The "HALL"way

First Day of School

2011-09-12T21:32:00.000-04:00

Owen had his first day of school today. He is enrolled in a 2 year old class at a nursery school just a couple blocks away from our house. It's 2 days a week for 2 hours a day. I have never left him somewhere, so it was very strange to pack up his backpack and drop him off and leave him there. I'm sure I'll get used to it. I walked him to his class, expecting some fear from him but no, he runs in and starts playing and simply says "bye mommy."

I had to take some photos of him all ready for school.

Here he's showing me his backpack. Super Mario of course, filled with diapers, sippy cup, and a change of clothes.

Then he started getting impatient and walked down the stairs saying "no mo pictures mommy!" He was ready to go.

He came home with these works of art. They must use Bingo dabbers for these. Of course he's the first one to bring snack for the class, so I have to figure something out pronto to bring in. We can't believe our baby is so big!

Summer Time

2011-09-01T13:56:00.000-04:00

Oops! Yeah it's been over a month since we posted anything. I'm going to apologize just a little bit, but to my credit I have been posting pics and video of Owen on Facebook. We have just been having a busy summer and not wanting to sit in front of the computer. Here's a rundown of what we've been up to:

It's been a hot summer, so we've been spending a lot of time outdoors. We did finally break down this year and buy a window air conditioner for upstairs. It was just impossible to sleep in 85+ degree heat. During the day we beat the heat by:

Eating popsicles- Daddy's specialty. He makes them with fruit, kefir, and honey and freezes them. Yum!

Not wearing any clothes and laying low

And of course swimming! Our favorite way... Owen has gotten to be quite the swimmer now. He can go across the pool by himself with just his swimmies on. He also loves to jump into the water (over and over and over again)

He has also been having lots of fun with his "tar" He likes to play and sing in gibberish. He also likes to sleep with this thing all the time. He has a gazillion toys, but this thing he found at a yard sale and his Uncle Chris got it for him for like $2. Worst part is, the batteries had exploded inside so it doesn't even work. He doesn't seem to care though.

He also likes to take pictures just like Mommy. He was trying to get Molly to pose...good luck!

We go to the park whenever we get a nice day. He's getting much braver and has to climb to the tallest slide. eek!

We've been working on riding his trike too, but his legs aren't quite long enough. That's his "mad face" by the way. He likes to make it and then laugh.

This is about as close to a beach as the boys got

Oh but Tahera and I took a wonderful girl's trip to the beach for a few days. Excuse out hair blowing in the ocean breeze.

Owen and Dennis have been playing a lot of baseball in the living room. Owen will hit the ball

and "run the bases"

We have also been very busy the past few weeks getting Owen and Daddy ready to go back to school. Dennis got accepted into UB's professional MBA program and started attending school again last week. We are really excited for him and life has been a little hectic for everyone to say the least. They literally called to tell him he was accepted 30 minutes before orientation. It's been a mad scramble to arrange classes, schedule babysitting, work schedules, meals, financial aid, and buy a laptop. Owen also starts school in 2 weeks and he's very excited.
To top it all off, Dennis and I have been training like mad for some long-distance runs coming up in the next few days/weeks.
Hard to believe it's already September 1st but we have enjoyed our summer time for sure.

and a random video of Owen singing his ABC's...just because I'm sure the grandma's want to hear his raspy little voice.

The Train Party

2011-07-20T23:12:00.000-04:00

This year we decided to have Owen's birthday party in Horseheads. It was much easier on our families to have the party there and not make them travel...and there's a train there too. Owen and his cousin Alex are both gaga for trains and their birthdays are very close together so we decided to have a combined party. The boys seemed to agree/not care about this plan.

We pitched a tent, got some pizzas ordered and started the party.

Dennis and Owen started things off by driving the train. Here he's saying" All Aboard"

Everyone went around a few times and had a great ride. The kids got the little train hats as their favors, which seemed to be a hit.

Then it was time to eat but we couldn't get the boys off the train

Then they decided to be the train inspectors. It was ok, I just fed Owen his pizza on the non-moving train car.

Grandms made the boys each their own train cake. Owen didn't mind sticking his fingers right in them

very tasty!

All our favorite people were there (and if I didn't get your picture, it doesn't mean you're not a favorite!) Tim and Krystle with Elise

Grandma and Grandpa

Natalie and Kendall

Sara and Nolan

Manu

Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and no kids even cried...until it was time for the train to go bye bye

Then I get this face

And he sat on it...parked in the garage, until I had to pry him away.
I'm glad he had a good time though. Thanks everyone for coming!

Boston

2011-07-16T21:20:00.000-04:00

At the end of June, Dennis and I took our first trip sans Owen. Our friends were getting married in Boston so we figured we'd make a little weekend trip out of it. I was born in Boston but I haven't been back there since I was about 2 years old.
Unfortunately the weather was pretty gross the whole time we were there. It was chilly and rainy/drizzly the whole time. The sun came out when we got the airport to come back home (ugh!)

We literally went right to the Sam Adams brewery when we arrived in Boston. Yeah we like beer. We wanted to do the tour on Friday as opposed to crazy Saturday, so we wasted no time.

After the tour of the brewery you get to sample the different beers. This was the fun part. We hadn't had anything to eat since 6 am and then drank some samples quickly...yikes.

After the tour you can take a party trolley (note the disco ball) from the brewery to a local pub called Doyles. They had the best chowder and reubens ever. Dennis was in Irish boy heaven. We checked into the hotel, took our first nap in the past few years and got ready for the wedding.

The wedding and reception were on this boat. The brides are my very good friends from PT school who have been together for many years. It was so nice to see all my friends from school.

The wedding was on the top of the ship and was very nice. Then we moved downstairs for the reception and the boat took off.

Me and my old-time study buddies! We definitely danced our butts off!

Dennis checking if the martini luge was made out of real ice

The obligatory "we clean up nice" shot

The next day we did all the Boston touristy things. We took a trolley tour through all the fun stops in the city.

We saw some fun street performers

The USS Constitution

Boston Common

Ate some delicious seafood

Walked by the waterfront.
Then we hightailed it back to the airport to head back to Buffalo and our little boy. Don't worry-he hardly missed us because he had so much fun with Grandma.

Owen Turns Two

2011-07-02T13:37:00.000-04:00

On Sunday Owen turned two. I can't believe that 2 years has already gone by since he was born. It still seems like just yesterday. We had a nice day on his birthday and had a small celebration at our house since his big party will be in Horseheads next weekend.

Grandma was at our house because she was watching him the day before while Mommy and Daddy were in Boston (later post). He came down the stairs in the morning and immediately saw his new tricycle and helmet. He sat on the bike forever and we had to pry him off for breakfast.

He and daddy had to make a few small adjustments with their tools so he could reach the pedals better

We gave him a bubble mower and a beanbag chair which he also loved. And yes he wore the helmet pretty much all day.

We got around and dressed and went to the park for his favorite thing-slides!

He also ran around for awhile and burned off some energy

We came home and had some friends over for cake and ice cream. He had a Mickey Mouse cake that was WAY too big.

He did a great job blowing out the candles this year

He also did a great job eating his cake and ice cream

And of course he got more presents from our friends
For fun, each birthday:
Birth-day
1 year

2 years

Fathers Day-Train style

2011-06-23T15:38:00.000-04:00

For Father's Day this year we decided to do something a little different...well sorta. You already know that Dennis and Owen are both extremely train-obsessed. What better to do in that case then to go on a train ride for a fun father/son activity?

About an hour away from us there's a short route called the Attica and Arcade railroad.

Owen and Dennis were in heaven. He barely wanted anything to do with me this day, which is unusual for him. He wanted to share the experience with the true train enthusiast I think.

We boarded the train and off we went. The ride was about 45 minutes total, mostly through fields and some farmland.

There was an open car in the back where Owen enjoyed watching the track and the smoke billowing up into the trees

On-board entertainment

They stop at a train station to turn back around and let everyone off the train. They had hot dogs and drinks available too. Seeing as it was lunchtime, we got a little snack. Owen however, had a mini breakdown because we got off the train. He couldn't even focus on eating because he wanted to get back on.

He loved the engineer. He kept waving at him.

On the way home he started getting tired and wanted to snuggle with Daddy, happily riding on the train.

He was able to hold off the nap until the car.

Happy Fathers Day to the best Daddy ever!

Owen in the Pool

2011-06-09T21:55:00.000-04:00

It's finally gotten warm enough around these parts to break out the baby pool for Owen. This was the basic progression of events:

Run to pool, throw self in and start filling up watering can and dumping

Fill bucket and proceed to try to empty out the pool and create mud puddles in the saturated ground

Give mom one cute eye contact shot after she makes every animal noise in the book to catch his attention (the winner: meow!)

point at airplanes

splash

get mad about splashed water getting on his face

decide he NEEDS to get IN his boat

random belly button check...yup still there

get out, sit in mom's chair so she's sure to get a wet butt when she sits back down and pout for no apparent reason

fin

Nurse Sara

2011-05-29T15:54:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday I had the distinct pleasure to attend my sister Sara's graduation from nursing school. It was held in Elmira, so I took the day off and Owen and I made the drive back home to go. Dennis had to work and miss out on the festivities.
We secretly decorated the house while Sara was rehearsing as a surprise.

As we started driving to the ceremony, Natalie and I noticed an ominous sight...

Add a tornado warning to the fun for the night. We didn't actually get one where we were, but we were quite worried during the ceremony as the lights kept flickering.

This was when Sara spotted all of us

I think this group was the worst behaved in the whole room. The worst was my mother, who couldn't stop giggling at various things throughout the ceremony. That's a story for another day...but she was keeping us entertained.

Sara going up to get pinned

woo hoo! All graduated!

We all got our photo ops with the new grad then headed out in the massive storm.

We got back to Mom and Dad's and cracked open the champagne to celebrate.

Of course we had a cookie cake as well...Sara's favorite!

We are all very proud of Sara graduating from college. She worked very hard and will now be able to start an exciting new career that I'm sure she will succeed at. Great job Sara!

goo goos and choo choos

2011-05-17T15:44:00.000-04:00

On Saturday we got in the car and took a little trip to Rochester. There were two objectives for the trip: see new baby and see trains. We got our Tim Hortons coffee (and some Timbits for Owen) and off we went.
We first stopped at Strong Memorial hospital to see Jenn, Sam, and the new baby Elise. She's a 10 lb beautiful baby.

Dennis and I took our turns holding her and smelling her yummy newborn head. Doesn't she have great hair?

Owen was curious at first. He just stared at her and whispered baybeeee. Then when Mommy held her it was a different story.

Yeah one hand on the baby, one on Owen. He then lost it and hit her. Oy! Sorry Jenn and Sam!
Luckily Uncle Sam kept Owen entertained for a little bit. We chatted for awhile and then said our goodbyes.

Don't they both look great?

We drove a little ways to Medina to see the big Thomas the train. We had been planning this for awhile, but didn't anticipate the turnout they would have. We got to the train station only to find that they tickets to ride were sold out for the entire day and apparently had been for weeks. Oops!

Truthfully he was happy enough just to see Thomas I think. Next year we'll have to get the tickets much earlier.

After Thomas departed we went into the train museum where they had a huge model train layout that was pretty cool. Owen and Dennis were in heaven. Everytime a train went by, Owen would yell "chooooo choooooo!" so loud that everyone around us would crack up.

There was lots for little kids to do there. He played with a rice table, train tables, and then we got him his first tatoo. He loved his little Thomas tatoo all day until it was bedtime. I got him in his PJ's and he started freaking out that the tatoo was stuck on his arm. He was pulling his skin and crying. I had to find the rubbing alcohol and promptly scrub that baby off. Oops again!

Easter with the fam

2011-04-29T13:06:00.000-04:00

We made the trip home to Horseheads for the Easter holiday. We actually hadn't been there last since Christmas, so it was especially nice to be "home." Owen was able to participate in the festivities a little more this year since he's a little older.

I told you Owen is into baking right now. Well his grandma asked Owen to help with the Easter bunny cake...I don't know if she realized what she was getting into. Here is where he pushed a chair over and climbed up to the counter to steal frosting.

She gave him little scrap pieces of cake to much on while she worked, but Owen decided that wasn't enough cake.

So he took the entire ear of the bunny an sank his teeth into it. I had to put the camera down quickly here and help out or we would've had a weird looking bunny cake.

Then we dyed some Easter eggs. He drew some scribbles on the eggs and Mommy helped him write his name.

He did pretty well with them. He seemed to like the colors and putting stickers on them of course.

After eggs Owen got some good play time with his cousins Grace and Alex. The best part was the dogpile on Daddy...yeah he's under there somewhere.

Then we went to my parents' house for awhile and played with the other cousins. We did hide and seek, slides, and beanbag toss with them. We also had some good pizza for dinner.

I'm just posting this because it was a cute one of Kendall...

Easter morning came and we all got dressed up and went to church and to Dennis's Grandma's house for brunch. I forgot my camera oops.
We went back to the Hall's for an Easter egg hunt and baskets. Owen had been practicing all week at home in Buffalo for the hunt, so he was prepared. Here he points to an egg and Grandma and Alex retrieve it.

The Easter bunny treated the kids pretty well. Owen got lots of fun things, as did the adults. There was treats, bubbles, cars, and clothes in the baskets.

After baskets the kids were on a little sugar high, which of course is supposed to happen at Easter. Alex started doing "cheers" with Owen with sippy cups and he was cracking up so much his face was bright red. Now he keeps doing "cheers" to everyone all the time. Too cute!

We had Sam take a family photo for us before we left since we all looked decently cleaned up for once. Thanks Sam!
We then headed back to the Edwards house for more treats and playing. We had a great weekend!

Easter Treats

2011-04-21T14:10:00.000-04:00

We will soon be heading to Horseheads for Easter. Since everyone always cooks for us for the holidays, I like to make sure we at least bring a little treat. This year I decided to try the Rice Krispies Easter egg recipe that I got off the internet. It's very easy and (semi) kid-friendly, so I employed my sous-chef Owen to assist.

First we mixed together our ingredients. It's the normal Rice Krispie treat recipe-butter, marshmallows, and cereal. I did the work on the stove while Owen was happy to stir around some dry cereal.

He was really into it

Then we pressed the warm mixture into plastic eggs. He kept yelling "EGG" here. Then Owen decided that it was time to cause trouble. He started climbing on the table, jumping on the dog, spilling the dog's water everywhere...ugh. We take to take a short break for time-outs.

and clean up. By the time we got back to the eggs, they were not so warm anymore which was a bit of a challenge.

Once the molded eggs were cooled we dipped them into melted white chocolate and sprinkles

Made some random messes out of melty goo

Well you had to know this was going to happen

Ta da! Cute huh? And because I'm a photo nerd I took a few more pictures before these all get gobbled up.

Yum!

Mommy and Me

2011-04-17T14:52:00.000-04:00

Dennis is away this weekend for a bachelor party in Boston, so it's just been me and Owen. I did have the girls over for a chick flick night on Friday, but have been flying solo since. Unfortunately, I was a little premature with the spring post last week because winter is rearing its ugly head again this weekend. 50 mph winds and snow means no outdoor play for us. It also means a very cranky boy and a very cranky mommy.
We came up with some fun things to do though. Saturday morning we ran some errands and played and read at Barnes and Noble for awhile. We split a burrito bowl at Chipotle. After that we came home and played with toys after a nap.

He's had this toy since Christmas but hasn't played with it in awhile. Do you see his face? He was beside himself. We dug to the bottom of the toybox because those toys are "new" all over again.

He is really into cooking and baking with me lately, so we made some "dough" with flour and water. He liked to mix it, but after it was made he was done with it. Yeah that killed maybe 20 minutes. It probably took longer to clean it up.

Speaking of baking, here is finishing off the chocolate chip cookies I made. Gross!

Then he wanted to put on all his jewelry and play with his talking animal toys. He makes these jewels with Sally our babysitter. He has to wear them all the time!
Then it was bedtime. All of a sudden Owen is terrified of the bath. It's been a struggle for 2 weeks now. He was really stinky so I had to once again get in with him and try to get him clean and soothe him at the same time. I hope this phase ends soon.
Today has been a little better. We took an extra long trip to Wegmans, which he loves. Daddy will be home soon!

Grilling time

2011-04-12T13:20:00.000-04:00

Well last weekend was pretty much perfect. With the longest winter I think I've ever witnessed in my life finally breaking, and 70 degree temperatures to boot, how could it not be perfect? Better yet, Dennis and I didn't have to work either. We decided to chance it and get out the grill and patio furniture. This probably means it will snow again next week...
It was even warm enough to eat outside. I ran to the store and got some supplies for a proper steak dinner on the grill.

Owen wasn't so sure at first. I don't think he remembered eating on the deck last year.

We had steak, sauteed mushrooms, and roasted red potatoes

with some adult beverages for the over 21 crowd

mmmmmm (Dennis hums when he likes his food...it's kinda cute)

I was worried that Owen wouldn't like the steak. He's not a big fan of straight-up meat. So I cut it into little pieces and put it into his quesadilla. I can pretty much hide any food I want him to eat into a cheesy tortilla and he'll eat it. Much to my surprise, he started pulling the pieces of steak out and eating them. Of course he's got to have expensive taste *sigh*

This one just kept begging for steak

How can I say no to that face?

The only downside to eating outside was the little man was majorly distracted. He pointed out every bird, bug, airplane, leaf, and sound that was around outside. The meal took forever...but couldn't have been better. Yay for spring!

Owen's first finger paints

2011-04-05T13:59:00.000-04:00

I decided today was the day to try finger paints with Owen. He's been getting more into art projects, and I think we're safely out of the putting everything in your mouth phase. We went out to Target to get the paints, undressed (well just him!), and got ready for a mess.

at first he was cautious

I think he was worried about the mess ha ha!

Luckily, he got used to the idea and went to town

He has been working on writing his name lately and wanted to paint it too. Here's the "O"

The "W"...I couldn't recognize any other letters myself. It's also funny that he can only say "o" and "e" so he kept going o e o e o e the whole time he painted.

After completing 2 paintings he realized his hands were "yuck" and was done.

Here's one finished work of art. Very fun! He only really got paint on his hands and arms. I was amazed! I was ready to whisk him the tub when he was done, but we were able to just wash his hands in the sink.

Glasses

2011-03-31T13:24:00.000-04:00

Owen has been obsessing over these Mr. Potato Head glasses lately. Apparently he thinks everyone should wear them.
Here he puts them on Mr. Potato Head...where they actually belong.
Chin glasses? and the underbite is too much.
Maybe a little too small bud.
Ah yes another victim.
C'mon Molly, wear the glasses! Hold still!

Yeah I had to wear them too of course. I think I'll stick to my own though.

Cabin fever strikes again

2011-03-21T16:05:00.000-04:00

Owen and I like to improvise when it's a yucky day outside. This winter we've had quite a few yuck days. How things have changed. Last year, he was quite content staying inside and chewing on a ring for hours. This year I get dramatic whines if I don't come up with fun and novel activities for the little guy.
Here's some of my ideas...

Helping mom write the grocery list

Eating foods in different ways. This is the first time he ate an apple without me cutting it up. Funny part of this is he only has those two little teeth on the bottom. He carried it around and gnawed on it for hours, and when he was done it looked like a rat had been chewing the apple.

Pots and pans drum set

complete with cymbals of course!

Emptying the junk drawer...ok he came up with this one on his own. And yes, we do have multi-colored ping pong balls in our junk drawer. Why, I don't know.

He loves to sweep the floor. This kept him busy for a long time. I've been wishing for a maid for a long time, but it looks like this is as close as I'm gonna get.

Throwing laundry down the chute. Helpful for me as well...until he starts throwing down everything in his room.
I also have him "help" me bake things. I don't have pictures of this because it requires close supervision...mostly for him falling off his helper chair or breaking the eggs. It is one of his favorite things right now though. You will also notice that none of these activities involves any of the 105,684 toys that he has in this house. Obviously a pen and a broom are much more interesting. Go figure!
P.S. I do put clothes on him at some point...I just noticed that all these pics are in his PJ's ha ha!

He's got personality

2011-03-05T22:42:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I feel like we just post pictures of Owen, but those of you who read this blog from a distance may not really KNOW Owen. Let me describe this little boy for you...

Owen is overall a good-natured little boy. He has always been very active, but he has moments where he is very calm and serene. He can go from running in circles for 15 minutes straight to reading books quietly for the next 15 minutes.
Some of his favorite things:

Thomas, and all things train. He loves "choo-choo's" right now. His favorite TV show is called Chuggington. I think it's also one of Dennis's favorites. Problem is, there's only about 6 episodes in circulation right now.

Being un-clothed. He really would prefer to wear just a diaper most of the time. Too bad this phase is in the middle of winter. He also turns frantic when the clothes come off and he has to run like a maniac.

This child loves to eat. He used to eat anything and everything I put in front of him. As he's approaching 2, he is starting to get more picky about what he eats. I caught him peeling the spinach off his homemade pizza tonight.

We are missing the swings. He really just loves the park in general. His favorites are the swings and the slides. Just before the weather got bad, he finally figured out how to go down the slide by himself. He freaks when he sees them. Come on spring!

Owen loves his bath. For some reason, he only loves it when Mommy gives him a bath though. He doesn't want to be in there for Dad or the babysitters. He likes to wash his feet with the soap and put his letters on the wall. He also loves his Thomas squirt toy and makes it "choo choo" along the edge of the tub.

Of course Daddy is his favorite guy. He loves to have boy time on the floor with Dad and throw the ball, harass the dog, and his favorite time of day is right before bed when he gets his horsey ride. He pushes Dad on the floor and says "go, go, neigh, neigh" and rides Dennis around the room. It's pretty cute.
This is puppy. Owen has been sleeping with this guy since the animal-free SIDS prevention time frame ended. If you pull puppy's tail he twinkles a lullabye. It's a dead giveaway when we think Owen's been asleep for awhile and suddenly we hear the little music box in the baby monitor. I must remember to get a backup puppy just in case...
Owen loves music and parades. We go to a music class every Tuesday and he loves to sing and dance and play with the instruments. At home, he likes to have parades. Sometimes we play music, sometimes we pull the toy dogs and turtles, sometimes we just march in circles, but a parade happens daily in the Hall household.

Well of course I have to say Owen loves his Mommy too. After all, I did give birth to him! I'm sure he is so very grateful that I feed him and change his diapers and clean up his messes right? Well maybe not, but he does love to read with Mommy, and sing songs, and go on walks on nice days, and go to the store with Mom. He even gets a donut hole if he's a good boy. He loves to cuddle up under a blanket and rock before he goes to sleep with his Mama.

What else is Owen doing now?

He says some words, but mostly likes to grunt and point at things he wants. He says "this" all the time, which means "this is what you should give me."

Some words he does say are: Hi, bye(s), mama, daddy, "thereitis" all together as one word, cookcook (cookie), eat, oh gosh, yay, ulcome (you're welcome, and thank you?), uh oh, eyes, ears, and there's more but that's all I can think of right now

He can walk, run, climb, go up and down the stairs standing up like a big boy with a handrail for help

Signs some words: more, book, all done, etc.

Eats pretty well with silverware without making much of a mess anymore. He does prefer to just pick up his bowl and slurp out whatever he's eating if it's something really good

Throws tantrums. He will lie face down on the ground and cry. If I ignore it and go to another room, he will follow me and throw himself down again. This continues room to room. The other day I had to shut myself in the bathroom until he calmed down because it's the only room he can't get into.

Well now you know a little more about Owen. And yes, I'm a Mom so of course I love to talk about my kid. It's fun to see how much he has changed in the past 20 months. I'll have to re-do this in another year because I'm sure he will change even more.

Brewing Beer

2011-02-26T14:30:00.006-05:00

As most of you know, I have started a new hobby...Home Brewing. I started doing this about a year ago. The first three batches I have brewed (Irish Stout (2) and Vienna Lager (1)) were boxed kits from Brewer's Best. Each one seemed to turn out better than the last. After getting Extreme Brewing, by Sam Calagione (founder and owner of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery), I decided it was time to expand my horizons and brew a beer that wasn't from a kit. After some debating, I decided on the Sour Cherry Ale.

So here we go:

First, let's make sure we have the ingredients....

Malt, hops, yeast......

7lbs. of frozen cherries

(can also use 10lbs. of sour red cherries or 2lbs. of dried cherries)

Owen is very interested in what is going on.

Add 2.5 gallons of water to the brewing pot.

The crushed grains are put in the grain bag in order to steep.

6.6lbs. of malt extract is added and then at different time intervals of 65 minute boil, the various hops are added.

Owen wants to bottle the beer now....but not for a few more weeks.

The 7lbs. of cherries are added after the boil is complete.

Owen running away with the lid.

After the yeast is added to the wort, the Sour Cherry Ale begins its primary fermentation.

Once the airlock is bubble free (about 3 weeks from brew date), and the specific gravity is steady, the beer will be ready for bottling.

Stay tuned for how it turns out!

Next up for brewing.....home made Guinness!

Nawlins

2011-02-16T14:21:00.000-05:00

I have returned from New Orleans. We are currently in the midst of a wretched stomach bug that has struck all members of the family, me being the last victim. I had to call off of work today (which I hate doing!) so anyway, I actually have some time to do a blog post...after trips to the bathroom and scrubbing the carpets from Owen's puke-fest. Seriously, how do they manage to throw up in the most inconvenient places?
Anyways, enough grossness, let's get on to my trip and I'll try not to dry heave through the food pics...

The whole reason I was going was because my work generously offered to send myself and the two other girls who passed our orthopedic specialist exam. They had an award ceremony for all the new board-certified specialist. For those who don't know, I am an orthopedic specialist, but the ceremony covered all specialties-geriatric, pediatric, women's health etc.

Here Mom, my friend got my picture so you can see me get my award ha ha

After the ceremony, it was obviously time to eat. I neglected to bring my camera for this event, but we got a recommendation to try this place called Mulate's. The food was so good. I had blackened mahi mahi with jambalaya and a beer of course. They had live music and dancing as well, although after traveling and conferencing all day, I didn't have my dancing shoes on.

The next day was mostly filled with attending classes at the conference, which were very good. We had some shrimp po boys for lunch, and continued on with exploring the city later that night

We around on these trolleys. It was very convienent.

We stopped for one of these and had some steaks for dinner.

The last day we ended up just exploring the French quarter before we had to get back to the airport. By the way, it was about 37 degrees while we were there. So much for Southern weather!
Here's a bunch of pictures...

This was behind a bar on Bourbon St. It was so random to have this beautiful courtyard behind a bunch of bars and strip clubs.

The balconies were already decorated for Mardi Gras. I wonder if they're like that all the time?

And we had to stop for beignets at Cafe Du Monde. So good, but I couldn't finish them.

The city was interesting to see. We heard some Katrina stories from the locals and it seems like many are still really recovering from it. But in the words of our wise busboy..."it's only stuff, I'll just get more."
Oh yeah, and the boys were fine without me.

Museum of Play

2011-02-01T21:08:00.000-05:00

On Saturday we ventured to the Strong Museum of play in Rochester, NY. We all have had some major cabin fever and decided a day trip may be a good idea for us all. We arrived around lunchtime, and of course the second we walked in Owen was chanting "eat eat eat eat..." We gobbled down some grub before we even paid admission for this place! I swear if this is how this boy is going to keep eating, I am gonna need to pick up a second job!
I digress. Here's some pics of the fun day we had!

oh yes! an aquarium. Getting him away from this definitely resulted in a tantrum.

Raced some cars

Played the giant xylophones with Daddy

They had a huge Sesame Street display, which he loved. He and a friend had the same idea with his BFF Elmo.

This was my favorite part...the mini Wegmans. It was set up just like the grocery store, and the kids got to pick 5 items from the store to purchase.

The kid didn't waste any time filling his cart with bananas of course. He took all of them from the produce section!

We had to check out after he finally decided on his items (with some help from Mom and Dad.)
He spent a good amount of time baking some cupcakes and bread in the little bakery too.

His final selections were blueberries, bananas, waffles, milk, and egg beaters. I guess he wanted to make us breakfast.

Of course the boys had to ride the train!

It was a cute little train.

He found a slide too! This poor boy is missing his playground time.

He tried to hula hoop with these older girls, but instead just walked around with it around his waist.

and he busted some mean moves on the light up floor

The Museum of Play was a great place to visit, especially on a cold winter day. We plan on returning again soon!

Snow day!

2011-01-15T14:44:00.000-05:00

Well it's a normal January in Buffalo and as usual we're getting cabin fever here. This is what is looks like today about 30 minutes ago:

Owen has really been missing his outdoor play. He got new snowpants and boots for Christmas, so I figured lets go out and play in the snow. If you remember, he wasn't so thrilled about the snow last year...

This year was a different story...kind of. As long as he can somewhat walk in it, he's good. He took a few faceplants and couldn't get up and then he's not so happy. We took Molly out with us, who is a snow bunny herself, and the two of them had a grand old time.

Hmm mittens smell nice...

Ready Owen? This is how you run around the yard like a freak...

Which made Owen crack up like crazy. His face is not that red from the cold, it's because he was laughing so hard.

We didn't stay out too long because it was really cold, but it was a good time. Molly was the smart one when got back inside and promptly took a nap directly in front of the heater

OK I'm ready for spring now!

Poor, sick boy

2011-01-13T15:00:00.000-05:00

We have survived Owen's first major sickness. Last week was a rough one. On Monday, the O-man came down with a 103 degree fever. Mommy rushed him to the pediatrician's office where they checked his ears, throat, skin, belly, and everywhere else but came up with nothing. He was put on a regimen of Motrin around the clock until the fever came down.
That took 3 days (yikes!) He had his 18 month appointment that day anyway, and was still sick so back we went. He hadn't eaten in 4-5 days besides a few bites of his favorite things, had a mild runny nose, diarrhea, and when I went to get him weighed and took off his clothes he had a rash over his whole trunk. The doctor came in and said, oh that's roseola. He had lost a little weight since Monday and then had to get 2 shots on top of feeling crummy already.

Most of you probably saw this on Facebook, but this is all he did the whole week. Cry, want to cuddle, and cry some more. I felt terrible for him. It's the worst when your baby is sick and you can't make them feel all better. I don't know how parents of children with serious illnesses do it day after day. I was toast after a week just from soothing and worrying.
By the weekend, he was back to his cheery, hell-raising self. Kids do bounce back quick, but I may still be a little traumatized ha ha!

See-all better!
I think he has also managed to eat all the food he missed from last week in addition to his normal intake too.

New blog

2011-01-01T14:08:00.000-05:00

You will see there's a new link on your right. This is a link to my new photo blog. It's a 52-week project to improve my photography skills. There's an intro in the blog itself that explains a little more about it. Please feel free to follow it if you would like. It will be a little photo-nerdy and it won't always be pictures of Owen and our family, but I'm sure there will be some of my favorite subject from time to time.

Big Fat Christmas Post

2010-12-29T21:54:00.014-05:00

Well Christmas certainly is a little different with an 18-month old. Owen was definitely more into the holiday this year, but still didn't really get the whole concept. He loved the gifts, and the tree, and of course the food. We loved watching him enjoy it all.

We started our Christmas quest looking for a good tree to put in the house. Owen got to work crusing down the aisles of trees and falling in the mud.
We got a very nice tree and put it up in the house, not knowing how he would react to it. He loved the ornaments and thought they were great little toys. We tried to put soft things or musical ornaments near the bottom where he could play with them and it wasn't a big deal.
And play with them he did. About a week after the tree went up, the bottom of it is pretty much stripped bare. The ornaments were taken off and he decided that the bead garland would make a nice scarf. He wrapped it around his neck and took off into the kitchen, almost toppling the tree and choking himself in the same action. Life with a toddler...
Needless to say I did not put up my fancy blue and silver glass ornament tree this year.

We had plans to go to Horseheads for Christmas weekend, but wanted to give Owen his big gift in Buffalo where it could be fully assembled. He got a train table complete with wooden train set. (yes the same train set as our famous Black Friday abomination)
We set it up a few days before Christmas so Owen could play with it for a little bit before getting all his other gifts.
I think Dad is having as much fun with it as Owen is...

We headed to Horseheads for the Christmas holidays. I was a big slacker and didn't get a picture of Owen in his handsome man outfit for Christmas Eve mass, but I will get some before he grows out of it. After church and pizza at my parents' house we got our milk and cookies out for Santa.
And had a few cookies ourselves...
Seriously this kid turned into a cookie monster this Christmas. He had them for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and everywhere in between. He would scream "Kook Kook" until a willing grandparent gave him theirs.

Christmas morning was the usual chaos, but instead of being infatuated with the wrapping paper and boxes like last year, this year it was all about the toys. Look at the frantic motion blur on this pic...
We all made out like bandits as usual. Owen got lots of new toys, trucks, clothes, and goodies. I got my Keurig coffee maker, Shark steam mop, and a new bag. Dennis got a new TV, some train stuff, and a nice wool sweater from Ireland.

We finished opening at Dennis's, then went to his Gram's for dinner, then went to my Mom's for dinner and more fun.
and some peek a boo with Aunt Sara
and more gift opening

It really is fun watching your child enjoying Christmas like we used to when we were kids. It makes me feel like a kid again too.

Cookie Monster

2010-12-19T21:49:00.005-05:00

MMMM baking day. I didn't get to eat any of these cookies last year because I was too little. No fair!

Look Mom, they are right there and I will climb up on this chair and throw a tantrum until you give me another one (even though I had my fair share already today)

I know, do something cute until she reaches for that camera and is distracted and then...victory is mine!

The Edwards Tree Saga

2010-12-05T19:50:00.006-05:00

Everyone has that great holiday story from their family that they talk about for years. My family has a clear winner in this category, and that is the Christmas tree story. I was at work the other day and we were having the whole real tree vs. fake tree debate with the patients, and I had a whole new group to tell this story to. I forgot how great it is, and figured I would share it with our blog readers (or at least those of you who haven't heard of it!)

When we were kids, we always picked out a great real Christmas tree. My mother especially loved the smell of fresh pine and the great hunt of finding that perfect tree. Well one year when I was probably about 14 years old me and my sisters went with dad to find the tree. Mom was busy with shopping or something so she didn't go that year. We left the house promising to find her the perfect tree. Unfortunately, that day looked something like this...
We took the good old Dodge caravan out in the snow to find the perfect tree. I believe we went to 3 different tree stands and they had the worst selection ever. We were not pleased with any of the trees, and went to leave the last tree farm and got completely stuck in the snow. We had some help from the people at the stand to push the van out, went about 10 feet only to get stuck again. Now my dad would not let any of us girls get out of the car to help, so more volunteers helped him out as he was stifling back swear words.
We get un-stuck again and head back on the road. It was about at this point that my dad totally lost his cool. I can't say I blame him though. He screams "That's it...we're going to Sears and getting a fake tree and I don't care if you guys don't agree and your mother will have to deal with it!" We slowly nod in the backseat, knowing not to test his decision.

We arrive at the good old Arnot Mall and pick out the best looking fake tree money can buy. My dad seems pleased with his find but then regret and fear start to seep it. All of a sudden he's like, "alright girls, go find some pine scented candles and air freshener. We are not going to tell your mom about the fake tree."

We swiftly went home, set up the tree and hid the box in the basement before Mom got home from shopping. We also sprayed massive amounts of pine air freshener all over it. She walked in the door and praised our beautiful tree.

We got through the first 3 years of this routine without a hitch. We would always set up and take down the tree while Mom wasn't home. The funniest part was that Mom would always say how much better our pick was than the previous year.

The fourth year was the final year of our charade. Mom kept feeling the tree "needles" and saying how dry they were. We were of course cracking up whenever she would say this. She decided that the tree needed more water. Previously, one of us would always pretend to water the tree by running the sink and bringing out an empty cup to "water" the tree. As we got older, we weren't home as much and Mom decided to take matters into her own hands. She kept putting water into the base and subsequently watered the carpet quite thoroughly.

Finally, we called a family meeting and had to tell Mom the news: we had been living a lie and the tree was an imposter. She didn't believe us, but we showed her the evidence; the big cardboard box, the plastic trunk, and most of all, the lack of fresh pine scent. Her feelings were a little hurt at first, but eventually she saw the humor in the whole situation. To this day, she will still joke and say the tree needs to be watered.
The tree has lasted for years, and is as lovely as ever. Here's your grandchild pointing to it Mom!
If you're still reading, thanks! Reminiscing about old family Christmas stories is a lot of fun.

Thanksgiving Horseheads Style

2010-11-28T20:33:00.015-05:00

Hope everyone is recovering from Thanksgiving like we are! We were able to make the trip to Horseheads for the holiday this year, which we haven't been able to do in awhile. I must say it was a very nice trip.

We got into town Thursday morning and pretty much immediately went to Gram's house for the Sullivan side turkey-fest. Owen didn't waste any time digging into the great food. Then he had some good playtime with all of the little boys running around.
Grace supervised and laughed at the boys of course!

The rest of the day was pretty low-key. We were able to relax a little bit. I went to my Mom's to help with the baking that night and Owen was adding his own spice to the festivities.

Dennis and I got the grand idea of going to Toys R Us when they opened at 10pm that night...not a good idea. We waited in line for an hour and a half in the rain surrounded by some interesting characters outside of the store. It starts raining about 20 minutes in and we are soaked, and the oh-so-helpful store people hand us an umbrella at the door! Thanks, would have been useful about an hour ago...We finally get into the store and realize that they are sold out of everything we're looking for and the line to checkout is at least another 1-hour wait. We left, wet and defeated. So much for Black Friday.

Mom had the great idea of having her dinner on Friday. Saved time and the button of our jeans. So we did the turkey thing again, and it was just as delicious. See that torch? Ma made creme brulee and didn't even burn the house down.

This meal ended as most Thanksgiving dinners do...
Down for the count, watching Christmas Vacation.

Saturday we went to Hollydays in the Square. It was freezing that day, but Owen looked pretty snuggled up. Natalie came too, which is a yearly tradition for us.

We all got to ride in with Santa on the Mark Twain float.
Natalie is almost as tall as Santa now!
Owen didn't even make it close to Santa's lap before he completely freaked out...oh well
The rest of the weekend was very fun. We did some shopping, had some of our favorite Horseheads treats (Pudgies) and even got to talk to Tim via Skype for quite awhile. All in all, it was a great trip. Thanks everyone!

Learning

2010-11-23T13:50:00.007-05:00

It's so amazing to me to watch Owen learn. Sometimes it's easy to forget that he is experiencing many things for the first time. That must be so amazing! I have been trying to pay more attention to these little moments of learning and try to imagine what it must be like to be a toddler where everything is so new and exciting.
Even though Owen isn't saying too much lately, he is communicating quite efficiently. With a point and a grunt or a look on his face I can certainly tell what he wants most of the time. Today we went for a walk, and he kept pointing and "talking" about everything we saw along the way; a pumpkin, some dogs, a tree losing its leaves, a garbage truck, and wind chimes...all so interesting to him that he felt the need to show mommy.
He learned quickly as most kids do that banging on pots and pans makes loud noise...And at the end of a good song, we clap. This trick took me by surprise a few months ago. Owen and I were in the car listening to John Mayer's live version of "Gravity." At the end, of course the croud clapped on the track and from the back seat I hear "yay" and loud clapping. Since then, he claps even at the end of every song, even when Mom or Dad sing.
Here Owen tries to get my hairdryer to work. Of course it's not plugged in. Apparently he knows it's supposed to blow air somehow, so he started blowing into the back of it. Cracked me up!
He also loves to give his stuffed dogs "drinks" from Molly's bowl, but then he knows enough to clean up the spilled water with a towel.
Hmm I wonder where he picked up this nosepicking thing.

Sunset at the Park

2010-11-11T20:43:00.007-05:00

Owen and I went to the park for what I am so afraid may be our last playtime until the spring. They already had the swings down for the season. He kept walking over to the set and looking up and pointing where they were. It was really pitiful. Anyway, here's some pics of our fun time.

I am still not used to how quickly it gets dark now, so we had to leave a little earlier than both of us would have liked. We will get back to swinging in the spring!

Fall Fun

2010-11-04T20:29:00.016-04:00

Hello everyone! Well as usual we have been very busy here. I know you all must want to see some Halloween pictures of the cutie Owen, although I did post some teasers on Facebook for you. We had to make our yearly trip to the Pumpkin Farm. Owen was definitely more into it this year than last.

We saw some animals and headed over the the animated chicken show. Owen clapped and danced to the music while Daddy stalked Jason Pominville. Yes, pro hockey player Jason Pominville...and his cute wife with the 50 carat rock on her finger and Peg Perego stroller. I digress... anyway the animated chickens were enthralling for us all.
We moved on to see the pig races, which were so cute. I love pigs, and learned a few tidbits about them at this particular race. Did you know that on the intellegence scale, pigs are way smarter than dogs? Well spend a little time with cute Molly and you'll believe it too.
Then we went to pick out pumpkins. Owen decided to pick his out with his mouth.
Ultimately we picked this one and carved it with this very basic design because Owen was NOT into carving.
as you can see here
Here's the little guy all dressed up. He wore this skeleton during the day on Halloween
And Superman for the big night. He has also been obsessed with wearing it everyday since.
Dennis and I had our big Halloween party this year. He went as a scarecrow
And I was shrimp on the Barbie. Nobody got it. It's ok.
Here's the winners from this year. The mask was homemade.
Owen's friend Nathan came too dressed as a zebra. They played with trucks throughout the party and had a great time.
I loved Kristin's "beer" belly
a few more characters for you...

That's about all that's new here. Hope you are enjoying fall!

Train Weekend 2010

2010-10-28T20:01:00.004-04:00

A few weekends ago the Sullivan Railroad held a train weekend. So we went home to participate and play with the trains. The above picture is a life-size caboose that sits with a baggage car behind my grandparents diner.

While waiting for everyone to come, I decided to give Owen his own private ride. It is hard to see in this picture, but he was crying the whole way. I think the sound of the engine scared him.

As you can see, he was more content riding in the back with mom.

Owen was a little shy at making new friends.

What's new?

2010-10-05T13:40:00.018-04:00

Whew we've been bad bloggers...sorry everyone! Anyway, we'll do a hard and fast update about all things new in the Hall house.

We went to the aquarium with our buddy Ira. Owen was obsessed with the sea lions!

We celebrated Dani's bridal shower- wedding is so soon!
We celebrated a birthday, 29 years to be exact
Peek-a-boo!
We got to run around with our cousins
We enjoyed the last of the warm weather
Read some good books
Listened to some good tunes
Acted generally silly
Wished for some sunny days!
That's about all that's new here!

What we're working with

2010-09-28T14:24:00.003-04:00

It's been a rough week in the Hall household.
Someone has a cold and is getting his molars
Poor baby :(

The Conductor

2010-08-31T14:04:00.003-04:00

Owen still loves that Mozart cube we got him a very long time ago. Recently he has started to act like a conductor when the music plays. We haven't shown him this, so I don't know where he picked it up. Here's a cute little video of it:
ugh, I hate my voice in video clips.

A day in the life

2010-08-24T21:48:00.035-04:00

Today was pretty much a typical Tuesday. When I woke up this morning, I decided to document it and post what my normal day is like right now (if anyone is really interested anyway ha ha.) The only hitch to today was poor Dennis was being audited at work so he literally worked 13.5 hours today and just went back in at 9pm as I am writing this. Anyway, that left me and Owen pretty much on our own all day. We had fun though!

6:30- Hear Owen starting to wake up. He sounds fussy, like he doesn't want to be awake yet. I wonder if i should go in or wait. I decide to wait.

7:30-He did sleep longer...so did I. Score! Now he's really up. He still sounds cranky though, but lately he is crabby until he gets food, which must be NOW!
Yeah he is not happy. I will also never understand why he throws everything out of his crib in the morning. You see his blanket, bear, dog, and binkie all on the floor? I don't get it.
Take a tooth inventory: new one coming on top. I think it's called a canine? Next to the top teeth?
Ahh diapers. I will not continue to bore you with the contents of the diapers all day. I promise. Just know that many diapers were changed throughout this typical day.
7:45- Let the dog out and feed dog. Keep Owen content with not eating for 2 seconds so I can tend to Molly.
Thank you Thomas.
8:00- Breakfast for Owen, cinnamon raisin toast with cream cheese and a banana with milk. For Mom...

8:30- Watched Giada make some kind of Olive thing on the Today Show and watched the weather to see if it was going to get any warmer today. It's supposed to.9:00- Owen finds out that OMG! we got a card in the mail yesterday. He loves cards, and he also loves Molly's water dish and decided that said card should take a little swim.
Dog dish was promptly put on counter. I realize that we have music class soon and we both need to get going.
9:45- We arrive at music class. I am taking him there because between me being home and Sally watching him when I work, the boy has hardly any exposure to other kids. The girls there love him and hug and kiss him, but all he does is hug my leg usually. This little girl tried to play with him, but you can see his reaction to her.
10:00- A landmark! He actually went up to the teacher and walked around during class without me. I couldn't believe it. He even danced.
The kid will do anything for the musical instruments though.
11:00- Get home and it's time for a nap. Little man is getting whiny.
11:15- Throw laundry in. There's always laundry to do
11:30- Finish cleaning up dinner from last night and do dishes. There's always dishes to do too, and I was just too tired to do them last night. Realize I never ate MY breakfast and pretty much eat the same thing Owen did, minus the cream cheese.
12:00- Sit down and putz around on the computer for a bit. Do a little work, look at people's blogs, Facebook etc. and just relax a bit. Normally I would have a lot more work to do, but I didn't get any chart audits in my inbox yet this week. I will surely pay for this by the weekend.
12:45- UPS truck stops. Noo! Molly barks, waking up Owen a bit early from his nap.
12:50- Get Owen up, changed, the usual and he insists on practicing his new skill of going DOWN the stairs a few times. Sure, why not?
He is in such a good mood when he gets up from his naps.
1:00- Lunchtime! On the menu: Leftover Fettuccine Alfredo from Mom and Dad's dinner last night with some blueberries for dessert. That sauce was messy, but he loved it!

Since Owen doesn't have many words at this point, I started to teach him some simple signs. The only one that has seem to have stuck with him is "more." He does his own version of it, but you definitely know what he wants. He uses it for everything...I think to him it means "I want." I want your food, more food, your phone, pick me up...you get the picture.
1:30- When browsing through email during naptime, I see that Carters has buy one get one PJ's. And I have a coupon that expires today. We load into the car and go get some good deals. 4 fleece footie PJ's! Owen was just happy to play with the toys in the store. However, he proceeds to throw himself on the ground when it's time to go. *sigh*
2:30-Snack time- Bunny grahams and yogurt...of course wants more
2:45- decide to go for a run. Owen gets to ride around in his nice little buggy while Mom sweats her butt off. It's twice as much work to push that thing while you run, ugh. Guess the news was right and it did warm up. Immediately regret not running first thing this morning.
3:15- Eh, a half hour is good right? Need a shower, but Dennis should be home soon so I'll grab it then. Play outside!
He realized quickly that his pool was empty. So, he grabs the hose sprayer and tried to "fill" it. Had to break the news to him that it wasn't going to work.
Who needs a pool when there's a perfectly good mud puddle a few feet away? Oh he had fun with this for awhile.
4:30- Go inside. Call Dennis and find out that he won't be home for awhile still. Hmm, that shower... Owen and I play with pillows. Who needs toys right?
4:45- Put Owen in playpen with Yo Gabba Gabba on and take quickie shower. Much better!
continue playing...
Throw pots and pans around

Shoot some hoops
Walked and pet his doggie. Crap...didn't get Molly for a walk today. Bad bad dog mom!
Lounged on the couch
Read some books.
6:15- Dinner time. He starts trying to climb in his chair saying "eat, eat, eat" Was trying to wait for Dennis, but I don't think that he's gonna make it.
Dinner menu- turkey and cheese quesadillas with mixed veggies, peaches for dessert.
6:45- Daddy gets home. yay!
Says a quick HI to dad then it's time to get ready for bed before meltdown starts.
7:00- Bath time
Works on his fishing skills in the tub. I try to tell him that the hook goes the other way. Reasoning with a one year old doesn't work so well
7:15-Dries off with daddy
PJ's and toothbrush next. Owen LOVES to brush his 4 teeth.
7:30-Kisses and hugs from Mom and Dad, and it's time for night night. I tell Dennis to go start grilling the chicken. I'm starving! Owen cries a little when I put him down, that's unusual. Go back in and give him his puppy, make it play music. He stops when I go downstairs.
Go downstairs and clean up the toys. Not too bad today at least. They are everywhere as usual, but not too bad
8:00- Dennis and I eat our dinner and catch up on our days quickly

Spring mix salad with chicken, blue cheese, cranberries, walnuts and balsamic vinaigrette. Yummy and fast, my two meal requirements these days.
8:40- Dennis goes back to work, I watch the end of Glee (love it!) I check on Owen
Awww. I am getting rid of the binkie soon, I swear. He just sleeps so well with it.
9:00- Decide to write this blog post tonight, but the stupid computer is not cooperating.
11:00- Dennis calls and says he's on his way home. Time for bed for me too!

Good night!

Fun at the Park

2010-08-19T21:13:00.013-04:00

As the second half of August begins, I am filled with dread knowing that summer is soon to come to an end. I still feel like that kid who has to go back to school in September and I am trying to soak up every last bit of summer that is left. It's so silly, because even September and October are very nice in Buffalo.
Now that I have a very active toddler who spends all day doing this:

I am very worried about the weather getting cold. Heck, we haven't even really had a rainy indoor day in weeks. This boy loves being outside and so do I. Today we hit up the park for some outdoor fun.

We started with some light stretching

Then we ran around everywhere. Right after I took this picture he fell and scraped his knee, requiring lots of mommy kisses and a drink from his sippy cup.

He recovered quickly from that trauma when we started swinging.

He still hasn't quite figured out the whole climb up the stairs then go down the slide thing. We're working on it. He gets there with a lot of assistance from Mom.

The kid loves to watch the big kids. He just stands at the playground and watches them. It's kinda cute, but he does look a little stalker-ish when he does it.

I'm trying to think of some other fun things to do with Owen before summer comes to a close. Any ideas? We've done lots of swimming, some road trips, the zoo (a few times), playgrounds, the fair. I think I need some more lounging in the sun time personally, but I usually have a cute toddler sitting on my magazine ha ha.

Summertime

2010-08-07T09:11:00.004-04:00

Yes, we know we have been slacking big time in the blogging department. We have vowed to be better about posting on the happenings in Buffalo for everyone, including Tim, who arrived in Iraq July 2nd. We promised him he would keep our blog updated so he didn't miss to much while serving our country.

We have been busy this summer. The first week in July we took our first family vacation. It involved going to Horseheads for a few days, then Connecticut for a few days and then back to Horseheads for a few more days.

We enjoyed a lot of different activities while away for the week, such as:

Swimming...

Birthday parties..

Hanging out with family...

Wine tasting on Keuka Lake...

Playing with "Fernie"...

Having a good time...

Getting a 2nd haircut from Uncle Sam...

Enjoying great food...

and most of all....spending time at "home."

We miss you all very much and look forward to our next visit home.

Uncle Timmy, we miss you very much and appreciate what you are doing for us and our country. Continue to be safe!

Milestone

2010-07-24T12:32:00.013-04:00

We are up and running friends! The computer had a mini makeover and I got more storage for the obscene amount of photos I have accumulated. We have been quite busy lately with the little man, but most importantly he turned a year old on June 26th. Of course a big party was thrown in his honor.

We ended up having about 30 people at the party, which was great. Luckily the rain held off and there was some outdoor space to use as well.
We had pizza, salads, and of course cake and ice cream. This is the cake I made for Owen. I must say I was impressed with myself for how well it turned out.

Decorations consisted of some simple balloons and a banner with all of Owen's "month pictures." Everyone had fun seeing how much he's changed in a year.
We opened some gifts. This boy sure is loved! (loved/spoiled) He cleaned up at this party!
Cake time! He wasn't so sure at first. He actually was more interested in the donut ears than the cake itself.
Once he got going there was no stopping him. That cake was toast. It was so fun to watch him dig in. The highchair needed a good hosedown anyway.
After a little clean up it was time to play with some of the new presents.
Molly wasn't so sure about some of them.

Eventually, everyone had to leave and go back home. Some travelled quite a distance for the party, which was truly appreciated. We all had such a great time, and I'm sure Owen really loved his party.
It's unbelievable that he is a year old now. I know it sounds very cliche, but that first year flew by so fast I can't even believe it. He has been such a great addition to our lives and has changed it in ways I never would have imagined.

Oh this time is still such a blur
What a difference a year makes. He still makes my heart melt every day!

Blog Break

2010-06-29T13:18:00.002-04:00

Hello everyone! I know we have been slow with the blog lately, but the computer is about to go. I have succeeded in filling up the hard drive (which my computer-competent friend did not believe) We have tons of pics and posts waiting, but I can't load anything else in right now. We are having it fixed and rebuilt in the next couple weeks, so hold on tight for more blog updates soon. Thanks!

Owen's First Year at OneTrueMedia.com

2010-06-26T22:30:00.001-04:00

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Look who can walk......

2010-05-29T09:09:00.002-04:00

Eleven Months

2010-05-27T21:41:00.002-04:00

One month til the big day! Yes, that is a bruise on his cheek too. Learning to walk is hard!

Keeping us on our toes

2010-05-25T12:12:00.012-04:00

Hello! I haven't been posting much lately, but with good reason. Mr. Owen has been moving insanely fast. He took his first steps, learned to climb the stairs, learned how to flush the toilet (and throw things into the toilet), and how to say "Hi Dada." This was just last week. He also has two teeth just breaking through too. Here's a pictorial of the last couple weeks.Aw, c'mon mom. You know all those towels belong on the floor!2 phones are always better than 1
I will empty this bookcase in about 10 seconds!
Interesting note: He always goes for the "Rapid Interpretation of EKG's" book first, maybe that means he will be a cardiologist? Maybe it's fluorescent orange?
I love Ziploc bags!
Why yes, my giraffe and ball belong in the bookcase. My binkies also belong in the bathtub, and my sippy cups belong in my bib bin, and my shoes belong in the kitchen cabinets.
No explanation needed here.
Outside is the place to be! Yes he is wearing superhero PJ's with a cape...

Mother's Day

2010-05-08T20:56:00.003-04:00

On the eve of my first Mother's Day I am struck with how different this year is than years past. Of course, I always enjoyed doing nice things for my mom and grandmothers on this day but it feels very different this year actually being a mother. I am included in this society of moms and it is a very cool thing.
So what does it mean to be a mom? This year to me, being a mom has been such a rollercoaster of excitement, joy, frustration, sleep deprivation, surprise, and love. My relationships have changed with my friends, coworkers, husband, and even my own mother. Daily conversations have turned into discussions about poopy diapers, sleep schedules, and babyproofing. Somehow my mothers day cards haven't been sent out yet because I can't seem to do anything on time anymore. But I love every minute of it.
I have wanted to be a mommy for as long as I remember. I feel so lucky that we are so fortunate to have such a great little boy that we get to see and hold and play with every day.
I love being a mom.

Weekend Getaway

2010-05-05T19:30:00.006-04:00

A few weeks ago we took our first family vacation. We gave ourselves a long weekend and traveled downPublish Post to Pittsburgh to see our dear high school friends....The Parvez clan, the Oldfield clan and Shortie. Seeing everyone brought back a lot of good memories and a great time was had by everyone. Even though we all live a few hours apart and see one another every few months, when we do meet up, it doesn't feel like we have missed a beat.

We stayed in downtown Pittsburgh at the Omni William Penn Hotel, which was a awesome. Owen seem to approve as well.

When we arrived, we were greeted with a yummy lunch at the Parvez's. After lunch we headed out for some ice cream (seems to be a tradition when we go to Pittsburgh).

After getting our ice cream, we head to the park to enjoy the beautiful day and catch up with everyone.

This was our first time meeting Azeem. He is such a cutie.

We help celebrate Arman's 2nd birthday with cupcakes and coffee at the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh.

Owen's favorite things were a fish tank.....

and the huge light brite.

Ok, ok, ok....Dad also enjoyed the huge light brite......

Owen also enjoyed the water part of the museum. He thought it was a big bathtub.

But I think the winner's of having the most fun in the water goes to Matt and the twins.

This picture is a picture that puts a huge smile on my face. This is the beginning of a new generation of best friends....just like their parents have with each other, no matter where life takes them.

It was great seeing everyone. We miss you all and can not wait to continue the fun times the next time we all can meet.

Ten Months

2010-05-04T12:50:00.005-04:00

Can't believe we are into double digits! He wouldn't still still of course, so the pics turned out pretty funny.

Hi cars! It is way more fun to wave at everyone than to take these pictures

Oh you wanted the sign to be in the picture? Read it and weep!

Yes I will throw this sign behind the couch 3 times!

Easter Weekend

2010-04-10T20:58:00.023-04:00

Well this is going to be a long one folks! I got my new camera lens the day we left for Horseheads and went a little picture crazy.

We had a great Easter weekend with our families. The weather was sunny and in the 80's, which was insane, and made for some great outdoor time. Here comes the pics...

We knew we were back in Horseheads when the front page story in the paper read "Trout Season Opens"
Owen loved Grandpa's fish tank

We had a great time at the playground, especially the swings.

We headed back to Grandma Hall's house to see Aunt Jenn and cousins Gracie and Alex. Alex and Owen loved each other this visit. They were definitely attached quite a bit more now that Owen is more mobile. Alex would say 'Awwww" and go kiss Owen. Too much cuteness! He also showed Owen how to bang on the fireplace doors and other fun ways to get into trouble he he.

He enjoyed a nice wagon ride around the neighborhood

We went to church in the morning then went back and got our Easter baskets and played a little bit. The grownups got a few goodies too!

For the end of our trip, we went to Gammy and Gampy's house for the famous Easter egg hunt outside and more food. The kiddos found the eggs pretty quickly I must say. We all had a great time and it was nice to see everyone for the Easter holiday.

Happy Birthday Gracie, Natalie, and Dad!

2010-04-10T20:45:00.005-04:00

You guys all have birthdays so close together! We were able to celebrate while we were in Horseheads over Easter weekend. Gracie is now 4 years old, Dad is 39 (right Dad?) and Miss Natalie is a big 10 years old!

Here's Gracie at her princess party, so pretty!

Can't believe that Natalie is 10 years old! I remember the day you were born little girl!
Here's Dad cooking everyone some chicken. What did he get from his daughter for his birthday? A very Dad gift of a new polo (that was easily matched with his colorblindedness) and new socks. Very exciting huh?

Nine Months

2010-03-30T13:02:00.004-04:00

Mr. Owen is nine months old!
19 lbs 3 oz
28.5" tall
growing up into a big boy too fast...

Happy St. Patty's Day

2010-03-16T12:08:00.003-04:00

Ski Bunnies

2010-03-14T11:13:00.003-04:00

This post is pretty outdated, but for Valentine's Day we decided to do something different rather than the traditional going out for dinner....we went skiing. Teresa and I have been talking about skiing for the past 10 years we have lived in Buffalo, but never made it until now.

Teresa had never skied before, and I haven't skied in about 15 years. After a quick 2 hourlesson, we were on our own.

Here you can see Teresa picked up on skiing pretty quickly. In the background is one of the resorts.

We had a great day. The weather was ideal for skiing and it is something hope to do a few times a year now.

Eight months

2010-03-09T10:55:00.003-05:00

This shoot didn't go so well, as the little guy will not stay still anymore. Oh well, it's a true reflection of what he's doing at this age right?
Silly little rascal

Bath time!

2010-03-04T11:35:00.009-05:00

Owen gets his bath every night right before bed. I must say, he enjoys the ritual every night and knows what order we do things by heart now.
He always knows it's time for his bath after dinner. This is strategic for us so we can clean up the inevitably messy hand/face/clothes combo after eating his dinner.
Then we go upstairs and get our dirty clothes off, take our medicine, and have a little "naked tushie time" He makes a beeline for the bathroom and waits for the water to warm up
Then he gets really excited and cracks himself up watching the bubbles and his toys floating around.
We play with toys while mommy washes little toes and fingers and sings silly made up songs about his little toesies and handsies and how they're not stinky anymore

Of course a funny hairdo is in order when we shampoo
Then it's time to get out and dry off. He always gets very sad when it's over
He checks the status of his toes and fingers to make sure mommy did a thorough cleaning job before we proceed with the donning of the PJ's
We apply various lotions, powders, creams, and brush his hair. This kid's skin is in better shape than my own. Then we go back to the mirror to tell ourselves what a handsome little man he is. Bath time is fun!

Snow Baby

2010-03-04T11:25:00.006-05:00

Being a Buffalo boy, we thought Owen would enjoy the snow. We bundled him all up and took him outside after the snow last weekend. He certainly was not amused. He couldn't move in his snowsuit (channeling Randy from a Christmas story,) which annoyed him to no end. He didn't like the snowflakes falling on his face, and he certainly didn't seem to enjoy the cold and snow. I hope he learns to like it next winter, so we can do snow angels and make snow men. Time will tell I suppose. Here's some pics of the grumpy snowman...

He really seemed like he wanted to go out
I'm king of the mountain
Not amused Mom
Maybe if I play dead, they'll just take my back inside so I can play with my toys

"Where did the time go?"

2010-02-12T17:25:00.006-05:00

We have noticed that a number of the blogs we follow, have seem to have come to a halt. A number of reasons come to mind, but I am sure the biggest reason is due to not having enough time. I find that there is not enough time in day to get everything done, even if you start the day bright and early with a plan.

when I was younger, time seemed to stand still....I thought birthday's, Christmas's, summer vacation and the weekends would never come. Now I find myself saying "I can't believe it is the holidays season again" or "where did summer go?"I work 12 hour days and find I could stay at work for a few more hours and still be behind. I start each day with a plan, but daily activities always have a different plan.

It has been almost 8 months since Owen has arrived and everyday has been awesome. There is something about your son looking at you everyday with that look. You know the look...the look of innocence. That look everyday makes me take a few steps back to make sure I enjoy every minute of everyday. 8 months has flown by.....I trying to hold on so I am not saying "Where did time go? He was just born yesterday and now he is off to college in South Bend or Chapel Hill."

So how is Owen spending his time? He watched his first Superbowl last weekend. He did very well. He stayed up until about the end of the 3rd quarter and won the pool...$100. Not bad.

Last night we all went to the car show, which is an annual tradition.

Owen can not decide between the Porsche or the Corvette...

But his favorite thing had to be sitting the huge tire on the monster truck (Yes, that tire is a Goodyear tire).

Busy Busy Boy

2010-01-28T20:27:00.011-05:00

Mr. Owen has been very busy these days. Now that he is mobile, he is all over the place checking everything out. Time to babyproof!

What has the busy boy been doing lately?Playing with his toys

Hanging out with Mom and Dad

Trying out some new foods mmm

Pulling up on everything

And being just pretty darn cute

Seven Months

2010-01-28T20:24:00.001-05:00

It's starting to get pretty difficult to sit him in one spot for these shots now

Another Extreme Home Makeover

2010-01-21T20:26:00.008-05:00

Ever since we have moved in to our house we have never been totally satisfied with how each of the bathrooms looked. If you remember, back in April (See April blog post) we had some one do our upstairs bathroom which was a complete demo and rebuild, something we did not want to tackle ourselves.

Over the holidays, Dennis was off for two weeks due to the plant holiday shutdown and Teresa had a week off as well, so we finally decided to redo our downstairs bathroom. This is something we have wanted to do since we moved in, but focused on the other areas of the house first.

Here is a picture of the bathroom before I tore out the existing floor. Looks pretty neutral.

After tearing up the linoleum, we put down a backboard. This wasn't bad, but I did all the cutting in our family room and the whole house was a dust cloud for the duration of this project.

Here you can see Teresa cutting some tile (Thanks Jenn and Sam for the use of the Wet Saw, and all of your help and guidance during this). Cutting the tile quite possibly was the part of this project we enjoyed the most.

When the saw was low on water, rather than turning the water back on for a small amount of water, we were creative and use the elements...that's right, we put some snow in the reservoir.

Teresa did a great job spreading most of the mortar and laying the tile to ensure perfection. If Dennis did, he would have rushed and nothing would be straight.

While mom and dad were working away, others discovered "another baby" in the house. Owen loved looking in the mirror and I couldn't throw it out until a new one was put up.

TA DA! OUR NEW DOWNSTAIRS BATHROOM!

We were going to put the old vanity and sink back in, but after it came out we decided not to put it back. Teresa found this sink, complete with a granite counter top and back splash Lowe's.

At Target, we found a nice cabinet to store the bathroom essentials.

A new shower curtain to go along with the new paint job.

And of course, the newly tiled floor.

At first I tried talking Teresa out of doing this because I did not have a lot confidence that it would turn out how we were imagining it. I am glad she stuck to her guns. It isn't perfect, as if a contractor did it, but knowing we were able to do this on our own, makes those small imperfections seem invisible.

Bring on the next home improvement...maybe landscaping in the spring! Stay tuned.

Six Months

2010-01-05T13:11:00.008-05:00

That paper didn't stand a chance.

17 lbs 3 oz
26.1 inches long
healthy and happy boy!

Baby's First Christmas

2010-01-03T21:41:00.012-05:00

We made the trek down to Horseheads for Owen's first Christmas. It worked out great this year that it was on a Friday so we could enjoy a nice long weekend with the family.
He looked very handsome in his little man church outfit for Christmas Eve. I only took about 120 pictures of him in it. He slept through most of church and was a such a good boy at the party afterward. He had to get squeaky clean and ready for Santa when we got home.
Santa definitely came. He was waiting so patiently with Grandpa on Christmas morning.
Here's Owen in his new wagon. He also got an activity table, sneakers (Air Jordans of course), books, rattles, stuffed animals, clothes, and many many other nice gifts.
Later that day we went to my parent's house and opened even more gifts. All the kiddos were there and got some great stuff as well.He had a great time trying out his toys.
We had some exhausted kiddos after all the festivities. Cousin Alex fell asleep in his highchair at dinner. Luckily Jenn's hand was there to catch his head. Then Owen fell asleep in Aunt Dani's lap. Aunt Sara gladly took him on the couch for a little snuggle and a nap. I think we all felt like sleeping at that point.We got back to Buffalo and unloaded the truck in several trips. We couldn't believe the loot we had! Santa and our families were very very generous!
It was definitely a more special holiday having a baby. This year seemed so different than last even though we basically did the same things we do every year. It's just so neat to see Owen experience everything for the first time. He was such a good boy all weekend with all the parties, strangers, and being off his schedule.

Dinner Party

2010-01-03T21:14:00.008-05:00

For the past 6 or 7 years we have had a holiday dinner and gift exchange with our friends in Buffalo. It started as a small gathering in our student apartments and has grown in the past few years to include more friends.
We hosted the party this year. Everyone enjoyed some appetizers and drinks while we waited for the dinner to be ready.Everyone brings a dish to pass, which makes it a whole lot easier on the host. This year we had baked ziti, crockpot chicken, sweet potato soup, green bean casserole, potato pancakes, risotto, cheesy potatoes, and various sweet treats. We all ate way too much, as usual. Everything was delicious. Owen enjoyed the evening as well. He had alot of girls paying attention to him and fighting over who got to hold him next.
After dinner we did our secret santa gift exchange. Dennis got some nice cigars and I got a book, wine, and some yummy smelling bath goodies. We played some games for awhile and watched Christmas Vacation and both got everyone laughing of course.
After some good food, good drinks, and good conversation a few partygoers were done for the night.

"Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas..."

2009-12-11T20:48:00.003-05:00

The tree is up.

And there is a little boy waiting for Santa.

This past week Owen has really made sure Santa is paying attention to what a good boy he is being......because he has been sleeping through the night!

Belated Thanksgiving Post

2009-12-11T20:21:00.009-05:00

Things are busier than normal for the Buffalo Hall's, so that is why I am just now posting about Thanksgiving. The three of us had a nice Thanksgiving in Buffalo since Teresa had to work on Black Friday.

Owen tired cereal for the first time and loved it!

Teresa made a wonderful dinner for the two of us!

We did make it home for the weekend to visit with family and friends. While we were home we went to Holly Day's in the Square and introduced Owen to Santa Claus for the first time.

Owen had no problems telling Santa his wish list.

A message from Owen:

"I had a great time visiting everyone while in the 'Heads. I can't wait to see everyone at Christmas time"

5 months

2009-12-01T22:08:00.002-05:00

A boy and his puppy

2009-11-22T17:14:00.003-05:00

Molly and Owen are becoming great friends.

I'm going to pump you up

2009-11-21T22:00:00.003-05:00

I must develop my pectorals in a hurry. I have to show Uncle Tim and those Army guys how to do real push ups!

This kid is crazy...

Beautiful Boy

2009-11-15T20:04:00.005-05:00

Play time

2009-11-08T21:06:00.005-05:00

Owen can not decide what toy to play with.

Owen still playing while crying to get out of his high chair.

Owen decides to take a nap with Sophie tuck in his right arm.

Owen wants his own Blackberry.

Congratulations to the New York Yankees on their 27th World Series title. Hopefully Owen will never have to experience what I have...seeing the Boston Red Sox win, not one, but two World Series titles.

Four Months

2009-11-03T16:04:00.002-05:00

Four Months Old
15 lbs 3 oz. 25" long
What a big boy!

Tricks and Treats

2009-11-03T15:47:00.007-05:00

This year's Halloween was definitely different from those in the past at the Hall house. We didn't have the crazy party this year...our friends whined about that for a long time. Instead, I went to Horseheads with Owen for a visit and Dennis stayed behind to work and to attend the Hall Halloween party (which was displaced to out friend Matt's house.) Patty was in town, and had not had the chance to meet Owen yet, so we made the trip to see her of course.
Owen loved his Aunt Patty. They hung out all weekend. They sang songs, rocked, and had many deep conversations.
We also went to visit Grandma and Grandpa Hall. Uncle Sam, Aunt Jenn, and Grace and Alex were there too. Owen is very interested in what his cousins are doing now.I think these two are gonna be trouble when they get a little older...
We went back to Gammy's house to get ready for trick or treating. Owen was a little monkey. He looked adorable, but was not a fan of his costume ha ha. I think it was a little too hot for him.
Aunt Sara and the kiddos posed for a few pictures before we braved the mall trick or treating. Nolan was Moe from the Doodlebops, Kendall was Strawberry Shortcake, and Natalie was Sharpay from High School Musical. They all got some good treats in their bags.
The next day we had a delicious lunch and hung out some more. It's always fun and crazy at Gammy's house.

The Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-29T15:36:00.011-04:00

Last weekend we took Owen to the Great Pumpkin Farm in Clarence. He seemed to enjoy seeing all the pumpkins and the people there. Of course we had to find a great big pumpkin for him to take home.We stopped to see the animals first. The goat didn't seem too impressed with us.We had to put him in the cutouts of courseThen we started searching for the perfect pumpkin...after a few photo ops

All that searching made us hungry for a snack. They have a great bakery at the pumpkin farm. We got apple pie with whipped cream and hot apple cider. Yum!Here a little punkin in a big pumpkin! I think Owen likes fall. Now we gotta carve this pumpkin to get ready for Halloween.

LOL!

2009-10-24T14:37:00.003-04:00

What has Owen been up to?

2009-10-20T12:02:00.007-04:00

Checking out the leaves

Hanging with friends

Learning some new skills

Putting everything in my mouth

Waking up early in the morning

And of course...drooling!

Game Day

2009-10-05T19:10:00.002-04:00

The boys watching football.

Time to move

2009-10-01T20:51:00.002-04:00

This little boy wants to move.

3 Months Old

2009-09-27T15:21:00.006-04:00

Hey what does that sign say?

I can't be that old already!

Haha try to get a good picture of me Mom

Oh ok I'll give you the shot

Train Weekend

2009-09-26T09:52:00.003-04:00

Last weekend we traveled home for a visit. Owen got his first train ride on the Sullivan Railroad as well.

Owen took his first train ride with Mommy and Aunt Sara, while Daddy was driving.

Owen took his second train ride up front at the controls with Daddy.

Owen is wondering when he will get to run the train....in a few more years buddy!

Happiness Is...

2009-09-24T20:33:00.013-04:00

flying

a cuddle after a warm bath

a nice afternoon nap

learning something new

A kiss from someone who loves you

Woombie

2009-09-12T20:23:00.006-04:00

I had to post this picture because it looks really funny. This contraption that Owen is sleeping in is called a Woombie. It cracks me up every time he is in it, but the thing works. Mr. Owen is a big fan of being all tight and cozy in a swaddle (yes, still) He is also a Houdini baby that manages to break himself free of every blanket and velcro contraption on the market. We will put him to bed and go into his room 2 hours later to find him turned 180 degrees and at the bottom of his crib with an arm and leg sticking out of the swaddle. I don't know how he does it.
If he slept well I would just let him be free. The second he gets those arms out he flails himself awake. Enter the Woombie. Its zipper, fabric, and snap seem to provide an environment that even my lil escape artist cannot maneuver. Today he was trying desperately to roll in this. It looks like the swaddling days are coming to an end. For now I'll just enjoy my little burrito baby.

Arts and Crafts

2009-09-12T16:34:00.006-04:00

Generally, I would not consider myself to be a very crafty person. I wish I had more time to learn to sew or crochet or do some of these neat things that my mom and mom in law do. Something about having a baby has made me long to be more creative. I actually have a baby book mostly completed and photos organized for once. Granted, it is easier to do things while I'm on maternity leave. I had been putting off on the final nursery decorations until we found out if "tater tot" was a boy or girl.
Now that we know tater's name to be Owen, I was ready to tackle a little craft project. I wanted to have those cute wall letters spelling out his name. At first I was going to buy them, but the prices were obscene and they didn't have the colors to match his nursery. So off to Jo Ann's I went to do it myself.
I purchased wood letters, paint, and various brushes to complete my task. Of couse the only time to complete such detailed tasks with a newborn was during his longest sleep period. I was up that night until a record 1 am! That is the lastest hour I have seen in many months. I armed myself with my brushes and newspaper for mess control (and my peanut butter pretzels for a snack) and got to work.

Here is the finished product. I must say I am quite proud of my little craft project. Maybe I should quit my job as a PT and make wall letters and sell them for obscene prices on the internet. On second thought, it would require me to stay up entirely too late.

National Buffalo Wing Festival

2009-09-06T18:17:00.006-04:00

Teresa and I have lived in Buffalo now for 10 years, and to our own surprise, we have never attended the annual National Buffalo Wing Festival that takes place where the Buffalo Wing originated. This year we decided to change that. This is one of the many food festivals that Buffalo has during the short summer that we have here. We had a good time and enjoyed some good food.

As you can see, some people come for the day. We were a little surprised to see multiple picnic areas set up on the infield of the ball park with chairs, tables and blankets.

Most people come for a few hours to sample Buffalo Wings from all over the country and see the various contests such as Miss Buffalo Wing, Baby Wing and the famous US Chicken Wing Eating Championship.

Teresa had her own contest....Try not to drop anything on Owen.

I just enjoyed my wings!

Owen slept the entire time we were there, but as we were leaving and checking to see if there was any chicken wing droppings on him I noticed his sleeve. It looks like maybe he was trying to get a little bit of our dessert.....Mile High Chocolate Layer Cupcake, which we forgot to take a picture of.

College Gameday

2009-09-06T18:13:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was opening weekend for college football. I am teaching Owen how we spend our weekends during football season.

Here Owen is hoping Syracuse will pull out a win against Minnesota.

Owen was very excited that Notre Dame was crushing Nevada. He can not wait to see the Fighting Irish in South Bend.

Uncle Sam takes great pictures

2009-09-05T12:07:00.004-04:00

Who doesn't love a naked baby? Sam took this beautiful picture of Owen when he was 1 month old. I was saying that I needed a naked newborn picture when we were in Horseheads for Alex's birthday and Sam took this pic right away. Owen of course pooped a little on the nice white dropcloth, but luckily Sam and Jenn are used to baby poop and didn't seem to mind too much.
I love this picture that he took at the baptism party of me and my boy too. We are luckily to have friends and family to take these nice pictures for us!

Mmmmm....Pudding

2009-09-03T18:20:00.003-04:00

Everyone loves pudding. But one thing that makes pudding better is some whipped cream, even when Teresa is trying to be funny and puts faces on the pudding.

New blog

2009-09-03T18:13:00.004-04:00

For those of that know me, know I have an interest in railroading and model railroading. Some people have asked to keep seeing pictures of my model railroad layout. So rather than emailing large email files or boring those that are not interested on this blog, I have started a blog devoted to railroads and model railroading. So feel free to follow this blog http://dhrailroad.blogspot.com/ "Railroad Times."

Some of you may not know I have a bit of what Teresa calls an "artsy" side.

Two Months

2009-08-28T16:40:00.004-04:00

Owen's Baptism

2009-08-24T17:07:00.008-04:00

Yesterday we celebrated Owen's Baptism at St. Paul's Church in Kenmore, NY. Our families from the 'Heads made the journey to Buffalo to be part of the celebration.

The Baptism gown Owen is wearing has been in the Sullivan Family for over 200 years and has been worn by every member of the family during their Baptism. We are unsure if the gown came over to America from Ireland, but do know that Grandpa Sullivan's father had worn it when he was Baptized.

Owen is being Baptized by Deacon Parker.

God-Parents, Sam and Jenn with Deacon Parker.

After a wonderful Baptism service, everyone joined us at our house for a lot of good food and company. Mama Hall was generous enough to come up a couple of days early to help prepare the feast and babysit for a night. Thanks again for all the help Mama Hall, we could not have done it without you.

Enough food to feed an army...Mmmmmmm, leftovers!

Delicious cake.

The girls enjoyed a dip in the pool.

Glad the rain held off in order to be outdoors.

Owen was very happy to have everyone celebrate his Baptism.

Thank you everyone that came to Owen's Baptism. We really appreciate those that made the trip from the 'Heads to be part of this special day. We thank all of you for your love and support.

Growing like a weed

2009-08-18T20:57:00.007-04:00

Hello friends!

Hmm look at that hand

These legs are kicking pretty well too
Look at my muscles! I'm a growing boy!

When it's hot in Buffalo...

2009-08-15T11:57:00.002-04:00

We make sausage soup

Owen's first trip to Horseheads

2009-08-06T13:11:00.008-04:00

Last weekend we ventured to Horseheads for a little trip. It was a busy weekend (as usual) but lots of fun. It is certainly different traveling home with a baby.
He got to see all of his cousins. They were very excited to hold him.Aunt Danielle was very excited to hold him too. She was also very enthusiastic about changing his diaper. Hey Dani, anytime you want to change diapers you come right up to Buffalo!
We also had cousin Alex's 1st birthday party to attend. It was a beautiful day and a great party. Alex loved his birthday cake. What a big boy!After cake everyone burned off some sugar on the trampoline. Dennis was bouncing the kids around like jumping beans. Dennis and Jenn also showed us that they can still flip after all this time. I was certainly impressed.
It was a great weekend with family. I think Owen was pooped out after all the excitement. He better get used to it being in this family!

Holy Roller!

2009-08-06T12:46:00.005-04:00

Owen started to roll over last week. First we thought it was just a fluke, but he has done it every day since. He's a moving little man!

To catch the roll we had the camera pointed at him at all times of course. In the process we got a clip of him making a funny face.

One Month

2009-07-26T17:36:00.004-04:00

Random Owen Pictures

2009-07-26T09:14:00.008-04:00

For your viewing pleasure:

Tummy time.

Out to dinner for MaMa's birthday.

The bottle is empty...he is just holding it.

Just got done watching the game.

Molly finally is warming up to Owen.

Owen's first bath. Doesn't he look thrilled?

Baby day at Sports PT of NY.

Just hanging out.

He will grow into it.

Lawn Mowing 101

2009-07-26T09:01:00.003-04:00

I am not a professional landscaper by any means or mow my lawn on the same day every week, but I do tend to think I keep a well maintained yard. Now for those of you that have been to our house know we do not have much of a yard because of living just outside of the Buffalo city limits houses are very close together and our backyard has a deck and a pool, which basically is our whole back yard. So when I set out to mow the lawn it will take me about 20 minutes. If I decide to weedwack, it may take 35-40 minutes. Bottom line, it does not take a long time to tidy up the lawn.

Ever since we have lived in our house (just over two years), the neighbor of two doors down from us has found it very difficult to mow his lawn on a regular interval. It had even got to the point where other neighbors have offered to mow the lawn for him or have asked him to mow his lawn in order to keep the neighborhood looking nice.

Well yesterday, I did some yardwork before it started raining, but I was also inspired by the above mentioned neighbor because he was mowing his lawn. You can always tell when he is mowing his lawn because the law mower will stall out every three minutes because he has allowed the grass to get so high.

Now some of you are probably reading this and thinking that I am being a cranky neighbor, but I write this out of humor. I do not care what his lawn looks like. I do not care it will take him over an hour to mow is small yard. I do not care that he gets frustrated that his law mower stalls constantly when he mows the lawn. I find it all pretty entertaining.

See what I mean....

A tent party with a wedding!

2009-07-19T19:40:00.006-04:00

Last weekend my little brother, Tim, got married in Rochester, NY to Krystle. They had planned the wedding at Krystle's home, which is a beautiful farm house with a large amount of land. Everything was done outside and the weather could not have been any better for the occasion. Friday night we were treated with a five minute rehearsal and then a clam bake followed by a bon-fire with S'mores. The day of the wedding the clouds opened up and it poured all morning, but luckily by the mid-afternoon the sun came out and made for a beautiful day. After a nice ceremony, we partied late into the night and ended it with a huge firework display that was put on to celebrate the newlyweds.

We had a lot of fun this weekend. Not only did my baby brother get married, but Owen made his first long distance trip and met the rest of the family. It was great to see family that we do not get to see very often since they either live in Florida or Kentucky or even Horseheads. So seeing everyone made the weekend that much more enjoyable and getting to introduce Owen to everyone.

I was honored to be the best man.

The family.

The newest Mr. and Mrs. Hall.

They are ready to get this party started.

The proud new parents...Owen was sleeping in the stroller.

He actually slept almost the whole weekend...even during the fireworks.

Congratulations Tim and Krystle. Good luck with the new chapter you are starting together as one.