The National Blog Post

It was a beautiful fall day here in southern Maryland, and having it on a Sunday meant we all spent it together! We decided to take some cliche "Kid in the Fall Leaves" photos just for this blog. And these were a few that resulted:

When Paul is around, the serenity produced by a cool breeze drifting through the gold and amber leaves on an Autumn day can all too quickly be shattered by continous shrieks of nonsense.

Seriously, Mom and Dad. Seriously? First this silly hat, and now this? Really??

This one was taken specifically for Grandpa Bill.

But the lighting in the yard was not all that we had hoped for, so we decided to head north into the District to the National Arboretum. In D.C. they have the "National" version of everything. They have the National Zoo, the National Mall, the Nationals baseball team, the National Aquarium, the National Traffic Light, the National Parking Space, the National Restroom (including the National Toilet), and this national place for national trees and plants.

When they expanded the National Capitol Building way back in the day, they took down these national columns. Some lady fought for 30 years to have them moved here, and apparently she finally won. We should have worn togas and sat around them in deep thought.

Just a picture of the National Mother and Son... who of course is distracted as usual.

Big Kid definitely says it.

Nothing makes tree and plant watching a little more enjoyable than a nice sucker.

A sloppy Paul kiss for Dad.

We brought along the tripod to try some family shots, as you can see.

Getting this kid to hold still for two seconds is next to impossible. It takes bribes of sugar and threats of weeks in solitary confinement, but occasionally it works.

The sun was bright in this spot.

Yep, that would be Paulie Cheeseburger in true form.

Still brushing off the grass and the leaves.

Hold up, I gotta look cool for my photo.

So it was a great couple of days off, but it's back to work tomorrow! Hopefully the weather is this beautiful next weekend... when it's Halloween time!

The leaves never fell in Florida...

As I write this, Paul is dancing in the window in his underwear. It's just another day here. The leaves are dying off, turning to gold as they go. Becky raked the yard numerous times throughout the week, but as I look out now, I can hardly tell. It's been rainy the last two days, but before that, the warmth of summer was still alive and well. While I was riding in the back of a truck, the other two Maryland Sellers were playing in the yard. These photos were the result:


Is there anything more Fall than rolling in leaves? WARNING: All of our older readers (you know who you are) should not attempt to try this at home without medical personnel standing by.


October means baseball! Paul is gearing up for the World Series... either that, or preparing to whack his mother upside the head.


Here, throw me the ball and watch me drive this thing out of here! Future star left fielder for the, uh... Washington Nationals? Well, you never know.

The winter will be approaching soon and most likely the cold weather will be coming with it, but for now, it's Paul in the Fall.

Where did my time go?

Oh that's right, it went to work. And work is really affecting my ability to update this blog on a regular basis. I guess I need to quit, or take another four months off. Having to work in two back to back weeks is really too much. I just need to find a way to convince the banks that my student loans should be forgiven. Seriously, they could do it just this once. Right. Anyway, here are a few pics from the last few weeks for you all to catch up on.

One weekend (which feels like months ago) we went over to Shenandoah National Park to see the leaves changing color with the arrival of Fall. Incredibly marvelous! Paul was thrilled to walk through the woodlands and drive the twisting skyline highway.

Pause for picture time, Dad.

And then let's add Mom! Oh, and Frank Hot Dog is somewhere in there, but currently hidden from view.

Taking in the view of the rolling mountains along part of the Appalachian Trail.

This one... well, it pretty much says it. But they're missing a T. And please... don't picnick on my arm.

I will take it! I will take it! I will take the Ring to Mordor. Though... I do not know the way.

The tireless traveler!

I have more pics to share... hopefully sooner than later.

The Newest Edition

If you look up the definition, a new "edition" is probably a new version of the same thing. So technically, this would be considered a new "addition." Because, while we already have one noisy small person running around this house, this new one won't entirely be an exact copy of the old one, but a whole new screaming miniature person all its own. At least we hope it's not an exact copy, because then it would be a clone, and that would be pretty weird. Paul refers to himself as Paulie Cheeseburger, and now he's labeled the new baby in mom's belly as Frank Hot Dog. Yep, the first child is a very unique individual, and I'm positive the next one will be just as crazy. So here are the first official pictures of Frank Hot Dog:

In this one you can see the close resemblance to the baby's father, including large bald head slumped slightly forward.

Here, the baby appears to be in deep thought, or maybe just sleeping. Ok, I have no idea what the baby is doing. It's being a baby.

This one is a very clear shot of... well, nothing. Yeah, these sonogram photos aren't always the best. Hopefully they will show quite a bit more next time. But at least we can tell that there is in fact a small person in there, rather than a parasitic alien life form... which is a huge relief.