Xtreme Gumping

Plain ol' gumping is now a thing of the past. We have moved on to something much more thrilling:

Water Gumping.

In his special Nemo suit, Owen can now jump off the edge of the pool into the water, go completely under water, pop back to the surface and swim back to the edge all alone!

He later surprised us by wanting to jump off the high wall! Now that's xtreme!

Water Baby

Paternal Instinct

Owie has become so paternal all of a sudden. The object of his devotion is a tiny bear dressed in a bunny suit named "Baby." It has shared his crib forever, but he has never attempted to play with it or pay it too much special attention. These days, Owen is very concerned about Baby's well-being. He ensures that Baby is read to, sung to, and fed often. He even tucks it in for cozy naps in Mom and Dad's bed. It is touching to see how he cares for and loves his Baby.

Let There Be Cake!

Owen and I concocted an amazingly wonderful Funfetti cake for the Happy Half Birthday celebration.

I let O spread the icing. He is convinced he is the next Food Network Star! He even does a little commentary while he's cooking. It's hilarious!

The icing passed the taste test!

O practically had to bite his fingers to keep them out of the cake. No worries! He got a very generous piece after lunch! Notice our use of sprinkles to carry out the Funfetti theme. Very effective, don't you think?

Seven Month Old Noah

The time is going by too quickly! I can't believe my newborn is seven months old already! He grew and changed so much this past month! He now sits up very well, rolls all over the living room floor, gets up on knees and elbows, scoots backwards and has begun reaching for Mommy (my personal favorite trick!). He has definitely discovered the wiggly appendage in his mouth and plays with it constantly. He also has perfected the fake cough, to the point where I feel the need to explain that my son is not sick just vocalizing. This has been his happiest month thus far (reflux and meds under control), and although he still wakes up at least twice during the night, he is napping much better. Such a social, flirty, cuddly little man he is! Noah adores Big Brother and giggles at his crazy antics. Something I have said of Noah from the beginning remains true: He is a baby of extremes. He is either giddy with happiness or in the depths of despair; dying of starvation or full to the brim; giggling or screaming. There is very little middle ground with Noah. How I delight in this little boy!

Owen's Two and a Half!

It seems like all of a sudden Owen has gone from a toddler to a little boy. This fact both saddens me and delights me at the same time. He truly is one of my favorite people, and it brings me indescribable joy to spend my days with him.

A few words to describe my O:

gleeful, sensitive, thoughtful, energetic,

an observer, kind, sometimes ornery,

cuddly, bright, sharing,

hilarious, bounces through life, patient

Friends

As the Boys and I were walking the other morning, we were listing all the blessings we are thankful to Jesus for.

Owen's list:
1. God

2. Owen
3. Many, many friends: Clayton, Kirby (my sister's puppy), Oliver, Turner...

"My best, best friend is Baby Noah, Mommy."

Be still my heart.

May they always have such love for each other.

Move Over Emeril!

A funny story:

You know we celebrate the much underrated Half Birthday here at The House of Halpin. O's big day is coming up quickly, so I have prepared by doing a little celebratory shopping. Since O is crazy for all things culinary, I bought him a little case full of plastic food, plates, silverware, pans, cooking utensils and a teeny tiny stove top. I carefully placed the gift in my closet out of the way of curious eyes. Upon waking up from his nap, my tidy son noticed that sloppy Mommy had forgotten to put away my shoes. Off he happily trots, flip flops in hand, to put them in my closet. He was gone quite awhile. The next thing I hear: little feet running from our bedroom, followed by, "Mommy, what's that toy? Want it, please!" Oh no! He had found the food basket! Jeremy and I decided to let him have it a few days early, since he was so enthralled by it. The child has been cooking for an army since! His favorite meal to concoct: Hot dogs and French fries!

Three Times the Fun (Plus Turner!)

We had such a fun time with Turner and our new friends the Triplets at the Science Place. Christian, Julia and Annalise are just O and Turner's age, and everyone played so well together!

Turner is really getting the hang of the life-sized tinker toys!

Hopefully Owen is in the process of sharing the rubber ducky with Christian, not snatching it!

Julia and Annalise LOVE Baby Noah! He got tons of girly attention!

Paging Dr. Halpin

Owen is concerned about the state of Daddy's foot. It still has a big boo-boo. So, as any reputable orthopedic surgeon would do, he gathered his drill and hammer (and his special doctor hat!) and set to work "ficking" Daddy.

It seems that Noah had a stomach ailment that also needed to be worked on.

(As you can see, Owen still wants his tummy out as much of the time as possible.)

Happier Days

Jeremy suffered a horrible ankle sprain last week, a casualty of playing basketball. He landed on a good friend, who thankfully suffered no injury. Jeremy's foot twisted completely over to the point that we were very concerned there might be a fracture. After an x-ray and many hours at Care First, we were assured it is just a severe sprain. So, we mostly hung out at home this weekend, nursing Daddy with some tender loving care...and lots of ice and Advil.

Here are some photos pre-sprain, when Daddy was much more mobile.

These Brothers LOVE each other!

Terrace Pool

The Boys and I met my wonderful friend DeAnn and her brood of Boys at Terrace Pool last week. I had heard a lot of hype about it and wanted to check it out. We had a blast!! The beach entry was perfect for our Boys who like to think they can swim but really prefer to have two feet on the ground. There was shade for the little guys and a slide for big bro Connor. DeAnn, Noah (in his Bumbo) and I hung out in the shallow water, just deep enough to keep cool. There were even plenty of shady spots to enjoy our picnic lunch! I highly recommend checking it out for a fun-filled summertime day!

Connor makes a big splash!

Love that beach entry!

Owen had so much freedom in the shallow water. He had a great time walking around on his own!

Noah getting some love from DeAnn

Friends for life!

Tough Love

The time has finally come. We have got to get some sleep. My stubborn youngest has had alternative plans for night time, including crying, playing, talking, screaming, everything but sleeping! And so, with my heart nearly breaking, in submission to my husband (and my pediatrician), we have decided to let him (gulp) cry it out. The first night actually went better than I thought it would, seeing as how Noah has a will of steel. He only cried a cumulative total of roughly 2 hours. I was worried he would hold a grudge the next day, but he seems no worse for the wear. The second night, he actually slept from 8:00-4:30. "We are the winners, and after only one night! Look who's boss!" I foolishly thought. Well, the rest of the week, he has screamed anywhere from one to two hours, but I have remained strong and have yet to rescue him. He is a smart boy. Eventually he will learn.

Pictures taken in the garage while watching O play in the rain.

This last shot captured Noah's "will of steel" face pretty well.

Pajama Time!

I know just how corny it is, but I can not help but dress my Boys alike from time to time. Here they are all deliciously clean after baths, cuddling before bed.

Sweet Boys

Owen said he wanted to "sit bery, bery close to Noah." I think he succeeded!

Being goofy!

If it works for Noah, O might as well give it a try!