Paul thinks bowling is cool. (Get it?)

Hall Ball

Here's a little clip for you sports fanatics out there. Up-and-coming fresh(really fresh)man Paul Crocker has fairly mastered the game of Hall Ball. I think he's got a bright future ahead of him. It's possible that he may even influence his peers to rethink the '80s shorts. It really works for him anyway. And now, the clip. Then back to you in the studio.

You know it's naptime when--

You look up from the cookbook you are scrutinizing for some guidance on how to separate a chicken's leg from its thigh and notice your kid is no longer as interested in his tuna sandwich as he is in the backs of his eyelids.

Here's Paul . . .

. . . trying out for the cover of the Baby Gap catalog or something.

These Are Just Two of Paul's Favorite Things

Buttons of any kind



And Daddy

Cute Paul Pictures

Ready for Sunday School


I set up his ball tent


And Daddy got in it

Our Cabin

So here we were in Galax, VA. Cute place, huh? Paul was currently hoping for one more wagon ride and super-charged chocolate milk before we came and spoiled his grandparent fun.




Aren't we cute!

Paul Opening Presents

"Thanksgiving" with Aunt Julie and Uncle Stephen

The whole morning felt like Thanksgiving, but it was December 20. I mentioned going to Walgreens, and Julie said, "Would they be open?" But I knew what she meant. I had gotten up at 5:00 to put a huge turkey in the oven that we had prepared Lucy and Ethel style the night before. We had mashed potatoes, corn, those crescent rolls that have now become a holiday staple. . . It felt like a holiday. Obviously we obsessed over the food. Note how many actual people earned a place in our photo documentation.

Paul and Charis

Paul before we left






I made a pie. Isn't it pretty?

The Surprise

What I Found

Despite my pleadings to "Keep your socks on during this nap, okay? I don't want your feet to be cold." Paul consistently pulls the useful and (often) cute little socks off every single time. The fact that I just allowed that redundancy should drive home the point that this happens without fail. I would be taken aback to walk into his room after a nap and find him happily playing in the crib in sock-clad little feet. Seeing his darling little toes after (here's another one) each and every nap is a regular occurrence. This, however caught me completely off guard.




Poor kid. Imagine standing in your crib calling for assistance in getting out only to have the door flung open by your beloved mother who, upon laying eyes on you for the first time in 2 hours, bursts into uncontrollable peals of laughter. It's got to be traumatic.

Paul's Words

Well, I hear people say that they do this when their kid is learning to talk, so I'll try. But it's really hard because he'll probably pop out with a new one here this afternoon. His passive vocabulary is quite large, and his lingual capabilities are developing so rapidly, that I think that any compilation of active vocabulary words is incomplete at best.

Here's what we've got so far that he says on his own:
Bible
ball, ball, and more balls
bi-per (diaper)
uh-oh
na-nai (night-night)
bye-bye (occasionally, "Bye-bye, buhbuh" for "Bye-bye, bullies" in one of his books)
nanana (which is obviously "banana")
Puppy
Daddy
bath
bear
book

Here's what we've gotten him to say (I think):
Mm-mama (for those of you who haven't already heard, this is a very clear "Grandmama")
popcorn
cowboy
Laura (Sorry, Toots. I tried.)

I'll add more as I think of them.
(as of 10/24/08) Tooh (There. How's that?)

Paul also has taken up the kazoo. If I play "Zacheus," he starts clapping on the third note. Then he'll grab the instrument and really make a very fine pitch variation, in my opinion.

He loves his cowboy boots. A lot.
He knows where stuff is. If I say, "Let's play with your blocks," he finds them.
He enjoys having his teeth brushed.
He's getting some molars.
Corn is his favorite vegetable.
He still loves whipped cream.
And, this is bad, isn't it. He's a big fan of sweet tea. I don't give it to him much, though.

The Boots

When Jon was little, these were his boots.

Okay, so he didn't start at as happy as he could have been.

Pumpkin Day!

Outside

Paul's favorite place.







Was it too much to ask for ONE picture of the cute hood? I guess so.