New Year's Eve

Happy New Year's Eve!

We had a pretty laid back New Year's Eve this year - traditionally, we'd go out to eat and then come back home to play games, watch movies and ring in the New Year with fireworks. This year, Ben and I stayed home for dinner and we invited our small group friends over for snacks, desserts, {drinks!} and games. It was so nice to just stay in! The guys played tons of matches {last I heard it was over 70} on Street Fighter on the Wii, and the rest of us were stomped in Balderdash and Scattergories by David {and Erin}.

Before we got started with any games though, Jadyn and Noah played some of their own:

Jadyn trying to get Ben.... and Noah trying to get to Matt {or perhaps trying to get out?}.

Just after midnight, enjoying the champagne:

Happy New Year!

Craft Day

We finally had a craft day this afternoon and it was MUCH needed! Stephanie and I were the main crafters today, but throughout the day {and night!}, almost every gal in our small group came over... some to craft and some to just chat and fellowship. We had a blast and even the boys got into the fun... though they didn't craft, they played Wii {of course!}.

Stephanie very graciously posed for a picture after taking a break from scrapbooking to crochet. :)


She also brought her Cricut and oh my goodness! I'm definitely saving up for one of those now!! They are so much fun! The "Merry Christmas" was cut using the Cricut - so neat! Thanks for letting us play with it Stephanie!

Monkey-Butt

We often times call Noah a Monkey-Butt. Why? I've no clue.

But it's funny and it's stuck. And there have even been songs written about it. And now, thanks to his Grandma and Grandpa Haze's birthday present {or Christmas present, I can't remember now which box it came in!}, he really will be a Monkey-Butt!! :)

Thank you!

Hugs and Kisses

We made it back home....

but not without some last minute....

hugs and kisses.

Can't wait to see ya'll again soon!

One Year Ago

Almost as much as I've been looking forward to his birthday, I've been looking forward to this date - one year ago today, my baby came home. One year ago, we finally got to bring him home, to stay with us. No more NICU touch times, no more nurses watching over our shoulders. No more hours wasted waiting in the hospital cafeteria or driving on the LA freeways. And while nothing compares to the moment that I first laid eyes on him, the moment that Ben finally got to take him out of the carseat at our home comes in a very, very close second. We love you little one.

***

Look what I finally caught on film! Noah has been taking several little steps lately, but never at moments when I or anyone else has a camera handy. So when Mom and BB were "making" him walk, I grabbed the camera to capture it on video and YAY! Good job Noah!! Mommy and Daddy {and everyone else here!} are so proud of you!

***

This afternoon, we spent some time with Grami and Papa Snow... needless to say, Noah enjoyed playing with Grami's toys, crawling and walking around to everyone and just exploring. And I'm pretty sure that Grami and Papa Snow enjoyed watching him do it all!

I'm so glad we got to spend a little extra time with ya'll today! :) We love you and thank you so much for the firewood!

Christmas Lights and More

Ben, Mom, and Daddy-Man braved the after-Christmas sales this morning - Noah and I, on the other hand, stayed at home in hopes of getting a little sleep... evidently, the child thinks that getting up early every morning while we're on vacation is fun! {I believe that he thinks that the sooner he gets up, the sooner he'll get to play with everyone!} After Wal-mart and Target had been marked off the list, they came back to the house and we headed for lunch at the mall. We didn't find too much: Ben got a new pair of shoes and we found a couple of shirts for Noah. We then headed for a visit with Aunt Marsha and Uncle Mike! We even got to see Brenda and her husband, Chad, since they came into town for Christmas.

Noah had so much fun playing with Aunt Marsha and Uncle Mike.

Spending a little time with Cousin Brenda while Chad looks on.

***

After dinner, we all went down to Bricktown to see the Christmas light display along the canal. I really wanted to visit Chickasha, but since it was a {slightly} long drive and nearing Noah's bedtime, we decided that Bricktown would be our best {walk-through} bet. And, while it wasn't the greatest light display we'd ever seen, it was nice to get out, spend some time together, and just go for a walk. :)

The view from the bridge

The Silly Ones :)

Noah slept the entire time that I carried him, but as soon as Ben took him....

he was wide awake and enjoying the lights.

Shutterfly Update

Shutterfly is updated with November's pictures... and also with our family portraits! We had a local photographer, Caroline Joy, take family portraits for us and I absolutely love the way they turned out. Email or comment me if you need the password. Take a look and enjoy!

{I'm not sending out an email update because I'll be updating with December's pictures soon, so I'll send one then.}

Christmas Day

Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday Dear Jesus!

Noah woke up early this morning {though, I'm not quite sure that it was because he thought that Santa had visited him}. We spent the morning playing, laughing, Skyping, and watching Tiny Toons on DVD!

Noah was so excited when he realized that his Retro Rocket was out of the packaging and ready to blast off!

He and Papa had a lot of fun playing with it.

They also enjoyed playing with Papa's remote-controlled Lighting McQueen!

***

After everyone got ready {and the food was ready too!}, we loaded up in the cars and headed over to Grami and Papa's for Christmas dinner/lunch. We had way too much food and even more fun! Here's just a few of the pictures from the afternoon:

BB and Amanda

Andy {I think this might be my new favorite picture of him}

Erin and Megan {Mae-Mae}

Philip showing us his mad dancing skills:


Proof that the boys can be sweet:

Noah, wishing he could take the wrapping off of the {very delicious!} chocolate snowman that Uncle T and Aunt Bettina sent from Germany

We were all pretty tired when we got home from Grami and Papa Snow's house, everyone, that is, except for Noah. He was ready to play!



Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas Eve!

Ben, Noah, and I loaded up the truck last night and started on our way to Oklahoma this morning. We're so excited and happy to be here! In keeping with tradition, we all got ready and headed to FBC Moore for the candlelight Christmas Eve service. I've always loved this portion of the evening - hearing the Christmas story, singing carols and hymns, and taking the Lord's Supper. Noah loved the candles and was even a little upset that he didn't get to have his candle lit {he showed his to Mommy and the man sitting behind us to try to get us to light it for him... maybe next year kiddo}.

Morgan, Michael, and Aunt KK before the service started:

Grami and Papa always attend the Christmas Eve Service with us too!

Afterwards, we headed back to Mom and Daddy-Man's for snacks and presents. Noah was pretty tired, but once he realized that he got to open up gifts, he was pretty alert!

My adorable sisters :)

My loving parents {even after 32 years!}

Even though he was very tired, he has gotten the hang of opening presents!

Though, eventually, he was just overtired and wasn't sure where to go or what to do next.

The big hit of the evening though, was the Radio Flyer Retro Rocket from Nana and Papa. Too bad he didn't get to stay up until it was put together!

Merry Christmas Eve!

Peanut Butter

Who knew that such peanut buttery goodness could be used for something besides sandwiches and cookies?

I had got a flask as a stocking stuffer for Ben, but when I went to wash it last night, it had one of those labels on it that is sticky and leaves a bad reside. I let it soak over night in hot, soapy water, but it still wouldn't come off! In desperation, I turned to the Internet. I found all sorts of ideas, like lighter fluid {um, no.} and rubbing alcohol {which we are out of}. One of the websites that I found suggested putting some peanut butter on it and letting it sit for a few hours.

Peanut butter? Really? Really.

And it REALLY works! Check it out:

So, there you go - your tip for the day! :)

***

And, because the day isn't complete without a picture {or two} of Noah, here's a few of his first bath in the sink!

Who's on the Phone Noah?

This is what happens when you ask Noah, "Who's on the phone?"...

Of course, this also happens too...

A Small Group Christmas

Tonight we continued to celebrate the Christmas season with our small group. After we ate dinner {seriously, Lacey, I need that Santa Fe Chicken soup recipe.... I'm already having withdrawals!}, we played The Office DVD board game until David arrived, and yay! Erin and I won! {Though, I think technically, it was Ben and Stephanie... Katy, I think she would give you a real run for your money on The Office trivia knowledge!}

The boys had a rum tasting this time....

{I love the goofy expressions on Matt and Ben's faces}

When they sampled the Captain Morgan's, it was required that they do the "pose" first.

After the guys finished the tasting, we played Dirty Santa.... I was number one, which meant that I got to choose first, and OF COURSE I chose the gift wrapped in the Princess Unicorn doll wrapping paper. {Sorry non-Office fans... you might not understand.}

But it was the gift that Stephanie opened up that I ended going home with.... a laundry basket full of food that April and Jordan would never eat!

However, the two gifts that made me laugh the hardest:

A {slightly-annoying-yet-loved-by-all-the-small-group-kiddos} Little Mermaid singing necklace and Blind Dog.

Merry Christmas Dear Small Group! We hope to celebrate many more with all of you!