First Trip to Dollywood of the season!!!!

Yesterday was my first official day of summer vacation and what better way to spend it than at Dollywood!!! We had a lot of fun and had several hours with our friends to ride rides and run around and act silly before the rain started. Here are a few pics of the day and one of the worn out boys soaked on the ride home!!!!

Graduation

We went to Andrew's preschool graduation last night. He in the Preschool class and sang for he kids in the PreK class that will be going on to Kindergarten next year. The whole thing was really cute and Andrew actually danced and sang a little.

The theme was songs across the decades and they were in the 90's singing Blue. The best was the twos class doing YMCA though:)

Davis' 1st Birthday Party!

We decided on a monkey theme first because he isn't really into anything right now, and secondly because the monkey theme just fit him. His nursery is done in monkeys, his clothes all seem to have monkeys on them, and we call him little monkey or some variation of that. So once we decided on the theme, the planning began. There is more and more planning that goes into birthday parties each year it seems, and although a little stressful at the time... totally worth it! Davis had a great time and we have some great memories of his first birthday! Here are few pics of the occasion.

The Decor-The Cakes-The Banana Split Bar-The Birthday Boy-Happy Birthday To You...-Andrew feeding Davis-"This isn't half bad after all"-Opening Presents-Why is everyone else playing with my toys?-Opening more presents after the guests left-The Birthday Boy's First Bite of Pizza-We had a great time with Davis' first birthday party and thanks to all those that came to help us celebrate!!!!

Now if only I can survive his actual birthday with no tears...

Easter Festivities

We had an absolutely wonderful Easter weekend!

Friday we kicked off the weekend with some shopping since I was off work and then had a nice family dinner.

Saturday we spent most of the day at Nana's house hunting Easter eggs and eating a yummy lunch. Nana and Davis got to spend a little extra time together while we took Andrew to go see Monsters vs. Aliens in 3D. We left there and went to G-dada's & Mimi's house to "play golf" and got our first real golf lesson from G-dada. Later the boys went "swimming" in the hot tub. This was an unexpected event, and so they swam in the buff.Sunday we woke up to find our Easter baskets full of goodies. The boys were equally excited about what was in their basket as well as each others.
We went to a lovely service at FUMC, Oak Ridge and then back to G-dada & Mimi's for our second Easter egg hunt.
We had a nice lunch and then back home for yet another Easter egg hunt. Then we had a lazy day playing with toys, organizing closets and switching out seasonal clothes, and watching the Masters.

It was a great weekend and the boys are already looking forward to next Easter!

A great day...

Today was beautiful!!!! We spent most of the day riding our bikes at various parks. Andrew got to ride his bike while Davis rode on the back of mine at one park. Later we put both boys in the bike trailer and took in a little more of this fresh air and sunshine. We had so much fun that I forgot to take some pictures of the boys riding around. We did manage to get a few pictures of the boys at one of the parks going down the slide. Andrew loved taking care of Davis and helping him slide, and Davis loved going down the slide over and over (even despite the sometimes choke hold)!

So far so good...

Davis had tubes put in his ears on Wed! Although people assured us he would start sleeping through the night immediately, he hasn't quite made it there yet. He has however slept much better than before. He woke up twice the night before last and only once last night (minus waking up with a very nasty diaper at 6:30)! All in all, the tubes have been a great success thus far. He's sleeping better, eating better, no longer shaking his head and pulling on his ear, and his overall disposition is great (all this despite a nasty battle with a stomach bug right now too)!

Here are a few pics of him before surgery. They aren't great and we didn't get any of him snoozing after the surgery, but you'll get the idea.
Thanks to everyone who sent us their well wishes before and after surgery. It was definitely not something I want to go through again... handing your baby over to someone else to put under is NO FUN!!!

First haircut!

Life has been crazy in the McArthur house the last few weeks with all the sickness running through us. But, we did manage to find some healthy time to take Davis in for his first haircut. This came long before I wanted it to. Andrew didn't get his done until after his first birthday and boy did it make him look like a little boy instead of a baby... so naturally I wanted to wait and keep Davis' long for as long as possible. Well, several people kept asking about when we were getting it cut, threatening to cut it themselves, or mistaking him for a girl. Before Pics!
I finally gave in and decided it was time. He did well and was relatively cooperative. Although towards the end he was ready to be on the move and not really into sitting and keeping his head still. The Cutting Pics!
It is much better now that it's short. It no longer gets in his eyes, he looks like a little boy instead of a girl, but it did make him look older which I hate! After Pics!

Remembering my grandfather...

Written by: Nancy Hall

Dr. James Wilson Hall will be remembered fondly at a Celebration of Life Service on February 14, 2009 2:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church, Trenton, Tennessee. Dr. Hall passed away February 10th with his devoted wife of sixty-five years at his side. The presence of his children and grandchildren comforted him in recent days. He will be missed.

James Hall was born on June 2, 1921 in Trenton, Tennessee to James Henry Hall and Zora Dowland Hall. He was preceded in death by his father James, Marshall of Trenton and Deputy Sheriff of Gibson County and his mother Zora Dowland Hall Taylor; stepfather Ab Taylor; stepbrothers Albert Taylor and Joseph Taylor; son-in-law John Richard Arnold, Sr.; and granddaughter Melissa Arnold Nichols.

He is survived by his wife, Jo Young Hall; a daughter, Sandra Hall Arnold of Jackson; three sons, James Wilson Hall, Jr. and wife Nancy of Trenton, Dr. Richard Gene Hall and wife Debby of Oak Ridge, and Robert Barker Hall and wife Brenda of Bartlett; nine grandchildren, John Richard Arnold, Jr. of Atlanta, Georgia, James Gregory Hall of Kansas City, Missouri, William Douglas Hall of Honolulu, Hawaii, Michelle Hall McArthur and husband Kevin of Knoxville, Justin Richard Hall of Knoxville, Stacey Lynn Hall of Nashville, Stephanie Hall Taylor and husband Nick of Brighton, and Susan Leandra Hall of Bartlett. Also surviving are three great-grandchildren, John (Jake) Nichols, Andrew Hills McArthur, and Davis Ryan McArthur.

Dr. Hall was a lifelong member of First Baptist Church in Trenton where he served many years on the Building Committee and was actively involved with the Rice Adams Sunday School Class until recent health problems.

He graduated from Trenton’s Peabody High School in 1939 and attended the University of Tennessee Junior College, Martin, where he was a member of the football team. He graduated from Memphis State University and then earned his Doctor of Medicine degree in 1945 from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis. After completing his internship at Memphis’ John Gaston Hospital, Hall served in the U. S. Army Medical Corps during W. W. II. He continued his military service with the National Guard until his retirement as Colonel in 1991.

In 1948 Dr. Hall began his practice of medicine at the Trenton Clinic with Dr. J.O. Barker and Dr. Edward Barker. In 1959 he returned to the University of Tennessee Medical School where he completed a residency in anesthesiology. In 1962 Dr. Hall, Dr. Edward Barker, Dr. Eugene Crafton, and Cecil Yates founded Trenton’s Gibson General Hospital. Hall served as Chief of Staff at Gibson General and was a member of the West Tennessee Consolidated Medical Assembly, Tennessee Medical Society, American Medical Society, and American College of Anesthesiology. Among his peers he was considered a great diagnostician. In addition he was on the advisory board of Extendicare Corporation, which later became Humana Inc.

An active citizen of his hometown, Hall was a member of the Lions Club, the Masonic Lodge, and a fifty-year member of the American Legion Post 35. He was a member and chairman of the Board of Directors of Citizens State Bank, Trenton. In 1990 Dr. Hall was honored by his community as the Grand Marshall of the Trenton Teapot Festival.

Dr. Hall was very active in the University of Tennessee Alumni Association serving as Gibson County President and on the national Board of Governors from 1975 to 1984. In addition he served as the UT National Alumni President for 1978-79.

An extremely avid sports fan, especially with Peabody High School football, Dr. Hall served as team doctor for many years. He was also a long time season ticket holder for University of Tennessee football and basketball and followed the Vols all over the USA. Other hobbies included hunting, travel, reading, and genealogy. Some of his fondest memories were of duck hunting with his best friends and family.

An enduring constant in Dr. Hall’s legacy will be the many patients who remember his kindness and the many community members who remember his generosity. Doc was very proud of the number of two generation babies he was able to deliver in his long practice in Gibson County.

The family requests those wishing to make memorial donations consider the Dr. and Mrs. James Wilson Hall Scholarship Endowment Fund at the University of Tennessee supporting students interested in the medical field, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, or their charity of choice.