tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34072066618439404182024-02-20T17:23:59.460-08:00Hallstrom Family BlogHallstrom Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913664671329477147noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3407206661843940418.post-22863241555983625462012-10-01T09:51:00.000-07:002012-10-01T09:51:14.419-07:00We are homeSo.... interesting things have happened. Where to start? hmmmm... how much to share? hmmmm... Houston was the most terrifying, frustrating, and yet incredible experience ever. There were so many times that Aaron and I were going to throw in the towel and come home but we knew that Heavenly Father sent us to Houston for a reason. We did everything we could to make things work out there. We sold our home here, we had three different jobs. We weren't sure of what to do. Finally Aaron received a calling to be the ward executive secretary a couple weeks ago. We thought "finally maybe this is why we came here" because his jobs didn't work out, LDS Family Services didn't get up and going, and we hadn't had a calling up until that point. Unfortunately we weren't making enough money to make ends meet. We went to the temple and prayed and fasted. We were so worried about coming home before we accomplished what the Lord wanted us to do in Houston. I kept thinking of the Nephi primary song "I know the Lord provides a way he wants me to obey" so we were waiting for him to make some kind of miracle happen. Instead we just kept hitting walls. After Aaron got set apart in his new calling (he was told in his blessing to do what was best for his family over the responsibilities of his calling) Aaron talked with our Bishop. Through his counsel and prayer and fasting we discovered that we had no unfinished business in Houston. We had accomplished what the Lord had sent us there to accomplish. We were blown away because we thought for sure that God had sent us there to live. Also we were blown away because we couldn't think of a single thing that we did that could have possibly accomplished the will of the Lord.<br />
<br />
It wasn't until we were leaving that we started to see some reasons why Heavenly Father had sent us to Houston. 3 specific people came to us and expressed their feelings that we had come to Houston for them. They told us why and it felt so good to know that we had touched lives in Houston. More than that though, we discovered that Aaron and I had learned so much from the people in Houston. We learned how to love at a greater level than we ever loved before. We learned how to forgive. There were so many people that we had malice towards through our whole adoption escapade (before we went to Houston)... I can honestly say that I could give every single person (that I had anger towards) a hug right now. For that experience alone... priceless... I would do Houston all over again.<br />
<br />
We may never know to the full extent, the reasons why we went to Houston. But we do know that we were obedient and followed Heavenly Father's plan for us. A piece of us is still there.Hallstrom Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913664671329477147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3407206661843940418.post-43507211026613068752012-05-19T20:57:00.001-07:002012-05-19T20:57:37.320-07:00The journey to our promised land =)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Before you read--Note that this post was a piece of my personal journal. I did keep out some things that I felt were too personal but this experience was too incredible not to share.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">About a year ago we had a family reunion
campout. Aaron and I were completely broke. We didn’t think that we could even
afford gas to get there (it was in Payson). The Sunday before the campout we
were promised in sacrament meeting by the bishopric that if we would increase
our fast offerings that we would be blessed. Aaron and I had very little money
but we knew that blessings were certainly something that we needed at that
time. We paid $10 extra and it hurt. We bit the bullet and went on the campout trip. </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">On our way to the campsite Aaron and I picked up
a $100 flat tire. I just cried. Then I shouted out loud, “I thought paying
extra fast offerings was supposed to give us blessings!” Then Aaron and I just
laugh/cried out of stress fatigue. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">A week after our family reunion on a Sunday I
still had not bled. The thought had crossed my mind “could I be pregnant?” I
kept pushing it away because there have been SO MANY times that I have thought
that and it turned out to be wrong. I would be heartbroken and depressed for
days after taking a pregnancy test and failing it. Still I couldn’t stop
thinking of the possibility.... Who would have guessed...I was pregnant!!!!!!!</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I
recalled the moment about 6 months before when I had to take a pregnancy test
before going in to an invitro appointment. It said negative. I knew that it
would before I took it but I couldn’t help but wonder if that time maybe it
actually would surprise me. I had said a silent prayer asking Heavenly Father
if maybe just maybe one day when I took a pregnancy test without doctors etc if
it could actually say yes! Just so that I could know what that felt like. I
told him that it didn’t have to be for the next baby or even the next but just
someday… I explained how I would have loved to be a witness to such a miracle. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Like a brick it hit me that Heavenly Father had to
test my obedience in order for me to receive such a miracle. The red flags that
Bridgette was going to back out of the adoption were all around me but Heavenly Father told me
to keep going so I did. I was obedient and he blessed me for it. I wrapped up
the positive test (I know that is probably gross) and set it out for Aaron who
shortly came home from his meeting to pick us up to go to church. I told him
that it was a late Father’s Day gift. He opened it and his knees hit the floor.
Tears streamed from his eyes as he praised God. We cried and held each other
thanking our Heavenly Father for the incredible miracle. Then at church our
bishop (not knowing beforehand what had happened) asked Aaron to bare his
testimony in church. Everyone was so happy for us. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Aaron’s
job at the time took some interesting turns. They told him that they could not
offer him the 2 years of supervision that he needed in order to get his
independent license. We were so frustrated because they made so many promises
that they would. Aaron discovered that he really really really enjoyed
neuropsychology. He had announced to me that he wanted to become a
neuropsychologist. This was 7 more years of school and training. He would have
to quit the PhD program he was in and begin a PhD that is APA certified. He
would have to quit work and go to school full time. This meant TONS of debt and
he probably wouldn’t make enough to pay it back in a timely manner. I was
frustrated because I didn’t want to spend 7 more years getting into debt but I
wanted Aaron to be happy. Our lives had no direction so we felt like this
decision would be a good change. Aaron applied to Argossy which had a program
in Neuropsychology and it was the only certified one in Arizona (others had
programs in regular psychology). Long story short Aaron didn’t get into the
program. We were so frustrated that everywhere we turned nothing was working
out for us. We had so many bills to pay and we didn’t know what to do. Aaron
had already dropped out of his old PhD program. We felt stuck.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">We
still owed student loans and aaron’s dad. We had also bought a car that was
slightly used so that we could fit 2 kids in the back seat (at the time we were
driving a truck that only fit 1. We had bills up to our ears. We decided to up
our fast offerings $10 since the last time we did that we got a baby! We didn’t
know what to do as far as Aaron’s career was concerned so we went back to plan
A ( for him to get his independent substance abuse counseling license) we found
another company that promised him the supervision he needed and offered him
higher pay. He decided to take that job and we were without insurance for 3
months. When insurance finally kicked in they were going to charge Aaron over half his paychecks just for
insurance and our baby was due 4 months later. We knew that I was going to have
to do a c-section and we couldn’t afford to pay cash and we certainly couldn’t
afford for more than half our money to go toward insurance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">We
prayed hard. We thanked Heavenly Father for Jax but expressed our concern that
we didn’t know how to pay for him and that we still owed money on the failed
adoption. We upped our fast offerings $10 more. Shortly after we applied for a
state insurance that we knew we didn’t qualify for and we were accepted! We
saved over 10k!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Aaron
was really struggling with not understanding why he loved neuropsychology so
much but couldn’t practice it. I did some research and discovered
neurofeedback/neurotherapy! It is a brain training therapy that helps optimize
your brain function and is extremely beneficial in helping with substance abuse
issues. It us a therapy that Aaron could use in his practice. Aaron fell in
love with it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">There
was a downfall to Aaron’s new company that he was working for. Even though they
too had promised supervision, it turned out that they couldn’t provide it
either. Aaron had wasted 6 months working for them before discovering that none
of it counted. We were so distraught. I kept trying to figure out ways to make
money but NOTHING worked. Every time I prayed for help, Heavenly Father urged
me to be patient. I’m totally not patient but I knew that Heavenly Father
wouldn’t leave us hanging with the adoption debt. We upped our fast offerings
$10 more and we shortly found out that the adoption tax credit now refunds
failed adoptions too! We couldn’t believe it! Heavenly Father just constantly
blessed us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">We
continued to look for another company that would offer Aaron supervision but
didn’t lower his pay. We tried everywhere in Arizona and even agreed that we
would move if we had to. There wasn’t a single company available. We came
across a company in Texas that paid over 10k more a year. Aaron and I joked
that that would be nice… but then something told us to look into Texas’s
licensing. We did and found out that Aaron was fully qualified to own his own
practice in Texas right away without supervision! We couldn’t believe it. We
prayed and fasted about the possibility to move there and it felt right. So we
started to make preparations to go. We wanted to be near a temple and in a city
that had a decent amount a members. Aaron applied to positions in Dallas,
Houston, and San Antonio. We wanted to go to San Antonio the most because it
just seemed like the most fun city to live in. It has a Sea World, a six flags
and it is a younger city. The institute is quite a bit larger than the rest of
Texas. The one job that replied to Aaron’s resume was in Houston. Aaron quickly
put together everything needed to receive his independent license for Texas.
The job that Aaron had contacted seemed to have lost interest but we had found
another counseling agency that was close to the temple in Houston who offered
to let Aaron work for her on the side while building up his own business. Aaron
received a similar offer for San Antonio. We of course wanted to go to San
Antonio. The weather was supposed to be so much better there. Houston is right
on the Gulf of Mexico and was said to be VERY HUMID! I didn’t want to go
anywhere humid because of Calvin’s disease. He is supposed to keep his skin
cool and dry and Houston was the opposite of that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Well
about a month later we had our baby Jax! (Still in Arizona) He was 8lbs 21
inches long (same as Briggs). He had slightly red hair just like Calvin did
(before it fell out) He was so so sweet from day one and he sleeps SO WELL! I
can’t believe how different from Calvin he is. Calvin had the disease so he was
always itchy and had trouble sleeping.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">We
made plans to sell our house. We decided to rent it to Heather and Elliot until
it sold. We had very little money and weren’t sure how to make it to San
Antonio so we decided to sell or give away everything we owned and we hopped in
our car and drove to San Antonio. We pulled in and it was BEAUTIFUL! Nice and
green and the weather was perfect. We planned to stay in a cheap motel until we
found an apartment. We completely fell in love with San Antonio. We thanked
Heavenly Father for helping us make it safely. Along the way Aaron felt
impressed to buy a can of fix-a-flat. Sure enough we got a flat tire about 100
miles from San Antonio. We had also gotten pulled over by a cop who let us go
with a warning. We were so lucky =). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">When
Aaron was getting the tire fixed he was watching a squirrel run across the
road. He thought how lovely it was there. Then Heavenly Father spoke loud and
clear to Aaron that he wasn’t supposed to be there and that we were supposed to
go to Houston. He came back and told me what happened and I started to cry. I
didn’t want to go to Houston. I was so stressed. We had given up everything we
owned to be there and we had driven 13 hours with a 2 year old and a new born.
I did not want to get back in the car! Plus I LOVED San Antonio! We knelt down
and prayed for assurance. The voice that came to me said “so you are about 3
hours away from Zion and you want to quit now?” I cried/laughed and said
“yes??” but I knew that wasn’t the right answer. I pictured the pioneers 3
hours away from Salt Lake and saying “I’m good here.” Aaron’s feelings were confirmed
to him as he read the scriptures after his prayer. I sighed and yielded my will
to the Lord. We packed up the kids and continued to Houston.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">On
our way here the rain poured. LARGE cracks of lightening shot across the sky.
Hail poured upon our car. We couldn’t see 500 feet in front of us. It took us 7
hours to get here when it should have taken 3 and a half. On our way to the
motel only our side of the street was packed. We could have walked faster than
our car was going. We truly felt the adversary trying to fill us with doubt. It
was 3pm and it looked closer to 8pm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">We
discovered that Aaron’s office was 1 mile away from the church and only a few
miles from the temple. (When I said his office I meant that deal with a lady
named Melonie where he could work for her part time while building his own
business.) We have been here for 2 weeks and Aaron already has his business up
and running. He has been working part-time for Melonie but does not have his
own clients yet. Aaron has been busy trying to secure contracts with the courts
and CPS etc.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Aaron talked with LDS family services a few days ago and was told that they were looking for someone to start the addiction recovery program in Spanish for Houston. This was another answer to our prayers because we were becoming discouraged wondering why we were here. </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">We are continuing to see miracles unfold. We found a buyer for our house which was a huge blessing. My sister Hayley is in remission from her Wegeners Disease which is an even bigger blessing. We just can't express the experiences that we have had since we have been here.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> </span>Hallstrom Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913664671329477147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3407206661843940418.post-15061834941064758052012-02-19T07:05:00.000-08:002012-02-19T07:26:10.828-08:00TexasWow, we are having a baby a week from this Wednesday! I felt so "not ready" so we went to the store last night and bought a few things and then came home and packed our little hospital bag. Wow it doesn't feel real. We have been showered with blessings lately. A lot of them are personal but can I just say that Heavenly Father loves us all way more than we will ever know. <div><br /></div><div>Aaron is officially done with his neurofeedback course and only has his mentorship and test to take to be certified! He is so busy though with his job and calling that it is hard for him to have time to get things set up. We have been planning for him to open his practice for a while now and Aaron has gone through 3 different companies who promised to provide clinical supervision hours to him for his licensure. This last company that he has been at for 6 months... sigh... it turns out that they can't provide him with supervision either after they had promised it to him and we switched over to them. So we started the search again for a company that would and we couldn't find one... in Arizona. We came across some job opportunities in Texas that were fantastic so we looked into the licensing department in Texas and found out that Aaron is fully qualified to open his own practice there right now. We prayed and fasted and wham-oh we are moving to Texas! There is a company there that is just waiting for Aaron to switch over his license paperwork and they will take him. This will take another month or so but we are so excited! We will be moving to the Houston area. </div><div>This will make move #9 since Aaron and I have been married! We are going to rent out our house. In 5 years Arizona will let us switch the license back over here... we will see how things go until then. We are so excited and everything is falling into place. It will be hard to be without all our family and friends though =( Of course we will be back often for visits! Arizona is where we were both born and raised after all.</div>Hallstrom Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913664671329477147noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3407206661843940418.post-33789058788410681192012-01-15T11:26:00.002-08:002012-01-15T12:10:50.919-08:00Leap Year!So we are scheduled for our c-section on February 29th! Six and a half weeks to go! I can't wait to see my new little guy! We are so excited to have another miracle come into our lives. Calvin is going to be such a good big brother too. He is so excited to have little Jax coming.<div>So Aaron is currently getting certified to be a neurotherapist/neurofeedback specialist. We are so excited. He should be ready to go in the next few weeks! It is amazing stuff. It helps with nearly every health condition out there. It helps with anxiety,depression,ADHD, OCD, RAD, headaches, sleep, addictions, weight loss, and much much more. It is going to be so awesome! Basically Aaron does brain scans and finds out what part of the brain is being "lazy" and what part of the brain is "over-working" and he trains your brain to function properly by strengthening the part that is being "lazy" and relaxing the part that is over-working. This is basically all done by playing a video game or watching a movie. So cool. </div>Hallstrom Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913664671329477147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3407206661843940418.post-16007366811633005462012-01-15T11:26:00.001-08:002012-01-15T12:03:31.572-08:00Leap Year!So we are scheduled for our c-section on February 29th! Six and a half weeks to go! I can't wait to see my new little guy! We are so excited to have another miracle come into our lives. Calvin is going to be such a good big brother too. He is so excited to have little Jax coming.<div>So Aaron is currently getting certified to be a neurotherapist/neurofeedback specialist. We are so excited. He should be ready to go in the next few weeks! It is amazing stuff. It helps with nearly every health condition out there. It helps with anxiety,depression,ADHD, OCD, RAD, headaches, sleep, addictions, weight loss, and much much more</div>Hallstrom Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913664671329477147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3407206661843940418.post-76946256258308621472011-10-10T09:57:00.000-07:002011-10-10T10:24:34.628-07:00Du nu nu nuh nuh!!!IT"S A BOY! Yay!!! We are having another boy! Can't even believe it! When I saw the ultra sound I thought for sure it would be a girl because this baby was totally chilled out whereas Calvin was kicking and going crazy when we did his ultra sound at about the same age! So his name will be Jax David Hallstrom! He is due ) for a c-section_ march 2nd but maybe we will be able to do it on leap year! How cool would that be??<div><br /><div>Yesterday was Calvin's birthday! Our little boy is now 2 years old! It goes by so fast I can't believe it! He has had so much fun the last few days. We took him to schnepf farms and let him see all the animals and ride the kiddie rides. He had a blast! He got so many gifts from family and friends it was crazy! He really was spoiled. He didn't want to go to sleep last night cause he just wanted to play. Then this morning he woke up and and picked up where he left off last night! So cute.<br /> <div>So I am teaching guitar lessons if anyone is interested. It will be in my home and $10 a lesson (weekdays from 4-4:30 but I am flexible).</div><div><br /></div><div>Aaron is now taking the bus to work which is nice but it's not... it takes him twice as long to get home and to work but I now have a car and we are saving 200 a month in gas! We are really focusing on getting out of debt (mostly baby debt since that adoption blew a HUGE whole in our finances) but we will get there some day. You know, it still hurts but we are so excited for our little Jax who is coming to our home and who is worth every penny we have spent and barrowed to get to where we are right now.</div></div></div>Hallstrom Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913664671329477147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3407206661843940418.post-49525553925297525412011-09-25T14:44:00.000-07:002011-09-25T14:54:36.673-07:00UpdateAaron started with a new company called Youth Development Institute and he runs all of the chemical dependancy classes and counseling for them. He loves it! He is now a LASAC (licenced associate substance abuse counselor) and in about a year and a half he will be able to own his own practice. We are so excited. Aaron is still busy busy being the Elders Chorum President in our ward and I am now a relief society teacher aaaaa! It is fun but very scary because I am so used to teaching primary that I'm not sure what I am doing when it comes to adults!<br /><br />So Thursday we find out if our baby is a boy or girl! So exciting!! Also there is a good chance that our baby could be born on leap year (Feb 29th) this year! Cool eh? So exciting!<br /><br />Lately we have been trying to save money. We switched to safeco insurance (for car and home) and we are saving like 100 bucks a month in insurance! Also Aaron's work is closer to home so we are saving on gas there too. I'm always looking for good ways to save so if you have any ideas please let us know! -ShannonHallstrom Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913664671329477147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3407206661843940418.post-11726225504332198462011-08-21T14:48:00.000-07:002011-08-21T14:55:39.489-07:00=)Elder Bednar came and spoke at our Stake Conference this last week! It was so neat! He went over some very basic principles and explained them in ways that I never thought of before. For example he went through the first 5 articles of faith and explained them in depth. He explained the plan of Happiness in a way I never thought of before. He explained Satan's thought patterns when he he rebelled against Heavenly Father's plan. He warned us that Satan wanted something for nothing and that was a rebellion against God because it defied the law of the harvest. Satan wanted God's glory without sacrificing for it. He told us never to seek after something that promises something for nothing because you will end up with nothing. What you reap is what you sow. That is the law of the harvest. It was very powerful to me.
<br />Today in church there was a talk given by my former bishop who said a phrase I have heard many times but it really hit me... "Seek me diligently and you will find me." It doesn't say maybe it says you will. How neat.
<br />Well the pregnancy is going great. I got a doc appointment in a week and will update then!
<br />Shannon
<br />Hallstrom Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913664671329477147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3407206661843940418.post-87679339526481757462011-08-04T08:55:00.001-07:002011-08-04T10:47:36.449-07:00A MiracleSo I thought Aaron had updated this blog a week ago but I just realized it hasn't been updated (so sorry!) So yeah... WE ARE PREGNANT! I know right? Amazing. They said it couldn't be done... but that is what we get for obedience. I am just completely shocked. We still have a hard time believing that God has blessed us that much. We were so worried because we were over 10k in debt with the adoption and figured that we just couldn't have anymore kids for a while because we were broke... amazing (I'm still in awe). You know... we went through so much crap to get here. We had family members who were so excited that our adoption fell through that they went and basically <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">congratulated</span> Bridgette on keeping the baby. I had a lot of forgiving to do and I never truly hated anyone before this all happened but somehow Heavenly Father is making it all better... making it easier to forgive and let go. I still feel like there is a hole in my chest sometimes but this miracle overrides so much pain that I have been feeling. We will be 9 weeks on Sunday... LOTS of puking (I have lost 12 lbs already!) So I just want to say that when this happened I knew that <em>our</em> prayers had been answered but I didn't realize how many prayers Heavenly Father actually answered until all of you expressed how you have been praying for us all along and how Heavenly Father answered more than just our prayers with this miracle. It feels so good to know that. Love, ShannonHallstrom Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913664671329477147noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3407206661843940418.post-89386046605415633502011-06-19T15:20:00.000-07:002011-06-19T15:36:52.414-07:00Life goes onSo we have had a rocky last few weeks. The adoption fell through after having the baby for two days... It still hurts... but I know we did what Heavenly Father wanted us to do... still not sure why he wanted us to go through that and get slapped with a $10k bill but hopefully we will come to understand his true plan for us soon. Well, I don't want to be depressing on here so that is enough on that subject...<br />So Aaron and I are on the look out for the perfect APA certified Clinical Neuropsychology program. We have a few schools picked out that have outrageously incredible programs. I'm a little nervous because we may need to move out of AZ for up to 5 years to get the school done but we are so excited to accomplish our goals and dreams. Aaron is currently getting certified in sandtray therapy and he is loving it! Ultimately Aaron wants to specialize in adolescent addiction neuropsychology. It is crazy cause I can hardly pronounce some of his terminology let alone understand what he is talking about but Aaron drools over this stuff! It is so pleasing as a wife to see my husband so excited about what his career choice has become. Can't wait to find out what school we end up going with!!!<br />ShannonHallstrom Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913664671329477147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3407206661843940418.post-44029321500756554462011-03-21T08:05:00.000-07:002011-03-21T08:16:49.886-07:00Wednesday!!!Aaron graduates on Wednesday!!! Wow life is so exciting right now! Aaron loves being a substance abuse counselor. He loves working with the youth. He is working on getting his LISAC and his adolescent specialist endorsement. He begins his PhD in Psychology (emphasizing in child and adolescent therapy) in April at Northcentral University. Who would have thunk that I would land a guy like him eh? A doctor!! Wow who would have thunk? I am one lucky girl.<br />So Calvin is totally brilliant. He is so smart! He cleans his room and he helps me do the dishes and laundery. He knows all his shapes and colors (he puts this puzzle together just right!) I can't believe how smart he is! I don't think he got it from me! must be his 4.0 GPA daddy over here rubbing off on him. He is such a good boy too. He loves to give kisses and knuckles. Ugh he is so cute it is hard to say no to him! -ShannonHallstrom Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913664671329477147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3407206661843940418.post-24302067300092422212011-02-21T15:40:00.000-08:002011-02-21T16:02:10.078-08:00UpdateOkay so busy busy. Here is our update and it is going to be a doozy.<br />So Aaron graduates in about 4 weeks with his Master Degree in Addiction Counseling at grand Canyon University and He starts his Doctorate degree April 14th in Behaviral Health Business Management (It actually has a really long name but that is basically what it is =) I am so proud of him. He is such an amazing man. I fall in love with him every day. Aaron currently works for Chicanos Por La Causa as a child clinician (Counselor) and He loves it! I love being at home with Calvin. He is my bundle of joy. He is getting so big it is hard to keep up with him. He loves going outstide and riding his bike. I love just watching him. I can't believe he is mine. He loves to help me do the laundry and the dishes Such a sweetheart. Right now he is just sitting on my lap while I type. Can't get much better than this.<br />I have been feeling so blessed lately. We found out my sister Heather is having a boy! Can't wait to meet him. I bet he will look just like Elliot. They can't decide on a name though but hopefully soon. Calvin will be excited to have a boy cousin.<br />So I am now the Nursery coordinator for my ward as well as the achievment day leader and Aaron is the second counselor in the Elders chorum so we keep busy around here.<br />Well, Life is great and I ran out of time with Calvin sitting quietly so I better run.<br />ShannonHallstrom Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913664671329477147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3407206661843940418.post-86539755932689023832010-10-09T23:41:00.000-07:002010-10-09T23:54:03.418-07:00Calvin is 1 year old! I caved in and agreed to get him a puppy for his birthday. Katara is a red heeler. She follows Calvin everywhere and he giggles all day. It is so cute. I can't believe that he was born a year ago. 5 years ago tomorrow (October 10th) Aaron proposed to me. Now my sister Heather is getting married next Friday! Such happy times.Hallstrom Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913664671329477147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3407206661843940418.post-9980333332264144092010-09-24T08:45:00.000-07:002010-09-24T08:57:14.458-07:00Disneyland!So for two weeks I planned to surprise Aaron and take him to Disneyland on Labor Day. He had no idea. I told him I had a surprise for him. He guessed that it was a puppy or a big screen tv. Ha ha! He had NO clue that I was taking him to Disneyland. I got my two sisters Hayley and Anna to come and help with Calvin. We just went up Sunday night and played Monday the 6th and then came back that night. It was a blast! Calvin LOVED it! He even got to go on a few rides. It wasn't busy at all. We got right on Indiana Jones. It was a blast. It was really nice because Aaron is working Monday through Saturday now so it was good to get away and have fun. We probably won't get to do a good vacation for a while so it was great. The main reason for the trip was because last time we were at Disneyland, Aaron weighed 320 lbs! Now he is down to 240 and still going. (See before and after pics) I am so proud of him.<br />Well, my sister Heather is getting married! I am very excited! My sister-in-law Kari is pregnant with twins! I am soooo excited!!! My sister Deserie is doing great on her mission. I miss her so much. Calvin turns 1 year old on October 9th! I can't believe how fast time flies! Well life is a blast. Gotta run! ~ShannonHallstrom Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913664671329477147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3407206661843940418.post-60220288787489119762010-08-13T21:44:00.000-07:002010-08-13T21:54:28.679-07:00So Calvin is 10 months now. His favorite things to do are making messes and shaking his head whenever he hears the word "no". I still don't think he knows what the word means but he certainly knows to shake his head ha ha ha.<br />Aaron is loving his new job. It is hard since he doubled his classes for his masters degree and now he works overtime but it is still awesome that he loves it so much.Hallstrom Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913664671329477147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3407206661843940418.post-69447269992116603672010-08-03T22:08:00.000-07:002010-08-03T22:16:43.280-07:00Well Calvin is crawling and pulling himself up everywhere. He is so close to walking that it scares me! He is playing more games and he laughs everyday (even though he is getting about 5 teeth at the same time!) I hope his teeth all come in soon so that he won't have to hurt anymore. Poor kid =(<br />Aaron started his new job yesterday (his birthday)!!! We are so excited over here! He is a therapist for a place called Centro de Amistad and he gets to specialize in working with the youth which is what we have always wanted! On Saturdays he is a group therapist for a company called ACCS and Centro de Amistad just asked if he would be interested in being a group therapist for them on Thursday nights. So busy busy busy! He gets to do his intern with this same company too! He will actually be done with his classes in November then he starts his internship and can get licensed in February! Wow this is amazing. He has now lost 80lbs+! I know he is going to be a great therapist especially for the youth. I'm so proud if you can't tell<br /><br />Well we will catch you later!<br />ShannonHallstrom Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913664671329477147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3407206661843940418.post-82512052383385699012010-06-26T09:49:00.000-07:002010-06-26T10:12:27.014-07:00Braggin on my husbandK so Calvin is such a stinker but I LOVE him. I think my mom pinned it on the nose... I coddle him. It is true. He throws these fits to get what he wants and I just give it to him. I never had such a hard time with other kids that I babysat. I thought it would be easier with your own. Silly me. He looks at me with those huge eyes and I fall to pieces. I will get this right soon.<br /><br />Aaron is so incredibly amazing. He is currently trying to stop me from writing this. He has a 4.0 GPA in his masters degree (substance abuse counseling) and he is already halfway through his program. He just got a side job being a group counseling leader for Arizona Consulting and Counseling Services (ACCS). We are so excited. He will only do it 1- 2 nights a week but still he is so pumped! Drum roll Aaron stated doing weight watchers online about 2 years ago and switched to the campus about 6 months ago... he has lost 77lbs!!! That is right...77!!! I have to point out that Macaia and Mindy are really looking slick! Truly amazing. It isn't easy to lose weight. INSPIRING! Well... Aaron's birthday is coming up... it is going to be the big 27 duh nuh nuh (August 2nd) I'm trying to think of something fun to do... hmmm...)Hallstrom Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913664671329477147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3407206661843940418.post-6356805621324555912010-06-22T13:24:00.000-07:002010-06-22T13:39:56.130-07:00Shannon Venting--no sleep!Help! Calvin can stand up in his crib now! Talk about scary! Also he is crawling on his hands and knees! He only army crawled for about a week! He is going to be running before I know it! I already realized that I'm not so good at cleaning my house (once I discovered that he likes to eat all the fun pieces of trash he finds on the floor). Still there is only one thing we are really struggling with... he doesn't sleep! He wakes up every hour (sometimes every 20 minutes). He wants me to feed and rock him every time. (Yes that is why he is so chunky--I have given in too many times obviously) I wish he could fall back asleep on his own. I was looking up different things to try: I would lay him down right before he falls asleep so that maybe he would figure out he can go to sleep alone... that totally doesn't work. He pops right back up and SCREAMS like I have never heard a baby scream. I tried/trying to cut him down to one nap a day so that he will sleep better at night... doesn't work. I give him a nap at one then he goes to bed for the night at 8 and wakes up at 9 and stays up til midnight. I tried not feeding him right before he goes to sleep just in case that is what is waking him up... but then he would wake up every 20 minutes until I feed him. When I rock him to sleep and lay him down he wakes up everytime and wants me to hold him. I can't ever set him down and he is really heavy! So after trying to rock him I lay him down and if he wakes up I tried just patting his back and putting his binky in his mouth and he will SCREAM until I pick him up. I tried running out of the room. I tried letting him cry for a few minutes--nothing! I tried letting him sleep in bed with me. That seems to be the best answer because even though he still wakes up every hour to eat... he goes back to sleep faster since I am right there. But I don't sleep very well when I am holding him all night long. I am getting so grumpy! Ugh. Sorry for venting...any suggestions??? Or can anyone tell me what it is supposed to be like? Maybe this is normal??? If so then people weren't kidding about never getting sleep again. I haven't slept more than 2 hours at one time in 8 months.Hallstrom Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913664671329477147noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3407206661843940418.post-88831026491916041112010-05-31T10:28:00.000-07:002010-05-31T11:11:34.160-07:00Hello everyone! Well we are doing great over here. We got to go to Oceanside California with a couple friends of ours for a week! It was amazing! We stayed in a condo that was literally ON the beach! Calvin loved it! He slept so well with the sound of the waves outside the door. It was so nice.<br />Aaron is doing great in school. Doubled up on master degree classes and he still has a 4.0!! I'm not sure how he does it. He is still on schedule to be finished in December.<br />Calvin is just about 8 months old now. He is a wiggle worm but still not crawling yet. He is saying mummm a lot now... Still can't say it on demand just yet. I love being a mommy.Hallstrom Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913664671329477147noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3407206661843940418.post-84352257759178637632010-04-27T09:48:00.000-07:002010-04-27T10:08:18.240-07:00Da da da da daAaaa! Calvin said his first word this last Saturday!! I thought that he had to be older for some reason but it was crazy! I started crying! Of course it wasn't MAMA!!! Figures - I only gave birth to the kid ugh. Just kidding. I actually love that is was Dada!! He keeps saying it now. Adorable! SO cute! But yesterday he said Mummmm twice! (I didn't provoke him to so I am just assuming he knows it is me he he) Anyway so fun being a mummmm!!! =) I love it! Calvin is so sweet. He makes me laugh every day.<br /><br />Well - some good slash bad news - We finally found out what the spots on Calvin's tummy were. (Hardly anyone has seen it before) We took him to a dermatologist. The nurse we saw had no clue what it was so she brought in 2 doctors who knew exactly what it was (what a blessing)... It is a disease called Urticaria Pigmentosa. It is really rare but it is basically like Poison Ivy (except it didn't come from an allergy to anything... just something his body was born doing I guess) It isn't contagious so no worries. He will have it for a minimum of 3 years. I guess 90% of these cases - the child gets over the disease by the time he hits puberty. It shouldn't bother him too bad... he is just itchy all the time which is why he doesn't sleep at night and why he wants to eat so much ha ha. Such a big boy! There are just certain things I have to do to keep it under control... other than that he is a normal healthy boy! Yay!Hallstrom Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913664671329477147noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3407206661843940418.post-48531528987722077292010-04-09T13:33:00.000-07:002010-04-09T13:46:50.601-07:00You know... it is so fun having a reason to take lot's of pictures! For the first 3 + years of our marriage we always sent around wedding pics because our family hadn't grown. (Plus Aaron and I were a lot thinner back then ha ha) but now I pull out the camera all the time. Calvin changes so fast. He looks nothing like he did when he was first born. What a blessing he is. He smiles ALL THE TIME! I can't get enough of him.<br />Well we are busy busy with aaron's school and work. Calvin will crawl full time any day now and I don't know if I will ever see him again. He is crazy active. My dad suggested that I put a bell on him so that I will know where to find him... like in the kitchen on top of the fridge or playing in the toilet... the possibilities are endless.<br />So I definitely had a boy... let me explain. Today Calvin spit up on the floor and decided that it looked fun to play in so he sloshed his hands around in it. I quickly grabbed a toy to distract him so that I could clean up the mess... He took one look at the toy and then back at the puke and decided that the puke looked like more fun so he played with it some more1 ha ha ha! Definitely a boy.<br />Another story that maybe only a mother would love... Calvin likes to play with whatever we are playing with and I was going through some papers. I gave him some junk mail to play with and then I heard him chomping on something... I looked down and a bite was missing out of the piece of paper. Lukily he didn't swollow it but it was bunched up in his cheeks like a chipmunk ha ha.Hallstrom Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913664671329477147noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3407206661843940418.post-67853082873855381062010-03-02T06:50:00.000-08:002010-03-02T07:00:23.930-08:00So Calvin is sitting on his own now and he is starting to scoot on the floor. He rolls and is SO MUCH FUN!!! Wow where does the time go? He sings himself to sleep and his Bumpa (Grandpa Sanders) taught him how to vibrate his lips and blow bubbles with his spit ha ha! He does it all the time. So cute! He will be 5 months old on March 9th! He smiles all the time. He is such a blessing. I can't believe how wonderful it is to be able to be a mom... especially to such an incredible little boy. It is such a thrill.<br /><br />Aaron started his master's degree in addiction counseling at GCU (Grand Canyon University) and he is doubling up on classes so that he will graduate in December! He will then take his exam to become a licensed associate substance abuse counselor... then on to his doctorate degree and 2 years of experience before he becomes an independant counselor and then he can own his own practice! Woo hoo! Lots of work but so much fun!<br /><br />We are all doing great! I finished my book and Aaron had it printed for me for Christmas. There are a few copies floating around but if you would like a copy (it is called The Tin Soldier - Return of the Lost Tin-Blade) I think it is about 13 bucks including shipping and handeling but just call me and I will get a better estimate.<br /><br />Love you all,<br />ShannonHallstrom Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913664671329477147noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3407206661843940418.post-88075441016602974972009-10-12T10:54:00.000-07:002009-10-12T11:11:01.188-07:00The New Addition to Our FamilyAaron Calvin Hallstrom was born on 10/09/2009 at 7:38pm. He was 21 & 1/2 inches long and weighed in at 7 lbs & 10 oz. He is a perfect addition to the Hallstrom Family1 :) So far we recognize that he has daddy's eyes, ears, hair, and height. He has mommy's nose, noggin, and feet. We will keep you updated. We will upload an album to our blog shortly. Hope you enjoy!Hallstrom Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913664671329477147noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3407206661843940418.post-1600850861401881932009-10-01T11:42:00.000-07:002009-10-01T11:58:53.863-07:00UpdateHey everyone! So I'm still fat ha ha! We are due on Sunday. Hopefully something will happen soon. We can't wait to see our little boy! Aaron started his last semester for his BA degree. He is getting straight A's so far! I'm so proud of him. Work is going great for him too and we love our home.Hallstrom Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913664671329477147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3407206661843940418.post-23974858208792261842009-06-08T14:29:00.000-07:002009-07-25T08:03:32.159-07:00Drum roll please...It's a boy! Calvin David Hallstrom - our little trooper. He is so cute! And wow can this kid kick!! I am very proud of my little belly so belly rubs are completely appropriate (especially for good luck... we are convinced that Calvin has mind powers so rub away). Our dear friends (Paula and Shawn Wheeler) gave us a crib and dresser for his room! We are so excited because it is actually becoming more realistic to see his room being put together. October 4th is the due date! I know you all have been there for us and have kept us in your prayers and we are so very grateful to you all!Hallstrom Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04913664671329477147noreply@blogger.com0