Half a Dozen Halpins

Photo Session

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Fri, 26 Feb 2016 04:05:00 +0000

My amazing friend and photographer took the BEST pics of our family of 6 right before Christmas. Megan Williams Photography is awesome. I love every picture so much and I had a hard time picking just one for our Christmas card. Having photos of our family of 6 has been a dream of mine for the past five years and it finally came true. We are complete.

Daddy's Little Handyman

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Fri, 26 Feb 2016 03:35:00 +0000

The main focus of the trip was to spend time with Annie. So we would spend the morning and the afternoon at the Transition Home. One morning we got there and she was wearing a shirt that said "Daddy's Little Handyman". It was really funny. Her personality really started to come out on this day. I seriously cannot believe it has been a year. These days at the transition home are still so fresh on my mind. This girl has changed so much though. She is now healthy and thriving.

Another day at the TH

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Thu, 25 Feb 2016 03:24:00 +0000

The day we met you

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 03:23:00 +0000

This is a day I will never forget. It was a day we had been waiting for for so long. I imagined this moment in my mind for years and years. We were completely exhausted as we had just arrived in Addis on a 17 hour flight. We didn't want to waste a moment meeting our baby girl. I cannot even describe the emotions. She was so tiny. We spent the afternoon with her and then went back to the guesthouse for a little rest and then to dinner at a traditional Ethiopian Restaurant. It was the most perfect day!

Beautiful Baby

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Sat, 20 Feb 2016 19:03:00 +0000

Another adoptive momma was in Ethiopia a week before we traveled and she took the most beautiful pictures of our tiny girl. I will forever be thankful for these pictures. I cried when I saw these because I knew that she would officially be ours in just a few days!

Last Day as Family of 5- One year ago

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Sat, 20 Feb 2016 19:00:00 +0000

This day was so bittersweet. I was going to leave my boys for an indefinite amount of time. It could be months before I held them again. So many emotions. I was torn between the excitement of holding Annie and leaving my world. All the bags were packed and it was a day to just have fun as a family. It started of with yummy Kolaches and donuts.

Then we headed to the local zoo....AKA the pet store. My kids think this is great fun!

Then off to downtown Dallas for a good time! We had never taken the boys to reunion tower, and we wanted to make the day memorable. It was really fun!

Then, off to Angy Dog for some yummy lunch. You can't beat a big hot dog covered in chili! I knew my future consisted of Ramen Noodles, so why not indulge on some good ole' american food!

After lunch, the boys dropped me off at my work. My sweet co-workers had thrown together a beautiful shower for me in just a few days and it was AMAZING! I never had time to thank each one of them for the gifts and the shower. Everything happened so quickly. But, I am so thankful for each one of them. We came home with so many diapers that a year later, I still have so many boxes. They have all been such a support for me through this whole adoption process. I have no pictures, because I either lost them or did not take any...I don't even know. But, it was pink and PERFECT and I am so thankful for them.

Let the Memories Start Flowing

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 17:56:00 +0000

Recording life has taken a major backseat. To say life has been overwhelming and hard might be an understatement. But, I love to have things written down. Not for others, but for us to be able to look back and remember. So, I am going to attempt to go back and record some of the things that happened a year ago as we prepared and brought Annie home. A few days before, I was at work, the same exact spot I was when we got our referral. I saw the number on my phone and ran out of the room. The letter that we had been waiting for had finally arrived. Almost 8 months had passed. It was supposed to only take 3-4. But, ADOPTION...nothing goes as it is supposed to. But, it finally happened. It was completely unexpected as our date for the letter to be written was a week away. My co-workers, who are also some of my very best friends, were there and were able to rejoice with me. They have been such a rock and prayed me through some very hard times. We were told that it could take a week to find out our court date and we would probably travel in a few weeks. This was a Friday. On Monday, I was in the BSF leadership circle and we were closing up for the day and my phone rang. I ran out into the hall and it was our court date. I was shaking...the time had FINALLY COME. We would FINALLY go get our daughter. And, we would be leaving in 5 DAYS... 5! 5 days to pack for and indefinite amount of time. 5 days to get all the kids packed to be with grandparents for at least 10 days....EEK! PANIC MODE! I mean, I had only 5 years notice to get my stuff together. Procrastination is a gift! Annie, we are coming for you!!!!

Sleep!

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Fri, 10 Jul 2015 03:19:00 +0000

For 4 months, we have put hours and hours into rocking this cute little girl to sleep. For bedtime, we usually spent at least an hour of rocking. But, guess what? This girl is going to sleep ALL BY HERSELF now! Way to go, baby girl! She always wakes up in the morning with a huge smile on her face and crazy hair!

Six Flags

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 03:16:00 +0000

While Joel is away, I have tried to have something fun for us to do everyday. Since we have Six Flags passes, I thought it would be fun to go one day. My sister agreed to keep Annie for the day, so off we went. We had such a fun day. It was cloudy and cool and it wasn't really crowded. We got to ride so many rides. They loved riding all the wet rides, so we spent a lot of our time sopping wet! Elliot usually likes to stick with the little kid rides, but with only one adult on this trip, he was forced to step it up and ride some big rides. He was very brave and even rode his first big roller coaster. It was a fun day with my boys! And, Annie had a great time with my sister too!

Happy Referral Day

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 22:41:00 +0000

I am so behind. Life has been CRAZY with a tiny, busy toddler in the house. I hope to one day soon post about Ethiopia and life since we have been home, but until then, Happy Referral Day! I cannot believe it has been a year since we finally got the call for our tiny 5 month old baby girl. The emotions of that day are still so fresh. And now, she's home, growing like a weed and not so tiny anymore. Every day I am in disbelief that she is actually here. She keeps us on our toes, but she is adored and loved so much.

Then

NOW

Happy Hand, Foot and Mouth

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Sun, 05 Jul 2015 03:01:00 +0000

Tuesday, Elliot came down with a fever, but by the end of the day, he was fine and we continued our Camp Elliot plans. On Thursday, we met friends for breakfast and he was complaining of an itchy foot. It looked like he had a bunch of ant bites. The next day, he had a rash all over his feet, hands and his mouth. It clicked immediately. This kid has hand, foot and mouth disease. UGH! Contagious for an annoying amount of time! (And, sadly, he gave it to his friend we had breakfast with). So, while Joel is off to Peru and everyone is showing of their darling red, white and blue fourth of July pics, we are stuck in doors with HFMD! No sparklers, no swimming, no hot dogs. Just an annoying virus to ruin our plans. We sported our jammies all day, ate whatever we had in the pantry and watched movies all day. Good times had by all!

Camp Elliot

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Tue, 30 Jun 2015 03:09:00 +0000

This week, Oliver, Joel and Clayton were away at different camps, so we decided to have Camp Elliot. Day One, he wanted to go to the Lego store and spend his birthday money. He had been trying to decide what to spend it on for weeks and he finally decided he wanted to get the Lego Firestation.

He spent the whole day building it all by himself. I was so proud of him!

Day two he had a check-up and Miss Annie got three shots. At his appointment, the doctor said that Elliot felt a little warm, but he took his temp and he was fine and we thought nothing of it. We then headed to the splash park where we met Hudson. Elliot kept complaining that he was freezing cold in the water and was shivering. When we got home, he had fever and was throwing up. BUMMER for Camp Elliot.

The next day, he was all better (so we thought) We waited until the evening and continued with our plans to go to Hurricane Harbor. This is one of his favorite places. It was a little tough keeping up with him and Annie all by myself, but I managed. We had a fun evening there.

The next day, we met some friends for breakfast and ended our camp Elliot by welcoming the rest of the family back home. I think Elliot enjoyed having a week of fun kind of to himself. We got to spend the evenings together after Annie went to bed. Even though he got sick, it was still a fun week with my little guy (and gal).

First trip to the ER

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Mon, 11 May 2015 18:53:00 +0000

Poor tiny girl. It was my second week back at work and I had a really busy day. I called Joel at 6pm and I could hear a horrible sound over the phone. It was Annie struggling to breath. She had horrible stridor. Our neighbor came over that is a nurse and assessed the situation and told Joel she needed to be seen. So, I left work and met him at the urgent care. They assessed her and gave her some steroids and told us we needed to be seen in the ER. She had croup. She had to have a breathing treatment and was so much better after that. It was so scary watching her struggle to breathe. I month home and already visiting the ER.

Last Ethiopian Sunset

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 18:49:00 +0000

From the rooftop of the guesthouse, we could watch the most beautiful sunset over Addis. This is how we spent our last night in Ethiopia. I was so thankful to have Joel with me and I was so thankful that we were heading home.

Meanwhile in TEXAS

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Tue, 24 Feb 2015 10:56:00 +0000

SNOW! Missing these guys like crazy! We are so thankful for an AWESOME Gigi that kept these boys for a really long time!

The Day We Met You (Day 3)

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 10:35:00 +0000

We arrived in Ethiopia around 10 am and the driver took us to the guesthouse to drop off our things and then we headed straight to lunch with the rest of the group. It was so fun to meet all the families that have walked this journey with me. We ate at a greek restaurant and then after that we headed to the Transition Home to meet our baby girl. It is hard to even describe the emotion of seeing her. It seemed so surreal. We were holding our daughter. We had several hours to spend with her and she did great. She smiled and we fed her and gave her a bottle. After we left, we went to a cultural Ethiopian dinner and we were exhausted. Jet lag had caught up to us in a big way. I took so many pictures that I cannot even begin to put them all here.

Ethiopia Travel Diaries Day 2

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 09:48:00 +0000

I have been dreading blogging about my days in Ethiopia. Not because it has been bad, but it is just so much. So much to process and so much that I really cannot put into words. So, I am going to attempt to just get what I can written down.

Today was a day of flying. We woke up to more snow and our flight was delayed by several hours, but it was still ago and an answer to prayer. I could not believe we were flying across the world to finally meet our daughter. We were finally about to meet the little girl we have been on our knees praying for. We would finally hold her and she would officially be ours. I would cry on and off on the flight just in disbelief of the whole thing. It was a long flight and very hard to sleep, so we arrived in Addis exhausted.

Ethiopia Travel diaries day 1

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 03:33:00 +0000

Whew! This day has been a crazy one! We got up early, packed up about 10 suitcases, and headed to the in-laws to drop off the boys for ten days. This was the hardest part for me. Leaving them for a month is not easy for me! But, we got to the airport and we are ready to head to Dulles in Washington, D.C. We noticed that many if the flights were being cancelled because of weather and that was a little worrisome, but our flight was ago.

Until right before take off. On the Tarmac. We were told that we would sit for an hour and then either go, or head back to the terminal. We were frantically trying to get ahold of our travel agent and finally got an alternate flight.

But, to our surprise, it was a go!

This is what we flew into! Huge snowy blizzard! Awesome!

Even better, our plane exited on the little stairs straight into the cold. We shook it off and took it as part of the adventure!

But then, getting to the hotel became a nightmare. No one was getting out of dc for the night, so everyone was catching a shuttle or a cab. The snow was so pretty coming down, but it was causing a mess! After 4 hours sitting at the airport, we finally had someone pick us up and take us to the hotel. And to make a long story short, the hotel Restaraunt closed for the night so we finally got Chinese around 10 pm.

We did take a small hike in the snow for some treats. Why should I expect the journey to be without twists and turns. It's been this way from the get go! I should just embrace it and enjoy the ride! Right? Praying our flight takes of in the morning. We are coming Annie!!!!

New boys' rooms

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Fri, 23 Jan 2015 22:41:00 +0000

We decided it was time for Clayton to have his own room. So as usual, my Dad and Mom come to the rescue. My Dad that can do anything and my Mom that can design anything were on it. They came up with an amazing design for loft beds for Oliver and Elliot that made them super excited to share a room. I am always blown away that my Dad doesn't need any blueprints or directions, he just does it. We are so thankful for him. He worked every single weekend for months getting these rooms done. It is so hard to get it all in pictures, but it turned out perfect. And Clayton thinks he hit the lottery. In true teen fashion, he likes to close his door and be ALONE. We are annoying to him! Ha!

I found this deer head at Round Top and knew I wanted it above Clayton's bed. I had a bunch of wood and some stain, so I was able to make it look really cool.

Clayton put all of this together. He hung the shelves and put all of his legos up.

He got this neat locker for Christmas from my Mom.

And I found this old printing press drawer at Round Top for his lego mini figures. I love how both rooms turned out. Next update is my room. We have never had a nice bedroom, so it is time!

Annie's room

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Fri, 23 Jan 2015 20:04:00 +0000

This room was just an extension of our master bedroom. There were french doors to this room from our master, but that was the only entrance. Kind of a hidden room. It was Joel's office for awhile, but the people that built this house did not really have usable space in mind. When we knew we were going to adopt, my Dad immediately figured out what we could do with this room. My Dad can do anything. So, he opened up a door in the hallway, closed in the door in our bedroom and voila. We now have a fourth bedroom. The walls had to be textured and we needed new carpet, and of course PINK walls, but it is beautiful and I could not love it any more. My sister bought us this beautiful crib and she gave us the furniture 4 years ago. I just painted it white. My sweet friend, Sheri, made the curtains and the bedskirt for her crib and I seriously cried when I saw them. They are perfect and everything I had dreamed of. The finishing touches are not added yet. We still need pictures and curtains hung. But, otherwise, it's ready for our baby girl.

My Favorite Picture EVER!

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Fri, 23 Jan 2015 14:22:00 +0000

Randomness of 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 20:34:00 +0000

Christmas Day

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Thu, 25 Dec 2014 19:16:00 +0000

This is where my photography goes down hill. I forgot to take pictures of the day and forgot to take them the rest of our Christmas celebrating. Oh, well. We have the memories. Christmas was strange this year because part of the Halpin family was sick still and so we had to reschedule Christmas with Gigi and Grandpa until Sunday. It was so sad. But, we had the whole day to just relax and just hang out together. We actually slept in. I got up early to make homemade cinnamon rolls. They were AMAZING, but next year I might just stick with pillsbury. Really, that's it. That's our day. Lots of lego building and hot wheel track building and video game playing. On Sunday, we went over to Gigi and Grandpa's house and had a wonderful celebration with them.

Christmas Eve

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Wed, 24 Dec 2014 19:10:00 +0000

Christmas Eve. We spend this day with my family. I absolutely think this picture of Elliot is hilarious....that kid....nuts...My mom's love language is gifts just like mine and she puts so much thought into each gift and how she will present each gift. She loves giving and is so generous. We had such a great day celebrating and we are so blessed.

Eoce

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Tue, 23 Dec 2014 14:25:00 +0000

Our church does an Eve Of Christmas Eve service and it is one of the highlights of the Christmas Season. I LOVE it. Our worship leader, Joey, works so hard on planning this every year and I knew it would not disappoint. But, after a fun day at Six Flags and dinner at Sweet Tomato on the 22nd, it all went down hill. FAST! Oliver got the worst stomach bug of all time. I have never seen such a sight. And of course, this always happens when our church has something important going on and Joel CANNOT get sick. So, I was in it alone. Clayton came down with it a few hours later. I am so thankful for facetime because my mom let me see the whole service. And, so thankful that we were all well by Christmas Eve.