Hali's 6th Birthday!

Happy Birthday to our sweet little Hali who is the joy of our life!

Hali as always gets very excited for her birthday. One "advantage" of a December birthday is there is an advent calendar hung to help you count down for your birthday. Every morning Hali moved the little santa over to the next day and informed me how many more days until her birthday!

Dec 15th finally came and Hali could not wait to take treats to school to share with her classmates. (I still think this is backwards, shouldn't they give her a treat?) After school I took her to the mall and she picked out a green dress to wear. She had to have the green dress because it "matched" her eyes!! She defiantly looked like a birthday princess in it! I can't believe she is six already. It was just six short years ago that I got the best "early" Christmas present ever!

I love you Hali Annette Salerno I am so thankful you were born!

Doesn't she look beautiful in her "green" dress? Check out the yellow sticky leaves on the fireplace behind her. Hali made a trail from the front door to her "spot" with these so her guests could find her!

Hali decided about a day before her birthday that she wanted a Nintendo DSi (her big sister has one). So, after a little consideration on whether she was old enough for one or not I headed to the store with the girl in tow. I did a really good job buying it without her noticing by whispering a few things to the cashier. I then went over and gave the receipt to the lady behind the counter who also was kind and placed it in my sac without the girls noticing. Well, I guess I am not very observant because I wrapped it without noticing it wasn't the DSi it was the DS. Hali opened and said, "Yea, a Nintendo DS." I said, "No it's the DSi" Hali replied. Yes, my six year old is smarter than me! So thanks to Grandma we were able to take it back that night and trade it for the right one. Remember how I said I wasn't sure if she was old enough to figure out how to play it..... She hasn't stopped playing with it since.

Hali decided a little while ago that she wanted an American Girl doll. My niece Kylee has had one of these for a couple of years so of course Hali decided she wanted one. Hali loves to look through the magazines at all the dolls. This year Rebecca is a new addition to the American Girl collection and once Hali saw her she had to have her....She said, "Rebecca has green (hazel) eyes, and brown hair just like me." Grandma was very excited to get this present for Hali, and as you can tell Hali was very excited to receive it!

Rebecca is another thing Hali hasn't let go of since her birthday!

I seriously have more fun watching my girls

open their presents more than I ever did opening my own!

My niece, Kylee, went to the store and used her own money

to buy Hali a present. She got her some earrings, candy and 4 quarters. She also made her a card. How stinkin' cute is that! Aren't cousins great?

I have to add this picture of our little trouble maker, Lexi, in. She thinks she needs

to constantly torture our poor little dog, Sadie. I think Lexi believes she is her own personal toy. The only way we can get her to leave her alone is to tell her we will give Sadie away if

she doesn't leave her alone!

Another year another princess cake!

I wonder how long she will keep giving me these sweet kisses?

Hali with all her "loot"!

Kylee reading Hali's American Girl book to her. Isn't this sweet?

Thanksgiving 2009!

Thanksgiving 2009 in Utah! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. I enjoyed having 5 days off of school (although I spent the whole weekend writing a paper and studying)! On Thanksgiving morning my wonderful husband and stepson drove to Logan to pick up my grandparents and bring them down for dinner at my mom's house. He volunteered to do this on his own by the way! We then met them for dinner at my mom's and had a wonderful time eating to much food!

The kids had an amazing time as you can see in the pictures. Hali actually asked the other day, "Can we spend the whole day at Grandma's on Christmas like we did on Thanksgiving?" Defiantly one of the cutest things ever said. It made be thankful for the memories my children are able to make with their grandparents as I did with mine.

I am truly thankful for everything in my life. I appreciate my children and husband more as I am not able to spend as much time with them as I would like. I am so thankful that they are happy and healthy. I am so very thankful for the opportunity I have to be in CRNA school and am so thankful to everyone who has helped me out with my girls. I couldn't be doing any of this without all of you! I can't wait until thanksgiving two years from now when I will be a month away from graduation!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!

My brother Brent with my almost 87 year old grandpa George!

Me and Lexi waiting to eat!

My family... all except Tori (she was in Arizona with her mom)!

The main course!

My hubby Mike and his son Gage.

My sister's little girl Madison.

My mom with her parents.

Kylee playing horse with Alexis.

Hali and Alexis attacking Kylee.

Playing the Wii with Uncle Brent.

Braeden attacking our cousin Taylor!

Me Steph and our little ones!

Travis' addition to the thanksgiving table.

This one's for you Steph!

Here I Go!!

This is me outside the building where most of my classes will be!

I started school again last week. Can I say it's going to be a long 27 months!! I go to class four days a week. I have Friday's off from school, but am going to be working Fri and Sat nights for now. I am definitely way to old for this! I have realized how much easier school was when I didn't have children. I am going to have to learn how to manage my time better, and study after the kids are in bed. It is impossible, and I mean impossible to get any studying time when they are awake. Not only are they all over me, begging for my time. I just plain feel guilty not spending time with them. I already have to leave them at the babysitter (Who is awesome!! Thank goodness!) all day, I don't want to ignore them at night to....... This is going to be really hard!
Now for the positive. I actually enjoy learning, although I hate tests! My classmates are all awesome and fun to hang out with! We will be in all the same classes together for the next year until we start clinicals, so it is a good thing we all get along!! I am happy to say I am not the youngest or the oldest in the class. We have 15 in our class, several from WA, one from Arkansas, one from South Dakota, one from Wyoming, one from Idaho, one from Oregon, one from New Mexico, and couple (including me) from Utah. It is a good diversity. Here's to hoping my next two years go by smooth and I invite you all to my huge party in DEC 2011 when I graduate and become a CRNA!!!!

p.s. I will take any prayers that you will send my way!!

FYI

Just to let you know that Hali's class found the gingerbread man today! Thank goodness, because we had one to many traps around our house!! Hali had another great day.

Hali Annette Salerno's First Day of Kindergarten!!

August 17Th, 2009

Today was Hali's "official" first day of kindergarten. She went to school today from 0840 to 1140. It doesn't seem like much time, but today it was to me..... It felt like I was home for a long time before I was able to go pick her up. I am almost... OK 100% positive she didn't feel the same way as I did while she was at school!

Like a true little sisters Alexis said "me to" and got her "pack-pack" on to take a picture. Notice that she is also the one holding Sadie..... poor little dog!

Me and my "baby girl"! Can you tell Hal Bug hates to have the sun in her eyes.

(FYI, that is not a real tattoo on my arm!)

Hali showing off her pink backpack before we got in the car.

I think she looks way to "grown up" in this outfit, but dang cute!

This bench is in front of the school. We had to try three different spots before we found one that the sun wasn't in her eyes.

Waiting by the kindergarten door with some of the other kiddos! Oh, and don't forget little sis!

Hali hanging up her back pack in Mrs. Wangberg's room!

Each morning the kids find their name and what color square they are supposed to sit on. Obviously today Hali's was orange!!

Hali had an awesome day. When I picked her up from school she was on cloud nine!!

They had a little "game" of finding the gingerbread man at school. He was in the kitchen and somehow came to life! The kids got to learn about the school as they "searched" for the gingerbread man. The only problem was they didn't find him today.

So of course the first thing Hali told me when she got in the car was, "Mom the kitchen made a gingerbread man and he came to life and ran away and now we can't find him. We need to go right home and look for him in our house..... maybe he's on my shelf, maybe he's under my bed, maybe he's in your closet......etc. etc....

I don't think she could talk any faster as she was telling me the story! Hali also called Grandma, and Dad to tell them, "Tell all the people at your work to look for the gingerbread man, make sure and tell them to keep their eye's peeled!" Hali also said to Grandma, "Grandma, I'm serious you need to tell them.... Do I sound serious?""

As you probably already guessed we spent the rest of the day looking for the gingerbread man. Hali even made a couple traps for him. She also suggested making a girl gingerbread man that he would see and want to marry!

I love this little girl and her imagination. What an awesome first day of kindergarten for my little Hal Bug!

Hali is officially in Kindergarten!!

I have to start this post out with the funny thing Hali said last night.


Hali had gotten out of the tub and gotten dressed without me putting medicine on her cute little bum cheek (she has eczema). So this is how it went.

Me: Hali come over here I forgot to put medicine on your bum...

Hali: Geese, could this night get any "worser", now I have to show my bum to someone who is not a doctor.

Where does she come up with these things! I am afraid what she is going to tell her teacher!

Today was Hali's first day of kindergarten. It was really neat, because the school has the parents stay with their kindergartner for this first day. We got to watch how the teacher interacted with our kiddos and I am really impressed so far with the Hali's teacher.

Here are a couple of pictures of our first Hali's first day!

Hali's very nervous and excited look as we were about to go into her classroom.

Singing her first song as a kindergartner!

Wow! I used to fit at one of these tables!

Hali drawing a picture of herself!

Standing by the calender.... today is August 10th 2009.

Her name outside the classroom!

Hali is definitely related to grandma!

Class only lasted for a couple of hours today. Tomorrow I take her for kindergarten testing at noon. Then she doesn't really start going full time until next Monday.

It feels like just yesterday that I was starting kindergarten with my sister. I can even still remember the name. Mrs. Hill at Syringa Elementary. Wow! Time flies.

Swimming with friends!

I can't believe it had been over two years since I had seen my friend Julie. We met at the Idaho state Junior Miss Pageant between our Jr. and Sr. year in high school. I think we were instantly great friends. As things go,we went our own ways and Julie moved across the country. We have kept in touch (a lot through our blogs!) but have not actually "gotten together" in a long, long time. So, we finally met up with our children at the swimming pool last week. It was so awesome! Somehow we made it through the event without any of the six kids drowning!!


Here are some pics from our adventure!

This is a picture of all of the girls.....

Chloe, Hali, Alexis, and Lily

Here is the whole bunch minus me (I was taking the picture.)
Brigham (3), Chloe (5), Hali (5), Alexis (2), Lily (4), Julie (not telling!), and Cannon (1)

This is the typical Lexi, food in each hand!

Julie and Brigham coming down the slide.

Lily, who also enjoyed all the snacks.

Brigham whom you would never know had open heart surgery 5 weeks ago.

Julie with three of her four.

Cannon, the last of Julie's cuties.

Little Miss Hali who won't ever look at the camera!

Me, Angie, with handsome little Cannon.

Julie with Hali as the photographer.

Me, Angie, with Hali also as the photographer.

We had tons and tons of fun. I hope that Julie feels the same and we can do it again soon!