Happy Halloween

Ollivia really enjoyed her first Halloween. Daddy and I took her to two houses in the neighborhood - Auntie Lynn Lynn and our next door neighbor, Bob! Both had cool decorations in thier yards and Olivia was intrigued with both. Above you can see Olivia digging through Amber's candy bowl. Next is Olivia in the studio. Then we have Olivia' with Bob's witch. Lastly, Olivia making friends with Auntie Lynn Lynn's Casper. This was her favorite. Air blowed out of his hands, and Olivia thought that was really cool. Afterwards we came home and handed out candy to the other kids in the neighborhood. We had a dead bride, a pirate, a butterfly, alot of Star Wars guys - and my favorite - the blind referee!!! That kid cracked me up!!!!

So, we came home with a jolly rancher and a box of raisens (which Mommy put in Olivia's bucket in case she got cranky). Not much loot, but lots of Halloween memories!!!

Dedicated to the Lord

What a glorious day!

We were joined by friends and family as we dedicated Olivia Madison the Lord this morning. Every October, our church holds a Baby Dedication ceremony, and we were blessed to participate this year! The picture above was Olivia's photo used in the slide show presentation. She was presented with a framed copy as well as a children's Bible.

We were so blessed to have those who love us most share in our joy as Josh and I pledged to raise Olivia to know Jesus Christ. Uncle Micah, Aunt Mary, Pop, Mimi, Aunt Bre, Unc, Aunt Steph, Mel Mel, Mommy, Daddy, and Olivia - all outside the church after the service.

Josh and I teach the 3-5 year olds every Sunday. It's such a blessing to work with children this age - their hearts are pure and eager to learn and love. Every Sunday we gather the children around the "Pond" (see carpet) and we sit quietly, hoping that our special friend Tad will join us. Tad is the frog who lives in the pond in our classroom. Usually we catch him as he's out hunting his Sunday morning breakfast, but he always stays long enough to share a story with us. The strang thing is, Mr. Josh always seems to disappear when Tad shows up?!?! Poor Mr. Josh, he misses all the fun! ;o)

After Sunday School, our family joined us for Brunch at O'Charley's. It was nice to celebrate such a special day. We pray daily that God will help us to be the type of parants to Olivia that He'd have us be.

The Newest Arrival

Derric Haskell, Jr
October 21, 2006
8:35 pm
7 lbs, 15 oz
20 inches long

After months of waiting, we finally welcomed baby Derric into the world. He was playing the stubborn game, making Mommy wait past her due date, but it was all worth it. She went into labor around 1:30 Saturday afternoon, and gave birth at 8:35 that evening. And as you can see, he's a healthy, bouncing, baby boy!! He was welcomed by his proud mommy and daddy, and big sisters Amber and Kristina.

It was a waiting game Saturday afternoon. The girls and I hung tight in the waiting room while Mommy and Daddy coaxed baby Derric out. We passed time coloring, making bracelets, playing with the bead puzzle, and hanging out with Ninu, Kayla, and Skyla. All in all, the time passed pretty quickly.


Of course, Josh and I took the girls down to meet their baby brother face to face Sunday afternoon. And I couldn't keep my hands off this handsome little man. He's definitely got the Evangelista traits going on!! What a good looking baby!!

After a funfilled weekend of welcoming the newest Haskell to the family, you can see the these girls are one tired bunch!!! But it was all worth it!!! Mommy, Daddy, and baby brother should be home tomorrow! We love you, Baby Derric!!!! You're absolutely adorable!!!

Day Home with Daddy

Olivia was a lucky little girl this week, she got to spend two days home with her Daddy!! What a treat. Unfortunately, her wonderful Ms. Lori hasn't been feeling well, which was the reason for the father/daughter playdate, but she loved being home all day with Pops. I apologize for not having any cool pics to share, but Daddy has a hard enough time figuring out what to feed our little eating machine - there's no way he could have worked in photos. We hope your feeling better, Ms. Lori!!! And don't worry Daddy, you and Livi can have more playdates this weekend!!!

11 Months & Still Growing

Happy 11th Month Birthday to my Baby Girl!!! Friday we celebrated Olivia's 11-month birthday - her last "month" birthday before she turns the big 1 !!! We celebrated with a present wrapped in pretty paper, which she loved tearing in to.

Once she finally got past the paper, she opened the box to find her very own baby doll. Wow!!!

She immediately grabbed her doll and started pointing to its eyes and nose. She only has one other baby doll, but she's never shown any interest in it at all. This one has eyes that open and close, and the baby cries and laughs when you give it a hug. So far, it's a hit!!!

Oh, but there's more. Daddy reached in to find a shirt for Olivia. Can you read what it says??? It took Daddy a minute to get it, but he finally figured out that Olivia was a big sister to her new baby doll.Could there really be more?? Daddy pulled out one last gift tucked deep inside the box. After thinking that it was a baby tooth brush, Daddy finally realized what Mommy was really giving Olivia for her birthday - a new baby brother or sister. Yes, you guessed it.....

We're Pregnant!!! And Olivia is going to be the best big sister ever!!! She's already started practicing with her pretend baby sister, and she's doing a great job. She'll give her baby kisses and hugs. And other than dragging her around by her hat...I think we're well on our way to welcoming another baby into our family.

I found out on Wednesday, but wanted to surprise Josh and Olivia in a special way. I think that I succeeded. As you can see above on Josh's face, he's totally excited about having another baby! He's been all smiles since Friday, and our family was here to celebrate with us. I am 4 1/2 weeks along, and I go for my first appointment on Wednesday. As far as the internet can tell, we're due on June 20th! Happy Birthday Auntie Lynn-Lynn. Maybe you'll be sharing your special day with our newest addition - if he comes 1 day early!!

So, I'll be starting another blog soon. I'll probably wait until after our first appointment, but it's only right to give the new baby his own blog. It wouldn't seem right to make them start sharing things so early!!

Can God bless us any more than He already has?? We are one lucky family!!!

Fair Fun

Me and Daddy at the Cumming Fair. It's early, but were' already having fun.

Daddy popped three ballons and won a special prize for me!!! You're my Hero, Daddy!!!

My very first pink rose, won for me by Daddy.

Finally, a game I can play. Hey, I know you little ducky!! Didn't we bathe together last night???


Well, it was a spur of the moment decision, but we took Olivia to her first fair, and we had a blast!!! She was excited the moment we headed toward the bright lights. She ooohhhed and ahhed at everything. She danced, waved, and clapped her hands all night long. Mel Mel came with us, and we met Uncle Matt, Aunt Steph, the kids, and Aunt Bre there too!!! Olivia hung out with Daddy for a little while, and us "big girls" road one ride together. We had a lot of fun, but I thought I'd never stop giggling on that ride. It was a great night, and we had lots of fun. Olivia was asleep before we could even start the car. Ohhh, the joys of the fall. I just love this time of the year!!!

PS. We're looking for some good fall festivals to do as a family. Here are a few that we're considering. If you have any feedback, please leave a comment.

Burts Pumpkin Farm - The Pumpkin Festival at Stone Mountain - The Ellijay Apple Festival - The Fall Festival at Calloway Gardens - The Dahlonega Gold Rush