Thursday, December 28, 2006

First Haircut, First Birthday, and Second Christmas...

The past week was quite busy for us. Not only did we have all the usual holiday business to take care of, but we had family, haircuts, and parties to handle. It all sort of blurred together by the end, but we had a blast.

Liam got his first haircut on his birthday. We set his booster seat up on the lanai (Hawaiian for patio) and distracted him with a biscuit while Katie went to work. She did a great job considering that in a way, this was her first haircut too. This was yet another one of those bittersweet moments for us. We were excited to check another “first” off of the list, but he looked so grown up afterwards.

We decided to have Liam’s party on the day after his actual birthday so that it would fit better into everyone’s schedule. Saturdays are almost always better than weekdays for parties. We arrived a couple of hours before the official start time I order to get set up. We needed every minute of that extra time. We got all the decorations put up just in time for the first party goers to arrive. Around 30 people (adults and kids) showed up. We ate burgers and hotdogs and cake and played in the ocean and much fun was had by all. Liam received an obscene amount of presents and was not too fond of the cake. It turns out that our not giving him sweets this past year has made his sweet tooth a little slow in developing…stay tuned for that update.

Christmas came with much less fanfare and hassle. We grilled steaks and opened presents on Christmas Eve. By this time Liam was starting to get the hang of opening presents, but he was still much more interested the paper than the presents that it contained. The next morning Liam woke up and got to see what Santa Claus had left for him (a wagon and one of those popcorn popper push toy things).

Katie’s folks left Christmas night (the tickets were much cheaper that way) and we have been doing our best to sit around and do nothing ever since….except for taking down all the Christmas decorations…and cleaning the house…and being tempted by the “After Christmas Clearance Sales.”

We hope that the holidays found you all in good health and good spirits. Best wishes for the New Year. Thanks for staying tuned in for all the happenings of this past year. We have really enjoyed sharing our lives with you and hope to continue to do so in the coming year.

Before.
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During.
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After.
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Twins? You be the judge.
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The banner says it all.
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Men doing manly things.
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"I'm ready to open my presents now Mom."
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"Yay, balloons!"
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Mmmm, cake.
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Eva is one pooped partier.
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A little mid-party nap with Tutu.
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The view from the party.
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A fine place from which to watch the festivities.
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You never know what might find on our beaches.
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This is what happens when you party too much.
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A quick stop on the way home from the party. (note the tired face on the Birthday Boy)
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"No, there is no room for anyone else."
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Sleepy time with Papaw Kimo.
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Family photo time.
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Just another day in paradise.
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Surrounded by presents!
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He is an old pro at unwrapping presents at this point.
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Notice how the box for the "Must Have Toy" is more fun than the actual toy.
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Wagons are fun!
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This is the backdrop for our walks.
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