Home Again, Home Again

Guess who is home again?! Me! On this vacation I got to spend a lot of time outside instead of a hotel room. Mommy said it was great to have big, shady trees to be under and she could tell that I like to be outdoors. She says I take after my daddy.

The view from my stroller.

I really wanted to put these flowers in my mouth - don't they look good?

My friend Selene was also camping. She is visiting us at our cabin.

But riding in the van all day is hard on a fella, and I couldn’t tell mom when I had to go the bathroom. So imagine mommy’s surprise when we stopped for a rest and I was covered in poop! I was just playing and entertaining myself but mom didn’t seem too excited about poop being on my face, in my hair, on my hands, on my feet, and all over my socks, which I had in my mouth.

So, I was hauled into the rest stop bathroom and given a bath with a package of baby wipes, and mommy had to take apart my car seat and wash the comfy part of it. While she was washing, mommy's friend Jen got the rest of the poop off my hands, fingernails and out of my hair.

Mommy said other than that shitty experience the 2,000 miles in the van went a lot better than she thought. We are both happy to be home and mommy says the farthest we are traveling this week is to go to the library.

A Nice Cold Drink

On Sunday I went to Iowa to see my mommy's side of the family. I hadn't seen Nana and Papa in awhile, so it was good to see them again. And I also got to see Great Grandma Ardis (we call her Great Grandma Book), my Great Aunt Patti and Uncle Ralph and Great Aunt Glenda. Whew! I got to cuddle with lots of people.

Me and Great Aunt Patti.

Mateo and I playing with Papa.

Kisses from Nana!

Sitting on Great Aunt Glenda's lap. Look daddy, I have a fish too!

All that playing and cuddling makes a fella thirsty. So when Nana offered me a glass of cold water, I drank it up! Everyone was laughing at me while I was drinking, but I don't care because the cold water felt good on my gums.

Well, on Tuesday mommy, daddy and I leave for one more summer trip. We are driving all the way to Idaho for a wedding in the woods. Mommy says we'll be in the car a loooooooong time, so we're packing lots of toys and of course my best friend Pink Pig. Mommy also says there are no computers or blogs in the woods, so I guess this means good bye for awhile.

See you next Tuesday!

Boys Night

Tonight I had a boys night with daddy, Kaden and Mateo because mommy and Aunt Rissa went to a movie. But before they left we went to a park with Selene and I got to ride in the swing! I'm having fun being outside lately, but mommy keeps worrying I'm going to get burnt. Hey, I can't help it my skin is soooo fair and lovely!

Is someone gonna push me?

This swing is fun!

Pink Pig On Vacation

I think you’ve seen my friend pink pig in some pictures. Because he is my best friend he went to Rapid City with us for vacation. He was upset his pictures weren’t on my blog (who is the baby now?) So here is pink pig’s vacation.

Pink pig riding in my car seat with me. I like to talk to him while we are driving (which has been a lot lately!)

I’m telling pink pig all about swimming for the first time!

Pink pig, ready for breakfast.

Enjoying the alligator show at Reptile Gardens.

It’s OK pink pig, we won’t leave you here! Mommy and I will remember you.

I didn’t even get to take my picture with this snake!

Pink pig is a snake wrangler just like me.

Uh oh, looks like pink pig is in trouble.

Daddy says pink pig is in jail, but we’ll bail him out.

Mommy makes pink pig have tummy time too.

Pink pig at Bear Country USA

He told me he was afraid of bears. But we had our windows up.

I’m not afraid of bears, see me petting this one?

The Paulsons (and pink pig) arrive at Mount Rushmore.

Both of us are tired after our vacation. Good night!

Pictures

Carin sent my mommy the pictures we took yesterday. Mommy says it sure would be nice if they could capture all three of these cute kids on camera!

Carter get up here, I need someone to lean on because I'm about to fall over.


We almost have everyone looking! Carter says hi to his mommy.


Things were not good here. Carter and I both lost our Nuks and Rylee had her hands full trying to help us.


Looks like mommy had to step in for us to get a good picture.

This and That

Today was a big day for me and mommy. I'm not sure what happened to just taking it easy for a few days.

I went to a spray park with Kaden and Mateo. The water was so cold! But I let mommy take me through a few fountains and we got sprayed by a kid running the water gun. After that we were done and sat in the shade and watched the boys and Aunt Rissa. I hate it when mommy puts that slimy lotion on me.

No shirt!


The big boys get to have frosted flakes. Mommy says I get the box.


Sitting like a big boy with my cousins.

Then we went to visit one of mommy's friends (boy, she is doing a lot of that lately!) I met Rylee and Carter and their mommy Carin. I can't wait until I can walk like them! Carter's mommy tried to take pictures of us and it didn't go so well. I was a little crabby because it was time to eat.

And guess who came home today? Daddy! I have been saying dadadadadadadah and it makes daddy smile so big. He tickled me a lot and fed me my cereal and carrots.

I'm telling daddy about what we did while he was gone and then he's tickling me!

New Friends

This weekend I got to meet some new friends: Sam and Nolan. It was fun to play with Sam - he shared books and pink pig with me, and we got to go on a walk together too. Mommy says she hoped I was listening to his good manners.

When Nolan came with him mommy I couldn't contain myself. I started shrieking and trying to grab him - he is the same size as me! He's another baby! I kept shrieking hoping he would say something back to me, but I must have scared him because he started crying. Mommy said I needed to give him some time to get used to all the new people, and she said that sometimes she shrieks when she sees her good friends too.

Mommy and her friends tried to get pictures of us and it reminded me of taking pictures with my cousins.

Sam must think I'm going to start shrieking again.

I really wanted to put Nolan's foot in my mouth.

Big Heads

Mommy took me to the doctor today to get my measurements and get more shots. When do those stop? I'm tired of them! I am 19.2 pounds, and 28 inches long. That puts me in the 90th percentile for both weight and height. Mommy asked which one I was in for my head size and the nurse said "off the charts." Mommy and I laughed. Mommy told me that means I have a big brain.

And speaking of big heads, look at our new Mt. Rushmore picture! That's daddy, me, my friend pink pig, and mommy. I think we look pretty good. Maybe we can talk someone in to making a new monument in South Dakota?

Mt. Paulson has a good ring to it....

Tomorrow Mommy and I are going to Minneapolis to visit her friends. I also get to meet my friends Sam and Nolan for the first time! Mommy says we'll have to see if there's time to post tomorrow - she said we have to unpack, and then pack again.

Daddy isn't coming with because he is in Wyoming camping and fishing (I told him I got to be in a tent too). I love and miss you daddy!

Pajama Party

We made it safely home from our vacation! Tonight I had a pajama party with my cousins Kaden and Mateo. Aunt Rissa came too and made dinner and yummy dessert (well, everyone said it was yummy, I wasn't allowed to have any).

Kaden has a cool tent just like my daddy! I was trying to take a serious picture here, but those boys were not listening.

I want mohawks like my cousins. Mommy says not right now.

Mateo and Kaden can sing their ABCs. Someday I will too!

Goodbye Rapid City

I have to post tonight because we are getting up early tomorrow morning to go back home. I had a good time on my first vacation, but I am anxious to sleep in my own bed again.

Goodbye Rapid! Goodbye Methusela! Goodbye Bear Country USA! Mommy says we'll be back again when I have some brothers and sisters and I'm a little older.

Second Date with Methusela

Mommy and I went back to Reptile Gardens yesterday so I could get another picture with Methusela. I was going to pet her, but then the worker said I could sit on her. Right before I sat on her mommy and I watched her walk over to the shaded area - she is so big!

OK Methusela, don't move!

When we were back at the hotel mommy had me on my tummy again (she can stop that any day now) and I started watching TV.

Mommy says even babies get sucked in when Obama speaks.

Mt. Rushmore

Yesterday we went to this big mountain with faces in it. Daddy said it was Mt. Rushmore, and he told me he was able to hike up to the faces and stand on top of them! He had to go with a special ranger. And he said me and mommy better be good because the ranger showed them the security cameras all over the mountain that can zoom in on people.

So, I made sure I was good. And so was mommy, and so was pink pig.

And when we got back to the hotel after supper I actually had some tummy time!

Baby vs. Wild

Yesterday we went to Reptile Gardens and Bear Country. I saw lots of animals that weren't rabbits. At Reptile Gardens we saw a 500 pound tortoise named Methuselah, who is 127 years old this month! Mommy wanted to get a picture of me sitting on Methuselah but there were a bunch of other kids around too. She said her and daddy have pictures of them when they were little sitting on big tortoises.

Hey Methusela, it's my half birthday this month! I'm not 127 though.

I'm a snake wrangler!

Now I'm a real life snake wrangler!
I really wanted to grab this snake and put him in my mouth.

We saw lots of bears at Bear Country. Here is one of them. It looks like Brown Bear!

Six Months Old

I am six months old today! My birthday onesie still fits, but it's getting a little snug near the snaps. We'll see if I can get it snapped next month!

Weee! I'm on vacation and I'm six months old!

Maybe if I lay like this, my onesie won't be so tight.

Swimming

Last night I went swimming for the first time with mommy and daddy. At first I didn't know what to think, and I was very still. Right before we left the pool I started to splash a little.

My new swim trunks. Man, I make these look good!

Don't let go of me daddy!

Mommy and I tried to go to Storybook Island today but it started raining on the way there, and I fell asleep. Mommy said that was our sign to go back to the hotel and take naps. (Mommy takes better naps than I do!) Daddy really has been working hard because the night we got to Rapid City they had hail that broke people's windshields! But tomorrow we get to hang out with him, and he told me we were going to see bears!