Fountain of Youth

Nothing makes you feel young like splashing in a fountain on a hot, muggy day! It was library day, and it just so happens that our library is landscaped beautifully with grassy walkways, brick paths and a lovely, refreshing fountain. After a picnic lunch and quite a bit of romping around (Oh, the butterflies we chased!), we were a hot, sticky bunch. That cool fountain looked awfully welcoming!

Owen darted straight for it with the intention of walking around the edge. He loves to practice his balancing. Of course, Nosy is not one to be left behind!

In no time at all, an idea was born! The beautiful water was so tempting!

It did not take any persuading at all. Shoes came off and sweet, sweaty toes happily splashed in the fountain. (I could barely take pictures because as soon as I let go of Scooter, he would start wiggling around on his hiney, trying to get his whole body in the fountain. He will be fun at the pool this year!)

This charming grin was directed at a tiny blond girl with beautiful curls who came to splash beside us. My No-nos is such a FLIRT!

We left the library with some great reads, precious memories and very damp backsides!

Keep Away Amidst the Bluebonnets

It all started out so friendly and peaceful. Two sweet Boys nestled amidst beautiful flowers.

But then O snatched Nosy's beloved ball of the day.

Reluctant make-up kisses all around.

We're Having a Ball: 16 Months

Noah is now 16 months old...going on 16 years! He is far too grown up! Being a second child, he is exposed to things (from sugary sweets to adventurous outings) so much earlier than O was. His level of comprehension concerning whatever we are doing at the moment amazes me! For example, we were on a walk yesterday when I pointed out a fuzzy caterpillar to O. Noah casually glanced over to see what we were examining and then spent the next few minutes hunting for caterpillars of his own, coming across quite a few, bringing them to our attention as we walked.

Scooter easily follows two-step commands (when he is in the mood!) and communicates well through signs and grunting. He did learn two words this month: "goggie" (doggie, which is rather odd since we at The House of Halpin usually refer to our four-footed friends as "puppies") and "tee" ("tree"). He says both with great volume and enthusiasm, which I am learning is how No-nos lives life: loudly and enthusiastically.

This past month has been a month of terrible teething for poor Nosy. He has only managed to pop through one more tooth (grand total is now 7), but a few more are on the verge. He has had such a miserable time with his tiny pearly whites. The whole process results in great angst, many tears, and sleepless nights for everyone. Poor Guy!

Noah has two great passions in life: "goggies" or any other kind of animal and balls. The Boy loves animals and will squeal, bounce up and down, yelp, point with such vigor that I am worried his arm will become dislocated, and sometimes be moved to actual tears at the sight of any furry friend. Even mice and a hairy tarantula at the museum evoke such strong ardor. As for balls, his habit of late has been to attach himself to his ball of choice first thing in the morning and love, love that ball all day long, to the point of requiring its presence with him at all times: in his crib, in the car, etc. Oddly, the most favored ball is different nearly every day. If, at any time, a family member is found to be sitting on the floor, Noah takes that as an open invitation to play roll the ball, throw the ball or kick the ball. His ball skills are quickly becoming sharpened! He can throw a mean fast ball, kick a rolling ball, make a soccer goal requiring multiple kicks, and play hockey with a golf club. Interestingly, he appears to be a lefty like his Daddy!

How are the fits progressing, you may be wondering. Well, let me tell you: Noah is definitely perseverant. Most fits involve clothes/diaper changing or being strapped into the car seat, at which points there is much screaming, flailing, and stiffening. Thankfully, Noah responds quickly to discipline. He may still cry, but he reluctantly cooperates.

Something most entertaining that has evolved this month: Noah mimics O in sound and deed. It is hilarious to watch them play, Owie going about his important business, No-nos tagging along, copying motions and sounds. If Owie notices, he will stop what he is doing to play a little game of follow the leader with Nosy. A favorite is always the high pitched squealing that increases in volume as the game progresses, usually accompanied by a crazy, gyrating dance. It really is quite lovely and calming to Mommy's nerves.

Nosy-Posy, we are having a ball with you! You are growing up so super-fast, and I miss Baby Noah already. But Toddler Noah is even more fun, crazier, brighter and more delightful than I ever would have thought possible. You bless me immeasurably, Son.

Worship

Today I was getting ready in my bathroom, singing a slightly off-key worship song, as I am prone to do. (When I get to heaven, I hope I am blessed with a beautiful voice. I love to sing, loudly and fervently. Unfortunately those around me do not love it quite so much. That's one great thing about kids. They don't know the difference...yet!) Anyhow, I was singing the really old school song called "I Love You, Lord." You know the one...
"I love you, Lord,
and I lift my voice
to worship You.
Oh my soul rejoice."

In comes The O, full of questions about my song.
"What's 'lift my voice mean'? How do I do that?"
"Rejoice? What's that mean?"
"What's a soul?" (Yeah. We're getting to the hard questions now.)

Then came one I could actually answer with scripture:
"What's worship, Mommy?"

Okay! Hold on just a sec. Let me grab my Bible.

Romans 12:1
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship."

And so we chatted about worship, how it is more than just singing God's praises, but that we can worship Him in how we behave. We worship God by obeying Him and following Him. We worship Him by choosing to live a life that pleases Him.

I wondered, "Is O understanding any of this or is it completely over his head?"
I questioned, "Owie, how have you worshipped God today?"
I was amazed by his answer: "I was kind to Noah. Being kind obeys God." (Can you tell we have been drilling kindness into the kid's head for a week now?)

I think he does get it, to a certain extent. But then again, I only get it to a certain extent too, and I've had a relationship with the Lord for 20 years now. May I always have a ready answer to the question, "How have I worshipped God today?"

At the Car Wash (Car Wash)

My car was completely covered in filth, inside and out. I don't think I washed it once all winter. It was daunting to me to even think about trying to wash it. But...I was convinced that I could easily maintain the cleanliness if someone else got me started. So the Boys and I hopped in the dirt-mobile, armed with a coupon, and set off for the car wash. You should have seen the giddy lot of us. We were so excited! We pulled up and unloaded and headed inside to get a good seat.

We got the best seats in the house! All the other patrons were comfortably seated far away from the window with no view at all. Were they crazy to miss all the fun?! We settled in for the show.

After a few minutes, I passed out the snacks. It's better than going to the movies! We got to see so many cars being swiped clean by the furry, blue scrubby brushes. Fascinating! After our car passed through, we hurried outside to sympathize with the poor guy who had to scrape the grime off my tires and wipe down the inside of my car. This was surely money well spent!

Unfortunately, Nosy slimed up the nice, clean window of the car wash place. I hope they have a window washer among them!

After the thrill of the car wash, we headed to Tom Thumb to pick up a couple of things. My Boys love Tom Thumb because of "the cart with two steering wheels," the only cart of its kind we have ever found. Rarely do we frequent Tom Thumb because it is so pricey, making it a very special treat! They thoroughly enjoyed it!

Pupils

Shhhh. Quiet please.

School is in session.

Following the Leader

Following the leader, the leader, the leader

Noah's following the leader wherever he may go.

Tee dum, tee dee

A teedle ee do tee day

Out to Pasture

We have a wonderful acreage not far from our house, all grassy knolls and fish ponds complete with peacefully grazing cows...and this time of year, the sweetest baby calves. Since the cows have so much land on which to roam, their location is not very consistent, but for the last week or so, they have been spotted quite a few times in the corner of the property closest to our house. After naps today, the Boys and I ventured out on an expedition to see if we could find a few calves to moo at. Owie was convinced they needed him to pat them.

After a bit longer stroll than I had estimated, we sadly saw nary a cow. We did however discover some very ripe cow patties, evidence that they might not be too far off. We abandoned the stroller and set off on foot to continue our cow hunt.

After walking another thirty minutes, we finally spied a solitary cow way far off in the distance. We hollered at it for awhile, but it could not be bothered with a crew of sweaty, needy humans.

And so we trekked back to our stroller and then back to the house sorely disappointed. It ended up being a very long walk for one particular little Boy who is a tad too big to carry and yet whose legs get so very tired.

Not ones to give up easily, we have decided we will continue our cow hunt tomorrow, especially since those calves do so need to be patted by O.

A Night at the Races

Let me preface with an apology for the horrible photography, but this is such a fun memory for me that it needed to be posted.

We found ourselves with an evening free of activity, so we set up a night at the races.

We started off with pushcart races in Rubbermaid storage tubs: Daddy pushed Owie while I scooted Nosy along. Super fun, but alas, no photos.

Next I explained the concept of the egg race to Owen. He thought it sounded like great fun! The scene was hilarious...all of us attempting to balance Easter eggs on different sized spoons: a baby spoon for Daddy up to huge serving spoons for O and Nosy.

Eventually, we secured O's and No-nos' eggs to their spoons with tape, thus leveling the playing field quite a bit.

Scooter was more interested in licking his egg!

Other races we competed in: frog-jumping races, side-stepping races, spinning races, falcon-flying races.

We all went to bed tired and thoroughly exercised. What fun!

In Jesus' Name

I never tire of hearing my O talk to God.

(If you do tire of it, which is completely understandable, please skip this post.)

Prayers of late:

Right before being dropped off at Watermark nursery:
"Dear Jesus, I want to stay by Mommy. I want to cry. Help me to be not crying. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

He is helping me!"

Praying with Noah at bedtime:

"Jesus, please stay in my heart. If you go away, I will miss you."

Praying with Gramps and Yaya when sending them off on a missions trip to Columbia:

"Jesus, please go in peoples' hearts and play music."

Changing of the Verse

I play a little game sometimes. (Remember, I don't get a whole lot of intellectual stimulation.) I look for hidden words in off-the-wall places: on license plates, in the letters of O's ABC puzzles, scrambled up in billboards on the highway. I was picking up the remnants of O's machine when I came across these letters:

Right there is the word "kind," right in the middle of my living room floor. Kindness is something O and I are working hard on displaying consistently right now. I was thus led to hunt for a new memory verse involving kindness.

Drum roll, please...

Ephesians 4:32 "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

I showed the new verse to Owie just now and he said, "Hmmm. Sounds like a good one. Okay!" We'll get right down to writing this on our hearts...and prayerfully displaying it in our attitudes and actions!

Birthday Ba-cation

My 32nd (Seriously?! Am I already 32?!) birthday was on Sunday. My sweet family has been celebrating since last Friday, and the partying will continue until next Sunday! I'm having a blast!

Friday night, we gathered at my parent's house to celebrate both my Mom and me with my fave OTB. Jeremy indulged my insatiable desire for queso, and Mom and Dad pleased my sweet tooth with another fave, carrot cake from Central Market. Yummo!

At some point during the evening, Yaya and O slipped outside and secretly snipped a few sweet flowers to cheer my kitchen table. Owie was so proud to present me with such a wonderful gift.

Saturday night, Gigi and Papa offered to stay with the Boys so we could go on a date. A WHAT? A date? Actual alone time with my darling husband? How fun!

Here we are all dolled up.

As we were walking out the door after hugs and kisses with the Boys, we heard a tiny send-off from O: "Bye! I hope you enjoy your ba-cation!" Oh, he sounds way too grown up!

We had so much fun walking around the Shops at Legacy, listening to the live bands and watching the street artists. I have a weird interest in prom-goers (always have since way back when my parents would park in the high school parking lot on prom night so we could gawk at all the finery), and it just happened to be prom night! We were surrounded by giggling teens in way too skimpy dresses. We ate delish pizza at Fireside Pies and had such a romantic time. Being back home by 9:30 for a tub of ice cream and a comedy in our own bed finished off a perfect evening.

Sunday, my actual B-day, was crazy-busy with church, a luncheon afterwards, and Awana's that night. No time for celebrating, but we made up for it on Monday! Jeremy took the day off to play with me and the kids...and play we did! After a relaxed morning at home, we picnicked at Founders Park and then stopped at Sonic for cold yummy drinks on the way home. One of my favorite gifts: J did the Walmart shopping while the Boys napped so I could work out!

Tuesday night, the girls on the Halpin side took me to P.F. Changs for such a wonderful dinner! We chased down way too much Chinese food with mini desserts in shot glasses. What a fun night out with the girls! (I so wish I'd taken my camera and gotten a pic!)

I feel thoroughly celebrated and so completely blessed to be surrounded by the amazing people God has placed in my life. He is so good to me! (Anyone want to bet on how much weight I have gained with all this indulgence? B-days are bad for the figure!)

Machine

"M is for mmmmm-achine!" Owie proclaimed from the playroom. "Come see, Mommy!"

Well, you couldn't keep me away! This is what I found:

Every letter from every ABC puzzle we own lined up in formation, thus creating O's "machine that makes foods."

After he "read" me what his machine said, he agreed to have his picture taken with his masterpiece. I am working on having different focal points in my pictures, so I snapped quite a few shots.

Bedtime Update

As I have blogged before, we have been having some problems getting O to fall asleep at night. He is filled with anxiety and sadness all of a sudden, after months of going to sleep peacefully. We have tried so many things to help him, and yet he was still screaming and pounding on the walls and his door for several hours after being put to bed each night.

This week, we had a long-prayed for breakthrough, praise the Lord! Nothing really changed in our routine, so I am not sure what finally helped Owie to get beyond the fit throwing. All I know is that we prayed hard with him specifically about it many nights in a row.

Listen in on our conversation the morning after his first peaceful night

(and when I say peaceful, I mean we said our good-nights, shut the door, and heard not one more peep from his room...just like the good ol' days):

O: "I didn't cry or bang or scream or ask you any questions...or break your heart!" so proud of himself!

Me: "I am SO PROUD of you, Owie! What helped you?"

O: "I talked to Jesus!"
Me: "What did you tell Him?"

O: "I telled Him, 'Good-night!' I didn't have to tell you I hoped I have good dreams...I telled Jesus!"

Me: "Did Jesus help you go to sleep?"

O: "Oh, yes! He used my heart to help me sleep. I was a good boy and sleeped and sleeped and sleeped. Sometimes I am not a good boy."

I guess he threw that in for honesty's sake?!

I am so thankful we are beyond this struggle. Next, we have to get rid of his paci. Oh dread! (And I can almost hear the collective appalled gasps of readers everywhere. Yes, our three year old still sucks his paci in his bed. No excuses for that at all, except that he is a wonderful sleeper with it and I am worried he will no longer be a wonderful sleeper without it. The day is quickly approaching though...I'll keep you posted!)

Kazoo

My grandparents in Oregon sent the Boys this wonderful music kit for Christmas. They love it, and band practice is one of our favorite games at The House of Halpin...especially marching band practice...strict formation and all.

The kit has so many things in it: shakers, clackers, a xylophone, and a funny looking instrument we could only assume was a kazoo. No one in our family could figure out how to coax any sort of sound from this instrument. Owie, Daddy and I all blew into it until we were popping blood vessels in our foreheads to no avail. Only silence. For obvious reasons, this lonely instrument was always left discarded when we marched off to our homemade tunes.One day, Nosy-Posy wandered over to the kazoo. He plopped down next to it, examined it for a minute and put it in his mouth. Next, he puffed out his cheeks and let go a good, solid blow.

Lo and behold, a wonderful sound filled the air! Noah figured out just how to play that kazoo, no problem, when none of the rest of us could! It has now become a family favorite, but Noah always gets first dibs on playing the kazoo in our marching band.

Out of the Mouth of O

"My favorite color is yellow today."

Me: "I thought green was your favorite color?!"

"Act-ully, I decided to give other peoples a turn having green as their favorite color today."

Makes sense.

Bedtime prayer:

"You are wonderful, Lord, and I bless you!"

Spontaneous praise from a small Boy.

"You crack me out!"

After I told an amazingly funny joke about monkeys jumping on the bed.

After O chose to obey and I praised him:

"I make a good choice! That makes God so happy by-cuz I obey Him. I am a good obeyer. (Shrugs.) Sometimes I obey; sometimes I don't."

Nobody knows this fact better than Mommy!

Finally Found It!

During preparation for my Bible Study this week, I stumbled across the verse I have been searching for for so long! Thank You, Lord! It has been bugging me for a couple of weeks. I have felt incredibly convicted of this concept lately, so not being able to locate the verse to support what I knew to be true and biblical was very frustrating!

I Thessalonians 4:11-12

"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders."

For awhile there, I kept the Boys and myself super busy: play dates, library time, lunches out with friends, children's classes, etc, often a couple of things each day. I thought this was the best way to make maximum use of my time each day, to fill it with fun activities out and about. There is absolutely nothing wrong with any of these things (in fact, we were having a great time!), but I felt that this was not how God would have me use the day He gave me. I was definitely not leading the "quiet life" I feel He is calling me to lead. I have been given the blessing of raising two amazing Boys. I have no idea how long I will be able to spend entire days with them, ingraining on their sweet hearts the things of God, good character traits, love for His people. I want to teach my children these things, and that takes lots of time being quiet together. And so we have slowed our pace a bit. Of course we still love play dates and library time is a must, but we don't over-schedule anymore. We spend quite a bit of time in our playroom at home, minding our own business, learning life lessons by living life together.