Christmas Past...

Time for a catch-up post!!!!!  Ah, thanks for the enthusiasm!  LOVE you guys....  Anywhoo, here we go!

Our first Christmas with the babies was an absolutely MAGICAL time.  That whole winter and early spring we spent all day everyday feeding them, changing their little patooties, and getting very little sleep.  And we NEVER left the house with them, except for doctors appointments and their once a month RSV vaccination (which I am SOOOOOO thankful that they received...).  My mom stayed with us until December 17th and then she flew home to be with Dad for Christmas and to actually LIVE there again. :)

Christmas preparations were kept at a minimum since no one really had the energy to do great big things.  By some miracle (probably named KaraLee Stephenson!) we decorated a tree and made a few sugar cookies.  I was so happy when I picked out and ordered 2 new stockings for our mantel.  Looking back, I'm so glad that we spent that first Christmas just snuggled together in our warm home while Noah and the babies just loved on each other.

It was all I wanted for Christmas. 

A few highlights...

Here's Peppermint Pipsqueak and Holly Jolly Liam!!!!

Xio reacting to Daddy's winter beard. :)

Noah reacting to the Cookie Boobs... (Go HERE if you don't know what I'm talking about.)

Naps, naps, naps....

Christmas at our home

We printed some new family pictures and Noah helped to make ornaments.  They are still some of my favorites and I used them again this last year.  

The Babes' first little hand print ornaments

Christmas Jams!!!!

Christmas Eve

Daddy reading the Christmas story in Luke 2, and Liam sleeping soundly.

Noah's Christmas bum as he helps act out the story with the Little People manger scene, another Smith tradition. :)

A warm bottle while we listen...

Christmas morning!!!

Mmmmmmm.... Breakfast casserole.....

Christmas fell on a Sunday in 2011, if you remember, and we decided to take the little ones to church for the first time that day.  They didn't go back to church until the end of April after that because of RSV season, but we are glad that we went as a family for Christmas.  Then we all came home, ate, and took a NAP...

Again... Just what I wanted.

New View

Noah has a great new view on life... As of this last week, he is now the FIRST member of our little family to ever wear GLASSES!!!!

He is so excited, too.  I'm SOOOOOO glad that he thinks glasses are super cool and he feels really handsome when he wears them....

... which he IS.

It turns out that Noah actually has better than 20/20 vision up close, but seeing in the distance gives him a little trouble.  So Dr. Awesome Optometrist wants to give him a little help for now.  Dr. Awesome said that if Noes were to try to pass the eye exam to get a drivers license right now he would fail.  A funny thought since I can't get the fact that he's 6 out of my head!

Here's Dude waiting for the doc.

I LOVE the picture at the top.  I told Noah that he looked like Anakin in the pod race when the doctor checked his eyes with that doohickey.  I was grateful when the doc suggested that I take a picture so that Noah could see. :)

When the time came to choose his glasses, Noah walked up to the kids frames and looked straight up through 3 glass shelves to the very top.  And he spotted these:

And he was in LOVE.  And I have to admit that I was skeptical until he put them on his sweet little face, turned to the mirror and did THIS:

They are perfect for him.  Very edgy, but very classy.  I encouraged him to try on about 4 or 5 other pairs just for comparison.  He even said the he looked like "a professor" in one of them.  But we both knew that he'd found his perfect pair.

So now he's chomping at the bit to pick up his new glasses when they call and say that they are ready.

And I can't wait for his next new adventure. :)

Love,

Someone who's truly just happy to be next to this kid and call him mine.

@>->--

S - I - X

It's official... I have a 6 year old!!!  

That is SO completely crazy just typing that thought.

But it's true.  My first born has now entered the zone of being closer to 10 than he is to being a baby. Wow.

So we had to make this year a memorable one for sure.  Noah had his very first sleepover on his birthday with his best friend, Ryan.  It was action-packed, hamburger grillin', cake devourin', presents revealin', pirate tent sleepin', chocolate chip pancake cookin', Indiana Jones costume wearin' FUN.

Here's the dude:

Noah loading up the "mine cart" like in the Temple of Doom.  I guess that would make Xiomara the crazy blond singer Willie and Liam would be Short Round...

Even though he's on an Indiana Jones kick right now, Noah requested a Star Wars the Clone Wars birthday party.  I was a little surprised, but OK!  Little black "death stars" adorned the ceiling (and later his bedroom!).  The heavenly tablecloth was a big hit...

Here are the buds:

Dinner is served!  Noah requested his daddy's awesome hamburgers and fries.

Present time!

Caaaaaaaaaaaake.....

This is when the boys shouted out their requests for their first piece of cake.  Noah HAD to have Anakin... from right in the middle.  Kevin did some pretty fancy cake image navigation. :)

I'm a little surprised that the boys actually slept that night.  They relocated a few times and eventually ended up in Noah's bedroom.  Good enough!  Most of the relocation was due to some talk about a spider in the basement.  :)

Every good sleepover ends with an awesome breakfast.  Especially when it's Saturday morning at the Smith house.  Chocolate chip pancakes and sausage links...

The boys had a blast, the parents survived, the babies pretty much slept through the whole experience... And so did Abbie Mae.

Happy Birthday, Little Man!

We sure love you.

@>->--