Let the MADNESS Begin!!

It's practically a holiday around this house!  It's March Madness!!

This year, George filled out his first bracket.  In order to do so, we originally thought blocks.  We would offer him two blocks, each one a color of the teams in the game.  Whichever one he went for, that was the team he picked.  Well that didn't work.  We quickly discovered he kept going for the block in Tom's left hand or for both.  We needed a new strategy!  So, we went to the hoop.  If George made the shot, he was picking the first time (on the top of the bracket) to win, a miss was for the second team.  Thus, we have his bracket. I will keep you updated on how he is doing...his Final Four Champion:  Colorado State University, an eleven seed!  Sorry Bud, don't think it's going to happen, but hey, it is March MADNESS, I guess anything could happen!

Enjoy!

~Sarah

There will be MUD!

This past weekend, if you were not outside, you were CRAZY!  It was unbelievably beautiful!  Tom and I took advantage of the weather to do the much needed yard work we had.  It kinda stunk this year because I didn't have an excuse.  Two years ago, I was pregnant and "it hurt to bend over for that long" (nice one, huh?!) and then last year, someone "had" to watch George!  This year, nothing.  George actually LOVED the opportunity to be outside!  In fact, getting him to not throw a fit when its time to come in has become our biggest challenge!

This weekend was a weekend of firsts for George.  While we were out, he had his first TRUE encounter with mud and dirt and worms and all the things I have been told that boys love.  While I was a super over-motherly freak about some of it, I learned just to lean back and let him explore!

First things first was the introduction to the worm.  Unfortunately this picture was AFTER his fascination, but he liked it...a lot!  I freaked out, naturally.

After that was had some good b-ball time in the yard.  My mom got George this sweatsuit for his birthday, or Christmas, whichever one I guess.  Tom says it makes him look like the grandpa in Modern Family.  Eh, I say he just looks like he's going to go to the mall at 8 AM just to walk...

The it was on to our first wheelbarrow ride.  Every thing was great in the beginning.  Then George decided he wanted to sit in the front and start reaching out.  He tipped the thing over and landed flat on his face, falling head first out of the wheelbarrow.  Surprisingly, no tears followed, I'm telling you, this kid's pain threshold did not come from me!

We ended the day with George's first trip to Steak-n-Shake.  He loved it, but was not so impressed by the hat.  I guess if it were truly the talking one from the commercial, he might have been a little bit more intrigued!

Enjoy your week and your beautiful weather.  We already have taken two walks, two trips to the park, one good swing, numerous games of imaginary horse (George doesn't even shoot, but he still beats me) and its supposed to be gorgeous for a while.  I guess we won't see you this year Winter...it's been a good ride...

~Sarah

They REALLY are born to play basketball!

When I moved to Indiana, I had heard that people were born to play basketball...like it's in their blood or something.  Well seeing as George is the only first generation "Hoosier" in our family (and by this I completely mean a person born and bred in Indiana and not a stinkin' IU fan), I learned from him first hand that it is true!!  This boy seriously cannot get enough!  In fact, ball is one of the only words that you can distinctly understand from him (other than go of course!).  He received a basketball goal for his birthday from his Uncle Chad and Aunt Sarah, and we have not been able to get him to put down the ball since!

Last weekend marked the end of Upward Season at Northside.  Upward is a basketball program that supports the motto that every child is a winner.  Outside of learning how to play basketball, they are given the far more important lesson that Christ died for them!  Well this season, George obviously wasn't old enough to play, but he definitely thought he was!  We would go up to practice when Tom's team was practicing, and we had to literally remove him from the court!  Game days were rough too as he didn't want to sit with me but rather wanted to play!  By far my favorite memory of the season was Tom holding George up to the rim for him to just touch it.  George didn't want to just touch it but wanted to GRAB it... and not let go!!  Tom tried to bounce him up and down to get him to let go of this rim that was 8 feet in the air to no avail.  Instead, in bouncing him, he caused him to hit his head on the rim, which gave us a crying one year old with a death grip!  Finally, after what seemed like hours but in reality was probably 30 seconds, he let go but after several laughs and judgments made by the large crowd of parents watching...if only I had my camera THAT day!!  Anyway, I caught a few cute photos from last weekend of George and his daddy:

George LOVED being part of the action as Daddy warmed his team up...it lead to 20 minutes of crying for me when Tom had to hand him back over, but whatever!

Look at that handsome coach!!

Now that Upward is over, we must turn our attention back to college basketball (but to be honest, I'm not sure Tom's ever left it...I mean he did teach his boys the Motion Offense).  Tom at this moment is watching the Purdue vs. Ohio State game on my iPod because it is the only thing that will let him watch it on the Big Ten Network (we don't have cable...we're cheap people!).  Then Sunday starts our favorite thing in March...March Madness!  Check back next week for George's bracket!  I'm not sure yet how he will fill it out, but we will come up with something.  Let me know if you have any ideas on how he can pick!

Oh and I'll leave you with this Happy Spring picture.  It kinda fits as George has a basketball in his hands.

Happy Spring/Freakishly Warm Winter!

~ Sarah

One Fish...Two Fish...

Do you remember where you were when Dr. Suess died?  Ok, so I don't remember where I was, but I was completely in elementary school and to honor his memory we had a green eggs and ham party.  That was when I learned that his last name wasn't really Suess and that a part of me would forever be missing.   I loved Dr. Suess.  In honor of his birth on Friday, George and I partook in the "Cat in the Hat Knows a lot about That" marathon on PBS.  George even took to a new word just for him!  In the show, when the Cat in the Hat gets the kids all in his Thing-a-ma-jig to go for a ride, he starts singing a song, "Go go go go on an adventure..."  It has truly become an often sung song here in the Hall house!  Well fast forward a few hours and put George and I in Meijer and no joke, pushing him along in the cart he starts saying..."go, go, go, go."  SO CUTE!!  Here's to you, Dr. Suess!

This week was also the start of swimming classes for George!  He is in the parent/child swim class with Daddy for the next seven weeks.  Check out my boys:

 George LOVED the water and took to the lesson right away!

The first thing they did was belly floating.  Tom was teaching him how to blow bubbles underwater...he definitely didn't understand that yet, but he loved floating!

Then they floated on their backs and counted the lights.  George can't count, so rather he pointed and played with Daddy's face...eh...I'll take it!

So the first session was a success!!  I guess we do have a little fish on our hands!

~Sarah

I Started a Blog. I Started a Blog?!

Hopefully as you read the title, you were taken back to Jennifer Gray confessing and questioning the watermelon she just carried in Dirty Dancing.  And that is how I find myself today, confessing and questioning what in the world I am embarking on!   So my first three disclaimers of what I am sure will be many...I'm not a writer, I suffered through grammar, and although I feel like I am super interesting and fascinating, I suspect that I am quite boring. 

I am sure you are asking, okay Sarah, why did you start a blog then?!  The answer has a couple reasons, so here you go:

Reason #1:  At the end of last year, I said goodbye to a dear friend.  She didn't die or anything, don't get too sad on me, but rather she has been called, along with her hubby and three boys, to be missionaries among a people who desperately need Jesus.  The predicament comes in that it takes her away from me!  Elizabeth and I became friends as our husbands pastored together and I learned a ton from her in how to be a Pastor's Wife.  To me she was and is such a Godly example to look to.  Then when we found out that George was coming, she was one of the first to know (now disclaimer, this was not from my doing, but rather from my husband unbeknownst to me telling QUITE a bit of our lives to her husband).  Regardless, from the beginning of my pregnancy to George's grand entrance, she was my go to on what in the world was going on with me, what to expect, and what to wear :).  After he was born, she was one of the first visits we received, with her sweet little Sam, and she was willing and able to help so much as I questioned my ability to be a mom, if George was going to die from whatever I was nervous about that day, and whatever else I deemed as an emergency.  I miss her so much, but as she left, she challenged me for probably the 18th time to start a blog so she could watch George grew up.  I told her I would in January...here we are in March...I'm doing pretty good!! :)

Reason #2:  I have a baby book for George.  The last entry I made was at his 5 month birthday.  He just turned 14 months.  Clearly that isn't working out so well for me.  My goal and intent is to tell about his life.  What's his new thing (partly because maybe my parents could just read about it on here rather than that being the ONLY thing they want to talk to me about on the phone...my how children change everything!!), but mainly for me, that I can remember my thoughts, his actions, and these months that just seem to be flying by.

Ok, so there you have it.  My reasons.  So, follow if you want, if for nothing else but for the pictures of this ridiculously cute little boy I have!! :)

~ Sarah