Welcome to the Nuthouse

My little nephew!

2007-05-03T22:11:00.000-07:00

This is the coolest picture I've ever seen!!! Here is my new nephew!!! Rob & Tiffinnie's little one!

Ally's first softball game!

2007-03-31T19:49:00.000-07:00

On Friday night Ally had her first softball game. Her team is called the "Gator Girls". You can't miss them with their 80's neon green colored jerseys. She was a little nervous about playing her first game. The boys were also scheduled to play a game tonight. As all three of the kids were suiting up for their games the boys were busy giving her tips. It was so cute watching her warm up. Excitingly she ran to third base to get into position. Unfortunately my Dad and the boys only got to watch the first inning because they had to be out at their field for their warmups. The funniest thing happened when she got her first at bat. I had really struggled to find a helmet that would fit her. I ended up having to special order a helmet with a faceguard for a t-ball size player. She geared up to go bat but her coach said she needed to have a chin strap for her helmet. She did not have one. She would have to use a team helmet. They slipped one on her head and she went out to the plate. The only problem was she could not see! The helmet kept sliding down over her eyes. They stopped the game and had to run out with a new helmet. Again it kept sliding over her eyes. Her head was so small that the game had to be stopped three times to fix her helmet. She got a nice hit though. Her next trip to the plate she got a hit, the only problem this time was she did not want to stop running. In her division you can only run one base at a time. Ally has been watching her brothers steal bases for so many years that she got a little confused. She ran to first, then second, and she didn't realize we were yelling Go Back! Go Back! until she was already at third base! To say the least she was out at second! Poor Ally. She's got some wheels though! Although they dont keep an official score the Gator's did end up winning their first game. It was so much fun! The boys did not win their game but the boys both got some great hits. Austin is batting over 500 for the season (as a NINE year old!!!) that's better than most of the kids on the team. A.J. is batting over 700 so far this season. Another parent said "Those Hall boys sure can hit" after the game last night. Although we lost the boys were proud of the way they played!

Father Daughter Dance

2007-02-10T10:43:00.000-08:00

Last night was a night that will probably stay in my heart forever. One of those events you dream about when you have children. Ally went on her first date with the sweestest man I've ever known..... her father! The father daughter dance is held every year around Valentines day.
For some reason the past few years Kirk was unable to take her. This year he promised her that she would go. We went shopping last weekend and found her a beautiful dress and new shoes. I have never seen her so excited about anything and was pretty worried when she came down with strep-throat early this week. Fortunately she was feeling better by Thursday and returned to school. She got up yesterday and after getting dressed laid out her shoes, tights, and her dress. When she got home from school she got dressed. I said "Ally, there is four hours left before you go" so the dress came off and the pacing started. We curled her hair and carefully dressed her. Like any young girl she nervously waited for her date to arrive. By the time Kirk got home she was all ready to leave and like any proud mother the photo shoot started. As I was taking these pictures I was thinking of how fast the years have already gone by and in a short time this could be prom night. With a little lump in my throat I watched her slide her hand into his as they exited the door. He was holding the umbrella to protect her from the rain and she turned with the sweetest smile to say "Bye Mommy". It was the most tender moment.
She returned wearing a beautiful little corsage and had lots of stories to tell. What a great memory!

Hugs & Kisses

2007-02-09T11:07:00.000-08:00

Ahhhh..... !

Draft night!

2007-02-06T21:43:00.000-08:00

(this picture was from winterball, the first time they ever played on the same team)

Tuesday night was draft night for our little league. Kirk is the major player agent so he was responsible for running the draft. This will be A.J.'s second year in Majors and as most of you know he is on the Yankees. Because he was already drafted to the team last year he is a returning player. All three of A.J.'s coaches last year had boys moving up into the junior division. This meant the entire coaching staff plus nine of the twelve players were gone. Not knowing who was going to be on the team or who would be coaching it has caused alot of concern for A.J.
We were thrilled when we found out that our good friend, David (who by the way is Kirk's assistant coach on the traveling team) was picked to manage the Yankees. Adam, his son (a good friend to A.J.) would automatically be on the team. This was a great start! So we were really excited on tuesday night to see which kids would be drafted to our team. We were pacing the floor waiting for Kirk to get home and tell us! He had great news for us! Several of the kids drafted are close friends of the boys and we are good friends with the parents.

The most wonderful news of all though was that our little Austin was drafted to our team too! The boys will be playing together! Austin was the only 9 year old drafted to the Majors! Most of the boys are between 11- 12. The funny part was when David picked Austin the registration officer had to tell him that he didn't even have paper work for 10 year olds there, let alone the 9 year olds!
This should be a really fun season for the kids!

"Westside Storm's First Tournament"

2007-02-04T21:11:00.000-08:00

We had our first tournament this weekend with Kirk's new traveling team. For those of you that have not heard Kirk hand picked a team of kids that will play various tournaments throughout the year. It is seperate from our little league but consists of many 12 year olds from Roseville West little league. These boys are all very skilled and dedicated players. Six All-stars from Roseville West (including A.J.) and four All-star players that play for surrounding leagues. The other two boys are also very good players. It was held out at the Sacramento sports complex. Very cool place! They have 4-5 fields with a big diner in the middle. Great food, big screen t.v. and video games. They had great coffee too which was a big plus. It was freezing!!!! We had our first game at 9:00 a.m. ( a double header) and had to play the early game on Sunday too. The boys got through first tournament jitters and learned a great deal. The rules of play are major league rules, not little league. There were some mistakes at first but by the third game they played really well. A.J. pitched a great game on Sunday and had some good at bats. We play our next tournament next weekend out at the same complex.

Oh Baby!

2007-02-01T11:00:00.000-08:00

I am thrilled to announce that I'm gonna be an Auntie again!!!! Rob & Tiffinnie are expecting a baby in September!!! Yipee!!!! We are really excited about this little one! We have been waiting for another baby on the Meleski side. Courtnie & Alyssa are very excited that they will both be big sisters and our kids are crazy about the news! Austin is hoping the baby will be born on his birthday. His little cousin Shayne was born on Sept.11 last year so he's hoping the baby will want to share the same b-day. Ironically the baby is due the same day I was due with Austin (23rd) but he came 2 weeks early. It's also the birthday of my little niece Katie. I can't wait to start shopping for this one. Babies , Babies, Babies! This will be my kids 7th cousin born in less than two years. Congratulations Rob & Tiff on the wonderful news! We Love you guys!!!

Jeter, Jeter Pumpkin Eater!

2007-02-01T09:43:00.000-08:00

Jeter is like a walking vacuam. He will find any little thing on the floor and try to eat it. The kids starting singing this litlle song to him whenever he is roaming on the floor. We discovered that he has a thing for cheese so his newest treat is "CheezPups". He goes crazy for these things! He also really enjoys these little rawhide sticks. This helps with his teething and it's so cute to watch him chew on them. He holds it with his paws like a human. Is he cute or what!

Hungry Anyone???

2007-01-24T18:35:00.000-08:00

This is what happens when you are too busy to shop and when you finally have time to shop, you shop when you're hungry!!! Two and a half hours at Super Walmart and another half hour putting it away. Not only the kitchen was packed but the dining room too! I had to snap a picture because it looked so ridiculous!

Ally's in trouble!!

2007-01-21T14:18:00.000-08:00

So for months we have been trying to inforce a house rule of no eating or drinking in your room. This rule was revised to "absolutely" no eating or drinking in your room. With it being so cold the ants are invading us so the rule was once again revised to "if I catch you with the smallest morsel of food in your room you will owe me lines"!. Lines are a good way to improve their writing skills and they hate doing it, so we think they get a positive punishment for breaking the rule. Before they would plead "I forgot...I forgot!, I won't do it again" ..... but they always would! Now if they get caught they owe me lines according to their age level. We figure the older they are the harder the punishment is, since they should know better. If A.J. gets caught he has to write "I will not eat or drink in my bedroom 500 times, Austin 250 times and Ally 100 times. In the last week A.J. has never been caught. Austin got caught and after doing lines posted it on his wall to remind him that he never wants to write that many lines ever again. Ally had been doing really well remembering until last night.!!!! Even though she forgot and I felt bad for her I had to enforce the RULE!!! Here is a picture I took of her doing her lines! (she made it to 25)

A.J.s Masks!

2007-01-19T14:36:00.000-08:00

A.J. torturing Ryan

A.J.'s teacher Ms. Anderson

Mrs. Spencer

On Friday I went to the school and helped with the coolest art project. The 6th grade is studying Egypt right now (mummies, King Tut, Art, etc.) They wanted the kids to make these plaster masks which they will later paint gold and add beads, & jewels. Each child picked a partner and were given instuctions. First Vaseline was smeared all over their face and then strips of plaster, dipped in water were applied. The strips looked like cheese cloth with little holes all over it. They had to smooth it with their fingers until no holes were showing. Every inch of their face had to be covered with the exception of their nostrils. The masks were then peeled off their face once they were dry and the kids changed places with each other. They turned out great! Some of the masks you could tell who's face it was without even knowing who's it was. It was really interesting how trust really played a part in their reactions. Some kids were relaxed while others had to overcome feelings of anxiety and claustrophobia. All the kids eventually completed their task and it was a really neat experience for me to watch!

Is He A Cutie Or What???

2007-01-10T14:05:00.000-08:00

We are all so crazy about this puppy it's ridiculous!!! He is going to be sooooo spoiled!!! But isn't he CUTE!!!!!!

Celebrating Again!

2007-01-09T21:51:00.000-08:00

Kirk had a practice tonight with his travel baseball team, the "Storm". Their were two boys with birthdays on the 9th and since A.J.'s was yesterday we are celebrating again. No surprise to any of you that A.J. has always been crazy about baseball, so he almost always gets a baseball cake. This year he asked for a football cake to be different, which he got. Obviously this was a baseball thing, so he could not get away from the baseball cake after all. The cool part was that the bakery made it in Kirk's team colors and with the lightening bolt emblem for "The Storm" They had a batting clinic with the whole team at the indoor arena so we all got together to sing and once again EAT C-A-K-E with the team afterwards!!!.

More pics

2007-01-08T22:42:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday A.J.!!!

A.J.'s 12th Birthday!

2007-01-08T21:23:00.000-08:00

A.J. had a great time on his birthday this year. Since his big day fell on a Monday we decided to celebrate it with the family on Sunday night. We gave him the choice whether to have a party with his friends or to do something with family. Much to my surprise he chose to be with his family. It's so nice to know our kids enjoy spending quality time together. ( he'll be a teenager next year, so I'm lovin this!!!) We decided to go to "Strikes" since we had such a great time there on Kirk's b-day. Grandma Sheila, Loreen, and Theresa were there along with Grandpa Jim and Bernie. Uncle Mike, Sarah and Amanda also celebrated with us. We bowled, had a great dinner and then went back to our house for cake & presents! A.J. got alot of nice gifts and was really excited about all the cash gifts he got! Shopping here we come!

Mike's 43rd Birthday

2007-01-04T22:08:00.000-08:00

Mike celebrated his 43rd birthday today! We cooked a big spaghetti dinner and had him and Sarah over for dinner and cake. We had a really nice time. Amanda went up to the mountains this weekend and got stuck in the snow so unfortunately she can't make it home til' tommorow. It looks like we will be eating lots of cake this week since A.J.'s birthday is next

Our New Baby!!!!

2006-12-30T17:57:00.000-08:00

Our house had a real void without our pets being here with us. Mosy of you know that we lost our cat, Fridgy, in June and it was so hard losing Jack so close to Christmas. We needed a new pet just as soon as we came back from vacation. We knew we wanted a dog but could'nt decide which kind. We searched all day on Thursday and again Friday. As soon as we saw this puppy we fell in love. We had to have him! This is our new baby, Jeter ( after Derek Jeter #2 NY Yankees) He is the sweetest, cutest little thing! We are so happy with him!

Christmas Day!!!

2006-12-25T17:03:00.000-08:00

Santa Was Here!!!

New DVS Shoes

Stocking Stuffers

Barbie's

My new Etnies!

Christmas Day was wonderful!!! We had such a great time visiting, eating and opening gifts. It was so nice to be with our family in Vegas. It's been so long since we've all been together. We hope the rest of our family had their own special day too, you were all on our minds and in our hearts! Merry Christmas!!!

2006-12-25T16:58:00.000-08:00

Opening gifts"

"Giambi"

"Crackbaby"

All Dressed Up!!!

2006-12-24T16:55:00.000-08:00

2006-12-24T16:50:00.000-08:00

the kids each opened one present

"sticky fingers"

"yummy"

"Our Alyssa's" *Alyssa Reni & Alyssa Rose*

Christmas Eve

2006-12-24T16:47:00.000-08:00

Aunt Debby & Alyssa Reni

"making snowman"

decorating cookies

A.J.'s all worn out!

Courtnie & Austin

Today was a family day! We baked cookies and decorated them with frosting. We made crafts (snowmen out of water bottles) We took all the kids to see the new Rocky movie. Then we all got dressed up and went to midnight Mass. The kids went to bed around 2:00 a.m. We all stayed up and wrapped the last of the presents and finally crawled into bed around 5:00 in the morning. Whew....what a long, fun day!!!

Saturday

2006-12-23T15:51:00.000-08:00

"slumber party"

"beauty queens"

Today we got up and enjoyed breakfast together. Kirk & I braved the Mall and did a little Christmas shopping in the morning. Later Kirk & Rob played a round of golf while I went to visit some old friends of mine that I used to work with at the preschool. It was great seeing them and they really enjoyed seeing how much the kids have grown. (they all used to take care of the kids) Anyway Tiff & I did some last minute shopping and then we enjoyed a nice dinner at one of our favorite Mexican food restaurants, Macayo's. We had a really good time! After dinner Mom, Deb & I had a night on the town. We sneaked into the house at 2:00 a.m. It was fun!!!

Christmas Vacation

2006-12-21T15:16:00.000-08:00

We traveled to Las Vegas to spend the holidays with family. The kids were kept happy by watching movies and eating junk food most of the way. I on the other hand spent most of our road trip gripping my seat for dear life. It was pouring rain the whole way, in the dark, with huge trucks driving way too fast! I was miserable!!!. It did'nt seem to bother Kirk at all so my crying outburst left me feeling like I was overreacting! Anyway we made it safely to Barstow for what you might call a quick nap (we had a restless night) and headed into Vegas on Friday morning. We loved Rob & Tiff's house. It was very cozy and the kids had a great time playing on the trampoline. Deb came over and we all had a wonderful time being together!

Making a gingerbread house

2006-12-17T07:52:00.000-08:00

We got an early visit from Santa today. Jim came knocking on the door to deliver our Christmas gift. Kirk's face lit up!! A deluxe gas grill, just what he's always dreamed about. He spent the whole afternoon putting it together with a big, huge smile the entire time. It was freezing outside but it was'nt bothering him one little bit! Grandma Sheila had planned on having fun with the kids decorating a gingerbread house. They did a great job and really enjoyed working on it. So we figured we would try out the new BBQ and had them both over for dinner. Kirk really out did himself this time. It was so yummy! We exchanged our gifts to them and it ended up being a wonderful evening.

Weird Weather

2006-12-15T18:29:00.000-08:00

Today we spotted a funnel cloud a few miles away. When I first saw it it was straight down to the ground but by the time I thought of grabbing my camera it looked like this. Freaky weather!

Alyssa's Choir Performance

2006-12-14T22:11:00.000-08:00

Ally with her best friend Kristin

Ally with her other best friend, Ally Jeffries

Ally is the last one on the left

We all had a wonderful time at Ally's choir performance tonight. The advantage of her shortness is that she always gets to be in the front row! We had our own little cheering section for her. I think we took up an entire row of seating there were so many of us. Kirk, Me, the boys, my Mom & Dad, Loreen, Amanda, and Mike and Sarah all cheered her on. She was so cute in her little dress. I always get emotional this time of year with all the Christmas carols. It was a really special night!

We Love You Jack

2006-12-12T20:33:00.000-08:00

Jack 1993-2006

Today we lost a very special member of out family. Our loving dog Jack has been a part of our lives for 13 years. He has been suffering with congestive heart failure and took a turn for the worst this past weekend. It was the hardest thing we have ever had to do. We had no choice than to end his suffering. We will never forget how special he was to all of us. We love you baby, thank you for all the wonderful years we had with you!

Christmas tree lighting

2006-12-08T08:58:00.000-08:00

Ally & Ally

Ally & Kristin

Having Fun!!!

The annual Christmas tree lighting in downtown Roseville was so much fun. Ally was invited to sing with her choir group so we got to enjoy all the festivities. They had vendors all down the streets and lots of yummy treats. They had bounce houses set up for the kids and even had snow making machines attached to the tops of the buildings. Every 20 minutes the entire street was filled with snow flurries. It was so cool! Poor Kirk had been sick in bed for a few days but managed to brave the cold and crowds to watch Ally perform. She was so happy that we were all there. Mike and Sarah joined us and we had a really fun time.

Having Fun at Loreen's!

2006-11-25T09:28:00.000-08:00

Our handsome chefs

Grandma (in her glory!)

Proud papa with Shayne

Our new little cousin

What a cute Mama!

We went to Loreen's house to visit with Wayne & Angela and our new little nephew Shayne. Rich, Breana, Kaden, and my sister Mary were their with us along with other family who were stopping by to visit the babies. The men (Wayne, Rich, & Kirk) had fun in the kitchen and treated us to a delicious dinner. It was so nice to have everyone together!

More pics

2006-11-24T21:49:00.000-08:00

Is this sweet, or what!

Grandma & Grandpa Hall (hee, hee)

Mary enjoying the kids

(Kaden giving Shayne advice)

practicing for the new one!

Fun with Kaden

2006-11-24T09:11:00.000-08:00

Our little pooh bear

Dad & Kaden

Proud cousin

We have been having so much fun with little Kaden. The kids are thrilled to have a baby in the house. He is being passed around constantly but is being a really good sport about it.

Happy Birthday Kirk!!!

2006-11-22T17:08:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Kirky Turkey!!!

Ally playing peek-a-boo with Kaden

The pro at his best

Today was Kirk's Birthday! We took him bowling at this great new place that recently opened. It was really fun! They had a fabulous restaurant there, so we ate and then went home to eat cake and open presents. He had a great time! Happy Birthday Sweetie!!!

2006-11-20T20:28:00.000-08:00

We are so excited to have Rich, Breana, & Kaden here this week for Thanksgiving. We went out to Sheila & Jim's for dinner last night and had so much fun with them and the baby. We missed them so much! Breana and Kaden were with us all day so the kids really enjoyed spending time with them. Look how cute he is!

2006-11-18T19:48:00.000-08:00

Hello..........Hello........ is anybody there???? I'm not sure if anyone is there because nobody ever leaves me comments.....(boo whoo, boo whoo) I hope your all there. If you are there I sure would love to hear from you. At least that way I know I'm not alone. All you have to do is click on the comment tab and say Hi!

Sincerely Yours, Theresa

Vacation!!!

2006-11-18T19:31:00.000-08:00

Today was the last day of school before Thanksgiving break. The kids are on vacation for 9 days!!! Yipee, that means I'm on vacation too!!!!! No homework, no 7:00 a.m. alarm clock blaring at me, no lunches to make! YEH!! Wait though...... that means I have 3 kids in my quiet, clean house all day??? I will pray for no rain!!! (just kidding :)) We had a Thanksgiving feast in A.J.'s classroom this afternoon. It was kind of like a dress rehearsal forTurkey Day. There was so much food! Kirk was able to come for awhile on his lunch hour. It was alot of fun!!! We are really looking forward to spending time with our families this year, .... that's what I'm most thankful for!

My Great Weekend!!!!!

2006-11-09T18:25:00.000-08:00

I spent last weekend down in So. California with my sister Mary. It was so great to have a weekend away from laundry, housework and the usual crazy, hectic life I live. I have never gone away and left the kids like that so it was a real treat for me. Kirk was so helpful and kept the kids really active while I was gone. They had good bonding time with their Daddy!
As for me I had a few cocktails, listened to a good band, ate great food, went shopping, sang Kareoke,(did I spell that right??) and was able to spend quality time alone with my sis. We have not spent time together like that for many years. My brother-n-law was away for the weekend on business so it was just the two of us. I did get to see him before I left though, so that was really nice. I left early Friday, so by Monday I felt pretty relaxed and ready to face the nuttiness of home. I walked in the house to 3 adorable children who were ready to have their Mommy back. I also had a lovely card and beautiful bouquet of flowers waiting for me from Kirk. It's so nice to feel needed, missed, loved, and appreciated. I think I will do this again sometime!!!!

Happy Halloween!!!

2006-10-31T23:46:00.000-08:00

We had a great time trick-or treating with the kids tonight. Grandma Sheila, Grandma Loreen, Uncle Mike, cousin Amanda and Micah (Amanda's boyfriend) joined us on the mission for candy!Alyssa was so pretty dressed as a Queen, A.J. was totally up for his role as a nerd and Austin was great as a Jamaican guy. Kirk borrowed Austin's costume for work and got alot of laughs and I thought it would be fun to dress up as a Yankee player (borrowing A.J.'s uniform) this year. We made yummy food and I got creative with some of it. Check out my mummy hotdogs! We had a spooktacular time!!!!

More Pics

2006-10-31T23:13:00.000-08:00

And more Pics!

2006-10-31T22:13:00.000-08:00

Carving Pumpkins!

2006-10-30T20:30:00.000-08:00

The kids did a great job carving their pumpkins this year. They used those fancy stencils and we were quite impressed with their creations. They just love getting their hands all icky and sticky with pumpkin goo!

Dad's 76th Birthday!

2006-10-30T19:32:00.000-08:00

Today was Dad's 76th birthday. The kids were teasing that he's the same age as the gas station.
We all gathered for dinner at our house for good food and laughs. It was a great time!. Happy Birthday Dad!!!!!

I'm All Caught Up!!!!!!!!

2006-10-25T15:57:00.000-07:00

Yipee, after a 2 month hiatus, I'm back!!! I am so sorry to all that were dissapointed with no news from us. I have been so busy that I could never find the time to update. I had some time on my hands today and strapped myself to the computer chair determined to complete all these updates. There are a few missing pieces like the boys new baseball teams, Kirk's softball and A.J.'s big trip to the Redwoods but now that I've come this far I plan on keeping up with it. Hope all is well with everyone. Enjoy!

G.G.'s visit!!!!

2006-10-25T13:58:00.000-07:00

Sheila & Jim just got back from Hawaii with Great- Grandpa Don & Barbara. They happened to be there when the earthquake hit, but all were fine. We had a nice, but quick visit with them this week. It was so good for the kids to see them. Ally got her sign language book out and they got the biggest kick out of her. I guess she figured that they were experts and she was ready for a tutorial. She sat with them doing signs and they had a good old time! Hmm, maybe we are going to have another interpreter in the family???

The A's game!!!!

2006-10-25T12:33:00.000-07:00

The kids getting autographs

piggy-back ride

Joe Inglett from the Cleveland Indians

Enjoying the game

9th inning at A's stadium

We had a great time with Mike and Sarah at the A's game. Unfortunately Kirk got sick so he was stuck in bed at home. Poor Daddy! A security gaurd gave the kids a great oppurtunity by allowing them to stand by the visitors dugout. They each got about 10 autographs, including the rookie Joe Inglet's. He was just drafted this June to the Cleveland Indians and is from Sacramento. Ironically Mike works with Joe Inglet's Dad so we had been watching him all summer long. It was pure coincidence that we got tickets for that game so the kids were really excited! Mike got to visit with the Inglet family and introduced himself to Joe when he was warming up. He told him that he works with his Dad and that he was here with his niece and nephews. I think you just gave autographs to them he said. Then Joe said "Oh that cute little girl over there is your niece!" Ally was so flattered! This was her first major league game and she was totally into it. We had an awesome time!!!!!!

Austin turns 9!

2006-10-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

Of course it's a baseball cake!

I can't believe our little Austin is turning 9 years old!
The kids are growing up so fast. I keep telling them to stop,
but they don't seem to be listening!
Austin is thrilled that his little cousin Shayne
(wayne & Angela's baby) was born on Sept, 11th this year.
He always felt that he was different because his birthday
falls on 9-11. He felt so proud that they will have this day to
share with each other. We had the family over for dinner and
had a great time watching him open gifts. We also plan on taking
him to an A's game later this week. Happy B-day Austin! We Love You!!!!

Our new nephew- Shayne

2006-10-25T11:57:00.000-07:00

2006-10-25T11:47:00.000-07:00

I got remote control cars!

It's my brother's fault" T-shirt

A shiny new basketball

Allen Iverson jersey

2006-10-25T11:40:00.000-07:00

Our little family

Ally's in second grade

The first day of school
A.J. 6th grade Austin-4th grade

Mary's Visit

2006-10-25T11:27:00.000-07:00

Hey...it's Erkel!!!!!!!!

Baking with Ally!

Hello Dawling!!!!!

Mary came to visit us for a whole week. We fit so many fun things into this week that unfortunately it went by way too fast. You know what they say..."Time flies when you're having fun"! She arrived here for Mom's Birthday and we enjoyed the state fair, the kids first day of school, a girl's day out, and a day trip antiquing in Auburn. She also got a little taste of how crazy our daily life is! We had a blast!!!!!!!

California State Fair

2006-10-25T11:26:00.000-07:00

Hey little chicky!

Say cheese!

Super slide

Wheee!!!!!!!

2006-10-25T11:24:00.000-07:00

Carousel ride

Our yummy slushees!!!!!!

Ooh La La!!!

Austin the daredevil
(he gets it from his Uncle Rich)

Tea Cups

2006-10-25T11:23:00.000-07:00

Our day in Auburn

Little people......Big World!!!!!!

Mom and Mary

Bakin' with my bro!

2006-10-25T10:58:00.000-07:00

We made cookies, and cakes, and a great big mess!
But we sure had lots of fun!

Mom's 76 Birthday!

2006-10-25T10:50:00.000-07:00

Mom turned 76 on August 19th this year. We had a great dinner at her favorite Mexican food place- "Cha-Cha's". We made sure she had her margarita's and then took her home to party! It was a great day! We Love You Mom! Happy Birthday!

Rain Forest Cafe

2006-10-25T10:40:00.000-07:00

Having Fun!!!!

2006-10-25T10:26:00.000-07:00

Not everyone was able to attend Alyssa's "home" birthday party on Saturday, so we arranged to spend the next day in San Francisco. We took the kids to "Pier 49" and had a great time just hangin' out. Our favorite place was the hat shop where we had alot of laughs. Grandma Sheila, Grandpa Jim and the rest of the family ( Kathy, Ron, Stacy, Katie, Jamie, Janelle and the kids)all gathered at the "Rain Forest Cafe" for dinner. It was alot of fun!

Alyssa's 7th Birthday

2006-08-25T10:09:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that our baby is now 7 years old! This year we decided it would be fun to celebrate her B-day all weekend long. We started on Saturday with a small celebration at home.
We invited Uncle Mike and Sarah and her kids over for a BBQ. Ally had a great time. She received some very nice gifts from her Aunt's and Uncles and was estatic about receiving the gift we gave her. All summer long she had been asking for something all little girls dream of......an "Easy-Bake Oven"!!!!!!!!! Alyssa had more fun baking little cakes and cookies for all of us. It was a good day!

My 29th B-day Again!!!

2006-07-31T00:37:00.000-07:00

Licking the candles!

You know that your getting older when it takes two boxes of candles to cover your cake. Mom baked my favorite chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting and after putting all the candles on informed me that she wished she would have gotten two numeral 3's instead. Man that was a low blow! Oh well at least I still look 10 years younger than I am! O.k., well at least 5! Hee, Hee!

2006-07-31T00:13:00.000-07:00

Cleaning the fish, yummy!

Proud fisherman

"The biggest catch of the day!"

Ally patiently waiting for something to happen!

Having fun

2006-07-30T23:53:00.000-07:00

"What a great smile!"

Roastin' Mallow's

"King of the Grill!"

Eating Smores!

My B-day weekend!!!

2006-07-30T20:52:00.000-07:00

Kissing the fish??? Yuck!!!

Relaxin' in the RV.

Ally's big catch!

Ally's new bedroom

A.J.'s first fish!

Although we had planned on going to Ashland with family this weekend we had to cancel and rearrange our plans. We were invited to join Sheila & Jim on the camping trip they had planned with the kids. We had a really good time! Friday night we arrived at the campground . It was a few miles past Big Trees. The campground had a pool, ping pong, fooze ball, and air hockey. We fished all weekend a few miles away at Alpine Lake. The kids all caught their first fish. The boys even caught their limit. After two days we managed to catch 36 fish!!! It was great playing games, roasting marshmallows and catching up on some family time together. Here are a few photos from our great weekend!

2006-06-23T09:13:00.000-07:00

Last year was the first Father's Day without our beloved Rick so we wanted to honor his memory in a special way. All of us thought about what we might want to say to him, we wrote letters, rolled them up and placed them in helium baloons. We went out into the fields by the house and one at a time released them. It is very moving. Kirk and I agreed that this would be our way of remembering him each Father's Day. It's hard to believe a whole year has passed but we kept up with our new tradition and released the baloons Sunday afternoon. Happy Father's Day Rick, we miss you so much!!!

Happy Father's Day!!!

2006-06-23T09:05:00.000-07:00

Father's day was spent at home with family. This was a perfect way to celebrate the day since we never seem to be at home enough. It was nice to BBQ and have the family over for dinner. The kids had fun giving Daddy and Grandpa their gifts.

It ain't over til it's over!!!

2006-06-18T16:07:00.000-07:00

"The Yanks"

Well fortunately we ended our regular season in first place but placed second in our league's tournament of champions. It was pretty dissapointing to lose because we lost to an underdog team that has been on a lucky winning streak. The boys received 2nd place medals and then these top two teams go on to play in the district's Toc. (These are all teams in Placer county.) The field we get to play on is inPlacerville and it is a single elimination tournament so we play until we lose. Grandma Loreen was happy, the little league field is only 10 minutes from her house!. We traveled up to Placerville on Saturday to watch one of the best comeback games we ever saw. It was the 3rd inning and we were down 7-1. The boys were hot, tired and looked defeated. We were still down at the bottom of the sixth and final inning. The score was 7-3 and somehow we managed to fight back and score 5 runs to win the game. It was incredible to witness. We all thought for sure that was our last game together. We will play again on Monday and will continue to drive up there every day next week until we lose. Then All-Stars begins until mid July. Wow 6 months of baseball!!!!!!

All-Stars 2006!!!!!!

2006-06-14T16:26:00.000-07:00

Well It's no surprise anymore, the cat's out of the bag. A.J. made All-Stars again this year!. The coolest part is the 11 year old team is playing the tournament out at Richard's, which is our home field. The bad news is that it will be interfering with our Tahoe trip. We are bummed about that but we will do our best to enjoy it all!!!

My stiches itch!

2006-06-12T21:38:00.000-07:00

One thing that our kids have not had to do up until now is get stitches. The kids were all playing in our neighbors backyard and somehow they threw a rock onto the other side to get the attention of some other kids. Unfortunately these kids thought it would be fun to throw rocks back and A.J. got blind-sided in the four head with one of them. So Kirk and I took him to his doctor and he had to receive 5 stitches. The doctor he saw is not his regular doc and the last time A.J. was in to see him was for another emergency. Do you all remember the broken toe incident? Ironically it was during baseball playoffs, so it was the exact same time as last year. Although he had a little bit of a headache he was fine. The Doc said see you same time next year!

Yankees are in!!!!

2006-06-11T10:38:00.000-07:00

Well I have to say this was one of the most exciting games I have ever watched in Little League. The winner of this game determines who will play in the Championship game this Thursday. So let me set the scene for all of you. We are playing against the Cardinals, great team. We are home team which means we are last to bat. In the major division you play 6 innings. So first inning -Cardinals score 2 runs, we score 1. Second inning- Cards score 1, we score 2. So the score is now- Cards-3, Yanks-3. Third inning remains the same. Fourth inning they score 2 more runs, we score 0. Score is now Cards-5, Yanks-3. Fifth inning remains the same. Sixth inning we change pitchers and we tie it up to go into extra innings. Seventh inning they bring A.J. in to pitch, he does awesome! A.J. has two outs and a ball is overthrown to third and then an error at second is made to help the Cards score in 2 more runs. Cards-7, Yanks-5. Here we are at the bottom of the seventh, our last chance to score. The Cards have to change pitchers. We end up with bases loaded(A.J. is on first) the kid batting has not really hit well this year. The pitch is perfect and he blasts it. One run in, two runs in,WERE TIED! Here comes A.J. rounding third,(even though his coach told him to hold off, he new he could make it home) It felt like a scene from some baseball movie where every move was in slow motion. He slid right under the tag and the ump yells SAFE!!!!! He stole home to score the winning run for the Yankees!!! His teamates went crazy, lifting him up and cheering. I don't think my Dad has ever been so proud. Kirk and I were practically in tears. We were so happy for A.J. Final score- Cards 7- Yankees- 8!
We play Thursday night for the championship title. Way to go Yankees!!!!!

Thursday, June 8

2006-06-10T10:38:00.000-07:00

The Mariners season ends with 7 wins, 1 tie, and 8 losses. That's pretty good to end your first season as a coach with equal wins to losses. We were so proud of Kirk for staying positive through many difficult situations. Believe it or not he wants to do this again next season. Austin was highly rated for being one of the best in the league and one of the youngest at that. He owes alot of his talent to A.J. for constantly dragging him out to the back yard to play ball. The only thing he would like to change next season is his name!!!!! He would prefer to be called A-U-S-T-I-N instead of "A.J.'s little brother". I reasurred him that there were worse names to be called!
Great job Austin and Daddy!!!!!!!!!

As for A.J. we took first place overall in his division and we won our first tournament of champions game Weds. night. He plays tonight and if we continue winning we will be traveling to compete with other area teams. Way to go A.J.!!!!!!!!

Wednesday, June 7

2006-06-10T10:29:00.000-07:00

We had alot of fun in Austin and Alyssa's classrooms. Both had pizza parties and both got to play water games outside. We had alot of laughs! Our favorite was the water baloon toss. It was a great year at school, but we are certainly ready for a fun, relaxing summer break!!!!!!!

Last week of school!!!!!

2006-06-10T09:47:00.000-07:00

A.J. with Ms.Reidt/5th grade

A.J. and his awards

This was the last week of school and there were lots of activities planned. We were very proud of A.J.! His teacher had a reward program for kids who always turn in their homework. The first Monday of each month she provided breakfast(bagels,donuts,muffins,fruit,juice) for those kids in her classroom. Only one child in her class earned every breakfast club this year. Yes ....that would be my son..... so he earned a special breakfast out with his teacher, very cool. To top that off there was an awards assembly which his teacher informed me to attend and to bring the video camera. A.J. won three awards including an academic achievement award (for perfect grades) This award was only given to 17 students out of 260! Way to go A.J.!!!!!

2006-05-30T10:46:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a great Memorial day weekend! We enjoyed some much needed relaxation time. We had alot of fun bowling with Mom and Jim on Sunday. A.J bowled an awesome 165 game, Austin and Ally both had two strikes and we all had alot of laughs. Ally seemed to think if she twirled..... the pins would go down. Thought you all would get a kick out of watching her! Tonight A.J has a baseball game and Austin tomorrow night. This is the beginning of a crucial week (playoffs start next week.)
We wish the boys lots of luck and we will keep you posted!

2006-05-30T10:37:00.000-07:00

More bowling videos

Bowling Night

2006-05-30T10:19:00.000-07:00

watch us bowl

2006-05-18T10:20:00.000-07:00

Having fun out at the ballpark!!!!

2006-05-18T10:05:00.000-07:00

Lucky winners of my awesome raffle basket!

Way to go Austin!

Ally at the school carnival

Busy, Busy,Busy!!!

2006-05-18T09:47:00.000-07:00

So most of you know how busy we have been. With my internet problems I have not been able to devote much time to my blog. I will try to update you on some of the fun stuff that has been going on with us! The school year is almost over. I taught my last two art docent classes last week and we ran not one, but two carnivals. One for little league where we did a face painting booth and then another one for the school. We were so busy planning both events.They were both very successful and alot of fun! Baseball is in full swing and A.J.'s team is on it's way to clutching the pennant! He has been playing really good and has had a good, positive season. It has really been fun to watch him play at such a competitive level and to watch under the flood lights! As for our little Mariners........Kirk's team has struggled since the second half of the season. All except for their star player(Austin) :O) He is so much fun to watch this year. His pitching, hitting, and fielding is excellent. We are very proud of both boys! So things should be calming down for us soon. I'm so ready for a break!!!!!!!!!

Out of Commision!!!!!!!

2006-05-18T09:31:00.000-07:00

"Out of Commission" best describes my newest dilemma! If it's not hard enough to find the time to update this blog, I have been experiencing technical difficulties. Our internet service has not been working. We have been having trouble for a few weeks and when the cable company came out they said we have a wiring problem. I guess it's quite the job. The entire street will have to be rewired due to a weak signal. So the funny part is I figured out that we get service from about 10:00 at night til about 9:45 a.m. Somehow the heat affects the signal. OH NO, it's 9:40!!! I better post this! Until next time!

Mike & Sarah

2006-04-25T10:21:00.000-07:00

5 DAY RECAP

2006-04-25T09:48:00.000-07:00

Well it was another busy weekend around the Hall household. Kirk coached another win for the Mariners on Sat. afternoon. The game was really close. It was the last inning and the other team was up to bat. We were up by one run and had to change pitchers because our first pitcher had already pitched for three innings. He was'nt sure if putting Austin in to pitch was the right thing. This was alot of pressure for little Austin. He takes the mound. First pitch.....strike, strike, strike. 1 out! 2nd batter....strike , strike, strike. 2 outs. Final batter...strike, strike, strike. 3rd and final out! We win!!!! It was awesome to see him do so well! We had a busy Sunday as well. Church, Team pictures, and we went to a birthday party with the kids. Mike drove up Friday night with his new girlfriend Sarah. We got to visit with them over the weekend and really enjoyed getting to know her. She is a really terrific girl and they made a nice looking couple. Tonight we have a double header, Austin's game then A.J.'s right after. This week is also the state standerized testing at school so the kids are on a strict schedule with bedtime and meals. The good thing is there is no homework but it's hard to manage with baseball. Both boys plan on pitching tonight! Wish them goodluck!!!

2006-04-21T11:47:00.000-07:00

Watch A.J. Pitch

A.J.'s Major League Debut!

2006-04-21T10:44:00.000-07:00

Last night A.J. had his first trip to the mound in Majors. We watched him proudly pitch his little heart out. He did Awesome! There was a few unexpected incidents though. First of all a ball was hit right to him and it hit him in the face. He fought through it and managed to finish the play, although they ended up stopping the game for about 10 minutes. We were short on players so A.J. knew he had to compose himself and move on. What a fighter! The next inning he was making a play at home and the runner collided with him. It was like a scene from a movie. They collided.....the dust is flying......A.J. slowly raises his head, ball in hand, hands on runner, as the ump yells.........You're.... OUT!!!!!!!!! Yeh he was so happy!!!!!!!!! He also got a really great hit and made a perfect bunt to land him on base. Even though we did not win it was a great game for A.J. Way to go A.J.!!!!!!!!!

2006-04-16T18:00:00.000-07:00

I just had to post this pic,
it cracks me up!

2006-04-16T17:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter Everybunny!!!!

2006-04-16T16:18:00.000-07:00

Well it's been quite the week for our household. When the kids were complaining about being bored at the beginning of the week I got pretty worried. I figured with all the rain forcasted they were going to get a bad case of cabin fever.
Instead they contracted a bad case of the stomach flu! Of all things !!! We have been quarantined to the house and all plans for Easter had to be canceled. Austin was the first one to come down with it and we all hoped it was maybe something he ate. When Alyssa came down with it though we knew it was the flu. Kirk and I have been feeling a little under the weather but so far we have not been sick. A.J. is o.k so he has been the most disapointed. It was so sad! I've never seen Austin that sick, and poor Alyssa cried her eyes out that she would'nt get a chance to wear her Easter dress. It's tradition for our family to attend midnight Mass on Easter. The kids always look forward to the candle lit service, dressing up and staying up late. The service is the most beautiful of the whole year. We were able to attend last night but had to leave Ally at home.
Fortunately she was feeling alot better today. We had the usual knock at the door. "Mommy, Daddy, wake up......the Easter Bunny has come!" So we slowly rolled out of bed and enjoyed the morning. It was the first time ever that they were'nt diving into the candy. Poor little guys. As the day progressed the weather settled down and it stopped raining long enough to do our annual Easter Egg hunt. A little muddy but it was so nice to see the kids feeling well enough to enjoy it. So everyone is wore out from all the excitement and are all settled back down in their beds. We have a turkey in the oven, and Mom and Kirk are cooking for those of us that still have an appetite. Although this has not been the traditional Easter Sunday we are feeling blessed to have each other. We would like to wish all our friends and family a very happy Easter and we send our love to each and every one or you! xoxo

Monday, Monday.......

2006-04-10T00:16:00.000-07:00

Well today is Monday and it's the first day of sprink break. We have been looking forward to this break for weeks. I actually went to bed wth a smile on my face. I imagined how wonderful it would be waking up to a quiet morning. No dragging kids out of bed, no clothes to pick out, no lunches to make, no missing homework to search for. I could sleep til' noon if I wanted, and maybe I will. So guess what........ The kids wake up, come to my room and greet me with 2 little words......
"I'm Bored!" ........Can you believe that! It's 9:00 a.m. and they are already bored.
It's going to be a long week!

Pretty as a Princess

2006-04-09T22:35:00.000-07:00

Sunday was spent celebrating little Andrea's second Birthday. Jim cooked up a yummy lunch and the cousins enjoyed running around the house playing. After cake and presents we had planned to take the kids to see Ice Age II. Grandma Sheila surprised all the grandkids with gifts. The boys received Dvds and the girls got new dress-up clothes. Andrea was adorable in her little dress. She loved it so much that she would'nt let us take it off of her, so the little princess was escorted to the theater in her jewels and gown. It was hilarious! Very cute movie by the way. It was a fabulous day!

2006-04-09T22:15:00.000-07:00

2006-04-04T17:52:00.000-07:00

Pictures from this weekend

A wonderful weekend!

2006-04-04T17:26:00.000-07:00

Well it's another blah kind of day as I sit here listening to the rain and all is quiet in the house. We had a houseful this past weekend. Rich was needed here on business so it was the perfect oppurtunity to bring Breana and the baby. Although we missed Kylin we enjoyed meeting our gorgeous little nephew and spending time with him. We mostly spent time indoors because of our terrible weather but had lots of fun catching up on things, playing cards, laughing, and just being together. It was great having both my sister and Rich and Bre here. Now the house is quiet and I feel a little sad. We sure did enjoy our time together and look forward to when we can do it again!

Mary's Visit

2006-04-03T18:36:00.000-07:00

We had a great time this weekend with Mary. It was a short but sweet visit. We got to enjoy each other's company, had alot of laughs, watched a great little league game, ate great food, had a blast shopping and enjoyed curling up in bed with a great chick-flick! I had so much fun just hangin' out with my big sis! xoxo Love you Mary!

2006-04-03T18:30:00.000-07:00

"Playing Lingo"

"Lying Around"

"SMILE!"

"Our Mom"

"At Kirk's office"

"What is he gonna do to me!"

"Mom & Dad"

The Bash Brothers Strike again!!!!

2006-04-01T22:21:00.000-08:00

Austin Hall goes three for three! The Mariners faced the Giants and pulled out a win at Saturdays game. Final score ... 16-8. Coach Kirk did a great job coaching and Austin made his PaPa proud! With Aunt Mary visiting and Grandparents in attendance you could see his desire to play hard. Austin went to the plate three times and had three RBI's. He made a few awesome plays as Catcher and stole home! The crowds were cheering and you could hear Grandma's shouting "That's my Grandson!!!" A great day at the ol' ballpark!

2006-03-30T18:26:00.000-08:00

" Our trip back in time!"
This week I was lucky enough to help out with Austin's third grade field trip. We had a wonderful time pretending to be pioneers from 1890. Not only did the children dress as they did back then but also all the parent volunteers got to dress up. We were responsible for teaching the kids what life was like without all the luxuries we enjoy today. They washed their clothes on washboards and baked fresh bisquits from scratch. They played marbles and sewed a bag to put them in. They cleaned leather, made a wooden keepsake box and learned how they farmed the land. It was a wonderful place for Austin and I to make some great memories!

"Scrubbin' laundry"

"Say Cheese!"