A Big Sunday Lunch

Henry with his cousin Konnor. Henry loved having someone to play trucks with him!

Henry with his Uncle Michael. Michael is teaching him early and calling him Tiger!

Today we had aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and great-grandparents here for lunch after church. I think everyone had a great time. Henry really enjoyed all the attention (and all the unhealthy food too!) We made three kinds of ice cream for dessert: peach, vanilla & mint chocolate. If anyone left here hungry, it is their own fault! :)

What to say?

There's not much out of the ordinary going on around here. Henry, David & I had a pool party yesterday afternoon. Our sweet neighbors have a pool, and they are constantly telling us to use it any time (and we do)...but oddly enough Henry prefers the baby pool. I guess it is more his size, and he can maneuver without any assistance. I also tried to post a hilarious video of Henry dancing last night, but I am clearly not technologically savvy enough for this task. I'll have to enlist some assistance.



And the last pic is from this morning. Why does my child put his yogurt in his hair?!?

First Trip to the Zoo

Henry & Maury

Henry really liked the petting farm, although he preferred to look, not touch!

Henry took his first trip to the zoo today. He thoroughly enjoyed seeing and hearing all of the animals. Maury & Henry were very sociable--waving to each animal we visited! I think Henry's favorite parts were the petting zoo, the giraffes and the monkeys. We got tickets for the carousel and the train, but did not get a chance to ride the train. We ran out of time as lunch approached & the kids got tired. Next time we hope to see the kangaroo exhibit and ride the train. I have a feeling Henry will be asking to go back!

Having fun on the Farm!

David is working in Cullman this week, so he took Henry with him yesterday to spend the day with his Nana & Pawpaw. He had a great time! Henry got to play with his cousins, play on the new church playground, eat some of Nana's yummy cooking and even go visit his Great Grandfather for whom he was named. To top it all off, Pawpaw let Henry ride on the tractor. Henry came home telling me all about it. He kept saying, "Nana. Pawpaw. Tractor!" Even this morning he was still talking about it. Thanks, Nana & Pawpaw, for all of the fun! :)

First Swim Meet!

Henry and I went to the park this afternoon, and it just so happened that there was a swim meet at the pool. So, Henry & I walked down to the pool so he could watch the kids warm up. He really like watching all the kids swim, but he was intimidated by how big they all were...hence the reason the only picture I could manage involves me holding his hand!

Henry also had his first bowl of cereal yesterday. He did very well, and he loved it. I was so impressed that he did not dump it in the floor...until he did dump it in the floor when he was done! I'm glad Jake (aka the cleanup crew) was standing by ready to jump in & help with the mess.

Weekend Pics

Saturday night at Johanna & Drayton's Shower

Sunday before church

Henry LOVES spaghetti! I guess I should fix it for him more often. It is just quite an ordeal to clean up afterwards, and it typically results in little or no fruits & veggies with dinner. That's ok now & then though...especially if it makes him this happy!

David bought some plants for a late summer garden today. We hope to have watermelons, cantelopes, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, regular tomatoes, and bell peppers. Henry insisted on going to help David in his garden tonight even though he had on his new shoes that we just bought yesterday! Boys!! This picture does not do justice to how incredibly dirty he got. (Did I mention David fertilized the garden with cow manure? YUCK!!) Afterwards, I let him play in the hose, and he soaked all three of us!

An Afternoon at the Lake

Our 4 new ducklings!

Daddy caught a baby fish for Henry! Henry was not so sure about that!

Henry knows all the rules. He must sit down, hold Mommy's hand, and have on a life jacket if he wants to ride in the paddle boat. We had fun chasing a duck, then Henry started shouting "in!" He was done & ready to get out of the boat!

No, he's not spoiled at all. Mimi gave him a bath tonight (in case he fell asleep on the ride home.) During his bath he went through about three popsicles because they melt quite rapidly when you dunk them in the tub! Papa was blowing bubbles for his entertainment. What more could a 19 month old ask for?!?

Date Night!

David, Me, Michael, Lindsey & Wes

The siblings! Wes, Me & Michael

Yes, this is David & Wes doing the chicken dance. Lindsey got it on video!

With only about an hour's notice, we were able to line up a sitter tonight to put Henry to bed so that we could go to Thirsty Thursday and watch the Barron's game with Wes, Michael & Lindsey. I wish Henry could have gone, because he really likes the ballpark. He was just too tired from swimming this afternoon, and I knew he needed his sleep!

A Day at Home with Mommy

Henry was worried I was going to take his yogurt away, and he was having to much fun to risk that...hence the look he gave me!

What a big boy! We had fun at Alabama Adventure this afternoon.

Sweet as can be....sometimes

Henry got a new Backyardigans tricycle, which he loves! Sometimes I think Maury & Henry's relationship (for better or worse) is closer to a sibling relationship than merely friends, because they see so much of each other. Sometimes Henry is just as sweet as can be to Maury (and he loves her dearly), but we're still struggling with basic social concepts such as sharing! Luckily, sweet Maury is very patient with Henry! Maury tried out the new ride, and Henry just could not stand to wait his turn, so they rode around on it together.

A Fun Summer Afternoon

This afternoon Henry & I were walking out to get the mail as David got home from work. Henry loves to drive David's truck, so David picked him up & let him drive the truck down the driveway. Henry thinks this is the most amazing thing ever, so David would reverse up the driveway & let him drive down again. I'm sure our neighbors were thinking those weird Pattersons have lost their mind!

After dinner Henry had a playdate with his friend Taylor. We went to Taylor's house, and Henry loved playing with Taylor and all of his fun toys. In fact, he loved one of the trucks so much we had to bring it with us! (We'll return it later of course!)

Yea Henry!!

Henry & I went to Toys R Us this afternoon to buy an Elmo potty....which he successfully used on the first try! What a big boy! :) Mommy is so proud, even if it is a fluke & he wears diapers for another two years! :):)

Happy Father's Day!!

Henry & I are so thankful today (& every day) for the great Dad that David is. We are also thankful for our Dads & our grandparents!!

It's Fun to be a Kid!

Henry watching Baby Einstein with Lindsey & Michael

Henry scooting down the steps with Wes

Blowing bubbles with Papa

Getting wet with Mimi

What a day! Henry (with David & I in tow) went to see his Mimi & Papa, along with Michael, Wes & Lindsey! We had an early Father's Day celebration, and Henry thoroughly enjoyed it. I think his favorite part was getting soaking wet with Mimi. Afterwards, Mimi bathed Henry & put him in his pj's & he fell asleep in the car on the way home.

Super Dad!!

I returned home last night to find a happy child, laundry done (hampers empty), dishes clean & put away, house completely clean (although the housekeeper did come Wednesday...but he kept it clean!!) What a super Dad! I'm so proud of David & thankful that his parents taught him so well! May they continue to be an example to us as we raise Henry to be a good father & husband one day!

A few pics from my trip to Los Angeles...

Trump National Golf Course above &
Palos Verdes Estates below (It was really cloudy the first day.)

Long Beach (where my conference was)

Above: Pine Avenue Pier (Yes, that is the queen Mary in the background!)
Below: Rodeo Drive

UCLA. Wow--what a gorgeous campus! I was so impressed.

Beverly Hills (not a bad place to live, by the way...just in case anyone is thinking of moving!)

Alive and.....well...

Mommy has been gone for two nights now and all is well on the homefront. She has been having a good time in LA and has been sending pictures of herself eating lunch under palm trees...is she really on a business trip? She's headed to Santa Monica tomorrow and home on Friday. Henry can't wait! He heard the thunder tonight and thought it was the garage door opening, and he said "Mommy?" And then he went right back to tossing pieces of Play-Doh into the floor. What a guy!

Bye bye Mommy!

I'm leaving for LA today! I'll be just fine. Say a prayer for David & Henry! David's a super Dada, so I'm confident they'll do great & have a good week. David said he might even posts some pics of the boys only outings this week!

A Trip to "God's Country"

Henry with all of his cousins!
Reid, Carter, Kate, Henry, Will & Preston (in the floor)

This afternoon we went to Cullman, Alabama, David's hometown which he refers to as "God's Country." We were pleased that we somehow managed to get a picture of all of the cousins. To get them all smiling or all looking at the camera is something we have yet to achieve, but a few times a year we can actually get them to all sit down in the same spot for about 3 seconds so that we can get a picture! Afterwards, we went for a swim at Will, Reid & Kate's pool! We were so impressed with Will's swimming skills! He's just turning into a little fish!

Cooling Off on a Hot Summer Day

Henry playing in the sprinkler

We came home from church today, and David went outside to water the grass. Henry however, wanted to water himself instead. He actually told David to turn the water on!! (How could we not reward such great communication?) So, we took his Sunday clothes off & let him play. He's now getting his power nap before we leave for Cullman.