The Final Days of Being One!

The end of my second year of life has been pretty low key. It's mostly been a lot of playing around with Mommy and Rocco. I did host and attend several playgroups, but I don't have any pictures to share. I had so much fun visiting with other kids, so going back to school might not be so bad. We have had several visitors though. Mommy's friend Jenny came to visit, and we had lots of fun together. Nannie has been here all week, too! We have had a blast doing all sorts of fun stuff like going for a ride in my wagon, riding the carousel at the mall (right before a trip to the Disney store of course), and playing around the house. I've been showing her all my moves on the basketball court, soccer pitch, and baseball diamond. I just can't get enough sports in my life! Have you met my new "babies," Cal Ripken, Jr. and Ken Griffey, Jr.? I found them in a bin under the guest bed. They travel with me often, and I like to get dressed up in proper baseball attire as well. You've got to have a hat and some shades!I don't really have too much to report, but I am sooooo excited about turning 2 tomorrow. I can't wait for cupcakes and hopefully a few more presents!!

Wet & Wild

The temperature outside has been scorching, and the best way to beat the heat is to play in the water! Today Mommy and I went with her friend Wendie to the "beach" in her neighborhood. We started off playing in the spray park. I loved running through the obstacles and splashing through everything. My favorite part was the huge turtle slide. I went down by myself over and over again! We swam in the big pool, played football, jumped off the ledge, and splashed in the waterfalls for almost two hours, and I worked up quite an appetite. I've recently discovered ham sandwiches...the bigger the better!!! After lunch, I spent another hour playing in the sand. I knocked mounds of sand over, dug for rocks, and I ran back into the water often to rinse off. What an awesome day! This weekend I spent plenty of time in my bathing suit, too. We made a trip down to the neighborhood pool, and I was swimming around like a fish! I jumped in to Daddy lots of times and floated all around. I also helped Daddy wash the cars. We made tons of bubbles and scrubbed with a big sponge. Working the water hose was pretty awesome, too. After a while, I promoted myself to the supervisor role. I kicked back in my new chair and made sure he didn't miss any spots! When I'm not playing in the water, I can usually be found on the back of Daddy's bike. Our main mission every night is to find as many big dogs and rabbits as possible. I came home last night and demonstrated to Mommy how all those bunnies hopped away! So many fun summer memories, and a few more weeks to go!

A Fun Filled Week!

The week started off on Monday with Mommy and Daddy's 7th wedding anniversary. I got to go with them to the Cheesecake Factory, and I ate some chocolate cake cheesecake. It was awesome! Mommy was gone for two days for work, so I stayed home with Daddy. I got to play at Aunt Jenny's a few hours each day, and I had a blast. Once Mom got back, it was business as usual. On Friday, Campbell came over to play for a few hours. We had fun chasing Rocco (and each other) all around the house.

When it cooled off, we were able to go outside. I had some work to do on my house, and once I got it cleaned up, Campbell got to be my first non-adult house guest. We cooked up all kinds of stuff inside and out. We have so much fun together! This weekend has been full of soccer, errands, bike rides, shopping and playing. In other news, I went through a short phase of always wanting to wear socks on my hands, and now I'm obsessed with my Elmo pjs. I fight my parents every morning when I have to take them off, and I love to take my baths because I get to put them on afterward. I'm looking forward to another fun week at home!

The Good Things in Life

When things get really busy and hectic, it's always nice to stop and think about all the fun I have in my life. You know, all the really good things like:

Walking my dog. Eating brownies! Going on a bike ride with my Mommy and Daddy. Grilling up some chicken and veggies. Naps!Going down my slide. Playing outside in the grass with my favorite things. Ending the evening with a warm bubble bath. I am a really lucky guy to have such a great life, and I hope that everyone I love has as many great things to think about as I do!

An Awesome Week in Nederland

I've been out of touch for a while because I was having too much fun visiting my family. We drove down to Nederland and stayed a whole week so we could see everyone! We spent a few nights at Uncle Daniel's, and one night Daddy took me to see him at the radio station. Once I got used to it, I was rockin' the mic! I also spent plenty of time with my great grandparents. I went to eat at Taco Rey with Mama and Papa Collins, and I even got a special taste of her famous spaghetti. It was delicious! We also had a very busy stay at Uncle Clint & Aunt Lori's. ALL 7 of my cousins were in town, in addition to lots of extended family, for the Hall family reunion. It was hot and crazy, but I had a blast just playing outside and swimming every day. I love my cousins so much, and I wish I could see them more often. We play at maximum intensity at all times, but we'll always take a break to ride in Nana's golf cart. (I really prefer to drive!)The 4th of July was very exciting because it started off with an early birthday party for me! We decided to have an early celebration so everyone could attend. I had an awesome Mickey Mouse cake, opened lots of presents, and finished the party out with some swimming. Even when it started pouring down rain, I decided to stay in the pool. Thanks everyone for making my celebration so much fun! We got to go swimming again at my Uncle Bobby's 4th of July BBQ, and then I got back in the pool with Nana and Daddy to watch fireworks. Mommy thinks I'm turning into a fish! We finished the trip off with a visit to Nannie's house. It rained, and rained, and rained, so we found plenty of ways to have fun inside. We might not have been able to go out in the boat, but I can still keep it clean! Now is it back home and back to normal. A young boy's work is never done!

Father's Day and More

So with all the craziness of summer, I missed the Father's Day update. I hope my dad and grandpas all had a wonderful day. I bought dad a seat for the back of his bike so we can go cruising the neighborhood together. We haven't gotten to go for a ride yet, but I'm ready when he is! We just hung out and played most of the day until I pulled a bike over on myself. I cut my forehead pretty bad, so we took a quick trip to the doctor. I was ok and ready to play again in no time. I love my Daddy!! Mommy and I just got back from an unexpected trip to Nannie's house. Nana and PawPaw came over one night to visit, too. I had so much fun running around the property, swinging on the hill, and driving the boat. I even helped Nannie pick some fresh vegetables from PaPa's garden. Look at this eggplant and okra!My favorite thing to do was throw rocks into the pond. I did that over and over and over again. I can't wait to head back to Nannie's in a week or so! When we got back home, PaPa Vaughn and Uncle Daniel were at my house. They had been hanging out with Daddy, and I got a new bat out of it. I carry it everywhere! We've done a lot of playing in the backyard, blowing bubbles, and getting into mischeif. We grilled outside, and they even let me watch some movies in my comfy chair.

I have had a ton of fun the past week. A few more days of swimming lessons, and then it's off for another road trip!