Happy Fourth of July

We hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July!

Build-A-Bear

Daddy was off the Friday before Fourth of July, so we had a fun family outing to the mall! I'm sure Daddy was thrilled. haha. :o) We took Hallie to ride the quarter rides, to eat lunch at Chick-fil-A and then to Build-A-Bear. One of the last times we were at the mall, Hallie actually noticed Build-A-Bear. We walked around in there and she admired all the clothes, shoes, accessories, and the animals awaiting a loving family. She didn't question whether or not she could get anything...so after discussing it with Jonathan, we decided we'd take her the next day. She was so excited. We gave her a choice of a dark brown bear, the light brown bear, or a fluffy bunny. The bunny was honestly the cutest of the 3 choices, but after giving her the choices, I silently prayed she'd choose a bear. Yes. I'm admitting that. C'mon...she can't choose a bunny for her first experience at Build-A- BEAR!! She studied all of them for what seemed like an eternity. Then she pointed to the light colored bear. Whew!

I had never been to BAB...so I had no idea what to expect. The "Bear Expert" was very sweet to Hallie. She took Hallie to the cuddles and love fluffing machine and told Hallie to step on the pedal to start fluffing her bear. Hallie was hesitant at first, but when she finally did it she was excited to be the one making the machine work! The expert talked to Hallie while it was being done, asking her what she was going to name the bear. Do you know what she decided on? Bear. That's right. The bear's name is Bear. Then we asked Hallie if it as a boy bear or a girl bear. She stood there for a few seconds and then replied, "Um...itsa girl bear." When Bear was finished being stuffed with cuddles and love, the expert asked Hallie to pick her out a heart. The expert had Hallie rub it together with her hands--so the bear would have warm heart. Then Hallie rubbed it on her face so Bear would be as beautiful as she is. Then she rubbed it on her arms so Bear would have lots of hugs to give. Then Hallie held it close to her heart so Bear would be filled with love. I thought all that was sweet. After Bear got her heart and was sewn up, Hallie got to take her to get an air bath. I think this was Hallie's favorite part. She thought it was hilarious that the bear was getting a bath! She kept saying, "Bear, you like that?!" So cute. :o) Hallie promptly picked out some shoes for Bear and Jonathan helped her pick out a little outfit. Although neither is seen on Bear very often (which I figured), but Bear has been very loved since she came to live with us!

Austin Children's Museum

Hallie and I met some of our sweet San Antonio friends in Austin for a fun-filled day! Of course, it hadn't rained (except yesterday's small shower) in probably a month. So the day Hallie and I decided to hit the road, what does it do? Yep, it pours...POURS down rain the entire trip to Austin. Sigh. We met The Guinn family (minus Jeremy) at Chick-fil-A for lunch. The kids probably would have been happy staying there, playing; but we had already planned a trip to the children's museum. So after Stephanie and I chatted for a bit while the kids played, we headed to the museum. Neither of us had ever been, but there's a great children's museum in San Antonio and a great one here, in Waco. We were hoping it was just as good. I'm not sure how Stephanie felt about it, but I was a little disappointed. There weren't that many exhibits for the kids to actually play in--although they didn't notice. :o) It was more for older kids, so Sarah (7) had a blast. There was lots of arts and crafts sections and "make your own" sections. There was a toddler section, but it really was more for babies. It didn't stop the kids from having a great time and not wanting to leave when it was time to go! They did have several cute exhibits--a little construction zone, a kitchen, a grocery store and restaurant. There was also a "milk the cow" exhibit...and we actually witnessed a kid take the suction off the teet and lick the "milk" that was going into the can. Eewww. lol. Hallie found a small cow and held it up to the big cow while proclaiming "Itsamatch!" :o)

In the tumble room!

Cute little Austin!

The "Mi Familia" exhibit--Hallie really loved it!

Liam (L) and Austin (R) playing the drums!

Hallie giving it a try--she's a natural!

These two are SO cute together! Hallie is about 2 weeks older
than Austin, so Stephanie and I spent a lot of time together in the
"cry room" at church...that's where Hallie and Austin became
friends. :o) Here they are sharing scissors. Too cute!

A little dollhouse in the construction zone--you
could build your own house.

I couldn't get Austin to smile for me...he's
so stinking cute!

Austin wanted to make sure Hallie was safe while
in the construction zone! Thanks, Austin!

So...Hallie returned the favor. :o)

There was a little train table when you first went into to the
museum...Hallie and Austin could have stayed here the
entire time and been perfectly happy!

Sweet friend, Stephanie!!

Trying to get a picture of the kids...they're all in the
shot...you just can't see their faces. In the front:
Liam, Sarah, Hallie. In the back, Ashley trying to
get Austin in the picture. :o)

Take 2...well, sort of.
Liam, Austin, Sarah, Hallie

Water Fun!

Gramps and Rah-Rah got Hallie a water table and it is a hit day after day! We have it on our back porch so she can enjoy being outside with plenty of shade and a little fan to keep her cool. :o) After many, many days of no rain, we actually got a little rain shower this afternoon while playing outside. There was lots of thunder and lightning, but very little rain where we were. We were thankful for the little rain we got!

Sweet, happy girl!

We get this face a lot--usually while she's saying
"Momma said no..." :o)

Oh, the conversations...

Hallie is quite the entertainer lately. I have so many stories that I want to remember. So this post is just a little update of sorts for what I've been seeing daily in my sweet girl. These are the things Jonathan and I talk about being SO cute, and things I do not ever want to forget.

I haven't caught it on camera yet, but she loves talking on the phone. She will take my phone and say, "My phone!" Then she'll put it up to her ear and say, "Hey Pop...(nod)...I fine. I got gum" or whatever is going on at the moment. It is absolutely priceless and precious! After talking for a few minutes, she'll look at me and whisper "Mommy, take my phone." So I will humor her and take MY phone from her. haha. She will immediately pop her head around to Jonathan and say "Daddy!!! Mommy took my phone!!" He'll also play along by interrogating me--"Mommy, did you take Hallie's phone." I will fib and say no. Then she'll look completely disgusted and say, "She said 'no'!" We have so much fun with her.

Since we've lived in this house, Hallie's changing table has been in front of the window. Hallie was always interested in the blinds, trying to get a peek of "outside" (as she calls it). I don't even remember the day it started, but Hallie started saying "Hey, Outside!" and Jonathan would begin talking to her as "Outside". First it was just a greeting...then it was full-on conversation. While driving home from our Tuesday night Chick-fil-A run (family night), out of nowhere Hallie began a conversation with "Outside". It went something like this (with me having to be "Outside"):

Hallie: Hey, Outside!

Outside: Hey, Hallie! Whatcha doing?

H: I'm eatin' a french fry.

O: Mmm...you're eating a french fry? That looks good!

H: Outside, want some french fry?
O: Oh, yes! Thank you! I'd love some french fry!

H: Noooo! Outside! You can't have some french fry. You don't have a face.

O (while stifling the laughter): Oh. Well, I suppose you're right.

H: You can't have french fry. I have a face, I can have french fry.

And that was the end. She didn't talk to outside again until bedtime. lol. It's things like this that happen probably 50 times or more a day. Just the most random, cute things...such creativity, such imagination. Hallie is growing up entirely too fast!

Another thing Hallie does with EVERYTHING is matching. If she sees something that is the same (or almost the same), she'll say--as if it's one word--"itsamatch!" in complete excitement. For example, she and I both have gray New Balance tennis shoes...itsamatch! Hallie's Cinderella doll and her Cinderella bandaid on her leg...itsamatch! Hallie's bow and Mommy's barrett...itsamatch! Daddy's khaki shorts and Hallie's khaki shorts...itsamatch! Other ways Hallie matches--shape, color, size. She has been doing this for several months now, I just keep forgetting to post about it. She keeps us giggling, that's for sure!

Hallie can now sing her alphabet all the way through without skipping a letter. I've yet to capture this on video. Sigh. Her ending makes me laugh--"Now I know my ABCs, next time sing my ABCs". :o) She can also count to 10 without skipping any numbers and can count objects to 5. How did she learn to count objects to 5? I had a bag of marshmallows...she requested five. I had her count them out. She'll sometimes skip 3 and count to 6...but she is quickly learning!

We are SO proud of our sweet Hallie! Can you tell?!

Celebrate Good Times! Come on!

We got to celebrate with some great friends this past weekend. Kelly and Kevin were married in Las Vegas in May and had a reception to celebrate with family and friends. It was great getting to see Jonathan's high school friends and meeting Kelly's family. There was good food, great company, and a video montage of past pictures--some of them extremely hilarious of the "Fab Four" back in the day! There was even some music for entertainment...although, I think the dancing kids really stole the show on the entertainment front. I really wish I had have gotten a video of them dancing, but hopefully you'll get a glimpse of the cuteness from the pictures!

Congratulations to the happy newlyweds! We wish you many, many years of happiness and joy together! We love ya'll!

Mr. and Mrs. Schaffer

The Echols Family

Two cuties--Hallie and Rebecka

Tearing up the dance floor!

Oh my! Rebecka, Maggie, and Hallie
Could these three be any cuter? They became fast friends!
Whenever Rebecka or Maggie would walk somewhere else,
Hallie would hold her arms out and ask, "Where my
friends go?" They had a great time entertaining
everyone...and I had a great time watching them!

Opening up presents...Hallie was sitting under
the table! LOL!

So sweet!

**Rebecca and Maggie are Kelly's nieces (well, Kevin's now, too). Disclaimer--I have no idea how to spell Rebecca's name...whether it is ca or kah. :o) Let me know, Kevin! (Update: I found out I didn't even have a 50/50 chance of spelling her name right...it's Rebecka! Unless Kevin's lying to me!)

Baby's Got a New Pair of Shoes!

Nonna strikes again! This time with a pair of Add-a-Bow squeaky shoes! Oh my goodness...these shoes are adorable. Of course, I think I'm one of the few who thinks her little squeaky steps are just adorable. Hallie wore her squeaky shoes to church on Sunday. Don't worry, the squeakers are removable! We put the squeakers back in for lunch, and it nearly drove Charley (our dog) nuts. Whenever he hears a squeak, he must find it, attack, and destroy. He was looking for something furry, but never found it. He eventually gave up.

The video says it all--Hallie love shoes!

Hallie Flips!

Two weekends ago, Hallie dazzled us with a new trick--turning flips. She has been bending over, standing on her head as long as she was able to stand up. We've been waiting on the day that she decided to just flip on over. She loves flipping! She's becoming quite fearless when it comes to jumping, flipping, and climbing. She's our resident monkey! :o)

Girls Day Out

This is Hallie's favorite spot--sitting on the little seat of the window. You can find her here quite often. And if you're looking for a sippy cup, a bow, or anything else Hallie likes to stash, you'll find it in the dollhouse! Now, the things that belong in the dollhouse have other homes--in her play kitchen refrigerator, microwave, shelf, or dishwasher!

Hallie has had quite the interesting day. It started out with her being extremely whiny...probably because she's not getting near the amount of sleep she needs to. It's quite stressful on us all! Last week we took Hallie to the doctor and she had strep throat. Poor thing. She woke up Thursday night throwing up, then threw up again Friday morning. She was very upset about having to go to the doctor, but found her courage along the way saying, "I go to the doctor. I'm sick." Bless her. We laid low all weekend and finally ventured out a bit today. My mom had gotten Hallie an outfit at GAP that she wanted me to try on (make sense?). So Hallie and I headed to the mall. She was excited about going shopping with Mommy. :o) We get there, stop by GAP, browse the racks, then head to CFA for lunch. She and I were going to share some nuggets before enjoying the quarter rides (specifically the train). I was really excited about how well Hallie was eating because her appetite hasn't been that great lately. She was hungry and eating. And then it happened. See, she has had this yucky cough that has been lingering (we'll probably be going to the doctor again soon--sigh) and sometimes it gags her and up comes the food. Bleh. And that's exactly what happened. At first, it was just little...and we caught it in the napkin. But Hallie's gag reflex seems to work REALLY well, so I was ready for more to come. Really, I should've just held the tray up to her mouth. Sigh. Bless her sweet heart, she threw up all over herself. I was catching what I could in my hands (gross, I know...but as a mommy, you do what you have to do, right?). She was crying, people were staring...it just wasn't fun. Surprisingly, I didn't freak out. I mean, there was nothing we could do. So I started clean up. Hallie wanted her shirt and shoes off--since they were covered in yuck. So she stood there in her little skirt (Jonathan would have died) while I cleaned everything up. I alerted the CFA people to the incident, and after I had gotten most of it, this high school kid comes out to clean it up. I felt AWFUL. But I was glad I had gotten the majority of it. And as we left and I thanked him over and over, in true CFA form he said, "No problem, ma'am. My pleasure." I'm not sure Truett Cathy really meant that one had to say "My pleasure" when cleaning up a 2 year old's vomit...but I was thankful regardless.

After that, we headed to Gymboree to grab a cheapy outfit (I knew about their big sale--thank goodness!) because all Hallie could think about was riding the train! Embarrassed that I looked like "one of those mothers" as I pushed Hallie through the mall in only a diaper (GASP...and again, Jonathan would have died), I told Hallie to lean back so I could put the canopy over her. lol. Of course, she didn't care...if she had it her way, she'd go everywhere in only a diaper. Oh, and the shoes of her choice. We get to Gymboree, buy a very cute outfit for just over $10 and headed to the train. But not before Hallie's attention was grabbed by the Great American Cookie Company. Feeling sad for her, I caved and bought her a Mini Double Doozie--delicious icing stuffed between two M&M chocolate chip cookies. I know what you're thinking..."but she just threw up". Remember...she gagged. And believe me, that cookie was staying in her stomach. And every last morsel did. Hallie enjoyed the cookie, the train, and the ride to Daddy's work--she was very excited to go see him. She played, gave Daddy the cookie that she picked out for him, and then we headed home. A late nap took place and we're awaiting the arrival of Gramps and RahRah (and maybe Uncle J) for supper. It was a fun day...even with all the craziness that went with it!

Oh, and before Hallie gave into a nap, she insisted on another cookie--this time an oatmeal cookie...in her favorite spot. And really, the cookie was just a ploy to stay awake just a little longer.

New Hideout!

Last year, Abby loaned Hallie her barnyard hideout. Hallie played with it on occasion last summer...but wasn't really interested in having a hideout. I decided to pull it out the other day and Hallie was SO excited about it! She's at the age where she really likes to hide and have a place to put her treasures. She keeps the "doors" down and doesn't like us intruding on her privacy (HA!). Daddy is special, though...he got an invitation!

I know it's blurry, but read Halile's face...
"Mommy, KEEP OUT!"

Hallie allowed one visitor.

Hallie is also into telling secrets--it is SO cute. She's telling
Jonathan a secret here...she said, "I love you, Dada!" How
sweet is that?!