The Nashville Hulls

My Creative Son

2011-05-20T07:25:00.000-07:00

Mason continues to amaze me with his drawings, his writings and his engineering mind. At 9 years old, he is more creative than most adults, certainly way more creative than me! (I'm totally okay with that!) And now, he is a poet!

Ocean Sea

When I'm out back of my cabin,
I wonder how peaceful the aquamarine sea is,

The sounds of the fish,
that never stop swimming,

The waves that lapp the shore,

As the stars from heaven reflect on the water,

The sweet creatures that breathe
the sweet ocean water,

and so I wonder how peaceful
the midnight blue sea is.

Mason Hull
I love this boy!!!!!

Man, I love this boy!!!!

2010-09-15T15:39:00.000-07:00

A lesson from this little girl

2010-09-09T06:56:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Mazi Jane. She is so full of life. She is always singing or dancing. She loves hard, cries hard, plays hard and has little fear of anything (especially HUGE roller coasters)! Her favorite ride at Disneyworld is the Tower of Terror! She is joyful, she is passionate, she is funny and fun to be around. She loves to learn, she loves homework, she loves friends and they love her, she loves church and most importantly she loves Jesus and knows the He loves her and made her special! I want to live as passionately as her! I want to skip everywhere I go. I want to smile at everyone I see. I am so thankful she is in my life to remind me to enjoy life! I need her as a reminder of this every day!!

Is it really almost over????

2010-07-28T06:06:00.001-07:00

Mason doing his favorite summertime activity

Sprinkler Trampoline

I can't believe summer is coming to an end. I have new student registration today. The kids will start back next week. I think we are all ready for it. For a little structure and routine.

This summer has been a tough one. No long trip to Seattle that we always look forward to. Record heat and humidity.
Daddy took 2 long trips and we missed him so much!

But I know that when the craziness of school routines, soccer practice and dance class begin, I will long for these long hot days where we can just be together.

Is Anybody Out There?

2010-07-16T09:46:00.000-07:00

So I don't know if anybody still looks at this except for my Mom & Kedra. So I will try to at least continue to post pictures for them!

MJ turned 6 a few weeks ago. We had a party at a local gymnastics place. It was fun!!!Mazi Jane and her best friend Sadie

Silly girlsA little excited about her party!Something was funny!Mason in the foam pit (aka the shark pit)I believe this is where she received $10 and Mason told her it was $100
We are still working on the whole value & worth of money thing.....Blowing out 6 candles!
It's her party and she'll flip out if she wants to! I tried to explain what $150 on a birthday party means..... again, we are working on that.....
Love you MJ! Flip outs and all!!

My Sweet Grandmother

2010-04-06T06:13:00.000-07:00

My sweet Grandmother went to be with Jesus this last weekend. I had a vision on Easter of her dancing in heaven with Jesus banging her tamborine she loved to bring to church! She lived a long full life. She was 94 years old. I was hoping I would get to see her one more time as we are headed to Arizona tomorrow. But I am grateful she is no longer in pain and in the presence of her Savior. I am so thankful we took a trip to Arizona over Christmas and were able to spend some precious time with her.I will miss her. Her encouraging words. Her prayers.
I love you Grandmother!

My Artist!

2010-03-05T04:46:00.000-08:00

Mason is the most creative little boy I know. He totally takes after his father. He is an amazing singer, he produces and creates movies, he is imaginative with very creative ideas and he is an amazing artist! So we were not completely surprised but extremely proud when he was one of 12 students out of 800 in his school to be chosen to have his artwork displayed at the Volunteer State College's Elementary Art Show!!!! Way to go, Mason! We celebrate you and your creative spirit!!!A chalk self portrait

Mason & his art teacher Ms. Black

The best part is Gigi was in town for the show!

I'm goin' back to Cali, to Cali.....

2010-03-03T10:04:00.001-08:00

Thanks to my amazing friend Mandy's amazing husband Ashely, I will be jetting off to LA in less than 5 days for a girl's trip! For the first time since having children, I will be going on vacation with two girlfriends and no children. I will miss my babies, I will miss my hubby, but I am so excited! I am looking forward to some girl talk, beach time, shopping..... AND....... drumbroll please....... I will be attending American Idol on Tuesday the 9th! So look for me in the audience! I probably won't be hard to spot as I will probably be the oldest one there rockin' my Mom jeans but having a good time! Yeehaw!

The next big adventure????

2010-03-02T04:39:00.000-08:00

As you may know, we have our house up for sale. So far it has just consisted of a FSBO sign in our yard which does not generate much traffic since we are tucked away in a neighborhood. We have been meaning to put it on the MLS since January 1st. Why have we been dragging our feet? Mainly it has been me. We don't really have a specific "house" or neighborhood that we are looking to move to. We just know that this house and neighborhood are not best for our family. So when I look at the MLS listings, I am a little discouraged that I don't see the perfect home in the same school district. I have been struggling with the Faith that God will orchestrate it all. We don't want a bigger or fancier house. We want a place where our kids feel free to be as silly and creative as they want to be.

So where does the Big Adventure come in? Well, as you know...... Rob and I have the adventure in our blood. Traveling, moving from Bellingham to Lynden, changing careers at all ages, taking a month long roadtrip in our trailer, moving across the country to a place we had never been before. We love it. Sometimes it's hard, but it is exciting and life feels to short to not adventure out!

We love Nashville. We do not regret our decision to move out here. Rob LOVES his job. The kids love their school and have some great friends.

But Rob and I have a little itch..... maybe I do more than he does, but it's there. And the thought of moving across town to both of us isn't as exciting as moving on to another Adventure. Where? What? No idea. Maybe it is just across town, maybe it is a new school, maybe it is a new city, maybe it is something we never imagined, maybe it is our lives now, but with a twist or a little better than we thought it could be. But I am going to put the house on the MLS this week, pray and have faith that God will lead us and fulfill those desires of our hearts and scratch that itch.

3 Cheers for coming back!

2010-03-01T09:59:00.000-08:00

I have been intimidated to start up on my blog again as it has been so long and I didn't want to play catch up. So I decided today was a good day to just start fresh.
Happy March!
Spring is coming!!

New Project

2009-12-02T13:54:00.000-08:00

I call this the "Mommy is too cheap to pay $20 for 2 gingerbread house kits"
Yes those are ice cream cones for trees, those might be leftover Halloween candies for lights and since we could not make the roofs stay slanted because the graham crackers were so stale, they are now "huts" instead of houses....

Oh dear.....

It's Official

2009-11-16T13:19:00.000-08:00

So, we put a sign in our yard. It is a step of faith. Faith that God will sell this house in this crazy market. Faith that He will provide the perfect home for our family that I can not find on the MLS right now.
We have wanted to do this with for about a year and a half. We'd like to find a house that has a little more space around it (less subdivision, more sprawling yard). A place where the kids can dig in the dirt, climb the trees, run with Jackson, zip on a zipline, explore and be themselves! Please join us in prayer that God will do this and He will do it quickly. In the meantime, if anybody has any great parenting advice on how to deal with mean neighbor kids....... let me know!

Dolly & Brett

2009-11-03T04:15:00.000-08:00

I'm a little bit Country

I'm a little bit Rock n Roll!

Fun Dinner

2009-11-01T14:45:00.000-08:00

What do you do when husband is out of town for 5 days and you know its going to be another LONG evening?! You get creative with dinner! Introducing....... Mummy Dogs!

No complaints about dinner. Cheap entertainment for the kids and full tummys headed for bed!

MJ's New Smile

2009-10-22T18:42:00.000-07:00

Before

After!

You know you have a girly girl......

2009-09-19T13:45:00.000-07:00

So as I was putting away laundry the other day I opened Rob's undershirt drawer and found this! When I asked MJ about it later that day, she responded "Momma! You didn't move Mazi Baby from the drawer, did you?!! She was at school!" So cute!

Changes....

2009-09-19T13:26:00.000-07:00

Now that I am kidless 5 hours a day, here are a few things I have been up to:

Cooking
Cleaning places in the house that I haven't cleaned in 3 years! :)
Decorating projects
Working in the Spirit Shop at school once a week
I will be starting to help in MJ's class once a week for 2 hours
Exercising
And finally, I am contemplating substitute teaching at the kid's school. See it turns out that in the state of TN you do not need to have a teaching degree to Sub. Our school is in need of more Subs. I have the time, I welcome the extra money, I LOVE kids and being in the school.... but do I dare except the call "hello Keri, we need you to come in and Sub a 4th grade class today" Oh my word! That sort of scares me. K-2 I think I can handle.... but the older kids? I think they would catch on that I don't have a clue!!!

I finally recovered my nasty dining room chairs!

Out with the old......

In with the new!

Now to get rid of the red in the Dining Room. I am so over it!

And then to replace the Fraggle Rock Chandelier!

Life in Nashville

2009-08-29T05:20:00.000-07:00

My good friend Mandy's husband is a song writer. I mean a REAL song writer. He has written songs for Carrie Underwood, Trace Adkins, Brad Paisley and Hootie (aka Darius Rucker) to name a few. It took Ashley about 8 years to break into the business, but he is now one of the "it" guys and we are just thrilled for him and their family! Mandy and Ashley are dear friends of ours who are fun, loving, humble and love the Lord. We recently got to go to Ashley's 6th number one hit parties and got to meet Brad Paisley. So fun!!I've never seen the guy without his black cowboy hat.

Brad and Ashley

Mandy and Ashley with Hootie

Seattle

2009-08-04T23:30:00.000-07:00

MJ turns 5

2009-07-27T11:06:00.000-07:00

My sweet little Mazi Jane turned 5 June 30th. We celebrated with a Fairy Tale themed tea party. One more week and she is off to full time Kindergarten. Momma, as she always calls me, may need some therapy!

One month of Fun in one blog entry!

2009-06-08T17:34:00.001-07:00

Mason got his first black eye! You should see the swing!

MJ graduated from Preschool!

Kindergarten Bound!

Gigi came to watch Mazi Jane dance. And she did SO good!

She was so excited and we were so proud!

We transformed our back patio. Before........

After!

We are so blessed in so many ways!

My Sweet Boy

2009-05-08T13:35:00.000-07:00

Mason's class had a Mother's Day Tea yesterday. It was so sweet and Mason was such a gentlemen. He pulled out my chair for me, he served me and showered me with gifts he had made in class.

His class took turns reading from a poem, a book and singing 4 songs. It was so special.

I love you, buddy!

Dance Pictures

2009-05-04T13:24:00.000-07:00

MJ's big dance recital is coming up. She is so excited! This year she will be doing a tap number and a ballet number. Here are her professional pics.TapBallet

Field Trip

2009-04-30T17:13:00.000-07:00

Today Mazi Jane and I went on her field trip to a local Elementary School. It is not the one she will be going to, but another close by. She thought she was big stuff. But it melted my heart that she still wanted to hold my hand most the time and show me everything. I can't believe she will be in full time Kindergarten in August! Part of it is because she is my last one..... the other is that she just still seems so little to me. I guess Mason was almost a whole year older when he started school. But I know she is ready. And all her buddies from dance class and the neighborhood are going, so to not send her is really not an option.Sitting in a Kindergarten ChairChecking out the classroomEating in the Cafeteria like a big girlI love you Fudge! What will I do with myself next year?!!!

Crazy

2009-04-20T07:20:00.000-07:00

As usual, things have been crazy around here. We had a great trip to Arizona and have just been trying to play catch up since we returned. I haven't even dowloaded my pics off my camera, yet. Who knew a 2 hour time difference would mess you up so bad?Only 4 weeks until summer break!!!!

It's only noon?!!!

2009-03-16T10:24:00.000-07:00

Screaming daughter in pain all night - Check!
One hour sleep - Check!
Dr. appointment - Check!
Ear infection - Check!
Shot of antibiotics - Check!
1 trip to Wal-Mart for 'make it better toy' - Check!
Pick up 1 child from school - Check!
2 kids to the denstist - Check!
1 panic attack in the dental chair - Check!
Wendy's for 'make it better lunch' - Check!
1 Child back to school - Check!
1 exhausted Mommy - Check! Check! Check!!!!!!!!!

Happiness through Photos

2009-03-11T13:52:00.000-07:00

Today I am happy for the color pink. I love how it makes my daughter jump up and down and get all excited. I could buy her a plain pink t-shirt and you would think I told her we were headed to Disneyland!

Too much fun......

2009-03-10T20:15:00.000-07:00

With all the sunshine we've had lately, we have been on the go and playing hard. I guess it finally caught up to the poor boy.

None of these photos were staged or altered........
I love this boy!

Really?

2009-02-27T17:25:00.000-08:00

Okay, so for quite a few years now I have been stopped and asked or told that I look like Helen Hunt. Even the guy at the Starbucks drive-thru said, "man you look like Helen Hunt". Then I recently went to a girls get together and a girl there said "you like just like....." and I stopped her to say "let me guess, Helen Hunt?" and she replied "YES!!!!" But I don't get it. I am totally not offended, but I don't see it. I mean I know we both have blonde hair (hers is natural, mine is not) and squinty eyes, but otherwise I don't see it...... let me know your vote.

Great Visit

2009-02-19T04:56:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun this last weekend with the Wimmers! We kept saying it over the weekend but it is so true that we are blessed to not only have each other as family but as dear friends. The cousins had so much fun together!It meant so much to us that they would travel across the country to come see us.We love you guys so much! We know that this is where God wants us right now, but we sure wish we all lived closer! See you in July!

Good News!

2009-02-18T04:59:00.000-08:00

I received my biopsy results and they are good! No cancer cells, praise God!!!! So the doc put me on some meds that should stop the growth of the cysts.

Lame Blogger

2009-02-07T06:18:00.000-08:00

Okay, so here are a few excuses as to why I haven't been blogging.....

Mom was here for 2 weeks. It was so great to have her here. We were busy. She did an amazing job helping me clean the house, organize and get it ready for a possible sell?.....

I had a biopsy on my thyroid. Cysts that needed to be checked. This involved a couple doctor appts and half a day in the hospital for the most horrific procedure that I have ever had to have done. Needles in my neck, yuck!

A puking little girl. Mazi Jane has had the flu the last couple days.

Husband with gout. (he always has to one-up me)

As you can see, not a lot of time for inspiration, blogging or even pity for myself. :)

But I promise (Allison, my faithful checker) I am coming back and pictures are on their way. But for now we are off to a basketball game!

Our Sad Snow

2009-01-22T16:52:00.000-08:00

We finally got some snow on Monday and Tuesday. They were just some flurries and we ended up with just a dusting on the ground. But the kids loved it none the less!!The boys playing in the snow!Mason's HUGE snowball!We'll take what we can get here in the South!
No worries, though, it will be 61 degrees tomorrow!

The Wimmers are coming!!!

2009-01-17T14:25:00.000-08:00

We are all just beside ourselves that Rob's sister Cindy and her family are coming to visit us President's Day weekend. The cousins always have so much fun together and we can't wait to show them around Nashville and have quality family time together!! See you guys soon!!!

Upward Basketball

2009-01-17T14:11:00.000-08:00

Today was Mason's first basketball game. And I thought it was funny to watch 4 year olds play soccer! Nothing compares to 10 kids ages 6 & 7 running up and down a basketball court trying to figure out who to guard, which way to run, when and where to shoot and the look of amazement as one of them actually makes a basket! Mason did great and had a lot of fun.Upwards is a great program through our church. They have Bible memory verses, they pray before each game, and they make sure that every child plays the same amount of time.