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.

Even Better.

Carter (to my mom): Grandmas are even better than a best friend.

Aw. What a sweetie.

Abe Lincoln

Sometimes my kid just blows me away.  On the way to school this morning, he was reading out-loud to me from the back seat.  Here is our conversation:

Carter: The books says that Abraham Lincoln died 100 years ago, but that means he died when he was 103.  That isn't true.

Me: (after checking the copyright and showing it to him) This book was written in 1965, so he had died 100 years before they wrote it.

Carter: Oh. Granddad was 13 when they wrote this book.  And Danny Ainge was 6.

What? You don't have Danny Ainge's birthday memorized? I didn't even know that Carter knew who he was... let alone could calculate his age at the 100th anniversary of Lincoln's death.  This kid is awesome.

11 Months Old!

Yesterday was Charlie's 11 month birthday. It has been a crazy month, settling into our temporary home with my parents, adjusting to the ridiculous heat, and getting back into the swing of our new "regular" life. I'm so happy that the packing and moving is over for now... It is much easier to play with Charlie without boxes towering overhead! Charlie has been busy this month!

This month...

• Charlie has had separation anxiety, especially with strangers. Dropping him off at the YMCA's daycare for an hour each day hasn't been possible... he cries until they come and find me 10 minutes later. Let's hope he gets over this before fulltime daycare starts next month!
• He's been learning some new words. His vocabulary is: dada, brother, get it, ball and the sign language for "more" and "all done". In the mornings, he signs more and says brother over and over until I bring him to see Carter. Precious! 
• A favorite game is "Goodnight, Wake-up!".  Charlie lays his head down and pretends to go to sleep until we yell, "wake up, wake up!"... it is super adorable.
• Some new teeth are in! Charlie has 7 now, and hopefully he will have a little break before number 8 and the molars start coming. Teething was super rough this month. 
• Charlie loves to climb the stairs. We have to watch really closely, or he will scale the entire staircase when we aren't looking - eeek! 
• He still loves balls more than any other toy. He loves to put the balls in a small basketball hoop, or sit in the pack&play and throw dozens of balls out onto the floor. It's a fun game! 
• Of course, he is still eating lots. He's a carb-lover, and particularly likes bread and goldfish crackers. Frozen cherries and frozen peas are a close second. 
• Charlie refuses to sleep through the night. He is still waking up 2-3 times every night and often takes some convincing to go back to sleep. We will be working very hard on this, so he can sleep through the whole night before I return to work next month. 
• He seems to think he can pull up and climb on everything. Who is this little monkey child?! He hasn't been interested in walking - just scaling furniture. Sigh.loves to swim! 
• We have been taking advantage of Grandma and Granddad's pool, and he especially enjoys the waterfall. He is trying to figure out how to grab the water. So cute! 
• He has been enjoying having so much family around. Aunt Kiki is here, visiting before her wedding next weekend. He loves her!! He has also had visits with Grammy, Aunt Jessica, Uncle Ryan, and cousin Grayson, and lots of great friends. It is so good to be back with so many of our loved ones! 

Charlie's personality is really developing, and it is fun to see how his little mind works. He is so interested in figuring out how things work, and putting things together. He is starting to get much more vocal to try and express what he wants/doesn't want. I'm excited to start planning a celebration for his birthday, but a little wistful that my little one is already getting so big. I wish I could have just a little more time with my baby, but toddler-hood seems to be sneaking up quickly.We sure do love our little almost-one-year old!
 

Oh Yeah... I Have Two Kids.

It appears that in the hustle and bustle of preparing for our cross-country (north-south, obv.) move, I forgot to blog about something major.  Charlie’s monthly birthday blogs have become an easy little habit... but I seem to have forgotten that I have TWO kids. Yeah, oops.

Carter just had his 6th birthday (on May 10th), and it is really hard to believe how fast time is passing by.  He is an AMAZING kid.  He drives my up a wall, but I love him fiercely.  He knows how to push my buttons, he manages to make me laugh constantly, and he is a crazy smart kid.  Have you ever wondered how much older/taller/heavier you are than Minute Bull or President Obama?  Those are the kind of things that are constantly on Carter’s mind.  So, like any resourceful 6-year old, he googles it.  He knows the most insanely random facts (the year John Wilkes Booth was born? The shortest player ever in the NBA? Easy!).  I’m obviously one of those super braggy moms, but rightfully so.  He is a math whiz - calculating ages, comparing weights, and solving problems faster than most adults can... and he’s already reading beginning chapter books on his own.  His little big brain is so busy that it can be hard to concentrate on things and listen to his parents/teachers/everyone, but he is so absolutely amazing and is improving every day.

On his birthday, I interviewed him.  I’m hoping to make this a yearly tradition for him and Charlie.  It’ll be so cute to look back over the years to see how their answers change.  Thanks to my trusty iphone, I recorded our interview... and I’ll write his answers exactly as he said them.  They are so him.

Me: What’s your favorite thing about school?
Carter: About school? Books.

Me: What’s one new thing that you want to try this year?
Carter: I would like to try shooting longer baskets.

Me: What is the best thing about being 5?
Carter: I had a really good memory.

Me: What makes you most excited about being 6?
Carter: Because it’s on my birthday and I’m so excited! I might be able to make longer baskets, really long baskets.

Me: What are you scared of?
Carter: I’m scared maybe of fire or lava because it might come in our house.

Me: What is your favorite sport?
Carter: Basketball

Me: What is your favorite thing to do?
Carter: Play the Playstation.

Me: What do you like most about our family?
Carter: I just love you so much. Yeah, that’s my favorite part about my family.

Me: What is your favorite book?
Carter: My favorite book is Amelia Bedelia.  It is so funny!

Me: What is your favorite color?
Carter: Red.

Me: Who is your favorite friend?
Carter: Layla.  You know Layla. (she lives around the corner in Vancouver)

Me: What would you like to be when you grow up?
Carter: A basketball player.

Me: On what team?
Carter: Well, I don’t know who I’m going to be drafted for.  I can’t decide.

Me: What’s your favorite food?
Carter: Potatoes and gravy or sweet potatoes or mashed potatoes and gravy and turkey and Thanksgiving dinner is my favorite food.

Me: What do you hope to never eat again?
Carter: What do brussel sprouts taste like? What is cabbage? I hope to never eat brussel sprouts again.

Me: What makes you the happiest?
Carter: It makes me the happiest when I make my brother laugh and when you do the love egg. Crack, crack, crack!

Me: What is your favorite game to play?
Carter: Quirkle.

My kid is awesome. In case you were wondering.
A very belated Happy Birthday to my first baby.
 

10 Months

I hope you will forgive the late 10-month birthday post. Charlie and I are in Minnesota for Aunt Kiki's graduation from St. Olaf! I'm actually typing this entry on my phone on the floor in the bathroom of my hotel room, so Charlie can nap. Ahhh, the life of a mother!

This month was great, of course! So many new things going on and Charlie is just trying so hard to master new sounds and skills.

This month...
Charlie finally started crawling on all fours - he still occasionally uses his alligator/army crawl, but not too often.

He finally says momma! He also says, "mmmm!" when he likes his food, and "uh-oh". My favorite is, "gee!" (get it, for those of you that don't speak baby).

We met cousin Talon and celebrated his first birthday. Charlie wasted no time crawling over and stealing/sharing his first cupcake. Kid loves his sweets!

We had a great visit to Phoenix! Charlie visited with Nana, Grandpa E and Grammy, Grandma and Granddad, Aunt Paige, and lots of other special people.

He's been fighting a cold for a couple weeks. Boogers galore! Boy, does he HATE having his nose wiped.

He got three new teeth in one week. This made for a very sad, cranky baby. Lots of sleepless nights for us both, but that toothy grin sure is adorable!

Someone learned how to climb the stairs. Bleh! Time to start using baby gates...

Charlie is pulling himself to standing. He loves to see what is on the coffee table!

He squawks like a pterodactyl - not good for special events, like graduation, but still hilariously cute.

Blowing spit bubbles is super fun - and gross - but kept him rather entertained on our flight to MN.

Charlie continues to get cuter, smarter, and more precious every day - who knew that was even possible?! He charms everyone he meets... which really comes in handy when traveling! Love our sweet baby so much!

3/4 of a Year

Charlie is already 9 months old!  He had a fantastic month, and I think he has grown the most developmentally this month than any other.  It has been really fun to watch and celebrate all of his "firsts".

This month...

• My chubby little monkey has finally started to plateau - he weighed in at 22lbs and 9oz (80th%), and is 28.5" long (60th%)
• Charlie went to San Francisco to visit his baby cousin, Camila (and aunt Melissa, Uncle Lazaro, and Grandpa E).  He was a trooper in the car (4 five-hour stretches!) and didn't even complain when he missed half of his naps.  What a sweet boy.
• He is waving regularly - at everyone, even total strangers... old ladies love it :)
• Charlie is moving from crawling to sitting all by himself.  Sometimes he sits up in his crib and gets frustrated that he can't fall asleep that way!
• He loves to clap and play pat-a-cake.
• Charlie is signing "more" anytime he wants more to eat or if he sees me eating something that he just has to have.  
• His repertoire of foods is getting huge! This month, he's had polenta with spinach and carrots, tilapia with potatoes and tomatoes, salmon with coconut rice and spinach, baked beans, strawberry-mango-kale-avocado smoothies, and even a tuna salad sandwich.  This kid loves to eat (is anyone surprised??).
• Balls are the best thing around.  Charlie will roll and kick balls around the house all day long.  Who needs fancy toys? Not this boy!
• He loves having playdates with little baby friends.  Charlie often tries to rip out their hair and claw their faces, but it is all in good fun, I think...
• Charlie added two more words to his collection: Dada and Bubba.  He usually calls out bubba, bubba, bubba while chasing Carter down the hallway. Too cute! I'm hoping he gets around to saying momma soon.
• Sleeping is ROUGH.  He's waking up about 4x/night still... we'll need to figure this out soon, because this momma is tired!
• Charlie and I took a trip to Orange County for Aunt Kiki's wedding shower and Granddad's 60th birthday party.  As usual, he was a fabulous flier - although as he gets more mobile, he's hard to hold on to!
• Two new teeth popped through! A top and bottom incisor. He's definitely getting teeth in an interesting order, but at least they are coming in!
• He has learned to protest.  He makes sure you know that he's a little ticked off if you take away what he wants to play with (usually the remote, phone, or keys). Luckily, he is easily redirected to another toy and the protests don't last long.

Charlie truly is the absolute sweetest, most mellow, and happiest baby that I could imagine. His whole face just lights up with the most precious toothy grin when anyone gives him attention.  He is just a big ol' ball of love.  How did we get this lucky?!

8 Months. Seriously.

8 months? Already?

Yep, it looks like time is refusing to slow down.  My tiny baby just keeps on growing, and he is just becoming more and more adorable every day.

Highlights from the past month:

• You are such a big boy - just a smidge over 22lbs.
• You nurse in the strangest position.  You try to loop your foot up by my armpit or try and hold your feet while you eat. 
• The army crawl is still your preferred mode of transportation.  You move from room to room SO quickly... I'm amazed at how efficient you are at it!
• You sit completely unassisted, but still can't get yourself into that position without help
• Your sleep is still pretty random.  You're waking up between 2-4 times a night. TOO OFTEN! 
• Naps are still nice and predictable: 2 naps a day, 1.5 hours each.
• You love your "people" food.  You've had nibbles of cupcake and donut (don't tell your dad) and like snacking on puffs, apple slices, and little bits of whatever momma is eating.
• You've been trying the occasional sippy cup with water, but you prefer to take sips out of mom's glass.
• Your favorite toys are wooden blocks, minuscule pieces of dirt and used kleenex from the trashcan.  We're working on baby-proofing a little better...
• You are wonderful at occupying yourself while momma and Carter have school-time in the mornings.  You try and play with all of your brother's school supplies, but never complain when we take them away.
• You have your official first word, "kee" - which totally means kiss.  You say it over and over and over again until you get your smooches from us.  You even stop nursing just to say it and get a kiss before you'll keep eating.  LOVE IT.
• You make the loudest clacking sounds.  Sometimes we think it means you're hungry or want our attention, and sometimes it just seems like you are trying to entertain yourself.
• We're trying really hard to get you to say momma and dada.  You are stubbornly refusing. 
• You aren't really interested in the jumperoo or exersaucer anymore.  You just like crawling around the floors (have I mentioned that I have to sweep 2x/day and vacuum almost every day?)
• When you wake up in the morning, you play and talk to yourself for at least 30 minutes.  Your momma thanks you for the extra sleep.
• You are so much like your brother - you even self-soothe by playing with your hair, just like him!
• You had visits from Nana and Papi, our friend Summer, and your lovely Aunt Kiki.  So nice to spend time with those special people!

We are looking forward to our Spring Break trip to see Aunt Melissa, Uncle Lazaro, and brand new cousin Camila the first week in April.  Charlie has been an awesome air traveler, so let's hope that he is just as fantastic on the car ride to San Francisco! 

Project Homeschool

If you know me at all, you will know that I never, ever, not even a tiny little bit, wanted to homeschool my children.  I am more than happy to send them off to public schools, expose them to multitudes of children, and have a "regular" school experience.  The added bonus is that I get a nice long break from answering nonstop questions and dealing with a teenager-like attitude for 6+ hours a day. Pure bliss.

Well, things have changed.

My busy, silly, and super sweet boy is just not doing well in school.  He needs more one-on-one instruction and attention than a teacher can give with class sizes so large. He needs to be challenged way past traditional kindergarten curriculum, and needs someone who will be patient with his need for a million "brain breaks" throughout the day.  He's one tough little cookie... and needs a lot of extra support, which is much easier to give when you only have one student.

Lucky for him, his momma is a pretty good teacher :) I spent yesterday setting up our "classroom" and organizing our curriculum materials. He is signed up for PE and art classes through the district's homeschool connections school and will also get a class all about learning math games.  The rest of the curriculum will be up to me.  I'm thankful that I'm well-trained in this area, and have so many resources that I've accumulated over the years.  The content should be easy.  The mom-as-my-teacher part will probably be much harder for him to adjust to.  Right now, he is super excited about it.  I'm pretty excited about it, too.  Even though I know it'll challenge me - I know it is truly what is best for him right now.

If you could, please say a little prayer for my sanity and a smooth adjustment for us both...

Simple Sunday: Birthday Lunch

Meet Elise and Brynn.  I am so lucky to call Elise one of my very best friends.  We met serendipitously 8 years ago, and have been through 5 pregnancies, lots of craft sessions, and endless hours on the phone together.  I've missed her dearly since our move.  I especially loved our morning coffee dates and birthday lunches - and we got to have one while I was in town last weekend!  Now, instead of just the two of us celebrating our January birthdays together, she is able to bring sweet Brynn with us.  Brynn was born on my birthday 2 years ago and I am so blessed to be her Godmother.  She is such a lively and bright little girl and I absolutely adore her.  How precious is this picture of Brynn and her beautiful momma?

I hope you were able to find some wonderful simple things to appreciate this week! 

7-Month Update

I was missing in action this week - sorry!  The little boys and I were on a mini-vacation in Phoenix.  Since it was a short trip, we were only able to see a couple of friends, but had a great time just hanging out with Grandma and Granddad.  It was a wonderful time together!

Little Charlie boy just keeps getting bigger and stronger.  Here is a list of this month's happenings:

• I took you to the doctor to make sure you didn't have an ear infection (you didn't!), and you weighed 20lbs, 6oz.
• You wriggle across the room like an inchworm, using a army-type crawl (but that belly isn't moving off the floor!).
• You stay sitting up all by yourself. (if we sit you up) You still topple over pretty quickly, but it is getting longer everyday.
• We are starting to give you more solid foods.  You like to chew on apple slices, dried mango, and pumpkin pie.
• The sippy cup is fun! It is definitely more of a toy right now, but you like trying to get the water out.
• You waved for the first time - to Granddad!
• You started clapping your hands.
• Sleep is getting better again.  You usually only wake up twice, and occasionally only wake up once (usually on the nights we feed you avocado for dinner!)
• You are taking two solid naps each day; about 1.5hours each.
• You love playing with balls, especially if they make noise.
• Monkey and Bumblebee are your current favorite stuffed toys.
• Tooth number two popped through! Both teeth are almost all the way in now - super cute grin!
• You are not quite as easy on the plane now.  You wanted to move around and play, not sit still! Of course, you were still a really good boy and didn't fuss very much.
• You took your first ride in the swing at the park.  You absolutely loved it! 
• You love the feel of the wind or when we blow on your face.  You also like to blow on us, too!
• I have to vacuum multiple times each week, since you are like a magnet to any speck of dirt/rock/leaf on the ground.
• You are obsessed with the remotes and phones.

Sweet baby, you are definitely changing so quickly... this month was full of fun new things, and we can't wait to see what next month brings!

Simple Sunday: The 'Stache

There is no end to the fun that a package of fake mustaches provides. Perfect for a rainy, play-inside kind of day!

Simple Sunday: Hot-tubbing.

Maybe I should stop watching the Bachelor with Charlie in the room.  He seems to have the hot-tub thing perfected.  Oh, man... girls better watch out for this little cutie!

Simple Sunday: His Big Shot

We were blessed with incredible weather this week, so Carter finally got to run around outside and play for awhile.  Of course, I wouldn't miss an opportunity to snap a few photos of my favorite basketball star.  I just love the look on his face - so much concentration, such focus!  Love this little man.

Linking up with The Simple Things!