Halle Has Arrived!

Halle Brooks Shumate was born yesterday (Wednesday) morning at 8:35. She weighed 7 lbs., 6 oz. and is 19 1/2 inches long. She is beautiful and healthy, and we are all doing well! We wanted to post some pictures yesterday, but we were all exhausted and chose to get a little sleep instead. :) Halle has been perfect!!! Hayden has been really sweet with her and has wanted to hold her every time he has come to visit. He also loves giving her gentle hugs and kisses. Here are a few pictures of our little princess!

Hayden's first time to meet his little sister!

The proud grandparents

and Uncle Eric.

Halle's Nursery

Here are a few pictures of the nursery. I still have a few frames to hang above the changing table, but for the most part, it's finished.

We'll be heading to the hospital early in the morning to meet our little girl!!! Please say a prayer for us that everything will go well and we'll have a safe and healthy delivery and baby. Thanks so much! Hopefully Michael can post some pictures tomorrow, so check back with us!

Ten Things Tuesday

Wow, it's been a while since I've done this, but I know I have a lot to be thankful for!!!

1. My car is parked in the garage! That may not seem thank-worthy, but we moved in this house in May and this is the first time either of our cars has ever entered the garage. This will make coming and going so much easier!

2. My wonderful husband who has spent the last few weekends working in the garage to clear space so that I could park there.

3. My sweet little boy, who is a big time "Momma's Boy."

4. Girls' Night Out tonight...it was nice to eat, relax, and visit!

5. Ladies' Bible Class this morning...Beth Moore had some great things to say.

6. The delicious Ghirardelli peanut butter and chocolate squares that I have enjoyed thanks to my "Secret Sister."

7. Halle will be here next week!

8. Halle's room is just about ready. I have a few more things to hang on the walls, but I'll try to get pictures posted later in the week.

9. I'm thankful that I've had another easy, healthy pregnancy. And just for the health and safety of my family in general, which is something I never want to take for granted.

10. I'm nearing the end of maternity clothes! They haven't been as much fun to wear this time around. :)

Captain Hayden, Potty Training, and a Trip to the Zoo

Well, I promised some new pictures, so below is "Captain Hayden" as he calls himself. He loves wearing this pirate hat to read, and in this picture, while painting. He was a pirate for Halloween, but he has just recently taken an interest in acting like one. That may be due to an episode of the Backyardigans. Which is his favorite show now, by the way!

On Valentine's Day, Michael and I took Hayden to Memphis so we could make one more trip to the zoo before our membership expires. We had lunch at the Spaghetti Warehouse, where we got to sit in a trolley car. Of course, that made Hayden's day!

Then we spent the afternoon at the zoo. We all enjoyed watching the giraffes. There are 3 young giraffes, so it was neat to watch them all running around with their giraffe mommy.

Mommy and her Little Valentine

Daddy and Hayden posing with the tigers

I also mentioned potty training in the title of this post. About a month ago, I decided to give it a final try before Halle comes, and Hayden took to it pretty quickly. We had a small setback when he was sick, but other than that, it is going pretty well. We'll see if that continues once Halle enters our lives!

Oh, even though we scheduled our delivery date a few weeks ago, I keep forgetting to post about it. Unless she decides to come before then, Halle will be born on March 4! That's just 9 short days away!!! I can't wait to meet our little girl!

Quote of the Day from Hayden

"When I close my eyes, the electricity goes off!"

Actually, he said "electricery," but it cracked me up. He has been so concerned about electricity since the ice storm, and he tries so hard to figure out how it works. Everytime the lights blink, he talks about it. He's so inquisitive these days!

I promise to post more soon, and actually add some pictures one of these days. We recently got a new camera, and I have yet to upload the pictures I've taken to the computer. Check back soon!

Halle Brooks

So, I posted last week about deciding on a name, but not a spelling. Thanks to all of you who commented! Well, we did decide last week, but I failed to post it. Michael and I both agreed on "Halle," so that will be the spelling we'll use. Yeah! Another decision made! Now, if we can just get the boxes out of the nursery and get her room put together in the next 5 weeks . . .

She Has a Name!

Yeah!!! We have finally decided on a name for "Baby G." Her name will be Hallie Brooks. Brooks was my grandma's middle name and we just really like Hallie. I'm not 100% sure on the spelling... my first thought was "Hallie," but "Halle" is also an option. I'm sure some people will call her Hayley either way. So which spelling would be the most likely to be pronounced correctly?

Christmas 2008

We had a wonderful Christmas! Hayden understood what was going on this year and was really into Santa and how he brought presents on Christmas Eve. He was convinced Santa would wake him up to see him when he came to our house to deliver his presents!

Since Michael had to work on Christmas Eve, we weren't able to celebrate with his family at their house this year. Instead, they got to come on Christmas Day to celebrate with all of my family. We also decided to host our big Christmas lunch for all of my extended family at our house this year, so we had a great time with both families and got to stay here at home, which was nice for Hayden.

Hayden trying out his new tricycle

Opening presents from Santa

Checking out his stocking

And for what Hayden was waiting patiently for...a train table! He talked about it for at least a month before Christmas, and every time we would ask what he wanted Santa to bring, his answer never changed! It has already gotten many, many hours of play!!!

After checking out what Santa brought to our house Christmas morning, we went to Gramma and Grampa's house where Hayden got a kitchen and some "Cars" toys.

Then it was back to our house to start cooking for this crowd. With 20+ people who like to eat, we had a lot of food! Thanks to my parents, in-laws, and aunt and uncle, I definitely didn't have to cook the whole meal!

After most everyone was gone, Hayden got to check out his presents from Nanny and Pawpaw.


We finished the day with a homemade pizza supper at my aunt and uncle's house, then we all headed to the movies to see Bedtime Stories. I was so exhausted that I fell asleep, but Michael said it was a good one!

Hayden's First Gingerbread House

We decided to try making a gingerbread house with Hayden this year. He loved it! He was so meticulous as he put the candies on, and he enjoyed decorating the whole house. Of course, we helped a little, too!

Cake Decorator in Training

Here's a belated post to honor Michael's birthday. He recently turned 30-something, and I let Hayden help decorate his cake. Hayden did a fantastic job, and of course, Michael loved it!

He started spooning a few sprinkles at a time...

then decided it was quicker to just dump the whole bowl!

The finished product!

Silliness with Stickers

The best thing about Wal-Mart has to be the smiley face stickers. On a recent trip, the greeter gave us a whole sheet with a ton of stickers. After we came home, Hayden started decorating himself. Silly boy!!

Breakfast with Santa

Last Saturday, our church had a "Breakfast with Santa." Hayden had a great time eating pancakes and enjoying all the Christmas activities. He decorated a sugar cookie with lots of sprinkles. Of course, he didn't eat the cookie, but he did eat all the sprinkles! Then, he made an ornament for our tree.

And, of course, Hayden got to visit Santa and Mrs. Claus! He was a little scared at first, but once he realized Santa was handing out candy canes, he got over his fear and sat on Santa's lap.

Christmas Conversations

I love having conversations with Hayden. Sometimes, he just cracks me up! Here are two recent conversations that had Michael and I laughing...


Me: When Baby Jesus was born, where did they lay him?

Hayden: In a manger

Me: Who came to see Baby Jesus?

Hayden: The wise men

Me: What did they bring him?

Hayden: Supper... rice and beans!

That kid is still crazy about El Acapulco. I think he would eat rice and beans everyday!


We had talked about the North Pole and how Santa lives there and that's where he makes toys. When we asked Hayden a little while later where Santa lives, I said "He lives in the North..." and Hayden said "North Carolina!"

She's Still a Girl!

Just wanted to update on "Baby G," as Michael and Hayden call her. "G" is just for girl since we haven't yet decided on a name. My friend did another ultrasound for us a few weeks ago, and the baby was still definitely a girl! Not that she would change, but I've heard lots of stories of ultrasound mistakes. :) Anyway, I feel much more certain after seeing the last ultrasound confirm the gender. She was so cute during the scan. She kept opening and closing her mouth, then she sucked her thumb. It was precious!



At this point, I am 27 weeks, so I guess this is the beginning of the 3rd trimester. I'm still feeling great, just getting a little nervous that I have a little less than 3 months to get everything ready!!! We're wrapping up the remodeling here at the house and have ordered new furniture for Hayden so we can move the nursery furniture into her room and get it settled. Now, we really need to decide on a name! Any suggestions!?

In Mommy's Shoes

I was looking back over pictures I've taken of Hayden in the past few months, and I noticed there were quite a few of him wearing my shoes and no pants. He is too funny! He loves putting on our shoes and always wants me to take a picture of him. I'm not too sure why he never has pants on when trying on my shoes!