Monday, December 11, 2006

Future Gymnast?!?!?

A quick video of Jaxson showing off for the camera.

Give it a watch:



Was that almost a cartwheel? I don't know. We'll keep working on it.

Hope everyone's having a good week.

Be safe, be well,

Norman

Thursday, December 07, 2006

A Message from Jaxson

Jaxson was watching me put up the last post, and I think he has something to say. Here's a few of his thoughts:

nynbgrm ijmb yhmu,o0kjy bimb tvugguunj7msvcx vimk hlo;./m

I'm not sure what that means...but he typed all that himself.

If you have a small child yourself (or know where to borrow one), you might want to have them read that for you.

Let me know if you figure it out...

Thanks,

Norman (and Jaxson)

8 Months!

Today, Jaxson is 8 months old. Wow, how time flies.

He's become such a little person over the last month or so. He croots around, and pulls up pretty well.

Here's video of him doing that:


Tara and I have really enjoyed watching him grow up. We've tried to share that joy through this 'Blog. We appreciate your comments and hope that you'll continue to stop by every now and again.


In another important milestone, today is 12-7, which was the score of the Aggie vs. t.u. game--in case you'd forgotten. Here's a picture of Jaxson playing with Daddy's hat in celebration of the victory:


Hope everyone's having a good week. We'll write more next time.

Until then...

Norman

Sunday, December 03, 2006

Mega-Super-Update...

It's been a while...too long, most have said. It's pretty neat that enough people read our little corner of the Internet, that we've been stopped at work or church, and someone will say, "I'm a little disappointed with your blog updates."

Thanks for stopping by as regularly as you do. I'll try to do better.

We've just been busy.

Here's a recap of the last few weeks:

I went to Michigan.
Tara's Dad stayed here with her for the week I was gone. (See previous post.)
Jaxson started sitting up--on his own!
We went to Franklin to visit my parents, brother, sister, and brother-in-law.
Jaxson started clapping. (Also on his own, I guess.)
Jaxson started pulling up.
We went to Tara's grandparents' (two sets) for Thanksgiving.
12-7! Whoop! BTHOt.u.!
We went to Tara's parents after Thanksgiving.
Tara got glasses.
It was really cold one day.
Jaxson discovered a love of cantaloupe.
We went to Braden Henke's one-year birthday party.

See! We have been busy.

Notice how much our little boy has learned to do in the last few weeks. It's fun watching him grow up, and it seems that he learns something new each week.

One wouldn't think that a child learning to clap on his own would be "that big of a deal", but it really is. He started doing that the weekend we spent in Franklin with my family. He would play with something in the floor, and put it down and clap. The funny thing is, he'd look at us, waiting for us to clap, too.

Funnier still, we would. The whole room full would erupt in applause. A 7-month old child was essentially telling us what to do.

Some would say that he's got us wrapped around his finger. Those people couldn't be more right.

He's also become pretty proficient at getting around. In a previous post, I showed the little man moving around the room finding stuff (to put in his mouth). He's much better at this today than he was a few weeks ago. It's not really a true crawl--it's a funky, crawl-scoot hybrid, that I've dubbed a "croot". (By the way, "Croot" is a word that's really going to take off. If you want to get in on the ground floor--start using it now.)


Jaxson's also doing a little better with table foods. We don't give him anything difficult--still no teeth--but he can do pretty well with softer foods: breads, tortillas, cereal puffs, and cantaloupe. We discovered the cantaloupe thing kinda by accident at dinner the other night. The Henke's son, Braden, had some that he didn't eat, so we gave it to Jaxson thinking that he'd suck on it. It only took him few minutes to put away a sizeable chunk of the melon, leaving only the rind. Since then, we bought another one at the store for him to enjoy. It's fun watching him gum it like a toothless man, but he sure seems to enjoy it.


And I guess the biggest news: Aggies beat t.u. in Austin! It's old news now, but I sure like talking about it. We were in Oklahoma that weekend, and several people came up to thank me for helping the Sooners into the Big XII Championship Game (as though I were directly involved). I told most of them, "You're welcome." or "Glad to do it." or "Whoop!", and they were happy. But I was happiest of all.

Here's a few pictures from the last few weeks. Enjoy!


As you can tell, it's been pretty busy...but life's good. We've got a busy month ahead of us, too. With the Christmas season upon us, that means a lot of travelling for the Hall Family. Keep us in your prayers as we make our rounds from Shawnee, OK to Franklin, TX, with many stops in between.

Until next time...be safe, be well.

Norman

Papaw Chuckie Ben


It's been a very long time since we have published a blog and a lot has happened! Norman will write about all that Jaxson is doing later with many pictures...I promise! I just wanted to write a quick blog to my dad or as Jaxson knows him, Papaw Chuckie Ben. Don't ask about the name, it's a long story :-)
Norman has a great job that provides for our family well, but there is some traveling involved once or twice a year. My dad has been gracious enough to use his vacation time and stay with me during these times. This particular time was important to me because it was my first time to be here alone with Jaxson. I worry about scary monsters and the boogie man still and didn't think I could be brave enough for me and Jaxson both. My dad came down and as I like to say, was my "wife" for the week.
I never had to worry about Jaxson because I knew he was being cared for as I would care for him. The best part was walking into the house after a long day of work and smelling dinner cooking. My dad made all of my favorite meals while he was here and even did the dishes afterwards. One night I came home to find my potholders in the floor of the living room. Papaw and Jaxson had put on a puppet show while waiting for me to get home. Things like that I will never forget.
I can't put into words the love a daughter feels for her daddy. I just know that I am who I am today largely because of him. I know that I married a man that is much like my dad and that I will raise a son much like him as well. Thank you so much dad for always being there and letting me continue to be your little girl even now that I am a mommy. I love you so much and cherish every time we get to spend together. I can't wait to see the bond you and Jaxson will share as he continues to grow. Although I hate to see Norman travel, I look forward to knowing I get a week with dad.