You May Call Him Master-Master Hall

The bigger one, not the two-year-old (though I'm sure Felix would like it if you deferred to him as your master as well). Hooray for Brian! On May 1st he graduated from the Ross School of Business with an MBA, and from the Music School with a MMus. Goooo, Brian!

We were so lucky to have Dave and Sharon came into town to watch Brian receive his diplomas and celebrate with us. Well, that was the excuse, but I know they mostly just wanted to see the grandbabies. :D

Brian being inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma (smarty-pants business society)

Brian Hall, MMMBA. aka Mr. Adorable (um, to me at least)

Where's Brian?

The Hall Clan

Bri, Ez, and Me.

(Felix was probably chasing a school bus or something)

Plotting out his next move...

Dad & Son :)

Thanks for coming out to visit us, Dave and Sharon! We love you a ton.

And I am so very proud of you, Brian! Some day when I'm all grown up maybe I'll get a master's degree, too.

Blessing

Last Sunday (March 1) Brian gave little Ezra a name and blessing in sacrament meeting. It was a wonderful experience, and we felt very fortunate to have loving family and friends in the circle surrounding and supporting our family. In the beautiful blessing Brian mentioned Ezra's kind and gentle disposition, something I can definitely confirm. He definitely is the sweetest, most mellow baby, and I feel so blessed to have the privilege of raising him. :)

Grandpa Dave and Grandma Sharon flew out all the way from Phoenix--how generous of them! Felix remembered Dave right away, and they had lots of fun playing together. It was great to have them here, and to get to know Sharon better. I'm so glad she's in our family.


My Dad also came up, which was quite a feat in and of itself! I am soo glad he came though. He stayed with us for a few days after the blessing, and had a great time talking and playing with the boys. (A funny note is that without prompting, he calls my Dad "Papa", which is what I called my Dad's dad, and what my Dad called his grandpa. How did Felix figure that out?) I loved watching my Dad play with Felix, and seeing them develop a special relationship. I hope we can see him again soon!

Also, a few days before the blessing, Grandma Polly surprised us with a visit to Ann Arbor! It was a blast to have her here, and we managed to squeeze a lot in during her short stay. Here are some shots of Felix and Ezra with their beautiful Grandma.

Unfortunately, my Mom wasn't able to make it up for the blessing, but she did send her love--and the adorable blessing outfit and knit blanket.

I'm so grateful for our loving, supportive families, and for the opportunities we have to spend time building our relationships and creating memories together. I'm also glad that Ezra gave us a reason to get together. We can't wait to see everyone again soon!

Home Sweet Home

It is SO NICE to be back in verdent, sweet-smelling, spacious Ann Arbor!

In addition to getting ready for classes in a week, we've had some cleaning, appointments, and general relocation tasks to take care of. Felix had a bronchoscope (outpatient surgery, to look at the shape of his airway)--which confirmed the tentative diagnosis of bronchomalasia (slightly misshapen or floppy wind pipe) in addition to asthma made back in May during his hospital stay. The surgery went well, and the diagnosis means that some of his breathing problems will go away with age (as his airways get bigger).

Illness and hospital stays are no fun, but on the bright side they mean snuggle time with an otherwise exuberant toddler!

Family time is also high on our list. Dave and Sharon meet us in Middleton, Ohio for bowling, dinner, and some serious bonding with Felix!

I've also decided to start the early phases of potty training, just to get him used to the concept. So far it's been a fun experience--he sits on the funny seat, and mom lavishes him with attention, praise, books, and toys!

Nauvoooo!!

OK, this post is entirely past due, which fact I could blame on a 5-day hospital stay (for asthma)with Felix, (during a simultaneous 5-day, 3-child babysitting job)...

...or family coming to visit...

(we love Grandpa Hall! Oh, and yes, Felix is in the mastedon display. Yep, I'm one of those parents.)

... or the general frenzy associated with moving...

(not actual photo)

...but I'll just opt to blame it on the procrastination bug.

At any rate, we went to Nauvoo, IL with our pals the Shakespears, and had a BLAST! I would do it again in a heartbeat, as long as gas doesn't tip $12 a gal or anything.

The drive was great, including the run-around breaks (oh, except for the little tornado experience an hour from Cedar Rapids. Welcome to Iowa!)

We stayed for one night in Cedar Rapids with beloved and generous Grandma Hall (it was definitely sad to leave in the morning...)

And then soaked up Nauvoo culture and scenery!

ok, and Felix just LOVED the temple! I'd been looking forward to getting a few shots of him at the Nauvoo temple since he was just a twinkle in my eye, but I was blown away by his enthusiasm to climb the stairs, run around in the portico, and touch the walls and doors. So sweet!

So fun! (oh, no comment on the slightly less-than-ethical method of entry there...)

Felix was really sad to leave the grounds though, which made for a grumpy-looking baby in the family pic... Oh well!

I love Nauvoo!