FALL HAS FALLEN

Fall has arrived in the Bay Area. Just in time to take the kids to the beach and enjoy the beautiful weather. We joined Paradise and Justin on Saturday with Britten and Hailey and went to Santa Cruz. It was absolutely perfect weather. We had warm weather, few crouds and just a relaxing peaceful day. The beach patrol never even bothered us about our alcoholic beverages. The kids just loved the sand. They took turns building and destroying sand structures. What a terrific day.
On Sunday, Paradise and Justin came to our place with the Taylors for a bar-b-que, swim party and competitive game of Kentucky Corn Hole. Justin won. It was a great time. All the cousins played together.
Monday was the topper. Chris and I dropped the ninos off at school and played hooky in Chinatown with Paradise and Justin. A couple bottles of Sake, Bloody Mary's at Red's Place and getting yelled at by the Muni Operators. Who could have asked for a better day. Thanks for all the memories Paradise and Justin. Sorry about all the traffic. We'll get some pictures in the mail to you. Can't wait to see you in your Geisha gear.
The house is starting to move again. More demo and then framing is scheduled to begin next week. Maybe we'll get it rainproof just in time...maybe not. And just to see if Dad ever reads this thing....I could use your help with some of the finish work and to help Joe with the roof... Love all of you. Take care and hope to see you soon. Go Bears.

SUMMER FUN

1)Britten plays captain of the ship at the play ground; 2) Although sleepy, Hailey enjoys the swing; 3) Three generations of Hallfords; The kids played at the park earlier this month. Laci's grandparents happen to live next door so she and Mike came over an played with us for a few minutes. Oh yeah, Mike had a little girl last weekend too. We heard everyone is doing well. I believe her name is Sophia. Congratulations on being a big sister again Laci.
There isn't too much new at the house. We're still waiting patiently.

The kids continue to grow and entertain us. They each have colds right now. They slept pretty sound last night so maybe that will help. We've all been going through a lot of change lately. They kids are such troopers! Take care everyone. Come visit!

BIG JACK

Well, Jackson is in the animal hospital again. His stomach just doesn't work right. On Friday it bloated up so much that his lungs were compressed and he couldn't breath. So, back to the emergency vet. They punctured a hole in his side to relieve the pressure and then he underwent surgery to reposition his stomach in order to prevent recurrances. They also noticed a lot of 'junk' in his stomach and have put him on some drugs to try to stimulate his stomach activities - like digestion and purging. If the drugs don't work, then they can do some exploratory surgery to figure it out or we can just bring him to the vet every few months when he's ready to die again. We are supposed to get him back on Monday. What a bummer.

All else is status quo. It's beautiful weather here and there isn't anything worth complaining about. Keep Uncle Dean in your thoughts.

ACTION

I found our camera and am finally able to get some pictures out to everyone. I continue to be amazed at the rate destruction can happen. I believe we had our first inspection today. The old foundation has been removed in the kitchen and dining room. All excavation is complete for the new footings, new sewer and new portion of the home. Chris thinks that Monday is pour day. I don't think we'll be having a pour party - at least I won't be there if there is one. Picture 3 above is our backyard where we used to have a patio, arbor and lots of vegetation; this will be part of our new kitchen and dining room. Picture 1 is the current state of our kitchen looking out into our dining room and den since that wall has been removed. It used to have cabinets and an oven and stuff like that. Picture 2 is our living room. That is the woodstove insert and refrigerator against the wall and our new sewer line going through the floor. WOW!
Oh yeah Par, I saw your message about Mexico and think it's a great idea. But, we have 3 school teachers in the family and will have 3 - maybe 4 - school age children next year. I'd like to make sure they'd be able to make it. Know what I mean? Otherwise, I'm in. We'll start saving now.

Chimney in the Grass

I took the kids by our 'old' house today to see the remodel progress. Britten's comment was - 'Mommy, Our Chimney is in the Grass!'. He's correct. The work officially started Monday. Our kitchen has been completely torn out, the den/dining room wall is gone, the chimney and fireplace are gone, the outside patio and arbor are gone and the flooring is gone from the living room, dining room and kitchen. We have reached the point of no return. I anticipate that they will begin the forms for the new foundation tomorrow and maybe pour early next week. This means we'll be looking for framers soon.... Any volunteers? Dad, Simon, Joe, Ben, Nathan?????? It's quick and easy work. You can crash on an air matress in the living room. We still have running water and power.
There were no eggs in the chicken coop when I went by today. Either the girls are on strike or something or someone is helping themselves to the eggs. Oh well. We're at Chris' parents house if anyone needs to contact us. Oh yeah, I'm not sure where we packed our cameras so no pictures until I find them.

FACE IT

Aunt Par put in a special request for a face picture. I can't readily find one of Britten where he's not being a goofball but found a pretty decent close up of Hailey at Grandma's house. Here's to you Aunt Par. Go 80's.

MOVING OUT

Well after many moons of thinking, talking, hoping and saving our remodeling project is finally beginning. The diggers are coming on Thursday and they hope to have all the foundation and demo work done within two weeks. Then we can begin framing and so on... Which also means that we're moving the family out to Chris' parents for a while. We haven't decided what we're doing with the chickens yet. Britten is pretty excited about getting a new house but Hailey doesn't seem to have a clue.

Speaking of the kids, Britten had surgery yesterday to insert tubes into his ears to hopefully prevent infections. He's had three ruptures in his left ear due to stagnant fluid in the inner ear that just won't drain. He's doing great and just loves his new ear plugs that he wears at bathtime. Hailey is beginning to use words but they are still few and far between. She's a little bugger though. She's got such a temper.... I just can't imagine where she gets it from. She's also the biggest sweetheart. I was in St Louis for a week and she gave me the biggest hug when I got home. It was the best.

Here's a quick peak of the kids checking out the cows at Uncle Don's ranch last month. They want to go back.
Oh yeah, Happy Birthday to Ben (I totally forgot to send you a card but I had a great conversation with a man who lives across the street from Soldier Field. That should count for something.) Birthday wishes to Uncle Justin. Happy Anniversary to Paradise and Justin and to my Husband!! Happy Graduation to Psalms and Happy First Day of Kindergarten to Preston! Take care everyone!

The kids went to the County Fair today. We had an early breakfast, met up with Aunt Sue, and loaded up on sunscreen and water. We got there early and left before the masses arrived. We primarily went to see the livestock and 4-H exhibits. That stuff is so cool. I can't wait for the children to be old enough to participate. They also took some time to play in one of the toddler areas - the rides cost like $5 a pop so we did the free stuff. We'll do the zoo rides instead. They're a lot cheaper. Looking forward to seeing everyone soon.

Here's Looking at You

Things are great here in P. Hill. We just survived about a week stretch of triple digit heat. Yuck. Hopefully next year at this time we'll have air conditioning. Nature's air conditioning is supposed to make it about 5 degrees cooler tomorrow. We're okay with that. The kids are terrific. Britten turned 3 about 2 weeks ago. He really had a good time with Aunt Angel and family, Aunt Suzi and his grandparents. He received some wonderful and very thoughtful gifts. Thanks to everyone!! Unfortunately, he just came down with another ear infection. His left ear doesn't drain very well and he had a slight cold and that was enough to trigger his third infection since April. Luckily, he's able to communicate the pain to us and we were able to get him to his doctor. He has an appointment with a specialist in two weeks to discuss putting a tube in that left ear.

Hailey's gggggrrrreat! She's starting to use words but I think I'm the only who understands what they mean. Everyday they become a bit more recognizable and she babbles a lot too. She's really into books now too. We read several in the course of a day. Her hair is starting to get pretty long and thick. It's so wonderful watching both of them grow up and become little people.

We're looking forward to seeing the family up in Sonora in a couple weeks. It should be a hoot.

Happy June B-days to Paradise and Austin. (I hope I didn't forget anyone.)

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday
Originally uploaded by The Hallfords.

Happy Birthday to Jackson. He turned four today. That is four in human years. I read an interesting article the other day that said that human years and dog years aren't exactly multiples of seven as is commonly said. As dogs get older the difference actually slows so that by the time a dog is about ten or so they only age about 2 1/2 years for each human year. There's some complex formula to figure you how old your dog is in equivalent human years. So, Big Jack is about 25 or so. Those mid-twenties were the best times of my life. I sure hope Big Jack is having a blast. Here he is on Memorial Day after a swim in the pond at Briones. He was pretty happy that day. The kids fed him some special treats tonight in honor of the anniversary of his birth.

Tom Girl

Tom Girl
Originally uploaded by The Hallfords.

Not only is she pretty in pink, but Miss Hailey looks terrific in John Deere colors as well. She is also pretty good with the bat and tee but she uses the carrot bat from Uncle Justin and Aunt Par. Her hand-eye coordination is quite impressive. How convenient for us if we had a couple of future pros among our brood.

Future Baller

Future Baller
Originally uploaded by The Hallfords.

Britten is such the baller. Obviously he's a huge A's fan. As well as a Bear fan - Both the Chicago and California varieties. He has mastered his Tee given to him by Uncle Joe for his 2nd birthday. It doubles as a golfing Tee. He's also getting good at throwing a ball in the air and hitting it with a bat. Of course he's probably just your average soon to be three year old but we like to believe that he's special. He is very excited for his upcoming birthday. Today was Jackson's fourth b-day. Britten was also very excited about that.

Hailey's Baby Doll

Hailey's Baby Doll
Originally uploaded by The Hallfords.

Hailey just loves her baby doll. This is her first ever doll - from Grandma Cathi. Here she is giving her baby some love. She can be such a little princess - when she isn't biting or throwing a tantrum :) We love her so much.

XXL Bean Bag Chair

XXL Bean Bag Chair
Originally uploaded by The Hallfords.

Here are the kids hanging out on Chris' extra large bean bag. We call it a bean bag chair over here but I guess that's a bit redundant. On this particular evening, they pulled all the blankets and pillows off of Britten's bed and settled down with Dumbo (the book) on the bean bag. It was really cute watching them snuggle together. It certainly is amazing how much they grow.
The remodel plans are moving...slowly. We have our permits. Now we just have to get a contractor to give us a start date. We figure anywhere between now and October. We may have Brother Joe come out and do the demolition work and get moving that way. We'll see.
Congratulations to Chris' sister Sue and Thomas. He proposed to her earlier this week in Hawaii. She said yes. We are all very happy for them. Now Britten wants to know when he can get married.
Have a safe holiday weekend everyone.

Happy May

We're all doing terrific here in case any one is asking. Spring was late in coming but we're thankful for all that rain. Everything is in full bloom and allergy sufferers are suffering pretty bad. (Sorry Chris.) Hailey just loves the roses. I pick one for her every day and she just walks around smelling it until all the petals are torn and fallen apart. Chris took the kids to the zoo last week. I guess the camel was pretty exciting but the lions weren't out. Hailey's been in Day Care for a month now. Two days a week. She's adjusting well. She still isn't very verbal and does a lot of grunting. We getting pretty good at deciphering the grunting. She is able to follow commands, for example I asked her to go in her room and get a book, she promptly went into her room and got a monkey. The second time I asked, she went in her room and returned with some toy pliers. I think we have a genius on our hands :) Britten will be three next month. He is very exciting about having a party - I'm not sure that we're having one though....Where do kids get such ideas these days. I'm sure we'll recognize this milestone somehow. He's doing pretty good with potty-training. He's still wearing diapers at night and during naps but not at all during the day. Hip Hip Hooray!!!!
Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers in my life (and to Brother Joe). You are all terrific and deserve an awesome day. I hope you get at least one hour to yourselves. I have a magazine I hope to read next to the pool. That's all I want.
Well, enough rambling. Happy Belated B-day to Laci; Happy B-day to my mom, Joe, Suzi and Dick; Come by and pick up some fresh eggs and lemons. hmh

Dolan's Surgery

Dolan had his surgery at 5 PM Pacific Time this evening. I spoke with Mom while he was in. She was on a walk, collecting her thoughts. Yesterday was difficult but they were able to spend a lot of time alone for their anniversary. Dolan's family is in town and is being very supportive of Dolan and his future. They are planning on working with Mom on making the house wheelchair accessible and safe. Mom didn't think that she'd have a good idea on the success of the surgery for 24 hours or so. She said she'd call with status when she was ready. I got the impression that she didn't want too many phone calls over the next day but she didn't come out and say that. I think it may be best to give them a little space. I don't know much about this type of procedure. Mom said the surgery itself isn't risky but the period afterward is critical. They will be watching his blood counts carefully as well as the surgery site.

On a cheerier note,

Hailey is officially walking. Britten's ear infection seems to have cleared up. Both kids are cutting molars right now. Our weather is improving. We haven't seen rain in about a week and it's actually supposed to be sunny on Thursday.

Dolan News

I spoke with Mom this morning. Dolan will be having a procedure on either Monday or Tuesday to have his leg removed just below the knee. Apparently the multitude of surgeries and barrage of efforts on the part of the doctors has not been enough to save his leg. The surgeries have entailed trying to move muscles and arteries from various parts of his body to his leg. So, not only has Dolan been having operations on his leg but also on his stomach, arms and good leg.
He is at the same hospital he was originally at when the accident first occured. The address and information is on one of the previous posts. He is in pretty decent spirits considering the circumstances. Mom is taking it relatively hard but she is trying to find the silver lining in this entire ordeal. Of course, they will be celebrating their first wedding anniversary tomorrow. Please keep Dolan in your thoughts. Any news can be posted via the comment section here. Thanks to everyone for your continued support.

Back Home

We had a very eventful yet relaxing time in Santa Barbara. Our hotel was beautiful, we walked to the ocean, played at the pool, played in the park, ate great food and hardly napped!!! Hailey and Britten hopefully had a memorable time. They will need a few weeks to recover on all of their lost sleep. Hailey turned one in perfect style. Thanks to everyone who sent their wishes. She had her check-up today and despite all that food she shoves down her mouth, she's only gained 3/4 of an inch and less than one pound since her last check-up in January. I'm not worried, it's just interesting since she's such a big eater like Britten - except that Britten is growing like a vine.
We saw Aunt Par, Uncle Justin and Dolly in SB. Very fun! Thanks guys. Talk to everyone soon.

Britten, Jackson & Avery

Britten, Jackson & Avery
Originally uploaded by The Hallfords.

Britten is getting so big. He's about 90% potty-trained. He had two accidents today but that was primarily because he didn't take a nap and was really tired. But, he's been doing quite well the last week or so. His vocabulary improves everyday. He loves to sing, play guitar and count everything in sight. He's looking forward to seeing the Easter Bunny in two weeks.

Hailey's Bikeride

Hailey's Bikeride
Originally uploaded by The Hallfords.

Can you believe Hailey will be one in a week? Time has flown by. Hailey was riding Britten's bicycle last weekend and just loves it. She really enjoys the outdoors and doing whatever Britten does. She's taken a few steps but isn't officially walking yet. She's pretty competent crawling so doesn't feel a need to get around on two feet. Her hair is starting to get long so she is finally able to wear barettes and girly stuff. She starts 'school' next week. She'll be there with Britten two days week. Hopefully she'll adjust well. She'll love having new toys to play with and new people to watch.