After purchasing a Mac Computer it has become so increasingly difficult to upload pictures on wordpress that I am officially moving to google blogspot. In one day I was able to upload pics to their blog site for the past 4 months whereas before this it would take a painful 30 minutes to get a blog posted on wordpress….too long in my world. Plus, I couldn’t for some reason get the pics to rotate the right position. Therefore, if you would like to continue to read the fun-filled adventures of the Hall Family please click HERE!

Here is our URL:   http://bandjhallfamily.blogspot.com/

SEE YOU AT OUR NEW PAGE!

Mark my words. My boy Ethan will date Paige R. when she is older. Yes, there is  a 2 year age difference but my little guy loves “Paige-ee” Maybe it’s her long beautiful hair or her perfect indian skin, or, maybe, her amazing abilities with toy guns. Regardless, Ethan has a special spot for Paige.

Hammy “The Ham” Hall passed away in her sleep on January 29th, after nearly a year full of trauma and joy spent with Lizzy D. Hammy was loved by all, dropped by all, squeezed by all, starved by all and most importantly, held at all times by Miss Lizzy D. Her favorite past time was chewing holes through each of Miss Lizzy D’s shirts given to her by her Nana. She is survived by Miss Lizzy D, Sammy (our newest hamster received for Miss Lizzy’s bday), Soph, Ebug, and Drew. She has been buried in the back yard lovingly by her father and Miss Lizzy D.

Harry “The Hamster” Hall passed away in her sleep in February 4th, after not even one week of trauma and joy with Miss Lizzy D. Harry was purchased to replace the late Hammy Hall and truly was a joy for 6 full days. She was a short haired hamster, black and white. Her presence was so brief that no pictures were able to be taken and buriel occurred in the dumpster (shhhh…). Autopsy results will most likely put the cause of death related to the giant tumor protruding from her butt. She is survived by the 4 healthy Hall siblings and Sammy the hamster.

Fuzzy “Wuzzy” Hall unfortunately met her demise while being played with at a neighbors house. Neglect lead to her escape at which time the lovely Miss Lizzy D was heartbroken. No buriel will take place as Fuzzy is MIA. Fuzzy was received to replace Harry “The Hamster” Hall who replaced Hammy “The Ham” Hall.  The neighbor boy who was the culprit in assisting Fuzzy’s escape has repaid his debt to Miss Lizzy D with the latest addition of Nibbles “The cutie-pie” Hall. Fuzzy is survived by 4 crazy Hall children, and Hamsters, Sammy and Nibles Hall.

In leiu of flowers, donations to the Hamster replacement fund can be given directly to Miss Lizzy D’s father.

(Pictured above is dear Hammy who after so many spinal cord injuries due to fall was able to sleep peacefully with slumbering Lizzy.)

As a family during the holidays we all went bowling with some good family friends.

The girls got the hang of it but preferred the ramp that Ethan used.

Brian took it serious and it didn’t help.

Yep, that’s right, Hot Mamma knows how to bowl…not really.

The highlight of the event was the slurpee drinking contest. Note to self, never challenge a Bennion in anything. Brian and Sarah went after the win and in the end…well…just take a look at Brian and you will know who won…

Sarah!

What you are looking at is 12 dollars in waisted slurpees!

But Ethan enjoyed his!

Here are some of the bowling elves we went with!

We had a breakfast for all the kids in our church to meet their new teachers for the 2009 year. We assumed we would get somewhere between 30-50 kids since it was during the holidays and many families have other events/plans for that time of year. Well, apparently not in Medford because we had a huge turnout!!!

But when you have an activity where you are suppose to show up in your jammies, how can you take it that serious?

I won’t be showing you pics of me in my jammies but let me tell you, there was lace, there was pink, and a whole lot of flannel!

Aunt Anne with an ‘e’ made this lovely apron for Lizzy and one for Sophie.

Grammie Toodie gave this to Andrew. We all know he is desperately needing more legos.

Roger and Roger sat there were half smiles just enjoying the morning.

Lots of family sandwiched in our Living Room.

Blaine is aspiring to be as good as his mom and dad in the culinary arts.

Ethan could have been happy with one set of cars and lots of wrapping paper.

Roger last day of work is only 10 days away. I think I found his new profession….animal whisperer! It was a sad day to see these docile cows leave for the butcher…I say this as I ground up some fresh beef for tacos tonight. Roger promises never to tell me when I am eating Jack or Jill.

We went to JC Penney for our annual christmas picture. Yes, many of you just barely got it. I was so proud of my little pack that I made them walk the whole mall with me to 1) show them off; 2) return an item at the opposite end of the mall. Santa yet again somehow managed to scare Sophie when he appeared around the corner at Macy’s. Tears were replaced with smiles with a cooke from Cookie Connection….mmm….chocolate marshmallow cookie…..mmm. I’m dieting today. Very grumpy.

Anyways, aren’t they cute?

Sophie spent the majority of the evening skating down the middle with her friend Nyah or holding Miss Sharon’s hand while she and Paige made loops.

Lizzy was racing around like a mad woman. She refused to leave her gloves on, her coat was soaked, and she spent >50% of her time on the ground but loved every minute of it. She has requested repeat performances but we haven’t made it yet.

I remember my mom’s beautiful white skates that I can picture her wearing as a teenager. I loved those skates and planned to wear them when I was a teenager. Sadly, I never had feet big enough to fit them. They were lovely though. I hope my mom still has them.

Andrew on the other hand continued to use his little “helper” to navigate the ice. He has been back on the ice since this evening and still continues to be on the walker.

I was pleased to not fall and was ginger on the ice for the first hour. Then relaxed and looped and looped the ice with my new found confidence. Truthfully, it had probably been 12 years since I had been in skates.

Andrew kept saying, “Take pictures mom, I’m ice skating!” I had a hard time controlling the giggles and snapping the picture.

Notice Sophie and Lizzy doing twirls in the background. This was a really fun night.

In Ashland there is this quaint little breakfast place named Morning Glory that is a favorite of many of my friends. I was introduced to the place last year.  It is located in historic Ashland with it’s ecclectic culture and people. It is not uncommon to pull into the parking lot and find it loaded with VW buses or Toyota Prius’s. Then you enter the quaint diner and find people reading The Audacity of Hope by our own Barack Obama. It is a popular spot for my friends when we need a “pick me up” or a “happy birthday.” Most of the dishes are things I could never even fathom how to make nor would make but they are delicious. There is nothing like a rich, syrupy (word?) waffle layered with cream cheese or an omlet with organic veggies and yummy meats……mmm….I’m hungry. If you ever stop to visit me in Medford. I promise you a treat. A trip to Morning Glory.