Quiet Time

I was thinking the other day...It is always my goal to get up a little bit before my kids to start my day off right, with a little time reading my Bible and praying. I know if I don't do it first thing, it will never get done because I get too busy or tired later on in the day. However, my kids never see me reading my Bible when I always do it before they wake up. It is never modeled for them. So I have been making a conscious effort to read my Bible when they are around. Sometimes, if they wake up before I've finished, I'll snuggle them up next to me and read aloud. And you know what? A funny thing has happened. Sometimes, when O and Nosy have some free time, I'll find them reading their Bibles (or Bible story book). I took these pics after I came out from taking my shower. They were both cuddled up with a quilt studying their Bibles.

Camera Shy: 6 Months

Six months, Jonah? Really?? Where did the time go? Slow down, Tiny Boy!

Stats:

15 pounds, 13 ounces (25%)

27 1/2 inches (75%)

You are long and lean like your Daddy.

Jones, how do I even begin to describe you? You are a ray of sunshine, so content, smiley and chatty and wonderful. You rarely ever cry. Instead, you bounce and squeal and jibber-jabber. You are happy to just be plopped somewhere to hang out, as long as we stop by every once in awhile to chat with you. I honestly think God placed you in our lives to be such a bright spot in the midst of some trying times. It is impossible to remain sad or stressed while holding you. You are our joy.

These pictures do not do you justice. As soon as you see the big black camera in front of my face, you clam right up. Normally, you grin from ear to ear and have the sweetest dimple in your right cheek. Your eyes sparkle with excitement.

You are so laid back and Mommy holds you so much of the day that you aren't sitting yet, nor can you roll from back to tummy. It'll come all in good time though. We practice sitting some every day.

Unlike your brothers who were very wary of people at your age, you have never met a stranger. You coo and smile at everyone you meet. You love to interact with people!


One of my very favorite things is to pop you in Aunt Erica's sling while I shop. Your little head peeks out over the top. You look around with your huge blue eyes, grinning at everyone that passes by. So many little old ladies stop to comment on your extreme cuteness. I have to agree with them. You are the cutest thing I have ever seen!


Your brothers can not get enough of you! They each spend time talking to you and explaining things to you. You just light up when they come into your line of sight. O loves to sing you little songs he makes up. You absolutely beam at him the whole time. You are a tad bit more wary of Nosy, just because he loves in a much more physical way and is not always as gentle as he should be. Noah performs funny little dances for you to make you laugh.

Jonesy, I know you've been around for awhile now, but I still can not believe that you are mine. I honestly lay awake in bed sometimes and get excited all over again when I hear you on the monitor. You are really ours. I truly have the most amazing boy, the boy I prayed so diligently for, right down the hall in his crib. You bring us such immeasurable joy. You are loved more than you can ever begin to imagine. We are so richly blessed.

Sad Little Sickie

This is how Jones spent the day before his Happy Half Birthday. So sad and feeling puny. Hoping for a happier guy tomorrow!

Getting Our Holiday Craft On

We'll have finished products to show off soon!

Rattling Around in my Brain

Sometimes I get so frustrated, doing the same cleaning, disciplining, diabetes-managing, attitude-shaping every day just to go to bed (but not sleep because little guys have many nighttime needs!) and start all over the next day. I love my life and I would not trade spending all day every day with my boys for anything, but it can get wearisome at times, especially when I am just so tired. But then God gives me one moment, just a fleeting moment, that reminds me why I am doing it all. For today's "moment," I just happened to have my camera handy.

They are so beautiful, it almost brings tears to my eyes. My three.

I read this quote the other day and it has burdened me with such a responsibility:

"...the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like...

Were we able to extract from any man a complete answer to the question, 'What comes to mind when you think about God?' we might predict with certainty the spiritual future of that man."

A.W. Tozer

Right now, day in and day out, my Boys are deciding what they believe to be true about the awesome God we serve, and those decisions will be what ultimately shape their lives. And I know that they are making these decisions based not on what they learn in Bible class as much as by what they see lived out in front of them. I have been entrusted with three little hearts and I am so convicted about being a good steward of them. My actions and reactions are the example they see modeled for them the most often. Am I reflecting Christ to them? His love, His compassion, His mercy? Am I daily walking by faith, trusting God's sovereignty? Am I living out what I teach them in our daily Bible lessons and devotionals? Or am I full of empty words? And am I thankful for those teachable moments when I can direct my kids back to God and His word (even though it takes so much more energy and effort) or do I squander those times and let them slip away? These are all things I have been tossing around in my brain lately. These years when the kids are tiny are so important and fly by all too fast. I pray I am doing an honorable job. I just have to look at those three precious faces to be convicted and strengthened in my mission to raise godly boys who faithfully walk with Christ.

Tree Trimming

Christmas music, pancake supper, reminiscing over favorite ornaments. Lots of laughter, hot chocolate, twinkly lights. Love Tree Trimming Day!

Sampling

Sweet Jonesy,

So many are your wonderful qualities. Too many to list. Nighttime sleeping, however, is not one of your strong suits. You love to wake up every 3-4 hours as if you were still 6 weeks old, to nurse and snuggle with Mommy in the still of the night. I cherish that precious time with you, Son, but Mommy is ex.haust.ed! I need you to sleep. So we have resorted to introducing rice cereal a little earlier than our usual 6 months old.

Here's how it played out:

After the first bite or two, I was shoved out of the way by two very eager big brothers. One fed while the other filmed, and then they switched.

Pictured are your true feelings about solids. You spit so much and whined so sadly that we quickly abandoned our efforts to force feed you. Maybe we should wait awhile.

Who needs me when these two are around!

It's Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Christmas

Ah, tradition. Sometimes a bit painful, but always worth keeping. One tradition that marks the beginning of the holiday season is the annual cousin Santa picture. All four families come from far and wide to meet at the mall all dressed up, wait in the long line, paste on cheesy smiles and click, take the pic. My favorite part is always the look on Santa's face when he finds out we have ten, ten?!, kids that all need to pile onto his lap, chair, floor space to get the perfect picture. I feel for the guy!

This year was not without its fair share of the dramatic. I was bathing the kids right before we left so they would be spic and span for the photo, when Noah started screaming that his "area" was hurting. He needed to go to the bathroom, but was having trouble and it hurt so, so bad. All tell-tale signs of a bladder infection. Of, course the pedi's office was already closed for the day. What to do? I calmed my boy down, asked Gigi to stop at the store for some cranberry juice, dosed him with Motrin, and off we went.

He was soon feeling much better and the symptoms never reappeared. So strange.

This mall has pretend snow falling as you wait for Santa. With the special lighting, the snow drifts and gently falling flakes, it really is magical. O enjoyed it so, so much.


I'll interject a tad more drama here. As we were waiting for our turn to see Santa and all the kids were playing in the snow, one kiddo did not seem to be enjoying himself so much. Clayton was kind of propped up in the corner, not at all himself. Sure enough, just as we stepped up to sit in Santa's lap, Clayton made a bee line for the nearest trash can and threw up. Lovely. Poor Guy! We cozied up for the picture as fast as we could, told everyone to hold their breath so as not to get any germs, and quickly sent poor Clayton home to recuperate.

It turned out pretty good...considering.

Make-up Thanksgiving

Because Yaya caught a nasty bug the day before Thanksgiving, we enjoyed a make-up holiday at their house on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. We had so much fun celebrating all we have to be thankful for.

Like the first egg nog of the season. Cheers!

And pumpkin pie. Yum!
(O and I are the only ones in our little Halpin family that like egg nog or pumpkin pie. And we not only like. We love! We 're not sure what's wrong with the rest of the fam!)

And after-turkey football games in the front yard. Good dive, Nosy!

He's still got it!

We have so very much to be thankful for! What a fitting holiday to celebrate twice. We love you, Gramps and Yaya!

Parking It

We are enjoying every last bit of warmth there is before true winter sets in. We met our great friends at a cool park to play the morning away. While we were there, a cold front gusted in! We packed up and hurried home to get warm.

All these happy pics were taken prior to the torture of yet another pod falling off. No improvement on that front at all.

Super sandy!

Desperate Times

Desperate times call for desperate measures, my friends.

Care to guess what our desperate measure is these days?

On the up-side, look at what I get the joy of waking up to every morning. He seems to be enjoying it too.

Things I've learned about Jones since he started co-bedding:

He is a snuggle bug. I put him to bed between Jeremy and myself, with his face far away from the covers and our pillows. I am so scared that he'll suffocate in the night. The little buggy squirms and wriggles and inches towards me until he is all safe and cozy and curled up tight beside me. I can't lie. I love it. I spoon him all night long.

He is a fast learner. He has learned that when he is hungry, he doesn't even have to exert the energy to cry. He just kicks his little froggy legs against my tummy until I wake up.

The Boy is a space heater. I am always chilly in bed, but I stay extra cozy with his tiny, warm body snuggled up next to me.

When all the chaos at our house dies down and people start sleeping again, the day will come for Jonah to go back to his own bed. Until then, we are happily soaking up the extra snuggle time and a few extra zzzz's.

The Pump Is Not My Friend & Other Bloggy Woes

I miss blogging. So much. I read my friends' blogs complete with darling pictures of Halloween costumes and fall crafts, cute stories of the darndest things kids say. I have all these things too, stored away in my computer and in my heart. I just have absolutely no time nor energy to record them.

We are having a tough time around here. Noah's new insulin pump is not. going. well. And that's putting it lightly. Because of this, and Jonesy's sudden, urgent increase in nighttime appetite, we are not getting much sleep. Maybe 2-3 hours a night. That is just not enough for me to remain an emotionally stable Mommy.

So we remain on survival mode. If I am not dealing with Nosy's pump, feeding Jones, schooling O and Nosy, then I am probably trying to catch a few zzzz's. That is my life right now. I just hope the pictures and stories will keep. I want to record each and every one, but for now, that is just not the priority.

One day...

I'll leave you with a couple of pics, just to let you know we're still alive.

Mr. Personality!

Bright Eyes

We love Fall at the Arbo!

Sweet Boy

My Monkeys

Fun and Games: 5 Months

Jonah, you are five months old. Crazy how time flies. It is so sweet of the Lord that He makes each new phase even more fun than the one before, otherwise I would be so sad all the time. You are growing and changing and losing your newborness more each day. Yet, each new development shows a tiny bit more of your sweet personality. With each change you become even more fun and delightful.

Bath time is one of your favorite parts of the day. You would be content to splash your tiny feet in the bath all day long. I love to have a sweet-smelling, warm, snuggly baby to cuddle after bath time. Putting those two facts together means you enjoy a lot of baths! You get all excited and kick and squeal when you see me getting the bath ready for you.

I still love to tote you around in the Maya wrap. I love having you close to me while I shop or work around the house, and you are a big fan of it too. Just look at how adorable you are! No wonder so many people stop to talk to me and coo at you when I carry you this way. You are irresistible!

You are quite a talented Bumbo-er. You feel like a big boy when you sit at one end of our table during dinner. Your core is getting stronger as you practice being up-right.

You and Nosy. That Boy can not get enough of you. He holds you, fetches toys for you, washes off your mimi, covers you with blankets, plays with you. Before you even know you have a need, he has anticipated the need and met it. He adores you. He wants to be by you all the time. Sometimes it bothers you when he is loud or a little too rough, but just know that you have no greater fan than Noah. He would do anything for you.

This video represents something you have been doing for a few months now but that I know will not last forever. It is so endearing. When I put you in your bed to quiet down for sleep, you stroke your sheets in a circular motion until you drift off to dreamland. If someone is holding you, you stroke their shirt to fall asleep. It is sweet. It is also a cue for me that you are sleepy. When the stroking starts, I better stick you in bed pretty quickly!

You are becoming more fun and interactive all the time. You can hold toys now and play with rattles. You enjoy a little game of peek-a-boo. The Boys love to play with you and try to make you laugh. What fun you are, Tiny Jones!

You are such a joy, Jonah. Sometimes I still can't believe you are ours, that God has seen fit to bless us with such an amazing, awesome little son. I love you more than you'll ever know.