Busy Summer

It is funny that at the end of each school year, I think that I'm going to have SO much time during the summer.  I'll cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner every night!  I'll complete a daily Pinterest project!  I'll do my taxes, my nails, and feed the homeless... all before 9am each day.  Except, somehow the summer manages to get filled about with a million things that make it absolutely fly by.  Which, I suppose is totally okay by me... even if it means that my pinterest projects are still going largely unmade.

This summer started off with a bang! Disneyland!  It was my first time bringing the boys to Disneyland, and I was a little bit nervous.  Those lines are looooong and I have an almost 2-year old and a 7 year old with ADHD.  Great combo, right??  Thank goodness for Disneyland's parent swap pass.  Shaun and I were able to take turns waiting in line with Carter, while the other one entertained Charlie or took him on one of the kiddie rides.  Then, once Carter had gotten through the line once, he got to fast forward back to the front right away so the other adult could ride with him.  Genius!  And quite a reward for making it through the long waits.  We had really hoped that we would be able to have ALL the kids at Disneyland for both days, but we ended up only getting M and A for a few hours on one of the days.  Such a bummer to know that they were somewhere nearby with their mom, but that we couldn't have them with us!  We had such a good time though, and I loved getting to introduce Shaun to a lot of my extended family that lives in Southern California.  I can't wait to go back!

After our Disneyland trip, I took the boys out to Kansas City and Omaha.  It was nice to visit my sister and a good friend.  We made the best of rainy weather and went to the amazing Omaha Zoo, a working farm in KC, indoor playscapes, and more!  Very nice to get out of the heat, and the boys loved seeing their Aunt and Uncle and friends.

Once we returned home, we hung out for a week before taking off again!  We went with my mom back to Southern California for a family wedding.  It was a short, but fun trip, and I think the boys were SO happy to be back to playing outside.  I just love the weather in the OC!  If it wasn't for the traffic (and $), I'd move there in a second!

We attempted to go to a nearby mountain town (about 20 degrees cooler than Phoenix!) for the 4th of July, but Charlie got sick and we had to make the 4 hour drive back home after just 15 hours there.  He has a yucky upper respiratory infection and needed breathing treatments.  So thankful that the doctor was able to squeeze us in right away!  He's being such a good boy, tolerating his breathing treatments as well as he can, and still trying to keep up with all the other kids in the house.  Lucky Carter got to stay at the cabin with Grandma and Granddad, and enjoyed lots of extra attention though!

In between all of these trips, we've been moving things from my house to Shaun's house.  He's been building shelves in all the closets, trying to accommodate all of our things... and we'll be stuffing the attic full of all the Christmas things.  We are fitting surprisingly well into this tiny place, and anticipate staying here for a couple of years.  Now that we are getting everything in order and organized, it is working out great!

It is hard to believe that there are less than 4 weeks before I return to school, and the kids start back soon after that.  We are SO happy that the 3 older kids will be able to attend the same school this year.  The thought of having the kids across town from each other really seemed overwhelming, and I'm so thankful that it worked out to keep them together.  Of course the big boys will have different teachers (no WAY should they be together all day every day!), but it'll be so nice for them to already have friends at their new school (plus a couple cousins!).  They made it off of an extensive waitlist into one of the best charter schools in the area.  I'm a huge proponent of public schools, teach at a wonderful private school, and am sending my kids to a charter school - it just goes to show that there is a perfect school out there for everyone!  We're so excited to see what this year has in store for them.

Too tired to walk!

At Aunt Kiki and Uncle Scott's house in Kansas City

Visiting Grandma Jan and Grandpa Larry

Grandma Jan's beautiful garden!

Disney fun

21 Months Old!

Oh, big boy!

I know.  I'm totally that mom who thinks her kid is the smartest thing ever.  But seriously!  Charlie is such a talkative little smartie pants - he totally blows me away.

Here's a little list of some of his milestones and favorite things over the past quarter year.

• He's obsessed with this little bench at school.  We have to sit on it on the way into and out of school every. single. day.  

• Charlie knows almost all of his colors!  How is that even possible??
• He sings along to lots of songs - his favorites are JJ Heller's The Boat Song, Mumford and Sons' I Will Wait, and Taylor Swift's I Knew You Were Trouble.  So adorable, especially as he sings along to his bedtime lullaby.

• He's a monster athlete! He wrestles, kicks, throws, catches, and runs around like a maniac all of the time.  He's also taken quite a liking to somersaulting down the little hill at church.  My heart stops beating every time.
• He is the little announcer in his classroom:  Hi, Kai! Hi Kai's mom!  Hi Claire! Hi Claire's dad!  Goodbye friends!!  I think I have another ridiculously social child on my hands.  Wonder where he gets it.
• Charlie is suddenly terrified of the swimming pool, yet is obsessed with taking baths.  Let's hope that he gets over it soon - summer is nearly here!
• He's had the craziest, out-of-control diaper rash and eczema the past couple of months.  He's been to the doctor twice and it looks like I own a pharmacy with all of the different creams and washes I have for him!  I'm concerned that there is a food allergy/intolerance going on, so we are playing around a little with excluding foods from his diet until things get better.
• He is sleeping ALL. NIGHT. LONG.  Hallelujah! 
• Charlie had his first bout with the stomach flu.  Thank God that Grandma Joy was able to take care of my sick baby while I had to work!  We are so thankful for her!!
• He loves going to big brother's football practices and games.  It can be hard to keep him off of the field, but he loves running around and yelling, "Hike! Touchdown! Run, run, run!"
• Food has been a struggle.  He declines almost everything I cook, preferring just bread, fruit, breakfast bars, and crackers.  I know it is just a stage, but I want my non-picky eater back!
• He LOVES Capri-Sun juice pouches.  I think he just likes to be cool like his brother.
• Charlie really likes racing.  He pushes me to the end of the hallway and yells, "Ready, set, GO!"  Competitive, much?

I'm sure there are a million other things that I'm forgetting, but I think this is a pretty good list of my amazing little guy's last few months.  I'm so excited for summer break to start in just three more weeks!  Lots of time spent with my boys, just traveling, playing, and enjoying life!!!

Sweet Blessing

I've been thinking a lot about my big boy, Carter this week.  How much progress he's been making at school - at home - everywhere!  I'm just so proud of him.  I know that with such a busy little brain, he finds it really difficult to regulate his choices and emotions, and that gets him into a little lot of trouble sometimes, but the past couple of months have seem some good steady improvement.

Switching his school from the private school that I teach at to a local public school in October was abrupt, and we weren't sure how it was going to turn out.  He struggled greatly in a class of 16 students - how was he going to function in a class of 29???  Well, it turns out that he is doing so much better at his new school.  His teacher is an absolute angel.  She has worked so hard to develop behavior plans, rewards, and make sure not to nitpick things that really don't matter in the scheme of things.  Because, let's face it, if you correct/punish/scold Carter for every little thing he does "wrong", he'd never hear anything positive... but if you can let the little things roll off of your back, you begin to see so much good in him.  She's been able to do just that with him in the classroom.  Can you believe that he's had such a great month that he even earned for her to take him out to eat at Panda Express (his favorite!!) after school last Friday? Now that is a dedicated teacher.

He is such a sweet, loving boy.  His sense of humor is growing every day... he'll be funnier than most adults I know pretty soon! He's an absolutely amazing brother... he is careful with his brother and understands how to treat the little guy.  He's been absolutely loving flag football, and is excited to register for another round.  He gets better at listening to his coaches and learning the plays every week. Though we still have our share of challenges, I can tell that his self-esteem and attitude are really coming around.  I'm so thankful for that!  What a sweet blessing he is!

Little Boy

What a whirlwind 3 months!  Charlie's language has been absolutely exploding, and he follows his brother around trying to copy his every move.  It is so great to see their relationship and the love that they have for each other.

This quarter has been full of changes: a big move to our new house, adjusting to our little family of three and transitions between our house and dad's house, and less time with Grandma and Granddad.  After being used to seeing them every day, it is strange to go a week or more between visits!

During the past 3 months, Charlie...

• has started using two-word phrases: momma's shoes, more please, Carter night-night, etc.
• asks, "What's that?" about EVERYTHING.  He's trying to name everything and his vocabulary grows hourly. 
• loves school and blows kisses goodbye when we drop him off.
• has learned lots of sign language at school - he signed "more banana, please"! So cute!
• is still around 26-27lbs.  Just a bit bigger than average - he's so active that it seems hard to keep all that chub on!
• loves balls, blocks, and coloring.  He colors on blank paper and in coloring books every single day.
• really enjoys bath time.  He splashes and plays with bath toys and bubbles forever!
• really likes to tell you when to change his diaper, "Poop!", but he runs away and won't actually let you change him unless he's held down.  Silly boy!
• watches "Bubble Guppies" - his favorite show!
• like to eat strawberries, blueberries, oranges (juice balls!), and hotdogs. Mmmm!

It is hard to believe that Charlie is already a year and a half old!  My little baby is SO much more of a toddler... and rapidly progressing to become a big boy way too soon.  I'm so blessed by his sweet smile and adorable giggles.  He truly is the sweetest little guy!

Charlie - 15 months

The once-a-month posts seemed a little hard to keep up with now that my little man has passed the one-year mark.  Quarterly updates are my new goal - and I'm only 2 days late!

Sweet little Charlie has had a great few months.  Here are some highlights...

• He started daycare and LOVES it - especially learning sign language and bubble time
• Charlie got to visit Aunt Kiki and Uncle Scott in Kansas City.  He has so much fun playing in their big grassy yard!
• We took a trip to the trampoline park - Charlie loves to jump!
• He has more words than I can count! Here's a list of my favorites:
• shut door
• shoot hoop
• good catch
• bubble guppies (he's not shy about telling you when it is time to watch tv!)
• please (super cute that he says and signs it at the same time)
• The backyard is his favorite place.  He chases the kitty, plays basketball, and barks at the dog next door.  Endless fun!
• He has 12 teeth! By the way, molars are NO FUN!
• Charlie stopped nursing a month ago - so proud that we were able to keep it up for 14 months!
• He was a trouper at his 15m checkup, even though he got 2 shots.  Ouch!

Charlie is such a happy toddler.  He loves to eat, play, and snuggle (which I never get tired of!). Even when he is up for an hour or two in the middle of the night, cranky because of teeth or tummy troubles... there is no greater joy than cuddling up with him. 

Birthday Collage

Here are some recent pictures of my gorgeous little guy - not that I'm biased, or anything...

click to enlarge

My Little Man.

An entire year. 366 days.  More late nights and early mornings than any sane person would hope for.  About a million precious moments that absolutely fill my heart.  This little boy is absolutely perfect - even when I’m up in the middle of the night for the 3rd time in 5 hours.  He is funny and silly and sweet.  He is a little ham and loves to be the center of attention.  He gets stressed out when momma is more than two steps away.  I love that.  He’s such a momma’s boy... I should probably try and break him of that, but I’m going to hold tight to it because I know that it will pass all too soon.  He bops and dances around, even though he isn’t quite ready to let go and start walking.  That’s okay... this momma isn’t ready for that yet either.  It is so wonderful to see him blossom into a little person with so much personality and spirit.  It’s a little sad, too.  It’s hard seeing your once-tiny baby grow up so fast... especially when you know that it is your last one.  I wish that I could freeze time, just a little bit.

My sweet little Charlie... Happy Birthday, little love.