out with the delightfully old...

How do I best log away 2016? How do I give it the goodbye it deserves? This year has been absolutely lovely. And crazy. And way full of exhausting fun.

We started the year with our last semester at BYU. Todd graduated with his Masters in Business Administration and what a couple of years it was. We all stayed very busy, grew bunches, and I was extremely proud of Todd for his hard work... towards his MBA and preparing to start his PhD this fall.

On graduation day Todd and I also celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary! Five whole years of wedded bliss! We got to celebrate kid free for a week in the Yucatan Peninsula. We had a great time adventuring around and eating some pretty dang good food.

Before we left for Mexico, however, we celebrated Calvin's first birthday! He's grown up so stinkin' much since April and its hard to believe he was ever that little one year-old. Nowadays he's running around the house chatting up a storm and before we know it he'll be a big brother!

Very, very shortly after our trip we sent Todd off to Georgia to start his summer consulting job. The boys and I packed up the moving truck and with the help of grandpa Barfuss, aunt Marysa, and thankfully daddy we made the drive across the country to our summer home. We loved our time in Savannah! We got to go on all sorts of little adventures all summer long.

Before we knew it the summer came to a close and we found ourselves packing up once more to move to North Carolina where we plan on staying for the next five years. Todd started his PhD program and worked his tail off. The first--and supposedly hardest--semester was indeed hard. But we made it! In the process we also made lots of chocolate chip cookies, pies, and new and wonderful friends.

2016 really has been full of proud moments, fun moments, crazy times, and the brightest of highlights. Maybe the brightest of them all being the news of baby girl joining our family in 2017! We've got less than three months until this wee babe makes her appearance and we're getting pretty excited!

So here's to the new year! I love new beginnings full of fresh goals and strong motivation. I'm looking forward to making 2017 another year to remember!

today's conclusion.

Today I've felt way too many negative emotions about last night's results. I've mulled over, around, and through these emotions. I've read the feelings of others and have been validated. I've vented and had discussions and I feel like I finally understand the why behind these emotions.

I was confused in the first place because I'm not a political person. I am one of those people that feels like my vote doesn't count. I feel like I actually don't have a voice. And it doesn't bother me too much. In turn I also feel like the choices the president makes doesn't affect me. I didn't vote for Obama either time and in the last eight years he hasn't done anything to detrimentally change my life. It's a weird disconnect... shouldn't my vote count? Shouldn't the president make a difference? Anyhow...

So why am I caring so much about Trump winning? About him being our new president?

Today I realized that there are different types of voters out there. There are voters that vote based off of experience and/or morale, there are voters that are party devoted no matter what, there are voters that don't care who the candidate is... they just care about the policies he or she brings to the table. I am the voter that cares about morale. Because like I said... what the president does (policy-wise) doesn't actually personally affect me... a theory my husband and I are hoping holds true these next four years.

And so today I am sad, confused, angry, terrified, and so forth because the man that America has chosen to be the next president has very low morale. He has belittled women, Muslims, Mexicans, refugees... and HE STILL GOT ELECTED. Todd helped me put another word to what I'm feeling... I am feeling marginalized. I feel insignificant and disrespected because of the things Trump has said to and about women. He's done the same thing with Muslims and Mexicans. And 50% of voters are okay with this. Yes many of those voters could be a different type of voter than I am but that doesn't make it any more acceptable to me. Why is it okay for him to behave and speak this way?? It shouldn't be! He has now been elected and to me the message that sends to America is that it's okay to be so terribly offensive and inappropriate. It's okay cause heck he's that way and he's popular enough to be chosen by MILLIONS of people to be president! That message is not an okay message! In fact it's unbelievable! How are we seriously letting this happen??!

And that is why I've been so upset. I'm upset because there are good people out there but they're being trumped (wah wah) by the not so good people. I'm upset because I'm trying to raise good kids in all of this and it's getting stinkin' harder and harder to do. I'm upset that the adversary has such a strong grasp on the world and I feel like when looking at the big picture of it all I can't actually make a difference. I can be a good person and influence others and possibly slow down the rate at which the world is falling apart... but the fact is that the world is just going to have to end and sometimes I just want to take cover and get it over with.

Honestly I shouldn't be so surprised... the world is a messed up place. America has come a long long way and this just seems like a ginormous step backwards. The president of the United States of America is supposed to be an honorable leader that respects and cares about others. Not someone that I and many other Americans have to feel threatened by. But now here we are. It's done. And I'm not proud at all that this is who society has chosen to represent my country.

I've tried to find a light to cling to today. Something positive to take from this whole thing. And I did find something. I have been inspired by the president elect. He has inspired me to be a better citizen and to do what I can to actually make America great. I can be a respectful citizen that has high morale. I can set good example to my friends and family. I can serve others more and think and speak charitable words... starting with those I've obviously made judgement on by writing this post. I can be all of the things that I'm bummed Trump isn't. Because the fact that he got elected shows that society and the family unit needs some serious working on. That's where it all starts, right?

And so I'm going to do what I can to love everyone. I'm going to do my best to raise children that will go on to be good people with high morals. I'm going to try to rise above this new situation and show the world that hey look... I'm American and I'm not a hater!

I know that I need to be accepting of our new president and give him a chance but I'm not quite there yet. I know that I don't have a choice, he's in regardless of what I have to say about it. But couldn't we have given him a chance as like the mayor of a small rural town first before sending him straight to the top?

Okay. I'm done. There you have it. This morning I felt so horrible. Tonight I'm feeling some closure. I'll work on that accepting the new president thing.

Good night all.

some news to share: part IV

Yes, you interpreted that photo correctly. We are indeed having another child. Another little adorable donut hole. We're fryin' up another one. Our take on "bun in the oven" if you will.

Honestly, I still can't believe it. I mean I can believe it considering my pants are starting to be quite snug and those first twelve weeks of gross-ness were well... gross. But like what in the world!? We're having another baby! We still call Calvin a baby! We're going to have THREE CHILDREN. That's more than there is us. They are going to out number us and take over the house. But I guess we're going to have to be okay with that... I mean there's no turning back now haha. 

I got to see baby's profile today and let me just say that we make some super cute noses. Everything else looked healthy too so that's good. (:

So yeah... here we are. A third of the way in already and pretty excited to be here. Only ("only" ha!) 26 more weeks! 

I better go eat one of those donuts... ya know to keep things looking healthy for the babe. Wouldn't want to deprive the poor thing.

my morning routine: the results.

A couple of months ago I set some goals to improve my morning routine. My boys have always been early risers... a blessing and a curse... so I figured hey, I really should be capitalizing on this! Yeah I'm exhausted by 10am some days but I can't let these early mornings get away from me since there's so much I can accomplish being up so early. And so I set goals. I implemented these goals. And I am now here to report on how things went.

Here's what ended up working for me (pre-move) and the effects each activity has had...

• Wake up and pray- 6:00am
• I love LOVE the idea of being the first one up. Being the one to draw the blinds and get breakfast going for my family so they wake up to sunshine and chatty bacon. Unfortunately my family just isn't in that phase right now. My boys wake up around 5:30 every morning (we don't "give them attention" until 6am since we don't want them waking up earlier and earlier). But yeah waking up earlier than that just doesn't tickle my current fancy. Some day they'll be teenagers and I'll get to be the first up but for now 6:00am at the earliest is working great. I get to cuddle Calvin while he has a bottle while Todd feeds our ravenous 4 year-old. Depending on the morning I'll either go running or read a conference talk.
• Exercise- 6:15-7:00am
• Once again... if my children were older I would be using this time to study the scriptures. I really do like starting my day feasting upon the word but unfortunately I can't seem focus and entertain children at the same time. So I study while they're asleep. Not in the morning though haha cause seriously I just can't get out of bed earlier than 5:30am! Anyway... since I'm not studying I usually exercise. Some days I go to a mommy exercise class later on but usually I do something active first thing in the morning.
• Breakfast and set goals
• I'm very good at the breakfast part. Mostly because I love food. The goal setting one is coming along. I love the idea of turning my "to do" list into goals and writing out how I want my day to go. I like to include extra creative play time with the boys, an extra small cleaning job, and I even like to add at least one thought out act of service.
• Clean
• Cleaning is something I don't love love. I mean I like having a clean home. It gets cluttered sometimes but at the end of the day I like to have everything back where it belongs so the next morning is a fresh, clean start. I read an awesome blog post a few weeks back about assigned days to certain jobs and making them wait until their day. The writer said that jobs speak to her... the dirty toilet will say, "Clean me!" and she'll respond with, "Nope, your day is Monday. I will clean you then." And she moves on! Brilliant! 
• Shower
• As I write this it is 12:40pm. I didn't shower today until naptime but usually it happens in the morning before we head to the library, grocery store, etc.
• Morning activity
• This is one I'm working on. Peter loved and did really well with preschool. Now that it's done I know that I need to pick up the slack. I also know that I'm not very good at it. And I was once an elementary ed major... ha! Anyhow if I'm really on the ball I'll have an activity planned out. One for the morning and one for the afternoon. And that includes grocery shopping, him helping me clean something, etc.

Now that we've made it to North Carolina I feel like we're on a completely different schedule. Todd doesn't have to leave early yet so I get to sleep a bit more, the library classes are at different times, we're not totally set up in our home yet... everything is kinda out of order. But we'll find a new "order" soon and Todd will start classes and we'll get into a routine that works for us. (:

Until then I'm going to enjoy this "out of whack-ness" that includes more sleep, more Todd time, and more treats. 

#gotdiapers?

the big 4.0!

I can't believe I'm writing about Peter's birthday again! He needs to stop having them so often! Yeesh! This year he asked for a Spider-man birthday. He's been asking for one for about six months now despite the fact that he has had zero Spider-man toys, clothes, etc. He did acquire some Spider-man underpants from his grandma a while back but seriously outside of that we have no idea why he likes or even knows about Spider-man. But he had been bringing it up pretty consistently so we got some Spider-man animated episodes from the library so I could justify the party theme haha.

Celebrations started the night before with our friends from Wisconsin. Their dad is getting an MBA at Duke and their mom has the same birthday as Peter! So we watched the kids while they went to dinner and Peter got to have a little mini party. We ate cupcakes, took out the bad guys with spider webs (silly string), and watched an episode of "Spectacular Spider-man." They had a great time and Peter loved finally having friends over. I'm still trying to get the show's song out of my head. Bah.

 They also had a great time making frosting mustaches...

This is "Strong" the devious dino. A well known villain in the Hall household.

Taking care of business!

Sunday morning Peter woke up to Spider-man everything! His primary class sang a happy birthday song to him at church and he got a "Bishop Buck" to cash in for a candy bar from the bishop. He chose the biggest snickers in the bag.

After church he got to Skype with his grandparents and eventually we finally got to eat his birthday dinner ("hot nuggets" and french fries) and open presents.

He really scored this year. He got cards from all of his awesome grand and great grandparents as well as some pretty neat toys and games. His favorite was the stuffed Chase, the Spider-man action figure, and the mini Dusty Crophopper. Wal-Mart's toys section totally delivered this year. Thank heavens Peter is extremely easy to please.

After playing with his new swag for a bit we convinced him to be interested in the cake and ice cream. A Spider-man cake, of course. And in case you ever need bright red frosting you can buy it from the bakery peeps at Wal-Mart. Cause like actually trying to make bright red frosting isn't possible. Dark pink? Yes. 

Anyhow. The day was a success. While tucking Peter into bed I asked him if he had a good day and he said, "Of course I did!" Phew! What a relief. Seriously I was nervous he'd be sad about not partying with his Utah friends. But he's an awesome kid and he's four! And we love him. (:

Happy birthday Peter!

Jekyll Island camping

Last weekend we went on our annual camping trip. This is nothing for you big time campers... but it's just enough for us right now and we always have a good time. Something about camping with small children makes you want to only do it once a year.

Our annual trips unofficially began right after we started dating. In 2010 we went down to Escalante with Todd's brother and his wife as well as some other married friends.

Our second summer (first summer married) we went to... my grandma's front yard. Wah, wah. I don't remember a specific camping trip but maybe our honeymoon to hike around Zion's and Bryce count?

Summer's three and four took place in Wisconsin at Devil's Lake and Council Grounds.

Summer four also took place in Wisconsin at Door County... part one and part two. Definitely a favorite.

Last year, summer five, we took a short trip with a teeny baby Calvin up Hobble Creek.

And here we are in Georgia for summer number six! 2016! We drove down the coast a little bit and camped on Jekyll Island (Peter called it Jack-o-lantern for a while). It's a pretty richy-pants touristy little place but also outdoorsy and filled with wildlife at the same time. You can probably guess which category we fit into. (:

We dodged some crazy weather and arrived on Thursday night with just enough time to set up and attempt to make a dutch oven dessert. Our dutch oven hates us though so of course it didn't work. Maybe we are doing something wrong. Maybe...

Friday morning we awoke bright and early to clear skies and georgia blueberry pancakes.

We also tested out the bike trailer since it has been in storage all summer... which makes me so sad. Fortunately it still works well and the boys were happy... even though I rode through some mud and sprayed them a bit. Sorry about that guys. 

Our first stop was Driftwood Beach. It was only half a mile away so we loaded up the bike trailer with snacks, towels, sand toys, and two cute boys. 

Those two cute boys as well as the one big handsome boy loved the beach. The water was warm, calm, and shallow and we only ran into one slightly dangerous creature...

... this little dude. Squishy, of course.

It's called Driftwood Beach for a reason...

The sand was also superb. I know this is basically a picture of Todd's rear but I caught Calvin handing him little bits of sand for the castle. It was adorable. The sand thing... not Todd's bum. Haha.

It ended up looking like the Oakland Temple with a moat. Cool!

The lack of shade wore Calvin and I out pretty fast so after a couple hours we loaded up and headed back. We took the long way and both boys got a nice nap.

As I mentioned... there was all sorts of new wildlife on Jekyll Island. Not only is it a sea turtle nesting ground but there are alligators, other turtles, snakes, racoons, birds galore, and lots of interesting bugs. Peter called this one a super bug. He kept coming back to look for snacks on our picnic table. p.s. he's on the right side of the lantern.

We saw lots and lots of neat birds at our campgrounds bird sanctuary. The boys loved it and Calvin, to no surprise, barked at the birds the whole time.

Day one ended with hot dogs, s'mores, and just enough rain to cool us off. But not enough to put out the fire. Perfect!

The next morning I got up and took a solo ride out to the beach to watch the sunrise. It was beautiful of course and it was fun seeing all of the "morning life." Ya know crabs and anything else not scared away yet by beach goers.

Aren't these uprooted trees so cool? 

Day two also brought a visit to Horton Pond. Known for it's wildlife... and it did not disappoint!

As soon as we got there two ~6 ft. alligators swam over looking for a snack. We were a tad nervous but the gators kept their distance and no one fell in the water so all was well.

After the pond we visited the farmer's market-- there were four vendors haha-- and we got a sweet potato muffin. It was unbelievably moist! And delicious. (:

We ended our trip packing up the campsite and visiting the Georgia Sea Turtle center on our way out of town.

Overall we loved Jekyll Island and would definitely recommend camping there. It's very visitor friendly with it's beach access and bike paths around the little island.