Fun weekend

We had a very busy weekend. We started Friday night at the Jen and Dave Hofmans' celebrating Dave's new job. Congrats Dave! Carol and Penny made it from New Mexico, but somehow we forgot to take any pictures.

Saturday was yardwork and exercise.

Now where do I put this thing?

Later we had fun at the Boyces'. Sean, Elissa, and the dads went to the park and swam in the backyard pool while the moms and Darlene went to the outlet mall.

Then we all had a great meal.

Sunday morning Sean and Dave read the paper and then started the day.

We ended up at the Johnsons' celebrating Morgan's first birthday. Look for the Johnsons' big announcement on their blog here.

Sean 18-Month Update

Sean had his 18-month check-up yesterday:

• Weight: 24 lbs. 2 oz. 30%
• Height: 34 inches 90%
• Head: 18.75 inches 45%

Everything checked out fine. He had two shots and was extremely unhappy about it. He was so stressed out he acted funny the rest of the day. He may have been slightly dizzy, too, which was a side effect of one of the shots.

His main developments have been vocabulary, comprehension and memory. He has many two syllable words and phrases: "all done," "night night," up please," "off please," "help please" and one "I don't know." Sometimes he strings things together for emphasis, like "night-night all done" when he really wants to be put in his bed; or "all done bye-bye" when he is really tired of his car seat.

He gets very frustrated when we cannot understand him. When we were in Johnson City this weekend he suddenly started saying "shoe, shoe, NO NO" and trying to take one shoe off. I put it back on and he cried "shoe, shoe, NO NO NO NO." I eventually found that he had stepped on a huge thorn that went through the bottom of his Crocs and poked out about 1/8" out of the sole (and into his foot.) So, in retrospect, what he said made complete sense.

The cutest things are words he can't quite say yet:

• Ice weem = ice cream
• Hopter = helicopter (or, sometimes, a plane)
• Pafier = pacifier
  

He is a complete Elmo fanatic and loves everything Elmo.

He has the location of every fake owl in south Texas memorized and will say "hoot-hoot" or "owl" when brought within 30 feet (even if he can't see the owl.)

His other fixation is buses, like his friend Daniel in Colorado when he was Sean's age. A bus, or anything that looks vaguely like a bus, elicits: "bus bus bus bus bus bus bus," Most times it is a bus that he some how spots (or senses) before we can ever see it. Scary.

Grandma Pasta and I have taken to the bad habit of showing him video of Elmo, owls, buses, hopters, etc. on YouTube. He now associates LCD monitors with Elmo. On the plus side, you find videos like school bus racing!

4th of July

Sean turns 18 months old today!!! Happy birthday today to Dziadziu!!!

Link to photo album HERE

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4th of July weekend started with Barbara's birthday on the 2nd. She co-hosted her own party at our house on the 3rd. We had 11 kids there who all had a great time. Sean did not go to bed until after 10:30pm - a very late night for him.

We loaded up the car and headed for Kerrville on Friday morning and celebrated the 4th there. On Saturday we went to the Sauer-Beckman Farmstead near LBJ Ranch outside of Johnson City. It is an 1869 farm and home now run as a historical site by Texas Parks and Wildlife. Sean loved the farm animals and mooed at the cows and clucked at the chickens and roosters.

Saturday night Beth came over for a great slow-cooked brisket dinner. Both nights Sean played in the hot tub, which he loves.

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Sean helps Daddy build Barbara's birthday present

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Sean watches cows

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Sean facinated by a rooster

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Limestone watering trough that Sean insisted on getting closer to: "pool, up please!"

Start of Summer!

The start of summer has been a busy time. Lots of outside play, almost buying a house in Pearland and lots of weekend trips!

Sean has been a blast. He learns a new word or three every day. He loves his books and likes to climb every thing.

OK, I've got my bib, I am half-way up the highchair - where is my food?

Is this Mama's birthday present or mine? Until Dada gets around to putting them together it is all mine!

Sean's first professional sporting event - the Astros v. the Dodgers. He liked: 1) the Minute Maid Train (Choo Choo!) and 2) the hole in a support girder on the concourse (peek-a-boo!)