our story book LOVE

Being Old

2010-11-17T06:32:00.000-08:00

I came across this poem this morning and had to share. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did :)

When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a nursing home in North Platte , Nebraska , it was believed that he had nothing left of any value.

Later, when the nurses were going through his meager possessions, they found this poem. Its quality and content so impressed the staff that copies were made and distributed to every nurse in the hospital. One nurse took her copy to Missouri .
The old man’s sole bequest to posterity has since appeared in the Christmas edition of the News Magazine of the St. Louis Association for Mental Health. A slide presentation has also been made based on his simple, but eloquent, poem.
And this little old man, with nothing left to give to the world, is now the author of this ‘anonymous’ poem winging across the Internet.

Crabby Old Man

What do you see nurses? . . . .. . What do you see?
What are you thinking . . . . . when you’re looking at me?
A crabby old man . . . . . not very wise,
Uncertain of habit . . . . . with faraway eyes?
Who dribbles his food . . . . . and makes no reply.
When you say in a loud voice . . . . . ‘I do wish you’d try!’
Who seems not to notice . . . . . the things that you do.
And forever is losing . . . . . A sock or shoe?
Who, resisting or not . . . . . lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding . . . . . The long day to fill?
Is that what you’re thinking? . . . . . Is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse . . . . . you’re not looking at me.
I’ll tell you who I am. . . . . . As I sit here so still,
As I do at your bidding, . . . . . as I eat at your will.
I’m a small child of Ten . . . . . with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters . . . . . who love one another.
A young boy of Sixteen . . . . with wings on his feet.
Dreaming that soon now . . . . . a lover he’ll meet.
A groom soon at Twenty . . . . . my heart gives a leap.
Remembering, the vows . . . . . that I promised to keep.
At Twenty-Five, now . . . . . I have young of my own.
Who need me to guide . . . . . And a secure happy home.
A man of Thirty . . . . . My young now grown fast,
Bound to each other . . . . . With ties that should last.
At Forty, my young sons . . . . . have grown and are gone,
But my woman’s beside me . . . . . to see I don’t mourn.
At Fifty, once more, babies play ’round my knee,
Again, we know children . . . . . My loved one and me.
Dark days are upon me . . . . . my wife is now dead.
I look at the future . . . . . shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing . . . . . young of their own.
And I think of the years . . . . . and the love that I’ve known.
I’m now an old man . . . . . and nature is cruel.
Tis jest to make old age . . . . . look like a fool.
The body, it crumbles . . . . . grace and vigor, depart.
There is now a stone . . . . where I once had a heart.
But inside this old carcass . . . . . a young guy still dwells,
And now and again . . . . . my battered heart swells.
I remember the joys . . . . . I remember the pain.
And I’m loving and living . . . . . life over again.
I think of the years, all too few . . . . . gone too fast.
And accept the stark fact . . . . that nothing can last.
So open your eyes, people . . . . . open and see.
Not a crabby old man . . . Look closer . . . see ME!!

Made me cry. Also made me miss the days of hanging out with GG. I think Halle and I will go see her today. Click here to go to this "Being Old" article.

Lip Gloss Girls!

2010-08-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

Halle's first Lip Gloss lesson.Taught by Olivia.

Rule number one. One layer is never enough!

Rule number two. Always use more than one color.

Rule number three. Always get a girlfriends opinion.

Because sometimes you just might need help.

Last Night

2010-08-25T09:45:00.000-07:00

"Charlene, come here...!"

Nate says in a amused voice as we are getting ready for bed.

I walk down the hall and he is standing by Halle's open door.

I peek through the crack to see......

A little girl. Sound asleep.

Bluffdale Town Days

2010-07-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

I have always LOVED growing up in a small town.

Every year we have a carnival called Bluffdale Town Days.

The day would start with an early morning breakfast at the church. This year they had a marathon before the breakfast. Many of my cousins, neighbors, and a sister ran in it. It ended right in front of my Parents home. It is so exciting to see a huge group of people participate in something like that and YOU KNOW most of them!

The breakfast is always followed by a parade. When I was growning up the parade went right in front of our home. ALL of our cousins and friends would come over and sit under our HUGE tree to watch. They recently built a new park just 5 houses down from our home. Now, that is where the parade ends.... I took Halle this year and truly missed the shade of our big tree as we sat on the curb while the sun pounded us.

My use to be, small town is growing bigger all the time. I miss the good old days with booths that you would have to throw a pebble into a cup to WIN a little rubber ducky.

A Talent Show full of people I know. (including me as one of "Marney's Rainbow Dancers," Making Tie dye shirts, A Magic Show, Snow Cones, and Huge water balloons fights with parents involved.

Anyways it was fun..... just different. I am glad Halle enjoyed it

They still have ponies to ride!!! That part was both mine and Halle's favorite!

GG and Cookies

2010-07-09T07:36:00.000-07:00

GG slept over and Halle got her ready for the day.

They are the best of friends.

Later Halle and I made cookies.

I shaped the cookies while she enjoyed them.

I love my little sidekick.

She's ALL Country!

2010-06-14T09:17:00.000-07:00

Check out our latest Diva post

http://thedahlingdatingdivas.blogspot.com

Dating Divas

2010-06-01T12:56:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to share the news about a fun Marriage Dating blog that myself and several of my married friends have going.The purpose of the blog is to help married gals like ourselves to gain ideas and motivation to have FUN dating their husband again, to focus on the love they have and not just the daily grind, and of course to
strengthen their marriages to last forever...
check us out here

thedahlingdatingdivas. blogspot.com

A New Life

2010-05-11T12:51:00.000-07:00

Check out this video.

It made me cry and I'm sure it will make you too.

Makes you think about what's

REALLY important in this life.

Thank YOU

Stephanie Nielson for sharing your story!

My New Life

WHO else is EXCITED!

2010-05-10T21:25:00.000-07:00

Is anyone else so excited the

April 2010 Conference Ensign Magazine

came out this month,

and we get to hear/read wonderful talks by these men ALL OVER again!!

My favorite thing about this year's conference was ALL the talks about

mothers and daughters.

How important their relationship is. How they spend their time together.

The things they talk about and the things they do together.

I thought of my mother and the GREAT example she is to me in everything she does.

She is great even when she thinks no one is watching.

MOM I LOVE you!

And hope I can be as good of an example to Halle as you ARE to me!

he has BRAINS in his HEAD and FEET in his SHOES

2010-05-06T07:30:00.000-07:00

Congratulations!

Today is YOUR day.

You're off to Great Places!

You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

You're on your own. And you know what you know.

And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

Out there things can happen

and frequently do

to people as brainy and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen,

don't worry. Don't strew.

Just go right along.

You"ll start happening too!

You'll be on your way UP!

You'll be seeing great sights!

You'll join the height fliers

who soar to high heights.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.

You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.

Wherever you fly, you'll be best of the best.

Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don't.

Because, sometimes, you won't.

I'm sorry to say so

but, sadly, it's true

that Bang-ups

and Hang-ups

can happen to you.

Somehow you'll escape!

Because that's NOT for you.

With banner flip-flapping,

once more you'll ride high!

Ready for anything under the sky.

Ready BECAUSE you're that kind of guy!

You're off to Great Places!

Today is your day!

Your airplane is waiting.

So.... get on your way!

by Dr. Seuss

Oh the places you'll go

FaVoRiTe PARK

2010-05-05T06:58:00.000-07:00

Monday, Halle and I went with husband to Provo so he could fly.

While he flew, we played for hours, at our favorite park of all time.

It is the park where Halle's baby blessing was held.

Just down the road from our first newly wed apartment.

Oh, how I LOVE and miss this park.

"Pretty flowers, walkways, slides and ducks; don't worry..... We will visit again soon."

BLANKET... i LOVE u this much!

2010-05-04T06:06:00.000-07:00

"Well, why not?"

I asked myself as I handed the teary eyed girl her blanket.

"cum on gaggy! gaggy!"

translatiion

"come on maggie! maggie!"

I had to say NO to that one.

It's nice to have a MAID...

2010-05-03T07:19:00.000-07:00

"It's nice to have a maid.... or.... whatever you are."
GG tells me as I am combing her hair as she lays in bed.

Halle LOVES to go to GG's.

She knows when we go she'll get to

ride in the elevator,

take (pretend) naps with GG in her bed,

see the ducks in the pond,

ride in GG's walker,

get LOTS of hugs and kisses,

oh, and of course EAT all the sweets her little heart desires.

(with grandma and gg both being such sweet tooth's,

we don't need to keep any sweets in our house.)

arielle turned 1

2010-05-02T16:00:00.000-07:00

happy b-day arielle!

stephaine hand made ALL the decorations. she did awesome!

halle would wear her hair like this everyday.... if i would let her.

hi GG! you are so pretty in pink, and match the party perfectly!

The Sunday After

2010-04-27T06:12:00.000-07:00

The Sunday after Easter...... Halle got to wear her Easter dress.

And because she got to wear hear Easter dress,

we thought it would be fun to do another Easter Egg Hunt.

And because we were doing another Easter Egg Hunt,

we felt the day wouldn't be complete without sharing about the true meaning of Easter.... again.

It was great to have TWO Easter Sundays this year.

yesterday

2010-04-02T17:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday on our way to GG's we couldn't help but noticed how beautiful it was. I was grateful.

So grateful in fact, I wanted to share God's gift with you.

When we got home we changed from, "I'm ready to potty" gear,

into snow gear.

There was still like 8 inches of snow by the time we got home.
Too much for Halle.
So we enjoyed the little bit of snow still on the cement.

We made a snowman.

You can't see it you say. Here is a better look.

blue

2010-04-02T06:56:00.000-07:00

before we get ready for the day we like to do stuff like this.

the answer is no, i did not help paint her legs.

only one problem

2010-03-31T22:30:00.000-07:00

with halle being such a fantastic potty go'er there is not enough room on the chart for ALL the stickers! with the help from my cousin tara's "it's a girl thing" blog. we are on our way to a diaper FREE world! after tara saw my potty chart she wanted to highlight it on HER blog. needless to say, LOTS of mommies saw and shared their potty secrets! leaving US doing LOTS of potty dances, hoorays, and hugs and kisses!!!

the things i learned

#1. do not start until THEY are ready!!!!
#2. let them choose undies. have them wear just those around the house for the next couple of days.
#3. lots of EXCITEMENT! the first time is scary, and you have to keep cheering them on! we made-up lots of songs about how BRILLIANT halle is, and have many new potty dances.
#4. before we started potty training we talked about it a lot. read cardboard books, with her about it, and had the potty a month or so before hand so she could get comfortable with it.
#5. keep a basket of books and toys in the bathroom. we spent LOTS of time just playing in the bathroom monday and tuesday.
#6. when there is an accident, make sure they watch you clean it up. (i usually have halle help pick up messes but i don't want her to accidentally touch this) and tell them, "no, no." show them where they are suppose to do it. we had no punishments for halle because the tone in my voice was enough, and also she is learning. the only reason i am doing potty training right now is because we felt she was ready. so punishment was unnecessary. but focus on PRAISING them!

it only took us 2 days, for halle to be aware of when she had to go. the sticker on sunday is for motivation to show her you get a sticker every time you go! it's fun to look back on the chart and see how far we have come.

we are so happy for her! getting so big so fast! i am not the type to get sad at each new stage. i had one sad day friday. i cleaned the whole house without any interruptions! normally i can only wash a dish or two before halle needs me to play dolls or something with her. but that was only one day. i have to say every stage so far has been my favorite! we just LOVE what's going on RIGHT now! how could we not, kids are just so stinking cute!

some kids i LOVE

2010-03-30T20:45:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know I am super behind...

BUT some things are still worth blogging about!!

sometimes we spend days with cute kiddos like these

the older boys bond by doing this

i fall in LOVE with faces like these

"Charlene"

"Yes Owen,"

"When I get big I am never going to travel."
"And why is that?"

"Because I don't want the people that LOVE me to have to miss me so much."

Owen LOVES his parents! He is such a good respectful boy!

"Charlene, did you know that my grandparents went to Washington?"

"Oh, how fun. No I didn't know."

"Yeah, and when they were there the met Abraham Lincoln!!"

"Don't you mean they visited his statue?"

"NO! They really met him! Had a conversation with him and EVERYTHING!"

"Owen, did you know that Abraham Lincoln has been dead for over 100 years?"

Stunned look......"Well, Heavenly Father just made it so he could come back and so he could talk to them."

"Ooh, is that how it worked?"

the reason we do it, moments like this

we ate like this

played/she cheated games like this

"Cheater's never prosper." I said to Olivia as she steals a pile of cards right from the middle of the table. She very witfully responded with poise,"Well, I'm PROSPERING!!!" as she organizes her new stash of stolen, gilt free, excitement.

living planet aquarium

2010-03-02T06:25:00.000-08:00

need i say more....

AnOtHeR WeDDiNg!

2010-03-01T07:52:00.000-08:00

These days are always MY Favorite. I LoVe everything about them! Spending the morning in the temple with the man I love dear, seeing all the family and friends. I love, love, LOVE going to the reception and seeing all the decorations, flowers, music, dancing, dresses, and do I even need to mention all the yummy food?

Josh + Sharsti's happy day!

Nathan and I are still very much in LOVE and spend our time together holding hands, dancing cheek to cheek and taking turns chasing our little one.

It was a very good day.

Halle has a new friend! I think they knew each other in heaven. The first thing they did when they saw each other for the first time was run up and give the other a great Big hug! We spent a chunk of the the reception playing on the steps outside and racing up and down the walk way. It was soooo cute, and we got most of it on video...

Natasha and Lexy are from out of town. It was so much fun to have them stay with Nathan's parents who just live up stairs.

chalk

2010-02-27T06:17:00.000-08:00

Halle's very first chalk picture. Don't get me wrong we have done LOTS of coloring with markers and crayons, painting and also wax paintings from old candles(Those are Halle's FAVORITE)!

This might look like scribbles to most people but every line and squiggle has its perfect place. Halle would draw a couple of lines step back and after much thought she would come back to the board and very carefully add to her picture. This picture started with just up and down lines but today Halle decided to go outside the box and do some side way squiggles and lines...

I have to admit, I got this for Halle a while ago and until just a few days ago I had gotten way more use out of it than she ever had! OH, I got this for $15 at Ikea!!! I am planning on staining the wood to match our kitchen. It has a roll of paper to paint on and a white board on the other side. LOVE this thing! I have looked everywhere and this is my favorite! I always pick wood over plastic.

just some pic's

2010-02-26T07:30:00.000-08:00

wish me luck...

2010-02-25T12:53:00.000-08:00

Got the chart, got the stickers, got the little potty and now all I need is the know how.... someone once told me about a book called potty train in a day. Come to find out there are like three books with close to the same title. Toilet Training in Less Than a Day by Nathan Azrin. Potty Training in One Day by Narmin Paria and Potty Train Your Child in Just One Day by Tarie Crane. Needless to say I don't know what one to get!

Our training sessions go something like this...

"Oh, good job Halle! Yes, just sit down. Good, GOOD! Oh, no! Wait! No don't do that. OH NO! Not there....

If you have had success with your little one in this area please let me know. I am at a loss on how to get started or...... do you know of any good books!

As long as it's still winter

2010-01-22T13:20:00.000-08:00

it's not too late to post things like this...

We spent Christmas at G'pa and G'ma Adair's this year. Last year we didn't even get to see THEM!..... due to the fact we were laying on a beach getting a tan in Peru!!!

janiel's toe's

halle's stocking

Christmas Eve and day was filled with

puzzels, food, games, movies, books, naps, relaxing, family, friends, and pondering of the wonderful night our Savior was born.

awww the perfect day!

some holiday LOVE! from: de hunters

2010-01-18T22:18:00.000-08:00

Ready, set, shoot! With the camera on top of a box that was on top of a flower stand WE were ready for Holiday pictures. TIME: 11:30 pm WHERE: our house...uummm ...fireplace! WHEN: Christmas, first thing when we get HOME! After a day full of family, gifts, giving, and a beautiful christmas message.

The funniest thing about these pictures.

We obviously had the camera on the timer. After every picture we had to run, set the timer again and run back to our places. Halle was LOVING it! She was laughing and giggling, running back and forth. We thought for sure we would get some good pic's of her smiling big and laughing..... yes there is a half smile on the last pic, but take another look at picture 1 and 3!

Deep Sleep

2010-01-18T07:17:00.000-08:00

Halle held this pose the entire time Nate changed yet again another dirty bum. He thought it was so cute watching her dead asleep on the floor so he had to come get me. While Nate and I pointed and laughed she layed still, in a deep slumber.

9/20/09

Jealousy by a broken heart

2010-01-16T09:33:00.000-08:00

I swoop up Arielle (my niece, 6 months) it was time to change her diaper. Halle was still sniffling with old tears lingering on her checks while she stared at the TV. Barbie fairytopia was the movie that was on. "My only chance to not see tears today." I said to myself as I packed it this morning. "humm that worked" I thought sarcastically as I walked down the hall. I finish changing Arielle as Halle walked into the room. I can see her heart break through her big beautiful eyes. Her shoulders go up. Her head goes down and her arms are tugged in close to her body. All the loneliness in the world cannot compare to the look on Halle's face. She starts to cry and falls to the ground. I pick up Arielle from the changing table and hold her close. Her mommy is at work for just a couple of hours and her dad is in Afghanistan fighting for this country. So that leaves me with two baby girls. Arielle did great and Halle did great... when I wasn't holding Arielle. I was only able to help out two days of the three months Danny (Arielle dad) was away.....for obvious reasons.

10/13/09

who's in?

2010-01-15T23:00:00.000-08:00

When: Wednesday February 3rd

Where: Church in Bluffdale

Time: 6:30 pm

How much: $48.92 tax included

Money Due: Wednesday January 20th! only one week away!!! Write checks out to me and I pay her ONE big check.

Temples to pick from: Salt Lake, Bountiful, Timpanogos, Logan, Idaho Falls, St. George, Manti and Oquirrh Mt.

Size of Picture with Frame:

32" by 26"

More info:

*They only provide black paint so if you want the frame another color you will have to bring your own paint.

* This is a STEAL of a DEAL!!! I just got a beautiful picture of Jesus and by the time we FRAMED it, put a glaze over the picture so we didn't need glass, it was over $200! And it is the EXACT same size as this temple picture! You will not find this good of a deal ANYWHERE! Believe me, Nate and I have a thing for big good art and even the one we did ourself cost more than this!

*Also Tasha Adair and I are starting a craft night once a month!!! We are so excited and have TONS of crafts already planned! For those of you that don't know Tasha she is AMAZING!!! That girl has craft skills like I have NEVER seen before and she is so excited to shed her light and teach us all of her secrets!! Let me know if you are interested, we would LOVE to see all of your beautiful faces for a GIRLS NIGHT OUT!!!

***Those of you who ordered the last temple craft, they are waiting to be finish! And this would be the perfect day to come learn how to put them together.

smart girl

2010-01-14T07:54:00.000-08:00

"do you want to read a book?" i asked halle."nnoooo." halle said shaking her head politely.

"halle, do you want to read.... old hat new hat?" a smile went across her face as she headed for her book shelf. halle started pulling books off one by one and looking at them carfully, until she found what she was looking for. halle gave it a quick hug then headed my way. of course it was in fact, " old hat new hat," by stan & jan berenstain.

Splish Splash she's taken a bath

2010-01-13T18:30:00.000-08:00

i love taking baths! i take 1..2...3 a day!

Grandma I Remember

2010-01-10T18:42:00.000-08:00

This is a poem that I wrote for my Grandma Anderson when I was in 7th grade. I remember how nervous I was to give it to her that year for Christmas (and almost didn't). I use to LOVE sitting with her in church. I loved the one on one attention I got from her, which was hard to come by because she had SO many gRaNdChiLdReN. Church was a time for Grandma to teach me all her cool tricks. Like how to color so all the lines went the same way or to color in circles so you could see no lines. She taught me how to write in cursive, and now people tell me my handwriting looks like it's from older days. Just two months before my Grandmother passed away she gave me an envelope full of "how to draw ____" newspaper clippings. They were the very same ones I use to learn how to draw with. She wrote on the envelope,"Save these for your first 3-4 year old to be occupied in church."
Grandma Anderson passed away Christmas Eve 2007. I have known many friends and family that have passed and the hurt seems to heal with time, yet it's not the same with her. I will always have a great LOVE for her and still miss her much. After she passed my aunt found this poem right next to her bedside where she put her very most favorite precious things. As my aunt read it out loud to a few of the other family members and me (who came to help clean out her house after she passed) we shed a few tears and remembered how wonderful she was.

Grandma's are FOREVER and FOREVER is never FORGOT

by charlene adair hunter

best buy

2009-12-23T07:53:00.000-08:00

halle and i found ourself in the midst of crazy last minute shoppers at best buy this weekend. we walked in, took one look at what we wanted (which was 3x the price i was expecting!) then went on our merry way without purchasing. the trip was not a total loss. halle had her own "to do" list in mind....
*play hide and go seek with mommy, while running inbetween strangers legs. CHECK
*all around the dvd case, the mommy chased the baby. CHECK
*stand in the middle of a crowded walkway intersection....then start to dance! CHECK (this was my personal favorite! halle's dancing is a mix of twirls, jumps, and knee bouncing!)
*give 15 crazy shoppers something to stop and smile about, then be on their merry way! CHECK

Holiday Boutique

2009-11-13T12:05:00.000-08:00

if you like shopping and cute stuff come join me here Saturday the 14!

ruby slippers

2009-10-31T11:45:00.000-07:00

Lions and TIGERS and bears

OH MY!

Hey mom, THAT'S NOT FUNNY!

As of October 29th Halle is a year and a half old!!! Halle LOVES to give kisses and her best friend is Maggie(the Toto dog). Every morning we pick Halle up out of her crib and starts yelling for,"gaggy, gaggy!" While making the kissy noise in between she pats her chest and claps her hands as she calls for her FAVORITE dog. Knowing their LOVE for each other I thought Halloween/year and a half b-day pictures just wouldn't be right without the beloved dog.

Thanks whitters! We LOVE LOVE all the pictures!

to see more pictures by whit go to http://www.whitneyscottphotography.blogspot.com/

Happy Halle--ween

cookies

2009-10-30T10:08:00.001-07:00

Wendy--(nates aunt who lives with GG)

"Charlene, you can only give Grandma 3 cookies per sitting. You can't just leave the whole cookie jar right next to her."

Grandma and I both look at each other wide eyed.

"I'm 91 years old I can do WHATEVER I want!" Grandma says as she takes another bite out of her cookie.

Minutes later Wendy leaves the room. Grandma looks up at me and says as she's reaching for another cookie. "Shhh, don't tell."

It will be alright

2009-10-21T08:20:00.000-07:00

This was a couple of years ago, just after Nate and I got married.

Char---"Hun, my eyes are really burning. I am having a hard time seeing."
Nate---"They do look a little red..."

We still had 2 hours left of church and Nate's Bishop(we were visiting his parents at his home ward) asked if he would help teach a lesson for the 13 year olds. So I sat there blinded, red eyed, and leaky eyed like a good girl. By the time we left the church building my eyes were so sensitive to the light outside I could not even open them.
Nate---"Well, do you still have your contacts in?"
Char--"Uhhhmm..."

I truely dislike not wearing contacts. My eyes are 20/450 and 20/475. Meaning what someone might see at 450 feet.... I see at 20.

The night before we had a unplanned sleep over at his parents house, therefore I did not have contact solution. We found some old bottle of contact solution which had expired, at his parents home and regretibly I used it. The long and grueling hours of church literally ate away at my eyes. I spent the rest of the day...(and a couple of days after) in black to dim rooms with Nate by my side. The pain was so excruciating I started to cry with my already leaking eyes. He held me close with my head on his chest and ran his fingers through my hair as he started to whisper sing so sweetly.

Oh, stop your crying, it will be alright. Just take my hand, hold it tight. I will protect you from all around you. I will be here, don't you cry. For one so small you seem so strong. I will protect you, keep you safe and warm. This bond between us can't be broken. I will be here, don't you cry.

ONE of my favorite moments, and it was worth all the pain.

--And, she puts it on HERSELF--

2009-09-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

From the corner of my eye I see a little thing walk past my bedroom door. I suddenly do a full circle trying to get a glimps of what my little one is up to. Seconds later she walks past my door again wearing the hat I got in Peru. It's so big on her, her entire head is covered! She then TRIPS and STUMBLES her way to her bedroom.

----Just HER Size----

Meet Hall'es sunglasses. Daddy got them for her. I keep them in her toy stash in our living room. Halle LOVES to put them on all by herself as she plays her little piano and skip through pages in her most favorite books.

The Worth of a Soul

2009-09-20T19:50:00.000-07:00

Last night my tummy felt like someone put a jar of broken glass in my stomach and was shaking it up. Obviously I was in a lot of pain, I looked over my shoulder and saw my picture.... I thought to myself, "if there are children that have to deal with things like AIDS, poverty, and disease, I can handle a little stomach pain without complaint." This picture has become my pain killer, and my relief when my thoughts become too selfish. Every time I look at it I get such beautiful insight to things that are going on in this world. I think of my trip to Peru and some of the awful living conditions. I remember a three year old little girl running up and down on the busy streets of Cuzco. She had no shoes, covered in dirt and was literally wearing rags. She had no mother in sight and her 13 year old sister was lazily laying against a huge beautiful business building dressed in the same attire. I will never forget the smell that I smelt as I passed them by. You could tell that they had not bathed in possibly months. The streets were so crowded and it was dark out. I remember thinking why are they out so late?... Why is no one helping them!? Some creepy guy could just come and take them and the world would never know! Just then my husband bent down and gave the little three year old all the Peru money he had in his pockets. I wished it was more. The little girl looked up at him and gave him the most beautiful smile I have ever seen. She then turned around and started running and playing up and down that busy street again.

I look at this picture and say to myself, " Don't worry, I'm coming. I will do what I can." The savior helps others through us. And the worth of a soul is too great for me to sit back and do nothing. I am grateful for this country. I am grateful for the Constitution and the blessings it gives us. I am grateful for my strength to stand only so I can help those who kneel.

The LATEST and NOT so LATEST happenings of Halle Laren

2009-09-09T07:04:00.000-07:00

where has my summer gone? my baby girl is now a toddler! she is so much fun and so stinkin cute! everyday she learns something new and has completely improved her skills from week to week! this summer has been crazy! I have not even posted her 1st birthday or her first steps! i do however have hours and hours of video and photo... this next little bit will be alot of catch up!

(so my cousin whit always writes in lower case... it's cute so i thought today i would give it a try. but it is alot harder than i thought it would be. i did not realize until now how much i like to express myself through capital letters.)

--first bite--

these are pic's of the the very first time halle tried to color on her own. so stinkin cute! it surprises me how much she copies what i do. she is so smart and picks up on whatever is going on around her.

--first bruise--

playing catch with maggie. halle loves to throw the ball.

bottoms up

i feel a tap tap on my leg. i look down and see bright blue pleading eyes staring up at me with, ''the foot book.'' clutched in both hands. halle loves, ''the foot book.'' she just can't get over slooow feet quick feet! she hands me this book again for the third time today and we start not at the begining but on our favoirte page, ''slooooow feet, quick feet.'' we then finish the book, read our favorite page again then start at the begining. i spend the next 30 minutes or so being handed book after book after book.

lying on the floor reading books, playing with toys is how i spend my days... pure happy-ness

yeah for long hair! it's coming slowly but surely.

-fyi-

just incase you have not noticed halle loves to read.

if the book is upsidedown she flips it up right and she always point and tells you what is on each page.

"it's time to put the toys away, toys away, toys away. it's time to put the toys away. come and help me halle. " i start to sing while clapping inbetween the beats. halle runs in from the other room sweetly singing along while trying to clap to the beat. halle loves to help pick up her messes mostly because of this song. i change the words to whatever needs to be picked up and the last sentence has about 30 endings.

Birthday Girl! AKA me

2009-08-31T07:50:00.000-07:00

THaNK YoU, thAnk yOu for all the LOVE on my birthday! It was so fun getting all the mail, email, text, and calls! I am so lucky to have so many WONDERFUL people in my life!

My day started with the greatest gift, a 16 month baby girl can give. Which is of course SLEEP. We slepted in until 9:20! After the morning routine we (halle and i) spent the morning at the POOL with Stephaine and Arielle. Halle loves to swim, we are going to miss the summer!

Nathan got the afternoon off work! Joined us for lunch and surprised me with.......

I LOVE LOVE LOOOVE this picture! It speaks to my Heart in so many different ways. I will post what it looks like on my wall after we get it framed!

I spent the afternoon in SOMEONE ELSE'S SHOES. Got a pedicure then a hour massage! ahhhh heaven. Without the company of a certain blue eyed little girl. I have to be honest it was a little weird having strictly ME time. BUT I didn't have a problem enduring till the end.

Came HOME to THIS.....

A white Rose
The red rose whispers of passion,
And the white rose breathes of love;
O, the red rose is a falcon,
And the white rose is a dove.
But I give you a cream-white rosebud
With a flush on its petal tips;
For the love that is purest and sweetest
Has a kiss of desire on the lips.

After Halle went to bed G & G Hunter kept an eye on her so Nate could take me on a romantic evening out. We ate at Chef's Table in Orem, got window seats, with a beautiful surprise waiting for me.

After dinner we went to," The Time Travelers Wife." LOVED it! Tear jerker for sure! Hubby's take your wives and go! It's meant to be seen together!

This movie was the PERFECT end to a PERFECT day!

Wednesday night we came here with my parents to celebrate ME being born on my parents WEDDING ANNIVERSARY.

Monday the Hunter side took us to Olive Garden

And of course family parties on Sunday! I have to admit it was ONE of my FAVORITE b-days yet!

"see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil".

2009-08-08T07:10:00.000-07:00

"Look not at what is contrary to propriety; listen not to what is contrary to propriety; speak not what is contrary to propriety."
-Wikipedia, encyclopedia

"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticing of the Holy Spirit and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and BECOMETH AS A CHILD, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him even as a child doth submit to his father.
-Mosiah 3:19

Whit pulled out her camera and Halle takes that as her que to strike a pose! Words of wisdom from Halle Laren. Thanks Halle for the reminder, and THANKS Whit for the cute PICTURES!

And Last, I WORK hard for this! (Job 3 Mary Kay)

2009-08-07T07:43:00.000-07:00

God First, Family Second, and Career Third.

-- Mary Kay Ash

Don't turn your focus away from what is truly important. Instead, learn to evaluate your success by the balance you achieve in your life. --Mary Kay Ash

Belief in success is the one basic absolutely essential ingredient in successful people. Obviously, if you think victory, you will succeed. Belief is the thermostat that regulates what we accomplish in life. A person is actually a product of her own thoughts; and when you think big, you achieve big things. Shakespeare said "There is nothing good or bad but that thinking makes it so." He who would attain greatness must make no little plans. --Mary Kay Ash

Why I started Mary Kay..... Let me just start off by saying there is about 20 reasons I started Mary Kay, but I'm only going to list a couple. #1 my husband! He is so supportive and is always looking for things that will boost my confidence. #2 I'm falling in LOVE with the product! Honestly, in a million years this is something I thought I would NEVER do. I mean Mary Kay is for "old people" right? (I only say that because that's what my friends told me when I started) WRONG! I came to find out that Mary Kay is constantly making improvement and doing their research. They changed ALL of their eye color, bronzers, and cheek color to mineral makeup (which I LOVE)! And also just started mineral powder and mineral pressed powder! Before, I was a MAC makeup girl and had been since early high school. My absolute favorite makeup product ever was the MAC pressed powder. But with Mary Kay's Time Wise skin care I don't need as much coverage! My skin is naturally beautiful! And even though I loved the MAC press powder it always fell in the lines on my forehead making it look like I have wrinkles, WHICH I DON'T, they are expression lines that go away the second I let my eyebrows down. Mary Kay's mineral powder is made to stay on top of lines/wrinkles and in my case the occasional expression lines.

I think I will stop there, I have been doing so much research lately on skin care and make up products that I could keep going for 40 pages! I'm just going to end with I want to be the BEST I can be. Not for myself but for my husband and my little girl. I have always been really bad at reading my scriptures daily (it's MY because we read the children's book of mormon with Halle every night before we put her down to bed) But starting MK has helped me to be more diligent!

Can't BELIEVE I get PAID for this! (JoB 2)

2009-08-06T07:16:00.000-07:00

For the occasional date night and couple get away I am fortunate enough to watch this wonderful family of 5 kids. Everyone is so sweet with Halle and Nate gets to come when he gets off work. I have learned so much form the way their parents raise them and only hope I can give Halle the skills, Independence, security and love that they did for their children.

"Is Halle a boy or a girl?" Owen asked me in his serious voice. "She's a girl." I said calmly trying not to laugh. Seconds Later...... "Halle, come here girl, come here girl."

Owen says the funniest things, I really wish I carried around a notebook.

I LOVE playing kid games with Liam, like spoons, murder in the dark, the list goes on and on! He's always on the go and keeps me on my toes. But I think my favorite moments with him is reading books before I put him to bed. He is always finding ways to prolong his bedtime and I get to hear the funniest stories. I could write a book on "Life through Liam's Eyes" it would be a best seller for sure!

I could tie Olivia around my waist and take her home with me! She's so much fun and has a way of making me feel like a little girl again! You'd think a 22 year old women would feel silly playing house with a pet monkey "Liam" while talking in a British accent.... but I don't, and secretly wish I did it more often.

Gavin is my second hand man! He is always so helpful and I love cooking with him in the kitchen (you too Liam, you're becoming a great chef!) Gavin has the whole package FUN, funny, SMART, easy to talk to, RESPONSIBLE, and helpful!

Alex always surprises me with his wit; how responsible he is; and how he's crazy SMART! Not just book smart but applies his knowledge in his daily life. He always listens to his parents and does what they say even if he doesn't want to. It's hard to get him talking but when he does I am always in awwww on the way he perceives life.

the SwEeTeSt thing

2009-07-28T09:26:00.000-07:00

1:30 in the morning I am woken to the sweet sound of a little baby/toddler cry. I jump out of bed, trying to get to my baby girl as fast as I can. I swoop her up and she wraps both arms around my neck then lays her head on my shoulder. I carry the sweetest little thing to the rocking chair and before I even sit down she is sound asleep. I selfishly decide to rock her instead of putting her back to bed. As we rock I listen to her soft breathing, feel her tinny baby hand on my neck, smelling the sweet clean smell of Johnson's Bedtime Baby Wash, and imagin what her chubby check looks like smooched on my shoulder. I rock Halle Laren for more than an hour remembering our first few months together. During those precious first months I have never felt so close to Heavenly Father and our Savior. I thought of my mom and all her 11 babies that are now all grown. While I was growing up she had baby pictures of all her children up on her wall above her bed and in the middle was this saying she cross-stitched.

Cleaning and scrubbing
can wait until tomorrow
For babies grow up,
we've learned to our sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs,
Dust go to sleep,
I'm rocking my baby,
and babies don't keep.

-Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

Halle Girl has been sleeping through the night sense she was less then a couple of months old but, she is getting 3 molars! Needless to say she had just a couple of hard nights last week. Me on the other hand, guiltily LOVED it.

TIMPANOGOS CAVE

2009-06-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

I LOVE summer!!! No homework, No school and LOTS of family/nate time :)

The Plan

Wake up at 7am, Aaron be at our house and ready to leave by 7:30, meet whit + josh at 8am in the canyon. Be done by 11-ish

Acutual Happenings

Woke up at 7am, Aaron arived at 7:30am, we enjoyed egg puffs. 7:50 am walked out to the car only to see a tire was low on air. 8am Nate finishes putting air in the tire. 8:01, "Honey I really think we should just take your car, I don't want to risk diving a car that has a slice in the tire." Nate... "Oh Char it will be fine, we drove home from Lake Powell with it like that." 8:10 everyone loaded up in the car driving out of the driveway. 8:40 driving on the freeway in the fast lane and thu thu...thu thump...thu thu...thu thump! Nate, "Uuummm, our tire just blew out," he said, as he struggled to get over three lanes so he can pull over to the side of the road. 8:45 putting the spare on. 8:55 80 yards past the Sandy exit, so what did we do.... We went reverse on the side of the freeway, WHILE CARS PASSING US ARE GOING 80!(yes everyone was going 20 miles over the speed limit! Dang Utahns) 9am calling whit, "In case you haven't noticed, we're not there."(although whit was already there waiting she ended up not being able to go, because work started at 12:( 9:10 putting air it the spare tire. 9:40 back home loading everything into Nate's car. Arived at Timpanogos Cave 10:20am.

No worries our very eventful morning didn't put a damper on our hike! We had so much fun, THANKS Aaron for planning and inviting us!

Halle did awesome! How did we get blessed with such a well behaved baby?!!! We got the silliest video's of her in the cave trying to walk up the stairs (while holding daddy's hands) one step at a time. You ask why that is so silly, well her legs are about half the height of the stair! We got lot's of comments from fellow hikers of how delightful she was to have around on the tour of the cave.

Interesting Fact

A cave's temperature is an average of the outsides summer and winter. Timpanogos's temperature is 44 degree and stays that way year around.

OUR lovely BACKSIDES

Nate carries Baby... Aaron carries heavy backpack....Char carries empty camera case.

Halle had so much fun playing in the caves, it really pooped her out. So what's a baby supposed to do when they get tired?.... Sleep. So that's what she did. She slept the whole walk down the mountain (head bobbing and the whole thing). It was absolutely adoreable!

It's such a beautiful hike! I enjoyed playing pretend wilderness photographer....anyways here is some "EYE CANDY" for you! Hope you enjoy!

Timpanogos was so much FUN! If you live in Utah or are visiting take your kids, family, Friends and GO! Pack a lunch and BRING sweaters, it's cold in the cave.

LAST DAY in Lake PoWeLL

2009-06-19T21:55:00.000-07:00

Barb's still going strong! She can do more than I can hanging from the back of the boat!....... Granted, most people can, I'm alot a-bit pathetic.

Halle,.... Are you comfortable?

Boat rides are rough but we lived through it.

What the..... is she sleeping on the Job?

Oh, no no it just a manican.... That's better. What did they think. if you put sun glasses and a hat on her no one would notice.

DAYS 2 & 3 LaKe PoWeLL

2009-06-12T07:24:00.000-07:00

Today was Sunday so no lake for us. We spent the morning in church, and then half of us decided to go to THE GRAND CANYON!!!

We were NOT part of "that half."

But we did enjoy a lovely afternoon hanging out, talking, napping,.... one on one time with just our family. (nate, halle, and i...+ maggie)

Monday (Day 3)

Besides the fact that Halle's two, 2 hour naps only last as long as the boat rides, this trip has NOT affected Halle's sleeping schedule!! :) After Halle awakened from her 12-14 hour night time sleep we headed out for a early morning walk in an attempt to give our roommates the chance to sleep in. We found ourselves at the Hotel pool with the complementary breakfast. When I say complementary I mean your choice of bread, muffins, or bagels.... nasty orange juice or apple juice.

"So mommy there is a new rule," demanded my baby girl. "You are not allowed to hold me while the boat is moving!"
Who know's why this was decided.... maybe daddy is just a better shock absober, or maybe I just don't know how to do it right? Whatever the reason seconds after she was put into daddy's arm's she slipped into a DEEP slumber.

It's okay, if I was holding her I would not have gotten this precious pictures.

"Okay Mom boat ride is over, we can hug and play all you want!"

I give UP! I have now tried 5 times to try and post a video!

The video is of one of my favorite moments at Lake Powell. Aaron my brother inlaw brought his gitar and sang to us while we enjoy lunch on the beach! It was AWESOME the perfect touch to an already perfect day. Sorry you missed it, maybe I will try again later.

]

The answer is YES this is Todo from, "The Wizard of Oz." She came to the Hunter family shortly after making her first and only flim.

LaKe PoWeLL

2009-06-07T14:40:00.000-07:00

DAY ONE

Old Yellow; Name of the Hunter's family boat.

Sentimental Value; Same model as Barbara's Family FIRST boat growing up.

Halle; NOT a fan of her life jacket.

Good News; She was an AWESOME trooper and lived through it with minimum tears!

Pure hApPiNeS; Sand,Shovel,and maggie(the dog)

Life; Doesn't get better THis!

OUR FAMILY

Left Side
MY man, G'pa, Alisha, Whitter's and her new found LOVE Josh, Josh, Jared
Right Side
Halle, Char, G'ma, Lee Ann, Rich

We're Moving On ;(

2009-05-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

Say hello and goodbye to our little HOME.

We don't want to forget even a corner of this house where so many happy memories were made. So get ready for a lot of pictures.

In our kitchen we only have pictures of our two very favorite memories.

First, Our Wedding.....

Second, the first three months of Halle's LIFE. Yes I have loved every moment but words can't describe having a precious new spirit in your home.

Just a little bit of Heaven On Earth....

This is the baby bedding I designed and made for Halle Laren.

Dreams don't last FOREVER, eventually you have to wake up.

We have made so many new friends here and hate to leave. But it's time to move on, begin a new chapter in our lives, set new goals, and stretch even further to higher bars.

This year past by so fast and it's hard for me to cope that these days are gone....

Pic's by Cori Henderson

2009-05-20T20:41:00.000-07:00

Thanks again Cori for letting us be your models! We had so much fun!

oNe YeAr Doctor's apointment

2009-05-12T09:20:00.000-07:00

Halle loves her docotor, she enjoys the silly little games he plays with her!.... However, Halle DOES NOT like her nurse!!! She understands that no matter how nice the nurse is and how hard the nurse trys to make Halle laugh, in the end she always ends up poking Halle with needles!

One year and 27 inches tall, 13 %tile in Length. One year and 17 pounds, 5 %tile in weight. One year and still so tiny, ONE YEAR and still our little baby!

(with so much more growing to do)

With this milestone in Halle's life I want to share just a few baby steps she has taken lately.

*Finally fills out her 3-6 month PJ"s.

*Barks like a dog whenever they do, or when we read about them in one of our books.

*Says "Hi" and waves to everyone and everything that catches her eye.

*Loves to make new friends...She says hi, gives high fives and hugs(if she thinks they are cute) and chit chat for just a moment. Then she decides its time to go back to mom.

*signs "more" with her hands.

*Loves to play Tea Party at Grandma Adairs. She is always so polite and makes sure all her guests get fed (even the stuffed ones)!

*She points and says, "whuz at?" (Translation - What is that?)

*Plays the repeat game.... when I say something and she repeats it the best she can!

*Loves BOOKS! Give her the choice between books and toys and she will always choose books!

I'm not one of those mom's that get sad watching their babies grow. I Love watching Halle expand her interest, and learn new thing. The other day we were walking through the baby section in a store, it made me cry looking at all the "new" newborn outfits and knowing that Halle will never get to wear them. But as we kept walking the clothes got bigger and I became excited that there is still so much more to come and many fun happy memorizes to be made.

whit + josh

2009-05-08T12:28:00.000-07:00

Met, then fell in LOVE...

Got Married here

Draper Temple May 7, 2009

Words can't describe a temple marriage! She was beautiful, He was charming, and they were sealed for TIME and ALL ETERNITY!

(Whittney is Nate's cousin, but they are so close we think of her as a sister!)

After the sealing we waited,

and waited...

Then!....... waited some more.........

Until Finally!.....

The HaPpY couple skipped out of the beautiful gold temple doors! :)

Father of the Bride, GG Scott, Mother of the Bride, and Whitter's

They DANCED

ate CAKE

Threw Flowers

And that was the starting of their New Beging!... In a nut shell.

My little family on the other hand, enjoyed the BEAUTIFUL scenery!

Tahitian Noni

Is Where The Reception Was Held.

The before PaRtY

2009-04-30T14:17:00.000-07:00

I had our friend Joe take the Pictures during Halle's Party just so Nate and I could enjoy the moment.

Pros: Get Lot's of Candid shots

Good Pictures of the Precious moments at the party

Didn't have to say, "Okay, look over here everybody and say CHEEEESE."

and lastley WE (N8 and I) got to sit back, relax and enjoy!!!

Con: Have to wait a couple days to get the pictures, so he can edit them.... No wait, PERFECT pictures of a very important day in Halle's life, that we will have FOREVER and only have to wait a couple of days for them..... NO NO that's a PRO too! (WoW sorry, is that a run on sentance or what.)

Anyways, so here are a couple pictures of the "before Party"!

These pictures were taken by Cori Henderson a lovely gal in our ward!!! We did them the night before her birthday so I could use them to decorate with at the party! Check out her blog to the left, she is VERY talented and soooo much fun to work with!

You are all most likely thinking I went a little CRAZY with pictures...... No, no... I just happen to have very talented, skilled, giving friends! That just happen to need baby models!

BiRtHdAy invitation

2009-04-23T19:07:00.000-07:00

Halle is turning ONE soon! Here is the beautiful invitation that I have worked so hard on. I put lovey stars over the real date and time....Woundn't want any unknown blog stalkers showing up to our home.

Arielle Valentina

2009-04-19T18:59:00.000-07:00

A bAbY GiRl is cuddles and tickles on toes, The sweet scent of powder, a kiss on the nose. A bAbY GiRl is PINK teddy bears... rattles, bows, and pins, Meals at midnight, giggles, and grins.

We are so excited to welcome Arielle Valentina into our world! She is OUR very first Niece, and Halle's one and only girl cousin! (Well at least until June...!)

3 months of morning sickness

9 months of Prego

10 hours of Labor
120 minutes of Pushing

Equals a lifetime of pure Joy and Happiness...

HAIR: The collection or mass of filaments growing from the skin, and forming a covering for a part of the head or for any part of the whole of the body.

Huhh, well I guess some babies have it and some babies don't...

Daddies and Daughters/ Brothers and Cousins/ The Dads and their Girls

KiSs AnD MaKe uP

2009-04-16T09:15:00.000-07:00

So what does a married couple of two + years fight about?...

Char---“Honey, I really wish you wouldn’t put the lid on the orange juice so tight.” (Well, it’s not just the orange juice it’s ALL things with lids!…. Seriously so tight it could give me blisters trying to yank it off ):

Nate--- “I would rather it on too tight then loosely placed on crookedly!”

Char--- gasp “FINE, I will work on putting lids on straight and a little tighter, if you will work on NOT putting them on sooo tight!”

Nate--- Smiling, “Okay honey.”

XOX kiss kiss XOX

...and make up...

And they lived happily ever after.

And......... DONE!

2009-04-15T10:25:00.000-07:00

What do you do after you finish reading a book like this?....

Halle and I started reading this, "Childens Book Of Mormon" together when she was first born. I am happy to announce that we just finished TODAY!

Our goal for this next year is to read it at least 2 and hopefully 3 times together. We did pretty good at reading this book (and many others) Every day!....And sometimes/most times a couple of times a day!

I love this book and I feel a little silly saying this but I really did learn alot!!! Everything is said so simple and it was nice to go back to the simple basic's truth's.

Halle's FiRsT Easter

2009-04-12T20:34:00.000-07:00

The other Easter Dress... My girlfriend/neighbor called me up Saturday night super excited (she was slowly recovering from a shopping high) and said, "I just got Halle the CUTEST Easter Dress Ever!!!"

Too bad we had something else in mind, We LOvE this dress and can't wait to put it on her next sunday!

It's about time Halle got her own cell phone. She's racking up all my minutes making random calls to her grandparents!

(it's a Tinker Bell phone and it says stuff like," Always winging it," "Magic is when you least expect it," and "Sparkle Power!" Oh the joys of having a girl.)

Here is the back of the Easter Dress Nate and I picked out, it's just about the cutest thing I have seen. But then again Halle does that to every outfit she puts on.

meeting Drake Hollister Adair for the first time.

Drake is Tasha and Erik's baby. A month old and already an absolute stud! We had to wait way too long to meet him. When their little family walked through the door it took all my energy to hold back the tears... I know I know, I'm a baby.

Halle's First Egg Hunt

My Easter Shoes

It was Shoe week at Ross a couple of weeks ago. So Nate and I both got a couple of pairs! I love'em it's hard for me to find cute flats.

She needed just a little help picking up the eggs.......

The way Mommy helps,

The way Daddy helps!!!

The Velveteen Rabbit

2009-04-11T10:33:00.000-07:00

The Skin Horse was old and wise, and he knew all about being real.
“What is REAL?” asked the rabbit one day. “Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick out handle?”
“Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “When a child loves you for a Long, Long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.”

With Halle's first easter coming up I wanted to get her something with just a touch of the true Easter Spirit. I thought this book was the perfect solution. I loved reading it with my parents as a child and can't wait to do the same with Halle.

Precious Moments

2009-04-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

pOoR bAbY, once upon a time a few weeks ago there was a baby that had a temperature of 101-102 for 4 days........ Toys were no longer desirable, the Grub no longer satisfied her hunger, and the People in her life no longer mattered.

Well except for one, her mom.

So they spent every moment of those 4 precious days cuddled up on the love sack. Those days consisted entirely of light tickles to the back, face and ears. When her sickness was too much for her to handle, soothing tickles to the ears would put her right to sleep.

We took her to the Doctor and she had another ear infection except for this time it's in both ears!

I'm so greatful to be a stay at home mom, especially in moments like this! I love that I have been there for most every moment in her life, and have witness all of her firsts. I love when I take her out and people go crazy over all the skills that I have taught her, and I get to say stuff like,"Oh that.... Yeah she has been doing that for a while." :)

Thank you Hubby for working as hard as you do, so I can be where I need to be.....

With Our Little Girl!

These pictures were taken toward the end of those 4 days. For just a moment Halle wanted to play her baby piano with her dad.

Everytime.....

2009-04-03T11:07:00.000-07:00

One might ask what a baby girl does, while she wait's a little "too" excitedly to hop in the tub....

This little girl seems to think "Peeing on the Floor," Is the perfect way to pass the time.

Every Day! EVERYTIME!!!

HaPpY BiRtHaDaY DaD!!!

2009-04-02T01:00:00.000-07:00

My Dad turned 58 today, and I'm just going to say...What a STUD!!! Some peoples good Looks never fail them...

I thought today would be the prefect opportunitiy to share what I LOVE most about my DAD!

I LOVED my one on one time with my dad! With my huge family and his hectic work schedule he was still never to busy to help me with my History and Geography Homework.

I LOVE his pillow belly! I remeber listening to his stomach while watching movies with him. I remeber thinking, "How does he get anything done with a belly this loud!"

I LOVE all the silly kid games he would play with us. "Tickle my Feet," we would hang our feet off the banister and chant, "tickle my feet, tickle my feet," then move them as fast as we could before my dad could tickle them.

"Daddy can't Find US," The whole lot of us would get in a line behind my dad and hang off the back pockets of the person in front of us. Then we would all say, "Daddy can't find us, daddy can't find us,"over and over again. As my dad would walk around the house saying stuff like,"Huhh, it so quiet I wonder where all the kids went." And, " Kathy have you seen...Charlene? Where could she be..?" He'd turn around really fast, throwing the very last kid in the line across the room. This game would usually end with him ""Giving Up"" on trying to find all the kids and sitting down on the couch (smashing all of his chillin's).

"Walk'in on the Ceiling." Throughout my house we have high vaulted ceiling except for in the halls and kitchen. My dad would hold us upside down as we walked on the ceiling. When we would come to a “drop off” (the high ceiling) he would throw us onto a bed or couch (like we were falling off a cliff)

“No Bears are Out Tonight” We’d wait for it to get real dark…. Then, we would walk around the house singing, “No bears are out tonight, Daddy shot them all last night.” My dad would hide behind the dark bushes or trees and wait for us to get real close… THEN..... come out chasing us screaming and growling like a bear!! (this was a personal FAV.)

Needles to say my dad is GREAT with KIDS!!!…. No wonder he had soooo many!

I LOVE his HANDS,

Their so BIG and his fingers are like FAT stubby carrots...tee, hee. I remember growing up, putting our hands together and measuring how much bigger his were than mine. Even as a teen he made my hands look like toddlers hands. His hands were ALWAYS rough and callused and that was a reminder to me of how hard he worked each and everyday to take care of his beautiful wife and 11 children!
This picture is of the first time my Dad held Halle! Of course the FIRST thing she did was grab onto his FINGER. (This was just one of her trade marks she did when she was first born.)

I LOVED when my mom needed help with something really heavy she'd call out, "Heman, I need you!" I'd think to myself," Yeah, my dad is Heman!! That's so cool."
(This picture is of my Dad and Jessica..... or Kristine? In his late twenties..?... give or take.) Okay, Okay, I don't know BUT I do know it is of my dad!! What a hunk!

I LOVE YOU dad!!!! Hope you have a WoNdErFuL Birthday!!!!

bAbY shoes....

2009-04-01T09:46:00.000-07:00

I just LOVE baby shoes! It wasn’t until about a month ago that Halle would even let us put them on her! But now look at her, trying to put them on all by HERSELF… my baby is getting so big!!

RaNdoM PiC's from this PaSt WeeK

2009-03-18T22:33:00.000-07:00

Halle & Dad

Halle & Mom

Halle & her favorite "toy?" The Window

Everyday,a couple of times a day,Halle makes her daily stops to our front room window, draging a couple of toys with her. She waves and sings to all the walker's and cars driving past.

This bear is Halle's Favorite! Grandma and Grandpa Adair put it in her Christmas stocking. It was LOVE at first sight! EVERYTIME she see's her(the bear) she gives her a big old bear hug!

surprise LuNcH with GRANDMA

2009-03-18T20:44:00.000-07:00

Today we surprised Grandma Hunter at work, with a picnic in the Park! We LOVED just hanging out in the sun! (Please excuse the quality of the camera phone. We did however bring the nice camera but forgot to put the memory card back in it...whoopsies)

HaPpY sT. pAtRiCk'S dAy!

2009-03-17T15:12:00.000-07:00

Getting our GREEN on! Thanks again Amber (Hansen) for Halle's bow!

Should Have Brought My CAMERA

2009-03-05T09:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Halle and I got to play with some of her cousins. In all honesty she really is their little princess! I had her sitting on my lap on the couch and the boys were surrounding us looking up at her (kind of like a princess sitting in her throne and the knights worshiping her). Anyways I thought this would be a good time to play "Peek A Boo." Halle is very skilled in this game. So I said to her, “Where’s the baby?” She looks at me and gets a big smile on her face then pulls the blanket with both hands over her head! The cousins said it with me this time, “Where’s the baby?” And as fast as she can, she brings the blanket down. “There she is!” everyone yelled. We did this over and over. The best part about it was watching her boy cousin’s reactions. All their faces lit up when they saw what she can do. Aden said with a huge smile,”She like a baby gril genius!” (gril is how he says girl, he is only 4). Dalen and Sebastian kept repeating what he said and would also mix in some of their own words of flattery. They are both 2, so when they get super excited about something it’s hard to understand what they are saying, but it didn’t matter, their faces said it all. It didn’t take long before her cuteness overwhelmed them and they gave up on Peek A Boo. Everyone was going in for hugs and squeezes!

I don’t feel like I got close to expressing the boys excitement when it comes to Halle. Oh well, at least I tried, that’s why I need to remember my camera. I should just keep it in my purse...

FaMiLy PHOTO SHOOT

2009-03-02T07:50:00.000-08:00

Joe's the bomb! Joe is a good friend of ours and he took these pictures for us. He was so much fun to work with, and does a good job catching the moment. He came to our home and got some awesome pictures of us just hanging out and taking care of our baby.

This is just a bus we found on the side of the road in Lehi.

MoM, MoM....

2009-02-26T14:08:00.000-08:00

Early this morning I had to run and grab some stuff out of the car. I needed both hands so I left Halle happily playing with her toys in the front room. I keep my house baby proof so there was no danger. I was in and out in about a minute. But in that time Halle had crawled from the front room, to the kitchen by the garage door (The door I had just walked out of). When I came back in the house, Halle with tears running down her face was saying, “Mom…mom, mom.” Oh, break my heart! It’s the first time she had said mom! And now that she has finally said it, she has been saying it all day! I say "finally", because she says Da Da all the time. For example, a couple weeks ago in church Nate sang a duet. The second he started singing Halle was reaching for him screaming happily saying. “Dad! Dad da da da dad!”

Oh, the many NiCkNaMeS

2009-02-12T10:08:00.001-08:00

Yesterday Halle had a Doctor’s appointment. She is 9 months and 12 days old. She weighed in at 15 lb and 2 oz, which puts her on the 2% tile. She is 26” tall and that puts her on the 5% tile in height, 50% is normal. Dr. Hackings says she’s as healthy as can be, but by the way things are looking she’ll be a petit little girl. I wonder where she got that from…. Little Grandma Hunter standing at a proud 5 feet 1 1/2 inches tall would be to blame for Miss Halle’s shortcomings. (No worries Grandma Hunter we still love you!)

We have lots of nicknames for our baby girl, but Dr. Hacking call her Little C4. She’s small but strong, with lots of energy. Yah she looks all cute in smiles but try to lay her down for her check up. We don’t have any pictures of that because it took Nate holding her legs and me holding her arms jut so the doctor could look in her ears and mouth. (C4 is a powerful explosive in a small package)

Little Lou

"The Ball"

Mama's little Munchkin, Pumpkin, Baby

Buddha Belly

Halle BABY

And Liam, one of the kids I nanny calls Halle,”His Bottle of Adorableness”

February 10th TwO yEaR ANNIVERSARY

2009-02-11T12:56:00.001-08:00

CrAzY! I can’t believe it’s been two years. Seems like yesterday when I put on my white gown and headed to the Salt Lake Temple to marry the most Wonderful Man in my world! To celebrate we didn’t want to do anything too fancy for three reasons; first, we didn’t want to leave Halle for a long period of time, second, we just went to Peru and are sill vacationed out, and third, we live every day like it’s our anniversary so really today isn’t that different. We went to a movie and had a blast at Joe’s Crab Shack, thought it would be fun to bring back some of the sea food memories we had on our Honeymoon cruise in the Bahamas.

What I remember most about our wedding day....

*How absolutely positively in LOVE we were… Never thought I could love someone more, but he does little things everyday that make me fall even more in love with him. I just keep thinking to myself, there is no way I could have made this good of a decision on my own… Someone up there must really love me to give me everything I asked for and forgot to ask for in a husband.

*When Nate sang his song to me. This song is about the way he feels when he looks at me. The very first time the two of us hung out he downloaded it to my computer.

*The wedding luncheon. We had it at the Joseph Smith memorial building in the Imperial Room and it was absolutely beautiful.

*When we DANCED our first dance as a Married Couple.

*When my biggest brother Jared kissed me on my forehead in the temple after the sealing.

*Seeing all of our families faces in the sealing room and knowing that THIS is FOREVER

*Having most everyone I have ever loved come to our reception from aunts and uncles to Primary teachers.

*Meeting all of Nate’s childhood friends, and close loved ones

*How I felt. I was floating on cloud nine all day. Even though there were a couple of miner things that went wrong it didn’t matter… It was our Wedding Day! We were surrounded by family, and had the opportunity to marry in the TEMPLE!

Taking CaNdY from a bAbY

2009-01-28T11:57:00.000-08:00

What the..... What are you doing? How did you even get that open!? WoW, you didn't rip the rapper, impressive. But still, your father will be hearing about this when he gets home.

RoUgH NiGhT?

One girl, Nine boys

2009-01-28T09:49:00.000-08:00

Dear, oh dear sweet girl... It's going to be a rough next 20 years. There are 10 grandchildren and sadly Halle is the only girl. Family get togethers go something like this....

Vincent 7 months, Halle 9 months, and Edmond 11 months.

(Yes, Vincent is already taller than Halle)

Good News Ashley and Tyson are expecting their first child. IT'S A GIRL!
Also Tasha and and Erik are expecting their first child, it's a boy... We are super excited for them, I just don't know if Halle and her new baby girl cousin will make it to their teens.

Our own Personal American Idol

2009-01-28T09:35:00.000-08:00

Meet Jarett, he's my bud from my working days at Prosper, and now one of my sister Calli's good freind's. Calli invited him to one of our families crazy sunday dinners, I'll just put it this way, he fits right in. And I know he's just a friend but Calli, can you just marry him.... For the kids sake! Pretty Pleeeeeease.

(He really is on American Idol)

MY MAN

2009-01-27T19:16:00.000-08:00

1. Where did you meet your husband? I saw him around the apartment complex that we both lived in while in college. But we didn’t officially meet until my roommate invited him (along with 20 other people) to a Super Bowl party we threw.

2. How long did you date before you married? That’s a hard question. We went from best friends to being engaged. The whole “boyfriend/girlfriend” phase didn’t really happen, but we were the best of friends for about a year. I was going through a really hard time in my life and he was the one that was always there for me….. He picked me up when I was down. I guess you can say my knight in shining armor.

3. How long have you been married? Two years in February

4. What does he do that surprises you? He’ll call me during his hectic day just to say hello. When he comes home from a long day of work to a pile of homework waiting for him, he is still never to busy to play with our baby girl, give me the attention I need, and on top of it all help clean the house.
5. What is my favorite feature on him? His Face! Front view, side view, top view, bottom view. He’s just so dreamy! I absolutely love his smile, his straight teeth, his lips, nose, and don’t even get me started on his eyes. They are the perfect shade of blue and any girl would kill for his thick, long, black eye lashes. 6. What is my favorite quality of his? His people skills, he makes friends wherever we go. He’s not afraid to start up a conversation. He truly cares about strangers well being. He has good advice and loves to help anybody and everybody out. He treats everybody the same no matter who they are. 7. Does he have a nickname for you? No, I think this is the only boring thing about him… In his phone he has me as Charlene Adair Hunter. What’s up with that!!?

8. What is his favorite food? Can the answer to this question be FOOD!!?

9. What is his favorite sport? FOOTBALL, But can I just say he’s really good at all sports. You know how you have certain “things” you do everyday like brush your teeth, eat, sleep…. Well his list just wouldn’t be complete without his daily dose of sports.

10. When & where was your first kiss? July 24th 2006. Nate was going to take me on an airplane ride to watch the fireworks over the valley, but the weather wasn’t good enough. So we played “photo shoot” in the air plane instead. After about 10 different silly poses Nate asked.”What should we do next?” I said, “don’t worry I got this one…” And I landed one big smoocher on his cheek! Later that night we were listening to the Princess Bride theme song, “Storybook Love” when Nate, after about 5 cowardly attempts finally stepped up to the plate. With butterflies in my stomach it was the best kiss I have ever had.

11. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? I liked my cousins Tara’s answer who liked her friend Wendy's answer...so I'm going to leave it: "Anything together, we just like it when we are in the same room at the same time!"

12. Do you have any children? YES! One beautiful blue eyed baby Girl! She is the second love of my life. (after my Hubby of course) She’s getting so big so fast. She is already 9 months and is crawling! She makes the sweetest baby noises and loves to flirt with everyone she meets.

13. Does he have any hidden talents? I wouldn’t say hidden. That’s what makes Nate so absolutely wonderful!
14. How old is he? 25
15. Who said I love you first? I did. We were sitting in church playing the, “Guess what I’m spelling on your back,” game.

16. What is his favorite music? He likes inspirational music whether it be country, pop, rock ‘n’ roll… you know, whatever… but his all time FAVORITE is whatever I’m singing at the moment. (Any of you that really know me, know I can’t hit a note… aaawww True Love)

17. What do you admire most about him? Admire most? The thing about Nate is that he really has the whole package. He’s strong in the church, great with kids, amazing singing voice, super outgoing, sets high goals then does what it takes to accomplish them, always put others needs before his own, really big on serving others, a great husband and dad…… not to mention he’s really, really, ridiculously good looking! I could go on but I think I will spare you from my lovey dovey-ness. 18. What is his favorite color? Blue.

19. Will he read this? Yes, he loves to see what projects I work on while he’s at school and work.
20. Who do you tag? Jessica, Kristin, Amber, Barbara, Charrli and everyone else who has not already done this.