Goodbye Golden Meadow Lane

July.  The months between October and now have gone by so quickly that at times I wonder if they really ever happened. Was it all a dream?  Did we really survive?  And then I look around and I see a long legged beautiful five year old, a four year old with a head full of white blond curls and the bluest eyes you have ever seen, and a ten and a half pound eight month old who is one of the most inspiring people I have ever encountered and I realize the truth.  We did survive.  Jesus did reach down and touch our lives.  The miracle was real and is still happening everyday. 

And so here we are living every day differently than we did before she was born in about a hundred ways.  And in the middle of the chaos, in perfect Hall fashion, we have added moving to the list.  In ten days we will move ourselves, our three precious girls, their Uncle Brett and the memory of our boy out of yet another home.  It will be the fourth home Kathryne has lived in since she was born.  The sixth move for me in seven years of marriage.  But this move is different.  This time we will move into OUR home.  Honestly, I am not really sure how in the midst of everything we managed to find a home, have an offer accepted, and get approved for the loan.  Jesus and trust.  That is the only answer I can come up with.  And so we will move into a home that Doc has seen once and I have walked through quickly three times.  All the way trusting that He would have stopped us if the path was the wrong one.  So we are packing (well I am writing).  It will be the first move EVER that I was not either pregnant or just through a birth and can actually help!! And as I walk around this house and pack, the reality of how the Lord placed this home into our lives at the perfect time hits me and I am so very grateful. So I prepare to say goodbye to another year and a half of memories in Franklin TN.  Reminded that not once has the Lord stopped challenging us since we have moved here.  Reminded as I look at our precious Josie Hope that He does have a plan and He is in complete control even when we cannot see it. 


Dear Golden Meadow Lane,

In ten days we will pack up our three girls and all of our things and leave you here empty, just as we found you eighteen months ago but we will never forget you.  You, my friend, have been more of a home for us than any we have landed in since our move to Franklin TN four years ago.  You were placed into our lives in His perfect timing and in many ways were exactly what we needed at the scariest, craziest time of our lives.  Sure there were things about you that we would have changed and our last weeks here have been more stressful than we would have liked, but none of that can undo the things that were right about you for our family.

Mr. Robert and Josie

You were convenient. Conveniently located 3 miles from the office of their daddy which changed his commute during the 8 months that we needed him more than we ever have.  Conveniently located one mile from the interstate that I traveled endlessly for four months taking care of our third baby.

Uncle Brett and his girl.

You were big enough.  Big enough to allow space for the man that came to take care of our girls as we fought for our youngest child.  Big enough to house the family that came to help us during the most stressful time of our lives.  Big enough to make room for everything we needed when we brought Josie home.  You were surrounded by love.  You were set in a location easy to access for everyone that loved us enough to help us, provide for us, feed us. And next door to a family that has become ours. A family that loves our kids like they belong to them.  That has helped us ways that we would never have asked for or expected.  A family that has become our family and has made Franklin TN feel like home to us, finally. 


Ms. Haley and her dancing buddies!

Ms. Kari and Kathryne

Golden Meadow lane, thank you.  Thank you for doing exactly what I asked of you.  For providing us a safe, happy home.  For giving us more good memories than bad.  For protecting our girls and showing them how a real home feels.  You will be missed but never forgotten. You will forever be the home that made our lives easier and happier during a time that was harder than anything we could have comprehended.  I pray that the Lord will fill you with a family that is equally as blessed as ours and that His hand here and the love we leave behind will be felt by them.

The Hall Family. 

And so here we go again.....on to a new chapter, a new adventure, a new home.  Holding our breath and walking slowly onto the water hand in hand with the only One that knows what is next. Thank you for loving us, for praying for us, for caring enough to read.  Please continue to pray for weight gain and healthy lungs for our tiny girl.

XXOO
Melanie

To read my first letter to Golden Meadow Lane look in February 2012.  ;) 

Happy 4th Birthday Sissy.

Dear Presley Rose,

I would apologize for being late in writing this but honestly, over the last month I have been trying desperately to give you and your big sister some much needed attention and therefore things like blogging and journals have taken a back seat.  The good news is that our home, our lives, our everyday is getting closer and closer to normal.  At four I would argue that you do not understand the magnitude of what our family has been through.  Jesus has blessed you with a carefree heart and you pay very little attention to detail unlike your sweet Kat.  I thank Him continuously for protecting you from the reality and fear that she seems to be very aware of.  I think in some ways she protects you too, and you, well you make her laugh.  Jesus paired you perfectly to survive in a home that He tests regularly like He does ours. 

Oh my sweet, sweet, beautiful baby girl.  You turned four and as I type tears roll down my face as I am met with the reality that you are getting bigger than I would like faster than I would like.  We had a birthday party for you at the park, a Dora birthday party.  Just what you wanted.  You had so many friends come that you did not even have interest in opening presents!  Brett and Brianna and Georgia and Celeste and Violet and Mia Blaise were all there to celebrate with you.  Along with Nana who came from Alabama.  I made you chocolate cupcakes with marshmallow cream filling and purple icing, just like you asked for.  We had burgers and cupcakes with the people that love us most in TN.  It was fun!  The weekend prior Janet and Big were here for your first ballet recital.  You and Kathryne were amazing.  You love dance, you practiced that routine several times a day for weeks and you were wonderful.  Mama and daddy were so proud of you. 

Presley, at four you are so many things.  You are almost as big as Kat.  You and she can share a lot of the same clothes.  She is your very best friend, and you are almost lost without her when she is not around.  It reminds me of myself and Aunt Sissy and I and that makes my heart smile.  You are funny and silly and brave.  You try hard and you want to be good at everything Kathryne is good at.  You have these giant blue eyes that look like your mama's and you have your daddy's skin.  So in the summer you are brown as a berry with these huge eyes and white amazing curls.  You are breathtaking. 

Your outlook on life is carefree. You can't wait to go to heaven and you are ready at any moment for God to stop by and give you your magic wings so that the ceiling will open when you fly up to see Jesus and your brother.  You aren't afraid like Kathryne is, and many times I hear you comforting her.  Oh how you love her and baby Josie.  You like pink and purple. You like Dora and Doc McStuffins.  You love chocolate and chicken and chips sauce and mole.  You have good manners and a sweet, tender heart that your daddy can break just by looking at you if your are in trouble.  You are a lot like your mama.  In some ways that is really good, in other ways that is a little scary. 

Your best friends are Kathryne and the neighbors ;)  Oh my do you love our neighbors.  Your new sister has lit up your world Presley Rose.  You are so much help and so sweet to her.  You pray at night for Jesus to make her big so that she can play with you.  You have always leaned towards being a mama's girl.  But recently all you talk about is daddy. ;)  You love to dance,  you love music and you can sing most of Adele's album.  Popcorn and trail mix make you happy.  I imagine you when you are bigger still dancing, maybe playing ball.  You are athletic and competitive and are not afraid to practice!  You will be tall and beautiful and bright with a lot of friends.  You will make us proud, just as you already do.  Presley, Jesus has blessed our home with you in ways we never imagined.  Your silliness is so very good for the heart of your sister and your daddy.  You make us laugh at the most frustrating moments.  You make things fun and you light up every room you enter my sweet girls.  Today you are four, and I am sure tomorrow you will be fourteen.  I pray everyday that the Lord will help me lead you in the right direction and protect you from this crazy, broken world. 

We love you baby girl, bigger than the whole sky!!
Mama, Daddy, Kat and Josie Hope