So this one time when I used to blog.....

"HI! I'm back!"

I have a huge confession to make. Are you ready for this? Ok. Whew. Here goes.....

Sometimes I hate blogging. 

Ahhhh, thanks for letting me get that off my chest. Let me please stress the sometimes in that statement. Most of the time (and all of the time upon completing a blog post) I live to blog...I love to blog...and I look at it as a stress reliever. But lately there have been times when it feels almost like another job that needs to be done at the end of the day. Sometimes I imagine Hallie reading through her blog book in the future and the tales just coming to a screeching halt....she'll be sitting there wondering "why did my mom start sucking so bad?" Ok, maybe that's a tad on the dramatic side. But seriously. I really do suck at this right now. I've got about 20,000 stories and 200 pictures that have piled up. Of course I don't have the time to delve into all of them but I sure would love to. My biggest excuse is that my red-headed motor mouth is growing as such an exponential rate that I am incapable of keeping up with her in the present let alone blogging about it after it happens. It just ain't happenin' folks. So in summary, THANK GOD FOR PICTURES! They tell such amazing stories without words being spoken. I've quite a few shots of share and will do my very best to remember what was going on and when it went on and what sort of crazy quote Hallie spouted off in the moment. Granted I'm going off a minuscule amount of shuteye at the moment after being up with a sick gal ALL night. And yet another warning: some of these pictures may have already appeared on the blog before....that is just how my brain is functioning at the moment. 

There have been some big changes since the new year began. For one, Grandma Vice moved from Tulsa to Grace Living Center here in Woodward. It was a big decision to move her and so far she has been doing very well with daily visits from Nanny and morning bible studies....oh and I can't forget frequent visits from her two great granddaughters. Riley and I need to do a LOT better about going to visit when we get spare time. Here are a few shots of Riley and Hal with Virginia in her new home....

Hal was very interested in her wheelchair. I know, you're shocked, right? ;)

....and same went for her walker too!

A couple of weeks ago we were pleasantly surprised by a visit from Meme Donna, Aunt Lana and Aunt Deedee. When they called to see if we were home and willing to have some visitors we said "of course!!!!" and welcomed them in the driveway minutes later. Literally, we were waiting in the driveway because someone was soooooo excited.....

 She was at her best that afternoon. By that I mean she was putting on quite a show for our guests. She didn't have to work too hard at getting Lana to fill up her cup with juice....

The ladies were excited to see Hal's new big girl room so we hung out on her bed while she ran around like a  mad woman. Having these four special ladies together meant so much to me. To me, they represent my mom. Everytime Hallie sees a picture of her Grammy Karen she calls her "Deedee" because they have such similar features.....

Meme was so happy just taking in all of Hallie's new tricks and playing her version of hide and seek.....

They picked out a new kitchen accessory that they brought along for the new chef. She got busy using her new mixer to stir up some Cheerios. Yum! They stayed for about an hour and we enjoyed every single minute of it. 

Hal has been getting in touch with her sporty side by dabbling in a bit of athletics. Ok, let me be real. I suggested she practice hitting the ball off her tee. It went something like this.....

That was her one and only swing. I suppose I cursed her when I ordered her ball and tee in pink and purple. I may sound silly in saying this but I really do believe she is going to take after me when it comes to sports......the girl is a runner! She shows no interest in kicking, hitting, throwing or shooting a ball. But the gal can run like the wind. Here's video just to prove it.....

She joined me for a workout on the track this week while I ran some dreaded sprints for the first week of my half marathon training. Why the first week involves sprints I'll never know but she obliged and we had a grand ol' time. Well, as grand as running fast can be. She had her banana in hand and found her way silently up to the stands. I found her clapping and shouting "go, mommy, go!" as I rounded the track. I made a mental note to add that moment to my list of favorites. ;) After I finished and was trying to catch my breath she ran down from the stands and declared "it my turn!!!" She took off before I could even pick up my camera to tape her. But I did catch the tail end of her run. And as you can see she was upset with me for filming her endeavor. She looked at me with pride when she was finished though and bent down with her hands on her knees to catch her breath. Cutest. Thing. Ever. 

Best cheerleader ever!

She's also been working on her balance and agility skills as well.....

We've had the pleasure of spending some awesome playtime with some favorite friends of ours lately. One Friday in January we invited several kiddos and their mommies over for a playdate. Our crew dwindled down to four kiddos by the time Friday had arrived due to some being sick and some traveling. Whitney, Jaidynce, Jocelyn, Sarah and Austin were able to make it over and we were thrilled to have them. Hallie requested chicken nuggets and cheese for her friends so we prepared a nice kid-friendly spread. I made some soup for the grownups and we all sat around and enjoyed the time to relax and chat. Hallie was pretty pumped up about the day's plans....

A couple weekends ago we spent a beautiful Sunday evening at the park with Nanny, Carmen and Katie. The weather was perfect. T-shirt weather!!!

Those pigtails were flying down the slide.....

Here comes Carm!!!!

"Hey, this isn't a two-seater!"

 Of course she's been up to her regular shenanigans and stunts as well....

"It wasn't me! I've been framed!"

Harper and Hallie in Sunday school....a dangerous duo! ;)

Always a helpful grocery shopping partner. She insists of sliding my card when we checkout. 

January flew by in the blink of an eye. So fast that I'm not quite sure where it went...or what we did. But I do know that quite a bit of that time was spent at the gym. I'm bound and determined to look healthy again...and fast! Having to constantly work at keeping weight off is exhausting but so is trying to squeeze into my pants that were getting tighter and tighter. Hallie has been a big help by going with me and enjoying the kid's room. Riley has been on a kick lately doing some personal training with his cousin Jake to prepare him for football next season. I've started my half marathon training schedule this week and I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around it this time. I want to do it....yet in a way I don't. But I will. ;)

Work in January was rather kind to me. A nice slow schedule was just what I needed...and wanted. February seems to be a different kind of month as far as work goes. It comes in waves so I'm just surfing along until this wave ends. Riley has been non-stop busy which hasn't changed since the moment he started working at the hospital. I wonder sometimes if we'll ever get the hang of balancing life, work, church, family, running, cooking and leisure time. I think the answer is no and I suppose I'm okay with that. People keep asking when we are going to have another child. To that I say... "I can't imagine life right now with another Fanning in the mix. Someday, just not today."

There, I'm done. And I feel better. Here's to being a better blogger.