Yeah! It looks as though we are able to publish videos again!

Typically for breakfast, Paul has a piece of fruit and some "stray" pieces of cereal. However, this morning he began eyeballing my Cheerios in milk and insisted on trying some. When I offered a bite to him, he was immediately sold. We quickly scooped up the remaining Cheerios he had on his tray, placed them in a bowl, covered them in milk (which he thought was absolutely hilarious), and grabbed a spoon. He was having so much fun he couldn't even stand it. When he was left with the sugary milk (they were Honey Nut Cheerios), he slurped it up, entranced by its sweetness. Needless to say, he had "seconds" this morning...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2009!

The Suit...
Dad helps Paul put on his puppy costume to go trick-or-treating. Paul is sure not to forget his pumpkin treat bag...

The Scoot...

Paul cruises the neighborhood in search of sugary treats...

The Photo Shoot...
Paul takes time out of his busy trick-or-treating schedule for photo ops with Dad and Mom...

The Loot...
(Paul's favorite was the DOTS...he had quite the grip on that little yellow box!)

"Love those donut holes!" Paul celebrates Halloween with his friends at Sunshine Daycare... Paul was also excited that all of his grandparents could come to the party to see him dressed up as a puppy!

This snapshot was taken after we were looking at a photo album of the Brooker side of the family that cousin Owen had sent before Paul was born. When he saw a picture of Grandpa Brooker, he raised his hand in the air and said "Pa!" Hmmm...we wonder where this came from.... :)

New sneaks...on our Columbus Day shopping adventure at Babies R Us, we found some "outdoor shoes." Given the cold and rain, his others were not holding up that well. The first day Paul put them on before school, he stood completely still, but the next morning he went right to his shelf to point them out and put them on. He feels like such a big kid when he has them on!

Dad's birthday weekend was a busy one...the celebrations began at the annual Erina Hose Company Family Clambake. Here we are with Grandpa Brooker, Uncle Bob, Uncle Jim, and Donna. Paul enjoyed a hot dog, corn on the cob, potatoes, and a few bites of steak- he looks forward to attending again next year :)

Helping Dad blow out his birthday candle...

On Sunday, Grandpa Palmer took us "Pumpkin Hunting" at the Beare's house...Paul was fascinated by the green pumpkins, and like to call them "balls." Grandpa helped him find two orange ones that we cut from their vines and brought home. He loves to look at them on our front porch each morning when we leave for school!

Last Saturday, we went apple picking at The Apple Farm in Victor. Paul enjoyed the wagon ride, being in the "great outdoors," and of course the "fruits" of our labor. The little guy liked his apple so much that, regardless of Dad's guidance, he still chewed through half of the core...

To support one of Dad's colleagues, we participated in the Kidney Walk this weekend at the Seneca Park Zoo. Here, Paul sports his "Ryan's Renal Ramblers" t-shirt.

A nice walk on a crisp fall morning can make anyone tired :)

A true scientist...

Paul demonstrates his sorting and classifying skills with his berry selection at dinner time...

Paul had his first haircut on Saturday, September 19, in preparation for his next round of school pictures. Pictured below are Paul's "before" and "after" snapshots. "Thanks, Miss Kasha, for helping me look handsome for picture day!"

Paul began classes at "The Little Gym" in Webster on September 5th. He loves the classes not only for their music, but also the ability to explore on the equipment, play with the parachute, the Slo-Roll balls, and the bubbles. Pictured below are some snapshots of him climbing through one of the giant rings. (Sorry for all the video-followers...for some reason we are unable to upload the live action...)

We had a great Labor Day weekend! Paul was able to visit with Uncle Bob, Grandma and Grandpa Palmer, and Grandpa Brooker! This photo was taken in Grandpa Brooker's backyard while Paul let Dad have a turn at whiffle baseball with Grandpa!

"I'm having tons of fun being one!"

Last Monday we took our first trip to the Seneca Park Zoo. While Paul found the animals intriguing, they did not measure up to the little girl in the snake house who was carrying a small plastic ball. Paul was chasing after her saying, "Ball, ball, ball..." (his love of shovels has now transferred to anything round).

In this picture, he watches the baboons. There were some young playful ones who were causing mischief...hopefully Paul didn't get any ideas :)

The sea lions were fun to watch...what great swimmers they are!

Alright...so letting your child eat Nilla Wafers off of the kitchen floor is not really "Parent of the Year" material, but check out this kid's problem solving skills...

He had to open the pantry, take out the box of wafers, find a comfy spot on the floor, open the box, pull out the shiny silver bag, and remove the chip clip before he could actually lay his sticky fingers on one cookie (see the evidence surrounding him). Needless to say, we're going to have to find a more difficult spot to hide one of Paul's "favorites."

On Saturday, our parish held a "Teddy Bear Picnic" on the lawn of St. Ambrose Church to honor all of the children that have been baptized over the course of the last year. We had a nice picnic with other families that have little ones about the same age as Paul. We ended the afternoon by singing the "Teddy Bear Picnic" song. Considering that we've been having such a rainy summer, we were very fortunate to have a nice sunny day to enjoy!

Our friends and neighbors, the Johnsons, were also at the picnic. Paul was excited that Clara was able to attend!

Paul's first trip to the Hemlock Fair...we saw cows, horses, pigs, and of course Paul came home with two big inflatable baseball bats that Dad and Uncle Bob won for him at a pitching game!

Paul Walks!

Paul and I went raspberry picking at Chase Farms on our day off. I was convinced, based on Paul's reaction to his first taste of raspberry (he bit one and then dropped it on the ground), that he didn't like them. Well...once I had my back turned the little guy started stealing from the full pint that I had just placed in the wagon. Although he'd like to plead innocent to being the "berry thief," these photos tell a different story...

Cape Cod, 2009!
A solid week filled with friends, food, sand, shopping, playing, singing, laughing, golfing, Red Sox watching (yikes!), biking, and swimming (and that was just the first couple of days!). Here, we enjoy our first dinner together (thanks for the delicious shish kabobs, Krenzers) on the deck of the home we rented in Eastham.

The kiddos in their bike trailers...Katie, Lora, and I took the munchkins on the Cape Cod Rail Trail for an afternoon to enjoy a ride in the nice weather. We had a great start...however, on the way home, the three of them were screaming at the top of their lungs. It is almost comical to think about now- especially the dropped jaws of other bicyclists as they heard the ear-piercing wails as we whizzed by...

One of our stops on our bike ride was Marconi Beach. This was the first time that Paul became intrigued by "sand."

"Wow, Brady. These shades are fabulous- I feel like a movie star!" Paul enjoyed hanging out with his friends Violet (2 1/2) and Brady (almost 2) for a whole week! Thankfully, they were all willing to share their favorite toys!

We went to Brewster for an afternoon to visit some of our favorite places. This picture was taken inside of a "maze" at the Strawberry Patch, one of Mom's all-time favorite gift shops. We also saw an outdoor train track with a small replica of the Brewster General Store, a miniature carousel, and of course the big black horse wearing a straw cap to greet us at the door!

Enjoying treats with the Downies in front of the Brewster General Store...

As perhaps you've noticed in some of our previous posts, Paul loves his shovel. It is now to the point that he generalizes his love to ALL shovels. As a result, you can only imagine his exictement upon finding a BIG BIN of shovels at the Brewster General Store. Hopefully this kid will always be this easy to please!

"Maybe Cape League Baseball will be in my future..."

"The Crew" enjoying a perfect evening at Nauset Light Beach, part of the Cape Cod National Seashore (from the left: Violet, Lora, Rich, Leah, Paul, Jen, PJ, Brady, Katie, and Mike).

...And of course a trip to Cape Cod would not be complete without a visit to Woods Hole. We had a delicious lunch at the Landfall, watched the bridge go up to allow boats to move from the harbor to the Sound, and stretched our legs in some green space near the Marine Biological Laboratory.

Our friends, the Dormitzers, stopped by this week to wish Paul a "Happy Birthday!" Here, Paul shares a book with Michelle, Jack, and Ella.

"Happy Birthday, Grandpa!" Paul created some "artwork" to celebrate Grandpa's big day.

Paul practices walking with Dad at the Northwestern Mutual Financial Network family picnic.

"A horse is a horse, of course, of course..." Paul had the opportunity to "ride" Buddy the horse at school.