Can You Take My Picture?

Paul now knows well that I take pictures with my phone and will now sometimes ask me to take a picture, like in this instance. He now also likes to say "cheese!"

I didn't get any photos last night, but I wish I did. We went to the breastfeeding support group at the hospital, and there were 2 other older kids his age there and they had so, so much fun playing together. It was great that they entertained each other so well.

Lighting the Candles in Church

Paul was thrilled to help Camille light the candles in church. I had to chase him down the aisle once after he overzealously headed up it a little too early. She has been taking him up for the Children's Sermon too.

Working Hard

While Farmer George has been tending to his own responsibilities, Paul has been keeping up on the tractor maintenance.

Covered in Chocolate

Paul likes to eat banana slices drizzled in chocolate. He was absolutely covered, even in his hair!

Back to Miss Rhonda's!

The fall session at gymnastics class is now in full swing and Paul is having a blast!

Visit with Dina and Olivia

Paul was so excited to see Olivia on Tuesday and to give her her birthday present. We had a very nice time visiting and playing at the park. Olivia sure enjoyed the swings!

Working with Daddy

Paul loves having an "important job to do." After observing Shawn use some tools to take the clamps off his truck cap one day, he loves to go in there and work with his tools.

Paul likes to help unload the tomatoes from the garden onto the table on the front porch.

Although this spring he was scared to death of the hose, he has come to terms with it, even well enough to help Daddy water.

He had a great time jumping on the round bales with Cana.

Rachel's First Birthday Party

I was very glad to get to see Rachel on her first birthday. She seemed to be having lots of fun with cake and presents and playing with all the kids. It was also very nice to see Lauren and for Paul and Bryce to have a chance to play.

Cana and Bella

I have been letting Uncle Greg's dog, Bella, out for him in the mornings. She and Cana are very happy to play together. Today I used the old coupler I had for Cana and Zeke when we ran a bit on the road, then it worked great for running in Uncle Greg's field. I just let Cana walk Bella, and I got to run hands free!

Bathtime

Paul likes looking in the mirror after he gets wrapped up in his towel to see how "cute" he is. I thought I'd capture the moment.

Hike

We had a very nice hike last night. Paul is getting great at taking walks, he walked all the way up the big hill and over toward the highway and back all by himself in the high grass. He just needed a few rests. Cana had a great time too, of course. I realized yesterday how far Paul has come as far as being able to reason with him. In the spring, when we started walking, there was no keeping him out of the creek without physical restraint. Yesterday I told him because there was no rain, the creek was very murky and filled with yucky bugs. He did listen and did not try to get in the creek.

Morning Golfing

The mornings have been just beautiful lately, so on Monday when we weren't busy, Paul was out there golfing in his jammies.

Liam's Baptism

Today was a busy day, with church then Liam Speer's baptism at St. Patrick's then a delicious luncheon afterward at Tambellini's. The service was quite long and it was a bit of a challenge to keep Paul busy. He did very well, even though it was nap time. The service was nice and Liam was very good, even when he got water poured on his head. Paul slept a little bit between the church and restaurant, then slept a while at the restaurant too. He was in a pretty good mood when he woke up and had fun playing with Brian and his cousin.

We were all decked out in our Steeler gear, and we got to watch the good parts of the game at the restaurant.

West Alexander Fair

We went to the West Alexander Fair for the first time last night. It was very busy and hard to find a parking spot because it was the Crash Derby. Paul was very fascinated by the Derby and wanted me to crash his buggy car in Giant Eagle today like the "Crash Derby." He had fun riding the pony, sitting on all the tractors and looking at all the farming and construction equipment, and seeing his friends Chad, Allee and Jessie.

Blustery Day

It was 90 degrees and crazy windy yesterday! I was kind of afraid for us to play under the tree because I thought some branches might blow down. Paul was walking around the yard picking up trash and putting it in his wheelbarrow. He got distracted and wanted to play in the wagon for a while.

Yesterday was the first day I felt it was no longer summer. Fall is here for sure.

Canning

Shawn has become the canner of the house this year, which is much appreciated. Paul is a great helper!

Family Picnic

We had a gorgeous day for our family picnic today. We celebrated Grandma's 80th birthday and Aunt Dorothy's 87th birthday. It was Aunt Dorothy's first opportunity to meet Paul and Anne and Aunt Dorothy's first chance to see the house after the remodel. I think they both liked seeing everything we had done and also liked looking at our construction book. Paul had a great time playing with everyone, especially Grandpa.

Reading on his Own

I've been trying to get Paul to entertain himself by reading to Cana or his toys forever. This morning I was successful for a short time!

Visit with Becky's New Baby

Keli, Paul and I were very glad to get to visit Becky, Dan and new baby Carter Sopata on Friday afternoon. Carter is so cute. We brought Becky lots of food to eat. Paul had a blast playing with Dan's little football helmets and their cat.

Paul was a very good boy all day - during our visit, while Keli and I sat in traffic in Pgh, and while we had a picnic at Market District.

New Ball Games

Yesterday we went to Toys R Us and bought Paul a t-ball set and basketball set. He really likes them! He enjoyed wearing my sunglasses to play this morning.