"We love because He first loved us." - 1 John 4:19

Monday, March 17, 2014

Happy Birthday Henry!!!



Our little Buddy, Henry, turned 2 years old on February 22nd!  The following weekend we held a small party at home to celebrate.  In attendance were Mommy, Daddy, Nicholas, Grace, Grandma, Grandpa, and the whole Boyle family.  We chose an Elmo theme since Henry loves Elmo (even though he's never seen Sesame Street, the Elmo apps are his favorite on our i phones).  The menu included some of his favorite foods (mac 'n cheese, strawberries, vegi straws).  Daddy grilled hotdogs and hamburgers and made homemade ice-cream, while Mommy made the cake.  Henry was so excited for his birthday this year and was talking about having an Elmo cake for several weeks before and after the event.  He sang Happy Birthday to himself with everyone and clapped in excitement afterward!  Happy Birthday sweetheart!

This was a fun cake to make.

Thanks to Pinterest for the idea, this was a fun fruit tray to make too.

Nicholas and Grace wanted to help decorate so here is Nicholas' contribution....

And here is Grace's handiwork :-)

Some of the kiddos enjoying the party

Our sweet birthday boy!
Grandma and Grandpa even brought along some new Cardinal hats for Nicholas and Grace.


Here is Henry showing us that he is "2"

Happy Birthday Henry!  We love you!

Henry is 2 Years Old!!!!!



Henry, at two years old, you are still known for being a smiling, happy little guy every where you go.  This past year has been a complete joy for us to see you grow, learn and explore!  Here are some details of what you've learned and what you like at age 2:

* You love to sing and frequently sing the ABC song, Twinkle Little Star, and "I wish I could fly" with your singing penguin...one of your favorite toys.

*  You can count to 15 all by yourself...and you learned how to by yourself too...you just started counting at breakfast one morning and we were all amazed.

*  You recognize letter H and know it starts your name.

* You weigh 26 lb 1 oz and are 33 in tall.  You wear 24 month clothing.

* You love to read books together.  Some of your favorites right now are "Trains", "Where's Spot," and "Pete the Cat."

*  You are very attached to your blankie and always sleep with it.  You are also very attached to Mommy.  You still cry (but not for long) every time she leaves and always prefer Mommy to do things for you rather than other anyone else.

*  You absolutely love to be outside!  You mostly like playing with mulch, leaves and dirt, more than toys or bikes.  Your favorite thing has been to "rake the grass" with your little rake but now that you received your own leaf blower for your birthday, your absolute favorite thing to do is to play with your "blow leafer"  as you call it :-)

*  You are quite a talker and seem to talk all day non stop.  You repeat everything Nicholas and Grace say.  You are good about saying "excuse me, Mommy," when you want to tell me something but aren't real patient about waiting your turn to talk.

* You can identify a circle easily, but still get triangle and square mixed up at times.

*  You can drink from a regular cup on your own, and do well using a fork and a spoon.

* You use both hands, but strongly favor the left hand....we think you may be a lefty like Daddy!

*  You love to color (scribble) and make pictures for us.

* In addition to keeping the yard clean outside with your rake, you love to sweep and vacuum the floors inside.  You feelings get hurt if I don't let you join in whenever I sweep the floor.

* You have a very big appetite and always seem to be saying "I'm Hungry" even if you just ate.

* You nap well (2-2.5 hrs) each day.  Night time sleep is not as sound.  You seem to dream a lot and talk a lot in your sleep which often wakes yourself up.

*  Every night after bath, heading to the reading room for prayers, you love to join arms with Nicholas and Grace and sing what you all have made up and called "The Buddy Song."  It is so cute and you are so proud as you sing "we are the buddies" with your big brother and sister.

*  You love to be the center of attention and often say "watch this guys."

*  You love to play "follow the leader" and sing along as you do.

*  You say "I Love You Dad (or Mom)" or "I Love You Much" several times to us throughout the day spontaneously, and always as you are going to bed.  It just melts our hearts!

We love you Henry!  Happy Birthday!



"Snowmagedon 2"


In the second week of February, we had our SECOND snow storm this winter!  What a crazy winter for Georgia!  We had about an inch of ice followed by 1-2 inches of snow on top of the ice.  Once again, the city was shut down for several days, however thankfully this time all were prepared and there were no stories of people stranded like in the last storm.  Shawn had a couple days off work and we enjoyed the down time as a family, playing games, watching movies, and of course playing in the snow.  We even made a real snowman this time, much to the kids excitement!

Baby Kieran's Baptism + Family Visit = Happy Weekend!

Shawn's niece Rachel and her husband Colin welcomed their son, Kieran O'Reilley, into the Church as a child of God in mid February.  The baptism was held at Colin's home parish, nearby in Marietta, GA.  So not only were we thrilled to be able to celebrate with them, but also were happy to host a number of Pinto family members in our home for the weekend.  What a joyous occasion!

What a lovely family!  Congratulations to all of you!

A proud grandmother, Peri, poses with her new grandson on his big day!

The Harris children were so sweet holding little Kieran.

As usual, our little social butterfly Henry enjoyed the company of all the family.  Here he is posing with cousin Kaitlin.

Here he is with cousins William and Jane.

Nicholas and Hugh were fast buddies for the weekend.  They particularly enjoyed having a sleepover together in their sleeping bags and playing Ninja Turtles together.


Jane and Henry were such a cute little pair together too :-)


Cousins cuddled for a photo

Cousins being silly for a photo

Lots of love from Nana!!!  What a great weekend!