My Assistant

In my 'spare' time, I've been trying to hone my photography skills in consideration of starting my own photography business. Today, while Jack was hanging in Nolensville with Mimi and Grandpa, my assistant, Tyler, and I trucked on over to downtown Nashville so we could scope out some cool places to take pictures. Isn't he a cute little model? And he works for snacks! Woo hoo!



And a quick picture at home before we called it a day...

A New Friend

Our friends just adopted a sweet 7 month old baby girl from Ethiopia, which makes kiddo #5 in their house of love. Mom, her 2 yr old and new baby girl, Lucy Lane, came over today for coffee so we could catch up. Tyler LOVED having two friends his age over. He adored the baby and followed George around a lot, fascinated by another kid almost his size in the house.

The Kiss

Tyler thinks she's cute!

Tastes like chicken! (Looks like chicken too!)

Gonna be fast friends!

I couldn't help but take a few pictures of sweet Lucy Lane while she was here. She's the happiest baby, for sure!!! CONGRATULATIONS, SWEET FRIENDS! God has blessed your family for sure!



You can read all about their journey through adoption at www.weloveourlucy.blogspot.com.

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!

Here is our Father's Day present for dear old Dad... We love you, Daddy. Thanks for always showing the boys how much you love them and for tickling and playing crazy in a way that Mommies just can't do!!! I love to watch you and the boys together...thank you for being their dad. We love you! Love, Mommy, Jack & Tyler

...and a Big HAPPY FATHER's DAY to my Dad, who is an absolutely awesome father and grandfather. Here's a little something that we put together for him this year. Yes, the theme this year was "from the heart, not from the wallet" if you hadn't already noticed.



THE CELEBRATION:

So we gathered this evening for a great dinner at Mimi and Grandpa's house. Here's a peek at the fun... Grandpa checked out his gifts, with some help:




Daddy's "Special": a bona fide TICKLE FIGHT!!!!


And after dinner and dessert, guess who found some extra cake back at the dinner table?

Delicious!!!

Picture of the Day...and Praying For Stellan

Picture of the day today. Tyler: 16.5 months old. Exploring the backyard and deck before dinner tonite. Just adorable, this little guy!



Praying for baby Stellan tonite. He's in the hospital and all treatment to help his heart rhythm are yet to work...see 'button' on the right side of our blog for more info.

Waiting for Lucy Lane

We are all excited here at the Halbert household. Our sweet friends, the Johnsons, have just adopted a gorgeous little baby girl from Ethiopia. Kristi is in Ethiopia right now hanging out with her brand new (to her) 7 month old baby girl. Lucy Lane Martha Johnson and her mom and aunt Kelly will arrive here on Friday evening and we plan to meet her then! We just can't wait to see this awesome family be blessed by the addition of kiddo #5!!!

Here is Tyler "meeting" Lucy Lane tonite. I think they are gonna be fast friends.

The Most Magical Place On Earth

Tyler has now graced the doors of Disney on both coasts! Not too shabby for a 1 year old, especially since it took nearly 40 years for me to do so! We headed out shortly after school ended to show Tyler the sights and sounds of our favorite place...Walt Disney World! Grandpa and Mimi drove to FL and got our condo all ready for our arrival. I flew with the kids on Saturday and they were both wonderful on the trip. The plane wasn't full, so we had an extra seat for Monkey Pants to move around a bit.




Once in Orlando, we checked out the fantastic digs that Mimi & Grandpa had found...it turned out to be an amazing condo complex just minutes from Disney. It had an awesome park with a lawn chess set (which Jack LOVED) and a spectacular zero-entry pool with a toddler fountain area. Both kids enjoyed the surroundings at the condo. And he slept so well there! The condo had a pack n play and Tyler slept in my room with me. He slept just as well as he does at home. What a great traveler!




Disney was perfect, as usual. We took Tyler to the Magic Kingdom, where the boys both got a new set of Mouse Ears. This was Tyler's first pair and they are adorable!!!


The boys enjoyed riding in a double stroller together...it was so cute!!


It was really hot!!! Summer has come early to Florida. Tyler was really good about it all, even in the heat and without stopping for a nap!



I LOVED watching Tyler interact with the characters at the Winnie the Pooh lunch buffet at the Crystal Palace. He wasn't afraid at all and tried to kiss Pooh on the nose!!




Tyler enjoyed several of the rides. Jack really enjoyed sharing his love of Disney with his brother. We spent time in EPCOT and Hollywood Studios as well. It was ALL FUN!!!



One day during our stay we went to Melbourne to see Jack's doctor. After our visit there, we headed out to the beach for a picnic and some fun in the sun. The boys were cute together playing in the sand. Jack ran up and down the beach in and out of the waves while Tyler took a more timid approach, keeping a (small) distance from the water. It was a wonderful day.





Our last day in Florida we went to the Contemporary Hotel to have lunch and watch the monorail go through the building, which is a cool sight to see!



Then we headed to the airport and back to Nashville to see our hardworking Daddy!!! It was a great vacation and a great beginning of what is sure to be a fun summer!


Bye Disney! We can't wait to come back again soon!!!

Sprinkled with Sweetness

If you didn't happen to drive by this afternoon, you missed seeing our boys playing in the sprinkler. It was a blast for both boys. Here's a little taste of our fun. If you happen to drive by on another day and see us out there, feel free to stop by or honk!





Tyler LOVES LOVES LOVES this car. I picked it up off of Craigslist and he is oh so glad that I did!!! It isn't easy getting him to park his car in the garage after a "drive".

A Family Tradition...

Tradition. An inherited pattern of thought or action. Licking the beater after Mom makes icing? Well, that's a tradition that spans both the Halbert and Quist families. Scott remembers getting to lick both beaters after his mom's yummy pound cake. He says that batter was just as good as icing! And at our house, thre were 3 of us fighting for the two beaters full of icing...me, my brother David, and DAD!! He LOVES icing as much as we do!

This week our boys got to experience this tradition for the first time together. After making some icing for a cupcake for Jack to take to a birthday party, I gave each of the boys a beater full of icing. They were happy, quiet and still. Jack was reluctant to give up the empty beater and Tyler actually cried! Grandpa was proud that they had experienced this right of passage together...

Do you like it, Tyler??

Finger lickin' good!

Delicious!! Can we have some more!?