Joshua Ellis Hasson

I know I am waaay behind on posting. But, the last couple of months have been quite busy. We've had Lily's 7th birthday, Halloween, and the birth of our adorable son, Joshua. I can't believe he will be one month old this Thursday! It seems like he was born just yesterday. Here are some pics of him. I'll go back and add the pics from Lily's b-day and from Halloween in the next couple of days.

First day of school 2009

Yesterday was the first day of 7th grade for Natalie and 1st grade for Lily! Natalie had a really great first day! Lily's first day was a bit rough on her, but today was much better. Hopefully, they will both have a fun, productive school year! Here are some pics from the first day:

Our trip to Corpus Christi

I can't believe how far behind I am on posting here! Coult and I went to Corpus Christi in July, just the two of us. My parents very generously volunteered to have a "Grandchildren Week" so that the parents could have some alone time. We had so much fun! We went to aircraft carrier "Lexington" and took the tour there. It was nicknamed the "Blue Ghost" during WWII. It's huge! Coult loves almost any kind of airplanes and I enjoy seeing the airplanes that were used during WWII. My love of history and his love of airplanes was the perfect combination for the tour. We also went to the Texas Aquarium, walked through several shops right off the beach and walked on the beach one evening close to sunset. Coult got some great pics of a sunset that we could see at a restaurant where we were eating supper one night. We also went out on a small boat into the bay and were able to see dolphins that swim right up to the side of the boat. We were almost able to touch a couple of them. It's really neat to see them in their natural habitat. The man that runs the "Dolphin Connection" boat service had many interesting things to share about dolphins. He has taken people out into the bay to meet "his" dolphins for over 30 years! We had a great time in Corpus! It was wonderful to have some time to ourselves too! Of course, we missed the girls, but everyone needs some kid-free time, right? ;) Here are some pics from our trip:

Natalie's Art

Natalie really enjoys her Art class in school each year. Here are a few pics of art work that she made this past school year. She had an excellent teacher who really tried to make it fun and challenging. She even had them make their own Art "Yearbook" by hand. Some of the pics are of her yearbook that she sewed by hand and then personalized by adding pics of things she made that year. She is quite a talented artist! She must have gotten that talent from Coult, since I can't even draw a stick figure! LOL

We're having a boy!!!

Today was my 20 week ultrasound and we found out we're having a boy! We're so excited! It's always so neat to see that ultrasound when you're finally far enough along to see the baby's profile, arms, legs and everything! He was moving around constantly, until the last few minutes. I think he wore himself out with all that wiggling and fell asleep! They gave us a dvd recording of the ultrasound, so Natalie and Lily were able to get a glimpse of their baby brother too! It's a good thing Coult and I finally agreed on a boy's name!

Last day of school 2009

Once again, a school year has flown by! I can't believe that Natalie will be in 7th grade at the Middle School next year and that Lily will be in 1st grade! It seems like Natalie just finished kindergarten and now Lily has too! Natalie has learned so much this past year and grown up so much too. She got "commended" on both the math and reading portions of her TAKS test (state assessment test)! She excelled in all her classes and especially enjoyed her art class this year. She's nervous about middle school, but we know she'll do great there as well. She officially entered the young women program at our church this past December and she gave her first talk in front of the entire congregation today! She did a wonderful job! I can't believe how fast she is growing up! Lily has come so far since the first day of kindergarten. She has overcome many challenges and continues to impress us and her teachers with her abilities every day. She was blessed with an awesome kindergarten teacher who always had Lily's best interest in mind. She also had a wonderful Aide with her each day who took such great care of her, but also knew how to help Lily work towards greater independence. She is reading "B" level books now and her writing has improved so much! Her social skills are really blossoming as well! Here are a few pics of Lily's last day of kindergarten. I don't have any of Natalie's last day since there weren't any programs for her grade that day. Sorry Lily's not smiling in the pics, but she just finished performing a sing-a-long with all the kindergarten kids and held it together so well, till they moved the bleachers while she was still in the gym! It was too loud for her, so by the time she and her aide made it to the class-room, she was crying to go home. At least I managed to get a couple of pics before we left.

Easter Egg Hunt 2009

We went to an Easter egg hunt and cook-out one evening at the home of a couple from our ward. They teach our Family and Marriage Class and invited all the couples and their children to a fun evening at their home. The girls had a blast riding in the wagon behind the four wheeler from the back yard to the front yard where all the Easter eggs had been hidden. Lily surprised us with how much she enjoyed it! She has been doing so well with her anxiety lately and we're hoping that we finally have found the right med for her. Natalie found a new friend to play with and they both had a wonderful time. Coult and I enjoyed visiting with our friends as well. It was a really great evening!

Rachael & Jordan's Wedding/Trip to Utah

During the first weekend of March, my Mom, my Dad and I were able to fly to Utah for Rachael & Jordan's wedding reception. It was a super quick trip, but very enjoyable. We got there late Friday night and had to leave mid-day Sunday. But, we did manage to get in a couple of hours of sight seeing before the reception Sat. night. We really enjoyed being able to celebrate with Rachael and Jordan and meeting many of Jordan's family members. Here are some pics from our trip: