Likemindedness

I was snapping a few shots of the Boys before church this morning. It is not all that often that they both are spot-free (no marker, mud or meal messiness...yet!), blemish/bruise/bump-free, and in good moods! The little Guys were not the most cooperative, so I easily gave up and went on with the morning. Later, when I was reviewing the photos, the similarity of expression became apparent to me. It seems that the Boys planned to coordinate their looks. Pretty cute, although nary a smile!

The half smile

Are we catching flies?

The grimace. "Are we done yet, Mommy?"

Easy Fix

Owen made a troubling announcement this evening:

"I don't see well, Mommy!"

I was busy getting Noah ready for bed, so instead of rushing to O's assistance, I questioned, "Do your eyes hurt, Honey?

"No. I close them. It is dark." Said so matter-of-factly.

"Well open them ,Goofball!"

"That's so much better, Mommy!"

Fun Times

Some of the fun things we did at the Arbo (besides posing for pictures):

Knocked on a whole lot of huge pumpkins on the top of Mount Pumpkin!

Noah had in depth conversations with a few pumpkins. It looks like this one earned a good scolding !

We watched a great show about the cacao plant... ...complete with creepy bugs.

O tried his hand at grinding chocolate. Maybe he has found his calling?

Noah explored lots of different gourds. He wondered if any of them might make a good meal.

O and Preston got a relaxing wagon ride courtesy of Connor.

Oh how the patience of this sheep impressed me! Owen told me he was "getting all the mud off of her."

Ms. DeAnn helped Owie touch the pony

Finally! Something that looks edible! Who knows how much of this hay Nosy ingested before I realized what he was doing! There were just remnants lingering around his mouth. Oh well. It's good roughage!

Picture-Taking Fiasco

On a bright (hot), sunny (humid) morning, we set out for a picturesque time at the Arboretum Pumpkin Patch. A fun time was had by all...except for during the picture taking. I did not get one good picture of my two squirly Boys. Oh well. We made good memories with friends.

Can you see my Boys laughing at me? "A picture?! Ha ha ha! No way!"

If getting two Boys to look in the same direction was tough, try getting five to cooperate!

Maybe if we ignore her, she will go away.

Trying a new pose

Both Boys are outta here!

I finally opted for some candids. They always turn out so much better. The Boys can just be themselves and relax, and I don't feel like a naggy Mommy ruining all the fun. Here O is "helping" Noah scale the pumpkin pile.

Such pretty little heads

When I asked O why he wasn't very smiley for the pictures he replied, "I am feeling quiet today, Mommy." Hmmm. Okay then.

My winning shot! What a cutie!

A-Wanna Bees

Awanas is a fun-filled program for kids based on Scripture memory. If there is one thing I want written on O's heart, it's Scripture! So this summer, I searched for an Awana program that Owen could take part in. Come to find out, Awanas does not technically start until three years of age, but a church nearby us allows two year olds to be A-wanna Bees, wanna be Awana kids, biding time until they turn three. I enthusiastically enrolled Owie and volunteered to be a co-leader. We have a blast every Sunday night: four adults, twenty rambunctious two-year olds, a bucket full of goldfish, and some art supplies.

Owen loves going to "class" and does so well there. We split the kids up in to two groups so it will be more manageable. Sometimes we end up together, sometimes we don't. Either way, he is warming up to his teacher and the other kids. It makes me so proud to observe him playing with his friends, singing songs and learning simple Bible verses. It also gives me great ideas of things to do with him during the week to reinforce what we have learned on Sunday!

Some of O's new friends. It was "Crazy Hair Night," thus the crazy hair.

Owie's wonderful teacher Ms. Denise. We both love her!! One of the many great things about Ms. Denise: She has at least one fun song to sing about any subject you could possibly think of. We come home with so many new songs in our hearts to sing all week long!

Teamwork

One man working alone. Much harder to get the job done.

Enlisting some willing help.

Giving instructions.

Move that basket! Mission accomplished.

I can see many more joint escapades in my future! Can't wait!

My Funny Guy

Owen sings his ABC's perched upon his stage.

"Hey, O! Can you sing the ABC's backwards? That would be hard!"

"YES! I can! It is not hard!"

You crack me up, O!

Soccer Star

It was a very breezy, pleasant morning when we were privileged to witness Clayton's debut performance as a soccer star. Just look at him get control of that ball! Way to go, Raptors!

O got to chat with the star himself while he rested up for his next big play. Needless to say, O is even more pumped to play soccer when he gets bigger. It is no mystery what the outside game of choice is around here these days!

Discovering the Joys of Toilet Paper

Help, Mommy! I'm all wound up!

Squeezably soft!

As long as I can still get around, it's all good.

Smarty Pants

Owen has known how to spell his name for awhile now. He will run around the house yelling,

"O-W-E-N!"

at the top of his lungs. I thought maybe he had just memorized the way the letters sounded together without truly grasping the meaning of spelling his name. I was cooking in the kitchen the other day while O played with his ABC puzzle. I came out to find the letters of his name perfectly lined up. "I spell my name, Mommy!"

Yes, you sure did, O. My little Smarty!

Teething

Woe are we...All of us!

Personal Space

The region surrounding each person, or that area which a person considers his domain or territory.[1] Often if entered by another being without this being desired, it makes them feel uncomfortable. From Wikipedia

This is a concept that Noah just does not understand at all. Now that he is so mobile, it is beginning to cause quite an uproar in The House of Halpin. The only cure I have found thus far is to have a little chat with Noah (a chat O receives himself from time to time) in Owen's hearing. "Noah, Owen is God's gift to us. We must respect him and not pull on his shirt, pat his leg, grab his fingers, lick his face, invade his side of the stroller, tug on his hair (You get the idea!), if he does not want to be bothered right now." Then I subtly move Noah aside a bit. This seems to satisfy Owen while distracting Noah for a few minutes.

Personal Space Invaded:

It all starts out smiles and fun. Owie yells out, "O tickle No-nos' hair!" Noah is loving it!

Noah wants to give O some love in return! This is when things take a turn for the worse. Owen does not particularly want to be loved on.

Everywhere Owen steps, Scooter follows.

Not only can Noah be quite aggressive, he is also speedy and strong...uncommonly so for one so young.

Owie just can not escape Nosy's attempts to love on him. (At this point, I should have removed one or both of the Boys from the crib, but I was too busy taking pictures to think clearly.)

And so this is how the story ends: one tiny Boy in tears since bigger Boy finally escaped. Noah is not hurt, just angry and frustrated that Owen got away without being loved on.

Three Divas and a...Divo?

These budding rock stars performed an ear-pleasing, smile-provoking, giggle-inducing concerto for Gigi and me. You would have thought they were auditioning for America's Got Talent with some of the moves they put together! I have never heard "Jesus Loves Me" belted out with more enthusiasm...or volume!

Can you tell who was running the show?