Waterfall Adventure

Before I came along when Mommy and Daddy lived in Tennessee the first time, they visited lots of waterfalls on the weekends. Today they took me and some friends that Daddy works with to one of their favorite waterfalls. I loved riding on Daddy's back and seeing the beautiful water. I usually would sing a song while Daddy walked. I think he enjoyed hearing me sing. As you can see in this picture, my little brother is getting very big in Mommy's tummy. I think he enjoyed the hike, too.
We took Shelby with us, and she loved getting in the water and cooling off.
Here are our friends that went on the hike with us.

A few of my favorite things

Kyle came over to go swimming with me today, and boy, did we have a great time! I love my buddy Kyle, I love to go swimming, and I love animal crackers (which is what Kyle shared with me during our little break from the pool). Mommy feels strongly that I need to take a swimming class this summer because I have no fear of the water.

First Swim of the Season...

in a real pool, that is. I swam with Emma Jo in a hot tub last weekend, but this was the first dip in our neighborhood pool that just opened for the summer this weekend. The water was pretty cool, but Daddy got in with me, and we had lots of fun.

If you look closely in the last picture, you can see the infamous chipped tooth.

Party Time!

eating dinner with Hiroto, Kyle, and Danny

swinging with Alanna and Lauren, my favorite babysitters from next door

We celebrated my birthday with a party at the park. Since I love Elmo so much, Mommy made an Elmo cake, and several of my friends came. Nana and Perpy were there too along with Aunt Kimberly and Uncle Tim. I had a great time, and I used good manners by telling each of my guests thankyou and giving them hugs. Mommy wished she had a picture of a group hug that Will, Kyle, and I shared at the end of the evening. Overall, it was a wonderful second birthday. Thanks to everyone who made it so special.

Birthday Fun!

Today is my birthday and what a fun day it has been so far. Nana is here to visit so she went with Mommy and I to meet Daddy for lunch. We had a great time. After my nap, Perpy will be here, and tomorrow we will have a little party at the park. More pictures later!

vacation part 2

Uncle Tim was kind enough to let us borrow his boat for the weekend. It was my second time out on it, and at first, I was not so sure about it. I immediately started saying "all done". After about 5 minutes of sitting in Mommy's lap, I realized it was kind of fun. At the end, I wanted to drive the boat myself.

This is Tucker, the newest addition to the Fulk family. I'm glad to have another boy around although I love playing with Emma and Gretchen. All weekend if Emma was out of my sight, I'd ask, "Where'd Emma go?" She and Gretchen thought I was quite funny, and I loved making them giggle.
The mommies and a few of the children: Marie and Maddie, Heidi and Tucker, and Mommy with Gretchen.

Can you see how my little brother is growing in Mommy's tummy? Maddie is also going to have a little brother in September.
The whole gang on the porch of our cabin. All the way home, I kept asking where Emma went. I wish they would all move to Nashville so we could play more often. We'll miss you friends!

Vacation with friends

This weekend, we drove to Kentucky to meet some of our good friends from Michigan at a cabin near a big lake. We had such a great time with them that I cried when we left. Emma, Gretchen, and I practice our innertube skills. Actually, we never got in the lake so this was the extent of the inner tube experience for us. Our daddies did a little innertubing though.
Maddie, Marie's daughter
The pool at the resort was not open so our parents decided to turn the heat way down and let us play in the hot tub. What a great idea!! Emma and I especially loved this.

Have you ever tried wearing a life jacket in a hot tub? It works pretty well. By the second day, I understood how to stay above the water, so I didn't have to wear the jacket. It wasn't very deep so I could touch and walk around in the water.

Silly Me!

I'm always doing silly things that make Mommy laugh. Yesterday before Mommy dressed me for the day, I found my winter hat from last year and put it on. Then, I got on my bike and said I was going to get some pizza. Of course, I worked up a little thirst and needed to stop for a juice box break.

I'm a little dare devil!

Sometimes Mommy and Daddy are proud of me for being daring and taking risks, but other times, my adventuresome spirit gives them high blood pressure. Last night was one of those times. I was running at full speed pushing my dump truck on the sidewalk and fell chipping one of my front teeth. I cut my lip so there was lots of blood which really scared Mommy. We went to the dentist today, and he said I'll have to come back in a month for him to check on my tooth. At that point, he'll know best how to fix it. He said he can put something on it so it'll look like a normal tooth. Right now, Daddy says I look like a hill billy with my chipped tooth.

Mommy was very proud of me for how I sat still during the X-ray and while the dentist looked in my mouth. She was afraid I was not going to let him look at my teeth, but I proved her wrong. The dentist was very nice and had lots of neat things to look at in his office. When I go back in a month, I'll also have my teeth cleaned for the first time. I think it will be a fun place to visit so maybe this little accident was a good thing. Well, Mommy and Daddy probably wouldn't say that, but I think you should make lemonade out of lemons.

Don't worry...this little incident hasn't slowed me down any. Daddy says we have a new rule: the dump truck can only be pushed on the grass. I don't really like that rule because it just doesn't go as fast that way. He says that's exactly the point.

Mommy will try to take a picture of my hill billy smile sometime before my next dentist appointment so you can see for yourself.

Snoozing Right Along!

I've been doing very well in my new bed. Sometimes I want to play a little at the beginning of naptime, but Mommy and I have a little agreement that's working pretty well. She keeps my door open, and I stay in bed (most of the time). I've been sleeping very well every night and waiting until Mommy comes to get me before getting out of bed (most of the time). :) I think I'm going to like my new room and my new bed. Mommy and Daddy are very relieved. Now, there will be a place for my brother to sleep when he arrives.

Will and Drew

Will went to the hospital to meet his new brother on Friday. Drew is doing very well and will come home today or tomorrow. I haven't gotten to meet him yet, and I can't wait until Mommy takes me over to his house.

Andrew Daniel Girard

I'm excited to introduce my newest cousin, Andrew Daniel Girard! He decided to make his arrival a little early, but he's doing great. Mommy and Daddy went to the hospital tonight to meet him, but I had to stay at home and sleep. I can't wait to meet him and learn more about being a big brother.

Uncle Tim called us early this morning to say he was taking Aunt Kimberly to the hospital because her water had broken. (What does that mean?) Anyway, Mommy went right over to Will's house to play with him while his parents were at the hospital. Daddy took me over to Will's after I got up and ate breakfast. We got to spend the whole morning together. I love my cousin Will, and he loves me. Sometimes we love each other a little too much and one of us gets hurt. After lunch, Will's grandparents came to take care of him, and I had to go home and take a nap.

Welcome, Baby Andrew (or Baby Drew, as Will calls him)! Will and I are going to have so much fun with you and my baby brother!

Sleeping in my new bed

I took my first nap in my new bed today. Mommy and Daddy are very proud of me, and I feel pretty proud, too. At first, I wanted to get out of bed and play with my toys. I did this for a little while until Mommy came in and said I had to stay in bed. She told me if I stayed in bed, she would leave the door open. I wanted it to stay open, so I stayed in bed. Guess what happened...I fell asleep! When I woke up (earlier than I usually do), I was a little scared. Tonight, I went right to sleep in my new bed. Mommy is curious to see if I wake up extra early tomorrow. Mommy will keep you updated, I'm sure.

My First Camping Trip

Shelby was hoping we would take her camping but she needed to stay home and protect Mommy.

Daddy took me on a father-son camping trip this weekend. We went with some of Daddy's friends from Bible study to a farm. I slept in a sleeping bag in a tent with Daddy, and I did really well. I went right to sleep and slept all night. Mommy was amazed. We also got to see farm animals like horses and goats. We got to ride on a tractor and a four wheeler. We had a campfire and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. It was so much fun, and I was exhausted when we got home. Mommy was exhausted too because she didn't sleep that well while we were gone. I guess she missed us too much. Thanks, Daddy, for taking me on a very fun camping trip. I can't wait to do it with you again soon!

Daddy's camera wasn't working very well, but we might have more pictures to show you later.

My New Bed

My new bed has arrived, and Mr. Perry helped Daddy put it together on Friday night (along with Miss Katie and Mommy's help). Every night before I go sleep in my crib, Daddy reads books to me on my new bed. Sometime in the next month, Mommy says I'll start sleeping in it. Hmm...that should be interesting and exciting. I'll let you know how it goes.

Looking up to an older friend

Danny along with his parents, Aldo and Elvira, came over for dinner tonight. We had so much fun playing together. Everything Danny did, I wanted to do, too. The problem is he's several years older than me, so I'm not quite ready to do some of the big boy things he does. He can teach me lots of things-like drinking out of a real glass, sharing my toys, and even jumping off of the couch. I was so happy he came to play and sad to see him go. Hopefully, our parents will get us together soon. By the way, Danny was wearing his Daddy's glasses in this picture. Yet, another fun thing he taught me how to do!

The Truck Parade

Graham with truck #1

Hiroto with truck #2

Will with truck #3

My friend, Hiroto, and his family came to church with us today. Then, they came over for lunch along with Will and his family and Andrew. After we ate, we decided we should go downstairs to play. We found some trucks and made a little parade. Good thing I have a lot of trucks. (more Easter pictures to come) By the way, I did have on pants earlier in the day. They just kept falling off because they were too big, so Mommy gave up and let me take them off.

New Easter Traditions

Mommy and Daddy gave me some playdough in my Easter basket and let me play with it before breakfast. Mommy made some special rolls called resurrection rolls, but I preferred my cereal.
Here's how she made the rolls:

She started with a big marshmallow which represented Jesus's body. She dipped it in melted butter to symbolize annointing His body with oil as they did when He died. Then, she sprinkled cinnamon on the marshmallow to represent the spices they used when they buried Jesus. She wrapped the marshmallow in a crescent roll which represented the tomb where they buried Jesus. She baked the rolls in the oven for about 10 minutes. Guess what happened when she got them out and we cut into them to eat them? The marshmallow disappeared just as Jesus's body was gone and the tomb was empty. Jesus is risen! He is risen indeed!
Mommy also made a bunny cake for our Easter lunch dessert. She got this idea from Perpy who used to make these cakes for Daddy and his sister at Easter.

Making Progress on My New Room

This weekend, my daddy finished painting my new room. It is two shades of blue. My daddy is a very good painter, and Mommy and I are thankful for all his hard work. Hopefully, the furniture will come in this week and we'll get it all set up.

I love my daddy!

Daddy likes to turn the volume on his stereo up really loud when we listen to his music.

Then, he picks me up and we dance to the beat. I love spending time with my daddy!