Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Who IS this guy, and why do they want my picture taken with him? Hallie meets Santa Claus for the first time. December 2005.
# posted by JDonnals : 11:18 PM
Grandma Bonnie and all of my cousins. I really am the youngest! October, 2005.
# posted by JDonnals : 11:11 PM
What a year!
No, you're not dreaming. For those of you who check back to see if I've updated this blog, well I have! It only took two and a half months, but here I am. Hallie has kept us VERY busy. In fact, I rarely have time to get on the computer at home. Most of my emails are sent from work (I hope my boss isn't reading this!).
I'll try to update you on the last quarter of 2005 in the Donnals household:
HALLIE
Hallie is changing everyday. Her hair is getting longer (I can now put it one or two little pigtails on top of her head). She is now 22 pounds and 34 inches tall. She is speaking more and more. She still babbles a lot, but can clearly say "mommy, daddy, Hallie, mine (not our favorite), good night, bye, hi." She repeats us all of the time. And she imitates us, too. She is getting very independent. She wants to walk up the stairs now without holding my hand! She completely feeds herself and even tries to dress herself! She is growing up right in front of our eyes.
WORK
Brett is still working the dreaded 4 am - 12:30 pm shift. Although most days the later is more like 1:30 or 2. This means he goes to bed around 7 each weekday night and is up and out the door by 3:45 each morning. That means I usually give Hallie her bath at night and get her up and ready for school each morning. Brett is such a trooper, he often stays up late to get her in the tub for me, and I know he is exhausted. I have figured out how to get her ready, get myself ready, feed the dog, feed the cat, make myself a cup of coffee to go and have her to school by 8:30 each morning for breakfast. It's not easy, but I have to give a big thank you to WKNO (public television) and Sesame Street! It's on from 7-8 am and it saves me every morning by keeping Hallie occupied. My boss has been extremely wonderful and understanding. I've only had to take off one day so far because Hallie has been sick (pink eye).
OCTOBER
In October, we attended our second big FCC Memphis event, the Harvest Moon Festival. It was at a family's farm in Moscow, Tennessee. It was so much fun. Dozens of families came out to celebrate this Chinese holiday (although it is technically in September). There was a bonfire and hayrides. The children could pet horses and made Chinese lanterns. There was great food and fellowship with other families with Chinese kids. Hallie had a blast. In late October, we made another visit to Brett's mother's home in Vandalia, Illinois. The occasion was a Donnals family portrait. I mean the ENTIRE Donnals family (Brett has four sisters and one brother, ten nieces and nephews, and five great nieces and nephews!). It was great to see his family. It is important to us that Hallie gets to spend as much time with her extended family as possible, which is sometimes difficult since we live so far away from everyone. I think Hallie enjoyed Halloween. She dressed up as a ladybug. We got her a pumpkin for trick or treating and she managed to get in a few houses on the street before crying. My boss had a party that night and, of course, Hallie was a hit with the crowd.
NOVEMBER
In November, I took advantage of being a government employee and traveled with Hallie up to Ohio for the Veterans Day weekend. We spent four days with my parents and my brother. Hallie had a lot of fun, and got to see her two little cousins, Kaylee and Matthew, for the second time. One day, my mom and I took Hallie to the mall and out to eat. We had a fun "girl's day out." On Saturday, we went to The Toledo Zoo with my parents. Once again, it's nice to be with my family. For Hallie's first Thanksgiving, we cooked a turkey and all the fixins. But she liked the macaroni and cheese best. Hallie and I ventured down to the new outdoor mall (it's a southern thing) in Southaven, Mississippi the day after Thanksgiving. I figured she needed to learn all of our holiday traditions--even the crazy ones.
DECEMBER
Hallie helped us put up the Christmas tree in early December. I am happy to report that only one ornament was broken. I think she thought it was a ball, so she threw it across the room. Of course, it shattered into a million little glass pieces, but hey, it's not the holidays until something gets broken. After that, she really wasn't interested in the tree. She would look at it occasionally, as say "pretty," but never touched it. She got to see Santa in person on three different occasions, saving the best for last. The first two were at stores, so we didn't get very close to St. Nick. She would wave, even blew him a kiss, but once he got within 20 feet, she started to whimper. The third time, he was a special guest at a breakfast at our church. Brett had his camera with him, Hallie was dressed in her Christmas dress, so it was the perfect opportunity. She completely freaked out! She was screaming and crying and shaking so hard, I couldn't give her to him. We did get a picture, though, that I will take out and show her boyfriend someday! We headed to Brett's family home again for Christmas Eve. Hallie was showered in gifts, and was very excited. After a whirlwind weekend in Vandalia, we drove back to Memphis on Christmas Day. Santa knew we wouldn't be here, so he came to our house on Christmas night. Hallie woke up on December 26th to a living room filled with presents! She had a wonderful day, and so did we, as we watched her open gift after gift. She got a slide for the backyard, an Elmo that says her name, puzzles, two Little People play sets, and a tricycle (from Grandma and Grandpa Zunk). The weather was nice, so we played outside and inside all day.
Well, that is it for now. My New Year's resolution is to update this blog more often and to share all of the joy Hallie is bringing into our lives.
I'll try to update you on the last quarter of 2005 in the Donnals household:
HALLIE
Hallie is changing everyday. Her hair is getting longer (I can now put it one or two little pigtails on top of her head). She is now 22 pounds and 34 inches tall. She is speaking more and more. She still babbles a lot, but can clearly say "mommy, daddy, Hallie, mine (not our favorite), good night, bye, hi." She repeats us all of the time. And she imitates us, too. She is getting very independent. She wants to walk up the stairs now without holding my hand! She completely feeds herself and even tries to dress herself! She is growing up right in front of our eyes.
WORK
Brett is still working the dreaded 4 am - 12:30 pm shift. Although most days the later is more like 1:30 or 2. This means he goes to bed around 7 each weekday night and is up and out the door by 3:45 each morning. That means I usually give Hallie her bath at night and get her up and ready for school each morning. Brett is such a trooper, he often stays up late to get her in the tub for me, and I know he is exhausted. I have figured out how to get her ready, get myself ready, feed the dog, feed the cat, make myself a cup of coffee to go and have her to school by 8:30 each morning for breakfast. It's not easy, but I have to give a big thank you to WKNO (public television) and Sesame Street! It's on from 7-8 am and it saves me every morning by keeping Hallie occupied. My boss has been extremely wonderful and understanding. I've only had to take off one day so far because Hallie has been sick (pink eye).
OCTOBER
In October, we attended our second big FCC Memphis event, the Harvest Moon Festival. It was at a family's farm in Moscow, Tennessee. It was so much fun. Dozens of families came out to celebrate this Chinese holiday (although it is technically in September). There was a bonfire and hayrides. The children could pet horses and made Chinese lanterns. There was great food and fellowship with other families with Chinese kids. Hallie had a blast. In late October, we made another visit to Brett's mother's home in Vandalia, Illinois. The occasion was a Donnals family portrait. I mean the ENTIRE Donnals family (Brett has four sisters and one brother, ten nieces and nephews, and five great nieces and nephews!). It was great to see his family. It is important to us that Hallie gets to spend as much time with her extended family as possible, which is sometimes difficult since we live so far away from everyone. I think Hallie enjoyed Halloween. She dressed up as a ladybug. We got her a pumpkin for trick or treating and she managed to get in a few houses on the street before crying. My boss had a party that night and, of course, Hallie was a hit with the crowd.
NOVEMBER
In November, I took advantage of being a government employee and traveled with Hallie up to Ohio for the Veterans Day weekend. We spent four days with my parents and my brother. Hallie had a lot of fun, and got to see her two little cousins, Kaylee and Matthew, for the second time. One day, my mom and I took Hallie to the mall and out to eat. We had a fun "girl's day out." On Saturday, we went to The Toledo Zoo with my parents. Once again, it's nice to be with my family. For Hallie's first Thanksgiving, we cooked a turkey and all the fixins. But she liked the macaroni and cheese best. Hallie and I ventured down to the new outdoor mall (it's a southern thing) in Southaven, Mississippi the day after Thanksgiving. I figured she needed to learn all of our holiday traditions--even the crazy ones.
DECEMBER
Hallie helped us put up the Christmas tree in early December. I am happy to report that only one ornament was broken. I think she thought it was a ball, so she threw it across the room. Of course, it shattered into a million little glass pieces, but hey, it's not the holidays until something gets broken. After that, she really wasn't interested in the tree. She would look at it occasionally, as say "pretty," but never touched it. She got to see Santa in person on three different occasions, saving the best for last. The first two were at stores, so we didn't get very close to St. Nick. She would wave, even blew him a kiss, but once he got within 20 feet, she started to whimper. The third time, he was a special guest at a breakfast at our church. Brett had his camera with him, Hallie was dressed in her Christmas dress, so it was the perfect opportunity. She completely freaked out! She was screaming and crying and shaking so hard, I couldn't give her to him. We did get a picture, though, that I will take out and show her boyfriend someday! We headed to Brett's family home again for Christmas Eve. Hallie was showered in gifts, and was very excited. After a whirlwind weekend in Vandalia, we drove back to Memphis on Christmas Day. Santa knew we wouldn't be here, so he came to our house on Christmas night. Hallie woke up on December 26th to a living room filled with presents! She had a wonderful day, and so did we, as we watched her open gift after gift. She got a slide for the backyard, an Elmo that says her name, puzzles, two Little People play sets, and a tricycle (from Grandma and Grandpa Zunk). The weather was nice, so we played outside and inside all day.
Well, that is it for now. My New Year's resolution is to update this blog more often and to share all of the joy Hallie is bringing into our lives.
# posted by JDonnals : 9:54 PM
