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.