Holidays

The holidays were busy! We had family on both sides in town. It was fun getting together, but I realized just how hard it is to walk out the door on time with a newborn. We were able to make it to Audrey's first doctor appointment on time, thank goodness.

Niece Kaley and nephew Matthew in Matthew's biggest XMas present.

Jenny getting some sweet girl time.

The 2 pictures below are how Michael and I spend a lot of our days. This is the best way to catch up on sleep!

This is our deep thinker. She often has this pensive look on her face. Notice her hands - she tries to do this a lot! She finally got all of her fingers in the right spot.

One Week Birthday!

I'll try not to do too many post with pictures, but I'm a proud momma right now.

Some Pictures

We're home and doing well. We're enjoying spending time with this precious little girl!

Our First Sights of Audrey

My first time to hold her. (Operating Room)

Michael holding her in the nursery.

We finally both get to adore her in the recovery room.

Baby Audrey

It took quite awhile, but Audrey arrived at 6:01 Sunday night. I dilated very quickly and began to push at 2:00 and pushed for 3 hours. Poor Audrey was not positioned well (sunny-side up) and was being pushed into my pelvic bone each time I pushed. This caused us to do a C-section. It was even hard to get her out even in the C-section! She has a poor little bruise on her forehead as a result. She must have such a headache! She is 7 lbs 6 oz and 20.25 inches. She has some black hair and is just beautiful! She has very long fingers and toes. She has been very alert every time we've seen her. Michael is so in love with her - too sweet! We also have been pretty succesful with nursing. God is good! Hopefully I will have some really sweet pictures coming my way soon and I'll post those when I receive them!

Audrey is coming!!!

We're back at the hospital. The contractions started last night and have not yet stoppped. The doctor expects Audrey to come some time late afternoon or early evening. We can't wait for our little girl to come.

...and now leaving the hospital - but worth the wait

That's right. Baby Audrey is still sitting happy in my belly. My doctor thinks my cervix is sealed with cement. So, we're leaving while I'm still having fairly strong and regular, yet ineffective contractions. Michael and I decided we should wait a while longer before doing anything that would pretty much send us into having a C-section. So now, we're aiming towards the 19th and the countdown at the top should be fairly close to that date, our original due date. The best news is that Audrey is doing very well. I also have figured out the hospital routine and I might be able to sleep better next time since I will be more familiar with everything. God will send her to us when He is good and ready. I'll let you know if we return earlier than the 19th.

At the hospital

Things should begin rolling at 7:00 Friday morning. We will try to keep the blog updated, but you can always call my phone to hear the latest update.

Mary, Mother of Jesus

When thinking about pregnant women in the Bible, this was the first to jump into my head. But, of course, I knew I should wait closer to Christmas time to share this new perspective I have of Mary.

First of all, how strange it would be to be thrown into this predicament. This could not have come at a worse time for her. How scary for such a young lady to carry such a HUGE responsibility?! How would Joseph react? I'm sure she was grateful when God took care of that. But then there was the public scrutiny. I simply can not imagine what she went through.

I often wondered if God spared her from morning sickness. My thoughts are that He had compassion on her and made this one of the easier pregnancies - but what do I know?

Now that I'm closing in on the end, I have so much respect for Mary. I thought teaching was hard to do while being so uncomfortable. Mary had to get up on a mule or donkey and travel to Bethlehem. How difficult! I wonder if they had little bags of snacks for her to munch on when she got terribly hungry? Did she have to stop and "go" several times on this trip? Joseph had to be one patient man. The mode of transportation alone probably sent her into labor.

Then they finally arrive, and there is no place to stay. (Joseph was probably recounting all of those bathroom stops in his head each time they were told to go elsewhere.) Most people these days would see a very pregnant woman and do anything they could to find her a place. This may be how they ended up in a stable. I'm sure Mary was thrilled and was thinking, "Yea, this hay will be soooo comfortable while I'm pushing!"

One last note on Mary. She was one of the few that knew what she was having before sonograms. Too bad she couldn't register for all of the cute blue things at Babies R Us back then.

Fare Thee Well

Friday was my last day of teaching for a very long time. I do not think it will sink in until I'm staying at home and taking care of a baby.

I was very blessed the last 4 years to work with a wonderful staff. They were so very supportive of me this last year. I never had to deal with the ugliness that I hear occurs when one leaves in the middle of the year.

I worked with some of the best principals at this school and with the best team. They are thoughtful, hard-working, and so much fun!

I will miss the students a bit, but not as much as the staff. I have to admit I was burned out on teaching after 6 years. I don't know how others, like my dad, do/did it. I am so happy not to deal with state requirements/testing, grading, poor behavior and blatant disrespect anymore!

I did have some very sweet kids that hugged me or brought me cards before moving on with their day Friday. I will miss some of their humor and jokes. I also ended on a positive note with one student that really made my day. His grades had been falling drastically after carrying a 100 average. Thursday, it was apparent that he had just given up. He was upset with me, so I knew that talking with him would not work. I ended up writing a quick note to him, telling him not to give up and he was capable of so much more. He didn't change his attitude on Thursday, but he was totally different on Friday. He was positive and scored a 100 on his test! He told me it was his gift to me...and I really see it as a gift!

Now that I am not teaching, I will be in prayer for all of those in schools. I can only speak for the kids that I have seen in my low-income schools, but the world is a very scary place for these teens. In looking at the last week alone, there were students dealing with gangs and fights, deciding on keeping or aborting a baby, and family members in jail. Believe me, a science test is not high on their lists of concerns. There is a real and true concern for the education of the children in the US. Keep that in mind when you vote for the next president.

What Would Jesus Buy?

Perhaps this documentary is irreverant, but I will be wanting to see this movie when it comes out. In what I've seen, it has a great message.

Upcoming Posts: My last day of work and my thoughts of Mary, mother of Jesus, and her pregnancy.

Oh Christmas Tree

It is done! We have our Christmas tree up and all of the Christmas decorations out! I really wanted to get that done before it was physically impossible for me and before Audrey arrived. I was able to do the decorations on my own a few days ago, but I really needed help with the tree. I think John Siburt laying a thick layer of guilt on Michael finally got the ball rolling. We spent this afternoon putting it up.

Now, this tree looks nothing like the tree in the picture above. We have my parents old tree that they bought their first year of marriage. I think that makes the tree 35 years old. A testament to my parents' marriage, but not to the sturdiness of this tree. It is so bare. It loses more and more needles/branches each year. It leans. It must be covered by those silver "icicles" that get so annoying to pick up. It is SOOOO difficult to put up. It is, though, the only tree I've ever had.

As Michael was helping me today, I think I convinced him that we need a new tree. He discovered that there are pre-lit trees that can just fold up to be put away. They are much sturdier and do not require the silver icicles. I told him that they have made major advances in Christmas trees in the last 30 years. He thought that was funny for some reason. At least we aren't putting up an aluminum Christmas tree like my grandmother does each year. That tree has to be worth a lot these days since it is so old.

I hope that you have success as you put up your tree. Enjoy the Christmas music and the cooler weather!

Black Friday

If you are sick of the commercialism and the high costs of Christmas (and also the lack of attention to the meaning of Christmas) than you will want to read this article.

Thankful

Top Ten Things I'm Thankful For:

1. A Merciful Lord
2. My Adoring Husband
3. Baby Audrey
4. The Best Two Christian Families
5. An Amazing, Compassionate Church
6. Fantastic Friends
7. Health
8. Understanding Boss and Coworkers
9. Foot and Back Rubs
10. Only 3 1/2 More Weeks of this Pregnancy!!

My old college roommate, Shannon, at her baby shower. We're due days apart!


Mom and me at my family shower.


Michael and his Mom at my family shower.


My family shower hostesses.
Cousins Judy, Jana, Hannah, Aunt Sasa, and Cousin Jill

Hostesses of my church shower. WOW!

Shirley, Brenda, Susan, Donna, Jill, Sarah, Teresia, Abbe, and Kelly.

Apologies to Kelcie for not having her in the picture.

Boy, what a blessing!

I'm working on those thank you notes!!

Hopefully I will be able to continue blogging now that my showers, my friends' showers, and weddings are all done with. Wait...there are the holidays and Christmas parties that I plan on attending before Audrey gets here! Only 8 more school days to teach and only 24 days until Audrey arrives!!!

Your Help is Needed

Do you have a wonderful pediatrician? I would love to hear about him/her! We need to decide who will be Audrey's pediatrician. Please leave a comment or email me the name of your pediatrician.

Trunk or Treat 2007

BTW, I added 2 posts below this one today. Don't want you to miss out! :)

Here are two of the winners from Sunday's Trunk or Treat.

Mickey Mouse Club House

Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf.

Nice legs, Brant!
Cool Cat, CP.

We always do this event with the Hortons. Michael is taking the picture and Jill is getting more candy.
The funniest thing that was said was for Michael to put the basketball under his shirt to look more like me.
Crazy girls!
I don't know the Harry Potter characters, but I do know that they look like them!

Nursery

Here are some pics of the nursery. We're going to get a mirror to put over the dresser and my mom is getting us a glider. I can't wait to see it all together.





Here I am approaching 32 weeks. I look so tired...maybe it was the trip to Abilene and getting in really late or maybe I'm just exhausted carrying this baby!
This may be the last true belly shot you will get to see. Unless I get really HUGE, I think you get the idea that I'm growing. I am gaining in places besides my belly. Take a look at the Homecoming pictures in the next post...my face has gotten bigger. My students will tell you that my rear is larger since I keep bumping them accidently. I am most fearful about my legs. Hopefully some good ole exercise will slim them back down after Audrey is born.

ACU's Homecoming

Finally, I get to post about Homecoming! I truly had the best time. The last camera I bought, I broke by carrying too many things and dropping the poor camera on the cement floor. I've been wanting to buy another one, and this trip(and the impending birth of Audrey) prompted me to make the splurge. I went to WalMart on Friday morning and had the best WalMart experience ever! The two people that assisted me were kind, funny, and extremely helpful!

So here is a picture (had to try out the camera!) of Michael driving out west. I can't believe he has a smile on his face since Homecoming really isn't his thing. I think he enjoyed the trip as much as I did, though he wouldn't admit it!

The highlight of the weekend was GATA breakfast - by far! I couldn't believe I was getting up at 5:45 for a breakfast! So many girls from my pledge class were there and we had so many laughs together. This is where I discovered that it is wrong to call a pledge - "Flame." They are called "Provisional Members" now. Are you kidding me?!?! I know that my psyche is all messed up because I was called flame for a few months. I also don't think they have to wear their colors very often. What kind of pledging is this?? Below is a picture of the Raiders - Pledge Class of 1999.
Here are some lovely girls I got to know through pledging. Jill is now a good friend of mine at church. Rachel is someone I wish I saw more often...it's not like she lives very far away. Sarah is the most cheerful person and was a roommate of mine my senior year. Tamara is my birthday partner. She's actually a day younger than me, but we have fun sharing it together.
This is my fantastic roommate of four years, Lori. We have shared so many things and I can't imagine what my ACU experience would have been like without her. She recently moved out of the Metroplex...which has caused me to see her more often! Weird, I know.
My GATA roommates from Senior year. Lori and I loved watching Sarah fall asleep while in mid-sentence. She would be so energized in her story telling then -Boom!- fast asleep!
Here I am with fellow pregnant lady, Shannon and her daughter Mallory, and Lori with her daughter Faith. I hope Audrey and Morgan (Shannon's bump) will be friends like Mallory and Faith.

This is sweet Caley. We pledged together, but did not become good friends until our junior year when we both did not have a 10:00 class. We would hang out in the campus center (Which looks very cool now!) until Chapel. We began to talk and have become very close. This girl has one of the best laughs ever! She is truly very fun girl to be around.

And here are the junior year roomies! The last time we were all together, all of the girls besides me had one daughter. Now, Meredith has a boy and a girl, Shannon is expecting another girl, and I am finally on the baby bandwagon, expecting a girl as well. Overall, the weekend was great. I forgot how windy Abilene could get and I'm kinda glad that we stayed at Joe Allen's too long to go to the football game. I got to eat at the famous Joe Allen's, Mary's, and the Beehive. I also got to stay with my aunt and uncle and see some of Michael's family. Oh, and poor Michael. He got to eat with a lot of ladies...too bad the husbands were tied up for much of the weekend.

Beware of Movie

Read the link below:

You may already know about the kids movie coming out in December starring Nicole Kidman. It's called The Golden Compass, and while it will be a watered down version, it is based on a series of children's books about killing God (It is the anti-Narnia). Please follow this link and then pass it on. From what I understand, the hope is to get a lot of kids to see the movie - which won't seem too bad - and then get the parents to buy the books for their kids for Christmas. The quotes from the author sum it all up. I hope it totally bombs because we were all paying attention!

http://snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp

I will post about Homecoming and the newly furnished nursery soon...so stay tuned.

I Need to Vent

I want to vent, but I realize that this may not be the best place to do so. So while I vent, I will be general as I write.

Public education is awful. It's awful for teachers and for students. I am almost in tears tonight, not because of student behavior or anything, but for ridiculous expectations.

Oh, and if we have documentation, results don't really seem to matter.

No Child Left Behind has to be one of the dumbest things I've come across in my lifetime. In five years, every child - including the students that are mentally retarded, must be at their grade's reading level. Do these people have any clue what reality is? Tomorrow, there will be students who are mentally retarded taking a field test at the same level of test a Pre-APer would take. How is that right? Ever heard of what is fair is not always equal?

I have a student that is beginning to misbehave because she is realizing that she can no longer be at the same level as her peers. She does receive special ed services, but due to changes in laws, she is receiving less and less of those services. In fact, if she were to be tested now, she wouldn't qualify for special ed due to the new restrictions. So instead of receiving the help and modifications she needs, she struggles with work and then chooses to act out. How does this benefit her?

All the while, I'm dealing with more work than I've ever dealt with before. Today alone, I was told about ridiculous things that I must do that will take HOURS of personal time. Even though I have a maximum of 34 school days left to teach, I can't get out fast enough.

Rivalries

Maybe I got caught up in the spirit of Texas/OU weekend, or maybe I just see this blog getting too feminine - but let's discuss the best sport rivalries.

Rivalries were ingrained into my head as I grew up in elementary/middle/high school. I went to Dallas Christian. We built up games against FW Christian and Trinity Christian as if they were bigger than the Super Bowl. It seemed as if the entire school would be at Charger Field every Friday night in the fall. During basketball season, "the Barn" would get loud and rowdy. We won state in volleyball, football, basketball, and baseball often. I loved sports and I loved the competitiveness of it.

In your mind, what are the best sport rivalries? Yanks/BoSox? Broncos/Raiders? Let me know what you think.

My Guy

I stole this from Miranda and Shannon.

1. Who is your man? Michael Hall

2. How long have you been together? Married for 2 years & 1 month

3. How long dated? We had dated for 13 months on our wedding day.

4. How old is your man? 27

5. Who eats more? He definitely used to eat more than me, but I've taken over for the moment.

6. Who said "I love you" first? I did. He was holding off on telling me until he proposed.

7. Who is taller? That would be me.

8. Who sings better? Michael - no contest.

9. Who is smarter? I think we're both pretty smart, but I'll go with Michael.

10. Whose temper is worse? Mine by far.

11. Who does the laundry? All me.

12. Who takes out the garbage? Michael, thank goodness.

13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Is this the right side while looking at the bed or while in bed? Michael's on the right side while in bed.

14. Who pays the bills? Are you guessing Michael? Wrong. That would be me.

15. Who is better with the computer? Michael.

16. Who mows the lawn? I did it once and it made Michael really mad. He did it for a long time until we discovered Jose. Jose does it for a very good price.

17. Who cooks dinner? I do.

18. Who drives when you are together? Michael.

19. Who pays when you go out? It comes out of Michael's wallet, but it is OUR money.

20. Who is most stubborn? On most things, I'm the stubborn one. There are some very serious issues that Michael will NOT budge on.

21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Michael.

22. Whose parents do you see the most? Probably Michael's.

23. Who kissed who first? He kissed me first. We dated over 5 months before I could get him to kiss me. He had been saying he was going to wait until our wedding day. I was very surprised when it happened!

24. Who asked who out? He asked me out. His partner had given him a gift certificate to Three Forks. He acted like he had to take a girl, so why not me. Whatever!

25. Who proposed? He did. It was tax day - April 15. We were engaged 4 1/2 months.

26. Who is more sensitive? I think he was at first. He taught me how to be sensitive and now I'm super-sensitive.

27. Who has more friends? My friends are his friends and his friends are my friends.

28. Who has more siblings? Equal. We're both the baby of three children.

29. Who wears the pants in the family? Michael.

I'm Back!

I had no idea how much I rely on having internet access at home. A squirrel apparently ate through a cable wire outside our house. This has played havoc in transferring files from San Antonio to Dallas for Michael and Brett's class, me selecting and sending in my picks for college football, reading facebook comments and blogs, and reading recipes online. I was able to check my email at school, which helped a lot. The school does block facebook, blogs, and the yummy recipes I read. It's not like I have time to look at that stuff while at work anyways. Let's just say I'm happy to be surfing the web again.

We had a doctors appointment this week. Everything looks good and I only gained 5 pounds this month! That is a very good thing! We also were given the option to induce labor. It looks like Audrey will be here by December 14!

Michael and I have spent today going through closets and boxes and finding a lot of fun pictures from college. I'm glad I did this today because now I'm so excited for ACU's Homecoming that is coming up. It should be a lot if fun to see the people I spent four awesome years with.

Hockey season has started up! Too bad we already have a losing record. Looks like Nashville will be really good this year.

8 Random Things

I've been tagged to list eight random things about myself. I have no idea what I will write here.

1. I really don't enjoy wearing skirts/dresses. I'm a pants girl all of the way. I didn't even enjoy sleeping in nightgowns growing up. I had to wear shorts under the gown to feel comfortable. Maybe this means I need security and protection from the "drafts" in the world....who knows...
2. I like movies with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in them. Aren't they just cute together??? I also think I would really like having Denzel Washington as a friend. I think he must really be a cool guy. And, yes, I think he's good looking too.
3. I've enjoyed every stage of life. I've been fearful about moving into each stage, but once I'm there, I have a good time. The one stage I went into without any fears was marriage. Luckily, this stage should last a long time. :)
4. No matter how hard I try, when I use something with bleach in it, I end up "spotting" what I'm wearing. I've learned to put on a t-shirt and shorts I don't care about as often as possible when using these products. I have salvaged some black and navy t-shirts with a permanent marker. Brilliant, I know.
5. No matter if we have money saved up and Michael is totally fine with me making a purchase, it is so very hard for me to spend $100 or more on something. I'm talking about contacts and curtains. I put it off month after month. I'll buy my contacts this weekend. I bought curtains/pillows/table decor earlier this month. It was hard to be at the counter to make the purchase, but I LOVE the results!
6. I'm bow-legged and pigeon-toed. Maybe that's why I like pants.
7. I've had some of the greatest roommates ever. I've only spent a few months living by myself in my lifetime.
8. I've never ridden in a taxi. I don't think I would know what to do or how to pay. Do people always have cash on hand and just lose the change? What if your ride was $5 and you only had a twenty? Do you get cash back?? I better never head out to NY. Wait, Michael takes a taxi sometimes....I should ask him.

Sarah and an Update

I haven't written about pregnant Bible women in a while. I have a lot of things floating around in my head, but I hardly get the time to write about those things.
Recently, in Bible class, we discussed Abraham and Sarah. So God has promised Abraham a nation even though Abraham and Sarah are aging. Sarah already considers herself barren. That in itself is a hardship for her. It seems that people were once so cruel when a woman failed to become a mother. Do you remember the post about how Hannah was ridiculed? Awful, just awful. But Sarah has faith and believes that she will conceive. Years pass and Sarah is still not pregnant. She tries to figure out what God is really saying and convinces herself that maybe the nation will only be through Abraham and that he better become "better friends" with Hagar. Abraham (age 86!) and Hagar have a son named Ishmeal. I can't imagine what it felt like to make that decision. She was acting on faith, believing what God had told Abraham. She just wanted to be sure she was out of the way and allow this promise to happen. Turns out she was wrong - that had to feel pretty bad.
Then, God tells Abraham that Sarah will have a baby in a year. Sarah laughs. Wouldn't you? She has gone through her child-bearing years without ever becoming pregnant and now that she's about 90 years old, she becomes pregnant!?!
If you have been pregnant before, you know the strange things that occur to your body. Can you imagine that body being 90 years old and going through that? There are some really funny things I would love to write here, but it would be WAY TOO MUCH for a public forum.
Sarah has a boy that she names Isaac and the song "Father Abraham" comes to mind. This was how it all started.
I admire her faith, her selflessness, and her ability to carry a baby at such an old age. Way to go Sarah!

****Updates****
*Michael has been in San Diego all week and comes home tonight!!! I miss him so very much!
*School is still stressful.
*I gained 11 pounds at my last appointment. That makes 26 pounds in two months. Oops.
*I'm slightly anemic due to the pregnancy.
*There are 4 teachers at school who are pregnant and we're all having girls. Another teacher is naming her girl Audrey as well.
*I have to get a shot because I have a negative blood type.
*I did pass my glucose test though!!
*My husband and brother get to work together for a finance class at church. I don't think Michael knows Brett very well, so this will be good for them. Oh, and they love to talk finance anyways, so they are super excited. (At least Michael is, but I'm pretty sure Brett is too.)
*Michael is almost finished laying the thresholds for our new wood floors. We're even okay having company over now! He did a great job and the floors look really good.
*I just came back from a coworker's baby shower. They will induce her next Friday. She's a short girl, but she is HUGE! The size of her once teeny-tiny belly scares me.
*I think I have laughing gas in my pregnancy hormones. Everything seems funny and I can't help but laugh really hard...and snort too. (BTW, I snort when I laugh for those of you that don't know me well.)
*I'm thrilled that tomorrow is Friday and my husband will be home!!!!!!!

December, Come Quick!

The picture above describes how I have felt at school the past two weeks. Even the doctor said my blood pressure was high at my appointment last week. AGGHH!! This school year is soooo different than other years.

I teach 8th grade science. Science will be "held accountable" in middle school for the first time this year with the TAKS test. I have already had two meetings with the new middle school science specialist our district hired this year. We never had to have one in the past, but now science is being taken seriously. She has been so great and has helped us so much already.

We quickly gave our students a baseline test the first week of school over 6th and 7th grade material. They bombed big time. We have to collect, sort, and evaluate this data to determine who will be coming to a TAKS tutorial program each week after school. That program starts in 2 weeks.

I have a meeting during almost every planning period. I've had meetings before and after school. Seriously, my team has no time to plan or get work pulled together for the classes we try to teach...if those meetings would just hold off while I'm teaching. I've been at school almost every day for hours after the last kid has left . BTW, I'm working on the weekends too.

Today, I had a team member say that this will probably be her last year to teach 8th grade science. She may not even teach again. How can the TAKS test be good if it forces great and experienced teachers to hang it all up?

Thank goodness I have a little one on the way and can say goodbye to it all in just a few months!

2 Wonderful Years

Today is our second wedding anniversary! The past two years have been the best years I have had. Michael is making all of my dreams come true and has been my best friend. I consider myself very blessed to have him in my life. If you know Michael, you know the big reasons why I love him. I am going to list ten little reasons why I love him.

1. His cute smile. My grandmother says he has a crooked smile.
2. I love hearing him laugh while he's watching something funny. It's a short laugh and almost like a giggle.
3. He absentmindedly whistles while he is thinking.
4. He sings very well. He's a good guy to sit next to at church.
5. He's a great uncle. I'm thinking he'll be a great dad too.
6. He's thoughtful. I've received flowers at work for some of the smallest celebrations.
7. Although most people think he is calm and laid back, he can be very dramatic at times. It is so funny to see him get really excited about something. He literally jumps around.
8. He likes to cuddle. (He'll be so embarrassed if he reads this!)
9. He is cautious. Whether it is with our finances or with what we are eating, he wants to be sure we're making the smart decision.
10. His humor is random and clever. He can make you laugh when you least expect it.

Of course, all of these make up just a small fraction of the great Christian man that he is. I look forward to the many years that lie before us.