Pool Party

Well, we are still having winter here - snowstorm today. Not so much fun - but Maddie and I got to have a taste of summer with a pool party at ECFE yesterday. We would love to share these photos with you. She wasn't too sure of the water and didn't last long in the pool - but it was fun to see all of the kiddos in their swimsuits/swim diapers. :) Enjoy the photos and may they help you think of spring!







We are praying desperately for our friends in the Fargo/Moorhead area that are dealing with the floods. We pray that everyone is safe and that not too much harm is done to homes. Also - we are praying for a miracle for our Pastor's son - Josh Sorvik, who was in a skiing accident this past weekend. He has a severed spinal cord and it looks like the is going to be paralyzed from the waist down. Please pray that God will heal his spine - and that he will walk again! He is only a senior in high school - it is a scary and sad situation. We believe God can do anything!

Music Class

Maddie and I have been attending a music class once a week - which has been held at an assisted living place, on London Road. It has been so much fun for both of us - and the residents really enjoy watching the toddlers sing and dance to the music. I am putting some pictures up of our time at music. We do have a fun time! Also, you can see how much I am showing now....at 24 weeks. The baby is really moving a lot now - it is such a good feeling, even though it can drive me crazy at times.

It Looks Like, MAYBE, but Not so Sure....a Girl?!?!?

Brandon and I had our 20 week ultrasound yesterday. We had been looking forward to this day for a long time - so we could find out our baby's sex. Baby wasn't cooperating the best for the technician. At one point - the legs were way up by the head, then they were all curled up, so it was hard to get a good look. It looks like Maddie might be having a little sister! Although they couldn't give us a percentage of how sure they were....that's just how difficult the baby was being. We are thinking girl - but it could very easily still be a surprise when she/he is born! :) We are thrilled and are looking forward to meeting our little girl in 4 and a half short months. The best news: our baby looks very healthy and is developing normally. Praise God for that! Check out some pictures of our little girl. (or boy?!?!?)

Not too much new...

Nothing big has really been happening around here lately - just a lot of illness! Maddie had the stomach flu for a week and I also had it as well for about 24 hours. We are feeling much better now, thankfully. It has been a tough winter for being sick. Lots of colds, ear infections, influenza....when will it end? Maddie and I have been stuck in the house today, because of an ice storm that is hitting the Northland. It has been kinda nice though, having a day at home. I have been able to get lots done.

An update about Navigators at UMD! Things are going well as we started up the new semester, the third week in January. Students are back and in full swing with classes. God has really answered our prayers as we had been seeking whether or not we should start up another Nav Night on campus for all of the students to come together in fellowship and worship. Towards the end of last semester, many students expressed an interest and wanted to help lead. (Praise God! We need student leaders!) So, our new night is called - Nav ICE (Inciting Love, Community, and Encouragement) We had our first gathering on Thursday night, Feb. 5th. It was amazing! God really blessed all of the planning and prayer that went into the night. We had 35 students! I didn't even recognize everyone! God blew me away - beyond my expectations. The majority of the students are new to campus and/or to the Navigators. It has been such an encouragement. Praise God for how He always comes through! We are excited to see how He moves in these students as we progress through the semester. Please continue to keep the Navigators at UMD in your prayers. Pray that we would be leading according to God's will, and not our own. And pray that we would bring ALL of the glory to Him and Him alone.

Family news: Maddie is quite the chatterbox. She is starting to say quite a few words and repeat/mimic things Brandon or I do. It's a lot of fun. I know she doesn't understand the fact that she is going to be a big sister and that her world is going to turn upside down in July, when this baby comes - but she does come and point to my belly when I say, "Maddie, where is mommy's baby?" :) She has no clue, but it is still cute. Our BIG ultrasound is next week, on Tuesday! We will hopefully get to find out the sex of the baby. We are excited for that. So stay tuned for that big news.

I'll post a few pictures from our weekend. We went over to Park Point to check out the lake and the built up ice. We had a fun time together as a family.





Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Enjoy your Saturday with those you love. God bless!

Christmas

It has been awhile since I've updated our blog. Christmastime always gets so hectic - but it is also such a wonderful time of year. I was very sad to put all of the Christmas decorations away yesterday. Our home looks so bare now! But it needed to be done - and now that it is, it feels good to be back to having things a little back to normal.

We had a very nice Christmas, minus the fact that we were all quite sick with colds and ear infections. Maddie and I had some bad ones - I am still getting over mine, but she seems to be back to normal again. Praise God! It was so hard to see her so sad and tired and just not her normal, busy self. We felt blessed by our time with family. Brandon surprised me with tickets to the musical, "White Christmas," at the Ordway in St. Paul, where we met up with my sister and her husband Brian. That was a blessing - so much fun. It is one of my favorite movies - so it was fun to see on stage!

Here are some photos of our Christmas!







On December 30th, Brandon and I had a first trimester screening ultrasound to check for any genetic problems with our baby. So far he/she is looking great! I cannot stop thanking God for how He has blessed us and for how our little child is growing so beautifully inside of my womb.




And finally - on January 1st, Brandon and I celebrated our 4 year wedding anniversary! We had a nice relaxing time, staying at a Bed and Breakfast in Osceola, WI. We stayed at the St. Croix Inn - it was beautiful! We had such a relaxing time. It was my first night away from Maddie, but she did great with her grandparents. Here we are at the Inn. Happy New Year to you all! May God bless this new year of 2009! I know I am excited for all God has in store for this family.

STATIC CITY

It's that wonderful time of year for STATIC. Check out Maddie's new hair-do!

Merry Christmas!

The Hall family wants to wish you a very Merry Christmas! It looks like it's going to be a very white Christmas around here! God bless - hope it is a special one. Here are some recent photos of our little darling - she is enjoying the Christmas tree and wrapped gifts underneath....it's hard to keep her away! We are looking forward to celebrating with her. She is at such a fun age. Hope to see many of you over the holidays.