That Hallie Girl

I know, finally. Without further ado, here is the way-past-overdue post about Hals.

Hallie is three going on 20. I find myself looking at her all the time, wondering when she grew up. It makes me sad, but at the same time, it is so fun to watch her learn and progress. She is still a spitfire and as funny as ever.

I am commonly asked how Hallie and Jace are adjusting to Flor's arrival into the family. Jace has been just fine, but Hallie has had a few rough bumps in the road, though she is very sweet with Flor. I think the majority if her issues lately (mostly more screaming fits) have to do with the fact that she was without me for those three weeks at the end of the Ecuador trip. She mostly has a hard time when I am leaving to go somewhere, though I of course promise her that I will be coming back soon. It is getting better, though, so that's good.

For fits in general (such as not getting what she wants) one really great thing about her is that if she is upset, we usually just ask her to go lay in her bed for a while until she calms down, and then she comes out when she is ready and is as happy as can be. But-- we are already prepping for her teenage years as holy cow, can she throw a tantrum. :) All kids are like that sometimes, right?

Here are a few recent pictures and then some Hallie-isms:

Devin recently bought Hallie a little basketball of her own. She loves it--and he is determined to make her the next big thing in toddler basketball. Here they are drawing her hands onto the ball so that he knows where to hold it when she shoots the ball. She and Devin have been outside practicing their shooting quite often lately.

Well, isn't that just cute?

Hallie is also quite the little mother. She mothers Jace and Flor constantly (for example...just tonight when I was putting Jace in bed, she came over to give him kisses and loves and then said "I love you handsome buddy! You be a nice baby and sleep good tonight, okay?" Yes, I second that.) We were recently able to go see our new niece, Brylee, at the hospital after she was born and Hallie insisted upon holding her nearly the whole time. She was cute with her, giving her little kisses, covering her feet with the blanket when they popped out, etc.

And...last but not least, some recent Hallie-isms:

* Most mornings she likes to look for the bus out the window for Flor, but one morning, she got out of the bathtub and yelled across the room to me, "Hurry up and get me dressed! I need to get Flor out to the bus!" (See above: mothering) I love that she really thinks that these things are her responsibility.

* The first week I was back from Ecuador, I went to Primary at church to watch Hallie in Sunbeams and to get Flor settled for her first week. At the beginning, the primary president stood up and said, "We had a birthday this week! Whose birthday was it?!" Of course all the kids raised their hands and and shouted "It was my birthday! Me me!" But, Hallie waited until they were all calmed down and the hands were down, then she stood up and said, "I had two birthdays this week!" Oh no...starting the one-upping already.

*Out of the blue one day, she informed me that she wanted to play with Adriana that day. (Remember we met Adriana in Ecuador-- she was being adopted by our friends the Harlans). I informed her that it would take all day just to drive to their house, so there wouldn't be enough time to play. Her response? "Okay! Let's go!" Obviously she didn't get the point...

*Soon after I got home, I asked Hallie if she had had fun during her time at Grandma's house (she and Jace went to my mom's for five days or so). She responded in her best baby voice, "Yes, but we missed you sooooo much!! We cried for two days and then we were over it." How nice.

*A commonly repeated phrase (every night) when going to bed: "Don't leave us here alone! We don't want to stay here by our self-es!" (selves-- she hasn't quite gotten the idea that there are not two syllables there...)

*After going to the bathroom one day, she emerged and announced, "Mom, that was foul!" Ummm...where does she get these things?!?

*One day in the car:
H: "Mom, I feel sick!"
Me: "Why?"
H: "This driver [Devin] is making me ill!" hahaha...

*After scripture study one night, I asked Hallie what she learned. She replied, "Well Nephi went fishing and caught a fish and the fish said "Hello!"(pause).  No, not that....fish don't talk! And Nephi went fishing and..." Nevermind that we didn't read anything to do with Nephi going fishing...Nice try, though.


Hallie=Happiness. What a stinkin' cute girl.