Memorial Day

We had a nice Memorial Day even though Paul was running a fever. I'm pretty sure it is due to teething. He was very restless and didn't want to nap. Finally, he played guitar with Daddy for a while, then Daddy played to him and he finally fell asleep. I hope his fever is gone tomorrow so we can go to gym class.

Tractor Ride With Grandpa and Other Stuff

Paul was brave enough on Saturday to go on a tractor ride with Grandpa. He was very excited to help him mow. I thought he was going to fall asleep on the tractor!

Today, Sunday, we helped Great-Grandma put some flowers on the cemetery for Memorial Day. I tried to teach Paul a little about his Great-Grandpap Paul and his Great-Great-Grandma Ely, but he was more interested in running around looking at all the flowers on the graves.

Paul is really increasing his vocabulary and language skills every day. He said his first spontaneous 5 word sentence yesterday, "I got the leash, Cana!"

Working with Daddy and Uncle Kevin

It was a hot day, so he needed a sweat rag just like Daddy.

Paul was so excited to ride on Uncle Kevin's motorcycle!

Shopping with Dina and Olivia

Last Wednesday Paul and I went to Garfield's with Dina and Olivia. Again, they had fun playing while we ate. Olivia is starting to interact with Paul, grabbing his hand and touching his hair. Paul still needs reminders to be gentle. He wanted to try to feed her.

I finally bought a nice bathing suit at Macy's after wearing the same one since high school.

Deck Progress

Here you go, Grandpa, here is the current state of the deck.

This weekend's jobs: finish the siding and the posts and railing.

Cooking

Paul wanted to cook today so I gave him a pot and a spoon. He subsequently added his tea, then his cheese toast and was looking for his chips to add. He's creating recipes at 19 months!

Helping in the Garden; New Sandbox

Paul loves helping in the garden. He likes looking for worms and using the "hoe" and "rake." It's all I can do to keep him from picking the "apples' (green tomatoes).

I think he likes his new sandbox, although he doesn't like getting the sand washed out of his hair.

Hello World

You will have to ask Paul to explain this one to you himself.

Napping with Wrenches

Paul had a good time swinging and watching Shawn and Uncle Kevin work on the porch. He fell asleep clutching tightly to Uncle Kevin's wrenches.

Shopping with Dina and Olivia

Dina took me out to lunch at Bahama Breeze today. Paul had lots of fun giving all his toys to Olivia as we sat and ate.

We then went to the mall. Paul shopped with me for 3 hours! I couldn't believe it. We did play in the children's area for a little while. He really loved the little car. Once I got him in, he did not want to get out! He sat in there with some other girls. Paul was fascinated with Olivia and did very well with her.

Gymnastics Class Graduation

Today Paul graduated from gymnastics class. He made so much progress over the 13 weeks he attended Miss Rhonda's class in both motor skills and social skills.

There was water in the pools today, and Paul was very scared of it. I don't know if it was because it was cold, or if it has something to do with his fear of hoses.

Paul was very excited about the cookie from Miss Rhonda. It was gone in no time!

My Birthday

My 32nd birthday was very nice. The best part was Paul saying "Happy Birthday Mommy!" We had a nice lunch with Keli at the Olive Garden. I woke up a little sad to be a year older, but the 50 Facebook messages saying "Happy Birthday" cheered me up.

Paul didn't nap all day, which was rough. You can see him laying in bed acting like he was ready for a nap, but don't let that fool you! I finally had to carry him in his pouch to get him to sleep around 7:45. He slept till 8:30 the next morning.

Shawn got me a new photo quality printer (Yay!), and a pound of my favorite chocolates (even more Yay!)

Visit with Keli and Clay

We had a great visit with Keli and Clay on Saturday. They got to see what fun it is trying to entertain Paul while Shawn is mowing. He just wants to run after the tractor. So, we had some fun playing in the hay wagon and on the big tractors.

Mowing

Paul's love for the tractor finally overcame his fear of the noise it makes. He enjoyed a long ride with Daddy after he finished mowing last night.

Going on a Trip

After Shawn got home from his trip, Paul tried to load up his bag into his car and go on his own "trip."

Visit with the Donkeys

We love Denny's baby donkey!

Cow Eating Uncle Greg's Newspaper

The day before this, I found Uncle Greg's newspaper all torn up on the ground and it looked like a big bite had been taken out of it. Well, the next day I discovered the culprit! Denny Mounts's cow stole it right out of the mailbox.

Working in the Garden

Paul is ready to help me in the garden. He is allowed to pick all dandelions and other weeds he wants to. Hopefully I can teach him to differentiate them from the real plants.

Out to Eat

Elaine took us out to eat at the Texas Roadhouse for volunteering. Paul had a great time. We had a very nice waiter who set Paul on a horse, gave him a hat, and took him line dancing.

Dada's Truck, Again

More pictures of Paul in Shawn's truck!

VIsit with Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Cindy

Paul and I had lots of fun visiting grandma, grandpa and Aunt Cindy yesterday. We got to play outside with the dogs, go for a walk, eat dinner with the family, play with Aunt Cindy's kitties and sit on Grandpa's tractor. What fun!

Gas Tank

God Bless Farmer George, who took out the gas tank beside the driveway. Now Shawn can mow there, and that will eliminate one of the big sources of poison ivy from the yard!

Mother's Day

I had a wonderful Mother's Day. Shawn got up with Paul so I got to sleep in until 8:30! Then, in church, Paul and I went up front to light the candles. He was so excited about the "fire." He cam up with me to do the Children's Sermon and kept trying to steel my microphone. He went to nursery with Robin and she had him come up after church and bring me my flower. It was very cute. I then sent him to take another flower to great-grandma, which she enjoyed too.

Paul would not nap, so at about 4:30 we gave up and packed up to go to the park. We got all bundled up and went down to the park. I said, "Are you ready to go play?" and turned around and Paul was out cold! When he woke up, he had lots of fun playing with Dada's drill.