

Every moment, THANK GOD.

Dreams

If you've been pregnant than you've had pregnancy dreams. And man, they suck! They are so vivid and totally off the wall that they just leave me feeling like the wind as been sucked out of me! I have woken up Jason twice in the middle of the night this week due to these crazy dreams. When I have dreams like that it's SO hard to separate them from reality. I have to lay there and tell myself to be rational. I had a dream earlier in the week that something HORRIBLE, and I mean HORRIBLE happened to the kids. I knew in my heart it wasn't true, but it seemed so real. I had to lay in bed and force myself not to go check on them. I knew they were OK, but my dream told me otherwise and I had to force myself to be rational. AGH!

Today I am going scrappin'! I can't wait. We are heading up to Remember When in Whitesboro for a day of scrappin', shopping, and girl time. I do not even remember the last time I had girls day. It's been well over a year! Jason and the kids will be chillin' at home watching...THE 2008 NFL DRAFT!!! If you knew my family this is like a national holiday in our house! It's probably bigger than the Super Bowl around here.

Nothing New

Not much going on here at the Hallock house. Just wanted to say "Hi"

HAPPY

I am happy. I have so many great things going on in my life right now, how could I not be? Did I have it rough there for awhile? I sure did! There was a time that I never imagined I'd be where I am today. I never thought I could be this happy again. I am. Sometimes I'm even happier. If you only have good things happen you than you never truly appreciate what you have. You have to have the bad, the rough, the hard to make you realize how great things really are. To realize the important things in life. Yes, people are going to hurt you. Everyone will. The ones you love are the most likely to hurt you. Why? B/c you are more open with them, more real, more vulnerable. You have to remember that they are also human, which means they are not perfect, and they will make mistakes. It doesn't mean they love you any less, it just means they are regular folk.

My life is swirling with anticipation! We have so much going on and so much to prepare for. God has blessed me so tremendously. He is rewarding me for following Him and listening to Him. For not giving up when I wanted to, for taking my my trials and using them for His glory. This little baby growing inside of me to a true testament to that. I believe s/he is a symbol of rebirth. Mine. Jason's. Our Marriage. Our Family. Our Lives. I posted on the baby blog an e-mail Jason sent me right after I found out I was pregnant. It basically said, that while he knew he was forgiven by God, he didn't truly feel forgiven until he saw those 2 lines on that test. That's when he knew without a doubt that God had cast his sins as far as the east is from the west.

Thank you for sharing in my happiness. For loving me for who I am. For being great friends. I feel blessed to have all of you in my life as well, even you turds who read and never comment(T.C!) I love you all!

So Ready!

Everyday all 4 members of our family check the countdown clocks. We are so ready to get to Kansas! The kids are excited to get to Grammie and Grampy's and begin summer vacation. Jason and I are ready to get to Grammie's guest room. My Grammie's guest room is in the basement ( yup we have those in Kansas!). It is cool, and dark and houses THE MOST COMFORTABLE BED EVER!!! When I'm at Grammie's I sleep like a baby. My Grammie always laughs b/c she said it was the first bed her and Grampy bought when they got married and it should be old and worn out. It's not though. It's wonderful. Sometimes Jason and I will lay in bed and talk about what it will be like to lay in that bed. Today Jonathan asked if we could "get a house" on Grammie's street so he can go there "whenever I want". Sweet. That is why we moving to Kansas. So the children can have the relationships they've been missing out on. They know they've been missing out, and are ready to jump in feet first. They have never once complained about leaving Texas, ever since we announced to them we were moving they have been on board with it. I can't wait to get to Kansas and get a little break. You know what I mean...I'm ready for Grammie to take care of me! It's a desperately needed, long awaited pampering. When I'm at Grammie's she does what Grammie's do best...she takes care of her family, all of us. It's so wonderful. 2 months, 22 days.....

Lazy Day

Jason went to get donuts this morning and brought me back these! I love me some colored Daisy's! Of course the Blue and Orange are my faves :) Today is the first Saturday in a LONG time we have NOTHING to do. No errands, no shopping, nothing. Jason took the kiddos to the park to play and I'm going to do a little scrapbooking. I'm making the invites for the kids going away sleepovers and a mini book for a girl at work. I can't wait to dive in and get my hands all inky! Today was the first day in almost 6 weeks I haven't thrown up! Yippee! Maybe my morning sickness will end with the first trimester like a normal pregnancy (and very unlike when I was pregnant with Jonathan!!).

I'm not going to lie

I thought today was going to be awful, miserable, and horrible. It wasn't. It was just normal. Imagine that. Just a regular day. Time does heal all wounds, if you let it.

Emotionally Drained

I'm so ready for this week to be over.

Who would you want to meet???

At dinner we starting talking about people we would like to meet, it turned out to be a really neat conversation. Each person in the family chose 2 people they have never met before, one dead and one alive. Below are the people we each chose, kinda interesting. So, I wanna know, if you could meet anyone( dead and alive) who would it be??

Angel:
DEAD-Jesus
ALIVE-Amy Wood

Jason:
DEAD-Audie Murphy
ALIVE-Bill Gates

Jonathan:
DEAD-George Washington
ALIVE-The Manning Brothers

Savannah:
DEAD- Grannie DeuPree
ALIVE- Miley Cyrus

I love me some Saturdays!!

Today it was so beautiful out! We went out to run errands and bought kites while we were at Target. We hadn't flown kites in years!!

Jason and Jonathan flying kites

Savannah flying her kite
My 2 beautiful, wonderful children

Jonathan preparing for his GQ cover
For my April birthday gift for the year of Angel I decided to invest in some good make-up. I ordered Bare Minerals. I've heard wonderful things about it for years, but have been to cheap to to give it a try. I think it will go pretty fast once I learn the steps and how to apply. It didn't take me long this morning, but it could be faster.

Last month I bought the Mary Kay mircoderm abrasion kit, and I love it!!

It makes my skin feel so soft!!

Below is my before and after.

I hope ya'll are enjoying your family and weekend too!
I made a new banner of the baby's sonogram. I don't have a scanner, so I had to take a picture of the sonogram. That is why it's so blurry, plus the baby was only 6 weeks in the sonogram which means it was the size of a lentil. Ya, tiny. Be sure to keep checking out the baby's blog for updates!!

I miss it!

I had a totally different blog topic picked out for tonight. Then I started watching AI. The remaining 8 sang "Shout to the Lord" as their group song, and I'm not ashamed to say I almost lost it. I love that song. It's one of my favorite praise and worship songs. It made me realize how much I miss going to and being involved in Church. We have been a few times since we moved up here, but nothing consistent or fulfilling. I want it, I need it. I can pray, I can read the Bible, but I need that extra shot of faith that regular Church going provides. So it is my mission to go to Church on Sunday. We received a flyer in the mail for yet another Church this week, and I want to check it this weekend. It has a sermon series that sounds interesting to Jason and I, so off we will go!!

I'm not perfect, but I am forgiven!

Happy Birthday Blog!!

I've been doing this crazy little blog for 2 years!! So much as happened. Good, bad, and everything in between!! I've come to love blogging. I look forward to giving my little slice of the world to everyone out there. I will admit I'm not as honest as others that I read. I've struggled with that and decided that it's OK. That's not me. I'm as honest as I want to be. Maybe I don't want every single person to know every intimate detail of my life. I also love reading others blogs. I check them daily and often several times daily! Blogging is such a great way to keep up with so many people at one time. I love it.

Tired

I am hitting the hay early tonight!! We were up at 5:30 this morning so I could take Jason to work, so I'd have the car for my Dr's appt( update on the baby blog). Now I am wiped out, that extra hour of sleep makes a huge difference.

Sunday Night Already??

This weekend has been so great. It's the first weekend in over a month that I have felt good, and it's flown by so fast. Today Jason made a big breakfast, then we started in on the laundry. It's almost done. I love the feeling of accomplishment that comes with no dirty laundry. We didn't do much today. I took a nap this afternoon while Jason and kids played. I worked on some new digi scrap pages( see the other blog). They turned out so I cute!! Tomorrow we have to be up early so I can take Jason to work, b/c I have a Dr's appt over lunch. What a nice and relaxing day, I'm so sad to see it end.

I love Saturdays!!

Today was such a great day I'm kind of sad it's almost over. Jason went in to work for a few hours today, while he was gone Jonathan, Savannah and I cleaned the house and did some laundry. There is more laundry to do tomorrow, but the house looks awesome! When Jason got home we took Savannah to her friends house to stay over and me and my boys headed out for a fun day. We went to the theater and bought tickets for The Super Hero Movie, then we went and cleaned out the car, got ice cream, did some Target shopping, went to Petco, then finally back to the movie theater!

While we were at marble slab I dropped ice cream on my shirt. So we went down to Target to buy me a new shirt. I don't need it yet, but I went ahead and bought a maternity shirt. Who could pass up an orange V neck Maternity shirt?? Not I! Besides it was 2 dollars cheaper than the regular orange V-neck! We also picked up some stuff for the baby. I'll post pics on the baby's blog. Too cute!!

Now, the movie.... It's rated PG-13. We decided to let Jonathan go see it anyway. Bad choice!! It was full of raunchy jokes and language! Jason and I were laughing when we weren't looking at each other in horror! It wasn't OK for a 9 year old. Some of it was really bad!! We seem to have made it out unscathed, Jonathan hasn't asked any questions about what he heard, although he did quote a not so appropriate snail part of the film. I pray no long term damage was done.

After the movie we went and did a mega grocery shop at Wal-Mart. I know it sounds strange, but I love, love, love, grocery shopping!! I suppose it's because I love cooking. So here I sit in my super clean house, stocked with lots of yummy food, snuggling with my husband. What a life!

SO...

I suppose it wasn't a good idea to announce on April Fools Day. No one knew if I was serious and I got swamped with e-mails! YES! It's true. We are going to have a baby. According to my Grammie we have to have another one too b/c we can't have an uneven amount of children. Yes, it was planned! No surprises here. It was a little bit of a surprise b/c the first 3 tests said negative, so we thought it was a no go, but then the 4th and 5th tests were positive. The sonogram showcasing our bean confirmed it. The baby is due November 18th!!

Surprise!