On his Own Terms

Charlie took his first steps over a month ago. At the time I though I'd be chasing after him within a week. I was wrong. Since that time, Charlie has shown us just small glimpses of his walking ability. Occasionally, and usually just for Jeff, he'll walk all the way across the family room. However, if I ever pull out a camera, he immediately sits down and starts scooting. The more we try to encourage him to walk, the less willing he is to try. He's definitely not a performer, and he's definitely showing us that he has a stubborn streak. (I'm sad to say I think he inherited both of these traits from his mom.)

Over the past week, he has started walking more and more but only when he's outside. I have to say, if there is one place I'd like for him to walk, this is it. No more grass stained bottoms on his pants!! He still scoots a lot, but I did manage to catch a short video of our little walker. Please excuse my very, very annoying mommy voice.

Fun in the Sun!

We have been LOVING the sunshine this past week. All day long, Charlie goes to the back door and chants, "Out! Out! Out!" I think the boost in vitamin D is doing us all some good!

Helping (and I use that word very loosely!) Jeff wash his car.

Playing in the water!

Using an umbrella in the sprinkler. Makes perfect sense to me!

Waterslide!

Making a mess with the sand table. Isn't Charlie so cute in his new hat?!

Mmmm...ice cream! We walked to our local ice cream shop for a special treat. Grace chose vanilla with chocolate chips. She's a classy girl with classic tastes. =)

Where's Grace?

Grace's naptime has always held some mystery. Will she sleep? What kind of crazy outfit will she be wearing when she's done "napping"? How many words a minute will she be speaking as she describes all the imaginary things that have happened in her room over the past hour? Will anything else be broken today?

Lately, there has been a new mystery. Where will I find her?

Perhaps cozied up on the floor.

Or maybe nestled into her closet with all her stuffed animals including her giant "baa-baa" chair.

Or my favorite, still riding her horse, Mocha, in her sleep. It's as if she fell off then decided to just go ahead and go to sleep. Notice in the second picture how her leg is caught in the strap of Mocha's harness. That had to be uncomfortable.

Charlie's First Haircut

I've been very hesitant about getting Charlie's hair cut. Little boys always look so much older once their hair has been trimmed, but it was definitely time. People were going to start calling him "Shaggy" pretty soon. And my sister said he was starting to grow a rat tail. That's never a good sign. =)
Grace spent the afternoon with Jeff's parents, so it was the perfect time to take him in. Despite the recommendation of two friends in the neighborhood to head to Supercuts up the street, I went all the way to Crossroads to a place that "specializes" in kids' cuts. I'm a sucker for those truck/car/tractor seats. And I really wanted his first experience to be a good one. He had a great time driving his tractor and watching Elmo on the TV. He laughed and smiled the whole time, even when she used the clippers around his ears and neck.

Getting started

Almost done...just trimming around the ears

The finished (so much older!!!) look

Monkey See, Monkey Do

This is pretty much the way things go around here:

"Charlie, don't stick you finger in your nose. That's gross."

Ha-ha! Hee! Hee! That was funny!

(Please note: This is the one and only picture in existence of both my children smiling and looking at the camera without a finger in their nose.)

"Gracie, that goes for you too!"

Please welcome...

We've added a new blogger to the family. You can now find the insightful musings of a three year old at gracesvoice.blogspot.com. Every single word comes straight from her mouth. I promise. Trust me, you can't make this stuff up. =)

Omnipotent

Grace: I liked watching Backyardigans at Grandma and Boppo's. Why don't we ever watch that at our house?

Me: We don't get that show on our tv.

Grace: Hmmm...maybe God doesn't know I like that show.

(Me: And God, if that's how it works, I'd really like the Food Network, too!)