Week Two With Coaches

Last week we were lucky enough to host two more coaches from the UK. Tade was supposed to be in soccer camp with them, but his age group was cancelled. So Tade stayed home, but we still got the coaches. Shauna actually pointed out something funny. The first week we had a coach named Scott. Last week we had Chris and Paul. When you put them all together you get Scott Christopher Paul. That is my brother's name. Kind of random, but cool. Anyway, we were able to take Chris and Paul to a DC United game at the soccerplex and to downtown DC.

Outside the DC United game at the soccerplex with Paul.

Our group at the DC United game. This was for a US Open Cup. They won.

Tade got to meet DC United's mascot the Screaming Eagle.

The coaches with the mascot.

Look at that ankle. It was definitely broken. Cool pictures!

It was great being so close to the game.

GOAL!!!!!!

Paul, Tade and Chris at the Washington Monument.

At the WWII Memorial they have all the states listed. So of course we wanted to take one in front of Maryland.

Group picture at the Lincoln Memorial.

Tade with Sean's little sisters.

Tade and Chris.

Our group on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

The kids we telling us they found people they knew at the Vietnam Memorial. Too bad they don't really read.

Someday Tade will appreciate all these DC pictures and the history he lived so close to.

Something Funny

We have two more British soccer coaches staying with us this week. Yesterday we went outlet shopping with them at their request. Paul, one of the coaches, wanted to look for clothes in Polo Ralph Lauren. He was shopping there while Jake went to one store and Chris, the other coach, Tade and I went into another. After Jake was done he went into Polo to look for Paul. He walked in and was looking around when an employee approached him and asked if he could help. Jake told him he was looking for a tall British guy. A male voice from behind Jake then chimed in saying, "Aren't we all." I laughed so hard when Jake told me what happened and I just wanted to share the humor with everyone else.

Water Time

We have had some fun in the sun days. We have a wonderful splash park near by. It is perfect for younger kids. Tade really loves it and Seth is slowly warming up to it. He just doesn't like getting splashed unless he is doing the splashing.

Tade finally got brave enough as the day went on to stand under those buckets dumping water behind him.

Seth stayed at our table and as far away from the buckets as possible.

Lunch break.

He finally got brave enough to venture out to the things that weren't spraying water.

Then Seth eventually warmed up to the lower controlled water that didn't really splash.

Look at me mom, I'm under a raining mushroom. Being the loving mother that I am I actually pushed him under so I could get a picture. He didn't mind too much since he was already wet.

On days where we have less time or just don't want to go anywhere we make our own water fun at home. Last week we broke out the sprinkler. Once again Tade loved it and Seth didn't.

Our first day of sprinklers. Tade made it into an obstacle course.

Later in the week we invited the Fredins over. Playing is always better to do with friends. Tade and Luke were on a secret training mission. They have the best imaginations. It is so enjoyable to sit back and listen to their brains at work.

They made it over and completed the mission.

Tade is showing off his mad jumping skills.

Seth stayed on the out skirts. He was able to feel a light sprinkle which was enough for him.

In the end he chose to play out of the line of fire completely. His dry truck was better than a crazy sprinkler.

Crab Feast

After spending a week with friends at Deep Creek Lake we all decided we needed to get together more often. Saturday was the first time we were able to all get together since the lake. It was awesome. It actually felt like a little reunion. Our purpose for getting together other than wanting to hang out with totally cool people was to have a crab feast. This crab feast has actually been two years in the making. Ligia mentioned two summers ago that we needed to join them in their annual crab feast. People got busy, had babies, and other things just got in the way and it never happened. So two years later we were so excited to finally be pulling it off. It turned out great because we had more people to feast with. Us Marylanders were so happy to involve our deprived friends from other states in this fun feast. Yes you can get crabs from other places (hee hee, I mean to eat), but you haven't really eaten crab until you've done it in Maryland. So Saturday the Ellsworths, Kings, Whalens, and Wangbergs got together at the McQueens house to find our inner Marylander. It was a gorgeous day full of food, sliced and pinched fingers, flies, bees, slimy yellow innards, a lot of work to get a little meat and tons of fun. I know it sounds gross, but it was quite enjoyable.

We set out the box of crabs and Seth was very unsure of things. He kept saying, "scared, scare me."

He just wanted to close the box and make them go away.

Tade took very little time to warm up to the crabs. He pretty much jumped right in there and started cracking those suckers open.

Hey Mom, look at my new friend.

We had to bribe him, but Tade did end up actually trying the crab.

We did have other food besides crab. Crab takes so long to get enough meat that we needed something else to hold us over.

The feasters.

The Kings introducing Anderson to crab.

I think he was a fan. He didn't mind sucking on a claw.

Desmond didn't mind sucking on the whole thing. The kids ended up having no fear.

Seth eventually warmed up to the box of crabs.

He decided to dive right in and rip that crab apart.

The crab then decided to fight back.

Seth found it quite amusing.

Uncle Sean was helping Seth pick the crab. He also tried to get him to eat it. Seth turned it down, but...

...had no problem sucking on it's eye after he saw Sean do it. YUCK!

There was Old Bay seasoning on the crabs. I think that Seth really liked how it tasted.

He wouldn't eat the meat, but seemed to have a good time gnawing on it's shell. He would bite it so hard you could hear it crunching.

Look mom I'm not scared anymore.

Grandma Paul

My Grandma Paul was a remarkable lady. Yesterday she returned to our Heavenly Father and reunited with my Grandpa and their daughter Diana. She didn't leave this world without making her mark though. She is remembered by 150 Pauls each touched by the life she lived. Our Paul family is obviously quite large. The great thing about it is that we all know each other. That is not so common now a days especially for such a large family. My Grandpa made sure that after he passed away 28 years ago we were able to have family reunions so that we all had the chance to know each other. This was the best thing he could have ever done. I am so bless to know my extended family. I know a lot of people think this about their family, but I have the absolute best family in the world. All 150 of them. We are all very different individuals spread out all over the place, but that doesn't matter. As a whole we are a well loved family. When we get together we have nothing but fun and the memories will be with us forever. This is all because these two people fell in love.

Donna Vee Williamson and DeWitt J. Paul

Aren't they classic looking? I love it.

Grandma and Grandpa on their wedding day.

My Grandpa was the mission President of the Los Angeles mission 1970-1973. Later after getting sick in Madagascar I served in the Long Beach Mission which would have been part of the LA mission back then.

My Grandma and Grandpa continued their legacy with six children: Randy, Ric, Dee, Brent(my dad), Greg, Grandma, Sharon, and Grandpa.

This is the legacy that was continued with just the Brent Paul family. We are only small part of the 150, but definitely a good part.

These will be treasured pictures. Tade and his cousin Brielle with Great Grandma.

I'm so glad my children were able to meet their Great Grandma even if they were too young to remember it. Brielle, Amy, Tade, and Seth with Great Grandma.

My Grandma lived to be 98 years old. She lived a long and good life. I think one of the reasons she was with us for so long was because of her incredible family. She had so much to hold onto. People were always over to keep her company, but I think the best company she had were her memories and boy did she have a lot of them. One thing Grandma had going for her was her memory. She remembered everything. You could sit with her and hear story after story of her life and her children's lives. She also had really good hearing for and old lady. If you were whispering in the next room she'd hear it. You always had to be careful about what you said around Grandma because nothing would get past her. She was old fashioned, opinionated, and made everything with a ton of butter and cream. I remember when she met Jake she told me he needed to fatten up. That I needed to feed him better. Grandma held nothing back like the time she called my cousin a tramp because she was more casually dressed then Grandma liked. Or the time when I got my mission call to Madagascar. I got a letter in the mail from her saying she was having a hard time seeing me in Madagascar with all those colored people. Now don't get offended. You have to remember she was 98 and that's just the era she grew up in. Don't worry I was still shocked when I read that letter, but then I just had to laugh because that's just my Grandma. She will be missed, but I know she is so happy right now reuniting with the family she has missed for so long. I am so very proud to be part of the Paul name.