Easter 2010

For Easter, we traveled to Minneapolis, and we had the great privilege to meet Noah's paternal birth grandparents. Alfred and Dorcas Iyobhebhe are truly nice people, and Noah will love getting to know them, and learn about his Nigerian heritage. (the little girl in the picture is the daughter of a dear friend of theirs, and she LOVED Noah, and wanted to always be near him).

They have embraced us as Noah's parents, and welcomed us into their extended family. There is so much rich history and heritage for Noah (and us) to learn from them. God has an amazing hand in our lives... turning an unplanned series of events into some rich blessings for many!

Noah has a new obsession with lotion... doesn't matter if it's a flowery hand cream from mommy's bathroom cupboard, or if it's his baby lotion... he loves to slather it on, and won't allow anyone to help him rub it in (needless to say, there are greasy doorknobs in my life now) ha. But this photo of him concentrating on his lotion application, really struck me ~ he is such an independent little soul. He's a strong individual, and his Grandpa Alfred thinks of "Lion of Juda" as Noah's special spirit. Neat, huh?

Stephanie and Nicki had an art project for Noah and his cousin Devon... to paint a pot for Grandma Karen's garden. I think Devon got more paint on his shirt than on the pot, but he and Noah had a good time outside creating for Grandma.

Everyone agreed that Noah may have been a clean painter, but his drinking and eating ability is far different. He's a Messy Marvin much of the time!!! That's part of being two, I suppose.

After the weekend, Noah and I went for a walk in the stroller. The warm temps we had enjoyed over the Easter weekend had vanished, and the chill in the air kicked up again. That didn't deter us from our walk, and Noah loved strolling around in his shades.

We hope you also have a bright and sunny stroll occasionally this spring, and get a chance to get out in the beauty of God's creation all around us. May your days be blessed with abundant smiles, and that you, too, can rejoice in the love of Christ shining through your heart.

Ed's trip to Beijing, China

Ed said that the Eagles Nest, the home of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics,

was as cool looking in person, as we all thought it was watching events there on TV

not too long ago. There wasn't a sporting event taking place inside,

but Ed went in to check it out anyway, and found it full of snow.

They had filled it with snow hills for kids to go there sledding and snow-sculpture making.

Although Ed was half-way across the world, he couldn't escape from the winter weather.

We were having blizzards back home in North Dakota while he was gone,

but at the same time they were shoveling the snow

out of the Beijing city streets. At least Ed didn't have to get too

homesick and miss all the fluffy fun.

The Chinese New Year was about to take place at the end of Ed's time there. He was supposed to be in China for work for 4 weeks, but knowing his final week would have been spent sitting in his hotel or participating in the local festivities, he opted to come home a week early (I had been having a horrible time while he was gone with everything from Noah with pneumonia to the vehicle breaking down). Below you can see lots of red festive decorations for the upcoming parties. Also, notice the extensive system of cables above the roadway... they use many cable cars for their mass transit in Beijing.

Ed poses in front of one of the Palaces at the Forbidden City in Beijing.

In his Beijing hotel, Ed was able to soak in the jetted bathtub,

while watching TV through the "window" from his bathroom into the sleeping area

of his hotel room. I think I'd have "privacy issues" with that,

but I guess that's what the mini blinds are for.

A very unique feature I'd never heard of before.

You can see where the Great Wall of China goes into the sea.

It's an amazing structure that defies comprehension...

it took over 1,000 years to construct, and to think of the tools

and techniques that must have been used all those years ago....

boggles the mind.
The Forbidden CityThe Great Wall of China

Ed hams it up for the camera on a golden horse statue at the Great Wall.

He wasn't the only one, his escorts and new friends from the LM Plant, China,

were also sitting on the statues, laughing at their antics.

Skiing with the Confirmation Kids

This weekend, I took the 8th grade confirmation class skiing (7 kids and myself), and we were ready to have a FABULOUS day!! The forecast was for a perfect day of low 30's, no wind, and the sun was shining brightly! Ben got his snowboard buckled on, and hit the slopes.

I was able to catch him at the bottom of the hill for a quick pose

before he headed back to the chair-lift for more fun.
The afternoon was cut short, because one of his tumbles on the board was more than just landing in the snow... he landed hard on his left wrist. Unfortunately, I was already at the emergency room with one of the other kids that twisted her knee pretty bad, so Ben had to wait at the chalet for a bit while I tended to his classmate. I got her taken care of, returned to the ski resort, just to pick up Ben and return with him to the ER.
Thankfully they were fairly quick, and in just a couple short hours, we were back out the door with a cd of the drays to share with our doctor later this week. There doesn't appear to be a definitive break, but the navicular (sp?) bone may be fractured, and apparently that is a tricky situation, calling for further attention (time will tell).

Despite the unplanned end to Ben's day, he had fun with his friends, and the final photo was taken at the church parking lot snow hill, where there were tired smiles from all the guys. I hope the day spent at the hospital isn't an indication of what any future trip would hold, but I think the kids would all go back in a heartbeat...

and maybe I could get a few runs down the hills myself next time.

I guess that was simply a lesson to the kids that

even the best planned outings can have unexpected things come up.

We all just have to make the best of it,

and try to get the most out of every day that the Lord gives us.

Celebrating 2!

Happy Birthday Dear Noah, Happy Birthday to you!! Noah actually tried to blow out his candles (both of them) but just didn't get the hang of it (of course Ben was nearby to help blow them out).

We laughed and tickled all afternoon! Noah was having SUCH a great time!!

I think this is one of my all-time favorite pictures of Noah! It truly captures his amazing eyes, his gentle smile, and just how much of a blessing he is in our lives! It's hard to believe that this beautiful little boy can have moments of terrible temper tantrums and tears. It's the joyous moments like the one captured here that make all the difference in the world... reminds me of what's really important, and keeps me focused on the bigger picture in life! God is so good!!!
Noah sits with Grandma Karen, looking up at the birthday balloon that got away (only to the ceiling in the family room... still retrievable, thankfully). This picture looks so dreamy and precious... that's an accurate summary of the birthday weekend~ precious!

We tried to capture the overall pulse of the day with a family photo... you can see that the center of attention was NOT wanting to stop the hockey playing to pose for the camera. This is a glimpse of how a 2 year old really does have moments of reality (tantrums, ha), that remind us to cherish the better moments when we can.

Matt's Performance!!! Bravo

Matt is having a phenomenal first year in college! He's finding his niche and able to expand on his passions.... the arts!
He was cast in a fabulous dance production which was a series of dance numbers, all with different themes. This was the only one that I was able to copy pictures from, but it truly was one of the most amazing performances I've ever seen. Matt was the only male, and his strength and talent was top notch! (seen above, back, right,catching the girl).

Since the audience isn't allowed to take photos, I had to rely on copying some of the pictures that the cast had taken from back stage (that's why the stage lights are glaring). Matt's the one huddled on the right above.

In this shot above, you can get a sense of Matt's core strength, as he lifts another dancer in perfect rhythm with the music, adding to the overall tempo and grace of the dance.

Matt has so much fun with the cast, and all the great people that together make up the Theater & Dance Department in the School of Fine Arts at UMD (University of Minnesota - Duluth).

Matt, I love you so much, and couldn't be more proud of the wonderful job you're doing! Keep following your dreams, and never settle for less than true joy!! You're a blessing to anyone that knows you, and you show us all how great our God is, by filling your life with talent, and the endless opportunities to truly shine!!! LOVE YA KID!!! (love mom)

Hockey Fun

We love going to Ben's Sunday evening hockey games.

He enjoys playing, and is so much fun to watch.

Noah likes to be at the games with us, but he gets pretty antsy by the time the game's over. Luckily there is a "playground" play structure in the arena where most of Ben's games are played, so we watch the game from one end of the rink, at ice level, so Noah can play, Ben can skate, and we can watch both boys having fun.

A view from the bleachers up above... Ben chases the puck to keep their team in the game.

It isn't hard to cuddle Noah when he smiles with such charm.

Noah does like to watch his brother skate, and he can usually pick him out of the crowd pretty easily, even if he is wearing a helmet.

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2009

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

It was SO nice to have the whole family home, even though a blizzard was looming, and we knew we would be stormed in for the durations.

Noah LOVES Legos! He can build like there's no tomorrow! He's got a little bit to learn about sharing though... whenever Ben wants to build with Noah, Noah has a fit! It could be big brother's approach too, I suppose, since I think Ben misses the lego-building days from time to time. ha.

Ben lettered in Golf last year, and so the Letterman's jacket was a slam dunk in the gift list this year. He was pretty happy, although I feel like 2014 is a lifetime away. I'm sure it'll come faster than I'll be ready for.

What do you get for a college kid who already has it all? Laundry soap. ha. Well, the cash that was taped to the front of the jug did produce this great smile from my oldest son! It was a fun Christmas of smiles, laughs, and tons of fun!

There's Noah building like crazy again! Ed and Noah construct tower, after tower, after tower!!! So much fun for daddy and son alike!

After the gifts were all opened, and the hype of the festivities had worn off a little, we all settled in for a Christmas movie (one of many during the weekend). The funnies part of the lounging scene was Noah sitting in the box... he CHOSE that, and was totally comfy in that little cozy cardboard nest. I think he had a few legos in there that he was secretly building with between action scenes. ha.

My favorite gift was the awesome wine glass rack that Ed built for me, which we hung above our kitchen counter. His craftsmanship amazes me repeatedly, and I love him for his detailed work. He had fun making it, and it looks great in the kitchen! Now my collection of coffee mugs can now spread over to the wine glass sector of drink ware. ha

As the snow kept falling and falling, we realized we wouldn't be going anywhere, anytime soon. This photo was taken on Christmas night (Friday) and we didn't get to start snow blowing our drifts away until mid-day Saturday (and then it kept snowing and blowing, so we have a little to re-do later today). It was quite a storm, and I have a hunch that there will be more like it in the coming weeks/months this winter. I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas, and that your upcoming New Year festivities will be filled with laughter and joy! I know all of us in the Hippen house feel truly blessed and filled with cheer!