Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Best Invention

Flexeez
We have had hours of fun building with these crazy, flexible pieces. Today, Owen made a surprise ice cream sundae topped with a yummy cherry for Daddy, complete with his choice of so many colored spoons. Such creativity, that Guy! Daddy sure was surprised to see his place mat at dinner time.

Pajamed Picassos

We have been enjoying the best week after Christmas, even with the cold, rainy weather. We have been hanging around in pajamies, experimenting with all our new toys, snuggling the sweetest baby and praising him for his every accomplishment, cuddling up with great books (new ones and old faves), doing a bit of school here and there. I love these quiet, lazy days with my guys.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Crowned

Look who's been crowned king of the House of Halpin. Such a cheery little king!

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Gift Wrap

Someone loved him some bows this Christmas. Mmmm. Tasty.

In a Galaxy Far, Far Away

This was our grand finale to our wonderful Christmas Day.Jeremy got Star Wars, Episodes 4-6 on DVD. The boys have been dying to watch Star Wars, although I still think they are a little too young. As we wound down Christmas Day, Jeremy had the joy of bonding with them over "A New Hope." Judging by the number of questions asked, I think they were a bit young, but great fun was had by all. We now have a great many games of "Dark" Vader fighting Luke with his light "saver." So funny!

Halpin Family Christmas

There is nothing like Christmas at the Halpin House! It is warm and cheerful, busy and loud, full of kids of all ages. There is tons of food and gifts and chaos. We all love it!
Ally and O got quite a rhythm going on their "drum sets."

Beth Ann was so sweet to snuggle with baby Jones for most of the day, freeing me to help in the kitchen and with the bigger boys. I think both Beth Ann and Jonesy were pretty happy with the arrangement! Here Jonah is checking out his new shoes from Gigi and Papa. They are darling!!

Mia and Nosy enjoyed a ton of dessert. That is one wonderful thing about Noah's new insulin pump. It frees us up a little bit with his carb intake and eating schedule. He was able to eat pretty much whatever he wanted on Christmas day...and we let him! The precious Boy couldn't believe it when we kept saying, "Yes, you may have another cookie...just like the other kids." It makes me happy and sad at the same time for my sweet kiddo who has gone through so much.

The kids' tables. (Notice Nosy is having even more dessert!)


O sharing his new Leapster Explorer.

Yes, Elliot, chocolate pie is like a little slice of heaven on earth.

Jonah getting some Gigi cuddles.

Papa explaining his new game to Owen.

More wonderful memories were made today! How blessed we are to be so loved and to be surrounded by so much family.

Bring on the Breakfast!

After the excitement of opening gifts, we all dashed around to get ready for our first stop of the day: Mimi and Gongi's! We always have such a special time at their house, catching up with each other and eating a delicious hot breakfast. Mimi and Gongi work so hard to prepare a wonderful meal for our huge, hungry family.

Discussing what Santa brought.

Man talk.

It's always wonderful to see the Kidd Family!

This year, the kids over-took the adult table!

Mimi and Gongi have collected so many beautiful Christmas figurines over the years. The Boys are fascinated by all the tiny, detailed figures. Mimi is so sweet to explain special stories about each one.

Every year, Mimi and Gongi are so generous towards us. They ask for a detailed Christmas Wish List for each child and then shop so hard to fulfill their every wish. O was thrilled with his new panda pillow pet!

Nosy got quite comfortable on his dolphin pillow pet (chosen because it is blue).

Tickles from Papa.

Mimi and Gongi, thank you for making our Christmas morning so wonderful. We make such precious memories at your house every year. We love you!

Rise & Shine! It's Christmas!

Christmas morning...such a special time! We started off singing Happy Birthday to Jesus, and then the Boys (rather tentatively) dug into their stockings. Set out with their stockings, they each got a Leapster Explorer and a plastic sled, in hopes of a snow storm later in the winter.

A hug? Or a wrestling move? Sometimes it's hard to tell around here. These Guys really do love each other. This pic was taken right after they exchanged their gifts to each other, which is a post of its own.

Things I especially want to remember about this Christmas:

Sweet Nosy. His very favorite gift was a box full of very low carb gumballs. He put them, along with his sugar free mints, in a big ziplock bag that he carries around the house. The joy of it all is that he can chew his gum or suck on a mint pretty much any time he wants, since they are such low carb. So much freedom for a little boy who is used to counting and reporting every single bite that goes in his mouth. The most precious part? He is completely generous with his special stash, passing out gum and mints freely all day long. Pictured, he is eating his favorite blue gumball while sharing my favorite red one with me.

What a joy it was to give gifts to O this year! Every tiny thing he opened was rejoiced over, examined from all angles, and loudly declared to be the BEST GIFT EVER! His excitement and appreciation were genuine and followed up with huge bear hugs. His very favorite gift? His red plastic sled that cost a whopping five dollars. It's so funny to me to see what little guys value the most. This Guy is really praying for a snowy winter!

One more story about Nose:

Every. single. time a box was opened, he would hover over the gift recipient, saying over and over again, "It's not just a box. There is something inside. It's not just a box. Is it just a box, Mommy? It's not just a box." So funny, that one!


Jonesy woke up about 15 minutes before we were to make our first Christmas appearance, so he didn't even get to open his gifts Christmas morning. He wasn't too sad, though. Love those baby blue eyes of his!

Friday, December 24, 2010

Christmas Eve 2010

Christmas Eve is my favorite night of the whole year. I love everything about it: the anticipation, the wonder, the awe that comes over me as I contemplate God sending His Son to Earth as a baby. I love attending church with my family, reading the account of Jesus' birth before opening the very first gifts, the vast amounts of sugar I consume, the pure joy on the Boys' faces. If I had to pinpoint one especially favorite moment of the evening, it would definitely be singing Silent Night with candles lit, smooshed between my husband and my boys and my parents. I try to memorize each of their faces as they are right in that moment, lit only by the tiny flames, filled with wonder and awe, as we all sing a little off key. It is absolutely beautiful.

Quick family pics before diving into our delicious pizza dinner.

We were so excited that Kyle and LouLou were with us this year! It's just not the same when they are off galavanting somewhere exotic.

Reading the Bible with Gramps.

Yaya got Nosy some authentic juggling balls. Jeremy showed off a few of his skills. I am sure there are some new juggling tricks in our future!

Tiny O is growing up, sniffle, sniffle. A few months ago, he mentioned that he thought his Sesame Street bike helmet was not grown up enough for him. It was for a little boy, not a half grown boy that is almost six. When I passed this tidbit onto Yaya, she was more than happy to shop for an appropriately grown up helmet for our Big O. He was super excited when he opened a manly green and silver helmet. It was declared to be "cool" and he sported it for a good part of the evening. Thanks, Mom, for scouring Toys R Us for the perfect big boy helmet for our little guy.

Reading the yearly photo book. Check out Mom's "bling": hand painted rocks and seashells strung on purple curling ribbon. The Boys could not wait to give it to her and she wore it with such pride.

I love our Christmas Eve, full of family and tradition. What precious, priceless memories we are making!

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Getting a Little Shaggy

Darling Jones. You always get comments about your hair: the pretty color, the waves, the sheer volume of it all. I do love your sweet baby blond hair. But kiddo, it has gotten a bit out of control.

And so I am afraid the day has come for your first real haircut. (I trimmed the back a few weeks ago after discovering a few pieces of hair that reached way past your shoulders.) I am a little sad, knowing just how grown up you will look afterwards, but it must be done before people mistake you for a little blond girl.

You laugh in the face of haircuts!

Uh oh. You look a little more concerned now that Daddy's scissors are clip, clipping away at you. (photography by Owen)

Just look at how handsome you are! All three of you boys got spiffy haircuts just in time for Christmas. Your new do is so precious! I wish we'd cut your hair weeks ago. And many kudos to Daddy, the self-taught hair genius. I should seriously hire him out!

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Four.

Noah Cole.
4 years old.
Cheerful and brave and bashful and silly.
43 pounds and 43 inches of wonderful.
We continue to have a booger of a time managing your diabetes, but you handle it all so well.  Even with the crazy sugar swings you experience almost daily, you are so upbeat and positive and happy.  I can't imagine how awful you must feel some days as your blood sugars may range from in the 500's down to the 50's in a given day.  You are so courageous and patient as Daddy and I struggle to keep those crazy sugars in line.
When you love someone or something, Nosy, you are All In.  You love with loyalty and complete trust.  Take your love for ketchup, for example.  You could drink ketchup by the gallon.  You can not get enough of it.  You would climb tall mountains, swim wide oceans, to consume some of your beloved ketchup.  You would do almost anything for ketchup.  Or, for an even better example, take your sweet love for me.  My neck has never been squeezed tighter, my face slathered with more wet kisses, my lap been more full than of you.  You shower me with millions of dandelions because once I said they were pretty.  Or for the most precious of all examples, take your incomparable love for Tiny Jones.  You guard him to keep him safe and out of trouble.  You still ask almost daily if you can hold your baby.  You play with him with patience, pat him with affection whenever he is near, and (much to Jonah's chagrin) hold his hand with such tenderness every chance you get.  Your love is pure and unselfish.
Pictured is another of your great loves:
SPORTS.
Any kind of sport, even if it is made up, like one of our faves: hit the pokey ball with a crooked stick.
You are super competitive, play with endless energy and intensity, and are very hard on yourself when you don't perform to your own high standards.  You practice so hard to keep up with O and his friends in both soccer and baseball.  You can hold your own.  You would love nothing more than to play some sort of ball all day long.
You are one bright, happy kiddo, Nosy.  You laugh and joke and tease your way through your days.  Your smile is contagious, your laugh infectious.  We love you so much, Sweet Potato, and are continuously blessed by you.  God created you to be amazing!

Monday, December 20, 2010

Isn't She Lovely?

Meet our newest addition! I am so excited!!
My old camera was having so many issues, so Jeremy brought up the remote possibility of getting a new one for Christmas. He had been shopping around, doing some research. They are just so expensive, though. And then our front door cracked...and our potty had to be replaced...It seemed an impossibility. But look at what arrived on our front porch just in time for Christmas!!! I love it!

We are still getting acquainted. This camera is far smarter than I am, and I am realizing just how very little I actually know about photography. Mostly, I have reverted back to taking all my photos on Auto for now, which frustrates me. But I am reading little by little, and one day, I hope to have this all figured out. I am excited to get better at photography in 2011!

Sunday, December 19, 2010

To Argyle or Not to Argyle

I have been laughing so hard all day. At Jeremy. In his crazy, fancy socks. We have a running joke about what socks go with what shoes go with what pants. This joke has recently extended to include our growth group from church. And let me tell you, the debate can get pretty heated concerning the socks/shoes/pants/sometimes even belt hot topic. (I know we should be discussing much holier things at Bible study. :-) ) So today, "Santa Josh" showed up with a sweet little surprise for Jeremy. Some bold, colorful, argyle socks. They are awesome! And the joke continues...
Thanks, Josh!

The Hugest Bike Hill EVER!

Man, I miss blogging. The pictures just keep stacking up, stressing me out.

Anyhow, here are a few pics from our day. One street over from us is a cul de sac that has a pretty steep hill. You'd think it was Mt. Everest to hear the boys rave about it. They love to race their bikes down the hill and vroom around the curves, practically on two wheels. It gives me a heart attack every time, but they love the thrill.