Paul 2 Years Old

This child.  He has more personality than any that have come before him.  He was so challenging his first 16 months or so, but Clint and I chose to show him love even when it was hard.  It has paid off because he is such a loving considerate child.  Of course that is if he is the center of attention.  He is smart, kind, considerate, clean.  Very clean.  He helps all of us out when he can.  He wants lots of physical contact.  He is pretty crazy about Beau.   He is still a momma's boy.  He sleeps though the night and takes an average nap now.  Hallelujah!  He is by far our loudest child.  He talks constantly.  His most popular phrases are, ''I want wa wa (water)'' which for some reason he thinks is hilarious.  ''I want bookie (blankie)'', ''I skeered (scared)'', ''I pold (cold)'', ''I want Beau'', ''knock knock'', and of course the ever popular ''poo poo'' which seems to be a catch all kind of phrase.  He tries so hard to communicate and gets very creative using a combination of sound effects, hand motions, body language and words.

He has a hilarious sense of humor and really is a light in our lives.  Besides telling knock knock jokes he does this funny thing where he puts his hands on his hips and sticks out his bootie and says ''poopoo''.  He laughs and rolls around with his brothers.  He gets along great with them and is always attached to one of them (mostly Beau).  He loves all animals and gets attached to stuffed animals.  He is obsessed with his bookie and pattie still.  He's really really attached to his bookies.  He loves balls, especially soccer, and is pretty athletic.  He's a builder. Blocks, legos, train tracks, food, nut crackers, if there is a way to stack or connect it he will.  He loves play doh and will eagerly do crafts.  Then he reminds you a million times about the beautiful craft he made but using one of his other favorite words, ''mine'' or ''I did this''.  He is actually a great little helper in the kitchen whether it is cooking or putting the dishes away.

He's busier and more curious than my other two year olds and will start a load of laundry, shut himself in the pantry and eat everything.  He has even caught his room on fire.  He has broken more dishes and snuck into the car more than any of the other boys.  If he hears a song he can't help but dance.  He purposely wakes up at 6:00 am to snuggle with Clint and I in the morning.  We actually love it.  He is the best snuggler and will point his little finger at the rocking chair and say ''I rock'' until you have no choice but to stop what you are doing and rock the little child.  He loves to read books and has a pretty impressive attention span.

Paul still hates school and the church nursery, but he will willingly stay with the babysitter and even is eager to go to Grammy and Grandpa's now.  He will also go next door without his mommy. 

We are totally crazy in love with this guy.  Even though he can be pretty demanding he brightens everyone lives.

Paul's Second Birthday

We had a great party for Paul's second birthday.  We let the boys pick out an activity to do as a family to celebrate.  They chose Build-a-Bear.  Shepherd and Summit were in OKC that weekend and were able to join us!  Paul loved build-a-bear and remembered much of the details long after the event.  It was so sweet to hear his little two year old voice explain how we rubbed the hearts on different parts of the body before putting the hearts in the bears. 

After Build-a-Bear we ate lunch in the food court, hit up the lego store, and finished the trip with cookies from the cookie company.  We rarely go to the mall and my boys were in awe.  Beau kept saying "It's so shiny here".  They had such a good time.

New Years Day 2015

New Years Day 2015 got off to a great start with a fun breakfast and games. We soon hit the road for our annual New Years Day hike. We chose Kaw Lake as our destination (Eagle View Trail). This trail turned out to be an excellent choice, and we had a great time despite the 25 F wet day. The lake was beautiful!

We followed our hike with a tour of Ponca City and lunch at El Patio (not to be repeated). Our road trip was complete with a Boxcar Kids book (The Mystery of the Wild Ponies). When we got home, we ate snacks and had a movie night. Great start to 2015!