At the Car Wash, yeah!

A couple weekends ago, after our Sunday afternoon naps, I talked Brett into washing  my car- that was long over due a wash!  A certain little helper saw this going on and had to get in on the action.  So, we did what anyone from South Alabama would do.. he stripped him down to his diaper and let him have a great time!  The sun was shinning hard, so I threw a swim shirt on him so his sweet fair skin wouldn't get fried!  He thought he was big stuff!

He wanted to squirt the water so badly

and did a few laps around the car

but his favorite part was 

was me filling his bucket with water...

and

dumping it out :)

A perfectly fun afternoon at home... with a clean car to boot!

Mrs. Sharon's Birthday

So a little out of order, but, Mrs. Sharon's birthday was at the end of August and we took a quick trip to Montgomery to visit.  Mrs. Sharon is such a special person to me, and so much more than a mother-in-law.  She has, and continues, to do so much for me, and teach me so much.  She is always there when we need her, and has come to my rescue many times!

and this little fellow sure loves his grand mamma!

Mr. Ronnie surprised Mrs. Sharon having some of her closest friends be at the Montgomery Biscuits game

and have all her children show up

I really think she was surprised!

it was a fun night celebrating Mrs. Sharon.  She is very special to so many, and blessing to everyones life that she touches!

Oh September

Where did you go???  Time sure does fly these days, and most days we feel as if we are running through a revolving door, that I know will only spin faster as John William gets older and more involved in activities, and we will love every minute of it I'm sure.  I'll try to get caught up on September, so here comes blog over load this weekend (hopefully!)

September starts with MY birthday!  Yes, I'm still like a little kid when it comes to my birthday and get so very excited!  This year it fell on a Saturday, and after many weekends of going, going, going, I was  very excited to just sit at home with my sweet family of 3 that morning and have friends and family over for dinner that night.  In the Paulk family you get to pick whatever meal you want for your birthday, and Mrs. Sharon will make it happen, something I hope to continue for John William!

On Saturdays Brett gets up with John William (which is usually around 7:30, so thankfully not too early), so when my birthday fell on a Saturday it was a wonderful morning to sleep in!  Once we were all up and moving around we decided to go to the park that is just down the street from our house.

it was a beautiful morning, not too hot and felt wonderful in the shade!

I think all children are programmed to go up the slide automatically!

but going down is so much fun too!

it was a great morning!  We then ate lunch and went home and spent some much needed time together! Family and friends came over for dinner, and really was the perfect day.  Although this is the last year of my 20's, I am so thankful to be growing another year older.  Every year brings new challenges, adventures, and blessings.  I look forward to ending this decade of life and starting the next with the ones I love!

Preschool playing!

We are still loving preschool!  Here's some pictures from last week!

Spirit Day!

When I was leaving work the other day I had to make a stop back in the gym, John William insisted on being put down, and immediately jumped in to play with the big boys!

They were making up plays for him!

He thinks he's one of the big boys!

He cruising around on the scooter!

Life is good for us Paulk's!

Last weekend we went to Bryant Denny Stadium & walked around.  There are many trips to BDS & The Quad in store for this little boy!

Busy Weekend!

Last weekend, and the early part of last week, was jam packed with lots of fun!  By about Thursday afternoon the exhaustion was beginning to set in!  Amongst many things to do, we also had a visit from the fever virus.  Poor John William had fever Saturday through Tuesday, but thankfully no other symptoms and nothing came of it.

Our busy weekend started by John William making a trip to Fort Deposit to spend some time with Pops and Grandma (still not sure what he'll call Mrs. Sharon- he'll be coming up with something soon!)

Brett and I went to a beautiful wedding here in Tuscaloosa Friday night

Saturday I had an all day conference here in town for work.  The Ooey Gooey Lady (Lisa Murphy) returned to Tuscaloosa to do a work shop, and it was so good!  She is wonderful!!!  If you are in Early Child Care, you should really check her out.  She is hilarious and filled with tons of ideas for great hands on activities and learning!

Saturday night we headed to Birmingham to Superior Grill to celebrate our good friend Carla's birthday.  Can't believe we didn't get a pic!  This was a great night with all of our closest friends!

Monday Night we headed to Montgomery for a surprise Birthday party for Mrs. Sharon.  Our time there was short because of the little one having fever.  Mr. Ronnie surprised her with all of her friends in a suit at the Montgomery Biscuits game.

when John William would get his 5 minutes spouts of energy, this is what he wanted to do!

Tuesday night, along with some girls from work, we lived some of our teenage dreams...

and went to the Backstreet Boys concert!

we LOVE the Tuscaloosa amphitheater, the fact that it is less than 3 miles from my house is just an added bonus!  

we acted like we were 15 again

the BSB put on a great show!!!  It's funny how all the words came back to us too!

Wednesday was our kick off of "The Story" that our church is doing, so we had another fun and late night at UCC!

Although this is the first Alabama kick-off game we have missed since pre-college days, I'm pretty excited to spend this 3 day weekend at home with my family, with very little plans!  Roll Tide!!

Clinic #6

Also known as the Pulmonary Clinic at Children's hospital in Birmingham, is a place we have come to know.  And we are thankful for that.  Last March we noticed John William was having chronic bouts with pneumonia, after looking at all his x-rays we noticed that the spots in his lungs were really not healing (especially the spots on his right lung).  We got checked out and he has something called "Middle Right Lobe Syndrome", something apparently common in young children, along with talking about him having asthma.  This is all treatable, so that we are thankful for.  When we went back in May his lungs were looking better (spots still there, but not worse) and we were told in August he could begin to be congested again with constant mucus.  And like clock work, August 1st approached, and there was the snot!  He hasn't had any other symptoms, so I knew it was just his allergies, and because he has the spots on his right lung that act like sponges he just tends to hold the congestion and mucus a little better than others.  We had our scheduled visit to clinic 6, and I was thankful for that.  After looking at x-rays it still shows those little sponges on the middle lobe of right lung, but the Dr. said they hadn't worsened to a point of concern- that's a great thing, especially since he has been so congested!  He suggested along with his inhaler steroid he also take Singular daily to help with his allergens.  We will go back in January so long as he doesn't catch any lung infections (Pneumonia) this fall/early winter, which he is at higher risk for.  We will just pray that we will avoid that this season and we'll have a clear check up in January!

the exam room tends to get a little silly as we wait!

our nurse let John William check his oxygen levels!

these 2 are best buddies

for being such a trooper he got a prize when we got home

and he loves it!

Basketball in my living room.. makes me feel like a mommy of a big boy.. and I love it!

The Orange Room

Welcome to the Orange Room!

I can't believe my sweet baby boy is no longer in the 'baby room'!  We had a wonderful time in the Purple Room (the nursery) and loved our teachers!  Last August was a huge transition for me; going back to work, getting 2 people ready and out the door in time, and leaving my baby in the care of someone else.  We truly couldn't have asked for a better year!!  Although, I was very sad to see my baby move on up, I am excited about what this year will bring!  Thankfully for us, all the teachers at UCP are great, so I know this will be another great year!!

First Day!

A few things that are different this year are... sleeping on a nap mat (and only 1 nap at that!!)

eating lunch at the big table

Mr. Independent is loving that!

He now gets big boy play time in the gym!

this is one of the times our paths cross during the day

he wanted nothing to do with me.. he was all about the scooters!

it made my heart happy!

We've had a great first 3 days back, and are getting use to this new schedule and routine!  I'm so blessed that I get to be just down the hall from where John William is, it helps this momma get through realizing my boy is growing up!

The Gulf Coast Zoo

While at the Beach we decided to take a break from the direct sun for one morning so while the boys were playing golf, Mrs. Sharon and I headed to the Gulf Coast Zoo with John William.  John William LOVES animals.  When any animal comes around he gets this high pitch voice and points and reaches out to grab the animal, or wave them near.  He loves to pet dogs and try to hug anything he can!  I knew he'd love the zoo!

I didn't take many pictures of the animals because, sadly, I left my camera at home :(

He likes to make "Ooooo" noises at the animals!

He really enjoyed feeding the animals too!

And he only tried to eat it himself once!

He couldn't decide which animals to stay with!

This Zoo had lots of options for hands on exhibits for older children.  John William would have enjoyed all of them, but because he was younger we decided we'd wait for him to pet the reptiles, jump with the Joey's, and get in the Lemur cage!  We'll be looking forward to Boo at the Zoo this year!