Monday Night Football

Hank Williams Jr. and all of his rowdy friends would be proud. Paul stepped out on the beach for some pig skin action... or more like cheap rubber $3 Target football action. Nothing gets Paul more excited than seeing all the colorful balls of all sizes when we go past the toy section in a store. So we got him this football to provide hours of entertainment and something new to chew on. It was a little late by the time we got to the beach, and the rain started to fall shortly after we got there, but he still had a good time as always.

And speaking of cheap entertainment for one year olds, who doesn't like chalk? For a buck and a half we got a whole bucket! Yeah... a whole bucket! And that's why Target is Paul's favorite store. And can you believe how smart this kid is? He's got his name down already, check it out:

Seriously, we didn't help him. He then used the chalk to map out a complex algorithm that he's been working on to be used in NASA's Costellation Program. I didn't really understand it.

Hannah-Not-Montana Park

We decided to stick it out in Jacksonville this weekend, since we're kind of tired of driving hours out of town to see broken down buildings and giant spiders. We decided there were still plenty of things to see around town anyway. So we went up to Hannah Park today, in the north east corner of town bordering the ocean and Mayport Naval Station. We'd been there once before, but when I saw that you had to pay to get in, I turned around and left. But today I coughed up the three dollars and it turned out to be worth it. It was pretty busy, but the park was enormous and there was actually a lot of parking for a change. First up, we hit the water park fountain area type thing. Whatever it was, Paul loved it.

Of course, that's easy to see, by the big goofy smile on his face. But you can't blame him on a day like today. It's been pretty hot and humid, but it is Florida.

After getting splashed for a while, we hit the beach. Paul did a fine job of covering himself in sand, as always, and I think he might have even gotten a little tan today. Other than that, it was a great day. Oh yeah, and he discovered how to take his diaper off all on his own, so we may have some fun days ahead. Great.

A Child Runs Through It

There's nothing like running through the water on a hot August day! Paul was in heaven. He's a big fan of the pool, but we were unsure of how he would do with the fountains. I'd say he had fun, check it out:

The Before and After

So the exciting event of this week was that they painted our apartment complex! It took a few days, but overall the place looks ten times better. It was definately in need of something, the faded blue was probably from the 80's. Check out the before and after:

Can Paul borrow some sugar?

For the first time since I started working, I've had weekends off on a regular basis this summer. That has left us trying to find something new to do every week, which is why we keep traveling to these out of the way historic sites. Today, it was Ormond Beach and the Bulow Sugar Plantation Ruins.

The day didn't exactly go smoothly. First, Becky missed our exit off I-95 and we argued about how to get back. We drove over to the coast to catch A1A because I knew the road we needed would connect somewhere. Too bad it wasn't marked. We drove past it two or three times and then decided just to have our picnic lunch by the beach. Paul destroyed his diaper and filled the car with a pleasant odor, and I had to wash his pants in the ocean so he would have something to wear. When we finally found the turn, we drove down this tiny backwoods road to the park, only to discover there was a $3 parking fee. Honestly, who carries cash? Most of the parks we've been to require it, and the last time, we had to dig through the car to find every nickel and dime we had just to pay... so you would think we would learn. Nope. We had to drive back out and find a grocery store, and we missed the turn again and had to drive another mile out of the way to turn around. But we did make it, and of course our camera's battery died after about three pictures. Yeah. But we did get this:

It was Florida's largest sugar plantation back in the day, and the ruins were pretty impressive. Paul enjoyed running down the paths. As you can see in the picture he's in full sprint... though I'm sure Great-Grandma Steele could probably still outrun him. The plantation shut down in the 1830's after the Seminole Indians killed everyone. I guess it was one of the few times the natives came out on top, and that's why today it's the Florida State Seminoles instead of the FSU Sugar Farmers.

Big Wheels Keep on Turning

Not a lot of excitement today, but we did go to the park this morning to take a few pictures. The nice thing about the digital camera is that you can take loads of them with no cost, but our computer seems to be running a little slower these days. I guess that can happen when you overload the hard drive with baby pictures.




In case anybody hasn't heard, Paul will be visiting Big Sky Country for Christmas this year. He is scheduled to arrive in Spokane on December 4, and will not be returning to the southeast until January 8. But I'm sure by that time we warm blooded Floridians will have already frozen to death in the arctic tundra that is Montana winter.

Swinging Child

On this episode of Paul TV, well... he plays on a swing. Definately nothing exciting, but check it out. I'm still waiting to capture that moment that makes Paul a Youtube star. One of these days...