{My sweet, sweet Diesel boy // We will miss you}

We had to say goodbye to our sweet Diesel boy today. My heart is shattered and I am completely broken!! 

Photo from earlier this summer when Diesel was happy and healthy!

{Our Quarantined Life // Week 6}

This week marks 6 weeks of quarantine. SIX! Not sure why, but that just sounds like forever. Maybe because it's rare that we go 6 weeks without traveling somewhere. Right now I am okay with it, but I am looking forward to a long summer vacation and hoping that happens! At the end of last week, we started hearing that things are going to start opening back up in the next couple of weeks in Texas (minus schools - we are done for the year - e-learning only). Will we venture out when that happens? I'm not so sure! We will probably give it some more time...especially with Mason. The only time he has left the house is to run a quick errand and he never leaves the Jeep. Trying to keep my precious boy as safe as I can. The less exposed, the better. It's so bizarre to say that. I never thought we'd live in a time such as this.

Anyhow, here is a look at our 6th week of quarantine.

{Our quarantined life // Week 3}

This documents week three of our quarantined life!

{Happy Howl-idays // 2019}

You know I couldn't let this season pass without taking Christmas photos of my pups! Lexi is always pretty cooperative as she lives to please, but Diesel is so stubborn in his old age. ha! He will not look at the camera unless there is a treat directly in front of it. Hey, whatever works! Here are our 2019 Christmas pictures of Lexi and Diesel!

{Happy HOWL-oween // 2019}

Taking pictures of my pups gives me such joy! They are just too cute and mostly go along with my crazy antics. I say mostly because Diesel hates the camera and will totally look the opposite direction with his nose in the air! I have to bribe that one with treats. Anyhow, here are our 2019 HOWL-oween pictures of the pups!!

{Happy HOWL-idays from our Christmas pups // 2018}

My pups must think I am the nuttiest fur mama ever! But, they mostly oblige to all of my photo taking antics. Well, Lexi does because she's a sweet and obedient little thing and Diesel? Well, he will do anything for a treat. ha. We recently took Christmas photos of the pups and I couldn't love them more.

{Happy HOWL-oween}

Happy HOWL-oween from my furbabies; Lexi and Diesel! Have a wonderful day and be safe trick or treating!!

{5 Things Bringing me Joy // vol. 4}

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

- Romans 12:12 (NIV)

It's time for one of my favorite link-ups...Five Things Bringing Me Joy Right Now! We absolutely loved reading all of the posts last month and sharing in the simple joys of life with you. Life can get so busy yet mundane and it's always good to find the joy in the day to day. We all have something bringing us joy, right? We would love for you to join us in sharing your joy.

{Happy Thanksgiving // A special day for our Diesel boy!!}

Not only is today Thanksgiving, it's also a very special day in our household. Two years ago today God answered our prayers and brought our sweet Diesel boy back home to us! {To read Diesel's story click here. And for his 1 year home post click here.} Diesel has quite the testimony and truly is a miracle pup. We are so grateful for his little life and for his return home. God is so, so good.

{Friday Five // Dentist, Diesel and Karate}

Happy Friday!! If you read my last Friday's post you know that we have had a lot going on around here lately. Well, as if that wasn't enough we learned on Tuesday that there had been over $500 bucks in fraudulent charges to our account. The devil has been working really hard to attack our family, but we are rebuking him in the name of Jesus. He will never rob us of our joy. Anyhow, I think things are finally on the upswing. I mean, it can only get better from here. Monday and Tuesday were pretty eventful days, but other than that we have just been hanging out and taking it easy. I am so glad it's the weekend, though. Here is a bit of what we have been up to this week...

{O N E} // Posts from this week

Monday // He said what?  
Tuesday // The Dog Days of Summer
Wednesday // Vacation Recap // New Orleans Day Two
Thursday // Currently


{T W O} // My sweet, best friend Brittany posted this on Facebook & Instagram Tuesday morning and it was just what I needed to see/hear. Isn't it amazing how much better scripture can make you feel?

{T H R E E} // Monday was Mason's dental appointment where he had a few kind of major things done. We learned that despite our best efforts Mason has porous teeth. Poor child! At this appointment he got a filling, a pulpotomy & crown and a tooth extracted. The plan was to pull the baby tooth and put in a spacer to allow room for the big tooth to come in, but we didn't make it to the spacer part. He kind of freaked a bit after the extraction and the dentist didn't want to bother him anymore. So we will go back in 2 weeks for the spacer. Let me tell you how hard it was for Mason to sit still and not talk for almost an hour and a half! And the laughing gas made him quite loopy and he wanted to dance while laying in the dentist chair! Mason did so good, though and I am so proud of him. He is such a little trooper and braver than I could ever think about being! And of Daddy suggested that I take him to the store afterwards for a prize since he was so good and brave! He picked out a humongous Lego set.

His Nana gave him this little tooth fairy pillow the day before his appointment. He thought it was so cool. And he was pretty excited to wake up and see that the tooth fairy had left him $6 bucks!! He had to call his Nana to let her know that the pillow worked and that the tooth fairy really came! (Even though the night before he broke a little piece of my heart and said that he didn't believe in the tooth fairy and that he knew mom and dad left the money. Sometimes he's too smart for his own good. I think he believes in the tooth fairy a little more today.)

{F O U R} // Last Friday Diesel had a grooming appointment. On the way there Mason asked if we could get Diesel a mohawk and Nathan and I obliged. I mean, why not? When we were checking him in Mason asked our groomer and she said of course. We kind of forgot about it when we went to pick him up. When I saw him I couldn't help but giggle. He was so stinkin' cute! Mason loved it.

{F I V E} // Mason started Karate this week!! We went to two sessions this week and he did so incredibly good. We were impressed and so proud of him. Today he told me that he wants to keep going there even after he has his black belt and that he wants to work there some day.

And a little bonus for ya! Ever since we got the GoPro Mason has talked about making YouTube videos. Well, our pond is lined with bamboo and Mason has started making 'batons' out of branches. He wanted to make a "How to make a bamboo baton" video! How cute is he?!

How to make a bamboo baton by Mason Hall from Crystal Hall on Vimeo.

How was your week? What was the best part?

{Our sweet Diesel boy}

Our sweet Diesel boy! Oh how we love him so. Nathan and I got Diesel back in 2008 just a year after we had purchased our first home. He was our first baby {before Mason} and went everywhere with us! I was that crazy dog mom that dressed him in cute clothes and he even had a life jacket and swimtrunks for when we went to the lake or beach! Looking back it was a bit ridiculous, but he was just too darn cute. He didn't even weigh 2 pounds when we got him and had to wear a cat collar because his neck was so small. 

I'm going to back up a bit because I have a pretty funny story about Diesel. When we first got him from the breeder we were under the impression that we were getting a little girl Yorkshire Terrier. My aunt had just adopted a pup from the same litter and had been sending me pictures. She kept telling me, "the breeder has one little girl left." I begged and begged Nate and somehow talked him into getting 'her'. We met the breeder in another town, gave her the money and took our pup and left. I had decided on calling her Molly. She smelled like cigarettes so bad and we noticed a couple of fleas on her. Ugh! So we drove straight to PetSmart to get her bathed. Luckily they could get her in right then. We checked her in as a 'female Yorkie named Molly'. In the meantime we shopped and bought all things pink and sparkly for 'her'. Then they called us to come get her. When we went into the grooming area everyone just looked at us and I could tell they were trying not to laugh. One of them spoke up and said "Is Molly a girl or boy?" I'm thinking um hello, why would I name a boy dog Molly and be holding a pink collar and such in my hands?? We told them boy, or at least we thought. They said, well Molly is actually a boy and showed us his little beep beep {that's what Mason calls it}. Oh my word! Molly really was a boy. We didn't even check in the 15 minutes that we had him on the way to PetSmart! If you've ever seen a Yorkie pup they are very fluffy! It never dawned on us to check. PetSmart let us return everything we had bought that was pink even though I had ripped the tags off and exchange it for all things blue. And that's how Molly became Diesel. But, it didn't matter to us because we were already so in love with him and kind of excited that he was a boy. 

 

But, Diesel's story isn't all sunshine and roses. He actually has a very interesting story which I encourage you to read about here. He is our little miracle pup and a true gift from God. We are so so so thankful for this little nugget and for God bringing our baby back home after 3 years to the very week!

Diesel is such a sweet boy and loves his Mason something fierce. It's so sweet to watch them together. He loves that Mason loves to sleep as much as he does. Diesel is a complete stage 5 clinger {to me} ever since he's been home, but I can understand why. I'm so glad that I work from home and can spend my days with him and Mason. Other than that, he is the same sweet Diesel that he was before we lost him.

Tell me about your pet(s)!!

{Weekend Wrap-up // Catch-up}

Happy Tuesday! This weekend was a rollercoaster and yesterday was a Monday in every way possible. I came to this space so many times, but couldn't get any words out. My mind was so cloudy and my heart was achy.

Lets start with this weekend...Nate's Grandfather was rushed to the hospital. They live in a tiny little town and went to the closest hospital. Well, lets just say that some smaller hospitals are not fully equipped to take on bigger issues. And that was the case here. The prognosis was not looking well and we were preparing in our hearts for the worst. Then the family made the decision to move him to a bigger hospital a couple hours away. And praise Jesus...they knew exactly what needed to be done. He started improving by the hour. And guess what? He was released yesterday. God is so, SO good y'all. Continued prayers for him would be appreciated, though.

Sunday was an amazing day, though! We went to church and heard a wonderful sermon, then visited with Nate's family, went to a late lunch/early supper at our favorite place, and then even more family time of playing washers and just being outside. Oh and popsicles!! It was the best way to avoid all of the housework that we neglected all weekend. ;)

        

Such a sweet Sunday.

And then...Monday. I woke up feeling defeated. I was tired. Not like sleepy...but tired. I felt like I had to make myself walk or do things. My body just wasn't functioning like at all. It was the strangest feeling. And then Facebook happened {which I was not involved in any way shape or fashion} and something was taken out of context and ended up with a family member attacking my sister on social media, then completely deleting all of her family off Facebook. But not before she called everyone idiots and bigots. It was heartbreaking and blown way out of proportion and a very one-sided ordeal. And then after catching up on emails and blogs and social media I learned there was a nasty troll out there leaving awful comments on some of my sweet friend's blogs and causing many them to go private.

For the love.

I immediately went to search for scripture for what my heart was feeling. I found this and clung to it all day yesterday:

Ephesians 6:12

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

It was a hard day and I was mentally exhausted. But then we capped off the evening with a nice country drive and the Lord so graciously gave us the most amazing sunset. {#allthepraisehands}

How was your weekend? What was the best part about it?

{Oh Hey Friday! // Soccer, Puddles, Diesel}

Happy Friday! Despite all the rain and the time we have spent indoors, this week really flew by. No complaints here. We have a very busy weekend ahead of us and have like 5 places we need to be at once. We still haven't figured it all out, but we will I suppose. Nate is coaching the soccer game solo on Saturday because our coach can't be there. We were kind of thinking it may be cancelled because of all the rain, but it's pure sunshine from now until Sunday. We shall see, I guess.

Joining Karli for Oh Hey Friday!

{O N E} // In case you missed it...

Kindergarten field trip to the Dallas Zoo

Six Flags night

Bristol/Ennis Bluebonnet Trail

Summer bucketlist update #1

{T W O} // Our evenings this week were actually pretty low-key. The most exciting thing we did was soccer practice on Tuesday. And that was interesting!! It was pretty close to a full moon and we could tell by the kids! It was like herding cats. Seriously! All you can do is laugh.  Oh and we may have eaten at our new McCallisters a couple of times. Maybe.

   
{T H R E E} // Friends, if you need some encouragement this week I highly recommend you read THIS post from Beth at our Pretty Little Girls. Beth rounded up scriptures that some of her blogging friends cling to and she so kindly featured me. I know that I will look back to this post so frequently. There is so much truth and encouragement in those scriptures.

{F O U R} // This little ragamuffin is finally getting groomed today. I had to cancel his appt two weeks ago because he hurt his little paw. I don't know if he's going to hate me or love me for it. Last time I gave him a bath he wouldn't come near me for a whole day and a half and he gave me the side eye. And at his last grooming appt he tried biting the clippers when they got near his face! But, his hair is so long that it hangs over his eyes. Soooo...maybe he will be happy with me this time?! Lets hope. ha.

{F I V E} // I don't know what this boy is gonna do when our puddles all dry up! He has played in them almost every day this week and loves it.

That's all I have for today! Do you have any plans for the weekend?

{Diesel has been home for 1 whole year // Our miracle pup}

Today is a very, very special day in the Hall household!! Today marks one year since Diesel's homecoming. One year. 365 days.

I can hardly believe it.

{If you need to catch up on the Diesel miracle click here.  He has one amazing testimony...}

It's been an incredible and happy year. Diesel fills our hearts with so much love and joy and we are so happy that he is home. Those three years without him left a big hole in our hearts. We are so thankful that hole has been closed. Mason is over the moon in love with him and it's been amazing to watch the bond between them grow.

We are so, so incredibly thankful that our boy was brought back to us! Thank you, Jesus!!

{It's the Little Things // Mason & Diesel}

"Diesel, I am your brudder and I will always love you and watch out for you. I will never hurt you," - Mason

Oh these two!! They fill my heart with so much joy! Mason is head over heels in love with Diesel and says that he's the puppy he's always wanted. I am so, so happy Diesel is back into our lives and that he and Mason are the best of friends. Mason truly is the best big 'brudder' to him and I can't wait to watch him with an actual sibling someday. 

PS - if you haven't read Diesel's story click HERE >> it's a good one! 3 years away and he's back home. 

{How Diesel is adjusting to being home // how we're adjusting}

Now that I have shared the news of Diesel being home {here} the number one question that I have been asked is...how is he adjusting to being home? 

And quite honestly?

Like he never left! 

Seriously. He has adjusted so well. You can see things start to come back to him and he is already responding to Diesel {he was called Milo for three years}. It's so wild that he is the same ol' Diesel. All of his mannerisms are the same and he's the same sweet cuddly little guy. 

He still loves to weasil his way down to our feet under the covers, loves to be in your lap and give kisses, still shuffles his feet in the grass after going potty, still walks around with one ear up and one ear down, so much is the same.

And? He hasn't pottied one time in the house. He's still great about asking me to go out. 

He's eating and drinking okay. Eating hasn't been great, but that's understandable with the shuffling he's done in the last couple of weeks. An who knows if the 2nd lady that had him bought him the right food. I'm not too worried about it. He's not sad and he does eat, just a little at a time. 

How's Mason adjusting? Great! He loves and adores Diesel and wants to hug and kiss him all the time. He keeps telling him "Diesel you are home and we love you so much" and then kisses his head. Over and over. And he wants him to play with him in his room all the time. Mason especially loves that Diesel cuddles in his bed with him while I am laying with him to fall asleep. Diesel is equally fond of Mason. He showers him with kisses and follows him around the house.

Gunner? Oh goodness....that's going to take some time. Gunner is a huge 60+ pound 6 month old lab who doesn't realize his size. He wants to play with Diesel non-stop. Diesel isn't so sure yet. He's like "dude, I don't know you that well" and he will growl at him and bark at him. Diesel never growled at anyone when we first had him, so that is a little different. But, we are keeping an open mind because we don't know what he went through the last 3 years. And we know he's just setting his boundaries. Diesel also doesn't want Gunner anywhere near me. Like not within 10 feet of me. :) Gunner just doesn't understand that!    

But all in all, everyone is doing well and we are feeling so incredibly blessed.    
  

                                                                                                                                                                                        

{A Grateful Heart // My Diesel is home!!}

Happy Tuesday!! I am blogging with a very, very full heart today. Linking up with Ember Grey for A Grateful Heart.

It's the week before Thanksgiving and I have so, so much to be thankful for. But this week? Something very special happened. Something that could only be a God thing. After three years my sweet Diesel boy is back home. 3 years.

 
He needs a serious haircut....buuuuuut he is HOME!!!

I don't think I ever blogged about him being gone because it hurt too deep. I felt like I failed him as a mother.

The week before Thanksgiving {three years ago} our sweet Diesel boy vanished. It was morning...I was running late and trying to get Mason {18 months at the time} to school and me to work. I let Diesel out to potty and he bee-lined to my in-laws house like he done many times. My in-laws have a fenced in yard, so we never worried much. But, Diesel was just small enough to fit through the gates. That morning our neighbors saw him following a couple of dogs that were out in our neighborhood. We came home that evening and went to pick him up from my in-laws and he wasn't there. So of course we drove around all night trying to find him. Diesel never got too far from our houses...so I figured someone driving through picked him up. He was too friendly, and he's a Yorkie which is a highly sought after dog. We also live around a bunch of land and have seen Bobcats and Coyotes a plenty...so that was also a maybe. Not in my mind...of course. I just knew someone picked him up.

I have looked for him since. In our neighborhood, and those around my house...just hoping to find someone taking him on a walk or out to potty. I never gave up hope.

Many times we'd see Yorkie's posted on the FB pet sites and of course I would inquire, only to be left with a broken heart. There were about 4 or 5 "nope, not Diesels" and my heart shattered every time.

Until yesterday. My sister was looking at a FB group around our area and saw a Yorkie posted for sale. She immediately sent it to me and I posted "WANT" as fast as I could. Those sites work on a first come, first serve basis and I had to get in first. Even if it wasn't him. But, something in my gut told me it was. My sister had the same feelings. I messaged back and forth with the lady that had him. And that's when the stars started lining up! She had him for only 2 weeks and loved him dearly...but he would dart out the front door anytime it was opened. She lived on a very busy corner lot, with a major street running alongside her house. Understandable totally. Anyhow, she rescued him from a lady that lived in our area and that lady said she was 'gifted' him almost three years ago. There's #1 & #2...the timeframe and the area were spot on. Then she told me that only one of his ears {the left} stood up. There's #3. And that he was on the larger side for a Yorkie at 12ish pounds. #4. I sent her my pictures of him and she was like, yep...that's him. I was trying to think of things that were different about him to ask and remembered that his tail wasn't clipped as a puppy so he had a full/long tail. That was #1 for things that didn't match up. I asked her to see if he would answer to the name Diesel...taking a long shot because it had been 3 years. She sent me a video of her calling him Diesel but he didn't really respond. BUT he didn't respond well to the other name the lady had been calling him for 3 years, either. I watched the video somewhere near 37 times and studied everything....

Matches -
Face = identical
Ears = identical
Mannerisms = identical 
Eyes = identical
the way his fur fans out around his eyes when it's long = identical

Non-matches - 
Body type seemed way different {but later found out why}
He had a clipped tail

So I kind of left it alone. But all day long it kept tugging at me. And then I got a message from her around 4 saying that she was leaving to go out of town and asked if I wanted to come see him. So I talked to Nate and he told me to go. I got my sister to go with me because that was one more person that knew Diesel. 

We pulled up and they came out of the house and Leslie said, "Oh my goodness, that is him". I couldn't get out of the car fast enough. I just fell to my knees crying and he ran right up to me and jumped in my lap and started kissing me. I just cried and kept saying over and over again, this is him. Even though he had been neutered and had a clipped tail and was way fatter I knew it was him. He smelled the exact same, too. {Yes, I remembered that}. The lady couldn't believe he just came right up to me like that. But, we had a special bond. And after 3 years I was so happy he remembered.


We chatted with the lady for a bit and got more of the story. The lady before her kenneled him for more hours than not every day. And that is why he was so big. She took him to get neutered and that was the last vet visit he had. And she didn't groom him, either. The lady I got him from almost didn't take him because he was in bad shape {looks wise}. But she did. She said something told her she had to rescue him.

I think God was lining everything up to get me my baby back!

Okay, so the lady wanted $75 for him even though he was my dog. I didn't even care at that point. I just wanted to get him home. I called Nate on the way to the ATM and just cried and told him it was Diesel. Of course, not seeing him he was apprehensive. He said are you sure? Did he answer to Diesel? Did he flex {something Nate taught him} I said no, but I didn't need those confirmations...I just knew.

The whole ride home he laid in my lap and just cuddled, he didn't cry, he didn't make a peep. We got home and Nate met us outside. I just started crying {again} and he pet him and smiled. We got inside and got settled and Diesel curled up in my lap and went to sleep. I asked Nate if he believes it yet and he said not 100%. Then Diesel climbed in his lap and started kissing him and hugging him. I could see more belief coming to him. Then Nate started checking out Diesel's head for a scar that we knew he had. And guess what? It was THERE! {in July of 2011 he got a spider bite that left a scar}

I will always remember Nate's face when he told me "It's him!!" I of course was blubbering like a big baby. I knew...but I was so relieved that Nate found the confirmation he needed.

We packed up and went over to Nate's parent's house. Nate walked over with Gunner while Mason, Diesel and I drove around. Diesel was very much a big part of their life, too and we just had to take him to visit. Nate went in before and prefaced...and then I came in with him. His mom and I both cried like babies. She held him and hugged and kissed him....and right before our eyes we could see him start to remember things. He started running around their house and jumping in everyone's laps and was so happy! 

Diesel slept in bed with us like he always did. He's the best cuddler. 

We are pretty much still in shock. I just keep thanking God over and over for bringing my baby home! Mason is head over heels in love with him. I don't think he remembers too much of him since he was only 18 months old when we lost him...but now he gets to make up for lost time! 

Mason told me, "Mama you can call him baby too like you call me because I know you love him so much!"  Melllllllt my heart!

And he keeps telling Diesel, "Don't worry Diesel, you are home and we love you so much" and he kisses him every chance he gets!!

We are just so blessed and so Grateful to have our baby back! A hole that has been in my heart for 3 years has closed.

Praise the Lord!!!